- 2 days ago
Seth and Sean start off the show talking about the Rockets' disappointing loss to the Nuggets last night, react to the Texans signing TE Foster Moreau and cutting DE Mario Edwards Jr., and discuss how the Texans might use new offensive lineman Braden Smith.
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00:00Waking up right here to the Base Power text line, all caps, Rockets are frauds.
00:04Hell yeah! Oh, we got some good Rockets on it.
00:06Rockets. Go ahead.
00:07Rockets' worst three-seed in NBA history, someone says on the text page right now.
00:12We've got Rockets.
00:13The Rockets are the point where we're going to play a Kendrick Perkins clip today that we agree with.
00:17Yeah, that's how bad it is right now.
00:19I've got another clip that I've got to add during the next break that's awesome.
00:23It's a report from a Spurs reporter on what he heard
00:28in an exchange between Kevin Durant and a couple of Spurs players.
00:31Oh, I heard about that.
00:32Yeah, I've got the audio. I'll bring it up.
00:33I was just trying to figure out, I want to credit the guy appropriately.
00:36Of course, of course.
00:37Yeah, well, trust me, we're not going to dig deep into the 129-93 loss to the Nuggets last night.
00:44This was, this is, I tell you, Seth, this is what really tested my loyalty last night with these Rockets.
00:51Well, you know, you know.
00:52Is she Italian?
00:53No, no, no.
00:54Amy is Italian, actually.
00:57Hank Hathaway.
00:59So, what really tested my loyalty last night, I do not like to bet against my teams when they're playing
01:06in meaningful games.
01:07And by definition, every game the Rockets play is a meaningful game.
01:10They're battling for probably a three-seat at best right now in the Western Conference.
01:14So, I don't like betting against my team.
01:16I don't even know what the line was last night.
01:17I just knew that the Rockets were going to go to Denver and get the doors blown off them last
01:22night.
01:23Because it's a back-to-back.
01:24It's in elevation.
01:26They don't beat good teams these days.
01:28Would you have bet on the Rockets if it was a 28-point spread?
01:31I don't know.
01:31No.
01:32Okay, would I have taken Rockets plus 28?
01:34That's the thing.
01:34I feel like I would have.
01:35It can still be.
01:36Oh, no, no, no, no.
01:37I bet.
01:37Oh, no.
01:38This is where I was going.
01:38I bet on the Rockets a lot.
01:40Yeah, yeah.
01:41No, I know.
01:41I know.
01:41I'm just saying that.
01:42It was an extremely bad loss.
01:45It was a bad loss.
01:46They were up 43-42 late in the first.
01:49I watched the first half plus like the first three minutes of the third quarter.
01:55Once they got down 67-55, that's when I'm like, okay, I've seen this movie before.
02:01I know which way the wind's blowing.
02:02They were up 43-42 late in the second quarter.
02:05They got outscored 87-50 the rest of the game.
02:08They shot four for 33 from three-point range for the game.
02:13It's 12% from three-point range.
02:15But this is not what I want to hear.
02:17And I haven't listened to any of the post-game audio.
02:18I haven't listened to what E-May has to say about this game.
02:20I haven't listened to Kevin Durant.
02:21I haven't listened to any of them because I went to bed.
02:23And then I got up and I came here to do a show.
02:25And when I saw the final score, I said, we're going to spend a lot of time on this
02:28because this team I don't think is worth a ton of investment right now
02:32given what they are.
02:33They're not a serious team.
02:34For being a three or a four seed, they're not a serious contender right now.
02:38Now, I'm just betting that there are at least Durant, maybe somebody else said,
02:43well, you know, when your three-point shot's not going down, you know,
02:46that's what happens.
02:47No, you don't lose by 36 when you're three.
02:50And I don't care that you're four for 33.
02:51This is a team that has serious effort issues on defense right now.
02:55They were – Ryan Hollins, I thought, was going to walk out on the floor
02:58and strangle somebody over these turnovers last night.
03:01Yeah.
03:01He's like, these are not – these are not normal.
