Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST FEED Derrick Henry, Attacking Jaguars Interior & Titans Upset Chances

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans will have to feed Derrick Henry if they want to knock off the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend. I'll explain how they can do it 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.

Starting point is 00:00:46 Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL, all lowercase, for a first deposit match up to $100. It is a game plan episode. I'm going to tell you how the Tennessee Titans can defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend. It's going to start with feeding Derrick Henry.

Starting point is 00:01:13 It's going to continue to forcing turnovers. And we'll cover some individual matchups that we need to be looking for in this game at the end of the show as well. Before we get into all of it, though, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day here

Starting point is 00:01:35 on the Locked On Podcast Network. But with that being said, I do want to dive into today's game plan. And for me, looking at what the Titans need to do against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's all about winning the A-gap on both sides of the ball. So what is the A-gap? Maybe for people who didn't play football or just aren't familiar with some of the terminology, you look at the center. The center is in the middle of the offensive line. Either side of the center is the A-gap. One more spot, the B-gap. One more spot, the C-gap. One more spot, the B gap. One more spot, the C gap. One more spot, the D gap. Okay, so that is, rudimentarily speaking, that is how you need to look at this, the concept here. So on either sides of the center, on both sides of the ball,

Starting point is 00:02:19 that is where the Titans need to attack the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's what San Francisco did last week, and they absolutely blew the doors off Jacksonville. So on the offensive side of the ball, what does that look like? Well, my big philosophical point here is the Titans need to feed Derrick Henry. This needs to be a vintage Derrick Henry game. Now, I know a lot of you guys out there are like, well done, Tyler, but I haven't been here every single week telling you, hey, this is going to be a big Derrick Henry game game because some games, it just doesn't set up that way.

Starting point is 00:02:48 But where Jacksonville is vulnerable is in those A-gaps. So what I want to see is, I want to see inside zone. I want to see duo. I want to see a halfback lead. I want to see the Titans running runs, whether they be man runs, whether they be zone runs. I want to see the Titans running runs, whether they be man runs, whether they be zone runs. I want to see the Titans going forward. Don't go sideways. I don't want to see a lot of these pitches, a lot of these sweeps.

Starting point is 00:03:11 I don't want to see a lot of outside zone off the offensive tackles. But I don't want to see that. Don't go to the outsides against this Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has a ton of speed at the second level and at the third level with safeties that are willing to come down and help in the run game. You don't want to try to race Jacksonville to the outside. That plays into what they want to do. Now, that was the case with Tampa Bay last week as well, but the problem was Tampa Bay had Vita Veya in the middle. So you're kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't type situation here. So for the Titans this week, they need to attack that A gap with inside runs, interior runs.

Starting point is 00:03:47 I want to see the Titans getting shotgun and run inside zone up the middle so you can spread the Jaguars out a little bit more, have less to deal with, less traffic in the middle, and get Derrick Henry going downhill through the A gap. I want to see IZ. I want to see Dua. I want to see lead. I want to see it out of shotgun, attack, the A gaps off the butt cheeks of the center. I know it's funny to say, but this is how my dad spoke at an early age about it, and it's just the reality of where you want to go. Those are your landmarks there. All right?

Starting point is 00:04:17 Go off the hip pad of your center on both sides all day long. And I know Jacksonville's run defense looks like it's one of the best in the league. Right now, they're the fifth best run defense. If you just look at rushing yards allowed per game, they allow 86.4. But last week against San Francisco, they gave up 144. There are games in this season where they've given up over 100, 120, 140 rushing yards.

Starting point is 00:04:43 All right, Tony Wiggins from Locked on Jags talked about it yesterday, and he hinted at it. This run defense has been good, but they've played some teams that maybe don't quite challenge you that much. All right, and they've had some low performances with rushing yards, like 29 allowed, 44 allowed, stuff like that. And I think Jacksonville is not as good of a run defense as maybe fifth best in terms of yards allowed per game would say.

