- 2 hours ago
How media voices are framing the move and whether the Texans deserve the praise or skepticism.
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00:00Well, yesterday we see the Texans make some big moves of varying degrees of, I don't know,
00:07affection for people in the fan base, people outside the fan base.
00:10Obviously, this was the talk of the NFL yesterday, the trade that sent Titus Howard to Cleveland,
00:15the trade that brought David Montgomery to the Texans.
00:18And so now, 24 hours removed, an opportunity to kind of really think about it.
00:22How are you feeling about it now?
00:23Let us know on the base power text line, 713-572-4610.
00:28And also, you know, I kind of want to get a feel for the reaction because sometimes,
00:32a lot of times, I should say, how we feel close to it is not how everybody else feels.
00:37And I kind of like looking into the reaction that other people give to certain things.
00:41But 24 hours out, has anything for you changed about this?
00:44Have you gotten a level of insight thinking a little bit more on either or both of these deals?
00:49I would say more to think about.
00:51I'm a big advocate of, you know, what a lot of times your first instinct
00:54and your first, you know, gut reaction to things like this are generally your best and your truest.
01:01But you do get things to think about.
01:03I know you're talking about some of the reaction across the country and certainly here as well.
01:10Gives you more to think about.
01:11One thing that I know we're going to play at some point was Adam Schein talking about it.
01:17Well, I mean, if we're going to do that, you want to just listen to it?
01:19Let's just listen to it right now.
01:20Fig, you got this ready here.
01:21Adam Schein, friend of the show, we talked to him at Super Bowl.
01:24He is one of the biggest detractors in these pair of moves in a way that I was kind of
01:29surprised by.
01:30This was Adam Schein and Mad Dog Radio on Sirius XM and his reaction to the moves.
01:33I think the Texans are completely out of their minds here.
01:37And this makes no sense.
01:39Like if I'm a fan of the Houston Texans, I'm wondering what the hell is going on.
01:42So they just traded, in essence, Howard for Montgomery.
01:48They just traded their best offensive lineman for a backup running back.
01:53That's what Montgomery is.
01:55And, you know, I like Montgomery.
01:57I don't love Montgomery.
01:58I've said that consistently.
02:00This is my take on Montgomery in Chicago.
02:02My take on Montgomery in Detroit.
02:03My take on Montgomery now.
02:05The Texans didn't need David Montgomery.
02:07They needed Kenneth Walker.
02:09They needed Travis Etienne.
02:10Again, that's who they needed.
02:12So why would you take yourself out of that market, perhaps?
02:17Are you now going to spend $12 billion a year on Kenneth Walker?
02:21We just got David Montgomery?
02:24I don't know what the hell they're doing.
02:26Boy, if I'm a Texans fan, I'm pissed here.
02:30Just, again, I don't agree with that because I think there's some holes in his theory.
02:34That's good sports talking, baby.
02:36But it is good sports talk, but it's also something to think about.
02:39That's what I'm saying.
02:39Like, when you digest it, you go, okay, I get where he's coming from.
02:43Now, it doesn't take into account there are absolutely, positively, must, you know, have moves that are still coming to
02:50react to that.
02:51But the part of that that I'm thinking about is talking about David Montgomery being a backup running back.
02:58You know, he's a backup running back.
02:59By definition, he was.
03:01I mean, he just was.
03:03You know, he ended up being a backup running back, fewer carries, diminishing yards and touchdowns the last three years.
03:08So, I get what he's saying there.
03:11But does that mean he's going to be a backup running back here?
03:14Or does there even have to be a backup running back?
03:16Is it going to be, you know, the combo deal, so to speak, of he and Woody Marks?
03:20So, just a little more to think about is what I'm saying.
03:22Yeah, I vehemently disagree with Sean here.
03:26One, in the characterization of David Montgomery as backup running back.
03:30Because that undercuts what the circumstance and what the context was in Detroit.
03:37If you look at the way that he ran, we talked about some of the things yesterday where you talk
03:41about the average amount of yards per carry.
03:46Obviously, the stacked box looks that he had and the productivity that he had with that.
03:50But maybe more importantly, just the context of the number of carries that he had.
03:55Something like 12 to 15 on average.
03:58That's something that you could have as a lead back.
04:01But then also, you saw how, you know, his counterpart there, Jameer Gibbs.
04:07That is the reason why David Montgomery's star did not shine as bright last year on top of what we
04:11talked about.
04:12The offensive line there in Detroit taking a little bit of a step back.
