The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard! Give me fall: cooler weather, vivid colors, glorious comfort foods and my absolute favorite, Tennessee football.
When it comes to the Volunteer State, I am all in, and it’s a combination of pride and love for a state I live in and love. I truly feel blessed to live in this state. I travel for a living, so I get around to plenty of places throughout the country, and nothing compares. While the humidity and bugs can suck, aside from that . . . ? Yee-yee Tennessee! I wouldn’t leave this state if someone offered me a job that paid double what I make these days. My roots have been set here in the hills of Tennessee—it’s a culture and a sense of pride that can’t be taken away. I have family members in Washington, one of whom is a firefighter in Seattle, and I pray for him, his wife and three children on the regular. His last text to me: “My heart longs to leave this place.” Progressive society has pushed him to that, and I imagine one day in the future they will leave when it’s financially possible, and come to Tennessee.
I love this state and I understand how fortunate I am to live in a place that is the absolute opposite of somewhere like Seattle. There is a reason folk are packing up from places like that and heading to this part of the country. But I won’t get into all that because, daggum, let’s talk Titans!
Let’s break down some individual players on my mind and then we will wrap it up with a Titans vs. Giants season opener breakdown from the brain of the Z-Train.
Malik Willis (pictured top)– Look, I’m not rocking any stats or looking up crazy numbers. I have always written these articles one way—freestyle, homie! I just type these words up and hit you from the heart. I think we all can agree that new Titans rookie quarterback Malik improved every single preseason game from the Ravens to the Bucs to the Cardinals. The kid has the magic stick and, most importantly, he is coachable. His attitude is spectacular, and he wants to become a pro and, eventually, Music City Malik. I imagine he dreams of the day this team is his. It won’t be 2022 because this team still belongs to Ryan Tannehill, given that giant salary cap hit that Tannehill’s contract takes this year, but I love what I saw from Malik as a playmaker. Once this kid gets comfortable staying in the pocket and working through his reads, watch out! I think 2023 and beyond we could have a new QB in Nashville who will quickly become a fan favorite.
Ryan Tannehill – I feel like it’s important for me to say this based on what I just said. I have faith in Ryan this year. This team belongs to him 2022. Would that be the case if he wasn’t the highest cap hit in the NFL this season? LOL, probably not. That Bengals playoff loss was tough and had Tennessee had options Ryan probably would’ve lost his job after that game. With all that said, no QB in the league arguably faced more adversity than Tannehill last season. I give him mad respect because while everyone that mattered couldn’t stay on the field—from Julio to A.J. to King Henry—Ryan was out there fighting and helping lead this team to the No. 1 seed overall in the league. At the end of the day, though, Ryan is in the hot seat. Yeah, his job is secure for one more season. But that’s it. I have said it before: The only way Ryan keeps his QB1 status for next season is the Titans have to make the playoffs this year and he can’t be the main reason they would potentially lose a game in the postseason. Both must happen, I believe, for him to stay QB1 in 2023, the final year of his contract. Ryan has been a great regular season QB for this team but has been well below average in his five playoff starts since 2019 taking over for Marcus Mariota.
Treylon Burks – Just imagine the pressure on this kid. Is it fair? Probably not, but it’s reality. You are a rookie who was pretty much drafted to replace one of the best receivers this franchise has ever had, A.J. Brown. You come into camp not in the best of shape reportedly and then deal with breathing issues. Yikes! The media was quick to unfairly punch down on Burks. Some of it was a tad fair, but Burks maturely owned up to much of it and since those early days has been a lot more positive. Titans coaching staff did an awful job getting him the ball in those early preseason games. Game 1 vs. the Ravens, every route he ran he was open. It was nice to finally see him get involved in that final preseason game. He took the very first play of the game for a nice catch, had another and then got his first touchdown—a beautiful ball thrown from Malik with pressure all up in his face! The crowd went wild, and it was exactly what Burks needed for motivation heading into the regular season. Burks is a big, powerful wide receiver and if he can stay healthy and get involved often, he has Rookie of the Year potential written all over him.
