Loading...
Loading...

Justin Melo and Justin Graver are back to parse through Tennessee Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi and Head Coach Robert Saleh's comments from the annual NFL league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona. Both Borgonzi and Saleh spoke to media and covered a wide range of topics. We're breaking down what those comments reveal about the Titans plans for the 2026 NFL Draft.
1:00 NFL Annual League Meetings
3:36 Mike Borgonzi on BPA Approach
8:37 Borgonzi on Free Agency Spending
14:02 Borgonzi on Interior O-Line
27:12 Robert Saleh Rapid Fire
32:45 Saleh on the Running Backs
39:36 Wrap Up
------------
Order Justin Melo's book "Titans of the South" here:
https://shop.adventurewithkeen.com/product/titans-of-the-south/
------------
MCA YOUTUBE CHANNEL: youtube.com/@musiccityaudiblepodcast
Titans head coach Robert Sala and general manager Mike Borgonzi both spoke the last two days at the NFL league meetings in Phoenix
What did they reveal about the Titans draft plans? We're gonna break it down quote by quote. This is the music city audible
Let's get to it
Welcome everyone to another episode of the music city audible a Tennessee Titans podcast
I'm your host Justin Graver full-time NFL podcast producer for Odyssey and joining me as always sports illustrated's own
Justin mellow and the
Managing editor of Titan size.com. How's it going Justin? How you doing today doing well doing well as you'll see
I'm in my old school Portugal retro jumpsuit. They play a soccer game tonight
I guess the United States of America, so I'll be watching that one pretty closely. They're in Atlanta
I should have gone. I probably should be in Atlanta rare
I get an opportunity to watch them that close, but I'm doing well doing well Mike Borgonzi Robert Sala as you said
spoke at the annual league ownership meetings
Depending on how you look at it lots of good tidbits
I would say lots of good things for you and I to dissect. What do they really mean?
And what I will say to that is just first off
Obviously the head coach and the general manager of the team with the fourth overall pick in the draft is not going to go
Into a press conference setting with media and say oh here's what we're planning to do
So everyone everyone can write this down and remember that this is what we're getting. No of course what they actually revealed is
Nothing they didn't reveal anything and sorry for the the title and the clickbait little teaser to get us into the show
We know our regular audible armies here every day regardless
We appreciate you guys so much if you're new to the show and you clicked on it for the headline
We're glad you're here stick around. We're gonna break down these quotes
What they actually revealed though? I mean it requires you and I just need to do what we do which is read between the lines
Figure out what's true figure out where the kernels of truth are and what is a bold-faced lie?
And we're gonna go through and do that today
We're gonna start with Mike Borgonzi and then we'll come back and talk Robert Sala after the break
That's chronologically how it went so why not do it that way and Mike Borgonzi
I think there was a few things to take away. I'll just outline them
Brought big big picture broad strokes and then we'll break them all down
Number one was commitment to drafting the best player available
Number two was the competition and the current status of the interior of the offensive line and
Number three was the free agency approach the Titans took this off season but starting off with the best player available
He said numerous times when pressed by numerous reporters to Ron Davenport
East and freeze both said on social media that they asked multiple times about what the Titans want to do with that top pick
How much Mike Borgonzi values positional value and I was thinking about this also Justin because we've been talking about how we kind of
Believe Mike Borgonzi to be more of the old school football methodology which we've been equating with you know
A staunch regard for positional value
But if you really think about what a classic traditional footballist is
It's ground-in-pound. It's running backs do matter. But running backs don't matter was an analytics
New age new era modern movement. It wasn't a a traditionalist football view
So if we really think that Mike Borgonzi is like a died-in-the-wall traditional football guy
We might be under rating the importance of how he might view the running back position
But he said something along the lines of you can never have it enough pass rushers or you can never have too many pass rushers
Which is true seeing a lot of Super Bowl teams that have you know eight nine ten guys deep on the defensive line rotating
Consistently throughout a game to apply pressure to quarterbacks
We think the Titans are about eight deep right now and maybe they could add a ninth with the fourth overall pick or a second-round pick or later in the draft
And then he also continued to say we're gonna take the best player available
positional value is different depending on who you ask every draft is different every roster is different in what it needs
He says he thinks that free agency set them up well to go best player available and to not be pigeon-holed into a need which makes me think
Number one that none of this is really true and doesn't matter
But if we're gonna pretend like some of it is true
I think it comes from some kind of place of truth is that they are they feel okay about the roster right now
If the season had to start tomorrow like they're not feeling in dire straits at that defensive end spot for example
Because they don't feel they've been pigeon-holed into needing to draft that player now
I really do think this is a choose your own adventure scenario here
Yeah, they definitely have running backs that they're comfortable with and that's something that they talked about like Mike
We're going to talk about how he loves and we'll get to Robert's Hall after the break
