- 6 minutes ago
Lopez tries to build a list of the 25 greatest players in Texans history, and the crew debates which names have to make the cut and where they belong.
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00:00Let's do this, because this is the 25th anniversary season for the Houston Texans as they head in.
00:05Obviously, it'll be started week one this Sunday versus the Bills, Buffalo Bills, not Baltimore.
00:09I don't know why I said that earlier, at 12 on Sunday.
00:13And with that, they have a lot of 25 celebrations.
00:17And you decided to have one yourself.
00:19The John Lopez, the OG, 25 best players in Texans history.
00:22The definitive.
00:23The almost.
00:25What makes it almost?
00:26It's the almost 25 best players.
00:28Explain to the people why.
00:30I got to 18.
00:33They've had more than 25 players, John.
00:35I want you to know this.
00:36But here's the thing.
00:37And this is where the listening audience, our friends out there, can help me.
00:43I think it's kind of sad, and I think it's pretty fair, that after about 18, I was like, maybe,
00:48maybe not.
00:49I mean, I guess that's part of the nature of the beast, kind of, also.
00:52But you would think after 25 years, you would be turning some away that you could argue should be in
00:58the top 25.
00:59I'm trying to get guys into the top 25.
01:01I mean, there's guys you could put in here.
01:03Well, let's see how stingy you are.
01:06I mean, is it sad that, you know, because it only had been 25 years.
01:09I know that's kind of a lot.
01:10You can't get 25 players out of that?
01:12I mean, there are 25.
01:13Well, let's see.
01:14There are more, as you said.
01:15All right, let's do the list.
01:16Let's do the list first so that the people hearing it can hear it and think about it a little
01:19bit and see where you had to stop.
01:21From day one until Sunday, I will have watched every game, and I plan to watch every game moving forward.
01:27Okay.
01:28Literally every game they've ever played.
01:29So this is my personal top 25.
01:32Look at him.
01:33Don Lopez typically has all this bravado.
01:35He's like, it's just my personal.
01:36It's just me.
01:38It's just one man's appeal.
01:38All right.
01:39So I'm going to go in order.
01:40Stop me when you want to.
01:41Okay.
01:41And we can discuss.
01:44And I did put a lot of thought into the actual order after we got through about the top four
01:48or five.
01:49I think the top five were pretty straightforward.
01:52And then I have a bunch of maybes.
01:54Okay.
01:55And that's where I need some help.
01:56One, J.J. Watt.
01:57Yes.
01:58Good job.
01:59You know, clap it up.
02:00Go ahead.
02:01Clap it up.
02:02I'm proud of you.
02:02It gets more difficult.
02:03Oh, boy.
02:04I didn't know if you were going to make it there, man.
02:05Two, Andre Johnson.
02:07Okay.
02:08Three, Arian Foster.
02:09I feel bad.
02:10I didn't clap for Andre.
02:10Andre, I love you.
02:12Clearly.
02:12That's clearly what it needed to be, too.
02:13Hey, that's the only Hall of Famer currently.
02:15Yeah.
02:15True.
02:16Three, Arian Foster.
02:18Agreed.
02:19Four, DeAndre Hopkins.
02:21I feel good about that.
02:23This is where we can start getting a little, you know, order.
02:26But once I get to 18, I can't decide if any of the following players, and we'll get there, should
02:31be there or not.
02:33Five, Dwayne Brown.
02:35Okay.
02:36Six, Will Anderson Jr.
02:38I know that might be one.
02:38You've already got Will this high.
02:39I know that might be one.
02:41One, second in Defensive Player of the Year.
02:45Already, is it two All-Pros?
02:47One for sure.
02:49Clearly, you know, one of the best players ever.
02:51I went ahead and put Will Anderson Jr.
02:53Six.
02:55Seven, Mario Williams.
02:57Dude had over 100 sacks.
02:59He was really good.
03:00I mean, people can be...
03:01And you got Will Anderson over him?
03:03Yes.
03:03Right now?
03:04Yes, right now.
03:04How much of that is projecting, or just like, in the three years you've gotten, you think the three years
03:09were so good.
