Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Introduce Austin Hooper, NFL Raves About Robert Woods & Titans QB Plan in the Draft!

Episode Date: March 21, 2022

The Tennessee Titans introduced newly signed tight end Austin Hooper on Monday and Hooper talked about what he saw in the Titans that made him want to sign. Tyler goes over all the interesting quotes from Hooper's first presser as a Titan. Next, the NFL world raved about new Titan Robert Woods over the weekend with reactions coming from all around the football landscape. Tyler goes over some of the quotes and why they mean great things for the Titans going forward. Finally, the Titans sent QB Coach Pat O'Hara to see a top QB's pro day. What does this mean and what should the Titans do at QB? Tyler rants!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is a Talk About It Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. On today's show, Austin Hooper, the Titans' newly acquired tight end, did some talking in his first press conference with the team on Monday. We'll go over some of the interesting quotes. Then a lot of people did some talking about Titans new wide receiver Robert Woods over the weekend describing what kind of player and what kind of guy he is in the locker room. We'll go over some of those as

well. And then finally, no talk about it Tuesday would be complete without a Rollins rant. And I want to talk about how the Tennessee Titans are approaching the quarterback position in the NFL draft. So all of that and more on a Talk About It Tuesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Titans fans, it is a Talk About It Tuesday edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast going up on a Monday night for the YouTube crowd.

You guys really seem to hate that shows get dropped early for you guys, but either way, moving forward, do gotta tell you guys that this Talk About Tuesday edition is presented by Rock Auto. Rock Auto has an amazing selection. They have reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit

rockauto.com today and tell them that Locked On sent you. Also gotta thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen to the Locked On Titans podcast, you have to subscribe on whatever platform that you do stream. I'm going to be putting out daily, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season,

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On Facebook at Locked on Titans Pod. But with the housekeeping out of the way, it's time to dive into today's episode. It is a talk about it Tuesday, and we need to talk about all the talking that Austin Hooper did in his introductory press conference with the Tennessee Titans. So over the weekend, tied in Austin Hooper, signed by the Tennessee Titans on a one-year, $6 million deal. He was recently released by the Cleveland Browns. And what is one man's trash is another man's treasure

because Austin Hooper is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Tennessee Titans. A do-it-all, versatile, all-around tight end. Is willing to block in the run game and does a pretty decent job of that as well. Also a guy who can get open. Is not exactly an explosive route runner, but a very smart route runner knows how to get into the holes of the zone, will take contact, make

catches, and even if he's not a big yards after catch guy, right now with the Titans truly need a tight end, is just a guy who doesn't completely sell what play they're going to run, whether it be run, Jeff Swain, pass, Anthony Ferkser, somebody who can do enough to not totally tip their hand, but also be better than Jeff Swaim as a blocker

and give you a little bit in the receiving game as well. And that's what the Titans get with Austin Hooper. As I said, he was introduced by the Titans on Monday. And these are some things that popped out to me, some quotes that he had during his press conference. He talked about the interest that the Titans presented in him, and he said, it's funny, quote, it's funny, the Titans were one of the teams that was interested in me coming out of the draft, and now here we are. I'm excited

and I'm ready to get started. So obviously there was some interest with the Titans originally, as there should be. That was quite some time ago, though, when Hooper was actually drafted. I believe 2016, I believe it was. So the Titans had Delaney Walker at the time. It made sense that they didn't ultimately draft Hooper. But hey, he's here now. And after two Pro Bowl selections, some productive years in Atlanta and Cleveland, he will be with the Tennessee Titans.

He's a guy who's familiar with Nashville. He goes to the tight end university thing that George Kittle and Greg Olson hold in Nashville all the time. He talked about kind of being in Nashville and being with the Titans in general. He said, quote, it's great to be here. I am excited. I am excited to be at a place where I am wanted on a team that has a ton of talent with the potential to do something special. Me, I'm just going to go out there, put my best foot forward and be the best

I can be. I want to get back to doing what I know I can do. And I like that mindset from him. He was obviously in a committee in Cleveland, didn't get the snap counts that he had got when he was the certified tight end one in Atlanta. So now that he knows he's going to get that, let's be honest here. He is the tight end one for the Titans. He's able to kind of get back in the mindset of where he was in Atlanta when he made two Pro Bowls, and that can only spell good things for the Tennessee Titans. He also talked about his quarterback-to-be, Ryan Tannehill,

and he had this to say about Tannehill. Quote, he throws a good ball, and he definitely has good command of Tannehill, quote, he throws a good ball and he definitely has good command of the huddle and he has a good grip on the offense. I heard he's a good dude too. So I'm looking forward to meeting with him whenever that time is end quote there. So, uh, obviously good, positive vibes around Ryan Tannehill. That's something that Ryan Tannehill needs right now after having shots taken at him by his own wide receivers on Twitter. I'm not going to get into that so nobody gets riled up, but it's just good to know that Hooper has a positive image of Ryan Tannehill.

