Joe Milton; photo by Ian Cox / UT Athletics
The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!
I received an email recently from a hater. I love haters because they make the most loyal of readers. In this email I was accused of being a transphobe and I was challenged to not bring up a topic that I discuss on the regular here in the Pulse.
To the writer of that email, I accept the challenge! But I may fail as we get to the tail end of this article. Wish me luck.
Football is finally here! The UT Vols kicked off the season in Nashville and the city turned orange on opening weekend as the Vols beat down Virginia in front of a sold-out Nissan Stadium. The boys from Knoxville are looking ’bout it, ready for battle!
This defense is nasty! It may be the backbone of this 2023 Vols team and I love that. It’s what Tennessee needed to do if they wanted to take a step forward from last season with a defense that was good, but not great. The competition wasn’t top tier, but the Vols defense imposed its will—sack lunches all day against Virginia with a ridiculous 11 tackles for loss.
There is nothing better than a football team that plays phenomenal defense to go along with running the ball efficiently. The Vols ran the ball 52 times as a team for 287 yards, 5 TDs and an average of 5.5 yards per attempt.
It’s all about growing, and the Vols have something in the powerful quarterback that is Big Joe Milton, who went 21/30 passing for 2 TDs. He was efficient with his legs as well, running in for two more scores. He needs to continue to grow if the Vols want any shot at beating the Dawgs of the world or Bama on the road. But the “overthrow Joe” haters can silence. Nobody in the game has a bigger arm than Joe Milton. We saw one particular play where they let him air it out and it was perfect, but dropped by the receiver. Homie launches 80-yard monsters!
Photo by Avery Bane / UT Athletics
Volunteer fans have good reason to be excited imagining this all coming together, because all the pieces exist for greatness. I see a team that looks solid on defense with an offense that’s working out the kinks regarding its fast-paced tempo.
I am a tad worried that this team will miss receivers Cedric Tillman and Jaylin Hyatt more than I first believed. I have faith in some of these young, up-and-coming guys, but they must step up if this offense wants to remain a high-powered unit like it was under Hendon Hooker.
Much of it comes down to the quarterback, who has been given the keys to an orange Ferrari. Just make the right reads, hit the easy throws and be accurate on those deep daddies! Joe has a cannon and has become a viral sensation for good reason, launching balls and oranges.
Be excited, Vol Nation. The hype is real. Enough about the Vols.
I spend most of my time watching, studying and obsessing over football, so why not just share what’s on my mind.
This article will hit stands just days prior to the opening of the Titans 2023 season on the road versus the Saints. I spent all last issue going into depth on positional issues for the Titans, so let’s just keep it simple right now.
Many pundits in the national media are writing off this Titans team, but I am a big fan of the 53 men the Titans put together this year. I see the potential.
Big Jeff is ready
It all starts with staying healthy—unlike the past two years—but if they can, I imagine the AFC South will be a fun race between the Titans and Jaguars, with the Colts and Texans likely being trash.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill must stay healthy. He may not be a game changer, but he manages the game well enough. Sorry to say it, but neither Malik nor Will are ready to start in this league, even though we saw some improvement from Malik this preseason.
There is no room for error in the Titans’ receiver room, either. Star receiver and Titans newcomer DeAndre Hopkins and second-year WR Treylon Burks need to stay healthy this season. Kyle Phillips is already starting the season on IR, so Chris Moore needs to step up and just be a dude who’s average. The receiver production was pathetic last season and I am just hoping 2023 is more of a middle-of-the-pack group.
My dude Chigoziem is about to get Chiggy with it and have a breakout year at tight end. Watch! My biggest concern is that offensive line. It’s a new line, and that’s not an awful thing considering how bad they were in 2022. The starting line looked alright in its brief moments during the preseason, but the regular season is another beast entirely, so we shall see.
One of the brightest spots coming out of the preseason has been the running back room. The Titans can sleep easy knowing they have some studs. King Henry, another year older, is still that dude, and now he has what appears to be some real talent behind him. Tyjae Spears looks like a solid draft pick who can make plays out of nothing, and Chestnut just had one hell of a preseason working to make this team. The Titans now have three running backs to be excited for.
Julius Chestnut; photo courtesy tennesseetitans.com
Why even spend time talking about this hungry defense? This unit has one of the best defensive lines in the game, led by Big Jeff. They are some dudes who cause chaos, stop the run and get to the QB—it’s the backbone of this team!
The secondary may have some question marks at cornerback, but these dudes look ready, and we have one hell of a safety duo in Byard and Hooker back there.
Onto some special teams talk: the Titans have been the worst team in the NFL over the past five years regarding the kicker position. Thankfully they just traded for a proven veteran in Nick Folk, and they added some insurance to the practice squad, adding former LSU standout placekicker Cade York, who is only 22 years old. The Titans are fortunate to have the best punter in the NFL in Ryan Stonehouse. I mean, his cleats were sent to Canton, Ohio, after his record-breaking 2022 season. Stonehouse averaged 53.1 yards per punt in 2022, breaking a record set by Slingin’ Sammy Baugh in 1940!
No season in the NFL is easy, but the group I just broke down—led by Coach Vrabel and with new Titans GM Ran Carthon making moves—will be in the mix, mark my words. The national media might want to count them out, but this team stays gritty, and they were winning before injury derailed them in 2022, going from 7–3 to 7–10 in the blink of an eye.
Have faith, Titan nation—this team embraces the underdog role, and these players have real love for Vrabel, Carthon and owner Amy Adams. It’s about to go down . . . I mean up—Titan UP!
Let me end this article by saying biology matters in sports. It is madness allowing biological males to compete with biological females. We have gender separation in numerous sports for good reasons. What is crazy to me is how many people continually get mad that I continue to fight for the integrity of female athletics, something I truly care about. Riley Gaines is the superstar leading that fight and I admire her for it. Some will tell you a transgender woman is a woman, but in the world of sports, biology is laughing its ass off at that statement.
Alright, the Z-Train is rolling into the station. Yee yee Tennessee, and Titan Up!
