Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TITANS SQUAD SHOW: Jeffery Simmons SOUNDS OFF, Offensive Line LACKS LEADERSHIP & penalty PROBLEMS

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

The Tennessee Titans continue to lose and Jeffery Simmons is tired of it. We discuss his clear, direct message to his teammates following the loss to the Houston Texans. We also dive into why the offensive line continues to struggle.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PelotonLet yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Julian Minnesone. Cam Ward showed the clutch gene, even though the Titans lost, it's a good sign. I'm Tyler Rowland, and the Cam Ward conversation has gone completely off the rails. I'm Brad Hopkins, and even though the Titans might be picking first this year, they're still showing some improvement. Let's get into it. Titan up. It's the Titans squad. Everything Tennessee Titans every week. Covering all the big hits and games. changing plays from the heart of Music City the way only the locked on podcast network can squad up the titan squad show starts now and welcome to the titan squad show as you heard off the top right there

i'm julian minneson alongside my friends tyler roland and brad hopkins we got a jam-packed show for you today make sure you like comment subscribe and put your questions in the chat we'll answer them at the end of the show we're going to talk about the offensive line and how much ownership they need to take Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans, 16 to 13, which dropped the Titans to 1 and 9. We're also going to talk about Jeffrey Simmons. He had some strong comments after the game and the leadership that he showed after the game and our takes on that. And of course, we'll play our favorite segment, Titan Up versus Titan Down.

We wanted to remind you today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. So we'll play Titan Up first, Titan Down first, guys. and I'll start with Titan up, Tyler. We'll go to you first. What is something that you're positive about with the Titans after this past performance this weekend?

You know what? I'll be honest. In real time, I wasn't all that impressed. Didn't think it was a great performance. But after going back and watching, I mean, I watched the offensive tape three times on Monday, just to make sure that I wasn't crazy.

I thought Cam Ward played really well in this game. Now, there are two batted down passes. at the line of scrimmage. I would say there are three passes that are off. There are a couple of passes that, you know, like the Mason-Kenzie wheel route that they missed on the right-hand sideline. Was that Kenzie?

Was that Cam Ward's fault? Be curious to get a real answer from the coaches, but they're not going to do that blame pie in the public with us. So we're never really going to know how the coaches would divvy up that blame. There are a couple of missed. So I would say there were six or seven throws by Cam Ward that could be better. But, man, there are some excellent throws on tape.

Hitting wide receivers in the hands, one to Kinsey, one to A.O. On the sideline, they drop it. Those are catches when you watch the NFL every Sunday. Like, those should be catches. Just the throw to Chicka Conquo at the end. A throw to Van Jefferson, that was incredible. The drop to Mason Kinsey with the rub route to the outside. Like, there are some throws there.

And I thought also outside of the impressive throws, like the throws that make you go, whoa, that's a good throw. He just looked more quarterbacky in this game than we've seen him, dumping it off the tajie, hitting it quick, the gunner helm, hit the back foot, get the ball out. Like, I thought the boring stuff was as good as it's been all year long. The boring stuff that nobody's going to remember or think was impressive or whatever. It was so on time and so on target and just get the ball out and move.

I thought that using his legs, like everyone's been asking, all year long, getting the ball out of his hands and not taking unnecessary sacks when there are guys there, dealing with the pressure and still making throws. I thought Cam Ward showed everything that you could want. And this game, to me, is a clear indicator of progress for Cam Ward. And that's my number one tighten up. That's what matters. Bhop, what you're tightening up?

Well, first off, we have to look at it through the lens of reality. We're watching Cam mature. We're actually watching him develop. We're actually watching him progress. This is his first year in the National Football League. We can't expect a finished product. So we can't be surprised by his improvements. We can't be surprised by even the mistakes that he makes.

This is a very young quarterback that is learning the game on the fly. The unfortunate part is that he's in a starting role, a very pivotal role in this team. And they're kind of leaning on him to help them guide themselves through, you know, this crazy season. That is his rookie year. So I'm not shocked by what we're seeing as far as the glimpses of greatness, right? We can't expect him to be great. He's not great because he's a rookie. But what we are watching is we're watching him confidently with poise grow and develop into tomorrow's leader, tomorrow's star, tomorrow's face of the franchise.

So I'm excited. I'm excited to watch him mature. My grandson is now walking with a walker outside of the thing, right? It's a progression. First, I watched him not be able to crawl. Now he's crawling all over the dang place. Now he's damn near running. I mean, so at the end of the day, we're watching Cam Ward do the things that, you know,

rookies do, but then also now taking those strides and those steps to get better every single week. And that's what we want to see, right? Now, I know that it would have been nice to have a rookie that came in here like Tang and was ready to make, shake him up, and he's ready to go. You know what I mean? But it doesn't usually work that way. And I laid out a couple of weeks ago, the rookie slate of first picks that really just kind of had struggles their first year. It's natural. So all we're doing now is watching Cam manage and navigate being a rookie and getting better every single week.

The thing is, you can't make the same mistakes twice, which we do see. at times, but for the most part, he's kind of putting those in the rear view and learning from them, right? And really, looking at it through the sense of his own, sense of his own reality and saying, look, you know, I know that I need to get better. You know, there's no way in the world you're going to sit there and treat me like I'm a 10-year event because I'm not. Yeah, so I like the way that he's handling himself. I like the way that this team is handling him and not just, you know, just, man, you know, scrap him. Just go see if we can get somebody else in there and do some stuff and try and solve it to season. That's not the way they do it, and

they're not doing it at all. So it's great. Well, Brad, that's what's been frustrating to me is the narrative coming out of the game seem to be quarterback competition. Oh, should the Titans, you know, and to me, it's just absolutely absurd. Not only to have that conversation at this point, period, but after that game against the Texans, that was one of his better games. That was one of his more solid games of the year. And considering the circumstances, so I like to cook.

I love to cook I'm not quite a chef but I enjoy being in the kitchen I watch cooking shows and there's a cooking show called the Great British Bake-all and they got to bake these cakes and these different things

out in a tent in the summertime and butter has to be cold when you mix it in to bake certain things and do stuff like that but it's so hot outside and they're in this tent that the butter will melt

and it affects the way that they're used to baking and they got to adjust on the fly right now Cam Ward is trying to bake in a tent in the middle of the summer out in the field. Like, he's got terrible wide receivers out there. We know that this offensive coaching isn't top of the league or, you know, they're not even going to be around. And they just played the number one defense in the NFL.

