- 13 hours ago
ITL discusses the Texans’ offseason strategy of investing heavily on defense and special teams and whether that formula can carry Houston to championship contention.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00How are we feeling now that the Texans, they have gotten into that place where they've settled into free agency
00:04and they're making moves?
00:05They're making moves and they're making moves on defense and special teams and, you know, a dab of offense.
00:12A dab. Brad Smith is a dab of offense. Very good.
00:15A dab of offense here and there. This is where I am with it right now. We keep telling ourselves
00:19to be measured, you know, to not be too impatient.
00:23Which is going, I don't know.
00:24It's not going well, if we're being honest.
00:26So, I'll put it this way. We don't have a final answer on what the Texans, you know, approach is
00:31or will be completely.
00:33But we have a trend. I mean, we have a trend. They're going defense heavy. Defense heavy. Special teams heavy.
00:42I think five of their six official acquisitions or unofficial acquisitions so far are on defense and special teams with,
00:49obviously, Smith being the one on offense.
00:52I mean, that's a trend. That's a trend and it just makes me want to ask some questions of myself.
00:58All right. So, let's count these out because I feel like the math might be wrong here.
01:01What are we doing defensively?
01:02Kai Kroger, punter. Hummel, the linebacker, is a special teams guy.
01:06Yep.
01:07Reed Blankenship.
01:08Yep.
01:09Logan Hall.
01:10Yep.
01:11Is it Daquan?
01:13No, it's Dominique Rodman.
01:15That's another defensive one.
01:16Oh, you know, Naquan Smith.
01:18Naquan, yeah.
01:18The defensive lineman.
01:20Yeah.
01:21All right. I didn't change the name.
01:22Of the acquisitions, you know, that's five and the other one is Braden Smith.
01:25That's five of six.
01:26Got you, got you.
01:27That's five out of six on defense and special teams.
01:29And so, that's a trend.
01:31I mean, they clearly are saying what we speculated on yesterday.
01:36Are they thinking, listen, you know, we just want our offense to be good, decent, you know, able to score
01:43some points.
01:43They don't need to score a lot of points because our defense is going to be the 2001 Ravens.
01:47And a fair point, you do need to count David Montgomery on offense.
01:51His trade, yeah.
01:52David Montgomery.
01:52Okay, so five of seven.
01:53You talked about acquisitions because if we're going to count Kai Kroger, who is the punter trade, which is hilarious
01:58as well because you're sitting here looking like, all right, what's the big moves that's going to happen?
02:01There's got to be something.
02:03And then punter trade comes through and everybody goes, huh.
02:06That was Nick's sleeve.
02:07Yes, it was.
02:09By the way, sorry, I'm just going to stop down and do this now.
02:12Now, Nick is, he's already been in this range, but this was very much verification for me.
02:18That's sicko behavior from Nick Isario because not only is this a trade for a punter, right, which, again, maybe
02:23you can make the idea.
02:24It's, you know, late round picks, so on, so forth.
02:27The idea that they have the punter reclamation project is amazing to me in Kai Kroger.
02:33We could talk more.
02:34Wait till we get him in our system.
02:35About that, yes.
02:36Frank Ross is rubbing his ass together.
02:38That's right.
02:38They're clearly undervaluing this punter because they do not see what we see in him.
02:42We can fix him.
02:43Yeah.
02:43Okay.
02:44So, add David Montgomery.
02:45Still, this is a trend that they're leaning into.
02:48We're going to be so awesome on defense.
02:50We're going to be so awesome on defense.
02:52Is that good enough?
02:54If this trend continues?
02:56I mean, there is the clear evidence that defense was your strength, and you want to make sure that you
03:02do not find weakness in that because that was the thing that buoyed you.
03:07That was the parasail that carried your hopes all of last year.
03:12So, you want to make sure that that is correct, right?
03:15I think, also, there's something to be considered, which is you're not done with all the avenues of getting better,
03:19which is…
03:19Right.
03:19Like I said, we don't have a final answer, but we have a trend.
03:21But then offense – or, sorry, the NFL draft still exists.
