Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TITANS SQUAD SHOW: Titans DISMANTLED by Texans in EMBARRASSING performance

Episode Date: October 12, 2026

Things have gone from bad to worse in Nashville. The Titans dropped to 0-5 following the lopsided 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans. After three straight weeks of close defeats, Robert Saleh's team take...s a massive step back. The players in the locker room described the performance in one word: embarrassing.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Tempo For a limited time, Tempo is offering my listeners SIXTY PERCENT OFF your first box! Go to http://TempoMeals.com/LOCKEDON60.  Quo Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to http://Quo.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. Butcher Box If you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give ButcherBox a try. Go to https://ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDONNFL to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, new york strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always. Apple You can earn up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase you make with Apple Card using Apple Pay. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA. Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple-card-dot-com. https://learn.applecard.apple/unlimited-daily-cash?cid=apy-318-2000008800000-400000000000039&itscg=2030032&itsct=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnagencyid=c1a&mttnsiteid=133087&mttnpid=LockedOn%20%28Audio%29&mttnsubad=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnsubplmnt=&mttncc=US PrizePicks Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! KALSHI Today's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.  Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuel Get three hundred fifty dollars in Bonus Bets — GUARANTEED — when you bet five dollars every day for seven days.https://FANDUEL.COM 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.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:01 Well, the Titans dropped to 0 and 5. I've covered this team for over two seasons now, and that was an all-time low, Kayla. It absolutely was, Julian. And the big question now is, do we feel like something needs to change? Does there need to be a change at the quarterback position? Does there need to be a coaching firing? We'll describe it and break it all down here. Titan up. It's the Titans squad. Everything Tennessee Titans every week. Covering all the big hits and game-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.
Starting point is 00:00:44 And welcome to the Titan Squad Show, Julian Minnesone, Kayla Anderson, here with you. Brad Hopkins will actually join us a little bit later in the show. Today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandual Rewards Club. Every week, check the Fandual app to see what is waiting for. you. And if you are tuning into the show, you probably already know by now, Titans drop to 0 and 5 after a ugly 26 to 3 loss to the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. I'm going to pose this question here in the chat for us. And I'm sure we're going to get a lot of comments because
Starting point is 00:01:23 we usually do after a loss. But Kayla, if you had one word to describe that performance today, what would it be? Pathetic. I'm not one to get very, you know, angry to the point that I feel like there's not a lot of hope in me for this team. But today, like, that was a pathetic performance. And especially when you invite the Houston Texans into your house where you know there's a lot of pride between these two organizations for, you know, their own selves. when it goes down to it, when it comes down to it, I should say, when they go against each other, there's always a little extra of,
Starting point is 00:02:10 whether it be their uniforms or the history, you know, with it being in Houston, whatever it might be, these players usually in the past, Julian, at least when I covered the team, they had a little bit more ump to them. This was also a division game. And, you know,
Starting point is 00:02:28 this is a team who didn't win a division game last season. You're thinking, okay, It's an 0-and-4 Texans. They weren't as good as maybe we thought they were going to be this year. They come into your house at least show a fight. And we didn't get any of that, Julian. No, you know, the ironic thing is at one point in the game, there was a play in the back of the end zone that went out of bounce
Starting point is 00:02:51 in which a receiver collided with a security guard there out on the field. Yeah. And his pants came down. his bare ass was showing cheeks oh that okay you you got real creative with that one that that that's one way to describe it embarrassing just like I said in the title here today Titans dismantled by Texans and embarrassing performance there was no effort there was no life there was no resistance and the disappointing thing is like what you said Kayla like there were three straight close losses, like one score, one score games.
Starting point is 00:03:34 And the hope was that at some point this team was going to turn a corner, especially with another 0 and 4 team coming in here, divisional rival coming in here, a team that, you know, both fan bases, there's some animosity towards each other. And you get up for games like this. And, yeah, I haven't covered this team as long as a lot of other people on the beat. That's for sure.
Starting point is 00:03:55 This is my second full season. So it'll be two and a half seasons by the time this season. is up. But this is the worst performance I've seen being here. And there are a lot to choose from. And the worst part is, I don't know what you do. Like, I don't know how you fix this. I don't think this team is void completely of talent. I would say this team has more talent than, you know, like the dolphins and some of the other lower teams here in the NFL. But if the coaching staff continues to change, there's been changes at the general manager position. There's been changes across the roster, but you still get the same result, then what do you do? How do you fix it?
Starting point is 00:04:34 I don't know what Robert Sala does on tonight into Monday morning to try to light a spark under this team to turn it around. Yeah, Julian, it's, I'm a person who has a ton of hope and like, whatever I do. Teams I cover, I've covered a lot of really good teams. I've covered teams that aren't so good and you just sit and hope that they get better. And a lot of times they get better. But this is the weirdest situation that I've been in in a while. And, you know, there's just, it's like they can't get out of their own way. And I don't know if it is the trickle-down effect of the front office and so many changes. And then, you know, fans want change in a good way. And then, you know, they were hopeful when you saw Robert Sala and Brian Davis.
