Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Re-Watch Wednesday: Defensive Strategy, Offensive Progression & Power Rankings
Episode Date: October 27, 2021It is RE-WATCH WEDNESDAY!!! Time to step into the film room and break down what the tape shows for the Tennessee Titans on Offense and Defense. First, Tyler discusses the Locked On Network Power Ranki...ngs and where the Titans rank! Then, Tyler breaks down the defensive side of the ball and talks the strategy they deployed against Kansas City! Finally, Tyler talks about the offense's evolution and how it played out on Sunday.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.GetupsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank. 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, it is a re-watch Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.
And as I always say, this is my favorite episode of the week.
I am so excited to dive into all of the tape with you guys,
tell you exactly what I saw on the film from the Titans
from a schematic standpoint. We are really going to drill down into the X's and O's behind the
Tennessee Titans 27-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. I have some team scheme related items to
talk to you guys about, some individual items that I am very excited to get into, including
a standout performance from Titan safety, Dane Cruikshank, and A.J. Brown returning
to his dominant form.
So we are going to talk about all of that.
Dive into the tape on today's show.
Before we get into that, though, do want to talk a little power rankings.
The Locked On Network released their NFL power rankings on Tuesday.
We're going to see where the Tennessee Titans are, and I'll talk generally about whether
or not I agree with that ranking.
So a lot to discuss.
We got power rankings.
We got film on a rewatch Wednesday 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.
How's it going, guys?
It is a re-watch Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.
So excited to dive into the film.
So excited to dive into these power rankings as well. Before we do, though, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every
day. And if this is your first
listen ever of the Locked on Titans
podcast, make sure that you subscribe
on whatever platform you stream podcasts.
Subscribe to the Locked on
Titans YouTube page. Smash that
notification bell so you know when all of
my content goes live. Also,
you've got to follow me on social
media, on Twitter,
at Tic Tac Titans. It was a Tic Tac Tuesday. I posted a ton of film breakdowns and film clips
that will go along with the conversations that we are having today. Make sure that you check me out
there on Twitter. Remember, that's at Tic Tac Titans. And check out the show Facebook page,
at Locked on Titans Pod. But with that being said, let's dive into these power rankings.
And it's been, I think, since before the season began that I had a little bit of a visual aid for you guys,
those on the YouTube channel.
I am going to bring up another visual aid now.
So bear with me for just a moment as I get into the technical aspect
of the show. I'm going to share my screen with you guys so you can see these power rankings if
you are watching on the YouTube channel. So number one, let's go ahead and pop already making technical
mistakes here, guys, already. Just bear with me. I know this is absolutely excellent audio content.
But either way, we got the power rankings up, and I am ready to dive into them with you guys.
So let me get my own name out of the way.
So to go through the power rankings one time so those listening on the podcast, on the audio version of the show, know what's going on.
Number one, the Arizona Cardinals at 7-0.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 2 at 6-1.
Number three, the Los Angeles Rams at 6-1.
Number four, the Buffalo Bills at 4-2.
Number five, the Green Bay Packers at 6-1.
The Cowboys at 6-5-1.
The Ravens at 7-5-2.
The Tennessee Titans at number eight at five
and two. The Los Angeles Chargers at nine at four and two. The Cincinnati Bengals round out the top
ten at five and two. Then the Las Vegas Raiders at number 11. The Cleveland Browns at number 12.
The Kansas City Chiefs at number 13. The New Orleans Saints at 14.
Steelers at 15.
Minnesota Vikings at 16.
New England Patriots at 17.
The Colts at 18.
The San Francisco 49ers at 19.
The Seattle Seahawks at number 20.
Then we have the Denver Broncos at 21.
The Carolina Panthers at 22.
The Philadelphia Eagles 23, 24.
The Atlanta Falcons 25. the Washington football team 26, the Chicago Bears 27, the New York Giants 28, the Jacksonville Jaguars 29,
the Miami Dolphins 30, the Detroit Lions 31, the Jets 32, the Texans. So let's dive in here. Number
one, can't complain with the Cardinals and the Bucs being one and two.