03:24The only thing that I would say about that is how much expectation can you have on who you draft
03:30to make immediate impacts on what you are doing?
03:32Right.
03:33And that – I mean, maybe you talk about first-round pick, you expect to have some level of impact
03:37there.
03:37Second-round pick, possibly, and then you get to some picks where you go…
03:40Let's see.
03:41This is a very much – well, let's see.
03:43I think that that is where I can understand where you're coming from.
03:46The defensive side of things, I get them because, also, some of the acquisitions we're talking about are filling gaps,
03:52are solidifying rotations, is depth in various different places.
03:57You can't say that about Reed Blankenship, clearly.
03:59And Logan Hall's going to be in the rotation.
04:01Logan Hall is going to be in the rotation.
04:02It's going to factor in.
04:03But you probably had enough of a rotation to be able to go as of right now.
04:07But, again, you make that acquisition.
04:09I don't know.
04:10I'm going to be honest.
04:11Like, yes, they are continuing on with the thought process of we want to be great on defense,
04:16and that's going to be the tip of the spear for us.
04:19This didn't feel like a crazy tilt, especially since they have begun to at least paper over what they have
04:26on the offensive line.
04:27Is it enough yet?
04:28I don't think so.
04:29I'll be interested to see how they continue to go with it.
04:31But it does feel like this fits in with the M.O. of who they are.
04:35And it continues on with a path that at least they have found a way to be somewhat successful with
04:40last year.
04:41I'm interested to see what it is in a new year that is not the same as last year.
04:45That's one of the things that Amico is always very clear about, is that you have to treat every year
04:49differently.
04:49I'd be interested to see, obviously, once we get to the end of this,
04:53if this feels a little bit like treating the 2026 season as if it was the 2025 season.
04:57Right.
04:57And you said something that I think is very important.
05:00You said papering over.
05:01They're going to paper over some spots on the offense.
05:04Is that all this offense needed?
05:06Just a little, you know, sort of redo?
05:07A little paper over?
05:08Or, you know, substitute a good, a really good offensive, you know, tackle, especially in the running game,
05:17for Titus Howard and then mix and match elsewhere and bring back Trent Brown.
05:21I would have thought we would have all agreed they needed more than just papering over.
05:25No, for sure.
05:25I think I agree with you.
05:27Although, one thing I'll say is, and now I'm going to sound like I am carrying water, so I understand
05:31this.
05:31Right.
05:32Like, you look at the wide receiving corner, you got some horses there, right?
05:35Odyssey, Nico Collins.
05:37Then you have the two young guys, one of which you're hoping to get more opportunities,
05:40and the other one who showed you a little something in a rookie year,
05:43and a lot of that showing started coming towards the back half of the season, right?
05:46I feel good about that with Jaden Higgins.
05:48What is Jalen Knoll able to give you?
05:50We'll see.
05:51And then Tank Dell looks like he's going to be a part of this.
05:55He looks like he's going to factor in.
05:56To what degree is a question that is fair?
05:57But if we're talking about it, that's four wide receivers that you feel like can make some level of impact.
06:02No question.
06:03Right?
06:03No question about it.
06:04I think that we like the running back room.
06:05Probably some level of depth could still be nice there,
06:07but we like the running back room that you're running out there.
06:10Obviously, your quarterback is your quarterback.
06:12We don't even need to get into the depth of that.
06:13Like, all of those things are still in a way where I feel good with them.
06:17It is the offensive line that you continue to want to see,
06:19and with the understanding and the caveats that offensive line,
06:23in its best circumstances, developed through the draft,
06:26even with the understanding that the draft has been so-so for Nick Asario.
06:31Papering over is kind of what there is to be understood.
06:34Also, when you see the way that the market kind of reflected,
06:38I'm comfortable with it to some degree.
06:40Is it, though, what I was hoping for?
06:42No.
06:43Yeah.
06:43I was hoping for if you were going to say that you're a running team,
06:46that you're going to make, like, big concerted efforts to be significantly better in the running game.
06:51And we'll see what it ultimately looks like,
06:52because, again, offensive line ends up being one of those things where sometimes the sum of the parts are more,
06:58or, you know, the end result is more than the sum of the parts.