They're number one in points and number one in yardage. That rarely ever happens. And teams that are top in those categories typically are very good football teams. So he's doing this on max difficulty, and he's growing even though the circumstances get harder. He loses all of his wide receiver. practice squad guys out there. It's the best defense and best pass rush

in the NFL. The coaching staff isn't very good on the offensive side of the ball. Like all of that stuff being true and we're still seeing Cam Ward get better. So like it's just insane to me that there are any conversations about quarterback competition or they need to

make it open or bring it. Like it's just absolutely absurd. You know that leads me into my tighten up right now and the Cam Ward conversation. This is the second time this season where close game end of the game they need to put up points and he does it you know back against the wall clutch jean kind of stuff yeah he had to overcome there are some throws like you mentioned tyler that he'd like to have back but there are some really good throws as well he had to overcome a ton of

penalties throughout the game that put him in disadvantageous situations yes but when they needed to get points he put up one of his best drives of the season i mean that throw to chig the 39 yarder that set of the touchdown was unbelievable and you mentioned the boring stuff last year it felt like not to compare the will levis cam ward conversation but last year will was never okay with the boring stuff you know it always seemed like he wanted to make a home run playing cam ward at times this season looked like he's always hunting for that big play but on sunday i think you saw him being okay with what the defense gives him and a really good defense at that um what do you guys what your guys is tightened down this week well cam was sack three times okay you didn't lose one of those to will anderson so they're always obviously is going to be a need to be improvement every single week in protecting the pocket. You know, that's just one of the things that, you know, you have to look at and say, hey, look, they could get better. And, you know, 37 attempts in just 194 yards to show for that, that just is part of the microcosm of CAM learning and trying to get better as a quarterback

and being more stable. So there can be, like you mentioned, in the pedestrian offense, a little more output. We want to be able to see that. I just thought that, you know, for the circumstances for the fact that this team hadn't even scored a touchdown on the Texans all season until the third quarter, you know, or actually the fourth quarter, it just kind of goes to show that first off, this was a really good defense like you just mentioned, Tyler, but they just need to be more consistent. Yeah, it's tough to be consistent without the talent. I consider going tighten down with just the wide receiver situation.

You know, Calvin Ridley's going to be out for the season now. Ios banged up. DK concussion, I would not play with that, especially with him being a returner. The opportunity for him to get a high-level hit to re-injure himself and re-aggravate that. And then once you start having multiple concussions, it's easier to get the next one.

Like, it's just not, I would sit DK down for a little while. I would not play around with that concussion at all, with him being a young player in this season. So if you're Cam Ward, you're probably looking at Van Jefferson. You're probably looking at James Pro. Xavier Restrepo, you know, like the Bryce Oliver situation, went off the rails with his knee injury and what's going on with that, so you're not going to have him.

But there's not much they can do about that at this point. So for me, the real Titan down is the outside cornerback situation. Jalen Armar Davis, Darrell Baker. They had their moments in that game against the Texans where they made plays. But that's just going to be such an area of weakness for the Titans, season that it's going to be nearly impossible for the defense to consistently get stops, I think, as the weeks go on. I think with Davis Mills and the Texans' offensive line struggles, it made it possible for the Titans, but it's just such an easy target with those

guys on the outside. I thought Marcus Harris and Kevin Winston on the inside were tighten ups. Quite honestly, the safety in the cornerback, the two rookies, I thought they had pretty solid performances with what they were asked to do and how they were challenged. But, man, those outside cornerbacks, You know, we're talking about two guys that are, you know, waiver-wire-level players. Titans got both those guys off the waiver-wire. So it's just going to be very difficult.

It's just so easy for teams to get little things and attack those. And they consist and look at all the big plays in the game for the Texans where they had to have it. They would just attack the outside cornerbacks, the third and 19 and the last drive to set up their field goal to win. Daryl Baker Jr. is too far up in the flat and cover two and give space for Nico Collins. Like, just find one of those,

Daryl Baker or Jalen Armar Davis, just find one of them. They're the worst players on the defense right now and attack. And it's just going to be difficult. Like with the Seahawks coming in, man, it could get ugly with them attacking those cornerbacks. They're going to see that and go after it.

Yeah, I mean, if I see another pass go to Nico Collins, I'm about to punch you. But, you know, I know this is tightened down, but the bright spot of this team, it seems to be their front four. You know, I mean, the guys that can get after it. And I know the big Jeff came back this week.

But just consistently, they've been getting to the quarterback. I don't know how many sacks they have over the last three games, but that is something that they can rely on. But like you said, Tyler, it doesn't make a hill of beans. If you can get in that back, those are harassing the quarterback, if he can just release it next thing else might's open in the secondary. You know, so what are you going to do?

This isn't really a tightened down, but it's something that I would like to see, given the wide receiver situation and how banged up they are, is maybe use the tight ends even more so than they did. I know they had combined seven catches this past weekend, and Chig obviously had the big 39-yarder that set up a touchdown. But now when you're short-handed, you know, D.K.'s banged up. He's also got a chest contusion, by the way, and Elylech-Ele-Manner with a hamstring and Ridley out for the year. You're going to need some options out there if you're Cam Ward.

And when you mention Tyler, the boring stuff, that includes finding your tight ends in maybe, you know, short intermediate passing game situations to, get chunk plays down the field because we've seen chig when you get the ball when you get him the ball in open space he can make plays i mean i think they're trying gunner helm got more targets this week had four catches wasn't a lot of yards but i mean at the end of the day he you know they got him the football and i think you're right i mean as the wide receiver and that's what they did later in the game like they went to and mike mccoy talked about that in the press conference they're like we don't have the wide receiver numbers i think they'll have a better plan for a wide receiver now that they, you know, can call guys up and move the roster around

and do different things since they know their issue. You know, it's not like the injuries are happening in the middle of the game. That can allow them to have a better plan. But at the end of the day, you're going to be talking about practice squad wide receivers coming up. And we're all excited at the potential to see Xavier Restrepo play. But I'd still rather have Chigua and Gunner Helm out there on the field as options than, you know, Mason Kinsey.

You know what I mean? So I would go to tight end, not even because the numbers at wide receiver, but because my most talented players are going to be tight ends now. You know what I mean? So I would rather have Van Jefferson and the two tight ends as my three receiving options than what else they got. Yeah, when you say 12 personnel, normally you're thinking, you know, maybe two tight ends on each end.