I know that the Rams are number three and they beat the Bucs, but I still think that
Tampa Bay is a better team.
So I'm going to go with that.
I have no problem.
I know the first thing that's going to jump out to you guys is the Buffalo Bills at four
and two sitting at the number four spot.
But I personally don't have a problem at all with the Bills being that high.
Look, the Titans beat the Bills in a thriller at home in Tennessee.
If that game was in Buffalo, it's fair to say that the Bills might have won by three.
So, can't complain.
I still think the Bills are ultimately a better team than the Titans in the long run.
I know a lot of you guys won't like hearing that, but that is just how I feel.
The Green Bay Packers at number
five at six and one, but they're staring a loss in the face against the Cardinals this week,
losing, you know, a bunch of their wide receivers, a lot of injuries for the Packers and absences
there. The Dallas Cowboys at number six at five and one, the Ravens at five and two at number
seven, the Titans at eight. Honestly, I'm okay with that ranking. I mean, I think the Chargers are an
excellent team. I think that the Bengals are an excellent team, but outside of that, I don't see
anybody below the Titans who I think that the Titans are better than. I mean, the Ravens,
you could have a conversation. I know a lot of you guys will say the Bills are an easy one there,
but for my money, I like the Titans at number eight. They still got a little bit to prove. If they can close the door on the Colts this weekend, then I expect them to go
even further up in those rankings as they should. Now, some other things that stand out to me here,
I really don't understand how the Chiefs are still at 13 behind some of these teams, but
at the end of the day, you look at the teams behind them, the Saints, the Steelers, the Vikings, the Patriots.
Do we really think any of those teams are going to be better off long-term
than the Chiefs this year or even better right now?
Eh, I really don't.
Even though the Chiefs have played like the worst season
that they've had in a long time, they're still 3-4.
They're still a good football team at the end of the day.
The Titans are just better.
But going down the list a little bit further, four. They're still a good football team at the end of the day. The Titans are just better. But
going down the list a little bit further, I do not think that like the Colts, the Colts are better
than the Vikings and the Steelers and the Patriots. I firmly believe that. I firmly believe that. So
the Colts ranking is a little bit low, but they don't have a lot of pop nationally. They're not
an exciting team. You know what I mean? Going down the list even further, I mean, it's hard to have complaints as you get closer
to the end.
I think the Washington football team is ranked a little bit too high.
I think that they're really bad, and I think it's only going to get worse for them.
And then how are the Jaguars ahead?
How are the Lions behind the Dolphins?
Look, I don't care that the Lions are 0-7 and that they're the only winless team in
the NFL.
The Lions would beat the Jaguars right now in a game. I think the Lions would beat the Dolphins right now in a game.
So I would put the Lions ahead. But going back to that Tennessee Titans ranking at number eight
in the top 10, going up two spots from number 10 last week, I don't really see anything to
complain about there. The Titans can go even further if
they continue to prove it, but a pretty good start. If you would have told me and I would
have told you that the Titans would be top 10 in power rankings after that loss to the Jets,
you would have laughed at my face. So just a good bounce back by the Titans,
two of the most impressive victories of the year by any team, and that should squarely put
you in the top 10 of the
power rankings. Now, I know it's just power rankings,
just power rankings, but hey,
it's always fun to check in
where all of the hosts for
Locked On put the Tennessee Titans.
They are at number 8. I have the
Titans at number 7, just for your guys'
information when I submitted my
rankings, but that is going to do it for the power ranking segment Titans at number seven, just for your guys' information when I submitted my rankings.
But that is going to do it for the power ranking segment of today's show. We are going to dive into the film next. It is a rewatch Wednesday. Step into the film room with me. So excited to
break down specifically on defense, what the Tennessee Titans were able to do to this Kansas
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Titans fans, it is time. It is time to kick off our rewatch segment. Step into the film room,
break down the X's and O's. Got to remind you guys, I posted all of the clips that go along with this discussion and
all the actual film breakdown on my Twitter account at Tic Tac Titans for copyright reasons.