It's a press conference, though. What else is he going to say? But all the things that he said in there are true. Tannehill does have a good command of the huddle, good grip of the offense. We see that, and now that maybe there are some more realistic NFL weapons out there for him, like an Austin Hooper, maybe Tannehill can get back to the guy he was

in his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. But Hooper also gave just kind of a general rundown of his view of the team, the view of himself and his opportunity. And he had this to say, quote, watching this team from afar and being a fan from afar and seeing what they do and how they go about their business to be able to get a legitimate opportunity to be a part of it, it was an easy decision. I'm a hungry player. Every year is a new year. Every year you are unproven. Every year you have to prove yourself to the world. So I'm just excited for the opportunity and excited to get after it, excited to compete and earn my role with the team, whatever my role is here, and I'll accept it and do my best to excel.

I want to be the best version of myself I can be. Love hearing all of that from Austin Hooper. That's exactly what you want to hear. If you didn't hear that, that would probably be a concern. One other thing that I want to point out here, it's not necessarily a quote, but Hooper did go into detail that Kevin Hogan, who was on the practice squad as a quarterback for the Titans throughout 2021, was his college quarterback.

Austin Hooper's college quarterback was Kevin Hogan at Stanford, and he said he talked to Kevin Hogan for about 30 minutes on the phone about the Titans' culture, how Mike Vrabel rolls, what the team is about, how they go about their business, and that was really the selling point for him as one of his best friends, Kevin Hogan, giving him a rundown and kind of a summary of the organization and what kind of team it really is. And when you have guys who are on practice squad, who are backup players,

who aren't necessarily big pillars of the organization, still giving an incredibly positive review to potential free agents, that does speak to the culture that Mike Vrabel and John Robinson have built in Tennessee. So excited to have Austin Hooper added to the mix. Very excited to also add Robert Woods to the mix. And man, there was some glowing comments about Robert Woods from around the NFL over the weekend. We're going to go over some of those as we continue our talk about it Tuesday.

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BetOnline is your continued source for all your sports wagering information needs, including live betting and your favorite Vegas casino games. Head to their website today or use your mobile device to learn more about all the trends and all the action. BetOnline, where the game starts. Titans fans, let's continue this Talk About It Tuesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast or a Talk About It Monday night if you're watching on YouTube. Man, the YouTube crowd, they kill me every day.

It's Sunday. It's Monday. I've never seen listeners be so mad to get content early. Blows my mind. But either way, we're going to talk about some of the quotes that came out about new Titans wide receiver Robert Woods. We just talked about Austin Hooper's introductory

press conference with the Tennessee Titans. Before we get into the Robert Woods quotes though, I do want to remind you guys and thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Also, make to remind you guys and thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Also make sure that you guys check out the Locked on NFL podcast. You get your Titans news here with me.

Get your national NFL news with the Locked on NFL podcast. I am the host of the Thursday show. I made an appearance talking Titans on the Monday show. Make sure that you guys check that out. It's free and available on all platforms including the Locked on Titans YouTube or Locked on NFL YouTube channel. Go subscribe over there. It's free. It's free. So check it out. But diving into some of these quotes,

where I want to start are some quotes from Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Mike Vrabel talked about the Los Angeles Rams wide receivers before the Titans played the Rams on Sunday night football in 2021. Now he was talking about all of the wide receivers, but he mentions Robert Woods by name in here as well. So let's dive into that. Mike Vrabel said this quote, talented, explosive. The quarterback is playing extremely well and Cooper Cup. They find ways to run the ball. They are creative they find ways to run the ball. They are creative and find ways to run the ball. Robert Woods has always

been a player that I personally have respected. He goes out there and blocks. Cooper Cup blocks. They are good route runners strong with the football good after the catch. Tyler Higby is someone who continues to show up when you watch. The line has