Starting point is 00:05:08 If you look at the pro football focus grades, Jacksonville's 21st in run defense grade. So you look at them, you look at the results, yes, they look good, but you look at the process, and maybe they're not quite the run defense that the numbers would suggest. So I think the Titans can bludgeon the Jacksonville Jaguars through the middle in the A-gaps, vintage Derrick Henry game,

Starting point is 00:05:29 let him get through the middle, get up to the second level, and I think rather than going to the outsides on this defense, you need to go right up the gut. So I'm expecting a big Derrick Henry day here. Maybe not production-wise. I'm not predicting Derrick Henry will have a big game, but if the Titans are going to win, which is what today's show is all about, how they can win,

Starting point is 00:05:48 they're going to do it by taking Derrick Henry up the gut, not on the outsides. So that's what I want to see there. Moving right along, though. In the passing game, because that's obviously going to be important here, Jacksonville is not one of the top sack teams in the league. Now, they get pressure, but Trevon Walker isn't a polished one-on-one pass rusher just yet. They're interior rushers like Roy Roberson. I can't think of the third name. These three namers, man.

Starting point is 00:06:17 How greedy to have three names. Make people say three names the whole time. But anyway, Roy Robertson. Roy, I think is... I know I'm getting it all mixed up now. Anyways, the Jags don't have a ton of great interior pass rushers. They can use Trevon Walker inside, but they

Starting point is 00:06:33 have Josh Allen on the outside. So if I'm the Titans, I'm devoting every resource I possibly have stopping Josh Allen in the pass rush. Let everybody else take on everybody else. So I'm going to put a tight end, a running back with the left tackle, with the right tackle, wherever Josh Allen goes, make sure I help there and let my other four offensive linemen deal with the other rushers, whether it's four or there's three. And just hope that that's enough time because Jacksonville plays

Starting point is 00:06:57 a ton of zone coverage. And that's good for the Titans because the Titans struggle against press man coverage. Jacksonville is not really a team that does that. Jacksonville runs going into week 10. Jacksonville ran the fourth most zone coverage of any team in the NFL. 82% of the time they're in zone coverage. Well, against zone, the Titans love dagger concept, which imagine two wide receivers on the same side. The outside receiver runs a deep in route. The inside receiver runs a vertical stretch route, a seam route, okay? Like we saw at the end of the game against Pittsburgh when Pittsburgh was just dropping back

Starting point is 00:07:30 into too high shell the whole time. Titans were just hitting that dagger concept over the middle or hitting the seam over the middle. We saw it. So I think Kyle Phillips, Chica Conquo, Josh Wiley, the middle of the field is going to be vulnerable against these zone coverages of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans would be smart to try to attack, expect a lot of dagger concept,

Starting point is 00:07:49 and expect seam throws. So Kyle Phillips, I want to see a lot of DeAndre Hopkins in the slot in this game. I want Chris Moore and NWI outside with Hopkins in the slot because I think the slot and over the middle of the field is where you can take advantage of this Jaguars defense in the passing game. So if they can block up Josh Allen by helping their offensive tackle with him, and then they can run some of those dagger concepts and some of those levels concepts against the zone coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I think they can take advantage of them over the middle with their tight ends, with their slot receivers,

Starting point is 00:08:18 and that would be an area where the Titans would be able to have some success. So that's what I'm looking for in the run game. Attack the A-gaps in the passing game. Attack the zone coverage with the inside breaking routes and look into the middle of the field. That's what my game plan would be for the Titans to get a win in Jacksonville. We're going to talk about what the defense is going to do next. They have to force turnovers. Before we get into it though,

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Starting point is 00:09:59 Use the code locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. It's PrizePix. Daily fantasy sports made easy. Locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. It's PrizePix Daily Fantasy Sports. Made easy. Titans fans, let's continue today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about what I want to see schematically and philosophically from the Titans offense. Now we're going to transition the conversation

Starting point is 00:10:36 into the defensive side of the ball, talk about what I want to see from the Titans there. At the end of the show, we are going to talk about the individual matchups and the individual players that I think will of the show, we are going to talk about the individual matchups and the individual players that I think will make the biggest impact in this game. Before we continue our game plan episode here, I do want to let you guys know that Locked On has launched its first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. 24-7 live sports coverage on YouTube from Locked On.

