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Speaker 1: Breck throw left side has the first Annemore up the

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Speaker 1: side by forty thirty twenty ten to five touchdown Joston.

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Speaker 1: There is no off season for your Houston Texans. Game

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Speaker 1: day is every day. No, it's Texans all Exans. Yes, sir,

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Speaker 1: Welcome into a Thursday Nation of Texans All Access. I'm

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Speaker 1: your host this evening. John Harris football alost the side

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Speaker 1: of a reporter and Mark Vaneman will not be with

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Speaker 1: us tonight. He is a bit under the weather. So

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Speaker 1: Mark will be with us tomorrow. I told him, and

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Speaker 1: he's like, ah, fight through it, like no, no, no, no no, no,

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Speaker 1: you just you just go get rested the golden pipes

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Speaker 1: that you to stay golden and hopefully we'll be okay.

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Speaker 1: All right. Tonight on the show, we have two of

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Speaker 1: the greatest Texans that maybe I've ever lived to the

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Speaker 1: greatest Texans in the city of Houston right now. And

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Speaker 1: the next segment we'll hear from Loveye Smith. I had

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Speaker 1: a chance to go one on one with Lovey Smith

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Speaker 1: today and of course love we met with the media,

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Speaker 1: but we'll have my interview with him and I went

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Speaker 1: one on one with him, Like I said, but right

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Speaker 1: off the top, it is maybe the greatest Texans that

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Speaker 1: I know, an a lum of Baylor University, native of Waco.

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Speaker 1: It's the General, John McClain. General. I've been waiting since

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Speaker 1: Monday night to talk to you. How are you, my friend, John?

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Speaker 1: I'm doing great, as every Baylor a lum out there.

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Speaker 1: We're still on cloud nine after that decisive victory over Gonzaga.

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Speaker 1: And do you think where Baylor program was when Scott

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Speaker 1: Drew got there and where they are right now has

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Speaker 1: just been tremendous. And Baylor's building a new basketball arena

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Speaker 1: and they know where it's going, they know what it

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Speaker 1: looks like, and they've raised money, but they need more

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Speaker 1: money to top it off. And talk about great timing. Wow.

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Speaker 1: And I think they should build statues outside the basket

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Speaker 1: ballerinas Goot Drew and Kim Mulki who's won three national championships.

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Speaker 1: They have statue of RG three outside McClean Stadium. I

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Speaker 1: think they also should put one up there. Mike Singletary,

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Speaker 1: the greatest defensive player in Baylory history, and of course

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Speaker 1: the native Hustonian who's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Speaker 1: And you mentioned Lovey Smith. I have a column that

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Speaker 1: was just posted on Texas Sports Nation about two thousand

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Speaker 1: and thirteen, with three games left, Gary Kubiak was fired

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Speaker 1: and Bob McNair because I talked to Bob about this

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Speaker 1: when it happened off the record. I'd known Lovey Smith

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Speaker 1: since nineteen ninety six, when the Oils left and I

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Speaker 1: started covering the NFL, and I spent a lot of

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Speaker 1: time at Tampa because Tony Dungey turned around that franchise

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Speaker 1: was one of the greatest NFL stories in history. So

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Speaker 1: Tony back then, you could go into office, talk to

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Speaker 1: any coach you want to get to know him. Love

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Speaker 1: Big Sandy up in East Texas one state championships with

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Speaker 1: great running back David Overstreet, and Lovey had not been

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Speaker 1: back as a coach in Texas since he coached at

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Speaker 1: Big Sandy in nineteen eighty. But even back when I

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Speaker 1: met him, he talked about someday wanting to come back

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Speaker 1: and coach in Texas. So in two thirteen, he was

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Speaker 1: out of work that season because the Bears had fired him,

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Speaker 1: even though he had a ten six record that season,

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Speaker 1: and even though his record with the Bears was eighty

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Speaker 1: four sixty six, including three three in the playoffs and

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Speaker 1: a Super Bowl lost to the Cults and his buddy

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Speaker 1: Tony Dungey. So Bob McNair interviewed Lovey, talked to him

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Speaker 1: on the phone several times. Bob told me how much

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Speaker 1: he liked him. He brought Lovey in for an interview,

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Speaker 1: and after the Bob was blown away. And afterward I

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Speaker 1: told Bob I was writing about it. He said, okay,

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Speaker 1: and I told him, I said, I want to go overboard.

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Speaker 1: If you tell me that Lovey Smith's not as serious candidate,

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Speaker 1: he goes go overboard. So I remember writing a couple

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Speaker 1: of columns and because they Bob knew he was could

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Speaker 1: have hired a new coach. He could interview him before

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Speaker 1: the season was over because Lovey was out of work.

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Speaker 1: So I thought Lovey was going to get the job,

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Speaker 1: and I wrote about this. But then Corn Ferry recommended

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Speaker 1: a Penn State head coach, and Bob and cal McNair

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Speaker 1: went to Cape Cod where Bill O'Brien owns a home,

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Speaker 1: and they interviewed him and he blew him away even

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Speaker 1: more so they hired Bill. Lovey was hired by Tampa Bay.

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Speaker 1: And now he talked to me about that, and he said,

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Speaker 1: but you know what he said. Now, I'm just coming.

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Speaker 1: I'm coming to the Texans in a different capacity, and

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Speaker 1: I can't tell you how excited I am to be

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Speaker 1: working here. Of course, he prays, Bob McNair is just

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Speaker 1: about everybody did. But it's a ter infic story about

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Speaker 1: they almost dared Lovey Smith over Bell O'Brian. It's a

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Speaker 1: that story itself general when you just think about how

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Speaker 1: the organization is different if Lovey Smith does take over

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Speaker 1: his head coach, and what where where it goes at

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Speaker 1: that point. I mean just that singular decision of hey,

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Speaker 1: you know, I think it might be Lovey, but then

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Speaker 1: boy Bill O'Brien really blewis way, okay, we're gonna go,

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Speaker 1: Bill Bryan. I mean, just the fortunes of the the

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Speaker 1: organization change. I mean, you know, maybe who knows, maybe

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Speaker 1: Lovey Smith comes in here and and it goes extremely well,

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Speaker 1: you know, taking a team that was wildly talented twenty

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Speaker 1: thirteen but underperforming, and you know, takes him to even

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Speaker 1: higher heights in twenty fourteen than nine and seven. Ye know,

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Speaker 1: who who's to say? But the one thing I took

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Speaker 1: I took out of my conversation with him, today, John

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Speaker 1: was just how gracious he is to be back in

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Speaker 1: the state of Texas. That and also the importance of

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Speaker 1: the relationship with he and and David Culley, and David

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Speaker 1: Culley's talked about that that relationship over the years that's

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Speaker 1: been cultivated between David and with Lovey really is a

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Speaker 1: big reason why outside the fact that he wanted to

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Speaker 1: be back in Texas, why Lovey Smith is back here

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Speaker 1: in Houston, John, what did you take out of love

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Speaker 1: He's press conference today? Was there anything that you went, Oh, Okay,

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Speaker 1: that's that's interesting. Okay, that's something I want to take

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Speaker 1: note of. Was there any of that in the press

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Speaker 1: conference today that when Lovey met with the Houston media.