been intact. The defense plays fast and really forces the quarterback when they throw the ball to make some quick decisions. Obviously, Jalen Ramsey is a huge talent. They have guys that are playing fast and really understand what they are trying to get done. So obviously, that's kind of a summation of the Rams, but you get

some really good quotes about Robert Woods in there, and Mike Vrabel says even beyond just scouting him, he's always respected Robert Woods for the player that he is. He also talked about Cooper Cup and Robert Woods again later on. He said, quote, I would say not only does he lead the lead in touchdowns, catches and targets talking about Cup, I would say that him and Robert Woods are two of the best blocking wide receivers in the league. It has been impressive just to watch them

not only with their route craft and what they do, but the commitment they make to blocking players. I'm not just talking about defensive backs. They're trying to block outside linebackers, cut them off, or do whatever they need to do in the offense. End quote. So with the similarities in the offense and the requirements being very similar,

I know that it's become a big joke on Twitter and it is a joke and it's funny to talk about. But the reality here is you do got to be a willing and physical blocker within the Titan system. They're never going to be a lineup and shotgun every play and throw it all around the field offense. It's just not what the Titans are looking to do with their current core players they are going to be a run first heavy package offense with two three tight ends out there a fullback in the backfield and when

that's the reality and the personality of your offense you're going to need wide receivers who are willing to do what needs to be done to have successful plays that aren't pass plays. And Robert Woods being in that Rams offense that is just so similar to what the Titans do and what they ask of their wide receivers, it really does make complete sense. And it's also no surprise that Mike Vrabel just hits on the blocking over and over and over again.

But it wasn't just Mike Vrabel that went out of his way to praise Robert Woods over the weekend. There was a slew of people around the NFL that had great things to say about Robert Woods. Number one, Steve Weiss, NFL reporter, very respected guy, said, quote, a very good one was the backbone of the team's character, end quote, talking about Robert Woods in L.A. So we talked about him blocking, the route running.

Mike Vrabel mentioned all that. But you got people coming out of the woodwork all over the NFL talking about the kind of guy that Robert Woods is in the locker room. You know, it's not even just what he can do as a player. It's his personality and everything he brings to a football team from that standpoint. But Weiss wasn't the only person that had something nice to say about Bobby Trees. Louis Riddick, who I think is just absolutely fantastic broadcasting football games. I don't know if he'll

ever get a GM opportunity like we saw happen with Mike Mayock, a guy who covered football from the media standpoint, got an actual chance to run a team. Maybe Mike Mayock's failures in Oakland and Las Vegas will prevent things like that happening from the future. But if there's anybody who really deserves a shot, I think Louis Riddick is a guy. And Daniel Jeremiah, I think, could do pretty well as well. But Louis Riddick had this to say about Robert Woods. Quote, Robert Woods has missed one game,

one start in the three seasons prior to being injured in November 2021. Was considered to be a guy that was irreplaceable because of how important he was to the Rams on the field and in the locker room. Rehab is on track. Trade is a good one for Tennessee. End quote.

Now, I agree with Louis Riddick entirely, and I like that rehab on track nugget in there. That means people around the league believe that Robert Woods is going to be healthy in time to play good football, in time to get involved in training camp. So that's all great stuff, but I love hearing about how great of a guy in the locker room he is. That means that Robert Woods studies the tape. That means he knows what to do. He knows where to go. He knows what

defenses are doing. He can teach younger guys as well. When you have a Des Fitzpatrick, a Racey McMath, most likely a rookie coming in the draft as well. You need somebody in there that can teach. And let's be honest, A.J. Brown is an absolute stud, an absolute monster. But he's still

a young wide receiver on his rookie contract. I mean, A.J. Brown could use some of the coaching and some of the teaching and some of the wisdom that Robert Woods has, and I think that A.J. Brown, while being a good route runner, could improve with his route running, being more precise. Right now, I keep thinking about San Francisco when he's running the dig route and he goes all the way across the field. It's a third down, and he literally pushes the cornerback to the ground.

It doesn't get called. He catches the ball, first down, tightens. I'm not complaining, but I'm just saying A.J. Brown wins with physicality, wins with his physical talent more often than not. If he could maybe increase and get better as a precise route runner, something that Bobby Trees has done pretty well throughout his career, I think that could be a boon to everybody in the Titans wide receiver group. And to be honest with you, when you think,

oh, well, didn't Julio Jones provide that? Guys, I got to tell you, a lot of the word around the NFL is Julio Jones isn't really a guy who works that hard in practice. He's really a guy who's one with physical talent, and that's why he's breaking down later in his career, and that's why for the majority of the last few seasons with the Falcons, he rarely ever even practiced. He's not a guy who's really, I don't want to say dedicated to the craft

because I believe that he is, but some of the nuances, anybody who's watching or listening right now who's played sports knows somebody who doesn't really work on all the small nuances of the sport as much as certain other people, but they're still better players because of their extreme talent.

