Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Treylon Burks HYPE RETURNS, Callahans Talk Offensive Line & Will Levis "The Next One"

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Traylon Burks hype train is here again, and I'm telling you not to fall for it. I'll explain why on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. 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 Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. We got a big show to talk about today. We heard from Brian Callahan, the assistant coaches, Will Levis,

Starting point is 00:00:38 and I'm here to tell you the Traylon Burks hype train has returned once again, but I am not getting on board. Also, both Callahans talked about the offensive line and gave some updates there, and Will Levis wants to be the next one. I'll dive into all of that before I do. Thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day.

Starting point is 00:01:01 Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday.

Starting point is 00:01:14 Couldn't do it without you guys. We got the schedule release happening next week. We got some roster reviews to go over as well. So much content coming your way this offseason. Again, make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. The Traylon Burks hype train, folks. Do you hear it in the background? It's making its way back in town once again. It seems like a yearly tradition now where we hype up Traylon Burks in the off season, and then we get to the season and it's the same old,

Starting point is 00:01:46 same old, same old, same old. So the Titans have added Tyler Boyd. They had a visit with Zay Jones before they signed Tyler Boyd or made the agreement with Tyler Boyd to sign. And I've been telling you all week long that no matter what Brian Callahan says in public,

Starting point is 00:02:02 their interest in these other veteran wide receivers tells us, remember, it's actions, not words, where you really find out what people think and what people feel and how they're going to act. And the Titans said, what can we do here to minimize Traylon Burks and our reliance on Traylon Burks? How can we make Traylon Burks an afterthought in this offense? They go out and pay

Starting point is 00:02:25 $90 million to Calvin Ridley. They go and sign Tyler Boyd as well. But of course, when they're in public, like any good coach would do, they're going to speak highly of Traylon Burks. And of course, this has led to everybody freaking out once again with the Traylon Burks hype. So here is what Brian Callahan had to say about Traylon Burks. He said, as far as Traylon's role, he's going to play everything. We've told him that from the beginning, he's going to play inside, he's going to play outside, and he's going to carve out a role for himself. I had him come up today and do the break after practice, which is where all the players gather around, and then somebody says, you know, we're the Titans, baby, kill them on

Starting point is 00:03:09 three, kill them, blah, blah, blah, stuff like that. Back to the quote, quote, I had him come up today and do the break after practice because his work he's put in has been really impressive. Traylon, I think ran 3,591 yards on Tuesday and then hit our team-leading top speed at 22.6 miles an hour in practice. So super impressive workload and performance. He's had a really good offseason. I'm excited about what he can bring for us. I meant when I said that the other day

Starting point is 00:03:40 that he's going to have a role to play. End quote there from Brian Callahan. Tyke Tolbert, the Titans wide receiver coach, also kept the hype train going for Traylon Burks. He said he's been, quote, really impressive. You hear things in the past, but he's done everything and more. Only guy that's played all three positions so far this all season. Really taking a hold.

Starting point is 00:04:03 He studies at night, asks questions. He's gotten better every day. That was a paraphrased version of what Tyke Tolbert had to say. And of course, all of this is courtesy of TennesseeTitans.com. But it just adds to the same thing. Last year, we did the

Starting point is 00:04:20 same exact thing. It's, oh, Traylon's had a great offseason. Traylon looks fantastic. He's ready to take that next step. He's in his playbook. He's doing all the right things. He's getting better every day. He's going to have a huge role here. But it's just the same thing over and over again. It's Groundhog's Day, folk. And I get it. We are fans of the Tennessee Titans. If you're listening to this, you are most likely a fan of the Tennessee Titans. Not only a fan, but a fanatic. And we have to remember that fan is the short version of fanatic because to

Starting point is 00:04:52 have the ability to buy into the Traylon Burks hype once again, I just, I don't know how you guys do it. I don't know how you set yourselves up for disappointment all the time. Like, how can we do this when the, if somebody consistently does one thing, expecting them to do something different and being disappointed when that happens, that is on you. This is not just a football thing with Traylon Burks. This is about expectations in life. A lot of you guys lie to yourselves about who you want these people to be. And when they aren't that, you're mad, you're disappointed, you're frustrated. Well, that person has never showed you in their entire existence that they are going to be something different.

Starting point is 00:05:38 And that is how I feel about Traylon Burks, okay? It's like your druggie cousin who tells you at Thanksgiving, I'm going clean, guys. I'd find the book. And then a couple months later, they're not. And it's your decision if you want to be mad at that person.