07:01And so maybe that's the way that it looks.
07:03But I can also hear myself, and it sounds like hoping.
07:06Yeah, because you say, you know, I'm comfortable with it.
07:09I think I, I mean, I'm comfortable with it is how I would put the inflection on that word,
07:14you know, because we expected more.
07:17But I think what happens when you are a great defense like this,
07:21and there's no reason to think they won't even be better next year, you know,
07:23given the moves they're making, et cetera.
07:25The one thing that makes me pause, well, two things make me pause.
07:29Number one, the margins are still going to be very, very thin if this line doesn't get better
07:33and this offense doesn't get better.
07:34Agreed.
07:35Like very, very, anything can happen in any given game.
07:38I always kid around about the 17-13 games.
07:40Well, that's a, that's a very close game.
07:42That's a one-score game, bounce of the ball, all that stuff.
07:44So there's that.
07:46And then the second thing, somewhat concerned about, but maybe I'm just being foolish.
07:51They're really counting on coaching and another year in the system, taking them to another level.
07:58More so than personnel at this point, because the personnel is almost awash
08:02if you look at the completeness of the 2025 line and the completeness of what we've seen so far,
08:06given that they're going to still add some pieces.
08:09And I, you know, we have to say that because they could add a first-round tackle that's a beast
08:13or a guard or something like that.
08:14So I get that.
08:15But just right now, it's like, we're going to coach them up.
08:18They're going to be in the system for another year.
08:20And we're going to, with this offensive line, which may look a lot like last year so far,
08:24it's going to be more than fine.
08:25And then the margins on the defense, that's, that's, that's tough.
08:28That's tough.
08:29Yeah.
08:31I'm, I could see, I could see a football team at the very least, right?
08:34I could see a football team that can be competitive.
08:36And I hear you, they are depending a lot on coaching, but early on, well, this is the
08:41thing, right there.
08:42This is probably a split early on.
08:44We talk about coaching on the offensive line and I can understand why you have that belief,
08:47right?
08:49Maybe not to the same degree as we go coaching for your defensive line.
08:52And you could throw anybody in there.
08:54And I have a level of confidence that we can go play football right now.
08:57And it's going to come together, right?
08:58That is a level of belief that has been earned by coach Rod Wright, who is the defensive line
09:03coach for this team by Matt Burke as the defense coordinator.
09:06And of course, by D'Amico Ryans being the defensive mastermind of what you're doing as
09:10the head coach.
09:11It's early.
09:12I get it, but I can understand how, especially because they've had him for more than this
09:17past year, but with him being the dude on the offensive line, you look at Cole Popovich,
09:21you see the year over year improvement, even though understandably it wasn't, it didn't take
09:26this offensive line to being in a great offensive line, but the, from where they started to where
09:30they ended up, you could see that large improvement and you go, I can believe in his capability
09:34of doing that and raising, raising the, uh, the deliverables of what this offensive line
09:38is.
09:39I understand you leaning on that.
09:40I get a little hesitant when we talk about Nick Haley himself, right?
09:43And the way that this is schemed up and maybe they have an understanding of the ways
09:47that he was not able to get to some of the things that he wanted to do, the ways in
09:50which, uh, injuries kind of changed the ways in which even just that first season
09:54and finding his way with, uh, with this group maybe impacted the way that it ultimately
09:59looked.
10:00I, I, that is the thing that is still kind of scares me a little bit for lack of better
10:04term.
10:05Uh, but I think that especially you get to a point when you're, you're paying a lot of
10:09different places, you, you have to start leaning on your coaching.
10:11That's one of the portions of your team and you have to lean on their ability to elevate
10:15what you do.
10:16Yeah.
10:16And, uh, you know, that there, there's that and a texter on the YouTube channel says, how,
10:21how would Lopez feel if they got somebody like Wyatt Teller better?
10:26I mean, flat out.
10:27I'm, we're talking about what we're, we've seen so far, the trend, uh, the amount of
10:30defensive players, the focus, you know, how this offensive line, uh, is, is somewhat looks
10:36a lot like, like last year's offensive line.
