Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Ignore Logan Ryan & Division Crossover Convo w/ Locked On Ravens

Episode Date: May 12, 2020

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, we have another great show lined up for you guys today. First, Logan Ryan went on the record and talked about how the Tennessee Titans handled his free agency, or I guess a lack of how they handled his free agency. He had, once again, some interesting things to say about his interaction with the Titans throughout free agency. Doesn't necessarily surprise me what he had to say
Starting point is 00:00:32 with everything that the Titans are doing this offseason and the trend of how they handled things. But I guess anytime a player opens up and talks about how a team approach things, it's always something that you want to pay attention to, always something that's going to pique my interest, especially when it's a former Titan, talking about a situation that, quite frankly, the fan base was watching play out throughout the all season with hope that possibly Logan Ryan could be back.
Starting point is 00:00:57 So his answer to how the Titans actually handled his free agency and his availability was very interesting. handled his free agency and his availability was very interesting. So we will break down his quotes and talk about why it does make sense that the Titans would handle him in this way. So we'll talk about that first, and then we will continue our division crossover series. We will talk with Kevin from the Locked on Ravens podcast. And the last time we talked to Kevin, it was the Titans staring down the barrel of the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional playoffs. One of the better wins in franchise history.
Starting point is 00:01:31 So having Kevin back on to maybe bring that up just a little bit won't be a bad time. So look forward to that conversation. It is great. Do want to remind you guys that this episode of Locked on Titans is brought to you by Built Bar. Go ahead and check out BuiltBar.com. A ton of great tasting and healthy protein bars available for you. Use promo code LOCKEDON at Built Bar for $10 off your first box. But we are going to get into Logan Ryan's comments, also that conversation with Kevin
Starting point is 00:02:07 Allstriker from the Locked On Ravens. Now, let's get it. Earlier in the offseason, cornerback and former Titan Logan Ryan announced publicly that he would not be returning to the Tennessee Titans. And it ended an offseason full of speculation from those around the NFL and also the Titans fan base as to whether or not the productive slot cornerback would be brought back to Tennessee. Regardless of what the contract value was going to be, it seemed like it would be a logical fit to see Logan Ryan brought back to Tennessee regardless of what the contract value was going to be. It seemed like it would be a logical fit to see Logan Ryan come back to Tennessee after spending most of free agency in the entire offseason looking for a new team. Obviously not getting the type of offers that he was looking for. Maybe Ryan and Tennessee could come to
Starting point is 00:03:01 some sort of agreement, but as Ryan announced publicly they were not able to do that and recently Logan Ryan went on a podcast and gave a little bit of insight into how that process went and gave us a little bit more of a window into what Tennessee's perspective was on the deal and how they reacted and that podcast was the double coverage podcast the podcast comes from fellow Rutgers alums and Devin and Jason McCourty of course Jason McCourty spent some time in Tennessee throughout his career but now both Devin and Jason McCourty as twins play for the New England Patriots Ryan went on that podcast and had this to say quote it's just a business Tennessee never really offered me a contract.
Starting point is 00:03:46 They never really talked extension or free agency. They never really tried to bring me back. He also had this to say, I was willing to come back and work with the team on a one-year deal to earn the right for an extension or to go back to free agency next year. I just wanted my salary that I made last year. You play well in a contract year, you're going to get paid. I just wanted to keep that thing going. They weren't really interested in that. So what that tells me from that last paragraph, he does say, I just wanted my salary that I made last year. So throughout the entire thing, Logan Ryan has been steadfast. He expects to be paid no less than $10 million for the upcoming season, and that's what he got paid from the Titans last year. As a person who was incredibly
Starting point is 00:04:31 productive last year, being one of only three players since 2000 to have over four sacks, four forced fumbles, and four interceptions, from Logan Ryan's perspective, it does make sense that he would want to try to maximize his earning potential here as his athleticism starts to slip and his career starts to dwindle down if you have a productive season you're hoping to get paid but it's obvious that the Titans are looking to go younger the Titans are also looking to do more with press man coverage with their cornerbacks and that's not something that fits Logan Ryan's skill set. At this moment in time, he's more of a zone corner that can keep the offense in front of him and head downhill so that he doesn't get beat deep or doesn't have to stay with these quick, agile players and man coverage.