But like you said, Chig is flexible enough to be a slot receiver. You know what I'm saying? Van has actually, if you think about it, and Vance kind of stepped up a little bit, these past month. He's been falling. Yeah, to be an outside threat and whatever else. But when you look at Eleg and Calvin and Chim, they're all having injury situations and there's no depth after that. It's like, first off, honestly, I know if you can't, we've been saying this, but now it might be out of attrition. You got to run the damn football because you don't have a

bunch of outside threats. That's just period point blank. They really can. Now a total is multifaceted because it does give you the option of using a tight-in in a receiver role, but you can also then play action and run the football because those guys have to be, have to be blockers as well. So, you know, right now it sounds like you're running on three good tires and one them's kind of got a slow leak in it, you know, but at the end of the day, you got to keep trying to pump air in that thing so that we can get on down the road. And that's where they are offensively right now.

Indeed. Well, the Titans lose to the Texans just as a recap, 1613. That's what we liked, what we didn't like. And I'll tell you something that Jeffrey Simmons doesn't like is losing. We'll talk about his comments that he made after the game next on the Titan Squad show. All right, the NBA season is back, and there's no better place to get in on the action than Fanduel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA, even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand. Fanduel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks.

Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team's making that late push. Right now, Fandul is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet win. So head to Fanduil.com to sign up and play your game with Fandul, the official sports fan partner of the NBA. All right, fellas, Jeffrey Simmons, didn't sugarcoat it after the game. He's tired of losing. He said we have to protect Cam better. You can't have false start, false start after false start.

And personally, I like the way that he wasn't his normal politically correct self. Obviously, he is the voice in the locker room where everybody listens. he was sending a clear direct message, some of which was to the offensive line. What did you make of Jeffrey Simmons' comments after the game? Well, first off, pre-snap penalties are ridiculous. It just shows an immature team. You know, you know the snap count. So there's nothing to put it this way.

There's nothing that Big Jeff said that was out of bounds. I'm glad he has a confidence to be able to say it. And if the offensive line didn't like what he said, shut them up. Oh, they can't. So at the end of the day, there's nothing that they can do about that other than fix the mistakes that continue to stall drives. I mean, I listened to News Channel 2. As they were talking about their, you know, the getting ready for the game.

I think Corey was the one that was saying, hey, look, we, no, it was you that was talking about manageable down and distance, Julian. And how do you stand manageable down in distances? Not shooting yourself in the foot. You know what I mean? At the end of the day, do they need to do a better job? Does some of the what Jeff was saying to be pointed at the offensive line? Yes.

Why? Because he's right. protecting cam no penalties oh i don't know that sounds like some offensive line stuff right there to me and especially when you look at his unit being probably the strength of this team so he's asking everybody else to step up right and offensively the only way that they can get anywhere is if cam ward has the ability to do that by having time in the pocket obviously guys to throw two but at least some sense of a good game plan that'll allow them to be able to stay on the field and convert third down. And that doesn't help you when you're continually doing stuff that before the ball is

even snapped causes an issue. Can I say I feel conflicted? I feel conflicted. I feel conflicted about what Jeff had to say because in one way, he's right. Like Brad said, the pre-snap penalties, they need to protect Cam. Those are basic things that should be true of any football team. don't have a bunch of pre-snap penalties to protect your quarterback. Like, that's not fundamentally wrong to say. But I feel like Jeff, because he's in the trenches,

is more focused on the trenches, you know, when it's also fair to say that the Titans' offensive line against the Texans this year has done better than I think we expected the Titans' offensive line to do against the Texans. I mean, that's some of been some of their lowest sack games, If you want to look at the sack numbers,

like they only gave up two in the first game and what, it was three in this one? These are some of their best performances against one of the best pass rushes. So it's like, I feel like coming out of that game, it's hard for me to hear the best player on the team be like, the O line, the O line, and kind of hammering them

when you got Mason Kinsey at wide receiver and Mike McCoy is running the ball on third and three cross the 50 and not going for it on fourth down and then immediately giving up a touchdown drive to go down and you're not having the lead anymore. Why are we kicking field goals in this situation as a 1-8 team? So I feel like there are so many issues on this team that I just don't think it's fair

to put too much light on the offensive line as the problem. You know, when there were a lot of other problems. And I think the number one problem with the offense is the coaching. So it's like, I know Jeff isn't going to go out there because players worry about the players. you be accountable to me. You're the one in the locker room. You're the one I see. You're the one I go to war with.

These coaches are the coaches. I know the player's mentality is just different, but for me, I'm like, well, you know, I don't want to hate on the O line too much when I see all these other problems and the biggest problem is they're getting out coached every single week

by smarter coaches. And, you know, it's just like, so I'm conflicting. I like the leadership. I get it, but I don't know. I don't want to hate on the O line too much, I guess. I dig your conflict. I dig your confliction, Tyler. I really do. And I had to train myself to look at the game in totality because I was like Jeffrey. I mean, the trenches is where it's won and lost, right? But in the reality, the scheme of things, that is where football is played. You can run the sweetest route. You can have the prettiest spin on the ball. But at the end of the day, the physicality of the game is what makes the difference in this league. And if you can't win up front, you can't win. So he's basically asking the offensive line. match our intensity. Do what we're doing. Iron is supposed to sharpen iron. If we kick your

ass every single day out here in the football field, it should show up on Sunday, right? During the week, if you're going up against a stout unit, you should be improved every single week. But we're continuing to see the same mistakes from training camp. You know, so I think that what he's saying is, and I know it seems pedestrian to say, oh, offensive line, do better, you know, whatever else. But at the end of the day, that's wins ball games. The offensive line is what wins ball games. And if you don't have a menacing, disciplined front five that can do it, Jeff knows that that's what it takes. We need guys that can get after the other guy's quarterback and put his butt on the ground, but we also need it to be able to protect ours, have a diverse

playbook because we're able to do so many different things up front because we're winning. But if you're not winning up front, if they're not your most dominant unit up front, you don't win ball games. That's why it's called the National Football. league. Bihab, if you're in a locker room like that and a team leader sends a clear direct message to your unit, how are you feeling? So you know, I'm glad you asked that because listen, I was thinking about something. I was thinking about, I can't remember what player it was that, oh, it was Jalen Hertz. Jalen Hertz had everybody come over to him on the sideline, right in those moments that can be an embarrassing thing or it can be the thing that sparks the change

that you're trying to get in other words if you're not a leader and you call everybody over to you and either you get the the eye roll or the no one shows up or their players still doing their own thing and they're not listening then you're not a leader you see what i'm saying so when you step out there and you take this opportunity to say hey look i see something that needs to change change. My voice is big enough on this team for me to rally everybody around me for whatever instant it is to listen to what I have to say. Steve used to do it. Eddie used to do it. Bruce never did it. Munch never did it. You know what I mean? There are some guys that just don't do it. But when that voice is spoken, people respond to it. Am I talking about from a coach's standpoint because you're

supposed to listen to your coach, right? But I'm talking about a player, a leader on the team. So a Big Jeff were to say, hey, fellas, gather around, gather around. And if no one believes that that guy is the leader, they won't do it. And then that guy won't, he'll just shrink back into whatever role that he played. But a true leader, he gets people to respond to him by coming to hear the message. And he used to talk about control rage. I mean, that little peanut head rass was saying that stuff all the time. God, man, control rage.

