Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Mike Vrabel GIVES UP on Malik Willis, 2023 QB Situation & Kevin Byard's Greatness

Episode Date: January 2, 2023

The Tennessee Titans lost 27-13 to the Dallas Cowboys as expected on Thursday night, but what wasn't expected was Mike Vrabel going with Josh Dobbs over Malik Willis at quarterback. Despite the excuses from the fan base, this is a clear sign Mike Vrabel does not believe in Malik Willis anymore, if he ever did. Then, what does that development mean for the Titans QB situation in 2023? Tyler thinks it gives us real answers as to what Vrabel will do next season. Finally, #TitanUpTitanDown, but Tyler focuses on only the good performances. Specifically, the fantastic play of the legendary Kevin Byard!Follow 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!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONUltimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, the Titans lost to the Cowboys 27-13. But the big story was Mike Vrabel benching rookie quarterback Malik Willis in lieu of Josh Dobbs. I'll tell you why. I think this means Mike Vrabel has given up on Malik Willis. Mike Rabel has given up on Malik Willis. Then we'll spin that forward and talk about what's going to happen with the quarterback position in 2023.

And then we'll do a little tighten up, tighten down for the game, where I'll focus on only the tighten ups and tell you why we just need to appreciate Kevin Byard. All of 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. Titans fans, we got to talk about this crazy decision to bench Malik Willis and go with Josh Dobbs. I think Mike Rabel's giving up on Malik Willis and I'll explain

why. Before we get into it though, do want to first wish all you guys a happy new year. I hope you all had a safe time enjoying the turn of the calendar. Also want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the Ultimate Football GM app. Ever dream of becoming an NFL GM and managing your football franchise? Then this game is definitely for you to download the game. Just visit ultimate-gm.com or just look it up on your app store.

My listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo code LOCKEDON. That's an all caps LOCKEDON in the game. Thank you for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every single day. Make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream for Monday through Friday, free Tennessee Titans content all year round. That's right, Monday through Friday throughout the entire offseason.

So you're going to want to stay locked in to the Locked On Titans podcast. So 27-13 in this game. And I just got to say it. That is exactly the score that I predicted. And the game went exactly how I expected. I told Marcus Moser from the Locked On Cowboys podcast. I think it'll be about 17-13 in the third quarter. The Titans will be playing hard.

They'll be keeping it close. And then the Cowboys' talent will win out as the game goes a little bit further. And they'll win by two scores. And I was there in living color, sitting in the end zone, watching it all happen. But you know what? Pleasantly surprised from the Titans. They did go out there,

despite Mike Vrabel literally punting on the game. Mike Vrabel had no intention of winning that game when he sat out double-digit starters and players who are relatively healthy enough to play. I mean, at this point in the season, no one is healthy, but Derek Henry was healthy enough to play. And Mike Vrabel sat him out

because he didn't care if they won or not. So you could say the players don't tank. No, they do not. But the head coach certainly will put his team in a position to lose on purpose or at least not try to win. And that's exactly what the Titans did. They did not actually try to win the coaches by the players that they played. But that's all right because they still have the win in endgame in Jacksonville. But the big story, of course, is that Mike Vrabel benched Malik Willis.

And look, I was on my way to the game and I said it outright when it happened. This is Mike Vrabel giving up on Malik Willis. Period. Because here's what it breaks down to to me and I saw some complaints and some pushback from some of you guys and I'm going to go pushback by pushback and tell you why it's just simply not the case

all these excuses that you guys are making for the situation so number one Malik Willis needs those reps it's a meaningless game you guys told me that all week the game doesn't matter sit all the starters who cares just play for Jacksonville well if it's a meaningless game. You guys told me that all week. The game doesn't matter. Sit all the starters. Who cares?

