Texans Take The Field! Draymond Takes Some Humble Pie, College Football PayOffs?

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam raised my girl Nolan,
volted by the magnificent roller coaster ride that is Houston Sports.

(00:26):
Chill lge down for the only homegrown afternoon team is
Talking Your Teams.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
What's Up, Houston, Texas?

Speaker 4 (00:53):
It is a Friday edition of the A Team Sports
Talk seven ninety wex ac Cole Thompson. With these we
take you up until six o'clock tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
By the way, I would say that's our favorite edition
of the show, but it's not always. Sometimes Monday editions
can be really really good when you do what we do.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
But I know for most people across this country and
the world, Friday is the best edition of whatever job
you happen to do. So if you're listening to us
and you turn us on the Telly in about an
hour from now, we really appreciate that. In the meantime,
I got a lot to get to. We are going
to get to. I have been told I have it
on good authority wex from you that your notebook was

(01:32):
empty at Texan's Rookie Mini Can't today.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
I was all excited to see what was going to
be in it. I knew you would have some observations.
I have observations, but there's nothing to write down. Well,
I mean, can we call it an imaginary notebook? Cold
does even know about this? We could definitely call it
our imaginary notebook, because today they held in our imaginary practice.
Thus the imaginary notebook. Yeah, you know, just when he
talks about taking that warm blanket again, say, Wex is

(01:57):
gonna empty the notebook today.

Speaker 5 (01:58):
All right, wex is going to empty the imaginary notebook.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
To rookie mini camp. First day for the media to go.
See the players on the field today with their numbers,
new numbers, and most of them were correct. And here's
what I saw today. A lot of individual coaching. Now
that's actually there. But that's good. That was it. That's good.
These guys have to be. They had two quarterbacks there
initially eventually for those that stayed to watch the remainder

(02:24):
of practice, which we were allowed to do, just couldn't
shoot it all. They did actually throw passes to the
three wide receivers that attended. There were two tight ends
that attended. There was this lone running back that attended.
They had two active players from last year's team that attended.
One of them was a quarterback. The other one is
the shockingly most talked about offensive lineman that didn't play
any snaps last year. They had one safety there, they

(02:45):
had a corner there. They had a player who was
unhealthy that designed an undrafted free agency had six of
those there, had two tryout players there, a long snapper
and a punter. Had a kid from Kline High School
out there.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
It was.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
A rookie Minni camp practicewhelming a practice his something. Well,
I don't blame them for it. I'm saying this, if
you're unfamiliar with what this particular day's activities were geared towards.
The rest of the team is going to be on
the field next week with them. They need to know
what they're doing. I'm being as literal as possible. You've

(03:23):
seen the phenomenal twenty three years worth of videos from
me from their practice facility, even from the practice facility
at the Greenbrier that I was lucky enough to attend
of stretching lines. And for these new twenty players or
eighteen of them, however, many of them make it to
whatever portion of camp they get to and whatever portion
of OTA's they get to. They literally were taught how

(03:46):
to do the stretching line today their first day on
the field together. The leader from the staff was out
front saying, watch what I do, and then it's your turn,
and he showed them this is where I want your
ants to go, I want your lean to be, I
want your legs to be and then they followed his
lead and so next week when the other players are
out there with him, they won't have to hopefully reteach

(04:08):
them how to prep for practice with a stretch and
assorted other individual stations for the one running back that
got one on one instruction from his one running backs
coach et C. But yes, seeing the players out there's
always a true mark of the upcoming season. Jaden Higgins
and Jalen Noel and Danny Jackson are their three wideouts.
Jackson of the undrafted free agent teammate of his, was

(04:32):
there with the ursery. Both of them were at Minnesota
last year. Obviously, Noel and Higgins were roommates on the
road at Iowa State and teammates for the last two
seasons at Iowa State, so it's cool to have them together.
Got to talk to the three top picks. Well, every
player they drafted in the first three rounds we spoke with.
That's three players and none of them were in the

(04:54):
first round. Talk to those two wide receivers and ursery
so share a little bit of what they had to
say about day one on the field for them, and
they've been in town for two days, most of them.
Dimiko Ryans also spoke about some things to accomplish here
as you get forward to looking forward to the season.
Nick Kaylee's on the field with this group for the
first time. That's the extent of what it was. Each

(05:15):
of the individual position coaches are kind of walking them
through how a Texans practice. Look, what it looks like,
and what we what we're asking from you and how
we go about it and where our stations are, and
we're just literally what you need to do. It was
very first day of school on field. Uh, literal practice
of what you need to do to practice sounds like
an initiation. Like I said, I mean, it wasn't I

(05:38):
don't know, it wasn't harsh. It's funny because you are
calling it barely a practice. Well, football practice means you
practice football in pads and all that kind of well,
but that's the thing when you go to training camp.
This is so much say they were literally practicing how
to practice. I'm not even trying to be, you know,
a hypocrite or sarcastic.

Speaker 5 (05:55):
That's what mini camp means, practicing how to practice.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
Rookie, That's what I mean. That's what mean. Yeah, because
there were twenty players there, but.

Speaker 5 (06:02):
There's not many camps of any other kind, are there.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yes, the veteran mini camps, which is the rest of
the off season OTAs, they're basically mini camps.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
Heu's what I'm saying that they're called OTA's. They don't
call them veteran mini camps. They only call it rookie
mini camp.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
No, that's because of the stupid CBA and how they
have to make sure they do the right thing. Is like,
isn't called mandatory mini camp. It's called mini camp, but
it is mandatory, and so the other parts of it,
they're all called OTAs, which are not mandatory. But it's
you know, usually a good idea, especially teams like this,

(06:36):
there will be there won't be any attendance issues. I'm
not going to say there's gonna be one hundred percent attendance,
but none of the players that don't participate, which will
be an extremely small number. I don't think will be
considered an issue, and there certainly weren't any here on
day one.

Speaker 4 (06:49):
Sands veterans sounds all like politics. Got to be purposeful
with your language when you refer to these things. It's
not in the title yet it is mandatory. I like that,
all right, So I'm glad that you got to look
at that. Not only that, but like you said, big time,
big time man.

Speaker 5 (07:08):
The numbers were handed out, the.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Numbers were handed out. I feel like you would be
I don't know why. I just thought you would be
more excited about this. We talk about this subject in
an ordinate amount. I mean, you're gonna see most of
the guys. I've said this to you just a few
minutes ago. It shouldn't require a change later on before
their rookie seasons, but it has happened in the past.
Both of their players in the secondary last year that
were on the field almost all season came to rookie

(07:32):
mini camp with different numbers than the ones they ended
up wearing. Lasser was fourteen, Bullock was forty one. They
didn't play in either of those numbers last year. Played
in four and Block played in twenty one. I don't
think they'll need a second change for Higgins who's in
eighty one, Nole who's in eighty two. Ursery sixty nine

(07:53):
presumably is available because Shaq Mason isn't no longer wearing it,
but he's wearing seventy nine here rather than the samey
sxty ninety war at Minnesota, Nice and Woody marks in
number twenty seven, the lone running back there to end
on down the list. I'm not going to run through
all their numbers for you.

Speaker 6 (08:09):
If you had to pick one that was going to
change numbers, who would it be? I'd probably it's more
of a roster thing, like you have worn this number.
This number means something to you, but you weren't able
to get it, and then that player no longer needs
it because Nick and Dimiko said they don't no longer
need that player, So now that number becomes available over
the next several months. Usually to me, that ends up

(08:31):
being a wide receiver when they wanted fourteen or twelve
or I'm pretty sure twelve's going to remain unavailable considering
Nico wears it. But things like that, like Luther Burden
was talking about it uh in Chicago. He's wearing eighty seven,
and he was asked why eighty seven. He said, because
all the good numbers were taken. I mean, everybody has

(08:52):
their own idea of what good numbers are, and I'm
sure these players are the same thing.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
I would guess that position. Let's let's say you want
and you know you're gonna make me cut somebody here today,
some veteran. You're gonna make me do it, aren't you. Well,
let's say one of them wanted nineteen. Let's say one
of them wanted eight. Is it possible that one of
those two numbers becomes available? Dell's numbers not available, Nico's
numbers not available. The two rookies are going to make
this roster that's a four person room. Are the other

(09:19):
two guys Hutch and Match? If so, then nineteen and
eight won't be available. But if they're not, one of
them certainly could become that. Neither of these two rookies
wore those numbers in college, So I begin total guess,
but I guess that position group.

Speaker 6 (09:33):
I would say right now, I'm not ready to spend
money on a Jalen Nol Jersey.

Speaker 3 (09:37):
I went on a Jayden Higgens Jersey. I think eighty
one fits them. I think eighty one is is a
little old school, which I love. For a big wide
out target.

Speaker 4 (09:46):
Oh, a big wide receiver that has an eight in
front of his number and it's double digits, I like that.

Speaker 7 (09:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
I'm not trying to except act like I'm you know,
someone who can't get with the changes. I don't want
to be Tom Brady and cry about changing numbers and
how it's so hard for the quarterbacks to figure out
who's doing what now. Oh no, a rule that doesn't
favor your side, a shock to the system. And then
he retired shortly thereafter he could heat had enough. I'm

(10:11):
I liked it in college when players are rushing off
the edge in single digit numbers. I don't mind seeing
all these kinds of things at the NFL level either.
But yeah, for us oldies, wide receivers and tight ends,
wearing numbers between eight zero and eight nine was very
commonplace because that's essentially the only group of numbers they
had to choose from. And now it's a much bigger
it's well expansive, you know, zero to twenty or zero

(10:34):
to nineteen and their normal range that I just mentioned.

Speaker 5 (10:38):
All the position groups were.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
It was very it was a very familiar situation twenties
through the thirties. Was the running backs obviously right, And
so Texans as a team just in recent years, I
suppose you could say they from a wide receiver standpoint,
they absolutely shifted in the well this new range direction.
Who cut passes last year? From CJ. Stroud Number one, one,

(11:01):
number twelve, number eight, number nineteen, and number three those
were the wideouts and number two Robert Woods. There are
no eights? What was Stefan Diggs again?

Speaker 8 (11:12):
One?

Speaker 3 (11:12):
That's right? I remember that. Oh that was he used
here for a long time. That's right, because he had
a cup of coffee here, all right.

Speaker 4 (11:18):
So there's a you know, a look at the fake
practice for the Texans rookies and their number is a huge,
huge portion of today's program.

Speaker 9 (11:27):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
It turns out that the Warriors do, in fact suck
if you take their best player away.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
And then well some other things happened. So we'll get
into that court. What do you mean the Rockets took
him away that the Wolves did not have to worry
about that because he was unable to play at all.
But it happened on the court. Yeah, but they didn't
have anything to do with it. Sure just lucked into it. Oh,
this guy ran into an injury.

Speaker 4 (11:50):
I knew this was going to be the case. And
we'll get into it. It's just this series.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, the basketball itself was pretty simple to follow last night.
They got off to a really good start. The Warriors
did not. And the Warriors are definitely lacking firepower to
get back into a game like that because most of
their firepower is centered around Curry's being on the court. Like,
there's pretty much no way, buddy, he'd scores thirty three
points against the Rockets in Game seven unless his on

(12:16):
court teammate that night is Steph Curry as a mammate.
Last night was not Steph Curry. He was not out there.
He was only on the bench trying to control the
bench area. So it was a little bit more difficult
for their guys to do some of the things they're
more capable of doing when the attention is not on them.
Minnesota was pretty focused last night. They knew that this
series is theirs to take. They just have to do that.

(12:38):
They have to go take it. It's not going to
be given to them, and the Warriors will fight, but
they don't have the weapons to fight them equally anymore.
Even with the limited amount of time that Anthony Edwards
missed last night when he got stepped on, they won
fairly easily, answered all challenges that the Warriors put together,
and they hit to San Francisco in a series that
has now tied at one game apiece. Well, I can't

(13:00):
wait for them to be out of the postseason. It
shouldn't be too much longer. Hopefully it's a maximum of
five games. It could be as few as three.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Yeah, I will be interested to see if they get down,
like if they lose the next two for example, who
walks through that door.

Speaker 3 (13:16):
I really don't think there's any doubt they're not winning
any games that he's not playing, and I'm pretty sure
they're not going to win the game when he returns,
if he returns at all.

Speaker 5 (13:24):
Wow, you're putting your name on it.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Put money. They're not going to win this series. Okay, good.
That makes me feel so much better about what happened
with the Rock. I mean, I know he got hurt
in game one. If he wouldn't have gotten hurt in
Game one and they would have played that out with
a fifteen to twenty point victory, which they were obviously
well on their way to. That's what they ended up with.
I would not have changed them. I don't think they're
going to outplay the Timberwolves four times for for whatever

(13:47):
reason I thought you were. You were taking them going
into this series. I'm not trying to diss them and
dismiss dismissive of them. I just don't think the matchup
works enough in their favor the one. There's one thing
that works in their face, and it's the fact that
Rudy Gobert is going to be pretty ineffective. I think
in this series if everybody's healthy, and I think that'll

(14:07):
still play true. I just don't think they have the
ability to keep everybody else down. They want a miracle
Game one like they did against the Rockets. The Minnesota said, hey, man,
I don't care how many shoot threes we shoot, We're
not making any of them tonight, and it'll be signior
your honor, Houston. We liked what you did, guys did
in game one, so we will follow suit a couple
of NBA games. Other than that, we'll get into and

(14:29):
there clearly are more things to discuss from that game
but don't have much to do with basketball. It's how
things come out of Golden State. Games they don't have
anything to do with basketball are usually centered around the
same person, and they certainly are in this case. Number
twenty three will obviously be in on the Astros, who
are back at home the first of six. It's Lance
mcculler's junior day tomorrow. He gets to follow that Diesel

(14:53):
who gets the ball tonight For the Astros, they'll try
to keep the Reds under five hundred while sending themselves
over five hundred and hopefully never ever to return in
the twenty twenty five season. And a whole host of
other audio accompaniments for our program this afternoon, take you
all way up till six o'clock here on the A Team.

Speaker 1 (15:12):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
Well, since we do need to get some observations from today,
what is the most interesting thing that Demiko Ryan's had
to say about his rookies in his uh I can't
believe this is the year three.

Speaker 3 (15:35):
He's starting year three already for Demiko? Why is that
hard to believe? I don't know. I think they've been
winning for two years. We've been talking about a winning
team in the postseason and CJ and Will does it
seem like they've only been here different time.

Speaker 4 (15:48):
No, it's like the Rockets because they were both hired
in the same offseason, Dimiico and e May once. You
don't suck royally. It is just time flies. I feel
like time started to really ramp up when I had
my son, but really when he started talking.

Speaker 3 (16:04):
So the Texans have won twenty two games the last
two years when you count the postseason. They did not
win twenty two games combined over the three seasons previous.
They those were how of that? And they won eleven?
Right exactly we would come in here. I didn't want
to talk about it. Well, it was and the losing
honestly it had for me. The losing had nothing to
do with it. What do we even when they're winning.

(16:26):
What do you talk about when they're winning? What do
you talk about when you have a real football team,
You talk about real football, You talk about things that matter.
Nothing that they were doing mattered. It didn't matter at
all who played this and how they played, and what
this pass and what this play? None of it. The
O seed didn't matter. The DC didn't matter. The head
coach didn't matter, the quarterback didn't matter, the guys behind
him didn't matter, the guys in front of him didn't matter.
The guys on defense, they're not going to be a

(16:46):
part of this team. Other than tiny, tiny examples of
an outlier, like the first couple of years with Nico
and the very very beginning of Derek Stingley Junior playing
in an awful defense and getting hurt. All most nothing
else was worth our time right to discuss it, debate it,
break it down. What went wrong in this game? What
difference does it make?

Speaker 4 (17:07):
I've worked here long enough and it wasn't this show,
But I did a drivetime show on this station during
a two and fourteen Texan season that was far more
engaging and from a content standpoint than any of those
Let's just say, three years.

Speaker 3 (17:27):
They've gone to and fourteen more than once. Three times
they did not go too and fourteen under coach A
Dave or coach Lovey Right. Those seasons were still the
worst seasons in Texans history because the seasons they previously
went to and fourteen mattered and had players on those
teams that mattered. Gary Coopery coaches two and fourteen season

(17:50):
mattered a great deal because it was impossible to believe
this team could be losing every week? How are they
doing this every single week?

Speaker 4 (17:59):
Technically, after they went it wasn't his two and fourteen
s He's a.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
Two and eleven season for him. The way got the
other three and then was shown the door by Willie.
But the players on the team were gonna be on
next year's team play and those were good players, right,
Those were players that mattered. Obviously, drafted, et cetera. Those
things mattered. But it's just incredible what those years did
to a lot of people. And they're not in it
anymore now. Everything that goes on there, even rookie mini caamp,

(18:25):
where literally the coachers are trying to show guys how
to practice and what they need to do and you know,
the things that are expected of them to be. Obviously
talked a little bit about many different players. The topic
of these guys that knew each other and have been
together and will remain together. The white outs Noel and
Higgins a popular one for Debiico. Here he is on
the Iowa State white Outs.

Speaker 10 (18:43):
Seeing Jayden and Jaylen together is I think it's very
confident for those guys, like being able to work together
in college for the past couple of years and being
able to be drafted to the same team. I think
it's just it's a unique situation for them, but I
think both guys will benefit a lot from it because
they had someone to lean on. A lot of times
you get drafted and you go to a new city
in a situation where you're trying to learn a lot

(19:06):
of new things, learn new surroundings, and you trying to
learn new people as well. So I think they benefit
from having each other. By having that brother from college
to be with you throughout this process is only going
to help both of those guys, I think speed up
their transition to the NFL.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
Remember there's three players in their position group today. That's it,
one undrafted free agent and Daniel Jackson and the two
of them, and then there's Ben McDaniels and other offensive
staff with them in a small group, showing them how
to get out of this break. What you want to
do on this is part of our practice. How many
steps you're going to take before you turn around and

(19:42):
here comes the ball, which they eventually got to after
learning these other parts of it. And you know how
we attack this dummy that's in the way, tackling dummy
for practice purposes. But then when they have these next
couple of days before they get on the field again,
they can talk to each other, and they can talk
to Daniel and they could say, well, do you remember
what exactly did he tell us to do here? Do

(20:03):
I have this right when they're you know, going t
J Yates in their hotel room and walking doing a
personal walkthrough in there wherever they're staying right now. But yes,
it's not just a person you've just met, it's someone
you spent two years with at Iowa State. Did you
get to talk to Nick Kaylee today? Unavailable today?

Speaker 4 (20:22):
That was as is normally I would, Yeah, I thought
that would be the case, but I was kind of
hoping for an exception since he's, well, he'll probably.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
He'll be available, I'm sure early in their upcoming availabilities
for obvious reasons. But he was out there on the
field and we asked them about him quite a bit.
And just what Denko had said at his introductory press
conference is with so many people who know of him
or have worked with him have said pretty much each
of the players and all three of the players we
talked to today are offensive players. Each of their first

(20:50):
three picks, the two wideouts and Nursery they said the
same thing. He's pretty much and Demiko he's on energy
level full all day, every day, one hundred percent, and
it is infectious.

