Ep. 166: The Need for Sneed

Owen and Stoney catch up on L'Jarius Sneed's introductory press conference before talking about the upcoming NFL Draft and the overall state of the AFC South.

Episode Transcript

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Thank you from so Bros HQ andNashville, Tennessee to wherever you're cheering on
your Tennessee Titans. The Sobros Networkpresents the Unofficial Titans Podcast. Welcome back

(00:29):
for another episode of the Unofficial TitansPodcast right here on so Bros Network.
Minds right, ass is tight aswe are inching closer and closer to the
NFL Draft. It's your boy,big natural, Stony Keeley here. You
can follow me on Twitter at StonyKeeley. Collectively we are at Sobros Network
on all major social media platforms,joined as usual by my co host for

(00:53):
the show, he is Cinderellaman Onetake Oh coming to us from the dad
Zone out Spoken Owen Read Owen.How are you doing today? My man?
Hey everybody, Hey Stony, It'sbeen a good week. Honestly,
my mind is kind of focused onthe weekend. We've got WrestleMania weekend coming

(01:15):
in every wrestling fan, the biggestweekend, so I'm looking forward to that.
I'm getting a lot of wrestling contentin this morning, but I am
excited to talk about everything that's beengoing on with the Titans. Man.
I have been I've been doing alittle bit of WrestleMania content on the side.
I've listed my forty Greatest Matches inWrestleMania History. That's up on Sobros

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Network. The WrestleMania forty Drinking Gameis up there. I just kind of
tweaked and updated my list of hiddengems in WrestleMania History. That's all up
there at Sobros Network. I'm excitedfor the shows this weekend, and I
think more than anything, I'm startingto get some of that draft fatigue,
Like there's just so much work that'sbeen put into this that I am stoked

(02:01):
at the opportunity. I am justgonna put my laptop down Saturday and Sunday
night at least for those like sixor seven hours or whatever the shows are,
and just focus on wrestling right nowand writing. Like going back through
the annals of WrestleMania history is kindof I don't know, it's just getting
me in the spirit. It feelslike a holiday if you're a wrestling fan.

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So I'm stoked for it. Butwhat do you think of this year's
show? Man? What do youthink of the card that they've put together
so far? Man? I loveit. It's looking like a banger I
mean that tag match. You've gotThe Rock coming back as advertised, it's
nineties heel Rock. You've got CodyRhoades looking to finish the story, a
baby face everybody can get behind.You have the Tribal Chief. You know,

(02:45):
Roman Range has been on a tear. He's undeniable. He has seth
Rowing two, who is also greatin his own right. Beyond that hell
of a card, I'm really lookingforward to the sixteen ladder match for the
tag title. It's crazy. Ithink it's shaping up to be a great
show. Yeah, I do too, And I'm I'm stoked as a longtime
fan of Sammy's Ain and I thinkGoother might be my favorite wrestler on the

(03:07):
planet right now. That ICEE titlematch, and especially I don't know,
I didn't watch Monday Night, butif they if they somehow like Finagel Chad
Gable into that thing and make ita triple threat or something, oh dude,
I'm gonna be uh. I'm gonnabe doing cartwheels for that one.
But also, I feel like peopleare kind of low key sleeping on on

(03:27):
the the WrestleMania season that Drew McIntyre'shaving right now. Too. This dude
is just bodying guys on Twitter,and I think him and Seth they're gonna
put on a pretty good show onSunday Night as well. You got Logan
Paul with the US title match.I mean, you know the only thing
that I think they're they're missing onthis card. Correct me if I'm wrong,
But I don't feel like they havelike the celebrity match this year.

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You know, I could see thatyou do have Logan Paul, but he's
kind of been a regular guy.He's kind of proven himself past that point.
But you know, there's always surprises. They've announced littl Wayne's gonna be
there, and as a boy thatgrew up on the Carter three, I
couldn't be more excited, So youknow, maybe there will be a surprise.
Do you do you have any plansfor the show, Like I I'm

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I'm making an effort to not makeplans for the show. I want to
sit in my recliner and prop myfeet up. Or I might fill up
my foot bath with some hot waterand epsom salt and soak my feet while
I'm watching the show too. That'sthat's my vision for this weekend. What
do you have going on? Well, me and my buddies, Uh,
we always try to get together,at least for the big pay per views.

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Uh. My good brothers were meetingup for brother Mania Night one and
Night two. Nice. We're gonna, you know, watch some wrestling.
We're gonna watch the Good brother halftimeshow. I'm looking forward to it.
It's always a good time when Isee my brothers. Brother Mania is running
wild. I am. I amhappy to hear it. Uh. Like

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you said, though, we dohave some Titan stuff to talk about on
the Unofficial Titans podcast, so let'slet's get into it. I want to
lead this week's episode with the LagitiousNeed press conference. He had some media
availability early on in the week.I really liked what he had to say
from a like just a player perspective. He talked about setting goals for himself

(05:15):
every year, and last year hisgoal was to go out there and follow
the top guy. He talked aboutthe importance of eliminating an offense's top weapon
and how if you can do that, it has a sort of exponential impact
on the defense. It makes everybodyelse's job easier, and it forces the
offense to do things that might beout of character, not something that they

(05:38):
typically like doing. If you haveread my draft coverage at all, I'm
a sucker for fluid hips and acornerback. And he mentioned that specifically as
a strength of his, like fluidhips. Baby. I'm like, oh,
hell yeah, there we go.I got to use that on the
podcast and be sure to remind peopleof that. But I really liked his
media availability. I talked about ita little bit with Zach Lyons on football

(06:01):
and other f words yesterday as well. But I just kind of want to
get your impressions of Lagerious Sneed,new Titans cornerback and your confidence in this
secondary. Now with with Cheeto andRoger McCreary still in the conversation as well,
what do you what did you thinkof Sneed's media availability. Yeah,
So, just as far as personalitywise goes, Speed came off really kind

(06:25):
of I don't want to say playing, but matter of fact with his answers
to questions. You know, theybrought up the knee and he was kind
of you know, he said,I know how to work with it.
I don't miss games. I figuredout that process and it's good to go.
So it kind of seemed like hewas just very matter of fact ready

