1
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:14,280
Speaker 1: This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.

2
00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:15,920
Speaker 1: Turn to the folks who've been in the game since

3
00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,439
Speaker 1: nineteen forty seven. Farm Bureau Health Plans offers the great

4
00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,479
Speaker 1: healthcare coverage you need with a price tag you can afford.

5
00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:25,759
Speaker 1: With Amy Wells and I'm Mike Keith, welcoming you to

6
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,520
Speaker 1: the Official Titans Podcast as it is Texans Week and

7
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,120
Speaker 1: also it is the week that we put Floyd Reese

8
00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,240
Speaker 1: and Jeff Fisher into the Oilers Titans Ring of Honor.

9
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,640
Speaker 1: It's the place that Titans fans are able to recognize

10
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,360
Speaker 1: Titans great. Such a cool thing and really fun. I

11
00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,400
Speaker 1: love it when we're able to have these games where

12
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,640
Speaker 1: we can really recognize the Titans history and see some

13
00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,000
Speaker 1: familiar faces and hear these old stories. Might keep this

14
00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:59,560
Speaker 1: feels like your time to shine because you have experienced

15
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,000
Speaker 1: every minute of Titan's history and you had a ton

16
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,400
Speaker 1: of interactions with both Floyd Reece and Jeff Fisher both.

17
00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,959
Speaker 1: I remember the first time I met Jeff Fisher the Titans.

18
00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,280
Speaker 1: Then the Tennessee Oilers were located in three different places,

19
00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,520
Speaker 1: so we had a ticket office on West End, and

20
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,280
Speaker 1: then we had a couple of trailers that were in

21
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,840
Speaker 1: what is now Lot m Okay, so that's where I was.

22
00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,240
Speaker 1: I was in one of the trailers, and then the

23
00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,920
Speaker 1: football was out in Bellevue, right off the interstate. It

24
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,440
Speaker 1: was in what is now I guess a Saint Thomas

25
00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,160
Speaker 1: Medical Plaza. My eye doctor is in that Verry building. Ok,

26
00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,199
Speaker 1: there you go. So they were in trailers as well

27
00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,280
Speaker 1: outside the building, and the player's locker room was in

28
00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,480
Speaker 1: the bottom of the building. So they set up a

29
00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,560
Speaker 1: meeting at the end of my first week for me

30
00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,120
Speaker 1: to go out and meet with Jeff Fisher. I started

31
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,960
Speaker 1: my job with the team the Tuesday following Memorial Day

32
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,840
Speaker 1: in May in nineteen ninety eight. My family was still

33
00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:00,880
Speaker 1: living in Knoxville. We're trying to sell the house. So

34
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,640
Speaker 1: I was going out to see Jeff Fisher, and then

35
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:05,400
Speaker 1: I was getting in the car and driving back to

36
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:10,000
Speaker 1: Knoxville because I drove back and forth on Mondays and Fridays.

37
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,760
Speaker 1: And so I sat down with Jeff Fisher and he

38
00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,680
Speaker 1: treated me like he had known me for a hundred years.

39
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,680
Speaker 1: He told me everything going on with the team. He

40
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,440
Speaker 1: told me what his plans were for certain things. He

41
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,880
Speaker 1: told me what he was worried about. He talked to

42
00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,240
Speaker 1: me about the coaching staff. He talked to me about

43
00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,200
Speaker 1: the organization, all kinds of personnel things as well. And

44
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,600
Speaker 1: I'll never forget walking outside thinking I need to call

45
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,680
Speaker 1: somebody and tell them all this because I had been

46
00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,639
Speaker 1: a reporter and one of the things that I did

47
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,240
Speaker 1: in my job is I broke stories. I didn't break

48
00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,639
Speaker 1: every story, but I broke a goodly number of stories

49
00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,360
Speaker 1: while I worked in Knoxville. And so at that point

50
00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,560
Speaker 1: I realized, wait a minute, I worked for the team.

51
00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,720
Speaker 1: Now I can't tell anybody this, You're not a reporter anything.

52
00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:02,040
Speaker 1: So I drove to about Cookville, just gripping the steering wheel,

53
00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,680
Speaker 1: like I mean, it was. It was so strange because

54
00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,000
Speaker 1: I was like, I can't tell anybody this because I

55
00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,480
Speaker 1: have a completely different role in that way. But that

56
00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,920
Speaker 1: was how Jeff always treated me. You know, I was

57
00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,800
Speaker 1: with him for thirteen seasons and he always brought me

58
00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,960
Speaker 1: into the fold. He told me the week that we

59
00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,480
Speaker 1: were going to start Vince Young at quarterback. He swore

60
00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,639
Speaker 1: me to secrecy, and I couldn't even tell other guys

61
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,560
Speaker 1: that I worked with here, which was really hard because

62
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,200
Speaker 1: you know, it was rumored and is he going to

63
00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,560
Speaker 1: start the Dallas game in two thousand and six, And

64
00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,119
Speaker 1: you know, we were sworn to secrecy, but he always

65
00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,640
Speaker 1: let me in on things, and I had a lot

66
00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,800
Speaker 1: of great moments with him personally and professionally in that way.

67
00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,880
Speaker 1: It's funny because my first meeting with Floyd Reese was

68
00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:52,680
Speaker 1: completely different. Shake hands, nice to meet you, good to

69
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,280
Speaker 1: see you, look forward to working with you. That's it

70
00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,480
Speaker 1: the end. And yet over the next because we were

71
00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,320
Speaker 1: together through two thousand and six, over the next nine seasons,

72
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,160
Speaker 1: he was fantastic to me. He brought me into the fold.

73
00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,320
Speaker 1: But it was funny because Jeff and the perception of

74
00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,960
Speaker 1: him publicly is accurate. He is right there. Friendly. People

75
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,120
Speaker 1: who would meet him in Kroger or see him at

76
00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,800
Speaker 1: the ballfield as his kids would play, would have this

77
00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,280
Speaker 1: reaction about man. It's like I've known him my whole life. Floyd.

78
00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,240
Speaker 1: It took time, but once you were in the circle

79
00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,440
Speaker 1: of trust, you were in and something that you don't know.

80
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,839
Speaker 1: We started Titans All Access because of Floyd Reese. Really

81
00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,839
Speaker 1: we started the television program quite simply because he was

82
00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,440
Speaker 1: so personable and so good and had had so much

83
00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:42,880
Speaker 1: success as a GM and we didn't think he got

84
00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,320
Speaker 1: enough credit, and so we started that TV show because

85
00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,360
Speaker 1: we knew, you know, Jeff had the Coaches Show, which

86
00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,200
Speaker 1: was wildly successful. It was done out at Oprey Mills

87
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:53,719
Speaker 1: and people came and it was a whole thinking this

88
00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,880
Speaker 1: was going to be a taped statewide, region wide show,

89
00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,960
Speaker 1: but we wanted to showcase his talent and his personality

90
00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,599
Speaker 1: and how great he was on TV. And of course

91
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,719
Speaker 1: later he came back here and did his own radio

92
00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,599
Speaker 1: show and was outstanding on the radio. So that's why

93
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,120
Speaker 1: we started that. But that was what was really interesting

94
00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,599
Speaker 1: about the two men is they were very different people,

95
00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,320
Speaker 1: but once you were in with them, you were in forever.

96
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,240
Speaker 1: They were very good at what they did. They were

97
00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:27,320
Speaker 1: very smart, very committed. Both could be very hardheaded and

98
00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,320
Speaker 1: with one another. You know, it's no secret that they

99
00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,120
Speaker 1: didn't always see eyed eye on things, but they were

100
00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,279
Speaker 1: so good together. And I think for both of them

101
00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,760
Speaker 1: at the end of Floyd's life, which unfortunately came in August,

102
00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,200
Speaker 1: and certainly for Jeff now as you listen to him

103
00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,160
Speaker 1: talk and I know you've got him on the Titan's

104
00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,359
Speaker 1: Amy Coach Mac podcast this week, I think they both

105
00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,279
Speaker 1: understand now why they were so good together. Yeah, yeah,

106
00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,920
Speaker 1: I agree with that in the opportunity that I had

107
00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,760
Speaker 1: to talk with Jeff Fisher, And if you're not listening

108
00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:03,960
Speaker 1: to the Titans Aman Coach Mac podcast, you should be

109
00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:08,640
Speaker 1: doing that because it's incredible the stories that he shares.

