A Win On Diamond, A Loss On The Gridiron And MAJOR Losses With The IL!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him raised my
Earl Nolan.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He got a.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Multed by the magnificent roller coaster ride.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
That is there is Houston.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Sports chill lage down for the only homegrown afternoon team
is talking your teams.

Speaker 4 (00:30):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 5 (00:35):
A so one oh tripler softly hit out in front
of the plate, filled it by Lighter, he slips and he.

Speaker 6 (00:42):
Throws it over the head of Berger. That'll score a run.
His Painya comes home Alvarez. It's the stop sign at third.
Now he runs through it the throt of the plate.
Alvarez gets it standing up. Two runs score on the
error by Lighter, and the Astros are up to to nothing.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Here's the pitch and it's a ground ball.

Speaker 7 (00:59):
Should be how two Bay has it falls.

Speaker 8 (01:02):
Down, shuffles at the second out over the first out.

Speaker 7 (01:05):
A double play on a gun.

Speaker 5 (01:08):
From Jeremy Paena one two and Cole hammers it deep
to right. Garcia is back at the wall.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Looking up ze leaner.

Speaker 9 (01:18):
Second hole.

Speaker 10 (01:19):
This second big league Hober' is a go ahead two
run shot four to three Astros.

Speaker 8 (01:26):
Here's the one two in on his hands. And hit
in the left field for a base hit. They're gonna
send the runner. Here's the throw from Sanchez.

Speaker 9 (01:33):
One offer, dat be Jesus Sanchez.

Speaker 8 (01:39):
Here's the one one and it's lined in the right
center base hit. They're gonna send Pnia. Here's the throw
in from Garcia all the way home.

Speaker 5 (01:47):
But late Cole in.

Speaker 8 (01:49):
The second base and he said the kid doesn't Again, I.

Speaker 5 (01:53):
Bro, you's one Ozero round ball left side Corren who
has left. He vacuums it up, throws the second for
the forest. In fact, is the ball game.

Speaker 7 (02:02):
Great vibes, the best news. I must win. The playoffs
have begun, Dyke and park is electric, except we're not
talking about any of that stuff that just heard here
on Sports Talk seven to ninety is just such fun because.

Speaker 10 (02:18):
And now Alvarez is a bit shaken up as he's
being tended to by the dugout rail Joe Espada, Eric Velaskiez,
assistant athletic trainer.

Speaker 5 (02:30):
Over there is Alvarez is hunched over.

Speaker 8 (02:32):
Yeah, he slipped when he touched hole plate, the rubber
hole play, and.

Speaker 11 (02:36):
I saw him coming around and then when he stepped
down home plate. I had a front row seat. You know,
his ankle kind of twisted, and then we went to
plan again. I saw twist again, you know, and it's
it's not pretty. You don't want to see that, especially
you know you're don Alvaris.

Speaker 12 (02:52):
Now we need an ankle sprain.

Speaker 13 (02:54):
We're gonna get Anymarya on on that tomorrow. He did,
I look good on the field, so we'll get more
testing done tomorrow morning.

Speaker 7 (03:04):
Welcome to twenty twenty five. This is the A Team.
Everything the Astros needed to have happen that they could.
Yesterday they played a game, They played a team chasing them.
They beat that team. Zach Cole had another great night
first night at Dykin Park, though he was not in
the lineup. He only became a part of the lineup

(03:27):
because of all the things you just heard there to
get us started today here on the A Team. That
was the very first inning, the first instance of well,
it only seems fitting and we don't have a final
word on it. We will hear from Joe Aspota a
little bit later on our show from his visit earlier
today on the Matt Thomas Show. We'll also hear from
Joe Aspota from out at the ballpark and possibly with

(03:49):
an update of the aforementioned MRI today on the ankle
from yourd Don Alvarez, where about a few minutes out
from hearing from one of the heroes in yesterday's games,
Zach Cole, expect to join us here on the A
team and just a few minutes and all that being said,
it was one of two games last night here in
the greater Houston area at some of our finest erected stadiums.

(04:12):
Thanks to the great people of Houston and everybody else
that made it all happen. That went ended a little
bit differently. The Astros came back to win their game.
The Texans came back multiple times seemingly to win their game.
But six seconds left on the clock when CJ. Stroud
hit Tank Dell for the game winning touchdown. Six seconds

(04:34):
left on the clock when Bucky Irving ran into the
end zone to beat the Texans last night.

Speaker 14 (04:40):
So were you like me when you saw the Nick
Chubb touchdown and you immediately said.

Speaker 15 (04:47):
They scored too soon? Not at all?

Speaker 14 (04:50):
Yeah, I knew that that was going to happen. Talking
about the game winning drive by a bakery, Yeah.

Speaker 7 (04:54):
But I think you know who were There's so many
things to bring up the Nick Chubb here early in
the show. So many people have so many different viewpoints
of that, and I'm baffled by almost all of them.
What you said is fine, did they score too early?

Speaker 16 (05:09):
Did they?

Speaker 15 (05:10):
You know?

Speaker 7 (05:10):
But the people that are saying, man, how smart man
Tampa just they got this all figured out. So I
got to I want to talk about that, but I
really don't want to hit on it right out of
the gate. You know, the Texans created a hole. I mean,
if you're trying to tell me the only reason they
created a hole is because two of the eleven Buccaneers
decided to play week for the first time all night

(05:31):
with well over two minutes left and all three timeouts
and on the correct side of the two minute warning. Fine,
go ahead and say that, But there was a hole,
and he ran through it, and he was chased and
he wasn't caught, and it was great play. The Texans
had very few of those from their ground game for
two weeks. Clearly it was the best one, and it
put them in front with a defense that had held
the Tampa Bay Bucks off the board entirely for the

(05:54):
drive preceding that and the one preceding that, and the
one preceding that, and the one preceding that, and the
one preceding and the one preceding that. The Bucks scored
fourteen points the first two times they had the football.
They didn't score again the rest of the game until
after Nick Chubb scored a touchdown. Clearly there was plenty
of time left, but the Texans were inside the thirty.
It was a twenty five yard touchdown run. You could

(06:15):
have attempted to bleed as much clock as possible, maybe
with your super trustworthy offense and you're even more trustworthy kicker,
all while there were four more clock stoppages still to come,
the two minute warning and all three of the Bucks timeouts,
you would have needed additional first downs. Clearly that was
a second down play to begin with. They didn't. In

(06:38):
my opinion that that thought actually never crossed my mind
because there was so much time left on the clock.
I thought we would actually get a repeat of the
game two years ago. I mean, if the Bucks are
going to score, who's to say they won't score with
fifty five seconds left, with a minute ten left, or again,
the Texans got them to fourth and ten. You can't
ask for much more than that, and then they didn't
finish the drive, They didn't defensively finished the drive, and

(07:01):
then what they did the rest of the drive after
the Baker scramble was just bad play after bad play
after bad play, some of their worst plays all in
succession to end the game the.

Speaker 14 (07:10):
Hurry up offense, which even it was kind of crazy
because they started that drive, had all three timeouts and
didn't seem particularly concerned about using them until half of
that more than half of the time was off the clock.

Speaker 7 (07:23):
How were you able to tell that they weren't real
enthused about using them just watching the game seeing it unfold.

Speaker 16 (07:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (07:29):
The reason I was able to tell is because I
was in the press box, so the working media sitting
in front of me wouldn't shut up the entire game.
That's two straight weeks and the longer I've covered the Texans,
the worst the out of town media has become. They
are freaking cheerleaders. It's embarrassing. It was all I could
do to not post about it, I said, despite the
moaning and whining of the local media in the first

(07:52):
row of the press box, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers executed
the final two minutes of bleeding the entire clock off brilliantly.

Speaker 15 (07:59):
It was perfect.

Speaker 7 (08:00):
There call time out?

Speaker 13 (08:01):
What is he doing?

Speaker 6 (08:02):
What is he doing?

Speaker 7 (08:02):
You got a call time out?

Speaker 17 (08:03):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (08:03):
What a great play? Just oh my god. I mean
I was mocking them loudly, awaiting them to turn around
and saying, are you saying something to me? I'm just
because I'm like, yeah, it's a little bit more professional
is all I'm asking for. Plus, the rest of us
are trying to work standing up doing this while the
game is going on, and I'm probably playing it up
for the radio audience.

Speaker 15 (08:23):
I've seen that happen before.

Speaker 7 (08:25):
They're not cheering, but the stuff they're saying is that
of somebody that's not trying to write a game story
or trying to figure out what they want to ask
people after the game for some other story. It just
was a little out of place. Nonetheless, I thought the
Bucks did it perfectly. There was no reason to rush.
There were two minutes left, and there was a minute
left and you had less than half the field to
work with or to get through. Now, maybe they could

(08:46):
have had an additional snap left, but they scored.

Speaker 18 (08:49):
They win.

Speaker 7 (08:50):
Texans have lost two games that have never been separated
by more than one score, but they don't have any wins.

Speaker 14 (08:56):
Baker got his revenge for two years ago, if you
want to look at it that way. We will take
a quick break here so that we can get as
much time as possible with Zach Cole. He is scheduled
to join us shortly, the hero of the last four games.
If you want to talk about it, you know reasonably
he's been that guy. So he will join us next
here on the eight team.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (09:25):
It is the A team Sports Sox seven ninety scheduled
to join any second now by Astro's young upstart Zach Cole. Gosh,
the the homer he hit last night. I was telling
Ross this. We were sitting relatively close to the batter's
box and it's by far the loudest sound in that

(09:46):
stadium all night long. It was like, I mean, he
it was a no doubt or off the bat. It's
his you know, fourth game up at the show, and
he just I hope it continues.

Speaker 15 (09:58):
I hope he continue.

Speaker 14 (09:59):
I joking said they should probably like if if Jordan
is out for any extended amount of time, just move
him up.

Speaker 7 (10:04):
Into his spot. That's the last guy I heard hit
the ball that hard. Well, they unfortunately had to do
that literally in last night's game, and Joe joked about
something after the game. I wish he didn't have to
joke about it because it should have never happened. How
come he wasn't in the lineup?

Speaker 15 (10:20):
Yeah, that was because I remembered you saying that.

Speaker 7 (10:23):
Like I almost said it, like, well, of course he'll
be in the lineup. But it's not like he has
eight hits in Atlanta and if he's so unbelievably hot.
He had a great first game and then he had
Then he got back to Houston after three more days,
nothing of great significance happened, both negatively or positively with
him at the plate. He did strike out quite a
few times, and then you come back home to face
a righty at dyk In Park. I mean, it's nice

(10:45):
that not only did that Hayesu Sanchez played, he also
had a hit, I mean, and he also threw a
runner out at the plate after he's flipped spots from
right field to left field. So I'm not saying it's
he can't play or anything. It just struck me as
odd the whole he's here is because he was red
hot and providing a spark. I wouldn't think that two

(11:06):
days of major League baseball without hitting a homer or
really doing much offensively has cooled him off so much
you wouldn't want him out there. And he joked to
the point that yeah, he'll be in the lineup again today.
Unless things change with the Braves, will be another right
handed pitcher on the mound tonight and tomorrow. The Astros
ultimately made word known that aj Blueball will be their

(11:27):
starter tonight in what continues to be nothing but games
that have great importance to what the Astros would like
to do, not two nights off for the Mariners. They
were off last night, so they are on tonight. They'll
play each of the next six days. The Astros off
day this week comes after the Rangers series, so before
the Mariners arrive, they'll be off kilter from the number

(11:47):
of games played until Friday, when it's all back on schedule.
But they game to half a game on the idle.
Mariners Mariners begin a series with the Kansas City Royals.
Roy's been very very very good pitching and not not
very good hitting most of this season. Probably shapes into
a road Mariners pitchers duel. We shall see if that's

(12:08):
in fact what happens tonight. Starts a little bit before
the Astros do, so some of the metal in use
at the dangerous scoreboard right out there in left field
at Dyke And Park, the eyeballs will be on it.
This is ultimate scoreboard watching time, and there's only five
more nights of it in your home ballpark and at

(12:28):
your home scoreboard where everyone will be focused in on
as that game should come to a conclusion before yours,
and there won't be any ties the rest of this
series for who's in first place. If you win and
they don't, you're in first. If they keep winning, they'll
stay in first. And the Astros obviously can do a
lot to put a little bit of a damper on
the Rangers season before they head into their final nine games.

(12:51):
There's already now a three game gap between the team
in the final wildcard spot, which is Houston and the
Rangers and Guardians now three games back of the Astros,
So two more wins by Houston today and tomorrow would
create a five game gap and give the Astros the
tiebreaker with nine games remaining tiebreaker over the Rangers. So

(13:14):
the Rangers making the playoffs without winning one of these
next two games becomes very, very difficult for the crew
in Arlington, a.

Speaker 14 (13:22):
Lot of pressure. I said this earlier, and I don't
know if you agree, because it's, first of all, it's sports,
so you never know what these athletes are thinking. Second
of all, it's baseball, so you really don't know what
they're thinking. I was interested because we weren't even in
our seats before we were in the building, but we
weren't even in our seats when the injury happened. His

(13:43):
first inning, he's scoring on or he was injured on
a score, and so by the time we got down there,
I was curious to see just how the team responded
because it's not just anybody getting hurt, you know, like
you've seen it before where an at like c. J.
Stroud when Tankdell got hurt. It's there last year in
Kansas City at the stadium. It was palpable from all

(14:07):
the way up in the press box. Their body language
all that it was rough, and I just feel like,
especially Jordan, as much as he means to their lineup,
and then you factor in the fact that he already
missed a hundred games and the way this whole season
is gone. And then you see him get hurt, a
b get hurt the way he got hurt, and see
see how severe it seemingly looked. At least before we

(14:29):
know anything. I was just interested to see how they
would respond.

Speaker 7 (14:32):
Yeah, one more thing, unfortunately for him and probably for
the future, the next to eleven games played true. One
more time when he doesn't do anything offensively, they crush.
Those are the third time in the last four games.
It's odd he hasn't been the parts of their offense,
and yet they went out there and put six more
runs on the board, and they did have to ultimately
play from behind after they took the two to nothing lead.

(14:54):
Both teams kind of kicking the ball around a little
bit last night. A lot of underned runs scored those
first two, with the Jordon being the second of those
two on the same play. Came because of an errant
throw from Jack Lighter running through a stop sign, but
because Adolas Garcia wasn't thinking a throw home was going
to be necessary, Jordon Alvarez took off. Obviously, he made
it without a slide, and not sliding was the right

(15:17):
baseball play, but sliding would have prevented the injury, which unfortunately,
it's just really wild. From Jordon standpoint, We've talked about
the knees and the hands quite a bit in that.
You know, it's not like he's crashing into a wall
or he's hitting somebody. A collision is happening. You know,
he hurt his knee most recently last year sliding into

(15:38):
second base. He hit the base too hard with his knee,
so he got hurt playing baseball. Nothing out of the
ordinar a just playing baseball. Didn't run into anybody. There
wasn't a collision at second base. Preston Wilson didn't try
to take him out. Adam Everett didn't run into him.
He just played baseball. He slid into a base nobody
else was even there. There was no other player involved.
He was running home and he's skept on home plate.

(15:58):
There wasn't anything clutching about either one of the plays.

Speaker 15 (16:01):
All he did is a good base runner, is what
I mean. He run home.

Speaker 7 (16:04):
Looks like Azell out there put his foot on home plate.
But it has happened before. I'm sure everybody's seen at
a time or two the spikes to the rubber home
plate is not always a great match. In the manner
in which he put his left foot down, he skidd it.
And once you skid off of home plate and onto
the dirt, you're most likely in a position where your
spike is almost immediately going to catch. Which looked like

(16:26):
what happened there, which turned his ankle. As you heard
Jeremy Paine you describe at the open of the show
from last night, when he tried to limp his way
off the field. He did the same thing a second time.
Just when he put his left foot back down again,
they corralled him as he landed right there next to
the dugout. He never went down, but he certainly needed
help getting off the field. Was obviously he was going
to leave the game. The guy who replaced him drove

(16:47):
in three more runs, got seven rbi in the four
games that he's been a part of for the Astros.
Jason Alexander wasn't quite as sharp as all of his
other starts recently, but the same thing happened. The Astros
lose again, they hand the ball to Jason Alexander. They've
done that nine times. The Astros are nine to zero
when that occurrence has happened. He has ended their losing

(17:08):
streak of one, two, three, whatever it is, every single time,
and last night was as important as.

Speaker 15 (17:13):
Any Yeah, I mean, and again I wish.

Speaker 7 (17:16):
The Texans had a stopper like that, they would have
ended their one game losing streak.

Speaker 14 (17:20):
I gotta ask you think the defense was gassed on
that last drive last night.

Speaker 7 (17:25):
I knew that would come up today because it's very,
very different. Do you look at the play count for
the two teams?

Speaker 16 (17:29):
I did not.

Speaker 15 (17:30):
Well, I'm sure it factors in.

Speaker 7 (17:33):
Oh, it's the biggest reason why the answers yes, according
to the official book, And that's really weird. How these
numbers don't match up. If you look at the offensive
plays run says the Texans ran forty six plays. But
in the very same document, when you look down below
when it tallies up the plays, well the Texans offense
had if you played forty nine plays, you were out
there for one hundred percent of the snaps. Well, those

(17:54):
numbers don't match. So Texans roughly ran forty nine plays.
The Buccaneers ran eighty gosh nearly twice because they kept
converting on third down. The reason the Texans were gassed
didn't have anything to do with the didn't have much
to do with the Texans inability to hold onto the ball,
with the Texans inability to extend drives because they were

(18:16):
so bad on third down. They mostly had to do
with the fact the Texans couldn't get the Buccaneers off
the field all night long. Four and a half four
forty on the opening drive of time of possession more
than eight and a half minutes on their second touchdown drive.
They had two more drives longer than the first. They

(18:37):
blew the Texans out of the water in terms of
plays and obviously the time of possession that goes with it,
better than thirty seven minutes of offensive time for the Bucks.
I do think look at how those lad every play
after the fourth and tent where they had they had
the rush properly executed. You had two additional blitzers in

(18:58):
there with both Jalen Petrie and then second day Henry
TOATOA Nobody really even puts a hand on Baker Mayfield.
He scorts through and gets the first down. Each of
the plays that followed, for you could argue, looked like
a little bit of a tire defense the way they
were at shoulders instead of tackling the way everybody. They
made it look very easy to get their way down

(19:18):
the field. They never face the third down again. That
part right there.

Speaker 14 (19:21):
The miss tackles were happening all night, even though they
were keeping them off the field or stopping drives from
being from Indian scores. In other words, mistackles were happening
a lot, and not just on the running back situation.

Speaker 15 (19:36):
That was just the most glaring and apparent.

Speaker 14 (19:38):
One because it involves Baker Mayfield converting that said four
and ten and them keeping a drive going that would
ultimately wind up losing and costing the Texans the game.

Speaker 7 (19:47):
Yeah, Texans, a few of their players I think are
still stuck as big hitters on the football field, stuck
in between I'm going to punish this player and he's
gonna remember it, and I think it'll help down the
road this game, or I need to tackle and I
need to bring the player down.

Speaker 17 (20:06):
You know.

Speaker 12 (20:06):
CJ.

