Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TANK JOB IS ON, Ernest Jones Trade Fallout & Taming the Detroit Lions

Episode Date: October 24, 2024

The Tennessee Titans have officially begun their tank job of the 2024 season. After trading DeAndre Hopkins and Ernest Jones it is clear the Titans are embracing their situation. While it is disappointing to be 1-5, the reality is Ran Carthon has made the right decisions, including the signings and trades from the offseason. Finally, the Titans have a game this weekend against the Detroit Lions and winning it would essentially be a miracle.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow 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!Pre-Alcohol by ZbioticsGo to zbiotics.com/LOCKEDONNFL to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelPlace your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

The Tennessee Titans tank job is on, and it's the right thing to do. That and more on today's edition of Locked on Titans. 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. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by PrizePix. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL.

Use the code locked on NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. On today's show, we're going to talk about the Tennessee Titans tank rolling down the road, and it's the right thing to do. I'm also going to tell you why Rancar Thon has done a good job, but there are some people who maybe still need to be traded, and we will talk about the game that the Titans have to play this weekend against the Detroit Lions. Before I do, I do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast

your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. I do bonus episodes when there's big news. I put out short content for you guys. I got film content over on the Tic Tac Titans film channel. You're not going to find better Tennessee Titans content than you will here with me on Locked on Titans.

So make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. Thumbs up on the video. Tighten up down in the chat. Shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. But with that being said,

the Tennessee Titans tank is officially here, folks. I did an emergency episode going over the DeAndre Hopkins trade when it happened on Wednesday morning. I put out a short video on all social media platforms going over the Ernest Jones trade, but I just wanted to dive into those trades just a little bit more. So DeAndre Hopkins goes to the Kansas City Chiefs. We do now know the conditions of that pick. It's a fifth round pick, but it's going to be a fourth round pick if DeAndre Hopkins plays 60% of the snaps available for the Kansas City Chiefs on offense

and if the Kansas City Chiefs go to the Super Bowl. That's just go to the Super Bowl, not win the Super Bowl. Look, I know that those are maybe tough qualifications to me. I mean, we need Kansas City to go to a Super Bowl for a third year in a row. That's a very, very tough thing to do. It has not happened very often in NFL history, but at the end of the day, I think that it's still pretty likely. I know that Baltimore looks good. I know that Houston looks good, but I'm not betting against Kansas City at this point in time. They haven't even played well this year and they're undefeated. So I like that trade. And I'll reiterate once again, DeAndre Hopkins is going

to be 33 years old. DeAndre Hopkins has a partially torn MCL. DeAndre Hopkins was on the last year of his contract and was not coming back to the Tennessee Titans, especially after the season that they're having right now. So the question becomes for people who did not like the DeAndre Hopkins trade, would you rather lose DeAndre Hopkins for nothing just to keep him on the team for the rest of the year? Or would you rather get something? That's really what it comes.

Maybe you don't like the fifth round pick. Maybe you don't like the conditional for maybe, maybe you don't like any of that, but is that better than nothing? Because the Tennessee Titans would have gotten nothing for DeAndre Hopkins, just like they got nothing from Derrick Henry. And we aren't getting some final DeAndre Hopkins sendoff game. He doesn't have that emotional pool within the fan base like Derrick Henry did. It's not even the same. So again, I know that it sucks that the Titans are one in five and they got a tank and they got to sell assets off in the middle of the season. A lot of people are so frustrated with the Titans record and current situation that they're just going to be mad about whatever the Titans do.

But at the end of the day, this was the right move to make for the Titans. Could they have gotten more? Could they have gotten less? Ray Carthon isn't going to accept the trade when he could get something better from somebody else. That's just not how it works, folks. This is clearly the best deal that the Titans were going to get. The fact that they can get a fourth round pick potentially

out of DeAndre Hopkins is fantastic. And I'll remind you, a lot of people hated the Kevin Byard trade and said, oh, the Titans suck at drafting. What are they going to get with a fifth and a sixth-round pick? Well, they got Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who's going to be a starter for the next five years at cornerback. So remember, Rancarthon is a good drafter. Rancarthon is a good drafter.