Starting point is 00:05:25 hired. They were hopeful when it came to Cam Ward in a second year with this type of defensive scheme where they brought over familiar faces to make it maybe easier to transition into this new scheme on defense that Robert Saul is bringing. But none of this has come into fruition. None of it, Julian. And like you said, there's been some points where we've seen growth in parts, but then they almost go backwards. And that's what I think people are frustrated with. It's like, the offensive drives in general. Like when they put their best foot forward, they go five steps back. And this is kind of what the season seems to be like right now as a whole.
Starting point is 00:06:06 And I don't know what the answer is either, Julian. And I know that people want to go and say, Bench Cam Ward or fire this coach. Right. They could always try it. But I really can't say that I think that that would help anything at this point. And that's what I wanted to get to. You know, Robert Sala did say he is standing by Cam. There is no plans to bench him.
Starting point is 00:06:31 And I don't think benching him is the answer either because even if this continues to fail, if it fails, you get closer to a top pick that you potentially want. And if it does, you know, like that's more data. That's more information that you have about Cam that gives you clarity that he is not the guy, right? Like this team isn't automatically going to become a contender because Mitch Trubisky is, is playing. No. Because he's not the long term answer. But you know, in covering this team for years,
Starting point is 00:06:55 Kayla, how much the Houston Texans game means to not just the franchise, but to ownership. Yep. Right? And guaranteed Amy Adam Strunk was sitting up there in her suite, live it, at what she saw today. Because if there was one game where you don't want to have a performance like this, if you're a Titans player or coaching, coaching member, coaching part of the coaching staff, it's the Houston game, right? So I got to ask you, do you think somebody gets fired after today?
Starting point is 00:07:25 because like this was the performance that could not absolutely happen. If they lost 26 to 19 or 26 to 14, you could justify, okay, like there was some level of competitiveness there. But does somebody walk in Monday morning, their key card doesn't work? Does somebody, is there, I don't know, some shake up with the roster? So I think it's a fair question because this is what we're used to as people who cover the Titans. fans of Titans, we're used to, like, things getting so bad
Starting point is 00:08:01 that we're just like automatically they're going to fire someone. Like, we're getting used to this. That's an awful thing to have to get used to, but it's reality. So some part of me thinks, yeah, it's going to be one of those things again where Amy gets mad and, you know,
Starting point is 00:08:18 she wants change just because the fans are saying we want change and we want someone held accountable. but my big question, Julian, is who hell is that going to be? So are you saying this is going to be, it's not going to be Robert Sala. No. It's not going to be Brian Daibald. Yeah. So where would you pinpoint that firing that would make a difference?
Starting point is 00:08:41 I mean, it's one thing to say we're firing someone to just do something, but I don't want to do that. I don't want to do something just to do something. It would have to make sense to me to do it. Yeah, like that's the big question. as if if there is going to be changed, I'm struggling to find out who that would be. Like, who are you going to fire that's going to totally shake this thing up and change your season?
Starting point is 00:09:06 You know, because I don't think it's Brian Davel or like Bones Fossil or somebody like that either. It's not Robert Soli. You're not going to do that five games. And you just can't. You can't, right? And it's not like they're going to, you can bench any of these players for somebody better.
Starting point is 00:09:20 Because if you're a bench player or a practice squad player on this team, you're not an NFL player. And I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but like you're not going to be a contributing player on a winning team. It's a rock in a hard place. And I've said it a lot when covering this team in the past few years. There just doesn't seem to be anything that's a simple fix. And I know this was never going to be a simple fix.
Starting point is 00:09:50 Let's be honest, guys. Sure. This season was going to have its ups and downs. I just hoped by five games in, we were seeing some sort of progress they could build on. But it's like even when we saw a little bit of progress, you take all these steps back. What, why is that? And that to me comes down to a disconnect with the coaches and the players or the players inside the law. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:10:19 There's a disconnect, though. And I don't know if they're already worn out. they're already down on themselves. I mean, it's easy to do when you're not playing good football for the start of the season. Is Cam Ward losing the locker room? I mean, I don't know. These are all things that I think we got to get a little bit more information on in order to start heading in the right direction. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:44 No, and look, we're going to take a quick break here. But on the other side, I mentioned here how the players kind of look defeated in the locker room, particularly Jeff Simmons, who's been through a lot of losing and is sick and tired of it. We're going to hear from Jeff. We're going to hear from Robert Sala. We're going to hear from the guys and how they felt about this embarrassing performance today. And then we'll react to it as well. That's next here on the Titan Squad Show.
