Rockets Defeat Spurs, Nick Caserio Speaks, Caley Coming Back?

Wednesday on The A-Team, Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler share their takeaways from the Rockets' huge win over the Spurs, react to Nick Caserio's press conference, and discuss the likelihood of Nick Caley returning as OC.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Network in about an hour, as the simulcast will begin. Briefly,
we'll have a little shortened version of the show today
because we've got Longhorns basketball coming up on the five
o'clock hours. They take on Reed Shepherd's alma mater. How
convenient is that I remember? I'm old enough to remember
wex and maybe you are too. Early in last night's

(00:22):
Rockets game against the Spurs, when something called a Julian
Champenny was hitting like every three pointer he was taking,
and Reed couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, didn't
matter where he shot it from. And then the fourth
quarter happened, and man, that was satisfying about it, satisfying
as a regular season win in January can be. But

(00:46):
I don't know if I'm more happy about the comeback
itself or the fact that the Houston Rockets last night
basically rendered Victor wimbin Yama completely useless for most of
the game, rough shooting night for him, and down the
stretch as the Rockets were making their comeback and he
had wide open shot after wide open shot, they weren't

(01:07):
just misses, they were dangerous bricks where the innocent players
below might have lost an eye if they weren't looking
at the trajectory of the rebound. That's the kind of
fourth quarter it was for both teams, and at least
went on to come in here talking about how yet
again the Rockets rolled over. But I can tell you this,
it's not all well and good, because I do not

(01:28):
like thinking about extended life without Steven Adams.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
And that's what we started last night for your Rockets.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Pretty much a given, I think, with the way it
went down, deemed as an indefinite absence a Grade three
ankle sprain from the win over New Orleans obviously unavailable
last night, and several weeks from now, he may still
be unavailable. Rockets did not dominate the glass, although they
did enough to win the game. That is something we
may see more of them, not dominating, but managing to

(01:55):
do the things that they do well. They're thirty seven
percent three point shooting team on the season at shot
thirty seven percent on threes last night, and that is
something that obviously helped guide them to victory. Their fourth
quarter defense was spectacular. You mentioned Wemby having the inability
to make any of his six shots before the rebound
put back of No. Consequence with less than two seconds remaining,

(02:16):
so he was zero for six in the fourth quarter. Luckily,
his teammates were rock solid. They were six for twenty two.
Nobody on the team could make a shot the whole
fourth quarter, and it helped the Rockets tremendously, and that
they really were playing fine offensively pretty much the entire game,
even the first half when they trailed by double figures

(02:37):
for more than half of it. Because they couldn't get
any stops. Champagnie obviously caught fire. It's the second time
in the last three weeks he's done that. He had
an eleven three pointer game to close out twenty twenty five,
the most three pointers ever in a game by an
undrafted player and obviously the Spurs franchise record, and it
looked like he was going to duplicate that. Rockets finally

(02:58):
decided after halftime they were going to make a little
bit more difficult on him. He only had six attempts,
he only made two of them. They finally forced him
to take a single two point shot, which he air balled,
and they were able to catch up because the Spurs
weren't scoring on every possession. In the very same game,
against the very same team with no players unavailable in
one half versus the other, the Rockets gave up the

(03:21):
most points they've allowed in a first half and then
allowed the fewest points in a second half in any
game the entire season, wild because they cared a little
bit more in the second half to do the things
that they weren't doing in the first half. It was
the second time this home stand actually they held an
opponent to a new worst second half scoring performance. They
did it with the Timberwolves a couple of games ago

(03:42):
in another victory. Three games against teams that were ahead
of them in the standings when the homestand began, and
they got victories over two of them and moved up
in the standings by doing it. They also at the
halfway point of the season. But last night's game, quite simply,
I would say, in their eighteen home games, the eighteen
games play in front of the home fans and some
Spurs fans on one night, that was probably the most

(04:06):
entertaining game they've played all year, maybe just the best,
maybe the most rewarding, a lot of best, most superlatives
you could put on it, and the kind of thing
I'm sure this team wants to build on, knowing that
if we do this more often, and we do this
from the jump, we're gonna be in pretty good shape.
Twenty five and sixteen easily paces out to the exact

(04:28):
same record as they had a year ago at twenty
six and fifteen.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Double it.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
There's your fifty two win Houston Rockets team. I think
they're better than that. I think they can be better
than that, even though they're clearly a different team, much
better offensively, not nearly as good defensively, but certainly entertaining
for the crowd who was there throughout the first delay
and the second brief delay, both rim related on the
spurs end of the court.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
And there you have it.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
A five game homestand with the Rockets getting four wins
in those five games, still have a slanted row schedule
and two more coming Thursday and Friday night. We'll talk
more about that quite obviously, big game off the bench
for Reed, Shephard, a very balanced effort on the offensive
end all the way around. Otherwise, with amends sixteen, durance eighteen,
Jabari's seventeen on just thirteen shots, that's the Rockets team

(05:18):
we'd like to see. I'm sure moving forward with or
without some missing pieces. On any given day, there may
be a few out. You had the return of Tarry Eason,
but obviously, as you mentioned, the absence of Steven Adams.
Spent the morning over at the Texans facility for one
of the last times in a while with the end
of season media availability for Nick Cassario, very extended time

(05:40):
with Nick almost forty five minutes worth of questions. A
lot of the questions I'm sure you wish had been
answered during the season that still remain unanswered to this day.
To a certain extent, I think at some point we'll
realize that there are some meaning behind it and reason
behind it. Regarding Joe Mixon, similar positivity about Tank Dell's
return that we got from Tamiko O. Ryan's on Monday,

(06:01):
I think we got more of it today from Nick Cassario.
A lot of people feel differently about the exact words
that were used regarding the offensive coordinator. Didn't sound like
Demiko Ryan said he's definitively coming back when he said
I'm looking over everything this week, and Nick Cassario said
I anticipate him being back here, which can be considered committal.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Maybe it's not committal.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
He was asked a second question about it for some
clarity because Demiko had said we're going to spend the week.
Does that mean you got to Wednesday and you guys
have decided, because we know they talk all the time
in Casaria said, now it doesn't necessary. I'm not talking
out of turn, just just so. I don't know if
they have actually come out and said for sure, but
my opinion has not changed at all. The Texans offensive

(06:46):
coordinator position isn't open, and I don't believe it's going
to be open, and assorted other topics from the Texans
we'd love to share with you. You'll obviously hear from
Nick Cassio a little bit to get his usual some
good answers, some not seej Stroud extension capable extension window
has opened this offseason, same for Roll Anderson junior. What

(07:07):
did Nick have to say about those things? And then
maybe to the play itself for the team over there,
ten straight wins, their twelve win regular season. They're nineteen
game season that ended in the exact same place it's
ended each of the last three years, on the road
in the divisional round, in a game they lost by
more than one score. In rather disappointing fashion.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah, I'm fascinated by the NFL each and every year
for a variety of different reasons. And it doesn't matter
what month you are in on the calendar. There's always
juicy storylines, there's always subplots to follow, and that typically
applies both locally and nationally, and that certainly applies this offseason.

(07:50):
Just from the few snippets I have heard of Nick Cassario,
it's about what I predicted we would get from him today.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
Not completely, but most of the big.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Topics that I think he tackled, if you want to
call it that, were you know, textbook Casario answers. But
I'm just there is another national subplot as it pertains
to a quarterback who had a rough outing in the
postseason again and how his team is conducting itself. And
I got to tell you, I am fascinated to keep

(08:22):
an eye on the Buffalo Bills because I have never
I mean, we just got done talking about Nick Cassario
meeting with the media, and this is something that happens
with a lot of teams this time of year, especially
ones that make the postseason. This is kind of that
part of the week after you've been eliminated. Where this
kind of thing happens, I don't know that I've ever
seen what happened with the owner and GM of the.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Buffalo Bills earlier today. So why owners don't talk very often?
Mostly time. Not all owners are the same, but I
think the people that work for those owners that are
paid to do their job as well as possible in
the communications public relations, media relations departments, communications departments, they
do their best to shield them when they know that

(09:06):
is necessary. And for the most part, I don't think
we've had a lot of lengthy visits from this owner
in ownership group, ownership family in Buffalo, they haven't been
the owners for an extended period of time. As it
relates to the rest of the league and many other
ownership groups, time and charge, and I think today probably
showed why if you work for the Bills and you're

(09:27):
not the owner who obviously doesn't work for him, it's
your team. Your situation was upset a little bit. If
you're the GM, you look bad. If you're a player
on the team, you look bad. If you're the outgoing coach,
it looks bad for you and everything else that goes
along with it. Definitely some things to dissect from them,
because consider where they were just a couple of days

(09:49):
ago in that particular game. No, let they're in overtime.
They're about to advance to the conference title game. They
needed to score late to force overtime, and they did,
and they had the ball in overtime themselves in a
position to go out and win the game outright in
the new format, newish format of overtime rules. But because

(10:10):
of what the owners saw in the locker room after
the game. He said, yeah, I made these changes because
what I saw in the locker room after the game.
Josh Allen's performance I think was much more of an
aberration postseason wise than another postseason perform. They've lost in
the postseason every year. They've lost before they've reached the
super Bowl every year. That's the constant with Sean McDermott
and Josh Allen. Normally, the story that goes with it

(10:34):
is how could they lose with how well the offense
and Josh Allen played. They lost a game when they
scored thirty points. But he is at fault for all
the mistakes, great enormous avoidable for turnover mistakes that he made.
They scored thirty points in this game, scored twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
The week before.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Last year's loss was with twenty nine points on the board,
the year before it was with twenty four, both of
them field goal losses. They've lost in overtime in the
postseason before to Kansas City. It usually isn't because Josh
Allen has played poorly. He's been one of the best
postseason quarterbacks definitely of this generation, if not ever, but
they don't ever win the big prize. And the owners said, finally,

(11:15):
I just thought we hit a all So he made
those decisions, made them all clear today. One of the
teams that affects what the Texans are trying to do.
There's a bunch of other AFC teams that affect what
the Texans are trying to do. And it's not just
the head coaches that are coming in. It was Robert
Salah yesterday. Nick Cassario ran through the challenges of the
AFC South near the end of his press conference today.

(11:37):
The Miami Dolphins former head coach is staying in the
AFC to try to make a playoff team better. That
obviously impacts the Houston Texans a great deal. So there
are plenty of things to discuss regarding not only their personnel,
which we'll get into heavy with Nick, but the rest
of the AFC among the almost all of them that
aren't still playing. There's only two teams left and it's

(11:59):
not he Houston or anybody else in this division.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yep, that's unfortunate.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
We will definitely get into several tidbits from Nick Casario's
presser the Rockets and Spurs last night, and no Eagle
who called that game is gonna join us at the
top of next hour as well, so a ton to
get to On an abbreviated edition of the program today
on a Wednesday.

Speaker 4 (12:20):
Darius Durant bounced passed to him in alt beat baseline
left to Jafari behind him for DA three.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Putters good read Shepherd.

Speaker 5 (12:29):
Next to the two point game back to Shepherd.

Speaker 4 (12:32):
Timers show seven rockets down two Shepherd one on one
could test a three left side up.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
It in reach.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Shepherd gets the rockets the lee since the.

Speaker 4 (12:42):
Early portions of the first quarter it's ninety nine ninety eight.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
Or sepentem remaining reached. Shepherd down malay reverse.

Speaker 6 (12:50):
Lamp upping in no one stopping read Shepherd tight rockets.

Speaker 4 (12:55):
One on one, Spurs one hundred, Tana san Antonio.

Speaker 7 (13:00):
Yah.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
I gotta tell you, I don't smoke, and I needed
a cigarette after that fourth quarter last night. That was
positively insane. And I mean Reid's capable of doing that.
We've actually seen him have stretches like that before, so
it's not completely an out of body experience. But I
was just stunned that that's that's the guy, because again

(13:25):
he's beating guys off the dribble and he's making defensive
plays on the other end. At one point, I believe,
as they still had just nauseating.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
Turnovers to the Spurs down the stretch.

Speaker 1 (13:36):
It's a miracle they made the comeback, because they probably
should have won by a much more comfortable margin if
they hadn't been giving the Spurs extra possessions all throughout
the fourth quarter and throughout the night. But you know,
it's a wonder the Spurs only scored fourteen in the
fourth quarter with said extra possessions. But there was one

(13:58):
sequence where I believe Reid had turned the ball over
because he and Kevin Durant hated the basketball at times
during the fourth last night, and he came down and
who's shot that he blocked from the corner. Champinne exactly,
the guy that absolutely buried you. Was that a season
high for him? He only averages eleven and he got
twenty seven, though he.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
Had that eleven three pointer game I mentioned earlier, and
at the end of December he scored thirty six that night.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
They mentioned that a few times on the TV side
of things too.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
I didn't care how it happened. I'm just glad that
it did.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
And then of course the icing on the cake was
I mean, he got wide open looks.

Speaker 2 (14:35):
They weren't all contested. Even the thirty nine footer.

Speaker 1 (14:38):
Dude, Victor wiben Yama looked like ass in the fourth
quarter last night.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
Ass like straight just booty. It was terrible.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
I mean Cam Word would have said what he was
if we're keeping it a buck. He was terrible. And
it wasn't just wide open looks. The rockets were forcing
some of those missus. And immediately after the game, that's
what albrinshing Gun said on the broadcast. He's like, we
were as physical with him. I don't know why people
aren't more physical with that guy. That's all it takes.

Speaker 3 (15:10):
Everybody should see it if they want it, and I
don't know that every team has the personnel to do it.
It's not always going to be successful, but it's almost
always been successful for the Houston Rockets playing this very
particular way against Wenby. Now, I do think they have
some advantages with who their personnel is, even without Steven Adams,
because I don't know if that Steven Adams is even
a great matchup for him. I don't know that anybody's

(15:32):
a great matchup. But just take a look at the
Rockets starting lineup, and I was paying attention to this.
Over the first four or five sixty seven possessions of
the game, they had three different defenders. Initial defenders in
the half court against Wenby, just to open up the game,
A Kobe took him, once, Albron took him once, A
Men had him. Obviously, Durant was on him a couple
of times, picked up a couple of fouls doing so.

(15:53):
They have a group that they can do that with
any of the five players that were out there. Essentially
everybody that the Rockets played last night except for Reed.
Shephard can defend Victor wembin Yama because you could argue
that all eight of those players Drian Finney Smith, Tarre East,
and Clint Capella, and the five starters are as strong,

(16:14):
if not stronger than Victor at this point in his
career and maybe forever, so they can keep him from
getting to his spots.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
They're not gonna win every matchup.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
I mean, I thought Clint Coppella defended him well when
he drove to the right down the baseline and dunked
it right on top of him, because sometimes there's just
nothing else you can do. He stayed in front him
the whole way, got his arm up in the shot path,
and no other players in the NBA could finish with
a dunk. He can because he's longer than every other
player in the NBA. But they get into his body
offensively when they have the ball and they push him around.

(16:43):
They get into his body defensively both before and after
he has the basketball, limiting the space, limiting his ability
to even create when he's faced up, and he obviously
is not much of a post up player to begin with,
so when he does, it's usually against a shorter player,
not against the player he can push though, and that's
where Dorian Finney Smith and Josha Koge and Tari Easton
are using all of their defensive leverage to try to

(17:06):
prevent that. He was just like his teammates in the
fourth quarter. As we said earlier, seven for twenty eight
shooting performance in the fourth when your last shot was
a rebound put back dunk from Wemby his only make
on his seven shots. That means they went six of
twenty seven during the competitive portion of the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
It's why they lost.

Speaker 3 (17:21):
It is why the Rockets were able to outscore them,
double them up in the fourth quarter. Hold him the
thirty six points, and we bring up kind of the
some of the historical numbers for Victor against Houston. It's
been a series of pretty good performances from the Houston
Rockets against him. Last night, he was zero for seven
from deep. He's had only three games in his entire

(17:42):
NBA career with more than five attempts and no makes.
He's only had two such games. We bumped that number
to six. Both are against Houston.

Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, look they what's his record against the Rockets. By
the way, isn't it like five hundred.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
H I think it's a little less than that.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yeah, they're a and this is great, by the way,
just as an aside. I know that everybody wants to
talk about okay see and the Spurs, and rightfully show
anytime the Spurs are going to do something like take
three out of four from the defending champs when they're
not basically losing to anybody else, I'm sorry, that's impressive.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
I hate it.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
I hate to admit it, but I got to give
them credit for doing that, because they're doing something consistently
that no one else is doing.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
This year.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
Rockets haven't beaten them, and very few other teams have,
but three of their seven losses are to San Antonio.
So I know everybody wants to talk about that rivalry.
But last night, I think is the latest installment of
proof which has been going on a whole lot longer,
by the way, and not a whole lot longer, but
longer than any rivalry you want to cook up. Between

(18:45):
the Thunder and the Spurs. The iten rivalry is back. Yep,
both are very good. Spurs sit in the number two spot,
Rockets bump into the top four. They'll meet each other
again now a week from today. Fourth meeting of the
season comes in San Antonio a little bit later. Presuming
same health we had last night be the tenth meeting
for Victor wembin Yama against the Rockets. The Rockets have
won six of those games. Spurs have won three.

