The OTP | Titans Bye Week Takeaways & Texans Rematch Preview

The OTP | Titans Bye Week Takeaways & Texans Rematch Preview

[Music] This is the OTP. I’m Amy Wells and we are joined by Titans Radio’s very own Will Bowling. Will the Titans are getting ready to take on the Houston Texans here at Nissan Stadium. It’s an AFC South rematch of course and um it’s part of our three, four, five week depending on how you count it stretch of being at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Um, really excited for this game and there’s so much to talk about, but I feel like the obligatory thing to do after the the week after the by-week is ask somebody, “How was your bye-week? What did you do?” It’s like summer vacation. So, how was your by-week? What did you do? It was good. And I have a really boring answer for you because I watched NFL football with the sound on is pretty much the only difference for me. Yeah. of the uh of the by-week was sitting on a couch on Sunday uh ordering food, cooking a little bit of food and just watching NFL football. I mean truly I don’t have any other more exciting answer for you other than that. Did you watch games like in their entirety or did you watch Red Zone? I am a Red Zone person. I love Red Zone as much as anyone that watches NFL football. I want to be Scott Hansen when I grow up to be quite honest with you. And uh no, I am a big uh uh game I want to watch on a tablet/laptop slash have red zone on person. So we’re multitasking in that way. Your bye week a lot more exciting and eventful than mine was. Well, my by week was fine. I went on a trip um and it was delightful. I love Shout out to the good people of Portland, Maine. You’re very and accommodating. It was beautiful. Um did watch a lot of football though and watched a lot of NFL football. And let me tell you, I enjoy Red Zone as much as the next guy, okay? And when I first was on maternity leave, the first time I was on maternity leave, I uh like didn’t know what to do with myself because NFL games were happening and I wasn’t there and it was a whole thing. And that was the first time that I had ever seen Red Zone really because I’ve been working in the National Football League for my entire adult life. And I was amazed and I sat on the couch for like eight hours. I mean, I have this newborn and I was like, “Well, can’t deal with that. Got to watch Red Zone.” Like, it it was very much like a a big deal. And I was obsessed with it. Now that I’m familiar with it and it’s not as novel to me anymore, I miss the context of a football game. Yeah, that’s fair. Like I I I want to know like it feels like it pulls a little bit of the like romance of the game out because there you’re missing some of the context of like well how did they get to this place when it’s just like big play after big play after big play. You never invest in anything and I like the whole story. That’s why you’ve you’ve got to have a laptop where you can invest in one game that you care most about the context and then red zone. I mean, I think I probably Exactly. I probably am flipping it. Like, I think probably most people have the one game they’re investing in and then they go red zone on the on the side on the tablet. My brain’s not normal. I I’ve I’ve accepted this long time ago. Maybe it’s just the fact that it’s wired for I’ve done play-by-play broadcasting for so many years that I’m like thinking of so many different things at once. And like on a Saturday for college football, I’m watching a game. I’ve got a laptop. I’ve got soccer on a tablet. And then I’m scrolling on TikTok on my phone. like it’s just that in one screen for red zone. So, it works for me, but I also accept that I am weird and that’s okay. Well, on Saturdays and Saturdays are different because there’s so many different like I mean there’s so many different conferences and so many different things that are presentations are all different. Yeah. So, we’ve got we’ve got like the four screen that we watch and we do that whole thing. Um, so I understand that and I will say like I just went on this big diet tribe about how I care about like the romance and the poetry of a game and like the full thing. I I have nothing for the third quarter of a football game regardless of what what type of football it is. High school, college, pro, I am sleeping through the third quarter if I have the ability to. I will go to sleep at halftime. I would like to wake up at the start of the fourth quarter and see where we’re at. The third quarter, I don’t have anything for it. I don’t know why I’m built this way. I don’t I don’t know why. My brain is just like, h, they’ll figure it out in the fourth. Like, snack time. I just don’t care. It’s like we get through the first half and it’s like, okay, this is where we are. And then it’s either like they’ll keep going and it’ll be fine, or