The OTP | Titans Travel to Sin City

The OTP | Titans Travel to Sin City

The Titans are getting ready to go on the road to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. And so we’re going to talk about it right here on the OTP. I’m Amy Wells joined by Titans Radio’s very own Will Bowling. Will, this is the third of three straight road games. Overall, my friend Daryl Hughes calculated it here. The team will have traveled while I fix my microphone. The team will have traveled a total of 7,380 miles. Are you feeling those miles as it stands today? I think I’m feeling them a little more now that I know how many uh that we have traveled and are traveling. I was talking uh to somebody about this this morning because I get it even more about the stresses and the physical I guess toll that a western season has. I I had this conversation last year on our radio show about like I don’t get it. These are pro athletes. They’ve got nice hotel accommodations. They’re on a charter plane. They’re going in and out. It’s more about how it affects the next week when you are getting back at midnight. And then all of a sudden your alarm clock’s going off a little bit later because you don’t have to be in the facility as early on Monday. And then Monday is a bit more sluggish. And then you come in Tuesday and you’re still not totally feel all of a sudden it’s Wednesday. It’s like, you know what? let’s take practice a little bit lighter today. We’re going to work our way back in this and then it’s Thursday and it’s like hey uh the Las Vegas Raiders are uh about to play you and host you and um they are attacking this week uh differently and they just came off a big loss and you just got a win so they got to prove a point. All this to say yes definitely feeling it uh but in a fun way. It has been such a blast this month and going on the road with this team and learning about them and being around them. Uh, so much to get into, so much fun, and glad to talk about a win as well. It is really funny that you mentioned that though because in April, May I guess when the schedule comes out and we saw all of these road games and we saw all of these West Coast games backto back like this, every kind everybody in like kind of the media and content creation world went, “Oh, no.” Definitely. Because to your point about Mondays, it’s not the it’s not the game, right? It’s not even really the travel, it’s the way that it bumps everything else back. And so all of the sudden your Monday is like half a Monday and everything else has like a quarter more stuff from Tuesday to Thursday and then everybody’s going on the road again and we’ve got to do the whole thing over. So, it just it changes the cadence enough to be jarring. Yes. The nice thing is that these games have been 3:05 locally, but wherever they’re playing, it’s still like a noon game. Noon 1:00 game. So, it hasn’t been so jarring to where you’re doing mornings and nights and evenings and all of that, which is really nice. So at least the routine is there of like you wake up in the morning, you get on the bus, you go play the game, and then you go home. You don’t have a lot of wasted daylight throughout the day. And and for a young team, that routine matters because like as you said, in the time zone that you’re in, it feels the same as being in Indianapolis or being in Nashville, right? Where the timeline of the day is really just bumped back one hour to 10:05 in Vegas versus noon in Nashville, right? So for a young team that’s getting used to being pros and not always being in a bus and sometimes driving to the game, you know, if it’s at home and just like little things like that you don’t think about, I feel like I’ve started to think about more now that I’m in that routine with the team. And it’s one of those perspectives I feel like I’ve gained of like, oh wow, like that alarm clock on Monday still hits at the same time regardless of when you got home from the game before. So uh all good things. I’d rather be tired talking about football than energized talking about literally like anything else in the world u other than maybe my wedding. Uh and so that is uh that’s a good place to be this time of year. Absolutely. So I know we have football has definitely turned the page. We are going to talk a lot about the Las Vegas Raiders which is how it should be but I do want to get a couple of your thoughts on the win over the Arizona Cardinals because it there’s just so much to talk about. Oh, sorry. That would have been a catastrophe. Would have been even more to talk about. It would have been so much to talk about. Um, I want to talk about Cam Ward and his performance in the fourth quarter because it was so starkly different to those first three quarters. How do you think that having that final quarter be a really good just showing of football and what he’s able to do, then the