Speaker 1: What has happened? Everybody. Happy Friday to you wherever you are.
Speaker 2: Welcome into Texans All Access from the Hondai Texans Radio studio.
Speaker 1: Day three of training camp is.
Speaker 2: In the books and it was, well, I'll put it
Speaker 2: this way, I didn't even write Harris Hits for this
Speaker 2: one today. And I am your host, John Harris, the
Speaker 2: author of Harris Hits, author author football, and I saw
Speaker 2: that report for your Houston Texas Longside and you heard
Speaker 2: the voice, the voice of the Texans, Mark Vandermier. But Mark,
Speaker 2: it was one of those days that you know, Harris
Speaker 2: Hits had to sit on the sideline.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because they were going kind of three quarters in
Speaker 3: the bubble. They went a little easier on themselves today
Speaker 3: after days one and two. Tomorrow is going to be
Speaker 3: heavy duty baby out in the outdoor elements in front
Speaker 3: of the fans for the first time, and I think
Speaker 3: this is a great time. The fans will give the
Speaker 3: players even more juice back outside high energy practice. You
Speaker 3: know they're gonna lay it all out there practice wise,
Speaker 3: practice context of laying it all out there, and then
Speaker 3: Sunday day off and then start the whole process again
Speaker 3: on Monday. So I like that they did that. I
Speaker 3: think it's smart. I taught to Frank Okam after practice.
Speaker 3: We'll probably play that next week. But a good interview
Speaker 3: with him because I said, how is camp different now
Speaker 3: than it was in two thousand and eight when you
Speaker 3: were drafted by the Texans as a defensive lineman?
Speaker 1: Plenty different.
Speaker 3: He had plenty to say about it too, and how
Speaker 3: they take care of themselves now? And I said, well,
Speaker 3: how do you build the intensity? The callousis that you
Speaker 3: have to build and the intensity and everything else. And
Speaker 3: he had some good answers about this, because you know
Speaker 3: what the D line calls themselves.
Speaker 4: Right, the engine, the engine.
Speaker 1: The engine is.
Speaker 3: If you're part of the engine, you got to be
Speaker 3: ready to go at all times.
Speaker 2: And those two and rod Right was on in the
Speaker 2: loop today with Reggie and John. I haven't a chance
Speaker 2: to talk to Reggie and John about it, but we
Speaker 2: love our time with rod Right. We'd love it. I
Speaker 2: know with Frank as well. We have absolutely enjoyed our
Speaker 2: time with them. But those guys get coached hard. Yep,
Speaker 2: they get coached hard. First day of OTAs, I think
Speaker 2: it was first day OTAs no pads.
Speaker 1: The contact has got to.
Speaker 3: Be day icy, don't hurt anybody, don't hurt anybody.
Speaker 1: You know you don't, you don't want to hurt anybody.
Speaker 2: But also that you know there's gonna be some bodies
Speaker 2: that run into each other because it's football, that kind
Speaker 2: of thing. So they get done with a period. And
Speaker 2: now keep in mind OTA's mini camp. Not everybody's there.
Speaker 2: I think Sheldon wasn't there. Uh, Tommy was in practice,
Speaker 2: but he was not in at the time whatever. And
Speaker 2: I happened to be floating by, and there was a
Speaker 2: special teams period and whoever was not on special teams
Speaker 2: from the D line was sitting on the bench and
Speaker 2: Rod right and they were getting the business handed to him.
Speaker 1: Oh, and I'm like, it's the first day of OTAs.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It isn't like you're let's ease into this thing. Is like, no, No,
Speaker 2: we have a standard. You meet the standard, whether it's
Speaker 2: a walkthrough, whether it's a meeting inside, whether it's a
Speaker 2: team meeting, whether it's one on ones, whether it's inside Drew.
Speaker 2: We have a standard and you better freaking match that
Speaker 2: standard every.
Speaker 1: Day and exceed it if you're gonna play for this team.
Speaker 2: That's the expectation and that's I'm just I don't know
Speaker 2: if that's what he said to him, but that's kind
Speaker 2: of in my mind what I was thinking he was
Speaker 2: saying to him. I just felt like, first day OTAs, man,
Speaker 2: we don't ease into this. And like, if you're not
Speaker 2: easing into it in the first day OTAs, you sure
Speaker 2: as hell are not easing into it on day three
Speaker 2: a training camp, even if you're not having all the contact,
Speaker 2: because when they're out without pads, it's a contact sport
Speaker 2: once if with the pads on, it becomes a collision sport. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but that that has that has stayed with me. I
Speaker 2: mean that was that was just this offseason. I remember
Speaker 2: I I've already I love Frank Okamp and Rod right,
Speaker 2: I love them both. When I saw that, I was like,
Speaker 2: hell yeah, because that's what other that's what non championship
Speaker 2: teams do. If here what championship, then the standard has
Speaker 2: to be at such a level that every rep, every
Speaker 2: practice you go out there. And that's why today watching
Speaker 2: over in the bubble and I thought that was another
Speaker 2: great thing. Look, we don't we play outside one time
Speaker 2: and that isn't it's all week five on the schedule, right,
Speaker 2: so let's we're gonna get plenty of work outside on
Speaker 2: the grass, but when we can take the load off
Speaker 2: getting him inside in the bubble, let's do it. That said,
Speaker 2: the expectation is still you better know what you're doing.
Speaker 2: You better go out on the field, know what your
Speaker 2: responsibility is, know what your role is.
Speaker 1: And go to the hilt.
Speaker 2: Just don't tackle anybody, don't hit anybody, don't collide with anybody,
Speaker 2: stay up and get a lot of work done.
Speaker 1: And I feel like that's what today was. Yeah, that's
Speaker 1: what it was.
Speaker 3: It was also choreography for situational stuff that last second
Speaker 3: field goal type stuff. Spike the ball, get it all
Speaker 3: done in time, get the guys acclimated to that day three,
Speaker 3: I thought it was pretty early to be doing stuff
Speaker 3: like that, but why not. Why not get it in
Speaker 3: their system early because every point is crucial, every possession
Speaker 3: is crucial.
Speaker 4: You've got to get points whenever you can.
Speaker 3: How many times at the end of the first half
Speaker 3: situation were they able to execute a lot, you know,
Speaker 3: and as to do it, they go after it, they
Speaker 3: get after it. There have been teams here in the past,
Speaker 3: and I don't know, I don't know why the approach
Speaker 3: was this way, but you felt like there wasn't this
Speaker 3: sense of urgency or as much of one to get
Speaker 3: something done before the break, to get something really positive done.
Speaker 3: It was like, if it happens, okay, but if it doesn't, no, No,
Speaker 3: this is we need to get at least three here
Speaker 3: before halftime, and that's going to make a big difference.
Speaker 3: It's always brought up, you know, back in the day,
Speaker 3: Chris Berman and Tom Jackson NFL Time time and you know,
Speaker 3: the music and everything, and they would say, what do
Speaker 3: the good teams do? They end the first half, Well,
Speaker 3: they begin the second half, Well, they're really good in
Speaker 3: that middle part of the game. Look, I think the
Speaker 3: good teams do everything well, and you want to be
Speaker 3: one of those good teams. So this kind of work
Speaker 3: is really important early. Plus, I like the bubble, Johnny.
Speaker 3: Whenever I'm in the bubble, and this being the twenty
Speaker 3: fifth year, it just reminds me of year one so
Speaker 3: much because that's the first time I ever saw a
Speaker 3: practice was in the bubble in the offseason, So it
Speaker 3: always brings me back to that that moment. For some reason,
Speaker 3: the smell of the bubble is the same as it
Speaker 3: was twenty four years ago. It's the same smell and
Speaker 3: it hasn't changed that much at least to me, but
Speaker 3: it probably has over the years. I mean it's a
Speaker 3: new bubble. I think they flipped the bubble twice. Probably
Speaker 3: new air conditioning, I know, new lights and things like that.
