WEBVTT - Nick Caserio + Ka'imi Fairbairn | Texans All Access 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:02.759 What's going on? Everybody, Welcome into a Wednesday day should 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:07.160 Texans All Access sime here, John Harris, football sideline reporter, 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:11.760 So glad that you are with me tonight, twenty four 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:15.200 hours from departing for LA, or a little less than 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:18.160 twenty four hours actually to go take on the Rams 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:22.600 on Friday. So we'll be leaving on Thursday. But it's 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:26.160 a Wednesday, but it felt like a Friday, especially at practice. 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:29.000 So because it's Friday, practice is more like a Regulus 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:32.440 in practice. So nothing really that I can report on 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.360 or would report on. But if you want a little 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:36.159 preview of the game against the Rams, I got that 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:40.080 for you at Houston Texans dot com or the app. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:45.200 But what you can hear live right now. As I 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:47.600 tweeted about it a little while ago, as Mark talked 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:52.560 about it. This morning, Nick Cassario jumped in the Honday 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.440 Texans Radio studio with us to give his thoughts about 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.480 the preseason about LA and whether he would pick Aaron 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.080 Donald or Matthew Stafford to face. He had a very 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:07.399 diplomatic answer. You'll hear that in three two one go 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.120 joining us now in the Hunday Texans Radio studio. It's 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:13.000 Nick Kissario, general manager of the Texans. How's it going, Nick, Oh, 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:15.160 it's good to see you. Great to see you. Okay, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.880 so big week, they're all big. But here we go 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:21.720 with preseason game number two. It's a strange preseason Nick, 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.280 We're all getting used to three games, plus you have 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:26.800 this short week and then another short week on top 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.640 of that dynamic going on. Can you speak to that. Yeah, 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:31.480 there's a lot of factors that are involved. I would 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:34.319 say relative to the Rams, it's a good opportunity for 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.720 us against a new team, different scheme, both offensively defensively, 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:41.399 have some familiarity just relative to haven't played them last season, 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.319 Say they've had a lot of continuity. Say they're kind 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.440 of the way they handle the preseason. They don't play 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:48.360 a lot of players. But that's okay. I mean, you're 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:50.880 still getting get an opportunity to work against another group 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:53.320 of players. We can evaluate some of their players, and 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:54.760 we can kind of see how some of our players 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:57.720 doing a different setting. And then you mentioned a short week, 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:00.200 which is kind of going to simulate really what's gonna happen? 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.080 And on the Thursday night game, so play Friday night. 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:04.920 I know it's a few days earlier than normal, but 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:07.480 play Friday night come back and then really Monday, Tuesday 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.040 practice Wednesdays the day before the game, and then we're 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:12.520 playing Thursday night. So it kind of gives into the 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:15.120 players an opportunity to simulate what that short week is 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.079 going to look like. Nick, we played last week obviously here. 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:19.800 Now you're on the road for the first time. How 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.400 much does that become, as you call it, a different 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:24.560 stimulus having to go into road. That's something you gotta 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:27.040 get used to as Yeah, absolutely, kind of the travel process, 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:30.600 some of the logistics that are involved with that traveling. 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.400 We're to Howard, long flight, three hour flight, whatever that is, 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.400 new time zone, just your body clock, have a long day, 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:38.920 games in the evening, so just to kind of go 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:41.200 through what's your road routine going to look like and 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.560 try to simulate that as best as possible relative to 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:46.640 what you do at home. So it's a good opportunity 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.000 for all of us on a lot of different levels, 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:51.800 from a playing from a coaching, from an operational perspective. 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:53.600 It just gives us another bite at the apple, a 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.400 little review. On Game one, you pulled it out at 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:00.000 the end, that ninety yard drive. I know, not everybody's 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:02.080 gonna make the fifty three nick, But what does that 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.040 do for the entire team to see that happen to 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:06.920 come through in the clutch like that. No, you can 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.360 see the emotion in the players throughout the game. You 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:11.639 had players jumping off the sideline after a big play. 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:14.600 I mean Rivers had a big sack and JG was 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:17.000 sprinting on the field doing a chess bumps. So the 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.160 team is engaged, the team is into the game, and ultimately, 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:22.120 when you step on the field, it's a competitive environment. 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:23.280 You want to go out there and try to win. 