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Little bit too, where these teams are the Rockets From
the time Wemby joined the league, the Rockets were on
the ascent first. Remember, the Spurs are going to produce
one of the biggest improvement in win totals in NBA
history this year. Their four wins shy of last year's total.
They just passed the halfway point. They won thirty games.
Last year they won twenty two. The year before, the

(19:28):
Rockets won forty one when they won twenty two. The
Rockets won fifty two when they won thirty four. So
their team, I know it seems hard to believe without
overwhelming departures and additions, but some of their talent has
finally developed. Some of their more recent first round picks
are actually good and not the Josh Primo variety, and

(19:49):
they have talent they traded for. Dearon Fox obviously does
not play a lead role on this team. They have
back to back rookies of the year, and the two
of them combined to make twenty five percent of their
sh last night, a problem, a big problem for very
very very talented Stefan Castle, who was five for nineteen,
and you combine that with Wenby's five for twenty one.
There's your twenty five percent shooting from the two players

(20:11):
that matter most on your roster. You add Harper this year,
who I think is a very very good player. You
got some role players, clearly that from a veteran standpoint,
adding in Barnes that they should be good. I did
not expect them to be quite this good, but I
do believe this is where they are going to be
the rest of the year. The matchups between Houston and
San Antonio, from a rivalry standpoint, essentially begins. It begins

(20:35):
in theory because they were both at the top of
the draft. You could have had this guy, We could
have had that guy. You could have had whatever happened
with the lottery. But it really begins this year. This
should be the first year of five minimum where both
of them are among the best three or four teams
in the Western Conference. So whatever they do against one
another will probably also be seen in a best of

(20:56):
seven series at some point, if not multiple times in
the postseason.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
These tea teams are gonna end up payting each other
for real, real, real, long time, and I'm here for it.
I mean, long after Kevin Durant's gone, I feel like
this will be going on.

Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah, it's hard to say what the Rockets will do
after Kevin Durant passes Kobe Bryant for fourth on the
all time scoring list, because he'll pass Jordan before that.
But I don't know that he's ready to retire then either.
Who knows what the team will look like at that point.
But for the time being, this year and certainly through
the Durant years, the Rockets are gonna be contenders, and
it looks every bit like the Spurs will be too.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Provided health.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Well, We've got a lot to talk about on that
topic still, but even more to talk about when it
comes to the NFL in general and your Texans specifically.
But speaking of the NFL, just an Amad just an
immaculate set of tweets and one really, really good response
from another NFL quarterback about a new coach in his division.

(21:54):
We'll explain in the Best of cs next.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Every top you know you're the best.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
Post an every single day, you're the best of X
breaking the entire Internet.

Speaker 1 (22:17):
Do you ever think to yourself, I'm just mining my
own business, living life to the fullest and watching the
NFL off season for the teams that have been eliminated
unfold and getting ready for conference championship weekend, and then boom,
here's another subplot. I wasn't expecting it all out of
left field. That's why we're here.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
It's so good. I like I am.

Speaker 1 (22:39):
I've told you and I've said this on the show
many many times. I'm a big Baker Mayfield fan. So
you know, provided it's not against the Texans, which it
was this year, and a big reason why maybe they
were playing that game in New England for example, they
probably would have been anyways with the way the Patriots
season went. But you think back to that owing three

(23:00):
start and losses to guys like Baker Mayfield for example,
when you couldn't stop them. Was it fourth and ten
or fourth and twelve ten? Yeah, that sucked. Don't know
how much of it different, not mistake.

Speaker 3 (23:11):
And if they just win that game and finished with
thirteen wins, they win the division and play not Pittsburgh
in the opening round, and not in Pittsburgh, they would
have been the three seed.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Which would have matched them up against two I can't
remember who was six is Jacksonville?

Speaker 2 (23:25):
So Jacksonville.

Speaker 3 (23:26):
Jacksonville would have still won thirteen games, they would have
been fifth.

Speaker 2 (23:28):
It would have been the Bills. Oh so Josh Allen
would have gotten eliminated one round earlier. He's had a
hard time playing here in Houston, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (23:37):
That was my question though. Would that one win have
been enough to keep them from having.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
To go to New England? For example? New England won
fourteen times? Yeah, that's what I thought anyway. All of
that is to say.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
When he's not playing the Texans, I root for Baker Mayfield,
which is kind of outside of my box because he
usually checks all the boxes of athletes on and off
the field or court that I don't really care for.
But man, I cannot help but get even more behind
him after what we saw over the last twenty four hours.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
So I guess this is a Falcons beat writer. It's
a very well known in Atlanta.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
I had never heard of Him's been around forever.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
The Mary Kay Cabot of Atlanta Falcons College. Geez, she's
been around for four decades. I believe d Orlando has
been around for at least three, if not four.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Well, listen to what he wrote, and obviously he is
not only mintion he's not only referring to Baker, he's
mentioning him by name. In a tweet, d Orlando a J. C.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
Orlando Ledbetter Rights for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yeah, Falcons, Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback
in Cleveland. Now, if you just were to put that
sentence there, that would be that would first of all apply,
it would be accurate. Secondly, he wouldn't have named any names,
and we all would just would have moved along. But
he stopped and said Baker may Field and Deshaun Watson failed,

(25:03):
which started a chain reaction to eleven other starters. Quarterback
Shadoor Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
It got a what do you call it?

Speaker 1 (25:16):
Community noted underneath Under Stefanski, which was twenty twenty through
twenty twenty five, the Browns had thirteen starting quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield, however,
led them to an eleven and five record in twenty twenty,
their first playoff berth since two thousand and two and
a win since nineteen ninety four. He also played through
a significant shoulder injury in twenty twenty one. That's just

(25:38):
the community notes that's nothing compared to what happened after that.
When one at Baker Mayfield quote tweeted this and said,
failed is quite the reach, Pal, I love Pale.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
That's like Champ or Tiger.

Speaker 1 (25:54):
Still waiting on a text slash call from him, meaning
Stefanski after I got chipped off like a piece of garbage.
Can't wait to see you twice a year coach, and
he capitalized the seeing coach.

Speaker 3 (26:07):
If you were wondering, as I mentioned the other day,
I would be thrilled ifire an NFC team that Kevin
Stefanski was the higher by the Atlanta Falcons roster whatever.
I just don't think it's going to be a particularly
head coach. And I imagine some other owner and GM
will think, yeah, but it wasn't his fault, and we'll
hire him for a third time, because that's what they
like to do. Calling Baker Mayfield, as the X platform

(26:28):
community noted, a dumpster fire is definitely, as Baker said,
a reach. They had three seasons where they didn't win
a lot of football games. He did play through injury.
Guess how he was on their team. He was on
their team because he was the number one pick in
the draft. Guess how you get the number one pick
in the draft. Your team stinks. Kevin Stefanci comes in

(26:50):
and they together in twenty twenty win eleven times.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
During the regular season.

Speaker 3 (26:55):
He has what to this day is probably the second
best season of what's been a pretty good NFL career,
and they win that playoff game that the community luckily
noted for all of us, and then Cleveland decided they
just didn't want to be there with Baker anymore. Now leaving,
I think Baker would readily admit part of what happened.
There was a little bit always on me for just

(27:16):
not being who I am maturity wise and understanding what
was going on. But dumpster fire and Cleveland we see
that in posts all the time. I even have a
hard time acknowledging Baker would even acknowledge that he was
part of the problem, even though he was, because it's
still Cleveland. So in an effort to prop up the decision,
I suppose that d Orlando supports in hiring Kevin Stefanski.

(27:39):
He decided that well, one of the better quarterbacks in
this division and in this league, and in the playoffs
probably needs to be included in my But look at
what Kevin Stefanski's going to do here with our great
quarterback roster. Pretty silly, and I'm glad Baker decided to
get involved. Now, I asked, does Baker do what a

(28:00):
lot of athletes do, search his own name? Or did
somebody just shoot him on over a text and say,
do you see what? Do you see this? Do you
see this? Body dropped the dime? I think probably the latter.
But there are plenty of players Kevin Durant that look
search there. I mean, we had plenty come through Houston.
I think it's pretty obvious that Tyrone Matthews searched his

(28:20):
own name, and plenty of others like Kevin's explained.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
They got a lot of time with their phones.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
They're athletes and there's only so much time to you know, practice, study, film, whatever, workout,
and they do spend a lot of time there looking around.

Speaker 2 (28:34):
So whatever they want to do, that's fine. I don't
question it.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
I was just curious how it went down so naturally
for a player to jump in always best of X
type material. What did the what did the people who
just the randos like David G have to say Baker
Mayfield failed. He led the Browns so their only playoff
win in almost forty years. Baker got hurt. They won
almost as many games in the four years Mayfield was

(28:59):
their quarterback as they did in the ten years prior
to his arrival. And your attempt to get better at
quarterback after saying we don't want Baker here has been laughable,
with Kevin Stefanski playing a role in that over and
over and over.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, Well, first of all, before we go any further
the tail of the tape, this response by Baker has
twenty point nine million views. It's been like one hundred
and forty eight thousand times. This is as of right now.
It's a rocket ship. It's been reposted sixteen thousand times.
And yes, some of the responses are great, like our good,
our good buddy, the guy that runs the Super seventies

(29:39):
sports account. He's got Michael Jordan from the Last Dance
decked out in a number six Baker Mayfield Creamsickle Bucks
jersey with the caption, and I took that personally certainly
a MJ moment for Baker, as it pertains to how
he looked at things throughout the last dance.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
In a span of just five comments, Tom says Atlanta's
sports reporters and quotes are the worst. Literally just front
office spokesman Mike follows up with the funniest part about
this whole thing is watching people that aren't from Atlanta
call d Ledbetter a homer.

Speaker 2 (30:11):
LMAO.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
This man is a lot of things, but he's sure
ain't a homer. Which one is it?

Speaker 1 (30:17):
So you remember all of the facial expressions we got
from coach Signetti the other night in the National Championship game.
There's one where he's looking at the camera like looking
down his glasses and the caption this is from Bett MGM,
can't wait to see you twice a year, coach.

Speaker 7 (30:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:35):
I think it's good for football. It's good for the South,
it's good for the NFC South, as bad as things
are that you fired your coach. The Falcons and the
Bucks had the same record, so did the Panthers last
year in this division, So maybe it'll be a little
bit more fun watching them compete against each other, presuming

(30:56):
one of the three of them, if not the Saints,
who might have outplayed all of them the last ten
to twelve weeks of the season can win more than
half their games this year, which will I hope make
us actually care. A fight between two little brothers really
won't be much of a story next year. If the
six and eleven Bucks get over on the five and
twelve Falcons next year.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
That's true.

Speaker 1 (31:18):
By the way, you're familiar with Ralfie from uh The Simpsons? Correct, Uh,
what does he sound like?

Speaker 6 (31:25):
You know what he sounds like?

Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah, there's a picture.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
There's a picture of him on the bus right in
the back row next to the emergency exit and in
PARENTHESESA says chuckles, and then the caption is I'm in danger.

Speaker 3 (31:38):
It'll be fun. Good for Baker. We like when he
gets involved. This is Hey, who's Baker right here? This
is who Baker is.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yes, this is the essence of Baker Mayfield for sure.
So that's the best of ks for a Wednesday edition
of the program. When we come back, Nick Cassio hi
praise for his head coach, and a whole lot more
coming up next The eight Team Sports Talk seven to
ninety Top of the Hour. Coming up next, we will
not only have our simulcast on Space City Home Network,

(32:07):
We're gonna be joined by the man who called last
night's Rockets comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs on
at least one network.

Speaker 3 (32:16):
It was very full last night television here locally with
Space City home network, road television for San Antonio, national
television with Noah's crew, both radio crews myself included.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Very important game is Sean Elliott still doing TV for them.

Speaker 3 (32:32):
He was seated a one seat away for two seats
away from me Adrian play by play guy for them,
and then Sean Elliott. Unfortunately a lot of Spurs fans
were walking by and excited to see him. Signed a
few autographs even actually it was the game before two
games again a Rocket. Of course, a lot of X
players end up sitting up there. First game of the
home stand, Stacey King is up there with Adam Amean

(32:55):
and this guy walks over and starts taking off his
jersey so he could hand Stacy King a Stacy King
number twenty one Bullsgers. They have the scrim to sign
Chicago on the front. I never saw the front. I
only saw the back with his name and his numbers.
It's pretty cool when they're up there and the fans
either they're from you know, it's the same place where
all of the Rockets fans are like, oh my god,
it's Calvin Murphy. It's also where you'll see the visiting

(33:18):
radio crew or TV crew, which often includes some of
the best players in their respective franchise histories or in
the NBA, like when the Hawks come to town and
dominiques in the building.

Speaker 1 (33:29):
It's the human highlight reel in a suit. It's weird,
it's crazy. It's like out of body experience every time
one of them. Or you can be like me and
be doing a show next to Wes at the arena
a couple seasons ago and nothing's going on, and here
comes Mike Frattello and all you want to talk to
him about was the time that he thinks so and

(33:50):
Noah's dad got into it, which we're gonna ask Noah about.

Speaker 3 (33:53):
Noah, Grant, Hill, and Ashley Shamahati were the three NBC
crew workers last evening.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
I'm a fan of all of those. They do great stuff. Obviously,
we talked about Grant yesterday.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
Ashley's been involved in NBA broadcasting for a number of years,
couple of teams, done NBA TV stuff during Summer League
and does a great job.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
She also seems like a total sweetheart. I don't know
her well enough to comment on that. Ang well, No,
I know her from a business standpoint only.

Speaker 1 (34:16):
We talked about how Grant Hill. You know, he's a sweetheart.
He's he's a swell guy. Those people seem like very's
nice individuals.

Speaker 3 (34:24):
Outrageous to say it because I think you've said it before,
and I don't think you're meaning it in jest.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
I've never said it. I don't call people sweethearts. No,
it's a sweetheart. I believe it.

Speaker 1 (34:35):
And you know what, use different words when he gets
on the phone next segment. I'm gonna do that because
that's I mean, I can, all right, we'll talk with
him next.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
We visited with Nick Cassaria as a media conglomerates a sweetheart,
wex like, I mean, you can use that word if
you want.

Speaker 2 (34:49):
I doubt many people would. I wouldn't. I use a
different word for him consistently.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
I used for Ashley like he's especially when he's talking
to us, he's all business like. If he how many
times he shrugged today? He is, you know what I'm
talking about. I can appreciate his mannerisms even more. The
more he's done it, and now he's been here for
five seasons. If he doesn't agree, he gets a little
bit more animated. His arms will fly out quite a bit.
He makes a lot of we're talking about his e's

(35:16):
last year.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
That happened.

Speaker 3 (35:17):
He will he was pissed. Yeah, he was shipped off.
He wasn't in that mode pretty much at an Actress
safination prior to it.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
When he goes back and forth with us, and there
were several times today where I need some clarity from you,
or that's not what I'm saying, or let me explain
my question a little bit better, or let me get
more from what you gave us. He's perfectly. He's listening
to what you say and he's responding to it very
in his own way. But he's not He wasn't I
don't think upset. He also spent forty plus minutes there,
and you'll see a lot of gms do not do that.

(35:45):
He doesn't talk a lot over the course of the
year with us, but when he does, he gives us
the time.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
Well, he had some high praise for Tamiko. Ryan's real quick.
As we sneak this in before the break, I.

Speaker 6 (35:54):
Think from where we started, the resolve, the leadership that
that he displayed. I mean, I think this franchise in
this city is lucky to have the head coach that
we have. I wouldn't want to work with any other coach,
be a partner in what we're.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
Doing, and he makes me better.

Speaker 6 (36:11):
I mean, I probably don't make him better, but I
think we've got a great relationship. We have a lot
of respect for one another. We have a lot of
the same philosophical beliefs and what we're trying to do
and what we're trying to accomplish, and we understand there's
work to be done, and that's what kind of this
offseason is about.

Speaker 2 (36:27):
I think he needs to make him better. I think
if he doesn't think he does, then he.

Speaker 1 (36:31):
Should start doing that, like right now, because that's the
only way the Texans are going to grow and move
forward today and not go backwards.

Speaker 3 (36:38):
In other words, I think there's an interesting way to
interpret that. We'll save that for our future conversation. We've
got another several hours to run through some of the
things that came from Nick Cassario today. We will do that,
but not until after we begin the top of the
our discussion with a visit from Noah Eagle.

Speaker 5 (36:53):
Next the ad on Sports Talk seven ninety I it
is now a Space City home network.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
As the simulcast begins, and we will be joined shortly
by Noah Eagle of NBC Sports kind of talk about
what happened last night and all things NBA looking forward
to that. Rockets and Spurs with a classic last night.
I hesitate to say that because it just was not
a very competitive basketball game for the most part throughout,

(37:24):
simply because the Spurs just kept hitting every three in
the first half that they took, and then it looked
like they were going to continue that into the second half,
looking like you could they were gonna, you know, run
away with things, and they were down by ten despite
the Rockets' best effort. And by the way, Rockets were
shooting like sixty five percent at one point in the

(37:44):
first half, and we're trailing by double digits.

