Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Thank You Jets - Game Review, #TitanUpTitanDown & Playoff Possibilities

Episode Date: December 23, 2019

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Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Thank you, New York Jets, for defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Titans, which allows the Tennessee Titans for the third year in a row to control their own destiny heading into week 17. Now, the Titans did lose to the Saints 38-28, and we are going to talk about that in our first segment

when we break down the game and I give my big key points. And then in my second segment when we do tighten up and tighten down, talk about the individual performances. But we will wrap up the show with Song of the AFC South and mostly just playoff picture preview at this moment in time to talk about all the different avenues that the Titans have to make the playoffs, make sure you guys are up to date on that. And then also talk about some of the results from these teams on Sunday and how that'll

impact how they play these games going into next week. So we will jump into all of that. There's a lot to talk about. Things are really heating up. I know that we're all disappointed from the loss, but coming out of this Sunday, the Titans are in a great position to make the playoffs still. and because of that, it doesn't hurt so bad. We're going to dive into it all right now. Let's get it. Your Tennessee Titans lead story.

Although we know that the Titans control their own destiny now in terms of making the playoffs, they still did lose a game to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, 38-28, with all the odds stacked against New Orleans. New Orleans was coming off an emotional win on Monday Night Football with short rest, playing outdoors on the road against an AFC opponent that they don't play but every four years. All of those things together, but the Titans' offense was non-existent for periods of the day. The Titans' defense was porous throughout the entire day, and even the special teams made some uncharacteristic blunders that really hurt the team. So, let's take a look at this game before we talk all of the

playoff madness and make sure that we have good takeaways and know what the team needs to do better. Although this game did not hurt the Titans chances of making the playoffs, there are still plenty of things that need to be looked at and takeaways that we need to examine to see how they need to get better if they want to beat Houston, which they weren't able to do the week before. To see how they need to get better if they want to beat Houston, which they weren't able to do the week before. So, let's start with our keys to the game from Friday. They were stopping the run, slowing down Michael Thomas, and holding up in pass protection. Well, all three of those things did not go the Titans' way. The Titans gave up 102 total rushing yards.

Alvin Kamara went for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Thomas went for 12 catches, 133 yards and a touchdown. He broke Marvin Harrison's single season career recept or single season receptions record during the game on the touchdown catch at the end. And in pass protection, the Titans gave up five sacks. Now, not all of that is on the offensive line because Ryan Tannehill definitely held the ball a long time on some of those sacks. But with all the hits and the pressures, remember, I always say it's not just sacks. It's about hits, pressures, knockdowns, those sort of things.

Getting the quarterback off his spot. And the Saints were constantly in the backfield due to the offensive line struggles. So, a combination there of Tannehill and the offensive line as it always is when you see a sack, but unacceptable and what would have been you know a really solid play for them now the play turned out to be a fumble that is a fumble it was a fumble that is correctly called that was a fumble he took made a football move however that is a clear head to head hit a clear targeting violation on the Saints defender and once again Jerome Boger as he always does just to remind you Jerome Boger was the same referee for the Miami Massacre in week one of last season the eight-hour marathon that was just one of the most poorly officiated

games in NFL history Boger by most, is the worst ref in the NFL. White Hat, as I like to call him, the leader of that crew. His crew and him as a head referee are the worst in the league. So while the Titans could have played much better, it's impossible to deny the impact that that non-call and that play had on this game. So I have to mention that. Don't like to dwell on the refs, but Boger is just so terrible. It's something that you can't help but point out and see pretty obviously.

