The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. There is no better time; the fall season in Tennessee is something special—beautiful colors and prime football.

Let’s start local and not pull any punches! Murfreesboro deserves better and it’s probably time to fire MTSU Coach Derek Mason. Who is defending this man? MTSU is paying Mason nearly a million dollars a year and he is delivering a product so bad he makes Coach Callahan look good.

Okay, that might not be true, but at least the Titans were finally smart enough to say adios. I hated the hire from day one. MTSU should never have fired Coach Stockstill until they had a worthy replacement. I understand wanting to elevate the program after nearly two decades hovering around average, with Stockstill sitting at a 113–111 record. But the man did win two bowl games his last three years here at MTSU, something Mason hasn’t come close to doing.

Mason has never had a winning season with an overall record of 31–71, and somehow made Vandy worse down the stretch. Just because he coached in the big bad SEC, I suppose MTSU expected him to coast his way into Conference USA success. Nope.

MTSU nearly opened its 2024 season losing to an FCS foe in Tennessee Tech and then actually delivered the embarrassment in the 2025 opener, losing to Austin Peay at home and getting blasted by 20 points. It was the first time Peay beat an FBS opponent since the ’80s.

Some have defended Mason recently, saying the last four losses have all been by a single possession. Who cares? Being in the fight and still finding a way to lose becomes more maddening than flat-out bad football in my opinion. Don’t get too mad at me, I waited a season and a half until I decided to voice my frustration here.

The Tennessee Titans—where do I start? This team might be more dysfunctional than the Blue Raiders. Don’t blame me for the negativity. It’s not my fault all the teams I cover are playing awful football right now.

I want to keep it positive while at the same time keeping it real. But this Titans team is on the heels of securing back-to-back number-one overall picks, making positivity very difficult for me.

I have been ride or die with this franchise for nearly three decades and we have had some tough times. The Munchak/Whisenhunt era was a mess, but these last four years have been some of the worst football I can recall. Losing seven straight games in 2022 and giving away the AFC South in the final game of the season started the roller coaster of bad. Or maybe it was sacking Joe Burrow a record nine times in a playoff game and still finding a way to lose—the saddest walk back to the car ever!

Sure, we had plenty of bad J-Rob drafts always missing on first-round talent, and then trading away A.J. Brown. Then we fired Coach Vrabel for the now-fired Coach Callahan and no doubt these all had an impact on how bad this team is now. Like Cam Ward said, “We ass.”

I saw a report from Buck Reising claiming that security personnel at home games have been making fans wearing “We Ass” shirts turn them inside out. I am starting to believe that is a team perpetually worried about the wrong things.

You know what would fix all these negative feelings towards the team? Winning! I almost feel sorry for owner Amy Adams Strunk, because that woman has been getting dragged on Titans social media. “Sell the team” seems to be the sentiment.

She has one job right now and one job alone. Find the right man for the head coach job! She doesn’t need to make any public appearances or get more hands-on. Find competent people, hand them the keys, and then sit back and watch. That’s all she needs to do, and it’s been a tough ask for her.

It isn’t all awful, so let’s end on a positive note. The only real positive right now is the young talent on this team.

That’s a good problem to have regarding the future. It’s sink or swim for the rookies, and they appear to be swimming while all getting invaluable reps.

It starts with quarterback Cam Ward and while he certainly hasn’t been great, he hasn’t been exactly awful. He is in a tough situation and growth must be the word continually used to describe Cam. This is a trial-by-fire rookie season and Cam has felt it in pass protection as he leads the NFL in being sacked. But it’s not all on the offensive line with Cam holding onto the football too long, trying to extend plays at times. Let’s just get through this back half of the season staying healthy and growing! It’s crucial for 2026 that he runs into it with full confidence.

It’s also crucial that his rookie playmakers grow with him, and the big tight end out of Texas has all the tools to become a top positional player in the NFL. Give Helm the ball! The 6-foot-5-inch near-250-pound monster wants the ball. Helm has that rare combination of size and athletic ability that could make him a top 10 TE in the NFL if they would just feed him the ball. You look at the league’s top tight ends and how much they mean to their quarterback and moving the chains in tough spots. Helm can be that guy. He is on pace to have around 50 targets as a rookie, and that number needs to be jacked up closer to 75–100 next season.

