- 1 day ago
ITL debates Houston fixing the trenches while reacting to the Rockets’ playoff hole.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00So, on the Rutledge pick, okay, trading up two spots to get Rutledge.
00:04I feel like what we're in the midst of is the Nick Casario offensive line redemption tour.
00:11Oh!
00:12Let's call it the redemption run, if you like alliteration.
00:15The Nick Casario offensive line redemption run.
00:19And I'm curious to see how this is going to play out.
00:22Because last year, a big whiff on acquiring offensive linemen.
00:28No secret about that.
00:30But they did draft Ariante Urseri, okay?
00:33So, left tackle.
00:34I don't need to explain to the audience how important the left tackle is on the offensive line.
00:38That's a staple on your offensive line if that works out the way it looks like it's going to.
00:43And then this offseason, they remake the position room in three spots, potentially.
00:51And then that fourth spot is bringing back a guy that you did bring in the year before, right?
00:56That you took a flyer on in Ed Ingram and you hit on that.
01:00So, between the Ed Ingram acquisition, the Ariante Urseri draft pick, and now remaking potentially these other three spots, the
01:10Wyatt Teller signing.
01:11We all understand Wyatt Teller's the former two-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler, right?
01:16But the Braden Smith acquisition, bringing him in, that's somebody that's been a starter his entire career, right?
01:24And now with this Rutledge pick, okay?
01:28Him as somebody who could potentially start for you day one at either guard spot if it doesn't work out
01:35with one of those veterans.
01:36If they're injured, could step in and could instantly compete with Jake Andrews.
01:42Might actually be, despite the fact that he hasn't played center at all, might actually be better than Jake Andrews
01:48right now,
01:48just because of all the other physical attributes and the actual gifts that he has, right?
01:53The things that Jake Andrews just cannot control, right, that are not his fault.
01:57He's better there, and if you can just coach him up and teach him just a little bit, he might
02:03actually be able to fill that spot for you.
02:05So, my point is, we might be looking at it now, by the time we get to the start of
02:11this season,
02:11where this offensive line over the course of two seasons has been completely remade and now looks like what they
02:18wanted it to look like the entire time,
02:20what they have failed at, just to be clear, what they have failed at, like, let's just be clear about
02:25it,
02:26what they have failed at for years, they might actually be close to getting it right between the coaching changes
02:32that they've made
02:33and the guys that they've acquired over the last couple of years.
02:36So, now, to me, this looks like, and if it doesn't work, I feel like we can definitively say, hey,
02:41they're just bad at this.
02:42Correct.
02:42It's not a thing about, hey, they're not trying or they're not addressing it, they're not throwing money at it,
02:48they're not throwing resources at it, they're doing that.
02:52And so, now it's just a matter of how does it play out.
02:54And I think that there's something that's worth noting here, right, because you mentioned that they've remade the offensive line.
03:00That's not just as a starting situation.
03:02They are remaking the offensive line room.
03:04One of the things I was talking about with you, John, earlier in the morning is,
03:09Keeler Rolich, even if he does not start, which I'm feeling better and better about as we continue to think
03:13about it,
03:14but even if he doesn't, he makes it so that if you really don't want to,
03:17you do not have to see Drew Scruggs play football again.
03:19Yeah.
03:20If you really don't want to, you do not have to see Jarrett Kingston play football again.
03:25Or Jarrett Patterson, rather.
03:26I mean, either of them.
03:29Kingston's still around.
03:30None of the Jarrett's.
03:31You got three dudes who could play center on this roster as of right now.
03:35Jake Andrews, who has been your starter, who, you know, maybe not, might not be the optimal,
03:39but you know that he's done the job in the system to this point.
03:42Evan Brown, who you bring in from Arizona, who, he's played the position as well.
03:47Maybe he does that.
03:48And then, also, if Rutledge does that.
03:50If not, if Rutledge is one of your depth pieces at guard, you have your two starters,
03:55and he could possibly play one of those if you need, like, a swing guard fill-in.
04:00Like, you might have gotten, you're starting, at least, to get your depth to a place where
04:04some of the swings and misses are lower down the depth chart or might not even be at the depth
04:09chart
04:09by the time you cut down your roster.