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Speaker 1: First of all, Lovey Smith is a first class guy,

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Speaker 1: one of the classiest guys I've ever met my forty

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Speaker 1: five years covered in the NFL. And I don't know

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Speaker 1: David Culley very well, but people would do say he's

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Speaker 1: the same type of guy. So I can see how

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Speaker 1: those two would get along so well. Now, Cully's an

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Speaker 1: offensive coach, he'll be involved in the offense, you know,

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Speaker 1: he oversees everything. But I'll guarantee he's gonna leave Lovey

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Speaker 1: alone and let Lovey coach the defense. And one thing

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Speaker 1: would have been different if I he Smith had been

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Speaker 1: Iron two and fourteen, they would have played at four

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Speaker 1: to three instead of a three to four. You know,

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Speaker 1: when I think of Love's defense, I think of the

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Speaker 1: Tampa two with too deep coverage, and then in the

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Speaker 1: middle linebacker has got to be able to drop and

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Speaker 1: run and cover. Well, cutting him fits that, and they'll

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Speaker 1: play some covered two. But as he explained, the versatile

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Speaker 1: you know, players need to be versatile, but it is

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Speaker 1: in that four three, and he puts a special emphasis

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Speaker 1: on the speed at linebacker. Cutting him can run. If

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Speaker 1: you're an outside linebacker competing on this team, you've got

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Speaker 1: to be able to move. You got to play in space,

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Speaker 1: you got to be able to cover. If you can blitz,

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Speaker 1: that's okay. But he wants to get the primary pass

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Speaker 1: rush with his front four and if that's rare, so

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Speaker 1: he's gonna have to send somebody. So usually that's going

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Speaker 1: to be a strong side of linebacker because the other

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Speaker 1: one's going to be dropping into coverage unless he goes

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Speaker 1: with an all out blizz. So he will play some men.

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Speaker 1: So it's not fair to call it the Tampa two

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Speaker 1: anymore because it's evolved over the years. And you know,

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Speaker 1: when Lovey was at the Bucks, he was the linebackers

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Speaker 1: coach for five years Monti Kiffin, while the all time

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Speaker 1: great defensive coordinators, was the defensive coordinator under Dungee and

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Speaker 1: they turned that program around herm Edwards was the secondary coach.

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Speaker 1: And then when he was hired by the Rams, they

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Speaker 1: went to the Super Bowl. They lost the first Super

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Speaker 1: Bowl that the Patriots won under Bill Pelichick. And then

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Speaker 1: when he was with the Bears, you know, he took

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Speaker 1: them to the Super Bowl and they got beat by

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Speaker 1: the by the Colts in the rain. It was an

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Speaker 1: unbelievable rain storm in Miami. But Lovey's record, some of

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Speaker 1: his records was Chicago eleven and five, thirteen and three,

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Speaker 1: eleven and five, ten and six. He was a Coach

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Speaker 1: of the Year. And this is the first time he's

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Speaker 1: been an assistant coach in the NFL since he was

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Speaker 1: a defensive coordinator with the Rams under Mike Marts And

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Speaker 1: so he's out for five years in Illinois. But he said,

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Speaker 1: you know, he always kept up with the NFL. For

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Speaker 1: some people think, well, is the way he coach is

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Speaker 1: going to hold up. Well, he's not stupid. The guys

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Speaker 1: he watched in the NFL in college football have a

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Speaker 1: lot of them have moved on to the NFL, And

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Speaker 1: like any good coach, he'll adapt. And what's interesting if

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Speaker 1: they make them have another virtual offseason and you're implementing

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Speaker 1: a whole new system, it's going to be extra tough

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Speaker 1: because not only are they putting in a new system

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Speaker 1: that if Franks affects the front seventh so much, he

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Speaker 1: got so many new players, it's not like J. J.

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Speaker 1: Watt's still there and and some of those other holdover

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Speaker 1: players who've been starting. And one of the roles that

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Speaker 1: I can't wait to see John, And I'll ask you this,

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Speaker 1: Whitney Merciless was drafted to be an outside linebacker in

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Speaker 1: the three to four. You know, Whitney's about two sixty's

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Speaker 1: close to six or he's been a pass rusher. He's

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Speaker 1: dropped when he had too. Do you see he's not

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Speaker 1: outside line he's too big. Four to three outside linebackers

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Speaker 1: are not two hundred and sixty pounds. So does he

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Speaker 1: compete at defensive end? Does he come in as a

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Speaker 1: situational pass rusher, which I think might make him more

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Speaker 1: effective if he came up in in passing situations to

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Speaker 1: get out to the quarterback. What do you think under

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Speaker 1: Lovey's scheme do you see in store for merciless I

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Speaker 1: think you're right, John, I think that's exactly He kind

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Speaker 1: of turns into a kind of a poor man's Julius Peppers.

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Speaker 1: When you know Peppers near the end of his career,

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Speaker 1: when he was with both Green Bay and then finishing

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Speaker 1: with Carolina, that's essentially what he was. He was a

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Speaker 1: designated pass rusher. He played I don't know, maybe fifteen

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Speaker 1: twenty plays a game, and he he just rushed. That

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Speaker 1: was it. That was all he did. Now, they did

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Speaker 1: move him around a little bit, but he rushed from

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Speaker 1: a number of different spots. But that's what he turned into. Now,

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Speaker 1: Whitney is not as dynamic an athlete as Julius Peppers is,

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Speaker 1: and throughout the time I've become in the NFL, I

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Speaker 1: don't know that many people are. He was a freak

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Speaker 1: of nature. The irony is is that when when he

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Speaker 1: was coming out of Illinois, one of my biggest concerned was, Okay,

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Speaker 1: he's a four three defensive end in Illinois. Can he

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Speaker 1: convert to a three four outside linebacker. Can he play

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Speaker 1: standing up and now at the end, at the end,

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Speaker 1: near the end of his career and the back nine

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Speaker 1: of his career? Now, he asked, the other question is okay,

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Speaker 1: can he play a defensive end. I think he can.

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Speaker 1: I think he can adjust to it. It'll take a

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Speaker 1: little bit, but you know, that's that's always there. He

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Speaker 1: just has to kind of adjust back to, you know,

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Speaker 1: putting his hand back in the ground. But John, I

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Speaker 1: think that's a great point. I think that's what he becomes.

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Speaker 1: And when you look at how his contract got restructured,

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Speaker 1: I think you could say, yeah, this, I think this

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Speaker 1: fits a little bit for what Whitney could do. And

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Speaker 1: then you throw in Whitney and John Grenard, you know,

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Speaker 1: make you know, taking a step. I think that somebody

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Speaker 1: is also coming from the dry apt at that particular position. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think somebody will be thrown in the mix there

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Speaker 1: at a defensive end as well. So I think you're

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Speaker 1: gonna have You're gonna have some bodies there and hopefully

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Speaker 1: those guys end up turning into players. Now we know

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Speaker 1: Whitney has done it before. It's just got to adapt

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Speaker 1: to it. And I think you're right, though. I think

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Speaker 1: that's where he goes and becomes kind of a situational

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Speaker 1: pass rusher, and you'll so be it. You know, Julie's Peppers,

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Speaker 1: like I said, was a guy like that. So I'm

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Speaker 1: I think you're right. I think that's exactly what they

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Speaker 1: end up doing with him, and I would be okay

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Speaker 1: with that if he Whitney when he came in, he

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Speaker 1: struggled early mentally with Romeo's system. I remember talking to him.

