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Reggie and John break down who really showed out against the Titans
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00:00Who are the people that you appreciated in this game?
00:03And one of them, D'Amico Ryan's actually talked about, for me, John Lopez.
00:08I think that Dalton Schultz was really good in this game.
00:10Really good.
00:10Especially with the context that I think D'Amico added.
00:13It's one of those things that's very evident.
00:14When you see him kind of holding that, gripping at that clavicle area,
00:18looking at kind of his shoulder of sorts.
00:20And he's shaking down.
00:21It looked like the so-called stinger to me.
00:24Almost like we used to call it pinched nerve, you know, where it kind of numbs.
00:28I've had him, and he kind of numbs, and you kind of shake your hand,
00:31and you can't feel it, but then you can come back.
00:35But he's had other things.
00:35Both figures.
00:36A knee and a shoulder are the two designations that I've seen with him
00:39when he pulls up on the injury report.
00:41And he's clearly been battling through that for a number of weeks.
00:45And that has not stopped him from being a pretty –
00:47like he's been the quintessential tight end safety blanket for a quarterback.
00:52He has been the reason why this team has been able to stay on track a decent amount
00:57because he is the third and manageable maker, right?
01:00When they end up in this, oh, man, we're in second and 10
01:02because we had a bad player.
01:04It's second and 13.
01:05He comes out, leaks to one side or the other or down the middle or whatever.
01:08Leak him out, have him run a little stick around the middle of a zone,
01:12get him the ball, and now all of a sudden magically you're in third and five.
01:14Like he has been creating those with a level of frequency that's kind of incredible.
01:20And as much as – I don't think that they're asking him to do it nearly as much
01:23as he's been doing it as he was doing it last year.
01:25You can see like the grit and toughness of getting in here and chipping at times
01:28when they do ask him to do that.
01:30And I appreciate that from him especially because he's clearly hurting, right?
01:34So being willing to do that and just popping back up, getting back into the field of play
01:39when he's clearly knocked up, battered, and bruised.
01:41I think that he's done a really good job for this team.
01:43No, Dalton Schultz has had a very, very good year.
01:47And you talk about the blocking.
01:48He's blocking the way a tight end should block, you know, with some chips and maybe some –
01:52Not one up on an end?
01:53He's not one-on-one with an end.
01:55I mean, that's just asking too much.
01:57But the other thing that I was thinking about as I was listening to D'Amico is, yes,
02:02really good season.
02:04I mean, but he also – two things.
02:06I think he's also – we talked about this earlier in the show – kind of helping the
02:09offense gain an identity.
02:11He is part of that.
02:12He and Nico.
02:12And secondly, this short week hurts no one more than Dalton Schultz.
02:22Like, you know, him coming on a short –
02:24Physically?
02:24Yes.
02:25On a short week.
02:26That's a worry for me.
02:27That's a concern.
02:28Yeah.
02:28That's – I mean, that's a great point.
02:30Getting him ready.
02:31Actually, I got to go back and check what the snap count was because Kate Stover was –
02:35I think Kate Stover had not a lot.
02:37I'll put it that way.
02:38I can't remember the exact number.
02:39I do wonder if this might be the opportunity for him to get some more burn to maybe hopefully
02:44spell Dalton a little bit.
02:46But I don't even know how much you would want to spell him considering he's been of such
02:50great import of, again, being a safety blanket, man.
02:53There's that comfort.
02:53In fact, it was very odd seeing a couple of plays in which Davis Mills missed him.
02:58In this game, one of those kind of him running free down the seam where Davis throws the
03:02ball behind him.
03:02And I think there was another instance where he just kind of threw it low if memory serves.
03:06Because it just feels like people have – quarterbacks all season long have felt comfortable just
03:11throwing that ball to him in those spaces in the zone or, as you mentioned, in those
03:15leak outs where it's just a – it's a known here's four or five yards without real questions
03:21beyond that.
03:22Yeah.
03:22I guess if we're talking about pass catchers, Nico Collins, man.
03:26Nico Collins has been, I mean, what you expect to some degree.
03:29But also, I think we were having conversations about him trying to step into that, at least
03:34being acknowledged amongst the elites of wide receivers in this league.
03:38And it feels like a game like he had yesterday was one of those that's important.
03:43Well, and it's not just the one game.
03:46I mean, he's something of on a heater right now.
03:51And when you look at what he's done, I mean, he's got three 11 catches.
03:57And that's – I think that's the best – over the last three games, he's the only
04:02receiver in the NFL that has done that.
04:04So he's starting to finally gain, you know, that – again, that identity.
