 We welcome you to the official Titans podcast. This is the OTP and no matter what's going on, no matter where it's going on, Amy Wells is always here. Amy Wells, hello. Hello, Mike Keith. You should say that with like joy and excitement. Amy's here. I think I did. I thought I did, but even more exciting. No offense to Amy, but even more exciting. The great Jim Wyatt is back as part of the OTP. Jim Wyatt, welcome back. We are so glad to have you rejoin us. Glad to be back. This is my first time on Zoom. My wife is a school teacher, so she's been working on Zoom all week from the house and this is my first experience. So it's glad to be doing OTP and doing it on Zoom. This is Friday, April the 3rd as we tape this. There has been some news this week. And the news really emanated from some conference calls that John Robinson and Mike Grable did with the media on Wednesday. And those conference calls were not only well listened to, but there were a lot of great questions. I guess overall, John Robinson's lasted about 40 minutes, Mike Grable's lasted more than a half hour. Jim Wyatt, I'll let you go first and then Amy, I'll let you chime in. In the general manager's conference call, what jumped out to you? Well, I think just the fact that he was willing to talk about Jadavion Clowney and make it known that the team does have some interest in him is obviously curious to see how things develop with him. I think we've all seen Jadavion Clowney start off with the $20 million price tag and it's since dropped to $17 million a year, which is a heck of a bargain. That's pretty much getting him for free at that point. So it's just a matter of what the team might be comfortable with there. Mike Grable knows him and I'm getting into the Grable conference call a little bit in him's addressing it as well. But I think just the fact that John Robinson was willing to at least discuss him says a guy we've had some contact with and now we'll all have to kind of see how things go from here. That's what was most intriguing to me. I thought that John Robinson and how transparent he was with the adaptations that they're needing to make because of the current state of the nation right now in the world really. I thought it was really interesting that he was so willing to talk about the fact that they're doing conference calls, the fact that everybody's working out of their own homes and they're just kind of trying to figure out this new normal throughout a pre-draft process that is so rigid and consistent and these guys do the exact same thing. They have a very structured process. So the fact that they're not only making changes, but he was able to discuss those and was relatively open about what they're doing and where things are kind of hard, but what they're willing to do to try and circumvent just some of the circumstances that are presenting themselves right now that no one can do anything about. But I thought it was really interesting that he was so willing to talk about it. You know what got me, Amy, more than anything else that he said about football and he did delve into more specifics football wise than he normally does, which I thought was great. But his comments about the death of Joe Diffie making this COVID-19 situation so real for him, quite telling and I think for a lot of people they're having the same experiences in the reality of, you know, some of our favorite TV hosts have it and are dealing with it. Tom Hanks dealt with it and his wife Rita Wilson and Joe Diffie, somebody that a lot of people in Titans Nation knew very well, very telling and very insightful from John Robinson. There's no question. And you know, just the fact that while the conference call was going on, you hear his doorbell ring and it kind of speaks to, you know, the world we're living in today. John Robinson not sitting in his office on the second floor of St. Thomas Sports Park is doorbell. He's got a pretty elaborate doorbell ring. Nice doorbell. And he cracked a joke saying, hey, that's probably the 9,000th Amazon package that had been dropped off there and talked about how the recycling bin has been, you know, filled up on a pretty regular basis. So just different times that we're living in and, you know, everything from what he's doing from a work standpoint to where he's working and such, you know, really unpredictable times. Let me ask you first, Amy, Mike Vrabel's conference call. I'll let you go first on this one and then have Jim chime in. What did you think was interesting from the head coach? With Mike Vrabel's conference call, I thought it was interesting for almost the exact opposite reason. So while John was talking about all of the changes they're making and adapting to what's going on, Mike Vrabel basically said, I expect this team to make a jump from last year to the 2020 season regardless of circumstance. So while he acknowledged that things are different during the preseason and the way that guys are getting prepared and are learning this playbook and the way that they are working out and taking care of their bodies is changing a little bit. He doesn't really care. I think he never leaned on anything as an excuse for anything less than what he expects to see out of this team whenever guys are able to get