Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TRADING UP to FIRST PICK Rumors, Simmons on Carthon & Vrabel Hires Locust

Episode Date: February 5, 2023

The Tennessee Titans saw a massive rumor hit the internet over the weekend when one reporter out of Chicago suggested the Titans have inquired about trading for the first overall pick in the draft. Can we believe this? Tyler goes over why it makes sense, but there is a hidden reason a lot of folks aren't thinking of. Also, Jeffery Simmons is one of four Titans at the pro bowl and while there he spoke on new GM Ran Carthon. Finally, Mike Vrabel added another coach to his growing staff and this hire was HISTORIC.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!BlueNileAt Blue Nile, you can find the perfect piece of jewelry for life’s special moments—or even create the custom engagement ring of her dreams! Right now, you can save up to fifty percent at BlueNile.com.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt 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.PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONUltimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.TurboTaxCome to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit TurboTax.com to learn more.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, are the Titans trading up for the first pick in the draft? Rumors over the weekend indicated so. We're going to break that all down and more on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Titans fans, this podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. It's not a crisis line. It's not self-help. It's professional therapy done securely online, available to people worldwide. And they have a special offer for my listeners. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com slash locked on. Thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast

your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on all platforms and always free. Make sure you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked On Titans podcast where it's your team every day, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Again, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic and a certified film

junkie. But we got a crazy rumor over the weekend about the Tennessee Titans and their potential pursuit of the first pick in the draft. We're going to talk about that. Jeffrey Simmons comments on Rand Carthon's hiring, and it looks like Jeffrey Simmons should be a Titan for a long time. And Mike Vrabel made a historic hire to his coaching staff. I'm going to talk about that particular move and what it means for Mike Vrabel at large and his growth as a coach all on today's show. But we're starting with that rumor

about the Titans trading up for the first overall pick. And let's go ahead and throw up that throw up. Maybe if you don't want the Titans to trade up for the first overall pick, you might throw up, we're going to throw up that rumored tweet in question here, and it comes from Ben Devine. I wouldn't really call Ben Devine a beat reporter of any kind, but he looks like someone who gets some sourced information from within the building. But he says here, the Chicago Bears have already received offers from two teams for the number one overall pick according to DeBeer's blog, his blog. Neither is the Texans or the Colts. And then he followed up on that and said, update, one of the inquiring teams is the Titans who have the 11th pick in the NFL draft. That is juicy, In the NFL draft, that is juicy, Titans fans.

Well, let's break it down. First, I'm just going to tell you guys what I kind of think the Titans would have to pay here to even do this. Number one, obviously they'd have to give up pick number 11. I bet they'd have to give up pick number 41. So their first and second round pick this year. They would have to give up their first round pick next year as well. I would bet they would have to give up a third and a fifth round pick next year as well to go with that. Basically, five picks, including two first rounders and this year's second rounder, I think is what it would cost to make that kind of move. Now, after you look at

compensation, the question then becomes, who would they be moving up for? And let me tell you this, guys. If you see anybody arguing that the Titans would move up for anything other than a quarterback, well, they are insane. The Titans aren't going from pick number 11 to pick number one to take a position player. Sorry, that is absurd. So the Titans would be going up to get their quarterback of the future if they truly believe in one of these guys. In my opinion, based on what we've heard Rand Carthon say publicly about accuracy, anticipatory throws, which not every good quarterback is well-versed in those. There are quarterbacks out there who are good, who that's not their strong suit.

So they're looking for quarterbacks who can do that. To me, the only two quarterbacks that the Titans would move up and possibly consider are Bryce Young from Alabama and C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. Now, I've said this personally. I like C.J. Stroud more. I think he's a bigger guy. I like his accuracy better. I like C.J. Stroud more. I think he's a bigger guy. I like his accuracy

better. I like C.J. Stroud better as a prospect. And I think he showed in that game against Georgia that he does have the ability to use his legs if needed. So number one, what the compensation would be. We talked about that. Number two, who they'd be going up for. I would want it to be C.J. Stroud. However, Bryce Young's leadership, Bryce Young's football character are renowned in this draft. And I could see Mike Rabel and Rand Carthon falling in love with who Bryce Young is as a quarterback. Okay. But let me, let me just say a couple of things. Why would the Titans want to do this? Well, number one, Rand Carthon's the new GM, and maybe he wants to cut Ryan Tannehill, save $18 million.