(06:46):
to work, you know, andit was a good confidence instiller as far
as I felt. Yeah, So, what's what's your worry level like about
that knee? Because I hear himtalk about it, and I'm just looking
at the looking at the data,the information we have. He didn't miss
games, and when he was playing, it didn't look like the knee was

(07:08):
was a problem at all. Hearinghim talk about it, knowing that the
Titans I'm assuming did their due diligenceand feel comfortable giving the guy a nineteen
million dollars a year contract, I'mnot really worried about the knee, But
how do you how do you feelabout it? Yeah? I kind of
feel like those kind of things getblown up in the media. I think

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when you get to that level ofthe NFL. This is his fifth year
in if I'm right, coming up, Yeah, class twenty twenty. I
think, you know, people aregoing to have there's players with back issues,
knee issues. But like you said, the productivity hasn't stopped, you
know, was consistently in games,didn't sit out, So I mean,

(07:55):
I don't I don't want to sayit's a non factor, but it kind
of seems like something that he hasunder his control and with his confidence,
I feel confident. Yep. I'mwith it, man, And I think
you can you can pretty easily arguethat Snead has just gotten better with every
year in the NFL. So Ifeel like you're catching a guy in his
prime the windows open. I thinkthere are outs in the contract where if

(08:18):
you if you had to get outof the deal within a couple of years,
you can do that and it's notgoing to kill you as a franchise.
Like I'm just I'm really happy thatthe Titans went out there and got
him. And there's just there's beenthis conversation about the Titans getting blue chip
players in the draft. Let's notsleep on the fact that they're getting blue

(08:39):
chip players in free agency too.And I would consider Snead. You know,
maybe I don't think it's unreasonable tosay he's one of the five best
cornerbacks in the league. You mighthave him at one or two, depending
on what you value in a cornerback, and if you look at his production
against wide receiver ones in the league. Man, I'm just stoked to have
the guy here. And we'll We'llsee how things go. But as far

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as the secondary going from a blatantweakness in twenty twenty three to potentially a
strength in twenty twenty four, thisgroup on paper between Snead, Cheeto and
Roger McCreary looks like on paper againspecifying that this could be the greatest trio

(09:22):
of cornerbacks that the Titans have everhad here in Nashville. And I'm hard
pressed to think of a better group. Where do you stand on that conversation,
Owen, because they really flipped,They really flipped this cornerback group,
and in a matter of a season. Now, where do you think it
ranks? Like, do you expectthis to be one of the better groups

(09:43):
the Titans have ever fielded? Iabsolutely agree with you. I think the
narrative throughout the past couple of seasonswas that the Titans are a really strong
defensive line, but when it cameto secondary, we got passed all over.
People got frustrated with this just trialby numbers, like we're gonna just

(10:05):
keep throwing cornerbacks out there and seeingwhat works. So, like you said,
with these blue chip prospects with Sneidwith Cheeto, I think you're really
showing that you're prioritizing it and thatyou've got guys out there that are gonna
consistently play well. What do youthink it says about Ran Carthon as a

(10:26):
general manager that one of the firstthings Sneid says when he gets up there
is that Ran Carthon made him feelwelcome. He immediately felt like he was
wanted here. Well, I mean, I think that's one of the reasons
why he was hired. You know, they talked about his time with the
forty nine ers that he was justa really a player's kind of guy,

(10:48):
and I think that's important. Youknow, we saw times when maybe free
agency whatn't our best strength, andI think that finding a guy that can
go out there and recruit and thatcan make you know, these big signing
that's what you want as a Titansfan. That's what you want to see
out of the GM. Yeah.Man, I'm glad you said recruit.
I think that's a great word touse here with Ran because I'm reminded of

(11:11):
the fact that the forty nine erssent Ran Carthon when he wasn't even the
GM. They sent Ran Carthon toDeebo Samuel to smooth that situation over and
get that deal done. I loveit because I think, you know,
broadening our scope from football in general, like, relationship building is such an
important life skill and it translates nomatter what profession you're in. And I

(11:35):
think stuff like this amounts to evidencethat ran Carthon is a really good relationship
builder, and like you said,I think it bodes well for his trajectory
as the general manager of the Titans. Now. I do think it's interesting
because in that media availability, itkind of sounded like when ran Carthon spoke,

(11:56):
it kind of sounds like they werepivoting from free agency a little little
bit like maybe they had, youknow, acknowledged or accepted the fact that,
Okay, maybe the first wave isover and we got to kind of
see how the next few weeks aregoing to go with the draft before we
keep paying players. Do you thinkthat's do you think that's fair to say?
I mean, do you think itis kind of time to say,

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Okay, we've checked the big boxes, but now we've really got three weeks
to hone in on this draft andget our focus in order there. You
know, I just I don't knowif that's necessarily the case. Maybe it's
the narrative that Ram's putting out there, but I just don't see the recruitment

(12:39):
process as we're calling it being overyet. I think I could be misspeaking
here, but Deebo Samuel is stilllooking to get that contract done with the
Niners and it hadn't happened yet.Am I right? Uh No he got
I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry you are you? Yeah?

(13:00):
Yeah? Yeah? Okay. Iknew i'd get there eventually. I
was about saying, wait a second, now I did I just completely misspeak
and they haven't gotten a DVO dealdone. Nope, just outspoken on and
throwing out half ideas that he has. All right, Brandon, I is
one of those guys that's just notquite locked down yet. I think there's

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still opportunities there. We saw thatwith trades that have been going on lately.
I don't think free agency is over. I do think they have a
strong focus on what's going on headedinto the draft, but I don't think
that, uh that windows closed yet. Maybe maybe it was a situation.
RAN's floating it out there, like, hey, guys, stop sniffing around

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justin Simmons. We want him,but don't worry, we're not looking.
We're not going to take Justin Simmons. We're focused on the draft right now.
And then next week the Titans announcedthat they've signed Justin Simmons to come
play safety. Just just you know, let's put our ten foil hots on
there for a minute. So let'ssay that the Titans are done adding inside

