00:00You mentioned it kind of feels like a barbershop, right?
00:03Yes.
00:03I felt like when you're in those environments, when you're comfortable and relaxed and comfortable with the person with whom
00:10you're speaking,
00:11I think that's when you're your most sincere.
00:13And I think that's when you're the most honest.
00:16And so to me, that matters.
00:18And what really matters to me, and I mentioned it during the cross, all this other stuff about, well, it's
00:23Kendrick.
00:24Well, he shouldn't have said it.
00:25I was listening to B. Scott's podcast, and then he was on there with Sarge, and Sarge was talking about,
00:30like, why now?
00:32And those are all pertinent questions, but I think at the core of it all is this was not an
00:38accident.
00:39You know, Andre Johnson knows he's Andre Johnson.
00:42I mean, he knows that his voice matters.
00:44In fact, I would say that it was somewhat calculated.
00:51And why is that?
00:52Because no one cares more about this team than Andre Johnson.
00:55And then you have to use that as the backdrop.
00:58He cares about this team.
01:01Also keep in mind, if I had to say top five, maybe top three confidants and trusted people in that
01:10building for Cal and Hannah McNair, Andre Johnson is on that list.
01:13He was out of the building.
01:15He was damn near out of the organization when things were going bad.
01:20He knows everything going on.
01:22He cares more than just about anyone.
01:24He's one of the most trusted confidants.
01:28I think what we need to understand is this wasn't an accident.
01:31So there was a reason, and that kind of led me to the real why.
01:34Why is he doing this?
01:35Does he still feel like this is something you think went relatively well for the offense on Sunday?
01:41Is this still something that he thinks needs to be addressed and still can be trouble for this team?
01:47You know?
01:48Yeah.
01:48And I don't believe that this is something that is manufactured and contrived.
01:53I think a lot of the conversation, as you mentioned, is should Andre Johnson, especially with the association that you
01:58talk about with the team, like I'll take you back to my Sunday school days.
02:03There's a lesson that I definitely always hold on to.
02:07It is all things are lawful.
02:09Not all things are expedient.
02:11I don't think that Andre Johnson, like he is a Hall of Famer.
02:14He has a level of experience in this league and with this team that I think gives him the right
02:19to be able to give his perspective on that where he goes, for me, a quarterback's demeanor should be X,
02:25Y, and Z.
02:26I did wonder as I was hearing this, to what end?
02:29Like, what does this benefit, right, putting this out here?
02:33Because we're going to have these conversations and that's us locally talk less of like people who have a, I
02:39guess you call it a vendetta or whatever about CJ Stroud, whatever, are going to use this as C.
02:43Here's Andre Johnson.
02:44So the question that I keep asking myself is to what end?
02:47And I think that's kind of what you're getting about is the why.
02:50Do you think that this is beneficial towards the end of like having CJ Stroud not have that particular demeanor?
02:56Because I imagine if we're giving Andre Johnson the absolute benefit of the doubt that he still has what's best
03:01in mind for the Texans and I guess in an indirect way what's best in mind for CJ Stroud in
03:07a long-term circumstance, does this get that job done, right?
03:11Does this help change that or does this only serve to continue to add to the fire that is around
03:17CJ Stroud?
03:17As we've mentioned, CJ Stroud had a very good game this weekend, even if it does not lead to a
03:23victory for the Texans.
03:24When Andre Johnson speaks, you better listen.
03:26And I've got some examples here, you know, that he knows he's Andre Johnson and he knows when he speaks,
03:33people listen.
03:33So to what you're saying, if I'm in CJ Stroud's shoes, this will change, this should change my ways.
03:41This should do it.
03:42And maybe that was, maybe it was a very simple.
03:44You think so?
03:46Andre Johnson's telling you that you've got to have better body language?
03:49I'm going to listen.
03:50But that makes me wonder, like, for your perspective, John, you think that Andre has not brought this up to
03:55CJ individually?
03:56I think he might have.
03:57We don't know, but I think he might have.
04:00But he knows he's Andre Johnson.
04:01He knows people listen.
04:02And I think he's really, he's talking to CJ here, man.
04:08You know, ultimately we can talk about why this, why that, you know, bad timing or Kendrick, whatever.
04:13He's talking to CJ.
04:15And I think this, this isn't, this isn't a route to talk to CJ.
04:18This is a route to make it, make all the noise louder on the outside.
04:21It's more, it's putting more pressure on CJ because now it's public.
04:24And here's maybe he did speak with him privately.
04:26But here's the question that I asked you.
04:27And maybe there's like this in your estimation.
04:31If you actually want this to be something that changes, does this seem, especially if you
04:35believe CJ Stroud to be someone who is like, quote unquote, soft or whatever, does this
04:38seem like the place that will be actually most beneficial to getting that message heard?
04:42I think, I think Andre Johnson probably, or someone probably believes it because he did
04:47it.
04:47Let's go back to 2013.
