July 29, 2025 • 29 mins
The pads are on! Amie Wells and Will Boling break down the first padded practice of Titans Training Camp. Plus, JC Latham joins the show to talk counting calories, the foods he cut out, and his surprising new interest in art!
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
This is the OTP.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Amy Wells and I am joined by Will Bowling
from Titans Radio. We have been rolling through Titans training camp,
of course, and today the greatest day of the year,
the first day in pads. Will, I feel like we've
been waiting for it for an eternity, something about the
season ends and you kind of get a break and
(00:36):
you're like, oh, okay, I'm ready for football again. And
then we do all the drafty things and then they
come back, but they're not really back because we can't
put pads on right. So finally this team is in pads.
It felt good, it was hot, it was loud, it
was a football practice.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
What did you notice?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, first of all, I just think the sound of
pads popping right, it is a nice sound. It means
football is closer. It means we're within a couple of
weeks of preseason game one. I think that's the first thing.
Was that term you used real football. We heard that
from Peter Skronsky after practice today. We heard it from
Brian Callahan in the conversations we've had with him and
(01:17):
his meeting with the media before practice. Real football continues
to really be the phrase. But I think you noticed
the competitiveness of the energy levels going up. I think
you saw early in the practice the defense setting the
tone a little bit. I think you saw the offense
start to match that. Towards the middle of practice, then
I thought you saw the defense have a really strong
finish to practice in creating some turnovers. So you want
(01:38):
that in any practice. You want ebbs and flows. You
don't want just one side of the ball to totally dominate.
And I thought the energy level was there. I thought
the level of physicality both from receivers and DB's O
line and D line really good to watch. And you
could tell those guys were very excited to play real
football again.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Today they talk all the time about how practic just
without pads is really skewed in favor of the offense
because obviously they're the ones who are able to complete
passes and do all these things, and if you can't
hit them, that's only.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Really half of a football game there.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So do you think the defense had such a strong
day today because they've been itching for this day to come?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think a little bit.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And I think two, you have a lot of competition
in the front seven, especially, and when you have a
new pass rusher in Dreymont Jones, who has a lot
to prove and feels like he with the other part
of that defensive line, is not just there to get around.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
The pocket, but to collapse the pocket.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And I think you saw that level of physicality, that
level of aggression, not just to get upfield and getting
after the passer, but you saw that in collapsing the pocket,
which also in turn helps stop the run as well.
So I think you did see that, and that's the
way that Mike Braganzi, Chad Brinker, and Brian Callahan have
really tried to intentionally build this roster. But I'm looking
at these pass rushers and inside linebackers with a lot
(02:58):
of opportunity, and you look at a guy like Fimi
Oladjo who's in for his first pad of practice and
one on ones, maybe it struggles to find that second
move kind of the change up to his fastball, but
he is showing up so much more for me in
team periods actually, where I think Fimi has been really disruptive.
I think he's forced cam Ward off of his spot
a little bit, and I think that's a really encouraging
(03:19):
sign for him. Early and James Williams. I know we
talked about him over the weekend at the open practice
with coach Mackett.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
That's a guy that.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
The inside linebacker position is so difficult to evaluate. Until
the pads come on and until you can really take
guys to the ground, we're still not getting one hundred
percent of that evaluation process.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
But I did think that there was a level of.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
H Finally, you know, we've heard about this remade offensive line,
We've heard about Dan Moore and JC Latham. It's time
to remember that the D line can make some noise
as well. And I thought that front seven really showed
up today.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Femi Elodesha is such an interesting guy because we have
to remember he's relatively new to this outside position where
he is right now, and it's interesting because it feels
like there's only so much you can do from like
a conceptual stance, like you can know what you're supposed
(04:12):
to do, you can understand the rules of what your
position requires. And he says moving from middle linebacker outside
is actually easier because as a middle linebacker, you've got
to know what everybody's doing anyway. But what's interesting is
that there's still something different about actually executing it and.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Being able to go one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I can be really good at something if I'm only
allowed to go like fifty sixty percent. But if I
have to complete the motion, complete what I'm being asked
to do, I mean there's more steps there, obviously, So
watching him evolve from Okay, I've done this a couple
times in college. Now I'm doing it at the next level.
I need to understand what this defense is asking me
(04:55):
to do. I can map it out, walk it through,
but now I have.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
To actually complete what I'm being asked to do.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Watching that progression is I think something that's going to
be really fun for us to watch as he continues
through training camp.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think so too, And I think for a guy
that has never had an offseason as an edge rusher, yeah,
there's a lot to learn, but there is a lot
of growth and ceiling and potential there. I think the
deployment of the way Dinard Wilson and this Titans defense
can use Fimiola Djo and the skills that he had
as an inside linebacker UCLA, he hasn't just forgotten, and
(05:32):
I think there are elements of him dropping back in coverage,
him being able to get around the edge, because for me,
he is kind of the speedier, more fast, twitched kind
of quick guy around the edge. And if the other
three guys or four guys upfront that he's with are
there to collapse the pocket, well, how much does Fimioladejo
benefit from that? But just running into the quarterback, and
(05:53):
I think that's where Fimioladejo getting the privilege of playing
with dev Andre Sweat, Jeffrey Simmons, Sebastian Josephday.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Who I thought had a really good practice today and
was really active.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I think there's a bet being made, a gamble being
made by this organization in that there are some edge
rushers who can go from good to great with the
help of Jeffrey Simmons at Devandre Sweat. If we're collapsing
the pocket and forcing the quarterback off of his spot,
let's just run him into Femi who's on the edge,
who is containing that pocket as well. So it's gonna
(06:26):
be really fun. It feels to me Amy like he's
kind of like a pitcher that has a really good fastball,
kind of that relief pitcher that's got to learn. Hey,
if I had a change up, if I had a
slider that I can drop in there. How much better
does that make my fastball? If I make this lineman
have to be ready for me to change speeds, well,
then if I go full speed and go fastball right like,
(06:47):
then how much tougher is my fastball? So he's learning
those things in real time. He's worked with rush doctors
and things like that and pass rush summits here over
the course of the offseason.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
But I really think this guy's the limit for him.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I think we're going to see the best of him
as the season and goes, and I can't wait to
watch that process unfold.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
When we talk about defensive backs, is there anybody that's
catching your attention more than Kevin Winston Junior. I literally
wrote on my notes I can't show you because it
might have a curse word on it, but it says
he is not messing around.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He's not like it's crazy. He's everywhere all over the
field all the time. He just looks like he's having
a good tongue.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
He is.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
And I remember talking with people back before this break back,
before training camp and in mandatory mini camp and OTAs
he is the kind of student that is intently watching
and observing everything in practice. When he's not on the field,
there are players that are there getting water, talking with
their teammates, maybe just looking at the sky trying to
(07:46):
figure out what clouds are above them. Then there are
guys who are so locked in and taking those mental
reps and understanding, all right, this is what I would
do here, op, I wouldn't have thought about that, but
I liked what Xavier Woods did right there. So I'm
gonna remember that once my time comes and you talk
to anybody around this organization, and Kevin Winston Junior is
that he is a student of the game. He is
(08:07):
someone I think they have a lot of hope for.