Starting point is 00:11:06 Don't go anywhere. A quiz on your phone and a box at your door isn't a clinic. When it comes to men's health, things like energy, sleep, drive, and how you feel day to day deserve more than a questionnaire. Game Day men's health is a real in-person men's health clinic with more than 430 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Men can meet face-to-face with licensed clinician, get labs drawn in the office,
Starting point is 00:11:37 and receive initial results in as little as 15 minutes. Game Day looks at the full picture, your symptoms and your lab results before developing a treatment plan. And because they continue testing and evaluating, care can be adjusted over time based on your data. It's easy to chalk up changes to energy, sleep, drive, or even difficulty keeping weight off to getting older or being busy. Having a place focused on specifically on men's health,
Starting point is 00:12:01 can make it easier to actually get those concerns evaluated and understand what's going on. Book your complimentary test at consult and consult at gameday men's health.com. Football is finally back and that means Sundays are about to get a whole lot more interesting. Every week brings you new matchups, breakout players, big performances, and plenty of storylines to follow. Price Pick is bringing out its best offer yet for kickoff. New users who sign up can get $150 in lineups if they win their first $5 lineup. and Price Picks is now available nationwide. Look, I'm looking at Derek Henry, for example,
Starting point is 00:12:40 his touchdowns and rushing yards on Price Picks. Doesn't seem that man will ever age. Titans know that all too well. Price Picks has your back when other apps don't. Did you know Price Picks invented the injury reboot? If a player in your lineup gets injured in the first half and doesn't return, your lineup can still cash. The Price Picks Injury Protection Policy helped users win over $31 million in the
Starting point is 00:13:03 2026 season. There's always that one player you're watching a little bit closer than everyone else in this season. Really interested to see how Cam Ward does the rest of the way, especially in year two with the Titans. So we'll definitely be keeping an eye on his projections on price picks and seeing if his numbers match from what we kind of expect from Mr. Ward. Download the app today and use code locked on NFL to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. Price picks run your game. All right. So we have some sound from Jeff Simmons, Robert Sala, and a couple other guys about how they felt.
Starting point is 00:13:49 And it is the overwhelming feeling is embarrassed and defeated. Take a listen. We 0 and 5. Nobody winner right now. I mean, a record speak. And I mean, we continue to talk about it. We got to go out there and play. We got to go out there and do it.
Starting point is 00:14:06 I mean, it's not really a good experience to deal with that. But today it's going to be up to us to play better and get the fans engaged. I don't even think divisional game, I think we just feel embarrassed in general. It's a terrible performance by our group, so I think better better. People want to see angry people yelling at each other and doing all that. I think that's all for sure. That's performative. What a professional does is they show up tomorrow and they attack the day and they find a way to get better.
Starting point is 00:14:31 They're hard on themselves. They look in the mirror. They lift their teammates. They pull somebody with them. And they do everything they can to find answers to their own individual game. The coaches, same thing. straining to find ways to put our players in the best position possible. But, you know, like this idea of, well, I'm losing, so now I'm going to start trying.
Starting point is 00:14:51 If that's the case, then you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be in the NFL. You shouldn't be on this football team. All right, Kayla, what was your thoughts on what some of the guys had to say, including Robert Salon? Man, it's, first of all, let me start with this. It's tough for me to see Jeffrey Simmons, like, still dealing with this at this point of his career.
Starting point is 00:15:13 because Jeffrey has done everything in the off seasons to make himself a better player. He committed to the Titans. He truly believes in this organization. He believes in the fans. He believes in the city. He wants to win here. It's really tough for me to see. And I'm really honestly heartbroken for him because he's doing all he can.
Starting point is 00:15:40 I feel. Like Jeffrey Simmons, if he could like literally. put the whole team on his back and score for them on the offense and hold opposing, you know, offenses to whatever points, he'd do it. But he's just, he can't do it all by himself. And I think that's the one that really hits me. But you're going to Salas comments. And I understand like the position he's in because it is off to an awful start. But we have to be realistic to at this point on this is a coach who failed his first time as a head coach. But he had a good defense with the Jets, right?
Starting point is 00:16:21 Like he had a good defense. He was able to put up, you know, impressive numbers defensively. It was the offense that really struggled there. And initially, you know, in turn got him fire. It's interesting right now because we start the season with Robert Sol getting the second chance as a head coach. And he's saying all the right things. And I know it's tough. I can't imagine being a head coach and being 0 and 5 and things looking like they do.
Starting point is 00:16:48 But I think people are going to start to look at this now eventually and be like, is Sala head coached? And I think we still have time to go to figure that out. Sure. But I think that is going to start to come up because, you know, he's a great defensive coordinator, Julian. We know this. Like we saw what he did with the 49ers last season. And we saw what he did. He did with a Jets defense, but not as a head coach.
Starting point is 00:17:17 So I just want to bring that up because I don't think we're far off from hearing that chatter. I respect him for, you know, being able to try to hold this team together. But I just don't know right now what it's really like behind those walls. Yeah. And the reality in the NFL, too, is some people are just better coordinators, too. Like some people are just better position coaches. Like Brian Callahan is another example of one of them. Like he's not fit to be a head coach.
Starting point is 00:17:42 He was in over his head. He was clearly like it was going a mile a minute, it seemed like. And this team was in really bad shape. And he was touted as some offensive guru. And we never saw any of that, some quarterback whisper. We never saw any of that. And now he is a, you know, he's a position coach with the Giants now. So that, you know, I don't, I'm not out that Robert Sala can't turn this team around
Starting point is 00:18:07 and can't be a quality head coach. but you're right like his record with the Jets and so far his record with the Titans would deem itself to lean more towards not than he is. Not saying I'm out on him as of right now, but we'll get the rest of the season to figure that out. But it's certainly a conversation that seems to be kind of already started on the Titans social media sphere, if you will. You've watched every game this season, including the preseason games. This is their worst performance of the year, right? Yeah. Yes.
