Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Week 18 Tank Guide, Ranking NFL Draft Options After Big 3 & Mike Vrabel's Oscar Performance

Episode Date: January 2, 2024

The Tennessee Titans head into Week 18 very close to securing a top 6 pick in the NFL Draft, but to do so they will need some help. The good news, the Titans have a great chance to get that help based on the circumstances of three games! Next, most Titans fans want Marvin Harrison Jr, Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu, but what if none of them are available? Tyler ranks his prospects who should go next if the Titans pick. Finally, Mike Vrabel cussed at his press conference on Tuesday and everyone freaked out, but his actions are louder than his words and it is clear he knows what needs to happen.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!DoorDashGet 50% off up to $10 value when you spend $15 or more on your FIRST order, when you download the DoorDash app and enter code LOCKED23. Subject to change. Terms apply.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed.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.FanDuelScore early this NFL season with FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook! Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your team wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tennessee Titans tank needs some help in week 18, and they just might get it. I'll explain how on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans Podcast is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code LOCKEDON

for $20 off your first purchase. We've got a lot to dive into. I'm going to tell you the four games you have to pay attention to if you're worried about the Titans tank. Also, what if Marvin Harrison Jr. and the top two offensive tackles aren't there for the Titans? We'll discuss what to do there. And Mike Rabel cussed in his press conference on Tuesday, and everyone's freaking out. I'm going to talk about all that and more before we get into it.

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. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Tomorrow, we got crossover Thursday with Locked on Jags.

Friday is game plan Friday. I'm going to be here Sunday going live to break down what happened in the game. And I have a ton of off-season content ready for you guys. Free agency preview, draft preview,. Trades. Contracts. All of that. You're going to get it here Monday through Friday for free on the Locked on Titans podcast. So again, get subscribed. Stay subscribed.

Throw a thumbs up on the video right now as well. Show's always free. All I ask for in return is the press of a button. And of course, shout out to my everydayers tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. Let me know who you are down below. But with all that being said, again, the Tennessee Titans tank needs some help right now.

The Tennessee Titans are set to pick seventh in the NFL draft. And when you look at the odds of quarterbacks going, you look at the prospects at the top, that is a dangerous place to be if you want the Titans to get one of Joe Ault and Ola Fashanu at offensive tackle or Marvin Harrison Jr. at wide receiver. If you want one of those three guys, pick number seven is just too risky. The odds are there will probably be two to three quarterbacks selected, and then you have those three top position players. So the Titans at minimum need to get

into the top six, but they could go even higher. Right now, the Titans could go as high as number four in the NFL draft, but they could only drop back as low as number eight. So the Titans sit at seven right now. The four games that you got to pay attention to. Number one, the obvious one, the Titans need to lose. The Titans need to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That would take them to 5-12 on the season. That is step one. Step two and three and four all go together. And here's the games. Number one, the New York Giants. Right now, the New York Giants are 5-11 like the Titans also. But the Giants have had an easier schedule, which means they get the higher pick.

Same thing with the Chargers. The Chargers are also 5-11, but they've had an easier schedule, which means they get a higher pick than the Titans. Well, first you look at the Giants. They're at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. And I know what you're thinking. The Eagles, the Giants aren't winning that game.

But the Eagles are essentially locked in their playoff position. Now the Cowboys game matters a little bit, but the Eagles are already talking about resting some of their starters and resting some of their players because the playoff position isn't that important to where they are. The Eagles are more worried about getting into the playoffs healthy. So maybe if the Giants see a JV Eagles team at home, there's a chance the Giants could win that game. And if the Giants win, then the Titans would jump them. Of course, all of this is predicated on the Titans losing their game. So the Titans would be 5-12. The Giants would go to 6-11. Now the Titans move up a spot. The next game, the Chargers at home against the Kansas City Chiefs with the Chiefs locked into their playoff position.

The Chiefs will most likely rest some players. Now, the Giants barely lost last week to a good Rams team. The Chargers got smoked by the Broncos. So I feel much more confident that the Giants can beat the JV Eagles than I am the Chargers can beat the JV Chiefs. But either way, that is as good of an outcome and as good of a situation as Titans fans could hope for. There is a real chance the Giants and the Chargers could get a win this week.

