Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Will Levis STRUGGLES at OTAs, Defensive Domination & Treylon Burks is BALLIN'

Episode Date: May 31, 2023

The Tennessee Titans had their second open OTA and the big story was the tough day for rookie QB Will Levis. Levis had issues throughout, but some of the reaction is a bit overblown. Also, the Titans defense dominated the practice with near interceptions and a general hold on the offense. This is not surprising, but considering who the defense was missing, it is fair to be slightly concerned by the results. Finally, Titans WR Treylon Burks continues a strong summer with multiple catches on the day.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.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

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis struggled mightily at Wednesday's OTAs. I'm going to tell you what happened, plus break down the rest of 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've got a lot to talk about on today's show.

Will Levis struggles, the defense dominates, and Traylon Burks was balling. Before we get into all of that, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on YouTube, your favorite podcast app all year round and always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, where it's your team every day. We got a lot to talk about, so let's dive right in here. to talk about, so let's dive right in here. Will Levis struggled out there on Wednesday, and that was the main theme of practice is the quarterback struggle. So I'm going to dive into all of that. First and foremost, the big thing that happened for Will Levis that kind of got

everybody chirping was the bad throw that was put out by A to Z sports. The Titans quarterbacks are going through a drill where they run their feet over bags and then they try to hit one of three targets on a net. It was rough out there, okay? Will Levis threw the ball over the net. Didn't even get close. Plus, there were a ton of reports like this when you see from A to Z sports on the screen

saying inaccurate throws, bad decision making into double coverage, dropped a snap under center. But it wasn't just them. I mean, this was across the board. We got something here from Paul Kaharski saying basically, if you envision Ryan Tannehill not being the best option for the Titans. You're out of your mind. The other quarterbacks were miles behind Ryan Tannehill in terms of command, precision, and control. And I guess that's to be expected. At the end of the day, you're talking about two young quarterbacks in Malik Willis, and especially talking about Will Levis, who's a rookie quarterback. Ryan Tannehill in his, what, 12th season should be far and away ahead of both of these young quarterbacks, especially Will Levis, as a rookie. But at the end of the day, guys, it's okay to admit that you wish the reports were more positive. It would be better for the Titans if Will Levis came out and was absolutely on fire, right? So while there's some of the reaction to this Will Levis news,

and of course it wasn't just PK and A to Z, you had Buck Rising out there as well, saying it was a shaky day for quarterbacks, not named Ryan Tannehill, both Levis and Willis struggling with ball placement. And then Teron Davenport from ESPN also had some notes. He said that Will Levis has to continue to work on his touch throws. He had some other observations, which we'll talk about in just a moment as well.

But, you know, a lot of people are piling on. There are a lot of people in this fan base that don't want Will Levis to succeed. And when they see him struggle in any capacity, even if it's an OTA summer practice in May, people are going to take that opportunity to confirm the bias that they had before. And look, I wasn't a guy who was super high on Will Levis coming into the draft.

So I'm not going to be some soothsayer here telling you that Will Levis is great. Ignore these struggles. It's just OTAs. It's blah, blah, blah, all of that because I think the guy's going to be good because I thought he was going to be good to start. No, I was worried about the accuracy struggles.

I was worried about the lower body mechanics of Will Levis coming out of the draft. And yeah, it would be easy to say, hey, that's showing up right now with some of these inaccuracies that we've seen. And that's fair. But we do have to say at the end of the day, it is one practice in the middle, at the end of May. We're not even talking about training camp yet. So I'm not here to tell you, hey, ignore the struggles entirely, but I also have to be a voice of reason here and say that some of the overreaction and the negative reaction to what we saw here from Levis at OTAs on Wednesday,

it's a bit overblown. It's a bit unnecessary. At the end of the day, I think it's self-serving, a lot of it. People who didn't like Levis before using it as an opportunity to confirm their bias. Does this mean that it doesn't matter at all? No. Again, you would like to see Will Levis perform better than he did. But again, as Mike Vrabel said, there were some nice throws in there. As we saw reported, there were some nice throws in there as well for Levis, but there were some struggles, including some ball security issues. He's dropped the ball on the ground multiple times now in OTAs. We've heard that before. We heard that last week that

there was a botch snap. It looks like the last play of practice on Wednesday was a botch snap by Levis, but Mike Vrabel kind of defended Levis in a way saying there's a bunch of different centers snapping the ball, getting used to where the center is going to go, so how the ball is going to come to you, all that. But at the end of the day, it was a struggle for Will Levis, but he wasn't the only one. While Teron Davenport from ESPN said Malik Willis looked comfortable and threaded a pass to Burks,