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Speaker 1: He said, I want to get it for where I

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Speaker 1: can react and not think, and he did. And so

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Speaker 1: now I think a transition being a defensive end and

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Speaker 1: the four three rushing passer is not to not going

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Speaker 1: to handicap you mentally, you know, ball snap, get up

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Speaker 1: the field and get the quarterback, but set the edge.

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Speaker 1: And I think that it'll be an easy transition for me.

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Speaker 1: And if he got four sacks last year, seven a

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Speaker 1: half the year before. As he's gotten older and it's

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Speaker 1: not like forty years old, but I would think a

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Speaker 1: reduced role where he plays about twenty or twenty five

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Speaker 1: plays and they say give everything you got on the

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Speaker 1: pass rush. I think that he could really help them

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Speaker 1: a lot and that even if he could just get

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Speaker 1: five or six, that would be great. And I look

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Speaker 1: for Charles a Mena who to make the biggest improvement

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Speaker 1: of any of the alignment and Ross Blacklock. I remember

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Speaker 1: last year when he was a disappointment and Romeo saying

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Speaker 1: talking about, well, he's better at this, Well what he

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Speaker 1: said was without saying it, he's better in a four

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Speaker 1: to three guys where he just gets up the field

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Speaker 1: and he doesn't have to grab and read and react

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Speaker 1: and try to shed the blocker and does let him

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Speaker 1: get up the field. So I look for him and

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Speaker 1: to be improved, and I look for a many who

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Speaker 1: to be greatly improved and should One reason they wanted

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Speaker 1: Shack Lawson as he's good against the run. So if

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Speaker 1: you could have like four guys they have five or

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Speaker 1: six sicks, that's just as good as two haven twelve,

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Speaker 1: and I think they would have a more balanced pass rush. Now,

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Speaker 1: Lovey was blessed with some great athletes with the Buccaneers,

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Speaker 1: with the Rams and with the Bears. And one of

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Speaker 1: the things that his defense is no matter where he was,

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Speaker 1: they forced a lot of turnovers. And this defense with

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Speaker 1: the Texans last year for seven that was the second

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Speaker 1: fewest in the NFL since nineteen eighty. And he's coming

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Speaker 1: in with a blank slate and not a new a

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Speaker 1: lot of new players. And that's how he does it.

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Speaker 1: You know, they all want to do it, and they

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Speaker 1: all say these things come in drows and once you

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Speaker 1: forced a couple, you're going to get more. But the

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Speaker 1: fact is Love he said he wants a defense, score touchdown,

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Speaker 1: Well score touchdowns. You got to get takeaways and that's

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Speaker 1: the biggest improvement. And I look for on defense, even

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Speaker 1: if they give up a lot of yards and points,

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Speaker 1: I think you're gonna see them for us a lot

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Speaker 1: more turnovers. Yeah, it's interesting, John. When I was when

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Speaker 1: I was talking to love you, I was kind of

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Speaker 1: thinking the questions I wanted to ask him, and I

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Speaker 1: wrote a question down on my notes about your you

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Speaker 1: know what, what did he think about the twenty twenty defense?

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Speaker 1: And then they started thinking about I was like, you

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Speaker 1: know what, I kind of know what. I yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know he won't up tell you the truth. Well exactly.

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Speaker 1: But but here's the other thing too, from the twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty defense, as we move forward, how many guys are

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Speaker 1: actually going to be not only back on the defense,

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Speaker 1: but playing in a similar role that they were on

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Speaker 1: the defense last year. I mean, mate, Justin Reid's playing safety.

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Speaker 1: We know that I would imagine as long as Justin's healthy.

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Speaker 1: But other than that, Roby out on the outside and

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Speaker 1: Justin Reid, you know, Zach's gonna have kind of a

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Speaker 1: different role linebacker. Potentially, nobody's really going back into the

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Speaker 1: same spot. And so I was like, okay, I'll scrap

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Speaker 1: that question. But as I asked him as it pertained to,

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Speaker 1: you know, the struggles last year, the first thing he

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Speaker 1: brought up was, John, you scored more points the other team.

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Speaker 1: Our defense has got to score points. Ie, we gotta

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Speaker 1: go get the ball. And so I didn't ask him,

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Speaker 1: had you watched last year's film, had you looked at

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Speaker 1: this he knew right away, Look, this defense he had

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Speaker 1: better stop the run and be it. Better go get

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Speaker 1: the football. And when you think about the guys that

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Speaker 1: they've added, you know, it got like Desmond King. You know,

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Speaker 1: that's what Desmond King was great at when he was

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Speaker 1: in college, when he was early in his career. He

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Speaker 1: went and he got the football. John, I can't every

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Speaker 1: time I write something, I always think about the safeties.

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Speaker 1: On this football team didn't have an interception through sixteen

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Speaker 1: games last year, no safety had an interception. The league

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Speaker 1: or the team leader in interceptions was a defensive end.

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Speaker 1: He's gone bad and he's gone That's how bad it

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Speaker 1: was last year. Turning the turning teams over. I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's just it's incredible to think about how bad this

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Speaker 1: team was. Had you ever seen anything like that, John,

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Speaker 1: where a team was so bad getting turnovers as the

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Speaker 1: Texans were in twenty twenty, had you know, the only one,

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Speaker 1: the only one that was worse with the forty nine

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Speaker 1: ers at two thousand and eighteen when they had they

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Speaker 1: had seven and the Texans had nine. And you know

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Speaker 1: you're talking about the safeties. It wasn't like they were

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Speaker 1: all dropping balls. You know, they weren't getting they weren't

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Speaker 1: getting the balls. And the thing about the defense, I've

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Speaker 1: never known a defensive lineman, even the big, heavy nose

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Speaker 1: tackles who knew that their job was to grab hold

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Speaker 1: and try to tie up two blockers. But I've never

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Speaker 1: known a defensive lineman. He didn't want to play in

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Speaker 1: the four to three because they didn't want to play

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Speaker 1: two gaps. They want to just play one cup, get

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Speaker 1: up to field, get off the ball, try to create

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Speaker 1: some havoc instead of grabbing, reading, reacting. And so that's

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Speaker 1: why I think Blacklock am In and those guys who

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Speaker 1: are back from last year, and all those new guys,

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Speaker 1: you know they I'll say this for Nike Sarrio, you know,

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Speaker 1: if you gave if I had to give him a

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Speaker 1: grade right now, an effort in being a plus because

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Speaker 1: I've never seen a general manager make as many transactions

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Speaker 1: as he has. And that's why I'm hoping the NFL

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Speaker 1: lets them go on the field for the offseason program because,

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Speaker 1: as you know, the mental part is tough. Yes, you

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Speaker 1: need to learn it, but there's nothing like getting out

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Speaker 1: on the practice field and walking through it and questioning

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Speaker 1: players while you're actually doing it and being able to

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Speaker 1: show in it to him. And that's why I think

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Speaker 1: a team like Carolina with Matt Rule, new coordinators, new systems,

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Speaker 1: they one reason they struggle was because they didn't have

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Speaker 1: what teams usually have because of COVID nineteen. So I'm

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Speaker 1: hoping that Lovey and his position coaches are able to

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Speaker 1: get on a field before training camp. John, I'm glad

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Speaker 1: you mentioned the Panthers I can't. I think it was

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Speaker 1: over the weekend. I know the timing of it. But

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Speaker 1: Sam Darnold traded from the Jets in total, a second

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Speaker 1: and a fourth next year, a sixth rounder this year

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Speaker 1: that the Jets get in return for the former number

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Speaker 1: three pick. He's only twenty three years old. He goes

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Speaker 1: with Joe Brady. He showed some promise as a rook Arrete,

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Speaker 1: you're talking about that. Uh, the other day, I thought

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Speaker 1: that game we went up there in twenty eighteen and

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Speaker 1: played them, I thought he was so good. He was

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Speaker 1: scaring the heck out of us, and I thought, man,

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Speaker 1: he's ready to turn the corner. I thought the worst

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Speaker 1: thing had happened was Adam Gascoin and it just wasn't

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Speaker 1: the right fit for him. But he goes to Carolina.