Speaker 7 (20:06):
Gardner Johnson had about five big hits, Henry to Too
has had like ten already this year, and the list
goes on and on. And obviously all Shaier is well
known as a big thumper out there, and I think
that played into unfortunately a lack of tackling. Demiko mentioned
that earlier today when we spoke with him via zoom.
We'll hear a little bit from him on that guy's

(20:27):
maybe leading with their shoulder rather than wrapping up and tackling.
It was, as you said, on display throughout most of
the evening, it was one of the worst afternoons of
rush defense a Demiico Ryans team has produced. And those things, again,
they extend drives, They keep you from getting three and outs.
They obviously helped to flip the field a little bit.
Even if you get one or two first downs, punters

(20:48):
are putting the ball inside the twenty after that quite
often benefited from a missed field goal, benefited from another
great play by their special teams when they blocked the kick,
blocked the punt. All of these those things happening in
the second half. Plenty of things happened in the game,
and big plays from the offense which were totally absent
against the Rams that say, yeah, I think the Texans

(21:10):
won the game. They did the things, some of the
things necessary to win, but they did so many of
the things that allowed them to lose their own two
They go to Jacksonville next week. They have the Titans
here in Houston the week after. Must wins seem silly.
The first month of the season, there are fifteen games
on their schedule remaining. Just keep in mind they're playing
Baltimore in week five. You want to be anything less

(21:32):
than two and two when you play Baltimore. You want
to be one in three in front of your off
week when you go to play Baltimore. I don't think
you do.

Speaker 14 (21:40):
I don't feel good about next week for the Texans.
Just being perfectly honest.

Speaker 7 (21:44):
I feel tremendous and I can't wait to tell you
how easily the Texans will win and cover all right,
looking forward, I'll save it till Friday.

Speaker 15 (21:51):
No, that's good. That's good. We should probably do that.

Speaker 14 (21:53):
Still trying to track it down Zach Cole. So we'll
either have a conversation with him or best of X
or whatever or whatever else we want to do. It's
our show. We can do whatever we want. On a
Tuesday edition of the program.

Speaker 1 (22:06):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety, did you.

Speaker 19 (22:12):
All see this?

Speaker 9 (22:13):
We should be putting out between five and fifteen posts
a day.

Speaker 20 (22:16):
Four hundred people were arrested for things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 9 (22:20):
History repeats itself type, bang, you'll succeed. Never doubt that
you're the one to bustle, no one build lead. You're
the best of X. Nothing's gonna ever top you know
you're the best of X. Posting every single day night.
You're the best of X breaking the entire internet.

Speaker 14 (22:50):
All right, it is the eighteen it's Sports Talk seven
ninety and as you heard, WEX sing it is the.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Best bects.

Speaker 7 (22:58):
Thinking out loud as we roll into football season, because
I know there's at least two people out there that
are dying for me to have another permanent daily singathon.
So I'll see if I can come up with some
other ideas. But Best of X has arrived. Most likely
we will catch up with Zach Cole tomorrow schedules over

(23:19):
there with the Astros winding down their home schedule, there
are a few things they need to get taken care
of today, so probably that will happen tomorrow. We'll let
you know exactly when. But late yesterday suggested maybe the
manner in which Adam Schefter posted about the Tom Brady
returning to football on X the way he said it,

(23:41):
maybe that would be where we would go. I actually
think it's probably more Texans related and probably comes from
some stuff that I sent out myself and the responses
to it. The Texans playing last night usually a pretty
active period for the at Adam J. Wexler account, especially
for home games, when there's things that being there I
can see. Otherwise I have to rely on the television

(24:02):
copy and also covering the team in the locker room.
Both Cole and I were there doing that and at
the podium for CJ and Demiko. But it also allows
me to see it and think, well, what are some
of the things that this team has displayed this year
that I can statistically profile them on. And I did
that with two things earlier today. Early this morning, I
decided to crank out what the offense looks like so

(24:24):
far this year. Through two games, they're twenty eighth and
yards per game. They're dead last in points per game,
also dead last and third down conversion percentage, yards lost
on sacks. If not for rookie cam Ward and the
Titans offensive line, the Texans would be worst in the
NFL through two weeks, having lost sixty two yards. They've

(24:45):
only been sacked six times.

Speaker 15 (24:47):
CJ.

Speaker 7 (24:48):
That's only the eighth highest total.

Speaker 14 (24:50):
How many times we he sacked through two games last year,
just for comparison.

Speaker 7 (24:53):
It's the same stuff. We all know that that's the case.
He just hasn't had a game so far this year
where the hits, the numb number of hits and the
violence of those hits have been out of control. Last night,
there were a few that it would have been nice
to avoid, not to mention one of the hits he
took when he was like, well, I mean I gotta
get every yard I can get on this scramble. I
can't go out of bounds. We need the yards, and
he took some pretty sizeable punishment. It's the yards lost

(25:16):
on sacks also second highest. More than ten yards per
sack is what he's lost. And their time of possession
last night to the biggest culprit bottom of the league
as well, not dead last, but near the bottom of
the league. Going two for nine on third downs in
both games. That's catastrophic for a team with this many

(25:36):
players who've been around the NFL. I don't care how
youthful their offensive coordinator is. That has nothing to do
with their success rate. There has everything to do with
what are they giving him to work with, and yesterday
was a little bit better. There weren't as many just
run or draw and get off the field. There weren't
as many of those third downs, So that generated a
few comments. The other post, I may generated even more,

(26:00):
but pointing out all that offensive stuff on pace for
another fifty sacks season unbelievable. They didn't prioritize O line
in the off season. It says it's from Bates swarm,
so I don't know if that's one of your burners.
It says they clearly missed the ball on running back
in offensive line, they are running what would be a
backup running back, even though Nick Chubbs pretty talented player.

(26:24):
If Joe Mixon were healthy, he'd obviously be out there
for an even larger percentage of the snaps than Joe
Mixon is getting. Dream Team says, after all the problems
last year, especially on the offensive line, they simply promoted
the offensive line coach on what was the worst O
line in the league. He got the job because of
his Patriots background. I'm hopeful, but two games he has
not impressed. Two games, small sample, But I would also

(26:47):
agree some of their issues last night, which Demiko brought
up postgame are still of the communication variety. Some of
their other problems are physical and the play calling. When
the Texans got it to first and goal for the eight,
and then second and goal from the one after a
nicely designed, well executed throw to Nico Collins, the next
three plays were run to the right with Nick Chubb

(27:11):
and a throw to the right to Nico Collins, throw
to the left to Nico Collins. The fourth down play
was a disaster call, super super super low rate of
success and you had your quarterback running across his body
to his left, could have thrown underneath the Higgins. I
don't even know if he makes it there or gets
in the end zone. Ultimately he overthrows Nico in the
back of the end zone on a very low percentage play.
The third down play, they did get Nico in single coverage.

Speaker 14 (27:34):
It did hit his hands and the throw was too high,
but it was too high and after the throws and
bounds even if it hauls it in right.

Speaker 7 (27:40):
Not an ideal play call, but on a disaster call.
The first call the second and goal from the one,
that's the play that's supposed to work and the reason
one of the reasons it didn't work, and I think
the biggest reason is Lake and Tomlinson got blown up.
He got blown up. He's on the opposite side of
where they're running. They're running to the right. He's the
left guard, and he got pushed back so far, so fast.

(28:04):
That was the first cut Nick Chubb had to make
to avoid getting hit by his lineman who was pushed
back into his running lane. If he had been able
to just take the hand off and run exactly where
the play is designed to go, then I think there's
plenty of room for him to sneak in to run
over the one tackler that would have been still in
his way, and the Texans probably or at least at

(28:25):
the one inch line, if not in the end zone.
So those were the reactions to that particular post. The
other post was, I don't know, probably a little more mean,
but factual. There are ten NFL teams currently after two
weeks allowing less than ten points per game per Adam J.
Wexler and everybody else who can look up stats. Only

(28:47):
one of those ten teams is winless, your Houston Texans.

Speaker 14 (28:51):
And this is what I feared. And again we're only
two weeks in this is where I feared would be
basically the the synopsis, the feeling, the mo of the
twenty twenty five Houston Texans. I've never once as confident
as I've been about the line being terrible. I was

(29:12):
just as if not more, confident that they would have
an elite defense, and through two weeks they're showing they do.

Speaker 7 (29:17):
Yeah, their points against is excellent, and for the most part,
that's what I figured they would be able to do.
There's some areas I want to get into after we
finished Best of X because there's a lot more of
Clinton's burners to run through here. Let's see tells you
how trash CJ really is. That's pretty harsh. Chris Robert says, again,

(29:37):
this is definitely a burner. Texan's gonna Texan been two
and a half decades of always addressing the mistakes and
problems without actually getting better, including poor decision making scheming
from coaches. But City Chatter says quite simply in All
Caps Football time in Houston, BJ says bottom five offense,

(29:57):
top five defense. Michael simply put offense problem.

Speaker 14 (30:03):
And Chris said something that I just don't know if
I can get with yet, although I get it tells
you how trash CJ really is. I'm sorry, but like
he is, he is clearly not without blame, and last
night is clearly an example of that. But at the
same time, until things change, you have to include the qualifier.

(30:28):
What would he be like if he did have good protection? Now,
the mispasses and all that. I don't know that those
necessarily have to do with the line not protecting him
or giving him enough time and all that, you know,
reading defenses, all that kind of stuff that's on him.

Speaker 15 (30:42):
He doesn't strike me as the type of guy. He
doesn't put in the work in the film room, though
he's not trash.

Speaker 7 (30:47):
I don't know how he read defenses so well as
a rookie and then can't anymore because it doesn't make
sense and I don't believe it right. People keep saying
it because play has been poor and a read was
missed or he should have seen this open place. I
think he reads defense is fine. I think he's making
press position. I do not either. I think he's making
some poor decisions, and I think his throws are some

(31:11):
of it a little bit of physical in nature, because
I think the more that you face the pressure, the
less that you feel comfortable setting and throwing the less
you feel just standing in there and taking a hit.
He's trying to make plays. He's constantly believing if that
read isn't open, the rush is here, and that's that's
going on. He missed Nico Collins on another play over
the middle in the and the on the plus side

(31:33):
of the field, where it's just something. As a rookie
he never would have missed. I don't even know if
he would have missed it last year. He just didn't
click to him that Niko's beating his man. He's on
his drag from your left to the right. He's wide open.
He's wide open. He's wide open, and then the throw
comes and not only does it come super duper late,
it's no longer in the right place, it's no longer
on target, it's no longer going to be a completion.

(31:55):
So it certainly plays in there. They did play better
offensively this week than last week. They had plenty more
explosive plays, the types of plays that should give you victories.
But a couple of things we've glossed over and the
best of X it's time to really get down to
business on it and why the Texans are where they are,
which is owing too. You only play seventeen games, and
two of them are now not what you would have wanted,

(32:15):
and both were very winnable. Texans play a lot of
very winnable games. This is who they are. I don't
like this, but I had someone in my household who's
not my wife tell me this the other day because
he was watching the Aggie's Notre Dame finish the other
night with all of us in Austin, and my son says,
why don't you just watch the end of the game. Well,

(32:35):
for the last drive, the last two minutes, that's what's
gonna It's the only thing that matters. You're gonna see
who wins. I go, well, what about how they got
the first seventy five points? And I knew I was
fighting a losing battle. And he said that about two
other teams, that is Texans two at Oh, the Texans
played a one score game. No oh, the winner got
to side in the final two minutes on the last drive.

Speaker 15 (32:56):
No way.

Speaker 14 (32:56):
It's also how a lot of and I'll say it
not to you know, belittle him, but a lot of
casual NBA fans feel the same way about those games.

Speaker 7 (33:05):
When the owner's proxy tells everybody where a highlight league.

Speaker 15 (33:13):
I shrugged.

Speaker 3 (33:21):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 15 (33:38):
It is the A team Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (33:41):
We'll begin the simulcast at the top of the hours
so you can see how dejected we are.

Speaker 7 (33:45):
I didn't lose any games last night, or when.

Speaker 14 (33:47):
You know what, I'm gonna tell everybody right now, I'm
gonna give it away. When you walked in today, you
looked a little sad.

Speaker 7 (33:54):
Well, you'd been here for an hour, so I was
already sad I'd missed out on your first hour of
talk because you did that with Ross and then also said.

Speaker 15 (34:00):
I've heard the pre game or pre show conversation.

Speaker 7 (34:03):
I feel like I don't want you to waste your
best stuff with him in their audience. I want the
good stuff here. So yeah, I probably came in a
little dejected. Actually, totally the opposite. I was up early
today cranking out and working and getting ready for today's show.
So much to discuss. These are good days.

Speaker 14 (34:18):
Let's okay, let's talk about that before we hear from
CJ Stroud. This guy and I'm pointing over here across
from me. You were tweeting statistics at six point.

Speaker 15 (34:28):
Thirty this morning.

Speaker 7 (34:30):
Well, like I said, for some reason, six o'clock was
the time I was not only awake, but had the
computer fired up and was ready.

Speaker 15 (34:35):
For the day.

Speaker 14 (34:36):
Let's face it that that probably came after not your
first viewing of the game.

Speaker 15 (34:41):
Why do I feel like you watched the game again?

Speaker 7 (34:43):
Well, usually, especially they have had a bunch of night games,
which is awesome over the last handful of years. This
also happened to be a little bit earlier. But yeah,
after I locker roomed, it cranked out my wex cast,
which you can find on my YouTube channel, plus all
the audio from inside the text in locker room. Put
all that together, and then it was time to make

(35:04):
sure I knew all the MLB results, very few of
which have anything to do with the astros because not
that many teams played. Watched the Geno Smith Show, which
probably won't have any more showing. Oh my god the
rest of this year.

Speaker 14 (35:16):
Do you think you have a bad quarterback Houston, which
you don't, by the way, he sucks.

Speaker 7 (35:20):
That was a very very bad night of football for
Geno Smith and.

Speaker 15 (35:23):
Sam Darnold signing looks genius in Seattle.

Speaker 7 (35:26):
I mean they're one in one. The Raiders are one
and one.

Speaker 15 (35:29):
They got all they could at a gino and now
he sucks it.

Speaker 13 (35:32):
Right.

Speaker 7 (35:32):
They both ended up signing for huge, huge deals. So
I don't know that either teams are a really particularly
good situation. The Texans will find out later this year.
But yeah, after that, yeah, it's time to kind of
in the background. I wasn't really ready to focus in
on any kind of one am to three am review
of the Texans, but yeah, there were some things I
wanted to see. Again, it's when there were only two games, though,

(35:53):
every single piece of commentary. It's not a Sunday where
there's twelve games to review or ten games reviews. There's
two and usually there's just one, and only one of
them was competitive, right, and it had plays like Justin
Herbert love is out of control. So there was well
that hardly got any play at all. The only play
from that game they showed from Justin Herbert was him
getting blown up on a quarterback slide.

Speaker 14 (36:15):
Listen, I said this before. I said this before the season. Actually,
when we were giving our picks for Friday before Week one,
I said, look, all all due respect to Matt Stafford.
I'm far more concerned with what Baker Mayfield can do
to the Texans than what Matt Stafford can. And I'm
not saying this to pat myself on the back, because
the Texans held the Rams to fourteen points, and you know,

(36:38):
I just it didn't feel like Stafford led them to
a win so much as it felt like the Texans
just kind of had an all around bad day.

Speaker 7 (36:46):
I mean, thirty three yards rushing from Baker, that sound right, Yeah,
so for thirty three plus one hundred and ninety one
twenty four Yeah, Well, Stafford threw for two hundred and
twenty four yards. Baker created two hundred and twenty four
yards of offense.

Speaker 14 (37:02):
It was just going about it a different way. But
Stafford's team basically held on whereas Baker's team and Baker
himself went out and took it.

Speaker 7 (37:13):
Yeah, it was just a different of who was out
there to take care of business. The Rams defense took
the ball from the Texans right game over, right. The
Bucks offense had the ball at the end of the
game trailing and they took it. You had different units
on the field to put the game away. I mean,
the Rams unit was the offensive unit was on the
field to put the game away, and the Texans turned
him over real quick.

Speaker 14 (37:34):
Before we break for the top, let's hear CJ from
last night talking about basically, how how does the team respond.
They're going to statistically speaking, doesn't look good to make
the postseason, at least historically speaking. So how did the
Texans respond from this?

Speaker 13 (37:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 21 (37:48):
Just stay together. You know, states made it to one another,
trust to one another. You know, the sun arise in
the morning. You know, it's not the end of the world.
But at the same time, you know, we all get
paid a service, you know, to do a job, and
you know we got to get those jobs done at
at a faster rate. And yeah, I think you know,
as a team, we all just stay together. Everybody's gonna

(38:09):
talk crazy and we sug we did, we'd had and
at the end of the day, we got to stay
together and just mesh well and you know, be honest,
have hard conversations. But you know, I think right now
we need more confidence as a as an offense, at least,
just confident playing the better together. I think that's a
big thing. We're all we haven't played together a lot
of us, So the more confidence that we build, I
think the better that we'll be.

Speaker 19 (38:30):
All.

Speaker 7 (38:30):
They did make a lot of changes from a personnel standpoint,
and each of the two weeks they've had to make
more because a couple of wide receivers have been out.
They've started two very different looking groups of offensive linemen
even just week to week. So there's fact, there are
facts behind what he's saying. But there was also a
noticeable difference in CJ. Strout at the podium. He's been

(38:51):
there fifty times, and I thought he was at you know,
this isn't a playoff loss. He was clearly more dejected
after losing to Baltimore and losing to Kansas City the
last two years than he was yesterday. But he was
pretty unmotivated to dive into some of the things that
went wrong, because I think he's so ticked off, so
frustrated by his own play, so frustrated by the offensive plays,

(39:11):
so frustrated that they could easily easily easily be two
and zero if you just make a couple more plays
that were not unmade because the defense didn't allow it.
They weren't made because you just didn't do it.

Speaker 14 (39:24):
Yeah, yeah, no, I listen, everybody, the blame goes all
around for last night and for zero to two. It's
just that when you start distributing it, I just have
a hard time putting a ton of finger pointing on
the defense when they've really I feel like they've done
their job.

Speaker 15 (39:43):
Even in light of the final drive last night.

Speaker 14 (39:46):
I think they've done their job and they can look
at that and say, yeah, could we have made some
better plays here and there, But as a unit, they're
playing ketchup over there, not that they would fingerpoint.

Speaker 7 (39:57):
Yeah. AC's trying to divide the locker room. I will
try to unite in the locker room in the three
o'clock hour for things that both the players said, Dimiko
said today and yesterday, and obviously some more from CJ.

Speaker 15 (40:08):
Stroud.

Speaker 7 (40:08):
There are definitely areas where if this team's defense continues
on the path they're on, they're going to be like
this all year long, and it's not a good thing. Obviously.
If the offense continues on this same path, this is
where they're going to be all year long. Inside the
division they will travel. Each of the next two weeks.
I think they need a five hundred record after those
two weeks have expired, and I believe they will have

(40:30):
that a little bit more obviously on what did take
place for the Astros to get that six to three
win last night. Also in an hour from now, will
be joined by Aaron Wilson right here on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (40:40):
Ninety the A Team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham Talking your Team.

Speaker 4 (40:56):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler. Are they.

Speaker 14 (41:05):
Welcome into our number two of the A Team Sports
Talk seven to ninety and our number one on Space
City Home Network simulcast has begun.

Speaker 15 (41:14):
The lights are on, but nobody's home. Just kidding.

Speaker 14 (41:16):
The Texans felt that last night the lights were definitely on,
The lights were bright, and they watched the Tampa bay
Bucks take victory and turn it into defeat for them
as Baker Mayfield led his team to a game winning
drive under two minutes, a lot like CJ. Stroud did
against Baker Mayfield's team a couple of seasons ago. Doesn't

(41:39):
feel so fun when you're on that end of it,
and there is a lot of blame to go around,
and we have been getting into that and we will
continue to get into that as the show continues until
six o'clock tonight across town where I was. You guys
went to watch the losers last night. I went to
watch the winners. Good job, man, I didn't know the
the Astros got the win, and it was exciting in

(42:01):
the manner in which it happened.

Speaker 15 (42:03):
Was exciting by the way.

Speaker 14 (42:04):
Zach Cole, who was scheduled earlier, will join us either
tomorrow or Thursday. We'll get that squared away and he
will be on the program. But he was one of
the heroes of last night, a no doubter. Was sitting
very very close to home plate when he hit that
home run. And as I told Gordy in the hallway earlier,
that's the loudest sound I heard in the building last night.

