NASHVILLE – Welcome to the bye weekend.
The Titans have some things to sort out between now and the time they take the field again, on October 29 against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium.
And, we have some things to sort out in here.
Let's get to it…
Here's the link to submit questions: CLICK HERE
Steve Moore from Jackson, Tennessee
Question: I had the opportunity to watch two practices in August. At the time, Levis was holding a clipboard, watching intently, but unable to participate. Tannehill commanded the huddle with more inherent authority than Willis during scrimmage and drills. I walked away thinking the offense would be weaker without RT17 at the helm. What development have you seen from Will Levis - is he getting reps now? Or has Sept/Oct been more of the same with mostly Willis getting work with the starting wr/te's?
Jim: Hey Steve. Well, things are different now. I'll be honest: Will Levis is a bit of mystery, because he didn't play a lot in the preseason because he was hurt, and since the regular season started, the focus has been on getting starter Ryan Tannehill ready, along with Malik Willis, because he was the No.2. Up until now, the team just didn't have enough reps to go around. With Tannehill now sidelined, both Willis and Levis are going to get more opportunities with the guys who will be playing on Sunday. Mike Vrabel and his staff will then decide – if Tannehill isn't healthy enough to play – which direction they want to go – Willis or Levis? I'll be watching intently. I'll add this on Levis: I watched him during training camp, and I thought he got better compared to what I saw in the offseason. I charted every one of his throws in 7-on-7 and team drills during training camp, and he was 84-of-133 with just two INTs. Not bad. Things are much more serious now.
Kyle Boudreaux from Houston, Texas
Question: Hi Jim. Next time we get to watch the Titans play, they will be wearing the best uniforms ever created!
If you see Vrabel around the facility, will you let him know that DeAndre Hopkins is good at football!
Week 6 NFL Targets:
Hopkins.. 5
Hill - 11
Kelce - 9
Chase - 16
Diggs - 16
Kupp - 11
Metcalf - 10 (Missed 1 quarter)
Brown - 9
24 consecutive games scoring less then 30 points.. at-least were consistent! 2-11 in your last 13 games. I bet Vrabel's got his seat warmers on! "Coach better, execute better, better effort"
I would say it's time for Vrabel to evaluate if he is putting this team in situations to succeed - and if he thinks all the players suck and its not his fault.. well thats his problem too!
If Vrabel was an MLB Coach and he had a left hander hitter who smashed right handed pitching - he'd hit the lefty against left handers.. and when the lefty strikes out, he'd say "well we coach him to hit lefty's too, he just has to execute better"...no doubt!
Apologies for the negativity - Love that your mailbag gives us a chance to act like we know better lol!
Here's to seeing if Malik Willis can stay in the pocket and look like Peyton Manning - because we all know the coaching staff won't cater this offense to his skillset!
Jim: Good to hear from you, Kyle. And it was good to see you in New Orleans. (I think your dad mistook me for Paul Kuharsky at the game, though 😊). Looking forward to seeing those uniforms myself next Sunday! Sounds like you need a pick-me-up.
Joe Arcudi from Merrimack, New Hampshire
Question: I promised myself I would not revisit my preseason predictions before week 6.Well.......now lets take a look.
*Will be 2-4 at the bye (did not have all the games correct but the record is the same)
*Tanny will not last 6 weeks with this Oline -- Check (Unfortunately)
*The only WR with more than 500yds on the season would be DHop (Looking pretty good)
*No Titan Player will have more than 9 sacks -- Too early to tell
*No Titan player will have 4 or more picks -- Pretty confident here considering our back end.
*Our record will be 7-10 at best -- Etch this one in -- we are done. 6 games is a pretty fair judgemnet period (one Third of the season)
The reality is a harsh one and NOONE is more upset (than me) that I was right about this year (so far). I know you keep saying there is a lot of football left to play. Let's be realistic we are in last place and the rest of the division is on the climb. Not a lot of ways we can go at this point. The King is on the last year of his deal..... so is Tanny. There is a reset coming whether we like it or not.
I give JRob credit for taking his shot. He went all in on getting this group to the big game.... Just missed..... and now the check has come due and we are paying for all the bad contracts and draft picks. Remember folks this team is now 2-11 over the last 13 games. Reality is no matter what kind of grit or want to you have, you need talent to win.....As I watch a bunch of teams every week you can just see we are a couple notches behind. The Titan margin of victory is razor thin.
