Hot Read Podcast: Extracting the Titans Identity

The Titans lost to the Bears in gut-wrenching fashion on Sunday. That has been broken down quite a bit over the last 48 hours. JT and I didn’t want to simply react to the game, adding yet another voice to the echo chamber on social media. So, we decided to take a more pragmatic approach. We discussed this loss within the context of what implications it may have on this team’s season, as well as gleaning what we could about this team’s identity. The splits probably do tell a story of what this team wants to be – running the ball efficiently behind a gap scheme, throwing the ball quickly, taking what the defense gives it, and hitting on the deep shots when they present themselves. There’s definitely work to do there, but the defense looks as advertised. Smash that play button on the embed below to see JT and I get into the weeds on this 24-17 loss to the Bears.

Go subscribe to Broadway Sports on YouTube and turn on notifications so you never ever miss another episode of The Hot Read Podcast again. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

SoBros Network and Stacking The Inbox have teamed up for the greatest premium content collaboration in the history of Nashville. Get all of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft coverage you need on top of premium SoBros Network content such as The Movie Review Rewind Podcast, Sports Punch, and much more! Only $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers! Sign up on Substack today!

Podcast: Drinking With…Radio

Well, hey – it ain’t always sunshine and rainbows here on ‘Drinking With…‘. Every now and then, we do run into a film that hits quite differently from how it did when we were younger. Back in 2003, I thought Radio was prime drama. That’s what a sports movie should be! Watching it back for the first time in 21 years gave me a different perspective. I can see it now for the by-the-book, syrupy, heartwarming camp that it is. It doesn’t mean that it’s not enjoyable. It just feels much more standard than it did when I was 17 years old. I did come away from the experience with a new sense of appreciation for the job Ed Harris did though! If you’re new here, we always cook up a cocktail themed around the movie we discuss. This month we’re doing the Cheerwine bourbon slushie. Pour one up and join us for another trip down Memory Lane!

To make the Cheerwine bourbon slushie, you’ll need:

-2 Bottles of Cheerwine
-2oz of Bourbon
-Lime wedge

Directions:

1. Pour Cheerwine in ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
2. Pop 2 cups of ice cubes into a blender, add bourbon and blend until slushy.
3. Garnish with lime wedge.

Subscribe to Drinking With…Steven McCash on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!

Listen to “Ep. 57: Drinking With…Radio” on Spreaker.

Podcast: The Filmography of Michael Keaton

Well, I am quite delighted today. The release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice gave Brandon and me an excuse to talk about the exquisite Michael Keaton on the most recent episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. By the way, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice roaring to $110M+ at the box office was super cool to see. There have been a few blockbusters this year, and I’m happy to see that trend keep up. But, it’s undoubtedly an iconic role that Keaton has played, one of a couple, as a matter of fact. Keaton’s career trajectory was quite interesting. It’s easy to see his raw talent in hindsight, but there was a time when he was considered little more than a comedic actor. Brandon and I flip through his filmography, reliving those days, and celebrating the arc when he started taking roles that really let his skill set shine. Today, he’s one of the best in the game and should be treated as such.

This episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast is brought to you by Memo’s Mexican Kitchen in Mount Juliet, Tennessee! Memo’s offers a fresh, modern take on the Mexican restaurant just a mile north of I-40 off of the Mount Juliet exit. For my money, they cook up the best quesabirria in town! Check out the full menu on their website and let ’em know SoBros Network sent you.

If you haven’t had the chance to catch up on this show, you can check out the full episode of The Cinema Chronicles below! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Spotify, and wherever you take in your shows!

Listen to “Ep. 151: Michael Keaton” on Spreaker.

Heisman Watch: Quinn Ewers Slings It All Over Michigan

Week 2 blows. It’s right up there with the penultimate week of the season in terms of boring matchups. Almost everyone has gotten their big season openers out of the way and taking the week to get a tuneup against a lower level of competition in. That leads to a lot of stat padding and the result is that the Heisman Watch stinks. Still, there were a few good performances to choose from in games that mattered, so I’ll do the best I can this week.

