- 2 days ago
When is this “best five” offensive line finally going to come together — by Thanksgiving? Christmas? ITL debates the Texans’ ongoing O-line shuffle.
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00:00who are the best five?
00:01Do we know?
00:02Is it going to happen at any point?
00:04That's something that we continue to look at
00:06as we try and find the foundation for this team
00:09and this offense is what's happening up front
00:11with the front five.
00:12It's so weird.
00:14You can remember as far back as July, right?
00:18Because July was when we were told,
00:20yeah, we're mixing and matching,
00:22and I'm paraphrasing,
00:22but we're mixing and matching.
00:24We're going to get to our best five
00:26and let them go.
00:27And a couple of weeks...
00:29Like, when he jumped up,
00:31Payne and Pendergast was like,
00:32yeah, here in a couple of weeks, we'll know.
00:35It feels like a lot more than a couple of weeks
00:37for us to be here.
00:37Yeah, he did say in a couple of weeks,
00:38we should be able to move forward or whatever.
00:41So that was in July.
00:43It's November, and I was listening to...
00:46And look, they did well.
00:47They did very well,
00:49especially in the fourth quarter of the offensive line.
00:50I was very impressed with Trent Brown,
00:52surprised somewhat, all that stuff.
00:54Now Titus Howard and Eddinger are coming back.
00:58So it would stand to reason
01:00you just kind of plug them in.
01:02I still think Titus at guard
01:04and Trent Brown at tackle,
01:05but we can talk about that later.
01:07But I'm listening to Nick Cayley,
01:09and he was talking about why C.D. South started.
01:12And figure you have this.
01:13It's number seven,
01:14but I just...
01:16What are we doing here?
01:18Yeah, I think just every single week,
01:19every...
01:20Again, it's a body of work.
01:21So, you know,
01:22City had put out really good,
01:23you know,
01:24I would say consistent performances
01:25day after day of practice
01:27and given an opportunity
01:28to go out there and compete.
01:29Nothing more, nothing less.
01:30We're going to always have an opportunity to compete.
01:32I don't think anything's fixed,
01:33you know,
01:34and that's what practice is for.
01:36I don't think anything is fixed.
01:38C.D. South had a good week of practice
01:40and started.
01:43What happened to the whole
01:45back in July,
01:46see in two weeks?
01:47I want to know
01:48how good of a week of practice.
01:49What was he doing?
01:50I wanted to, like,
01:51was he just pancaking jokers out there?
01:53He was just like,
01:54hey, 90,
01:55Sheldon Rankins,
01:56on your back, big dog.
01:57And they were like,
01:57he's got to start.
01:58Well, he got him out of his system
02:00because that didn't happen on Sunday.
02:02He played nine snaps
02:03and then they yanked his ass.
02:05And I don't...
02:10I'm going to put what's off
02:11on the offensive line.
02:11The best we've seen
02:12pretty much all year.
02:15And then you get
02:16Howard and Ingram back.
02:18It should just be boom.
02:19We now know our five guys.
02:21Let's go.
02:22And they're still talking about,
02:23well, he had a good week of practice
02:24so we started him.
02:27Yeah.
02:27It's this commitment
02:29to the bid of sorts
02:30that makes me a little shaky here.
02:33The thing that I think
02:34then you can come back around on
02:36is that they got to an answer
02:37that seemed to make
02:38some level of sense
02:39where, obviously,
02:41you ended up with Drew Scruggs there
02:43as the breaking case
02:45of emergency at guard.
02:46Although, what didn't make sense to me
02:48is that Drew Scruggs
02:49had been rotating at left
02:50with Lake and Tomlinson
02:51and neither of them
02:52were to be found
02:53when Jarrett Patterson came in.
02:54Now, I was happy
02:55that Jarrett Patterson came in
02:56and showed himself
02:57and displayed his wares well
02:58because it feels like,
03:00again, you come back
03:00to this place
03:01where now you have more guards
03:02that I think you feel good about.
03:04but we've talked about this
03:06time and time again.
03:08They haven't given me
03:10neither actions
03:11nor the verbal responses
03:14that makes me believe
03:16that, one,
03:17that they'll correctly identify
03:18the best five
03:20or, two,
03:20that they will lean on them appropriately.
03:22And let them develop together
03:23or start playing together.
03:24That's one of the things
03:25that we talked about a lot last year
03:26when you had to do
03:28all the rotation
03:28is just so much
03:30about what you're trying to do
03:31or actually, not even last year,
03:32in the offseason
03:33as you're trying to justify
03:35the lack of acquisition
03:36of high-end talent
03:37on the offensive line
03:38is, well, it's more about
03:39the cohesion
03:40that they're able to establish
03:41and, you know,
03:42five hands in a glove
03:43or five fingers in a glove, rather,
03:45and everybody pulling
03:45in the right direction.