110
00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:11,640
Speaker 1: But one of the things that he talks about is

111
00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,920
Speaker 1: them as a duo and how they complimented each other

112
00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:21,280
Speaker 1: so well, and having the benefit of hindsight being able

113
00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,679
Speaker 1: to see why that really worked and how it's laid

114
00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:28,919
Speaker 1: the foundation for the franchise that we know today is

115
00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,680
Speaker 1: really really cool. I mean, the same philosophies and the

116
00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:38,440
Speaker 1: same type of players and the same personality of a

117
00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:44,200
Speaker 1: ball club that existed in ninety nine exists now in

118
00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,200
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one. And it's so cool to see and

119
00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:52,839
Speaker 1: hear the stories about how that foundation was really laid

120
00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,279
Speaker 1: so well. And it was big for John Robinson that

121
00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,479
Speaker 1: when he got the job, Floyd Reese immediately came out

122
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,520
Speaker 1: and said, this is a home run higher because the

123
00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,200
Speaker 1: credibility of Floyd Reese with the Titans fan base only

124
00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,000
Speaker 1: went up after he left, right, And so when he

125
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:15,240
Speaker 1: came back and then began working in the media. It

126
00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,440
Speaker 1: was obvious to people that he really really knew what

127
00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,760
Speaker 1: he was talking about. And they knew that, but they

128
00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:23,760
Speaker 1: really knew it when they got to hear him on

129
00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,920
Speaker 1: a day to day basis, much like Dave McGinnis on

130
00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,320
Speaker 1: Titan's radio. When you hear that, you're like, WHOA, that's

131
00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,920
Speaker 1: really good. Yes, And Floyd would have been a guy

132
00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,800
Speaker 1: who I mean, he could have done color on Titans radio.

133
00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:39,360
Speaker 1: He was that talented, certainly had that overall ability that

134
00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,320
Speaker 1: he could have done it his handoff. However, his kindness

135
00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,760
Speaker 1: towards John gave John an immediate boost with the fan

136
00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,320
Speaker 1: base because you remember, at the time they were hiring

137
00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,120
Speaker 1: a coach and they were hiring a general manager. The

138
00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,640
Speaker 1: decision to promote Malarkey to full time head coach was

139
00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,400
Speaker 1: met with a great deal of skepticism. Yes, it was.

140
00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,640
Speaker 1: I mean, people were like, nah, I don't know about this,

141
00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,560
Speaker 1: and why don't we go get Nick Saban And you know,

142
00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,840
Speaker 1: there were all these things that were out there that

143
00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:14,040
Speaker 1: were probably not realistic, but the Malarkey thing was not sexy. No,

144
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,400
Speaker 1: it felt very safe. It felt very safe, and people

145
00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,280
Speaker 1: didn't know Amy Adam Strunk at the time I will

146
00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,360
Speaker 1: contend as you look back to that moment, it was

147
00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:29,040
Speaker 1: a good hire because the Titans needed stability. They needed

148
00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,520
Speaker 1: a really solid person in that role, something that people respected,

149
00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,520
Speaker 1: the same thing we felt when they promoted Malarkey to

150
00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:43,240
Speaker 1: interim coach. Yes, he was a consistent, steadying force who

151
00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,520
Speaker 1: was familiar. You knew what to expect, and he kind

152
00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:52,240
Speaker 1: of served as the stabilizing force for the Tennessee Titans

153
00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,640
Speaker 1: when there was a lot of turmoil everywhere else. As

154
00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:58,440
Speaker 1: a coach and as a human being, absolutely, and Amy

155
00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,520
Speaker 1: Adam Strunk trusted him too, because he spent a lot

156
00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:06,280
Speaker 1: of time talking ball with her and giving her insights.

157
00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,400
Speaker 1: The coaching staff was good. They liked him very much.

158
00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,440
Speaker 1: And I mean he had success. I mean he had

159
00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,440
Speaker 1: a winning season right off the bat. He helped the

160
00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,120
Speaker 1: Titans turn it around to nine and seven after five

161
00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,840
Speaker 1: wins the previous two years, went to the playoffs the

162
00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,160
Speaker 1: next year. I think it became obvious he was not

163
00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,000
Speaker 1: going to be the long term answer, right. But almost

164
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,800
Speaker 1: like in hindsight with Fisher and Reese, you say, wow,

165
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,040
Speaker 1: they were perfect together. You look back now and you

166
00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:36,200
Speaker 1: say that probably needed to happen in order to give

167
00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,200
Speaker 1: the organization a chance to get up and running the

168
00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,199
Speaker 1: way that it needed to, give John Robinson the ability

169
00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,360
Speaker 1: to step in the way he needed to, and so

170
00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,280
Speaker 1: it laid a foundation for what he's been able to

171
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,679
Speaker 1: do with Mike Vrabel. Absolutely, it gave a first time

172
00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:56,400
Speaker 1: general manager someone to lean on who was familiar with

173
00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,640
Speaker 1: that what they were doing, familiar with the organization, familiar

174
00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,160
Speaker 1: with the personnel. Mike Mularkey was able to be the

175
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,840
Speaker 1: consistent kind of peace who could provide a lot of

176
00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,319
Speaker 1: insight to John Robinson, who, while of course was the

177
00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,120
Speaker 1: man for the job, was a brand new general manager.

178
00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,280
Speaker 1: So having a first time head coach and a first

179
00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:21,360
Speaker 1: time general manager together might not have been a smooth transition,

180
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,160
Speaker 1: well exactly because I don't think Vrabel would have been

181
00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,560
Speaker 1: a candidate at that point in his career. He was

182
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,439
Speaker 1: elevating himself with the Texans at that point. But it

183
00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,240
Speaker 1: would have been somebody probably like Vrabel, right, yeah, And

184
00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,840
Speaker 1: if you hire somebody like that who's never been a

185
00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:41,080
Speaker 1: head coach with a first time general manager, we see

186
00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,959
Speaker 1: the difficulties that can create. Mike Malarkey's a really he's

187
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:50,320
Speaker 1: retired now, really good football mind, very nice man and

188
00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,360
Speaker 1: again had the respect of everybody, had to respect to

189
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,480
Speaker 1: the players, and you know, it didn't work in the

190
00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,600
Speaker 1: end because they saw, if we're going to take the

191
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,679
Speaker 1: next step, if we're going to go from nine and seven,

192
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,320
Speaker 1: then we're going to have to do some different things.

193
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:07,560
Speaker 1: And they knew they had to do some different things

194
00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,520
Speaker 1: to find out if Mariota was going to be the answer, right,

195
00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,240
Speaker 1: they had to do some things to help him to

196
00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:16,720
Speaker 1: change all of that, and you know, they eventually found

197
00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,320
Speaker 1: out he was not. John Robinson had the foresight on

198
00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,400
Speaker 1: March fifteenth, twenty nineteen to make one of the greatest

199
00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:27,520
Speaker 1: trades in franchise history by going and getting Ryan Tannehill

200
00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:30,679
Speaker 1: and a sixth round pick that became David Long. Yep.

201
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,199
Speaker 1: So I contend, And what excites me is when I

202
00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,840
Speaker 1: tell people the Titans best days are now. I saw

203
00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,880
Speaker 1: what people considered the best days from a ringside seat,

204
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,480
Speaker 1: and they were great, this is better, Yeah, yeah, this

205
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,400
Speaker 1: is better. I get bogged down sometimes talking about the

206
00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,480
Speaker 1: past because I keep thinking every time somebody asked me

207
00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,959
Speaker 1: a question about the past, that there are a lot

208
00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,200
Speaker 1: of folks who go, oh, man, you know, could you

209
00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,920
Speaker 1: please not tell that story? One more time, and I

210
00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,360
Speaker 1: get it. It's like my children, you know you really, dad,

211
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,640
Speaker 1: we have to hear that one more time. Yeah, really,

212
00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:15,679
Speaker 1: we know that happened. And again, I like sharing things

213
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,480
Speaker 1: from the past, especially on the OTP, because this is

214
00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,800
Speaker 1: where we have the opportunity. I've never told the Fisher

215
00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:25,280
Speaker 1: and stories about meeting them, and I think that's something

216
00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:27,680
Speaker 1: that I'd like to be able to share in this medium.