I really would like to see this team take a page out of SF's book and build the infrastructure. Oline and Dline..... You will always be able to compete if you have strong fronts. We need to figure out a way to evaluate talent better than we have... You can't miss in the first couple of rounds as often as we have and still compete.
Yeah of course I am frustrated Jim but I have been a Titan/Oiler fan for more than 40 years. I know the NFL (and this franchise) enough to know when a rebuild is coming.
Lets give our new GM and Head Coach a chance to rebuild this team -- It will take some time...but some talent can turn things quick!
Jim: Dang, Joe, you've been pretty spot on so far. You seem to have a realistic viewpoint about what is going on, I'll admit that. I'll tackle a few points: You're right in that this team still has some work to do to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the best in the NFL. The roster is not there yet, but it's still capable of winning games and competing. This season is not lost yet, but things need to improve in a lot of areas for sure if things are going to stay interesting through December and into January. And, as much as fans want to bash the former GM, you are right – that 2021 was a team capable of winning a Super Bowl, and it blew its chance against the Bengals. Just like the 2000 and 2008 teams. I wonder if folks would be more patient now if that 2021 team had won a Vince Lombardi Trophy? Enough about the past, though, this season isn't over yet. We're not even to the halfway point.
Anthony Jasso from Pearland, Texas
Question: Not a question Jim, but a huge thank you for responding to my London question. Just wanted to say despite the bad loss, my wife and I had an amazing time in London. The field and stadium was super awesome. The Admiralty hosted the best pep rally I've ever attended to... I know everyone is upset the way our season has gone, but more than ever our Titan Nation needs to stay together. I still believe our Titans will always fight hard and Coach Vrabel and the players will stay together no matter what. Once again thank you for the job you do every week responding to all of us Titan fans... as always Titan Up for life!
Jim: Appreciate you taking the time, Anthony. It was definitely a memorable trip. Glad you had a big time. I've thoroughly enjoyed both trips to London myself. Great city, tremendous gameday atmosphere. The Titans just need to find a way to win a game there. Cheerio!
Costa Babalis from Montreal
Question: Hope you had a great time in England minus the game. I really hope they take a look at Levis. After what I saw from Malik, he is not ready. You know how they say you need to be street smart to survive out in the world, Malik lacks Football IQ and needs to watch how it is done. No timeouts left, and he is sitting in the pocket and instead of throwing the ball out of the endzone he takes a sack (3 times). He is running out of bounds and stops to try and get more yards with 3 defenders around him instead of stepping out of bounds and stopping the clock. I will always keep the faith and hope we take this break and come back strong and believe Vrabel is the coach who can get these guys started. Titan Up!!
Question: Good to hear from you, Costa. Malik has improved, but you're right, he's not there yet. Folks were hammering me on Twitter that the Titans should bench Tannehill for Malik. Well, they got their wish last week, and it wasn't pretty. We'll see what happens next.
Charles Johns from Hermitage, Tennessee
Question: Jim, I've been a Tannehill supporter even when others were bashing him but I think it's time to see what we have in Levis. This team isn't good enough to win a playoff game and just isn't very good. The offense has been inept against quality defenses. If we're not going to see what Levis can do in the situation we find ourselves in then why did we trade up to get him at the top of the 2nd round? We clearly had huge needs at OL, CB and WR and could have filled one of those holes. Every other team in the AFC South now has a potential franchise QB and we need to see if Levis has that potential before the 2024 draft. Eleven games is enough time to figure out if he at least has that potential. We've seen Willis and he still doesn't look ready. Frustrating that we couldn't put a better team around Henry, Byard and Tannehill these last couple of years to try for one more run. It's now time to see if we have something to build around for the future. 2024 is looking like it could be a VERY good QB class. It would be malpractice for the franchise if they don't find out if Levis even shows the potential to be that guy. I hate that Tanny was injured but that means he'll have very little mobility for a while so let's start building for the future. TitanUp
Jim: Hey Charles. You may get your wish, because Ryan is injured. We'll have to see how quickly he heals, and see what Mike Vrabel and Co. decide on which QB will take his place.
Chuck Rhoten from Kingsport, Tennessee
Question: I'm thanks for keeping us updated on all Titans news. Well another game we should have won. Our offense looks to still be looking for an identity. It looks like our OC is wanting to be a finesse team, if we are wanting to do that then trade Henry to a contender so he can play for a ring. (I do not agree with doing that, he is the heart and soul of the team) I would like to see us try the rookie out of Maryland at LT or our #1 pick there. Our defense is playing good upfront not getting a lot of sacks but we still are giving up 3rd downs. We just leave WR open. I think we have one of the best HC in the league, but our assistants are at the bottom. I hope Tannehill is ok, but if we drop a couple more games do you think we give Levis a chance to see what he can do?
