February 11, 2025 • 37 mins
From Texas to Alabama to New Orleans, Jim Wyatt is the Tennessee Titans "I've Been Everywhere Man" and visits with Amie Wells on the OTP, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is the OTP, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.
Farm Bureau is for those who make plans for everything
except themselves. We make it easy and affordable for Tennesseeans
who do not have a group or employer plan. Visit
FBHP dot com to learn more. Welcome to the OTP.
I'm Amy Wells, joined by Titans Senior writer editor Jim Wyatt.
(00:36):
He's here in the Snickers hot seat.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Jim.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's so good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Good to see Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You have been all over the world. This is kind
of like a Jim san Diego situation. And you kids
know about Carmen san Diego. Is that a reference that's
gonna fall little flat? Maybe I went from Dallas.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
To Mobile to New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
It's crazy. Are you tired?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Are you feel pretty good? It was good, feel good.
It went by fast.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It was because a lot was going on, and.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You know, I feel you know, you know when you're
gone for a while, especially somewhere like the Super Bowl
where there's going one hundred miles an hour and then
you see so many people and there's like you're stand
in the middle of New York City at the busiest
time of day and then you leave and go to
a quieter place, it takes you a while to kind
of Readjust that's kind of what I'm doing now and
(01:29):
trying to get catch up on stuff and and get
stuff on the schedule that I need to do coming up,
because as you know, we've got another another league trip
coming up here in the NFL Combines just two weeks,
less than two weeks away, so getting.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Geared up for that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yep, it is less than two weeks away. I want
to review this a little bit because you've been so
many different places. You've written so much stuff. Go to
Tennessee Titans dot com if you haven't just caught up
on your and whyatt reading because he has written so
much stuff and it's great stuff. You've talked to so
many different people in all of the different places that
(02:09):
you've been. The one that is interesting to me because
I've personally never been and typically we haven't been in
the past is the East West Shrine Bowl. And that's
one that you were intentional about going to that felt
important to you. Tell me why.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah, I think I think it was the start of
the process. Now, obviously not for these scouts, I mean
these scouts and personnel folks are watching these college prospects
from you know, the time you know they start playing
college football, and they certainly are very busy during the
course of the fall when they're playing. But for for
Brian Callahan and for you know, new GM Mike Bergonzi
(02:48):
and some of the Titans officials who are so wrapped
up with with the season, this is kind of the
start of the process for them. And obviously Shude where
Sanders was there, so I mean, I wanted to be
there a because I wanted to be with Mike Braggins
as he kind of starts this process. He has just
been introduced as a team's GM a couple of days before.
(03:10):
I wanted to get a chance to talk to Brian
Kyleahan because obviously a lot was going on with him
and this was the start of the process for him.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
I don't want to have a.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Shot at talking to Shador Sanders a little bit, and
I ain't got a chance to do that, So it
was good to be there for that. He just got
lucky while I was down there. John Fossil, the new
special teams coach who lives in Dallas, obviously because he
worked for the Cowboys. He happened to be there. You
run into so many other folks along the course of
the week there.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
So it was good to see.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I don't think it says was as good of a
setup as they normally have there could have had, because
the practices were in Denton, Texas, which was at the
University of North Texas, and then on the media availability,
a lot of interviews took place in Frisco, Texas, which
is probably forty five minutes away, so spent a lot
of time going back and forth. They're supposed to the practices.
(04:00):
I think the hope was the practice would be at
the Cowboys practice facility, and it was booked for a
tennis event I think, so I know who was in
charge of the scheduling for that, but uh but somehow
they had a tennis event going on and uh so
they had to move the practice to another location, which
you know, made life difficult, not just for people down
(04:21):
there to cover it, but for certainly for NFL teams trying.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
To go back and forth.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
But it was cool to see, and uh, I thought
it was a well run event. The access was great
er at Galco was who kind of puts that on.
He's kind of the you know, does the same there
runs the job just like they do down in Mobile,
but he does it at the Shrine Bowl, and I
(04:48):
thought he did a good job. So access was good
and got a chance to talk to Shuder Sanders, and
I have to say I was impressed with him going.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
To all of these different All Star games. I guess
we obviously saw you at the Senior Bowl and Mobile,
so we were at one of them. You did both
of them. What exactly do you feel like you glean
from these because it's not a big x's and o's
heavy experience, at least for us as people kind of
participating and covering it, right.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, I mean I try to watch. I mean somebody
like Taran Diavenport who's a good friend of mine.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
He goes and he watches.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Now I'm not saying he doesn't talk to people as well,
but he is a football film college prospect junkie and
he locks in on practice and he watches, He watches
every player and could give you a rundown on all
of them. He's got me beat in that regard. I
try to do as much as that as possible, but
(05:43):
I always find myself again, you know, the main focus
on my trip at the Shrine Bowl was to try
to get in front of Kylahan and get in front
of the guns, and get in front of the door
Sanders and get in front of John Fossil and talk
to other people of it. That's what I got most
out of it. And certainly I talked to some prospers there,
uh saying for the Senior Bowl, but I think availability
(06:04):
is what is most important to us. And uh and
also seeing people across the league. I mean, you know,
you see people there, whether it's on the streets of
Mobile or or in Dallas that you haven't seen in
a while.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
You know, see people that cover the team for other teams.
You see you know obviously coaches and gms and scouts
and uh, you see a lot of players. So it's
it's a great place to uh to catch up with people,
but also to guy their information.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Here with the buzz is uh.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And when you got the number one pick, you also
find out a lot of people come to you and
asking what the Titans doing here?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
What are they thinking?
Speaker 3 (06:48):
And I said, well, let me track my people down
and see if they'll tell me. They usually don't tell
you too much when it comes to number one.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, no, definitely not. But speaking of catching up with people,
there's no better place America to do that then the
Super Bowl because everybody is at the super Bowl, everybody. Jim.
For as long as I've known you, you have been
covering Super Bowls. How many have you been to?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
I've been to twenty six? It's hard to believe, which
I kind of showing my age. I kid people, well
I started when they when I tell them twenty six,
they say twenty six. I say, well, I went to
my first one I was sixteen. So I've been to
twenty six Super Bowls. Covernant start off with the Tennessee
and did it from you know, from ninety nine up
until you know, through the twenty fourteen season. Now, I
(07:30):
started working as a team in twenty fifteen and have
done everyone since. I actually went to one in nineteen
ninety three season as a fan of the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills were my team growing up. I stuck with
the Bills through the eighties. In college, I was a
Bills fan. Through the early nineties, I was a Bills fan,
and uh so I drove to Atlanta bought a ticket.
(07:51):
Art Demas was an official that lived in town that
went to Vanible as a front of our families.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
He had access to a ticket.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I paid him three hundred and twenty five dollars, which
is face value for the super for that.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Super Bowl Wow.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And I drove to Atlanta and sat in the upper
deck by myself, cheering on the Bills and uh no,
oh he only had one ticket and uh and I
love the Bills.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I was.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I would have you know, I had no problem driving
down there, and uh so I drove down there, parked,
walked to the game, sat in the upper deck, cheered
for the Bills. Called my dad at the half on
probably a payphone. Things are looking good.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
My dad didn't like the Bills, but he supported me.
And I said things were looking good, Dad. The Bills
are up ten to nothing at the half, and and
uh it went all downhill from there. Buffalo lost four
straight Super Bowl and they lost thirty one to ten.
But uh that that was my first Super Bowl and
uh it was cool to go as a fan. And
then first Super Bowl covering Wash was the Titan super
(08:48):
Bowl in nineteen ninety nine, which was a very special
moment for me as well because I had covered high
school sports for the Tennessee and uh for so many
years and then got a chance to cover the Titans,
uh starting in ninety nine. And you know, I went
from covering to Clinic Bowl, which the high school cheap
championship in nineteen ninety eight, to cover the Super Bowl
(09:10):
in nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That's quite the glow up.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yeah, it was amazing. I couldn't believe I was there.