Speaker 5 (21:01):
It's infectious.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
And then I saw the picture you posted of him talking,
just a still shot, and I'm like, this fool could
suit up tomorrow. Yeah, which a little bit that the
picture of who Demiko Ohmiko? Who I was talking about.
I thought you were talking about Nick Kayley, That's who
I was talking about.

Speaker 4 (21:19):
Oh, I thought you were just talking about the coaching
staff in general. And I know each.

Speaker 3 (21:22):
Of these three individual offensive players where I specifically about
their offensive coordinator, Nick Kayley, and all of them said
that about his energy level and about how he clearly
knows ball, and it's the offensive lineman. Tay Ersrie said
that similarly about Cole Popovich. I mean, I guess you
can call Dmiko and his hoodie and Adonnis, I mean,

(21:43):
he's he's wearing a hoodie out there, full fleece, ridiculous.
I know it's not ninety five degrees yet, but why, well,
the picture you posted. It doesn't look like a hoodie
is so much as it looks like a one of those.
Usually he's wearing a dry fit long sleeve. That's when
a drive fit short sleeve. Well, then maybe I'm thinking
of a picture.

Speaker 5 (21:59):
He posted two hours ago. I means your account.

Speaker 3 (22:02):
Maybe I'm thinking of a different day. Yeah, I guess
on this one. Yeah, that was. That was, But I
think that's what he was wearing out there. I don't
think he took anything off when he came. I'll tell
you that he doesn't wear white tights under his shorts.
His general manager does. Like athletic underwear. Yes, that's what
white tights was.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
What's he gonna do, go play an NBA playoff game?

Speaker 3 (22:24):
No, it' that's what he likes to wear out on
the field when he's walking around.

Speaker 4 (22:27):
I guess if it's hot out there and you're on
the field and you're gonna be throwing passes.

Speaker 3 (22:31):
Like him, he does. He didn't throw any passes today.
There were very few passes to be thrown, and they
did actually have two quarterbacks out there. Graham Mertz was
on the field fully knee braced up. The ACL surgery
and recovery is still not complete yet from what happened
at Florida and Keaton slow Is, who was on the
team a good chunk of last year, whether the practice
squad or now wherever he might be technically the third

(22:53):
QB behind Davis and CJ. They were both out there
and there were a handful of plays for them to
throw passes to the two tight ends and the three
wide outs.

Speaker 4 (23:02):
All right, when we come back. Best of X is
a good one today. I mean it's a good one
every day, but it's particularly good today. It's two parter
if we have time to fit them both in, which
I think we will. The first part is my co
host got fresh on X with someone sort of not
really but kind of. We'll explain, and we may or
may not hear from one of our favorite comedians, our

(23:26):
being all of us, not just you and me. WEX
talking about a certain Rocket TV commercial. That's all straight
ahead here on the A Team, the A Team.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
Did you all see this putting out?

Speaker 11 (23:46):
Between five and ten posts day.

Speaker 12 (23:49):
Four hundred people were arrested for things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 13 (23:52):
History repeats itself type Ben, You'll succeed, never doubt that
you're the one to one build, Yo, the best best.

Speaker 8 (24:05):
Nothing's gonna ever top you know, yo, the.

Speaker 14 (24:07):
Best posting every single day, yore the best, the best,
breaking the entire internet.

Speaker 4 (24:20):
As good as that intro is, I do have one
criticism wex of you.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
Would you like to hear it? That's what I'm here for.

Speaker 5 (24:29):
Why don't we have a video of the recording of this?

Speaker 3 (24:33):
So you wanted me to record this in one of
the studios we have here and set up a camera
on myself singing it, I would have personally allowed you
to use my phone to do it. If I had
other people working in my group, I probably would have
asked them to video it, Okay, but I didn't like
if I was in a if I had a co
writer like Dirk had, what's his name is what.

Speaker 4 (24:54):
John c Riley's character chest was that his name Rockwell,
that's right, that's right.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
So if I would add a co writer, I probably
would have had someone filming us as we figured out
the lyrics. And how many times you wanted to say
feel feel feel feel feel feel the heat my heat. Yeah,
I think that sounds a little bit better, but I didn't,
so I didn't film it. Sorry, Ross is.

Speaker 4 (25:16):
Listening and appreciating that reference right there, because you know
me and my Boogie Knights references.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
And luckily there was also nobody there to drown out
the vocals. So if they came out like the bass,
I think the bass is drowning out my vocals. It's
cutting into the vocals, cutting in cale. Have you seen
Boogie Knights? I just need to make sure he's dresses
like he has. I actually have never seen Boogy Nights.

Speaker 6 (25:35):
Come on, man, I will watch it this weekend and
give a full scouting report.

Speaker 5 (25:39):
I'm not even kidding.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
You have to. I know it's Mother's Day at this
point in time, don't you kind of wouldn't you prefer
If he's gonna go ahead and watch it, we might
as well just watch it with us.

Speaker 5 (25:49):
No, I don't want to watch that movie.

Speaker 3 (25:50):
With other men. There's only one scene.

Speaker 5 (25:53):
There's not only one scene.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
And again I reiterate, I don't want to watch that
movie with other men out of curiosity. This is the
William H. Macy's in this movie, right, Yes, he is
for a while. I don't want to make a spoiler alert.
He was in the movie for some of it. I
don't even blame him. I don't think that was the
way to go. Well, I blame back then, considering what

(26:16):
was like and what she was doing well in front
of him and not behind his back. That was a
one like we talk a lot about on her back.
We talk a lot about other movies and how well
or not well they were cast. His wife in that
movie was brilliantly cast. Well, yeah, brilliantly cast. She didn't

(26:40):
even have had all these other people acting like they were.
I'm an actor in movies and they obviously are well
known real actors. This wife of Bill Macy's in the
movie was not one of those people asked to play
a role like that, but merely his wife, and she
is one of those said type of.

Speaker 4 (27:00):
The director of this film. And I'm not talking about
Bert Reynolds, who played a director. I'm talking about the
director of Boogie Knights. Do you think at any point
during that process what was her name?

Speaker 3 (27:11):
Again? What was whose name?

Speaker 5 (27:13):
The woman who wasn't acting?

Speaker 3 (27:15):
What's her actual name? Yeah, her stage name, whatever it was,
I believe it's Nina H. Period, Nina H.

Speaker 4 (27:20):
Do you think that he at some point had a
conversation with her and said all right, See, we just
need you to act natural.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
I think you've done this before. Be yourself. I've seen
you and I think you can handle this. We want
you to be authentic. She was authentic. It was a
very good, well done movie, so best of X where. Yeah,
here's the deal.

Speaker 4 (27:40):
There's a lot of times where I will see something
from a member of the national media, be it NBA,
Major League Baseball, not so much the NFL. I feel
like the NFL is pretty buttoned up. There's still some,
let's face it, there's still some blowhards on that national stage,
but deer, there are way more in Major League Bay
Baseball and the NBA per capita when it comes to

(28:03):
national media types, and boy is Dave mcmannimon one of them.
I mean, if your job description now not the one
that he puts in his bio NBA.

Speaker 5 (28:13):
Reporter for ESPN, well let's get the real bio.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
Like if he were to unfiltered write it, it would
say I carry water for Lebron and the Lakers and
Genie Buss and whoever else needs to.

Speaker 5 (28:25):
He is there beat writer, That's one way to call it.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
The ESPN employs him to cover the Los Angeles Lakers
during the regular season and for whatever extra basketball they
play this year it was five games.

Speaker 7 (28:35):
M h. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Now, he being that he works for the worldwide leader
and playoffs continue and they like to cover them to
a certain degree, He's been assigned to a new series
without his Lakers as a part of it. His Lakers.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
That's the key, not because they're the team he covers,
but because they're his Lakers. I got it, Okay. He
also says Larry David gets him in his bio. That's
also a lie. Larry David would he would not be
able to stand this little twerp. Anyway, We're gonna get
into this more next segment in detail. But if you
watch the Warriors Timberwolves game two last night, you know

(29:08):
there was, you know, just the usual suspects as far
as a game involving the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry
was frail and that he wasn't out there, and Draymond
Green did extracurricular things that make people paid him for
various ways, shapes and form. But I mean that's basically
it if you strip everything away. So when he started
inevitably be rating an official, Dave mcminnimon took issue with

(29:32):
that for the first time this postseason that I can
I'm aware of.

Speaker 5 (29:35):
He certainly didn't do it in the first round.

Speaker 3 (29:36):
Well, this was Game two, and this is incident one
I suppose for Draymond. He'd had several of the series. Yes, well,
he doesn't know anything about the other series or the
rest of Draymond's NBA career quite obviously for the reasons
you brought it up here and best of x, I
did take issue enough to at least quote tweet him
and give him a little heads up, you know, felt

(29:58):
reporter to reporter, a journalist to NBA journalist. He was
the first tip. Of course, that's that's what I'm going
to do for people here. So he was in attendance.
I think he was even court side. Had the opportunity
to cover the game again from very very very very
close range, and he posted, uh oh, there was a

(30:21):
foul on NAS read out on the perimeter guarding Draymond Green.
After a replay review, Green was called for a technical
foul for hitting Reid in the face. He then quote
tweeted himself and the ongoing post play action. Green is
fortunate to still be in the game. He went up
to Tyler Ford, who's an NBA official working last night's game,
and yelled that's Wednesday's bs to his face. After the review,

(30:46):
Warriors assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse had to bring Green back
to the bench, So the Green is fortunate to still
be in the game. I didn't need to read much else,
and I was watching the game at the time, so
I also didn't need a recap of it. I saw it.
I quote tweeted Dave and said, really, where have you been?
The officials have been allowing this behavior slash screaming, slash

(31:09):
cursing all playoffs, all season and four years with Draymont
would last five minutes a game if he were properly
quote assessed a technical foul for use of profanity directed
toward an official. That is literally what Dave described. That
is what the NBA officials recite to pool reporters after
games when they are asked, well, how come so and

(31:31):
so I got a second technical because he was assessed
to a technical foul for use of profanity directed toward
an official, which clearly even the worst lip readers could tell.
That's what Draymond said. As Adams said, we have a
lot more on this incident again to discuss coming up
in the next segment. But that's why I am glad

(31:53):
that people that cover the games, myself included. I've had
people help me out a little bit quote, give me
a quote sweet, or at least a comment or reply to,
you know, make sure I saw what they saw. I
was trying to help Dave out here to make sure
he saw He's not fortunate to still be in the game.
This is common. This is not wow. I can't believe that.
If it's wow, I can't believe he's still in the game,

(32:13):
then what I initially said to Dave is accurate. Where
have you been this year alone? This has happened countless times.
It's only his ninth playoff game, and this happened in
the previous series multiple times. It's now happened in this series.
There are zero other players in the NBA this postseason

(32:34):
who have more than two technical fouls. Raymond has five.
He should actually have three, because I still can't figure
out why these are technical fouls and not flagrant fouls.
Other than there's also nobody else in the league that
has more than one flagrant foul point except for Draymond,
who has two. If his technical foul from the Rockets

(32:54):
game where he nos reeded Fred van Vliet and his
technical foul in last night's game where Fred van Vlida
nas reed were properly assessed as flagrant fouls, then he
would be suspended for the upcoming game, which he is
not for obvious reasons. Because this is your threshold for
suspension on one side technical fouls, and this is your

(33:17):
threshold on flagrant foul points. We need to balance it
out so we don't reach that point too soon and
give you the benefit of the doubt. We have talked
about super duper specific things regarding Draymond Green and how
he's officiated others since last night and into our show
here at two forty five today inside the NBA. One

(33:37):
on the media side and one on the player side
commented on this very thing literally using the exact same
words we've used right here on the A team. I
think you'd like to hear from them next here on
the A team, So you will.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
So, Yeah, as WEX mentioned last segment, a lot of specifics,
and as I mentioned during the break, to send us
in a totally different topic briefly, because I usually come
up with answers to questions and then forget to mention
the man order in the show. So I'll mention them here,
Enter Sandman, Welcome to the Jungle and Serious.

Speaker 4 (34:20):
Oh well yeah, so just real quickly Metallica having that
performance live of innerce Well, it was an entire concert.

Speaker 3 (34:27):
They play other songs, thank you good night.

Speaker 7 (34:29):
That was great.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
That was great. It was very on brand for James.

Speaker 4 (34:33):
They actually registered a seismic event yep, little earthquake, which
I would think that would happen every game, but apparently
it's more when the band is actually playing there.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
So we went through that story because it was pretty
cool for how they integrate that song into their walk
in and it was awesome to see it live there.
We mentioned it was sure when it started. Basically back
in two thousand. Virginia Tech began this tradition after they
had a fans choice between three songs and are saying Man,
Welcome to the Jungle and Serious.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
So serious is Chicago Bulls? I wouldn't have gone with
that either. It's just you know, it's it's like this
now with vaw Tech. No one else does that in
their college football stadium. And if they did they'd be
accused of stealing from Vawtech's thing.

Speaker 5 (35:18):
Sure, but welcome to the Jungle.

Speaker 3 (35:20):
That's a good choice for this kind of scenario, an
intro for a team running onto the field. It's with
a good build, no question about it. So back to
last night's NBA activity, there was just the one game
at the two Wolves tying up the series in the
incident very early in the game with Draymond Green. So
Pat Beverly, former Houston Rocket and league wide agitator, he

(35:46):
had a little watch party during the game where you
join him to watch the game and you talk to
each other and post stuff, and so you're all watching
kind of in your little room if you will. Videos wise,
and then this warning obviously was a big topic on
the TV shows of which Brian Windhorst is a part of.
So when I said last segment, these are literally word
for word phrases that have been said on this very

(36:07):
show that have us baffled about why the league handles
things of the way that they do. Uh, we'll start
with the one, the comment that took place quickest that
was live action last night. This is what Pat BEV
said as it was unfolding last night about Draymond Green
and the behavior displayed by Draymond Green after the review
and call was made.

Speaker 15 (36:30):
They're not giving anybody else that much lead.

Speaker 7 (36:33):
Bro. Oh my guy, he has a long lease. Bro.

Speaker 15 (36:37):
If that was anybody else, they.

Speaker 3 (36:43):
Pretty simple, nothing extraordinary. It just is literally what we
as non NBA players have to believe, and as everybody
listening as fans of the league, we're in disbelief about
in one of these series, not forget and he's played
against him and countless other games where I'm sure this

(37:04):
has happened, and in this particular case, he's been in
the crosshairs of the officials and knows where the line
is for him, for clearly knows where the line isn't
for this particular player, because it doesn't exist.

Speaker 4 (37:19):
For my money, it didn't get any better than when
he came onto the court with a camera to show
an official.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
Hey, he fouled me. It's right here on this still
shot camera in the in the viewfinder on the camera,
it showed the official a picture of the phrase you're
going to eject me now basically, so yes, he knew
he would get ejected for that. But then this morning
it was described in a way from sources withinside the industry,
teams and executives and others. This is what Brian Windhorst

(37:46):
had to say about how Draymond Green's behavior is dealt
with during NBA games.

Speaker 16 (37:53):
That's a big complaint across the league that Draymond gets
away with stuff after he committed a flagrant, and after
he commits a technical, and sometimes even after.

Speaker 3 (38:03):
He gets five fouls.

Speaker 16 (38:05):
There's a belief that Draymont actually gets too much leeway.

Speaker 8 (38:09):
This is not my word, this is what people tell me.

Speaker 16 (38:12):
They say he gets away with too much stuff because
the referees don't want to be the one who rejects
him or calls a flagrant on our second flagrant on him,
because they know that there's going to be an onslaught.
That's the perception of opponents out there.

Speaker 3 (38:26):
Okay, I got a question. I let it all play
so you could figure out what question you want to ask.

Speaker 4 (38:31):
The burning one on many of what Well, that's not
even that's like way so far down the list.

Speaker 3 (38:37):
I'm afraid to eject him.

Speaker 4 (38:39):
Why go back and play it one more time. I
need you guys to hear this. Play it one more time.
When he starts talking about the reasons.

Speaker 16 (38:45):
away with stuff after he commits a flagrant, and after
he commits a technical, and sometimes even after he gets
five fouls. There's a belief that Draymond acts, he gets
too much leeway.

Speaker 8 (39:02):
This is not my word. This is what people tell me.

Speaker 16 (39:05):
the referees.

Speaker 8 (39:08):
Don't want to be the one.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
Pa pause. The referees don't want to be the ones.
Who else can eject him? That's your job.

Speaker 9 (39:21):
Anybody else acts like that jackass, they have no problem
throwing them out.

Speaker 3 (39:27):
Maybe United. I don't want to be the one.

Speaker 4 (39:30):
Hey, my boss, he's got a problem with how I'm
behaving at work. He thinks I yelled too much on
the radio.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
But he's gonna kick the can down the road because
he doesn't want to be the one to address the problem.
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Maybe he said
it in a way that's confusing. Here's what he definitely meant.
He meant Tyler Ford doesn't but want to be the one.
He's looking to Brian Forte. But Brian Forte didn't want
to be the one. He's looking to Tony Brothers, but

(39:55):
Tony didn't want to be the one, so now there
aren't any others Alts left. Well, he's not in position
to do it, so we have three cowards, is what
we're saying here on this particular night, the numbers much
night where he pulls this crap exactly. I mean, it's
just like Davic Minimon might have just woken up, but
everybody else has been very very much awake to this.
And it's not just this year, and it's not just

(40:17):
this decade, and it has nothing to do the only
reason it has to do with us, our show in
Houston is because the last seven games and the last
four postseason series and all the matchups during the regular season.
Guy as much as.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
Anybody time of a game the Rockets lost by like three,
Do you realize that, I know they missed twelve three
free throws, I get it, but you can't tell me
that I didn't factor in. And I know the series
maybe goes a different way, maybe the Warriors win it
in six.

Speaker 3 (40:45):
I don't know. All I do know is that this
leash that we keep talking about was very much elongated
in the first round as well. Against the Rockets for
the upteenth time, and I know the Rockets have lost
to them in five playoff series. He was a part
of all of that, and he was a jackass in
all of them too. Yeah, this is just the basketball
side of it. Obviously there's another element to last night.

(41:07):
But this is its curious as it continues, and we're
more than a decade into it. He has accomplished things
in the NBA. He certainly has been properly I think
rewarded with spots on all defensive teams. I think he
plays that caliber defense, and he's a huge part of
why they have championship rings and six trips to the final.

(41:27):
But none of that stuff is relevant. I'm just noting
it because he's been around this long and he's done
some things. It's not relevant to what is happening. He's
asking you to do your job and you're declining to
do it. He's doing things that require, as an official,
you to blow the whistle and have him escort it
off the floor, and they're refusing to do it, so
he continues to do it, which means there are two problems.

(41:50):
Draymond's clearly one of the problems. The officials and their
inability to do what they're supposed to do is the
other problem. And the longer it goes, the longer it
goes like there's no end statement to it. As we
get into our number two, we have another third hour,
we have a fourth hour, and we welcome your input
on this and everything else on the table here on

(42:10):
the eighteen.