Starting point is 00:05:55 If you want to be mad at them, then go ahead. But your expectations should have been different. You should know better than to buy into the hype from people who have not proven anything to you. That is like, how can you be sold so easily?

Starting point is 00:06:11 How can you be manipulated so easily? Of course, the coaching staff is going to praise the player. Any good coach, peewee, pro, doesn't matter. You praise in public. You criticize in private. That is how it works. So, again, if the coaches were this excited about Trey Lumber, oh, he had this heavy workload, he did these things,

Starting point is 00:06:34 he's played all three positions, he's been impressive, then they wouldn't have felt the need to give $90 million to Calvin Ridley, and they wouldn't have felt the need to go out and sign Tyler Boyd and have a visit with Zay Jones and draft Jaquan Jackson. Like again, the math ain't mathin'. All right. The words don't match the actions. Okay. And in your life as a human being who has experienced life, what is a bigger teller? Actions or words? What do you trust more? So to me, it's like, yeah, we're really happy with Traylon.

Starting point is 00:07:13 He's going to be great. He's going to have a role. He's doing all these things in practice. He's in his playbook. He's studying. It was the same thing last year. So look, if you want to get hype about Traylon, if you want to get on the Traylon Burks hype train,

Starting point is 00:07:30 you want to buy a ticket once again, then you go ahead and do that. But if you're somebody who is buying the hype again, do not, do not be in my comments. Do not be upset online. Do not be mad at Traylon Burks when he does the same thing that he's always done, which is disappoint. You are not allowed to be mad if you're foolish enough to buy the hype once again. As a Titans fan, would I be happy if Traylon Burks blew up

Starting point is 00:07:58 this year and finally became the first round wide receiver that he was supposed to be? Sure. But right now, right now what Traylon Burks is, he's a guy who has less catches and yards than the Titans' third-round running back they drafted a year after. So, if you're buying into the hype again, you are not allowed to be mad when he disappoints you because it's your fault for buying into the hype and getting on that hype train for one more game.

Starting point is 00:08:27 All right? Crazy. Crazy to me the reaction I'm seeing people letting these comments and these quotes get them back on the Traylon Burks hype train. Like, you guys ever learn? I mean, like, man, it's crazy to me. But either way, we got more comments to talk about. Bill Callahan and Brian Callahan talked about right tackle,

Starting point is 00:08:47 talked about JC Latham, and Will Levis thinks he's the next one. So excited to talk about that. Before we do, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Yahoo Finance. All right. Wouldn't it be great if you could see all of your investment and retirement accounts in one place?

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Starting point is 00:11:13 Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, breaking down the comments from Brian Callahan, from Bill Callahan, Tyke Tolber, Tracy Rocker, a bunch of assistant coaches spoke on Thursday. We heard from Will Levis as well. I'm going to talk about what Bill Callahan

Starting point is 00:11:51 had to say about J.C. Latham, the right tackle position, what Tracy Rocker had to say about Tavondre Sweat, and then what Will Levis had to say about himself at the end of the show. Before I dive into all of it, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast

Starting point is 00:12:07 your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. But Bill Callahan talked about J.C. Latham and switching from left tackle to right tackle. All right? Or, yeah switching from left tackle to right tackle. From right tackle

Starting point is 00:12:28 to left tackle. Obviously something that everyone's concerned about. It's one of the biggest X factors of the entire season. Can Latham actually do that? Well, Bill Callahan laid out why he can do it. He said this, quote, number one, his athleticism. And then of course all the measurable traits that he has. And then you add in size, power, strength, and it adds up to making that move. I think if you have the athleticism and you have the strength

Starting point is 00:12:55 and you have the muscle memory to change some skill sets, I think it's doable. And he was asked flat out whether he has doubts about whether Latham can make that switch. And he just said bluntly, quote, I don't end quote. Um, he mentioned guys like Tyron Smith, who he flipped from right tackle to left tackle with the Dallas Cowboys. He mentioned, uh, flipping Jedrick Wills from right tackle to left tackle with the Cleveland Browns. So he seems confident in his ability to do it. Not only that, but he's confident

Starting point is 00:13:26 in J.C. Latham's ability to make that switch. And that's something that we heard from J.C. Latham when he was drafted. He said that Bill Callahan told him that he thought he could make the move from right tackle back over to left tackle. And again, it's not like J.C. Latham has never played at left tackle. He became one