Like everything just happened so fast that whole season.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
You know, you're you're playing the new stadium and the
first year of the Titans and win the first round
playoff game on the Music Miracle against my childhood team
of Buffalo Bill's. Yes, and uh so then go then
go to you know, Indy, then go to Jacksonville, and
(09:42):
then all of a sudden, dang, we're going to the
super Bowl. And so again I was with the Tennessee
back then, and we sent the whole newsroom and photo
staff and editors all went to Atlanta for that Super Bowl.
And that was incredible covering that for the first time.
I have a picture that hangs in my office at
home home of me staying in I guess one of
(10:03):
the podiums when Kurt Warner was at the stand and
then and being that was my first media day and
certainly made the round find the Titans almost surreal. It
seemed like a different lifetime working that, you know, for
the Tennessee and and then been fortunate enough to go
to everyone since and uh, I love covering it. It's
you know, working for the team. It's different now then
(10:26):
when I was with the paper because there's certain things
I know i'd probably should stay away from, certain things
angles I should look for. And sometimes I go and
think it's gonna be a challenge to find Titans angles
at the super Bowl. And this was one of those
years where I went down there thinking, Okay, I hope
I can find enough stuff to fill up the website
and shoot videos of. And it never fails. Like there
(10:49):
are always sayings that present themselves. I have an idea
who's going, try to figure out who's going in advance,
and end up tracking down Will Levis and Jeffrey Simmons
and ty J. Spears had a big event down there.
I talked to Derrick Henry, you know, found DeAndre Hopkins
at Chiefs availability, saw A. J.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Bryan the locker room after the game.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
After the Eagles one, Smash and Dash there, Taylor one there,
my house.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I mean, you could go on.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I think I talked to thirty something people that had
some kind of titans angle to it, along with local players.
So it's a great event to cover because you get
so much content.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
What were some of your favorite stories that you covered
this past week.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
I think one of the coolest ones was Jelly Roll
going the NFL Honors really because of Jeffrey Simmons and
kind of walking the red carpet with him. Everybody saw
him on the on the stage with Snoop dog and
in the skit, it was pretty pretty funny.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
It was just such a good vision. Yes, I mean
Jelly Roll is just so much of a man and
Snoop Dogg is such a skinny.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yes, it's crazy good. Yes, it's crazy so. But but
the reason I think Roll wanted to be there, especially
he wanted to walk the red carpet, was to show
Jeffrey Simmons some support because he said, Jeffrey Simmons has
supported him so much. You know, Jilly Roll came and
talked to the team back in training camp about, you know,
just just to make an appearance and to spread some love.
(12:16):
But also when he was here, he talked about his
his One of the things he wanted to do was
bring some of the Tights players out to the Juvenile
Justice Center before he got torn down. That's where obviously
Jilly Roll spent some time as a troubled youth. And
and he said, Jeffrey Simmons, you know, tracked him down
before he even got out the door and said, hey,
when can we do this? And then ultimately the Titans
(12:37):
sent a bunch of players out there byan Callahan went.
You know, certainly a lot of the members of the
front office went, and uh so Jilly Roll wanted to
be there for jeff Simmons At the NFL honors, he
walked to red carpet with us.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
I talked to them. That was cool. Able to talk to.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Andy Reid and Brett Veach the Kansas City GM and
and Clark Hunt, the Chief's owner, about Mike Brigan a
little bit about his days with the Chiefs again track
down Will levis there, which I thought he provided some
valuable insight about his kind of mindset. As the team
begins the off season trying to figure out what it's
(13:14):
going to do at quarterback, I thought Will was very
honest just to nay. When you're three and fourteen, you
don't have a lot of job security. I completely expect
them to go out and explore their options at that position.
Talk to DeAndre Hopkins about his time at Tennessee. He
said what he said at the podium. You know, he
pretty much admitted that he had quit on the team
(13:36):
and wanted wanted out.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
But were you surprised he said that.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
I was surprised he admitted it because I knew that
story like I knew I've been known the last couple
of months. The reason he was out of here is
because he pretty much settled the sideline that he wasn't
going back in and he wanted to be traded. And
I figured that's something that would would just stay in house.
And for him to say it publicly while sitting at
(14:02):
the podium, that was what surprised me. I wouldn't surprised
when I heard it. I was surprised he said it
because again, He's people tried to make it look like
it was a bad look for the Titans, that this
guy lost his love for football because of what was
transpired in Tennessee. I thought it was a bad look
for DeAndre Hopkins admit that he pretty much quit. So
(14:22):
that was a quick, you know, sound bite from the
podium that got a lot of play. I spent four
or five minutes with him where he talked about how
much he loved playing here and some of his favorite
days in Tennessee, loves Amy Adams, Strunk, loved playing with
Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, hopes to come back to
Tennessee and start some businesses up. So I just think
maybe that was a bad moment for him.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
But yeah, I was surprised he admitted that.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Yeah. Yeah, I think we all were kind of shocked
because you don't typically hear especially from him, because he
is very careful about what he says outward, just to
the media and in general, like he has a very
carefully cultivated kind of brand in person owner. But yeah,
I mean, you just don't hear that stuff very often,
so it was surprising to hear him saying it.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
It was and something else.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I mean, it's funny how things kind of take on
a life of their own a little bit. And another
one was Derrick Henry. And I saw Derrick Henry in
the Red Carpet and talked to him as he was
making his way down through there, and he again he
talked about how he felt the love from Tennessee and
he was kind of chuckled when talking about being aware
(15:29):
of the debate on Twitter and social media's can you
really be a Titans fan if you're cheering for Derrick
Henry obviously and cheering for the Ravens. Like, if you're
a Titans fan, that's what the cheer for the Ravens.
But because of Dereck Henry, some people were doing it
and some you know, there was a lot of debate
on Twitter just about whether you can really be a
Titans fan and cheer for the Ravens. So he got
a kick eye of that and said he appreciates everybody
(15:50):
that was supporting him. Again, raved about his time in Tennessee,
and then as he made his way through the red carpet,
he ended up talking to Dane and Rassini on that night,
and she stopped him to talk to him about his
year in Baltimore, and again he talked about how much
he enjoyed things there. He told me that too, how
much he enjoyed Baltimore. But he also said that he
(16:12):
hopes to finish his career there, which is not a
surprise because.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Who wants to pack up and move every year?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, So, but her tweet said that Derrick Henry
wants to retire a raven, which again took on the
live of his own. I think a lot of Titans
fans just jumped to the conclusion that when he gets
goes into the Hall of Fame, he's going in as
a raven.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And that's not what he said.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yeah, and that's not how I would interpret.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
But I was amazed at how many people interpreted that way,
because when I tweeted my story out, everybody thought he
was backtracking because of the Russini tweet, when the reality
is I talked to him before Rossini did, and so
what he said to me had nothing to do with
anything that Rassini tweeted about retiring a raven. But then
(17:03):
you just use a little common sense. I mean, there,
Henry is not going to retire a raven. He spent
eight years here, he loved his time here. But that's
the world we live in now, where people want to
jump to conclusions, or they want to spend it that
way they want it to or they want to trash
a guy. There were a lot of people trashing Derrick
Henry because of that comment. Taylor Wan even kind of
(17:25):
piled on a little bit and said, yeah, this hurts,
This hurt me. He interpreted it that way, so and
I don't think that helped matter. So that's another thing
that Super Bowl week that just kind of blew up
and it was unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
It is interesting when you're at an event with so
much media coverage, things tend to get a lot more
play innocuous comments, little things that are said here and there,
because every person who would ever talk about this is
in essentially one giant.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yes, yes, that's right, that's right. And then of course
we all know how Twitter is social media as things
just kind of take on a life of their own there.
