- 7 weeks ago
Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast talk all things Texans roster with general manager Nick Caserio.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Are you ready?
00:0195.7 The Fan presents Payne and Pendergast.
00:07Hi, there you go. You know what that means.
00:10Especially when the season is upon us here.
00:12In about 10 days or so, the Houston Texans, 11 days,
00:15the Houston Texans will take on the Buffalo Bills
00:17to get the season kicked off.
00:19A lot of news this week with the roster getting put in place.
00:24And of course, our next guest met with the media yesterday
00:27to talk about plenty of that.
00:28And he's here with us today to follow up on some things
00:30and have his periodic chat with us here on Payne and Pendergast.
00:34We always enjoy getting a chance to sit down
00:36with Texans Executive Vice President and General Manager Nick Casario
00:40joining us on the show.
00:41Good morning, Nick. How are you?
00:43Morning, fellas. Thanks for having us.
00:44Congratulations on the move to the new stage.
00:46Hopefully, I won't get ourselves thrown off at a radio here today.
00:50I'll do my best.
00:51Don't be like Chris Ballard, all right?
00:53There's a lot of profanity in this broadcast.
00:56I'll try to contain myself.
00:57Keep the four-letter.
00:58Chris is not wrong.
00:59Chris is not wrong.
01:01Well, you know what we discovered, Nick,
01:04is Sean's particularly upset about this whole pro player
01:08returning to college thing.
01:09And I remembered midway through one of his rants about it
01:13that Notre Dame was busted for a couple different times
01:17within the course of five weeks in 1922.
01:19Notre Dame players secretly played for the Green Bay Packers
01:23and in another semi-pro league.
01:26And Sean was desperately hoping that I wouldn't discover
01:29that he supports this type of activity.
01:31Back when I was a student in 1922,
01:33hoping that they wouldn't get caught.
01:35Yes.
01:36They don't have to resort to those measures nowadays.
01:38I think Marcus has actually said that they're not going to partake
01:42in those activities.
01:43So they'll play with the players that they have.
01:46You know, that was the one thing I was telling Sean beforehand.
01:50Man, if I could have gone back after my rookie year in the NFL
01:54after gaining that experience and everything
01:56and then gone back and played at my school,
01:58oh my gosh, it would have been.
02:00I don't think people are realizing what a difference it is
02:02in competitive ability.
02:04Like how much better you get when even your first few weeks
02:08of training camp you become so much better
02:09because you're going against such a high level of competition,
02:11which is why I think that Keelan Rutledge, I was kind of just,
02:16you know, I'm very skeptical about rookie offensive linemen.
02:19And man, every time it felt like he was getting better and better
02:22every single day during training camp.
02:24Was that a surprise to you at all, how quickly he advanced?
02:27Because even guys that are good don't necessarily always look
02:30so awesome in training camp.
02:31Sure.
02:32Most young players, like once they enter this league,
02:36they're going to be doing potentially some things,
02:38do a little bit differently from a technique standpoint.
02:40You don't always understand what they're being asked to do,
02:43what they're being coached to do.
02:44That's part of the evaluation process.
02:46Like you're watching a player on tape and you see something,
02:48it might be a negative, but you're not really sure,
02:51like what's the reason that maybe it doesn't look as good
02:53as it should or you want it to look.
02:55And then when you get the players on campus and you're building,
02:58you're kind of starting from square one
03:00and you're starting with the basic foundation.
03:02And D'Amico stresses this, I mean, ad nauseum,
03:06but in the end it comes back to your basic fundamental techniques
03:11and having a foundation.
03:13And that's what you're going to resort to even when you get into games.
03:16So scheme is scheme.
03:17That's a big part of it.
03:18But your hand placement, your body position, your aiming points,
03:22how you punch as an offensive lineman,
03:24like those are the things that are going to be relevant
03:27as you progress during the course of your career.
03:29Some players take to it a little bit earlier and sooner than others.
03:33Other players, maybe it takes a little bit more,
03:35it takes a little bit longer.
03:37But from Keelan's standpoint, we felt this was a player that was coachable,
03:41who was smart.
03:43His toughness and physicality was certainly a part of the evaluation.
03:46But we felt somewhat confident that maybe some of the things
03:50that you saw on tape that didn't look great,
03:52that at some point might be able to get those fixed.
03:55And as a player, you're just looking for them to be able to course correct.
03:59If you teach something, you explain something,
04:01here's how I want you to do it, and here's the reason why.
04:03You may struggle initially, but then you go back, you correct it.
04:06And I think the reality is the players don't have to worry
04:10about anything other than football.
04:12So the more time you spend on tasks,
04:14the more time you spend in the meeting room,
04:16the more time you spend with your coach getting the information that you need,
04:19hopefully that's going to enhance your overall development
04:22and speed up the progress.
04:24Nick Casario joining us.
04:26Nick, just sticking with Keelan for a second,
04:27you said yesterday in your media availability
04:29that he was probably your best offensive lineman at this point.
04:32And you don't throw praise around like that just willy-nilly.
04:36I mean, that was significant, I thought.
04:39What's he done specifically in these five weeks of training camp
04:43and probably prior to that in the spring
04:46that made you comfortable saying that
04:47before he's played a snap in the regular season?
04:50Well, he's handled everything that we've thrown at him.
04:54We've moved him around a little bit.
04:55He's played multiple positions, and here's a player that predominantly
04:59was a right guard at Georgia Tech.
05:01So we worked him on the left side.
05:03We worked him at center.
05:05That was a part of the early part of training camp
05:07to see whether or not that's something he can handle.
05:10Could he handle it?
05:10He probably could handle it, but then we kind of moved some things around,
05:13and we felt, all right, the more snaps he had at left guard,
05:17then the better that, you know, you saw the development.
05:21But, I mean, he's strong.
05:23He's tough.
05:23He's smart.
05:24He's physical.
05:24He finishes blocks.
05:25He plays the way that we want our players to play.
05:29I mean, it must be, you know, every day
05:31when D'Amico goes through the clips of practice,
05:33I mean, there's going to be a clip of Rutledge finishing clean,
05:36not doing it over the line,
05:38but just finishing with the right mentality and the right mindset,
05:41and it's emblematic of the overall team and how we want to play.
05:46You know, overall, we feel that that first group
05:48that's been out there the last few weeks, you know,
05:50is a good overall group.
05:51We have a lot of experience.
05:52We have a combination of young players with Tay going into his second year,
05:56Keelan if he's a left guard.
05:58Evan is a player that has a lot of experience,
06:00has played multiple spots.