Just play for Jacksonville. Well, if it's a meaningless game, then it is a perfect time for your rookie quarterback to get reps. We know that Josh Dobbs is not a starter in the, well, anybody who's not a Tennessee Vols fan, because you guys are sycophants right now. It's disgusting. Honestly, the way the Vols fans,

some of them are reacting to this. Like, wake up here. Josh Dobbs is not a starting quarterback in the NFL. He is a backup at best and a fringe backup at that. So, why would you play that guy over Malik when you sat Derrick Henry and sat a bunch of starters showing that you didn't care if you won the game anyway. That is literally the ideal time, the perfect scenario for a rookie quarterback to get reps. And Vrabel doesn't want to give that to Malik? That doesn't make any sense

to me. And here's some of the pushback. And they still lost by two touchdowns with Josh Dobbs. So what did you accomplish? You didn't get close to winning the game, and you didn't give your rookie quarterback reps for a journeyman quarterback who may not stick in the NFL for another year or two anyways. So one, here's what some of you guys said. Well, Malik's

going to lose confidence if he goes out. Malik is never going to have perfect offensive line play. He's never going to have perfect everything around him to get a fair read. That's not how it works in the NFL. You don't get perfect surroundings all the time. That's not how this works.

And two, what we think won all season and the Titans are going to all of a sudden have a great offensive line and next year Malik's going to have that perfect offensive line to get a fair shot behind. That's not how this works. Number three. You played Malik behind that offensive line last week

against Houston. NPF went out early in that game. So we're in the middle of the game. So don't tell me that Malik's going to lose his confidence playing behind that offensive line when Mike Vrabel played him behind that offensive line last game. It doesn't make any sense in a game that could have mattered to the Titans if they had won it. So I don't believe any of that. And let me just say this for this confidence thing. If going out there and playing football makes you lose confidence,

then you weren't going to be a quarterback in the NFL ever anyways. Period. If you lose your confidence from getting reps, then you aren't the guy to start. It's never going to happen anyways. So take that all into account. And I would argue you want to talk about confidence. Getting benched for a journeyman quarterback who's barely in the NFL, eight days after he joined the team, when you've been with the team since April in the draft,

and him having a better game than you. Josh Dobbs is better than Malik Willis right now. He is. He is a better player. I agree with all of that. But Malik's development is far more important to the Titans franchise than Josh Dobbs losing by two touchdowns to the Cowboys in a meaningless game. What are we doing here? You benched Derrick Henry when he could have played. So don't try to play Josh Dobbs so you tell the locker room that you're trying to win because everyone knows it's a lie. So I think that Josh Dobbs starting over Malik is worse for Malik's confidence

than Malik playing and playing bad. He needs to get used to the speed of the game. He needs those reps. And in a meaningless game, this is the perfect chance to let him play. And some people were saying, oh, they're sitting their starters. They're sitting their starters.

That's what, no. Two Titans reporters came out and said, that is a bold-faced lie. And a lot of you guys were saying, well, wait until Malik starts next week against Jacksonville. You want to make that bet with me? You want to make that bet that Malik plays next week? Because I bet it'd be Josh Dobbs. Because Mike Vrabel's going to try to win. He's going to try to win. But stop with the mental gymnastics of they were sitting starters

stop with the confidence he's going to lose his confidence playing with this team that is nonsense that is all complete nonsense so Mike Rabel gave up on Malik Willis here is what we saw

live and live in color he gave up on him you can admit it you can accept it or you can live in denial but denial is not just a river in Egypt that's all I got to say about that but you can admit it you can accept it or you can live in denial but denial is not just a river in Egypt that's all I got to say about that

but with this new development what does it mean for the quarterback position in 2023 we are going to talk about what comes next now and then at the end of the show we'll do tighten up tighten down focus on the fantastic performance of Kevin Byard who lays his life on the line for the team every week even if they lay down and focus on the fantastic performance of Kevin Byard, who lays his life on the line for the team every week, even if they lay down and die on him.

So we'll get into that in just a moment. Before we do, I want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the Ultimate Pro Football GM Game. This game is fantastic. Man, I am geeked about this new partnership. Ultimate Football GM is basically you're a real GM. You're managing your football franchise. You can hire coaches, hire coordinators, hire scouting staff, draft players, trade players, cup players, sign players, renegotiate deals, upgrade your

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Download the game. All you got to do is visit ultimate-gm.com or look it up in your app stores, guys. It's right there for you. ultimate-gm.com The Ultimate Football GM. Start your dynasty today. Titans fans, let's continue today's show. We just talked about how I think it's pretty obvious Mike Rabel has given up on Malik Willis.