Starting point is 00:18:44 And it's not even close. I haven't even close. Because that Jets game was pretty bad. And that's bad from a sense of like it's the first game of the year. You want to come out, you know, guns ablazing. And it was pretty lifeless. This was even worse because you're, you know, five weeks into the season. And you're putting up a performance.
Starting point is 00:19:02 performance like that. That's why, Julian, because I was like, okay, it's the first game of the season. Would I have liked things to have been more cohesive overall? Yeah, but I can understand first time everything, coaches, offensive coordinators, you know, new parts in the offense, new parts in the defense, I could be like, okay, I get it. This is five, game five. We're five weeks in. And you just had a performance where you could have built a little off of it. And instead, you're now going back to a worse game than what you started the season with against a division rival. This is by far the worst game. Yeah. And that's why I posed the firing question earlier because like, you know, Amy, the last thing she wants to do is people, or have as people talk negatively about her team and
Starting point is 00:19:56 to be embarrassed. This was embarrassing. Yeah. You know, multiple guys in the locker in today. do you feel embarrassed? All of them said yes, like resounding, yes. Like that's, it's pretty bad. Like, there were fans booing. They were leaving the field today. Like, I understand the frustration, you know, like, because that wasn't something that's worth anyone's time, money, effort,
Starting point is 00:20:17 any of that kind of stuff. I think the biggest thing for me, when it comes to like the in-game stuff, they just didn't make plays. You know, like Calvin Ridley had the early play, the chunk play, the first play from scrimmage. That was their best play of the day, I thought. the first drive looked good.
Starting point is 00:20:33 Like they moved the ball down the field. They took their first lead, which was insane, five weeks in. But then it just kind of stopped. Like the back-to-back turnovers killed them, again, shooting themselves in the foot. And it seemed like they just, the wind came out of the sales after that. Like, it felt like the team gave up on the back-to-back turnovers. And then when you look at the defensive side, like the defense was forcing field goals, right? They'd bend but didn't great.
Starting point is 00:21:01 Yeah. But the defense hasn't forced enough turnovers this year. No. Special teams hasn't made any game changing plays like they did last year, right? Where even though the offense, the defense wasn't great, special teams, you could count on them being one of the better units that the Titans had every single week. They're not doing that this year. And the fact of the matter is like this team is going to need game changing game wrecking plays every single week.
Starting point is 00:21:29 They're going to need pick sixes. They're going to need fumble recoveries or scoop and scores. They're going to need an explosive play here or there to get them in the better field position or a long return or a punt return touchdown or something like that just to be competitive. I know that's unfair, but the fact of the matter is right now, that's where this team is at collectively, where they're going to need a game changing player to every single week just to be in these games. Let alone, like, don't even forget about winning the game, but just to be competitive with a lot of these teams because their margin for error right now is so raised. thin. It is. And so you were talking about just like how this team, let's start with the offense, they'll have like some good things happen. What I have noticed with the offense in particular is when those good things happen, they immediately turn into bad. They immediately hurt
Starting point is 00:22:22 themselves. Whether that be penalties or turnovers, we saw both. We saw both of those today hurt this team. And they don't have the strength or confidence right now as an offense because they are so bad to overcome that stuff. So it's like once they do something bad, Julian, it's like that's the rest of I feel like that's the game that they're going to play. And that's a leadership issue to me. Thank you. I absolutely think that has something to do with it. Now, that then has to include. camp, right? Yeah, that has to include Cam on there. It has to include maybe, you know, the offensive line. One of the wide receiver, there should be a veteran wide receiver in there. And I would think it'd be somebody like a Wondell Robinson, right, with his past and coming over and kind of
Starting point is 00:23:19 knowing dayball system. Because I would like for it to be a guy like Calvin Ridley, but I know that's not it. And then on the other side, you're talking about the defense. look, there's plenty of things the defense needs to do better. But they're out there for so long because this offense can't sustain drives. And then the defense finally just gets worn out. And I feel like they don't have enough gas in the tank. I'm not using that as a whole excuse for them. But this is the most uncomplimentary football I've ever seen.
