- 4 months ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00And 8-3-2, do the Texans keep three quarterbacks on this roster this season?
00:03Absolutely not.
00:04But I appreciate the question.
00:06I'm guessing one of those quarterbacks will be on the practice squad.
00:08So Graham Mertz and Davis Mills?
00:11No.
00:12What are you doing?
00:14You're just starting it off with chaos, aren't you?
00:16Look, you know.
00:19Get the game.
00:20I was kidding.
00:21That's just going to be our constant.
00:24Like when your mom was like, okay, go give me my belt.
00:26Like it's just going to be, all right, I'm going to get that smell.
00:28Is that a smelling salts take?
00:29That's right.
00:29That's what we're going to do.
00:30All right, we'll try and get into what we make of this team
00:33now that training camp is officially over, preseason is officially over.
00:37We'll get into the 53-man roster.
00:39We'll do all of that, but we've got to start coming off of preseason game three
00:42with some passing thoughts.
00:45Experience.
00:46Wisdoms to opinions.
00:48Barbecue sauce.
00:49Our guy Lopez has it all.
00:52And shares it with you.
00:53I used to go into the clubhouse, and I just s***.
00:55It's time for the OG's Passing Thoughts.
01:00Tell me a story, OG.
01:02All righty.
01:04I will tell you stories.
01:06Hey, man.
01:06Before the game even started, we had a definitive, absolute starting lineup on the offensive line.
01:15Oh, is that so?
01:16Definitive.
01:17Okay.
01:17Like, I mean, sometimes who's not playing tells you.
01:20We talked about this last week.
01:22Sometimes who's not playing tells you as much as who's playing.
01:26Well, can I give you the inactives on the offensive line?
01:28Please.
01:29Terriante Urssery.
01:31Who?
01:31Lakin Tomlinson.
01:32What was that name?
01:34Urssery.
01:34Mm-hmm.
01:35I noticed he just completely avoided that first name.
01:37You've been killing that first name all camp.
01:39Tay.
01:40Tay.
01:40He said Terriante Urssery.
01:41I love it.
01:44No.
01:45Urssery Tomlinson.
01:46That's right.
01:47Jake Andrews.
01:48Mm-hmm.
01:49Ed Ingram and Titus Howard.
01:50And, of course, Blake Fisher was as well, but that doesn't really matter as much.
01:54There's your starting offensive line.
01:55You got it.
01:56Done.
01:56Period.
01:57And the story.
02:00Feel it.
02:00I mean, like, at this point, they've had a lot of continuity over the last few weeks of camp.
02:06Cam Robinson, I think this creates a really interesting question.
02:09because one of the questions I had the good fortune, as I try to often, watching the game
02:14up here at the studios with Sean Pendergast, with Clint Sterner, you know, as they're watching
02:19and getting ready to do post-game after it.
02:22And one of the questions that comes up is, who on this roster might be, like, tradable?
02:26Especially if they end up being kind of extraneous.
02:29Yeah.
02:30Cam Robinson is an interesting guy.
02:31Especially if he's not going to be that starter.
02:33What are you paying him?
02:33$12 million this year?
02:34Yeah.
02:35You have him for one year old?
02:35I told y'all that last week.
02:36You sure did.
02:37Figgy Fig was early to this.
02:40And does this, is that, is that now something that the Texans have to think about in the next day or two?
02:45Yeah.
02:45If they're going, hey, we feel good about Tay at left tackle.
02:48That's going to be there.
02:49Are you willing to move off of a, a offensive lineman that you can play as a, you know,
02:55capable offensive lineman in order to get off of that contract?
02:58Yeah.
02:59And maybe get some value off of it.
03:01But then get away from some, you know, valuable depth when you talk about an offensive line.
03:06I mean, it's in play and a programming note.
03:08If you're listening and watching us today, you, you really want to stay plugged in.
03:13Uh, the, the, it officially becomes, you know, the roster, the 53 enemy roster tomorrow, but we will be getting news today.
03:20We're already getting some from around.
03:21You think so when it comes to the Texans?
03:22Uh, well, agents don't care what team you play for.
