NFL Season Preview: Tennessee Titans

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AutoTrader. Football season is right around the corner. Holden himself.

Runs to the left. He's to the five. Lamar's in. Touchdown Ravens. They're going to have a championship game in Baltimore because they hated the barn.

Will it be your team's year to hoist the Lombardi? In the shotgun, Mahomes. He runs and he throws. Touchdown. It's caught. Hardman caught the ball. The chief of one.

The chief of one. The entire Big Jumpies chasing Mahomes in the end zone. Their third Super Bowl in five years. We preview all 32 teams right here on the Zach Gelb show. The Tennessee Titans. And we welcome in a fourth year defensive back in the NFL out of Washington.

Has spent his entire career with the Tennessee Titans. And that, of course, is Elijah Molden. Kind enough to join us right now on the show. Elijah, appreciate the time as always. How you been, my man? I'm good. I'm in the back of my car feeding snacks to my daughter. So we got stuck up in traffic.

We'll be home in like a couple minutes and I won't be on the move anymore. But I love that. What's the snack of choice these days? Just wondering. Dried strawberries. And she's had like the whole bag.

I wasn't expecting dried strawberries, but I kind of like it already. Let's talk about you. You're going into your fourth year in the NFL through three years. I know the year in between you had to deal with a pretty nasty injury. But how do you kind of look at your NFL career so far? Yeah, definitely up and down with the injury kind of, you know, stopping the momentum I had after my rookie year.

So really, it's kind of crazy. I feel like I'm going into my second year, you know, with with the position change. It's my second year at that, you know, playing safety and then and also the second year after my injury. So it's I'm going to go on year four, but it feels like number two.

So, yeah, kind of kind of crazy. You mentioned the position changes. How do you kind of look back at it last year moving to safety? It was a lot of fun. I think it was it was challenging because I wasn't just playing safety. It was kind of, you know, I was kind of playing like four positions at the time.

Nickel free, strong and then dime position. So it was a lot. It was a lot to juggle. But I think, you know, looking back on it definitely made me better because now I'm able to understand the defense as a whole. And yeah, man, you have a new coaching staff. You have a new defensive coordinator. I'm just trying to wonder what do you kind of think?

I know there's a lot of work still to do before we see game one of this season. But what do you kind of think your role will be? And how do you think they'll use you this year in Tennessee?

Yeah, I mean, who knows? I think it's still pretty early days, but I mean, at least for OTAs, I was I was mainly at safety. I didn't, you know, I wasn't kind of bouncing around from position to position. They wanted me to get comfortable at one position and grow there and and produce there.

So that that really just helps just because I'm not, you know, I'm able to kind of focus and specialize on one position as opposed to, you know, trying to be like a jack of all trades. Elijah molded is my guess would have been the early impression so far of the new head football coach and Brian Callahan. I love him. I think I love his philosophy and the culture he's bringing. Definitely an offensive minded coach.

I think everyone everyone knows that. But the way he's kind of able to, you know, to get guys, you know, to rally around him and then also empower our defensive coordinator. Denard Wilson has been been exciting. So, you know, we start up in less than a week.

So it's going to be, you know, once we start to the marathon, you know, it's it's a marathon. So I'm just so excited. I feel like it's going to be our best year yet. I know you said that Denard Wilson is so exciting. What makes him so exciting with your early knowing of your new defensive coordinator? Yeah, I mean, before I even met him, just looking at his track record, like, you know, him, him being a Philadelphia when I went to the Super Bowl and then going to Baltimore. And if you just look at the, you know, the DBs, he develops kind of speaks for itself. You know, so selfishly before even got the job at one, I wanted him all the way.

And then thankfully we got him. So it's just the the attention to detail and the energy he brings. He holds people to a very high standard and you know, he just brings out the best in you. You know what I mean? Like he every little mistake you're going to get called out on.

So, yeah. Elijah Moulden here with us. Mike Vrabel, highly respected coach in this league. Was your coach to start your career?

Just how did you kind of process that one? And what was the first reaction when you found out he wasn't going to be back as your head football coach for this season? Yeah, I mean, we were so, you know, we were so deep in the season that I didn't really see it coming. I don't think too many people on the team saw coming to just because we're so, like I said, we're so engulfed on just day to day tasks. So I was surprised just like, you know, a lot of people around me. But, you know, one thing about being in the NFL for this long and then, you know, kind of already being familiar with the business from my dad is things move fast. You know what I mean?

You got to produce right away. So, you know, with Coach Callahan coming in, I think it's a great opportunity and definitely a different shift from from years in the past. I know the Giants are on the offseason hard knocks. So we've seen your old defense, according to Shane Bowen, a little bit. If you had to kind of tell Giants fans what they're getting in their new DC, what would you kind of say about Shane? Yeah, I love Shane. He's a great guy. Great coach.

Actually, I think I've watched bits and pieces of the episode, but not too much. But I think, you know, he's very even keeled, but he can, you know, he can kind of turn it on whenever he needs to. Yeah, I mean, I think he has a lot of different varieties of coverages that he likes to do. And and yeah, I mean, he's a great coach. We definitely miss him in Tennessee. Get him back to the team this year. They made some big moves this offseason.

