- 2 months ago
Seth and Sean dive into how well Woody Marks has played this season and if he's one of the most valuable players on the Texans at the moment.
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00:00This was Woody Marks after the game on Sunday.
00:04I'll pose my question in a second.
00:07After the game in the locker room on Sunday, I think it was Sarge asking him,
00:10hey, was there any thought of you coming out of the game?
00:12Because if you watched that game and you saw the replay,
00:15on what should have been a hip drop, called a hip drop tackle,
00:18Woody Marks got his foot smushed underneath himself and a player,
00:23and it was nasty.
00:24He did have to come out for a little bit, but he said, no, I'm not coming out.
00:27When the injury first occurred, did you think that you were going to be out for the game?
00:31Out for the game?
00:32Oh, no, I ain't never out for the game.
00:34No matter what the situation is, I ain't never out.
00:37Okay, and that's a good thing, because my question is this, Seth.
00:41Is Woody Marks one of the most valuable players on the Houston Texans right now?
00:44Oh, yeah.
00:46Okay, if you had to power rank it by, okay, just exactly how good is he
00:50versus this or that, not necessarily.
00:53You know, I feel like obviously your cornerbacks, your defensive ends,
00:56your quarterback, all of that.
00:58They're better football players than he is right now.
01:01But given, I mean, where would they be without Woody Marks?
01:03That's where I'm going with it.
01:05They would be in a rough, rough place.
01:07Yeah, if you're power ranking who the best players are on the team,
01:10we know what that list looks like.
01:12The drop-off from Woody Marks to what is left in the running back room after Woody Marks,
01:18and this is meant as zero disrespect to Nick Chubb.
01:20I think Nick Chubb is doing the best with what God has given him at the age of 30
01:25or whatever he is, and after all these surgeries and injuries that he's had
01:28in his lower extremities.
01:30I think Nick Chubb is a one-year, two-and-a-half-million-dollar guy
01:33who's playing like a one-year, two-and-a-half-million-dollar guy.
01:36I like Nick Chubb.
01:37Daria Gumbawale, if he starts getting a little too involved in the offense,
01:41that's a bad sign for things.
01:43Those are the next two guys after Woody Marks,
01:45and we got a taste of what it would feel like, at least emotionally,
01:50if something were to happen to him.
01:51Now, fortunately, like he said, he came back in the game.
01:54But in that moment where he's limping around on that foot,
01:57and he's had some other little dings here and there, it feels like,
02:00you know, he's essentially the feature back on this team right now.
02:04When I saw him limping and I started to try to visualize,
02:07not just in that Colts game, Seth, but what the rest of the season would look like,
02:11because the trades aren't available anymore.
02:13Trade deadline came and went a month ago.
02:16I think Woody Marks, if you judge value by what the drop-off is
02:22from Woody Marks to the next running back,
02:24hell, that delta is probably much bigger for that position
02:27than the delta between C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills right now.
02:30Right, and it's, I mean, gosh, the free agents that would be available right now,
02:37where the Texans have two open roster spots.
02:39Today's injury report is going to be really interesting for both teams.
02:43We're really hoping Woody Marks isn't on it.
02:45Meanwhile, the Chiefs could be, they could be down three starting offensive linemen,
02:49so we'll see how they list them today.
02:51But it's, and you're getting down to that time of the season where it's just really,
02:57it's really crucial, you know, and health matters a lot.
03:01I don't, you know, like, if they had to go without Woody Marks,
03:10then at the very least you could do what you can do with Nick Chubb,
03:15but they're going to end up, you know, having to use the pass to set up the run.
03:19Yes.
03:20Which they still, like a lot of NFL teams, they're kind of pretty balanced
03:23in whether it feels like you're using one to set up the other.
03:26But, yeah, it would end up really putting that much pressure on C.J. Stroud
03:31to just flat out figure out ways to open up opportunities for the run
03:36by threatening with a pass game.
03:38Yep, yep.
03:39And you notice this, too, that at the end of the game,
03:44when the Texans are driving with the goal to grind out the clock, not score,
03:49that Woody Marks was asking C.J., hey, if I break into the open field, what do I do?
03:54Right, yeah, like having that awareness to know that he, to ask if he should go down or not.
04:00Yeah.
04:00Like, which is something that's, that's impressive by this younger generation.
04:04It really was a rarity when that would happen,
04:07when a running back would have the awareness to know to go down.
04:11Yeah.
04:12And you've got the lead at the end of a game.
04:16Yeah.
04:16And now it doesn't actually seem all that uncommon,
04:18where you see a guy willingly go down before the goal line.