217
00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:29,120
Speaker 1: But at the same time, I want to talk about

218
00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:34,120
Speaker 1: now right now. It's fantastic. Yeah, now is this is awesome?

219
00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:38,520
Speaker 1: I mean, on the verge of a sixth straight winning season, Hey,

220
00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,079
Speaker 1: Reese and Fisher weren't able to do that. They had

221
00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,680
Speaker 1: five good years, but there was a losing season in

222
00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,079
Speaker 1: there where they had a ton of injuries. Yeah, and

223
00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:50,520
Speaker 1: as good as they were, they and they achieved a ton,

224
00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:53,559
Speaker 1: didn't quite get it to that. And I think they

225
00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:56,280
Speaker 1: would both say if the Titans get one more win

226
00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,920
Speaker 1: and get the sixth straight winning season, particularly if they

227
00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,679
Speaker 1: clinch it on November twenty first, that's an accomplishment. Yeah.

228
00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,000
Speaker 1: Oh absolutely, And what this team, what we're seeing right now,

229
00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,880
Speaker 1: and I've said it before, what we're seeing right now

230
00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:14,480
Speaker 1: is extraordinary. This is the stuff that in five, ten,

231
00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,600
Speaker 1: fifteen years, we'll be sitting around, hopefully still on the

232
00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,720
Speaker 1: OTP Mike talking about the good old days, and the

233
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,800
Speaker 1: good old days will be right now. And just the

234
00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:29,800
Speaker 1: amazing accomplishments of the Tennessee Titans in this season, what

235
00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,719
Speaker 1: they have been able to overcome, how this franchise has

236
00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,680
Speaker 1: been built in the last five years, even to get

237
00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:41,240
Speaker 1: them to this point where they're able to survive in

238
00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:46,600
Speaker 1: advance week after week after week, when there's curveballs all

239
00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:49,320
Speaker 1: over the place, but you have to win in your windows,

240
00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:51,960
Speaker 1: you know, That's what we found out ninety nine through

241
00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,160
Speaker 1: two thousand and three. The two thousand team, you know,

242
00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,640
Speaker 1: the ninety nine team was a yard away from tying

243
00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,359
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl and going to overtime. The two thousand

244
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,200
Speaker 1: team was the best team in the regular season and

245
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,800
Speaker 1: had a horrendous day against Baltimore in the playoffs. The

246
00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,800
Speaker 1: two thousand and one team was the most hyped team

247
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,600
Speaker 1: we had, and yet they had an unbelievable number of

248
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,959
Speaker 1: injuries and finished seven and nine. The two thousand and

249
00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,120
Speaker 1: two team started one and four, came back, finished eleven

250
00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,640
Speaker 1: and five, went to the AFC Championship Game, we're in

251
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,840
Speaker 1: control of that game, and then fumbled twice right before

252
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,120
Speaker 1: halftime and the game got away from him and they lose.

253
00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,640
Speaker 1: The two thousand and three team has the great year

254
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,520
Speaker 1: with Steve McNair and has the unfortunate moment where Steve

255
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:40,440
Speaker 1: McNair suffered a bone spur fracture in his ankle and

256
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,040
Speaker 1: he was never quite the same down the stretch. And

257
00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,040
Speaker 1: yet they're playing in New England and if Drew Bennett

258
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:47,920
Speaker 1: can make what would have been a really tough catch,

259
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,000
Speaker 1: who knows what happens when your window is open, you

260
00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,440
Speaker 1: have to walk through. Yeah, and that's where the Titans

261
00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,360
Speaker 1: are at this moment. You want to be in the window.

262
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,680
Speaker 1: That's the most important thing. You don't get that back.

263
00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,480
Speaker 1: You don't say that's a failure, but it's hard to

264
00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:08,160
Speaker 1: finish it. And that's where when they made the move

265
00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,480
Speaker 1: away from Mike Malarkey, and they made the move away

266
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,520
Speaker 1: from Marcus Mariota, and they've made the decisions they've made

267
00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,400
Speaker 1: all along. It's been how do we take advantage of

268
00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:20,680
Speaker 1: the window being open, Because, let's face it, I don't

269
00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:22,520
Speaker 1: know what's going to happen in Jacksonville, but I know

270
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,520
Speaker 1: they got Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, and he's the real thing. Yeah,

271
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,040
Speaker 1: he really is. The Cults are solid. They have a

272
00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,400
Speaker 1: really nice organization, they have a nice team, They've drafted well,

273
00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,960
Speaker 1: their cap situation is in good shape. Overall, they're gonna

274
00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,360
Speaker 1: be hanging around and they're gonna be in this thing.

275
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,359
Speaker 1: The team we're gonna see on Sunday is really interesting

276
00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,840
Speaker 1: because Houston where it went wrong for them. I mean,

277
00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,640
Speaker 1: they've had some upheaval within their organization, But the fact

278
00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:51,520
Speaker 1: of the matter is, if Deshaun Watson's quarterbacking this team,

279
00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:53,640
Speaker 1: I think they're five and four or six and three

280
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,400
Speaker 1: right now. I mean, look at the season that he

281
00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,720
Speaker 1: had last year. It was an MVP type year. Yeah,

282
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,720
Speaker 1: he had incredible numbers. The team as a whole was

283
00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:06,520
Speaker 1: not playing their best football. Okay, they were horrible. I

284
00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,160
Speaker 1: mean they were horrible in so many different areas. The

285
00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,400
Speaker 1: funny thing, amy is they only return a third of

286
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:16,400
Speaker 1: the team from last year because they went out and

287
00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:21,120
Speaker 1: signed twenty nine veterans. Yeah, they totally rebuilt the roster

288
00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,640
Speaker 1: with veterans. And I said it before the season, when

289
00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,840
Speaker 1: people would say, well, Houston's not gonna be anything, I said,

290
00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,000
Speaker 1: that's not true. I said, what they've put together is

291
00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,240
Speaker 1: a team that can be competitive right now if Deshaun

292
00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,240
Speaker 1: Watson is the quarterback. Yeah, you did say that. I

293
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,400
Speaker 1: said it consistently. I believe they could win the AFC

294
00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,840
Speaker 1: South if Deshaun Watson was their quarterback. That was the

295
00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,840
Speaker 1: big if. Of course, he's not right, and I think

296
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:51,440
Speaker 1: they've they've given themselves some settling in that situation because

297
00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,600
Speaker 1: they know now that they're not trading him until after

298
00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,720
Speaker 1: the year. They don't think he's going to come back

299
00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,720
Speaker 1: and play this year. But they have a veteran team.

300
00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,920
Speaker 1: This This is the shocker. They are not a young team.

301
00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:07,119
Speaker 1: No to be one at eight. They are not a

302
00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,840
Speaker 1: young team, and yet they are starting over. And what's

303
00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,760
Speaker 1: going to allow them to do this is most of

304
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:17,120
Speaker 1: those guys who came in these vets are on one

305
00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,600
Speaker 1: year contracts. Yes, their team is going to look radically

306
00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,640
Speaker 1: different again in twenty twenty two, right, but they're gonna

307
00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,560
Speaker 1: have a bunch of first round picks. Yep, they can

308
00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:28,720
Speaker 1: probably go out and get their quarterback. You've talked to

309
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,600
Speaker 1: Mike Detillia. Houston's probably going to have even the one

310
00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,240
Speaker 1: or the two pick in the draft. Who are the

311
00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,560
Speaker 1: quarterbacks that Mike Detilia from the MD Draft Report has

312
00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,880
Speaker 1: at the top. Well, it's interesting because he is very

313
00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,880
Speaker 1: adamant that it's not a spectacular year for quarterbacks overall.

314
00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,240
Speaker 1: This is not Trevor Lawrence and then still a couple

315
00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,320
Speaker 1: good ones. This isn't a year where you've got two

316
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,399
Speaker 1: or three guys who are all kind of top picks.

