All Episodes

January 2, 2025 166 mins
Adam Wexler and Adam Clanton talk about what's going on in Houston sports and more on January 2nd 2025.


  • Happy New Year From The A-Team!
  • Texas survives and advances in the CFP. 
  • Rockets get a much needed win at home. 
  • Cam Whitmore with some rather interesting thoughts after a great game. 
  • Targeting or no targeting? Ohio State seems to think DFW is in the desert. 
  • 5 Good Minutes w/ Ime Udoka (From The Matt Thomas Show w/ Ross)
  • Kevin Eschenfelder joins the show. 
  • Some Texans get righful Pro Bowl kudos. Some get snubbed .
  • Texans likely counting on a new face. 
  • What's Up With That?! 
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him, talking your
team who si Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the
eighteen eighty.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Four th and thirteen Yours looking fires, He's got golden open.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
He caught it.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Touchdowns exist and bad dude, golden stripes again twenty eight yards.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
On fourth down and thirteen and the Love warns scoring.

Speaker 4 (00:31):
Touchdown play action.

Speaker 5 (00:33):
Yours looking to throw steps up, fires down fil for him.

Speaker 6 (00:36):
He caught it.

Speaker 4 (00:37):
Touchdown Texas back to back place. Gunar Helm catches the
touchdown pass from when.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yours and the love Warts are back in front backstam
Leven On third down play action, Lennon looks fires for.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
The intel, Yess intercepted, Hick though intercepted and glob the glogle.

Speaker 7 (00:55):
This boldame is all good. The Texas is going to.

Speaker 8 (01:01):
In our absence over the last couple of days as
the home for Louisiana State University football, we brought you
that win in our place as the home of University
Texas football and other sports. We brought you that yesterday
and last night we brought you Rockets basketball as the
home for Rockets basketball.

Speaker 5 (01:19):
Another win.

Speaker 8 (01:20):
The a team a station of winners back with you
here in twenty twenty five. So great to be here
with you, Xac and Dan. This is the a team
that was fun yesterday. I hope you guys enjoyed that.
Never a doubt, never a doubt in the first or
second overtime. A lot of good stuff for us to

(01:43):
catch up on. Another stretch of a show and a
couple of days off, and then a show or two
and a couple of days off, and here we are,
same situation before we head into another weekend. It's Thursday here,
so hopefully everybody is set to enjoy themselves on what
is the opening weekend of twenty twenty five. The weekend
of the NFL season is upon us Saturday and Sunday.

(02:05):
Football is all we have this weekend, a pair of
games in the AFC North on Saturday to determine who
is the AFC North champion. For sure, that will be determined,
but three teams postseason fates are in the hands of
those AFC North games, and it's potentially just that one
item that could be determined by the time the Texans

(02:28):
hit the field against the Titans on Sunday in Nashville,
and in that case, the Texans would still not know
who their opponent will be for the Wildcard round of
the postseason, or they could know and Cincinnati could be eliminated,
the Baltimore could lose, Pittsburgh could win, and you would

(02:49):
know the Ravens are coming to town again.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
Oh good.

Speaker 8 (02:52):
In Wildcard opening weekend, got Pro Bowl Games, selections and
alternates to discuss the Texans field day team of fifty
three players. Ten of them drew recognition by either being
selected to participate in Tug of War and other assorted
games or become an alternate to participate in Target competition

(03:14):
and whatever other games they've got for this year, which
we're happy to run through. Luckily, we've got a full
four hour show today so we can get to all
of those items we obviously want to get into. The
Rockets taking care of business at home. Finally, during this
three game homestand first three quarters of each of the
three games, very very good for the Rockets. Last night
was no different. What was different as they held off

(03:36):
the opposition in the fourth quarter. It didn't have any meltdowns,
didn't have any stretches where the other team even got
back in the game. Last night's other team was the Mavericks.
Tomorrow night's other team is the Celtics. Sunday afternoon in evening,
it's other teams the Lakers that will close out the
five game homestand for Houston, who sit at a very
very strong twenty two and eleven day of practice for

(04:01):
the Texans mentioned the Pro Bowl Games selections.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
We've heard from CJ.

Speaker 8 (04:05):
Stroud and Tamiko Ryan's this week, so we'll share a
little bit of what they had to say about where
things stand heading into this game.

Speaker 5 (04:11):
And if it wasn't clear enough.

Speaker 8 (04:12):
When we were with you before twenty twenty four came
to a close, the Texans are playing their starters for
an undetermined amount of time. When Tamiko was pretty clear,
then he was even more clear speaking with in house media.
They stink they're playing bad football and the only way
to get confident in playing good football is to try

(04:34):
to go do that, and that's what he intends for
this team to go do Sunday, beginning at noon and
ending whenever they pull the starters. Because things went so
well against the Titans. Titans, of course our comedy show,
I know, we'll get into that a little bit later.
The Oil Derek Tennessee Titans for all the oil that's
been in Tennessee. We'll be back on display Sunday afternoon,

(04:57):
so that also will be fun. And unfortunately, in an hour,
the last of the college football quarterfinal games will be played.
And I say that unfortunately because obviously everyone is aware
of what took place in New Orleans which caused the
postponement of the game. They've decided today at three o'clock

(05:17):
they will kick off and play that game. Both teams
arrived at the stadium a little over an hour ago,
and one of the two of them will advance to
join the other three in the final four for college football. Obviously,
the Longhorns are one of them, and the other two
teams like Texas, that played in the first round were

(05:38):
the teams that won and advanced to join Texas, Penn
State beating Boise State, Ohio State beating Oregon, and if
that holds true, it would be Notre Dame advancing by
beating Georgia. Georgia obviously is playing Gunner Stockton at starting
quarterback for their game this afternoon. Because of the injury
and season ending for cars Beck. Counter Stockton sorry also

(06:02):
decided to declare for the NFL rolled into the stadium
today with that right elbow in a brace from the
injury he suffered in the victory over Texas. Texas one
of the three teams still playing. So, like I said,
all sorts of little bits and pieces of our show
to filter through the four hours, some of the best
audio from the weekend, some of the best items for
us to debate. Little movement on the baseball front, but

(06:25):
that is a constant topic here with the situation that
the Astros are involved in. We will have a visit
from Space City Home Networks Kevin Eschenfelder in the three
o'clock hour at three fifteen.

Speaker 5 (06:39):
Just after that, we'll catch you up on what he
may you. Doka has to say.

Speaker 8 (06:42):
He made his weekly visit with the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross, so we'll share a little bit.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Of that with you.

Speaker 8 (06:46):
But it seemed likely that we would begin with an
awfully entertaining college football playoff quarterfinal game that went double
overtime and at the Longhorns closing out the game with
a series of spectacular plays, three of which you heard
right there, a tying touchdown in overtime. We didn't give

(07:08):
you the extra point, even though it was pretty awesome
that their kicker made a kick and had it go
through the uprights. The play that the television crew thought,
you guys don't see all of this play, it's only
a touchdown to start the second overtime period, nearly missed
the play quin you weers to gunner Helm and then
a couple of snaps later on third down, sam Levitt

(07:29):
threw the ball towards the end zone inside the five
and it was picked off by the Longhorns ball game
over advance.

Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, that was not as electric as I thought it
was going to be. Early on in that one, when
the Longhorns were like, oh, that's cute. We deferred, you
got your little field goal, and we're going to thrash
you and your Abercrombie and Fitch model quarterback because they
were beating up on Sam Levitt early on in that thing.
But down the stretch, I felt like I was watching

(07:59):
like if the worst of the Texan season this year
had a baby with the worst of the Rockets from
the past couple of weeks or games. Really, that's what
you were seeing. Stupid penalties that were like self inflicted
wounds and then blowing all of a double digit lead.
Felt like that those two factions of Houston sports had

(08:19):
had a baby there at the Peach Bowl, and I
was like, they're really going to do this. They're going
to blow this game. And part of the reason I'm
going to blow it is because of an idiot kicker
my not my words, Peyton mannings back in the day,
I didn't say a.

Speaker 5 (08:32):
Drunk kicker was yeah, I don't think Bert was drinking.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
It was just so funny to hear a high profile
quarterback call his kicker an idiot though. I loved that,
so yeah, I just felt like, you know, it was
going to be one of the most gut wrenching, Like
I thought I was gonna have to do a health
and wellness check on Ross after that game.

Speaker 8 (08:48):
I mean, this is to me, it's these are two
playoff teams. These are two good teams, not having success
one team versus the other.

Speaker 5 (08:56):
That's normal football.

Speaker 8 (08:57):
The Longhorns went out there and had a two plays
to take the lead, and then they returned the punt
for a touchdown, and then that was pretty much it
for a while for a long while. At a seventeen
to three lead at half, got the late touchdown or
later in the second half touchdown run from Quinn Eewers,
and their offense just really didn't do a whole lot.

(09:18):
You know, credit to the Arizona State defense. It was
a game We've seen a lot this year from the
long Horns. Even Jesse Palmer, the TV analyst who obviously
does not urniture salesman and bachelor doesn't and former football player,
talk about an Abercrombie and Fitch model. You might lean
on him a little bit. He doesn't do Longhorn games
all year, but he knew he did his homework. This

(09:40):
is what a lot of Longhorn football games were like,
where it seemed like either they had the upper hand,
or they're more talented, or things were going their way,
and they just said, all right, that's enough for now.
Easy these two and three touchdown leads, we don't need them.
Just relax, let's see what happens. And you know, credit
to Arizona State. They finally got into some of the
things that they like to do, which is just pound

(10:01):
the rock and wear you down.

Speaker 5 (10:03):
Longhorn defense.

Speaker 8 (10:04):
While I do still think they played a very good
football game, they couldn't get Arizona State off the field.
These long drives would end maybe without points or end
with only a field goal. But they dominated the time
of possession so much eventually it was going to wear
them down. Ironically, it wore number four down. Camp Scatabu
was worn down pretty much the last thirty five forty

(10:27):
snaps for Arizona State. He'd run a couple of plays,
he'd have to go back out. He'd be out there
for a play, you'd have to come back out. It
was a kind of a heroic effort on his part
considering how much he left on the field, and all
of it were being literal. He literally was throwing up
on the sidelines. They never showed it, though, come on now,
it was fun show.

Speaker 5 (10:47):
It didn't happen. No, I know it happened.

Speaker 8 (10:49):
It's not like everybody I was watching the game with
didn't have names for him, you know, Scatapuke, Scatapu, puke boy, camp, scatavomit,
whatever stuff. But he was as advertised and that scatterguts
that really shouldn't have ever been in doubt. Now the
other plays, you know, catching a long pass, throwing a

(11:09):
long pass, maybe that wasn't as advertised, but low center
of gravity massive Eric Earl Campbell like thighs and you know,
lower legs.

Speaker 5 (11:21):
He just he would run people over. He's very hard
to tackle.

Speaker 8 (11:24):
Definitely uses his helmet to run, which has been legal
all year, so no reason for it to change in
yesterday's game.

Speaker 5 (11:30):
He just gets lower than everybody. Now.

Speaker 8 (11:33):
The controversies involved in the game are also a massive,
massive storyline, certainly today and as the game was unfolding,
I think it was also starting to come to a head.
And it's not just any one particular play. There are
a bunch of other plays that were going on in
this game for both teams, both sides, and certainly some

(11:53):
recognition on I do appreciate all of the officials that
have access to it social media. That's going to be
a part of Beck's of X today. They had a
rules analyst and many of the others who do a
great job on the respective networks. They just jumped on
social media and gave their eight cents because there was
like five of them.

Speaker 5 (12:13):
So we'll get into that too.

Speaker 8 (12:15):
Welcome you into the conversation like we will for the
next However, many shows we have in twenty twenty five
to be determined seven one three, two one two five
seven ninety uh sprinkle in everything else that might have
taken place, and certainly some what do you hope twenty
twenty five brings for your sports landscape listeners, We're all
ears here on the eighteen.

Speaker 7 (12:37):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (12:42):
Yeah, like Matt Thomas doesn't have a running tally of
how many shows we're going to host and most importantly
not host. But I'll tell you what. You might have
a running tallly of all the joints you have in
your body that are hurting you, and if they are,
you need to take care of that here in twenty
twenty five. No time like the present. It's already January
tewond Okay, you've already missed one day opportunity to get
that phone call into QC Kinetics seven one three nine

(13:04):
one three fifty two eighty five. And when you get
them on the line, what you're going to do is
give yourself a healthy alternative to surgery, drugs, downtime, everything
that comes with a surgical procedure. Don't go that route,
go the cutting edge route.

Speaker 8 (13:19):
Wex Yeah, say no to surgery, no to drugs, and
not of steroids, and go ahead and say yes to
the future of medicine. Natural solutions like PRP available to
attack the pain from arthritis. From our friends at QC Kinetics,
cutting edge technology. Regenerative medicine is what they're dealing with,
and that's what you can be utilizing to get back
your life. The nation's leader in regenerative medicine seven one

(13:40):
three nine three fifty two eighty five. Remember that consultation
is free at their sugar Land location, their location in
the Woodlands, their Heights location, or the location in Cyprus.
Deal with your joint pain now so you can go
ahead and enjoy this coming year seven one three, nine
to one, three fifty to eighty five for QC Kinetics.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
Back to Adam Clinton had Adam Wexler the eighty on
Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (14:15):
It is the eighteam Sports Talk seven ninety on a Thursday,
And yes, I had to look what a weird I'm
I don't like you know, every day or every year
that Christmas is on, Obviously New Year's Day is going
to be on the exact same day, back to back
weeks where a major holidays on a Wednesday, just throwing
me off. And then you throw in football of all
varieties on all different type of days and I am

(14:37):
just all sorts of screwed up. So I'll get back
to normal on Monday, I suppose, when things kind of
return to normalcy. But it was fun like again, yesterday
you had the Longhorns game on New Year's Day. They
won't play again until a week from tomorrow on a
Friday night, So there's no I mean, it's all over

(14:59):
the map right now, but we'll find it. We'll we'll
find ways to take it all in. And we were
kind of discussing this with Ross before the show. Maybe
the fact that they're underdogs to Ohio State, they'll just
play a full sixty minutes of I don't know.

Speaker 5 (15:18):
I know it's fun to say this is how they play.

Speaker 4 (15:21):
It just' a good team.

Speaker 8 (15:23):
Just get used to it at some point. This is
the end of the season. They've played fifteen times. I'm
not sure what people are missing here. Complaining about Quinn
yours is definitely something that's taken place for the last
couple of years, and certainly yesterday, Oh my god, what
are you doing throwing in a double coverage interception and
they're gonna lose? Well, they didn't, and he came through
when it mattered most, but it will still be a
point of contention. If they had not changed the playoff

(15:44):
system to what it is now, I'd say it's like
one hundred percent chance Ohio State wouldn't be here.

Speaker 5 (15:51):
They would not have been one of the top four
teams the SEC title game.

Speaker 8 (15:57):
Would have been interesting to see how people would have
responded to that, considering Texas ended up five, but Boise
State certainly pretty unlikely to have been selected. Probably true
for Arizona State. You had Oregon, yeah, Georgia. Figuring out
the other three spots or two spots for three or
four teams might have been a little bit more difficult

(16:19):
to do. Instead, it's the teams that all lost last
week that were in the nine, ten to eleven twelve spots.
The teams that lost this week so far, and against
only three of them because the fourth game has not
yet been played. Two of them were bumped up in
seeding only because of how they did the playoff seating,
not because they earned those rankings. Boise State was a

(16:41):
top ten team, but they weren't three, they were nine,
and Arizona State was a conference champion, not a top
ten team, and they were seated fourth. So certainly it's
something to note as you get into the final four,
and amazing that Penn State has still in the last
well all the years with coach Franklin a nice enough win.

(17:03):
Knew this going in and kind of felt like it
was inevitable. They stuck him in a bracket where SMU,
Boise State or Penn State, one of them was guaranteed
to make the Final four, and it wasn't a big
shock to anybody that it's Penn State. I'm not really
sure what they've accomplished to this point. You could probably

(17:23):
make that argument for several teams, so it's not exclusive
to them. But usually the competition rises up and Penn
State loses, and that's what I expect to happen regardless,
even though they might get lucky again and catch Notre
Dame if Notre Dame is able to beat Georgia with
that kickoff coming up in about forty minutes, but Ohio
State and Texas, it definitely seems very heavyweight ish. Hard

(17:46):
to watch yesterday's game after the Longhorn game and not
wonder many many times, how did you guys lose to Michigan?
How did you guys do anything offensively? For an entire
afternoon in your own building.

Speaker 4 (18:01):
That very line was uttered in media dining before the
Rockets game high it lose to Michigan.

Speaker 8 (18:04):
And Michigan who clearly cannot score, and if you watch
their game against Alabama this weekend, it was embarrassing for
both teams. It was embarrassing for Jalen Milroe in the
Alabama offense to go out there and play the way
they did. It was embarrassing for Michigan not to be
up thirty five nothing about twenty minutes into the game.
They just embarrassed them with their defense. Then they embarrassed

(18:27):
themselves with their own offense, which is why how did
Ohio State lose to these guys? But they did as
State played Oregon very very well twice. They played him
very well at the beginning of the year, losing by one,
and they played him very well yesterday in winning by twenty.
In Ohio State and Texas, they haven't played a lot

(18:47):
in their history, just three times. Each of those three
meetings seemingly pretty meaningful. Was just a couple of weeks ago.
Aj Hawk, when he wasn't on the Pat McAfee show,
he actually had some personality. He was on a game day,
and he was asked about the big there in the
stadium in Columbus and how hard it is to play
there and how awesome it is for their home field

(19:09):
and everything. They asked him, you know, what was the
most memorable game you've played here?

Speaker 4 (19:13):
You played here?

Speaker 8 (19:14):
He actually went back to the five season where Texas
went up there early in the season and beat them.
He said it was the most memorable. Unfortunately it was
not in a win, but you know, Vince Young and
that group went up there and did that. He played
a couple of times. Played recently in nine with the
long Horns winning with a late touchdown from Colt McCoy
to Jackson Shipley.

Speaker 5 (19:35):
I think those guys are roommates.

Speaker 8 (19:37):
This is a This is fun, the matchup is fun,
and definitely Ohio State's playing some really really good football.
Opened as a four and a half point favorite, currently
a six point favorite over the Texas Longhorns.

Speaker 5 (19:51):
Seems a bit high.

Speaker 8 (19:54):
You're gonna have enough rest that I think the Longhorn
defense will be right back in the same position they
are in every week when a game starts. This best
defense in college football. Ohio State's playing really, really well.
I'm a little surprised the line is what it is.
I don't think the location has anything to do with it,
because if it did, it would be a much lower
games in Arlington games at the Cotton Bowl. I do

(20:15):
know Arizona State traveled very, very very well to the
Peach Bowl played yesterday, and I'm sure Ohio State will
also travel well to their third playoff game, as the
Longhorns fans will travel to Dallas Arlington for their third
and the cars, Yes, but it is still expensive.

Speaker 4 (20:33):
Yeah, well, you gotta find hotels expensive when there's no flight.
By the way, You're like, Ohio State's playing well right now.
Wasn't Oregon playing well right now too?

Speaker 5 (20:42):
Not in the last three weeks when they had zero
points on zero plays.

Speaker 4 (20:47):
I mean it's I mean, it's probably. In fact, I
think I asked somebody who's just a college football die hard, like,
who do you think is gonna win this thing? I
don't see how Oregon can't.

Speaker 8 (20:56):
I mean I was like, really, wow, why would you
say Why would anyone say that? I don't know, but
that's they beat them by a point in their building.
You didn't think Ohio State could play with them?

Speaker 4 (21:07):
No, No, No, I'm not saying anything about Ohio State.
I'm more talking about Oregon.

Speaker 8 (21:13):
Oregon beat Ohio State by one point in October in Oregon.
Oregon hadn't played a game since December seventh, and in
that game, they let Penn State put thirty seven points
on them. Who thought Ohio State didn't have a chance
in this game?

Speaker 4 (21:27):
That's not what I'm saying. I'm talking about just Oregon
in general. Just this is before any games had been
played in the college football tournament bracket whatever you want
to call the playoff. But yeah, I mean that's that's proof. Yeah,
I mean I thought UT would have a live one
on its hands. I didn't think that would happen yesterday.