06:02Ed is coming off of, you know, probably his best season, you know,
06:06and then between Trent and Braden,
06:07now Braden's on IR and, you know, Trent, you know,
06:09working at right tackle.
06:10So overall, we feel like we got, you know,
06:12five players that can put on the field,
06:14but then even behind that, you know, with the backups,
06:16Blake Fisher's probably had his best training camp
06:18since he's been here.
06:19So, and I know D'Amico commented about him the other day,
06:22just in terms of his growth and development.
06:25So when you see players improve on a year-to-year basis,
06:30you know, it gives you confidence as a staff to feel like,
06:33all right, if we put those players on the field,
06:34they're going to be comfortable with them.
06:35But overall, going back to Keelan, I mean,
06:37he's done everything that we've asked him to do,
06:39and you've seen the results, whether it's in practice,
06:42and it's only a small snapshot that he's been in games.
06:45The reality is we're going to have a bigger,
06:46larger sample size here once the season starts,
06:49which he's certainly going to be taxed and challenged week one,
06:53you know, playing against the Buffalo front.
06:54But overall, we feel like that's a good group, you know,
06:58the offensive line group,
06:59and Keelan's certainly done a really good job.
07:01Has Wyatt Teller had any difficulty as a veteran player
07:05who's been doing certain things a certain way for a long time?
07:08Has there been some difficulty adapting to the scheme
07:12or the technique or anything like that?
07:14Yeah, no, not at all.
07:15I mean, Wyatt's done a really good job.
07:16I mean, we've kind of taxed him a little bit.
07:18You know, he's taken reps at left guard.
07:20Now he predominantly was playing, you know,
07:22on the right side in Cleveland
07:24because Petonio was kind of a figurehead there at left guard.
07:28But Wyatt's done a good job.
07:30He's got a lot of experience.
07:32You know, Wyatt's a guard only.
07:33There's some things that we're doing, you know, technique-wise
07:37that, you know, some of the things that we're coaching and teaching
07:39are maybe a little bit different than Coach Callahan
07:40and some of the coaches that he's had.
07:42But Wyatt's been great.
07:43He's had a good attitude.
07:44He's had a good offseason.
07:46He's trained hard.
07:47He's in good condition.
07:49You know, we feel comfortable with Wyatt.
07:51And, you know, if he has to play at some point,
07:53like, he'll go out there and do a really good job.
07:55I think we're confident in that.
07:57Nick Casario, Texans Executive Vice President and GM,
08:00joining us here on 95.7 The Fan.
08:04Nick, you gave us an update on Tank yesterday,
08:08and we know he started doing some things in team drills.
08:11We know he's going to start the season on IR with a designation to return.
08:15He started doing some things in team drills.
08:18Then it appeared it looked like there was a pause of some sort in his activity.
08:22And I know you said yesterday he's further along now
08:24than he was at the beginning of training camp, which is great news.
08:26Has it been an up-and-down thing with him?
08:29Has he had any setbacks?
08:30Or is this where you envision him being heading into the season right now?
08:33Yeah, no, it's fair.
08:34He's probably had some good moments.
08:36He's had some setbacks along the way.
08:38I would say minor setbacks, nothing, like, significant.
08:42I think the big thing from his standpoint is really the high-speed running,
08:46is the long, you know, high yardage, long distance.
08:50You know, there's been – he's participated in individual drills, running routes.
08:55You know, as a part of his return to football protocol, like, you know,
08:58he had a route day where he was running, I don't know, 8 to 10 routes, you know,
09:03and 15 to 20 yards.
09:04I mean, he has had his quickness.
09:06He had his change of direction, catching the ball well.
09:08It's more of some of the long speed and kind of getting some back to the high-speed running.
09:13But overall, he's on a pretty good track.
09:15You know, I think some of this is – and I can't speak for the player,
09:18but mentally they want to make sure that they're in a good enough space
09:21where they – when they step on the field, like, they feel confident
09:25and feel like they can do the things that they're capable of doing.
09:28You know, we all saw what Tank did, you know, his first two years in the league,
09:32and he made a lot of electric plays.
09:34So whether or not he can get to that same level of performance, you know, we'll find out.
09:39But overall, he's definitely making progress.
09:41I'd say it's more minor tweaks than anything else,
09:44and I think he'll be able to build his capacity
09:46and maybe some of his high-speed, long-distance running
09:49and then see if we can get him to, you know, 20, 21 miles an hour
09:53and running speeds that he was running before the injury.
09:56So with Brevin Jordan, you know, released and then signed back,
10:00was that something you guys planned on doing in advance,
10:03or did circumstances change?
10:05Yeah, no, that was basically roster mechanics.
10:08We talked to Brevin.
10:09I mean, and Dominic Robinson were kind of in the same boat.
10:11We articulated, look, we're going to release you off the roster.
10:14Those players were vested players, and, you know, we said,
10:17we're going to more than likely re-sign you when we move Braden and Sam over.
10:21So we communicated that to them ahead of time, so nothing really changed.
10:24Now, the reality is, like, once you release a player,
10:27they're theoretically a free agent.
10:29Like, you know, we committed to them, and we said, here's what our plan is.
10:32If a player chooses to go elsewhere, like, in the end, that's their choice.
10:36Like, they always have the option to do that.
10:37We had a couple situations in New England where that came up,
10:40kind of a similar situation.
10:41You released them, plan on re-signing them, but the player decided to go elsewhere.
10:44So that could happen, but, you know, we communicated to them,
10:47so nothing really changed.
10:48So we essentially said, look, we need 24 hours.
10:51This is going to be part of the roster.
10:53You know, we carried Sam and Braden at the cut.
10:57We knew they weren't a part of the offensive line group or account,
11:00but we carried them because of the rules and, you know,
11:03the way the league handles these transactions.
11:06So we communicated to them ahead of time.
11:08So there was no surprises there.
11:09Nothing changed from the time that we released him
11:11and spoke to him from the time that we re-signed him.
11:14Along those lines, Nick, with a guy like Brevin,
11:16where you already had four tight ends in the building,
11:18you bring Brevin back.
11:18And by label, he's a fifth tight end.
11:20Do we get too wrapped up sometimes here on the outside
11:23in the position labels?
11:26Like, is it sometimes, like,
11:27Brevin obviously brings different things to the table
11:29than some of the other guys in that room
11:31that, you know, quite honestly look more like a label of a wide receiver,
11:35that kind of thing.
11:36Do we get too wrapped up sometimes in the positional labels
11:39and should be looking more like the skill set of these guys?
11:42Yeah, the short answer is yes, absolutely the case.
11:44So, again, I talked about this yesterday in a press conference.
11:49Certain positions we're going to carry our depth on the roster.
11:51Other positions we're going to carry depth off the roster.