But it was a busy week and certainly a lot
of a lot of Titans past and present, Uh were there.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
How was New Orleans as a host city? Did you
like it? Obviously?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
I think it's the best Super Bowl city there is.
That's the third one I've been to. I went to
the one I think in two thousand and one, which
was an emotional one. It was right after nine to eleven,
and I'll never forget you two and their halftime show
where they played the you know. At halftime they showed
the names of all the people who lost their lives
in the nine to eleven of tragic event and uh.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
And then I went to one.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I guess in twenty twelve, I want to say de
Landy Walker was with the forty nine ers in and
the light twent out.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
That was when the power went us. I got a
free hot time. It was great.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Were you at that game yet with the Ravens?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I was not at that game. I yeah, I was
up in the stands and the power went out, and
the power had been out for long enough that the
concession stand that was right behind where they put I mean,
I was in like media overflows overflow. I was like
way out in no man's land. But there was a
concession stand right behind there, and the power had been
(19:19):
off for long enough that their little hot dog rollers
had been stationary for too long, and per health codes,
they couldn't sell these hot dogs anymore, so they were
giving them away to people in the stands. So what
is typically a eighteen dollars hot dog? Greatest thing that
ever happened to me? This Beyonce and City of New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
That is great. So that's well, that's something that's a
good story. So that went to that one and then
and then went to this one, and it's just so
well done. And the security was unlike anything i'd seen.
You know, a security super Bowl week is always next level.
But because of the Super Bowl and because of the
(20:01):
what happened on New Year's Eve there on Bourbon Street,
it was really ramped up. But it's New Orleans does
such a good job and it's such a great walking
city when you're covering that event because everything takes place
in the I think it's the Louis Armstrong Convention Center,
but then the Kansas City Chiefs Hotel was the Marriotte
(20:21):
on Canal. The Eagles Hotel was the Hilton right off
of Canal super Dome. You can walk there if you want,
so I probably walked one hundred miles last week. But
it was everything was easy to get to because it's
not like that a lot of other Super Bowls, Like
next year in San Francisco, if they have a similar setup,
get the events will take place at least Radio Row
(20:45):
and headquarters will be in downtown San Francisco. But the
games in Santa Clair. The teams are staying forty five
minutes out. You spend a couple of hours on the
bus every day.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Is walkability the most important thing in a Super Bowl city?
Jim Waitt, It.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Is for me, and I think that'll be what's so
great about a Nashville super Bowl. And that was what
was so great about the Nashville Draft is because of
the footprint, will allow so many people to stay in
an area, in one area. I mean, Nashville has changed
so much just since the twenty nineteen draft. You know,
the Fifth and Broad development is all new, you know,
(21:24):
I think the Four Seasons Hotel, the Embassy Suites hotel,
the big Marriott grouping of hotels that's downtown.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
And you can walk from all of them.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Yeah, all those have been added and more going up.
I mean, it's it's amazing just what our hotel capacity
looks like now. So when Nashville has a super Bowl,
hopefully twenty twenty nine, it's gonna be a great host
just because you can have so much in a walking
(21:53):
area and it'll be almost like a campus.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You just got to hope the weather's good. That's good.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
That's the thing about Nashville New Orleans, the weather was perfect.
It was seventy and you get no guarantees. Even New
Orans they had ten inches of snow a couple of
weeks ago there, just like Mobile, you know had snow.
But you know Nashville this week, just think if this
was Super Bowl week in Nashville. I think it's supposed
to rain four to five inches in Nashville this weekend. Nashville,
(22:18):
the one thing you have to cross your fingers on
is in February that you would have a good week
of weather. And there's there's certainly no guarantee.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
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back to the OTP. Jim Wyatt joins us here on
the OTP. Jim, I know it's the off season, and
so let's take this into consideration. But you are still
(23:12):
producing more content volume than anybody else, probably in America.
You are constantly churning things out, and so I want
to talk about a couple of things that you do
because this time of year is just full of some
of my favorite Jim Wyatt content. So the first thing
that I want to talk to you about is your
mail bag. Everybody loves the Jim Wyatt mail bag. During
(23:33):
the off season, do you notice that there is an
increase in the amount of questions or a decrease in
the amount of questions, because in my brain I can
make a case for both an increase and a decrease.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Well, in season, you always get a ton on Sunday
night and Monday because you can get a lot of
reaction right emails and feedback. So the volume probably during
the seasons more just because you've got you know, seventeen
games that people are reacting to, including and preseason games
twenty so a lot of times, you know when especially
(24:08):
when you finished.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Three and fourteen. People want to get stuff off their chest, so.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
So I mean, I will open that thing up sometimes
on Mondays, and I've got hundreds of them just flying up.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I can't use them all. Some of them I.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Can't print because they people are pretty upset off season.
I still get a lot, I mean, especially when you
have the number one pick of the draft, too. You
get a lot of opinions on what the team ought
to do and wanting to, you know, ask questions about
what I think the team should do. I mean, I
have to say right now, I don't know. I mean,
I hard to endorse a quarterback right now based on
(24:45):
what I've seen from those guys. Certainly I can understand
fall in love with one of them. I like, I
have to a quarter I saw how the Eagles won
that game on Sunday and think, man, it sure would
be nice to have an extra piece to that pass rush.
And you know, I saw Travis Hunter in New Orleans
and I know the kind of impact he could make,
you know, on both sides of the ball. So I'm
(25:08):
kind of mixed opinions there on what I think the
team ought to do. I think a trade sounds great
to me. So I bounce all over the place and
given answers just because I don't. I haven't made my
mind up. I think about all the different scenarios, just
like the fans do.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Is the number one question that you're getting right now?
What are the Titans going to do with that number
one pick?
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I think so people like to share their own box
nunlike to share their own opinions on what the team.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Ought to do.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
It's also a lot about free agency and what the
team potentially could do there as we all know that's
going to impact the draft. All kinds of rumors, all
kinds of opinions on what the team ought to do
at quarterback, and some of it includes looking at veterans
that are potentially going to be out there in free agency,
and if you go to that route, then that changes
(25:54):
what you do in the draft. So that's the number
one topic is quarterback and then somehow tied into the
team having the number one pick.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Jim the mail bag. I'm assuming a little bit here,
but I assume when it started this felt like a
question answer venue. Has it evolved into kind of a
therapy session. I mean, you get jokes, you get poems,
you get rants, you get people just unloading on you.
(26:26):
I mean, this feels like it's turned into something a
little bit different than just like, submit a question and
I will answer it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, it has.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
And a lot of times I don't even get an
answer because I don't think people are looking for answers.
They just, like you said, they want to get stuff
off of their chest. And so I'll thank them for
taking the time to share their opinion. Some people think
when I do that, it's kind of been a smart alect,
but the reality is a lot of times people want
to ask questions, they just want to speak their peace,
and I'll tell them I appreciate them using this as
(26:53):
a form to do it. And the mail bag certainly
has a different tone when the team's winning and when
the team's losing. Like the mailbags looked a lot different
when the Titans were going to AFC championship game and
playing and winning the division back to back years. Now,
there's a lot of frustration out there, and you know,
working for the team, I always, you know, I sometimes
struggle about what I let in and what I don't.
