Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Mason Rudolph NO IMPROVEMENT on Will Levis, DeAndre Hopkins Trade Spots & Derrick Henry Rant

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

The Tennessee Titans saw Mason Rudolph finally start a game and despite what some fans thought, he was not an improvement over Will Levis for the same reasons that Levis has struggled. Rudolph was lat...e on throws, inaccurate and had multiple turnover-worthy plays. The Titans must go back to Will Levis as soon as possible. DeAndre Hopkins needs to be traded and with more injuries as wide receiver in Week 7, that became much more likely. Finally, Derrick Henry is having a fantastic year, but he would not be doing this on the Titans and would not improve this bad team.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Pre-Alcohol by ZbioticsGo to zbiotics.com/LOCKEDONNFL to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelPlace your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Mason Rudolph was not any better than Will Levis. I'll explain why on today's edition of Locked on Titans. 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 Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Place your first $5 bet and you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed.
Starting point is 00:00:42 Visit FanDuel.com to get started. On today's show, I went through the tape. I'm going to explain why Mason Rudolph was not any better than Will Levis. I'm also going to tell you a brand new trade spot that makes sense for DeAndre Hopkins. And I have a Roland's rant on all the crying about Derrick Henry. Before we get into it, do want to thank you for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember,
Starting point is 00:01:09 Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there.
Starting point is 00:01:25 Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one tomorrow. We're going to have Crossover Thursday with Matt Derry from Locked on Lions. Going to have a game preview for you on Friday. Could be some big Titans news coming up here soon with some transactions, which we might hint at in today's episode. So make sure that you stay locked in here with me
Starting point is 00:01:46 with the Locked on Titans podcast. But with that being said, again, I have gone through the tape. I have watched the Titans offensive tape multiple times now before coming to this podcast to tell you Mason Rudolph is not any better than Will Levis. Mason Rudolph made some of the same exact mistakes that we were all getting on Will Levis for.
Starting point is 00:02:11 And to me, it's even worse because Mason Rudolph is a veteran who has started as many games as Will Levis has in the NFL and been in the league a lot longer. But here's the reality, and it comes back to what I have been trying to tell you guys for multiple weeks now. Mason Rudolph is a backup. The Titans aren't going to be a significantly better team with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Mason Rudolph is a good backup in the NFL, but he is not a starting level player. He's a guy who can win you a game like they won against the Miami Dolphins. He might have given the Titans a better chance to win that game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Starting point is 00:02:52 That is all true. You have to understand that I can sit here and tell you, Mason Rudolph is a good backup quarterback. While also telling you, Mason Rudolph is not a starter, and he's not a guy who makes this team significantly better. Let's just look at some of the stuff. I mean, obviously, I'm not going to break down the tape for you guys, which I am going to do over on the Tic Tac Titans film channel on YouTube. I'm going to have that video out on Wednesday morning going over exactly why Mason Rudolph
Starting point is 00:03:18 was not much better than Will Levis in the game and made some of the same exact mistakes that drive us nuts. First and foremost, turnover-worthy plays. We all crush Will Levis. Rightfully so. I'm not excusing Will Levis' play here. Will Levis has played awful to start this season. He's done some really dumb things with the football in his hands. But did you see what Mason Rudolph did in this game? I mean, early in the game, he almost threw a pick six to the defensive end, trying to toss it out to Tony Pollard. And not only that, but there was an open player on that play that Mason Rudolph chose not to throw the ball to and instead turn around and throw it to Tony Pollard, and it was a drop pick six.