And if the Eagles and the Chiefs don't sit anybody, I would not feel that way. I would not be that optimistic. So the big things we got to look at, the Titans winning or the Titans losing, and then the Giants and the Chargers winning. We need them to win one of those games. And also, there's a third option now.

Because the Arizona Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles, there is a chance the Titans could jump over the Cardinals. So the Cardinals play the Seahawks. The Cardinals are also at home. If the Cardinals win, they would go to 5-12 on the year. If the Titans lose, they would be 5-12 also. But Arizona would have a tougher schedule, which means the Titans would jump over them. So even

basically if one of these teams, Arizona Giants Chargers, Cardinals Giants Chargers, if one of those teams wins, the Titans are top six. And again, three quarterbacks, two of those top six. And again, three quarterbacks, two of those position players we talked about, that would at least leave you the opportunity to get one. Now, if two of these teams win, the Titans jump up to five.

If all three of these teams win, the Titans jump up to four. So think about that. And the Titans play at one o'clock. All three of these games, Cardinals, Seahawks, Giants-Eagles, Chargers-Chiefs, all of those games are at 4 p.m. So what we do is, folks, we sit down at 1 o'clock, we watch the

Titans lose. Then we gear in for the most important 4 o'clock game window that we have seen all season long. Again, we just need one Arizona Giants Chargers. One to win. But two, three, it's definitely possible. So the Titans tank needs some help. But they got a great chance to get it this weekend.

So hoping that one of those matchups works out for the Titans. And if they can do more than one, that would be great. Because again, the idea here is you're going to get three quarterbacks in the top six, and then you have Fashanu, Alt, and Marvin Harrison Jr. So that's the top six for me. All right, and that's probably what the top six is going to be in the draft but what if what if things don't go the Titans way

what if the Titans get the seventh pick and they don't jump up at all what if it's three quarterbacks Marvin Harrison Jr. and the two offensive tackles in the top six picks and then the Titans don't get a chance at any of them well I'm going to tell you exactly what I would do

and exactly who I would pick here in just a moment. Before I do, though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. GameTime is the best place to buy tickets. I love buying my tickets at GameTime. I buy all my tickets on GameTime. Look, they have a ton of great features. Number one, they have a best price guarantee.

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Download game time today. Last minute tickets. Lowest price. Guaranteed. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about the Tennessee Titans tank, what games we need to be paying attention to, but now I want to kind of flip it over. Those are more optimistic conversations.

The Titans getting help, their draft pick moving up, but we need to face the reality that none of that goes our way, and the Titans get the seventh pick in the NFL draft, maybe even the eighth pick in the NFL draft, and having a shot at Marvin Harrison Jr., Ola Fashanu, or Joe All isn't a possibility. What happens when that happens? What do you do?

I'm going to tell you who I would pick. I'm going to rank who I would pick at that spot and explain why. Before I get into it, thank you guys again for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day. Do want to let you guys know that Locked On has launched the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. It's called Locked On Sports Today. It's here for you 24-7 covering the top sports stories of the day.

Go to Locked On Sports Today on YouTube. Subscribe to the first ever National Sports 24-7 streaming channel. So, again, I know that this sucks. And this would be a terrible outcome in my opinion, and that's why I'm so dead set on the Titans losing and getting some help, because I want one of Marvin Harrison Jr., Joe Ault, or Ola Fashanu.

If you don't know for some reason, Marvin Harrison Jr., the wide receiver at Ohio State, Joe Ault, the offensive tackle from Notre Dame, Ola Fashanu, the offensive tackle from Penn State. I want one of those top-tier offensive position players. That is what I want. That's why it's important to be in the top six. But, if they aren't, let's say the Titans are at seven, and three quarterbacks and those three

guys go. What do you do? What do you do? Okay. Well, number one, let me say this. I know a lot of you guys are going to get in the comments and immediately say trade down, trade down, trade down. No, I disagree vehemently. I said it last year as well. I do not want to trade down. This team needs blue chip prospects. Why are we going to trade down and let another team come up and get one of the blue chip prospects on offense and then the Titans, what? Get in the mid-teens and take offensive tackle four,

