00:00So, Jonathan Alexander had an article in the Chronicle.
00:03Jonathan covers the Texans beat for the Houston Chronicle, does a nice job,
00:07joins us on the pregame show on road games on Texans radio.
00:11He had four things the Texans need to do to fix the offense.
00:14I'm going to rattle off the four, and you tell me, Seth,
00:17if you were running things, what would your priority be in all these?
00:24Number one, invest in the interior offensive line.
00:27Number two, improve the run game, and Jonathan specifies by saying
00:32they need to find a lead back either in free agency
00:35or in the first couple rounds of the draft.
00:37Someone that makes Woody Marks more of a complimentary player, not your bell cow.
00:41That's number two.
00:42Number three, find another weapon for C.J. Stroud.
00:45Number four, part ways with some of the offensive staff.
00:50Did you name names in the – you know what?
00:52I realized just now that I read the article, but I stopped after number three.
00:56And did he name names with the offensive staff?
00:59I don't think he did.
01:00I'm opening the article right now.
01:01If my browser would start to cooperate, I will be able to tell you.
01:03Okay, so –
01:04I almost feel like that one's on a separate burner than the other three.
01:07It's interesting because, obviously, investing in the O-line
01:11and improving the run game are very much interrelated.
01:15So, investing in the O-line as well as investing in a running back,
01:20I think 100% that's chief on my – that's the number one thing on my priority list right now.
01:25I think that Nicole Popovich is a good offensive line coach.
01:28They made improvements on that offensive line,
01:30but there's kind of a ceiling on how much improvement they could make just because
01:35they don't have actual badasses, actual get-into-a-fist-fight-in-a-phone-booth type of dude
01:40on the interior offensive line.
01:44And, you know, I'm willing to see Jake Andrews stick around and compete for a position
01:48and all of that, but they just need studs in there.
01:52And I don't think they have him right now.
01:55So, that is going to improve the running game.
01:58But to have a genuinely scary rushing attack or a dependable rushing attack,
02:03you need somebody other than Woody Marks in the backfield.
02:05So, you'd prioritize the ball carrier first and foremost, it's out.
02:10No, I would put – no, I would do the interior offensive line first and foremost.
02:12You do that first?
02:13But you also got to address the running back position.
02:15And you can do both, obviously.
02:17Last year we were talking about in the offseason you wanted to improve the offensive line in general
02:22and the wide receiver position.
02:24I think they addressed both of those.
02:26And I'm excited about Ariante Harrisery.
02:28I think he has the potential to be a really good offensive lineman in the NFL.
02:32I like Jaden Higgins.
02:33I think there's potential in Jalen Knoll.
02:35I think they addressed those issues.
02:37But to finish it off on the offensive line, it's specifically addressing the interior offensive line.
02:42Here's what he says about the offensive staff.
02:44He said, one of the more interesting decisions last season was when Nick Caley was hired.
02:49Ryan's allowed him to keep the old staff that had coached under Bobby Sloick.
02:54Yes, Chris Strouser was gone, but just about – Chris Strouser, the former O-line coach, was gone.
02:59But just about everybody else was back.
03:02Evaluating Cole Popovich – or elevating Cole Popovich to lead the O-line was the best decision
03:06the Texans staff made last offseason.
03:09Wow, that's high praise for that one right there from Jonathan.
03:13He does not go on.
03:14He said, what's clear is that things aren't working out as they are right now.
03:22The Texans may need some new coaches on the offensive staff who bring fresh ideas and techniques to the building.
03:28Where Ryan makes these changes is up to him, but somewhere there needs to be change.
03:32Ryan's did indicate that he'll evaluate all staff, saying he'd take the week to think about it.
03:37It might be difficult.
03:38There's no guarantee it'll work, but it also might not be a bad thing.
03:40Perhaps that can help elevate Kaley if Ryan's decides to keep him as his play caller.
03:46Since this article was written, Nick Casario went in front of the media and said that they expect Nick Kaley to be back next year.
03:52Yeah.
03:53And, you know, Gerard Johnson is interviewing – is it with Miami?
03:57Yes.
03:58For their offensive coordinator job.
03:59So, Gerard, I mean, some of this might happen naturally.
04:01And without saying that Gerard Johnson is the problem or anything, if he gets a chance to be an offensive coordinator somewhere,
04:06they're going to get a different quarterback's coach.
04:09And maybe that makes a difference or something.
04:14And that's a tricky one where kind of like with hitting coaches in baseball,
04:17it doesn't even necessarily have to be that somebody's a better quarterback coach than Gerard Johnson,
04:22but it might be somebody in seeing things from a different perspective might help CJ just in getting a different –
04:27just a different point of view on things.
04:30That might work.
04:31I mean, on the defensive side of the ball, you know, you can point to like Dino Vasso,
04:36the defensive backs coach, and say, man, that guy has done a hell of a job with some young defensive backs.
04:41I forget – I have to remind myself sometimes that there's still room for improvement on the defense
04:46just by virtue of the fact that all four of your defensive backs are young players.
04:52I mean, Derek Stingley could have still been on his back when he played this year.
04:59And then you've got Jalen Petrie and Kamari Lassiter and Kalen Bullock, all very young players,
05:07that those guys are going to continue to get better.
05:09And I think the other positions are coached really well.
05:12Well, it's harder to gush about the position coaches on the offensive line or on the offensive side of the ball
05:17because the performance hasn't been there.
05:19And also just other than with the offensive line, you know, you really haven't been able to dial it in
05:26and say, wow, those guys are technically better than they were last year or in previous years.
