- 2 days ago
That Texans game wasn’t pretty, but somehow it left you feeling better about where things are headed. Why did an ugly win feel so comforting — and did it hit you the same way?
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00:00I woke up, well, went to bed and woke up feeling kind of different about this one.
00:05Was it a great win? No.
00:07Was it an immensely impressive win? No.
00:12Did it scare me?
00:14I mean, you could maybe parse out some things and say that's a little scary, and we'll get to that.
00:18You know the word that kept, and word choice is big here,
00:20you know the word that kept kind of rolling around in my mind?
00:236-7.
00:24After this game, no, not 6-7.
00:27I like that.
00:28Word of the year, mind you.
00:29It is. Oh, God.
00:31That's the type of time I'm on today.
00:32Yeah.
00:33Chaos.
00:33You know what word kept rolling around in my mind?
00:34I don't.
00:36Reassuring.
00:37Really?
00:37It wasn't a great win.
00:38It wasn't a bad win.
00:40You know, some people will tell you there is no such thing as a bad.
00:42It was reassuring in a way.
00:44I got to hear this.
00:45Yeah, you will.
00:46What's the reassurance here?
00:47You will.
00:48Two weeks in a row, you closed it out.
00:51You know, what was the theme?
00:52And sometimes it was an eye roll, but what was the theme from Domeka?
00:55You got to finish, guys.
00:56We're one score away.
00:57With laser focus, you can finish.
00:59It's a one-score game.
01:01Yeah, and we were like, come on, man.
01:02Come on, man.
01:03It wasn't that close.
01:04But this one was kind of reassuring because two weeks in a row, you did, in fact, end it.
01:08Was it the way you thought it would go?
01:10No, of course not.
01:11But the other things that were...
01:12It's like, don't worry about how it started.
01:13Just know.
01:14Yeah.
01:14There was finishing that happened in this.
01:16It was kind of well known now.
01:19This defense is not going anywhere, and it may well be the best defense in Texans history.
01:24One of the best in the league, the best in the league statistically right now.
01:28And the first half, I'm with you if you're thinking, how the hell do you not score a single
01:34point against Tennessee Titans in the first half?
01:35I'm with you.
01:36I am with you 100%.
01:38I mean, particularly on that first drive where the Titans were trying to walk you into the
01:43end zone.
01:44Yeah.
01:44You had a leverage penalty.
01:45What was it?
01:46Was that...
01:47I don't remember who had that.
01:48Was it Simmons, actually?
01:49I think that was Justin Simmons.
01:50They had the kind of leverage penalty where he basically hip-checks the mess out of Austin
01:55Brinkman as he's snapping the ball on the punt.
01:58And then you end up in another circumstance where you got four downs under the shadow of the
02:03end zone, and you're not able to get in there.
02:05You had a really wayward challenge in there, and it just felt like, hey, this should have
02:10been points.
02:11All of that very much in play here.
02:13I'm with you.
02:13I'm with you.
02:14But yet, ultimately reassuring because of the defense, because somehow, someway, on a
02:19day when you go four for 13 on third down...
02:22Two of those third down completions in that very first drive.
02:26Yeah.
02:27But the other one, the big one on the clinching drive, and somehow, someway, the offense
02:32ended up picking up the defense at the end.
02:34You know, or at least doing its part.
02:37Yeah, doing its part with...
02:39I believe that I was...
02:41You know, I have all the TVs, and I had various different TVs on.
02:44I believe NFL game day highlights, or whatever they call it, declared the nine-play, 48-yard
02:52drive that led to the field goal their drive of the day.
02:55And I was like, really?
02:56Like, just reassuring.
02:59Like, you can be really bad with this defense.
03:03You can go into a game with no C.J. Stroud.
03:05Crucially, no Kaimi Fairbairn.
03:08Yeah.
03:09You know?
03:09And that showed up when our guy Matthew, who obviously redeemed himself at the end.
03:14Game ball, baby.
03:15Buddy, that doink gets loud in them buildings, don't it?
03:17It does.
03:17Because somehow, someway, it's just kind of reassuring.
03:20Because you're not a great offense.
03:22You can't just say...
03:23You can't say that.
03:24Yet, they made some plays at the end.
03:26The defense did its job.
03:28You were without your starting quarterback.
03:30Davis Mills made one of the best throws and plays that you had, along with Nico.