offensive tackle five, and give up Malik Nabors or Roma Dunzey or Brock Bowers? What are we doing here? What are we doing? The Titans need depth, but what they need much more desperately is blue chip players. Blue chip players. This team needs top tier talent. Start there. You get

your top tier talent and then you fill in around them. This team cannot trade down. I get that they need more draft picks, all that, but you can't sacrifice that or sacrifice getting a blue chip player this team desperately needs for more depth. I don't want more swings in the third round. I want one of the best players in the whole draft, period, period. So like I said last year, I'm going to say it all the time this year. Do not trade down. Do not trade down.

Get a blue chip prospect. And you know who is a blue chip prospect? Malik Nabors. Wide receiver, LSU. Explosive, productive. He would be excellent to have as your number one wide receiver and to start to build this thing out.

Like, if not for Marvin Harrison Jr., who is an elite, all-time prospect. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver prospect we've seen in the draft since Megatron. Like, Marvin Harrison Jr. might get taken number one overall by the Bears if they decide to keep Justin Fields. Marvin Harrison Jr. is that insane as a prospect, all right? If not for Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabors would be getting praised as high as any top wide receiver from any draft that we've seen recently. Like Malik Nabors is that good. And if I'm honest with you, Roma Dunze is too.

I saw somebody call Roma Dunze a taller Jamar Chase. I don't know about that, but why can't he be Garrett Wilson? Like to me, this is easy, clear cut, simple. I'm not trading back to get an extra third rounder so that I can pick offensive tackle six. I'm taking Roma Dunze or Malik Neighbors. No questions asked. Run to the podium. Period. Period.

Now, if you want to make me choose, I'm going Malik Neighbors, number one. I see more explosiveness. All right. Dunze is a smooth criminal. Smooth, smooth criminal. I love both of them. I love Odunze.

I love neighbors. I'm in on both of them. So it makes me feel bad that I kind of have to parse in between the two. But if you had to make me choose at pick seven between those two, there's no question about it. I'm taking Malik neighbors. I'm with the more explosive yards after catch athlete. That's what I want. Okay. But Hey, I would be fine with Odunze if that's who the Titans want. I'm, I'm cool with it.

Don't get me wrong. I like them both. I like them both. So that's all I have to say about that. But after the two wide receivers, to me, it becomes Brock Bowers. Now I know all of the historical pessimism with highly drafted tight ends. I do get it. But in this system that Mike Vrabel is going to continue to run, whether you like it or not, that's a different debate for a different day, an actual tight end one,

like imagine if the Titans had a TJ Hawkinson, a Sam Laporta, a Travis Kelsey, a George Kittle, a Mark Andrews, like if the Titans had a bona fide stud tight end that could block, that could catch the ball in the passing game and make plays, that to me is almost as important as wide receiver two. It's not as important as wide receiver one, but it's as important as wide receiver too. Like, I would be okay with the Titans taking Brock Bowers if they felt comfortable enough with his run blocking. Now, Bowers is a good blocker, but I'm not convinced that he is the blocker that George Kittle is

or something like that at the NFL level. I'm not convinced. And that's why I have the wide receivers over him. But if you wanted me to rank these people, I'm going neighbors, I'm going to Doonze, and then I'm going Bowers. And if the Titans don't want to take any of those three, the only other player that I would be okay with is Kool-Aid McKinstry, the cornerback. And look, Wiggins is another good cornerback as well. Nate Wiggins,

I believe it is. If you want to say he's better, that's fine. Whoever the Titans have ranked as the number one cornerback, I would rather have him over J.C. Latham. That's what it comes down to. If people want to say J.C. Latham is offensive tackle three, okay, I think that J.C. Latham could be a good player, but he's a right tackle and he's a road grading right tackle that needs better technique and pass blocking. The Titans have drafted that player a thousand times. Go with the playmaker. I would rather take Nabors or Odunze or Bowers

or the number one cornerback in the draft over offensive tackle three. I just would. Especially when you look at Armarius Mims. Armarius Mims from Georgia. Young. Unrefined.

