Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Training Camp Recap - Titans Go Unscripted, Up & Down Rookies and Julio Watch Continues

Episode Date: August 5, 2021

On Today's Locked On Titans Podcast: The Titans changed up practice structure on Wednesday and wen unscripted. We'll talk about what that means and how practice was laid out. Head Coach Mike Vrabel gave updates on a certain rookie who is struggling in camp. Injury updates & Rashaan Evans' agent at practice Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is presented by the Peacock and Williamson podcast. NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you a national perspective on all of the latest NFL news, so make sure

you check out the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, wherever you get your podcasts. The Titans made a major change to their practice structure on Wednesday. We saw a format from the Titans for training camp that we have not seen from them from the previous six practices. So I'm going to tell you guys to start the show exactly what that change was and why the Titans would be making that change at this time in training camp.

After we talk about some general overall team points, we will then move into a conversation about some of the individual notes from Wednesday's practice. And we got a really candid answer from Mike Vrabel about a struggle that a rookie is having in training camp right now. So he gives us some notes on that rookie. But also, we had a rookie on the other side of the ball that had a very good day and tons of other information about individual players that we need to go over. And then, of course, we will round out the show with the injury updates. Who was out on the field?

We will round out the show with the injury updates who was out on the field We did get one injured Tennessee Titan that made his return to practice as well It may not be the Tennessee Titan that you were hoping for but a healthy Titan Nonetheless and then also one of the players on the team their agent made an appearance at practice And I'm gonna tell you why that is very interesting see, but going over everything that you need to know from the Tennessee Titans Wednesday practice on this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it! The Tennessee Titans went unscripted on Wednesday, and I'm going to break it all down for you guys to kick off today's show.

But before we get into that, do want to remind you, I am going to be putting out Monday through Friday daily Tennessee Titans content here on the Locked On Titans podcast, not only during training camp, not only during the preseason, not only during the regular season, but all year long. There's not another Titans content creator that can say that. So make sure you never miss an episode of the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world by subscribing to the Locked Tennessee Titans podcast in the world by subscribing to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Follow me on social media, on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans, on Facebook at Locked on Titans

pod as well. But let's dive into this. And like I said, the Titans went unscripted on Wednesday. And what does that mean? Well, it's a change up from what they had been doing previously during training camp. The Titans would come out, get a stretch in, they'd go into their individual position drills, doing position specific type activities. Then they move into one-on-one periods, defensive linemen versus offensive linemen. Of course,

everyone's seen the videos of the cornerbacks going up against the wide receivers. Then usually you'd get a little bit of team seven on seven, which is passing drills, where there's only seven defenders, seven offensive players. It's, like I said, primarily just to work on passing. And then you'd get a little bit of team 11 on 11 mixed in. Well, the Titans changed that up. And when I say they went unscripted, what they did was they had their opening stretches, their individual position drills, but rather than

focusing on one-on-ones and seven-on-sevens, they just did like kind of a simulation of a game, almost, where the first team and the second team take turns rotating back and forth, and they're just going up and down the field like a normal situation. And why the Titans would do this is when it's not scripted, you get more of a game environment. So instead of the coaching staff knowing, hey, we're working red zone period right now, everything is the 20-yard line and into the end zone. You know what packages you're going to be running. You know what personnel groupings you're going to be in, who's going to be out on the field. The special teams unit is already ready to go if there's a field goal opportunity because you're in red zone.

When it's unscripted, you don't know what's going to happen next. And that has an effect on the team where they have to think on the fly. You don't know if you're going to be as a player. You don't know if you're going to be in the very next play, how they're going to rotate the personnel. You got to be on call and ready to go at all times. So really cool that the Titans made that change, kind of more of a game atmosphere in practice to get the players ready for when they don't necessarily know what is exactly coming up. So the Titans did that throughout the day. And overall, the defense did a very good job. That's