And he's pretty universally despised by all of the NFL fandom and all of the analysts I see. It's like everyone knows how bad Boger is. And there's a reason that his crew never gets work in the playoffs. Lastly, the game was won, as I mentioned, the Saks just now. The game was won when the Titans stopped getting pressure on Drew Brees late in the game was one as I mentioned the sacks just now the game was one when the Titans stopped getting pressure on Drew Brees late in the game they ended up with three sacks but like I said it's more than just the sacks it's about causing pressure being disruptive making Drew Brees move off his spot and they weren't able to do that enough in the second half they were

getting pressure on Brees early making him, and that's how they were able to get out to that lead. But when winning time came about, they really weren't able to put enough consistent pressure on Breeze to make a big enough difference and help out the secondary that struggled so mightily with Jared Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas. So that is going to do it for my game review. My last final takeaway here, and it's something that just wouldn't escape my mind while I was watching the game, especially in the crucial moments. The Saints have five people better than any player on the Titans roster, whether healthy or whatever. And I love the Titans roster. I think the Titans have a very good roster, one of the better rosters in the NFL. better rosters in the NFL. But there's a certain level that players get to where they turn it on. We saw it last week. Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, those guys are better than anybody on the Titans, period, by far. And when the game mattered most, they took over and they beat us. And then today, the Saints have Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Cam Jordan, and Marshawn Lattimore.

And all five of those guys are better than any player on the Titans. And I know that some of you are not going to agree with that, but in my opinion, that's just the facts. And when you play these teams, these high-level teams, it's going to be really difficult to win when you don't have a superstar capable of absolutely taking over in the biggest moments. And while Derrick Henry has done that at moments and times during his career, and he has that capability, having that guy not be your quarterback or the wide receiver, ultimately in winning time, when the game's on the line, you're going to have to throw the ball. Derrick Henry can't really help you that much in the passing game in terms of running regular routes is something we've talked about on the show before so ultimately you're playing a team like the Saints and they got five or four guys some of you probably won't agree with Alvin Kamara

but they got five or four guys that are just better than any person on the Titans and when the game mattered most those people showed up and made the place so unfortunately until the Titans get some more high-level superstars or have some of their younger guys really turn into that, like an A.J. Brown or Kevin Byard turns back into that at some point in time, they're going to struggle if they do make the playoffs, playing some of the better teams, the Ravens, the Patriots, who have superstar quarterbacks and superstar wide receivers. It's just going to be a tall task for this Titans defense, Titans team, unless they find a way to get a lot healthier than they are right now very, very quickly and have a much better game plan than they've had the last few weeks against some of

these high-flying offenses that they're going to see if they do get the opportunity to play in the playoffs. So kind of just my last thoughts on that. It's like I said, it's something that I couldn't escape while I was watching the game and when the big moments rise, I'm just like they have studs. They have superstars and they're probably going to take over for them and that's what happened. So, hopefully the Titans can get healthy, get their

superstar back on the field and maybe find a way to win a ball game. Get into the playoffs. It would be nice. Let's jump into our second segment with a little tighten up, tighten down. Right before we do, I want to remind you that if you are looking for a last-minute fun sports gift for the holidays, go to BreakingTea.com slash LockedOn.

Breaking Tea makes sports t-shirts around your team's favorite moments. Great for all fans. Go to BreakingTea.com slash LockedOn, and then feel free to search the site for great shirts and fun sports gifts. Tighten up. Tighten down. Let's talk about some individual performances. The good, the bad, and the ugly

from the loss against the Saints. I will start with the positives. A tighten up for Derek Roberson. Two sacks, two and a half, whatever you want to call it. Like I said, I'm morally opposed to half sacks. So two sacks for Roberson. I thought he was fantastic in spot duty, stepping up in a big moment when the Titans need as much help off the edge

as they can get and as much pressure in the backfield as they can get on opposing quarterbacks. So hopefully as a rookie he'll be able to improve his craft. Improve his game. And maybe be one of those pieces for the Titans that can provide depth going forward for the next couple of seasons. Also, Jonu Smith. Three catches. 63 yards. One touchdown.

Obviously most of that came on one big play, but I just wanted to give him a tight note because he continues to show explosiveness and continues to show that despite losing Delaney Walker and most likely not having Delaney Walker on this team next year, the Titans are still in a pretty good spot at the tight end position. Ryan Tannehill, I felt like in certain moments, Ryan Tannehill hurt the team, of course, with holding the ball too long, but in some moments, especially one of Tajay's touchdowns, a terrible play design and Tannehill just bought time, found a guy open, and made a play. So, a lot of times today, I saw Tannehill doing things like that. So, I got to give him a tighten up for his 17-27,

272, three touchdowns. He did everything he could. I thought he played a pretty solid game. Other than holding on to the ball a little long on some of the sacks and some of the pressures, I still thought Tannehill was one of the better players out on the field and gave the Titans a pretty good shot to win the ballgame. Tajay Sharp showed up in a big moment here. Five catches, 69 yards, two touchdowns.