Speaker 2 (37:46):
It was ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (37:48):
That's why I'm listening to you describe the game and
thinking the exact opposite, which part. I never thought the
Spurs were going to run away and hot. I thought
it was an incredibly competitive game throughout, which is why
the Rockets were able to reach the Roos result that
they did because what they were doing was filling it up.
They just couldn't stop the Spurs from hitting threes. The
Spurs weren't blowing them away with this great offense. They

(38:10):
just kept giving him looks at three. It wasn't just
Champagne he hit six in the first half. His teammates
hit five more. That's what had to stop. And that's
clearly what did stop in the second half. And not
only that, didn't hit any other shots. The Rockets just
did not play very well defensively. Their rotations were off,
they were being careless defensively. I thought, well, if they
just fix that, the Spurs aren't They're playing with them offensively,

(38:34):
and the Spurs aren't going to change what they do
defensively because I only played Wemby so much, little less
than thirty minutes is what they've been doing for the
past month and change.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
So it gave them an opportunity.

Speaker 3 (38:44):
They obviously needed to continue to play well offensively, but
they did.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
I'm kind of curious as to I mean, I know
that personnel has changed, and I know that Dylan Brooks
isn't there anymore, and that's a big part of that
identity from last season. But I guess I just didn't
anticipate the drop off from that standpoint to be this much.
And I do wonder if that has effected a Men
Thompson a little bit because he's just having to do

(39:09):
more well.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
He's having to do more on offense, and it's all
the things that I thought were gonna happen in the
offseason are happening, and it's not just as much of
the game anymore because they're doing other things, because they
see the same things I see. Like he just sometimes
he decides, well, I'm gonna go to the basket and
you're not gonna stop me. Sometimes it creates the highlight
of the night in the NBA, and other times he
dribbles himself out of the basketball and it's a turnover.

(39:32):
He's just going too fast for his handle. He can't
handle it at all. And I think some of their
defense is their lack of defense compared to last year.
Some of the defensive rating numbers or things like that
just overall are a little missed in the fact they're
making it too easy for the other teams to score
outside the half court. And you said last hour, it

(39:54):
acts sometimes in the game. It was like Reid and
Kevin hated the basketball. Kevin Rant being on this team
is creating a ton of turnovers. He makes lazy passes
and his teammates go over the top pretending that he's
the greatest player to ever walk the face of the earth,
and he's close, but they just he's kind of open.

(40:15):
I mean, if I throw it over here, I'm sure
he'll get it. It's Kevin Durant. They are so lazy
with their passes to him. It's awful. It's terrible. It
happened with James Harden many years ago, but Harden was
so strong he would just push the other player away
until he was able to go get the basketball. And
last night, you know, I mentioned it because we're just
out of football season here in Houston. The first three

(40:36):
long passes of the game were just terribly executed and
awful ideas three straight turnovers at different points in the game.
They're just careless, and those turn into points. It's not
fourteen turnovers for nine points, it's fourteen turnovers for twenty
five points.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Because they're all on the open floor. They're just bad turnovers.

Speaker 1 (40:54):
Yeah, well, there's not good turnovers, but those are certainly
not as much.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Once it go out of bounds, are fine? All right,
We've got him on the phone now.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
Of course, as promised, Noah Eagle joining us here from
NBC Sports. He called the game last night for the
national broadcast, and we were just talking about this.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
Noah. First of all, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
It's been we've been trying to get this done for
a minute, and we're happy to have you. But just
this game was kind of, I guess, more competitive than
maybe it looked on the scoreboard, because if for no
other reason, you're never really out of a game if
you're only down by like ten or twelve points in
today's NBA.

Speaker 7 (41:30):
Curtinly early in the game, guys, I mean, that's what
Grant Hill and I kept saying to each other every
time out in that first half, We're like, man, it
feels like I feel like the Spurs should be up more.
It just feels like the Spurs should have this incomplete control.
The way they shot the three in that first half
in particular, and they just didn't have that separation that
you generally get when you play the way that they did,

(41:53):
and so you just had an inkling, especially on the
second half of a back to back for San Antonio
that Houston was going to have their opportunity, and they
obviously pounced on it. And a lot of credit goes
to Reed Sheppard for once again igniting this offense, which
is like the second time this week that they've needed
a spark and he's provided it, which is obviously a
great signe.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
No, it is, and maybe if it wasn't necessarily expected,
because you know, you've got Kevin Durant and you're thinking,
all right, he's going to carry you down the stretch.
But he has been just blanketed and you would expect
that with a player that's as good as he is,
but he, to his credit, has been able to find
these teammates. And last night, you know, Reid was was

(42:34):
one of the people that shined in that situation. And
of course you had the late shot from Albera and Shangoon.
But something Shingoon mentioned as it pertains to going up
against Victor winbin Yama, you've got to be physical with
that guy. And I don't know if you've seen this,
do you think teams just shy away from that or
what do you think it is that more teams don't
just really go at him.

Speaker 7 (42:55):
Well, I think they're learning. Yeah, it's clearly a process
because we saw Glahoma City a week ago get uber
physical with Victor Webbin Yama and it was very successful
for them. Now they're the best team in the NBA,
the defending champions for a reason, and defensively, they're easily
the best defense by pretty much every metric in the league.
So a lot of that goes into that, and they

(43:16):
play a really good team style, but they're also just
physical by nature, and so I think that that was
a blueprint that was probably set to defend Wemby. And
at the same time, I think Wemban Yama is still
good enough that he can counteract a lot of that stuff.
And so for the two three games after that Thunder game,
it felt like okay.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
Even if teams were going to be.

Speaker 7 (43:35):
Physical, which Minnesota was, and in the first matchup a
week and a half ago, Minnesota got the better of
them down the stretch, and then in the more recent
matchup they were still being incredibly physical with him, but
he now had the response, He kind of had the experience,
and so I just think that it's a game by
game thing. In the first half, he looked great, and

(43:56):
I just think he got tired in the second half.

Speaker 5 (43:58):
He's still getting his full.

Speaker 7 (43:59):
Legs under him. So yes, that is the correct blueprint.
And the other thing that we saw. Emoodoka has been
pretty upfront about this. It's not in the best interest
of Houston to just line up Alpha and Shengun one
on one and say go guard this seven foot five alien.
That just doesn't benefit Alpi's skill set on the defensive end.

(44:21):
So what do they do. Well, they put Josha Koge
on him, and they put Aman Thompson on him. Then
Dorian Finney Smith gets a crack. These are guys who
may be a little bit quicker on their feet, and
you essentially are saying, if you want to shoot over
the top of me from eighteen feet out and do
that all game.

Speaker 5 (44:38):
We're going to live with the result.

Speaker 7 (44:39):
But what we're not going to allow you to do
is get in get a touch within ten feet, post
us up. Then we're not going to let you get
a mismatch with our slower footed center and just lets
you go to work. So I just think that teams
are going to keep throwing different looks at them and
seeing what works as.

Speaker 3 (44:55):
They go Yeah, mentioned that earlier that they have the
bodies in personnel to send different guys at him. I
was on the radio call last night in the building
with you, Noah, and we had a little bit of
extra time to talk right before tip off.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
With the delay.

Speaker 3 (45:09):
You guys are able to ascend it to a wonderful studio.
Mellow and Vince Chris Bosh there last night and you're
doing games alongside Grant Hill. Has the experience of being
part of this NBC Sports basketball team been everything? I'm
sure our listeners and the two of us think it
probably is in terms of this is just awesome.

Speaker 2 (45:28):
Yeah, it is.

Speaker 7 (45:29):
And before I gets all that, let me say we
did eventually toss it back to the studio, but they
gave me no idea of how long we're going to
have it, So I just kept talking for the same
seven eight, nine minutes and it was just a stream
of consciousness. I'm asking questions to Grant. I'm faking narration
between Jeff Green and Bismont Biambo. I was doing whatever

(45:52):
I could to essentially entertain myself and in theory the
masses that were tuning in and hopefully people enjoyed that.
And then I just got back to New York and
I walk into my apartment building and there's like four people.
They are like, man, have you ever seen anything like that?
They didn't care about the rockets comeback. That was the
craziest thing I've ever seen. So it is funny what
strikes people and what hits people. But the answer the question,

(46:14):
it has been phenomenal to be a part of this
as somebody who grew up obsessed with the NBA the
level that I was.

Speaker 5 (46:21):
I was.

Speaker 7 (46:21):
I grew up in New Jersey around the New Jersey Nets.
I was going to fifteen games when they went twelve
and seventy. I was being used as a seat filler
because I just enjoyed being there to watch Jarvis Hayes
put up eighty three point attempts in a meaningless game.

Speaker 5 (46:38):
I was that guy.

Speaker 7 (46:39):
And so for me, you mentioned some of the great names.
Vince Carter was my all time favorite player growing up,
and now it's been years that I've gotten to work
with him and he's just one of the all time
great people, which is awesome. And then you've got Tracey
McGrady and Carmelo Anthony and Grant Hill and Reggie Miller,
and Jamal Crawford and then you know, the next generation.
Robbie Humble and I have worked to other now for

(47:00):
two and a half years, and I think he's an
elite broadcaster, elite person. Austin Rivers is on his way
to being one of the elite elite broadcasters doing this,
and so we've got a really good squad. It's been
a lot of fun sideline reporters all the way through,
and then obviously the production.

Speaker 5 (47:17):
Side as well.

Speaker 7 (47:17):
So as somebody who kind of the fabric of my
fandom was the end of the NBA on NBC, to
be a part of the next generation has been pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (47:26):
No, it's fantastic to see what your career has done
already and where it's going. And you deserve every bit
of it, because, as I tell you, come from good stock,
and we're not just talking about broadcasting. Your dad is
one of the nicest people on the planet. I do
have to ask you, though, Noah, and I don't know why,
just because we're quirky. It comes up an inordinate amount

(47:48):
of time on this show. Have you ever sat down
with your dad and talked to him about the night
he and Mike Fratello went at it.

Speaker 5 (47:58):
Yeah, I can.

Speaker 7 (47:59):
Tell you all about that for sure. I mean, the
craziest thing about that is it took out the life
of its own. I mean this is really even before
Twitter or any of that, was a fabric of what
sport viewing culture was all about. And so this went
viral before going viral was as popular as it is

(48:19):
and as consistent and just current. And so at the
time it was if you got onto like MSN, or
if you got onto Yahoo, or if you got put
on to you know, Google's top searches, whatever it was,
that was a big deal. And so I remember the
day after the game, or maybe it was two, but

(48:41):
it was pretty soon after the game, my dad and
I went to a movie, the two of us, and
we're sitting in this movie and he's on his phone
a lot and furiously typing on his phone. It might
have been a BlackBerry at the time. I'm not sure
if it was even iPhone territory yet, but he was
only to a lot of texts, an abnormal amount at

(49:03):
least at that time. And I were about midway through
the movie and I'm like, you know, you're right, and
he's just like, yeah, I'm good.

Speaker 5 (49:09):
I'm good.

Speaker 7 (49:09):
I'm like, all right, and so we get out of
the movie and explains this entire situation. Now, I had
known Mike Urtello for a large portion of my life.
I have now worked with him for years. He's been
very close with our family. He's very close obviously with
my dad back in the day. They worked together for
several years. And I also knew their dynamic, which was this.
It was just hijinks NonStop, a lot of jokes inside, jokes,

(49:34):
outside jokes, whatever it was that were constantly being enjoyed.
And so I knew the bit. I watched the game.
I watched every game, as I said, and this was
the type of stuff they were doing. And so they
just thought to the point that they go to break
And after that one in particular, Mike literally high fived
my dad.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
That got good.

Speaker 7 (49:56):
And so then everybody gets this because at that time
and nets were not very good. If you look at
that clip Sunday out of games, is that the free
throw line? That should be all you need to know.
And I think nobody really watched the games enough to
know that this was their thing. And one person said, man,
it's insane, And somehow it got out there and it got.
But the funniest part about all of it, which again

(50:18):
none of it was an organic bruhaha anytime. But the
funny thing about it is it gets resurfaced every year
and again people are like this, this is crazy. What
happened last night? I go Sunday out of games? Is
that the free throw line? What do you mean last night?
He hasn't played in the NBA in fifteen years.

Speaker 5 (50:37):
This is absurd.

Speaker 7 (50:38):
So yes, it's it's wild the life that it took on.
But it's still something that my dad laughs at now,
Mike certainly laughs at now. And it really is remarkable
what sticks with people.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
I can't tell you how happy it makes me that
we have that backstory now. And Mike actually was walking
up the stairs at Toyota Center when were doing a
show there a couple of seasons ago, and I just
looked at him as he got to the top of
the stairs where we were and I just said, slip
screen and he just died laughing.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
So that's I love the backstory. That's great stuff.

Speaker 1 (51:12):
And uh, and it's great to have you on finally,
we've been wanting to do this for a minute. All
the best, you know, You're doing a great job, and
let's catch up again soon.

Speaker 2 (51:20):
Thanks for joining us. You got it guys, anytime, all right.

Speaker 1 (51:24):
No Eagle here on Sports Talk seven ninety called that
Rockets come back over the win over or over the
Spurs last night in that win at Toyota Center. We
will take a quick time out. We'll react to that
and get to more of Nick Cassario when we return.

Speaker 5 (51:38):
The a t on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
This is Ryan Shepard and right now your shot out
one thousand dollars on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 5 (51:49):
Just entered this nationwide keyword at Sports seven ninety dot com.
Dullard O L.

Speaker 7 (51:54):
L A. R. Dullar enter it now at Sports seven
ninety dot com.

Speaker 1 (52:01):
Thanks again to Noah Eagle joining us last segment, not
only for his Rockets analysis the Mike Fortello EI and
Eagle backstory.

Speaker 8 (52:11):
I just want to say that earlier you had a
very patronizing tone towards me. I fully understand what a
slip screen is. I've been doing the NBA for eighteen years,
but the way you presented it initially was gobbly goook. So,
like the audience, I wanted you to come back and

(52:33):
explain yourself and you then just took a firing line
on me.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
And it was uncalled for.

Speaker 5 (52:41):
I don't think so exactly what happened you oval.

Speaker 2 (52:43):
He sends it a time not did you ever be
a day today? It's second game of a back to
back ride back from.

Speaker 5 (52:50):
That disturb you.

Speaker 8 (52:51):
An that was two hours with you, which is probably
the reason why I've had enough tonight time out.

Speaker 1 (53:02):
The best part of that is time out always a pro.
Always Yeah, And you know you listen. First of all,
there's two things. You can close your eyes and listen
to Noah and you can't tell the difference between him
and his dad. And you could close your eyes and
listen to Mike Fortello and think that David Stern is
still with us.

Speaker 2 (53:19):
It's the same guy. I don't think so. It's like the.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
Smarmy New York guy that they are. But yeah, that's
legendary right there. I don't think it was a bit though.

Speaker 3 (53:32):
He was madous, That's what I'm saying, not a bit,
But they are close enough that it certainly blew over,
probably almost even before they hit the break. But he
was not happy, and so that's why he also decided
to say it. I did not because they are so
comfortable together. He's like, what are you doing, dude? Believe
it happens. And they moved on and both have continued
spectacular careers for Tello as a coach, then broadcaster and

(53:56):
I and obviously drawing some pretty killer assignments. I don't
know why people here in Houston keep saying, man, the
Texans are undefeated when JJ does the game.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
Hello, Iron's there too. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (54:07):
Yeah, they're such a good like pairing because if you
knew you wanted JJ, you could put him with a
lot of people, and I'm sure he would do a
good job. But they really do have a very instantaneous chemistry.
I've found this same thing.

Speaker 3 (54:21):
I guarantee you can hear the same thing with Mike
and Ian, who's been working together for sal You hear
it already with JJ and Ian, who barely work together
at all, but they have a genuine like for one another.
I think Ian is trying to make sure that he
can set JJ up as well as he could, and
JJ is trying to make sure he stays out of
the way when he's supposed to. And I think they

(54:43):
understand where they are and what they're doing. It's been
fantastic to listen to. I'm excited the Texans are in
a position to draw that assignment. It's not the number
one team, and it's certainly one I'd love to hear
more of in the future, and I bet we will.

Speaker 2 (54:55):
I was did a video with Cole.

Speaker 3 (54:57):
After the Texans wrestler today with Nick Cassario, and it's
up there on our YouTube page, and I posted it
on our Twitter account as well. Last thing I ended
with was a bunch of rapid fire questions, kind of
believe it or not or true or false questions, and
I said, next year, the opening carry of the season
for the Texans by a running back on Monday Night

(55:19):
football in the first of the two Monday Night games
here at NRG Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars will be
handled by Woody Marks.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
True or false? True? I think so too, He agreed.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
I don't really care if you agree about the scheduling,
but I think there's a reasonable shot of the league
will look at the Jags and Texans and their two
meetings this year as games they'd like to present to
a big audience. Got all these national TV spots, these
standalone games. You have a couple of Monday nights where
there's multiple games, not as many as this year. I
don't believe you got Sunday night, you got Thursday night,

(55:52):
you got some late season games where it'll be there
and Jacksonville's again, they're only in the country so many
times this year because all they're love for playing away
from Jacksonville.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
I bet you.