been a theme here throughout training camp. They held the offense to field goals on every single drive except one when the first team offense led by Ryan Tannehill did score a touchdown, but it was second year running back Darrington Evans who scored a seven yard rushing touchdown. It was the one score the Titans got on the board where they actually got into the paint. So moving forward though outside of the defense the starters overall on offense and defense did get pulled a little bit early and they were on a side field working on some conditioning and things like that. Again Mike Vrabel very focused on keeping everyone healthy and speaking of Mike Vrabel he was very animated during practice a little bit more yelling a little bit more energy than he's normally had the last few days and Mike Vrabel. He was very animated during practice, a little bit more yelling, a little bit more energy than he's normally had the last few days. And Mike Vrabel said in his press conference after

practice that he felt like yesterday wasn't a great practice for the Titans and he felt it was his job as the head coach to make sure the energy was high and they had a more productive day today. And he did say that they did go in the right direction and it was a good practice. Now, the practice did end in kind of an unfortunate way. We had a Tennessee Titans player get ejected and sent off the field early. It was rookie safety Brady Breeze out of Oregon. And the reason for that was during one of those late team periods in the red zone, Brady Breeze leveled what would be deemed an unnecessary hit on Titans rookie wide receiver Des Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick was going up for the ball, and while most reports indicate that Brady Brees didn't level Des Fitzpatrick in any way, he went high on him with his hands, kind of hit him up high, and Mike Vrabel was upset, felt it was unnecessary contact, felt Des Fitzpatrick was a defenseless receiver not only would it been a penalty but that's your teammate in camp just not what the Titans are looking for now Mike Vrabel did say after practice that Brady Breeze is a young guy he's just got to learn from it and move move on which means unlike the situation in Carolina earlier this week where the guy who made an unnecessary hit on a teammate was cut immediately. Doesn't look like Brady Brees is going to be let go that fast,

but will be something to monitor going forward. So those are the general points, the overall points from a team perspective from Wednesday's practice. We are going to move into a discussion about some of the individual performances and get some individual updates as well, including some audio highlights from Mike Vrabel's press conferences. He talks about some key specific items that I want you guys to hear directly from the coach.

So excited to dive into that next. Before we do, got to remind you guys about rockauto.com. Rockauto.com is a family business that's been serving online customers for over 20 years. Rockauto.com's online catalog is remarkably easy to use. It's really unique. You can see all of the different brands, specifications, and prices that you prefer. Best of all, when you do find the part that you need, it can be delivered to your door in just a few easy clicks. And you know when you use RockAutoauto.com you're always going to get the most fair price possible one thing i didn't know at chain auto parts stores they can actually give you different

prices whether you're a professional mechanic or a do-it-yourselfer you're never going to have that issue at rockauto.com so go to rockauto.com right now see all the parts available for your car or truck and make sure that you write locked on in the how did you hear about us box right underneath your shipping information so they know that we sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. RockAuto.com Titans fans, we talked about the overall general team points from Wednesday's practice. Now let's dive into some more individual tidbits. And number one, it'll come as no shock to any of you guys who have been listening to the show since training camp kicked off.

But the defensive line had another fantastic day. Tyre Tart continues to impress. And then a roster bubble veteran in Woodrow Hamilton also had a very good day. Haven't mentioned Hamilton quite a bit. And Mike Vrabel did spend some time talking about this in his press conference, and I'm just going to paraphrase everything for you. But essentially, the Titans purposefully brought in a lot of offensive linemen into camp because they knew a guy like Taylor LeJuan, Ty Sambrillo, Aaron Brewer, those guys weren't going to be ready to go. So they brought in a

lot of extra bodies. Well, those extra bodies have taken hits out there. We've seen Spencer Pulley, who was just signed, missed the last few days of practice. Paul Adams got hurt early on as an offensive tackle. We saw Elijah Nakansa get hurt early on as an offensive lineman in camp. So a lot of the Titans' depth that they've had on the offensive line has been compromised in some way. And when you add into the fact, like Mike Vrabel mentioned, guys like Roger Saffold and Ben Jones need rest days. Those guys are older veterans. They don't need to play every single day in camp. So, basically what's happened is because the Titans have had to stick to their plan with a lot of guys, but also had their depth compromised at the interior offensive line, it's put guys

in a position on the first and second team where they would truly be third or fourth team guys. And when you have the first or second team defensive line going up against third or fourth string offensive linemen on a consistent day-to-day basis, it's going to make the Titans defensive line look a little bit better. So don't want to rain on the defensive parade that we're all having here, but that's also a big reality. And even Mike Vrabel talked about that as well. Another guy on the defensive side of the ball who had a good day was rookie linebacker Monty