This 2025 draft class is looking good, and we have two wide receivers we can continue to push expectations of greatness on: the speedster out of Florida and the stud out of Stanford.

The speedster Chimere Dike has been electric. There hasn’t been a player on special teams this exciting since probably the days of Pacman Jones, real talk. Going into week nine, Dike led the entire league in all-purpose yards. Yeah, Dike has had ample opportunity to rack up yards on a bad team, but last I checked he also led the NFL in average return yards per punt, nearly 20 yards a pop.

I was thankful to see it finally pay off, taking a punt to the house versus the Chargers. This broke a 13-year drought; the last punt return for a TD for the Titans was in 2012. If Dike keeps this up, he might find himself in the Pro Bowl conversation.

This kid has been clocked by Next Gen Stats numerous times this year running over 20 m.p.h., and after the Titans fired Coach Callahan the team finally started using Dike more in the offensive package. He has quickly become a favorite of Cam Ward’s, and the speedster has a knack for creating separation.

Chimere Dike, photo by Camden Hall / Tennessee Titans

Dike caught his first touchdown mid-season, and then followed it up with a seven-reception, 93-yard day. The team views him as a big slot option who can also play the boundary. I was thrilled when the Titans cut Lockett, because the result was the younger Dike getting his opportunities.

The future isn’t these old washed-up vets, it’s the rookies that I am highlighting. The younglings must learn to use their powers!

We once saw this youngling put up 13 catches for 294 yards and 3 TDs for Stanford as he was opposite the Heisman winner Travis Hunter. Elic Ayomanor has so much untapped potential, and all these reps will hopefully help him find that confidence.

Elic looked like the steal of the draft early on, and while Dike has slowly taken that role away from him, I still believe Elic remains the full package and can potentially be knocking on the true WR1–2 door. But to this point his production has depended heavily on deep shots.

He averages about six targets a game and has been involved. He needs to get more comfortable in his route running, show more urgency and get on point with his QB. Easier said than done, but the kid can be special.

It’s not all about offense but defense as well, and these two rookies came with a high cost in the draft. Edge rusher Femi Oladejo, a second-round pick who is currently on injured reserve after fracturing his leg against the Raiders, needs to come back with a vengeance. He has the talent, and prior to getting hurt was having an impact that day. This developing player desperately needs to step up in 2026.

Finally, Kevin Winston, an injured safety taken in the third round, was primed to be a top draft pick prior to tearing his ACL in 2024. He is a physical unit if healthy. He has been slowly rolled out as his health gets back. I really hope they let him loose so we can have him ready to go in 2026. He has a Kevin Byard quality to him, being physical and athletic enough to play both deep and in the box.

Now, let me get local once again. Shout-out to the best high school football team in the state of Tennessee. Respect to Alcoa out there in East Tennessee with a résumé that is unmatched, but we have weight classes for a reason, and Sugar Ray would get his ass popped if they put him in the ring with Mike Tyson.

The pride of Murfreesboro, the best football team in the state has been and remains the Oakland Patriots. No disrespect to 3A or even 4A football, but it isn’t 6A.

Oakland recently closed out its regular season against hometown rival Riverdale. The Battle of the Boro! The reigning 6A champs defeated Riverdale for a fourth consecutive time and finished the regular season 10–0.

Alcoa ended its regular season on Halloween night with its first region loss since 2011 and finished the regular season 9–1. Maybe I am petty because I enjoy shouting out my alma mater. Go Big O!

The TSSAA regular season is over. Now it’s time for the postseason. Let the playoffs begin! Playoff games begin Nov. 7 with everything wrapping up in Chattanooga, where the Blue Cross Bowls will be held Dec 4–6.

Good luck to all these high schools and congrats to everyone making the playoffs. I genuinely get happy watching football grow in the state. I love the sport. Now go get another 6A championship, Oakland. Good luck!

Alright, the Train is rolling into the station! Remember the 5 F’s: Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends. Life will reward you if you embrace those beautiful things.

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[Top: Cam Ward and Chimere Dike, photo by Donald Page / Tennessee Titans]