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:25.040 So I would say there's a lot of things that 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:28.160 actually came up in that game situationally that we're going 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:30.239 to have to execute in some way, shape or form 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.079 against another opponent. So it was a good opportunity live 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:36.560 to see what we can do and that chain of 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:39.480 events terms of got the ball back on the ten, move, 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:43.240 scored twenty five seconds left, covered the kick, pin them 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:45.240 inside the twenty, and then we're able to get off 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:47.320 the field with the snack excuse me, with a sack 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:51.480 on the initial play there. So those situations, those plays matter, 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:53.200 they matter to the players. They've invested a lot of 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.320 time and energy, So it's nice to see them rewarded 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.280 in the end. Nick playing a game, we talked about 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:00.120 it before the game, tackling ball security, those kind of things, 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:01.920 but you also get situational work. You got at the 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:03.720 end of the first half and then you obviously got 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:04.920 at the end of the game. How do you think 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:08.200 overall you handled situations for the first time in live action, Yeah, 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:10.760 there were certainly some positives. When you look at a 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:12.920 game in general, you're gonna look at third down, and 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:14.520 you're gonna look at the red area, and you're gonna 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:16.520 look at end a half, end a game, two minute 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.000 type situations. So if you were to just take a 0:04:19.080 --> 0:04:22.400 microcosm of that game and look at those situations, played 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:25.039 pretty good in the ready area offensively, and then played 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.000 decent two minute. You know, end a half. Probably couldn't 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:29.600 have handled that a little bit better, but kind of 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.640 had an end a half situation, end a game situation, 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:33.599 and third down is probably in an area that we 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:36.320 can certainly improve overall as a team. And then offensively 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.640 taking care of the football the turnovers are a part 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.160 of it, and then defensively the goal of three takeaways 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:44.200 per game. That kind of came to fruition, so you're 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:47.640 able to any end regardless if it's preseason, regular season, postseason, 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:50.120 whatever it is, those elements are still gonna hold true 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:53.200 in the game. Well, let's talk d line here, and 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:55.560 that's a lot of fun right now. Not everybody played, 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.159 but it was like last year in a sense that 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:00.520 no matter who you played, last year felt like people 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.080 were making plays. And on Saturday Night, no matter who 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:04.920 you played, they were making plays. Get a lot of 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:07.560 pressure on the opposing quarterback and it wasn't always perfect 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.640 in terms of yards allowed, but you got the ball 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:11.880 out and made the negative plays. Yeah. No, it was 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.400 a great opportunity for some players that maybe hadn't played 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.560 as much. I mean, guy like Kurt Heinenschhue, you know, 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:18.360 as a rookie for agent, had an oportunity out there 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:20.240 and make some plays. Even Dio played a little bit. 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.760 Rivers should say continued kind of his offseason growth and 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:25.760 development from last year to this year. I know love 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:28.040 he talked about him a little bit earlier this week. 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:30.680 Getting JG back on the field, kind of that real 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.880 live game stimulus that's important just from a confident standpoint. 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:36.839 So there's a lot that you can accomplish, even if 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:38.760 it's for a handful of plays, but there's a lot 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:41.160 that you can get accomplished, both personally and collectively as 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.840 a team. Nick, what are these games ranked for rookies? 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.120 Last week we saw Petrie and we saw Damien do 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:50.480 some good things. Obviously, Kenyan coming back from what he's 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:53.359 dealing with Sting didn't play. How important is it to 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.960 get him some reps? Just to get NFL reps in 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.960 before September eleventh gets to plays. Everything that we do 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.400 is important. The meetings are important, practice is important, the 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:05.120 game opportunities are important. So ultimately you want to make 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:09.080 sure that you're prepared for September that Sunday when we 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:12.200 play the Indianapolis Colts here and NRG. So it's all 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.000 geared towards that. So whatever you have to do in 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:16.040 the interim up to that point, we're gonna try to 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:17.640 go ahead and make sure the players are equipped and 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:19.720 ready to go for that chance. What you see in 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:21.880 the running game on Saturday night that you want to 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:25.599 see more of and maybe you want to see improve Yeah, 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:29.520 try to keep the ball moving forward more positive runs. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.520 Didn't have a lot of zero or negative runs. So 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.480 anytime you run the football, you mean four yards of 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:35.960 carry if you can get to that point. You know, 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:38.800 we have a expectation when you call a run, you 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:40.960 want to get to a certain number of yards in 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:43.400 that play because it puts you in a manageable situation. 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:46.880 So try to minimize the negative or zero runs. And 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:49.080 then you're actually able to execute some of the blocks 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.480 that double team blocks, that down blocks, the douce blocks 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.280 in a real life setting against another defender where you 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:57.200 can actually move or displace that defender. So and the 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:00.240 fullback has an opportunity to front up on the linebackers well, 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.440 whether it's an inside run or a play to the perimeter. 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.920 So all those reps, all those players are important. Nick, 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:08.440 you mentioned a guy earlier ended up with two sacks 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:10.800 and Derek Rivers, and you had experience with him in 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:12.760 twenty seventeen. He gets trapped by New England when you 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.040 were there and we had fortunately were at the Greenbriner. 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:16.640 We saw him go down. He ended up missing that 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:18.880 year and he's had some injuries. But it really feels 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:20.920 like when you watching at practice, you see growth each 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:22.640 and every play and you keep thinking he's young guy. 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:24.720 He's been around since twenty seventeen. What did you guys 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:27.080 seeing him as a young player in seventeen and then 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:28.960 the growth over the last few years to where he 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:31.960 is now. Yeah, I'd say the overall stick tutedness and 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.440 commitment to football when he very easily could have packed 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:36.160 it in and said it's just too hard, it's really 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:38.800 too much, given him the adversity that he's faced, So 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:40.640 I think it speaks a lot to him as a person, 0:07:40.960 --> 0:07:43.239 as a human being, not necessarily as a football player. 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.360 When he came out of Youngstown State, he was a 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:47.920 fairly i would say active or productive edge rusher, and 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:49.480 then he had an opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl, 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:51.400 so you're able to see him against i would say 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:54.160 better competition going from Youngstown State to what you see 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.600 at the Senior Bowl. So and then really the early 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.600 part of his career kind of got short changed there 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:01.400 just from an injury standpoint. But knock on wood, he's 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.400 been able to kind of keep himself healthy and give 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:05.640 himself an opportunity to go out there and perform, and 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:08.120 you're seeing some of the things manifest themselves that you 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:11.360 saw really when he was drafted in twenty seventeen in 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:13.840 New England. This time of year, it feels like the 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:17.720 practices start to change a little bit less full padded 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.080 go ones against the ones kind of stuff, maybe a 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:22.840 little more scout team type of stuff. Anyway, just getting 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:25.680 everybody in the proper spot. How does that affect how 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:28.000 you see the players that evaluate them on the field, 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.320 because you have to evaluate the roster constantly no matter 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.200 what they're doing. Yeah, you're evaluating everything mark, So regardless 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.439 of who it's against, we try to still do some 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:37.840 good on good So the offense works against the defense, 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.000 so you see a certain level of pace and competition. 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:42.880 Eventually you're going to transition to some of the carded 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.400 periods where you're trying to simulate what the opposing team 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:47.199 is going to do. I'd say that's little bit more controlled, 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:49.720 but you still want to do it at a high 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:52.760 rate of speed. But what that players being coached to 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:54.840 do are asked to do might be something different on 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:56.600 the card than what we would ask him to do, 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:58.679 So you kind of have to delineate between the two 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:00.760 a little bit. So try to get is much good 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:03.280 on good work, probably even into the season as well. 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.719 But you're starting to transition you mentioned when you look 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:07.959 at the course of a week one padded practice and 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.080 then you're in shells for the next two days, and 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.160 that's what a normal week is going to look like. 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:15.959 How close is the roster to completely revealing itself? That's 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.600 my favorite phrase the rock. I said this to somebody. 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:20.760 I said, Yeah, the roster is revealing itself. And then 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.160 what I said, ask Nick, because Nick knows, But how's 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:26.240 the process changed, Nick? The fact that you had to 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.080 go from ninety to eighty five this last week? Here 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:32.079 I get from eighty five down to how's that process 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:34.720 changed from the evaluation to get down to the fifty 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:37.440 three man roster. Yeah, the league has kind of changed. 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.960 It's come gone from ninety to fifty three, ninety to 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.040 seventy five to fifty three, and now I'm trying it's 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.240 eighty five to eighty. So you're just kind of managing 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:48.760 your roster and you're managing your team. And I would 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:50.200 say there's a lot of factors that can win. Do 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.240 it necessarily. It doesn't necessarily affect how we evaluate the team. 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.560 There's just certain timing and checkpoints by a certain number, 0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:58.200 by a certain time, you have to have x number 0:09:58.240 --> 0:09:59.880 players on the roster, So do you feel like it 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:02.840 revealing itself to you. We're getting to a point where 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.440 I think things are starting to manifest themselves a little 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:07.839 bit to provide some level of clarity. So the one 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:10.520 thing that's always unclear, So you're gonna be things pop up. 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:12.880 You're gonna be players that sustain injuries that could potentially 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.000 affect some of the decisions that you have to make. 