I can't have the actual film on the YouTube channel as a lot of you guys know, but all of
that content is available on my Twitter account. You don't have to sign up for Twitter. You can
just go to Twitter's website, search at TicTacTitans,
and scroll through my feed and see everything that you need to know. So just want to remind
you guys about that. Also want to thank you again for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first
listen every day. As for your second listen, make sure that you check out the live, live
trade deadline show.
It's going to be on the Locked On NFL YouTube page.
It's going to be live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on November the 2nd on the trade deadline.
And I host the Locked On NFL National Show on Thursdays.
So it's a great time to go ahead and subscribe to that YouTube channel, the Locked On NFL
YouTube channel.
You're going to love the live show going on.
And if the Titans make a trade, your boy will make an appearance.
So let's dive into the film, though.
I'm ready.
I've been waiting, licking my chops all day after watching the All-22,
the coaches tape over the last 24 hours or so,
diving into what the defense did.
So number one, the Titans defense didn't really blitz.
And we have to define the word blitz.
A blitz is when you bring five or more rushers.
That's at least one more rusher than the standard four-man rush.
So that is the definition of blitz in the sense that I'm going to use it right now.
The Titans only blitzed one or two times in this game, bringing more than five guys.
Yes, they brought Elijah Molden off the slot, cornerback spot a couple of times.
Not really a lot, but a couple of times.
But every time they did that, they dropped out a defensive end on the other side
so that there were only four men coming.
Again, they like to rotate between that slot blitz and blitz in the middle linebacker.
But anytime they blitz David Long, they dropped out a defensive end into coverage.
So the Titans really didn't bring five people at all in this game, one or two times at max.
I mean, the reason for that is you can't allow Patrick Mahomes to only see
five or six guys in coverage all day. He's going to pick you apart. So you can't have that. And
the Titans had to avoid that. And really the goal is you need to get pressure on the quarterback
by only bringing four guys in the pass rush and dropping seven into coverage. That's how you beat these excellent
elite quarterbacks. That is how you do it. Now, some teams like Tampa Bay last year, like the
Giants that beat the Patriots in the early aughts, those teams could just bring their four guys
one-on-one rush opportunities and they're going to win over and over. The Titans defensive line
has been doing a great job there, but that's not exactly who the Titans are.
The Titans want to disguise coverage.
They want to confuse you, bring different things at you.
So the best way to get that pressure and show those disguised looks
while also not sacrificing your coverage numbers
is to drop someone into coverage,
bring a blitz from the cornerback or the linebacker where they rush,
but drop a defensive lineman in their place so you never lose that coverage. And the Titans did
that all day long. Again, only one or two times did they actually bring five or more guys on a
blitz. I think it was only twice all game long. Now, on the flip side of that, talking about the
pressure, how do you then, remember, we talked against the Buffalo Bills, that the Titans wanted to bring pressure from Josh Allen's right-hand side so that he couldn't roll out to his right and make plays.
Well, that philosophy stays in place for Patrick Mahomes.
So how do you accomplish that if you're not going to bring five guys like the Titans were doing against the Bills?
Well, one thing that the Titans did was
they used Harold Landry. They lined Harold Landry up super wide as the defensive end. You know,
if you played any football, you know that the gaps are numbered. You have zero, one, two, three,
four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. The gaps are numbered. Well, I would tell you that Harold Landry is basically playing 11 technique. I mean, he was out past the tight end, past the slot wide receiver with his
hand in the dirt as a defensive end. Why? Well, I can tell you why. Because when you have Harold
Landry out that wide and then he rushes into the quarterback, what that's going to do is that is
going to simulate that slot cornerback blitz.
So you're accomplishing exactly what you accomplished with Elijah Molden coming on the slot blitz
against the Bills, but you're doing that without sacrificing coverage.
So Harold Landry is coming at such a wide angle on his rush that it essentially discourages
Patrick Mahomes from rolling out to his right, which is exactly the game plan.
Don't let Mahomes roll to his dominant side to playmake.
An excellent adjustment.
I've got to be honest.