(14:03):
linebacker help right now. I thoughtRan mentioned something really interesting in his media
availability about the green dot responsibilities forthe linebacker and it doesn't have to be
a linebacker that wears the green dotand communicates all the time. And it
got me thinking of about like thestate of this roster and kind of where

(14:24):
it's at right now, and ifthey don't end up adding more veterans to
compete for starting jobs, kind ofhow we feel about it and if that
were to happen. I feel likeElijah Molden would be the starting safety next
to a Moni Hooker, And justworst case scenario, just talking about like
the depth of this roster and wherethey're at and rebuilding it from a personnel

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standpoint, are you good with it? If Elijah Moulden is the starting safety
next to a money hooker come theseason starting. I think the important thing
that you said in there was thatit is still in a rebuild process.
It was not where we want itlast year by any means. You know,

(15:07):
Moulton's not the guy that you know, is that star signing that you
want. But I think that tothe point where they're at now, I
think you could safely say you feelcomfortable with it. Yeah, And I
think there is a layer of it. I personally don't feel like the inside
linebacker position is as devalued as thegeneral consensus seems to believe, because I

(15:31):
think if you can nail that position, it unlocks a lot of what you
can do on defense. Like Iguarantee you the San Francisco forty nine ers
are happy to have Fred Warner andDre Greenlaw, but I will at least
concede and meet the linebacker doesn't mattercrowd halfway in the sense that if you
are rebuilding your defense basically from theground up, I think edge rusher,

(15:58):
defensive line, and cornerback are alldefinitely more pressing urgent needs. And I
do feel like they've at least they'vechecked the cornerback box off completely if you
ask me, so, I dothink that at least, if you are
going to have these deficiencies because youcan't get to everything in one offseason,

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at least they are at linebacker andsafety. And I still think that there
is a relatively high ceiling for ElijahMolden in this league. I think they're
probably gonna add some bodies in thedraft. I think they might add another
veteran free agent, but I stillthink that there is a role depth wise
for Elijah Molden on this team.So I'm kind of cool with that.

(16:41):
Similar Vaine, I want to talkabout the offensive line a little bit because
I do think that this would bea great draft to go out and get
two offensive tackles. I think youcan get your two starters in this draft,
whether it's Joe Alt in the firstand Christian Jones in the fourth or
some sort of other amalgamation of theseguys. I'm at twenty two offensive tackles

(17:04):
evaluated at this point, and we'retalking like I'm at least like fifteen or
sixteen deep with guys that I thinkcould start in the league. So it's
a really good loaded tackle class.But there's been an idea that's just been
casually floated around out there, andZach and I talked about it in depth
on football and other f words,but I want to get your opinion on

(17:26):
it. This worst case scenario situationwhere maybe the dominoes just simply don't fall
the way the Titans want them to. There aren't many quality options and free
agency left. Maybe they miss outon Joe Allt the Chargers draft him at
fifth overall, and they don't gettheir guys, so they pivot to wide
receiver in the first round and thenyou're kind of stuck trying to mold something

(17:51):
out of a left tackle in thesecond round. A million different scenarios that
can go on, but it kindof sounds like from what we've heard from
Ran Carthon's media availability, from BrianCallahan's media availability, they're kind of planning
the seeds that there could be acamp battle between Jalen Duncan and Nicholas petti
Frere for that right tackle spot.And I just kind of want to get

(18:15):
your sense on if that were theworst case scenario, what's your confidence level
like in Bill Callahan being able toget both of these guys to where they
can hold down the fort at righttackle until the position can be addressed further.
What do you think about that?Yeah, Tony, I just I

(18:37):
don't know if that's once again anothernarrative being put out there. I do
know that you know, Bill Callahan'sone of the best coaches that you could
possibly have when it comes to thatO line. But I don't know if
it's enough to make Duncan or NPFone of those guys where it's just a
solid anchor spot. I think thatwith all the needs that you met in

(18:59):
free agents, that you're kind ofsetting up your draft to be that spot
filler with that number seven overall pick. Just from the way that it looks,
I just I don't know if that'sif it comes down to it.
Yeah, those are your options,that's what you have. Yeah, But
I just I don't think that that'ssomething that you would want to bank on.

(19:22):
Fair enough, fair enough are you? Are you ready to give up
on Jalen Duncan. I mean,I still like the traits quite a bit,
and I kind of want to seewhat he can do with a guy
that some have called the greatest offensiveline coach of all time. Like I
kind of want to see what hecan get out of him before I'm ready
to really wave the white flag onJalen Duncan, But what do you think
about his development and where he's atand how he fits into this whole thing.

(19:47):
I'm also not in a spot whereI think that we give up on
Duncan at all. But he's alsonot that guy that you can bank on
yet. So with that question mark, you know, you just you don't
know what you got until you developit. With this, you know,
there's no reason to throw them out, but it's just not a spot where
you feel comfortable yet fair enough,fair enough. Trey wrote an excellent piece

(20:11):
on Stacking the Inbox this morning.The headline reads the Titans and the new
AFC South. He's kind of lookingat how all the dominoes have fallen in
this division and how active the HoustonTexans have been, and even the Jaguars
to a certain extent, like everythingthat has changed in recent years with the
Indianapolis Colts and the Titans loading uparound will Levis. And it's it's a

(20:34):
free piece, so you guys cango to Stacking the Inbox dot com and
read that one for free. Youdon't need the premium membership to read it.
Love Trey's work. Tray's a greatwriter, and stoked that he's on
the team with us. There.We got a pretty good one two three
punch going on stacking the inbox.So I kind of wanted to bring that
conversation to the Unofficial Titans podcast today, Owen and talk to you about it,

(20:59):
because it wasn't too long ago thatthe AFC South was the laughing stock
of the NFL, and the Titanswere really able to capitalize on that under
Mike Vrabel. Really good run.But man, it really to me seems
like last offseason was a sort ofturning point for this division when the Titans,

(21:21):
the Texans, and the Colts allrolled the dice on potential franchise quarterbacks
and CJ. Stroud who had ahistoric rookie season, Will Levice with the
Titans, of course, and AnthonyRichardson with the Colts. The Jags are
kind of in that window right nowof being competitive. You know. I