Speaker 5 (21:46):
I thought the line was too big, but I definitely
thought they would win.

Speaker 4 (21:49):
Yeah, I know, I asked you that point blank before
the game, but I didn't think it would be that close.

Speaker 5 (21:54):
Well, it's just a matter of whatever, even what you do.

Speaker 8 (21:58):
And we'll get to that coming up in a little bit,
since that's basically what Nick Saban had to say about
it the day after, and it's really good stuff on
both of those two teams. Then again, I said it
the moment I saw the line, Texas played at home
against a presumably worse Clemson team. That's why Clemson drew
the twelve seed and Arizona State got the bump.

Speaker 5 (22:19):
All the way up to four.

Speaker 8 (22:20):
They played at home against a worse team and then
went to a neutral site against a better team and
were favored by more than they were in the first game.

Speaker 5 (22:30):
It never made sense to me how they came up
with that.

Speaker 8 (22:33):
Even when they were up seventeen to three, I still
didn't believe that was certainly not the bet I would
have made. But I also didn't think they'd be trailing
by a touchdown in overtime, which they were before they
got the fourth and thirteen play. And this goes back
into the Quinn Uish conversation for as poor a play
call as it probably was, and then very poor execution

(22:53):
on the pass. The interception he threw late in the
second half to Golden wasn't really in double coverage. He
threw him into double cover because the ball was thrown properly.
That's much more of a dart and much less of
a typical viewer's downfield, put as much air under it
as possible throw, and it's just one on one coverage
he puts it in the right place, the guy probably
catches it, but he doesn't, so the guy defending him

(23:15):
actually catches it. And then this one not to gold
and I should say the receiver also got smashed on
that play. Another part of the man. The officials had
had a day, but he made up for it. It
was an incredible call of the line when it looked
like Arizona State was bringing everybody. They technically didn't, but
certainly was the look. They had seven guys into block

(23:36):
blocked it brilliantly. We could only hope C. J. Stroud
has time like that on any snap in any game.
Moving forward indiation.

Speaker 4 (23:44):
Traps some long horns offensive lineman and he will.

Speaker 8 (23:46):
He just stood back there and waited for Golden to
put his right foot in the turf and absolutely burn
the corner back turned it upfield, but the ball where
it needed to be. Fourth and thirteen converted the opening
play of overtime. Two little steam route to gunner Helm
to a point conversion completed, and then Makuba with the
interception to close it out. They made three plays in

(24:09):
about a five minute stretch over a six snap stretch,
three plays to win them in the game.

Speaker 4 (24:16):
That was a very Derek Stingley Junior type interception. By
the way, I enjoyed that a great deal.

Speaker 8 (24:20):
He's a good player. They're lucky he was available for
the entire game. One of the controversial plays we're going
to talk about is it's good that it went the
Longhorns way. In this sense, if it didn't go the
long Horns way, it doesn't necessarily determine the game, but
it certainly puts a lot more in the Arizona State
kitty to win it. But had that call been made

(24:41):
against Michael taff As targeting well, then he'd be out
for the first half of this upcoming game that they.

Speaker 5 (24:48):
Advanced to, which he now is not, which is huge.

Speaker 8 (24:52):
But the controversy from yesterday's game, from that particular play
and others, we're going to lock in on that as
we get into the first of the Best.

Speaker 5 (25:01):
Of X in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 7 (25:04):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
Cannon Ball weekends are better all the way with Astros Baseball.

Speaker 7 (25:14):
Just tell your smart device alex Us play Sportstock seven
ninety on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 4 (25:21):
Did you all see this?

Speaker 9 (25:22):
Put it out?

Speaker 5 (25:23):
Between five and fifteen posts to day four hundred people
were arrested for things that they said on social media.
History repeats itself type Vanuel succeed. Never doubt that you're
the one too pusson no word Bill, believe you're the
best of X. Nothing's gonna have a top.

Speaker 4 (25:43):
You know you're the best of X.

Speaker 5 (25:47):
Posting every single day and you're the best of X
breaking the entire into man.

Speaker 4 (25:58):
Tease.

Speaker 8 (25:58):
One item coming up in the best of X, But
I actually think another item is even better because it
is to me what the best of X is all about.
Yesterday afternoon, the Longhorns took care of Arizona State, and
I get a handful of emails from associated Longhorn properties
that make sure I knew, Hey, we've got t shirts available,

(26:19):
and hey, get your travel package together. And it said
Texas going to the Cotton Bowl versus Oregon slash Ohio
State because obviously at that point in the day that
game had not been complete. When Ohio State's game was completed,
it was the next game. Clearly, they know what's up
because their matchup is set, so the Ohio State Athletic
Department social media team can certainly just hop right on

(26:42):
it and head on over to the X platform and
crank out a graphic that I'm sure has long since
been in the hopper onto the next challenge, see y'all
real soon, and they use the a hat cowboy hat emoji,
and then the graphic that goes along with it, the
particulars Arlington January tenth, seven thirty PM, six thirty to us.

(27:05):
By the way, five thirty week from today they will
be playing this game. Or a week from tomorrow, excuse me, Friday,
they will be playing this game, and we will have
it for you as the home of Texas Long Horn
Football right here on Sports Talk seven ninety beginning at
five thirty. But the graphic looks like this buckeye helmet
with all those stupid buckeye stickers all over it. Cotton

(27:26):
bowl logo background is a horseshoe. The bucket ride horses, Yes,
and always constantly. The only games I will play at
a sports bar is horseshoes. I won't play bags, I
won't play you know, ping pong, I won't play Jenga.
I will only throw horseshoes at our local watering holes

(27:48):
after I've tied up my horse. The buckeye helmet's got
a cowboy hat on it, and then I don't think
this was intentional, and this is me probably being a child.
But the cactus that they also have in the picture
and the tumbleweed can be seen. Cactus, although it's missing
a thumb, looks like it has three shorter fingers and
then a finger that is more to the middle of

(28:08):
the hand that's higher than the others. That's just what
it looked like to me. But says is the best
of X. It's more about a hundred people react to
this on social media.

Speaker 4 (28:18):
By the way, I rode three hundred and five horses
into work today because I went option nice. I had
four hundred and twenty and then I downgraded for you know, gas.
The horses were fed properly, well, they were getting fed
a little too much for my wallet's liking.

Speaker 8 (28:32):
Gotcha, it is expensive to keep those three hundred and
five horses and twenty four hundred and twenty I downgraded
to just the three zero five. So a picture of
a football helmet with a cowboy hat on it, tumbleweed
in the background, a horseshoe in the background, and cactus
in the foreground for the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington,
Texas's met with this on X. From the replies, CC says,

(28:57):
when did North Texas get siguaro cact i? Arlington, Texas
says Liam most notable for massive cacti and deserts.

Speaker 4 (29:07):
Good on him to spell deserts correct, because if you
put another s in there, it's very different.

Speaker 9 (29:12):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (29:13):
Ella also says does Ohio State think they're headed to Arizona?
Croi notes the same Do they have cactus in West Texas?
Will says, whoever designed this has never been to the metroplex.

Speaker 4 (29:25):
I like Rob. Apparently Ohio State University thinks the game
will be played in Peko's Texas. Arlington not likely to
have tumbleweeds and cactus tumbleweeds. I mean, look whatever I
mean if obviously this were being played in I don't know.
It's the big stadium up in Ohio, the biggest one

(29:46):
their stadium. Okay, that's the biggest one there. Yeah, that's sad.

Speaker 8 (29:50):
We the college football stadiums are always the biggest from
a people standpoint, attendant standpoint.

Speaker 4 (29:57):
Yeah, but this this is gonna be played in Jerry World, right.

Speaker 5 (30:00):
And they could put more people in a game in
Texas if they went to college station.

Speaker 4 (30:03):
That's true technically, but obviously if this game we're going
to be played up there. I mean it's Ohio, so
it's close to Cleveland, which means you could put a
graphic of a lake on fire and it'd be fine.
This is the same forethought that went into that, that
went into this.

Speaker 8 (30:18):
Yeah, Jay says, I feel cheated. Lived in Arlington for
four years, never once saw the cacti or tumbleweeds.

Speaker 4 (30:23):
Bummer. What's funny about this is Arlington is probably the
closest place you would be able to see this stuff
because there's nothing there between the Fort Worth Stockyards and
the place where they shot Kennedy to death.

Speaker 8 (30:40):
Ohio failed geography. There's no cactuses in the area. The
closest desert is three hours away. Google is free, but
got by the bosses anyway, So yeah, it's fun Some
guy not the fest the Cotton Bowl right in Arlington.

Speaker 4 (30:54):
Some guy called at the Lakers Avenue who's clearly also
an Ohio State fan. Because he had tagg Go Bucks
and got the little logo to come up. He took
the creative liberty to take a Longhorns logo and just
turned the picture upside down. Get it down.

Speaker 3 (31:13):
I get it.

Speaker 4 (31:14):
This Lakers Ohio State fan probably a Lebron fan. That's
why he's at the Lakers Avenue.

Speaker 8 (31:20):
Lebron is a fan of both of those outfits, his
current team and one of his favorite teams.

Speaker 4 (31:26):
By what, I'm just gonna do this. I don't care.
There's no filter on me. Why has there ever been?

Speaker 10 (31:30):
Not?

Speaker 5 (31:30):
This year?

Speaker 4 (31:32):
Wex is responsible for putting the schedule together of our
Rockets coverage. You know who's doing the game on any given.

Speaker 5 (31:38):
Night on a slack it on the January schedule?

Speaker 4 (31:40):
Yeah you are. That's fine. Somebody was like, hey, you're
gonna be at the Lakers game on Sunday. I go, no,
Wex knows. I hate that fraud.

Speaker 3 (31:48):
He knows.

Speaker 4 (31:48):
I don't want to call that stupid game, that stupid team.
It's not gonna win bleep this year, and that stupid
old ass Lebron fraud. You could go, Mike Breen, you're
thirty burger gonna take on that l on Sunday and
get the hell out of our city after that. That'd
be nice. Ain't no party like a Diddy party? His words,
not mine? When did he say that on video?

Speaker 9 (32:11):
I know?

Speaker 4 (32:12):
But when?

Speaker 5 (32:12):
Like how many years ago, a decade ago, twenty years ago.
I'm just curious.

Speaker 4 (32:16):
I mean, they're just now finding out about some of
this stuff.

Speaker 8 (32:18):
That's but you're acting like all the parties the guy's
ever thrown for his entire life are the quote unquote
didty parties?

Speaker 4 (32:24):
Well, did you see the amount of baby oil? He
supposedly got.

Speaker 8 (32:27):
Sure, But when again, when did he like he couldn't
go into the party scene and immediate The very first
Didty party probably wasn't like the thirtieth Didty party.

Speaker 4 (32:36):
I don't know what any of them are like, and
I'm glad I never attended a single one.

Speaker 5 (32:39):
Callt you you pretend that you know what they're like,
because you because I know IM read there you go
next time, do some research.

Speaker 4 (32:46):
A lot of people were.

Speaker 8 (32:47):
Reading things on the social media's and then they would
find out later. Uh, this was generated by chat GPT
actually in the record in the rule books, so we're
not sure that that's true. The other element here was
the play Michael Taff smashing into the Arizona State receiver
on third down, which led to a fourth down. When

(33:10):
they did review the play during the time where they
were taking a look at the Arizona state wide receiver
who got hit pretty hard and there was one hundred
percent helmet to helmet contact, face mask to face mask contact.
They reviewed it and deemed it was not targeting, just
as they had done earlier in the game. On the
play we described that the Arizona State interception. Both were

(33:32):
looked at, both were deemed not targeting, and the rules
analyst with them seemed to be soft enough with his
stance that he was kind of forgiving of the call
or understanding of the call. Others like Geene Sterator and
Terry McCauley, who I think we know by now with
all the broadcasts they've been a part of these past
couple of years, they were not nearly as lenient on that,

(33:55):
like this hits every letter of the rule.

Speaker 5 (33:58):
Not sure what they're looking at to go that route.

Speaker 8 (34:00):
McCaulay going so far is to basically say, we need
to relook at how we're asking the people in the booth,
the people looking at the replay, so to speak, how
they are essentially reading this, watching this and determining what's happening.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
Because it's clearly wrong.

Speaker 8 (34:16):
They've made some slight changes to how it's worded, slight
changes to how it's supposed to be read and then
dealt with, and it's kind of pushed it back in
the wrong direction. According to him, we're seeing too many
calls that should be targeting that are targeting. By the way,
the rule is still written, but they're not calling it
enough anymore. And this, to him was another one of

(34:36):
those instances, and quite honestly saw it live, watched many replays,
and tended to agree. I was shocked they did not
deem it targeting, both live and then certainly after replay.

Speaker 4 (34:48):
What if anything gets changed first this rule in college
football or addressed, not changed, I guess, but just addressed,
which I guess that in that sense may be changed,
is the word. But what gets addressed first this or
the give yourself up NFL quarterback I.

Speaker 8 (35:03):
Don't think they give yourself up rules gonna be changed
at all, because they the message is getting louder each
time a quarterback gets destroyed like Trevor Lawrence did. And
most quarterbacks are gonna take it to heart and do
the right thing. Some won't, and they're gonna continue to
get hurt, and the defensive players are going to continue
to get penalized for it and suspended for it, But

(35:23):
it's of all the people that have the most to
change it with their actions.

Speaker 5 (35:30):
It's not the defensive players, it's the quarterback, right.

Speaker 4 (35:33):
And so if that's how it goes, which I completely
agree that's probably the likelihood, then I don't want to
hear about you caring about player safety again for the
millionth time. Stop saying this and doing something that's the opposite.

Speaker 8 (35:47):
What are they doing that they are concerned with player safety,
but they're basically letting it happen by saying quarterbacks have
to they got to take care of themselves right there,
letting it happen. Well, I know what you're saying, making
it happen. Yeah, the league is letting it happen because
it's the alternative. Should they have suspended I'll share for
more than three games?

Speaker 4 (36:06):
No, no, no, it has nothing to do with that.
It's so insane what they continuously keep asking defensive players
to do in various situations. That's just one of many.
But then don't let quarterbacks slide. Make it illegal for
them to slide that way, or if they don't like
if they do the juke move like Pat Mahomes and
all these other guys are doing they're penalized for that.

(36:28):
There's something has to change. Or don't tell me you
care about safety, because the way it is right now,
Trevor Lawrence and others are gonna get their knocks, their
heads knocked off, and the defender is gonna keep getting suspended.

Speaker 5 (36:40):
And that's just bad for everybody all around. Not an
easy play to little. No, it's not not an easy
play for players to say. Man, I love playing football,
except I got to think about not doing football things
right now during the game while someone's running towards me,
or while I have the football and don't want to slide.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
By the way, there's at least one occasion where a
UT receiver was defenseless and got creamed. They didn't call
that either, So stop telling me that that's why Texas
won that game.

Speaker 8 (37:07):
Well, that's why the controversy of all this to me
is if I'm sitting here as an Arizona State fan
and complaining about this, then a Longhorn fan has ten
plays to send back their way, and I think vice versa.
It wasn't a great day for the officials. I don't
think it's a very easy game to call. It was
holding on the Quinn Ewers touchdown run. Probably there was
I thought, not defensive pass interference on the scatter boat catch.

(37:30):
I thought he just said, well, I can probably get
this guy to bump me a little bit. If I
stopped for no reason and he bumped him. He bumped
the defensive player. The defensive player has a right to
his own space. But that's not the way they saw it.
He ended up with a personal foul anyway, because Taff
grabbed him by the face mask.

Speaker 5 (37:46):
But there were a bunch of things that happened.

Speaker 8 (37:47):
I don't think it determined the outcome of the game,
quite honestly, but it definitely impacted what took place over
the course of the game. Seven one three, two, one
two five, seven ninety any and everything on your minds.

Speaker 5 (37:59):
This five calendar has begun.

Speaker 7 (38:04):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
Back to Adam Clinton at Adam Wexler, the eighteen.

Speaker 7 (38:13):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (38:25):
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety. I look,
I am, I'm doing audible here because we were talking
about during the break and frankly, I mean Nick Saban
and his thoughts on the game yesterday, or they're just
that they're any coach could have said that. I know
he's not just any coach, but I am. I don't

(38:48):
know what the word is. I'm not shocked. But I
was driving home from the Rockets game last night, a
game they won. I need to emphasize this, a game
they won, and again, a game this guy played well in,
and someone texted me, Hey, did you hear Cam Whitmore's
postgame interview? And I hadn't heard it, and I hardly

(39:10):
ever hear it because I host the postgame show while
this sound is getting gathered. And then I'm walking to
my vehicle, getting into it, dealing with garage traffic again,
which is nice because it means the attendance is up
because the Rockets are good again. And then you know,
I'm doing my own thing on the drive home, and
so I'm like okay, And pretty soon after that same

(39:31):
person sends me some audio, you know, a link to
some audio, and I listen to Cam Whitmore last night,
and the first thing I thought, in just full disclosure,
I didn't and I didn't want to do this. I
didn't want to talk with WEX about this until we
were on the ERA. Wanted organic reactions. I was like, wait,
is he upset about he has to be upset about

(39:51):
playing time, I guess. But he played well. He was
the only guy that scored double digits off the bench,
and they won against the show or handed Mavericks team,
and they snapped a two game skid. But is he
upset about his playing time or is he upset about
what he's doing personally? It's the most bizarre SoundBite I

(40:12):
think I've ever heard, definitely during this era of Rockets basketball.
I mean, it was just it was weird. I guess
it is the best way to play it now.

Speaker 8 (40:21):
I didn't expect him to answer the questions the way
it is, especially since he was not really even answering
the questions that were asked, certainly not initially.

Speaker 5 (40:28):
Just he basically had something to say. I still don't even.

Speaker 3 (40:31):
Know what it was.

Speaker 4 (40:32):
Let's take a listen to what he said last night.

Speaker 3 (40:34):
How did it feel just to you know, get consistent
minutes there in that second quarter, but also in that
fourth quarter to close the game.

Speaker 9 (40:39):
I don't think it was consistent.

Speaker 3 (40:41):
I don't.

Speaker 9 (40:42):
I really don't know or think that I'm a con
tribule a little bit. But I mean Ian doesn't really,
you know, affect anything doesn't really you know, can't get
me nowhere.

Speaker 5 (40:52):
But I mean we'll see what happens.

Speaker 9 (40:53):
But on I mean.

Speaker 4 (40:54):
Describably got to win.

Speaker 7 (40:56):
You don't feel good about how you played time?

Speaker 9 (40:58):
I I do, but I mean it's nothing that isn't
mean either.

Speaker 5 (41:03):
Because it kind of just a weird spot with where
you're at right now.

Speaker 9 (41:06):
No, not a word spot. I just don't know. I
just don't know what's going on us. I have a
lot of a lot of question marks for myself. Hey
what like no other way, It's just I don't know
what's going on on with the you know the deal
with me is but uh yeah, I just don't know,
no know, Like to me.

Speaker 4 (41:22):
It sounds like he's complaining about playing time but just
kind of going about it in a very bizarre way.

Speaker 8 (41:30):
Probably doesn't need to say anything and probably realize that
with each answer he gave, and so he kept cutting
them before he said something that would get him in deeper.
Basically is what it sounded like, started to say that
I don't like this or I don't know what the
answers are. I've got a lot of questions. But also
then would add I got a lot of questions with
me in my game. You know, are you in a
word spot? No, not in a word spot. I just

(41:51):
don't know what, don't you know. I'm not sure what
to tell you about what I don't know because I'm
trying not to say anything too inflammatory, I suppose, but
he couldn't help himself from saying something that would come
across as you guys lost two games. You guys are
down two players. You played a huge role on the win.
What what are you mad about? Clearly it isn't about

(42:11):
that game. I don't think it's about a lot more
than that. But he's given many other interviews since he's
rejoined the rotation, he's had many other good games since
he's rejoined the rotation.

Speaker 5 (42:22):
He certainly hasn't sounded like that or even close nothing.