03:46How much can you find that
03:48if you do all this shifting?
03:51And I say this to somebody
03:52who's like, yeah,
03:53find the best five
03:54and have them in
03:54on any given day.
03:56But it feels like
03:56we're taking this
03:58to a nuclear place
03:59to where you're losing
04:00the benefit of that.
04:01Well, and so clearly,
04:02you know, when he said that
04:03about a good week of practice
04:04and all that,
04:05obviously, there was
04:07some follow-up to be had
04:08and this is what he said.
04:10Yeah, I think, you know,
04:11look, what goes into it
04:12is just what can we do
04:13to give ourselves
04:14what we feel
04:14throughout the course
04:15of the week
04:15or a cumulative body of work
04:17to give ourselves
04:18the best chance
04:18to go out there
04:19and compete.
04:20And so whoever's out there,
04:21that's what we felt,
04:22you know, was best
04:23for the team.
04:23I thought Jarrett played,
04:24you know, tough,
04:25played, I mean, smart.
04:26He's a competitor.
04:27He's got a lot of flex.
04:28He's played a lot of football.
04:28So I'm really happy
04:30the way that he battled
04:30throughout the game.
04:31So they're just,
04:32every week,
04:33do you feel very confident
04:35that we're going to see
04:37the best five
04:38and it's going to be
04:40the names that I've mentioned?
04:41You know, we know
04:41left to right
04:42with the Ursary
04:43and maybe Titus Howard there,
04:45but if not him,
04:46you know, one of the,
04:47like Tomlinson
04:48or Scruggs,
04:49or are they just going to be
04:51kind of looking at practice
04:53and trying to figure it out
04:55week to week?
04:55It feels like the latter.
04:57It feels very much
04:57like the latter.
04:58It really does.
04:59Injuries have changed
05:00some things.
05:01They kind of settled
05:02into a rhythm
05:03once they did get to a play.
05:05So maybe that leaves you,
05:06leaves you some,
05:07lends you some confidence.
05:07Although that rhythm
05:08also included a rotation
05:10at one of the spots,
05:11which is something that
05:11feels damn near unheard of
05:13at this level.
05:14But I hear you,
05:15832,
05:16or sorry,
05:16is it 832 on the text line?
05:19Yeah, it's just,
05:20281 rather.
05:21That said,
05:22Jarrett Patterson has always
05:23stepped up for this team.
05:24Don't recall him ever
05:25not being solid.
05:26Am I missing something?
05:27That's how we all feel.
05:28Yes.
05:28It just feels like,
05:30it feels like we're
05:31missing something,
05:32right?
05:33And I think D'Amico
05:34will tell you that,
05:35yeah,
05:35we are missing something
05:36and that's not being privy
05:38to all the things
05:38that they are,
05:39whether it's practice,
05:40reps,
05:40or what's happening
05:41with the guys mentally.
05:42But it just feels like
05:43whatever that's happening,
05:44it should not swing you so far.
05:46I understand.
05:46Somebody on the text line
05:47was like,
05:48don't nobody care about City So?
05:49Well,
05:50the thing about it is,
05:51it's not about City So himself,
05:52it's about what he represents,
05:53which is a willingness
05:54to go all the way down
05:55to your practice squad
05:56to mix things up
05:57when it feels like
05:58you have options
05:58that are clearly better there
06:00in front of you.
06:02It's so flabbergasting,
06:03especially for a team
06:04that wants to be dominant
06:05on the front line
06:06and wants to go
06:07and run the football
06:07that these things shift
06:09and change so dramatically
06:11at least week to week
06:13is what it seems like.
06:14And I think that this
06:15has the chance
06:16to be the thing
06:17that cripples the opportunity
06:19at coming back
06:20and getting yourself
06:20into the playoffs.
06:21I think you're right.
06:22You know,
06:22as much as a good
06:24of feeling,
06:24vibe,
06:25whatever,
06:26as we're having right now
06:27with this club
06:28and how they looked
06:29and finished
06:29and the defense
06:31and all that,
06:32can you be all in
06:33on,
06:34hey,
06:34moving forward,
06:35it's going to start
06:36to click
06:36when they're still
06:37trying to figure out
06:39one of four guards,
06:42five guards,
06:42potentially,
06:43you know,
06:44depending on Ingram
06:46and Patterson
06:47and So
06:48and Tomlinson.
06:51So is not in the equation.
06:52Are you sure?
06:54I'm not sure about anything,
06:55John Lopez.
06:56I'm not sure about anything.
06:58But,
06:58yeah,
06:59if I'm being entirely honest,
07:01this is deeply frustrating.
07:02I just hope that,
07:03you know,
07:04they find the right answers
07:05and I think the thing
07:06that is somewhat encouraging
07:07is it feels like
07:10more mutations
07:11are viable ones.
