00:00Yeah, look, you know what the most impressive thing has been
00:03over the weekend?
00:05Let's just say over the weekend.
00:06Oh, okay.
00:07What's been the most impressive thing as it relates to Houston football,
00:12the Texans?
00:13Okay, I was about to say, because there's some Cougar stuff in here.
00:15Right, yeah, as it relates to the Texans.
00:17All right, good.
00:18Do you have any idea what the most impressive thing is?
00:19Is it the Marvin Harrison trade?
00:22Is it the win against the Titans?
00:26Is it C.J. Stroud continuing to play the way it is?
00:29Is it the approach of Nick Caley seemingly changing?
00:33And that was a great piece of audio, a great highlight to play
00:39as we're coming into this discussion,
00:42because I think the most impressive thing is really one of the most difficult
00:47things it is for anybody in pro sports, much less life, to do.
00:53You know what that is?
00:55What is it, man?
00:56The Texans have changed.
00:58Oh, you went full Rocky.
01:00If I could change.
01:01The Texans have changed who they are.
01:03You can change.
01:05You know how?
01:06I didn't know what reference it was.
01:08I thought it was very evident.
01:10Yeah, it was.
01:10It is now.
01:11Yeah, come on now.
01:11It is now.
01:12And I'm not even the Rocky guy.
01:13That's in your top here.
01:15It took me a second.
01:16Come on now.
01:16The wood was burning.
01:17Come on, keep going, man.
01:18The wood was burning.
01:18They've changed who they are.
01:22Their manifesto.
01:23They've changed their manifesto.
01:25You know how hard it is to all of a sudden realize we were wrong.
01:30We're going to change the way that we call plays.
01:33We're going to change the way that we operate as an offense.
01:36Not only that, we were wrong to think that we had it all going on with our own little expertise
01:44and the way we evaluate players at different positions.
01:50We're wrong trading for seventh round picks.
01:53We're going to trade a second round pick to get Marvin Harrison Jr.
01:56I think, you know, and I've spent a lot of time being very critical of Nick Casario and the way
02:03that he runs this offense and the offensive side of the ball and brings all the John Carroll guys and
02:08New England Patriots.
02:10I'm here to give Nick Casario some credit and D'Amico Ryan some credit and this organization some credit because
02:18it's not just about what we saw in the game.
02:20I mean, it's about, like I said, the way they do business, who they are, they've changed it.
02:25They've changed it and you've got to give them credit for that.
02:28You really do.
02:30Have they?
02:31Yes, 100%.
02:32You're certain that they have?
02:33Because I think that D'Amico Ryan would make the case, specifically defensively, that they did not change.
02:37I think that he was trying to make the case earlier that, no, they're always just going to add talented
02:42players to the team, you know, pursuant to the Marvin Harrison Jr. acquisition.
02:49I think that the place where I would say that you could very much make the claim of change and
02:53not have any pushback is the way that they went about,
02:55they definitely ran the ball a little bit less.
02:59They kind of changed some of the runs that they did go with.
03:03It felt like there was a little bit more of kind of the gap scheme type stuff, although they did
03:08do some zone type stuff as well within this game.
03:11I also think that they changed some of their tendencies offensively.
03:14That's my point.
03:16I think that some of that is there.
03:17I think some of it, they would make the argument that, no, we're just doing, we're just being better at
03:21the things that we were trying to do previously.
03:23Because I think defensively, what was the, the change that I guess I'd point to defensively, it did feel like
03:28there was more pressure brought on earlier downs at times.
03:31And I don't mean pressure just in, we got four, doing something exotic, like having one of your linebackers come
03:36and like having a sim blitz or the, the beautiful, absolutely well-timed and even better executed cornerback blitz where
03:43Kamari Lasseter is just untouched into the backfield, making Dan Moore look stupid.
03:48Right.
03:48I think that there was some of those that were maybe minor changes that I think maybe had a big,
03:52big effect in this game for the defense.
03:54I can't disagree with you more, man.
03:56And let's just go through some of this stuff.
03:59Let's start with the defensive play calling.
04:01That happened quick.
04:02And that's something that I don't think D'Amico Ryans was wired to, to, and willing to do unless they
04:07needed to make a big change.
04:09And we talked about it.
04:11I mean, he trusted Matt, Matt Burke.
04:13It was successful with Matt Burke last, last year.
04:17The players are virtually the same.
04:19So that, they took a step back and they were 0-4 and they said, man, we got, we got
04:23to change something.
04:24That's one thing.
04:24They changed the play caller.
04:26Sure.
04:26That's one.
04:27All right.
04:28The offensive approach.
04:29They came in to this season saying what?
04:33We're going to run the ball.
04:35Run, run, run, run, run.
04:37And then, you know, we're going to be very safe.
04:39We went to training camp.
04:40Very few big explosive plays in every practice that we went to that they tried even.
04:44And now they've, they've, they've trusted.
04:47So two things offensively that they, they realized we have to change this.
04:51That's the, our approach, our philosophy.
04:54And that is letting CJ Stroud have more say in things, doing the things that he likes.
05:00Sure.
05:01And Nick Cayley's approach.
05:02The other thing that they, they changed, they somehow got CJ Stroud and most of the credit
05:08goes to CJ himself to run the show.
05:12See, you know, that's not something they would have ever done in the past.
05:14You know, they, Hey, just do this.
05:16This is the read.
05:17This is your secondary read right here.
05:19You do one of those two things.
05:21They are letting him do things.
05:22That's why I like that, that, uh, highlight that we played coming in.
05:26Uh, that, that was something that fed right into that.
05:29Even Nick Casario ever in a million years, would you have believed he would have given
05:33up a second round pick for Marvin Harrison ever?