Speaker 4 (42:25):
You're right too. It was like he had opened his
mouth and the toothpaste was out of the tooth. You know,
it was out and you couldn't get it back in
the tube. And with each question, like if you watch
that video, like Vanessa's in the background behind him, she
can't even help herself making fake like she's like, what
is he talking about? That's at least that's the expression
I interpreted from her face.

Speaker 8 (42:47):
Yeah, the rotations used by ima Udoka in the last
night's game were a little bit different than usual, and
probably part of that was due to who he had available,
with both Tari and a Men unavailable. He doesn't normally
play the starters like he did in last night's opening quarter,
two of them played twelve minutes. He doesn't always do
what he did with the starters in the third quarter.
Three of them played all twelve minutes, so that obviously

(43:11):
impacts the reserves minutes in that Cam Whitmore got no
minutes of the first or third quarter because the players
he replaces didn't sit.

Speaker 4 (43:19):
We'll discuss this further. We're also going to get to
what are you doing again Tennessee Titans? All that coming
up next.

Speaker 1 (43:26):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your Teams series, Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 4 (43:45):
A And just like that where simulcast in Burnt Orange
on Space City Home Network. It is the A Team
Sports Talk seven ninety Thursday edition of the program One
Hour in the books, Still got three more to go.
Wex over there ac right here in case you can't
tell us apart because we're both Rock and the Burnt Orange.
After that, no doubt about it, never a doubt, total

(44:10):
smash job that the Longhorns got done yesterday against Arizona State. Okay,
maybe it was a little bit closer cozy, what have
you than Longhorns fans would have liked there at the end.
That's what made it entertaining yesterday and they were able
to gut it out. Now that sets up a date
with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl coming up a

(44:30):
week from tomorrow night up in Arlington. We've already gone
over the finer aspects of the Ohio State social media
team and the fact that they think that cacti grow
in and around the Metroplex, and we've talked a lot
about the game itself, the targeting or non targeting calls
that were and weren't made in that game, and everything

(44:52):
else that went into a very very entertaining double overtime
affair where the Longhorns came out on top or by
the way, the kicking situation and the fact that I
felt like every single time something was mentioned on the
broadcast about the Longhorns kicker, he went ahead and like

(45:14):
one upped what they were trying to say about him. Oh,
this guys hasn't missed maybe one kick inside of thirty
yards or whatever it was. Shank hits the upright, pulls
it right one time, pulls it left the other. That
had all the makings of yeah, this is taking five
years off my life if I'm a long Horns fan
watching this.

Speaker 5 (45:31):
Yeah, two opportunities lay to put them in front.

Speaker 8 (45:34):
The last of the two opportunities would have put them
in front with no time left, game would have been over,
and he was just unable to do it. He's got
a bad most of the season, certainly the bad back
half of the season, and they certainly felt like they
don't have any other alternative. It's not a lack of
leg strength, and that's unfortunate. Forty eight yards well within
his range. He just kicked it straight and from that

(45:55):
hash mark, that's not going to go through the uprights
and then much shorter. You know, I had said once
they got down to that part of the field, I'd said, oh,
now there's no issue. And someone that was with it,
don't you talk like that, you know, how do you
know he's going to make it? And I said I
mean with the distance, I don't once you get in range,
that's all I'm talking. I'm just saying you're not worried

(46:17):
about can he get it there? Like we saw the
other day, it's Riley Patterson tried a fifty three yard
field goal and he kicked it dead solid, perfect down
the middle and landed about five yards shy of the goalposts.
You're concerned about distance when it's in that range for
some kickers, and in his case, for any kicker, there's
no question about where you were on the field, how
close you got. And the Longhorns, obviously in that instance,

(46:40):
also thought well, let's take these final six seconds because
we have a time out, and let's put it where
he wants it. So quinn Ewers took the snap and
ran a couple of tripped a couple of steps to
his left and fell on the football. They called time
out with two seconds left, and now Burt's in a
great spot and his head coach had a chance to
talk to him before the kick, which isn't that typical

(47:02):
for a coach to have that long of a conversation.
Maybe a pat on the back or a smack on
the helmet and get out there and go win us
this game.

Speaker 5 (47:08):
But he had words with him.

Speaker 8 (47:10):
A lot of people grabbed that video or pick and
said probably the worst motivational speech ever considering he then
kicked it off the upright, which also off the upright
to the left, which also meant had he kicked it
exactly the same way and they didn't put it where
he liked it, the kick would have gone through and
they would have won the game.

Speaker 4 (47:29):
It was again entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

Speaker 8 (47:33):
Maybe I guess there's great plays that should be the
right where they were really really good plays.

Speaker 3 (47:37):
Man.

Speaker 8 (47:37):
As much as it pains Longhorn fans to hear it,
it seemed like they were doing good things with Cam
Scattabo throughout the game, and they did have him in
check to a certain extent, But then you kept realizing, well,
somehow he got eight yards on that carry, and then
he got thirteen yards here, and even though you got
a TfL on the next one, he also was such
a threat and such a focal point. That's one of
the reasons why Michael taff bit on the pass that

(47:59):
he threw, and why he left his cornerback in single coverage.
I still don't know what he was doing because the
ball was in the air forever and he never made
a play for it, never made a break on it.
That's why it was such an easy catch and touchdown.
He also caught that late reception with taff on him.

Speaker 5 (48:14):
There these are.

Speaker 8 (48:15):
He made huge, huge plays as the game continued, all
while he was clearly not physically at one hundred percent
whatever was wrong with him internally and fluid wise, he
continued to put them in a great position.

Speaker 5 (48:27):
You know, Levin had a couple of nice plays.

Speaker 8 (48:29):
He converted an extremely long fourth down run of his own,
putting them in a position. It was full of really
really electric, exciting, playoff caliber plays. Luckily, the last three
were made by Quinn Ewers and Matthew Golden and Gunner
Helm and Andrew mccobaugh, and they won the game.

Speaker 4 (48:48):
Yeah, so that was obviously the big story from yesterday,
something that allowed this to probably fly under the radar. Well, look,
it flew under the radar because Titans did it. But
also the fact that, look, the Texans Titans showdown is
anything but. Going into Sunday's regular season finale, we all

(49:11):
know we've talked at nausea about the Texans' issues right now.
They're just not playing good for They're playing their worst
football this season as a matter of fact, and they're
going into a game against the Titans where at best,
the starters will play limited minutes and if actually it
probably benefits the Texans to lose this game because it

(49:32):
makes the draft pick for the Titans in their own
division worse, making it harder for them to get better.

Speaker 5 (49:38):
Good luck losing to a team that wants to lose.

Speaker 4 (49:42):
Like, seriously, everybody should just bench as many strings as
possible and let's just get the third and fourth and
practice squadters out there and play this game.

Speaker 8 (49:50):
I don't know how many players are going to get
elevated for the Texans in order to do that, but
it's going to.

Speaker 4 (49:55):
Be pretty difficult.

Speaker 8 (49:56):
Yeah, I would assume that the Texans are playing to
get confidence. If they win, great, They're playing to feel
better about themselves. Normally, that means that their starters have
to make good plays, probably put touchdowns on the board
so they can get out of the game and take
that into their game against the Charger Steelers.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
Ravens, Well, that's the thing. I live on a planet
called reality, and they can bludgeon the Titans all they want.
If the Baltimore Ravens are coming to town the following
weekend for a three o'clock kickoff on a Saturday in
the Wildcard round, which is where it will happen, probably
I'm gonna feel whatever is less than terrible about their

(50:37):
prospects of winning a game like that, especially after what
I saw on Christmas Day. And it honestly has more
to do with the Baltimore Ravens than it does the Texans,
but they just happen to be like their kryptonite for
this franchise. But I digress before we get to any
of that. The Tennessee Titans yesterday afternoon just shy of
like two o'clock. They You know, if you ever upl

(51:00):
a new avatar for your Twitter account, you know this,
the app will automatically x will give you the option
of putting forth a tweet with the pick that you're using,
and the hashtag has already made hashtag new profile pick. Well,
the Titans did that yesterday with the Oilers Derek logo,

(51:23):
which means they're going to wear their uniforms for the
second consecutive season against the Texans. To what make a point,
you're trying to like troll Houston football fans. Who I mean,
I guess there could be some people out there that
are just really all worked up about this. But as
I said this, and I think Ross even said this
a year ago, when Will Levis got folded in half

(51:46):
and the Texans beat the Titans with those jerseys on
on that game winning kick by Kyymie Fairbairn, that effectively,
to me ended any sort of want or does for
those colors, that uniform, that whole scheme to ever come
back here in Houston, because at that point, it's like, Okay,

(52:07):
you're just trying to rub in something that's I mean,
we're talking about nineteen ninety six when this happened, when
it was last season in Houston. They're leaving, see you later.
Bud Adams takes his ball effectively and runs to what
he thought were greener pastures. And to me, and I
wrote this earlier, the Titans are like that shriveled old

(52:29):
version of themselves. They're longing for the younger days when
things weren't sagging and wrinkled. And we all get it.
Here in Houston, it was better here, but you made
that choice and now you're the only ones still trying
to make that logo relevant. And to me, this is
what''s favorite part. The Houston Texans live rent free in

(52:50):
the Tennessee Titans organizational head because I don't understand. I
know the players don't care that play for them now.
Certainly nobody on the Texans roster cares about what happened
in the mid nineties here in Houston, and the guy
who did it all has been in the ground for
a long time. So this comes down to, is this
Amy Adams, I look like a thumbstrunk trying to stoke something.

(53:11):
Do you think we like care what you wear? I
don't know. Maybe the fact that I'm talking about it.
They're winning. I don't know.

Speaker 5 (53:19):
Maybe I don't know about winning.

Speaker 4 (53:21):
Winning they're getting what they want.

Speaker 8 (53:23):
I guess, well, yeah, this is not They didn't just say, man,
our season stinks. What can we do to make this
game more exciting? And you know, oh, Theo's jerseys we
have in the closet, why don't we break them out
for this game? But you did that last year, dis
played attacks long. It's gonna be this way as often
as possible. They only have one go home game against
the Texans, that they.

Speaker 4 (53:40):
Had twenty years to do this and they didn't. Now
they're doing it all of a sudden, and that, to
me is what I'm getting at. It's just like it's
beyond petty, it's like pathetic. It's like this is this
is like the highlight of their season. So where these
jerseys against the Houston football team.

Speaker 8 (53:53):
Your buddy Paul Koharski had a nice little article written
about this very topic yesterday, but he's basically telling them
to don't be stupid Titans. And the last nine games
or eight games with the ninth one coming this Sunday
for the Titans have gone like this. These eight results
lost loss, loss loss loss loss loss went over the Texans.

(54:15):
They haven't won any other games except for their win
against Houston. So what has happened during that time? Their
draft position has gotten better, Their ability to get out
from we suck at football has gotten better because they
might be able to land a quarterback. Although this quarterback
draft stinks, it stinks at the top as it relates

(54:36):
to other years. We might have as many as six
quarterbacks drafted just last year that are carrying their teams
to greatness in their respective futures, we might have zero
this year. Cam Ward might be one, and obviously Shoulder
Sanders might be one. I don't even think anybody else
is even in the conversation to be one, and thus
they might not even get them. But still to that

(54:57):
end we talked about them needing to kind of don't
let this grudge stand in your way. You left because
you couldn't get a stadium. You're a couple of years
away from getting your second stadium. This one's gonna be
well over two billion dollars. I'll just give you the
last two lines of this story. Amy, Please don't give

(55:17):
any big motivational talks to the players about what this
game means to her, pride behind that oil rig logo
and those colors, or how much a season sweep of
the Texans would mean to her. Don't give that speech.
This team is great at losing. Give them a little
extra nudge and stay out of losing's way.

Speaker 7 (55:35):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
Back to Adam Clinton at Adam Wexler the.

Speaker 7 (55:43):
Eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (55:52):
Well, from time to time here on our simulcast on
Space City Home Network, we the a team here on
Sports Talk seven ninety. Like to get some of the
talent over on that side of the ledger here on
the show and in that vein, we're gonna have Kevin
Eschamfelder on for a few minutes to talk about all
things Houston sports. Gosh, Kevin, I don't know if there's
enough topics at hand, especially considering what happened last night,

(56:16):
not only on the floor for the Rockets and Mavericks,
but then Cam Whitmore's comments afterward. And I know that
Space City released a video of those comments last night.
What was your initial reaction when you heard that you
and Calvin were discussing things.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
Well, it was odd. It was different, and I do
think and I was listening to you guys, and I
wholeheartedly agree. I think maybe kind of went down a
path maybe I shouldn't be going down, and tried to retreat.

Speaker 7 (56:44):
A little bit.

Speaker 3 (56:45):
He played twelve minutes in the fourth quarter. So yeah,
it was, it was. It was interesting and kind of
whenever I first heard it, I just kind of wasn't
sure how to digest it and process it. And then
sitting back yet, it was just it was just different,
and uh, who knows, who knows? Uh, you know a

(57:06):
guy that I got to give all the credit in
the world to Cam Whitmore for a guy that that uh,
you know, had to went down to Rio Grand Valley
and had tried to figure things out, wasn't getting any
playing time here and stuck with it. And you know,
we all know just how talented and how electrical a
player he is when he's on the floor. And uh,
but you know that's the thing we all know about

(57:26):
email doca is it. Uh, it's you know, if if
you don't play at both ends of the floor. And
I'm not talking about Cam Whitmore, I'm talking about anybody
in general. You don't play both ends of the floor.
You don't play hard on the night in a night
out basis and maybe practice harder the night in a
day in the day out basis, you're not going to play.
And I'm not saying that's what happened with Cam Whitmore,
but you know he's back in the rotation now with

(57:47):
Tarry Easton out uh and the Rockets. It's a good
thing for the Rockets too, because they could really uh
they really can't use what he brings to the table.

Speaker 5 (57:55):
There's no question about that.

Speaker 8 (57:56):
We'll hear a little bit from emails thoughts about what
we're talking about coming up in the next segment, as
he made his weekly visit on The Matt Thomas Show
with Ross earlier today. So we'll share that with our listeners.
Issues on a team, you know, I'm not happy with
this or I'd like to see more of that. All
comes with the territory. They're finally in these games matter,
they're playing winning basketball. They're at the top portion of

(58:18):
the Western Conference that have been there essentially the entire season,
which means when you don't finish off Minnesota or Miami
and things these you know, winning the game now finally
means something, and those things are I'm sure a welcome sight.
And I have no doubt that you've been much happier
seeing Calvin dance at the end of home games this year,
and she has been doing a lot of.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
Yeah, I was just really man and it just takes
a little while. Sometimes I just do the segment by
myself while he dances. But that's Calvin. We love it.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
Now.

Speaker 3 (58:48):
You think about you know, you met Jalen, You think
about Albert Shinhu, that that youth corp that came in
all at the same time, and you know, you think
Jabbari you can put in there. They really never played
meeting basketball games because the team had not been winning
up until now, and now they are. And even with
those two losses, with Minnesota's loss, which a game is

(59:09):
you know, you got fifteen point lead with less than
five minutes left in the games goes without saying you
finished that game. They didn't. But that's been the outlier
that has been. They have won so many games this
year where I looked at Calvin before we went on
to go, you know what, they lose this game last year,
they definitely get me two years ago, and so that
steps in the right direction. And I think we do

(59:30):
have to remember that this still is a very young team.
I think every team in the NBA is young now
when everybody comes in at eighteen years old. But you know,
it's a young team, and I think they've responded very well.
It's been perfect. Absolutely not. Would they love to have
those two games back. Yeah, if they did, they'd be
a twenty four win team and they'd have so many
wins as the Boston Celtics who come to town tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (59:51):
It's interesting that they're playing the two finalists in consecutive
games with the Mavericks last night you got the Celtics
coming in. Just two very different teams though, because obviously
with Luca out of the Mavericks are not themselves, but
the Celtics every bit of the defending champs, and they
have really shown that again here this year. But look,
I know you are a baseball fan at heart. It

(01:00:13):
has been a wild off season, to say the least
for the Astros. How are you feeling right now, especially
since here on January tewod Alex Bregman, as currently constructed,
has no address in Major League Baseball.

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
Yeah, it's very It's almost eerily similar to the Carlos
Korea situation, right, I mean it's you think about everybody
thought he was going to be here, going to be there.
I'm talking about the first Carlos Karrea situation. He went
to Minnesota the first time, and then I doesn't have
a home yet. I still think, and I thought this
from the beginning. If he wasn't coming here was that

(01:00:46):
I thought Detroit had a really good chance of getting him.
And I don't know what's going to happen. I don't
know anymore than anybody else. Like all of us. But
I've always thought that a young team like that could
use that stable force. I'm not sure that you know
Alex's game at this point is conducive to that ballpark,
but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he ends
up in Detroit. But it is interesting how it has

(01:01:09):
played out. And yeah, I just have for whatever reason,
I just have faith in what they do. And they've
certainly garnered the benefit of the doubt with what their
success has been over the years. So we'll see where
this next phase takes us. And one thing for sure,
it's it's been a great ride, no matter how no
matter where it is right now, as far as that's concerned.

Speaker 8 (01:01:30):
Talk with Kevin Ashenfelder, of course, see him each in
every evening with basketball or baseball, or with any magazine
shows right there on Space City, Home Network pre and
postgame host and everything else. Also where a pinch hitter
over this holiday season stepping into the radio booth for
the uh Kinders Texas ball How was that?

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
How'd you know? Yeah? How about that? So I get
a phone call at seven thirty in the morning on
I work nights, guys, I nobody called me at seven
thirty morning.

Speaker 4 (01:01:58):
I will never do that.

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
Well I know that, yeah, but hey, seven thirty in
the morning, my phone rings and it's Brian Estrich, who
was the play by play man for the TCU Hornfrogs.
And I thought, oh, my goodness, what's going on? So
I didn't even answer it. And then I get a
text immediately saying, yes, can you pick up I got
to talk to you. So I call him back and
it's like, dude, I'm stuck in Tucson, I can't get there.

(01:02:22):
Can you do the play by play? I'll send you
all my stuff? So I did it and it turned out,
I mean, it turned out fine. I landed the plane.
So it was an interesting day though. So you know,
I had two great spy had a great spotter and
a great staff guy. And I had seen Baylor play
earlier this year, so I just did a quick study
on LSU and and yeah, it was it was fun.

(01:02:46):
It was an interesting My wife, I told him, as
long as I can still still still be married by
the time I get home, because we had about twenty
people coming over that night, and well, she did all
the work to get ready for it. Because I was
I was calling the football game that I didn't expect
to be calling so but it was a good time.
It was fine. It was certainly a memorable day.

Speaker 8 (01:03:04):
One of the other things you had a chance to
do in the last couple of days and weeks here,
you had a chance to catch up with one of
the new astros, Christian Walker. Interviewed him after he met
with the media here. Get a sense of how he'll
be looked at here, because clearly he was a leader
for a team that did go to the World Series.
He does bring some pretty strong defensive attributes. He's had

(01:03:27):
some pretty productive offensive seasons in these last couple of years.
It almost seems like he's thrust into this role because
of what he's replacing.

Speaker 5 (01:03:35):
But in the same vein it seems like, well, yeah,
but that's who he is anyway.

Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
Yeah, and that's what I've always heard about Christian Walker.
I don't know Christian Walker, but you know, you can
answer the questions however you.

Speaker 4 (01:03:45):
Want, and he does it the right way.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
But it does seem like he has that sense of
leadership and a guy that wanted to be a part
of this culture and a culture that has been a
culture of winning. And that's what he talked about really
from the beginning, and he and I talked about that,
and uh so from the standpoint, I think he's going
to be a perfect fit. He's an excellent defensive first
baseman the offensive game, although you know late Bloomer when

(01:04:09):
you really look at his numbers, but uh he's he's
been a very good offensive player over the last last
few years as well, so that certainly plays in this ballpark.
And I think I think it was a good sign.
He's the guy that I really kind of thought of
from the very beginning when they were talking about all
the different free agents and and I think Christian Walker
will fit really nicely into this lineup.

Speaker 4 (01:04:29):
Do you have an idea, just Kevin Ashenfelder a baseball fan,
of where you you think Alex Bregman winds up. And also,
what did you think of the offer from the Astros,
especially in light of the fact that he hasn't signed
a two hundred million dollar contract.