there was a report that he threw a pretty good pass to Chicken Conqua over the middle as well. For the majority of the day, Malik Willis struggled with ball placement, with decision-making, things like, I mean, Malik Willis also struggled and was, again, miles, miles behind what Ryan Tannehill was doing. So while all the attention will go to Will Levis and his struggles, the reality here is Malik Willis didn't have a great

day either. And both of those guys are far from Tannehill who continues to be king. Tannehill continues to be far and away. But the point I made after practice when there were some people saying like anybody who thought that Ryan Tannehill

wasn't the best option for the Titans is out of their mind. Basically, it's the consensus that people were throwing around there after practice. But who in their right mind thought that the Titans would win more games with Malik Willis or Will Levis anyways? I don't think anybody in their right mind thought that that would happen. Everybody always knew, and we still know,

that the way the Titans can maximize their wins is with Ryan Tannehill. But the question becomes, even with Ryan Tannehill winning seven to nine to ten games, is that really what's best for the Titans' future? So I thought there was a little bit of a weird narrative going on there, trying to talk down to people who don't even exist, in my opinion.

I mean, if there's somebody out there who thinks the Titans would win more games with Will Levis or Malik Willis, then, you know, there's an extreme everywhere you look in today's society. There's always someone on the extreme that most logical people would never buy into. So nobody out there who should be listened to thought Will Levis or Malik Willis would win more games for the Titans this year if they played over Tannehill.

But the conversation is, with Tannehill, what's the Titans ceiling? And is that really better for the team's future going forward? That's the conversation that people are having about Tannehill and whether he should be the starter or what the team should do at quarterback. It was never about replacing Tannehill with one of these young guys because that would result in more wins. That's a straw man argument that no logical Titans fan is making. So with that

in mind, we are going to move forward a lot more with today's practice or yesterday's practice that we have to get into, including a dominant performance by the Titans defense who won the day. Before we get into all of that, though, do want to tell you guys that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the number one sportsbook in America, and we are getting ready to enter the NBA finals. It is a perfect time to join FanDuel Sportsbook, and if you're a new customer, right now you can get a no-sweat first bet of the $2,500. That's $2,500 back in bonus bets.

Even if your first bet doesn't win, there's no better place to bet all of the finals action than America's number one sportsbook. They have great promotions every day. The app is safe and secure and easy to use. You can get paid instantly as well. So visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and get a no sweat first bet up to $2,500.

That's FanDuel.com slash locked on. FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. We're breaking down Titans OTAs from Wednesday. We talked about Will Levis' struggles in practice. We talked about Malik Willis' struggles in practice. We talked about Ryan Tannehill, the entire quarterback situation. Now I want to talk about the Tennessee Titans defense that won the day on Wednesday.

And I'll tell you why it's absolutely insane that the defense won. And, you know, if you take anything away, it does give you a little bit of concern for the offense, which we all already had anyways. But before we get into the defense and then cap off the show with some more news and notes, including Traylon Burks absolutely balling, do 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 YouTube, your favorite podcast app, always for free, never going to be behind a paywall like some other places. Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Got

a lot of great content coming up for you guys covering OTAs throughout the next few weeks, mandatory mini camp, a week basically 10 days from now. As we get into June, training camp is right around the corner. Got a ton of stuff for you guys as we get into the season as well. Make sure that you stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day. But diving back into my practice notes here, the Titans defense won the day. Okay, the quarterbacks struggled. Back into my practice notes here. The Titans defense won the day. Okay?

The quarterbacks struggled. Ryan Tannehill was pretty solid. But Malik Willis, Will Levis struggled. So on the opposite end of those struggles is the defense making plays and causing those struggles. Looks like we had three near interceptions for the defense. Guys in the second string, third string that were knocking passes away. Will Levis and Malik Willis passes.

Of course, there was a moment in practice where Jeffrey Simmons was getting, Jeffrey Simmons was loud and vocal the entire practice, according to reports. He was the loudest man on the field. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing big Jeff Barkin. And I love that. That's leadership. That's intensity. That's the kind of personality you want from a dominant defensive player in the NFL. But apparently he got into a little, I don't want to say wrestling match. I don't want to say argument. The right word escapes me, but him and Nicholas Petit Ferrer had words. Let's just say that.

