Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Panic or Pause, Roster Moves & Julio in the Doghouse
Episode Date: September 13, 2021The Tennessee Titans made a number of roster moves on Monday after the embarrassing loss to the Cardinals! Tyler recaps all the movement. Also, Mike Vrabel made comments on Monday that caught some att...ention as he put Julio Jones in the doghouse! Then, Tyler debuts a new segment call "Panic or Pause" and goes through all the overreactions coming out of Sunday's game and tells you which should cause panic and which everyone should pause on!!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3332GMOh4y5PX3q9NFybwSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.ManscapedFellas, don’t gamble on shaving your balls with the wrong tools! Choose MANSCAPED™, Your Balls Will Thank You™! Get 20% off + free shipping with the code LOCKEDON at manscaped.com.RunYourPoolCheck ‘em out TODAY and get $10 off at RunYourPool.com and use promo code LockedOn at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
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Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast.
I am your host, Tyler Rowland.
Titans fans, this Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast
is presented by the Locked on NFL Sunday Show.
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But we got a lot to talk about on this Tuesday episode of the Locked On Titans podcast.
we got a lot to talk about on this Tuesday episode of the Locked on Titans
podcast. Still reeling
a bit from that embarrassing loss
to the Arizona Cardinals, but
the Titans have made some roster
moves coming out of that game
that are important to discuss. I'm going to
fill you guys in on what took place
on Monday with the roster, including
the release of a player that
everyone was calling for his head
after the game.
So you savages got what you wanted on that one.
But also, Mike Vrabel made a comment in his Monday press conference that has caught the
attention of the national media and it leaves one star player in the doghouse.
I'll tell you what's going on there as well.
But then we will get into more conversation around that loss to the
Arizona Cardinals in a segment
I am calling Panic
or Pause. Gonna take
10 different topics, 10 different
overreactions you could
say coming out of Sunday's game
and tell you guys whether it is
time to panic or if we should
pump the brakes and pause
on the outrage. A ton to talk about on if we should pump the brakes and pause on the outrage.
A ton to talk about on this Tuesday 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. Your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network.
Your team every day.
Titans fans, we have a lot to discuss today.
We are going to start discussing roster moves
and a comment that head coach Mike Vrabel made
about one of the Titans' new star players.
Before we get into that, a lot of new viewers on the Locked on Titans YouTube channel due
to my game reaction after the loss to Arizona.
I just want to say welcome to any new listeners, any new viewers.
My name is Tyler Rowland.
I'm going into my third season as the host of the Locked On Titans
podcast. And what I aim to do is take what's going on on the field and let you guys know
exactly why the Titans are in the situations they are in, whether that be losses or wins.
Of course, I'm going to talk about all the latest news and notes coming out of Nashville,
but I also put an emphasis on the X's and O's
and actually talking about what's going on with the Tennessee Titans
from a schematic standpoint.
So make sure that you subscribe or follow the Locked on Titans podcast
on whatever platform you do stream
and subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube page
to make sure you never miss an episode of the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world.
Also, follow me on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans.
It's where I do a lot of my film work and follow the Facebook page at Locked on Titans
pod.
But with all of that housekeeping out of the way, let's dive into the roster moves that
the Titans made.
And like I said in the intro, there was a roster move that the Titans made.
That a lot of Titans fans are going to be very happy to hear.
And that is the release of kicker Michael Badgley.
The Money Badger missed an extra point.
Missed a field goal.
Two of his three kicks in the game were missed.
Obviously he had to go.
So that is just one step towards the titans trying to fix their kicker problem
But unfortunately, I don't see a quick fix for them
But either way no other kicker was added to the active roster
There is a kicker that was added to practice squad over the weekend and it is randy bullock
But randy bullock's just not a good player
So that's concerning for the Titans.
But the other moves that were made, as I have been telling you guys for weeks,
Michael Pruitt was signed to the active roster.