317
00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,320
Speaker 1: There are some solid guys. A guy like Matt Carroll

318
00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,320
Speaker 1: from Old Miss Right. He's a guy who's been a

319
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:05,440
Speaker 1: part of the Heisman conversation. He's incredibly accurate as a passer,

320
00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:07,320
Speaker 1: which is a big deal, and he's done a lot

321
00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,240
Speaker 1: of work like especially in like short to mid range passes,

322
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,320
Speaker 1: which is a good thing to have in the National

323
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,560
Speaker 1: Football League. Someone like Malik Willis from Liberty. He went

324
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,360
Speaker 1: he started Offer and transferred Deliberty. He's a guy that

325
00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,959
Speaker 1: is kind of starting to stirrup some attention. And then

326
00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:28,920
Speaker 1: Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh. Yeah, and he's improved dramatically even

327
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,760
Speaker 1: in the last year. And so there are guys that

328
00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:37,080
Speaker 1: are in the conversation. Are they your franchise quarterback forever?

329
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,800
Speaker 1: I don't know. We'll see if you're them. If you're Houston. Okay,

330
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,440
Speaker 1: let's say you're not sold on any of those guys

331
00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,000
Speaker 1: or anybody else. He can get some pass rushers. You

332
00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,440
Speaker 1: get pass rushers big time and they need a pass rusher.

333
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,640
Speaker 1: Or you could trade down because somebody will value one

334
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,280
Speaker 1: of these quarterbacks over what they probably are because they

335
00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,600
Speaker 1: just need a quarterback, right, So you trade from two

336
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,720
Speaker 1: down to six, get an extra two or three, and

337
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,800
Speaker 1: then they're gonna end up. And I think when they

338
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,399
Speaker 1: trade Deshaun Watson, I do think they will get at

339
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:12,840
Speaker 1: least two number ones for it. At least. Wow, he's

340
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,320
Speaker 1: that good? Is that good? Now? What happens with the

341
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,600
Speaker 1: other stuff? I'm talking about Deshaun Watson as the football player.

342
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:21,719
Speaker 1: I'm not getting into the other stuff off the field

343
00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,159
Speaker 1: because I don't know enough about and nobody does unless

344
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:28,640
Speaker 1: you're on the inside about what's going to happen with

345
00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,320
Speaker 1: the legal case from a criminal or a civil point

346
00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:34,439
Speaker 1: of view. I'm just talking about him as a football player.

347
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:36,840
Speaker 1: All things being equal, he's going to be traded and

348
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,680
Speaker 1: they're gonna get multiple number ones for it, and they're

349
00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,360
Speaker 1: gonna have a chance to rebuild very quickly. I think Houston,

350
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,879
Speaker 1: especially with a guy like David Culley as the head coach.

351
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,879
Speaker 1: I think Houston is a team that it is still

352
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,560
Speaker 1: playing hard for their coach because they like him. He's

353
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:59,040
Speaker 1: the perfect personality for the situation that they're in, and

354
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,600
Speaker 1: that's so well. They enjoy coming to work, right, which

355
00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,720
Speaker 1: is new for them. Apparently it was not that way

356
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:09,119
Speaker 1: with Bill O'Brien. Yes, it was a little more militants.

357
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,520
Speaker 1: And then some of the guys who were really not

358
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:17,239
Speaker 1: happy are not there anymore. Yeah, which happens now. There

359
00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,080
Speaker 1: are reasons for not being happy. May be one justified.

360
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,320
Speaker 1: You know. J J. Watt was not a happy camperer

361
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,440
Speaker 1: at the end. DeAndre Hopkins was not a happy guy

362
00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,560
Speaker 1: at the end. Deshaun Watson is not a happy person

363
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,800
Speaker 1: with what's gone on organizationally, right, and again we don't

364
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,520
Speaker 1: know what all that is, but I think Houston will

365
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,960
Speaker 1: have a chance to bounce back very quickly. The danger

366
00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,080
Speaker 1: in them, though, is just what we talked about. It's

367
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,200
Speaker 1: David Culley. It is the David Culley effect, and that

368
00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:52,600
Speaker 1: is everybody who knows David Culley talks about what a

369
00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,879
Speaker 1: great human being is and be He's just a really

370
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,480
Speaker 1: good football coach who communicates with people. Most of the

371
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,040
Speaker 1: people that I know in football can't believe it's taken

372
00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,840
Speaker 1: him this long to get an opportunity really right, And

373
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,440
Speaker 1: some think it's just because he's such a nice guy

374
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,520
Speaker 1: that people went, oh, well, David Culley, he's a good dude,

375
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,399
Speaker 1: but we'll go get young Zippy whoever, who's come up

376
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,440
Speaker 1: with whatever. And you know, sometimes when you do that,

377
00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:25,200
Speaker 1: you miss somebody who has the ability to be that CEO,

378
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,600
Speaker 1: which is really what a head coach is. I think

379
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,239
Speaker 1: a lot of these owners grab offense or defense. Some

380
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,160
Speaker 1: of the colleges do the same thing. They grab offense

381
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,240
Speaker 1: or defense. They don't take into account the CEO part

382
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,240
Speaker 1: of it, which is such a big part of that

383
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,880
Speaker 1: head coach job, the biggest part. It's not necessarily the

384
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,040
Speaker 1: football mind, which of course you want someone who's a

385
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:52,159
Speaker 1: great football mind, but that's also what the staff is for.

386
00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:56,280
Speaker 1: The staff is kind of the think tank when it

387
00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:00,720
Speaker 1: comes to football. The head coach is the facilitator of

388
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 1: all this. He's the guy who has his hands and

389
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: so many other things beyond just the x's and nose

390
00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,240
Speaker 1: of a football game. You need someone who can be

391
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,040
Speaker 1: a manager both of people and of logistics. You need

392
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,480
Speaker 1: someone who is good at managing time. You need someone

393
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 1: who is able to communicate both internally and externally. There's

394
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,760
Speaker 1: so many components of being a head football coach that

395
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,640
Speaker 1: kind of get lost in the shuffle because you want

396
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,880
Speaker 1: someone with a good winning record and who's a name

397
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,240
Speaker 1: that you know, because there's some sort of guru of something, right,

398
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,480
Speaker 1: but what you really need and the most successful head

399
00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:37,719
Speaker 1: coaches in my mind, and this is kind of what

400
00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,680
Speaker 1: we're seeing with Mike vrabel is He's so good at

401
00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,040
Speaker 1: the managing part. That's how his brain works, way above

402
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,080
Speaker 1: any first time head coach I've ever been around in

403
00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,719
Speaker 1: any sport. Yeah, in any sport, I believe that I

404
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,639
Speaker 1: have never seen anybody who came in and got it

405
00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,000
Speaker 1: the way he does. Because here's what happens. To give

406
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:02,600
Speaker 1: me just a sort of hypothetical example. But so he

407
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,159
Speaker 1: does all his football stuff during the day, but he

408
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,320
Speaker 1: also has to spend some time with the operations guy

409
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,600
Speaker 1: to talk about, hey coach, where do you want to

410
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:14,399
Speaker 1: stay in New England? Or hey, coach, we got a

411
00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:20,320
Speaker 1: problem with something, got problem with this going forward? Meeting

412
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:24,200
Speaker 1: with somebody about our new building and the technology they're

413
00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,560
Speaker 1: going to have in there meeting with somebody about something

414
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,000
Speaker 1: that they're going to do. Sales wise, they need his

415
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:34,359
Speaker 1: help with sales and ticketing, meeting with the ownership group

416
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,960
Speaker 1: to just have various conversations with them about things, worrying

417
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,320
Speaker 1: about his coaches, families, worrying about his own family. You know,

418
00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:44,920
Speaker 1: maybe one of his children has a big event coming up,

419
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,720
Speaker 1: or or there's someone in his family who's ill and

420
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:51,080
Speaker 1: needs some assistance in some way. Decisions that you have

421
00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:53,159
Speaker 1: to make just as a parent or a husband, or

422
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,800
Speaker 1: a son or a brother, whatever. All these things I'm

423
00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,000
Speaker 1: laying out, that's about half of what they go through

424
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,600
Speaker 1: on a daily basis that doesn't have anything to do

425
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 1: with football. And most guys, maybe women too, in terms

426
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:13,040
Speaker 1: of being coaches as well, get overwhelmed. Yeah, they lose focus,

427
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:19,880
Speaker 1: they become snappy, and they lose their edge in certain

428
00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: areas that when they become overwhelmed with the whole CEO routine,

429
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:30,400
Speaker 1: then it dramatically changes. That's what you see. I guarantee

430
00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,240
Speaker 1: it from all these young gurus who fail, they get overwhelmed.

