 tight to select. Javon Curse linebacker defensive back middle Tennessee for Sean Jeffery Simmons Tennessee Titans. We're about to make you a Tennessee time. All right. All right. All right. It's time to get excited. It's time to party. We are live here at the Gibson garage for the Titans virtual draft party presented by Gibson. I'm Lance Smith with the legend Eddie George. It is good to see you in person. This is a different year. It is man. Great seeing you too. Great to actually be here with you. I know. Let's get on with where we are. You know we're getting vaccinated. We're getting close guys. Last year we were we were contained. Yeah. You've been busy. Yeah. I have been busy this little bit man. It's been an exciting time in my life. Now head coach at Tennessee State University. Go big blue. Yes. Very excited about the opportunity to coach there this year. It's very very cool man. We want to talk a little bit more about that. But we've got a lot going on tonight. We've got guests. We've got musical acts. Oh yeah. There's also football players being drafted. So right now let's throw it to the Titans radio crew at the Virgin Hotel. We've got the X's and O's all under control. Guys take it away. All right. Thanks very much. Lance Smith. Mike Keith here with our Titans radio crew including our coach here. It's not coach George. It's coach Dave McGinnis. Brett Bryan and Amy Wells. And as we start we look around the league with all of the rumors everything factoring into a draft which starts in about an hour and a half. And we're talking about Aaron Rodgers. Absolutely we're talking about Aaron Rodgers. Turns out he may or may not want to remain a Green Bay Packer which is interesting because today is the one day of the year that every team in the National Football League has some currency. It's very interesting that this is all happening today. This news hit like a bombshell this afternoon. Do you think it affects the draft tonight or at least over the weekend looking at what they have. They took Jordan Love last year and the 2020 draft but they have the capital to move up if they needed to have the three picks in the first ninety five selections to have two fourth rounders to fifth rounders and two sixth rounders. We will see only time will tell. Coach Mack you've been around this league 35 years. News like this hits at a historic franchise like Green Bay. What do you think what your first thoughts first thought is Amy Wells nailed it. I mean this is exactly the time this is all the spotlights are on the team. And this is a perfect time when she talks about capital. She's talking about everybody's loaded right now Green Bay has 10 picks. This is going to affect this draft at some point. Coach Mack want to stay with you here. What teams are the Titans watching above them in the draft tonight. You know what I think they'll look at. I think I think the real wheelhouse of this draft starts at three but three four and also seven with Detroit. I think Detroit is a real turning point in this draft depending on what happens before them. There are people trying to move up right now to come to Detroit's pick that seventh pick not. I don't know who they're coming up for but three four and seven will turn this draft. Right. Who jumps out to you. Number 19 the Washington football team. They have a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. They're going to address one for the future but they have needs at offensive tackle because Trent Williams is out of there now and they need a cornerback. Those are both positions of need for the Tennessee Titans. I'd also look at the Chicago Bears at number 20. Interior defensive line cornerback is certainly a need because Kyle Fuller is out of there and they also need a quarterback. Stay with you read to start the chain here. San Francisco picking at number three. Who they take. They're taking Justin Fields from Ohio State. I believe that it's Mac Jones when Commissioner Gidell says it. Believe it's Mac Jones when I say it's Mac Jones. That's who they're going to take. Amy Wells you bringing a tie here. I think it's Mac Jones too. I think that his experience at Alabama kind of pushes him over the top. All right. So Kyle Pitts or Jamar Chase for Atlanta at number four. I think it's Jamar Chase because of the situation brewing with their star wide receiver Julio Jones who they're up against a lot of money against the cap with could be a June 1st release for them. Jamar Chase is the obvious choice there for Matt Ryan to throw to. I go with Kyle Pitts. Arthur Smith's going to run 12 personnel which is too tight. It's too wide one back but Kyle Pitts is not a tight end. He will split him out. I'm going with Kyle Pitts for Arthur. Big name that falls tonight. Who you looking for Amy Wells. You get to go first on this one. I think it could be Heisman Trophy winner Devonte Smith. I think that there are enough question marks about his size that he ends up falling a little bit further than we all thought he would. Justin Fields. I think I think he will fall. I don't think he'll fall very far might for this reason. Somebody's going to come up to get him. Jason Oway the past rusher from Penn State. Measurables athletic traits out the wazoo but only eight career starts and no sax in 2020. He's got the test measurables the traits but not a lot of film to back it up. All right. So you could see from our group here the bottom line is we have a bunch of people all over the road and that tells you about how we think this entire first round is going to go. It's going to be all over the road and something to watch when we come back to the Virgin Hotel with our Titans radio crew. We'll talk about the Titans options at 22 want to send it back to Lance Smith now who is standing by with some special guests. Thank you so much. Mike Keith and crew. Those guys are getting ready for a big big night. Draft night. It's got to be the biggest night in the Robinson household and I'm here with John Robinson our GM's family Jamie Taylor Bailey. Guys how are you? How is this night? Are you nervous? No. He's not around us so we're fine now. All right. So let's talk about this. This time last year Covid hit everybody's at home. The draft is happening at home. So walk me through what happened last year. You took over Titans Instagram. A great job on that. How was it having this thing at your house last year? Really? So they can hear you. It was a really fun experience. I get really involved you know with the draft like and just my dad so just being able to be home and just see it live was really cool. Okay. Do you give him any tips though? Or are you like this guy? I trust him. Just trust him flat out. Do you make deals with him at home? Is that just as he he's a deal maker. The guy trades up and down all the time. So is he like that just with you know I don't know extra potatoes at the table? Oh all the time. All the time. And baked bear. Yes all the time. Baked bear. Baked bear. Yes. It's an ice cream sandwich place downtown. So good. Gotcha. Gotcha. All right. All right. He I mean he does he keep his work at home and he's always sort of wear it on his face. How is John Robinson at home as a husband and father? Well I do know that when you see it on his face you don't talk to him because it's very stern and his jaws clenched. So you you don't ask questions. Okay. All right. Just kind of keep it yourself and you gotta know when to strike. Yes but I will say he does keep work at work and he talks a little bit especially with this this one right here. She knows more about football than I do and they they they banter a lot. Really? Yes. Do you keep your eyes tailored to keep your eyes on on players like college and give you know little nudges to dad? Oh yeah. I make my recommendations. Wow. Wow. We might have a lot to thank you about. Interesting. Amy says all the time that she's gonna hire her whenever time is right. Sounds like it sounds like you got a job lined up already. All right. Bailey what about you on this whole football? I'm not like Taylor. I don't know as much as her. But you're obviously you want to win. Yes. You guys got really into the whole Instagram thing last year. I enjoyed it. In fact I watched it again recently. It was really fun. They don't give me the keys to that thing. Speaking of of social media though James you're launching a podcast here pretty soon right? Tell me about them. Yeah well I've been very blessed to be asked to help the Titans and do a lifestyle podcast for them. Abby Flitner she is co-founder of Nashville Guru. She's going to be my co-host and it's going to be absolutely amazing. It's going to be a touch of football not much but mainly lifestyle stuff. So good for me because even though I've been in it for 20 years I don't know much. Yeah no it blows everybody's mind. I think you're lying. No so obviously you're gonna have a good time with this or the girls gonna get involved. They're pretty media savvy. They are. They are. Yeah we're gonna get everybody involved. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Okay all right. We're getting back to tonight. So much prep goes into this. Have you seen him much? Have you seen John much? Dad your husband? Is he? Ish. Ish. Compare this to last year though. I mean last year we're all inside. Oh yeah I saw him a lot more last year. Yeah a lot more. He comes home for dinner occasionally. And then and then post draft does it kind of settle a little bit? Is it like the flow of the season? I'm really curious about your household honestly with him being GM. So it's um you don't see much of I mean I say that we see more of him now than what he was as an area scout because he does not travel as much. He is home for dinner in the off season but I don't blame him though. The cafeteria cooks way better than me so I would want to eat there too. Wow what an admission right there. I think you're a great cook but you don't have to do the work. I don't. I'll tell you what he's the cook in the house. Is he? Is it he sure is? What's his dish? I'm going to you Bailey on that one. Barbecue. He loves the traeger and the beaver. That's like his other two little babies. He loves them. I'm loving all this insight on John. Interesting. All right he is the cook. Um talk to me about the family aspect of this. Okay look John Robinson is the GM of the greatest team in the NFL but that's a job. Still your family you're very closely connected to the highs and lows and the success of this team. Is that how you feel when you watch these games? This is your family we're talking about not just dad's job right? Do you feel that way? Yeah it is really tough. I mean we're not we're not your ordinary fan for sure. So um it's hard for us to go to away games because especially me and b-girl we cry. Yes. So for our me too girl. We were for our the Kansas City game. I finally gave in and said okay we're gonna go and Bailey and I ended up balling in the club section because it was heartbreaking but we're not your average fans and even through season and even through um off season he doesn't get time off at all and even when he does get time off during the summer that phone's always blowing up so I mean but we the girls this is all we know you know we've been in it for a long time. Yeah well I know how though he's still though much of a family guy. Oh man. I've seen the videos posted and how involved he is in all of the stuff that has nothing to do with football so I'd love to see that that from him but uh oh man so do you have uh picks ready to go? Did you know who he's gonna pick? Have you has he? I have no idea. He's gonna walk around with a noteness pocket says Elijah born no matter what. I have friends that ask me all the time are we who we're getting and I'm like I'm finding out the same time as you so I'm no help. Do you know anything Jimmy? I don't ask questions. Oh okay and but that's a trick because people ask me I'm not a good liar so I don't ask questions I don't have to lie to you. I'm not either. I'm not a good liar myself. You would think I would be working in television because that's what we do for a living. What about uh what about outside of football uh what are you guys getting into these days? What's your biggest hobby right now? What are you into? Usually soccer. Okay so sports still. Yeah sports. Mainly what I do. Are you competitive like dad? Yeah. Who's the most competitive of the two of you? Is Bailey more competitive than you Taylor? Probably Bailey. Really? Seem all shy and quiet or shy and quiet right now but uh I'm sensing some competition from you right there. You can see you're in La Crosse whenever she's she plays La Crosse as well and you can see that little jaw clenching down just like her daddy. Little jaw action when you're on the field. Yes. When dad shows up to watch do you get a little more nervous or do your teammates get nervous because they think he's judging them? I don't get nervous. I don't think my teammates get nervous either. He's kind of just there watching me. Man Joe Cool over there. Well all right all right how about uh aspirations to follow along uh like with what your mom's doing with the podcast? Are you going to do anything media wise? Because you're quite a pro at it last year when you took over Titan's Instagram. Thank you. I just I really enjoy just like you know social media and just like you know like logging I guess is what you call it like just editing videos together so it's kind of just like a side hobby of mine but maybe in the future I'll pursue it. I'm curious as a family and obviously you're going you're pursuing with the podcast now are you aware that your profile is that much more elevated because of what he does and not just what he does but what he does so well because the Titans since he's took over as GM's they've you know we've elevated our game. Yeah. So does that make you aware of your platform? Absolutely. I mean we're not an ordinary family I guess you can say you know we try to use our platform for things that we're passionate about within the family um but I I think I could say our kids are pretty grounded. I think they they have good heads on their shoulders. You seem like it mine or not so if we could talk afterwards if you could talk to them they don't have a platform but they think they do. All right well it is a it is a big night is there any sort of I guess like celebration planned afterwards you guys have any kind of tradition you do with a draft night as a family? So as a family typically they're off doing their own thing they're sports and they're dancing and stuff but I typically grab our scouts wives and because to me that's also part of our family because I was in their shoes once I was an area scout's wife and being alone a lot and having small children so it's always important to me to wrap my arms around them so this year well typically on Thursday nights we all come together and we watch the draft together and it's really so fun to do um this year we can't do that for obvious reasons so we're doing a zoom call and I am I have somebody teaching them how to do a charcuterie board that's how I pronounce it how do you say it charcuterie oh that one I don't know either so thank you because you're telling me a cheeseboard we're doing a cheeseboard yeah so after this I'm heading home and so we'll still be together I want I want to do this board all day long can I can I say that and this is why the podcast is going to be entertaining because I do that all the time I'm thinking these girls gotta be on the podcast a timer too just to help you with the pronunciation but you could help me too no that's really interesting you brought that up though it's something that we don't uh think about uh as fans is what all goes on behind the scenes not just with the general manager but the scouts and the families that it affects and I I love that you try to yeah keep everybody together that's my little job yeah and uh does he come home and until anytime any uh does he make it oh gosh he'll be home at like two two in the morning that's when I was thinking yeah it'll be late it is a busy night uh guys thank you so much Jamie Taylor Bailey Robinson I thank you I love you guys for being here good luck with the podcast thanks I'm excited we'll be listening for that you're still dancing yes and hitting people on the field that's what I like to see just as pleasant as ever just hitting them hard I love it all right the robinsons ladies and gentlemen right now let's uh toss it back to the Titans radio crew talk more draft action take it away guys all right thanks very much Lance Smith glad to be back here at the virgin hotel with a bunch of Titans season ticket members not as many as in years past but at least we're back together again getting everybody active and involved and if you're watching this virtual draft party we want to get you involved in our poll let's take a look at it which position should the Titans target with the first round pick at number 22 how about a wide receiver or a corner back an edge rusher or a right tackle so get your vote in and at the end of this segment we'll let you know how those results go let's start the conversation at wide receiver the Titans have several options at number 22 Rhett let's begin with you as the Titans evaluate wide outs give me one or two that you think fit the skill set that the Titans need to fit into Todd Downing's office well for me it starts with cadarius tony from the University of Florida a wide receiver explosive player in 2020 in that office from Mobile Alabama was a dual-threat quarterback at Blunt High School in Mobile scored 120 touchdowns total in his high school career went to Florida as a wildcat quarterback he saw a few reps early on in that position but we saw what he did in the college game he is a human joystick quick makes you miss talent that is certainly a name that should be on your radar was great at the senior bowl coach yeah he was he had a great senior bowl but he was also very productive during the during the season two now my players uh shod Bateman from Minnesota I really like this player because for this reason he's a nuanced receiver he understands how to stack defensive backs which what that means is he's very spatially aware when they're on his hip he knows how to go up and get it he's a hands catcher he's a snatch catcher reaches for the ball plus he's big enough to block which Titans receivers have to do both of the guys that you named are bigger receivers Tony is 5'1195 pounds but plays bigger he absolutely does because he's got that length and again the speed that he possesses and that's the short area quickness he will make you miss if you give him the opportunity all right so I'm looking at some of these names at right tackle potentially coach Mack I'm going to start with you if the Titans are going to take a player who could start at right tackle in 2021 do they have to take him in the first round they do not have to take him in the first round I think the separation of tackles and the way they stack up as we as Brett and I call them pods that you put them together I really like Brady Christensen at BYU this is a mature player a lot of those players that come out of BYU our older players especially on the offensive line he's a very physical guy very very smart would be a nice right tackle doesn't quite have the arm length mic the reach that you would want to the left tackle but for a right tackle I like Brady Christensen from BYU Titans have two picks in the third round 85 and 100 would it be possible that a Brady Christensen might be available at one or both of those spots I think you nailed it I think you nailed it and I think that's why again for your original question they don't have to jump in the first round to get a tackle if they don't want to I believe that it goes through the third into the fourth round serviceable tackles do you agree Rhett absolutely and I'll give you another guy that you could get a knight to who is one of the great stories of this draft and Samuel Cosme the tackle from University of Texas grew up in Romania his parents took him out of that country because there was a lot of political unrest there and he comes to Texas he is a huge man nearly six seven and very powerful 36 reps at 225 on the bench press so he's got the strength but he has experience he started 21 games at left tackle