Speaker 3: Any case, in any case, the bubble is a good
Speaker 3: place to watch because the visual is different in there
Speaker 3: and when the.
Speaker 1: Lighting is different.
Speaker 3: I was talking to our videographers about this. They don't
Speaker 3: like it, a little different than they like. The photographers
Speaker 3: hate the bubble. Yeah, the bubble's not but the lights
Speaker 3: are better now than they used to be. They used
Speaker 3: to really hate it. But I think that it's a
Speaker 3: good place to watch things. And for the guys, Johnny,
Speaker 3: you tell me because you played this game when you're
Speaker 3: going that three quarter, Yeah, it's not about intensity, it's
Speaker 3: about precision. It's a good time to work on your
Speaker 3: precision on things.
Speaker 1: Do you have pep in your step? This is I heard.
Speaker 2: I heard this when I heard I heard Dimika Ryan
Speaker 2: say it. And I'm always in tune to. I'm in
Speaker 2: tune listening to for those sort of things like how
Speaker 2: you know, like what's the acronyms, and then Nick.
Speaker 1: Cassio said it the other day.
Speaker 2: Precision effort, physicality, PEP, pepping your step.
Speaker 1: That's what I call it.
Speaker 2: You got pepping your step, precision effort, physicality. And I've
Speaker 2: asked this question of both of them over the years,
Speaker 2: because I know I definitely have asked it of Nick,
Speaker 2: what's a non negotiable as it pertains to when you're
Speaker 2: doing player evaluation, be it free agents or rookies coming
Speaker 2: to the Texans, what are your non negotiables? I've asked
Speaker 2: that of Demko. To be on this team, to be
Speaker 2: on this defense, to be part of the offense, what
Speaker 2: are your non negotiables? And it feels like those three
Speaker 2: things stand out. You must be precise in what you're
Speaker 2: doing everything. You're not just gonna go willy nearly fly
Speaker 2: out there and like things are going to happen for you.
Speaker 5: Effort.
Speaker 1: We know this team, we know it's effort. And then last,
Speaker 1: it's certainly not least its physicality.
Speaker 6: I feel like those three letters, the accron and pep
Speaker 6: pep in your steps. I'll say it, that seems to
Speaker 6: fit almost even better than swarm because it encompasses everybody,
Speaker 6: but it feels like those are these are.
Speaker 1: The non negotiables.
Speaker 2: If you don't have those three, if you're not precise
Speaker 2: in what you do, you don't show the right kind
Speaker 2: of effort or enough effort, and you were not physical,
Speaker 2: you're not a Texan.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I feel like that encapsulates even more than the
Speaker 2: smart dependable they've come up with in the past. I
Speaker 2: feel like I feel like Pep, especially for this team,
Speaker 2: this coaching staff, this personnel group, Nick, et cetera.
Speaker 1: I feel like it fits that much.
Speaker 3: If somebody asked me about this kind of stuff. You know,
Speaker 3: every coach has their thing, I mean some more than others. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and Demiko a swarm in this now and everything that
Speaker 3: Nick added to it.
Speaker 4: I think it's important to have these things.
Speaker 1: It's important, you know, do your job.
Speaker 3: These cliches or acronyms, phrases, mantras, mantras very important because
Speaker 3: you want to simplify it and you want to give
Speaker 3: the guys something to go back to. This is the
Speaker 3: religion of football right here.
Speaker 4: In sports.
Speaker 3: You need to be able to have that to rely
Speaker 3: on to push you through those hard moments because this
Speaker 3: is a grind and this time next week we'll be
Speaker 3: talking about Okay, we're in game week Monday. Oh no,
Speaker 3: Friday's game week Monday. John, Oh no, so you're not
Speaker 3: gonna start with that, but no, it's gonna be also,
Speaker 3: Oh wow, we've been in camp for a whild out
Speaker 3: and they're gonna feel it. They're gonna feel it because
Speaker 3: they have a day off Sunday, O day off Thursday,
Speaker 3: and then probably the Sunday after that. If I'm not
Speaker 3: that's right, both because a Saturday night practice a week
Speaker 3: from tomorrow. Anyway, well, let's not too far ahead of
Speaker 3: ourselves other than to say that you need things to
Speaker 3: carry you through this time. And today it was just
Speaker 3: great to see the guys inside run of those routes,
Speaker 3: being precise defensive players, not lighting guys up at all, right,
Speaker 3: and seeing some execution in the bubble. I can't wait
Speaker 3: for tomorrow won't be padded in all likelihood correct will pass.
Speaker 3: These came out in full pads today.
Speaker 1: That's disease.
Speaker 4: I'm not surprised.
Speaker 1: That's so cool.
Speaker 3: I'm not surprised he comes out in full pads today. Well,
Speaker 3: because it's because it's a walkthrough.
Speaker 2: They know he's not gonna you know, he's not gonna
Speaker 2: hit anybody, shouldn't hit anybody at that point.
Speaker 3: Maybe he just wants to like call us up. I
Speaker 3: don't know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm who's to say. I mean, it's disease.
Speaker 2: I mean he's the he's the leader of that defense
Speaker 2: in it, and it shows. But because they did a
Speaker 2: lot of walkthrough stuff, we got a chance to see
Speaker 2: Tank with with the offense.
Speaker 3: At this speed, you can just throw them right out there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, in the in the choreography everything. And Dimko talked
Speaker 1: about it yesterday.
Speaker 7: He talked, He.
Speaker 1: Said, Tank is just chomping at the bit.
Speaker 2: He just wants to be out there and and and
Speaker 2: totally understand it.
Speaker 1: I mean, you want to be out there with your guys.
Speaker 1: You want your guys CJ.
Speaker 2: Stroud, you want to be out there with you, you
Speaker 2: want to be catching passes.
Speaker 1: But I felt like it was you talked about the
Speaker 1: very end.
Speaker 2: They did a little bit of some situational work, and
Speaker 2: I love and I think I think about if I
Speaker 2: were coaching, I would mix in situational work with every practice.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because to pay attention to it.
Speaker 2: It forces guys to pay attention and forces him to
Speaker 2: learn a little bit about football. You'd be surprised how
Speaker 2: many guys might think they know the situation, but they
Speaker 2: may not.
Speaker 3: I mean, these things are really difficult. You're watching TV
Speaker 3: or like, oh yeah, I just get the field goal
Speaker 3: team out there spiked. You have to work on it.
Speaker 3: It's too many moving parts. You have eleven guys, everybody's
Speaker 3: got to be going. Even today, looking at getting up
Speaker 3: to the line spiking the football, it was really interesting
Speaker 3: to watch them practice this. Yes, you have to do
Speaker 3: this well, and it's it's fun for us to be
Speaker 3: able to observe it and relay it to you.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2: And the guy that is charged with doing it on
Speaker 2: the field, being the maestro getting everybody in position in
Speaker 2: those situations is one ce J Stroud, our buddy having
Speaker 2: Washedburn from CBS Sports, sat down with CJ, and it
Speaker 2: is wonderful.
Speaker 1: Take a listen well, CJ.
Speaker 8: First of all, great to see you. Always appreciate your time.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 8: We're kicking off training caip year four for you, it
Speaker 8: feels like you've been in the league a lot longer
Speaker 8: than that. Has this time flown by or does it
Speaker 8: feel like it's been four years?
Speaker 7: Uh?
Speaker 9: Good to see you, man. I appreciate you having on
Speaker 9: the show. But it's been been quick. Yeah, it's been
Speaker 9: a blessing. You know, I'm very grateful to go on
Speaker 9: a year four because, like yesterday, I was a rookie,
Speaker 9: so you know, it does seem like I've been in
Speaker 9: the league a lot longer. But you know, still you know,
Speaker 9: early in my career and I've been able to you know,
Speaker 9: have some meaningful years, but has gone by fast.