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Speaker 1: What do you think about your former Baylor head coach

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Speaker 1: Matt Rule bringing on Sam Darnold and having anything left

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Speaker 1: over these next couple of years of his first contract.

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Speaker 1: They they're gonna pick up a fifth year option on him.

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Speaker 1: And they were one of the six teams that was

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Speaker 1: seriously interested in trading for Deshaun Watson. Now all of

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Speaker 1: them backed away. And so when you see the forty

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Speaker 1: nine ers, another team that was seriously interested make the

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Speaker 1: move to get the third pick to get a quarterback,

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Speaker 1: and then you see the Panthers get Sam Darnel. I

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Speaker 1: think Joe Brady, who did as good as you could

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Speaker 1: do last year with Teddy Bridgewater did a fabulous job

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Speaker 1: with Joe Burrow and Lsu dead. Now with Darnell, who

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Speaker 1: his third overall pick is loaded with talent. I remember

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Speaker 1: after that game in which he was really good, but

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Speaker 1: Deshaun was better and the Texans won. It was a

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Speaker 1: Saturday in December, and the media afterward they were like,

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Speaker 1: that's why they drafted it. That's why they were thinking,

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Speaker 1: seeing all these great things about it, this kid's going

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Speaker 1: to be great. And then because ave injuries and bad

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Speaker 1: coaching and bad players around him, he was not able

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Speaker 1: to realize that potential. And so I think if rule

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Speaker 1: still was able to keep his first round pick, I

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Speaker 1: think that he'll draft an offensive player, whether it's a receiver,

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Speaker 1: whether it's alignment, but it's got to be to help

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Speaker 1: Sam Darnold. That's something the Jets did not do. Remember

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Speaker 1: last year they let Robbie Anderson get away. Didn't you

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Speaker 1: go to Carolina and they lost their receiver, so they

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Speaker 1: might be taking one of those top receivers with the pick.

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Speaker 1: Maybe they'd get Kyle Pitts. But I look for Darnold

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Speaker 1: to play well. You know, Josh McCown did an interview

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Speaker 1: this week, and people in New York told me because

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Speaker 1: I was thinking at one point, if the Ticks and

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Speaker 1: made a deal with the Jets, maybe they get Darnald

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Speaker 1: thrown in still draft quarterback with a second pick. But

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Speaker 1: you have Darnald for a year and then you trade

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Speaker 1: him when that quarterback is ready. And I talked to

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Speaker 1: people up there and they said, Sam Darnald played his

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Speaker 1: best when Josh McCowen was his backup and was like

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Speaker 1: a coach and a confidante. And when Josh left to

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Speaker 1: go there was at Philadelphia at first he said Darnel

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Speaker 1: wasn't the same after that because he didn't have him

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Speaker 1: there as to help him continue to learn. And if

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Speaker 1: I am, if I'm Matt Rule, when Josh McCown decides

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Speaker 1: to come back to coaching, you'll have multiple offers, and

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Speaker 1: I'm sure what Texans will be one of them. And

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Speaker 1: if I'm Matt Rule, I'm trying to reunite him with

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Speaker 1: Sam Darnell, and I say, Josh, here's a check. Just

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Speaker 1: tell him fill out what you want. Yeah, exactly, him

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Speaker 1: as the quarterback coach and Brady as the coordinator, and

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Speaker 1: then that helps us. At some point McCown's going to

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Speaker 1: be should be a quarterback coach, then he should be

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Speaker 1: a coordinator. And everybody that's ever worked with him said

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Speaker 1: he's going to be a head coach. He just got it.

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Speaker 1: So I would go all out to try to reunite

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Speaker 1: him with Darnel and he would be a head coach

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Speaker 1: in NFL with the best hair even on Cliff Kingsbury.

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Speaker 1: So there's that for Josh mccau general. What you got

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Speaker 1: going on in the chronicle. I thought I saw a

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Speaker 1: little while ago that you and Aaron Wilson both have

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Speaker 1: mock drafts coming out. I don't know if I saw that.

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Speaker 1: Now they're out, they're out. We've got yep, we ever

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Speaker 1: we put our mock drafts every thirties dal on Texas

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Speaker 1: Sports Nation. I have this column. I'm Lovey Smith. I'm

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Speaker 1: writing one Sunday about the Texans and the draft. We

427
00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:29,200
Speaker 1: have everything people want to know about the Shawn situation

428
00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,840
Speaker 1: and the Texans and and I will say this good

429
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,879
Speaker 1: luck to the Astros making their home opener, and I

430
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,800
Speaker 1: will leave you with us. John sickom Bears, there you go.

431
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:41,639
Speaker 1: I was I was waiting for it. I'm glad you

432
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,360
Speaker 1: dropped it. General, You're the best. Thank you very much,

433
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,160
Speaker 1: Thank you all right. The pride of Big Sandy Texas

434
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,359
Speaker 1: joins me. Next associate head coach and defensive coordinator for

435
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,480
Speaker 1: your Houston Texas in twenty twenty one is Lovey Smith.

436
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,320
Speaker 1: He and I go one on one next right here

437
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:04,720
Speaker 1: on Texans All Access. Can't get enough Texans Radio. We've

438
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,200
Speaker 1: got shows, We've got podcast We've got interviews. It's all

439
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:16,280
Speaker 1: on Houston Texans dot com. What makes Ford f series

440
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Speaker 1: the best in Texas? Just listen to the folks who

441
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Speaker 1: drive them. Ford is by far ahead of any other

442
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Speaker 1: competitor out there. The technology that they've put in the trucks,

443
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Speaker 1: it's incredible. I love it as a family vehicle. I

444
00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,919
Speaker 1: love the size and the space for my daughter. If

445
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Speaker 1: you want reliable, dependable and a good looking truck for

446
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Speaker 1: it's the way to go. I want to drive the Leader.

447
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Speaker 1: Foda series, America's best selling trucks and the best in Texas.

448
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:47,920
Speaker 1: Forty is the best. Jean Texas, Jean Texas, Jean Texas Gean,

449
00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:54,040
Speaker 1: It's battle Red Radio Texans Radio on Sports Radio six TAD.

