Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Must SQUEEZE Baltimore Ravens, Attacking Down the Field & Key Defensive Matchups

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

The Tennessee Titans have a must-win game this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens in London and if they want to slow down the Ravens offense they will need to squeeze it. Tyler dives into what that looks like on defense. Next, the Titans are at their best this year when they are throwing the football down the field and they will need to continue to attack that area to have success against Baltimore. Finally, Kristian Fulton will have to bounce back big for the Titans this week and other key defensive matchups.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!BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/NFL today to get 10% off your first month. birddogsGo to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNFL or enter promo code LOCKEDONNFL for a water bottle with any order. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tennessee Titans need to force Lamar Jackson to throw the ball down the sideline. We're going to talk about how they can do 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, this game plan 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 that code locked on NFL, all lowercase, for a first deposit match up to $100. We're going to talk about what the Titans need to do schematically on defense, which is squeeze the Baltimore Ravens. Then we'll talk about the Titans on offense

and how they need to continue to attack down the field. Finally, I'll confirm my prediction for this game and what is a must win for the Tennessee Titans. Before we get into all of that, thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed, daily content on your team, always free, your

team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. After the game on Sunday morning, I'm going to be going live here on the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. I'm going to have my full reaction later on that night, probably about 6 p.m. since this is an early morning game for the Titans. But a ton of content coming your way. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed, and hit that thumbs up button. All the bells and whistles, all that.

But diving into what the Tennessee Titans should do to beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. We will start with the defense because to me, stopping Lamar Jackson, corralling this offense, and getting back to Tennessee Titans defense is what's going to be key. And against a team who the Titans have properly executed game plans on before in the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. But for me, the entire game plan,

the entire game plan is about taking away the middle of the field. Lamar Jackson is way more comfortable throwing the ball over the middle of the field. His weapons are way more comfortable over the middle of the field. And not only that, but the run game up the middle is where the Titans struggled so much last week. So what the Titans have to do here is we will start with the run game. It is a technique called squeeze and scrape. My everydayers may remember this. We've talked about it before in previous episodes.

But what happens is if you think of nickel defense, four down linemen, two linebackers, you think about the gaps that each player is playing. Okay, typically, it would be the linebackers in the B gaps, the DTs in the A gaps, the defensive ends in the C gaps. You get the picture, just a general alignment. Well, what the Titans need to do is, they need to have their defensive line squeezed down

so that their DNs are taking the B gaps and their DTs are slamming into the inside gaps because the Colts were having success just hammering it up the middle all week last week. And when you have the quarterback run coming out to the perimeter off of that, it makes it very difficult. But here's what the Titans do.

Squeeze down with their defensive linemen and their linebackers, instead of taking the B gaps, now they scrape over the top to the C gaps. So what that's going to do is, that is going to allow your defensive linemen, your bigger bodied guys, to squeeze inside to deal with the run game. Stop the running back.

Don't let them go through the middle of the defense. The goal is, you plug up the middle, force Lamar Jackson to keep the ball. We want Lamar Jackson to keep it, to go outside. And then you have your linebackers scraping to the sea gaps. You have your slot cornerback and your down safety on the perimeter. You have your cornerbacks coming up. Odell Beckham, Rashad Bateman, Zay Flowers, these guys are not blockers, okay? They're not going to out-physical your cornerbacks and block them in the quarterback run game so that they can't come up and make tackles.

The Titans need to plug up the middle with the squeeze of the defensive line, send Lamar Jackson out to the perimeter, and force him to go laterally to the sideline. And then you rally. But what the Titans can't do is allow the Ravens to go straight up the gut like the Colts did last week. So squeeze and scrape is what the Titans need to do this week

against the run game of the Baltimore Ravens. That's what they need to do. And when we go to pass defense, again, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the middle of the field for the Ravens. So, let's talk about Lamar Jackson and where he likes to throw the ball. Throwing the ball inside the numbers, inside the numbers, inside the hashes. Lamar is 59 for 78, good for 75% completion percentage. 75% over the middle of the field