431
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,600
Speaker 1: Josh McDaniels in Denver is the one. You know, he

432
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:39,520
Speaker 1: was the young guru and he's going to get another

433
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,720
Speaker 1: chance at some point. But everybody who worked for him

434
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:47,679
Speaker 1: in Denver could not believe how he just sort of

435
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,399
Speaker 1: came unglued. Even though he's a smart guy, he's a

436
00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:55,120
Speaker 1: good football coach. That happens more times than not. Very

437
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: bull can handle it. Yeah, very bull gets it. I

438
00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,159
Speaker 1: mean he does stuff with his kids, he's involved with

439
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,760
Speaker 1: his wife in different things. He has time for us,

440
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,080
Speaker 1: you know. I mean his whole thing is just now,

441
00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:09,040
Speaker 1: does he seem grumpy? That's how he's all that. That's

442
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,320
Speaker 1: when he's in a good mood. Yeah, that's just it.

443
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,720
Speaker 1: That's his default position. That's his default position. Where it is,

444
00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,359
Speaker 1: That's where I mean, we love Mike and Vreebel's whole

445
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,920
Speaker 1: thing is he gets it. Yeah. And I think David

446
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,119
Speaker 1: Culley is that guy in Houston right now. Yeah. I

447
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,480
Speaker 1: don't know that he will be their long term answer

448
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 1: to take them to greatness. Maybe he will be, we'll

449
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 1: see when he has better talent. But like Malarkey was

450
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,639
Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen, I think he is

451
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,200
Speaker 1: one hundred percent the right guy for them right now.

452
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:45,600
Speaker 1: And it's the reason that if the Titans go out

453
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,600
Speaker 1: and stink it up. On Sunday, Houston will beat him. Yeah,

454
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,919
Speaker 1: because they are playing for this guy. He has a

455
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,399
Speaker 1: good staff. Having Lovey Smith as a defensive coordinator scares

456
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,120
Speaker 1: me to death. He's a really good football coach. Yes,

457
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,320
Speaker 1: I was around Lovey in nineteen nineteen ninety four at

458
00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:05,280
Speaker 1: the University of Tennessee before he became Lovey Smith, you know,

459
00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:07,160
Speaker 1: before he went to the NFL and became the head

460
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,359
Speaker 1: coach of the Bears and things like that. And I

461
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,480
Speaker 1: mean he's a really, really good football coach. And they're

462
00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:18,439
Speaker 1: playing pretty well on defense. They're thirteen fourteen takeaways. You know,

463
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,960
Speaker 1: they've got a good scheme. I mean, they'll make it

464
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,680
Speaker 1: hard if anybody believes this is going to be fifty

465
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,760
Speaker 1: one to two. I'm not giving you a coach speak.

466
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,199
Speaker 1: I mean, the Titans should win the ball game. You

467
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,640
Speaker 1: go take care of your business. You win this ball

468
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,200
Speaker 1: game because you're the better football team. But I'm here

469
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,000
Speaker 1: to tell you that these guys are much more capable

470
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,880
Speaker 1: and they have it quit. Now what will they look

471
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,760
Speaker 1: like on January ninth, We don't know, because that's the

472
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,200
Speaker 1: end of the road. And do people have their cars

473
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,800
Speaker 1: packed with their surfboards on top and the engine run

474
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,640
Speaker 1: and that does happen, right but right now, on November

475
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,600
Speaker 1: twenty first, that ain't happening. And there's nothing more dangerous

476
00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:00,920
Speaker 1: than a team that's still fighting, because those are guys.

477
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:02,760
Speaker 1: They want to play for their coach, they want to

478
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:06,840
Speaker 1: play for each other, and that's scary. They're not mailing

479
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,080
Speaker 1: at In by any stretch of the imagination. So the

480
00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,200
Speaker 1: Tennessee Titans can't mail at In by any stretch of

481
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,800
Speaker 1: the imagination. And the Titans magic number right now is

482
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,239
Speaker 1: four to clinch the AFC South. That's a combination of

483
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:22,960
Speaker 1: four Titans wins or Indianapolis losses. Okay, so at that

484
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,800
Speaker 1: point the Titans would clinch the AFC South. And the

485
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,320
Speaker 1: Colts are you know, they've won two in a row

486
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,840
Speaker 1: and five and five. Yeah, I have a lot of

487
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:33,760
Speaker 1: respect for the Colts. I still think there's a good

488
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,520
Speaker 1: chance they're a playoff team regardless. They've got at Buffalo

489
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,840
Speaker 1: this week, Tampa Bay at Houston. They don't have their

490
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:45,000
Speaker 1: bye till December twelfth. Then they've got New England at Arizona,

491
00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,080
Speaker 1: Las Vegas, and at Jacksonville. They've still got some teams

492
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:49,840
Speaker 1: they got to get They've got some teams they've got

493
00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,320
Speaker 1: to get through, and they don't have a ton of

494
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:57,240
Speaker 1: margin for error because if they finished tied with the Titans,

495
00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,280
Speaker 1: the Titans win the division. I mean, it's a it's

496
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,080
Speaker 1: a good situation to be in right now if you're

497
00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,440
Speaker 1: the Titans, if you can keep winning. So if the Titans,

498
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:09,520
Speaker 1: when I say the magic number, I know that's a

499
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,680
Speaker 1: baseball term, but if the Titans win four more games,

500
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,240
Speaker 1: they win the division no matter what. But if the

501
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 1: Colts lose, you know, four games, and the Titans don't

502
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:24,440
Speaker 1: win another one, so it's and that's not going to happen,

503
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,080
Speaker 1: no either way. But I mean the bottom line is

504
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,960
Speaker 1: the Titans are in good position if they keep taking

505
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 1: care of their business. And that is the overall challenge

506
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,920
Speaker 1: this week against the Houston Texans. Take care of your business.

507
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,320
Speaker 1: Don't open the door for these guys because they've had

508
00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,640
Speaker 1: some difficulties, and manage Tyrod Taylor. I mean Tyrod Taylor

509
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,320
Speaker 1: has come into Nashville and won before with the Buffalo Bills.

510
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:53,360
Speaker 1: With his legs yep, because he can really really run, Yeah,

511
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,720
Speaker 1: he can. This playoff picture is so interesting to me,

512
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,400
Speaker 1: Mike because as you look kind of at the standings

513
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,760
Speaker 1: within the conference, even there are some teams at the top,

514
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,400
Speaker 1: and then there's a bunch of teams kind of mushed

515
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,760
Speaker 1: together in the middle that are kind of in that

516
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,080
Speaker 1: could be wildcard, could be not. And it all comes

517
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,480
Speaker 1: down the tiebreakers, I mean, And some of these teams

518
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,960
Speaker 1: have had buys and things like that. So the Chargers,

519
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:25,120
Speaker 1: the Raiders, the Bengals, the Cults, the Browns, and the

520
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,840
Speaker 1: Broncos are all kind of mushed in that five and

521
00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,400
Speaker 1: four or five and five area right there, and there's

522
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 1: so many things that could happen to shake all of that. Well,

523
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:40,040
Speaker 1: here's where the Titans have the advantage in terms of tiebreakers.

524
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,440
Speaker 1: They lost to Arizona, they're in the other conference. Yep,

525
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 1: they lost to the Jets. They're not gonna be a

526
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,360
Speaker 1: playoff team, Nope. So if you keep taking care of

527
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,720
Speaker 1: your business, even if you don't go undefeated, but if

528
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,040
Speaker 1: you beat New England, if you beat Pittsburgh. Yeah again,

529
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,840
Speaker 1: if you keep taking care of your business, there is

530
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,320
Speaker 1: a path towards this. But now is where it gets

531
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 1: hard because they start shooting at you. Yeah, this is

532
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,600
Speaker 1: where the Tennessee Titans now have a target on their back.

