NASHVILLE – The Julio Show took center stage at Saint Thomas Sports Park this week.
Yes, receiver Julio Jones practiced for the first time with the Titans since being traded last weekend.
It was something to see, for sure.
Now it's time to move ahead, as Jones and the Titans look ahead to the upcoming minicamp in the coming days.
Let's pull out another batch of questions from what's been a jam-packed mailbox.
Here's the link to ask questions: CLICK HERE.
Andy Stambene from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Question: Hello Jim! First off, I was having my doubts about the upcoming season with all the personnel we lost! I liked some of the players coming in but I couldn't hide my disappointment. Even though games haven't been played I thought maybe this was going to a downer season...Then The Titans pull Julio Jones (outta a hat) away from Atlanta...Wow, just Wow!!! With the weapons the Titans have Jones is going to blow the top off and make the Offense even more explosives than last years team!!! Now if JRob could fangdangle a TE and Dillon Radunz makes the adjustment and grade quickly...and Lewan comes back as good as ever...Henry is going to be the man, he has that hunger...this team could go all the way...Now the Titans have some questions on Defense but I see it playing out favorably...
Jim: Hey Andy. You sound like a lot of Titans fans – everyone seems to still be fired up about the Julio news…
Steve Johnson from Jackson, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim. I love having Julio Jones and hope his style of play will benefit all our younger receivers and show them what it is to be the ultimate pro. I believe with just having Julio on the field will demand respect from the other teams whether he gets the yards he is used to or not. Of course, I would love to see Julio and AJ put up over 1,500 yards a piece but I know that won't be reality. My biggest fear even though I know we are so many years past the Jeff Fisher era is we will barely feed Julio the ball and it will end up looking like what we did with Randy Moss. What a terrible thing in my opinion that we used Randy Moss so little it was a disgrace and such disrespect we showed to such a goat of a wide receiver. I still scratch my head on why we even brought Randy Moss to the team, so I'm crossing my fingers we aren't as bone headed with using Julio the same way and we have an intelligent staff to feed this man the ball and let him dismantle a defense the way we know he can. Anyways thanks again Jim for all you do and TITAN UP!!! Guys I believe we are Super Bowl bound this year even though I have said that since 1997 whether it was true or not haha you have to believe in your team that it's possible every year.
Jim: Hey Steve. Thanks for the email. I wouldn't worry about history repeating itself. For starters, Julio is in a much better place physically than Moss was when he was with the Titans in 2010, after being waived. Plus, the Titans QB situation now is much better than it was then as well. And one last thing on why the whole Moss experiment didn't work out: Moss arrived in Nashville at the same time late Titans OC Mike Heimerdinger was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. As much as everyone wanted things to work with Moss, sadly it just wasn't a good time. Jeff Fisher and I have talked about this aspect of it since. The Titans plan to use Julio a bunch, I can promise you that.
Jefferey Fradsham from Crewe, Virginia
Question: Happy June, Jim. I have been racking my brain for a catchy nickname for the 2021 two tone blue, but have come up empty. I think the Ryan Express has been used already, the Vrabel (?) so all I can say is look out football, here we come!
Jim: Hey Jefferey. I threw out "Bruise Brothers" for Derrick Henry and Julio Jones. I'll let others throw out more suggestions for the team …
Al Robertson from Casa Grande, Arizona
Question: With all the positive moves on offense, does it not concern anyone that we have a new rookie offensive coordinator?
Jim: Hey Al. Todd Downing actually served as OC of the Raiders in 2017. This isn't his first rodeo. Plus, he does have some pretty big horses to work with now...
Larry Sr. from Memphis, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim. Praying you and your family are doing well. I've been a fan for over 20 yrs. No questions but suggestions. Titan Up! Man 3 WR,1 TE, 1 RB, 5 OL, QB 1 every down.... The pieces added. Geezzz... ya'll know who on the field right? Anybody can get the rock at any given time. Titan Tough! Thanks Jim!
Jim: Thanks, Larry. Get your popcorn ready ….
Steve Pond from El Dorado, Kansas
Question: Excited about the offense and Julio coming to the Titans but my question is about the other side of the ball. There has been a lot of changes and even seen that one of our recent signings decided to retire. What is the defense looking like? I agree that they needed a big upgrade and I am happy with the moves they made for the most part but really want to know what the expectations are for the defense this year. Thank you for your time and God bless. Luv Ya Blue!
Jim: Hey Steve. Too early to say, to be honest. Bud Dupree isn't practicing yet, same goes for Caleb Farley, Janoris Jenkins and Elijah Molden. Denico Autry just arrived this week. The defense is going to be better, because the team spent a lot of money and high draft picks to bolster the D. But we'll get more clues in training camp.
