00:00Honestly, I just want to bring a level of compassion that's infectious.
00:04I want everybody around me to kind of feel what I'm on the field.
00:08You know, yeah, like that nickname I had was, it was, you know, it was a part of who I
00:13was in my game,
00:14but I also feel like it's another level of my game that I'm able to showcase and kind of like
00:19let the world go.
00:21All right, that's David Montgomery right there,
00:25the newest member in that backfield for the Houston Texans,
00:32and somebody I think that's probably going to lead the charge to hopefully an improved running game.
00:40I would say maybe hopefully improve the way it was when the Texans were able to make the trade
00:47and move to bring in Joe Mixon.
00:51Joe Mixon, so that's the hope there that they can improve this run game,
00:55and it looks like, Clint, that is what they are looking to do,
00:58and that brings us to what we teased on the other side, Clint,
01:03was this is something that absolutely has to change.
01:07The Texans cannot be ranked at this space for them to continue to get to where they want to get
01:14to.
01:14Yeah, look, I mean, there's, you can make what you want of these stats, to be honest.
01:18You see, I'm not a huge believer in leaning into these advanced stats in any way, shape, or form.
01:25However, when I do stumble up on one, by the way, I found this stat when I was just looking
01:29at some different draft stuff
01:31of why the Texans may do certain things, and I did not realize it was this bad,
01:38and that's kind of where I want to go with this stat.
01:40I don't even know what the stats necessarily stem from.
01:43I don't know what half of, not half, I don't know what 99% of advanced stats,
01:47that's my deal with advanced stats is, you know, I don't know how they arrive where they do typically, right?
01:53But this just can't be a stat that's associated with your team in any way, shape, or form,
01:58regardless of how the statistician gets there, right?
02:02It doesn't matter.
02:03Here's the point.
02:04The Texans have had the 31st-ranked rushing attack by EPA and success rate since C.J. Stroud entered the
02:12league in 2023.
02:14Now, that's a combined his rookie year, second year, and third year, so it does include the Joe Mixon year,
02:19but it also includes the last year and the year before.
02:23Singleton year.
02:24Yeah, clearly the two years, the 23 and the 25, obviously are dragging this thing down because Joe,
02:33I don't know that Joe was top 10 or anything, but I don't think the Joe Mixon Texans rushing attack
02:38was 31st-ranked in any measure.
02:41And again, I don't even know what EPA and success rate, I don't know how they got there.
02:47I don't even know what the hell that means.
02:48But I know this, you can't be 31st in that category.
02:51I know you can't be, like, wherever you rank in terms of running the football,
02:56in any stretch of the imagination, it can't start with a three.
03:01I mean, it just, it absolutely can't.
03:04And we spend a lot of time talking about C.J. Stroud, and rightfully so.
03:08We spend a lot of time talking about C.J. Stroud, the pass protection, not being great against pressure,
03:12the offensive line giving up too many sacks.
03:14We spend a lot of time talking about the pass catchers and the lack of explosion and this and that.
03:19And all that's fine and dandy.
03:20I think those are great conversations and very, very, you know, worthy of having.
03:27This right here has just got to change.
03:31And I think that number is indicative of the real struggles when you talk about consistently being able to run
03:37the football.
03:38There's been some bright moments, but consistently being able to run the football,
03:40I think that's, that ranking is indicative of that.
03:44And I also think what we've seen the Texans go out and do this year, re-sign Ed Ingram,
03:48one of the best interior offensive linemen on the free agent market this year.
03:52Wyatt Teller, one of the better veteran free agent interior offensive linemen on the market,
03:56along with Braden Smith, one of the better run-blocking tackles in the game.
04:01That's got, it's long in the tooth with some experience.
04:04Also brought back Trent Brown, who I think, obviously, he may not get seven or eight, nine, ten games out
04:08of him,
04:09but damn it, he's going to lean on somebody and move somebody.
04:11And so I think it, when you hear that stat, 31st ranked rushing attack by EPA and success rate
04:18since Stroud entered the league for three years, damn it, they've got to get this right.
04:23They've got to get this right.
04:24And I think it speaks to the moves that they've made with David Montgomery.
04:28I mentioned the offensive lineman, but definitely David Montgomery and him getting downhill
04:32and falling forward, not to mention the off the field or, you know, the,
04:40I think the potential of his demeanor and his attitude kind of changing the offense as a whole.
04:46The question is, have they accomplished it with those guys?
04:49Have they accomplished right and that wrong?
04:52Cause there ain't no, there's no quarterback comes in the league should, should have to young quarterback.
04:56First three years should have to play with a, with a run game like that.
04:59Have they accomplished this by set by, by signing David Montgomery, Braden Smith, Wyatt Teller,
05:05Ed Ingram and, and company, uh, or, or are we still sitting in a spot where this could be a
05:11problem again this year?
05:12They need to be a top 10 rushing team.
05:13Top 10.
05:14Oh, wow.
05:16I like, but, but we explain that though.
05:19Why do you top 10?
05:21Top 10 is aggressive.
05:21Right.
05:22Yeah.
05:22It's, I think it's aggressive because, and I think they're showing, I think they're showing to be aggressive
05:28because the reason why I completely agree with everything you're saying is because this is what they want to do
05:33and what they're trying to build themselves to be.