I think of Kevin Winston Junior amy similarly to the
way Amani Hooker carved out a role for himself as
a rookie here in twenty nineteen. And I think you
talk about third round picks, fourth round picks kind of
in that meat of the draft. You want those guys
to have a role to play as rookies and have
(08:28):
an assignment, and whatever that is for Kevin Winston Junior,
I think remains to be seen whether that's hey, you're
a tight end stopper or hey, in a big nickel set.
You're the guy coming in on third downs that we're
gonna rely on. That was Amani's role early in his
Titans career. He was the third down big nickel. I'm
taking away the bigger slot receivers, but I think in
today's NFL where nickel packages are kind of your base defense,
(08:49):
Kevin Winston Junior has a role to play in twenty
twenty five for this Tennessee Titans team. And when you
are role player as a rookie, maybe you're less likely
to run into a rookie wall as well. In your
first you're implementing things, you're ascending, you're growing towards maybe
a starting position. But the early returns are really really good.
He looks very confident and really strong in that defense.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
All right, so defense had an overall really good day today.
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to the OTP. How important is the way the offense
(09:48):
responds tomorrow?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Find to be?
Speaker 3 (09:51):
That has been the thing I'm most looking forward to
is what happens the first time cam Ward has a
couple of picks and the interceptions were a case by
case basis. There's some miscommunication on Hey, an all out
blitz is here.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I've got chickacong Quo on my left.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
You could already see some of the dialogue happening between
Cam and Chig to say, Hey, I want you to
sit and kind of pull back a little bit. Just
give me a hot read there when I've got seven
or eight blitzers, you know. Peter Skronsky said after practice today,
that was as much pressure as the offense had seen
from Dennard Wilson all off season. So that was as
much as he kind of brought it at us. So
(10:28):
I'll be really interested to just kind of hear more
about the dialogue between Cam and his receivers. I mean,
we host our morning show here at six and he's
beating us to the facility because according to what we've
heard and according to coaches, he's here at five point
thirty with a lot of guys watching films, so you
know they'll get a lot of that corrected. And I
think the conversations between cam his wide receivers, the veterans,
(10:49):
and the rookies, I think have been really positive and
I'm excited to see how they bounce back.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
It's been really fun to watch Calvin Ridley throughout this camp.
He's had a phenomenal camp, and I think a lot
of that is watching him not only just do what
he does on the field, because we saw some of
that last year, what he's able to do, what a
just freak athlete he is, but watching him step into
a leadership role even more than we did last year.
(11:14):
Seeing the way he's working with some of the other
receivers in that room, but also working with cam Ward,
helping him figure out what's going on, working with all
the guys on the offense to bring that together. That
has really struck me throughout camp, and I'm sure that
in this moment.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
After a day like today where they got.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Some wins, but they got some losses too, does He
then step up and say, listen, guys, these are the
areas where we need to get it together.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And you know, talking with Calvin last week, he used
the words unusual about cam Ward's timing, like he is
so interested and so I think impressed by how quickly
cam has shown a veteran level of throwing with anticipate.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
I asked him about that, like what makes cam a
little bit different? And Calvin said, like, it's his timing.
It's the fact that he knows where to go with
the football. He's on time when he needs to go there.
You're not seeing the double clutches, the waiting, waiting, and
I'm hearing coach Mack in the back of my head
saying throw it, throw it, throw it every single time.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
But I think you are getting a locked in Calvin Ridley.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
And that's not to say that he wasn't last year,
but I think there is a comfort level of being
in the same place for a second straight off season
in understanding, you know, how I talk to certain players
on this team, the relationship I have, you know with
Chim ray Dk and Eleki Manor, who are sponges with
everything he is saying but I think you really are
seeing Calvin on good plays and bad plays, kind of
(12:45):
like we're talking about with Ken Winston Junior, be really
engaged with these young guys, understanding how he has a
role as another wide receiver coach to really step up
and give his wisdom.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
I've been really impressed.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
You can tell it is a night and day difference
from week two of training camp twenty twenty four to
week two of training camp twenty twenty five. How big
of a role Calvin Ridley is playing in.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
This offense well, And there's been a lot of change
within that room since training camp began. We've seen Colton
Dale waived. We've seen Matt Landers added to this team.
We've seen Treylon Burke suffer an injury at the Nissan
Stadium practice on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
He had a collarbone injury.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
He was waived injured, and then the tit the Titans
signed Ramel Keaton from Tennessee. And so with all of
that change, with some new people within that room, there's
a need for consistency and some of that comes from
the veteran leadership of a Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett too.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
One hundred percent and by my last count, forty five
of the ninety one players on this team right now
our first or second year players. Wow, there are new
draft picks, there are undrafteds. There are guys from last
year's draft class that are going to need to play
a role. There's no time for anybody to be young,
to be rookies, to be second year players. We need
everybody to pitch in and become veterans on the fly.
(14:10):
I think the joint practices are going to be really
interesting for those wide receivers because you talk about how
a defense sees schemes from your offense over and over
and over. They're sitting on certain things. Cody Barton said
that last week when he picked off cam Ward for
the first time in training camp, he said, yeah, actually
he got me on that yesterday, and so I actually
was in an area I wasn't supposed to be, but
I was waiting on it because I knew he wanted it. Like,
(14:32):
I don't think Tampa is going to come with that
level of knowledge for that first practice. You know, the
Atlanta Falcons when we see them are not going to
have the knowledge of, hey, what did cam do to
me yesterday that I can try to get him back
on that first time they hit the field. So that's
what I'm really interested in with these wide receivers is
how do you face a new opponent who doesn't know
your tendencies as well? You know, for some of these
(14:52):
younger guys like a Bryce Oliver who doesn't have as
much NFL game film, Ford Xavier Estrepo looking to earn
his stripes, and I thought had a really good day
today for the first day of padded practice, is really
his best day maybe of the off season. There are
opportunities there against dbs who don't know you, and it's mono,
weemano me against you.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It's the fun of training camp and the competition that
we're having right now.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Let's talk offensive line here because they are another group
that benefits probably the most from putting pads on. What
did you see out of that group and was it
what you expected to see on day one of Pat's say.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
What I saw from two guys in particular, Peter Skronsky
and JC Latham were excellent in one on ones, and
Peter Skronsky kind of downplayed that a little bit when
the media talked to him afterwards, said, yeah, there were
some ups and downs. They kind of got us in
team periods. But I think Peter Skronsky's ready for a
really big year three jump and I think you look
at a lot of his numbers last season. Pro Football
(15:48):
Focus loved him, said he was the best pass protector
from week twelve on in the NFL of guards last season,
I think you look at JC Latham as a slimmed
down version of himself. Jefferysimon was raving about him to
us post practice, saying I was telling him, you look comfortable.
