00:00The Texans have, with their training camp, they've got some storylines that have developed.
00:03Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
00:05Do you like it or not that these storylines are emerging for the Texans?
00:10Well, here's where I am with this.
00:11I want to get both your guys' opinion and certainly our listeners.
00:14Do you even like that it is a storyline?
00:17Because we've talked about some of the things that I'm going to mention here
00:20and kind of parsed it out and debated and all that.
00:25Do you even like that this is happening?
00:27As people like to say, that this is a thing.
00:30Do you even like this storyline?
00:31For these headlines you got.
00:33Yes.
00:33The first one is the split backfield slash reps that has been reported by Jane Slater.
00:40Do you even like that?
00:41I hate this.
00:43Really?
00:43Because it's also not, like, it became a thing in a way that it didn't need to.
00:47And I like Jane Slater a lot.
00:49I've gotten an opportunity to work with her a little bit.
00:51She's very good at what she does.
00:53I think in this instance we had, at best, a miscommunication.
00:57And at worst, just like a poor usage of words that got us to a bad place where a story
01:01that
01:01probably was not much of a story, at least in the way that we had been talking about
01:04it, becomes one.
01:07Yesterday, Jane Slater had reported, and let me make sure I get her verbiage correct, so
01:11give me one moment.
01:12But she basically was reporting that the Texans view David Montgomery and Woody Marks as co-lead
01:19number one backs, basically.
01:21Yeah, like they would split lead back.
01:22That's what it was.
01:23Lead back responsibilities or reps.
01:25Yeah.
01:25Split lead back reps was what I saw.
01:27That was attributed to her.
01:28So we talked about that in particular.
01:30Do you even like that that's a thing?
01:31Honestly, I kind of like that a little bit.
01:36I do.
01:36I just wish.
01:37I would have liked it 100% if they actually took the backup running back position a little
01:42more serious.
01:43If they got somebody in there more.
01:46Yeah.
01:47Go ahead.
01:48No, I was going to say, like, the clarification that Jane makes later yesterday was that,
01:55no, it's going to be more of a, you know, 1A, 1B, like David Montgomery is going to have
02:00more of this, and then there's going to be a split.
02:02They just still want, I guess, this level of progression for Woody Marks.
02:06And I'm like, okay, so that's what we were kind of already talking about.
02:09So the idea of this being reported, or maybe this is less Slater and more the aggregation
02:13that happens, but the idea that this is like, the words lead back being used kind of frustrated
02:18me because then, like, yes, he's still going to be factoring in the running back room.
02:21He's still going to get in here.
02:22But that then takes him away from being a lead back.
02:25It's like Woody Marks having any kind of lead back situation.
02:27So the idea that that is trying to be molded into a storyline in that way is frustrating.
02:32But no, I like that it feels like David Montgomery will handle a lion's share of the load because
02:36it feels like that's the way that the talent is stacked.
02:38David Montgomery is the more talented running back, more experienced running back, and Woody
02:42Marks has a lot of juice and a capability to add in.
02:45That makes sense to me.
02:47I like, though, that this is a storyline.
02:49There may be a split backfield, maybe split reps, maybe very close reps, however you want
02:52to put it, simply because I think it's giving Woody Marks and this offense options here.
02:58You know, I've been a big fan of, like, the split backfield.
03:01I like that concept, that idea.
03:03And I think Woody Marks going, and we talked about this a little bit yesterday, going into
03:06his second year.
03:07Who's to say he doesn't just tear it up?
03:10You know?
03:11Let me ask you guys this.
03:12This is another storyline.
03:14Forget the nuts and bolts of it.
03:15Do you like that this is even a thing?
03:18Splitting reps at center.
03:20I mean, I would like if it wasn't because there's, I mean, you only have so much time
03:24to prepare.
03:25We've talked about this a lot in the nature of the CBA that the NFL has agreed to and
03:29the way that that has cut down prep time compared to decades prior.
03:34But I kind of like this.
03:36I know that it sounds crazy because this is a first-round pick.
03:38You need to get him ready.
03:40At the same time, it just feels like it's a lot to ask a dude to drop in and pick
03:44up an entire
03:44new position, especially one that is such a linchpin of what you're doing here.
03:48And so I kind of need you to be ready to go, Jake Andrews, in the off chance that you
03:53don't
03:53get to that place.
03:54But I think I'm in the minority here.
03:57I think more people are just like, sink or swim, Keenan Rutledge.
04:00I don't like this at all.
04:01I don't.
04:02And look, salute to Jake Andrews and all that.
04:05But we talked, I think Clint probably talked about this more.
04:09But they need all the reps they can get.
04:11That's right.
04:11And training camp and all that stuff.
04:13Like, if that was the case, everybody should be splitting reps just in case somebody get
04:17hurt.
04:17I want Keenan Rutledge to get as much snaps as possible, man.
04:21Yeah, I kind of understand the coach speak of it all.
04:25Like, hey, we're not giving any.
04:27But when we get out there Wednesday, I want to see him taking all the reps.
04:32First team reps is what we're doing.
04:34Keenan Rutledge.
04:34These guys are going to get snaps.
04:36First team reps.
04:37For the same reason.
04:38Like, I get it.
04:39You know, hey, we don't want to give him any.
04:41I get it.
04:41And they did it with C.J. Stroud, his rookie year.
04:43Remember?
04:44It was the whole Davis Mills and all that stuff.
04:47They did it with Deshaun for like a week.
04:49Yes.
04:50Into the opener.
04:51Yeah, don't bring that up, man.
04:52Into the opener.
04:53Like, he didn't even start the opener.
04:55That was ridiculous, man.
04:56It's ridiculous.
04:56It's ridiculous.
04:57All right, do you like that this is a thing?
04:59Running backs losing weight.
05:01Can I be indifferent?
05:02Well, not indifferent.
05:03Can I be undecided?
05:04Yes.
05:05Because I can see the possibility of it going one way, but I got to be honest, the anxiety
05:10that always exists within me is poking up a little bit.
05:13Like, hey, what if this goes, especially because it feels like some of the running backs that
05:17are losing weight, it was kind of the appeal.
05:19You know what I mean?
05:20Like, the appeal was that, hey, man, this guy can be some level of bruising for you.
05:24And it seems like that's kind of being taken off the table.
05:27Now, I did mention, especially with David Montgomery, 225 is still something that you
05:31could throw your weight around still, but it's not the same as the 235 that we were
05:35coming into.
05:36But I also don't want to dismiss the idea that it might make him lighter, faster, more
05:40agile, more apt to hit holes and hit gaps.
05:44I just, yeah, I don't have a great answer because I'm kind of in the middle going, it better
05:49not, it better not affect him in negative, but I could see how it'd be positive.
05:52Yeah, I will be, I guess, I guess, what was the question again?
05:56Do you like that this is the thing, that multiple running backs, at least two, but we think more
06:00are losing weight.
06:01Yeah, I think I'm fine with it, man.
06:03I think I'll be fine with it.
06:05I can see why they want to be quicker and stuff like that.
06:09Yeah.
06:09And I kind of hope they don't have to worry about, I mean, I know running backs have to
06:13worry about blocking at some point and stuff like that.
06:16Yeah.
06:16But I'm hoping the offensive line is so good where that's not the main focus for a running
06:21back.
06:22They could just focus on being quick and stuff like that.
06:24How about this one?
06:25Do you like that CJ Stroud, whose mental health, for lack of a better way, approach of putting
06:31it, is getting, at least in terms of ratings and rankings and public commentary, disrespected?
06:39Wasn't in the top, was barely in the top 20 of the top 10 quarterback list?
06:45Hasn't been in the top 100 list.
06:47Obviously, he's getting a lot of criticism and discussion.
06:49Do you like that he's being disrespected?
06:52I mean, yeah.
06:53We work in the business of narrative, right?
06:55I think that that's some of it.
06:57I think that there's also, and I don't know how much I buy into this, but I'm sure there
07:01are people out there that can kind of appreciate the, all right, CJ, now you're being challenged.
07:04What do you have?
07:05I think that there's something, there can be something useful in seeing somebody be pushed
07:10up against a challenge and seeing how they respond to it.
07:13Obviously, we would prefer if it was just all unicorns and rainbows because he is so damn
07:18good that it is undeniable.
07:19But I think there's an appreciation for here's a challenge and the narrative that is built
07:24of, all right, you're down.
07:26How do you get up off the mat?
07:27Yeah.
07:28I really don't like it, to be honest, man, because sometimes, like, I know CJ had a bad
07:33playoff game or games recently, but people kind of blowing this way out of control, like
07:41he's the only quarterback that ever had a bad playoff game, and this is the same quarter
07:47team get double-digit wins since he got in the league.
07:50So, yeah, I don't, I really don't like the disrespect like that.
07:54I'm kind of with you again, Figgy, but for a different reason.
07:58I don't know how much confidence I have in him that he's going to be able to respond
08:02the way that you talked about.
08:03He hasn't.
08:05He hasn't.
08:07Where's the evidence of, like, challenged, pushed down, doubted, bad game, and he's
08:13responded with, okay, I'll show you.
08:15He's really good at football, man.
08:17He's really good at football.
08:18He's really good at football.
08:19But again, what's your confidence level of, yeah, oh, yeah, he's going to show them.
08:23He's got that something.
08:24I've said, I think that he's going to have a really good season.
08:26Oh, yeah, but has he done it is the question.
08:28But, see, I feel like it was tough because you got this new offense, and it seemed like
08:33at the time he wasn't really the biggest fan of it.
08:36Yeah, yeah.
08:36So, and then not to mention the offensive line, all that type of stuff.
08:39So, I felt like last season was hard to sit there and say, man, you're still early.
08:44Yeah, it's still early, yeah.
08:46All right.
08:46Some of the storylines, like it, love it, dislike what we've got going in.
08:51Either way, in six days, we'll start seeing some level of the way that the Texans speak
08:57to them.
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