- 8 hours ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00It is our 1500 show.
00:04This is about a good six-year run we've got rolling.
00:10Is this our seventh, your eighth, seventh NFL season?
00:15I think it's my eighth.
00:17I think it's my seventh.
00:18You don't know how to turn with Mike.
00:19I think it's my sixth.
00:21Yeah.
00:22Wow.
00:23Six, seven, eight.
00:24Bridget got one of yours.
00:25Yeah.
00:26Old Bridget.
00:27Someone on the text line I was just talking to
00:28who was asking where she's at now.
00:30What is old Bridget up to?
00:32Insurance, aren't she?
00:33She was.
00:34I know she's in that sales world, yeah.
00:36Recently got married.
00:37Shout out to Bridget.
00:38Shout out.
00:38Gig'em.
00:40Is she married an Aggie?
00:42Actually, she married a Longhorn.
00:44Wow.
00:44I can relate.
00:45I can relate.
00:46I can see that.
00:46Saw some photos of them at the Aggie Texas game together.
00:51Boy, could Clint tick her off.
00:54Who?
00:56Him and Armin.
00:57Me?
00:59Well, could you tick her off?
01:02I never knew I ticked her off.
01:04Oh, yeah.
01:04Similar ways you ticked Tyler off.
01:06You know your tone.
01:07Well, at least Tyler told me about it a year later.
01:10Don't worry.
01:10She told me about it.
01:12How come you didn't ever tell me about it?
01:14Because I could have been better.
01:16No.
01:16I could have tried and been better.
01:18Yeah.
01:18Yeah, you could have.
01:20Had I known.
01:20I feel like that's probably a conversation you two have.
01:26You know, sometimes you have to be the go-between.
01:29I did an old podcast with Bridget back in those days.
01:31You did do it.
01:32Yeah, you did.
01:33You were plotting on taking her job a while ago.
01:35Oh, come on.
01:36That's exactly.
01:37Got in there.
01:38Got that podcast.
01:40Slid in there.
01:40Got you.
01:43Got you.
01:43Get out of here.
01:45No, man.
01:46We appreciate you.
01:46See a lot of people sending stuff in to us on the base power text line.
01:49Then he quit her podcast, didn't he?
01:51Yeah, he did.
01:51Quit her podcast.
01:52Took her job and then quit the podcast.
01:54She quit the podcast when I took her job.
01:57He did enough.
01:58He did enough.
01:58He got in there and got what he needed to get done.
02:03I got a text from her like the day after I got this job with y'all working here on
02:07the drive.
02:08And it was like, hey, so I think I'm going to be stopping doing the podcast.
02:13Yeah, man.
02:14I was like, I get it.
02:15That's cool.
02:15I'm busy, too.
02:16It'd probably be awkward.
02:17Busy taking your job.
02:19But I'm busy, though.
02:21Hold the fort.
02:22Every other man in your world is hunting something else.
02:25But I'm hunting your job, sister.
02:27Let me up.
02:28Whenever hunting that heavy, cool, easy breeze for me to slide in.
02:33Got you.
02:34Good times.
02:34Got you.
02:35All right.
02:36But again, we appreciate all the love and some of the hate, too.
02:41Our haters, we thrive under.
02:43Especially myself.
02:45Quenches my thirst.
02:46I know it does.
02:47I know it does.
02:48All right.
02:49Don't do that.
02:52All right, Clint.
02:54We've talked about this offense.
02:55We talked about the red zone a lot yesterday and their offensive line.
03:01And this is year two.
03:04And I think that was the excitement coming out of year one of Bobby Sloick and C.J. Stroud
03:10is year two.
03:11The thought is, boy, now they know the offense.
03:14Now they're not installing and learning the offense.
03:17Now they are coming in with it and picking up where they left off and adding weapons.
03:22And the excitement was, this thing can only get better in year two of the offense.
03:26And that is the thought here as well.
03:29And the hope is that year two, this offense improves.
03:33And I guess I want to kick it off with, how confident are you in terms of your belief
03:39that Nick Cayley can take this offense to the level it needs to get to in year two?
03:44Because now, Clint, he's got, and I'm assuming he was, for the style of offense he wants to run,
03:51he got more of the offensive line in the fashion that he would want it.
03:56I think they've got maybe the running back more in the fashion that he would want it.
04:02And then, obviously, you've got everybody else surrounding in year two.
04:05You've got young receivers coming in in year two.
04:07You've got C.J. coming in in year two.
04:10And now they've even brought in coaches that know the system as well as he does
04:17that have worked in that system and moved on from some coaches that don't
04:22and that didn't grow up in that system.
04:24So a lot of things are going their way.
04:26Real quick, they were 18th in total offense, 14th passing, 22nd running,
04:3223rd in terms of third down percentage.
04:34And then the thing they were really good at offensively is they were second
04:38in terms of fewest turnovers in the National Football League.
04:42But how confident are you in year two that Nick Cayley can take this offense to the next level?
04:49Not very.
04:50Really?
04:51Yeah, not very.
04:52I mean, if next level – we're talking about next level for a 12-2 football team.