You know, what he was talking about was the intensity with disdainting. discipline. So when they figure out who that guy is, the guy that says, fellas, come around here, come around. And everybody just automatically just, you know, converges to the center to hear what it is that they need to hear to inspire them. That's when, you know, the true leader has taken a step forward and has become that guy. You know, I mean, versus someone that's embarrassed to say it, almost has a meek voice. It's like, hey, guys, come around me and listen to what I have to say. If you want to, if you don't, it's okay. Just keep doing what you want to do. Drink your water, you know, get some air, whatever. You see what I'm saying? That's not a leader. But that's the biggest difference. I've thought about that because I remember this a couple times I did it. And I was just like crossing my fingers that I didn't get the, oh hell, what the hell's a hobby got to say now?

But, you know, I've got a picture of them coming around me and responding. You know, so that makes you feel like, yes, I can do that. I can do it now. What you say after that also, it inspires. James Winston, just stop. don't just stop you know there's some guys that you just like him singing i remember when teddy brusky it was the sunday nph countdown and they waited for hours for you know for james to do what he normally does when he's starting and uh they showed james

they showed teddy briskey's face and he was just like he said i waited three hours for that you know it just wanted to say and i know there's some people that were thinking the same thing they're in that huddle listening to him like dude this guy talking about eating some dubs and craziness again what we talking about so anyway that's i hope i didn't get all tangent but i hope you understood what i was trying to say just about the leadership role and how finicky it can be especially if you're trying to establish yourself as a leader especially when the team needs one because you don't just have rare dudes just doing it especially if they already have that guy that's that does it already you know what i mean that that is the leader you know i mean the guy that does say hey look fellas and he doesn't

have to say much and they come and respond because they know that he's, if Aaron Rogers would say, fellas, they're going to come. You know what I'm saying? But some of these rookies, you know, guys are really trying to establish themselves as leaders on the team. Your performance, it does make a difference. And also what you're saying makes a difference. Yeah, General Manager Mike Borgonzi, after the trade deadline, his press

conference named Jeff is obviously a pillar of this organization and one of the leaders that's going to turn this thing around. So, you know, the rest of this season, the last seven games, no question that Borgonzi and maybe even Jeff too are maybe trying to look for those guys, those foundational pieces and send a clear direct message. What do you think about as far as, you know, what needs to step up in these last seven games from a, hey, this guy's going to be part of this foundation moving forward? Well, I mean, I think you got to.

to have Gunner Helm in there. I would just get him involved as much as you possibly can. That's going to be a part of the foundation. That's going to be a piece going forward and I mean obviously like we've been talking about this offensive line the whole time we need the offensive line to gel

not have the mental mistakes everything like that but at the end of the day I guess I'm in a spot where we know who the team is now. It's not like there's going to be some you know major improvement out of some, like, they play the Seahawks this week.

They play the Chiefs. They play the 49ers. You know, they have two games against the Jags, and I think the Titans can compete with the Jags, like we talked about last week. I think that's just, you know, your ugly cousin, no matter how good they are, you'll wrestle them in the front yard.

You know what I mean? Like that, like that... Because the Jags and the Titans are ugly, so they're ugly cousins. That's what they are, all right? We're talking about two. If you rank all the NFL franchises, these two teams are bottom six, bottom seven, bottom five, maybe. Let's be real about the situation.

So they're ugly cousins that have always been ugly slapping each other in the front yard at Thanksgiving. You know what I mean? It don't matter how much money you make, what kind of job you got in the city. You come to Thanksgiving. We're going to slap each other around. So I think that the Titans can beat the Jaguar still, but the Jaguar still, but the Jags are still a very good team. Like, they're very good is probably a push. They're still a good football team.

So it's like the Titans are going to play a lot of good teams, a lot of the issues that they have are not going to be corrected, and we kind of know at this point who those foundational pieces are going to be, who those building blocks are at this point. You just need to see improvements. And I think the improvements that can be made, especially on the offensive side of the football

with the offensive line, it's mental stuff, you know. But like, let's take away, you know, five false starts. I know it's hard to do that. Like, let's take away the good runs. He didn't run for very many yards. But if you take away the false starts, which are the mental mistakes, when it just comes to blocking and, like, protecting the quarterback, the O-line didn't do a terrible job in that regard.

They were terrible and run-blocking and have been all year. It's just not coming together, but I blame the coaching more for that, in my opinion, if we got into that discussion of why the run game hasn't worked this year. But regardless, I just think, like, the O-line can get better with the sim. simple stuff. But overall, it's, you know, I continue to say throughout the year, they haven't been as bad as maybe it seems like. Like they've had some games where they did some good things and this, this was one of them as well. So it's like everybody was mad at JC Latham because he got all the, all the false starts, right? He had three false starts.

He had a whole thing. It was bad. But Latham gave up one or two pressures against the best edge rush doer in the entire NFL when he was, he got help. He got more help on tape than I remember watching on TV, but like Latham wasn't some sieve that was getting destroyed and getting Cam Ward killed all the time. Like the fumble that Cam Ward got sacked on. That was Dan Moorside and quite frankly, that was Cam Ward's fault. He didn't see the blitzer on the left hand side. The slot wide receiver is pointing at the blitzing cornerback. He's coming, he's coming and Cam just did not look left to check on that. The protection wasn't right. So, I mean, whatever. Like, I don't know.

I'm kind of in a weird place where I'm like, the offensive line isn't as bad as it hasn't been good, but it's worse in run blocking than pass blocking for me. So I just want to see them do the simple things, right? And I think the performance overall will look a lot better than it real, than people realize. Yeah. You know what?

Cam was sacked three times, which was less than what we sack Davis Mills. And if I can address that real quick, Davis Mills is a ball player. He's a good backup, man. He is, you know, until the Texans had the opportunity to draft C.J. Stroud, I thought that this dude, you know, he's going to be somebody to play with. But when I look at Cam and I look at other running quarterbacks, say mobile quarterbacks, to say that. It's not running quarterback, but mobile quarterbacks. That threat for them to run is what slows down the pass rush against them. Cam doesn't threaten to run, even though he did lead this, this week in rushing yards. It wasn't in personal. You know what I'm saying? But I think that when you start threatening him to run, that makes either somebody spy him

or when they start getting the pin in their ears back, thinking that it is going to be a pass, now his running ability will then slow down that pass rush and allow them to get better footing when it comes to balancing out the play calling. So I think that when you look at 58 yards total rushing, that to me is not going to get it done on 17 attempts. You need to have more balanced approach. But the point I'm trying to say, I keep saying. saying it every single week is Jalen Hurts' threat to run slows down defenses. Your boy from Kansas City.