(42:25):
It sounded like Jordon had hit a home run. But
Jordon at that point was already in the clubhouse or
somewhere thereabouts, after injuring himself crossing home plate and first
in the first inning as he scored the second of
two runs. And we're gonna find out more. MRI was
scheduled for today. I think we're gonna find out more

(42:46):
from Joe Espada in a matter of minutes here it
didn't look great. I mean, maybe it's one of those situations.
You see this all the time, and I think Freddy
Freeman last year was a good example of this. It
looks grotesque and then it's just not as bad as
you thought it would be.

Speaker 7 (43:01):
But maybe the games are incredibly important. So you just
soldier on that too, because he was playing not but
the home run after home run in the World Series
to defeat the Yankees. But I say, how do you
stay healthy if you have a bad, bad leg?

Speaker 15 (43:16):
Shoot it up with something.

Speaker 7 (43:17):
No, you don't run hard. Oh yeah, you hit homers
and you can jog around the bases.

Speaker 15 (43:22):
And listen, Jordan's as good at that as anybody.

Speaker 16 (43:25):
Yep.

Speaker 14 (43:26):
I hope that's the the and that's what it would
be the best case scenario. Hey, guess what your dh
the rest of the year. There is no questions about
it if he does come back, but we'll find out
for sure. Look, it's it's the most twenty twenty five
Astros thing ever. He got injured after missing one hundred
days and then coming up or coming back fantastic by

(43:49):
scoring a run against a division rival that you're trying
to stave off in anticipation of another series against another
division rival that still leads you by a half game
even after you got the win last night because they
were idle, So Astro's half game behind the Mariners for
first place. They got, you know, the first game of
this series. But all anybody wanted to talk about is

(44:09):
what's the condition of your non And then we found
out later from Chandeler Roman others. Yeah, he was on
not one, but two crutches and had a walking boot.

Speaker 7 (44:16):
Yeah, the walking boot is far more scary than it
usually ultimately is. Oh my god, he's in a walking boot.

Speaker 15 (44:22):
What does that mean?

Speaker 7 (44:23):
We don't know what it means, other than we'd like
you to immobilize it. That's what walking boots are designed
to do. So you can't. You can still walk, but
you're not going to do anything of any great ter
significance to whatever ails you. Doesn't mean he's going to
remain in some sort of cast or it doesn't really
mean anything. He also needed assistance getting down into the
dugout and up and down into the clubhouse. Well, they

(44:46):
had people with him. Now he needs crutches because he's
not going to have a full team's worth of people
around him.

Speaker 15 (44:51):
I hope they're industrial strength by the way.

Speaker 7 (44:53):
So that's what he needed after the game. Again, it's
not necessarily a good doctor way of diagnosing what the
future holds. I think the it's reasonably I'm reasonably confident
in predicting that Joe's not putting him in the lineup today.
I think it's also reasonable to not expect them to
put him on the injured list unless he is unlikely

(45:17):
to be available for the postseason either, even though one
has nothing to do with each other, and keep in
mind that that's not relevant to the days would be
the timing of it would be. But I don't know
that they're wanting to say, because tendail I got eleven
games left, technically he wouldn't be out for the year.
But is it really that bad of a situation that
they've got to get Bryce Matthews back up here. They're

(45:39):
gonna bring John Singleton up here. Bryce makes a little sense,
and that he offers you something. Jacob Melton, whatever the
case may.

Speaker 15 (45:46):
Be, I'm not bringing Jazz up I'll tell you that much.

Speaker 7 (45:48):
Well, he doesn't bring anything to the table. Each of
those other guys I think brings something an element of speed,
if it's Melton, an element of speed and positional infield flexibility.
If it's Bryce Matthews, whatever the case, maybe we'll find out,
hopefully a little bit more, if there is a roster
move to be made. If it is ultimately the move,
that's clearly negative news. I would hope it's just a
couple of days. It maybe wishful thinking for the magnitude

(46:11):
of the inflection point. It looked like it was at
a ninety degree angle. It doesn't look like it feels
very good. It seems very similar to a basketball injury.

Speaker 10 (46:19):
Man.

Speaker 7 (46:19):
Why does see wear high tops? I don't know. Maybe
it does prevent it, maybe it doesn't. He said that
about basketball players. And look how this happened to a
baseball player just simply running to home plate and putting
his foot on the dish. The catcher had nothing to
do with it, you know, the ball being thrown in
to make a play at the plate, it had nothing
to do with it. The timing of when he wanted
to get the home plate so he didn't slide, so

(46:40):
he wanted to run through the bag, which correctly got
him home safely.

Speaker 15 (46:43):
It happened because twenty twenty five Astros.

Speaker 7 (46:46):
Again, hopefully it isn't more I thought it was a
knee just because of the angle that he hit it,
but you could clearly see from the video and Jeremy
Pania who said he had a bird's eye view of it,
and he's right. Hopefully that is all it is. They
obviously have announced that that initial diagnosis of a left
ankle sprain. But they also put two runs on the
board in the first inning. They also came back from

(47:06):
a three to two deficit. They also played add on
after they were up four to three, and for the
first time in a few days, they turned to their
leverage bullpen arms and one after the other. Although you
probably wouldn't rate Jaden Murray's outing is super successful, what
he and each of the relievers before Brian Abreu did
was throw strikes. Their strike percentage from their bullpen from

(47:28):
the fifth inning when Alexander came out of the game
until they handed the ball to Brian Abrew in the
ninth inning seventeen pitches, thirteen strikes, nineteen pitches, sixteen strikes.
Murray threw nothing but strikes, although several of them were hit.
Steven Okert, he was fantastic again and somehow you really
managed to have somewhat of a low ish drama ninth inning,

(47:50):
despite the fact that Abrell let three base runners reach first,
one reaches double play, the next two reach ground out.
He faced six batters, only took him twelve pitches to
do it, and you got it in and out of
there were they six three victory.

Speaker 14 (48:04):
We will, because we've yammered on too much, we will
have a replay from Joe spot on next segment. But
it does bring up the question. You know you're watching
last night unfold. It's one of those nights. This happens
like every year. It seems like where the Texans play
on a Monday night where there is something of significance
going on with the Astros. I you know, vividly remember
Houston versus Philadelphia two times in the same night when

(48:28):
the Astros were playing the Phillies in the World Series,
and you had to ask yourself, Hey, would you like
a Texans victory on Monday night football? Or would you
like or maybe it was Thursday night, I can't remember,
or would you like an Astros World Series victory?

Speaker 15 (48:42):
You got it.

Speaker 14 (48:42):
You can only pick one because that's how it always happens, right,
You can't have both.

Speaker 7 (48:46):
And what about the Dashaun sacrifice injury.

Speaker 15 (48:50):
Well, that was so that the Astros could win the
World Series altogether.

Speaker 7 (48:53):
Well, I'm sure you're don't believe the Astros are gonna
win the World Series, do you?

Speaker 15 (48:57):
I don't know yet.

Speaker 7 (48:58):
So would the twenty twenty five Astros injury parade be
the sacrifice you're looking for for the.

Speaker 15 (49:04):
Zero to two Texans to win the Super.

Speaker 7 (49:05):
Bowl Rockets Tall Championship.

Speaker 15 (49:07):
Absolutely? Listen. You know what I was thinking last night
when everybody was ugh in the Husbanson Siegan, you're Doune's hurt.
Kat is a rocket.

Speaker 14 (49:16):
Katie is a Rocket, and we are less than a
month away from seeing his first He probably won't play lass,
but I'm just saying October twelfth's the first preseason game, right.
I don't think he's out there for that. I think
he finds a way to not play. And you know what,
I'm a thousand percent fine with that. He plays in
games that count. But media Day is the twenty.

Speaker 15 (49:38):
Ninth of this month, twenty seventh, twenty ninth, twenty ninth.

Speaker 14 (49:41):
And uh, before you know it, we're going to actually
see him in not photoshopped Rockets gear and he's part
of the team everybody that wanted him here that he
already knew from other stops along the way in his
NBA career. I'm absolutely expecting something special this year from
the Rockets, and it does make last nights or nights

(50:02):
like last night at least a little bit of a
softer landing. Doesn't change what happened. I mean, at least
the Astros won. It would have sucked if you went
over Houston and Jordon got hurt, So I'll take the
small victory. But going back to Freddy Freeman, you were
talking about that injury, and I don't remember the exact
date that happened. It was an ankle injury, just like Jordon's.

(50:24):
He missed the rest of the regular season and then
was back for the postseason, started hitting bombs almost immediately, and.

Speaker 15 (50:30):
The rest is history.

Speaker 14 (50:32):
But the problem was, and I don't remember this, and
I don't know this for a fact, I don't think
the Dodgers were trying to stave off or come from
behind in their division to get to the postseason where
they wanted to be. That's what's happening with the Astros.
So even if you know he comes back for the postseason,
wouldn't you like to have him as you're taking on
the Rangers and Mariners of the world. As this schedule,

(50:53):
you know, reads itself out.

Speaker 7 (50:55):
Uh yeah, I think so. I didn't do all the
research on this. What the Astros got to five and
six against Texas so far this season? Two more games
and clearly two wins will give you the season series
and the tiebreaker either a game a loss, and the
Rangers will have it.

Speaker 13 (51:10):
Well.

Speaker 7 (51:10):
They just want one to zero against the Rangers with
out your done last night? Is that okay? But he
did he walked, He did walk, and then he ran
and that's all he did.

Speaker 15 (51:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (51:21):
By the way, Korea still clutch clutch. Here's the pitch
to Korea. He hammers it deep off the wall in
center field, and two runs are gonna come home or
at bouncing in front of home plate. Jack Lder's gonna
pick it up and toss it to first. I was
thinking to you when that happened, I'm like, oh my gosh.
There were There was at least two innings that ended

(51:43):
with one pitchouts to in the inning last night. I
think there was, and I think they were consecutive innings.

Speaker 14 (51:49):
If I recall, it might have been the fourth and
the fifth I don't remember which ones it were. I
was like, oh man, because of course it was happening
with men on base again another that's totally the twenty
twenty five Astros situation. But hey, it ended up being
very important that they scored those two runs early because
you needed them to keep the lead when that throw

(52:10):
was made from left field, which was fantastic. By the way,
all the times they haven't thrown out a runner at
second base, it was nice to have somebody thrown out,
thrown out at home by the Astros defense. But yeah,
it was. It was a rough night for Houston sports fans.
Not gonna lie even in light of the Astros winning
the game. Everybody's waiting to hear about what happened with

(52:31):
your don speaking of which we will hear from Joe
Aspata what he had to say here on Sports Talk
seven ninety earlier today. Of course, he's still about to
speak in about an hour or so, and we'll bring
you that as soon as we get it. But that'll
be next here on a Tuesday edition of the program The.

Speaker 1 (52:47):
A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (52:52):
It is The A Team Sports Talk seven ninety, Space
City Home Network Tuesday edition of the program. Texans fall
to zero to two last night and the Astros get
the victory, albeit losing Jordan Alvarez to an injury in
the process. We do not know for how long we
will find out more about that, but Joe Spotta, Astro's manager,

(53:13):
did join the station for his weekly visit earlier today
and talked about what he saw.

Speaker 15 (53:19):
Is Jordan was rounding the bases at third.

Speaker 17 (53:23):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 13 (53:24):
It looked like he's foot to slip, you know, slippery
from home plate.

Speaker 17 (53:30):
You know, I know that usually.

Speaker 13 (53:32):
Early in the game, the first you know, the first
inning or two, you know, when they water the infield.
When the water in the home plate area, you know,
our guys usually put a towel on the you know,
like on top of the plate, to keep the home
plate from from getting wet. Maybe he spikes kind of
slid from underneath him.

Speaker 17 (53:52):
I don't know. It was really it was really weird.

Speaker 13 (53:55):
The wait happened, so hopefully we we we we hear
some good news here the next hour or two.

Speaker 22 (54:01):
Also on that play, Tony's paraschka, did you I know
you mentioned in the post game you didn't see the play.
We're able to see that he put up the stop sign,
and I'm just curious, you know, about that type of process.
We know that hitters work with hitting coaches, pitchers work
with the pitching coach and stuff like that. What is
that like with you talking to Tony Paris Chica and
the decisions to where it seems like, you know, sometimes

(54:22):
guys go through his stop signs and score, and that
was another situation like that last night.

Speaker 13 (54:28):
You know, for me, it happens throughout the league. You know,
one thing that I've always told our base runners is,
you know, Tony is there to help you, but the
good base runners are the one that don't need a
third base coach. So for example, in that particular play,
I did see that Tony put his hands up, but
or Don did look over his left shoulder, he did

(54:48):
pick the ball up. He saw that you know, uh,
what's his name, Garcia was taking his timing Kinny running
the ball in and you know your Don conne E
stinctually use he's instincts Andy.

Speaker 17 (55:01):
Score on that play.

Speaker 13 (55:02):
So it's you know, obviously, well we'll have a conversation
as a group, but we always encourage our players and
once to get to that base find the ball. You
could make decisions based based on your momentum, where you
at and what the defender is doing that particular play.

Speaker 22 (55:17):
Well, let's get to some positive news. Z that Cole coming
in to replace Jordan in the lineup. How about that guy?
A couple of hits, another big home run, three runs
driven in. I mean, how fun has that been to
see to watch him and put him out there and
having the kid opsing over fourteen hundred.

Speaker 13 (55:36):
Man, it's been fun. And we you know, he got
he got better throughout the year, and he did some
things in the mount of Leagues that you know, obviously
open our eyes and put him on the radar. And
we have been looking for a little offensive spark here
the last couple of weeks, and you know, he was

(55:56):
knocking on the door. He was loud enough where we
thought that, you know what, this might be the right
time to do this.

Speaker 17 (56:02):
And he has provided that spark. He has provided that energy.

Speaker 13 (56:06):
Good hitting, his contagious So hopefully it Zach Cole provides
that that energy that we've been that we've been searching for.

Speaker 22 (56:13):
On that home run at bat, I thought it was
extremely impressive. He gets down to two strikes and We
know that pitchers like to go with four seamers up
in the zone.

Speaker 7 (56:22):
Those can have tough pitches to get to.

Speaker 22 (56:24):
And it was up in the zone by Jack Lider
throws a good four seamer and he got around on it.

Speaker 17 (56:29):
Yeah he you know, Jack Lighter. He executed his pitch,
but Cole was ready for it.

Speaker 12 (56:33):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (56:33):
He had a nice swing top of the zone and
I'm telling you.

Speaker 12 (56:39):
It was it was.

Speaker 17 (56:41):
It was very impressive.

Speaker 13 (56:42):
How he's been able to make adjustment in the small
sample size of our bats he's gotten, but everything starts
with his preparation and he's he comes to the ballpark,
he's he understands what pitcher trying to do. He knows
his strength, he knows his weaknesses.

Speaker 17 (56:57):
He's he making an adjustment of bat to a B
So hopefully we keep that going. Man, we need some
of that.

Speaker 22 (57:02):
Also, good news in the game last night. You were
able to stay away from Brian A. Bray you for
a few games and you got him to close the
game out. Got into a little bit of trouble, but
was able to get out of there and close another
game for you.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (57:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've been you know, our our offense
in Atlanta allows us to you know, stay away from
from a braille and and and King also and I
was able to use King for for five out last night.
Hopefully we we go out there, we score some runs
today and we could give those guys a blow. But yeah,
you know, always been good for us. A few rough

(57:36):
outings the last last week, but he's the guy that.

Speaker 17 (57:39):
We lean on. He's been good for us for many years.

Speaker 13 (57:41):
This guy has been lights out in the postseason. This
guy is one of the best relievers in the game.
So I feel really good when he's out there, a j.

Speaker 22 (57:47):
Blue ball on the hill getting the start for you tonight.
I'm just curious about what you've seen from him when
he first comes came up to now to where to me,
just his body language and everything on the hill, he
just looks like he's full of more confidence one percent.

Speaker 13 (58:02):
And you nail the uh you know, you nail the head,
the nail on the head there. It's just a level
of confidence that he's pitching with every outing, his stuff,
you know, gets better, execution gets better because he knows
that you know, we you know, what pitches work with him,
works for him against certain hitters.

Speaker 17 (58:19):
We've been you know he started gains for us. He
has been a really solid reliever.

Speaker 13 (58:24):
Wanting him to go out there and give us a
couple of innings today.

Speaker 17 (58:27):
Pitch counts. You know, we we open to see.

Speaker 13 (58:30):
How far he takes us, right we we really need
him to cover some some innings early and hopefully we can.
We can hand the ball to our bullpen with the lead,
and we can.

Speaker 12 (58:41):
We can.

Speaker 17 (58:41):
You know, we could win. We could win have back
to back series.

Speaker 7 (58:44):
So what will happen if they grab a second win
against the Rangers, whether that's tonight or tomorrow night, doesn't
mean they can't grab two more wins from the Rangers.
I mean, so they would sweep them and essentially end
their hopes of passing the Astros and thus having a
chance to make the postseason, which wi isn't much of
a prize. The Astros would most just rather see themselves

(59:04):
get in. Aj blue Ball has been pretty good, especially
since he came back. Since he has been a part
of their bullpen and now getting the opportunity to start,
it's been a bulk reliever. He gave him Grete three
and a third the other day when he was the
emergency pitcher because Luis Garcia was hurt, gave him another
inning in that Atlanta series, and he will be hitting

(59:27):
the bump tonight off of five consecutive scoreless outings.

Speaker 14 (59:32):
Yeah, why am I strangely confident in blue ball?

Speaker 7 (59:35):
He throws strikes, he can dial it up a little
bit extra. It seems like he has a little bit
of adrenaline when he pitches, to the point that it
allows him to get a little extra hop on his fastball.
He seems pretty confident and throwing his fastball up in
the zone as in, I believe I can get it
by you, and he's shown the ability to do that.
Those scoreless outings are great, They're obviously brief and that

(59:56):
he's been coming out of the bullpen. But twenty five
strikeouts twenty two innings, only six walks. It's been hurt
by the home run ball a little bit like some
of the other Astros pitchers. Honestly, some of what I've
seen from him is like what we saw from Brandon Walter,
just clearly from the left side. If there's a lot
of pitches, you want them to swing at a lot

(01:00:17):
of hitters pitches or a lot of pitchers pitches. But
he's also challenging guys and they're ready for it. Six
home runs in twenty two innings, six home runs and
eight appearances. And that's really the only damage that Brandon
Walter was giving up throughout his whole season. Here, He'd
go six innings, he'd give up three hits, and maybe
two of them were homers, but he'd give you six
innings of two run ball. I think they might have

(01:00:39):
somebody they have to be looking at. You get thirteen
guys start the year on the roster. Next year, a
lot of different things are gonna happen with injuries and
who's ready and who's not. AJ blue Ball is going
to do some things the rest of this season that
say I should probably be strongly considered to be someone
who breaks camp with you next season, like Ryan Gusto

(01:01:01):
did this year.

Speaker 14 (01:01:01):
Yeah, were you surprised, I mean maybe not the situation, but.

Speaker 15 (01:01:09):
His pitch count was eighty three.

Speaker 14 (01:01:12):
Were you surprised that Joe yanked Jason Alexander when he did?

Speaker 7 (01:01:16):
No, didn't I send you a text about that?

Speaker 14 (01:01:19):
Actually you might have, But seeing as how I was
there and watching a football game and talking with five
other people in our group.

Speaker 7 (01:01:24):
It was during the fifth inning. Just before Joe left
the dugout went to the mound to pull him. I texted,
you shouldn't Joe have pulled Fromber already Alexander. Same thing
I thought. What happened in the fourth inning to Fromber
was the same thing that happened to Alexander in the
fifth inning yesterday. And he was trying to will Fromber
threw that inning. Come on, I don't want to take
you out with it.

