Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Teams series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It is the A Team Sports Talk at seven ninety
straight up two o'clock all right now, it's two one
on a Thursday edition of the program. Wex and Ac
with you taking you up until six o'clock tonight, and
then the Rockets will be facing off against whoever is
available for the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. I don't think John
(00:39):
Morant's gonna play, but I don't know for sure. I'll
reach out maybe find that out for sure. But it'll
be a very different game depending on who does play,
because they've had so many guys out and it hasn't
mattered at all. They've won ten of eleven. So even
though it might not be the Grizzlies at full strength
that the Rockets will face off against tonight, it could
still still be a test just because they've been playing
(01:02):
so well. Meanwhile, I don't think Tari Easton's gonna be
playing anytime soon. But if you were listening to email
you doak on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross in
the last hour, you kind of got a better idea
about that situation.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
As a matter of fact, wex that's.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
The most positive I've heard about the Tarry Easton situation
since we heard Oh he's got a leg injury again.
Can't wait to hear him talk about it. At three thirty.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
I figure some of this.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, we will give you a little sampling of it
if you will. But yeah, this is the second of
three straight games. What a weird schedule for the Rockets,
simply because they're going out on the road for three,
then they're coming home to play Memphis again, then they'll
go back out on the road. I don't know who
does it in the league office. I'm sure it's a computer,
But every single year I look at some sort of quirk.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
And I'm like, really, that's the best they could do
with this situation.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
It just bothers me.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
I feel like, you know how I was about back
to back twenty years ago. Well, first of just not
to get further into this, because we could move on.
I don't know, we need to keep going. Like do
you think people sit in the NBA often say, man,
this would be awesome, Wait till we screw this team
over and the next week we're gonna screw like. They
have building availability, right they have. Let's try to minimize
(02:13):
flight time. They've gotten rid of four games in five
days almost as much as possible. There if you are
back to backs, you play the same team twice in
a weekend sometimes or twice in three days, so you
don't have to travel out there.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Again.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I assure you they're not attempting to make you think
the schedule is weird. And what's so bad about flying
back to Houston to play Memphis? Easy, well, flying back
out on the road provided that it's Yeah, well, let's
see how they do tonight, because I'm serious, Well, they're
not gonna win or lose this game or the next
Memphis game based on travel. No, no, they're not. I'm
(02:46):
talking about the lineup though.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I mean, I like Jaron Jackson Junior didn't play the
first time they played them this year, which was like
what night three or game three of the season, game two, Yeah, so,
and he had thirty five points the other night and
was a big reason why they beat the MAVs. But
he's like their third fourth best player. I mean, they're
a very good teams.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Their second best player Morant Jackson bain.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
You put Bane, you put Bain behind him?
Speaker 4 (03:12):
He just I think Ban's awesome, but Jaron Jackson impacts
the game probably a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, okay, that's fair. I won't argue with you on
that point. Maybe maybe later, maybe I'll change my mind
and we will argue about it. But yeah, I think
this is this is one of those teams where if
you're the Rockets and you're it's mid January, now can
I say that yet? I know it's not the tenth,
but it's basically mid January and they're the two seed
in the West. That is absolutely fantastic, and you want
(03:37):
to keep it that way because they are. They're only
a half game back because even with all those injuries,
like I mentioned, they've won ten of eleven. So that's
coming up at six o'clock when we step aside, tip
off at seven, and we'll be off and running with
the Rockets. As for the Texans, I did a little
little hit this morning.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I'm not want to do a lot of media hits.
I'm not you after all. Oh you want me to
do this win exactly? Why not?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
See that's not a dig Yes, that's a dig it
like think it makes me?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
But that's everybody in town that does what we do,
that is on all of these shows all the time.
You've got to like twist my arm these days when
I say I'm done.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
With tam as long as you put me. Oh my gosh,
I just I don't even know what it is like.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
You and I have done TV together since we started
doing this show, and it's like an out of body
experience for me, and I don't understand it. Because I
did TV for the better part of a decade, I'm
very used to it, but it's just it's weird for
me now. I like this. I like being in a
room where people can't see me. So at three o'clock
when we're on TV, that'll make a lot of sense. Well, sure, absolutely.
So you did a little hit this morning.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
And I almost I think I talked myself into something.
Oh my god, who are the Texans playing next week?
Speaker 5 (04:47):
Right?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
I think I talked to myself because I think in
a weird way, the Rex Ryan's and the whatever hassleback
brothers of the world.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Us against the world has taken. It's not that it's
nobody's giving them a chance. The Ultimate Houston Texans underdog
story begins on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
I'm not even CJ.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Stroud talking about being an underdog because I don't, frankly
think they're the essence of what an underdog is. They're
at home and they're not favored.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
By you're kind of leaving the door open. I mean
minuscule points. They are literally the underdog. Yeah, did you
every possible? I know, well, of course you have to
do that, you're you, but there's no other way to
say it. Well, yeah, bad home and not favored. That's
a pretty But.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
The degenerate gambler that hosts the show with Matt Thomas,
well they're both degenerate gamblers, if we're being honest. They
were talking about future lines like that are out there, like, Okay,
if the Texans advance, this is what the line would
be against the Chiefs, and the Chiefs would be favored
by seven and a half. That to me is an
actual underdog. Not Oh, it was three and a half,
now it's two and a half. And honestly, it's not
(05:54):
even really accurate because the Texans played better at home
and they're not a bad football team as much as
everybody's trying to make them out. To be especially against
your nobody down the stretch. I didn't even talk myself
into it. It's it's happening Texans Advance on Saturday. I'm
gonna be there to see it, and you can bet
your ass I'm gonna put Rex Ryan on that video
the next day, and his foot fetish video and anything
(06:14):
else he's ever done that's stupid on camera.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
It's all going in the video.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Whenever they choose their head coach in New York, the Jets,
he'll have not him, He'll have more time to eat
a snack because he won't be there. Other things like that.
I'm sure we'll show up.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
What if they hire Bobby Slowick and I can really
pour salt into that wound.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
The way the NFL does things, it's it. It doesn't
make it impossible. But if you're not basically this year
Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn, well, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Ben Johnson where he said thanks but no thanks, don't
even call me no.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
I mean they're in the playoffs, okay, and they're both
happen to play for or coach for a number one seed,
so they have a little bit of a grace period
where they can do zooms early most everybody else other
than Matt n Aggie who also did the same, they're
kind of behind the eight ball.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
If you have teams, and there are several.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Now we've added one team on the fired head coaches
list yesterday. We added that same team on the fire
GM's list today, the Raiders. So there's now three openings
for gms. But if you're looking to hire your head
coach and you've gone through three, four, six, eight interviews
and you feel like, well, i already got four awesome candidates,
I'm just going to pick one of them, you might
(07:23):
not ever get to really sinking your teeth into what
a coach from one of the twelve teams.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
That are playing this weekend.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Bobby Sloak as a coach on one of those twelve teams,
I don't know that it'll go so fast. And that's
not really the main reason why Sloak. He's just in
a group of coaches that are in that same under
that same problem. And this offseason also brings coaches that
are unencumbered that are extremely high on the list, most
notably Mike Rabel. Mike Vrabel interviewed for the Jets job
(07:52):
before the Jets season was even over he's interviewed for
the Chicago Bears job and he will continue on that
and Robert Sala same thing. You have two former NFL
head coaches. Definitely, Rabel's high on many teams lists. I
think we're going to see that Robert Sala ends up
being a finalist in at least one place. It's not
(08:15):
New York. And in Rabel's case, his former team has
a coach, so it won't be there either. But I
think that changes how this offseason looks for so many people.
If Rabel's a coach and salas a coach, and Ben
Johnson's a coach and Aaron Glenn's a coach, there's only
two openings left. I mean last year Bill Belichick and
he didn't get a job. Yeah, we did the same
(08:36):
thing with Rabel once he the Titans let him go,
and he also didn't get a job. So what I
say is not definitely going to play that way, but
there's a reasonable chance that's exactly how at.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Place where's erin Glenn going. I think the two.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Teams that have the ties to him are are very
impressed with him because they you know, some people in
the organization, No, not everybody was there when he was
there at either place, But I think they really respect
the job that he's done. Remember there were years where
he was getting I think, really good hype for being
a head coach when his defense wasn't even playing tremendously well,
(09:08):
the results weren't.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I think everybody knew he.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Could coach, but they didn't maybe have the right pieces
or things just kind of didn't fall their way. This year,
they clearly gave up a ton of points, but I
think everybody knows why he was losing a player a week.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
It seemed like defensively.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
And then if there wasn't already a real good backing
for what he can do with his roster, what they
did to Minnesota on Monday night should have cement Sunday
night should have cemented that their game plan was phenomenal.
They're playing with a lot of non starters and welcoming
back some guys like Angeloon that probably aren't at full strength.
He did a tremendous job, and he's long I think,
(09:43):
been thought of as a leader. Like when teams come
out and say we're looking for a leader of men,
I take that and roll my eyes. But people I
think can actually be better leaders in addition to being
a very good coach, like I think Glenn has leadership
qualities the same ones he showed in the infant Texans
(10:05):
locker room for years and with the Jets and with
the Saints and as a coach and as a leader
alongside Dan Campbell. Plus he has this is how we
want to do things in Detroit that teams should love.
It might not be Aaron Glenn's personality, but Aaron Glenn
is going to learn from how things happened in Detroit
and take that with him to a certain extent from
an aggressiveness standpointer or maybe how things go. Ben's waited
(10:29):
his turn, But yeah, I would be really surprised if
they weren't both head coaches. And I think the Jets
are Saints are probably going to be the team where
Aaron Glenn lands.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
That hurts my heart.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
He hasn't win in New Orleans because their division most
years is competitive and winnable. They're in a not real
ideal situation financially, and David Carr's brothers sucks and the Jets,
I mean, what is David Carr. Derek Carr's had a
good NFL career When I help people know this. Right
(10:59):
When I say a quarterback sucks, and I'm talking about
Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr, it is with a level
of it. He's not a terrible player.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
He throws the ball.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
There's an asterisk for you. You just know for a
fact if you've signed him and you're the GM, you
will not win. You won't be four and twelve most likely.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Why did you do that? Then you won't be twelve.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Well, you definitely won't be four and twelve in a
seventeen game season.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
But you get my point.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, So I don't mean it as they have the
worst quarterback in the league. I mean they're an awful position.
They can't win with their very expensive current quarterback, which
the Falcons found out part of the way through year
one with Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
All right, when we come back, the funniest SoundBite I've
heard in quite some time, and that has an asterisk
next to it.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
You'll see what I mean.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Someone from the Texans coaching staff was asked a question
in a public setting, obviously, and gave the most hilarious
answer ever.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
You're gonna hear that answer when we come back.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
The ad on Sports Talk set.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Back to Adam Clinton had Adam Wexler eight on Sports
Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Hey wex too early, man, But no, but what I
had expresso today, So I'm fired up?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I just just well, that's like the equivalent of me, Well,
I'm not gonna say that.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Well, not on Space City. I can't say it. That's
like me doing a bump.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
All right, we can say that between three and six two,
like early, I don't think Space City would like basically
said that in the first segment, and I didn't comment
on it. I did a hit this morning. You said
it twice. I didn't say anything either time.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I didn't say I did a bump. There's differences the
same thing.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Is it a roller girl did a bump and her
mom did a hit. What's the difference, Well, one is
weed and the other one's cocaine. I guess I don't.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Hit the bomb? Or did you do a bump in
the bathroom? You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
In the eighties, I am told I've never done a
drug in my life, so I can make these jokes,
you know, the ones you can get at the stores.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Now that studsn't count. I'm not Mormon. They can't even
have caffeine, right, isn't that a rule? They can't have caffeine.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
I'm gonna ask to ask one.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Come on second segment of the show, let's talk about Mormon.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
The only thing I know about Mormons on the phone
from today is I was watching WFAA posted some awesome
Cotton Bowl video of coach Sark the BYU playing in
the game and then commenting after the game. And if
you don't remember Sark the player, not about how he played,
(13:38):
but about how he talked and what he looked like.
First of all, he talks exactly the same meaning when
he was a college football player, it seemed like he
was maybe a thirty five year old man. He seemed
way older for how he was speaking and how he
just kind of was as a young person, same how
he is now. And we are at playoff time tonight
(13:58):
is the first of what I think everybody's already pointed
it out, but since we haven't been on the air,
it's the first time for us to really hammer this
point home. I don't know what you want, but this
is it. This weekend of football is what you want.
I don't know how you can kind of view it
any other way. There's plenty of regular season football games.
We're winding down both of the seasons quite obviously, but seriously,
(14:20):
tonight Notre Dame in Penn State, Tomorrow night, Ohio State,
Texas Saturday afternoon and night, Chargers, Texans, Steelers, Ravens, Sunday
day afternoon and night, Broncos, Bills, Packers, Eagles, Commanders, Bucks,
Monday night, maybe in Arizona, Vikings and LA. The NBA
(14:44):
has already canceled the game for the Lakers this evening.
The NFL yesterday sent out a notification that the contingency
plan is already in place should they need it, and
I think they will to move the game from Los
Angeles the Rams the home team against the Vikings, to
Arizona and still have it be played on Monday night
(15:04):
at the same time with the wildly out of control
wildfires still raging in Palisades and with.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
LA zero percent contained the last time I.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Looked, as it has happened unfortunately before wildfires, the difficulty
in managing them, containing them, getting them under control, and
keeping them under control, it's hard. It's extremely difficult.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
I'm not going to get into this. It's a lot
harder when you don't have water.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
But anyway, the map that I know you and I
have both seen where it's evacuate now in this area,
and then you know, it's like a warning in this
it's kind of like tornado warnings versus watches here in
Texas to kind of give you what we're used to
because we don't really have tons of wildfires here. Although
Austin got outside of Austin what was it, bass job
got wiped out about fifteen years ago. The is this
(15:58):
is something I should know because I know that the
Lakers game was canceled, and I know that you know
Staples Center I'll always call that, I'm sorry is right
in the middle of downtown because we passed by it
when we were driving to Dodger Stadium, which is just
north of downtown. Well, that's where a lot of this
is happening, and is Dodger Stadium. They're doing like major
renovations by the way this offseason on Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Is that more room for the kitchen so they can
make more Dodger Dogs.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Well, they gotta have more room for probably more fans
so they can pay for all these players they're putting
on credit for the next two decades.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Yep, they are.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
They're undergoing some Hey, check out our new parts of
our old stadium that was opened in nineteen fifty nine.
It's got nostalgic with it. It's a lot of history. Yeah,
Dodgers' uniforms, I'll give you that. Matt Thomas. Stop telling
me how wonderful Dodger Stadium is. It sucks to get in,
sucks to get out, and it's old.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
While you're there.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Fenwayrily, I disagree with the buildings, but they have you know.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
But if you go to Fenway or you go to
to UH to uh Wrigley, there's they They are literally.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
In the middle of Charming. It's different.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yeah, their locations are in both cases, and they're not
the same. Uh to me, where the Red Sox are,
where Fenway is is a little bit more like you've
been to both Houston or just it's in It's not
in a neighborhood, but it's in an area where tons
of people are in downtown or in the city. Wrigley Field,
they're not. It's like lambeau Field.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
How did this? What is this? Right here in the
middle of it.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
You're driving down a street, there's a huge baseball stuf.
I've been to both. Yeah, been to games at both. Well,
see that's where we differ.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
I've been to Wrigley for a tour during spring break
when there were no games, but I've also been to
games at Wrigley. I just actually, during a little clean out,
I found an old box of stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
I knew it was old when I went for the box.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
But it had all the ticket stubs from the baseball
tour I took in nineteen ninety nine. You took a tour, Yeah,
me and a bunch of buddies tour which just went
around during mid seventy. We went to Kamiski Park. Yes,
we went to Tiger Stadium, Yes, we went.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
It doesn't exist anymore? Right Field? Does that still exist?
Speaker 5 (18:07):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Their new ballpark, I believe is a new ballpark obviously
under a new dam.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Jacobs Cleveland, Okay, yeah, yeah, the Jake as they called it. Riley.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
We attempted to go to County Stadium for a Brewers game.
Made it all the way to the train station from Chicago,
but by the time we got there, really doesn't want
to go to work out. We weren't going to get there
anywhere near in time, so we scrapped that one. Uh
so both Chicago's Cleveland, Detroit, and we snuck in a
trip to Canton while we were there to check out though.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Well, yeah, because Canton is easy to get to and
the Baseball Hall of Fame easier.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
I've been there as well.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Well, don't you just drive up to the Hall of
Fame for the for football in Canton. No, but I
went to both Chicago parks in the same trip, in
the same summer, but for very different.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Events and unfortunate.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Well, I don't want to say unfortunately, but the baseball
game I saw actually featured the Astros, but that was
at the South Side location.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
I think it was US Cellular when we went. That
was twenty seventeen.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
The attack happened, the attack on the Royals first base coach.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Oh, yes, yes, yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know what
you were referencing. You say attack these days, and who
knows what you mean. But no, I the Astros actually
lost a gut punch game, and I remember getting back
to our hotel in downtown Chicago just pissed, and she's like,
you can't do this on vacation. You do this every night. See,
she lives with me. She knows. I'm like, you're right,
(19:36):
You're right. But it was because they were head by
several runs and then they like blew it. It was
one of those games, and then they won the World
Series later that summer, Saul as well. But a few
nights later we were at Wrigley for Billy Joel on
the field.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
That is very, very different, almost as different as us
talking about all this nonsense when really all we want
to hear is from a Houston Texans coach that said,
what okay?
Speaker 3 (19:56):
So they to bring this all full circle.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Obviously, what I wanted to get at is that they
ask Bobby Slowick about his pending that everybody knows about.
Right interview with the New York Jets. This is hilarious
for about fifty different reasons that I'll explain after you
hear this six second answer.
Speaker 8 (20:16):
I have no idea that's not even allowed this week.
So that's far from anywhere on my radar.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, First of all, the delivery so deadpan. So Bobby Slowick,
and have ever told you that he reminds me of
my father in law if he were to put a
hat on and some headsets I mean, they look exactly
the same in the face. It's very similar. What a
brich they the answer itself, though, I don't think I've
ever heard a coach say it like that, have you
(20:45):
We're not even allowed like it sounds like he's grounded
or something.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
You know, well.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
He's telling the segment we mentioned how the you know,
last Sunday night. In addition to the number one seed
being on the line, the fact you have to play
on the road if you was, the fact that you're
the five seed, all that stuff. What else was on
the line was the assistant coaches availability. Aaron Glenn and
Ben Johnson are available this week because their team won,
(21:10):
they have the off week and the rules permit those
coaches to begin the interview process via zoom. But the
coaches that lost Brian Flores, their DC Josh mccow and
their quarterbacks coach, and anybody else who might have gotten
interest in both of them have They're in a different
situation because they're in game week and it changed, you know,
as soon as is game weekend, I mean before we
(21:32):
even have the Bills game, the noon game on Sunday.
Bobby Slowik would you know, and anybody else that was
a Saturday coach is open available to then begin their
interview process because their their week is over, win or lose.
Their season could be over if it's the l But
that's how they've just set it up. So he was
(21:52):
just saying in addition to what he could have said,
or in lieu of what he could have said. And
he doesn't sound like the type of guy. He's not,
Cliff Kingsbury. He could have said, I just let my
agent handle that. I'm not paying any attention to it.
Cliff Kingsbury actually did say that he again has apparently
reportedly as the offensive coordinator for the Commanders, They've reached
(22:12):
out to his agent to you know, set up interviews
for him. He's like Bobby, he can't do that. He's
preparing for their game, their Saturday or their Sunday game.
I should say, but that's how he responded to it.
When he was asked, he goes, I'm up, that's the
furthest thing on my mind. My agent ken all that
we're preparing for a game. Will you be interested. I'm
preparing for our game, Dan. I want you to fire
(22:35):
it off one more time. It's only six seconds, because
I want to tell you what I heard when he
said this? All right, So they asked Bobby Slow like, hey, hey,
you're gonna interview with the Jets, right, I.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
Have no idea that's not even allowed this week. So
that's far from anywhere on my radar.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
All right, you'd be one of my buddies in like
fifth grade. Ready, I'm gonna knock on the door.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
What up?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Who is it? Hey, it's a se Can you come
out and play?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Nah?