Speaker 11 (42:12):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Raised.

Speaker 11 (42:22):
My Earl.

Speaker 1 (42:25):
Nolan molted by the magnificent roller coaster ride.

Speaker 3 (42:33):
That is Houston.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Sports chill Age down for the only homegrown afternoon team.

Speaker 11 (42:43):
Is talking your teams.

Speaker 2 (42:45):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
What's Up, Houston, Texas?

Speaker 4 (43:05):
It is a Friday edition of the A Team Sports
Talk seven ninety wex ac Cole Thompson with you as
we take you up until six o'clock tonight.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
By the way, I would say that's our favorite edition
of the show, but it's not always.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
Sometimes Monday editions can be really really good when you
do what we do. But I know for most people
across this country and the world, Friday is the best
edition of whatever job you happen to do. So if
you're listening to us and you turn us on the
telly in about an hour from now, we really appreciate that.
In the meantime, I got a lot to get to.
We are going to get to. I have been told

(43:39):
I have it on good authority WEX from you that
your notebook was empty at Texans Rookie Mini can't today.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
I was all excited to see what was going to
be in it.

Speaker 5 (43:49):
I knew you would have some observations.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
I have observations, but there's nothing to write down.

Speaker 5 (43:55):
Well, I mean, can we call it an imaginary notebook?
Cold does even know.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
About this week? Could definitely call it our imaginer notebook,
because today they held in our imaginary practice. Thus the
imaginary notebook. Yeah, you know, just when he talks about
taking that warm blanket, say, WEX is gonna empty the
notebook today, all.

Speaker 5 (44:10):
Right, wex is gonna empty the imaginary notebook.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
To Rookie Mini camp. First day for the media to
go see the players on the field today with their numbers,
new numbers, and most of them were correct. And here's
what I saw today, A lot of individual coaching.

Speaker 5 (44:25):
Now that's actually there.

Speaker 3 (44:26):
But that's good? Was it? That's good? These guys have
to be They had two quarterbacks there initially. Eventually for
those that stayed to watch the remainder of practice, which
we were allowed to do, just couldn't shoot it all.
They did actually throw passes to the three wide receivers
that attended. There were two tight ends that attended. There
was this lone running back that attended. They had two
active players from last year's team that attended. One of

(44:49):
them was a quarterback. The other one is the shockingly
most talked about offensive lineman that didn't play any snaps
last year. They had one safety there. They had a
corner there. They had a player who was unhealthy that
designed an undrafted free agency at. Six of those there
had to try out players there, a long snapper and
a punter at a kid from Kline High School out there.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
It was.

Speaker 3 (45:11):
A rookie mini camp practicewhelming a practice his something. Well,
I don't blame them for it. I'm saying this, if
you're unfamiliar with what this particular day's activities were geared towards.
The rest of the team is going to be on
the field next week with them. They need to know
what they're doing. I'm being as literal as possible. You've

(45:35):
seen the phenomenal twenty three years worth of videos from
me from their practice facility, even from the practice facility
at the Greenbrier that I was lucky enough to attend
of stretching lines. And for these new twenty players or
eighteen of them, however, many of them make it to
whatever portion of camp they get to and whatever portion
of OTAs they get to, they literally were taught how

(45:58):
to do this streche today their first day on the
field together. The leader from the staff was out front saying,
watch what I do, and then it's your turn, and
he showed them this is where I want your hands
to go, I want your lean to be, I want
your legs to be and then they followed his lead.
And so next week when the other players are out
there with them, they won't have to hopefully reteach them

(46:21):
how to prep for practice with a stretch and assorted
other individual stations for the one running back that got
one on one instruction from his one running backs coach
et C. But yes, seeing the players out there's always
a true mark of the upcoming season. Jayden Higgins and
Jalen Knowl and Danny Jackson are their three wideouts. Jackson
of the undrafted free agent teammate of his was there

(46:44):
with the Ursery. Both of them were at Minnesota last year. Obviously,
Noel and Higgins were roommates on the road at Iowa
State and teammates for the last two seasons at Iowa State,
so it's cool to have them together. Got to talk
to the three top picks. Well, every player they drafted
in the first three rounds we spoke with. That's three

(47:04):
players and none of them were in the first round.
Talk to those two wide receivers and Ursery, so share
a little bit of what they had to say about
day one on the field for them, and they've been
in town for two days, most of them. Dimiko Ryans
also spoke about some things to accomplish here as you
get forward to looking forward to the season. Nick Kayley's
on the field with this group for the first time.

(47:25):
That's the extent of what it was. Each of the
individual position coaches are kind of walking them through how
a Texans practice looked, what it looks like, and what
we what we're asking from you and how we go
about it and where our stations are, and we're just
literally what you need to do is very first day
of school on field literal practice of what you need
to do to practice. Sounds like an initiation, Like I said,

(47:48):
I mean, it wasn't.

Speaker 7 (47:49):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (47:50):
It wasn't harsh. It's funny because you are calling it
barely a practice. Well, football practice means you practice football
in pads and all that kind of Well, that's the
thing when you go to training camp. This is so
much say they were literally practicing how to practice. I'm
not even trying to be, you know, a hypocrite or sarcastic.

Speaker 4 (48:07):
That's what mini camp means, practicing how to practice rookie,
That's what That's what I mean.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
Yeah, because there were twenty players there.

Speaker 5 (48:14):
But there's not many camps of any other kind, are there.

Speaker 3 (48:16):
Yes, the veteran mini camps, which is the rest of
the off season OTAs, they're basically mini camps.

Speaker 4 (48:21):
He's what I'm saying that they're called OTA's. They don't
call them veteran mini camps. They only call it rookie
mini camp.

Speaker 3 (48:27):
No, that's because of the stupid CBA and how they
have to make sure they do the right thing. Is like,
isn't called mandatory mini camp, It's called mini camp. But
it is mandatory, and so the other parts of it,
they're all called OTAs, which are not mandatory. But it's,
you know, usually a good idea, especially teams like this.

(48:47):
There will be there won't be any attendance issues. I'm
not going to say there's gonna be one hundred percent attendance,
but none of the players that don't participate, which will
be an extremely small number I don't think will be
considered an issue. And there certainly weren't any on day one.
Sans veterans.

Speaker 5 (49:01):
Sounds all like politics.

Speaker 4 (49:03):
Got to be purposeful with your language when you refer
to these things. It's not in the title yet it
is mandatory. I like that, all right, So I'm glad
that you got to look at that. Not only that,
but like you said, big time, big time man. The
numbers were handed out, the.

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Numbers were handed out. I feel like you would be
I don't know why. I just thought you would be
more excited about this. We talk about this subject an
ordinate amount. I mean, you're gonna see most of the guys.
I said this to you just a few minutes ago.
It shouldn't require a change later on before their rookie seasons.
But it has happened in the past. Both of their
players in the secondary last year that were on the
field almost all season came to rookie mini camp with

(49:45):
different numbers than the ones they ended up wearing. Lasser
was fourteen, Bullock was forty one. They didn't play in
either of those numbers last year, played in four and
Block played in twenty one. I don't think they'll need
a second change for Higgins who in eighty one, Nole
who's in eighty two, or Ursery sixty nine presumably is

(50:05):
available because Shaq Mason isn't no longer wearing it, but
he's wearing seventy nine here rather than the sixty ninety
war at Minnesota. Nice and Woody marks in number twenty seven,
the lone running back there to end on down the list.
I'm not going to run through all their numbers for you.

Speaker 6 (50:21):
If you had to pick one that was going to
change numbers, who would it be?

Speaker 3 (50:25):
I'd probably it's more of a roster thing, like you
have worn this number, this number means something to you,
but you weren't able to get it, and then that
player no longer needs it. Because Nick and Dimiko said
they don't no longer need that player, So now that
number becomes available over the next several months. Usually to me,
that ends up being a wide receiver when they wanted

(50:46):
fourteen or twelve or I'm pretty sure twelve's going to
remain unavailable considering Nico wears it, but things like that,
like Luther Burden was talking about it, uh in Chicago.
He's wearing eighty seven and he was asked why eight.
He said, because all the good numbers were taken. I mean,
everybody has their own idea of what good numbers are,

(51:06):
and I'm sure these players are the same thing. I
would guess that position. Let's let's say you wanted and
you know you're gonna make me cut somebody here today,
some veteran. You're gonna make me do it, aren't you.
Let's say one of them wanted nineteen. Let's say one
of them wanted eight. Is it possible that one of
those two numbers becomes available? Dell's numbers not available, Nico's
numbers not available. The two rookies are going to make

(51:28):
this roster that's a four person room. Are the other
two guys Hutch and Match? If so, then nineteen and
eight won't be available. But if they're not, one of
them certainly could become that. Neither of these two rookies
wore those numbers in college, so I begin total guess,
but I guess that position group.

Speaker 6 (51:44):
I would say right now, I'm not ready to spend
money on a Jalen nol jersey.

Speaker 3 (51:49):
I went on the Jayden Higgens jersey. I think eighty
one fits them. I think eighty one is a is
a little old school, which I love. For a big
wide out target.

Speaker 4 (51:58):
Oh, a big wide receiver that has eight in front
of his number and it's double digits.

Speaker 3 (52:02):
I like that. Yeah, I'm not trying to except act
like I'm, you know, someone who can't get with the changes.
I don't want to be Tom Brady and cry about
changing numbers and how it's so hard for the quarterbacks
to figure out who's doing what now. Oh no, a
rule that doesn't favor your side, a shock to the system.
And then he retired shortly thereafter he could he'd had enough.

(52:22):
I'm I liked it in college when players are rushing
off the edge in single digit numbers. I don't mind
seeing all these kinds of things at the NFL level. Either.
But yeah, for US oldies wide receivers and tight ends
wearing numbers between eight zero and eight nine was very
commonplace because that's essentially the only group of numbers they
had to choose from. And now it's a much bigger

(52:43):
it's well expansive, you know, zero to twenty or zero
to nineteen, and their normal range that I just mentioned.

Speaker 5 (52:49):
All the position groups were.

Speaker 3 (52:51):
It was very it was a very familiar situation twenties
through the thirties. Was the running backs obviously, right, and
so Texans as a team just in recent years, I
suppose you could say they from a wide receiver standpoint,
they absolutely shifted in the well this new range direction.
Who cut passes last year? From CJ. Stroud number one,

(53:12):
number twelve, number eight, number nineteen, and number three those
were the wideouts and number two Robert Woods they're no eights.
What was Stefan Diggs again? One, that's right? I remember that,
Oh that was he used here for a long time.
That's right, because he had a cup of coffee here,
all right.

Speaker 4 (53:30):
So there's a you know, a look at the fake
practice for the Texans rookies, and their number is a huge,
huge portion of today's program. It turns out that the
Warriors do, in fact suck if you take their best
player away, and then well, some other things happened.

Speaker 5 (53:47):
So we'll get into that court.

Speaker 3 (53:49):
What do you mean the Rockets took him away that
the Wolves did not have to worry about that because
he was unable to play at all. But it happened
on the court. Yeah, but they didn't have anything to
do with it. Sure lucked into it. Oh, this guy
ran into an injury. I knew this was going to
be the case. And we'll get into it. It's just
this series. Yeah, the basketball itself was pretty simple to
follow last night. They got off to a really good start.

(54:11):
The Warriors did not. And the Warriors are definitely lacking
firepower to get back into a game like that because
most of their firepower is centered around Curry's being on
the court. Like, there's pretty much no way, buddy, he'd
scores thirty three points against the Rockets in Game seven
unless his on court teammate that night is Steph Curry
as a massmate. Last night was not Steph Curry. He

(54:34):
was not out there. He was only on the bench
trying to control the bench area. So it was a
little bit more difficult for their guys to do some
of the things they're more capable of doing when the
attention is not on them. Minnesota was pretty focused last night.
They knew that this series is theirs to take. They
just have to do that. They have to go take it.
It's not going to be given to them, and the
Warriors will fight, but they don't have the weapons to

(54:56):
fight them equally anymore. Even with the limited amount of
time that a Anthony Edwards missed last night when he
got stepped on, they won fairly easily answered all challenges
that the Warriors put together, and they hit the San
Francisco in a series that has now tied at one
game apiece. Well, I can't wait for them to be
out of the postseason. It shouldn't be too much longer.
Hopefully it's a maximum of five games. It could be

(55:18):
as few as three.

Speaker 4 (55:20):
Yeah, I will be interested to see if they get down,
like if they lose the next two for example, who
walks through that door.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
I really don't think there's any doubt they're not winning
any games that he's not playing, and I'm pretty sure
they're not going to win the game when he returns.
If he returns, it all Wow, you're putting your name
on it. Put money. They're not going to win this series.

Speaker 5 (55:40):
Okay, good. That makes me feel so much better about
what happened with the.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
Rock I mean, I know he got hurt in game one.
If he wouldn't have gotten hurt in game one, and
they would have played that out with a fifteen to
twenty point victory, which they were obviously well on their
way to, that's what they ended up with. I would
not have changed them. I don't think they're going to
outplay the Timberwolves four times for whatever reason I thought
you were taking them going into this series. I'm not
trying to diss them and dismiss dismissive of them. I

(56:07):
just don't think the matchup works enough in their favor.
There's one thing that works in their favor, and it's
the fact that Rudy Gobert is going to be pretty ineffective.
I think in this series if everybody's healthy, and I
think that'll still play true. I just don't think they
have the ability to keep everybody else down. They want
a miracle Game one like they did against the Rockets.
The Minnesota said, Hey man, I don't care how many

(56:29):
shoot threes we shoot, we're not making any of them tonight,
and it'll be Senior, your honor, Houston. We liked what
you did, guys did in game one, so we will
follow suit a couple of NBA games. Other than that,
we'll get into and there clearly are more things to
discuss from that game, but don't have much to do
with basketball. It's how things come out of Golden State
games they don't have anything to do with basketball are

(56:51):
usually centered around the same person, and they certainly are
in this case. Number twenty three will obviously be in
on the Astros, who are back at home the first
of six. It's Lance mcculler's junior day tomorrow. He gets
to follow the diesel who gets the ball tonight For
the Astros, they'll try to keep the Reds under five
hundred while sending themselves over five hundred and hopefully never

(57:13):
ever to return in the twenty twenty five season. And
a whole host of other audio accompaniments for our program
this afternoon, take you all way up til six o'clock
here on the A Team.

Speaker 1 (57:24):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (57:36):
Well, since we do need to get some observations from today,
what is the most interesting thing that Demiko Ryans had
to say about his rookies in his U I can't
believe this is the year three. He's starting year three
already for Demiko, Why is that hard to believe?

Speaker 3 (57:52):
I don't know. I think they've been winning for two years.
We've been talking about a winning team in the postseason
and CJ and Will does it seem like they've only
been here different No.

Speaker 4 (58:00):
It's like the Rockets because they were both hired in
the same offseason. Demiko and Eme once you don't suck royally,
it is just time flies. I feel like time started
to really ramp up when I had my son, but
really when he started talking.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
So the Texans have won twenty two games the last
two years when you count the postseason. They did not
win twenty two games combined over the three seasons previous.
They those were how that and they won eleven? Right exactly?
We would come in here. I didn't want to talk
about it. Well, it was then the losing. Honestly it
had for me. The losing had nothing to do with it.

(58:36):
What do we even when they're winning? What do you
talk about when they're winning? What do you talk about
when you have a real football team. You talk about
real football, you talk about things that matter. Nothing that
they were doing mattered. It didn't matter at all who
played this and how they played, and what this pass
and what this play? None of it. The O seed
didn't matter, the DC didn't matter, The head coach didn't matter,
the quarterback didn't matter, the guys behind him didn't matter,
the guys in front of him didn't matter. The guys

(58:57):
on defense, they're not going to be a part of
this team. Than tiny, tiny examples of an outlier, like
the first couple of years with Nico and the very
very beginning of Derek Stingley Junior playing in an awful
defense and getting hurt. Almost nothing else was worth our time.
You're right to discuss it, debate it, break it down.
What went wrong in this game? What difference does it make?

Speaker 4 (59:19):
I've worked here long enough and it wasn't this show,
But I did a drivetime show on this station during
a two and fourteen Texan season that was far more
engaging and from a content standpoint than any of those.
Let's just say three years, they've gone to and fourteen

(59:41):
more than once.

Speaker 3 (59:42):
Three times they did not go too and fourteen under
coach a Dave or coach Lovey. Right, those seasons were
still the worst seasons in Texans history because the seasons
they previously went to and fourteen mattered and had players
on those teams that mattered. Gary the coaches two and
fourteen season mattered a great deal because it was impossible

(01:00:05):
to believe this team could be losing every week? How
are they doing this every single week?

Speaker 5 (01:00:11):
Technically, after they went it wasn't his two and fourteen.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
He's a two and eleven season for him the way
he got the other three and then was shown the
door by Willie. But the players on the team were
gonna be on next year's team. The player and those
were good players, right, Those were players that mattered. Obviously, drafted,
et cetera. Those things mattered. But it's just incredible what
those years did to a lot of people. And you're
not in it anymore now. Everything that goes on there,

(01:00:35):
even rookie Minniicamp, where literally the coaches are trying to
show guys how to practice and what they need to
do and you know, the things that are expected of them.
Tobiko obviously talked a little bit about many different players.
The topic of these guys that knew each other and
have been together and will remain together. The white Outs
Noel and Higgins a popular one for Debiko here he
is on the Iowa State white Outs.

Speaker 10 (01:00:55):
Seeing Jayden and Jaylen together is I think is very
confident for those guys, Like being able to work together
in college for the past couple years and being able
to be drafted to the same team. I think it's
just it's a unique situation for them, but I think
both guys will benefit a lot from it because they
have someone to lean on. A lot of times you
get drafted and you go to a new city in
a situation where you're trying to learn a lot of

(01:01:18):
new things, learn new surroundings, and you trying to learn
new people as well. So I think they benefit from
having each other. By having that brother from college to
be with you throughout this process is only going to
help both of those guys, I think speed up their
transition to the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:01:33):
Remember there's three players in their position group today. That's it,
one undrafted free agent and Daniel Jackson and the two
of them, and then there's Ben McDaniels and other offensive
staff with them in a small group showing them how
to get out of this break? What you want to
do on this is part of our practice. How many
steps you're going to take before you turn around? And

(01:01:53):
here comes the ball, which they eventually got to after
learning these other parts of it, and you know how
we attack this dummy that's in the way, tackling dummy
for practice purposes. But then when they have these next
couple of days before they get on the field again,
they can talk to each other, and they can talk
to Daniel and they could say, well, do you remember
what exactly did he tell us to do here? Do

(01:02:15):
I have this right? When they're you know, going TJ
Yates in their hotel room and walking doing a personal
walkthrough in there wherever they're staying right now. But yes,
it's not just a person you've just met, it's someone
you spent two years with at Iowa State.

Speaker 5 (01:02:30):
Did you get to talk to Nick kay Lee today?

Speaker 3 (01:02:32):
Unavailable today as is normally? I would?