03:25I mean, they have, they have players all over and agents are going to want to get names out there.
03:29Uh, I think the example that I would give is the dolphins, uh, you know, an agent gave information today about the dolphins, you know,
03:40Rosenhaus or whatever that he's going to be released.
03:42We're going to get news like that.
03:44Uh, and Mike Hilton, cornerback, uh, dolphins have informed veterans, cornerback Mike Hilton of his release per his agents,
03:52Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
03:54You said Mike Hilton, huh?
03:55Yeah.
03:55We're yeah.
03:56Cornerback.
03:56Let me write that name down for no particular reason.
03:59We're going to be getting information on the Texans and other teams around the NFL.
04:03So just stay, stay plugged in.
04:04That's not a shameless, well, maybe a little shameless.
04:06Yeah, no, it's definitely a shameless plug.
04:08The question I'll ask though is aren't the Texans kind of notoriously tight lipped?
04:12And then, yes, but the agents are not historically, I think that they kind of wait.
04:16Aaron Wilson is not either.
04:17That is a great find out.
04:19The agents are not, no, the Texans aren't going to, nothing's going to be leaked there, but there will be leaks.
04:24Fair enough.
04:24Yeah.
04:25I just, I feel like they're going to be a more on the minimal side.
04:27I think the Texans do a good job of trying to keep things close to their list.
04:30Yeah, of course.
04:31As always.
04:32All right.
04:32Another passing thought here.
04:34There was an inactive on the defensive side that made me go.
04:38Hmm.
04:38Okay.
04:39Hmm.
04:40Henry Toto.
04:42That made you go home?
04:43Yeah.
04:44Why is that?
04:44Really?
04:45Because he's the starter.
04:45Yeah.
04:46I thought we were past that.
04:48No, no.
04:48We were assuming he was a starter, but then Christian Harris starts playing a little more.
04:52Okay.
04:52Christian Harris played, you know, now, now the reason he played is because he's got to knock
04:56some rust off.
04:57Exactly.
04:57He's got to get some more playing time, but I don't think they, they deactivated Henry
05:02Totoa to not let him be the starter from day one.
05:05Now it could change, but from day one, he's going to be the starter.
05:08Yeah.
05:08I was, I was even thinking more how important he is.
05:12So that's what, even if he's not the starter, he's very important to this team.
05:16So that's why I, it wasn't surprising.
05:20Star caliber player.
05:21Mm-hmm.
05:22Continuity with the Z's.
05:23And I subscribe, honestly, to the theory that Seth Payne has thrown out there that this
05:28linebacker core is going to be less of starters and second teamers and more of, depending
05:33on the feel of the situation, we might be doing mix and match pairs.
05:37And I think that they might throw out there a little bit more base this season than we've
05:41considered.
05:41You mentioned that.
05:42Especially in a year where, or in a day and age where it feels like base is nickel.
05:46Mm-hmm.
05:47I think that they might throw out some more situations where you see.
05:49Old school base.
05:50Aziz.
05:50Yeah.
05:51And Henry.
05:53And Christian Harris out there at the same damn time going old school because they feel
05:58confident in their abilities, those linebackers' abilities to handle their business.
06:01I almost made this a confession, but I think it fits with passing thoughts, and I know
06:06you guys have thoughts.
06:07Even though there was no real starting offense, I felt better about the offense, even though
06:14there were no starters.
06:15Let me explain why.
06:15Please, because I'm confused.
06:17Graham Mertz.
06:18By the way, there's another passing thought within a passing thought.
06:2014 of 16 very much looked the part.
06:22We mentioned him earlier.
06:24But even those third team quarterback with second and third team offense, players behind
06:29him and facing second and third teamers, the offense just looked like the calls were
06:35right.
06:35The calls were sharp.
06:37And what it really did, it said a lot to me about when it's run right and you get good
06:43decision making, good things happen.
06:45Even though there was no CJ Stroud, no Nico, none of the first team offensive line, the offense
06:51actually gave me a little bit more confidence about what it looked like with the first team.
06:55And it feels like, without saying it, you're speaking not, Nick Caleb.
