Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Malik Willis' Time to Shine, Linebacker Battle & Bounce Back Candidates

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's Malik Willis' time to shine on Saturday night where he can establish himself as not only the backup in 2023, but the Tennessee Titans quarterback of the future. We're going to talk about that and more on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. We got another Tennessee Titans preseason game ahead of us on Saturday night.

Starting point is 00:00:58 I'm going to be breaking down everything you need to know going into that matchup. First, we're going to talk about some of the guys on the offensive side of the ball that I'm excited to watch. Then we'll go to the defensive side of the ball. And then finally, we'll talk about some guys who maybe didn't play very well last week who need to bounce back against the Vikings before we get into all that. Do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day.

Starting point is 00:01:22 Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Heck, I'm on a streak right now of weeks and weeks and days, seven days a week of Locked on Titans podcast is where we've been at for the last few weeks. So make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed.

Starting point is 00:01:39 I'm only going to ramp it up even more as the regular season gets closer. It is your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now. Show's always free. All I ask for in return is the press of a button. And do want to remind you guys, I'm going to be live on Saturday night after the game. I'm going to be in the Bleacher Report app.

Starting point is 00:02:00 I'm going to have a live show out here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Locked on Titans YouTube channel as well. So make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed once again. You don't want to miss any of the content that I got coming your way. But with that being said, it is Malik Willis' time to shine as the Titans take on the

Starting point is 00:02:17 Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time. We haven't gotten an update on Will Levis at this time. At the time of this recording, it's Friday afternoon. No update there. And I got to tell you guys, we wouldn't have gotten an update on Traylon Burks if not for that video going viral and everybody seeing it. Mike Vrabel would have been hush-hush and probably never told us that Traylon Burks had any kind of problem at all. So that seems like what might be happening with Will Levis here. We're probably

Starting point is 00:02:43 not going to get an update until Saturday morning, right before the game, or of course, with my luck, my everydayers out there, let me know down below who you guys are. But my everydayers know that I got this excellent ability to record a podcast directly before important Tennessee Titans news comes out. So that may happen with this situation as well. And this Will Levis news could come out later on Friday evening, but I would imagine that we'll get some sort of report on Saturday afternoon before the game, whether Levis is going to play in the game or not. And personally,

Starting point is 00:03:13 I think based on the way he exited on Thursday's practice, I don't think that Will Levis is going to play in this game. And if he does, I think the Titans will limit his snaps from what they want to give him due to whatever the injury is. I think that Malik Willis really has an opportunity here to grab the bull by the horns, to take it. I'm not just talking about 2023 backup quarterback. I'm talking about the Tennessee Titans quarterback of the future. Right now, in my opinion, these guys are neck and neck with Malik Willis, just a slight

Starting point is 00:03:42 lead. That's what I talked about after the game last week. I scored the bout last week, 10 to 9 for Malik Willis, just a slight lead. That's what I talked about after the game last week. I scored the bout last week 10-9 for Malik Willis. But Malik Willis is going to have the opportunity to develop a rhythm here, gain chemistry with his offensive line and his wide receivers, not have to worry about how many series am I playing, how many snaps am I playing, am I coming out after this drive, did I just throw an interception, and now I don't get to get back on the field.

Starting point is 00:04:04 He's not going to have that kind of over-the-shoulder pressure that you would have if Levis was playing and that may just allow Malik Willis to show us the full package here. Everything he's capable of and plays absolute best football and I'm excited to see it. More than anything, I'm just excited to see a free Malik Willis go do his thing for an entire game for the Tennessee Titans. We should get more drives this week of the starting offensive line. You would hope that the offensive line plays a little bit better

Starting point is 00:04:33 with more chemistry and more experience. So hopefully we get a great performance from Malik Willis. But again, I'll be here to break it down whatever happens after the game because with more time for Malik Willis to play also comes more plays to scrutinize from outside influences things like that so uh more more pressure and it can be a good thing or a bad thing for Malik but it's not just Malik that I want to talk about on offense

Starting point is 00:04:58 we do got to talk about some of these young wide receivers and what I want to do is you guys let me know down below in the comment section who is the young wide receiver. And what I want to do is, you guys let me know down below in the comments section, who is the young wide receiver that you believe in? This doesn't count Chris Moore, NWI, even Racey McMath and Mason Kinsey. I don't want to hear about those guys. I'm talking the rookies. Gavin Holmes,

Starting point is 00:05:20 Treshawn Harrison, Colton Dow's banged up. I don't think he's going to play in this game, but you could maybe throw him in there if you want to. A guy like Reggie Roberson, that's for me. Karis Jackson as well. You look at Reggie Roberson, a second-year player, Treshawn Harrison, a rookie, Karis Jackson, a rookie.