Yeah, Patrick Mahomes. His threat to run slows down pass rush. Lamar Jackson, the threat to run slows down pass rush. Even Trevor Lawrence, these guys that have wheels, Josh Allen, the threat to run doesn't make you rush with the same kind of intensity because you know this dude can just run right by you. They need to tap into that more because. he is nimble with the ball in his hands as a ball carrier.

We know that he can throw, and he's getting better at throwing, but the threat of him throwing would slow down and make defenses think about something else also, gives them something else to think about. I just think that they need to tap into that more. You know what I mean? Just more designed runs for Cam just to keep the defense honest. You know, those faint jabs at the boxer throws to set that overhand right. You know what I'm saying?

That's what they need to do. So in that way, it just makes them take Cam's, dual threat ability a little more serious. Go ahead, Tyler. I'm just going to say yes and no, is what I would say right there. I think that a read option where Cam Ward keeps it, why can't we do that once or twice in short-yarded situations? They haven't run one read option all year where it was designed for Cam Ward to read a defensive end

and then keep it. And I'm sorry, like, he can do that. Okay, he can do that. And I think that he also needs to do the decision-making calculation of, hey, I could throw this pass, but the guy that I'm throwing to, how open they are, how much room I have, it's better for me to just escape and take what's there for the defense and see, and then slide and get down.

Like, I think that sort of calculation in his brain is happening because it's harder now. He didn't have to do that in college. He could just throw it and make it happen. But in the NFL, it's harder. So, like, it may not seem like, hey, taking this five yards on a first down scramble because I'm running through the pocket, that's a better decision than throw into that guy 17 yards down the field.

That wasn't the right decision. You don't want to take the five yards. Go for the 17 when you're in college. But in the NFL, you probably want to take that five yards because the 17 isn't as guaranteed as it was. But I'll be honest, I don't think they need to do too many design runs. Like, he isn't Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. I think it's oversold a little bit

how much he can run. He is not very fast. He is not super mobile. They did a play action bootleg and he got run down by number 92 on the Texans who's a heavy dude. Like, Cam is not. Like, he is probably average to below average athlete

at the starting quarterback position in the NFL. So I don't think they can do like QB counter or QB power and like some of the design runs you would see for a Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, but I think they can do more quick read option and just let him get three or four in a short-yarded situation or on the goal line, get it. So I think we need to see him run more.

It needs to be in those scramble situations. We need to see, I just want to see some basic read option and short-yardage, but it can't go too far to the type of stuff that we see from, like, you know, Kyler Murray or Curry or Kyler Murray, Jaden Daniels and stuff like that, because he is not that kind of action. athlete. Well, let me say this, though. When he had that 11-yard run, right? He looked like number nine to me. Steve wasn't the fastest dude out there. Yes. Steve would take advantage of space. Steve would take advantage from space, but Steve would go outrun, you know, like Javan or somebody

like that. You know what I mean? It's like Baker Mayfield. Exactly. Baker ain't fast, but yeah, that's the type of runner. But, but see, but it's still. a threat to run. And you know that he will do that and get you those. Look this way. He didn't have to run for a first down every single time. But at least if he's getting four or five yards with his legs, that makes the next down and distance more manageable, right? Julian, bring up MB, JW9, SS's comment, if you will. Yes, sir. There it is.

So touching on that. And for our listeners who can't see it, it says, Brad, can you also comment on the advantages of the offensive line when Cam goes under center versus? is more shotgun. Okay, so listen, when you are, first off, running the football from under center, the running back is already heading towards the line of scrimmage. By the time he gets the handoff, he's already got two or three steps of momentum build up and hits the line of scrimmage faster than he would be if it's, say, a draw,

or he hands it off to the guy standing next to him, say he's in the shotgun, right? Not the pistol, the shotgun, and he hands it to him. Now you've got to start getting with the ball already in your hands, from zero. It's different. And also, when you're under center, you don't know what the offense is doing. They could be passing the ball. They can be running the ball. And also, you don't give the defensive line already a setup point if we're to rush. When you're in the gun, you know he's not going to go back, but maybe two or three more yards before he has to step up and throw it, right? But if he's doing, like I say, a seven-step drop from under center, he's going to stop, that back foot's

going to plant, he's going to step up into the throw, and the pass rush will go around him. there's so many more advantages to being under center. But you also have to be able to have the ability and technique to do that. You know what I mean? Is he comfortable enough to go under center, take the snap, step back five or seven yards while the plays are developing. In other words, going through his progression while he's backing up. And then when that back foot hits, step up into the throat and let it go.

You see what I'm saying? So I think there are a lot more advantages and a lot less predictability when you can do under center, when you can go. go in their center versus standing in the shotgun. It helps out the pass game from the pass rush, and it also helps out the run game for when you do have those design runs and the quarterback's in as a single back or, you know, some other set, some other formation where the running backs actually like a toss suite. You know what I'm saying?

When he's under center and the running back is already running to the outside and he tosses it out to him, think about how much more momentum that back has, how much more speed that that back has already built up because the quarterback's under center versus you trying to disguise some sort of shotgun situation where ultimately you're going to hand it to the guy standing next to you and he's got no burst or you have to have that type of scat-back guy that can go from zero to a hundred immediately, you know, showing that kind of ability. So that's a great question. And I hope to see more of it because it does show a little bit more diversity in their play calling and putting cam in different situations that defense has got to guess what the hell he's

doing. Keep your comments and questions coming. We'll answer them at the end of the show in our Titans talk segment. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to talk about the offensive line. I know we've mentioned them throughout the show, but where they need to improve and what we need to see moving forward for the Titans O line when the Titans Squad Show returns. Keep it here. Today's show was brought to you by friends over there at Peloton. Look, folks, it's time to break through the busy time of the year with a brand new Peloton cross-training tread plus that's powered by Peloton IQ. It's Peloton's most elevated technology and equipment yet that gives you real time guidance and it gives you endless ways to move whether

you want to work out by yourself or if you want to work out with your favorite Alex Toussaint. He always gets me fired up to tackle the day. And the thing I like about Peloton, it helps me achieve more in less times. They have features that help you plan, stay motivated, track your progress. And Peloton IQ also provides personalized workout plans and recommendations. That's something that I use right now during the busiest time of the year covering the NFL. They plan my workouts. for me based on my mood, my vibe, and also my favorite instructors. So make sure you check it out and use it because it also helps you correct your form in

real time and it maximizes your reps. It counts your reps so that you can do it smarter, safer, and more efficient. Let yourself run, lift, flex, push, and go. Explore the new Peloton, cross training, tread plus at one peloton.com. All right, guys. So we wanted to talk about the O line a little bit more. obviously, you know, nine penalties for 62 yards. Not all of that fell on the old line,

but I was sitting there in the press box on Sunday thinking like nine for 62. It felt like a lot more than it did because of the pre-snap penalties. And that's just, I guess, you know, you're on an island. And when you're, you know, you're going to get penalized in a football game, right? You're going to hold. You're going to be physical. But when it's stuff that happens pre-snap, stuff that you can control, I guess it's highlighted that much more.

