- 9 minutes ago
Seth and Sean dive into some of the more intriguing stuff NFL Analyst Greg Cosell had to say on Texans All Access, including if CJ Stroud was playing "too fast" last year and his high praise for Calen Bullock.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Still some crumbs from the Combine left over from last week that we didn't get to, but fun stuff to
00:04talk about.
00:05Greg Cosell was on with, was he on with Mark and John or just John?
00:10He was on with Mark and John.
00:11Mark and John both, okay. And you pulled some of these sets.
00:14John was on with Bucky.
00:15That's what it was.
00:17That's what it was.
00:19So Greg Cosell was talking about a little C.J. Stroud at the Combine, eh?
00:23Yeah.
00:25And kind of just wondering alongside all of us what the hell's going on with C.J. Stroud.
00:32And over these last two years, I mean, I don't know what's in his head.
00:35None of us do.
00:36But it just seems like he's playing so fast.
00:40Like, you know, mentally everything has gotten speeded up, which speeds it then everything up physically.
00:45And I don't know what the answer is.
00:47He has moments where you look at him because he throws a beautiful ball.
00:50I mean, if you're just talking about the way he throws a football, he might be top five in the
00:54league.
00:55Yeah.
00:56And, you know, we should point out for some people, I think fast is bad.
01:01Right, right.
01:02There's a thing with Cassell.
01:03You know what?
01:04The next time I see him in prison, I might talk to him about this.
01:06Because I think what I think when he says a quarterback is playing fast, I think that it's that he's
01:13speeding things up in his mind to the point where like he's hurrying almost.
01:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:19You know, or that things are happening too fast around him.
01:23So he's quicker to battle on his first read or quicker to do this at all.
01:29It's because sometimes he'll talk about it and it's almost like he's contradicting himself.
01:33But I think it's tough because I agree with him to a certain degree.
01:39And I think maybe it's that I don't think it's always like that.
01:43I think there's times when he's not playing well that that's what it looks like.
01:47And that he's just not as consistently operating like that calm, cool, and collected veteran quarterback that we've seen him
01:59do.
01:59So I don't – like when Cassell, I don't think he's trying to say that he always looks lost or
02:04he always looks flustered or anything.
02:06I think a lot of it really comes back to – at the root of it all, what are you
02:13doing pre-snap and diagnosing pre-snap and then how are you reacting to it after the ball is snapped?
02:19There's a perception – I've seen a lot of people say, well, he's always thrown to his first read.
02:24He's always thrown to his first read.
02:25And that's just – that's not true.
02:27Yeah, that's 100% not true.
02:29It's not true at all.
02:30And I don't know where that comes from other than maybe some people just say it – and that's not
02:35what Cassell is saying.
02:36But maybe some people just say it because it's an easy criticism.
02:39Yes.
02:39It sounds smart.
02:41Yeah, yeah.
02:42He's actually – this year was one of the better quarterbacks in the league at getting to his second and
02:48his third read.
02:49I think for this season, in the first half of the season, there were a lot of instances where I
02:58don't think the receivers were necessarily in the right spot precisely.
03:02You know, we talk about Jaden Higgins.
03:04It's not – it's not just some – you know, it's not like CJ all of a sudden discovered that
03:10Jaden Higgins was available as an option.
03:12Right.
03:12I think that Higgins did a better job of becoming an NFL – a veteran NFL receiver that was in
03:18the exact right spot in the exact right time.
03:22And I think some of the things this year were more about his relationship with the receivers and getting on
03:28the same page while also dealing with imperfect pass protection.
03:33I know the pressure rate went down, et cetera, et cetera.
03:36Didn't take as many sacks.
03:38It wasn't great pass protection.
03:40There were so many times where CJ got rid of the ball quickly as one of the offensive linemen was
03:46getting absolutely destroyed.
03:47And it didn't end up being a pressure by the defensive linemen, but it's only because CJ got rid of
03:53the ball quickly.
03:54So there's just – there's way more to it.
03:57And Cassell wasn't being overly critical of CJ at all.
04:00I just think that it's a combination of, yes, the quarterback is responsible for part of it, but he also
04:06has bad circumstances around him.
04:08He doesn't have a rushing attack.
04:10Linebackers and safeties know that the Texans can't run the ball consistently.
04:14That makes it a lot easier in your decision-making downfield, especially on play action.
04:18People have been clamoring for more Jalen Knoll.
