00:00There's a familiar face that is returning to Houston on the gridiron, that is, not via the MLB trade deadline.
00:08The Texans have reunited, if you will, with Jadavion Clowney.
00:13He is back in Houston.
00:152014, I believe it was, number one overall pick.
00:18He's going into his 13th year in the season.
00:25The interesting thing about this is the history.
00:28By the way, folks, he is going to wear number 90.
00:32They've already taken, I believe, Logan Hall was wearing 90, and he was in 95 or something else today, 96,
00:39something today.
00:41So, Jadavion Clowney will wear number 90, and it's good.
00:44You get to break out all your vintage Clowney jerseys that you thought you were going to have to leave
00:50in the closet or hang on the wall.
00:51You can break those jokers back out and wear them to games this year.
00:55I mean, what I'm hearing is there's a pretty large, I mean, pretty good amount of folks requesting that they
01:01put them jerseys back for sale in the pro shop.
01:05Want to wear that Clowney jersey?
01:07I could imagine so.
01:09First stint here with the Texans was five years, three Pro Bowl seasons inside that five years.
01:16Last year, eight and a half sacks in 13 games with the Dallas Cowboys.
01:21And like I said, he will be wearing number 90.
01:24One thing that I, guys, that I noticed, and just doing a little due diligence here, is looking at Jadavion
01:31Clowney, his last three years in Houston, he had the same number of sacks.
01:38So it was year three, four, and five for him in his whole career, right?
01:42Wasn't one of them rookie years.
01:43We were still trying to get used to the NFL.
01:45No, it was what you would call the start of his prime, three, four, and five.
01:49He had the same amount of total sacks in those three years as he had his last three years here
01:55in the league.
01:56Now, he played with three different teams, Baltimore, Carolina, and Dallas.
02:00And in Baltimore, I believe he had nine or nine and a half.
02:03Carolina, that number went down.
02:04And then in Dallas, he had eight and a half last year in Dallas.
02:07And I think he did that in 13 games, y'all.
02:09So, I mean, that was an abbreviated season.
02:12He had a shorter season there.
02:13He was as productive, has been as productive the last three seasons as he was to start, ultimately, his prime
02:19years from a sack perspective.
02:21Luke, I love this sign.
02:24And before I get into telling everybody exactly why I love this one, man, what's your thoughts on Jadavion Clowney
02:30being back in a Texans' uni?
02:31Yeah, I like it, too.
02:32I like it for the defense.
02:33I like the signing, bringing Clowney back.
02:36I wasn't the biggest Clowney guy originally.
02:39I didn't cover him at South Carolina, but I covered the Gamecocks after he had left and just dealing with
02:44the people that were around.
02:45You know, obviously, he built a little bit of a reputation for himself.
02:50But to your point, I mean, what he's been able to do in recent years has really revitalized his career.
02:55There was one point about three years ago where it looked like he was going to be out of the
02:59league.
02:59And he really saved himself there in Baltimore and then three different teams in three years and has had success.
03:04And now you come back here to Houston where I think the role fits him very well, not only in
03:08terms of the schemes different than the last time he was here,
03:12but then also that you don't need him to be an every snap type of guy.
03:16And by conserving some of that energy and being more of a rotational piece, kind of like the Giants defensive
03:22line when they won those Super Bowls against the Patriots over a decade ago,
03:27hopefully that gets even more out of him by only using him in ideal situations or using him for partial
03:32portions of the games throughout the season.
03:34So I like it. I really like them. I have nothing negative to say about the addition for the defense.
03:39My only concern is, and it's a larger conversation, but we saw the moves made this weekend and they brought
03:45in a couple of different guys,
03:46but all on the defense. And I still have questions on the offense and we know how good the defense
03:50is.
03:50So my concern is not so much clowny. It's just continuing to pour more resources into an already good defense
03:56than what we're trying to figure out with this offense.
03:59But in terms of the defense, yeah, I like the clowny addition.
04:01Yeah, I don't have any problem at all with it. If the headliner is going to be the defense, make
04:06that defense as good as you possibly can at every turn.
04:09If that's the route you're going to choose to build in this thing and you're going to lead with defense,
04:14the tip of your spear,
04:15if you've got a chance for that sucker to be sharpened, sharpen it.
04:18We'll see if it works, but if that's what you're going to do, I'm okay with it.
04:22Look, the edge rusher position, or the edge position, I mean edge rusher, I think rusher kind of takes it
04:27out of context a little bit.
04:28But the defensive end position in this 4-3 defense, beyond Daniil Hunter and Will Ander, you were looking at
04:34Dylan Horton,
04:35Allie Gaye, Dominic Robinson, and ultimately there was a big question mark in that room of not only depth,
04:44but also the experience and who are these guys?
04:47Who can be the real depth that we've seen Derek Barnett be?
04:51And we've seen – what's my man's name?
04:55It was with the Titans before he came here the last couple of years.
04:58Edge rusher that played inside and outside.
05:01Golly, mine just went blank.
