00:00do you think this defense will be better than last year's?
00:04And last year's defense, if we remember, in 2025,
00:06they were basically top five in damn near every category,
00:09including total defense and just relinquish points,
00:14scoring to the Seahawks right at the end.
00:17I don't know if statistically they're going to be any better
00:19because as you just laid out, they were pretty damn good,
00:22pretty impressive across the board last year.
00:24I do think situationally they can be better.
00:28You know, with Reed Blankenship, again, I'm not going to sit here
00:32and act like Reed Blankenship is a world beater,
00:35but he is a safety that D'Amico can rely on.
00:37I'm going to guess that they did their due diligence
00:39and he is a perfect fit for this defense, which means accountable.
00:44I mean, he's going to be exactly where he's supposed to be,
00:46when he's supposed to be there, and is going to be a playmaker.
00:50He's probably going to be a pretty good fit here.
00:52So I would think that they could be a little more statistically probably
00:58in the same category, but I'm going to say probably get off to a quicker start
01:01and probably be, you know, a little bit more, you know,
01:11situationally dominant, if you will, because they're really good.
01:13It's not that they weren't good in situations, but it's just I think
01:17they're going to have more.
01:18You know, D'Amico's playbook is going to even be open even more.
01:21Look, I think the big thing here with D'Amico Rhines in this defense
01:27is it's not about getting better.
01:31It's not about improving over last year.
01:34Can they?
01:35Sure.
01:36Do they have to?
01:37No.
01:38The big question about D'Amico's defense in 2026 is can the Stars stay healthy
01:45the way they stayed healthy in 2026?
01:48And that's a part of it.
01:49Yep.
01:49Can Will Anderson, Daniil Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr., Lasseter, Kamari Lasseter,
01:56obviously in the middle.
02:00What's the middle linebacker?
02:01Alshair.
02:02Yeah, Aziz Alshair.
02:04I think Kalen Bullock has worked his way into that.
02:06Jalen Petrie.
02:08You know, can those main stars, can the key cogs in this defense,
02:14there's about six or seven, maybe even eight of them,
02:16can those guys stay healthy as many snaps in as many games as they did last year?
02:23If they do, I think they're going to be better just because everybody's going to be
02:26a year better in the system.
02:29But that's the key.
02:30Can they be better?
02:31I mean, can they be as healthy or more?
02:35And then I think everything will be fine.
02:37Yeah.
02:37Yeah.
02:37The health part was a big part of that.
02:40But now, 713-572-4610, again, you can jump in.
02:44I see people on the text line.
02:45Unfortunately, yes, the defense will have to be better.
02:49Casario has once again piecemealed the offensive line
02:52and didn't bring a strong center that could communicate.
02:56Did you text us in?
02:57Well, that our quarterback desperately needs.
03:04They never do anything when it comes to helping this team.
03:08So, yeah, they have to be better.
03:09Year two, I'm sorry, that's on the offense.
03:14Show and Clint, do I think the O-line is the biggest issue again this season?
03:19Yes.
03:20All right.
03:20But your thoughts, again, 713-572-4610,
03:24do you think this defense will be better this year than it was last year?
03:28And do you think it has to be?
03:29That's the other part is, I get what you're saying situationally,
03:33but I do think that they, right now as it is, as we see it right now,
03:41and this thing could change with new evidence.
03:43But right now as you see it, I think the combination of where their offense is,
03:48I would say to me at best, right now their offense feels very similar to what it was
03:55when they stopped playing last, without the turnovers, without, you know,
03:59C.J. turning the ball over.
04:01Right, I agree.
04:01But they feel very close to that.
04:04Maybe growth puts them up above that.
04:07And then I do think the field will improve.
04:11I think the field around them will improve.
04:14And I do think that there's probably going to be elements that this defense,
04:18especially in the games against the teams that you're going to be fighting against,
04:23that are against playoff level teams,
04:25or then when they get to the playoffs against those teams,
04:28I think their defense is going to have to potentially be better than it was at times last year.
04:35Like, this defense this year, I think they had a hard time doing what they did
04:38giving up three touchdown drives in games against good teams.
04:42That, to me, I think would be potentially difficult for them to overcome.
04:47Yeah, I mean, you make a great point.
04:48Look, with what this offense is gearing up to do,
04:52and the players that they're adding to do it,
04:57it's not selling you that they're going to be super explosive.
05:00It's not selling you that they're going to try to do anything other than just vanilla,
05:03stay ahead of the chains, don't lose the game.
05:06And so does the defense need – I could see where you could land there.
05:09I just don't know that there's a way that they can.
05:12The reality of it is, I mean,
05:18they've got to make some moves on the offensive side of the football that gives them a chance.
05:22And then CJ's got to play better.
05:24And the defense needs to be as good as it was last year, which is a tall task.
05:27They were really, really good.
05:28But, yeah, so I hope you're not right in the fact that they need to
05:33because that means that offense was bad.
05:35And, look, they can improve and turn it.
05:38And I don't even know if it necessarily – like, would you say last year's offense was bad?