04:21Yeah, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners, for sure.
04:23Yeah, yeah.
04:25Well, Nick Chubb did it himself when he was with the Browns, remember?
04:28Yep, he sure did.
04:29Now, so immediately you might think, okay, well, they've still got Jawar Jordan on the practice squad.
04:33I think J.J. Taylor is still out there as a free agent right now.
04:36The biggest drop-off would be, if you go from Woody Marks to one of the other young backs,
04:42and J.J. Taylor's not even young, is pass protection.
04:45Yes.
04:45Like, Woody Marks is really, by rookie standards, is way ahead of the curve.
04:50Most rookie running backs, even the bigger guys, aren't as good in pass protection as Woody Marks is.
04:55So, yeah, everything you're saying about how vital and critical he is right this moment, it's 100% true.
05:02And now you've injected a little bit of nervousness into my day that I didn't want to have, Sean.
05:06Well, that'll be the big one we're looking for on the edge of my apologies.
05:11I didn't, like that Colts game, man, I didn't enjoy that game at all.
05:14I was just, I was uncomfortable the whole time.
05:16Just do what you just, we stumbled into.
05:19If you're starting to feel some angst about Woody Marks, just open up that picture of the Venus de Milo
05:24and stare at it and allow it to soothe you, okay?
05:28Randy's going to come in and be like, what are you doing?
05:30I'm looking at Greek antiquities, ladies.
05:32Do you not want me to have some culture in my life?
05:37Seth has a fetish for armless statues.
05:41Randy, put your hands behind your back.
05:50That's good stuff.
05:51Hey, my next question.
05:53Why don't you lay in a cold tub for 20 minutes and then come in with your arms behind your back.
05:57Your arms behind your back.
05:57My next question, his stats are down this year.
06:05So is Nico Collins' contract still viewed as a bargain or is it just appropriate value?
06:11How are we viewing, how are we viewing the season Nico Collins is having?
06:14I think honestly, Sean, did you see the bar graph that I made?
06:17I did.
06:18Using Gemini.
06:19It is gorgeous.
06:19You need to share that with the world.
06:21I probably will.
06:21The one thing that really jumps out, because I was looking at the stats and everything,
06:26and I'm like, all right, let me get a feel for this.
06:29I mean, since the Ravens game, or no, not the Ravens game.
06:33When was Nico out?
06:34Nico was out.
06:35Nico was out for the Niners game.
06:36Niners game.
06:37Since the Niners game, he's had, for those five games, he's had seven receptions, seven
06:43receptions, nine receptions, three receptions, and then five receptions.
06:47So in four of the five games since he returned from injury, he's had five or more, he's had
06:52five or greater receptions.
06:54In the first five games, six games of the season, he only had more than five or more
07:00receptions once out of those six times.
07:03It was like four was his high watermark in all the other ones.
07:06So he's had five or greater in four of the last five.
07:10So that includes three games with Davis Mills, two games with CJ Stroud.
07:14Two of the five games, excuse me, two games with Davis with five or more receptions, two
07:21games with CJ with five or more receptions.
07:23I think a huge part of it is just that A, the offense has clicked more so, and B, because
07:29the rookies are getting involved, it's that symbiotic thing where because defenses want
07:36to focus on Nico, it opens up opportunities for the rookies, but then as the rookies have
07:41to be accounted for, it also opens up opportunities for Nico.
07:43And CJ and Davis are just, in the entire offense in general, is just clicking a little bit
07:48better.
07:49I think he's worth every penny still.
07:50I think it's still a great contract.
07:52He's 16th right now in average annual value at that position for his contract.
07:57He's 13th in the league in receiving yards.
08:00And to your point, trending in a direction where this, you're right, the last five games
08:05have looked a whole lot more like the Nico that we saw in the first five games of 2024,
08:11where he was on an historic pace in that one.
08:16Okay.
08:16The last question I have for this segment, this is one that you actually, I think, put
08:19in here yesterday when we were talking about all the different things, all the, all the
08:24reasons why the Texans need to get into this post season and make this the year they get
08:29to new heights.
08:30Just real quick, the last five games, he would have been, that's on pace for, that's 105
08:34catches over the course.
08:35Yeah.
08:35That's the old Nico.
08:36Yes.
08:37Yeah.
08:37Yes.
08:37That's great.
08:39And I'm sure probably 1500 yards, I would guess too.
08:44Starting Sunday against the chiefs.
08:46What do we need to see from CJ Stroud to feel good about a contract extension this off season
08:53that I don't think is a lock, but I think it's the favorite that he gets a contract extension
08:58this year.