05:35They were 22nd in the league in rushing last year in terms of rushing yards per game.
05:41Number one was 159.
05:43They're at 108.
05:45Number 10 was one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 were the New York Jets.
05:54That was the 10th highest rushing team per game.
05:58They seem, Clint, to want to be a run first, run second team.
06:03They want to be physical.
06:05They want to run the football.
06:07That is what they want to do.
06:08They are going to play defense and run the football.
06:11And to me, if they're going to put such emphasis on it, they have built their team around it.
06:18Like they, this has to be their bread and butter.
06:21They have to do, they have to do, they should be to me in the top, in the top 10
06:27area in terms of rushing yards per game.
06:30Cause they're going to have the damn attempts.
06:32I think they're going to have, like, I'm not saying, obviously I'm not saying they're going to be Baltimore or,
06:37or even Buffalo with, with, with, what they do with their running quarter.
06:40But they, if they are going to have a successful offense, right.
06:46And what's the goal to get to AFC championship game.
06:50They're trying to kick the door.
06:51If they're going to have a successful enough offense to beat the teams that they're going to need to be
06:57for how they're built and what they want to do, they have got to run the football and run the
07:04football.
07:04Well, that, that is a, that is a great tie together there, Ron.
07:09You look at what this team is trying to accomplish in a sense of, of, you know, what the goals
07:16are, which is AFC championship, Superbowl.
07:18Like, like, like I'm talking about realistic.
07:20I'm not talking about three years ago, talking about Superbowl right, right now it's realistic.
07:23Like your, your goal should be FC, AFC championship, Superbowl.
07:26And then you look at how they're planning on, or it appears that they're planning on making that move and
07:34getting and showing the improvement is through improving their run game, being more physical, being more downhill.
07:41You're right, man.
07:42And if, if, if you're talking about going from 12 to 14 wins, if you're talking about going from the
07:47second round to potentially a Superbowl and you're going to do it via the run, you're right.
07:53I mean, I, when you first said top 10, I was like, yeah, it's a little rich, but if you're
07:57going to, if that's going to be your identity offensively and you're going to, you're going to go to a
08:00Superbowl, it's got to be one of the best in the league.
08:02It's got to be one of the best in the league.
08:04Uh, seven, uh, seven, one, three, five, seven, two, four, six, 10 people on, uh, the base power text line.
08:09But then you have to ask yourself the question, if you want to be a run first run, second team,
08:14you want to build around the defense and then basically be a ball control offense as CJ Stroud, your quarterback.
08:21I don't think so.
08:21I think, I think that's one of the things we've discussed and talked about, uh, they're, they're not, they are
08:27not look, this is what it appears.
08:30They're doing everything they did in the off season, Clintus, they are looking to, they're not looking to build this
08:37thing around CJ Hill.
08:38He said it.
08:39I'm looking around, go look what they did.
08:41Wyatt Teller.
08:42What's his strength?
08:43Run blocking.
08:44That's what it's always been.
08:45Braden Smith.
08:46What's his strength from a tackle position?
08:48Run blocking.
08:49Sometimes they say his issues is maybe past protection.
08:53Ed Ingram.
08:54What's his strength?
08:54His strength last year.
08:55He was one of the best run blocking guards in the league.
08:58Not so great in terms of past protection.
09:00Ariante Ursary.
09:01You look at him coming out of college.
09:03Boy, he is physical.
09:04He can run block.
09:05We saw that.
09:06That is what they're built.
09:07And then they went and traded for David Montgomery.
09:10Yeah.
09:10And they're probably going to draft a run back early too.
09:15I think it is clear to me.
09:17I'm sorry.
09:18I don't think they're coming out here.
09:20Like in your mind, Clint, how many times do you think they want?
09:24If they could pick it on average in their mind, how many times do you think they have CJ throw
09:28the ball?
09:29Oh, shoot.
09:30They can keep it in the teens.
09:31They'd love it.
09:33I was thinking 20 to 25 is probably the range.
09:38Right?
09:38And just think about it.
09:40Let's be honest.
09:40Their offense, their defense is spectacular.
09:43And so their defense, for the most part, I would say 80 to 90% of the time in the
09:51games they
09:51play, their defense is not going to put them in a situation where they have to stop running
09:57the football.
09:59Right?
10:00Like the likelihood that they're down by two scores and that they have to take running
10:06the football off the table is probably not going to occur.
10:09So they, yeah, they have to, this is their bread and butter.
10:14They have to be really good at this.
10:16Right.
10:16They have to be one of the best run teams in the league.
10:18If they're going to go from 12 wins, you know, to 14, if they're going to go from second
10:23round to AFC championship or Superbowl, you're right.
10:25It's got to be with that approach.
10:27If it's not going to be dudes you bring in here, if it's not going to be weapons you bring
10:31in here, it's got to be.
10:33That's what you've talked about offseason.
10:35You think they're going to slow down that sixth offensive lineman?
10:37No, they're going to get them a good one, get them a better one.
10:41Upgrade in that category.
10:42They're going to have a sixth offensive lineman out there.
10:44They're going to run their asses off.
10:46That's what they're going to do.
10:47So I do, I think they need to be towards the top 10 to meet the damn Jets were 10
10:51last
10:52year.
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