04:56We're not talking about next level for a rebuilding football team, right?
04:58I mean, that's not what we're talking about here.
05:00So, yeah, I don't think there's anything that Nick Cayley has shown in year one
05:12that I think shows, boy, the future with this creative mind
05:20or this unique, you know, builder of roster or this – he has this knack for, you know,
05:29using specialty weapons and getting guys the ball in creative ways or, you know,
05:33there's – I didn't see – I saw little to none of that, right?
05:38And so being just an observer from the outside, I don't think that there's a –
05:46I don't think there's a lot of improvement to be had without some kind of scheme change,
06:00which I don't think they're going to do, or some kind of, you know, infusing some kind of explosion
06:09and speed and twitch into this offense from a player perspective, which I don't think they did.
06:16So, yeah, no, look, I think they'll improve to some degree just because they got a better offensive line
06:21and they're going to run the football better.
06:24But the level of improvement that takes a team that can't get beyond the second round of the playoffs
06:30and, to be honest with you, has been embarrassed in the second round of the playoffs more times than not
06:34and puts them over the hump to where they can make that run, I just – I don't think –
06:40I have not seen anything in Nick Cayley's offense that leads me to believe, yeah, man, this weapon on the
06:46sideline,
06:47this offensive play caller is on a different level.
06:51No, I haven't seen that yet.
06:54Yeah, I don't know that I've seen that.
06:57The hope is that you've got a lot of similar parts or a lot of parts that may be upgrades,
07:07especially comparative to what you want to do coming back,
07:11and that maybe they get more comfortable in the offense
07:15and maybe the buy-in is better in the offense from some.
07:18Because I wouldn't be surprised if C.J. wasn't the only one who didn't completely buy into everything with the
07:25offense.
07:26Now, I don't know if he will completely buy in this year.
07:28That's going to be a big thing we could see.
07:32But that is just, to me, what the hope would be is everybody year two more comfortable in the system
07:38and now more parts that maybe fit where it is.
07:43I'm with you.
07:44I don't know that we could ever and we will ever look at Nick Cayley until we get new evidence.
07:49Look at Nick Cayley and say, like, this guy is going to creatively be a weapon.
07:56I think it's got to be the parts that are in there.
07:59Well, I think there's a couple of things working here, right?
08:02I think, one, I don't think Nick Casario has set this offense up in a way to where Nick Cayley's
08:09calling the shots.
08:09He's the dude.
08:10The staff is working for him.
08:12And it's going to start and stop with Nick Cayley.
08:15I think the structure, at least on the offensive side of the football,
08:20is what we keep hearing about is a collective group, you know, a collective effort of several guys working together
08:28and building game plans and deciding, you know, what it's going to look like week-to-week kind of deal.
08:35And so I think that probably limits Nick Cayley from doing some of the things that he wants to do
08:41or maybe that would allow him to get outside that box a bit, number one.
08:47And I think, you know, number two, as I said yesterday, I think there's certain things in an offense, Ron,
08:57that when an offense struggles with it, I do think it's a – you're either coaching it or you're allowing
09:04it.
09:07You know, it's either part of what you – it's either in your DNA or it's not.
09:11And when you look at the offensive minds in the NFL in 2026,
09:19if you're an offensive mind and you're not using shifts, motions, formations to your advantage,
09:26like if that's not something you stick your chest out and talk about
09:31and everybody that watches your games knows that,
09:34if you're not – if you don't have an extensive creative quicks package
09:39to where your quarterback doesn't have to hold the ball,
09:41he doesn't have to take a five-step or a seven-step or catch it and gun
09:44and take a three and hold the ball forever.
09:45Like, you make it easy on your quarterback.
09:48If you're not doing those things, I think you leave a lot to be desired.
09:52And I don't think you just roll over one offseason and go,
09:55oh, boy, well, I'm going to all of a sudden we're going to be a good motion team
09:58and a good quick game team.
10:00And I don't think you roll over and do that.
10:02And I think in those areas, I think Nick Cayley left a lot to be desired last year.
10:06Like, I'm not joking.
10:07When I say – I don't care what the stats say about how often they went in motion, right?
10:11You got to define what you're talking about when you say,
10:13oh, well, we used motion 60%, whatever the percentage is, right?
10:17If you're jogging across the line of – that's not motion.
10:20If you're lining up wide and you're just kind of trotting in two or three,
10:24that's not motion, man.
10:26I mean, if you're just randomly doing things and it's not setting up –
10:33like, you're not using those pieces of offensive football to your advantage.
10:38And so, you know, I don't think you just roll over.
10:42You either do that and that's part of your initial install.
10:44Like, right now, if you hire somebody – like Mike McDaniel,
10:48I guarantee you he's running the legs off them cats.
10:51What are you landing?
10:51In L.A.?
10:52In L.A., yeah, with the Chargers.
10:53He's running the legs off them cats, right?
10:55If they go in motion – they may not go in motion, but 20% of the time –
10:58It's just the natural part of their offense.
10:59But when they do, that dude is going in motion, right?
11:02The change of direction stuff.
