- 2 months ago
Did the Texans’ win over Jacksonville validate DeMeco Ryans’ philosophy? ITL breaks it down.
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00:00With that being the case, I want to circle back to this Texans team, if you don't mind.
00:04Here's John Lopez.
00:05Because one thing that we talked about is like the D'Amico Ryan's philosophy,
00:08what he's trying to do largely with this team.
00:11And one question that I asked myself once this game had gone final is, you know,
00:15I'm thinking about it and mulling it over in my brain.
00:17Did this game serve as a validation for D'Amico Ryan's philosophy?
00:21If for no other reason, then, there was a real sense of relief in the way that D'Amico Ryan's talked.
00:28You could hear it through the speech in the locker room.
00:31You could hear it on the podium, both after the game and yesterday.
00:35It really just feels like an era.
00:37Oh, finally.
00:38He even talked about it.
00:39He's like, I've always believed that this team is capable.
00:42As if this was like a movie, right, where the protagonist, you know,
00:48raises their hand in victory with the horns going.
00:51Like, there was kind of that feeling.
00:53And it felt like, and I asked myself, like,
00:55is this a validation of what they believe themselves to be?
00:57Like, in the fourth quarter, you got them on the offensive line,
01:00getting off the ball, hat on a hat, moving dudes.
01:03You eventually got them, like, throwing the football up and down.
01:05They talked a lot about the, what's the right word,
01:10how this basically complimentary football, right?
01:13Like, they talked a lot about all these things
01:15and seemed like they wanted this to be a validation of that.
01:18Does it serve as that for you?
01:19I think it, well, for me, we'll see.
01:22But D'Amico, D'Amico said as much after the game.
01:26I mean, I think to him, in some ways, this might have,
01:29and not just the fact that their season was on the brink,
01:32but just in terms of how he, you know, wanted it proved that, you know,
01:37that this can work.
01:38I think this was maybe the biggest game of the year for him.
01:41And this is what he said.
01:42Yeah, the thing that stood out to me the most is how we finished the game.
01:46I would say because, like, in that boxing match,
01:50a lot of bad things happened.
01:52The guy was down pretty bad, and it didn't matter, right?
01:55He had a will and desire to win.
01:58And that's what I wanted our guys to see.
02:01That's what I wanted them to do yesterday
02:03is just showcase that desire to win no matter what happens,
02:06no matter how the game looks in the first half.
02:10Like, how are we coming out and how are we finishing in the second half?
02:13So I'm most proud of how we finished.
02:15We still have things to clean up.
02:16We can execute better when it counted, when we needed it most.
02:20Davis, the receivers, they made.
02:24I mean, outstomp had Dalton.
02:26I mean, it was such a huge play.
02:28And to come back and make another huge third down pass to Dalton
02:32there towards our sideline, I mean, those are huge plays that Davis made.
02:36And, you know, he doesn't make those plays without the protection being good.
02:40I thought our offensive line protected well
02:42and allowed Davis to make those plays.
02:44So I'm just really proud of how we truly finished the game.
02:48I mean, you could hear it there in his voice.
02:49You know, he just was a different, you know, not as much of a little edge.
02:54And, you know, we all remember the whole outside noise thing.
02:57Look, the outside noise, whether you liked it or not, you know, was valid.
03:01Y'all good?
03:02Yeah, y'all good?
03:03You guys good?
03:04All that stuff?
03:05Everybody was friends.
03:06Everybody was friends on Monday.
03:07Don't even worry about it.
03:08But I think the reason it struck a nerve is because there was something to it.
03:12And now this was like a big exhale.
03:14You know, it did, the plan and the philosophy did show itself and did prove to be right.
03:23So 100% is valid.
03:26Now, where are they going from here?
03:28We'll see.
03:29But I think practice tomorrow, starting a practice tomorrow,
03:32they're all going to have that hop and step and the confidence.
03:35Did it prove itself to be right?
03:37Well, they hung in there when they're down 29-10.
03:39They did hang in there.
03:40They did get down 29-10.
03:41And, of course, there was a lot of leakage here that ultimately got them down 29-10.
03:46We can revisit it if we want to where, you know, there's interception.
03:51There's, you know, sacks that's happening.
03:53There's, you know, special teams, both the turnover and a touchdown allowed on special teams.
03:59So I don't want to make it seem like it's just that.
04:01But the idea of, well, we're just going to play these drives that go up and down.
04:07I don't know that that was validated in this game because they got to a point where they kind of had to throw caution to the wind
04:12because they were down by so much in order to save that philosophy.
04:16I think that that's the thing that's odd to me.
04:18And I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but it feels like almost like the relief that came in here
04:23is despite the fact that you look up and you go, hey, the way that you guys want to win still didn't win you this football game.
04:28The way that you want to win, you know, run the ball, save pass.
04:32We all know the story.
04:33Didn't happen.
04:34But what did happen is they didn't fold up.
04:37And I think that's what he's talking about.
04:39There are a lot of teams right now in the NFL that, you know, that just fold up in that situation.
04:45Defense gets frustrated.
04:46We've talked about that.
04:47Is there going to be a point where all of a sudden one side of the locker room looks at the other side of the locker room
04:51and says, what the hell are you doing?
04:53And this was a perfect game for that to happen, you know?
04:56And I think that's what he's talking about.
04:57I hate to be so cliche, but it's what he believes in and what really showed itself.
05:03The resilience, you know, the fact that they didn't start fighting with each other, you know?
05:09No, I mean, that's fine and good.
05:10Like, I think that that's absolutely something that is valuable and that is worthwhile.
05:14The idea that they are resilient, that they're not going to turn in when those things get tough.
05:19But the philosophy, and we've talked about this, right?
05:21Like, the idea that they're going to get out here and we're just going to lock down that other team.
05:26We're going to, like, just, you know, have possession, run the football, you know, just not make mistakes.
05:33Time of possession.
05:34That didn't ultimately play out at the beginning of the game.
05:36Now, I do wonder if on the other side of that, if you go, once you were able to lock in on that and actually be out.
05:44Be able to run all the tests.
05:46The question that I've had, and it's the same one that you've had, and it's the one we've had for a while, is how reasonable is it to expect that you're just going to keep hitting on being damn near perfect in that way?
05:56Because, again, you started this game with a lot of not perfect, and then eventually you kind of were able to make it up.
06:01But it didn't show up that way.
06:03Yeah, and we've talked a lot about, you know, they have to be perfect, you know, in order for this approach, this philosophy on the field to work.
06:12Well, we saw what happened when you're not perfect.
06:14You're down 29-10.
06:15You know, you're muffing.
06:17It's going to happen.
06:17You know, you're muffing a punt.
06:18You're having a punt return right in your face.
06:21You know, you're throwing an interception on the third play of the game.
06:25You know, all these things.
06:26So, on the one hand, a better team, you probably lose that game.
06:32But on the other, I think what he's talking about is, like, being able to still withstand all that and get it done.
06:37But, okay, and I hear you.
06:39The thing that scares me, can I tell you the thing that scares me, John Lowe?
06:42Please do.
06:44Is that, regardless of that last part, which, again, I'm with you on.
06:48I love it.
06:49I'm happy to see that you have a team that's willing to fight, if for nothing else, but a city.
06:53Because there was points in this time.
06:54I mean, we saw that.
06:55We watched the game where people turned it off and people walked down.
06:58They're like, no, we will continue fighting.
07:00I appreciate that from the football team.
07:02The decision makers, though, does that go in to validate what has seemed to be a philosophy that at least has been flawed, if not is not working,
07:10and that they will follow that continued into the Titans game and further on when, again, I don't know that that is the right takeaway from what happened.
07:18That's a really good question.
07:19That is a really good question.
07:21I think that's where the relief also came in.
07:25He realized, you know, he's got it on wax, as you like to say.
07:29You know, if you do hang in there, you know, he can still talk about, you know, doing things the right way.
07:36But it is a good question because you've got the Bills coming, you've got the Chiefs coming, you've got the Colts coming twice, and you get down like that, you're in trouble.
07:42Now, of course, when I say his philosophy, his philosophy isn't to go down 19 points.
07:47His philosophy isn't to go down 17 to nothing early on in the game.
07:51And I understand that those are things that when he says we've got some things to clean up, I think there's a very clear acknowledgement of that portion of this.
07:58But also, you're not going to be facing the Jaguars in order to make this comeback, like, all that viable.
08:04And so I think I paired that with also the feeling that I know, the visceral feeling that I had when I go, who the hell is that on the offensive line?
08:11And, you know, the visceral feeling that you have looking at some of the decisions as they are made in real time.
08:16And it just makes me wonder, like, are they going to take from this the lessons that they're supposed to?
08:21I'm also wondering if they're going to take the lessons they're supposed to.
08:24This might be the more important thing for me.
08:26If they're going to take the lessons they're supposed to take from their pregame decisions, will they learn from that bizarre offensive line lineup that they stopped up?
08:36Did they not only, as a team, you know, realize, hang in there, did they also, as a front office, realize, all right, you know, we can't just be rotating guys and throwing guys into the offensive line here and there?
08:51Obviously, Woody Marks, it looks like they've learned that.
08:53He's going to get more reps, you know.
08:55But what about even Jalen Knoll?
08:57It took a while, you know, for him to start getting more.
09:00In this game?
09:00Yeah.
09:01I'll give them, I'll still give them that over doubled his snap count from previous weeks.
09:08Like, I'll give them that.
09:09I don't need to be bitter or petty on those.
09:11Are they going to start the offensive line at the end of the game?
09:14Would you want them to start the offensive line at the end of the game with?
09:17With Titus Howard at guard.
09:19Yes.
09:20Yes.
09:21Wouldn't you?
09:23I've been dancing back and forth on this because it did feel like Trent Brown was pretty good.
09:27Trent Brown still had to go get an x-ray after that game.
09:29Yeah, he was in a boot.
09:30Right?
09:30Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.
09:32He might just be immobilizing it so it gets better quicker.
09:35Because those boots work magic.
09:36You ever had one of those?
09:37They're like magic.
09:38I haven't.
09:39I've been very fortunate to not have any injuries.
09:42Oh, you know what?
09:42It might help you.
09:43That's right.
09:44You got an ankle injury.
09:44Yeah, you came up with the ankle injury and you didn't even do nothing this weekend.
09:47Wear it for two days.
09:48You'd be amazed.
09:49Like, seriously.
09:50But anyway, that's neither here nor there.
09:51I was like, are you a salesman?
09:52You got a stock or something?
09:54What's happening here?
09:54That number again is...
09:56No.
09:56So, Trent Brown at right tackle.
09:58So, Titus at left guard.
10:01I'll be upset if they don't do that.
10:03If they're healthy.
10:05You'll be upset.
10:06Yes.
10:06This is the best line they've had all year.
10:08And throw Titus Howard into the mix.
10:10And how much do you then account for the idea that what Trent Brown said, that defense was
10:15tired and that's when you started getting pushed?
10:17How much do you account for that?
10:18And then also, you know, Titus Howard's been very good at right guard or right tackle right
10:23there.
10:24And Trent Brown was good with some small caveats in there and also a Jaguars pass rush that
10:30does not have a lot of teeth.
10:31Yeah, that's always going to qualify it.
10:33Right?
10:33But I mean, the Titans don't have that as well.
10:35But I do wonder again, like, what is the ultimate takeaway?
10:38I don't know, like, I'm still bouncing back and forth because I kind of like the idea
10:42of Titus remaining, but also patient at left guard.
10:46And it feels like that step up would be significant enough if you had Titus there.
10:51But is that moving right?
10:52Like, again, we come back to the question that you had week one.
10:54Like, is that musical chairs worthwhile?
10:57Is that something that you like in order to get your potential best five out there?
11:01The musical chairs, I'm just never going to be down with that.
11:04Ever.
11:04Wait, that's what you're calling for here is a Trent Brown out there, right?
11:07But no, I think go to this and do what D'Amico has said.
11:09In fact, he said it this past week again.
11:11Once you find the guys at work, stick with them and let them go.
11:14I think you found the guys at work.
11:17I mean, juice at right guard was pretty good.
11:19It wasn't great.
11:20I mean, there was a caveat, as you said about.
11:22So you wouldn't even have Ed Ingram when he's prepared.
11:24No, no, Ed Ingram healthy for sure.
11:26I just don't know where he is.
11:27Yeah, yeah.
11:27But yeah, it would be right to left, you know, Trent Brown, Ed Ingram, Andrews, which
11:34I'm not a big fan of, but he's their guy, Titus Howard, Ursary.
11:37Let me ask, do you feel like we've been kind of, we've been kind of being, been kept in
11:43the dark on Jarrett Patterson?
11:44Because Jarrett Patterson was never even really in the competition at left guard or at center
11:49he was a little bit, but then Jake Andrews took hold of that.
11:52That ended quickly, though.
11:53Patterson looked, he looked, he looked pretty damn good in this game at guard.
11:57And that's my question.
11:59Did they finally learn, you know, all your boys, you know, all the guys that you like,
12:04all your favorites, your, your, your teacher's pets, screw that, put these guys out there.
12:09That will be an interesting, I can't.
12:11And you know who I'm talking about.
12:12I can't tell you that, I can't tell you that I know that for certain.
12:14Yeah.
12:15Because again, time and time again, this year, we've seen them kind of seemingly figure out
12:19something that seems to work.
12:20And then the next opportunity that not show up.
12:25On the, probably should do this.
12:26I'm doing this anyway.
12:27Shout out to Powell Powell saying the Jaguars haven't been a dumpster fire this year.
12:30Just acting like they're the same terrible team as they've always been is not true.
12:34That's not my intimation, but I can understand how you get there.
12:37The thing that I was saying when I said that the Jaguars let you back into it.
12:40I thought that they made some really poor coaching decisions, the Jags, like against
12:43Davis Mills, just going, Hey, we're going to play a whole bunch of zone.
12:45Yeah.
12:46Like, and just allow, allow, allow you to piece up in that way.
12:49Like, I thought that that was a bad decision that they made.
12:51So, and then they, they were not able to get pressure and they haven't been like a huge
12:56team when it comes to getting, getting to the quarterback and getting them down.
12:59Yeah.
12:59So I think that those are the things that I was pointing to in that way.
13:02Probably should have been clear about that, but no, I'm not pretending like the Jags are
13:05awful.
13:05I did think that they put up an oddly poor game in that instance, which you kind of have
13:10to, in order to allow any team, even though it's a great defense from down 19, you know,
13:15you kind of have to do a little bit of that.
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