And Jeffrey Simmons doesn't just hand out compliments to offensive
(16:08):
linemen unless he really means them, And I thought that
was a really good note post practice. But those two
in particular caught my eye. On the one on ones,
I thought they were good. Kevin Zeitler, after maybe losing
an early rep to Jeffrey Simmons, the one on ones
came back and bounced back really well on a second
try against jeff And I know those two have been
talking about how Kevin has blocked Jeff in the past,
(16:29):
how jeffs tried to get past Kevin in the pass
and all.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Of those things.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
But I think in the run game period early we
saw the offensive line have some challenges. Talking to my
teammate Ramon Foster on our show one O, four to
five to Zone and er promone and Will, he made
the point of, like, yeah, but the defense knows we're
running like right like it gets that run period. It's
the predictability of it, and you don't know what the
defense is doing, but they know what you're doing. I
(16:51):
think as a whole, those guys were glad to be
physical again. They were glad to really have something to
hold on to. Like you mentioned, I mean, they're the
ones of the offense that benefit the most from the
pads going on, and I thought they held their own.
I thought they were really maybe the bright spot for
the offense in a day that was otherwise won by
the defense.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I had the opportunity to talk to J C.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Latham after practice today, and I'm going to be honest,
I had every intention of talking to him about just
like his physical change, how he got prepared for the season,
and kind of how the football is going. And our
interview took a little a little bit of a different turn.
So check out this conversation with me and JC Latham.
(17:31):
JC Latham first padded practice of training camp. How long
have you been waiting to put football pads back on
and hit somebody?
Speaker 5 (17:40):
I mean since January fifth, honestly when the game ended,
you know what I mean personally, there was a lot
of things I knew I had to correct our coaches.
I think like a day or two after Christmas we
had a conversation about you know, my weight and a
plethora of other things that I need to improve on,
especially throughout the off season. We formulated a plan, and
I mean, you know, it was rigorous, it was hard,
it was it was it was it was tough, you know,
(18:02):
and every day, every day that went by, I just
knew I was can a day closer to my goal
and day to really go and seize the opportunity of
my goal. So you know, I mean, and as a team,
I know we have a lot to prove, and you know,
we have a standard that we created since day one
and a culture that you know, we try to live by.
And you know, especially throughout this practice, how I just
kept picking up in the tempo, attition to detail and everything. Yeah,
(18:24):
I mean we've been itching.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
For all of this.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Coach Callahan said that once the pads go on, the
offensive line especially can.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Really go to work.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
What were you able to accomplish today that you haven't
been able to accomplish leading up to this point.
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Yeah, I mean you could a you saw with pass
procause you know, playing tackle, that's a really important job
for any tackle. You know, it's it's really hard to
get a handle, get a fit in pass pro when
you're just in jerseys, you know, because they're slippery, the
jerseys can get wet, whatever it might be. So you know,
when you're in the past, you actually have a chance
to really see what's your hands are like. And then also,
I mean in the run game, you know, you hear
(18:57):
a lot of times, especially the defense if or if
something goes wrong, or you know, you got a pull
and you really can't fully unleash into the pool because
you don't.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
Got the pads on.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
So you really don't know what anything looks like until
you're one hundred percent full go full contact.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
And then a life situation as it was today, tell me.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
About that plan that you were put on, or you
put yourself on to try and not only change your body,
but just improve your game. What were some of the
key cornerstones of that plan?
Speaker 6 (19:22):
Yeah, key cornerstone.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
First and foremost obviously having a foundation with God and
my religion. That was something I wanted to root myself in.
But you know, secondly, my nutrition. You know Connor, he
does a great job at just making sure I'm getting
exactly what I need in my body. On top of
the calories I try to have, you know, around two
thousand calories a day, one thousands for each meal, maybe
a couple of snacks in between, depending on what they are,
(19:45):
but not just making sure that you know, it's calories,
but you're putting the right things into your body, the
right protein, the right whatever it might be, to really
balance everything out and build what you're supposed to build.
And then, you know, as the time went on, you know,
me and my training UJ we started building that plan
with you know, being able to improve on my footspeed, mechanic,
my handspeed, me you know, me my boxing coach really
working on handspeed, conditioning and footwork and all that, and
(20:06):
then talking to Bill about you know, just the small
things that I can work on to improve. So you know,
I mean, as the off season went by, day by day,
we stacked and stacked and stacked to really get to
where we are today.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
What food are you missing the most that you haven't
had in a while.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
It's going to sound really, really stereotypical. I haven't had
a lot of like fried anything. It's like fried chicken.
I love that. Haven't really had that. I've had pizza
here and there, so I can't really say I missed pizza.
You know, if you make weight or you're a couple
of pounds under whatever it might be, you can reward
yourself with some pizza. But I mean outside the chicken
part would definitely be something I haven't had.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
Cheesecake. It's like a cheesecake factory right down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
And you know, it was funny because when we first
went over, like what I ate and we counted, we
counted the calories as an app that helps us count
the calories, and you know, he was like, I told him,
like what I would get and I'm not going to
say it here, but the dessert would be cheesecake. And
you know they say, well, hey, your goals two thousand
calories for the day, twenty to twenty three hundred. You know,
a slice of the cheeseca from cheesecake factories probably a
thousand to twelve hundred.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
So they're like, that's a whole meal.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
So I mean, you can choose which one you want
to get, but you're not putting the right stuff in
your body if you get that. So definitely missing out
on all the desserts.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
I mean, you.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Realize there's a lot of like cheese and milk and
whatever that might be that really builds up onto all
the good food that you got to cut back on.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So you really were just like not following a plan,
but you were a student of this. What this means
for you in your life. It feels like you've learned
a lot about nutrition.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Absolutely, yeah, I mean honestly, you know, I know next
year for sure, like I want to really go down
that route not only with my nutritions, but maybe even
get like a degree in that, so I really know
I can assess, like, Okay, if I'm going into the day,
like for example, on a heavier load day, he'll load
me up with cars for the energy the energy portion,
or he'll replenish me with cars whatever it might be.
(21:50):
When we're lifting, He'll make sure I have a lot
of protein in my system so I can have whatever
I need whatever I lost to gain it back, so
you know, and then the different ways you can go
about that. It is really fascinating what food can really
do for your body. And you hear it all the time,
especially at Alabama and here. You know, when you lift
and work out and train, as soon as you get done,
if you're not putting nothing back into your body, you
(22:10):
kind of did it for nothing. So that's definitely something
I wanted to really get into.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
When you came back for the off season program, everyone
was talking about how different your body looked and just
the physically it was very impressive.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Is that rewarding to you?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Does that feel better to have people actually notice what
it is you're doing and get some real tangible results.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I think positive reinforcement I think is a very big,
big deal, not just for me, but for anybody. If
you're you know, telling somebody like, hey, you're doing a
great job at what you do, you know, put a
smile on your face. You want to keep going, you know,
And now I tell you know, my trainers and everybody
around me, like, acknowledge the mountains that you've climbed. You know,
you got a lot of mountains to climb, and you
got to do a lot to get to this position.