I told you that that was going to happen in week two
because of the fact that he is a vested veteran.
And if you add a vested veteran to your 53-man roster in week one,
their salary is guaranteed for the year.
If you add a vested veteran to your roster in week one, their salary is guaranteed for the year. If you add a vested veteran to your roster in week two,
their salary is not fully guaranteed for the season.
So the Titans were just playing some cap loopholes on that.
But they also signed safety Brady McDougal to the active roster.
And maybe that's not a positive sign based on the injury to a Monty Hook
or a foot injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game.
But also, the Titans brought back training camp offensive tackle Christian DeLauro to the practice squad
and signed linebacker Joe Jones to the practice squad.
They have cut linebacker Jan Johnson from the practice squad,
along with Michael Badgley being released from the roster.
Tight end Tommy Hudson was also released from the roster
to make room for Michael Pruitt,
but I would bet the Titans try to get Hudson back on the practice squad.
So those are the roster moves you need to know.
The next thing that we are going to talk about here is the comment Mike Vrabel made in his press conference on Monday
that has caught the attention of the national media, and it has to do with Julio Jones.
And of course, Julio Jones had some drop issues
on Sunday. He had three catches for 29 yards. But the big thing that stuck out was Julio Jones's
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, unnecessary roughness penalty that really killed a first
quarter drive. The Titans were only down 10-0. They had gotten two good positive plays in a row.
They had them with a third and one,
and Julio Jones was called for unnecessary roughness,
and it pushed the Titans back to third and 16,
and of course, they got into a punning situation.
And Mike Vrabel had this to say about the situation.
He called it a critical mistake.
That's absolutely nothing that we coach or teach.
So that would fall under the category of and earmuffs doing dumb shit that hurts the team.
Right there in bold letters.
It goes from third and one to third and 16 end quote.
So Mike Rabel, obviously, if he's cussing in his press conference, very, very
upset. Now the national media
is going to take this, they're going to run with it, call it
trouble in paradise, everything like that
but when you lose games the way the Titans
did, no one is going to be
happy and when you have your best players
doing more to hurt the team
than help the team, that's going to be an
issue as well and I would imagine that Mike Vrabel
had in mind, I'm going to send a message not only to Julio but to the entire team.
If I'm willing to criticize Julio Jones, then I'm willing to criticize anyone.
And quite frankly, Mike Vrabel was right.
Julio Jones really hurt the Titans more than he helped the Titans on Sunday,
and that cannot be the case going forward.
So roster moves that the Titans made,
Julio Jones in Mike Vrabel's doghouse,
that gets you up to date with everything the Titans did on Monday
and all the big news.
Now, I want to go into a new segment that I'm debuting here
called Panic or Pause,
and we'll look at some of the biggest issues coming out of Sunday's game,
and I'll tell you whether it is time to hit the panic button
or if we should take a step back and breathe just a little.
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Titans fans, we're going to dive back in
to this Tuesday edition
of the Locked on Titans podcast.
And I see all you haters in the comments.
I know that the YouTube show comes out a day before the podcast.
I know that a lot of you are probably going to watch this on Monday night.
Listen, it's just a semantical issue.
Don't need all of the hate.
Either way, moving forward, do want to let you guys know about what's coming up on the show this week.
Tomorrow will be Rewatch Wednesday.
I finally had an opportunity to rewatch the game multiple times.
Going to talk about the schematics of what happened
and why the Titans lost that game.
And then I'm also going to give you a little bit of a preview schematically
on what the Titans should expect from the Seattle Seahawks.
Then, bleeding into Thursday, we will have Corbin Myers,
who covers the Seattle Seahawks for the Locked On Podcast Network,
on with me for our crossover Thursday.
And then, of course, Friday will be a game preview episode
to get you ready to go for Sunday's matchup.
For the YouTube crowd, I will have a Friday night exclusive
and maybe a Saturday night exclusive as well.