I'm not saying it's true. I'm just saying word on the street is that Julio is a guy who has done everything he's done with hard work, but a lot of it is a lot of God-given talent, and maybe he's not a guy who's first in, first or last out, working on film, working on drills nonstop all the time, and that could maybe lead to a late career downfall where some other receivers have maybe been able to sustain that level a

little bit longer. Don't know if it's true or not, but I'm just saying there are no doubts about that with Robert Woods. So at least maybe mentally, he'll be able to help the Tennessee Titans. I think that would be a big boost to the young receiver room that the Titans are going to have. Another guy, a former Tennessee Titan, Nate Washington, an actual former NFL player, had this to say, quote, of all things, I love Robert's grit and toughness. Besides the ACL tear, he's a hardworking wide receiver that takes the run game as serious as the pass game. Oh, Mike Vrabel just got cold chills when he heard that, got goosebumps. Excellent route runner. Looking forward to him getting healthy and impacting this offense in a major way.

End quote. So love hearing that from a former wide receiver who actually knows what to look for and a former Tennessee Titan. Finally, lastly, the last quote I want to go over here is from a Los Angeles Rams reporter. It's Jordan Rodriguez. I don't know if I'm saying her last name correctly. I've been looking for pronunciations. It's hard to find with media people.

Much easier to find with actual players. But she said, quote, Robert Woods is a remarkable human being and a damn good football player. This game and business can be cruel. Woods has now experienced both. Still, I bet we see him fearlessly selling out across the middle anyways. I think there's something important to take from that. End quote. I think so as well. I think there's something very important to take from

that for the Titans, and it's just a willingness to put the team first, to put your body on the line. Again, he checks all the boxes from the type of skill set you want in a wide receiver. He checks all the boxes from the kind of guy you want in the locker room as well. But we are going to go into a Rollins rant to cap off this Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. The Tennessee Titans sent an important member

of the coaching staff to a high-profile draft-eligible quarterback's pro day. I'll tell you who the quarterback was, I'll tell you who the quarterback was. I'll tell you who the Titans sent. And I'll tell you what I think it means. Before I do, I do want to remind you guys about rockauto.com. rockauto.com is a family business that's been serving do-it-yourselfers online for over 20 years. rockauto.com's prices are reliably low for every customer and they have everything you need from brake parts to tail lamps to motor oil, even brand new carpet. One thing I didn't know is

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All right, Titans fans, we are going to cap off this talk about it Tuesday with a little Roland's rant on the Titans' approach to the quarterback position in the NFL draft. Before we get into that, I got to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Ask for your second listen. We're getting ready to talk some draft, so it's a perfect time to make the Locked on NFL Draft podcast your second listen today.

You get your Titans news, now get your draft news with Locked on NFL Draft hosted by Ryan Tracy, former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker. They're giving you two different sides to the draft process. Yeah, they're breaking down prospects and analyzing who's available, but they're also looking at things from a front office perspective. It's free and available on whatever platform. Check out the Locked On NFL Draft podcast on whatever platform that you do stream.

But getting into this quick Rollins rant here. So, to give you the facts. The Titans sent quarterback coach Pat O'Hara to Pittsburgh's Pro Day to see quarterback Kenny Pickett. What does this mean? The Titans picking a quarterback in the first round? But listen. Kenny Pickett. What does this mean? The Titans picking a quarterback in the first round? But listen.

So number one. The Titans need to do their due diligence here. Not only because they might be interested in a prospect in the draft. But this is a great time for teams to begin their profile on players. For even when they go into the NFL, that second contract, free agency, they get released, all of that. Teams don't just watch the film in the NFL and then they go off there. They have a profile built for these guys from when they come out of college.

So you always go get intel, especially at a position as important as quarterback. But it's not only that. We would be naive if we didn't think the Titans, I guess we would be naive to think the Titans would not consider quarterback. Let's be honest here. Ryan Tannehill is probably in his last year with the Titans or to be more realistic, his second to last year with the Titans. After that, the contract, you can easily get out of it. And, you know, I don't believe that Ryan Tannehill is one of the quarterbacks that is going to be playing into their late 30s at a high level. I just don't see it.