whether it's short, intermediate, or deep. You go outside the numbers. Lamar Jackson 41 for 59, 69%. So a 6% drop-off in completion percentage under 70%

when Lamar is throwing outside the numbers. Not only that, but on throws outside the numbers that are 10 yards or more, so throwing deep passes down the sidelines, Lamar is 14 for 24. 14 for 24. So, what you do is is you play man coverage you bring a lurk defender

which is a safety dropping down over the intermediate area of the middle of the field you use your hook defenders when you are in zone coverage and you squeeze everybody into the middle I want to see cover 3 from the Titans where you have 3 over and 4 under and all 4 of those people can

pack into the middle I want to see cover 2 where the Titans where you have three over and four under and all four of those people can pack into the middle. I want to see cover two where the Titans have two guys at different levels over the middle mixed in as well. But I want to see man coverage. Zay Flowers is a very good player. But Odell Beckham is a shell of himself right now because of injuries. Rashad Bateman coming back from injuries does not look explosive. I am not threatened by the wide receivers of the Baltimore Ravens.

So I'm going to play man coverage on them and force them to beat me. I am going to use a couple of zone defenders when I'm in man, Amani Hooker over the middle, Kevin Byard over middle, to shadow Mark Andrews, who's going to be working over the middle of the field nonstop. Lamar wants to throw over the middle. Squeeze the middle. Make him throw deep down the sidelines.

If they beat you that way, they beat you that way. But that's what the Titans have to do. Squeeze and scrape in the run game and force Lamar to go laterally. And then squeeze the middle of the field and pass defense. Force Lamar to go down the sidelines.

That's it. Squeeze the middle. And you got a chance to create turnovers and beat the Ravens. Also, the Titans got to tackle better this week. I mean, that's not like a schematic thing. That's just football at any level. Pee-wee, high school, middle school, anything.

Tackle. Titans have to tackle much better in this game. If they don't, then they have no chance anyway. But if they tackle, they squeeze the middle of the field, they're going to be able to create turnovers. And in the Ravens' two losses this year, in the Ravens' two losses,

they lost the turnover battle 5-1. There it is. That's what the game plan is on defense. But with that being said, we're going to move forward to the offensive side of the ball where the Tennessee Titans got to continue to air it out and go down field. Before we get into that though, today's episode is brought to you by the Jays case. Alright guys,

everyone should be empowered to care for themselves and their loved ones during the unexpected. That's why Jace Medical offers the Jace Case. The Jace Case provides five life-saving antibiotics for emergency use and gives you peace of mind so you aren't just, you know, hoping you have access to medication in an emergency. Jace Medical makes sure that you have the medication in hand. Jace Medical is simple. They'll handle everything from the online evaluation to licensed pharmacy medication delivery,

ongoing consultation and care. Don't get caught unprepared. Get $20 off on these life-saving antibiotics today from Jace Medical by using my code LOCKEDON. That's one word, LOCKEDON, at checkout at jacemedical.com. That's J-A-S-E medical.com. Titans fans, let's continue today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about what I want the Titans to do schematically on defense,

and that is squeeze the Baltimore Ravens. Now I want to move over to the offensive side of the ball, but before I get into it, 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. I'm going to be going live immediately after the Titans game against the Ravens in London, breaking it all down here on the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. I'm going to have that instant reaction. I'm going to have a full 30-minute recap up later in the day. Then, of course, a whole week full of shows. You're not going to find that anywhere else.

So make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. But on offense, Titans are in a tough spot. Ravens defense is good. Whether you want to talk about pass defense, whether you want to talk about run defense, whether you want to talk about run defense, whether you want to talk about points, whether you want to talk about sacks, the Ravens are up at the top of the league in sacks.

I mean, whatever way you want to slice it, this is a good defense. Okay? So what the Titans have to do is attack downfield. Make them pay. You don't want to get in a physical fight with the Baltimore Ravens.

You don't want to line up in three tight ends against their base defense and try to fight in a phone booth. Don't do that. Don't do that. That's not where this Tennessee Titans team has been most efficient. Throw the football.