04:21Do you think the reason we're not getting more Jalen Knoll is that he hasn't connected with CJ as well
04:26as Jaden Higgins has?
04:27Yeah, no, no.
04:27I think, yeah, Jalen Knoll is still going through that process of learning how to be a receiver in the
04:34NFL.
04:34And that – I mean, there were times – oh, there was one Jalen Knoll.
04:39There was a play towards the end of the season where I think Jalen Knoll was probably hot, but he
04:47didn't have eyes on CJ.
04:48You know, instances like that.
04:49And I don't want to – I don't know for certain if that was what the situation was, but I
04:53think those are situations that, especially with rookie wide receivers, happen.
04:56Man, recognize that there's a blitz on your side.
04:59You've got to know, man.
04:59Get your eyes on the quarterback.
05:01There were some plays in the Chargers game where I thought CJ was doing a really – like, I think
05:07CJ was looking for eyes from receivers and he wasn't getting them.
05:10That's at the end of the year.
05:11So, yeah, CJ needs to play better, but the sum total of it is that the entire passing game, including
05:17the receivers, including the tight ends, everybody else needs to be better as well.
05:20Here was Greg Cassell with the guys on Texans All Access talking about safety, Kalen Bullock.
05:25I started talking very early this season, maybe week three or four, that I thought that Bullock was the best
05:31post-safety in the NFL.
05:33Now, I remember doing him coming out of USC, and he was a post-safety.
05:36And I just thought to myself, that's the way he should be deployed in the league.
05:40Now, as the season went on, they moved him down in the box a little bit more, you know, because
05:45you obviously can't just do the same thing every week.
05:48And he's capable of that because he does have an aggressive mindset.
05:51But just as a pure post-safety, I mean, I don't think there's anybody better right now in this league.
05:57Yeah, I think a big part of that.
05:58That's high praise, dude.
06:00Yeah, yeah, because he watches, for those of you who don't know Greg Cassell, he's been with NFL films forever.
06:04He watches a lot of NFL films.
06:06Every snap of every game.
06:07Yeah, and he doesn't watch the bad teams.
06:10I know that.
06:11Yeah, because.
06:12Every snap of every team that matters.
06:14Well, he was one with Ross Tucker every week, and when the Texans were playing the Cardinals, I was going
06:21back, and I was trying to find Greg Cassell talking about the Cardinals.
06:24I had to go back to, like, whenever Kyler Murray was still healthy in week three or something.
06:29Yep.
06:29But as far as Bullock goes, I think one part of that where Greg said, hey, they brought him up
06:35in the box more, and you've got to do that because you've got to mix things up.
06:38Part of that is also that there was a revolving door of safeties playing next to Caleb Bullock because of
06:44injuries, because of C.J. Gardner-Johnson being kind of crazy, because of all these things.
06:49Oh, by the way, Jimmy Ward released yesterday by the Texans.
06:52Oh, yeah.
06:52We didn't mention that.
06:53I didn't mention that.
06:54Yeah, because I don't think anybody was really expecting him to be back this year.
06:58Yeah.
06:58I think that was part of it, too, is that they were still trying out new safeties all the way
07:04up until Jalen Reed was healthy at the end of the year.
07:07Yeah.
07:08So, if Jalen Reed can develop into a starting safety, I think that Caleb Bullock will, they don't have to
07:14mess around too much with mixing things up and bringing him up into the box.
07:18He's everything that Cassell said he is.
07:19He's a great deep post safety.
07:21How do we process the Jimmy Ward era here in Houston?
07:26Was that, because he came in with D'Amico, they signed him as a free agent, he was voted a
07:31captain,
07:32he made some big plays for this team, and yet banged up a ton, and then obviously last year it
07:39got very complicated with the off-the-field stuff.
07:41I don't think he goes into the Hall of Fame as a Texan.
07:43I don't think he does either.
07:44I don't think he's in the ring of honor.
07:46I don't think he's.
07:46Yeah, no.
07:47But was it a good signing or a bad signing?
07:53I would say because of his age and his injury history, ultimately probably a bad signing.
07:57I think so, too.
07:58I mean, you were relying on him.
07:59I mean, he kept getting, I mean, and then you add on to it, then he ends up having legal
08:03issues.
08:03Right.
08:04That cloud the picture even further.
08:06Yeah.
08:06Maybe he was completely faultless in all of that.
08:10I don't know what the latest update is on it, but it was just still one more thing to add
08:15to it.