Starting point is 00:05:16 So the Titans are doing a little bit of a philosophy change. It is interesting to hear that the Titans never truly made Logan Ryan an offer, but it actually does make sense if you think about it from the perspective of they don't want to insult Logan Ryan by offering him something that they know he won't take. So if they know that he will not take their best offer, there's no reason to insult him by offering it. So it does make sense that the Titans would never go ahead and offer him an actual offer based on what he's asking for.
Starting point is 00:05:46 But it was interesting to hear from Logan Ryan directly how the Titans handled the negotiations or I guess lack thereof for Logan Ryan's potential return to Tennessee. So Titans fans and Logan Ryan himself can close that chapter. But again, very interesting to hear directly from Logan Ryan how things were handled. Next, we are going to get into the next edition of our division crossover series. Remember, this week we are talking to the AFC North, and we have a friend of the program, Kevin Allstriker, back on from the Locked On Ravens podcast. Kevin is an awesome guy, does a great job with that Locked On Ravens podcast, and he
Starting point is 00:06:29 was someone who we talked to in the playoffs before the Titans faced off and took out the Baltimore Ravens, so you know that I will have to ask him about his feelings after that upset loss, but we are going to talk about how these teams got better, how they dealt with their weaknesses from last season, where they're going in the future. So a really good conversation with Kevin. Can't wait to get into that with you guys. And that'll be on the other side of a break. But before we get into that break, I do want to tell you guys about Built Bar.
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Starting point is 00:09:16 And we are back here with this Locked on Ravens and Locked on Titans crossover episode. Kevin Ostreicher from Locked on Ravens here with Tyler Rowland from Locked On Titans. And Tyler, I mentioned it a bit earlier. I'm really excited to talk to you today, but a little bit of me has been dreading this day because we all know what happened in the playoffs at Tennessee Titans. Handing the Ravens their loss, ending their 14-game regular season, or their 12-game, excuse me, regular season winning streak.
Starting point is 00:09:43 I mean, Tyler, I have to start first of all by asking how you are but second of all just what went right for the Titans in your eyes against this Ravens team in the playoffs uh I I am doing fantastic uh coming off a great Titan season hopefully they're able to to build upon that that's the general feeling around the NFL right now though obviously is, but doing pretty well. Glad to be back on talking with you again. Of course. Yeah, I have been looking forward to the conversation because it was such a, uh, a great upset win
Starting point is 00:10:13 for the Titans. One of their better wins in franchise history. But, uh, I think that like most things in the playoffs and what most people know, I'm not going to try to reinvent the wheel with my answer. It was Derrick Henry. He just got on a run that, run that uh I'm sure Ravens fans have seen this and maybe they try to hide from it I understand those feelings but Titans fans have really uh reveled in it there's a mic'd up segment where Matthew Judon basically says I had him in the hole and I just bounced right off him and he just kept going and it was one of Derrick Henry's long
Starting point is 00:10:45 runs that he broke off and almost got to the end zone and Derrick Henry just kind of transformed into a man amongst boys in the in the manliest of men's sports and and kind of took over Ryan Tannehill was devastating when he was asked to be in that game circulating around social media in the past couple of days has been the 48 yard Kalief Raymond touchdown. A lot of people forget Ryan Tannehill's, uh, immense contributions in that playoff run. Derek Henry wasn't scoring all the touchdowns. The Titans were often doing the work with the passing game first and then allowing Derek Henry to kind of take things home and kind of salt things away. So the Titans just played to their formula perfectly, and the Ravens weren't able to counter the physicality.
