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Titans' Mail: Draft Eagerness, Long-Term Positioning, Scouting Vs. Development And More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- What a fun, big weekend off awaits us.

But during the course of it you must have a quality Titans' read, and so I collected a dozen of the best questions that came to be through the private Facebook page -- which gets priority -- as well as Twitter as did my best to give you some detailed and thoughtful answers to the things that are most pressing for you.

DeAndre Hopkins
  DeAndre Hopkins' leadership has been excellent

So here is the big weekend read.

If you're not a member, remember to go download the ZenSports app, use code TNPAUL, make a $10 bet, and get a free membership. If you're a member and you bet $250 (winning with all of it, of course) they'll give you $250 more. 

ZenSports is a way better way to bet, as you get five percent of what you bet for the first 15 days back in cash, and up to three percent back monthly after that. (Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-889-9789. Terms & Conditions apply. Must be 21+ and in Tennessee to bet.)

Jump on it.

Here we go.

David Jackson Why do you think so many fans are so eager for the team to tank? There have been a lot of top 10 qbs (and other positions for that matter) that didn’t pan out, after a team had a bad stretch and continually drafted high. It seems like the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, but clearly not everyone sees it that way.

The fascination with draft position bewilders me.

The regular season is just 18 weeks long. We wait for the games all year. Now we’re in the midst of them,and people are more concerned with the names that will be called at the end of April, SIX MONTHS from now.

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Titans' Big Money Players Not Living Up To Their Prices

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The highest-paid players need to produce for their team to have success. And amid all the Titans' problems, they are not getting very much out of their cash cows.

Jeffery Simmons talked in London about the team's leaders being vocal and speaking their minds, helping to spark change.

Jeffery Simmons
  Jeffery Simmons/ Angie Flatt

But those leaders also need to trigger teammates with better, contagious play.

Here is what the Titans’ big-dollar guys have done through six games:

 

Ryan Tannehill

Cap hit: $36.6 million
Base salary: $27 million [Unlocked]

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Titans At A Crossroads: Time To Make Critical Decisions

Titans At A Crossroads: Time To Make Critical Decisions

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

For much of the 2023 offseason, it felt like Ran Carthon and Mike Vrabel were trying to thread the needle between competing in 2023 while also setting the table for a future beyond this season, one that likely doesn’t include some of the central figures from this spurt of success since 2019.

Will Levis
  Will Levis/ Angie Flatt

Carthon reportedly had discussions about trading Derrick Henry early in the offseason and the new GM was careful not to do too much restructuring of current deals to preserve a war chest of cap space that is waiting for him in 2024. He also traded up to select Will Levis in the second round and then took Tyjae Spears in the third, clear heirs for the Ryan Tannehill-Henry backfield duo that helped win back-to-back division titles in 2020 and 2021.

However, they ultimately decided to keep their expensive core veterans – including Kevin Byard and Denico Autry along with Tannehill and Henry – while adding DeAndre Hopkins. To make room for Hopkins, they did borrow from that 2024 cap allotment via Harold Landry’s restructured contract. Those were all moves aimed at competing for a division title in 2023.

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The Analytics of the Titans' Week 6 Offensive Performance

By JAKE DOWNARD

Jake Downard is a law student who creates NFL and NBA content focused on analytics on Twitter as @JakeAndBall. He also works with fanspo.com. A glossary of the analytics terms he uses is available in this previous piece.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans flew across the pond on Thursday and hosted the Baltimore Ravens in London on Sunday.

Once again, we watched an offense struggle to get anything going whatsoever. Once again, we saw a team that was situationally inept and reeling for some sense of rhythm. The Titans offense was out-gained by the Ravens offense by more than 125 yards, they went one for nine on third downs, they averaged a little less than 2 yards per carry in the first half while attempting to establish the run and they went one for four in the red zone, coming away with one TD.  

Titans London

Here is where the Titans offense stands in a few noteworthy metrics through the Sunday Night Football game in Week 6: 

  • EPA/Play: -0.030 (12th of 28)
  • Success Rate: 46.3% (12th of 28)
  • Dropback EPA: -0.046 (13th of 28)
  • Rush EPA: 0.005 (12th of 28)

(These standings and numbers are for Week 6 only, not season-long.) 