Speaker 3 (56:02):
Instead of seeing the Texans open and close or close
to it with the Colts, the twenty twenty six regular
season should be finishing with the Texans and Jaguars playing
each other in Week eighteen.

Speaker 1 (56:16):
Yeah, no, I would I would imagine. And by the way,
speaking of football and Noah, I meant to promote this
but ran out of time because I had to get
the Fortello stuff in.

Speaker 3 (56:27):
It's painful, but I was going to ask him if
I think I know where you're going, Yeah, Vice, Where
were you Noah on January third, nineteen ninety three?

Speaker 2 (56:37):
How old is he?

Speaker 3 (56:38):
I wanted to ask him without saying were you alive
on January third, nineteen ninety three, because he was a
host of a program you were about to tell the
people about.

Speaker 1 (56:48):
Yeah, And it's going to be painful for Houston football
fans unless you just do what I do and say
that's Titan's history right there. It's called The Comeback. It's
on Vice TV and it premieres tonight. It is hosted
by Noah, and it's about the oilers and Buffalo Bills
from nineteen ninety three. And it's probably gonna be painful

(57:10):
to see it for the upteenth time. But if I know,
first of all, what Vice does on a lot of topics,
particularly wrestling, and if I know Noah attaching his name
and his talents to it, it's going to be good.
And hopefully you'll see some things, hear some things, find
out some things that you haven't you may not have
known before. I know, having done a show for the

(57:31):
better part of two years with a member of that team,
how much it's still painful to anyone who was on
that roster. So and by the way, we've had to
confirm that Noah was not alive on January third, nineteen.
I know, I know, it's kind of I just wonder.
I just wonder how old he actually was when he
finally figured out what was going on, Like what year

(57:52):
was he born?

Speaker 2 (57:52):
And wanted to look that up. But that's tonight.

Speaker 1 (57:55):
It's on Vice TV, So if you've got access to that,
I would highly recD committed.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
It's called Don't Call It a Comeback.

Speaker 3 (58:01):
As part of a docu series, this is one of
the featured events.

Speaker 1 (58:05):
And I'll tell you the nineteen ninety three Oilers football
life is equally fantastic, even though it's equally painful to
watch for a lot of Houston no doubt football fans.
Someday I wish they would make a and they never
will because it's just not as the magnitude isn't quite there. Plus,
the team that won the game is one of the

(58:25):
league's darlings. I would love locally to have a documentary
on the twenty eighteen Rockets. Just to me, they're gonna
get shelved as per usual. They're just one of the
greatest teams that never win an NBA championship. The numbers
they put up were insane, a lot like the Oilers
on offense.

Speaker 3 (58:43):
YEP sixty five wins a position in that particular Western
Conference Finals series that had them well on their way.
But I would love to see, like I can't imagine
any of these guys now sitting down for it, but
I would love to hear from them I would have
loved to have a camera with them. Plane flights, locker room,
we were all around him quite a bit. But I'm

(59:05):
sure considering what each of those two players, the prominent
performers Chris Paul and James Harden's careers have done since then,
it was it was stop number three for Chris Paul.
He had been obviously with the new or Oklahoma City
franchise with the Hornets and then the Clippers for a
long time, and then the Rockets James Harden franchise number two,

(59:29):
and their paths since leaving this franchise through some good times,
some bad times, some cantankerous times, my teammates loved me times,
my teammates hate me times, to where Chris Paul sits
right now as a member of the La Clippers on
the roster and being paid and they don't want anything
to do with him.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
Yeah, and you what's weird. I think the other day
James said something about Chris as it pertains to that season,
not all of the drama that happened this year.

Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
Ye, James was talking about how they've taken off since
they got rid of him.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Yeah, that was the quote.

Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
Actually, it's actually kind of true, yeah, but totally irrelevant
it is, But no, he was.

Speaker 1 (01:00:12):
He was referencing directly that season where they lost in
Game seven to the Warriors after saving.

Speaker 2 (01:00:19):
Miss Street three.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
Well, yeah, because like two four point plays weren't called
in the midst that because Scott Foster's a bum a bum.

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
I can't believe he's still officiating in the NBA. Yeah,
it probably would make for a very entertaining watch, I.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Have no doubt. Now there's a documentary.

Speaker 1 (01:00:33):
Hey, this guy was text messaging with Tim Donnie hundreds
of times and right in the round of that scandal,
but he still works for the NBA.

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
Nothing to see here exactly, That's why he's still working.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
Don't buy that hook line and sinker. All Right, we
are gonna get to more from Nick Cassio because that
is he. He's the guy that is gonna make or
break this offseason for the Texans that's not named CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:01:01):
STROUDJM. Yeah, like every offseason. Uh, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
I feel like sometimes they're so close now, right, totally
reasonable to say. I mean, you go into an offseason though,
and it's like, well, maybe if Josh Allen works on this,
the Bills will have a chance. It's not always a GM.
I don't want to give him that crutch. Though they
were this close. Two postseasons ago, they were the fourth
best team in the AFC. They were the fourth best team.
Last year, they're the fourth best team arguably this year.

(01:01:31):
The last four teams playing it should be the same.
It should be why can't What is it that I
haven't done? And I know the roster is a little
bit better. I know the defense played out of their
minds best defense he's ever had. It's not the best
offense they've ever had. They certainly were very good in
the kicking game, pretty much all facets of it. So
the team is clearly right there. I feel like they've
been right there for multiple off seasons, and I don't

(01:01:53):
really frown on what they've done in any of the
two previous off seasons other than attacking and completing a
total resurrection of Hey, this offensive line isn't just better,
it's actually good.

Speaker 2 (01:02:05):
And that's what.

Speaker 3 (01:02:06):
Lies in front of him more than anything else. He
got into a few very specific position groups today, wide
receiver being one of them.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
We'll visit with him on that next.

Speaker 5 (01:02:16):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:02:19):
Sports Talks seven ninety and Space City Home Network. Nick
Casario meeting with the Houston media today following the Texans
season coming to an end this past Sunday in Foxborough,
the subject of the wide receiver room came up, and
in that vein, I guess I assumed this was going

(01:02:42):
on behind the scenes, But it sounds to me like
Tank Dell like maybe thought he could play this year
and wanted to get out there, and the team was like,
let's just better be overly cautious.

Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
Does that sound accurate? I mean, there's no question about it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:59):
When we saw him up there doing these things, and
Demiko said as much on on Monday, I think there
was no doubt that he had every intention no matter
what the doctors told him or the Texans told him that, well,
I'm I'm gonna come back as soon as I think
I can, as soon as you know, they all allow
me to work as hard for that to happen.

Speaker 2 (01:03:14):
Obviously it did not.

Speaker 1 (01:03:16):
Yeah, And he was asked about Tank earlier today and
gave some gave a pretty significant update, I would say,
on a guy who I think is one of those
weapons that the Texans are hoping they get back for CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
Stroud coming up in twenty twenty six. That's a good question, TVD.

Speaker 6 (01:03:33):
He's worked very hard. You know, I think our performance grouped.

Speaker 5 (01:03:38):
I mean, if they do.

Speaker 6 (01:03:39):
I mean they do a really good job, and I think.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
The players feel that. So we have the resources available.

Speaker 6 (01:03:45):
And he's players a little bit different, So what's required
for one player might be different for Tank and like
his situation, but mate, I would anticipate him being available
for the off season and then really April May, and
you know, private better idea. Once you get on the field,
you probably have a better visual representation of what that

(01:04:05):
looks like and then you clear that r the training
camp is more like, Okay, what does this actually look like.

Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
The beginning of his press conference, he also opened with
a statement about the team and where they are, and
then gave two injury updates specific to Mix and Dell.
And what he said about Dell in that instance was
about what he's been being in the building every day.
He said, he was here today and they anticipate him
being ready for the start of the off season program,
and that is you know, what Demico had to say

(01:04:35):
on Monday was I'm excited to have him back on
the field this year. All indications are the timeline matched
up with him being ready for the twenty twenty six
season as soon as the twenty twenty five season basically
was in the rearview mirror. There's no football activity for
the team for several months now, not doing anything in
February or March or April. May rolls around and you

(01:04:58):
will see a rookie minute camp around the draft. You
will see on our schedule we'll have dates for OTAs
and things like that which may begin in late May,
and I think they probably will probably three or four
sessions of those. All indications are when then they've had
tremendous attendance. These are those non mandatory portions of the offseason.

(01:05:20):
He'll be there from what they have said, both of
the people that we can listen to and hopefully believe
he'll be out there and be participating whoever form they need.
He's not a guy that if they have thirteen offseason practice,
He's not gonna practice thirteen times. I wouldn't imagine, but
all in an effort to have him ready to go
full go with no setbacks by the time. Like I

(01:05:41):
said last segment, they open the season on Monday, night
against Jacksonville. The schedule has not been announced.

Speaker 2 (01:05:47):
That is an interesting wrinkle in things.

Speaker 1 (01:05:50):
I wonder who they open up against that would be them,
that would make the most sense for the Texans.

Speaker 2 (01:05:54):
Well anybody in the like.

Speaker 3 (01:05:56):
It's interesting how they've played the Texans the last couple
of years, because I do think they valued them already
two seasons ago to have them be Caleb Williams Monday
night football appearance here in Houston early early, early in
the season, and same thing last year. Second week of
the season. The Texans home opener was Monday night football

(01:06:16):
against Tampa. Their opener was a great matchup. It wasn't
a featured matchup, just a run of the middle afternoon
game in LA against the Rams. But I think you'll
see the Texans in probably the same position they were
in last year. This is a twelve win team, this
is a defense that nobody else in the NFL has,
Meaning you're going to see something pretty spectacular most evenings afternoons,

(01:06:36):
what have you. I think they'll be as as like
as they were last year from the networks, But you
have to consider the newcomers too. The Patriots were not
a featured team heading off of A four and thirteen season,
no matter how many Mike Vabels they brought in the building.
But they will be now no matter what they do
the next two games, the Patriots will definitely be a

(01:06:58):
team that they want more in the three read A
five four to five national TV standalone games, we have
some more of them, obviously, how Thanksgiving has kind of evolved,
how Christmas is now involved. There's probably some consideration to
what the Chiefs will be, but probably not very much
because they don't really care what they are. They know
who they are. They are television drivers. The Cowboys are

(01:07:21):
the very same way now because the Cowboys aren't winning,
and maybe the Chiefs won't be winning either, but the
networks won't care because the fans are telling them not
to care. When they're on TV, people watch, and so
that will continue. You know, you wonder if coach Harbaugh's
arrival in New York means anything to them with the
Giants having Jackson Dart, with the Giants maybe being in
a little bit better position. You just got to calculate

(01:07:43):
how many other teams and there's so many options flex
wise during the season, clearly for this very reason, because
you're guessing when you put the schedule out in May.
But I think the Texans will be viewed in a
very similar light this year as they have been the
last two.

Speaker 1 (01:07:56):
I wonder if they're if they get marks again against
them because of CJ's play, you know, like their defense
should fuel them to being on You.

Speaker 3 (01:08:08):
Want an exciting matchup for viewers, well, if the Texans
are in the game, the odds are pretty good it's
gonna be. Do you want people to stay around for
all three hours of the game, odds are pretty good
if the Texans are in that game. You're not gonna
know who's gonna win until the final three or four minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:08:21):
You know, it's crazy about that.

Speaker 1 (01:08:22):
It's not gonna be because there's a bunch of scoring
happening usually.

Speaker 2 (01:08:25):
I mean, yes and no.

Speaker 3 (01:08:26):
I mean every game doesn't have to entertain fans only
by being thirty one to twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (01:08:31):
I know, but I just do think. I think.

Speaker 1 (01:08:34):
I think the fact that the Texans, you know, or
the the NFL, let's just put it this way. I
think the fact that the NFL wants scoring to be
at a high number, high volume does not jive with
what the Texans bring to the table.

Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
Is their strength.

Speaker 3 (01:08:50):
So their standalone games this year started with Monday Night
with the Bucks. Yeah, Bucks were a touchdown in the
last couple plays, last couple seconds of the game and
they won twenty to nineteen. Came from behind. Texans scored
right before that when they were allowed to score. As
we all know, Nick Chubb running it. In their Monday
night game against Seattle, the late late start, there not
a good night. I wasn't a good night for the team.

(01:09:12):
Will Anderson scored a touchdown just kind of the things
we're both alluding to. It was also a one score game.
But yeah, twenty seven nineteen maybe doesn't tell the true
story of what was really happening in that game. They
played in the All Reds on Thursday Night against Sean
McDermott's old team.

Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
I was there. What more does does the national TV
audience want?

Speaker 3 (01:09:31):
That's it was an ideal performance because you saw a
wrecking ball of a defense need.

Speaker 2 (01:09:37):
To play all the way to the.

Speaker 3 (01:09:39):
Last thirty seconds of the game based twenty three to nineteen,
and the Bills had the ball late and you had
to make more plays to ensure you were going to
win that game. The Chiefs game standalone Sunday night game,
Chiefs weren't very good. That's not the Texans fault.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Hey, Mahomes was there.

Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
It's not like they beat up on their backup like
all the rest of the teams did.

Speaker 3 (01:09:59):
To slam the door on the Chief's hopes that night,
which would have brought a lot of eyes to the
table saying is this are we are we watching tonight
to see if the chief season is over? They scored
ten points and the Texans clocked them. Chargers game was
obviously a standalone game for the meeting in the schedule.
It was Week seventeen, so it was specifically chosen at
that point delivered as well.

Speaker 1 (01:10:21):
I wouldn't mind if it was Texans Chargers to start
the year, although I don't even know if they play
them this year.

Speaker 3 (01:10:25):
Mike McDaniel in the Texans how about that? Yeah, they don't.
I didn't think so Chargers.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
Oh they do. Chargers finish the second place, that's right.

Speaker 1 (01:10:33):
Oh, by the way, the Patriots will be playing a
first place schedule now, so that'll be interesting to watch.
We will wrap things up with another AFC coaching at
tidbit here next So there's a lot of drama in
the NFL, and a lot of it centers around all
of the head coaching openings. We had a record tying

(01:10:55):
ten openings, some of which have been filled so far.

Speaker 3 (01:10:59):
Right who he's try out of the playoffs? A coach
has said that this isn't for me, or a team
has said this isn't for you.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
But do you think anybody's left that actually is on
the hot seat.

Speaker 3 (01:11:10):
Mike McDonald's is in year two and he's got Seattle
in the conference title game as the favorite.

Speaker 2 (01:11:15):
Now the number one seed.

Speaker 3 (01:11:18):
Sean mcvay's team, he has a Super Bowl ring and
they're on a version of visiting again, So I think
they're out. Mike Rabel, he's not yearly one. They kind
of love him, They loved him before he even got started.
And who are they playing the number one seed with
Sean Payton, who probably has We're done as much control
as as any head coach does who's not also technically

(01:11:41):
the GM.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
We're done.

Speaker 3 (01:11:42):
We're done with those teams. It doesn't look like anything
else will fall. Any other coaches that have survived for
the last three weeks will now see something different.

Speaker 1 (01:11:53):
McDaniel lasted the longest of the people we thought would
be canned immediately, if not during the season.

Speaker 2 (01:11:58):
Yes, question.

Speaker 3 (01:12:01):
Nick Asario, just in an a roundabout answer, did clearly
acknowledge that he thinks what's happening in the NFL is
wild with how the decisions are being made and how
many openings there are and how long these leashes are,
which means to say they're not at all long and
not not even close in system snap decisions. He thinks,
I think reading into what he said this question on that.

Speaker 1 (01:12:23):
You know McDaniel just went to the Chargers, and I
think a lot of people think, Okay, now you might
be cooking with gas with Justin Herbert and what you've
been trying to accomplish each year that Harbaugh has been
there now, all two of them, and really before that,
just with Justin Herbert in general, if he had been
available to the tech like in other words, if they
were talking, wouldn't you have said by Nick Cayley, I

(01:12:47):
know that's three and three years, I know all of that.

Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
I don't care, Well, that's your decision, I would think.
I mean, if they want Mike McDaniel, as much as
it sounds like, I can't believe a team would do this,
we all know they would if you want Mike McDaniel,
you call and ask if he he's interested, while Nick
Kayley is still working for you. Yeah, you do whatever
it is you need to do to get an answer
to that, if that's what you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
Want to asking you if you would a well like.

Speaker 3 (01:13:09):
The simple answer is Nick Cayley's not as good of
an offensive mind or play caller as Mike McDaniel. That's
a pretty I'm in common belief. Do you think it
automatically means your offense gets better or would you? I
mean you could do both. You can both hire Mike
McDaniel and fire Nick Kyley and get better players on offense.

(01:13:30):
The latter is what the Texans are going to do.
They're going to try to get better players on offense.
You know, the wide receiver room. Since we just talked
about Tank, Dell was addressed by Nick Cassio, and I
don't disagree with him.

Speaker 2 (01:13:41):
I doubt very many people like to hear it.

