The OTP | Pregame - Week 16

Published Dec 20, 2024, 2:00 AM
Mike Keith and Amie Wells are joined by the Great Jim Wyatt on the OTP: Pregame, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.

This is the OTP pre game, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Plan on paying less for the coverage you need with Farm Bureau Health Plans. Get a quote today at FBHP dot com. If Amy wells, I'm Mike Keith. We're glad to have Jim Wyatt with a senior writer editor from Tennessee Titans dot com.

Jim silence, phone.

Silence, the phone, pulling out notes. Preparers preparing diligently for today's OTP pre game.

Oh, yes, how are you? I'm doing great. Hope you guys doing well.

It's been an interesting weeks. It's been an interesting week. Colts Week three Division games to end the season. Titans lost to the Colts on October thirteenth by final score of twenty to seventeen, and so the Titans trying to avenge that loss in a place where they have won five of their last seven. They've won five of seven playing at Lucas Oil Stadium, so maybe it's the right place to go on the road and get a second division victory.

Yeah, I mean, and the Colts in a similar situation the Titans. They've obviously got three more wins, but has been kind of one of those seasons, they have found a way to win a couple of close games the Titans have not been able to, including that game in Nashville. So we'll see going up there with another quarterback, you know, a new quarterback this week and a chance to try to end the season on a positive note. We'll see what happens on Sunday.

All right. So a few Colts notes. They are currently the eighth seed in the AF seed, but they're two games away from the final wildcard two losses out, they have a ten percent chance of making.

The playoffs as it stands today.

As it stands today, the Colts' final three opponents, however, are eight and thirty four. Oh yeah, So they play against the Titans, as we know, coming up this weekend, and then they're at the New York Giants, and they end at home with Jacksonville. So finishing nine to eight not outside them, outside the realm of possibility. They lost last week at Denver by final score of thirty one to thirteen in spite of the fact that they allowed just one hundred ninety three yards and had three takeaways, but because they had five turnovers and they lost a touchdown at the goal line. When Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball and one of the five turnovers resulted in seven points. They lost thirty one to thirteen. Anthony Richardson, the starting quarterback, currently has a completion percentage of forty seven percent. He is on track to have the lowest completion percentage in the NFL since Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow in twenty eleven.

Very good, Thank you, thanks, very well.

Played by you. So that is the opponent this week. The OTP pregame is five topics, and so, Jim White, are you ready for topic one?

Let's do it all right?

Topic one. Will levis demotion was the big story of Wednesday. Well, the code big story of Wednesday, I will say yeah, was a big story when it came out nationally on Tuesday, out as it was handled on Wednesday, it was a big story. The comments of Brian Callahan, the comments of Mason Rudolph, the comments of Will Levis, the comments of teammates. Jim White, you were down there for all of it. How did all of that feel with the formal announcement of the demotion of the Titans quarterback?

Well, I think you know clearly it was you know hard on Will. I mean that's you could see his genuine emotions coming out, you know, in the locker room yesterday, and I felt bad for me. He's such a nice kid. That's one thing I think that people on the outside don't realize maybe how hard he works, and what nice kid he is, and how respectful he is, and how he's had some bad luck with injuries and UH, and there's a personal side of this. I generally felt bad for him as he had to stand there and answer a lot of questions about what this means for him in his future. He was adamant that this doesn't have to be a period. It's doesn't have to be the end of his time as his team's franchise quarterback. And if it's not here, it doesn't mean it has to be the end somewhere else.

So I.