Starting point is 00:11:30 And it seems like the Ravens have made moves to counter exactly that in the future. So I'll ask you some more about that in the next segment. But yeah, the Titans just played their game perfectly and caught the Ravens off guard, and it resulted in them advancing. Unfortunately, they didn't go much further than that, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs who eventually won the Super Bowl. But you can't complain from the Titans' perspective. You can only hope to continue to build. I'm sure the Ravens feel the same. We both didn't win the championship. Yeah, for most teams, it is Super Bowl or bust. And you mentioned, you know, the Titans playing
Starting point is 00:12:04 to their strength. It actually got the Ravens playing not theirs. With the Titans just completely dominating in the run game, they got out to a lead. The Ravens were forced to drop back a lot. And the Ravens got away from the actual running aspect of their offense that made them so good. And that's not to say if you ask Lamar Jackson to pass the football,
Starting point is 00:12:24 it's going to end and result in a loss because that's not the case. He progressed so much from year one to year two as a passer. It's part of the reason why he won MVP. But having Lamar Jackson carry the ball 20 times for 143 yards by himself, then only having the other two running backs on the roster who got a carry in Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards, they only had nine for a total of 42 yards. That's not going to cut it. Greg Roman, I think, just felt the pressure of getting down early, something the Ravens hadn't felt in a while. So that's something that I feel like you mentioned. The Titans played
Starting point is 00:12:54 their game, and that's what resulted in that victory for them. But you mentioned Ryan Tannehill, and kind of transitioning into the Titans' offseason moves, they gave him a pretty hefty contract, obviously also franchise tagging Derrick Henry. Tyler, take me through this Titans offseason in terms of the guys they brought back, the guys they extended, and also the guys they added from outside teams. Yeah, absolutely. I think that they had to do what they did in this offseason, and that's focus on bringing everyone back that they can from the offense to keep continuity from what was one of the more special offenses in Titans history last year,
Starting point is 00:13:32 and then also try to get younger on the defense. So I agree with your answer. The Titans kind of got the Ravens out of what they want to do, but similarly, you can get the Titans out of what they want to do if you get up early on them not because of uh how much that they run the ball but because the passing game is so predicated on the run game tannahill is great in those bootlegs and play actions mobile getting out to the edge of the pocket and finding guys you know in the shorter intermediate area so they can get the ball and get
Starting point is 00:14:04 up field and use the run after catch ability. So that's exactly what Tannehill does. And I think from the Titans perspective, although it was a large deal, and I understand from the outside that there is some hesitation with someone like Tannehill who maybe hasn't necessarily proven throughout his career he deserves that kind of money, but he just fits so perfectly into the Titans scheme. And it's a perfect mesh
Starting point is 00:14:26 of what he does well and what the Titans want to do. And I think that that makes it even with some possible regression, it makes it possible for Tannehill to repeat, but they added Isaiah Wilson in the draft to try to replace Jack Conklin because they want to run that same exact style, that same exact beat you up outside zone scheme. And you need big athletic tackles to be able to do that. They added a Darrington Evans in the third round from Appalachian State. To try to compliment Derrick Henry on the defensive side of the ball. They're expanding Jeffrey Simmons' role.
Starting point is 00:14:58 Sign a speed guy on the edge like Vic Beasley. Draft Christian Fulton. And I think that all of those things show that they're trying to keep it together on offense. They're trying to progress things on defense. I'd say it's been a pretty solid offseason for the Titans and trying to keep going what they had last year. Yeah, and you mentioned a little bit of that draft class. That's what I wanted to ask you about next.
