00:00Second down and eight from the Houston 43-yard line.
00:03Stroud of the gun now with Woody to his right.
00:05Here's the snap to CJ.
00:07Four-man rush.
00:07He throws over the middle.
00:08Hits Nico.
00:09Left side 40.
00:10Breaks a tackle.
00:1130, 20, 15, 10, 5.
00:13Rock and roll.
00:15Touchdown, Houston.
00:17Fireworks early at NRG Stadium as Nico Collins takes it to the house.
00:24All right, that was Mark Vandermeer talking about Nico Collins.
00:30And listen, we understand if the Texans, they got themselves one of the best receivers in football.
00:38He is a big-time player, a weapon, and a weapon that especially, and I know for you, Clint, not
00:45enough,
00:46but at least on this team, if they're trying to get it to anybody, they're going to get it to
00:53Nico Collins.
00:54Maybe not as much as you would want them to, and maybe that changes.
00:57But Nico Collins is somebody who, if you look at him, we went through all the numbers of players outside
01:03of Nico.
01:04Nico in 15 games last year, 71 catches, over 1,100 yards and six touchdowns.
01:09So he's somebody that obviously gets more touches than anybody else.
01:16But I'm wondering, Clint, because this offense needs more firepower and is going to need more big play ability
01:24and have it from the outside.
01:27And we've seen Nico become one of the best in the league, right?
01:30As you said, he's a top-ten receiver and a guy that is stealing, or is a steal when it
01:35comes to how much he's getting paid
01:37compared to others right now.
01:39Do you think we've seen him peak?
01:43Do you think that we've seen the best of Nico Collins, or is there another level for the 27-year
01:51-old entering year six?
01:53Is there another level that he can get to that can maybe help this offense?
01:57No, I think we know exactly who Nico Collins is right now.
01:59And I think it's a top-ten receiving talent in the NFL.
02:02I mean, like, I don't know that Nico himself can do any more than he has.
02:07Maybe stay healthy.
02:09I mean, obviously, he's been unavailable at some inopportune times, I think, in his career.
02:13That's hurt.
02:14But, you know, I think Nico Collins is a top-ten talent that is used in a way,
02:22and if we're being honest, for the most part of his career, as we can say the whole career,
02:28he kind of blossomed.
02:30When did he blossom?
02:32Wasn't that the?
02:332023 season.
02:3423, so.
02:3580 for 12, 97, and eight touchdowns in 15 games?
02:38Yeah, so, I mean, really, if you look at Nico Collins' career here, I mean, he is,
02:42I would say he's been under, I would say he's been underutilized.
02:48I agree.
02:50That or his injuries.
02:52Yeah, but, I mean, you look at it.
02:53I mean, 15 games, 71 catches.
02:56I don't know, do the math.
02:56That's less than five catches a game.
02:59And you're playing with a bunch of guys that we don't even know if they can, I mean,
03:02we come into this season, we didn't even know at wide receiver, Christian Kirk was hurt,
03:06and you had a bunch of second-round picks.
03:08Like, I mean, so, it's, you know, that's the interesting part.
03:12I think we know exactly who Nico is.
03:14I think Nico, when he came into the league, the body, the build, the 6'4", 210, whatever it was,
03:21you know, and how raw he was, say it was COVID, say it was youth, whatever it was,
03:26my immediate go-to, and I think a lot of people, I know there's a lot of people out there
03:29right now
03:30who like to say that they knew who Nico was, but, you know, back then it was,
03:34hey, man, Nico's a big-bodied, deep threat that can catch the 50-50 ball
03:38that is going to be that guy, you know, as the boundary receiver.
03:43And the reality is that's not who he is at all.
03:45Sure, he can do some of those things, but the reality of it is is he plays the game
03:49like a 5'10", 5'11", receiver that's shifty, that can run the route tree,
03:54that has great feel, that's hard, and then he plays the game
03:57as a very difficult pass catcher to tackle after he catches a football.
04:01So, I don't think Nico can show us anything more than he already has.
04:06I think we know exactly who it is.
04:07The key is kind of how do the Texans use him moving forward.
04:11Text line coming through.
04:12Nico is good, but often injured, and he doesn't have a second,
04:17a good second or third receiver to make space for him.
04:21I don't think it's just that he doesn't have a good second or third receiver.
04:25I mean, he had Tank Dale.
04:26He had Stephon Diggs previous year, so he's had it.
04:30I'll say this, Clint.
04:31I don't think that he has peaked as a player.
04:34I think I still, and I know what you said, and this kind of goes to it
04:37when you talk about he plays like a 5'10", 5'11", player.
04:43I still think red zone stuff, there can be improvement on that.