Starting point is 00:23:51 It's just adding special teams. Yeah, add in special teams with there. Outside of that opening drive, the Titans didn't get back in the red zone today. that's that's disgusting um again the two turnovers only led to six points off those turnovers but again you cannot afford to play to have mistakes through them cam said it afterwards like he's got to play mistake free and whether that's fair or unfair however you want to look at it for a team because mistakes happen every week like this team is not good enough to overcome a lot of their mistakes. Time of possession, once again. At half time, the Texans doubled the time
Starting point is 00:24:30 of possession. But it ended up being about 34 minutes, 35 minutes to about 25 minutes still. So they lose that. Their worst time possession team in the league. Worst offense in the league now, just over 11 points per game. So it's spiraling. And I think the thing you've got to worry about is if you're some of these leaders on the team, you know, like the Jeffrey Simmons, the Amani Hookers, the Peter Skoronski's, guys who have gone through the rigorous years of losing over the last couple of seasons, the hard part is, I guess, figuring out if anything is going to change. And so, because people are going to look to you in the locker room to relay the message to keep going. Sure. But if you don't believe it, then how are they supposed to believe it? Yeah. You know, and that's,
Starting point is 00:25:20 That's the danger in the locker room right now five games in. Yeah. And like I said, because this team is a lot of new faces and a lot of them haven't worked together and worked through things yet. So when you have a team that is kind of new to each other with the new coaching staff, with a second year quarterback who is experiencing a lot of new as well with everything. And then you have things not go well, the first five. weeks to me like that's really hard to stay as a unit because if that happens to again I talk
Starting point is 00:25:59 about the nineers because I cover the niners too if that happens to the niners and they start to fall apart they've got veteran leadership like that core is a better report like they know how to overcome George kiddle Fred Warner right they know how that's not this team they don't have that and Jeffrey Simmons can't do it all by himself so it is a little bit of of a strange situation. And that's where, again, I have to go to the coaching staff at some point. You've got to figure out a way to bring these guys together to overcome what is an awful start to the season and find a way to start changing things around, even if it is little by
Starting point is 00:26:36 little. Yeah, no, that's 100% right because 0.17 is a realistic possibility. Like, there's not a 0% chance that happens. Like you play like you did today. You're definitely going 0 in 17 and you might as well just. start planning vacation. Yeah. But what did it take last year to have some sort of a revamp?
Starting point is 00:26:58 It took firing the coach. And I'm worried that like that is what people are going to expect to have some sort of a like reboot to the season or a little bit of hope. And I just, I don't think that's going to happen. No, I don't think so here. Especially in year one for Robert Sala and that staff. Something needs to change. That's for sure. We're going to hear from BeHop on the other side of the break and get his thoughts on this debacle that happened at Nissan Stadium today. Stay with us.
Starting point is 00:27:26 What's going on, everybody? My name is Ross Jackson, host of the Lockdown at Saints Podcast. And today's Lockdown episode is brought to by our friends at Basque and Lather. I've been using Basque and Lather's all natural, 100% organic hair care products for my beard for a couple years now. And it's been a lifesaver because I used to have some bad beard care habits. I'm talking over-the-counter shampoo and the beard type stuff that created this brittle, scratchy and uncomfortable. beard that I just had to wear around all the time. But now the game done change. Thanks to Basque and Lather, I got their beard care starter kit, which gave me shampoo, conditioner, oil balm, and their hair growth stimulator formula as well. And now my beard is full.
Starting point is 00:28:04 It's soft but strong. And the confidence is on 10. And it's all thanks to Basque and Lather. Explore viral bestsellers and products of healthier hair of all types from Baskin Lather. Go to Baskin Lathercoadcom and use the promo code locked on for 20% off. That's 20% off at Baskinlather.com. Code locked on. Now, Brad Hopkins, for those who don't know on the show, he does sideline for Titans Radio broadcast. He was doing that for the first time this season.
Starting point is 00:28:37 He does a great job with that. But he's obviously a regular host on our show, gives us expert analysis, and for the second straight week has given us his take on the game. So from the Titans press box, here's Brad Hopkins on his thoughts on this Titans loss today. Hey guys, Brad Hopkins here for the Titans squad show, reporting live from Nissan Stadium. After the Titans suffer a just monumental butt-wipping at the hands of the Houston Texans. To even start the game, settling for a field goal after what seemed to be a promising drive that should have resulted in a touchdown, A couple of miscues led to a couple of incompletions, which then led to a fieldable attempt that despite them taking the lead, there really wasn't much to write home after that.
Starting point is 00:29:25 The Texans basically forced the Titans into a very predictable situation of down in distances and point differential that really made them very, very predictable. And they were able to do what the Houston Texans do best, which is get after the passer with Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter. The Titans' offensive line had customarily at this point been a bright spot. Today, given the circumstances, they were a liability. They took turns in breaking down in protection. Obviously, any time I think that the ball isn't coming out of Cam's hands immediately, it's just lends to all kinds of possibilities. Turnovers have yet again reared their ugly head in this ballgame.
Starting point is 00:30:11 two in the first half, which not only were taking points off of the board for the Tennessee Titans, but put points on the board for the Texans. This is the second straight week that turnovers have been an issue. Incompletions are also a part of that whole situation when, yet again, we lose the time of possession. When we are basically not able to stay on the field long enough to put together consistent drives,
Starting point is 00:30:38 that also puts our defense in a situation where they need to, to get out the field and they haven't been able to. Prime example of that would have been the third quarter when the Texans basically started the drive in the second half and didn't come out the field till probably about seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Titans then had a possession. Obviously didn't put any points on the board, giving the ball back to the Texans for them to probably have the ball maybe 90% of the third quarter.