03:04These are – he called them JV turnovers, which is a perfect description.
03:08I mean, there was a – the previous game versus the Raptors, it was almost like,
03:12okay, they won the game because they didn't turn the ball over in the fourth quarter.
03:15Yeah.
03:15Because that's – it becomes such a huge key to this team.
03:20You're like a game-managing quarterback.
03:22Just don't turn the ball over.
03:23Yeah, it's like if you – hey, you're a good quarterback except the three interceptions
03:26per game you're throwing.
03:27If you could just dial back the interceptions, we'd be cooking with gas, baby.
03:31Yeah, yeah.
03:31That's what you feel like with the Rockets, despite all of your flaws,
03:35despite everything else.
03:36Just – if you could just stop turning the ball over so much.
03:39Yeah, man.
03:40And sure, make a few threes along the way.
03:41That would be great.
03:42That would be great.
03:43All right.
03:43So, so that's the Rockets.
03:45If you're just waking up and you missed that game last night,
03:47I would say time well spent sleeping as opposed to watching the Rockets
03:50get blown out by 36 points in Denver.
03:54Okay, day three of free agency yesterday.
03:57Texans have a blocking tight end now on the roster.
04:00Boom.
04:00They got a tight end who's going to block – knock your block off,
04:04blocking in the run game.
04:05Foster Moreau is a Houston Texan.
04:08Foster Moreau money.
04:11Moreau money.
04:12Moreau money.
04:12Yeah.
04:13Yes.
04:14Foster Moreau money.
04:15Mm-hmm.
04:17Do you like the signing, Foster Moreau?
04:18I do, I do.
04:19I think in some respects I feel like it's almost – I don't want to call it an
04:24indictment on Cade Stover, but perhaps a signal that, yeah, Cade Stover hasn't
04:27developed into the tight end that they would hope that he would turn into.
04:31Brevin Jordan's never going to be a good blocker.
04:33So Foster Moreau is a guy that is – he's not going to blow you away with his
04:37receiving stats, but he can get after it in the run game.
04:40And he is a viable receiver, so if you pair him up with Dalton Schultz, then,
04:46yeah, hopefully you can be out there in two tight end sets and put the defense
04:49into a bind.
04:50Yeah, he was banged up last year.
04:51He only had seven catches last year.
04:53He was banged up for most of the year.
04:54The year before that he had 400 yards receiving.
04:56So you're right.
04:56He's capable of catching the football.
04:59He's a vet.
04:59He started his career in Las Vegas, probably in Oakland, actually, with the Raiders
05:04that long ago.
05:05And then he's been with the Saints the last few years.
05:08So, yeah.
05:09Like, Jawan Johnson's emergence kind of made Moreau take a backseat in the
05:13receiving game.
05:14Yeah.
05:14So he's still – but he was out there, and he offsets the other receiving threats,
05:19and he's a good run blocker.
05:20Yeah, yeah.
05:21So he's – so we're probably not going to get as much of 57 has reported as
05:26eligible, you think, Seth?
05:29Ideally, yeah.
05:30I saw that yesterday.
05:31I think it was Texans Cap who said – well, that was the whole tweet.
05:36He goes – well, and, of course, I'm referring to Blake Fisher being essentially
05:40a quasi-tight end in blocking situations.
05:43He said, well, I guess that's it for 57 as eligible.
05:46And I'm like, damn, did they – I had said yesterday I think they're ultimately
05:49going to trade Blake Fisher when, you know, either this offseason or when
05:52training camp rolls around.
05:54Did it happen yesterday?
05:55And I'm like, oh, no, no, no.
05:56It's because Foster Moreau is here.
05:57Yeah.
05:58Blake can get back to being a tackle.
06:00The Texans ran six offensive linemen more than just about anybody in the league.
06:04I think they finished up somewhere in the top three of the number of times
06:07they used that.
06:08And it was always frustrating because it wasn't like they did that the way some
06:12teams in the past have done it where, wow, they put six-o linemen on the field
06:16and they are just going to truck you.
06:18They are going to roll right over you.