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
Any offseason, everybody gets excited about new toys, but if
next year's offseason program takes them into training camp and C. J.
Stroud is throwing Tunico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jalen Knowle, Tank
Dell and anybody else. Don't you think they're You might
want a veteran there for some insurance. You might want

(01:14:04):
a player who can play this spot, maybe most spots.
You're definitely going to carry five, if not six, into
every game, so I know there's other bodies to bring
in and make happen. And I didn't mean to, but
I did not include Xavier Hutchinson in that comment, and
I don't see any reason why he would not be here. Also,
he was the number one target and your most recently
played game, by the way, but in that group, he
would be your number five choice, number five target, number

(01:14:28):
five receiver on your roster. But Christian Kirk's not going
to be back here. Christian Kirk was traded for He's
got one year left on his deal. He had the
arguably the best wide receiver performance at a playoff game
in team history, and then last week was like Christian
Kirk all the whole rest of the regular season. It's
just not monetarily. He definitely doesn't make sense to pay

(01:14:50):
him anywhere near what he was getting. Just doesn't make
sense to pay him that money at all. When you
drafted his replacement a month after he got here. Yeah,
and he stayed ahead of him all season Old's position
in twenty twenty six and twenty seven and twenty eight
at least.

Speaker 1 (01:15:05):
So going back to these coaches, did it surprise you
when you saw reports that Mike Tomlin's never going to
coach again? And kind of as a second question, because
this happens to me in my opinion, I believe him.
He's the guy that when he says something like that,
he doesn't say things for effect. Most of his words

(01:15:26):
are very measured because he doesn't say a lot and
when he does, he means it. This is coming from
Jay Glazer, who's somebody I actually actually trust for news
like this, and I just think he is done. I
don't think. I don't think there's another situation out there
that appeals to a guy like that after this much time,

(01:15:48):
nineteen seasons.

Speaker 3 (01:15:50):
I mean, it's for me, it's all, and for them,
I'm sure it's the same thing. I'm a coach, I
coach football. I do have some things in my life.
From a time standpoint, maybe this is a perfect time
for him to take one, two, three, four years off
because of where his family is in the ages of
his kids and what he wants to do while he's
at this age. We obviously know he was enjoying watching
his daughter perform athletically, Like these are things that are

(01:16:12):
very hard to do while you're in the midst of
being a football coach at the NFL level. So maybe
that's a number of years where you do that. But
he doesn't stop loving coaching by not doing it. He
loved it his whole time in Pittsburgh. I think he's
gonna love it for all the years that he's not
doing it. And I think I kind of think like
Mike McDaniel in a similar vein just a different outcome.
Mike McDaniel probably could have landed a head coaching job

(01:16:35):
with the number of second interviews he was set to
go on, and he's like, these openings suck.

Speaker 2 (01:16:41):
I don't want to do Miami again.

Speaker 3 (01:16:43):
I'm going to coach where I know I can do
something positive, enhance my resume again. I'll be just as
hot next year, if not hotter, and maybe a better
situation will open up, Like I could coach a guy
as good as Josh Allen, or I could coach a
guy as good as Lamar Jackson, which happened this offseason.
And I think Tomlin would be extremely select about any
opportunity he's going to say, I don't want to coach anymore.

(01:17:04):
It's now put out there in the media, and his
agent is going to get phone calls every time there's
an opening for the next However many years he doesn't
coach for they'll always reach out to gauge his interest
kor was getting him. I mean, this is what I
can't believe that people still think this, But it's a
little bit towards will people still be interested in Mike Tomlin.
I mean this week, with these additional openings with really

(01:17:26):
good jobs. I mean, if Buffalo knows what's good for him,
and I wish I could remember on what program. I
think it was on an NFL radio program. If Buffalo
knows what they're doing here, they have to do this.
You have to do this right. You have to make
a phone call to Bill Belichick and see if he's
interested in coming to Buffalo and getting you back to
you know where you think it could be with Josh

(01:17:48):
Allen there, And I'm thinking, no, they don't. Why would
they do that? What I mean, how much more? This
is how many years since he was an elite NFL coach.
He was not an elite NFL coach already since he
won in New England with New England and now he's
not a laughing stock. It's only been one year, but
it certainly wasn't a positive light on how he runs things.

Speaker 2 (01:18:11):
And not only that.

Speaker 3 (01:18:12):
I think the biggest reason why he didn't become the
Atlanta Falcons head coach when they interviewed him and everybody
thought he was about to get that job is because
as much as you respect him as a coach, I
don't think these owners or anybody else in the organizations
are willing to give him the power that they know
he's going.

Speaker 2 (01:18:29):
To demand him. You mean her, I.

Speaker 3 (01:18:32):
Mean as a personnel guy and a football coach and
a person that actually works there.

Speaker 2 (01:18:37):
She don't wan't work there. She'll be with him.

Speaker 1 (01:18:40):
If I were them and I was like actually making
that phone call, I'd be like, yeah, we'll hire you,
but she ain't coming here.

Speaker 2 (01:18:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
I want to say that it absolutely doesn't matter, but
i'd be lying to if I don't think these the facilities,
the people, the pr staff, and the owners, the gms
wouldn't at least bring it up to themselves. There's too
much money, and they're all, meaning, do you think this matters?
Do we want him here? Because I mean, I think
it's stupid, But I'm not gonna lie to you and
think that they think that they probably don't.

Speaker 2 (01:19:04):
All right, we are going to get to the big
elephant in the room.

Speaker 1 (01:19:09):
As it pertains to what Nick Cassario talked about today
that to start the four o'clock hour next.

Speaker 5 (01:19:16):
The A Team on Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:19:19):
It is the A Team Sports Talk seven ninety got
an hour and a half left, as a ut Basketball
is going to preempt us at five point thirty, so
we have a lot to get into before that time.
As Uta and Kentucky are going to get it on
beginning at five thirty. And one of the things that
we've been talking about all day long. We had a

(01:19:40):
great conversation with Noah Eagle of NBC Sports the top
of last hour, and we've talked a lot about the
NFL coaching carousel, even a Baker Mayfield clapback, and of
course your Houston Texans. When it comes to the elephant
in the room, you know CJ's contract extension, will he

(01:20:03):
even get one? They're picking up the fifth year, right,
but then what happens. Is this a proven year? Is
this an audition? Something Wex brought up a scenario he
brought up yesterday before you left the show was are
you know, is CJ's camp going to start demanding that
this extension get taken care of? Which is hilarious to

(01:20:24):
think about right now on January twenty first, coming off
his last performance which was absolutely, as Wex would say, dreadful.
But you know, what if he comes out of the
what if the Texans come out of the gate six
and oh, well, how about this, what if they come
out of the gate three and oh and he's playing
like Baker Mayfield did last year because if you if
you remember way back when you know, Texans fell to

(01:20:47):
zero to three, and it was because in part they
had lost to Baker Mayfield and the upstart Bucks and
Baker was looking like an MVP candidate. Everybody was talking
about it. It was a very early storyline and things change,
and they obviously did again this year. But what if
he's out of the gate three and oh looks like
one of you know, the best top five quarterbacks in

(01:21:09):
the NFL. Again, none of the issues are creeping up
and they've actually done this against good teams. I'll even
add that it's not some you know, three and oh
record against the also rans of the league. How soon
until that starts happening with his camp, he's a very
aggressive agent.

Speaker 2 (01:21:26):
They can talk all they want.

Speaker 3 (01:21:28):
Texans a paid I would assume if they haven't come
to an agreement during the off season, which I do
not think they will, then I don't think they'll paying it.
They'll be respectful. And he's not a lame duck either.
He's got another year after that presumably, Well, if they
pick up the option, it's until they do it, it's
still an if, right, And that was a very specific
question asked of Nick Cassaria regarding both Will Anderson and CJ.

(01:21:48):
Stroutend there fifth year extension, which is our fifth year option,
which has not yet been picked up.

Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
In either case, I'd.

Speaker 6 (01:21:56):
Say, like contractually, you know, we haven't really talked publicly
about anybody's contract. I would say every situation with any
players kind of case by case. So we'll handle business
how we handle business. So you know, everybody's in kind
of some different categories, so we'll kind of take a
case by case and kind of deal.

Speaker 2 (01:22:11):
With you know, one player at a time.

Speaker 3 (01:22:13):
It's more of a generic comment about their contracts. The
specific comment about their fifth year options. Those two players
specifically said, there's some things business wise we look at
and discuss. That's what the off season is about. There's
a timing element that's involved in some of that. We'll
work through it here. I'm sure throughout the course of
the spring. I don't believe there's any reason that they

(01:22:33):
won't pick up the fifth year option on both of them.
May just be semantics this offseason regarding Will So, I
think you'll have a long term extension agreement this off season,
but I think it'll be a literal this is what
you're going to get paid in your fifth year as
of today when you head into your fourth year, because
I think that's all they're going to do his camp,
as you laid out that scenario, the hypothetical go ahead
and be among the top five passers, have a one

(01:22:54):
to oh five passer rating, have thirteen touchdowns to two picks,
and a four and zero football team.

Speaker 2 (01:22:59):
Great, this is awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:23:01):
We can't wait to sit down in the off season
because we've been better this year in the playoffs and
we've played further into January and we played the last
AFC game, maybe we even played the Super Bowl. We
can't wait to make CJ. Stroud the highest paid quarterback
in the NFL. After he does that, They're not going
to sign an extension with him during this season if

(01:23:22):
they do not reach it an agreement this offseason.

Speaker 2 (01:23:26):
In my opinion, they won't.

Speaker 3 (01:23:27):
It's the whole reason why you're not doing it this
offseason because.

Speaker 2 (01:23:31):
It's a proven well the whole year.

Speaker 3 (01:23:33):
Now do something different in the games that are the
most important. And it would be nice if you didn't
have a lackluster year.

Speaker 9 (01:23:42):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:23:43):
Everyone's entitled their own opinion. We all watched the season.
He did not play good football in my opinion this
year for a number of different reasons, and they may
be team issued related. Mandate's about well, here's how we
want you to play. And it might lower the numbers
and lower this and make it less on his shoulders,
which is not a sign for how awesome you think
he's gonna be. Do you really need to pay anybody

(01:24:04):
fifty five sixty million if you're so concerned with certain
elements of how to win a football game. I want
to run the football. I want to turn it over
and I want to play great defense. I don't want
my quarterback to have forty touchdown passes or forty touchdowns
attributed him. That's not how I want to play football.
I want a running back that runs for thirteen hundred yards.
I want his backup to run for eight hundred yards.
That's what I want. I don't think it's too far

(01:24:26):
fetched to believe there are meetings inside their building where
that's the impression the coach gives them about what he
wants with his football team. I'm not saying anybody can
do it at quarterback. I would hate to see what
this team does at quarterback after CJ. Because they're good
and their window to win is absolutely not closing. Even
if CJ's not here. You better have somebody capable of

(01:24:47):
winning football games, because otherwise that's wasting a really good roster.

Speaker 1 (01:24:53):
Did you see what I mean? We were just talking
about the Steelers last segment. Did you see it Ben
Roethlisberger said about today's quarterback position?

Speaker 2 (01:25:02):
Oh about that specifically?

Speaker 5 (01:25:03):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:25:04):
I thought you were going to end it with did
you see what Ben Roethlisberger said? And I was going
to say, I don't know was the ordering food.

Speaker 2 (01:25:10):
No, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (01:25:12):
It sounds simplistic, but when you think about what most
teams do in today's NFL, he's dead on Now again,
he's talking about what two thousand and six, I think
is when he was drafted his rookie year. Teams, in
his opinion right now, they draft a young quarterback and
then they try to build around them. And he's saying,

(01:25:36):
build the team out, and then you can put a
rookie back there and he can succeed, or at least
a young guy back there and he can succeed because
he already has a veteran presence around him, which is
what he said he walked into when he was with
the Steelers. And I remember when he I believe he
came here his rookie year and just that was the
heat game. As I recall the open roof game, I

(01:25:59):
could be getting my date mixed up and my years
mixed up. No game in Houston his rookie year, so
I think it was his second year. They came to
town and just annihilated the Texans.

Speaker 2 (01:26:08):
Well, he speaks from experience.

Speaker 3 (01:26:09):
I mean, there's a silver spoon from an NFL perspective,
and then there's Ben Roethlisberger. Yeah, you know how many
starts he lost of the thirteen he had in his
rookie season.

Speaker 2 (01:26:18):
Zero? That's right. He was awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:26:20):
He was pretty good. He did exactly what he just
laid out. This is like, how did you get so
lucky where you were drafted to be on this unbelievably
talented football team. He's basically had the greatest career ever
because his team was always awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:26:35):
Yeah, like, he was really good.

Speaker 3 (01:26:37):
Clearly he ascended to a level where he was considered
a Pro Bowl performer every other year or three years
in a row. I'm not saying he wasn't a good
quarterback and not even close to that. But it's just
like Tomlin's situation or cow or like this franchise, when
are the Steelers bad? He actually obviously was the last
quarterback to be there when they weren't winning because he
came in so a little earlier than when when Tomlin

(01:26:58):
was there. I guess if you want to count his
starts only, but man, like, you can't ask for a
better situation than what he walked into.

Speaker 2 (01:27:06):
It.

Speaker 3 (01:27:06):
It's just not reality. That's not what quarterback. If you're
good where you picked, if you're good and you're pick there,
what's your team like? It's not quite the reverse like
David Carr situation. Well, that's which they did obviously incorrectly.

Speaker 2 (01:27:20):
You're set.

Speaker 3 (01:27:21):
I mean you could say the Lion similarly did that,
where when Joey Herrickton was taking two picks later, their
franchise was in not a very good team, not a
much talent there.

Speaker 1 (01:27:28):
And similarly, is the way that you go about doing
this scenario in twenty twenty six NFL circles basically what
the Packers did with Jordan Love in Otherwise, you got
to tuck him away if you think he's good and
not play him.

Speaker 2 (01:27:42):
But you're not playing him because there's a vet in
front of him. That's good.

Speaker 3 (01:27:46):
I think maybe a more realistic one because you have
to hope that, like Jordan Love in this year's draft
or last year's draft, he's not gonna be sitting there
in the mid twenties. No, but when the Ravens took
Lamar Jackson, that was smart. Joe Flacco was their starting quarterback.
There were too many gms and owners afraid of what
if Lamar Jackson can't play at this level? So it

(01:28:07):
was a game they're stupid. Well, you're good. You're drafting
at the end of the first round. Your team's set.
But this guy could be something great like Jordan Love,
like Aaron Rodgers. So we can do that and we have.
We're under no pressure to play him, no obligation to
play him. He's not thrust into it when maybe he
isn't ready. The only person that's upset about it is

(01:28:28):
the guy that's in front of him.

Speaker 2 (01:28:29):
And the guy in front of him sucked.

Speaker 3 (01:28:31):
He just happened to warn a Super Bowl Joe Flap
Joe like he as soon as he replaced him midway
through that season, they took off.

Speaker 1 (01:28:39):
Yeah, because Lamar Jackson was awesome immediately. It makes you
wonder how they didn't put him in there sooner.

Speaker 3 (01:28:45):
Well, like, look at all these MVP winners and these
quarterbacks and the level of play that they produce, and
almost every playoff, almost every quarterback in the playoffs this year,
Brock Purty for one, and I think Jalen Hurts is
the only other one. So twelve of the other fourteen
playoffs this year, their draft position was higher than Lamar
Jackson because he was at the end of the first round.

(01:29:07):
Because people were afraid of taking him, and he was
that phenomenon. I can't remember now was that character questions? Well,
that was our talent question That was he's so athletic
and watch him run. Why don't we just make him
a running back or a wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (01:29:19):
Wasn't he taken?

Speaker 1 (01:29:20):
Like not even a handful of years after RG three
and people were gun shy because they thought maybe a
mobile quarterback is going to get hurt again like that.

Speaker 3 (01:29:28):
That's probably true, and I hate that these people, I mean,
this is their job. I just sit here and talk
on the radio. How could you watch RG three throw
the football at Baylor? Heisman Trophy winning thrower of the football,
who also had awesome athleticism, could run past people, had
a lot of running situation, right, But he throws the
ball at the level of an NFL quarterback, And quite honestly,

(01:29:50):
I think they were missing the boat on Lamar Jackson.
Watch him throw the football. Does it look like he
doesn't know where it's going or what he's doing. It
was like the prettiest football in the NFL. And they
had these dumb we know what they are. I'm not
trying to be ignorant to this, but It's embarrassing that
these people are in these positions year after year after
year when you look at the teams that don't think

(01:30:11):
like that or allow themselves. We're gonna take him anyway,
because you're so talented. Where are they and where are you?
You're looking up at them. Basically, the simplest way to
put it, they're doing it right and you're doing it wrong.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
I would have given my left arm for Ozzie Newsom,
and I'm left handed. He was just brilliant for the
Baltimore Ravens. I mean, the team doesn't get that well
or get that good without him making a lot of
those picks late ones. I might add, hey, here's an
interesting topic. Joe Mixon clear as mud. That's where we
are today. After the Casario press conference, we'll explain next

(01:30:47):
Hasan continues Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (01:30:48):
See Josh here with you.

Speaker 3 (01:30:50):
We'll get you Wednesday's BS when we come back for
a signature segment around four thirty five thirty, we'll be
sending you along Orangs basketball five o'clock Football at five.

Speaker 2 (01:31:00):
Nick Cassario met with the media earlier today.