Starting point is 00:05:39 Those are the three guys that I'm really excited to see at wide receiver. With Holmes and Roberson, you got an outside receiver that I think could really help the Titans. Robertson obviously has a ton of speed that should help him, but Karis Jackson, a big body guy, like thick, strong. He's not super tall, but he's a physical guy. Played on three special teams units last week, including returning a kick.

Starting point is 00:06:07 Played in the slot, which, if Mason Kinsey doesn't make this roster, which I don't think that he will, the Titans need a backup pure slot guy. So if you have Karis Jackson as a backup pure slot guy to Kyle Phillips, who can also be on coverage teams and also potentially return kicks for you, that's a ton of value that you're adding to the roster.

Starting point is 00:06:27 So, Karras Jackson is the one I'm really looking for. But, of course, Reggie Roberson Jr. and Treshawn Harrison are guys to keep your eye on as they try to kind of separate themselves. Separation Saturday for the Titans at a lot of these positions. The last thing I want to mention here is the offensive line. I know that there was a debate on it, but I thought Jalen Duncan played pretty well last week, at least from my expectations.

Starting point is 00:06:49 I wasn't a fan of the pick when it happened. I thought Jalen Duncan played pretty well and showed some flashes that he might even be ready to come in in spot duty this year. So I think that may be getting a little too far ahead of ourselves, but either way, we saw some good flashes from Jalen Duncan. I also thought Justin Murray, the recently signed Justin Murray, played absolutely excellent on the interior guard for the Titans. So excited to see those guys, see what they do.

Starting point is 00:07:14 And then, of course, the starters. Like I said, the starters played one drive last week. I'm hoping that they play maybe two or three drives this week. That group needs the continuity. They need to play. Okay? So I'm excited to see what the Titans starting offensive line can do as well with however many drives that they're out there.

Starting point is 00:07:32 But with that being said, we're going to move forward. Talk about what I'm looking for on the defensive side of the ball. We have a battle at linebacker to discuss. And then at the end of the show, we're going to talk about some bounce back candidates who did not play very well last week who need to play a lot better on Saturday against the Vikings. Before we get into the defense though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Linkedin Jobs.

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Starting point is 00:09:02 Terms and conditions do apply. Titans fans, let's continue today's preview of the Tennessee Titans' second preseason game of the year against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night. We just talked about the guys that I'm excited to watch on offense, including Malik Willis. Now I want to transition to the defensive side of the ball, and at the end of the show, we're going to talk about some guys who need to bounce back from a bad performance last week.

Starting point is 00:09:41 Before we continue, though, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on all apps, always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast

Starting point is 00:09:56 where it's your team every single day. Heck, I've been going six, seven days a week with podcasts during the preseason and training camp. So even more than five days a week, you're getting your fix here with the Locked on Titans podcast. But moving right along, we need to talk about the defensive side of the ball. And I'm going to start on the defensive line.

Starting point is 00:10:14 And there's two players who I'm really excited to watch who I thought didn't play poorly. It's funny, I just rewatched the defensive film for like the third time right before I did the show a couple hours before. I would say Rashad Weaver and Jaden Peavy are the two guys, those are the two prominent backups

Starting point is 00:10:35 on the defensive line. You look at Harold Landry, Arden Key, number one backup Rashad Weaver. You look at Danico Autry, Tierra Tart, Jeffrey Simmons, number one backup in terms of talent is Jaden Peavy. And Terrell Williams, Titans defensive line coach, been pumping him up all training camp.

Starting point is 00:10:53 And I saw signs of what has people so excited about Weaver, what has people so excited about Peavy. I saw it. But it's the consistency. Okay, it's the consistency. And the reality here is, although Weaver is going into his third year and Peavy going into his second,

Starting point is 00:11:09 the truth is they're both second year players. Because if you remember Rashad Weaver snapped his leg in like game two of his rookie year and didn't get to play the rest of the year. So really Weaver is going into his second year when you count actual experience. So there's consistency that needs to be developed. But against second-team offensive lines,

Starting point is 00:11:27 especially Minnesota's second-team offensive line when their first-team offensive line is awful, well, the interior, their tackles are good. Okay? Their tackles are good. I'll give you that. But I want to see Rashad Weaver and Jaden Peavy kind of do more than what they did last week.

Starting point is 00:11:46 I mean, Weaver was on the field for seven passes, got zero pressure, didn't have a single pressure. He did have a good tackle for loss, though. Got to give Rashad Weaver credit where it's due. That was a nice play against the Bears, but I just want to see a little more. Peavy did pretty good, taking on some double teams, shedding a blocker, making plays.