06:20That wasn't it at all.
06:21It was, all right, we can't pass protect with five guys.
06:25We can't even run the ball a yard with five offensive linemen.
06:29So let's get an extra big body out there and maybe we'll be able to pass protect
06:33a little bit better and maybe we'll be able to get three yards instead of two.
06:38It was never a marauding force or anything.
06:41It was the best available solution.
06:44And it wasn't, you know, on an offense, if you've got a good offensive line and then
06:48you throw an extra one out there, yeah, that can create a bind.
06:51For the Texans, it was more of trying to reduce the damage than it was to try to become a
06:55menacing
06:56force or anything.
06:57Triage.
06:58Yeah.
06:58It was a patch on the dam.
07:00Yeah.
07:00Yeah.
07:00And a fabric patch at that.
07:02Yep.
07:02So that dam's about to burst.
07:04How much burlap do we have?
07:06Let's put some burlap over that leak in the dam.
07:08Yep.
07:08Blake Fisher, burlap Fisher, Mario Edwards Jr. done, failed physical yesterday.
07:14So I, so he's been cut.
07:16We get to keep our two first round picks at least.
07:18It's 4 million on the cap.
07:20Yeah, that's true.
07:20That's true.
07:21We'll get to that also.
07:23What did you think of this?
07:24According to Jonathan Alexander, the Texans made a quote, competitive offer to Elton Jenkins
07:31over the course of this week.
07:32He was cut.
07:33Elton Jenkins, interior offensive lineman, who was a pro bowler as a guard a few years ago
07:38for the Packers.
07:39They moved him to center the last couple of years and it was fine.
07:42Just not good enough for them to hang on to him at 18 million a year.
07:45They cut.
07:45He was a cap casualty in Green Bay.
07:47So he goes on the market.
07:49He ultimately goes to Cleveland who are there.
07:52Cleveland spending big money on their offensive line between Jenkins and Zion Johnson and the
07:57trade for Titus Howard and then giving him an extension.
08:01They're making big moves on their offensive line.
08:02I don't know how much better they are than the offensive line they had last year.
08:05They had Betonio and Wyatt Teller and they tore it down.
08:08But the fact that the Texans are in on Elton Jenkins, Seth, an interior offensive line,
08:13an interior offensive lineman.
08:14Now, mind you, he can play center.
08:15So they could have been viewing him as a replacement for Jake Andrews very easily.
08:20Does that, does them, did the Texans being in on Elton Jenkins, do you see that as an indicator
08:27that they view Braden Smith as a right tackle?
08:30Do you, is there any connected dots with that?
08:32No, I think this is the thing right now.
08:34And, you know, it's, it's interesting because I've been watching a lot of furious debates
08:37by people about what the Texans have planned for Braden Smith and because he theoretically
08:44can play guard and, but he's been a tackle, et cetera, et cetera.
08:48It's getting ugly out there.
08:49I think the problem is it's, it's March 12th and what people never like hearing is that
08:56the Texans might not actually know whether Braden Smith is going to play right tackle
09:00or left guard right now.
09:01Yeah, it's the, the current roster as it stands is not going to be what it looks like in July.
09:07I would anticipate between now and then probably three acquisitions on the offensive line, either
09:14by free agency or through the draft.
09:15And I won't count sixth or seventh round picks on the O-line.
09:18I think between free agents and first and second and third round picks, there's going to be
09:23at least three O-linemen added to the offensive line.
09:25Again, I think the Texans like having the ability to say, okay, if we don't, if we don't see
09:31the guy we really like or find a good deal on a left guard, yeah, we can have Braden Smith
09:36at left guard.
09:37We're going to draft an offensive lineman that maybe emerges and looks like a starting left
09:41guard or can be a right tackle or a swing tackle.
09:46And then even after that, after the draft, they can always trade for somebody right up until
09:50the beginning of the season.
09:51Nobody wants to hear that.
09:53It doesn't feel comfortable.
09:54It doesn't feel like, oh, good, we're good to go.