for the Longhorns 16 games at right tackle for the Longhorns I'm with coach Mack just like Brady Christiansen I don't know that he's a left tackle yet but you certainly could get him to plug in for you at right tackle but there are a bunch of guys who project his right tackles in this draft Jalen Mayfield from Michigan is one of those who played left tackle and could play guard or probably right tackle coach Mack you've got a list of them too no absolutely let me just say this about left tackle right tackle most of your better tackles in collegiate football play on the left side because I mean they're the best players on their team but their skill sets translate to the right side for this reason I mean we all know that the the whole blind side thing but the other reason is is people will put their best pass rushers most of the time to the backside of a quarterback but a lot of teams are zone running teams now and a lot of guys like to get the zone run going to the right side that's another reason got to be physical if you're going to do that with the Titans well you have to be physical and you also have they call that block by the right tackle out there in the outside zone like the money block because you get help at a center of guard in an outside zone scheme tackles get no help as far as trying to stretch the front line all right so the question I just asked is do you have to take a right tackle in the first round if he's going to be a starter in 2021 but I ask the same question now about cornerbacks do you have to take a corner in round one if you're going to find a guy that can start for your football team as a rookie you don't because there's a young man that could fall tonight into the second round by the name of Caleb Farley he's cornerback from Virginia Tech a converted quarterback from high school went to Virginia Tech as a wide receiver converted to corner and he is one of the names that you've been hearing that has medical things couple of back surgeries but is certainly a guy that jumps off the page with what his athletic traits are because he was a former quarterback and certainly with the measurables with height and weight it's just whether he is cleared medically because he recently had a back surgery March 16th and go ahead coach no I was going to say that he's right uh the guy that I like being there is Asante Samuel Jr. and I and he will be there because he's not as big physically as the rest of him but he's long he's sticky he reminds me a lot Mike of somebody all of our fans will know he reminds me of Somari role you know how Somari wasn't the heaviest guy but he was long he was sticky and he'll come he would come up and hit you so Asante Samuel Jr for me that's the guy I would look at I want to go back to Caleb Farley for a second his medicals and what the teams were able to find out that may determine a lot of the flow particularly in the teens towards the 20s about the first round tonight no it absolutely does Mike and you you've hit it right on the head this guy we talk about traits you you you scout traits his traits are off the charts this is an elite football player now right now with the micro dissectomy if you feel comfortable with that and he does do what we say he's going to do or what he might do you jump on that is there a player that if he's there at 22 you just feel like the Titans couldn't pass we just talked about him Caleb Farley I mean to me if that guy's there at 22 you go jump on him because if you're if you're ready to jump it means that you're satisfied with the medical a lot like two years ago you know when when Jeffrey Simmons Jeffrey Simmons was would have been one of the top two or three players in the draft if not for the ACL John Robinson vetted the ACL was comfortable with it Amy Adams Strunk was comfortable with it paid off big time Caleb Farley to me's that guy for me it would be a pie in the sky situation if cornerback JC Horne from South Carolina is there at 22 you must pull the trigger and do that 61 205 40 inch vertical leap he's grabby at the top of routes so the dpi is a factor there but that's things you can coach but we know playing every week in the southeastern conference against top talent all these other wide receivers we're going to see draft in the next two or three nights he's a guy you can't miss on the Titans are scheduled to pick number 22 tonight do they have a chance to go up do they have a chance to go down do you think they'll pick at 22 they certainly have a chance to go up but not very far and I don't see John Robinson giving up future draft picks in 2022 knowing how things could open up there in that scenario now if he's if it's a couple of spots maybe but certainly trading down I would I would think that would be more of a scenario there because you mentioned it he's got currently four picks in the top 100 I think he'd love to have from the 30s to that 120 mark three or four more if he could get it if the you know the deal is right let's talk about the draft there's two drafts there's a quarterback draft there's a positional draft this quarterback this this quarterback draft this year is very unusual it's going to push a lot of good players down so if those players start to fall the Titans are sitting at 22 if they've got somebody that they had know that they really didn't think was going to be there that gets to 18 19 they may go up to get that person if not and they feel like their horizontal board works out for them if they're looking at their horizontal board at about pick 19 or 20 and they say we might be able to move back with a pick because 22 is a nice spot for somebody to want to come up to especially some people that are at the top of the second round they may have something to offer so those two scenarios to me are very viable John Robinson has said he'd like to keep all nine picks he'd like to make all nine thus if he goes up he does not want to give up a pick maybe would swap a spot in another round or swap a couple spots and yet keep the nine picks you've been doing this a long time Mike Keith and you hit right on it's exactly what you do and that's the scenarios you go through on the phone and you also you also check you know what the values are they don't have to be exactly even but you look for a way to keep your picks but still be able to move all right so our coverage on Titans radio is going to start at the top of the hour you can hear that on several of our stations including one oh four five the zone in Nashville let's take a look at the poll what do the Titans fans want to draft in the first round let's see what you say wide receiver all right we'll see if that's what happens back with more from the virgin hotel coming up later let's go back to Lance Smith now all right thank you so much Mike and we mentioned at the top of the show that this guy is super busy my co-host Eddie George I got to call you coach now man yeah I know it's crazy right coach of TSU look man I remember you told me back on the Titans Blitz but November yeah that you got the offer yeah yeah I got it I got it opportunity um I looked at it vetted it out at first I was like hell no you know I was like I'm not a coach but um after doing some soul searching doing some due diligence called around the league got a opinion of different coaches different friends that I knew um and really thought about the opportunity of making an impact in kids lives and and just where it was going and really prime uh Deion Sanders he's a trendsetter and I saw the impact he had at Jackson State and me living here for 20 some odd years me familiar with Tennessee State University the tradition um everything that that entails they have the bones to be really great so you know I said um why not you know why not why not me why not you at the end and I have to call you out on this one it's the first thing you said to me when you got the job the only thing you cared about were were those kids yeah yeah no no question because I if I'm gonna be if I'm gonna if I'm gonna do this I'm gonna be a hundred percent and I can't sit on somebody's couch yeah and tell them to come to my university and and uh and I'm not going to be fully involved yeah you know I have to be all the way involved from recruiting to compliance to the moment these kids wake up in the morning what they eat how they get to the facility how they practice when they leave um how they study uh and more importantly how they transition out of the game after the game you know I can think I think it's gonna be a huge asset for that and really create an environment where we're gonna bring in some really great teachers not just coaches but teachers that are going to really invest in them as men and I'm really excited about it as well yeah well I know you are I know you're gonna do a great job you're already a dynamic leader well I'm trying to recruit you know some guys see they got some eligibility tomorrow to my right do bring them in the second but let's see let's do that right now they've been sitting here waiting patiently CJ2K the freak Javon Curse thank you guys for being here thanks for having us so how about coach here yeah it's man it's amazing to see that for him to get that job and for him to go in there and help the kids and the things that I know he would be able to do from you know just how he inspired me and his leadership and stuff like that they got they got a great guy do you have any eligibility left to see you can't go to junior right no I see you see you see you yeah but um that's the facts right there like it's all it's all right there whatever this guy right here he embodies hard work determination but not just on the field not just on the field of play but just off the field as well just this this this big bro this is one of the one of the guys that I really looked up to my first days like my first minutes in the NFL him and Steve I couldn't wait like to to go meet those guys and talk to those guys and he kind of he kind of you know he was he took on a big brother role I kind of forced him to do it but he took no I kind of forced him to do it but I mean like he's like he's that he's the guy like if it's anyone that I know that's perfect for