Jim: Jaelyn Duncan isn't in line to step up and play LT, but we've seen some changes could be in the works at the position. Stay tuned. Same for the QB spot.
Terry Anderson from Glasgow, Kentucky
Question: Hello Jim. Any update on Caleb Farley? How is that young man doing? Have you had the opportunity to speak to him?
Jim: Caleb remains on the team's Reserve/Physically Unable to Play list, and I don't get the sense he is on the verge of returning any time soon. I have talked to him. He's a fine young man who has dealt with an unfair amount of adversity. But his spirits remain good. He has an incredible attitude.
Seth Fischer from Lynchburg, Virginia
Question: Boy howdy, London was rough. I don't want to be pessimistic or a bad fan here, but I don't think the Titans have earned the right to wear the Oilers unis. I wish they would be more confident when instead they are going to be without a starting QB potentially next week and an offense that outside of RBs, has been struggling. I am not going to rant or anything, and I am not giving up on the team, but I don't think they have earned the right to wear those Oiler jerseys when they might just get blown out of the water next week.
Jim: Kind of a silly take here, Seth. And, I think you're in the minority on this.
Sam Bingham Jr. from Tuscon, Arizona
Question: Hi Jim been a fan since 1976. Fan till the day I die but what does the Organization need to do so that they look like the year they made it to the AFC Championship or the superbowl. Every year I can't wait for the season to start and every year disappointment plus I feel bad for King Henry he works his butt off and still no ring When and what do they need to do for this team to look like the Chiefs or Eagles Titan fan for life from Tucson Az
Jim: Hang in there, Sam!
Donley Canary from Raymore, Missouri
Question: Good Afternoon Jim. Hard to watch the Titans football team play. We have several good players just not enough. It is amazing that Jon Robinson was allowed to single handily allowed to destroy this organization. His drafts were horrendous. His trades were terrible. The AJ Brown trade was horrific. We lost a generational wide receiver and got nothing except a player who cannot stay on the field. And his drafts, except for Jeffrey Simmons were forgettable. JR was just a good old boy from Union City, TN who did not have a clue. It will take this organization at least 5 years to recover from his poor judgment in running player personnel and decisions for the organization. I see the organization drifting back into Jake Locker Era with no quarterback and few players. Not a great time to be a Titan's fan and supporter. Somehow we will draft a quarterback and left tackle for the third straight year in a row. We just CAN NOT get it RIGHT!!!
Jim: First, see my above comment on the former GM to Joe. I'll follow that up by saying the current team is definitely paying for some of his mistakes of the past. Some of those bad decisions can't be fixed in one offseason.
John L from Montgomery, Maryland
Question: Jim, Malik Willis has shown the game is too fast for him at this level. If Tanny is out for a substantial time period, should the Titans consider taking a flier on Mac Jones? His skill set might be better utilized here with our run game, and he looks ripe for a change of scenery.
Jim: Don't bet on it, John.
Cody Willoughby from Memphis, Tennessee
Question: JW! Hope all is well big dog! It has been a while since I wrote in.
Man, that was a tough one (vs the Ravens). Ugly loss but as bad as it was I still have faith that we can get this thing turned around. We got the bye this week to get everyone healthy to right the ship. I believe in the boys and as long as Coach Vrabes is running the show I'm all in on this team. Listening to Kevin Byards post game interview he said that our best players have to make more plays and play better. We've got to get some more production from our defensive front seven. Where has Arden Key been the past several weeks?? Didn't even record a tackle today. He's got to step his game up.
To some of the fans out there that think this year is a wash, remember we were 2-4 through 6 games just a couple years back… We went to make it to the AFC championship game and there are fans out there that believe we can repeat that this year! Much love JW!
Jim: You're right, Cody -- a lot of guys have to step up. Key, as you mentioned, had a team-high four pressures against the Ravens. I know he's looking for sacks, of course. … I appreciate the optimism. I've been around long enough to remember seeing a 1-4 and a 2-4 team turn things around to make the AFC Championship Game, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility. This team is definitely going to have to step it up, though.
Have a great weekend everyone!
