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ITL debates whether early signs are already answering concerns about Houston’s top rookies.
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00:00Well, to the rookies who got their rookie minicamp out of the way.
00:03Seemed like it went pretty well, all things considered.
00:06Although, I do wonder what it would take for a rookie minicamp to go poorly, to be honest.
00:10But they got their work done, and then they talked to the Semmel Media on Friday.
00:14And so, there was a couple of things that we were wondering about with these guys
00:17that I think we were able to get some answers on.
00:20Ain't that right?
00:20Yeah.
00:21Yeah.
00:22And do you want to start with Caden, or do you want to start with K-Mac or Keelan Rutledge?
00:25I think Rutledge was the – well, they were both interesting to me,
00:28which is why we want to talk about him here.
00:29But I thought Rutledge, he kind of convinced me about things, listening to him.
00:33All right, let's start with Big Red and where he started,
00:35because this is the big question that we all have for Keelan Rutledge, which is,
00:38can he snap?
00:39Clearly, Big Do clearly has a lot of praise amongst the scout industrial complex or whatever.
00:49But can he snap is ultimately the question.
00:51So, the question was about his progress that he's making at center.
00:55Yes, sir.
00:55I mean, anything coming to the NFL is going to be more challenging, right?
00:58I mean, better players.
00:59Scheme's going to be more – it's going to be different.
01:01It's going to be more.
01:02But, I mean, I was – you know, Coach Kee prepared me well.
01:05Always knowing conceptually what everybody was doing up front at Georgia Tech.
01:09And obviously got snaps there at practice and did a little of the senior bowl.
01:12So, I'm very confident in playing anywhere up there, just wherever they need me to play, I'll play.
01:17So, here's where it gets interesting.
01:19We all know that two things are true about the NFL.
01:22You know, the level of planning and the detail with which, you know, teams, you know, approach an offense are
01:28hugely important.
01:31You know, the detail, the hand placement, foot placement, you know, knowing what the defense is.
01:35It's hugely important.
01:36But at the same time, we also know this is not a complicated game.
01:40You know, this is – you know, it's blocking, it's tackling.
01:43How many times have you heard that?
01:44I say it all the time.
01:45It's one of my favorite quotes, mind you.
01:46It really is.
01:47The game and assessments is about blocking and tackling.
01:49It's about – it's blocking and tackling.
01:50So, while there are – you know, the devil is in the details, it's really also not that complicated.
01:55And I think a guy that comes from a program like that and how many times have – from Nick
01:59Casario on down to us, you know, said,
02:02that was a really good program.
02:04He was very well coached.
02:05And not just that it's a good program.
02:07It's a good program for that.
02:08Brent Key is notoriously an offensive line guy.
02:11And we talk about this all the time in the space of Nick Caley, right, tight end guy.
02:16D'Amico Ryans, like a defense guy, linebacker guy.
02:19You see a little bit extra focus in those places when your coach has that as their basis.
02:26Brent Key is an offensive line guy.
02:27He can make sure his offensive line is together.
02:29And that's where Keenum Ruggins is.
02:30And that's why, you know, I kind of went like, okay, maybe we were just overthinking this a touch.
02:34Because he still needs to do all those little, you know, minutiae, all that little minutiae.
02:39And understand what, you know, where everybody is lined up and what the call needs to be and all that.
02:43I don't think we are.
02:44This is one of the few places where I'm going to be like, no, I think –
02:47No, just in the NFL inherently.
02:49I think he's going to have to learn more and do more.
02:52Yeah.
02:52But, I feel better because it's still – it's blocking, you know, in his case.
02:56Well, it's blocking, but it's less about the blocking portion of it, actually.
02:59I think the blocking part of that I feel comfortable at.
03:01It's one of the reasons why I'm all in on this as an experiment.
03:04You go through this offseason and you look.
03:06There was not a place to get a center of his physicality, right?
03:10We talked about it.
03:10All the actual nominal centers in this draft were fourth rounds because they didn't have as much of the size.
03:16It was a smaller center draft.
03:17Free agency, who was the dude we were all salivating over?
03:20Right.
03:21Tyler Lindemann ain't the biggest, most physical dude in the world.
03:24Talk less like Cade Myers or any of the other guys that we were looking at.
03:26There aren't the crazy, physically imposing centers out there, per se.
03:31And so, with that being the case, this was your opportunity to get a dude who has that if he
03:35can do the center stuff.
03:36But that's a big portion of it.
03:37A lot of centers can be not the most physically imposing because it's more about whether they know their protections,
03:42whether they know how to suss out what's happening on the defense,
03:44whether they know when to fan, when to slide.