(27:17):
Obviously I'm not going to let somebody in. That's that's
using bad language or really taking personal shots at somebody,
or really going below the belt. But I feel like,
you know, I didn't ever want to have a situation
where I was policing them so much where I'm just
letting in positive questions or positive feedback because no people
(27:39):
are going to read it there, and people are not
going to take the time to share their opinions if
I'm not including the good and the bad.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Jimmy or the therapist, we didn't know we needed. This
is what your job is. And I want to talk
about another job, a public service really that you provide
that I think you don't get enough credit for, and
that is your mock draft roundup, Because since you have
been doing that, I have not looked at a single
mock draft. I only read your mock draft roundup because
(28:07):
what do I really care about what the Tennessee Titans
are mocked to be doing? Yes, so you, Jim Wyatt,
filter through all of the mock drafts, pull out all
of the Titans related information so that we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
That.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Yes, it's really great. How do you decide which mocks
are included and which ones are not, because, as we know,
everybody's got a mock draft.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Now, yes, I know, well I try to, you know,
the mel Kiper's of the world, and Daniel Jeremias of
the world, and the Dane Bruglers, and you know, certainly
our buddy Charles Davis. I mean some of these, you know,
people who do it for a living and do it
really well.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Always try to make sure they're in there.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
And then there are other people, not just those those guys,
but there's some other people that really follow it closely
that I try to always include them. But as you said,
you can't include every body. And at the beginning of it,
I'm usually doing twenty twenty five at a time. Toward
(29:08):
the end, like I do my final roundup, where I
include a lot of people locally, I think I can
have as many as one hundred and fifty in there.
Some people do a lot of mock drafts. I've discovered,
like if you see somebody's mic draft on Thursday, it
may be different three days later because they're doing one
on Monday too.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
So that's another challenging part.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Of it, is having the most up to date mock
draft because they get changed so much.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
How much variance do you see between now and then
by the time we get closer to the draft.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well it changes a lot because what people project in
February is different than April because you've had free agency
to kind of address needs and fill holes. So while
everybody may be picking a quarterback for the Titans, now
what happens is the Titans go trade for somebody or
sign a free agent off the street, and then you've
got that free agent com peeing with Will Levis and
(30:00):
you're probably not taking a quarterback and to start the draft.
So that's that causes it to change. You got to
take some of these at this time of year with
the grain of salt, knowing that this is not what
it's going to look like in April. And it may
be the Titans stand pat and don't go out and
sign a quarterback in free agency and that remains a
big need. Then I think you're really going to see
(30:23):
people start to put you know, the Cam War or
the Chador Sanders in there at one.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
For the Titans.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Do you keep score of who's right and wrong over
the years, because I would.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I keep tracking. I always look back the final mock.
I do always give props to the people who got
it right. Now, I want to say, last year with
the lath and Pick, they were probably of one hundred
and fifty, there were probably eleven or twelve that nailed it.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
You've done one so far, now that's correct. Did anything
surprise you in your first pass at it?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I think what surprising most is just the variety, because
you had the cam Ward, you had Abdul Carter, you
had Travis Hunter, you had Shador Sanders, and those are
the only four. I mean, there's really not a fifth
in that equation. It would surprise me if somebody picked
somebody other than those four players.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
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(31:34):
to draw up a winning play for you. They've been
covering Tennesseeans for nearly eighty years. Now, back to the OTP. Jim,
You've got about two weeks to rest up and then
we're going to Indianapolis. Are you ready for the combine?
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I will be by then the combine. Really you can't
really take a breath until the combine's over with. And
obviously we know there's not going to be a a
break at any point for us this off season, because
once the Combine's over, then you've got free agency a
couple of weeks away, and then you've got pro days
that will probably be going to this year more than ever,
(32:10):
and then you got the Drift, So there will never
be a break. But uh, but I think February is
always a blur just because of everything going on, and
then after the combine then you can at least get
your breath a little bit. I won't be really a
better to do that until I get back from Indy.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
In Indie, are there things that you're looking for specifically
when you go up there? As a part of the
media and part of a club we only get access
to so much, so are there specific things that you
are keeping your eye out for when you're there?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
What I enjoy the most of those, And obviously everybody's
looking for how fast a guy runs, what the guy's
hand size is, how do you do in the three
cone drill?
Speaker 2 (32:49):
What was his vertical.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
That's what scouts are there for, and that's a big
part of it, and I'm obviously interested in seeing some
of that. But as you know, all these aspects come
in to the podiums, and I think that's where what
I look forward to the most is just seeing what
these guys are like, you know, from a personality standpoint,
(33:11):
and and just what kind of information you can get
from them. I'll get tired of hearing the every prospect
well did you meet the pack with the Packers? Did
you meet with the Steelers? Did you meet with the Titans,
did you meet with the Falcons? Did you meet with
the Patriots? Like that's tired of some of them people
writing stories. These guys are lett you know, spoiler alert.
These guys are meeting with everybody. I mean, if whether
(33:32):
it's the head coach or the GM or a scout
or a coach. I mean, the answer to that is
ultimately going to be yes for anybody that's at the combine.
But I think guys standing at the podium, just hearing
them talk and seeing their personalities, I think that's what
I enjoy the most. And you know, it's crazy just
(33:55):
some of the crowds. I remember Tim Tebow, and I
remember Manta Tao.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
And I remember Johnny Football.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's just it has been amazing just
to see this event grow. And remember it used to
be in the RCAA Dome, and I remember it was
there was a small room for the media. And now
it's incredible just what it's turned into and the event
that it is. And in Adanapolis. Talk about walking cities
(34:22):
and cities that are perfect for hosting events, I think
Innanapolis is perfect. Like I'm not gonna sit here and
say that's a destination city for me. That's where I'm
gonna go on vacation.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
But I enjoy going to Indy. I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
And the reason I say that because I think I
hate to do the math. But I've spent well over
one hundred, one hundred nights of my life in Indianapolis.
More than that, really, you start adding up five six
nights a week for the Combine Titans playing there every
year for twenty five years. I was there for Super Bowl.
I mean, it's well over one hundred nights there. But
I like it because everything is close and you can
(34:57):
walk to restaurants and you can walk to the media
and you can walk anywhere you want to go, and
a lot of times you have to go outside sport
because you can stay inside, say inside the Convention Center.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Across the walkway.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
So it's a great city for it, and and that's
where everybody is. It's a it's a fun it's a
fun week.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
It's the center of the NFL universe for one whole week,
and it's it's just a lot of fun. Well, Jim,
I know you're probably a little sleepy. You have earned
some good rest. We are so appreciative that you do
all of the hard work for all of these great stories. Seriously,
Tennessee Titans dot com, if you haven't read Jim White's
stories over the last like two three weeks, go get
(35:42):
caught up. There's nothing else going on. I mean, what
are you gonna do on Sundays now? The super Bowl
is over. Tennessee Titans dot com, go read what Jim
Wyatt is writing because it really is great, and take
take some time off. Jim, take a nap, for the
love of God, take a nap.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah, And I will encourage people to there, you know
at j whittet Sports is my Twitter feed because a
lot of stuff it doesn't make it on stories, you know,
just because you just run out of time doing things.
But I found, you know, I could use my space
to post longer interviews with people that that I'm not
writing stories on. So, like I talked to Steven Tullick there,
(36:19):
and I talked to Matthew Hasse Matt Hassel back there,
and I talked to Smash and Dash there, and I
talked to you know, pac Man Jones there and uh
and I talked to you know, Brian Hopkins there, and
you know, I probably I don't know how many videos
I did, but a lot kind of you So it's
(36:39):
it's also cool to kind of see former players and
analysts and other people in the city. Even it won't
make the website, you can still find some of that
stuff on Twitter.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
At j white Sports. That's it at j Whitt Sports
Tennessee Titans dot Com, Jim Wyatt and the Snickers Hot Seat.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Thanks Jim for
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Jim whyet, I'm wells and this has been the O
t P.