Standing next to him, I felt like a guy who was really down, disappointed, discouraged. But it's not going to quit. And what that means moving forward, I guess it remains to be seen both here and UH or somewhere else across the league. I just don't know how that all that's going to play out. I thought Mason Rudolph handled it like a pro, just like he has done with everything since he's been here. I think he's a you know, he's he's been in will Levis's shoes before and and he's been the league for a long time, so this is not new to him. So he's ready to step in and play. And then I think for Brian Callahan, it's just, uh, you know, it's been a tough season. I mean for everybody, it's been a tough season. For Brian Callahan, and you know, he acknowledged that this is one of the toughest decisions that he's had to make at such a key position. And I get both sides of it. I mean, it's tough. On one hand, I understand the school of thought if you'll let Will Levis finish the season and uh and get a complete full picture of what you have in him, how he handles it adversity. He's had to deal with a lot of adversity this year, There's no question about that. But this would have been another way to see how he comes back from being benched in game for turnovers, how's he finish and and this season has been about finding out what you have in him? And a part of me thinks, let's finish the job and let him do that. But I also understand the other side, and I think it's important, and that's what Brian Callaghan I'm sure how to wrestle with is. You know, you've got to hold everybody accountable. And if you're making a change at right tackle because somebody's not playing well, and you're making a change at other positions on the team because somebody's not playing well, then you've got to do it a quarterback too. And you just had a quarterback that turned the ball over four times and two and a half quarters turned throwing twelve interceptions this year. They've given him a lot of chances. He's taking forty yeah, taking a lot of sacks. I mean, you've got to hold players accountable because I think it means something in the locker room, and I think it means something to your reputation as a coach that you can't pick and choose when you're going to make moves like that. So I get both sides of it. It's just, you know, it's just been a tough season around here and this is just a part of it.

Bryce Young was all so in the same predicament. The first pick of the first round from last year. Now the first pick of the second round is going through the same thing. But he has come back in Carolina and you know has overall played played very well. So I mean, it does not mean it's over. When people publicly declare it over, that doesn't necessarily mean it's over, because the true declarations come from the ball club and for people to say it's formally over, No, he's under contract, and he's also unless something changes between the time we record this and going forward to the game on Sunday, he's going to be the backup quarterback, right, So he is not an inactive player. He's demoted. We certainly know what it looks like, we certainly know what it feels like. But you have to keep these things in mind because he's under contract for two more years. So yes, it does appear it's on a track toward this, but there are three games to play. He will be in uniform and he will be active, and so I think that's I think that's a lot of what Will is saying about about now, which is important.

Yeah, And I think what he's also saying is, look, if I if I am called upon to need to go back into the game, I have the ability to do that.

Well, i'mre Campbell.

No, no, no, he he is still contributing to this team. He is still confident in his abilities and his abilities to lead. And so I think that's You're right, an important thing to acknowledge. And I think this isn't so much a period as it is maybe like a like a semi colon. Well, I mean there there is the ability to continue the sentence.

Well, I don't think anybody's denying the significance, but I think you have. And I'm not engaging in semanics. I'm giving you the facts. He's under contract and will be in uniform, right, and so we'll see Mason Rudolph's the quarterback, right, And you and I and Amy have been around it long enough to understand what it means. But I think I think everybody needs to slow the role just a little for a couple more weeks to see how some of it plays out. And maybe he does not get on the field again this year.

And that's true, but it is important to acknowledge to your point, he's not taking it to the house, no, like Will Levis is still here, They're still in the building. He's still worried, and they're not asking.

Him to go, and they're not doing the Daniel Jones either.

No, we're not doing Daniel Jones. We're not getting rid of them. We're not Marcus mariotiaing and just going away. We are like, we're still gonna be here. We are engaged, we are the backup quarterback. We are like, this is still something that he is an active participant in. He is not QB one anymore.

Yeah, And I think so what's going through his mind because Bryce Young situation is he had enough time during the course of the season to get back in there and kind of jumpstart his career again. Now Will is facing situation three games left. Unless something happens to Mason Rudolph as far as an injury goes, or he has a bad game himself, Will might have played his last snap this season, and now he has to wonder about things. Okay, what does this mean going in the offseason, because he's very well aware that this team could have the option of exploring what's going to be out there in free agency. He knows that this team's going to have a draft pick high enough where you could be in a position to draft another quarterback, you know, is he back here next year? I think a lot of his future hinges on what happens in those two scenarios and what the team might do. And I think Mason Rudolph thinking, Hey, if I finish this season well, play well in these last three games, maybe I'm making a case to be back here next year.