(21:41):
personally thought they were a little overhypedgoing into last season, and I kind
of think that they could be.I think they could be pretty bad in
twenty twenty four. But I kindof feel like as far as the Texans,
the Colts, and the Titans go, things have kind of shifted to
where all three of these franchises areon the upswing right now. And I

(22:03):
don't think with all these guys onrookie deals, and you know, I
mean at least the Texans and Titanskind of going all in to build around
their quarterback. I don't know whatthe Colts are doing in free agency.
They've had two big signings and youknow, it's whatever. There's got to
be a vision there, I guess. But these three franchises in particular kind
of gearing up for the future run. I think they could be. I

(22:26):
think this could be a pretty tight, fun division to watch over the next
couple of years. But how doyou see the free agent moves that the
Texans are making? How do yousee those those playing out? I mean,
does the trade for Stefan Diggs reallymove the needle for you? Let
me just say, first, yousent me that article this morning, and

(22:48):
I thought it was very well written. Stacking the inboxes another great source,
just to get that Titans material outthere. I was excited to read that
he was playing Red Dead Redemption too. That's one of my favorite games.
Shout out Tray, shout out Tray, great article, great game. But
yeah, I think it's it's it'sexciting to see, you know, the

(23:11):
Texans already had that strong run lastyear. I think just the moves like
getting Digs and getting Hunter really dokind of establish them as wanting to make
that next step and go even further. I think they're Yeah, they are
the AFC stuff team to watch forthis year, and that hurts my heart
to say, yeah, as alifelong Texans hater, yeah, I'm they're

(23:37):
barely a franchise, But you know, I digress. I'm with you.
The Digs trade, man, Iyou know I I don't want to say
that he's he's washed by any stretchof the imagination, because you know,
some people the the fun joke was, oh man, I can't remember who
tweeted it, but you know,the Texans fleece the Bills brought to you

(24:03):
by the same people that produced theTitans fleece the Falcons. In reference to
all the hype that the Julio Jonestrade had a couple of summers ago,
I don't think Diggs is at apoint in his career that Julio Jones was
at in his career when the Titanstraded for him. I think there is
some good football left, but Ijust it doesn't move the needle in terms

(24:25):
of expectations for me, because I'mreally high on Nico Collins. I think
he's the best receiver that that teamhas, and I think Tank Dell may
be the best overall weapon that theyhave. The way Bobby slow K schemes
him around to get open. Ikind of feel like Diggs is just icing
on the cake, like they're reallyjust trying to do what they can to
stockpile talent around c J. Stroud, But I don't think he's gonna be

(24:48):
the team's number one. I wasalready pretty high on the Texans going all
in on CJ. Stroud this yearbefore they traded for Diggs, and I'm
kind of at the same spot,so I'm I'm with you. I kind
of feel like they're the team tobeat in the AFC South. I mean,
obviously they're the reigning AFC South champions, but I don't think that this

(25:08):
move like puts them over the topand makes them a Super Bowl contender the
way that some people are saying,because I think I think Diggs is a
different receiver than he was a coupleof years ago. So interesting that we
kind of sound like we're on thesame page there. Okay, let's let's
get to the listener questions because wehave we have quite a few of them.

(25:30):
Again, Let's start with producer Eldon. We'll start with producer Eldon basically
writing our show for us as hedoes. Okay, the first question,
in your opinion, what is thebest indicator for what you look for when
analyzing whether an offensive lineman is goingto make it in the NFL, specifically
for later round guys. I thinkfor me, when I'm evaluating offensive lineman,

(25:56):
it's a I think it's a layeredthing. Like at a basic level,
I want to see him winning reps. If they can win reps just
flat out, no matter how,let's just count them wins and losses.
If they're winning reps, I thinkthat's something to build off of. But
if they're struggling at that level ofcompetition, and I think the Yale left

(26:18):
tackle Karanamagaji is a great example ofthat. If he's in the IVY League
going up against Dartmouth and he's notoverpowering guys that are going to be lawyers
and accountants in a couple of months. I don't know what you build off
of other than just the raw traits. So I don't particularly like that.

(26:41):
And that's kind of the basis whenI'm looking at these late round flyers.
If they are winning reps and thetape is pretty good, I'm looking at
what is it? Is it becauseof technique? Is it because of just
raw talent? And if it's becauseof technique, I'm looking at it like,
Okay, that's something that is goingto translate at the NFL level.

(27:03):
If they already have that level ofnuance to their game, I'm I'm good
with it. So I don't knowif you want to weigh in on evaluating
offensive late round offensive lineman Owen,but the floor is yours if you do.
Yeah, I don't know, bighands in a firm ass. There
we go. There we go,all right, rank the following summer,

(27:29):
winter, spring, and fall.Oh I like this one. Yeah,
I'll go first. Since you hadthe expertise from the last one, I'm
gonna go. H I'm gonna gospring, fall, summer, winter in
winter's a there's a big gap betweensummer and winter. Yeah, you know,

(27:49):
I'll say I used to hate winter, but the last couple of years,
I have been getting a lot deeperinto my NFL draft cover and I've
had the Senior Bowl right there thatfirst week of February, that last week
of January. That has kind ofgiven me something to look forward to.
And I will say that it hashelped me kind of beat the winter blues

(28:11):
the last couple of years. SoI'm going fall, fall is my favorite
season, and then summer, andthen winter and then spring. The spring,
Wow, spring is a dead last. Spring frustrates me so bad,
man. I mean it really does. Like by the time fall comes around,
we're like looking for the relief fromthe heat. So but we're used

(28:32):
to it, so I don't reallymind. I don't really mind going from
hot to cool occasionally and kind ofeasing into the winter. But it drives
my sinus's nuts when we do theinverse when it's been cold, my body
finally gets used to it, andthen boom, here's a seventy five degree
day and your sinuses are going tobe fucked up for the next week while

(28:55):
we're at it. So that's whyspring's pretty and and I have fond memories
of the spring growing up. Butit just destroys my sinuses, so I
can't. I can't, can't dealwith it. Does Kyle Phillips have a
chance to make the Titans roster asit is currently constructed without contributing on special

(29:15):
teams based on Callahan's tendency to relyon bigger receivers for his offense. This
is a really interesting question though,when you have any thoughts on Kyle Phillips.
Yeah, man, I don't know. Tennessee has their thing for white
wide receivers, so there's always achance. But that being said, I

(29:36):
mean, I think you know,production has kind of fallen off with them,
and it wasn't necessarily a stretch tohave them there, but it's definitely
a stretch to keep them around seasonafter season. And as that name keeps
coming up, you kind of seethe Titans want to develop guys who go
into a specific direction. I justdon't know if he'll keep up. Yep.