So make sure that you subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube channel
for additional content.
Now, let's get into this new segment that I'm diving into
called Panic or Pause.
And I'm going to go through 10 different items
and tell you guys whether or not the
outrage is justified or if we maybe need to pump the brakes. And the first thing that I want to
talk about here are the coordinators. And with Todd Downing, some things that popped up here,
the play calling, I didn't think was great. Now, there were a lot of things that got in the way.
The Titans were down early. It makes it hard to run nonstop. And the
Titans were absolutely awful on first downs. And one thing that we all wanted to see was more play
action. That's what this entire offensive tack was built on the last two years. But Todd Downing
only did a play action pass on 7.3% of Ryan Tannehill's dropbacks.
That's just not good enough.
But like Mike Vrabel said in his press conference on Monday,
it's hard to run play-action on second and 12.
But here's the reality.
There are tons of studies out there that show that success in the run game
doesn't necessarily correlate directly with success in play-action.
in the run game doesn't necessarily correlate directly with success in play action. And the Titans barely pass the ball on first down in a play action scenario. So the Titans need to come
out on first down when it's first and 10 and run some play action pass plays instead of the normal
run, run, pass that we're seeing some of the old stuff that we're used to. But here's what I want to say.
I'm going to pause on Todd Downing.
One thing that sticks in my mind, at the beginning of 2019,
everyone was ready to crush Arthur Smith throughout the first six games
when the Titans were 2-4.
But he was able to turn it around.
And now the Titans were missing Taylor LeJuan.
They put in Ryan Tannehill.
Those changes in the lineup aren't coming anytime soon. So that's a big difference. But still,
I want to give Todd Downing a chance in a game that doesn't get out of hand so fast. And quite
frankly, the offensive line ruined any sense of the game plan that the Titans could have executed
on Sunday. So I'm not willing to panic yet,
but I will say that I'll panic much quicker on Todd Downing
if we don't see something in the first four weeks of the season that's positive.
Next, I'm going to talk about Shane Bowen,
and that's a full pause for me.
I'm going to give Shane Bowen an opportunity here.
I think that Mike Vrabel was really running the defense last year,
so I'm going to pause on Shane Bowen.
I thought the Titans' defense did pretty good for the beginning of the game.
The game got out of hand.
Obviously, they lost their confidence.
They were on the field a bunch.
The Titans offense kept going three and out.
The defense is getting tired.
You could see how tired the defense was in the second half
against that speedy offense of the Arizona Cardinals.
So I really didn't think the defense did all that bad in the game
despite the score.
And with that in mind, I'm going to pause on Shane Bowen.
The next thing, though, is Taylor LeJuan.
And outside of just Taylor LeJuan, the entire offensive line.
And I'm not trying to be a homer here,
but I'm going to go with a pause here as well.
Despite the fact that Taylor LeJuan was maybe the worst offensive tackle in the NFL on Sunday. He had a pro football focus grade of 39.7 out of 100
and a 24.1 in pass blocking. So absolutely awful. But remember guys, Taylor LeJuan tore his ACL in
week seven last year and he's returning. I mean, Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in week seven last year, and he's returning. I mean, Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in week two
of last year, and they had him limited the entire offseason in training camp, and it was up in the
air whether he would even play in week one. So the fact that Taylor LeJuan tore his ACL
midway through the season and is already back, I'm going to give Taylor LeJuan a little bit of time to get back in football shape.
He barely played in the preseason.
You could fault Mike Vrabel for that.
But either way, I'm not willing to panic on Taylor LeJuan.
And speaking of the rest of the offensive line, kind of crazy to say this,
but Roger Saffold, Ben Jones, and David Questenberry were second, third, and fourth, respectively,
in terms of highest offensive grade for the Titans per pro football focus.
I'm not willing to say that the offensive line played well,
but it wasn't quite as terrible as it seemed.