well, we’ll make it up at some point, probably in the fourth. Let’s just skip ahead. For whatever reason, my brain wants to be sleeping during the third quarter of all games. All right. whether I’m working them or not. It’s if you see me during the third quarter of a Titans game, my head I might be dissociating. I’m I’ll check in with you in the fourth. I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you guys. But this is also the bye-week regardless of us and our football consumption or taking breaks or whatever it is you did over the weekend. It’s also really good for a football team. a football team that’s kind of beat up is dealing with some health injur some health issues, some injury issues at some key places. Um, and also just a team that probably could use a little mental reset. How valuable do you think this is going to be coming off of a break going into the second half of this season now? Well, I think it’s a valuable um thing for this offense in particular. And you think about the changes now that Mike McCoy can put on this offense and help kind of envision for Cam Ward in this offense. I think for Cam, too. Um I don’t know if that guy has left this facility since training camp started. I mean, truly, I was I I was having a conversation with somebody where I was relieved to see on his Instagram story there was a picture of like food or something that was not football. I was like, “This is shocking to me that Cam is doing something that’s not football.” I I think there’s value in that. I think there’s value in a reset. I think there’s value in going back to the drawing board and seeing um what is working that was a part of our original plan coming into the season. What is not working that was a part of original plan? How do we change that plan to now fit what has or hasn’t worked at this point? I think the Titans had a good season as well to have a midseason by week. you know, with our international trip to London a few years back, very early. We’ve had very late by-weeks uh the past couple of seasons. I think right at the end of October, middle of October and and November, all very logical points to kind of take a reset, take a beat. Um and for a young football team with so many rookies physically, that chance to kind of ration your energy to halfway now, how do we prevent from hitting the rookie wall, so to speak? And I think having a by-week well positioned where the Titans had it um certainly helps in that. I think when you have a team with as much youth and as many rookies contributing in such predominant ways, managing that rookie wall is a thing that you really have to be aware of. And while I know we all say it with air quotes, it is a real thing because this is a lot more football than they’re used to playing. And they didn’t really get the break after the end of the 24 season because they were getting ready to become NFL players. And that’s very taxing on your body. So I think that while we all say it as kind of a well, you know, whatever, it is a real thing. It definitely is. And I think that’s where um you know, the the plan in the weight room, the plan in nutrition, the plan of everything you were doing in this building beyond just football uh matters for a young football team. I also think it’s it’s a positive thing that um aside from a couple of West Coast games that maybe to the fans in Nashville feel later and feel different. You have had the same routine on game day, you have had the same routine on weekends, getting to the plane at the same time, getting up at the same time, being at the stadium and and that matters for young football players. It matters for for veteran ones, too. I stopped at saying old football players. I’m not calling anybody old. Feel free to. But I I I really do think that that routine, there’s value in that for this team. And um you know, I there’s so much new still within this coaching staff, within Mike McCoy’s influence, within hey, how do we go to a whiteboard, erase it, and and start from scratch a little bit and and they talked about that uh the players did this week. Mike McCoy talked about it to the media when he opened up the week to say, “Hey, starts with third down for us.” You know, we want to be better on third down. That’s our point of emphasis. like how do we really get specific like let’s master this one thing and focus on this one thing and see what other benefits for can can come from that. You’re not feeling like you’re pushing a boulder up a hill. You’re feeling like one element, one key, one goal. If we can focus on that, you’re kind of focusing your energy on that one thing. You don’t feel like you are so overwhelmed with all of the professional football you have left to play. So, a quick kind of review to this point. I want to talk about people who have really exceeded expectations. And when you think about someone