This is the OTP, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.
Farm Bureau is for those who make plans for everything
except themselves. We make it easy and affordable for Tennesseeans
who do not have a group or employer plan. Visit
FBHP dot com to learn more. Welcome to the OTP.
I'm Amy Wells, joined by Titans Senior writer editor Jim Wyatt.
(00:36):
He's here in the Snickers hot seat.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Jim.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's so good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Good to see Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You have been all over the world. This is kind
of like a Jim san Diego situation. And you kids
know about Carmen san Diego. Is that a reference that's
gonna fall little flat? Maybe I went from Dallas.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
To Mobile to New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
It's crazy. Are you tired?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Are you feel pretty good? It was good, feel good.
It went by fast.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It was because a lot was going on, and.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You know, I feel you know, you know when you're
gone for a while, especially somewhere like the Super Bowl
where there's going one hundred miles an hour and then
you see so many people and there's like you're stand
in the middle of New York City at the busiest
time of day and then you leave and go to
a quieter place, it takes you a while to kind
of Readjust that's kind of what I'm doing now and
(01:29):
trying to get catch up on stuff and and get
stuff on the schedule that I need to do coming up,
because as you know, we've got another another league trip
coming up here in the NFL Combines just two weeks,
less than two weeks away, so getting.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Geared up for that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yep, it is less than two weeks away. I want
to review this a little bit because you've been so
many different places. You've written so much stuff. Go to
Tennessee Titans dot com if you haven't just caught up
on your and whyatt reading because he has written so
much stuff and it's great stuff. You've talked to so
many different people in all of the different places that
(02:09):
you've been. The one that is interesting to me because
I've personally never been and typically we haven't been in
the past is the East West Shrine Bowl. And that's
one that you were intentional about going to that felt
important to you. Tell me why.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah, I think I think it was the start of
the process. Now, obviously not for these scouts, I mean
these scouts and personnel folks are watching these college prospects
from you know, the time you know they start playing
college football, and they certainly are very busy during the
course of the fall when they're playing. But for for
Brian Callahan and for you know, new GM Mike Bergonzi
(02:48):
and some of the Titans officials who are so wrapped
up with with the season, this is kind of the
start of the process for them. And obviously Shude where
Sanders was there, so I mean, I wanted to be
there a because I wanted to be with Mike Braggins
as he kind of starts this process. He has just
been introduced as a team's GM a couple of days before.
(03:10):
I wanted to get a chance to talk to Brian
Kyleahan because obviously a lot was going on with him
and this was the start of the process for him.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
I don't want to have a.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Shot at talking to Shador Sanders a little bit, and
I ain't got a chance to do that, So it
was good to be there for that. He just got
lucky while I was down there. John Fossil, the new
special teams coach who lives in Dallas, obviously because he
worked for the Cowboys. He happened to be there. You
run into so many other folks along the course of
the week there.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
So it was good to see.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I don't think it says was as good of a
setup as they normally have there could have had, because
the practices were in Denton, Texas, which was at the
University of North Texas, and then on the media availability,
a lot of interviews took place in Frisco, Texas, which
is probably forty five minutes away, so spent a lot
of time going back and forth. They're supposed to the practices.
(04:00):
I think the hope was the practice would be at
the Cowboys practice facility, and it was booked for a
tennis event I think, so I know who was in
charge of the scheduling for that, but uh but somehow
they had a tennis event going on and uh so
they had to move the practice to another location, which
you know, made life difficult, not just for people down
(04:21):
there to cover it, but for certainly for NFL teams trying.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
To go back and forth.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
But it was cool to see, and uh, I thought
it was a well run event. The access was great
er at Galco was who kind of puts that on.
He's kind of the you know, does the same there
runs the job just like they do down in Mobile,
but he does it at the Shrine Bowl, and I
(04:48):
thought he did a good job. So access was good
and got a chance to talk to Shuder Sanders, and
I have to say I was impressed with him going.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
To all of these different All Star games. I guess
we obviously saw you at the Senior Bowl and Mobile,
so we were at one of them. You did both
of them. What exactly do you feel like you glean
from these because it's not a big x's and o's
heavy experience, at least for us as people kind of
participating and covering it, right.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, I mean I try to watch. I mean somebody
like Taran Diavenport who's a good friend of mine.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
He goes and he watches.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Now I'm not saying he doesn't talk to people as well,
but he is a football film college prospect junkie and
he locks in on practice and he watches, He watches
every player and could give you a rundown on all
of them. He's got me beat in that regard. I
try to do as much as that as possible, but
(05:43):
I always find myself again, you know, the main focus
on my trip at the Shrine Bowl was to try
to get in front of Kylahan and get in front
of the guns, and get in front of the door
Sanders and get in front of John Fossil and talk
to other people of it. That's what I got most
out of it. And certainly I talked to some prospers there,
uh saying for the Senior Bowl, but I think availability
(06:04):
is what is most important to us. And uh and
also seeing people across the league. I mean, you know,
you see people there, whether it's on the streets of
Mobile or or in Dallas that you haven't seen in
a while.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
You know, see people that cover the team for other teams.
You see you know obviously coaches and gms and scouts
and uh, you see a lot of players. So it's
it's a great place to uh to catch up with people,
but also to guy their information.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Here with the buzz is uh.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And when you got the number one pick, you also
find out a lot of people come to you and
asking what the Titans doing here?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
What are they thinking?
Speaker 3 (06:48):
And I said, well, let me track my people down
and see if they'll tell me. They usually don't tell
you too much when it comes to number one.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, no, definitely not. But speaking of catching up with people,
there's no better place America to do that then the
Super Bowl because everybody is at the super Bowl, everybody. Jim.
For as long as I've known you, you have been
covering Super Bowls. How many have you been to?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
I've been to twenty six? It's hard to believe, which
I kind of showing my age. I kid people, well
I started when they when I tell them twenty six,
they say twenty six. I say, well, I went to
my first one I was sixteen. So I've been to
twenty six Super Bowls. Covernant start off with the Tennessee
and did it from you know, from ninety nine up
until you know, through the twenty fourteen season. Now, I
(07:30):
started working as a team in twenty fifteen and have
done everyone since. I actually went to one in nineteen
ninety three season as a fan of the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills were my team growing up. I stuck with
the Bills through the eighties. In college, I was a
Bills fan. Through the early nineties, I was a Bills fan,
and uh so I drove to Atlanta bought a ticket.
(07:51):
Art Demas was an official that lived in town that
went to Vanible as a front of our families.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
He had access to a ticket.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I paid him three hundred and twenty five dollars, which
is face value for the super for that.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Super Bowl Wow.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And I drove to Atlanta and sat in the upper
deck by myself, cheering on the Bills and uh no,
oh he only had one ticket and uh and I
love the Bills.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I was.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I would have you know, I had no problem driving
down there, and uh so I drove down there, parked,
walked to the game, sat in the upper deck, cheered
for the Bills. Called my dad at the half on
probably a payphone. Things are looking good.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
My dad didn't like the Bills, but he supported me.
And I said things were looking good, Dad. The Bills
are up ten to nothing at the half, and and
uh it went all downhill from there. Buffalo lost four
straight Super Bowl and they lost thirty one to ten.
But uh that that was my first Super Bowl and
uh it was cool to go as a fan. And
then first Super Bowl covering Wash was the Titan super
(08:48):
Bowl in nineteen ninety nine, which was a very special
moment for me as well because I had covered high
school sports for the Tennessee and uh for so many
years and then got a chance to cover the Titans,
uh starting in ninety nine. And you know, I went
from covering to Clinic Bowl, which the high school cheap
championship in nineteen ninety eight, to cover the Super Bowl
(09:10):
in nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That's quite the glow up.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yeah, it was amazing. I couldn't believe I was there.