Speaker 4 (01:02:35):
Yeah, I thought that would be would be the case,
but I was kind of hoping for an exception since he's, well,
he'll probably.

Speaker 3 (01:02:40):
He'll be available I'm sure early in their upcoming availabilities
for obvious reasons. But he was out there on the field,
and we asked them about him quite a bit, and
just what Denko had said at his introductory press conference
is with so many people who know of him or
have worked with him have said pretty much. Each of
the players, and all three of the players we talked
to today are offensive players. Each of their first three picks,

(01:03:03):
the two wideouts and Nursery, they said the same thing.
He's pretty much and Demiko, he's on energy level, full
all day, every day, one hundred percent, and it is infectious.

Speaker 5 (01:03:13):
It's infectious.

Speaker 3 (01:03:14):
And then I saw the picture you posted of him talking,
just a still shot, and I'm like, this fool could
suit up tomorrow. Yeah, I wish a little bit that
the picture of who Demiko? Oh, Demiko, who I was
talking about? Well, I thought you were talking about Nick Kayley,
That's who I was talking about.

Speaker 5 (01:03:31):
Oh, I thought you were just talking about the coaching
staff in general.

Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
And I know each of these three individual offensive players
where I specifically about their offensive coordinator, Nick Kayley, and
all of them said that about his energy level and
about how he clearly knows ball, and it's the offensive lineman.
Tay Ersery said that similarly about Cole Popovich. I mean,
I guess you can call Demiko and his hoodie and Adonnis.

(01:03:54):
I mean, he's he's wearing a hoodie out there, full fleece, ridiculous.
I know it's not ninety five degrees yet, but why
well the picture you posted, it doesn't look like a
hoodie is so much as it looks like a one
of those. Usually he's wearing a dry fit long sleeve.
That's when a drive fit short sleeve. Well, then maybe
I'm thinking of a picture he.

Speaker 5 (01:04:11):
Posted two hours ago. I means your account.

Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
Maybe maybe I'm thinking of a different day. Yeah, I
guess on this one. Yeah, that was. That was, But
I think that's what he was wearing out there. I
don't think he took anything off when he came. I'll
tell you that he doesn't wear white tights under his shorts.
His general manager does like athletic underwear. Yes, that's what
white tights was.

Speaker 5 (01:04:33):
What's he gonna do go play an NBA playoff game?

Speaker 3 (01:04:35):
No, it's that's what he likes to wear out on
the field when he's walking around.

Speaker 4 (01:04:39):
I guess if it's hot out there and you're on
the field and you're going to be throwing passes.

Speaker 3 (01:04:42):
Like him he does. He didn't throw any passes today.
There were very few passes to be thrown, and they
did actually have two quarterbacks out there. Graham Mertz was
on the field fully knee braced up. The ACL surgery
and recovery is still not complete yet from what happened
at Florida and Keaton slow Is, who was on the
Team Chuck of last year, whether the practice squad or

(01:05:03):
now wherever he might be technically the third QB behind
Davis and CJ. They were both out there and they
were a handful of plays for them to throw passes
to the two tight ends and the three wide outs.

Speaker 4 (01:05:14):
All right, when we come back. Best of X is
a good one today. I mean it's a good one
every day, but it's particularly good today. It's two parter
if we have time to fit them both in, which
I think we will. The first part is my co
host got fresh on X with someone sort of not
really but kind of. We'll explain, and we may or
may not hear from one of our favorite comedians.

Speaker 3 (01:05:37):
Our being all of us, not just you and me.

Speaker 4 (01:05:39):
WEX talking about a certain Rocket TV commercial.

Speaker 3 (01:05:45):
That's all straight ahead here on the A Team.

Speaker 1 (01:05:49):

Speaker 3 (01:05:56):
Did you all see this?

Speaker 11 (01:05:57):
I should be putting out?

Speaker 7 (01:05:58):
Between five and.

Speaker 12 (01:06:00):
Four hundred people were arrested for things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 13 (01:06:04):
History repeats itself type bang, you'll succeed. Never doubt that
you're the one to bustle no one building.

Speaker 8 (01:06:13):
You're the bests.

Speaker 14 (01:06:16):
Nothing's gonna have top You know you're the best post
an every single day You're the best of its breaking
the entire internet.

Speaker 4 (01:06:32):
As good as that intro is. I do have one
criticism wex of you. Would you like to hear it?

Speaker 3 (01:06:38):
That's what I'm here for.

Speaker 5 (01:06:41):
Why don't we have video of the recording of this?

Speaker 3 (01:06:45):
So you wanted me to record this in one of
the studios we have here and set up a camera
on myself seeing it, I would have personally allowed you
to use my phone to do it. If I had
other people working in my group, I probably would have
asked them to video it. Okay, but I didn't like
if I was in a if I had a co
writer like Dirk had, what's his name is?

Speaker 5 (01:07:06):
What John c Riley's character chest?

Speaker 6 (01:07:10):
Was?

Speaker 5 (01:07:10):
That his name Rockwell? Oh, that's right, that's right.

Speaker 3 (01:07:12):
So if I would add a co writer. I probably
would have had someone filming us as we figured out
the lyrics and how many times you wanted to say
feel feel feel feel feel feel the heat my heat. Yeah,
I think that sounds a little bit better, but I didn't,
so I didn't film it.

Speaker 7 (01:07:27):
Sorry.

Speaker 3 (01:07:27):
Ross is listening and appreciating that reference right there, because
you know me and my Boogie Knights references. And luckily
there was also nobody there to drown out the vocals.
So if they came out like the bass, I think
the bass is drowning out my vocals. It's cutting into
the vocals, cutting in cale. Have you seen Boogie Knights?
I just need to make sure he's dresses like he has.
I actually have never seen Boogy Nights.

Speaker 6 (01:07:47):
Come on, man, I will watch it this weekend and
give a full scouting report.

Speaker 5 (01:07:51):
I'm not even kidding.

Speaker 3 (01:07:52):
You have to. I know it's Mother's Day at this
point in time, don't you kind of wouldn't you prefer?
If he's gonna go ahead and watch it, I might
as well just watch it with us.

Speaker 5 (01:08:00):
No, I don't want to watch that movie with other men.

Speaker 3 (01:08:03):
There's only one scene.

Speaker 5 (01:08:05):
There's not only one scene.

Speaker 3 (01:08:07):
And again I reiterate, I don't want to watch that
movie with other men.

Speaker 6 (01:08:10):
Out of curiosity. This is the William H. Macy's in
this movie, right, Yes, he is for a while. I
don't want to make a spoiler alert. He was in
the movie for some of it.

Speaker 5 (01:08:21):
I don't even blame him.

Speaker 3 (01:08:23):
I don't think that was the way to go. Well,
I blame back then, considering what was likely and what
she was doing well in front of him and not
behind his back. That was a one like we talk
a lot about on her back. We talk a lot
about other movies and how well or not well they
were cast. His wife in that movie was brilliantly cast. Well, yeah,

(01:08:50):
brilliantly cast. She didn't even have had all these other
people acting like they were. I'm an actor in movies
and they obviously are well known real actors. Do you
think wife of Bill Macy's in the movie was not
one of those people asked to play a role like that,
but merely his wife, and she is one of those

(01:09:11):
said type of actors and actresses.

Speaker 4 (01:09:13):
The director of this film, and I'm not talking about
Bert Reynolds, who played a director. I'm talking about the
director of Boogie Knights. Do you think at any point
during that process what was her name?

Speaker 3 (01:09:23):
Again? What was whose name?

Speaker 5 (01:09:24):
The woman who wasn't acting?

Speaker 3 (01:09:27):
What's her actual name? Yeah, her stage name, whatever it was.
I believe it's Nina H. Period, Nina H.

Speaker 4 (01:09:32):
Do you think that he at some point had a
conversation with her and said, all right, see, we just
need you to act natural.

Speaker 3 (01:09:38):
I think you've done this before. Be yourself. I've seen
you and I think you can handle this. We want
you to be authentic. She was authentic. It was a
very good, well done movie, so best of XSW. Yeah,
here's the deal.

Speaker 4 (01:09:51):
There's a lot of times where I will see something
from a member of the national media, be it NBA,
Major League Baseball, not so much the NFL. I feel
like the NFL is pretty buttoned up. There's still some,
let's face it, there's still some blowhards on that national stage,
but there are way more in Major League Baseball and

(01:10:12):
the NBA per capita when it comes to national media types,
and boy is Dave McManamon one of them. I mean,
if your job description now not the one that he
puts in his bio NBA reported for ESPN, Let's get
the real bio, like if he were to unfiltered write it,
it would say I carry water for Lebron and the

(01:10:33):
Lakers and Genie Buss and whoever else needs to.

Speaker 3 (01:10:37):
Is their beat writer. That's one way to call it.
The ESPN employs him to cover the Los Angeles Lakers
during the regular season and for whatever extra basketball they play.
This year it was five games. M hm yeah. Now
he being that he works for the worldwide leader and
playoffs continue and they like to cover them to a
certain degree, He's been assigned to a new series without
his Lakers as part of it.

Speaker 4 (01:10:57):
His Lakers, that's the key, not because they're the teamy covers,
but because they're his Lakers. I got it, okay. He
also says Larry David gets him in his bio. That's
also a lie. Larry David would he would not be
able to stand this little twerp. Anyway, We're gonna get
into this more next segment in detail. But if you
watch the Warriors Timberwolves game two last night, you know

(01:11:20):
there was, you know, just the usual suspects as far
as a game involving the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry
was frail and that he wasn't out there and Draymond
Green did extra curricular things that make people paid him
for various ways, shapes and form. But I mean that's
basically it if you strip everything away. So when he
started inevitably be rating an official, Dave mcminimon took issue

(01:11:43):
with that for the first time this postseason that I
can I'm aware of.

Speaker 5 (01:11:47):
He certainly didn't do it in the first round.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
Well, this was Game two, and this is incident one.
I suppose for Draymond. He'd had several series. Yes, well,
he doesn't know anything about the other series or the
rest of Draymond's NBA career quite oddosly for the reasons
you brought it up here in best of X, I
did take issue enough to at least quote tweet him
and give him a little heads up, you know, felt

(01:12:10):
reporter to reporter, NBA journalist to NBA journalist. He was
the first tip. Of course, that's that's what I'm going
to do for people here. So he was in attendance.
I think he was even court side. I had the
opportunity to cover the game again from very very very
very close range, and he posted, uh oh, there was

(01:12:33):
a foul on NAS read out on the perimeter guarding
Draymond Green. After a replay review, Green was called for
a technical foul for hitting Reid in the face. He
then quote tweeted himself and the ongoing post play action
green is fortunate to still be in the game. He
went up to Tyler Ford, who's an NBA official working
last night's game, and yelled, that's Wednesday's bs to his face.

(01:12:56):
After the review, Warriors assistant coach Jerry Stack had to
bring Green back to the bench. So the Green is
fortunate to still be in the game. I didn't need
to read much else, and I was watching the game
at the time, so I also didn't need a recap
of it. I saw it. I quote tweeted Dave and said, really,
where have you been? The officials have been allowing this

(01:13:19):
behavior slash screaming, slash cursing all playoffs, all season and
four years with Draymont would last five minutes a game
if he were properly quote assessed a technical foul for
use of profanity directed toward an official. That is literally
what Dave described. That is what the NBA officials recite
to pool reporters after games when they are asked, well,

(01:13:42):
how come so and so I got a second technical
because he was assessed to technical foul for use of
profanity directed toward an official, which clearly even the worst
lip readers could tell. That's what Draymond said, as Adams said,
we have a lot more on this in again to
discuss coming up in the next segment. But that's why

(01:14:04):
I am glad that people that cover the games, myself included,
I've had people help me out a little bit, quote,
give me a quote sweet, or at least a comment
or a reply to you know, make sure I saw
what they saw. I was trying to help Dave out
here to make sure he saw He's not fortunate to
still be in the game. This is common. This is
not wow. I can't believe that. If it's wow, I
can't believe he's still in the game, then what I

(01:14:25):
initially said to Dave is accurate. Where have you been
this year alone? This has happened countless times. It's only
his ninth playoff game, and this happened in the previous
series multiple times. It's now happened in this series. There
are zero other players in the NBA this postseason who

(01:14:46):
have more than two technical fouls. Raymond has five, he
should actually have three, because I still can't figure out
why these are technical fouls and not flagrant fouls other
than there's also nobody else in the league that has
more than one flagrant foul point except for Draymond who
has two. If his technical foul from the Rockets game

(01:15:06):
where he NOAs reided Fred van Vliet and his technical
foul in last night's game where he fred van vlieted
nas Reed were properly assessed as flagrant fouls, then he
would be suspended for the upcoming game, which he is
not for obvious reasons. Because this is your threshold for
suspension on one side technical fouls, and this is your

(01:15:28):
threshold on flagrant foul points. We need to balance it
out so we don't reach that point too soon and
give you the benefit of the doubt. We have talked
about super duper specific things regarding Draymond Green and how
he's officiated others since last night and into our show
here at two forty five today inside the NBA, one

(01:15:48):
on the media side and one on the player side
commented on this very thing literally using the exact same
words we've used right here on the eight team. I
think you'd like to hear from them next here on
the A team, So you.

Speaker 1 (01:16:03):
Will the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:16:15):
So yeah, as WEX mentioned last segment, a lot of specifics,
and as I mentioned during the break, to send us
in a totally different topic briefly, because I usually come
up with answers to questions and then forget to mention
the many leader in the show, So I'll mention them here,
Enter Sandman, Welcome to the Jungle and serious. Oh well yeah,
so just real quickly Metallica having that performance live of

(01:16:37):
Innercent Well, it was an entire concert.

Speaker 3 (01:16:39):
They play other songs, thank you good night.

Speaker 7 (01:16:41):
That was great.

Speaker 3 (01:16:41):
That was great.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
It was very on brand for James. They actually registered
a seismic event yep, little earthquake, which I would think
that would happen every game, but apparently it's more when
the band is actually playing there.

Speaker 3 (01:16:55):
So we went through that story because it was pretty
cool for how they integrate that song into their walking
and it was awesome to see it live there. We
mentioned it wasn't sure when it started. Basically back in
two thousand, Virginia Tech began this tradition after they had
a fans choice between three songs and are saying, man,
welcome to the jungle and serious.

Speaker 4 (01:17:16):
So serious as Chicago Bulls. I wouldn't have gone with
that either. It's just, you know, it's like this now
with vaw Tech. No one else does that in their
college football stadium, and if they did, they'd be accused
of stealing from Vawtech's thing.

Speaker 5 (01:17:29):
Sure, but welcome to the jungle.

Speaker 3 (01:17:32):
That's a good choice for this kind of scenario, an
intro for a team running onto the field. It's with
a good build, no question about it. So back to
last night's NBA activity, there was just the one game
at the two Wolves tying up the series. In the
incident very early in the game with Draymond Green. So
Pat Beverly, former Houston Rocket and league wide agitator, he

(01:17:58):
had a little watch party during the game where you
join him to watch the game and you talk to
each other and post stuff, and so you're all watching
kind of in your little room if you will. Videos wise,
and then this morning obviously was a big topic on
the TV Yaker shows, of which Brian Windhorst is a
part of. So when I said last segment, these are
literally word for word phrases that have been said on

(01:18:19):
this very show that have us baffled about why the
league handles things the way that they do. We'll start
with the one, the comment that took place quickest, that
was live action last night. This is what Pat BEV
said as it was unfolding last night about Draymond Green
and the behavior displayed by Draymond Green after the review

(01:18:39):
and call was made.

Speaker 15 (01:18:42):
They're not giving anybody else that much leave bro oh
my guy, he has a long lease. Thro If that
was anybody else, they.

Speaker 3 (01:18:51):
Get pretty simple, nothing extraordinary. It just is literally what
we as non NBA players have to believe, and as
everybody listening as fans of the league, we're in disbelief
about how he.

Speaker 5 (01:19:09):
Plays in one of these series too forget, and.

Speaker 3 (01:19:13):
He's played against him and countless other games where I'm
sure this has happened, and in this particular case, he's
been in the crosshairs of the officials and knows where
the line is for him.

Speaker 8 (01:19:26):
For money, clearly knows where the.

Speaker 3 (01:19:28):
Line isn't for this particular player, because it doesn't exist.
For my money. It didn't get any better than when
he came onto the court with a camera to show
an official, Hey, he fouled me. It's right here on
this still shot camera in the in the viewfinder on
the camera, it showed the official a picture of the
phrase you're going to eject me now basically, so, yes,
he knew he would get ejected for that, but then

(01:19:50):
this morning it was described in a way from sources
withinside the industry, teams and executives and others. This is
what Brian Windhorst had to say about how Draymond Green's
behavior is dealt with during NBA games.

Speaker 16 (01:20:05):
five fouls. There is a belief that Draymond actually gets
too much leeway. This is not my word, this is
what people tell me. They say he gets away with

(01:20:26):
too much stuff because the referees don't want to be
the one who rejects him or calls a flagrant on
our second flagrant on him, because they know that there's
going to be an onslaught. That's the perception of opponents
out there.

Speaker 3 (01:20:38):
Okay, I got a question. I let it all play
so you could figure out what question you want to ask.

Speaker 4 (01:20:43):
The burning one on many of what Well, that's not
even that's like way so far down the list.

Speaker 3 (01:20:49):
You're afraid to eject him? Why go back and play
it one more time? I need you guys to hear this,
play it one more time when he starts talking about
the reasons.

Speaker 16 (01:20:57):
five fouls. There's a belief that Draymond actually gets too
much leeway.

Speaker 3 (01:21:13):
This is not my word.

Speaker 8 (01:21:15):
This is what people tell me.

Speaker 16 (01:21:16):
the referees don't want to be the one paujects him.

Speaker 3 (01:21:25):
Pause. The referees don't want to be the ones who
else can eject him? That's your job.

Speaker 9 (01:21:33):
Anybody else acts like that, jackass, they have no problem
throwing them out, Maybe United.

Speaker 3 (01:21:40):
I don't want to be the one.

Speaker 4 (01:21:41):
Hey, my boss, he's got a problem with how I'm
behaving at work. He thinks I yelled too much on
the radio.

Speaker 3 (01:21:47):
But he's gonna kick the can down the road because
he doesn't want to be the one to address the problem.
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Maybe he said
it in a way that's confusing. Here's what he definitely meant.
He meant Tyler doesn't but want to be the one.
He's looking to Brian Forte, but Brian Forte didn't want
to be the one. He's looking to Tony Brothers. But

(01:22:07):
Tony didn't want to be the one. So now there
aren't als left. Well he's not in position to do it,
So we have three cowards, is what we're saying here
on this particular night, the numbers much night where he
pulls this crap exactly. I mean, it's just like David
Minimon might have just woken up, but everybody else has
been very very much awake to this.

Speaker 5 (01:22:26):
And it's not just this year, and it's not just
this decade.

Speaker 3 (01:22:29):
And it has nothing to do the only reason it
has to do with us, our show in Houston is
because the last seven games and the last four postseason
series and all the matchups during the regular season as much.