And get to the positions that you want to be
(22:51):
in in life, and sometimes we kind of get overwhelmed
with everything that's going on. And one thing that I
learned throughout the off season when I got into art,
I saw a lot of road and the artist told me,
he said, like just kind of a way to like
remind the audience to stop and smell the roses, you know.
So I kind of took that as like stopping acknowledge
the mountains that you've climb. So when people kind of
acknowledge that, it kind of just gives me that mental
refresher in that boost, like I'm on the right track,
(23:13):
I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm
getting acknowledged by my closest peers.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Okay, what kind of art did you get into? Tell
me about this A Man of the World now.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I mean it's a lot of different art. So Shabaz
was the artist that I was purchasing some stuff from.
I got some from a local art gallery as well,
but the main pieces, I mean, it just it just
sticks out to me. So I got something from he
calls it African Twins. It's a symbol, it's a symbol
of good luck and something to not be messed with,
especially in their culture over there in Africa. So now
(23:42):
it's something that I, you know, put right in front
of my house when you walk in. And then there
was one he was he had a kind of a
phase where he did a lot of paintings with no face.
So one where it's you know, jay Z, but it's
no face and he's around his piers and you see
the gold dust being sprinkled on them. And I hung
that above my bedroom because I just I feel like
that really empowered me being a you know, African American.
(24:04):
That really empowered what it felt like to kind of
represent my culture. So you know, amongst a lot of
other paintings, that really means a lot to me.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
So you're learning about nutrition and really how to fuel
your body. You're fueling your mind with art. You've incorporated
boxing and this whole new routine when it comes to
your fitness and how you're training. Do you feel like
a very different person than you were in twenty twenty four?
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Yeah, I mean absolutely.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
I mean I knew that would happen, of course, because
you know, it's no knock to Alabama. Alabama is a
is a grind. It's twenty four to seven, go, go go.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
I came to realize when I was there that time
is a man made construct that you know, when you're
at Alabama, doesn't it doesn't matter.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
I remember days where you know, we start at seven
o'clock in the morning, we wouldn't be back to eleven
thirty at night, so you know, it'd be a long day.
So you had to kind of just forget about the
time and just get to work, you know. And I
knew once I got say the NFL, especially the off season,
official off season, I would have time to kind of
figure myself out my interest, what I like to do.
Speaker 6 (25:00):
Do you have a couple?
Speaker 5 (25:01):
You know, you got a three week period before the
season starts, when summer training starts at Alabama. But I
mean they're so their program is held to such a
high standard for the college level, you don't really have
a lot of time. Like for me, I was able
to not only go into art, but you know, travel
to like Napa Valley to get into wine, you know,
so like being able to have that experience as well.
You really wouldn't have the opportunity like that in college.
That really anywhere. So having that chance here in the NFL,
(25:22):
I'm really grateful for.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
You think feeding into yourself as a human, as like
a man is making you a better football player.
Speaker 6 (25:29):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
I think it's really important to you know, my trainer
kind of has to remind me of this too, because
I get so locked in on hey I want to
do this, this and that, where he tells you like, hey,
take a mental break, you know. And you know, Bill
talks to me about this too, because I've been boxing
and doing all my explosive woman workous whatever it might be,
you know, since January. So when we ended OTAs, I
literally had an Airbnb book to go down to Dallast
(25:51):
and train with Duke like the next day after OTA
has ended, And all of them were like, hey, just
you know, take a couple of days off, give your
mind some time to rest, your body, some time to heal,
and really, you know, be I know you want to
attack it heavy in the off season, but be a
pro and let your body heel and let your mind heel.
So I think dabbling into your interest in rewarding yourself
with that as such kind of definitely helps you be
missily refreshed.
Speaker 6 (26:11):
To go out there and form well.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Jac Latham, We're excited to watch you work as training
camp unfolds.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Thanks for taking the.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
Time, absolute, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Hey, Titans fans, With a Kroger Boost membership, you'll score
big with double fuel points, free delivery, and lots more.
Go to Kroger dot com slash boost for details. Kroger,
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Speaker 1 (26:33):
Tighten up Home is.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
The forefront of all we do. It's why we're so
committed to caring for the places and spaces in which
we work and live. Ashley the official furniture provider of
the Tennessee Titans. Now back to the OTP. He is
a renaissance man. Will are you surprised? You don't hear
that from the big guys very often?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
No, you don't, Hey, Sometimes the offensive lineman, they they
grew in the shadows. We just let them marin a
We sit them over here. We're talking to skill guys.
All of a sudden, they're gaining new skills.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
They're learning out of their pros.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
So I saw many of them make good broadcasters. So
not just because I host a show with one for
four hours of morning. No, JC is really growing into
his own and you think about him amy and hidden
the path that he's had. I am g Academy, Alabama
first round draft pick. The guy has been a winner
everywhere that he has gone. And when I look at
this offensive line, it's hard not to hear arden Key
(27:31):
and Jeffrey Simmons on the defensive line. Yes, Fimio oladejo
is is stepping into that kind of role the offensive line.
You don't often hear chirps back, you don't hear things
from their side. Kim Wored's gonna help that. First of all,
I think JC Latham is an emerging leader on this
football team, offense and defense. And I think last year
(27:51):
he took ownership of some things that he liked. I
think he took some ownership of some things that he
maybe didn't like from his rookie season. I'm really expecting
a big year for him and playing next to Kevin
Zeidler one of the best to do it. And if
he makes fifteen starts again this year, that'll be ten
straight seasons of fifteen plus starts for Zeidler. What a
wealth of experience to have next to you, and what
(28:12):
an opportunity this offensive line has to really take a
step forward this year.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Well, well, there's more practice on the way.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Tell me what you're going to be watching tomorrow when
the Titans are back in pads at Ascension Saint Thomas
Sports Park at eight o'clock in the morning to try
and beat this heat.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think I'm just watching how the offense bounce back.
I think cam Ward after a three interception day, and
again not all of those totally on him, some good
defensive plays, some miscommunications, a bad throw. But I think
ultimately what you love about cam Ward is his short
memory and his ability to have the utmost confidence in himself.
(28:51):
And you know the answer that he had after mandatory
mini camp when he was asked, what's your confidence level
as an NFL quarterback? And he just said ten and
went on the next question. Right, he knows how to
get the point across quickly, and there is I can
promise you, there is nothing that can happen on that
practice field that's going to make that number go any
lower than a ten. So how does that manifest itself?
(29:13):
How does that look? Does Camboard take some of the
same gambles? Does he have a conversation with some of
his wide receiver to say, hey, I need you to
do this instead.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
I need you to sit here.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
If there's pressure, if I'm hot and got to get
rid of the football quickly. I think that's what I'm
watching most Tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Well, we are looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
The Titans have a couple more training camp practices before
they head on the road. They're going to Tampa, they're
going to Atlanta. It's gonna be a wild time, but
we're going to have it all right here on the OTT.