Speaker 3 (01:31:02):
A lot of things to discuss, some very positive information
about a few players, some situations.

Speaker 2 (01:31:08):
One of those was the tight end situation.

Speaker 3 (01:31:10):
We haven't really talked about Dalton Schultz, the calf injury
that had him on the sidelines or out of the game,
I should say for pretty much the entire game. After
they failed on that first first and goal situation because
of the illegal shift and then the third down in completion,
he heard himself on that play.

Speaker 2 (01:31:26):
Calf injury did not return.

Speaker 3 (01:31:27):
Nick SiO said today, don't believe it is serious and
should not impact his off season in a negative way.
And about Cage Stover, he even acknowledged, yes, it looked
pretty bad. I think we all thought it looked pretty
bad when he leaned back and bent his knee back
trying to catch a CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:31:43):
Stroud pass that was thrown behind him.

Speaker 3 (01:31:45):
Left the game and needed a significant assistance, it seemed
like to get into the medical tent. Did not return,
but the knee injury, as Nick said today, says they
think they avoided something serious. Anticipates him being ready for
their off season program. They'll see, but feels pretty confident
they avoided something very serious with Cad Stover. He'll be

(01:32:06):
going into year three. He's obviously under contract. Brevon Jordan
off of a contract extension, should be back next year.
No other decision to make regarding Dalton Schultz last year
of that three year extension that he signed. But he
also opened things up after a general comment about where
things are and how this was the best three year
stretch in Texans history, which is accurate, how they have

(01:32:26):
much more work to do, which is also accurate. He
went to his own comments about two injury situations. Ended
with the Tank Dell update, which we've talked about earlier,
but began with the Joe Mixon update. During his forty
plus minutes spent with the media, the first two questions
were about mixing. After he had that to say, Questions
five and six where about mixing? Questions fourteen and fifteen,

(01:32:49):
we're also about Joe Mixon, basically because the digging for
information about some clarity basically was hitting a wall a
little bit. So let's run through some of the things
he had to say regarding Mixing and his season which
was not any football, did not play for the Texans
this year.

Speaker 2 (01:33:06):
How would you grade him as zero? And incomplete?

Speaker 3 (01:33:09):
It was completely it was completely a zero. So we'll
get into that. Let's hear what Nick said about Joe.

Speaker 6 (01:33:16):
It was a very unique situation. I don't think anybody
really had any clarity. Honestly, from the start of the
year until now. I'd say Joe worked very, very hard
to try to get himself ready to play football. It
just never manifests itself and came to fruition. So probably
have an opportunity to kind of see where he is
in the off season relative to next year. But again,

(01:33:39):
it was very It was as unique a situation an
injury as I've been associated with. And it's just I
don't want to call it a freak thing, but it's
just kind of a freak thing. And Joe worked really hard,
you know, gave it, put his best foot forward.

Speaker 5 (01:33:52):
It just it didn't work out.

Speaker 3 (01:33:54):
Number of different things that might have you tilting your
head and questioning it. I don't think it was intentional,
but I had that. I had more than one person
text me when they heard it or read it. Yes,
he did say put his best foot forward, and obviously
this is a foot injury we're talking about, but work
to try to get back. I've loved that, I really
being a dad jokester that you are. But it wasn't intentional,

(01:34:14):
so I didn't love it. I thought it probably could
have used a better choice of words. I hated it,
but it was pretty minimal to the day's work. Those
were his opening comments. This is before any questions have
been sent his way about Joe Mixon. These were his
initial comments that you just heard. Didn't want to call
it a freak thing, just kind of a freak thing.
Unique situation, as unique an injury situation as I've ever

(01:34:36):
been around. But again, no clarity on exactly what happened,
but just some of the things that he said led
to some of the questions that then would be asked
about Joe Mixon and kind of where things are and
even his long term status considering the contract they had
him under when they made the trade with the Cincinnati Bengals.
They elected at that time to put him on a

(01:34:57):
three year deal. Well, next year would be year three
of that deal. He is under contract with the text
and so his long term status with the team looks
like what Nick.

Speaker 6 (01:35:06):
We haven't seen Joe in a little bit, so I
think at some point we'll see him and then we'll
be able to evaluate kind of where he is, and
then based on information, we'll kind of see what the
status is moving forward. Yeah, and he's under contract, so
we'll evaluate a situation and then you know, we'll see
where it goes from there.

Speaker 3 (01:35:19):
Combination of two answers right there. The first question was
what about the uncertainty? Why is there uncertainty regarding Joe?
And what do he want Joe back if possible? That's
what you're there at the end the simple well, he's
under contract, We'll see where it goes from there. And
the initial part of it was we haven't seen Joe
in a little bit. If you were watching it live
or listening to it, that was something that at least

(01:35:40):
peaked by interest to well, that doesn't sound like a
normal injury situation. You've already called it unique. So my
assumption there seems right on point with that. I mean,
we're we're not there every day, he's there every day.
I don't know this for a fact, even though I've
tried to find out beyond the days that were there,
But it didn't seem like this injury and the activity
inside the build holding for the player that was hurt

(01:36:02):
was what we normally see.

Speaker 2 (01:36:03):
Jimmy Ward was hurt.

Speaker 3 (01:36:05):
We saw Jimmy Ward plenty, We saw him on the
practice field off to the side. We saw him in
the locker room. We know he was at the facility,
and they even told us that he was at the facility.
That's just one example. They had several other players at
different times went down with injury and.

Speaker 1 (01:36:17):
Nico Collins was concussed and he was out there in
the side. That's a little different.

Speaker 3 (01:36:21):
But that's not a long term But like for example,
in my opinion, that's just completely irrelevant.

Speaker 1 (01:36:25):
No, but we brought I brought this up earlier this
year with Fred van Vliet, and he doesn't have to
be on all these road trips for example.

Speaker 3 (01:36:33):
Again, well, the picture I'm trying to paint is tank
Dell was in and out. He was there all the time.
Like Nick even said the same thing to he was
here today. He's here all the time. Why because he's
trying to come back. Now, Granted, this is a unique
I'll give it. It's a unique situation. I don't know enough
of the specifics even to say that. But it does
seem not normal. So you're you're even telling me yourself

(01:36:56):
it's not normal. So I asked him very specifically why
that he hasn't been around Because listen to those words.
He said, it's hard to answer that question right now
about him playing next season because we haven't seen him
in a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:37:09):
I don't know what a little bit means.

Speaker 3 (01:37:11):
And that just seems like, how about he's here at
the end of the season now so you can start
going through this stuff. Maybe we're so close to the
end of the season. I'm nitpicking, who knows. But that's
why I asked him about. I said, if there's a
reason we haven't, they haven't seen Joe despite the other
and I said all other injured players being in the facility,
and it was immediately met with, actually, that's not correct.
We had some players that were here and some players

(01:37:33):
that weren't here. And I'm sure from a semantic standpoint,
that's probably true. Kurt Heinez didn't play it down this
year for this team, and I never saw him even
during the offseason. I don't think he was at the
facility very often for whatever his unique injury situation was.
But I think the general sense of players rehabbing are
there so they can get better, or they're visiting enough
with your staff, your strength performance athletic training staff enough

(01:37:56):
that you do have an idea he's flat out telling
us we I don't know what his situation is right now,
which also again semantics, they didn't know what a situation
was during the season either, So I will grant him
this was If we find out the specifics of it,
I'm sure it will jive with what he's telling us.
This was not your average injury. This was a very

(01:38:16):
unique situation.

Speaker 1 (01:38:18):
I can't with the exception of Tony Boselli, which is
as ancient history as you can get. He was their
first expansion draft pick, so he was the first player
ever taken in Texans history.

Speaker 2 (01:38:33):
I don't remember a time where.

Speaker 3 (01:38:35):
There was this much mystery, no question, because you're not
remembering there's nothing even like this. But as the questions continued,
and I think maybe you can assume there's some deference
to the player because Nika or Demico had indicated, well, look,
this is his personal situation. I'm not here to tell
you about, and maybe that's something that he and the
team agreed on. Mare there's some financial contractual issues where

(01:38:56):
I don't want to say anything publicly that I shouldn't
that puts us in whatever the situation might be. But again,
a question about the clarity of what exactly happened to him,
and he did shed a little light on what didn't
happen to him in that response.

Speaker 2 (01:39:08):
He didn't do anything off the field.

Speaker 6 (01:39:10):
It wasn't like he was riding like a snowmobile or
anything like that. I'd say it was just more of
a medical condition or situation that just Weever, it really
didn't improve, maybe as much as everybody would have hoped.
I mean, I'm not trying to like evade the question.
I think that's the reality of the situation. So like,
he didn't jump off a building, like, he wasn't cliff
diving or anything like that. He wasn't doing anything irresponsible.

(01:39:32):
It was just it was a freak thing. Honestly, I've
never seen it, you know, It's just the condition.

Speaker 2 (01:39:38):
Didn't do anything.

Speaker 1 (01:39:39):
He wasn't writing a snowmobile. He plays in Houston, Nick,
That's why I would have said, well, he's not people
are allowed to vacation in the off season, got to
stay in the city on us. So what he did
shed light on is from the public stance that he's
telling us about wasn't anything irresponsible. Was it was more
of a condition, a medical situation. It's simply did not

(01:40:00):
improve and he keep kept adding he's never seen it before,
Like he's been around NFL injuries for thirty plus years.
Right when stuff like this happens, you know, the only time,
you know, people start to formulate their own opinions and
stuff gets thrown out there. We all heard the one
rumor that was just very sensational. I don't happen to
think that happened, that he got shot somehow, although it

(01:40:26):
would apply to the way Nick Cassario is phrasing the
description of what happened. It's a freak thing. He's never
seen it with that kind of stuff. Although well, I.

Speaker 3 (01:40:33):
Did say he didn't do anything irresponsible, that's the other thing.

Speaker 1 (01:40:36):
But the other thing I heard a lot. I'm just
saying what I heard, not saying I think this, But
I'm just saying I heard this Isak Peretis tried to
do something to speed up his recovery with the Astros
this last year. I heard it may or may not
have been the case with Joe Mixon, and it went bad.

(01:40:59):
In other words, it an unexpected result of trying to
do the right thing to get back on the field
went medically bad. And that would also apply to this
was a freak thing. So take that for what it's worth.
I don't know one way or the other, and I
don't happen to think he's going to ever play another
down for the Houston Texans.

Speaker 3 (01:41:18):
But at least your owner didn't make a bigger mess
with your team earlier today one of them did Wednesday's BS.

Speaker 5 (01:41:25):
Next, little help over the hump with some Wednesday BS.

Speaker 3 (01:41:30):
Two Adams and a whole lot of bit stealing.

Speaker 5 (01:41:32):
Bit stealing with the bit Steelers better known as the team.

Speaker 1 (01:41:39):
All right, we're not stealing bits. We're gonna deal with
the BS again. It's kind of become a tradition of late.
But let's face it, when you get the type of
press conference that we got earlier today, I guess it
was that the Buffalo Bills trotted out there. This is
just this was so fantastic, because what do we talk

(01:42:02):
about all the time, Jerry Jones during the NFL season,
Jerry Jones's radio appearances multiple times will come up just
because he'll say or do something that's just so out
of pocket, or at least out of character for a
typical NFL owner.

Speaker 3 (01:42:17):
Yeah, can't help, but notice, and when you cover a
Cowboys game and you need to get audio after the
game or shoot videos. Do I go to the podium
and get stuff from coach Schottenheimer and Dakt And I
balance that out with going in the locker room and
talking to a CD and everybody else.

Speaker 2 (01:42:32):
Oh god, I totally forgot. I gotta go.

Speaker 3 (01:42:34):
I gotta sit outside of the locker room because that's where
Jerry Jones is gonna talk to everybody every game.

Speaker 2 (01:42:40):
Every entity should have a Jerry beat reporter, you need it.
But he has.

Speaker 3 (01:42:45):
He has said a bunch of things that we obviously
have jumped on few other owners here and there. When
they speak, oftentimes we be like, that's great audio, because
that's hilarious. And when Buffalo decides after their loss in
the divisional round again and all these Josh Allen led
trips to the postseason that have not landed them in

(01:43:07):
the super Bowl, they say, oh, we lost again. You're fired,
Sean McDermott, even after your admiral job.

Speaker 2 (01:43:13):
We're gonna let you go. And they say, he.

Speaker 3 (01:43:16):
Did do an admiral job. Let's let's make our owner available.
It's the buck stops here. This is who made the decision.
It wasn't the GM's decision. It wasn't our president of
retail operations, wasn't the accountant down the hall. And this
is the owner. It's his decision, and he explained as much.
So we got some goods from Terry p.

Speaker 1 (01:43:34):
Yeah, let's start with a decision that was made prior
to this season, and then we'll get to him. Just
jumping in to a different answer, but the owner of
the Bills, Terry Pagoula, YEP, was talking about the fact
that the coaching staff actually pushed to draft Keon.

Speaker 9 (01:43:57):
Coleman, and up, I'll address the Keion situation. The coaching
staff pushed to draft Kon. I'm not saying Brandon wouldn't
have drafted him, but he wasn't his next choice. That
was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of

(01:44:20):
his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. And
you know he's taken, for some reason heat over it
and not saying a word about it. But I'm here
to tell you the true story.

Speaker 3 (01:44:39):
Nice job backing your general manager who you kept and promoted. Yes,
all while the player you're talking about is entering year
three with your team that you're completely just ripping apart.
Even though he kind of did some of that himself,
just with how he kept being on the inactive list
well healthy this year.

Speaker 1 (01:45:00):
And the reason he's taking heat over it is because
it doesn't matter who advises whom. His name is the
one attached to general manager, whose job, first and foremost
for most NFL teams is to pick players in the
draft and put a roster that is competitive together.

Speaker 2 (01:45:20):
So that's why he's taking heat. Terry, I of you
know how his works, but yeah, he's taking.

Speaker 3 (01:45:26):
Heat very specifically for this one particular pick.

Speaker 1 (01:45:30):
Even as you said, is sitting over in the other
room in his third season thinking what the believe I'm
catching strays here?

Speaker 3 (01:45:37):
Well, he's put it on himself and that's why this
whole thing has become a thing. He was the first
pick of the second round. There was a run on
wide receivers, and this is the one they chose. The
one drafted immediately after him, the very next pick, Lad McConkie,
slightly different receiver, has been phenomenal with the Chargers in
his two seasons there. I believe he's number one from
that draft class in terms of receiving yards. Almost two

(01:45:59):
thousand bunch of other wide receivers draft in that round
and they stink too, So it's not the end of
the world. But I think it actually, I think he
might have taken a bigger, broader viewpoint and tried to
back this guy because he made the decision to promote him,
and most people think, well, why do you think we
keep coming up short? I mean this year, maybe it

(01:46:19):
was because Josh Allen had a bad day, But the
second this move was made, everybody that covers the Bills was, well,
this is strange. Look at the last four drafts. Look
at all the Pro Bowl players that were picked by
the GM that got promoted. It's a pretty short list.
It's a talent issue here in Buffalo. It's not a
coaching issue. It's not a quarterback issue. And this is

(01:46:43):
the guy you kept around. This is just one of
countless things. He just made it hard. He made everybody's
life worse today with what he had to say.

Speaker 1 (01:46:50):
Well, there was controversial calls in that game, obviously, and
he had no problem talking about the owner for Gula
jumping in and interrupting Brandon Bean's answer about when he
was being asked why the team fell short.

Speaker 8 (01:47:08):
In essence, I mean a bad call, Yeah, I mean
Jay I would say we went to Jacksonville and we
won a good team.

Speaker 1 (01:47:17):
It just I mean, I get it. I've been there,
I do it all the time. Talking about that Rockets
team that fell short. Yeah, Scott Foster, it's like.

Speaker 3 (01:47:26):
Asking why the Rockets lost in that series. Why the
Rockets losing that set, had their chances to win. Chris
Paul got hurt and things didn't work out for them.
You can jump in anytime, keep going. I don't Scott Foster.
Bad call. I mean, it was just like it was
bad calls in that case. But this see, now, while

(01:47:47):
I disagree with human method man, right, it's just not
people get mad all the time at Trump. Well it's
not very presidential. This isn't good owner behavior. You know,
I even understand that. I get it people want but
that's who he is.

Speaker 2 (01:48:01):
I don't. I didn't know that this is who this
guy was until today.

Speaker 3 (01:48:04):
Well, he's just he's it's indicating a little bit of fandom,
which I think most people appreciate their owners. Yeah, he's
just like me. He's a fan of the team. He
happens to own the team, but he wants him to win,
and he's crushed when a bad call in his mind,
cost him the game, which again, if you definitely believe
that was a bad call, of course, I mean, it

(01:48:25):
couldn't get much closer to costing the game. All that's
left is your eight hundred year old found off the
street kicker making a short field goal, and Buffalo's had
bad history with that. But presumably he's going to make
a forty one yard field goal of less because you
don't necessarily kick it on the next play, but you're
you're going to kick the game winning field goal in
the next several plays if you don't put it in
the end zone. So yeah, if you believe that was

(01:48:47):
a bad call, and I don't, then you can say.