(30:00):
I'm kind of right there with you. I think he's a good guy
to have in camp. I thinkhe's a pretty good route runner. I
think injuries are a concern with himtoo. I know there are people out
there that are concerned about his frameand how he holds up in the NFL,
and I think, you know,to be fair, I think there's
something to that. I didn't atfirst, but after seeing how the last
season is unfolded, I think it'sfair to question his durability. And to

(30:23):
Eldon's point, when you look atwhat the Bengals did with their wide receiving
corps, I think he just prefersa bigger guy, and I think Kyle
Phillips is a guy that could bethe odd man out once we add some
numbers to this wide receiver room andsee how it shakes down over the summer,
I would not be surprised at allif Phillips were to get cut.

(30:45):
To be honest with you, Ido think he is a pretty He's a
fringe candidate because of his size andhis injury history, So I don't know.
Depending check in a few weeks,Eldon, whenever we've got the draft
in our rear view mirror and we'llsee what they've added, and I might
say that I don't think Kyle Phillipsis going to make this roster, but

(31:06):
as it's currently constructed, I atleast give him a puncher's chance. To
make this group. All right,we're going to go deep into the cornerback
group this We're still on Elden.We got like five more from Elden too,
with the new additions of cornerbacks thisoffseason. Speaking of Cheetoh and Snead,
what is the likelihood that they drafta cornerback in the later rounds?

(31:30):
And assuming they do, which ofthe following has the best chance to stay
on the team. Can be multiplepeople here too, and which is gone?
And he lists Caleb Farley, AnthonyKendall, Eric Gere, and Trey
Avery. I'll go first on thisone. I kind of feel like Caleb
Farley is a lost cause at thispoint. I kind of feel like he's

(31:52):
gone no matter what I man.I feel bad for Trey Avery because Trey
Avery is kind of a scapegoat andthere have been times that he's looked completely
lost. But keep in mind,this is an undrafted free agent. Keep
in mind that this was a guythat when they brought him to camp,
he was coming off of one ofthe worst analytics graded cornerback seasons we've seen

(32:16):
in college football. It's not likethis guy had a pedigree, so for
them to squeeze any juice out ofTrey Avery at all has been really impressive,
and I would look at that.I would look at Avery as a
glass half full kind of guy,and I think I would want to keep
him around. Eric Gear and AnthonyKendall. I think Zach and I have

(32:39):
talked about this. We talked aboutit actually in our car ride home for
Mobile Alabama. Six hours of juststraight football talk, by the way,
for those of you wondering, likebarely barely able to catch our breaths,
and we're looking at like kind ofputting the pieces together from what the Bengals
have drafted under Brian Callahan. AndI think the general is I feel like

(33:01):
Brian Callahan likes guys that have hadexperience at big programs. Now. Both
Kendall and Gear got some experience inthe NFL last season as rookies, and
I think Gear had some moments,But I don't feel like they're going to
be as high on the pecking orderunder Brian Callahan as they were under Mike

(33:22):
Rabel, and I kind of feellike they could be. I kind of
feel like you could be looking atthree of these guys being out and it's
Farley Kendall and gear. I wouldbe willing to bring Tray Avery back and
see how he holds up during camp. But I think they're going to make
an effort to bring in a differentstyle of cornerback. I think they're probably

(33:42):
going to draft a guy in thelater rounds, and I think they're probably
going to bring in a slew ofundrafted guys that fit their criteria a little
bit more. But I think they'veshown us in free agency that they're willing
to overhaul this position completely and they'relooking for a different style of corner back
than we've seen on the Titans underShane Bowen and Mike Rabel. What do

(34:04):
you think of Eldon's question here aboutthis this particular cornerback group kind of on
the back end of what they havenow on the depth chart. Yeah,
I think you said it really well. I don't think you benefit from cutting
farly necessarily fair. Might it mightcost you money, but the experiment is
definitely a failed one. It justhas not paid out. Uh. Yeah,

(34:29):
Portray Avery just from undrafted free agentto hey, you got to go
out here and do the damn thingwe need you now need it. One
on one with with Jamar Chase outhere, welcome to the NFL. Yeah,
and I think maybe he'll benefit.You know, he has a chance
to grow with uh, you know, a solid CB one and CB two

(34:51):
locked in there, so I thinkthere's a chance there. Uh And same
with the other two. They're justkind of they were spots to fill a
roster. And it doesn't sound likea nice thing to say, but they
weren't guys that you were going tobuild around. Sure see, yeah I
could. I could see three outof the four go easily if no other

(35:12):
running back moves are made. DoesHassan Haskins man, I forget Hassan Haskins
is still even a thing right now? Does Hassan Haskins make this roster?
I say no, Owen, becauseHassan Haskins is not the versatile, do
it all kind of running back thatit seems like Brian Callahan and Ran Carthon
Covet and ty J Spears and TonyPollard. I think there are going to

(35:36):
be other running back moves made,and I don't think Hassan Haskins. I
don't think he's on this roster atall. In twenty twenty four, what
do you think about his draft orhis stock with this franchise right now.
Yeah, I'm with you. WithSpears and Pollard, they kind of set
the tone for what they're looking for, and Haskins doesn't really fit that narrative.