The guy who really struggled was Taylor LeJuan,
and also Nate Davis struggled really bad with a 32.3 pro football focus grade.
So I'm not willing to panic on the offensive line just yet.
We're going to pause on the O-line.
This offensive line has improved throughout the season every single year
under offensive line coach Sean Carter.
So I am going to pump the brakes there and pause on the offensive line.
And hate plus, Arizona has a nasty front seven and front four.
Chandler Jones may be the best edge rusher in the game.
J.J. Watt only made a couple plays, didn't really dominate,
so I'm not going to panic yet.
Now, one place that we might have to worry is Julio Jones.
A terrible debut, three catches, 29 yards, some drops, and that penalty.
But again, I'm going to pause on that.
First game with a new team, barely no time to acclimate to the system.
Let's wait a couple weeks before we worry about Julio Jones
being a bust for the Titans.
Now, the fifth thing that I want to talk about is not going to be a pause.
It is a full-on panic, and it is the tight end group.
Because we talked about the offensive line,
but as an extension of the offensive line,
a lot of that blame should actually be given to the tight end group,
and specifically Jeff Swaim.
Listen, I love Swaim.
I love it's time to play the Swaim.
I love the video.
It's all fun, but Swaim got absolutely demolished by the edge rushers.
And Swaim was expected toished by the edge rushers, and
Swaim was expected to be
the guy the Titans could count on
to block on the edge at tight end.
We know Anthony Ferkser is not that guy.
You're not that guy.
We know that Ferkser is not going to be
the blocking guy that the Titans need
to make this offense work. If Jeff
Swaim isn't that guy, the Titans
are in trouble. There's no
versatility with this group. Teams
know that Ferkser can't block. They know that
Swaim can't catch. Swaim even dropped
a touchdown pass.
Got it knocked right out of his hands and he should have
caught the ball. So, the lack
of versatility, losing John
Smith and not replacing him with anybody
of a similar skill set,
that is a full-blown panic
right now. Swain at a 33.5 pro football focus grade. Berkshire at a 58.8. Remember, these are
out of 100. So these are terrible, terrible grades for the Titans tight end group. Hopefully Michael
Pruitt can help, but Michael Pruitt is an end of the group tight end. He's not somebody who's going
to solve this problem. So the Titans are in a world of hurt
when it comes to their tight end group.
And I'm going to say panic on that one
because I don't see how that gets better.
Now that's our first five topics,
four pauses, five panics,
but we are going to move forward.
I have five other topics I want to discuss with you guys.
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Let's cap off this Tuesday edition of the locked on Titans podcast.
We are going to continue panic or pause and talk about the big overreaction
topics coming out of the Titans game
that we need to decide whether to pump the brakes or freak out.
So we're going to continue that.
We did the first five topics in our previous segment.
We covered roster news and Mike Vrabel's comments about Julio Jones at the top of the show.
So let's cap things off here. The sixth topic that we are going to go panic or pause
is Jack Rabbit Jenkins. And a lot of people are saying
Jack Rabbit Jenkins is the new Jonathan Joseph. He's washed,
blah, blah, blah. And I know it was bad. He got targeted seven
times for six completions, 69 yards and the touchdown to
DeAndre Hopkins, but
that's why this
is a pause for me.
It's DeAndre Hopkins!
He's the best wide receiver in the NFL!
Jack
Rabbit is in his 30s.
I'm sorry, but
you had to expect that. And
quite frankly, the second touchdown that Hopkins
got was on Kevin Byard, matched up one-on-one
and Byard looked like he had cinder blocks for cleats.
So I'm not going to crap on Jackrabbit.
He only gave up 69 yards in the touchdown.
If I told you that DeAndre Hopkins only had 69 yards
and a touchdown in the game,
I would have felt okay about that.
It's DeAndre Hopkins.
So I'm not going to crush Jackrabbit yet.
I'm not willing to panic at this moment in time.