Speaker 15 (01:01:45):
Don't make me do this.

Speaker 7 (01:01:46):
You know, he walked the first three batters, and he
gave up two more hits, and now the game's getting
away from us. I have to and an Alexander's case.
His first four innings were very Alexander like. He was
getting swings and misses. He wasn't in trouble. His pitch
count was very, very good spot it could easily have
gotten into the sixth inning, maybe full six, just from
in terms of how effective he was. But he was

(01:02:07):
not really all that effective in what turned out to
be his final inning, and he just couldn't will him
around it. And Joe mentioned something, I don't know if
I don't think we caught all of it in the
interview we played, So if you want it in its entirety.
Definitely check it out via the podcast. You look at
these games to touch differently if we're calling them the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:02:26):
He is too.

Speaker 7 (01:02:27):
Yeah, there's a little bit more urgency. You may make
some more unconventional earlier moves, and the playoffs are all
about the unconventional earlier. Oh, you pitched two days ago
and you're a starting pitcher and you've never come out
of the bullpen, so what you're going out there in
the middle of the fifth inning. They just they lose
their minds. Managers, sometimes to the benefit of the team,

(01:02:48):
sometimes not. But that's what postseason managing looks like.

Speaker 14 (01:02:51):
Well, I'm in Okurt did come in and did get
the job done, as did Murray and King and then
eventually a Bray you. And all I can say about
that are the the fact that Abray you did the obvious,
which is get the save. Is that I was happy
it didn't take thirty bebes to do it, just twelve
pitches for him. So I'll take that anytime, especially in
light of the marathons he has slogged through of late.

(01:03:12):
When he went out there and most importantly of all
six three on the scoreboard, all right, let's talk about
some red zone issues with the Houston Texans. We'll hear
from CJ. Stroud and Demico Ryans next, the A team.

Speaker 1 (01:03:26):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (01:03:33):
It is the A team, of course, talk seven ninety
rockets right around the corner. That's all I can say.
The Texans, the Astros, they have their issues. We've talked
about the mad nauseum, but we haven't really heard much
of the Texans themselves talk about. We heard a little
bit from CJ earlier. I thought, you know that series,

(01:03:57):
all four downs of it that you highlighted earlier, just
you've got I know it sounds easy to say. I
know it sounds simplistic. You just have to find a
way to get the ball in on the one yard
line ish, I.

Speaker 7 (01:04:12):
Mean, you have three chances after you get down there.
After first down. You ran a nice play on first down.
I thought I had no problem with the play call
on second and third down. They should have gotten a
touchdown on second down. Laken Tomlinson blew that play all
by himself by getting blown up. They also weren't very
good in short yard so it kind of is a
tough spot to put your your OC in because the

(01:04:33):
thing you should want to do there you're not very
good at. And I mean last night specifically. I think
that's one of the strength of the Tampa defense and
it showed throughout the game. If you didn't hear by
the way, Clije Kansey might be done for the year.
He left the game rather early with what was described
as a peck injury, and that's always scary when you
learn that it's torn, which is what the report is

(01:04:54):
today and the surgery schedule for Friday and likely puts
them on the shelf for the rest of the season.
I think people were starting to realize how that combination
was going to be very, very good, arguably the best
in the NFL with what he and vidave A A
are able to produce their upfront. But nonetheless, the Texans
should have gotten in on second down. Those two play
calls should have worked, and you should have been lining

(01:05:15):
up a point after or whatever you would have liked
to do in that situation. Third down call, you had
single coverage for your best player offensively, and you throw
him the ball. It just wasn't a very good throw.
He was open enough to where it should have worked.

Speaker 15 (01:05:29):
It didn't.

Speaker 7 (01:05:29):
Fourth down play call we've talked about is terrible. They're
a bad red zone team. That's all there is to it.
This is two years running. This is a new OC
there's a new O line, there's a new O line coach,
but too many other parts look the same. They were
bad last year in the red zone and they are
bad so far this year in the red zone. And
the same is true for the defense, which we'll get to.

(01:05:50):
But that is relative. How about how are they related
to the rest of the league. Everybody's better than them
by the stats?

Speaker 15 (01:05:59):
Is that the numbers?

Speaker 7 (01:06:01):
Looking at the numbers here, it says here the Texans
are the worst team in the NFL in the red
zone and that they are the only team that has
not scored in the red zone in twenty twenty five.
Nobody else has been to the red zone and not
scored This year, everybody's been there and everybody's scored at
least once, and they have not. Both of their touchdowns

(01:06:21):
yesterday were lengthy, the twenty five yard touchdown run from
Chubb late in the twenty nine yard touchdown reception, which
because they lost, we haven't even talked about how awesome
that play was. Put it where only your guy could
get it, todag swag from Nico just unbelievable. And the
opening drive of the game on Monday night football when
your offense is struggling, keeck brilliance and I didn't end

(01:06:44):
up winning. So we've talked about a bunch of other stuff,
but as you said, we did want to hear from
both CJ and Tomko on the red zone struggle. So
that's what we will get to here.

Speaker 13 (01:06:53):
CJ.

Speaker 7 (01:06:54):
Stroud from his postgame last night, after the Texans did
score two touchdowns their first of the sea and did
have a second half touchdown there first of the season,
and put points on the board on four different occasions,
but only ended up with nineteen and lost by one.
Your red zone issues, how about that? CJ? His computers

(01:07:18):
frozen and CJ one fire that up there.

Speaker 21 (01:07:22):
I didn't have any communication issues. I thought we split
to play pretty clean and we were just lining up.
Some guys weren't set, so I had to get Higgs
set on the fourth down. And other than that, I mean,
and that's kind of normal, but I don't. I ain't
really not anything down there that I can remember.

Speaker 7 (01:07:40):
As in what was different, what went wrong or why
weren't you able to score?

Speaker 15 (01:07:44):
Do you agree with him?

Speaker 7 (01:07:47):
I mean he was just telling I mean, I'm sure
everything he said is true. Like he needed to get
somebody lined up. It's not out of the ordinary to
do that down in the red zone.

Speaker 15 (01:07:54):
Yeah, he's just saying.

Speaker 14 (01:07:55):
Other than that, we didn't have any like I guess,
serious issues.

Speaker 7 (01:07:58):
I mean, he's I'm not stuck. CJ is. You didn't
score on second down because somebody didn't do their job,
and that was Laken Tomlinson. He needs to hold his ground.
He doesn't have to drive the guy into the end zone.
He needs to prevent himself from being driven back into
the backfield. He was unable to do that. Demiko Ryans
was asked us a question about helping the offensive line.
What can you do with guys and one on one

(01:08:20):
battles and things like this. He was asked that today
and he said, this is the NFL. Man, everybody's gonna
have one on one battles. Offense guys, defensive guys. You're
here to win those battles. The guys that win those
battles more often, that's why they're the best players in
the league. He's right, and they don't have people that
win them often enough, and certainly not down there where
it's even more magnified. Demiko ryans similar about asking or

(01:08:43):
answering a question about you know where this team is?
He said it on a couple of occasions today. But
back down to in the red zone, second third and
fourth in goal from the one yard line, Tomko.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
Yeah, we tried to run the ball in.

Speaker 20 (01:08:59):
We got knocked back, couldn't get the ball in, and
we tried to, you know, find Miko there a couple
of times to get the ball, and we just we
didn't connect, right, We didn't make the plays we needed
to make.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
And that's the summation of this game, all right, NFL is.

Speaker 20 (01:09:12):
About it's gonna come down to a two minute drive
in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (01:09:16):
Are you making plays or not?

Speaker 20 (01:09:17):
Like we are, guys, a lot of guys gave us
a chance right to win that game. Special teams played
out standing, all right, blocking the kick, getting an explosive return,
forcing the missfield goal. So it's got showed up and
made plays to give us an opportunity.

Speaker 2 (01:09:34):
Now how do you capitalize on that?

Speaker 7 (01:09:37):
Like I know, and again like I said with CJ,
he said, we got knocked back that's how a coach
doesn't bury a player.

Speaker 14 (01:09:44):
Right and again, he's saying all the right things, and
he's I don't know what you would rather Demko say.

Speaker 15 (01:09:51):
Then, we've got to make.

Speaker 14 (01:09:53):
Plays, we've got to play better, We've got to coach better,
all that kind of stuff. You remember the Kubiak era
because I I believe, have all the coaches had the
same amount of tenure as head coach of the team.
I feel like Kubiak was longer for some reason.

Speaker 7 (01:10:08):
I mean the two that those two, Bill and Gary
had the longest tenure dom for four The other two
guys who we speak of very infrequently each had one,
right and Demiko's in year three.

Speaker 14 (01:10:18):
But how long was Kubiak and O'Brien Were those both
four years?

Speaker 15 (01:10:22):
No?

Speaker 7 (01:10:22):
Both longer than that.

Speaker 14 (01:10:23):
That's why I thought, Okay, the reason I bring that up,
we all know and we make fun of it to
this day. Towards the end of Kubiak's tenure, all of
his catch phrases, if you will, we're I think wearing
thin on a lot of people. You know, we gotta
do better, we got battle fight, all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 15 (01:10:43):
How long?

Speaker 14 (01:10:44):
And again, this is year three for Dimiko. I just
you keep saying stuff like that and nothing changes. That's
how you get to that point.

Speaker 7 (01:10:53):
Yeah, it's to me, it's still totally different. And we're
not talking about Gary trying to figure out, you know,
why they're they're nine and seven and missing the playoffs,
how they fell to four and twelve or they're only
six and ten. I mean, Dimiko's done nothing but win.
Let's be real, he started zero to two before they
went to the playoffs and won the division that year.
That was you CJ's rookie year. That was Demiko's first
two games as.

Speaker 15 (01:11:13):
A head coach. Crazy to think about that.

Speaker 7 (01:11:14):
Now they win football games. They've played a ton, a
ton of close games since they've been here, and it
would be nice, with the talent that's on the roster
to not do that every single week. And that's what
they're missing more than anything else where. I keep trying
to tell I think the roster's really good. I think
everywhere with the all sensive line that well, it doesn't

(01:11:35):
play out. Ever, how about being up twenty one to
nothing and winning by three scores. I mean, it's just
so infrequent for this group that there's obviously more problems
than that, and they're not quite as talented, but there
is some I do think there's some merit and value
in saying that because you have set these players up
to succeed, like just catch the ball, or just make
the throw, or just make your block one guy and

(01:11:56):
it works, and those things haven't happened, so that we
have to play better in a lot of instances, I
do think yes, I mean, I don't know what you
want me to do. I don't have a uniform on
kind of comment from Debiko from time to time, but
more to hear from them, and specifically on the defensive
side of things and their red zone issues, which also
are huge again.

Speaker 3 (01:12:19):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (01:12:28):
We mentioned it earlier in the show as it pertains
to the final moments of what would wind up being
a twenty to nineteen Texans loss to the Bucks at
home last night on Monday Night football home opener.

Speaker 15 (01:12:40):
All the raw rod that goes into that kind of thing.

Speaker 14 (01:12:42):
Texans are now zero to two, and I asked Wex, hey, uh,
did you.

Speaker 15 (01:12:48):
Think the Texans scored too soon?

Speaker 10 (01:12:50):
There?

Speaker 14 (01:12:50):
You had a very very that's the word I'm looking
forward to describe it. This volatile response as what it was.

Speaker 7 (01:12:57):
I didn't think they did. And granted, you are in
a situation where the possibility exists you could be the
last team with the football, so you just kick a
field goal and the last plane you win. You don't
give there, You don't force your defense to make a stop,
you don't allow their offense to get the ball back.
They also were on their one, two, three, four, five, six, seventh,
eighth consecutive drive, this one's not over yet, eighth consecutive

(01:13:21):
drive without finding the end zone. They didn't need a touchdown.
They needed to go in front, which they could have
done with a field goal on a fourteen thirteen game.
But this is not It's not really the way I
would have played it. Are you asking them, like, do
you do you want Nick Chubb to stop inside the five.

Speaker 15 (01:13:41):
And sit down and let the clock run a little
bit more?

Speaker 7 (01:13:43):
Do you want them to stop at the twelve or
thirteen so you can maybe get another first down? Because
if he's at the five and he gets tackled right there,
if you're trying to tell me they scored too soon
because the Bucks, ope, we'll pretend they tried to let
them score, which I still do not believe was the truth.
You know, they kick off with two oh four remaining,

(01:14:04):
So where does he go down? Where this is going
to help you because the clock's still going to stop
at the two minute warning. Let's say he doesn't score,
so that's stoppage number one, and the Bucks still have
three timeouts.

Speaker 15 (01:14:17):
That's the thing they have.

Speaker 7 (01:14:18):
You left yourself room to get another first down, because
if you haven't run time out, run time out, run timeout,
and you kick the field goal with one forty six
on the clock. More on one of those runs, the
Bucks let you score your touchdowns. So there's twenty seconds
less and the Bucks now only have one timeout or

(01:14:39):
no timeouts. I mean, yes, there's some other parts of it,
but there were four clock stoppages still to play. So
I don't think you're a letting them score or b
trying to not score yourself. They got a touchdown.

Speaker 14 (01:14:55):
Not to mention touchdowns specifically are at such a premium
here through two games this offense.

Speaker 7 (01:15:00):
You score a touchdown and are successful on the two
point play, then even if you give up a touchdown,
you've gone from you lost, you're losing. It's fourteen thirteen
to you're in overtime. Or the Bucks have scored too
soon themselves. That's how much time was still left. If
you really believe the Texans were in such a good position,

(01:15:22):
a good enough football team, that they were going to
bleed the clockout, which means they were gonna bleed all
of the Bucks timeouts out and kick the game winning
field goal essentially on the last play. Okay, I just
I didn't think that was a likely scenario. It's definitely
a possibility.

Speaker 14 (01:15:37):
Let's see what Damika Ryan's had to say about this,
because he was asked this very question and this is
how he responded.

Speaker 20 (01:15:43):
Okay, man, at that point, just go score, man. You
can look at everybody can go back, look at a
second second. Guess what do you do in that point? Like, man,
we got to make a stop. We had enough time,
We had enough time to win the game.

Speaker 14 (01:15:57):
That wasn't the issue, and they did have them at
fourth and ten on the ensuing drive by the Bucks.

Speaker 15 (01:16:02):
I mean, it's not I don't I'm with you, I don't.

Speaker 14 (01:16:06):
I don't think you score a touchdown, score touch I
get it, leaving too much time on the clock for
certain quarterbacks and all that kind of stuff, and clearly
this one burned them, and Mahomes has done it. Brady
has done it to the Texans. We've seen that, you
know in Deshaun's rookie year.

Speaker 7 (01:16:19):
CJ did it to Baker Bayfield's.

Speaker 15 (01:16:21):
Yeah, I mean it was time soon.

Speaker 7 (01:16:24):
They just scored. You know, it happens. No, it's it's
the way. It's it's timeouts and you're inside the twenty
and it's a chip shot and you have no issues
with your special teams unit. Go ahead, you know, take
your knees, line it up where you want it, get
rid of all their time out. That's oh yeah, that's
a little bit. There were more. It was more to
it than that. But yeah, there's people out there that

(01:16:46):
not only think they did score too soon, but it
wasn't asked of Todd Bowles after the game, and I
don't believe the comment about it today. Did they do
it on purpose? Did they really part the ways? Because
you can clearly see both Titus Howard and Harrison Bryant
their other They cleared a humongous hole which we hadn't
seen much of. No for Nick Chubb to run right through,
it appeared that, you know, Levonte David went after the

(01:17:08):
play like I would expect a player too. He got
blocked out of being able to get to Chubb and
then there wasn't anybody else there and he ran it in.

Speaker 14 (01:17:16):
I honestly think that that right there is why you're
getting people say saying about Tampa that they let them
because nothing had been that open all night.

Speaker 7 (01:17:26):
Right, and they have done that, that that particular team
has done that before. There's a few coaches that have
been that situation and felt that was the way to go,
and more often than not, because of how teams are
so successful, it seems like down the stretch of games
and in these two minute situations, that is the only
way you're extending the game by letting the other team score.

(01:17:46):
It's not even about whether you get your touchdown to
tie it or win the game yourselves. It's that, well,
the game's over. If I don't do this, I have
to give my team a chance. And I didn't really
think that's what happened. But I guess unless Todd Bowles
answers it, and we definitely believe him them, then we
won't really truly know for sure. One thing I can
tell you is the Texans red zone defense is something

(01:18:06):
I talked about you heard me many many times this offseason.
That to me is what was preventing them from taking
the your one of the best defenses, to your an
elite defense. Because when you can stiffen up like that,
when you can say it's three or nothing, you're an
elite defense. You don't necessarily have a you know better
everything than the other team. But you gotta shut You
gotta shut these teams down when they get close. And

(01:18:29):
the Texans were bad at it last year, or they
were one of the worst ten teams in the league
last year. They're in the exact same spot of this year.
Three trips for the Rams in Week one, they scored
two touchdowns, three trips for the Bucks. In Week two,
they scored two touchdowns. That's an incredibly poor rate. Two
out of every three times another team visits the red zone,
they're scoring touchdowns. That's worse than the league type of stuff.

(01:18:50):
That's bottom five, bottom six type of stuff. And it's
accentuated as a team when you also boast the worst
red zone offense. But the different diferences. Your defense is
loaded with talent. The highest paid corner, the soon to
be one of the highest paid edge rushers, a guy
who picked up the hundredth career sack, fifteenth fastest in
the league, and everything else about how much talent they

(01:19:12):
have and they're healthy. The guys you want on the
field are available to Jalen Petrie missed a handful of
plays at the end of the first half. He returned
for the second half. Set after the game, when asked
how do you feel, he said, God is good. I
hope that means he's trying to tell us I avoided
something serious, but he also got back on the field
and played. You had everybody you wanted, you couldn't stop him.

Speaker 14 (01:19:33):
Yeah, that's been and that has been the opposite case
at the end of each of the first two weeks
of the season for the Texans. Trying to drive and
win the game last week and then trying to stop
a drive to you know, inevitably go ahead and lose
the game this week. That's I think probably the most
frustrating part for not only the fans, but the organization

(01:19:54):
and the players and coaches themselves and anybody else involved.
Like it really does come down to a couple of
plays and you're two and zero.

Speaker 15 (01:20:01):
But that's the NFL.

Speaker 7 (01:20:03):
Well, it's definitely Houston they some teams aren't always like
getting blown out. They're not getting blown out. But it's
okay to beat the other team by more than one score.
It's okay. It's okay to get a big lead and
hold a big league It's okay to get on a
role offensively. It's okay to score points with your defense.
This is another part of this year's team is great.
That disease al Schaire forced the Parkinson fumble a week ago.

(01:20:25):
That's a great turnover they forced this year. They have
one takeaway.

Speaker 14 (01:20:30):
Yeah, and that was THEIRMO. Last year it was totally
their mo O and had been the case. But there's
a lot of season left. You just better beat Jacksonville.
So we'll continue to discuss this. As a matter of fact,
we'll talk about it with Aaron Wilson. He will join
us via the phone lines to start the four o'clock
hour next.

Speaker 1 (01:20:49):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named at him talking yours, Adam Clinton
and Adam Wexler are d A Team.