Rice. And it's been reported that Wednesday's practice was his best practice of training camp. He made plays in three different phases. He was able to get pressure on the quarterback on a blitz. He was able to make a good play in coverage over the middle of the field. And he showed up multiple times against the run. So you have to love seeing Monty Rice take those steps. Him and David Long battling it out for that third linebacker spot is a really important roster

battle because not only will that determine who's the third string linebacker or second string linebacker and the second string pair out of those two guys it may also determine who will be the Titans starting inside linebacker of the future going forward I'll talk a little bit more about that in the last segment of the show because it kind of ties back in to Monte Rice. The next thing I want to mention is on the offensive side of the ball and whereas Monte Rice is a rookie who had a good day there is a rookie who's struggling and it's rookie offensive tackle Dylan Radins. I had high hopes early on that Radins would find a way to be a starter on day one for the Titans but the quote

we got from Mike Vrabel here and Radins reported performance in practice on Wednesday would not lead me to believe that I am going to be right about that prediction. Radins has been struggling and specifically on Wednesday outside linebacker Ola Adani who really was brought in to be a special teamer and is probably not going to get a lot of defensive snap this year, he really dressed down Dylan Radins on multiple occasions, about three snaps in a row where the 6'1 Ola Adani was able to just get underneath and slide right past the 6'6 Dylan Radins. Struggling with a guy with a low rush, that's something we talked about

with his college evaluation. Knew that he would have to get that together. It's something he was going to have to work on at the next level because of his height. Mike Vrabel actually talked about this specifically in his press conference. And it's such an important tidbit. I want to play you guys that audio courtesy of TennesseeTitans.com. You know, I think it needs to be better. You know, it needs to be better.

As a young player up front and playing right tackle, playing right guard, playing all over the place because guys are down. You know, we need to, you know, start continuing to make some progress. I think the consistency has been what's been lacking, you know, see a really good play and then, you know see a really good play and then you know see a mistake that maybe we've made you know or he's made um previously and that we've tried to correct and he needs to to correct that like every player does so that we're not you know making those same mistakes two and three times that's that's most important so yeah when you hear about a player making the same mistakes two or three times and the coach is publicly saying it needs to be better,

clearly he's not coming along super quick, which is fine. It is a rookie. And remember, the Titans took Dylan Radins to replace the developmental tackle that they wanted to have with Isaiah Wilson. So the Titans knew that there was a chance that the rookie that they drafted at tackle would not be ready to go. That's why they signed Kendall Lamb and gave him a pretty decent contract.

That's why they brought back Questenberry. They brought back Ty Sambrillo. So, at this point in time, I think it would be a shocker to see Radence as the day one starter unless we see some drastic improvement very quickly. Also, on the offensive line, another guy who's been struggling who's not a rookie, Daniel Murner. He's been getting extended reps with all the guys out that we've talked about, and he had another issue with a snap on Wednesday, so that should be four snaps that he's botched

in some way. Now, maybe it's not all his fault. It's Ryan Tannehill, but either way, have to kind of point that out. He's been struggling, and guys were brought in like Spencer Pooley, like Patrick Morris to push him. So let's see what happens with that going forward because if you can't get the ball to the quarterback, there's really not much you can do good going forward after that.