Look, everyone has this so backwards. I still get comments. If you give Derrick Henry 20 carries, the Titans get a win. The Titans can only run Derrick Henry because they are winning. They aren't winning because they run Derrick Henry. I don't understand how

we've had this discourse for so many years since 2019 and people still don't understand. You throw to score. You run to win. The Titans need to throw the ball early to put points on the board. And then once they get a lead, yes, then you run Derrick Henry. So Derrick Henry got 20 carries and the Titans wins,

not because the Titans gave the ball to Derrick Henry 20 times, but because the Titans were up and they were running the football. Running is the symptom of winning. Winning isn't the symptom of running. It's backwards. So with that being said, give the ball to Tajay Spears throw the football early that's what the Titans did

to jump out on the Bengals they were throwing the football down the field when the Titans were having success against the Colts they were throwing the football down the field the Ravens have a better secondary than the Colts so that'll make it tougher but they have just as good of a front. The Titans are not going to play old school. What the Titans did in the playoffs in 2019 against the Ravens is not going to work now. We have to evolve. We have

to move past that. And Tim Kelly is ready to do so the way he calls offense. The Titans cannot try to run Derrick Henry down their throats over and over again. They need to throw the ball early, and if they get the lead, if the Titans can jump out 13-3, then they can run the ball and pound the ball with Derrick Henry and see if they can get him some openings. But until then, do not come out with that game plan

because here's the truth. The Titans cannot start slow. They can't. If they come out and get a slow start, they're going to be behind the eight ball and it's going to be tough. So they have to get a fast start and that means they need to throw the football.

And when they do run, run left. So against the Indianapolis Colts, the game that the Ravens gave up the most rushing yards they've given up all year, 138 I think it was, they gave up 11.2 yards per carry on runs outside to the left, perimeter runs to the left. The Titans on those runs are averaging 6.6 yards per carry throughout the season,

which is their most effective normal run. They've gotten more yards, like they have 19 yards per carry on end arounds to the right because of Tajay Spears' touchdown. You see what I mean? So out of actual regular runs that aren't reverses around the edge, the best direction the Titans run is perimeter runs to the left, 6.6 yards per carry.

So run left to the perimeter. Again, we're not going up the gut. We're not running a ton of outside zone. I want toss sweeps to the perimeter. I want jet sweeps to the perimeter. I want to run a couple of end of rounds. I want to play action pass off of that. The Titans have to get out to the perimeter in this game.

You can't go up the teeth of the Ravens' defense. You simply can't. And continue to attack downfield. The Titans have the 10th most explosive pass plays in the NFL so far this year. A top 10 explosive passing offense. Maybe not in yards, but in explosive plays. Think about that.

So do what you do best. Throw the ball down the field. Run to the perimeter. And if you get a lead, then you can hammer Derrick Henry. But if they come out trying to play old school Titans football, I am a bit worried in this game. And another reason why I want the Titans to take shots downfield, the Ravens have the best red zone defense in the NFL.

The Titans are one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL. The Ravens have only allowed a touchdown on 25% of their opponent's red zone chances. The Titans have only scored a touchdown six times out of 17 red zone appearances. They're not going to beat the Ravens in a red zone battle. So take shots. Try to score from down the field. That is how they'll have to do it. But with that being said,

we are going to move forward. I'm going to confirm my prediction here for this game. I'm going to talk about some of the individual players and matchups that I'm looking for in this one as well. Before we get into that though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy sports made easy. I mean, truly, it is as easy as possible. You can make your submission on PrizePix in less than 60 seconds

and here's all you have to do. So PrizePix has a projection for every player. Derrick Henry, 70 rushing yards. Ryan Tannehill, two interceptions. Lamar Jackson, one rushing touchdown. All you do is you pick two to six players and say whether that player is going to do more or less than what PrizePix is projecting. That's it. You don't have to have a million different lineups.