04:47I think there's another step in a level that he can get to with jump ball,
04:52contested ball catches.
04:54I remember the number he did on LeJaria Sneed against the Titans earlier this year
05:01at home where I think there's still some elements of that.
05:04So, I don't know that we've seen the absolute best him as an individual player,
05:09but I do think his production may have peaked because I wonder in this offense
05:15if we could see him be allowed to go to that next level.
05:20Well, I think that I agree with you of like, do I think he can make more plays
05:25and do more and be more productive even more than the great numbers?
05:31Yeah, absolutely he can.
05:33But the key is, and I've said it a million times,
05:36I mean, if this offense, as they are built last year
05:40and as they're built coming up,
05:42D'Amico Ryan should fire somebody if he doesn't have 10 targets a game.
05:47All joking aside, he should fire somebody.
05:49If you come into a game and your offense struggled
05:53and you had to win that a low-scoring defensive battle
05:56and or you lost a game
05:58and Nico Collins has got three catches and five targets,
06:02it's somebody should get fired.
06:04And that's just, for whatever reason,
06:08whether it's Nick, Nick, or D'Amico,
06:10whatever reason, they are A-OK with that.
06:13And that makes no sense to me offensively.
06:17Whether it's like you're talking about red zone
06:19or it's just the using creative formations and motions
06:27to get him easy free touches.
06:28So he goes from having four or five catches a game
06:32to having eight or nine catches a game
06:33because you're getting him three or four,
06:35one in the screen game,
06:36one in the boot game real quick in the flat.
06:38You know, he's always the center of attention,
06:40kind of like Puka Nakua or Jamar Chase
06:42or, you know, CeeDee Lamb and guys like that.
06:46You know, that's what should happen offensively.
06:49But to your point that I think you were making is,
06:52I don't know if this offense is going to view Nico Collins that way
06:55to allow him to do more.
06:57That's the part, right.
06:58Like, yeah, because as someone texted in,
07:01Nico has tapped out on what he can do.
07:03I just don't agree with that.
07:05The health thing is a big thing.
07:07You know who he feels like, Tyler?
07:11If we can get past his nastiness and...
07:16Why would you want to do that?
07:17Because I'm speaking of Deshaun.
07:19Oh, that kind of nasty.
07:21If we could get past Deshaun's nastiness
07:23and remember Deshaun Watson pre-Nastyville,
07:28like...
07:28I'm not going to let it take my joy.
07:30He reminds me of that in...
07:32How often did you watch Deshaun and think,
07:35man, if he was under...
07:38Oh, every game.
07:40Andy Reid, if he had got drafted by Andy
07:43or if he had gotten drafted by Sean McVay,
07:46if Kyle Shanahan had gotten a hold of him,
07:49like all these other places where they could clearly,
07:53it feels like they could clearly get the best out of him,
07:56he would...
07:57Like, he already played to a level...
08:01Again, if you can get past the nastiness
08:03and remember how good he was,
08:05he was already playing to a level where they felt like,
08:08hey, opening game, the first time football's back in a long time,
08:11let's go Deshaun versus Patrick Mahomes
08:14because they were in a similar playing field.
08:17He was doing that, and you're looking at thinking,
08:20damn, Pat's got Andy and Kelsey and Hill,
08:25and he's, like, going toe-to-toe.
08:28That's what I look at when I see Nico,
08:30and I think that if I'm Nico and you're like,
08:32boy, if you take Nico and take him
08:35and put him in Jamar Chase or Higgins' spot,
08:39what would that look like?
08:41If you take him out and you put him in, you know,
08:45Puka Nakua's spot, and what would he look like?
08:48If you took him and put him in JSN's spot last year,
08:52what would that look like?
08:53So that's why I don't think he's just tapped out.
08:56I, like, I do think he is getting held back
09:01and not being put in the best spot.
09:03Well, you wonder, I mean, he's such a good dude
09:05that, you know, I doubt it ever happens,
09:08but, you know, to me, we talk a lot about C.J. Stroud
09:12and how happy he is or isn't,
09:13or if it's square peg, round hole, whatever.
09:16You know, there's come a time,
09:18I wonder if Nico, because Nico can sit here
09:20and make Pro Bowls.
09:21Nico can sit here and make Pro Bowls,
09:23but, I mean, Nico could also choose to go somewhere
09:26where offensively they're going to feature him
09:28and he's going to have, you know,
09:298, 9, 10 targets a game
09:31and maybe even 8, 9, 10 catches a game.
09:35That'll be interesting when it comes contract time
09:38for Nico, too, of what he decides to do.
09:40Yeah.
09:40But, no, that could be an element
09:43of how this offense can have more firepower
09:47is if he takes another step, right?
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