Starting point is 00:12:03 I saw little flashes, but I just want to see even more of it, and they should play even more this week. So Peavy and Weaver on the D-line really want to see what they're able to do against this less-than-deep Minnesota Vikings offensive line group. But outside of that, we'll move to linebackers, and that's really where I want to focus our attention because we have talked so much about Monty Rice and Jack Gibbons.

Starting point is 00:12:25 That was the battle. And we didn't just make that up. Mike Vrabel told us that those two were battling for the starting linebacker spot. But allow me to introduce Chance Campbell. Mike Vrabel talked about Campbell's speed. You could see it. He had a pass breakup one time covering a running back that was real nice. He was moving around the field. Chance Campbell. Remember Campbell was a sixth round pick last year and he may have gotten injured and missed all the season, but he was a guy that the Titans thought so highly of that they actually drafted in the sixth round. So Campbell has size. He has speed. If he can kind of get his feet under him, I think that Chance Campbell has a real chance here to push Jack Gibbons, to push Monty Rice for that starting spot.

Starting point is 00:13:10 And can I just say, Monty Rice, injured again, missed most of the week's practices, wouldn't expect him to play in the game, only played seven snaps in the game last week. expect him to play in the game. Only played seven snaps in the game last week. This is why I called Monty Rice the most overrated Tennessee Titan coming into the season.

Starting point is 00:13:32 There were people, not only fans, but media people pumping up Monty Rice saying he was going to be the next starting linebacker for the Titans. Oh, Monty Rice should be the favorite for the Titans. He just has zero consistency, man. Just zero consistency to stay on the field, to get any kind of rhythm, to gain any kind of chemistry. We just haven't seen it. And now he's getting passed on the depth chart

Starting point is 00:13:52 by Jack Gibbons, certainly. And Chance Campbell may pass him as well so that whenever he does come back, he's the fourth linebacker on the depth chart, which is just not the way that a top 100 third-round pick, that his career should be going, going into his third season. It's a disappointment. There's no way around it. So let's see if Monte Rice finds a way to get back on the field and claim his spot back. But Chance Campbell played awfully well last week. Jack Gibbons was already ahead

Starting point is 00:14:20 of Monte Rice on the depth chart. I just, it's disappointing to see what we're seeing from Monte Rice. But hey, that's an opportunity for Campbell. And I'm excited to watch him play on Saturday night. Lastly, just want to talk about some guys in the secondary. Eric Gar versus Armani Marsh. They're both fighting for second team slot cornerback right now. Marsh got the start last week against the Bears. And then Eric Gar came in and played slot after Armani Marsh.

Starting point is 00:14:48 And I thought Gar was better. Personally, I thought Marsh missed some tackles. Overcommitted on some plays. That DJ Moore wide receiver screen for a touchdown. Armani Marsh was the guy who got absolutely mollywhopped out of his gap and gave up a free run. So I wasn't that impressed with Marsh. Some other people were.

Starting point is 00:15:05 I'm not, not me. I liked Gar better. I thought he was more aggressive, more physical, a more reliable tackler. Maybe some mistakes in coverage here and there, but you're going to live with that with your backup slot. I think Gar versus Marsh is something to watch in this game. And Mike Vrabel said that some of the guys who played with the threes last week

Starting point is 00:15:26 are going to play with the twos now. Vice versa. I think Gar could be a guy who gets time over Marsh in that slot with the Titans' first-team defense for the preseason game. Obviously not their first-team defense for the regular season. But lastly, I just want to say keep an eye on Mike Brown, No. 44. Elijah Molden is playing dime safety for the Titans this year. That means he basically lines up as a linebacker in passing situations.

Starting point is 00:15:54 Mike Brown is playing that role, backing up Elijah Molden. And with Molden now hurt, he got hurt in practice this week. Molden's hurt again. Monty Rice hurt again. I mean, jeez, that John Robinson class there. But with Elijah Molden's injury history and now injury issues popping back up, Mike Brown could be playing that dime backer role for the Titans in the regular season.

Starting point is 00:16:20 He was impressive in that first game, and now that I know that he's the backup in that role from watching the tape, keep your eyes on Mike Brown. I think he might end up being an important player during the regular season. But with that being said, we're going to talk about some bounce back candidates because there were some guys who did not play their best game last week against the Bears that need to play a lot better this week.

Starting point is 00:16:39 So I'm going to dive into that in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off today's preview of the Titans' second preseason game of the year against the Minnesota Vikings. I want to remind you guys, I'm going to be going live in the Bleacher Report app immediately after the game to break down everything that happened. Then I'm going to have a live show up for you guys

Starting point is 00:17:18 on the YouTube channel, on the podcast feed. We're going seven days in a row. I mean, I think out of the last like 28 days, I have recorded like 27 or 26 of them. And we're not slowing down. The regular season's right around the corner. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast, Monday through Friday, free content for you guys. Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now as well. Show's always free.