Chigoziem Okonkwo – Imagine the chants, CHIIIIIIIIG! It’s glorious. One of the glaring holes last season was the absolute lack of production catching the football from the tight end group. It was especially apparent in the playoff loss to the Bengals. This season, though, I am very excited for the combo of Okonkwo and Austin Hooper, a former pro-bowl caliber player in Atlanta who had a down year in Cleveland, where they primarily used him in blocking situations. He is primed to bounce back, and serving right behind him is a rookie player in Chig who has been standing out. The fastest tight end coming into this year’s draft . . . don’t quote me, I told you I freestyle these articles, but I am 90% sure that’s true. While Chig may not be the typical size of the star tight ends like Kelce, Kittle or Andrews, he is similar in style to a Delanie Walker or even Jonnu Smith. Chig’s strength is in his physical power and his speed, blazing speed. I can continue to ramble about tight ends but make no doubt the Titans will see a vast improvement at the position this season.
Kyle Phillips – I’m loving typing this up. Kyle Phillips! Is he my favorite player in this draft? I think he is. Don’t get me wrong, Chig has that breakout potential as well, but Kyle, I knew it from day one this player was special and was going to bring a lot to the table regarding receiver and special teams. Dude did everything asked of him at UCLA and was stellar regarding scoring and making people miss. He has been spectacular in camp and in his preseason action had some nice plays. This article was written before the 53-man roster was named, but Kyle is a lock, right? I knew when I saw some quotes from Kyle’s UCLA coach Chip Kelly talking about Kyle that he had it. Chip bragged about how Kyle went beyond and even loved to run block! Kyle isn’t the biggest of dudes, but that’s dedication and a love for the game. Kyle can quickly become a fan favorite if he pans out in the slot. And I have a feeling some highlights in the kick and punt return game are in our future.
Nicholas Petit-Frere – During the final preseason game live in the broadcast booth, Titans GM Jon Robinson announced the rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere had won the starting right tackle job. Congrats to him, but I am still more worried about the offensive line than I am any position group on this team. The real question is: did he win it or did last year’s second-round pick Dillon Radunz lose it? The Titans will have to find another use for Radunz. Maybe converting him to guard? Regardless, he appears to be on his way to being labeled a bust. I won’t label him such yet—maybe he proves himself valuable. With the lack of depth at OL, he may very well get his chance again. I have liked what I’ve seen from Nicholas though; he looks hungry.
Ryan Stonehouse – The Titans had a major decision at punter, because they had two very good ones in two different situations with very different implications regarding this team. The team decided to cut the legend Brett Kern, save money now and look to the future. Ryan Stonehouse is now the Titans punter. Kern will always be a Titan, with a career spanning three different decades. Kern was punting for the Titans when Jeff Fisher was still coach and Keith Bullock was playing. This man is Titans royalty. This is why GM J-Rob gets paid the big bucks to make these decisions. He continually puts together a winning product, so have faith.
Titans Defense – This Titans defense is extremely underrated on a national stage! Make no doubt, this defense as a unit has Top 10, maybe Top 5 potential overall. They are bringing everyone back; I love the depth! This is a unit that was the second-best run stop in the NFL last year. With a stout front seven that gets to the QB and the only knock is what? The DBs? The Titans have one of the best safety duos in the game, a star in Fulton, a player in Farley and McCreary on the rise. Yeah, let the haters hate, this group is poised to be the identity of this 2022 Titans team. Tough, hard-nosed defense!
I said I would wrap this up with a Week 1 breakdown, Titans vs. Giants. Never take an opponent for granted. Last year’s opener vs. the Cardinals was an ass-beating. The Titans got embarrassed. But this is the New York Giants led by Daniel freaking Jones! The Titans should be able to contain a surprisingly healthy Saquon and make life hell for Jones in the backfield in the Sept. 11 season opener. The Giants defense is so-so, and it should be a great opportunity for the Titans offense to figure out its identity while the Titans defense dominates. Final prediction? Titans get a Week 1 win 27–14. Titan Up!
Alright, the Train is rolling into the station. To all my loyal readers and loyal haters, much love! Till next time, choo-choo!