Speaker 4 (01:22:42):
As anybody time of a game the Rockets lost by
like three. Do you realize that, I know they missed
twelve three free throws.

Speaker 3 (01:22:49):
I get it. But you can't tell me that didn't
factor in. And I know the series maybe goes a
different way, maybe the Warriors win it in six. I
don't know. All I do know is that this ech
that we keep talking about was very much elongated in
the first round as well against the Rockets for the
upteenth time. And I know the Rockets have lost to
them in five playoff series. He was a part of

(01:23:11):
all of them, and he was a jackass in all
of them too. Yeah, this is just the basketball side
of it. Obviously there's another element to last night. But
this is its curious as it continues and we're more
than a decade into it. He has accomplished things in
the NBA. He certainly has been properly I think rewarded

(01:23:31):
with spots on all defensive teams. I think he plays
that caliber defense and he's a huge part of why
they have championship rings and six trips to the final.
But none of that stuff is relevant. I'm just noting
it because he's been around this long and he's done
some things. It's not relevant to what is happening. He's
asking you to do your job and you're declining to
do it. He's doing things that require, as an official

(01:23:53):
you to blow the whistle and have him escort it
off the floor, and they're refusing to do it, so
he continues to do it, which means there are two problems.
Draymond's clearly one of the problems. The officials and their
inability to do what they're supposed to do is the
other problem. And the longer it goes, the longer it
goes like there's no end statement to it. As we

(01:24:14):
get into our number two, we have another third hour,
we have a fourth hour, and we welcome your input
on this and everything else on the table here on
the eighteen.

Speaker 11 (01:24:24):
The A teen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (01:24:26):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Team.

Speaker 2 (01:24:37):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 4 (01:24:48):
Four o'clock hour underway here on Sports Talk seven ninety
It is the A Team Space City Home Network simulcast
under way. Wex ac Cole Thompson with you taking you
into the weekend. Talked a lot of about the Texans
the last couple of segments. Diana Rossini loves what they've done,
even though she doesn't That's basically what she said.

Speaker 3 (01:25:07):
We've heard from Brian Windhorst, Pat Beverly and Diana Rossini,
who all should be honorary hosts of the program. And
Raymond well, he's definitely not in this group of people.
He's not going to be. The reason why they are
in that group is because they're saying the like almost literally.
I think I could pull old tape because we record
our shows on reel to reel of us saying the

(01:25:30):
exact words that are coming out of those three individuals
Mouse regarding the Texans and the Draymond Green constantly committing
egregious acts during NBA games that we've talked about on
this very show many many many times, leading up to
some other voices nationally and in the inside the game,
like Pat BEV that are seeing the same things we're saying,
that are seeing the saying things our listeners. They seeing
the same things Howstonians see, fans of the Rockets, fans

(01:25:53):
of the Texans, fans of the NBA, fans of the NFL.
They it's almost impossible not to see it that way.
And while Diana is the one saying at this time,
I do feel like there's plenty of others who would
view like the silliness of the grades is basically purely
dependent on your viewpoint as a grader or as an
NFL I don't know, reporter. The Texans receive a good

(01:26:16):
grade from you on the draft if you're grading them
only on well, who did they draft? And do I
like these players? And do they match up with my mock?
Because if they match up with my mock, then they
did it like I would have done it. So I
love the grade. So they get an a not if
the players are good or not, but if they agree
with what you thought teams should have done going into
the draft. But that means they're also grading it without

(01:26:38):
any regard to football the Texans, and they're lacking in
this and their needs in that the whole idea of
best available player, I mean drafting for need, I don't
even know what that means. But if they're not taking
a look at the team itself, like I think it
was PFF. They put out a wins above replaces based

(01:27:01):
on the players that were drafted by any specific team,
and they graded out those players based on what they
had done leading into the draft. So they're college essentially.
And I didn't see the full list because I'm not
a subscriber. But each of the first four teams that
you could see had one thing in common with their
draft class, and it's pretty obvious they drafted quarterbacks who
obviously had the biggest impact on their team from a

(01:27:25):
analytics standpoint. But if they're not going to play, or
they play for a bad team, or this quarterback isn't good,
it shouldn't way into this your factor. It shouldn't wah
into your method and your calculations. But in their foolish calculations,
that absolutely did. Oh, you drafted Jackson Dart right there,
you had one of the best drafts. The Browns, you

(01:27:47):
definitely had one of their best drafts. You drafted two quarterbacks.
Doesn't matter that one of them can't be on the field,
doesn't matter that neither of them might see the field.
It only matters that this is who you drafted. So
always a grain assault with what people are saying about
what they did. We can definitely take her at her
word on what she explained because she is just talking

(01:28:07):
about the quality of talent that Nick brought into the building,
which I agree with. I think they brought talent into
the building at multiple positions, just limited him ount one
player at the most important position for this team.

Speaker 5 (01:28:20):
Well, you got to see him up close and personal today.

Speaker 3 (01:28:23):
Not small. Is he the house that I was hoping for.
He's a bigger player. He definitely fits them. He's I'm
glad that they see him in this way. I see
him in this way. Cole sees him in this way,
and Cole Thompson, I was obviously talking about Cole Popovich,
the offensive line coach. He is a he's a tackle.
He was asked if he would be willing to move

(01:28:43):
or do whatever they asked, and as a normal good teammate,
he said, yeah, whatever they want me to do is
what I'm here to do. In other words, in the
part of the post I quoted him today, I left
out the part that said, in other words, he's not
Rafael Devers's team guy. He's down for whatever. Granted, doesn't
make a million dollars or more or as much as Devers,

(01:29:06):
and he's a different situation. But that's the joke I
like to make. But this is what Ersrie said about
the situation he is in.

Speaker 12 (01:29:17):
I mean, I mean being in Houston, Texan. Honestly, I
couldn't walk into a better situation. You know, we were
a big culture school at Minnesota, so you know Texan
is the same as well. So we talked about swarm
mentality at Minnesota. We talked about Nick tom mentality, always
attacking in never Fool.

Speaker 5 (01:29:31):
He's already spouting off the talking point.

Speaker 7 (01:29:34):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:29:35):
He was escorted to the podium by one of the
members of their PR team. You have, all of them
were in attendance today and all doing their jobs brilliantly.
I do know that before Jaden Higgins rolled to the podium,
he was having a conversation with Evert and Ryan was
there with Tay Ersrie. Here in this situation, Maria, Lindsay,

(01:29:58):
Omar Aun, Julie, We're all there, whichever player needed I imagine.
Now did actually hear Tay as he walked away with
Ryan one of the members of their staff, He asked him,
he goes, how's that? Because that's good. You did a
great job and first great job. He also added this
We had brought it up earlier about their new offensive coordinator.

(01:30:19):
Each of the three players we talked to today, obviously
we're all offensive players, the two wideouts and Ursery. So
a question about uh his favorite cole no offense to
our coal. But talking about Cole Popovich, his new O
line coach, and Nick Kayley, his new OCO.

Speaker 12 (01:30:36):
Unique guys, too, funny guys. Two guys I got personality
that know a lot about ball and they're human. You know,
they're not robots. They're not out there trying to teach
you like a robot. They're going if there's something, a
mistake or something, they're going to try to stop, slow down,
fix it and work from there.

Speaker 6 (01:30:51):
To be fair, he hasn't met me, I know, so
there we go. It'll just be a little bit more time.

Speaker 3 (01:30:56):
That is fair and to taste credit. I hope I
figured you and many others listening would like that last
part of the comment. They're not robots, they're humans. These
coaches of the Texans, the OC and the offensive line coade.

Speaker 5 (01:31:11):
Nobody asked him what he thought about the GM.

Speaker 3 (01:31:14):
Did not ask him that his relationship with the GM
is already now third, fourth, fifth in line. Because once
you join the team, your relationship with a person who
gave you the great news and helped you get your
contract signed to talk to your agent, it's it's over. Now.
Your relationship is with your teammates and your coaches. Well,
I don't know that what I mean, he might view
Nick as a little bit more if you could meeting

(01:31:36):
of oil.

Speaker 4 (01:31:36):
Yeah, if you could somehow just peel back the epidermis layer,
would it surprise you at all?

Speaker 5 (01:31:42):
If you lived it was like a T one thousand
underneath there.

Speaker 3 (01:31:45):
If you peeled back Nick's exoskeleton. Yes, don't you think
he'd be like Robert Patrick? I mean I think he
would be. He would be the person in the living
room when young Ed Furlong had to escort the other
young individual out of the room before Arnold went and
knifed himself. Yeah, show me your toys. Hopefully he doesn't

(01:32:07):
have an ending like that guy bought an actor? Did
you like him more in killing himself in Terminator two?
Or saving everybody with Keanu Reeves in Speed one? Was
he he was one of the cops like his boss? Basically?

(01:32:28):
I couldn't. I don't remember. I mean, I've.

Speaker 5 (01:32:30):
Obviously seen that movie a million times.

Speaker 7 (01:32:32):
He was.

Speaker 3 (01:32:33):
He was in the vehicle that was accompanying the no
longer speeding bus because they've looped the tape in for
Dennis Hopper Oh to get people off.

Speaker 4 (01:32:40):
So and at first I thought maybe I was mixing
him up with the guy who was driving Keanu to
get on the bus.

Speaker 3 (01:32:47):
Now take the wheel.

Speaker 4 (01:32:49):
I want you to write bam on bus on this
piece of paper.

Speaker 3 (01:32:53):
Great actor. Again, we're doing what I suggested earlier this week.
We need to do a better job of speed. A
nineteen ninety four movie gotta get more current. It's so,
I say me, it was me. Well, this is older
than the Rock by two years. Rock was ninety six,
and I'm pretty sure that the Terminators, even the second
one was also not all that. That was ninety two.

(01:33:16):
That's it. Yeah, Terminator two was only eight years later.
Feels like more eighty four was the first one. Ninety
two was the sequel ninety one. I do appreciate that
we're still talking texts. It was ninety one. We're still
talking texts when we say Terminator, Yeah, because that's one
of them. There's several after that. It's not just the
first two. But Will, that is incorrect. Will Harris is

(01:33:39):
what do you mean there are more Terminators? Yeah, No,
they're not T three. No.

Speaker 5 (01:33:45):
I think that one was Genesis maybe or is that
the next one?

Speaker 3 (01:33:47):
You don't even know what it is, which should be Hey,
more points for WEX doesn't really even exist.

Speaker 5 (01:33:52):
Even in Linda Hamilton's even in the third one.

Speaker 3 (01:33:54):
You're gonna tell me there was a bunch of television
shows too, aren't you. Well, I don't count those, but
like Linda Hamilton, Ed's mom.

Speaker 5 (01:34:03):
Uh huh, and James Cameron's former wife.

Speaker 3 (01:34:05):
The guy who's directed Aquaman and Titanic, Who's who's a twin?
By the way, who's a twin? Linda Hamilton's a twin.
So was the security in the mental hospital? That's true.
He became the floor So am I. What's your twins' name? Kyle?
Kyle and Cole? Cole and Kyle? Hey, Kyle, come here?

(01:34:26):
Did you say Kyle or Cole?

Speaker 7 (01:34:27):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:34:27):
I said Kyle, which one? I can't hear you say
it again?

Speaker 4 (01:34:30):
Now, I do have a question about that, since we
didn't know here twins name until today. Kyle Thompson, You
don't know that Kyle Thompson. Well, why didn't they spell
your name with a K?

Speaker 3 (01:34:41):
Cole? Oh, I have no idea. I've always wanted that.
I'll tell you why.

Speaker 4 (01:34:44):
Because they're good parents and they didn't want you to
have to be like no, it doesn't start with the scene.

Speaker 3 (01:34:48):
Are Cole and Kyle gonna hang out this weekend for
Mother's Day, probably with your mom.

Speaker 6 (01:34:53):
Yeah, with my mom, n my mother, I mean with
my sister in law and my soon to be niece
who was having to be so nice. That'll be fun.
First first uh niece in my life. That'll be cool.

Speaker 3 (01:35:05):
Oh yeah, it's fine. I remember that. It's also my
only niece, so you still remember. But she was the first. Okay,
it's the first grandchild in the house. I did try
to bring it way to go, Cole, back to the text,
I'm very thankful, rear.

Speaker 6 (01:35:19):
Yeah, I'm first and everything on. The first born, on
the first graduate college in the first to get a job.

Speaker 5 (01:35:25):
I'm sure the winner. You guys having a kid.

Speaker 4 (01:35:27):
Conversations will lessen now that there is one that your
brother has provided.

Speaker 3 (01:35:31):
Yep, it's every single other day. Well, as we approach
the break here, you've opened the door for the obvious question.
I believe you just said something about being the first born. Huh,
how did you beat him? I kicked him out the spot.
I'm not even joking.

Speaker 6 (01:35:45):
He had a broken nose up until he was seventeen
because I broke it when I was coming out.

Speaker 3 (01:35:50):
All right, where did go? Cole? What a fighter.

Speaker 5 (01:35:52):
It didn't heal for seventeen years.

Speaker 3 (01:35:54):
He had to get me to get reconstructor surgery. How
many minutes apart four and a half he learned something
new swear? The other one's in there, man, just give
me five minutes. Not even that.

Speaker 11 (01:36:05):
The eight on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 17 (01:36:07):
Ninety's just reading a few more details about that wild
story that we haven't even talked about.

Speaker 3 (01:36:24):
It's just it's so.

Speaker 4 (01:36:25):
Sad that golf cart incident with John Elway, where his
agent fell off and died.

Speaker 3 (01:36:33):
Yeah, there was an investigation that was deemed, as they
described it to be an accident. Yeah, but he did
pass away unfortunately. I mean, he just basically fell off
a golf cart and hit his head. There was no swerving,
no funny business.

Speaker 4 (01:36:45):
There was a lot of people on this golf cart,
which you would think, would you know, keep it way
down more than if it was just a couple of people.

Speaker 3 (01:36:52):
But there's nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:36:52):
I mean, it's just that's wild of all things too,
like his always in his sixties now I guess, or this.

Speaker 3 (01:37:00):
Guy is at least I don't know if I always
that old.

Speaker 6 (01:37:02):
Do you remember when Bob Saggitt died, Yeah, that was
the exact same thing.

Speaker 3 (01:37:06):
But like he was alone in his room and there
was like maybe slight evidence that he had hit his
head somehow.

Speaker 6 (01:37:13):
Yeah, But what I'm saying, it's just he hit his
head and it was no no drugs were involved, nothing
with the alcohol.

Speaker 3 (01:37:18):
He just hit his head and didn't wake up. That's
what the cause of death essentially is. Blunt head trauma.

Speaker 4 (01:37:24):
Yeah, I mean it makes me want to start being
really mighty careful about my bald head going forward here.
Since I'm a ripe old age of forty four. I mean,
a glancing blow to the head can do it. That's
not fun.

Speaker 3 (01:37:37):
Yeah, I don't know the specifics of the blow to
his head. I'm not getting in any golf cards when
I'm in my sixties now. A lot of people do, though,
because they play golf. I don't do. People ask you
in our business to play golf as much as they
do me. They used to ask me a whole lot more.
Let's finally got the message. No, it just does not
come up as often.

Speaker 5 (01:37:57):
You do realize, like I don't. I've tried to.

Speaker 3 (01:38:00):
I have as well. It's not happening. I still am determined,
but I'm showing a very little lack of commitment or
I'm not showing a total lack of commitment.

Speaker 5 (01:38:09):
Yeah, I'm not. I'm determined to not play. That's where I'm.

Speaker 3 (01:38:12):
At a lot of time, and it can be maddening.
I think I pull my hair out enough already with
what I do. I'm not built for golf, for the
idea of golf. Hang out, enjoy the day, enjoy the weather,
have a couple of pops, and then go about the
rest of your day.

Speaker 4 (01:38:29):
How much do you really if you're golfing here in Houston,
how much do you really enjoy the weather outside of
like right now, moving forward and then like a few
weeks in October, it's.

Speaker 3 (01:38:40):
Still available to you in Houston essentially year round, bingo,
huge assets starting. I think athletes all the time coming
down here and signing here, living here, settling here. Oh
that's why they do.

Speaker 4 (01:38:53):
Yes, there's no winner, but like starting, I don't know
a week from now until November, I don't like outside here.

Speaker 3 (01:39:01):
That topic did come up today over at the Texans facility.

Speaker 5 (01:39:05):
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Speaker 3 (01:39:06):
Well, it was a warm er day, but it's May
and we've had a shockingly mild high temperature portion of
our first four plus.

Speaker 5 (01:39:16):
Month just means we're all going to die in a month.

Speaker 3 (01:39:18):
So when this team is asking everybody to get out
there every day with a day off every third or
fourth day between July and August, and then a bunch
of mini camps before that, or Ota is before that,
it's going to be very very different from a weather standpoint.
From a well, I'm from Kansas, I played at USC

(01:39:38):
I played at Kentucky, I played in Minnesota, I was
in Iowa, or I was in Iowa or eastern Kentucky
before that, it's very very different. One of those players,
Jalen Smith, had a brief conversation, apparently as indicated here
by the head coach, Tomiko Rans with Demico Ryans about
that heat. As Demico recounted to us at the end
of his media session today that yeah, he's he's probably

(01:40:01):
doesn't have any idea what's coming.

Speaker 10 (01:40:03):
I tell Jaylen Swift, hey, I thought I heard him
say the word hot out here, and as we all
know in Houston, so right now you cannot say the
word hot. This is this is winter for us right now,
this is this is outstanding weather. So it's one of
him to understand, like if if you think this is hot,
you're in for a long training camp, Bud. It's different
in southern California, so you gotta get some mental toughness.

Speaker 4 (01:40:26):
Like he, I mean, nailed it. And he came from Alabama.
I don't know where Dimiko's originally from. Okay, So it's
I mean, if you're along the Gulf Coast, you're essentially
used to what Houston is in the summer, but it
is I think it's uniquely even hotter because of the
amount of humidity you're gonna get a little bit on
the Gulf Coast.

Speaker 6 (01:40:46):
I mean, I can tell you're just from loving in
both states. Yeah, you feel it, but Bessemer compared to Houston.
Giant difference, yea.

Speaker 3 (01:40:53):
And not to mention today they he and like most
of the rookies, they've been here for two days maybe,
and so they're on the field now for the first
time for an extended period of time. We were invited
inside around ten thirty five, ten forty they've been on
the field for a few minutes. They were off the
field by noon in on May ninth. With this weather,
it's not what OTA's are going to be like length

(01:41:14):
of time. It's definitely not what training camp length of
time is going to be. It's also a little bit
different time of day training camp practices, unless their evening
practices almost always start in the early am for obvious reasons.
But yeah, you're gonna be out on the field. And honestly,
for all the years that the Texans have Health Camp
here in Houston, which is all of them except the
dumb years at the Greenbrier, they've done a remarkably good

(01:41:37):
job with handling the heat, and it takes a lot
of coordination from a health and performance medical side to
make sure that happens. They're constantly taking breaks, They're essentially
forcing guys to stay properly hydrated. The addition of their
cool zone, which is right behind field two, the amount
of use they get the breaks are time enough for

(01:41:59):
players who need to or desire to to go over
in the cool zone and too cool off. I haven't
seen too many instances where players have needed to come
off the field. There's never been any serious instance, which
is remarkable with the heat that they're playing in, so
hopefully that will continue. But yes, what we saw today,
I mean, I posted my little picture wrapped up the day.