Speaker 5 (01:04:46):
Yet that we know of.

Speaker 3 (01:04:48):
Well, you know, the offer I thought was when you
when you put it on par with with guys like
Matt Chapman, and you know, you are what somebody's willing
to pay you, and uh and that's you know, the
offer was was what it was, and I thought from
the Astro standpoint, they wouldn't have made it had they
not thought it was a fair offer. From Alex's standpoint,
I certainly see him trying to go out and with

(01:05:09):
with Scott Bors and get the most he can get.
And uh, you know, if you if you're worth two
hundred million dollars, somebody's gonna pay you two hundred million dollars.
I go back to what I said, I would think
I think a J would absolutely love to have a
guy like Alex Brigman kind of that that counter of
Hovey Baya is kind of the mentality type deal. And
and you know, with that young team and that young core,

(01:05:32):
to have a veteran leader like that to set a
set of culture and a tone for that clubhouse, I
think a J would absolutely love that.

Speaker 4 (01:05:40):
Kevin Ashenfelder here on Sports Talk seven ninety and of
course you see him on Space City Home Network. Kevin,
we appreciate the time. Good catching up that you know,
not there at the arena like we normally do.

Speaker 7 (01:05:51):
Saw you a fuck you last night?

Speaker 3 (01:05:53):
Yeah, I told you Happy New Year, so I he
Happy New Year? Uh yeah, stand happy New year, and
I'm gonna go back. I'm gonna go back to taking
my Christmas lights down.

Speaker 4 (01:06:03):
I love it. I love it. I know you had
some errands to do today and some projects, and that
was one of them. So we appreciate you taking the time.

Speaker 3 (01:06:10):
By the way, I think you guys probably have already
heard this, but my my yard one most creative in
my neighborhood. I know you guys were at my press conference.

Speaker 5 (01:06:17):
When I will the award, I will add that to.

Speaker 8 (01:06:19):
Your graphic and your future interviews. Award winning yard man.
Love it, Esh, We love you, buddy.

Speaker 3 (01:06:24):
See see you, guys.

Speaker 4 (01:06:25):
Man the multi talented Kevin Ashenfelder here on Sports Talk
seven ninety Email U Doka when we come back.

Speaker 7 (01:06:34):
The at on Sports Talk seven ninety. You like free stuff.
We all like free stuff. Guess what iHeartRadio app is
free free never Sound.

Speaker 4 (01:06:48):
It's so good.

Speaker 8 (01:06:53):
Great sketch up with Esh. Good conversation with Kevin Ashenfelder.
You'll see him again tomorrow night as the Rocks and
Celtics get together seven o'clock tips so their pregame coverage
begins at six thirty. Our pre game coverage Samorrown begins
at six o'clock with launch pad and then countdown MT
and myself will have the call for you for that one.
The Rockets try to make it two wins on their

(01:07:15):
five game homestand they got their first win on their
five game homestand and last night's game beating Mavericks won
ten to ninety nine. Rockets playing without Aman Thompson and
Tarry Eason, the Mavericks playing without a couple of guys
Luka Doncic and then added to that list PJ. Washington
did not return for the second half. We didn't even
mention the obvious reason, at least in terms of exactly

(01:07:38):
the reason why men Thompson was unavailable. Suspensions and fines
were handed out in our absence after the Francas against
the Miami Heat. Fracas, yeah, altercation. Everybody has haha favorite
words brew hahas another good ones.

Speaker 4 (01:07:54):
Somebody texted me mayhem, I wonder who it was.

Speaker 5 (01:07:57):
That seves me two games suspension for Amn Thompson.

Speaker 8 (01:08:01):
So he's halfway through his unpaid he's halfway through you
can't come to the game or play for the Rockets.
A suspension for Terry Rogier of the Miami Heat, and
we described that before we left for the new year.
He was very aggressive and trying to protect his teammate,
so totally understandable from the human side of it and
teammate side of it, but deemed not someone who's trying

(01:08:23):
to break things up.

Speaker 5 (01:08:24):
So he drew a one game suspension. Five others drew fines.

Speaker 8 (01:08:28):
Fred van Vliet a thirty five thousand dollars fine for
making contact with the official. Again, he called it unintentional.
The official in his pool report, Mark Davis called it
intentional and the league then called it otherwise, so he
got a fine. E Mays had multiple fines for leaving
the court or berating officials, however, so his fine was

(01:08:51):
a little bit more than that, but again, just one
more game without Amen Thompson. They also lost the first
two games of this homestand which has definitely been unlike
this team. That's why the twenty two and eleven Imidoka
had his visit on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross
earlier today. Conversation begins there about getting those two losses
behind them by having a nice bounce back win in

(01:09:12):
last night's game, and hopefully more of that to continue.

Speaker 10 (01:09:15):
Yeah, obviously the Minnesota Miami games. We played well enough
to win, you know, went on a drought offensively at
the end of specifically Minnesota and defensively, then guard up
to our potential and kind of felt like we gave
those away and wanted to improve down the stretch in
the game last night and did that on both ends.

(01:09:35):
Guarded well enough, got some big baskets and.

Speaker 4 (01:09:38):
Out onto the win.

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
You are very demonstrative when it comes to defense when
plays are well run, you know, high five and out
of boar, and then sometimes you've called timeouts just to
talk about defensive lapses.

Speaker 4 (01:09:51):
Where did you get that from?

Speaker 2 (01:09:52):
Where it was that your game was that your style
as an assistant coach, because you're intensive, to me is
double triple when you're your team play defensively.

Speaker 10 (01:10:03):
Yeah, I mean that's who I was as a player,
So that kind of that side of his second nature
for me, I also understand the importance of that to
winning basketball, winning championships, and so being that I was
as a player, and then obviously my time in San Antonio,
I guess Pop kind of stressed that it went with
who I was, and yeah, so for me, it's always
going to be not brushing under the rug just addressed

(01:10:26):
it immediately and let's get on to the next play.
And so for me, guys know what to expect. And
I think you can only be yourself. I'm not a
coach that's gonna, you know, sit there and hope guys
do well. I'm gonna let them know if they do
or don't. And so just being myself as far as that,
and something that the guys really ask for and enjoy
from me as honesty and in the upfront, upfront, this

(01:10:46):
about certain things and we address it, try to move
on and have less of mistakes than the other team
in the game.

Speaker 2 (01:10:52):
You did not have a man because of the suspension.
Tari remains out. Cam came through and helped you out
yesterday on the offensive side of things. He has played
a lot since his return from the G League. Your
thoughts about his return since coming back and how he
may feel about where he is right now in your rotation.
Even if you get those guys back, and you obviously

(01:11:12):
you'll get Amend back, but whenever Tari comes back, is
there a room for Cam to get the kind of
minutes that he and you need from him. He wants
from himself and to help this Rocket team. Especially get
some extra punch off the bench.

Speaker 10 (01:11:25):
Well, yeah, first of all, he's improved greatly, you know,
the shot selection and the defensive focus on all the
things we really harped on going into sitting down a
real grand and I think he took that stuff to heart,
focused on that area just as preparation in general, shoot
arounds and all those things.

Speaker 4 (01:11:41):
That's really improved.

Speaker 10 (01:11:42):
And then that's translated to the game where you know
he's locked in on certain coverages and schemes and communication
all the things that sometimes young guys struggle with. You know,
some of our guys did as well last year as
we were kind of implementing everything. The scoring is his
natural ability and he does that, you know, regardless of
anything else going on.

Speaker 4 (01:12:01):
And so for him being one of our best catch
and shoot.

Speaker 10 (01:12:03):
Players, a guy that can get downhill and it's very
dynamic and transition, obviously that's welcome for us. Offensively, it
was more of the other things and continue to make
the right play if he's not shooting the ball, and
then defensively locking in. He's really improving those areas. Regarding
the minutes when guys come back. You know, we have
a deep team with a lot of guys that are

(01:12:24):
deserving and a big thing we talked about this year
going into the season with sacrifice. It's not gonna be
your night every night, and the guy's understanding that. And
so you've seen throughout the season guys that play well
are going to finish. And so it's pretty much equal
opportunity as far as that. The rotations are the rotations,
and we do have real depth at the wing, and
he adds that, so he has another dynamic as well,

(01:12:44):
and so finding the right combinations that work together is
a big thing. Given guys opportunities, and guys have had
him this year, whether it's read early on getting the
look and then Aaron playing last year and this year
when the opportunity is there Tate. Now the guys are
out and cameras well, and so they're thirty games in
and you know you got fifty plus to go, and

(01:13:04):
you want to find out the best rotations going forward,
and he's a part of that and brings another dynamic
and so when we get everybody back.

Speaker 4 (01:13:10):
It's a good problem to have.

Speaker 2 (01:13:12):
Did you hear his comments after the game last night
and how much discussion have you two had about his role?

Speaker 10 (01:13:19):
Yeah, I heard about him, And I'm totally fine with
people expressing whatever they need to express. We've had a
ton of meetings and one on one myself and him
and other coaches, and so there's an understanding of what's
expected and what's going to help you get on the
floor as far as growth. And so you know, if
you know me, you know I am not a sensitive
person at all. Guys can express what they need to.

(01:13:40):
We'll have those discussions, and so I'm totally fine with
what he said, the part that I will reiterate to him,
like everything I say publicly, I've said times ten behind
the closed doors to our guys, and so getting across
those points, and he understands what he needs to do
to be on the floor and improve as far as that,
and I think he's taking those steps and done that.

Speaker 5 (01:14:00):
Stop making us like you so much, Imay, I.

Speaker 4 (01:14:02):
Just can't like him enough. I mean, he's that is
it's not even diplomatic.

Speaker 8 (01:14:10):
It's what consistent and I said us and I was
speaking for the two of us sitting here. I have
to believe, even after Cam's comments, that that holds true
with the fifteen to eighteen guys in the locker room
because of he's he's I'm not bs and anything. This
is how I talk to them. This is what I'm
telling you, this is what I told the public, this
is what I told them bhy and closed doors, this

(01:14:31):
is what he told you. Great, let's go, I think,
and you know, I do think maybe there's an element
of making sure that what he's telling him is being
heard and what Cam's telling e May is also being
heard because there's it's not just his play, as he
just said, there's conversations to be had. So maybe you
can get a better understanding of where Cam the player's

(01:14:52):
coming from. But ever since I get from any player
you want to pick, pick up or name inside their
locker room, I think the relationship between the player and
the coach is strong enough individually, one by one where
wherever they need to go to get the most out
of the players to help the team win, that's where
they're headed.

Speaker 4 (01:15:10):
I'm I'm fascinated by this dynamic in that I think
this is there's more to that, not more to this,
but there's definitely more to this dynamic. The Rockets are
in a very very interesting spot right now, and we
can carry that over into the next segment. But Also,
I got a bone to pick from yesterday's broadcast of
the ut Arizona State game. We'll get to all that next.

Speaker 1 (01:15:35):
The AE on Sports Talk seven ninety. Back to Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler.

Speaker 7 (01:15:41):
The A team on.

Speaker 1 (01:15:42):
Sports Talk seven ninety, where Rockets and Astros play and
real Texans talk.

Speaker 4 (01:15:57):
It is the A team sports Sox seven ninety. There
is the rumor mill, the stuff that wex loves because
it requires basically somebody to say, hey, there's a guy
who might be available, and if he is, then the
Rockets might be one of several teams interested.

Speaker 5 (01:16:18):
Duh.

Speaker 8 (01:16:19):
I had one of those type things go on this
past weekend, just where I get abnormally upset with big
time national media people. Mm hmm about totally separate, Okay, Yeah,
the Dallas Cowboys agreed to tell Zeke Elliott that's fine,
you want to play for another team, go ahead, We'll
release you.

Speaker 5 (01:16:37):
We'll grant you your request, and so all the national
media pick it.

Speaker 8 (01:16:40):
Oh, Ezekiel Elliott and the team get together and decide,
you know, if there's any opportunities out there, you know,
let him go, just the way I think Ian had
quote tweeted Josina Anderson, who probably initially had it something
along the lines of, well, could help a playoff team,
maybe opportunity to help a contender, And I even wrote
it out. I'm like, you don't have to be yourself

(01:17:01):
about everything. But I couldn't help myself. Literally, by the numbers,
he is the least successful running back in the NFL
this year. How could a contender possibly want him? Hire
a contender help? They're better, they have better players. He
is a bad football player. He's part of the reason
that Dallas Cowboys aren't good this year.

Speaker 5 (01:17:23):
It took him forever to quit giving him the ball
and start giving it to their good running back. So
but I I didn't quote sweet or do anything I
didn't have to do. By the way, she's on the
blocked list, okay, in that I am blocked by her.

Speaker 8 (01:17:37):
She's had a she's been in town for a couple
of Texans games this year, covered a couple of them,
seen her up in the breast box, brief convoy.

Speaker 4 (01:17:46):
Hat your cost.

Speaker 5 (01:17:47):
So Robley doesn't even know that she has.

Speaker 4 (01:17:49):
Well, she blocked me, all right, So you know, we'll
get to this a little bit later on. I do
think the stuff that Cam was talking about one way
or the other will in part be determined by whether
or not the Rockets make a move. He could be
part of the move, you know, depending on who they
do or don't go after, in the caliber of that player,

(01:18:12):
and obviously the position that player plays coming back. But
that team could want Cam Whitmore, and I would hate
to think that this is just a fancy audition. I
want Kim to be part of the Rockets future. Like
there are players on the roster that I'm like, all right,
you're gonna have to give up somebody in addition to
draft picks. Those are and by the way, the Phoenix Suns,

(01:18:32):
it's looking more and more increasingly like that's the avenue
this all goes down, because it makes more sense for
them to get their own picks back, like turnaround, quick turnaround,
in that they have what the Rockets probably would need
the most, a two guard that can score anytime he
wants so. But I don't know what it would take

(01:18:53):
to get Devin Booker, and I don't know if Cam
Whitmore would be included in something like that. It's just
something to keep an eye on. There was an art
goal earlier today by a guy who at least I
pay attention to when he brings up things like this.
And we'll get to that in a little bit, because
I wanted to get to something here before we take
our top of the hour break. Wex who called that
game yesterday between the Longhorns and the Arizona State squad.

Speaker 8 (01:19:18):
Craig Way and Roger Wallace right here on Sports Talk
seven night.

Speaker 4 (01:19:21):
And who had the national the TV television broadcast.

Speaker 8 (01:19:25):
Tess Joe Tessitur, Jesse Palmer. I durned the booth, Yeah,
sorted sideline reporters handling their respective to polls.

Speaker 4 (01:19:34):
Yeah, if one of them is a friend of yours, at.

Speaker 8 (01:19:36):
Leastregor on one sideline, Katie George on the other. Both
of them did tremendous work. By the way, I do
like that they have gotten into the habit now. And
it's happened twice in these they've only had, you know,
the seven playoff games so far. It's happened where they've
gotten a coach in there in between quarter interview, Yes,

(01:19:57):
right before a fourth down call, and Kenny Dillingham was
the late and so they basically ask him, well, so
you could go for it here? You don't think you're
gonna go for it, and he's like, huh, we'll see
or you betcha or whatever he says. And as soon
as the interview's done, well they're already on the field.
They've already lined up because the interview was recorded, you know,
three or four minutes prior to its air, So she

(01:20:17):
was able to get him to say we're going.

Speaker 5 (01:20:19):
And forgive me which one of them was on with
us while I was out. Taylor McGregor was on with us.

Speaker 8 (01:20:24):
She's also the Cub's sideline or field side reporter, which
is another reason, so I get some intel on the
Cubs that became astros.

Speaker 4 (01:20:32):
I got a kick out of the fact that it
was almost as if they were trying to feature her
elaborate coat in the shots of her during that I
think it was halftime, or maybe it was halftime right,
I think just before the half when she interviewed Arizona
States head coach. But going back to the broadcast, I
traditionally I have no problem with Jesse. Take him, leave

(01:20:55):
me whatever I think of him as if.

Speaker 8 (01:20:57):
You don't mind how he helps people bake their cakes
or sit on furniture.

Speaker 4 (01:21:01):
Well, the furniture is how I look at him these
days because I see him more.

Speaker 5 (01:21:05):
He hosts a cooking show.

Speaker 8 (01:21:07):
Yeah, I know, he's been a bachelor, he's playing in
the NFL, obviously played high level college football.

Speaker 4 (01:21:12):
And he does college football games socks in the booth.
But pound for pound, I see him most hawking furniture.
So that's how I think of him, for better or
for worse these days. So I have no problem with him,
and I typically don't have a problem with Joe until
like the second half late in the game, where admittedly

(01:21:34):
the kid was making insane plays. Scata Barf was going
absolutely insane, running the ball, throwing the ball, doing everything.
He was leaving it all out there. And then Joe
needed a bib, Joe needed someone to wipe the drool
off his mouth. Joe needed to take it down a

(01:21:55):
few notches because I thought that he was having a
religious experience in the booth. Like, I get it, he's
having a good game, but it's getting to like Joe
Buck levels of just gross man, Like, take it back
a few notches.

Speaker 8 (01:22:10):
Yeah, We've been in situations where you're on the mic,
you get to call this is a heavy underdog that
is now mounting a massive comeback, and I did think
even that he was kind of over selling their comeback.
Oh my god, all of a sudden, Yeah, they're down
two scores. Now they're done zero scores. Oh they're down eight.
Well that if they score, they can tie it. They're

(01:22:30):
not coming back from some thirty point deficit. And he
was kind of acting like that. But it is a
little bit of human nature when you're dealing with sports.
This is the team that you kind of get the
sense the audience is rooting for. It's not necessarily Texas
is the big dog in Arizona State. Isn't Texas was
favored and is ahead. The other team is making this

(01:22:50):
awesome storyline comeback. So you're playing it up.

Speaker 4 (01:22:54):
Yeah, And it's funny you mentioned that because I was
thinking because as that game was winding down, I was
having to get ready to go to Toyota Center, so
I switched from watching like I had been, to you know,
streaming it in the same room I was in with
the speaker as I've been the show, I saw, I'm
only hearing it in other words, so it was more

(01:23:14):
like he was calling on the radio even though it
was a TV broadcast, and I was like, all right, dude,
Like enough, it's getting a little out of hand.

Speaker 5 (01:23:22):
Did you get enough of dad Leo?

Speaker 4 (01:23:25):
I did see some of the cutaways. There's a lot
of cutaway cutaways of Jake the Snake, Jake.

Speaker 5 (01:23:30):
Well, Jake on the sideline.

Speaker 4 (01:23:31):
That's I do like that.

Speaker 8 (01:23:33):
When you've got alums that are you know, locked in
like that mis James Harden busy. Yeah, You've seen a
lot of people really engage with their oh, you know,
their schools this year. Michael Ever and I just brought
him up because Miami certainly had a great year and
you saw him on the sidelines quite.

Speaker 5 (01:23:47):
I think that's really cool.

Speaker 3 (01:23:48):
I do like it.

Speaker 10 (01:23:49):
You know.

Speaker 8 (01:23:49):
Leo's got a little bit of a social media presence.
He took a picture with his kid after the game,
proud of his dad in the country. It's really nice shot. Uh,
Superman weighed in on it.

Speaker 5 (01:23:59):
Dwight Howard no check, no, Christopher Nemsking real Dean Kane
Oh okay, the xenial doubt about the resemblance.

Speaker 8 (01:24:08):
Incredible game career for Camp Scattaboo. I like Dean Chance Mock,
former Longhorn quarterback weigh in as well. You should be
proud Longhorn. I'm a former player. A lot of respect.
Congrats Dad, What did Maddie say anything?

Speaker 5 (01:24:21):
Maddie? You lost ball game? Probably to himself that would.

Speaker 4 (01:24:26):
Have been awesome. All right, four o'clock howur coming up next?
I'll tell you why several Houston Texans should be very upset.

Speaker 7 (01:24:33):
The A ten on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:24:39):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your Teams series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A.