Like everything just happened so fast that whole season.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
You know, you're you're playing the new stadium and the
first year of the Titans and win the first round
playoff game on the Music Miracle against my childhood team
of Buffalo Bill's. Yes, and uh so then go then
go to you know, Indy, then go to Jacksonville, and
(09:42):
then all of a sudden, dang, we're going to the
super Bowl. And so again I was with the Tennessee
back then, and we sent the whole newsroom and photo
staff and editors all went to Atlanta for that Super Bowl.
And that was incredible covering that for the first time.
I have a picture that hangs in my office at
home home of me staying in I guess one of
(10:03):
the podiums when Kurt Warner was at the stand and
then and being that was my first media day and
certainly made the round find the Titans almost surreal. It
seemed like a different lifetime working that, you know, for
the Tennessee and and then been fortunate enough to go
to everyone since and uh, I love covering it. It's
you know, working for the team. It's different now then
(10:26):
when I was with the paper because there's certain things
I know i'd probably should stay away from, certain things
angles I should look for. And sometimes I go and
think it's gonna be a challenge to find Titans angles
at the super Bowl. And this was one of those
years where I went down there thinking, Okay, I hope
I can find enough stuff to fill up the website
and shoot videos of. And it never fails. Like there
(10:49):
are always sayings that present themselves. I have an idea
who's going, try to figure out who's going in advance,
and end up tracking down Will Levis and Jeffrey Simmons
and ty J. Spears had a big event down there.
I talked to Derrick Henry, you know, found DeAndre Hopkins
at Chiefs availability, saw A. J.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Bryan the locker room after the game.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
After the Eagles one, Smash and Dash there, Taylor one there,
my house.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I mean, you could go on.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I think I talked to thirty something people that had
some kind of titans angle to it, along with local players.
So it's a great event to cover because you get
so much content.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
What were some of your favorite stories that you covered
this past week.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
I think one of the coolest ones was Jelly Roll
going the NFL Honors really because of Jeffrey Simmons and
kind of walking the red carpet with him. Everybody saw
him on the on the stage with Snoop dog and
in the skit, it was pretty pretty funny.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
It was just such a good vision. Yes, I mean
Jelly Roll is just so much of a man and
Snoop Dogg is such a skinny.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yes, it's crazy good. Yes, it's crazy so. But but
the reason I think Roll wanted to be there, especially
he wanted to walk the red carpet, was to show
Jeffrey Simmons some support because he said, Jeffrey Simmons has
supported him so much. You know, Jilly Roll came and
talked to the team back in training camp about, you know,
just just to make an appearance and to spread some love.
(12:16):
But also when he was here, he talked about his
his One of the things he wanted to do was
bring some of the Tights players out to the Juvenile
Justice Center before he got torn down. That's where obviously
Jilly Roll spent some time as a troubled youth. And
and he said, Jeffrey Simmons, you know, tracked him down
before he even got out the door and said, hey,
when can we do this? And then ultimately the Titans
(12:37):
sent a bunch of players out there byan Callahan went.
You know, certainly a lot of the members of the
front office went, and uh so Jilly Roll wanted to
be there for jeff Simmons At the NFL honors, he
walked to red carpet with us.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
I talked to them. That was cool. Able to talk to.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Andy Reid and Brett Veach the Kansas City GM and
and Clark Hunt, the Chief's owner, about Mike Brigan a
little bit about his days with the Chiefs again track
down Will levis there, which I thought he provided some
valuable insight about his kind of mindset. As the team
begins the off season trying to figure out what it's
(13:14):
going to do at quarterback, I thought Will was very
honest just to nay. When you're three and fourteen, you
don't have a lot of job security. I completely expect
them to go out and explore their options at that position.
Talk to DeAndre Hopkins about his time at Tennessee. He
said what he said at the podium. You know, he
pretty much admitted that he had quit on the team
(13:36):
and wanted wanted out.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
But were you surprised he said that.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
I was surprised he admitted it because I knew that
story like I knew I've been known the last couple
of months. The reason he was out of here is
because he pretty much settled the sideline that he wasn't
going back in and he wanted to be traded. And
I figured that's something that would would just stay in house.
And for him to say it publicly while sitting at
(14:02):
the podium, that was what surprised me. I wouldn't surprised
when I heard it. I was surprised he said it
because again, He's people tried to make it look like
it was a bad look for the Titans, that this
guy lost his love for football because of what was
transpired in Tennessee. I thought it was a bad look
for DeAndre Hopkins admit that he pretty much quit. So
(14:22):
that was a quick, you know, sound bite from the
podium that got a lot of play. I spent four
or five minutes with him where he talked about how
much he loved playing here and some of his favorite
days in Tennessee, loves Amy Adams, Strunk, loved playing with
Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, hopes to come back to
Tennessee and start some businesses up. So I just think
maybe that was a bad moment for him.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
But yeah, I was surprised he admitted that.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Yeah. Yeah, I think we all were kind of shocked
because you don't typically hear especially from him, because he
is very careful about what he says outward, just to
the media and in general, like he has a very
carefully cultivated kind of brand in person owner. But yeah,
I mean, you just don't hear that stuff very often,
so it was surprising to hear him saying it.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
It was and something else.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I mean, it's funny how things kind of take on
a life of their own a little bit. And another
one was Derrick Henry. And I saw Derrick Henry in
the Red Carpet and talked to him as he was
making his way down through there, and he again he
talked about how he felt the love from Tennessee and
he was kind of chuckled when talking about being aware
(15:29):
of the debate on Twitter and social media's can you
really be a Titans fan if you're cheering for Derrick
Henry obviously and cheering for the Ravens. Like, if you're
a Titans fan, that's what the cheer for the Ravens.
But because of Dereck Henry, some people were doing it
and some you know, there was a lot of debate
on Twitter just about whether you can really be a
Titans fan and cheer for the Ravens. So he got
a kick eye of that and said he appreciates everybody
(15:50):
that was supporting him. Again, raved about his time in Tennessee,
and then as he made his way through the red carpet,
he ended up talking to Dane and Rassini on that night,
and she stopped him to talk to him about his
year in Baltimore, and again he talked about how much
he enjoyed things there. He told me that too, how
much he enjoyed Baltimore. But he also said that he
(16:12):
hopes to finish his career there, which is not a
surprise because.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Who wants to pack up and move every year?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, So, but her tweet said that Derrick Henry
wants to retire a raven, which again took on the
live of his own. I think a lot of Titans
fans just jumped to the conclusion that when he gets
goes into the Hall of Fame, he's going in as
a raven.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And that's not what he said.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yeah, and that's not how I would interpret.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
But I was amazed at how many people interpreted that way,
because when I tweeted my story out, everybody thought he
was backtracking because of the Russini tweet, when the reality
is I talked to him before Rossini did, and so
what he said to me had nothing to do with
anything that Rassini tweeted about retiring a raven. But then
(17:03):
you just use a little common sense. I mean, there,
Henry is not going to retire a raven. He spent
eight years here, he loved his time here. But that's
the world we live in now, where people want to
jump to conclusions, or they want to spend it that
way they want it to or they want to trash
a guy. There were a lot of people trashing Derrick
Henry because of that comment. Taylor Wan even kind of
(17:25):
piled on a little bit and said, yeah, this hurts,
This hurt me. He interpreted it that way, so and
I don't think that helped matter. So that's another thing
that Super Bowl week that just kind of blew up
and it was unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
It is interesting when you're at an event with so
much media coverage, things tend to get a lot more
play innocuous comments, little things that are said here and there,
because every person who would ever talk about this is
in essentially one giant.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yes, yes, that's right, that's right. And then of course
we all know how Twitter is social media as things
just kind of take on a life of their own there.