this job it's my man Eddie George and you know like he has mentioned something about you know trying to recruit some guys he don't have to recruit me like I can I can be ready right now I'm back at DES, weight room, something there and even off the field stuff but I mean but like my guy Eddie George like he's definitely the man for these kids all right well let's let's talk about that and congratulations once again Eddie you're gonna do a killer job I can't wait to see you coach on the same field that y'all played on TSU playing in Nissan Stadium right but but let's let's transition a little bit on that thought Javon you technically were the first titan drafted ever ever ever to the titan you're the first titan yeah so when you came to the team you you were looking at guys like this yeah I mean like I watched Eddie in college I watched his little p-head I wasn't with the husband in college and like and do his thing like back in college and then the same with Steve and then like once I got my name called on that sat on that Saturday and when I got here with him like man I'm like these I'm like those some of the guys that I want to like get to know like because we're a family I need to get to know my big brothers like early and often yeah when we got Javon we found out we drafted Javon it was like oh it's on yeah yeah Jeff Fisher raved about listen he said Steve Eddie we've got this kid out of Florida he is going to change the game oh my gosh he is an absolute animal off the edge he can rush he can do it all it's like Javon curse like oh my god Javon so when he got in the camp you know I'm trying to be you know all cool like uh whatever he a rookie he gonna do we're gonna say we're gonna see how he handles the uh the conditioning test this dude was backpedaling the last lap of the conditioning test so hey we just knew we just knew he was going to be special for us and he was the missing cog to really set us off to go from eight and eight to have the run that we had during the time of the Titans and he's actually the bridge he played with CJ too so you know he was the old here so yeah yeah that's right that's absolutely right what are these guys going through tonight guys and this is draft night we got some uh Titans in the wings uh waiting in the wings but um you know what's everybody feeling how are these guys feeling tonight are they um I mean me personally I'm sure it's the more guys in the draft um I was hearing all this top 10 things so I was kind of anxious I had butterflies that day or whatever and then back then they did um they started like the first two like two or three rounds like on that Saturday but literally um on that day I was it was I had had my stomach was going through a whole lot of stuff really but then it eventually it catapulted me it motivated me because um I felt like I was going I felt like I was going to be top 10 I didn't feel like that I think I heard that I was hearing that so once you start hearing things you planted it starts getting planted there so once I heard top 10 or whatever and then the the few teams the teams that I visited I visited maybe four teams all top 10 and then the day before and the morning of the draft number top 10 teams were reaching out to me to make sure that they had the correct phone number for me and everything yeah and then once they did that I'm like I'm going top 10 and once that didn't happen I'm actually happy it didn't happen okay to be honest with you I'm happy I fell to 16 was it yeah 16 that was not like it was far it was motivation no it wasn't far but to me I'm the type of person that I'm going to always find a way to motivate myself I'm going to find way to push myself even if you can't or even if another team can or coaching someone if they can't do it yeah I have to find a way to do it myself and then with that then I told the story to everybody like you you in first round you went number 16 I'm like I did but I felt like I should have been off the board because that day that draft it's it's it's it's long man you were at home where I was at home which I probably shouldn't have been at home because I was at home with family and friends and then they know how to reach me so they called the house during the draft did you get picked yet no I ain't get picked yet throw your TV on and watch it stop tying up the full line well Chris what about you I mean you you blew everybody away at the combine so what are your thoughts on draft night well my whole my whole draft process you know it was always saying that I was gonna go second third round because I went to a smaller school you know what I'm saying so then after I ran the at the combine after I ran the 40 you know they say my it was rising it was rising I could be a first round pick so I was late first round early second you know a lot of different things and stuff like that and then you know you hear the the guys say yeah he didn't play us against the competition and this and that and then it was just crazy because I went to like I went from the after the combine then after you know you have your visits to the different got to different cities I had 16 visits so I'm like so I'm flying from city to city to city so then I got my workouts or whatever so it was crazy um coach um Ernest Biner the running back coach he went to East Carolina too so he so the day before the draft he called me and he was like hey man listen I just um I just finished talking to fish they say if you there at 24 we're gonna take you so when he tell me this it kind of upset me because because it was five running backs went in the first round my year and I felt like I was better than all those guys five slower running backs is what you're saying five slower too yeah so I'm like it's no way that four running backs is gonna go before me and I'm gonna fall all the way to 24 know what I'm saying but four running backs went before me and I'm just sitting there as they send them come off the board come off the board so when 24 got there I'm like yeah he told me this I'm like I want to be a first rounder yeah and then I seen six one five pop up and I'm like oh so I kind of knew I kind of knew but I wanted to go earlier but it worked out for the best yeah that I didn't go earlier I'm glad I dropped to 24 my first year I had more rushing yards than every running back that went before me combined I feel like I had a better career than everybody that went before me so it worked out so it's funny because that we had the same common themes I I they the Titans had they were at number nine I was supposed to go at nine and then they dropped at like 22 or 24 what did they treat them yeah they treated me and that nobody else was picking a running back so I was in New York and the cameras went straight to me when they did that I was like oh my god so I gotta put on a fake laugh like I'm not upset and then inside I'm sick like oh my gosh and the next team I was going to pick me was at 17 was Minnesota and uh but the Titans came back up at 14 and got me and I told my agent said just get me in the the camp on time I'll take care of the rest it was two other running backs that went before me Timbiaka Batuka and the late Lawrence Phillips and um I remember CJ when he got drafted I was calling games for the Titans back then and his first I think it was his first carry he's like okay we want to see what young CJ can do uh if he can if he's ready for the big time you know he's small in size but he's fast dude he had I think he had the second carry you took it 80 yards I said well here we have it there it is nothing else needs to be said and now I'm thinking to myself okay I hope he doesn't break my all-time record because this dude can do it in two years the way that he was doing but he was such a special special player for us man and I'm so glad that he was able to carry that mantle of great running backs that this franchise has produced this franchise I mean we're looking at a great portion of this franchise y'all are some of the greatest to ever wear this uniform it's an honor to sit here with you and on this draft night we potentially might have another one coming up but uh I was just curious about those nerves that you felt and it's interesting I can tell in each and every one of you you still sort of viscerally feel that moment that night I did a post earlier I was talking about the goosebumps the goosebumps that I felt like I said like I visit like um I visit maybe five or six teams they're all top ten and then the teams that I heard from so I had this set in my mind in concrete oh you up the board in ten ten or less till you're off there or whatever but I mean like things work out to what they're doing and I think it I appreciate the way it worked out absolutely do how uh how are the Titans looking these days they're looking pretty good yeah they're looking pretty good I like hearing your perspective on this we got another 2k in the box are you okay with that I feel great about it man I feel great about it you know way back then when they was trying to write them off I told them they need to give him the ball yeah he's not a guy that you can just give the ball here and there and then you know he's a guy I feel like he's a hyper guy like me and also like Eddie you have to give us the ball and throughout the the game yeah third fourth quarter then you know that's one of the defense gonna lay down but honestly when he was on the on the verge of cracking 2000 were you watching and Tintley where were you when he when he broke the record I was I was at home watching and it was even before he broke the record this one I knew he was gonna break the record he had a he had a run like I think it was off the right side he probably broke like three or four times I'm not yet they don't want to hit him I say they don't want to hit him yeah I say he's gonna break the record after that after I seen that run like he needed to like 253 or something like that I think it was like 120 or something like in the first half yeah I'm not yet he's gonna break it they don't want to hit him yeah I'm like they don't want to hit him I know it man it's been it's been a run so far and we're still going obviously and I you know