And as Jim Wyatt said from TennesseeTitans.com, it didn't seem like they were planning their summer vacation when they were talking. So Jeffrey Simmons bringing the intensity, getting in little spats here with the offense. I like that intensity early on. I was raised by an old school football coach. A little bit of dust-ups in practice just shows that guys care.

You don't want people outright fighting because that takes a turn to weird. But, hey, a little intensity, a little pushing and shoving, a little trash talk. I think that's all good team camaraderie. At the end of the day, you want dogs in the trenches with you. And obviously, Jeffrey Simmons is that kind of guy. But the defense won the day. But what I really want to point out here is the Titans didn't have their starting defensive backfield.

We're going to get into absences and who wasn't there. But a little preview. Fulton wasn't out on the practice field. Kevin Byard, still not in attendance. Imani Hooker didn't participate. Sean Murphy Bunting didn't participate. Now, obviously you have Roger McCreary out there who I think will be the team's starting slot cornerback this year.

I think we'll see Fulton and Sean Murphy Bunting on the outsides in the starting base defense. So, the Titans' starting defensive backfield wasn't even on the field, and yet the Titans' defense still found a way to win the day. Apparently, the defense was swarming, great energy. They limited big plays by the offense. We know that the Titans' defense is far better than the Titans' offense. I think that's just obvious by looking at the roster and what we know about the team, but without the starting defensive backfield, they

were still able to dominate. Now, I think a lot of the defensive domination comes with the second string and the third string with rookie quarterback, Will Levis, second year quarterback, Malik Willis. I think that obviously has a lot to do, but at the end of the day, you got to think about the wide receiver issue here too. Like the Titans wide receivers probably weren't able to take advantage of second string defensive backs. Other than Traylon Burks, who do you believe in? I mean, I think Kyle Phillips has a ton of potential

to be a consistent role player for the Titans as a slot-only guy. But outside of Kyle Phillips maybe winning one-on-one in the slot, which I talked about Roger McCreary being a guy who was actually in attendance and played, so might have got a good matchup against him multiple times. Outside of Burks and maybe Phillips in the slot, who on this roster do you think can beat backup defensive DBs?

Do I think that Nick Westbrook-Akene or Chris Moore or any of the other guys are good enough receivers to consistently beat the Titans' second-string defensive backfield? No. They're second-string or third-string offensive players. It's not like Burks going against the second stringers.

Okay. So I guess maybe we shouldn't be surprised with the wide receiver situation or the quarterback situation, but with all four of the Titans starting defensive backfield out, you would have hoped to get better reports on the offense from Wednesday's practice. That's all I'm thinking. As I said to you guys,

Christian Fulton was back in the building. He wasn't out on the practice field though, but with that being said, we're going to get into some more notes. We're going to talk about Traylon Burks balling out there. We're going to talk about who was at practice, who wasn't at practice, and got an update on the kicker situation as well.

There's a lone wolf out there, and he is howling. We'll get into that in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We've been breaking down Titans practice from Wednesday. We talked about Will Levis' struggles, talked about all the quarterbacks, talked about the defensive performance as well, and why it's a little concerning with the offense considering who was out there and who wasn't. Now we're going to get into some extra tidbits here.

We're going to talk about Traylon Burke's performance throughout OTAs, Trey Wolf, the kicker, how he's doing right now, also talk about absences, who was present, who wasn't, all that. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on YouTube, your favorite podcast app, always for free. Get subscribed, stay subscribed, throw a thumbs up on the video

if you're watching right now. Just a like on the video goes a long way. I don't ask for any money. So in return, if you could, just press a button. I would greatly appreciate it. Also, got to go with a hydration break. Been slacking a little bit this week. My apologies, guys, but everybody make sure you get a nice drink of water.

It's hot out there. Oh, yeah. Love that. Tastes good. Love that water. But let's talk about who was actually at practice for the Titans, who wasn't at practice for the Titans? We have two returns.

Well, one and a half, we'll call it. But the people who were not there, Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker, Sean Murphy Bunting, Danico Autry, Harold Landry, Caleb Farley, Trevon Wesko, and Dylan Ravens. Returning, we have Monty Rice. And of course, as I said before, Christian Fulton did return to the team.

