NASHVILLE – The Titans will return to action on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Playoff hopes have pretty much faded away, but these games still mean something.
This mailbag means something as well, at least to me and the folks who write in, or read it.
So, let's open up another and see what's inside:
Here's the link to submit questions: CLICK HERE.
Josiah Nichols from Baxter, Tennessee
Question: Hey Mr. Jim. I am a 14 year old Titans fan and I love reading your articles. So Will Levis has been impressive since returning from his shoulder injury. He has been more accurate and made smarter descions. I love NWI and his 8 touchdowns over the last 8 games and his emergence as a great weapon. So a few weeks ago I was done with Will Levis and I would say most Titans fans were, however he has had his best 4 game stretch in his career up to date. So my question for you is will the Titans keep Levis as the starter, or will they spend their first round pick on a qb? In my opinion we should draft Kevin Banks the offensive tackle or Will Campbell the LSU offensive tackle. I know people will think that's boring that we have three straight first round picks on lineman, but without a good line your offense can't function. We have seen that a lot this year with our awful protection for Will Levis. I also would not hate taking a top edge rusher like James Pearce or a top defensive back like Will Johnson. I think Levis can turn into a good qb he just needs time, people need to remember that he has not had that much experience and that he is a raw talent. The draft is how you build your team and we need to pick the right guy. Thank you for your time Mr. Jim, hope you have a great week!! Titan Up
Jim: Hey Josiah. Thanks for writing in. I'm not going to make any definitive decision on Levis after his four-game stretch. I need to see more, and I know the team needs to see more. But I do think a lot of folks are happy with his progress. … And, this is just me: I'm not 100 percent sold old any of the QBs in the upcoming NFL Draft. If it's not Levis, personally, I'd explore the guys in free agency. But again, these are questions for after the season, and after we've seen a more complete picture on Levis. I think you raise a lot of good topics, though.
Michael Lewis from Tuscon, Arizona
Question: Hey Jim. I don't have a question but wanted to make a statement, if you please. I'm really tired of these fake so-called Titans fans!! I understand not everybody knows as much about football as I do but people need to shut up!! Most of the penalties are because the players aren't good enough. When I coached club basketball at a high level I realized that either we were fouling too much or the team were because we can't guard the other teams players!! My point is all of the coaching in the world won't change that there is a talent & athleticism deficit. Finally, we have scored over 30 points twice this year after not scoring 30 points for over 1000 days!! There's nothing wrong with play calling only the players, Will Levis & Cally are not the problem.
Jim: Thanks for taking the time, Michael. Plenty of opinions flowing into here of late.
Cliff Stephens from Smyrna, Tennessee
Question: Good morning Jim, I just finished reading the Tuesday mail bag wow what a bashing. I agree everyone is upset and rightly so. Knowing the players that were brought in to make this team better hasn't produced the results that everyone was expecting. That being said we have a young QB and O line that is a work in progress. We still need additional pieces to be a good team. I am not here to make excuses for this team but we all knew that this was a building process. Were we all hoping for better results sure but to blame the coaches and want them fired that's just crazy. This is everyone's answer. Hits just going to take time and after next year if things aren't better then look at the coaches but not until you give everyone a decent chance to prove if they are the answer. All of this isn't just on the coaches. The players are being paid a lot of money to play a sport. Only they can answer for what they did or didn't do correctly. Thanks for your time and support of everything Titan.
Jim: Appreciate the email, Cliff. I get why fans are upset. It's been a tough couple of years. And, it's been a vicious cycle of folks wanting coaches fired and players cut or traded. During the 2023 season, my mailbag was filled with folks wanting Mike Vrabel fired. Less than a year later, it's littered with emails from folks who say it was a mistake to fire Vrabel, and now they want Callahan fired. I guess that's what keeps it hopping in here.
Bruce Saims from Florida
Question: Hi Jim, I have been following this team since the 1980s and I have seen the good the bad and the ugly. This is truly the worst! Regards Bruce
Jim: I've covered the team since 1999. I've seen worse.
Jabril Bashir from Richmond, Virginia
Question: What are the chances that we get out of this Callahan deal and bring in Deion Sanders as our coach and draft his son at the number one pick or at least get Travis Hunter. I have been a fan since the Oiler days in the eighties, we have to find a franchise quarterback and build around him. Will Levis has become a shell of himself, and he has a lot to learn about the league. Perseverance does not seem to be a word in his vocabulary, it's exhausting to keep seeing him come out every week and does worse than the week before. I would never abandon my titans no matter what, but we played this year out wrong obviously picking Callahan over Quinn or Harbaugh. I can't even see a silver lining in this season.
Jim: The chances are Slim and None, and I saw Slim outside of Tootsies waiting on a Lyft. … Also, you know these coaches you mentioned also get a say in where they want to go, right?
Sandra Price from Rockwood, Tennessee
Question: Is there any truth to the rumor that the Titans will trade for Hendon Hooker? We loved him at UT, he has a powerful arm and strong legs and he's not afraid to use them.
Jim: No.
Rylann Lynn from Wibaux, Montana
Question: Hey Jim! This is Rylan writing in from Wibaux which is in the middle of nowhere in eastern Montana haha. Anyway my question is, do you think Tony Pollard has a chance to get 1st team all pro? He's had an incredible season, but the Titans never seem to get respect there.
Jim: Thanks for writing in, Rylan. Tony Pollard has had a really good year, but there's another AFC running back I can think of who will probably be named first-team All-Pro.
