The OTP | Pro Bowl Roundup

Pro Bowlers who are walking out onto the field. And I am joined by our own Pro bowler, Jim Wyatt, who has been to a couple of Pro Bowls in his day. But Jim, you've been all over the place these last couple of weeks. So before we talk about what you've been doing here in Vegas, I want to ask you about your trip to Mobile, Alabama to spend some time at the Senior Bowl. I know you had a chance to talk to John Robinson while you were there. Jim, tell us a little bit about what it was like

being down in Mobile. Yeah, it's always you know, cool to kind of get that process started, I know, you know, for us and for the Titans. You kind of wish this two twenty one season was still going on, but no, you've got to start moving on after you lose. And that's what John Robinson is doing. I think that's what all the Titans scouts that were down in Mobile were doing. It was cool to kind of see another crop of

players come through you. No, I'm not so sure that that group in Mobile this year is going to produce like the top ten picks like maybe some years passed, but certainly some really good players and you know, I think and John Robinson was certainly paying close attention to all of them. So you then took a plane, strings and automobiles really is what you took to get out here, arrived in Las Vegas. We've been at the Pro Bowl

all week. Jim in just your experience and being out here, what has it been like being had a Pro Bowl in Las Vegas. It's very different from Pro Bowls in the past. Yeah, it is, but I think Vegas has done a good job with it. I know all of us when we came out here didn't exactly know what to expect and uh, and it's not like we're doing the Pro Bowl right in the middle of the strip right off the struff. I mean it's an outskirts where the Las Vegas Baseball Park, which is a beautiful facility.

But the crowds have been great. Access I think has been good, Our players have been great to deal with. We've went to several of these in Orlando obviously and kind of knew the lay of the land there back in my days when I was at the Tennessee and I was lucky enough to cover you know, some Pro bowls in Hawaii. That's still my favorite place to go for a prowl. Shocking. Wish we could get back there,

but this is not a bad spot. And I think you know, every one of these guys, you know, including the head coach, wish they were preparing for a Super Bowl. But it's cool to see our guys here, cool to see our coaching staff here, our equipment guys here, are you know, support staff here? I mean a lot of ways you look out there. It seems like we're to tighten the practice when we're watching some of this unfold. It is really fun having so many Titans people here.

Because the Titans coaching staff is coaching the AFC team. I know you had a chance to catch up with Mike Rabel. What has this experience been like for him? Yeah, I mean it's cool. Is funny. I thought Roger Southall was pretty funny yesterday just talking about how his tone and his voice is at a level that he's not used to hearing during practice. I mean, you know, Vrabel

certainly is a hardcore, intense coach. We've seen him on the practice field of Nashville light into guys, but we've also seen him, like in the stretch, cutting up with guys. I mean, does he does a good job of building relationships. Yeah, he can light a fire, and of these players he can call him out, but I think he's able to do that because he does build a good rapport with

these guys and they respect one another. So it's been cool to see him during the course this week when practice starts, whether he's going to Travis Kelsey or you know, Patrick Mahomes or Tyreek Hill or you know name a player from across the league is on the AFC team, Rabel's trying to build a little bit of a rapport with those guys. He's cracking jokes, I mean, shown a lighter, gentler side to him. But then also no I don't know that Mike Rabel is a Pro Bowl guy. I mean,

he's all about team goals. This is an individual accomplishment to get to the Pro Bowls. So I think he's happy to be here. He's proud to coach the AFC team. He's enjoying the experience. But no next year, he's hoping he's not at this game. You're right, there's definitely a lighter atmosphere here in kind of all aspects of it, from the fans and the stands, especially on the weekend. I mean, they're ready to go. Some of them, I'm sure are fresh off the strip and just walked on

in here. But really, I mean, this has been a cool environment, and it's been really fun to see the Titans coaching staff hanging out around here and being involved with some of the greats from across the AFC. Yes, and we've seen some Titans fans here. I mean, I think obviously the majority of these fans or fans of the West Coast team. We see a lot of Raiders jerseys, which is you know, not a surprise, a being that we're in Vegas. We've seen a lot of Chargers fans,

seeing a lot of four to nine Ers fans. But we have seen a sprinkling of Titans fans here and uh, you know, Kevin Byrd. Cool to see him kind of joining this second time around. His life has changed so much from the time he went in two seventeen. Even back then he was single, he was engaged to get married. Now he's married, has two kids, you know, and you wouldn't think that Vegas is a family friendly place to

take your small kids. But he's planning to go to build a bear and go to the aquarium doing some Vegas obviously some Vegas things. And then other guys you know from whether Sifold making it after your twelve seasons, you know, great accomplistion for him. Cool to see here, Old Landry here, Jeffrey Simmons here. What's cool is watching those guys, you know, interact with some of the best

players across the league. I mean, I was watching Jeffrey Simmons yesterday talking to Cam Hayward of the Steelers for a long time, you know, kind of you see Titans players in practice sometimes kind of working on technique, walking through things. To see him doing that with Hayward and other guys across the league, and they learn things, and that is certainly something Mike Brabel's preaching to. Hey, you take advantage of the time around these other players from

across the league. Try to make yourself better. Now speaking making ourselves better. Jim White, you're not done on your trip across the world. It feels like you are going from here to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. What are you most looking forward to about covering your what three hundred and fifty eight super Bowl? It's been a lot like and when I tell people how many I've

been to it, I think it thanks that guy. You must be old, because I remember when I first started going to Super Bowls, when I was at the Tennessee and again that you know, you talk about people who have been to all these super Bowls and all they all of them were older people obviously. So now I think I've been to twenty three, maybe twenty four. I went to one as a fan way back in the day. I drove myself to Atlanta to see the Buffalo Bills play.

I was a Bills fan growing up, so family friend was an official and he was able to get me a ticket. I paid for it. It It was three hundred and twenty five dollars. Back then, I thought that was a steep ticket. Now these tickets are going for ten thousand dollars apiece. But that was my first Super Bowl experience and now been lucky enough to cover everyone since ninety nine, it's different. I mean, I really thought, and

I know you did too. I think every Titans fan out there thought this was the year that the Titans would be back in the thing. And so it is kind of weird going to a Super Bowl. Now. I'm not gonna probably spend a lot of time talking about

the Bengals and the Rams. I'll probably try to find obviously some Titans angles there, but it's still cool to be around the game kind of hear what people are saying about the Titans, and and you know, we've seen that stadium before when we were out there in November, so it'd be cool to see So five Stadium and see the big game in there again. Jim, I feel like, since I have you here and this is such an NFL centric situation, we should talk about some news around

the NFL. The thing that everybody's talking about right now, all the coaching vacancies. The Jacksonville Jaguars just announced earlier this week that they were hiring Doug Peterson. What are your thoughts on that. Well, I think he's a good hire man. I think he's obviously an accomplished coach. Coach

the Eagles to a super Bowl. You know, they could have gone a different direction, but after the Urban Meyer disaster, I think they probably wanted more of a sure thing, and I think he gives him more of a sure thing. He's very well respected. I think he'll make their quarterback better, which is very important there. I mean, you don't want to waste that talent that he has, and I think

he's gonna get better. I was hoping they'd hire somebody else, to be honest, without I was hoping they'd roll the dice on somebody and then maybe they'd be starting this process again. But I think they got a good coach and I think he's gonna make the Jags better. Well, it seems like there's still a chance of the team in the AFC South might be rolling the dice on someone. The Houston Texans still seem to be having conversations about Josh McCown. We haven't really heard anything in a couple

of days. What are your thoughts on what's going on in Houston. Yeah, I mean it's kind of been tough to read because I think we all knew. I mean, we knew of the gate that they had a vacancy, and so they had a little of a head start on some teams, and there were some things that started to come into focus that your thought would maybe have transpired by now. So I'm curious to see what's gonna happen.

I mean, other teams were making decisions. And I was driving by Allegiant you know stadium the other day on the way back of the hotel, and they've got Josh McDaniel's face on the side of the stadium. I mean, they've made their hire. And then we talked about Peterson teams across the league or getting things done. I was, you know, I hated to see what happened to coach Cully down in Houston because because he's a he's a

local guy from Sparta, played football at Vanderbilt. I don't think I don't think he got a fair chance down there. I thought the players really liked him. I thought they showed some spunk down the stretch and uh, and all of a sudden, now they're looking for another coach. So uh, you know, well, I'm curious myself to see how that one plays out. Are there any other vacancies around the league that you're kind of keeping your eye on? Still

there are still a couple that haven't been failed yet. Yeah, I think Houston the main one. You know, he's been such a whirlwind. I have not seen the rumor mill stuff yet. I've seen some rumor mill stuff out there. You know that this is the time of year when you know, somebody moves to Nashville all of a sudden he's the next quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. But so you can't you can't ignore that type of rumor mill stuff.

But I have to say, you know, some of the other vacancies, I don't know what to expect some of them. It's such an interesting time in the NFL. Everybody gets so excited about all these little rumblings and just rumors that go around. It's always fun. But we can't get too caught up in that because on the other side of the Super Bowl, the Combine is just a couple weeks away. Things are rolling in the National Football League. Can you believe that we are getting closer to the

draft process, and those things are starting to happen. Well, I mean, that's one good thing about a seventeenth game. That's one good thing about having a postseason is once that ends, then you're not that far away from from that process starting. I mean, I remember when the season it into December, and certainly there's been some Titan seasons that ended into December and there's no postseason, and then you had a couple of months before you're kind of

gearing up for the next process. Now the season ended late, had an extra week because they don't have the bo obviously, and then he had an extra week, so the season was extended by a couple of weeks. And now you're right, I mean, the combine is right around the corner. I'm looking forward to that. It's gonna be close to normal, I think, as it's been in a long time. We sat that thing out last year. I kind of wondered, you know, through the fall, what it would look like.

But the league plans on putting it on like it always has. Coaches and general managers are coming there for those interviews, and I think Tuesday and Wednesday start the week, the prospects are gonna be there. From Wednesday to Saturday. It sounds like it's full go, and I'm sure it'll be twenty degrees and snowing like it usually is when we're up there. It's probably not gonna be like it is here in Vegas. Absolutely not. But Jim White, thank you so much for taking some time to just chat

about all of your travels across the world. I wish we all could be as well traveled as Jim Wyatt. Thank you so much for hanging out with us, and enjoy the rest of your time in Vegas. I'll do it. Could be worst places to be than Vegas. Now, from Jim Wyatt to some of the actual guys who are

participating in the Pro Bowl. The Titans have four guys here and a lot of them are new to the Pro Bowl scene, so we had to catch up with them and see what this experience has been like for them, starting with the one, the only big jeff Jeffrey Simmons here at the Pro Bowl in sunny Las Vegas. Jeffrey Simmons is a pro bowler. How does that sound to you? Sounds amazing. When Jay Rob called me Monday, you know, I kind of just got chills all over you know, I kind of when I saw his name on my fall,

kind of knew what he was. Kind of call him for it. But I mean, I call my family. I let my family in all the Pro Bowl. You're not been the first alternate, and it still just feel the same to me, you know, just being able to be here, especially experience with my family, I think that's the most important thing to me, Just being able to get them

up there. It felt amazing and it's a blessing. You're still so young in your career and you've been able to overcome so many obstacles early on to be at this point and recognize still by your peers and other coaches as well as the fan base. Of course, that's got to feel a little bit special, right sure. I mean even being the first halting and you know that's mean God's starting to respect you. And I think that's when you kind of gain the I guess respect around

the league. So I think just being able to gain the respect from the best here and to see especially when you get here and you mingle and you're starting to shake guy's hand and just say how much they respect your game, and you know, I'm next up. You hear all types of stuff like that. I think that just stuff kind of also give you chills moments, you know, just being able to hear somebody, especially from like Cam Harry guys like that. So especially guys like I'll watch

and look up to because they played my position. So I mean, this is all a blessing. I think that's just the word for me. Blessing. And you're able to work with the Titans coaching staff, who you're already familiar with. That's got to be a neat experience to share with them. Oh yeah, for sure. I told t we're not doing come with all the all the crazy drills in the position. So to be able to experience that with all coaches,

you know, they deserve it as well. You know, we had a long, great season and you know, to have them here and being able to experience this, especially with day family as well, I'm sure it's feel good for them too. Being here with guys like Kevin Byrd and Harold Landry, two other great Titans teammates, It's got to make it a little bit special right to be in the same conversation as guys who have had awesome seasons. Yes, for sure, especially you know, just start with Harold Man.

I've seen this guy, you know, just day and day out, the way he kind of want to be the best of his position and the season he had. Now, I hope, I hope everything fall in line for him. I hope he back with us KB man, the leader of all defense and all team. Honestly, I mean, I don't think I haven't. I've been around a better leader than k Began as great guy off to feel as well. So I think that's just an honor to be here with my teammates and Roger Staffield to you get to go

up against in practice practice. Like I said, we always say are and shop are aren't. And Roger got me better and I got Roger better than camp and it showed during the season. So just have him here as well. I know it's feel great for him. He told me he being in Vegas since Thursday, So I know you all enjoying his time here, especially with family. So like I said, he's just a exciting a moment. Well, congratulations

and enjoy this experience. Oh well, thank you. Harold Landry is another guy who has been consistent throughout his tenure as a Tennessee Titan, and for him, earning the respect of his peers feels pretty good. Harold, How good does it feel to hear pro bowler in front of your name? Is that something you've been working for? Yeah? No, Man, It's definitely a huge honor to be here. Um. You're also and Jem I feel, you know, really blessed to be here and to be in the you know, the

same category as all these great players out here. So, I mean it's a huge honor. You know, I'm excited to be here. You had statistically an awesome season. Does it feel good to be getting that recognition from some of your peers or is that not necessarily the point? Oh? Yeah, nah, I mean, you know, I'd take huge pride, you know, the work I put in and to go out there and be and have that that amount of production. So, I mean, you know, I feel extremely blessed to be

getting the respect of my peers. Um. So, I mean, like I said, it's just a huge honor being able to be out here and interact with of course you're

Titans teammates, but also guys from around the league. What has that experience been like and what do you think you can maybe learn from some of these other guys that you're out on the field way, I'm definitely looking forward to, you know, picking the minds of all the great players here, you know, seeing what they do in an all season and end of season, just so you know, I could probably implement that into my game to help me and prove. So I'm definitely excited, you know, talk

to all the players here. Is this the first of many Pro Bowls for Harold Landry? That's a plan now. On the defensive side of the ball, Kevin Byard has been to the Pro Bowl before, and this year he's doing it a little bit differently. He's got his kids and his wife here, the elder statesman of the defensive group of Titans. Here, this is Kevin Byard. Kabe. You are not new to the Pro Bowl, but you are new to the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, being here

having this experience. What's it been like so far? It's been awesome. Super excited about the Prentice a day with some of the guys, and honestly, just being around some of the best players in the league. Talking to those guys, not necessarily picking their brains, but just talking and having different conversations has been awesome. The fans are great, So I'm excited to be here. There's a big group of Titans here between the coaching staff and also three other

Titans teammates of yours. They've never been to the Pro Bowl before, So what do you tell them about this experience and what to expect and to really take advantage of that. Yeah, well, you know, our biggest thing with the Titans is, you know, effort and finish. I pretty much told him in the Pro Bowl, don't don't be too concerned about the effort and Finnish, you know what I'm saying. We're out here having a good time. But

now it feels like home. Honestly, we got our equipment, guys, I here, our trainers, so it definitely feels like a second home. Like I said, it's exciety especially excited to have you know, Jeff, Harold and Roger be able to come down here with me as well. Does this really feel like it's the cherry on top of what was an excellent season for the Tennessee Titans in twenty twenty one, Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously the season didn't end the

way we wanted to. I mean, it's pretty much the same thing for all it's gonna be thirty one teams, it's gonna have the same type of feeling at the end of the year. But having a little bit of time to reflect, it's definitely a great, you know, time to be able to kind of think about the good year of ham Like you said, talking to other players that I've been around, saying how good of a season we've had. So it's definitely a cherry on top for sure.

You're with guys like Jeffrey Simmons and Harold Landry who are younger guys. Do you feel like this is just one of many Pro Bowls that those two are going to be at. Oh? Absolutely, I know for a fact Jeff and Harold and obviously you mean to Roger finally getting his probo now, which, but Jeff and Harold'll come to multiple Pro bowl So I'm super excited about that, and hopefully I'll be coming to multiple with them as well.

So hopefully we can make this then every year thing to get voted in, but not playing because we're playing in the Super Bowl? Are we keeping these shades on for the entirety of the week, Like, are these a staple? Because I'm really enjoying them? Yeah, I might keeping these on all day, all night. We might hit the strip a little bit with these with these shades as well. So, like I said, I'm just enjoying a moment, enjoying the time being I heard my guys and we can't forget

about the offensive side of the ball. Roger Saffold is here in Las Vegas, twelve years in the NFL, and he is finally a pro bowler. He says, it feels pretty good. Roger Staffold, you are a pro bowler. How does that make you feel when you hear that? Oh man, it makes me feel great. I mean, I've been doing this for a long time, and you know, finally getting my opportunity after twelve years as a blessing being out here with so many different eyes from around the league.

Because you've been in this league for a while, you probably know a lot of the people out here that you're now able to be on a team with what's experience. I'm like, that's pretty awkward because you know, I've hit a lot of these guys you know, a ton, and then other guys I haven't got the chance to play with, So you know, the opportunity is great. I mean, the laughs are always there. And then the fact that we just get to have fun together and go compete is

awesome for all of us. Working with your own coaching staff in a very different environment, that's got to be a bit of a trip too, right, Oh, it is a trip because you know that Vrabel's going to talk about all of us in that team meeting, so everybody got to know us pretty quick. Well, Mike Vrabel said, I had the chance to talk to him. He said that he's trying to lay off of the coaching mode so much just kind of be a facilitator. Is that kind of how it's going. Yeah, that's how he's been doing.

You know, he's been putting out a little bit more jokes, but other than that, Yeah, he's more of a facilitator than a coach. For you, being able to be out here, have this experience, get that recognition from your peers, what does that really mean to you when you reflect on the career that you've had so far. You know, everybody talks about how underrated I am, and you know, this just lets me know how respected I am by my peers and even the people that I go again, so

I respect that more heavily than anything else. I'm just excited to be here and once again put another notch in my belt of being in an AFC Championship, NFC Championship, Super Bowl, and now Pro Bowl. So you know, the fact that I got to do all those things is a blessing for me for sure. Gosh, another goal that you're able to kind of check off the list. What's next for you? I need to win a championship. That's what it's all about, and hopefully I get to do

it with the Titans next year. Titans fans, before we leave Sunny Las Vegas, we have to remind you to get your COVID nineteen vaccine now. Don't forget. It's recommended that you also get the COVID nineteen booster. If you have gotten the vaccine, the booster will further protect you from the COVID nineteen virus. Everyone twelve years and older can get a booster after completing the primary vaccine series. Learn more about COVID nineteen boosters and how to get

one by visiting COVID nineteen dot TN dot gov. Very important that you get that COVID nineteen vaccine because we've got so much more football coming up after the Pro Bowl. As we said earlier with Jim Wyatt, the Super Bowl is on February thirteenth, and then we are all heading to Indianapolis, where it will be chilly for the NFL

Scouting Combine that is at the beginning of March. We'll have all the coverage for you from Indianapolis, of course, but we're also going to make sure that we're talking to the OT people all off season. We've got tons of content for you, guys. There's always something going on with the Tennessee Titans and beyond in the National Football League.

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