So if he plays as well as he played the last three games in Pittsburgh last year, and he's one and two as a starter this year and led the team to a second win, which he's not given credit for at Miami because he didn't start that game. But in Pittsburgh, he wasn't going to get that it was over. It was over. They were playing him because Trubisky hadn't worked out, and other things hadn't worked out, and they had injuries, and he knew he was playing out the string. He signed here. Mason Rudolph did as quickly as he possibly could because he was looking for an opportunity. And so who knows how he will be seen if he goes out and leads the team to three wins. I mean, maybe they do see him as the veteran answer and they draft one, or if not, the Titans will have the resources to do both, you know, I mean, there are a lot of things there. I guess the only thing I'm saying is, I'm just cautioning slightly to say because of the contract situation, Levis could be part of that equation.

Yeah, yeah, very much, no doubt about it.

I mean he could be in a battle for it again at some point. And if you're Will Levis, you can't disengage right now. You're not going to give the Daniel Jones speech because he understands in year two he can't and that if something happens with Mason Rudolph, either injury, wiser or poor play or just the decision to go back to me, he's got to be ready.

Yeah, yeah, he can't.

He can't give a poor accounting of himself after that A.

Try and and and it's been a tough I mean, it has been a disappointing year for him, no question he I'm sure he expected to play better. I'm sure the coaching staff expecting him play better. But also when I look at things through his eyes, and again he would never say this, but he's played behind an offensive line that's had to share struggles on especially on the right side, he's uh, and and he's had to deal with a right shoulder injury since Week five. That really, since week four, that really, I don't think ever has been right for him. He's had to get shot up before games, and and he's dealt with some inconsistencies around him on the football team. He has not done enough to make things better. And some quarterbacks can rise above some of that stuff, but uh, it hasn't been a perfect situation for him either. And I'm sure he probably has some of those feelings himself well.

And things have been in a state of flux here. I mean new new coaching staff, new system, a lot of new personnel. I mean it's been it's been hard. I think I'm like you. I like Will Levis, and I like his commitment to doing this job. The numbers don't don't match up to what they need to be. I mean, they just don't. And and that's exceedingly hard for everybody. I think the hard part right now, more so than just the quarterback is always going to be the lightning rod one way or the other. Take that out. The tough thing for the Tennessee Titans is they're in the state of flux at quarterback again. Yeah, and we've lived and we've lived through that when Steve McNair left, you know, the Jake Locker, Matt Hasselback, Charlie Whitehurst, Zach Mettenberger to Marcus Mariota. I mean, when you're and when you're in that state of flux, it's hard. It's really hard because what do you do next to get out of it? Which is why you have to, you know, essentially consider every option. That's where tannehills play from nineteen through twenty one was so important because I mean statistically, he gave you the best quarterback play you'd had since McNair.

H Yeah, and everybody wanted to work because a young quarterback on a rookie contract and being able to build a team around them while you've got him as your starter. And then if that's not going to be the case, it changes everything. I mean, Yeah, there's some quarterbacks out there that will be out there in free agency, and we can't start name them here we'll get in trouble for tampering. But there will be some quarterbacks available. If you go and get some of those guys, it's going to be very expensive and it's going to limit what you can do across the rollster. So that's when you have to start thinking, Okay, can we really do this? Do we need to try think of other things?

Well, And it's going to take a chunk out of the available money you have that you were so excited about potentially to go continue to build the foundation of this team. I've cited it several times, but coach Max said even at the start of free agency back in March, he said, this team needs two cycles. Yeah, they need two cycles a free agency and they need two cycles of Draft twenty twenty five is going to be the second of those cycles. If you're going out and spending a big chunk of that money on a veteran who is not going to be Patrick Mahomes. It's not going to be Josh Allen. I mean, it may be somebody of quality, but it is not someone. I mean, let's face it, if that person were so proven, then they would be no way you could get them away from anybody. So I mean the flux thing. I mean when you draft Vince Young at three and it doesn't work. When you draft Jake Locker at eight, and admittedly that was a different year coming out of the lockout, but then you draft Marcus Mariota at two and they don't work, and you're hoping this guy at thirty three is going to work because it gives you such a financial advantage. But the quarterback's tough.