We're going to talk about Rancarthon here in just a moment. But now I want to shift gears and talk about that Ernest Jones trade. Because if you didn't like the DeAndre Hopkins trade, fine. But there is no way in the world

that people do not like the Ernest Jones trade. And quite honestly, I haven't seen anybody say that they didn't like the Ernest Jones trade. And quite honestly, I haven't seen anybody say that they didn't like the Ernest Jones trade. I haven't even seen that. And I see a lot of reactions online, okay? So the Ernest Jones trade was honestly a master move by Rand Carthon. Of course, it would have been better if the Titans were good

and they keep Ernest Jones, who's a good player, fine. If that's, if you want to pout and say that, then go ahead. But look what Rancar Thon did with this. He traded a fifth round pick for Ernest Jones,

and then traded Ernest Jones for a fourth round pick and a sixth round pick in 2026 and Jerome Baker. So, Rancarton took a fifth-round pick and turned it into a fourth, a sixth in 2026, and another starting linebacker. Is Jerome Baker as good of a player as Ernest Jones?

No, he's not. But, Ernest Jones is going to get a big extension. That's Ernest Jones got traded away from the Rams because he wanted a big extension from the Rams, and the Rams didn't want to give it to him. Well, the Titans didn't want to give it to him either. So you get Jerome Baker, who is a better pass coverage linebacker. And one of the problems that the Titans have been having is

Ernest Jones and Kenneth Murray, neither of them are good in pass coverage. They're very similar linebackers who have similar skill sets. Ernest Jones is the better player, but neither of them are very good in coverage. And the Titans were getting killed over the middle of the field. So now, you take your fifth round pick and turn it to a fourth round pick. That in itself, if Rancar Thon

traded for Ernest Jones with a fifth round pick and then traded him a month later for a fourth round pick, you have changed your fifth round pick to a fourth round pick for nothing. That's a great move in itself. But to get an additional sixth round pick, you have changed your fifth round pick to a fourth round pick for nothing. That's a great move in itself. But to get an additional sixth round pick in 2026, and then get Jerome Baker, who is a low-level starting linebacker.

I think Jerome Baker is better than Kenneth Murray, in my opinion. So, just an absolute fantastic trade for Rand Carthon. And if you want to fall on the grocery store floor and throw a temper tantrum because the Titans are 1-5, so no matter what happens, you're going to be mad about it, then fine. But objectively speaking, this move by Rancar Thawne and the Ernest Jones transactions are absolutely fantastic. So I don't see how anybody can hate on that move.

That was a great flip by Rancarthon there. And again, it leads me to my next point. Rancarthon is doing a good job. Like, I just don't understand how you could say that Rancarthon is doing a bad job. And I'm going to tell you why right now. Before I do, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix.

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they'll refund your money. No questions asked. Remember, head to zbiotics.com slash LOCKEDONNFL and use the code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout for 15% off. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about the trades that the Tennessee Titans made on Wednesday. Now I want to look ahead, basically,

to who could be traded next. But also at the same time, I want to defend Rand Carthon. All right? And we're going to talk about the Titans game against the Detroit Lions towards the end of the show. But at the end of the day,

let's be real. The Titans aren't beating the Lions this week. And what they do from here and the end of the day, let's be real. The Titans aren't beating the Lions this week, and what they do from here and the state of the team, that's much more important conversation at this moment in time. So with that being said, Rancor Thon is doing a fine job. Is he doing a great job? Is everything hitting and every move that he makes turns to gold like he's Midas? No. No, it's not. But Rancor Thon is doing a good job.

Okay. Let me explain this. You have to keep in mind, a lot of people just look at, is LeJarrius Sneed playing well? Is Calvin Ridley helping? Nope. Moves didn't work.

Rancorthon sucks. Just that cut and dry, that simple. No nuance. Nothing. Just, oh, did the move work? No. What I am going to challenge you to do right now is, if that's how you feel, fine.

But what I'm going to challenge you to do right now is, think of the alternative. So we said said all of 2023 that the Titans are going to have a bunch of cap space and the best thing that they can do is go out and spend a bunch of that cap space. Why? Why did we all want the Titans to go out and use all that cap space? Because it's funny that a lot of the people who were applauding Rand Carthon for going out and getting with that cap space. Because it's funny that a lot of the people who were applauding Ran Carthon

for going out and getting LeJarrius Sneed and Calvin Ridley are now people who are hating on Ran Carthon for making those moves. You didn't hate those moves when he made them. So hindsight is 20-20, isn't it? Hilarious how everyone was excited about trading for LeJarrius Sneed. Everyone was excited about signing

Calvin Ridley. But now that the Titans aren't good, they were bad moves and ran Carthons a buffoon, right? That's the way that this works, right? Well, here's the thing. The Titans didn't have anybody to spend on. So would you rather, would you rather have set that $100 million in cap space on fire?

Or would you rather try? The Titans are not going to be hurt by LeJarrius Sneed and Calvin Ridley not playing their best right now. What would the Titans be? What would the Titans record be right now if they just didn't use any of their cap space at all? If they just never signed, if they never traded for LeJarius Sneed, they never signed Calvin Ridley.