Starting point is 00:13:41 of the best recruits in the entire country and was a left tackle at one of the best high schools in the entire world for American football, of course. So, like, I guess while it's fair to have our doubts, to me, Bill Callahan has a resume that he can point to and say, hey, I've done this before. Also, you can look at J.C. Latham's resume and be like, hey, he's done this before. You know, switching from left tackle to right tackle, going from high school to college

Starting point is 00:14:09 can't be easy either, but he had the ability to do it, so that gives me even more confidence that he could flip back from right tackle to left tackle because he's done a position change, a side change like that, and he's got the experience, and Bill Callahan believes in it. So I'm all aboard on that. Bill Callahan also talked about the right tackle position. And obviously the Titans haven't added anybody of note at that spot. So Bill Callahan talked about the players who are at right tackle and he said they're all here. They're all working hard. He's just evaluating everything.

Starting point is 00:14:41 He said they're all exceptional hard workers. But this is the real point. He said basically, I'm going to be reserved with my judgment of who can play right tackle and who can start at right tackle until we get into training camp, until preseason games. He said until the bullets start to fly. So we shouldn't be surprised by that reaction. I would have been more shocked if Bill Callahan would have went up there and said, you know, Nicholas Petit-Ferrer's

Starting point is 00:15:06 our starting right tackle. But at this point, it's a competition between a bunch of young guys. You got NPF, of course, as I just mentioned. Jalen Duncan could be a guy who gets the opportunity.

Starting point is 00:15:18 They did trade for Leroy Watson and Bill Callahan talked about Leroy Watson and talked about how he had exceptional traits and great athleticism and kind of checks all the boxes of what they're looking for. He talked about that. So obviously they feel that Leroy Watson could come in and compete as well. So I don't think it would be an absolute shocker to see Leroy Watson as the guy who ultimately ends up starting at right tackle. I wouldn't be shocked by that.

Starting point is 00:15:43 And Brian Callahan talked about it. He said, we got young players who are ascending at right tackle. I wouldn't be shocked by that. And Brian Callahan talked about, he said, we got young players who are ascending at right tackle. They have the traits, they have the talent to be starting offensive linemen in the NFL. And he said, we're going to go with the best five. All right, we're going to go with the best five. And that's a common thing that a lot of coaches say at the NFL level. But I think it confirms what we already believe. At this point, NFL level, but I think it confirms what we already believed. At this point, they're going to roll with the young players on the roster and see if Bill Callahan can coach up one of those tackles to take that right tackle spot

Starting point is 00:16:15 and it also confirms that yes, they are planning on moving J.C. Latham to left tackle and everyone in the building has confidence that Latham can make that switch. So two things that we basically already believed or had heard before, just confirmed again by some of these interviews. Also want to mention Tracy Rocker, the Titans defensive line coach, talked about Tavondre Sweat. And obviously, a lot of you guys thought I was making it up as a concern, or it just wasn't as big of a concern as I was making it.

Starting point is 00:16:45 But the first thing that Tracy Rocker is asked about when getting availability is to Vondre Sweat's weight. And he said this, quote, we have things in place to help him drop weight. It ain't easy. I'm a big man. I got a big son. Part of easy. I'm a big man. I got a big son. Part of growing. Get him going in the right direction.

Starting point is 00:17:12 Positive way instead of a negative way. He could be a special player though. Is what he said. So, alright. And then he added on, we've all been 22, 23. We all know what we did. So, it's. And then he added on, we've all been 22, 23. We all know what we did. So, it's what we do with the weight. It's an ongoing process.

Starting point is 00:17:33 And he added again, it won't be easy. I mean, I don't know how, one, I don't know how you didn't know about the weight concerns and the conditioning concerns. Clearly, you did zero research. If you weren't aware that there were concerns about conditioning and weight with Devondre Sweat, it's literally on every single scouting report that you can find

Starting point is 00:17:54 from a reputable source. Conditioning, reps, weight. But Titans fans acted like I made that up out of thin air. I don't know. Whatever. But now, literally, the only things that Tracy Rocker is talking about with Sweat is, hey, we got to get them going in the right direction. A positive way instead of a negative way. It's not going to, with the weight, it's an ongoing process.