04:15And them having some changes in the way that they went about offense.
04:18I thought that that factored in more.
04:20And I say this with more confidence today because I spent yesterday going back to the film of things, right?
04:25This is where the heart of evaluation in the NFL should be is going back to the film.
04:30And you could see David Montgomery, things that we knew, runs hard, is physical, right?
04:35I watched all his touchdown plays.
04:37And this is just a dude who runs physical, leans forward, and can get through dudes.
04:41On top of that, even when he breaks away, it's not necessarily him opening up with speed.
04:47It is him, in circumstances where you go, other running backs are getting pulled down.
04:52Him just planting his feet and driving and not being able to be brought down by a singular person.
04:58Whether it's some dude grabbing hold of his jersey, a dude with the arm tackle.
05:02It's like, you're going to need more to bring him down.
05:05He had a couple of fumbles last year, but those fumbles were unusual.
05:09One was a trick play where he throws it back to Jerry Goff and Jerry Goff drops it.
05:13That's categorized as a fumble for him.
05:14The other one was a weird toss that was low.
05:17He kind of bobbles it, catches it, and then a defensive back, or actually, was it a defensive back?
05:21Yes, comes around, punches it out from behind.
05:23One of those fluky type things.
05:25This is a dude who is still a good running back, who can carry the load, who can pass protect,
05:30who can catch out of the backfield when he needs to.
05:33He does all the things that you would want from a lead back, and you have another back to spell
05:37him
05:38so that you don't have to put him under the pressure of a workhorse.
05:43Yeah, man, if you want to call him a backup because he was behind a really good running back last
05:46year, that's cool.
05:47You know who was at one point somebody's backup?
05:50I'm trying to think.
05:51Was it Sonny Michelle at Georgia?
05:54There's a number of guys that you can go where at one point somebody's backup
05:57because the dude in front of them was really good.
05:59I think that is the categorization that David Montgomery has been in, and it's unfair to characterize it that way.
06:04I agree with you, and as I mentioned, I'm still going to stick with my gut initial reaction.
06:10Very excited about this.
06:11I know they're going to make some other moves up front, so I feel really, really, really good about it.
06:15But, you know, as I said, when you sort of, you know, it gives you other things to think about.
06:20I did think about this, and I'm going to ask both you and Figgy and our listeners, 713-572-4610.
06:26It was just a question that popped into my head.
06:28Just a question.
06:29Still excited about the trade?
06:31Still think there's a lot there as you just laid out.
06:33But when are the Texans going to get out of the business of picking up running backs that you could
06:39easily state are on the decline?
06:42You know, you go back to Cam Akers, Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, and I think you could fairly, as much
06:51as we're excited,
06:51I think he's going to be good for this team this year when the windows open.
06:54I think you could fairly say and ask the question that David Montgomery is on the decline.
07:00So it was just a question.
07:01When are they going to get into the business of not, I hate to use the word retread because that
07:06does have a really bad connotation.
07:08But getting a guy that you can start looking at and like, I don't know, is he on the decline?
07:14That's a fair question.
07:15I wouldn't characterize one of those in there, and that is Nick Chubb because Nick Chubb felt like we need
07:20to make a move because, oh, man, here's Joe Mixon not ready to play,
07:25and we need to go get something.
07:26But they still got a guy that was on the decline.
07:28They did.
07:30It's fair, but I also think it's because of the circumstances that you've been in where you look at Joe
07:35Mixon was we need to jumpstart what we're doing here.
07:38I think that this is somewhat similar in that we need to get what we were expecting in Joe Mixon,
07:44but a freak injury, I'm guessing,
07:47because otherwise I don't know what to characterize it as.
07:49The only thing to call it down.
07:50Right?
07:51Took you out of that place.
07:54I imagine that if you were in a place where trying to get your run game together is not as
08:00much of an urgent situation.
08:01Also, the circumstance, because everything is circumstantial, of if this was a draft where you could get a starting running
08:06back around where they were going, sure.
08:09I don't know that this is a draft where you can do that.
08:11So that necessitated you going and getting something that was assured.
08:14I think that that is the circumstance that leads to that.
08:17But it's fair to note that you have had a couple of those in succession here.
08:20It seemed like they were never that type of team, though, to be honest, because we've been talking about this
08:25even during the whole Bill O'Brien days.
08:28It seemed like they just don't really focus on getting that star running back.
08:34They feel like they could probably make do with an average running back or above average type of running back.