Speaker 1 (01:48:51):
That I love Brandon Bean's face in this press conference though,
because he's.

Speaker 2 (01:48:55):
Like, oh, I work for this guy.

Speaker 3 (01:48:57):
It did re our, I guess. Unearthed again, the Bills
had video of their draft day proceedings, some work at
the combine and you see the assistant GM, Brandon Bean
and Brian Gain all talking about Keon Coleman from the
twenty twenty Legend by Texan's Legend, one of a very
very few gms in Texans history. But they were talking

(01:49:17):
about Coleman and it was all painting a picture of well,
what'd you like about this? Well, he didn't run very fast,
so and then Bean says, well, then make it easier
for us to go get him? Like well, like whose
point of view are we supposed to believe here? But
this is a team with Josh Allen that was like
Houston in the Final four, and it's been nothing but
oh my god, what's next? Was Josh Allen gonna have

(01:49:38):
to have surgery?

Speaker 2 (01:49:40):
Yes? Does he want out? Maybe? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:49:43):
Those are other things that came from today's activities. Well,
we'll continue to discuss Buffalo Bill's football and the Texans,
of course here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 5 (01:49:55):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:49:58):
Our newest edition to the team, number twenty three. Kyle
Tucker finally introduced and announced today by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All while the other player in the outfield that hits lefties, well,
the bat's lefty got a big, fat contract agreement to

(01:50:20):
remain in pinstripes, Cody Bellinger signing a deal five year
deal with opt outs, about eighty two million coming his
way first couple of years before opt outs.

Speaker 2 (01:50:31):
So, while the.

Speaker 3 (01:50:32):
Yankees have made some changes a little element of running
it back off of last year's tremendous success.

Speaker 2 (01:50:41):
Who has a better record at the end of the season.
The Yankees are the astros.

Speaker 3 (01:50:47):
Uh, I'll say the Yankees. Why I think they're gonna
have more wins?

Speaker 2 (01:50:55):
Thanks? What about that division they play in?

Speaker 3 (01:50:58):
That's the only reason I pause the very little moment.
You heard me pause a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:51:02):
That was the reason.

Speaker 3 (01:51:03):
You know, when is redon himself a little bit of
an injury situation. When does Scarett Cole return and what
is he when he does return? They still have this
You know, they have a nice list of pitchers if
they're all pitching to their capabilities, which is a massive
question mark. I still think there are some question marks
on the back end. But I mean, I know Trent

(01:51:24):
Grisham's going to be nowhere near what he was last year.
Almost everybody's ticked off that he's back. But Aaron Judge
is still the best hitter in the American League. And
Cody Bellinger, I don't know if you think he's going
to stop being good because now he really finally got
the deal he's been waiting for for probably three or
four years.

Speaker 2 (01:51:45):
Wouldn't be the first player to have that happen.

Speaker 3 (01:51:46):
If it does, that's true, but he doesn't strike me
as the most awesome mental type in the game. He
also went through a period of his career where it
went bad, really bad for him.

Speaker 2 (01:52:00):
He was being like he might baseball.

Speaker 3 (01:52:02):
Absolutely, it was that bad after an exceptional start to
his career.

Speaker 2 (01:52:05):
Not playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:52:07):
But here's a guy who's got a five to forty
two OPS in twenty twenty one. He's got six fifty
four OPS the following year. Two out of the last
three years it's been up over eight hundred. Two of
the last three years he's had a one twenty five
OPS plus, including this last year, where a team that
is freaking terrible defensively, he's like the only thing they

(01:52:27):
have going for him wherever they put him.

Speaker 2 (01:52:30):
Unless they play against the Astros on a Sunday afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:52:32):
Unless he has a rare goof with the baseball trying
to throw it at What a goof it was.

Speaker 2 (01:52:36):
It was legendary. It's something that will live on forever.

Speaker 3 (01:52:38):
It's almost like missing a ball to center field when
you're Aaron judge and it's the World Series.

Speaker 1 (01:52:43):
Almost almost like not covering first base when you're Garrett
Cole in the same game, like we can.

Speaker 3 (01:52:48):
We can bag on the Yankees all we want. This
is just money. All they did today was get better.
Yesterday was a Astro or wasn't a Yankee?

Speaker 2 (01:52:59):
Today he is? They got better. Well, that's what Brian
Cashman does. He just catches me. He's better.

Speaker 3 (01:53:05):
They're trying to improve on not being the best team
in their own division, let alone the team that represented
the American League in the World Series. They're not necessarily
get better versus last year, but they got better versus
the situation they were in because he wasn't a Yankee
yet and now he is again.

Speaker 2 (01:53:20):
He's a good player. He's a really good player.

Speaker 1 (01:53:24):
It's the most unknown the Astros have been to me
since before this run.

Speaker 3 (01:53:30):
No idea what your number two starter will be. Like,
you think it's I forty five. You presume Hunter Brown's
gonna be awesome again next year. You don't know who three,
four and five are. You think it's Xavier, you think
it's spencerrag Ghetti. Maybe we'll get some answers on this
for our long extended fan fest broadcast coming up this Saturday.
Astros Caravan underway today, so as they go through Wednesday

(01:53:52):
Thursday Friday. It all culminates with fan Fest over at
Dyke and Park on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:53:56):
We will get started. I'm part of the early crew.

Speaker 3 (01:53:59):
Dan and I will have the first couple hours, and uh,
the Matt Thomas show with Ross will have the next
couple of hours.

Speaker 2 (01:54:05):
Fueled by coffee there.

Speaker 3 (01:54:06):
I mean, I am aware that there's some weather headed
here in Houston beginning Friday night and probably running through Sunday,
but I'll be there till they tell me not to be.

Speaker 2 (01:54:15):
Do you cover your plants or do you just say no? Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:54:20):
There are no plants that surround my house of any
kind that get covered. We don't have any potted plants.
We have some bushes that line in the front of
our house. We could drape some old bed sheets over,
I suppose, but we don't. We got a couple of
trees that are completely and they've been there for all

(01:54:40):
the decades that I've lived there. Pipes, Yeah, and that's
what's really wrapped the pipes when required this weekend. Thinks
I believe I'll be required to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:54:50):
So what's really like, Yeah, all of this coverage about
this storm that's apparently going to take over half the
country and kill everyone.

Speaker 2 (01:55:00):
What it's going to make people cold?

Speaker 1 (01:55:04):
Not When you see the term exploding trees like I did.

Speaker 2 (01:55:09):
Have you ever even heard of it?

Speaker 3 (01:55:10):
An exploding tree that strikes me as equally dangerous to Jaws.

Speaker 2 (01:55:16):
I have a solution. Don't go around nature.

Speaker 3 (01:55:21):
Uh So during this when are the trees going to explode?
What specific time?

Speaker 2 (01:55:24):
What? What has to be going on for the trees
to explode? Well, that's the key. There's no specific time.
But is it going to explode today? Probably not? Why storm?
Has it come through? Okay? Then when the storm's done,
will it explode? Then?

Speaker 3 (01:55:35):
I don't know it's going to explode during the storm,
right maybe like going in the water when Jaws is
in there, maybe don't the water.

Speaker 2 (01:55:41):
I think you're good.

Speaker 3 (01:55:42):
And then if you don't, standing next to the tree
of the climber tree the tree, try to get sat
from the tree, climb the tree during the storm or
during the cold weather, I think you're good.

Speaker 2 (01:55:54):
You know just what I want to call you a
jacket ass I realize I'm the same guy, Like it
is that not true? I did?

Speaker 3 (01:56:00):
It's either I did see an exploding trees report and
I was I was interested the storm. Other parts of
the storm actually are concerning. Don't be out on the
roads in this by Monday. It might not have thought out.
It's just talking about our area, and clearly because of
power outages and people's living situations. Yes, cold weather could
be much more harmful than me mocking it. People actually

(01:56:22):
definitely could be in harm's way, just not here. I
don't think here. I think if I mean people that
aren't in harms way today, I mean obviously people who
don't have somewhere to stay are in harms way.

Speaker 1 (01:56:32):
I really don't want to wrap my pipes or the
bushes out back. I just hate doing all that for
basically a couple of days.

Speaker 2 (01:56:40):
Take care of it. Man, it's your house, I know,
I mean house. They said it'll be fun, they said
it is fun. How much fun is it?

Speaker 3 (01:56:48):
Wex I've never had to get the room out to
bang on the ceiling because the people who live above
me are making too much noise.

Speaker 2 (01:56:55):
Well, small price to pay for a rent control.

Speaker 3 (01:56:58):
Department, I guess, tiny little rent controlled apartment. You're right, Oh,
let's go outside and play in the Just kidding. There
was something to be said when I myself grew up
here in this apartment, this concrete jungle.

Speaker 1 (01:57:10):
Yeah, well, there was something to be said for living
in an apartment by myself. And if something went wrong,
I would just call the maintenance person and be like, hey,
fix this before I get home.

Speaker 2 (01:57:19):
I don't want to have to deal with it. Now,
you fix it.

Speaker 3 (01:57:21):
Yeah, I mean, I've I've got somebody coming over. I
live by myself, no roommate to worry about, obviously, no
family to worry about. Just having somebody over, have a
couple of beers and watch a football game.

Speaker 2 (01:57:33):
Is that what I was doing? I tried to spin
it back that direction. I didn't know it was on
the way.

Speaker 1 (01:57:37):
I could see your house heating larger. Yeah, exactly. That
company came over from time to time.

Speaker 2 (01:57:42):
Yep. Good two years. Good two year run.

Speaker 1 (01:57:46):
They got married again and we stopped having company two
your I'm just kidding. We have company over all the time.
They haven't in a while though. All Right, we're gonna
get to the five o'clock hour next. No surprise that
at football at five we're going to talk about football,
and we're gonna talk about one of the elite quarterbacks
and whether he wants out.

Speaker 2 (01:58:05):
That would make.

Speaker 3 (01:58:06):
Two, by the way, if he does, very captain obvious
stuff also regarding the Texans and why they came up
short on Sunday in New England from former Patriots personnel
man Nick Cassario.

Speaker 5 (01:58:19):
Next the eighteen on Sports.

Speaker 3 (01:58:23):
Five o'clock must be football at five, just like we
do every single day, no matter what. If the A
team is on the air at five o'clock and at
least one of us is sitting here, we're gonna talk
about football at five o'clock.

Speaker 2 (01:58:39):
What happened yesterday? I don't know. I was in the
car and it was like five oh five and you're
still talking about the Rockets. I didn't hit the button,
that's all me and I go. I couldn't play the music. Well,
I couldn't figure out how to.

Speaker 3 (01:58:49):
I had obviously texted both of them as I was
driving to Toyota Center and saying, ooh, basketball at five,
and then after you both gave me those answers that
you gave our listeners now via text, I was trying
to figure out how to say it, but it wasn't
quite the same situation. But my only thought was, yeah,
because you don't play the music, and AC's like Ron Burgundy.
I mean, if you don't play the music, he didn't
know what to do. If you put it in the prompter,

(01:59:09):
he's just gonna say it is. That's kind of the
vibe I was getting.

Speaker 2 (01:59:12):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:59:12):
That used to be a joke that was funny to
me until it started being my reality. I really think
that if you put something in front of me, I'm
just at the age now where I just don't give
a bleep and I'll read it.

Speaker 2 (01:59:23):
So try sometime.

Speaker 3 (01:59:24):
Many questions today for Nick Casseario about their offense, their quarterback.
Did they do enough to make the offense better? Is
Nick Kyley going to return? And I think the same
way that Demiko said it on Monday was a very
similar way to how Nick said it today. Although he
anticipates him returning, I think they were just trying to
complete their in house evaluations and thus since they haven't,

(01:59:46):
he didn't want to say, yeah, he's coming back next year,
of course, but they will get to that point and
there will not be an announcement they've replaced him. However,
my best guess is they made almost no changes to
the offensive staf this past year. They obviously got parted
ways with once you go ahead and retire Chris Strasser

(02:00:07):
on the offensive line, promoted Cole Popovich, and he was
applauded today by Nick saying he did a very good job.

Speaker 2 (02:00:14):
And I think that's fair, and I think he did.

Speaker 3 (02:00:17):
They brought in Jerry Schaplinsky to help on the offensive side,
offensive pass game coordinator, but outside of that, most of
their offensive staff, if not the entire offensive staff, as
I run through it again and did earlier, they basically
were all back in place, obviously Nick Kayley being the
huge outlier, but he came in as the new OC,

(02:00:37):
and they didn't revamp the staff for him or even
as if he even requested.

Speaker 2 (02:00:41):
I don't believe he did, and they did not want to,
and they did not.

Speaker 3 (02:00:44):
I don't think that's I don't think we're gonna see
another well, everybody's just coming back. I think there will
be a couple of other probably significant changes, maybe some
additions to who's helping CJ, who's helping the pass game,
who's helping the offense in that regard, if it's a
new quarterback coach, if it's a new passing game coordinator,
if there's a shuffling of the roles, you know, I

(02:01:06):
wonder if the multiple seasons that Jerad Johnson has spent here,
he's been here with CJ throughout. Their quarterback room also changed,
and it was very popular over the weekend with Caleb
Williams doing what he did to say, man case Keenum
would be a nice player to have back or first
time coach to bring in. I don't know if case
Keenum is not going to be a player next year.

(02:01:27):
Every year it seems like, well that was his last year.
But what he did here in Houston, I think was
correctly assessed as a helpful player to have here with
a younger David Mills and Davis Mills and a rookie CJ.

Speaker 2 (02:01:38):
Straunnier for his name is David Mills.

Speaker 3 (02:01:40):
By the way, I don't think I've ever said that before,
but my mistake. He was there in Chicago this year
for those that weren't aware, case Keenum was was there
in Chicago.

Speaker 2 (02:01:49):
Very specific. He's not there to back up the quarterback
at all. He's not. He's there to never see the
fields CJ. Hill since he left.

Speaker 3 (02:01:55):
I mean, as silly as it sounds, it's it's true.
Based on performance. I don't think that's the reason, but
having a quarterback room this year of Davis Mills, who's
less accomplished and barely older than CJ. Stroud and Graham
Mertz the entire year as a total project quarterback who
wasn't even fully healthy and wasn't particularly good in college.

(02:02:18):
It's not my ideal quarterback room for a quarterback entering
his third year.

Speaker 1 (02:02:22):
We I think we talked about this off the air briefly,
but I again.

Speaker 2 (02:02:27):
I've slept since then. That was Sunday, I was so
far ago.

Speaker 1 (02:02:31):
Were you in favor of a scenario where they brought
in Davis Mills at the half?

Speaker 3 (02:02:37):
I think it's this absolutely worth discussion. You can't you
can't ignore what's happening in the game. And the only
thing more important than what's happening in the game is
what's about to happen in the second half. Not CJ's
fourth year, not CJ's contract extension, none of that stuff.
What's most important to the AMC championship exactly. That's my opinion.

(02:02:57):
I'm not necessarily saying because of that, Demiko was wrong
right in not making a.

Speaker 2 (02:03:02):
Change, Because here's the deal.

Speaker 1 (02:03:04):
I can't I can see it both ways, and I
don't look at it as Davis Mills is a better quarterback.
That's the absolute dumbest way to look at this scenario
because it's just not true. But even today games right,
what I look at it is what is Demico Ryan's
thinking about? And yes, it has to do with the future,
but not the future you just spoke of. Is it's

(02:03:24):
the future of Okay, if I bench CJ in the
divisional round and this franchise gets to the AFC Championship
for the first time in the history of this franchise
on the strength of Davis Mills, what does this do
to my quarterback confidence level?

Speaker 2 (02:03:44):
What does it do to.

Speaker 3 (02:03:46):
I mean, so, when you laid all this out and
I want to just be make sure I'm clear on this,
are you saying this is what Demiko was contemplating.

Speaker 2 (02:03:54):
I I think it was.

Speaker 3 (02:03:55):
See I don't. I don't think he allowed himself to
think like that. I think he truly was thinking only
about Sunday's game, but did not believe making the change.
Just thinking about that in and of itself, You're right,
it should be there. It's hard to cloud yourself away
from that because it's a big deal. This is your quarterback,
this is the guy you have believed in, and that's

(02:04:16):
why I think he remained well.

Speaker 2 (02:04:17):
Believing in him.

Speaker 1 (02:04:18):
He doesn't throw four or he doesn't throw an additional
fifth interception if he's on the bench, just like he
didn't staying in the game.

Speaker 3 (02:04:27):
Yeah, there was no additional interception. He went ten of
twenty one in the second half after going ten of
twenty six in the first half. He just didn't personally
turn the ball over in the second half. They did
as an offense, They clearly didn't move the ball the
way you would need to win this game. They had
two scoring drives in the second half. Their first scoring
drive was excellent, even though they wasted a time out

(02:04:49):
on offense on their first possession of the second half.

Speaker 1 (02:04:51):
I was so just egregiously, irresponsibly dumb.

