Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Will Levis LIGHTS UP Training Camp, Week 1 Rookie Report & Let Malik Willis Cook

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

The Tennessee Titans had a much calmer day on Wednesday, but there are still plenty of highlights from practice including Will Levis going wild and giving the offense some much-needed success. Next, the Titans rookies have been showing out recently including T'Vondre Sweat and JC Latham who both had good days. Finally, Malik Willis continues to shine and should now get a chance with the second team offense to show his stuff.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!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.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list!FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

The Tennessee Titans offense got hot on Wednesday and Will Levis went wild. I'll break it all down 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 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 LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your

first purchase. Terms apply. The Tennessee Titans offense finally got hot on Wednesday, led by quarterback Will Levis, who had a fantastic performance. I'm going to dive into all of that. Plus, get a rookie report for all of the Tennessee Titans top rookies. And finally, the Titans need to let Malik Willis cook on the second team. I'm going to talk about all of that. Before I do, though, do want to thank you

for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. As a reminder, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic,

a certified film junkie, breaking down the X's and O's with you guys all year long. I've covered the team for Sports Illustrated, covered the team for USA Today, and I've been hosting the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world for five years running. Again, make sure you're here with me every single day all year long being the smartest possible Tennessee Titans fan you could be.

With that being said, though, Will Levis, lighten it up in practice. And before I get into the numbers and who he threw to and all that, I just want to go back to the general point that I've been trying to make over the last week. The defense is always ahead of the offense in these training camp scenarios. The defense translates easier. The defensive playbook is slimmer than an offensive playbook and

not to mention the Titans had a ton of new players on offense had a brand new scheme, brand new system, all that stuff going on. And again, that's true a lot for the defense, but defense is easier to acclimate to. You've been running cover

three. You've been running cover two. You've been running cover four on offense. Will Levis talked about this. All new terminology. All new faces. All new stuff. So it's always going to take the offense

a little bit more time to get going than the defense. And then you enhance that and intensify that with the circumstances the Tennessee Titans are under. So no surprise here that the offense bounced back and had a much better day than we have seen. And we're starting to see those steady improvements day by day by day where the offense is getting going.

But again, Will Levis just absolutely going wild out there on Wednesday. Number one, according to Jim White from TennesseeTitans.com, Will Levis started 10 for 10 on the day, seven on seven in the team stuff. He was six for seven and seven on sevens, and he was 15 for 23 overall. So a really hot start, really good middle of the portion. Later in practice, the Titans did a 30-yard line in to

the end zone period, and the defensive line got a couple of sacks, had a couple of throwaways, and Levis talked about after practice. A couple of his throwaways, he probably could have tried to fit them in there, but he's trying to calibrate when it's time to throw it in there, when it's not time, when it's time to live and see another down. And this is exactly what training camp is for. Training camp is to experiment. Training camp is to figure out, hey, should I do this? Should I do that? I didn't do it this time. Let me try it the next time, see what works out. And not only does that philosophy apply to decision-making in general, but it applies to how he works with his teammates.

We'll talk about that a little bit, but Will Levis hits DeAndre Hopkins off play action, according to Teron Davenport on that. There's an incredible, incredible deep pass that Will Levis threw a bomb to Tyler Boyd. Tyler Boyd goes over Roger McCreary and catches it for Roger in his short arms. What can he do, man? But Tyler Boyd. Tyler Boyd goes over Roger McCreary and catches it. Poor Roger in his short arms. What can he do, man? But Tyler Boyd made an excellent catch, but the throw was just incredible.

And the Tennessee Titans put that play out onto social media. Just an absolute dot, man. An incredible throw by Will Levis. We got another 30-yard bomb to Traylon Burks, and Burks just continues to get the hype. He went two for two in his one-on-one period, was running crisp routes and got separation, made tough catches. He's making plays down the field. Also want to mention, Traylon Burks, kickoff returner.

