Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans RB Tyjae Spears is EXPLOSIVE, High School History & College Report w/ Maddy Hauck

Episode Date: May 18, 2023

The Tennessee Titans added third-round running back Tyjae Spears in the 2023 NFL draft with the hopes he can help not only now, but later as well. Spears gives the Titans a skillset they don't currently have on the roster. Tyler dives into what Spears can do for the Titans and discusses his high school history. Also, Maddy Hauck, sideline reporter for Tulane, comes on the show to breakdown who Tyjae Spears is and talks about her lack of concern with his injury history.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. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist who can take you on that journey of self-discovery from wherever you are. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month.Built 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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.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

Rookie running back Tajay Spears can be an explosive playmaker for the Titans from day one. We're going to talk about that and more in a deep dive of Tajay Spears 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. On today's show, we are doing a deep dive into Titans rookie running back Tajay Spears,

the third round pick out of Tulane. I'm going to go over his fit in the offense and with the Titans now and in the future, talk about his background. And I have a fantastic interview with Matty Hawk, the sideline reporter for Tulane to break down Tajay Spears, not only as a player, but a person during his years in college. Before we get into all of that, do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on YouTube

and your favorite podcast app all year round and always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there listening to the show Monday through Friday. The Titans are going to have some open OTA practices next week. We're going to be breaking down those every single night. Make sure that you stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast for the offseason content to come.

Throw a thumbs up on the video right now if you're watching. I appreciate the support. And hit that notification bell as well. But with that being said, I do want to start with Tajay Spears' fit within the Titans offense. So number one, from the start, from the jump, he's going to be able to be a third down back for the Titans. Think about the Dontrell Hilliard role that the Titans have had in their offense the last few years. He's going to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, going to be able to give you some pass protection, going to be able to spell Derrick Henry on those third

downs in situations where his skill set maybe isn't what's best for the Titans offense. So my expectation is that Tajay Spears will catch a bunch of passes out of the backfield, will also be able to give the Titans some running ability on third downs. But to me, it goes further than that, in my opinion. It's not just that Tajay Spears can help the Titans as a third down back. I think he has the ability to actually spell Derrick Henry on early downs more than some of the other complimentary backs that Derrick Henry has had throughout his career. Obviously, Darrington Evans didn't work out and didn't give the Titans that.

Dontrell Hilliard wasn't able to give the Titans more than just that third down pass catching back. I'm dying over here with the hair, guys. the Titans more than just that third down pass catching back. Dying over here with the hair, guys. But I think that Tajay Spears can actually help the Titans on early downs and actually spell Derrick Henry. Not just 25 carries a game for Derrick Henry and then you bring in a guy on third downs.

I think Tajay Spears can actually run the football himself and the Titans can use him on early downs to give Derrick Henry that extra rest that he's going to need going forward. We've been hearing some whispers that Derrick Henry might get an extension this all season. I would be very shocked if that happened, but if the Titans felt comfortable enough to give Derrick Henry an extension for more years, then it is their job, their duty to keep Derrick Henry healthy and less fatigued and more fresh throughout the season by giving Tajay Spears the ball. And I think they'll be

able to do that. I even think that going forward in the future, Tajay Spears can be the lead back for the Titans. Now, as I've said, since he was drafted, we aren't talking about a lead back in the way that Derrick Henry is a lead running back getting 20, 25 carries a game. It would be a committee approach to the running back position, which is what I want the Titans to do going forward. Anyways, with Tajay Spears as the lead back within that as a potential three down back. Now look, Spears is incredibly quick. He's incredibly patient as a runner, but he doesn't have a ton of power. He is going to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield and make plays,

but he does need to develop his route running and be more diverse in his route running out of the backfield as a running back. He's going to be good in pass protection, but at the end of the day, he's 5'9", 200 pounds. Some guys are just going to bowl him over with pure power and pass protection. That's going to happen too. So he has some downsides. And speaking of downsides, you've got to mention the injuries.

And I'm going to make it quick because I've been making this point as loud as I can possibly make it. He may not have an ACL in his right knee after two ACL tears. Who cares? He's explosive right now. He's ready to go right now. And people are saying he may not make it to a second contract. Titans don't need to be given running back second contracts going forward anyways. Don't give running back second contracts. You just draft new ones.