Corey was a little banged up. It seemed like after his catch out of bounds, non-catch out of bounds, obviously not having Adam Humphreys out there, you need somebody like Tajay Sharp who you can count on to come in, run precise routes, catch the ball with his hands, and be reliable. And he was able to get two touchdowns on the day because he is such a good target in the red zone due to his precise route running and sure hands.

Really good game for Tajay Sharp. That is a tighten-up. Also, I want to give a tighten-up to the much-maligned Deion Lewis. Now, I didn't expect him to come out and give us Derrick Henry-level production. That's just not what he is, and that's not what his role is. But 15 carries for 68 yards. He had some good runs get brought back by penalty as well. That's just not what he is, and that's not what his role is. But 15 carries for 68 yards. He had some good runs get brought back by penalty as well.

One catch for 19 yards on a screen that I kind of hope that they ran some more screen action. The Saints were getting a lot of pressure, and sometimes if you throw a few screens in there, then it gives you the ability to slow them down and make the pass rush think. But they didn't do a lot of screens. So Deion Lewis in his role, if he was able to do that in a normal game, it would be fantastic. With Henry by his side, that would be great. That's exactly what we wanted him to do, but that hasn't been the case, and I know it, but he was able to produce today, so I want to give him a tighten up. Moving into the tighten downs. Taylor LeJuan and Jack Conklin got whooped all day long.

I mean, the entire offensive line and Tannehill are to blame for the sacks always, but it wasn't just pass plays. I mean, we saw Taylor LeJuan get destroyed on an outside zone on a big third down. I mean, Taylor LeJuan was miserable in this game. Jack Conklin was miserable in this game. And the most disappointing part about that is the Saints were without Marcus Davenport, their talented edge rusher. They were without Sheldon Rankins, their very talented interior rusher. This was basically the JV line of the

Saints with Cam Jordan. And the Titans got obliterated on the offensive line in the trenches. So really disappointing to see that. You've got to hope that with the continuity on the offensive line in the trenches. So really disappointing to see that. You've got to hope that with the continuity with the offensive line at this point, that they would be more of a strength, especially when there are so many injuries. You kind of need guys to step up and you would think the O-line would have a big responsibility in that. And they were just not able to do that. So a tightened down for the entire offensive line, really, but a major tightened down for LeJuan and Conklin, who just struggled mightily the whole entire game. My second tighten down is Kevin Byard.

This is a few weeks in a row now where he's just been absolutely roasted in coverage. He was beat by Jared Cook pretty badly on multiple plays, including his touchdown. He was beat by Michael Thomas on a few plays. he's just really struggling in man coverage right now and he's not getting the job done and when you have you know some people say because of all the injuries he's being stretched too thin he doesn't have enough help around him and it's leaving him out on an island where you know he's having these issues but to me this is just man coverage it doesn't matter who's around you you're guarding your man and he's just not getting the job done

he's not playing at the all pro level that we've you know grown accustomed to seeing him play at and if the Titans are going to have all of the injuries that they have in the secondary and they're going to go into the playoffs and play some of these high caliber superstars that I mentioned in the first segment and some of these high caliber offenses he's going to have to get back to his all pro level for the Titans to be able to survive and win so really disappointing to see his play as of late hopefully he'll be able to get back on track once you know maybe a Dory Jackson gets back in the lineup hopefully that will be the cure for that but right now I think you know it can't just be blamed on the injuries in the secondary when he's getting beat in man coverage lastly or not or not lastly, but third, Mike Vrabel, another tighten down.