John Cox from Camden, Arkansas
Question: My wife has been on me for buying the NFL Sunday Ticket so I can watch the Titans down here in south Arkansas. Why is she on me? Because I haven't been watching, or when I do watch, I turn it off by halftime! You know, Jim, if my wife is mad at me over a $300 bad purchase, I can only imagine how Amy Adams Strunk feels every time she has to write out game checks to pay for this mess she's bought.
I'm NOT throwing all the Titans under the bus, though. Some have played consistently well and those players should be the ones making the big money. Seems like all the Titans' big money is going to those who aren't performing up to par or not at all. Just my thoughts.
Jim: I hear ya, John.
Buck Amodei from Smartsville, California
Question: Hi Jim. It's sad to think we are still doing this same polka dance with an offensive line comprised of four links that are somewhere between good and a little below average…. And a fifth link that is somewhere between a dumpster fire and SpongeBob Sqarepants. Yet, here we are.
I am not an elephant, but I remember where we finished last season. Pops Callahan is supposed to be a great OL coach, but you've probably heard the saying about the definition of insanity. Whether it be NPF, No Juke, Duncan, or Watson… the result has been the same. We finished last season with an ok RT, and now we have nothing. For the love of God, don't throw Duncan out there at RT again and hope for a different result.
This season is over. We are not mathematically eliminated but any strong finish hinged on a defense that just got drubbed for 42 points. It's preseason 2025 now. So far, we have some hope that Billy Jeans has turned a corner so as to allow us to spend our 1st on a non quarterback. NWI went from a WR4 to a WR2 that only catches touchdowns and needs a new contract.
We went for big dudes in the last draft… so big, they needed to air up the tires on the team bus. It's not all doom and gloom, but before Ms Amy wastes another 50 million on a disappointing RT, I plead with you to leave no stone unturned.
We roasted Houghtaling last year but even he was smart enough to fix the RT problem. If we had Latham last year, we might have actually been good. Ok, here's my pitch. Duncan is a big dude. He doesn't get shoved around. Plug him in at RG and bump Radunz out to RT. I know his resume' comes with about one false start a game and a lot of reacting 1/2 step late, but he got it done last year. It can't be any bigger failure than what we saw.
Please don't tell me Pops can't get his players ready to play a second position. Houghtaling asked some to play four positions. Stop the insanity and find out just how bad we need or don't need to draft or sign a RT in the offseason now. With all the Callahan brilliance we somehow went from one serviceable Tackle to zero before the draft rolled around. Finding a Guard is much easier to do.
Sorry for the rant on insanity. Merry Christmas.
Jim: Glad you've got it all figured out, Buck.
Mitch Wilson from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Question: Jim, I've been hard on the Titans over the last few years because they had the same problems year after year and did nothing to fix it. During the draft and free agency last year, they made a big move and spent a lot of money and addressed the two biggest problem they had (the offensive line and the back side of the defense) and made some great moves on the front side of the defensive as well. It left me with one big question....could Levis play up to the level of the new O line. Levis has shown me he has the skill to win a super bowl if the o-line does it's job. The right side of the O-line is still broken. They could move Latham to the right side so they have experience on both sides of the line and pick up another left tackle and a right guard. Here's my question. Does the GM and HC have the commitment to winning to draft another tackle and guard to finish out the O-line and will they spend the money to keep them in TN before they go after WRs and defensive players? If they do, if the WRs start playing with the same heart as Levis and if the owners are patient enough to give the coaching staff and team enough time to gel next year and the year after I think they will have something special. After that, in today's world, the challenge will be holding them together. They needed to start planning for that five years ago which is probably why they have a new GM and coaching staff. Which means, they are already behind the eight ball through no fault of their own. Good luck Titans! If you keep your head down and work hard, you will turn the corner soon. And your true fans, the ones who stick with you during the hard times are still rooting for you. Mitch
Jim: Hey Mitch. Oh, the team has done some things to fix the problems. It's just that some of the potential solutions haven't panned out. I'm not sure what the draft plan will be on the offensive line. There's no doubt the right side will be addressed, at guard and tackle. And, I imagine help will come in free agency and the draft. I don't anticipate JC Latham moving to the right side, however.
Beau Siddens from Covington, Indiana
Question: Hey Jim. Hope all is well. With the O Line being weak on the right side, and Sneed headed to IR, could we possibly see David Martin-Robinson (DMR) active? He was a heck of a playmaker in the preseason. I get that we need to lean on the run game, but Pollard is only 1 guy. Not having Spears effects the dynamics. I am a huge fan of Chestnut, however, he has yet to step/flash.
If Cally would go to a multiple TE set, he may be able to dice up Houston's defense. I vote put DMR in and steam roll or the rest of the season. What do we have to lose?
TITAN UP!!
Jim: I'd like to see David Martin-Robinson play myself, Beau. I was impressed with him during camp, and the preseason. Right now, the team doesn't appear ready to replace some of the other tight ends with DMR on game day. We'll see if it happens in a few weeks.
Ray Bruss from Fredericksburg, Virginia
Question: Hi Jim. I have been a Titans fan since their arrival in Tennessee. This is without a doubt the worst team we have fielded in 2 decades. History has proven the owner will not pay our star players (AJBrown & Derrick Henry to name a few) and our draft picks have not improved our football team. I hope the owner considers firing the GM and head coach at the end of the season. If not, we will never find the success like the Chiefs and Bills franchises.
Mark my word the Jags will come to Nashville and win because our team does not know how to win at home or on the road.
Jim: We'll find out on Sunday, Ray.
Have a great weekend everyone!