team gets the win? How is that experience going to translate into the next game and hopefully multiple games? Yeah, I think from from two different ways that fourth quarter was really meaningful. First, from the football perspective, I think Cam Ward gained a lot of trust in his pass catchers who made some big plays with the ball in their hands. I think in his offensive lineman because he had some clean pockets to throw from in that fourth quarter. And I just think in himself and in the system because Cam wasn’t always throwing the vertical route and hunting downfield. My favorite play maybe in that whole sequence is a three-yard route to Chica Conquo where he headfakes and hesitates around two Cardinals defenders and picks up a first down along the sideline. I was standing right there. I was like, how in the world did he get away from those guys? And and I think those types of moments are a lesson to Cam to say, “All right, sometimes I can get a 15 yard gain by completing a 5-yard pass to Chig and letting him just embarrass two Cardinals defenders in space and we can create explosives in the pass game without me having to throw it 20 yards down the field through the air.” So, I think that’s the trust that just has to be gained and created in real game action. I think the offensive line piece of it, I think this offensive line is really starting to come together. Brian Callahan was super complimentary of that group this week talking to the media and um the center guard triangle as coach Mack likes to say in this game allowed zero pressures and zero sacks. Wow. Between Peter Scaransky, Lloyd Kushenberry and Kevin Zitler. You are seeing those three really start to come on strong. I think Ooli Udo has done a really admiral admirable job at right tackle. the state of backup offensive line play in the NFL is not very good. Titans have solid backups right now. And when Blake H was in there, too, I think he deserves some of that credit as well. And and Dan Moore, I think, is starting to come into his own as well and and get used to things on the left side. But then I think there’s the non- football piece, Amy, where that sideline wasn’t super down and I said a a hit about that early in the second quarter to to talk back to the guys and say like guys like you wouldn’t know this score is 21 to3 based on the sideline right now. And Tony Pard after his fumble went up to every member of his offensive line and shook their hand and said my bad and Cam is hyping guys up and Peter Scrronsky and Jeff’s coming over talking. Like there’s communication on the sidelines. there’s there’s genuine give and take happening. Nobody’s yelling at each other. Nobody’s upset. Nobody’s stressed. There’s frustration, but I felt like that was foreshadowing to then what happened in the fourth quarter that they didn’t get down. They didn’t get outside their plan. They made adjustments. So, that to me was was validation, was vindication of like, all right, this plan is working. They’ve got to execute it. It’s got to click and maybe there’s some some things to build on on on and off the field. I think in that fourth quarter that is really exciting going into summer. When you bring Helman’s creamy buffalo chicken dip to the watch party, you can cheer too loud or block the TV or be a couch coach and no one will eject you from the game. That’s a hail Mayo. Helman’s the official mayo of the Tennessee Titans. This summer, SeatGeek has your ticket to the best live concerts in Nashville at Nissan Stadium. SeatGeek makes it easy to catch worldconquering tours and highwiders performances from your favorite artists all summer long. SeatGeek has the best seat, your seat for an unforgettable summer. From rock royalty to rap superstars, R&B to country. Find it all on SeatGeek, the official ticketing partner of Nissan Stadium. It’s your summer. Make it count. SeatGeek. Hey Titans fans, with a Kroger Boost membership, you’ll score big with double fuel points, free delivery, and lots more. Go to kroger.com/boost for details. Kroger, the official ger of the Tennessee Titans. Tighten up. Now, back to the OTP. I think it’s underrated how much you can glean from how a team is going to perform by their body language and their mannerisms on the sideline. No doubt. And that might just be from sideline reporter to sailine reporter like of course it’s so important. Um but really the amount of times that I’ve been able to look down a bench and say these guys just they’re not into it today, right? And then and then they lose the game or you look and you say these guys are ready to play. You can just tell by the the routine, by the motions they’re going through, by the way they’re engaging with one another. You can tell when a team is locked in and even if things aren’t going their way, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t necessarily mean that it trans