450
00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,960
Speaker 1: Here's more of Texans All Access. We're back in the

451
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,320
Speaker 1: shutters of that edition. John Harry flying solo tonight because

452
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,159
Speaker 1: the voice of the Texans, Mark Vanamir a little bit

453
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,639
Speaker 1: under the weather. He'll be back tomorrow night in the

454
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:11,520
Speaker 1: catbird's seat. But I am rolling. You just heard Lovey

455
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,119
Speaker 1: Smith in that promo. And by the way, Army Williams,

456
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:16,480
Speaker 1: program director over at six ten, could put a promo

457
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,080
Speaker 1: up like nobody I've ever seen, and that promo was

458
00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:23,240
Speaker 1: going up. That press conference was today. That promo got up,

459
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,480
Speaker 1: and it was interesting to hear love you say that,

460
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:32,439
Speaker 1: because I heard Lovey say that to me because before

461
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,520
Speaker 1: he did that press conference, he went one on one

462
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,359
Speaker 1: with me and we talked about any number of things,

463
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,720
Speaker 1: including talking about coaching with his son. I've always thought

464
00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,080
Speaker 1: about coaching with my pops and how that would go.

465
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,920
Speaker 1: And I guarantee you my dad and I would have

466
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,679
Speaker 1: butted heads on the sideline. There's no question about that.

467
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:52,400
Speaker 1: Lovey in it. Some miles. I haven't quite done that,

468
00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:56,400
Speaker 1: but you'll hear his answer to when I asked him

469
00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,200
Speaker 1: what it was like to coach with his son. Here

470
00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 1: is Lovey Smith, associate head coach and if it's coordinator

471
00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: for your Houston Texans with me one on one joining

472
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:08,919
Speaker 1: me right now as associate head coach and defensive coordinator

473
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,760
Speaker 1: for your Houston Texans. Love you Smith, coach. I gotta

474
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,119
Speaker 1: start with this. I know you've probably been asked this,

475
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:16,880
Speaker 1: but I would love to know myself. I know our

476
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:22,560
Speaker 1: listeners would love to know why Houston and why the Texans. Well, John,

477
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,359
Speaker 1: you probably know I'm from this state. I'm a product

478
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:29,240
Speaker 1: of Texas high school football, so and I've had an

479
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 1: opportunity to coach in a lot of great places with

480
00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:37,000
Speaker 1: a lot of good people. But the opportunity to be

481
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,520
Speaker 1: a part of Coach Cully's first staff back here in

482
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:45,320
Speaker 1: my home state, that was an opportunity that just really

483
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:49,080
Speaker 1: excited about and couldn't pass up. Coach you mentioned David

484
00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,359
Speaker 1: Culley and we talked to him about bringing you on

485
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,199
Speaker 1: and the relationship you had. What was the impact of

486
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,359
Speaker 1: David Culley on your decision to bring you here and

487
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,720
Speaker 1: what's that relationship in like over the year years getting

488
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,080
Speaker 1: you know David Coley, the two of you now joining

489
00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 1: forces here in Houston. Well, John, that's what I mean,

490
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: experienced us teach you an awful lot. You've come and

491
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,719
Speaker 1: had a chance to be around a lot of people

492
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,320
Speaker 1: and uh my time, you know, getting to know David

493
00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:17,200
Speaker 1: early on. I mean he was one of the good

494
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:21,320
Speaker 1: guys with a bright mind, was really good at uh

495
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,159
Speaker 1: you know, at what he did. I'm talking about his

496
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:29,680
Speaker 1: position offensive football, so that you know, initially it was

497
00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,679
Speaker 1: just that part right there. And you know, we're in

498
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,520
Speaker 1: this business to win and to be a part of

499
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,720
Speaker 1: a rebirth, uh you know of our program here of

500
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:43,159
Speaker 1: getting it back on top and to help David to

501
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,480
Speaker 1: do that. And when somebody get their first staff and

502
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,159
Speaker 1: they asked you to be a part of it, I

503
00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:52,440
Speaker 1: mean that's uh, that's pretty special. And since we've been

504
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,600
Speaker 1: down here, everything I thought it would be, wanted it

505
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,480
Speaker 1: to be as exactly how it's going. Well. I can

506
00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,080
Speaker 1: imagine you don't get Greg barbecue in Tampa Bury, Illinois,

507
00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:02,920
Speaker 1: but you definitely do here in Houston. I'll make you

508
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 1: feel at home, Coach. When we all found out and

509
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,320
Speaker 1: I might say we, I mean fans people in Houston analysts,

510
00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:12,320
Speaker 1: football people, et cetera. Found out you were gonna be

511
00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:16,399
Speaker 1: the head coach, immediately people went, oh, four three Tampa

512
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,400
Speaker 1: two and the Texans last year. We're more three four

513
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,680
Speaker 1: before that three four. Is there too much made of

514
00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,760
Speaker 1: the difference between the two schemes of being a three

515
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,840
Speaker 1: four being versus being a four three? Is it more

516
00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:31,439
Speaker 1: homogenized now in the NFL? How do you kind of

517
00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:35,240
Speaker 1: look at that situation, because that's obviously something you ran

518
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,480
Speaker 1: with success earlier in your career as an NFL defensive coordinator.

519
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,680
Speaker 1: Is there too much made of the difference between the

520
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:45,560
Speaker 1: two nowadays? Yeah, I guess in a way, but maybe

521
00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,280
Speaker 1: not too much is made of it. I mean, you're

522
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 1: still dealing with seven guys at are primarily a part

523
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,320
Speaker 1: of the you know, the front. Looking at it that way,

524
00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 1: there are some similarities, but there are some basic philosophical

525
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,200
Speaker 1: things that I believe in. First off, I've every year

526
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:07,040
Speaker 1: I've been in football, I've coached from a basic four

527
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,840
Speaker 1: three front, So I really have a belief in it.

528
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 1: And this is what you believe in as much as

529
00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:17,160
Speaker 1: anything I believe in having for defensive linemen at most

530
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,760
Speaker 1: of the time they're working on things that defensive linemen

531
00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,320
Speaker 1: do that's important to me. There's a profile that we

532
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:28,240
Speaker 1: have at every position from our four three and there's

533
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,320
Speaker 1: a group as you look in the NFL now, John,

534
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 1: probably about half of us feel that way. You talk

535
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,360
Speaker 1: to a three four guys, I see the reason why

536
00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,640
Speaker 1: they like to do it. So I just know that

537
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,560
Speaker 1: this is what we believe in. We feel real good

538
00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:45,360
Speaker 1: about putting the personnel together to be able to run it.

539
00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,880
Speaker 1: Besides the scheme, and we've watched for a long time

540
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,320
Speaker 1: the players you've been able to cultivate over the years,

541
00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,160
Speaker 1: coach and the defense and you've been able to put together.

542
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,920
Speaker 1: But if you take the scheme out of it, in

543
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,480
Speaker 1: your estimation, what's the one thing that your defense has

544
00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: to be want to do or have to have to

545
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:04,719
Speaker 1: turn the corner and be a great defense in the NFL?

546
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,760
Speaker 1: And I think you're hitting on the main point. I mean,

547
00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,680
Speaker 1: you could take schemes. There's a lot of good schemes,

548
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:14,800
Speaker 1: but to me, what it comes down to is what

549
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,920
Speaker 1: else do you do? I still believe in the basic

550
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,520
Speaker 1: fundamentals of football. The team with the best fundamentals win.

551
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:25,400
Speaker 1: The team that plays the hardest. I know it's the NFL.