Yeah, it's it is the thing that the whole organization kind of revolves around in terms of setting up what the team is going to look like from a financial standpoint, from just a locker room building standpoint, from a one of the most important positions on the field standpoint like that is the person that you want to be steady and consistent, and when it's not and you're looking for someone new, it's it's a hard place to.

Be, it is, okay. Second topic for Jim White, that one that one went on a while. That's okay. It's kind of a big one the podcast.

We can do whatever we want.

We can Yep, I've got this down as one B. So the handling, gosh, the handling of the quarterback de motion was one A, one B. You were standing right in front of him. We're sitting right in front of him. And when Brian Callahan had his very strong reaction to the question about his team being soft, you've been Jim Wyatt in locker rooms, at press conferences, at postgame news conferences. You have done this for well over thirty years, the majority of that in the National Football League. When you're sitting there and the coach goes off like I've never seen before anywhere in my person, I know it's happened. I saw Tommy Lasorda on tape. I mean it's happened that the Dave Kingman one, yes, Yes. What was it like to be sitting there when Brian Callahan got the question about is your team soft or do you worry about your team being softer? Some people say your team is soft? What was your overall reaction?

Yeah, I mean he started off kind of with a smile, you know, saying something along the lines of you really tried to get me going today or something like that, and then he just proceeded to drop a couple of words I can't say here on the OTP, and and it went you're talking about going on a while. That one lasted for a little while.

As it's happening. What is going through your mind? I guess is what I'm asking better, as the experienced Hall of Fame journalist that you are.

I was what was going through my mind as he was. I was surprised, surprised that it got it was as long winded as it was, and he got up as worked up as he.

Did, lasted nearly two minutes.

Yes, and I think he was just clearly trying to make a point and stand up for the guys in the locker room. But also what also was going through my mind is where's this question coming from. I've not heard anybody. I've heard one person apparently mentioned in Mike Herndon apparently mentioned it. Job mentioned in something that he wrote, questions about this team being soft, and all of a sudden, that means it's got to be a topic of conversation. I guess somebody wanted to make it a topic of conversation by asking the head coach about it. I haven't heard anybody, or I haven't heard any consensus or or growing opinion that this team is soft. I mean, the team is three and eleven because it's just not a very good football team. It's not because it's soft. And Jarvis brownly won you know Ku Harskus, who's a friend of mine, you know, mentioned well, Jorge Brown, he said he was cold in the Washington game, that doesn't mean this team is soft. I think back of some of those Titans teams in ninety nine, the team that went to the Super Bowl, and Samari Roll and Javon Kurs, a couple of Florida guys. You know, Samori looked like the Michelin man coming out of the locker room some games. Javon Curse, you know, you know, made no secret about how much he hated the cold. I've been around a lot of guys that hate the cold. That doesn't mean they're soft, right, go in there and ask Jarvis Browne if he's soft. He's one of the toughest guys on this team. Just what's the way he plays his background? Yeah, jar Browny's not soft because he said he was cold.

Very few of those South Florida guys, Yeah, very few of them like the cold, but very but very few of them are soft. Yeah.

And Jerill Casey didn't like the cold. You think he's soft? A lot of guys, you know. I just I just thought mostly I thought it was ridiculous that the question was asked, and it was kind of ridiculous how that kind of overshadowed what happened at the quarterback position. Yesterday. I know the quarterback news Jeremy Fowler broke that story on Tuesday, so it was maybe old news by yesterday, but his reaction to the soft question overshadowed everything that happened at the quarterback position yesterday.

Was that his frustration with the whole season?

So yes, I think so, yeah, just uh and I think he just was, you know, kind of taking a back that somebody'd even asked such a question.

Yeah, all right, yeah, I agree with that.