translates on the field all the time, but there is a dramatic difference between a team that is locked in and ready to play and a team that is pretty much disengaged. I agree and I think Cam Ward is the catalyst of all of it to be honest with you. I think he is uh not only communicating clearly with his teammates, but every time he’s done talking with Bo Hardigree on the bench, he is standing at the front of the white paint cheering on the defense. And there was a play that Jaylen Armor Davis made in this game where he had a pass break up on a third down and Cam Ward is the first guy like helping him up on the sideline. Like I know that’s a little thing, but I think Titans fans can feel comfort in the leadership they have on this football team. And Jeffrey Simmons has backed up everything he said he was going to do in preseason. He’s playing at a defensive player at the year level. Cody Barton has been such a a good veteran stabilizing force in the linebacker room, but the guy I think on the on the defense as well that really picked up the leadership baton as well was Legious Need in this game. and that play that I know he doesn’t get a hand on Amari de Marcato uh when he just tosses the football out of the back of the end zone which I I genuinely could not believe it just so many things happen in this game that’s like I might not see that in a whole season and it happened in one game. Yeah. Um but the way Loggerius was embraced on the sideline was a major spark and I talked to Kevin Winston Jr. about that in the locker room yesterday and um he talked about it as like that was that was it that was the spark that was the moment that got us all you know even more engaged. So yes, while there was not um a toxicity, there wasn’t over, you know, over frustration, maybe if that’s a word, um on the sideline of the first quarter, it went to another level of like, all right, now let’s go win it. Um once that play happened, which I thought was was really cool for Sneeed, a guy that has been through so many injuries, has had to battle and has had to work to get back on the field. The physical therapy is work. Like that is a a workout to get yourself healthy again with all that he’s been through. And uh it was really cool to see that paid off in a big moment on Sunday. So Callie’s been talking about how this team is 1 and0 right now. They week to week it’s just being one and0 from one week to the next. How do you think that mindset helps them? Not only when coming off of a string of games that they wish had gone their way, but also when coming off of a win. I think it makes a big difference, especially in a week where you don’t have a lot of time to really think about it. I mean, you got back so late, like we said, on on Sunday night. uh it’s a later day on Monday, you’re you’re forced to move on very quickly. Um you’re not home at a decent time to watch Sunday Night Football and see the halftime show talking about how good you were and the highlights, right? Like you have to move on. Um so I think that’s number one. I I think two, you just building competitive character with young football players who haven’t done this before. And this is a draft class that is playing a significant amount of snaps and minutes. That’s only going to grow, by the way, too, as Gunnar Helm makes more big plays in the red zone, as Marcus Harris makes more plays on special teams, which maybe earns him more of a look on defense and and things like that. But, um, I think for me, that’s where Brian Callahan has been really intentional about, um, building professionalism with a lot of players that were playing college football this time last year. I I think too, this is where you see Brian Callahan, the head coach and non-play caller, maybe relate to his players in a different way this week. And I talked to Ammani Hooker about that yesterday and not just this week, right? This is a a three-week process now. But um Ammani told me that Brian’s not only in the meetings for the defense, he’s giving input, he’s a part of the conversation and and he said that that’s something that you want a head coach to do. And not that there was anything wrong with the way he was relating to them earlier, but the the dynamic has changed and there is a trust in Bo Hardigree the play caller and Nick Holtz who does so much of the scripting and building out the framework of what they want the football game to look like during the week that um Brian has said like I can talk to my players more. I’m having more fun. I can you know relate to guys in the sideline. He got air after Tyler Lockett’s fumble recovery in the end zone. Like he up in the air. Yeah. How high? Like give me a range on the vertical here. It was a um like I don’t know if you’ve again my track brain like a triple jump or a long jump where you’re like jumping up into the pit like it was one of those