Speaker 8: Biggest difference when you start a camp like today as
Speaker 8: opposed to year one and year two for you.
Speaker 9: Definitely just like the comfortability of you know just what
Speaker 9: to expect, especially you know, being on the same team
Speaker 9: for this long and with the same head coach. And
Speaker 9: I think, you know, he's he's done a good job of,
Speaker 9: you know, trying to make everything everybody won, you know,
Speaker 9: from offense, defense, special teams, and you know, making sure
Speaker 9: we're competing at a high level.
Speaker 10: So and then you know, just learning every day.
Speaker 9: I think, you know, just because I am getting it
Speaker 9: down better doesn't mean I know everything.
Speaker 10: So I'm trying to learn every day.
Speaker 8: Specific to your offense. Nick Keley takes over offensive coordinator
Speaker 8: last year. Inevitable growing pains, you seem to figure it
Speaker 8: out towards the back end of the season, you guys
Speaker 8: go on that run. Where have you seen the growth
Speaker 8: in terms of the relationship you have in the command
Speaker 8: you have of this offense.
Speaker 9: Yeah, you know, early on, you know, has some some
Speaker 9: things that I feel like we knew. We're just figuring
Speaker 9: each other out on playing styles, on system, you know,
Speaker 9: trying to keep been in the system but also make
Speaker 9: it tailored to the guys. And I think he's done
Speaker 9: a great job, you know, I mean me and his
Speaker 9: relationship has grown. Uh, we talk a lot. We try
Speaker 9: to communicate as much as we can. I'm in his
Speaker 9: office a bunch, So M's nice man to uh. You know,
Speaker 9: have somebody who you know wants to see you succeed
Speaker 9: and that wants the best for you. So, you know,
Speaker 9: I think this year we'll take another step and you know,
Speaker 9: uh be better than we were last year.
Speaker 8: It feels like from the outside, you have what most
Speaker 8: teams in this league hope for continuity both sides of
Speaker 8: the ball and offensively, it's more about sprinkling in things
Speaker 8: to tweak and improve. I wanna start with the offensive line.
Speaker 8: It's probably been a a conversation point you've had to
Speaker 8: answer over the first three years in this league. What
Speaker 8: do you like about the group that this front office
Speaker 8: put together for you this year?
Speaker 10: Yeah, I think they're tough.
Speaker 9: You know, I think you know, uh, you know, it
Speaker 9: starts with you know, car r r o line coach.
Speaker 9: He's a tough guy, you know, definitely, you know, it's
Speaker 9: very opinionative and lets you know how he feels and
Speaker 9: he's gonna be brutally honest with you. But also, you know,
Speaker 9: I think the guys you brought in, you know, like
Speaker 9: whyt I thought, you know, I think he's very tough.
Speaker 9: He's played a lot of meaningful ball in his career,
Speaker 9: and you know, it's one of to get on the
Speaker 9: team where he can you know, make a run. So
Speaker 9: I'm happy to have him. I think Keeling brings a edge.
Speaker 9: You know, he's a dog young guy, but you know,
Speaker 9: takes command. Uh Braydon has been doing great. Trench's doing great,
Speaker 9: Tay you know, Jake Ed you know, uh Ed got paid,
Speaker 9: but he's working even harder now. So super proud of
Speaker 9: that guy. But you know, I like where we're going,
Speaker 9: and I you know, like the guys you brought in.
Speaker 8: I'm curious what's the process if Keeling's your center to
Speaker 8: kind of developing that chemistry necessary to play such a
Speaker 8: key role.
Speaker 10: I think first he has to be himself, you know.
Speaker 9: I know it's different, it's new for him, but he
Speaker 9: has to find, you know, things that that he's comfortable
Speaker 9: with doing, and I think, you know, uh, but also
Speaker 9: pushing itself to know and try new things. But I
Speaker 9: think most of all, he has to be himself. Like
Speaker 9: he got drafted in the first round for a reason,
Speaker 9: you know, and everything I've seen, you know, he's he's
Speaker 9: the first round talent. He's tough, he's he reminds me
Speaker 9: of my guys that I had in college, is like
Speaker 9: doesn't stop playing.
Speaker 10: Here's a whistle.
Speaker 9: Yeah, like he but just more than just talent, just
Speaker 9: like effort and you know, trying to like you know,
Speaker 9: play with the Wiston.
Speaker 10: Even if he's wrong, he's going a thousand percent.
Speaker 9: So you know, he's a great guy, somebody who you know,
Speaker 9: faith based, guy who relies on God. So I think,
Speaker 9: you know that definitely help him in in his rookie season.
Speaker 9: And I'm here for.
Speaker 8: Him and David Montgomery, a name in this league that
Speaker 8: that has so much respect that he brings here to Houston.
Speaker 8: How do you see him fitting in to the run game?
Speaker 10: Uh, He's gonna be perfect for us.
Speaker 9: So I think you look at this system, you know,
Speaker 9: you know kind of we have a New England style
Speaker 9: Slash Rams type of running running games. So you look
Speaker 9: at the guys that have had success in those systems,
Speaker 9: or guys like David Montgomery. So I see nothing but
Speaker 9: success for him. I think he's super tough, very quick feet,
Speaker 9: you know, is a one one cut guy.
Speaker 8: Uh.
Speaker 9: But he'll also run through your face. So you know,
Speaker 9: I'm a big fan of him since he was in Chicago.
Speaker 8: And for you, it's always fun talking to you the
Speaker 8: beginning of a season, obviously throughout the year, just your
Speaker 8: growth both on and off the field. And in preparation
Speaker 8: for this, I saw a quote you had the beauty
Speaker 8: is in the struggle As a guy on the outside,
Speaker 8: it seems like you've had a lot of success. Where's
Speaker 8: the struggle been for you that you've had to kind
Speaker 8: of navigate?
Speaker 10: You know?
Speaker 9: I think everybody you know, and even myself, you think,
Speaker 9: whenever I end the game, I don't ever think about
Speaker 9: the good players, think about the bad and same thing.
Speaker 9: I don't ever think about the good games, think about
Speaker 9: the bad. So but for me, I mean, I have
Speaker 9: had a lot of success, a lot of wins and
Speaker 9: a lot of you know, playoff wins, which is I'm
Speaker 9: been grateful for. But I'm ready to take a step,
Speaker 9: you know, and and go even farther than that. You know,
Speaker 9: not only is you know, as a team, but personally
Speaker 9: as well. So I think I put in the work
Speaker 9: of off season. Now it's just you know, doing it now.
Speaker 9: But yeah, I mean, I'm I'm grateful for, you know,
Speaker 9: the success I had. So I'm not you know, naive
Speaker 9: or you know, dumb that I don't think I'm a
Speaker 9: bad football player, but you know, I definitely not.
Speaker 10: Can I can take better.
Speaker 8: Steps And it's the reality of the job. But when
Speaker 8: you're as highly touted as you are and productive as
Speaker 8: you are, people want to know, all right, when's he
Speaker 8: can be locked up for the long term? And here
Speaker 8: in Houston, how do you manage that noise? And just
Speaker 8: what's the human nature of wanting to know where you're
Speaker 8: gonna be beyond next year?
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean, you know, first, you know, my my
Speaker 9: my faith is in God, and you know, I've been
Speaker 9: brought to this great city of Houston. You know, when
Speaker 9: I was twenty twenty one years old as a young kid,
Speaker 9: went behind the ears and the city has taught me
Speaker 9: how to be a man. And you know, I've made
Speaker 9: plenty of mistakes, had a lot of successes, but they've
Speaker 9: rooted me on, you know, and I just really appreciate
Speaker 9: being here, so you know, right now and focus on
Speaker 9: football and letting my agent and you know, our front
Speaker 9: office handle it. But you know, everything's moving forward, and
Speaker 9: you know it seems like you know, everything's moving moving up.