Him and Tajay Spears were the first people to go out for kickoff return. So I've been talking about that pairing as the kickoff returner. Him and Tajay Spears were the first people to go out for kickoff return. So, I've been talking about that pairing as the kickoff return group. Since the kickoff rules were changed, some people said I was a madman. And I think that is a great two guys to have out there. Great two guys. But Traylon Burks, man, the hype train continues to roll along. Also, in that 30-yard period, Will Levis hit a seam route to Chigaconquo

that put the Titans down at the six. Jim Wyatt did report, though, that Chig had the ball punched out. I believe it was by Matthew Jackson, and then someone jumped on it in the end zone. Heard a lot of forced fumbles coming from the defense throughout the first week of training camp. Titans offense really needs to focus on their ball security going forward.

I know they got a lot on their plate, but either way, a 30-yard seam route dot by Will Levis to Chica Conkwell over the middle. You love to hear that. And then Calvin Ridley caught another pass on the sideline. And Will Levis said after practice, he's so dang fast. Will Levis said it's actually taken him time to calibrate his throws based on how fast Calvin Ridley is. He's like, he said in his press conference, I got to get rid of it a little bit quicker than I'm used to

because he's so fast. Well, that's obviously something he didn't have to deal with last year. No one's confusing DeAndre Hopkins with a speed demon. Traylon Burks was barely out there, and Burks doesn't play to his speed throughout the first two years of his career. He hasn't played as fast as he probably is. And then obviously with NWI and Kyle Phillips,

Chris Moore, we're not talking about speed demons here. So Calvin Ridley's probably the fastest wide receiver that Will Levis has worked with since Wondell Robinson, you know, and I don't even know if what I'm not looking at their 40 numbers, but is Wondell Robinson as fast as Calvin Ridley? Probably not. Probably not. So these are the type of adjustments that we're talking about through the first week of camp where everybody's like, oh, the offense, should we worry about the offense? I saw some moron say, I thought the Titans were going to be an offensive team this year.

Sounds like they're a D. Come on. Let's calm down with the week one training camp overreactions here. But one thing that's worth noting, Will Levis said in his press conference after practice that Wednesday's practice was the first one where the defense didn't know what play the offense was running. Everything else so far has been scripted. The defense knew what play the offense was going to be running. Again, I talked about this yesterday.

I talked about this after Saturday's practice. I love when people say, this guy's never played football. I have forgotten more about football than some of you people who say that to me will ever know, okay? I played football for a decade. My dad was the president of a peewee organization. I've spent my life at football games, in football, playing football.

If you have ever played football, then you know that there are scout team heroes out there who know the play that the offense is going to run and try to make themselves look good by making a play against it when they know what's coming. Well, it's no surprise that on the first day that the defense doesn't know what the offense is going to run, unscripted periods, that the offense looks as good as it's looked all training camp. So, put two and two together right there.

I can name a few guys on the Titans defense who I think are scout team hero mentality. All right. So love hearing that connection with Tyler Boyd connection with Josh Wiley, Calvin Ridley, looking fast, Traylon Burke showing out. I mean, what more do you want for all of you people freaking out about the offense,

let's pump the brakes. One, I think this Titans defense is going to be better than we expect. And two, it's one week of training camp. And now we're seeing the offense start to get going. All right? But with that being said, let's focus on the rookies. Let's get a little bit of a rookie report here for the Titans.

How are the Titans rookies doing through the first week of training camp? We'll talk about that now. Before we 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 tell you guys all the time. I will continue to tell you. They have the best features of any ticket buying app in the industry. One, you get all-in prices,

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We talked about the offense, getting some revenge. Will Levis having a great day. Now I want to focus on the Tennessee Titans rookies because it's been one week of training camp for the Titans now. One week since the first practice. And some of these Titans rookies are just having a fantastic performance out of the gate. It's just quite a breath of fresh air for Titans fans, in my opinion.