I love what you guys bring to the team you know coming to this show for us and just and hanging out and being who you are representing this team the way you do still love it yeah man it's also legends right here personally I like what they're doing I like what I like um the focus they're doing on defense now I mean on paper last year looked like with Beasley clowning yeah Andrea they're gonna like on paper yeah on paper on paper yeah right now though on paper but I'm seeing good things bud Dupree picking up that acquisition so I see a lot of I see a lot of freak like play for him and his speed off the edge so I wondered what your thoughts were on that no that that's definitely big I mean um personally I'm a defensive lineman so I feel like it all starts up front so if you if you get that you get that front for the front seven like doing things that's gonna make the guys on the back in job a lot a lot less hard yeah yeah yeah yeah I think um this is a definitely a tipping point for the Titans you know picking up bud and the offseason was huge there's something they needed to address I thought last draft um by getting a defensive in but they felt they county could do it uh getting bud was good um I think still going defense still um the corner would be good in this draft the first round um offensive tackle um you can never go wrong with building out the trenches because inside out is how you win in this game of course um there there's been speculation around Julio Jones possibly we gotta get another receiver hurt yeah okay yeah yeah so we don't yeah no double team on one side and then don't let them eight nine in the box there yeah you got problems yeah you can listen to this uh I'm listening to this from Eddie's perspective as a coach now like this but yeah I know I just know how it is the season after you run for 2000 yards I know how it is the next season yeah how is that I mean because eight nine in the box two years in a row that he's led the league in rushing even harder for him yeah because because basically when teams play Titans they know we gotta start there you know what I'm saying so it's eight nine in the box every game yeah so then going back to that wide receiver you're calling for it back you know you gotta get back to that field yeah so you know AJ AJ gonna do what he have to do so if you know what I'm saying we need somebody on the other side so they can't double team him and put eight nine in the box I love that you guys still pay so such close attention to this game you know and plus I gotta admit this all three y'all look like you still played the game so you were joking about could they have any eligibility but I wasn't joking I see this kind of happening all right fellas thank you so much for being here and uh joining us well actually before we go I do want to offer CJ's sons a scholarship right now because I see the twins twins juices they babies they babies they eight years old but already we're seeing it all year is there so officially the twins have a first college offer Javon curse the freak Chris Johnson CJ 2k thank you for joining Eddie myself here and coach coach coach just crazy coach George I love this all right we're gonna keep this uh party going right now let's uh toss this show this party to the a virgin hotel rooftop with Mitchell 10 penny take it away what's up everybody how we doing oh yeah go Titans tighten up man I'm I'm actually born and bred here this is my brother rave here we're from Tennessee we're the biggest Titans fans so we're very honored to be here y'all thank you so much we're gonna play you our our last thing on the country radio called broken up I break up baby not this time yeah don't know what to do about it I'm laying in bed about trying to keep my cool about it get up on my head about it so I can see and thank y'all again for streaming him live that means the world uh this was our very first number one song that we ever had uh at country radio and uh you know that's just national I've grown you know like I said I'm born and raised here right here on music row where we're at and it's just cool to be a Titans fan these days babies come on this song is called drunk me sorry hold on our uh we just had a little technical difficulty there give us two seconds two seconds sorry man it's just glitched out for here I can hear it check okay all right sorry here we go drum me y'all some people don't know how to quit and that's why they quit some need to hit the bottom to see they got a problem can't handle it that ain't why quarantine obviously we were very bored and we didn't get to do a lot of things it changed a lot of people's lives and uh but towards the end I got to do something that I've always wanted to cross off my bucket list with some very awesome people in my life and we went out to Sedona and film the whole music video and we released this song and it was just the perfect song for the time in my opinion I didn't write it during quarantine I wrote it you know a year before but it just kind of worked out where I think we need to cross some things off our bucket list and take advantage of every single day take advantage of right now what we can control and right now we're here celebrating the titans so come on y'all this song is called bucket list paint that the only way I can't say what I need to say it's with a prayer I hope it's getting through the clouds I'm dying all I'm doing is just trying to make you cry yeah life is like a fire just kisses don't know how long it's gone the last thought you did is what you did is and it gets real really fast how I love it thank y'all so much tighten up everybody we'll see you soon back at the Gibson garage Lance and Eddie it's the virtual draft party feeling good man feeling nice what a night right it is it's a gorgeous night here all right so listen uh we've been asking everyone these poll questions we want to know we've got a tough schedule coming up uh next year or this year so of these opponents who do you most likely or most want to face they are in this poll take a look at your screen here the chiefs the bills the 49ers or the saints the chiefs the bills the 49ers or the saints in this room here holler out who do you want to play the most I'm hearing a lot of cheese don't sound so excited yeah I want the way it doesn't matters I answer the poll on your own I'd like to I want to see the chiefs I want to see the chiefs too there you go I like that the chief big game against the chiefs right there all right here we go we're going to keep this party going right now we've got some guys uh waiting in the wings uh you know them well let's go ahead and bring them in I'm talking about Roger Saffold Imani Hooker who else is in there Jeffrey Simmons are you online there we go there you are look at that fellas how you guys doing how you doing I'm good all right fellas thank you for being with us uh we got a big season coming up we just had had a poll so I'm going to ask you guys because you're going to play them who do y'all want to play the most out of the chiefs bills 49ers or saints Saffold we'll start with you it don't matter no matter to me all right line up how about Imani who you got who you want the most um you know I'm gonna have to go with I'm gonna go with my home you know I think he's gonna sling it around and I'm trying to get gonna make some plays you know I know he's gonna throw the ball around all right so the ball's in the air he wants to he wants to snag it from my homes all right well who what have we got going on Jeffrey you already said uh did you say yeah well I'm looking forward back to especially my rookie year losing in that championship game I you know kind of everybody you know how they say revenge I need that revenge game back there you go so I like the chiefs of course of course got to have the chiefs fellas uh you know once you've been drafted do you pay attention to the draft while you're playing I'm talking about you you've been in this game for a little bit you're still watching the draft um you know I definitely I try to but it's been it's been less and less as the years have gone on um I guess basically what I think it's a great night for these guys you know congratulation to everybody who ends up getting drafted but you got to really prove your worth once you come to the team so so that's kind of how I look at and how I've been looking at it over the years yeah and for me uh I mean I'm a younger guy so and I still got guys that are still in you know from Iowa back in my college that are getting gonna end up getting drafted so I'm excited for them you know and end up and see where they end up going hey Jeffrey so what was it like when you got drafted two years ago how were you feeling did you have any any butterflies were you anxious were you upset uh but what was going through your mind uh that the night of the draft I mean personally you know I was um it's one of the things where I was like you said I was anxious because I didn't know um especially dealing with my injury I didn't know like what I'm because it was you know it was goddamn 19 pick you know it was that draft were going and going all night I'm like I'm really gonna go this night now you know I'm thinking I'm with my family you know everyone's still telling me like you know be patient you're gonna go the first night so I'm still over there like like what's going on you know I'm like anxious like is I'm gonna get picked tonight or what but when I finally get that I got that call you know I saw that in the C number and man just chills went all across my body you know I talked to um John and brave on the phone and you know from that point on you know I I embraced that time with my I'm curious sorry guys a little technical difficulty here I'm curious uh you know if given your positions that you play all right we've got we've got two defensive guys here an offensive guy do you want help around your position are you are do you worry that you're we draft an O Lyman or a safety or a D Lyman like how do you feel watching the team operate um I don't I don't have any problems whatsoever I don't have a problem whatsoever with that I'm all about I'm all about uh you know just building