back in the building. So I thought that the parallels between the two were interesting, whereas one guy was talking about the adaptation and making changes. The other guy pretty much said, I expect these guys to be ready to go no matter what. Yeah, I'm going to go with, and I don't think he never was surprised because he raved about Logan Woodside at the Combine in February, but he was asking again about Logan Woodside and kind of took an opportunity to kind of give him some more praise. That's one of the biggest questions I have is this team moves forward. A lot of them still because this team still has holes. But what's going to happen at the number two QB spot behind Ryan Tainihill? Because Logan Woodside is currently the only quarterback on the roster. So he talked more in depth just about Woodside and his work ethic and what he did when he was on the injured reserve last year, just the amount of respect that Coach O'Hara has for him and OC coach Arthur Smith. So that's interesting. And we'll see. I mean, there's a draft coming up with a lot of other quarterback prospects in it. There's a free agency class that still has some intriguing players in it. So where that ends up going, I'm intrigued by, and just to hear him talk again about Woodside, kind of piqued my interest a little back. So he just wrote a story about it, you know, just to kind of see where things go from here. Jim, Derek Henry signed his tender after both, especially John Robinson, had nice things to say about how Henry and his representatives had handled the franchise process and they were going to keep working and they wanted to find a long term solution. And it didn't seem like it was minutes after that, it was a little longer. But then we learned that Henry has signed the franchise tender. The way it feels to everyone I talk with is that can be nothing but great news. Am I reading it wrong? No, you're reading it wrong. I think it's a show of good faith by Derek Henry, the fact that he's saying, okay, I'm going to be here. I'm going to be working out with the team. I'm not going to be a holdout. I'm not going to be a distraction. I think the way it was communicated, the communication I think Derek Henry had with the team and John Robinson had with his agent during the course of this whole deal leading up to the tag after the tag leads you to believe that these two sides are working in good faith and want to get something done and we'll see what happens from here. The biggest question I've gotten through this whole thing is why extend Taney Hill and give him a long-term deal and not Henry? And I don't think it's because the two sides are not working together in good faith. It's just the Taney Hill deal was able to come together quicker. They want to get ahead of the quarterback market and we're able to do that. And now it's a matter of whether they can get something done with Derek Henry and in the meantime, he's on the $10.2 million salary, which is not too bad. Did anybody really think that Derek Henry would hold out anyway? I mean, you can't keep this man out of a gym to save your life. I mean, there's no way that he's going to skip workouts. He loves working out. It's all over social media. The man loves to exercise. Even before he signed and there were questions about whether or not he'd be a holdout, I couldn't help but think, what's he going to be holding out from? I don't think anybody really knows whether we're going to have OTAs, whether we're going to have many camps, whether we're even being business until late January of then. So I think in the meantime, it is nice to have this one settled for the time being and then hopefully it's two sides to working good faith. You know, John didn't make it sound like something's happening this week or next week. His focus is on the draft right now. His focus is going to be on trying to fine tune the roster after that. So maybe a while before something gets settled, but at least the two sides are on the same page. It's smart in a lot of ways for Derek Henry. First of all, smart PR wise that he never complained. At this time, nobody wants to hear somebody complain about making nearly $10.3 million. Second part is, with things as they are right now, it's a smart move, you know, sort of a bird in a hand type situation. The other thing that I think it's smart is that you get this done, you go ahead and sign this and you know that you're part of this team before the draft. Because what happens if the Titans have a running back at the top of their board and he's there on April the 23rd, then does that change the dynamic? I think everything works in Derek Henry's favor by going ahead and signing at this point. I mean, we don't know what's going to happen. Nobody knows what's going to happen in anything. But I think it benefits him, Jim, in every way to do it. It certainly falls right in line with who he is. And Amy touched on this, and this guy wants to play. He's never complained about money. He's always made pretty good money because obviously he has endorsements outside of his football salary. So it's not like he's ever been broke since he came into the league. I just think Derek Henry has a smart approach as a football player, as a business person and, quite frankly, as