And here is not a secret that maybe is a secret to some people. The cheat code in the NFL, the biggest cheat code in the NFL, is an elite quarterback on a rookie contract. Period. Period. If you can get an elite quarterback on a rookie contract, you have opened yourself a monster four-year to five-year window to go for a Super Bowl. Look at the Bengals right now. Look at the Eagles right now. Both of the teams that were in that final four, you even look at the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy or Trey Lance, whatever you want to look at it. A good quarterback on a rookie contract is a cheat code in the NFL. But let

me break this down for you. Do I think the Titans are trading up for the first pick? Do I think the Titans are trading up for the first pick? No, I don't. So if they're not trading up for the first pick, why would they be inquiring? Well, number one, Rancarthon needs to do his job and it's his job to call the Bears and say, hey, how much would it cost to move up to number one?

Not a question. Not a question. That's part of his job. Call, ask, figure it out. Canvas the scenario. But, who are the two teams that really need quarterbacks in the top five? The Texans and the Colts. So, other than it just being smart for the Titans to call and ask those questions to the Bears, Rand Carthon could already be driving up the price of the first overall pick

so that the division competitors in the Colts and the Texans have to pay more. You gotta look past just the surface level analysis here. Rand Carthon is already driving up the price for the first round pick so that if the Colts or the Texans do make that trade, it's gonna cost them a little bit more than it would

have cost them before. So whether Rand Carthon is just doing his job and doing his due diligence, whether Rand Carthon is seriously interested his job and doing his due diligence, whether Rand Carthon is seriously interested and is just getting preliminary information, or whether it's all just a scheme to drive up that price on the division competitors in the AFC South. Either way, calling the Bears and asking about what that pick would cost

is a fantastic move by Rand Carthon. Period. Whatever way you want to slice it. But with that being said, we got a lot to talk about from this weekend. Jeffrey Simmons talked about Rand Carthon being hired by the Titans, and he had a very interesting comment telling us something that Rand Carthon said to him

that I think should give all Titans fans a nice warm feeling in their belly. So we're going to talk about that in just a second. But before we do, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy. So BetterHelp is not a couple of different things. One, BetterHelp is not self-help. It's not a crisis line. It's professional therapy done securely online.

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slash locked on to claim your noat first bet on Super Bowl 57. That's FanDuel.com slash LockedOn. Make every moment more with FanDuel, the continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about those first overall pick rumors and a little rumor coming out that the Titans are interested in trading up. I kind of broke down what that would look like if they did, but why I think it's deeper than that, that's just the surface level analysis. Talking about the number one pick, Rancor Thawne is playing mind games with the rest of the ASC South. And I love to see that from the new GM.

But what I also love to see from the Titans new GM is that he is prioritizing resigning Jeffrey Simmons and Simmons pointed that out with his comments at the Pro Bowl. So we're going to dive into that in just a moment. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms, all year round, and always for free. Make sure you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Before we talk about Jeffrey Simmons' comments here,

I did want to bring this up. REO Carter said, What happened to Carthon wanting to develop Malik? That was nonsense. All right? I don't mean to be disrespectful to anybody who's creating content or anybody else out there covering the Titans, but I saw

the same thing. There was a report that Ran Carthon saw Malik Willis as a Pat Mahomes type quarterback and he wanted to nonsense. Nonsense. If Ran Carthon thought that Malik Willis was a Pat Mahomes level player, I would have lost

faith in Rand Carthon already. He does not think that. Okay. So don't you worry about that. But moving forward here, Jeffrey Simmons, like I said, some interesting comments. Simmons is at the Pro Bowl right now and having a good time. Looks like with his other Tennessee Titans teammates, Ben Jones gets his first Pro Bowl appearance of his career. And if he ends up retiring, really cool to see him get that opportunity. Not only that, but you got Derrick Henry there. Love seeing Derrick Henry get that recognition. And then Morgan Cox, the Titans hometown long snapper.