Speaker 3 (22:58):
I'm not That's what it sounds to me like. And you, well,
I don't know if you did this or experience this.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
I certainly experienced that where I was giving that answer
because Brent's like, you're not playing with anybody after what
you did this week.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
That happened to me all the time. I can't come
out and play.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Well, he didn't say Domiico didn't let me. It's like
he didn't say Nick said no, Cal's not allowing or
disallowing anyone. Hannah is not letting me interview right now.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
I saw her today as well when I was over
there for practice.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
No, no, nothing.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
I didn't have a chance to ask her if she
was going to be okay with it or not. I
think I think any interview requests he gets, when he's
available to take them, he will. Did you did you
stop her and say hey, did you tell cal?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
I said, what up? No, you didn't do that?
Speaker 6 (23:43):
No?
Speaker 2 (23:43):
All right, when we come back, we'll do what we
always do it two thirty Every single day we check
out the best of.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
X the Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
You know you don't want to go through life with
any of pain, and you certainly don't want to have
joint pain when you're going through life. So if you do,
and you know, some sort of medical provosial has said
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Speaker 3 (24:11):
But you're gonna need to go under the knife.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
We're gonna need to go ahead and do the surgery,
all of the surgery it's coming your way, and the downtime,
and we're gonna go ahead and throw some drugs on.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
The plate too.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Why would you take that option when you could call
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and have a better option.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
Yeah, let me see that plate you were just mentioning. Okay,
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Speaker 3 (25:16):
Heys Dalen Green.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
Catch shoot, that's up triple here.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
Every Rocky is going on the GOLP with the iHeartRadio
rat excremation point.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
You got the home of the Rockies Sports Talk seven nineties.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
Did you all see this?
Speaker 7 (25:34):
We should be putting out between five and fifteen posts
to day.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
Four hundred people were arrested for things of Day seven
on social media, history repeats itself type an you'll succeed,
never doubt that you're.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
The one who plus the one building.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
You're the best.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
Nothing's gonna have a top.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
You know you're the best.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Posting ever seen day You're the best of it, breaking
the entire internet.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
All right, this is where, first of all, we need
to I know that we're doing a signature segment so
to speak, right now, even though it's not.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
The signature segment segment.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I can't be in here while Big City Wings is
unloading on us right now, because that's what I would
call it.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
This is awesome. I can't wait to.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Get on camera so you guys can see how much
food they put in here that you guys need to
go pick up at the closest Big City Wings location.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
They're putting How much food? Is this just enough? Gosh?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
I mean, you know it's two for Thursday, right, you're
about to loose for one boneless Wings. Yeah, your local
Big City Wings location.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
I know where the closest one is to the station,
but there's very close. Yeah, yeah, this is good. This
is very very You're about to lose for a segment.
All right, So last night I was kind of looking
around at well, they had the greatest game ever for
a regular season NBA game, right, and everybody's talking about it.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Oh, this one lived up to the hype for a change.
She's good. It was very entertaining.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Cleveland is clearly going to win the next ten titles
based on what we've seen and heard from everybody talking
about last night's game.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
They play again in a few days exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Well, when they do, somebody would like to poach somebody
from the Rockets and put them on the Thunder's roster,
because obviously if they had this player, well, then they
would have been able to make do last night and
maybe win that game as opposed to lose. A very
close nip and tuck back and forth affair between the
Caves and the top team in the West, the Oklahoma
(27:47):
City Thunder. I know you're familiar with HP basketball on Twitter, Mattymore, Are.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
You friendly with him?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
I we've had him on the show a few times,
have we I think we've had we've had him on once.
I think I've had him on maybe more than that,
but not a ton and certainly not recently. Okay, it
does a great job doing what not everybody else does
covering the game, just in terms of looking a lot
of the.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Numbers, Okay, a little more analysis. I thought you were
going the other way, which is stirring the pot.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I don't actually think he was intending for this tweet
to come off the way it did, but it did.
It got my attention, he says. Uh, this is like
five o'clock yesterday, so this is before the game. Obviously,
he says, And that's key. Houston needs to buy out
Steven Adams so he can re sign with the Thunder
(28:38):
for the playoff run.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
And I'm like, wait a second.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
The Rockets made that deal to get him last season,
waited all of post trade deadline last year and all
this offseason, and then I think some parts of the
early stages of this year to get him healthy enough
to be out there on a semi consistent basis. He
still doesn't play on the second eight of back to
back that kind of stuff. Why why are they going
(29:03):
to do this again for you?
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Well, this is why the X platform, and today we
are going to X for the best of X. Social
media is always welcome here. That's why it's so great
that one hundred percent. He wasn't being this trade needs
to happen, and here's why the Rockets don't need this,
and they have the ability to do that and financially
you can. He wasn't walking you through a trade that
(29:25):
needs to happen. He was saying, Man, if this team
had this player who happens to be on the Rockets,
this would be a phenomenal situation for.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
That player on this team. Why didn't he say that?
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Because that took me a long time to say, especially
if I would have been typing.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
It's more than two d and eighty characters.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Probably, So it doesn't have anything to do with the Rockets.
That didn't really have anything to do with Steven Adams.
Definitely doesn't have anything to do with his contract situation
or where that team is going. We all know, we
know we're watching this team. We talk with the people
involved with this team constantly. They're not looking to move
their backup center, especially as he continued, used to play more,
(30:01):
continues to help them, more, does things that zero other
people on the roster can do, which is why he
would be desired in a hypothetical situation for other teams.
So it's good that Rockets fans, most of whom we're
talking about here.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
Jumped all over this.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
How many people would you say, we're interacting with this
one tweet. I mean, it's it's clearly got some legs.
It's got uh well, I mean, if he was looking
to stir the pot, he certainly did nearly two hundred
and thirty thousand views alone.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
See, I don't really anticipate that's what he was attempting
to do. And I'm sure he doesn't mind that it happened.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
And again, this was before the game, so we don't
know who's gonna win. We don't know who did win.
It's and the thunder happened to lose the team he's talking.
Speaker 4 (30:41):
About, So well did he did he like bump it
after the game to kind of needle everybody?
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Oh, so you did?
Speaker 4 (30:47):
I wasn't really serious, but now since they lost, what
if I say it again and everyone will go, I
mean a bunch of you know, this isn't happening. Come on, man,
you deserve all the hate you're getting.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
This isn't happening.
Speaker 4 (30:56):
That's not why they have him here, No way they
would trade him this. He's just now into the road
to all the just basketball stuff, Like I said, I
don't he didn't come back at anybody to explain himself.
Why should he? I mean, you don't always have to
do that, Dwight or Shack, but that's fun for us
when you do. These gifts came around, especially when they
dipped into the Russell Westbrook Valley of gifts.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Well, he's got his own, he's got his own category.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Did any particular quote tweets of this tweet stand out
to you at all?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I whytn't you just hit me with him?
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Well, I mean, if you were to go to say
the at Adam planton account I've been there, did that
guy say anything about it?
Speaker 5 (31:32):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Your specific quote? Yes, yes, I didn't know.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
You need to have your ex account bought out so
we don't have to read your stupid thoughts for the
rest of our lives.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Hashtag left off. Well, yeah, you gotta get the logo
in there. I mean, I just I was texting somebody
we both know this morning about expecting.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
Now to see some replies to you with some bodied
gifts or mic drops or anything like that. Somebody I
muted responded, Monica said, I will never unfollow your stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Oh thanks, Monica. I appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
I actually have a gadiest response I've ever seen. Nice,
great idea, you have the people's backing.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Well, just to me, if you're the Rockets and you're
already so far ahead of his schedule right now in
year two of em a Udoka that it's just insanity,
like we're we are an embarrassment of riches and they
there's not even a superstar on the roster yet. Why
the belief am I giving you anybody from my roster
to the one team that's ahead.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Of me in the standings?
Speaker 4 (32:29):
F that we didn't even mention that part. Huh, there's
one team ahead of them? How can we make them better?
That's what got me that right there is what God
think of? What are the thunder giving the Rockets to say,
Oh man, we're not making them better, We're gonna catch
them because we move Steven Adams to their roster.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
We got back.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
What well, how about you just go ahead and we'll
give you Steven Adams and his you know, ten to
twelve minutes a night on non back to back night, I.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Get three to four second round picks, and five years
from now then we get possibly Jay Gil just Alexander
maybe he'd be perfect.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
You can have Jalen Green thrown in.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
All of this funnels back to my original point. He's
not suggesting a trade. He's not trying to take a
player off the rick. He's not trying to take the
best team and make him even better. In reality, he's saying,
if there's something missing, especially while Chet's unavailable, this would
be it.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
It's not gonna happen. We knows.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
We don't need to get all bent out of shape.
We don't need to, you know, drown our sorrows and
wing sauce. We'll be just fine.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Oh we're about to do that. Oh look it's time
to go to a break. Look at that.
Speaker 5 (33:32):
Well.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
In reality, while this was a tremendous involvement of yourself
in this best of X segments and selfish, I like
when that happens, we actually had another option, and we
can just fill one of the other fourteen segments of
the show with.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
I say segment, We're doing it.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
The Best Sports Talk seven to ninety contributor to the
X platform and others last night.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
Yes thanks to our friends over at Space City Home Network,
most notably Vanessa. Oh my gosh, if you don't know
you're gonna find out next You're not gonna believe what
you hear when you hear this next segment.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety Back to Adam Clinton,
had Adam Wexler, The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Back at you here on Sports Talk seven ninety, we
bring you our simulcast each and every weekday afternoon from
three to six on Space City Home Network. Today Rockets Basketball.
So we'll get you there for the seven o'clock tip.
Both networks, of course coverage beginning as we wrap things
up this evening we got all access and then pregame
coverage on the TV side, we of course bring you
(34:50):
Rockets Launch Pad into Rockets Countdown right here on our side,
and we appreciate everybody that, as always catches up with
us via the iHeartRadio app or typically right there on
your radio dial at Sports Talk seven ninety. So you
brought up the fact that thanks to our Space City
Home Network, sister Vanessa Richardson of course is with the
(35:10):
team there in Memphis for tonight's game, and Matt Thomas,
our Sports Talk seven to ninety brother, is with her
and the team there in Memphis for our coverage of
the game tonight.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
He'll be on the call.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
You will be here with him. I will head out
to Tom's watch bar.
Speaker 6 (35:25):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
I can't wait for one of our viewing parties. A
lot of good stuff going on tonight, so we can
come out and hang out with me. Right there in
downtown Houston, right across from Toyota Center for Rockets. Grizzlies
will have tickets Rockets tickets to give away tonight for
one lucky winner out there with us. So come on
(35:46):
out there, lower level tickets, hang with us, A great
place to enjoy the game. And I brought up those
two people specifically because Vanessa was nice enough to grace
our social media's with a performance, an unexpected performm it's
from Matt Thomas, and I understand this was just your
run of the mill eatery, but there was a DJ
(36:07):
and he had a well this is what's important. Matt
decided to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
This is not so like if Gordy were involved.
Speaker 7 (36:25):
Everybody, I here s this song sing as a song tonight.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
Well on in the melody and you got a spell, right,
that's it. Number ten to.
Speaker 7 (36:49):
Two Sports Talk Seminari.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
Tammer's show Bull He's in Memphis.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
Yeah, well, the iHeartRadio app is in Memphis too. That's
what he should have been saying and improved and to
each and every weekday afternoon on your iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
My favorite part of the revamped app is the fact
that you can save your selections, your favorites tabs if
you will, and yeah, you can.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
It's not just the station itself.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
If you want to listen to the A Team or
the Matt Thomas Show, that can be a save selection
a podcast if you will. So, like I was about
to say, we should make it very clear, this was
not a karaoke bar. They turned it into one for example.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
For a brief moment in time. Exactly.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
It's just a regular run of the mill establishment. You know,
if we were there in Memphis with say, hmm, let's
see who should I, oh, Chris Gordy, you would have
already been in a karaoke bar because it would have
been his idea and he would have forced you to go.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
There would not have been that song for you for him, No,
it would have been shut. It would have been shaggy
for sure.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
But the fact that he was singing Piano Man, which
is not an easy song to sing by the way,
it's it's rather high.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
It is, well, it's not low.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
Billy Joel sings it. Yes, so a karaoke bar should
definitely have it on its playlist.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
I do that.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it's not the
easiest karaoke song to sing. You can't just be anybody
and hit some of those high notes. I mean, he
was doing a pretty good job.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
I mean the non worded portion the law did he does?
Speaker 3 (38:20):
That's all low? What's the heart? I mean a chorus?
Speaker 4 (38:23):
I guess here's me being me. What's the hard part?
The chorus sing us a song? You're the piano man,
you need to go several octaves higher.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
I just listened to him.
Speaker 4 (38:31):
It was not that high.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Let's hear you. You sing everything else? Well, bring the music.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Well, Dan would have to get the music and then
fast forward it all the way to the first chorus,
which takes a while.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
Fine, we don't need to head down that road. I've
sunk plenty already. Every day you sing, we're only nineteen
minutes past. The last time I saw it exactly, it
was last segment.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
But yeah, I could.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
I mean, I immediately I saw this and ironically, I
was working on tonight's pregame and I was like, I
cannot love him anymore than I already do. I call
him my dirty uncle because that's what he is. But
he's just like for Matt Thomas to go turn a place,
and it's not here in Houston. Like you said, he's
(39:14):
teasing his show and the station in Memphis where I mean, frankly,
anything on our station is a better listening option than
the sports talk there.
Speaker 4 (39:24):
Shout out to Chris Vernon. Can't stand that. That guy's
just it's sufferable.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
But I hope that the Grizzlies and the Rockets become
a rivalry since the Grizzlies already have one established with
the Warriors. They always get into a little testy, heated exchanges,
but you've got the built in Dylan Brooks factor if
you want to go there. I think people were I
think that fan base was torn about how they felt
about Dylan Brooks. I think some people were fine with
(39:51):
him leaving. Others were like, he shouldn't let that guy go.
You know, he was definitely a part of the fabric
of what they were.
Speaker 4 (39:59):
When they initially made this run to being competitive a healthy,
Marcus Smart, no problem.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
That's why it was totally fine to let him go.
Is he healthy?
Speaker 4 (40:09):
It was totally unfine to scapegoat him, right, which was ridiculous, right,
totally unfounded and unfair. Things they have Marcus Smart can
handle a lot of the dirty work and the tough
defensive outside nights.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Well, he hasn't.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
He has not been very that the team didn't even
make the playoffs last year because they were so remarkably
unhealthy and so many players were unavailable, and you also
had this suspension to deal with.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
For some of that, Uh Morant missed time.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Some of it was injury related, but the first twenty
five games were suspension related. Oh look, they're they're not
even that healthy this year, but they're healthy enough to
be third in the West. If you want this to
be a rivalry moving forward, Odds are it is going
to be a rivalry moving forward. And this month, in
my opinion, is the launching pad they played early in
this season. I don't know what the Rockets are going
(40:57):
to be. I don't know what the Grizzlies are going
to be. Moran's just coming back. They've still got Jaron
Jackson out, so we'll see and the Rockets beat him
by twenty And now both teams have played thirty six
or thirty seven games, and they're sitting right next to
each other in the standings. They're both only trailing one
other team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. And they play tonight
and four days from tonight and seventeen days after that.
(41:20):
Three times in the next three weeks. These teams will play,
and it's going to go a long way towards determining
where they end up. Who might have a tiebreaker If
this determines it. The Rockets have a one to zero
lead in the season series. Obviously, this is fun. I
don't want to say it's a big deal. Less than
a week after I would not call the Rockets Celtics
(41:40):
game a measuring stick game.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
This might be more of one.
Speaker 4 (41:43):
I think they are going to be continue to be
much more competitive with the Grizzlies than the defending NBA champion.
Sharpshooting fifty threes a game Celtics that are almost impossible
for the Rockets to beat. Wonder what it will look
like when they get to Boston that is later this
month also, But yeah, this is the first night of
three games in three weeks with this team, it matters,
(42:05):
and I wish the Rockets were full. They won't be
for any of those games because obviously Jabari Smith Junior
will not have returned. And like you said in about
thirty five minutes, we're gonna let you hear from Ema.
Udoka made his weekly visit on the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross and gave a little insight on where things
kind of stand with Tarry Easton and some other parts
of what's going on with this Rockets. You'll get the
eighth start of the season tonight for Amen Thompson. They've
(42:28):
won six of those seven games. He's been remarkably good
in that role. He's been remarkably good period, but even
more so to help this team in need with all
the things that he does well. So, while you could
have it be a better time health wise to face
the Grizzlies, I don't really think the Rockets are in
a super negative position because two of their rotation players
(42:48):
are probably both unavailable.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Yeah, and again that was the most promising aspect of
what you'll hear emy Udokas say is that Tarr Easton
is trend he called anytime coach says trending towards you know,
positive positivity or something positive.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
I kind of perk up because that's that's their buzzword.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
It's almost like subconscious they know that that's the word
to use when it's actually legitimately getting closer to whoever
you're talking about coming back for contributions to your team.
Speaker 4 (43:18):
Yeah, when we get closer to game time, we'll know
more about their side of things. Marcus Smart is out,
John Morant, Charon Jackson Junior, Desmond Bane their best three players,
all listed as questionable. I don't think missed sometime recently
for their varying injuries. Draw has not played in any
of their last five games with his shoulder. Yeah, I
don't think John Moran's gonna end up playing. This is
(43:40):
just me personally. I don't think John Moran's gona end
up playing. I think Desmond Band and Jaron Jackson Junior
absolutely will. And that's going to be who you have
to deal with.
Speaker 2 (43:47):
Those two are going to be priorities one and two
for the ament Thompsons and Dylan Brooks's of the world.
And hopefully the Rockets can get this victory because I'm
guessing John Morant will probably be healthy enough to play
by Tuesday.
Speaker 3 (44:00):
Don't know, just playing a doctor on the radio like
we do.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
But that's gonna make things significantly better for the Memphis
side of things if that is the case. All Right,
you mentioned it, and I was talking earlier about, you know,
just discussing all of the football that's going to happen
over the course of the next few days, starting tonight,
and how I was talking about that earlier today and
(44:25):
kind of convinced myself on something. With the Texans Chargers matchup,
there is a there's a reputation on the line tonight.
Speaker 3 (44:34):
Actually there's two reputations.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
And if you talk about the entirety of this final
four in the college football landscape, there's actually there's four
reputations that are gonna be on the line and determined
over the next forty eight hours or so. We'll talk
about the Penn State side of things, and tonight's Penn
State Notre Dame lineup or matchup.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
I should say when we come back.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
The A on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong Houston
sports guys named Adam talking your Teams who series Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.
Speaker 2 (45:17):
A It is a Thursday edition of The A Team
Sports Talk seven ninety and Space City Home Network. And
if you're watching, you already know what's up here on
the show. Come on, you do, come on, what's up
It's gonna be there shortly, I'm sure it will be.
(45:38):
We'll have a wide angle shot of what's in the
room right now. Right now, you're looking at me, but
you'll be looking at a whole lot more when you
see what's in the studio. Big City Wings coming by
and absolutely hooking it up for us. They are a
sponsor here on the show, and we could not be
happier that Sam and Company brought by all the goodies.
Speaker 3 (45:58):
It's weird.
Speaker 2 (45:58):
People are coming in and out of the studio more
than they normally do this time of day. All Right,
So we've talked a little bit about the Rockets. They've
got the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, albeit both teams a little
banged up. Tarry Easton obviously not going to be playing tonight,
Jabari Smith's not gonna be playing for a while, and
then on the other side of things, Marcus Smart won't
be playing for the Grizzlies. You may or may not
(46:19):
have Desmond Bane John Morant in all likelihood out we
shall see. We'll get closer to game time, we'll give
you updates on all those things. Still, it's the two
and three seeds in the West with a half game
separating them, and the Thunder lost to the Cabs last night,
So every victory counts in the NBA season. You know
what's funny about that, Like every day I'd come in
(46:41):
mad about some sort of Astros loss, and you'd be like,
there's another one hundred and sixty one games. That's kind
of the same way in the NBA. But I think
because so many more teams make the postseason, which actually
is kind of an argument against what I'm about to say,
I just feel like they do count more. I know
there's half as many games, but they do feel like
they're a little bit more important, especially when they're of
(47:04):
this variety.