a human being. I agree with that. Now, in the meantime, the debate will continue about what a contract might look like, because while there were a lot of people that were saying, well, again, why didn't Derek Henry get a long term deal? We're upset with him. I mean, a lot of national analysts who were kind of sounding off a little bit about the Titans, about how he cured this team, why wasn't he rewarded? Not Valentino, but since the tag's been put on, I was watching last night. And one analyst was saying that they wouldn't get Derek Henry a long term deal if he did. It better be one that's not going to bite you like some of these other contracts, because we've seen what's happened to Todd Gurley. We've seen what's happened to Levy on Bell. We've seen what's happened to David Johnson since, you know, been traded after getting that big deal in Arizona. So the debate will continue about what a deal looks like and whether or not the team should even give them one, knowing you can use the tag again next year. Now, that's when I think you create some hard feelings. If you try to do it two years in a row, and that's obviously something that will be considered as well. Titans have until July the 15th, however, to get something done. So still plenty of time. Speaking of contracts, Titans confirmed Vic Beasley's contract. Pass rusher coming over from the Atlanta Falcons. And then Amy Wells, John Robinson, dropped the bomb on everybody, too. That Kamalae Correa re-signed with the Titans. Did that surprise you at all after the Vic Beasley thing, after the Reggie Gilbert thing, after some of the things they've been doing at Outside Linebacker? A little bit. It was surprising to me that that position has seemed to have had so much of a concentrated focus. And I mean, John Robinson has addressed that a little bit in the past, just saying some of these contracts just kind of come together quicker than others. So while to us who have no idea what he's kind of doing on a day to day basis, it looks like a very concentrated effort has been put on Outside Linebacker. In reality, what's probably happening is those contracts are just kind of all happening in ways that are agreeable to both parties. But I'm happy for Kamalae Correa. I'm glad that he's still going to be with the team. I think that he's a guy who can fill a lot of different spots within the defense and also on special teams. So I think that that's a really versatile piece for this team to have. And with the experience that he has with the Ball Club, I think any sort of veteran kind of understanding is going to be so valuable to this Titans team, especially in the 2020 season. So I think investing in some of those pieces that can help out in a lot of different areas can only benefit the team. Really played well, Jim, the second half of the year, not just rushing the passer, but he played well against the run. He did. And I think the fact now that you can work with Landry, you can work with Beasley and now have Correa be a part of that mix along with some other guys who can give you more of a rotation. I think that's the positive. I think one thing I ought to point out, because this is just more of a sign of the times that we're in. The team has been, you know, obviously a little bit slower to announce some of these moves just because you can't. And it was 10 days probably after the Beasley deal was out before that it appeared before the team announced it and it was on Titans online. And that's been the case with some of these other contracts as you have to wait for players to get physicals and wait for the paperwork to come through. So some people might wonder who read Titans online on a regular basis, which is now officially TennesseeTitans.com. Like we've announced that, but that's in the process of being changed. But people that are checking the website think, well, why hasn't Correa news or the Crawford news been posted on the website? Because it still has not officially been released by the team. John Robinson said it, but I think the paperwork and kind of dotting all the I's and crossing the T's, that part has still not been done. I think those players have signed on their end, but then it has to be sent to the team. The team has to finish off the paperwork. You still have to go through some procedural stuff that you don't have to do when guys can come in the building and sign. So in time, you know, it may be next week, the team will officially announce Crawford and Correa as additions. And guys, the teams agreed to terms on. But as of now, John Robinson has said it on a conference call. But I think Van Marino, who works on the contracts, I don't think he's at a place where he's ready to give the complete go ahead on those. And that's the and that's the days that we're working under right now. As we entered the offseason, we thought there was a very good chance that the Titans would select an outside linebacker with their first pick at number 29. But right now, they have Vic Beasley, Kamala Correa, Derek Roberson, Harold Landry, Reggie Gilbert, Deandre Walker and Josh Smith at that position. So it feels like I mean, they could line up and play Sunday with that group of guys. Now, here's the flip side of that. The only guy that they have under