But it was a busy week and certainly a lot
of a lot of Titans past and present, Uh were there.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
How was New Orleans as a host city? Did you
like it? Obviously?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
I think it's the best Super Bowl city there is.
That's the third one I've been to. I went to
the one I think in two thousand and one, which
was an emotional one. It was right after nine to eleven,
and I'll never forget you two and their halftime show
where they played the you know. At halftime they showed
the names of all the people who lost their lives
in the nine to eleven of tragic event and uh.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
And then I went to one.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I guess in twenty twelve, I want to say de
Landy Walker was with the forty nine ers in and
the light twent out.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
That was when the power went us. I got a
free hot time. It was great.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Were you at that game yet with the Ravens?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I was not at that game. I yeah, I was
up in the stands and the power went out, and
the power had been out for long enough that the
concession stand that was right behind where they put I mean,
I was in like media overflows overflow. I was like
way out in no man's land. But there was a
concession stand right behind there, and the power had been
(19:19):
off for long enough that their little hot dog rollers
had been stationary for too long, and per health codes,
they couldn't sell these hot dogs anymore, so they were
giving them away to people in the stands. So what
is typically a eighteen dollars hot dog? Greatest thing that
ever happened to me? This Beyonce and City of New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
That is great. So that's well, that's something that's a
good story. So that went to that one and then
and then went to this one, and it's just so
well done. And the security was unlike anything i'd seen.
You know, a security super Bowl week is always next level.
But because of the Super Bowl and because of the
(20:01):
what happened on New Year's Eve there on Bourbon Street,
it was really ramped up. But it's New Orleans does
such a good job and it's such a great walking
city when you're covering that event because everything takes place
in the I think it's the Louis Armstrong Convention Center,
but then the Kansas City Chiefs Hotel was the Marriotte
(20:21):
on Canal. The Eagles Hotel was the Hilton right off
of Canal super Dome. You can walk there if you want,
so I probably walked one hundred miles last week. But
it was everything was easy to get to because it's
not like that a lot of other Super Bowls, Like
next year in San Francisco, if they have a similar setup,
get the events will take place at least Radio Row
(20:45):
and headquarters will be in downtown San Francisco. But the
games in Santa Clair. The teams are staying forty five
minutes out. You spend a couple of hours on the
bus every day.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Is walkability the most important thing in a Super Bowl city?
Jim Waitt, It.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Is for me, and I think that'll be what's so
great about a Nashville super Bowl. And that was what
was so great about the Nashville Draft is because of
the footprint, will allow so many people to stay in
an area, in one area. I mean, Nashville has changed
so much just since the twenty nineteen draft. You know,
the Fifth and Broad development is all new, you know,
(21:24):
I think the Four Seasons Hotel, the Embassy Suites hotel,
the big Marriott grouping of hotels that's downtown.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
And you can walk from all of them.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Yeah, all those have been added and more going up.
I mean, it's it's amazing just what our hotel capacity
looks like now. So when Nashville has a super Bowl,
hopefully twenty twenty nine, it's gonna be a great host
just because you can have so much in a walking
(21:53):
area and it'll be almost like a campus.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You just got to hope the weather's good. That's good.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
That's the thing about Nashville New Orleans, the weather was perfect.
It was seventy and you get no guarantees. Even New
Orans they had ten inches of snow a couple of
weeks ago there, just like Mobile, you know had snow.
But you know Nashville this week, just think if this
was Super Bowl week in Nashville. I think it's supposed
to rain four to five inches in Nashville this weekend. Nashville,
(22:18):
the one thing you have to cross your fingers on
is in February that you would have a good week
of weather. And there's there's certainly no guarantee.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
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or any live event in Nashville. Seat Geek is the
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back to the OTP. Jim Wyatt joins us here on
the OTP. Jim, I know it's the off season, and
so let's take this into consideration. But you are still
(23:12):
producing more content volume than anybody else, probably in America.
You are constantly churning things out, and so I want
to talk about a couple of things that you do
because this time of year is just full of some
of my favorite Jim Wyatt content. So the first thing
that I want to talk to you about is your
mail bag. Everybody loves the Jim Wyatt mail bag. During
(23:33):
the off season, do you notice that there is an
increase in the amount of questions or a decrease in
the amount of questions, because in my brain I can
make a case for both an increase and a decrease.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Well, in season, you always get a ton on Sunday
night and Monday because you can get a lot of
reaction right emails and feedback. So the volume probably during
the seasons more just because you've got you know, seventeen
games that people are reacting to, including and preseason games
twenty so a lot of times, you know when especially
(24:08):
when you finished.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Three and fourteen. People want to get stuff off their chest, so.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
So I mean, I will open that thing up sometimes
on Mondays, and I've got hundreds of them just flying up.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I can't use them all. Some of them I.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Can't print because they people are pretty upset off season.
I still get a lot, I mean, especially when you
have the number one pick of the draft, too. You
get a lot of opinions on what the team ought
to do and wanting to, you know, ask questions about
what I think the team should do. I mean, I
have to say right now, I don't know. I mean,
I hard to endorse a quarterback right now based on
(24:45):
what I've seen from those guys. Certainly I can understand
fall in love with one of them. I like, I
have to a quarter I saw how the Eagles won
that game on Sunday and think, man, it sure would
be nice to have an extra piece to that pass rush.
And you know, I saw Travis Hunter in New Orleans
and I know the kind of impact he could make,
you know, on both sides of the ball. So I'm
(25:08):
kind of mixed opinions there on what I think the
team ought to do. I think a trade sounds great
to me. So I bounce all over the place and
given answers just because I don't. I haven't made my
mind up. I think about all the different scenarios, just
like the fans do.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Is the number one question that you're getting right now?
What are the Titans going to do with that number
one pick?
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I think so people like to share their own box
nunlike to share their own opinions on what the team.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Ought to do.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
It's also a lot about free agency and what the
team potentially could do there as we all know that's
going to impact the draft. All kinds of rumors, all
kinds of opinions on what the team ought to do
at quarterback, and some of it includes looking at veterans
that are potentially going to be out there in free agency,
and if you go to that route, then that changes
(25:54):
what you do in the draft. So that's the number
one topic is quarterback and then somehow tied into the
team having the number one pick.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Jim the mail bag. I'm assuming a little bit here,
but I assume when it started this felt like a
question answer venue. Has it evolved into kind of a
therapy session. I mean, you get jokes, you get poems,
you get rants, you get people just unloading on you.
(26:26):
I mean, this feels like it's turned into something a
little bit different than just like, submit a question and
I will answer it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, it has.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
And a lot of times I don't even get an
answer because I don't think people are looking for answers.
They just, like you said, they want to get stuff
off of their chest. And so I'll thank them for
taking the time to share their opinion. Some people think
when I do that, it's kind of been a smart alect,
but the reality is a lot of times people want
to ask questions, they just want to speak their peace,
and I'll tell them I appreciate them using this as
(26:53):
a form to do it. And the mail bag certainly
has a different tone when the team's winning and when
the team's losing. Like the mailbags looked a lot different
when the Titans were going to AFC championship game and
playing and winning the division back to back years. Now,
there's a lot of frustration out there, and you know,
working for the team, I always, you know, I sometimes
struggle about what I let in and what I don't.