(35:58):
I don't think he clears the changingof the guard. Speaking of guard,
what a segue there, and youdidn't even realize you did it.
It's seemingly clearer that right guard islikely going to be a battle between Brunskill
and Raidens. Does it stay thatway, and if so, who wins
that battle? I don't think so. I think they're going to add a

(36:19):
guard in the draft. I thinkthey they want more bigger bodies, and
I think that might not bode wellfor Daniel Brunskill. I wouldn't be surprised
if Brunskill kind of kicked inside andthey they leaned into his potential as a
center, and maybe he backs upLloyd Cushionberry. I also, I don't
know if I've said this before,but I also wouldn't be surprised if Brunskill

(36:42):
was kind of a surprise cut.I think if it's those two, I
think it's Raidens, and I thinkthey see him as a right guard.
They've said publicly that he's they seehim as a guard, but I think
they're going to add some competition inthe draft, whether that's a guy like
I don't know, Leyden Robinson outof Texas A and m off the top
of my head, a bo Lemmer. I think bou Limmer would would cost

(37:06):
quite a bit of draft capital,the guy from Arkansas who's being projected as
a center. I like his tapeat guard better you get you get wins
at Will you get wins against WillAnderson in Alabama. That that that checks
a huge box for me with bowLimmer, so I like him. I
think it's a good interior offensive lineclass. I think they're going to look
to add somebody they've already added.Sadiq Charles. I think he could be

(37:28):
kind of insurance on at a numberof different positions. So I think Raidens
is probably the guy now, butI don't think it stays Raidens versus brun
Skill for for much longer. Whatdo you think about that one? Owen?
Once agetting with you, I feellike brun Skill and Raidens are both
kind of the ghost of Titans Pass, where we just kind of filled spots

(37:52):
with bodies. Doesn't seem like therat that this current Titans franchise wants to
go. I definitely could see somebodycoming in in the draft if the linebacker
position ends up being what it istoday. Is Otis Reese technically sound enough
to wear the green dot with Murrayby his side or you do? Or

(38:15):
do you think that doctor Gibbey endsup with it? I man, I
don't know who the odd man outis going to be because all three of
those linebackers played the role next toAziz al Shire last year, where when
you sub in like a slot corner, that linebacker is the one that comes
off the field. So if you'vegot three of those guys that come off

(38:37):
the field when you need an extradB and coverage, they can't they can't
wear the green dot because they're noton the field long enough. So I
don't know who. I don't knowwho that's that's going to be. To
me, I don't think, man, I think you're really reaching if And
I like Otis Reese, I likehim as a developmental guy. I don't
think he's ready for that spot yet. And I think Jack Gibbons has that.

(39:00):
I don't think he's that guy either. And I don't know what the
plan is with Kenneth Murray, whothey signed, Like, I am still
just completely baffled by the linebacker groupright now. I think if this were
the case and the linebacker position endsup being what it is today, I
think we might see that situation thatRan Karthon alluded to in his press conference

(39:22):
on Monday, where maybe you putthe green dot on a Money Hooker and
Elijah Molden and maybe one of thoseguys is the guy that's communicating the plays
and everything out there, which isthe primary responsibility of the green dot linebacker.
But what do you think about thisone? And what's your level of
confidence in Otis Reese and Jack Gibbonsbeing difference makers at the linebacker spot?

(39:46):
Absolutely? Now, it seems likeit's absolutely up in the air. I
don't feel like either of those areyour green dot guys. Yeah, and
it just doesn't seem like a positionthat they're going in with confidence. Fair
enough. Yeah, we're in agreementthere as well. Last question from producer
Elden, who basically writes our showfor us, who do you have in

(40:08):
a cage match between a Siberian Tigerand a grizzly bear. I think that
people just underestimate bears so much.Hell ya, it's the size, the
speed. They're a tank with furthat can just reach upwards of incredible speeds.

(40:30):
I'm going to go Grizzly Bear.I'm with you. I mean,
I'm with you. I think peopleunderestimate bears in general as well. I'm
so glad you said that, nonotes, no notes for me. Ten
out of ten. And thank youfor all your questions, Eldon. We
do appreciate. We were talking aboutit before the show. We're like,
man, makes our job easier wheneverwe get so many questions like that.

(40:52):
Moving on to Daniel's question, thisis a very specific situation that I hope,
I hope does not happen. Buthe says, the first six picks
go Chicago, Caleb Williams Washington,Drake May, New England, Joe aalt
Arizona, Marvin Harrison Junior, LosAngeles, j C. Latham, New

(41:14):
York, Malik Neighbors. So basicallyonly two quarterbacks go in the first six
picks. He asked, what areyou doing at seven? I man,
it's a cop out. But ifthey're in a spot where they can trade
back and accumulate draft picks, I'mgoing with that route. But if we're
sticking and picking at seven, Idon't think that I have a problem with

(41:38):
this team going Olu Fashanu there andjust getting the second best tackle, or
at least, in my opinion,the second best tackle in this draft class.
There really good pass protector. Ithink the exponential impact that securing that
left tackle spot has on the restof your offense is super important. That
is probably what I would do.But I also think Roma Dunze, the

(42:01):
wide receiver out of Washington, isthe best prospect in this draft class period,
So I wouldn't be complaining if theyadded another electric wide receiver and maybe
got some long term insurance at theposition as well. But what do you
think if that's the case and youhave Harrison Junior, all Latham and Neighbors

(42:21):
gone, and only two of thequarterbacks go in the first six picks?
What are you thinking? Ohen Whatare you? What are you? What's
your preference there in that spot?Yeah? I mean, just to answer
the question based on the scenario,fashion new was the first name that came
to my mind, just as coolour next best option up. But I
just I really don't see that happening. I think there's, you know,

(42:45):
just so much clamor to move upand grab the first four quarterbacks that I
just I don't see where we getto seven and they're and only two have
gone. Yeah, I'm kind ofwith you. I think that if that
were the case, I think itwould be a really surprise. I think
it'd be a big surprise for youknow, a lot of people seem to

(43:07):
think four quarterbacks are going top seven. I think it would be a surprise
if at least three didn't go andsomebody didn't go for Jade and Daniels out
of LSU with one of those picksas well. But that is a scenario
that, like I said, Ikind of I don't want to see.
I don't even want to think aboutthat, Daniel. I kind of hate
that you asked us that question.I don't even want to think about that

(43:29):
right now. Kenneth asks us draftquestion for Stony, which draft prospects will
you flip chairs for? One chairflipped and excitement, one chair flipped and
anger. I'm going to go deepcut with the excitement. I'm going to
go with Georgia State left tackle TravisGlover because I think he's a guy that
has the tools. I will beecstatic if they get him. He's a

(43:52):
Day three guy, developmental prospect forsure, but he's a guy that I
really want to see get a chancein the NFL and to work with Bill
Callahan and to come in. Maybehe's not the answer at left tackle,
but man, I would be stoked. I would be really excited. He's
one of my guys in this draftclass, and I just raw emotion.