Starting point is 00:15:21 Obviously taking Isaiah Wilson with the 29th overall pick. You mentioned that loss of Jack Conklin how do you think the Titans did in this draft Tyler would you give them an A or what's your grade um when I did my grades for the show and I I still even after you know a couple weeks of of letting things settle I still think that that it's a solid B you could go with a B+. My opinion, I obviously want the team to do well. So I think B plus is where I would go with, but I would understand a B. While I like the draft class, it's possible Isaiah Wilson isn't going to help the team immediately. And if your first round pick isn't going to help the team immediately,
Starting point is 00:16:01 then always you're going to get a little bit of a ding from that. Now it worked out with Jeffrey Simmons last year, coming back from an ACL tear. He didn't get to play the first six weeks of the season and things worked out fine. He should be an excellent player this year, but I just think if your first round pick might sit for half a year or a full season to start that that's going to ding your initial draft grade but I think Darrington Evans has the ability to compete and help the team contribute immediately Christian Fulton should be able to play snaps and and be part of the starting sub package early on as well and uh I think because you know that you got a Christian Fulton at such a good value I think Darrington Evans will contribute more than people think.
Starting point is 00:16:46 And if Isaiah Wilson does get out on the field and is a starter from day one, well, I think it has the potential to be a B plus, A minus class. But really right now, the class and how well it does, because the back end, you had Cole McDonald and Chris Jackson in the seventh round who are just project players. Larell Murchison along the defensive line will just be asked to be a rotational player, so not too major of an impact early on for him. So I think right now the entire draft class grade really relies upon how quickly Isaiah
Starting point is 00:17:18 Wilson can be a contributor and get out on the field as a starter. Yeah, you want your first-round pitch to contribute immediately. And with Wilson, I think he does have the potential to be that guy on the right side or even, you know, if you want to swing him over to the left side as well if that's where they desire him to play. But I think that Wilson was a good draft pick for them. And again, I think Kristen Fulton was a steal where they got him. But Tyler, my final question for you before we head into this break
Starting point is 00:17:44 is asking you about what you've observed from the Ravens in terms of their offseason. You mentioned that they made a few good moves maybe to counter the Titans and what Derrick Henry did to them. And my philosophy here has been, look, they don't want the Derrick Henry train to ever run through Baltimore again. And I think the moves they've made have countered that. Based off what you've seen from the Ravens offseason, how would you assess what they've done in terms of taking that next step? Well, I look at, in my opinion, I look at the game against the Titans
Starting point is 00:18:14 and that devastating loss for the locker room. And I think that the Ravens really took that to heart. I think there were some weaknesses exposed that they didn't necessarily think would hinder them in such a way they you know the depth in the backfield was something that we talked about in our crossover during the playoffs but Mark Ingram's injury I think it's fair to say definitely hindered the offense and what they could do at that time because Gus Edwards just isn't as talented or as versatile of a player so you get in somebody like J.K. Dobbins from Ohio State, and now you have
Starting point is 00:18:45 much more depth than people think you need. But that's what the Ravens do. They stack strength on strength. It's a valuable philosophy when drafting players, and it's why the Ravens have consistently been a competitive bunch since they came into the league. And then on the defensive side of the ball, you saw that Derrick Henry obviously was able to beat them up in the middle with the inside zone on the edges. They needed some more beef and some more strength in the front seven. And I think with their free agent additions, Derrick Wolfe, trading for Calais Campbell, drafting Justin Matabike,
Starting point is 00:19:19 and really attacking the inside linebacker spot with Patrick Queen and Malik Harris. I was obviously going to ask you about that so you can save your thoughts for when I ask you about that to open things up on our other side. But from my perspective, it just seems like they're a smart team. They knew where their weaknesses were. The Titans exposed some of those weaknesses. And like the Ravens always do, they attack that weakness
Starting point is 00:19:44 and try to turn it into a strength and I think that they might have been able to do that in the middle of their defense but that'll obviously wrap up this first side of our locked on division crossover conversation we will come back on the other side and I will be asking Kevin some questions about what he thinks about the Ravens offseason so far and how that kind of projects into the regular season. We are back here with the second part of our locked on crossover with our division series taking place this week with the AFC North and we have Kevin from the locked on Ravens podcast just talk to