That's probably the most difficult matchup he's going to have all year.
Well, Tyree Kill.
But if I'm the Titans, I'm not putting Jackrabbit on Tyree Kill.
I'm going to do Fulton.
But either way, not time to panic on Jackrabbit.
If you expected him to be a number one lockdown corner,
you were wrong already anyways.
He's a part of the Titans system.
And while I did want him to shadow DeAndre Hopkins,
he didn't do absolutely terrible overall,
looking back at the numbers and everything.
So I'm not going to panic on Jackrabbit.
I'm going to pause right now.
Topic number seven, though, Bud Dupree and Danico
Autry, the Titans, two high-priced free agent signings. I'm going to panic. I was worried about
the Bud Dupree signing from the jump. I was skeptical of that signing. He really benefited
from being the fourth best defensive lineman on the Steelers. He had a 48.1 pro football focus
grade, one of the worst Tennessee Titans on defense.
He didn't really look like he had burst,
didn't look like he had speed,
didn't really make an impact whatsoever,
and his run defense grade was absolutely putrid.
As for Danico Autry,
he got out-snapped by Tyre Tarr and Larell Murchison.
He only played 30 of the defensive snaps,
and he was nowhere to be found.
I'm sorry, but if you cut Dennis Kelly for $7 million,
and you use that $7 million on Danico Autry,
I expect some freaking production.
Something.
At least more than 30 snaps?
You don't give a guy in his 30s
$7 million
over two years
to play 30 snaps
out of 69 snaps?
Nice.
Out of 69 defensive snaps?
Close to 70?
That's just not good enough.
And if they plan to
just use him as a rotational piece
who gets less snaps
than Tartt or Murchison,
then why in the world did you give him $7 million?
I'm hitting the panic button on the Titans' defensive free agent additions.
I didn't like the Bud Dupree signing already.
Danico Autry, I really did like that one.
But if that's how they're going to use him, then I don't know.
Moving forward, the Titans' first and second round rookies,
Caleb Farley and Dylan Radins.
That is a panic for me.
Now, I know that these are young guys,
and I have preached patience with Radins and Farley specifically.
But I'm sorry.
Dylan Radins was inactive in the game
while the Titans' tackles were getting destroyed.
I mean, at minimum, you could use Dylan Radins
as an athletic tight end and put him in six offensive linemen.
People know the Titans are going to run the ball.
I think that Jeff Swaim isn't good enough at receiving
to really make a big enough impact.
I mean, if you can't find a spot on the active game day roster
for your second round pick,
if your first round pick is healthy
and can't find a way to get on the field
while you're getting destroyed,
except for late in the game
and some meaningless snaps,
I mean, how many years,
this is going to be two years in a row
where the Titans are basically getting nothing
out of their first and second round picks
I mean
a team like Tampa Bay last year went to the Super Bowl
and they had Antoine Winfield Jr.
and Tristan Wirfs
as two of their key players
their first and second round pick
you're not going to be able to win a Super Bowl you're not going to be able to win a Super Bowl.
You're not going to be able to win the division
if you get absolutely zero
from your early rookie picks.
Now, they could turn into decent players,
but one of the big values in the NFL
is getting great production out of your rookies.
And if the Titans continuously
don't get production in year one
from the rookies in any way, especially the highly drafted ones,
well, that's a colossal failure.
You're losing a critical year of value.
And like I said with Tampa Bay earlier,
they got a lot out of their rookies, and it helped them win a Super Bowl.
If the Titans are going to win a Super Bowl,
they're going to need Dylan Radins and Caleb Farley
to not only play, but play decent.
They're going to need Dylan Radins and Caleb Farley to not only play, but play decent.
I think it's time to hit the panic button
on John Robinson's early drafting habits the last few years.
Rashawn Evans was garbage on Sunday.
Absolutely awful.
And he's not going to be on the team next year.
The Titans let Corey Davis go.
