Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Will Levis INTERCEPTED 3 Times, Malik Willis is BALLIN' & Fulton Back at Practice

Episode Date: June 14, 2023

The Tennessee Titans have completed their last OTA for the summer season and will now take a break until the start of camp in July. Titans rookie QB Will Levis did not end on a good note throwing three interceptions. However, second-year passer Malik Willis had a fantastic day. Finally, Tyler goes over practice attendance, the return of two veterans and a standout UDFA from Wednesday.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!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedonnfl and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONNFL, they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.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

Will Levis throws three interceptions at practice while Malik Willis has his best day yet. I'm breaking down Tennessee Titans practice 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. We got to talk about Malik Willis having his best day yet. Will Levis struggling at practice. Christian Fulton back on the field. A lot of people off the field as well. A complete recap of the Titans' last OTA of the summer phase. Before we get into today's show,

I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year long on all apps, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day. Tomorrow, I'm going to do a tale of the tape and break down the fight between the Titans and the Patriots for DeAndre Hopkins. Then next week, we're going to get into our positional preview series, where I go position

by position through the Titans roster, breaking down who will be going with them into training camp. So a lot of great free Tennessee Titans content coming your way. But let's dive into my report from practice on Wednesday. It will be, as I said, the last practice for the Titans before training camp begins on July the 25th. So we got a big break here and there's no other way to put it. Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis did not go out on the right foot.

He did not head into the little mini summer break here for the Titans on the right note. Will Levis threw three interceptions in practice on Wednesday. Now, I do want to mention this at the top. A lot of veteran players were out of this practice. I'll get into the actual list at the end of the show. But it gave an opportunity to a ton of the younger players. And while Ryan Tannehill was at practice, those opportunities still, there were a lot more opportunities

for Will Levis and Malik Willis in this practice. And Levis simply didn't take advantage of the opportunities on those three interceptions. Number one, Elijah Molden got an interception off a tipped pass. Molden was in the box, playing close to the line of scrimmage. Drop back. Pass got tipped. Molden was there for the pick.

Next, Will Levis tries to throw a deep pass. It's intercepted by undrafted free agent rookie Alonzo Davis. And then another tipped pass at the line of scrimmage where Jaden Peavy was able to get his hand on a Will Levis pass. The ball went up in the air and Rashad Weaver came down with the interception. So three picks on the day for Will Levis. Now, I do want to be fair here. Two or one of those passes did hit Elise Mack, the tight end.

It hit his hands. But the pass was high and it ended up being an interception. There was a drop pass by another wide receiver out there on a good throw by Will Levis, and he did connect on a really nice pass down the field to Chris Moore. So it wasn't all bad for Will Levis, but at the end of the day, three interceptions along with the struggles that we've seen him have throughout this OTA phase of the offseason.

These offseason practices struggle with botched snaps, seeing some inaccuracy as well. So it just, it has been a struggle for Will Levis. And one of the things is, Will Levis has so much pressure on him. So much more pressure than you would get from just being a regular rookie. So one, there is pressure with being a rookie quarterback in the NFL, no matter what happens. But you add in the fact that Levis was expected to go number one. He drops back into the second round. You know,

he's getting these videos from Tom Brady about not caring where you're picked and all that. So clearly there's a spotlight on him because he is the guy who fell in the draft. So that's obviously something there. Also, you got to talk about the internal organizational pressure. The Titans clearly didn't believe in Malik Willis because if they believed in Malik Willis, then why would they have traded their third round pick next year, traded up in the second round this year,

and drafted Will Levis? So Will Levis knows that he is expected to beat out Malik Willis. He is expected to be the quarterback too. I mean, some people were even expecting Will Levis to challenge Ryan Tannehill. We know that that is not happening at this point in time. But at the end of the day, there was pressure on Will Levis to come in right away and at least beat out Malik Willis.