where he’s like going off one leg and like almost like Super Mario when you hit the mushroom and it’s like and you jump up in the air. That’s super Callahan if we can make that. Yes, that’s kind of what it looks like. That’s phenomenal. Um, you know, someone that we haven’t talked about yet and I feel like we should is Taj Spears. Yes. Back got some action. He had 17 snaps, four touches. And so, of course, it’s his first game back from being on injured reserve, so you want to ease him back in. I’m sure he’s on a pitch count. Where do you hope to see him participate more in his second game back? Yeah, I think Taj is such an easy guy to root for. I mean, it it’s so obvious. Anyone that’s been around him, any fan that’s just gotten to know him since he’s been here, like, he’s just the nicest, most positive influence within that locker room. So, I think everyone is just so happy that he’s back and he can contribute. Um, I think in a couple ways. I I think as a pass catcher, he can do a lot of things that um I don’t know, just allow you to operate in a foam booth. That’s kind of what I think of when I think of Taj Spears. the the quick cuts, the ability to turn a 5yard angle route into a 15 to 20 yard gain, you know, the ability with the RPO game, I think, to run in a small space and get to that second and third level. And in my weekly pregame conversation with Mike Bonzi for um Titans Countdown, that’s the thing that he told me. He said, “We love Taj’s ability as an explosive runner to get to the second and third level.” And they really like his ability to turn simple, you know, quote unquote vanilla play calls into something big into a Sunday. And I think that’s where Taj really brings a different dynamic. And two, just saving Tony Pard for 18 weeks. I know this is something we’ve talked about a ton and um that was a a big challenge for Tony at the end of last year and in week 17 Taj Spears got his first career start as an NFL running back because Tony Per was just so banged up by the end of the season. So not only within a game do you need Tony running his best in the fourth quarter. We’d like for Tony to be his best in December and in January. And you know, whether that’s 10 to 12 carries, whether it’s five, six catches, what, whatever it looks like, riding the hot hand week in and week out, I think Taj helps get you the best version of Tony Pard. Absolutely. I think that on that note, we should probably take a cookie break. Let’s do it. Which I know is the whole reason that you came here, Will, to be a part of this today. I thought I in a a tired moment in uh at work today, I literally had the thought of like I get a cookie break today. It’s going to be all right. Well, there you go. Christy Cookie is here to help you out. They are the ones that send us the cookies for our cookie break. This week’s flavor, my friend, is Rocky Road. Oh, I’ve never had this before. Well, okay. So, you you are welcome. Please enjoy. Um, there’s a chance that I cheated earlier today and I looked to see what the the cookie flavor was and when I saw Rocky Road, I was like, I’m going to need to try this in advance. And I ate the whole thing in about 2 seconds. Perfect. Because it’s so good. We’ve got a chocolate and nutty and it’s I think these are white chocolate pieces in here, too. It’s just Yeah. Phenomenal. Right. I am making a mess. Um, Christy Cookie sends us these. If you would like to take your own cookie break, you are welcome to do so. You can order them at christycookie.com. You can get a tin like this. They have a couple different sizes. You can choose which flavors are in there if you want to. There’s a lot of different options. And the holidays are coming, guys. You know what says happy Halloween? Some crispy cookies. I’m not telling you what to do. That’s my favorite. Isn’t it good? That’s number one in my power rankings. All right, move aside, Snicker Doodle. That’s really good. Really good. All right. See, there you go. Um Christy Cookie from right here in Nashville. Head on over to christycookie.com. Click on corporate gifts for more information. Um send a cookie break to someone you love. Someone you love a lot. Like that is it tastes like cookie dough except it’s not going to hurt me. It’s great. Is cookie dough really going to hurt you? Well, that’s what my parents always told me, but they never stopped me. As an adult using your brain right now, have you ever heard on the news? No. Like, that’s true. Raw cookie dough kills sick. Doesn’t happen. I’m not I I don’t want to know the answer cuz I want more ammo to be able to do it. So, yeah. Never in my life have I heard of someone dying from raw cookie dough consumption. That’s true. That’s fair. Never. Very fair. It is time for the Little Caesar’s real deal matchup of the game with me, Amy Wells. This week’s Real Deal Matchup of the Game, I think, is Jeffrey