Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is the A Team on a Tuesday, our first
show of the week following yesterday, we have a chance
to talk a little football here. Adam Wexler, Adam Klant
here with you on the A Team mentioned the Texans
change their financial structure. Just to touch Davis Mills has
been reups for an additional season with an additional year
on his extension, so he's now signed to the Texans
through this year and the upcoming twenty twenty six season.
(00:25):
Inside the AFC South is where we're going. We'll make
the tour around the division over the course of the
week leading up to the season. We start in Jacksonville
with Dimitriz Harvey joining us from the Florida Times Union.
Jacksonville dot com is where you'll find his work, and
some of that work was running through the entire Jacksonville
schedule earlier today. And I definitely want to get into that, Demetrius.
(00:45):
But first, if you'll allow, if you're on and you
can hear us very well, need to answer this two
questions real quick. Tell me who are these two gentlemen
speaking that you hear right now, duo, and.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
They will elevate our ecosystem. Who are those two gentlemen
are listeners here in Houston.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Just heard from jag Wars head coach Liam Cohen and
general manager James Gladson the New brain Trust.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
What are your thoughts about the new brain Trust in
Jacksonville before they each go into their first NFL games
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, in all seriousness,
it felt like it was time for the team to
sort of do a clean house. You know that not
everybody likes that term, but that's sort of what they did,
where they brought into young, innovative personnel people you know
in the head coach and Liam Pellen is only thirty nine,
and then James Gladston, I think is only thirty four.
So you know, those are two young, up and coming
(01:45):
guys who are supposed to transform this franchise. And I
feel like from what I've seen throughout obviously since both
of them were hired back in February, you know, up
until now, it just seems like they at least know
exactly what they want out of their team. They have
a vision and there's a reason why they turned over
nearly half the roster when it comes down.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
To the fifty three meter roster. And so yeah, you know,
so far, it seems.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Like they're on the right path, but you know, it
doesn't really matter until the game's happened.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Certainly not Texans on their schedule in week three. They
opened the season with the Panthers. Two big things clearly
on tap for the GM and the head coach. That
kind of will play out over time, the clear desire
to make it work and give Trevor Lawrence the opportunity
to make it work. But I'll start with the question
(02:35):
that rested on the GM's shoulders. He went all in
in this first draft and went up the board and
took Travis Hunter, who was probably not one hundred percent
as the season begins, but we'll see time on both sides.
So starting there, what'd you think of that bold stroke
and just what do you think of that player's immediate
and long term future.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, it was kind of it was kind of blat
Zone's first kind of show me sort of move and
in terms of you know, he had the talk about
being bold and to talk about, you know what he
has a vision for in terms of this franchise, and uh,
he really showed it to everybody on that day to
make that bold decision to move up sending away at
first round pick to the Browns and take Travis Hunter
(03:18):
and then to the Jaguars.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Spread it.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Yeah, this is this entire time, ever since you know,
Travis got on campus or on with the franchise, you know,
back in May, they had him sort of learning both
sides of the ball that this is not a situation
where they're kind of just throwing them out there on
offense or throwing them out there on defense. No, he's
in the meeting rooms of both and his position groups
(03:40):
and he's practicing on.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Both sides of the ball. And so far that experiment
has has looked good.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Obviously, we have to know what it looks like in
a game, but you know, they they they they've tested.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
It out a couple of times. They ran them in
team drills.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
You know, at one point he's a wide receiver and
then on the next play he's a corner. It's really
it's really fascinating to see, honestly, but yeah, you know it,
it's a situation where I think that they're gonna just
try it out, and I don't really see them letting
go of the rope until Travis maybe tells them and
you know, maybe this won't work out.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
In all the success or failure I think of the
jagsill ultimately comes down to Trevor Lawrence. And on September second,
twenty twenty five, what what does Demitrius Harvey think of
where Trevor Lawrence is in his career.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah, I think he's in He's in that sort of
middle ground spot where he's either gonna see Chriswinn at
this point. You know, it's it's your five and he
knows it, and he said it, it's it's go time.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
You know, this is the time.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You can't have a season like he had last year
where he missed the seven games. You can't have a
season like he had the year before where he was
banged up to end the year, and then they don't
want to miss the playoffs. You know, he has to
be healthy first and foremost, and then he has to
make the right decision with the ball. You know, coming
into last year, he was one of the most turnover
prone quarterbacks in the league. I think he had sixty
turnovers over his first three years in the league. And
(05:01):
that's that's something that you know, a guy like Josh
Allen can overcome.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
But Trevor hadn't shown that he has the ability to
do that.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
But with saying that, you know, I've seen Trevor every
snap he's ever played for or the Jaguars, in practice
or in a game, and I really do feel like
he's a guy who can propel your franchise and I
think that he can be a franchise quarterback.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
So we'll see if they have the pieces this year.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I said earlier, it feels like they want to do
everything to allow him to succeed. And I thought a
couple of years ago when they went all in on
free agency and all the money they spent on Christian
Kirk and Ingram in the group they brought in there,
I thought that was then, and then I look at
their skill guys currently. So I'm curious what you think
of that first round picks on wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
The last two years.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
They obviously hit big on Brian Thomas, and the hope
is they'll do the same with Travis Hunter. But it's
clearly just year two and year one for them, respectively,
the two backs that probably split time, and then their
group of tight ends. Do you think they have a
just an offense as a whole? Is this a plus?