So he's got the pressure from being a rookie quarterback, the added pressure from how his draft situation went, the added pressure because Malik Willis is there and the Titans organization is showing faith in Will Levis to draft him. I mean, that is a lot of pressure on a young guy coming in, but at the end of the day, Will Levis was sold as a guy who had more pro-style experience,

was more pro-ready than a guy like Malik Willis. So he should have been the favorite, but that's simply not, it's not what's happening right now. Now of course we have to say that it's four weeks of practice. Will Levis' first four weeks of NFL practice. He's about to take a big break

here before he comes back for training camp. Will Will Levis be able to be a different guy once training camp gets here? And worth saying, Charles London, the Titans quarterback coach, even said before practice that they don't expect Malik Willis or Will Levis to come back in five to six weeks and be exactly where they were at when they started OTAs.

They should be advanced. They should be ahead. They should have progressed. So Will Levis is going to have to take a big jump if he wants to beat out Malik Willis because on the flip side of Will Levis is going to have to take a big jump if he wants to beat out Malik Willis. Because on the flip side of Will Levis struggling in practice, Malik Willis had his best day yet. And quite frankly continues to be impressive. Does this mean that Malik Willis is going to be an elite all-time quarterback for the Titans?

No. But he has been impressive so far this all season. We're going to talk about Malik Willis balling in practice in just a moment. Before we get into it, I want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, America's number one sportsbook. Look, the NBA Finals may be over, but we still have MLB, WNBA, and it's a great time to get some future NFL bets in at FanDuel Sportsbook as well

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Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and get a no-sweat first bet up to $2,500. That's Fandle.com. Fandle, official sports betting partner of the NFL. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about Will Levis' struggles, throwing three interceptions in practice. But now we're going to talk about something positive. And it's the play of Malik Willis, who had his best day yet of practice on Wednesday. He's been impressive. There's no other way around it.

And Malik has a long way to go, of course, to be the starter for the Titans and be that level of player. But these are the type of steps that you want to see Malik Willis take. So before we get into that, 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 all year round

on all apps, always for free. Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now as well. That support really helps the channel out and the show is free. All I ask for in return is the press of a button. Tomorrow, I'm going to be breaking down the tale of the tape between the Titans and the Patriots as they battle it out for DeAndre Hopkins.

And then next week, we're going to get into my positional preview series before training camp going position by position through all 90 players talking about the dark horses to make the roster each position, who should be a breakout candidate. A lot of free great Titans content coming your way. But I do want to let you guys know this.

I actually recorded this episode already and I recorded the show on mute. I mean, there are not more, there are not many more defeating feelings in the podcast industry than recording an entire show and it being on mute, but don't worry. I'm coming back second time around. Still got the same energy, still excited to break down everything you guys need to know from practice, but let's talk Malik Willis because Malik Willis had a completion to Mason Kinsey, a completion to Josh Wiley. He had touchdown passes to Mason Kinsey. The pass to Mason Kinsey was a drop shot in the back of the end zone that ended practice. It was the last rep

of practice. So a good throw there from Malik Willis. He had a touchdown to Elise Mack, the tight end as well, had another touchdown to Sean Harrison. So whereas Will Levis had three interceptions on the day, Malik Willis had three touchdowns. And I want to mention this as well. There was a rep where the tight, you know the drill. We've been talking about it. I'm sure a lot of you guys who are on Twitter, you can follow me on Twitter at TicTacTitans for my reaction to these things. But there was a video on Twitter over the last few weeks of Titans quarterbacks throwing

out a net. And there's three targets on the net, a high, a middle, a low. And the Titans are going through footwork drills, and then they're trying to make a pass and hit the net and get it in one of the holes. We've seen that drill over and over the last few weeks for the Titans, and there's always some sort of debate or controversy going around with those videos. Well, in the video that I saw of quarterback drills, individual drills, there is a throw of Malik Willis where he's dodging a couple of balls

that are rolled on the ground, dodging a few dummies, and then he makes a throw and just absolutely nails the target, drills it, drops the ball right into the net, into the hole that he was supposed to throw it at. You can hear some audible cheers after the throw. But what really stood out to me was it was the best footwork that we have seen from Malik Willis since he came into the NFL. The big problem with Malik is all of his mechanics are not tied together.

Okay, and it throws off his timing. It throws off his decisiveness. And those are the things that Mike Vrabel has been preaching. Be decisive. Get rid of the ball. Stay on timing with the route. Hey, your foot, if you're going to throw this route within the progression, your feet have to be at this point so that your body can make that throw.