There was a cool picture of Morgan Cox when he was a younger guy, probably in middle school or early high school with Titans gear on and stuff like that. It was awesome. But Simmons had some great comments about Rand Carthon's hiring. He said, quote, 1,000%, he's a great hire. I think Miss Amy made a hell of a hire. The time we talked, I sat down in his office. It was unbelievable.

He's an unbelievable guy and I can't say nothing bad about him. My first impression was out of the window. But here's the real comment that stuck with me that Simmons said at the Pro Bowl here. He said, quote, we had a great talk and him saying I am one of his priorities, that meant a lot. I feel like he is the person for this job. There's not much I can say, especially with the talk of the contract. My agent is handling that. But whenever we get to that point, I feel very confident

that I'll be here in Tennessee and I want to be in Tennessee. So we'll see how it goes. End quote. Guys, that is fantastic news for Tennessee Titans fans. Rand Carthon has told Jeffrey Simmons he is one of his priorities this offseason. Jeffrey Simmons, based on the conversation with Rand Carthon, thinks that he will be in Tennessee for a long time. I mean, look, I've seen some fans and some people talk and mention trading Jeffrey Simmons. Guys, you've got to build your roster on

something. You have to build a foundation of a roster. The foundation you build upon is Jeffrey Simmons on defense and it should have been A.J. Brown on offense. This franchise already made a critical all-time mistake in trading A.J. Brown. You cannot, under any circumstances, trade Jeffrey Simmons. Period. There is no draft pick. There is no rookie quarterback that you trade a top three player at his position in the NFL for,

especially considering its interior defensive line and pass rush, which is the second most important thing in football outside a quarterback. Stop talking about trading Simmons for any reason. Period. And as we see from these comments, Simmons wants to be in Tennessee. He views it as his team. And Simmons even said this to cap it off.

I know the locker room is going to change, but I am looking forward to seeing what Ran and Coach Vrabel can build. Hopefully we can get past what we have and win some championships in Tennessee. This brings me back to Derrick Henry's comments on Boston with the boys a couple of weeks ago. Derrick Henry said, I want to win a championship in Tennessee. I want to bring the first championship to Tennessee. These guys feel ownership of the team because they are the best players

and the foundation of what the team is built on and they know it. If that doesn't get you excited as a Titans fan, then I don't know what to tell you. Jeffrey Simmons wants to be in Tennessee long term. And they need to do everything they can to make that a reality. And based on Jeffrey Simmons' comments

about his conversation with Rand Carthon, it looks like that should take place later this offseason with Jeffrey Simmons being re-signed to a mega deal. And if you're a Titans fan who really wants to see this team win, building the defense on Jeffrey Simmons is exactly what you need. So with that being said, we are going to move forward here. Mike Vrabel made a hire over the weekend

that individually may not look like a blockbuster move, but it was a historic hire for the Titans organization, and I think it's evidence of Mike Vrabel growing as a coach, and I think that's very important. So we're going to get into that in just a moment. Before we do, I do want to tell you guys about our sponsor today, Blue Nile. Valentine's Day is coming up, which means romance is in the air more than usual. But I don't need to tell you, lovebirds, that. You probably had your dates planned on the calendar for weeks.

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That's BlueNile.com for up to 50% off. Once again, BlueNile.com. Titans fans, let's cap off today's Locked on Titans podcast. We've got to talk about a hire that Mike Vrabel made to his coaching staff. And on its own, it's historic. When you take into account it as part of a change for Mike Vrabel, it should get you very excited about his growth as a coach. Before we get into it, I want to thank you guys again for listening to the Locked on Titans podcast

and making it your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on all platforms and always free. But as for your second listen, check out the Locked On NFL podcast. You get all your Titans news here with me. Get all your national NFL news with the Locked On NFL podcast. It's also Monday through Friday on all platforms, all year round, always free. And I host the Thursday show of the Locked On NFL podcast.