So mentally, B. Hop, as an offensive line, what's kind of going through your head when stuff like that continuously happens? Because it's got to be frustrating. Well, J.C. had a false start because he's trying to time up the snap count. I don't really fault him for that. Sometimes you can actually be right in sync with the snap. And it looks like you're off-sized because the rest of the offensive line isn't moving as fast as you are. You see what I'm saying? Then sometimes you can just listen to the lingering cadence of a quarterback and just jump in just a little too soon because you're trying to get out and you're trying to get set up, right? That's what I'm trying to do as an offensive line.

I'm trying to use the snap count to my advantage and be able to get out of my stance and get set up. So that way I'm in control of the play itself. because if I'm late, if the defense's line gets off the ball before I do, man, my technique goes out the window, and I'm probably in a world of hurt. You know what I'm saying? So being able to use the snap count to your advantage is a huge thing. But sometimes just trying to time it up, it can get you into trouble.

Now, if you just like the snap was on two and you went on one, that kind of stuff, you know what I mean? Where it's obvious you were the only guy moving, that's a concentration thing. So if that's more of the case, then that's just you making a dumb bone head mistake versus you just trying to time it up. Because what I like to do is when Steve would say, down to go, black 22, black 22, I can tell in his cadence when the ball was going to be snapped. And I'm not waiting for that hut. I'm moving as he's saying hut, just like the center is snapping the ball anticipating him saying hut. Because when he says, if it's on one and he says hut, that ball is already in his.

hands by the time the quarterback has said hut and i want to be off the line of scrimmage at that same time and sometimes timing it up and get you into trouble i would hope that that's not more of a situation where they're just jumping off sides because they didn't understand where what the the snap was on you mean that's just that's just a mental error and you can't have that but i don't have any fault with jc trying to use that snap count to his advantage to get off the ball you know because he just trying to get himself back especially when you go up and is Will Anderson. Are you kidding me? Or Shelter or any of these other dudes that, they had two rushers that had seven and a half sacks. So I'm definitely being aware of their

get off. You know what I mean? How fast they can be. I remember going up against Dwight Freeney. If you didn't get out that damn ball when it was Snap Buddy, that's a rap. And defensive lineman, a lot of times they're listening and understanding the cadence just like offensive linemen are. They'll study that just like anything else that they're studying. Tendencies. They're listening to the audio of the quarterback's cadence, and they're starting to get his tendencies and knowing what the snap count is just by hearing his inflection and knowing when he's about to snap the damn thing. And next to, you know, they're using it to their advantage. So pre-snap is, you know, if a guy is not on the line of scrimmage when, because he's trying to get so far away

from the defense, that's a mental error. If he just doesn't understand the snap counter, where was that and he just jumps off, that's a mental error. But those little things that you're trying to do to gain a competitive advantage, you know, you've got to, take the good along with the bad, you know, because sometimes it's going to work for you, and you get off the line scrimmage, you get set up, and sometimes they snag you for it, and they were like, eh, he was a pinch too early, and I had no problem with that. Honestly, if we're honest, I just want to bring a bit of nuance to the offensive line discussion as I've tried. There are a couple of things here. Number one, this has been a problem

the entire time for the Brian Callahan coaching time period. It was a problem last year, that penalties were a problem. It's been a problem all year this year. So at some point when a pattern arises like that and it's been an issue for an entire tenure, I know Callahan's gone, but it's still his staff. You know, oftentimes people say penalties are a coaching problem. If a team gets a lot of penalties, it's a discipline issue, it's a coaching issue, this and that. So if you want to go that route, I mean, this has been, the penalties have been a problem for this coaching staff and this regime the entire time that they've been here. So it's not to excuse individual mistakes when you're jumping all sides.

and stuff like that, but at the same time, you've got to keep that in mind here. And then also, Cam admitted, and it was a talking point that he had some cadence issues in the game. He was mixing things up, doing some different things with his cadence, and it caught the offensive line off guard. That's why Cushingberry wiggled a snap,

and that's why Latham on one of his, he is visibly upset with Cam Ward, because he's like, what is going on? And Cam admitted, like, yeah, that was my fault. You know, the cadence, the cadence and the snap count and all that, that is a symbiotic relationship between the quarterback and the offensive line.

Sometimes a false start is the quarterback's fault. And Brad, I think it's funny that you're giving us the NFL level version. When I was in peewee and middle school playing offensive line, our cadence was ready, set go. And when did the coaches tell you to jump to go? On the S of set, not on go. If you're leaving at go, you're late, it's over.

You know what I mean? So that is not too, skews the offensive line, and certainly when you have five false starts, some of those are mental mistakes, some of those are concentration problems where you're just not like Gunner Helm had a false start, where he just, you know, like he's just a rookie who made a concentration mistake on the snap count. But I don't think that every fall start the offensive line had is technically the offensive lines fall. Also, the quarterback is part of that operation, just like sacks are not just on the offensive line.

And like I would say with all of the problems with the sacks, Some of the problems are Cam Ward's getting sacked because no one's open and there's no one to throw to. That is a coaching problem. There are no answers versus the pressure. The scheme is not getting people open. So the offensive line gets blamed for a sack, but it's a coverage sack because the scheme got beat. You know, so just like the offenses problems in the passing game overall in the run game, with the false starts and the pre-snap penalties, that is a failure for the entire operation. not always just one person's fault.