Also, Taylor LeJuan started to be a little bit more involved in practice, still not out there in team periods though, but he's still out there participating, looking healthy. And Mike Vrabel actually talked about Taylor LeJuan's progress and timeline as well. Well, I mean, it's a conversation between the doctors, the trainer, myself, and what we're trying to do and what he needs and where he's at physically. And we're going to have to start incorporating him into, him into, he's doing the jog throughs, which

are good. We'll see where that leads to. Does it lead to more one-on-ones? Does it lead to some reps in a team period? I don't know. But as long as he's we're all on the same page, I think that's what's most important. Taylor also

had a press conference after practice where he talked about having a good team around him, how he feels better than ever. His appreciation for football has grown. He wants to be more of a help to the young guys as well. And it sounds like everyone is on the same page. The Titans are a different offense with Taylor LeJuan at left tackle. It opens up way more that they can do.

So you definitely want to take your time and make sure you don't rush back your star left tackle. Some other individual notes. Caleb Farley out there progressing. He did more than just individual drills on Wednesday. He took part in some specific defensive back drills where they were working on bunch formation. So a bunch formation on offense is when you see two or three wide receivers very close to each other. That's to help create separation against tight man coverage.

Basically, the Titans were doing a drill where the defensive backs have to react to whatever the wide receivers are doing. So it's a little bit more than one-on-ones. It's a little bit more than just individual position drills. Caleb Farley, like Taylor LeJuan, still progressing to get back to a full go return to play. But both players are itching to do that. Also, I want to mention A.J. Brown displaying some leadership. There was an individual period where the wide receivers were working on speed outs, which is where the wide receiver goes up the field about six to seven yards

and then immediately darts to the sideline. Very common route in the Titans system. A.J. Brown had to, basically they were using a defender as having a trash can as a defender out there, and that's where the wide receivers broke past. And A.J. Brown had a rep. It didn't look as clean as you would expect from A.J. Brown, and rather than going to the back of the line, he said, No, no, no, no, wait, we're doing that again.

Did it again, had a really great rep on the speed out, out looked fantastic and that's the kind of leadership leading by example it seems small but that just shows the other wide receivers on the depth chart hey you know just doing it isn't good enough we need to be perfect every single time or at least strive to be so just a small little example of leadership from AJ Brown and that's kind of the next step you can be a great player but once you start being a true leader in the locker room that's where you take that next step to superstar level and that's what I expect from A.J. this season the last individual note here an update on the kicking battle Sam kicking Ficken went six for seven on the day he did miss a 44 yarder and then Tucker McCann went five for seven on the day he missed two 40

yard kicks so total Sam Ficken is now 12 of 13 in two days and throughout training camp McCann is 23 of 29 23 of 29 is not fantastic so it looks like right now Sam Ficken does have the edge in the competition but we are going to round out today's show, updating you guys on the injuries. Mike Rabel gave us a ridiculous quote on Julio Jones. He is simply just trolling all of us. I'm going to play that for you guys. And there was one player whose agent showed up to practice on Wednesday. I'm going to tell you who that player was and why that agent may have been in the building. So we will talk about that next. Before we do, though, got to remind you guys about BetOnline.ag, the fastest and easiest

way to bet on all your sports action. Football is right around the corner. If you can't wait until then, baseball season is in full swing. Head over to BetOnline.ag. You can use your laptop or your mobile device. Sign up for a free account today and put in that promo code LOCKEDON. That's one word, LOCKEDON. When you do make your first deposit with that promo code LOCKEDON, you'll get a 50% welcome bonus. BetOnline is literally

giving you free money. So go to betonline.ag, use that promo code LOCKEDON, and we will see you when football season kicks off. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. We are going to cap off this Thursday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast with some injury updates and the reason why a certain player's agent showed up to practice on Wednesday. Before we get into that though, do want to remind you guys that betting on the Tennessee Titans does not have to be a guessing game when you listen to the new Locked on Bets podcast hosted by your boy Q and handicapping expert Lee Sterling. Get daily picks, blowout specials, wrong team favorite picks, and Lee Sterling's lock of the day.

Follow the Locked on Bets podcast brought to you by betonline.ag wherever you get your podcast. So who were the players who were not out on the practice field for the Titans? Well, Julio Jones missed practice for a second straight day after leaving early on Monday. Josh Reynolds missed what I believe is his sixth straight practice. Now, Dane Cruikshank was not out there. That has to be concerning for Dane who missed most of last season with injuries and really needed to be out on the field to have a chance to beat out Matthias Farley for that third safety role.

