00:00Jalen Knoll, he spoke earlier to the media today, kind of talking about his own personal growth,
00:07where he has been from year one to year two, and it's good.
00:11He finally got out there, he had the injury, he had the finger, he had the hamstring setback,
00:15finally got out there and got some work today.
00:17But here he is, talking about him from year one to two.
00:21It's a huge gap between where I was from year one to year two.
00:24The game's honestly slowed down to this point.
00:27Just being able to also, year two into an offense that was new to us last year, it's helped a
00:34lot.
00:34Even something that, with my time away, just being able to step back and watch extra film
00:40and still going through all the install with the team and stuff like that, was something that I benefited from.
00:46And obviously I would want to be out on the field getting those reps throughout the start of training camp,
00:52but being able to step back and mentally lock in and get those mental reps meant a lot for me.
00:56He's one, Clint, that a lot of us, just because he hasn't been able to play,
01:04you almost feel like maybe some things have slowed back on him.
01:08Maybe they don't have as much confidence in him.
01:11I don't think it's a coincidence.
01:13Boy, he gets kind of ramped up a little bit more when Jaden Higgins and he returns back.
01:19But I know for you, he was always the guy that you came into this season wondering, outside of Niko,
01:27this is the guy that has a lot of promise that can give this offense what it needs from a
01:32receiver position.
01:32Yeah, look, I look at those old New England offenses and what they're trying to replicate,
01:38and there was just always a twitchy, change of direction, slot receiver that was a focal point of the offense.
01:47And that is exactly stylistically what Jalen Knoll would be, right?
01:52And then you look at his playmaking ability from the return specialist position,
01:58and you go, boy, that's got to transition to the wide receiver spot, right?
02:02And then you go to OTAs, and you go to training camp, and you go watch practice,
02:07and it's just like when he's on the field, when he's healthy, the ball always finds him.
02:12So he has to be quarterback friendly and have some ability to think like a quarterback
02:20and see the game like a quarterback to the point of where his break angles are quarterback friendly.
02:26His ability to track the football when it's in the air is friendly.
02:29And so you look up and you go, okay, this guy's got to find his way onto the field.
02:34And if he does, man, he can help this team in a lot of different ways.
02:38And so I just thought he would be the X factor.
02:41I thought you'd have 6'4", 200 on one side, 6'4", 215 on the other,
02:47and then you'd have your move guy would be Jalen Knoll.
02:49Just made too much sense, right?
02:51Well, then in Jalen Knoll's absence, right, all of a sudden Higgins is doing those things
02:57and having really good success doing those things.
03:00So my question at that point is, all right, if Jalen Knoll does return and he's healthy,
03:05he's no longer going to – he's not going to take those prep snaps, you know,
03:09the reps away from Higgins who's 6'4", doing those things.
03:13And so, you know, I thought that maybe, hey, man, the return specialist
03:18and maybe a depth receiver, we'll see, you know.
03:20And then the Higgins injury happens and you go, okay, boom,
03:24there's the window for him to now show that he can do those move things
03:27and handle more of a workload.
03:29And this is all in theory.
03:31I mean, obviously being injured, we haven't seen it.
03:33But in theory, that just makes a lot of sense.
03:38Even with the Boutte side, right?
03:40It should not change the direction of how they should want to use it.
03:44Unless he's just not capable of doing those things, right?
03:47I don't want to minimize – again, I think people can tell by the way
03:51I'm propping up Higgins really before seeing him do it in the game.
03:56Just what he was doing at practice with the extra workload and excelling
04:00and all that, I don't want to minimize that in any way, shape, or form.
04:03So I'm not saying that any receiver can walk in and do it.
04:07Assuming that Jalen Knoll can handle that mental part of the game
04:11and that workload, I would think he would be really good
04:16in a similar role.
04:19And now that Boutte's here, he can handle some of the backside blocking stuff
04:24being a little bit bigger, even though I think Jalen Knoll would be fine.
04:30Knoll coming back is, I think, the bigger piece for the Texans to watch.