Speaker 9: So we're we're I'm happy where I am, and I
Speaker 9: want to be here, you know, as long as I can.
Speaker 8: And and lastly, see JA, what gives you confidence in yourself?
Speaker 8: But more importantly the collective that this is the group
Speaker 8: that can push through, get past that divisional round and
Speaker 8: and reach the goals that not only are you guys
Speaker 8: capable of that, but that I know you're death.
Speaker 9: Yeah, personally, I would say, you know, just the work
Speaker 9: that I've put in over the years, that versity that
Speaker 9: I've been through, Like I, this isn't new to me.
Speaker 9: You know, I've been through a bunch of my career
Speaker 9: from high school to you know, playing out of high
Speaker 9: state now playing here in the NFL, and I'm used
Speaker 9: to adversity. I'm used to you know, you know, people
Speaker 9: not believing in me, So you know that's kind of
Speaker 9: something that I'm used to.
Speaker 10: But you know, I also know that people do.
Speaker 9: So, uh, then the work that I put in, I'm
Speaker 9: I'm proud of myself on the off season I've had
Speaker 9: and the steps that I've taken. And then as a group,
Speaker 9: you know, the work we put in together. I think
Speaker 9: you know where a group that you know has seeing
Speaker 9: what it looks like when we're rolling and you know
Speaker 9: those games we're like a little bit off is where
Speaker 9: you know, we we dropped some games.
Speaker 10: So I think if we go back.
Speaker 9: And we look at, you know, some of the games
Speaker 9: we had a lot of one score games, we win
Speaker 9: those games, we you know, we could be on top
Speaker 9: of the AFC, maybe even the best team in the league.
Speaker 10: So that's definitely in and just capable for it.
Speaker 9: So I believe, you know, the work that we put
Speaker 9: in their OTAs and now going into training camp, you
Speaker 9: know we'll be able to take that step.
Speaker 8: Awesome man, always great team. I appreciate your talking about
Speaker 8: see a week once, sir.
Speaker 2: Great stuff from those two happen to see two days later,
Speaker 2: Evan Washburn up with Josh Allen. I was like, yep,
Speaker 2: Van Washburn's gonna be in the building for Bill's Texans,
Speaker 2: which he thought that was going to be the case.
Speaker 1: So we'll see them again at some point.
Speaker 10: Now.
Speaker 2: I had a chance a couple of days ago to
Speaker 2: catch up with one of my one of my new favorites.
Speaker 2: It's been around here for a year plus, he's going
Speaker 2: into year two. It's ariantae Urserie. Stick around for his
Speaker 2: answer to who he would want at dinner with him.
Speaker 1: It's a bunch of Michaels.
Speaker 6: Here's Tay with me, all right, standing with a guy
Speaker 6: hasn't been here all that long. He's one of my faves.
Speaker 6: Arianta Ersrie Tay. I wants you to think back to
Speaker 6: day one last year as a rookie. I want you
Speaker 6: to think about today, your first day in year two.
Speaker 6: How different of a player are you from year one
Speaker 6: a year two?
Speaker 11: Yeah, man, I will say, you know, mentally, physically, I
Speaker 11: feel like I got it stronger, I gotten better, you know,
Speaker 11: just with the help of my peers. Taking a time
Speaker 11: out of my own to find out what I need
Speaker 11: to work on, what's things I need to tighten up
Speaker 11: so I can be ready to propel for my second year.
Speaker 11: So just coming out here today, man, was it was
Speaker 11: a hell of a feeling be out here, back out
Speaker 11: here with the gods. It was just con continue to
Speaker 11: get better.
Speaker 12: Man comfort level.
Speaker 6: When you can walk in a huddle and you hear
Speaker 6: a full play call, you're like, hey, I'm accustomed to
Speaker 6: hearing that as opposed to a rookie.
Speaker 12: What's that been like? Just absorbing the play call all
Speaker 12: that kind of stuff? You second year?
Speaker 11: Yeah, man, I say, I'll say, like, definitely, the the
Speaker 11: difference between last year and this year is just the tempo, uh,
Speaker 11: being more confident, hearing the play before the play even
Speaker 11: comes out of CJ mem I already know what you
Speaker 11: gonna say, so uh being the first guy to the ball,
Speaker 11: uh getting down, getting ready to get, you know, and
Speaker 11: just ready to ball, ready to play fast.
Speaker 6: Mindset of the offensive line in twenty twenty six and
Speaker 6: fuse like they're being some guys at it to the room.
Speaker 6: You like to say, the glass eaters, all that kind
Speaker 6: of stuff, and of course people point to you and say, yeah,
Speaker 6: that guy's a glass eater as well.
Speaker 12: What's the the culture of been talented the offensive line
Speaker 12: room this year?
Speaker 11: I would say nasty, tough, and you know it's gritty.
Speaker 11: Those three words right there, Just nasty, tough and gritty
Speaker 11: boys that want to work, Guys that push each other,
Speaker 11: Guys that hold each other accountable. No matter who you
Speaker 11: who you are, and where you at on depth chart,
Speaker 11: it doesn't matter.
Speaker 5: Everybody works hard.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 6: Summer got a chance to get away from here for
Speaker 6: Minnie Camp. I knew you were here for a bit
Speaker 6: because I would see you. But what was the summer like?
Speaker 6: In between Mini camp and between the started training camp.
Speaker 11: I talked to Will, and you know he talked about
Speaker 11: it's all about having that balance, you know, Uh, spending
Speaker 11: time with your family, making sure that you're working out
Speaker 11: so you can stay in shaven. Uh, you know, just
Speaker 11: be ready to come back for camp.
Speaker 12: She get home against some barbecue, second rate go barbecue.
Speaker 5: I was down there in Dallads eight hunches of bunch.
Speaker 6: Okay, but you know where the best barbecue is right
Speaker 6: kids in city?
Speaker 5: Baby?
Speaker 6: No, Okay, see this debate, have this debate that started
Speaker 6: production meetings that I still can't get my man around.
Speaker 6: So my Houston barbecue people. You've got to bring my
Speaker 6: man around. Okay, So let's go away.
Speaker 5: From football for a little bit.
Speaker 12: We talk about football day. Let me go away for football.
Speaker 6: So this summer I had an opportunity. I don't say
Speaker 6: we called it an opportunity, but I had to go
Speaker 6: to La. My wife had a bunch of stuff in LA.
Speaker 6: That had to drive back from LA all the way
Speaker 6: back to Houston. It's about twenty four hours. I did
Speaker 6: by myself.
Speaker 5: I like that.
Speaker 8: It's fine if.
Speaker 6: You had to make that trip, but you had to
Speaker 6: pick one teammate to go with you for that whole trip.
Speaker 12: One teammate. Who would it be? What one teammate? Would
Speaker 12: it not be?
Speaker 7: Who you want?
Speaker 12: Who would you want to have on a trip? Who
Speaker 12: would you know?
Speaker 11: I'm not taking love everybody, but one teammate probably yeah,
Speaker 11: probably probably Kamar just because he on defense. But one guy,
Speaker 11: what take with me is why telling him?
Speaker 12: Yeah, what's he been like? To have him in the
Speaker 12: room to share?
Speaker 6: Man?
Speaker 11: Super fun god, that brings energy, the same guy every day,
Speaker 11: you know, loves family and he introduced me to his family,
Speaker 11: introducing him on my family. So relationship in the bond
Speaker 11: that we built, so quick, it's been good.
Speaker 12: Okay, I like it.
Speaker 9: Uh.
Speaker 12: This is when I asked the coach assistant coaches in
Speaker 12: the off season.