Ty Sambrillo still not out on the practice field. After being cleared, getting back on the practice field and going back out again. That has to be concerning. Have to wonder if he experienced a setback with that lower body injury. Harold Landry, who left practice early on Tuesday, was not present for practice on Wednesday. That is somewhat concerning. Jeff Swaim, who has missed practice for a few days in a row now as well.

Rookie, not rookie, but offensive lineman Paul Adams, second-year guy. Also, Spencer Pulley, who was just signed. We talked earlier in the show about how the Titans offensive line is experiencing some issues right now with their depth. Well, you're looking at one of the reasons for that. Pulley was signed to come in and help with that. Instantly got injured. Paul Adams has been out pretty much the whole time.

Ty Sambrillo expected to be an important part of the offensive line depth. Not out there. Taylor LeJuan not being able to participate in team periods yet, or the coaching staff not letting him. Ben Jones, Roger Saffold taking rest days. Aaron Brewer not being out there. Daniel Murner struggling to get his snaps right. You know, the Titans offensive line is just struggling in camp, and injuries have a lot to do with that. Quickly though, I do want to circle back to Julio Jones who's mispracticed for a couple of days in a row. Now Mike Vrabel actually talked about that in his press conference and Mike Vrabel is trolling us here.

I'll just let you listen. You know what, we're going to be probably cautious with Julio. So the Julio watch will continue. We'll have a plan for him, but I would anticipate that he would be, that we would be all on the same page by the time the season started. You're going to see him out there at times. You're going to see him on the other field. And so he's played a lot of games,

and that's kind of where we're going to be each and every day. So we can kind of all be on the same page, and I won't have to address it every day. Julio Watch will continue. I mean, give me a break, Mike. But what I will say is, based on what Mike Vrabel said, it leads me to believe that Julio Jones' injury is not serious and that, you know, it just kind of scared him a little bit,

and it's going to lead them into more of a limited ramp-up plan into the regular season. At least I'm hoping. I'm trying to be positive. Now, some positive news here. Outside linebacker and edge rusher Derek Roberson did return to practice. I've been talking about how I'm still very much so worried about the Titans' pass rush.

Having Roberson back out there makes me feel at least a little bit better. But here is what I've been teasing throughout the entire show. A players agent showed up on Wednesday, and it's pretty interesting. It was none other than Drew Rosenhaus, one of the most famous sports agents in the entire world. He actually is the rep for Rashawn Evans. And as we know, Rashawn Evans is on the last year of his contract with the Titans, the last year of his rookie deal after the Titans did not pick up his fifth year option earlier

in the offseason. Now, I saw some people speculate that it could be extension talks, but let's be honest here. Rashawn Evans is not getting extended by the Titans. If he has a really good season and the Titans want to consider bringing him back, then maybe so, but I think it's more likely that he's not with the Titans next year. Either way, I don't foresee a reason why the Titans would extend Rashawn Evans right now. Let's see what the guy has in this season, see if he could stay healthy, see if he can improve his play from last year before anything like that happens. So I think that it's more of a Drew Rosenhaus just visiting clients.

He does have two other clients on the team, Caleb Farley and also wide receiver Chester Rogers. Caleb Farley just getting back out onto the field after a back injury. So it could be just Drew Rosenhaus going around training camps around the NFL, letting his clients know that he's there for them, making an appearance. Evans and Drew Rosenhaus did talk to each other briefly as Evans was running off the field for practice and things like that. So it could just be an agent doing their job,

making sure that they're present in their client's situation so they know that he cares. That's how you keep clients when you're an agent. But I don't foresee an extension being worked out. And I don't think that Drew Rosenhaus's presence indicates that those talks are ongoing. So that's all I have for you guys today. Titans practice again today on Thursday. I will be back with you guys on Friday to cap off this week of the Locked on Titans

podcast and make sure that you don't miss it by subscribing of the Locked on Titans podcast. And make sure that you don't miss it by subscribing to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. That is going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. Thank you.