Speaker 7 (01:21:10):
Four o'clock halfway point of today's edition of The A Team.
Halfway to getting you to Astros on Deck as they
prepare for Game two of the final series of the
season against the Rangers, meeting him last night, getting a
half game closer to the Mariners, and pushing another game
in between them and the Rangers a little bit after
seven o'clock for first pitch there. And it is the
morning after week two in the NFL to Monday night

(01:21:33):
games last night to put a close to the week,
the Texans one of a handful of oh and two
football teams after falling last night by one point. And
we welcome in Sports Talk seven to ninety and kp
r C Channel two insider for the Texans, Aaron Wilson, who,
like ourselves here, Cole, myself, you and many others have
had a chance to talk to Dumiko twice after last

(01:21:54):
night's game, CJ and a host of others inside the
Texans locker room. Aaron, we've heard a lot of what
we heard from them yesterday over the three years that
Demiko has been here and over these close games that
have maybe not gone their way, but specific to the offense,
and them saying well, we need to find a rhythm
when we need to do this, and I don't know
how much more rhythm you're gonna find than what they

(01:22:15):
did to bolt out of the gates, and even though
they only got a field goal, two drives, two scores
for a team that struggled so much and then they
fell into the now, we can't do anything offensively. What
do you think happened to start the game so well
and then almost immediately fall back into well, if we
get the third down, you know a punt's coming.

Speaker 19 (01:22:35):
The adjustments. Really that's the devils of the details. And
you look at what a betteran defensive coach like Todd
Bowles can do. I think that's that's a big one.
You look at how people changed their scheme. They see
what you're going to run, and then you know it's coaching,
it's strategy, and it's really the way football should be.

(01:22:58):
And Texans, this is not something they excel at. This
is something that a lot of their opponents. They've run
into two playoffs caliber teams that they just weren't as
good as I don't think they were a small coach.
As they've got to a point now and where this
is kind of what's expected from the Texans, They're not
going to be even considered a good team anymore or
a solid team they don't start beating some good teams,

(01:23:20):
and that is not being beating the Jackson the Jaguars.
I mean, the beating seems like the rams of the Buccaneerson.
I think you've got to be very realistic about what
the Texans are. They're the lowest scoring team in the NFL.
They are a winless team. They are the only team
in the NFL that does not have a red zone touchdown.
I think you know, they've got to take a long,

(01:23:41):
hard look in the mirror. They're gotta be honest with themselves.
Then it's not good enough, and I don't I mean,
if the only hope is that the offensive line starts
to gel or having Christian Kurt back that all of
a sudden, maybe that takes a little bit of pressure
off of Nico Collins. But I just don't know if
that's quite a enough. I think they need do very

(01:24:03):
seriously considered the trade market when it comes to the
offensive line. I think they still need more help at
tight end. Skate Stover had surgery. We don't know when
he'll be back. At some point later in the season,
he's going to be one you can't tell.

Speaker 14 (01:24:18):
You mentioned the trade market with regards to the offensive line.
Immediately my ears perk up because I like the sound
of that. I was screaming at the top of my
lungs all off season to address the offensive line more
than just kind of patchwork, and I think they did
with one of their draft picks. But that's what It's
almost like a franchise quarterback who is going to have

(01:24:39):
an offensive lineman stashed or willing to part ways with
him in order to improve the Texans. And how would
that trade even come about with what the Texans would
have to end up offering.

Speaker 15 (01:24:50):
I'm assuming draft picks, right.

Speaker 19 (01:24:52):
Draft picks or a good defensive player is typically the
only way you can do that. And in my opinion, yeah,
it's a very difficult ploff, but good player for player trades.
I don't think anybody necessarily wants to help you, but
you know, if you've got something an asset they're interested in,
and you know, where's the depth though, I mean, even
when we talk about the good positions, it's not like

(01:25:14):
they have three of them. I mean, I look at
linebacker a little bit. I feel like EJ. Speed, you know,
is a good player, But I mean, how much are
you metting in return for him. This is kind of
a backup, like a good swing tackle, that kind of thing.
I mean, I kind of would like to see Tren
Brown when Trent I know that he's not really quite
there yet from a conditioning standpoint coming off that the Tellers

(01:25:37):
send in, but maybe late in the season. We do't
want to see.

Speaker 7 (01:25:40):
Him something that will obviously if they can. Again, why
they waited until the season, I have no idea.

Speaker 13 (01:25:47):
CJ.

Speaker 7 (01:25:48):
Stroud's definitely going to be the talking point no matter
what's going on, good bat or otherwise, and he certainly
is after two games so far this season. Same thing
I said about the offense in general. He came out
cooking five of said in the first quarter, one hundred
and five yards, the ten points, the two scoring drives
to open up the game, and a pass that Nico
Collins haul is in for a touchdown, and then he

(01:26:09):
basically he looked terrible eight of seventeen over the final
three quarters. He threw for fewer yards in the final
forty five minutes than he did in the first fifteen.
He's lucky that the Vonte David dropped the interception he
threw right to him, and he was missing open targets.
What do you see in CJ in the very beginning
of year three.

Speaker 19 (01:26:32):
I feel like there's some regression from all the hits
he's stay. And we've seen this story before, right you
see it happen with the car brand and she's see
what hapen with a lot of people that have been
hit too often, and eventually what happens is they get
gunshot and they start expecting they hit where they think
they have to bail out of plays because they're going
to get hit, and they throw the balls too soon

(01:26:54):
and they scrambled too much, or they overthink it, and
you know, instead of just delivering the past, he's trying
to place it. And what you're seeing is these wild incompletions.
I mean, what he did there? That looks like a
guy that's kind of emotional to me in you know,
these plays. And he's a better quarterback than that. And

(01:27:14):
I think to say anything else would be to baby him,
And you know, I have too much respect for him
to do that. I think he's someone that you have
to really, you know, treat like he's a serious quarterback.
And you know that's how I take him. I know that,
you know, you maybe never let him see a sweat
as a press conference, that kind of thing. But my understanding, yeah,
he's concerned about the offense, upset about the performances, and

(01:27:40):
there's a frustration factor because he's a human being, and
I think he's sincerely trying very very hard, if anything,
perhaps pressing a little bit to me. He's got to relax,
he's got to have better support around him and the
blitz protection, I mean, Dargable, that's not it. I think

(01:28:02):
they need much better running back play all around. And
they try to adjust by having Damian Pearce to be
a healthy scratch reported before the game and British Perkson
was up for special teams. But that's not the answering
healthy offense. I'm just not sure if they have enough
at the running back position. We don't expect to be

(01:28:22):
reinforcement coming from Joe Mixon anytime soon, if ever. So
this is the offense and how they kind of talk
themselves into thinking this would work, I don't know. I mean,
because they know personnel better than we do. I mean,
you can talk yourself in anything, but it just doesn't
eat it on paper sound very good.

Speaker 14 (01:28:42):
Yeah, the offensive line is It's just made me want
to you know, put my head through a brick wall
for a long time now. And I guess, I guess
what is the most frustrating is Casario does, you know,
make good picks in other areas on both sides of
the ball, but particularly on the defensive side the ball
and in late rounds, but not having I guess a

(01:29:04):
little bit more urgency, like you know, taking both receivers
from Iowa State like that right there. I don't know
what went into all those decisions, but I just I
guess I felt like there would be more of a
sense of urgency with regards to the offensive line in
the draft, even having picked you know, an nursery.

Speaker 19 (01:29:25):
It's just a very very confusing situation because you know,
he's a smart guy and he's seen it offensive lineman before,
like when he was with the Patriots. They had guys,
they had Sebastian Bulmer, they had lots of guys.

Speaker 13 (01:29:42):
You know.

Speaker 19 (01:29:42):
They just just doesn't look like that.

Speaker 7 (01:29:46):
Is there an opportunity for I don't know what they.

Speaker 19 (01:29:48):
Can do about it at this point. I mean, I
think her story will be a good lineman. That that's
my opinion. That's many people's opinion, But I'm not seeing
that sort of hope for their other second round picks
like Fisherger Scrubs, and they're actual don't just speak volumes.
They yell at you. We don't want to play these
guys under any circumstances. So if that's what you're saying

(01:30:08):
in your actions, you don't want to play them, you've
got to have a big line shuffle rather than serve
juice drugs you used to be a starter for you.
I think it says a lot. It's really saying it's
an indictment of these draft picks. It's not their fault.
They didn't ask to be picked in the second round.
So he picks the players. So it's got to get
better and at some point, yeah, there's going to be

(01:30:29):
some accountability for it. You know, you've got to look at, Okay, well,
what's our process. What are we doing with that evaluation
as opposed to how great they have been at drafting
and developing corners and safeties and the defensive end position
or free agents like deal Hunter. So you know, in fairness,

(01:30:50):
they'd had a lot of hits or getting something out
of Joe Mixon really for not very much. So there's
been a lot of personnel successes, but it is hard
to say the offensive line if that's a success and
in retrospect, yeah, hindsight me in twenty twenty, wouldn't you
rather have larry My Tunsl to go with some of
these new players instead of doing the trade, regardless the

(01:31:11):
fact that he wanted a new contract and he had
a lot of penalties.

Speaker 7 (01:31:14):
Even after two weeks, yeah, even after two weeks and
the two offensive line performances, I'm not going to say
yes to that. I would actually still say no. It's
less about moving on from Tunsol and more about well,
why didn't you get good players? Losing Tunsl doesn't prevent
you from adding talent, and it doesn't have anything to

(01:31:34):
do with who you missed out on the draft. It
has to do with saying, oh, this guy got benched
in Minnesota, let's trade for him. Well, this guy doesn't
isn't wanted in Minnesota or Jacksonville, Well let's go sign him.
All this guy's played out the strings, the worst offensive
lineman on his team for the last five years, Well
let's sign him. And they're all starting for the Houston Texans.
We could go on and on and on about the

(01:31:55):
same problem. This team has had for a long long time.
We'll catch another visit with you and maybe focus on
a different area of the team. I'll be back out
on the practice field with the team tomorrow, so we'll
see you out there as well. Aaron, always appreciate the
time here with us, the reporting and everything you got
going on. Appreciate your time.

Speaker 19 (01:32:13):
Thanks, guys, so good to talk to you. I appreciate
you guys. Keep up the great work. The A Team
is a must listen anybody out there's listening. Make sure
you keep a lock with these guys.

Speaker 7 (01:32:22):
And cutting a promo for us on his birthday.

Speaker 2 (01:32:25):
What a guy.

Speaker 7 (01:32:25):
We'll catch you back here on the A Team. On
the other side, a few more things to get to
this hour, obviously from the ballpark with Joe Spot a
meeting with the media. Signature segment is say what but
yeah the update on yourd hant Alvarez can't wait to
hear it next.

Speaker 1 (01:32:44):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (01:32:50):
Appreciate the visit from Aaron Wilson and appreciate you hanging
out with us. As he said, we're awesome here on
the A Team. WEXAC and Cole Ballpark Tonight, I can
Park hosts Astros Rangers. Three games separate those two teams.
Astros drew within a half game closer to the Mariners,
and that is the deficit now, just the half game

(01:33:10):
difference between those two teams. Mariners will be underway a
little bit earlier than the Astros. Tonight they begin a
three game series with the Kansas City Royals. Royals season
isn't quite over yet, but they have multiple teams to
jump over, including somebody in the wildcard chase, which is
Houston or in the wildcard spot. They would also have
to pass the Guardians and Rangers, so not impossible, but

(01:33:33):
they've got their work cut out for them. Did not
yet give you the Astros lineup. As we make our
way towards the update on Jordon Alvarez, jo spot up
meeting with the media, just a little bit of go
and continuing on trying to get this team into the postseason.
We already knew jord On would not be in today's lineup.
We'll tell you about how many future lineups he will

(01:33:53):
not be in after today. But with Christianavier going tomorrow,
you got aj Bluebaugh going tonight, He's going to be
throwing to Victor Karattini. The Astros infield goes one, two, three,
four in tonight's lineup Jeremy Paannia, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve,
and Christian Walker. Zach Cole, who should join us either
tomorrow or Thursday. Right here on the show from Dyk

(01:34:15):
and Park. He's your right fielder and he bats fifth.
He's homered in two of his four major league games.
Jake Myers and center Karattini bats seventh. Jiner Diaz will
bring his bat to the game tonight as a designated
hitter and another lefty in the lineup, with Jesus Sanchez
batting in the nine hole. Another right handed starting pitcher
for the A's Merril Kelly, who's been very, very good

(01:34:36):
for both of his teams this year, the Diamondbacks before
they traded hto the Rangers and obviously here with the Rangers.
The Doley Scarcia played a second game since returning from
the IL yesterday, but he is not in tonight's lineup.
For the Arlington Rangers, Berger and Peterson and the other
usual suspects are and Josh Young of the that's a

(01:34:57):
homer in eight ballparks last night is bat sixth to
night and playing third base. The update from Joe Aspata,
if you please, you're manager of the Houston Astros, indicating
where things stand with Jordan Alvarez. What do you have
to say to the media out there, including our own
Ross Vila Reale just a few minutes ago.

Speaker 13 (01:35:14):
He's got a pretty significant ankle spring.

Speaker 12 (01:35:18):
So this is going to keep him out for for
a while.

Speaker 13 (01:35:21):
Let's not get into days, weeks.

Speaker 12 (01:35:25):
Any of that.

Speaker 13 (01:35:26):
We are going to take one day at a time,
but this is going to take some time to heal.
We don't have that many days left from the regular season,
so we are going to He's in there getting some treatment,
getting some work.

Speaker 12 (01:35:36):
Done, so you know, hopefully it's not he's not out
for quar long period time. You know, we need him
in there, right But those other things that we can control.

Speaker 13 (01:35:47):
You know, it's a it's a freak accident happens on
a baseball field, but you know, but that's not what
we what we need right now. But we do have
guys here that on the stand the situation that we end.
We got we got talent, We've got guys who want it.
We've got guys that can fight and and and and
get us through this, through this stretch that I expect
those guys to do.

Speaker 12 (01:36:08):
Just snap you, I alpha did I just what? Did you?
Just heart what I said? This is going to take
some time.

Speaker 2 (01:36:14):
I know, I'm wondering for your roster.

Speaker 13 (01:36:16):
You're gonna play man, Sure, listen, one day at a time, chunt.

Speaker 12 (01:36:20):
Okay, I'm not gonna.

Speaker 13 (01:36:21):
Give you days weeks when we go what we're gonna
do next, he's gonna have to see down and wait.

Speaker 14 (01:36:26):
Okay, okay, why why that exchange? Like I'm this isn't
me just taking up for a guy who's on our
show every week. But Chandler asked a perfectly logical question,
is he going on the I L or not? Because
if he is, well, that's at least a somewhat determinable
amount of time versus one day at a time, and we're.

Speaker 15 (01:36:47):
All one day at a time.

Speaker 7 (01:36:48):
Least Basically, if I can give him the possible answer,
he's saying, we haven't decided what to do, and I'm
not sure why they would be at that stage, So
any answer you could give doesn't make a whole lot
of sense. If they have the diagnosis, if it's a seven, eight,
nine day injury, Okay, maybe there's some will go room.

(01:37:08):
Maybe this is the reasoning behind it. But he's also
adding in this is significant injury, This is gonna take
some time. You never can't tell what that means. It
sounds like it means it's gonna take three or four weeks. Well,
if it means it's gonna take five or six days,
which could be shared if it was so desired, it
just wasn't. Yeah, totally reasonable question, and he did. He
explained it the same way when he answered it the

(01:37:30):
second time. It's just there's not any clarity to it.
The initial explanation that it's you know, we're gonna, you know,
take it day by day and see how things go.
But he's gonna be down for a significant amount of time.
Well that's why you ask the question, is you know
you have a roster to consider you'd like to go
into it. I mean I talked about this when they
didn't even have a twenty eighth man, let alone, you know,

(01:37:51):
sitting at a twenty six man roster. Why go into
games when you have players that you can't use and
they decided to not use a healthy player for three
months with Cesar Salazar. Well, when players aren't healthy. That's different.
If they can play, then you keep them on the roster.
If they're gonna be out for a period of time
longer than ten days, which is the il stint, the

(01:38:12):
briefest one you can make, well, then they shouldn't be
on the roster. There's there's what's the downside again? There,
I'm I'm I'll give if I give Joe the benefit
of it out, you can give Chandler, that'll be reasonably fair.
Then they Then he's trying to tell us we don't
know for sure that he needs to miss the next
ten games, so but yet.

Speaker 14 (01:38:32):
He's in the same sentence that it's significant. That's a
loose word. It's a vague word. You mean the astros
are talking about an injury using vegans.

Speaker 7 (01:38:42):
I don't there's I don't have enough information to give
you any possible reason why you can't make this cut
and dry. Injuries aren't cut and dry. But this didn't
look like I mean I would I wouldn't have called it.
I hate these conversations because they're totally pointless. I hate
they keep producing them, so we keep have to keep

(01:39:03):
having to address them because I don't want to. They're stupid.
They're absolute total nonsense. So quit making us because I
don't want to talk about it. Just tell us what's happening,
or give us a real answer. It's so silly, it's unnecessary.
It doesn't benefit the player, it doesn't benefit the team,
it doesn't benefit the media, it doesn't benefit the fans.

(01:39:23):
And I'm really only being specific to this. Are you
gonna make a movie, You're gona put them on the aisle? Well,
we don't know if it's gonna be eight days or
fifteen days yet. We're still evaluating how he feels. We
know what the medical report has given us, but we're
gonna wait and see two days to see how it
looks then, or see how he feels then, and if
we have to I l him then and maybe we'll

(01:39:44):
have more information. I mean, there's lots of different ways
rather than what I just told you was we're gonna
take it day by day. Well that's the same non
information that produced the follow up question. That's why the
follow up question was asked.

Speaker 14 (01:39:56):
Every time you say day by day, I think of
meet the parents by day by day. Remember no, I
don't the prayer at the table, who was giving the prayer?

Speaker 7 (01:40:07):
Thank what's his name again? First name Greig? No, not Greg,
it's Gaylord.

Speaker 15 (01:40:16):
Well he goes by Greg.

Speaker 18 (01:40:17):
I know.

Speaker 7 (01:40:19):
So when he was what was he was? What was
he trying to do?

Speaker 15 (01:40:22):
He was trying to say grace.

Speaker 7 (01:40:24):
Okay, but he doesn't normally do that with his family,
I don't think so, okay, not with the Barb and Dustin.

Speaker 14 (01:40:31):
This is before they ate and preceding the the cat
mil chinksy incident involving the mother's earn of ashes.

Speaker 7 (01:40:39):
I mean, I get it. It's a slapstick comedy. The
involvement of the cat in the storyline is it's a lot.

Speaker 14 (01:40:46):
Well, there's apposable thumbs talk. There is other parts of
the body talk.

Speaker 7 (01:40:51):
I mean when they got on the r V and
visited his parents for the next movie, there's jinxy more jinxy.

Speaker 14 (01:40:57):
Well see that's that's where I saw it one time
and that was enough for me.

Speaker 15 (01:41:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:41:03):
Day by day that's how injuries are treated in professional sports.

Speaker 15 (01:41:07):
He's day to day, not day by day.

Speaker 7 (01:41:10):
Day. You're taking by day, day by day by day?
Do you call it a hoa?

Speaker 15 (01:41:18):
Yeah, I'm not optimistic.

Speaker 7 (01:41:20):
No, it sounds like Jordon Alvarez. I mean, total guests
total hypothetical. I don't know. That doesn't sound like Jordon
Alvarez is available to the Astros. The rest of this
homestand is probably where I would leave it as a guest.
They have eleven games remaining. They've got the off day
coming up on Thursday, so a little bit more than
eleven days of baseball left before they call it a season.
Six road games after this homestand Tuesday through Sunday in

(01:41:44):
West Sacramento and then Los Angeles, and I still believe
very very very strongly there will be more baseball for
the Astros to play. It definitely looks like Tuesday with
a wild card game scenario. The first of the best
of three still an outside chance they host is a
three seed and a division champion. The Yankees and Red
Sox have not put away the AL West representative in

(01:42:06):
the playoff either, hosting as the four seed is absolutely
still in play too.

Speaker 17 (01:42:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (01:42:13):
I just assume they win the division.

Speaker 7 (01:42:15):
Yeah, I would like that.

Speaker 15 (01:42:16):
I just assume they win the division. I don't want
to mess around with this.