So I know that that's not as fun. It's not as fun because it's easier to say, J.C. Latham, what a bum. Get him off my team. Like, it's easier to say that. But the real answer, the real answer is more complex and more nuanced. And I hope that people can think about that

rather than just screaming. I'm glad that you brought that up about the cadence because like we mentioned in the very beginning of the show, Cam is still, you know, getting himself comfortable. with cadences, with the nuances of being the quarterback for an ounce of offense, blah, blah, blah, right? And he cannot be mixing up his cadence. He can't do that because, like I just said, I listened to Steve's cadence for nine years,

so I understood what it sounded like. There was, I'll tell you this, there were sometimes that Steve forgot the snap count. He forgot what he told us because he got so much going on. He actually forgot what he told us, but guess what? we and it goes along with something else that one of the commenters said about jelling and playing together long enough to know what his cadence is like there were times that Steve might have said it on it's on two right but as he's going through his cadence no no no that's the one cadence and we snapped the ball right when he wanted it right but not when he said it you see what I'm saying

that he called to him in the hurdle but as he's going through his cadence it's like no no no That's not a two cadence. That's the one cadence. And we snap the ball in according to his cadence, not what he called. But you can only do that if you're comfortable and understand through repetition that that's what he's doing. But if Cam is up there still adjusting and his cadence on one sounds different each time, oh, that totally screws up an offensive line, you know? And if I was Lord, I wouldn't come back there.

Brough, you better knock off the goofing off with the snap. Get it together, man. You know what I'm saying? but that will come with the more reps that he gets to be able to establish that. You do run the risk of a defense understanding and timing it up too. You run that risk. Yes. But if I'm used to it as an offensive line, I'd much rather have a cadence be predictable from our sense

because we're going to be consistent and we're going to have less of those false starts that we're seeing nowadays. I thought, you know, outside of the pre-snap penalties, they did pretty well against probably the best one-two rushing duo in the NFL with DeNeil Hunter and Will Anderson. Do you think that maybe had something to do with it too, that the fact that maybe they were a little jumpy? Oh, well, I mean, I certainly think that everyone is on edge when you know what you're facing. You know what I mean? So I think that does, that's how some of these things can happen.

Cam Ward can get wonky with a snap count because he's really trying to get these answers. And the Titans were trying to do some, you know, some. some stuff early with the snap count to get answers from the Texans. Like, oh, this guy's coming, this guy's coming, oh, we see the pressure here. That's what, when you're messing with the snap count, that's what you're trying to do. You're trying to get answers from the defense. You're trying to have them expose themselves early so that you can know what they're going to do, or just the classic, I'm trying to get you to jump off sides.

But more often than not, you want to see the defense expose what their plan is with your dummy snap count. And getting them to jump off sides as like a cherry on top. situation for that. So I think that certainly did matter, but at the end of the day, you're at home. So I can't, I would rather talk about how, like with play calling, everybody wants to get mad at the offensive coordinator, but play calling, you got a screen guy, you got a run game guy, you got a red zone guy, you got a pass game guy, you got a protection plan guy, like all of this stuff, football in general from the top down is much more of a collaborative, collective effort than

people want to admit because it's easier to blame one person when things go wrong. That makes things simple. I can just say, this guy messed up. But really, with the snap count, like we talked about, it's everybody. And like we talked about with the offensive play calling. You know, Randy Jordan with a screen game has been terrible. And like all these, there's so many different things that go into it. So throughout the entire episode, I don't want to just tee off on the offensive line.

I don't think the offensive line has been as bad. and I think some of the problems that get assigned to the offensive line are more of a societal problem for the offense. You know what I mean? So I'm just here trying to bring some nuance and defend the O line a little bit, I guess. Yeah. Well, one thing real quick, Julian Tyler, when you use the cadence, you can also get the defense to stem into whatever it is that they're trying to do.

Like if they're waiting and trying to time up Cam's snap count and he's giving them a false snap count and all of a sudden they stemmed down into this four, three underlook or something like that because they thought they were snapping a ball. Now you expose what they're trying to do. Then you can sit back and he can say green, green, green, or whatever, it's checking into

another play because now even blitzes. It slows down blitzes too. Or if you got a guy that's standing in that B gap and all of a sudden you're listening to the cadence and he drops out of there to a now you know, I just now expose what you're trying to do. You got to have a time to be able to do that and you've got to have

savvy to be able to do that. That's something that does start at the sideline as well. You're like, hey, look, we're going to go on two because we want to see what they're up to. Or if you're a smart veteran quarterback, he's going to say that same thing in the huddle. Hey, we're going to go on through. I'm going to give you a dummy count the first time. Then I'll reset and then we'll go from there because we want to see that corner

sneaking into the camera, into the angle, you know what I mean, versus, you know, being predictable and letting them just kind of tee off on us. We still got a few minutes. Excuse me. Wow. Throat is sore today. We still got a few minutes left in the show. We're going to take your questions and comments in the other side of the break.

In our Titans Talk segment, make sure to keep them coming in the chat if you're live with us on Facebook when the Titans Squad show returns. Stay with us. All right. We have some questions in our chat. The first one comes from informed Watcher 3. Who will still be on the line next year?

And where will the replacements come? from, I assume he's talking about the O line. Of course, Kevin Zitler is only on a one-year contract. They signed Dan Moore to the four-year deal, obviously invested in Skoronski, Latham. There's Cushenberry in the center. But we talked about this last week on the show. It seems like they're in need of a vocal leader. In the offseason, we asked Bill Callahan, who's obviously not here anymore, but we asked Bill Callahan, you know, who's going to lead this offensive line? Who's the vocal leader? And he said, well, I think they can all do it.

But it feels like to me that they need one guy. They need a big nasty and they don't have that right now. What do you guys take on informed watcher three's question here? I think that's not necessarily his question. I'll answer his question, but Julian, the way that you position that, I don't think that that is the way that it's going to work. The way that you, if the problem is the way that you positioned it, then they will fail to fix that problem.

Because what it goes in its face, they can't go out and get a mercenary voice to be the big nasty voice and to the actual question they only have one position that's going to be open next year and it's right guard because they're probably not going to bring Kevin Zeitler back

because he's on a one-year deal. J.C. Latham isn't going anywhere. Peter Skoronsky isn't going anywhere. Look at Lloyd Cushenberry's deal. It would be like 7 million of dead money and 2 million saved. They're not going to get rid of Cushingberry and they shouldn't.

He's coming off in Achilles' tear. probably going to be significantly better next year when he's a year removed from the injury. Dan Moore's contract, they just gave it to him. He's not going anywhere. Dan Moore's going to be the left tackle next year. So that's four out of five spots that that's where, and it goes back a couple of weeks ago

we talked about this. I said it. J.C. Latham is supposed to be that guy. He is supposed to be the big nasty, Trench King, got the grill in during the game with the big chain. I'm pushing guys around. I'm the big dog. 340, big monster. get off the bus type guy like Brad talked about. That is Latham.

