00:00Is it fair to say that the Texans have given us the answers that we wanted to this point?
00:04So we come into training camp, OTAs, the whole nine yards, and we have questions, right?
00:09And now we...
00:10Right.
00:11Right.
00:11Sorry.
00:13Slow on the trigger.
00:14Apologies.
00:15So between now and the regular season opener, there will be some ones-on-ones in practices,
00:22but we really won't get to see this team again.
00:24So have those questions been answered is a great question.
00:28And, you know, let me go back.
00:30Yesterday's joint practice, I kind of, to me anyway, it kind of felt like a regular season game
00:36where you absorb it, you watch it, and you kind of react.
00:40But even two days later, three days later, you're getting more information about it.
00:45You're starting to learn more things that happen, more details.
00:47Maybe you go back and watch it as we do occasionally.
00:51I think you do every game.
00:53And so you kind of even galvanize your opinion even more.
00:58I kind of felt like that with yesterday's joint practice.
01:00We were getting the reports.
01:01We talked to Jonathan M. Alexander.
01:03We, you know, we did, you know, our initial opinions of it.
01:07But then over the course of the day, and I know you saw all this stuff.
01:09I know everybody did.
01:10We start getting more audio, more analysis, more opinion.
01:14And, dude, it was even better than we thought.
01:18You know, James Palmer was talking about it.
01:20Dave Canales.
01:21In fact, do we have the Dave Canales audio, Figgy?
01:23Yeah.
01:23Let's hear Dave Canales, Panthers head coach.
01:26In two words, Daniil Hunter, Will Anderson.
01:28I think that's four words, actually.
01:30But those guys are fantastic players.
01:32That's exactly what we need to see.
01:33Monroe needs it.
01:34Rasheed needs it.
01:35You know, when we dropped back today, we couldn't really do much.
01:39Other than Bryce extending and getting a couple of plays going, the rush was phenomenal.
01:43And that's exactly, you know, just the information we need.
01:46That was, it looked fairly, like they were pretty dominant.
01:49Yeah, it was pretty lopsided today, I'll be honest.
01:51Today did not show that.
01:53Today there was a couple of flashes of some nice throws and catches.
01:55But, you know, that was a good group today.
01:57So, again, I try not to just take it all in a microcosm.
02:00But if we want to be good, we have to be able to play against teams like this.
02:04I mean, just over and over and over again.
02:06So, you know, I was reading.
02:08I forget who it was that I was reading.
02:10I think it might have been.
02:11It might have been some other takeaways.
02:13But it said David.
02:14Oh, it was actually Palmer.
02:16It was James Palmer.
02:18These are some of his takeaways.
02:19Stroud looks in more control at the line of scrimmage.
02:21He's making all the calls and setting the protection.
02:24You can see he's growing with Kaylee.
02:27David Montgomery is just a good football player.
02:29He will change this offense.
02:31The Texans' offensive line is starting to gel.
02:33You could tell today.
02:36So, let's go through these things.
02:37Those were all questions.
02:38Do you think we've got the questions as much as we can get them short of a regular season game?
02:42Yeah.
02:43I mean, at least in what we're talking about there.
02:45First and foremost, I don't even know what the question would have been on defense to this point.
02:49Like, with this championship-level defense, point-blank period, that's the way that we have viewed the Texans' defense,
02:56the headhunter defense, as I'm deciding to call them, is that this is a head-and-shoulders,
03:01one of, if not the best defenses that we've seen in recent football.
03:06What were the questions that we had coming in besides, can you stay healthy?
03:10I feel there were some.
03:11Can you, can you, can you...
03:12And I feel like those are being answered as well.
03:15Just how big of a jump can Kalen Bullock make?
03:18He had two interceptions yesterday.
03:20He did.
03:20What are the linebackers going to look like?
03:23Well, the starters look great.
03:24Especially the depth.
03:25Maybe that's one question that has not been answered.