Starting point is 00:20:35 him a little bit about the Titans we are going to flip that around and I'm going to ask him some questions about the Ravens we just finished our conversation on the front end talking about the Ravens improvements in the draft on offense and defense I obviously talked a lot about the Ravens. We just finished our conversation on the front end talking about the Ravens improvements in the draft on offense and defense. I obviously talked a lot about the interior of their defense and beefing that up. So if you would just start off giving us your thoughts on how they tried to sure up the front seven and then the additions that they made on offense as well and how you think they'll be able to help the Ravens kind of take the next step coming up this season. as well and how you think they'll be able to help the Ravens kind of take the next step coming up this season yeah well for Baltimore as you kind of mentioned in our first segment Tyler I think that the Ravens weren't expecting Derrick Henry to do what he did to that defense especially on
Starting point is 00:21:15 the front and and I think they addressed this offseason they attacked it going in and saying look we're gonna beef up our defensive line we're gonna make sure that when our offense scores points the defense can hold leads but on top of that if the offense is kind of struggling and it's kind of at a standstill the defense won't get down to the point where the Ravens have to you know abandon their run game and just you know air it out Lamar Jackson in that playoff game dropped back over 70 times and when a quarterback you know Lamar Jackson or anyone is dropping back 70 times that. And when a quarterback, you know, Lamar Jackson or anyone, is dropping back 70 times, that's usually not a formula for success because you can just call out the plays. Hey, look, it's a pass, it's a drag, it's a comeback. There are a lot of different things that go into that. The Ravens trading for Calais Campbell. They then sign Michael Brockers.
Starting point is 00:21:59 That deal falls through. So they go out and they're not done. They get Derek Wolfe to replace him. Michael Pierce and Brandon Williams playing on the field at the same time. While you have two stud nose tackles, that actually created some problems within the Ravens. Because Brandon Williams is actually a much better nose tackle. Brandon Williams was sliding over to defensive tackle and playing that position while Michael Pierce occupied the nose tackle position and that in turn really hindered the Ravens ability to get pressure up the middle by shooting gaps and getting you know pressure on the quarterback from the interior while also struggling getting sacked from their outside linebackers as well so what they did Michael Pierce walks he goes to the Minnesota
Starting point is 00:22:38 Vikings Brandon Williams now slides back into the nose tackle position that's going to help him out a lot I think he is a much better player at the nose tackle position. Not saying he's not a great defensive tackle, but I think he's going to have improved production. Then you can put Derek Wolfe as kind of your smaller defensive tackle, then have Calais Campbell on the defensive end. But they can move all around the field. The Ravens love their versatility. Getting Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison, that's going to allow for them to play more base packages. Tavon Young, the slot cornerback who missed all of 2019 with a neck injury, he is coming back as well. And his addition to the secondary, there already has Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, you know, safeties and Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark.
Starting point is 00:23:17 That's going to help them a lot. You move over to the offensive side of the ball. And you mentioned the addition of J.K. Dobbins, which, you know know at first i was just kind of like okay well denzel mims is there a receiver why don't they go receiver the ravens as you mentioned they want that stacking strength on strength eric da costa has said that he wants all four of these running backs and mark ingram jk dobbins gus edwards and justice hill to be active in playing on game days and that's a matter of keeping them fresh, keeping the defenses on their toes. So when you get to the fourth quarter, while the defense is panting and they're all tired out,
Starting point is 00:23:51 you have a fresh running back, no matter who it is, coming into the football game. You had Devin Duvernay. You had James Prochet at the wide receiver position. Marshall Yana's retirement, it does hurt, but the Ravens have a lot of options on the interior who can replace him. And you're not going to get the production. You're not going to replace that production, but the Ravens got Ben Powers in the
Starting point is 00:24:08 draft last year. I think redshirted him and groomed him into that replacement. So I think overall, the Ravens are in prime position to take that step next year. Yeah, that that's kind of my next question. You bring that up at the end, you know, uh, you look at the depth on the interior offensive line, you draft a Ben Bredesen. You got a DJ Fluker in there, Andre Smith in there, all who could potentially spend some time at guard if Powers maybe isn't ready. Do you think that with the additions that they got in the draft, you know, extend this over to the wide receiver position with Prochet and Duvernay?