10:38When you just look at the level of play that you would expect, but a guard like that.
10:42Yes.
10:42Yes.
10:43Better.
10:43I think that would change the math a little bit.
10:45Can you divorce, can you divorce in any way, the feeling of urgency that is built
10:51up, especially after the playoff loss from sound decision-making?
10:55Cause it does feel like, right.
10:57We're still in that range where now there's guards.
10:59There's a few guards that are still out there.
11:01They're probably going to come in at a reasonable dollar amount where the value is clearly there.
11:05And I've seen a number of people just generally looking at free agency going, I like what the
11:09Texans are doing in the way that they build this offensive line, getting value, so on and
11:13so forth.
11:14But that does not sit well when you're still in that place of, yeah, but the urgency of
11:18I need you to get better right now.
11:20And all the other things, is it possible to divorce those things for you?
11:23Uh, yeah, I think a little bit, but it's almost like you can't, right?
11:28You know, those are things that are always going to be kind of running parallel.
11:32I, uh, again, I'm, I'm not like, I'm not trying to be an alarmist here or anything.
11:36I'm just trying to analyze their trend, what they're doing and, and whether it's starters
11:40or rotational guys or guys that are going to play mostly special teams, uh, it, it, it's
11:45a trend of, I mean, we're seeing Nick work and where the focus is.
11:49And the other thing that's interesting to me is this whole special, we haven't really
11:52talked about, you know, a little bit, you know, Hummel is a, is a special teams ace,
11:57you know, maybe he's the next to Gumbawale, whatever, uh, in terms of, you know, special
12:01teams and, and Kai Kroger, that's another, that's another move for the 17th.
12:0613 game.
12:07They want a punter.
12:07They want, they, they re-signed Kiami Fairbairn.
12:10You know, they're focusing on their philosophy as a team.
12:13And that's what I'm talking about.
12:15Yeah.
12:15They're, they're, they're clearly not going to try and make a huge swing on changing
12:18the way that they, that they try and win football games.
12:22And honestly, did you expect them to make a big swing and changing the way that they
12:25try and win football games?
12:27Well, not in terms of how they win football games, but bolstering the offense to make those,
12:32make us all feel a little more comfortable about the quarterback.
12:35I I've said it a million times.
12:37It does come back to him.
12:38I mean, that's the guy, that's the trigger man.
12:39That's the guy that's going to have to keep you moving the chains and getting those field
12:43goals.
12:43Yeah.
12:44And I, I feel you.
12:45I think that was the expectation in my mind is that they try and elevate their offense
12:49to meet the, meet the general calculus of how you're trying to win games a little bit better
12:54to this point.
12:55It feels like it's possibly similar, but also it feels like it's possibly similar to where
13:00you ended the season.
13:02And maybe this looks a little bit better.
13:04If you start the season where you ended last season and you can possibly build on it.
13:08That is the, that is the hope.
13:09So we'll see if that ultimately works.
13:11Right.
13:11But I could, I could see the logic there.
13:13It's not the most, you know, the most, uh, the most guaranteed of ways of going about
13:19things, but I think it's a, it's one that's logical and it's fair.
13:22I guess also some of this comes down to how much do you trust Nick Casario?
13:26I think that that's basically where we get to.
13:28Cause if this is a general manager, like if we slid in a name of a general manager that
13:32has, has the confidence and I was going to say Eric Costa, but I don't know how much
13:36you feel about that as of right now, who, okay.
13:39Like a Brett Veach, right.
13:40Uh, in Kansas city who has that level of belief, if they're going about rebuilding their
13:44team that way, I think you give them that benefit of the doubt.
13:47I think this is kind of more of a Rorschach test of how do you feel about Nick Casario?
13:51If you, if you trust him, you go into this and you say, he's made good decisions.
13:54You let him cook.
13:55If you don't, you go, yeah, you got to do more to overcome that lack of trust that I
13:59have.
13:59And so we'll see, we'll see if, uh, all of that is validated as we continue here, uh,
14:04as free agency continue, actually really, it truly hits here.
Comments