08:39I just, to me, I just don't think they really value that position in that type of way of, hey,
08:47let's get a Saquon Barkley or, hey, let's get a running back in the first round type of person.
08:52I just don't think they really look at the running back position like that.
08:56But this is a team that values on the record, we're going to run the ball.
09:01You can still run the ball.
09:02We're going to run the ball.
09:03Well, they're prioritizing running the ball.
09:05You can still do that, but they probably don't want that type of, or feel like they need to get
09:09that star running back or pay a high price for that star running back.
09:13But that's the question.
09:14When are they going to realize, or I shouldn't say realize, but when are they going to focus more on,
09:20we love to run the ball.
09:21We're prioritizing run the ball.
09:23We run a very controlled passing game.
09:25Let's get a young guy that is not arguably on the decline.
09:29But, I mean, I think that if there is more of a path that's available to you to do that,
09:35sure.
09:36I think that this is a year in which that was not really a good option for you.
09:40And maybe you look at, like, Kenneth Walker, you go, that is the dude that is a lot closer to
09:44what you're describing.
09:45There's a lot of dudes that want Kenneth Walker.
09:47Were you comfortable going into free agency, not having that answered, and then having to get into the bidding?
09:55And what happens if you miss out on Kenneth Walker, are you then in a place where now you're chasing
10:00your tail as opposed to going out there having your assured price that you know you're going to pay on
10:05a David Montgomery that you can get in, get it done, and know that you have addressed the position?
10:10I think that that's the reason why you go this way.
10:12And I still feel like there's stuff in the tank.
10:14I don't feel like you're afraid of an immediate decline in this.
10:18And so, and what you were saying, Fig, I did want to make mention of you talk about not valuing
10:22that.
10:22We do have it on pretty good authority that they were in on Saquon Barkley, and that might influence this.
10:27But they didn't want to pay that price, though.
10:29They chose to opt out of that price.
10:31They lost to the bidding war.
10:33Well, I mean, Saquon also wanted to play in Philadelphia.
10:37He wanted to play the Giants.
10:38But they didn't want to pay that price.
10:39Houston was a finalist.
10:41It was Houston and Philly.
10:42They didn't want to pay that price.
10:44They went out and just got Joe Mixon.
10:47And somebody said, isn't that young running back Woody Marks?
10:49We'll see.
10:50And see, that's the other thing, too.
10:52I think they do have value in a younger running back, but we see they draft them in the fourth
10:58round.
10:59Damian Pierce.
11:01Yeah, that's how they look at it that way.
11:03I hear your point.
11:05I just think even if they didn't make this trade with Montgomery, I think they probably, if they were trying
11:11to go with Kenna Walker,
11:13if they would have got outbidded a little bit, I think they probably would have been similar to the year
11:19where they tried to get Saquon Barkley.
11:20I think they probably just don't want to pay that type of price for a running back.
11:25I mean, they paid a decent price to get David Montgomery here.
11:28I'll talk about money-wise as far as signing, because I think they could have got Saquon Barkley if they
11:34really wanted him,
11:35but they didn't want to pay that price that Philly was paying.
11:37Yeah, but I think that also we can't ignore the opportunity cost here on, do you go out there,
11:42and if you do miss, for whatever reason, whether it's you get to a place where this becomes too exorbitant,
11:46or the player just decides, you know what, I'd rather be somewhere else.
11:50This is a season that we've talked about as being so important that you can't afford to miss.
11:54This allows you to not miss, because you get it definitively.
11:57And in doing my research, both in obviously watching him, but also talking to people that covered him,
12:03he also seems to fit so very well with what this locker room is.
12:06Swarmy.
12:07Swarmy, but like, vet, chill guy, man of God, which I know that in a lot of contexts doesn't matter.
12:13In this locker room, it does.
12:15Like, I think that he will also fit very much leader guy, which when you're talking about replacing Joe Mixon,
12:20which I think we kind of have to talk about this some way, that was a little bit of the
12:23Joe Mixon appeal.
12:24We talked about how Joe Mixon was the dude who was kind of speaking up in those players-only meetings.
12:29Is David Montgomery bringing some of that as well to what you have on the offense,
12:32especially as you move on from another dude who was at least more veteran in that room,
12:36if not a leader on that side of the football?
12:39So I'm actually liking the David Montgomery move more.
12:42The Titus Howard one is the one that I think is getting a lot of hell,
12:46and we'll talk about that more as the show rolls on.
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