What a stupid challenge on the sideline on that Logan Ryan play. I mean, I'm watching on TV. I get it. But he was so impulsive there. My question is, and it's something I'm going to try to find out on my own, but does he have someone upstairs looking at the replays, talking to him in his headset, telling him whether or not to challenge or what the odds are or what the options are for him? Does he even have that? He's been very defensive in his press conferences when asked about if the Titans have an analytics team, and that would lead me to believe

that they do not because he gets so defensive about it and basically pooh-poohs it and acts like you know the numbers or whatever you know he's going to go off how he feels out there which I'm not some analytic stat head who says you got to go by the numbers all the time but if you're not at least getting that piece of information to use that within your decision making process then you are failing at being a coach, and you're not doing enough for your fans, your staff, or your players. Quite frankly, it's indefensible. So to throw that challenge on the sideline, and a lot of people were saying to me on Twitter, at Tic Tac Titans, that a lot of players were on the sideline wanting him to challenge it. He was there, felt like it was a big play. All he says, that sounds like a player coaching a football team, not a coach.

And this is something that I said on Twitter as well, and it continues to pop up. The blind loyalty of Mike Vrabel, the impulsive decision-making, in-game time management, things like that. He's just not a good in-game coach. He puts a decent plan together. I feel like throughout the week, he's good at player development, like hands-on actually helping the players get better at their craft and what they do. But when it comes to coaching in a game, he is terrible.

We've seen it all season long. His in-game decision-making is hurting this team on a week-to-week basis. And that challenge cost them a timeout. It made him hesitant to challenge going forward and it's just he was right there that wasn't even close that is one of the worst challenges that I've ever seen so if he doesn't have somebody upstairs in his ear telling him whether or not he should challenge or what they're seeing and he's literally just impulse going off of you know what what's right in front of him that's a mistake as

well you have to have somebody helping you out with these things a lot of coaches do it's a common thing and if Mike Rabel thinks that he's got such a handle on things because of his experience of actually playing then he's doing the team and the fans a disservice and it's something that I've noticed throughout the year I try to call it out as best I can we've seen the kicking decisions we've seen the Adoree Jackson decision we've seen some of the go for it try to call it out as best I can. We've seen the kicking decisions. We've seen the Adoree Jackson decision. We've seen some of the go for it, not go for it situations. It's just perplexing that he does something like this almost once a game. And there's really just no excuse for it. Like I said, it's indefensible. So that was pretty disappointing to see because Mike Vrabel continues to coach like a player instead of coach like a coach.

And I'm kind of ranting on it right now, but I don't care. Even his answers in his press conferences. Okay, I know that nobody is a huge fan of Pique. But when he pressed him about LaShawn Sims picking up that punt late in the game, he said that basically the 9 yards don't matter. The 11 yards don't matter. We're going to have to go down and score with little to no timeouts and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry, but the best coaches, the very best coaches in the world and not just football, they just die over every single little detail. They analyze every single little detail.

Sometimes Mike Vrabel's answers make you believe that he's like, oh, well, you know, that wouldn't have made a big enough difference. It's pie in the sky. It wouldn't have mattered. We had to go out and make plays on the field. But that sounds like a player. You think Bill Belichick is saying, eh, the difference between, you know, the 9-yard line and the 20-yard line,

it's not that big of a difference with the game on the line. I mean, what it's it's like i said indefensible is the word i keep going back to and i'm not a fire mike rabel guy like i said i think he's a good coach in a lot of aspects but his in-game decision making is terrible and his mindset and his blind loyalty to players sometimes puts him in a bad position and that sounds like a player quite frankly so that's how that's how I feel and that's where I came to today Mike Vrabel coaches like a player coaching instead of a coach coaching and it hurts the team his his positives may be enough to outweigh that at the end of the day not a lot of coaches are perfect even Andy Reid is really miserable with in-game management

sometimes and it's something that everybody knows and he's a great coach one of the better coaches of our time so not every coach is perfect will Mike Vrabel's positives be able to outweigh those negatives I guess we'll have to see you know once his tenure as coach is over we can look back on things like that but right now those in-game decisions and then the way that he answers questions and his kind of yeah well we just got to go make plays mentality just doesn't seem like he is scratching the surface of every detail and looking at every possible way to make the team better if he's giving you answers now maybe he's just lying in those press conferences and just saying that so that he doesn't have to give a real answer but either way it's frustrating from

my perspective to see him do this to the team week after week I had someone also mention that you know those type of things garner favor from the players well in my opinion if you have to make terrible coaching decisions to get buy-in from your players then what are we doing here good coaching decisions that put your team in a position to win and being able to separate the emotions of your players and make the right decisions as a coach, that is what coaches are for. If not, you would just have the players run the show.