contract for next year, 2021 would be Harold Landry, who would be under contract for one more year. And obviously they've got Deandre Walker under his first contract as well. So, Jim White, I'll ask you first and then I'll have Amy chime in. Is there still a chance knowing that down the road factor is there, even if they seem to have good depth right now, could they still take an outside linebacker or no at number one? Or do you think that's unlikely? Well, I wouldn't rule it out just because we've seen a lot of these drafts over the years and I'm going all the way back to, you know, Jevon Curse in 99, the first years of Titans, when no one thought he'd be hanging around and then he ends up being there. So if somebody with great value happens to be still on the board at pick number 29, he's a guy you just can't pass up, I still wouldn't rule it out because a lot of the guys you just mentioned, some of them are proven players like Beasley, Landry's still developing. I thought Correa obviously made great strides and ended with a bang last year. But you've got a lot of guys that are still developing like Walker and Roberson and I guess Gilbert for that matter that you just don't know exactly what you have and now we've got an offseason coming up where you just don't know how much you're going to be able to work with them. So if you can add another dynamic player to that group, more of a sure thing, not that there are any sure things coming out of the draft, then I think you'd have to at least consider it. I don't think that you can count it out for the reasons that Jim just said. However, I do think that looking at the amount of depth that they have, even though it's not long term contractually, I think that there are other more immediate positions of need that the team could want to address with someone who is more of a sure player you presume in a first round draft thick. All right, Amy, so let me jump in there and I'll get you to follow this. Let me read these names. Malcolm Butler, Dory Jackson, Chris Milton, Kareemore, Kenneth Durden. That right now is the listing of all of the Titans cornerbacks. So in terms of need, it would seem like that is number one. Mike Keith, that may have been what I was alluding to. Look at that. Yeah, I mean, as of corners right now, slim pickings. So I could see, especially in a draft like the one that we have right now, where the group of defensive backs as a whole is rather impressive, that seems like an area that I'm not John Robinson. But if I were, I would be snooping around the DBs a little bit. All right, Tim White, let me ask you about the news that was reported earlier this week that the NFL's 2020 schedule will not be out probably until at least May the 9th. What is the NFL doing with the extra time in your opinion? Well, I think, you know, and I haven't seen anybody say this, but I mean, I just can't help but wonder if they're trying to buy themselves some extra time, just to see what more develops here with the virus. And I think the last thing you want to do is put a schedule out and have teams start planning. And then, you know, the longer this date keeps moving back as far as when it's looking like life could return to normal, if it continues to be pushed back, then you might have to make some adjustments on the front end of the schedule. I don't know that, man. Everything from the league has been optimistic. We expect to start the season on time. We expect to play a full 16 games. We expect to have fans in the stands for the games. We expect to have the London games and international games. But I think right now it's hard to say that for sure, because you just don't know what's going to happen. I mean, every day that passes by, every week that passes by, you're starting to see more cancellations and they're going into deeper into deeper into the summer. And I think the hope is that everything will start on time. But I have to think that part of the reason for the delay is that they want to see what happens with the virus. Now, with all that said, I'd heard probably a month and a half ago that the schedule might not come out until May. So there might be some other reasons behind it that I'm not aware of. And that one, again, this was before the virus was even a big part of the conversation. I heard it was going to be later this year and after the draft. So it might be some other things in play as far as TV and travel. And I think the bottom line too, Amy, we felt like the schedule was going to come out in May before we ever knew anything about COVID-19. Because, and Jim touched on it, the league wants a May type event. And they didn't think the schedule got enough attention because it usually came out a week to 10 days before the draft. Right. We had this conversation all the way back at the combine that, well, yes, it seems now in this climate, like it buys the league some time, they also kind of had a gap post draft and pre off season workouts, really getting into effect, pre OTAs, where there was just kind of this dead period. And there's all this excitement about teams and it kind of drops off. So we had, you and I had kind of had the conversation about whether they were moving the announcement of the regular season schedule back a