Starting point is 00:24:43 Do you think that everything outside of running back and quarterback, do you think that it's enough for the Ravens to get over that hump and win a Super Bowl? I guess maybe I'm saying that because, in my opinion, I still think that the wide receiver group is a little thin, and on the interior, one of these guys will probably pan out. It seems like the Ravens always have someone who's willing to pan out. will probably pan out there.
Starting point is 00:25:04 It seems like the Ravens always have someone who's willing to pan out. So do you think that what they added in the draft is enough on the interior offensive line in at wide receiver? Or do you think that maybe they need another draft or maybe with the veteran cuts that always come later in the summer? Do you think that they should still look to address those positions? I think it's a little bit of both. You make a good point. The receiver room and the interior
Starting point is 00:25:25 offensive line room the whole offensive line room for that matter they're young groups the stat I keep coming back to is the oldest receivers on the Ravens roster right now are D'Anthony Thomas and Willie Sneed and they're 27 years old so the Ravens are going to be relying on young guys like Hollywood Brown who was playing at 70 percent he had two screws in his foot couldn't run at full speed. He's going to be dangerous in year two. There's no doubt about it. But then you look under him.
Starting point is 00:25:49 Is Miles Boykin going to take that next step? The Ravens are relying on him to do that, and they're putting a lot on him to do that. Duvernay and Prochet, are you going to expect big production out of the rookies? Are you going to let them sit back? Well, you can't really let them sit back because there's not a lot of depth in terms of older veteran guys who can step up you have Willie Sneed and then on the interior offensive line for I think it's just kind of the wait and see approach last preseason for the Ravens they had an opening
Starting point is 00:26:15 at that left guard position they pretty much handed it to Jermaine Illuminor who was a guard who came out of Texas A&M they drafted a few years back he did everything in his power to lose that job you know they handed it to him he didn't do a good job. The Ravens had other candidates. Bradley Bozeman, who was a center at Alabama, he stepped up, worked really hard, became a pretty good guard. The Ravens traded the Luminor to the New England Patriots, and Bradley Bozeman got that job. They have a no-nonsense approach when it comes to players not performing well. Tim Williams, an edge rusher who had pretty high hopes coming into the 2019 season, didn't play well.
Starting point is 00:26:48 He was cut in week three after being a relatively young prospect. So for the Ravens, I think they're going to also look to veteran cuts. I think if the trade deadline comes and they still have a pretty young receiver room, they might go out and get an Emmanuel Sanders like the San Francisco 49ers did. I think that could be plausible for them as well. But I think with the depth that they have, even if they don't make another move, which I expect that they'll make a minor one, maybe a medium-sized one, I think they have the depth and I think they have the pieces to still take that step,
Starting point is 00:27:18 even if they're a little bit young at those two positions. Yeah, that's a solid answer. And obviously the roster is ever-evol That's, that's a solid answer. And obviously, uh, the roster is ever evolving and it's never a finished product. So my next question, just at some point, you got to start talking about Lamar Jackson, obviously winning the MVP last year, hard to go anywhere further up at this moment in time, but I'm sure as a competitor and someone like Lamar Jackson and his work ethic, he's going to be looking to get better at any area he possibly can. So from your perspective, being on the ground, I guess,
Starting point is 00:27:50 where does the MVP go from here? What can Lamar Jackson do to get better, maybe even go to another level? What is it that you think at this moment in time he still needs a little bit of improvement even coming off of a historic MVP season yeah for Lamar Jackson he seemed to be focused and he has been focused all offseason on improving his game improving his craft and for me you know a stat that people sometimes don't really understand about Lamar Jackson and something they don't know about Lamar Jackson he was actually the highest rated pocket passer in the entire NFL last year a guy who you know is
Starting point is 00:28:25 pretty much lauded as though he's a running back or he throws on the run really well but you know when he's actually in the pocket and he has to do stuff from the pocket he's not good at it well that's actually the opposite I think Lamar Jackson if he can improve a little bit on throwing on the run being able to have tight accurate passes when it comes to comes to contorting his body and throwing. He can do that. He can do amazing things when he's on the run, especially throwing the football. But I think if he can just take that next step there. Also, I believe just the experience.