But now I want to talk about what that freaking means going forward for the Titans. What does this mean for the quarterback position in 2023? Before we get into that, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Also, I want to take this moment. So here's my timeline. I went to the game on Thursday night. I wanted to go live leaving the stadium.

My phone died. So great. Can't do that. in the stadium. My phone died. So, great. Can't do that. By the time I get back to my hotel, it's 1 o'clock in the morning, 2 o'clock in the morning, how my body feels

being on Eastern time. And, it's simply not a great avenue to do a live show. Drive home, get home at 7pm my time at night on Friday, exhausted from the driving, from the trip, blah home at 7 p.m. my time at night on Friday, exhausted from the driving, from the trip, blah, blah, blah.

And as you guys can probably tell, I was sick. I was sick all day on Saturday, Washington National Championship games, barely had a voice, and I mustered up as much as I could to get on here on Sunday and make sure I recap the game. But wanted to let you guys know at least what happened there. But I appreciate all your guys' support, people checking in, making sure I'm feeling all right, all that.

Thank you all so much. But anyways, spinning forward, what is going to happen with the quarterback position in 2023? Like I said, in my opinion, and I gave you my reasons, Mike Vrabel has given up on Malik Willis. He has. And I don't see, from what we've seen from Malik this year, I don't see an avenue to where he's good enough to be a starter in 2023.

And here's, we're going to do an episode soon, after the season ends, where I say what I would do and what I think Vrabel is going to do because those are different things entirely. Well, here's a little sneak preview for you. What I think Vrabel is going to do is stick with Tannehill. I wouldn't even be shocked

if Tannehill got an extension to help change his cap numbers and make him less expensive on the cap this year. I think that what we saw happen on Thursday night when Josh Dobbs started at quarterback and what we will see next week when Josh Dobbs starts at quarterback is Mike Vrabel saying Malik ain't my guy. And we don't know whether it was a John Robinson draft pick

or Mike Vrabel was actually down to pick Malik Willis. We don't know. But what I do know is the guy with the most power in the entire organization outside of the owner does not believe in Malik Willis. Which to me means, like I said, Tannehill will be back in 2023.

Mike Vrabel, you guys say it to me all the time, Mike Vrabel doesn't want to tank. Mike Vrabel's not, and I think you're right. Mike Vrabel does not want to tank. Mike Vrabel's not. And I think you're right. Mike Vrabel does not want to tank. Mike Vrabel does not want to lose next year and try to get Caleb Williams or Drake May. If the Titans go that route, Mike Vrabel will leave and go to Ohio State.

He's not here for that. He's going to try to get as much juice out of the squeeze even if that's the best thing for Mike Vrabel and a bad thing for the Tennessee Titans. Mike Vrabel is going to do what's best for Mike Vrabel, not what's best for the Titans long term. So, it's my opinion that it's pretty obvious what's happened here. Ryan Tannehill will be back in 2023.

And, worth noting, Ryan Tannehill is on IR. And I have said consistently, if you don't think that Ryan Tannehill can come back and play this year, then why would you make the playoffs? So we can watch Josh Dobbs lose by four touchdowns? What are we doing? Go get a top ten pick. Get Broderick Jones. Get Broadway Jones.

Get Paris Johnson. Hell, trade up and get C.J. Stroud. You're in position if you have a top 10 pick. If you get 18, 19, 17, you're not. And then you may not get one of the top offensive tackles either. And it's not a good draft for wide receivers. It's not a great draft for cornerbacks. The Titans are going to put themselves in a terrible, terrible position

if they win against Jacksonville with Josh Dobbs starting at quarterback, which I don't think is going to happen anyway, but just in case. So, to me, it's obvious Ryan Tannehill is going to be back. There will be a competition for quarterback two between Josh Dobbs and Malik Willis. And there's no

way that Malik Willis beats out Josh Dobbs. There just isn't. We can all make excuses for Malik. The line, the play calling, the wide receivers, all that stuff. It's all real. It's all real.

I say excuses. You can call it reasons. That's fine. But the reality is at some point you have to overcome. If you're a good enough player, you will overcome. Joe Burrow went to the Super Bowl with the worst offensive line in history last year. Yeah, he had great weapons,

but the point is, players overcome. Okay? So, I think that what we see next year is Malik and Dobbs in training camp, and I think Dobbs wins. And honestly, I'm okay with it. I'm okay with that.