little bit, just to try and maintain some of that excitement from the draft. Obviously, there's a ticket sales component. Obviously, you want to keep the national football league in the news. And that's a way to do it. Let me ask you about expanded playoffs. Amy, I'll let you go first. Now I'm going to have 14 teams in the playoffs, seven in each conference. One will get a buy, two will play seven, three will play six, four will play five. The game times central time will be 1205, 340 and 715 on Saturday and Sunday. So we'll have three Saturday games, three Sunday games. Do you like it? I like it. I like the wall to wall football at a time when football is the most exciting. I like the buy thing doesn't really bother me. Like one team gets a buy. Great. Enjoy it. That doesn't bother me. What I don't like is the prospect of an eight and eight team, which is a totally average season and you end up in the playoffs. That bothers me. I think and just per numbers. I mean, that could happen sometimes. But you know what? Just to jump in, one of the things they studied is how many of the seven seeds would have had losing records over the last 30 years? Yeah. How many of the seven seeds would have been eight and eight? How many would have been nine and seven so on and so forth? It was way skewed towards teams with winning records. Right. They've only been one team with a losing record that would have made it. And very few eight and eight teams as well. So I don't think that's going to happen a lot. Yeah. And that's, I mean, that's my biggest kind of issue is those bubble teams that are eight and eight have an average season and then end up not only backing in, but then like ruining someone else's season who had a really strong season. And then you lose to the eight and eight team that got in through the back door. I mean, in five years, it won't seem like the back door. In five years, it'll be play better because this is the reality of the playoffs. But for the first couple of seasons, some little average team comes in and screws up the tightens chances of going to the Super Bowl and I'm going to be hot. So let's make sure that doesn't happen. I don't like the thought of teams below 500 getting in, but I do like the thought of the excitement and keeping a lot of other teams seasons meaningful down the stretch. Because the last thing you want to see is team that are trying to get in and playing against a team that's pretty much playing out the strings. So the more teams that you can have involved in competing in the final week of the season, I think the better. I think the biggest help to all of it's going to be weeks 14, 15, 16 and 17, because more teams are still going to be in it. I mean, you could be four and eight after 12 games, but you're saying, you know what, if we win our last four, we're still alive. We're still alive. We've got a chance to go to the playoffs. And so for a fan base, for people who sell tickets, for television, anytime you can have it be meaningful, it's better. All right. So are you ready to go over some of the mock drafts and what they're saying about the tightens right now? Jim White does this. I guess you do it early in the week, don't you, Jim? It's turned into a Monday gathering. And I think maybe I had 35, 36 of them. And the closer we get to the draft, the more I see people weighing on mock drafts, even people that have not done them. I'm surprised how much they change from week to week, but it has shifted. I mean, Ed Ruscher before the Beasley move and before the Correa move was kind of the position that a lot of people seem to be pegging for the tightens. Now it has switched to offensive tackle. I'm going to throw them out here and I'll let Jim react first and then Amy can react second. All right. Here we go. Our friend Charles Davis in his latest mock has the tightens selecting at number 29, Josh Jones, offensive tackle Houston. And he has been a popular one. Several guys had Jones going and certainly an intriguing prospect, the guy who would battle obviously with Dennis Kelly. Yeah, I like that idea. I like the idea of bringing in someone to be a part of the offensive line, add some competition for Dennis Kelly. I like that. I'm okay with that, Charles. Good pick. Sporting news also says the Titans will select Josh Jones. So I go to si.com and Jim Wyatt. They say Jeff Gladney, cornerback Texas Christian. I think that's another need. And we just talked earlier just about how thin the team is. That could change. I mean, the only guy we haven't mentioned here so far is Logan Ryan, and he remains a free agent. And if let's say something gets worked out with him, is that as much of a need. Now, Dory will have a year, assuming his option years picked up. He'll be back next year. Butler has a contract that would have him here as well. Logan Ryan, we're not sure how that was going to look out, look like. But a lot hinges on Logan, and if he is not back, I think that makes cornerback even more. But option if it's not one to begin with, and Gladney seems to be a guy that a lot of people are pegging to the Titans as well. I said at the beginning, I think that corner is definitely a spot where the Titans should be looking. You always need depth at that spot. Always, always, always. Bring