03:46These are not easy things.
03:48These are things that centers get in and it takes them a while.
03:50But he's also heard some of those things already.
03:52He has.
03:52And practiced some of those things.
03:54He has.
03:54But what is that uptake from college to college to the pro level?
03:58In fact, he was asked about that mental and physical challenge that you have when it comes to playing center,
04:03particularly at this level.
04:04Yeah, I mean, I think you weigh him the same, right?
04:06Because, you know, you could block the guy, but if you don't go the right way, it don't matter, right?
04:09And then if you don't know to go the right way, but you don't block the guy, what is it
04:12doing for you, right?
04:13So, I think they're equal.
04:14That's any position up front.
04:15I think, you know, a good offensive lineman knows what everybody's doing.
04:19So, I think that's the way I kind of look at it.
04:21I do love, though, right?
04:23Regardless of, the challenge is still going to be in front of him,
04:25and ultimately getting it done is what's going to matter, right?
04:27The talking about it is not the actual product.
04:31What do you say?
04:32I don't care about the labor, show me the baby, in essence.
04:34Don't tell me about the waves.
04:36Just bring the ship in.
04:36Okay, that's a different one.
04:38You've said different ones before, but okay, I'll allow you to change it in that moment.
04:42You see how he did me?
04:43He could have just said the one that would have helped me out.
04:45He's like, I'm going to tell you the exact different one, so you look like an idiot right now.
04:49I don't take it personal.
04:50But, no, the point being, he's going to need to put it on the field.
04:52That's where we care about.
04:53If it shows up on the field, all that's talking is fine.
04:56I do appreciate that he's coming in without any aspersions as to what this is.
05:00He's like, no, no, no.
05:00I need to know what everybody else is doing, and that's half the battle.
05:04The other half is the most difficult part, but at least he is in a place where he goes,
05:07no, I know.
05:08I don't need to just know what I need to do.
05:10I need to know what Wyatt's doing.
05:12I need to know what Ed's doing.
05:14I need to know what Ariante's doing.
05:16I need to know what Brayden's doing.
05:17I need to know what all these cats are doing in order for me to do the basis of my
05:21job.
05:21And just listening to that and how it seems to be something that he's very much embraced
05:24and knows and has experienced already, even at a lower level, doesn't it make you feel
05:29just a little bit better about, okay, yeah, I think he's going to be the guy there.
05:33I can't lie and say that.
05:35I love that he's there, but ultimately, you just got to have to prove it.
05:38And that's the big part of this, but I do like that he has that knowledge of this.
05:43We take you, though, to K-Mac, big number 93.
05:46From big red to big number 93, as I'm pointing to him, McDonald is, he's obviously in fairly
05:54enviable territory.
05:55You drop in on one of the best units in the league.
05:57You drop in between some of the best players in the game right now, and that is your job.
06:02And so, specifically, it's also very nice that he has a particular skill set.
06:06We know he's a run stopper.
06:07And so, this is McDonald 8, if you don't mind.
06:09This is Caden McDonald talking about that specific skill set of stopping the run being
06:15fitting into this Texans defense.
06:17Like I said, at draft night, you know, got to help out the DNs, you know, get them the
06:21second and long, get them third and long, let Will and Danil and all the other guys get
06:26off the edge.
06:27And like I said, it's going to work out, you know, three and out, get off the field, give
06:31it back to CJ, go score.
06:34Give it back to CJ, go score.
06:35Or, he's a guy that you don't even really worry about doing the one thing, you know,
06:43the one thing that he's brought in to do, you don't even have to worry about that part.
06:46I really feel like this is weird, but the Texans kind of got their, you know, coaches
06:52always say this, well, we got the top two guys on our board, you know, for what they
06:55need.
06:55I really do feel like they did it.
06:57Like they did get their top two guys.
06:59And him being, you know, the little gamble that they played to get him in the second round
07:02was a big payoff.
07:04Yeah, no, I think so.
07:06100%.
07:06Like, he's the guy who, and we've talked about this, he's the dude who you drop in, you feel
07:09instantly good with what's happening.
07:11Because conversely to what we're talking about with Keelan Rulich, where it's still a project
07:14and people are asking on the text line, right?
07:16Is he, is the plan to play him at center?
07:18Or is he, you know, it feels like that would be a definitely something to try at the very
07:23least.
07:24And it seems like that's what they're going to do.
07:25I think that clearly there's an opportunity for him to play guard.
07:28That's still a possible competition that he will have as well, right?
07:31Those are, those are things that you have to see as you get them on the field more.
07:34But this, yeah, you have all of that speculation.
07:38You know exactly what you're getting here.
07:39And I don't even need to get anything outside of what you know and what you've already seen
07:43on tape.
07:44The Keelan Rulich you haven't seen on tape.
07:45This is all projection.
07:46You've seen Cade McDonald get out here.
07:48You know, you've seen him two gap.
07:49You've seen him stop the run at a high level.
07:51You've seen him, in fact, even get a little bit of push on the offensive line at times.
07:55I think that that's ultimately the big deal.
07:57And so him being fast, you know, short there in his answer, I think some of that is Cade
08:01McDonald to, to his, you know, the way that he gets down.
08:04But some of that is just, it's cut and dry, man.
08:06Get in here and do what I'm supposed to do.
08:08And then allow those guys to do what they do because the skill sets match so nice.
08:12And I don't think he has, it's really going to be a very smooth transition as well.
08:17This is another thing I was thinking about.
08:18They don't, he doesn't have to do more than that right now.
08:21Ultimately, you want him to do more than that.
08:23But he really has a very particular role.
08:25He just talked about it right there.
08:27Do that one thing at a very high level.
08:30And then we'll, we can do the add-on stuff as we move along.
08:33I think that's what's really promising with him.
08:35No, for sure.
08:36Just do one thing well.
08:37And you feel good about that happening.
08:38We've mentioned this, right?
08:39The guys that are around him.
08:40But Rod Wright, obviously, is a big deal here, right?
08:43That defensive line coach that's been fantastic in helping develop the likes of Tommy Togiai
08:48on top of Will Anderson Jr. and all these guys and seeing the work that's conjured together.
08:52I love this from Cade McDonald talking about working with Rod Wright.
08:57Coach Rod Wright, you know, he's one of the best in the league.
09:00Like I said, he want everything his way.
09:02And, you know, we got to follow that.
09:04And you got to stay on that $50 million line, $40 million line.
09:07You know, you got Will Anderson and Danil Hunter.
09:09Those two all pro guys.
09:11And like I said, if you just follow that plan, all things going to work out.
09:14That's a good selling point right there.
09:17Yeah, no.
09:18You want to get paid like those guys?
09:20I love that you can almost hear Rod telling him that.
09:23You can almost hear him like, hey, come in here.
09:25You do what you're supposed to do.
09:26You go make some big money.
09:28Which maybe that goes to, you know, some level of sell on what the idea is with Nick Casario
09:33and the organization in general, the way they go about this.
09:35Does it bother you at all?
09:37Because I don't think that I've heard anybody, but I can imagine someone going,
09:40this is, dude, first day at work in the pros talking about the money of it all, right?
09:44Not at all.
09:45That being the motivation or the inspiration for him.
09:47I think it's honesty.
09:49I think, you know, clearly he's going to get paid well.
09:52I don't mind when people talk about that.
09:54I mean, ultimately that's what they want.
09:56And in order to get there, you're going to have to be a badass, you know, right there doing your
10:00job.
10:00So why not?
10:01Why not use that as motivation?
10:03You know?
10:03Well, I mean, people get real finicky around.
10:06Do you love football?
10:08And I don't know.
10:08I don't think that's even the question here.
10:09I don't think it's a question.
10:10But when it's like, hey, you stayed in a pretty short clip there.
10:14Some of the motivation, if not a large part of the motivation is, let's play well so we can get
10:18this money.
10:19Ultimately, getting the play well is part of it.
10:21But people worry about, does that fade at any point or does that shift at all?
10:25Even if that is the crazy motivation, you know what the first part is that you just said?
10:29You're playing well.
10:30You know, even if his motivation is only about the money, and it's not.
10:33I don't think there's anybody who would say that that knows him and has seen him play.
10:36But even if it were, I just want to get paid.
10:38As long as I get you to play well.
10:40Exactly.
10:41Who cares?
10:43Again, don't tell me about the waves.
10:45Just get the ship in.
10:48That's right.
10:49That's the one I use the most.
10:50The waves in the ship again.
10:51What did you say about a baby?
10:53Yeah.
10:53What?
10:53Don't tell me about the labor.
10:54Show me the baby.
10:55You said that one specifically.
10:56Don't get out.
10:57You see, Figgy, help me out.
10:59I have not said that one.
11:00You're gaslighting me right now.
11:01I am, but.
11:02I ain't going to lie.
11:02I wish I could side with you, Reggie.
11:04I don't remember him saying that one.