Speaker 4 (47:05):
Just from a should be more. I mean, it's great
to beat the Wizards by twenty three points. You were
playing bad basketball for half of almost half of the game,
and you probably still knew it didn't really matter.
Speaker 3 (47:17):
At some point.
Speaker 4 (47:18):
You're gonna make shots, they're gonna miss shots, you're gonna
run away from them. Doesn't always work out that way.
But more often than not, if you're the Rockets, a
good team, it is what happens. It's not the case tonight.
It's not the case on this last Homestand as much
as I think fans would have loved to see a
five and zero homestand the basketball, the entertainment value of
the product, like I expect tonight light years better than
(47:38):
what it was two nights ago against the Wizards. I mean,
there were a couple of nice highlights. There's some really
nice players. There was a twenty two point quarter from
Jalen Green. I'm not frowning on any of those things.
But playing against better competition when you're among them, finally,
that's what we all want. And you're probably not going
to win all of those games. You take care of
businesses against the teams that are in the seven, eight, nine,
ten and beyond spots in both conferences. You can absorb
(48:02):
a loss here or a loss. There are a couple
of losses here and there to the other twelve. There's
only eleven other teams besides Houston that are inside the
non play in tournament playoff picture. Because there's only twelve spots,
six in each conference. And the Rockets have already fared
very well against those teams, the ones that they have played.
They fared pretty well against that next tier, and they
fared very well against the teams at the bottom tier.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
And that's likely to continue. And once as long as
that does.
Speaker 4 (48:28):
Going out tonight and having a two point finish, a
game winning shot taken or made by one of these
two teams, and the Rockets head onto their next stop,
the last stop on the road trip, with a loss,
not the end of the world, probably means there's more
of the same coming when they play this caliber of team.
Because they're this caliber of team, I don't think there
are a lot of people out there that won't want
(48:49):
to continue to be wary of believing in the Rockets
because we're this deep end of the season.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
What do you need to see.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
You don't have to proclaim them a Western Conference finalist contender.
They are on the top two. There's only gonna be
two teams in the Western Conference Finals.
Speaker 3 (49:07):
That's fine. I wouldn't do that either. I'm not gonna
do that sitting here either.
Speaker 4 (49:11):
But not anticipating this to continue the rest of the season,
not acknowledging that they're one of the best five teams
in the West. I really think people are beyond that.
I think they're ready to acknowledge that. I think they
have to face reality with them playing all these other
teams in the West, beating all these other teams in
the West, you name it, they've played them, They've beaten them.
Every team with them in the standings, anywhere in the
(49:31):
top six they've played or beaten all of those teams.
Haven't seen the Nuggets yet, so that obviously does not apply.
They belong here. It's not just their record, it's how
they've played against those teams.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
So I'm here for it. We've waited for this for
a while.
Speaker 4 (49:46):
Both of us have been here at this station and
involved in Rockets broadcasts long before they went through the
three years of hardly winning at all, So we remember
what it was like when it was much more fun
for everybody to be locked in on a daily basis,
even on non game days, about what this team is.
Speaker 3 (50:03):
In store for the rest of the season and on
into the postseason.
Speaker 4 (50:07):
I mean, I'm totally fine saying I'm ready for the
postseason this year because I'm it's one hundred percent they're
going to the postseason.
Speaker 3 (50:14):
Oh, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2 (50:15):
I mean, they would have to have massive amounts of
catastrophic injuries for it not to happen. At this point,
even on January ninth, I feel very comfortable saying that.
And it's not just because so many teams in the
NBA make the postseason.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
So it's not that now you're gonna need to be
above five hundred. Beyond that, you know, anything else is gravy.
If you're above five hundred, you will probably be among
the top ten. If you win forty seven games, maybe
a couple more, you're probably gonna be in the top
six and thus avoid the playing tournament. And the Rockets
are obviously on pace for much more than that, a
(50:47):
much more than a fifty win season.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
Well, I mean, they were five hundred to end the
year last season, and we were all excited about exactly so.
And that's why I said what I said. I there
was two things coming into this season that I thought.
I said the Rockets were going to outright make the playoffs,
meaning they're not involved in the play in game, and
I said they'd have a better record than the Lakers.
I'm feeling very confident about both of those things.
Speaker 4 (51:09):
Yeah, Spurs have lost a couple in a row, the
Kings have won a bunch in a row, and those
are the two teams tied for tenth.
Speaker 3 (51:15):
They're eighteen and nineteen.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
The Sons, who were definitely watching closely, continue to sputter.
They're sixteen and nineteen. And the other three teams are
not in the mix, and even if New Orleans gets healthy,
they won't be. Portland, Utah, and New Orleans are three
of the five teams in the West that will not
be in the play in Tournament or the playoffs this year.
Houston and Memphis are two of the teams that were
in that five team group last year that are going
(51:38):
to make the playoffs or at least be in the
play in Tournament. So that's what's left to determine. Mavericks
are about to go through a stretch of games with
no Luca and no Kyrie, and they don't have the
Lakers immediately on their schedule.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
Which technically they're already going through that stretch because they've
lost games like that.
Speaker 4 (51:53):
Well, they just beat the Lakers soundly with neither of them.
Like I said, the Lakers aren't in front of them
both Memphis beat them is what I meant, because they weren't.
They didn't play in Monday's game. Those two Okay, both
LA teams are dealing with some other things. Unfortunately, thought
it was pretty embarrassing for people to be down on
(52:14):
Kawhi Leonard for reportedly leaving the team to be with
his evacuated family in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
One reason that's a big deal to anybody who's stupid,
by the way, is because he just got back.
Speaker 3 (52:24):
That's the only reason they're making a big deal about it.
Speaker 4 (52:26):
Again, I don't want to call people because they're you know,
egg avatars on Twitter or x or Instagram, but bringing
it together with yeah, what's new. He quit on this team,
he quit on that team. It's just it's really not
the same. I'm a little surprised the NBA wasn't already
postponing games. They, as I mentioned earlier, have now done
(52:47):
that with the Lakers home game for tonight being postponed,
and there might be more coming and there probably should be,
not just their home games, because of these are people,
not just the players, but everybody in the organizations that
have to I don't know specifics because we don't know
what everyone's family situation is. Like, but this kind of
(53:07):
matters more, and you can figure out a way to
put another couple of games in their travel schedule as
you have another forty five plus games to go, So
I do think the league will get there. So knowing
that if that was really the case and you obviously
did not play in that game, it was perfectly reasonable
to me at least maybe I don't know. I don't
know if I'm the minority or not, but you know,
the Clippers have played a lot better than people thought
(53:29):
they would. They've done it because Norman Powell has been very,
very good, and James Harden is still a much better
player than people want to admit, and al Kawhi Leonard
can give them thirty five forty games the rest of
the way, they're probably at least as good as where
they currently sit, which is seventh. Wolves may or may
not have some second thoughts about the roster they have
this year, so it's anybody's guess.
Speaker 3 (53:50):
Would blow it up in trade Anthony Rockets, That's what
I think they should.
Speaker 4 (53:53):
That would be awesome by my exarticipate that opinion. And
then obviously the aging teams that we talk about all
the time, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Neither of them can probably afford a major injury to
either of those any of those three players, Steph Lebron
or Anthony Davis, because they're already kind of just in
the middle of it to begin with. Lakers are four
(54:15):
games over almost halfway into the season. Warriors are zero
games over thirty six games into their season.
Speaker 3 (54:22):
You'll love to see it. These teams are.
Speaker 4 (54:24):
Destined, in my opinion, to meet in the playing tournament.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
I love that because you know what that means. That
means when the actual playoffs begin, one of them is
already out or both.
Speaker 3 (54:36):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (54:37):
I didn't even think of it that way. I know
they don't have to meet eliminate. Yeah, one would would
eliminate the other end a play in game. But yeah,
I could see that.
Speaker 4 (54:45):
Last year the Lakers were seventh and the war or
the Lakers were eighth and the Warriors were in the
other playing game.
Speaker 3 (54:53):
They both were in the playing tournament a year ago. Yeah,
it's time to move on.
Speaker 2 (54:58):
NBA fans, It's okay to root for a Oklahoma City
Cleveland game in the middle of January.
Speaker 3 (55:05):
And actually get excited about it.
Speaker 7 (55:07):
Yeah, moving on.
Speaker 4 (55:09):
The Raiders moved on from their general manager earlier this morning.
The Raiders, already kind of behind the eight ball with
decision making, proved it again. They didn't fire their coach
on Monday, but they did on Tuesday. Didn't fire their
GM on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, but then
they did today, reportedly to align their positions rather than
(55:30):
do what Tennessee is doing per se and having well
here's our here's our new GM. Ran Carthon. Yeah, well
he didn't get hired with Mike, so I guess we
got to get a rid of Mike Rabel. Okay, great,
now Ran Carthon can hire his head coach. Well there,
it's not really working out. We just hired the head coach.
Then I guess we gotta fire the GM, which they
did so in order to maybe avoid that. That apparently
(55:54):
is the thinking with the Raiders that they will hire
a GM and a head coach this offseason in law
step in concert with the GM in place first, and
then they can move on to seeing what draft pick
they have next year, which will also be very very high.
Pete Carroll interviewing for the Bears head coach job. Today,
he just won't. He's like a cockroach. Well, he left
(56:18):
as a successful coach. He wasn't leaving because he stinks
he can't do it anymore. I mean, they didn't have
a series of awful seasons on his way out the door.
Speaker 2 (56:29):
He outlived Russell So and I didn't have that necessarily
being the order of things that would that would go
down there in Seattle as the the good times came
to an end.
Speaker 3 (56:40):
Yeah, I mean barely.
Speaker 5 (56:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (56:41):
I don't want to make it out like the things
were great, but they had winning seasons each of his
last two years. They had another winning season this year
without him.
Speaker 2 (56:51):
He can coach, He can absolutely coach. Can James Franklin coach?
Speaker 3 (56:55):
I me can?
Speaker 2 (56:57):
But will he get a win when he needs it?
The mo as in, let's save his reputation tonight. Well,
to do that, you're gonna have to knock off Notre Dame.
We will discuss tonight's playoff matchup and obviously get into
tomorrow nights when we come back.
Speaker 1 (57:12):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety Back to Adam
Clinton at Adam Wexler.
Speaker 7 (57:19):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (57:22):
Eighteen, Continuing on here on a Thursday edition of the
program Sports Talk seven ninety. He's wex I may see
we are taking you until six o'clock tonight rockets Memphis.
You'll hear it and see it on both of these entities.
But there's also gonna be a playoff game. You know,
(57:45):
some people might be interested in, I'm guessing, especially since
the winner will face what we all hope will.
Speaker 4 (57:50):
Be well, I say all of us. Probably some Maggie's
out there that are rooting for Ohio State, but you.
Speaker 3 (57:56):
Hope that tex SEC. Wow. Well, if you are well,
let me let me start here.
Speaker 2 (58:05):
Where do you rank James Franklin on the likability scale?
And what I mean by that is just strictly you
think of Nick Saban. That's probably not the word you're
gonna use, but you respect him. But like just James
Franklin as a likable personality in the college football landscape.
Speaker 4 (58:23):
He has one thing going for him in that key
of Key and Peel does a debt on impersonation of him,
and he's appreciated that, and he's done it for him,
He's done it with him, He's done it at Penn State.
That's great and I think hilarious helps his likability scale.
Things that hurt his likability scale are how he acts,
(58:44):
like this year when they had the former players that
needed to be addressed by the university and he was
at the pody or at their microphone. They bring a
microphone out to the field and have him stand in
front of it and take questions from the assembled media,
and as they asked him questions about it, or one
question about he said.
Speaker 3 (59:06):
Nothing.
Speaker 4 (59:07):
He walked away from the microphone and asked the SID
who was there with him, to once again step in
front of the microphone and say, once again, we've provided
a statement on this, and I want anything further to say.
Speaker 3 (59:18):
Now, I get it.
Speaker 4 (59:18):
You got your ideas on how to handle it. Sometimes
you miss. It's a big miss. And he whether it's
the SIDS in charge, he's the head coach. We can't
talk about head coaches of college football programs anymore the
way we do, as in they run everything. They're the owner,
it's their university, and it's awfully close in some instances.
That's probably the last line where maybe they don't run it,
(59:41):
but they're the general manager of the football program. They
make all of the decisions. That was his decision.
Speaker 3 (59:48):
That's how we want to handle it.
Speaker 4 (59:49):
It's one of many times he's personally I thought, looked
very very bad or unlikable, as you said, And just
from the football side this year, to me so far,
even with their win last it's the same as every
other year.
Speaker 3 (01:00:02):
They have a really, really good team.
Speaker 4 (01:00:03):
Last year they did not have the other teams inside
their conference that they do now, so it would just
be well, when or if do they lose to Michigan
and or Ohio State, which is a common, regular every
year occurrence. And now even with them only having to
play Notre Dame, I mean, I'm kind of tempted to
pick Notre Dame. I don't think they have the better quarterback,
so I probably won't and they can get all the
(01:00:24):
way to the national title game. Mm hm, Well, the
simple answer was I'm not not a huge fan. I
can't deny he can coach well, but they're always in
that second tier technically until now.
Speaker 2 (01:00:35):
There's a reason I bring well, there's a couple of
reasons I bring that up and ask that specific question.
We have seen coaches in probably more often athletes over
the course of history, just not be able to get
over the hump for whatever reason, and I think the
way that they are perceived treated in the media definitely
(01:01:00):
just brought across by the various broadcasting slash media entities
that are out there, whatever they may be, print, screen,
social media that plays into that fair or not. You know,
journalism is probably officially dead as we knew it, but
because of what we're talking about here. But like, for example,
(01:01:23):
let's just keep it here at home. James Harden, great player,
couldn't quite get over the hump against the Warriors here
in Houston. That's just clo I mean, you can say
it's not as close as he got because he went
to the finals with the Thunder, but that was his
last year there. He was a six man and they
essentially blew it up not too long after here in Houston.
(01:01:44):
It didn't help his cause that he wasn't particularly well liked,
so that when you combine that factor with the fact
that he's not winning championships. That's the difference between a
guy like him and Nick Saban. You can be surly
or just unlikable in general for whatever reason, but if
you're winning, you get away with it a whole lot more.
(01:02:05):
I think me personally, it's just me that people relished
in the fact that James Harden and his brand of basketball.
They didn't like all of the ISOs, all of the dribbling,
too many free throws, even though these same people worship
Michael Jordan because he lived at the foul line himself.
But he was winning and James and he was marketable
and he was likable and James Harden wasn't, so they
(01:02:28):
would relish in that. I don't know that people are
relishing in the fact that James Franklin can't seem to
get over the hump.
Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
All I know is that you said it.
Speaker 2 (01:02:35):
He's not particularly well liked as far as his personality,
and he does how he there's others that agree with you.
Speaker 6 (01:02:42):
I know.
Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
That's why I asked. I knew you would say that.
But the bigger thing is, forget that he can't win.
The big one is his reputation right now, fair or not.
And he has to start tonight or it's gonna continue,
and probably it's going to grow louder.
Speaker 4 (01:02:55):
I mean, this one I think would definitely hurt. The
other ones are to me, so they're still a little different,
and I'd be on his side with this to a
certain extent. He's not the better team. He's never the
better team. That's why it uses every time. This time
it's different. They probably are the better team. I mean,
based on what they've done this year. I think it's
hard to definitively say Notre Dame is better than Penn State,
(01:03:17):
or conversely, Penn State's better than Notre Dame. Most of
these other years leading up to this, the reason why
they wouldn't beat Michigan or Ohio States because they weren't
as good as them. They didn't have as much talent
as them. They just simply weren't as good. They would
wait till the end of the season, they'd put this
nine to one record or ten and one record together,
they'd be on their schedule late in the year, and
they'd lose.
Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
It was just a common occurrence.
Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
Best team best Penn State team since ninety four, when
they easily could have been the champion but the voters
said Nebraska.
Speaker 4 (01:03:43):
I mean probably. I mean the thing is for as
much as he can't win the Big Game. I hear that,
and my immediate thought goes inside the Big Twelve. All
those years with Bob Stoobs and Mac Brown and the
Longhorns and the Sooners. When you know, Mac Brown's tenure
was great, Bob Stoobs won a billion more conference titles
than he did. But we have also put the not
(01:04:05):
big game Bob tag on Bob Stoops for some of
the what happened after You might be the Big twelve
champion and.
Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
Yeah, he's one one more important game.
Speaker 4 (01:04:15):
Thought, Yea, his team did belong there, should have come
out on top. He's the better team. Yeah, that would
be an example, LEAs they played pretty well that day.
I think people underestimated boises and statue of Liberty and
a botched wedding proposal even though they're still married. Despite
Chris Myers, yes, his tenure at Penn State, considering you know,
(01:04:39):
we're post Paterno and you get to Bill O'Brien and
you're trying to, you know, stay relevant basically football wise,
they were in the news, but not for football.
Speaker 3 (01:04:48):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (01:04:49):
He takes over in twenty fourteen, and since twenty sixteen,
I'm gonna guess there are five programs are less that
have more wins than he does. This is the fifth
time they've won eleven or more games. That number is
also gonna need to have to some we got to
figure out what it really means, because you're having an
(01:05:10):
opportunity to play a thirteenth game, or a fourteenth game
or a fifteenth game. But nonetheless, they've done a lot
of winnings since he's been there, just not championship football.
And in college football, that's way too unfair. I mean,
there's thirty there's twenty teams in the NBA in any
given season, really maybe twelve or ten.
Speaker 3 (01:05:27):
And if you don't win the championship when you're.
Speaker 4 (01:05:29):
One of the teams that could, and we get down
on you for it, like James with the Rockets, that's
a little more okay. Like his opportunity to win the
national championship has maybe come along twice three times tops,
with this being one of those years with the talent
that they've had, and that's the case for college coaches
in general. We're about to crown a national champion. If
(01:05:50):
Marcus Freeman wins, it'll be his first. James Franklin wins,
it'll be his first. If coach Stark wins, it'll be
his first. If Ryan Day wins, it'll be his first.
And I could say that about another one hundred Division
one coaches or more definitely more. Very few people currently
coaching in college football have won the national title. All
these national titles that Saban won, they don't count. He
(01:06:12):
ain't there anymore. The title that was just won by
coach Harbaugh, well he's not there anymore. He's not in
college football. College football coaches that have won the national
title also got smaller the day Mac Brown was pushed
out the door.
Speaker 3 (01:06:25):
Now he's not there. There's like none of them. There's
Kirby and a couple of others. Yeah, yeah, it's I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:06:35):
Man, sports has this in every sport but college football
and the turnover and now with you know, transfer and
nil and all that kind of stuff. It's it is
to me, probably the most I'll be honest with you.
It's why I I don't willingly not follow it, but
(01:06:57):
it is as it is sort of a turnoff to
me because of how much turnover there is.
Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
I just when't just happen. Well, I lay but people, yeah,
but yes and no, and I think this a play.
Speaker 2 (01:07:09):
Well, this certainly applies more to college basketball because there's
so many good players that are the one and dones
of the world. But people always ask me all the
time or the topic comes up, and I find myself
I feel like in the minority. Maybe it's because I'm
in Texas when I'm having these conversations a lot, I
am consistently in the minority when I say I enjoy
the pro football level better than I do the college
(01:07:30):
football level. And that's part of it. The turnover is
certainly a big part of it. But once you get
to this time of year, it's you know, I'm like,
it's like the NCAA tournament. I'm in, I'm gonna watch.
It's just the process of getting there. I'm much more
invested in the NFL because I just think there's more consistency.
(01:07:51):
But as it pertains to, you know, likability with James
Franklin and winning the That's what makes this particular college
football playoff so interesting this year because none of these
programs have done much of anything.
Speaker 3 (01:08:03):
I mean, the Ohio State was the last.