That is what he was supposed to be. And if he is not going to grow into that vocal leader, beast leader, it's not Peter Skoronsky. He's never going to be that rah-rah type guy. That is not him. That's not who he's going to be. So he could be a voice and a leader and tell a young guy you've got to get this.

But Peter Scoronsky's never going to be the big intimidation guy on the offensive line. It has to be Latham. And if it's not Latham, that problem's not going to be solved until 20. So your O-Line next year will be Dan Moore at left tackle, Peter Scoronsky at left guard, Lloyd Cushingberry at center. They'll get a free agent veteran right guard in my opinion. I think Joel Betonio, Wyatt Teller, some guys in Cleveland could make some sense.

There are other guys who are going to be available who makes sense. And then you'll have Latham at right tackle. So if they need some big nasty to come in and be the vocal leader, it just, that doesn't make sense going out and getting that mercenary and free agency and then he's going to come in and be a main leader on the team and lead the O-line room. Like, that's not going to work that way. So it has to come, like most of the Titans' answers, it has to come from internal development.

There's no outside answer in free agency for a lot of their problems. So to me, the O-line is pretty obvious. It's just about who's going to play right guard. Is that going to be Jackson Slater? Is he ready for that? I don't think so. Is it going to be a free agent? Are they going to draft somebody?

I think it'll be a free agent because they can't play about the O-line. They can't hope that they hit in the draft on. the O-line with how important it is to protect Cam Ward. So to me, we could talk about replacements, but there's only one spot that needs replaced. And even if they replace it with a good option, that's not going to fix the they need a leader problem. That needs to come from internal development.

Well, first off, Peter is not a vocal guy like that. It's just not. He's a cerebral guy. Make up, right. He's a smart dude that's just going to punch you in the face. You know, I mean, that's exactly what we need, needed from left guard jc is more of a verbal vocal leader okay yes uh there isn't going to be someone that they put this way unless you're seeing the titans spend handsomely at bringing in a free

agent and the reason why that's important is because you can't just come in here as some available dude because available dudes can't block offensive line play is a premium in the national football league and if you're good they're going to pay you as such and if you bring in that kind of market, then that is the expectation that you are the leader. If I'm paying you $100 million to come in here and be a part of the offense line, means one that you're pretty good at what you do.

You probably establish yourself as being one of the best at where you were, right? And we now have incorporated that into what we're doing. That is a leader by natural progression, right? But from a guy like J.C., who is a draft pick, Peter, who is a draft pick. In other words, they've invested in these guys, and over the next two or three years, they developed into a second contract dude.

You know what I'm saying? Now that is normally who you would lean on because they've been here the longest. So unless they're planning on spending big money on a free agent because this free agent is a ringer and he's going to come in here and all of a sudden start, you know, he, because of who he is, he is the big dog, not only by check, but by his play that has afforded him that, that's your leader right there up front. Or a guy that they drafted in the first. round that has now developed into that role because he's now so tenured on this team and has

developed so much further as they first pick that that's the guy that we all of a sudden start leading on as well too. And I say that I'll give J.C. the same kind of credit that I would give Cam. J.C.'s just going into his second season. And he's playing a different position than he was when he first started. So he's still trying to get his feet wet. Do I expect him in like the year? By the time his rookie years, his rookie contract is done. done to be the vocal leader and stand on business, I do expect that because I do see incrementally getting better every single year. That's what I expect from him, just like Peter. We watched Peter developed from first round in 2003 to one of the best interior offensive linemen in the game.

And I would expect the same thing to happen to JC as well. It's just not going to be just some instant thing where they just come in there or whatever else. Now, they could draft the dude too. You know what I'm saying? Because a draft pick that you spend, you know, some high draft equity on, he's not going to cost you what a free agent that's already established is going to cost you. And if that big boy comes in here and just, and he wins the tackle spot, I don't care they did sign, they did sign Dan Moore to a multi-year deal. His butt will be out of here if he can't play better than the rookie that they've drafted in the first round. In other words, if they went out in this next year's draft and drafted themselves a left tackle, I would expect at some point in time,

first off, to be a camp battle between Dan and this new dude. And if new dude is as good as Mel Kuyper says he is, you know, to be awarded a first round pick, then guess what? You got him on the cheap because he's a rookie. And he'll ultimately be the dude that can be the bookend along with JC for the next 10 years, if need be. Last question of the day. And it's something that was asked earlier in the show by Jonathan Cook 7239. We mentioned how short-handed they are at receiver right now. And his question is, is this the week that Restrepo gets called up? Mike McCoy noted in the press conference yesterday that he has been involved in the kicking game, but did not commit to whether he would get called up this week. I know Titans fans have been clamoring for this guy because

he is Cam Ward's teammate, and there's a rapport there. Do we see him soon? You have to. You have to. What are we doing? Like, they really don't have a choice now. It's not like, you know, early in the season where like, can we please get a look at Restrepo? Like, it's a numbers game at this point. But I just want to say, the only thing that I have to say about this is I just think it's absolutely ridiculous. We're talking about the kicking game. I think you're putting the cart in front of the horse. You're overvaluing the things that don't matter. This team needs a receiver that can get open and make Cam feel comfortable and move the chains and catch the football and run the right routes. We need a receiver far more than we need a freaking coverage guy on the special

teams unit. To say that Xavier Restrepo is getting better on the kicking game and that gives him a chance, I don't give a damn about the kicking game. We have enough guys that can go down on kick coverage and punt coverage and tackle somebody. He's never going to be good at that. He's 5'8. He's not overly explosive as a runner, straight-line speed. That is not what he's going to be good at. He is not built for doing that.

But if he can be the best receiver on this football team right now with what they have available with both I.O. And D.K. are out. And you have Van Jefferson out there. Like, I just, it's so annoying. I know that special teams is important, but it's so annoying to me that we have seen so many players throughout the history of the NFL with a skill set like Xavier Restrepo

come in and make an impact on the offensive side of the ball to say that this dude hasn't done enough on the coverage teams on special teams to get an opportunity. It's just, it's overvaluing the wrong things. It's putting the focus on things that are less important and things that are more important, which is Cam Ward in the offense. So I don't care if he can't do well on special teams coverage units.

If he can help as a receiver, that is what matters. Put him out there. I don't care if he can cover kicks. It's just insane. man all righty we'll end it there that's a good place to end so yeah what are we doing man from from tyler roland right there all right well thank you guys for joining us make sure to like comment subscribe all that fun stuff here in the titan squad show and check out tyler

rollins locked on titans every single day here on the locked on podcast network the number one sports podcast network out there today we'll see you guys on game day enjoy it Thank you.