Heisman Watch: Week 2, 2024

5. QB Ethan Hampton, Northern Illinois – I said the Heisman Watch stunk this week because there was a lot of stat-padding against weak opponents, so hell, let’s take the opportunity to give a spot to the quarterback of the team that pulled off the most shocking upset of the week. I know the box score will say Hampton was just 10/19 for 198 yards and a touchdown, but I don’t care. He gets points for the moment!

4. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State – I don’t make a habit of putting players in the Heisman Watch on losing teams, but holy shit, we have to give Jeanty his due. This dude is on pace for 2,754 yards this season. It’s one thing to do it against Georgia Southern. It’s another thing to do it against Oregon. Jeanty had 192 yards and three touchdowns against the Ducks, putting him atop the FBS with 459 yards and nine touchdowns on the young season. This man is averaging 10.2 yards per carry.

3. RB Jam Miller, Alabama – It would’ve been easy to go Jalen Milroe again after he hung four touchdowns on South Florida, but that’s box score scouting in my opinion, and not paying attention to what actually happened in that game. Miller started running for his life in the second half of that game, one that Alabama led by just one point late into. He finished the game with 140 yards and a rushing touchdown, but I give him a lot of credit for providing that offense with a spark and igniting it when they needed it the most. An underrated Heisman moment on the weekend.

2. QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss – Look, I know Furman and MTSU have been little more than a tune-up for the Ole Miss offense, but let’s recognize Dart for making the most of the moment. He now leads the FBS in both passing yards at 795 and passer rating at 247.4. Ole Miss has outscored their two opponents 128-3. It’s sick. Dart already has eight total touchdowns on the season. These are the kinds of things that come back into the equation when we’re splitting hairs between contenders. The raw volume of production. He’s checked that box so far.

1. QB Quinn Ewers, Texas – I’m not the biggest Ewers fan, but I have to tip my cap to his performance in the biggest game of the week on the road in a hostile environment and against (what we thought would be) a top tier defense. Ewers was 24/36 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. The Longhorns climbed to #2 in the AP poll as a result, and there’s no reason so far to think that Texas isn’t a legitimate National Championship contender. He continues to show up in these big regular season games, and this was as big a stage as you’ll find in Week 2. It wasn’t just the nature of the win that factors into this ranking though, it was the ease with which Ewers was slingin’ the ball around the field. It really looked effortless for this offense with Ewers at the helm.

Heisman Watch 2024 Standings

Ashton Jeanty – 6
Quinn Ewers, Cam Ward – 5 (total points)
Jaxson Dart – 4
Tetairoa McMillan, Jam Miller – 3
Miller Moss – 2
Ethan Hampton, Jalen Milroe – 1

If you haven’t already, be sure to go subscribe to the College Football Roundup Podcast, on which Steven McCash and myself break down all the action from the college football world and look ahead to the week to come.

Tennessee, Memphis, and Vanderbilt haven’t done what since when?

For the first time since last year college football fans are living in unprecedented times. The three biggest college football programs in the state of Tennessee stand undefeated after two weeks and are looking to do something collectively that has not been done since before the start of World War II. In fact, one of the three schools was not even called by the name it is known as today when this feat was last accomplished.

In week 1 of the 2024 college football season the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis each made quick work of their FCS opponents by a combined score of109-3 to move to 1-0 on the year respectively. In the West End of Nashville, perennial SEC bottom dweller Vanderbilt shocked the sports books in Las Vegas and football fans across the nation when they defeated Virginia Tech as a double digit home underdog.

This past Saturday on paper the competition was set to be tougher for both the Tigers and the Vols when they kicked off. Memphis faced the back-to-back Sun Belt Champions Troy Saturday morning and ran behind the legs of South Carolina running back transfer Mario AndersonJr., a 38-17 victory to move to 2-0 on the young season.

The Vols traveled to Charlotte, NC for a neutral site game against the 24th ranked NC State Wolfpack. In what was supposed to be a challenging matchup for Tennessee instead turned into a nationally televised coming out party for Heisman hopeful quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the very impressive Vols defense. Nico threw for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Vols rout of the Wolfpack.