533
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,840
Speaker 1: And those teams that aren't going to make the playoffs,

534
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:16,440
Speaker 1: you know, but they're also not going to roll over

535
00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:19,760
Speaker 1: and die. You know what's really fun messing up someone

536
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 1: else's playoff path. That's really enjoyable. Well, and they all

537
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,040
Speaker 1: think too, the Titans have an achilles heel right now

538
00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:30,040
Speaker 1: because they can't just go out and pound you with

539
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:34,280
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry. Right. They think, Okay, we can throw them off,

540
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,920
Speaker 1: we can stop their run game and then maybe give

541
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,720
Speaker 1: their pass game a hassle. And you know they're they're

542
00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 1: thinking their defense has given up some plays down the

543
00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,000
Speaker 1: field at different points. You know they're saying, you know,

544
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,480
Speaker 1: that's what they're preaching in their meetings, is they're saying,

545
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,560
Speaker 1: these guys are perfect, and so the Titans have to

546
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:56,280
Speaker 1: continue to improve. They have to stay on their game.

547
00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,200
Speaker 1: The thing that I still think, and one of the reasons,

548
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:01,600
Speaker 1: going back to the com versation early on about this

549
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:05,480
Speaker 1: would be the best of times this team can get better.

550
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:09,240
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and if they're really gonna go win something,

551
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,840
Speaker 1: they're gonna have to get better. Yeah, They've got to

552
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:13,560
Speaker 1: run it better, they've got to take care of the

553
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 1: plays down the field. They've they've got to be able

554
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,520
Speaker 1: to manage their own passing game better. They've done okay,

555
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,280
Speaker 1: and again these last two games, this is what we expected.

556
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 1: We expected some bumps. I don't think anybody logically could

557
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,560
Speaker 1: have said, well, this is all going to turn out

558
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,960
Speaker 1: just fantastic, because you lost a guy who I think

559
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:40,160
Speaker 1: was on his way to another two thousand yards season

560
00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:44,080
Speaker 1: and was on his way to being a serious MVP candidate.

561
00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:48,640
Speaker 1: And there's nobody like Derrick Henry. He is, he is

562
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:52,440
Speaker 1: the difference. He you know, he is the guy who

563
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,920
Speaker 1: is the outlier in that different way, and they were

564
00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,520
Speaker 1: gonna have to be adjustments. So you know, you've you've

565
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: got to find a way to keep going. Yep. This team,

566
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,880
Speaker 1: you're one hundred percent right, needs to find ways to

567
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,880
Speaker 1: continue to improve. And that's what Mike Vrabel has been

568
00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:11,680
Speaker 1: preaching every step of the way. There has not been

569
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 1: a Monday or Sunday after the game press conference or

570
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 1: a Monday afternoon press conference where he said everything's good,

571
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,160
Speaker 1: we won, like this is going really well. No, he

572
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,840
Speaker 1: consistently has a laundry list of things that he would

573
00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:30,960
Speaker 1: like to see fixed and improved and adjusted and having.

574
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,520
Speaker 1: But you knew that you know, they're they're two parts

575
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,280
Speaker 1: of that. That's one hundred percent true from the quote

576
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,360
Speaker 1: unquote negative right that you know you've got to get better.

577
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,880
Speaker 1: But you knew what the Saints game was gonna be. Yeah,

578
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,000
Speaker 1: I mean you knew it was. They were gonna take

579
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,160
Speaker 1: you down in the mud, and they were it was

580
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,160
Speaker 1: gonna be a slug fest. You were gonna you were

581
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,800
Speaker 1: gonna have to find a way because they didn't have Chimera,

582
00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,560
Speaker 1: they don't have Jameis Winston right now, they don't have

583
00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,280
Speaker 1: Michael Thomas at wide receiver. They're in the same boat.

584
00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,440
Speaker 1: But guess what they have bunch pros. They're good und defense.

585
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 1: Their coach is amazing, and the Titans got a break

586
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,479
Speaker 1: or two here and there, took advantage of the breaks

587
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:07,800
Speaker 1: and found a way to win the game. Yeah, on

588
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:11,280
Speaker 1: your way to improvement, finding ways to win the game.

589
00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:14,120
Speaker 1: That's good. Well see, And that's what Titans fans should

590
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,200
Speaker 1: be excited about, is that as this team is evolving

591
00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:22,640
Speaker 1: and getting better and please Lord, getting some players healthy

592
00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:26,080
Speaker 1: and returning to the fold, they are finding ways to

593
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,800
Speaker 1: grind it out and win ball games. They're the guy

594
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,960
Speaker 1: throwing the last punch every time, right, and that should

595
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:39,640
Speaker 1: be so exciting because underneath the good football, underneath the

596
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,040
Speaker 1: stars on the roster and the really good players, there's

597
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:47,640
Speaker 1: this grit and this drive to just win the dang game.

598
00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:50,640
Speaker 1: And you're finding dudes. You're finding dudes all over them,

599
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,800
Speaker 1: as coach Mac likes to call them dudes. Nick Westbrook

600
00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,960
Speaker 1: Akina sat down with me the other day for something

601
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 1: we're going to do on TV later. What a great guy. Yeah,

602
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:03,680
Speaker 1: what us solid human being? This is a what an

603
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:09,640
Speaker 1: interesting story. His is what his motivations are really come

604
00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:13,720
Speaker 1: through and how he plays the game. He appreciates special

605
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,560
Speaker 1: teams because he wants to go hit somebody. But he

606
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,839
Speaker 1: also and this is what we talk about sometimes on

607
00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:23,560
Speaker 1: Titan's Radio, particularly in preseason, we say this guy wants

608
00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,200
Speaker 1: a job. That's the whole thing is this guy wants

609
00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:30,920
Speaker 1: a job. And Nick Westbrook Akina embodies the guy that

610
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,360
Speaker 1: you say, this guy wants a job. But he's also

611
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:38,720
Speaker 1: becoming a pretty good player. He's becoming a nice receiver,

612
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:43,120
Speaker 1: he's becoming a big piece on special teams. I mean,

613
00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:45,759
Speaker 1: you get the feeling that Nick Westbrook Akina is going

614
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 1: to be here for a while. I said it in

615
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,840
Speaker 1: the preseason and I really felt it and he's proven

616
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:52,719
Speaker 1: me right. I thought he was going to be a

617
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,719
Speaker 1: part of this football team that mattered, those sorts of

618
00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:00,319
Speaker 1: guys developing while all this other injury stuff happens. That's

619
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:03,040
Speaker 1: a big key right now. And when you sit down

620
00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,600
Speaker 1: with him, you understand that you had Elijah Molden. I

621
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,160
Speaker 1: had Elijah Molden and that's why I was just thinking about.

622
00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,200
Speaker 1: I had the chance to talk to him, and man,

623
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:14,240
Speaker 1: is he smart. He is just a smart dude. And

624
00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:19,399
Speaker 1: I was so blown away by his ability to kind

625
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,000
Speaker 1: of bring it back to center. Never get super high,

626
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,480
Speaker 1: never get super low. I mean, his rookie regular season

627
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:29,240
Speaker 1: started off tough. My man had back to back games

628
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,760
Speaker 1: where somebody scored a touchdown and it was his fault.

629
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,160
Speaker 1: And that's a hard thing to come back from, especially

630
00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,439
Speaker 1: as a rookie. Like here, you are in this new role.

631
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:41,440
Speaker 1: You want to go ball out, you want to prove

632
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,880
Speaker 1: that you deserve to be here, and boom twice it happens.