But before I get into it, I want to thank you again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, all year round, always for free. You know, it's days like yesterday with all the craziness. If you aren't following me on socials, if you aren't tuning in to the Locked on Titans podcast, if you aren't tuning in to the Tic Tac Titans film channel,

as a Titans fan, I don't know what to tell you. You couldn't be more informed, more entertained. I'm a one-man content machine, baby. Get subscribed. Stay subscribed. Follow me. All of that. It's going to be a great season of Titans content. But with that being said, let's talk about these rookies. Because according to JT Runky, JC Latham had a good day on Wednesday.

Now, it's been tough for JC Latham. Rookie left tackle going against experienced defensive linemen like Jeffrey Simmons, Tavondre. Well, Tavondre Sweat is just good, apparently. been tough for J.C. Latham. Rookie left tackle, going against experienced defensive linemen like Jeffrey Simmons, Tavondre. Well, Tavondre Sweat is just good, apparently. I mean, we'll get to him in a second. Obviously, Harold Landry, good player, and we know that Arden Key is a training camp Hall of Famer. So, been tough for J.C. Latham, been tough for the offensive line, no doubt, but now we're really starting to see the onus be on, hey, it's the right side of the offensive line, no doubt. But now we're really starting to see the onus be on, hey, it's the right side of the offensive line that's struggling. J.C. Latham bounced back.

Obviously, he made Jeffrey Simmons very angry yesterday at the beginning of practice, which, as I said yesterday, probably a good sign for J.C. Latham. So the fact that everybody is starting to say, yeah, it's the right side of the offensive line that's struggling so bad. We got reports that J.C. Latham is bouncing back and looking good and getting comfortable. Like, that's everything that you want to hear.

I have said all along that I am expecting average left tackle play from J.C. Latham this year. I'm not expecting him to be a pro bowl, all pro level player right away. Okay? It usually takes, look at Peter Skowronski. I mean, I know he went through the mid season appendectomy and everything, but even the best college offensive lineman can struggle a little bit to transition to the NFL, especially when you're relied on to be such an important piece of your offensive line. But man, JC Latham is checking a lot of boxes and it's hard

not to be excited about what he might be able to do. Then we get to Tavondre Sweat, which funny, I had somebody say, oh, it's funny how you're ignoring Tavondre Sweat to forward your, if you listen to this podcast all week, have I been ignoring Tavondre Sweat? No, it's quite the opposite. I put him on the front of the thumbnail. I led with his performance. And I'm going to continue singing his praises just like I told you guys I would if he plays well. And Tavondre Sweat continues to be unblockable in one-on-ones. He is unblockable.

Okay? And it makes sense. A guy that big, that athletic, just one-on-one. Tavondre Sweat is the type of guy you're going to have to use two people to stop. And if you put one person on him, they're probably going to have trouble. Okay, they're probably going to have trouble. Now, worth noting that Lloyd Cushenberry and Peter Skowronski both had good reps against Tavondre Sweat in team period.

Just individual reps. But overall speaking, Sweat has had a ton of pressures already. He's had two sacks throughout the first week of training camp. Probably could have had a couple more if plays were actually blown dead when a sack happens. Devondre Sweat is living up to all of the expectation right now. There are people out there talking about defensive rookie of the year and stuff like that.

Obviously, I think that that is a stretch too far, but, I mean, he has been good early in camp, and they are pushing him, and they are riding him as a coaching staff to get him in the best shape possible. And Denard Wilson, Titans defensive coordinator, talked about Sweat being such a beast, but it's just being about in the best shape of his life so he can play all the snaps and finish games.

So, I mean, it's really a microcosm of the conversation around Tavondre Sweat in general. The talent is there, and it's obvious. But it's the off-field and the conditioning. If that stuff is right, if he's a 10 out of 10 on conditioning and all-field commitment, obviously the talent is there, and we're seeing it. We're seeing it in training camp.

I got to spend some time talking about Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Guys, I loved JBJ in the fifth round. I loved that pick for the Titans. Really high on him coming into the draft. I highlighted him as a guy who the Titans should be looking at when we went into our cornerback deep dive during the pre-draft rankings series that we did. He is sticky, tight man coverage, feisty, and he's so quick. When you're playing tight like that, it's easy to get lost. Saw him shut down Calvin Ridley on a play one time.