11:53When you look at the tight end composition in the overall group,
11:55they all kind of have different types of skill sets.
11:58I would say to a certain extent they're all complementary.
12:00There's some things that Brevin does that are better than anybody in that room.
12:04There are other things that other players do a little bit better than Brevin.
12:07So, they all kind of complement one another.
12:10The reality is that position, they kind of come in all different shapes and sizes.
12:16The big thing with Brevin has just been his availability and his overall durability.
12:19Like, when he's been available and he's been healthy,
12:21he's shown that he can be a very productive player in this building.
12:25So, again, the short answer to your question is yes.
12:28I think sometimes everybody tries to attach labels or, well, he's the fifth tight end.
12:32Well, okay, we have five players in that room.
12:35How we deploy them, how we use them week to week, it could change based on the matchup.
12:40It could change based on who's available.
12:43So, again, we're just trying to manage the roster
12:45and try to keep as many good players on campus as possible.
12:49However, we've got to do that, then that's what D'Amico and I talk about on a day-to-day
12:52basis.
12:53I think one of the biggest surprises for me personally, at least, was Sam Hagan.
12:57And I saw, man, I saw some impressive things that he did in the preseason,
13:00but then I also saw where, wow, this is a kid who's really raw out of South Dakota State.
13:05So, I expected him to be a guy that you guys might put on the practice squad.
13:09Why did he make the active roster?
13:11Well, I mean, he was injured.
13:13So, I mean, he's a player that is going to be out four to six weeks.
13:17So, your options are you either wave the player injured and then you injury settle,
13:23which means you're probably not going to be able to work with the player for, call it, two, three months
13:27because of the NFL rules.
13:29So, I mean, he was injured.
13:31So, when a player is injured, you have to manage the situation accordingly.
13:35So, unfortunately, Sam was injured in the last preseason game.
13:40So, our options, you have a few different types of options.
13:43So, we chose to carry him so we could move him over to injured reserve,
13:48which provides a little bit of flexibility.
13:50And it provides us the opportunity to, when the player is healthy,
13:54to actually bring him back to practice.
13:57So, again, I think it was more of the circumstance more than anything else.
14:01I think that's another example of I think people are probably, like,
14:04really caught up in a wrong thing.
14:06You know, the player was injured.
14:08We have a couple different ways that we can handle this situation.
14:11So, that's why we handled it.
14:12So, when we went into the final cut, like, we carried 12 offensive linemen,
14:16but it was really 10 because we knew those players weren't going to be available
14:20for the first four to six weeks.
14:22So, some of this is managing the roster and trying to figure out, like,
14:26all right, how do we want to handle this situation?
14:28Sam was a player that we want to be able to work with, and he's going to get better,
14:32you know, once he practices and when he's available or whenever he's available.
14:37It's a minimum of four games.
14:39So, after four games, we'll see what kind of progress that he's made.
14:42And then all those players, whether they're injured reserve,
14:45if you bring them back and designate them, or the PUP players,
14:49whenever you bring them back, they have a 21-day period
14:52where you can start their practice window or practice clock.
14:55So, again, in order to keep a player like that available,
14:59like, this was the course of action that we took.
15:01So, I think there's probably a little bit of confusion as it pertains to Sam and Braden,
15:05but whether or not that clears it up, I mean, hopefully it does.
15:08I think it kind of has opened up a window into a whole world I know nothing about,
15:11which is like when you cut a guy with the – I mean, I know about cutting a guy
15:15with an injury designation, how it can complicate things,
15:17but that it just – you'd basically have to cut him with an injury settlement
15:22and then not have any contact or anything with him.
15:24And was it a greater risk of losing him and not being able to get him back
15:28on the practice squad eventually compared to if you had gone a different route?
15:31Well, I think, Seth, it's more of a, okay, do you want to work with this player?
15:35So, not to get into a big roster mechanic or league rule,
15:38but if a player is injured and you wave him injured, he goes to injured reserve
15:43and then you have a period of seven days where you can execute an injury settlement
15:47based on a period of the injury.
15:49So, let's just – Mr. X, or let's say you get hurt, okay, we wave you injured,
15:54or let's say you're going to be out five weeks, okay, then – are you five weeks?
15:57Well, it's five weeks plus an additional three weeks that aren't included,
16:02but it's five plus three, so that's eight weeks.
16:04So, technically, you wouldn't be able to come back until after eight weeks or nine weeks.
16:10So, you're talking about – call it the beginning of November
16:13when you could actually bring that player back.
16:16Now, he could go somewhere else, right?
16:19So, then that's his choice and he can go to a practice squad.
16:22So, again, some of this is just understanding the mechanics of how you have to manage players.
16:28And when a player is injured, there's not too many ways around it.
16:32So, we just decided, all right, this was the best way for us to potentially continue to work with a
16:37player,
16:38understanding he's probably a developmental player that needs to be able to practice,
16:43needs to be able to work on some different things.
16:44So, as a part of their rehab, they can work on their strength, their conditioning, their power, their explosiveness.
16:50So, we're just trying to figure out the best way to manage the players that we want to work with
16:54for as long as possible.
16:55Okay.
16:55So, every segment we did on Monday about how bananas it was to have 12 offensive linemen
16:59is basically null and void now is what I'm hearing.
17:01Correct.
17:02Absolutely.
17:03100%.
17:04Okay.
17:04You've got to go racing.
17:05Well, no, no.
17:05Yeah, honestly, I think that was a big theme.
17:07100%.
17:07Well, no, no.
17:09That's been a big theme of, like, I think people, by and large, are still fixated on the 53-man
17:15roster
17:15where you and a lot of other GMs have made the point over the last few years that, man,
17:18it's all 69 guys on the practice squad and the active roster and then also the injured reserve players
17:25that you guys are looking at it with a much wider lens, perhaps, than we in the media or some
17:30of the fans.
17:31No, it's correct.
17:32It's fair.
17:33And the reality is everybody gets so fixated on you cut the team to 53, so you go from 90
17:38to 53, so it's a massive amount of transaction.
17:40And when you go to 53, it's like, well, here's the team.
17:43Here's the players.
17:45That's it.
17:45Well, it's just a quick snapshot of where you are present time.
17:50I mean, you look across the league.
17:51I mean, I don't know how many players were designated for return or there was a number of players
17:56that were put on injured reserve yesterday.
17:58I mean, I don't know who had the exact count, but it was a significant amount.
18:01So, again, you're just trying to kind of manage the players and manage your roster.
18:04I think there's a lot of times, too, when you go from 90 to 53, like, there's a lot of
18:10players
18:11that, if they clear waivers, they're going to come back in your building the next day.