You've got to give credit to Jim Schwartz.
His wide nine technique on the defensive line is famous,
and he applied that to an even more extreme measure with Harold Landry to keep that
outside pressure on Mahomes so he didn't feel comfortable rolling out of the pocket. I mean,
that is top-notch schematics from the Tennessee Titans to be able to accomplish their rush goals
without sacrificing their coverage. That is excellent stuff from the Tennessee Titans
defensive staff.
Kudos there.
Absolute kudos.
Also want to mention when we talk about coverage,
the Titans played man coverage all day long in this game.
I mean, they threw in some zone looks.
They threw in some cover two.
They threw in some cover three.
More cover three than cover two.
You know what they didn't do though?
They didn't run invert cover two where they use a cornerback and a safety
or two cornerbacks to play the deep halves.
I was bemoaning that coverage against the Bills.
That's what got the Cole Beasley touchdown right before halftime.
The Titans did not run that coverage against the Chiefs, and smartly so,
because the Chiefs were trying to attack it.
So good job by the Titans.
But throughout the day, they mixed in zone because that's what the Titans are going to do.
But they mostly played man coverage with a robber over the middle. What's a robber? He's a middle
zone defender. So what the Titans were doing is they rush four. That's four guys. They have five
guys playing man coverage against the five eligible receivers. That's nine. Then they would
have a deep safety in the deep. I always put my hands past where you can see them,
but they have a deep safety back deep so no one gets beat deep.
And then they have Kevin Byard roaming over the middle.
He's a pseudo spy on Patrick Mahomes.
Remember, when Kevin Byard forced that fumble on Patrick Mahomes before halftime,
he did that from the robber spot over the middle of the field,
which allows him to help in zone coverage,
help out the guys playing man over the middle of the field, read the quarterback's eyes. But then if Patrick Mahomes
gets out of the pocket, who's hunting him down? Kevin Byard. Excellent stuff. And that's what KB
does best. Let him roam. Let him use his instincts. Let him read the quarterback and make plays.
And he's had maybe his best season since his All-Pro season so far this year, so great
stuff. Man, I am going to run out of time with how excited I am to get into this stuff, so let's
speed it up a little bit. Dane Cruikshank, one-on-one in man coverage against Kelsey. He
blanketed him. He was physical with him, got his hands all over him, didn't let him get clean
releases all day. Cruikshank, 6'1", 210 pounds.
He has an ideal physical build, an ideal athleticism to be that matchup guy
against those tight ends over the middle of the field.
Excellent stuff from Dane Crookshank.
A beautiful chess piece for the Titans going forward.
Greg Maben, great day coming off the street, basically.
Signed from Arizona's practice squad.
Great day for Greg Maben.
Everyone's asking,
why would he play over Breon Borders? Greg Mabin got 100% of the defensive snaps. Well,
Greg Mabin is a much faster player than Breon Borders. Breon Borders is excellent in tight
circumstances. He's good in the red zone because he's physical and his limitations with his
athleticism don't really hurt you as much if you don't have a whole field to cover. So Breon Borders is good in the red zone because he can be physical and there's not a lot of places
to get him beat. But you can't put Breon Borders out there against the Kansas City Chiefs' speedy
wide receiver core when you've got the whole field to defend. So that's why Mabin played over Borders
and Mabin did a very good job. I already told you guys about Kevin Byard. Not only did he play that
robber over the middle of the field, but it's obvious that he was shaded throughout the game towards Travis Kelsey to help
Dane Cruikshank. Cruikshank didn't really need a lot of help, but that was the plan. Take away
Kelsey. Kelsey, much more deadly than Tyreek Hill on a snap-to-snap consistent basis for the Chiefs,
so good job there. David Long and Rashawn Evans flew all over the field. David Long
took away the running back in the check down all day long. David Long was all over the place in the
run game. I thought Rashawn Evans played his best game of the season in a limited role. Just excellent
stuff from the Titans linebackers doing their job. Also, Matthias Farley, I gave him a Titan up on
Sunday night show into Monday morning. I'm going to continue to give him kudos.