03:35Which one?
03:36That third and 16.
03:37Because there's the third and 16.
03:38There was a number of good passes by Davis Mills in this game.
03:42There will be plenty of time to give him his flowers, but we can start right now.
03:46Davis Mills, have we ever called him ball placement specialist?
03:50He had some good passes in the course of this game.
03:52And honestly, during his stint, having to start, which might not be over, all things considered.
03:56But you see what I'm saying?
03:58You can be mad at things, but I'm not mad about this game.
04:02I'm reassured with this game.
04:04Reassurance is strong.
04:05That's a strong word to come with you.
04:07That defense isn't going anywhere, brother.
04:08I mean, that's not going anywhere.
04:10And you had a backup quarterback in back-to-back games make plays at the end.
04:16Yeah, I hear you there.
04:17I feel like we're playing a little good cop, bad cop here.
04:20Like, that's the vibe that I'm getting right now, so let's fully exist there.
04:24When you mentioned the backup quarterback in Davis Mills, again, I want to give him his flowers.
04:29It feels like, generally, if you're going into any game, talk less of this game,
04:33when you're talking about you have a backup quarterback, usually that's like he did.
04:39And thus, that is why I am appreciative of the result that you end up getting.
04:44That's not really the case.
04:46In really, either of these games, you can't really say that Davis Mills was the limiting
04:50factor on what you were doing.
04:52Maybe in the game, in the Broncos game, when CJ goes out.
04:56And then Davis gets up off the bench, and you can see that there is a drop-off in quarterback
05:02play, because he's getting up, he hasn't had any reps, you know, all of those things.
05:06In the last couple of games, he has been far from the, you know, a limiting factor in what
05:11you've done.
05:11Yeah.
05:12And so, I got to admit, like, I'm happy to get the win.
05:15You needed to get to 500.
05:17Five and five is so much different than four and six, right?
05:20You look, you were watching all sorts of content, whether it was Sunday night football or anything
05:25else that you were watching yesterday, I quite enjoy seeing the Houston Texans over there
05:29in that in-the-hunt column.
05:30Yeah.
05:31Right?
05:31Like, sometimes at the top of the in-the-hunt column.
05:33Like, I quite enjoy that, and that is a factor of you getting this win and being five and five.
05:37And yet and still, there's a lot of disconcerting for me in this game, especially in the face
05:43of you having a backup quarterback who played pretty damn well.
05:47But, let me get to, I think, the two most reassuring things for me, outside of Davis Mills,
05:53because he ultimately will be replaced by C.J. Stroud, and you want that to happen.
05:57Maybe the two most things, I think you're finding something on the offensive line.
06:02I think you're finding something.
06:03Okay.
06:03That is reassuring.
06:05That is absolutely reassuring.
06:06So, that's number one.
06:08You have finally, for my personal taste, hit some reassuring.
06:12I thought that you had some pretty damn good offensive line play.
06:16There was instances where you got some good, you may say that's just the Titans.
06:21That defensive line is where it's at, man.
06:22They looked pretty nasty in what you were coming with.
06:27And you did a solid job of moving.
06:28I know that there's been, on Texans Twitter, been a lot of appreciation for Titus Howard,
06:33both with his hype-up speech.
06:35I don't know, did you see some of that?
06:36Oh, yeah.
06:37He was animated.
06:38Very animated.
06:39He's very much stepping into this role.
06:41Yeah.
06:41I don't know if the right...
06:43You're finding something.
06:44I don't know if it's like the role was placed upon him in the leadership,
06:48or he grasped onto it in the absence of Laramie Tunsil.
06:50Whatever it is, you're seeing that.
06:52There was a physicality there on this offensive line, on the right side of it.
06:56There was maybe some instances where Trent Brown gets beat, but hey, I think that that happens.
07:00And I probably look at other players there.
07:02The offensive line, a long way of saying it.
07:05I was pretty impressed with the game that they had.
07:07Yeah.
07:07So, I say reassuring.
07:09To me, like I said, word choice matters.
07:10With the defense, back-to-back, you know, at the end of the game, finding a way to win.
07:15Offensive line.
07:16And then the other one.
07:17What's been the most difficult question for anyone to answer over at NRG this year?
07:23What is your identity?
07:24Offensive identity.
07:25What is your identity, offensively?
07:26You think you found it?
07:28No, but I think you're finding it.
07:32I think you're finding it.
07:34Nico Collins, throwing the ball.
07:37It's three straight games with seven catches.
07:39So, I'm hearing that the Bel Air Academy offense is the identity.
07:43Woody Marks, that's your back.
07:46Give it the wheel.
07:47And Dalton Schultz.
07:49You're finding an identity, at least trying to force an identity, of those two guys.
07:55Pound them with the run.
07:56Yeah.
07:58You know, it wasn't an overwhelming running performance.
08:00Would they have 75 yards, something like that?
08:02But they did end up, after a two-point-something per carry average,
08:06ended up with like 3.6 or something.
08:08And so, I think you're finding a little bit of an identity offensively,
08:13finally, behind that offensive line and what you're doing offensively.
08:16Yeah, you ran for 75 yards, 3.3 yards per carry.
08:21Yeah, look, I will agree with certain of those points.
08:25Reassuring isn't the word.
08:26It is for me.
08:27But I ain't mad at this win.
08:29And I respect, like, look, I think we are both in a place where this win, much needed,
08:32and we will absolutely take it, right?
08:34I had a number of friends text me during the course of this game and after this game,
08:39one of which told me, hey, man, never apologize for a win.
08:41I was like, you thought I was going to apologize for that?
08:44Hey, no, you go ahead and take that and run with it.
08:46The thing that I always talk about is, like, being able to, like, spin it forward,
08:49and that's especially necessary in a week where it's short and you are back in the grind on Thursday.
08:54Hell, Mark Vandermeer just made a point as they were signing off there with that Texans radio,
09:00their final segment there, and saying that this is essentially like the Thursday of the work week
09:06and that they will have a designation or at least a practice designation today.
09:11And I was like, damn, that's right.
09:12It really is that much.
09:14You're right back into it.
09:16And so with that being the case, I will take a level of relief in that game.
09:20I can't say that I'm reassured, especially because, like,
09:22you having that much trouble with, admittedly, a division opponent,
09:27one that knows you pretty well.
09:28Like, I understand those caveats.
09:29Because you juxtapose that with the 44 points that the Bills put up.
09:34Oh, I get it.
09:35And I go, hey, even if you still don't know where C.J. Stroud is in trying to clear the protocol,
09:44yeah, I won't go with reassured by any means.
09:47But, look, there's a relief that after all of the mess, right,
09:50you had dudes that you had to jettison three weeks into the season.
09:54You were, I mean, you had real calls for, you know, the offense coordinator to change.
10:00There was probably not as substantial and probably not as realistic calls
10:04for questioning of the head coach.
10:07There was all sorts of trials and tribulations that you could look at
10:09in the early portions of the season.
10:11And now you were sitting at 500 and you still have a very viable path into the playoffs.
10:16Like, that I will take in relief and I will not apologize for,
10:19even with the doubting Thomas in me that exists still.
10:22No, I get it, but that's where I am because this could have spiraled
10:27into an abyss, to be honest.
10:31But, you know, second half, all of a sudden you're down 6-0 at one point
10:36and you go back to back and you start making some progress.
10:39The offensive line, I know they ultimately gave up four sacks.
10:42Was it just one in the second half, I believe?
10:44And started moving the ball on the ground and such.
10:47That, to me, was one.
10:49Davis Mills at the end.
10:50And, you know, keep in mind, he did the 17-yard run, 14-yard run to win
10:54the week before and then makes these plays here.
10:58It was just something that I cannot be mad at, as ugly as it was
11:01and as many little things as you can parse out.
11:03Yeah, from the 8-3-2, felt like this game is simply a snapshot of our season so far.
11:08And, yeah, I think that you could probably get there a little bit.
11:11Bad start.
11:12Yeah, bad start.
11:13And 0-3.
11:14Hey.
11:15Yeah.
11:16Yeah, I guess the 3-3 that way.
11:20Yeah.
11:22Rookies finally get some meaningful playing time and experience in showing up the last
11:25couple of weeks, if healthy.
11:26It'll be interesting to see added impact later in the season that they think
11:30string together wins.
11:31Yeah, I'm with you there.
11:32Like, that's one of the things where you talk about encouraging.
11:35Seeing Jaden Higgins continue to, you know, demonstrate himself as a potential threat.