09:56The best, the most logical scenario right now, if the Texans are doing things right,
10:02is that they're cool, not knowing for sure if Braden Smith is going to play right tackle
10:07or left guard.
10:07Okay.
10:07Because we don't know which other guys are going to be on the roster.
10:10Yeah, yeah.
10:11Like last year, as a reminder to everybody, last year, or two years ago, the two biggest
10:16moves the Texans made in free agency in the first week were made on a Thursday.
10:21So they traded for Daniil Hunter.
10:23That's today.
10:23Yeah, they signed Daniil Hunter.
10:25They traded Joe Mixon.
10:26And I'm just, honestly, I'm trying to figure out why so many people are talking about it
10:31as if it's September 1st right now.
10:34Yeah.
10:34They don't know.
10:36Braden Smith could very well play left guard.
10:38He could very well play right tackle.
10:40And they also, I don't think that the Texans would go into a season thinking, well, yeah,
10:46all we need is for Trent Brown to play 17 games and not get injured.
10:50I don't think that they logically shouldn't be thinking that.
10:53So there's a multitude of different scenarios that could play out.
10:57Braden Smith has played virtually no guard in the NFL since he got to the NFL.
11:01He's been a right tackle for almost the whole time.
11:03Is that, educate me, the non-football player, is that a big issue that he hasn't played it
11:08in a decade or so?
11:09No, it could be a big issue.
11:12I think that, you know, I've always said that sometimes people make the mistake of thinking,
11:17oh, because tackles are harder to find because they're better athletes than guards,
11:22then all you have to do with a tackle is move them down to guard.
11:24That's not true.
11:25There's some excellent all-pro caliber tackles that probably would struggle at guard just
11:32because of the different needs at the position.
11:35But I think that Braden Smith is a guy that very much looks like he could play guard.
11:42And that's what he was.
11:43That's where he was most effective in college.
11:44That's what he was at Auburn.
11:47There's always going to be some hiccups when you have to change your footwork and everything.
11:50But when I watch him play at tackle, it's easy for me to see him playing guard.
11:55But again, we don't know who the Texans are going to sign in free agency.
12:00We don't know who they're going to draft.
12:01Yep.
12:02Here was Braden Smith.
12:03Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 got a hold of Braden Smith and did a nice interview with him.
12:08This is Braden Smith describing his style of play.
12:11We know everybody's watched Colts-Texans games.
12:13Maybe you weren't dialed in on Braden Smith while you're watching those games,
12:16watching him play right tackle.
12:17Here's Braden Smith's description of his style of play.
12:21I'd like to say that I'm a physical player.
12:24That's my style of play.
12:25I like to really do the gritty stuff, the gritty work.
12:30And just playing physical, I'm not a finesse guy.
12:33You know, I just, you know, I feel like I'm very kind of old school and, you know,
12:38especially with my days at Auburn, you know, running the ball all the time.
12:42And that's just something I really enjoy.
12:44But then again, you know, I'm trying to be well-rounded and, you know,
12:48I'll do the finesse if I have to do the finesse.
12:50But my roots are in playing physical.
12:52I love that.
12:54If I got to do the finesse, I suppose I'll do it.
12:56Yeah.
12:56If I have to pet a kitten, I'll do it.
12:59I'll do it.
13:00But I'd rather be out hunting ducks.
13:01He had a line earlier in that interview where he said something along the lines of,
13:07I like to be the one to draw blood first.
13:09Yeah.
13:10I think, honestly, when you watch him, he's a guy that he's built, he is built solid.
13:17Like, he is.
13:17From a distance, the first time I saw him when he was a young player,
13:21I thought, oh, this long, lanky guy's going to get taken care of.
13:24Yep.
13:24Nope.
13:24He's actually really, really, really strong.
13:26And you get up close to him and you realize, yeah, he's built real well,
13:28and he uses that strength well.
13:30There's nothing necessarily fluid about him.
13:33He doesn't move like Laramie Tunsil or anything.
13:36But he's technically really sound.
13:38He uses his strength really well.
13:40I think he is a technician, and that's why he gets away with having shorter arms.