Starting point is 00:04:07 Calvin Ridley and Chikokonkwo were open on the back side, and he declined those and then almost threw it to a defensive end who would have ultimately run it back to the house. Not only that, but Mason Rudolph fumbled three snaps in this game, literally under center snaps, fumbled three of them. One of them actually ended up going to the Buffalo Bills, and then the other two were late in the game where he fumbled one, he got back on top of it, then he got the snap
Starting point is 00:04:38 and tried to hand it to the running back and almost fumbled it as well. So if you look at turnover-worthy plays, if you aren't familiar with that statistic, it's a common statistic that gets tracked by Pro Football Focus, some other sites as well. It's just plays that could have resulted in a turnover, whether they did or not. And that's something that when people say,
Starting point is 00:04:58 Will Levis has regressed. Well, he's regressed to the mean. When you look at, he was at the top of the NFL in turnover-worthy plays last year. Just a lot of his turnover-worthy plays where he threw it right to a defensive back or he fumbled the ball. Just the Titans ended up either getting back on the ball or the defender dropped the interception. So it doesn't look as bad.
Starting point is 00:05:18 But this year, he hasn't been as lucky. And there you go. He's leading the NFL in turnovers. He hasn't been as lucky. And there you go. He's leading the NFL in turnovers. So Mason Rudolph did not change the turnover-worthy plays that we've seen from Will Levis. And that is the biggest issue.
Starting point is 00:05:34 And we're talking about a multi-year veteran player. Not only that, but we get on Will Levis for being late. We get on Will Levis for being late in this process. There were at least being late in this process. There were at least four plays in this game where Mason Rudolph either missed an open player or was late to throw it to them. I can think of a play to Calvin Ridley on the sideline in the red zone where the Buffalo Bills run an inverted cover two coverage
Starting point is 00:06:03 where their outside cornerback goes to the deep half. It's invert cover to something that the Titans used to run a ton of under Shane Bowen and Mike Vrabel. Well, there is an easy throw to Calvin Ridley down the sideline for a touchdown. Calvin Ridley's wide open. Mason Rudolph turns it down. And then you have another play to Calvin Ridley on the right-hand sideline where Ridley runs an out route and the ball is almost intercepted and ultimately knocked away where if
Starting point is 00:06:33 Mason Rudolph throws the ball quicker and gets to it quicker, it's going to be a completion for a first down. Those are just some examples to you guys of Mason Rudolph is not better than Will Levis by a significant margin. Maybe he's better by a tick or two, but at the end of the day, there is no higher ceiling with Mason Rudolph. This team isn't going to win a playoff game with Mason Rudolph. They're not going to the Super Bowl. This isn't a Ryan Tannehill situation where he comes in and replaces Marcus Mariotaota and now the Titans make this magical run. Mason Rudolph is not as talented as Ryan Tannehill.
Starting point is 00:07:11 So I guess at the end of the day it's just frustrating to see so many people all year long say Mason Rudolph needs to start. Put in Mason Rudolph. Mason Rudolph can lead this team. The Yahoo's out there saying Mason Rudolph compares to Tom Brady with this.
Starting point is 00:07:27 What are you talking about? Go watch the film. Watch the tape. Watch my film breakdown that comes out on Wednesday morning. Just watch. Just go now. Mason Rudolph made some good throws. He made some on-time throws. He put the ball in some short windows that were things that the Titans needed to keep drives going, but they scored 10 points, and he almost had five or six turnovers.
Starting point is 00:07:51 And that's not, I haven't even mentioned the interception that he did throw. It just, and if we want to hammer the point home, there is a play in the third quarter where Calvin Ridley has two yards of separation on his defender on a drag route. And if you just dump the ball and easy throw to Calvin Ridley,
Starting point is 00:08:12 he's going to catch that and run for a mile. Instead, Mason Rudolph waits forever and tries to hammer it home over the middle to Nick Westbrook-Akene, who has negative yards of separation. And the ball is batted away in the Titans punt. Mason Rudolph is a good backup quarterback, but he is not any better, significantly better, than Will Levis. And the upside of Will Levis,
Starting point is 00:08:36 and seeing if he can improve, and the opportunity for Will Levis to take this team to a high pick in the draft, if that's what it comes to, that is ultimately far more important than seeing Mason Rudolph play the rest of this season. So Rudolph's probably going to play against Detroit, and then I think Levis comes back into the lineup,
Starting point is 00:08:54 but people clamor in for Mason Rudolph all year. You need to take a drink of reality. Today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Look, GameTime is the best place to buy tickets, period. Why? They have the best features in the industry. And they have a brand new feature that makes GameTime even better called GameTime Picks that makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play live even easier. GameTime Picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats
Starting point is 00:09:27 so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. I've used Game Time for football, basketball, baseball, concerts. And again, it's just the best features you can find. With Game Time Picks, they also give you a panoramic view from your seat. You can toggle on the feature for all-in pricing. So the price that you see for your tickets is the price that you pay.