So here topic three. All right, now, here are some numbers that you can be critical of lately. Okay, a legitimate.

Thing, legitimate issues.

The defense has been very solid this year. I think we would all agree with that, but the last three games not quite as good, allowing three hundred and seventy five yards per game, sixty three percent third down conversions, just four quarterback sacks, so not as good in the last three games. Part one of that is, Jim, what do you think is going on with the defense right now? And part two is what do they need to do to turn that back around to what has been their standard for the majority of the season.

Yeah, that's a good question, I mean, because I do think the defense, I mean I'm certainly not going to start poker holes in the defense. You know that and the defense and the reason the team is three and eleven. But I have, even with the high ranking, a lot of times felt like the defense could do a little bit more, get stops at critical times, try to win a game when your offense is you know, has put you ahead. And there have been a couple of games this season that hadn't happened. Past rush hasn't been good enough, like it hasn't been consistently there. That's a big part of it. No money, Hooker's done a good job getting some creating some turnovers, but across the board, team hasn't done a good enough the job there. And now they're getting thinned down a little bit with the injuries and playing with some young guys at inside linebacker specifically, and in a lot of moving parts in the secondary with guys being in and out. So how you get better is, you know, part of it is playing Anthony Richardson, who's completing forty seven percent of his passes, as you mentioned earlier, and starting to pressure some of these guys and forcing them into mistakes. And I think that would that would certainly help the cause.

And they have given up eighty nine points over the course of the last three games. And people say, oh, they're giving up thirty points a game. Thirty eight of the eighty nine points have come as a result of turnovers.

That's interesting. Yeah, yeah, and that's not really on them.

It's not on them, Yeah, I mean it's I mean, they've been in some situations where you're like, well, we'd like for you to get off the field. But I mean they've been put in some tough spots. Do you do you think it's just they're wearing down.

Yeah, I really do. I mean, if you look, especially early in the season, the time of possession was so lopsided in a couple games. This Titans defense has taken a tremendous amount of snaps this year, and so I think that's part of it. Jim mentioned the injuries, and we've seen a lot of injuries. It feels like they kind of bunch up at different positions. The inside linebacker position, we had all those injuries, bunch in the secondary, like it felt like specific rooms were taking hits as opposed to it being spread out across the whole side of the ball. So that's an issue. Too, and yeah, it's December, and so all over the league everybody's banged up. The problem is all over the league, everybody's banged up, and so you still have to play the games. But yeah, I mean this it's been a big lift for this defense all season long, and I think that they're just starting to wear a little bit.

I think there's a fatigue factor too, and feeling like you got to play perfect all the time, you know that is that's saily. You know, not scoring a lot of points. I mean most games, you know, last week obviously scored twenty seven, but most a lot of games teams scoring in the teams and you know, two weeks ago couldn't didn't even score touchdown. And I think, I think play trying to feel like you got to play perfect and feel like you know that you if you give up a certain amount of points probably not going to win the game. I think that human nature sets in and I think that's realistically can become an issue.

Yeah, it's a heavy burden to bear, but that's sixty three percent third down.

Twenty five of forty.

Yeah, I mean it was that's not awesome.

It was ten of thirteen last week, but it was even strong in the two games before that leading to that number. Is there. They have given up twenty five third down conversions in the last forty attempts, but that is that's forty attempts to Yeah, in the last three. That's a lot. And you know the Washington game, they run the field seventy seven snabs. To your point, do you wear at a at a certain point? Yeah? Does it beat on you in that way? Yeah?

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Tighten Up Holm is at the forefront of all that we do. It's why we're so committed to caring for the places and spaces in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture provider of the Tennessee Titans. Continue with the OTP pregame with Jim Wyatt Topic number four, Taj Spears. It appeared that Taj Spears was headed towards a lost second year, and we've seen that from different guys they have a nice rookie year and then there's an injury or a couple of injuries, or they're plagued by injuries and some poor play, lose their confidence, things happen, so that sophomore slump is a real thing in the NFL. Looked like he was headed towards that through realistically, no fault of his own. But then he pops back in the game against Cincinnati, scores two touchdowns ninety two yards from scrimmage. What does he need to do ty J Spears over the last three games to avoid the lost season?