Great athleticism. road grader. But we've heard that before. All right? So look, I think that Mims, Fouaga I think is how you say it correctly, or J.C. Latham, they could be fine players. They could be really good players.

I don't think that they're bad prospects. But I'm not taking offensive tackle three, offensive tackle four, or offensive tackle five, trying to force offensive line. If you're somebody who's down in my comments right now saying, I'm taking offensive line no matter what, no question, doesn't matter, blind, take an offensive line. What if

six offensive tackles got taken with the first six picks? You're telling me that you would rather take offensive tackle seven over Marvin Harrison Jr.? See, blanket statements like that, black and white mentality like that, does not work. It's foolish.

You can't go into the draft and say, I'm taking this position no matter what. It has to be based on who the prospects are that are available. And I am not taking offensive tackle three, four, or five over wide receiver two or three. I'm not. I'm not. offensive tackle 3, 4, or 5 over wide receiver 2 or 3. I'm not. I'm not.

Or tight end 1. Or cornerback 1. Like, I'm simply not. And you can say I'm crazy if you want, but that's fine. So, if the situation arises where there is no Alt, no Fashanu, no Marvin Harrison, I'm taking Malik Neighbors. I'm taking Roma Dunzay.

And if not them, I'm going Bowers. And if not them, I'm going cornerback one. But I am not reaching that high for offensive linemen who should not be drafted that high just because it's a need. You don't draft by need. You draft by the best player available at a premium position of need. I know that's a little wordy, but that's the reality here. So let me know how you would rank those players.

Malik Neighbors, Roma Dunze, Brock Bowers, Kool-Aid McKinstry. If the Titans can't get their desired prospect out of those four, how would you rank them? Let me know down below. We got to talk about Mike Vrabel. Because Mike Vrabel cussed at his press conference on Tuesday, and everybody was, that's my coach, that's a coach, blah, blah, blah.

It was performative, and I just can't believe that cussing at a press conference could just make everybody buy in all of a sudden to what we've seen all year long. So we're going to talk about that in just a moment. Before we do that, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Look guys, I know the season is wrapping up,

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Make sure that you visit Fandle.com slash locked on. That's Fandle.com slash locked on and make your first bet a layup. It's Fandle,'s edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about what help the Titans tank needs this weekend. We talked about what the Titans would do if their preferred prospects aren't available. Now, I'm going to do a little impromptu Roland's rant for you guys because there was interactions that I had all day on Tuesday online after Mike Rabel's press conference, and it really just drives me up a wall.

I mean, I don't know the exact word for it, but just how blindly loyal some people are and how just one Coach of the Year award can inspire such belief and such blind loyalty for so many years. But before we get into that, thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. But Mike Vrabel cussed in his press conference. And I'm not going to say the word.

You guys can figure it out. But he said, losing sucks. Losing bleeping sucks. And he says, I feel for the players and everybody's like, Mike Vrabel cares so much. Mike, that's my coach. All he did was cuss

in the press conference and say he doesn't like to lose. What't like to lose. What coach likes to lose? Losing sucks. See, that right there is a football coach. Every football coach from Pee Wee all the way to the NFL would tell you losing sucks. He cares. Who's ever said Mike Vrabel doesn't care?

Find that. What are we talking about? Who within their right mind thought that Mike Vrabel doesn't care about the football team? You know what I mean? But at the end of the day, I called the performance by Mike Vrabel in his press conference performative. To me, it was performative anger is what it was. Because Mike Vrabel knows exactly what position this team is in. Does Mike Vrabel care about the Titans?

Yes. Does Mike Vrabel care about his team overall? Yes. Does Mike Vrabel care about winning in Week 18? No. I don't believe it. And you know why I don't believe it? Because actions speak louder than words.

Okay? All of you guys tell me all the time, quit paying attention to what Mike Vrabel says in the press conferences. He lies in all his press conferences. He never tells the truth in all his press conferences. And then I call Mike Vrabel performative in a press conference. And now you guys tell me, no, he's always honest.