And sometimes it feels like the players are running the show because Mike Vrabel just coaches like a player. So sorry for ranting so long on that one, but man, it's frustrating, and I'm sure that it's frustrating for you guys as well. So with that in mind, I want to finish out, tighten down after a quick Rollins rant in the middle of tighten down, but A.J. Brown, he had the 49-yard touchdown run. I get it. He had one catch for 34 yards, which extends his streak. He's had a catch in every game this year. I'm glad he was

able to keep that going selfishly. I wanted that to be a thing, but Marshawn Lattimore shut him down. So he can be a superstar or we want him to be a superstar and he continues to get better every time, every game. But just remember that he's got a long way to go before he's a dominant, unstoppable wide receiver like a Michael Thomas on the other side of the field because Marshawn Lattimore basically erased him from the passing game and it hurt the Titans obviously anytime you take away A.J. Brown from what this team is doing it's going to hurt the Titans he wasn't near effective enough and while Marshawn Lattimore being on him all game is a good sign he's going to have to win those matchups going forward because there are plenty of great cornerbacks in the AFC. Last one, quick, don't want to spend a lot of time on it. Brett Kern had some bad punts, two specifically. I can think in my mind he had an off day. It was

a pretty bad day for the weapon. I'm kind of confused as to why he struggled on those few punts, but I guess he's been so good all year. Maybe he just had a few bad kicks, and that'll happen to you in this long of an NFL season. Like I said, not going to dwell on it, but kind of a down game for Brett Kern as well. The field position battle really did hurt the Titans. The Titans' complete special teams was a Titan down. They allowed a couple of good returns. Kalief took some balls out of the end zone that I don't understand why he did.

Brett Kern wasn't great, and the Titans weren't able to win the field position battle for out of the end zone that I don't understand why he did, and Brett Kern wasn't great, and the Titans weren't able to win the field position battle for most of the day. So we are going to jump into our Song of the AFC South playoff picture preview in our third segment. What I'm going to do is I'm going to focus on the games that matter for the Titans next week and the results coming out of this weekend and how things are looking. So we will jump to that next. Song of the AFC South and playoff picture preview. You guys know that at this moment in time, basically, we're out of caring about the AFC South opponents.

The Jaguars lost to the Falcons 24-12. The Colts won 38-6. As you guys know, the Texans won on Saturday against the Buccaneers. So now we really just need to worry about the Titans' playoff chances and which games going forward matter there. If the Titans win in Houston, they are in. Cut and dry. Control their own destiny.

All we got to do is beat the Texans and the Titans get the sixth playoff spot in the ALC. Unfortunately, if the Titans lose and the Steelers win, then the Titans are going to be out. Now, if the Titans lose, the Steelers lose, and the Colts win, well, the Titans are still out. But if the Titans lose, and the Steelers lose, and the Colts lose, well, then the Titans are in. So that is all the different scenarios that we need to focus on. So let's look at the games that matter here. We're going to have the Steelers who lost to the Jets. Thank you Jets, thank you Jets, who lost to the Jets on Sunday 16-10 at the Baltimore Ravens who beat the Browns 31-15. The issue here is Mark Ingram got hurt really bad in that game.

Lamar Jackson was limping in that game. Their stud tight end, Mark Andrews, was banged up in that game. The Ravens are probably going to rest all their starters. Now, the Ravens with RG3 and some of their backups against the Steelers who lost Duck Hodges during the game. He was in, then got benched, then came back in, then got hurt. And Mason Rudolph, who got hurt as well. They might both miss that game,

which would leave the Steelers with Paxton Lynch playing quarterback. I think that the JV Ravens can beat the Steelers at home. I really do. So I feel pretty comfortable there because, like I've said all along, I didn't like the Steelers. I told you guys. I thought the Jets were going to win this game. I loved them plus three.