And you cycle through. That's how you do it in the NFL nowadays. So that's what they need to do there. Use Tajay Spears and Tajay Spears is going to get his money over the next four to five years. And then after that, you move on. So I don't care about his long-term medical prospects for the Titans. I only want to have a running back for the first contract anyways, and then you let him go. So I'm just not worried about it. And Tajay Spears said himself, I'm healthy. He's ready to play.

He's ready to contribute. And I mean, you look at his stats from his last year in college. The last time he tore his ACL was 2020. So we're talking two years removed from that. He had 1,500 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. Added 250 receiving yards with two more touchdowns. That's a playmaker, folks. Dominated USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Senior Bowl was a huge standout. And just because I want, the interview I have with you guys with Maddie is so good. I gave it two whole blocks of it, but I did want to mention a little bit about Tajay's background before college as well. So he's the second youngest kid out of nine kids, six boys, three girls.

When you have that little brother mentality, and it's crazy in the scouting reports that I look at and stuff like that leading up to it, little brother mentality is mentioned in the scouting reports. Little brothers had to grow up competing with their older brothers and little brothers tend to be more competitive in general because they had to compete their whole life with their older siblings. So Tajay has that and I love that. I'm a little brother, so I'm in with that, personally, he lived about an hour north of New Orleans, he played multiple sports growing up, which we talked about that with Will Levis, playing multiple sports, I love hearing that, that I

want multi-sport athletes, is what I want, and Spears played multiple sports growing up, but obviously gravitated towards football and especially running back from an early age. It was meant to be. His senior year in high school, you would talk about a dual threat running back. He went for 900 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, rushing touchdowns,

and then put up 880 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. The dude's been a playmaker his entire life. Not only that, he was a sprinter in track in high school. He's got sprinter speed. Ran a sub-11 100-yard dash. Look, you guys can be worried about the knee injury all you want, but the dude is a playmaker.

And he's going to be a playmaker for the Titans. I was excited for the pick when it happened. I like Spears coming into the draft. I'm excited for the pick now, and you guys are going to get even more excited when you hear my conversation with Matty Hawk, the sideline reporter for Tulane, who watched Tajay Spears during his time in college.

He's got some great stuff for you guys, and I'm excited to get into it. Before we do, I want to let you know about the best-tasting protein bar of all time, Built Bars. Built Bars give you the best of both worlds with a protein bar. You get all the health benefits that you need from a protein bar, low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, but you also get all the taste benefits of a candy bar because they have delicious flavors. All the bars are covered in 100% real chocolate. Make sure that you go to your local Walmart.

You go to your local Sam's Club. You go to Built.com. Pick up a pack of the best tasting protein bars of all time, Built Bars, and you will thank me later. All right, Titans fans, we're going to continue our deep dive episode into rookie running back Tajay Spears. We have the best person in the world that we could get to break down Tajay Spears in college. We have Maddie Hudik, who is the sideline reporter for Tulane.

Also is the host of the Before the Whistle podcast, which is a great podcast that's relatively new, but she's breaking down some of the basics and some of the in and outs of football for people who are trying to learn the game. I think it could be really advantageous for anybody who's kind of at the beginning stage of learning football and looking to get more advanced and go along with her in that journey.

So make sure you check out the Before the Whistle podcast as well. Obviously, Maddie writes for the Saints. Why are a little bit involved with 104.5 ESPN as well? I mean, she's got too many credentials for me to list here. But what we got to dive into first, of course, is Tajay Spears as a player. You got to watch him there at Tulane. And obviously he had some great moments, some great production in college. How would you describe Tajay as a football player first and foremost? I just think he's a game changer. I go back to the final regular season loss for Tulane against Memphis in the 2021 season

where they won two games. Actually, I believe it was only a three-point loss, and that was kind of the song of those last couple of games. But that was a game where he now has the fourth highest single game rushing output in Tulane history. All top three are held by Matt Forte. But I've said that of all positions on the sideline, running back just feels so viscerally different when you're right there.

I mean, I was right where he hurled one of our players in the championship game on that breakaway run. It literally was right in front of my face. And for someone that's seen him day in and day out, like it still blows my mind every single time. But I just remember thinking in Memphis, I feel like this is what scouts felt like when they discovered Alvin Kamara for the first time and really that no one else had kind of found out about him. And I remember we had interviewed

him post game and we were all the broadcast crew on pins and needles because we all knew Tajay leaves, this whole thing blows up. And he was really the first player during that postgame to immediately start saying, I'm looking at helping us win a championship next year. I'm already thinking about how I can get better and help this team win. And we all just sighed a huge breath of relief because, you know, to have that commitment right away. And I think a lot of people would wonder, you know, why not go play behind a power five O-line? He got offered by Kansas State out of high school. I think a lot of people would wonder, you know, why not go play behind a power five a lot.