All of that timing and all that synchronization is what Malik Willis has been working on most. So, yes, it may just be a simple individual quarterback drill. But that is how you get better folks. We can't rub our noses at people doing drill work and doing well in the drills because the drills translate to practice, which translates to the game. So Malik Willis watching his feet move in that drill and the way that he threw the ball and was able to nail the target, in his mind, there has to be some clicking going on. Like, oh, that's how it feels.

I know a lot of you guys may not golf, but I golf, okay? And I'm terrible at golf. Absolutely horrible. But sometimes when you hit a good shot, you can just feel like, oh, that's how my body is supposed to feel when I hit that shot

okay and then it's all about muscle memory from there once you've established that your muscles can do it it's all about making them do it over and over and over again repetition

so to me yeah I want to see Malik Willis do this in preseason I want to see him do it in joint practices I want to see him do it over and over again in games and prove that he can do it.

But the fact that his feet were able to execute the way that he's supposed to be doing it, just the fact that he's able to do it mechanically is a huge step for Malik Willis. So he had multiple good throws in practice through multiple touchdown passes in practice. Again, extra opportunities because the veterans had a limited role in practice

if they were on the field at all. The footwork and the drills, the play on the field, this was by far Malik Willis' most impressive practice. And just for confirmation, I tweeted out when I saw that video of Malik's footwork and said as much that that was the cleanest that I've seen his feet on a throw his entire time. And my guy Easton Freeze from Broadway Sports even replied and said it was his best day,

best day from him out here so far. And it's not particularly close. Very strong start to finish. Malik Willis was very strong from start to finish. Not only that, but Jim Wyatt, the team's beat reporter, even put, quote, I must say Willis impressed me this all season. He's gotten a lot better. I mean, look, again, I don't mean to feign hyperbole here. I'm not saying that Levis is going

to be a bust because he threw three interceptions. I'm not here to tell you that Malik Willis is going to be a star quarterback in the NFL because he threw some touchdown passes in a June practice. That's not what I'm here to tell you. But what I am here to say is the narrative that was expected going into this all season after the draft with Levis and with Willis is not playing out the way a lot of people expected including me including me

I will eat my crow I will take my L whatever happens going forward is what we really need to see again I want to see Malik Willis do this in game situations but I will tell you I've already crafted my Malik Willis do this in game situations. But I will tell you, I've already crafted my Malik Willis apology form,

and I'm ready to put it out there if he proves me wrong. But just got to feel good for Malik Willis, who when Will Levis was drafted, Malik Willis had to feel a pit in his stomach that is hard to replicate. Because you know, no matter what they say to you, when they trade up and use future picks to trade up and get Will Levis in the second round, they are telling you that they don't believe in you, Malik Willis.

They're telling you with their actions, not their words, their actions. So, I just want to say, congrats to Malik Willis for a good start to the offseason. It doesn't mean much, but it's better than a bad start. So Malik Willis balling in practice. Will Levis struggling in practice. That's the biggest takeaway from the last OTA for the Titans. But we want to talk about some attendance

because there are a couple of players back on the practice field for the Titans and a lot of players missing on the practice field for the Titans. So we're going to get into all of that, plus an undrafted free agent defensive back who really stole the show on Wednesday and is somebody to watch as we head towards training camp. I'm going to get into all of that with you guys in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about Will Levis' struggles throwing three interceptions in practice.

We talked about Malik Willis having a fantastic practice throwing three touchdowns. Now I want to get into some attendance, getting some extra tidbits for you guys from practice. Before we do, I want to thank you, of course, for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. I'm not slowing down, folks. In previous years, I'd go to three episodes per week during this next six-week time period.

Not now. We're five days a week pushing through all the way, year-round, for free, all apps. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day. But moving in here, Christian Fulton was back on the practice field. And no, I don't just mean back in the facility. Fulton skipped the first week of practice and then showed up, but wasn't on the practice field the last few weeks. He finally was back on the practice field here and thought it maybe was an injury.