in someone who could be a contributor early, who's a good player. I think that would be great. I'm in with that. All right. The last mock that I've got for you at number 29, Will Brinson says the Tennessee Titans select, DeAndre Swift running back Georgia. He'd be fun to have him. I mean, you talk about a good one-two punch with Derek Kennery. I mean, this team needs a number two running back. I mean, I'm not trying to slight Dalen Dawkins, who is going to be given a chance as well. But I do think the team has potential to upgrade on DeAndre Lewis, who wasn't much of a factor last season, and just how early the team decides to address that position. I'm curious to see. Swift, and using to pick that early, I'd be a little bit skeptical about that, just because you've got your work course in Henry, and you can find running backs later in the draft, to have some popping and produced personally. And I'm biased a little bit, because I watched this guy play so much. I think Keishaan Vaughn would be a great tandem with Derek Kennery, just because of the speed and his ability to catch up all the backfield. He's running back out of Vanderbilt. But Swift, while it sounds exciting, I'm skeptical of the Titans going that early with the running back. I agree with Jim. I think that while he would be a really fun guy to have be part of the Tennessee Titans, I think that it's unlikely given some of the other needs that a running back would be taken in that spot. And I think you can get running backs elsewhere for a better value. All right. So both of you kind of frown on that one. But that's good stuff. And you're going to have a review of a lot more mocks at TennesseeTitans.com, right, Jim? That's right. We're going to do this every week, leading up to the draft, which is crazy. The NFL just keeps on rolling. I know this COVID-19 has slowed down the world, but the league keeps going. I initially wondered whether it was a smart move to have free agency in its original date, but so much going on. But I think the way things have played out and the fact that this pandemic is going to get worse is the weeks go by before it gets better. I think it was a smart move to have free agency when it was held. And now I think the draft is going to be a welcome relief to a lot of people. It's sad to see what's going on across the world, especially in this country. And it's going to be scary here over the next couple of weeks. It will be nice to have a draft to look forward to, and at least to know what your team is going to be, even if there is going to be time when you're not on the field helping guys get better. And with that said, the Montdrafts will continue each money leading up to this big event on the 23rd to 25th. At TennesseeTitans.com, the new name. The new name? I don't know if that has officially been announced. I think they're wanting to get Jeff Harding, who is such a whiz, working on things behind the scenes. I know he is wanting to get all the kinks worked out before we promote that too much, but it seems like that has gone off well so far. I've even had a couple of people text me and email me, hey, when did the switch take place? I said, well, it happened earlier this week. It just has not been announced yet, but that's where it's going to be. TennesseeTitans.com. We have something to look forward to on the OTP, a couple of different things. Early next week, Amy Wells, another in-year series with Titans Radio's draft duo, Coach Dave Beginnis, and also Rhett Bryant. And what position are you focusing on? We are doing the defensive line. Oh, that's an area of need for the Titans? Well, it sure is. So we're excited about that. Lots of, lots to talk about. And then next Thursday, we really have something to look forward to. Jim White, you won't believe this, but it's true. Mike Vrable is going to be our guest on the OTP. And I know we're big time. And Mike Vrable is going to answer questions from the OTP. Amy Wells, tell people and we're going to continue to promote this and hopefully everybody will help us get the word out. If you have a question for the head coach, Mike Vrable, how do you get it to us? You get on your computer. You go to titansonline.com slash OTPQ. Type in your question. Hit send. It will come to us. And we will ask the head ball coach as many questions as we can from Mike Vrable. Load them up next Thursday on the OTP. So a lot coming from Jim White at TennesseeTitansOnline.com and from us via the OTP. And to all of you who are listening, please stay safe. Please maintain your social distance. Please stay in your home. And thank you so much for downloading this podcast. Please tell your friends. Please tell as many as possible that you enjoy the official Titans podcast and that the head coach is going to be on taking your questions next week. Amy, did you want to say something else? Titansonline.com slash OTPQ. That's what I want to say. TennesseeTitans.com slash OTPQ. TennesseeTitans.com slash OTPQ. Oh man, guys. I know, right? We're working on it. I don't do change. Well, I really don't. Well, we're going to help you, Amy. That's what we're here for. Yes. For Jim White and for Amy Wells who doesn't like change, my name is Mikey. Ever changing each one on this, the OTPQ.