Simmons verse the Raiders offensive line. The Raiders offensive line has allowed the second highest interior pressure rate this season at 10.4%. And that is music to Big Jeff’s ears. As Jeffrey Simmons leads all defensive tackles with 20 total pressures, there’s a lot of adjusting and movement on that Raiders offensive line. And so for someone like Big Jeff, who has been playing the best football of his career, there are a lot of spots where he can potentially make a big impact in his game. Titans fans, get 15% off your Little Caesar’s order of $15 or more at participating stores using code Titans 15. That is Titans5 at checkout. Excludes taxes and other fees. Pizza. Pizza. Okay, I’m need to stop eating because we need to talk because there are some awards that have been given. Yes. To Titans players and I feel we need to talk about them because the first one is a really big deal. Tim Ray DK was named the AFC special teams player of the week for week five. Really big deal. Not only because he’s a rookie y but also because he has been killing it recently. The guy leads the league in allpurpose yards. He has 783 allpurpose yards in five weeks. And oh by the way, he had another bananas long run that didn’t even count. So I mean that number could be substantially higher. He’d be well over 800 allpurpose yards. That’s pretty crazy. He has two of the top five longest returns this season, which is also crazy. Number two and number four. Like Jim DK is killing the game right now. So, I think that he deserves this award. And I mean, how fortunate are the Titans to have a guy like that in his rookie year putting up these kinds of numbers on this team? It’s huge. Uh the difference between needing a field goal at the end of that game on Sunday and a touchdown at the end of the game could literally be a 65 yard return that puts you in field goal range immediately. Like that that’s the kind of of impact that a play like that makes on a really close football game. And as close as a lot of these games have been it’s the difference in in winning and losing and what is a third of the game in the special teams. Although oftentimes it’s not treated as such. I I think Chim is uh a superstar in the making as a returner. I think as he gets more comfortable in that area of the game, it’s only going to open up more doors for him as an offensive player as well. Um cuz he’s just got things you can’t teach. His vision with the football in his hand, his change of direction, his just straight line speed as well is phenomenal. The Titans were near last in the NFL last year in average starting field position on offense. And that has drastically flipped in large part because Jim DK creating turnovers and turning the ball over less yourself. And um that’s the difference between winning and losing in the NFL. When everyone is good, when everyone has talent, when everyone on a given day can win or lose, even more so than college football, special teams is that much more magnified because the margins of good teams and rebuilding teams is so much smaller than it is in college football. So, Chim DK deserves a shout out, deserves um he deserves a tin of cookies as well. I would say Chim DK has earned it. He is uh he’s a stud. He’s doing a great job. Home is at the forefront of all we do. It’s why we’re so committed to caring for the places and spaces in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture provider of the Tennessee Titans. Genesis is the first and only official jeweler of the Titans, having earned that title since 2006. Titans players, coaches, and fans trust Genesis for the absolute best in selection, quality, customer service, and of course, value. for diamonds, engagement rings, designer fashion jewelry, and the largest selection of luxury pre-owned Rolexes in Tennessee. Genesis is the handsdown winner, Genesis Diamonds in Green Hills and Cool Springs, the official jeweler of the Tennessee Titans. Another guy who won an award um and this is a little more of a niche award because it was created invented by Brian Callahan, but I think it’s important to note Cedric Gray was named the dirty work player of the game. This is an award created by Brian Callahan for the guy who does the dirty work during the games. He gets to wear a black jersey during practice. It shows that he is the everyman working man. Um and this week it was Cedric Gray. He had 12 tackles vers Arizona. He had 17 verse Houston. The guy just continues to show up week after week after week. He’s everywhere. Um it truly I I think this is um such a a good success story for the Titans this year. I think it’s one of my favorite stories in the way Cedric Gray watched from the sideline injured last season for twothirds of the year and used that to learn and to grow and to understand how can I impact the game when I’m out there and my goodness is he impacting the