Uster on offense or much more middling or below average.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Well, I wouldn't call it below average.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think that they've invested enough in the wide receiver position,
like you said, with Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas. I
do think Kylie Travis as a wide receiver. I think
Kylie more of him probably as a corner, but you know,
I think both both positions suit him well. And then
when you look at the tight end position, I think
Liam Cohen has shown in his time with the Bucks,
and then obviously Sean McVay has shown in the past
(06:28):
that the tight end doesn't necessarily have to be a
focal point of the offense. And I think they do
have a tight end in Britain. Strange who can become
that sort of safety blanket. So to overall answer your question,
I do think this is an offense that is a
little bit above average, or it can be, but we
really have to see it all come together. They shifted
the entire offensive line essentially. You know, three out of
(06:48):
five are two out of five, and really three out
of five are pretty much brand new.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
It's it's gonna take some.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Time, but I do think that this cast of players
is probably better suited for Trevor Lawrence and his development
maybe than the last one.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
You talk about the offense specifically a running back position,
especially with the way they they drafted, but also who's
been there and who's going to be a free agent
at the end of the year. What did What do
you make of that room right now? The running back position.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yeah, that's a question that everybody has. You know, it's
a it's a it's a room very much in flux.
I wouldn't, you know, for fantasy football purposes, I wouldn't necessarily,
you know, select from that group just because you don't
really know. You know, by week six it could be
Basel Twoton getting more of the slaps. By week ten,
it could be Tank Bigsby. You really don't know what
(07:37):
to make of it. But what I do know is
that all four of those backs have shown by the abilities,
you know.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Throughout training camp and throughout the preseason.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
We've seen travessy team obviously from the last few years,
saw what Tank Bigsby could do last year.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
But Baseial Tuton, his speed.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Is very evident, his power even is very evident, you know.
And then Laquaid Allen has done a great job at
pass blocking in and catching out on the backfield. You know,
if you guys think about it, you know, with Travis
Hunter being able to play it on both sides of
the ball, that kind of frees up a spot on
game day. So I wouldn't be surprised necessarily if the
Jags go into the game day with four running backs up.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
He went through the exercise over Jacksonville dot Com the
Florida Times Union of running through every game this season,
and these two numbers don't seem like that matchup. But
I think with your reasoning behind it, which I'll ask
you to give to our listeners, maybe it does five
and one finish in the division for the Jaguars, including
a split with the Texans home and home, and then
eight to nine is all they finished with overall, which
(08:36):
is still doubling their win total from last year.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
But how did you rationalize that?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Yeah, you know, I don't think very highly of this division.
I think that the Texans, you know, have shown faults
obviously in the past, and the offensive lind questions and
there's some there's some extra questions with that franchise. But
you know, I think highly of them enough for them
to split with the Jaguars or even swoop them potentially,
But as far as the Titans and the Colts go,
I just felt like.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
The Jaguars should have an advantage.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
You know, Daniel Jones in Indianapolis, and then you have
a rookie quarterback with Tennessee, so you know that in
terms of the division, I felt like that was sort
of more in a vacuum in a bubble. And then
the rest of the games, Yeah, you know, they can't
get over the hump against some teams that maybe.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
They should, like the Cardinals or or or what have you.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
But they do defeat a Panthers team, they defeat the Texans,
I feel like that that would be a pretty solid
start to the season. And yeah, you know, I don't
think that this team is necessarily ready to push throughout
the entire year, but that late season push could come,
and you know, it's only one or two wins that
could completely flip it over to a playoff team.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Four of the final six games of the season are
inside the AFC South only against the Titans and Colts,
so it certainly could play out that way. I'll look
forward to hopefully catching up with you again this season.
Two matchups between the Jags and the Texans and look
forward to reading more of your work.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Appreciate your time today.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Appreciate you guys. Have a good one.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety