- 29 minutes ago
Brandon Scott joins the show after watching the Texans and Raiders go head-to-head at joint practice and shares his biggest observations and takeaways from the field.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Let's start with the scary moment.
00:02Jayden Higgins gets knocked up in some ways in this practice.
00:06Can you tell us what happened from your viewpoint?
00:09So that was another thing.
00:10With stuff happening on both sides of the – so y'all got to try to envision this.
00:15There's two fields out there.
00:16There's actually three, but they're operating on two fields.
00:18Defense operating on one, offense operating on the other.
00:22So I did actually miss the Jayden Higgins moment.
00:24But the word is on Jayden Higgins that it's a leg injury
00:28and that there wasn't an update necessarily from D'Amico Ryans.
00:31But we all saw him walk off on his own power.
00:33So I missed the play, but I saw him get up and walk off on his own power.
00:37I saw a couple of guys out there limping around a little bit but still walking,
00:41like Wyatt Teller, who I think we'll get to that in a little bit
00:44once you ask me a little bit more about practice.
00:46But Wyatt Teller was another guy who hit the ground,
00:49one of those pile-ups, so to speak, and he hits the ground,
00:52gets up a little gingerly but is able to walk off on his own accord.
00:56When we talked to C.J. Stroud after practice,
00:58he said that he's not too worried or too concerned, hoping the best, obviously.
01:02But it doesn't seem like we're talking about anything catastrophic.
01:05Now, might they slow play or load manage Jayden Higgins,
01:09depending on exactly what the injury is and the severity of it or lack thereof?
01:13We'll have to wait and see.
01:14But it did not seem like a grab-your-chest kind of moment.
01:19Yeah, yeah.
01:19As important as he is of a player, right?
01:21Because, look, we're talking about the number two receiver on the team
01:24and somebody that we're expecting to be not just a major factor in the offense
01:28but just individually to take a major leap from year one to year two.
01:33So let's go to where you were talking with Wyatt Teller on the offensive line.
01:37Two things.
01:38Number one, there were some people talking about this on Twitter,
01:44and I don't know if it's true or not.
01:45You were there.
01:45You tell me.
01:46Wyatt Teller did take some reps off, it seemed like,
01:50at certain key moments, and then just the offensive line in general.
01:53Yeah, so I was listening to you guys about two segments ago
01:57mentioning how the offensive line felt like it's about as set as it's been
02:02at this point in camp.
02:03And I thought that, too, until I went to this practice,
02:06and I was wondering what exactly is going on,
02:10particularly from center to the left side.
02:12We understand Ariante Urshu is going to be the left tackle,
02:15but my takeaway is that Wyatt Teller does not necessarily have that left guard job
02:21just sewed up the way we thought he did, certainly when he signed
02:26and at the start of training camp.
02:28So we're seeing a lot of the mix of Evan Brown getting a lot more play at center
02:32and Keelan Rutledge getting a lot more play at the guard positions.
02:36And so that's something that I think is something to watch out for for Texans fans
02:41to see, like, Keelan Rutledge is going to play,
02:43but I don't know if we're 100% positive where he is going to play.
02:47But was that before or after he got dinged up?
02:50Before.
02:50Okay, that's key.
02:51This is the entire practice.
02:53This is the entire practice where Wyatt Teller,
02:56he's not just taking reps off, but out there with the second team.
03:00Like, I saw way more Wyatt Teller with Davis Mills
03:03than I saw Wyatt Teller with C.J. Stroud,
03:06which to me was indicative of something.
03:08What? I don't know, but indicative of something.
03:09And that's been the case over the weekend.
03:11Can I tell you my take on that?
03:13Tell me.
03:13I think that that is more of a versatility play.
03:17I think that you look at it and it feels like,
03:20and tell me if you think I'm wrong here,
03:21it feels like Keelan Rutledge, they're getting to a point where like,
03:23oh, he is the best center on the roster
03:25and he might be the best guard on the roster.
03:26Yeah, so that's funny that you mention that
03:28because I'm standing out there with Ron and Sho Hewley from The Drive.
03:31We're standing out there watching practice together.
03:33And he asked me a real interesting question
03:35that I hadn't really thought about until he asked it to me.
03:38And I'm curious what y'all think.
03:40Is Keelan Rutledge their best offensive lineman already?
03:43Now, obviously he hasn't, you know what, a drop in the NFL yet.
03:46But when we're looking around, he's the one that stands out the most.
03:50You're making that versatility point, which is valid,
03:53but it's also just a quality issue as well.
03:57Like, is he just literally, to the exact point that you just made,
04:00is he their best center option and their best guard option?
04:04And if so, if he's their best guard option after they've paid all of this money
04:07for the guards, right, brought back Ed Ingram and brought in Wyatt Teller,
04:11is Evan Brown sort of the compromise, right,
04:14just trying to get your best five out there if he's suitable as a center?
04:17And so far it looks like he is.
04:19Then might you go with the highest upside on the interior
04:23and with your guard positions with Keelan Rutledge,
04:26out or displacing one of those other guards,
04:29and it looks like it could be Wyatt Teller.
04:31I think it's a possibility, but really what I think is,
04:33I think that they probably are more solid on the idea of
04:36Tay at left tackle, Teller at left guard,
04:38Keelan Rutledge at center, Ed Ingram at right guard,
04:42and which of the other two right tackles they get in there.
04:44I think that what they're doing now is,
04:46with the opportunities that we have,
04:47especially the more precious snaps,
04:49where it comes to first team offensive line,
04:51second team offensive line,
04:52now we know what Keelan Rutledge,
04:54we're getting a feel for what Keelan Rutledge can do at center.
04:56Now let's figure out which of these backup guys on the interior
05:00do we feel good about,
05:01so we could get Evan Brown in there,
05:04and Jarrett Patterson in there,
05:05and Jake Andrews in there,
05:07that we wouldn't if Keelan Rutledge was playing center right this moment.
05:10Yeah, it looks like,
05:11and to this point that you're making,
05:12it looks like that Jake Andrews is going to be the odd man out,
05:15because the backup interior offensive lineman,
05:17if not the starting center,
05:19is going to be Evan Brown,
05:20like a swing interior offensive lineman,
05:23if you will,
05:23their death piece at center,
05:26guard,
05:27and we'll see what Keelan Rutledge is up doing,
05:29but it looks like,
05:30like he's going to start somewhere,
05:31it's just a matter of where exactly,
05:33and I do still anticipate that it's going to be center,
05:35kind of to your point,
05:36I've got a tough time envisioning that they're paying all that money to Wyatt Teller,
05:40and he's coming in with as much pedigree as he is,
05:43and that they're going to go away from that,
05:45right,
05:45like what is,
05:46because now what is the purpose of Wyatt Teller,
05:49a death piece,
05:50I got a tough time really imagining that,
05:52but I got to go with what I see,
05:53and what I'm looking at,
05:55and I'm watching Wyatt Teller get his,
05:57get most of his reps with Davis Mills,
05:59which to me,
06:00if you're out there in a joint practice,
06:01against a different team,
06:02you're trying to get the most looks,
06:04and your best looks,
06:05against a team that you're obviously going to play in a couple of days,
06:08but this is your first joint practice,
06:10you would expect that your best five is going to be out there,
06:13against their best front,
06:15and that's why you've got me thinking about,
06:17about D'Amico Ryan's own words,
06:19you know,
06:19Nick Casario's own words,
06:21best five,
06:21you know,
06:22if you're talking about the best five,
06:24could,
06:25you know,
06:25and I'm trusting what you saw out there,
06:27what was being reported,
06:29you know,
06:29Evan Brown at center,
06:30Wyatt Teller at guard,
06:31that might just be,
06:32you know,
06:33your best five,
06:34in terms of,
06:35you know,
06:37week one,
06:38makes me really interested to see what happens on Thursday night,
06:41because if we see the same iteration of this,
06:43then all of a sudden,
06:44we might be talking about that.
06:45The chief question,
06:46that we're trying to get an answer to,
06:48and hopefully we get one by the end of the week is,
06:51what do they think is their best combination?
06:54Is it Rutledge at center and Teller at guard,
06:57or is it Brown at center and Rutledge at guard?
07:00Because that looks like the either or,
07:02if there was going to be one.
07:04I lean to the former,
07:05but I guess regardless,
07:06coming back to today specifically,
07:08it sounded like we had Emmitt Smith and the great wall of Dallas out there.
07:13Can you confirm or deny that that was what was happening out here with them running the football versus the
07:17Raiders?
07:17Yeah,
07:17so count this as another time that dare,
07:19dare I agree with the coach,
07:21but he said that the running game and the running back specifically is what stood out to most,
07:26or his exact quote was that,
07:28that was the highlight of the practice today.
07:31And I thought the same thing watching practice before we talked to him.
07:33It was,
07:34and I talked to Seth about this,
07:35Seth Payne after the practice,
07:37I'm like,
07:37man,
07:37I don't know what to make of the Texans success in the run game against the Raiders.
07:43Is it,
07:43is it really them having the success or are they going up against the Raiders front?
07:47That's just Swiss cheese.
07:48Cause talking to Raiders media out there,
07:51they'll tell you,
07:52Hey,
07:52it hasn't been looking good as far as stopping the run for on the Raiders side.
07:57So,
07:57and look,
07:58the Texans are only going to play the guys that are out there in front of them.
08:01But,
08:02but in trying to evaluate,
08:03you just take it at face value.
08:06The Texans did look good running the ball,
08:07both David Montgomery and Woody Marks.
08:09Were they actually moving dudes?
08:10Cause I know that they can get hat on hat.
08:12They were actually creating space off of the line.
08:14Yes.
08:14Just look at the,
08:15look at the line,
08:16move,
08:16which direction does it move in?
08:17Does it move back or does it move forward?
08:19That's the easiest way if you,
08:20especially if you're not isolated on one or two specific players and their line was clearly
08:24moving the Raiders front routinely.
08:27I would say,
08:27as you know,
08:28it's in all our contracts.
08:29We have to talk about CJ's trap.
08:31Yes.
08:31And that just got put in.
08:33It seemed as if CJ Stroud had a good day,
08:36but there was also some pressure in terms of the pass rush.
08:39Yeah.
08:40So CJ Stroud was decent.
08:41I thought,
08:42and look,
08:43they were sharp.
08:44He even mentioned after the practice that the routes were clean.
08:47And so the,
08:47the passing game overall look clean.
08:50The issue more than anything I would say was less of CJ Stroud,
08:53not to belabor the point on the offensive line,
08:55but it was to quote D'Amico Ryans about 50,
08:5950 with how they handle pressure.
09:01Yeah.
09:01So sometimes they handled it well.
09:03Sometimes they didn't handle it so well.
09:04And so that,
09:05that's something if you were going to nitpick,
09:07you would say they've got to definitely clean that up,
09:11how they handle pressure and,
09:13and just going from there.
09:15But I thought CJ Stroud did a good job with obviously the ball placement with how he
09:19handled pressure.
09:20I thought CJ Stroud for the most part looked pretty decent in this practice
09:23today.
09:24I want to return to CJ,
09:25but you offensive line is where my mind continues to go.
09:28As it should.
09:28Did you notice,
09:29as we're talking to B Scott here about the joint practice between the Texans and
09:33the Raiders,
09:33did you notice what,
09:34what type of pressures were working?
09:35Like,
09:36did it seem like it was,
09:37Oh,
09:38there's the,
09:38there's those games again that are hitting them.
09:40Or was it the SIM pressure?
09:41That was it.
09:41It was the games.
09:42It was the SIM pressure,
09:43both of those.
09:43It was the games.
09:44Okay.
09:44It was the games,
09:45the,
09:46the,
09:47well,
09:47that's not good.
09:47Yeah.
09:48And cause that was the thing that whooped their ass last year.
09:50Exactly.
09:51They couldn't handle it.
09:51I mean,
09:52they couldn't handle,
09:53and this wasn't the issue today,
09:54just to be clear.
09:55Cause you're not max protecting in a practice like this because you know that
09:58they can't kill the quarterback,
10:00but it did seem like if this was a real game,
10:03they would have had to have gone to max protect.
10:06And that's an issue.
10:08It was an issue last year that at times,
10:11especially earlier in the season,
10:12they couldn't max protect with,
10:14with them just rushing the other team,
10:17rushing three or four.
10:18So like you're,
10:19you're rushing the minimum.
10:20They've got the maximum out there to protect.
10:23And the numbers game is in your favor and you're still not winning up front.
10:26That was a discouraging part.
10:28I don't necessarily think that that was the case,
10:30but they definitely would have had to go into some max protect.
10:32I do want to ask you about this.
10:34And it still has something to do with the CJ Trout,
10:36but more so the only tight end I really heard a lot about today was Brock
10:40Bowers.
10:41Did the Texans tight ends do anything?
10:43Yeah.
10:43I saw Foster Moreau catch a pass early on in the,
10:46in the scrimmage,
10:47if you will.
10:48I didn't really see as much from Marlon Klein today.
10:51I was expecting to see a little bit more,
10:54but CJ described him.
10:55I thought appropriately as raw,
10:58but talented,
10:59which,
10:59you know,
10:59is not,
11:00not,
11:01not a surprise for somebody that's only been playing football for,
11:04you know,
11:05however many years for six years or so.
11:07So,
11:08I mean,
11:08you can kind of take that with a grain of salt,
11:10but no,
11:11it was,
11:11it was Foster Moreau.
11:13And,
11:13and I'm talking about just a very,
11:15very little bit.
11:15We don't expect Foster Moreau to factor into the passing game a lot.
11:18He can obviously do some things.
11:20He's a veteran,
11:20but we expect him to be more in the run game as far as what his value is going
11:25to be.
11:26So yeah,
11:26that if there was a disappointing part,
11:28it would be that the tight end.
11:29So you expect to be a much more featured part of the passing game.
11:33They were not necessarily that.
11:35Now I do feel like the practice dictated both because of the Raiders defense and
11:39because of how the Texans were handling pressures up front.
11:43The practice sort of dictated the flow of it,
11:45dictated that they would run the ball more because that's where they were seeing
11:48more success.
11:49And so that's just more of a game flow,
11:52practice flow type of thing and opponent specific type of thing from where I
11:57sit.
11:57So we've talked a lot about what happened with the Texans offense.
11:59Let me ask this before I even get into it.
12:01How much were you able to check in on what was happening with the defense?
12:04Very little.
12:04And that was only because I was much more fixated and,
12:08and I guess intrigued by how the offense would handle the different look.
12:12Like I expect the Texans defense to be able to handle this on against a
12:17Raiders offense that if we're being honest,
12:19Brock Bowers and Ashton Gentry is a good player,
12:22but they just don't have a whole lot going on for them on the offensive side of
12:26the ball.
12:26But let's not,
12:27let's not downplay it.
12:29The defense did stand out for sixes,
12:32two pick sixes for his part.
12:33One from Jalen Petrie against his was against Kirk cousins,
12:38I believe.
12:38And Mendoza's was,
12:40I'm sorry,
12:41Jalen Petrie picked off.
12:43Kirk cousins for a pick six.
12:45And it was Kamari Lasseter at the end who picked off Mendoza for a pick six
12:48at the very,
12:49very,
12:49very end of the practice.
12:50I'm talking about by that point,
12:52we're in the tent ready for D'Amico because they've already kind of broken,
12:56you know,
12:56broken the huddle,
12:57but Kamari Lasseter to kind of punctuate practice,
13:00if you will get to pick six.
13:01And Will Anderson talked about this,
13:03how they started off slow.
13:04He thought the defense started off really slow against that offense.
13:07And then they kind of picked it up as practice went on,
13:09but defense about as advertised.
13:12Yeah.
13:12The only thing I was going to ask defensively is,
13:14did it feel like Brock Bowers got off on them?
13:16Cause that's the only thing is with this defense,
13:18the very few things that I can maybe say,
13:21ask how did they do like stopping the run and then handling a big time
13:25tight end are the only things that come up as maybes,
13:27you know,
13:28it did feel like Brock Bowers got off on them,
13:31but we do also have to understand who Brock Bowers is like give respect where
13:35and credit where credit is due.
13:37Look,
13:37he's a really good player.
13:38And so that's a tough cover.
13:39And he was that for them today,
13:41but that would be like the same thing.
13:42That would be the same thing as saying,
13:44Hey,
13:44Trent Brown or I'm sorry,
13:46Blake Fisher struggled against Max Crosby.