Starting point is 00:31:07 And that was pretty much indicative of the ball game. the Titans have to find ways to win time of possession to play mistake-free football, which at this point is the only way they're actually going to win a game. This is the team that is just not good enough to overcome turnovers and ultimately get into a ballgame the kind of rhythm that it needs to take to win. Jeffrey Simmons needs help. I mean, obviously Jeff is somebody that's going to require double teams on almost every down in distance, but when he does have double teams, that means that guys that don't have double teams need to win.
Starting point is 00:31:45 And we've always talked about that, winning the one-on-ones. And we just haven't found with some regular consistency that to be the case. Jacob Martin did have a sack today, and Jacob Martin, I think, has had sacks in the last three ball games. Maybe only two and a half sacks, but either way, has shown some potential of being a guy that can render aid when it comes to applying pressure to the quarterback. but if they don't apply pressure to the quarterback, then it pretty much leaves a secondary that was already banged up coming into this game. Ammani Hooker was out of the lineup because of the concussion protocol.
Starting point is 00:32:23 Kevin Winston Jr. was also lost in this ball game, which lent Terrell Burgess and Tony Adams to come in. I think they had nine and eight tackles, you know, respectively. And at the end of the day, if your DBs or your leaving, tacklers then that pretty much is a problem because it means that we weren't controlling the line of scrimmage and on either side of the football with the mistakes that are made with the pressure that was being given to CAM and those predictable passing down and distances we definitely did not control
Starting point is 00:32:57 with the line of scrimmage today there's just really no excuse for why this team isn't more competitive than it actually is because we do have really good players. It's just being able to do the same things at the same time and playing complimentary football that we have yet to find any sort of rhythm. If the defense plays great, then the offense is suspect. The offense seems to be suspect, then they don't have many opportunities because the defense isn't playing great. It does take three phases, the ability to flip the field and deal with the short field or even get turnovers. I mean, the turnover margin, I think we're minus four, which means that we give the ball away, way more than we actually take the ball away.
Starting point is 00:33:40 That obviously is a problem. But we have another opportunity next week. You know, speaking to you as a former player in that the only thing that you can do is look at the tape, that MRI or X-ray, however you like to coin that phrase, and to see what ails you. See if you can fix it. See if you can find some consistency. See if you can find, you know, that, that, that's, you know, that. that spark that generates confidence that most every winning team has.
Starting point is 00:34:10 This is one of those situations where winning teams find ways to win and losing teams find ways to lose. Well, it's going to do it from Nissan Stadium. Hopefully we'll have a better result next week, but you know what they say, the definition of insanity is, right? Doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Maybe it'll be changed this week. We'll see you next week right here on Titan Squad show.
Starting point is 00:34:33 I'm Brad Hopkins. I mean, yeah, insanity, right? Yeah, doing the same things over and over, right? Yeah. Oh, I did want to touch on the offensive line because today was by far their worst game. Oh, it's bad. Gave up four sacks, three of those alone to Will Anderson Jr., Danil Hunter as well.
Starting point is 00:34:54 Dan Moore's seen not blocking anybody, like totally blind. Yeah. And look, this is the problem when you get behind like this too, is the defense, especially this defensive front, which on paper is the most talented you've probably faced all year, even though the numbers hadn't shown it. Like, pinning their ears back and just getting after the quarterback, it was a disaster pretty much for the offensive line all day,
Starting point is 00:35:20 and specifically that second half on. It was bad. You know, D'Amico Ryan's also taking over play calling duties for that Houston defense right before they take on the Titans. Imagine that, right? This defense, you're exactly right, a lot better on paper than what they've shown this season. And it's almost like they compiled all that and we're like,
Starting point is 00:35:42 yeah, we're going to take it out on the Titans. And especially late in that game, like you said, just bringing whatever they could pressure-wise. And Dan Moore just, he looks like he gave up. I mean, it was embarrassing. I would be embarrassed if I were Dan Moore for what he did not do on that field. And then there were late penalties in that game on the office. offensive line as well, that again, we're putting them back after they kind of started moving
Starting point is 00:36:09 forward with some drive. So yet this was by far the worst performance on the offensive line that I feel at times, you know, the season has been improving and has been working together as a collective unit. But today, they also took a step back. Yeah, the offensive line, I will say, has collectively throughout the season, like up until this game had played better than I think a lot of us and that's even with two right guards out like Fernando Carmona's out Jackson Slater's out Tonyo Maffi actually didn't do terrible last game and you know relative to the expectations that we have for the offensive line they were playing a lot better but as Bhop mentioned like if it isn't one thing it's another if one part aspect
Starting point is 00:36:58 of the team or one position group is playing well the other one isn't playing well at the same time. Uncomplementary football. It's like whack a mole. Like if you've ever played the Titans as a whole are like a game of whackamol. Yeah. If it's not one mall coming out, it's the other one coming out. That's for sure. We're going to take questions and comments. I know there are quite a few in the live chat here on the other side of the break of the Titan Squad Show when we wrap this one up as a postgame edition and the Titans lost to the Houston, Texas. Stay with us. Welcome to your most rewarding NFL season ever, only on Fanduel. How rewarding are we talking? More rewarding than a touchdown with time expiring. More rewarding than an 18-point