with the with the squad I want to see the squad get better uh you know we always talk about that team mentality on this team and I think that we should want people to come in and help us immediately um so you know I always get excited for a new group of guys come in and uh the best part about it is that you now have your complete team and now it's time to start strategizing and getting to work yeah I I agree Roger I agree Roger I agree as well yeah I'll go ahead Jeff no I'll just I'll agree I mean you know like you said I might it's just whatever I think I know um the guys upstairs and that would brave them for you know whatever they think we need the most um and I'm looking forward to whoever we draft and come in I hope you know I hope they ready to come in and work to help us win games yeah and then whoever we get yes you're not they're gonna come in and push the guy you know in front of you so you know it's not like a like a hateful thing you know we want guys to come in and compete and push the guy in front of you to make the team better okay Roger I got a question for you you being the the elder statesman here the veteran what kind of advice are you going to give these rookies coming in to the fold this season um you know I think the biggest thing that I could tell them that you know nothing is given when you're in this league and you know once you get your chance you got to take the biggest you know you got to take advantage of your opportunity you know we're a blue color group you know we work day in day out it's hard right this is harder than the games you know we just have this different type of tenacity effort so if you're gonna be able to success uh be able to have success on this team and you're gonna need to make sure that you're putting forth all that effort um this this like I said it's a work group it's a smart group um and everybody plays for one another so my biggest uh advice to the rookies is keep your head down and just keep working work through it all yeah absolutely keep your head down keep working right coach that's it you know coach here he's uh he's planning for the season so I think every every question he asks you he's half taking notes for tsu football so I can get my speeches together for the guys congratulations by the way I appreciate it I need you guys to come out and talk to the team for me a couple times absolutely in time yeah well uh I know uh John Robinson the GM's been uh obviously we're looking to get some pieces on draft night but in the offseason he's been acquiring pieces and especially on the defensive side of the ball Danico Autry bud Dupri you defensive guys must have liked that right I also should accept about that um especially up front you know we think we just got some real um dogs up front as you you know we played against both of them guys and you see how dominant they are already they are and you know I'm gonna I'm excited um just to see how far we could go especially with the type of philosophy we have on defense add them to guys I know they're gonna fit well so yeah and on the back end um you know we had the two guys that just make plays um they're aggressive they're an attribute you know I could see when I was watching their highlights in their film that they just love ball and I definitely think they're gonna help us out on deep so guys describe for me the feeling of locker room right now two years ago you were an AFC championship game last year you didn't quite get as far as you liked um Derek Henry had a monster year uh just just tell me what what is it like the feeling coming into the 2021 season is it super bowl is it to get back where you were just just kind of give me the vibe of what's going on in the locker room right now um I think it's always always been and always going to be the winner championship uh you know no one was satisfied with the AFC championship uh losing in the wild card was a great lesson for our young guys to let them know that this doesn't happen every year that you know when it comes to play off time that we got to play above um above our expectations um we want to raise those same expectations this year I know that all these guys are hungry but you know it's different you know we didn't have one home game in our previous postseason and then we have our first home game in the wild card and you lose so it doesn't matter you know it's just all about picking up your game and putting your best foot forward and that's what we need to do collectively yeah yeah it is true guys I mean like everything you hear out of the mouth is perfect it's all team first ready to go for the season I know we still got a ways to go we got to get these guys and get through the summer and everything I cannot wait to see you take the field again again Roger Saffold and Monty Hooker Jeffrey Simmons uh guys thank you so much for hanging out with us at the virtual draft party and I look forward to seeing you on the field all right guys well you know a lot of a lot of their names being bought for jerseys uh speaking of jerseys there's lots of cool things to buy especially at a pop-up shop we had uh one of four fives the zone buck rising out at our latest pop-up shop so check this out buck take it away what's going on Titans fans buck rising and Toak Sequoia down here at Pins Mechanical in downtown Nashville the Titans pop-up shop behind us open now you can come check out the gear Toak you guys got a really great setup down here what can you tell us about some of the stuff that you have laid out for the fans so what we really want this shop to be is we want to create more millennial younger focused gear it's a little bit more subtle so a lot of the gear that you'll see here and you'll buy here is a little bit more subtle but um this gear everything's $20 across the board hats t-shirts crop tops for women we have five uh different men's shirts three different women's shirts and a really awesome hat you see me wearing behind you as well so a lot of the gear that we have is is really for the casual fan for the fans that might not be able to get to every game but hopefully that they can wear out and about hopefully to a place like this you guys have done a lot of these pop-up shops at this point and had a lot of success with them why is why are these important to try and create that energy among the casual fan who like a lot of people transplants coming into Nashville you guys are trying to bring a whole new set of Titans fans in the building I imagine exactly like you said there's a lot of people that continue to move here we want those people to support Nashville we want to be ingrained in that national community I think fashion is also a big thing here in the city so the gear that we create is hitting those people who might not know the Titans might not be a big fan of the Titans but love Nashville and so we want to be synonymous with that love of Nashville so we're down here at the Titans pop-up shop a bunch of people showed up checking out the gear what's your name man what's going on Mac my name is Mac Hereford nothing much I'm just coming up here to shop some good stuff Mac where you from I'm from Birmingham Alabama Birmingham okay so what you're obviously you've chosen a shirt to pick out here and rock at the Titans pop-up shop why this one specifically I mean I just like the way it feels I like the way it looks so I had to go with this one right here I don't know it's a good fit for you you're rocking it well so Titans fans obviously everybody's fired up for the draft what's your favorite part of the draft I mean just seeing some of the guys that I used to play with I played college ball so seeing some of those guys get drafted and see their dreams come true it's a pretty unbelievable experience so I got some inside intel you're an Alabama guy you played in the SEC you know a lot of the guys played with a lot of the guys we're going to go tonight what do you where do you think your teammates are going to end up yeah I don't know a variety of places honestly I mean there's too many to count there's probably going to be four to six go in the first round from Bama but more specifically I want to know where the Titans you know who the Titans are going to be drafting who do you think they're going to be drafting I hope they draft Elijah Moore at wide receiver I know they need another wide receiver he played with AJ Brown at Ole Miss and seems like a great fit so that'd be that'd be a pick for me so what's going on tonight at pins while you guys have the pop-up shop going what can the fans engage with while they're here so we got a lot of fun stuff honestly pins kind of does it well so there's duck bowling we have arcade games there's pinball machines and then also we have a spin to win prize everyone who spins the win will win something there's autographed items there's more Titans gear there's a lot of like novelty items that will also have available so there's a lot of fun going on here there's a lot of different things to do if you're not able to shop right at that moment you can go grab a drink grab a grab a table place in duck bowling and then we'll be able to call you up when it's your turn to shop so we're hopefully going to try to get through as many people as we possibly can so everybody can come up here and get something Toak Sequoia Titans marketing manager I'm going to go beat him at bowling real quick never back to Mike Keith live at the Virgin Hotel thanks very much Buck rising a couple special fans here on the 14th floor of the Virgin Hotel I want to introduce you to Worth Campbell and Jason Tartik I want to talk to Worth first because you've been a Titans fan since day one right since day one the day the day they got here been a fan who was your favorite player when you were a kid oh man this is tough I'm partial I'm gonna go with Kevin Carter I've been we've stayed close to the years he's like a big brother to me loved him when he was on the field maybe even love him more since he's been off uh so that that's it's I'm partial to Kevin now a lot of people know you for very capillary and that series was something really really special were you surprised when you became so well known from that