So for Will Bowling. I'm Amy Wells and this has
been the official Titans podcast, better known as the Ott
This is the OTP.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Amy Wells and I am joined by Will Bowling
from Titans Radio. We have been rolling through Titans training camp,
of course, and today the greatest day of the year,
the first day in pads. Will, I feel like we've
been waiting for it for an eternity, something about the
season ends and you kind of get a break and
(00:36):
you're like, oh, okay, I'm ready for football again. And
then we do all the drafty things and then they
come back, but they're not really back because we can't
put pads on right. So finally this team is in pads.
It felt good, it was hot, it was loud, it
was a football practice.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
What did you notice?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, first of all, I just think the sound of
pads popping right, it is a nice sound. It means
football is closer. It means we're within a couple of
weeks of preseason game one. I think that's the first thing.
Was that term you used real football. We heard that
from Peter Skronsky after practice today. We heard it from
Brian Callahan in the conversations we've had with him and
(01:17):
his meeting with the media before practice. Real football continues
to really be the phrase. But I think you noticed
the competitiveness of the energy levels going up. I think
you saw early in the practice the defense setting the
tone a little bit. I think you saw the offense
start to match that. Towards the middle of practice, then
I thought you saw the defense have a really strong
finish to practice in creating some turnovers. So you want
(01:38):
that in any practice. You want ebbs and flows. You
don't want just one side of the ball to totally dominate.
And I thought the energy level was there. I thought
the level of physicality both from receivers and DB's O
line and D line really good to watch. And you
could tell those guys were very excited to play real
football again.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Today they talk all the time about how practic just
without pads is really skewed in favor of the offense
because obviously they're the ones who are able to complete
passes and do all these things, and if you can't
hit them, that's only.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Really half of a football game there.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So do you think the defense had such a strong
day today because they've been itching for this day to come?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think a little bit.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And I think two, you have a lot of competition
in the front seven, especially, and when you have a
new pass rusher in Dreymont Jones, who has a lot
to prove and feels like he with the other part
of that defensive line, is not just there to get around.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
The pocket, but to collapse the pocket.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And I think you saw that level of physicality, that
level of aggression, not just to get upfield and getting
after the passer, but you saw that in collapsing the pocket,
which also in turn helps stop the run as well.
So I think you did see that, and that's the
way that Mike Braganzi, Chad Brinker, and Brian Callahan have
really tried to intentionally build this roster. But I'm looking
at these pass rushers and inside linebackers with a lot
(02:58):
of opportunity, and you look at a guy like Fimi
Oladjo who's in for his first pad of practice and
one on ones, maybe it struggles to find that second
move kind of the change up to his fastball, but
he is showing up so much more for me in
team periods actually, where I think Fimi has been really disruptive.
I think he's forced cam Ward off of his spot
a little bit, and I think that's a really encouraging
(03:19):
sign for him. Early and James Williams. I know we
talked about him over the weekend at the open practice
with coach Mackett.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
That's a guy that.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
The inside linebacker position is so difficult to evaluate. Until
the pads come on and until you can really take
guys to the ground, we're still not getting one hundred
percent of that evaluation process.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
But I did think that there was a level of.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
H Finally, you know, we've heard about this remade offensive line,
We've heard about Dan Moore and JC Latham. It's time
to remember that the D line can make some noise
as well. And I thought that front seven really showed
up today.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Femi Elodesha is such an interesting guy because we have
to remember he's relatively new to this outside position where
he is right now, and it's interesting because it feels
like there's only so much you can do from like
a conceptual stance, like you can know what you're supposed
(04:12):
to do, you can understand the rules of what your
position requires. And he says moving from middle linebacker outside
is actually easier because as a middle linebacker, you've got
to know what everybody's doing anyway. But what's interesting is
that there's still something different about actually executing it and.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Being able to go one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I can be really good at something if I'm only
allowed to go like fifty sixty percent. But if I
have to complete the motion, complete what I'm being asked
to do, I mean there's more steps there, obviously, So
watching him evolve from Okay, I've done this a couple
times in college. Now I'm doing it at the next level.
I need to understand what this defense is asking me
(04:55):
to do. I can map it out, walk it through,
but now I have.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
To actually complete what I'm being asked to do.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Watching that progression is I think something that's going to
be really fun for us to watch as he continues
through training camp.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think so too, And I think for a guy
that has never had an offseason as an edge rusher, yeah,
there's a lot to learn, but there is a lot
of growth and ceiling and potential there. I think the
deployment of the way Dinard Wilson and this Titans defense
can use Fimiola Djo and the skills that he had
as an inside linebacker UCLA, he hasn't just forgotten, and
(05:32):
I think there are elements of him dropping back in coverage,
him being able to get around the edge, because for me,
he is kind of the speedier, more fast, twitched kind
of quick guy around the edge. And if the other
three guys or four guys upfront that he's with are
there to collapse the pocket, well, how much does Fimioladejo
benefit from that? But just running into the quarterback, and
(05:53):
I think that's where Fimioladejo getting the privilege of playing
with dev Andre Sweat, Jeffrey Simmons, Sebastian Josephday.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Who I thought had a really good practice today and
was really active.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I think there's a bet being made, a gamble being
made by this organization in that there are some edge
rushers who can go from good to great with the
help of Jeffrey Simmons at Devandre Sweat. If we're collapsing
the pocket and forcing the quarterback off of his spot,
let's just run him into Femi who's on the edge,
who is containing that pocket as well. So it's gonna
(06:26):
be really fun. It feels to me Amy like he's
kind of like a pitcher that has a really good fastball,
kind of that relief pitcher that's got to learn. Hey,
if I had a change up, if I had a
slider that I can drop in there. How much better
does that make my fastball? If I make this lineman
have to be ready for me to change speeds, well,
then if I go full speed and go fastball right like,
(06:47):
then how much tougher is my fastball? So he's learning
those things in real time. He's worked with rush doctors
and things like that and pass rush summits here over
the course of the offseason.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
But I really think this guy's the limit for him.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I think we're going to see the best of him
as the season and goes, and I can't wait to
watch that process unfold.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
When we talk about defensive backs, is there anybody that's
catching your attention more than Kevin Winston Junior. I literally
wrote on my notes I can't show you because it
might have a curse word on it, but it says
he is not messing around.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He's not like it's crazy. He's everywhere all over the
field all the time. He just looks like he's having
a good tongue.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
He is.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
And I remember talking with people back before this break back,
before training camp and in mandatory mini camp and OTAs
he is the kind of student that is intently watching
and observing everything in practice. When he's not on the field,
there are players that are there getting water, talking with
their teammates, maybe just looking at the sky trying to
(07:46):
figure out what clouds are above them. Then there are
guys who are so locked in and taking those mental
reps and understanding, all right, this is what I would
do here, op, I wouldn't have thought about that, but
I liked what Xavier Woods did right there. So I'm
gonna remember that once my time comes and you talk
to anybody around this organization, and Kevin Winston Junior is
that he is a student of the game. He is
(08:07):
someone I think they have a lot of hope for.