(27:17):
Obviously I'm not going to let somebody in. That's that's
using bad language or really taking personal shots at somebody,
or really going below the belt. But I feel like,
you know, I didn't ever want to have a situation
where I was policing them so much where I'm just
letting in positive questions or positive feedback because no people
(27:39):
are going to read it there, and people are not
going to take the time to share their opinions if
I'm not including the good and the bad.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Jimmy or the therapist, we didn't know we needed. This
is what your job is. And I want to talk
about another job, a public service really that you provide
that I think you don't get enough credit for, and
that is your mock draft roundup, Because since you have
been doing that, I have not looked at a single
mock draft. I only read your mock draft roundup because
(28:07):
what do I really care about what the Tennessee Titans
are mocked to be doing? Yes, so you, Jim Wyatt,
filter through all of the mock drafts, pull out all
of the Titans related information so that we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
That.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Yes, it's really great. How do you decide which mocks
are included and which ones are not, because, as we know,
everybody's got a mock draft.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Now, yes, I know, well I try to, you know,
the mel Kiper's of the world, and Daniel Jeremias of
the world, and the Dane Bruglers, and you know, certainly
our buddy Charles Davis. I mean some of these, you know,
people who do it for a living and do it
really well.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Always try to make sure they're in there.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
And then there are other people, not just those those guys,
but there's some other people that really follow it closely
that I try to always include them. But as you said,
you can't include every body. And at the beginning of it,
I'm usually doing twenty twenty five at a time. Toward
(29:08):
the end, like I do my final roundup, where I
include a lot of people locally, I think I can
have as many as one hundred and fifty in there.
Some people do a lot of mock drafts. I've discovered,
like if you see somebody's mic draft on Thursday, it
may be different three days later because they're doing one
on Monday too.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
So that's another challenging part.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Of it, is having the most up to date mock
draft because they get changed so much.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
How much variance do you see between now and then
by the time we get closer to the draft.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well it changes a lot because what people project in
February is different than April because you've had free agency
to kind of address needs and fill holes. So while
everybody may be picking a quarterback for the Titans, now
what happens is the Titans go trade for somebody or
sign a free agent off the street, and then you've
got that free agent com peeing with Will Levis and
(30:00):
you're probably not taking a quarterback and to start the draft.
So that's that causes it to change. You got to
take some of these at this time of year with
the grain of salt, knowing that this is not what
it's going to look like in April. And it may
be the Titans stand pat and don't go out and
sign a quarterback in free agency and that remains a
big need. Then I think you're really going to see
(30:23):
people start to put you know, the Cam War or
the Chador Sanders in there at one.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
For the Titans.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Do you keep score of who's right and wrong over
the years, because I would.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I keep tracking. I always look back the final mock.
I do always give props to the people who got
it right. Now, I want to say, last year with
the lath and Pick, they were probably of one hundred
and fifty, there were probably eleven or twelve that nailed it.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
You've done one so far, now that's correct. Did anything
surprise you in your first pass at it?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I think what surprising most is just the variety, because
you had the cam Ward, you had Abdul Carter, you
had Travis Hunter, you had Shador Sanders, and those are
the only four. I mean, there's really not a fifth
in that equation. It would surprise me if somebody picked
somebody other than those four players.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Hey, Titans fans, with a Kroger Boost membership, you'll score
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(31:34):
to draw up a winning play for you. They've been
covering Tennesseeans for nearly eighty years. Now, back to the OTP. Jim,
You've got about two weeks to rest up and then
we're going to Indianapolis. Are you ready for the combine?
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I will be by then the combine. Really you can't
really take a breath until the combine's over with. And
obviously we know there's not going to be a a
break at any point for us this off season, because
once the Combine's over, then you've got free agency a
couple of weeks away, and then you've got pro days
that will probably be going to this year more than ever,
(32:10):
and then you got the Drift, So there will never
be a break. But uh, but I think February is
always a blur just because of everything going on, and
then after the combine then you can at least get
your breath a little bit. I won't be really a
better to do that until I get back from Indy.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
In Indie, are there things that you're looking for specifically
when you go up there? As a part of the
media and part of a club we only get access
to so much, so are there specific things that you
are keeping your eye out for when you're there?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
What I enjoy the most of those, And obviously everybody's
looking for how fast a guy runs, what the guy's
hand size is, how do you do in the three
cone drill?
Speaker 2 (32:49):
What was his vertical.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
That's what scouts are there for, and that's a big
part of it, and I'm obviously interested in seeing some
of that. But as you know, all these aspects come
in to the podiums, and I think that's where what
I look forward to the most is just seeing what
these guys are like, you know, from a personality standpoint,
(33:11):
and and just what kind of information you can get
from them. I'll get tired of hearing the every prospect
well did you meet the pack with the Packers? Did
you meet with the Steelers? Did you meet with the Titans,
did you meet with the Falcons? Did you meet with
the Patriots? Like that's tired of some of them people
writing stories. These guys are lett you know, spoiler alert.
These guys are meeting with everybody. I mean, if whether
(33:32):
it's the head coach or the GM or a scout
or a coach. I mean, the answer to that is
ultimately going to be yes for anybody that's at the combine.
But I think guys standing at the podium, just hearing
them talk and seeing their personalities, I think that's what
I enjoy the most. And you know, it's crazy just
(33:55):
some of the crowds. I remember Tim Tebow, and I
remember Manta Tao.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
And I remember Johnny Football.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's just it has been amazing just
to see this event grow. And remember it used to
be in the RCAA Dome, and I remember it was
there was a small room for the media. And now
it's incredible just what it's turned into and the event
that it is. And in Adanapolis. Talk about walking cities
(34:22):
and cities that are perfect for hosting events, I think
Innanapolis is perfect. Like I'm not gonna sit here and
say that's a destination city for me. That's where I'm
gonna go on vacation.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
But I enjoy going to Indy. I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
And the reason I say that because I think I
hate to do the math. But I've spent well over
one hundred, one hundred nights of my life in Indianapolis.
More than that, really, you start adding up five six
nights a week for the Combine Titans playing there every
year for twenty five years. I was there for Super Bowl.
I mean, it's well over one hundred nights there. But
I like it because everything is close and you can
(34:57):
walk to restaurants and you can walk to the media
and you can walk anywhere you want to go, and
a lot of times you have to go outside sport
because you can stay inside, say inside the Convention Center.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Across the walkway.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
So it's a great city for it, and and that's
where everybody is. It's a it's a fun it's a
fun week.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
It's the center of the NFL universe for one whole week,
and it's it's just a lot of fun. Well, Jim,
I know you're probably a little sleepy. You have earned
some good rest. We are so appreciative that you do
all of the hard work for all of these great stories. Seriously,
Tennessee Titans dot com, if you haven't read Jim White's
stories over the last like two three weeks, go get
(35:42):
caught up. There's nothing else going on. I mean, what
are you gonna do on Sundays now? The super Bowl
is over. Tennessee Titans dot com, go read what Jim
Wyatt is writing because it really is great, and take
take some time off. Jim, take a nap, for the
love of God, take a nap.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah, And I will encourage people to there, you know
at j whittet Sports is my Twitter feed because a
lot of stuff it doesn't make it on stories, you know,
just because you just run out of time doing things.
But I found, you know, I could use my space
to post longer interviews with people that that I'm not
writing stories on. So, like I talked to Steven Tullick there,
(36:19):
and I talked to Matthew Hasse Matt Hassel back there,
and I talked to Smash and Dash there, and I
talked to you know, pac Man Jones there and uh
and I talked to you know, Brian Hopkins there, and
you know, I probably I don't know how many videos
I did, but a lot kind of you So it's
(36:39):
it's also cool to kind of see former players and
analysts and other people in the city. Even it won't
make the website, you can still find some of that
stuff on Twitter.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
At j white Sports. That's it at j Whitt Sports
Tennessee Titans dot Com, Jim Wyatt and the Snickers Hot Seat.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Thanks Jim for
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Jim whyet, I'm wells and this has been the O
t P.
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