03:27Yes, that is absolutely not answered.
03:28So, that's why I wanted to kind of go through this, go through this exercise.
03:32Like, if I, well, let me, let me just pose a question to you.
03:36And then we can both answer.
03:37Running game.
03:38So, that's not a question, it's a statement, but you get my point.
03:41The questions that we had about the running game.
03:43Fair enough.
03:44Yeah.
03:44It has been, I'll say it like this.
03:48It has not been answered resoundingly, but I think we're getting the general gist of what
03:53the answer is, if that makes sense.
03:55Because I think that a resounding answer in the running game was, boy, they're moving
04:00everyone and anybody that's been put across from them, and they're running for big plays.
04:04I think that you understand that that is absolutely not what we've seen.
04:07And I don't mean that, I don't say that to be disrespectful, but also, what is the natural
04:12response?
04:13They're playing against this defense.
04:14When they have occasion to play against a different defense, they have looked.
04:19Yesterday.
04:20They've looked like A.
04:20I won't say A+, but I think it's been an A, at worst an A- for the offensive
04:26line and
04:26creating rush lanes, and then the running backs doing something with that.
04:29It does not look like it's a mauling run game against anybody and everyone, but at least
04:35against the lower levels of rush defenses, they are indeed mauling.
04:38Which I think, for what we are asking them to do, is about all I could expect, especially
04:42understanding where you came from in the run game.
04:44Is that a fair way to characterize it?
04:46Yes, but I think we did get this answer that we had coming into camp, and that is David
04:51Montgomery slash Woody Marks.
04:53Woody Marks has looked really, really good.
04:55Woody's looked good.
04:56So we did get that answer.
04:57Now, you kind of answered this one when you were talking about the running game, but what
05:02about offensive line?
05:04Biggest question coming into camp.
05:06Yeah, I mean, one of the things that helps is with Keelan Rutledge working out gangbusters.
05:12You know what I mean?
05:12Like, he has been incredible to this point.
05:15Honestly, we've been, and I guess I shouldn't speak for you, but I've been fairly impressed
05:19with him both at center and guard.
05:21Oh, sure.
05:21And so, that's about what I could expect.
05:23We're starting to see maybe some of the downside on the offensive line with maybe Wyatt Teller
05:27not holding up as a starter just yet, or at least it does not seem like that's the case.
05:31But it feels like you've run out a couple of fives that look like I'd feel comfortable
05:37with running that five out and be good with what you're able to perform with.
05:41Which, again, I think that that's an answer, especially considering you kind of cobbled
05:45it together.
05:46This is year two of an offensive line rebuild, and that's usually kind of the bare bones
05:52or like the baseline of how quickly you can refresh an offensive line that was as bad
05:56as it was two years ago.
05:58Yeah, and remember, this is, have we gotten the answers we've wanted with the, you know,
06:03keeping in mind that they haven't played a regular season game?
06:06You know, without having played a regular season game, which leads to the next one,
06:09CJ Stroud?
06:10Yeah.
06:11I think so.
06:12CJ's been as good as he can be in practices, joint practices, and the small section of
06:19preseason game that we have been given.
06:22Is it going to answer the questions of people that are calling CJ Stroud mid or even bad?
06:27No.
06:27Some of them, I think some of them, their preconceived notions are going to be there
06:30regardless.
06:31Yeah.
06:32And the questions for CJ Stroud are more when the going gets tough later on in the season
06:37and more importantly in the postseason.
06:39As you noticed, these are not postseason games.
06:41That's not going to be the judgment.
06:43But qualitatively, getting to the line and operating the offense.
06:47We heard a lot of lip service to it.
06:48I think that when we've put our eyes on it, it has matched that eye test.
06:51We've seen him make changes at the line.
06:53Hell, someone's even making note that he changed the play at the line on the Woody touchdown
07:00run last game.