11:04I mean, it just – you don't see that – you didn't see it in year one,
11:09and I don't think it's because guys weren't able to do that.
11:12Every one of these guys were doing it in college.
11:14Like, I don't think the guys can't do it.
11:16So, I just think that this offense, they leave a lot to be desired
11:20before the ball's ever snapped,
11:22and I don't know that all of a sudden Nick Kaley's going to become that dude overnight.
11:26I don't know that being a first-year play caller, if he has the ability,
11:30or even the – hell, to be honest with you,
11:31I don't even know if he has the interest to be that.
11:33But then you look at his positioning, like I was talking about with Nick Casario,
11:38I don't know if he's in a position to walk in there and go,
11:41all right, hey, guys, here's what we've got to do.
11:42Guys, we've got to be better with our motions.
11:45We have got to use –
11:46You have to wonder how much control he actually has to be able to –
11:50I think it's a sit-down and like, hey, guys, what do you all think about this?
11:52Hey, guys, do you all think we can – instead of this is –
11:55and hold your coaches accountable.
11:57I do wonder if that's the structure of offense over there.
12:01So, I say all that to say I just –
12:03I don't know that Nick Kaley's going to fully –
12:06even if he wanted to do all those things,
12:08I don't know if he's going to fully come into his own here.
12:13Yeah, and I wonder what his own is.
12:16Or maybe we're seeing it.
12:18Maybe we're seeing it.
12:19Maybe we're seeing it.
12:21Yeah, I think we're seeing it.
12:22I think – by the way, I think we're seeing it, Ron.
12:23I think – again, I don't know if it's Nick Casario saying,
12:28hey, man, we're going to do more of what you did in New England
12:31and less of what you did in L.A. with the Rams
12:35because the Rams are clearly – I mean, when you look at how they use Pook and Nakua,
12:38I mean, that's not even –
12:40That's not what they're doing.
12:40That's not what they're doing.
12:41Like, you would think if he said, all right,
12:43this is why it gets on my nerves when we're having this conversation
12:46and people chime in and talk about, oh, he was in L.A.
12:49Hey, this is L.A.'s offense.
12:50No, it's not.
12:51I mean, he don't even – he has more of a reason to use Nico Collins
12:59the same way that Sean McVay uses Pook and Nakua
13:03than any other offense in football.
13:06That's where he came from.
13:07It's Nico and then a few others, a bunch of young guys that may not be ready, right,
13:12in an offense that, as we've talked about multiple times,
13:14couldn't run the football.
13:15As we've talked about multiple times two years ago,
13:17couldn't protect the quarterback, right?
13:20He's got more of a reason to take what we watch every week in L.A.
13:25with Pook and Nakua and bring it here, right?
13:28And he never did it.
13:29So that tells you one thing.
13:30What did he do?
13:31They went back and watched Brady film.
13:33They went back and watched the New England Patriots film,
13:35and that's what we see them doing.
13:37A lot of stagnant, a lot of jogging motion, a lot of keep it simple,
13:44execute type stuff.
13:46So it's –
13:47I do think it will be better because they have –
13:53I think they are more equipped to do what they want to do,
13:56and I think they're going to be committed to doing what they're doing.
13:59Now, that's barring injuries, right, especially in the backfield.
14:02So I think they are more equipped, and then if C.J. can just kind of be
14:09at least more comfortable in it, I think it improves a bit there.
14:14Now, the question is, will that be enough to get to where they want to get to?
14:20I think they can improve.
14:21Like, I think they won't be the 22nd best rushing attack.
14:24I think they'll improve upon those things because they know the system better,
14:28he understands a little bit better of what he has,
14:31and they're more equipped to execute what they want to.
14:33It's just how much better.
14:35Well, we talk a lot about C.J. Stroud, too.
14:38I do.
14:38I talk a lot about C.J. Stroud and this not being a good fit.
14:41Let me be clear.
14:42Like, I think C.J. Stroud will embrace this offense for a year with no contract.
14:48I think he's shown the ability to go out there and not turn the football over.
14:54And the few times that he has to put the cape on, he has the ability.
14:58At least you've got a chance when he does that, at the very least.
15:01I think C.J. is going to be fine.
15:03C.J. is going to have a good year.
15:04C.J. is going to help them get better offensively, right?
15:07I think he'll play within the system.
15:09The C.J. embracing the system thing is ultimately you can take this to the bank.
15:15Is C.J. Stroud okay with his offense being more ball controlled
15:19and more focused on not turning the ball over
15:21and letting the defense steal the show every Sunday and winning that way
15:24and being the quarterback that way,
15:25or would he prefer to be in a system where you've got three or four weapons
15:30at the wide receiver position, you've got running backs that can catch it and run it,
15:33you've got an exotic play caller?
15:35I know what he would prefer.
15:36Right, right, right.
15:37That's the embrace piece of this thing.
15:39This is not a, oh, boy, the wheels are going to come off
15:42because C.J. is not going to commit.
15:43C.J. showed last year, hey, man, I'm a team guy.
15:45I'll buy in and I'll play your brand of ball.
Comments