If the Titans made no moves whatsoever and they just sat on all their cap space and didn't do anything, do you think their record would be better? Because what you're actually mad about right now is that the Titans aren't good. But would the Titans be better if they didn't make any of those moves? No. The problem is that John Robinson ruined three or four straight drafts

in a row. He was terrible for three at minimum, three drafts in a row, and he traded A.J. Brown. And now the Titans are trying to dig out of that hole. The reason that it's not typically a good thing to spend on free agents is because then you let some of your homegrown players have to leave because you spent money on outside free agents. That is the downside. But the Titans don't have anyone to pay. The Titans aren't going to have to pay anybody other than Roger McCreary. In the next two years, there is no one to pay. 2022's draft class, terrible. 2021, 2020, all terrible. There's no one to pay.

So you have $67 million or $100 million in cap space. And a lot of you are acting like they should have just not spent it. Well, they would still be a terrible football team right now. At least Rand Carthon tried. He tried to go out there and make moves to make this team better. It doesn't look like it's working right now. But

the alternative to not spending, the alternative to spending the money is not spending the money. And if they didn't spend the money, they would still be bad. It's not like there was some incredible free agent on the market for the Titans to go and get that would have made them great all of a sudden.

The way you build a great team in the NFL is to draft and develop. And if you go back into the summertime, I had this conversation. I said, what if these things don't work? What if all the free agent signings don't work? What if they don't work? Well, what's the downside? The Titans would be bad all the same because John Robinson screwed the team for three years

and Rancarton's got to dig out of that hole and rebuild the roster. The quickest way to rebuild the roster is to try to get some free agents to work. But if they don't work, the Titans would have been bad all the same. So for two years, Rancor Thawne has the ability to

spend free agent money and see if it works. And if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. But they would have been bad if they didn't spend the money. Rancor Thawna is going to need this draft and the next draft to get this team back to where it was before and build it the right way. He tried the shortcut way, and it doesn't look like it's working.

But there is no downside to the shortcut way because the Titans aren't going to lose any of their young players because there's no one to pay. So, I just don't understand. And then you look at the draft. What's most important from a general manager in the NFL is drafting. Peter Skowronski, Ajay Spears, Josh Wiley, then you come to this year,

JC Latham, Tavondre Sweat, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Some people don't watch other football teams. They just watch the Titans, and that's the only football that they watch. Jaquan Jackson isn't Dante Hull, but he's been a solid returner

that has fixed this team's returner problem. We still have faith that Cedric Gray and James Williams can turn into good players. Do you forget the preseason when we were all excited about James Williams? Like, I just don't, I don't know, I guess I do see, some of you are just so mad that the Titans are bad that you're going to blame everybody, you're going to say everyone sucks, fire everybody, everyone's terrible, but it's just not reality.

Rankar Thon has done a good job drafting. Rankar Thon has made some really nice trades. Rankar Thon has restacked the cupboard with draft picks. So some of the free agent deals don't look like they're working right now. Okay. What about next year? What if the Titans are better next year and LeJarius Sneed comes back this year and plays better

and Calvin Ridley gets a better quarterback and plays better? Then what do you say? And some of you guys are in my comments saying some highly questionable things about Rand Carthon, bringing some things about him as a person into the picture that honestly just make you racist.

I'm not saying everybody who's mad at Rand Carthon is a racist, but I have people in my comments calling him, he's lazy, black, lazy. Like, that's absurd. You guys are disgusting. That is disgusting, quite honestly.

And I hate bringing up stuff like that on the show, but it's so disgusting. If you're in my comments saying stuff like that, I'm going to ban you. I've given you this warning. Like, just disgusting stuff. So there's a lot of people out there taking aim at Rancar Thawne for reasons that have nothing to do with what he's done on his job.

Rancar Thawne has done a fine job. Has he done great? No, but he has done a fine job. And even if you don't like him, to bring up skin color makes you a disgusting person. And that's all there is at the end of the day. So I'm sick of seeing that stuff. Be better. Do better. It's gross. But anyways. Sorry, I get real mad about that kind of stuff. Sorry about that.

But anyways, actually, I'm not sorry about it. Stuff is just gross. Anyways. We're going to talk about who should be traded next. And I'm going to talk about this Detroit Lions game as well. Before I do, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Hey, Titans fans.

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bet. Make sure you go to America's number one sportsbook. It's Fandle.com. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I talked about the Tennessee Titans trades that they made. Talked about why I think Grant Carthon is doing a fine job at general manager. And him being on the hot seat or anything like that is just angry, overreactionary fans who want short-term gratification.