But Robert's all also both of them said they love what's in the running back room
They think they have two good backs a great one to punch
Sala even specifically referenced Tony Pollard's 100 plus yard performance against the 49ers last year
Which I do think coaches tend to like take one game performances that they were a part of and weigh them more heavily than the entire season
And probably because you've got respect for yourself and the job that you do so when a player plays well against you
You're like, oh damn he got me kind of thing, you know
Yeah, exactly
So anyway, the point is he spoke out of every side of his mouth saying that you know if you it's choose your own adventure in the sense that if you want to read this as
The Titans are set at edge and they're going to take the best player available
Well, the best player available by the consensus is Jeremiah love
Or you can read this as we can never have enough past rushers and we do care about positional value
So we're probably not going to take a running back at four because we're comfortable with the backfield
We like the backs that we have right now. You can read this anyway. It could mean anything you want it to mean
Obviously, you know how I'm going to choose to read it because I'm a big Jeremiah love fan
And I am going to choose to read like again, it's like it's my bias
I can't help but have bias in this with the way that with what I want the Titans to do
How I view the prospects in this draft that definitely creeps into my read of these quotes
But you know to me the we love our running backs is the same as Josh Rosen is our quarterback one month before the Cardinals went and drafted Kyler Murray first overall right
I think you could say that about everything and I know you weren't trying to
Disingenuine disingenuous whatever the word is. I know you weren't trying to be at be that but earlier when you said
I saved it in my mind
You know these teams that have won zero balls. They're eight nine deep at past rusher
And then you said well the Titans are about we think they're about eight deep right now
Let's be clear though
They're about eight deep on NFL roster worthy players
When it comes to good NFL players
They are about too deep at that position Jeffrey Simmons and John Franklin Myers
We don't know that anyone else. Yeah, Solomon Thomas is a 53 man roster player Jacob Martin
Jalen Harrell 53 man roster players until further notice
Femial Adagio 53 man roster player and tell Jermaine Johnson proves he could bounce back 53 man roster player
There's a good past rushers. They've got two of them
Yeah, I mean that is fair and I mean like we know this looking at the roster the edge is still one of the weakest spots on the team
It's obviously much better than it was at the beginning of February or beginning of March even
But it's not up to competitive status and that is something interesting that we're going to talk about with the free agency approach
Is he said that this isn't his preferred like going out and spending all this money and signing this many players
Is not his preferred way to attack free agency and if the roster was good
He wouldn't have to do that
But he basically said we had to do this this year because we had to get this team back to a baseline
Competitiveness level which tracks was something that I heard
Of a little before free agency around the time of the combine
I had heard from a trusted source that Robert Salas specifically told someone he thought the Titans roster was really bad
That the roster was a huge huge drawback and that
They needed to do something about it and they went and they did something about it which
That's what you want them to do you need they need to get to a competitive level
It's not Mike Morganzi's preferred way of attacking free agency. Yeah
Laughing because I could tell you don't usually get a ton of that info
Because I don't know that I would have said it was Robert Salas
I probably would have left it up to imagination regarding who said it but
Well, I mean it doesn't reveal my source Robert Saladin tell me directly
But I do think that it's it's it tracks like I wasn't sure when I heard that is this true or not
But then you see the way they approach create and see you hear Mike Morganzi say they need to get the roster up to competitive status
Sounds like the coach and the GM thought that I mean we don't even need a quote from Robert Salas to know that he's thought that like their actions prove that he thought that
And you didn't have to wait you said wait until phrase is watch them play football the last two years like we know
They're really terrible foot if I listen Mike Morganzi essentially got up there
When he filed said it was not my preferred method, but we had to get back to competitive football
He basically looked at those reporters and said did you watch us in 2024 and 2025?
I wasn't here for the first year you can't blame me
But we suck we suck we do and we had to go out inside a bunch of players to accelerate this process
Because how many times if I said on this show this year
Prior to free agency I said on this show you can't be a three-win team three years in a row
It's borderline unheard of
Heads roll and some of them have already rolled obviously, you know ran Carthon and Brian Callahan are largely to blame for these back-to-back three-win teams
But if you do it again
Those guys aren't in the building to blame anymore, right? So if a head's got a role now it's on your you know, it's on your seat
So, you know, it adds up like we said going into free agency. We know Mike Borgonzi
wants to be a draft and develop football team
But this team is so bad. That's what he just told you. They're so bad
We had to fill a lot of these holes because what did we you and I both said in order to draft them develop this team properly
It's gonna take five good years five straight good drafts. Guess what you don't get that long when the team is bad, right?