Speaker 2 (01:08:04):
One I think to win a national championship out of
these four twenty fourteen. I know I'm asking the exact
wrong person that, but yeah, I just I just feel
like that's that's gonna make this a little bit more
interesting than it would have been. We're gonna hear from
head coach Emy Udoka of the Rockets next.
Speaker 7 (01:08:23):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 1 (01:08:27):
Hey, it's Hunner Brown Drank three Catch every ass game
on Sports Talk seven ninety four, the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (01:08:35):
Home of your ash.
Speaker 2 (01:08:36):
Rous eighteam rolling along here on a Thursday edition of
the program Sports Talk seven ninety Space City Home Network.
We got Charles Davis of CBS coming up at the
top of the hour talk a little college football like
we were talking about last segment, but had a Emay
Udoka on with the Matt Thomas Show for his weekly
(01:08:59):
visit earlier today day here on the station, and the
Rockets head coach covered a variety of topics, obviously with
the game against Memphis tonight. Don't know exactly who's going
to be in and out of the lineup on the
Memphis side of things, but you're playing them tonight, you're
playing them again back here in Houston on Tuesday, and
they're the team that's a half game behind you in
(01:09:20):
the standings right now where you're the two seed in
the West. Here on January ninth, where obviously everybody predicted
the Rockets to be this year, so it's a big deal.
Whenever you're going to face any team that's close to
you in the standings, particularly the one breathing down your neck.
And so that is where the conversation begins from earlier
today with Rockets head coaching Ayudoka.
Speaker 6 (01:09:41):
Yeah, I mean it's another game, but you know, due
to our position in the standings, means a lot obviously.
And then I haven't seen them since the second game
of the season when they didn't have Jan Jackson Junior.
Some guys were missing, so be a good test for us.
But yeah, more about what we're going to do anyway,
and on to the.
Speaker 9 (01:09:57):
Next thirty points per game for jailing the last three nights,
shooting forty eight percent from the floor, forty three from three,
just seeing the ball go through the hoop.
Speaker 3 (01:10:08):
A little bit more better soot selection.
Speaker 9 (01:10:10):
And I feel like we kind of always ask about this,
but you know, the alpha dogs on the team, the
main go to guys, always get this kind of microscope
looked upon him.
Speaker 3 (01:10:18):
But it has been a nice run for him as
of late.
Speaker 6 (01:10:22):
Yeah, I mean sometimes it's just made a misshots. He
had really good looks at other games that he's knocking
down now. But I do say his recognition has continued
to improve, understanding how teams are guarding them when they're
trying to double team.
Speaker 5 (01:10:34):
Ring he's handled on the blitz is better.
Speaker 6 (01:10:35):
He's recognizing guys going under to ty to take away
his driving lane, and he's shooting the ball extremely well,
which opens everything up for himself and everybody else.
Speaker 9 (01:10:43):
You may have dooka with us here on Sports Talk
seven AI coach. When I run into Rocket fans, they
always ask me, how's Tarry doing?
Speaker 5 (01:10:49):
How's Tarry doing?
Speaker 9 (01:10:50):
And I don't mean to make you a doctor on
the radio here, but to the best of your generalization,
where are we on on tari I know it's got
to be frustrated for you as a coach to see
a young man who played so well for you first
quarter point of the season have to miss as much
time as he's done the last month or so.
Speaker 6 (01:11:08):
Yeah, So we're just being cautious and being smart about it.
You know, he went through obviously a surgery last year,
and so for us, we want to be smart with it.
You know, the pain is less than day by day,
and so he's trended in the right direction and when
he's ready to play, he'll be ready to play, and
so I'm not gonna make a hasty decision to rush
anything in December January. Want to be smart about it
and him when it really counts late in the season,
(01:11:29):
and that's where our depth comes into play. Other guys
have stepped up, but obviously he'll be a welcome sight
when he comes back.
Speaker 9 (01:11:35):
Is there a threshold he made that he's got a
wake up two three days in a row not feeling sore.
Is it a workout then followed by a good wake
up in the morning. What is your sports medisin team?
You got great folks that work with you. What have
they said about when it's time to push it a
little bit further into the testament to a different level
than maybe he was, say three or four days ago.
Speaker 6 (01:11:55):
Yeah, he's he's going harder on non game days and
seeing how he feels on game days. And so that's
been the plan as now and sometimes a little more
sore than others, but they're being cautious, like I said,
with being smart about it and really ramping up his
off days, and when we have two three good days
of the pain lessening and listening, he'll be back out there.
Speaker 5 (01:12:13):
And so that's the plan right now.
Speaker 6 (01:12:15):
He's been really good at you know, attacking the rehab,
getting after it in the workout sessions and so anticipating
to coming back soon.
Speaker 10 (01:12:21):
Rocketshead Coachimyadoka was here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 4 (01:12:24):
We had you on last week talking about the comments
from Kim Whitmore. Since then, how things been with him,
what you've seen off the floor and on.
Speaker 6 (01:12:33):
Coun's been good. He's been, you know, playing hard. You know,
I heard people mentioning body language or whatever. It seems
like people are kind of looking for something now, but
very efficient last game in Washington, eighteen points in seventeen
minutes on sixth race shootings continue to.
Speaker 5 (01:12:47):
Obviously, score is natural.
Speaker 6 (01:12:48):
Like I said, I'm always harping on your little things
of defensive things and you know, recognizing who is where
on the court and how we have to guard specific
guys and so that's always going to be the thing
with him and the young guys is defensive coverages, schemes
and knowing your per to know. So that's that's the
big thing there. Soft selection has improved vastly, and he's
then he's scoring it like he always does. So I
think people are making a little bit too much out
(01:13:08):
of nothing.
Speaker 5 (01:13:09):
For let you run reach Shepherd.
Speaker 9 (01:13:11):
I mean, my goodness, as soon as we finished playing
the game against the Wizards, everybody on the bus was
like watching the highlights and Jack Landell's giving me like
minute by minute of there's another three pointer for Reid,
He's got what do He finished with forty nine points.
I mean, I don't know if you want to put
that on the all time great URGV Hall of Fame
scoring for one night, but obviously he got down there
and got some of his mojo back.
Speaker 5 (01:13:33):
Yeah, it was good to see.
Speaker 6 (01:13:34):
We wanted to see some things from him to be aggressive,
confident and run the team and hunt his shots, you know,
guard defensively as well, and I think he did all
of the above, and so it kind of took and
it was it was pretty natural. It wasn't like he
was for thing. He took what they gave him, had
a bunch of walk in threes and he got to
go in there and so loved his aggressiveness. Didn't miss
a beat from not playing much with us, and so
(01:13:55):
obviously a good sign one of our most talented young
guys going forward, and have big plans for him, obviously
with the lack of time with us. It was good
to see him go down there and play a little bit,
and you're looking forward to get him back as well.
Speaker 9 (01:14:05):
Last question, where are we on Jabari? I know he
was with us, he's only with us on the trip here. Now,
what have they told you in terms of I know
that you mentioned a couple of days ago the media
that there was not surgery scheduled.
Speaker 3 (01:14:17):
Is that an option that maybe he can't avoid.
Speaker 9 (01:14:20):
That or is that ultimately going to be the plan
of action.
Speaker 6 (01:14:24):
Oh, he's looking at both options. You know, one takes
a little longer than the other, but they're both available,
and I think the rehab process is different with no
surgery and versus getting a pin in there, And so
he's figuring it out, looking at some second opinion doctors,
and he'll make a decision soon.
Speaker 3 (01:14:40):
That's that make a decision soon.
Speaker 4 (01:14:42):
Last thing he talked about, Jabari Smith Junior not yet
made that decision. He and the team figure out the
best course of action. That's one of the reasons why
he still don't have a timetable on that. Go back
to I think a topic that we didn't talk about
too much yesterday for a good reason, and if we're
(01:15:02):
to take emay out of his word, which I like
to do knowing I may. That's why we didn't social
media and very keen eyes want to make decisions about
what they're seeing with Cam Whitmore.
Speaker 2 (01:15:18):
It's look, you can read into a number of things
he said. I think as he phrased it, the body
language or whatever. That's a good way to put it,
because it's speculation. You know, he was on the floor
and probably didn't even have a good idea even after
having conversations. It's it does like I said yesterday, it
(01:15:39):
doesn't help Cam's cause that he did what he did
in the locker room after the rockets last went at home,
or a couple of wins at home ago. But there's
nothing going to be done about that now.
Speaker 4 (01:15:52):
If he didn't help him in the eyes of the
people paying attention, did it matter in the locker room?
Speaker 3 (01:15:59):
I can't answer that.
Speaker 2 (01:16:00):
That's the thing, and any even if it have you think,
is gonna tell us absolutely not right. So he handled
that about as well as could be expected, especially considering
who he is and how he goes about his business.
But I look, until it starts affecting them in the
standings and there's no reason to think it has. I mean,
(01:16:21):
if a guy has issues with minutes on the Rockets,
and that's exactly what's at play here, I'm not saying that.
I'm I'm just you know, speculating, well, until it affects
the team negatively. I think Email is the type of
guy that would say it's not an issue, because there
isn't an issue unless it's affecting the issue right now,
affecting the team negatively.
Speaker 3 (01:16:41):
Is the injury situation.
Speaker 2 (01:16:43):
That's about the only thing you can point to other
than they can't shoot the three ball very well.
Speaker 3 (01:16:47):
But again, I'm gonna go back to the original point,
the second in the West.
Speaker 4 (01:16:50):
Yeah, I mean, I don't I'm gonna say it's not
affecting the team or camuse the Rockets will take every
single forty eight percent shooter and forty percent three point
shooter they can get. That's what he's been for the
last ten games. Does it look like he's playing bad basketball? Nope,
Well that changes. Everything's fine, Everything's.
Speaker 7 (01:17:09):
Great, Punky Dory the Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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Speaker 1 (01:18:17):
All down the thunder, Well, now you got it, I'm glenting,
Adam Wexford, All.
Speaker 7 (01:18:23):
Right, Glenn, lets go. The eighteen continues on Sports Talk
seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (01:18:35):
Shout out again to Big City Wings for hooking it
up a lot of traffic here in the studio and
they're just following the smell right here to where we
do the show each and every day here on Sportstock
seven ninety and Space City Home Network Rockets in Memphis.
Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
Tonight.
Speaker 2 (01:18:49):
You heard from Emai Udoka last segment, probably about the
most positive I've heard from him about the Tari Easton situation.
And obviously we were discussing there at the tailor the
last segment about how he addressed the I don't want
to say cam Whitmore situation because I don't know if
there is one, but we do know that he had
a very peculiar meeting with the media following a win
(01:19:13):
in which he played very well and scored a lot
of points, but was not necessarily happy about whatever, either
his individual performance or his playing time. I think that
is what really started this into overdrive, as you know,
being a subplot or whatever you want to call it.
That interview like threw gasoline all over this whatever. It
(01:19:37):
was probably a little small dust up, but we shall
see how how it unfolds, because, like we said last segment,
if they're not losing, you know, if they're not losing
more often than they're winning, I don't know how it's
affecting the team negatively, but the upticking competition will also
bear that out as well. The Notre Dame Penn State
(01:19:59):
Game to night kicks off the first of two straight
nights where you've got the final four determining the national
championship matchup obviously the Longhorns and Ohio State tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (01:20:10):
That should be a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (01:20:12):
You know, I'm rooting for the Longhorns for selfish reasons,
but I also am rooting for our close personal friend
of the show, Steve Sarkas. I know that when he
joined us that was a that was a booster event,
was it not? I can't remember the exact parameters.
Speaker 4 (01:20:29):
I mean, as they come through several stops in the
state of Texas each year, whether it's the coach or
you know, Texas X's event or a recruiting event, they
happen to be here in Houston. Christale Conte was with
him at the time. Was that your first in person
experience with him or had you talked to him? That
was my first in person experience with him. Yes, wow,
(01:20:49):
tal Off after Gus genius cigarette Geez. The way you
presented it, I guess.
Speaker 2 (01:20:54):
I Come on, man, don't act like you didn't notice
his perfect tan in his slick delivery of Basically, he
regarded as a very sharp presenter of self.
Speaker 4 (01:21:07):
He's a lot of people give Laura I the missus
still the missus credit for that? Why you say still
because they were reportedly breaking up getting divorced, and now he's.
Speaker 2 (01:21:21):
Not even the latest high profile coach to maybe not
be breaking up with the misses.
Speaker 3 (01:21:27):
Who's the other? I can't remember.
Speaker 4 (01:21:29):
As soon as I said that, I want to say,
Lane Kiffin. Does that sound right?
Speaker 3 (01:21:34):
I'll look up the story.
Speaker 4 (01:21:35):
I don't think I heard anything about anything there. We
heard of this season with he and his daughter because
she became they became something on the old TikTok.
Speaker 3 (01:21:46):
I'll find it.
Speaker 4 (01:21:47):
He did a get ready with me with her on
her TikTok as they got.
Speaker 3 (01:21:50):
Ready for a game. Is that a dance or is
it a routine?
Speaker 4 (01:21:53):
Well, get ready with me? They're going somewhere. Do you
dance when you get ready to go somewhere? It's Lane
Kiffen and his ex wife Layla. Like I said, I
hadn't heard that.
Speaker 3 (01:22:04):
Well, I'm probably I'm over selling it a bit.
Speaker 10 (01:22:08):
There are rumors that they might be because they were
photographed together and then somebody had asked hard reset and
the daughter, Landry I think her name is, did get
involved and was kind of playing along with it.
Speaker 2 (01:22:21):
They divorced in February of twenty sixteen after twelve years,
did so with a joint statement that prioritize their three
offspring Landry, Presley, and Knocks. We are fully committed to
our kids' future being our number one priority. We will
maintain an amicable relationship with respect for each other as
we raise these three.
Speaker 3 (01:22:42):
Wonderful children.
Speaker 5 (01:22:45):
You like.
Speaker 2 (01:22:47):
Like Dan mentioned, there have been some things on social
media that kind of led into this speculation. But I
just so it's to me that the point of this
is it's so funny that it's like these coaches are
like it's like a TMZ story almost not TMZ sports,
I mean traditional TMZ just gossip about their personal lives.
Speaker 3 (01:23:09):
But that plays into these things.
Speaker 4 (01:23:11):
It only is because they have to be on social
media now. They do stuff on social media that isn't
only just recruiting at football, and some of the coaches
that have brought that into the public eye have really
done things that deserve to be scrutinized and have gotten
them fired, and a lot of them are in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (01:23:30):
Well that doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 4 (01:23:32):
I'm just saying, this is the conference we're talking about,
and sark and Lane aren't even involved. I don't even
mean that, I mean other coaches.
Speaker 2 (01:23:39):
Well, Big twelve drama is just not the same when
it comes to coaches and their significant others.
Speaker 3 (01:23:43):
Just can't hold a candle to it now.
Speaker 2 (01:23:45):
But in all seriousness, Steve Sarkisian just he had me
talking Lakers basketball, me talking Lakers basketball with him, and
my blood pressure was not raised, and I didn't even
get angry. So like, I don't know, I was a
fan instantly the minute he sat down for that interview
that day and it was hot outside.
Speaker 4 (01:24:06):
Well, unfortunately, some Longhorn fans had their heart skip a
beat and they got I think, bent out of shape
for absolutely no reason at all when Adam Schefter just said, hey,
I'm he wasn't even really a report, just one of
those things that they'll say. Don't be surprised if Steve
Sarkisan draws interest from NFL coaches. Everybody on the Longhorn
(01:24:30):
beat blasting it out to every possible follower on every platform.
They could have everybody on Longhorn Twitter. Oh my god,
please tell me no, no, no, okay, no, you're fine.
He's going to coach Texas next year. I'm not saying
it's never gonna happen. And I don't want to pretend
like they shouldn't have interest, because they should and they
probably will. So they're gonna play Friday Night. That's another
(01:24:51):
reason to hope they win, because if they win Friday Night,
then he needs to prepare for another game down the
road this season to win the national title. Something he
coaches college football, to do, something that will make him
a tremendous amount of money from the University of Texas
if he does, and then we'll be at January twentieth.
Speaker 3 (01:25:12):
NFL teams aren't going to be looking for him to
be their coach.
Speaker 4 (01:25:15):
I'm just waiting by January twentieth to give you the
hottest of hot takes you, right, I don't think, but yeah,
somewhere down the road, someone who's very very good at
coaching college football drawing interest from the NFL. If the
Adam Schefter report is the first time that you thought,
oh my god, he might leave for the NFL. Then
you're gonna get bet out of shape by a lot
of things. Steve Sarkisian is not going to be an
(01:25:36):
NFL head coach when the twenty twenty five college or
NFL season begins.
Speaker 3 (01:25:42):
Follow me. I've got about a minute to lay this out.
Speaker 4 (01:25:46):
Steve Sarkisian leads the Longhorns to their first national championship
since Vy on fourth and whatever it was at the
Rose Bowl. Jerry Jones calls him and offers him the
world to come to Dallas and replace Mike McCarthy. Well,
if it happens after they won the national title, then
he will have done one of two things with Mike McCarthy,
(01:26:08):
because it'll be after January fourteenth. We were talking about
it the other day. That's the date that he's under
contract till the fourteenth. That's why Jerry Jones can say
no to the Chicago Bears when they request to interview
him if he's not their head coach moving forward. I mean,
I don't know what you want to call that move,
how you want to describe it with an adjective. What
Jerry Jones just did very cowboys. Well it's not very cowboys.
(01:26:31):
It's just I mean I want to curse. Yeah, it's
not mean, vindictive, it's a bleep move. You're not gonna
keep him as head coach. You're not gonna come to
terms on an agreement on an extension. But since he's
still under contract, you're gonna prevent him from interviewing somewhere
else when you're not gonna keep him.
Speaker 3 (01:26:48):
Well, as Traditionarus Johnson, how he dealt with him after
what this is just forget previous anything.
Speaker 7 (01:26:54):
Don't do that.
Speaker 3 (01:26:55):
Well, I know, don't do that, that's obvious.
Speaker 2 (01:26:57):
But what I'm saying is that is a type of
high profile move that Jerry has done in the past
in various ways that he knows will get headlines if
nothing else. And he's coming off a national championship. There
are stranger things that have happened in the game of football.
Charles Davis coming up.
Speaker 7 (01:27:14):
Next The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two.
Speaker 1 (01:27:23):
Lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham talking Your Team Serious.
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.
Speaker 2 (01:27:35):
A four o'clock hour underway here on Sports Talk seven
ninety and Space City Home Network. We've got playoff football
all weekend long and since it's Thursday.
Speaker 3 (01:27:47):
As Charles Davis knows, the weekend is well underway.
Speaker 2 (01:27:50):
Charles Davis happy enough to join us, and we appreciate
the time, Charles. We've talked to you several times over
the years, looking forward to all of the fantastic stick
action throughout the weekend. But it starts tonight with Notre
Dame and Penn State, and then of course everybody here
in the state of Texas, or at least a lot
of us looking forward to tomorrow night's tilt against Ohio State.
(01:28:12):
Which one of these matchups is most intriguing to you,
and yes, you have to pick one.
Speaker 11 (01:28:17):
Yeah, I think Notre Dame in Penn State's more intriguing,
only for this reason. They seem to be a little
more of the match of which one finds a way through.
But you're essentially the same team, you know, like change
of uniforms. I don't know that Penn State plays differently.
(01:28:38):
I don't know that Notre Dame plays differently, Like they
are kind of the same type of a group.
Speaker 5 (01:28:43):
They're quarterbacks. That's what intrigues me the most.
Speaker 11 (01:28:47):
I think Drew Holler has made a nice jump this
year because prior to you worried about him being dependable
in bigger ball games.
Speaker 5 (01:28:55):
And I don't think we asked that question of him anymore.
He's kind of, you know, made his bones in a sense.
Speaker 11 (01:29:00):
And Riley Leonard, Look, let's face it, anyone follows college football,
no matter what a great job David Cutcliffe did and
re establishing Duke or really establishing Duke as a program,
and what Mike Elko did there.
Speaker 5 (01:29:12):
And you're still saying that's a Duke quarterback going to
Notre Dame.
Speaker 11 (01:29:16):
You know, I mean, no offense to anyone at Duke.
But we're talking football, folks, We're not talking hoops. It's different.
Speaker 5 (01:29:24):
And he went and did a tremendous job there, more.
Speaker 11 (01:29:27):
Than Illinois, notwithstanding Marcus Freeman, James Franklin, both them with
different pressures on them, but major league pressure. Don't don't
fool yourselves, maybe more on Franklin because in the Big Ten,
they can't beat Ohio State, you know that sort of
a deal. But I always laugh when my Penn State
friends get all upset over it. Now I just start laughing.
They're like, why are you laughing. I was like, ask
(01:29:48):
yourself this question, who is beating Ohio State?
Speaker 4 (01:29:52):
Isn't the answer Texas.
Speaker 5 (01:29:55):
You're hoping to find out that it's Texas, but it's
not a lock.
Speaker 11 (01:29:58):
And the other the other thing is they're like, well
Michigan has I said, Yeah, Now, I said, prior to
that Ohio State was running Michigan, I said, not many
people beat them.
Speaker 5 (01:30:08):
You guys act like, you know, it's a faded company.
It's not. They're very good. It's a good program. So
it's a tough deal.
Speaker 11 (01:30:14):
But I think that game's a little more intriguing Texa.
Ohio State's you know, obviously has its intrigue. But for me,
when there are two teams that seem to be the
same team, I want to see how you find your
way through. I want to see what advantage you can
figure out and try and gain and win that ballgame. Look,
I'm rooting for Texas over Ohio State because I'm an
SEC guy. Since Texas is now an SEC program, they're
(01:30:36):
in the family, So I'm good with that.
Speaker 4 (01:30:39):
I mean, farbi it from me, Charles, to try to
read between the lines and decipher what you're saying in
my own way. But it sounds like the two last
Ohio State team is unbeatable to you They're not going
to lose to Texas. I don't care what they did
in any other year. I only am looking at this year.
They've lost too.
Speaker 5 (01:30:54):
They're yeah, they're not unbeatable.
Speaker 11 (01:30:56):
They're not unbeatable, but they're playing the best out of
the pea teams left in this in this final four.
Speaker 3 (01:31:01):
Well, so okay, but they're not.
Speaker 5 (01:31:02):
But they're not. But they're not unbeatable.
Speaker 3 (01:31:04):
It's interesting you bring that up.
Speaker 5 (01:31:05):
Lost twice this year.
Speaker 4 (01:31:07):
Yeah, right, Why are so many people talking about them
as if they are Have.
Speaker 5 (01:31:11):
You seen have you said, have you seen them play
these two games? Yes, of course, Hey, they're pretty good. Okay,
so what.
Speaker 11 (01:31:18):
We've seen in these two Look, my Tennessee team, we
would like to say we didn't show.
Speaker 5 (01:31:23):
Up very well in play Ohio State. It had a
lot to do with that.
Speaker 11 (01:31:28):
Oregon was number one team in the country, had beaten
them prior to They ran them like like they were scrimmaging.
Is this They are hot right now and they're playing well.
So that's all I'm telling you, Like, I'll put to
you this way. If they played Michigan ten times this year,
that was Michigan's one win.
Speaker 2 (01:31:47):
Yeah, and I think that's what a lot of people
will point to is that game. But do you agree
with this, Like, just since we're on the subject of
of how well they're playing, is Texas going to be
the best defense they've seen all year?
Speaker 5 (01:32:01):
Yeah, I'd say yes. I would say yes.
Speaker 11 (01:32:04):
It'd be interesting to see how Texas takes it all
the way through because that Arizona State game put a
few chinks in the armor, you know what I mean.
So when you're looking at it and that Scoutaboo kids
a heck of a football player. Now, how the State's
gonna run Judkins at you, They're gonna run Travon Henderson
at you.
Speaker 5 (01:32:23):
You're gonna have to.
Speaker 11 (01:32:23):
Continue to get Scataboo times two. Are you ready to
hold up for that for for for an entire ballgame?
The answer is yes, Texas can no way, if stands
or butts. What they did with Arizona State impressed me.
Speaker 5 (01:32:39):
In this way they had the game. I watched it
a little bit.
Speaker 11 (01:32:43):
I was doing stuff getting ready for my games, and
every time I turned away and turned back, I kept saying,
there's no way Texas loses this game.
Speaker 5 (01:32:51):
Like whatever is going on, it just.
Speaker 11 (01:32:53):
Never felt like anything was gonna happen, and then it
all happened, right, So now we're.
Speaker 5 (01:32:57):
Into a ballgame Texas. It very easily found a way
out and not won that game.
Speaker 11 (01:33:04):
Like the momentum could have overwhelmed them, they didn't let
it happen. Fourth and thirteen and they stick it and
it wasn't fourth and thirteen and the ball tipped around
five times and found his way in someone's arms.
Speaker 5 (01:33:16):
That thing was well designed, well executed, and my man
stuck it. Boom. And then they went ahead and made
the play on defense and got it done. That's what
impressed me, because they had their chance to go back.
Uh God, we blew it.
Speaker 11 (01:33:30):
No, they hung in there and found a way through.
And it's gonna be a whiz bang of a game,
I really do. It's gonna be a lot of fun
to watch. And believe me, I'm gonna be hooking. I'm
gonna be throwing up the hook of horns because I'm
definitely rooting for the SEC squad.
Speaker 4 (01:33:43):
Well, hopefully when you're in the booth on Saturday afternoon
here in Houston, you'll be able to do that in
the fact that the game will have ended the night before,
but you're in the booth with your crew with CBS
Iron and Evan for Texans Chargers. You've had a bunch
of games to see what the Texans are all about
both of these last two seasons, which obviously is all
that matters. The Demiico will Anderson, CJ. Stroud era Texans.
(01:34:06):
Anything before that pretty irrelevant. But in your mind, can
they take what they did during the regular season and
pay it little mind and go out there and play
like a much more impressive team.
Speaker 5 (01:34:19):
Yeah, they can, because we've seen it happen a lot
in the NFL.
Speaker 11 (01:34:22):
We've seen it happen in college, where that second season
is different.
Speaker 5 (01:34:26):
It changes things. And you hear of coaches all the.
Speaker 11 (01:34:30):
Time talk about you guys spend more to talk about
us as media people, Right, you guys.
Speaker 5 (01:34:35):
Spend more time talk about momentum. Momentum is week to week. Man,
it's only at that moment at that time. It's not
carry over. Well, I don't believe that.
Speaker 11 (01:34:44):
I think it does carry over a little because I
spent time with this Houston franchise now in the last
few days, and they talk a lot about how much
they felt better coming out of Tennessee. Well, you beat
it a three win team. No one should care much
about it. But they needed that kind of a game,
right They needed to feel good about themselves.
Speaker 5 (01:35:05):
They needed to feel like stuff was working. That first
drive for CJ six for six. They needed that.
Speaker 11 (01:35:11):
Okay, so they feel like that can carry over for them,
and they're hitting the reset button.
Speaker 5 (01:35:16):
You start over again. You have a good football team.
Everyone's complaining about how they did this, how they did that.
I laughed at myself, but I said, yeah, but they
won ten games again. Two years in a row.
Speaker 11 (01:35:27):
They won their division two years in a row. Jacksonville
came all the way back.
Speaker 5 (01:35:32):
And beat Los Angeles in that playoff game.
Speaker 11 (01:35:34):
But two seasons ago, we thought they were ascending, didn't
we Right, Oh wow, Jacksonville. Look out, what's happened to Jacksonville?
Since that has not happened in Houston. That's why I
do think that this team can flip things, change things. Look,
the Giants have pretty good precedent nine and seven during
the season. We've seen a lot of teams not have
(01:35:56):
great regular seasons and somehow win in the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (01:36:01):
I think that they have what they're looking for. I
think they have the right quarterback.
Speaker 11 (01:36:05):
I like what they've done with the offensive line, because
I was surprised it took this long to get Titus
Howard to guard in.
Speaker 5 (01:36:10):
The first place. But yeah, can they change it?
Speaker 11 (01:36:14):
They absolutely can. There's no reason they can't. Now there's
a challenge there, sure, because Los Angeles is coming in
with nice They're coming.
Speaker 5 (01:36:20):
On a nice role. Right now, they're playing well.
Speaker 3 (01:36:23):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (01:36:24):
You would bring up the offensive line, as it's been
much malign this year, But allow me now to be
the one who's reading between the lines. Does this mean
that you're telling us that, unlike the next self proclaimed
head coach of the New York Jets, this will not
be a bye week for the Chargers.
Speaker 11 (01:36:40):
I don't see how it is like this Houston team,
because remember, you're getting al Shire back full time right
last week was his first game back. You got both
of your defensive ends ready to go, both of them
harboring a little What do you mean I didn't make
the Pro Bowl? And don't think for a second that
these guys don't use this, because you know they do.
Speaker 4 (01:37:02):
Right.
Speaker 11 (01:37:03):
You get probably the best corner in the game right
now in Stingley, and I love Lassiter. What's gonna be
interesting to me to say is who goes with Ladd
McConkie because he.
Speaker 5 (01:37:16):
Tends to operate out of the slot. Laughter can play slot.
Speaker 11 (01:37:21):
Does he go over there more in this game because
they like to use a lot of those five dB sets.
Does he go into the slot more? Maybe Okuda or
someone goes outside. Now that'll be interesting because I don't
know that Stingley, you know, does he go in there himself?
Speaker 5 (01:37:35):
Maybe?
Speaker 11 (01:37:36):
I feel like more like it might be Lassiter, not
just because they've played in college, but body type and
people working in the slot. It's a little bit different
than working outside and Stingley I don't think has to.
Speaker 5 (01:37:47):
Travel in this game.
Speaker 11 (01:37:49):
Like, you know, there's not a receiver outside of mconkie
that I would spend time saying, hey, you go get
him all game long.
Speaker 5 (01:37:56):
I just don't say it. I know Johnson had a.
Speaker 11 (01:37:58):
Big game against Vegas, but I don't think he's that
type of receiver that you gotta go. I'm going to
devote my number one resource to him full time. So
that's gonna be interesting to me to see what the
chess matches on that side and if they even do that,
or do they just kind of find a way to
double him without moving someone into the slot that maybe
(01:38:20):
whoever is there is one person and you have a
second person vicinity with him, cause you're gonna I just
gotta feel that Matt Burke and Demico Rimes are gonna
try their best to say, listen, if you're gonna throw
the ball, that rookie number fifteen is not gonna be
the one that shreds us I tend you to make
someone else beat me.
Speaker 3 (01:38:37):
So we'll say that name came up quite a bit
this week.
Speaker 4 (01:38:39):
And to wrap things up, Charles, as we let you
go the SEC mention you made off the top and
threw out. I'm not sure if you realize this. You
just mentioned six players in this game coming up. All
but okudah SEC football players. Charles really appreciate the time.
Look forward to y'all's call this weekend on CBS, and
thanks for joining us, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 5 (01:39:01):
Always great to be here. We're looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (01:39:03):
Take care, guys, awesome Charles Davis here on Sports Talk
seven ninety, Well react to that. We'll get to something
very annoying that happens every NFL hiring cycle for head
coaches as well.
Speaker 7 (01:39:14):
All of that straight ahead the A Team on Sports
Talk seven ninety Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler. The A
team now continues.
Speaker 5 (01:39:33):
A team We're.
Speaker 2 (01:39:34):
Rolling along here on a Thursday edition of the program
Sports Talk seven ninety Things again to Charles Davis, I
thought you guys were going to go at it for
a second.
Speaker 3 (01:39:41):
They're over Texas.
Speaker 4 (01:39:43):
I mean, I think he recognized it what I was saying,
and recognized what a lot of other people are saying.
And even when you talked about the Michigan and maybe
Texas is a better defense, just walk us walk everybody
back through the conversation. Ohio State has been playing great.
Ohio State is hot. Ohio States borderline unbeatable. They're clearly
the team everybody thinks is the best of the four.
(01:40:03):
They just lost to Michigan. Nobody can figure out how, Hey,
who do you think has a better defense, Michigan or
Texas Texas? What that's why they lost, right because Michigan
defended them so well? Right, so if Texas is better
than them defensively, but they weren't as hot then going
into the Michigan game.
Speaker 2 (01:40:24):
But you heard won every single game they say Michigan
ten times. They're gonna that's gonna be the one time
they beat them.
Speaker 4 (01:40:29):
Yeah, I did hear him say that. And I'm not
even I'm not trying to challenge them. What I'm saying
is I'm amazed that two weeks of good football are
two games. It's been technically a little bit more than
two weeks. Just completely makes everybody wipe out what just
happened one week before that. They they didn't lose to
Michigan in October or September. There was their last game.
(01:40:53):
That was their last game before they got to the postseason.
It's why they were where they were in the postseason
because they looked awful losing to an average team, not
a playoff bound team, not a team that can get
to the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (01:41:07):
Sure, it was their super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (01:41:08):
It is every year, and it's even more so when
your team's going nowhere, and that was the case for Michigan.
We're going to a bowl game. And no, I don't
think what they did to Alabama makes me think twy
go oh, maybe Michigan is good.
Speaker 5 (01:41:19):
They're not.
Speaker 4 (01:41:20):
They can't score at all. If they can hold you
to almost no points, they might be able to beat you.
And that's what they did to Ohio State. That was
within the last month's worth of time six week. That's
the only reason I can't understand it. I don't necessarily
think it's foolish to pick Ohio State. Clearly they're a
(01:41:40):
heavy favorite, and I honestly don't know that they don't
deserve to be a sizeable favorite because Texas. While they
might have a great defense, one of the reasons they
need it is because for much of the season their
offense has been a little bit too mistake prone, has
a little bit been too uncapable, incapable of finishing drives
(01:42:00):
in the end zone, putting up twenty five points and
then making it thirty five, and then making it putting it.
They have an offense personnel wise easily capable of being
one of the most high powered offense's highest scoring offenses
college football.
Speaker 3 (01:42:14):
But they aren't. They just aren't.
Speaker 4 (01:42:15):
And even to get to the thirty nine points they
had in their last game, clearly that took two extra
periods and a couple of more one two point conversion,
we're sitting on twenty four at the end of the game.
Their field goal kicking situation is obviously troublesome. I don't
think their kicker is terrible, but this is the worst
possible time for an ok kicker to look really awful
(01:42:39):
as you head into this part of the season. So
I think it's a little bit too much for everyone.
Just believe, wellhow Steak got high. They won their opening
game by embarrassing Tennessee. They won their next game by
clabboring the then number one team. But those listening to
this show, and I can't speak for Charles because they're
not sure what he really thought of Oregon over the
course of the year. But I can tell you what
we thought here on the show, and when I told
you many times over, deserve to be number one, clearly
(01:43:02):
the number one team in the country.
Speaker 3 (01:43:03):
Only team in the country that never lost.
Speaker 4 (01:43:05):
Nothing wrong with that, never looked like an overwhelming team,
never looked like an unbeatable team, not even everybody's pick
to win the playoffs needing. Just the three wins because
they were the number one seed, not that surprising they
lost to Ohio State at all. They beat him by
a whole point earlier this year. So the idea that
now they did clab room, which is credit to Ohio State.
(01:43:27):
They I mean the game was over at halftime. You're
playing the number one team in the country and the
game's over at halftime.
Speaker 3 (01:43:33):
That's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (01:43:34):
Mm hmm, so don't I don't really want to take
too much week.
Speaker 2 (01:43:36):
That's why people like Charles are saying what they're saying
about Ohio State going into this game.
Speaker 4 (01:43:40):
I think he has a healthy respect for both teams
and just feels, like what many others do, Ohio State
is playing better football. They might also be the better
team regardless of how they're playing, So totally leading on
Ohio State makes sense. I do think he illustrated they're
the same thing we're getting to. In the Texans game,
there are four teams left. Texas has momentum because of drama,
(01:44:03):
they they the way they won their game, the way
they overcame the hurdles. Ohio State has momentum because they're
crushing fools. That's the better momentum. That's the kind of
momentum you want. And I think, like he does, I
think there's carry over the same reason why the Texans
played their starters because they wanted some good vibes.
Speaker 2 (01:44:19):
Which but going back to Texas in the Arizona State game,
who do you give more credit to? Because they had
the sizeable lead, they probably left point. It feels like
they leave points on the table every single week, you
know what. It feels like that because they do. And
but but then to just say that Texas, you know,
(01:44:40):
with the penalties and all that kind of stuff, simply
shot themselves in the foot is not giving credit to
scataboo and everything else that Arizona State was doing on offense.
Speaker 4 (01:44:48):
Let me just shoot themselves on the foot. They just
got out played for two and a half quarters. Yeah, okay,
I guess that's a more fair way to say it.
Speaker 2 (01:44:55):
But I you know that In other words, what I'm
trying to get to, who do you think is being
overlooked going into this weekend's matchup more the Longhorns of
the Texans.
Speaker 3 (01:45:04):
That's a good question.
Speaker 4 (01:45:05):
That's a really good point because of the way that
they have played their respective seasons. The difference is Ohio
State is what people are making.
Speaker 2 (01:45:15):
It sounds to me like the Chargers, whereas the Chargers
are only favored by two and a half.
Speaker 4 (01:45:20):
Well, that's what we're the different. The Chargers aren't that
the Texans aren't welcoming the Ravens to town. They'ren't welcoming
some machine.
Speaker 2 (01:45:27):
And when they go to play the game season, right,
and when they go to play the Chiefs, should they
win the game this weekend and they're seven and a
half point dogs or whatever it is at Arrowhead, it's
not Burrowhead, I'll be like, yeah, I totally get that,
especially since they've already lost there this season once.
Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
Every year, almost every year there's a higher seeded team,
a home team that loses. This is gonna be the one.
Speaker 4 (01:45:50):
Well, I'm just saying it's gonna happen. And if it's
not this one, then they're not going to Kansas City.
If either Buffalo or Baltimore uses that shifts this winner
to that all is one of them, right, Yeah, because
you're the four seed, so a six or seven seed
will be advancing if there's an hour Baltimore is not losing.
(01:46:10):
Baltimore is definitely the best team nineteen teams in the playoffs.
They're playing the best football of all fourteen. They're the
number one team they're playing. I'm not saying they're the best.
I'm saying they're playing the best. They head in with
that same thing more than anybody else. They have more
momentum than anybody else. Right before they played the Texans,
that short week of us on the radio, I'd mentioned
(01:46:31):
their offense is machine like, their incredible, most difficult AFC
offense to stop. And their defenses they're they're playing better.
They were the best defense in the NFL the last
six weeks of the season. They're not just playing better,
they're out playing every other defense in the league, including
all thirteen defenses that are in the postseason. So I
would agree that's one I'll take off the board. And
(01:46:54):
they are the biggest favorites. So Baltimore not losing, Okay,
I'm with you. We'll go to the NFC side to
give you a little bit more time to think about
the Texans and the Bills, the home teams that you
do not have to say anything on yet, but we
mentioned there's one other team that's at home that is
not favored, probably playing in Arizona unfortunately, the Rams.
Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
Are they going to be a home team that loses?
The Rams are dogs point and a half to the Vikings. Well,
if they were going to play in LA, i'd say
no way. But since they're going to play in a
neutral's no.
Speaker 4 (01:47:31):
It's not about where it is, it's about what's happening.
If you think that's a factor to anybody involved. I
is it wrong to say I don't even know what
to make of the Rams. No, I don't think it's wrong.
I think their defense is probably underrated because what they
have up front is way better than people think. And
if not for the other ten rookies that had unbelievable seasons,
(01:47:53):
Jared Versu would be getting so much more love for
being the Probably when you consider the uncertainty as you
move through the draft, he might have been the best
pick in the draft, the smartest pick in the best draft,
the draft pick that worked the best for where he
was picked. And that's completely changed the outlook of what
they can do on that side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (01:48:11):
Their offense.
Speaker 4 (01:48:11):
When Williams is healthy and the Coup is healthy, and
Cup is healthy, and obviously Stafford is healthy, they're actually
pretty good. It just didn't happen a whole lot this year,
and they also did not play the final week of
the season. They weren't interested in what happened the final week.
They didn't care where they finished, and with that, they
got the vikings because of it.
Speaker 3 (01:48:29):
But of the exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:48:30):
But that's what I'm saying of the two four to
five matchups the Vikings to me, come off more like
how people are talking about the Chargers going into their
matchup with the Texans. Vikings have been awesome all season long.
Sam Darnold has been awesome pretty much all season long,
with the exception of that, you know, not great game
last game. Yeah, the game they just played. But I
that's the other thing. There is so much This is
(01:48:53):
why I get why Demiko wanted to play c J.
Stroud for a series, But that is so overblown to me, Like,
what did you do the last week going? I mean
we see this all the time in sports, not just
in football. Oh well they had that. Really they had
that dud to end the year. I don't know, it's
going to affect things. And then the next week they
go out and they look like the team we all
(01:49:13):
thought they were whoever we're talking about, and it just
nobody remembers that last game. That's what's gonna happen. In
my opinion, with the Vikings. Are the Rams a little
bit more distracted because of what's happening in their hometown.
Speaker 3 (01:49:26):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:49:27):
It can't be easy to have your family and all
that kind of stuff not you know, not be certain
about that kind of stuff your home all that. I
don't I don't even know how many players on the
roster are realistically affected by this. But it's not so
much about that to me. It's about the Vikings are
just clear cut better, whereas with the Texans and Chargers. Yeah,
the Texans have their warts, but I don't think the
(01:49:48):
Chargers are just overwhelmingly a better football team than them.
Speaker 3 (01:49:51):
Only Rex Ryan does.
Speaker 4 (01:49:52):
People are gonna pick the Rams, but I don't think
everybody feels the way he does. But they are going
to pick the not the Rams, the Chargers quite a
bit to be We'll look a little bit at those
other four games. We obviously hit our signature segment next,
and so there's quite a few things there to get into,
maybe NFL related as well. As we continue. It is Thursday,
on the eighteen.
Speaker 7 (01:50:13):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (01:50:17):
Well you can't see it now if you're watching on
Space City Home Network, but just a few short minutes ago,
this entire studio was covered with the products of Big
City Wings. Absolutely the best wings in town. And that's
good because they are Houston's wing joint. They have thirteen
convenient locations that they can give you everything you need
(01:50:39):
all weekend long, when you're watching all this football, when
you're watching the basketball, it's going to be Big City
Wings where you can go into any of those locations
and see every game we're talking about.
Speaker 4 (01:50:50):
Yeah, they were nice enough to hook us up with
some of that and a lot of the great people
here at our station. So it was like not quite
two for Thursday for us. It's like fifty for Thursday
for us, but everybody else it's two for Thursday all
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(01:51:10):
Citywings dot com to find the location nearest you if
you haven't been there already. Great to be working with
our good friends over at Big City Wings.
Speaker 5 (01:51:20):
You don't have to be a peppy get your lady
to work.
Speaker 4 (01:51:22):
At your command, mister Bunbee, that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:51:24):
Just asks you just my device to play Sports Talk
seven ninety on I Heart Radio.
Speaker 7 (01:51:30):
A new signature segment called What's Up with What's up
with that?
Speaker 5 (01:51:40):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (01:51:43):
I say, what's up?
Speaker 6 (01:51:47):
Do that?
Speaker 2 (01:51:50):
Can do this segment without that intro WEX and the
smooth stylings of his vocals. Here on our signature segment
for a Thursday edition of the program, It is what's
up with that?
Speaker 3 (01:52:01):
And I'll just give you the ingredients to this gumbo.
You can tell me what you think is gonna come
of it.
Speaker 2 (01:52:08):
Take one Diva Wide receiver, I mean Diva is putting
it very mildly. He's had one altercation with police that
we know of. He's got Drew Rosenhaus as his agent.
He's got I mean several incidents including a post at
(01:52:32):
least one post on x Twitter or whatever you want
to call it where he says it's time for me
to go coach, and he's got a head coach that
I think, at least in my opinion, the bloom is
off the rows. As they say in Mike McDaniel, what
is up with Tyreek Hill in Miami?
Speaker 3 (01:52:52):
I get it. He's already forced his way out of
one organization.
Speaker 2 (01:52:56):
He is the stereotype of every Diva Wide Wide receiver
we've ever known in the NFL. But he's not, however,
many years younger than he was when he got to Miami. Now,
in other words, the odometer is a lot more full
and there's other issues here, like what is going on
(01:53:16):
in Miami and is he going to be there next year?
This is like there's a lot of drama in this
situation for one team. Let's just put it that way.
Speaker 4 (01:53:25):
There's no question about it. And I think many people
have seen the presumed accurate audio clipped from in game
where it appeared Jalen Waddle on the fly was learning
that you're out, You're not playing, You're done.
Speaker 3 (01:53:39):
That's it for you today.
Speaker 4 (01:53:40):
And that's what obviously was some of the reporting after
the game that did Tyreek Hill say I'm done for
the day, I'm out, I'm not playing anymore than subsequent
posts which you brought up. You mentioned a lot of
the football stuff. I mean, the problem here with Hill
is that there's so much other stuff. It's not just
the football drama. It's not just well what do we
do with it and do we commit to paying him?
(01:54:01):
Although the football itself in both Kansas City and in
Miami it's been incredible, this year was a down year.
I think some of it can be attributed to Tie.
I think a lot of it can be attributed to
the quarterback situation, the time missed by Tua and then
the overall thing that their team just they just weren't
as explosive this year, and thus he wasn't as big
(01:54:22):
a part of what they were doing. You would have
thought he would have had better games once Wada went out.
You would have thought he would have had better games because,
as it turned out, to actually played way more than
people think he did this year because of how awful
the concussion look. But he only missed the time that
he was on IR four, which was four weeks, five
or four games five weeks. He had off the field
issues in college, which is why he was drafted where
(01:54:44):
he was. He had off the field issues in Kansas City,
domestic abuse, child abuse allegations and investigations, et cetera, and
yet his football commands him to be one of the
highest paid receivers in football.
Speaker 3 (01:54:57):
The aforementioned altercation with police earlier this year, that was
very good.
Speaker 4 (01:55:01):
That was to me, like the least of off field problems,
because it's just about everybody involved, including the other police
officers that weren't there, said yeah, it probably didn't need
to go down quite like that. It was. It was,
but it was a thing. He was on his way
to a game. Is the main reason it was a thing.
It's just you looked at it.
Speaker 2 (01:55:19):
Whoever's at fault or not at fault, it still was
huh Tyreek Hill something else, you know, That's what it
felt like. But I even though I agree with you
on your assessment of that particular situation, but yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:55:30):
He's just.
Speaker 2 (01:55:33):
They a lot of these guys that play the wide
receiver position have some sort of I don't want to
call it a stigma, but just you know, there's always
something outside of just this guy's amazing at football, at play.
And we've seen this going back a bazillion years. It's
there's far more exceptions than the rule. Jerry Rice, very
(01:55:57):
mild mannered, probably the greatest of all time at that position,
Andre Johnson here in Houston. But for every one of
those guys, there's ten Tyreek Hill, Des Bryant, Michael Irvin,
I mean, pick an Era pick a receiver. There's always
something with these guys.
Speaker 5 (01:56:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:56:13):
I have a hard time with this topic because I
think too many guys get lumped in, like what did
Michael Irvan do wrong?
Speaker 3 (01:56:19):
What it does Bryant do wrong? What Michael I do wrong?
Too hard?
Speaker 2 (01:56:22):
Oh my gosh, did you forget all the stuff Michael
Irvin did at the White House.
Speaker 4 (01:56:26):
Yeah, he snorted cocaine and had a drug problem. Okay,
So what did he do wrong from what we're talking about,
since being a diva and making his team worse and
putting his team in a bad spot and forcing his
way out being a diva?
Speaker 3 (01:56:39):
I mean no, what what do you mean? Nothing? He
didn't do any of those.
Speaker 2 (01:56:44):
That wasn't a distraction or because everybody else was doing it. Fine, Well, okay,
that is exactly right. We obviously so he's the problem,
but everybody was doing it. He's the problem. As long
as you win, it's okay, is what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (01:56:57):
No, what I'm saying is you just said, no, it
was fine because everybody else.
Speaker 5 (01:56:59):
Was doing it.
Speaker 4 (01:57:00):
I'm saying that's why he got away with it. But
why are you blaming him for doing something everybody was doing.
Speaker 2 (01:57:05):
I'm putting him on a list of names that play
the same position, they do the same things.
Speaker 3 (01:57:09):
No, No, that's not no.
Speaker 4 (01:57:10):
No, the Cowboys had a drug problem. They had it
wasn't Michael Uran's house. It was the White House. Did
he do the drugs, yes, so it was his house
and his drugs too. All by himself. I didn't say
that that's the point. But he doesn't get a pass
because others doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:57:25):
Why does it get put on him and not Nate Newton.
Speaker 2 (01:57:27):
Because we're not talking about offensive line in this segment,
we're talking about wide receivers.
Speaker 4 (01:57:31):
And I introed my part of this by saying, I
don't like when guys get lumped in just because they
play wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (01:57:36):
Why should he be lumped in with these divas?
Speaker 6 (01:57:38):
Well?
Speaker 2 (01:57:38):
I will say to answer that question, more often than
not this kind And I'm not saying drugs and all that,
but it's just the diva uh Moniker tends to find
wide receivers per capita, no doubt, That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:57:55):
Yeah, And I honestly feel the same way about Terrell
Owens And.
Speaker 3 (01:57:59):
That was another name positive way.
Speaker 4 (01:58:02):
Agent, but you know, and I would say similarly to
kind of take the other side only because that's really
what I think. Like Drew Rosenhaus gets looked at by
some as a bad agent. He's with bad people, he's
involved with them, thus the bat Oh, he's actually a
really huge unbelievable as he has a job to do
(01:58:23):
to lie to everybody is not to cover stuff up,
and it is to a certain extent to everything you can.
I think he handles most of these things, which are
some many times out of his he's doing damage control.
He's handling things the best way someone who wants the
best for that player before they ultimately have to say
goodbye to them, like what happened with Johnny Manziel's agency,
(01:58:43):
who is an extremely good agency, extremely well respected by
their clients and the teams, and eventually they had to say,
we can't and we're trying our best, we're doing everything.
It's we're ow, it's done. So I think Drew Rosenhouse
is a very very good client, very good age. The
only thing that can be proven is that my guy
a sensational athlete. No one else was consulted for Jerry maguire.
(01:59:04):
But and and I'm again on the what did you
do anti team? Like do you think Terrell Owens Eagles specifically,
because that's where but the Cowboys the Super Bowl and
he was out there when no other player would have, like,
he didn't hurt them, he made them better. The relationships
were awful. He's still fighting with Donovan mcnat That's what
(01:59:24):
I'm saying, but those two were in the Super Bowl,
so it's like, so now we can get back to
the part he called me out for the last time.
Speaker 3 (01:59:31):
But if you win, it's okay.
Speaker 4 (01:59:33):
But I do feel like that is that's what everybody
says about everything in sports ty Hill in Kansas City,
was it fine? Yeah because we won? Is it getting
less fine in Miami?
Speaker 6 (01:59:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:59:44):
Because they're not.
Speaker 4 (01:59:46):
It's pretty simple and he I think Tyreek Hill also
most people would look at this season and say it
was the worst season of his career. It wasn't awful,
but for him, and he was very unsuccessful. Wasn't a threat.
Deep did not help put points on the board. Other
things were at play, But who what's up with that?
Deevil Wide receivers.
Speaker 1 (02:00:09):
The A Team On Sports Talk seven ninety, Adam Clinton
sounds like this, Adam Clinton Here.
Speaker 7 (02:00:15):
Adam Wexler sounds like this.
Speaker 4 (02:00:17):
Hey, it's Adam Wexler.
Speaker 7 (02:00:19):
Which one is missing in Adam's apple?
Speaker 1 (02:00:21):
They don't be could eighteen continues on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (02:00:34):
It is the A Team Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (02:00:36):
I was trying to think of some other things that
we could yell each other at each other about during
the break.
Speaker 4 (02:00:41):
Uh, you can't underfigure that out until you get going
and realize, oh, I didn't know that was gonna happen.
It's not like we sit down before the show and
map out the show and say, you got some live
spots here, talk about big city wings there, and we
want to get to Charles Davis at four we gonna
send your segment at four thirty, two thirty, we're gonna
do Best of X. How about at four thirty we
yell at each other, Okay, what do you want to
yell about today? Because we've got to fabricate something, because
(02:01:03):
that's what people like to hear. They like to hear adversaries.
They like to hear people who disagree. Which point of
view would you like to take? I'll just take the other,
even if I don't believe it. Every day right.
Speaker 2 (02:01:12):
Not to take the peak behind the curtain and then
just violently take the curtains and yank them off the
windows and just let you hear into it. So a
there have been people here at this very station that
have done that, you know, the contrived Hey, hey, hey,
we're gonna do this, and here's how I'm gonna be
(02:01:32):
not really.
Speaker 4 (02:01:33):
For them whoever that might be not not curly, Well,
that might be true. But the other thing is what
he just mentioned. It's not like we sit down and
map out the show. Absolutely not. Now, we don't map
out the arguments.
Speaker 3 (02:01:47):
No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2 (02:01:49):
But but I if Wex had his way, I'm pretty
sure the show would be spreadsheeted to death. Three hours,
but at least three hours beforehand every day. Hey, nobody
got time for that. Me and this is not see
I think sometimes Wex and this is off the record stuff.
I think he personally takes it as an affront that
I am the way I am when he just doesn't
(02:02:09):
understand it has nothing to do with him. I have
been flying by my father. Brent has been in this
business for since God was a child. Okay, he is
the most prepared, professional, nice, just amazing human being ever.
I I'm none of those stakes on Business Radio eight
ninety six point No, no, no, you have to do
it with pipes from mount to a limp, Good afternoon,
(02:02:32):
four forty nine.
Speaker 4 (02:02:33):
Here Like he's just the antithesis of your age.
Speaker 2 (02:02:37):
I am a fly by the seat of my Yeah, nepotism,
all the things I've heard it all that's.
Speaker 3 (02:02:41):
All, I got my job and he just walked in
and said give him a job. I thought it was
because your wife.
Speaker 2 (02:02:46):
That's well, that's how I got my job back. You
have to pay attention to the narratives. The fat guys
that are unemployed come up with got it so, uh,
I just it's not it's not you, it's me. It's
like and Wex is over there, help me, help you.
Speaker 3 (02:03:00):
It's all good. I can't.
Speaker 4 (02:03:02):
I want, I truly do want AC to show me
the money. Absolutely, I do too. I want AC to
show Ac the money as well. But it's it's it's
slow man, it's only January.
Speaker 2 (02:03:10):
But going back to this topic, I do think that
in sports in general, that is a tale as old
as time, and if you can play, you're worth the trouble.
Kevin Porter Junior came up on the show yesterday. He
was worth the trouble until he wasn't anymore. And it
wasn't just because the Rockets happened to get better. From
(02:03:32):
a roster standpoint.
Speaker 4 (02:03:33):
It's sad that you bring it up in that there
was it's a similar situation to Hill. He just wasn't
as good. Yeah, that's true, it was he No, he
charged the Rockets thirty earlier this year. Yeah, there were charges,
and then obviously as the case continued and what it
got turned into and what it finally was resolved as
might not have been the same thing that initially had
(02:03:54):
or was alleged to have happened. But it's that that
part's not that dissimilar from some of the instances that
ty Hill had.
Speaker 3 (02:04:00):
Off the field. Perfect example of this.
Speaker 4 (02:04:01):
Tyreek Hill's a top five wide receiver. Kevin Porter Junior
is a DA one point a run of the Miller.
Speaker 2 (02:04:08):
Yes, and at one point ray Rice was a top
five running back and about the time he decided to
haul off and hit her, he wasn't anymore.
Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
So you're gone. It's as simple as that. Well, it
really is.
Speaker 2 (02:04:19):
At the end of the day, you're suspended and then
uh poof, you're gone. Anyways, as you're.
Speaker 4 (02:04:22):
Old at a different point in ray Rice's career, I
would be very sad had that happened, well in his career,
it would have been dealt with different We already know
it would have been dealt with differently if they didn't
have video of it, because it was dealt with and
then oh well, you guys had video all along. You
pretend like I got shredded and it was in a
drawer and nobody knew about it at that point, like
(02:04:43):
the government now, even though some running backs now their
shelf life is quite a bit different. He was at
three point one yards per carry in twenty thirteen. He
didn't have any more carries after that. Damian Pierce thinks
that's rough, not anymore. Well, after one week, that's this
whole season. This season looks great. Now, what is his point?
Speaker 3 (02:05:03):
What is his yards per carry?
Speaker 4 (02:05:04):
Well, when you're able to do that on nineteen carries
go for one to seventy six, Well, when one of
your carries is ninety two, but that also means the
other carries were actually pretty good. Yeah, it's true. You
put that many up the end of the season numbers.
Speaker 8 (02:05:16):
All.
Speaker 4 (02:05:17):
All we're going to see from this past season for
Damian Pierce is he only got forty carries. He got
two hundred and ninety three yards on those carries. He
averaged seven point three yards of carry for the season.
That's an NFL best, right, that's pretty good. What's Derrick
Henry's Well, Lamar Jackson actually led the league in yards
per carry and he's not even a running back unless
he's running the ball.
Speaker 5 (02:05:37):
He was right, he was right.
Speaker 4 (02:05:41):
That's a very misguided love it. I love it because
you got mad about something I said and continue to
bring it up. And yet I want to continue to
explaining that's not what I meant, that's not.
Speaker 3 (02:05:50):
What I said.
Speaker 4 (02:05:51):
I know I'm too sensitive and you're too sensitive. Well,
I built the graphic comparing Justin Herbert and CJ. Stroud,
and at the bottom of it, I noted their rushing yards. Ah,
not that it's a huge impact to either one of them,
but I actually think as this year went on, CJ.
Stroud was doing the right thing, running the football when
he needed to. Justin Herbert's way more capable of running
(02:06:14):
the football than anybody realizes. And I hope it's not
a factor in Saturday's game, because it absolutely could be,
and if it is, they lose.
Speaker 6 (02:06:20):
Well.
Speaker 3 (02:06:20):
If it is, it's what has.
Speaker 4 (02:06:21):
Happened with them against just about all the quarter I mean,
they should have beaten the Bills by a billion the
way Josh Allen threw the ball, and in the postseason
game when they faced Alan early in his career, they
could have beaten them by a billion. If not for
the way he ran the ball and the way Lamar
Jackson ran the ball four times against the Texans this
year for eighty seven yards and a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (02:06:41):
What's that yards per carry? And come on, do the math.
Speaker 4 (02:06:43):
It's just under twenty two. Okay, this is almost always
a factor. I think they might get something out of
CJ in that regard because I think it's it's gonna
be called okay are you?
Speaker 3 (02:06:54):
But okay?
Speaker 2 (02:06:55):
Since you said that, that very thing that scares me
because to me, IFDJ is running, that means you know what.
Speaker 4 (02:07:02):
I mean, when it's third and two and they run
the flow, all of the flow one way and fake
the hand LOFs, just run for five yards and move
the chains out of bounds. Hopefully, That's what I'm talking about.
Why can't you just slide.
Speaker 2 (02:07:17):
Because then you wind up smashed by Aziz al Shaher
when he's dirty.
Speaker 4 (02:07:21):
Can't happen to place with him. Maybe if you weren't
a horse, your neck would have gotten down soon. I'm sorry,
I'm such a bad person.
Speaker 2 (02:07:31):
He's like six foot nine. I gave myself up. Yeah,
but yourself is longer up here.
Speaker 3 (02:07:38):
On that disease.
Speaker 4 (02:07:39):
I'll share here front I will say if there was
going to be another linebacker to do that, it would
be someone they might be playing against. And it's a
former text and it's Denzel Perriman.
Speaker 3 (02:07:49):
H Denzil.
Speaker 4 (02:07:50):
You can hit now, that's all he can do. It's
one reason why they did not want him back. I
don't mean he's a bad player. I just mean you
to not fit what they wanted to do anymore. He
fit fine for one year. He's questionable. Of the other
players that matter that are questionable, JK. Dobbins, he is questionable.
Speaker 3 (02:08:05):
He's gonna play.