04:08It's starting to get a little bit of identity.
04:10It's Nico.
04:10It's Dalton.
04:10It's what we've been asking for, especially with Nico.
04:13Nico, and he's just been approving it.
04:16And, boy, I feel like we're shortchanging that third and 16 play.
04:21Yeah, dude.
04:22I feel like we need to dig in on that a little bit.
04:24That was incredible.
04:26That was the game.
04:26Now, could have gone to overtime and they still win.
04:28But, nevertheless, that was the game right there.
04:31Yeah.
04:32I mean, you talk about – well, the reason why I mentioned Nico Collins specifically
04:35last – yesterday, he was 9 of 10, right?
04:39He brought in all the targets that were sent his direction.
04:44I think that that is also important.
04:46Like, he's making a meal of what's being given to him.
04:48It's not just, like, the idea that they're pouring in a whole bunch of volume
04:51and eventually he's coming up with catches.
04:53No, no, no.
04:54If you're throwing it his way in this game, he's bringing it down.
04:57And that's the type of thing that you expect from a receiver of his caliber,
05:00especially when you're playing against a secondary that is not on his level.
05:05Is we throw it over there, you bring it in.
05:06Even if we're throwing it to you on the sideline, we're throwing it high
05:10to where you have to elevate, secure the ball, get your feet down in the field of play.
05:15Like, the fact of the matter is the comfort that you should have
05:19throwing it his way is there.
05:20And he's making this offense go right now.
05:23Like, he is the one given that you have, which is what it's supposed to be on paper.
05:28No, he absolutely is.
05:30Because even when in real time, when I saw that Davis Miller getting the ball over
05:37and, you know, hitting that window just perfect was incredible.
05:42But even as I'm watching the play in real time, I'm like, oh, he's in.
05:45You know, it looked like it was going to be really close or maybe he was out.
05:48And they were talking about it on the broadcast.
05:50But I was like, no, no, he got them both in.
05:53That was an incredible play.
05:54Without question.
05:55Without question.
05:55Are there any dudes that come to mind for you?
05:57Because I've kind of monopolized this early on.
05:59Well, I think there's a couple.
06:02This offensive line, something of a – not a total,
06:05but something of a revelation all of a sudden with what you have.
06:08And we'll see about Ed Ingram coming back and what happens there.
06:12But Titus Howard, you cannot ask for more from an offensive lineman.
06:17To be able to be the leader that he is now, that's clear.
06:19We saw it in the pregame.
06:20He was in the middle of the huddle.
06:21To be able to move around, tackle to guard.
06:24Trent Brown did a good job at tackle.
06:27What are you going to do with Jarrett Patterson?
06:29He's playing pretty well.
06:30He's playing pretty well.
06:32He's playing all right.
06:34He's playing all right.
06:34I don't know that I have a very passionate response to anybody at left guard.
06:39And that's kind of a weird thing for me.
06:42Understandable.
06:43And it raises a question that almost feels like blasphemous.
06:47Is that where – is that Titus Howard's next stop once Ed Ingram's back?
06:50Right?
06:50Is he just doing a tour of the offensive line?
06:52Right.
06:52I mean, you could see the difference, I think, if he was playing right tackle versus Trent Brown.
06:57But it felt passable in this game.
07:01Does that – is that how you are able to even shore up the offensive line better?
07:04Is making him switch hands, so to say, and get to that left guard spot so that you have more dudes that you feel super comfortable with.
07:11I think so.
07:12I know you're not –
07:15I'm also – I recognize the people that will come up and say, hey, playing musical chairs on the offensive line.
07:21It ain't great.
07:22It's not a path to, you know, success inherently.
07:24But I think that is the way to go.
07:26I would not – I would not replace Trent Brown at right tackle at this point, based on everything that we've seen.
07:33Until you're forced to?
07:34Until, yeah, until you see otherwise.
07:36So that kind of narrows it down to, you know, Titus at left guard and Ed Ingram at right.
07:42Here's the thing about the offensive line.
07:43It hasn't been an obvious, glaring problem.
07:48It hasn't.
07:48In the last couple of games?
07:49In the last couple of games, it just hasn't.
07:50Yeah, and that's one thing I found interesting because in this game, there was more opportunity, you would imagine, for maybe that to show up.
07:58And there were four sacks, some of which I think I could probably put on Davis Mills.
08:01Like, one of those sacks, you have both ends pinching on the end where you have off of the left side.
08:06I can't remember if that was Simmons being moved out to the outside.
08:09But someone just goes through Ariante Urseri's chest, which is like, damn, big dog.
08:13I feel like you should be able to handle that, but maybe that's growing pain.