552
00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:27,440
Speaker 1: But you can have you can be an NFL and

553
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,920
Speaker 1: have a college mentality, high school mentality of just playing hard,

554
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,520
Speaker 1: getting guys to buy into that and as I say

555
00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 1: at the end, fundamentally sound and the next component though,

556
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,840
Speaker 1: I think you have to have the I have to

557
00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,680
Speaker 1: go the gold is to win football games, and of

558
00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,280
Speaker 1: course to win you have to score points. I think

559
00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,160
Speaker 1: you can have that same mindset on the defensive side.

560
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:51,640
Speaker 1: One area of improvement that we have to make here

561
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:55,080
Speaker 1: with the Houston Texans. We had nine takeaways last year.

562
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,800
Speaker 1: You can't win football games that way. There would be

563
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,600
Speaker 1: an emphasis on it daily by play to get to

564
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:05,760
Speaker 1: get better in that area. No doubt. Coach you last

565
00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,840
Speaker 1: few years, last four or five years you're coaching in college.

566
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,520
Speaker 1: And we talked about this a lot. I do because

567
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,560
Speaker 1: I followed college football for a long time. For a

568
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,880
Speaker 1: long time, there were distinct differences. There's a college game,

569
00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:19,240
Speaker 1: there's NFL game, and you'd watch them and they didn't

570
00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,520
Speaker 1: look similar. Now they start to look a little similar

571
00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,360
Speaker 1: because the NFL has taken some of the things that

572
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,400
Speaker 1: they did in college and brought it to the NFL

573
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 1: and brought it to their offenses. How do you think

574
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,320
Speaker 1: your years in the last few years, four or five

575
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,200
Speaker 1: years in college will help you be a better NFL

576
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:39,400
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator nowadays? Well, John, I thought before I came

577
00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:43,280
Speaker 1: back to college, when I was in NFL, I was asked,

578
00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:45,560
Speaker 1: is there a big difference between college and NFL. I

579
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,040
Speaker 1: didn't think that there was. I thought some of the

580
00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:50,680
Speaker 1: same reasons why you win in college you win in NFL.

581
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,360
Speaker 1: Going back from the NFL to the college game, I

582
00:31:55,240 --> 00:32:00,360
Speaker 1: can just reaffirmed what I initially thought you mentioned. I

583
00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:02,280
Speaker 1: think there are a lot more things that you can

584
00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:08,240
Speaker 1: that are being done in college, and primarily what you

585
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:10,800
Speaker 1: do with the quarterback. Yes, you know, in the NFL

586
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,880
Speaker 1: the quarterback doesn't run, he's not a base part him

587
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,320
Speaker 1: running the football isn't something you deal with as much

588
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,520
Speaker 1: in NFL. That part of the college game is coming

589
00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,880
Speaker 1: more towards NFL. So FAILED like being in college. It's

590
00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,440
Speaker 1: really kind of prepared me for this move to come

591
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,320
Speaker 1: back here as much as anything. But eventually it's going

592
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:35,040
Speaker 1: to get get back to blocking, tackling, taking the ball away,

593
00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:37,920
Speaker 1: no doubt. And Coach, the draft is coming up. I

594
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,760
Speaker 1: would imagine that you're somebody that our scouting personnel wants

595
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,680
Speaker 1: to talk to you because you've coached some players, but

596
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:49,120
Speaker 1: you've also coached against some players directly. How has that

597
00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:53,720
Speaker 1: helped impact kind of the draft discussions leading up that

598
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,280
Speaker 1: they can go to you and say, hey, coach, can

599
00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,560
Speaker 1: you tell us about this player you coached or this

600
00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,680
Speaker 1: player you coached against the last few years? And the

601
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,640
Speaker 1: big well experience helps you an awful lot. And that

602
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:08,160
Speaker 1: experience that I've had had in the college game in

603
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:10,000
Speaker 1: our you know, I'm coming from the Big Tens, great

604
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,720
Speaker 1: football there throughout in four or five years in college football,

605
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,760
Speaker 1: I do know a lot of the players and it's

606
00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,160
Speaker 1: pretty neat John really a lot of the guys that

607
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,600
Speaker 1: I evaluate now some of my own players, and a

608
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:25,080
Speaker 1: lot of guys that I've coached. Even through free agency.

609
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,040
Speaker 1: You know, we signed Desmond King. You know, I remember

610
00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:32,440
Speaker 1: all these guys I've coached against and I knew him

611
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,160
Speaker 1: then and now I see also how they developed as

612
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,720
Speaker 1: an NFL player. I think that helps me an awful

613
00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,000
Speaker 1: lot too. But that is need to be in a

614
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 1: situation where I do have some insight. You're always trying

615
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,760
Speaker 1: to get insight on players, and I feel like and

616
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:47,400
Speaker 1: not just me and there are some others on our

617
00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:49,920
Speaker 1: staff coming in from the college game and help with

618
00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:53,680
Speaker 1: that coach this one. It might be a little tricky,

619
00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,840
Speaker 1: but I played for my dad many many years ago,

620
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,480
Speaker 1: and when I coached for a while, I always wondered

621
00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:01,840
Speaker 1: what it would be you like to coach with my dad.

622
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:06,080
Speaker 1: You have that opportunity to coach with your son, Well,

623
00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:10,640
Speaker 1: what's that like? It's just the greatest feeling you can have.

624
00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:14,319
Speaker 1: You know, our our Houston coops just lost a tough game,

625
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:17,279
Speaker 1: had an outstanding season. They had a great special on

626
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,319
Speaker 1: Kelvin Sampson talking about his relationship. His son is on

627
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,839
Speaker 1: his staff. There's a lot of us that have an

628
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:27,319
Speaker 1: opportunity that have had an opportunity to coach with our son.

629
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,640
Speaker 1: And just think about this. You know, with a lot

630
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,800
Speaker 1: of the coaches, you know, you leave and you go home.

631
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,520
Speaker 1: When you have a family member like that, you're talking

632
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:40,839
Speaker 1: football always. I know Miles in in particular, who would

633
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,600
Speaker 1: be coaching our linebackers here. Everything I know in football.

634
00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:47,319
Speaker 1: He's been around, you know, for the last ten years,

635
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:50,279
Speaker 1: and so he's been he's seen it exactly how we

636
00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,920
Speaker 1: want to do all things. So I think it's a

637
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,200
Speaker 1: great a personal note that makes this move down or

638
00:34:57,239 --> 00:34:59,480
Speaker 1: even even better to be able to work every day

639
00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,960
Speaker 1: with your son too. I know my dad and I

640
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,240
Speaker 1: would have been button head to head on the sideline

641
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:07,560
Speaker 1: at some point, so I hope you guys aren't doing that.

642
00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,680
Speaker 1: I know you guys have been ultra successful being together. Coach.

643
00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,040
Speaker 1: Is there is there a player in your in the

644
00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:18,799
Speaker 1: past that you use as an example of what you

645
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:22,160
Speaker 1: want young professional players to be, Maybe not the best

646
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 1: player you have, maybe not your favorite player. Well maybe

647
00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: one that you hold up here and say, look, this

648
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,200
Speaker 1: is a guy that we look at it and say,

649
00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:33,520
Speaker 1: he's the one you need to emulate. Is there a

650
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,759
Speaker 1: player over the years that you kind of use as

651
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,840
Speaker 1: an example for your young players to try and emulate.