Starting point is 00:11:04 Locked On Sports Today. That's what it's called. Locked On Sports Today is here for you 24-7 covering the top stories in sports from the day. They're going to have local experts. Going to mix in national coverage. Go check out Locked On Sports Today on YouTube. Subscribe to the first ever National Sports 24-7 streaming channel.

Starting point is 00:11:27 Be a part of history. It's your team every day here on the Locked On Podcast Network. But diving into the defense. For me, it's all about the run game. All right, Jacksonville's offensive line is the weakness here. All right, if there is a weakness on the Jacksonville Jaguars offense, it is that offensive line. It's clear. It's funny. I did an article about it for Sports

Starting point is 00:11:47 Illustrated this week, but you look at the Jags offensive line in ESPN's data analytics, the offensive line is 30th in pass blocking, or 30th in run blocking, 31st in pass blocking win rate. So,

Starting point is 00:12:04 by ESPN's analytics, they're a bottom two, bottom three offensive line no matter how you want to slice it. You go over to the pro football focus grades, and they are 18th in pass blocking and 30th, 31st in run blocking. This is an offensive line that has struggled. And now look, the reality is the Titans offensive line is even worse. Even if the data doesn't show it, blah, blah, blah, we're talking about different levels of bad here, okay?

Starting point is 00:12:30 But regardless, it's still a weakness in their armor. And it's still a way that the Titans can attack. And when you look at what the Titans' biggest strength is on defense, I'm getting way too excited here. You guys see me get crazy with the mic. What's the big strength on the Titans' defense? The pass rush. It's the best thing they have.

Starting point is 00:12:49 It's all they rely on all the time. If it's not working, they can't win, can't do anything. Well, this is weakness versus strength. Right? So, to me, if the Titans can stop the run and set Jacksonville in third and long situations, then the pass rush will be able to win this week. They will be able to get to Trevor Lawrence.

Starting point is 00:13:11 Absolutely will be able to do it. And when you do that, you create turnovers. Alright, so there are two things, two things philosophically that I think are most important for the Titans here. One, they have to tackle. They have to tackle.

Starting point is 00:13:29 Because if they don't tackle, then that's how you get out of third and longs. That's how you let Jacksonville break off big explosive plays with little effort, alright? And the Titans' tackling has not been good enough recently. So they have to tackle. And if they tackle, they'll stop the run. And if they stop the run, they'll create third and longs. And if they create

Starting point is 00:13:47 third and longs, they'll create turnovers. And they'll get pressure on the quarterback. And Jacksonville is one of the best teams in the NFL in turnover margin. So if the Titans defense doesn't force turnovers and doesn't give the ball back to their offense in advantageous situations, there's no way they're going to win. The Titans aren't just going to win against the Jags in a straight-up fight. They're going to need to turn the tide with turnovers, not just forcing them, but of course on offense, not creating them,

Starting point is 00:14:18 because Jacksonville is dominated in the takeaway game. All right? So they need a taste of their own medicine. The Titans have to do that to Jacksonville. Take the ball away from them, give it to the offense multiple times in plus field situations. There is no other way to win the game. There is no other way.

Starting point is 00:14:33 The Titans aren't just going to line up and get them off the field on third down and stop them in the red zone. No, they got to take the ball away. And that'll only come with pressure and that'll only come with third and long and that'll only come with pressure, and that'll only come with third and long, and that'll only come with tackling. But, on those third downs, I want to see man coverage. I know what you guys are thinking right now. Tyler, you're crazy.

Starting point is 00:14:56 They got Calvin Ridley. They got Christian Kirk. They got Evan Ingram. And I get it. And I get it. But for me, I want to have the entire offensive line covered up. Called a get it. But for me, I want to have the entire offensive line covered up, called a 50 front. A 50 front. Think five guys on the defensive line of scrimmage, a 50 front. I want every offensive lineman covered so that they don't know who they're going to block. They don't know where the stunt is coming from.