03:10So, Will Anderson retire right now.
03:14I would consider...
03:15Well, given the amount of time he played...
03:17Yeah, so he retired right now.
03:19Put it this way.
03:19His first three years, miles ahead of Mario Williams' first three years.
03:23But that's not what we're doing.
03:24I know, but you can argue.
03:25We're doing resume to resume.
03:26What about, and I just said it, what about the breath of his, breath with a D, the breath of
03:30his work?
03:30Keep in mind...
03:31What about Will Anderson's breath?
03:34Mario Williams, I say he had over 100 sacks.
03:36I think he only had like 53 here.
03:38Oh, yeah, well, that's...
03:39Yeah.
03:39You gotta...
03:39Yeah.
03:40Yeah.
03:41That's what came into play, or 63.
03:42He was either 53 or 63 here.
03:44So, Will Anderson, 6.
03:45Mario Williams, 7.
03:47Jonathan Joseph, 8.
03:49Extremely underrated, in my opinion, and had a long career in Houston, even though, you know, he was known as
03:56a Bengal for a long time.
03:57At one point...
03:58I don't know if this still counts, but didn't they say that was the best free agent signing in team
04:02history?
04:03Yes.
04:03I don't know.
04:04Neil Hunter, gonna take that over?
04:05So, you're gonna...
04:06Yes, exactly.
04:06So, you're gonna notice a little bit of the same dynamic I used with Will Anderson and Mario Williams in
04:11reverse with my number 9 player of all time.
04:14Derrick Stingley Jr.
04:15Okay.
04:15Because, clearly, as impactful, as good, but just didn't play as long here and do as much here as Jonathan
04:21Joseph.
04:22So, 9, Derrick Stingley.
04:2410, Owen Daniels.
04:27You know, all-time leading tight end receiver.
04:3011, Nico Collins.
04:31I think he's good enough to be there.
04:33I think he's done enough to be there.
04:3612, Jadeveon Clowney.
04:37Again, something of a polarizing guy.
04:40But, boy, his tenure here is a lot better than people give him credit for.
04:45There's a name that you have not mentioned yet that is making people on the text line already a little
04:50uncomfortable for various different reasons.
04:52Oh, is there?
04:52Yeah.
04:53But keep going.
04:53Keep going.
04:54We can address that.
04:55Okay, I see it.
04:57Let's go to, what was I?
04:59Yeah, Nico Collins, Jadeveon Clowney.
05:01Jadeveon is 12, mind you.
05:0313, D'Amico Ryans.
05:05Cap.
05:05Yep.
05:06Long tenure, Pro Bowls, etc.
05:0914, Matt Schaub.
05:10I will fight you.
05:13I criticized him as much, if not more than anybody.
05:16But the breadth of his work.
05:17Matt Schaub was very good.
05:18Was really good.
05:19Led, I mean, to this point, one of, if not your best team in franchise history.
05:24Yes, yes.
05:2515.
05:26Another one that people are going to smirk at, but I can defend it.
05:31Laramie Tunsell, 15.
05:33I think he had three All-Pros here.
05:35At least two.
05:36Yeah.
05:38Very highly regarded.
05:39Yeah.
05:39I mean, even up until the day that you sent him away, people outside were like, why would you do
05:42that?
05:43Obviously, there's things internally and then the money structure thing.
05:4616, Brian Cushing.
05:48Yeah, people were starting to get upset.
05:50I thought people were starting to line up outside the building if Cushing didn't come up here.
05:54No, I think that's about right for him.
05:56I actually do as well.
05:57Yeah.
05:57Because I did.
05:58Remember when I was doing that little pick-em, I did a lot of looking at the stats.
06:01And I know stats can't give you all of this.
06:03But I was like, oh, okay.
06:04Some of this is a little bit different than maybe my mind had thought.
06:07Yeah.
06:0717, Whitney Merciless.
06:10Great tenure here, man.
06:11Yeah, Whitney Merciless is probably better than you remember.
06:13Yes.
06:14And 18, Kareem Jackson.
06:17Another one of those guys.
06:18Started out rough, but boy, was he good for a long time here.