you know with uh Kristen and Jay especially Jay you know in the football world being a guy in that world and on reality tv that being said yes I am but in the Nashville area I think it's something really cool reality tv or just anything in general in Nashville my whole life being able to do something like that in my hometown and being recognized in my hometown it means a lot so yeah it was it was surprising but it's it's been a cool it's been a cool thing for sure any other big projects you get coming up you'd like to share with us you know we uh we're just getting back to it at the gym true mouth fitness you know we had great members we went virtual during COVID and now we're back and hopefully getting back to normal pretty soon so we're just we're kicking it there and hoping for the best but we've been doing well got great members so that's where that's where we are right now and you partner with Tim McGraw with that how did that come about I do so being from Nashville my sister was Tim's daughter's age so growing up Tim and my dad coached them through pwe sports uh and then I was kind of the son that he never had you know having all the daughters and so when this came about I was into the fitness world after playing football and reached out and we kind of came to the agreement that I would start the first you know first of hopefully many gyms uh in Nashville and that's that's kind of how it came about yeah that's amazing yeah you played at Auburn I did after playing at Enzworth I did tell us about your experience with Darren Bates do you have a a good Darren Bates story that you I mean he's just what you see is what you get uh he is the absolute best hype man uh he just his energy just it's amazing I mean at all times you don't he doesn't have an off day uh he you can't turn him down even if you want to he's just an incredible guy incredible competitor uh and it was when when the Titans got him I couldn't have been happier it was it was so fun you know having him in Nashville staying close with him throughout it all but uh honestly his his competitorship is just unmatched energy uh awesome dude now how did you get Jason Tartick here uh I begged a lot I begged a lot uh my wife my wife and his girlfriend became friends and uh we met after a Pred's game uh one night and uh we just hit it off you know they just moved to Nashville and we're in the process of converting him to a Titans fan so you know you gotta bring it he's a Bill's guy all right let's hand the microphone to him because we gotta discuss this now we do you probably know Jason from season 14 of The Bachelor but what you don't know maybe is that he's from Buffalo I am so and and now listen much respect to Buffalo and the fans I mean you guys love your team so you're really converting so I'm born and raised in Buffalo yeah I've lived in several states and I will save my second AFC team without a doubt especially due to a little worth Campbell uh you know convincing is the Tennessee Titans that is for damn sure uh well you know we're playing again this year I know again that's three years in a row four years in a row is that four four before years in a row now there's only one game I'm gonna root for uh you know the Buffalo Bill's over Tennessee but that is because I still haven't forgotten about Miracle City I remember the day where I was right there where were you during the music I was in Tana Tana Wanda my parents best friend I was doing victory laps around the house when I thought we won I came back that's a good story back in the living room no joke and everyone my parents are like crying like what happened we lost how now we did if we remember right you were banker yes that in fine are you still doing things in finance are you doing more in reality television yeah so I was a banker and then I went on reality television and since then I've been an entrepreneur so a lot of the things that I think we just aren't taught in the classroom is relates to career management and personal finance trying to bridge the gap with my consulting company so it's been a really wild journey a fun ride that's brought me here to Nashville Tennessee to get to meet people like you and be in an event like this which is awesome and most notably you were the wwe 24-7 champion right did you pin for that that's right we I I pinned the one and only my hometown hero Doug Flutie number seven the former Buffalo Bill we pinned them and we got the 24-7 championship from the wwe and who did you lose it to we I lost it to our truth who took it back very quickly yeah so we took it from a Buffalo native and we lost it to a real superstar so it was a it was I was the quickest wwe 24-7 champion to ever exist all right so tell us what are you thinking about the draft tonight I think the draft is going to be absolutely electric we are already made our bets on the draft no kidding I think the Tennessee Titans are going to take a cornerback tonight but I was told they won't be so we'll see all right worth who you thinking it's going to be a crazy draft I don't know I see us either going cornerback or receiver in the first round I think it completely depends on who's left you know I like Farley as a cornerback I think if he drops us then we got to take him yeah I also like Elijah SEC guys speed but as a as a true fan our offense is okay we need some defense so I wouldn't hate edge ojolari drops I like him as well so I don't know it'll be fun I'll be excited no matter what so it'll be exciting night for sure worth Campbell Jason Tartik thanks so much yeah thank you thank you a lot of fun here at the virgin hotel talking to all sorts of different people and getting ready for the first round I got to get back downstairs and get to Titans radio so I'll throw it back to Gibson there uh he's just having a ball he's he looked like he was in his element he really was uh speaking of reality stars uh you you you've dabbled in that world a little bit I did for a little bit I've done a lot of different things I've been on stage I've been on camera I've been in reality shows my wife uh she was on survivor right went for the reality show and I went down to token chains and I was ready to leave because everything south of the equator is on steroids frogs pythons spiders oh this is not my world I had to get out of there yeah everything down there wants to eat you so it's like you gotta get back up here uh well uh speaking of reality shows we uh had a reality show of our own to find our new public address announcer for Nissan stadium the great Duke Donigan has retired and uh well we found him through our reality show but before we get to that I want to know what are you most excited to hear our new PA announcer say so we got a poll up on our screen right here so check this out I'll ask you guys in the audience as well what are you most excited to hear player intros third down touchdown or titans win what do you want to hear tight win right that's the obvious right come on player intros right third down all right well anyway the guy that's going to be making all those calls his name is matt rogers he is a ball of energy a lot of fun and he's gonna love this job you're gonna love him I got to talk with him so check this out here is matt rogers ladies and gentlemen your 2021 Tennessee Titans starting on offense and center number 60 Ben Jones had left tackle number 77 Taylor Luwaha at wide receiver number 11 at cornerback number 17 Ryan Tannahill at running back your two rushing champion number 22 oh there you have it six finalists in the competition and now the job is yours titans fans you get to choose and tell us who you like for game days on sunday who do you want to hear say touchdown titans the fans voted and right now we're going to surprise the winner and we're going to find out who the next titans PA announcer is ladies and gentlemen if you could please give your attention to the big board I have something I'd like to say to Matthew Rogers Matthew we all thought you peaked at American Idol and a lot of your teachers thought you'd go nowhere in life I was on a phone call with a cousin of yours very very far distant cousin and they never liked you very much and that's going to be okay now because you are officially the Tennessee Titan in-game PA announcer not a finalist is the victor sir the absolute victor you deserve every bit of this let's go let's go baby freaking love you guys I love Tennessee I love the Titans by the way it's okay for me to cry as long as it's a victory cry first of all to the fans thank you to everybody who supported me you have no idea just how much I appreciate you and how humbled I am by everyone who supported me and here's my promise to you that out of every team in the NFL nobody will have the passion and the energy that your announcer has I want to turn Nashville Tennessee into the freaking Roman Coliseum because this is where the Titans play and that's what the Titans deserve ladies and gentlemen your 2021 Tennessee Titan how do you greet new co-workers what's up buddy Matt Rogers the new PA announcer for Nissan Stadium has it said let's go how are you brother Lance man it is so good to talk with you again you uh you freaked me out the first time because uh the first part of being a finalist which is the first part of what you want to get you made me think I was gonna get cut and then you flipped it on me so now to be back on zoom with you and doing this uh as the guy man it's so exciting it's great to see you again all right man it's great to see you we're gonna be working together I know you're pumped and excited but let's rewind a little bit set the stage for us you go through this whole experience right I know how bad you want it I saw your social media posts I mean nobody was campaigning harder talk to me about the moment first of all how did you find out I know you had a sort of a special surprise related to that jersey you're wearing tell me about it so uh I walked I walked in the stadium and you know production told me hey we're gonna have the finalists come for a photo shoot um and I said well you know what do you want me to bring or anything he's like don't worry we'll take care of it so I'm kind of thinking