Speaker 3 (02:04:55):
But it was a possession again that they drove into
the zone, they were inside the ten, and they kicked
a field goal. Their second scoring possession was a drive
that was basically they got one penalty twenty six yards
on sixth plays and they kicked a long field goal.
The other drives were just different from the first half,

(02:05:17):
and that he didn't turn it over. They didn't turn
it over for him. They had the fumble from Woody,
and then they punted twice in the fourth quarter, which
also probably the second punt's laughable. The first punt with
twelve minutes on the clock, maybe I'm not too upset about,
but I don't care. Like I said Monday, it could
have been fourth and ninety eight yards and I don't

(02:05:38):
know how you can punt with five minutes left and
only one time out down twenty eight to sixteen. But
they did, and they got the ball back two minutes later,
and there wasn't any time left for them to do anything.
Making that decision and doing what you do. Nick Cazarro's
obviously asked about, you know, CJ. Stroud's big long term performance.
They've had him for three years. They've had him for

(02:05:59):
two three seasons worth of two playoff games each. The
second playoff game each year has been a team a
bad situation, and he was at the before front of
it in this game more so than in any other.
He took a pretty standard route to talk about CJ
and talking about his performance and just the overall thought
on how to win football games.

Speaker 6 (02:06:20):
CJ played good football this year. Honestly, it wasn't our
best day as a team. When you go back really
and look at the game from Sunday, can't turn it
all over, and you look at the divisional round, the
teams that turn them all over, they lost the game.

Speaker 2 (02:06:32):
Our ball security.

Speaker 6 (02:06:33):
I think this is a franchise record for at least
amount of turnovers. So we've shown that we can take
care of the football. We did a poor job of
it in the game the other day and end up
costing us. It's still an opportunity to win the game
despite how poorly we'd played, in which I'd say that
game was emblematic of kind of maybe the first three games.
When you go back and look at those first three
games of the season, that's what happened.

Speaker 3 (02:06:53):
So he continued and said this curious about everybody's reaction
to it. You know, we talked about this, he said,
Demiko and I and I talked to all the quarterbacks
about this, including CJ. Your number one job as a
quarterback is to mitigate risk, period, end of story, every
single play.

Speaker 1 (02:07:12):
Okay, he's talking about, we didn't play our best game
as a team, and then he goes on to highlight
the one aspect of the game that was most egregious,
which is the turnovers, four of the five of which
were directly responsible.

Speaker 2 (02:07:27):
By c J.

Speaker 1 (02:07:27):
Stroud, even if the ball was tipped, all that kind
of stuff. Whatever you want to say, I just to me,
I don't if I'm the defense, I don't want to
hear the team lost this this game as a team,
this year or this week.

Speaker 2 (02:07:41):
You know that we didn't play our best football as
a team. I get it. You're part of the team
to be. They did their job.

Speaker 3 (02:07:47):
I mean, I'm not intentionally being our typical show dynamic.
But how many other times this year did they give
up three touchdown passes?

Speaker 2 (02:07:56):
Did they give up twenty many.

Speaker 1 (02:07:57):
Other times this year? Did the Texans keep the opposition
the ball to do so?

Speaker 2 (02:08:01):
Right?

Speaker 3 (02:08:02):
But none of those touchdowns came off off of possession
following a turnover, None of them did.

Speaker 2 (02:08:08):
None of them, None of them. I thought one of them.

Speaker 3 (02:08:10):
Was a direction, was a touchdown, but that was I'm
not a tribute you're saying, but I thought I thought
for sure. One of those CJ. Stroud interceptions led to
seven points in the first half. First interception was followed
by Drake makes Drake Mays fumble. The second interception was
followed by a three and out. Third interception was followed
by a three and out, and I'm omitting the interception

(02:08:31):
for touchdown.

Speaker 1 (02:08:31):
I'll be I really, I'm not even saying this for effect.
I thought one of those was a direct result of
a seven that the Patriots put up, but I guess
it wasn't.

Speaker 3 (02:08:41):
Still, the four turnovers the Texans had resulted in no
points the way except for the one that was retarved
for a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (02:08:48):
How many times the other one? How many times this
year did they turn the ball over that much in
any game? That's what I thought you were going to be.
Put the defense out there, and and you know it's
just But again, what I gave.

Speaker 3 (02:08:59):
You that comment from him today to point back to
a comment I've been making for two weeks at least,
if not three, if not four, they want to not
turn the ball over, Well, then you can get to
the rest of the playbook in an hour or two hours,
or when you get to page fifty, because this is
page one through forty nine. Yeah, run the ball into
the line and punt, throw the ball out of bounds
where only our guy might be able to catch it.

Speaker 2 (02:09:20):
I don't care. Just don't turn the ball over.

Speaker 1 (02:09:22):
Game.

Speaker 3 (02:09:23):
Manage your way through our defense, winning it for us.
Run the ball forty times.

Speaker 2 (02:09:27):
It's what he wants.

Speaker 1 (02:09:28):
What did you see in that clip of Demiico on
the sidelines at the tail end of the Pittsburgh win man,
This is what it's all about, running the football and
playing good defense.

Speaker 2 (02:09:38):
He said it himself. But they couldn't run the football.
That's why eat way when you say.

Speaker 3 (02:09:44):
Oh my god, CJ had four turnovers, right, they didn't times.
They also ran the ball for nothing the whole game,
Like you're asking your quarterback to go above and beyond.

Speaker 1 (02:09:55):
And that's credit in part to the to the to
the defense. So that sucked. That really sucked. When do
we get to not talk about that game anymore? You
know what I don't like when you go to like
ESPN dot com and the score still at the top
of the screen because you're logged in with your teams.

Speaker 2 (02:10:11):
I know the score. I know it. I don't need
to see it again four days later. Anyway.

Speaker 1 (02:10:16):
Final segment coming up next, We're gonna give away some tickets.

Speaker 5 (02:10:21):
The A team on sports talks about that good.

Speaker 3 (02:10:24):
You hear on Sports Talk seven ninety The eight team
continues just for one more segment. We got long Horns
basketball this evening six o'clock tips, we get into our
pregame coverage at five thirty, Game six of the SEC schedule,
where it just absolutely means more for both Kentucky and Texas,
I joke, but it probably does mean quite a bit
to Sean Millers. He hopes to have a little bit

(02:10:44):
more success here in his season number one with the Longhorns.
Couple of nice victories recently. Kentucky probably even a more
interesting situation for both them and LSU and a few
other teams that have had some wild finishes lately.

Speaker 2 (02:10:57):
But we'll get to that coming up.

Speaker 3 (02:10:58):
Like I said, with a six clock tip, Astros Caravan
continues around the state and come through Houston on Friday,
and then we've got Astros fan Fest for you on
Saturday throughout the morning and early afternoon. Looking forward to
catching up with a host of Astros players and others
personnel with you guys out there fans as well. Hopefully

(02:11:19):
the weather won't be quite as chilly as we're forecasting
it to be. But we also mentioned last segment, and
we do it every day around this time. Whenever we
wrap things up, we have tickets to give away for you.
John Mellencamps coming through the Woodlands Pavilion his Greatest Hits Tour,
The Dancing Words Tour August sixth, Woodlands Pavilion Friday morning.

(02:11:39):
Tickets will go on sale at ten am at ticketmaster
dot com. But we've got a pair of tickets for
you to win here. And we also have a pair
of tickets to give away to Monster Energy Ama Supercross
that's January thirty first at NRG Stadium. Tickets on sale
currently at ticketmaster dot com. We give those tickets away
to our listeners, and those who are our listeners, we
consider that you are listening to the program, so you

(02:12:00):
know the answer to these very simple questions we come
up with for you. And because we love you, we
love that you listen, we love that you interact with us.
We love to send you these events. That's how we
do things here. We're gonna ask you a simple question
about something we said today on the program.

Speaker 1 (02:12:13):
You'll call it We're not well, I'm totally crapping on
the gimmick we normally do here for just today.

Speaker 2 (02:12:21):
But it's a special occasion, So should I take care
of it? Then? No, I've got it.

Speaker 1 (02:12:24):
I've got a question, they have to answer it, and
they have to have all three answers.

Speaker 3 (02:12:30):
The number to call in to win remains the same number,
one three, two, one two, five, seven ninety. It's extremely important,
very pertinent to the A team question. Thank you listeners
from ac right here?

Speaker 2 (02:12:42):
Yeah, who can you know?

Speaker 7 (02:12:43):
What?

Speaker 9 (02:12:44):
No?

Speaker 1 (02:12:44):
If they are a true Houston sports fan, they should
be able to rattle this off in their sleep.

Speaker 2 (02:12:49):
Then they probably also listen to the show. Go ahead?
Whose birthday is it today? It's January twenty first?

Speaker 3 (02:12:57):
Okay? Whose birthday is it today? Is there more n
them to understand to answer the question?

Speaker 2 (02:13:01):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (02:13:02):
I'm asking you, well, what if Ronald calls in and say, hey, guys,
my wife was born on January twenty first, nineteen eighty seven,
which show should I go?

Speaker 2 (02:13:12):
See? It's a Houston sports talk show. Whose birthday is
it today?

Speaker 3 (02:13:18):
So someone in our listener's history of fandom, yes, had
their birthday?

Speaker 2 (02:13:25):
Their birthday is today? Why are you the way that
you are? Just say the keem Olijan Is it a
kim Olajuan's birthday? Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:13:32):
See, I don't understand this. What listeners probably do the
answer to the question isn't a cheme?

Speaker 5 (02:13:38):
Is it? No?

Speaker 3 (02:13:39):
Exactly? But how did you set it up? And how
come you get so mad every time you set it
up the exact same way? And then I inevitably say
the answer and you're like, why did you do that?
Wex now what I'm supposed to ask. I don't want
you to answer the question. I want the listeners to
answer the question.

Speaker 2 (02:13:56):
You think that was the same that happen, But I.

Speaker 3 (02:13:58):
Didn't think that's what's gonna happen because that's exactly what
you do every timewise, unless you do it to me
because I've done the same thing. You No, really, whose
birthday is it? You really want me to tell you? Okay,
it's a Keem's birthday. What's the freaking question?

Speaker 2 (02:14:10):
All right?

Speaker 1 (02:14:10):
He's the only player in NBA history to do this
in the same season. He won three different awards. And
I'll even give you the year nineteen ninety four. You
have to name all three of these awards, and I'll
even tell you two of them are regular season, in
one of them's postseason.

Speaker 3 (02:14:29):
All right, guys, there are a lot of postseason awards
to choose from. Pick out which one you think a
chem one in this year where he also was hint
to Christmas story major awards for the regular season work
that he did.

Speaker 2 (02:14:44):
Here's your hint. It was not Rookie of the Year,
here's your second when he's been playing for ten years.

Speaker 3 (02:14:49):
He also in the year that they can I tell
them what the Rockets did that year as a team.
I mean, if you don't know that they won the
title that year, Uh huh, this is a hint.

Speaker 2 (02:14:59):
I'm not giving you the answer.

Speaker 3 (02:15:01):
During the year where they won the title with a
kim Olajuan on the team, the nineteen ninety four title,
he was not coming off the bench, so he did
not win the sixth Man of the Year award.

Speaker 2 (02:15:12):
What a hint? What a guy just helping out our listeners.

Speaker 1 (02:15:15):
Seriously, dude, why can't I just celebrate Hakeem's birthday and
deviate from the norm for one freaking day?

Speaker 2 (02:15:21):
You just did? You can? You're allowed to.

Speaker 1 (02:15:23):
Honestly, if we don't have a winner right now, I'm
disappointed in our city and their families, It'll be fine,
all right.

Speaker 3 (02:15:32):
What else have we not gotten to today? I feel
like two winners. We had two things to give away.
That's the required number.

Speaker 2 (02:15:38):
Most Valuable Player.

Speaker 3 (02:15:39):
A kim Olajuan in nineteen ninety four won the Most
Valuable Player award for the regular.

Speaker 2 (02:15:45):
Season Defensive Player of the Year deemed the.

Speaker 3 (02:15:48):
Best defensive player in nineteen ninety four Rockets center kim Olajuan.

Speaker 1 (02:15:53):
And after that aforementioned championship, he was voted the most
Valuable Player of the Finals.

Speaker 2 (02:15:59):
Who play in the finals? Everybody what team the New
York knicker Bockers so.

Speaker 3 (02:16:05):
Up against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knickerbockers seven
consecutive John Star extremely high scoring games and Derek Harper.
Akeem Olajue won Finals MVP.

Speaker 1 (02:16:20):
And you know what, you could argue, even though he
wasn't gone after that season, you could argue that Hakeem,
with this performance in the finals, got the wheels turning
to tell pat Riley, you know what, I'm done with this.
I'm gonna go to Florida like everybody else in New
York is doing. I'm getting out of this place. I

(02:16:41):
might go run the heat for the next twenty years.
And he did thirty. Actually he left I think two years.

Speaker 2 (02:16:47):
Later because Dreams Team beat him. Well.

Speaker 1 (02:16:51):
He never He did not get back to the finals
until Lebron came to to Actually that's not true.

Speaker 3 (02:16:56):
So he went to the finals with all those guys
you said, and not win and then he went to
the finals with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James.

Speaker 2 (02:17:05):
No, he went to the finals before that and won
before remember with Dwayne and Shack. Yes, and wasn't Zoe there.

Speaker 3 (02:17:13):
Well, let me just ask you this, Dwayne Wade Shack
title year six better than any Knicks player that lost
to the Rockets.

Speaker 1 (02:17:23):
Well, yes, because the officials kept ushering him to the
foul line to destroy the Mavericks, which was great.

Speaker 2 (02:17:32):
I loved that.

Speaker 3 (02:17:33):
I loved so didn't Dwayne Wade against the Mavericks was
a loss?

Speaker 2 (02:17:39):
Yes? No, the Heat won that year and No. Six,
he'd already won a speak for the title they.

Speaker 5 (02:17:44):
Beat Uh the.

Speaker 2 (02:17:48):
I can't remember, but it was eleven. Oh okay, I
don't remember. I like the history lessons. Honestly, that might
have been the Heat.

Speaker 1 (02:17:58):
So they met the Heat and the Fire finals twice.
I feel like maybe the Heat lost to the MAVs.
They won two in a row, then they lost to
the Spurs. I think that's how that went with.

Speaker 3 (02:18:08):
They did go to the finals four straight years. They
lost to the Mavericks four games to two in the
eleven finals series, which is hilarious, then beat the Spurs
and then lost to the Spurs.

Speaker 2 (02:18:22):
Yep. So when they met the MAVs in the finals
the second time with Lebron, where's the second time?

Speaker 3 (02:18:31):
So?

Speaker 2 (02:18:31):
Am I wrong? They didn't win that champion? How finals
did the MAVs get to? Just the two?

Speaker 6 (02:18:37):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (02:18:37):
Okay, okay, am I wrong? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (02:18:40):
Oh, the two thousand and six finals, That's what I said. Well,
it was like one hundred years before twenty eleven. Actually
it was five.

Speaker 2 (02:18:48):
Yes, they met twice in the finals. They don't have
me doubting myself about years. I know experience. I said,
it was a history lesson for me. I don't know anything.
That's unbelieva. You forgot that. I remember literally everyone because
who play in.

Speaker 3 (02:19:00):
The finals last year wex. If you really wanted to
embarrass me, you could do that almost every year, thunder,
you could do it almost. You could ask me about
the super Bowl in five months and I'll forget, and
then a year later I'll be even worse.

Speaker 2 (02:19:10):
But I don't even know what the super Bowl it
was like. That's even for my standards, that's bad.

Speaker 3 (02:19:15):
I think that Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy this season,
but that's about as far back as I can go.

Speaker 2 (02:19:20):
You know what, he also won hearts not a bell
of dangers. Well, she was crushed mentally. They are nice save,
nice save. But yeah, I believe TMZ caught up with
her after the game. Yeah, and what did she say?

(02:19:44):
Since that's what we all care about? What she said?

Speaker 3 (02:19:46):
I want to make sure I have the quote correct exactly,
but I think I know the gist of it is
she was she wished she hadn't been shown on the
broadcast pause.

Speaker 2 (02:20:00):
Yeah, I read that quote. I don't believe it. Oh
she's camera shy.

Speaker 3 (02:20:05):
Come on, well, what's the Bennett like? Is she drawing
money from some other venture that she needs to stay popular?

Speaker 1 (02:20:13):
I saw the rest of the quote, right, She's like,
I'm sorry, I did anyone who saw my That makes
no sense. That's the one on camera appearance you made
that wouldn't offit anybody because you were wearing something.

Speaker 2 (02:20:27):
Yeah I didn't. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (02:20:28):
We got a long time before or ever. If she
drops into the sports spotlight again, might not ever happen?

Speaker 9 (02:20:34):
Again.

Speaker 2 (02:20:35):
I mean she's still there next year, right, is she graduating?
What's her major?

Speaker 3 (02:20:40):
It's more about, Uh, the Miami Hurricanes are going to
be back in the playoffs or in the college football
National title Game.

Speaker 2 (02:20:46):
I'm gonna go with no private school with a lot
of money. So strange how Indiana got there.

Speaker 3 (02:20:52):
Everybody has money, We got college basketball.

Speaker 2 (02:20:54):
Come in your way.

Speaker 3 (02:20:54):
We'll be back with you tomorrow at two o'clock. Plenty
to discuss. Then still more of Texans to discuss.

Speaker 2 (02:21:01):
We'll do it then