who’s exceeded expectations, I think the list, I mean, starts and almost stops with Chimray DK. Absolutely. Um, tell me what has stood out to you specifically. So much. Um, on the field, his ability to make guys miss an open space is something you can either do or you can’t do. And um Coach Mack has said it since the season started like the guy’s really fast. That’s high level analysis right there. But like he he can run and and he is a a premier athlete that fits professional football. It’s not something that has expired for him as he’s no longer playing against college football players. It’s something that he’s going to excel in and always be able to just make someone miss an open space. That’s the the simplicity of football. Can you beat the guy in front of you? Whether you’re a big guy or a skilled guy, a littleer guy. Um, statistically with 1,514 all-purpose yards, he needs 186 all-purpose yards this week, which considering the kickoff returns, the punt returns, he’s had within reach for him, uh, to become the sixth player since the 1970 merger with 1,700 all-purpose yards in his team’s first 10 games. Wow. That is remarkable. remarkable what he has been able to do this season as a punt returner, as a kick returner, uh, and as a wide receiver. I think the thing that really impresses me at this stage of the season now is with the absence of Tyler Lockett and with some of the the names and faces changing at the wide receiver position for this team, his ability to maybe be ahead of schedule as a wide receiver in this offense. I think we came into the season thinking it’s Calvin, it’s Tyler, it’s maybe Van Jefferson, it’s Ella Manor. Chimra DK is going to earn the opportunity to play offense by excelling on special teams. Well, he’s not only excelled on special teams. He’s, as Taylor Zarzer says, been the most electric return man in football this year. So, um, that’s the way this has got to go for young players. A lot of the times you master special teams. All right. Well, you’re going to then earn the opportunity to play more on your side of the football. Um, sky’s is the limit for this guy. He is so much fun to watch and just getting to spend time around him off the field so impressive. I mean that Mike Borggoni, Chad Brinker, this front office, they have a type and he certainly fits the type that I was talking to Rhett Bryant about this the other day actually like there’s so many team captains. There’s so many guys that played at premier high school football programs, at premier college football programs that are, we talk about the rookie wall, used to playing impactful games in November. And it’s it’s harder to hit a rookie wall when you’re a guy like Chim Ray DK who’s played at two really big power four programs um used to playing really important football in the month of November. Hey football fans, satisfy your halftime hunger with Snickers and you could win sweet prizes this NFL season. Visit snickers.com/halime to enter and view the official rules. Pick up Snickers at a Kroger near you. 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. 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. Who are you excited to watch maybe level up or play at a higher level in the second half of the season? For me, it’s Tandre Sweat. and thinking about Sweat and the two sacks already this season, that’s already uh more than he had last season. Um the impact of him as a run stopper, as a pass rusher, to be able to play with a linebacker in Cedric Gray, who I would also put up there in the Chim DK category of of really coming on strong this season. Yep. Um we’re hopeful to get Jeffrey Simmons back soon. I know Jeff has taken to social media and he’s clearly antsy to be back out there, but we’re still waiting on that when he and Sweat can get on the field together. We’re going to see once they play their first quarter together. We’re going to see the second quarter of them really being on the field together. It hasn’t really happened for them this season. It’s been really unlucky for this defense and for each of them that their injuries have kind of been one after the other. So, um, I think Devandre Sweat’s ability to take advantage of Jeffrey Simmons dominance up front this season is a really big deal for him and a really big opportunity for this defense to uh, really feel like they can hang their hat on that front forward on that defensive line. Cam Ward, obviously also a rookie um, but in a incredibly prominent position obviously. um we saw his decisionmaking starting to improve a little bit and just the way that he was growing through his progression, the way that he was making choices on the field kind of in the heat of the moment. Um do you expect to see that continue or I guess we all hope to see that continue? Do you did it appear to you that he was on the right trajectory before the bot? I