Speaker 6: For person dinner. You're one four person dinner dinner live.
Speaker 6: You could pick any other three to join you at
Speaker 6: a dinner. You can talk about anything, you ask anything.
Speaker 6: What three individuals, people, entities would you want with you
Speaker 6: at dinner?
Speaker 12: You can pick to anybody.
Speaker 11: I'm gonna say Michael Jordan, Okay.
Speaker 10: I like it.
Speaker 5: I like it, uhcause.
Speaker 12: You're you're a hooper. I mean you you played balling,
Speaker 12: you played bowing high school, you know.
Speaker 5: And I love his story.
Speaker 12: Yeah, Jordan's with you for sure.
Speaker 5: Michael Jackson. Okay, Michael B. Jordan.
Speaker 12: Wow, that's so you're staying straight.
Speaker 5: Michael, I like you. Michael B. Jordan, Yeah, okay, favorite actors.
Speaker 12: It's me this what you've been watching lately, TV movies,
Speaker 12: what you've been on.
Speaker 5: I just got into The Odyssey, okay.
Speaker 12: Thoughts Film review thumbs up, thumbs down.
Speaker 11: It was a great movie, ten out of ten. It's
Speaker 11: a little long, but you know, it's it's worth it
Speaker 11: and it's very interesting. Yeah, you know, I think you
Speaker 11: know you should go watch it.
Speaker 12: Okay, I'll definitely, I'll definitely go watch it.
Speaker 6: You're two expectations for you, but just for yourself, what
Speaker 6: do you what do you want to accomplish? I mean, look,
Speaker 6: the team wants to do great things and win a
Speaker 6: lot of games and go win championships and such, but
Speaker 6: just you in focusing on year two, what is it
Speaker 6: that you want to do? What's your goal trying.
Speaker 5: To accomplish in year two? Man?
Speaker 11: I think just the intentionality to really really get better,
Speaker 11: Like I'm talking about owning off the field.
Speaker 5: I'm talking about, you know, changing.
Speaker 11: Your lifestyle, just wanting to be better, you know, just
Speaker 11: being better than everybody around you and you know, and
Speaker 11: hopefully that elevates everybody else. So I think every day
Speaker 11: just trying to push myself. You know, I'm not trying
Speaker 11: to always be perfect, but I'm aiming to be perfect
Speaker 11: and I feel like if I'm doing that, then I'm
Speaker 11: hitting the right direction.
Speaker 12: It's the man ariatte Er, Sri, keep your eyes on
Speaker 12: the folks.
Speaker 2: He's the best, Yes, sir, Thank you all right? Great
Speaker 2: stuff from Tay and CJ and Evan. We get back.
Speaker 2: Jonathan Alexander from the US to Chronicle joined US gave
Speaker 2: us his thoughts and what he's seen thus far in camp.
Speaker 1: It's next Texans All Access.
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everybody to a Friday editione of Texans All
Speaker 2: Access from not at Texans Radio Studio. I'm your host,
Speaker 2: John Harris, football analyst, sideline reporter for your Houston Texans.
Speaker 2: It's time to catch up with our good friend from
Speaker 2: the Houston Chronicle, Jonathan Alexander Tredy.
Speaker 1: Camp has started.
Speaker 3: He's got thoughts, Jonathan, our first official visit of the
Speaker 3: twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 4: How's it going.
Speaker 13: It's going well, and I'm glad to be back. Glad
Speaker 13: football is back. It was too long of a break, for.
Speaker 1: Too long a break. How'd you fill that break?
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean I took a few days, a couple
Speaker 13: of weeks off, went to Puerto Rico, went to Galveston.
Speaker 1: Worked on me and Dalveston.
Speaker 13: Yes, working on some bigger projects, so I ken't be
Speaker 13: pretty simple.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you did work on a lot of things. Give
Speaker 3: us a couple of highlights off season stories that you
Speaker 3: really liked, one or two that you really liked, because
Speaker 3: I know you did some features and things.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I think my favorite one was the story on
Speaker 13: Keeland Red ledge and really just finding out about his
Speaker 13: journey and how he got to this point in his
Speaker 13: life and how he almost lost his foot, how he
Speaker 13: almost didn't played football, and really kind of how he
Speaker 13: was able to overcome a lot of the things in
Speaker 13: it's earlier life that allowed him to overcome a new amputation.
Speaker 13: So that was one of my favorite stories. It's funny
Speaker 13: because I asked Keelan did he read it yesterday? And
Speaker 13: he was like, nah, damn read it. He was like,
Speaker 13: but my wife read it and she said it was good.
Speaker 13: And I said, Okay, I guess that's good enough.
Speaker 2: I mean the player giving your thumbs up, He's like,
Speaker 2: but family members mostly the wife giving you your thumbs up.
Speaker 1: That's one of the things that Mark and I talk
Speaker 1: a lot about.
Speaker 2: At least I said to Mark Jonathan, is I get
Speaker 2: a chance to sit down or we get a chance
Speaker 2: to sit down with players? Yeah, there are new whether
Speaker 2: free agent's, rookies, et cetera. And they leave, walk out
Speaker 2: of the building and look at market.
Speaker 7: Like I get it.
Speaker 1: I get it. And what I mean is I get.
Speaker 2: Why the Texans made him a draft pick or went
Speaker 2: out and sought him in free agency. As you got done.
Speaker 2: Speaking with Kielan, did you go, oh, yeah.
Speaker 1: I told get why the Texans drafted this.
Speaker 13: Guy, because you know, the with the culture of Demiico
Speaker 13: Ryans has Bill exactly along with Nick ca Sarrio. You know,
Speaker 13: they want guys who are football focused, guys who may
Speaker 13: have a little ads to them but keep it about football,
Speaker 13: who are going to stay clean off the field and
Speaker 13: keeling religion.
Speaker 7: Is all of that.
Speaker 13: He he is the type the guy who's going to
Speaker 13: push you into the ground. He's going to play to
Speaker 13: the end of the whistle. He's going to focus on football.
Speaker 13: He's football the main thing. You know, that's his primary focus.
Speaker 13: He wants to be the best that he can be
Speaker 13: to protect quarterback c J. Stroud And you know everything
Speaker 13: he said, everything he's about is what the Texans want
Speaker 13: to be about.
Speaker 7: So didn't surprise me at all.
Speaker 3: Early observations about the offense through two days. I know
Speaker 3: they're not in pads, but here we are. We got
Speaker 3: to talk about it. What do you think of Jonathan.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I think compared to last year, they are definitely
Speaker 13: ahead of where they were. They seem a little bit
Speaker 13: more calm. You know, obviously with Nico Collins, in the lineup.
Speaker 13: You know that that offense is always going to be
Speaker 13: dangerous when you have a guy like him, But now
Speaker 13: you're adding guys like Jayden Higgins, who who appears to
Speaker 13: be taking a step in my opinion, even though it's
Speaker 13: only two days. He made some nice plays and everything
Speaker 13: I've heard from people inside the building is like he
Speaker 13: came back different like that.
Speaker 7: Confidence probably helps.
Speaker 13: But he's bigger, he's faster, like you know, and he's
Speaker 13: been working hard. So if you could get him, and
Speaker 13: then whatever you can get from Tank, you know, hopefully
Speaker 13: is you know, the old Tank.
Speaker 7: But even if you get you.
Speaker 13: Know, three fourths of what he was, and then you
Speaker 13: add a lot to your offense, which was very much
Speaker 13: needed last year.
Speaker 7: So I think right now it's on the right path.
Speaker 1: We had this conversation at the end of the last segment.
Speaker 2: We're talking about David Montgomery, what he marks the running backs,
Speaker 2: et cetera.
Speaker 1: Job.
Speaker 2: How do you see that playing out? And include you
Speaker 2: are Jordan and that too, because I think you are
Speaker 2: is gonna have a role somehow with this offense in
Speaker 2: a ball carrying capacity, catching the ball back for whatever,
Speaker 2: how do you look the running back situation I know it.
Speaker 1: May not be the favorite for fantasy owners.
Speaker 2: Out there to not have total clarity every single week,
Speaker 2: But from your standpoint, how do you think the running
Speaker 2: back carries, touches, et cetera get divvied up?
Speaker 7: Yeah?
Speaker 13: I mean, I think David Montgomery is going to get
Speaker 13: the bulk of the carrieres, but that doesn't mean he'll
Speaker 13: get all of them, right, Like, they have trusting Woody
Speaker 13: marks and they think he definitely has big playability, particularly
Speaker 13: in the passing game. And then you have Jawar Jordan,
Speaker 13: who's a beast against whenever the Texas offense needs to
Speaker 13: run outside his own scheme. So I think you may see,
Speaker 13: you know, situations like that where they say, Okay, we
Speaker 13: need to do outside his own so we're gonna run
Speaker 13: him a little bit more.
Speaker 7: So I think you'll see them mixing match.
Speaker 13: But I do think, you know, David Montgomery, they brought
Speaker 13: him here to be the lead back, and when I
Speaker 13: watch him play, he reminds me a lot of Joe Mixing.
Speaker 13: And he's not trying to avoid any tacklers. He's trying
Speaker 13: to go through tacklers, right, And I think he's going
Speaker 13: to be critical in their red zone offense, and so
Speaker 13: they're gonna lean on him. But I think Woody Mars
Speaker 13: is also going to play a big role in Juar
Speaker 13: Jordan's gonna see some touches.
Speaker 3: To Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle joining us. So
Speaker 3: you're covering the whole team, and you're also covering the CJ.
Speaker 3: Stroud contract situation. I know these questions have come up
Speaker 3: press conferences with everybody. So how are you approaching that?
Speaker 4: What are you.
Speaker 3: Thinking moving forward here in the immediate future, Jonathan.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I mean this move.
Speaker 13: We'll play a huge part, or this potential move play
Speaker 13: a huge part in the future ramifications of the Houston Texans.
Speaker 13: So I'm always keeping my eyes on it because obviously
Speaker 13: he can break it any moment. I've been told by
Speaker 13: multiple agents that Nick Asiria is a guy who's gonna
Speaker 13: call you when he's ready to make a deal, and
Speaker 13: you know things can happen very quickly at any point,
Speaker 13: so you know, you know, it sounds like c J.
Speaker 13: Stroud and the Texans have had good conversations into me.
Speaker 13: Nickose Ario's comments really indicate that they are behind and
Speaker 13: committed to CJ.
Speaker 7: Strout.
Speaker 13: Now, whether that deal gets done before the season or
Speaker 13: next off season. You know it, We'll have to wait
Speaker 13: and see. But it's something that I'm always paying it.
Speaker 13: I'm always gonna be paying attention to because it'll be
Speaker 13: huge when it happens. In the meantime, balancing, balancing everything
Speaker 13: else that happens is along with cam.
Speaker 1: That was one of the things that Nick said.
Speaker 2: We got to talk about, not CJ in particular, but
Speaker 2: negotiating contracts, and he said, agents and people know I'm
Speaker 2: a bottom line person, like I this is what I think,
Speaker 2: and there's not gonna be wishy washy. It's like, that's
Speaker 2: what we think. The value is is what we think
Speaker 2: the contract is not so much take it or lead.
Speaker 2: But if we're not, okay, well let's reconvene later. Let's
Speaker 2: look at this at a at a different time. And
Speaker 2: I just thinking about it after he said it, was like, Yeah,
Speaker 2: that seems to make sense the way that he approaches
Speaker 2: his business.
Speaker 1: Jonathan.
Speaker 2: I know it's only been two days you've watched this team,
Speaker 2: but has there been anybody that you go that guy.
Speaker 1: I hadn't really been paying attention to that guy.
Speaker 2: That guy is standing out a little bit, or maybe
Speaker 2: it's a star that you think is you know, still
Speaker 2: playing at a pretty high level even through these first
Speaker 2: couple of days. Do you have a name or two
Speaker 2: that are kind of like, you know what, I really
Speaker 2: need to continue to watch this guy or these guys.
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 13: I talked a little bit about him earlier, like I
Speaker 13: got bogged down in the tank, Dell coming back, you
Speaker 13: know the noise which he is, but that I forgot
Speaker 13: about Jaden Higgins and the potential impact.
Speaker 7: That he can have one it's a great one.
Speaker 13: But outside of him, I don't know. Something is just
Speaker 13: telling me, like Camri Laster is gonna eat take it
Speaker 13: and even another step this year. Oh, one person I
Speaker 13: did say is already starting to show out.
Speaker 7: Henry Toto made a huge play in the backfield.
Speaker 13: He was great yes yesterday broke up that uh screens
Speaker 13: and I just I think this is the final year
Speaker 13: of his rookie deal as well. He's obviously motivated to
Speaker 13: earn a contract. I think he's gonna have a good
Speaker 13: years long as he stays healthy. But Kamaria Lassiter, I
Speaker 13: just think, you know, a lot of probably disrespect in
Speaker 13: the top one hundred player rankings and a lot of
Speaker 13: the other rankings he definitely should be in there. I
Speaker 13: think all of that motivates him. He might not say
Speaker 13: it publicly, but I think all of that motivates him,
Speaker 13: and he rises to the occasion every time.
Speaker 7: So I think he's gonna have another good year.
Speaker 2: He's one of those guys that he will put not
Speaker 2: just a chip on his shoulder, the whole damn bag's
Speaker 2: going on his shoulder, like every single practice, every single game,
Speaker 2: like it fuels as if he's got you know, Bobby
Speaker 2: Bouchet sounds going on in his head.
Speaker 1: He said, you're not good, You're too small.
Speaker 2: He ran four to six, and inside he's like, no, man,
Speaker 2: watch this, watch this bank Dereck Henry in the safety
Speaker 2: for safety against the rape like he does those kind
Speaker 2: of things.
Speaker 7: Nahgree, he's Jonathan.
Speaker 4: You brought up Henry.
Speaker 3: So the linebackers, you know here we are. We Gotasease Henry.
Speaker 3: Those are your top two and you're good to go.
Speaker 3: But the depth is taking a hit with the EJ.
Speaker 3: Speed in the offseason, obviously, and then you have Jake Hanson,
Speaker 3: who's your leading special teams tackler.
Speaker 4: He gets hurt. We don't know what the situation is.
Speaker 3: Hoping for the very best, but all of a sudden,
Speaker 3: that depth gets tested behind those top two guys.
Speaker 4: What about that?
Speaker 13: Yeah, you know, and I wrote a little bit about
Speaker 13: that yesterday that you know, the depth there is being
Speaker 13: tested right now because with E. J. Speed having suffered
Speaker 13: that injury in the offseason, you know, they really don't
Speaker 13: know whether he's going to return. Who knows how long
Speaker 13: Jake Hanson will be out, but any loss from any
Speaker 13: extended period of time puts a lot of pressure on
Speaker 13: you know, those rookies too. If he does have to
Speaker 13: miss time, well, they've got to perform. You know, that
Speaker 13: could be good and bad because now they have a
Speaker 13: better chance of making this roster. But you know they're
Speaker 13: gonna need those guys to play well because at some
Speaker 13: certain point Jamal Hill, Aidan Fisher, Wade Wood as Marte
Speaker 13: Mapu are going to be called apoing and who's going
Speaker 13: to stand out? And I think they'll be looking these
Speaker 13: next few days to see who that's going to be.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and the guy that enters that spot might end
Speaker 2: up having to do it on special teams first. Yeah,
Speaker 2: more than likely having to do it on special teams first.
Speaker 2: And turning around, we talked about the contract with CJ.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about the ballplayerj And just two days in
Speaker 2: and we've seen every single rep he's had in practice
Speaker 2: since he's been here in games. We've been here for
Speaker 2: all that. Jonathan, you have as well your thoughts about
Speaker 2: the progress the maturation of c J.
Speaker 7: Stroud, at least early in camp.
Speaker 13: Yeah, you know, you know, first, I think it starts
Speaker 13: with like he had to be kind of coming in
Speaker 13: or you would think that he had to be coming
Speaker 13: into this season with a lot of pressure, just given
Speaker 13: how last season ended, the criticism, the heavy criticism nationally
Speaker 13: to him, and when I see him, he just it
Speaker 13: doesn't seem like it is violas him. He seems under control.
Speaker 13: He seems unbothered by it. And I think even David Montgomery,
Speaker 13: who's about to walk by soon, talked about it a
Speaker 13: little bit.
Speaker 7: He said, just not much phases him.
Speaker 13: And I think that's ideally what you want, because you
Speaker 13: want to see him move on from what happened, and
Speaker 13: so far I've seen him be under control, look a
Speaker 13: little bit more comfortable. Being this is second year in offense.
Speaker 13: You know, Demika Ryans talked about you know, they're trying
Speaker 13: to do a better job of being efficient, pre pre
Speaker 13: snap and that's going to handle a lot of issues.
Speaker 13: So so far the throws of you know, always throwing
Speaker 13: a nice ball. Now can the pieces around him help
Speaker 13: elevate him? I think you're starting to see that, and
Speaker 13: we'll see more of that in the coming days.
Speaker 3: Jonathan Montgomery has the wired ear pods as opposed to
Speaker 3: the wire less, and I'm back on the wired because
Speaker 3: a lot of guys are, actually, but that's not why
Speaker 3: I'm back on it. I'm just on them because I
Speaker 3: would lose the wireless, so I need the wire.
Speaker 4: To hang on to them. But this is a thing.
Speaker 4: What do you do?
Speaker 13: So they have become more in style yep, but you
Speaker 13: know what, I am so bad with Louis. I should
Speaker 13: do wired, but I'm I'm very obsessive about or not obsessive.
Speaker 13: I like to look at New York Times wirecutter and
Speaker 13: say what are the best earbuds to use? And right
Speaker 13: now I'm on wireless. Okay, soon I could go back
Speaker 13: to wired.
Speaker 3: All right, So never mind about that, So thank you
Speaker 3: for that information. Back to football. So here we are
Speaker 3: in camp and we haven't taught to you this offseason
Speaker 3: much at all. So AFC South Jags Colts.
Speaker 7: Who do you feel.
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously the Jags are the biggest challenge here.
Speaker 3: We looked at their offseason and said, you know, things
Speaker 3: have to go right for them because they lost formerly
Speaker 3: known as Etn now Itchen, but Travis who had a
Speaker 3: great year last year, and I don't know if Towton
Speaker 3: can have a great year for them like he did
Speaker 3: like him did. But what are your thoughts on them
Speaker 3: and what they did and didn't do and how they
Speaker 3: might be in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I was surprised that they didn't re up their
Speaker 13: running game, you know, on the same level as h M.
Speaker 13: You know, I thought he was such a big part
Speaker 13: of that offense. But I think they'll be solid team.
Speaker 13: I just think they'll probably struggle given that they're playing
Speaker 13: the first place schedule. Like I mean, their schedule isn't horrendous,
Speaker 13: but it is it is tougher than what they had,
Speaker 13: definitely tougher than what they had last year. Right, So
Speaker 13: I think they'll still be a good team. They have
Speaker 13: solid pieces. They'll be getting Travis Hunter back. You know,
Speaker 13: those head dressers on that team are really good. But
Speaker 13: you know, I do think that they'll they'll likely have
Speaker 13: some struggles with their schedule and getting past some of
Speaker 13: the guys they have.
Speaker 2: Okay, one of the stories and when Mark Roth daviously
Speaker 2: south and maybe think about it. Jonathan Taylor needs a deal.
Speaker 2: B Jon Robinson needs a deal. Jamior Gibbs needs a deal. Now,
Speaker 2: two of the three of those are hold ends. Yeah,
Speaker 2: they're there, so they don't get fine, but they're not
Speaker 2: doing anything until they end up getting a deal. Now,
Speaker 2: Taylor is doing work and he's convinced, Hey, yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: gonna be a cult for life.
Speaker 1: He's he went through this.
Speaker 2: Before with his second contract, he's about to go on
Speaker 2: a third.
Speaker 1: Do you think there's any.
Speaker 2: Possibility of any of those three moving on or do
Speaker 2: you think that teams will eventually find a deal for
Speaker 2: those three because they are that important to the offense
Speaker 2: even though they're running backs.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I think all three of those guys stay.
Speaker 13: Of those three that if there was one that was
Speaker 13: a go, you know, probably B John Robinson. But I
Speaker 13: don't think that's the case because I think they invested
Speaker 13: so much into him. But I think all of those
Speaker 13: guys make sense. You know, as you reference Jonathan Taylor's
Speaker 13: comments about want to stay there. You know, the Lions
Speaker 13: just traded away David Montgomery, so you know they're investing
Speaker 13: heavily on him, and then b John Robinson is is
Speaker 13: is what makes.
Speaker 7: Their engine go.
Speaker 13: So you know it's a good day for running backs,
Speaker 13: but particularly compared to how it was a few years ago.
Speaker 13: They're starting to get paid in its deserving because running backs.
Speaker 13: You know a lot of offenses are putting their focus
Speaker 13: on the running game.
Speaker 2: Yes, sir, that's the man, Jonathan Alexander Love get a
Speaker 2: chance to talk to him. Coming up, one of our
Speaker 2: good friends, one of my favorites.
Speaker 1: I get a chance to work with her on preseason games.
Speaker 2: Shelby Coppage TV sidelline reporter for your preseason games, will
Speaker 2: join us next right here in Texans All Access's and everybody,
Speaker 2: welcome back to this Friday is Year Texas All Axis.
Speaker 2: Jean Harris football and sideline reporter and TV preseason game
Speaker 2: analysts alongside my friend Indy Klue and play by play
Speaker 2: man Kevin Coogler for your Texans. Also joining us, Shelby Coppage,
Speaker 2: gotta be a great friend, does a tremendous job on
Speaker 2: the sidelines for TV.
Speaker 1: Shelby sat down with Mark and me.
Speaker 2: We talked about a number of different things, including her
Speaker 2: busy schedule this offseason.
Speaker 3: Shelby Coppage also national play by play announcer for Love Volleyball.
Speaker 4: Yes, how about it?
Speaker 14: How's it going to always random? For a ready throw
Speaker 14: to me?
Speaker 1: Mark?
Speaker 14: Love it?
Speaker 5: We go?
Speaker 4: Here, we go?
Speaker 3: So, yeah, you've done so much.
Speaker 4: I mean, how do you keep track of it all?
Speaker 3: Because national announcer for Love Volleyball and obviously the football
Speaker 3: stuff and everything else you do is so much.
Speaker 15: It's so much, but it sounds you and John understand it.
Speaker 15: It's so fun and so even on the days where
Speaker 15: I'm like ugh, I have to like get up in
Speaker 15: this hotel and go to work, like oh wait, my
Speaker 15: job is to cover League one volleyball or whatever team
Speaker 15: it is on the road.
Speaker 14: So it's so much fun. I'm so blessed. But it's
Speaker 14: definitely like it. It's it's a lot, as you know.
Speaker 3: So you do the astro studio stuff too sometimes, which
Speaker 3: is really interesting, and we'll forgive you for that.
Speaker 14: Hey, when you can't use me, I want someone else.