like you know maybe maybe I'm the guy maybe not but they like you guys did this whole process didn't tell me anything held their cards close to their chest when I got up and I walked down the tunnel like even the camera guys were filming like well the other guy did it this way and the other guy did it this way and I'm like oh man like okay so I don't have it yet and and then when I got in the center it just said finalist so he said hey we're gonna shoot a couple things for you just check out the monitor while we film you I'm like okay and then Taylor Luan came on so if it was anybody else it'd be cool obviously you want to hear from Derek Henry or AJ or Tana Hill but for me being an offensive lineman like dude there's a special place in my heart for Taylor Luan on top of that our personalities are similar and we wear the same number so I've been rocking 77 since high school and that's back in 96 so when Taylor Luan came on he goes I have a very special announcement for Matthew Rogers and I'm like wait what two people in the world call me Matthew my mom and Taylor Luan so like my stomach dropped and then he said some stuff and it was like an out-of-body experience and then when he said your life's about to get better because or you don't have to worry about all that anymore because you're the new announcer like dude I started crying like it was like everything just like came out and I was crying laughing screaming thanking God all at the same time wow what a moment man what a moment and listen I know you've had a heck of a career in tv and I mean it goes way back to American Idol outside of your football experience going back to the Rose Bowl I mean you've done so much and you've got so much on your resume so much on your plate but this job just has such a special purpose and meaning to you right I mean you've been a fan for a long time you're a season ticket member of course you've got a new seat now I mean talk about your fandom in relation to this I mean that's a that's got I mean it's what makes it special for me I know well look at you man I was the I was the short chubby slow kid growing up I was not good at football but I loved football my very first pop-warner team at the age of seven years old was the Houston Oilers so I became an oiler fan at a young age and then when they transferred to Tennessee and they moved to Tennessee I became a Titan fan and then they go to a Super Bowl like right away and I'm like oh I'm Titans till I die and then you know living in Spring Hill like this is my hometown this is my team and I've been really really blessed and worked really hard from from football to hosting tv shows and then you know after American Idol and stuff but this is different it's kind of like you know you guys didn't air it in the episode but one thing I said to you guys is like normally you do an audition and you forget about it because there's like a 99% chance you don't get it and then if you do get it there's like a 99% chance you don't go to a second season in television like everything's very short-lived well this is a job this is my team this is my home and this isn't a one and done like I'm only 42 years old and if God blesses me with good health like I'm going to be here for 30 years maybe more like so it was different like I I've never wanted anything so bad then then like this and just I mean honestly not to patronize you but like dude I've been watching you from the cheap seats from the last five years and I'm like he looks like a good guy I wish I was his friend and then now like I get to work with you and just everyone like I'm part of the Titans now like this is a dream it is right yeah it's a constant pinch me moment I know the two-tone blue it runs deep that's amazing so have you already thought about game Dave you if you've been thinking about the voice you've been thinking about the calls listen you're going to be in that seat making calls to that stadium we pack them in 65 000 plus again once we get through this pandemic you're going to be calling the future 99 yarders you ready for that you're ready for that now I'm so ready for a dude I am so ready I can't even tell you like when people say like I've dreamed about this forever for real for real I really have and with with respect to the Duke it's kind of like you know in the music industry when you recover like a Michael Jackson song or Whitney Houston song or something like that you don't want to completely change everything because people will be like dude you butchered that song but you don't want to copy it exactly the way it was because then you're just a carbon copy I want to do the same thing with the Duke I can't copy the guy because no one has his voice and can do the third down like I can't do it as good as he can but I can pay respect to what he's done and put my spin on it and the way I would do it and I promise the fans one thing I'm going to give you everything I have and there's not going to be anybody as passionate about it in the stadium as me and I'm going to give you my best and I hope y'all like it because it's my best I know that's the honest truth man I can't wait to hear it give us a taste touchdown Titans let me hear one let me hear one let's go Derek Henry 99 yards touchdown Titans and your score after four quarters the Titans 63 the Chiefs zero improvement on defense too thank you so much Matt Rogers can't wait to catch up with you welcome brother hey we must have had a great draft because we shut out the Chiefs come this year it's going to be phenomenal oh man you guys are in for one yeah another round for Matt Rogers in here that guy is hyped yeah a ball of energy yeah I mean I wish he can call some of the type of the Tigers game as well oh you know I got his number yeah he's going to be in the mood so just stay there I'm out I know a guy Matt Rogers my Rogers ladies and gentlemen it is going to be great he's excited to get on those calls all right we've had a good time tonight so far right yeah I've enjoyed it myself listen we've got a lot more to get to we've got to have a moon taxi take the stage here in a minute but right now we've been asking you to take these polls online take a look at some of the answers we will return with some music and entertainment for you folks here so stick around the virtual draft party we'll be right back all right I'm excited for Matt man he's going to bring me in what is home field advantage what does it look like what does it sound like the time has come to take action take it personal and commit yourself to shutting out our opponents oh have some of that off the field Tennessee you see what you're made of when you go through something tough you folks need to be down the base you don't have time and yeah it's been a tough year 14 days of self quarantine for everyone the Tennesseans are built for this Titans were men of strength passed down through generations was their badge first ones here they set the tone mind you somebody yeah me Tennessee tough at the Titans virtual draft party presented by Gibson here at the Gibson garage continues we're having a good time you guys have a good time right I mean getting ready for the draft picks the interviews have been incredible a lot of great players we got a little entertainment for you now I'm on stage with moon taxi how are you guys giving up for moon taxi right here so moon taxi I'm excited to have you guys play moon taxis played in Nissan Stadium of course maybe you've been there you know 20 second you've seen them uh guys how lucky are you to be involved with the Titans because I feel that way when I work with them immensely lucky so we just want to say tighten up thanks for having us here and thanks to Gibson too for opening up their beautiful new showroom gorgeous unbelievable in here so I hope you guys know how lucky you are this is not they're not open to the public yet so let's just get a round of applause for Gibson all right so Trevor let me ask you though like I said you you know moon taxis played in Nissan Stadium played at half time uh you're a Nashville guys Nashville band how much does the team though mean to you personally deep and interwoven so there's uh there's a there's a deep history with bands and and music you know I I think back to like uh like Hootie and the Blowfish were really into like you know ESPN back in the day you did you kind of feel as a band you kind of got that sports vibe going on it wasn't intentional because I mean I didn't make the team back then we write songs it's just anthemic and it works for sport settings you know so like we've been fortunate enough to get to play at the Preds games uh where else we've we haven't done sounds stadium yet no nor vanderbilt well we're we're we're booking right now as we speak apparently uh wait no you mentioned you mentioned that your music being anthemic and that's very cool so when you watch say Derek Henry run 99 yards or truck over somebody you're like oh there's a song in that there we go see rock in the 22 right now he named his dog after Derek Henry did you really right he is fast he's very fast he's very fast you can't catch him it's good to know including Derek all right well uh you guys ready to go yeah ready to do this ready to rock the house let's do it all right I love it are you guys ready out there I believe they are ladies and gentlemen right here at the virtual draft party presented by Gibson at the Gibson garage take it away moon taxi this first song is called light up get ready I know this isn't how you planned it I know you don't always understand it I know it's been a hard year and yeah it's been a hard year for me too I feel like I can't go on I feel like the night is so long you know that I'm right here I see what you're going through but will we ever make it to the other side and will we ever get out of here alive oh I can see I lost out here lost out here the ocean so unclear just to drop party thank you for Gibson for helping us put it on special thanks to Mike Keith and the Titans radio crew thanks to buck rising and thanks to our former Titans for taking the stage with us thanks to Andy George and thank you all for being Titans fans this is the Titans virtual draft party