think he definitely was and and I think it’s understanding when to take chances and when to check it down. Um I think getting Taj Spears back helps because Taj is a really easy guy to check it down to because he can take a five yard flat route or a five or six yard angle route and turn it into an explosive play. It’s it’s when the live bullets are firing or flying. Seeing that work and say, “Oh, okay. I I can check this down. I can I can take my time here.” Um Kamar talked this week to the media about not throwing off balance if he doesn’t have to. Um he talked about just taking what is in front of him. And the only way to learn that is by playing professional football. Uh practice is one thing, but until you have the fear of getting hit, until an edge rusher is running at you full speed and not to just run around you and yell sack, but to actually hit you, uh it’s different. So I I certainly think he was on the right track. I certainly think that having uh Calvin Ridley nearing a return uh is a very big deal because the last time we saw Calvin Ridley, he had five catches for 131 yards against the Arizona Cardinals and the Titans won that football game because of Calvin Ridley’s late game uh emergence really on that day. So Cam’s decisiveness is really important whether it’s hey I’m going to step up and run. Hey, I’m going to check this down to Chicka Conquo or Taj Spears or hey I’m going to take a shot because I see a window here. It’s just making quicker decisions. Even if that decision is different from play to play, it doesn’t always have to be a checkown. It’s just got to happen a little bit faster and and that’s just going to come with time. Absolutely. Uh the by-week also a great time for people to get healthy. There are a couple names that we are hoping to see if not this week soon, but they seem to be on the right trajectory here. Uh Calvin Ridley, he was limited on Wednesday. Uh well, seemed as though he was getting some more work on Thursday. last played in week six against the Raiders and he’s had a hamstring thing. Will be great to get him back eventually. Ardan Key, same thing. He’s been battling a quadricep. He I mean said on Wednesday after practice, it felt good to get out on the field and out of the training room. So, that’s one that we’re excited about. And Jeffrey Simmons is another one we are waiting to see. We’re hoping it’s soon. We want him out on the field. He wants him out on the field. Um, but how good is it going to be to get some of these key players back on the field? Well, it’s great. And you’re talking about key leaders. You’re talking about guys that lead the team out of the locker room. I mean, that that was one thing I I noted on um Titans Radio’s broadcast in in Indie was like Cedric Gray, JC Laam, and Chim DK are leading the team out on the field. It’s different to not see Jeffrey Simmons and Ardan Key as as loud and vocal as they always are because I I always hear that the team is taking the field before I see the team taking the field because I hear those two guys. Obviously, the impact is more than just leading the team on the field. But, uh I do think there’s something to be said for having your leaders back, having your loud voice, louder voices back and um you know, Calvin Ridley I think has still really been engaged with this offense and coaching guys on the sideline. I know you’ve seen that as well um at the home games of just talking with Chim Ray DK, talking with Elkaya Manor, talking to Cam because um those two were joined at the hip all through training camp and and through week six in Vegas when he unfortunately picked up that injury. Um Calvin Ridley really wants to be out there and I think he gives such uh a sense of calmness to Cam Ward to say if all else breaks down, I know Calvin Ridley can go make a play. Now, the beauty is that in Calvin’s absence, other guys have started making plays for him, too. And I I think that’s where DK has really stepped into a bigger role. And Gunner Helm, I know Cam loves throwing too, and how could you not with as well as he catches the football. Um but I yes it big deal to get guys back especially with the the trade of Draymond Jones being able to slot Ardan Kei right back in there at that edge rusher position where um Jiad Ward has really picked up the slack where Tandre Sweat has created more one-on-one opportunities for those outside guys. Um this defense has I think done a really admirable job these past couple of weeks with a lot of changing faces and names and it’ll be great to get some veterans back in there. Well, and to your point about leadership, it’s one thing to be on the field acting as an extra set of eyes and an extra set of just vocal kind of presence being there to help coach people through and all of that stuff. And that’s great. But when the play on the field isn’t there, it’s like, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, okay, okay. I got it. It’s another thing to have the guy who’s out on the field with you helping you out, and you’re doing it together, and it feels like what you’ve been preparing for this whole season. So, uh, just having those leaders not only on the sideline, but also on the field in the mix is incredibly valuable and hopefully we’re going to get those soon. So, we are going to pause here for a cookie break from Christy Cookie. Christy Cookie can create custom holiday tins for any size business and we all know that the holidays are right around the corner. Visit visit christycookie.com and click on corporate gifts for more information. They can do all kinds of things. Personal gifts, corporate gifts, whatever you need. ChristyCookie.com is where you can get all of that. So, check it out. And we love their delicious cookies. Mhm. It is now time for the Little Caesars Real Deal Matchup of the Game with our very own Keith Bulock. Here’s the deal. The matchup I’m most looking forward to see this Sunday is the Titans offensive line verse Will Anderson Jr. and Denil Hunter. These two defensive ends for the Texans have over 80 pass rushes, pressures, and over 20 quarterback sacks combined. The Titans offensive line has been a work in process. Has been getting better each week. Let’s see coming off of a buy if they can provide the protection Camaro needs to get the points the Titans need to win. Titans fans, get 15% off of your Little Caesars’s order of $15 or more at participating scores using code Titans 15 at checkout. That excludes taxes and other fees, of course. Pizza. All right, so we’re talking Texans. I feel like Keith Bulock kicked us off really well here. The Texans are coming off of a 36-29 crazy town victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and some of the numbers that they put up were just goof troop. Um goof troop. They are goof troop numbers. I mean that was just that was a crazy fourth quarter which once again did we even need the third quarter of that game? Probably not. Could have been an email. Yeah, it could have been an email. It could have been an app. Fourth quarter is where it’s at. I’m telling you. But really, I mean, a lot of momentum for the Texans coming into this game. What are you looking for as they take on the Titans here in Nashville? Well, I I think the the defense complements their offense very well um in a couple of ways. You look statistically at what they do on defense. They’re fourth against the pass. They’re second against the run, number one in scoring defense and total defense and yardage allowed. Um it’s kind of amazing. The Texans are under 500 because they lead the league in average margin of victory. They have 19 and a half points per game in the games that they have won. Uh and a blowout of the Baltimore Ravens without Lamar Jackson certainly contributed to that. But um I think you look at this defense and at all three levels I I can’t find a weakness. They are totally nasty. They have two of the top players in terms of total pressures this season in Denil Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. U Will Anderson Jr. who is second, Dino Hunter who is eighth. Um, all five of their losses are one-sore losses this season. And the only reason they were really in the position to lose to Jacksonville is because they had two fumbles deep in their own territory early in that football game that Jacksonville, who’s really good at creating turnovers, uh, were able to capitalize on. Uh, but they are actually still plus six in turnover margin as well defensively. So, uh, they turn it over, uh, defensively and then offensively they hold the football. And, and that sounds like really like baseline like, all right, like the goal is to score, not hold the football, but when your defense is that good, sometimes just giving them enough time to be at their best, it matters. And this offense is not um, explosive, doesn’t really jump off the page, but they’re third in time of possession. And that’s the thing is they’re not setting up that defense with really short fields because they’re not turning the ball over a ton. Uh they’re ending drives with a kick. Whether that’s a field goal from Caim Fairband, whether that’s a punt, whether that is an extra point. Um that is meaningful for this defense. They outgained Jacksonville 412 to 213 in this game and yet still trailed by 19 in the fourth quarter. Um Davis Mills is um certainly a a more than capable replacement for CJ Strad. We’ve seen him six times uh in his Houston Texans career if he’s the guy that that ends up going, which looks like is going to be the case. And um yeah, it’s just it’s a good football team that has not had the ball bounce their way in some one-score games that’s made a pretty good team, look like a below average team, and I