(44:15):
I think I would be like,hell yeah, And then I'd also say,
damn, they must be subscribed toStacking the Inbox and saw my two
hour film breakdown on Travis Glover,So that would be That would be cool
too. As far as flipping achair in anger, man, I think
it would be. I think thatpick would probably be maybe. I think,

(44:40):
shit, now, I'm I shouldhave prepared. I forgot that this
was a twofold question. I thinkKaranamagaji, the left tackle out of Yale,
who I mentioned earlier. I thinkhe's got some really suspect tape and
I think if you're drafting him,you're only drafting him to be If you're
you're only drafting him because of hissize and length, I think I would

(45:00):
probably flip a table if he endsup on this Titan's roster. Okay fan
question for Owen, how do youfeel about the offseason the Titans have had
from firing vable to everything since feelslike a roller coaster. It does feel
like a roller coaster, but somepeople like roller coasters. I'm a fan.
I just went to Dollywood for thefirst time two weeks ago. Man,

(45:25):
just how disappointing last year was.It sucked. It was not a
fun year to be a Titans fan, and it felt like week after week
just more disappointment set in. SoI think I would be more upset if
there weren't a lot of moves thisyear. I think that we just can't
go back to that. It wasso frustrating to watch, so I'm excited

(45:47):
with this off season. I thinkthat they filled a lot of needs.
There was a lot of holes anda lot of them have been filled.
Giggity, but I think just fromthe broad perspective of how it's looked,
it's something to give you confidence infair Enough. Tyler asks, how do

(46:10):
you feel about Peyton Wilson at thirtyeight? I think he has the perfect
blend of size, speed and coverageability. To slot in beside Kenneth Murray
Tyler. I couldn't agree more.Wilson is my top rated linebacker inside linebacker
in this draft class. I'm notas concerned as the about the injuries as

(46:30):
some other people are. I think, you know, he's shown he's had
two really good seasons since the ACLtears. I think he's fine. I
think he's probably the closest thing toFred Warner that you're gonna find in this
draft class. But at thirty eight, Man, I don't know. At
thirty eight with no third round pickas it stands, might be a little

(46:51):
too rich for my blood, becauseyou're still gonna have big boxes to check
in the edge rusher category, thewide receiver category, use me the defensive
line category, and I just Idon't know about reaching for one of these
linebackers at thirty eight. Do youhave any any thoughts on on that?
Owen, like that high of apick for a linebacker. Would you be

(47:15):
cool with it if it was theright guy. Yeah, I don't feel
like our roster has set enough tobe able to make reaches as early as
the second round. I'm with youon that, all right. We got
we got a three layer question fromDrew siphas here which projected second round receiver
would be the best fit for theTitans this year and going forward. Honestly,

(47:38):
Drew Ciphus, there are a fewguys that I like in the second
round. I'm a huge fan ofRicky Piersoll out of Florida. I think
he's miscast as a slot only guy. I think he's capable of playing out
wide. I think he sells hisrelease with his entire body, from his
from his head to his toes.He's got a nasty head, whip and

(47:58):
good shoulders, kind of jars guysloose. I think he's got really good
athletic traits. I think he couldbe a player for years to come.
I like Xavier Worthy a lot.I don't know if he's gonna slip to
the second round, but maybe anoption for the Titans there at thirty eight.
I don't like him as a widereceiver one, and before the Titans
signed Calvin Ridley, I would nothave been on board with the pick at

(48:20):
all. I think he's got anelement of pure speed that, behind Hopkins
and Ridley, would be really reallyfun to play with. Like I saw
a play I don't remember like whataccount it came from. But I follow
all these accounts that are just likedrawing up plays and shit like that.
And there's a play where you pairlike an over and a post route with

(48:43):
a wheel route, and I'm thinking, like, man, the way these
things cross against Cover three, I'mgetting way into the weeds here. But
like against Cover three, like thisthing would be a killer if you had
Hopkins on the over, Ridley onthe post, and then you had a
guy like Xavier Worthy running into motionand then turning into a will route up
the up the field, causing conflictat the third level between the Cover three

(49:05):
defenders and man, that's the stuffthat Bobby Slowick did with Tank Dell to
get him open. So a guylike Xavier Worthy with his raw speed as
a compliment to what Hopkins and Ridleydo, well, I think that would
be pretty exciting as well. Whichlinebackers in the class Excel and Coverage We've
already talked about Peyton Wilson. Ialso like Junior Colson as well. I

(49:27):
think both of those guys are reallytwitchy, rangy guys, and I would
put Jeremiah Trotter Junior in the categoryas well. I don't think he has
the athletic profile. He's not asexplosive or twitchy as the other two guys,
but I do like him quite abit and coverage. Last question from
Drew siphis what safety alignment does Wilsonprefer single high two high three safeties?

(49:49):
Who's the best fit for those roles? Free agent or draft? Drew Sephus,
I ain't gonna lie like I haven'teven started on the free agent study
stuff. It's all draft right now, so I once, once the draft
happens and we kind of the dustsettles from that, I'm gonna be digging
into not only the free agent signingsthat the Titans have made, but I'm

(50:10):
also going to go back and watchsome Ravens defensive tape, and I'm gonna
watch some Bengals offensive tape and justkind of see if I can pick up
clues as as to what this Titansoffense and defense might look like. So
I don't I haven't done any anyreal study beyond like the surface level stuff
of you know, Mike McDonald crowdingthe line of scrimmage so that quarterbacks don't

(50:31):
know who's dropping and who's rushing,and these cornerbacks that like to play physical
man dogs, as Denard Wilson calledthem. So I don't have an answer
to that one, but wanted toask you, Oh, and at least
open it up, like any anyof these like second tier wide receivers in
this draft class that you're particularly interestedin, Buddy, I'm not sure.