Starting point is 00:17:46 All I ask for in return is the press of a button. But let's dive into some of these bounce back candidates. Number one who we have to start with is tight end Josh Wiley. Wiley had the pass go off his hands. The Malik Willis pass that turned into an interception last week. It was a high throw. It was not a good throw. But nonetheless, Wiley should have caught it.

Starting point is 00:18:04 He admitted that. Mike Vrabel admitted that. So, Wiley has the ball bounce off his hands for a pick. Then, he gets hit on a catch from Will Levis and fumbles. A terrible, terrible debut from the rookie tight end. But, on Monday, Wiley bounced back in practice. Jim Wyatt from TennesseeTitans.com called it his best practice yet. Also heard good things about Josh Wiley in the joint practices against the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Starting point is 00:18:32 So it looks like mentally Wiley has bounced back and has played very well in practice this week. They need to see that, and we need to see that transition into the game as well because it could be one of those things where he's in practice, he's not worried, gets into the game, the nerves, the jitters, all of that. You got to get over that. So I want to see Wiley have a good performance in this game

Starting point is 00:18:52 so that he can kind of put those mistakes from week one behind him and move forward. Because while I don't think that Wiley is going to be some super important part of the Tennessee Titans offense this year, the reality is at 6'6", with his athleticism, he has the ability to be a matchup important part of the Tennessee Titans offense this year. The reality is at six foot six with his athleticism, he has the ability to be a matchup nightmare and the Titans can use him in the red

Starting point is 00:19:10 zone. They can use him on third downs. They can use him kind of how they used Austin Hooper at times last year. And I think that that is an important role for the Titans, even if it's a very small and limited role within the offense. So Wiley has value and I just want to see him be confident going into the season. So a bounce back performance needed from tight. So Wiley has value and I just want to see him be confident going into the season. So a bounce back performance needed from tight end Josh Wiley. Next though, I want to talk about the backup offensive line. We talked about some of the guys who played pretty well last week, the starters. I thought Jalen Duncan, Justin Murray played pretty well, but there were a lot more guys who did not play well. I mean, offensive tackle, Zach Johnson, had some of the worst pass pro reps I've seen in a while.

Starting point is 00:19:50 I mean, they were embarrassing, what Travis Gibson did to him last week. On the other side, Andrew Rupsich really struggled at right tackle as well. I thought Nicholas Petit-Ferrer was terrible. Nicholas Petit-Ferrer was the lowest graded Tennessee Titans offensive lineman per pro football focus. Now I disagree with some of PFF's grades and analysis of the game,

Starting point is 00:20:16 but I don't know that I disagree there. And that for your starting offensive lineman in his second year going against third stringers to play that poorly, whoo, that's a conversation that we must have another day. But outside of NPF, Zach Johnson, Andrew Rupsich, a guy like Xavier Newman Johnson really would like to see him bounce back. I kind of had high hopes for Xavier Newman Johnson coming in this year that he could be maybe a development project for the Titans that could actually get some snaps.

Starting point is 00:20:48 But man, it was a little rough there on last Saturday. So, want to see the backup offensive line bounce back, not only for their own performances, but I want to see Malik Willis have a chance to operate. So with that in mind, the Titans need a bounce back performance from the offensive line so they can get the most out of Malik Willis

Starting point is 00:21:11 and see what he can do. Finally, the last folks I want to talk about here are the two kickers. They got a bounce back. Caleb Shudak kicked one out of bounds on a kickoff for a penalty. Trey Wolf missed his only field goal attempt. 48 yards, missed it. Caleb Shrey Wolf missed his only field goal attempt. 48 yards. Missed it.

Starting point is 00:21:26 Caleb Shudak made his only field goal attempt from 41 yards. It was not a good kick. It was ugly and barely stayed in, which is not a good sign. I mean, they both made extra points, but that's not going to be enough to secure yourself. The Titans need to consider some veteran options if both these kickers do not bounce back in this game.

Starting point is 00:21:50 Like, we need to see a lot better play. And if not, it is time to call a veteran kicker. It's time to call Ryan Suckup. It's time to call Randy Bullock back. It's time to call Robbie Gold. Call Zane Gonzalez, for God's sake. He's only 28. Just saying, these kickers have to bounce back

Starting point is 00:22:08 or it's time to get rid of one of them and bring in a veteran to let them compete. That simple. But again, I'll be back with you guys on Saturday night to break down everything that happened. A lot of content coming next week. Titans joint practices against the Patriots. Another preseason game.

Starting point is 00:22:24 That is going to do it though for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland. And this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Malik Willis' Time to Shine, Linebacker Battle & Bounce Back Candidates

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