He came in, played the Imani Hooker role.
They couldn't put Dane Cruikshank back deep in the free safety role like they did when
Imani Hooker was hurt originally because Cruikshank had to play that one-on-one matchup against
Travis Kelsey.
So that means that Matthias Farley had to jump in and play the free safety role for
the Titans, and he did it excellently when they went to dime.
The Titans played a lot of nickel in this game, but when they went to dime, Farley was out there and he made
plays. Remember, he also got the incredible fumble recovery on Kevin Byard's forced fumble on the
sideline. That ball was about to go out of bounds, and Farley saved it. So great play by Matthias
Farley, someone I was very excited about as a role player for the Titans when they signed him
in the offseason. Elijah Molden, as the cornerback, made eight tackles,
came on those blitzes when the Titans dropped the opposite side defensive end
and made sure that Mahomes couldn't feel comfortable
getting out to his right-hand side.
But Elijah Molden doing a great job this year
in his role as the slot cornerback for the Titans.
Also, the Titans used Harold, oh, well, I talked about that,
the wide 11 technique, the wide 9 technique to simulate the cornerback blitz. Now, let's talk
about some individual performances. Again, Danico Autry dominated, and the best thing was it was a
variety of moves. He used a rip move a couple of times. He used just effort, continuing to rush
the quarterback when he didn't have a great move to go to. He used a bull rush. He used a swim move at one point in time. I mean, Danico Autry had the whole package working on Sunday,
and it's how he got two tackles for loss, two sacks, and constant pressure on Patrick Mahomes.
A great value signing in free agency for John Robinson. Also, do want to mention that Jeffrey
Simmons basically got double teamed every single time. So that's why Bud Dupree gets a sack.
Harold Landry gets a sack.
Danico Autry gets two.
What about Jeff Simmons?
Well, that's because every team is double teaming Jeff Simmons every single time.
Whether it's run, whether it's pass, we got to stop Simmons.
And that is opening things up for everybody else.
And the last thing I want to say about the pass rush, Harold Landry did get used
as a spy in certain times. So what the Titans are doing is they're not using an outright spy,
but they'll have the four guys rush. But Harold Landry will kind of be conservative in his rush.
He'll kind of do a little twist, but then just hang out in the middle and make sure that Mahomes
doesn't go anywhere. That way, an offensive lineman has to account for him, but also the Titans get the
benefit of having a spy on these elite mobile playmaking quarterbacks. Excellent stuff from
the Titans defense, and I personally think this was an excellent breakdown on what the Titans did
on defense against the Chiefs, so I hope that you guys enjoyed it as well. We are going to talk
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Titans fans, let's cap off this re-watch Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast by
discussing what happened from an X's and O's perspective on the offensive side of the ball.
Now before we get into that, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans
podcast your first listen every day.
As for that second listen, make sure that you check out the Peacock and Williamson show
hosted by Brian Peacock
and former NFL scout Matt Williamson. The Peacock and Williamson show is Monday through Friday,
and they give you a national perspective on all of the latest NFL news. Check out the Peacock
and Williamson show on whatever platform you do stream. But diving into the offense, we just
talked about the defense, and boy, I went long. So I'll keep the offense pretty short, and for good reason. There's not as much to talk about with the offense, because the
Titans only played offense for one half. Okay? That's it. The Titans did not try in the second
half. They just didn't. And before I get into anything in the first half, I'm going to tell you guys the only complaint that I have from this game. Why in the hell are you up by 24 points with less than 20 minutes left in the game,
and you still got Derrick Henry out there running?
Give that man a break.
There is no reason that Derrick Henry should have had 29 carries in this game.
This was the ideal game to get Henry 19, 20 carries at max. Let him sit
for the last 20, 25 minutes of the game. Come on, man. What are we doing? I mean, I know that I say
up and down, the dude's a unicorn. He's not going to break down, but why tempt fate? Why look the
gift horse in a mouth? Man, get that man some rest. Derrington Evans is back. Jeremy McNichols is back.
Let those boys go out there and do it.