(50:54):
I'm not a big draft guy.I know that a lot of talk came
out about you know, exavi,your worthy speed. That's that's that where
it is me. Uh, youknow, I'm not the draft guy.
That's Tony h. Jay asks tellme why Roma Dunze is so overlooked.
I think he's a better prospect thanAlt. I want him and Levis connecting

(51:16):
on deep balls and red zone fadesfor a year to come. I'm with
you, Jay, I think Romeis actually the best player in this draft.
I have him ranked the head ofALT as well, and the idea
of him and Levis connecting on thosedeep balls is pretty pretty enticing, if
you ask me. And that's whyI think it would be hard to pass

(51:37):
him up. If Alt was offthe board and you can't trade back and
you're stuck at seven and he's there, I think it would be really hard
to pass on him, and Iwouldn't complain if they if they got him
at all. As for why he'soverlooked, I think, man, I
think there's a little bit of it. Just the outright speed doesn't show up

(51:59):
on tape, and there were questionsabout that going into the combine. I
think he answered those questions with theathletic testing. He posted a really high
ras I'm a big fan of thatmetric, and I think if you actually
watch the tape, you'll see alot of him having to kind of slow
down on a route because Michael PennockJunior was under throwing a ball, not

(52:22):
like a consistent thing like every otherplay. But I think his tape in
twenty twenty three looks a lot differentthan twenty twenty two, and I think
a lot of people kind of tookthat as, oh, well, he
took a step back, and theysee like the raw physical nature of molite
neighbors, and they see the finetuned route running of Marvin Harrison Junior.

(52:45):
And the name Marvin Harrison Junior probablydoesn't hurt either. And I think a
doneesay kind of gets lost in theshuffle. You've heard people say any other
year and he'd be the top widereceiver in this class. I think that's
probably true, and I've got himas the top recon in this class anyway.
Last question this comes to his courtesyof the general. Living in New

(53:07):
Jersey. I plan to take aroad trip with my seventeen year old son
this year to catch a game anda long weekend stay, not wanting to
get caught in tourist traps, andneed advice for places to eat and stay
and capture the local vibe. Owenany recommendations for the general here? Oh
man, I mean, it's alwaysbusy, it's always filled up. But

(53:30):
if you could ever make a stopat Loveless Cafe, it's out of the
way, it's not near downtown Nashville, but it's just a really nice,
you know, Southern meal. Youknow, people are you know, on
and off the hype train with it. But I think it's just a great
place to take somebody. You cango over that Nat Trace, oh yeah,

(53:50):
which is just a beautiful drive.I think that's my suggestion for a
good place to go eat. It'skind of out of the way and not
really stuck with the Broadway. Woogirls. Yeah, And it's a it's
a road trip, so they're gonnahave the car nice little uh, nice
little trip, a taste of Tennesseethere, I would say, you know,
as much as I hate the touristystuff and I'm just a you know,

(54:15):
grizzled old veteran here, when itcomes to to downtown Nashville, I
still tell people when they're coming totown, if Broadway is not your thing,
you don't have to don't don't partake. But I still I still tell
people to stay downtown if you can. You don't have to stay like right
in the thick of everything that's happeningin Broadway. But it is still pretty

(54:37):
cool if you can get a hotelnearby to just kind of see the city
skyline at night, to see theglow of all the neon from Broadway.
I still think it's one of thosethings general. I don't know if this
is your first trip to Nashville.If it is your first trip to Nashville,
I would say, you know what, stay downtown. It goes counterintuitive

(54:58):
to everything I say on this PowerHour where we talk about all things Nashville,
but I still think it is somethingthat you need to at least get
a glimpse of at least once inyour life. As for places to eat,
man, I think East Nashville isjust brimming with fine dining, just

(55:20):
great, great options, And Iimmediately think of like Audrey for a really
nice meal. It is a spotlike you're gonna need reservations for. But
like Butcher and Bee is out there, There's a couple of really good breweries
out there, East Nashville beer Works, good pizza, good spot to get
some beers. And I'm trying tothink, like, man two ten Jack

(55:45):
is out there, Jenny's ice Cream. My wife and I are out in
East Nashville all the time, Sowe could put together maybe a little list
and I'll shoot you a DM becauseI feel like I've got a Google doc
somewhere for friends that come in fromout of town, be like these are
the places you need to go try. So that's it, Owen, We've

(56:05):
made it to the end of anotherunofficial Titans podcast right under an hour.
It's great. Thank you to allthe listeners and producer Eldon for basically writing
the show for us with your questions. You got any parting shots for us
before we get on out of heretoday, No man that's it. I
really appreciate the contributions that we getfrom everybody to nice to know people are

(56:29):
listening. I enjoyed the engagement.Keep them coming. There we go.
All right, Well that's going todo it for us once again. You
can follow me on Twitter at StonyKeeley. Collectively we are at Sobros Network,
Rate Review, Subscribe the Unofficial TitansPodcast. Wherever you take in your
shows, we are out there inthese internet streets. Baby, we ain't
too hard to find. Subscribe toSobros thesobro substack on stackingdeenbox dot com.

(56:57):
You get all my draft coverage,my coverage of the Tennessee Titans, and
we've also been rolling with Sobros Saturdayrecently. You got the book Club,
the Sobros Lounge. There's an episodeof movie Review Rewind Up. There an
episode of Sports Punch talking about JaMarcusRussell. This week there's a new episode
of the movie Review rewind podcast.Brandon and I are gonna be talking about
the cable guy Jim Carey in thenineties. Five dollars a month, great

(57:21):
value. You get all the Zac'swork, you get all the Tray's work
as well. Stackingdinbox dot com.We're gonna get on out of here today.
I'm gonna get some lunch and propmy feet up, take a quick
moment to catch my breath, andthen it's back to more film study.
But until next week, he isCinderella Man. One TAKEO outspoken, Ohen

(57:43):
Reed. I am big, naturalStony Keeley. And until next time,
you stay classy, Titans fans,