652
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:42,280
Speaker 1: You know, John, I'm gonna stay away from that question.

653
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:46,160
Speaker 1: And here's why I was. When I was a coach

654
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:48,919
Speaker 1: for you know, up North with the Bears, I once

655
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,000
Speaker 1: answered that quartz question in a certain way, and I

656
00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:54,480
Speaker 1: talked about a current player that I have who's a

657
00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,120
Speaker 1: Hall of Famer right now. Sure, Well, that night I

658
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,400
Speaker 1: got another call from the Hall of Fame that I

659
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,759
Speaker 1: had coached before. He said, hey, Lovey, I kind of

660
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,359
Speaker 1: heard what you said on that, and I'm gonna ask

661
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:08,319
Speaker 1: it like this, there is at every position I think

662
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,760
Speaker 1: I've been around someone that a young player can benefit from.

663
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:15,360
Speaker 1: And I'm gonna call on all of those experiences, players

664
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 1: that I have coached in the past and nowadays. You're

665
00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:20,879
Speaker 1: just an abundant away from being able to see all

666
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,719
Speaker 1: of the things that I'm talking about. But when you

667
00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:26,640
Speaker 1: come in new and you bring in cut ups from

668
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:29,080
Speaker 1: players that have done in exact way you would want

669
00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,520
Speaker 1: it to be done, that's pretty neat. And that's what

670
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,759
Speaker 1: we'll have all experience we have the players I've had

671
00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,439
Speaker 1: a chance to coach, I'm gonna be our guys will

672
00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:41,000
Speaker 1: have an opportunity to see exactly how they became the

673
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:44,399
Speaker 1: players that they end up being in their career, which

674
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:47,880
Speaker 1: was special players coach. In this twenty twenty one defense,

675
00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:50,600
Speaker 1: it's got to come a long way from twenty twenty

676
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,360
Speaker 1: and was not very good statistically. A lot of teams

677
00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:55,640
Speaker 1: ran the ball on this last year was a very

678
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:59,600
Speaker 1: difficult year. I would imagine you've got goals set out

679
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,839
Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty one defense. Is there a goal

680
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,280
Speaker 1: in particular? You mentioned the turnovers that's got to improve

681
00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,360
Speaker 1: but do you have a few other numerical goals or

682
00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:11,799
Speaker 1: statistical goals that you feel like this defense has to

683
00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:14,480
Speaker 1: get to to turn the corner and be a really

684
00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:18,920
Speaker 1: top notch defense like it's been in years past. Here, Well,

685
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,600
Speaker 1: there's a lot of numbers, and we talked about takeaways,

686
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,919
Speaker 1: but it's a lot more than that. I think when

687
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,959
Speaker 1: you talk about just good defense, if you talk about

688
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,840
Speaker 1: good offense, offense going to talk about you have to

689
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:33,840
Speaker 1: be able to stop the run. I mean, so what

690
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,680
Speaker 1: we're gonna start with just that stopping the run? If

691
00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:40,040
Speaker 1: we can play the run better and take the ball

692
00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:45,360
Speaker 1: away more, be better on third down conversions, things that

693
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,160
Speaker 1: lead to point, that's a good starting spot. And how

694
00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:53,239
Speaker 1: we're going to accomplish that is through competition. You know,

695
00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:55,879
Speaker 1: I'd like to talk about a lot of guys by name,

696
00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,000
Speaker 1: but the good thing about a new staff coming in,

697
00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:00,600
Speaker 1: everybody has a chance to prove exactly who they are.

698
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,720
Speaker 1: You know, we don't we don't have a depth chart.

699
00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:08,000
Speaker 1: That's uh, that's that's written an ache. Yet we're gonna

700
00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:09,960
Speaker 1: go with what we see on the football field. That

701
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:13,279
Speaker 1: should bring out the best in us. All. Coach, you're

702
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:15,120
Speaker 1: the best. I'm so glad that you're here. I told

703
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:17,520
Speaker 1: you before we started that logo looks great. It's a

704
00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:20,520
Speaker 1: little surreal, I gotta admit, but I love seeing it. Coach,

705
00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:23,319
Speaker 1: thank you so much for your time. Thanks talking with me,

706
00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,760
Speaker 1: John Well, that was fun stuff talking with Lovey Smith

707
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,360
Speaker 1: associally head coach uh and defensive corder. I like chuckled

708
00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:32,239
Speaker 1: when I asked that question. I always love to ask

709
00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:35,760
Speaker 1: people about, you know, people are past. I'd love asking

710
00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,239
Speaker 1: it and finding about, you know, players, coaches, whatever the

711
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,840
Speaker 1: case might be, people that I had an influence. He said,

712
00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:45,239
Speaker 1: you know what, if I answer this, I'm gonna get

713
00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,400
Speaker 1: a call from so Fody. I just I was dying

714
00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:51,200
Speaker 1: laughing on the zoom. Uh. That was that was That

715
00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:53,680
Speaker 1: was a funny reaction. I want to hit the Desmond

716
00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:55,919
Speaker 1: King thing on the other side because I think that's

717
00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:59,520
Speaker 1: really really interesting that he brought up Desmond King. They've

718
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:03,279
Speaker 1: met before in King Maiden Impression. And plus you talked

719
00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:07,320
Speaker 1: about stopping the run. I read a tweet that really

720
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:12,600
Speaker 1: sort of put it, kind of encapsulated why it's important

721
00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:15,080
Speaker 1: to stop the run. And it helps to look at

722
00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:18,440
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry's performance against the AFC South in twenty twenty.

723
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:20,480
Speaker 1: We'll do that in our funnel segment right here at

724
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:25,720
Speaker 1: Texans All Access. Texans All Access continues in a moment,

725
00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,600
Speaker 1: two is better than one. How many times have you

726
00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,960
Speaker 1: heard that? One? More than once? I bed because it

727
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,879
Speaker 1: just adds up. For example, there are two, not one,

728
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Speaker 1: one unbeatable cleaning power, a number two or maybe this

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Speaker 1: should be number one unbeatable mileage. Plus Chevron quits Techron

731
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Speaker 1: in every grade, every gallon of their gasoline. So that's two,

732
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Speaker 1: no way, three unbeatable reasons to go with the one

733
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734
00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:01,360
Speaker 1: for your car, care for If you podcast and you

735
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:06,799
Speaker 1: love the Texans, you'll love our Texans podcast now a

736
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:11,959
Speaker 1: bit of a on iTunes and Houston Texans dot com. WELOK.

737
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,600
Speaker 1: Back to the show, Texas All Access. I'm your host,

738
00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:18,400
Speaker 1: John Harris. Mark Vanube will be back tomorrow, little bit

739
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,080
Speaker 1: under weather tonight, and hopefully he's feeling better, and we'll

740
00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:23,160
Speaker 1: knock out that Friday show and send you into the

741
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,080
Speaker 1: weekend and I'll be busy on Saturday. I've got Sam

742
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:29,760
Speaker 1: Houston taken on at Make Me State at Bowers Stadium

743
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:33,799
Speaker 1: four o'clock on Saturday. Can't wait. Same Houston undefeated, tough

744
00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:35,600
Speaker 1: five team in the country. I think this is the

745
00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,120
Speaker 1: best team obviously Casey Keeler have So I'm looking forward

746
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:42,040
Speaker 1: to connect game on Saturday. So that'll be part of

747
00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:45,960
Speaker 1: my weekend. But that's just it's calling football games. That's fun.