don’t think this is a below average football team. Well, Nico Collins was a big part of Davis Mill’s success and the numbers that he was putting up. Um great to see him kind of getting back to what he was. I feel like we haven’t talked about him in a while and now all of the sudden it’s like, “Oh yeah, remember?” So good. He He is a He is a stud. He is the Nico Dins. Nico Collins is down there somewhere guy where you can just run the he’s down there somewhere play from time to time with him. Um throw it, you’ll find it. Absolutely. Um he is he’s awesome. He’s a thousand yard receiver, well over thousand yard receiver, of course last season. But there are two other guys as well that you’ve got to account for that I think have given Nico Collins more opportunities to kind of feast on defenses. And that’s the former Iowa State Cyclone teammates in Jaylen Nowell and Jaden Higgins, the second and third round picks of the Houston Texans this past year. And Jaden Higgins had a big touchdown catch in that comeback over the weekend. He’s starting to emerge a little bit. Just as you start to take Nico Collins away or or try to as most teams fail at that, that’s when one of those other guys will break an explosive play. And and Woody Marks as well, the running back who had 119 yards of total offense against the Titans in the first meeting between these two teams on the ground and in the air. Absolutely. Nico Collins is the guy. It feels to me like there are more players that are younger that are now also starting to benefit from a healthy Nico Collins taking so much attention. On the other side, Nico Collins is benefiting from these guys as well. It’s it is becoming a more dangerous offense. So, from September to November, what has changed about the Texans and what did the Titans need to do to take advantage of that? Well, from matchup one to two, obviously the quarterback in the game, CJ Strad has changed and and that is something that um obviously impacts the game. I I think the thing that’s interesting about CJ Strad is he has won 300 yard games since week 11 of last year. So, they’ve been winning without this offense really doing it for them anyway. And and Davis Mills, like we said, is serviceable. So, obviously, I think you start there. I think Woody Marks um becoming more of a guy um more so than Nick Chub um without, you know, some of the names that we’ve come to know and Damen Pierce at at running back and some of the other um kind of household names at in Houston. And Woody Marks is a former wide receiver uh in college football and later in his career moved to running back. He is certainly a very capable wide receiver. Um this offensive line hasn’t I think been as bad as a lot of people expected it to be. Um their second round pick out of Minnesota, Arante Ursery filling in for the traded Laramunel in the offseason. He’s looked better. I think he’s looked more comfortable since the Titans saw him last. From the Titans perspective, what’s different from the last time we saw the Texans? JC Laam is back at right tackle and uh I talking to him this week. I got the chance to catch up with him in the locker room on Wednesday. Uh he was excited and and he was certainly excited to look back at that film and say, you know, Oludo did a good job. I’m excited to have my own chance against these guys. And his former teammate Will Anderson Jr. as well uh on defense. We said was not the smack talk kind of guy. You know, they don’t they’re not texting back and forth, but he’s like looking forward to seeing him and just moved on to the next question. But, um, I think JC Laam getting healthier though is a big deal for this offensive line. And and JC with a a hip injury um coming back in terms of just something that’s kind of a pain tolerance kind of energy injury. It’s not going to get u 1,000% better. As close as you can get to 100%. Um, the better he’s going to be obviously. And and he told me Wednesday, he said, “I I changed up my routine of the by-week a little bit. I I changed up when I started to kind of get back out there and work out and what I was pushing myself to do, I feel better. And so I think if you’re looking at what’s different from from then to now, that’s certainly a place you got to start with the Titans as well. Titans fans, SeatGeek is the official primary ticketing partner of TitanUp and here to help you experience all the action this season. SeatGeek makes it easy to find the perfect seats to the perfect game so you can be part of all the touchdown celebrations and momentum shifting takeaways this season. Whether you’re getting tickets to Titans games or to any live event in Nashville, SeatGeek is the place to do it. SeatGeek is the official primary ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. Home is at the forefront of all we do. is 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. Now, back