Speaker 4 (01:24:55):
Four o'clock How We're Underweight here on Sports Talk seven
ninety and Space City Home Network. It is the A
Team the first edition of twenty twenty five. Here on
a Thursday edition of the program. Wex and ac with
you already two hours in the books. We have talked
to Kevin Eschenfelder of Space City Home Network, and we've
talked a lot of football, but it's primarily of the

(01:25:17):
college variety. I don't know if you're watching right now,
but we've got a lot of burnt orange in our
wardrobe today. We both have daughters at UT and then
wex also went there, so I wore a different orange
when I was in college, a little bit brighter, eat
them up cats, but absolutely have rooting interest in not
only what happened yesterday, but moving forward, two wins away

(01:25:37):
Man for the first time since Vy was quarterback, they
can say they're national champions.

Speaker 8 (01:25:43):
Vy was at the Kinders Texas Bowl over the weekend
with the Brothers at Arms Crew, Warren Moon, Andre Ware, etc.
We're all participating in some activities there. Jimbo Fisher was
at the bowl game where the Texas Texas Long Orange
play the Peach Bowl, being honored as legend of that
was very interesting. But Longhorns have advanced, Penn State has advanced,

(01:26:05):
Ohio State has advanced, and I don't know if this
is an insurmountable lead for Notre Dame to overcome, but
they now trail three to nothing with twelve fourteen to
go in the second quarter. Obviously, for those that are unaware,
and I don't think any of you are unaware, this
game was scheduled to be played last night, it's now
being played today. They kicked off just after three, so

(01:26:27):
about an hour in. Next week's winner or the winner
of this game this afternoon, is scheduled currently to play
Thursday of next week, the first of the two semi
final games, the Orange Bowl against Penn State with the Longhorns,
Ohio State game which you'll hear right here on Sports
Talk seven to ninety scheduled for Friday six thirty kicks,

(01:26:48):
so our covers will begin at five thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:26:50):
This is a topic, by the way, just since we
mentioned his name, that's come up on the show before.
And forgive me if this is old, but I don't
think it is. I saw a clip of Vince Young
over the weekend talking about the Texans not drafting him.
Did you see that clip?

Speaker 5 (01:27:03):
So he was on Johnny Manziel's podcast.

Speaker 4 (01:27:06):
Yeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 8 (01:27:07):
By the way, one of the main points he made
about why they didn't pick him is he said they
told him. Vince said the Texans told him they weren't
drafting him because they didn't like his agent. And as
Vince was telling that story, he was saying, Oh, I
wish they I would have known that, so I would
have just said, who do you want me to have?

Speaker 5 (01:27:27):
I'll change agents.

Speaker 4 (01:27:28):
And he was playing video games with Mario Williams when
he found out.

Speaker 8 (01:27:32):
Yeah, I've heard a couple of things along those lines before,
and we knew there were some interesting decisions being made
at the time.

Speaker 4 (01:27:38):
Do you believe that? Why and why not? Now I'm
not saying I doubt Vince, but like what Rick Smith's saying,
I don't like Vince's agent, so we're not drafting him.

Speaker 5 (01:27:46):
Seems like it could be remedied. Go talk to Vince
if you.

Speaker 4 (01:27:49):
Want him, and the only reason you're not drafting him
is because of his agent, and then see if he'll
fire his agent.

Speaker 5 (01:27:55):
This is the Charlie era.

Speaker 4 (01:27:57):
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 5 (01:27:58):
So what he's saying us fall in line with what
we've heard.

Speaker 8 (01:28:02):
Maybe not that specific item, but we've heard lots of
One of the biggest reason it was David Carr existing
was a much smaller reason than the team just had
unfortunately too many concerns about what his NFL life in
Houston would be like I could fix David. I think
it was silly for them to think that way. I

(01:28:23):
can understand wanting to get every possible piece of information
and kind of cover every base and think about, well
this could happen or what elements do we not like,
whether it's personal or skill related, that's all what kind
of drafting players is all about. I think they put
too much emphasis on that, and I definitely don't think
there's a c look what happened in Tennessee element to it.

(01:28:44):
After the fact, what happened in Tennessee had nothing to
do with any of those things. I just think, you know,
as simple as it was ten years ago, twenty years ago,
they made a mistake. In my opinion, they made a mistake.

Speaker 4 (01:28:55):
It's that's low hanging fruit, lazy narrative, whatever you want
to call it, doesn't point to the actual at least
partial blame in Tennessee. They didn't want him before he
got there. The owner forced it. This is going back
to the stupid logo today. You don't think Bud Adams
drafted him because he knew that Texans fans, by and large,

(01:29:17):
I was one of them, wanted Vince Young in a
Houston uniform, the kid from Madison who wore the same
colors as the Oilers in high school.

Speaker 5 (01:29:25):
By the way, Marlin's colors, they're pretty darn closes.

Speaker 4 (01:29:27):
And just one national championship up the road from Houston.
You don't think, especially given the fact that we know
because they were on the record as saying Jeff Fisher,
Norm Chow, we don't want this guy. We want Matt
liinert and they draft him anyways, because that's what Bud wanted,
because as per usual, he was more concerned with giving
Houston the Double Rods versus actually winning football games.

Speaker 8 (01:29:51):
Yeah, I mean, clearly, I'm calling it a mistake, and
I don't have you know, memory loss. I know Vince's
career was not what you'd consider super successful for a
player at that spot. I mean, if he's a textan,
he's a number one overall pick, you're probably expecting more
success as a team or success from the player.

Speaker 4 (01:30:08):
But I think he was.

Speaker 8 (01:30:10):
I think as an NFL starting quarterback he is regarded
as a lot less than he actually was.

Speaker 4 (01:30:15):
Not by me because I'm telling you right now, and
you know you were there, we knew each other. At
the time, I was loud and proud about wanting him,
and I to this day I think about this an
inordinate amount. Still here in twenty two, I think about this.
What would have happened to the Texans organization. You can remember,

(01:30:36):
they're what four years old at the time. It's an infancy. Still.

Speaker 8 (01:30:41):
Just look at it this way, from what do you
do as you're rebuilding a franchise that you was just
an expansion team and hasn't really made any progress to
that point two thousand and six. That's why you're still
picking number one or picking number one again. If you
pick the you know, the greatest player ever and you
put him out there defensive end, well that means you
drafted JJ Watt.

Speaker 5 (01:30:59):
Okay, what's that gonna do for your team? Nothing? Unless
you have a quarterback. Really, I mean we watched that
literally play out once. JJ Watt was a Texan and
that was my thinking. You weren't gonna do anything.

Speaker 8 (01:31:08):
I mean, Mario Williams could have been JJ Watt, and
even though nobody ever thought that, I'm just saying, if
you if you make him into that player, okay, great,
what are you gonna win? It can't play it is
it's a bigger risk. Clearly, you're taking a chance on Vince.
I don't view him as this unbelievable, can't miss prospect.
You were taking a chance versus Mario's gonna be fine.

(01:31:31):
He's gonna be a solid player, which is exactly what
he was. He was a solid player, a non Hall
of Fame or a couple time Pro Bowl or a
guy that would be close to the leads and sacks
on a couple of occasions during his career. A player
you decided not to extend correctly and let somebody else
pay for him. But it's not gonna win you games.
That's why JJ Watt's walking off the field with the
Deshaun Watson apologizing. It's why this team didn't advance even

(01:31:53):
further because there were other issues. You can maybe find
it in another You want to get the best player,
and so I'm not saying anti go with the guy
you think is gonna be great in a year. If
there's no obvious quarterback, then it's it seems much better.
And he was not an obvious He wasn't even the
next pick. He wasn't even the pick after that. So
there's a case to be made for all of it.
But yes, I did see him talking about that. He's

(01:32:14):
been in the media in some form or fashion quite
a bit over the last few years, whether it was
with the Longhorns or elsewhere, and this is just always
with what Texas is doing now again, you're going to
continue to see that because they're that much closer to
doing what his Texas team did.

Speaker 4 (01:32:31):
He'll be one s if they indeed make it to
the championship. Game, I have no doubt about it, and
probably competing with airtime for Maddie with Maddie, I should say.
All right, speaking of which, the Pro Bowl rosters have
been introduced, and before we go any further, let's just

(01:32:51):
address the elephant in the room. It's a skills competition now.

Speaker 8 (01:32:55):
Yeah, Pro Bowl games roster, Yeah, there's no game, it's
not and all pro and helmet harmony and dodgeball and
passing the tests and punt perfect in the Great Football
race and tug of war.

Speaker 5 (01:33:08):
That's what it is if you were unaware. Also satisfying catches.

Speaker 4 (01:33:11):
Yes, okay, Baltimore Ravens have nine, the Lions have seven,
and the Chiefs did not send Patrick Mahomes to the game.
That's the lead, right, I'm safe to say. I mean sure, well,
I mean, you know, the Lions. I hate it because

(01:33:32):
I keep saying this. The Lions are inevitably going to
be victims of the injury bug because the team.

Speaker 8 (01:33:39):
Ayden Hutchinson's a Pro Bowl Games level player in twenty
twenty four, he just didn't play in enough games to
get there.

Speaker 4 (01:33:46):
But the Texans have sent their fair share. They have four,
and then they had alternates. Now that's where the rub
comes in. The alternates are Will Anderson Junior and D'aneil Hunter.
As far as the bookend pass rushing element of what
the Texans are sending there, I know that it's just

(01:34:08):
a games situation. Now, it's not the Pro Bowl Game
and all, shouldn't they be a little miffed?

Speaker 5 (01:34:15):
Well, now you just have to say, well, okay, who
should they have made it over?

Speaker 8 (01:34:18):
Max Crosby, Miles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson were the three
defensive ends selected.

Speaker 4 (01:34:23):
Okay, you good with that?

Speaker 8 (01:34:26):
I mean, there's probably an argument for all of them.
No one of them is obviously better than the others.
To me, this year, probably Will Anderson would be widely considered.
This is take it easy, the worst of the five,
the least productive in twenty twenty four of the worst

(01:34:46):
of the best five is what you're saying exactly really
really good. And keep in mind TJ. Watt was not
mentioned because TJ. Watt is a Pro bowler as an
outside linebacker, not as a defensive end. Even though technically
that's stupid because all of the player I just mentioned
they're all edge rushers.

Speaker 4 (01:35:01):
What's your job after the quarterback?

Speaker 3 (01:35:03):
Okay?

Speaker 8 (01:35:03):
They play the same spot, they do the same things.
It's exactly the same. I'm shocked that they That's one
way they kind of got around it. But you could
argue that Daniel Hunter has been the best AFC defensive
end this season, and yet three other players were selected
over him by the vote of a couple of different areas.
Players included, fans included, and then Will Anderson Junior right

(01:35:24):
behind him. They were the next two alternates behind those three.
Crosby's done for the year and has had surgery, so
he will not be participating. Presumably that means your first alternate,
Daniel Hunter will be Because of that, there's always a
chance one of these other guys isn't. But yeah, I've
been following, we clearly following these guys all year. I
would not have selected. If I were someone with a

(01:35:46):
vote Hendrickson over Daniel Hunter, I would have certainly had
him in that top three of Crosby, Garrett and Hunter
at the worst.

Speaker 5 (01:35:53):
But I'm more forgiving of Anderson not making it, and.

Speaker 4 (01:35:57):
Aren't Miles Garrett and Max Crosby examples of what you
were just talking about. Big deal, you have edge rushers.

Speaker 8 (01:36:03):
Look at your team, Well, here are the three defensive
ends that are selected for the Pro Bowl Games? Not
on a playoff team, not on a playoff team, not
on a playoff team. Yeah, I guess that would be
what I'm saying exactly.

Speaker 4 (01:36:17):
It's just not that important, but I'm still upset about it.

Speaker 1 (01:36:23):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety Adam Clinton
and Adam Wexler.

Speaker 7 (01:36:31):
The A Team now continues.

Speaker 8 (01:36:41):
So in the midst of our discussion about the Pro
Bowl Games, you gave a number of Texans that were selected.
We didn't actually tell people who was selected. Probably not
a huge surprise when we told you. Neither of them
are Daniel Hunter or Will Anderson Junior or Cjson Drought
or Kayamie Fairbairn or Tommy Townshend. All those players, along

(01:37:06):
with Jimmy Ward, are alternates. Texans had six alternates. Nico
Collins headed to the Pro Bowl Games if he so desires.
So is Laramie Tonsel. So it was Derek Stingley Junior,
and of course the initial player that we mentioned that
did get the nod.

Speaker 5 (01:37:23):
They had four of them. Joe Mixon.

Speaker 8 (01:37:25):
First time for Stingley to make this as an honor
and the way he's played this year is really there
wasn't much doubt about it. I don't really think you
could argue against it, and was looking over the numbers
for the players that were alternates, specifically the ones we
were just talking about quite a bit leading up to
the show, and again just a few minutes ago. You know,
it's probably Max Crosby that could have easily not been

(01:37:48):
selected over Daniel Hunter, Miles Garrett at number one in
sacks and tackles for loss number three and quarterback hits.
There are other ways to do it, and there's certainly
PFF numbers to look at. They're really really really close together,

(01:38:10):
but you only have so many spots. You mentioned Pat
Mahomes was not selected, and also that there's no reason
for anybody to be up at arms about that. I
hope if you were listening to us the last couple
of shows talk about the MVP race, more'st two AFC
quarterbacks at the top of that list, Lamar Jackson and
Josh Allen, and then the people who think Joe Burrow
deserves to be MVP. I'll allow him to be third. Okay,

(01:38:34):
you got three quarterback spots. We're done. Pat Mahomes has
not been among the three best quarterbacks in the AFC
this year. I think it's okay to say stick any
of those three quarterbacks on Kansas City's team, and I
think they'd fare quite well.

Speaker 5 (01:38:48):
Probably in the neighborhood of fifteen wins. Maybe it's fourteen,
maybe it's sixteen, considering one of those losses came to
Josh Allen's offense and team.

Speaker 8 (01:38:57):
But I think it's totally reasonable. Obviously, in that particular instance,
it's correct that Pat Mahomes and his fifteen to one record,
which will remain fifteen and one if you like attaching
records to quarterbacksause he's not gonna play this weekend. Kansas
City has nothing on the line. Three of the four
seeds among the division winners have been determined in the AFC.

(01:39:18):
The only one left is the NFC North winner, and
that's either Pittsburgh or the Baltimore Ravens. Hopefully, for the Texans,
it gets decided that Baltimore wins the division, so they
don't have to play them, But if that takes place,
then the Texans won't know their opponent until after the
games are played on Sunday. There's only three teams left
that could be the seventh seed and play Buffalo. Cincinnati

(01:39:41):
is one of them, so potentially Trey Hendrickson could be
playing for a playoff team, but they need to win
and help because they don't have any tie breakers, so
they could win. But if the Dolphins win, then they
are already eliminated. And if the Broncos also win, well,
then the Broncos are going. Broncos obviously would be past
both of those two teams with a victory. They're playing
the Chiefs, who are playing Carson Wentz among others. There's

(01:40:04):
only two teams that could be the sixth seed. The
Chargers could be the sixth seed, or the Steelers could
be the sixth seed, and there's still three teams that
could be the Texans opponent, those two teams I just mentioned,
or Baltimore. If Baltimore somehow loses their game to Cleveland
on Saturday and Pittsburgh wins their game against Cincinnati, well,

(01:40:24):
when Pittsburgh wins the division and Baltimore is the five seed,
if the reverse happens, then we have to wait until
the afternoon window to see if the Chargers win, and
if they do, they pass the Steelers, and the Chargers
would be coming to Houston for the Wildcard game.

Speaker 4 (01:40:40):
Tall, there's no idea whatsoever. Who do you even think
about at this point?

Speaker 5 (01:40:44):
Well, there's three teams. You just played one of them.

Speaker 8 (01:40:47):
If you still need to scout them, then you did it,
as Daniel Hunter said, an awful job of game planning
for their offense.

Speaker 5 (01:40:54):
And then it's either the Steelers or Chargers if it's
not one of them. Yeah, I uh, and this is
necessarily related, yet it is. I know that we're kind
of down on the dumps right now about what the
Texans have done down the stretch, and there's still questions
that remain because until that offensive line is fixed, I
don't even know if you know what you truly have

(01:41:15):
in CJ.

Speaker 4 (01:41:16):
Stroud. I know we all think we know what we have.
I don't think there's any doubt he's a franchise quarterback.
I mean maybe people have that doubt, but I'm not
one of them. But what's holding him back from taking
that next step? And how much of that was the
offensive line versus a sophomore slump progression? All that kind
of stuff. You may make you feel better, good luck,

(01:41:37):
you could be the Colts. I don't know if you
saw this article. This one's from the New York Post.

Speaker 8 (01:41:44):
But this has been a long time noted purveyors of
all things Indianapolis Colts.

Speaker 4 (01:41:51):
You know what I noticed about wex. If it's not
somebody he's okay with from a national perspective, then it
doesn't really matter what they say set me.

Speaker 5 (01:41:58):
They aggregated it. Maybe I should back off a little bit.

Speaker 4 (01:42:01):
It's not it's it's Will Zimmermann, whoever that is. It's
the quotes are what they are, so anybody could have
I could have written this article based on the material there.
Anthony Richardson's saga has raised doubts in the Colt's locker room.
The quote is no vision and you've you're aware of
Pat McAfee, longtime cult obviously, and his rant that he

(01:42:22):
went on about the culture there.

Speaker 5 (01:42:24):
Yeah, you can be late if you want. Shane doesn't care,
Gus doesn't care.

Speaker 4 (01:42:27):
Do whatever. Well, how about the fact that the original
intention was to keep him benched Anthony Richardson. But then
Joe Flacco sucks so much? Who would have saw that coming?
They had to go back to him, which then sent
the wrong message to the rest of the locker room,
because you're not really holding him accountable, and you know
the part about him begging out of a play because

(01:42:49):
he was tired, which happened here in Houston, by the way,
that is absolutely highlighted in this article. And then Jake
Glazer's report that you know he they intended to keep
him on the bench for the rest of this season.
All of that is like, if you're the Colts, aren't
you kind of like well, I was gonna say, like Dallas,

(01:43:10):
but I think they still think they have their franchise quarterback,
at least they paid him as such. You're in a
bad spot, and you're talking about two teams that could
be in the spot because when Trevor Lawrence comes back
for the Jags next year, I don't expect anything out
of him, and I expect even less out of Anthony
Richardson going into twenty twenty five than you got from

(01:43:30):
him this year. I'll say it again, this is Tom.

Speaker 8 (01:43:35):
Brady Bill Belichick Patriots. The AFC East was bleeping embarrassing
while he was running division titles over and over and over.
If the Texans can get out of their own way,
which is why they are four and six in their
last ten games, because they haven't been able to with
their talent on the offensive line, then they will run

(01:43:58):
this division for a day. They might not have ten
division titles, but they've already got the first two in
the only two years Demiko Ryans and CJ. Stroud and
Will Anderson Junior and others have been here. They will
be massive favorites to win the division again next year
because everybody who thought, well, the Colts were close, look
how close they were last year, they will have watched

(01:44:20):
what happened this year and say, no, they're probably not
close unless they love their new GM, whoever that is.
Because I think it's finally the end of the line
for Chris Batler. He's been their GM for the last
eight seasons. They have not done really anything, not even
been atop the division, while everybody else has at least

(01:44:43):
once Texans obviously the last two. His decision to draft
all the players they've drafted, including Anthony Richardson, everything about it.
He also is the guy who hired Shane Steichen, who
because of what's taken place this year and you have
an offensive coach, there are people wondering, well, is this
who's going to get Anthony Richardson where we need him

(01:45:03):
or is it even possible? And then the stuff that
was basically acknowledged. I mean, Pat McAfee says what he
says about, you know, the lack of accountability, and when
asked about it, Shane Steigen says, yeah, people aren't going
to be on time all the time. Isn't the NFL
and all, there aren't the NFL coaches known for that
doesn't fly here just going showing up when you feel

(01:45:25):
like it or being a few minutes later.

Speaker 5 (01:45:26):
It's fine.

Speaker 8 (01:45:27):
We barely even start. I've only run through five plays.
Just have a seat, It's cool, no problem. It's I
think it's widely frowned upon if you can't or run
the team in a way that people know this matters.

Speaker 5 (01:45:39):
This is my job, this is considered important.