04:10I'm really glad you brought this up because we were having this conversation before we came on air,
04:13and I'm sitting there going, we're so gullible.
04:16We're all so gullible.
04:18I know I am so gullible.
04:20I completely forgot Juice got traded.
04:22Yeah, I'm so gullible because we knew going into this offseason, boy,
04:28they have to completely redo the offensive line.
04:30Then they signed some guys, and we're like, man, maybe they won't draft an offensive lineman
04:33in the first round.
04:34Of course they are.
04:36Of course they were.
04:37I still think they're going to draft another offensive lineman, maybe even, you know, today.
04:42And so our first instinct was they need – even though in February D'Amico said,
04:47we don't think there's any position that we absolutely have to get, and I'm paraphrasing.
04:51Even though in February Nick was bragging about this offensive line last season, in fact,
04:57talking about it was competitive and, you know, hey, have you seen the sack rates
05:01and all this other stuff, our first instinct was the right instinct.
05:06They needed offensive linemen.
05:07And to your point, they already right now, today, have five new offensive linemen on the roster.
05:11They have three new starters because – and you can argue with me, but he's going to come in,
05:17Rutledge, and he's going to start.
05:19So they were going to have three new starters, five new offensive linemen,
05:21and they were saying, you know, maybe not.
05:23No, we should have known.
05:24Look, I don't know if it's going to work out.
05:26I'm not predicting one way or another that it is or that it won't.
05:30Yeah.
05:30But it is nice to see that at least this offseason, the Texans brass understood the assignment.
05:37They understood what the clear need was.
05:39And this is the cool thing about drafting when you're already a good team,
05:42when you already have good players, depth in places that, you know,
05:46it's kind of a luxury for a team to go into it already having a lot of its team in
05:52place.
05:52And so you can really key in, not just in the draft, but in the entire offseason
05:57when it comes to free agency, trades, and in the draft on, like,
06:02really what is the thing that ails us?
06:04What is the reason why we can't get from point A to point B, from here to there?
06:08And that is the reason.
06:10It has been the offensive line.
06:11Reg, you mentioned in the last hour the draft industrial complex in the context of
06:17do you trust the Texans draft industrial complex, the only thing really wrong with it
06:22has been this offensive line thing.
06:25Right.
06:25Draft and offensive line.
06:26I mean, you can nitpick tight end as well, but they've been able to get by at that position.
06:30So it's really just been the offensive line whiffing on those picks.
06:34Yes.
06:34And that is the reason, the sole reason not to trust it if you don't.
06:38It was about the offensive line.
06:40It was always about the offensive line.
06:42100%.
06:42Okay.
06:42So let me get this Rockets point in because I do have to.
06:45Oh, double dip.
06:46I have to at least just go on record because I gave what my keys were.
06:52Like I've done this on the radio, on my podcast and all of that.
06:55What's the name of that podcast again?
06:56The B Block podcast.
06:57Y'all can find that on YouTube.
06:59So just check it out, YouTube and wherever it is that you get your podcasts.
07:02But also, like I made the point of, hey, the matchups that I feel like the Rockets should
07:09win in this series.
07:11They have lost all of the matchups that I thought they had an advantage in.
07:17Okay.
07:17I went Shingun versus Aiden and Jackson Hayes combination, right?
07:22That has been embarrassing.
07:23They have lost that matchup.
07:25They are losing that matchup.
07:27I feel like between the two of them, DeAndre Aiden and Jackson Hayes, as a collective, they
07:32are thoroughly outplaying Alpern Shingun, which is a huge disappointment considering what
07:37Alpern Shingun is supposed to be and what he's supposed to represent for this team.
07:41So there's that.
07:43The backcourt matchup I thought was advantage Rockets.
07:47But that's also because I thought Reed Shepard would both play more and play better.
07:52He has done neither.
07:53Just to be fair to both Emei Yudoka and Reed Shepard in their accountability in this.
07:58I think he should play more.
08:00I also think he should play much better in the time that he plays.
08:03Is it bad?
08:04Something like six for 24 in the series so far.
08:06Yeah.
08:06Is it bad that it was really bittersweet when I saw, I think we all know the possession
08:10I'm talking about on defense where Reed Shepard is just out here lost.