633
00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:47,520
Speaker 1: But he was able to kind of bring it back

634
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 1: to center, keep going and then what did we see

635
00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:53,279
Speaker 1: against Jacksonville. He's making a huge play and he has

636
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:57,040
Speaker 1: found a way so early in his career to navigate

637
00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,280
Speaker 1: the highs and the lows, not only of an NFL season,

638
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,920
Speaker 1: but of being a corner, which is something that's takes

639
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,440
Speaker 1: some guys years to do to not get hung up

640
00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:08,480
Speaker 1: on a play like that. See what I think is

641
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,280
Speaker 1: so exciting about this draft class is you've got Molden

642
00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,359
Speaker 1: and Monty Rice in the third round. Rashad Weaver would

643
00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,759
Speaker 1: be helping this team had he not gotten hurt. Yeah,

644
00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:20,280
Speaker 1: I mean, he would be helping this team. Racy McMath

645
00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:22,399
Speaker 1: was doing a nice job and then he got hurt.

646
00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:26,680
Speaker 1: Here's des Fitzpatrick rising to the occasion. We're going to

647
00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: see more of Des Fitzpatrick going forward this season at

648
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:33,320
Speaker 1: wide receiver. Radens is doing fine in the offensive line,

649
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:36,840
Speaker 1: He's just not quite ready coming out of North Dakota State.

650
00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,080
Speaker 1: He's gonna be just fine. He will be a starter

651
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,759
Speaker 1: for this team. And I think Caleb Farley is going

652
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:44,879
Speaker 1: to be a star. I think you will see him

653
00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:48,440
Speaker 1: in year two do what Christian Fulton has done in

654
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,880
Speaker 1: year two. Because there was nobody this offseason going, oh, well,

655
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,960
Speaker 1: Christian Fulton, that's gonna be that's gonna be a big line.

656
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,000
Speaker 1: But it was. It was like Christian Fulton was a

657
00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,399
Speaker 1: draft pick this year. Yeah, And I think that's what

658
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,560
Speaker 1: Farley is going to end up being. Like, I think

659
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:06,880
Speaker 1: this draft class, the twenty nineteen draft class looks awfully

660
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,279
Speaker 1: special right now, and I think the twenty twenty one

661
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,920
Speaker 1: draft class is going to end up being very deep

662
00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:16,120
Speaker 1: and very special for this organization going forward. And it's

663
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,000
Speaker 1: going to need to be because just what we talked

664
00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,640
Speaker 1: about earlier, that's how tough this division's going to get.

665
00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:25,280
Speaker 1: You and I both commented on it, Gollie in the spring,

666
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:30,760
Speaker 1: right that these guys seem different, right. They seemed more mature,

667
00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:36,760
Speaker 1: they seemed more insightful, kind of very focused. They seemed

668
00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:39,560
Speaker 1: like adults, and they don't always get that with rookies.

669
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,359
Speaker 1: You don't always get a group of rookies and say

670
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:44,719
Speaker 1: these are grown ups. But the other part of it, too,

671
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,240
Speaker 1: is they got to have an offseason program exactly, which

672
00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:51,080
Speaker 1: puts them ahead of that twenty twenty class that just

673
00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:56,680
Speaker 1: kind of walked in and had zoom meetings and them

674
00:37:56,719 --> 00:37:58,640
Speaker 1: showed up to the field and play well, it's like

675
00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:01,200
Speaker 1: we met Molden, You got to talk with Molin and

676
00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,680
Speaker 1: I've met him too. This is the first time I

677
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,120
Speaker 1: really got to meet Nick Westbrook Akina, because he was

678
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:07,880
Speaker 1: part of that even though he was undrafted, he was

679
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:10,040
Speaker 1: part of that twenty twenty group. Right. There are so

680
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:11,920
Speaker 1: many people on this team, Mike that you and I

681
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,319
Speaker 1: still haven't sat down and talked to. We just haven't

682
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,640
Speaker 1: had the chance because there we're still living in a

683
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,960
Speaker 1: COVID world. I talked to Morgan Cox, who joined this

684
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,080
Speaker 1: team in the off season, first time we had met. Hi,

685
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:25,799
Speaker 1: how are you doing. My name is Amy. Nice to

686
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,880
Speaker 1: meet you. Like it had been that long of a

687
00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:33,040
Speaker 1: time at which seems so strange, but we just hadn't

688
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,120
Speaker 1: interacted since he has been here. COVID's going to be

689
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:39,480
Speaker 1: an interesting story in the next few weeks. COVID. Obviously,

690
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:43,520
Speaker 1: the Aaron Rodgers story ended up being bigger because of

691
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,920
Speaker 1: how he handled it and what a lightning rod he

692
00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:52,200
Speaker 1: is for people publicly because he's Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, but

693
00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:54,880
Speaker 1: the real story in our world is he missed a

694
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:57,320
Speaker 1: big game, right, he was out of a game, and

695
00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:01,720
Speaker 1: they lost Ben Roethlisberg out of a game they tie

696
00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:07,040
Speaker 1: even for vaccinated players. COVID is coming back in this country.

697
00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,040
Speaker 1: We're moving inside, We're moving into cold weather we're seeing

698
00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:14,080
Speaker 1: in in other places. I think guys missing games down

699
00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:17,520
Speaker 1: the stretch. Unfortunately for teams, it's going to end up

700
00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:20,600
Speaker 1: being a factors as it looks like we're I mean,

701
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,520
Speaker 1: if you read the news and you hear the scientists

702
00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:26,239
Speaker 1: talk about it, it feels like we're gonna and we

703
00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:28,200
Speaker 1: kind of knew it would happen when we all move

704
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,680
Speaker 1: back inside as well. Yeah, and as COVID cases go

705
00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:35,760
Speaker 1: up just across the country, Let's face it, NFL football

706
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:40,400
Speaker 1: players live in the country, like they don't just exist

707
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:45,439
Speaker 1: within the confines of where they are working out, their facilities,

708
00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:49,800
Speaker 1: their fields, all of that stuff. As teams are moving

709
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,560
Speaker 1: inside more just for practice and weather and things like that,

710
00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,280
Speaker 1: guys are also going home and they're spending more time

711
00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:01,200
Speaker 1: indoors with their families, with their kids, all who are

712
00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:04,640
Speaker 1: not all vaccinated going to school. Right, Nasty little Petrie

713
00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:07,200
Speaker 1: dishes all of the children, they all and they bring

714
00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:10,640
Speaker 1: home everything anyway anyway. Yeah, so you've got flu season,

715
00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:15,400
Speaker 1: you've got COVID, you've got whatever national bugs that go around.

716
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,400
Speaker 1: I mean, if anyone comes at me with a stomach virus,

717
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:20,520
Speaker 1: I want them to go home just as much as

718
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,919
Speaker 1: if they have COVID, like no, no, thank you don't

719
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,239
Speaker 1: want it. So all of those things are going to

720
00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:29,719
Speaker 1: start coming into play, and we're already seeing the league

721
00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:32,719
Speaker 1: adjust to that, right And yeah, they're gonna up the

722
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:37,239
Speaker 1: mask mandate thing around Thanksgiving. Even vaccinated players are gonna

723
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,200
Speaker 1: have to wear masks November twenty fifth through December first.

724
00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:42,839
Speaker 1: But it's gonna be something to watch. Do you wake

725
00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:48,000
Speaker 1: up on a Thursday and suddenly somebody is out who

726
00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:52,560
Speaker 1: you didn't anticipate being out in these important situations, It's

727
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:54,640
Speaker 1: gonna be something to watch. It was not much to

728
00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:56,920
Speaker 1: watch early in the year, but it is picked up

729
00:40:57,040 --> 00:40:59,960
Speaker 1: recently and I think it's going to pick up even

730
00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:04,000
Speaker 1: more unfortunately as we head down the stretch. So something

731
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,600
Speaker 1: to watch. And then you've got the guys who were unvaccinated,

732
00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:11,640
Speaker 1: who fall under a different protocol even if they encounter

733
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:15,080
Speaker 1: someone as a close contact. If you're vaccinated and you're

734
00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:19,080
Speaker 1: a close contact, no problem. If you're unvaccinated, what is

735
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:23,719
Speaker 1: it five days? Five days? And it's not a negotiable

736
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:27,399
Speaker 1: five days, Yes, it's it's five days getting tested every

737
00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:31,160
Speaker 1: day hoping that you don't and you're home top a positive.