I think of Kevin Winston Junior amy similarly to the
way Amani Hooker carved out a role for himself as
a rookie here in twenty nineteen. And I think you
talk about third round picks, fourth round picks kind of
in that meat of the draft. You want those guys
to have a role to play as rookies and have
(08:28):
an assignment, and whatever that is for Kevin Winston Junior,
I think remains to be seen whether that's hey, you're
a tight end stopper or hey, in a big nickel set.
You're the guy coming in on third downs that we're
gonna rely on. That was Amani's role early in his
Titans career. He was the third down big nickel. I'm
taking away the bigger slot receivers, but I think in
today's NFL where nickel packages are kind of your base defense,
(08:49):
Kevin Winston Junior has a role to play in twenty
twenty five for this Tennessee Titans team. And when you
are role player as a rookie, maybe you're less likely
to run into a rookie wall as well. In your
first you're implementing things, you're ascending, you're growing towards maybe
a starting position. But the early returns are really really good.
He looks very confident and really strong in that defense.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
All right, so defense had an overall really good day today.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
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get your favorites delivered today. Delivery fees apply. Now back
to the OTP. How important is the way the offense
(09:48):
responds tomorrow?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Find to be?
Speaker 3 (09:51):
That has been the thing I'm most looking forward to
is what happens the first time cam Ward has a
couple of picks and the interceptions were a case by
case basis. There's some miscommunication on Hey, an all out
blitz is here.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I've got chickacong Quo on my left.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
You could already see some of the dialogue happening between
Cam and Chig to say, Hey, I want you to
sit and kind of pull back a little bit. Just
give me a hot read there when I've got seven
or eight blitzers, you know. Peter Skronsky said after practice today,
that was as much pressure as the offense had seen
from Dennard Wilson all off season. So that was as
much as he kind of brought it at us. So
(10:28):
I'll be really interested to just kind of hear more
about the dialogue between Cam and his receivers. I mean,
we host our morning show here at six and he's
beating us to the facility because according to what we've
heard and according to coaches, he's here at five point
thirty with a lot of guys watching films, so you
know they'll get a lot of that corrected. And I
think the conversations between cam his wide receivers, the veterans,
(10:49):
and the rookies, I think have been really positive and
I'm excited to see how they bounce back.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
It's been really fun to watch Calvin Ridley throughout this camp.
He's had a phenomenal camp, and I think a lot
of that is watching him not only just do what
he does on the field, because we saw some of
that last year, what he's able to do, what a
just freak athlete he is, but watching him step into
a leadership role even more than we did last year.
(11:14):
Seeing the way he's working with some of the other
receivers in that room, but also working with cam Ward,
helping him figure out what's going on, working with all
the guys on the offense to bring that together. That
has really struck me throughout camp, and I'm sure that
in this moment.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
After a day like today where they got.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Some wins, but they got some losses too, does He
then step up and say, listen, guys, these are the
areas where we need to get it together.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And you know, talking with Calvin last week, he used
the words unusual about cam Ward's timing, like he is
so interested and so I think impressed by how quickly
cam has shown a veteran level of throwing with anticipate.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
I asked him about that, like what makes cam a
little bit different? And Calvin said, like, it's his timing.
It's the fact that he knows where to go with
the football. He's on time when he needs to go there.
You're not seeing the double clutches, the waiting, waiting, and
I'm hearing coach Mack in the back of my head
saying throw it, throw it, throw it every single time.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
But I think you are getting a locked in Calvin Ridley.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
And that's not to say that he wasn't last year,
but I think there is a comfort level of being
in the same place for a second straight off season
in understanding, you know, how I talk to certain players
on this team, the relationship I have, you know with
Chim ray Dk and Eleki Manor, who are sponges with
everything he is saying but I think you really are
seeing Calvin on good plays and bad plays, kind of
(12:45):
like we're talking about with Ken Winston Junior, be really
engaged with these young guys, understanding how he has a
role as another wide receiver coach to really step up
and give his wisdom.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
I've been really impressed.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
You can tell it is a night and day difference
from week two of training camp twenty twenty four to
week two of training camp twenty twenty five. How big
of a role Calvin Ridley is playing in.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
This offense well, And there's been a lot of change
within that room since training camp began. We've seen Colton
Dale waived. We've seen Matt Landers added to this team.
We've seen Treylon Burke suffer an injury at the Nissan
Stadium practice on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
He had a collarbone injury.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
He was waived injured, and then the tit the Titans
signed Ramel Keaton from Tennessee. And so with all of
that change, with some new people within that room, there's
a need for consistency and some of that comes from
the veteran leadership of a Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett too.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
One hundred percent and by my last count, forty five
of the ninety one players on this team right now
our first or second year players. Wow, there are new
draft picks, there are undrafteds. There are guys from last
year's draft class that are going to need to play
a role. There's no time for anybody to be young,
to be rookies, to be second year players. We need
everybody to pitch in and become veterans on the fly.
(14:10):
I think the joint practices are going to be really
interesting for those wide receivers because you talk about how
a defense sees schemes from your offense over and over
and over. They're sitting on certain things. Cody Barton said
that last week when he picked off cam Ward for
the first time in training camp, he said, yeah, actually
he got me on that yesterday, and so I actually
was in an area I wasn't supposed to be, but
I was waiting on it because I knew he wanted it. Like,
(14:32):
I don't think Tampa is going to come with that
level of knowledge for that first practice. You know, the
Atlanta Falcons when we see them are not going to
have the knowledge of, hey, what did cam do to
me yesterday that I can try to get him back
on that first time they hit the field. So that's
what I'm really interested in with these wide receivers is
how do you face a new opponent who doesn't know
your tendencies as well? You know, for some of these
(14:52):
younger guys like a Bryce Oliver who doesn't have as
much NFL game film, Ford Xavier Estrepo looking to earn
his stripes, and I thought had a really good day
today for the first day of padded practice, is really
his best day maybe of the off season. There are
opportunities there against dbs who don't know you, and it's mono,
weemano me against you.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It's the fun of training camp and the competition that
we're having right now.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Let's talk offensive line here because they are another group
that benefits probably the most from putting pads on. What
did you see out of that group and was it
what you expected to see on day one of Pat's say.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
What I saw from two guys in particular, Peter Skronsky
and JC Latham were excellent in one on ones, and
Peter Skronsky kind of downplayed that a little bit when
the media talked to him afterwards, said, yeah, there were
some ups and downs. They kind of got us in
team periods. But I think Peter Skronsky's ready for a
really big year three jump and I think you look
at a lot of his numbers last season. Pro Football
(15:48):
Focus loved him, said he was the best pass protector
from week twelve on in the NFL of guards last season,
I think you look at JC Latham as a slimmed
down version of himself. Jefferysimon was raving about him to
us post practice, saying I was telling him, you look comfortable.