18:14So, you know, you have a funeral for a player that gets released, but he walks back in the
18:18building the next day, and then he's out there practicing.
18:20So, I mean, it happens to a lot of players.
18:24The Lewis Bond mafia was coming after you, man.
18:27There's a pretty healthy group of Lewis Bond fans in the fan base.
18:31Oh, Lewis is still here.
18:32He's on the practice squad.
18:33So, we're glad that he's here, and we're happy to work with him.
18:35So, in that particular case.
18:36Texans Executive Vice President and General Manager Nick Casario joining us here on 95.7
18:41The Fan.
18:42Nick, you answered the questions about where you guys are at with CJ and the contract yesterday,
18:46and I know it's the same answer as the beginning of training camp.
18:49So, I'm not going to ask you that again, but I am curious in terms of just looking at the
18:53quarterback market, because it's kind of been, the top of it's kind of been stuck for a couple
18:59of years, and I know there's a lot of other quarterbacks that are going to be coming,
19:02and potentially due for extensions this upcoming offseason.
19:05How much does that factor in to both sides, really?
19:09But I know you can only speak for your side.
19:11In looking at a negotiation like this, that we're probably due for an eruption at the
19:15quarterback market in terms of salary coming up here in the next year or so.
19:20Yeah, you're always kind of looking at everything, and you're just trying to figure out, all right,
19:24what makes sense in the end for both parties and both sides?
19:27So, we've talked about this on the show.
19:29Like, our philosophy isn't to, quote-unquote, win a negotiation.
19:32Like, we've never negotiated that way.
19:34I'm not going to negotiate that way.
19:35You're just trying to find a fair compromise for all parties involved, because in the end,
19:40everybody wants to feel good about the situation.
19:42You don't want to feel like, well, this organization, they won this contract.
19:48No, no, no.
19:48It's not about that.
19:49It's like, have an understanding of the market.
19:51You present an offer, and then there's typically dialogue back and forth.
19:56And if you arrive at an end point that everybody feels comfortable with, great.
20:00That's the goal.
20:01If you don't, maybe that comes at a later point in time.
20:03So, you try to factor everything in.
20:05You try to be reasonable and take the emotion out.
20:09You know, just kind of look at it from a very, I would say, rational, pragmatic point of view
20:14and just try to figure out, all right, is there a solution in there that works for everybody?
20:17Great.
20:17If there's not, all right, then what's the next step in the process?
20:22So, I think that's kind of how we've always tried to handle it.
20:26You know, we'll continue to handle it, whether it's CJ or other players moving forward.
20:30Okay.
20:30So, if the standard QB salary for a lot of these deals has been 53 to 55 million over the
20:36last
20:36few years, and if it does erupt, where does that new number come?
20:40Give me a number.
20:4269 million?
20:4370 million?
20:43What do you think it ends up being?
20:45I mean, it's a good question.
20:46I mean, I think in the end, the market sort of dictates what contracts are going to be.
20:52Like, you've seen, I'd say, different positions.
20:54It's very cyclical.
20:56There's a cyclical nature of this.
20:57Certain positions, you've kind of seen growth.
20:59Then it's kind of, you know, cannot become stagnant, but kind of flattened out here a little
21:04bit.
21:04And there's other areas that maybe were a little bit lower that you've seen some growth.
21:09So, there's an ebb and a flow to this.
21:10Because in the end, it's just the money has to go somewhere, and you're allocating certain
21:16resources maybe to some positions relative to others.
21:18So, you try to take a big picture approach.
21:21Some positions are going to take a little bit bigger part of the pie.
21:24Other positions are not.
21:25So, again, if there's an adjustment, then you look at the market, and you're either in
21:29that market or you're not.
21:31So, like, by percentage of the cap, Justin Herbert, if you adjust for inflation, Justin
21:36Herbert's contract today would be about 70 million per year.
21:38That's actually a great point.
21:40Now, you know, you mentioned that.
21:41Some people kind of look at the percentage of cap.
21:44Well, I'd say people look at the percentage of cap as a part of it.
21:47We've never done that.
21:48I've never done that.
21:49We're not going to do that.
21:51But, again, that's an argument that people make, and I've heard it from agents and
21:56representatives at a different point.
21:57It's just not something philosophically that we believe in.
22:00But, again, it doesn't mean that we have to agree on everything.
22:04It's just kind of how we view that overall concept.
22:07If you're going to dodge the question, that's exactly what I expected.
22:11You shouldn't have answered that question.
22:13You're a crafty interviewee, Nick Casario.
22:18Someone's calling you a mad scientist on the text page, Nick, because of all the roster
22:21gymnastics and everything.
22:22Science was one of my worst subjects when I was in high school.
22:26I despise science.
22:27I was a math kind of humanities English kind of guy.
22:31There you go.
22:32So, yeah, you're not a mad scientist.
22:34You're a bad scientist.
22:35I'm a horrible scientist, actually.
22:37Nick Casario joining us.
22:38All right, Nick, so taking a look at this heading into season, where do you feel the team is
22:45most improved compared to the one that walked off the field in Foxborough last January?
22:51That's a good question.
22:52I mean, I think we feel overall that we have pretty good depth in the building.
22:59I think we feel comfortable that, I mean, look, you can't sustain a massive amount of losses,
23:04but, you know, we feel like, you know, we've kind of upgraded, you know, some depth in certain areas.
23:12You know, I mean, a core of the group, when you look at the core of the team, a number
23:15of players
23:16that, I'd say, played a significant amount of snaps last year have returned.
23:20You know, we've kind of added, I mean, strategically just some different players that we feel can
23:25enhance kind of where we were, you know, maybe last year, you know, whether it's a guy like
23:30Blankenship or even, you know, whether it's Clowney's role, Clowney to Dom Robb, you know,
23:35potentially, you know, filling that Barnett role.
23:38So, again, I don't really know if we're better.
23:41You know, we feel like overall, like we've got, you know, a pretty good team
23:44that has pretty good depth.
23:46You know, we'll find out how good we are or not on week one against Buffalo.
23:50So that'll be a pretty good litmus test there.
23:53But, I mean, overall, like, you know, we feel that we have decent depth
23:56and we feel like, you know, whoever has to play, we can go out there
23:59and be competitive and give ourselves an opportunity to win that particular week.
24:04Yeah, you mentioned Clowney.
24:05We haven't mentioned him yet.
24:06And I've kind of forgotten because he hasn't practiced in the last week or two.
24:10What were those conversations like leading to Clowney coming back here?
24:15Yeah, they were pretty good.
24:16I think at some point there was kind of a mutual interest.