But according to Christian Fulton after practice, he's not injured. He wasn't injured. And it makes you wonder why he was back with the team, but not out on the practice field. For me, the only thing that could come to mind is Christian Fulton hadn't passed the conditioning test. The Titans have a rigorous conditioning test that you have to pass before they'll even let you go out on the practice field. Maybe Fulton came in and he wasn't in good enough shape to pass that test. And the Titans said,

look, you can be here, but you're not getting out on the practice field when you can't pass the conditioning test. That is a theory of mine. I have no evidence of that right now, but it just makes you wonder. At the end of the day, Christian Fulton said it after practice, though. He even said, I wanted to do something different this year. I've been here at OTAs in previous years, and I've gotten hurt. So I wanted to do something different this year. And if you're Christian Fulton's agent, you're Christian Fulton's personal trainer, you're Christian Fulton's agent, you're Christian Fulton's personal trainer, you're Christian Fulton's team, why would you want Fulton going to OTAs

when Mike Vrabel is going to run him into the ground like he has the last three years? If you're Fulton and this is your contract year and you know that the Titans are probably getting rid of you anyways, well, screw you guys. I'm not coming to voluntary stuff that I came to in previous years

and I still got hurt. So you can talk to me all you want about developing the callous and all that. Fulton said it best. Not all guys are the same. And maybe what's best for Christian Fulton is not to get run into the dirt by Mike Vrabel in June. I think at this point, you kind of got to look at Fulton and say,

hey, I get it. I get it. If Rabel's way is not what's best for you, and you know you're probably not going to be with the team after the season anyways, then why not go do what's best for you in a contract year? Hard to argue with this logic and what he said after practice. Hard to argue. But not only was Christian Fulton back, but Trevon

Wesco, the tight end, was finally back. Wesco was signed as a free agent and expected to be the Jeff Swain this year. He hasn't practiced at all in the first three weeks of offseason OTAs. So good to see Wesco finally back because if he wasn't, you start to wonder

how bad is this injury that Wesco's dealing with and did the Titans get damaged goods? But Wesco back, so that's good. Fulton and Wesco back. But again, there were a lot of veteran players that were not at practice on Wednesday. Traylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Akene, Daniel Brunskill, Derrick Henry,

Racey McMath, Kevin Byard, Jeffrey Simmons, Danico Autry, Aziz Alshire, Amani Hooker, Tierra Tart, Sean Murphy Bunting, Harold Landry, Dylan Radins, Caleb Farley. None of those guys were out there. And like I talked about at the beginning of practice,

give these young guys an opportunity. And I like what Steve just said here based on our first couple of conversations. I'm not about to condemn Levis for a bad day or rave about Willis for a good day. And I agree 100%. Again, you can't take these for more than what they are, but you can still take them for what they are. And one, expected better out of Will Levis with all the pro-ready talk around him

and didn't quite expect how impressive Malik Willis has been in practice. So, quarterbacks, that's where they're at right now, but attendance, let the young guys play. Makes sense. I'm not worried about any of these attendance absences or anything like that. Good to have Fulton and Wes go back. The last

thing that I want to talk about here is an undrafted free agent, defensive back for the Titans who's been showing out. And it's Alonzo Davis. I'm not going to sit up here and pretend to tell you guys that I know a lot about Alonzo Davis. No, I don't. I don't.

But what I do know is he intercepted Will Levis on a deep pass in practice. He made multiple pass breakups during practice. He's been showing, having some moments showing flashes in practice throughout the last few weeks. So I think with where the Titans roster is right now and with Rand Carthon being the new GM and Mike Vrabel having more say over the roster and things like that at this time, I think there's a better chance than ever for undrafted free agents to actually make the roster. Like I think there's a better chance than ever for undrafted free agents to actually make the roster. Like, I think there's a better chance of that

than we've seen in the last few years. I think there are more open roster spots this year than there have been for maybe four or five years. So, shout out to Alonzo Davis. Had a real good practice and I thought that deserved to be

mentioned, but Levis struggles. Willis is balling out there. Alonzo Davis, attendance, all that. It's a full recap of Tennessee Titans practice. I'm going to be back with you guys again tomorrow to break down the tale of the tape, the battle between the Patriots and the Titans for DeAndre Hopkins.

So we're going to discuss that. And again, my positional breakdown series to get you guys ready for training camp is going to be coming up in the next few weeks, five to six weeks, before we get to training camp on July 25th. But again, Monday through Friday, baby. I ain't slowing down.

Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed for free Monday through Friday. Tennessee Titans content. It's your team every day. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked

on Titans.