He just wasn't out on the practice field. So take that for whatever you want. I think it's pretty obvious that that nope that Mike Vrabel said last week when asked about Christian Fulton, whether he was there or not I think that was heard loud and clear now to Ron Davenport from ESPN responded to me saying

that and said that was the plan all along but I think that is quite convenient for Christian Fulton so I'm sure Fulton is saying that was the plan all along I think if you ask Mike Vrabel what the plan should have been Vrabel probably would have told you Christian Fulton should have been at OTAs last week. But we'll probably never know the truth on that situation.

You just got to use your own logic and you decide how you feel. But as for the other return, Monty Rice, important that he's back in OTAs if he wants to be a starting linebacker for the Titans this year. in OTAs if he wants to be a starting linebacker for the Titans this year. Mike Vrabel said after practice they need more consistency from Monty Rice. So Vrabel is issuing him

a challenge. They have Luke Gifford. They have Ben Neiman. They have Chance Campbell, Jack Gibbons. The Titans will give someone else a shot if Monty Rice doesn't hold it down. And that's why I've been pointing at Mon Monte Rice all season as a guy who really is in a crossroads moment for his career with the Titans and what

it's going to be. So interesting to watch there. But moving on, I do want to talk about two guys on the offensive side of the ball. Number one, Traylon Burks. Excuse me. According to Jim Wyatt, Traylon Burks hasn't dropped a pass yet. It appears that at the beginning of team period, every time Tannehill is looking for Traylon Burks. He's been consistent. He looks improved, like we talked last week. He's slimmer.

He looks more in shape. He looks more confident. I was hearing earlier today, mentally, physically, he just looks like a different guy. He's just on a totally different level than he was last year. And that makes sense to me. In my opinion, just based on everything I've seen from Burks, he seems like an impressionable kid. Like, he's a guy who doesn't want to shy away from hard work,

but maybe he needs a little bit of direction. Hey, Traylon, I think this is the best route to go if you want to accomplish this goal. So I think having the Titans coaches be so hard on him, having the Titans coaches push him so hard, having them explain to him what they want, what it takes not only on the field, but off the field to be successful.

I think Burks is the type of guy who just needed someone to say, go in this direction. This is what you need to do. And Burks is like, okay, I'm going to do that. He's been in the facility all season, learning the playbook. He's not out doing his own thing. No, he's in the building, working with the coaches, learning the new playbook, learning the system, staying in shape, getting adjusted to the environment.

Like Burks is checking every single box. We didn't talk about this on the show because at the end of the day, guys, I only have so much time with you each and every day. The powers that be, I can hear them. They're coming for me. They want to keep the show under 30 minutes. So I try to oblige. Traylon Burks had his transportation situation flipped on its head for the first set of OTAs. He literally rented a Cessna plane. Rented a plane so that he could get the Titans OTAs on time last week. He's locked in, folks. Locked in.

So Traylon Burks absolutely balling. One of the big stories to me that you know, maybe because people expect Traylon Burks to take a leap in his second year, it hasn't been talked about enough, but just because we expect it, hope for it to happen, doesn't mean that it will. So, the fact that it does appear to be

happening, I think that's a big development for the Titans. I continue to say, and we'll talk about it in a future episode, if things go right for the Titans this year, if they win more than expected, if they hit their ceiling this year, it'll have a lot to do with Traylon Burks turning into a true bona fide weapon,

a number one wide receiver in the NFL. Tajay Spears continues to look explosive. Continues to be used as a weapon. That's something that on yesterday's show, my everydayers will remember. I said I wanted to hear more positives about Tajay Spears and how he's being used. That's exactly what we got.

So, love hearing that with Spears. Explosive, ramps up quickly. All of that stuff is great news. Finally, the last thing I want to talk about here is the lone wolf. Trey Wolf, the undrafted free agent kicker out of Texas Tech. According to Jim Wyatt, he's 16 for 16 in the two open OTAs to the media. 8 for 8. Lowest being 31, furthest being 54. for 16 in the two open OTAs to the media. Eight for eight.

Lowest being 31. Furthest being 54. Hit all eight of his kicks on his way there. I've been concerned about the kicker position. We heard this last year with Caleb Shudick. Caleb Shudick is hitting all his kicks. He looks great. He's battling Randy Bullock. And when it came time for the season,

Titans had no options to go with Randy Bullock again. So I'm not going to get overly intoxicated on Wolf Juice right now, but still nice to hear. What I thought was weird was Caleb should have didn't kick on Wednesday. Is he hurt again? Are they just trying to give Wolf more opportunities? That's something to watch going forward for me. 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. time