Yeah, I think just kind of continue the momentum from this past week. And I watched him in practice. It's like all of us did last week, and he seemed like he had more juice to him. He was you know, coaches were complimenting him. He was looked a lot more explosive. And part of its health for me, he's been a little nicked up himself. He came coming off of a concussion recently as well. He's getting more practice time now because Tony Pollard has had to so much with the ankle. You know, Tony pod had been practicing really at all over the last couple of weeks and that's allowed no Spears to get in there and get in more of a flow. So I think he just needs to build on this momentum. I thought probably his best game as a Titan on Sunday, and and I think it's got to be a big confidence builder for him.

His numbers don't reflect I mean who he is overall. I mean you look at his rushing fifty four carries for one hundred and ninety yards and a touchdown. I mean it's three and a half yards of pop. I mean he's a better back than that. Titans fans know, the media knows, everybody knows. He's not a three and a half yard per carry back. And then you know the catches twenty four for one seventy seven. That's more in line with where you think he will be. You're you're looking to build as you head down the stretch for a lot of these younger players, not just rookie, second third, fourth your players, And it would be a big deal if Taj could get a hundred yard rushing game, could score some more touchdowns, could could feel good about that because I think he's part of the foundation going forward. I think we know Pollard is and taj is too. Having that one to two as something Titans fans were excited about and Brian Callahan was excited about before the season. I think that was a very real thing and still can be.

It can be, and I was surprised early on and got to give Tony Pollard a credit. I mean, he when he plays like he has and producers like he has, it's tough to take him off the field. I expected more of a split between those two when the season started. I think coaching staff expected more of a split, but for one reason or another, and I think probably the biggest reason because Pollard's benso productive. It became the Tony Pollard show and tay J. Spears took a back seat here, you know. Against you know, against the Bengals, Pollard really nicked up Spears, got to play more and showed what he's capable of. So I'm sure he's earned more opportunities and I'd love to see him finish this season strong and give him something to look forward to for twenty twenty five.

All right, So topic five James Williams. He was inactive for the first game ten weeks ago against Indianapolis. Last week seven tackles coming on for Luke Gifford may get the start again. James Williams may be the most intriguing player in the draft class outside of Tavandre Sweat. And I say that because I think we knew j. C. Latham was going to be the deal, and he's had ups and downs, but I think we understand JC is going to be a part of this for a while. Tavandre has performed to the level the Titans hoped. But then you take this guy in the seventh round, who was this five star safety coming out of high school and he plays well at safety at Miami, but it's obvious he's a linebacker in the pros. He and Brad that, and now he's become a core special teams player in the second half of the season. Maybe one of the reasons the special teams are getting better is some of those guys are developing core special teams traits. But then here he shows up last week.

Yeah, and boy, he sure looks the part. I mean, he's he's a great great length and great size and very uh you know, he's a good kid, and he's he's has had to adjust to being in the league playing a different position. Not getting to play a lot early and then kind of paid his dues and his handle work really well. I mean he he was an underdog coming in to make this team. He made the team. Uh, Cedric Gray has not developed as quickly as I think people had hoped, and at the same time, James william has and so it's been fun watching him. I mean, he was a playmakers. The guy just has good instincts and makes me wonder about how they can kind of broaden what he can do moving forward. I think he's now focused on special teams. Now he's focused on playing inside linebacker. I think he's a guy that can help his team as a pass rusher moving forward.

See, I wonder and I've asked this question and have not been told I'm an idiot, which leads me to believe that it's for once the right line of thinking. Could he grow into being an outside linebacker because he is so long, he's nearly six ' four, he's two hundred and forty something pounds. Does he just keep developing in this way? And I think one of the advantages James Williams has he does not have bad traits at linebacker because he's never played there. Before and Frank Bush is coaching him right and so he is only learning it the right way from the start. He doesn't have things he did in high school and things he did in college and crutches that he came with. Coach Mack has often talked about the Steven Tullis and the Keith Bullocks and the different players that he had that he had to get them out of certain habits. He doesn't have it. He was a safety.