I don't want to call it a you know moves out of desperation
But it like this is a more extreme example
But the New York Jets didn't have to go get Gino Smith to play quarterback this year
But they did because they're like damn we're bad. We can't be that bad again
We got to try to raise the floor of this thing so we could get a bit more time to try to fix it long-term the way we want to fix it
That's what Mike Borgonzi is doing by you know
There's no one in the corner room when free agency starts nobody
They can't draft three corner backs and play them all you're gonna be the worst past defense in the NFL
So you go get cordial flop in a long-tailed tailor and Joshua Williams
There's nothing on the defensive line that they like outside of Jeffrey Simmons essentially
So you go get John Franklin Myers and Solomon Thomas and
And Jacob Martin who is the fourth guy Jordan Elliott four guys all four
Who have previously played for Robert Sala at some point right like this is how you raise the floor on offense
You go get a bunch of guys the offensive coordinator knows a tight end alignment
And a wide receiver and a quarterback almost every position group in on offense in free agency
They went out and got a guy that the offensive coordinator previously coach. So I'm ranting
But yeah, I mean their actions told you this roster is terrible because he did not want to build the roster this way
But you've got to buy yourself a little bit of time
100% 100% agree and why you're on the subject of having nobody in the room and just maybe you have to draft a bunch of guys and start them
That's sort of what the plan appears to be at interior offensive line the final
The final big point from Mike Borgonzi the big takeaway here is and I think the the realist
Point that we can take away what we actually learned about the Titans roster approach and draft plans here
Like I had this noted in my notes just in that
Sometime between now and the draft but much closer to the draft that you and I do sort of a draft predictions
Titans draft predictions episode and I'd already made a note
That I wanted to predict that the Titans would draft two interior offensive lineman on
Between rounds two and five and I I believe that that is gonna happen and then you hear Mike Borgonzi go talk about it
Basically saying that you know, we yeah, we like
Austin Sloteman and we like Cordell Wilson and we like Jackson Slater and we want to you know
There's gonna be a lot of competition there and whoever is the best man will win the job and then
He's asked like well, would you be comfortable if two rookies were starting on the interior of the offensive line
And he's like well, you know this draft has a lot of depth at those spots this year
I think there's talented guys from the second round all the way to the end of the draft and you know when I was in Kansas City
We did that in 2021 we drafted Creed Humphrey and Tray Smith and and both of those guys started and you know it like
Repair the interior of our offensive line after he didn't say this part after we got destroyed in the Super Bowl by the Buccaneers and my homes was under pressure on every dropback
No, but they the he has experience with this approach now
I'm a little bit worried that that was like a special circumstance where Tray Smith had blood clots that pushed him to the sixth round
That have not affected his career at all and they were able to get a day two guard
In the sixth round and they were able to start him from day one
Creed Humphrey was a guy that everybody liked in the pre-draft process and they picked him in the second round
A high premium pick used on a center that started from day one
Look, it's not impossible to think that to think that Titans could do that and it works
It's pretty scary to rely on it and with your fallback plan being
Career backups in Austin Shlopeman in a second year fifth round pick Jackson Slater, which by the way
This is totally aside
Everyone seems to think that Jackson Slater was a six-round pick. I don't know if this is like collective consciousness
You keep making the same mistake polka husky actually wrote
Marcus was a six-round pick polka husk actually wrote in his article detailing Borgonzi's comments that Slater was a six-round pick
It's like one of those things where we all think Chick-fil-A used to be spelled without the C
But it's actually always been Chick-fil-A
Anyway
Yeah, so what does that call I can't remember what it's called
There's a there's a name for that effect somebody drop it in the comments
But anyway, it's you know, you're relying on a career backup in Shlopeman
For a second year fifth round pick who played like 18 snaps his work at your 32 something like that snaps his work a year and
Guy and Cordell Wilson who was a three-year starter before last season
We missed the entire season with a shoulder injury
But a three-year starter at a level that like if I was the bangles
I'd be trying to replace him every off season
So he might be the worst of the three of them. He's got the most experience and he's probably the worst of the three of them
I would rather he's definitely put he's definitely put the most bad tape out
Partly because he's played the most but also because he's not that good of a player
And so that's your fallback plan and your plan a is hope that the guys you like and have identified in the draft
As future starters fall to your picks and that you don't also and that you're okay giving up the opportunity cost
You have to give up which means you're not selecting a receiver a defensive end a tackle to build for 2027
A linebacker for solid the middle of solid defense a future starting cornerback like there's obviously sacrifices
You have to make if you decide you're going to take multiple interior offensive linemen and we I keep saying
I've said at a hundred times already this year Justin that the draft is not for 2026
It's for 2027 and beyond
Well at the interior offensive line the draft might be for 2026 too