Starting point is 00:18:16 It's not going to be easy. It's not going to be easy. I mean, I don't know. This kind of stuff, the call that he got from Ran Carthon when he got drafted, like it all just kind of confirms my worries here. So I hope that they do have a good plan and I hope that they stay on him and maybe even put a weight clause in his contract,

Starting point is 00:18:37 which is something that you see commonly in the NFL. But whatever it takes to motivate this dude and to get him out of partying off the field, that's what they have to do or it's going to be a problem. You know? So, hopefully there is a good plan in place. That's what they say. But these quotes, again, just make me concerned.

Starting point is 00:18:55 Alright? But now we got to talk about Will Levis because I don't have any concerns there. Before we do though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sometimes we all need the opportunity to get something off our chest, whether it's big or small. Certain things can really start to get to you, and it's important to let that out, especially to someone who's unbiased on your life, because we all know it can be kind of tough

Starting point is 00:19:22 to have certain conversations with people who are present in your life. So today, I want to say a few things about how I really feel, and you might even be thinking the same thing. Again, the Traylon Burks hype, blowing my mind. The lack of concern about Tavondre Sweat from some of you, blowing my mind. But here's the reality, all right? Therapy can be different for everyone everyone and most of us have bigger problems than what's going on with our favorite sports

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Starting point is 00:20:03 slash locked on and get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P.com slash locked on. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the Traylon Burks hype train returning once again. We talked about the Callahans talking about the offensive line. Now I want to talk about Will Levis because he had some interesting things to say on Thursday that I thought definitely stood out to me, but other people had some interesting things to say about him.

Starting point is 00:20:50 Before I dive into the Will Levis comments, I do want to thank you again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Definitely do appreciate my everydayers tuning in Monday through Friday. If we aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. Even throughout the summer, Monday through Friday, free Titans content coming your way. You won't beat that anywhere else.

Starting point is 00:21:08 Where people start to take breaks is when I work even harder. So throw a thumbs up on the video as well if you're watching on YouTube. Definitely helps out the channel, and I appreciate it as well. But Brian Callahan talked about Will Levis first, and I want to go over this quote again from TennesseeTitans.com. It says, quote, he's been great, really, really happy with the work he's putting in, what he's learned. There's a lot of information coming at him, a lot of technical things,

Starting point is 00:21:31 a lot of mental things, a lot of physical things as far as fundamentals, techniques, how we teach, what we teach. He's attacked it with awesome enthusiasm. He's excited about what's around him, the players that are on our team, the players we've added. I think he's optimistic about how he can perform and the jump he can make from his first year to his second year, which you see a lot of players in the league. He's got a little taste of action last year, played some, did some good things, did some things he needs to improve on, but ultimately he has enough experience to draw back on it and really make the jump in the improvements in the areas

Starting point is 00:22:09 that he needs to as a full-time starting quarterback. Oh, that gets you excited. That gets you excited. I'm glad that Will Levis has been impressive out there. Of course, again, like I mentioned with Traylon, only going to be praise, but with what we saw from Levis and what we know about Levis, it's just a lot more believable praise, I guess, is what I would say. Levis spoke himself,

Starting point is 00:22:35 and he talked about how the offense that Brian Callahan is bringing here is as similar to his first year at Kentucky as anything he's experienced. So Will Levis' best college year as a quarterback was his first year at Kentucky, 2021. He had Wendell Robinson. He had some good players on the offensive line. He had a better team around him.

Starting point is 00:22:56 He had better play calling. Liam Cohen was there, who was a former Sean McVay guy who went back to Kentucky eventually. But that first year at Kentucky is why Will Levis got drafted where he got drafted. Not a second year, which wasn't good, and he played through injury, and that's why he went in the second round. You know what I mean? That's why he dropped, okay? But that first year at Kentucky was impressive.

Starting point is 00:23:19 And for Levis to say that this offense is similar to his first year at Kentucky, that has to get you excited. That's only a good sign. It's what he was comfortable in. It's what he played his best football in ever. So I love hearing that personally. Also, one nugget that Will Levis pointed out here is him and Brian Callahan sat down and watched film.