He's been all over it. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is a player, folks. The Titans might have got a gem. Might have got a steal in JBJ. Hype for him. And Will Levis talked about how good he's looked and how he's a good personality in the locker room. And he wears these neon green cleats that are very noticeable on all the videos. And they make him noticeable out there. I saw somebody, I forget who it is exactly now.

I wish I could give it credit. But I think it could have been JT Runke, I think. But he said that for his money, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has been the best cornerback out at practice. Titans got a steal in JBJ. Absolutely. Jaquan Jackson got praise from Will Levis on Wednesday as well. He's being used as, like I talked about before training camp started,

as a gadget player. I think they call it the joker in the offense, the technical term. But he had a big play on a reverse, using him in motion. We saw in the Malik Willis film breakdown how they brought him in motion across the formation and they had him leak out to the flat. They're going to try to get Jaquan Jackson some manufactured touches to let him make big plays.

Like, whew, man, the hype for this rookie class, it is pretty crazy. Also do want to mention Jalen Harrell. We talked about Jalen Harrell a lot through the first four or five days of training camp. It's been a little light the last few days, but Jalen Harrell got another shout out, according to Jim Wyatt, on Wednesday

and has just been playing excellent. Just been standing out, making plays all over the field, getting pressures, getting a few sacks. This draft class by Rand Carthon, man. I mean, they have a chance to make a real, real impact here. Now, I will say the two linebackers

haven't really gotten as much pop and as much buzz. We haven't heard anything about James Williams. Literally anything about James Williams at all. And then Cedric Gray, who I really liked and had high hopes for, all the buzz has been about Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbons. So,

I don't think Cedric Gray is playing poorly necessarily, but with how well Kenneth Murray has played and how Jack Gibbons kind of has a stranglehold on one of those starting jobs, I just don't think there's room for Cedric Gray to really make the noise that maybe some were expecting or hoping for. So that's the rookie report.

As a Titans fan, you've had some bad rookie classes recently. We got to be hype about what's going on now, but we got to talk about Malik Willis because Malik just continues to play well and the Titans need to give him more opportunities. Before I dive into that though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Look guys, I love sports. I love them so much.

I never want them to stop, but the reality is during this time of year, the sports can slow down and they just stop sporting I never want them to stop. But the reality is, during this time of year, the sports can slow down and they just stop sporting like we want them to. But here's the thing. FanDuel, FanDuel is making sure that all summer long, you can have some sports fun. Because FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily during this summer.

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We talked about Will Levis and the offense. We did a little bit of a rookie report card. Now, I want to talk about Malik Willis, who continues to impress, continues to play well, and I think it's time for him to get some more opportunities. So I'm going to tell you guys about that. Before I do, I do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Now for your second listen.

Make sure you check out Locked on NFL Scouting. The draft dudes Joe Marino and Kyle Krabs take you inside the front office and make you a smarter NFL fan every single day. Stay up to date on training camp and position battles as the season draws near. Locked On NFL Scouting is available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. It's part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. So Malik Willis made more plays on Wednesday. Okay?

Made more plays. Had a couple of nice passes. Looked good at 7-on-7. Remember yesterday I told you he picked up a fumbled snap and then bombed it down the field for a big touchdown. We obviously saw his performance in Saturday's open practice to the media. If you missed his performance, I did a breakdown on the Tic Tac Titans film channel

of Malik Willis' practice performance on Saturday. I am shocked by it. I will say this. I said it recently when we gave Malik Willis his credit after Saturday's practice, but after Malik Willis got benched for Josh Dobbs off the street his rookie year, I'd kind of given up hope on Malik Willis. And then we see him last year against Baltimore. Does not look good at all.