Starting point is 00:09:49 Make sure that you take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime Picks. Download the GameTime app. Create an account. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account. Redeem the code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off. Download GameTime today.
Starting point is 00:10:07 What time is it? Game time. Today's episode is also brought to you by PrizePix. PrizePix makes daily fantasy sports as simple and as easy and as fun as possible. That's why they have over 10 million members and billions of dollars in awarded winnings. PrizePix makes daily fantasy sports accessible to all. All you do is pick more or less on at least two players for a shot to win up to 100 times your cash.
Starting point is 00:10:34 I love playing on PrizePix. Again, you pick two to six players, and you just say whether they're going to do more or less than the PrizePix projection. Some mock examples, you know, Mason Rudolph, 150 passing yards, Tony Pollard, 75 rushing yards, DeAndre Hopkins, two and a half catches. Again, two to six players and say more or less. Make sure that you download the prize picks app today.
Starting point is 00:10:58 Use the code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 instantly. After you play your first $5 lineup. That's the PrizePix app. Download it today. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. It's PrizePix. Run your game. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about my analysis on the film that we saw from Mason Rudolph
Starting point is 00:11:39 and why he is not a big improvement on Will Levis, and it's not going to change the outcome for this team. But one outcome that can change is DeAndre Hopkins' status with the Tennessee Titans and just his presence with the Tennessee Titans. And over the last few days of NFL games, a couple of new options popped up for the Titans and their pursuit of a DeAndre Hopkins trade. I'm going to get into what I've seen. Also, some guys who are not going to be traded,
Starting point is 00:12:06 and it's simply outrageous to say that they will be or even entertain that. I do want to remind you at the end of the show, I've got a Roland's rant for you guys on this Derrick Henry situation and all of the crying that I've seen online. But I do want to thank you again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day.
Starting point is 00:12:32 But the Tennessee Titans have to trade DeAndre Hopkins. There's just no doubt about it. And DeAndre Hopkins sitting out the last few series of the game. Brian Callahan said he heard that Hopkins had soreness from the trainer and he, you know, I get it. The game's out of reach. If you're feeling kind of sore, you're an older player. Why would we risk it anyway? I totally understand that, but you cannot tell me, you cannot tell me that the Tennessee Titans don't have in their mind, hey, we might need to trade this guy and we're not going to be able to do it if he's hurt. Some people just simply don't
Starting point is 00:13:06 understand that DeAndre Hopkins is a free agent after the year. If the Titans go 3-14 or 4-13 or 2-15, do you think that DeAndre Hopkins is going to sign back in Tennessee? I have people tell me the Titans need to keep Hopkins around. He's a veteran. What do you mean? Do you think that DeAndre Hopkins is going to come back to a 2-15, 3-14 team that isn't throwing him the football?