They cut Adoree Jackson. Jack Conklin, they let him go.
He's one of the best tackles in the NFL. And while I don't disagree with all the decisions
that led there, some pretty horrendous first round picks for
John Robinson outside of Jack Conklin and Corey Davis
and they didn't even blossom until late. Well, Conklin was really good early on.
Absolutely he was.
But they let him go anyways.
So, the Titans are going to need a John Robinson first round pick
to help the dang team.
And immediately.
It would be nice.
So I'm panicking on that one.
Nine.
The kicking game.
Said earlier, Michael Badgley cut.
The Titans have Randy Bullock on the practice squad.
I said all throughout the offseason,
go get Gostkowski.
I know he struggled early,
but after the Titans changed long snappers from Bo Brinkley,
Gostkowski was great.
And he still made a bunch of game-winning kicks
for the Titans last year.
He lives in Nashville.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever
for Gostkowski to not be kicking field goals
for the Titans.
If Mike Vrabel wants to come out and say,
hey, we tried, Gostkowski isn't interested,
then fine, I'll let it go.
But I am in full panic mode
for the Titans kickers.
The Titans have gone through 11 kickers
in the last two years.
It's a curse.
It's a plague.
And it's going to cost them big time
if they don't get Gostkowski in the building soon.
Period.
If they don't and they go with Randy Bullock,
the Titans just need to forget about kicking field goals.
Go for it on every fourth down or punt
and go for two every time.
They cannot leave the season up to the foot
of these garbage kickers.
It's just the reality.
And the last topic here is,
topic number 10
is about the Titans fan base.
And I'm in panic mode.
So, you know, my money isn't really,
well, you know, whatever.
The bigger the fan base,
the more listeners, the more views.
But I'm talking about the team as a whole, the Titans organization.
I am sick and tired of seeing Nissan Stadium filled with opposing fans from other teams.
Like that Eagles game from 2018.
Like some of the games last year.
Anytime Pittsburgh comes to Nashville.
I mean, I just get sick of it.
The only way to stop that is to get the local fan base energized for the team.
And the Titans were energized going into this year.
Huge, huge fan base reaction going into this year.
And the TV numbers prove that.
The Titans were up 32% based on week one television numbers. They got a 25.2 rating per Nielsen.
In 2020, it was 19.1. This is the best
on TV the Titans have done in six years. The stadium looked
packed. It was rocking early. And then the Titans go out
and lay a dud. They embarrassed themselves. They peed down their legs.
If you think that that doesn't hurt the fan base
and how it grows and how excited the local community is for the Titans,
you're dead wrong.
The Titans cannot always falter in the most tight moments.
They can't.
Anytime they are expected to be good,
it seems like they let us down.
And that just cannot continue.
And it makes you,
you know, you want to wonder why the stadium gets packed out with opposing fans. It's because no one
in Nashville or in the local market is excited to go watch the Titans lay an egg when they're
hyped up. And it just happens over and over and over again. And this season may work out. The
Titans may make the playoffs. They may be good. Hell, they may even
win the Super Bowl. But either way,
it is time to hit the panic button
when it comes to the Titans
dropping a dud in the biggest,
most tight situations for the
fan base. I'm just tired
of it emotionally. I'm a little spent on
it. And I'm sure that you guys feel
the same. So that is panic
or pause. That is roster
moves. That is Mike Vrabel's comments
on Julio Jones. Everything
you need to know. Remember, I'm going to be back
with you guys tomorrow for
a rewatch Wednesday, giving you all
of my schematic notes after rewatching
the game multiple times. I'm going to get you
schematically ready for the game against the
Seattle Seahawks. Crossover Thursday
with Corbin from Locked on Seahawks on Thursday.
Game preview on Friday.
All kinds of content coming your way on the Locked on Titans podcast.
Make sure that you subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube channel.
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That's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,
and this was Locked on Titans.