06:22He was good for a long time here.
06:24All right.
06:24The questions that have come up before, because this is where you panned out.
06:28And there's other names that I think you did not put in here.
06:30Questions that I have.
06:31How much did you value, you know, not just your peak, but how well regarded you were around
06:38the league as the top of your club?
06:40I mean, that was a factor, I've got to admit, in the back of my mind.
06:43I was just looking at the games that I have watched, the players that I have watched as
06:48Texans, as Houston Texans.
06:51Which is why, you know, like the Mario Williams is behind Will Anderson Jr.
06:54And the Jonathan Joseph is ahead of Derek Stingley.
06:58You know, because Jonathan Joseph had a longer tenure here and was better here.
07:02Sure.
07:02Et cetera.
07:03So 18 is Kareem Jackson.
07:05Again, long, great career here.
07:06I got to 19 and I went through four, five, six names.
07:10I'm like, I don't know.
07:11Let me just give you some names.
07:13Would any of these guys, keep in mind, all the way from Laramie Tunsil, 15, Brian Cushing,
07:19Whitney Mercer, Kareem Jackson, would you put them right behind these guys or where?
07:23Daniil Hunter.
07:24I think Daniil Hunter, interestingly enough, is all, because you have Will Anderson Jr.
07:27up there at six and Daniil Hunter has, you know, done, basically been step for step in
07:31the same, a similar amount of years here.
07:33I could hear that.
07:34I think by the end of this year, he absolutely should be somewhere.
07:39And that was part of the equation as well.
07:40And I don't think he's like sliding in at 16 by the end of this year.
07:44No, he'll be up higher probably.
07:46I'll put him at 19 now if we want to do that.
07:48You know what?
07:49Let's go ahead and make the decision.
07:50No, Chris Myers here, huh?
07:51Hold on.
07:52Hold on.
07:53I'm putting Daniil Hunter at 19.
07:55Then these other names, where do I put them?
07:56Shane Leckler.
07:58Very short career here, but outstanding.
08:00Yeah, the short year, short career as a specialist is going to get me.
08:03Again, these are all the questions I was asking myself.
08:04Yeah, short career as a specialist is going to get me, which of course is going to speak
08:07to another name that you haven't brought up yet.
08:09Deshaun Watson.
08:11I mean, he has to be up here, doesn't he?
08:12It's a relatively short career, but he was phenomenal.
08:16How many years was it?
08:17It was three?
08:18Three strong years?
08:19Because he missed one, right?
08:20Three phenomenal years where he's regarded as one of the better guys in the league.
08:23Yeah, three years.
08:24I mean, this is not including his rookie year either, because he only played a few games.
08:28And this next name is the one that prevented me from putting Daniil Hunter at 19.
08:32Antonio Smith.
08:34Long, good career.
08:35Yeah, I'm kind of surprised.
08:36Good career here.
08:38Chris Myers, our friend.
08:39Chris Myers needs to be on here, I think.
08:42Kaimi Fairbairn.
08:43And Kaimi absolutely does as well.
08:45Because you talk about specialist and maybe having a short career with Shane Leckler.
08:48Kaimi Fairbairn has been an incredible specialist for a long period of time.
08:52Franchise leader in points?
08:53Yes.
08:53I believe so.
08:54He is.
08:55Chester Pitts, more starts on the offensive line than any Texan ever.
09:00But, but, but.
09:01I mean, is that saying a lot?
09:03Yeah.
09:04During what portion?
09:05Like, I think that the guys that are on the offensive line, particularly that played during
09:0911 and 12, need to have a level of deference in here.
09:12Yeah.
09:12These next two names?
09:13Especially because of the type of offensive.
09:14You'd be surprised.
09:15I was like sitting on the couch watching, you know, the football game and switching
09:18to the Astros, just like, just, I was so confused with myself and the, the, the, the process
09:24here.
09:24Because these next two names, you could argue, oh, they got to be there.
09:27But you'd be thinking about their careers elsewhere, not here.
09:30Glover Quinn and DJ Reader.
09:32They were good here.
09:33Yeah.