Speaker 14 (01:42:18):
But and hey, you want to see the half or
the glass half full way of looking at this. I
mean the Astros, for the most part were in first
place for much of Jordan Alvarez is absence all one
hundred games of it more often than not.

Speaker 7 (01:42:34):
So say it the way you want to say it.
They're better without them, bing go, I mean, do you
like facts? Numbers usually tell the story, right, I mean,
what's the record with them? There was a TV show
and I say it all the time. Numbers don't lie.
Alvaas missed one hundred games. When he was out, there
were twelve games over five hundred. How far over five
hundred are they now? Well, technically they went to thirteen

(01:42:56):
going games over five hundred yesterday when he played ten
minutes one inning better without him, one half of an
inning better without him, average team with him five hundred.

Speaker 15 (01:43:06):
With with with him.

Speaker 7 (01:43:07):
Well, if you'd say he was out yesterday, that's thirteen
games over all, thirteen games, the team is over five
hundred average with Alvarez. I'm making T shirts.

Speaker 15 (01:43:17):
We know a guy. All right, we'll come back.

Speaker 14 (01:43:19):
We'll continue to discuss this as the show progresses. But
way we return his signature segment time and it involves
our favorite pro sports commissioner.

Speaker 1 (01:43:31):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 23 (01:43:38):
This is Adam and Adam Sweekly chawned through mind buckling
moments that make you go oday, what what what?

Speaker 13 (01:43:48):
What?

Speaker 2 (01:43:51):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 18 (01:43:52):
Man?

Speaker 7 (01:43:53):
On a Tuesday?

Speaker 2 (01:43:54):
Way what odin?

Speaker 13 (01:43:56):
I did?

Speaker 3 (01:43:57):
Now say what?

Speaker 13 (01:44:00):
Bro?

Speaker 7 (01:44:01):
What were you talking about?

Speaker 13 (01:44:01):
Man?

Speaker 7 (01:44:02):
Thanks Russell signature segment time. It is well, as I say,
a Tuesday, so we bring you say what We could
just replay the meeting with the manager from a few
minutes ago when that was kind of the little question
from Chandler say what, but we do have the update
on jord On. He's not available tonight. He's not on
the Island's not the lineup has a significant injury to

(01:44:25):
the ankle suffered without a collision, without a play that
should have produced any of that, but it did. And
a season that has been extremely brief for Jordon Alvarez
but upon his return extremely successful, probably comes very close
to saying it is over, but the Astros would not
say that yet. Today you said we were gonna hear

(01:44:45):
from our favorite commissioner. So sorry Gary, sorry a team
honorary member, and sorry Roger. It can't be one.

Speaker 15 (01:44:55):
Of you three.

Speaker 14 (01:44:56):
Yeah no, this is this is the idiot who referred
to his league's trophy championship trophy as a hunk of metal.

Speaker 7 (01:45:04):
Yes, the multi millionaire commissioner of Baseball.

Speaker 14 (01:45:08):
That's the equivalent of talking about the World Heavyweight Championship
and saying.

Speaker 15 (01:45:12):
It's a prop.

Speaker 7 (01:45:13):
It's just a belt. Yeah, I wear a belt, not
that kind, not beltless.

Speaker 15 (01:45:18):
You don't call it. It's not called the big gold belt.

Speaker 7 (01:45:20):
I mean, if I really wanted to, I could just
buy a belt off of any sort of sports. I
could buy a Texas Longhorns belt if I wanted, I
could wear it to the show.

Speaker 14 (01:45:27):
Why don't you wear the winged Eagle belt to work
every day? I don't want to get waid down. It's
a lot of gold, all right. So Front Office Sports
had Rob Manford on. I think they went through each
of the commissions. Excuse me one elevate that was the
entity that had him, and then Front off of Sports
delivered this.

Speaker 15 (01:45:45):
That's why I saw it.

Speaker 14 (01:45:46):
Anyways, you and I have had this discussion and you
always give the same response.

Speaker 7 (01:45:52):
It's probably not when anybody likes typical me. Well, yes,
I don't even know what the response is, but I
know what you're getting. Well, it's like, I'm it doesn't
matter that much. Why is everyone so open. I probably
something like that one.

Speaker 15 (01:46:04):
It's actually worse.

Speaker 14 (01:46:05):
It's the one where you're like, why would you get
mad at them for trying to make money.

Speaker 7 (01:46:10):
Let's go, let's do it.

Speaker 14 (01:46:11):
So Rob Manford confronted with the fact that, hey, you know,
your fans, they sometimes they don't know where their MLB
game is being broadcast every single night of the season,
depending on who's wanting to watch what teams and Rob
Manfred had a very interesting response.

Speaker 1 (01:46:29):
To that here in New York that Yankees are mets
on five different channels in the course of five consecutive nights.

Speaker 15 (01:46:35):
I imagine, and we hear this in other sports as well.

Speaker 7 (01:46:37):
I imagine that's something you want to clean up one
hundred percent.

Speaker 2 (01:46:41):
We'd like to make it easier on the fan.

Speaker 18 (01:46:42):
I mean, they are the most important party here in
terms of our business. And you know, look, it is
different places. You know, you got to pause and think,
you know, where might it be tonight. That's not ideal
from a fans perspective.

Speaker 14 (01:46:56):
Well, thanks, Comish, I'm glad you know that there's a problem.
Now it's not ideal, But screw them. We don't really care.
When I said that they were the most important thing.
What I meant was that in actuality, they're the least
important thing.

Speaker 7 (01:47:10):
So I'm still struggling with this to try to not
do what you said I was gonna do, even though
I badly want to.

Speaker 15 (01:47:15):
You're gonna do it?

Speaker 7 (01:47:17):
Is the problem? Fans are dumb, so they don't know
where the game is or is the problem? It's somewhere
where they can't get it. It's on an entity they
don't pay for. It's another subscription service they don't really want.
On top of the other three they need to get
sixty five percent of the games, now I need two
more to get ninety percent of the games? Is it

(01:47:38):
the first problem that me Really, you can't see that
it's on your local regional sports network tonight. You can't
see that it's an exclusive fruit game on Friday night.
You can't see that it's an animal running through the
forest with a redtail and a pointed nose on Saturday night.

Speaker 14 (01:47:55):
I mean, we're sitting here on a regional sports network
right now.

Speaker 15 (01:47:58):
On the television side of things.

Speaker 14 (01:48:00):
Love the people over at Space City Home Network love
that we can simulcast the show so you guys can
stare at us.

Speaker 15 (01:48:06):
On top of just listening to us.

Speaker 7 (01:48:07):
Got a text yesterday say we're having lunch. You're on
five of the six TVs. Yeah, love that late lunch.
But you know what, you'll always be able to find
us on this channel. We're not going anywhere else. We're
not having Monday show on this streaming service. And then
Tuesday you're going to be over here. And then the
other three days of the week we'll also be on
Space City Home Network. Some of those games will be
at the same time on the network. But you got

(01:48:28):
to figure out which this is already free. Yeah, well
that's the other thing. Just tune us in on the
dial in your car radio. I was pushed the AM
button and then Dallas in turn the knob until you
get to seven ninetynobs. I mean, you might got to
get it right where it needs to be, where that
white line and the red line get together, and you
can hear us crystal clear.

Speaker 15 (01:48:48):
After they turn the knob or they going to crank
their window down.

Speaker 7 (01:48:50):
Well, hey, will you please put your window down? You
mean roll it down, absolutely, I'd love to roll it down.

Speaker 14 (01:48:57):
I just it's not And again, I don't think that
this is a situation where fans are being lazy, like,
where is it tonight? I gotta look this up. I'd
just rather not do. But you are talking about a
time in our society where attention spans have never been shorter,
and the inundation saturation of multiple different venues to find

(01:49:22):
said games in a season that is one hundred and
sixty two games, by the way, has never been more prevalent.

Speaker 7 (01:49:27):
So do you have a reasonable solution. There's five places
the games could be for the five or subscription based.
I don't want to pay for this. I don't want
to do that. Major League Baseball acknowledges. You just heard
him say it. This is not ideal. Is there something
closer to ideal that you could suggest?

Speaker 14 (01:49:46):
Well, the funny thing is everybody has that line. Oh,
regional sports noteworks are dying or whatever. He depending on
what market you're innging, because I do think it's different
for each market. You do know this, like to in
order to watch us, you have to have a certain
tier on your provider.

Speaker 7 (01:50:04):
Or streaming service has to offer the channel and things
like that.

Speaker 14 (01:50:07):
Yeah, there's all sorts of different you know again, it's
kind of going to the point you're paying that premium
price to get Astro's games to get Rockets games. But
now you've got Major League Baseball and the NBA, which
is this is going to happen coming up here like
way more than it already has because the NBA is
on fifty different entities as well.

Speaker 15 (01:50:29):
And I guarantee you.

Speaker 14 (01:50:30):
Rob Manford, Adam Silver, Roger Goodell if it were like
imagine if this were happening in the NFL. That's when
I think, in no offense to Major League Baseball or
the NBA, if this were an NFL problem, and it
kind of is, but it's not because there's they're getting
away with it because there's so much fewer games. If
you were having a bounce around every week. Again, it
just doesn't really apply because it's weekly games. So it's

(01:50:52):
hard to make this argument. But because NFL is king
if you were having to constantly have to buy more
tiers or get more so, fans would not like that.
They want their sports and they want to get it
relatively in an easy manner, and they don't want to
pay a gajillion dollars for five different entities to get it.

Speaker 7 (01:51:11):
Yeah, it's not ideal that you've maybe made your decision
based on Okay, well, I'm going to get this cable provider.
I'm going to do this streaming service because my regional
sports network is there and I can get the heavy,
heavy majority of those games right there. I'm going to
pay for this, so I get that, and then as
each year goes by, well your price probably keeps going up.

(01:51:33):
You're getting less of your product because these other new
entities that have bought baseball packages from Major League Baseball,
well where do they get their product from the regional
sports networks? They pull these five games out, and then
they get these ten nights and then there's these fifteen exclusives.
So all of a sudden, when you originally decided to
go with this cable system, you got one hundred and
fifty games, one hundred and fifty six games. Well now

(01:51:54):
it's one forty five. Now it's one thirty eight. It
certainly is that's a reasonable thing to acknowledge, and that's
about all they've done.

Speaker 14 (01:52:02):
They've acknowledged that is not ideal. Hey, you heard it
right there. He acknowledged it.

Speaker 7 (01:52:06):
No solutions offered, but they're making more money by giving
you no solution.

Speaker 15 (01:52:12):
Good news. He's not pretending it's not happening.

Speaker 1 (01:52:14):
Yay progress, the ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (01:52:26):
Well, wex one of the best at what he does
is doing what he does best.

Speaker 15 (01:52:32):
I'm going to read aloud now.

Speaker 14 (01:52:34):
The Houston Astros expect slugger Jordan Alvarez to miss the
rest of the regular season with his severe left ankle sprain,
but are hopeful that he can return for the postseason.
Alvarez is just the latest star on a contender to
suffer a key injury this month. That is what Bob
Nightingale took from Jospota's meeting with the media, apparently unless

(01:52:59):
he has a source that we don't know about.

Speaker 7 (01:53:01):
But as you read that, I was trying to follow
along and have now seen it and there's no word
in there. The word source does not appear correct.

Speaker 14 (01:53:10):
So he's just saying this as if it's fact, even
though nobody said that involved with the team publicly.

Speaker 7 (01:53:17):
So when it's privately, that means it was sourced.

Speaker 14 (01:53:20):
So now he's so you would say, per Now he's
just telling the sources, right.

Speaker 7 (01:53:26):
I don't think he's wrong. I don't either, probably, but.

Speaker 14 (01:53:30):
It's like, wow, really no, I mean they got eleven
games left.

Speaker 15 (01:53:34):
Now, I get it.

Speaker 14 (01:53:35):
The math isn't mathing and all that kind of stuff,
But like, no one else is saying this that reports
on the team regularly.

Speaker 7 (01:53:42):
And you if you're this sounds so easy and simple, right,
and somehow it isn't right? Is he healthy?

Speaker 17 (01:53:50):
No?

Speaker 7 (01:53:51):
Is he playing this week? They probably know? And if
he's not, that's that's five more days, five more games.
Why is he on the IL?

Speaker 14 (01:54:01):
And when asked that very question by Chandler Rome Joe
Spot I like got a little cantankerous with Chandler.

Speaker 15 (01:54:09):
What did I just say? You didn't say anything. That's
the problem.

Speaker 7 (01:54:12):
You said what you wanted to say, but you didn't
answer a question that I as. My question is you
have a twenty eight man roster. Would you like it
to be fully capable of helping you for today and
maybe tomorrow and the next day and the next day,
or do you have an idea that we don't want
to put him on the IL because rather than saying
he's only eligible for the last game of the season,
or did the last two games of the season, Maybe

(01:54:33):
he can play the last three, maybe he can play
the last four. We're willing to go into a game
because they are still going into tonight's game with a
roster they size they played with the vast majority of
the season. Prior to September, you got thirteen position players.
They still have that. Yesterday they had fourteen. Today they
have thirteen. So it's the same number you went five

(01:54:55):
months with, but it's also one less than the team
you're playing. If you don't go into extra it probably
it doesn't matter. If you don't go into the thirteenth
or fourteenth thinning, it probably doesn't matter. But every single
day you go through it, it's there's an option to
do something else. Put Alvarez on the aisle. Right now,
I have Jacob Melton forgo the final six games of

(01:55:16):
the season at Constellation Field for the Spates Cowboys, which
begins tonight, and.

Speaker 15 (01:55:19):
Bring him here.

Speaker 7 (01:55:20):
Does it make a difference?

Speaker 13 (01:55:21):
No?

Speaker 7 (01:55:21):
I mean, okay, on my bad. How about Bryce Matthews.
I'm I didn't mean that. I meant Chas McCormick that.
That's not what I meant to say. I meant to say,
John Singleton, stop, I'm trying to get this right. I
meant Shay Whitcomb, like you could bring Saysar Salazar back,
you'd have a third catcher like I understand that with
the expanded roster, you're really you're you are technically playing

(01:55:43):
a man short, but you're not in dire straits nobody
else's I almost caught myself. Joe Aspota also added during
their conversation earlier today with Ross v Rail and the
Matt Thomas Show with Ross without Matt Jose, al Tuovey's
foot is something there monitoring daily, and he said he's
pretty good about letting us know how things are going.

(01:56:04):
But it's not going to go away, is something that
Joe also added. So, however long the Astros play the
rest of the season, Altuvey is going to be playing
through whatever the foot problem is, not being healthy.

Speaker 15 (01:56:18):
Is that what contributed to all the pop ups last night?

Speaker 7 (01:56:20):
Is that what he did? I mean, I was watching
football passes being no I've watched the game since then.

Speaker 14 (01:56:27):
One of his best defensive it was, And honestly, the
next time he came up to bat and he popped up,
I turned to the people I was I was like, well,
you know, I give him a.

Speaker 7 (01:56:37):
Pass after win them all right?

Speaker 14 (01:56:38):
It was just that play was just so insane. It
might have been I mean, it's top five defensive player.
Of the Year for the Astros in twenty twenty five,
Like when you map them all out, I mean, seriously
think about it. I mean the degree of difficulty just
shuffling it. If put it this way, if Derek Jeter
or a Yankee had done that, they'd still be running
it on a loop on Sports Center right now.

Speaker 7 (01:56:59):
Just just to help everybody out. What he's saying is
one of the Yankee if one of the Yankee middle
infielders had done that. So if Anthony Volpi had done it,
that would be the one which clearly can't happen. Or
if Jazz Chisholm did it, that would also can't happen.
They're the quality of defense comparable to Jose altuvek no, no, no,
maybe Jose Caballero could have done comparable.

Speaker 15 (01:57:22):
But it's the jersey they were wearing, but capable that
nobody even knows about it. They don't even broadcast their
games there it was. It was spectacular.

Speaker 7 (01:57:34):
The pick by Jeremy and the gun down of the
runner was.

Speaker 15 (01:57:38):
Yeah, I'm saying the whole thing.

Speaker 7 (01:57:41):
Look at the Astros. They got clutch hits. Yep, they
threw runners out from the outfield. It turns out they
can do these things still when they want to breaking news,
they're they're good. They've always been, even as they're trending.
So they're thirteen games over with eleven games to play.
So you're gonna finish six and five seven and five

(01:58:01):
or six and five, seven and four, somewhere in that
neighborhood based on what you've done. So you're gonna come
in just shy of ninety wins. You're basically last year's team.
I called last year's team good because the team that
went to the playoffs was the one that recovered from
twelve to twenty four. Right, So the final one hundred
and twenty five games of the season, because they only
played one sixty one, were elite. They spent three to

(01:58:24):
four months as the best team in baseball based on record.

Speaker 15 (01:58:28):
That's the difference.

Speaker 7 (01:58:29):
That's what last year's team was heading in, and they
still got this year.

Speaker 14 (01:58:32):
They ejected quickly mediocre every month of the season except
for one where they were twelve games over.

Speaker 15 (01:58:39):
Yeah, which is.

Speaker 14 (01:58:41):
Again basically all of that above five hundred you just
mentioned exactly gained in that one month where they were using.

Speaker 7 (01:58:47):
Some of these guys you just listed the average.

Speaker 15 (01:58:49):
John Singleton participate during that stretch.

Speaker 7 (01:58:52):
If he played any June games, then he contributed. That's
what I've been saying all along. Average with Alvarez, he
didn't play in June. They were nineteen seven, basically a bum.
This is actually good news. I'm kidding, heavy sarcasm.

Speaker 14 (01:59:05):
Stop, don't put me on some clips saying that jord
On Alvarez socksak.

Speaker 7 (01:59:09):
Think about a conversation. We now wasted our time with man.
I don't know. I guess you can put Perettas at
d H and al Tube can play second. You can
put jord On and left and keep Carlos at third.
I mean, it's a good problem to have trying to
get all these guys into the lineup.

Speaker 14 (01:59:26):
Never a problem. When east Soch Perettis comes back, it's
gonna get real fun. They have an opening for him now, well,
now they do. That's what I mean.

Speaker 7 (01:59:33):
These problems. These four knew what he was doing.

Speaker 15 (01:59:36):
A foot on back.

Speaker 7 (01:59:37):
Too many guys, we got too many pictures, We got
too many outfielders.

Speaker 14 (01:59:41):
No, you don't, it's just not I mean, I know
we argue about this off the air all the time.
This has been for the semi still Golden era of
Astros baseball. It is the least enjoyable season I've ever
watched from starts.

Speaker 7 (01:59:59):
Even one that was different.

Speaker 14 (02:00:03):
They were completely healthy outside of Justin Burlander, and then
they went into the postseason and it was like, honestly,
truth serum. Right now, you think they make it to
the postseason, it's gonna look anything but like last year
against the Tigers, Well.

Speaker 7 (02:00:17):
Just to go back to COVID, they were not completely healthy.

Speaker 15 (02:00:21):
Yeah, Justin was out, and I know it should be
obvious by Canton Well picking it. He basically alternates season.

Speaker 7 (02:00:30):
Did it that point nine times that year in their
sixty years?

Speaker 15 (02:00:33):
Is that the knee surgery season?

Speaker 18 (02:00:34):
Uh huh?

Speaker 15 (02:00:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 14 (02:00:36):
And they went to Game seven of the ALCS yep.
But I don't think that's happening. I don't think anything
like that is happening. And the problem is, much like
last season, fighting back by playing elite baseball, they have
shown us what they are all season long, and it's
not indicative of their numbers the record.

Speaker 15 (02:00:57):
Wise, it's what they've done.

Speaker 14 (02:00:58):
So five o'clock hour Football at five coming up next.

Speaker 3 (02:01:04):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 4 (02:01:06):
Ninety Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen eighty.

Speaker 15 (02:01:21):
Did you all see this.

Speaker 13 (02:01:28):
Now?