to the OTP. I know you had the chance to talk to Kevin Winston Jr. for Titans Radio. Give us a little preview of what people are going to hear on Titans Countdown before the game. Kevin Winston Jr. is awesome. I truly had so much fun catching up with him and and talking with him. Um before we turned on the microphone and and in the interview um again like Jim Raik, this organization has a type and it’s team captains. It’s guys from premier programs. I mean Penn State, he’s a guy that’s played in really important games in December and in November. And so um Kevin Winston Jr. got to learn a lot from a really good experienced safety room and now he feels ready to take what is in his head and and do it on the football field. And I I asked him about that like how much different has this process been for you? How patient have you had to be coming off of an ACL injury your last year at Penn State? He said like man I I I don’t even know how I would have mastered all of this had I just gone out and done it. He said there’s honestly kind of been a blessing to be able to sit back and watch how Quandre Diggs and Mike Brown and and Ammani Hooker and Xavier Woods like how they have all done practice like coming to work every day watching film like understanding what they’re doing and taking those kind of mental reps. So, um he is he’s ready. He’s been chomping at the bit and he is ready to make a big impact on this defense. He had one pressure against the Chargers that forced a a missed throw on third down that helped the defense get off the field a couple of weeks ago. Um he’s just a very very smart football player. And when you pair a smart football player with a guy that’s played at a premier high school in Damatha Catholic to Penn State, which is a perennial playoff contender uh in his time there to now a just athletic freak that’s long, that’s lanky, that’s fast. Um, and the the mindset of it, I’ve got really really high expectations for Kevin Winston Jr. That’s awesome. Well, be sure to check out that interview with Kevin Winston Jr. on Titans Countdown, which starts at 11 a.m. Central time, an hour before kickoff. That game kicks off at noon, of course. Titans taking on the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium this Sunday. We are so excited and I think it’s going to be decently nice. I think chillyish but kind of windy. Yeah, I think I saw last high 50s, low 60s and sunny. Okay, sun is good. We can work with that. Yeah, we can work with that. I also I I I I do feel bad and I feel lucky at the same time. Um the last time I did sidelines for Titans Radio for a game outdoors was week one in Denver. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you’re the next time you do sidelines for Titans Radio, all the luck ends. It will be in Cleveland in December. I’m excited about it. And it’s going to be chilly. Yeah. But that’s okay. No, I’m excited. Please remember that on October It’s not October. What am I saying? No, that’s where my brain is. In November the 13th, uh I said I was excited. I need you to quote me on that when I’m I’ll ask you immediately following the game. One finger texting you after the game like, “What am I doing?” No, it’ll be uh it’ll be I think it’ll be good this weekend, though. Yeah. No, I think it’s going to be okay. The thing that gets you is the wind. And I think there’s going to be a little bit of wind. So Titans fans, if you’re coming out, wear a windbreaker, wear a jacket, maybe a nice hat to keep your head warm. You will be fine. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be great. Titans taking on the Texans this Sunday. Nissan Stadium. Kickoff again is at noon for Will Bowling. I’m Amy Wells. Thanking you for listening to this edition of the OTP. [Music]

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Hosts Amie Wells and Will Boling recap the Titans’ bye week, discuss player development, injury updates, and expectations for rookie quarterback Cam Ward heading into a key divisional matchup with the Houston Texans. Plus, the duo spotlights emerging rookies, returning veterans, and how Tennessee can take advantage of Week 11 opportunities at Nissan Stadium.

00:00 – 02:03 — Show Open, Bye Week Recap & NFL RedZone Talk
02:03 – 05:06 — Rest, Routine & The Value of a Midseason Break
05:06 – 08:42 — Rookies, Reset & Managing the “Rookie Wall”
08:42 – 10:16 — Exceeding Expectations
10:16 – 12:18 — All-Purpose Stats & Special Teams Impact
12:18 – 13:04 — Halftime Break & Sponsor Messages
13:04 – 15:14 — Defensive Growth
15:14 – 17:51 — Cam Ward’s Progression & Offensive Outlook
17:51 – 20:19 — Injury Updates
20:19 – 27:19 — Texans Preview
27:19 – 30:46 — Kevin Winston Jr. Feature & Titans Countdown Preview
30:46 – 32:18 — Game Day Forecast, Sideline Notes & Show Wrap-Up

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