11:06You're thinking of someone else.
11:07Maybe somebody else.
11:07This is unbelievable.
11:08I'm being gaslit on my own show.
11:10Figgy, I always say, don't tell me about the waves.
11:13I remember that one.
11:15I don't tell you anything about don't tell me about labor.
11:17I remember the baby one.
11:18This is unbelievable.
11:19I can vividly remember it.
11:21I cannot believe that you are leaving me out here like this.
11:24I am because I'm telling the truth.
11:26This is a great bit if it is a bit, my truth.
11:27Maybe it's the Mandela effect or something.
11:28This is a great bit if it's actually a bit.
11:30It might be the Mandela effect.
11:33I don't say that.
11:34I feel like I'm taking crazy throws.
11:35I feel like I'm taking crazy throws right now.
11:37There's no way that you've not said that.
11:39Text line.
11:40713-572-460.
11:41Somebody help me, please.
11:43You've heard him say this before.
11:43I think, Lopez, you said something about the don't tell me how the sausage is made or something
11:48like that.
11:48Yeah, that one I do.
11:49He didn't even know.
11:50That one I do.
11:51The waves I do.
11:52No!
11:53Never said anything about the labor and the baby.
11:55There's no way this is happening right now.
11:57Somebody help me.
11:58I need you really badly in this moment.
11:59You need some other Hispanic man that you work with.
12:01Wow!
12:02You're the only one.
12:03One more thing here from Caden McDonald.
12:06This is cut four here, if you don't mind.
12:07This is him talking about what he's learned.
12:09Obviously, you go through your first day of work.
12:12What'd you learn?
12:13I'll just say, like I said, that $50 and $40 million line.
12:17Will Anderson, Daniil Hunter.
12:19You know, you got Tommy.
12:20You got Sheldon.
12:21Those guys, they follow that track.
12:22And if I stay on that track, you know, I'll get to that second contract.
12:26Who cares?
12:29Oh boy, it's all about the money.
12:31Who cares?
12:32If he's a three-time Pro Bowler in his first three seasons, are you going to be mad because
12:38it was really the motivation was the second contract?
12:41I'm not.
12:42I don't care.
12:45Now, if he does things that are, you know, clearly not that, well, then maybe you can
12:51talk about it.
12:51Now, do it scare you a little bit that maybe it could be like a Laramie Tunsil money type
12:57situation?
12:58Does it matter to Laramie Tunsil's quarterbacks?
13:01Let's not talk about run game and all that stuff.
13:04But we know what gets him paid.
13:06Does it matter to his quarterbacks?
13:08But once he get paid, what did he, I mean, he was still good.
13:11He got paid again.
13:12Yeah, Laramie was pretty good, man.
13:13Then he got paid again.
13:14Yeah.
13:15But he definitely worked extra hard when it was that contract year.
13:20Ultimately, I don't think that this is something worth worrying about.
13:22But I did hear that.
13:23I'm like, I feel like people, especially when you pair that.
13:24Oh, people are, no, you're right.
13:25You pair that with him going, you know, I want to be an All-Pro.
13:28I want to be a, I want to be a Rookie of the Year.
13:30I want to win a Super Bowl.
13:31And he feels like they're all realistic goals as individual goals.
13:35It just feels like, hey, man, he's got lofty plans.
13:38And ultimately, it's all about will he put in the work to get there, right?
13:41I think Seth was talking about that this morning when you talk about young guys.
13:44Is that, hey, all right, let's see you do the work.
13:47But I do love that there's aspiration there.
13:49If the reason he's putting in the work is money, I don't care.
13:53If the reason he's putting in the work is his love for football, I don't care.
13:57Just put in the work.
13:58If somehow he was delusional thinking he was going to get there without the money,
14:01that'd be something else.
14:02Or without the work, that's something else.
14:03But yeah.
14:04Still early.
14:04We'll see what it looks like once he gets into more of the work.
14:08But we've got the first days for the young men.
14:10And those were the big things that I think we were looking at with these young guys.
14:13It was cool to get some answers from them.
14:15And I'm excited to hear more of them.
14:16I'm not going to lie.
14:17More excited to hear more of Big Red than I am.
14:20Me too, yeah.
14:21K-Mac.
14:22Not going to lie.
14:23Big Mac.
14:23I feel like it was quick.
14:24It was to the point.
14:25And he told you that he already said it.
14:27Every time that he got out here.
14:28Like I already said.
14:29I was like, damn, okay.
14:30I get it.
14:31He's like, I've said what I need to say already.
14:33You can just go back to the first time you heard me.
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