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:17.520 So try to take all the information and totality and 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:19.080 then just utilize in and try to make the right 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:21.679 decision for the team. Ultimately. I'll keep using that phrase though, 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:25.360 credit every time. I'm gonna reveal my next question there, 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:28.360 and that is when he's a very revealing interview. Yeah, 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:31.240 when you see players, you know make plays at the 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.679 end of the game, Johnny Johnson or Jailing can't make 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:35.880 it a big play. Whoever the player might be, it's 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.560 not them specifically, but you know, if it's a tight 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:40.640 fitted it always is. Fifty three is a pretty tight 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.720 fit on the roster. Is part of you saying oh no, no, no, no, 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:47.000 don't show anybody that because you want to be able 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.680 to maybe practice squad certain individuals or not. I gotta 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.280 imagine it's happening all over the league with all these teams. Yeah, 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:55.040 you really can't control that. You want the players to 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.160 go out there and perform at optimal level and really 0:10:58.200 --> 0:10:59.960 make plays. I mean, that's what they're there to do, 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:01.920 and there's a certain amount they have pride and they 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:03.960 want to be able to do that. So regardless of 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.400 one the play takes place, we're evaluating everything. We're watching 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:08.800 these games. Everybody's going through the same thing. Like there's 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.920 gonna be thirty seven players and everybody's roster eventually that 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:13.600 have been in training camp that aren't going to be there, 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:15.360 so we're all going through the same things. There'll be 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:19.040 some i would say roster mechanizations that will have to 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:20.920 go through and try to figure out how do we 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:24.320 position it accordingly. Ideally, the goal is trying to keep 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.679 sixty five seventy players in the building in some way, 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:29.960 shape or form. So how you do that. You know 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:32.199 there's some mechanics that are involved, but ultimately you don't 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:33.640 want to get too Q to can't get too Q. 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:35.880 You can't really predict everything. Ultimately, just have to look 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.120 at your team, try to make the right decision and 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:40.200 then just keep moving forward, I do a segment with 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:42.280 Mark called either or man, try and come up with 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:44.080 the most difficult question to put them on the spot. 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:46.280 So I'm gonna do it. Nick Cassario, either or No? 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.200 Watch this this I just thought of doing. Players. Sean 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:53.040 McVay walks across and he says, Look, you're gonna face 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:55.920 one of these two guys. Which one would be better 0:11:55.960 --> 0:12:00.160 for your team to face Friday night? Aaron Donald or 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:05.040 Matt Stafford Neither. I mean, I would just say, speaking 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:07.480 to those two players, I mean you're talking probably two 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.400 of the better players at their positions, respectfully in the league. 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:12.839 I mean, Aaron, you have to account for him on 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.240 every play, like literally wherever he is. You have to 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:17.680 account for him wherever, because he can literally wreck the 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.240 game on his own. You're the biggest storian of the game. 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:23.360 Is there anybody in the history of the game that 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.760 he reminds you of? I would say, and I'm not 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:28.760 saying they're the same players, but it's funny. We were 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:30.520 in a meeting and love he's kind of had some 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:33.319 exposure to these players, But guys like Sap, you know, 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:35.320 get with that kind of size and stature and the 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:38.040 way they impact the game. So even though they're short, 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:41.199 they're powerful and compact. I'd say Sap was really athletic 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:42.800 and move very well, even though he wasn't a real 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.480 big guy. I mean, when you look at Aaron, he's short, 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:49.240 but he is thick, dense, he's ripped, and he's strong 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.840 and he just athletically does things at a three hundred 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:55.320 pounder like realistically shouldn't be able to do. So every 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:58.200 player is their own entity, so it's not like one 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.920 players necessarily like the other. They all have their strengths 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:04.000 and weaknesses. But you're talking about arguably two of the 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:06.839 best players at their respective positions over the history of 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:09.000 the game. We're going to talk to Levy about playing 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.320 time and things like that, but what would you like 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.880 to see? Because first team offense didn't get that many 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:16.800 plays the other night, got a little bit of a 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:19.320 lather going. But I got to imagine the whole staff 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.920 wants to see a little bit more and let them 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:23.559 take a test drive, so to speak. Yeah, I really 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:25.480 think the big thing you're looking for is just good execution. 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:27.920 So when you go out there offensively, can we shrink 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.080 some plays together? Can we have some completions? Can we 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.000 run the ball or we eliminated. The negative plays are 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:34.839 not false starting, and we not turn the ball over, 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:38.080 do not have penalties. So however many plays it is 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.200 that they play for however long and they're on the field. 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:42.760 You just want to see good execution over the course 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.360 of that period of time. Niggas it pertains to special teams, 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:47.920 how do you look at special teams in the preseason. 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:51.439 Is it more about an evaluation opportunity of particular players, 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:53.839 or is it this is the group that we want 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:56.000 to start getting ready for September eleven, or is it 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.600 this really intricate mix of both as you get ready, John, 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:01.440 I think it's a combination of both. That's a fair 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:03.480 way to look at it. So you're looking at different combinations. 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:06.040 You may try this group these two players together, kind 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:08.240 of see what that looks like. Everybody's going to kind 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.000 of give an opportunity. And really, the special teams in 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:14.320 a preseason, it's not necessarily about schematics or xs and os. 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:16.920 It's just about can you block, can you run, can 0:14:16.960 --> 0:14:19.120 you tackle, can you avoid the block? Do you make 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.200 the kicks? Can you feel the ball? Can you catch 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.360 the ball. So really it comes back to basic fundamentals 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:25.600 and techniques, and that's where the emphasis is. Well, we've 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.640 talked about this a little bit, but you're scouting all 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:29.720 the other teams to see who might be available, who 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.280 could possibly help this team. So how does that work? 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:35.840 Do you send scouts physically to be there? Is the 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.240 tape readily available? How does all that operate? Yeah, no, 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.680 we've made everything kind of in house because the tape 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:45.800 is readily available really the next day. So game Friday night, 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.440 you come in Saturday morning, So Buffalo Indianapolis, that tape 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:50.920 is ready to go, so you can go through their 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.400 roster and that one specifically, you're doing a twofold. You're 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.800 evaluating their team and you're really thinking about some of 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.080 your preparation and starting to play in here for the openers. 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.680 So we we have done it, I would say historically 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.080 both ways, Like I personally have done that a matter 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.120 of found. Never forget. I want to say it was 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:09.440 Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. They were supposed to play on 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:12.520 a Friday or Saturday. The game thunderstorm they were lightning out, 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.480 so the game was actually moved from Sunday to Monday, 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:18.480 So I had to reorganize my schedule and go down 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:20.440 there and actually scout, so kind of pushed back the 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:22.920 schedule here a little bit, but those days of going 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:24.880 to preseason, at least from our perspective, we're trying to 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:26.680 be as efficient as we can with our time, and 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:28.760 we've just found that it's more productive just to do 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.640 everything in the house and then we can have constructive discussions. 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:34.240 If you want to see something specific that you feel 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:35.640 you need to do a game and see a live 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:38.000 then that would be your rationale for doing so. Nick, 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.440 the change from four games down to three in the preseason, 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.880 has that in any way changed the way you approached 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:46.440 the evaluation of the roster at that point, No material, 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:48.120 because ultimately it's going to come down to what are 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:50.760 the opportunities that players have on the field the actual game. 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:53.840 So some play more than others, some play less, some 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.360 players play the whole game that you maybe didn't anticipate. 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:58.840 But it's really it's a great opportunity to evaluate those 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:02.840 players and then when the final roster construction comes in place, everybody, 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:04.960 when you watch a game on a Sunday basis, you're 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:07.960 seeing them, you know, called eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen players 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:09.520 that play in that side of the ball. Maybe some 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:11.160 of the backups don't be an opportunity to play, So 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.200 your evaluation is going to be based off what they 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:16.520 do in the preseason. So all that information is valuable. Nick, 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:18.720 correct me if I'm wrong. When the Texan started play, 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:21.840 I felt like in the preseason everything was really vanilla 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:24.640 as far as offense and defense. Especially on defense, you'd 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:26.960 see for man front, whatever your front was, that's what 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.000 you were doing. And over the years, more people sending 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.520 an extra body or two blitzaying doing weird or not weird, 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:36.480 but just more exotic things, if you will. Is that 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.560 accurate you see it that way? It depends. I think 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:42.960 it's philosophically what you're what you do offensive mean, defensive, 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.320 and the coordinators beliefs. I would say, you watch the 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:49.640 Giants played defensively, and Wink is a very aggressive defensive coach. 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:51.800 I mean, he had some of the best defenses in 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:54.640 the league in Baltimore. And you know, you watch the 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.280 game the other night and it's blood zero, it's bloid zero. 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.600 It's different mechanizations in blood zone. That's just what they do, 0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:01.560 that's who they are. So I think you kind of 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:03.480 stay true to who you are You're not going to 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:05.399 come up with like a brand new defense by the 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:07.440 time you get to the regular season. Whatever you have, 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:09.879 you've practiced it, you've done. You might want to see it. 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:12.000 You want to want to put it on tape so 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.520 you can actually talk through it. What are the adjustments, 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.000 what happened here? You can coach off of it, and 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.600