- 22 hours ago
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00:00All right, last night, Clint, Colin, I'm watching.
00:04I'm flipping through, kind of got a little baseball going on,
00:08got a little spurs and thunder rolling.
00:12And at halftime hit on the basketball game,
00:15and I switch over to NFL Network,
00:17and they've got this 10-part dock on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
00:23And we roll into the Tony Dungy years, Clint,
00:27and I'm watching this, and, I mean,
00:32if that didn't feel like what we are in the midst of living right now with D'Amico.
00:38I mean, D'Amico Ryans and Tony Dungy,
00:40I mean, they just feel like very similar guys,
00:46very well-respected around the league,
00:48former players that their players love and play hard for them
00:54and respect the hell out of them.
00:56I mean, when he got fired, I mean, Derek Brooks was like,
01:00he said he was almost in depression.
01:02Like, John Lynch felt like we failed him.
01:04Like, they loved playing for Tony Dungy.
01:07And he quickly turned around an organization that was kind of a laughingstock,
01:14not taken serious.
01:16Hell, he changed their uniforms from that orange to where we see the Buccaneers now.
01:21The pewter?
01:21Yeah, the pewter.
01:22And, listen, they have –
01:24and they quickly became a very, very respected,
01:29looked-at different type of an organization,
01:31very similar to what we saw D'Amico Ryans do here.
01:35And they won.
01:36They won fast.
01:37They made it to the playoffs.
01:39They had some playoff success.
01:40They made it to an NFC championship game.
01:43In that time frame, multiple playoff wins.
01:48But then the hope is – and I'll be honest with you,
01:52I've got a little concern for Texans fans.
01:54The hope is that it doesn't finish in the same vein that it did for Tony Dungy.
02:01Because, also, from all of the positive stuff that feels so similar to what Tony Dungy built with Tampa,
02:10to what D'Amico is building with the Houston Texans, which has been amazing,
02:16is it feels like some of the things that caused it to come to an end,
02:21we are starting to see a little bit here with the Texans.
02:25Their offense, they had – he had three coordinators two in two years at one point
02:32that ran through those six years he was there.
02:35Their offense never quite got to where they needed to.
02:39The description of the Tony Dungy offense.
02:42Tampa Bay's offense featured a conservative ball-control offense
02:46that focused heavily on strong running games, short passing games, and rising trovers.
02:51The Tampa 2 defense routinely ranked among the best in the NFL,
02:56but the stagnant and underperforming offense ultimately limited the team's championship aspirations
03:01and led to Dungy's dismissal after the 2001 season.
03:07The hope is that that doesn't become the case here and they're able to figure out offense
03:13because Tony Dungy eventually left and won a championship with the Colts.
03:17But he also was given Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning in his prime.
03:23And, you know, that's a big weight off his shoulders of having to try to build an offense.
03:28And it was just interesting to look at and watch to see the similarities here.
03:34And hopefully D'Amico can kind of curb this thing.
03:38But it looks like they have the same exact philosophies of each other.
03:42And hopefully it doesn't turn out that way.
03:45Look, I don't think – obviously you know me.
03:48I mean, when D'Amico got hired, it was clear that, you know,
03:52I prefer an offensive-minded head coach and here are all the reasons.
03:56And when D'Amico got hired, love the hire, great head coach.
03:59But the reality of it is, is not only does he have to find his quarterback,
04:03but he also has to find his offensive coordinator.
04:06And whether that offensive coordinator is good or bad, odds are he's leaving.
04:09He's either going to get fired or he's going to get hired.
04:11I mean, that's just the reality of that position.
04:13And could – I said it when it happened.
04:16Can D'Amico runs manage that part of being a defensive-minded head coach
04:22is get the right offensive coordinator in here, let him do his thing,
04:27and then keep one in the holster to where if he's done, you've got the next one in
04:32so that you have as little, you know, as little change during that transition as possible.
04:39And he struggled with it, right?
04:41The first offense coordinator out of the gate, I thought on the field was good,
04:45but clearly behind closed doors that blew up in his face.
04:47And now it looks like he's handed the reins over to Nick Casario.
04:50And they're going to do a 180, and so now the transition is significantly more difficult
04:55than what you would hope would happen.
04:58So, yeah, look, I think defensive-minded head coaches, even the greatest ones,
05:01as you mentioned, Tony Dungy's a great –
05:03He's in the Hall of Fame championship.
05:05Yeah, I mean, have a real, real problem handling the offensive side of the football.
05:10And when you're hiring a bunch of guys that have never called plays before,
05:15it is a real, real risk.
05:17And that's what we've seen twice here in Houston with D'Amico so far.
05:21Text line coming through.
05:21I think CJ is a better quarterback than Dungy ever had in Tampa.
05:25I would agree with you.
05:27Brad Johnson was probably the best guy he had there,
05:30him and Trent Dilfer during those years.
05:33But they're using him in a different light.
05:37It's interesting to hear you speak of that.
05:39They started a different route, and now it seems like they've now moved themselves
05:46towards where Dungy was.
05:48That reading of the description of Tampa's offense during those years,
05:53that sounds like the Texans today.
05:57Yeah.
05:58But it wasn't.
05:59They've moved to this.
06:00As you said, on the field with Bobby Slowick, they weren't conservative.
06:05They weren't.
06:06They've moved closer to this point now.
06:09Yes, they're moving in that direction.
06:10They're moving in the direction of that.
06:13And we will see how that rolls because they were limited.
06:18They kept running into the Philadelphia Eagles and Donovan McNabb,
06:23kept putting them out.
06:23They even held the Rams down in the NFC Championship game on the road.
06:29They held them down points their defense played their asses off.
06:32But their offense scored, I think, 11.
06:34Yeah.
06:34And they weren't able to get past it.
06:36The hope is that they're able to find enough offense.
06:42And I'm with you because C.J. Stroud, because C.J. could be the difference.
06:46If C.J. Stroud can get to a way that we've seen C.J. Stroud play,
06:52despite whatever the system is, he could be the difference in them maybe being the Bucs
06:59or them maybe being able to do more.
07:02Because the scary part is with this, Clint, is as soon as they dismissed Dungy,
07:07they brought in John Groot.
07:09And they immediately went 12-4 and won the Super Bowl.
07:13And not just won the Super Bowl, and their defense had a part of this,
07:16but they went in 12-4 and averaged over 35 points a game in the playoffs.
07:24And it was pretty immediate when they got the offensive-minded coach to go along
07:29with that defense, the offensive-minded coach with damn near the same cast,
07:34offensive-minded coach.
07:35So that was so eye-opening in that situation.
07:41It was like, damn, it really was just the whole change in mindset.
07:45Just that offensive piece is just so critical, man.
07:48It is – look, it's super difficult to win,
07:53and with the Texans being a 10- or 12-win team, winning the division,
07:57and being a playoff-caliber team in the last three weeks, three years,
08:00that's where the bar's at, y'all.
08:01That's where the conversation, right?
08:02To exist in the NFL and be – whether it's like so defensive-heavy to an extreme
08:12or so offensive-heavy to an extreme,
08:15to exist in either fashion is ridiculously difficult, right?
08:20And right now, the truth of the matter is the Texans are so heavy defensively.
08:26Whether you look at the way that they're paying guys,
08:28you look at the way that they bring guys in,
08:30you look at the way that obviously the guys produce,
08:34right now their offense is just going to have to carry some level of the weight.
08:38It is impossible to win.
08:40I know everybody says defense wins championships, which I've always disagreed with.
08:43But people say defense wins championships.
08:46Boy, we're going to find out.
08:49Yes, they are pushing it.
08:50We're going to find out.
08:51Because, look, I think this is going to be a team.
08:54This is going to be a team that the quarterback, whoever it is,
08:58obviously right now it's C.J. Stroud,
09:00but his ass better commit to getting completions and not turning the football over.
09:04He better wholeheartedly commit to running the football.
09:08Because they are wholeheartedly committed to play good defense,
09:11don't turn it over, run the ball, and win that way.
09:15Like you said, very similar.
09:16They're so – I mean, they had Sap, Simeon Rice.
09:21If you remember, Simeon Rice was cold-blooded.
09:24Booger McFarlane up front.
09:26Derek Brooks is a Hall of Famer, you know, in the middle of it.
09:29One of them barber boys in the back.
09:31They got Rondae.
09:32They got John Lynch in the back end of that.
09:34Like they were so strong.
09:37Dexter Jackson, who was the Super Bowl MVP,
09:39they were so strong on that side of the ball.
09:43And, you know, I mean, they were able to make it – try to make it work
09:50from that defensive standpoint.
09:53And their offense just could not hold up when they really got against good teams.
09:58And they really got against teams that could not get themselves shut down
10:04completely by their defense, even when their defense is playing well,
10:07just not get themselves shut down completely by their defense.
10:10But the fear, Ron, right, is – and I think Dungy probably did it there.
10:14And I think D'Amico's doing it here.
10:16I think – well, let me be honest.
10:17I think Nick Casario's doing it here.
10:18The fear is, is that you put every bit of your – you know,
10:24you put all of your time, energy, effort, and monies on the offensive side
10:29of the ball into we're going to run it, we're going to not turn it over,
10:35we're going to chew the clock.
10:36Okay, great.
10:39Throughout an 18-week, 17-game season and four games in the playoffs,
10:45there's going to be times where you've got to spread this thing out
10:49and go score points.
10:50There's going to be times where you can't let the game dictate how you play.
10:55Right?
10:55There's going to be times when you get down 14 right out of the gate
10:58and you know, all right, man, we've got to go – we've got to change –
11:00we've got to change the approach here.
11:03How – when you put so much time, energy, effort, and money into leaning
11:08into the conservative brand and all your – and all your studies
11:12and everything you do revolves around being the best version of that.
11:17The season's going to come down to what happens the three or four times
11:22when you've got to get outside your character
11:23and you've all of a sudden – all of a sudden come out –
11:26hey, you're down 14 at half.
11:27We've got to go – we've got to go make some noise in the second half.
11:30How good are we at that?
11:32Are you prepared from a personnel standpoint?
11:34Do you have a bunch of run blockers up front
11:36and all of a sudden you've got to throw the ball in the fourth quarter
11:38and they can't protect?
11:39Right?
11:40Do you have a bunch of receivers that the first thing they do is they block well?
11:44Right?
11:45They all commit to blocking and doing all this and all that.
11:48Okay, well now I've got to spread out and go three wides and one tight
11:50and we've got to do some things.
11:52Do you have the horses to get that done?
11:54There's going to be three or four games, probably a couple in the playoffs
11:57where you're going to have to do that, at least for a half of football.
12:00Do you have the ability to make that happen?
12:03And to the texter's point, maybe I need to re-watch some Brad Johnson highlight tapes.
12:11But CJ, we do know and have seen that he is equipped to do that.
12:20Oh, no doubt.
12:20You know what I mean?
12:21Like, he is capable and the confidence level that he could pull that off
12:27exceeds, you know, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson.
12:31Oh, no question.
12:31Sean King was one of those.
12:33Well, it comes back down to his ability.
12:35This is a mental thing for him.
12:39You know, does he have the ability in that moment to switch gears
12:43and go do what he's got to do and have success
12:45and then the next game go, all right, we've got to get right back to this.
12:48This little piddly run the ball.
12:50And let's get complete.
12:51Don't turn it over, right?
12:53And then, all right, let's turn this thing up.
12:54All right, let's get back down to this conservative.
12:55All right, let's turn.
12:56Like the three or four times, can he manage all of that?
12:59That's really what it boils down to with CJ.
13:03Yeah, it is wild, the similarities to that build that Tony Dungy did to this one.
13:09And listen, it ain't from a lack of trying, Clint.
13:13He tried to.
13:14He's with Mike Shula, Les Steckle.
13:17He let Les Steckle on there for a year.
13:19He said he was dismissed due to philosophical differences.
13:24I mean, he tried.
13:25I mean, he ran through them.
13:27Just couldn't ever get that to stick.
13:31And hopefully that is something that D'Amico is able to move past
13:36and he doesn't have to go somewhere and have a great quarterback
13:40that allows him to be able to like the Peyton Manning situation for Tony Dungy.
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