Starting point is 00:13:34 Do you think he's going to do that as a 33-year-old free agent? No, he's not. So if he's going to leave for nothing, like Derrick Henry did, left for nothing, but emotions and public relations made the Titans not trade Derrick Henry, and he went to Baltimore anyway, and is doing this anyways
Starting point is 00:13:56 for absolutely nothing. The Titans got nothing back. Do not make the same mistake again, especially with a player in DeAndre Hopkins, who I like DeAndre Hopkins. He broke the veteran wide receiver curse for the Titans last year by going for 1,000 yards. I appreciate that. But DeAndre Hopkins doesn't have the emotional pull on this fan base that Derrick Henry did. on this fan base that Derrick Henry did. So it's not like it's the same scenario whatsoever. Kevin Byard had more of an emotional connection to this fan base,
Starting point is 00:14:32 and the Titans traded him. And a lot of people were like, this is so dumb. Why did the Titans trade Kevin Byard? Well, the Titans safety group has been pretty good this year. And the pick that they got for Kevin Byard, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., and Jaquan Jackson. So that was the right move to make to trade Kevin Byard. That was the right move by Ran Carthon.
Starting point is 00:14:55 Another good move by Ran Carthon who was taking way too much heat, which I talked about on yesterday's show. But the point is, the Titans have to trade DeAndre Hopkins. There is no valid reason for them to not trade DeAndre Hopkins. And now, after what we saw the last few days, there are more suitors. And when there are more suitors, that makes a deal more likely, and it also increases the chance that the Titans can get a better pick in return. The Pittsburgh Steelers, now with Russell Wilson,
Starting point is 00:15:24 who throws a ton of jump balls and throws no contested passes, which George Pickens is really good at going to get. But who do the Steelers have at wide receiver other than him? Calvin Austin? He's more of a slot guy. He's a speed guy. He's a smaller guy. He's not a jump ball guy who works perfectly with Russell Wilson. If you have Pickens on one side and Hopkins on one side on the 5-2 Steelers, that makes a lot of sense. And the Steelers have been in the market for a wide receiver trade every turn when there's
Starting point is 00:15:52 a wide receiver available. Not only that, but on Sunday, Brandon Ayoub tore his ACL. Debo Samuel had ammonia-like symptoms and is in the hospital. If the San Francisco 49ers want to improve that wide receiver room and Juwan Johnson missed the game, Juwan Johnson, that's Juwan Jennings. Juwan Johnson is a tight end from New Orleans. But Juwan Jennings missed the game on Sunday as well with an injury.
Starting point is 00:16:28 So the top three wide receivers in San Francisco were injured and who knows when Debo will be back to health and Brandon Ayuk ain't coming back. The San Francisco 49ers are in a win now position because they got to pay Brock Purdy after the year. And once you pay Brock Purdy, who is a good quarterback, but he's not elite, now it's going to be even tougher to build as good of a team around Brock Purdy as you need to for Brock Purdy to be good. So, not only does it make sense for San Francisco to be interested in DeAndre Hopkins,
Starting point is 00:17:01 but Rancarton has a relationship with his previous employer that should grease the skids for that kind of move. So a trade should be easier to accomplish with San Francisco because of that relationship between Rancarton and their front office. Not only that, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are also in a win-now scenario after going to the playoffs last year and winning a playoff game last year.
Starting point is 00:17:31 Mike Evans is going to be out for a month with a hamstring and maybe even longer. Chris Godwin, and oh man, that was brutal. And you feel for him because the game was over. Chris Godwin dislocated his ankle and probably has some ligament damage. He's going to be out for the rest of the season, no doubt about it. So without Mike Evans
Starting point is 00:17:51 and without Chris Godwin, what's Tampa Bay going to do? They should be on the phone right now trying to get DeAndre Hopkins. And not only that, but that adds to the Kansas City Chiefs
Starting point is 00:18:07 who I think have been a great fit for DeAndre Hopkins for a long time and Cooper Cup is now somebody who's on the trade market and he could make sense for a bunch of different teams I think the Dallas Cowboys could use DeAndre Hopkins
Starting point is 00:18:24 send him back to Texas that would make a lot of different teams. I think the Dallas Cowboys could use DeAndre Hopkins. Send him back to Texas. That would make a lot of sense as well. But. Cooper Cup is more expensive. Than DeAndre Hopkins. And the Rams are willing to eat some salary. But.