Starting point is 00:37:45 comeback, maybe even more rewarding than an offensive lineman catching a touchdown. This season, fan duel is making the excitement go beyond what happens on the field with the all-new Fan Duel Rewards Club featuring exclusive offers, surprises, and more. Every week, check the Fandual app to see what is waiting for you. A touchdown with time expiring. is tough to beat. That 18-point comeback I was talking about, that's even better. And if an offensive lineman catches a touchdown, I mean, that's pretty much the ultimate football reward, right? Well, make this your most rewarding season ever with Fanduil. Visit fanduel.com to get started. All right, Mac Jesus, one of the regulars on the show, asks us,
Starting point is 00:38:29 and this was addressed to me, but we can both answer this one, Kayla. Do you think it's not good enough personnel as the issue, or is it not good enough coaching? Man, that's a good question because I do know when new staffs come in and they all kind of are put together for the first time. There's always after that first year a little bit of tinkering with the staff. And maybe you got to go and redo your your hirings in terms of like your quarterback coach or sometimes it's special teams, which I don't think that's the case in this, knowing that Bones Fossil is here. but a lot of that then has to go on the coaching staff because they're the ones that brought over a lot of these people that they're quote unquote familiar with and sometimes it just doesn't work and again I'll go back to my whole thing about Robert Sala not having overall success in his first go around as a head coach
Starting point is 00:39:24 is he able did he learn enough to uh you know build this team where they can overcome some of this adversity we'll have to see because it's about as bad as it gets right now and we'll have to see how he's able to learn from this. And part of that comes into having his staff prepared, having his staff on the same page. So I think it's a little bit of both, but it initially comes down to the head coach. Yeah, look, like the players play and they have to execute.
Starting point is 00:39:54 The coaches have to get the players ready and put them in positions to succeed. On the answer, whether it's a personnel or coaching issue, So, you know, in Spanish, there's a saying, parke no los dos, like, why not both? You sure. Like, why not both? Like, like, the fact of the matter is the Titans for the last couple of seasons have a 53 man roster like everybody else. The problem is there aren't 53 NFL players on this roster, right?
Starting point is 00:40:22 There aren't 53 players who could contribute to a winning organization on this team. So there's that. there's some draft picks that I think have been a little bit questionable, a couple project picks. Like, you know, you spent a second round pick last year on Femiola-Dajio. He's obviously a project player. Keldrick Falk, you traded up to get him, and you haven't seen a ton of that first round value in somebody like him. And on the other side, it is coaching as well. Like, you got to put your players in the best position to succeed.
Starting point is 00:40:56 You got to get them ready. That opening game against the Jets this year, this team. wasn't ready to play and that I think is on the coaching staff you know they have the worst offense statistically yardage wise and points wise in the league right now you know the players do have to execute yeah but the players aren't calling the plays that's that's Brian dable calling the plays um so I think there is accountability and I guess for lack of a better term blame that you could put on both sides of the things here because it isn't just one person like you said at the start of the show Kayla. It'd be easier if you could just put it on one person. It's it's collectively on this football
Starting point is 00:41:33 team. Scott McMillan is an accountability important. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, look, I know, I'm wondering where he specifically is going with that question. Like, are you talking about the coaching staff taking accountability, Cam Ward taking accountability, the defense players taking accountability because I do believe that maybe we haven't heard as much from Cam Ward that people want to hear. I think that people want to hear them, you know, him come out and say it's all on me. I'm the reason why our offense is failing. I don't, I don't believe that's true. I believe it's a collective unit failing. And I'll put Brian Dayball in it, right? I mean, it's a whole collective unit on not being able to figure out on any given day how to come
Starting point is 00:42:25 together and play good offense. There's games that Cam has, you know, been more so the problem, but there's also days that is their wide receivers that aren't catching balls they need to catch or making mistakes or the offensive line like today having issues. So I think like for him to come out and just say like it's all on me, I don't believe that that should be the case. And I do believe he's taking steps more in the right direction of coming out a little bit more in saying like, I can't turn the ball over like that and stuff along those lines. So if it comes to Cam, I'm not taking accountability.
Starting point is 00:43:00 I think he's certainly doing that more. But I don't know what else we want to hear from players or coaches in terms of accountability. I do feel like they're not trying to say or make excuses. I just think they're in a weird position right now. Yeah, and nobody feels more defeated than those guys in the locker room, too. As much as you think the effort today shows that they don't care. And I totally understand why someone would think that way. They were clearly defeated in that locker room today.
Starting point is 00:43:31 Like they were clearly like loss for words almost in a sense of like they're just sick and tired of saying the same thing. Now it's going to be up to those guys to change it, right? It's going to be up to whatever leadership counsel you have in the locker room or the actual player personnel guys, whatever you need to do from Robert Solid to kind of spark this team and to jumpstart this team more so than you already have. it's got to get done because again, I will reiterate. Somebody put Owen 17 in the chat. It's not far off. Like there is a real possibility that this team ends up that way.