O-line, he got offered by Kansas State out of high school, but it really all goes back to Willie Fritz and I think his belief in these guys as players, but really as human beings. And I think that really resonated with Tajay and his mental toughness to me. He started the season a little slower and was a little in his head, just struggling a little mentally with some blocking schemes and i think just getting caught up in things and then he really broke out in our southern miss loss but he's such a dynamic player he can catch he can you know he can run straight up the middle it's not his preferred play style but that's how that ucf run really happened he actually said he hit the hole too, but he just is such an instinctual player, I think.

You know, I asked him about vision and field awareness, and he really broke it down on that play where if you look back at it, all of the open space was to the right, but something told him to go left and follow his blockers. And his ability to just survey the field and have a little bit of patience as a running back, that's what I think sticks out the most to me, is having that ability to kind just survey the field and have a little bit of patience as a running back. That's what I think sticks out the most to me is having that ability to kind of assess

the field in real time and be able to react accordingly, but not just be running for his life with no awareness as to what's going on around him. And again, really following his blockers, always crediting his blockers. And as you saw in the Cotton Bowl, he can literally take an entire game over. Right. Yeah. That game against USC was absolutely dynamic. And I think you're 100% right about the instincts of a running back. I think of all the positions out there, especially on offense, running back may be the most instinctive because you do just have to kind of feel things and trust your sense of the field and how you set up your block. So love hearing that from you.

That's something that is obviously going to help him at the next level. But you did hit on a few things during that explanation, his mental toughness, kind of his commitment level as a person. We talk about him as a football player, and obviously that's what's going to be the thing that sticks out to fans the most. But I think who he is as a person has just as much of a factor in his success at the next level. Who would you say he is as a person?

And I know that you guys had a pretty good relationship there. So feel free to talk about that as well. Sure. Yeah, he was really one of the first guys I connected with on the sideline and has really just been the same person day in and day out. He's the most humble guy to the point where, excuse me, allergy season here has been tough. My friend had actually interviewed him last off season. She had asked him about his most memorable games over the years. And he literally forgot about the

Memphis game that I just described. And afterwards I was like, Tasha, what about the Memphis game where, you know, and he's like, oh yeah, just tell her about it for me and ran off like he's so just kind of is how he is but the way that all of his teammates describe him as well you know everyone always talks about wanting to play for Tajay wanting to win for Tajay and he's someone I just think would you see it in you know for example he came back after the combine and the senior bowl and just spent some time like hanging out at yeoman helping new running backs and guys that he used to help rehab off to the side while you know he should be getting ready for the draft process all things considered um but yeah he just really is one of those players that i think has changed my life to watch him on and off the field he's been really open to me with his struggles, you know, earlier in the season when I was talking

about that and just his life adversities. And he told me this story about getting into Tulane and not having the ACT scores to get in. But, you know, Tulane actually signed him anyways, knowing that they could have lost a scholarship on him. And rather than spend his final winter break, you know, hanging out with his friend, he would drive, you know, I think it was 30 or 40 minutes each way, multiple times a week to do this ACT tutoring, and took it and took it over and over again until he improved his score from a 16 to a 19 to get into Tulane. And that's me to have that mental fortitude as like a 17 year old guy who kind of just stumbled into football. He said that his dad just signed him up for it growing up. And he's really grateful that he really never had any of that outside pressure, but he's always just had

such an internal drive and internal motivation, but he's going to be someone that I'm truly going to miss as a friend. And I think that he makes his teammates better and is just a great friend to have in the locker room. I implore Titans fans to go find the video from when he got a senior bowl invite in the locker room from our coach after the SMU game last year. The reaction by all of his teammates, I think to me, just really says it all about Tajay. And again, for all the accolades that he's gotten, AAC Offensive Player of the Year, first non-quarterback to do so, Cotton Bowl MVP, Practice Player of the Week

at the Senior Bowl. And he's the same guy every single day. And even just say like, oh, do you think that run was good? Like he was really just one of the most humble guys I've ever come across and really someone I'm genuinely going to miss. And it's someone that I think will be very helpful. I think with all of the rookie quarterback situation kind of going on