07:01He has seemed a lot more involved, and you have seen some of the hallmarks of a quarterback
07:06that is making changes at the line, which is something that they've talked about.
07:09The deep ball mechanics have looked better.
07:11The connection with Jayden Higgins, unfortunately, he's now injured, but that looked like it was
07:16progressing.
07:16All the things that you could possibly look for, I think, for CJ Stroud looked like they have
07:21been better than last year, which ultimately is all that I think we can ask for in this
07:24moment.
07:24Real quick, a couple more on the defensive side, which might surprise you a little bit.
07:29Interior or defensive line?
07:32I feel good about it.
07:33I'm a little bit.
07:34I wish I would have seen more.
07:35A little bit.
07:36Can you explain more?
07:37Cade McDonald had the big sack in the last preseason game against the Raiders.
07:41Wasn't it the Raiders?
07:42Yes.
07:43Yeah.
07:44But really, I haven't seen him really assert what we think.
07:47And he's just a young guy that, you know, I guess technically you could say, well, you
07:52know, for a rookie, I guess that's about the most you can expect out of a preseason.
07:56And then the other one is backup edge.
07:58Yeah.
07:59Backup edge.
07:59It's complicated.
08:01Backup edge is complicated because I actually got a really great answer at defensive end
08:05three, which is Jadeveon Cloud.
08:06Remember, we can't assume, we can't pretend like that was always the answer.
08:10We were thinking about, is Derek Barnett going to get off the couch and come and join you
08:13at some point when they were convening camp.
08:16And so with that being the case, I feel a lot better about having that third defensive
08:21end rusher.
08:22It's just, who is he paired with now that you have the injury to Dylan Horton?
08:26And I don't know.
08:27We haven't gotten any updates on Ali Gay just yet.
08:30And I guess I should note when we're talking about the offensive line, the news that we
08:35were getting as far as Brayden Smith, the offensive tackle, who was also carted off yesterday.
08:39It seems like they are not expecting it to be a long-term issue.
08:42It is indeed relating to the plantar fasciitis that he had, that I think he had been dealing
08:48with prior, if memory serves.
08:49But that is, it is a plantar fascia injury.
08:52They're looking at this as maybe as if it's going to be maybe a shorter term deal, maybe
08:57a few weeks.
08:58And honestly, Trent Brown has been so good that this, it feels like you're going to be
09:01covered there for whatever time you need for Brayden Smith to return and then possibly
09:05factor in.
09:06So yeah, man, I think that they have.
09:07They've done, they've done it.
09:08At the very least, they've admirably attempted to answer all the things that we've talked
09:12about and anything beyond that.
09:14I think I have to keep coming back to the idea of this is still a football team and a
09:18salary cap sport where you're not going to have all those, every answer possibly nailed
09:22down.
09:22They have a, such a good amount of them with that, with that consider.
09:26I think if you're a fan, you need to be excited.
09:27I'm ready to roll into the season.
09:29Let's tee it up and find out for real.
09:31You know, let's find out for a good look.
09:32Because I think you didn't expect to check all the boxes, but they checked a lot of them
09:36as much as they could, you know, to this point.
09:38And I do want to say this because you brought this up and I didn't address it.
09:41So I apologize, but I think it's fair to mention that Caden McDonald, we thought at least on
09:45this show that he'd be more plug and play than he is.
09:48Yeah.
09:48But I think that that's okay when I don't expect him to be out there running 90, 80, even
09:54percent of the snaps at defensive tackle.
09:56I've got a Sheldon Rankins and a Tommy Togi I feel great about.
09:59I also have some other guys in Logan Hall and Mario Edwards that I feel good about as
10:03well.
10:03So I don't even know if he has to get reps.
10:06And I know that that sounds crazy, but my point is he's got as much opportunity to develop
10:10into what he needs and he's shown you at least some good things as well along the way.
10:14It just isn't what I expected before.
10:16And I'm not going to hold my expectations against.