We got to talk about this game, though. fans who want short-term gratification. We've got to talk about this game, though. The Titans travel to Detroit to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 8. This game's probably going to be ugly, folks. That's just a reality. I know there was a little snafu with the audio on yesterday's show for my podcast people. Sorry about that.

I put out a correction episode. Hope that you got to see that and listen to that one. But if you want a full 30-minute preview of this game, check out the crossover Thursday with Matt Derry. But the keys to victory for the Titans are simple.

They have to stop the run because the Lions are just too devastating if you let them run the football. They have to win the turnover battle significantly. You need the Lions are just too devastating if you let them run the football. They have to win the turnover battle significantly. You need the Lions to beat themselves. The Lions got to shoot themselves in the foot. Talking, you know, missed field goals, a fumbled punt, interceptions.

The Lions just have to self-implode in this one. And then the Titans just, you know, on that note, need some magic. They need the Lions to miss a tackle when somebody break off a big play. They need Tony Pollard to break off a big run. They need some trick plays where they catch the Lions sleeping. They need a fake punt or a fake field goal or, you know, a kickoff return or a punt return. Like, they just need some magical stuff to happen. So my three keys to victory for the Titans,

stop the run, dominate the turnover battle, and you need some Motown magic. For my players to watch in this game, Mason Rudolph, he's got to be much better than he was. for my players to watch in this game, Mason Rudolph, he's got to be much better than he was. And a lot of you guys made excuses for Mason Rudolph.

Well, he found out he was starting on Saturday. If he had a full week of practice, well, we'll see. We'll see. So Mason Rudolph, Tony Pollard, has to be awesome in this game. The Titans got to run the snot out of the ball. And then on defense,

Kenneth Murray. Sam Laporta and Amon Ross St. Brown will dominate the middle of the field. If Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbons and maybe Jerome Baker plays, Denard Wilson said he might. But the Titans' middle-of-the-field linebackers and pass coverage,

they have to find a way to win or the Lions are just going to carve them up. Outside of that, my prediction for this game, I am predicting 41-7 Lions. This is going to be a smoke show, man. Just an absolute smoke show. On FanDuel right now, the Titans are, I think last I saw there,

minus 9.5. I think it was. The over-under, I'm not going to touch the over-under in this game because who knows how many points the Lions score. I mean, the Lions could-under in this game because who knows how many points the Lions score. I mean the Lions could score 50 in this game quite honestly. It's like not out of the

realm of possibility. So the over-under is 44.5. Not touching that. And the Lions have ballooned up to minus 11.5. I'd take the Lions. Minus 11.5. I would not touch the over-under

though, if I were you. My fantasy player of the week for the Titans, I'll go with Tony Pollard. I don't know what other option you really have. You can't trust Calvin Ridley at this stage. The tight ends, they use all three of them too much.

Tajay Spears probably will be back from his injury, but I'm sure they won't want to overwork him. I'm not playing Mason Rudolph in fantasy in any capacity. My fantasy player in the game is Amon Ross St. Brown. He is going to carve

up the linebackers for the Titans. Sam Laporta too. Smash those guys. I would do Jared Golf, Jameer Gibbs, Sam Laporta, and Amon Ross St. Brown. If you can afford them all in daily fantasy. I mean, they are going to absolutely wipe the Titans dry. Um, and then, yeah, so that's gambling. That's fantasy. That's my prediction. The Titans are in trouble, but we knew that and they're trading away as many players as they can because of it speaking of that, that's where I'll finish I continue to say Nick Folk

for a 7th round pick make it a conditional 7th where the Titans get a 6th rounder if Nick Folk wins a playoff game on whatever team he's on I would say Dylan Radins is an option. I think the

Titans should re-sign Dylan Radins back after the year, but if the Titans don't want to sign Dylan Radins back after the year, then trade him. You probably get a fifth-round pick out of Dylan Radins right now for a team that needs offensive line help. Probably sixth round pick if I'm honest though. Quandre Diggs could

be an option as well. Some of you guys say Big Jeff and Snead and Ridley. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how the salary cap works. Those guys have guaranteed money left on their contracts. They're not going money left on their contracts. They're not going to get traded anytime soon. They're not getting traded this year. It's not happening. They're probably not getting traded next year either. So you can give up on that if that's what you're going to get in the comments

or if that's what you're thinking to yourself. Sneed, Ridley, and Jeff are not being traded this season. It's not happening. You want to have these conversations about Big Jeff after the year? Then sure, you can have that conversation. I'm going to disagree with you, but at least would be financially logical at that point in time. Right now, it doesn't make any sense,

and no team is going to be able to take that on. So with that being said, though, that is going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.