So if you subscribe over there, you're showing me some love as well. Before we dive into this hiring though, I just want to say guys, when fans from other teams come into the chat to troll you, just know that all they're doing is making the Locked On Titans podcast money. Their comments, their views, so let them troll the Titans. All they're doing is

helping a Titans podcast grow. So they think that they're trolling us, but really we are trolling them. Moving right along. The Titans hired as a defensive assistant coach, a quality control coach on defense, Lori Locust. And here's the tweet from Ian Rappaport that dropped the news says, quote, former Bucs assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust has landed in a new spot. Sources say she's heading to the Titans,

signing a deal to be a defensive assistant in Tennessee. Coach Lowe impressed Coach Vrabel as well as new GM Rand Carthon in the interview process. Also, looks like Coach Lowe herself is pretty excited. She said on Twitter, quote, blessed to be joining the Titans as part of Coach Vrabel's staff. Can't wait to get started on this next phase of my coaching career. So if you guys don't know, Lori Locust or Coach Lowe, as I'm going to call her going forward, Coach Lowe is the first

female coach in Tennessee Titans history. So that in itself is historic. But that doesn't mean much other than just being great. What is she adding to the team? Well, all we can really do to base our opinion off coaches is look at the production of what they were in charge of. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line was pretty good. Jason Pierre-Paul, Joe Tryon,Shoyanka, Vita Veya. I mean, they had some really good defensive line play in Tampa Bay. So, is Lori Locus some kind of stud defensive line coach?

I don't know. But, but clearly, the position group that she was affiliated with in Tampa Bay was one of the best position groups that Tampa Bay had. So not only is a historic move, it's nice to see the Titans paving the way and driving the game forward, as I've already said. I love seeing from this organization. But Tampa Bay's D-line was pretty good,

and that's where she was coaching. Now, here's what I want to say. My tweet on Saturday when this came out was a little misconstrued. I tweeted out that Mike Vrabel's assembling an all-star coaching staff, and a lot of people jumped all over me like, why is this lady an all-star? You're not understanding what I'm saying. So let me break it down here.

My long-form platform. So let me break it down here. My long-form platform. So it's not just about Coach Lowe being hired and her individually being some all-star coach. It's about Mike Vrabel continuing to add positions to his coaching staff to create as many voices and as much knowledge as he can possibly get into one coaching staff. Adding Tim Kelly as passing game coordinator,

the role that he created for Jim Schwartz as a senior defensive assistant. Bringing on Chris Harris from Washington to be a passing game coordinator on defense as well as a defensive back coach. To me, this is more about Mike Vrabel's growth as an offensive coordinator. I love this, Alex. The script leaked. Simmons traded to Bears for number one. Hey, I got to say the script jokes, the script jokes over the weekend were absolutely hilarious. Okay, they were. It was one of the more funny Twitter jokes of the weekend. But to me, this is about Mike Vrabel's growth and about him continuing to improve. We talk about the players improving all the time.

And we never talk about the coaches improving, especially Mike Vrabel, who came in as a first-time head coach. And he even said this year when he talked about hiring an offensive coordinator, hiring an offensive line coach that works directly with the offensive coordinator and having them align. Mike Vrabel is learning as he possibly can onto his coaching staff, creating new roles, creating new positions in his coaching staff to try to assemble the most talented coaching staff he possibly could. Guys, I've said this before. The evidence that we have shows that Mike Rabel on his own

may not be a super gifted schematic coach. He struggled as a defensive coordinator in Houston when he was the pseudo defensive coordinator in 2020 for the Titans. They really struggled on defense when he stole play calling duties away from Dean Pease in the AFC championship game at halftime. The Titans did not have success. The Texans did not have success on defense when Vrabel was in charge. Vrabel to me has always been a John

Harbaugh type coach. He's a CEO. He's a leader of men. He's great when he can control the coaches and he has good schematic talent around him in the coaching staff. To me, this hire, along with what else he's said and done throughout this offseason, shows that Mike Vrabel is growing as a coach and trying to assemble as many people and the smartest people that he possibly can.

And I think it's incredibly smart. And I love seeing that Mike Vrabel is growing as a coach, and that can only help. That can only help the Tennessee Titans moving forward. So Titans rumors trading up to the number one pick. I think Rand Carthon's playing mind games with that. Jeffrey Simmons wants to be in Tennessee for a long, long time. And it looks like Rand Carthon wants him to be as well.

And then Mike Drable makes a historic hire that continues to show that he's growing as a head coach. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.