04:35I know today is all about Keyshawn Boutte.
04:37I get it.
04:38But to me, the Jalen Knoll piece on this offense is the bigger piece to watch.
04:43We know who Boutte is.
04:44We know who Nico Collins is.
04:46And I don't think – and I'd be surprised if they put him immediately
04:50in the move role.
04:51Well, I mean, I don't – I didn't watch enough, I guess, of New England
04:55to really know if he –
04:56I'm watching –
04:57I think Diggs was more of that guy.
04:59Yeah, I was going to say, I'm watching him.
05:00He is outside now, and he is pushing the ball or pushing routes down the field
05:06more so than he is moving around.
05:08Well, he's definitely a stretch-the-field guy in his own way.
05:11Again, not blazing speed, but just the ability to make the tough catch
05:15in traffic and with contact, which is beautiful for CJ.
05:21But, again, to me right now, Knoll coming back on Saturday,
05:25that is a bigger – if you're just talking about, hey, man,
05:29what is this offense going to look like, what Jalen Knoll is,
05:36not in a return game, what he is on the offense
05:39at the wide receiver position, is he a fifth guy because he was drafted
05:43and you don't want to make him inactive and you want to keep him part of the mix,
05:47or does he become a guy that is an integral part of this offense, right?
05:53To me, that's going to determine that X factor or that unknown
05:58is going to determine really kind of the direction of this offense.
06:03Beyond the run, they're going to try to run the football.
06:04They're going to be heavy tight ends.
06:06But can Jalen Knoll force his way on the field?
06:09That's going to be the bigger talking point, I think.
06:12Yeah.
06:12Jalen Knoll, one of the young players that they're going to need to step up.
06:16Some news here coming across, according to Aaron Wilson, Clint,
06:22Texans veteran defensive end – I don't know how much of a veteran he is –
06:26but Dylan Horton is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles today at practice
06:31after being helped off the field per league sources.
06:35Kind of a tough blow there, as we know, he's dealt with a lot from the cancer situation
06:41as he is a survivor there.
06:42But it looks like they are fearing, according to Aaron Wilson,
06:46that he suffered a torn Achilles today at practice.
06:49Dominique Robinson did not practice,
06:53and Clowney did not practice with leg injuries.
06:56But Dylan Horton is somebody that was going to be a part of that rotation.
07:01It was – you know, he was going to step in.
07:04Last year, it was Danico Autry, and it was Derek Barnett,
07:10who just signed with Cleveland.
07:11Those were kind of the guys coming behind.
07:13This year, Dylan Horton was probably going to be in that mix with Clowney
07:18and maybe Dominique Robinson.
07:21But it looks like there is a potential of a devastating injury with him.
07:27Achilles is what they're looking at.
07:28So, that is the latest there with Dylan Horton.
07:32Another injury there is this would be, obviously, you know,
07:39not a front-line guy, but still what the Texans like to do from their front line,
07:45defensive line, and the rotations that they like to do, that is a blow there.
07:50Yeah, you mentioned Barnett just got signed.
07:52I was fixing to say, have you ever heard of Barnett?
07:54But he got signed.
07:54I think Danico Autry is still on the streets.
07:57Might be.
07:58Yeah, if he wants to play, I don't know.
07:59And he might be on the streets.
08:00Yeah, he might be.
08:01Why wouldn't you want to play with this one?
08:03Hell, Aaron Donald's coming out of retirement to play with a dominant defense.
08:05Eddie Barnett's thinking, damn.
08:08No doubt.
08:09Should have held out for one more week.
08:10I'm stuck up here with Deshaun and Shadour and Todd, whose voice is always gone.
08:16Can't you be a head coach and your voice is always shot?
08:19Well, if you're the Cleveland Browns, that's what you want.
08:22I want to at least know that he's working hard and yelling at folks.
08:24Damn.
08:27Todd wasn't yelling like that in Baltimore.
08:29It wasn't he?
08:29Yeah.
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