Starting point is 00:23:40 They watched Burrow. They watched Stafford. They even watched some Peyton Manning, guys who Brian Callahan had worked with before. Will Levis said, I want to be the next one. The next one. In a really great line. Of course, I mean, Peyton is one of the all-time best. Stafford has been one of the top 10 quarterbacks for the last 10 years. Joe Burrow is, in my opinion, one of the top 10 quarterbacks for the last 10 years Joe Burrow is in my opinion one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the NFL when healthy so if Levis can be on that line like a lot of people say

Starting point is 00:24:14 that the best version of Will Levis is Matt Stafford like that is the kind of player that he could be like I see some Brett Favre I've been thinking about it a lot and Levis just has Brett Favre. I've been thinking about it a lot, and Levis just has Brett Favre to me. The way he plays the game, his excitement, the arm strength, like the velocity on

Starting point is 00:24:31 the throws. I see Brett Favre. Okay? Like, I think at his absolute best, Will Levis could be Brett Favre. Like, that kind of player. That good. You know what I mean? And that's lofty, lofty comparisons. But that's the skill set, all right? And Brett Favre was even a little rocky coming in.

Starting point is 00:24:49 I mean, he had his own issues. Levis doesn't have those issues. But still, it makes me sad that Brett Favre is a crap person, though, because he was what made me love football in the first place as a five-, six-year-old kid. But, you know, don't meet your heroes, kids, as they say. But anyway, I really liked that comment knowing that, Hey, he's worked with a lot of great quarterbacks before I can be the

Starting point is 00:25:11 next one that people say when they talk about Brian Callahan's lineage, you know what I mean? He also mentioned two things that I want to talk about real quick that look, Levis wasn't trying to, maybe he was okay. Maybe he was, but I don't think he was. I'm surevis wasn't trying to, maybe he was, okay, maybe he was, but I don't think he was. I'm sure he wasn't trying to crap on Mike Vrabel. I'm sure he wasn't trying to take shots at Mike Vrabel, but he said, we're going to pass more. There are situations where we're going to throw the ball more. I mean, he's literally saying, hey, I'm excited that we're going to throw the ball more often. He said, there are drop back passing situations that we wouldn't have had last year. So he's, remember when Mike Vrabel said, you know, we don't want to be a drop back passing team

Starting point is 00:25:59 or we don't have a drop back passing game, stuff like that. Well, that's because you're not coaching properly. Not because you don't have the talent to do it. Okay? That like, if you could coach properly, you could have a drop back passing game, even with a bad offensive line and bad receivers. Like, get the ball out quick. One run

Starting point is 00:26:16 quick game. Incorporate more West Coast offense. But no. Nope. They just wanted to run the ball into the offensive line over and over and over again and tell us that they don't have enough talent to do other things. Well, then you're not creative enough as a coach, especially on offense. But we knew that, right?

Starting point is 00:26:32 We knew that, right? So I love hearing that. And again, I don't think that Will is intending to take shots at the old coaching staff, but, you know, it's pretty definitive there. And then he also said that guys are more open to speaking up and speaking their mind. Why would the environment be more comfortable

Starting point is 00:26:51 and players feel more comfortable to speak their mind and speak up and be themselves? Again, I don't think that Levis is intending to take shots at the previous coaching staff, but that's what it is at the end of the day. That is what it is. And you hate to say like, if I'm praising this person,

Starting point is 00:27:10 it doesn't mean that I'm cutting down this person. But at the end of the day, if you're praising differences in this year's coaching staff, then you are also admitting you did not like how those things were different under the previous coaching staff. So I found those couple of quotes about passing the ball more, drop back passing game, and then people being more open to speak their mind.

Starting point is 00:27:33 I found those very illuminating as comments from Will Levis. So do want to say one more thing. We talked about it so much, but Brian Callahan did say they were still interested in free agent edges and free agent safeties. Again, I've said, I want Justin Simmons, but I think Marcus May is more likely because of the Denard Wilson connection

Starting point is 00:27:51 with the Jets. As for edges, I think a Bud Dupree reunion makes a ton of sense at a veteran minimum, but I don't think Bud Dupree enjoyed his time in Tennessee, so I don't think that's going to happen. But like Carl Lawson, Emmanuel Ogba, those are options that are out there as well. And Brian Callahan did say that he expected those things to be

Starting point is 00:28:09 wrapped up rather quickly. So they're going to have OTAs and stuff starting soon. If you're going to have guys on the team, you need to get them in here as soon as possible. But with that being said, that's going to do it for me. That's going to do it for this week. Can't wait to talk to you guys on Sunday night into Monday morning for the start of next week's

Starting point is 00:28:28 episode. But as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Treylon Burks HYPE RETURNS, Callahans Talk Offensive Line & Will Levis "The Next One"

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