04:50The Texans are coming off a terrific season, but they're on their way to a two and 14 season.
04:55They're playing the Raiders, right?
04:57And there's a little tiff on the sideline between Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson.
05:03A lot of our listeners will remember that Andre Johnson did what he walked off the field
05:07before the game ended.
05:08He walked off the field.
05:10Ultimately he said, you know, there was just a disagreement or whatever, but Bob McNair
05:14was in, was in the press box.
05:15And I remember that very, very clearly the next year, Gary Kubiak was gone and Matt Schaub
05:20was gone.
05:21He's Andre freaking Johnson.
05:22You know, his messaging matters.
05:25Now, let's go back to, this is the second one, Figgy.
05:28Let's go back to the darkest days of this franchise's history.
05:33And this was Andre Johnson talking.
05:36One thing that may have been uncomfortable for you to tell him, but needed to be said.
05:41I wouldn't never say anything was uncomfortable.
05:45I do, I do think probably, I think probably, I wouldn't say it was uncomfortable.
05:52I think the, probably the biggest thing was when the whole Easterby situation was gone.
06:01So, I think that whole situation was, I wouldn't say uncomfortable, but I just felt like it
06:07needed to be said.
06:08And I didn't know how it would be received once I went and said it to him.
06:13Clearly it was received well.
06:14The next year, Easterby was gone.
06:16He's Andre freaking Johnson.
06:18He knows who he is.
06:19He knows his, his verbiage and his messaging resonates.
06:22And maybe now, more than ever, with Cal and Hannah, they are extremely tight.
06:27You know that.
06:29And for him to say that, number one, I don't think it was an accident.
06:32I think it was delivered in such a way that he wanted it to be out there.
06:37And no matter that, you know, and he did compliment CJ in the same interview yesterday.
06:41100%.
06:41You know, a couple of times.
06:43Because, I mean, we're talking about the first, what, 10 minutes, if that, of the podcast.
06:47And I said, coming in, he was the most positive of the guys in there.
06:51And then, obviously, the conversation continues on further after that.
06:55And there's positivity there as well.
06:56But I think this is why I was kind of surprised that this was done.
07:00And I honestly have some questions about it.
07:02And I feel weird sitting here as a dude on the radio questioning a Hall of Fame football player who
07:07has been in those locker rooms.
07:09But I'm like, I think as an ambassador, especially with the Texans, all their former players are legends.
07:14Talk less of this dude who was a legend on top of that legend.
07:17I think that this felt irresponsible from Andre Johnson.
07:20I don't blame you for it feeling irresponsible.
07:23You can certainly feel that way.
07:26There's no way that he does not know the noise that has already been around CJ Stroud.
07:30That's my point, Reggie.
07:31All the way around this offseason.
07:33That's my point.
07:34This has added another coal to the fire here.
07:36Yes, yes.
07:38That to me is, I can't emphasize this enough.
07:42He's one of the smartest people I've ever been around.
07:45If you know Andre, if you know about him, if you've even watched him, this is not something that he
07:53did casually.
07:54I've heard people talk about, well, you know, he was caught off guard.
07:56No, man.
07:56He was his most sincere and honest, as I said earlier.
07:58So, yes, it can feel irresponsible.
08:01And maybe that's part of the reason he said it like that.
08:04Like, get it out there and make it very, very clear.
08:07Like, it was good Sunday, but we need this guy to be good every week.
08:12And we need this guy.
08:13No one knows more about what's going on there outside of, you know, guys that are like D'Amico and
08:17Nick Casario than Andre Johnson.
08:19No one knows more about what's going on in there than him.
08:22And the thing that I wonder, though, is, again, if you believe this to be the case about C.J.
08:27Stroud, it does not sound like the type of input that you give to that dude to get the response
08:32or to get a benefit here.
08:34That's fair.
08:35That is the thing that I keep coming back to here.
08:37No, it's a test.
08:37He already had a test on the table here.
08:39How many people are talking about, I mean, whether it's reports, erroneous or otherwise, about C.J. Stroud demanding too
08:45much or should he be paid?
08:46The test is already out here, and a lot of the conversation has been about C.J. Stroud avoiding the
08:51noise, finding a way to get back to his roots and play good football.
08:54And the first time he steps out and gets towards that, this is another level of that.
08:58I think that that's the part that felt irresponsible to me.
09:01And, again, he has the right to say what he wants.
09:03I just don't know how expedient it is, particularly in this space where you know the amount of scrutiny that
09:08comes down and it's already out there and you're adding to this.
09:10All I'm telling you is in my heart of hearts, and I'm not trying to be like whatever, but, you
09:15know, knowing him, and I've known him since he got here in 2003, you know, well enough.
09:21I mean, we're not boys or anything, but you get my point.
09:23Knowing how he operates, I'm telling you, number one, it was not an accident, and number two, maybe it felt
09:29irresponsible, as you put it, but there's a reason he did it.
09:34There is a reason he did it, and really very few people know exactly what that reason is.
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