Speaker 15: But you know, right when the astros called me, I
Speaker 15: called Mark first. I was like, hey, Mark, can I
Speaker 15: still do the Textans games if I cover for the
Speaker 15: Astros here and there?
Speaker 1: He said, yes, if the colts call, then they'll be
Speaker 1: a fight. Yeah, goodbye.
Speaker 14: I' not doing that.
Speaker 2: It will be a fight at that's totally understandable. What
Speaker 2: would you say, Shelby, is your downtime of the year?
Speaker 2: I think for Mark and I it's pretty easy. It's
Speaker 2: like when they leave for Ota mini camp until today. Yeah,
Speaker 2: that's called our downtime. If you will, what's your downtime?
Speaker 15: So I actually just got two puppies this time, so no,
Speaker 15: So basically even when I don't have calls or anything,
Speaker 15: I'm just with puppies all day.
Speaker 14: I'm stimulated all day.
Speaker 15: It's been so much fun and like good you know,
Speaker 15: timing for summer to be able to train them before
Speaker 15: the fall starts.
Speaker 14: So it's been a really fun summer.
Speaker 1: Wow, what kind of dogs?
Speaker 15: A German shepherd and then a mutt so kind of
Speaker 15: cane course so much he's huge.
Speaker 3: Now I know you lost your long time Yeah, I
Speaker 3: love it bad May this off season.
Speaker 4: Yeah, condolence is about that.
Speaker 14: I know that's very tough.
Speaker 4: And Johnny lost two dogs last year.
Speaker 3: I know it's very tough, but so you went to
Speaker 3: the well pretty quickly to get a new set.
Speaker 1: As it turns out, just one.
Speaker 15: I literally got uh the puppies the day after I
Speaker 15: was done traveling for the spring. So like I called breeders,
Speaker 15: like when do you have an eight week old ready?
Speaker 14: Like timed it.
Speaker 15: So I had a few months after padme just traveling
Speaker 15: and everything. But like you need your attention, you know, yous,
Speaker 15: Like he can't be at home doing nothing, you know
Speaker 15: when I'm waiting for my games and stuff. So uh,
Speaker 15: Leyah the German shepherd was a little expensive a breeder.
Speaker 14: Then Coop on the rescue.
Speaker 15: Is the joke is his name is Coupon because he
Speaker 15: was so cheap compared to leya coop.
Speaker 14: So you know, people like adopt don't shop. Well I
Speaker 14: did adopt.
Speaker 15: And also the ones that already bore need homes too.
Speaker 15: The breeders, what do you do with these puppies?
Speaker 4: They need homes to do point they exist.
Speaker 1: There's my there's my daughter and her little guy Domino
Speaker 1: that she.
Speaker 3: Just got was a rescue.
Speaker 2: He's tiny, tiny, but he he's a he's a sweetheart.
Speaker 2: And my daughter just she was she was fostering him yeah,
Speaker 2: and I he didn't realize they called it this a
Speaker 2: foster fail when she adopts, so she.
Speaker 3: In love with him and she's foster failed.
Speaker 2: She fell in love with him and so literally Saturday
Speaker 2: went in, signed the papers, paid her two nd fifty
Speaker 2: bucks and Domino is hers, and I'm like.
Speaker 14: And Domina is also yours too, whenever daughter is busy.
Speaker 1: Yes, that's exactly.
Speaker 2: And he she was worried about how and I never
Speaker 2: really thought about this, but how rescues in particular react
Speaker 2: to men, and so yeah.
Speaker 4: Because men could be jerks to drives or whatever.
Speaker 1: And so I walked in and he just kind of
Speaker 1: sniffed me and he jumped up on me. I was like, well, yes,
Speaker 1: we're all good because you're a you.
Speaker 10: Yeah.
Speaker 14: And also, like.
Speaker 15: Hats scare dogs two sometimes, so like if you're on
Speaker 15: a new adopt hat, don't worry like hotter sunglasses.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's training caps.
Speaker 3: So we're talking about puppies, but' rame Mike Vrabel raybel
Speaker 3: so on you.
Speaker 4: That's all we'll say about that. Shelby.
Speaker 3: Let me ask you about League one volleyball. Yeah, all right,
Speaker 3: So we have the Houston franchise and going through a
Speaker 3: lot of different things with that. It's awesome. This will
Speaker 3: be the second season that the Texans have control of
Speaker 3: the France and things are evolving because you had six teams,
Speaker 3: now you're gonna have ten. And tell us I like
Speaker 3: to point this out about volleyball. Yeah, it's training camps
Speaker 3: that we're talking about volleyball. Just briefly though, tell me
Speaker 3: so it's important, tell me about the caliber of play,
Speaker 3: because what strikes me is you might think is this
Speaker 3: a minor league.
Speaker 4: That it's not a minor league.
Speaker 3: These are major league players, but you get that access
Speaker 3: that you have with minor league teams where they can
Speaker 3: sign autographs and things like that.
Speaker 4: Your thoughts.
Speaker 14: Yeah, so it has over twenty Olympians.
Speaker 15: That was just last season, so this year they've added
Speaker 15: even more. So imagine like the best players in the
Speaker 15: world overseas coming here so much less the USA Olympians,
Speaker 15: but we got the Brazil, the Japan like the best
Speaker 15: of the best.
Speaker 14: And the best thing.
Speaker 15: About volleyball is, unlike baseball, you can know when it's
Speaker 15: an awesome play. So you can walk in knowing zero
Speaker 15: about volleyball and know, dang, that was a crazy hit
Speaker 15: or a crazy.
Speaker 14: Dig like base. To me, all the pitches look the same.
Speaker 14: I can't tell.
Speaker 15: Like when Nico Collins makes a huge catch in the
Speaker 15: end zone, we can all appreciate how magnificent that is.
Speaker 15: That's volleyball, every single play, and so that's okay if
Speaker 15: no one really knows like League one, it's pretty new.
Speaker 15: But when you come to a game like you will
Speaker 15: understand how important this is. We have the best of
Speaker 15: the best athletes and also the Barry Center. I know
Speaker 15: the Texans are building a new place for the team
Speaker 15: to play, but it was insane, like thousands of people,
Speaker 15: hundreds of about thousands of girls waiting after the game
Speaker 15: was over to get autographs. Like this girl you know,
Speaker 15: might not know her Madison Skinner. She's gonna be an Olympian,
Speaker 15: played at Texas. She's everything. When she walked out, girls
Speaker 15: were screaming like their one direction, Like if you have
Speaker 15: daughters or whoever, like take them to these volleyball games,
Speaker 15: and especially like Texans. The Texans can see important. It
Speaker 15: is like they literally wanted in on this team.
Speaker 14: You have to go. It's awesome.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: My thoughts on being here at camp and Texans pre
Speaker 3: TV rolling in two weeks from tomorrow.
Speaker 15: First thought was, it's kind of cool. There's a breeze,
Speaker 15: like I'm not I'm not you. You just got here, nice,
Speaker 15: I just got here. Yes, I did just get here.
Speaker 15: But like it's been a little cooler.
Speaker 14: I see.
Speaker 15: I'm really loving already seeing like CJ, you know, get connections.
Speaker 15: I love the handshakes, already excited to see him with
Speaker 15: the helmet off, the haircut, but the vibes are super high.
Speaker 14: Media is so excited to be here. Yeah, it's awesome.
Speaker 1: It is awesome. She's awesome, This show is awesome. You're
Speaker 1: awesome for listening.
Speaker 2: Everybody back at sports Radio six ten, Slash ninety five
Speaker 2: seven the Fan, They're awesome. Practice number four tomorrow, Harris
Speaker 2: Its will be up later in the day. Make sure
Speaker 2: you check it out. We'll see you then, everybody, and
Speaker 2: as always, go Texans,