08:16Yeah.
08:16The only part that we couldn't judge is, okay, how much was his veteran leadership?
08:20Behind the scenes.
08:21Yeah.
08:22Especially as people are trying to learn D'Amico's defense, he was definitely an asset.
08:28Yeah.
08:28How much of an asset was he in helping develop this defensive backfield into being one of the best young
08:35defensive backfields in the league?
08:36And I think establishing the mentality of the defense, too.
08:39I would say, okay, let me temper that a little bit.
08:42I would say it was probably a good signing, and he didn't break the bank for him or anything.
08:45Right.
08:45His contract didn't keep you from doing other things.
08:48It was disappointing, though, because it felt like he could have gotten a lot more.
08:51Well, the mistake was extending him because they gave him a two-year deal.
08:55The mistake was adding that last year on where he didn't get on the field last year, and he had
08:59all the off-the-field issues.
09:00So it's complicated.
09:02That's why I asked the question.
09:03I think it's an interest.
09:04I'm curious how fans feel about it.
09:067-1-3-5-7-2-4-6-10, base power text line.
09:09All right, let's do one more from Greg Cosell here.
09:11This is relevant to Texan fans.
09:14Cam Ward is relevant to Texan fans.
09:17You're going to see him twice a year for at least one more year in Tennessee.
09:20Here is Greg Cosell on last year's number one overall pick, Cam Ward.
09:25I thought he clearly improved.
09:27I think he's got some things that you really have to focus on as a coach in terms of mechanics
09:33because his lower body mechanics tend to be erratic.
09:37I think at times, because of that, he drops down so low to throw the ball.
09:42So like a 6-1-1-1-2, 6-2 guy, if he throws it like he's 5-10.
09:46And I think you really got to work on that.
09:48Now, maybe that's the way he throws it, and you can't fix it.
09:51But I think you got to try to work on that.
09:53But I think in terms of – and I've gotten a chance to be around him, so I've talked to
09:56him.
09:57And he definitely has the right mentality.
09:59He's mentally tough.
10:01You know, he has what it takes to be a good quarterback.
10:04And he clearly improved.
10:05Yeah.
10:05So, you know, I think with Dable there, I think back to what Dable did with Josh Allen early in
10:10Josh Allen's career.
10:12And the one thing about Dable is he'll push the ball down the field, and I think that's Cam Ward's
10:16game.
10:17Okay.
10:18That didn't sound like he was super high on Cam Ward.
10:21He likes him.
10:22He would go on to talk about – it was a long clip.
10:25One of the things about Cam Ward is that just all the reports about the way he operates
10:30and his maturity and everything is everything you'd want in a quarterback.
10:34So all of those mechanical things that he talks about that might be an issue,
10:39I guess he is the kind of guy that's probably going to work to fix it.
10:43It's just not always so simple to fix all of that.
10:46Because he's not – like, as you know, he's not –
10:49he's not that type of athlete where his legs are a threat in the traditional sense,
10:55but he is able to extend plays and improvise and everything.
11:00Like, his legs are as much of a threat like a lot of modern NFL quarterbacks.
11:04Yeah.
11:04But you wouldn't certainly call him a running quarterback.
11:06I think – but is that enough – is that enough – like, a more muted version of that
11:11would be guys like – like, remember – oh, no, kidding.
11:14This isn't fair.
11:15Johnny Manziel was thought of as an athletic quarterback, and he wasn't.
11:18He was just – he could run around a lot in college and extend plays.
11:22Cam Ward's a better athlete than Johnny Manziel,
11:25but is – like, running around a lot to extend plays only gets you so far.
11:29Cam Ward is on the opposite of the end of the spectrum when it comes to maturity.
11:35A thousand percent.
11:37Compared to Johnny Manziel.
11:38So that – you know what I think a fair comparison might be is Case Keenum.
11:44So Cam Ward is more physically talented than Case Keenum,
11:46but Case Keenum had a lot of those things that he needed to fix up mechanically,
11:51the way he operated in the pocket, all of that.
11:54Yep.
11:55And because he is a really mature kid, he ended up fixing a lot of those things,
11:59and he became a good NFL quarterback.
12:00So I think that Cam Ward's – he's got the ability to fix all that.
12:04He's got the attitude that suggests he'll try to fix all of that.
12:10But I think there's just – he's a huge wild card at this point.
12:12So I think it's going to go with...'
12:12So, you know,
12:12You might not be at the stage.
Comments