I liked the Buccaneers plus three, which was a push. They had a chance to win that game, and Winston is just trash. I mean, it's insane. Four interceptions. But I think that the JV Ravens will beat the Steelers next week. Now, the Titans still should handle their business because they're, you know, unfortunately, we're going to get into the next game, which puts the Titans in a bad spot if they lose. So, the Titans do need to win, but I do feel like the Steelers will lose to that Ravens team. But I do feel like the Steelers will lose to that Ravens team. Now, the next game that matters for us, the Colts at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags lost today 24-12 to the Falcons. Like I mentioned, the Colts beat the Panthers 38-6. The Colts are kind of back playing better football here after, you know, that Monday night, you know, teardown by the Saints that, you know, they just ran into a buzzsaw there with everything going on in that Monday night football game and Drew Brees breaking records. So, can't really fault the Colts too much there. I think today is more the team that they are than against the Saints, especially if they're going to be going up against the Jags. So, the Jags are a dumpster fire, their tire fire, and I really don't see the Colts losing to the Jaguars next week, which means the Titans got to win.

The Titans have to win because like I mentioned, even if the Steelers lose and the Titans lose, if the Colts win and they're all 8-8, then the tiebreaker would go to the Steelers. Unless the Oakland Raiders win their game and go 8-8 as well, then the Raiders would actually pop in to that spot. So the Titans still need to win because the help that they need to get is probably not going to happen because the Jaguars, again, are a dumpster fire. So that kind of covers all of the information for our playoff picture preview

and song of the AFC South. That's all the paths that the Titans have to get into the playoffs. But the only path that matters, and the most important one, is you win and you are in for the third straight week 17. And this time, unlike last year's, the Titans have a real quarterback going. So hopefully they'll be able to do that. And it's also possible that the Texans will be resting some guys. Watson was very banged up in that game.

He had an ankle issue. Hopkins is a little banged up. Fuller's banged up. Watson was very banged up in that game. He had an ankle issue. Hopkins is a little banged up. Fuller's banged up. Stills got banged up in that game. So hopefully with the Texans having their, you know, division crown clinched, they will maybe rest some guys too. And I know everybody, you know, you want to beat the Texans full strength. I get it.

I want to get in the playoffs. So if that's, you know, by hook or by crook, I don't really care. As long as the Titans get in the playoffs, I'll be happy. And I don't care what kind of team we get from the Texans as long as the Titans get a victory. So guys, it's Christmas week. I have intentions of trying to just do a normal week, normal shows, and keep those coming out to you. If for some reason that is to change, I will make sure to let you guys know. Immediately on my Twitter account.

At Tic Tac Titans. I will try to put it in the most recent show. Once I have things figured out. But at this moment in time. I'm going to do my best to get you a regular week's worth of shows. A lot of shows out there. Will take a break this week. And a lot of shows already don't give you five shows a

week. So this podcast will, and I will do my best to try to give you a regular five show week. Because of that, if you guys wouldn't mind maybe giving me a review on iTunes or on whatever platform you're using, it would be greatly appreciated because I'm putting the hard work in for you guys. So hopefully in return, I don't ask a lot, give me just a little bit of a review. I would appreciate it. And hey, if you want to ask a question in your review, I will answer it on the show as well. That's something I'm going to try to get going

as we move into the offseason. But either way, hope you guys do have a fantastic holiday week. I will be back with you. I will try to get the Crossover Wednesday event all set away. It may not be on Wednesday because obviously that's Christmas this week. So Crossover Wednesday may not be Wednesday, but I will do my best to get linked up with the Texans host again and get a podcast to you guys where we can discuss the game at some point in the week. So just want to be transparent with you

guys, let you know you're enjoying the holidays as well as I am. So we all are in the same boat. Now the Titans lost, but because of the Jets, it didn't really feel too bad. I'm not as upset as I would be after a loss normally. So we can take that going into the holiday week with a little bit of positivity. We win and we're in folks. So that's all that really matters that's all you can hope for and we are here looking forward to a great week of shows looking forward to a great holiday hope you guys are the same I am your host

Tyler Rowland and this was Locked on Titans you