I want the Titans to have a better backup than Logan Woodside. I've been harping on that for years now if you've been listening to this show. Well, Josh Dobbs is a much better quarterback than Logan Woodside. He is. There's no doubt about it. He is a much better quarterback. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Vrabel isn't going to tank.

He's not going to do what I want and play Malik all year next year so they can get a better pick to get Drake May or Caleb Williams so that we can get our Joe Burrow. Right now, the Titans are in the Dalton years. And as soon as they wake up, hopefully, they get to the Burrow years. But what had to happen to get to the Burrow years? The Titans can continue riding with the Andy Dalton version of the Titans.

If they want. If they think that that makes them competitive and makes Amy Adams Strunk happy and all this. Sure. That's not what's best for the Titans long term. What's best for the Titans long term is to at all costs try to find the quarterback of the future. Try to find a real elite quarterback. And not playing Malik on Thursday is it shows that that is not something that Vrabel is interested in.

Vrabel won't tank. He won't lose games. He won't start Malik Willis. He may not even have Malik on the team. Tannehill's going to be back, and Josh Dobbs is probably going to be the backup. That's what I think we learned on Thursday night. Even with Tannehill going on IR and having ankle surgery.

I expect him back now. Mike Vrabel told us how he feels. So with that in mind, do want to talk a little bit more about the other players in the game out of the quarterback position. We're going to do a little tighten up and tighten down, but I got to be honest with you guys. Mike Vrabel didn't give the team a chance to win this game,

so I'm not going to give anybody tighten downs for that. We're going to talk tighten ups and the guys who played well in this game, despite the coach not trying to win. Before we get into that though, do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Built Bar. Looking for a delicious treat? Don't want all the fat. You don't want all the calories. You got to try Built Bar. Plus, it's the new year. A lot of you guys are going to try to work out more. You're going to try to get in better shape. And this is the perfect protein bar for you. You get all the health benefits of a protein bar, high in protein, high in fiber, low in calories, low in sugar, but you also get all the taste benefits of a candy bar. All the bars are covered in 100% real chocolate, a ton of delicious flavors

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when he decided to sit players that were healthy enough to play. So it's not, I'm not going to blame anybody I guess, if they got put in a bad position. Because that's just it was all backups out there. Besides Kevin Byard. My favorite Tennessee Titan

of all time who carried the team on his back and tried. He tried. While all the other starters were sitting out, Kevin Byard went out there and played his part out for the fans. Oh. So before we talk about Kevin Byard's greatness, also just want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast

your first listen for your second listen. Check out Locked on NFL. Look, you get all your Titans news here with me with Locked on Titans. Get all the national NFL news with the Locked on NFL podcast. It's going to put a national spotlight on all the biggest daily conversations and biggest NFL stories. That's Locked on NFL. It's available on YouTube or wherever

you get your podcasts. But to me, like I said, number one tighten up is Kevin Byard. I put out a tweet and it was a little controversial and I might have been a little fired up.

No lie. I can't lie to you guys. I probably would have phrased it a little differently if I was doing it now. But the sentiment, look, we love Derrick Henry, and I love Derrick Henry, and Derrick Henry's a Hall of Famer. But Kevin Byard is a Hall of Famer too. Kevin Byard has the most interceptions

of any Tennessee Titan ever. The 27th. He has the most interceptions for safety in the NFL since he was drafted. He has been a first team All-Pro twice. The only down year that he had in 2020, the Titans were the worst defense in the NFL. This year, like 2020, the Titans have been so banged up and so bad on defense late in the season that Byard hasn't been able to do what he does best, and that's roam the field as a zone defender and read the quarterback's eyes. Because they got a bunch

of non-NFL players in the secondary with him on most weeks, Kevin Byard has had to play man coverage while other players played zones. Kevin Byard is my favorite Tennessee Titan of all time. And I think there is a valid argument that he is the best Tennessee Titan of this era over Derrick Henry. I get it. If you want to say Henry, go ahead. I'm not going to say that you're wrong.