08:13Because I've seen that Reed Shepard a whole bunch of times and I was like, hopefully he's
08:17developed to where I don't see that in the playoffs.
08:19I saw it and I was like, damn, I'm right.
08:21But also, I know what Emei's going to do now.
08:22But I know exactly what Emei's going to do now.
08:24That's the Reed Shepard that I'm willing to defend.
08:27Exactly.
08:28So long as he's not shooting the way he's been shooting in this series.
08:31That one in particular.
08:31I can defend it if he shoots.
08:33My boy, he looked like the right fielder in Little League that is out here picking dandelions.
08:39I used the wrong word.
08:40Maybe not defend.
08:41Tolerate.
08:42Tolerate and justify was what I was going for.
08:45All right.
08:45I can't defend that.
08:46But I can justify it if my man is shooting the ball the way he's supposed to be shooting
08:50the ball.
08:51He ain't.
08:52And then Amin Thompson, look, his numbers aren't as bad, but he also looks lost at times.
08:58Like, I'm not seeing the Amin Thompson that went off for 40 just a couple of weeks ago.
09:03Went off for a career high of 40 just a couple of weeks ago, right?
09:06You're also not seeing an Amin Thompson that is locking down guys.
09:09And yeah, so how is it that you're not winning the Luke Cunard matchup?
09:15Like Luke Cunard goes off for basically back-to-back playoff career highs.
09:20I know the first one is the actual playoff career high was the first game, but either
09:25one would be a playoff career high coming into the series.
09:27Yeah.
09:28So he's literally having the playoff series of his life, Luke Cunard is, against you.
09:32How can we justify that?
09:34And then the KD-LeBron matchup.
09:37Save the best for last.
09:39Actually, I got one more.
09:40The KD-LeBron matchup, I'll just say quickly, has been obviously advantage LeBron because
09:45KD ain't playing the first game.
09:47They ended up neutralizing him for a significant stretch in the second game.
09:52With a very familiar strategy, which is, I think, indefensible, that you've seen this
09:57strategy before and you still don't have answers for it.
10:00Like, it's one of those things where, like with my kids, I'm like, hey, didn't we talk
10:02about this before?
10:03You know, like, hey, why do I have to repeat my thing?
10:07The Rockets are a teenager.
10:08It's like, wait a minute.
10:10Don't make me have to say this again type of thing.
10:12I told you.
10:13That's exactly how I felt.
10:14And now we've got this ankle thing where he's questionable for game three.
10:18So he might not even play in the third game.
10:20So that's been advantage LeBron.
10:22What are they doing in practice?
10:23Bruh.
10:24I'm glad you said.
10:25What are they doing?
10:26Because my last one as we get out of here has been the coaching matchup.
10:29And this was the one that I did give advantage to the Lakers going into the series.
10:35But it has been advantage Lakers even more so than I thought it would be.
10:39He's getting fleeced.
10:40Oh, my God.
10:41Yeah.
10:41So, MAU Doka, I need you to get your head in the game as well, sir.
10:46And out of somewhere else.
10:47Yes.
10:48Please.
10:48Yes.
10:49Those are my thoughts.
10:51Seriously, what are they doing in practice?
10:54Competing.
10:54Are they running those?
10:55We used to call them burnout drills where you roll the ball and they run his jumps on
10:59the floor.
11:00They're competing.
11:01Goodness me.
11:02They're running lines up and down the court.
11:05We used to call it roll out.
11:06Just roll out.
11:06Let's see you guys just go jump on the floor until you kill each other.
11:10Three-man read.
11:11I was going to make that joke, but it don't look like they're doing three-man read because
11:14every time they go and do a transition fast break, they don't actually pass the basketball.
11:19They try and score through the defender and miss layups.
11:21Oh, yeah.
11:22Dribbling into crowds.
11:24Dribbling into crowds.
11:26My goodness.
11:27Can we stop it?
11:27I think I've complained to both of you guys on separate instances about how this team loves
11:32trying to finish through a defender instead of getting the easier look.
11:35Dribbling through crowds.
11:36And starting your action way past the three-point line when you don't have no ball handlers
11:41to begin with.
11:41Yeah.
11:42I hate it so much.
11:43Stop.
11:44I don't know how I'm going to talk about Rockets later without yelling.
Comments