game right now. I also loved the black jersey by the way. Like cool, right? I never thought of that being like a Titans look but it looks really good as a jersey nerd myself. I’ve loved it. Um, no, but Cedric is is such a smart player. You you talk to him and like 30 seconds into the conversation, you can tell like this guy not only plays fast, but his processing speed of understanding what he is doing and what his role is in the defense having success play like he understands it as he’s doing it. And not to say that um you know other players don’t, but there North Carolina doesn’t just hand out degrees like he he is a different level of football IQ of processing of understanding his role. And I think this too, Amy, is where Frank Bush, uh Coach Mack talks about it a lot, is in a lot of ways kind of the Bill Callahan of linebacker coaches. And he is a savant level coach at that position. and uh he has got quite a talent on his hand in Cedric because Cedric’s athleticism and just thumper ability is something that is not often coupled with processing speed and football IQ. And when you put those two things together and you have a guy that can run and hit as violently as he can, but he understands what the other 10 guys in the field are doing, that is the makings of a really special football player. Absolutely. Um, one more award that we need to acknowledge and this one was for our very own Taylor Zarszer. Good morning football named Taylor’s gamewinning radio call the best play call of the week. I love it. Isn’t that great? Here, can we play that? Are you ready, Mike? I am ready, Kyle. I believe you are. Our first award today is called best play call. It’s very, very simple. We heard them all. We love them all. But none more than Titans radio announcer Taylor Zarszer’s call of Joey Sly’s game-winning kick. Take it away, Taylor. Cox snaps it back. Sly lets it fly. Bullseye. Hey, Nashville. That sounds like a winner. The Tennessee Titans 22. The Arizona Cardinals 21. All right. So, you got He Lets It Fly, T Joey Sly, Bullseye. What a guy. My oh my in the I mean, it’s amazing thing. And by the way, that was like the strangest game of all time. So, you have to deliver like that. That was Taylor’s first season now as Titans radio announcer. Fantastic. Also does college football, college baseball, SEC Network. You liked it? Obviously, reminiscent of Happy Gilmore. Why don’t I go eat some hay? Make things out of clay by the bay. What do you say? Listen to what I say or you’ll pay. Okay. Awesome. Just so good. So good. I Oh, I I was so happy for him. I had chills in the sideline. I I was also jumping for joy the way Brian Callahan was earlier just listening to it in my ear and living in that moment. Taylor is crushing it. Like it’s it’s been so fun to just see our fans really get to know him and get to just hear the the new sound of Titans Radio with his leadership and him and Mac are are just crushing it. And um you can tell that Taylor Zarger is having a blast. That is the thing that I just love the most listening to him is you can tell he is just having so much fun. We are having so much fun on air with him off the air. It’s just it’s been awesome getting to know him and getting to work with him. Absolutely. You can go to the Titans Instagram if you want to not only hear that call, but also see Taylor make it in the booth. Titans Instagram is where you can find that. All right, on to the Raiders, my friend. Um, they are also one and four. They are coming off of a 40-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. They’ve lost four straight and are 0 and2 at home. Will bowling, I ask of you, what’s the deal with this Raiders team? Um, boys, so much. I mean, on offense, let’s start there. Um, Gino Smith has not been the same guy he was the past few years in Seattle. He looks a little bit more like New York Jets Gino Smith. Um, we hope that continues for another Sunday because he’s a really good football player and he has played a lot of football. Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator, Pete Carroll, the head coach. There are enough good football people over there. They’re going to get it figured out. Um, I think the challenge for Gino has been chemistry with his wide receivers and uh, you know, whether that is Trey Tucker, who I think has really come on strong and, uh, he’s had a good start to the season. Um, you know, tight end Brock Bowers has been injured. Uh, he did not play in this game. Dante Thornton, rookie out of Tennessee, shows a lot of promise, but he’s only got five catches, I believe, on 16 targets to start the year. Jacobe Meyers is kind of a do-it-all guy. It it feels like maybe on a lot of other rosters they’ve got a lot of twos. Who’s that one for them that’s kind of stepping up? Really? Brock Bowers is kind of wide receiver one. So without him, it further magnifies some of the weaknesses and inadequacies at that position. But Ashton Genty is the guy and Ashton Genty is a problem that the Titans have to have a solution for. Um, you look at just his his raw numbers and it’s impressive, but then you look at the missed tackles that he’s forcing. Uh, I mean, against the Bears in week four, he forced nine missed tackles, 123 yards after contact. He is someone um that he’s almost, we were talking about this this week on the radio show, he’s kind of got a little Maurice Jones Drew in him, almost mixed with like a like a prime Todd Gurley, the way he can catch the football. There’s a little bit of Alvin Chimera in there. He He does everything and he stands in the back field straight up like Michael Myers and it’s haunting this time of year. Um spooky. Absolutely. He He’s just you just got to tackle him and and sometimes like you know that’s not groundbreaking analysis but like just tackling him when you have the opportunity to tackling tackle him sometimes is as simple as it gets. And that sounds really simple for me who is not athletic and uh for the athletes and getting him on the ground. It’s much easier said than done, but that that’s I think the the thing that sticks out about this Raiders offense is Ashton Genty has the ability to take really simple plays and turn them into explosive plays, and you can’t let that happen Sunday. You know, it’s interesting that you say that tackle him is not um groundbreaking analysis. But that is typically what I scream at the television when I’m watching football more than anything else. Tackle him. Yes. Yes. Or get him. Yeah. Get him is a really good one. I do that a lot too, which people are like, “They pay you to work in the NFL for that.” Absolutely. They sure do. Um, let’s talk a little bit about the other side of the ball in Max Crosby because we know what he can do. We’ve seen him wreck games time and time again. And he still seems to be that guy even if he’s not putting up the like bananas numbers, he’s still putting up some pretty strong numbers. He is a couple of sacks for him to start the season. And uh the pressure rate is what has not been as high as it typically is. This is one of my nerd nuggets of of the day and of the show. Uh 10.1% pressure rate for Max Crosby this year. That is actually below league average and well below his average of his career at 13%. So um that can mean one of two things. It could mean that Max Crosby coming off of ankle surgery last year is still um getting um getting revved up for the season. It could also mean that he’s angry enough where he takes it out on you and you do not want the latter to be the case because um he is disruptive. You know, it’s it’s interesting this week talking to JC Laam in the locker room, which was great to catch up with him and we hope that he could be back for this game on Sunday. He compared Max Crosby to Jeff Simmons in the way that Jeffrey Simmons is relentless to the football. And you’ll see a run left when Crosby or Jeff are lined up on the right side and all of a sudden as the play ends, here comes Jeff just diving into the pile. Max Crosby’s going to do that, too. So, in the Titans run game, in the pass game, in the screen game, he will recognize what is happening and just turn and sprint and find whoever has the football. So, you have to always know where Max Crosby is on the field. Again, sounds really simple, but that means as the play goes as well, kind of the play within the play. Um, I also would really love to be a fly on the wall and I guess I will be a little bit for just some of the conversations between Max and Cam Ward. I think those two are going to talk quite a bit. I think uh both are going to enjoy that. I think Max Crosby is the type of veteran pass rusher who likes to try to get in quarterback’s heads and I think Cam Ward’s going to embrace that and have some fun with it on Sunday. Absolutely. I think he is too. The Titans take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiance Stadium. Kickoff for that game is at 3:05 p.m. local time. Titans Radio is on the air at 2 o’clock. So, you don’t want to miss Titans Countdown because I believe you’re talking with Cha Conquo. Yes. Uh, talking with Cha Conquo and I think people will always enjoy hearing from him because he’s just a fun guy who’s really good and can do this job when he’s done. He’s far from done, but yeah, very fun guy to talk to. Yeah. No, absolutely. If you are going to Vegas and you are going to be um heading out to the game, heading out to whatever it is you do in Vegas, I don’t ask those questions. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday night, we have exactly the thing for you because the Titans are hosting a road rally. This is the place for all Titans fans to be. It is at Old Red. It’s from 5 to 8:00 p.m. This is in Vegas. So, if you go to the Old Red in Nashville, you’re at the wrong place. I’m sure that’s fine. But this is in Las Vegas. There’s an Old Red there as well. Same kind of vibe, but with Titans. So, you head on out there 5 to 8:00 p.m. this Saturday night. Titans alumni will be there. Derel Casey’s going to be there. Kevin Vandenb Kyle Vandenbos is going to be there. KVB. Yep. He’s going to be there as well. And so, um, there’s also going to be a lot of games and a talk and I’m There’s always door prizes. It’s going to be a blast. Every road rally the Titans throw is epic. Yes. And I’m sure this one will be no exception. So head on out to the Titans Road Rally. Also, in case you missed it, Allan Jackson is going to be coming to Nissan Stadium in June of 2026. It is going to be an epic show. An epic show. The list of people that are going to be at that is crazy town. It’s like better than some award shows. Yeah, it’s it’s pretty incredible, honestly. Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. Everybody you can think of. Luke Combmes is going to be there, Keith Urban, uh Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood. There’s It’s amazing. I mean, there’s 15 of them only in Nashville. Yeah. It’s going to be the most Nashville thing that could ever happen and it’s happening at Nissan Stadium, one of the most Nashville venues. Um so, if you would like tickets for that pre-sale, you can register for pre-sale right now. Pre-sale happens in roughly a week, the 13th I believe. And then tickets go on sale for real for real on the 17th, which is his birthday. Fantastic. Isn’t that nice? So, be sure to check that out. You don’t want to miss that show. It’s going to be an epic show. Uh Will, are there any little nerd nuggets that I blew past? Uh uh, a couple more. Not too much, honestly. Uh, Ashton Genty, sixth in the NFL with 292 yards after contact. Wow. of his 349 rushing yards that he has already this season. Um, I thought this was interesting. This was actually going into the Colts matchup uh for Vegas. They have played zone defense on 88% of their snaps on defense. Interesting. That is second highest in the NFL this season. We already got to the other nugget on Max Crosby. Um, not really a nerd thing, but something to monitor with uh Vegas at center. Jordan Meredith is an undrafted center out of Western Kentucky. He’s a veteran. He’s not undrafted this year. Um he has never played center before until this year. So had never played center, moved from guard inside. Three penalties for him in the past couple of weeks and this season. And one of them was a delay of game where Gino Smith’s trying to snap the ball and he just didn’t snap the ball. And they kind of got into it on the sideline a little bit uh in that loss to the Colts. So that’s something I think to watch. And then Stone Foresight, their left tackle in for the injured Colton Miller uh made his first career start over the weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. And um that’s something to monitor as well. I think the Titans pass rush and Fiola Dejo and Jiad Ward who I think has been an excellent kind of under the radar. Brian Callahan called him a glue guy addition um this week. So I think Titans pass rush is starting to ascend a little bit, starting to be a bit more disruptive. This is an offensive line you can get after a little bit. um as they’ve got some injuries and they’ve got Jackson Powers Johnson moving from left guard to right guard. Just a lot of moving parts. They’ve not got that offensive line settled yet. So, uh not as nerdy of a nugget there, but just one other thing on on Vegas. It’s still good. We like them. Nerdy or less nerdy. We love We love all of the nuggets that you bring to the OTP. We are so excited to uh go back on the road and then you get some time at home. Yes. I’m excited to reintroduce myself to my friends and family. It’s great. It’s gonna be really nice the whole month of November here in Nashville. That’s great. So, it’s coming right around the bend. You got it like one more road game after this one to get through and then you’re made in the shade for a little bit and then December your high knees back on the back. So, sorry. That’s all right for Will Bowling who maybe needs a nap. I’m Amy Wills thanking you for listening to the [Music]

Amie Wells is joined by Will Boling to breakdown the keys for a Titans win in Las Vegas against the Raiders. Plus, the duo reacts to their teammate Taylor Zarzour’s award winning call of the week.

00:00 – 07:50 Recapping Titans win in Arizona
08:57 – 18:54 Winning Changes Everything
18:55 – 19:57 Amie’s Real Deal Matchup of the Game
19:58 – 22:32 Chimere Dike’s impact as a returner
22:58 – 25:51 Cedric Gray’s grit
25:50 – 28:11 Taylor Zarzour’s game winning call
28:12 – 34:58 Breaking down the Raiders
34:59 – 38:38 Titans Road Rally

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