Speaker 8 (01:45:42):
I should care. I shouldn't be well, I got to
do this, or else i'body to be punished. It should
be I want to do this, I need to do
We're here to do something as a team. And the
accountability inside the locker room, that's what this article is
a little bit based on. Because there's no there's no
direction for the franchise. They're going back to a guy
that nobody in the locker room currently backs. They don't

(01:46:02):
want him out there, they want the other guy out there.
But the other guy is so bad it basically ruined
their season.

Speaker 4 (01:46:09):
But if they're already like that in year two of
Anthony Richardson, then what's Anthony Richardson?

Speaker 5 (01:46:14):
Yeah, this is awesome for the Texans. This is phenomenal.

Speaker 8 (01:46:17):
And you know, the situation in Jacksonville is, in my opinion,
exactly the same. They don't have a quarterback they can win.

Speaker 4 (01:46:24):
With, but they've paid a wholly different reason.

Speaker 8 (01:46:28):
You might not agree with me, but I don't know
how much more evidence you need. How many more years
of Trevor Lawrence being the starter when the year begins,
playing the majority of the games and your team ending
up at the top of the draft do you want
to see? I guess Jacksonville wants more.

Speaker 5 (01:46:43):
They paid him.

Speaker 4 (01:46:44):
You're right. That's why it's so funny when Jacksonville fan
was trying to compare the end of this year's CJ.
Stroud campaign to the end of last year's Trevor Lawrence
as if they're even remotely the same guy.

Speaker 8 (01:46:53):
Disaster CJ. Stroud season behind a disastrous offensive line, and
they're going for their tenth win this week, including a
sweep of Jacksonville.

Speaker 4 (01:47:02):
It's gotta suck to be a Jacksonville Jaguar fan. But again,
much like the cult situation, and frankly, the Titans, who
you'll play this week not our problem here in Houston,
although I'm kind of rooting for the Titans to sweep
the Texans just so they get a worst draft pick.
How pathetic is that?

Speaker 7 (01:47:20):
The a t On Sports Talk seven ninety, This is
joeyce Botta.

Speaker 11 (01:47:26):
Listen to the Astros on your radio and on the
free iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 5 (01:47:31):
Sports Talk seven ninety it's your home fil Astros Baseball
Square Now a new signature seven called.

Speaker 1 (01:47:43):
What's up with That?

Speaker 7 (01:47:45):
What's up with that? What's Up?

Speaker 1 (01:47:49):
I say what's up.

Speaker 10 (01:47:54):
With that?

Speaker 8 (01:47:55):
Sig segment time on a Thursday. That means I sing,
what's up with that? We got out there for you today.
There's quite a few things we could discuss, actually hit
on a few of them already. Cam Whitmore's postgame commentary
after last night's Rocket's victory certainly would have been a
nice fit here. What two and a half hours of radio,
we usually get to topics like that already, and we

(01:48:16):
did the NBA also today first fan returns for All
Star voting.

Speaker 5 (01:48:23):
Fan vote, player vote, coaches vote.

Speaker 8 (01:48:26):
All have a weighted formula towards two actually makes the
All Star team as a starter as voted in, and
then they fill out the other spots Beyond that. One
rocket lands in the top ten for either the front
court or the back court. That's Alpern Shingun three hundred
and fourteen thousand votes. He's sixth among front court players.

(01:48:49):
But if you look at the list, there are probably
a handful of things that stood out immediately to just
about everybody here during the twenty twenty four to twenty twenty.

Speaker 4 (01:48:58):
Five NBA season.

Speaker 8 (01:49:00):
So if it still comes as a surprise to everybody,
Debt by a pretty wide margin, that probably only gets
wider the more returns we get over the next month.
Janna Sonodakumpo is the leading vote getter, like I said,
by a wide wide margin, and right behind him is
not Steph Curry, not Lebron James, not even close. In

(01:49:24):
either case, both are close to the top. Both finished
third in the West, which would mean Lebron holds a
starting spot from the fans by a little bit over
his teammate who's fourth, Steph Curry third among guards, still
kind of standard with our All Star Game selection. So
two guards, three players in the front court. That means

(01:49:45):
he would not currently be a starting player. Based on
the fan vote. Luca is second and not that far
ahead of him, so that's probably still a race. Nobody
else is really in it among guards, and Shay's well
ahead of both as he should be among the leading
vote getter for Western Conference guards. But Nikola Jokicic, Kevin Durant, Jiannisnookumpo,

(01:50:07):
Jason Tatum all more votes than Lebron James. I think,
to me, one thing that says is please promote the
other players. We saw what they did on Christmas Day
five games. The fourth game in primetime, the first of

(01:50:29):
the five games that was not opposed by an NFL game.
It was Warriors and Lakers. It was Steph Curry and
Lebron James. The game was very exciting. It went down
to the wire.

Speaker 5 (01:50:40):
I mean Austin Reeves won the game with the light layup.

Speaker 4 (01:50:43):
It was great.

Speaker 8 (01:50:43):
It really was a good game to have on in primetime.
You had two very popular teams. But I don't know,
the vote tells you everything. But this is the voice
of the fans to a certain extent, they're ready to
move on.

Speaker 3 (01:50:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:50:56):
Well, I mean, in the case of Lebron, you're talking
about two thousand and three and it's been a minute
that he's been in the league NonStop, at the forefront
face of the league. Very very I mean, just if
you don't like Lebron for any reason, it's been miserable
for the better part of two decades.

Speaker 8 (01:51:17):
I mean, if there wasn't the debates, and I don't
mean that we should eliminate the careers of some of
the players you debate him about, but I mean, twenty
years of being freaking awesome at playing basketball's that's pretty good.

Speaker 5 (01:51:32):
Yeah, probably gonna be unmatched, but.

Speaker 4 (01:51:34):
It's going to be, you know, for some people, stale
when it comes to conversations like this. I mean, to me,
when I see that Lebron James is behind Nikola Jokic,
I'm a little surprised. And it's not because of the talent.
Nikola Jokic is awesome. He had like a triple double

(01:51:56):
by halftime last night. I mean, he's just insane, and
he's had the Nuggets right there at the forefront of
the Western Conference for the better part of three or
four seasons now. But he's not necessarily what I would
call marketable in any way, shape or form, but.

Speaker 5 (01:52:12):
He keeps winning the MVP, So at this point in
his career, the NBA fans are fully aware of it.

Speaker 4 (01:52:17):
Yeah, the smart ones are voting for one of the
best players like they should. It's it's as much as
we call it a popularity contest, there are still people
that are like, yeah, this guy should be an All
Star because he's one of the best players.

Speaker 8 (01:52:28):
Same top four as last year's final votes. The current
top four are the same four players as they finished
in the fan vote last year. Davis was fourth as
he is currently, Durant was third, Jokic was second, and
Lebron was first. Though the separation between one, two and
three was very small, and now they.

Speaker 5 (01:52:50):
Basically flipped it. The Mikola first first returns.

Speaker 8 (01:52:53):
They ended up with over five million votes last year,
did Lebron, and we're sitting at about one million votes
this year, so they're maybe twenty twenty two percent of
the vote in maybe something like that from the fans.

Speaker 4 (01:53:05):
And look the fact that Shay Gildes Alexander is leading
as far as the guards or the backcourt. That's fantastic
because he should be because he's awesome.

Speaker 8 (01:53:15):
And last year he finished second to Luca. Steph also
like he is this year running third and those have flipped.

Speaker 5 (01:53:22):
Excuse me.

Speaker 8 (01:53:23):
Last year, Steph Curry finished ahead of Shay and the
fan vote, but very small amount.

Speaker 4 (01:53:27):
Okay, I mean I get it, greatest jumpsher of all
time and probably for if they were going to do
a game television purposes, that'd be best.

Speaker 8 (01:53:40):
But it's any fun to watch, like this is an
All Star game, like he's been fun to watch as
a warrior to a non biased observer.

Speaker 4 (01:53:48):
Yeah, who, I'm not one of those.

Speaker 5 (01:53:50):
Somebody who doesn't have any aversion to the mouthpieces, et cetera.

Speaker 4 (01:53:54):
But just if it's in their mouth, I don't just.

Speaker 8 (01:53:56):
The basketball and the setting for an All Star game
and everything, like, yes, this is it's a popularity contest
for the fans. There's a fan vote, there's player vote,
there's a media vote, and the weighted averages of those
puts these starters in. Like Curry had more fan votes
than SGA last year, but he was not elected as
starter because he finished behind both Luca and Shay and

(01:54:18):
the player vote also finished behind both of them and
Anthony Edwards in the media vote. Yes will almost assuredly
happen again.

Speaker 4 (01:54:25):
You know, it's interesting though, and this goes for Steph
because I don't think he particularly has a He doesn't
have a bad personality, but I don't think he has
a marketable personality. It's his game is what fuels his popularity,
like one hundred percent. It's not like, you know, Lebron's
been in movies and that kind of thing, Like, there's
there's another element to that. I don't look at that.

(01:54:46):
And then forget Curry everybody else on this list. What's
what's the personality? What's the image that stands out to you? Like,
this guy's so marketable for xyz amount of reasons? Is
there any what do you refer like?

Speaker 10 (01:55:04):
What?

Speaker 4 (01:55:04):
Well, like, I don't know what you mean, Nicole Jokich,
even Kevin Durant's kind of soft spoken, Anthony Davis, Victor
one Bin Yama.

Speaker 5 (01:55:12):
Well, he's tall great. That was the other thing that
I did think stood out.

Speaker 4 (01:55:16):
There's just film personalities.

Speaker 5 (01:55:18):
Well not that I mean, he's fifth.

Speaker 8 (01:55:21):
I'm I'm personally shocked who that Victor is behind Davis,
James Durant and Jokich.

Speaker 5 (01:55:27):
In the fan vote.

Speaker 4 (01:55:27):
Well, France has better things to do.

Speaker 8 (01:55:29):
I'm I'm honestly, I'm very surprised that because used to
start every.

Speaker 4 (01:55:34):
Year because China would vote for him. I mean, for
lack of a better way of putting it.

Speaker 5 (01:55:38):
I also think his basketball was good.

Speaker 8 (01:55:40):
But honestly, Victor's basketball in year two is better than
Yalla's basketball.

Speaker 5 (01:55:44):
Wasn't his year too?

Speaker 4 (01:55:45):
Didn't Yao start like his second year because of the
pope of the vote? Yes, yeah, yeah, I guess from
that standpoint, I don't know what the I don't know
what the answer would be to that. I mean, France
is in his biggest China.

Speaker 8 (01:55:59):
But as an aside, last year, Alpera Schaoon finished with
one point eight million votes. He finished seventh in the
front court. That's a million votes more than Victor got
last year, who finished behind him.

Speaker 4 (01:56:11):
He's not very likable.

Speaker 5 (01:56:14):
He's plenty likable. He smiles and dunks and throws up threes.
They don't always go in.

Speaker 4 (01:56:18):
They rarely go in.

Speaker 7 (01:56:21):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:56:26):
The eighteen Adam Cleansing Adam went Fer, the afternoon team
covering your team to left center fail.

Speaker 7 (01:56:34):
This is Sports Talk seven ninety Pome of Astros Baseball.

Speaker 8 (01:56:44):
We have a touchdown final minute about time of the
playoff quarter final the Sugar Bowl. It's a three to
three game Georgia and Notre Dame. Notre Dame kicked a
late field goal to take a six to three lead,
kicked off and then Georgia fumbled on the first snap
on offense, and Notre Dame followed up with a touchdown

(01:57:06):
on the very next snap.

Speaker 5 (01:57:08):
They take a thirteen to three lead over Georgia into halftime.
If this score holds up, not this score, but you
know the lead. You know, Notre Dame holds on to win,
that eliminates not the only team they could beat Texas
in the tournament. That's not what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:57:27):
And I realized that Ohio State may very well end
up being their toughest opponent if they go ahead and
complete this run. But this is what I always kind
of figured would be a possibility, especially with the injury
to Beck, Like I didn't think that. That just seems
like that's their buggaboo. It's only two losses they've had
this year, or to that team I didn't think they

(01:57:48):
were going to be in the way of Texas accomplishing
its goal. It's Texas or fill in the blank in
this case, Ohio State that's going to stop that from happening.
Because I just did I I didn't particularly think that
Georgia would get as far as it needed to in
order for there to be some sort of rematch.

Speaker 8 (01:58:04):
That have to be in the title game. Right still
on the table, game isn't over yet. If I were
taking the any teams in the country and none of
the teams outside the playoff would have made my list.
But I was taking the top twelve teams that made
the twelve team field, you would if Notre Dame hangs
on to win, I think there would be probably two

(01:58:24):
teams left Texas in Ohio State.

Speaker 5 (01:58:26):
I would have before this tournament began.

Speaker 8 (01:58:28):
I think it was reasonable to consider Texas in Ohio
State among the best five teams in the country. I
would have also included Oregon, would have also included Georgia.
And then that's kind of where I'm not sure who
the next best team was. Wasn't Arizona State, wasn't SMU
was in Indiana, you know, not Boise State, I don't really.

(01:58:53):
I can't believe Penn State's the fifth best country, the
fifth best team in the country when the playoffs began.
But again, nor for the not to be the case,
and somebody else needs to be there'd say I feel
the same way about you know, Notre Dame.

Speaker 5 (01:59:04):
It just doesn't doesn't feel like that.

Speaker 4 (01:59:08):
But here's where we are.

Speaker 8 (01:59:10):
We're thirty minutes away from the only four teams in
the country with a chance to win the national title. Texas,
Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame. Would not have expected that.
This is what happens when you have a playoff, And
I'm saying that with zero emotion or sarcasm attached. That
is a literal statement rule of thumb for an you

(01:59:31):
have a postseason, Yeah, these are the results you can.

Speaker 4 (01:59:35):
Get, like the Rangers winning the World Series.

Speaker 8 (01:59:38):
Well like what we're thirty minutes away from seeing. Hey,
we think these two conference champions and then this third
conference champion and then this non Power four team. These
are the four teams based on our rules, they have
to get the week off, they have to get the
off week the buye they will await their opponent after

(02:00:00):
we see what happens in the opening round games. We're
thirty minutes away from all four of those teams losing.
The previously undefeated Oregon team, the Big twelve champion Arizona
State team, the non Power four Boise State team, and
the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs all not winning any of

(02:00:21):
their four playoff games.

Speaker 4 (02:00:22):
I know there's been some non competitive games, maybe in
an ordinate amount, but do you think this is probably
where it sticks and is the most makes the most sense,
and for all intents and purposes and all the other
versions of determining a champion that we've had in college football,
the best version.

Speaker 8 (02:00:43):
Yes and no, Yes, putting twelve teams in a tournament
is the best way of finding out. With twelve teams,
inevitably you got to give a couple of them, four
of them off weeks. I get that part. The timing
of it isn't really awesome. I mean, this is the
same season for Oregon they play game yesterday. It's the
same twenty twenty four season for them. They hadn't played

(02:01:04):
a game since December seventh. That was the last time
their football team played a football game yesterday.

Speaker 5 (02:01:10):
Was January first.

Speaker 8 (02:01:11):
Yeah, that's a lot that's not the best way to
get the best product from a team. Again, some of
it's avoidable, but in two weeks would have put them
at December twenty first, which to me makes a huge difference.
They had to have an additional week because the other
eight teams are playing in their four games. I get that,
but this is a long layoff for these teams that

(02:01:32):
were just sitting there waiting. So I think that's you're
not necessarily getting the best football. But I'm definitely not
gonna sit here and be antagonistic towards the format or
the twelve teams. By using we haven't had competitive football,
I'd have to be completely ignorant to what we've seen
in many previous years, last year's four team playoff three
games and other years. That's not the determining factor.

Speaker 5 (02:01:55):
And I definitely don't want to talk about the Bowls
themselves because those are completely a relevant to any discussion
because of who plays, who doesn't play, who cares, who
doesn't care, who's lost, a coach, who's gained, all that stuff.
It totally throws the results of the bowl games. From
how much value do you put it?

Speaker 8 (02:02:10):
I put zero value in it matters on your record,
It matters that Klin de Boor suffered a fourth loss
in his opening season. It matters that Michigan closed out
their season with a win over Ohio State and then
a win over Alabama. It certainly sounds awesome, and your
record is indicative of that, but this is a if
we're really trying to you know, if you want to
say the best team is whoever made it through the

(02:02:33):
regular season, well then we wouldn't have had a playoff
in Oregon would hoist the trophy and they'd win it.
They went undefeated. Did they ever look like they were
an overwhelming best We brought this up earlier. They were
just like everybody else this year. Just because they won undefeated,
I would not have put them on a higher pedestal.
There are some years where that undefeated team or undefeated
teams are clearly better than everybody else. It didn't happen

(02:02:54):
this year. Much more wide open. I think that's actually
what this weekend showed. I mean, Arizona State I don't
think was being respected very much. I don't think the
big twelves is being respected very much. They obviously had
a chance, they were leading in overtime, they had a
chance to advance. They played a really good football game.
They played a really good football team that beat them.

(02:03:14):
Turned out that was the only game this weekend that
was super competitive. I think the Penn State.

Speaker 5 (02:03:19):
Boise State scores a little bit further apart than the
actual game was. But Boise State unable to mount much
of a threat offensively enough of the game to have
it there. And I mean, yes, I was shocked every
five minutes when Ohio State's lead kept growing thirty four
to nothing over the number one team in the country
right before halftime.

Speaker 4 (02:03:37):
Yeah, it was not It was not exactly competitive.

Speaker 8 (02:03:42):
And it again, that particular matchup was something we've seen
and that was a one point game. So thinking Ohio
State couldn't go and beat them on a neutral field
the Rose Bowl, I hope everybody could see that that
was a possibility the Ohio State win clearly because of
how they lost and because of how Will Howard finished
that game sliding to stop the clock but late, so

(02:04:03):
there was no winning field goal attempt. This was a
clear redemption game for him. Well, last year he played
the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl as the quarterback of
Kansas State, so this is also a redemption game for
him for different parts of.

Speaker 4 (02:04:19):
His football, and they wouldn't eve let him up on
the podium.

Speaker 8 (02:04:22):
Yeah, he was told, No, he's very treated like Kevin Hart.
At an Eagles Super Bowl celebration, there's a pool. He
tried to get up there. He had a few too
many drinks when he tried to do it. Will Howard
was just trying to say, dude, hey, don't you know
how I am. That's not gonna work with me here, sir.

Speaker 5 (02:04:40):
I'm wearing an Ohio State football jersey and I've got
EyeBlack on and you probably just watched me for the
last three and a half hours. I played quarterback for
the of the buck guye.

Speaker 4 (02:04:48):
The old guy earing the headset from a helicopter from
nineteen eighty five, didn't apparently get the memo and wouldn't
let him up there.

Speaker 8 (02:04:54):
I mean, if I only saw this camera shot or
this video I think once on social media, did he
not look like a much thinner Fred Goldman.

Speaker 5 (02:05:06):
Yeah, I can see that, I mean much happier. He
didn't look very happy then, No, no he didn't. That's
actually a good point, all right. Football at five is
coming up next, because it's five o'clock when we return.

Speaker 7 (02:05:21):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (02:05:27):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your Team series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A.

Speaker 8 (02:05:47):
Five o'clock Here on Thursday edition of the A Team X,
A C and D in Here with You Another Day
with Us tomorrow, and then we'll truly kick off the
twenty twenty five year with full slate of shows for
the weekend. The remaining fifty weeks of twenty twenty five,
Several of those weeks will include Texans chatter. At least
one week will include Texans postseason chatter. Still awaiting their opposition,

(02:06:11):
they are still locked in as the four seed. The
outcome of their game on Sunday against the Titans at
noon is not relevant to that. It is very relevant
to draft order, and that means the rest of their
division Colts, the Titans, and the Jaguars. Jaguars victorious over
the Titans and their most recent matchup together, so that

(02:06:33):
left Tennessee as one of four three win teams heading
into the final weekend of the season. Strength of schedule
helps to determine the order of those teams. They have
the second toughest strength of schedule among those four teams,
which means they have the second pick currently and with

(02:06:53):
a loss, would stay there or potentially slide up if
New England somehow wins their game, which just not out
of the question considering it doesn't mean anything to the Bills.
Patriots will be probably playing to win, and the Bills
will be playing Tuesday healthy and thus their players of
note won't be out there. Jacksonville's at four and twelve

(02:07:15):
and the non playoff bound Indianapolis Colts are seven and nine.
Found out about the Pro Bowl Games selections. So a
couple things from what you might not have had a
chance to catch from Demiko Ryans and c J.