I mean, if you're just going to run straight up the gut in the nine-man boxes
just so you can run three times and punt,
then don't let Henry do that.
And Henry was pissed.
I mean, you saw his body language in the second half, and he was pissed.
Now, he was probably mad that they weren't having success in the run game,
but maybe he was pissed because he was in for no reason,
taking hits for no reason, carrying the ball for no reason.
I'm pissed about it.
God damn it.
Come on.
Todd?
Mike?
What are you guys doing?
Tony?
Get the man out of the game.
Anyways, let's get into some of this scheme.
40% play action pass in the game.
The Titans came out early and often with play action on first down.
The very first play of the game for the offense was a play action pass.
Todd, we need more of that.
Also, offense for the Titans is all about marrying the formation and the look. What you want to do is you want to run a run play that looks exactly like the play
action pass, and you want to run play action pass plays that look exactly like the run game. So
think about the big play to A.J. Brown that, I'm an idiot. I said it wasn't a catch. It was a catch.
Down the sideline in the first half.
Well, the Titans ran two tight ends on the left side,
Swayman Pruitt.
They did play action on an inside zone to Derrick Henry,
and then they threw it deep, and that was on first down.
The very next play, which it was a 50-yard gain or what have you,
the very next play, the Titans line up in the same formation,
two tight ends, both on one side,
but they flip it to where the tight ends are on the right side of the formation,
and they run inside zone.
So they show the exact same formation, the exact same personnel,
and they run the exact same run look,
but they actually hand off the ball, and Derrick Henry gets about nine yards. Marrying your scheme together. Make the run look like the pass. Make
the pass look like the run. Use the same formations. Use the same groupings. Use the same personnel
so the defense doesn't know what's coming next. And Todd Downing is getting so much better at that
early on in the year. What I will say is,
the reason the Titans had so much success in the play-action pass game is because the Chiefs just
completely sold out on the run. I mean, they would have eight guys in the box, and then they would
bring another defensive back, usually Tyron Matthew, to come off the backside. See, remember
against the Buffalo Bills, they were bringing their defensive end up the field on the backside of the run to try to take away the bootleg.
Well, that opened up the cutback lane for Derrick Henry on the run.
Well, how do you keep your defensive end in to guard the cutback lane on the run
while also taking away the bootleg?
You bring another guy off the backside, usually a defensive back,
floating down to the line of scrimmage late in the play clock.
Well, the Titans saw that and they said, okay, we'll just play action pass you to death all day long.
Derrick Henry only had 86 yards, three yards per carry.
The Titans didn't kill the Chiefs in the run game.
As a matter of fact, the Chiefs interior defensive line and their linebacker, Nick Bolton,
had a great game in run defense, in my opinion, from watching it.
I thought they did a really good job.
Jaron Reed, Kalen Saunders, I think that's the name of those guys for the Chiefs.
And then Nick Bolton at linebacker.
I thought they did great in run defense in this game.
But they sold out, nine in the box, bringing pressure.
Okay, then we're just going to throw the ball over the middle of the field on you all day long.
Glantz is back.
You guys know the play. Play action to Derrick Henry, hit A. throw the ball over the middle of the field on you all day long. Glantz is back. You guys know the play.
Play action to Derrick Henry, hit A.J. Brown over the middle.
The Titans call that play Glantz.
So you guys can stack that in your database of terminology.
That's what they call it.
So obviously I'm not in the building, but that's what people say who talk to the coaches on the television.
I've heard other breakdowns from people who get to talk to the coaches.
That play is called glance.
Now, I'm sure there's a million other terms that go into it before the play calls.
I mean, reading a play in the NFL is like reading the Cheesecake Factory menu.
So I'm sure there's more to it, but overall that play is called glance.
Okay, so outside of that, the Chiefs, again, man coverage. That's what teams
do to the Titans. They bring guys to the line of scrimmage. They play man coverage, especially in
third down situations. But guess what? The Titans went out and got Julio Jones because they needed
multiple guys that could just win one-on-one in man coverage. And A.J. Brown's catch on the sideline
in the end zone, both those catches.