748
00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,120
Speaker 1: I wouldn't say it's worked because if the second I

749
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,000
Speaker 1: say it's not work, it's like do for free, You're like, yeah,

750
00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,200
Speaker 1: I mean I've done plenty for free over the years.

751
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:57,000
Speaker 1: But you get the point I mentioned or love Me

752
00:40:57,040 --> 00:40:59,200
Speaker 1: Smith mentioned in that interview we did he and I

753
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:03,000
Speaker 1: just now he mentioned Desmond King. Desmond King became a

754
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,160
Speaker 1: text in this offseason, and when he said that, I

755
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,040
Speaker 1: got me curious. I looked it up. When des mc

756
00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:13,760
Speaker 1: king was at Iowa, they crossed over one year, Iowa

757
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,239
Speaker 1: and Illinois. When I'm sorry, when Desmi King was at

758
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,400
Speaker 1: Iowa in twenty sixteen. It was Love's first year at

759
00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:26,680
Speaker 1: Iowa in twenty sixteen, and they met and Iowa put

760
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:31,440
Speaker 1: it on Illinois that day. Iowah got to win and

761
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,400
Speaker 1: Desmond King had an interception in that game. Now he

762
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 1: didn't have any return yards in that game. They wouldn't

763
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:39,799
Speaker 1: kick him the ball, which I don't. I don't. I

764
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:41,759
Speaker 1: don't blame him. He did not have his only game

765
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,879
Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen, he did not have a kick returnyard

766
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,000
Speaker 1: or a punt return yard. That was pretty smart. You don't,

767
00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:50,880
Speaker 1: you don't kick him the ball. So Desmond King had

768
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:52,920
Speaker 1: the attention to the lovely Smith, no doubt. And then

769
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:54,960
Speaker 1: he had an interception, one of the three that he

770
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,319
Speaker 1: had in his senior year before he went on into

771
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:02,120
Speaker 1: the NFL. He's I know, he's the Big ten defensive

772
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:05,279
Speaker 1: back of the year and it's gone on to have

773
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:07,880
Speaker 1: a really solid career. But you just never know. I

774
00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:10,680
Speaker 1: remember when Bill O'Brien was at Penn State, they got

775
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,120
Speaker 1: rocked by Ohio State the second year he was there.

776
00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,640
Speaker 1: Quarterback for a house state was Braxton Miller, who the

777
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,880
Speaker 1: Texans ended up drafting in twenty sixteen. Braxton Miller. Sometimes

778
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:25,399
Speaker 1: those college matchups end up producing a marriage down the road,

779
00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,759
Speaker 1: and hopefully with Lovey Smith and Desmi kinging, it'll be

780
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,440
Speaker 1: a little bit better than Bill O'Brien and Braxton Miller.

781
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,000
Speaker 1: I saw a tweet the other day and I went

782
00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:35,960
Speaker 1: looking for it. I could not find it anywhere, but

783
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:37,920
Speaker 1: it had to do with Derrick Henry, and it popped

784
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,279
Speaker 1: up in my mind as I was listening to Lovey

785
00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:43,680
Speaker 1: Smith talk about stopping the run, because I know people

786
00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:46,719
Speaker 1: hear that now and analytics dudes are just like, right like,

787
00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:50,640
Speaker 1: oh my god, are you serious stopping the run? Well,

788
00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:56,080
Speaker 1: if you think about this division, the FC South, the

789
00:42:56,239 --> 00:43:00,920
Speaker 1: FC South had and we faced the twice, y'all know,

790
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,120
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry led the league in rushing. Jonathan Taylor the

791
00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:10,440
Speaker 1: Colts was third in the league in rushing. James Robinson

792
00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:17,440
Speaker 1: from Jacksonville was tied for fifth in a league in rushing.

793
00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,359
Speaker 1: Henry rush for two twenty seven yards, John Taylor eleven

794
00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:26,840
Speaker 1: sixty nine and James Robinson one thousand, seventy three. Backs

795
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,279
Speaker 1: that the Texans have got to face, three very good

796
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:33,120
Speaker 1: offensive lines that they've got to face. And if you

797
00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 1: think about those games, obviously take two Jacksonville ones out

798
00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:37,439
Speaker 1: because we won those. But even even at that point,

799
00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:40,200
Speaker 1: those are close. The first one wasn't, the second one

800
00:43:40,239 --> 00:43:42,160
Speaker 1: was twenty seven twenty five. Robins did a good job

801
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:43,399
Speaker 1: to keep in a minute with the early one hundred

802
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,879
Speaker 1: yards rushing, but Derrick Henry was kind of my kind

803
00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:50,880
Speaker 1: of the one I wanted to focus on because I

804
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:55,040
Speaker 1: remember that tweet that came the other day. If Derrick Henry,

805
00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,799
Speaker 1: if you took out every game of Derrick Henry's last year,

806
00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 1: ten games that were not AFC South matchups, Derrick Henry

807
00:44:04,719 --> 00:44:07,160
Speaker 1: still would a rush for one thousand and forty two

808
00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:14,560
Speaker 1: yards in the division in six games against the division.

809
00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,160
Speaker 1: Of course, against US he went for two twelve in

810
00:44:17,239 --> 00:44:19,560
Speaker 1: the first one and then two fifty in the last one.

811
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,279
Speaker 1: Against Jacksonville, they slowed him down in the first game

812
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:26,040
Speaker 1: with eighty four. The second game was two fifteen against

813
00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:28,759
Speaker 1: the Colts, he went for one oh three and then

814
00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,880
Speaker 1: he went for one seventy eight. That's a total of

815
00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:36,120
Speaker 1: one thousand and forty two yards. Derrick Henry finishes ninth

816
00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:41,280
Speaker 1: in the NFL and rushing and not that far out

817
00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:46,399
Speaker 1: of third actually, which just the six games in the division.

818
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:49,279
Speaker 1: So not only did the Texas need to get better

819
00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,279
Speaker 1: against the run, everybody in the division needs to get

820
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:54,839
Speaker 1: better against the run, but we better find a way

821
00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:59,080
Speaker 1: to keep Derrick Henry from going for two hundred again.

822
00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:02,160
Speaker 1: He's out a streak of three games of two hundred

823
00:45:02,239 --> 00:45:05,560
Speaker 1: yards rushing and if we're thinking about playing better this year,

824
00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,640
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one and beyond, they better stop Derrick

825
00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:11,239
Speaker 1: Henry in some way, shape or form, and hopefully Lovey

826
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:14,560
Speaker 1: Smith is the man to help them do that. And

827
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,000
Speaker 1: a big thanks to the Lovey Smith, A big thanks

828
00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:19,600
Speaker 1: to the General John McClain, to a man anip back

829
00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:23,000
Speaker 1: in studio, to all of you for listening, a huge,

830
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:27,479
Speaker 1: huge thanks. We will be back tomorrow, same battime, same

831
00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:30,880
Speaker 1: bat channel. Thank you so much everybody, and as always,

832
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:36,719
Speaker 1: go Texans. This is Texans Radio on Sports Radio six ten.

833
00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:40,839
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