24:19You know, he was potentially interested in our situation.
24:23And we were kind of, and I think I talked about this maybe sometime this spring
24:27or maybe at the beginning of training camp.
24:29Like, you know, Derek was still out there.
24:31So we were kind of working through that situation.
24:33Derek played a lot of really good football for us.
24:35So that was an area we felt like, all right, we're probably going to add another player
24:38in that particular position.
24:40So we were kind of looking at what are the options that are out there.
24:44You know, when you look at J.D. over the last few years, like he's been productive
24:47with his opportunities, whether it was in Dallas, Baltimore, Carolina.
24:51So, you know, we felt that was a player.
24:53If there was an opportunity to bring him back in a building and he was open to the idea,
24:59then, you know, we were able to reach an agreement.
25:02So I would say it was very kind of organic and just us just understanding the market,
25:06evaluating the market, looking at who's available.
25:09So, you know, glad that J.D. was here.
25:11Didn't have an offseason.
25:12You know, players are training on their own.
25:14So then they got to kind of assimilate to, you know, I would say real football, you know,
25:19which is when you come kind of the beginning of training camp, it's always difficult.
25:22But J.D. has had a good attitude, just worked really hard.
25:24And I expect them to probably be out there next week practicing and see if we can get
25:28them ready to play, hopefully week one.
25:30With veterans like Clowney, and, you know, Clowney has established this pattern where
25:34he would sign very late in training camp or early in the season.
25:37And is there a danger sometimes that maybe some teams think, okay, well, we'll check on
25:42Clowney towards the end of training camp or what have you, and then all of a sudden,
25:46oh, wow, he signs with the Texans that people just didn't expect maybe that he was eager
25:51to get into camp so early?
25:52But no, honestly, every team is probably doing some type of due diligence, trying to get an
25:57idea and, hey, is he playing this year?
26:00Does he want to play?
26:01All right, what's the timeline?
26:02Do you all have a timeline?
26:04Okay, so we try to get that information when we're having those discussions, and we're kind
26:08of like directed to the point, hey, what's going on with the player?
26:11What's his plan?
26:12What are you thinking?
26:14Some players want to be in a training camp, so they might sign a week or two before training
26:18camp.
26:18Other players, quite frankly, I mean, they don't want to go through training camp.
26:22Which, that's fine.
26:22That's their prerogative.
26:24But it's difficult because essentially, you're probably two to three, four weeks behind of
26:31where you're going to be before you could actually play real football.
26:33So trying to get yourself going for the start of the season can be difficult.
26:38Again, you can train on your own.
26:39You can work out on your own.
26:40And a lot of players that are further along in their career, they kind of know what they
26:44think they need to do.
26:45But it's a lot different than when you go from a gym to on the field in 95 degree temperature,
26:52put the pads on, you're in between periods, you're running five, six plays in a row.
26:57It's just a different stimulus.
26:58So the player has to decide, what do I need to do to get myself ready?
27:02And we don't have time.
27:05You're either going to be ready to go or you're not.
27:06So again, every player is different.
27:08Every situation is different.
27:10But you try to get that information so that you can make a good decision about whether
27:13or not you want to go down that route or not.
27:15No, that's a, Nick, as you're talking about that, I was thinking about Aaron Donald.
27:19There are various other people that when you, yeah, when you go back, when you're working
27:23out on your own and you're an older guy, especially, you might be working out with some people
27:27that are in good shape and everything, but there's just, there's no, there's no replacement
27:31for being alongside a bunch of super twitchy dudes and that like your body just naturally
27:37has to elevate to a certain standard that it just doesn't, there's no replacement for
27:42just actually being around all those guys that are super, super fast when you're working
27:46out.
27:47I think Aaron Donald's probably been working out with those guys, but yeah, the, the, it's
27:51easy for guys to fool themselves into thinking they're in better shape than they are when
27:54they're not, when they're not actually out there around other NFL players.
27:57No, it's a great point.
27:58And in addition to that, especially let's call it the offensive and defensive line.
28:01You're talking about pads and then moving people.
28:04There's a force, there's a push pull, there's contact, you know, a pulling guard is going
28:09to hit you.
28:10Like you can't simulate that in a weight room or wherever facility you're training in.
28:15So you have to get your body ready for that type of contact.
28:19I would say skill players, it's a little bit different, but even though it's kind of removed
28:25and there's less bodies, it's still the, you know, you have to make a move with the defender
28:31in front of you.
28:31So you have a press corner, you got to make a move at the line of scrimmage.
28:34You have to do it when you're tired, you have your pads on.
28:38So there's always different types of stimuluses, which is why if you can spend, let's call it,
28:43I don't know, two, three months in an off season program, you're going to be physically
28:48ready to go for the rigors of training camp.
28:50If you don't have that stimulus, all right, it's probably going to take you a little bit
28:54of time.
28:54And maybe you can get there in a training camp.
28:57If you have no off season program, no training camp, and then you're going to sign before
29:01the start of the season.
29:02Okay, no problem.
29:03It could work itself out, but there's definitely going to be an adjustment period that's required
29:09for that player.
29:10And as a team, you have to be realistic about what do you think the player is actually going
29:14to be able to do?
29:15So you want to make sure you don't have ridiculous expectations for what the player is going to
29:20be able to provide once he walks into building.
29:22You're listening to KIKK FM, KIKK AM, Houston, and Odyssey Sports Station.
29:27Nick, I almost feel like there's a direct correlation between guys who don't want to do training
29:33camp and their ability to be a Houston Texan in this, like you call it, this program.
29:38You know what I mean?
29:39Like you seem to have guys that, I won't say that they take joy in training camp, but you
29:44have a lot of guys that really seem to like to practice.
29:46I'll put it that way.
29:46Look, training camp is hard.
29:48I mean, you guys are out there.
29:49It's not easy, but that's okay.
29:52But like we have players that want to compete and the way we play, we play with the toughness
29:58and physicality that you can't simulate, like, you know, moving a sled in some training
30:03facility, like you just can't do it.
30:05And then in the end, the communication that's involved, working with your teammates, spending
30:10time in a meeting room, what are you seeing on that play?
30:13Well, here's the technique.
30:13What are you looking for?
30:14Like you can't duplicate those conversations in some gym somewhere.
30:20Again, it doesn't mean that players can't get themselves prepared.
30:22I'm not saying that.
30:23It's just a different dynamic when you actually walk in a building, get ready to play football.
30:28But we're fortunate.
30:29We have a lot of psychopaths in this building that like love football, that want to play
30:33physical and inflict pain on people.
30:37Um, and I mean, that's the way that, you know, we've kind of built this, um, in the
30:41end, we've got to go out there and play good football and good execution wins more than
30:46anything else.