He just wins in main coverage, man.
He's just better than LeJarius Sneed.
Cheverius Ward.
He's just better than them.
And Julio Jones is better than most of the corners he's going to go up against, too.
So if you want to do that, you want to play tight one-on-one
and put your corners on an island, okay.
The Titans will take that.
And they're going to take shots on you all day long. And I'm willing to bet that A.J. Brown
and Julio Jones are going to beat your cornerbacks. Man, this Titans offense is roaring, baby.
This Titans offense is roaring. I'm so excited. I can't help it. I'm sorry, guys. Sorry. I'm
getting obnoxious, but this stuff just gets me fired up.
Let's keep going.
So, the Titans won against man coverage.
They killed them in play action pass
because they sold out on the run,
but I also got to give Todd Downing credit
for the creativity of the offense.
We got a jet sweep out of shotgun to A.J. Brown.
Woo!
Give me more of that.
A.J. did a terrible job on that play, though.
He's got to do better.
If they're going to run the ball to him.
Do better.
Nick Bolton lit him up for like a three-yard gain.
It needed to be a lot better than that for how well it was blocked.
Also, the reverse to Marcus Johnson.
Out of a formation that the Titans had run play action out of,
they'd run run plays out of with two tight ends and then a wide receiver and bunch on one side condensed in the formation
close to the offensive tackle, and they ran the reverse out of that.
We got Wild King with a pass.
I like calling it King Cat, though.
I don't know why I like that a little bit better.
But either way, the Titans are running a varied run scheme.
Everyone knows the Titans run outside zone.
They run inside zone.
But so far this year, the Titans have run traps.
The Titans have run misdirection.
They've run counters with pulling guards and pulling tight ends. I mean, I'm so impressed
with Todd Downing and how he's varying the run game right now. Excellent stuff. For some
individual stuff, Jeff Swaim, best game of the year. Really good job. Ben Jones, obviously he
was banged up on Darrington Evans' run. Darrington Evans just slams into Ben Jones,
and Ben Jones lays on the ground for a while.
He's banged up, as he always is.
But Ben Jones really struggled with the reach block
on the defensive lineman to get in front of him.
He struggled in this game.
That's part of the reason the Titans struggled in the run game.
Dylan Radins, 22 steps.
He was good in run blocking,
but he struggled in pass blocking quite a bit.
But a lot of that is the Chiefs were putting Chris Jones on Dylan Radins.
I mean, there's not many guards in the league who are going to be able to deal with Chris Jones.
So I'm not going to kill Dylan Radins for struggling in that sense.
So Dylan Radins overall, pretty good.
Some struggles in pass protection, but that's to be expected.
I'm going to do a film breakdown on Dylan Radins on my Twitter account,
at TicTacTitans, probably on Friday, because I am so busy.
It is hard to do all the content that I have in my head that I want.
But either way, I'm going to do my Titans Wire USA Today article this week
on the Titans front four.
They're the elements, baby.
Water, wind, fire, and earth.
And I'm going to break that down for you in my article. Make sure that you don't miss that.
And then on Friday, on Thursday, I plan to do a little David Long thread on Twitter. And then
Friday, I'm going to do Dylan Radins. So make sure that you guys don't miss that additional content,
the actual film stuff that I'm breaking down, the clips that I put together. That's all on
Twitter at Tic Tac Titans. But that's going to do it for me today. This
episode is going to be like 40 freaking minutes. I'm going to get in trouble, but I don't care.
I had to unload the clip for you guys. All this stuff I saw on film from the Titans was so
excellent. And I certainly hope that you all enjoyed it. If you did make sure to like the
video. If you're watching on YouTube, leave a comment. I appreciate all that. Helps me out a lot. If you're just listening to the podcast,
throw in a review on Apple Podcasts. About 55% of you guys listen on Apple. I haven't got a lot
of reviews lately, so I would appreciate a couple more of those. But other than that, just thank you
guys so much for tuning in. That's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host,
Tyler Rowland.
And this was Locked on Titan.