Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Talk Schwartz, Robinson's Draft Prowess Ranked & Titans Investment I'd Make!!

Episode Date: April 16, 2021

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show in Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is a Friday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. And I want to finish out our week here with a little bit of fun. To start off today's show, we're going to play a game. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made some additional comments earlier in the week

about the hiring of senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz. Now, I saw a take on social media about those comments, and I simply just don't get it. So we're going to go through Mike V Rabel's newest comments about Jim Schwartz and I want you guys to tell me if you see what this other person saw on social media that I'm just simply not seeing from these quotes. See if maybe you guys can pick out something that I wasn't able to find. Then we are going to transition into a fun conversation

about where Titans general manager John Robinson ranks amongst other NFL GMs when it comes to success in the NFL draft. And as I said, that's going to be a fun conversation. So be excited for that article analysis. And then we are going to cap off the show and cap off the week here on the Locked On Titans podcast with even more fun. So right now, there's a buzz in the investing world about a particular cryptocurrency that is trying to quote unquote go to the moon.

So I will explain that a little bit more in our final segment. But at the end of the day, what we want to do here is I'm going to point out which player on the Titans I would invest in this season who I think will go from where they're currently at to the moon. So excited to have a fun Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. Titans fans, we are going to kick off a fun Friday episode of the Locked on Titans podcast playing a little game. Maybe you could call it a little game of I spy, seeing if you guys can pick up something

that I clearly don't see in some comments that Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made about the hiring of Jim Schwartz. But before we get into that game at the top of our show, as I always do, got to remind you guys, I'm going to be pumping out Monday through Friday daily Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season, but all year long. And as a matter of fact, we are smack dab in the middle of the 2021 Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview. We have conducted the entire offensive side of the ball going position by position through

quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, offensive tackle, and then interior offensive line going through the day one guys, the mid-round options, and then the late round flyers that the Titans could have interest in. If you missed any of those previous editions of the Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview, or you want to make sure that you catch all of the defensive breakdowns that I'll be going into next week, subscribe and follow the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. And before we dive into the game, also want to remind you, let me know on Twitter at TicTac

Titans if you do identify the things that I must be missing. But to start off this game, I want to tell you guys what you're looking for in these comments. I saw a take on social media where somebody said, if you want to know who was in charge of the hiring of Jim Schwartz, whether it be John Robinson or Mike Vrabel, which is something I have debated previously on the show. I think it was a John Robinson, Mike Vrabel, which is something I have debated previously on the show. I think it was a John Robinson, Mike Vrabel compromise.

Hey, you can promote Shane Bowen, but we're bringing in somebody as a quote unquote senior defensive assistant who I trust and who I can rely on coming from J-Rob. So to me, this is a compromise between the two that resulted from the promotion of Shane Bowen. between the two that resulted from the promotion of Shane Bowen. But let me know if you guys see any definitive answer in these quotes as to who was really in charge and who had the idea to bring in Jim Schwartz, because I simply don't see it from these quotes. So you guys let me know.

We're going to dive into those quotes now, and here we go. Quote, from Vrabel, Jim is somebody that I've known. It's funny as we went through our conversations he was basically a quality control coach for Bill Belichick with the Browns and I spent eight years with Bill as a player with the Patriots we talked somewhat essentially the same language so this process was something we talked about since he finished up contract contractually with Philadelphia it worked, and I think it works for everybody with what he is willing to do at this point in time and what we'd like to have him do and help us out.

He is local here, he loves the Titans, and he was excited about coming on board and trying to help us in any way that he could just like everybody else in our organization. Vrabel continued, I think what his role is, is it's just like everybody else to help the team, to help us win. No job is too small for any of us, and I am confident that that is what he'll do. As we work his way into what we are doing, it has been good to see him meeting with

different guys, meeting with the defense, and meeting with me. I would imagine that maybe he would look at players for the draft. As we get down here, we get a different set of eyes. A guy that has been around the league for a lot of years and has been successful. And finally, Mike Vrabel also had this to say. We're excited about Jim and the defensive knowledge and the football knowledge that he can bring. We play multiple fronts, so that is nothing new. We'd have five guys at the line of scrimmage. We've had four.