And Jeffrey Simmons doesn't just hand out compliments to offensive
(16:08):
linemen unless he really means them, And I thought that
was a really good note post practice. But those two
in particular caught my eye. On the one on ones,
I thought they were good. Kevin Zeitler, after maybe losing
an early rep to Jeffrey Simmons, the one on ones
came back and bounced back really well on a second
try against jeff And I know those two have been
talking about how Kevin has blocked Jeff in the past,
(16:29):
how jeffs tried to get past Kevin in the pass
and all.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Of those things.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
But I think in the run game period early we
saw the offensive line have some challenges. Talking to my
teammate Ramon Foster on our show one O, four to
five to Zone and er promone and Will, he made
the point of, like, yeah, but the defense knows we're
running like right like it gets that run period. It's
the predictability of it, and you don't know what the
defense is doing, but they know what you're doing. I
(16:51):
think as a whole, those guys were glad to be
physical again. They were glad to really have something to
hold on to. Like you mentioned, I mean, they're the
ones of the offense that benefit the most from the
pads going on, and I thought they held their own.
I thought they were really maybe the bright spot for
the offense in a day that was otherwise won by
the defense.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I had the opportunity to talk to J C.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Latham after practice today, and I'm going to be honest,
I had every intention of talking to him about just
like his physical change, how he got prepared for the season,
and kind of how the football is going. And our
interview took a little a little bit of a different turn.
So check out this conversation with me and JC Latham.
(17:31):
JC Latham first padded practice of training camp. How long
have you been waiting to put football pads back on
and hit somebody?
Speaker 5 (17:40):
I mean since January fifth, honestly when the game ended,
you know what I mean personally, there was a lot
of things I knew I had to correct our coaches.
I think like a day or two after Christmas we
had a conversation about you know, my weight and a
plethora of other things that I need to improve on,
especially throughout the off season. We formulated a plan, and
I mean, you know, it was rigorous, it was hard,
it was it was it was it was tough, you know,
(18:02):
and every day, every day that went by, I just
knew I was can a day closer to my goal
and day to really go and seize the opportunity of
my goal. So you know, I mean, and as a team,
I know we have a lot to prove, and you know,
we have a standard that we created since day one
and a culture that you know, we try to live by.
And you know, especially throughout this practice, how I just
kept picking up in the tempo, attition to detail and everything. Yeah,
(18:24):
I mean we've been itching.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
For all of this.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Coach Callahan said that once the pads go on, the
offensive line especially can.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Really go to work.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
What were you able to accomplish today that you haven't
been able to accomplish leading up to this point.
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Yeah, I mean you could a you saw with pass
procause you know, playing tackle, that's a really important job
for any tackle. You know, it's it's really hard to
get a handle, get a fit in pass pro when
you're just in jerseys, you know, because they're slippery, the
jerseys can get wet, whatever it might be. So you know,
when you're in the past, you actually have a chance
to really see what's your hands are like. And then also,
I mean in the run game, you know, you hear
(18:57):
a lot of times, especially the defense if or if
something goes wrong, or you know, you got a pull
and you really can't fully unleash into the pool because
you don't.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
Got the pads on.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
So you really don't know what anything looks like until
you're one hundred percent full go full contact.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
And then a life situation as it was today, tell me.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
About that plan that you were put on, or you
put yourself on to try and not only change your body,
but just improve your game. What were some of the
key cornerstones of that plan?
Speaker 6 (19:22):
Yeah, key cornerstone.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
First and foremost obviously having a foundation with God and
my religion. That was something I wanted to root myself in.
But you know, secondly, my nutrition. You know Connor, he
does a great job at just making sure I'm getting
exactly what I need in my body. On top of
the calories I try to have, you know, around two
thousand calories a day, one thousands for each meal, maybe
a couple of snacks in between, depending on what they are,
(19:45):
but not just making sure that you know, it's calories,
but you're putting the right things into your body, the
right protein, the right whatever it might be, to really
balance everything out and build what you're supposed to build.
And then, you know, as the time went on, you know,
me and my training UJ we started building that plan
with you know, being able to improve on my footspeed, mechanic,
my handspeed, me you know, me my boxing coach really
working on handspeed, conditioning and footwork and all that, and
(20:06):
then talking to Bill about you know, just the small
things that I can work on to improve. So you know,
I mean, as the off season went by, day by day,
we stacked and stacked and stacked to really get to
where we are today.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
What food are you missing the most that you haven't
had in a while.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
It's going to sound really, really stereotypical. I haven't had
a lot of like fried anything. It's like fried chicken.
I love that. Haven't really had that. I've had pizza
here and there, so I can't really say I missed pizza.
You know, if you make weight or you're a couple
of pounds under whatever it might be, you can reward
yourself with some pizza. But I mean outside the chicken
part would definitely be something I haven't had.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
Cheesecake. It's like a cheesecake factory right down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
And you know, it was funny because when we first
went over, like what I ate and we counted, we
counted the calories as an app that helps us count
the calories, and you know, he was like, I told him,
like what I would get and I'm not going to
say it here, but the dessert would be cheesecake. And
you know they say, well, hey, your goals two thousand
calories for the day, twenty to twenty three hundred. You know,
a slice of the cheeseca from cheesecake factories probably a
thousand to twelve hundred.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
So they're like, that's a whole meal.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
So I mean, you can choose which one you want
to get, but you're not putting the right stuff in
your body if you get that. So definitely missing out
on all the desserts.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
I mean, you.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Realize there's a lot of like cheese and milk and
whatever that might be that really builds up onto all
the good food that you got to cut back on.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So you really were just like not following a plan,
but you were a student of this. What this means
for you in your life. It feels like you've learned
a lot about nutrition.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Absolutely, yeah, I mean honestly, you know, I know next
year for sure, like I want to really go down
that route not only with my nutritions, but maybe even
get like a degree in that, so I really know
I can assess, like, Okay, if I'm going into the day,
like for example, on a heavier load day, he'll load
me up with cars for the energy the energy portion,
or he'll replenish me with cars whatever it might be.
(21:50):
When we're lifting, He'll make sure I have a lot
of protein in my system so I can have whatever
I need whatever I lost to gain it back, so
you know, and then the different ways you can go
about that. It is really fascinating what food can really
do for your body. And you hear it all the time,
especially at Alabama and here. You know, when you lift
and work out and train, as soon as you get done,
if you're not putting nothing back into your body, you
(22:10):
kind of did it for nothing. So that's definitely something
I wanted to really get into.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
When you came back for the off season program, everyone
was talking about how different your body looked and just
the physically it was very impressive.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Is that rewarding to you?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Does that feel better to have people actually notice what
it is you're doing and get some real tangible results.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I think positive reinforcement I think is a very big,
big deal, not just for me, but for anybody. If
you're you know, telling somebody like, hey, you're doing a
great job at what you do, you know, put a
smile on your face. You want to keep going, you know,
And now I tell you know, my trainers and everybody
around me, like, acknowledge the mountains that you've climbed. You know,
you got a lot of mountains to climb, and you
got to do a lot to get to this position.