Steven Crosio from Brick, New Jersey
Question: Hey there Jim, with Ryan Tannehill's contract restructured to pay off Julio Jones which Tennessee Titans player do you think is in the most danger of being cut in 2022?
Jim: C'mon Steven, can't we just enjoy some nice things for a while?
David Stowe from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Question: Good Morning Jim just wanted to say let's go TITAN NATION WE GOT JULIO FREAKING JONES IT'S SUPER BOWL TIME LONG AS THEY ALL STAY HEALTHY LET'S GO TITANS, LET'S GO TITANS Bring That Lombardi To NASHVILLE!
Jim: Oh man, you transitioned to ALL CAPS. Sounds like you're fired up in Philly, David.
Octavius Bates from Memphis, Tennessee
Question: First off congratulations on signing Julio Jones but my questions is: Are you going to add another tight end to the roster? And, are you confident in the defense moving forward or do you think there are some pieces still missing?
Jim: Hey Octavius. I still suspect an addition is coming at tight end, but I don't think there's as big a sense of urgency after the acquisition of Julio. I am confidence the defense will be better, but like I mentioned to Steve, I need to see a lot of guys on the field, working together, to get a better idea of how things might look.
Jamar Williams from Richmond, Virginia
Question: First I want to say I hope all is well with you Jim. Secondly I love the Julio Jones move. But to complete the roster a trade for Zach Ertz or another tight end like OJ Howard would be nice. I also think we should bring in a veteran rotational edge rusher like Justin Houston or Melvin Ingram. Would be nice if your next interview question for Vrabel or J-Rob be those that I stated🙏🏽
Jim: Appreciate it, Jamar. I'll let the HC and GM know you want more. 😊
Teddy Zeis from Rogersville, Alabama
Question: Hey Jim, with the Julio Jones trade do you think the Titans think these next 2-3 years is their best chance to win a Super Bowl?
Jim: Hey Teddy. I think the team is in a window of opportunity, kind of like the window of opportunity for the Titans from 1999-2003. Those Titans teams came up empty despite four playoff appearances, two AFC Title Game appearances, and a Super Bowl trip. Twenty years later, these Titans have to take advantage of their opportunity, but nothing is guaranteed.
Bill in Spokane, Washington
Question: Mr. Wyatt. So in the space of three days, GM Robinson trades for WR1 Julio Jones and signs ?? Adam Coon. I believe I understand the trade, but can't make much sense out of the signing. Help! Thanks.
Jim: So, Bill, have you been wrestling over this one for a while? Coon, the former wrestler, of course, was signed to compete. The team is taking a flier on him, hoping he can pin down a job in camp… In all seriousness, Mike Vrabel gave an interesting scouting report on him this week, saying he has the skillset to give himself a chance. But he's a longshot, based on his lack of experience and the short time he has to get up to speed. But there's no harm in giving him an opportunity. He's a big guy who is athletic, tough-minded, and a proven winner.
Cade Damron from Morristown, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim first and foremost as always, Titan up. But now on to more serious matters although we won't really know until the start of the season you would like to think that with the acquisition of Julio Jones this opens up are already powerful offense in ways we didn't think can happen defenses won't be able to stack the Box on Derrick Henry because of the threat of Julio Jones and AJ Brown in the past game and also people forget Ryan Tannehill can also run the ball but can also launched very accurate downfield passes. Is it too early to assume a playoff berth is ours to lose?
Jim: Well Cade, saying it's the Titans to lose is accurate. If the Titans are great, or if they stink, it's going to be up to them. I think A.J. said it best: "We have to put the work in. We can't just be the best team on paper. We have to put the work in and get the chemistry going, feed off each other, and hold each other accountable. The sky is the limit for the offense. It is all up to us."
Wes Rubison from Moberly, Missouri
Question: I will be traveling through Nashville Monday June 14th. Is there anything open to the public? Would love to get to watch any open sessions. Haven't heard anything from the Titans about it this year. Thanks!
Jim: Hey Wes. Unfortunately, all the offseason practices are closed to the public. And, because of all the construction at Saint Thomas Sports Park, that's also going to be the case for training camp in July and August.