(01:42:20):
I couldn't decide which hashtag to use, beautiful day or
gorgeous weather. No, this is the this part of the year.

Speaker 4 (01:42:27):
I mean, it's May ninth, right, I just we are
right on the precipice of this and it's the worst
part of the year for me, because I'm like, why
can't we have nice things longer?

Speaker 3 (01:42:40):
I think it's going to coincide with the grades one
through twelve local Houston students when as soon as they
finally get out and join their older college age brothers, friends, sisters, colleagues,
then the heat is going to be unbearable. They're still
going to school for about another month, for a little
less than a month for most of them, and it's
it's okay, it's tolerable. It's getting warmer, and I'm sure

(01:43:04):
this last day of school will be among the hottest
days of the year.

Speaker 4 (01:43:07):
The soon to be nineteen year old is currently out
of town on a lake up in the Dallas area,
and I'm thinking to myself, it's probably a little chilly
when you get in the water there, unless it's like afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:43:19):
I mean, I jumped in the pool today and it's
still it's still not quite I mean, it's it's still
pretty cold. But then yeah, like I said, it's probably
a very good barometer right there. I think the little
guy gets out of school in the twenty second. I
fully expect it to be full on mosquito swarming humidity
in a thousand percentile Just awful.

Speaker 5 (01:43:41):
Why did I even shower today?

Speaker 7 (01:43:43):
Weather?

Speaker 3 (01:43:43):
And then it continues for nine straight months, And just
because Jalen Smith was the subject of this entire conversation.
Not only did he play ball at SC, He's from California.
He knows California weather. It ain't this.

Speaker 4 (01:43:57):
It's definitely well not this right now. How is as
close as you get to California weather.

Speaker 3 (01:44:02):
The tallest player at Texans, rookie Mini Camp, probably knew
the most about the weather situation here. Texas Tech tight
end on a tryout is a Klein High school graduate.
Oh he's I'm sure he was well aware and probably
told the other tight end that was there, Luke Lache,
maybe some of the other eighteen players that were there.

(01:44:25):
I'm telling you, guys, I don't even know if I'm
gonna be here for it, But you're guys, you're gonna
hate it when you first realize how HoTT it's out.

Speaker 5 (01:44:31):
Here and try to practice for training camp.

Speaker 3 (01:44:34):
Time to die, That's what he's gonna say.

Speaker 4 (01:44:36):
All right, we will actually and I guess we can
do a little bit this now. So we mentioned that
the Iowa State products. Just it's still crazy that they're
both here, and Demiko Ryans spoke about that today. Just
the the the Iowa State tandem, I guess is how
we'll call it. There's gonna be some nickname in there somehow,

(01:44:58):
if there's not already.

Speaker 3 (01:45:01):
Yeah, they've got it.

Speaker 5 (01:45:02):
There's something like that, like the Rockets have the Terror Twins.

Speaker 4 (01:45:04):
There's gonna have to be something that's done by the
Texans organization, especially if they both produce.

Speaker 3 (01:45:10):
So jay Den Higgins, jay Lynn Noel Noel excuse me,
and they both play offense right wide receiver. So the
OJS differentiates them from the other ja whatever is they
drafted on defense because they kill the opposition? Is that
what you're going with? Why would they kill the opposition

(01:45:31):
because they're the OJS. Oh, I was thinking of the
very well known and super popular musical group. I wasn't
thinking of any football slashers. Well, it's we are talking
about football players. I don't know why that didn't come
to the top of the mind. For I imagine that
that name would now be rejected. Why don't you just
call you would now end up in the You can

(01:45:51):
put that in the trash file. I mean OJ's is fine,
but Orienthal's is much better. Uh No, Yeah, Dimiko did
speak about his I was staying wide receiving duo earlier. Today.
They were pretty cool with how they found out about
one another. I got drafted first, got a text from him,
and then realized the Texans were on the board. Maybe
it could happen here, and it did. This is Demiico
on those two whiteouts.

Speaker 7 (01:46:12):
Seeing Jayden and Jaylen together.

Speaker 10 (01:46:14):
I think it's very confident for those guys, like being
able to work together in college for the past couple
of years and being able to be drafted to the
same team. I think it's just it's a unique situation
for them, but I think both guys will benefit a
lot from it because they have someone to lean on.
A lot of times, you get drafted and you go
to a new city in a situation where you're trying
to learn a lot of new things, learn new surroundings,

(01:46:36):
and you trying to learn new people as well. So
I think they benefit from having each other. By having
that brother from college to be with you throughout this
process is only going to help both of those guys,
I think speed up their transition to the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:46:50):
The last signature segment Free Friday of the off season.

Speaker 1 (01:46:56):
Yeah, the AG on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:47:09):
So we've heard from Jamika Ryan's about the Iowa state connection,
Jayden Higgins and Jalen Knowle, not Noel, also speaking on
the fact that, uh, well they are both obviously coming
to Houston both.

Speaker 3 (01:47:27):
I thought it was cool to see how the draft
went down and how one found out about the other,
and they both spoke on that situation at Rookie Mini
camp today.

Speaker 18 (01:47:38):
So I was actually I was at my house and then, uh,
you know, I had to do all the zoom interviews
and stuff like that after I got drafted, and then
you know, I go out out there look at the TV,
and I'm wondering if Jam's still drafted, and then I
see it's like probably like four picks until Houston's up,
and they said Jalen hadn't got drafted yet, and I
was like, man, I feel like Houston is gonna get him,
you know, and you know, a couple of teams didn't
get him and he came to us, and it's amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:47:59):
So I wonder why he thought that though, like other
than just wanting to play with him, Probably because he
expected him at that point in the draft to already
have been off the board, and I think a lot
of player available type thing very much so. And you know,
he may have looked a little bit more into the
Texans at that point, or maybe he was already aware,

(01:48:21):
like we are they still you haven't fulfilled the need
completely by yourself. Yeah, they can hit the field with
you and Christian and Nico and some combination of the
rest of the guys that are here. For sure they can.
They can hit the field, but getting more talent at
that position. For as much as they didn't address one
other offensive position, it was properly, very very well addressed
by Nick Casario.

Speaker 4 (01:48:42):
Yeah, so that was Higgins on his thoughts about coming
to Houston. You might want to you might be wondering
what Noel said. Noel had to say.

Speaker 19 (01:48:52):
Yeah, we really similar people on how we approach the game.
We both love the game, curious within our games, trying
to find ways to get better, and then it just
really grew to having a connection off the field, finding
out we like to fish together, just having those conversations.
So the more and more we were ebit to talk
and work together, then we found those loves that we

(01:49:14):
had in common outside the game and really just grew
our relationship.

Speaker 4 (01:49:18):
It's gonna be very very cool if both these guys
end up contributing in a wide receiver room that suddenly
feels like it's chock full of really really good talent.
And the fact that you were talking about, you know,
the rookie contracts, Well, these guys are both on rookie contracts.

Speaker 3 (01:49:35):
And yeah, the contract that Noel will Or signed versus
the one that Higgins signed made a little news yesterday
because it was fully guaranteed. We've now seen a second
second round player sign a fully guaranteed contract. It's kind
of what we said yesterday. This is just where things
are going, and Texas just happened to be first, and
now they're not even the first, the only ones to
do it this offseason. It's something we're gonna see more

(01:49:55):
of this offseason and even more of in seasons to come.
Most everybody's gotten all all of their draft classes signed,
but not everybody. And there's a few players and their
agents who have kept them on the sidelines because of it.
I asked one other question of Jalen Knowle about, you know,
was there a point where, because he had already said,
I'm you know, being here in the NFL and you
know the you know, when do you feel like you
could be an NFL player? And he said, you know,

(01:50:16):
when I was in high school, I could see that,
you know, if I was willing to make the sacrifice
and do the things, I could get to this level.
And so I asked him when he felt like he
was an NFL player. Was it the day you were drafted?
Was it a couple of days ago and you flew
to Houston? Was it today when you were on the
field in uniform wearing your new number eighty two? And
he said it was when he signed his contract, which

(01:50:36):
obviously just happened when he put pen to paper, and
I kind of solidifies you're an NFL player. And now
it's a matter of what you do with it. How
long are you here under this with this team, under
this contract. Have you played your way into them considering
a future contract before this one runs out? And think
about where we were this with this position. Basically a
year ago, he played not exclusively, but two exclusively in

(01:51:01):
the slot at Iowa State, and I think similar things
are ahead of him. In Nick Cayley's offense, there may
be a little bit more variation in that I want
these three guys on the field and I want less
of an obvious personnel group or play design. So I
think you will see a little bit more of guys
moving into other spots. And we saw a ton of
it last year in Slowk's offense, and I definitely favor it.

(01:51:22):
I think most oss should. But he has the ability to,
you know, just kind of slide right into that open spot,
which essentially was Diggs and previously to a certain degree
was Tanks. This point in the offseason last year, we
were already pretty much all on board with Yeah, there's
no question Tank Dell is playing his way into getting

(01:51:43):
an extension before his fourth year runs out, and they'll
have to consider that with the extensions we know they're
going to give out to other players. Obviously things can change,
but it's totally within I mean, heck, Nico Collins is
a third round pick. Knowle's a third round pick. Just
forget about Nicolkos. Collins signed his extent before his contract
was up, as his play dictated he should.

Speaker 5 (01:52:04):
For whatever reason, I thought Nico was the second round
of this whole time.

Speaker 3 (01:52:06):
At worst eighty ninth overall pick. What a beast.

Speaker 4 (01:52:12):
And again, even at his advanced not age, I don't
want to say age, but just his career, he still
hasn't played his best football yet.

Speaker 3 (01:52:22):
I don't even think close. A full season of Nico
plus CJ is what we're still looking for. Fifteen games
in the first year together, twelve games this year together.
Now we're not waiting to see what kind of postseason
performer he is, because he's an awesome one.

Speaker 7 (01:52:41):
Yep.

Speaker 6 (01:52:41):
It's about ninety yards per game, ninety two yards per game,
and has four playoff games, has scored a couple of touchdowns,
has been a huge factor in all of them.

Speaker 3 (01:52:50):
And I don't see any reason why that's going to
change this year.

Speaker 4 (01:52:53):
No, Like I said, I think he's going to play
better this year, and especially with what they've added.

Speaker 3 (01:52:59):
It's not about playing well, it's merely about being out there.
You would like your number one receiver to have a
little bit more field time, and I don't mind sitting
here calling him injury prone, but the facts are what
they are. Over his seasons here, even with the CJ years,
that's plenty of games missed. Even in the game he
only missed all of the game after his first catch,
he still managed to squeeze in a seventy five yard

(01:53:21):
touchdown on the play he got hurt.

Speaker 4 (01:53:23):
I say, I got done saying that as if it's
like a foregone conclusion. Yet we keep going back to
the same thing every single time. If it's if it's
something about the offense, then the line is going to
be in question, like does a line allow that to happen?

Speaker 3 (01:53:39):
Allow what to happen?

Speaker 4 (01:53:40):
Him playing his best football yet because he's getting even
more passes and touchdowns.

Speaker 3 (01:53:44):
But I mean he's gonna produce regardless because he's he's
usually the Well I don't I don't know what we're
gonna do here, So we need to call a play
that immediately throw it to Eco or we need thirteen
yards because I just got sacked. Well, I'm probably looking
his way. His again's in or per game production. It
was not super impacted by the poor offensive line play. Obviously,

(01:54:06):
on any day where CJ wasn't lighting it up, and
last year he rarely lit it up. Nico's production was
out out of this world when he went down in
the Buffalo game. That was Week five, and that was
after that second catch, that's seventy plus yard touchdown catch.
He was averaging way over one hundred yards per game,
and he was he was on his way to a

(01:54:27):
record setting season through five games. He came back and
still produced, not quite to that level, but not to
the point where I'd say, man, the offensive line ruined
it for him, ruined it for the whole offense.

Speaker 6 (01:54:38):
By the way wex I never got to cure your
actual answer on this. She said, you were on a
show this morning asking if Texas.

Speaker 3 (01:54:45):
Got better on your opinion, did they?

Speaker 14 (01:54:47):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (01:54:47):
Yeah? My answer was, yeah, their rosters better. I don't
know that their team is better. I don't know that
their record becomes better. I don't know that they play
better offense. I think they love that answer.

Speaker 7 (01:54:56):
Well.

Speaker 3 (01:54:57):
I told him that it was a complicated answer because
I can't there's no way to look at the roster
and say it's worse. It's definitely not. It's definitely better.
But if the same thing that slowed them down last
year tremendously slowed them down offensively is an issue again
this year. I don't know how much different you're early
going to see. We've been joking about these nine to
six wins. The Texans are gonna have to put together.
That's not reality. You know, their defense can and does

(01:55:19):
need to play better. They have added the personnel necessary
to do that. The offense hasn't necessarily shown me that
with the moves that have been made. That was my answer,
very very clear, the age.

Speaker 11 (01:55:34):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:55:45):
We'll be joined next segment by Chandler Rome of the
Athletic his weekly visit each and every Friday around five o'clock,
we catch up with him. He'll be obviously in town
this time around because only Astros have a weekend set
against the since Attie Red's at starting tonight the Diesel.

Speaker 3 (01:56:02):
Which I just can't. I can't. It's just not catching
all with me. So he was on with Ross and
myself during the early portion of the season when our
Astros Tuesday guest requested an early appearance and I happened
to be filling in for the Matt Thomas portion of
that Matt Thomas show, Yes and He told us where
the nickname came from, without detail. He told him they

(01:56:23):
had an early morning flight minor leagues. Peter Solomon was,
you know, he said, just kind of gave him the
nickname there, but he didn't really say why. You know,
we somehow we didn't get around to asking. He had
an MLB Network interview earlier this week with Row Flow
and the crew, and he went into specifics of how
that all came to be. Okay, you're on an early

(01:56:43):
morning flight. What does that have to do with it?
Was there something that happened and whatever he's calling you
the diesel So he explained it that his teammate, Peter
Solomon gave him that nickname because this is four o'clock
in the morning and obviously they're not about to play.
There's not an immediate first pitch on their horizon. But
he's out there like downing powder and downing fuel, you know,

(01:57:07):
like fueling up if you will. And so Peter's like,
what are you doing? Man, He's like, yeah, I got
a fuel up or whatever. You know, diesel in, diesel out.
Put put the fuel in, put diesel in, you get
diesel out. And that's where it comes from. Where it
came from all right. I think it is catching on,
and I think at this level, when you're dropping a
one sixty seven ERA on the rest of the league

(01:57:29):
and you've arguably been the best pitcher in the American
League to date, he'll he'll have a nickname that sticks
because of it, and they definitely need it. All indications
from the Astros today, and we'll talk more about it
with Chandler in a moment, is they still anticipate going
with a six man rotation. The two pitchers I mentioned
that are likely candidates to pitch in the upcoming series
when that pitcher is needed are right now with Space

(01:57:52):
Cowboys who didn't hear earlier. Hayden was Nesky is on
the fifteen day il with right elbow discomfort and thus
an open spot in the rotation, a couple of minor
league options to choose from, presumably in Blue Bonn in
Colton Gordon. Today's lineup does not include Cam Smith. It's
been pretty regular where that has been true. Top four

(01:58:13):
in the lineup, Top five essentially remain unchanged. Two A
is in left hill bat behind Jeremy Pania, Peretis, Walker
and Diaz Diaz are doing the catching for hunter. Jake
Myers in the sixth hole continues to swing a pretty
hot stick. Zach Decenzo's the right fielder. Both Brendan Rodgers
and Mauricio Dubon are in the lineup tonight. The better
fielding Dubon is using his club, the lesser fielding Rogers

(01:58:37):
is only using his bat.

Speaker 5 (01:58:38):
How many times have you ever stayed for the Friday
night fireworks?

Speaker 15 (01:58:41):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:58:41):
I think once.

Speaker 5 (01:58:42):
I've never ever seen them, and they look ridiculously.

Speaker 3 (01:58:46):
Usually put to music. So whatever that particular night's theme is,
the players almost always come out with the family. That's
why the families are much. They attend a lot of
Friday night games for that very specific reason.

Speaker 4 (01:58:57):
Yeah, now, I keep telling so I told you about
you know, Carson's aversion to the noises.

Speaker 3 (01:59:02):
They're loud.

Speaker 4 (01:59:03):
Yeah, well, if you don't like the cannon. But the
thing is he likes fireworks. I'm like, what if I
were to guarantee you.

Speaker 3 (01:59:09):
Well, fireworks are include fire when you're the one participating
fireworks when you're merely watching them, well, no fire for you.
I feel like this might be the season to bring
him to the ballpark. All right, Probably one of those
nights where they're not scoring a ton, so I don't
have to worry about that cannon firing off. That's mean, Well,

(01:59:29):
they can score runs. If they're not long balls, you
won't hear anything. That's what I'm saying. They have some
of the fewest home run numbers in the majors this year.

Speaker 6 (01:59:37):
Are you afraid that the night that you take them,
they have a record setting amount of home runs.

Speaker 4 (01:59:41):
I'm not only a night, It's guaranteed it will happen
because I'm there. So if you guys want the Astros
to win on a Friday night, I should probably take
my kid.

Speaker 3 (01:59:50):
Did we really make it through almost three hours of
the show with no Bill Belichick talk?

Speaker 5 (01:59:55):
I had it in the rundown.

Speaker 4 (01:59:57):
I just, first of all, everybody, I mean, the media
needs to get their story straight.

Speaker 5 (02:00:02):
Is she banned or show?

Speaker 3 (02:00:03):
I don't think there's any dispute about the stories. I
think this is one of those stories that, Okay, this
is what we're doing, and now it's been reported, so
now we need to react to that, and we're going
to kind of change what we're doing. We're definitely going
to put out word that we're changing what we're doing.
I think it's constantly evolving. Pablo Torre has a podcast,
and honestly, I listened to a whole bunch of it yesterday.