Speaker 14 (02:01:32):
Football at five Underway on a Tuesday after the Texans
lose on Monday Night football? And we could talk about
that here and we probably were at will a little bit,
but I did want to bring this up because it
is something that kind of came out from over the
weekend and we hadn't addressed it yet.

Speaker 15 (02:01:49):
Why is the NFL so sleazy?

Speaker 7 (02:01:52):
Uh? They like money? I don't know where are we going?

Speaker 13 (02:01:54):
Well?

Speaker 15 (02:01:54):
I don't think this has anything to do with money.

Speaker 17 (02:01:57):
Okay.

Speaker 14 (02:01:57):
What was the big controversial thing that everybody voted on
this offseason?

Speaker 7 (02:02:01):
Theush push?

Speaker 14 (02:02:02):
Okay, did you see what the NFL did on social media?

Speaker 7 (02:02:06):
Said we can't have this floating around?

Speaker 15 (02:02:09):
I mean, seriously, what are you the government?

Speaker 14 (02:02:12):
All of these videos were floating around of the tush pushes.
I think there were seven of them in that game
between the Chiefs and Eagles, and Philly converted five of
those seven attempts, though one of them was negated by
a defensive penalty. Kansas City players upset, which is hilarious

(02:02:34):
to me because nobody wants to hear them whiny about officiating.
The NFL went through and wiped the videos from social media.
They put copyright notices on them, even though everybody shares
clips all the time, all day long, all Sunday, all
Monday and into the week, and they're fine with all that,
but these those gotta go.

Speaker 7 (02:02:54):
A lot of those clips that get shared are NFL clips,
like they come from the NFL account that everyone grabs
and shares. But you're right, not all a lot of
people just screencap it themselves, capture the video and fire
it off and without worry, concern or reprimand from the NFL,
even though technically you're not supposed to, but very specifically
targeting these particular posts, which they definitely make the league

(02:03:17):
look like they're missing some fairly obvious calls. I mean
they've gotten they've made some calls where they've gotten on
a center for taking here's the ball where it's spotted,
gets down on his crouch and he moves the football.
I mean, I don't know why that matters. I mean,
it only matters for producing off side calls because it
doesn't matter where the ball's actually snap from. All that

(02:03:39):
matters is where do they actually have to get to go?
Because you're already anchored there, so is everybody else around you.
If you move the ball two inches to the left,
right forward, backwards, it's really of no consequence. They clearly
give them some leeway. But when the ball is here
and the center is well over it or beyond it,
and the people flanking him as guards are also above
the ball, ahead of the ball, beyond the neutral zoning

(02:04:02):
on the wrong side of it's pretty obvious win. And
these calls were missed multiple times in this particular game.
That's why what I said to earlier when we were
I think we brought it up on Monday briefly, like
I really don't think enough of the league that was
going to vote on this, whichever parts of the teams,
whether it's just the GMS or many more people and
the owners, I don't think they put enough time into

(02:04:22):
actually looking at what goes into this play. Beyond it all, well, Karlneman,
everyone was talking about the injury risk, and the players
on the interior of both lines I think should be
concerned about the injury risk. And we're talking about maybe
six of the maybe eight of the twenty two players
on the field at any given time for that particular play.

(02:04:43):
Beyond that, there's no injury risk for the other players,
no more so. Jalen Hurts not at more injury risk
on this play than any other play. He's not taking
a hit. He's just pushing and he's getting pushed. The
other guys are car crashing at a very high rate
of speed for as much as they can, bursting out
of their their.

Speaker 14 (02:05:01):
Set and all of that after the center has hovered
way over the football.

Speaker 7 (02:05:05):
But they just didn't look I don't think they just
took to videos and if to look at it, because
they were jumping off sides last year plenty.

Speaker 14 (02:05:12):
And if you think anything Wex is saying isn't happening,
then I'll just I'll double triple down. Because Nick Sirianni's
quotes like there's one. It's one thing to quote cheat
whatever you want to call that. We've all heard that
word a lot here in Houston, obviously. It's quite another
to kind of wink at your opponents, your detractors as

(02:05:35):
you're doing it.

Speaker 15 (02:05:36):
This is a quote from Nick Sirianni.

Speaker 14 (02:05:38):
I think that the one clip I saw of it
was slowed down so much that I'm not sure you
can see that to the naked eye.

Speaker 15 (02:05:44):
The referees have a hard job.

Speaker 14 (02:05:46):
They have to make split second decisions that are happening
at this speed. We know we have to be perfect
in that setting and will work to get even better
at the play and better with our timing. And I
have no doubt we have the right guys to be
able to do it, and we will. So he's not
denying that they're moving early.

Speaker 7 (02:06:06):
Yeah, there's a slight difference to what I'll bring up.
This is what Laramie Tonsel and all the other left
and right tackle has been dealing with for years. You know,
they're out in the open, they're the last guy on
the line, often unflanked by anybody else, covered by anybody else.
So when they move early, it is it's definitely easier
to see. That's what you can see most there's nothing

(02:06:27):
blocking that. But it's the same principle. Yeah, you're seeing
it because it happened. So the guys standing right or
crouched right next to him, you can't see that. What
about the guy next to him? What about the other
guy next to him? Because no matter how much these
las were slowed down, and they were slowed down dramatically,
it didn't change the fact that not only did it happen,
it was a team wide effort to have it happen. Uh,

(02:06:50):
your play, that particular play is definitely going to see
a significant increase in success rate if that manner of
not following the rules is allowed, because that's the whole play. Yeah,
you're getting off first, you're hitting them for you don't
need much room, and you're allowed or not being called

(02:07:11):
for doing and by all means, you might as well
do it when you know they're not gonna call it
because you're for some reason, you're willing to risk it
because it costs you five yards. Remember when the other
teams were saying this is silly. We're just gonna go
off sides every play and they're gonna move from the
nine inch line to the eight inch line, to the
seven inch line to the five inch line. It just
doesn't really matter because you still have to burst through

(02:07:32):
all these massive humanity. It's one thing, that one more
thing that doesn't seem as difficult as it is to
fix or get better at. But they're pushing resistance instead
of just trying to be better at it.

Speaker 14 (02:07:46):
Yeah, it's I mean again because it came at the
expense of the Chiefs I'm a little okay with it.

Speaker 7 (02:07:52):
It's gonna come at the expense of every opponent they
play the rest of the way exactly, and I'm sure
it happened to the Cowboys if they I believe they
got them and just a three two to three push situations. Nonetheless,
the main I'm I'm most surprised it's still there there
because so few other teams were ever going to do it,
so they it's a huge advantage if you're doing something

(02:08:16):
nobody else is gonna do. These these teams aren't going
to all of a sudden be able to outfit their
lines a certain way and have a quarterback like that,
like you think, do you think the Bengals are going
to do this? Ever, they won't do that one time.
They'll run quarterback sneaks. They ran one with Jake Browning.
He jumped over the line, he scored a touchdown. He
didn't run into the line. Their line stinks. You think

(02:08:36):
the Texans want to do that with CJ.

Speaker 15 (02:08:37):
Strout.

Speaker 7 (02:08:38):
You think the Panthers want to do it with Bryce Young?
You think Matt Stafford's going to do that that just
I could go on and on and on. It is
very specific to that team, and you've watched them take
advantage of it, and then you voted for them to
keep taking advantage of it. Whether or not, you're just
kind of you know, were you A I believe in
the football. It's a football play, so I don't want

(02:08:58):
to get rid of it. And I think there's some
people who felt that way, even though there's people that
felt the exact opposite way. It's a rugby play, it's
not a football play. It. Yeah, no, that's a very
good description for We did have something from Demico Ryans
we had not gotten to yet today, something of great
substance to the Houston Texans offense. He was asked an

(02:09:19):
injury question, didn't bristle at it, answered it the very normally,
which in his case has not always been that way.
But do you get two receivers? They are both slot receivers.
They've both missed each of the Texans first two games.
Christian Kirk he had a hamstring issue, and Braxton Burios
he had a hamstring issue. Cost them both the uh
probably quite a bit of playing time with how they

(02:09:40):
haven't used any of their backups hardly. Jalen Noele played
fish team snaps offensively in yesterday's game. He did not
see the football. He was exceptional, electric, phenomenal in the
return game yesterday for the Texans. The whole did they
let them score or did they score too soon? Happened
because of him first down twenty six yard line after

(02:10:02):
his late game punt return, which definitely did not have
a flag for a block in the back on it.
Definitely not definitely want to pick up that flag. But
Tamiko Ryans asked about Christian Kirk and Braxon Burios and
how they're doing, and he offered this.

Speaker 20 (02:10:17):
Christian and Barrios, both guys been doing really well, progressing
well in their rehab. So we'll see how it goes
out the week, but expecting to get those guys back
this week.

Speaker 7 (02:10:27):
He sounded like he was going to say the same
thing he always does with an injury question, they're progressing well,
We'll see how it goes But then he finished it
off with a definitive statement, even though it was just
an expectation statement. We expect to get them back this week.
They practice a normal week now, they didn't have the
full week, but Wednesday tomorrow they'll be on the field
the team. Same thing on Thursday, walk through on Friday,

(02:10:49):
and their second road trip of the year in that
it is in Jacksonville. I'm pretty sure they're not leaving
Friday like they did last road trip, so the leaf
Saturday for Jacksonville. Both of them, provided things go well,
will be on the flight and active for the first
time this year.

Speaker 15 (02:11:04):
More weapons for CJ.

Speaker 7 (02:11:05):
Yes, and I do think it matters more about who
they are than just getting guys that are closer to
the top of your depth chart back. They've run things
differently than they did for the last four months. Hire
Nick Cayley, signed Christian Kirk, signed Braxton Barrios, and go
through your offseason workouts and then go through five weeks

(02:11:26):
six weeks of training camp. These players got hurt after camp.
After preseason football. You played and ran an offense, a
brand new offense, utilizing your top I guess two slot
receivers for an entire camp, and then they didn't play,
and you didn't play their reserves hardly at all, the
reserve Jalen Knowle. So I think they had to change

(02:11:49):
quite a bit, which hopefully they'll now be able to
go back to for this game. Braxton Barrios, one of
the two that should return. He's going to join us
on the program today finale of the show around five
point forty five. We expect to be joined by Braxton Barrios,
Texans wide receiver and possibly their return man, though he
was probably running even with Kirk or Noel before yesterday.

(02:12:11):
I don't know that they're gonna unseat him with how
well he helped, how much he helped this team. But
a Barrio is already involved here in Houston off the field,
and so we'll talk to him about some of that
and on the field, which hopefully he will be for
the first time this regular season coming up on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (02:12:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 14 (02:12:27):
I look, that is as much of a must win
game as you can absolutely have.

Speaker 13 (02:12:33):
But.

Speaker 7 (02:12:34):
It's only a must win if you still lose to Baltimore.
I'm okay with the Texans losing to the Jaguars or Titans.

Speaker 15 (02:12:40):
If they beat.

Speaker 14 (02:12:41):
Baltimore, why don't they just beat all three? Now you're talking,
I mean three and two.

Speaker 15 (02:12:46):
Is a lot better.

Speaker 12 (02:12:47):
All right.

Speaker 14 (02:12:47):
We will continue here during the five o'clock hour coming
up next, and we got some tickets to tell you about,
as well as how the Jags could send a Texans
to Owen three.

Speaker 1 (02:13:00):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 14 (02:13:10):
Team eighteen rolling along here on a Tuesday edition of
the program five o'clock hour, continues, So, and you will
get to this later in the week. You said how
easy it will be for the Texans not to do
what I'm about to say, which is have a scenario
where a division rival now drops them in a game

(02:13:31):
and they fall to zero and three with a division loss,
which is like the worst possible case scenario when they
head to Jacksonville on that aforementioned trip coming up this Sunday.
Demiko Ryans already talking about the Jazz. Well, if if

(02:13:52):
Cole asked this question.

Speaker 7 (02:13:54):
They've they just finished with the Bucks. When we talked
to him at noon today, it had barely been over
twelve hours and you got some reporter. Yeah, but what's
your early what is it? I know you haven't seen much. Well,
what's your early thought on your next appointment? But you
an answer ready to go?

Speaker 14 (02:14:11):
Be fair before we hear that answer. That's the type
of question that Bill Belichick would want. We're on the
Jacksonville not yet, all right, Here's what he had to say.

Speaker 20 (02:14:21):
Man, we're playing pretty much the same offenses. That we've
seen the first two weeks. I know Liam was under
McVeigh there and he ran the offense in Tampa for
the past few years, so we've been watching that offense
all last week. So it's pretty similar structure wise of
what they'll do offensively, honestly is really not about them
and what they do is for us, like making sure

(02:14:42):
we're just on what we need to be on.

Speaker 2 (02:14:44):
But we'll see some of.

Speaker 20 (02:14:45):
The same things when it comes to the screen game
first and foremost, No, it's going to be a high
screen game.

Speaker 2 (02:14:50):
Etn one of the best players.

Speaker 20 (02:14:52):
You talk about explosive running back, running the ball in
and the passing game does a really nice job there.

Speaker 2 (02:14:58):
So we got to be aware of the screen. Uh No,
Trevor's athlete.

Speaker 20 (02:15:02):
He can extend plays as well, also has a really
nice arm. He can sling the ball downfield, make throw
the ball in tight windows. It's gotta be got to
be on it. There, got to account for you know,
there are two receivers. Brian Thomas, one of the really
great young receivers in our game, has a really bright
future ahead of him.

Speaker 2 (02:15:21):
And you throw a Travis Hunter and it mix as well.
How they're using him.

Speaker 15 (02:15:24):
So I love that.

Speaker 14 (02:15:29):
Trevor Lawrence is gonna wave off William Cohen and then
just show off that that arm.

Speaker 7 (02:15:34):
Yeah, a couple of days of odd commentary from Liam
Cohen and and I don't know if it was so
much odd when we was talking about what you just described,
I was emotional. It's, you know, just we'll be fine
out at a But when he was talking yesterday, a
day after the game, and he was asked about more
on the Brian Thomas situation, the fact that the those
two guys, if they haven't been on the same page

(02:15:55):
at all in the two years that they've you know,
spent their off seasons together and partial seasons they've now
played together. Just pointing out that the numbers themselves, and
there's plenty that goes into it. The most targeted receiver
for Trevor Lawrence this year is Brian Thomas. He's throwing
the ball his way nineteen times. Week one, he threw
it to him seven times, they connected once. Sunday he

(02:16:16):
threw it to him twelve times. They connected four times.
That's fourteen in completions. When he is the elicted targeted receiver.
That's awful. That's this is terrible. I don't even know
what words to use for it. But in describing a
little bit of this, Cohen said, he's dealing he Thomas,
he's dealing with his wrist a little bit. And I

(02:16:37):
think as in the midst of him saying this, because
it was even presented to him, like, well, it wasn't
on the injury report, so what do you mean he's
dealing with a wrist injury. He's kind of talking himself
back out of it after he said it, because he
knows he shouldn't have said it if it isn't true,
or he shouldn't have said it if it is true.
You can't say you can't have it both ways. If
it's true, he should have been on the injury report,

(02:16:57):
and the NFL won't like that, nor will the people
people that make wagers on players and teams and things.
And if he shouldn't be on the injury report, and
then you just made something up to try to cover
up for the fact that he doesn't want to catch
a hospital ball from Trevor Lawrence who stares down as receivers,
that's what you do when you stare down your target.

(02:17:18):
Everybody on defense is reading your eyes and then you
throw it there and your receiver reaches out to catch
it and gets absolutely destroyed. They sent your quarterback, sends
you to the hospital. So what is it the Jaguars
are going to do to beat the Texans? How is
it that they're going to beat them because they've lost
to two teams that have a similar offensive scheme.

Speaker 14 (02:17:41):
I think, well, I don't necessarily agree. I mean, he
may be accurate in his assessment of the types of
offenses that have been you know, the Texans have been facing.

Speaker 7 (02:17:50):
And are you saying the Jacks could send the Texans
own three simply because they're on the schedule. Yeah, okay,
there's no reason for it.

Speaker 15 (02:17:57):
No, I'm not saying there's no reason for it.

Speaker 14 (02:17:58):
I mean, look, it's not like again back to back
weeks where these offenses that Demiko is referring to did
not run rough shot over the Texans defense.

Speaker 7 (02:18:09):
Interesting that you said it that way. That's actually what
the Bucks did do.

Speaker 14 (02:18:13):
Well, they did run on them when they were successful
last night. But you can, I mean, you know as
well as anybody you can get a bunch of stats
and not have that translate to points.

Speaker 15 (02:18:23):
Texans have done it for years.

Speaker 7 (02:18:24):
I know and now I'm kind of stuck in between
because for a field goal. Okay, so do you care
more that they kept them off the board for most
of the game, which is true they did.

Speaker 14 (02:18:34):
They only scored twice a chance to win. Sure you did,
but the offense was the problem.

Speaker 7 (02:18:39):
But the only time you needed to keep them off
the board, because you've done such a good job for
the first fifty seven minutes, you didn't keep them off
the board. And one of the biggest reasons why you
didn't is because you couldn't get them off the field
because you weren't nearly as successful as you think you
were based on Oh, they only scored fourteen points, Yeah
they should have. They missed a makeable field goal, and

(02:19:02):
they kept extending drives, they kept running plays, they kept
wearing you out, and it paid off at the end
because while you're nutrition, but you didn't give up a
lot of points. Yeah, but you spent yourself so much
to do that because you couldn't get them off the field.
You're bad on third down. I've been harping on them
being bad in the red zone. Defensively, they're awful on

(02:19:24):
third down this year and Bucks have been unreal against them.
Almost fifty percent success rate on third down against the
Texans defense this season, not the mark of a not
elite deal. That's not a mark of a remotely good defense.

Speaker 14 (02:19:39):
And a lot of times what really sucks about those
plays you're talking about on third down is they've got
a guy who's like a fraction of a second late
to getting to the quarterback or whatever to blow up
the play. But that doesn't matter. I mean, you either
make the play or you don't. But the problem again,
I keep going back to the offense. I know it
sounds like I'm shilling for the defense, because I am,
But like, if you're scoring points that aren't field goals

(02:19:59):
or or just points at all in the case of
the goal line drap, that stuff becomes MoU It's a
cow's opinion.

Speaker 7 (02:20:05):
All this stuff gets magnified because you could have played
great defense for fifty seven minutes that held him a
fourteen points and not had a care in the world
because it was thirty one fourteen, or it was twenty
seven to fourteen, or it was twenty four to fourteen.
Instead it was nineteen fourteen and you were in a
one score you lose on a touchdown game, which is
exactly what happened. So when I sent out a lot

(02:20:28):
of those offensive ineptitude numbers for the Texans, many people
said back, exactly why I don't want to hear. Yeah,
Henry Toatoa blew the game, and we haven't talked about
it at all, and he I think he made. It's
a mental error as much as it is a physical
error for the time and situation that you're in. He
went in too crazy to go get Baker Mayfield. I

(02:20:52):
think a lot of people have even used the video
in their description saying, why is the guy always got
to look for the big hit He's going in their head?
He wasn't, in my opinion, but he didn't go in
there under control or disciplined. He went in there undisciplined,
and because of it, while only needing to get Baker
Mayfield down to the ground anywhere from where he's standing

(02:21:13):
for another fourteen yards, because he was that far behind
the line of scrimmers on fourth into all you have
to do is get in front of him. You don't
have to run at him, you don't have to create
an egg. He was there, but he came in so
out of control, I would say, And maybe he just
didn't see where he was. He barely even got a
finger on him. Maybeield just ran out of the collapsing pocket,

(02:21:33):
which was made even easier on a fourth and ten
where creating a turnover doesn't matter. You're gonna turn them
over on downs. Just get him down to the just
stand in front of him, just spy him a little bit.
And the Texans were bringing a ton of pressure beyond
their front foor most of the game, and on this
play in particular, it also allowed for oh, my running
back's just gonna stand in the flat. They threw the

(02:21:55):
ball into the flat all day. Texas threw the ball
into the flat. Once what he marks had got the
thirty seven yards on it, they threw a screen pass
to Nick Chump. He got twenty nine yards on that.
Those are two very well executed and run plays that
I'm not sure I knew this. That's one thing I'll
give this offensive line group, I think credit for when

(02:22:16):
they put this group together as a group as opposed
to the group that Bobby Slok was working with disastrous
screenplays because they didn't have the athletes the ability with
their line to go out there and get it. These
guys did a much better job in camp, and I
thought it would translate to the regular season and it definitely.