Yeah, I'm
I'm choosing not to believe him and
Like help help me out in the comments. Let's talk through this
I'm choosing not to believe him and I don't think it's just because I think it's stupid and I don't want it to be true
I'm sure I actually think it's because he's too smart in my opinion for this to be true and listen
If this is the case and this is the plan and this is what they go forward with
And it backfires like it probably would
Because the Tracemith Creed Humphrey example is one in a thousand more often than not right
Where it actually worked so well immediately
If this backfire if this is really the plan in it backfires
We'll drag him every single Monday after watching cammore to get sacked seven times per game and get hurt and
Misrubisky's in the game like we'll drag him all the time. This is not a good idea. This is not a good plan
I don't think he's telling the truth. I hope he's not telling the truth and I think he's not telling the truth
I just again, maybe it's my own
You know fandom bias, but I think he's too smart of a GM. I think he's too good at what he does
To actually be willing to just leave this up to chance to actually protect his second-year quarterback
Who's coming off a season ending shoulder injury
Quair quotes because it happened in week 18, but it would it was a multi-week injury if it wasn't week 18 right
It was week 13. It would have been season ending more than likely, right to actually try to protect that guy with maybe rookie interior lineman
Or someone like cordelle voulson
If things go poorly
This coming season
I think the one thing that I'll stay hung up on is how did you spend
295 million in free age 300 million now
I think they've done some extra one-year deals with like I think you know since it was the number was 294
300 million in free agency and you neglected the offensive line when you've got a rookie
You know coming off a rookie season sophomore number one overall pick who had a shoulder injury
So if things don't go well. He doesn't figure this out
I will not be able to get past that now look
I agree. This is not the episode for this but
I like the interior of this offensive line class. I keep mentioning names that I keep realizing that I like it quite a bit
Logan Jones out of Iowa Sam Heck out of Kansas State Conor Lou out of Auburn
Jagger Burton out of Kentucky Brian Parker out of Duke tre zoom out of Texas A&M
There's another Jake slaughter out of Florida like all those guys
I just mentioned are capable of playing center all of them Matt Gulbin out of Michigan States underrated
Tegan Trost Missouri
Two guys I really like who haven't gotten a lot of attention
You know how much I love Keelan Rutledge the guard out of Georgia Tech a manual pregnant on and chase bizantes are high-end
I think more of on the premium side of the I think I put Rutledge in that bucket too
I put the three of them together
But that's the high-end side some of those first ones. I mentioned you know Jagger Burton Brian Parker
I think these are fourth round picks more than likely
But I really like like I like the interior of this class now reality is gonna punch me in the face next year
Like it always does and hardly any of them will pan out because that's the nature of the NFL draft beast right like you like
You kind of want to see the good and everyone because the draft is fun and exciting. It's positive
But when you look back you always say this in reality
So few of these guys actually pan out and and turn into good NFL players. So
I mean he'll he's gonna draft I think he probably drafts two of the guys
I just mentioned Alex Harkie out of Oregon. They've been connected to a guy that could play guard. So
Travis Burke to tack a lot of Memphis. I know we're not tacking a talking tackles
But they've been connected to some linemen and we've got a bunch of guys
You know, I do think it's a good interior class, but risky business
um
I think Jim Wyatt mentioned in the article
Kevin Zitler who they have not resigned but haven't closed the door on but it didn't sound like anything was imminent either
Broken record. I'll say it every week bring back Kevin Zitler draft a center hold a three-man competition at center between your rookie
Austin Slotman and Jackson Slater and I could get on board with that plan. I can't get on board with rookie next to rookie
I'm with you. I do think there is more to the Zitler stuff than is being reported
I think we've had commenters speculating and I think they're probably right that Kevin Zitler doesn't necessarily need to go through the
or April OTA sessions in the at the point of his career he's in
Right as the entering is 15th year and also the Titans offseason activities start before
Every team that didn't fire a head coach
The Titans have an earlier start because they have a new head coach. That's the way the the rules work
They get to start earlier to begin installing the new head coaches whatever
So yeah, Zitler I think like just like we talked about when we found out the Corey 11 plan the you did the digging and reported that Corey 11
The Titans were interested in talking to Corey 11 after the draft depending on how the draft goes
I think it's probably true for Kevin Zitler as well and I think Kevin Zitler is probably like yeah, that's fine
I'll keep myself in shape. I'll work out on my own. I don't need to report to team
Offseason optional team activities and they'll get that done when
If they need to now I'm with you in the sense that like if they go draft to interior offensive lineman
And they feel great about starting them from day one is that gonna make them think oh we don't need Kevin Zitler when in reality
It's like why not have the fallback plan and the upside of a rookie like you like you could do both
You could get the rookie in the building
Hope he wins a competition
But also have Kevin Zitler there because you know he can be a good quality starting right guard