(02:00:25):
None of it had to do with Belichick. All of
it had to do with SNL's Will Forte because she's
talking about all these awesome skits that he'd written and done.
The Peyton Manning skit where he's the coach and they're
doing the song and the dance. It was hilarious. Oh
and he also talked about Jordan Hudson and Bill Belichick
and reported that she was banned from their football facility
and banned from participating in things were relating to the

(02:00:47):
football program. He reported that he's come out today and
stood by it as everybody on earth aggregated everything that
he had in there. He said, No, the reporting is
what it was, these sources I have. I believe that
we were telling me facts at the time. North Carolina
has issued a little comment on that on the situation
involving their head coach. They're very highly paid, super highly

(02:01:12):
respected and super winning head coach not there and his girlfriend,
his assistant, his publicist, his PR handler. What's the breaking news? Oh, no,
that they came out with a statement. Oh, they came
out with a statement. They came out with a statement. Okay,

(02:01:35):
so they've sent out many statements as of now. Can
you imagine this is They're in the off season. The
PR department has been on statement watch for weeks months
even about their new head coach. They haven't even gotten
to the football season. According to Chris Vanini covers college football,
he says she is still welcome at his words at

(02:01:56):
the Carolina football facilities and the quoted state and reads
as follows regarding Jordan While Jordan Hudson's not an employee
the university or Carolina Athletics, she's welcome at the Carolina
football facilities. She'll continue to manage all activities related to
coach Belichick's personal brand outside of his responsibilities for Carolina
football in the university. Hey Bill, blink twice if she

(02:02:19):
wrote that for real, like it's getting If di I
not read that his friends and family are getting a
little old. That's what the reporting was today again for
Pablo saying that people close to Belichick are concerned about this,
and this is to me, this is all kind of personal.
If there's concerns for what this is gonna do to
his legacy or literally to the seventy year old human

(02:02:40):
and we're talking about I can understand some concern there.
And then now you're university. This is about as high
a face forward person as you can have the head
football coach, and for what they're paying him, and everybody
knows in relation to what everybody else makes as a
state's employee, where his salary units. I'm glad I can
understand their concern for this before he's coached, before he's

(02:03:01):
won a game. Yeah, this is not I mean whatever
it's it's probably all being blown out of proportion because
there hasn't Once the game start, that's gonna be the
biggest story. But here's the thing. Wait till they don't
ask him about the game. Well, you know they want
to just rolling the game on the last series with
some great defense and you shut him down and then
you block the field goal. But tell us about you

(02:03:21):
remember when Dirk got mixed up with that one female,
that unfortunate incident Dirk Novitzky uh not tail end of
his career. I think she had some some criminal activity,
if you will, I can't remember the exact details. My
point of all that is, unless it's something just egregiously
over the top. Bill Belichick's legacy is firmly intact, just

(02:03:45):
like Dirk's. It's something that happens at the tail end
of his career. Is not going to change. That specific
to Belichick, mister, I don't tell you anything. You don't
know anything about me. I'm here for the football. That's
what I think has people so into this story. This
is so wild that this is the particular individual we're
talking about now because relationship not anymore.

Speaker 11 (02:04:08):

Speaker 2 (02:04:37):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 4 (02:04:46):
No football at five on a Friday, because instead we
check in with our good buddy Chandler, Rome of the
Athletic Chandler.

Speaker 3 (02:04:54):
Appreciate you taking the time.

Speaker 4 (02:04:55):
Astro's back home, Reds in Town, Diesel on the Mound
the latest chance for us to take in in person
for some of those who have tickets tonight. The best
pitcher in the American League, or at least one of them.

Speaker 20 (02:05:10):
Yeah, he is getting to be appointment television. As I
think I've said on here before, He's the guy that
you look on a homestand and you want to plan
out when he's pitching when he's going to pitch, so
you can get your tickets. And I think he may
pitch twice on this homestand or maybe they may save
him to start the first game in Arlington against the Rangers,

(02:05:32):
considering to go to a six man rotation. But yeah,
I mean, if you can get out here and see him,
he is worth. He's worth coming to the ballpark to
see you.

Speaker 3 (02:05:39):
Kind of set us up for this next question with
that thought about what Kansas City we'll see on the
mound from the Astros? Was Nesky?

Speaker 7 (02:05:45):
Hidden?

Speaker 3 (02:05:45):
Was Nesky if he didn't hear one on the fifteen
day il earlier today with right elbow discomfort, had been
given an extra time off in between his April twenty
fifth start and the start he most recently made on
May sixth. This past Tuesday would have been slotted in
for the opener. Ryan Gusto potentially could have been slided
in for the finale of the six game homestand so

(02:06:06):
Monday was Nesky Wednesday with Gusto. What do you think
the Astros will do? And obviously we mentioned their names earlier.
Colton Gordon has been scheduled for the start tonight in
sugar Land. Don't know if there's been with sugar Land,
don't know if there's been a change there, and aj
Blueball last pitched on Tuesday. Either one of them, both
from a timing standpoint and from a roster standpoint, could

(02:06:28):
make sense.

Speaker 20 (02:06:29):
Yeah, I mean, Joe Spot has said today that they
are going to stick with going to a six man rotation,
even with Hayden was nesky on the eye. Also, I mean,
it does make sense that one of those two guys
is probably going to be called up to join the
rotation now. Because they had the off day yesterday, they
can still finagle some stuff around. You know, I wouldn't
put anything in stone other than the two other probables

(02:06:52):
that are starting the next two nights, so they can
still do a lot of different things. But yeah, I mean,
unless they unless they think a lot of Geliola, who
struck out ten last night for Triple A sugar Land
and is pitching very well, he could be somebody that
maybe they look at off the roster. But I think
it's gonna be either blue Ball or Gordon is gonna

(02:07:12):
be the guy that comes up and kind of slots
into their rotation.

Speaker 7 (02:07:15):
You know, blue Ball has done it.

Speaker 20 (02:07:17):
You saw him against the Tigers. He's got the big
league experience. Branted it's one game, but still he's got
he's been up here kind of knows the riggers of it.

Speaker 7 (02:07:26):
Colton Gordon's left handed.

Speaker 20 (02:07:28):
Do they want that different look in the rotation of
another lefty to go with Valdez in the sixth man.
I'm not sure a lot of it's gonna come down
to timing. A lot of it's gonna come down the
who's on schedule, who's pitching well, like kind of matchup centric.
But yeah, it does seem like one of those two
guys is gonna get a pretty decent runway here.

Speaker 3 (02:07:45):
The other part of it is obviously the pitcher who's
not available anymore, and that's Hayden was Nesky. From what
Joe spot has said today or anything else you might know,
what do you think this might mean more than just
fifteen days away?

Speaker 20 (02:07:56):
I mean, look, it's never good. The circumstances it led
up to this. Obviously, we're not great with the velocity
being down against the Royals pretty precipitously, then having to
skip his start to quote give him time to recover,
and then obviously how he pitched in a walk.

Speaker 7 (02:08:13):
He just didn't look great.

Speaker 20 (02:08:16):
You know, it doesn't look and sound great, but you know,
you never know until you see what the doctors have
to say. It should be noted that he was on
the il last season for two months with a right
forearm stream so the forearms connected to the elbow, as
we all know, like, so he has had some issues.
He had some issues last year in Chicago. So he's
seeing the doctors right now. Actually, so we probably won't

(02:08:39):
get a full fledged update until tomorrow. And to think
we'll get a full fledged update at all is pretty
pretty nonsensical. So we'll just wait and see, just like
we did for eleven days when he just quote needed
some time to recover.

Speaker 4 (02:08:54):
Talking to Chandler Rome here on Sports Talk seven ninety,
we've talked about this this week already, and this is
hardly the first time at jose Al Tuvey has had
a slump during a season in his long and illustrious career.
But given it his advanced age and everything else surrounding
this team, is it like, are we to the point
now where when he goes into a slump like this

(02:09:15):
you start worrying about the dreaded like you know, Okay,
is this the start of the decline? I know he's
already declined in some ways. It's just that's what happens
in Father Times Undefeated. But are we officially on that
watch now or is just just a regular run of
the mill slump?

Speaker 20 (02:09:29):
Yeah, I mean it's hard not to be. Time comes
for everyone, age comes for everyone. The fact that he
is not playing second base anymore just kind of I mean,
that kind of shows that he's on he's in a
different part of his career now. You know, as long
as I think the contact piece stays and the speed stays,
because he's still he's still getting on the line. Well,

(02:09:51):
he can still get the bat on a lot of
pitches that normal hitters can't. As long as those two
things stay intact.

Speaker 7 (02:09:58):
He will be Okay.

Speaker 20 (02:10:01):
Is he going to be a one forty oh ps
plus and like superstar, like unquestioned all star?

Speaker 7 (02:10:08):
You know that remains to be seen.

Speaker 20 (02:10:09):
I don't know if I don't know if he's still
in that part of his career, but this Al two
a slump kind of looks like every other Al two
bay slump we've seen from him. When he gets like this,
I know there's a lot of people freaking out that
he bunted as many times as he did in Milwaukee.

Speaker 7 (02:10:23):
He does. That's what he does when he's in a slump.

Speaker 20 (02:10:26):
He he knows he's not right, so he wants to
try to get one down, you know, get on base,
feel good about himself, and kind of center himself. He
does that all the time. Same thing with chasing a
lot out of the zone, swing at a ton of
stuff like this is how he processes a slump. So
there's been nothing really out of the ordinary in terms
of like how the slump has looked and how he's looked.

(02:10:46):
But I mean, look, it's magnified when no one else
is hitting. It's magnified when Alvarez on the il, when
Christian Walker's going through it, when Yaner Diaz, who is
hitting a lot better recently, still doesn't have the season
stats as you thought Yanor Diaz would have. So they
need him to get going, but they need a lot
of other.

Speaker 7 (02:11:03):
People to get going as well.

Speaker 3 (02:11:04):
Did we kind of quietly see a transition to something
we'll see for many, many years to come with what
Jeremy Paney has done as the leadoff hitter, as in
this is probably a very positive permanent spot in the
lineup for him.

Speaker 20 (02:11:18):
I mean, as long as he keeps going like this, Like,
I don't see any reason why they would change it.
He seems to really have taken to it. He's not
I think Joe put. I think Joe's spot to put
it well on Wednesday. You know, they're not asking him
to sit up there and take walks and be super patient.
But I also don't think you're gonna see him be
as aggressive as alto they was up there in the

(02:11:38):
leadoff spot.

Speaker 7 (02:11:39):
Obviously, he hit the.

Speaker 20 (02:11:40):
First pitch homer in Milwaukee on Wednesday, but he's he's
I think what he's doing well, and what Joe A
Spot likes that he's doing is he's making adjustments.

Speaker 7 (02:11:49):
Like he goes up for his first at.

Speaker 20 (02:11:51):
Bat, sees what the pitcher has, and then like is
quickly making adjustments for his next at that because inherently,
when you're the leadoff guy, you're gonna get the.

Speaker 7 (02:11:58):
Most at bats of anyone.

Speaker 20 (02:12:00):
So he's got to be really good at making those
adjustments because he's gonna have more at bats in the game.
But I mean it seems to suit him really well.
He's so fast, he's hitting.

Speaker 7 (02:12:08):
The ball on a line more. He's not hitting the
ball on the ground as much as he used to.

Speaker 20 (02:12:12):
It seems like he really has taken to that, and
I don't think they're gonna change it anytimes soon.

Speaker 3 (02:12:16):
He wrote a piece a little bit that have many
times actually this season and noted it again from a
contractual and timeline standpoint, regarding Brendan Rodgers in his time
here with the Astros. You a little explainer on where
we are with that and what his usage lately might mean.

Speaker 20 (02:12:33):
Yeah, it's a very nuanced and very kind of it's
a very weird baseball thing. But basically they had Tomorrow
is the last day that the Astros can basically either
release him, watch him to the minor leagues, or get
him off the forty nine roster. The fact that he's
playing tonight would suggest to me that he's not on

(02:12:54):
outright waivers, which they would have to put him on
outright waivers to get him off the roster. And you know,
the fact that they have given him as much runway
as they have given him would suggest to me that
he's going to stick around. I think that's always been
the inclination that he was going to stick around. I
know the numbers are not the results, like the actual stats.

Speaker 7 (02:13:15):
Are not good.

Speaker 20 (02:13:16):
But if you look under the hood at what they
have asked him to do, that's hit the ball harder.
That's his bat speed is about three miles an hour
quicker this year than it ever has been in his career.
They've lowered his hands in his batting stance, They've widened
his batting stance. He's hitting the ball in the air more,
he's hitting the ball on his pull side. Everything peripherally
looks good aside from the results, and I think if

(02:13:38):
they play it out over the course of the year,
I think you'll see an improved offensive player. Now, I
say all that, and he's got an ops that starts
with a six, and he's striking out about thirty three
percent of the time. So I'm not here to try
to tell you that he's been some offensive stalward or
some game changer, but he is certainly someone that they
have identified that they can unlock some things if he

(02:13:59):
makes some mccaineal adjustments, if he makes some swing adjustments.

Speaker 7 (02:14:02):
He has done all that, and it.

Speaker 20 (02:14:04):
Looks like he has unlocked all of it.

Speaker 7 (02:14:07):
It's just not showing up in the results.

Speaker 20 (02:14:09):
To be honest with you, I think if they don't
keep Brendan Rodgers around, it will be a financial thing
if they don't want to pay him the remainder of
his two million dollars salary because they're so keeping such
a conscious eye in the luxury tax. And'd be quite
frank if they cut Brendan Rodgers over what is maybe
like one point three or one point four million dollars,

(02:14:29):
that would look incredibly cheap, just incredibly cheap for a
team that purports its window will never close, its window
is always open. If you're cutting guys over one point
five million dollars, and that's a tough look.

Speaker 3 (02:14:41):
Is Jake Myers back?

Speaker 7 (02:14:44):
Where did he go?

Speaker 20 (02:14:48):
Look he did this last year. I mean, you saw
how great his first half was last year and then
kind of fell off.

Speaker 7 (02:14:54):
It's on him to it's on him to sustain it.

Speaker 20 (02:14:57):
I think some of the stuff is I think some
of the stuff you can see is sustainable.

Speaker 7 (02:15:02):
Some of the stuff you can look at and be like, yeah.

Speaker 20 (02:15:04):
He can carry this through. But I would call him again.
We saw this last year, and I think he's doing
enough right now to warrant every day playing time. Obviously,
you know, I think it's coming at the expense of
cam Smith. Certainly, you know, Zach Dezenzo is putting up
good at dash right now and they clearly want to
give him a runway to have some at thats so
cam Smith's kind of been the odd man out and

(02:15:26):
you kind of have to wonder how long that's tenable
with cam Smith only playing, you know, three times a
week as a twenty two year old, that's still learning
the big league, so learning professional baseball. If it keeps
going like this and there's nowhere to play in they
may have some difficult decisions to make in the not
so distant future.

Speaker 3 (02:15:48):
Very different situation than a year ago this point in time.
This is kind of the start of the season that
was good. They were twelve and twenty four after thirty
six games a year ago. They're eighteen and eighteen right
there at five hundred heading into the series against the Reds.
Any part of you see any possibility of the type
of run they put together last year from this point forward.

Speaker 20 (02:16:10):
I mean, with the way they're playing right now, no,
But I would have probably told you the same thing
last year that I didn't see the run that they
had in them.

Speaker 7 (02:16:19):
Last year in there and they made it work.

Speaker 20 (02:16:22):
So I mean, look, when you can run fromer Valdez
and Hunter Brown out there two out of every five
or six days, like you feel good about that. And
you also feel good that Christian Walker is not going
to have an OPS that starts with a five all year.
You feel good that al Twovey is not going to
look like this all year. When they get Ord and
Alvarez back, you know that the hand has had to

(02:16:45):
have been impacting him this whole year. So there's underlying
stuff that tells you that this team is playing is better,
and there's guys that are going to start, you know,
regressing or progressing to the mean. But you know, it's
the thing about this team and the thing about this
franchise where it's at right now, like this is the team,

(02:17:07):
Like they have no help, Like they have nothing in
Triple A that they can call up to, you know,
give a spark or to like change the dynamic to
see how the rocks. Like this is it, Like these
are the twenty six guys they have, like blue Ball
or Gordon's gonna have to come up out of necessity.

Speaker 7 (02:17:23):
But other than that, like this is it. So it's
gonna be this team.

Speaker 20 (02:17:26):
It's not gonna be one of these things where they're
gonna call a bunch of guys up and change a
bunch of stuff like it's on these guys to turn
it around and get it done.

Speaker 3 (02:17:34):
Apparently, reportedly, Chandler, the Big Ten, and the SEC are
delivering support to a sixteen team college football playoff? Is
Chandler rome supporting an expanded sixteen team college football playoffs?

Speaker 7 (02:17:47):
As? I'm fine with a sixteen team playoff? Just don't
mess with the NCAA tournament.

Speaker 20 (02:17:51):
Don't make the NCAA tournament like ninety six teams or
a hundred.

Speaker 7 (02:17:54):
I don't like. The NCAA tournament is perfect. Don't mess
with that. I'm fine with.

Speaker 20 (02:17:59):
I thought I loved the twelve team playoff this past year,
even though I had no reading interest in.

Speaker 7 (02:18:04):
Anyone in it. I loved it.

Speaker 20 (02:18:07):
And who knows, with sixteen teams, maybe Brian Kelly can
actually accomplish something and get LSU into a playoff.

Speaker 3 (02:18:13):
Well, we were gonna get your thoughts on Draymond Green,
but we're fresh out of time.

Speaker 7 (02:18:19):
Uh? Can I give my thoughts on Jalen Green?

Speaker 3 (02:18:20):
Or is that you're a weekly guest? You in next
week for that.

Speaker 7 (02:18:26):
On this station.

Speaker 3 (02:18:27):
Wait you said that again?

Speaker 7 (02:18:29):
I said, is that band on this station? Thoughts? Can
I have data points? Can? Uh? And rafel Stone can
say uh An, I'm a lot. I mean I like him.

Speaker 20 (02:18:41):
I like Jalen Green a lot, like I watched more
Rockets basketball this year than I haven't a lot.

Speaker 7 (02:18:46):
I like Jayleen Green a lot.

Speaker 20 (02:18:48):
I don't know if it's just the upside, I don't know.
It's like every time I watched him he play well,
like I wouldn't trade him.

Speaker 7 (02:18:54):
I like him a lot.

Speaker 20 (02:18:56):
I personally I build the team around him over Alper
and Shingoon.

Speaker 7 (02:18:59):
But that's just me, a lowally baseball writer.

Speaker 3 (02:19:03):
Interesting. There you have it. There are people that think
just like you doing there highly high baseball writers or
basketball fans or basketball writers. A lot of people have
varying opinions. And we welcome yours eatern every week. That
from Jeff Pass and I'll tell you that much thankfully,
Thanks Chandler. All Right, we have still got a lot

(02:19:23):
to get to here on a Friday show before we
step aside and get you ready for Astros Baseball.

Speaker 1 (02:19:28):
So we will do that when we come back the
eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (02:19:47):
Place.

Speaker 21 (02:19:48):
Well before we get to the fact that Raphael Devers
has not had a very good start to his season
from a PR standpoint, we do want to let you
guys know that we love the fact that we can
speak for so many various and different types of clients
here on Sports Talk seven ninety and if you are interested.