05:44I wouldn't say it was bad.
05:46I think there was a stretch there in the middle.
05:48I think they started out slow, which after watching the training –
05:51because they approach the training camp, it's not –
05:53Surprising.
05:54It doesn't surprise me that they started out slow.
05:58I think there was a stretch in the middle there
06:00where they were playing things really tight to vest.
06:02And CJ Stroud was really committing to – and Dalton – I mean, Dalton.
06:06And Davis Mills were committing to the death by 1,000 cuts approach.
06:13And I think there were some good times had.
06:16There were some good days.
06:17There were – with this defense, with this defense and that approach,
06:23you're going to win a lot of games.
06:25And so, yeah, I mean, it wasn't – to answer your question,
06:28I don't think they were bad, but I don't think they were ever good enough
06:32to convince anybody that they were going to make a run deep into the playoffs.
06:35That's the key.
06:36Yeah, and I think their offense has to at least show the ability against good teams,
06:41like consistently, that they could be better than that.
06:46I agree with that.
06:47They've got to show that text line coming through.
06:50The Texans' defense is great, but if they add an interior defensive lineman,
06:55a real run-stuffing, pocket-caving, eight-gap, one-technique monster in the draft,
07:00they'll be good on all three levels.
07:02And maybe that's what they're – and maybe that's something that they will do.
07:05Because I do think the thing that they can improve on that you could see is turnovers.
07:09They started to get turnovers late, later as the season went on.
07:14But that's – like that part of it – and you would think with what they do
07:19and what they had, they would turn people over a lot.
07:21They rush the passer as well as anybody.
07:23And then they have ball hawks and corners and defensive backs
07:29that turn into receivers back there.
07:32That texture makes a great point.
07:35I mean, let's not overlook on this defense the way that D'Amico Rhines was able to
07:44get a lot of production out of guys that we didn't expect much from, right?
07:49I mean, you look at the guys over the last two years that were a big part of the rotation
07:56and they're not even back to those numbers.
07:58When you look at Foley Fatakasi, you look at Tim Settle, you look at Mario Edwards Jr.,
08:04you look at – Danico Autry was a part of it, right?
08:07You look – there were times when you looked – we looked out there
08:09and it was Tommy Tokiai, not this year, but two years ago.
08:11And what was the kid's name from Notre Dame?
08:14I keep forgetting his damn name.
08:15Kurt Heinish.
08:16You know, him and Kurt Heinish were out there.
08:18I mean, they're nowhere close to just that kind of quality depth.
08:22Sheldon Rankin's great, right?
08:24You look at Tommy Tokiai, I think he's somewhere between being a rotational piece
08:30and what we saw him be last year.
08:33I think it's probably going to be unfair to expect out of Tommy what we saw
08:36and heard out of the organization about him last year.
08:38I think we've got to be careful there.
08:39Temper your expectations for him.
08:41But you've got two.
08:42Roquan Jones, what do you expect from him?
08:45I mean, these guys were six deep, right?
08:48You mentioned that – what's the kid's name that they just picked up from Tampa?
08:51Oh, yeah, Logan Hall.
08:52I mean, Logan Hall.
08:53He'll be a piece, kind of the Danico Autry piece.
08:55But you've got to have five or six guys interior-wise over an 18-week,
08:5917-game season to rotate this thing through there.
09:02And they don't have those – they don't have those bodies yet.
09:05And so, to the Texter's point, boy, it would go a long way if they drafted a horse.
09:10Now, I don't know if you're going to find that one technique
09:11that the Texter was talking about.
09:12I hope he was right.
09:13I don't know if they're going to find that in this draft.
09:14But if they do find a guy that can be a top-of-the-line rotational piece
09:20at the interior defensive line, I think this defense goes to the next level.
09:23I agree.
09:24But it just brings up the point, Ron, of like they've still got a lot –
09:27they've got their work cut out at that position just building the roster for camp.
09:32I mean, right now they don't have a whole hell of a lot.
09:33They don't have a – they don't – like a guys that – like I look at the interior,
09:38it looks like three guys that you've seen that really have gotten a lot of NFL experience.
09:45Are you including Logan Hall in that?
09:46Well, not Logan.
09:47Probably four if you add the tweener in.
09:49He's at 280 or so.
09:50So add him in four that have had a lot of work there.
09:55So they've got some – a couple of other bodies, but, yeah, not guys that you were –
09:59because you're right, they lost Settle.
10:00They lost Foley Fadakasi, they've lost Heinisch, right?
10:04They lost Mario Edwards Jr.
10:06So they've lost a few guys in that position group.
10:10This defense, it is great and does have a chance to be better.
10:14It's going to be fun.
10:15You add Reed Blankenship in there and they may be able to turn the ball over even more.
10:19He may allow, you know, Matt Burke and D'Amico Ryans to do more things with this group.
10:26And then you feel there's natural growth.
10:28We all saw growth from Lassiter from one to two.
10:31We all saw growth from Bullock from one to two.
10:35And that probably shouldn't stop by.
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