05:36Would you believe that?
05:38But he did.
05:39They said, like, we got, we got to get in mid season, like in mid season to change a second
05:44round pick as much as he values picks.
05:46No, I, I could not disagree with you more on this one, man.
05:49I think they, they had a meeting of the minds and they said, what we're doing, it ain't
05:55working and we got to change.
05:57And from the top down, that's what was been, has been most impressive in the, in this last,
06:01uh, really exemplified this past weekend, but they've been doing it for a little bit
06:05now.
06:05Does it, doesn't matter what led to that?
06:07Cause again, the argument that is there to be made is that you hit Oh and four and the
06:12desperation creeps in no matter what, but the idea that they were willing to do that.
06:16I think that the question that then comes up after that is how much are they going to
06:21commit to that change, right?
06:23That, that, that change of mentality or is this a, um, is this the, God, I'll do anything
06:29if you help me.
06:29And then it helps.
06:30And it's like, all right, well now I'm back to my own.
06:31I'm back on my old, you know what, you know what I mean?
06:34Like, is there, is there any concern for that?
06:36If you are indeed leaning into, they made, they made the changes necessary to get this
06:39first thing.
06:40We know how they're wired.
06:41So that's going to be, that's going to be something to watch.
06:43Right.
06:44Like, uh, but, but I think at least in this, you know, early on here, uh, the, the, these
06:50changes, these adjustments to, to how they operate and what they believe in, you know,
06:54worked, you know, they were, they worked into in Nashville.
06:57And so we'll see how it plays out.
06:58But I think the big thing that is sort of convincing them is they're, they're realizing,
07:02Oh, CJ, Oh CJ, we do need to do what, what you like and take your advice.
07:08And cause I don't even think they would have consulted with him in the past that, that,
07:12that alone is a change.
07:14Do you feel like this is because he's been playing lights out and was like, Oh, he's
07:18actually, I think they're realizing he's right.
07:21Like, so you agree.
07:23Like, I don't think they would have ever consulted with him on a Marvin Harrison trade or any,
07:27any trade.
07:28I agree.
07:28Yeah, I agree.
07:29And I, I don't know how much of that would have been him being a younger player or whatever,
07:33but no, I'm not certain that that would have been something that would have happened a
07:36year or two ago.
07:37Yeah.
07:37It's interesting to me.
07:39Although maybe you make the argument that because of the unique relationship,
07:43these two players sure that that is ultimately more valuable here.
07:47I'm not, I'm not even so sure.
07:48Now, Oh, and four, as you mentioned, had a lot to do with it.
07:51That, that D'Amico ever would have taken play calling duties away from Matt Burke, at
07:55least so soon, you know, I think it's, it's impressive that the, the, like I said, I'm
08:01watching this game and I'm like, damn, this is not the team that, that I thought we
08:06would see.
08:06And they're just not operating the way I thought we would see them operate.
08:09Now, you know what, you know what the pushback is on the text line, right?
08:12Which is slow down one game versus the Titans.
08:15We'll get it.
08:16What, what, what is your response to that?
08:17Cause I mean, that is fair that this isn't the, this isn't the biggest litmus test as
08:21we talked about.
08:22In fact, this isn't quite a litmus test, but this was more of a, more of an opportunity
08:26for you to demonstrate your capability to be better at this.
08:29My, my, my response to that is very simple.
08:31Most of the things that I just talked about had nothing to do with the Titans game.
08:36That's what I was about to say.
08:37Had nothing to do with other than CJ Stroud, which by the way, it wasn't just one game against
08:41the Titans either for him.
08:42He's been doing it for five games.
08:45So if you're saying, Hey, slow down, tap the brakes.
08:47It's just the Titans.
08:48Well, CJ was good before, during, and we think after the Titans game, uh, the, the
08:53Marvin Harrison jr.
08:54Thing had nothing to do with the Titans game.
08:56The, the defensive play calling.
08:58Okay.
08:58Maybe you, we can say that that was, uh, that, that, that habit had some offensive approach,
09:03but the approach itself, Nick Caley and the, and having the trust in, in, in CJ Stroud
09:10and really like he was calling plays that I was like, ah, I see what you're doing there.
09:15And that's not normally what you would expect.
09:17Also the run game, you know, as well, run game wasn't that much better.
09:20It was good, but it wasn't that much better.
09:22Yeah.
09:22It was better than it had been.
09:24I think the thing that I found to be interesting is there was a lot of screens thrown, right?
09:29That, that was screens and RPOs was where it felt like there was a lot of, of, uh, or
09:35another step taken by Nick Caley in his approach.
09:38And some of that felt like an acknowledgement that, Hey man, we're not going to be able to
09:43do all of the things that we want to do from the run game through the run game.
09:47Yeah.
09:47So can we do some of this staying ahead or staying on schedule by getting the ball wide
09:51and forcing this defense to cover all 53 yards of the field?
09:54Right.
09:55And some of those things, which again, I guess feeds into your idea that there's some acknowledgement
09:59that the way that we came in in quite right.
10:01And we need to be better at this, but that's called being a coach in the national football.
10:04Yeah.
10:04But it's really difficult top to bottom to, to just sit back and, and I'm guessing they've
10:09had multiple meetings and may, they may have well sat in a room and said, all right, what,
10:12what do we gotta, what do we gotta do here?
10:15And they did it.
10:15That's hard for NFL egos and, uh, you know, leaders and guys in general manager, powerful,
10:22powerful to acknowledge and say, yeah, we let's do this different.
10:25Let's change the way we operate because what they were doing is, is not working.
10:30And that, that, that to me was really the most impressive thing all weekend.
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