Starting point is 00:15:17 They don't know who's blitzing, who's not coming. Is it rushing four? Is it rushing five? You show five on the line of scrimmage. You back off the linebacker. You blitz a slot guy. I want to get in there. All right? I don't want to sit in zone coverage and let Trevor Lawrence pick apart the defense

Starting point is 00:15:33 while the four-man rush doesn't get home. I want to get there quick. So I'm playing tight man coverage, disrupting, and I'm putting five guys on the line of scrimmage, and whether I send all five or not, I'm showing five the whole game. Do not make it easy on a struggling Jacksonville offensive line.

Starting point is 00:15:54 And when you come, and when you blitz, do it through the A-gaps. I want to see pressure up the A-gaps. This is going to be a big week for the linebackers. I think we get some safety blitzes up the A-gaps, which we don't see very often. Last time we saw it was like last year with Kevin Bayard. I think they need to do some of those things.

Starting point is 00:16:12 Attack the A-gaps here. Attack the interior. That's where the Titans need to go at. Because Luke Fortner, Walker Little, that is where Jacksonville, and you got rookie Anton Harrison out there, who Arden Key is going to have revenge game potential on but for me I'm attacking that interior especially that right hand side getting

Starting point is 00:16:32 away from excuse me getting away from their better offensive lineman I'm going at Walker Little I'm going at Luke Fortner at center I'm going through those gaps that's where I want to attack and I'm going to play man coverage behind and I'm going to show pressure center. I'm going through those A gaps. That's where I want to attack. And I'm going to play man coverage behind, and I'm going to show pressure looks,

Starting point is 00:16:47 and I'm going to make you get the ball out quick, or I'm going to make you confused. And again, that goes into creating turnovers. So for me, this is a simple one. Bring the fight to them. This is not a week to sit back in zone, to rush for and hope you get home. Nope. Bring the fight to them. You're the underdog. You're the upset. You're going to have to be the more physical,

Starting point is 00:17:13 more aggressive team. The more fiery, more feisty team. Bring the fight to them. Bring the pressure through the A-gaps, tight man coverage, challenge them. Don't make it easy on them. Don't sit back and hope that you can get home. All right, so with the kind of big picture look at the offense and the big picture look at the defense, now I want to zoom in a little bit, talk about some individual players on offense and defense that have to have big games. All right, so we're going to get into that next.

Starting point is 00:17:50 Before we do, though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by DoorDash. Look, guys, I love DoorDash. So convenient. So easy.

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Starting point is 00:18:43 Once again, download the DoorDash app. Enter code LOCK23 for 50% off up to a $10 value when you spend $15 or more on your first order. Subject to change. Terms do apply. Titans fans, let's continue and cap off today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the offense.

Starting point is 00:19:20 We talked about the defense. I want to see the Titans attack the A-gap. They need to win the A-gap in this game on both sides of the ball. But now I want to zoom in on some of the individual players to watch, some of the individual battles that I will be looking for. Before I get into it, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round,

Starting point is 00:19:45 always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. On Sunday, I'm going to be going live immediately after the game ends to break down all the action, talk about everything that we saw,

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Starting point is 00:20:10 I would appreciate it. But make sure that you're with me here on Sunday immediately after the game. But individual matchups. For me, I've talked about it. Derrick Henry. Big Derrick Henry game. Going to need Derrick Henry to be vintage King Henry performance against

Starting point is 00:20:28 the Jacksonville Jaguars in his hometown. Going to need that from Derrick Henry. Outside of that, I talked about it, I think the Titans are going to need to work dagger concept. They're going to need to work the middle of the field against those two high-shell zones and the zone coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I would expect Kyle Phillips to have a big game, and if I were the Titans, I would

Starting point is 00:20:44 move DeAndre Hopkins into the slot. Likewise, the tight ends, Josh Wiley, Chiggy Conquo, have to have a good game over the middle against those linebackers, Devin Lloyd, Foyo Khan. The Titans are going to need to attack the middle of the field in zone coverage because Jacksonville has good corners. They have good safeties. So I think that intermediate middle of the field, Kyle Phillips, DeAndre Hopkins in the slot,