But to be blunt with you too like the rookie's not beating Kevin Zitler in a cup
There's no competition if they bring Kevin Zitler back
They're drafting that rookie in the fourth round to do what they did with Jackson Slater this past year
Develop up behind the scenes and hope you can replace Zitler in 2027
That would be the smart that's what I would do like I would bring back Zitler
And I would still draft hopefully draft a future starting right guard in the fourth round right like it's especially the fourth fifth round
You get a guy there just like you got Jackson Slater a year ago in the fifth round
So that should be the plan and listen we're probably over reacting because you bring up a good point
Kevin Zitler hasn't retired. He wants to play. He's going to play in my opinion
He has a plan his plan is probably to do what you just said skip OTA's everything voluntary and come in when he wants to come in
And maybe they've already got a backdoor deal done who knows right like the times have 60 million in cat space
They're not gonna have a hard time bringing Kevin Zitler back if they want to bring them back one year eight million dollars
One year up to 10 million 11 million max. I don't think he gets more than that
You know what the figure is he signed for like nine million last year. It's gonna be the same figure because he played well
But he's too old to have you know a crazy amount of leverage and ask for 15 million dollars a year. So
Hopefully they've got a plan hopefully it's bringing Kevin Zitler back
Hopefully Mike Borgons he's lying through his teeth. I have a feeling he is because I like him
I mean it in a positive he doesn't get here and tell you what he's actually thinking
We're gonna take a break and then we're gonna talk about what Robert Salah said at the annual league ownership meetings
Okay, welcome back
Yes, so the offensive line for the Titans interior offensive line by far the biggest concern
I have about this team as we head towards the 2026 draft and I think they're gonna
Resources into it. Sorry. I don't want to cut you off
I didn't see this coming like going into the offseason. I was like oh, they probably reside
You know Zitler I predicted they were gonna keep cushion berry. I mean we didn't know about the shoulder thing
Like yeah, it's you know, so you could get better, but I think it's pretty good now. It's like wow
They've got nothing at two of the three spots
And on cushion berry, you know, he signed with the bills who resigned countermegovern
So now the bills got both the centers at the Titans could have been trying to have on their team
And he's gonna be a backup, but hey, he signed with Buffalo, which means he passed a physical
But but in my opinion I think it more so defense Mike Borgonsy. He signed one year. There's like three million
I think it was it was really low to be a remember to be a backup
He didn't decide to go be a starter somewhere
Yes, he didn't even go somewhere where he can compete
Like nobody thought he was a starting caliber center at this point
So they did the right thing moving on from cushion berry
That's not where the mistake was made the mistake was made by not having a better initial plan to replace
Right being caught off guard by the center market that I like I
Will still say I think they thought countermegovern was gonna hit the market and that they were gonna be able to go after him probably and
That they didn't expect Tyler Linderbaum to get $29 billion or whatever he got
So yeah, I think that that happened and now they're pivoting and the pivot is the draft
But onto Robert Sala
Robert Sala had other interesting things to say we can do let's do a quick rapid fire session really quick
I'm just gonna say things that he talked about if you want to jump in and say something put your hand up or cut me off
So he talked about the backup quarterback situation. He said
Like he wouldn't close the book on will levis will levis and Mitchell tribusky are gonna compete to be the backup quarterbacks
Mike Morganzi echoed that about will levis. Let's call this what it is
BS
Will levis is not part of the Titans plans. He will likely be traded
Hopefully be traded so the Titans have another pick to use if he's not traded by the draft
They probably don't trade him until the end of august
But let's be real about this one. Uh, I don't care what you the fan think of will levis if you didn't think you got a fair shot
Because Brian Callahan's a terrible head coach. That can all be true. It doesn't matter. We've moved on
They drafted cam ward. They signed Mitch tribusky. There's no chance will levis is part of the 2026 plans
Mitch tribusky is not a number three quarterback when they signed in it was to be the number two
This is we like to vandre sweat at the NFL combine press conference and then traded to vandre sweat
16 hours later. Yeah, I'm not buying it think allowed to truth on this one
No, that one's that one's dumb. Uh, solid talked about John Franklin Myers and talked about how he said
I think the exact quote was something like
John Franklin Myers erases the run game on his side when you put him at end and talked about all the flexibility
positional flexibility and versatility that Franklin Myers has to play end on early downs and then he called him over the last five years
One of the best interior pass rushers in the league. So look they don't think they need
An additional defensive end starting level for early downs
They're going to put John Franklin Myers in that role
Now there's a couple ways to read this one because it could say oh, well then, you know
He's bumps inside you got your main johnson on one side who's rushing from the opposite end spot
Could they be looking for a DPR designated pass rusher type of guy somebody like a Jacob Martin
Who comes on the field for third downs and just gets after the quarterback or somebody that they draft on day two
That's like we think this guy needs a development to be a starting