30:46Is that Nick, is that, that ethos that, that culture that you're talking about there about,
30:51you know, the psychopaths and the physicality and how much the joy and competition when you
30:56took over as general manager, D'Amico wasn't here yet.
30:58Was that what you envisioned, uh, a program that you were going to be overseeing being
31:02like, or how much of that is, is D'Amico coming in and you kind of, you know, maybe adapting
31:08maybe too strong a word, but like how much of this that you guys have right now is exactly
31:13what you envisioned or how much, is there a percentage of it say that like D'Amico has
31:18kind of pulled you in on?
31:20Yeah, it's, D'Amico is a massive part of this, but I think even when we took over in
31:25those early years, we were still trying to get people in the building that had the requisite
31:30mindset and the traits that are conducive to winning, which is competitiveness, physical
31:36toughness, team first mentality.
31:38If they have leadership qualities, which I would say, you know, we've talked about this
31:42on this show at different points, like the selection of Petrie was, I would say, very
31:47motivated based on the qualities that JP possessed.
31:52When you go back and look at the program that he was a part of in Baylor, it was a,
31:56I mean,
31:56the program wasn't very good when he first got there and there's a lot of difficult, there's
32:00a lot of losing that took place.
32:01And by the end of it, you know, him and Terrell Bernard, I mean, coincidentally enough, like
32:05they were the, I would say pro they, they epitomized what their program wanted to look
32:11like and they were captains and leadership they provided.
32:14So even before DR arrived, like we were trying to get those people in the building.
32:18And I'd say once D'Amico got here, like then it was kind of heightened because in the end
32:22it represents who D'Amico is and what he's about.
32:26That's the way he was as a player.
32:27Like I'd put him at the top of the list of the card carrying psychopaths on the football
32:31field.
32:32Like you've seen practice, like he's as into practice as anybody in the program.
32:37And there's a genuine joy in excitement for being on a field.
32:41And if you don't love football and you don't like practice in a certain way and being a part
32:45of that, then you're probably not going to work out here.
32:47So it starts with him.
32:49So philosophically, we're materially aligned in that respect.
32:54So we believe in the same things.
32:55We're looking for the same things.
32:57So it's our responsibility.
32:59It's my staff's responsibility to go out there and find those players who have those qualities.
33:04And if they don't possess them, understand where the shortcoming is and whether or not
33:08that we're going to be able to fix it or in the end, it's probably going to come up short
33:14and we're just going to have to pivot and go somewhere else.
33:17You know, moving on into actual football now, because the regular season is blessedly beginning.
33:22When you guys face the Bills this year, obviously you had a great game plan versus the Bills
33:26offense last year.
33:27What does DJ Moore do for that offense?
33:30And maybe how does it affect the way you guys have to play him?
33:34Yeah, DJ is a really good player.
33:35I'd say the thing about DJ, he's been consistently productive.
33:38He's been very durable.
33:39He's been available.
33:41I mean, he's big.
33:41He's strong.
33:42He's fast.
33:43He's good with the ball in his hands.
33:44I'd say they have a very good overall skill group when you look at DJ, Shakir.
33:50Everybody knows about Josh.
33:51I mean, Josh is like one of one.
33:54So there's not too many people that are like Josh Allen.
33:56But then Kincaid's a big part of what they're doing, especially in the passing game.
33:59And then James Cook, he's one of the best backs in the league.
34:02Like, you'd be hard-pressed to say there are too many backs better than him.
34:06So, like, their overall skill group is probably as good as any we're going to face this season.
34:14So they're going to pose a lot of different challenges.
34:16I think DJ is a player that they feel is going to be able to enhance what they're doing offensively.
34:21And you've seen that in some of the preseason games.
34:23I think it was either preseason one or preseason two.
34:25I think he went, you know, three for 65 or three for 66.
34:29Caught a deep out route, you know, part of a two-man concept.
34:33So, like, they're going to incorporate him into the things that they're doing offensively.
34:37Shakir is a very steady, dependable player who's hard to tackle.
34:41And he's good with the ball in his hand.
34:43And Kincaid presents matchup problems because he can win one-on-one when it's tight coverage.
34:47And then any time they get the ball in Cook's hands.
34:50I think when you look at, like, the Bills, especially after last season, after our game,
34:54I think they had, I don't know, it was like two or three games where they ran for, like, over
34:57200 yards.
34:58I mean, Carolina, they ran for, like, two Bills.
35:01I think Pittsburgh, they ran for two Bills.
35:03So, this is an explosive offense.
35:05And they go into playoffs and they score, I don't know, 30, 35 points against, you know, Denver defense,
35:10which is a really good defense.
35:11So, like, we understand the challenges that are in front of us.
35:14And I'd say DJ, adding DJ to their offense is only going to make them that much more dangerous.
35:19From a standpoint, from the other side, Nick, you guys offensively versus the Bills defensively,
35:25is this a type of opponent where you immediately get a gauge on where all the effort that you've made
35:30to improve the physicality of the Houston Texans on that side of the ball has paid off?
35:35Yeah, we're going to get challenged.
35:37There's no question about it.
35:38You know, Coach Leonard coming in as a defensive coordinator,
35:41there's going to be some things schematically that they're going to be doing this year
35:44that are totally different than they were doing last year.
35:47Looks like they've added some size length on the outside.
35:51You know, the Chubbs signing is a big signing.
35:53Michael Hecht, who didn't play last year, is a big part of what they're doing.
35:56Russo is a good young player.
35:57And then Ed Oliver is disruptive of a three technique as there is in the league.
36:01And then the defensive tackle, Deion Walker, or nose tackle one technique.
36:05I mean, he was disruptive early on in the preseason here.
36:08So, they've got a pretty formidable front.
36:10So, you know, we're going to have to be able to control the line of scrimmage.
36:13They've got a lot of good players at the second level.
36:16We talked about Bernard.
36:17Bernard can take the ball away.
36:18He's very instinctive.
36:19And they've added a number of players.
36:21They drafted Dig Benosin in the second round.
36:23You know, CeeDee is going to provide, you know, good value for them.
36:26CeeDee is a good football player.
36:27And Bishop is a good young player who's emerged.
36:29So, it's going to be a combination of dealing with their personnel
36:32and also dealing with the things schematically that Coach Leonard is going to do defensively,
36:36which are a lot different than what we saw last year.
36:39Yeah, and that's the one thing I was curious about,
36:41is that with a guy like Leonard, who hasn't been a coordinator in the NFL,
36:46he was at Wisconsin, but, you know, he was with Denver last year.
36:51I'm saying that for our listeners.
36:52I know you know this.
36:53But he was at Denver last year.
36:55So, you figure, okay, he's probably going to incorporate some of that stuff.
36:58But you just flat out really don't know what his defensive philosophy in the NFL is necessarily, right?
37:03Like, how do you prepare for that?
37:05No, that's always the unknown in week one.
37:07So, forget about, like, if a team changes coaches or a team changes scheme.
37:11Like, week one, there's always going to be unknowns.
37:13So, now, fast forward to this year.
37:15So, now, it's a combination of week one, there's always unknowns.
37:18And you're dealing with a new coordinator, not a new coordinator,
37:21but a new coordinator for Buffalo.
37:23So, how are they going to deploy their personnel?
37:26Some of this, there's going to be an element.
37:27We're going to have to figure it out in the first two to three series of,
37:30all right, here's what they're doing.
37:32Here's how they're playing.
37:32Here's some of the things they're doing on third down.
37:34So, it's going to be an adjustment game, which is going to go back to,
37:37we just got to trust our training, trust our fundamentals,
37:40trust our techniques, and rely on that.
37:42And not necessarily get too caught up in scheme.
37:45Look, there's going to be some schematic things that we're probably going to
37:47have to do.
37:48But I would say week one, there's a lot of unknowns.
37:50And then you tack on the newness of some of the things Buffalo's doing.
37:54So, there's certainly going to be challenges that we're going to face.
37:56Is there anything from a standpoint, obviously, Joe Brady, he was the OC last year.
38:01He's a head coach now.
38:03So, from an offensive standpoint, do you expect it?
38:06And I know DJ Moore is a big variable in all this.
38:09But do you expect it to look the same?
38:10Or sometimes when a guy goes from OC to head coach, there's more on his plate?
38:14How do you factor that in?
38:15That his role, he's still going to be overseeing the offense,
38:17but his role has changed with the team?
38:20Yeah, I think you're always going to see tweaks and adjustments and modifications.
38:23So, again, this is one of the best offenses in the league last year.
38:25So, they're probably going to change too much.
38:27But there might be some things that they incorporate that are maybe a little bit
38:30more conducive to how they want to play or how they want to look.
38:34And then how they want to use, like you talked about DJ, how do they want to use DJ?
38:39So, is this going to be a little bit more of 11 personnel?
38:41Or is it going to be a little more 12 personnel?
38:43They don't have the fullback, which they had Gilliam last year.
38:45So, maybe it's a little bit more 12 and 13.
38:48So, there's going to be, there's a little cat and mouse element that's involved here.
38:52So, I mean, Joe's a really good coach.
38:53Joe's a smart coach.
38:54So, they're going to figure out, like, all right, here's how we're going to play.
38:57Here's the core of what we're going to do.
38:59But we're going to have some tweaks and adjustments for how we feel like we have to play, you know,
39:03how we have to play week one.
39:05Oh, okay.
39:06You know what?
39:06Let me pivot back to this, Nick.
39:08I don't know if you're aware of this.
39:10Mitchell Tinsley, is he officially on the practice squad yet?
39:13Is this something you're talking about?
39:13Yeah, he is.
39:14Yes, he is.
39:16So, okay.
39:16Look, I didn't expect to learn a whole lot about Mitchell Tinsley.
39:19You guys signed him, and I thought, okay, he has 125 career passing yards.
39:23Nick, this guy's a call it hero in Cincinnati.
39:25I was looking at it on social media.
39:27I started seeing all these Bengals fans.
39:28They're like, no, not Mitchell Tinsley.
39:31Oh, how could they let him go?
39:33What is the appeal of Mitchell Tinsley?
39:35Why are people in Cincinnati so – why do they love him so much?
39:41I can't speak for Houdet Nation.
39:43But, I mean, I think he was a player that, you know,
39:46when he got opportunities to play last year, I mean, he took advantage of his opportunities.
39:51He made – you know, I mean, probably there's a bunch of highlights floating around out there.
39:55But, you know, he had the catch against Jacksonville.
39:57So, you know, kind of a contested catch.
39:58He does.
39:58He has a long highlight reel for a guy who has 125 receiving yards.
40:03He's had some – he had an incredible preseason.
40:04Well, he only had eight catches, so you've probably seen all the eight catches.
40:07But, you know –
40:07They're all deep balls, yeah.
40:09Well, he beat Gonzo with the line of scrimmage there when they played New England.
40:12You know, he's made some other plays.
40:13So, like, when he had a play, like, you know, he took advantage of his opportunities.
40:19So, I mean, look, we'll talk about Cincinnati here in a couple weeks.
40:22But, I mean, it's, like, the greatest show on turf now, you know, with where they are.
40:25And I think they ended up – they had a couple players maybe make their team
40:28that didn't make the team last year.
40:29So – but, you know, I'd say Mitchell was a player that just going back, you know,
40:33to the draft process, you know, had good production at Penn State.
40:37You know, and we're always tracking different players.
40:39So, you know, we felt like when he was released, if there was an opportunity to add a player like
40:42that
40:43to the practice squad, just so we can kind of see, is there something there to work with?
40:47You know, that was the discussion.
40:49So, and he was interested in coming here.
40:52So, you know, it worked out.
40:53We'll see how – we'll see, you know, we'll see what happens, actually, once he steps on the field.
40:56Yeah, well, and I would imagine, too, like, when a guy's at Cincinnati,
40:59they're just – they're jam-packed at the top with their wide receivers.
41:02So, it makes sense that maybe a guy just doesn't get as many opportunities as he would in another place.
41:07For sure.
41:07I mean, you got T, you got Jamar, and then, you know, Yoshivas.
41:11Like, those are their top three.
41:12You know, they drafted Colby Young there in the fourth round this year.
41:15And then they had the CFL kid, I think Myers, that make their team, who had a really good preseason.
41:19So, like, there's four or five.
41:20So, it's like, all right, are you at six?
41:22Are you at seven?
41:23Like, who are those players?
41:24So, you know, he kind of was a byproduct of that more than anything else.
41:28Wow, that's impressive.
41:29Nick, you even rattle off the depth chart of Cincinnati.
41:32Can you come do my fantasy draft with me this afternoon?
41:34I might get in trouble from the league.
41:36Oh, yeah, that's right.
41:40Can you come to the casino with me?
41:43Well, you know what's funny is that somebody is saying on the text page, don't sit at a poker table
41:48with Nick Casario.
41:49And I'm laughing because have you ever sat at a poker table before, Nick?
41:53I have not, actually.
41:55I couldn't play poker if my life depended on it.
41:57You don't like casino games.
41:58I know that, right?
42:00I'm good on that.