05:02Anyway, you've seen some guys that were more proven guys, longer-in-a-tooth guys, that you knew what you
05:09were getting.
05:10And so there was clearly – and there still may be, but there's clearly a need in Houston to bulk
05:16up that edge rusher position.
05:18And Jadavion Clowney, any way you slice it, accomplishes that.
05:22Look, you talk about Clowney just as a depth piece.
05:26He is a really, really, really good number two to Will Anderson and or Daniil Hunter just simply as a
05:34depth piece to do what those guys do.
05:36Plug him in.
05:36You don't change the way you're calling plays.
05:39You just keep on rocking and rolling.
05:40And to be honest with you, you don't change the expectations for production if we're being real with Jadavion Clowney
05:47out there.
05:48The second reason I like this is probably the sexiest for me.
05:53I said this when Jadavion Clowney was here the first time.
05:57You know, I don't necessarily love him as a single piece coming off the edge and rushing the passer.
06:05I love him being used as a package, as a weapon, and bringing him from linebacker depth, bringing him outside,
06:15playing games with Will Anderson or Daniil Hunter.
06:17I absolutely love that side of Clowney.
06:21The violence that he plays with, the chaos that he can create, if you just simply put him inside and
06:27let him play games, and I'm talking about not handing the dirt.
06:29I'm talking up in a two-point stance, kind of an unorthodox front, but use him in games right in
06:37front of a quarterback.
06:38His size, his length, the violence that he plays with is an absolute problem for quarterbacks and for offensive play
06:43callers.
06:44I love the thought of just D'Amico Ryans getting his hands on a defense that includes Will Anderson, Daniil
06:50Hunter, and Jadavion Clowney.
06:52That is going to be absolute scary.
06:54And then the third piece is, I don't know if all the money's been reported yet, but I believe he
07:00took less money to be here.
07:03And the dude wants to be home.
07:05He wants to have a legit shot at a Super Bowl.
07:08And I've got to believe at this point in his career, that whole last man in the building, first man
07:12out of the building, nonchalant, blase, blase, blase.
07:14I've got to believe that that's changed.
07:16I've got to believe that that has been addressed by D'Amico Ryans or anybody that was involved in this
07:22decision-making process,
07:23that that can't be part of who Jadavion Clowney is today.
07:31And so everything about this sign, boys, I absolutely love.
07:35And I think this defense, to your point, it's an embarrassment of riches on the defensive side of the football,
07:41Luke.
07:41But I love this get.
07:43I think he's a guy at this point in his career that understands his role, obviously.
07:46You don't join a team with Daniil Hunter and Will Anderson and go, how come I ain't getting more playing
07:49time?
07:50You know what I mean?
07:50Like, it's got to be one of those writings on the wall.
07:53So I love this Jadavion Clowney, D'Amico Ryans defense marriage.
07:58And I can't wait to see it in action.
08:00What's Danico Autry?
08:01That's it.
08:02Danico Autry.
08:03Yeah.
08:03I do like the Clowney addition, like I said, in a vacuum.
08:06I think it's a great move for the defense.
08:08I mean, in Crosstalk, we were talking about that depth because you've got to stay healthy throughout a football season.
08:13The three healthiest teams last year in the NFL were the Patriots, the Seahawks, and the Rams, the three teams
08:19that were left standing.
08:20Of the ten most injured teams, only one made the playoffs.
08:23So a lot of times it's about that health and that depth.
08:25And this is a big move that, God forbid, something were to happen on the defensive line,
08:29Clowney would be a great guy to be able to plug in as that person to step in.
08:34And so in a vacuum, love the move for the defense.
08:37But like I said, my concern is just it's almost like the person who makes more money, but they don't
08:41set a budget.
08:41And so they're still spending.
08:43They start spending more money.
08:44And so even though you're making more money, it doesn't matter because you're not putting any money away.
08:50And you look at the bank at the end of the month, you're like, man, I'm still struggling, even though
08:53I got a pay raise.
08:54Why is that?
08:54And for the Texans, it's like, yes, the defense has improved, but the defense was already really good.
08:59You had the best pair of pass rushers in the NFL, and you go out and you get a guy
09:04who was top 20 in sacks, so it makes it even stronger.
09:07But as good as the defense is getting, I think you still, it's the cliche of you're only as strong
09:11as your weakest link.
09:12You still need to improve the offense a little bit to make it all worthwhile.
09:15Yeah, I love where your points are.
09:18My only pushback, Luke, is that you can't control who becomes available, right?
09:22I think if there was somebody that was that kind of fit with this offense that came available that was
09:26going to take a team-friendly deal that was here, I think they'd love to have that guy.
09:32I think they'd jump all over that guy.
09:34So that's the part of the league that I think that we don't take into consideration enough, not necessarily with
09:39this topic, just in general.
09:40I hate when Nick was building this thing, did a tremendous job, but I always hated when it was like,
09:46oh, yeah, we're just not ready yet.
09:48We're not there yet.
09:49Well, that guy's going to be available when you're ready.
09:50Yeah, so...
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