Let's start in the defensive side of the ball since we're talking to Elijah Molden, who's the safety for the Tennessee Titans entering your number four. Lagerius needs a heck of a player coming over from Kansas City. He knows how to win some championships. Kind of take me through when you found out that Lagerius is going to be a teammate and what are the early impressions so far of him? Yeah, I was actually on vacation with his one of his teammates from Kansas City, Keith Taylor.

And when we found out, he just said, you got a dog. And I think, you know, I know everyone in the league knows that he kind of just my impression of him. I feel like he plays like an inside like an old school inside linebacker corner. He's so physical.

So I'm definitely looking forward to, you know, him being on the outside and helping me out. You know, he's going to help out the whole defense, too. What did you see out of your quarterback, Will Levis, last year? And what type of quarterback do you think you have for this upcoming season in Will?

Definitely flashes, I think. I mean, the first game he started versus Atlanta was like, whoa, like he's definitely something. You know, I mean, he can make all the throws. And I think coming in, he I think he had a lot a lot on his plate as a rookie and a lot was asked of him. And he still was able to produce. So I think the sky's the limit for him.

You know what I mean? He's he's a smart guy and he you know, he's he's someone who he's obsessed about football, too. So he's going to say he's going to take leaps and bounds every year. When you look at his leadership skills, how would you describe him as a leader? He's pretty vocal.

I think, you know, this year he's kind of stepping it more into that vocal role. And then, you know, we're offense and defense. We don't have too many meetings together. So other than that, I'm just doing my best to stop in our practice. So, yeah.

But you know this, right? Derek Henry's voice meant a lot in that locker room. And now it's an identity shift with the offense because Derek Henry is with the Ravens. It felt like that was it for him at the end of the year with the sendoff and how he walked off the field. But when it was final that Derek Henry was going to Baltimore, leaving Tennessee, I know it's a business, but was that at all like kind of a little bizarre to you knowing that he was not going to be back with the team?

Yeah, a little bit. I think he was the first player when I when I came to the locker room as a rookie, I was like, man, like there's dudes like that in the NFL. You know, he just looks like a gladiator. So and he's just a great guy. You know, we, you know, I got to know him pretty well over the years. And I think, you know, the way he went out, first of all, he had a great game, his last his last game here. But the way he went out, you know, it was pretty professional. Like he, you know, it was I think a lot of people knew knew it was his last potentially his last game.

And, you know, it was like it was like he was shaking hands with the organization. So I'm happy for him and hoping he can do big things in Baltimore. You feel like your team's getting slept on a little bit. The division is so good now. But on we talked about the defensive moves that you guys have made, but on offense, you know, Tony Pollard brought brought in Calvin Ridley brought in Tyler Boyd.

You already have D hop there. You know, is Tennessee getting slept on right now, in your opinion? Yeah, I think so.

We always are. But I don't I don't really care. I don't I don't pay attention to that stuff. I don't I don't really go on social media or read any articles.

So, you know, I if I had a guess, I'd probably say, yeah, I don't I don't care too much about it. The last thing I'll ask you and I have to take you back to your college days because your alma mater last year had a heck of a season going the national championship game. Now, we know Kaylin DeBoer is off to Alabama. But how about last year getting to watch your Huskies and how far they did go in the college football world? It was fun and it was a lot of fun. I think, you know, just watching the offense and all the weapons they had. It was like, you know, being being the central time to and they would always play later. So I didn't get to watch too many games live, but I would always see highlights and it was fun to watch.

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. But, you know, it seems like, you know, whenever these college teams win and they and they have success and it's like it's good for the team, but we ended up winning and all of our coaches and players bounced. So, you know, we got to rebuild and kind of, you know, work through the same thing this year, but it's going to be more difficult. One more for you, because just knowing who your week one opponent is, it's the Chicago Bears and there's going to be a lot of eyeballs on that game. Rome with Dunze, obviously a wide receiver, but Caleb Williams in that quarterback, just what's the first thought about knowing you're going to have to go up against Caleb Rome and everything that they got in Chicago right now? Yeah, I mean, I think it's it's an exciting opportunity. I love the city of Chicago and good friend and old teammate Kevin Byers on the team to Kyler Gordon, my college teammates on the team. So I it's actually a couple familiar faces over there.

Even from my earlier use earlier years with the Titans. So yeah, familiar faces. And I think it's the opportunity just because, you know, rookie quarterbacks, that first game is pretty challenging and then kind of the whole really first season is challenging. But, you know, I know he's a dog and and they got weapons around him, too. So it's going to be a challenge. But, you know, we expect to come out on top.

I think, you know, if you don't have that mindset, then you shouldn't even be on the field. He's Elijah Molden. Elijah, always great to have you on the show. Good health this season and thanks so much for doing this today. Yeah, man, of course.

Appreciate it. Look around. What do you see? Cars, lots of them. And guess what? They're probably on Auto Trader.

Whether you're into timeless classics or the latest trends. Did somebody say solar powered, eco friendly, vegan leather wrapped, aroma therapy scented disco ball equipped self-driving car? If you see it on the road, you can likely find it on Auto Trader. Big cars, small cars, blue cars, new cars and used cars, electric cars. And one day, maybe even flying cars. With millions of options to choose from, buying a car becomes a whole lot easier. See it, find it.

Auto Trader. Listen as Selenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons, the diseases that I am protecting my child against.

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