Three-down end, but he can get after the passer or is that a David Bailey thing where it's like yeah
We don't care if David Bailey's a little weaker against the run because he can get after a quarterback
So we're going to draft him at number four overall if he's there and he won't play first and second down
But he'll come in on third downs and and try to wreck shop like I think there's a few ways to read that one
But the point is Robert Sella loves john Franklin Myers
And he's going to use him all over the defensive line and he kind of erases some of the edge concerns
But to the point you've continued to make just because he races a little bit of edge concern
If he's not playing on the interior, he increases the concern on the interior
Yeah, that's how I feel about it. I won't I won't be long winded on it because I mean Jeffrey Simmons is so dominant there
That it still makes you feel better because you got at least one and you know
Maybe best player in the league at his position at that spot
But then you are asking Jordan Elliott and Solomon Thomas to probably play a bit more than I'd like them too
But there's a reason they went out and got both of those guys
They've played in this system. They've played for this coach
They've played for some of these assistant coaches before
So there's obviously some comfort level with having them on the field and
You know tbd because it depends on how the draft goes
But if the plan is to kick john Franklin Myers outside on early downs
Then there's obviously you know quite a bit of comfort level in playing Thomas and Elliott
And then you can just draft your my love and not think twice um
He was also he he talked about um cam ward said he's progressing well in his recovery
He can't work directly with cam ward on the field or even talk scheme with him right now installation of playbook stuff
That stuff is against the rules right now. They're not allowed to work together until I think it's April 20th
Is the day that they are allowed to begin their offseason program again with the new head coach
They can start sooner than the rest of the league who didn't hire a new head coach this year
But he also talked about that cam ward's progressing well in his recovery
Said he's not going to put a timetable on it, but he's doing well
But one thing that he does he sees cam ward in the building and he he continued
He said this at the combine I think or maybe even before
But he said it again at the breakfast today that he's just so impressed by the fact that cam ward
Walks around the building knows everybody's name interacts with every staff member from the highest level to the lowest level
Is just a personable friendly guy and just I mean that's the kind of person you want as the face of your franchise leading your offense and leading your team
So nothing but good things to say about cam ward also talked about any mechanical
Improvements that cam needs to work on and talked about how his throwing motion is his throwing motion
And they're not going to mess with the throwing motion
But the one thing they do want to make sure they do is make sure when he's doing his dropbacks
That his feet are tied to his progressions, which is the same thing we've heard about you know every quarterback coach
Talks about every quarterback in the same way every offense is like this
The feet have to be married to the eyes and that's what they're working on with cam right now
I was as big as problem last year when they weren't it's when he got himself in trouble right it's when he was inaccurate or through
Interceptions or whatever you know ball security issues
um
It's he's got a whole lot of season to work on it and get better. I didn't think it was god awful by any strategist
Didn't think it was good enough and I couldn't get better and he'll become a much better quarterback if he could
Get it going in the right direction, but not a whole lot there robert saw was excited to work with cam ward
Are you gonna let the episode I know we're not done
But are you gonna let the episode end without the point like the bias on this show
I'm kidding of course that he said he likes what he's got in the running back room
I know you alluded to it earlier, but that was a pretty interesting quote the regarding the
Some of it like you said some of it you can interpret. They're gonna draft your my love
Some of it you can interpret that they're not going to robert saw I said I like what we have in our running back room
And robert saw is actually the one who said I like to vandray sweat and then traded him two days later
So I'm not put in any stock into their like it's the same as will levis if I'm if I know
Just from being a logical person who follows football that will levis is not factoring into the 2026 plans
Then I know I can disregard if I choose to again choose your own adventure the way you read these these quotes
I will choose to disregard the fact that he likes what they have in the backfield that he thinks it's a great one-two punch
A lot of what these guys say in these settings is either a prepped in advance because they know what questions are gonna be asked
I mean the most eye-opening part uh the most
2023 hard knocks off season with the New York Giants great season of hard knocks seeing Joe Shane act like a bumbling fool
When he didn't really want to re-sign take one bark Lee
But the best part about that was when they showed his meeting with the like PR director
Whoever person is preparing him for a press conference and he's like you're they're gonna ask you about this
What what will you say and Joe Shane says something and the guys like
I wouldn't say it that way and Shane's like oh I'm kidding. I'm kidding
No, here's what I'm really gonna say like they prepare for this stuff. That's number one and number two
They know that the people they're asking them questions
Just need a quote to go write a story and everyone's gonna forget about it in a week's time or less, right?