That's not something that we haven't done. End quote. So obviously Mike Vrabel's quote right there talking about we've had five at the line of scrimmage, we've had four, is in reference to Jim Schwartz being a career 4-3 defensive coach with that classic wide nine technique that he kind of popularized earlier in his career. popularized earlier in his career. Now, what I want to say is, back to the game,

did anything in those quotes confirm or solidify the fact that this was Mike Rabel's idea? He said, we've been talking about this since his contract was up in Philadelphia. We? I mean, that's probably Jim, but also J-Rob. I guess, to me, I found nothing in there that would tell me whether it was Vrabel's idea or John Robinson's idea nothing definite so I don't understand going on social media and having the tape

that oh if you needed your answer about whose idea it was well that article from Jim Wyatt and TennesseeTitans.com with the quotes from Mike Vrabel that didn't answer anything for me personally. So I still, in my mind, do believe that this is a compromise between John Robinson and Mike Vrabel because Mike wanted to promote Shane Bowen.

So John Robinson said, you can do that, but I need somebody that I can trust in that defensive room as well. And we need to bring in, you know, a senior defensive assistant. They tried to give that position to Dean Pease you know a senior defensive assistant they tried to give that position to dean peas he declined went with arthur smith to go to atlanta so they filled that spot with jim schwartz i don't think that article or those quotes give us any confirmation that this was a mike ravel sponsored idea and nothing dissuades me at this time from what i believe caused the hiring of jim schwartz but with that in mind, we are going to continue today's show.

Next, we are going to talk about where John Robinson ranks as a drafter amongst the NFL general managers. Before we hop into that, I want to tell you guys about betonline.ag, the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Football might be over, but the NBA, the NHL, and MLB are all in full swing. And BetOnline even has you covered for award shows, TV shows, and reality TV. So make sure that you head to their website or use your mobile device. Sign up for free at BetOnline.ag today.

Use promo code LOCKEDON, that's one word, LOCKEDON, and you'll receive a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. on and you'll receive a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. We are going to continue this fun Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast by diving into an article done by one of my favorite NFL writers, favorite NFL personalities, and that's Greg Rosenthal from NFL.com. But he did an article about the GMs in the NFL and how they stack up in terms of how they draft.

And I included this in a fun Friday because John Robinson has a very favorable ranking here, one that I absolutely agree with and one that kind of validates what I have been saying on the show and on social media for quite some time now. And that is John Robinson is a top 10 general manager in the NFL. So we're going to dive into this article from Greg Rosenthal. But before we do, I want to remind you guys that you can get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of our local experts.

Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast. I've been on the Locked On Today podcast. It's awesome. Under 20 minutes, all the sports news. Pair it up with the Locked On Titans podcast. It's a great thing to do. Locked On Today.

Make sure you guys check it out. But let's go through this list. And I've kind of let the cat out of the bag that John Robinson's in the top 10 but where where exactly does John Robinson come in so let's start at the top of the list and we will make our way to John Robinson which is an admission in itself that he's not at the top of the list and unfortunately it makes me sick to my stomach to report this and to agree with this as well but Chris Ballard general manager from the Indianapolis Colts is number one and remember this isn't a ranking of the best general managers this is how general managers have done in the draft now

the draft is such a big part of being a GM that obviously the the list of best drafters is pretty close to the list of the best GMs is pretty close to the list of the best GMs as well. Not exactly the same, but some of the top names you're going to see on both those lists. But for Chris Ballard, you have his best pick being Quentin Nelson. He's added Braden Smith at offensive tackle. Darius Leonard has obviously been fantastic. Naheem Hines, good player.

Jonathan Taylor, good player. Michael Pittman looks like he could be a pretty good player. Julian Blackman was pretty good as well. So he's had some really good draft picks. Quincy Wilson in 2017, probably his worst pick, but overall Chris Ballard has been pretty excellent. Next, we have Kevin Colbert from the Steelers at number two. His best pick being TJ Watt in 2017. the Steelers at number two, his best pick being TJ Watt in 2017, worst pick being Senquez Golsan in 2015, but the guy's brought in Bud Dupree, he's brought in TJ Watt, Juju Smith-Schuster, Deontay Johnson, Chase Claypool, Javon Hargrave, Kevin Dodson, Alex Highsmith, so the Steelers are consistently good.