Starting point is 00:18:40 Hopkins is still going to be cheaper. And the Rams want a second round pick. Are you going to pay a second round pick for Cooper Cup? Or would you pay a fourth round pick for DeAndre Hopkins? I would love for the Titans to get a late third round pick for Hopkins. I don't think that that's going to happen. I think a fourth round pick is best case scenario. I would accept the fifth round pick. And again, if you're going to get in the comments and say a fifth round pick, a fourth round pick, what's that going to be? Well, it's going to be Jarvis Brownlee Jr. It's going to be Jaquan Jackson.
Starting point is 00:19:11 It's going to be Josh Wiley. You know what I mean? Like, these are players that you could start to build with. And no, I don't want a veteran player back. I don't want Justin Fields. What are we doing? Okay? The Titans need draft picks so they can build through the draft and restock this roster and build it from the ground up.
Starting point is 00:19:33 That's what they need to do. So Hopkins needs to be traded and now there should be more demand for DeAndre Hopkins around the NFL. But with that being said, I got a rant about this reaction to Derrick Henry's fantastic season. I mean, I realize that some people are going to cry no matter what happens because you're mad at the team, but there's got to be a speck of reality in here somewhere. Before I get into it, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.
Starting point is 00:20:08 Hey, Titans fans, you can start the second quarter of the NFL season with a big return on FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. So, you get a hunch in the middle of a game. You head to FanDuel. You can check out the latest stats. You can view live play-by-play and so much more on the same exact page where you place your bets. FanDuel is truly an all-encompassing hub of football information.
Starting point is 00:20:40 And right now, you're going to get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. That's $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. Make sure that you check out America's number one sportsbook. And if you want to place that first $5 bet, Detroit Lions minus whatever they are now on FanDuel, I would consider that. And you can do that on FanDuel.com. Titans fans
Starting point is 00:21:33 let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast we talked about what I saw on tape from Mason Rudolph remember I'm going to have my film breakdown on the Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel up on Wednesday morning at 8am so you can see what I'm going to have my film breakdown on the Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel up on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. So you can see what I'm talking about for yourself.
Starting point is 00:21:48 We talked about DeAndre Hopkins, trade options and spots that have multiplied over the last couple of days. But I'm just going to finish today's episode with a little Roland's rant for you guys. Before I get into it, thanks for making Locked on Titans your first listen. Now for your second listen, check out Locked on NFL. You get all your Titans news here with me in under 30 minutes every day.
Starting point is 00:22:10 Get all your NFL news with me on the Locked on NFL podcast in under 30 minutes every single day. It's free on all platforms. Wherever you listen to me, you're going to find Locked on NFL as well. I am the lead host of Locked on NFL, so I would appreciate your support with that.
Starting point is 00:22:28 Derrick Henry went nuts on Monday Night Football. He's leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, on pace for 2,000 yards, all of this, all of that. The instant reaction to that for some people is the Titans are idiots. Why didn't they keep Derrick Henry? Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, this, that, and the third. And to me, that's just an absurd reaction to have. And I think that mostly that comes from people are mad that the Titans are 5-1.
Starting point is 00:22:57 So anything that allows you to be outraged, you're going to take that and run with it. I mean, fire Brian Callahan. Fire Rand Carthon, release this guy, release this guy, trade Calvin Ridley, trade Jefferson, everybody, I hate everything, I'm mad, outrage. People are throwing temper tantrums right now.
Starting point is 00:23:17 And when you see Derrick Henry do well for the Ravens, that just allows you to dive deeper into your anger. But there are a few realities that people are not respecting here. Number one, Derrick Henry was a free agent. Derrick Henry said himself he wants to go compete for a championship. Derrick Henry chose to leave the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Henry chose to leave
Starting point is 00:23:49 the Tennessee Titans. In free agency, he decided to go to Baltimore to have a better chance to win a Super Bowl. I did not predict the Titans to make the playoffs. Why would Derrick Henry, if he wanted to win a Super Bowl, why would he come back to Tennessee instead of going to Baltimore? Why? He wouldn't. That's not on the Titans. That was Derrick Henry's personal choice to go to Baltimore. Not only that, but let's talk about scheme and system here for a moment.