So sometimes they just speak just to speak
It's like have you ever been in a job interview and you got a question you weren't ready for and you just start speaking off the top of your head
And you're like I hope this sounds good it makes sense, but it doesn't actually have to mean
Much about your plans for the future. It's just this sounds good in the moment and they can go right a quote on it
and like there are a few
Pillars I think that these guys rely on which is like always praise everyone they ask you about
That's like pillar number one if somebody asks you about somebody
Shower them with praise and number two is don't ever tell them anything definitive, right?
Like those are the biggest pillars in this situation
So I think this is just like oh they asked me about the running backs
Well, it's my first pillar. Oh shower them. Okay. I love Tony Pollard
I love Taj Hsperous what's something else I can say positive about Pollard
Oh, he had a good game against us in week 15 Tony Pollard
He ran for a hundred yards against us. I look back at that game. I think it's a great one two punch
That sounds like a good football thing to say, right? Yeah, I'm gonna pop you right there. We get it
We get it we get it and listen
I like Mike Borgonzi so far because I do think that his job and fans forget this
I mean they shouldn't but his job is into you know
Brian Callahan told us everything he was thinking for the most part
Doesn't mean that you're good at it you're good at your job or you're gonna feel the good football team
I don't care if Mike Borgonzi gets up there in life through his teeth every time
I think he's old school and he believes in protecting information
And he believes in playing his cards close to his chest because he believes in the competitive nature
Of football
Uh, and he believes that it gives him a competitive advantage by you having no idea what he's thinking
I don't care. I do not care if he lies every time he gets up there
What I care about is that he builds and feels a good football team
That's all I care about right. That's the job. That's what we need him to do
So TBD on that but I don't care if he says he likes to vandray sweat and then trade some
I find the hilarious that he could get up there and say we'll take the best player
And he knows everyone's immediately gonna go to Jeremiah Love and then he says you you always need more past rushers
Robert Salah by the way I thought one thing I caught
He said
Talking about the game changers or playmakers in the draft. He said Jeremiah Love and the three ed rushers now
I don't consider it a slip up
But I wonder if it indicates that they think our velle Reese is a past rusher and not aligned definitely do
Yeah, I mean or he could think he's a linebacker and to protect the information just say the three past
You know like my point again choose your own adventure right like I think that's possible too
So they didn't tell us a whole lot of anything
But all that matters is that they've got a plan and it's better that we don't figure out because if we figure it out
Then the Arizona cardinals figure it out at number three overall the New York Giants figure it out at number five overall
And that puts you in a bind never let anyone know what you're thinking
Yeah, I absolutely
And I think that on that note like he said all four of those guys can change the game with one play
Didn't tell us anything about where they're leaning
Mike Mike Borgonsi did say at the combine that if you can rush the passer you line him up and let him rush the passer in reference to our velle Reese
I do think I think it's pretty well known now that most of the NFL
Like we've heard this from like the Daniel Jeremiah's of the world that most of the NFL views our velle Reese as an ad rusher at the next level
So um, it is what it is there
This is the thing comes into play right if you can rush the passer you're gonna do that because it's way more important than the other thing that you can do
Right um, but that's pretty much it that covers what was said at these uh
Bracken like Robert Thomas spoke at the AFC coaches breakfast Mike Borgonsi was just pulled aside in the hotel and talked to a group of reporters
There's no video of Mike Borgonsi out there at all not a single one of the guys in that scrim pulled their phone out to record him answering a single one of these questions
Maybe he asked for that we don't know, but if you want to go watch that you can't
Um, all of the Robert Salah answers were posted by the Titans beatwriters
So Easton Jim Wyatt to Ron PK all those guys are posting everything that um, that Robert Salah said at the breakfast
I don't know if the Titans will post it on YouTube some teams have done it some teams haven't I hope they do because I'd like to just sit and watch it from
Front to back instead of watching it in like a series of one-minute clips, which is what I did but it is what it is
Um, I think the biggest takeaways are the Titans will probably be drafting interior offensive lineman not one but multiple
That we don't know what they like it depends on what they're bored
Who that whoever their board says is the best player at pick number four
They're gonna pick that guy and I don't think they're gonna worry about positional value
So the question isn't do they care about positional value?