738
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:34,560
Speaker 1: But you're staying at home. Yeah, and that's that's a

739
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,440
Speaker 1: frustrating thing for a lot of those guys that are

740
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:41,400
Speaker 1: unvaccinated because they're not sick, but the possibility of you

741
00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:44,799
Speaker 1: getting sick is so much greater, So it's better to

742
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:48,040
Speaker 1: just stay at home for the five days. But I mean,

743
00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:50,600
Speaker 1: if you're a close contact on a Thursday or a Friday,

744
00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:52,759
Speaker 1: you're not playing on Sunday. We talked a lot of

745
00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:56,840
Speaker 1: ball here on this OTPT, a lot of big things.

746
00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:00,920
Speaker 1: So remind you that Titans radios Titans Countdown with Amy

747
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,120
Speaker 1: Wells and Rett Bryan hits the air at eleven am

748
00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:06,520
Speaker 1: Central on Sunday. That's on one h four five Zone

749
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:10,600
Speaker 1: in Nashville and all the Titans radio stations around the region,

750
00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:13,319
Speaker 1: and there are a lot of them, and we appreciate

751
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,760
Speaker 1: all that they do for us. Kickoff is set for noon,

752
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:22,040
Speaker 1: Titans and the Houston Texans meeting number thirty nine. Wow,

753
00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:24,680
Speaker 1: thirty nine. This is the twentieth year the two teams

754
00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:26,399
Speaker 1: have played. The other thing we didn't talk about too

755
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,120
Speaker 1: is Houston would rather be Tennessee than anybody. Oh yeah,

756
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:33,120
Speaker 1: so for them, I mean, in terms of motivation coming

757
00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:37,000
Speaker 1: off of bye still playing for David Culley and for

758
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,000
Speaker 1: their ownership group and their city. And it's not really

759
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,760
Speaker 1: talked about much here anymore, but it is still talked about,

760
00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:44,879
Speaker 1: talked and I don't think it's talked about as much

761
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:48,320
Speaker 1: down there. I don't know. They were really unhappy about

762
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:52,799
Speaker 1: our oilers week. They really didn't enjoy that. Well I

763
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,360
Speaker 1: get it. I mean I guess, yeah, but we would

764
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:58,520
Speaker 1: for them, but we were probably we were the oilers. Yeah,

765
00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:01,640
Speaker 1: I mean I don't feel bad at all. Sorry that

766
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,400
Speaker 1: was us. Yeah, that wasn't anybody. I mean, that's in

767
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,319
Speaker 1: our I think they're a little salty and I think

768
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,640
Speaker 1: they would enjoy coming here and beating them, but we

769
00:43:09,719 --> 00:43:12,640
Speaker 1: won't let that happen. That's the plan. Yeah, that is

770
00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:16,600
Speaker 1: one plant. This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau

771
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:20,320
Speaker 1: Health Plans. Let the experts at Farm Bureau Health Plans

772
00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:22,440
Speaker 1: coach you through it. When you need great healthcare coverage

773
00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:25,280
Speaker 1: at a price you can afford. They've been protecting Tennessee

774
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,840
Speaker 1: and since nineteen forty seven have they done? They're the

775
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:31,360
Speaker 1: sponsor of your podcast, The Titans Amy Coach Mac Podcast.

776
00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,399
Speaker 1: Are you really giving away bobbleheads again? We're giving away

777
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:38,120
Speaker 1: bobbleheads again. Tis the season, ho ho ho. We are approaching.

778
00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,520
Speaker 1: We are approaching the holiday season. You know, Mike, We're

779
00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:44,280
Speaker 1: gonna pull some switcherouse. We've done a couple different things,

780
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:46,920
Speaker 1: So tune into the Titans Amy and Coach Mac podcast

781
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:49,359
Speaker 1: to find out how you can win one. We're doing

782
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:52,040
Speaker 1: some things a little bit different because it's the holidays

783
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:53,719
Speaker 1: and I want to make sure that people can win them.

784
00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:55,879
Speaker 1: But I also want to make sure that they are

785
00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,719
Speaker 1: listening to the podcast because we work very hard on

786
00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:00,680
Speaker 1: it and there's a lot of stuff in there that

787
00:44:00,719 --> 00:44:03,680
Speaker 1: I really think people will enjoy. We don't give away

788
00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:06,319
Speaker 1: anything on this podcast. No, we never have, and I

789
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:10,120
Speaker 1: really think that that has been a sore spot for me.

790
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:12,960
Speaker 1: Is that why it's not more successful. We don't give

791
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,239
Speaker 1: away stuff because people don't know it exists. Certainly need

792
00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:20,080
Speaker 1: like magnets or coasters there going well. I never forget.

793
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:22,880
Speaker 1: So when I was working in Knoxville for the radio

794
00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:25,200
Speaker 1: station that I was which was the news talk station

795
00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:28,239
Speaker 1: in the building, we had the big FM station that

796
00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:30,440
Speaker 1: was the country music station that was really popular, and

797
00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:32,839
Speaker 1: then we had the little news talk station. And I

798
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,520
Speaker 1: complained consistently that they never promoted it, right, So what

799
00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:39,839
Speaker 1: they did for us is the first item that they

800
00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:44,359
Speaker 1: had as a giveaway were ice scrapers. Yeah, we were

801
00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:49,920
Speaker 1: giving them away in June. No, yes, yes, I really

802
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:52,640
Speaker 1: need some otp ice scraper. Well it would be nice

803
00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:55,760
Speaker 1: right now. Or snow shovels. Yeah, it'd be nice right now.

804
00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:57,920
Speaker 1: That would be great. But Gary, I went to the

805
00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,600
Speaker 1: promotions persons it really seriously. So I'm out at a

806
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:06,200
Speaker 1: remote at Dale's Winning Edge golf shop and I'm giving

807
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:10,200
Speaker 1: away ice scrapers. So, needless to say, I didn't win

808
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:13,200
Speaker 1: a lot of friends within our building when I complained

809
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:16,399
Speaker 1: on the air about it ended up being a big joke.

810
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:18,520
Speaker 1: And the funny thing is people came and got them

811
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:21,560
Speaker 1: because we made it into a joke. Yeah, because it

812
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:24,160
Speaker 1: was ridiculous, because it's like, hey, here's what you need.

813
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:27,640
Speaker 1: On June twenty third, it's one hundred and sixty four

814
00:45:27,680 --> 00:45:30,480
Speaker 1: degrees here in East Tennessee. Let me get you an

815
00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:32,840
Speaker 1: ice scraper. Well see, here's the thing. So the Titans

816
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,920
Speaker 1: Amy and Coach Mac podcast is giving away the hottest

817
00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:39,960
Speaker 1: Christmas gift of the year, the elusive bobbleheads. And you

818
00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,759
Speaker 1: know what, people really go people really go crazy for them.

819
00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:46,919
Speaker 1: It sounds like I'm being a little overinflated because it's

820
00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:50,680
Speaker 1: you are and you do. But it really is something

821
00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:53,080
Speaker 1: that people stop me all the time and say, Hey,

822
00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:56,239
Speaker 1: I want a bobblehead. I have like close friends from

823
00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:59,520
Speaker 1: high school calling me saying can I buy one from me?

824
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:01,319
Speaker 1: I had nobody asked me if they could buy one

825
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,240
Speaker 1: of your bubble heads. Yeah, I mean I can be bought,

826
00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:07,040
Speaker 1: but like I prefer of you just listen to the show.

827
00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,560
Speaker 1: But I think that, Mike Keith, we need a giveaway

828
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:13,480
Speaker 1: on this show, maybe like a pool float or something. Yeah,

829
00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:16,120
Speaker 1: because it's November. Yeah, because it's November. That would be great.

830
00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:22,720
Speaker 1: Little inner too, A noodle, a fool noodle, Yes, something

831
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,040
Speaker 1: to think about that. Hey, but we could make it

832
00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:27,439
Speaker 1: into a thing. We always if we get that, we'll

833
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:29,520
Speaker 1: make it into a thing. Yeah for Amy Wells, I'm

834
00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:32,320
Speaker 1: Mike Keith. Thanks for taking forty nine minutes and joining

835
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: us for the OH Team. Welcome to the Big Show

836
00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:42,040
Speaker 1: where the Legends go. Ever Gotten knows it's our house.

837
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:50,279
Speaker 1: We got Side and Boodle running through a v