Starting point is 00:24:28 Do you think that Derrick Henry would be leading the league in rushing if he played for the Titans this year? If you do, I don't know how many conversations I can have with you because I was told, you never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
Starting point is 00:24:44 I saw somebody say online, and I don't remember who it was, but they said, I wish we still had Derrick Henry to carry these two fools to a win. And it was a picture of Levis and Mason Rudolph. Does everyone forget last year? Go get, I wish we still had Mike Vrabel. Go bring Tannehill back. The Titans should have kept Derrick Henry. Do you guys forget what happened last year?
Starting point is 00:25:08 Is there amnesia? Did the men in black come and flash all of the Titans fan base? Derrick Henry played on the team last year. He didn't do what he's doing right now. He would not be doing this if he played for the Titans. That's why he went to Baltimore, because he has Lamar Jackson in the backfield with a better offensive line and a better football team
Starting point is 00:25:35 that's going to be winning games so they can just hammer him. The Titans were bad last year with Derrick Henry. It's not like if he was still on the team they would be good. And if you don't just believe my anecdotal opinion, look at the data. If you look at yards going into this week, if you look at yards before contact, that is how far the running back gets before he is contacted.
Starting point is 00:26:08 If you look at yards before contact per rush, Derrick Henry was number two in the NFL behind Joe Mixon, meaning that Derrick Henry is not getting touched until he's three or four yards down the field. Second best in the NFL. That is a Baltimore Ravens stat. Lamar Jackson and their offensive line are significantly better than what the Titans have. So if you open up a huge hole for Derrick Henry, he's going to run through it,
Starting point is 00:26:42 and he's going to maximize that at the second level, which is why he was so good when the Titans had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and a mobile quarterback in Ryan Tannehill. And I know that you're probably snickering, Ryan Tannehill scored 18 rushing touchdowns in a three-year span for the Titans. Tannehill's legs were absolutely a factor. Tana Hill's legs were absolutely a factor so I get that people are sad because they love Derrick Henry
Starting point is 00:27:11 and seeing him do well with a different team makes you emotional I get it but to take that a step further and act like the Titans season would be different or Derrick Henry would still be doing this for the Titans it's asinine it's asinine because It's asinine. Because on the other side of it, Tony Pollard is
Starting point is 00:27:31 in the top three in the NFL and a couple of weeks ago was number one in the NFL in yards after contact because he's getting hit way earlier than Derrick Henry. because he's getting hit way earlier than Derrick Henry. We saw what would happen to Derrick Henry playing in a Titans offense last year. He gets hit behind the line of scrimmage. He can't get up to full speed.
Starting point is 00:27:56 He's not as good behind the line of scrimmage making people miss at this age. It's not about how fast he can run. He can run fast just the same. He had his third fastest running speed of his career last night on his long run. It's his ability to be agile behind the line of scrimmage, his ability to run through contact that is not the same as it was before, and that is minimized on the Baltimore Ravens,
Starting point is 00:28:20 and it is maximized and magnified on the Tennessee Titans. So you can be sad if you want to. I'm not telling you not to. But to act like Derrick Henry could do this for the Titans, or Derrick Henry would make a significant difference for the Titans this year, it's just not based in reality. It's not based in the statistics. It's not based in the analytics.
Starting point is 00:28:41 There is no evidence that that would be the case. So be sad that Derrick Henry is gone. But do not pretend like he could do this for the Titans or that he would have saved this team or that he would have changed the outcome because we saw last year that he is not capable of doing that to this team. And that's all I have to say about that. So with that being said, throw a thumbs up on the video.
Starting point is 00:29:03 Throw a Titan up down in the chat, get subscribed, stay subscribed. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.