09:34But that's not where they made their hay.
09:36Not here.
09:37But that doesn't mean you completely throw away the hay that they made here.
09:40I know, but that's what I'm saying.
09:41Where do they go?
09:42Where do they go?
09:43Where do you put them?
09:44And then I have four, five more names here.
09:47Four more names.
09:48Jalen Petrie.
09:49Soon.
09:50Aziz Alshair.
09:52Sooner.
09:53Aaron Glenn.
09:54You kind of disrespected him.
09:55I kind of did.
09:56I felt like I did.
09:57I felt like I did.
09:59And Wade Smith.
10:01You might have disrespected Wade.
10:04Had one Pro Bowl.
10:05Offensive line.
10:06Love you, Wade.
10:06I know you listen all the time.
10:08A Pro Bowl on the offensive line is not, is not anything to scoff at either.
10:12And one of the best offensive lines.
10:14Right.
10:14But I think y'all see where I'm, like, to put any of these guys,
10:18like, at 20 to 25, it's like, you can make an argument for five other dudes.
10:23You know?
10:24But that's the nature of the list.
10:24Yeah.
10:25If you get further down, there's dudes that are less definitive.
10:27Yeah.
10:27But like I said at the start, we should be, like, saying, oh, no, put this guy in.
10:32Put this guy in.
10:32And I'm trying to figure it out here.
10:35But I think the top 19 for sure.
10:37Maybe I could hear you on Antonio Smith.
10:40I could hear you on Kaimi Fairbairn.
10:45So here's a few other names that people are throwing in.
10:48And I'm going to not try and do the bit ones, although someone did come in with any, not Ed
10:52Reed.
10:52Yeah, no.
10:54John Weeks, how do you, how do you, long snapper, just, it's really hard for you to.
10:59Longest tenured, it's kind of like a special teams, Chester Pitts.
11:03All due respect, because he's much better at his job than Chester Pitts was.
11:06All due respect, Chester.
11:07I know you listen a lot, too.
11:08I'm going to get a lot of texts.
11:09That's right.
11:09That's right.
11:10Text him in, baby.
11:12But his longevity.
11:13Longevity can't be all of it, I guess, in a real way.
11:16Yeah, yeah.
11:16Especially at a, again, but I guess if I'm talking specialists, but the specialists I came for put points on
11:21the board, with all due respect.
11:22Because I guess you could say the long snapper is necessary in order to put those points on the board.
11:26Yeah.
11:27Some other names that people brought in.
11:28What about Seth Payne, Gary Walker?
11:30I think their careers were a little short here.
11:33Okay.
11:33And you know how I feel about Seth.
11:35I don't.
11:36Can you tell me?
11:37I wrote columns about him back in the day.
11:40I thought I was so high on his game.
11:43Eric Winston is a good one.
11:44I thought about him as well.
11:47But getting into the top, the last five is a choice.
11:51Who should we absolutely put?
11:52Should I put Antonio Smith at 20?
11:54Text in, 713-572-4610.
11:56And 21, Miami Fairbairn.
11:58The names that absolutely need to be put on this list.
12:01Again, rolling through it really quick.
12:03JJ Watt, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, DeAndre Hopkins, Dwayne Brown.
12:07That's top five.
12:08Will Anderson Jr., Mario Williams, Jonathan Joseph, Derek Stingley, Owen Daniels at 10.
12:13Niko Collins, Jadeveon Clowney, D'Amico Ryans, Matt Schaub, Laramie Tumslet, 15.
12:18Brian Cushing, Whitney Merciless, Kareem Jackson.
12:21Those are the 18.
12:22And then I have 19, Daniil Hunter.
12:24Tell me if there's a problem here.
12:2520, Antonio Smith.
12:2721, Kaimi Fairbairn.
12:28So we need three more.
12:29Yeah, let the OG know where he got wrong.
12:30We'll revise the list.
12:31Give me three during the break.
12:32Give me three that for sure.
12:33I'm talking about you two and our listeners, and I'll get the consensus.
12:36Yeah, we'll revise the list, and we'll do that.
12:38We'll return to that.
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