13:49Well,
13:49of course he did.
13:50Did he?
13:50Yes.
13:51You don't know.
13:52Yes.
13:53Yes,
13:54he did.
13:54And thank God that Max Crosby is not allowed to kill CJ Stroud out there
13:58because if this was a real game again,
14:01if it was a real game,
14:03he would definitely have gotten to CJ Stroud a time or two,
14:05or again,
14:06they would have had to chip double team,
14:09match protect,
14:10get,
14:10get a little bit creative with their protections.
14:12All right.
14:12So this is just a quick head count on guys that we,
14:15that we know just making sure that they did what they did.
14:18Nico Collins did what he was supposed to do a lot.
14:20Okay.
14:20He had,
14:21he had no less than,
14:22I counted four plays that were Nico Collins as whether it's down the sideline
14:26over the middle of the field.
14:28Of course,
14:28Nico Collins is somebody that they're going to seek out and feature early
14:32and often.
14:32And they did that.
14:33And he was effective.
14:34David Montgomery.
14:35David Montgomery looked nice.
14:37I thought David Montgomery looked nice.
14:38I thought Woody Marks,
14:40dare I say,
14:41looked at,
14:42and I know you probably were going to get there.
14:43I talked about it.
14:44Woody Marks looked even better.
14:45I thought.
14:46And it's not like he was running with some,
14:47some fervor,
14:48some physicality.
14:49Well,
14:49and,
14:49and so I think the play that you're talking about,
14:51because there is a play where,
14:54where a Raiders defender bounces off of him.
14:57It wasn't necessarily truck stick.
14:59It was just,
15:00if like,
15:00instead of you trucking me,
15:02if I just kind of try to hit you and you just stand there and I fall.
15:05So you don't truck me,
15:06but you're so big and strong or whatever the case may be sturdy,
15:09if you will.
15:10And in Marks's case where it just did not affect him.
15:13So it's a loud thump,
15:14but the thump went the other way.
15:17You know what I mean?
15:18And it was,
15:18and it wasn't a run play just to be clear on that.
15:21What we're talking about was actually a return,
15:24a kickoff return with Woody Marks.
15:26And man,
15:27he just kind of,
15:27he just kind of,
15:28you know,
15:29cradled the ball,
15:30didn't lower his shoulder or anything,
15:32just absorbed the hit.
15:34And poor Raiders defender did not have anything for it.
15:37Dalton Schultz.
15:38Dalton Schultz.
15:39So Dalton Schultz did do a little bit,
15:42but it's,
15:42it seemed like they were just more so focused on the run game.
15:45So it wasn't,
15:45it wasn't a lot of Dalton Schultz,
15:47but he was out there.
15:48And then I want to isolate two specific offensive linemen,
15:50the right tackles,
15:51Trent Brown,
15:52who I imagine might've been playing a little bit.
15:53He did.
15:54He did play a little bit of left.
15:55And then Brayden Smith.
15:57Yeah.
15:57So Brayden Smith,
15:59look,
16:00Max Crosby.
16:01He's the man.
16:02Fair.
16:03You know what?
16:03Fair.
16:04It was just,
16:05it was just noticeably unfair when Max Crosby lined up against really any of the
16:10tackles.
16:10I don't think I'm breaking any news here when I say that Max Crosby is a
16:14better football player than any tackle that the Texans are going to be able to
16:18muster up this season.
16:20I think that was a fair assumption going into practice and definitely a
16:24takeaway post-practice.
16:25All right.
16:25Fair enough.
16:26Appreciate you lending us your eyes and your brain as well.
16:30Yeah.
16:30After a joint practice between the Texans and the Raiders.
16:32Yeah,
16:32man,
16:32it was overall a really good practice.
16:34And I would say the fact that the run game was a positive,
16:38you know,
16:38like you don't want to see them not handling pressures well or hear 50,
16:4250 pressure being the case.
16:44You would like it to be a lot better than that.
16:47Yeah.
16:47But from the run game standpoint,
16:48the area in which the offense probably had the most to prove and the most to
16:52improve,
16:53I think that they're looking pretty good in that,
16:55in that.
Comments