08:16He had a bad rep, as they say.
08:17Maybe it was – yeah, probably just a bad rep there.
08:19But then on the right side, definitely a bad rep where your guy, Trent Brown, just gets beat.
08:24Davis doing something that feels like CJ would do, stepping back into that pressure instead of stepping up into a relatively clean pocket,
08:30was a little uncomfortable in that moment.
08:32Yeah.
08:32But, yeah, I think that by and large, especially knowing what this offensive line has been over the entirety of the season,
08:38I was not disappointed by any means with what the offensive line was.
08:43But here's where I really want to go in this segment.
08:44You're talking about, you know, like standouts and things that, you know, that sort of are sparks all of a sudden for this team.
08:50We've been waiting for it.
08:51It's only taken 10 or 11 weeks to have the two best rush ends in football combined playing together, combined.
09:03You know, it was either Will Anderson or Daniil Hunter.
09:06You got them both.
09:07And they're both hitting a notch, a level that is otherworldly.
09:11I mean, there's no other way to put it.
09:12Last two games, Daniil Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. have combined for seven sacks, eight tackles for losses, nine quarterback hits,
09:20a pass defense, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
09:25You've got bookends that are just otherworldly right now.
09:30Yeah.
09:30They're just hitting a stride.
09:32Who definitely didn't hoop as us because we were like, oh, it's going to be eight sacks in this game.
09:36Cam Ward had three of them.
09:37Yeah.
09:38But I think also that was intentional.
09:39It felt like the defense, D'Amico Ryans, Matt Burke, they just decided, we're going to treat you like a rookie who is on a bad team right now
09:47and see, can you make good decisions?
09:48It didn't feel like they got too exotic with the defenses that they were playing.
09:51At times, they just got up and had a whole bunch of dudes mugged up on the line trying to see if they could get Cam Ward.
09:56And I will give Cam a little bit of credit.
09:59He stepped up to the line.
10:00He used the hard count to at least, you know, see who was coming at times to set protection and, you know, kind of get the Texans out of gear at times.
10:08But, yeah, they were like, we're going to play off.
10:12We're going to play a little cover too.
10:14See if you can make us pay.
10:15Eventually, he did with that Chigakonkwo pass.
10:17But for the most part, he didn't.
10:19So I did want to give them credit there.
10:21Can I highlight some real quick?
10:23And this is like one of them team awards where we just give it to a whole bunch of people.
10:27And you should, I will acknowledge individuals within it.
10:30Interior defensive line.
10:31Yes.
10:31The interior of this defensive line.
10:35And it shows up in this game, but I think it also shows up in others.
10:38Tommy Togiai, one of those especially.
10:40Tim Settle.
10:42Mario Edwards.
10:43One of the things that I love about these guys, they know that opposing offenses, particularly opposing quarterbacks, getting the ball out quick against this defense.
10:51They know that those guys aren't trying to hold the football.
10:52You saw it from Cam Ward, who at one point was getting the ball out at like a 2.25 seconds clip.
11:00I think that might have been the first half.
11:01Eventually, he still even finished the game with the fastest time to throw in his career, in his short career.
11:07Like they were getting the ball out quick.
11:08And one thing that means is when you're on the interior of the defensive line, you can't assume that you're getting.
11:12Boy, they're getting their hands up and knocking all that down.
11:15All that's getting batted down.
11:17And like the awareness to know.
11:18We're not getting all the way in there, but we're going to affect this game by hook or by crook.
11:22No, you're absolutely.
11:23I was going to mention that.
11:24I'm glad you brought it up.
11:24Because the way that they know that if they do that, they have a real good shot of getting a hand on the ball.
11:32But it's, again, because of the two rush ends that are causing so much trouble.
11:38Let me ask you this.
11:38How are you feeling about Nick Cayley right now?
11:40That is a great question that I was just kind of thinking of again.
11:44Because, I mean, you know me.
11:46Especially after last week.
11:48This week I was then looking at, you know, what caused drives to stall out when they did.
11:55And there's not.
11:56There's a few times where I can go, okay, I think it was the play call.
11:59There's not a lot of times where I get into that.
12:01And there's some instances where I've seen some really good plays.
12:04Like there was a play with the toss.
12:07Woody Marks toss left.
12:08Where you get a couple of people pulling.
12:10You got a.
12:10I don't even know if you consider this pulling.
12:12But you got a big 40 to spay.
12:16You've got, of course, Ariante Urseri pulling out to the left side.
12:19And you're like, okay, if this is blocked up the way that the game is set up to be blocked up.
12:24He should pick up some yardage.