in Tennessee, I think that he is really going to be someone that they can form an immediate connection and relationship with. And to me, that's where I see Will Levis really having a pathway on the Titans is kind of formulating that connection. Like I saw Tajay do almost immediately with Jake Hayner and Clayton tune up, up in mobile. He just helps his quarterback out to hear him and Michael Pratt talk about each other. You can genuinely brotherhood love. So I just see that transferring on and on and off the field, you're getting an a one player. Yeah. He, uh, obviously I haven't spent the time around him that you have, but just from watching him in videos, watching his interviews, watching his reaction to being drafted, which I don't know if you caught it, but he's standing up, bringing his shirt around, partying with everybody.

His smile just seems captivating. His personality seems magnetic. And hearing his reaction from his teammates and how excited they were for his success, that kind of proves that in my mind. So that context that you provided really helps kind of nail that point home. Titans fans, we are going to cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast with a little more conversation with Maddie Hawk,

the Tulane side reporter. Obviously, you've been talking about all the other stuff she does. So, great second half of the interview here. Ready to get into it. I do want to ask you about one last thing before we go here. And there are some people who are concerned about the knee injuries. He's had two ACL injuries in his right knee, I believe, and there's some word that he doesn't even have an ACL,

and there's some arthritis. The last ACL tear came in 2020, so you've seen him play football long after that happened. What is your concern level with the knee, and is there anything that happened during his time at Tulane that you saw maybe there was maintenance going on or any way that they dealt with that? So I'll preface that I'm not a doctor and I always say that on my show. I'm not a doctor. I don't know. I should have said it with that accent too, but, um, you know, and I, I was as, you know, surprised kind of by that information that came out as everyone else, but you know, and I was as surprised kind of by that information that came out as everyone else.

But, you know, yeah, he tore his ACL twice, one time in high school and then one time in 2020. And he'll say it really took him until the end of the 2021 season to feel like himself again. But. Again, prefacing not being a doctor, I don't know how you can watch what he did last year and, you know, be concerned in the immediate sense that that's all going to go away. Because quite frankly, as the season went on, he only grew stronger. Just, you know, the Cincinnati final game of the season was the first time he's played every single snap. Like he left his soul and everything out on the field at Nippert Stadium. He left his soul and everything out on the field at Nippert Stadium. And, you know, he had actually kind of asked me about playing in the bowl game only because he was just worried about his health. But Tulane got lucky with that New Year's Six game being as late as it was because we had a lot of guys bobbling around after the championship game.

And if we had a mid-December game, it might have been a genuine question. But just again to go back to the way Tajay is he was like I would never quit on my team and I could not imagine like you know sitting out on the sideline but you watch things he does on the field he did it in the Cotton Bowl and he did it in the Senior Bowl just that kind of juke underneath that guy uh in the Cotton Bowl I believe yeah and then he was running routes in the senior bowl and you could just hear the audible gasps of everyone. But in talking with him and a piece I had did before the draft, he'd said that he feels actually stronger mentally after the ACL tears. Uh, there was a point where he contemplated putting football after it because just the mental recovery of an ACL,

I think unless you've had one yourself or have really been around them, it's just such a demoralizing long process. But it made him get more aware of things like having better field awareness, having better vision, knowing when it's better to run out of bounds, but also knowing that it's best to just get vertical upfield quickly and look for those kind of lanes and not having to take those unnecessary hits, but also trusting that he's been able to make these cuts and almost feels more confident in it now, knowing that he's torn his ACL twice and can still play the way he does. So I think a lot of it comes down to a confidence thing. And again, I don't know much about not playing with an ACL, but as much as we talk about worry about second contracts

with running backs, it's very, you know, it's just, we've gotten to the point in the NFL where those aren't always given and oftentimes not by the team that drafted them. And oftentimes they're really not that great of contracts. So I think rather than worrying about, is he going to be, you know, our running back for the next several years that's not really how and I get having Derek Henry who you know can withstand a lot more NFL beatings than quite literally any other guy in his position but for what you're getting right now you're getting a game changer and I know that Titans fans have said that they need help in the receiving game and I understand that a running back is not equivalent to a receiver but he's also not a bad receiver I would recommend everyone going back to really watch the Houston game but honestly the Southern missed loss it's a shame that that game was a loss for Tulane in last year's season