I'm not. I'm just telling you when I lay my head down at night, my favorite player over this stretch has been Kevin Byard. So, I also think that is probably why I lost my voice is from

Kevin Byard by myself as loud as possible all night long. While two Titans fans in their 60s were asking if we could be quieter and sit down. 66,000 people at a football game. I don't think this is the venue for you guys. Titans fans, man. I was very sad by the quality of fan in the section that I was in.

It was pretty disappointing. Not going to lie to you guys. I know a lot of you guys who watch my show and listen to my show are far more passionate and energetic about this team than the section I was in. Pretty sad, honestly.

But moving past Bayard, Monte Rice, 13 tackles, had a tackle for loss. Jack Gibbons, 10 tackles. The Titans didn't give up a ton of rushing yards to the Cowboys. They got 87 yards, 2.7 yards per carry. The Titans did a dang good job, a bang-up job in run defense. But of course, as we know, the Titans can't stop anybody from throwing it

when they need to. The Cowboys kind of played with their food in this game. Let's just be honest. It's just human nature. But I thought the run defense did a good job of giving the Titans defense a chance to get off the field. So shout out to the linebackers who played pretty well. T. Air Tart, great game. Two quarterback hits, half a sack.

Picked up a fumble. I thought he was disruptive up front. Same thing, Demarcus Walker, quarterback hits, half a sack, picked up a fumble. I thought he was disruptive up front. Same thing, Demarcus Walker, quarterback hit, tackle for loss, half a sack, five tackles, Kevin Strong up front. I thought played pretty solid. Knocked down a pass at the line of scrimmage on a big third down, I believe. So shout out to him. Good job there.

There were some good performances on defense. On offense, there were some good performances as well guys. I mean, there really were. Traylon Burks, four catches, 66 yards, tight roping down the sideline. That was awesome. Robert Woods, five catches, 39 yards, had a touchdown. And then again, Josh Dobbs. Look, Dobbs made some of the worst throws that I have seen all year. I mean, the one that almost got picked off by Trayvon Diggs

was one of the worst throws I've ever seen. He completely sailed one to the left to Austin Hooper. I mean, there were some truly awful throws in the 20 for 39, 232, one touchdown, one interception performance. Lost a fumble as well. That's on the offensive line, though, in my opinion. But despite all that, for a backup quarterback, Dobbs gets a tight nut.

He played like a backup quarterback. So, tighten up for Josh Dobbs. He's been with the team for eight days. He came out there and played his heart out. It was 17-13 in the third quarter. Okay? So, he tried his best. And I just want to give Josh Dobbs' credit, even if I think Malik

should have played. And I don't think that Josh Dobbs is some kind of bonafide NFL player for the next five years or anything like that. He's going to be in and out of the league. I still want to give him his credit for going out there and playing hard and doing his best. That throw to Ray C. McMath

early in the game for 39 yards. Really solid. Solid throw. So there were some good throws in there. There were some terrible throws in there too though. A 32.5 QBR, 67.5 quarterback rating. You can't say Malik sucks and then defend Josh Dobbs by using offensive line, OC, wide receiver, blah, blah, blah.

You can't do that. Either you make that excuse for both guys or you don't make it at all. Okay, so make up your mind on that. Specifically, you Volves fans who have been just outrageous, man. It's perplexing. I like Ohio State,

and I can't bring myself to defend players like that. It's like psychosis to me, a complete disregard for reality at some times. But hey, that's fanaticism, right? But anyways, there were some good performances in there. And I just wanted to at least shine a light on some of them. Again, I'm not giving any tight end downs because Mike Vrabel didn't put this team in a position to win.

So I'm not going to blame the players who went out there and tried their best. They went out there and tried their best. So at the end of the day, Kevin Byard deserves all your love, all your adoration. While the rest of the players and starters sat out, Kevin Byard went out there and made plays. And Kevin Byard's interceptions, both of them, gave the Titans six points. But if not for those interceptions, the Titans would have lost by 20.

So, Kevin Bayard. Kevin Bayard. All day, forever, for the rest of my life. That's all I have to say about that. But I appreciate you guys hanging with me. I was sick the last couple of days. I'm back. We're back.

Big game ahead. Tomorrow, we're spinning it forward. We're talking about what this team needs to do in Jacksonville, what paths they have now as things kind of settle out and we see what takes place over the football weekend. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this is Locked on Tigers. Let's lock our titles.