Speaker 4 (02:08:06):
He's gonna play, but he is questionable. It's truthful. It's
Quinton Johnson is the one. Quentin Johnston is the one
that matters the most. He did not practice on Wednesday.
He was limited each to the other days. In addition
to the thigh injury, he's been sick. So there's some
actual concern about that. They made Josh Palmer out for
the game.
Speaker 3 (02:08:22):
He will not play. That matters, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:08:25):
Charles Davis talked about Lad McConkie really wasn't giving Johnson
a ton of credit for what he did late in
the year. And that's totally fair, But he was really
just noting, well, after that, then what and that's true.
If the Texans are beaten by other players catching the ball,
then that's a big problem for the Texans, which shouldn't
because of who they have back there on the Texans front.
Only one player listed out and it's as expected it's
(02:08:45):
Shack Mason. They will not need to make a change
to their offensive line from how they were deployed last week. Audrey, Harris, Metchi,
taking Quittorreano all listed questionable, So a little bit of
concern in each of those cases about what their status
will be Saturday afternoon, before the Texans finish off their
season at home at all, not at all.
Speaker 3 (02:09:07):
We'll discuss that next.
Speaker 1 (02:09:10):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong Houston
sports guys named Adhaim Talking Your Team series, Adam Clinton
and Adam Wexler are the A team A.
Speaker 2 (02:09:38):
Football at five is underway, as if we haven't talked
about it enough today. But you know what, that's what
happens when there's a national championship to be decided, and well.
Speaker 4 (02:09:48):
National championship matchup to be decided.
Speaker 2 (02:09:52):
The actual championship won't be decided until January twentieth and then,
of course the playoff games on the DOC, the most
important of which happening just a few miles from where
we're sitting here in Houston when the Chargers come to
town one of several wild card weekend matchups. And then
there's everything else we've talked about football wise, you know,
(02:10:13):
like the Tyreek Hills of the world and everything else.
But there's no shortage of topics when it comes to
the NFL.
Speaker 4 (02:10:18):
Yeah, finished off with the injury updata for both teams.
Wanted to add something on the Texan side. I don't
think any of the injury designations for the Texans are
that meaningful in that I believe all four of those
players can be active if the Texans choose to. From
a health standpoint, I don't believe they're going to put
Quatoriano on the roster yet if the other three tight
ends are healthy, and they are, I'm not sure the
(02:10:40):
need for that. I'm not sure what he provides that
Irvcade and Dalton don't, and it also would necessitate a
roster move to do so. So I tend to believe
they'll be at least another week on him. If there
is another week for the team, you'll Mechi's situation. With
Deontay Johnson being here, it gives him some leeway, but
he practiced it on a limited basis yesterday, practice in
(02:11:02):
full today, albeit today a lighter day. I think if
they really feel the knee to have him on the
field and on the roster, I think he will be.
Same goes for Christian Harris, although ten times more strongly
he's playing. He's playing, and he's gonna play along Al
Shire alongside Al Shaire quite a bit in their game
on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (02:11:19):
I don't think there's much doubt about it.
Speaker 4 (02:11:20):
Might be at the expensive Henry Toata, and might be
at the Chargers now seeing a very different looking group
of Texans if all three of them are on the
field together, which also has been impossible for the team
to see. And Daniko Autrey, who I think they can
find a lot of use for. I thought he would
have a much more impactful season than he did, but
late in the season was dealing with a knee injury.
(02:11:41):
I think there's a pretty good chance again as they
look around their roster, might make more sense to have
him active as opposed to say Jerry Hughes or maybe
Kurt Heinish, so something along those lines, to me, probably
opens the door for one, two, three, or maybe all
four of them, probably three of them to be despite
being listed questionable. Mentioned that Mason is out, so the
(02:12:04):
lineup of offensive linemen should not change. I think the
team feels this way. I agree, and it's just to
how big a degree do you feel they have played better?
I think this week against the Titans, for both Mills
and Stroud, for a half when they're all five of
them were out there, they did provide better protection. I
think the same thing was true for the most part
(02:12:26):
against Baltimore. That may sound strange, but that's how bad
it was against the Colts, against the Jets earlier in
the season, not the first game of the season, the
second time they played the Colts, and in that stretch
Packers and Colts and Jets, they there wasn't any time
too many players were just absolutely blown up. And then
the game before to two games before that, I should say,
even with a different lineup of five, the final four
(02:12:48):
games Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens and then this last one against
the Titans, probably what they were trending in the right direction.
I don't want to be fooled into thinking oh they're good,
because they're not. But if you unfold the season the
way it was, you would be, oh, my god, they
have no chance. But this point in the season, they
actually are more suited to have a better day against
(02:13:12):
the Chargers team who their best asset or their best
statistic defensively is still one of the most important ones.
They don't give up a lot of points, but teams
were able to move the football and teams weren't under
siege all day. From a pressure standpoint, they didn't succeed
a lot. Again, it's all I need to hear. But
I think that I don't think it's an unblockable group
(02:13:35):
of players. Mind you, all year I've said.
Speaker 3 (02:13:38):
It doesn't matter who the other team is, they all.
Speaker 4 (02:13:41):
Get into the Texans backfield. That is still a major concern,
well until it proven otherwise, till the game gets played
and finished, it's a factor.
Speaker 3 (02:13:49):
And in that vein.
Speaker 2 (02:13:50):
And I know we criticize quote national guys often for
not really paying attention and watching the teams, and it
shows up when you hear some of the things they say,
and that's not what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (02:14:01):
Happen here.
Speaker 4 (02:14:02):
Are you surprised with how demonstrative Charles Davis was when
he said, I can't believe how long it took for
the Texans to put Titus Howard at guard, because I
really love the way the offensive line has been playing.
It's impossible for anybody to say that because nobody knows
what Blake Fisher's like. And that's the only way you
can feel comfortable moving Titus Howard there. You're in a
(02:14:24):
bad spot either way. Granted, he plays right tackle, so
maybe you could look at it a different way. Maybe
Charles and others would say, Okay, great, I know you've
got an edge rusher over there, so the right tackle
is important. Well, you might be saving his life by
putting your better player at right tackle, but you're killing
the offense by putting the weaker player on the interior.
(02:14:45):
Plays over, snap playover, snap playover, because you can't do
anything when the interior of your line is getting destroyed
in the manner that they were, whether they were getting
pushed back, or stunts and games up front were confusing
him so badly, or like free rushers, they only come
on up the middle on a delayed blitz or a game,
or you're playing the Texans and somehow the three guys
(02:15:08):
up front all slide left, and nobody's got responsibility for
someone who had their hand in the dirt and they
just get straight through. It can happen that ruins your office.
You cannot operate. So Blake Fisher proved to be at
the you know again, bottom tier. If you want to
give him the least grade possible from a verbal standpoint,
he's serviceable. I think he's played better than that, clearly.
(02:15:29):
I also think this is the first time Titus Howard
has played well inside, or it's the best he's ever
played inside.
Speaker 3 (02:15:35):
As an interior alignment.
Speaker 4 (02:15:37):
Jew Scruggs is playing similarly to how he played at
the other guard spot and the other center spot, So
that's fine. It's also better than Shack and their center play.
I told you this before the year started. I told
a lot of people this before the year started, and
I hated that the comeback was well. Scruggs is the
second round pick and Patterson's a sixth round pick. I'm like,
(02:15:57):
but they're both picked by the same guy. Is he
really so unsure of himself? Patterson was better than Jew
Scruggs last year, the whole year. No idea why there
was no competition for center this year. Made no sense
to me during the offseason, made no sense during camp.
And look where we are now. Jared Patterson back at center,
starting and playing much better than anybody else who's played
(02:16:20):
the position in the last two years. He got hurt
last year, or he would have been the starting center
for the whole year. And somehow, when they got worst
center play after the rookie sixth round pick got hurt,
they decided not to put him back there to start
this year. It's where they are now, and it's where
they should have been all along. That's one mistake. The
Kenyan Green the starter at guard when you get to camp,
(02:16:41):
when you break camp, why did he do something that
was pleasing to you in any of his games, or
at practice or in your scrimmages. Oh wait, he was
the first round pick of Knicks.
Speaker 3 (02:16:53):
I forgot.
Speaker 4 (02:16:53):
That must be why it made no sense. And it
took an injury to Mason, an injury to score Rugs,
and an injury to Kenyon Green for us to see
the five man line they're playing now. Never should have
taken this long. It's silly to care about it now,
I guess because here where they're.
Speaker 3 (02:17:11):
In a better spit decimation, is what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (02:17:13):
I mean, they wouldn't have made these decisions if these
players were healthy, which is baffling, mind boggling.
Speaker 2 (02:17:19):
But here's the thing. Would they have made changes this offseason?
I think that that's a good question. But who's protecting
these guys?
Speaker 6 (02:17:28):
Like?
Speaker 4 (02:17:29):
Is nickrea line coach? Is Nick protecting himself? At some
point the tape is there, like Domico can talk to
Nick till he's blue in the face. Is it time
to talk to somebody else that has more power than him?
Both of their last names is are McNair.
Speaker 3 (02:17:44):
That's it. That's the only the only people in the
organization has more power than him.
Speaker 2 (02:17:48):
If you're being realistic about the situation in what way,
well you're asking, is it he goes to them and
he gets some fired.
Speaker 4 (02:17:55):
I would agree with you, but I don't really think
that's what I'm not really trying to say that. What
I'm saying is we keep bringing up the same conversation.
We're not even to the off seasons, so we should
be pushing this off. The roster is awesome, except for
the five people that's start in front of him.
Speaker 2 (02:18:10):
That is why he's well, it's not why he's still there,
because when you make all that we keep talking about,
when you make all the good decisions that he has made,
then it's tough to acknowledge. Well, it's not tough to
acknowledge it, but it's tough to hold him as accountable
for such an egregious dereliction of duties, which doesn't even
(02:18:31):
apply because he did try. It's not to say he
completely neglected it. It just looks like he did, you
know what I mean, Like he didn't. He didn't not
do anything with regards to the offensive line. It was
just the wrong players.
Speaker 4 (02:18:43):
Could he He sunk so much money into all of
them with extensions. So call it a blind spot, call
it a weakness, whatever, I actually think it does outweigh
all that stuff, well.
Speaker 9 (02:18:53):
You can't.
Speaker 3 (02:18:53):
It's the most important position group.
Speaker 4 (02:18:55):
Not every GM could have gone out and put this
team together the way he did. A lot of the
other draft picks are better. You know, you look at
two of them before these last two years that we
usually throw away. He went up and got Nico Collins.
He also decided very boldly to draft Derek Stingley junior.
They're both those players rightfully, so are headed to the
Pro Bowl. They've played at an unbelievable level. One of
(02:19:16):
them's gotten an extension, the other one will get an extension,
most likely this offseason. That will be the Texans big
money splash this offseason and well earned. And the rest
of the roster in general, some of the other draft picks,
a lot of the free agencignies, a lot of Really,
this is why they have a good roster because of all.
Speaker 3 (02:19:31):
The good things he's done.
Speaker 4 (02:19:32):
But if you continue to do whatever it is you do,
and you don't do those things, like next year's team
can't be better, if the offensive line isn't better, you
can be the team that takes a chance on Ty
Hill if he becomes available. You can go out and
draft every other position you want. Find a new wide receiver,
find another outstanding pass catching tight end, Get a reserve
(02:19:53):
running back to spell Joe Mixon, go get another safety
to play alongside Jalen Petrie and keep Eric Murray off
the field, or replaced Jimmy whatever it is you want
to do, and they could all work. But if the
offensive line performs as they did this year, it won't matter.
They'll finish nine and eight, ten and seven or eleven
and six. They'll win the division again. The other three
division winners will have a better record. The Texans will
(02:20:14):
be the four seed, and then we can pretend like
we care that they got the three thirty start on
Saturday again next year, because they will.
Speaker 3 (02:20:21):
Do we really care at this point? No, I think
some people do.
Speaker 5 (02:20:24):
I know they do.
Speaker 3 (02:20:25):
You said we, and I'm taking that in this instance.
I mean you and me. I mean I know why
they got it, and I know why it's not going
to change until they do.
Speaker 4 (02:20:34):
Look at who they are and look at the league,
and look at the television, and look at why they're
not there. It's not that hard to figure out they
don't deserve it, So why can't we end the conversation, Well,
they don't deserve it.
Speaker 3 (02:20:44):
They didn't earn it.
Speaker 2 (02:20:46):
JJ Watt was you know, wreaking havoc let It's just
say in year two because year one and it's kind
of like the CJ factor. Yeah, he was awesome and
they still started at three thirty on Saturday. That team
was probably be more talented that group. But Matt Schaub
wasn't exactly a hot name, marketable quarterback.
Speaker 4 (02:21:09):
He is the opposite the most marketable quarterback they've had
is not the guy they currently have or Matt shob
just happens to be the guy in Cleveland.
Speaker 7 (02:21:21):
The a te on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 1 (02:21:25):
We now return to Adam Clinton and Adam Wexworth on
Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 4 (02:21:39):
Back at You five o'clock segment continues Little football last
segment some of the important football stuff that has nothing
to do with the Texans for the most part, and
we have not gotten a whole lot of today. As
I mentioned earlier with how many coaches are unavailable for interviews,
that just means the coaches that are available for interviews
are going to keep taking them and keep pushing the
(02:22:00):
other guys back in line. I do enjoy grading how
coaching interviews go based on the picture chosen by the
social media team that they send out of those coaches.
Chicago Bears just wrapped up a head coaching interview with
Pete Carroll. He's obviously in Seahawks gear, not a whole
lot of photos where he isn't, and they don't necessarily
(02:22:20):
need to go through the trouble of putting him in
something else or whiting it out. They haven't hired him
yet they're not going to put him in Bears gear.
That's ridiculous. What about Jets gear or any They shouldn't
put the prospective head coach in their gear period when
they announced he's the head coach, and they don't have
any pictures of him in their gear, go ahead, photoshop
the heck out of it.
Speaker 3 (02:22:36):
Get go to town, Pete Carroll.
Speaker 4 (02:22:38):
I assume this is one day when he was running
onto the field at the beginning of a Seahawks game.
Looks happy, looks like you know again, maybe they thought
it's an older coach. Maybe we should kind of show
an action shot and make him seem young.
Speaker 3 (02:22:50):
Fry.
Speaker 4 (02:22:51):
I don't know, Brian, so they when they went that route,
I had already planned on grading out which team is
going to hire Mike Vrabel based solely on the picture
they've chosen in their social media post that we have
completed our interview with and we now have a third
team in the mix, the Patriots. About an hour ago,
we have completed an interview with Mike Rabel today in
(02:23:12):
Boston for our head coach business. Remember, he can do
whatever he wants from an interview standpoint. He's not with
a team. He can make visits in person. He can
do whatever he wants. So this is the third social
media team, third team that's been able to do this.
He's in his Titans hoodie during some portion of the season,
probably during salutes a service. Maybe it looks like a
little bit of a camera look sometime during his Titans career.
(02:23:34):
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Speaker 3 (02:23:35):
He's not his bum Phillips get up.
Speaker 4 (02:23:37):
No, that has not been chosen by anybody yet and
I assume it will not. The Chicago Bears are also
a team that has completed a head coaching interview with
Mike Rabel, so their social media team had the opportunity
to make a choice. I mentioned Pete Carroll was their latest.
They did Anthony Weavers earlier today. Anthony Weaver, the DC
(02:23:58):
here in former defensive lineman and star of the no
longer airing the Anthony Weaver Show from many years ago.
Speaker 3 (02:24:05):
I co hosted that. He was the main host. I
was a part of it one time.
Speaker 4 (02:24:08):
At least he was very very good. The Cajun Ribbi's
very spectacular still being served. As a matter of fact,
the Raging Drew Petzig has completed his head coaching interview
with the Bears. Also, they were kind of up against
it in trying to figure out a great shot of Drew.
He's the OC in Arizona. He has hair like yours,
(02:24:29):
nice and Matt's. And if you glance super fast and
then look away real fast, you might say, hmm, did
they interview Jeff van Gundy? But I wanted to get
to the bear's picture of Rabel, Like I said, it's
one of three teams to have. They took a shot
of him in his Titans vest. He wore a vest
to coach, a lot Titan's vest. His headset is on,
(02:24:51):
his mic is pulled down into speaking position, and it
was a sunny day.
Speaker 3 (02:24:56):
He's wearing ray bands. This is about as cool as
you can look as a head coach.
Speaker 4 (02:25:02):
And Mike Vrabel, as we've discussed, Hey, which head coach
do you think would win a Royal rumble? Probably would
fare very well, and he will again be in that
conversation when he gets hired this year, losing to Dan Campbell.
This is the kind of picture that screams that's our guy,
this is our guy. Yeah, So what do you think
the picture of Mike McCarthy's going to look like when
they finally get to interview him. I think they're going
(02:25:23):
to have a head coach hired by then, even five
days away the fourteenth, when Mike McCarthy won't have a
contract with the Cowboys, that won't have his current contract.
Based on the fact that Jerry Jones told him not
to he cannot interview with the Bears. I hope that
means they'd made progress on his extension on a new contract,
because if he told him not to interview, and now
(02:25:45):
you're not going to mention this earlier, you're not going
to hire or rehire him. That's ridiculous. But the Bears
could very easily because by the fourteenth will have made
it through the weekend. And the addition, maybe the fourteenth
is a bit early, but anybody that there's six coaching
staffs who will no longer have football after this weekend.
Speaker 2 (02:26:04):
So again I'm gonna go back to my hot take
about it doesn't even have to be Steve Sarkesian. But like,
you don't think Jerry Jones once he's done with you,
you don't think he's capable of doing something like that.
Speaker 3 (02:26:17):
I really don't.
Speaker 4 (02:26:18):
I mean, I may sound naive, but this doesn't make
any sense.
Speaker 3 (02:26:20):
You don't do that.
Speaker 4 (02:26:21):
It's not it's a bad look in a way that
an owner like that would care. I know, we think
he doesn't care about coaches. It's just it's a mean thing.
It's it's unwarranted. Owners as dumb as owners might be,
as meddlesome as some of them are, as foolish as
some of them are, as very bad owners they might be,
they still don't often do things like that.
Speaker 2 (02:26:41):
But do you think he has made it? And for Sark,
I know, well that was that part of it was
just for effect. Because he coaches here in the state already,
he has a little bit of NFL experience. And the
funny thing is he would be perfect for the Dallas
Cowboys from a personality standpoint, I mean, slick salesman.
Speaker 4 (02:26:58):
I think he'd be very he'd be able to handle
what everything ever was going on there, But he'd probably
be able to handle whatever is going on with Jerry,
but his career. To me, actually, I think he could
be a very good NFL head coach. But I also
think the way things are in college football that we're
running out of coaches that I think can really excel
(02:27:18):
in college football.
Speaker 3 (02:27:19):
The current landscape. But he's one of them. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 6 (02:27:22):
No.
Speaker 3 (02:27:22):
I if I'm Texas, I'm doing everything I can to
hang on to that guy.
Speaker 4 (02:27:26):
It's a guaranteed race, and that's just going to be
the way she n if he just signed one a
week ago. I mean, it's just the way it is
in theory. But but have in your opinion, has Jerry
done enough to make Mike McCarthy think or no, I
(02:27:46):
guess that he is wanted to come back next year.
Speaker 3 (02:27:49):
Of course not.
Speaker 4 (02:27:50):
He's better than we do. So I don't know what's
going on there. But if he already knows that he
doesn't feel wanted, he should figure out a way. Okay,
well what are we waiting for? Well, that's what I
don't get. Just hold me to this contract. To hold
me to this contract for another five days, let.
Speaker 2 (02:28:03):
Me go, right, because you didn't think enough of it
to give me any rhyme or reason or of concrete
one way or the other all year.
Speaker 4 (02:28:12):
We don't know that because publicly he was pretty complimentary
of the job that he.
Speaker 2 (02:28:16):
Did, whereas he hasn't been in the past of other
guys that he was inevitably going to let go, like
say Jason Garrett.
Speaker 4 (02:28:24):
Well he never let go of Garrett. I mean, my god,
he was there ten years.