07:00And the way that he has his guys executing this offense, one of the things that I've
07:04tried to be diligent on, and I'll be completely honest, it's one of those things that, oh
07:08yeah, I'll keep front of mind, I forget, and I'm like, oh yeah, I was supposed to be looking
07:11at this, but every once in a while I try and check and see, are they getting to the line
07:14at the right time?
07:15Are they taking this up to the...
07:16Moving the line of scrimmage.
07:17Well, not even that.
07:17One of the things that we were frustrated at was Bobby Slowick getting the play calls in late.
07:22And it feels like, oh, okay, well, they're getting up to the line at a decent time.
07:26Now there were some instances where they were taking it down, it's damn near to zero, obviously,
07:30and you don't want to do that because that allows the defense to get a jump on what you're
07:33doing because you either get it off before the clock or you take a penalty so they know
07:37that they can jump and get an advance on you.
07:39Seems like they were executing the offense pretty well, which obviously you can credit Mertz.
07:43The concept on the edges with Woody Marks' run, the wide receiver making a block Berrios,
07:47you know, the way you make the decision to go to the first guy, as soon as he's open,
07:51you throw it.
07:52If not, you go to the next.
07:53Even though it was not C.J. Stroud and company, you had to feel better about how the offense
07:57looks.
07:58I think so.
07:59I would agree to that for sure.
08:00All right.
08:00Another passing thought.
08:01I don't know how the cornerback room is going to shake out, but I'm pretty sure D'Angelo
08:06Ross is not going to be in it.
08:07Oh, so you've got him, like, not on the roster.
08:09Yeah.
08:11I mean, look, I don't have a level of confidence once I get beyond cornerback three.
08:16I've got the utmost confidence in quarterbacks one and two, which is clearly Derek Stingley,
08:22all pro Sting, and then Kamari Lasseter, soon to be, what, pro bowl, all pro type player.
08:27Like, he has that kind of makeup in him.
08:30And then Jalen Smith has really impressed.
08:32Beyond that, like, again, Mike could be that cornerback four now because D'Angelo Ross.
08:41Did you write down Mike Hilton's name?
08:42I did write that down, and I'll be writing down every cornerback name that I see come
08:47free, and I'll go look at their, what was their passer rating against?
08:50What was their PFF grade?
08:51Because that feels like that's the way that you're going to have to fill out this depth.
08:54I still got questions there.
08:55The other thing is, it's not common, but it does happen where the final preseason game
09:00does tip the scales.
09:03I think it tipped the scales in the wrong direction for D'Angelo Ross.
09:06I really do.
09:08Sure.
09:08But he's one of those guys where he's been on the team, and this has been who he is, right?
09:13He has been, and I talked about it, right?
09:15We talked about it, rather.
09:16He's a guy who's around the play.
09:17He'll never be making it.
09:18And that was one of those instances.
09:19Who was it that got him deep, that had just had a half step on him, and then the ball
09:23was thrown right there in the basket?
09:24Yeah.
09:25And I heard it mentioned on the broadcast.
09:27Mr. Tackle, too.
09:28Oh, yes.
09:29I forget about that.
09:29Yeah, Mr. Tackle, too.
09:31I know that he gets in there in special teams, but I feel like there are a lot of guys that
09:34can do what you do special teams-wise.
09:36You can't afford to have a guy that even when he is covering, it's almost the worst of the
09:40two because defensive lapses are one thing where he goes, okay, but when he's on him,
09:46he's covering him.
09:46Yeah.
09:47When D'Angelo Ross is covering somebody, they're still kind of open, and I say that
09:51obviously respecting that he's still one of the best athletes in the world, even being
09:55amongst NFL players, but for the NFL level, he's definitely not making it, and if you're
10:00the mark cornerback-wise, I don't know if I want you on my roster.
10:03All right, here's the stone-cold lock, Figgy.
10:06Stone-cold-lock.
10:08All right, so I'm going to need to-
10:10Stair Stingley making the team, guys.
10:12That's a lot.
10:13Do I need to go get some smell-ins?
10:15Braxton Berrios is on the squad.
10:16Oh, okay.
10:20Period.
10:21He can block.
10:21He's invaluable on special teams.
10:24He's made some plays offensively.
10:27Look, I think Braxton Berrios lock it up.
10:30They did have Braxton Berrios lead blocking.
10:33Yeah.
10:34Do you know what was interesting about that?
10:35It was kind of the same play that everybody went nuts about with Tank Dell.
10:39Why is he on the edge blocking?
10:41Braxton Berrios just did it.
10:42He's not much bigger.
10:44That is one thing that, you know, this offense clearly has.
10:48And I've been trying to make sure that I'm not leaning too much into, or like checking
10:51my biases, rather.
10:53It's one thing I've been trying to do.
10:54And maybe we'll do a little bit of that because Damian Pierce talking after, in the post game,
10:58had something interesting to kind of juxtapose.
11:00But condensed formations feels like it's going to be a decent amount of stuff, especially
11:05in the run.
11:06I kept arguing that last year.
11:07They, people do it.
11:08This is an entirely different offense.
11:09And you still do that.
11:10Yeah, man.
11:10It happens in the NFL.
11:12It just happened that Nick Tank Dell got hurt.
11:13It's a trend in the NFL.
11:14Just condensed formations as well.
11:16And it just felt like Bobby Sloak, they executed poorly.
11:18So it maybe probably wasn't the condensed formations themselves, or it was more that
11:23these boys, these boys was not running them right.
11:26Another passing thought here, Woody Marks, he's going to get significant reps at running
11:32back.
11:32What that number is per game, I don't know.
11:34But I was watching his game.
11:37What are the three things that you have to have out of a running back in this offense?
11:41Blocking might be number one.
11:43And he's demonstrated that in a way that I did not even anticipate.
11:46He had a nice blitz pickup in this game as well.
11:48That's what I'm saying.
11:49He does all three things at a very good level.
11:52Maybe not at the highest level yet, but he's showing it.
11:54Blocking, obviously finishing runs.
11:57He can finish a run.
12:00Woody Marks might get a lot more touches in real games than we thought.
12:06This might be the preseason, though.
12:08This might just be that kind of deal.
12:10He's done it all preseason.
12:11I do feel good about him being capable if he gets those opportunities.
12:14It just feels like this could very easily just be a guy.
12:18We'll see.
12:19But he does it all well.
12:20He does.
12:21And that's the thing I'm happy about.
12:22Even if he ends up being kind of more of a depth guy or if he's just kind of relegated
12:27to third downs in that area, I feel good about him being able to step in and do it.
12:31And that's really more of what we're looking at at this time of year as you're building
12:35in 53 men.
12:36It's one of the things that kind of frustrates me because we do make a big deal about 53
12:39men, men number 50, 51, 52, 53.
12:43And in all reality, those guys aren't impacting the game a ton.
12:46Really what you're just looking for is can they come in and do what you ask them to do?
12:49Whatever limited things that you ask to do of them.
12:51And I know Woody Marks does not feel like he's around 50 or 52, a man on the roster.
12:56But he has demonstrated that he can come in and do those adequately.
12:59Another few here for you.
13:01The toughest call in the building might be Jakob Johnson versus British Brooks.
13:05Is that tough?
13:06I think so.
13:07I think that's easy.
13:08I go Jakob Johnson easily.
13:09British Brooks can do a lot, man.
13:10He can.
13:11Especially specialty.
13:12He shows up a lot on special teams.
13:13He has a good tackle on special teams.
13:15I want to say the first preseason game?
13:17Special teams.
13:18Damn, they're all of them.
13:19Fullback.
13:20They were raving about that tackle.
13:21He's mixed in a little tight end.
13:24Little tight end, fullback, special.
13:26I think that's the toughest call in the building.
13:28Jakob Johnson and British Brooks.
13:29I don't think that's hard at all.
13:30Every time you have fullback situations, Jakob Johnson's on the field.
13:33And I feel like this is going to be a team that utilizes the fullback.
13:35In addition, they feel comfortable with him doing tight end type back in a pitch.
13:42He can.
13:42Yeah.
13:43I think it's going to be a tough one.
13:44What were you just talking about with all these running backs that you might have on this roster?
13:47I don't know that you need.
13:48Now, here's the thing.
13:49I'd be interested in can they or are they willing to have both of them on the roster?
13:54But I don't think that they sacrifice Jakob Johnson for British Brooks.
13:57And I say that with due respect because I like what British Brooks is giving, particularly on special teams, being that kind of guy that stands out.
14:03This next passing thought is one that I occasionally put in that is literally what I said in real time.
14:08So I'm watching the game and I said this.
14:10Is there anyone not named C.J. Stroud or Will Anderson Jr. who's more locked up in his spot than Austin Brinkman?
14:21He's a lot.
14:22Yeah.
14:23And to be fair, I think I need to give him a little credit.
14:26We need to give him a little credit because here's the thing.
14:28They brought in my guy, Blake Ferguson, off the street.
14:32And I don't know that he had one snap that looked good in his games.
14:35Austin Brinkman, we have not had calls to mention him because the snaps have looked pretty damn good.
14:42Long snapper, their job is very simple, I guess, in theory or on paper.
14:47But being able to step in and do it immediately, I think that deserves a little bit of credit.
14:52I'm not going to go crazy and do anything wild.
14:55But the fact that he's able to step in and do that consistently is a good thing.
14:59Inherently, as we all get over John Weeks in this breakup-type feel.
15:04The only question is, is he healthy enough to go?
15:06Yeah.
15:07Yeah.
15:07Two more for you.
15:09More of a question.
15:10Is the best thing that happened to Blake Fisher his sprained ankle?
15:14Why do you say that?
15:16Because he had one good game, sprained his ankle.
15:20And so he played?
15:22I mean, you know where I'm going with this.
15:24Yeah.
15:25Because he wasn't good.
15:26You're making it seem like it's a King and Green type of situation.
15:28Yeah.
15:28He wasn't good until the Panthers game.
15:31Then he sprained his ankle.
15:33And by the way, Austin Dekulis and company, they struggled pretty.
15:35You know, if there was any struggles on the offense, it was the tackle position.
15:38Buddy.
15:38Yeah.
15:39I hate to do that.
15:40I usually am an advocate for numbers only, no names, when I'm being unreasonably mean, maybe.
15:47Connor McDermott was out there struggling, bro.
15:49Oh, my God.
15:49But I was like, hey, brother, I appreciate you coming out, but woof, woof, woof, woof.
15:54So, yeah.
15:55I think that was a small, I mean, you want to be on the field, but I think it was a small
15:58part of Blake Fisher that went, woof.
16:01Maybe, but I think that he's definitely shown some level of improvement.
16:04Yeah.
16:05And I think he would have continued to improve, which, again, how much improvement would you
16:09see from him?
16:09I think that's a question.
16:10But I think improvement every day is what this team has asked of him, and he's still
16:15close enough to when he was drafted and drafted with a valuable enough pick that they're going
16:20to give him that opportunity.
16:21Last one.
16:23Is the wild card in Tommy Toji's status on this team, the fact that D'Amico loves him?
16:28I think the answer is yes.
16:31I think yes, but because of what he brings, which is consistency and add depth.
16:37It's going to be interesting.
16:38We're going to talk about it later.
16:39We've talked about it with you when you were coaching basketball.
16:42As a coach, if you're getting somebody up off the bench, the one thing that you want
16:45the most is you know exactly what you're going to get from them, right?
16:48Maybe you could say, hey, I want a really good player.
16:49But if you could choose between somebody that I know exactly what I'm going to get for them
16:54or somebody that has a really high ceiling but also an incredibly low floor, which guy
16:57do you go to first?
17:00Which guy that you know what you're going to get out of him, you can game plan around that.
17:04I think that there is some value in Toji being consistent.
17:06And the only thing is it feels like he's going up against Folu Fatakasi, who is a starting
17:10caliber player when healthy.
17:12I know that that's the answer in there.
17:13So that ends up being an interesting conversation to have to consider.
17:17And we will have to consider that over the next couple of days as the Texans get ready
17:20for a 53-man cut down from the 90-man preseason roster.
17:24Excited to get there.
Be the first to comment