Starting point is 00:28:54 I think Lamar Jackson, he's younger than Joe Burrow at the moment. And that'll always be a thing. That is crazy. I think that... That is crazy. With the two years of experience that he has you know he came into this league very very young and you ask a guy to come in you know lead a joe flacco centric offense in 2018 that was nothing towards his skill set he only loses one game
Starting point is 00:29:17 and leads the ravens to the afc north title then the next year after a two and two start leads them on 12 consecutive wins him playing in a playoff atmosphere you know that's been the knock on him at this moment you know he has proved the doubters wrong that he can play quarterback in the NFL now that next step for him is proving the doubters wrong that he can win in those big playoff games he can he can get in his head a little bit he is very harsh to self-critique himself he wants everything to go well for his teammates for him it's not about himself. He doesn't care about the MVP.
Starting point is 00:29:46 He doesn't care about all these personal accolades. He wants to do everything for his team. And part of that is him just putting a lot of pressure on himself. And that sometimes can get to him, whether it be cold weather, wet weather games, the game against the 49ers. It was a monsoon in Baltimore. He said that a little bit. I think that goes away with maturation.
Starting point is 00:30:06 And with Lamar Jackson, if he can just get over that hump, that, you know, a little bit of a mental aspect for him, I think that he will do wonders in 2020. Well, I think that makes sense. And quite frankly, the losing will give you that experience. I'm sure early on, he thought there's no way I'm losing. I'm going to lead my team. I'm the MVP. And it's kind of a reality check when you actually do lose. And we will close the conversation where we began the conversation, and that is with that divisional round playoff game. So I guess my question, like you, your last question was my thoughts on the Ravens offseason.
Starting point is 00:30:41 We've talked a lot about the Titans. What were your thoughts during that game that the Titans ended up winning? What was your shock level at the way that things went? And how worried are you for Earl Thomas after Derrick Henry started the downward ascent of his life, it seemed? Yeah. All jokes. All jokes, of course. Yeah, interesting way of putting that you know i
Starting point is 00:31:06 see the reference there but you look at what the ravens had and going into this game it was really you know ravens were winning this ravens were winning that and then you get into this game against the titans and you know all of a sudden you get into this first quarter first drive for the ravens and all that momentum it suddenly stops because you know Mark Andrews can't jump high enough the ball's intercepted the Titans did a phenomenal job at not letting the Ravens do what they wanted to do and a lot of teams in the 2019 season they can't say that and for the Ravens and their defense in particular you know they had a lot of big bodies up front but obviously big bodies cannot stop Derrick Henry if they're not tackling.
Starting point is 00:31:48 The Ravens had issues tackling for some portions of the 2019 season, and it seems that the game against the Titans, Derrick Henry's a load to bring down just without tackling issues. But it seemed like players weren't, you know, trying to wrap up. As the game wears on, I mean, you mentioned it, Jack, and we talked in January, Derrick Henry gets stronger, and that is certainly what happened in this game when a guy runs for almost 200 yards you know that that's a pretty good indication that you could not stop him whatsoever and something else to go along with that it seemed like marcus peters who sometimes
Starting point is 00:32:19 gets bashed for his tackling was actually one of the ravens better tacklers i'd say him and earl thomas probably had the best defensive performances on that team. The Titans didn't need to pass the ball a lot. It was Ryan Tannehill completing 7-14 passes for 88 yards in two scores. That's all they needed to win the game, and they won it pretty handily. Lamar Jackson did everything he could to weld this team back to a victory. He did not play perfectly. There were some mistakes, but over 500 total yards of offense by himself. I mentioned dropping back over 70 times. It seemed like the only guys on offense to really show up in this game.