Highsmith. So the Steelers are consistently good. Actually, as a matter of fact, their head coach, Mike Tomlin, has never had a losing season. So you're only able to do that if you have a good coaching staff, but you also have a roster full of solid, affordable talent, and that's done in the draft. Next, you have Jason Light from the Buccaneers, his best pick being Tristan Wirfs last year, which had a big part of the Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl was the offensive line play. He did select Vernon Hargraves, cornerback in 2016, though, so not a great pick up there. But you look at the other names, Allie Marpet, Vita Vea, Chris Godwin,

Devin White, Carlton Davis, Donovan Smith, Sean Murphy Bunting. You add that into Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. from last year. I mean, that's a pretty dang good record. But Jason Light never really got any of the credit that he deserved until he brought on Tom Brady and actually won. So we remember winning is key here. Next, at number four, we have Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott together for the Buffalo Bills.

Obviously, they picked Josh Allen. They've also had Tredavious White, Deion Dawkins, Matt Milano so some really good picks there I love what they're building in Buffalo five Mickey Loomis from the New Orleans Saints obviously brought in guys like Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramchick, Marshawn Lattimore, Marcus Williams, Trey Hendrickson, Michael Thomas, Marcus Davenport, as I mentioned earlier. So, I mean, they've done a really good job in New Orleans building up that team constantly. Deserves a lot of credit, Mickey Loomis. Six, Rick Spielman from the Vikings. Brought in guys like Justin Jefferson, Stephon Diggs, Daniil Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Dalvin

Cook. Had some big misses, though, with Laquan Treadwell. Mike Hughes hasn't lived up. Garrett Bradbury, I was pretty high on, but just hasn't been the kind of guy that you thought you were getting in the first round. So some hits and misses, which is going to be common. And then at number seven, we get to John Robinson, the Tennessee Titans general manager. And I think this is a really good spot for John Robinson some people below John Robinson Jerry Jones John Lynch Brett Veach from the Chiefs Tom Telesco from the Chargers Pete Carroll from

the Seahawks with John Snyder of course they work together as a team Brian Gutekunst from the Packers Duke Tobin from the Bengals are directly behind John Robinson but top seven for John Robinson coming in there at number seven. This is what Greg Rosenthal had to say in his blurb about John Robinson. Quote, Robinson started his tenure with a bang, taking Jack Conklin, Derek Henry, and Kevin Byard in his first draft for then coach Mike Malarkey. Robinson hasn't hit that level since, but the front office has uncovered difference makers like A.J. Brown, Jonu Smith, and Jayon Brown from surprising places in the draft. Last year's first round pick Isaiah Wilson turned into an all-time miss, but I otherwise

appreciate that the Titans have a type. A lot of teams say they want physical players, but no team looks better coming off the bus than a John Robinson team. We need to keep that in our minds as the Titans move towards the NFL draft. But I love that Rosenthal has some nuance here. It would be easy to look at last year's draft for John Robinson and write him off, but you cannot ignore all the great work that he's done prior to that. And the first four or five drafts for John Robinson

were very, very solid. So I appreciate that Rosenthal took his entire history into account as he very well should in this sort of ranking. So I wanted to cover that for you guys. John Robinson getting some love for his prowess in the NFL draft despite having a down year last year. But we are going to cap off today's show. By again having some fun here on a Friday.

Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that's got the internet abuzz. It's got the investing world abuzz. And everyone says it is going to the moon. So what Tennessee Titans player. Who may be on the periphery right now would I invest stock in or buy invest and buy stock in who could go to the moon in 2021 we're going to talk about that next before we do though do got to remind you guys about the best tasting protein bar in the galaxy and of course that is built Bar. Built Bar had the original 12 flavors

they expanded with six new flavors and now they have too many flavors to count too many different textures too many different types absolutely anything that you could want from a protein bar you can find at builtbar.com the bars are still covered in 100% chocolate. They're soft and easy to chew. And remember, the Built Bars do taste great, but they're fantastic for any health-conscious guy or girl, low-calorie, low-sugar, high-protein, high-fiber. Make sure that you go to BuiltBar.com right now and use promo code LOCKED15.

That's one word, LOCKED15, and you'll get 15% off your next order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15, that's one word, LOCKED15, and you'll get 15% off your next order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off your next order at BiltBar.com. Titans fans, we are going to have a little investing fun to cap off this Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast and this week of the Locked on Titans podcast. But before we do that, do want to remind you guys that April 19th through the 26th, listen to the Ultimate Mock Draft 2021 presented by the Locked On Podcast Network and the Odyssey app.

It's going to feature analysis from NFL experts Michael Irvin, Jason LaCanfora, and Brian Baldinger talking about the picks that our local experts, including me for the Titans, are making in the Ultimate Mock Draft 2021. So make sure that you in the Ultimate Mock Draft 2021. So make sure that you search the Ultimate Mock Draft 2021 on the new Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, Odyssey is your audio home for all your sports, podcasts, music, and news that matter to you.