42:00Yeah, I'm all set on a casino program.
42:02Okay, okay.
42:03So, tomorrow night's casino night at the Texans' season premiere.
42:07Oh, is it?
42:07Yeah.
42:08I'm probably out of there before we start the casino.
42:11Let's play a little blackjack.
42:12Let's go.
42:12You can play for me.
42:13Okay, good.
42:13Give me some of your human money, Nick.
42:15Human money.
42:16I'll give you the teeth.
42:17You can bring the teeth in there.
42:18Okay, good.
42:19Hey, speaking of which, real quick, and we'll do this very quickly.
42:21I know you've got a team to run.
42:24Screw them.
42:25This is probably more important, I'm sure.
42:26This is far more important.
42:28This is far more important.
42:29Okay, I want to play a little word association game with you before we let you go.
42:33Baby face or heel, because you just mentioned all the psychos on the team.
42:38So, there's good psychos and bad psychos.
42:40There's very nice and very evil psychos.
42:42Baby face or heel of these psychos?
42:45Just quick hitter answers on these and maybe a sentence as to why.
42:49Baby face or heel, Will Anderson Jr.?
42:53I'm going to go with baby face.
42:55Yeah.
42:55Baby face.
42:56Yeah, like John Cena almost, you know?
42:59Yeah, a little bit.
43:01He's got an alter ego, though, that he flips on.
43:05He definitely does.
43:06Like in the building, the nicest guy you ever want to be around.
43:10Laughing, smiling, and then when you go on a field, he wants to rip your heart out.
43:14Yes.
43:15Daniil Hunter?
43:17Baby face.
43:18He's just kind of smooth, like operator with an assassin mentality.
43:23But I'm going to put him in a baby face.
43:26Look, whatever I say, I just got to make sure he doesn't beat my ass.
43:29Yes.
43:30He's capable of doing that with his pinky, probably.
43:32Dude, he legitimately frightens me.
43:34All right.
43:34Keelan Rutledge?
43:38Not a baby face.
43:39I mean, this guy, yeah, he's an absolute animal.
43:42So, like, he's up there with me.
43:45I feel like there's like a Brock Lesnar vibe there, though, too.
43:48Uh, yeah, maybe Brock Lesnar, Goldberg.
43:51I could see him pulling off the jackhammer suplex.
43:54Yes.
43:54Yes.
43:55Uh, Kamari Lasseter.
43:57Oh, card-carrying psychopath.
44:00Like, he's at the top of the list.
44:02He's like in The Undertaker.
44:03Tombstone wants to bury people.
44:05I mean, hopefully he doesn't break his hand hitting his helmet when he makes a tackle this year.
44:09All right.
44:10Jalen Petrie.
44:11Uh, I'm going to go baby face there.
44:13Yeah.
44:13I'm going to go baby face.
44:15Rasheed Rice would disagree.
44:16He got a little Seth Rollins-ish kind of vibe with him.
44:20I like it.
44:21I like it.
44:21Go with that.
44:22All right.
44:22Literal Boy Scout, David Montgomery.
44:26Uh, baby face.
44:27Yeah, total baby face.
44:28Yeah, he's a Boy Scout.
44:29He's an Eagle Scout.
44:30He's an awesome dude.
44:31Yeah, he's great.
44:32All right.
44:32He's great.
44:33D'Amico Ryans.
44:36Uh, it could be both.
44:38He's a baby face, and like I said, like, he's just intense, and like, he's on the, I would
44:45say, brawn breaker.
44:46We'll spear you if he has an opportunity.
44:48He's a tweener.
44:49He's a tweener.
44:49He is.
44:50Yeah.
44:51He can handle multiple roles.
44:52Yes.
44:53Nick, this is what I used to try to explain to people about Gary Kubiak, is like, people
44:56thought Gary Kubiak was too nice to the players, and I'm like, look, he's a player's coach,
45:00but you guys, you guys don't see Gary Kubiak when he's agitated.
45:04Like, it's not the guy that goes.
45:06Cougs intense.
45:07Cougs intense.
45:08Yeah.
45:08Cougs intense.
45:09So, D'Amico, likewise, with the, you know, there's the press conference persona and everything,
45:13and he is generally, like, he's a genuinely super positive dude, but there's times where
45:17you've got to be super proactive about things.
45:19And, uh, like, like, you know, you, you know, D'Amico has that side to him.
45:23I wouldn't want to mess with him.
45:25I would not want to mess with him.
45:26Yeah.
45:27I try not to.
45:28Hey, Nick, last thing before we let you go.
45:31I don't even know if you've seen this story because you're buried in, in, in putting this
45:35team together.
45:36Do you have a scouting report on Dajon Love by any chance?
45:41I, I actually, I, I have heard this story because Rome's been, Rome's been talking about
45:46it for two days.
45:47I mean, holy cow.
45:49Like the, the, the, the, the levels that people stoop to, I mean, this is like mind numbing.
45:55Like literally, I can't even, like, I can't even fathom that.
45:59Like, holy cow.
45:59I, I have, yes.
46:01Rome has been talking about it for two days, so I'm, I'm aware of it.
46:04You're up to speed.
46:05But you know what it reminded me of, Nick, when you were coming out, I was thinking, like,
46:08back in the day, before all these guys would just be on the internet anyways, some of the
46:11guys that, like, thought that he should be in the NFL, there would be, Sean, there were
46:16VHS tapes that kind of floated around between teams that people would share of guys that
46:21would show their work.
46:21Nick, did you ever see the guy that was, like, was working out on his farm in South Dakota lifting
46:26tractors and stuff?
46:27I don't know if I saw that one.
46:29I don't know if I saw that one.
46:31Oh, these guys are hilarious.
46:32Like, every, like, every now and then you'd get a VHS tape that the strength and conditioning
46:37coach got from his buddy in Minnesota or something, and it was, it was somebody, it was a guy that
46:41was, like, in his mind was, like, Kayshawn Love, like, genuinely believed that he was the
46:45next great thing in the NFL.
46:46You guys can send me that one, so I'm not, I'm not familiar with it.
46:49I have to go through my VHS library.
46:50Crazy story, yes.
46:53Oh, Nick Casario, Texans Executive Vice President and General Manager.
46:56Nick, we always appreciate how generous you are.
46:58With your time, and we always enjoy the conversation, and best of luck, not only this season, we'll
47:03be talking again during the season, obviously, but, obviously, wishing big things for you
47:08guys, and go get them in week one against Buffalo.
47:10Appreciate you guys.
47:11Have a great week.
47:12All right, you too.
47:12Thanks.
47:13That's Nick Casario joining us here on Pain and Pendergast.