Starting point is 00:32:53 Well, Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown, Willie's need also had six catches, but you had Mark Andrews who was injured. You had Mark Ingram who was just coming back from an injury. He couldn't perform well. And I mentioned once the Ravens got down early, something they were not familiar with,
Starting point is 00:33:07 they just couldn't get back from it because it seemed like it was drop back after drop back after drop back. The defense also couldn't stop the Titans from scoring. They put up 14 points in the third quarter. That's where I think the game was really lost. And the Ravens couldn't come back from it. Going into next season,
Starting point is 00:33:24 I think they kind of have been shaping their roster you know to to combat from these playoff losses you look two years ago the the Los Angeles Chargers they performed and they put seven defensive backs on the field you look to this year the Titans you know they ground and pounded the Ravens defense they come and the Ravens attack the offseason with, you know, what beat us? How can we get better? You know, we don't, we won a lot of games at this formula, but we have to, you know, identify what beat us and get better there. So this Titans Ravens game and the division around, it was a shock to many among the Baltimore community. It still kind of stings to talk about
Starting point is 00:33:59 because that season, it was just so magical. But I think, as you mentioned, the Ravens are going to have that taste in their mouth, and they're going to be out looking for revenge. Yeah, it could be something to spur them on to greater heights. Well, I appreciate you walking down. I won't call it memory lane. I'll call it a dark memory alley, I guess, is probably a more appropriate visual. But I appreciate you walking down that one more time. One thing I will say,
Starting point is 00:34:25 you know, Ravens fans can, can, uh, have hope because it seems like the roster is getting even better and it seems like what they got going there is sustainable and Ravens will get a chance at revenge in week 11 when the Titans and the Ravens do face off in Baltimore. Well, Kevin, it was a great conversation as always. All of our conversations seem to be a great time and a good listen. So I appreciate you joining me today. And I will talk to you again, of course, in week 11, when we actually see this face off. I can't wait. Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it, Tyler. Thank you for joining me as well. And another successful conversation is in the books. I hope you guys enjoyed that crossover conversation with Kevin Allstriker. I always have a great time talking to Kevin about all things Titans and Ravens.
Starting point is 00:35:13 It does appear one way or another that that rivalry has found a way to rekindle itself. I would imagine you ask anybody from the Ravens or the Titans fan base going forward, and they are going to have special feelings for each other. I can feel it in me and Kevin's conversation. You can feel it online. So glad to see that that rivalry has popped back up here, and hopefully we get another good Titans-Ravens matchup in week 11 to keep things going. But that is going to wrap up today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Now tell your smart device to play Locked on Fantasy Football. It's an excellent podcast.
Starting point is 00:35:52 Perfect time to start getting ready for the upcoming fantasy season. We are going to continue our division crossover series throughout the next two episodes of the week. So make sure that you are subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast on Apple, or you are following on Spotify, Stitcher, whatever platform you listen to your podcast, you can find the Locked on Titans podcast there, obviously, if you are listening now. So make sure that you subscribe and get all of the content coming up throughout the rest of the offseason.
Starting point is 00:36:24 After we get done with the division crossover series, I'm going to get into some draft profiles, some player breakdowns, going to get into some film sessions as well. So some excellent content coming up. You're going to want to make sure that you are locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast to get all of that. Follow me on Twitter at TicTacTitans as well. Our Friday mailbag is coming up, so send those questions in now.
Starting point is 00:36:48 But that is going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. you

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