Speaker 4 (02:07:29):
Stroud.

Speaker 5 (02:07:30):
Both of them spoke yesterday. It's a regular week for
the Texans.

Speaker 8 (02:07:34):
Wednesday practice, Thursday practice, Friday practice, and a game with
travel on Saturday, a game on Sunday. They also worked
in a Monday practice because they clearly had not done
anything since they scored two points against Baltimore on Wednesday,
So one of the things that they will now have
at their disposal. And he is expected to play, and

(02:07:54):
he also spoke with the media. The return of Aziz
Al Shaier off of his three game suspension. He wrote
a very long note on Instagram and, like I said,
spoke with the media earlier this week, kind of saying,
we'll talk about it here, will mar move on from this.
He expressed some remorse for how he handled everything both
in the incident and post incident, but also took the

(02:08:16):
time again to note, as the team did, didn't feel
like he was treated very correctly or fairly by the
league with what they wrote in their release personally about him,
so he wanted to make that clear again, said he's
had a chance to talk with the league and those
people involved in that also, and you know, it feels
like everything is in a much much better place him

(02:08:36):
too than he was when it first came out, and
he knew that he was gonna miss time and how
everything was characterized. Demico Ryans talked about how Aziz handled everything.

Speaker 12 (02:08:46):
He's counted himself, you know, really well throughout this entire suspension,
and it's just him just a matter of from my
perspective of making sure, you know, he talks to the
powers that be in the NFL so they can really
truly understand who he is, you know, as a man.

Speaker 8 (02:09:03):
That's basically what AZ's had indicated himself that you know
the fact that they wrote what they wrote and essentially
attacked him the way they did over someone who'd been
suspended zero times before. And it's the play that has
long been a dangerous one in the NFL, not associated
even essentially with the particular player, but the fact that

(02:09:24):
he plays defense and the other guy's a quarterback. It
happens to any could happen to any of the eleven
players defensively, but it seemed much more personal, and I
think they made their point. Clayer, it doesn't really matter
unless there's some sort of leniency in the future if
something happens. He got a three game suspension, he appealed it,
he lost, he served all three games. He's eligible come back,

(02:09:46):
and like with other starters, Dimiko Ryans has value. Believes
there's value in playing better football than what they showed,
probably in their last two games, but certainly against their foes,
the Ravens, who embarrassed them thirty one to two Pro
Bowl nods. Samiko Ryan's talking about the nod given to
Derek Stingley Junior.

Speaker 12 (02:10:04):
Stingley has played good ball for US. He's made a
lot of plays taking the ball away. I think people
have recognized what he's able to do, you know, around
the league. I think he has the respect of his
peers coaches around the league. They see the growth, they
see you know how he's stepped up and took on
some tough challenges throughout the year. So you know, he

(02:10:24):
deserves whatever credit he's getting. I think it matters most
when it's coming from your peers and coaches around the league.
People who are constantly watching film, diving in and they know,
you know how, they truly know how guys are playing
and you know how they are helping their teams. And
I think Stingley has has earned that respect around the league.

Speaker 5 (02:10:46):
Voted into the Pro Bowl games. Thus are that respect
around the league? He do find it.

Speaker 8 (02:10:51):
I mean, I guess since this week eighteen, the seventeenth
game is so clearly not important to a ton of
the league, I guess it's okay that we find out
who the people voted for for the twenty twenty four
Pro Bowl before the season's over, like there isn't more
football to play, Like Josh Allen's not gonna play. But

(02:11:14):
Josh Allen's most significant competition for the MVP is because
Lamar Jackson's team needs to win and Lamar Jackson's gonna
go out it means something to them.

Speaker 4 (02:11:25):
But that's okay, kind of a minor detail.

Speaker 8 (02:11:27):
It's a bigger detail, say, if they handed out the
MVP award before the season were over, for they voted
on something before the season was clearly over.

Speaker 5 (02:11:35):
Something that I heard.

Speaker 8 (02:11:36):
There from Demiko reminded me you probably should also hear
from c. J. Stroud on that very same subject. Derek
Stingley a junior.

Speaker 6 (02:11:44):
Probably the best athlete I've been around in my life,
you know, just moscue, speed, strength, size, you know, and
just somebody who you know is I've seen just grow,
you know, as a player. But you know, I'm just
very happy for him, you know, especially just having this
top a year before. I think he can renegotiate. So no,

(02:12:05):
I mean, I know he's about about to get a
bag and I'm happy for him. He deserves it. So yeah,
but that's not his motivations, which is dope. His is
being elite at football and I think he's gonna be
great in his lead for a long time.

Speaker 8 (02:12:19):
You probably heard what I wanted you to hear there
right before the end, he's probably gonna get a bag. Well,
it's gonna come from this team, and it could come
as early as this offseason.

Speaker 4 (02:12:31):
Stingley gets extended this offseason, what.

Speaker 8 (02:12:36):
Are you waiting for, Like, if you're not extending him now,
you're paying more for him later. He's not going to
get worse if you're concerned about Well, I have him
under contract for year four, I have the rookie option
to pick up for year five. I have franchise tags
for year six and year seven.

Speaker 5 (02:12:56):
Sure, I guess that's my next question. Should play it
that way?

Speaker 4 (02:12:59):
Yeah, no, I understand where you're coming from with that approach,
But okay, here's my question. Who are you using your
franchise tag on.

Speaker 8 (02:13:07):
Well, franchise tags are frowned upon by the player this
team based on extension after extension after extension after extension,
they've handed to far less talented players. Nick Cassario has
been to me super nice, overly nice, too nice, with
how the extension has been handed out to lesser talents. Well,

(02:13:30):
if you're gonna do that, you sure has hacked better
step to the plate for your bigger, better talents. So
twenty twenty two draft picks can sign extensions basically as
soon as this season ends. January sixth, I believe is
the date. Joel Corey noted. Salary cap expert noted that
earlier today. He's a twenty twenty two draft pick, had

(02:13:50):
a season of injury and miserable defense coordinating by Lovey
Smith and his rookie year. Then he got a good
defensive coach and they ran a good defense, and he
was awesome last year.

Speaker 4 (02:14:01):
And he's even better this year, even better this.

Speaker 8 (02:14:03):
Year, and he's been on the field even more than
ever before. You could argue he's the best cornerback in
the NFL. I think there'd be a good debate about it,
but a few people would suggest him and some would
back him strongly, and the Texans probably would. You're going
to be in the same situation a year from now
with c J. Stroud, he will have played his three seasons,
he'd be eligible to sign an extension. You already know

(02:14:25):
the answer on that. And then you have to also
consider Will Anderson also in the same situation. It's he
didn't wait for Nico Collins to play his fourth season.
Smart signed a three year deal that I think is well.
Nico signed it, so I'm sure he was happy enough
with it, and I think it was very smart for
the team to do it.

Speaker 4 (02:14:46):
You know what, the money. That's what's interesting about the
whole Nick Cassario, will hear won't he be here long
term thing? Because that coincide that decision coincides with huge
decisions financially for some of your best players right in
the middle of all that.

Speaker 8 (02:15:03):
And you have some very expensive players currently because of
the way you've built your offensive line, specifically through your
top seven highest paid players are offensive lineman.

Speaker 4 (02:15:11):
It could be one of the reasons he's not around
long term.

Speaker 8 (02:15:13):
Who Nick, Yeah, but it shouldn't be the reason your
best players aren't around. You got to figure out a
way to manipulate your way through that. You know, Laramie Tunsel,
Shack Mason, and Titus Howard cannot be commanding that much
of your cap structure and playing this poorly as a unit,
and it's kind of individualized, and I lumped them all together.

(02:15:34):
To lump Laramie in with them is probably not accurate.
And when I posted the Texans Pro Bowl nods, obviously
tunsl was one of the four. It was met with
your typical did he really deserve it or should he
be there is this kind of a legacy call because
he's made it so many times? Maybe, maybe not, it's

(02:15:55):
probably worth noting. The thirty third team put this out today,
most games with zero pressures allowed by an offensive tackle
through sixteen games. There's two with seven such games zero
pressures allowed, Garrett Bowles and Lane Johnson, widely regarded as
two of the five best tackles in the NFL. And
then Laramie Tunsel is the next group of six players

(02:16:16):
who've done that six times, six times in sixteen games
on an offensive line that is giving up an insane
amount of pressures. He's had six games where he's been
perfect basically zero pressure is allowed. That sounds like a
Pro Bowl caliber type of performer.

Speaker 7 (02:16:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (02:16:36):
I this also hasn't had any penalties in five weeks,
and after the first five weeks of the season, he
believe he's had four penalties in the last eleven games.

Speaker 4 (02:16:50):
Yeah, I'm I'm gonna be fascinated to see how how
this all plays out as far as who's making these decisions, Like,
I don't you almost at the beginning of the segment
versus right now, you've almost talked me into Yeah, I
think I want the Stingley deal to get done just
so you can start focusing on these other bigger ones later.

Speaker 3 (02:17:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (02:17:08):
I can't quite blanket statement, but I want every deal
done as soon as possible. I agree players at that level.
The Cowboys aren't going to be paying Micah Parsons less
by waiting. They're not going to be paying Dak Prescott
less by waiting. They're not paying Ceedee Lamb less by waiting.
They paid all of them more. And we'll soon find
out what that number is on Micah Parsons when that

(02:17:28):
deal gets done.

Speaker 7 (02:17:31):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (02:17:36):
We now return to Adam Clinton and Adam wexlerth on Sports.

Speaker 7 (02:17:40):
Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (02:17:46):
Quick update before we get back to the newcomer to
the Texans offensive weaponry. I remember a couple segments ago
when I told you there was forty five seconds left
in the first half of a three to three game. Well,
fifteen seconds into the second half, it's a twenty to
three game. Notre Dame took that thirteen to three lead

(02:18:07):
with ten points in the final forty five seconds, following
a turnover and then the opening kickoff of the second half.
They took back for a touchdown. So despite being out
gained and heading to yet another punt, Notre Dame has
a seventeen point lead on the strength of a plus
two in the turnover margin and a touchdown on the

(02:18:29):
opening kickoff of the second half. Backup quarterback Gunner Stockton
from a passing standpoint, he's been alright.

Speaker 5 (02:18:36):
Like I said, they've outgained Notre Dame.

Speaker 8 (02:18:38):
The Georgia defense has been very good, but a couple
of fumbles and that special teams play has this swung
heavily in Notre Dame's direction. About twelve minutes ago in
quarter number three. The Sugar Bowl played today, and we'll
have our fourth and final member of the Final four,
joining Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State. Shortly, Texans made

(02:19:01):
a waiver claim to bring Deontay Johnson into the fold
just prior to their game against Baltimore. Doubt they did
it much for gaining intel, and there wasn't enough time
to have him ready to play wide receiver for them,
so he didn't play. He was on the practice field
on Monday for the first time and again today and
is expected to, like other starting caliber players, to see

(02:19:23):
quite a bit of football action on Sunday at noon
against the Tennessee Titans. Head coach had already talked about
kind of the clean slate he felt like this player had.
This is the situation he's in. We kind of welcome
guys in under that premise. Even though this is now
his fourth organization in twenty twenty four, they're merely trying

(02:19:44):
to get him ready to go out there and play
some football.

Speaker 12 (02:19:47):
Deontay, He's come in and he's put his head down
and he's working hard to catch up with the playbook
and the things that we're asking him to do. And
again this is early on second day out practice with us,
so he's picking it up pretty fast, and you know,
we'll try to put him in situations where we can,
you know, utilize him to and utilize his strengths.

Speaker 8 (02:20:08):
Again, Deontay helped complete the trade. Both of these two players,
Steven Simms and Deontay Johnson, were waived by their respective teams,
then claimed by the opposite teams, and Stephen Simms picked
Deontay Johnson's number to war in Baltimore, and now Deontay
Johnson has picked Stephen Simms number to wear here in Houston.
And wear number eighty two.

Speaker 10 (02:20:29):
C J.

Speaker 8 (02:20:29):
Stroud said, deontay Is is a good ad for their
wide receiver group.

Speaker 6 (02:20:33):
He's a really skill outrunner, you know, very knowledgeable about
the game, you know, very eager, you know, and motivated
to play well, you know, and that's something that I like,
you know, so but just really a smooth outrunner and
catches the ball really easy. And I think he'll do
just fine here and I'm excited to work with him,
and you know we've done that connection.

Speaker 4 (02:20:53):
Realistically, how much do you think he contributes? I mean,
I know this is a h end of the year game.
Don't even know how much CJ Is gonna play, if
at all, even though I think you will he's playing.
But it's like that's crucial to me because you're trying
to fit this guy in and the next time he

(02:21:13):
would really get some reps is the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (02:21:17):
He's gonna play.

Speaker 8 (02:21:18):
To me, he's their second most talented available receiver behind
only Nico Collins. It's just a matter of are there
a couple of plays And Nick Cassa talked about this
already this week with the in house media. You give
him what you can and you see if you can
get him in tune with this portion of the playbook.
I'm not saying he's gonna get the second most reps
behind Nico, because clearly there's trust and there's you know,

(02:21:40):
same page aspects to Hutch Match and Robert Woods.

Speaker 5 (02:21:46):
But there are things that he can do that they can't.
He's just better than them at certain things.

Speaker 8 (02:21:49):
And it's remarkable how poorly that's translated for him with
the Steelers, who traded him at the beginning of the
year before the season started, and then Carolina and Baltimore
who just never could figure out for whether it was
his fault, their faults, or some combination of how this
can be successful. He's three seasons removed from being targeted
one hundred and sixty nine times, having eleven hundred and

(02:22:10):
sixty yards, having eight touchdowns. Over a span of three years,
he got roughly three thousand yards worth of passes as
a second, third, and fourth year player. Well, now he's
in year six. He's still clearly not over the hill
by any means, but personalities his haven't had things work out.
This was to me a no brain or claim. It

(02:22:31):
was nice that they got him, very deficient. They need
somebody out there and I think if he can just
get on the field with CJ a little bit this week,
unless he really doesn't understand what they're doing, or they
have some new found confidence in the other three receivers
non Nico, there's probably quite a bit of their playbook

(02:22:52):
he can be utilized for against whatever playoff team they face.
His first three stops were he was in Pittsburgh for
the first five years of his career, then Carolina and
Bolton and Baltimore. Right In other words, Pittsburgh traded away
him away to a team that said, we got a
young quarterback. He's got out him feeling a bunch of kids.
Let's see if Deontay Johnson can make it work here.

(02:23:13):
Also with Bryce Young didn't. Baltimore had no help at
wide receiver, Beyonse Flowers. They were kind of desperate, we
need somebody else, let's give him a shot. Did not
work there either.

Speaker 4 (02:23:24):
And the two coaches, I mean, I'm not going to
put Carolina in this group, but the two coaches that
said goodbye to him, two of the most well respected coaches,
long tenured coaches in the AFC, if not the NFL.

Speaker 5 (02:23:37):
So that he had something to do with it. In Pittsburgh.

Speaker 8 (02:23:40):
He wanted big, huge, long term money at that stage,
you know, into his fifth year, and they gave him
a good deal, was a much shorter term deal, so
not really what he was looking for, and they probably
were like, we're not going to give it to you
because we've also found out that George Pickens is a
freaking animal and if we can keep his head straight
and clear, this is one of the to me, he's

(02:24:02):
one of the three most talented receivers in the end.
George Picketts. It's just stupid, ridiculous skid. Yeah, but you're
always concerned about him mentally staying in the game.

Speaker 4 (02:24:10):
That is a good point to bring up. It's not
quite the same as you know, the situation in Baltimore.

Speaker 5 (02:24:16):
He basically said he kicked himself off the team and
the coach did the right thing.

Speaker 4 (02:24:20):
Yeah, he wasn't.

Speaker 5 (02:24:21):
He wasn't doing what he was asked to do. And
it wasn't quite what we saw with Devondre Campbell with
the Niners, but it wasn't far.

Speaker 4 (02:24:30):
It's not It's not a great place to be in
if you're the Houston Texans right now. It's just.

Speaker 8 (02:24:36):
Injuries have If their offensive line was playing at a
reasonably helpful level, you'd be totally fine because you'd have
time to go through your progressions. You'd have times to see, well,
they've doubled Nico here, they're bringing a safety over there,
they're rolling coverage there. Okay, by now Schultz or Woods
or Mets or Hutch they've they've run their route as
the second or third or fourth progression and they're now

(02:24:58):
the one coming across the field and it's gotten open.

Speaker 5 (02:25:01):
But I just they don't have that time. I just
need somebody else to create separation more quickly. Yeah, I
just hate this feeling, just remembering what it was like
going into the postseason this time last year. I mean
a lot of it was just writing that CJ rookie ride,
if emotions and everything else, and it just seems like

(02:25:22):
it's the exact opposite.

Speaker 8 (02:25:23):
Anyway you could draw parallel to the covid Astros. You
were just twenty nine and thirty one.

Speaker 5 (02:25:30):
They stink.

Speaker 8 (02:25:30):
Why are they even bothering going to the playoffs? I
want none of this clear difference. They had history.

Speaker 5 (02:25:37):
These players had three years worth of history.

Speaker 4 (02:25:39):
Even if you take a history away, they don't They
had health other than justin I think was that was
a year he was out.

Speaker 5 (02:25:48):
Yeah, well except for the first few innings he threw.

Speaker 4 (02:25:50):
Yeah, the first game of the year. Yes, and then
that's true. I forgot about that. Yeah, that's true. That's
a big one. But then Justin was out twenty one too.

Speaker 5 (02:25:59):
But twenty nine to thirty one.

Speaker 8 (02:26:01):
It was for baseball smallish sample size, but it's pretty
clear they weren't awesome. They found they were not a
great team that year. They the turning the light switch
on is supposed to not be a thing, and they
kept showing that they were able to do it in
the postseason over and over and over again. So I
do I don't think this is a great comparison, not
only I just asked and brought it up. Well, yeah,

(02:26:22):
because this team is. They're trending so badly. They their
five and one was great for their record, but we
clearly had issues with what they were doing. They should
be better at this. They appear with their talent. There
could be more explosive offense, or they should be shutting
teams down more. At least they're winning. And then the
ten games that have followed the five and one start

(02:26:43):
were saying, well, now they're also not winning, and their
offensive line is getting chewed up even more often because
more teams have film on it. We're further into year two,
You're playing more teams that have seen Bobby Slowak's offense
a second year, that have seen CJ. Stroud with twenty tape,
twenty games on tape, and it's just kept getting It
was not getting so severely worse until they finally got a.

Speaker 5 (02:27:03):
Game they had to have.

Speaker 8 (02:27:04):
Can you imagine if they lost to the Ravens twenty
seven fifteen, twenty seven eighteen, and Demiko said, yeah, we're
gonna rest guys, We're okay, Well, we just want to
get healthy. He can't do that because he knows how
badly this team is playing. He can't rest players in
a game's result that has no bearing on anything because
he feels like about how his team is playing.

Speaker 4 (02:27:26):
And to me, this is then they needed this. Yeah, no,
for sure, I get it. This is this is like
a slow oil leak to me, like the way this
has all gone down, you still have the engine. He's
back there. He's not playing well, and he can't play
well because that oil leak is happening. But it's getting
more and more significant. And you take two of the

(02:27:48):
best weapons away and then you put you know, it's
like he hadn't changed the oil on top of the oil.

Speaker 5 (02:27:54):
League that's the that's the offensive line. Car still turns on,
it still turns over.

Speaker 8 (02:27:59):
You might be able to get where you're going, but
it's gonna be excruciating getting there.

Speaker 4 (02:28:04):
There's gonna be a cold morning if they're playing Baltimore
because that engine's not gonna turn over. That's gonna be
the Texans. Oh man, I would like That's what I'm saying.
I hate it because it was just so much fun
last year going into that postseason game, and you even
had hope because of that win going into Baltimore where

(02:28:24):
you were competitive for a half. None of that is
the case here in twenty twenty four, now twenty twenty five.