Starting point is 00:44:05 And that's disastrous. One other question. This is from Just Be with Sean. What's your guess when things click and turn around? Ooh, we. Can you pull up that schedule? I do have the schedule. I was just thinking about this. because I think what did we say when the Titans were going to get their first one,
Starting point is 00:44:29 if it wasn't the Jets, it was the Browns. But the Browns actually look competent, you know? Here's the schedule. I guess if we're doing it by like a game. And I guess what would you, what would you, I guess, as your definition of turn things around. If that's a win, you got to win at least one before the buy, because it's going to be bad if you're 0 and 8 by going into that by week with Jacksonville,
Starting point is 00:44:55 Dallas and Jacksonville again on the schedule right as you've come out of that by week Kayla. And I would think to, Julian, this isn't anything. I'm just guessing here. I would think too if you didn't have a win before the biweek, there will be changes made. Now, I don't know what those changes will be, but there will be changes made, I feel, if they have not had a win by that by week in week nine. So I originally said the Cleveland game was when they were going to get their first win. That's honestly when I thought they were going to get their first win.
Starting point is 00:45:32 I still could see there being a chance that they could possibly go up to Indianapolis if they can figure some things out this week and, you know, build off of what an embarrassing losses was and take. that to heart. And divisional game. Yeah, go up there and be like, okay, let's take, like, let's take this embarrassment and turn it into some pride. And so I could see there could be a chance to do that. If not, it just depends on how bad that game goes, Julian. Because if that game's another blowout or they just look really bad, there's no way
Starting point is 00:46:15 they're winning with Cleveland coming in. However, if it's a close game and the really real. really see some progress, but they don't win it. I could still see a world where Cleveland comes into town and they could beat Cleveland. So I'm going to say there's still a chance to get a win before the buy week. Slim right now. But again, we're talking to Mrs. Hope over here. Well, we were here in the office. I know you were watching it because you were, you got to do stuff for your Niners show on the radio out there in the Bay Area tomorrow. But like you look at that Niners and Seahawks game. I just,
Starting point is 00:46:50 think of how far the Titans are from looking like those teams. It's a different sport, right? It looks like a completely different league, a completely different sport, completely different athletes and level of play. The Titans just feel like so far away from those teams right now. Here's somebody. Titan tie three. Do you think Big Jeff could potentially demand a trade out of Nashville so you can go play for a Super Bowl contender? I'm going to tell you this, Titan Tie three. There is, there has been talk of him And then this isn't anything like an insider. But his name has been brought up with the Niners.
Starting point is 00:47:28 ESPN's Nick Wagner, who is like a Turan Davenport for the Niners, he works as their kind of beat writer. He comes on our show every single week. And he has brought up Jeffrey Simmons' name on two occasions of somebody that the Niners could possibly target, you know, before the trade deadline. Now, I don't think that's going to happen. but I will say his name is out there. I don't know if he would demand a trade,
Starting point is 00:47:55 but if it gets worse and there is no type of hope in the next few weeks, who knows what can happen with Jeffrey Simmons? Because I will tell you this, he's got to be sick and tired of dealing with this every single week. And he's been dealing this, you guys, for a long time. And trying to be the better guy and to come out here and say all the right things. I don't think he wants to leave Nashville. Let me make that clear.
Starting point is 00:48:21 But at what point do you got to put your career like on the front? I mean, he's in his prime, right? He's playing some incredible football for what it's worth, right? For what he can do? The trade deadline is November 10. I would think that if anybody gets traded, the more realistic options are obviously that the ones we've talked about on the show who are on a kind of expiring contracts, you know, the Calvin Ridley's, maybe Tony Pollard,
Starting point is 00:48:47 Jermaine Johnson is on an expiring contract after the Titans traded for him this off season. Those would be like the more likely options if they were to send them out. Obviously, you're not going to get the same package as if you would for a Jeff Simmons for any of those guys. That's for sure. But I think those are more likely changes because I think there is a loyalty to Jeff. But even, you know, I kind of, I kind of relate it to like Damien Lillard, right? Absolutely. Like Damian Lillard, loyal to the soil over there in Portland, right?
Starting point is 00:49:17 and stuck it out through some bad ears, overachieve some other years. And at some point, it finally broke him. And no one blamed him for it either because you knew that even if he was turning the franchise away, the one that he would say he would stay forever, it ultimately was like, hey, I need to do what's best for me in my career. So I don't think it's going to happen with Jeff, like right now. But if things don't get better, I don't think it's not not a, possibility. I agree.
Starting point is 00:49:48 I'll just say that. All right. Well, that'll do it for our Titans therapy session today. Once again, Titans fall to 0 and 5 after the 26 to three loss to the Houston Texans. They're back at it next Sunday on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, another AFC South divisional opponent. We'll see if they can fix a lot of these, this mess that's going on there over this next couple of days and put out something better out on the field. But for now, I'm Julian And so that's Kayla Anderson. I want to thank Brad Hopkins also for joining us from the Titans Press Box. We'll see you guys later this week.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.