13:44Yeah.
13:44Partly because he's really, really strong.
13:46Like, there's times, especially versus the Texans,
13:49who have some pretty strong edge rushers, guys will get into his chest.
13:53Like, he doesn't always overcome his short arms all that well.
13:56But he's able to anchor down because he's just so extremely strong.
13:59And, like, these are all the kind of things that transfer well to guard.
14:04But, again, every time I say that, I'll say,
14:06I don't know if the Texans have a specific plan for right now.
14:09Because we've seen this from the Texans in the past.
14:11Last year, Ariante Hersery was playing left and right tackle during training camp.
14:15Yeah.
14:15They don't.
14:16They – we get tired of it and annoyed with it with their fixation on versatility.
14:22They are not tired of it.
14:23No, get used to it.
14:24They are very much cool with it.
14:26Yep.
14:26Yeah, get used to it.
14:27Well, and the arms thing is funny.
14:29I feel like Will Campbell has almost single-handedly put short arms on the map for the average fan.
14:34Yeah.
14:34You know, like, anybody who follows the draft knows short arms are a big deal.
14:37Small hands for quarterbacks, short arms for offensive linemen.
14:40Those are a big deal.
14:42Brayden Smith's arms are short even for a guard.
14:45Like, he's – but he's – look, he's 10 years in now in the NFL.
14:49Like, he's figured it out.
14:50Right, right.
14:51He's been a very – he's been a solid starter for a long time.
14:53And remember, at times, that Colts offensive line in the last eight years has actually been a really good offensive
14:58line.
14:58No question.
14:58So, he's been a part of a really good offensive line before.
15:01My biggest concern with him would really just be his injury history over the course of the last three years.
15:08And this is one – I mean, this is going to be in the eye of the beholder.
15:11One of the – he's missed 18 games in the last three years.
15:14Yeah.
15:15A good chunk of those would be because he was dealing with some mental health issues in 2024.
15:20Yep.
15:20And, like, I understand when people hear that, they're going to have a certain reaction to it.
15:26He's addressed it.
15:28He's been through therapy to deal with his OCD.
15:31And I think that, by and large, it feels like he's got that under control.
15:36Yeah.
15:36It's not going to be – I don't – like, I'm going to try to speak carefully about this because
15:41I don't want to act –
15:42you don't want to treat a mental health issue like it's a sprained ankle or something.
15:45Right.
15:45But it's not a concern to me.
15:48You know, if he dealt with it again in 2025, then that might be another concern.
15:53I mean, if you – again, and I'm not speaking lightly about this, but he was struggling with OCD,
15:58and it was to a point where because he's very religious, he was really, really worried about every little misstep
16:04he might have in a day.
16:05Yeah.
16:06To the point where it was just becoming unbearable to deal with.
16:09And he's gotten that under control.
16:12But it's – like, to paint a picture of a guy that really wants to do things the right way,
16:16that was his issue.
16:18That was – yeah.
16:19I would take that over his issues, over my issues any day of the week.
16:23If I were a talent evaluator –
16:25Yeah.
16:25And he'd be like, oh, I don't know, just some days – some days Seth just completely forgets the names
16:31of his relatives.
16:32Yeah.
16:33Okay, that doesn't sound – that sounds like it might have a spillover in other things.
16:37What about this guy who just seems to be overly focused on trying to do the right thing?
16:41Yeah, sometimes to the point where it's just – he becomes too focused on doing the right thing all the
16:45time.
16:46Yeah.
16:46All right, I'd like to work with that problem.
16:48Yeah.
16:48Yeah.
16:49Let's fix that.
16:50All right, Payne and Pendergast with you.
16:51We're off and running.
16:52Seth didn't know where he was for three hours yesterday.
16:54That's an issue, yeah.
16:55Was alcohol involved?
16:56No.
16:57No.
16:57Just didn't know where he was.
16:59Okay.
16:59Couldn't figure it out.
17:00Yeah.
17:01Take up the eraser.
17:01And she racing Seth off the whiteboard.
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