12:25And Jakob Johnson just misses a tackle there.
12:27And I go, all right, well, how much am I putting that on Nick Cayley?
12:30I think that he's largely been fine.
12:32Which, again, isn't a huge.
12:35It's not a huge plus.
12:36But it's also not a demerit.
12:37Which is an improvement from where we previously were.
12:39Now, of course, maybe if I go back and look at this game.
12:42Super closely.
12:43As I hope that I have an opportunity to maybe to dare tomorrow.
12:46Maybe we see a little bit more where I go, okay, there's actually more underneath here.
12:50But it feels like he's been fine.
12:52Which, again, considering where we had once been in this season.
12:55I'm not too mad at.
12:56I think what it comes down to.
12:58And it took a while.
12:59Because they didn't even know what their identity was.
13:02They struggled.
13:02Obviously, he changed quarterbacks a couple of weeks ago.
13:05Three weeks ago.
13:06So, I think they just sort of, Nick Cayley has been leaning on his assistants.
13:12He talked about that last week.
13:14You know, the collaborative effort that it is.
13:16And also realizing they just can't do certain things.
13:19They just can't do.
13:21They're not going to gain 190 yards rushing.
13:24You know, they're not.
13:24Joe Mixon is not walking through that door.
13:27And Woody Marks is valuable.
13:29So, they just use it to kind of set up some of the other things.
13:33And get rid of the ball themselves pretty quickly.
13:35They just kind of know who they are now.
13:36Well, I will say this, though, as I'm thinking about it.
13:39I will still ding Nick Cayley on.
13:41There are times where he's still running up against the wall.
13:44Like, and I know this is something that they believe.
13:47D'Amico kind of talked about it again when he was asked about the red zone just earlier.
13:50The idea of, you know, you got to win your one-on-one match.
13:54Match-ups.
13:56The defensive line is that solid and try and run up the middle, right?
13:58Like, there were still instances where a lot of inside zone type stuff trying to run the ball up the middle.
14:03No, that's fair.
14:03I don't know that that's the way that you need to handle this.
14:06And I feel like we can do the thing where really lean into the notion of being game plan
14:10and don't run into the team's strength.
14:11Yeah.
14:12No, you're right on that one.
14:14But I think they're just being a little safer and recognizing, you know, what they can and can't do.
14:19Now, some of that might have had something to do with Davis Mills.
14:22But I don't expect a whole lot to change with C.J. Stroud.
14:24And did you feel like, and of course I'm turning into what is supposed to be a largely positive segment into a little bit of nitpick.
14:30Did you feel like it was odd?
14:31As much as I've been clamoring for him, maybe you could just say Reggie's a hypocrite.
14:34Go ahead and hold that.
14:36As much as we've been clamoring, and I personally have been clamoring for him, more Woody Marks.
14:39But as the game started getting later, didn't it feel like it should have been a little bit more Nick Chubb, interesting enough?
14:46Like it felt like, all right, now it's time to send the bowling ball in.
14:48Chubb had a couple of runs in there, too.
14:50He had a couple.
14:50Yeah.
14:51But it felt like this is the time where you throw the battering ram in, no?
14:53I think that's why, you know, you have the one-two punch.
14:57You know, otherwise it would have just been mixing.
14:59You know, and he gets stronger as the game goes on.
15:02No, I do agree with that.
15:03I think Woody Marks is still going to be the featured back, but there is a definite place for Nick Chubb to fill that role, exactly what you're talking about.
15:10How did you feel about the dudes in the secondary that were called in?
15:15Like, I saw Jalen Mills in there.
15:16I was like, oh, okay, this is what we're doing here.
15:20But Miles Bryant, interestingly enough, ended up in some of these spaces.
15:24Picked on a little bit.
15:25It felt like that was it.
15:26I wrote it down in my notes.
15:27I don't know if you're familiar with my terminology where I call folks the mark.
15:30The mark?
15:31Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:31Or food?
15:32Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:35I asked, is 25, because I write these dudes' names as numbers, is 25 a mark?
15:40Well, I think they tested him.
15:42And I think that that might have been more schematic than it was, like, trying to pick on him in particular.
15:47Maybe that was.
15:48Maybe that was just the way that they decided to play it, pick on that nickel in the system.
15:51But I feel like it might have been, like, schematic, because especially some of those were, like, outs, and particularly deep outs at times,
15:57which I felt like was a weak spot, and that was available in this game, up until Chigakonkwo gets his big catch down, you know, for a huge play for the Titans.
16:06It behooved them to test him, at minimum.
16:10What's up?
16:11Cool.
16:11Let's go.
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