The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!
By the time my next article comes out, the Tennessee Titans will have played four games. I should have a bearing on the true nature of this new-look team by then. Right now it’s new and shiny, but I have yet to see it in real action. Sure, things looked competent in the preseason, but so did Malik Willis. I imagine uninspiring football will follow him to Green Bay, after the Titans dealt him to the Packers, opting to roll with Mason Rudolph as the backup QB in Tennessee this year.
Shout-out to the man, Mr. Ran Carthon, the Titans’ young GM. He is making moves and this team, I believe, is heavily underappreciated on the national level—a sleeper team, indeed. It’s crazy to me that the media would rather glaze over a team like the Colts and that combine kid, Anthony Richardson.
The Colts have some players, but it’s the same story with them as it has been since the days following Manning and Luck—no QB. Maybe Anthony Richardson works out, but what have we seen from him? Sure, he ran fast and jumped high at the NFL combine and everyone was in awe! On the football field, it’s not much from his short time at Florida to his unfortunate injury as a rookie that led to only four NFL games played so far. There is no rational reason for the national media to have higher hopes for him and the Colts than they do the Titans and Levis.
Will Levis certainly had his growing pains, and I am sure that will continue into his second year. But Levis showed promise at Kentucky even while not in an ideal situation, and he certainly showed promise as a rookie on a mess of a Titans team with some big moments from his first-ever start to prime time in Miami.
One of those teams completely tailored the offense to the needs of their quarterback and made splash signings on the defensive side of the ball as well. It wasn’t the Colts! I certainly pay attention to the world of sports media and social media noise, and the lack of respect for this Titans team is loud. Most of these outlets have Levis being benched and Tennessee drafting a QB in 2025.
It’s no surprise, being a smaller-market team. To be honest, I like it. It will make any success that much sweeter. I am not saying the Titans are going to win the AFC South—that prediction certainly for good reason goes to the Houston Texans and their stud second-year QB C.J. Stroud. But I certainly have the Titans making strides over the likes of the Jaguars and Colts in 2024. I have no clue what this team’s floor/ceiling is because I have yet to see it on the field. But I won’t be surprised at all if this new-look team scores fast and plays tough defense. That’s a winning formula. I guess it all starts with the quarterback.
Ran Carthon is cooking, and the recipe is there for all to see. The Titans have a second-year QB with a passion you can’t fake, and it’s clear the coaches and players believe in him and respect him. Levis is more comfortable in practice and with the media, and it’s also clear he believes in himself.
The Titans went and worked on what has been the biggest problem with this team for years running—a horrible O-line. Daddy Callahan is in the building! When you suck at something the best way to fix it is bringing in the guy who is considered the best to ever do it. Coach Bill Callahan isn’t called the offensive line guru for no reason.
Tennessee drafted a 6’6″ bully in J.C. Latham and in free agency went and snatched up the best available center, now a captain for this team, Lloyd Cushenberry. With last season’s first-round pick Peter Skoronski showing he was as advertised and now a year wiser, the line is in good hands with those three. I trust Daddy Callahan to fill in the gaps and find the proper pieces to make a competent offensive line because, surely, it doesn’t get worse than the product put on the field in 2022 and ’23.
I could stop now and we’re already doing better than last year, but why stop when there is so much more? The Titans might have the best receiver room that they have ever had since this team moved to Tennessee. This franchise has struggled at the position but, with a speedy Calvin Ridley, dependable Tyler Boyd and likely hall-of-famer D-Hop on the mend, this group has top-trio-in-the-league-type ceiling.
Calvin Ridley; photo by Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
I get it, we all are going to miss one of the most famous Titans of all-time in King Henry. I certainly will. It was tough to move on, but the fact is this offense now is less predictable and Coach Callahan can orchestrate his style of offense similar to the year the Bengals made a Super Bowl. Tennessee has two very similar running backs in Spears and Pollard in what will probably end up being a 50/50 split. Both can carry the rock, and both can catch the football.
I intended this to be a short article and now I am rambling, but I am rambling truth! One of the big surprises to come out of the Titans’ training camp was the team finding out they were deep at tight end. We all suspected Chig and Whyle would make the 53-man roster, but welcome to the party, David Martin-Robinson. Watch out for this pass-catching player who balled out this preseason.
It’s not going to be run, run, pass, punt on the regular with this offense. Expect the coaching staff to draw up plays for a quick offense to force the ball into its superstars’ hands. I understand most of the success depends on Levis, but they have handed him the keys to a very serviceable team.
This defense is led by Big Jeff up front and Sneed in the back. Enough said, even though I am going to say some more.
I can’t wait to see the 700-plus pounds of Big Jeff and rookie T’Vondre Sweat come running during the regular season. What’s crazy is both those big dudes have the wheels to get at the opposing QB.
We got huge news when it was announced Arden Key wasn’t going to face a suspension, and then Ran Carthon, out of nowhere, goes and trades for one of the best young NFL linebackers in Ernest Jones, a tackling machine who was slated to be the leader for the Rams’ defense this season now that Aaron Donald has retired. With other dudes like Kenneth Murray and Harold Landry, the Titans have the talent up front and in the middle of the field to be a problem.
Being truthful, this is probably the best secondary the Titans have had in years. The Titans go and steal one of the best defensive weapons and a huge reason the Chiefs won another title in cornerback L’Jarius Sneed—and then Callahan brings over Chidobe from Cincinnati. That’s a solid one-two punch at cornerback with dudes like McCreary and Brownlee ready to step up as well. Then you look at the safeties in Hooker and Quandre Diggs and, who knows, maybe Jamal Adams will offer something if let loose. Not betting on that, but you never know. I wish they could have kept Molden around, but I have no reason to question Ran Carthon right now.
You hear me? The national media is drinking that Haterade because this team clearly has the tools to be a real problem. When this team starts clicking, I told you!
I was so much in the zone talking Titans I didn’t even say anything politically incorrect! That’s rare for me. We will have to double down in the next issue.
Looking forward to the football season! Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends—living life following the 5 F’s is a beautiful thing! The Train is rolling into the station. Titan Up!