Well, let's just yeah, at this whole position. It's just crazy how it's kind of evolved this year. And Kenith Murray, I think, has been solid for the most part of the Ernest Jones was here, and then they know Baker comes in, and Gifford gets a chance, and ODIs Reese gets a chance.

And Gibbons.

So many Gibbons, I mean, there's so many guys have gone through. And the unfortunate thing about a three and eleven season is it's a three and eleven season. But at the end you get a chance to look at young players and James Williams, one of these guys is going to get a chance to play here down the stretch, and he's somebody that you can be optimistic about as you look toward the future at that position.

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All right, so are we ready to do our We're ready.

I have my props on standby.

Okay, so yeah, we bring we bring them out. Jim is in the Snickers hot seat. And now see he does it the old fashioned he does it.

The right way. Yes, as God intended.

That's right. Okay, It's time for the key ingredients of the game, delivered by Little Caesars Pizza. Pizza. Key number one on offense be really good on third downs. Tennessee has started to improve their third down offense in recent weeks, and that needs to continue. Staying on the field and moving the football is obviously a good thing, but it hurts Indianapolis's offense too. The Culture are rhythm offense that thrives on opportunities, so on Sunday in Indianapolis, Tennessee can limit those opportunities by converting their own third downs and staying on the field. Key number two cover kicks well. In the first meeting between the Titans and the Colts, punt return yardage was a major difference in a close game. Figures to be the same type of game, a limited possession tight game. The Titans need to make sure they win the hidden yardage. That starts with picking up field position when returning punts and not allowing Indianapolis to get anything started with their punt returns. Key number three come up with the one big play at the end. When the Titans have won it Indy in five of the last seven years, they have always made a big play towards the end of the game. A block field goal return for a touchdown, an interception in the end zone, hitting a big pass play. It seems cliche, but these matchups inside Lucas Oil Stadium always seem to come down to one play at the end. Make that play on Sunday and the Titans can win again.

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I can't fly, I can't.

We've got to switch props. Sorry, it's time for a Mayo toivation from Hellman's as we see those pizzas.

Ye doing a squeeze bottle?

Are you doing the whole thing for your sandwiches at the holiday time? And you got a tray? You need a tray because don't you like to take a tray into the dan or whatever? And you sandwiches of sandwiches. Everyone's got a snack.

Mayo Titans cheers be loud.

You don't even know who that is.

Your deviled eggs, potato salad and whatever holiday dish you wish to make, make you, your mama and your entire family proud. Helman's the official mayo of the Tennessee Titans.

Mayo game Day be delicious. Thank you, Mike Jim, Thank you for taking time, continue loving reading everything, including the mailbag.

Mail bag has been rough, lightly, but.

It's I mean, you're getting good feedback people.

That is good. Like a lot of times I tell people, if I open that thing up and there's nothing in there, that's when you know we're in trouble. The fact that people continue to ride in and express their frustration, uh, you know, wanting things to be better. I think I think that's a good thing, although certainly you like for the tone and those things to be a little bit better because because fans are frustrated. It's been a tough season. There's no question about it.

It's been a tough last thirty eight game.

It really has. It really has. And uh no, I think better days are ahead, but certainly this has been this has been a rough stretch.

Yep. And how hey yeah, hey, but what would make it better, at least for the time being, beating Indianapolis? Yeah, yeah, that's so sad. Twelve oh two Central time kickoff Titans and the Colts. We'll have it on Titans Radio at eleven am Central with Titans Countdown on all of our great Titans radio stations, including one oh four to five of the Zone in Nashville. So let's go to Indy do Here we go for Jim Wyatt in the Snickers hot seat and Amy Wells, I, Mike Keith, thank you for joining us for the OTV prea game

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