So, to me, it would make sense to start to kind of grease the skids on the quarterback position. But here's what I have to say about it. The Titans can go to all these pro days and check out these quarterbacks, but they cannot take a quarterback at 26. They can't take a quarterback with their first pick. They just simply can't.

Now is not the time for that, in my opinion. It's a weak quarterback class, and I know people said that about Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes' class, that it was a weak quarterback class. But my personal feelings of the quarterbacks that we have seen, I, not just the general consensus,

me, I do not think this is a very strong quarterback class, and I'm much more intrigued by next year's quarterback class led and I'm much more intrigued by next year's quarterback class led by Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. And personally, for me, everybody says, well, the Titans aren't going to be picking low enough to take either of those guys.

The Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs were both picking in the 20s originally. I believe the Texans were at pick 26. The Chiefs were like pick 21 or 22. So don't tell me that the Titans are going to be drafting too late to go get a quarterback in 2023 at the top of the draft.

No way. They have enough. They'll be able to do it if they want to. So, when you take that into consideration, I want the Titans to go out and do due diligence on all these quarterbacks. But in my opinion, now is not the time. Like with the Packers and Jordan Love. No, Tannehill is not going to come out and be the MVP two years in a row.

I get the difference, alright? You're not going to go in the comments and tell me Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill isn't Aaron Rodgers. I know, but I'm just saying this team is not in a position to use one of those first round picks or use that first round pick on a quarterback. They're simply now, if they want to trade,

but if, if the top five wide receivers are gone, the top three interior offensive linemen are gone and they want to trade back to, excuse me, 32 or somewhere in the 30s and pick up an extra second round pick

and they want to take a quarterback with one of those second round picks, I get it. Okay. Maybe that makes some sense. If a guy like Matt Corral were to fall, I'd be interested. If a guy like Desmond Ritter were to fall, I would be interested. But I guy like Desmond Ritter were to fall, I would be interested. But I'm just not very high on other guys who most likely would be there. I don't like Kenny

Pickett. I'm not into Kenny Pickett at all. Malik Willis would be fine, and I hate doing this, but I just don't see Malik Willis being there for the Titans unless they trade up. I think he's a quarterback. That gets drafted first. Now if Malik Willis is there. Okay. I would entertain the conversation at that point. But I don't think he's going to be. So all I can do is go off what I think.

What I see. What I believe. So. If not Malik Willis. I don't like Kenny Pickett. I'm not huge on. I really don't like Carson Strong. I'm out.

100%. On Carson Strong. So'm out 100% on Carson Strong. So if you want to talk about Matt Corral, you want to talk about Desmond Ritter in the second round after a tradeback, okay, I would accept that. But I just don't think this team is in a position to take quarterback with a high pick. They need cornerback. They need, or not corner cornerback they need wide receiver they need

offensive line they need another tight end a young tight end like those needs and the whole point of my draft philosophy of trading up

and going and getting a good quarterback in 2023 the whole point is you have built a roster at that point that is one QB one ultra supreme talented QB away.

Like, not necessarily what the Bengals did, but look, you can insert a young quarterback and immediately have success. That can happen. I mean, look at Patrick Mahomes in his first year. Not saying any of those guys are Patrick Mahomes, but nobody knew Patrick Mahomes was Patrick Mahomes or he would have got drafted number one. or Patrick Mahomes, but nobody knew Patrick Mahomes was Patrick Mahomes or he would have got drafted number one. So I'm just saying it's not insane to add a rookie QB to an insanely talented roster

and immediately become more of a Super Bowl contender. It's happened. So if you're the Titans, I just don't think this year is the year where you burn a pick on quarterback, stock the roster as much as physically possible, and then throw in a bunch of assets and go up and get your quarterback in 2023 in the top 10, top 12, and roll, and hope that he's the guy, and go back there. That's what I think should be the plan at quarterback, despite the Titans sending guys

out to go look at quarterbacks during this draft season. I just don't think now is the time to take the quarterback. And that's all I got to say about that. But Corey Levin, interior offensive lineman, was cut by the Titans while I was recording the podcast. I think eventually he'll probably be back for the practice squad, but he's a borderline NFL player, not a guy who's a guaranteed spot on the roster.

So I don't think that's anything too crazy at all. But that's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.