08:59I feel like there's like a 60, 60 to 70% chance, maybe even higher that he gets a
09:05contract extension.
09:05What is, what are the biggest things we need to see to feel good about CJ getting 55 to
09:1060 million a year?
09:11I think, I mean, to, to overly simplify it, it's just flat out points on the board, like
09:19an actually impressive offense at times and not just grinding clock or not just doing
09:25well, driving down into the red zone, but then failing.
09:28So a lot of that just simply comes down to red zone execution.
09:32And a lot of the really egregiously bad red zone trips for the Texans have not been CJ's
09:37fault whatsoever.
09:37Um, like the, go back to the Bucs game or the Broncos game, the Seahawks game where they
09:43ran it up the gut, however many, four times in a row.
09:46Um, I, that's the entire offense.
09:49I think Nick Caley coming into his own, all of those things that have started to look better,
09:54but if they can do that, I almost don't even care what CJ Stroud's actual numbers are.
10:00It's with him at the helm.
10:02Is this actually a, an offense that can threaten teams instead of just be dragged along by the
10:07defense?
10:08Yeah, I, that's, that's the big one.
10:11Statistically, emotionally, visually red zone proficiency is the huge one for me.
10:15I, and it'll get the opportunity to do that on Sunday.
10:18I feel like we need to see a few more wins in head to head matchups with guys that are,
10:24that are either at CJ's level or above CJ's level right now.
10:28Yeah, that's all it's not quarterback versus quarterback, but there is something emotionally
10:32about feeling like, yeah, yeah, we went in and we want to duel.
10:36Hey, you know what?
10:37Okay.
10:38One of these games, maybe the Texans defense has a letdown.
10:41Yes.
10:41Like all great defenses do at times.
10:44Maybe they have a letdown, but CJ had a shootout with either Pat Mahomes or somebody else.
10:48And the Texans came out on top.
10:50Yeah.
10:50That would feel, that would feel more like, all right, this is a team that can beat you in
10:55multiple different ways.
10:56Yep.
10:56It doesn't, because you start looking towards the playoffs and you think, man, it's really,
11:00really hard to win four games in a row specifically with your defense versus good teams versus
11:06playoff caliber teams.
11:08Yeah.
11:08Yeah.
11:08Yeah.
11:08So yeah, that, that alone, I think.
11:11And there's, you know, there's not that many more opportunities to do it.
11:14No, there's not.
11:15When I don't.
11:15Well, other than the playoffs.
11:16Right.
11:17And I, and I don't know that this defense, I don't know if they're going to have a stinker
11:21the rest of the way, you know, like, I don't know.
11:23I don't know if the Chiefs, the Chiefs game, just by virtue of Mahomes being able to have
11:29an explosive couple of plays against you and kind of blow it, blow it, blow things wide
11:34open.
11:34Even if the Chiefs offense isn't operating well, that's the biggest opportunity.
11:37Then after that.
11:38Yeah.
11:38I don't, it would be an extreme letdown if the Texans don't, don't kind of finish the
11:43season the way they've played the entire season.
11:45If they're able to pull off the win on Sunday, and again, it's, they're a three and a half
11:48point underdog.
11:49So these two teams are viewed as basically even on a neutral field.
11:54It's been a long time since you could say that about the Houston Texans and the Kansas
11:58City Chiefs, that they're viewed as anything close to even on a neutral field.
12:02This version of the Chiefs is a version that's in the lower half of the power rankings.
12:07They're losing one score games this year.
12:09Meanwhile, the Texans have won four straight one score games.
12:13Like the, the trends are all favoring the Texans right now.
12:15I'm looking up at the TV in our studio here, Seth, and they had a long conversation on get
12:19up this morning where the topic was, are the Texans the most dangerous team in the AFC?
12:24If they go into Kansas city in prime time in December and do the chiefs, they will be the
12:29lead story on every show on Monday next week, every show.
12:33And it is a, and part of it is just to, I think presenting the Texans as this ferocious band
12:39of killers on defense.
12:41Yeah.
12:41That makes for good television.
12:42Uh, the, the highlight reels of the various big hits they have in any given game, the
12:47amount of hatred there is for Aziz Alshire, uh, around the league, everywhere outside Southeast
12:52Texas.
12:53Um, it's like, if you did one of those maps that you see on social media all the time
12:58of like states who love or hate Aziz Alshire, you know, just Texas, a whole lot of blue and
13:05one battle red.
13:06Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what it would be.
13:09That's what it would be.
13:10That's what it would be.
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