Speaker 7 (02:28:32):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety JP France, Right Gray.

Speaker 8 (02:28:39):
JP France here supports Talk seven ninety as your home
freshers Baseball stream every game on the free iHeartRadio ad.
You know what that means, in case you missed it,
has arrived some items we've not given enough time to,
or given any time to at all.

Speaker 5 (02:28:56):
In case you missed it.

Speaker 8 (02:28:57):
The sugar Bowl is ongoing to ten now the lead
for Notre Dame, as Georgia was able to march down
the field get a touchdown pass, and now it's trying
to get the ball back. There's plenty of time left though,
or only midway through the third quarter, trying to become
the one of these two teams will become the last
member of the final four in college football.

Speaker 4 (02:29:18):
Take golden domers, they're super gold today.

Speaker 8 (02:29:23):
These uniforms are very tight, rudy, and the rest of
the student support staff painted them nicely.

Speaker 3 (02:29:29):
I like it.

Speaker 4 (02:29:30):
By the way, George is getting after the quarterback.

Speaker 5 (02:29:32):
Lately, they've done again.

Speaker 8 (02:29:34):
Their defenses looks just as good today as it has
at any other point this season. Remember the two touchdowns
Notre Dame has on the board. One came on a
thirteen yard drive following a turnover one play, and the
other came on a play where.

Speaker 5 (02:29:46):
The defense wasn't on the field. It was a special
team's touchdown on a kick return. The Georgia defense has
been excellent, all right, Dan, What else do we have?

Speaker 4 (02:29:53):
All right?

Speaker 11 (02:29:54):
So which, by the way, Ac, if you see the
Notre Dame helmets in person, they're even shinier if possible.

Speaker 5 (02:30:00):
I've had a chance to.

Speaker 4 (02:30:00):
See it twice.

Speaker 3 (02:30:01):
All right.

Speaker 11 (02:30:02):
So last year, at about this time, we were dealing
with could Bobby Slowick be gone, Could maybe even Jerrad
Johnson be gone to go become an OC somewhere. We're
not hearing that as much this offseason, but in Detroit
they're hearing it with Aaron Glenn and also with Ben Johnson.

Speaker 4 (02:30:17):
And how about the Washington Commanders.

Speaker 11 (02:30:19):
They've broken the seasons without making the playoffs streak, You've
got probably the offensive rookie of the year, and their OC.

Speaker 4 (02:30:27):
Is Cliff Kingsbury.

Speaker 11 (02:30:28):
He's already been a head coach once, but he is
already pining up for another opportunity, saying that he would
like to be a head coach again.

Speaker 4 (02:30:36):
So I know that.

Speaker 5 (02:30:37):
Did you happen to see him say that?

Speaker 4 (02:30:40):
I did not.

Speaker 8 (02:30:41):
So he was asked about, you know, would you be
interested in being a head coach again? And he goes,
he paused and went yeah, sometime in the future.

Speaker 3 (02:30:50):
Yes.

Speaker 8 (02:30:50):
So the follow up question was are you going to
be going on interviews this season? He goes, I really
want to comment on that, you know, obviously I like
what we have here. And they asked him another question
or two, and that's why what you said is one
hundred percent accurate, he said, I would, But he really
went on to talk about getting rejuiced for football, what
he's done with Washington this year, and then the question

(02:31:13):
I'm glad people ask because I hope the person being
asked gives a good answer, and he did. He was
asked about what he'd do differently, and he gave DQ
dan Quinn a tremendous amount of, I think credit for
how he runs his team.

Speaker 5 (02:31:29):
And keep in mind, dan quinn is a head coach
for not the first time.

Speaker 8 (02:31:32):
As he takes the commander's job, he said, you have
to really set everything in place right when you get there.
It's really hard to go back and kind of correct
things that you don't gdn't put out there. You know,
our vision, our accountability, what we stand for, how we
want to do things, said, dan Quinn did a great
job of that arriving in Washington this year for his
first year with a lot of other newer staff members,

(02:31:54):
and he said that's probably the biggest thing he would change.
I would tend to believe he would be a strong
candidate to be a head coach again as soon as
this year, because normally these teams are looking at their
offense and or their quarterback that needs guidance. I think
it's fair to say he gets some credit for helping

(02:32:15):
to guide Jaden Daniels into an awesome season, and that's
what you'd be hoping he can do with your guy,
So hire him here in Houston. I don't think he's
in line for the Texans OC job now. Okay, he's
not gonna be in OC somewhere else next year if
he's not a head coach, which is still also a
very strong possibility, I wouldn't see any reason why he
wouldn't remain in OC there. I also don't think he's

(02:32:39):
headed back to college football.

Speaker 4 (02:32:41):
Now, why don't they just pay him like he's a
head coach, but convince him to come here?

Speaker 5 (02:32:46):
I mean, why would you? I'm being totally dead serious.
Why would you leave Washington?

Speaker 3 (02:32:51):
That's it?

Speaker 4 (02:32:51):
Well, if you think there are more pieces in place here,
which I think, I mean, you could make that argument,
but he's gonna look at their off into line and
be like, don't fix that. You don't fix that, then
I'm just going to look.

Speaker 8 (02:33:02):
At his own team and say we're better than them.
My quarterback's better than their quarterback, and he's gonna be
right based on this year.

Speaker 4 (02:33:11):
Yeah, based on this year. I'm glad you said that.
What else do we have? All Right?

Speaker 11 (02:33:15):
So, Katie product Jalen Milroe making it official today he's
declared for the NFL Draft. Now WEX this has been
a topic of conversation you brought up all throughout the
football season. It seems like this upcoming draft class of
quarterbacks is probably subpar. I don't know if that's an
extreme example there, but I throw this out with Milroe

(02:33:36):
because with this group that's coming out, is Milroe a
first round talent?

Speaker 8 (02:33:40):
He's definitely not a first round talent. Doesn't mean he
won't get drafted in the first round. But I don't
really know how to evaluate a quarterback if he's a
first round talent, And maybe I really don't. But after
not playing for a month, they finished their season without
the conference title game on their schedule, obviously, so they
didn't have a game for a month played in Michigan.
I don't want to put too much stock in a
game where it's hard to gauge who was out there,

(02:34:02):
who was in who was out Mentally, things like that
is another performance where I'm concerned that he's an NFL passer.

Speaker 5 (02:34:11):
He's an NFL athlete.

Speaker 8 (02:34:13):
He can play a quarterback at the NFL level, but
if you can't throw the ball at the NFL level,
then you're gonna have a hard time winning with that
player playing quarterback. And I didn't want to say that
to suggest he should be playing another position.

Speaker 5 (02:34:28):
I don't mean that at all.

Speaker 8 (02:34:29):
I just mean I'm not taking I'm not using a
first round pick on a guy that I'm not sure
that he's going to operate my NFL offense by completing
passes in a manner that we're gonna win with. And
I think he's better in college than Anthony Richardson was
at Florida.

Speaker 5 (02:34:47):
And Indianapolis cannot win in the.

Speaker 8 (02:34:50):
NFL if Anthony Richardson throws the ball like this super athlete,
super talent should be playing quarterback, cannot complete passes win.
It's as simple as that. That's why Indianapolis is such
an awful spot. Like I've tried not to be too
harsh on CJ, and I always have the one little
excuse to not be whenever I come up with the

(02:35:12):
least accurate passer based on completion percentage. Well, CJ always
ends up second to last over the last ten weeks
because Richardson is by far the least talented in that regard,
because I do have to account for drops and other nonsense.
But seriously, you might want to complete half of your passes.
That's my concern with Milroe.

Speaker 5 (02:35:34):
Super impressed with where he was when he left Katie
Tompkins to where he is now with Bama. But I'm
not top thirty two players. That's probably not what I'm
doing if I'm a GM.

Speaker 4 (02:35:46):
What else? All right?

Speaker 7 (02:35:47):
Real quick?

Speaker 11 (02:35:48):
So I want you guys to give the best piece
of advice you ever received in this industry, because Joe
Buck was recently on the Marshawn Sports media podcast and
he talked about his dad advice to young sportscasters. Start smoking, kid,
get your voice deeper. What do you guys have not smoking?

Speaker 5 (02:36:08):
Wasn't it did not have to be told that. It's
pretty pretty self explanatory. It's a disgusting, unhealthy habit. I
have mine, and it was one of our current teammates
that gave me the advice. What did Brian Lalima tell you?
What did Ross be a real. Tell you what did
John Salisbury tell you?

Speaker 11 (02:36:26):
Now you were warmer with Ross, It was Matt he
told me the first time I was here in Houston,
in this market, when I do settle down and get married,
she needs to know what I do.

Speaker 5 (02:36:34):
When are you going to do that? Well, we're setting
a date here next week.

Speaker 4 (02:36:39):
Does she know what you do?

Speaker 6 (02:36:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (02:36:40):
She does.

Speaker 11 (02:36:41):
It's more or less just she just needs to know,
like do I have a game that night? Do I
need to be at a practice or something like that.
That's really all She kind of cares what happens if
you bro create. I mean, then I'll probably be at
less games and less practices.

Speaker 4 (02:36:53):
So you're taking care of the kid and she's still working.
I think it will be a team effort. I guess
she has probably more traditional hours than you do. From
that regard bingo.

Speaker 5 (02:37:03):
Most people do when they're not in this awesome industry.

Speaker 4 (02:37:07):
Unfortunately, in my marriage, we both are so sorry. Carson
did all right with Brooklyn.

Speaker 5 (02:37:12):
I don't.

Speaker 8 (02:37:14):
Multiple people said similar things. Work ethic, grind it out,
be willing to work. Simple advice works in most professions.
Be yourself, be authentic. I think those are the two.
You know, Be yourself, be authentic, all the other stuff
everybody has to do.

Speaker 5 (02:37:29):
I just play a character on the show hem.

Speaker 7 (02:37:33):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (02:37:37):
I'm Clinton Weler The eighteen con on Sports Talk seven
ninety goes up.

Speaker 7 (02:37:45):
Stars, Rockets, Basketball lives here.

Speaker 4 (02:37:55):
So h Jesse camp scataboo getting after a guy who
made it look like he was out drinking all night
and that's why he was puking. I did see that.

Speaker 5 (02:38:02):
It was pretty awesome. The guy who posted that almost
got me to read his handle, but I didn't.

Speaker 4 (02:38:08):
What was his handle?

Speaker 8 (02:38:08):
Wex You can't even remotely get close to having me
say that, because I've already presented that I won't be
saying it.

Speaker 4 (02:38:16):
Could you clean it up?

Speaker 10 (02:38:19):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (02:38:19):
No, not really.

Speaker 4 (02:38:20):
I actually didn't pay attention to his handle. I just
saw That's why.

Speaker 5 (02:38:23):
People could almost in my position read it, but luckily
I read it out.

Speaker 4 (02:38:27):
You refrained first he did approof read.

Speaker 8 (02:38:30):
Yeah, basically took a picture of Cam at a basically
what looked like a hotel bar, uh and noted that
uh no, wonder he was out tying one on into
the night before the game. This is why we're not
a serious football program. Something along those lines. Well, Cam

(02:38:51):
quote tweeted it said, this was about eight thirty of
the people that you see me there with or my family,
and for anyone that knows me, I don't drink, So
you're probably just someone who didn't get couldn't get an
autograph from me or something along those lines.

Speaker 4 (02:39:05):
Ye know how many times I've told people I don't
drink and they just don't like some of them don't
even believe me. Oh come on, man, No, really, it's
not that big of a deal. It's not that deep.

Speaker 8 (02:39:14):
Well a football standpoint, I brought this up when I
watched him extensively against Arizona and against Iowa State these
last couple of games they played, both of them lopsided victories,
and both of them included Cam taking a very hard
shot early in the game, essentially helmet to helmet, And
I think he has more helmet to helmet hits than

(02:39:35):
anybody because of the way he runs, he's actually delivering
the punishment.

Speaker 5 (02:39:38):
Often he shakes his head, which.

Speaker 8 (02:39:42):
Is like the biggest tell for officials or medical personnel
on the sideline.

Speaker 5 (02:39:47):
He's shaking off the cobwebs.

Speaker 8 (02:39:48):
This is a tell for we should probably get him
out of the game, and I think a lot of
people who hadn't seen him before saw this game yesterday,
and he was doing it all throughout the game. We
also know that he was throwing up during the game,
and that's another well, something's not quite right. He's actually
talked about it before, and he mentioned it in an
interview a couple months ago just about he basically has

(02:40:09):
now called it. It's something. It's very OCD related. You know,
I gotten a spot where I just had to do
certain things with my helmet. I was always fiddling with
it and fidgeting with it. I'd take a hit and
that I'd have straightened it out. And you've probably noticed
that I do that with my shoulder. I'll kind of
but you know, bump it into into position.

Speaker 4 (02:40:24):
And now I just do these.

Speaker 5 (02:40:25):
He said.

Speaker 8 (02:40:26):
The sweat drives on his face and his helmet sticks
to it, and so he's constantly shaking it or twitching,
and people are like, he goes, it's not Turet's I
don't have a concussion. This is something anybody who's watched
me has seen me do pretty much throughout not just
this season, but several seasons. And maybe it's more noticeable
now because more people are watching. I'm glad that that's

(02:40:48):
a good explanation if it is, because yeah, it absolutely
looks like he just got up from a violent helmet
to helmet hit. They need to take him out of
the game. That's probably a concussion. For the him to
play the way he did afterwards, I have to assume
it wasn't, so I don't know how you could. But yeah,
for those that are wondering, and many people were, I

(02:41:09):
think a handful of players, former players or current players
college and pro had noted that same thing because they
had not gotten an opportunity to see him play football
all that much, myself included.

Speaker 5 (02:41:18):
Until the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 4 (02:41:20):
I'm actually reading up on this right now because he
has addressed that very thing on camera multiple times.

Speaker 7 (02:41:27):
Yeah, why he does it so.

Speaker 4 (02:41:31):
Everything, I mean, the commentary, notwithstanding he did put on
a show yesterday that was incredible. They're not even sniffing
that game if it's not for him being out there.

Speaker 5 (02:41:42):
Yeah, I mean, it's definitely true.

Speaker 8 (02:41:44):
If not for the well executed pass, which happens largely
because they're concerned about you. They can't run that with
just anybody. They ran it with you because it's gonna
draw the say, oh it's a running play, I gotta
run up there and go make the big hit, which
Michael Taff did, but it was pass so you had
your receiver in single coverage.

Speaker 5 (02:42:02):
Resulted in a touchdown.

Speaker 8 (02:42:04):
He ran a nice enough route that he created separation
with Taff, and then when he stopped intentionally and had
Taff bump into him, they got a pass interference call.
He ended up catching the ball and drawing a face
mask penalty.

Speaker 5 (02:42:15):
On top of it.

Speaker 8 (02:42:17):
But he had the ball in his hands like sixty
five percent of the time, it seemed like. And this
is with him being on the sidelines for you know,
one out of every three snaps most of the final
twenty thirty snaps of the game, thirty carries one hundred
and forty three yards rushing. I mean, he had well
over two hundred yards of offense. At one point he
had more offense than Texas.

Speaker 5 (02:42:38):
Now being carried into the end zone by aligneman not
within the rules, but it was not called.

Speaker 4 (02:42:46):
Well, they con they Arizona State fans conveniently neglect to
point that out when they're crying that wouldn't give for
the targy Like, there's stuff on both sides throughout that game.
And you know, I wasn't happy about how things were
officiated in Kansas City, but there were things missed on

(02:43:08):
both sides in that game. Hello, between the Texans and Chiefs,
did they play football? Yes?

Speaker 5 (02:43:13):
Okay, same answer to the question.

Speaker 4 (02:43:15):
You need not ask.

Speaker 5 (02:43:16):
Did the officials miss calls?

Speaker 4 (02:43:17):
Today? Plural?

Speaker 5 (02:43:18):
Every time, every team, every game, all the time.

Speaker 8 (02:43:21):
It's just it is what college football and NFL football
is always going to be. Do they execute the officiating
part of the calls correctly? And I know you'll be
shocked by who suggested this, and I actually think it's
a great suggestion, even though it puts more work on
the officials. How about if we differentiate between these targeting

(02:43:42):
penalties and maybe not all of them are Okay, he
targeted fifteen yards, you're out of the game. You're out
of the first half of the next game. If he's
here in the second half, first down, how about the
play This targeting and that targeting aren't the same, both
could be penalty. How about that's a five yard penalty
and an automatic first down and the player is not ejected.

Speaker 5 (02:44:04):
Connor stallions, if I read his tweet correctly.

Speaker 8 (02:44:07):
Was the one who suggested that if you're willing to
give the officials and the booth officials more to handle,
which is always a delicate situation, then yeah, I don't
think all targeting penalties are created equal, and for us
to have as much discussion about the taff non call
after review, when multiple rules officials are saying they botched this,

(02:44:33):
that's targeting. But it still doesn't feel like the same
kind of other targeting penalties that happen all the time
and do get called. So I think there was a difference,
but by the letter of the law and how it's
supposed to be officiated, that absolutely I do believe should
have been called targeting. It it would have impacted the
last few minutes of the game, well yeah, fairly dramatically,
not necessarily change the outcome, but it definitely would have

(02:44:54):
made a difference.

Speaker 4 (02:44:55):
I think when they were going to overtime, did you
feel like like, like, well, all, obviously the momentum was
on the side of Arizona State. You know what actually
helped the Longhorns, what's that winning the toss?

Speaker 8 (02:45:10):
Yeah, because they deferred. It's all the momentum. Just like
you said it's in the other direction.

Speaker 4 (02:45:15):
No, I thought that was a genius play. And then
you know strategy, You.

Speaker 8 (02:45:18):
Just missed the kick after you just missed another kick,
after they've been the team scoring all the points late
in the game to come back.

Speaker 3 (02:45:24):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (02:45:24):
The fact that you then, I mean, granted they scored
a touchdown.

Speaker 4 (02:45:27):
They finished the game how they started it deferring to Asu.

Speaker 8 (02:45:29):
But you had to you know, that gave them a
little bit of a Okay, we can recover here. If
they immediately go back out on offense after missing another kick,
I don't think it would have played out very well
for them.

Speaker 5 (02:45:39):
No Quinn yours.

Speaker 8 (02:45:41):
For as much as he's been maligned this year, I
don't know what it would take to give him some credit.
If you're still not doing that pass, Well, it's one
after the other after the other, almost in succession.

Speaker 5 (02:45:51):
Well, the touchdown pass is thirteen touchdown pass, the touchdown
pass to Helm, the two point conversion to go up
thirty nine to thirty one. These are all like back
to back to practically.

Speaker 4 (02:46:01):
Right, they're not. He had a series here where he
had to play and then another one. Yeah, he gets
all the credit and they get all the credit. And
they're still alive, and you're only as good as your
last performance. They better perform a whole lot better against
Ohio State. Better team will be tough. Yeah, looking forward
to it. That'll be a week from tomorrow night. You
won't have to wait that long to hear from us

(02:46:21):
and see us again.

Speaker 3 (02:46:22):
Though.

Speaker 4 (02:46:22):
We'll be back at it again tomorrow at two o'clock
with the final edition of the week here on the
A Team. First week of twenty twenty five for Dan
for wex I Mac. We'll talk to you

Speaker 7 (02:46:34):
Tomorrow The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

I Do, Part 2

I Do, Part 2

From Executive Producers Jennie Garth, Jana Kramer, Amy Robach, and T.J. Holmes. Did you think you met the love of your life and marry him, only to realize it was actually “thank you, next?" Did this jerk cheat on you and leave you feeling alone and hopeless? Don’t make the same mistake twice... Get it right THIS time! Is it time to find true love…again?! If you loved the Golden Bachelor, SILVER just might be your color. Older and wiser, 50 and Fabulous, and ready for a little sex in the city. Everyone has baggage, but you’re not bringing it on this trip. Second Times The Charm. I Do, Part Two. An iHeartRadio podcast...where finding love is the main objective.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.