It was Vanderbilt who ended up with the cupcake matchup in week 2 as they hosted the greatly overmatched Alcorn State. The Commodores raced to a 27-0 halftime lead behind a balanced offensive attack that included two rushing TDs and a passing TD from tight end Eli Stowers. Vanderbilt picked up the 55-0 shutout of the Braves for their first shutout since November of 2019 when they defeated east Tennessee State 38-0.

Now as each team sits at 2-0 they all look to pick up their third victories and if they can accomplish the feat it will be the first time that Memphis, Vanderbilt and Tennessee have all started a football season 3-0 since 1938 one year before the start of World War II.

The Vols and Memphis went undefeated that season and Vanderbilt started the season 4-0 before finishing 6-3 on the year with two of the losses coming to No.16 LSU and No.4 Tennessee. Tennessee started the season with three victories over Sewanee, Clemson and Auburn. All three of the Vols wins set inside of Shields-Watkins Field that was built in 1921 and is now known as Neyland Stadium.

Vanderbilt’s first three wins came against Washington University from St. Louis, Western Kentucky State Teachers College that is now known as Western Kentucky University, and Kentucky. The Dores won their three games by a combined 46-7. The following week Vandy would defeat Ole Miss 13-7 at home before losing to LSU and finishing the rest of the year 2-3.

The University of Memphis which was called Memphis State University for decades was called neither name in 1938. From 1912-1925 the school was named West Tennessee Normal School before being changed to West Tennessee State Teachers College in 1925. That named stuck until 1941 when it was renamed to Memphis State College where it remained unchanged until 1957 when the college was switched to university. The named was changed one more time in 1994 when the school became the University of Memphis which it is still known as of today.

In 1938, the school went 10-0 and reeled off three wins to start the season against Millsaps College from Jackson, MS; Louisiana College and Arkansas State. That season marked the first time Memphis recored 10 wins in a season. In 1943 Memphis and Tennessee did not field a team due to the war. In fact, Memphis did not play football during the years of 1943-1946. Vanderbilt started 3-0 in 1943 and 1946 while Tennessee begin the season 3-0 from 1944-1946. There is no guarantee that Memphis could have matched the starts of Vanderbilt or Tennessee in 1946.

Now some 86 years later the three schools have a chance to make history and move to 3-0 for the first time since the end of the Great Depression. The Vols will be at home this week to take on a 0-2 Kent State team that is currently a 47.5 point underdog. Baring a Notre Dame sized collapse Tennessee should easily move to 3-0. Vanderbilt goes on the road and will be a fairly big road favorite when they travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State. The Dores sit as a 8.5 point favorite and regardless if they cover or not should return to Nashville 3-0.

At the start of the season the one game Tigers fans have had circled was the week 3 matchup with Florida State. FSU was a preseason top 10 team leaving Memphis fans and players foaming at the mouth for a chance to beat a high caliber opponent to give them the inside track to being the Group of 5’s representative in the 12 team playoff. After back-to-back loses to Georgia Tech and Boston College, current FSU and former Memphis head coach Mike Norvell is standing 0-2 on the year as his former team comes in as slight road underdogs.

The Tigers have looked good but not great in their two wins so far and despite the Seminoles being winless so far a trip to Tallahassee will be a difficult one and securing a third straight win to start the season will be no easy task. Memphis comes in to the game ranked 25th in the nation and a touchdown road underdog while looking to stay in the hunt for the Group of Five playoff spot.

If the Tigers pull off the upset and the two other schools handle business the state of Tennessee will have arguably their three biggest college football programs looking to go 4-0 together for the first time since well 1938. The three have never started 5-0 in a season and for that to happen Memphis would have to beat FSU then travel to Navy to get to 4-0 and then take care of Middle Tennessee State at home to get to five wins. Tennessee would need to handle Kent State then defeat 15th ranked Oklahoma and Arkansas on the road which is very feasible. Vanderbilt however would need to defeat Georgia State then take down No. 6 Missouri on the road and No. 4 Alabama at home. Well, how about we just be happy to see all three get to 3-0 and celebrate that.

Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75