because that was really where Tajay came on strong his first of two weeks in a row Houston being a second where he was both the leading rusher and receiver for our team. And it wasn't like he had 10 receiving yards. You know, I had set, I think he had something like 75 receiving yards against some miss, but that's again, you know, for him to be able to do that with Michael Pratt, who was injured. And then the next week do that with our third string quarterback, Kai Horton, who he does not get that much practice time with just considering that at that time, you know, he

was QB three, our quarterback to Justin Ibeata goes out in the opening series of that game, but for him to help out as a receiver with Kai Horton, that's where, again, I just think there's part of me that wants to come up for a little bit of training camp. Cause I just would love to see kind of what they're doing with Tajay, but I think you're getting a dynamic game changer right now. And you can worry about his knee in a few years time but i i titans fans you guys truly got a good one and he probably is i i mean he's the best two lane player to me behind matt forte

but depending on how he does in the nfl like he could easily surpass him and that's just me being around him every day and him having the role model of reggie bush growing up you know matt forte became more of a receiver at Tulane out of necessity because Tulane was so bad at the time that that they had to turn him into everything. But that's really how Tajay has modeled his play style his entire life. So I can't wait to watch him and see what he does. Maddie,

you have an incredible list of credentials, but if you want to add locked on Titans co-host to that, I mean, excellent answers there. You're spot on about the running back contract situation and why it minimizes the concern about the knee. Most running backs aren't getting a second contract anyways that's of significant value. And then the receiving aspect,

the Titans leading touchdown receiver who caught the most touchdown passes on the team last year was a running back. So Titans fans will roll their eyes at that because that's not what you want. But at the end of the day, if they're going to throw the ball, I get it, honestly. Right. I feel the pain, but. 100%.

Well, that long list of credentials is best said by you, not me, obviously, as we learned earlier. Why don't you go ahead and let us know, Maddie, where you can find your other work and the kind of stuff that you're doing right now? Sure. And just to say, I'm happy to come on in the future and keep talking about Tajay. Like, this is honestly the best part of all this for me is actually getting to watch guys I truly know and love succeed and go into the NFL and get to talk about them on Sundays now. But everyone says, you know, Twitter is the hub until Twitter goes up in flames. But for the time being, you know, it's at Maddie Hudak underscore nine,

four, which I believe is there. And that's where I kind of post everything as you went over, but I think you did a good job of going over everything before, but I am Tulane sideline reporter for their radio network. And I am the host of my new show before the whistle. It comes out on Tuesdays and Fridays on YouTube and Apple all linked on my Twitter again. And then, yeah, I'll be covering the saints for the saints wire and ESPN Baton Rouge,

starting with a mini camp this Saturday, which I'm looking forward to seeing Tulane linebacker, Nick Anderson here in black and gold. So got a lot coming up the pipe, but a lot of it is very Tulane focused. And I am just really grateful to be able to talk about this stuff. Yeah. Well, we're grateful to me and my listeners that you were able to come on, provide this context that we couldn't get anywhere else.

The Titans do play the Saints in this regular season. You and Ross Jackson, host of Locked on Saints, can do like some moral combat, like celebrity death match, decide who gets to come on the show during the crossover episode. I'm here for it. I'll sponsor it. I'll do, I'll host it. If we have to, we can have a round table, man. I'm in, I'm in all jokes aside. I appreciate it so much, Maddie. Thank you. Have a great day and good luck to Tulane. And by the way, one of my big takeaways from watching film on prospects this year was Tulane has the best set of jerseys in college football. I think they're gross. They're nasty. I love them. So if anything, maybe we could do a

little crossover. I'll get a Titans Tajay jersey. You get me a Tulane one. We'll swap. We'll figure something out like that. It was not lost on me looking at your background and I'm like, oh, the blue kind of continues on. I love that. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. Hey, I'll put more up here if I need to, no doubt. But thank you so much, Maddie. Thanks for joining the Locked on Titans podcast.

All right, folks, that is going to do it for our Tajay Spears deep dive. Remember, I'm going to be back with you guys next week. Preview the OTA practices that the Titans are going to have during the week. I'm going to be recapping those when they happen. You can catch all of my written work over at alltitans.com for Sports Illustrated. You can, of course, find me here on the Locked on Titans podcast on Twitter at tiktaktitans, on Instagram at lockedontitans, on Facebook at lockedontitanspod.

Wherever you are, I will be there with free Tennessee Titans content for you. 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.