And then they go immediately to Will Levis. at all, and then they go immediately to Will Levis. Every indication that we've had, including the game tape, has told us that Malik Willis is not a good player. Malik Willis is not an NFL player at that. And I've said those things myself. But Malik looks like a different person this year. His base is better. He's more calm and collected.

He looks like things have slowed down. And in year three, they should. They should. But here's the reality. Malik Willis has diced up the third team for most of training camp. So it's time, if we want to call this a real backup quarterback competition, if this is a true backup quarterback competition, then it's time for Malik Willis to get some time with the second team. And there are some reporters live from training camp saying the same thing. Time to give Malik Willis an increased shot. Time to let Malik Willis get some run against the second team defense

with the second team offense and see if it translates. Look, if they put him with the second team offense and he looks bad again, then you'll know, hey, he's just cutting up the third team. Guys weren't going to make this roster. It is what it is. But if he stays playing as well as he's playing right now against

the second team, well, then we might really have a backup quarterback competition on our hands. All right? And when we get into preseason games, I would like to see Malik Willis get some opportunity with the second team offense over Mason Rudolph. Now, here's what has to be said. It's much more exciting to talk about Malik Willis. Titans fans have seen Malik Willis the last few years.

Obviously, a third-round pick. He's just a lightning rod of a player. People like to talk about Malik Willis. But Mason Rudolph has been good, too. So, remember that during the Malik Willis. It's not like Mason Rudolph has played poorly and Malik Willis has played so well. And it's obvious that Mason Rudolph has been very good as well.

Mason Rudolph just, he doesn't take the risks and things like that that Will Levis will, or maybe Malik will, but as your backup quarterback, you just need somebody to play smart, to play conservative, to steer the ship. Okay? And Malik Willis has done enough. to play smart, to play conservative, to steer the ship. Okay?

And Malik Willis has done enough to get more opportunities at the next level. But Mason Rudolph hasn't necessarily been bad to deserve a demotion in any way. So it does make it difficult. And I could see if we got the coaches on truth serum, they'll probably say, yeah, Malik's looked good against the third team, but Mason Rudolph has been just as good against the second team. So why would we believe that Malik Willis is better?

I don't really know how you answer that or what you do with that, but here's what I would tell you. We still deserve to see Malik Willis with the second team. Just to see how it looks. Just a tip. You know what I mean? Like, regardless of what Mason Rudolph has done or not done, Malik Willis still deserves some opportunity to be with the second team

and see what that looks like. And keep this in your mind, Titans fans. Keep this in your mind. If Malik Willis continues to play well, maybe a little trade, maybe a little trade action could be happening. I think that would make a lot of sense. Do want to give one last note here.

It was fun fun the Jeffrey Simmons stuff yesterday fighting with the media and blah blah blah blah blah but ultimately that is not going to have any impact on the season today Jeff came out apologized said

it was unacceptable behavior it's not who he wants to be that's not how he should act as a team leader. Honestly, I didn't think it was too crazy to where he has to do all that, but that's a good leader. You know, I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I'm accountable. That's not how I should act. That's not how I should be. The fences were mended. The bridges were built so it was a fun story yesterday but everyone's

moving on from that now and that's the right thing to do ultimately that little incident and those training camp fights and it's not going to have any impact on how many games the Titans win this year so it was fun but just wanted to give you guys that update. It's probably the last time I'm ever going to talk about that, at least in a serious manner. I might reference it as a joke at some point, but yeah. Anyways, wanted to update you guys there. Simmons apologized.

Everything's fine. We move on back to football. The Titans don't have an, excuse me. The Titans don't have an open practice until Saturday. So nothing on Thursday. Nothing on Friday. So tomorrow's episode, we're going to play a little training camp fact or fiction. One of my favorite TV shows growing up. Fact or fiction with some of these training camp narratives and training camp narratives and training camp

rumors and training camp hype, I guess. Fact or fiction. So make sure that you're back with me tomorrow to play a little game. We're going to have a little fun on our last episode of the week. But with that being said, that's going to do it for me today, folks.

As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland and this was Locked on Titans. We'll be right back.