Jimmy Dee from Battle Ground, Washington
Question: Jim, please tell me why the Tennessee Titans don't care about their interior DL? Why do the Tennessee Titans think the interior DL doesn't matter? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just displayed during the most recent SB on National TV that the way to stop Kansas City is to have a badass interior DL that beats the heck out of the Kansas City OL and QB. Admittedly, the interior DL had help from other parts of the defense but the interior DL was a big part of that victory. The Tennessee Titans are not learning from what Tampa Bay showed everyone. You guys need to add one VERY GOOD starting-caliber NT to the interior DL. Someone who can forcefully take the starting NT position from the backup-caliber players you have at NT.
You guys have put a lot of money into the team by signing Julio Jones and as a result you now have ZERO holes on offense and you only have one hole left on defense - a very good starting-caliber NT. If you bring in such a player then you guys are a serious SB contender, except for you will also need a Kicker but Kickers aren't very expensive so that shouldn't be a problem. Why would you invest as much as you are investing in the roster and then let one hole between both the offense and defense to keep you from SB contention? It makes no sense. Why not bring in the one last player that the team needs between the offense and defense to become a major SB contender - a very good starter-caliber NT? Then you sign the best Kicker out there and you're ready to rumble. I can't believe you're going to allow yourselves to be bounced from the playoffs early again by not bringing in just one more defender when your roster is so close to complete.
You need 2 very good IDL players and one good IDL player. You have one very good IDL player in Jefferey Simmons and one good IDL player in Autry Denico. You need one more very good IDL player to complete the unit. The last time you had 2 very good IDL players and an OK player was when you had Jurrell Casey + Jefferey Simmons + (middling) Daquan Jones and look how that played out - you got 40+ sacks. Then you guys moved on from Jurrell Casey so you were left with one very good player in Jefferey Simmons + 1 OK player in Daquan Jones + one subpar player in Jack Crawford and your sack total went down to 19. 19!!!!!! It seems like you guys should have learnt from that, that it takes 2 very good players + one good player on the IDL to produce a good amount of sacks and a good amount of pressure. Kansas City is not going to go down easy. They've beefed up their 0-line in the off-season. Your interior d-line needs to be able to take a lot of fight to that OL.
You spent a lot of money to sign Bud Dupree, who produces best when he has a badass interior DL working with him. Look at the Steelers interior DL if you don't believe me - Cameron Heyard (round 1), Tyson Alualu (First round), Stephen Tuitt (Round 2). The Steelers have premium picks invested into the interior DL and that is partly why Bud Dupree and TJ WATT are so effective. Dupree is going to be a lot less effective if you don't add one more badass interior DL player. The lack of two badass IDL players and one good IDL player is probably why Jadeveon Clowny wasn't very effective last year. The Titans unwillingness to take their interior DL seriously is turning very good EDGES into subpar EDGES. It's amazing that Jadeveon Clowney went half a season with ZERO sacks. It's the IDL. Look how much better the sacks (both IDL and EDGES) were when the team had (1) badass Jurell Casey, + (1) badass Jefferey Simmons, + (1) OK player Daquan Jones. Now you have (1) badass Jefferey Simmons + (1) good player Autry Denico + (1) OK backup player in Abry Jones or Teair Tart. If the Titans don't rectify this situation neither the IDL or the EDGES will be effective.
The Titans need another very good badass starter interior DL for the NT position.
Jim: Chill, Jimmy Dee. Julio is going to play on the d-line as well.
Randy Porter from Hendersonville, Tennessee
Question: Hi Jim. Like most Titans fans, I was hurt by the loss of Cory Davis recently and still hate it. But, I'm equally thrilled with the addition of Julio! It was fun watching the analysts speculate which team could pull it off and get a deal done. One ESPN analyst touted the ability of Jon Robison to find a way, and felt Julio would be a Titan all along. Of course, we always have a fan "wish list", but know to be reserved in our excitement. Well Jon, coach Vrabel and some nudging teammates made it happen and we're grateful. I just want to say what impresses me so much with Julio so far. It has less to do with stats or skills, but with the fit. He seemed to be laid back, humble, appreciative and have stellar character. These are traits of Titans players that "fit". And let's face it, we have had a few that didn't fit and they are now elsewhere. Julio has the stats to back up a cavalier and arrogant attitude, but like Derrick, he remains a team player. He made it clear he wants to complete a multi-faceted threat here and force teams to "pick their poison" and I'm betting that the first time he draws too much attention and A.J. breaks single coverage for a touchdown, or Derrick breaks out on a big gainer, Julio will smile and tell the defenders.. "See, I told you".
Jim: Good to hear from you again, Randy. I was impressed by what I saw from Julio this week as well. He didn't have to be here for the OTAs, and he showed up. And he had a great attitude at practice, and in his first media availability. The guy is a pro.
Have a great weekend everyone!