That's A-U-D-A-C-Y. But talking about which Tennessee Titans player I would invest in and why we're doing this. A lot of you guys are paying attention to the market, paying attention to certain investments. And one big thing that a lot of people are paying attention to nowadays is cryptocurrency. And if you're totally confused as to what I'm talking about, have you heard of Bitcoin? Most people have heard of Bitcoin at this moment in time. It's made its way into mainstream lingo. Well, there is a particular cryptocurrency like Bitcoin that was far lesser known and actually it was created as a joke. But at this moment in time, it is going to the moon.

And that just means that the investment is paying off big time. The value for Dogecoin is going through the roof. Basically, it started very low, and it's really picking up steam. Tech billionaire, famous person, Elon Musk, has a lot of fun talking about Dogecoin and every time that he tweets about it, the value goes up. But wanted to take that kind of fun story in the investment world and on social media and flip that into a Tennessee Titans topic. So which Tennessee Titans player who may not be getting a lot of buzz initially right now

will go to the moon in 2021? And I am here to say that I think second year cornerback Christian Fulton will go to the moon. Christian Fulton by the end of this season will be considered the Tennessee Titans' number one cornerback, and I think he'll be considered a good one league-wide. So hear me out here. Christian Fulton was a second-round pick. He never had a normal offseason last year.

He dealt with injuries constantly last year. He played in weeks 1, 2, and 3, and then was out multiple weeks, and finally got to play again in week 6 and week 7, and then was out again for 10 straight weeks, did not play until week 17, and then played in the wildcard game. So the kid got to play 3 games in a row, then be out multiple weeks, then 2 games in a row, then be out 10 weeks, then two games in a row at the biggest moment in time in the season to play. And here's the thing. I don't think that Christian Fulton was being used at his proper position either. If you go back to last offseason, I did videos on who I think should play slot for the Titans. And I picked Adory Jackson. slot for the Titans and I picked Adory Jackson. Well Adory got hurt and we know that. So Christian Fulton got thrown into the fire to play slot after Adory Jackson played slot for most of the

offseason. They dabbled with Chris Jackson in there. They also brought in Desmond King halfway through the year but then we're using Christian Fulton as a slot for different circumstances, and then Adoree Jackson comes back, and now Christian Fulton is being put out on the field only on third downs to play boundary corner. I mean, he was just tugged all over the place doing a bunch of different stuff, never got to settle in, never got to find a rhythm. Christian Fulton was one of the highest rated cornerbacks in college before he was drafted by the Titans per pro football focus. He's a guy who played at LSU, went up against some of the best receivers in college football, and had success. I believe

in Christian Fulton's talent. Now he wasn't a perfect prospect coming out. He needed to get a little bit better with his ball skills. He needed to get a little bit better pressing at the line of scrimmage. He needed to get a little bit better with his tackling, but I think all of that can be improved in the natural raw coverage ability that he has will eventually shine through once he gets consistent opportunity and hopefully gets health on his side. Last year, he only played 209 snaps total, and only 133 of those were in coverage. So, although his statistics aren't really there, he gave up an 83.3 completion percentage. He gave up a, I believe, over 100 quarterback rating. In fact, yes, it was 101.4. So you look at the results here, 15 catches allowed on 18 targets. He didn't have a great deal of success when he was on the field,

but how could we possibly expect him to do that with the lack of consistency he had due to his health and due to the way that he was being used on the Titans defense. And add in the fact the Titans pass rush was absolutely despicable last year, historically bad. Well, that's not going to help out a rookie cornerback either. So I think with an opportunity to actually have at least a close to normal offseason. With the ability to possibly and hopefully stay healthy with the ability to play one consistent position on the defense, which in my mind is outside cornerback, not slot cornerback.

Well, to me, I think Christian Fulton can take a big leap up in his second year. Ascenda not being one of the best cornerbacks in the league, but he can be a bona fide number one cornerback for the Titans going into 2022. I think that Christian Fulton will go to the moon. So that's going to do it for this Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Hope you guys all have a safe and enjoyable weekend. Please remember, follow the show, subscribe to the show on whatever platform you do stream. Follow me on Twitter at TicTacTitans.

Check out the new Facebook page at LockedOnTitansPod. And please, pretty please, give me a five-star review if you are so inclined. But again, that's going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.