It's do they think that Rubin Bane or David Bailey is a better player a better football player than Jeremiah love and
Camward recovery is on track. That's not a big thing, but it's worth noting and
German John Franklin marris is gonna play outside on early downs
I mean those are the big takeaways that I had from this
It's not a lot
But I do think the interior offensive line thing that's like a real thing like even if they're not gonna rely on those guys to be starters
They're gonna draft them in this class and anybody doing a seven round Titans mock that doesn't have at least one
But again, I would say two interior offensive lineman. You're doing it wrong
That is my final takeaway
Justin if you have anything else to say say it now and then we're ending this episode
Yeah, I'm gonna give the final word to myself because I think you forgot one thing you want to mention
Robert Salas said that they plan to have a joint practice with the Carolina pastors. I believe some time in august
um
He said we're gonna be quick on this because I don't know how interesting joint practice news is in April
But he essentially said that he thinks they're very important and he'd like to have one with every priest
He's an opponent so he wants to schedule. I think three separate joint practices
What I also found interesting is he only wants to do one session per team
He does not want to do the back-to-back
Joint practice days a lot of teams do
He said most of the time the second day is just a bunch of guys fighting
So he wants one joint practice per preseason opponent and he puts a lot of stock into joint practices
So expect to see a bunch of those this summer
It'll be great content for you and I in the middle of that dead part where we're asking about what we're gonna record about
And the times have three joint practices coming up. So that'll be fun
I'm so glad I remembered this a quick sending all our love to John Glennon
uh
Our local Nashville beat writer who revealed yesterday
um
He's been off at Twitter for a couple of months
I reached out to him a couple of weeks ago and I had a conversation with him. Obviously wasn't my news to share
um, but he shared publicly
Yesterday that he has been battling cancer and that he's been undergoing treatments
Sorry, I really like John and uh moon forum and um
Just thrilled to hear that things are going pretty well for him so far
You know, I'm to have him back this market is better with him
um
Absolutely, it really is
Well, you and I were lucky enough to work with him for a little bit over at Broadway sports
Hell of a great journalist that I think a better person
And Carol ought about John and he's I mean, I think he's doing I mean, I think he's doing better than I am right now
Because he's in he's in really good spirits treatments going really well for him and I'm thrilled to hear it
How we're going to continue rooting for him. So send all your wishes of love and and and you know health to John
Because he's great and this this city the market national the city of national the state of Tennessee
It's so much better with him in it. So uh, so glad that he's back
Yeah, he's you know, I believe planning to write
Uh this summer. He's got himself back to a point where he's um in good enough health to write
And that's good news for all of us read John's work. I was reading John's work. I don't want to age him
But I was reading John's work. I think what I was 13 14 literally like when I was just discovering my love for the Titans
He was one of the big ones that I relied on for information and he's so good at what he does
And he has been for the better part of you know two three decades now and so all our wishes to John wish him a wish him a
Uh, all your love and good and good uh good good wishes if you can on twitter there
Yeah, great great point Justin. I'm really glad you said that well said praying for John and his family and uh
Yeah, go find him on twitter and send him a message. Just say hey John we're all rooting for you
Happy that you're gonna be back right in this summer because we miss your work. So um
Good shot there Justin really really glad you said that
That will do it for this episode of the music city audible podcast
Make sure you subscribe to the channel like the video comment below
What did you take away from workonzi and solace comments at the NFL league meetings and we'll be back tomorrow
Turning our attention back to specific draft focus and prospects and
Topics on that regard. So until then you all stay safe out there
Hold your loved ones close tell everyone you love that you love them because life is short
And uh until then
tighten up
A Broadway sports media production
With verbals last minute deals you can save over 50 dollars on your spring getaway
So whether it's a mountain escape city break or a week at the beach
There's still time to get great discounts look your next day now average savings 72 dollars select homes only