How can you not believe Mike Vrabel? Mike Vrabel absolutely tells the truth. Mike Vrabel doesn't seem like someone who's fake. Okay, so what is it, guys? Back and forth. But anyway, let me just say this. After the Titans were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 15 against the Texans, all of a sudden, a slew of veterans went on IR.

They told Christian Fulton he was going on IR in the locker room, and he didn't even know. He didn't even know he was going on IR. He thought, yeah, I'm going to be able to rehab and come back and play this year. But Mike Grable said, nope, we're putting you on IR. Why would you do that? So Trey Avery can play. So Eric Garrow can play probably. Jeffrey Simmons.

Jeffrey Simmons got hurt and didn't go on IR for multiple weeks. Was traveling with the team, pumping them up before the game. Oh, now the Titans are eliminated from the postseason and now Jeffrey Simmons goes on injured reserve, right? The last couple of weeks, maybe not. But if the Titans could have come back and made a postseason run, would Jeffrey Simmons be on IR right now? Would Imani Hooker be on IR right now? Would NWI be on IR right now? Now look, some of these guys

absolutely, they were so injured they needed to go on injured reserve I'm sure that's the case, but some of these guys they clearly could have rehabbed and got back, now would it have been risky and would it have been dumb to do that in a season where you're out of playoff contention? Yes. But the whole point is Mike Vrabel knows that. He's lying, not lying to you, but you guys are falling for some fake bait here.

Losing effing sucks. Okay. Am I supposed to believe that you're not tanking the season? Am I supposed to believe that you care that much about the season? Am I supposed to believe that you care that much about winning in week 18? Mike Vrabel knows what's best for this team. That's why he put all these people on IR.

So, what are we doing here? Like, what are we doing? I'm sorry, but if Mike Vrabel's saying losing effing sucks in his press conference while being 5-11 before Week 18 makes you feel differently about Mike Vrabel, then what were you doing in the first place? Why would him saying losing sucks and using a cuss word

make you feel more confident in Mike Vrabel going forward? Especially when they're clearly, clearly not putting their best effort into winning. Alright? It's obvious with the transactions that I just talked about. So, of course Mike Vrabel cares about the team. Of course Mike Vrabel cares

about the overall culture of the football team. No one is accusing Mike Vrabel of checking out on the season or anything. But we've seen the moves they've made, the transactions they've made, the decisions that they've made. Give me a break here that Mike Vrabel is gung-ho all in for winning week 18. Mike Vrabel knows that what's best for this team is to lose and to get a draft pick.

And that's why some of these guys who could have come back and played this year went on IR. I mean, I don't know. It's just frustrating. If you want to support Mike Vrabel and you want to believe in Mike Vrabel, it's not because he said losing sucks at a press conference in Cust. It's just silly stuff to me. It's just absolutely absurd.

That's my coach. This is a guy who gets it. But, I mean, what are we doing? What are we really doing here? If Mike Rabel got it, Josh Reynolds and Kalief Raymond and you guys love Robert Splane and David Long's having a career year

and Roger Saffold left and stayed healthy. And, I mean, do you want an offense? Like, do we want a modern offense? Do we want wide receivers that aren't better at special teams than they are at being a wide receiver? What do we want? Do we want an offense that pounds the rock 20 times a game? I don't know.

It's the same macho man. I don't care if he's good with X's and O's. That guy is clearly a leader. He cussed in the press conference. He cares, man. He cares. I'd rather have the smart guy over the tough guy any day. Give me smart over tough any day of the week.

Always and forever. Because the tough guy is, rah, rah, everybody play better. While the smart guy is outsmarting him. So I would rather have an X's and O's coach who's great with schematics, who isn't a rah, rah, rowdy up, moral culture, football tough, blah, blah, blah, all that macho man nonsense. I would much rather have a schematically gifted coach

than the rah-rah motivational coach. It's just not even close to me. And it's crazy how we see these things and people are like emboldened by it. You know what I mean? Like Mike Rabel cussed in a press conference and said that losing sucks. That shouldn't change anything

about how you feel about Mike Rabel. It's all performative nonsense. But with that being said, that is going to do it for me today, folks. Again, we'll be back next week or next week tomorrow with Locked on Jacks for Crossover Thursday. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,

and this is Locked on Titans.