07:12Right?
07:13I think that you give,
07:14I was happy
07:15that Trent Brown
07:17was sufficient.
07:18I don't think I'd be
07:19so upset
07:19if he's playing,
07:21right?
07:21Titus Howard has been good.
07:23Ed Ingram has been
07:23way better than I expected.
07:25I'll raise my hand
07:26every single time
07:27and say that I was wrong
07:28and I'm happy
07:28that that's the case.
07:30Jake Andrews
07:31in his individual play
07:32has left a little bit
07:34to be desired for me,
07:35but I think there's something
07:36to be said for him
07:36as center.
07:37It feels like they're all
07:38pulling in the right direction,
07:39which is one of those things
07:39with center
07:40that sometimes we have
07:41to account for.
07:43Juice has been solid
07:43at left guard
07:44and Jarrett Patterson
07:45looked pretty solid
07:46at left guard
07:46when he was in there.
07:48And can I stop down
07:49and give some praise
07:50to a dude who
07:50we try and give a little
07:52praise to,
07:53but it feels like right now
07:54he absolutely deserves it.
07:55The rock
07:56of this offensive line,
07:58whether it's because
07:59of availability
08:00due to injury
08:01or availability
08:01just off of being
08:02ready to go,
08:04is the rookie
08:05Ariante Ursary.
08:06The dude who,
08:06not only as a rookie,
08:08he was a second round pick
08:09and he had a number
08:11of other tackles
08:12ahead of him
08:12because there were
08:13some things
08:13that it felt like
08:14he still needed
08:14to work on
08:15to be at this level.
08:16He has been a rock
08:17on the left side there
08:18and outside of early
08:19iterations of like
08:20rookie mistakes,
08:22he's been pretty damn good.
08:23Yeah.
08:24How much of this
08:25is maybe them
08:26just recognizing
08:27their,
08:29that they have to guess
08:31because they're not
08:31exactly sure
08:32if any of these guys
08:33are good long-term.
08:34You know,
08:35not any of them,
08:35but you know what I'm saying,
08:36especially the guards.
08:38You think that long-term
08:38consideration is happening
08:39right now?
08:40Well,
08:40I think they have,
08:41they're trying to build
08:42an offensive line.
08:43I don't think long-term
08:43consideration is happening
08:44at all right now.
08:45Yeah.
08:46Well,
08:47no,
08:47there are going to be
08:47some changes,
08:48but I just,
08:51in what league,
08:52high school,
08:52college,
08:53pro,
08:53where you,
08:54you are going into
08:55the 11th week of the season
08:56and it's like,
08:57let's see who has
08:58a good week of practice.
08:58I have no idea.
08:59Somebody texted,
09:00so if Damien Pierce
09:01has a good week of practice,
09:02is he starting?
09:04I'm like,
09:05I don't know.
09:06I think that that might be
09:07the furthest extents of it,
09:08but we've seen them do this
09:09to some degree
09:10where they're willing
09:11to move things around,
09:12whether it's Woody Marks
09:14getting opportunities here
09:16and all of a sudden
09:16it's Nick Chubb
09:17getting a lot,
09:18or not even Nick Chubb,
09:19Daria Gumawale
09:20being your third down
09:21back again,
09:21whether it's Jalen Knowles
09:23showing well
09:24and then all of a sudden
09:24here comes Christian Kirk.
09:25they've had some of these
09:28incongruent thought processes
09:30or at least what it would
09:31appear to be.
09:33That's kind of been
09:34part of the MMO
09:34and it's the thing
09:35that's made me the most
09:35uncomfortable about this.
09:36Well,
09:37and the other thing is
09:37of all the units,
09:39you know,
09:39whether it's the receiving
09:40group or running back
09:42group,
09:42if you want to talk about
09:43what Damien Pierce
09:43has a good practice,
09:44of all the groups
09:45of positions,
09:47the least favorable
09:49to mix and match
09:51and see who has a good
09:52week of practice
09:53is the offensive line.
09:55Like the absolute least.
09:56That's what I'm saying.
09:56I don't know
09:58how this happens.
09:59I've never really seen
10:01this happen anywhere else.
10:03Yeah,
10:03and then like Andy Kaluse
10:05I think Andy Kaluse
10:06He said he wouldn't be
10:07surprised if they come
10:08back and do it again.
10:10Yeah,
10:10and also you don't
10:11really see a lot of
10:12mix and match
10:14on the offensive line
10:15like that.
10:15Usually you've got
10:16to be consistent.
10:17He even said
10:17even if it's a blowout
10:19game on either side,
10:21they stay out there
10:22and you're doing
10:23all this matching
10:25and all this stuff
10:26like it's preseason.
10:27Yeah.
10:28I did.
10:32I did want to
10:33reach the conversation.
10:34Can you give me
10:34Cup 15 here
10:35because this was
10:35Nick Kaley talking
10:36about what he's seen
10:37from the rookie
10:38Ariante Ursary
10:39thus far through the season.
10:40Yeah,
10:40I think he's in a good place.
10:41I really do.
10:42I think he's continued
10:43to show toughness.
10:44He cares.
10:45He wants to get better.
10:46He works at it.
10:47Same thing that
10:48has been the case
10:49since we got him here
10:49right after the draft.
10:50Just obviously
10:51with more reps
10:52and now he's got
10:53some more games
10:53under his belt
10:54but I think he's
10:55playing good football.
10:57I mean,
10:57he's playing tough.
10:58He's playing disciplined
10:59football in terms
10:59of alignment and leverage
11:01and those type of things.
11:02Hand usage is getting better
11:04so he's got to continue
11:05on that track.
11:06He's conscientious of that
11:07and I think that
11:08Cole and Zach
11:10do a really good job
11:10with those guys
11:11and he'll continue
11:12to hopefully stay
11:13right on that trajectory
11:14but I'm pleased with him.
11:15I really am.
11:16Yeah,
11:17Ursary,
11:17you've got to feel good
11:18about clearly
11:19Ingram in the short term
11:21you've got to feel good
11:22about.
11:23Other than that,
11:23you talk about
11:24are they billing
11:24for the long term
11:25but no
11:26in terms of
11:27the inside guys
11:28but you're trying
11:29to get some continuity
11:30here
11:30and maybe we're just
11:32like I said
11:32maybe we shouldn't
11:33get too swept up
11:34and they put it
11:36all together
11:36unless they stick with it.
11:38No,
11:38for sure.
11:38For sure.
11:39But like I said
11:40I at least wanted
11:41to have a little bit
11:42of positivity in here
11:43and this is another
11:45week where
11:45Ariante Ursary
11:46absolutely flashed
11:47or flashed
11:48in being somewhat
11:50less visible
11:50in a way
11:51if that makes sense.
11:52He did flash
11:52in getting out
11:53on the perimeter
11:54and showing his ability
11:55to be mobile
11:55but also not just mobile
11:56but clearly
11:57actually be a lead blocker
11:59really and truly
12:00affect the way
12:00that things happen.
12:01He faced off
12:02against Josh Hines Allen
12:03and in a matter
12:04of weeks
12:05changed dramatically
12:06the outcome
12:07of what that
12:08a particular
12:11Nick Bendeau
12:12held largely in check
12:13Ariante Ursary
12:14is the one
12:15that's really solid
12:16and helping them
12:17out there.
12:18I think that
12:18when you look at that
12:19Titus Howard
12:20if he is healthy
12:21and wherever he's playing
12:22I feel good about him
12:23Ed Ingram
12:24who I think
12:24that he is
12:26enough of a veteran
12:26where I think
12:27they will acquiesce to him
12:28I think that you'll have
12:29three guys that you know
12:30work pretty well
12:31on this offensive line
12:32it's just
12:33with those other two spots
12:34are they responsible
12:35with it?
12:36I think that they can
12:36get to the right answer
12:37but it is frustrating
12:38that that's a thing
12:39I think as opposed
12:40to when I know
12:41If Davis Mills
12:42has a good week
12:42of practice
12:43is he starting?
12:45It just makes
12:45but that's
12:46I mean that's
12:47the nonsense
12:48that this is
12:50I mean it worked
12:51this week
12:51and hopefully
12:52it will continue
12:52to work
12:52but I can't tell you
12:53who's going to be
12:54on the line
12:54I can't tell you
12:55either
12:55but I mean
12:56hopefully against
12:57the Titans
12:58where Jeffrey Simmons
12:59will need to check
13:00the practice report
13:00for today
13:01but as of yesterday
13:02did not
13:02straight up
13:03did not practice
13:04if Jeffrey Simmons
13:05doesn't play
13:05I think I feel
13:06better about
13:06whatever combination
13:07they throw out there
13:08holding up
13:09because it's the interior
13:10that always gives me
13:11the most pause
13:12it's when you get
13:13that big boy
13:13really good defensive
13:14tackle in there
13:15that things end up
13:16looking a little weird
13:17but he was spotted
13:18at practice
13:18I don't know
13:19that he was getting
13:19into too much
13:20of the work
13:20that's where I might
13:21have a little bit
13:22of okay
13:23is that going to be
13:24something that's
13:25a crack in the arm
13:25holding a dummy
13:26okay
13:27all right
13:27very good
13:27we'll keep up
13:28with that
13:28as we continue
13:29to go
13:29here in the loop
13:30on Sports Radio 610
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