Speaker 15 (02:22:32):
Why aren't they doing that more?

Speaker 14 (02:22:34):
Can't run between the tackles like you want to most
of the time because your line sucks or whatever where
Nick Chubb's old or what, I don't whatever you want
to use, But like, that's something that, like any team
can do with the personnel they have, and it should
be exploited because what other options do you have?

Speaker 7 (02:22:51):
And since we still have Wednesday show, Thursday Show and
Friday Show to both look ahead to the Jaguars and
give you a few items to make you didn't get to,
we'll probably hang on to the Well, how come this
awesome Texans front let them run the ball so well
and didn't have even more pressure in the backfield against
a beaten up an injured Tampa Bay Bucks line who

(02:23:14):
was playing the majority of the game due to injury.
Charlie heck at right tackle. You guys, remember Charlie Heck
right not good enough to play here, which I agreed with,
And now I want to know against them, how's he
so capable? At least for another team. He also tripped
Kamari Laster on one of their big plays, so I
heard video example. Nonetheless, we hit you with in case

(02:23:37):
you missed it next and give you an opportunity to
go see Monster Jam and Lil Wayne.

Speaker 15 (02:23:42):
Next segment.

Speaker 1 (02:23:44):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (02:23:52):
Back with this means in case you missed it. In
case you missed it, we have tickets to give away,
and that's how we start the segment. Got a four
packet tickets with pitt passes to Monster Jam coming up
on October eighteenth, that's at NRG Stadium and you can
get tickets on sale right now over ticketmaster dot com.
Also have a pair of tickets to Sela Wayne the
Carter sixth North American Tour that September eighteenth, so within

(02:24:18):
the week at the Woodlands Pavilion. Tickets also on sale
now at ticketmaster dot com.

Speaker 15 (02:24:23):
Should you not win them.

Speaker 7 (02:24:25):
Here if you just answer this simple question based on
something we discussed earlier on today's show at seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety we discussed Joe as
spot as information with the media indicating with a significant
ankle sprain for yord On Alvarez not yet on the
IL that they will take it day by day and

(02:24:46):
assess the situations. Not in the lineup. Today there was
a report, a national report, saying the Astros expect him
to miss the rest of the regular season, though there
was no source listed, a source inside seen, nothing like that,
just merely a statement to post on the X platform
from which national reporter. Uh, we're probably the uh the

(02:25:08):
show in this town, and maybe every time that talks
about the National Baseball reporters more than anybody else. It's Tuesday,
and this is now the second we've talked to.

Speaker 15 (02:25:16):
They wouldn't stop giving us reasons.

Speaker 7 (02:25:17):
To Kenny r had the treatment yesterday. The answer is
not Ken Rosenthal, tell her that right now. And it's
not Jeff or Buster either. But which national reporter that
writes for a national paper, you know, the United States
of America, a national paper. Which national reporter said, the
Astros expect you aren't on alvaism it's the remainder of

(02:25:38):
the regular season, but maybe maybe to come back after
the regular season ninety if you know the answer to
that question. As we slide into in case you missed it.

Speaker 24 (02:25:49):
Yeah, So did you guys see something interesting last night
in the other Monday night football game.

Speaker 19 (02:25:55):
I did.

Speaker 24 (02:25:55):
Yeah, regarded one mister future Hall of Famer and partial
owner of the Las Vegas Raiders up to former boy
for so naturally because if he is in the coaching
booth with Chip Kelly, there has been a conversation up
there being a breach of contract because of his rules
when it comes.

Speaker 7 (02:26:15):
To his broadcasting rights.

Speaker 24 (02:26:17):
However, the NFL said on Tuesday in a statement that
Brady being a minority owner and a broadcaster for FROX
because that brought him add from going into a team
facility for practices, but it does allow him to stay
in the coach's booth because of he does have a
say on coaching decisions as a minority owner.

Speaker 7 (02:26:35):
Yeah, the explanation for this is always very cloudy, and
a lot of people in the NFL, former players and
other people within the same group that Brady was in,
whether it's broadcasters or other members of current teams, they
have a huge, huge problem with this. The NFL does
allow clearly television broadcasters. I never got a chance to
mention this. In addition to seeing Klay Walker roll by

(02:26:56):
after the game while I was waiting to go in
the Texans locker room, I got to see the whole
crew from the booth. There was Troy and mister Buck.
They were both rolled by And in this instance, had
it been a Kevin Burkhardt game on another network, I
would have also seen Tom Brady.

Speaker 15 (02:27:12):
That is a disgusting act.

Speaker 7 (02:27:14):
So Tom Brady, like everybody else in television, they want
to participate in production meetings and go to the team
facility or a team hotel and have a chance to
talk with a couple of people of players and or coaches.
They will give them stories and insight they can then
sprinkle into the broadcast. And when you're doing so with

(02:27:35):
Tom Brady, if you are, he obviously has a stake
and works for it. Is a part of another football
team who's not involved in the game that he's doing,
but now you are, and whatever he learns from you
he obviously can use however he'd like outside the broadcast.
The fact that he talks to Chip Kelly regularly, which
Pete Carroll readily acknowledged last night when he was asked

(02:27:58):
about it. And same thing with we have conversation, we
talk about life, we don't want football whatever, Yeah, we
know you do. I feel like way too much is
getting made out of this and it's another example of
this is so simple, Like you could tell him not
to go to this meeting and not go to this place,
and you can't go to a team facility. You can't

(02:28:18):
be a part of this, and that's part of the solution.
But the truth of it all is, if you're letting
him work in TV, then forget about all these conflict
of interests. You can eliminate him from every single part
of the job except the actual you're allowed to work
from eleven thirty till three twenty five. Okay, you don't
think the other people that are involved in the broadcast

(02:28:40):
are going to tell him everything he didn't get to
learn because they are allowed to talk to them. You
could take it away from him if you want. They
could honestly take it away from all of them, and
we'd miss a colorful story here, and we miss a
little insight there. The games themselves would be unaltered in
any way. If you're really that alarmed that some form

(02:29:01):
of advantage is being gained by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Because Tom Brady is both a part partial owner and
a broadcaster and privy to information, the teams aren't compelled
to tell him. You don't have to tell them anything
in a production meeting. You could literally sit there in silence.
You could tell him it's canceled. You could do whatever

(02:29:23):
you want. There's no way that's the NFL TV contract
forces you to give them any kind of football related
information you feel would put your team at some point
in the season at a disadvantage.

Speaker 14 (02:29:35):
If other teams really have this big of a problem
with it, that's what they should do with everybody involved
in the broadcast, not just Tom.

Speaker 7 (02:29:43):
Like, think about what happened at the draft with the
Atlanta Falcons assistant coach who had every draft picks phone
number and he left his iPad out and his son
decided to go on a prank escapade involving Shudeur Sanders.
So you did trust these coaches to keep this extreme,
highly sensitive confidential information from getting into the wrong hands

(02:30:05):
like Scooby Doo or whatever. And you don't think anything
that's said, like if you don't want people to know,
if you don't want a disadvantage to occur, then don't
tell them. Yeah, like Tom Brady can't go to the hotel,
he can't go to the facility. Oh perfect, I'm just
gonna tell Kevin and Joe and Larry and Susan and

(02:30:26):
everybody else in the production meeting, but Tom will never know.

Speaker 15 (02:30:29):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's a little silly.

Speaker 14 (02:30:31):
But to be fair to basically everybody that's having to
deal with this in a direct way, this is the
first time this has ever happened.

Speaker 7 (02:30:41):
Well, most of the other broadcasters, while former players are
don't have owners rich. They're not that rich, and they're
not that involved or wherever compelled to become that involved
with their money. He took an investment. They didn't just say,
just come on board our ownership group. What's it gonna
cost me?

Speaker 12 (02:31:00):
Nothing?

Speaker 14 (02:31:01):
Like, do you think if if Michael Jordan's still had
a ownership stake in the Wizards, that NBA and NBC
would still be having him in the booth for whatever
five games he's doing it this year?

Speaker 15 (02:31:11):
That's probably all they could afford it.

Speaker 7 (02:31:13):
Probably they would because.

Speaker 15 (02:31:15):
You know, like I really do wonder how did I.

Speaker 7 (02:31:17):
Pat myself on the back for my Michael Jordan restraint yesterday?
When which part well, he was elevated to the active
roster yesterday, he was on the sidelines for Monday Night Football.

Speaker 14 (02:31:28):
Yes, whatever you're about to say, yes, Okay, you should
not have made that dad joke.

Speaker 7 (02:31:32):
I tried not to. I almost made it.

Speaker 15 (02:31:34):
I'm glad you didn't.

Speaker 7 (02:31:35):
The Buccaneers have a player whose name is Michael Jordan.

Speaker 15 (02:31:39):
Don't do it.

Speaker 7 (02:31:40):
I've done already. I've already done.

Speaker 15 (02:31:42):
It feels like you're trying to do it.

Speaker 7 (02:31:43):
Nah. Is there another item we need in on in
case you missed it?

Speaker 15 (02:31:48):
I don't think there is.

Speaker 7 (02:31:49):
I think maybe for I don't know if it's best
of X tomorrow or when we get into more of
how is Clemson going to have a disastrous season? We'll
maybe you get to Dados Sweeney excellent stuff. We're going
to rejoin by Braxton Barrios, Houston Texans wide receiver and
return specialist when we come back here on the A.

Speaker 1 (02:32:09):
Team, The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (02:32:21):
Back here with you. The A Team continues on a
Tuesday afternoon. Week three of the NFL essentially begins. Now
we'll send you into Astros Baseball as we get to
the top of the hour for Astros on deck, they
prepare for Game two of this series against the Rangers,
try to create more gap between them and Texas and
maybe close the gap between themselves and Seattle. Adam Wexler,

(02:32:42):
Adam Clinton here with you on the A team and
an opportunity for us to catch up with Houston Texans
wide receiver and return specialists Braxton Burrios partnering up with
some locals here to do some good things which will
get to momentarily. Braxton certainly appreciate the time. Hope you're
doing well this afternoon.

Speaker 16 (02:33:00):
I'm doing well. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 7 (02:33:01):
We had a chance to talk to your head coach
earlier today and he indicated both both you and Christian Kirk,
who obviously were dealing with hamstring injuries, the expectation is
that you will return this week. I imagine you are extremely
eager to do so.

Speaker 16 (02:33:18):
Yeah, eager is eager as an understatement. No, I'm very happy.
I'm very excited. You know, It's been too long since
I've been back on that field in a regular season
NFL game, So yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Speaker 7 (02:33:31):
You know, when we got out to practice in advance
of Game one, obviously our expectation was you and everybody
else that had finished the preseason in training camp healthy
would be out there.

Speaker 15 (02:33:41):
You were not.

Speaker 7 (02:33:42):
Christian was not, and I wonder was it super disappointing
that it happened, but also balanced a little bit by well,
I know it's not crazy significant and I will return
relatively soon.

Speaker 16 (02:33:56):
Yeah, you know, it was obviously when you know, when
it happens, right for you know, write post camp, you know,
before that little break and before week one, it's it's gutting.
You know, you just went through training camp and you're
kind of excited and you know, looking forward to getting
the real stuff going, and you know it happens, but exactly,
you know everything you got to, you know, take it
down a knots, take a deep breath, and you know,

(02:34:17):
put everything into perspective, and you know it's going to
be one, maybe two weeks and then we'll be back.
So you know, just obviously happy, happy that I'm back,
and you know, looking forward to trying to help this
team in any way I can.

Speaker 14 (02:34:28):
Well, the waiting game is obviously the immediately negative part
of it, but then to see your team fall in
excruciating fashion, by the way in the first two weeks,
just the way that they couldn't close out wins that
maybe some people say could have could have been had,
how much does that just even more give you the
itch to get back out there and try to be
a part of things and turn the season around.

Speaker 15 (02:34:50):
No, absolutely, you know, it's it's tough.

Speaker 16 (02:34:52):
Watching your team play, you know, knowing or thinking that
you could have helped in some capacity. And you know,
I think think everybody on that field is capable of
doing everything. And you know, we put our we put
ourselves in positions to win right and you know a
couple of things didn't go our way. We didn't make
a couple of plays when we needed them too, And
that's just that's NFL football. You know, the margin for

(02:35:14):
victory is so small. But you know, to be there,
sit and watch and you know, to really have that
inkling of I could have helped here whatever, you know,
it does add add fuel to that fire. And you know,
again I'm just I'm happy, blessed and thankful that you know,
now I'm back and hopefully looking to do that.

Speaker 7 (02:35:31):
Talking with Braxon Burials here on Sports Talk seven ninety
here on the A team, you and and Christian and
Jalen and a couple others were essentially working as the
punt returners all throughout camp, but all throughout preseason, uh
the special teams had a night last night, to be sure,
and specifically, Jalen, what were your thoughts on what that
unit and the rookie specifically we're able to put on

(02:35:54):
the table for the team last night.

Speaker 16 (02:35:57):
No, I mean they did an incredible job across the
board really really every phase. Obviously, the huge return by
Jalen in the fourth quarter that set up that Nick
Chubb touchdown run was was awesome. I mean, he was patient,
he let it, let it develop, and then he knew,
he knew when to go, and you know he's gonna
he's gonna do that. And in the league for a while,

(02:36:17):
you know, he's a he's a very very talented rook
and you know the there there is no ceiling for him.
So No, that was awesome to see him get that.
And then obviously the block punt as well. I guess
both those came on punt return, but the block punt
as well, having having Yacht get in there and Jay
Watt scoop it up, it's incredible and and it's awesome,
and it and it goes, it goes a long way.

(02:36:38):
You know, I think special teams reflect uh a team overall.
If you just watch a team, special teams and how
they play in their effort, you know, and they're finished.
You know, I think that reflects overall who a team is.
And you know, we were obviously working, you know, to
get better in all phases, but you know that that
performance by the special teams unit specifically, you know, just

(02:36:59):
just goes to show. I think this is a very
very good football team and a competitive one. And you
know it's a defense run game and special teams travel
and so you know it's something we're going to have
to depend on and rely on, you know, as the
season goes on.

Speaker 7 (02:37:12):
You've been with a couple of NFL teams, so worked
with a couple of different guys. Sometimes in sports will
say the team is a reflection of their coach. I
think that's probably too true with coach Ross. What do
you think about your special teams coach? The energy juice
that he brings to the table that clearly seems like
it's on display with the guys he has on the

(02:37:32):
field for him.

Speaker 16 (02:37:34):
No, you're absolutely right. You know, Coach Ross, he's wired
a little differently. You know, he brings the Jews twenty
four to seven, and to be honest, you loves playing
with a guy like that you know, his expectation is
very high and we hold ourselves to the same standard
as well. And you know, it's really fun to go
out there and play for a coach like that who's
just so juiced on the sideline. And you know he

(02:37:56):
loves it, right, he loves what he does. He loves
coaching and and you know he loves seeing his player succeed.
So again, that's uh, that's something that that we that
we thoroughly enjoy and like you said, you can see
that on tape.

Speaker 14 (02:38:08):
And similarly, you've been with a bunch of different quarterbacks.

Speaker 15 (02:38:12):
What is it about c J.

Speaker 14 (02:38:13):
Shroud that might set him apart from some of the
other others you've played with?

Speaker 15 (02:38:17):
And just how is he as a leader?

Speaker 14 (02:38:19):
Because I know that at times like this that kind
of leadership can be questioned. He's taking a whole lot
more of the criticism because of the oh and two starts?
So what is it about CJ that allow this team
to bounce back?

Speaker 16 (02:38:31):
Yeah, I mean he's a he's a great quarterback, right,
He's a phenomenal quarterback. You know, everybody wants to point
fangers and say it because of this or because of that.
You know, we we have a very very good football
team and led by CJ. You know, he's a vocal leader.
Everybody you know respects him to the highest amount. And uh,

(02:38:52):
you know, we know at the end of the day,
he has our back and we have his. You know,
he he's a phenomenal quarterback. He's a great communicator. He
can put the ball wherever he wants, and you know
it's our job to get open for him and give
him time and let him operate. So, you know, I
think there's a lot of things that we have to
do across the board to allow him to go ahead

(02:39:12):
and be him.

Speaker 7 (02:39:13):
It's certainly something that falls on the shoulders of the
player at that position, regardless in all indications from the
two plus years he's been here, handled it brilliantly, helped
get this team to the playoffs the past two seasons,
have even gotten to the playoffs after an own two start.
Did that two years ago, and that's obviously the at
least one of the goals for this season. I think
I already know the answer to this question. I do
want to ask you about who you've partnered up with

(02:39:35):
here in the Houston area, but do see on social
media it appears you have taken a nice liking to
this new city for you, our city, for our whole lives.
What do you think about the city of Houston.

Speaker 16 (02:39:47):
The city has been awesome, you know, coming in once
I signed in March, and you know, because I was
rehabbing from an ACL, I was immediately here. So really
from March on, I was here in the city of Houston,
and you know, obviously, uh, I got my bearings right
and you know, phenomenal food, great people. I didn't realize
how big and how populated the city was, and it's

(02:40:09):
it's really been a joy, and it's been a community
that has, uh, that has really opened its arms to me.
You know, I knew only like one or two people
when I first moved here outside of the team, and
you know now that that number is multiplied by I
don't even know what. But it's been awesome. And you know,
now specifically, UH, trying to give back to the community

(02:40:31):
was one of my things, you know once once it
gave so much to me so quickly, and so today
actually at Eisenhower High School here right side of right
outside of Houston, partnered with no kid hungry and so
good to show and you know, we we came here
and you know, gave meals to probably three hundred plus kids.
You know, I got to uh get to hang out

(02:40:52):
with the football team here for a while, and a
bunch of the other sports and a soccer was here,
across country, volleyball, and you know, really just just like
I said, trying to give back to a community that
that has been awesome and you know, especially in some
areas that might be more food and secure than others
giving them you know, nutritious meals. Uh, so you know
that that can fuel kids.

Speaker 7 (02:41:13):
Well, that's an awesome opportunity for you to be in
this city and be able to partner up with a
no kid hunger, like you said, fog to Chao, and
also in the process with Eisenhower, maybe get an inkling
of what Texas high school football is all about.

Speaker 16 (02:41:29):
Yeah, exactly now. They they take football seriously here, and
you know, they were like they got a great group
of great group of athletes. So I asked them when
their next game was, so we'll see if it lines up.
I might try to try to come out and uh
and and cheer them on. But yeah, no, it was
a it was a really cool I'm actually still here
right now, but it was a really cool event today.

(02:41:49):
And again like it's this, uh, this, this city of
Houston is so welcoming. So the more the more I
can do, uh to show my gratitude, I try.

Speaker 7 (02:41:58):
To fantastic stuff.

Speaker 15 (02:41:59):
Bracks.

Speaker 7 (02:42:00):
We really appreciate you sharing some time with us and
obviously the event itself, with the people here, your community
here in Houston, and hope to catch up with you again.
Hopefully I will see you on the practice field tomorrow.

Speaker 16 (02:42:11):
I see you tomorrow.

Speaker 7 (02:42:12):
Sounds good. Braxon Burials, Houston Texans wide receiver, a return
specialist and part of our Houston community. Moving forward, we
have astros on deck for you. Next with astros and
arrangers from Dyk and Park here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:42:27):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety