Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Get Second Day of Good News, Vrabel Discusses Roster & AFC South Quarter Pole Recap: Colts/Jags

Episode Date: October 7, 2020

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, this modified rewatch Wednesday version of the Locked On Titans podcast is presented by Visa. Help support your local businesses, whether they're your corner stores, coffee spots, or favorite shops.

Local businesses have always been on your team supporting you and your community. But right now, more than ever, local businesses need our support. So let's be there for them. The next time you go shopping, make the choice to shop at local businesses and look for the contactless symbol and tap to pay with a contactless visa to help support your community because where and how you shop matters. Visa everywhere you want to be the official partner of the NFL. And I will explain my modified rewatch Wednesday.

Now we got a big show ahead on today's Locked on Titans podcast. the NFL, and I will explain my modified rewatch Wednesday now. We got a big show ahead on today's Locked on Titans podcast. Say it with me, fans. No new positives. So we have no new positive tests for the Tennessee Titans for a second day in a row. Absolutely fantastic news. If you would like to see the Titans play a football game this weekend, and I know that I would.

So from there, we need to start taking steps towards this game. How do the Titans deal with the situation that they have been dealt with? So we are going to go over the latest news and then hear directly from Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as he answers some of the more pressing questions, mostly how do the Titans deal with the COVID-19 outbreak from a roster perspective. So we'll hear directly from Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Rabel as he gets us ready

to start transitioning into preparation for a football game. And then we are going to continue our quarter poll recap of the AFC South on Tuesday's show. We took a look at the dumpster fire that is the Houston Texans. Today we will continue that and round out the rest of the AFC South, talking about the Indianapolis Colts and then the Jacksonville Jaguars. So we are going to go over both those teams to round out today's show and round out our quarter pull AFC South mini series recap. So excited to go over all of that with you today and really excited to get back into

some football preparation on a crossover Thursday. On tomorrow's show, we will have Joe Marino from the Draft Network, but also the host of Locked on Bills. We have a crossover Thursday conversation coming your way tomorrow and a game preview Friday where I go over my keys to the game, players to watch, do a schematic deep dive for you so you know exactly what to be looking for, fantasy, gambling, injuries, and much, much more.

So excited to get back into the regular swing of things, looking at these football games and of course Monday we will have a game recap with my keys to victory hopefully and then my tighten up tighten down segment going over individual awards so a lot coming up on the Locked on Titans podcast as the Titans get back into their schedule make sure that you are subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream, whether that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher. Also, follow me on Twitter at TicTacTitans for additional content as well. But a big day for the Tennessee Titans. Positive momentum going towards getting back into the building.

So let's dive into everything on this Modified Rewatch Wednesday. Let's get it! Results came back on Tuesday morning showing that for the second straight day, the Tennessee Titans had no additional positive COVID-19 tests after having positive tests daily for six straight days. So the Tennessee Titans have two days in a row with no new positive tests. And if they are able to have no new positive tests on Wednesday morning, then the Titans can get back into the facility later that day on Wednesday

and begin preparation for a Sunday game against the Buffalo Bills. Obviously, at this time, the number one priority for the Titans is accomplishing that so that they can get their season back on track as they do currently have the lead in the AFC South with a 3-0 record. And, of course, head coach Mike Vrabel spoke with the media on Tuesday and talked about some of the issues and some of his perspective on this situation. And first he talked about how hopeful he is that the Titans will be able to play a game on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Audio courtesy of TennesseeTitans.com. Hopeful, you know, excited that we've been able to string together a couple really good days as far as the testing and really just getting back to where we were. Hoping for some, again, for some continued good news tomorrow morning and then we'll kind of see where where we are with the league and hopeful to return and get back into the building and when the titans do get back into the building one reality that they will have to deal with is they do have 12 players on the covid reserve list due to the outbreak and as mike rabel had mentioned earlier in the week it is only right that they begin their preparation for the Buffalo Bills

not expecting to have any of those players. And once again, that list includes defensive lineman Daquan Jones, long snapper Bo Brinkley, wide receiver Adam Humphreys, tight end Tommy Hudson from the practice squad, outside linebacker Kamalei Correa, cornerback Christian Fulton, wide receiver Cam Batson, defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, and defensive back Greg Maben. It also is possible that offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, after being on the list for multiple weeks, will be coming off the list this week as he was not one of the players included in the outbreak.

But that leaves Mike Vrabel with the question of how do you deal with all of the absences from a roster perspective, and he speaks to that here. No, we're good. We had 14 guys in the practice squad, and some of those guys will have played for us some of those guys haven't played for us and i know that they're excited and and i'm looking forward to to seeing them play um but you know we're we're confident in what we have and trying to look at um practice and i know there'll be some guys that'll have to you know pull pull some double duty for us as we prepare and try to look at practice. And I know there'll be some guys that'll have to, you know,

pull some double duty for us as we prepare and try to give each other a look. Mostly the DBs will have to help us out as wide receivers. And, you know, that's just where we're at. But confident that, you know, we'll have the right number of players at each position for the game. And while there is a ton of positive momentum for the Tennessee Titans and mostly good news so far this week, one dark cloud that is hanging over to the organization at this time is the

NFL's current investigation into how they navigated the COVID-19 protocols. Essentially, did the Tennessee Titans slip up at some point in time during the process that led to the outbreak? Well, Mike Rabel talked about that and was asked directly if the Titans had followed all the protocols during this process. Well, I think I stand by our efforts as an organization, as a team, in following the protocols that were in place. Um,

John and I put a lot of thought into it. We're going to continue to do everything that we can to, to make sure that, you know, as we enter back into this building, um, that things are safe and the players are comfortable and that their, you know, health and wellbeing is, is at the forefront. So what the punishment will be if there will be one from the NFL is something that remains to be seen. And of course, I'll be here to report on everything for you guys.

Make sure that you're locked into the Locked on Titans podcast and subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. But speaking of punishment, one quick note here before we move into our quarter poll AFC South recap mini-series the Titans rookie offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson was charged with DUI earlier in the year after an incident that was well documented with him doing donuts in an intersection whoa but the news of the day is that Isaiah Wilson's court date has been moved from what would have been today to February. And typically the NFL will not give

out punishment for off the field incidents until after the legal process is played out. So at this time, it seems like Isaiah Wilson will not be suspended or face any NFL punishment during this season, but will be more likely to face that punishment next season. And that's bad news for the Tennessee Titans, as Isaiah Wilson was not expected to contribute to the team this year based on his youth, but also his performance in training camp and some of the maturity concerns that he's had at this time. It's wise that the Titans not expect any contribution from Wilson so they would logically be able to withstand a suspension to Wilson and get that out of the way during his initial rookie season but next year it's logical

that Wilson will be asked to start for the Titans in his second year hopefully he would be ready for that responsibility by then so clearly Dennis Kelly will be a priority for the Titans in his second year. Hopefully, he would be ready for that responsibility by then. So clearly, Dennis Kelly will be a priority for the Titans to make sure he's still in the building on that three-year deal as Isaiah Wilson will most likely see a suspension of some kind during next season. Bilt Bar is the best protein bar ever. You guys know this. Last time we had a deal with built bar you guys sold out their inventory and at the time they just had their 12 original flavors but now they have six brand new

even more delicious or flavors like caramel brownie cookies and cream cherry barcia lemon almond cheesecake carrot cake that sounds delicious, and apple almond crisp. Remember, these bars are covered in 100% chocolate. They're soft and easy to chew, and it's not just the taste. Built Bars are great for any health-conscious guy or girl as well. They can help you lose or maintain weight all while it feels like you're eating a treat. They can help you lose or maintain weight all while it feels like you're eating a treat. The bars are low calorie, they're low sugar, they're high protein, they're high fiber, and they go great with any keto diet as well.

Best of all, if you took advantage of the promo code LOCKEDON before, you can do it again as the promo code has been relaunched. And this time, when you use promo code LOCKEDON at BuiltBar.com, not only do you get $10 off your next order, but you get a free cooler with your purchase while supplies last. So make sure you go to BuiltBar.com, use promo code LOCKEDON, and you'll get $10 off your next order. Once again, use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off at BiltBar.com. Typically, each and every Monday, to round out our Monday Game Recap Show,

we do a little song of the AFC South and take a look at what the Titans division rivals did during the weekend of football. I'm going to expand that this week as I started with yesterday's episode and do a little song of the AFC South recap, but at the quarter pool and take more of an expanded look at these teams. So we are going to continue that mini-series today and actually cap off that mini-series today, taking a look at the Indianapolis Colts first, and then taking a look at the Jacksonville Jaguars to round off today's show. So obviously, talked about the Houston Texans yesterday, them firing Bill O'Brien,

the dumpster fire that is the Houston Texans right now. So make sure you check out the first part of this mini series if you have missed that. We are going to continue diving into the AFC South and look at the Indianapolis Colts who sit at three and one at this moment in time. And on yesterday's show, I had a little bit of a controversial take. I did my own personal power rankings for the NFL, and I actually had the Indianapolis Colts one spot ahead of the Tennessee Titans at spot number 8. And I had a few people reach out to me on Twitter, at TicTacTitans, and let me know about their displeasure with

my ranking the Colts ahead of the Titans. So let's kind of dive into the Colts here and what they're doing so well and what they're not doing so well. First of all, the Colts are 3-1 after that upset victory to the Jags in Week 1. The Colts have rebounded here. They beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-11 in week 2, crushed the hapless Jets 36-7 in week 3, and then just beat the Bears 19-11 in week 4.

So the number one thing that I have to point out that everyone yells at me when I give praise to the Colts is their schedule. The Vikings 1-3, the Jets 0-4, the Bears are 3-1, but I think everybody thinks that the Bears are maybe playing a little bit over their head at this moment in time, and the performance against the Colts kind of reinforced my belief that the Bears are not that good of a football team. The Jags are 1-3 now, and the Colts thoroughly dominated that game, if we're honest with ourselves.

So, the Colts haven't played the best competition, but at the end of the day, they're playing NFL games each Sunday, and they're winning those games. So you can't take too much away from them at this time. But the Colts sit at 3-1. They're in second place in the division, right behind the Titans at 3-0, and they have been carried by their defense. The defense has been incredible. Maybe the best defense in the NFL through four weeks, arguably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And these are some of the numbers that point to that. Right now, the Colts have given up the second least amount of yards

as a defense in the entire NFL, right behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, of course. They are the best pass defense in the NFL, only giving up 637 passing yards in four weeks. That's incredible. Their run defense has been stout as well. They are the fourth best run defense in the NFL right now, only giving up 308 rushing yards in those four weeks. They have 10 sacks on the season.

That is tied for sixth best in the NFL. They also are the best 3rd down defense in the NFL, only allowing 31.1% conversion on 3rd down. And in the red zone, they are average, but still in the top half of the NFL, preventing their opponent from scoring touchdowns 62.5% of the time in the red zone. So the Colts have been pretty impressive early on on defense, and that has obviously been what's carrying them through. They gave up 27 to the Jags, but after that, 11, 7, and 11.

So very impressive from the Colts' defense early on despite the competition. Taking a look at the offensive side of the ball where the Colts are a little more, let's say, average. The offense is scoring 25.8 points per game. That is 17th best in the NFL, so not in the top half of the league. Now, the offensive line, as we know, is pretty fantastic. They've only allowed four sacks so far this year, that second best in the league. Now, the offensive line, as we know, is pretty fantastic. They've only allowed four sacks so far this year, that second best in the NFL, and Phillip Rivers is an older quarterback who doesn't have a lot of mobility, so it's very important that that offensive line keep him upright and keep him protected, and quite frankly, they're doing their job. The Colts have been able

to run the ball pretty decently, 461 rushing yards on the year. That's 13th best in the NFL. They are terrible, though, when it comes to conversions. The Colts are 34.5% on third downs. That's third worst in the NFL. They are scoring a touchdown on 46.7% of their red zone opportunities. That is fifth worst in the NFL. Their kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship, the rookie out of Georgia, has the most points scored

in the NFL this year. So the Colts are not taking advantage of the other team. Often they are leaving points out on the field, and that will be a vulnerable area where people look to take advantage of the Colts. That will be a vulnerable area where people look to take advantage of the Colts. If you can get anything going against their defense and keep the offense down to field goals, which they already have been, then you're going to have a good opportunity to beat the Colts and that's going to be the Titans recipe to do so. But the Titans don't see the Colts until week 10 where they'll face off against them two

times in three weeks. So they have a little bit of time to get ready, and both teams could be in a very different position by then. But we are going to continue and round out, finish off, this little quarter pool AFC South recap, talking about the Jacksonville Jaguars next. Let's round out this quarter pool AFC South recap and the Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast by taking a look at the Jacksonville Jaguars. So I'm excited to get into the conversation with Joe Marino from Locked on Bills tomorrow and kind of set our sights forward to a game against the Buffalo Bills.