You don't have to go against bots and sharks and pros and all that. It's just you against the PrizePix projections. And if you win, you can get up to 25 times your money. So make sure that you go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL. Use the code

locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. That's prizepix.com slash locked on NFL. Use code locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. That's prizepix.com slash locked on NFL use code locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. It's PrizePix daily fantasy sports

made easy. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We're breaking down the game plan for the London matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. It is a must-win game for the Titans. We talked about schematics on offense, schematics on defense. Now I want to just kind of reconfirm my prediction, give some individual thoughts. First, I think it's time for Chris Moore to have a big catch. This week is the week. A big Chris Moore catch down the field. Catch the Ravens in a coverage that you like. Throw that ball. Chris Moore, big catch coming this week. I think the Titans will absolutely

need it. Again, I want the game plan to be shots downfield so you have to hope that they hit a few of them. But I think Chris Moore, because I don't think Traylon Burks is going to play in this game. Mike Rabel can hope all he wants. Maybe Burks plays, but I'm not going to count on it. And that means Chris Moore is the guy with the most speed who can get downfield and make a play. So, going to need that from Chris Moore in this game also. On defense.

The safeties, the slot corner, the linebackers. I talked about my plan earlier of squeeze and scrape. Well, that forces Lamar Jackson out to your perimeter players, your linebackers, and then your slot and your down safety, and then your corners. These guys do not tackle and do not play a good game. It's going to be tough for the Titans. It's just going to be tough.

No way around it. The second level and the third level of the Titans defense. Again, Mike Vrabel calls this 11 on 11. It's hat on a hat football when you have a quarterback that can run. Every single person on the Titans defense is going to be charged with playing with physicality this week and tackling. Like everyone. So, safeties, linebackers, slot corners, tackle, physical, they have to step up.

They have to. And then finally, Christian Fulton on Zay Flowers. I talked about the Ravens wide receivers earlier not threatening me. Zay Flowers is the one who can. Zay Flowers is the guy who can break the game open. Zay Flowers is the one guy who can make explosive plays on you. The Titans have to. At wide receiver, of course, they have Mark Andrews, but Titans have to get a bounce back performance from Christian Fulton here because it makes a lot more sense for Sean Murphy

Bunting to go up against Rashad Bateman. Roger McCreary is of course going to have his handful of tests against Zay Flowers being in the slot. That's absolutely going to happen, but they're going to attack Christian Fulton. They're going to put Zay Flowers on Christian Fulton, and Christian Fulton has to bounce back. If he doesn't, the Titans are in trouble. Because what we saw last week,

Fulton single-handedly killed him late in that game. And that just can't happen. You can't have a player do that to you. So, Zay Flowers, Christian Fulton, and Roger McCreary together, I guess. Need to make sure that he isn't the guy that beats him. So finally,

my prediction here. I said on yesterday's show I think I had 21-10. I think the Titans get another field goal, but I'm going to go 21-13. I think that's where I land on my prediction. Now, I'll say this. field goal. But I'm going to go 21 to 13. I think that's where I land on my prediction.

Now, I'll say this. When I predicted the Titans to lose, they win. And the Ravens look like a much better team. If you actually watch them, you look at some of the advanced data. The Ravens are a much better team. They went over early. They're mad after a division loss to the Steelers.

Titans surely are too, but... Man, these are games that the Titans win. I just don't think... Again, people talk about 2019 if they go 2-4. They don't have A.J. Brown. They don't have that offensive line. They don't have four years younger Tannehill. They don't have younger Henry. They don't have Arthur Smith. I They don't have four years younger Tannehill. They don't have younger Henry.

They don't have Arthur Smith. I like Tim Kelly, but come on. So this is an absolute must win for the Titans to get to 3-3, keep the season alive, keep hope alive for this year. The fans are really going to turn on the team, I feel like, if they lose this game. So it's a must win. I don't think the Titans win, but whenever I don't think they'll win,

they win. So, although I did call them to win that game against the Chargers, I had a feeling there. I do not have that feeling. I don't. So with that being said, though, that is going to do it for me today. As I've mentioned, I am going to be back Sunday immediately after the game, then have a full recap later on Sunday night. So make sure you tune into that. But as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.