Starting point is 00:21:07 the tight ends, Wiley and Chick, I think they're going to have to really carry the team from a pass game perspective here. On defense, Jeffrey Simmons has to dominate Walker Little. There's nothing else to say. Jeffrey Simmons has to dominate that matchup. Period. All game long,

Starting point is 00:21:26 nonstop, never stopping, unrelenting. That needs to be Jeffrey Simmons. He needs to be a true superstar in this game. I think Aziz has to step up big again. I'm expecting some interior blitzes from the linebackers and stopping the run and tackling. Aziz has struggled with tackling throughout the season. He's one of the top, out of starting linebackers in the NFL, Aziz is in the top quarter in terms of missing tackles. So he's a guy who misses a lot of tackles. If he does that against Travis Etienne this week and Evan Ingram, the Titans are just going to be in trouble.

Starting point is 00:21:59 So Aziz, not only blitzing, but being a sure tackler. That's going to be huge for the Titans this week. And then finally, Roger McCreary, because he's either going to have the opportunity to go up against Calvin Ridley on the outside, or he's going to be going up against Christian Kirk on the interior. I am personally really hoping that Sean Murphy Bunting is able to play in this game.

Starting point is 00:22:16 He's been limited all week during practice, but I'm hoping that Sean Murphy Bunting is able to play so that Roger McCreary can go back where he belongs, and that's in the slot where he's played his best football. And having McCreary against Christian Kirk all game long, which Calvin Ridley's good, but make no mistake about it, Trevor Lawrence's security blanket is Christian Kirk. So the Titans last week decided to put Eric Garewer in the slot

Starting point is 00:22:38 and put McCreary on the outside rather than put Trey Avery on the outside and McCreary in the slot. I think that would be a mistake this week. I think you put Trey Avery on the outside and McCreary in the slot. I think that would be a mistake this week. I think you put Trey Avery on the outside against Zay Jones, or Zay Jones had some legal trouble this week. Maybe it's even more of a backup wide receiver for Jacksonville. You put Trey Avery out there, and you keep Roger McCreary in the slot so he can go against Christian Kirk.

Starting point is 00:22:58 That's what I would do this week. So from a matchup perspective, from an individual player perspective, that's kind of what I'm looking at. Henry, Phillips, the tight ends, and then Simmons, Aziz, and McCreary in the slot. Hoping to see that. So that's where I would take advantage. As for my prediction, I said it yesterday.

Starting point is 00:23:16 I like to kind of confirm it here or reaffirm it here, whatever you want to call it. I've been thinking about it, and I'll say this. I joked on Crossover Thursday that this was a trap game for Jacksonville. I don't know why I'm like this, and I understand that I'm not going to predict that they will win because that is crazy, but something about this game,

Starting point is 00:23:51 something about this game, something about it just makes me think it's a trap game for Jacksonville. Their run defense is overrated. The Titans could run the ball. If the Titans run the ball, they're so much better on offense because of what it means for the play action. Jacksonville doesn't have the best pass rush, even though they have some good rushers. So that helps the Titans' weakness with the offensive line and having time there. Jacksonville plays zone when tight press man coverage is more difficult for the Titans to go against. On the flip side, the one weakness of Jacksonville

Starting point is 00:24:19 is the offensive line, and that's where the Titans' strength is, and it's a division game with two teams that know each other really well and what they want to do. I mean, I just, a lot of things add up here to this game being a lot closer than maybe some people were expecting, and as the week has gone on, I started thinking this is going to be a blowout, went into crossover Thursday with my prediction that, hey, this will be close in the fourth quarter, but maybe the score won't look as close. And by the time I'm recording this, I just feel strange. So I'm going to have Jacksonville winning 23-17.

Starting point is 00:24:58 I think I said 23-13 yesterday, but I'm feeling 23-17 with the Titans having a chance at the end. Something about this game. Something about it. So, hope you guys all come back on Sunday so we can see what really happened and talk about that because, you know, if we're honest, the odds are probably that the Titans just lose by a lot. We talk about how

Starting point is 00:25:15 bad the O-line is again, but that is going to do it 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 MUST FEED Derrick Henry, Attacking Jaguars Interior & Titans Upset Chances

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