05:30Do you want to see them shopping in free agency for offensive linemen, or do you want to see them –
05:36Yeah, no, it needs to be a two-fold approach, which is the way that Nick approaches it too.
05:40Yeah, yeah.
05:40He's going to – I think that I would expect the Texans to be more aggressive this year
05:46in free agency in the draft than they were last year.
05:49For one, I think last year you go into the draft,
05:52and I know there's people that still insist that the Texans draft best player available.
05:56They meander around and move around to the point where they don't feel like they're drafting
06:02like a guy above where they have him slotted,
06:05but they drafted two wide receivers and an offensive lineman with their first three picks in the draft.
06:10Yeah.
06:11It's a combination of drafting for need but moving around to get to where it's appropriate.
06:17And I think offensive line this year is where they're going to –
06:20you know, last year it looked like they might have been trying to trade up to get a Gray Zabel
06:24or somebody like that.
06:26I think that this year maybe they're – maybe they're a little bit more aggressive in that.
06:30Yeah.
06:30But that they maneuver around and if – I'll be surprised if the first guy taken isn't either in or a running back.
06:37The weapon – the weapon bullet point in Jonathan's article is interesting
06:41because he's – he has a separate bullet point for running back.
06:44So when I see weapons here, I'm assuming it's wide receiver and tight end for C.J. Stroud.
06:50And you already drafted a couple receivers to your point last year, Seth.
06:53You got Tank Dell coming back.
06:55They like the guys they have right now.
06:57Nick was very complimentary of the wide receiver room.
06:59I mean, it was either Nick or D'Amico said that we feel like it's one of the better wide receiver rooms in the league.
07:04I don't know if that's the case.
07:05I don't expect Christian Kirk to be back.
07:08Certainly not at $16 million he's not going to be back.
07:12So that's one that's intriguing to me.
07:14Like, can you just run it back with a wide receiver room that's Nico Collins,
07:20three Iowa State guys, and Tank replacing Christian Kirk in that room?
07:25Yeah.
07:25I don't know, because running it back – it always feels weird to say run it back when there's young players involved.
07:31Yeah.
07:31Because part of running it back is you're still also – you're giving those young players at least three years
07:37to really figure out what you have in them.
07:39And so far, I think the needle is pointing way up with Jaden Higgins.
07:43Jalen Knoll is a huge question mark.
07:45I think Xavier Hutchinson might have a limited ceiling, but he's somebody that you like having on your squad.
07:51I don't – I feel like running it back is – there's an asterisk there when there's young players involved.
07:57I feel like it's just a continuation of them having drafted last year,
08:01and that if they see an opportunity in free agency, maybe they go after it.
08:05But I don't feel the need to be aggressive with it.
08:07Bill Barnwell has a piece on ESPN that just dropped today where he's, you know,
08:11using his usual 50,000 words to lay out.
08:15With the wide versus offseason, he's got one franchise wide.
08:20He's got a bunch of unrestricted free agents, but at the top of the list, the franchise wide out.
08:24And this is scary as hell.
08:26George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys.
08:28Oh, yeah.
08:29I don't think the Texans are going to sign George – I don't think they're going to spend top money on free agents.
08:35No matter who it was.
08:35If George Pickens had nothing but glistening reports about what he's like as a person in the locker room,
08:40then you still – that would be foolish to allocate that money there if you're not addressing the offensive line.
08:48That's exactly right.
08:49That's exactly right.
08:51The names are interesting, though.
08:52So, Pickens is in his own category.
08:55And, man, that is – I would be terrified giving George Pickens $35 million a year.
09:01Terrified.
09:01He was a topic on first take for three days after one of the games this year because he wasn't trying in the game.
09:07It was wild.
09:09But he put up great stats, though.
09:11This is what the unrestricted free agent wide receiver market looks like.
09:15Romeo Dobbs.
09:16Mike Evans is back.
09:17God, it feels like just yesterday we were kicking around to Mike Evans.
09:20That last deal he signed with Tampa was like, okay, now he can retire a buck.
09:24It was a two-year deal.
09:25So, now here we are.
09:26But he's old.
09:27I mean, he's old, yeah.
09:28He's a great guy.
09:29Now, at the right price, that's a classic guy that, man, when you want him to show up in the playoffs.
09:34I kind of like Gronk on the –
09:37On Tampa.
09:37On the Tampa, where it's been a whole season of like, I don't know why they even have Gronk here.
09:42And then all of a sudden, man, key moments in the playoffs.
09:44Yeah.
09:44Oh, that's why Gronk is there.
09:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:47Jawan Jennings, who D'Amico probably knows a little bit from his time in San Francisco.
09:51Christian Kirk is on the list of unrestricted free agents.
09:57Since we get without the production they got from Christian Kirk this year.
10:00Dude, I'll tell you.
10:00But there's 200 and however many yards receiving he had in the regular season.
10:03The free agent wide receiver, I know we need to get out.
10:06The free agent wide receiver whose market I am most intrigued by by far is Alec Pierce with Indianapolis.
10:12Because he never put up monster numbers.
10:14But, man, is he a big play, dude.
10:16He's that deep play threat that maybe opens everything up for everybody else.
10:19Yeah, yeah.
10:20I can see the Colts actually.
10:23They're already paid Pittman.
10:25That's right.
10:25They paid Pittman.
10:26So, that's, yeah.
10:27I mean, so we'll see.
10:28That's right.
10:28The Colts don't have a quarterback or any first round picks.
10:31Yeah, yeah.
10:32They might have to bring him back.
10:34This is even better, though.
10:36Well, they technically have control of Daniel Jones, who was starting to look like the bad
10:42version of Daniel Jones when he tore his Achilles tendon already.
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