And get to the positions that you want to be
(22:51):
in in life, and sometimes we kind of get overwhelmed
with everything that's going on. And one thing that I
learned throughout the off season when I got into art,
I saw a lot of road and the artist told me,
he said, like just kind of a way to like
remind the audience to stop and smell the roses, you know.
So I kind of took that as like stopping acknowledge
the mountains that you've climb. So when people kind of
acknowledge that, it kind of just gives me that mental
refresher in that boost, like I'm on the right track,
(23:13):
I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm
getting acknowledged by my closest peers.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Okay, what kind of art did you get into? Tell
me about this A Man of the World now.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I mean it's a lot of different art. So Shabaz
was the artist that I was purchasing some stuff from.
I got some from a local art gallery as well,
but the main pieces, I mean, it just it just
sticks out to me. So I got something from he
calls it African Twins. It's a symbol, it's a symbol
of good luck and something to not be messed with,
especially in their culture over there in Africa. So now
(23:42):
it's something that I, you know, put right in front
of my house when you walk in. And then there
was one he was he had a kind of a
phase where he did a lot of paintings with no face.
So one where it's you know, jay Z, but it's
no face and he's around his piers and you see
the gold dust being sprinkled on them. And I hung
that above my bedroom because I just I feel like
that really empowered me being a you know, African American.
(24:04):
That really empowered what it felt like to kind of
represent my culture. So you know, amongst a lot of
other paintings, that really means a lot to me.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
So you're learning about nutrition and really how to fuel
your body. You're fueling your mind with art. You've incorporated
boxing and this whole new routine when it comes to
your fitness and how you're training. Do you feel like
a very different person than you were in twenty twenty four?
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Yeah, I mean absolutely.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
I mean I knew that would happen, of course, because
you know, it's no knock to Alabama. Alabama is a
is a grind. It's twenty four to seven, go, go go.
Speaker 6 (24:36):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
I came to realize when I was there that time
is a man made construct that you know, when you're
at Alabama, doesn't it doesn't matter.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
I remember days where you know, we start at seven
o'clock in the morning, we wouldn't be back to eleven
thirty at night, so you know, it'd be a long day.
So you had to kind of just forget about the
time and just get to work, you know. And I
knew once I got say the NFL, especially the off season,
official off season, I would have time to kind of
figure myself out my interest, what I like to do.
Speaker 6 (25:00):
Do you have a couple?
Speaker 5 (25:01):
You know, you got a three week period before the
season starts, when summer training starts at Alabama. But I
mean they're so their program is held to such a
high standard for the college level, you don't really have
a lot of time. Like for me, I was able
to not only go into art, but you know, travel
to like Napa Valley to get into wine, you know,
so like being able to have that experience as well.
You really wouldn't have the opportunity like that in college.
That really anywhere. So having that chance here in the NFL,
(25:22):
I'm really grateful for.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
You think feeding into yourself as a human, as like
a man is making you a better football player.
Speaker 6 (25:29):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
I think it's really important to you know, my trainer
kind of has to remind me of this too, because
I get so locked in on hey I want to
do this, this and that, where he tells you like, hey,
take a mental break, you know. And you know, Bill
talks to me about this too, because I've been boxing
and doing all my explosive woman workous whatever it might be,
you know, since January. So when we ended OTAs, I
literally had an Airbnb book to go down to Dallast
(25:51):
and train with Duke like the next day after OTA
has ended, And all of them were like, hey, just
you know, take a couple of days off, give your
mind some time to rest, your body, some time to heal,
and really, you know, be I know you want to
attack it heavy in the off season, but be a
pro and let your body heel and let your mind heel.
So I think dabbling into your interest in rewarding yourself
with that as such kind of definitely helps you be
missily refreshed.
Speaker 6 (26:11):
To go out there and form well.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Jac Latham, We're excited to watch you work as training
camp unfolds.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Thanks for taking the.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
Time, absolute, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Hey, Titans fans, With a Kroger Boost membership, you'll score
big with double fuel points, free delivery, and lots more.
Go to Kroger dot com slash boost for details. Kroger,
the official grocer of the Tennessee Titans.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
Tighten up Home is.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
The forefront of all we do. It's why we're so
committed to caring for the places and spaces in which
we work and live. Ashley the official furniture provider of
the Tennessee Titans. Now back to the OTP. He is
a renaissance man. Will are you surprised? You don't hear
that from the big guys very often?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
No, you don't, Hey, Sometimes the offensive lineman, they they
grew in the shadows. We just let them marin a
We sit them over here. We're talking to skill guys.
All of a sudden, they're gaining new skills.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
They're learning out of their pros.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
So I saw many of them make good broadcasters. So
not just because I host a show with one for
four hours of morning. No, JC is really growing into
his own and you think about him amy and hidden
the path that he's had. I am g Academy, Alabama
first round draft pick. The guy has been a winner
everywhere that he has gone. And when I look at
this offensive line, it's hard not to hear arden Key
(27:31):
and Jeffrey Simmons on the defensive line. Yes, Fimio oladejo
is is stepping into that kind of role the offensive line.
You don't often hear chirps back, you don't hear things
from their side. Kim Wored's gonna help that. First of all,
I think JC Latham is an emerging leader on this
football team, offense and defense. And I think last year
(27:51):
he took ownership of some things that he liked. I
think he took some ownership of some things that he
maybe didn't like from his rookie season. I'm really expecting
a big year for him and playing next to Kevin
Zeidler one of the best to do it. And if
he makes fifteen starts again this year, that'll be ten
straight seasons of fifteen plus starts for Zeidler. What a
wealth of experience to have next to you, and what
(28:12):
an opportunity this offensive line has to really take a
step forward this year.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Well, well, there's more practice on the way.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Tell me what you're going to be watching tomorrow when
the Titans are back in pads at Ascension Saint Thomas
Sports Park at eight o'clock in the morning to try
and beat this heat.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think I'm just watching how the offense bounce back.
I think cam Ward after a three interception day, and
again not all of those totally on him, some good
defensive plays, some miscommunications, a bad throw. But I think
ultimately what you love about cam Ward is his short
memory and his ability to have the utmost confidence in himself.
(28:51):
And you know the answer that he had after mandatory
mini camp when he was asked, what's your confidence level
as an NFL quarterback? And he just said ten and
went on the next question. Right, he knows how to
get the point across quickly, and there is I can
promise you, there is nothing that can happen on that
practice field that's going to make that number go any
lower than a ten. So how does that manifest itself?
(29:13):
How does that look? Does Camboard take some of the
same gambles? Does he have a conversation with some of
his wide receiver to say, hey, I need you to
do this instead.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
I need you to sit here.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
If there's pressure, if I'm hot and got to get
rid of the football quickly. I think that's what I'm
watching most Tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Well, we are looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
The Titans have a couple more training camp practices before
they head on the road. They're going to Tampa, they're
going to Atlanta. It's gonna be a wild time, but
we're going to have it all right here on the OTT.
So for Will Bowling. I'm Amy Wells and this has
been the official Titans podcast, better known as the Ott
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