[Unlocked]

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Scout's Take: Titans Should Deal Veteran Players Away

Scout's Take: Titans Should Deal Veteran Players Away

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans are not a very good football team, but this isn’t something that just happened overnight, this was going to be the outcome at some point this season whether the fans and organization wanted to admit it or not. This team was flawed from the start, unfortunately, things unwound within the first six weeks of the season.

Oct 15, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Baltimore Ravens safety Geno Stone (26) intercepts a pass intended for Tennessee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo (85) as Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) watches in the second half during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
  Geno Stone intercepts Ryan Tannehill in London/ © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I mentioned in the preview if the Titans lost versus the Ravens, they need to consider trading valuable pieces and acquiring draft assets for the 2024 season. The Titans only have two picks in the top three rounds in the upcoming draft. Acquiring as many selections as possible is key to being able to select depth and players that can develop into two deep pieces.

DeAndre Hopkins could bring back a fourth-round pick. Everybody else in play would be more like a fifth- to seventh-rounder, but the Titans need to collect all the draft picks they can get.

I believe the time is now to make these moves, but who is going to make that decision for the organization?

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PK TV: Ravens 24, Titans 16

LONDON -- What a monstrous disappointment. 

Not everyone in the States gets up or figures out how to tune into the International Series games, but such games are still in a featured window by themselves. And the Titans played another dud at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, flubbing their way to a 24-16 loss to the Ravens while losing Ryan Tannehill to another right ankle injury.

PK TVThat injury was big for discussion because it may present the Titans with their quarterback crossroad.

So was Jeffery Simmons indicating he doesn't think everyone is all in.

And Mike Vrabel answering my question about whether something may not be correctable with a response that started with, "Probably, maybe, we'll see." That's majorly noteworthy, I believe. 

There were a lot of moments you'd wanted to hash out and a lot of long-range issues you wanted to sort through after getting up and taking in an early game involving your team for the first time since 2018. So I bundling up and heading back to the outdoor press box to make it happen. 

So please rewatch the excellent chat with me about all of this at the private Facebook page or on YouTube which you can find below.

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Titans' Edge? No Sign of It In London And It May Not All Be Correctable

Titans' Edge? No Sign of It In London And It May Not All Be Correctable

LONDON – The NFL transforms the international venues that host its games, so the home locker room at Tottenham Hotspur has plenty of light blue and Titans logos and even a new twist on their themes.

A couple of long signs running atop a string of lockers read: “Our Edge: Effort, Finish, Details, Technique, Fundamentals.”

Oct 15, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Fireworks mark the start of the first half of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
  Fireworks over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kickoff/ © Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports

"Our team message is on the board,” Jeffery Simmons said, his eyes gesturing up to the words. “And that’s our edge. Apparently, we didn’t play with the Tennessee Titans’ edge today.”

No, not close. The result of the Titans' big game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a 24-16 loss to the Ravens on a grand stage with a terrific environment.

Frankly, they haven’t played with this alleged edge very often. They now stand at 2-4 and some of the issues make it entirely fair to question their identity beyond Mike Vrabel’s calling-card effort. [Unlocked]

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My Experience Of An England Win And Soccer Culture At Wembley Stadium

My Experience Of An England Win And Soccer Culture At Wembley Stadium

LONDON – When England finally scored to move ahead of Australia on Friday night, I thought Wembley Stadium would erupt, friendly or not. But the noise that followed was more of a collective sigh of relief along the way to a 1-0 win for the home side during an international break in world club soccer.

PK WembleyA home match for a European soccer power trying to get things in order for the EURO 2024 tournament was a very cool thing to add to my list of sports experiences, and rooting for a country as a guest as one of 81,116 at a storied venue was something new too. 

Don’t mind me, I’m just an interloper joining in on your national fervor, wearing my red US Soccer sweatshirt. Remember us? You tend to not think much of us as a football nation, we’re here to play the other kind on Sunday, but we played you to a scoreless draw in World Cup 2022 in Qatar. But I’m with you now. 

You can’t consume alcohol when you can see the field at a national team or EPL game. That means beer-drinking is a concourse-only event and in the stroll from the Wembley Park tube station to the stadium I didn’t see people pounding drinks to get in a lather before the stadium rules slowed them down. [Unlocked]

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