Speaker 3 (02:28:28):
Well, I just mean, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:28:31):
It's not that I'm just thinking that Jerry should just
be so obvious because everybody plays poker, obviously, especially ownership
during this kind of situation.
Speaker 3 (02:28:40):
But it's like, this isn't poker.
Speaker 5 (02:28:42):
Though.
Speaker 4 (02:28:42):
I know he's been a lame duck all year personally
with the landscape and the availability of interview candidates. I mean,
I have plenty of respect for Mike McCarthy. We weren't
super thoughtful or complimentary of the hire to begin with
in Dallas. His regular season tenure was very good. His
postseason tenure was a very very bad. Am I the Bears,
(02:29:03):
the Saints, the Jets. Who's jumping over themselves to get
to I said.
Speaker 2 (02:29:06):
This during the during August during training camp. If the
Cowboys don't get to the NFC championship at minimum, there's
no way Mike McCarthy comes back. They didn't even sniff
the playoffs this year, and we're still wondering about this.
Speaker 3 (02:29:25):
Well, I don't.
Speaker 4 (02:29:25):
First of all, I don't know why we are because
what Dallas does doesn't matter to Houston or really the NFL.
Speaker 2 (02:29:30):
I'm just saying we, being the football community that observes
everything that happens in football.
Speaker 4 (02:29:35):
The built in excuse occurred in Dallas, Dak. You played
almost an entire year without your number one quarterback, but
they before he got hurt. Doesn't matter at some point
should it shouldn't at some point during the season if
you get him back. They weren't even eliminated until the
final few weeks of the season. And I'm not even
saying Cooper Rush was awful because he No, he wasn't.
(02:29:55):
And there were a lot of other like this. Their
season was not just Dak. It was ra by injuries.
Their defense lost players left and right. They lost time
with Mike Haparty. This was probably the worst year of
injuries for them and quite some time, and certainly during
the Mike McCarthy era.
Speaker 3 (02:30:11):
And yet I feel like when they were completely healthy
they were they would not have been a player.
Speaker 4 (02:30:14):
Media, but again, I'm not telling you to use it.
I'm saying it exists.
Speaker 3 (02:30:19):
So Mike McCarthy's coming back, huh, it doesn't even matter.
It really doesn't.
Speaker 4 (02:30:24):
Well, it does the mic except for to the people involved.
Speaker 3 (02:30:28):
I know, people know that.
Speaker 4 (02:30:29):
Well, every time we talk about the firing and hiring
and all that stuff, and you know, black Monday coaches,
it sucks. It sucks for everybody involved. And then we're
talking about Mike McCarthy getting fired. Okay, so what about
the other eighteen coaches on staff? You got an OC,
you got a DC, you got assistant this, you got
a specialty. They're all in limbo too. They don't know
what's going on. They don't am I Am I now
(02:30:50):
looking for a team? Do I have a chance to
get this job? Have we been waiting for how many
days after the season to know what is our situation?
I mean when people are continuing to update their Okay,
there's now six head coaching openings and three general manager openings.
Speaker 3 (02:31:05):
Today's January ninth.
Speaker 4 (02:31:06):
Are they finishing off that post on X by adding
and we're still waiting on the Cowboys because honestly, yeah,
you are, because we have to wait at least till
the fourteenth if nothing's been done, because he is still
under contract and we don't know if he's coaching there
next year.
Speaker 2 (02:31:22):
But it doesn't the fact that they wouldn't even let
him interview kind of give you an indication it's supposed to.
And yet well he probably does no more than we do.
But I just from the outside looking, and I'm just like, wow, okay,
you've you've shown little to no faith in me from
the standpoint of I'm going to bring you back beyond
this year until just now when you're not letting me
(02:31:45):
interview for another job.
Speaker 4 (02:31:46):
And not much is going to be different from where
they finish this year and how next year begins, quite honestly,
because the Commanders are in the playoffs and won twelve
games with a rookie quarterback and a new coach. The
Eagles are going to have Jalen Hurts for the postseason,
so who knows how well that goes. But they are
another really good division winning product. And the Giants, well
they're probably in a better position than you except for
(02:32:07):
one spot, and that's but you have Dak Yuh.
Speaker 1 (02:32:13):
The Ageden on Sports Talk seven ninety cannon Ball weekends.
Speaker 7 (02:32:18):
Are better all the way with Astros baseball. Just tell
your smart device, let's up play Sports Stock seven ninety
on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 4 (02:32:34):
I don't know how it happened, but it happens every day.
There's a few items we need to dive into a
little bit more or introduce in their entirety because we
haven't gotten to them yet. That's what we do here
at five point thirty. In case you missed it, what
do we have today?
Speaker 10 (02:32:46):
Happy arbitration, a void and stay at least that's what
the Astros have been treating it like, because it seems
like they're coming to settlements with everyone, like Brian A
Bray you getting a settlement for just under three and
a half million, former World Series MVP Jeremy Pania four
point one million.
Speaker 5 (02:33:04):
Stick with them.
Speaker 10 (02:33:05):
He's gonna come back here right now because Mauricio Dubond
was douggled with four five million, and seemingly Astro's Twitter
is not too happy about that revelation.
Speaker 4 (02:33:16):
Well, then they're not paying attention out baseball work, so
it's okay. I'm not gonna get down on them too much.
They did agree to terms with every single arbitration eligible
player except for one, and they're not likely to revoid
arbitration with him, and that's from ber Valdez Isach Perettis
another player that was at the arbitration stage. They came
reportedly on all these fronts, they came to an agreement
(02:33:37):
with him too, Chaz and Jake and Luis Garcia.
Speaker 3 (02:33:41):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (02:33:41):
That's their entire group of arbitration eligible players. Those are
usually good vibe signs to figure out some common ground.
I mean they might both sides might not all be
happy on all of these deals, but they did avoid
the process that usually makes one or the other party,
usually the players party very unhappy. But no, I would
not expect them to reach an agreement, certainly not one
(02:34:03):
that was happy enough to get there. That they're probably
headed to an unfortunate ending with fromber Valdez and ending
to this arbitration season with him at a figure he's
probably not happy with into his career with the Astros
because they're not the team that's going to sign him
to a long term deal when this twenty twenty five
season comes to a close. But it is good on
(02:34:23):
the front for every other player. It's kind of where
are you in your career? Which arbitration year are you in.
I don't think anybody needs this explained to them, because
otherwise we would wouldn't have people up at arms. I
guess next season, Maurice U Dubon is going to make
almost one point six million dollars more than Brian Abrau
(02:34:46):
as they both reached an agreement today on a deal
to avoid arbitration. Does it make sense in a baseball sense, Yeah,
because that's how contracts work.
Speaker 3 (02:34:56):
That's what ye.
Speaker 11 (02:34:57):
I mean.
Speaker 4 (02:34:57):
It's total nonsense that Brian abray is making three point
four or five million and Mauriceo Dubon is making way
more than that.
Speaker 3 (02:35:04):
But it's totally normal in baseball.
Speaker 2 (02:35:06):
The only way fromber Valdez doesn't finish the season with
the Astros is if things go poorly and they're like,
all right, we got to trade him at the deadline
so that we get something a lah Kyle Tucker versus
just letting him walk at the end of the.
Speaker 4 (02:35:21):
Year they could get It would be tough because of
where he would then be. He's basically Useay Kakuchi, but
on a lesser scale. For you might I mean, like
the team that traded for you, say, if it wasn't Houston,
they might have thought, well, if things work out, maybe
we'll resign him. I told you from day one there
was no chance they were going to resign him. That's
exactly what happened, because if things work out, he's going
(02:35:41):
to make himself too much money, and they would not
have been the team to keep him. Whoever, that other
team I might have felt differently about that team. Let's
say he got traded to the Mets and he went
on a run for ten starts, they probably would have
resigned him. If he went to the Yankees and went
on a run, well, and again, they'd have to be
awesome at getting pictures to utilize their stuff, like Houston is.
So why would that have happened? Which I think you
understand my point. It would be pretty tough to get.
(02:36:03):
I mean, if you got one really good player and
really good player in return for fromber or should you
just wait? And I might be the only one that
thinks this. You get draft compensation when these players leave.
It's not the first pick in the draft, not the
tenth pick in the draft. It is a draft pick
commensurate with how other things in your franchise history have worked.
Which picks have you given away, which pixre you now do?
(02:36:26):
That player or players can really have value for you,
a lot of value for you. So I'm not sure
that even if things went that badly, they would ultimately
move him. But I just hope he pitches well, and
I have every reasonab believe because that's all he's ever done.
Will he's the ace of the staff Koees.
Speaker 3 (02:36:44):
This year, he's starting Opening Day. I believe he will
be starting against Wan Soto.
Speaker 4 (02:36:49):
In the Mets, and Hunter Brown's going in Game two.
Speaker 3 (02:36:52):
That is correct?
Speaker 7 (02:36:53):
And then go ahead?
Speaker 3 (02:36:56):
Is it Ronelle?
Speaker 5 (02:36:57):
I think?
Speaker 6 (02:36:57):
So?
Speaker 3 (02:36:59):
Is it crazy?
Speaker 2 (02:37:00):
We forgot about him when we were running down the
list of pitchers earlier this year? Spencer Arigat he's a
four star.
Speaker 4 (02:37:04):
He gets the start against JV and then the new guy.
Probably we'll see how Luis Garcia's health is. But was
Nesky's in a really good spot to maybe break the
season as remember the starting rotation.
Speaker 3 (02:37:16):
Luis got hurt last year. Correct, No, No, he's been
out all last year.
Speaker 5 (02:37:20):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (02:37:20):
He was targeting a post All Star break return. Oh god,
he had rehab starts. I forgot about all that. Sorry,
there's been so many what else do we have?
Speaker 10 (02:37:30):
All Right, So you guys talked about earlier the hypothetical
thrown out earlier today on one of the talking head
shows on one of the major networks about the possibility
of maybe Jerry Jones becomes enthralled with Steve Sarkisian and
if he doesn't bring back Mike McCarthy, he's a possibility.
That conversation continued with Dan Orlowski throwing out the possibility
that it's not just Sark that Mike get considered. Other
(02:37:53):
college football coaches could be up for consideration.
Speaker 3 (02:37:55):
I think many teams in.
Speaker 4 (02:37:57):
The NFL are going to want to talk to some
of the college football coaches. The College Football Playoff better left.
Speaker 5 (02:38:02):
If they lose.
Speaker 3 (02:38:03):
I don't think it's just Sark.
Speaker 4 (02:38:05):
I think teams in the Cowboys could want to talk
to Ryan Day. I think they could want to talk
to Marcus Freeman. I think that the way that the
NFL is going is trending a little bit towards.
Speaker 3 (02:38:14):
The younger coach.
Speaker 4 (02:38:15):
So Dan Orlowski thinks it's a bye week for Ohio
State apparently.
Speaker 7 (02:38:20):
I don't think he's.
Speaker 10 (02:38:21):
Saying that it's a bye week or even a bye
week for Notre Dame with Marcus Freeman.
Speaker 2 (02:38:25):
But he's got starkejan going on NFL coaching interviews after
they lose tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (02:38:29):
That's what I heard.
Speaker 4 (02:38:30):
I didn't hear anything. Thanks Dan, good stuff and thralling
what happened. Waste of time, Why not happening, waste of time?
The way the NFL is going, What are they doing
that makes you say.
Speaker 3 (02:38:43):
That they wouldn't hire a young NFL college head coach?
Speaker 4 (02:38:48):
Did I miss something? Am I talking out of turn?
It's just Dan Orlovsky's opinion. I agree, total waste of time.
None of that stuff's happening. Not one of them is
getting interviewed, not one of them is going to be
a head coach, and not any thing that's happened in
the NFL suggests, well, the way the coaching is going,
it's not going that way at all. Okay, then why
did guys like Chip Hell Chip Kelly get hired by
the Eagles like not that long ago?
Speaker 3 (02:39:10):
Did it work? I'm not saying whether or not it worked.
Speaker 4 (02:39:12):
That's why it's not happening now because it was a
humongous failure. And he's not like these guys that he's
talking about. I don't think we'll certainly not Sark.
Speaker 2 (02:39:21):
Just kind of done saying Sark could maybe be one
of the few that would be successful in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (02:39:26):
But that's not the w and it might happen. But
he's trying to say not not just sark they're good
college coaches. This is the way the NFL is follow
me isn't follow me on that?
Speaker 2 (02:39:37):
No, I agree with that part, but follow me on
this isn't the best option or the best compromise for
not using the retreads and not risking a first time
head coach going and getting a college guy who's won
at the highest level at that level because you're not.
(02:39:58):
It's not that he's inexperienced as a head coach, so
like also not a retrip failure.
Speaker 3 (02:40:04):
Well, they're not all failures. What are the successes? Pete Carroll?
Speaker 4 (02:40:08):
Okay, you asked, I gave one's a pretty good one.
What about Cliff Kingsbury? I think humongous failures so far?
He doesn't fit into the category you suggested. He didn't
win cussword in college football? Right, Jimmy Johnson, Yeah, that's
I love it. Perfect, perfect way to bring what you said,
(02:40:29):
Dan to what the other Dan said, that's what we're
headed thirty years ago? Was that forty years ago? It's
thirty I'm not saying what he's said these coaches aren't
worthy and might not be successful. I'm saying that is
literally not what is happening in the NFL. I'm going
to get welex of snickers during the time out here. Yeah,
it's good, but that's what he's tints people to hear
(02:40:51):
him say. I've always got a lot of hours to fill.
Speaker 5 (02:40:54):
I like him.
Speaker 3 (02:40:55):
Dan's one of the good guys, and I like that
ESPN likes him.
Speaker 4 (02:40:58):
But they put their people in a terrible situation because
they got to talk and talk and talk, and so
eventually they're gonna say stuff that makes no sense.
Speaker 2 (02:41:06):
How come I'm not allowed to not like Mina Kimes
as much as you didn't like what Dan or Loski.
Speaker 4 (02:41:11):
You cannot like something she says. You don't like her.
That's different just because of what she says.
Speaker 3 (02:41:17):
All the time we gave Dana. He said it this
time it's different the eight.
Speaker 1 (02:41:23):
On Sports Talk seven ninety, they say, you only have
one laugh, so we don't waste it being Dallas fans.
Speaker 7 (02:41:33):
Do sit back to Houston's eighteen.
Speaker 1 (02:41:36):
Alright, alright, alright, Adam Clinton, Adam Wexler on Sports Talk
seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (02:41:52):
I'm gonna read something aloud from the old next streets.
Speaker 3 (02:41:56):
I want to get your organic reaction.
Speaker 2 (02:41:58):
Wex you ready, Rockets coach emay Udoka says Tarr Easton
is out tonight. Nothing's changed with easan Udoka said, and
he didn't want to even say that Easton could hopefully
play in Atlanta or assign any sort of timeline. That
is from about fifteen minutes ago per Danielle Lerner of
(02:42:21):
The Chronicle on the road with the Rockets and Mores
playing the role permanently of Jonathan Fagan. So that to me,
I mean maybe I'm a little too close to the situation.
I'm a little too inside the bubble. Because imay Udoka
just joined the show that precedes ours, so we're talking
less than six hours ago was on here, and I thought,
(02:42:44):
my opinion hearing him deliver it that it was the
most positive I said this on the air, it's the
most positive update we've gotten on Tari Easton from emy
Udoka throughout this stretch of now ten games.
Speaker 3 (02:42:56):
He's missed.
Speaker 2 (02:42:57):
And again it's Twitter and I'm just reading text, so
there's no context or tone or anything that to me
sounds like he's either frustrated with answering the same question
and gave that response, or I'm not to be as
optimistic as maybe I was when I heard the Matt
Thomas show today.
Speaker 4 (02:43:15):
Well, in these two instances, they do only have they
do have an off day in between the tonight's game
and Saturday's game. Saturday's game is also at two o'clock,
so it's a rather different less hours to rest off day.
He means seven less hours. It makes a difference.
Speaker 2 (02:43:31):
So I can't I can't sort to interrupt, but I
can't ignore what he did say earlier today on this station,
which is that the pain threshold or the pain management
is getting lesser and lesser, and he's trending.
Speaker 3 (02:43:42):
He's trending.
Speaker 4 (02:43:43):
Yeah, I think it's accurate if I don't think he's
doing anything that he wouldn't really feel is true. But
whatever the situation is, whatever's causing the soreness, I feel
pretty they're just not past it. And when he spoke
earlier day, he felt like they were making progress. It's
probably true, and maybe they still made progress, but not
to the point that they want to put him out
(02:44:03):
there yet. It seems to me like he probably could
could be playing, but he'd be playing through paying Smart
and he'd be playing through Well. I'm definitely not getting better.
I'm managing it and I'm making my way to games.
Like if he was in his eighth or ninth year
and they knew how important he was to winning and
they were in a postseason series, sounds like he'd probably
be playing, and as soon as he checked out for
(02:44:23):
the last time, even if there were four minutes left
on the clock, he'd be headed back to the locker
room to start treatment like Fred van Vliet did the
other night. Because they're just trying to figure out how
they can manage his way through it with still forty
plus games left. I think they're not doing that yet,
and maybe they will later this year. It's awful that,
you know, we're one hundred and sixteen games into his
(02:44:47):
second and third seasons. He's missed seventy of those one
hundred and sixteen games. He played twenty two games last year.
He's only played twenty four games this year. And whatever
was wrong last year not corrected that. The worrisome part,
we're not. We're a year into it. There's nothing's changed,
nothing corrected from the surgery. He had issues making his
(02:45:09):
way to the court. He didn't have a broken leg,
he didn't tear his ACL, he didn't have surgery with
a six to eight month timetable. He's just had issues
figuring out he and the team, and maybe there's some
well we thought this doctor was right, and to turn
out he wasn't. Well, we needed a second or third opinion,
we went with the wrong one. There are a lot
of things that could be at play here, and they're
(02:45:29):
remarkably winning without it without him. I know there are
a lot of people who vary on their degree of
how awesome, how helpful? What kind of part of a
winning team is he?
Speaker 5 (02:45:42):
Here?
Speaker 3 (02:45:42):
In year three?
Speaker 4 (02:45:44):
I think he's an extremely important part, and I think
in playoff games you'd probably see it even more. But
they have enough firepower to have managed their way through it.
Now it's a little different this fourth game without Jabari,
and how many more games that follow it becomes more
and more difficult. But if we believe when we said
it at the beginning of there, I think we're seeing
why his team's deep team has tremendous talent. They don't
(02:46:07):
have top, top top end Anthony Davis, Lebron, James Lukadancic,
Kyrie irving talent at the top, but they're a lot,
I mean a lot better than those teams immediately after
that it might not sound very good because you're missing
the two stars, but they're awesome. After that, they're awesome.
They're number one. Isn't somebody else's number one? But you
(02:46:28):
can take it all the way down to ten on
the depth chart. I mean, they tried to make Read
Shepherd the back of point guard all year. They've upgraded
by giving those minutes to Aaron Holliday.
Speaker 3 (02:46:38):
That okay, that sentence makes me depressed.
Speaker 4 (02:46:40):
But but he's a perfectly capable rotation player, reserve point guard,
and he's the thirteenth the best player they have.
Speaker 2 (02:46:48):
I know, and I guess maybe I thought at this
point his Vipers debut, notwithstanding that we would have been
getting more from the number three pick in the draft
at the same position.
Speaker 3 (02:46:59):
Yeah, I didn't think that.
Speaker 4 (02:47:00):
On draft night, we had an extremely spirited debate about
what he might be able to do as rookie season.
Some thought, this is a twelve to fourteen point a
game score right out of the gate. Well, if he's
hitting threes, that's not that out of the question. It's impossible.
Why It's just you can't get that many minutes. It's
just That's why I said it then that it was
literally impossible.
Speaker 2 (02:47:18):
I disagree, And here's why Cam Whitmore was doing far
more with less minutes last year, which is probably why
he's pissed about his minutes if that's indeed what's happening,
which we don't know for sure, and another ploff.
Speaker 4 (02:47:30):
To even average that that's well my point. He averaged
twelve last year's averaging ten this year.
Speaker 3 (02:47:35):
But twelve is close to fourteen. It's close.
Speaker 4 (02:47:38):
I mean, I'll