11:40Right?
11:40That's one of the things that we've been looking at with this team, where we go,
11:43Nico Collins is the only thing that I think a defensive coordinator coming into a game
11:47versus the Texans has to account for.
11:48Yeah.
11:49No, no.
11:49You're right.
11:50It feels like there's a little bit more of that when you look at, all right,
11:53what are we doing with Dalton Schultz?
11:55And then I think Jaden Higgins is starting to, you know, demonstrate himself somewhat.
12:00Yeah, ultimately, like, my feeling, as you can tell, is kind of complicated, but I will
12:07lean into the happy of, you got that victory.
12:10Amy Adam Strunk will not be happy on this day, right?
12:13You sweep the Tennessee Titans, and you pull yourself closer to the ultimate end goal,
12:18right?
12:18That's the thing that is beautiful when you look at the things that you do know.
12:23This defense is going to come up, even as they're missing one of the functional,
12:26pivotal players in there, in Jalen Petrie, they're pulling Jalen Mills playing significant
12:32snaps in this one, Miles Bryant, who was, like, on your practice squad not too long ago playing
12:37significant snaps, and it doesn't feel like there's a real drop-off in what they do.
12:42And I say all that to say, if you can manage to do all the things, the creeping and the
12:45crawling to get yourself into the playoffs, that is a given that I don't think anybody
12:49in the AFC will sustain.
12:49But I also think part of what, you know, where I am with this team right now is that there's
12:54no denying what it is.
12:55I mean, even when C.J. Stroud comes back, start tightening it up offensively.
13:01No.
13:01No.
13:02No, you don't.
13:03But if they can do some things behind this offensive line, protect him a little more,
13:07lean into the Dalton Schultz and Nico Collins, they're a lot better team overall.
13:13They are a lot.
13:13They don't have to score 38 points or whatever it may be, but they are a lot better team.
13:17And that's where I kind of walked away because, as I mentioned at the very start, this defense,
13:22I mean, I'll just pencil it in for somewhere between 14 and 21 points max, you know, in
13:29just about any game they play.
13:30You know, now I know Buffalo Bills scored 44.
13:33Yeah, and we're not there yet, but you would have to forgive me.
13:38My eyes wander at times.
13:40Not only was that, six touchdowns from the big man Josh Allen, and a decent amount of
13:44that was him looking like Cam Newton as a third down back, where they were actually just running
13:49straight quarterback runs in there.
13:50And that does bring up some questions.
13:52However, I'm still with you, right?
13:54Your defense is capable of corralling that.
13:57Will the offense come along to the tune of 16 points?
14:01The answer was yes on a Sunday.
14:03A lot of questions going to a Thursday.
14:05But you know what?
14:06Coming along for sure.
14:07We will deal with that.
14:08We will deal with that when we get there.
14:10From the 8 through 2, yeah, we missed MJ Stewart yesterday.
14:12And you'll continue to miss MJ Stewart for the rest of the season.
14:14Like, that's something that exists.
14:16I have to apologize.
14:19Because I was going to say I will not apologize, but I will.
14:20I will absolutely apologize.
14:22There's a level of negativity that I can't get out of this.
14:24But I'll take a win versus the Tennessee Titans.
14:26I will.
14:27I'll take that win.
14:28You are now, what is that?
14:30You're now, what, 3-1 in conference?
14:34Or in division?
14:34Division.
14:35With the two Colts games?
14:36Yes.
14:36Still running?
14:37Remaining?
14:39A pretty reasonable 4-2.
14:42Like, there's still a very viable path for you to get there.
14:46But it starts really getting tough for you when you have to face off against the Buffalo
14:50Bills on Thursday.
14:51And we are very much in watch-and-see mode.
14:53D'Amico Rines will talk at 11-15.
14:56And I imagine one of the big questions is where is CJ Stroud in his concussion protocol situation?
15:03That is going to be one of the things that's interesting to see.
15:04However, a victory.
15:06We will take those from the 4-0-9.
15:08Slow down, guys.
15:09Let's see them be a good team first.
15:10That is something that I'll say.
15:12I'm not sure that there are a lot of good teams to see.
15:15Like, that's one of those things this year that is kind of a takeaway.
15:18But we have plenty of time to talk about that in the four hours on a victory reaction Monday
15:22where your Texans get a 16-13 victory.
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