But let's, like I said, round out today's show, finish out this AFC South recap mini series and talk about the Jags. So right now, the Jags are 1-3. They have completely come back down to earth after that initial victory over the Indianapolis Colts. They lost to the Titans 33-30 in Week 2. That was an enjoyable game, but once again, a nail-biter for the Titans. They got crushed by the Dolphins on Thursday night football, 31-13. And then they lost to the Hapless Bengals, 33-25 last Sunday.

So the Jags are crashing back down to earth, and the tank for Trevor conversation has begun again. Hopefully the Jags miss out on Trevor Lawrence just from a Titans perspective, but I cannot lie that it does feel good to see the Jags put back in their place after their fans got a little too spicy after that upset victory in week one but let's dive into who the Jags are at this moment in time and they're not scoring a ton of points on offense they're 23rd in the NFL in points per game at 23.8 they've had a ton of, a completely undisciplined team, which is no

surprise knowing what we know about Jacksonville. They've committed 28 penalties, that's sixth most in the NFL. They also have allowed 13 sacks on the year, that's third most in the NFL. Well, tied, of course, but third most in the the NFL despite the early success of undrafted free agent running back James Robinson the Jags have only rushed for 417 yards on the season that is 21st in the NFL on third down they're pretty decent they're 11th best in the NFL at 45.5% conversion rate so not too bad they're doing a decent job of giving themselves convertible third downs and Minshew uses his legs a lot to get those third downs converted so that's an easy recipe with a mobile quarterback to be able to convert on third so that is one of the

bright spots they are also seventh best in the red zone at 71 percent the problem for the Jags is they're not moving the ball into the red zone enough. They're not getting the ball moved between the 20s, even if they're having some success in the red zone. So the Jags offense is basically exactly what we expected it to be. They have some highlight plays. DJ Chark's a pretty solid player. Minshew's going to run around and make plays, but they're not going to be consistent. They're not going to consistently run the ball on their opponent. So the Jags have an average offense, which is pretty much exactly what we expected. On the defensive side of the ball, though, this is where the Jags really start to let down.

They've given up 1,598 total yards, which is ninth worst in the NFL. So a bottom 10 defense. They've given up 1,004 passing yards, which is 24th in the NFL. Completely bottoming out against the pass. Their run defense is not any better, giving up 554 yards on the season. 27th in the NFL. They've only had 4 sacks, which is tied for 2nd worst in the NFL. They've only had four sacks, which is tied for second worst in the league. Third downs, their 10th worst, giving up 46.8% of their third downs into conversions for the offense.

And in the red zone, they are bottom half in the league, allowing their opponents to score a touchdown on 61.1% of their red zone opportunities. So the Jacks have an average offense, a miserable defense, and are going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. Now, the Titans don't play the Jacks until much later in the season. They will get that rematch in Jacksonville in week 14 on December the 13th. So the Jacks have quite some time to maybe turn things around before they face the Titans again. But all indications do point to

the Jacksonville Jaguars competing, more likely competing for the number one overall pick than competing for a playoff spot this year. But Titans fans, that is going to do it for today's show. We have successfully recapped the AFC South after a quarter of the games in the NFL season.

But I have great news. Tomorrow is our personal first step on the podcast towards getting back into the football season. We will have a crossover Thursday conversation with Joe Marino from the Locked On Bills to begin to preview this matchup on Sunday. So excited to get back into the normal flow of the season, get back into our regularly scheduled episodes. Remember, we have crossover Thursday, tomorrow. I'll have a game preview Friday. Monday, our game recap with everybody's favorite segment, Tighten Up, Tighten Down.

Tuesday will be our Tic Tac Tuesday, where I break down the four most impactful plays from the game in week four's, well I guess it'll be week five's, Tic Tac four pack. Wednesday is rewatch Wednesday where I give you all my additional analysis from rewatching the coaches tape and then we're right back Thursday with a crossover Thursday

conversation which next week will be to preview a Houston Texans matchup. So we are back in the swing of things here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Make sure that you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. And as I mentioned, follow me on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans. And you guys came through with the sauce on the five-star reviews. Really appreciate that. As many of those as you guys can possibly give, I greatly appreciate it more than you

would ever know. But that's going to do it for today's show. No new positives. Let's hope for that again on today's Report Titans fans. That's going to do it for me though. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.