Speaker 4 (02:20:08):
In getting your company or your product's name out there,
we would love to speak for you as well. You
can send either one of us an email at or
Adam Clanton at iHeartMedia Adam Wexler at iHeartMedia dot com,
and definitely we would love to speak for you here
on the A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:20:26):
Yes called the A Team. You become part of the team.
You are a partner with us, and we love it.
So we'd love to have more of you on board
and love to do what we can for you, as
we've done for so many others here. So fire off
an email our way and we'll get the wheels in
motion to making that happen. The wheels in motion on
making Raphael Devers a helpful part of this Red Sox team.
Other than with his bat, they've been tough to grease

(02:20:48):
those wheels have been very, very tough to get to
going in the right direction. They have had incredible offensive
performances from multiple different players, two of them spent a
lot of time in the Astros organization. Will You're a
Bray has hit nine home runs and played very soundly defensively.
Alex Bregman, as I think everybody on Earth knows, has

(02:21:08):
gotten off to a pretty nice offensive start. I readdress
the radio interview I mentioned earlier today. We were talking
Astros as well, and the host asked me about, you know,
how people feel down here Alex Bregman. Is is their
buyer's remorse or is their decision remorse? He's getting off
to gotten off to one of the best starts of
his career, And I said, hey, whoa, WHOA not one

(02:21:31):
of the best starts of his career. This is unprecedented
for Alex Bregman, and it's almost unprecedented for where he
sits among the elite in the American League or the
elite in baseball. He's been one of the most productive
hitters in the majors. He's been incredible. I believe this
was a list of players that are have the highest

(02:21:51):
slug or the highest ops. Let's see, I think it
was the highest slug when ahead in the count. And
of the top three players, how many of them do
you think got traded to the Cubs or signed with
the White Sox or Red Sox this offseason?

Speaker 7 (02:22:05):
Two?

Speaker 3 (02:22:05):
Two of the top three that would be accurate. Pete A.
Lonzo is the other. They Tucker and Bregman haven't just
been good, they've been insanely productive. But in Bregman's case,
not only has he done that, he's playing his familiar position,
Raffie's position, he's playing third base. Their rookie phenom, who
they hoped would be that is that Christian Campbell was
Rookie of the Month last month. He's their second baseman.

(02:22:29):
He Rafael Devers has already played more games in their
lineup as designated hitter than he has the rest of
his career combined. And he's been with the Red Sox
twenty seventeen. He's played virtually zero time at second in
short total of six innings between them, and every other
Major League ining for him has been played at third base.
Those innings are no longer available to him because Bregman

(02:22:50):
is there and Campbell's at second, so there's nowhere else
to put Bregman. Their first baseman is going to miss
a tremendous amount of time moving forward after his unfortunate
knee injury running to first base, landing on first base
and going down awkwardly. Endeavors has no intentions of learning
a new position in season, because he did not and

(02:23:11):
the team did not have him learn this position in
any of the previous offseasons, even this one, because they're
all focused on, well, maybe he can play second, but
no focus has ever been put on him to put
his glove back on this year. And that's basically the
stance he's taking. As a multi million dollar, long, long,
long term Red Sox. It's been with the organization since

(02:23:33):
twenty thirteen. His contract runs through the next couple of
seasons twenty thirty three at roughly thirty one million a season.
A little bit more overall, he's not interested in playing
first base. You told me not to use my glove
this year, and that's the comment that he made earlier
this week. Well, then I won't.

Speaker 4 (02:23:53):
And apparently not only are the players not happy about
that in the clubhouse, because at least two reporters have
said as much, I love the fan reactions, and this
one's my favorite. Rafael Devers and his defenders are making
it seem like playing first base is like walking into
NASA and being asked to fly a rocket ship to

(02:24:13):
Jupiter to start a colony, to save human civilization. Your
teammates knee exploded. Go play one hundred games at first
and pick him up. This is insanity.

Speaker 3 (02:24:22):
That's good. What fan red Sox muse handle was that.

Speaker 4 (02:24:27):
This particular article does not have that when it usually does.

Speaker 11 (02:24:31):
Huh.

Speaker 3 (02:24:32):
I've read a bunch of those and I totally understand
it now. It isn't as easy as people would think.
This is major League baseball and you're gonna go, well,
it's something easier than third base, where he craps the
bed every single inning. That's why Alex Bregman gold Glover
is over there and he's hitting better than you. Kind
of the for the team aspect of it is pretty

(02:24:55):
much all we need.

Speaker 5 (02:24:55):
For the team that's paying you three hundred million aspects.

Speaker 3 (02:24:58):
He can just continue to produce as the designated hitter.
He's been very good this year.

Speaker 4 (02:25:02):
He never liked him when he played against the Astros
and Bregmann this just just confirms it.

Speaker 3 (02:25:07):
He just Rafield Dever's two postseason experiences against the excuse
me three postseason experiences against the Astros. In twenty seventeen,
his OPS in that four game series, which his team
did not win, was thirteen thirty eight. He was awesome. Yeah,
in twenty eight eight, we've seen him bad every time
in the series. His team did win. In five, his

(02:25:29):
OPS was ten eighty two, again awesome. And then in
twenty twenty one, in the six game series his team
lost again, his OPS was ten thirty seven, a third
consecutive awesome postseason against the Astros. He's one of the
best postseason hitters that's active in baseball, period, and yet

(02:25:50):
he's creating tons of clubhouse friction. He's produced offensively this year.
He's settled in as their DH and has had a
very good offensive season, and he's maybe not the ants
they're at first base, but there's probably in their minds
franchise clubhouse better way to put a team out there
if they put him at first and can fiddle with
the DH every day instead of just saying, well, this

(02:26:10):
is it for him, he plays. He is our DH
every single day all year long. Well, if you're looking
for a silver lining. They are finally a game over
five hundred. Well, they got to play the Rangers. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:26:19):
And by the way, I know I was talking about
this earlier this week. It seems like people are making
the Boston Red Sox out to be thirty game winners
right now, and they're not. They were five hundred at
the time that I said that. It's not like the
Yankees are just running away with that division. They're only
two games up on the Socks.

Speaker 3 (02:26:39):
There's two teams that have twenty three or more wins.
None of them are in the Astros Division, and none
of them are in the Yankees Division.

Speaker 5 (02:26:46):
They're in the crappy supposedly Al Central.

Speaker 7 (02:26:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:26:49):
I mean, people, if anybody's still saying that, they're obviously
complearly not paying attention going into the season. Nothing that's
happening in the Central is surprising, not one thing. The
Twins got off to an awful start, almost five hundred
the Royals, and.

Speaker 4 (02:27:01):
They're seven games back of the other three that are competing.
The Royals are good, yeah, well they were good last year.
They were good last year.

Speaker 3 (02:27:07):
The Guardians are go to the playoffs somehow almost every year,
and even though they made some pretty significant changes with
the Naylor decision, among other things. Naylor, No, that's that's
what's there. That's what's there, I guess, and they're all
tracing the Tigers, who are the best team in baseball,
are the best team.

Speaker 5 (02:27:23):
In the America, and play the Rangers tonight at home.

Speaker 3 (02:27:25):
They've got a series to open up with the Rangers.
They're ride in our four game winning streak. Rangers have
lost their last two, which drops them to two games
under five hundred. They're like the Astros, though, with eighteen wins.
The A's have twenty and the Mariners have twenty two.
A little bit of distance they've put between themselves and
the rest of the division, mainly because of their offense
has been clicking for about the last three weeks, so Polanco,

(02:27:47):
cal Raley and others have all clearly stepped it up.
They've scored twenty more runs than any team in this division.

Speaker 4 (02:27:54):
Polanco has four home runs than anybody that is on
the Astros.

Speaker 3 (02:27:58):
I believe it more home runs, four more, four more, Yes,
he does every nine. Payne has five. Yeah, that's the
math checks out. Math is mathing.

Speaker 4 (02:28:07):
I just can't believe because it's like it's like, uh,
Chandler said, I almost asked him about him again this week,
but we had better things to ask him about. But yeah,
like the Astros badly wanted Jorge Polanco at third base
this year, wasn't interested then, And it doesn't really. I mean,
it's a shame.

Speaker 3 (02:28:25):
I can clearly see where things might be different if
you are doing that for this team. But you're asking
a player at eight to ten million to go from
being a six to fifty one ops guy last year
to an eleven hundred ops guy this year. Seeat'll ask
him to do that and he said, Okay, it's just
so unlikely. It's also unlikely that it remains this way.

Speaker 4 (02:28:43):
I was about to say he did that for a
little like a month and a half ish of this season.

Speaker 3 (02:28:48):
All right, we will get to some of the things
we have not talked about.

Speaker 4 (02:28:50):
We do it every day around this time five thirty
is or so it's called in case you missed it,
and it's straight ahead.

Speaker 11 (02:28:57):
The eight on Sports Talk seven night.

Speaker 3 (02:29:03):
Gear right to it halfway through the final out of
the program. We normally hit through with in case you
missed it.

Speaker 8 (02:29:08):
We will do that here.

Speaker 3 (02:29:09):
What do we have today?

Speaker 7 (02:29:10):
Cole.

Speaker 6 (02:29:11):
Well, you guys kind of started with it, and I
can't imagine how you can think my brain's working. College
football is going to expand once more. It was initially
reported that it was going to be a fourteen team
playoffs starting in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (02:29:24):
That's changing.

Speaker 6 (02:29:25):
According to Ross Stellinger of Yahoo Sports, a sixteen team
college football playoff bracket is gaining support. Now, we kind
of figured that was going to be the case. But
here's where it gets a little bit more interesting. Automatic
qualifying bids are going to be a factor four from
the SEC, four from the Big Ten, two for the ACC,
two for the Big twelve, one group of five school

(02:29:47):
and three at large bids that can include Notre Dame.

Speaker 3 (02:29:51):
Just to top it off, the Big Ten.

Speaker 6 (02:29:53):
In the SEC could also have play in games, so
instead of an SEC championship, you get rid of that nation,
I mean, a conference champion is dub at the end
of the year, and then you will have a third
versus sixth seed and a fourth versus fifth seed for
the two other automatic qualifiers to get in.

Speaker 3 (02:30:11):
In both the SEC and the Big Ten, So a
predetermined number of teams from several conferences.

Speaker 8 (02:30:18):
Literally, it will be.

Speaker 6 (02:30:20):
Twelve teams automatic qualifiers from four different conferences, four from
the Big Big Ten, four in the SEC.

Speaker 3 (02:30:27):
Two for the ACC, two for the Big twelve. So
this will be done in order to get these conferences
to say yes to it. And the reality is it's
not going to produce the best teams. It's going to
produce the teams that they want in, which are their
own teams. So there's no way we're not going to
have multiple seasons, maybe both at the same time, where

(02:30:47):
the fourth best team from one of those two conferences
doesn't belong there.

Speaker 6 (02:30:52):
Wex You know me very well. I like to think
that we're friends outside of work. I do you know
how I feel about college football? Where do you think
my brain when I saw that four guaranteed SEC teams
and four guaranteed Big ten teams were gonna be well,
the SEC part of it, you probably just had the
opposite thought of what I just gave to our listeners.

Speaker 3 (02:31:09):
Oh, the SEC is still stuck with only four teams.
They probably got six or seven of the best ten.
I hate it. I absolutely hate.

Speaker 6 (02:31:17):
This because if it ruins the sanctity of the sport.
There is something about having meanings ruins it.

Speaker 3 (02:31:22):
This ruins it. By the way, college.

Speaker 6 (02:31:24):
Football has been ruined for the last five that's all
I needed you to say.

Speaker 3 (02:31:27):
No, it's been ruined for the last five years.

Speaker 6 (02:31:29):
But this is somebody that lives, eats, and briefs this
sport and is studying film going into the month of
June just to get ready for September fall practice.

Speaker 3 (02:31:38):
Yea, your a maniac.

Speaker 6 (02:31:39):
This is what absolutely kills the level of what is
value in regular season games because who cares if Alabama
has to go play in the Iron Bowl to guarantee
their spond the College Football Playoff. Because now what it's
saying is, you can lose this game. Oh don't worry,
you're gonna be the sixth seed. But as long as
you win that game against South Carolina, a game that

(02:31:59):
you won earlier year, but South Carolina has a much
more challenging course of a season. Well they're out of
high tail luck because if we can't guarantee they're gonna
get one of the at large bits, they're at the
mercy at the Big ten, They're at the mercy of
the AC scene. They're at the mercy of Notre Dame
being good. And this goes for every conference. What if again,
the Big Twelve is the best conference in college football.

(02:32:19):
Because they don't bring in enough revenue, they're now thrown
to the wayside.

Speaker 3 (02:32:22):
It's a joke.

Speaker 6 (02:32:23):
Congratulations to the bureaucrats that have decided to make this
sport all about money. You don't care about the Saturday game.
Which care about is putting more money.

Speaker 3 (02:32:30):
In your pocket.

Speaker 6 (02:32:31):
And that's why we no longer have a real college
football season. Hmmm, they're chasing the almighty dollar.

Speaker 8 (02:32:36):
I'm shuit.

Speaker 3 (02:32:37):
Yeah, it happens, especially in college Yeah, this is it's
the playoff, especially when they had only four teams, or
even before that, when the polls did it just get
the BCS back. Well, the thing was, your playoffs started
in August. Every game mattered, your your conference games that
all the fans on site and campus in the tradition
of it, these mattered so much more, not just to

(02:32:59):
have bragging right, but they were the only thing you
had to do. There wasn't any other way to get
You had to win your games. You had to have
a one loss season, you had to be unbelievable. Every
game would get you to the ultimate goal. Now hardly
any games matter because all you have to do is
win enough of them. You don't have to win all
of them. You don't even have to come close to
winning all of them. Because if sixteen teams are in

(02:33:19):
the playoffs, we're talking about four loss teams, no question,
maybe more.

Speaker 6 (02:33:23):
I mean, we had last year conversations about which nine
and three team from the SEC, and I kid, you
not deserves to be in the playoff.

Speaker 3 (02:33:33):
He went nine and three, You don't deserve anything.

Speaker 6 (02:33:35):
But a team that did got the playoff last year
was the University of Texas, headlined by quarterback quin Yours
quin Yours now a member the Miami Dolphins. Now, the
interesting part was that Quinn Youwers didn't have to go pro,
could have been another starting quarterback around college football for
a final year, maybe better to stock or at least
got a significant pay grade, and said he went in

(02:33:56):
the seventh round, and an interview with Todd Archer of ESPN,
he said it was very unexpected. I think the toughest
part about this was the amount of unexpected occurrences that
were But I'm glad where I ended up and where
I got to go to go as late as I did.

Speaker 3 (02:34:09):
I'm glad it's a good spot.

Speaker 6 (02:34:10):
Now, the interesting part about this is two four seven
Sports reported when he declared for the NFL Draft he
had turned down an eight million dollar nil deal to
go transfer for one final year of eligibility, but because
of his loyalty and legacy that he wanted to keep
at the University of Texas, he decided to.

Speaker 3 (02:34:30):
Go to the Sunday game. He's in a good spot.
He makes a little bit less money, and there's there's
a difference. It's not a tremendous difference between say a
fourth or fifth round pick, which maybe is where he
expected to go, and a seventh round pick, but the
spot he's in is really what now kind of determines
his future. He was asked today if he expects or
plans to be the number two, and he did acknowledge

(02:34:52):
all those things you mentioned there with the Todd and
a group of reporters there in Miami wearing number fourteen,
which he wears now for the Miami Dolphins. Being the
number two in some places is a little bit different
than in others. Being the backup quarterback in Miami, when
you're playing behind Tua, your one playaway line is it
strikes me as different when that one play aways with Tua.

(02:35:15):
Here's my thing.

Speaker 6 (02:35:17):
As much as you want to dog him for maybe
not taking a major deal, and Notre Dame was out
the team that was should I've spoken to some people,
but there were some other schools that would have paid
six million dollars. He turned on six million dollars. This
is the kid that grew up in South Lake. This
is a kid that wanted to be known as a longhorn.
This is a kid that grew up watching and idolizing
Colt McCoy. And now he is going to make significant

(02:35:38):
amount of money whenever he does any deal. Featured with
the University of Texas because he was loyal. So you
go to a good situation. You remembered as being the
reason why Texas turned the corner in the seccene. You
can say you beat Nick Saban in his own backyard.

Speaker 8 (02:35:52):
I don't hate it, I really don't.

Speaker 6 (02:35:54):
And whether or not I'm in Alabama ground, I love
toa He's in a good situation where, yes he is
a play away from starting tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (02:36:01):
What else?

Speaker 6 (02:36:02):
So George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, and
we are, of course the south stop that the deep
Southwest home of the Dallas Cowboys right here in Houston.
He was not the first player that was initially brought in.
According to Bleacher Report, the Baltimore Ravens were in discussions
with the Dallas Cowboys to trade with Shad Bateman, former

(02:36:23):
first round pick, but they never saw eye to eye
on what was the right compensation. So the Cowboys were
always interested in bringing in a wide receiver. But now
it just feels like, hey, we went after George Pickens.
Everyone thought that we were crazy to go bring in
a wide receiver from the Pittsburgh Steelers team that we
know has a track record of moving off of guys
right before time.

Speaker 3 (02:36:42):
Decides to hit.

Speaker 6 (02:36:44):
It ended up actually being because we shot Bateman. The
ask Christ was too much, He's saying in Baltimore. Probably
a reason why they're going to be the winners of
the AFC North once again.

Speaker 3 (02:36:52):
We went through all that list the other day on
the Steelers' receivers, and I still think he's different timeline wise.
I think he's a little different. The only one he's
really close to timeline wise from when he's leaving is
closer to Chase Claypool. But his production isn't there, and
his skill set isn't there. Dickens hasn't beat on both.
He's just a much better player. This is year five,

(02:37:12):
that's all. He's hadn't been there starting for several years,
more years like Deontay Johnson had been. And clearly he's
not the player that Antonio Brown was. I think this
is more of an individual situation than don't trade with
the Steelers for a problematic wide receiver because their track
record has been so good on their end.

Speaker 6 (02:37:32):
And then final thing, according to Omar Khan, the general
manager at the Pittsburgh Steelers, you kind of brought this up.
It was just a right timing situation, that's the way
that he described it. And it's a lot like when
they moved off of Emmanuel Sanders quote. We just kind
of talked about it, lots of serious conversations, honest conversations,
and we just felt like a fresh start for both

(02:37:53):
sides was the right thing. But again, it very well
could be for a player that wants to get paid,
and Pittsburgh just gave a a contract to Dk Metcalf
to come on in and be their wide receiver.

Speaker 3 (02:38:02):
One, if you're telling the people in Arlington that the
post Pittsburgh production of George Pickens will be anything close
to the post Pittsburgh production for Emmanuel Sanders, then this
will look like one of the best deals that Jerry
Jones has ever made.

Speaker 6 (02:38:19):
If he signs him to an extension, which is a big,
big caveat because if he's not signing a deal right
now because he wants to get paid.

Speaker 3 (02:38:27):
Twenty seven year old receiver is Emmanuel Sanders. When he
was out of Pittsburgh after his first four years, he
put together three consecutive thousand yard seasons, one of which
he had one hundred plus catches. He was awesome pretty
much the second he left Pittsburgh for the next six
years all in Denver. I don't think we're gonna see
that with George Pickens in that kind of way. But

(02:38:49):
I'll tell you this right here, right now, the best
season of George Pickens's NFL career will be this season.
You're one in Dallas, You're five in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (02:39:02):
The A teen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (02:39:08):
We here on the A team.

Speaker 3 (02:39:10):
I'm bringing back the summer of fun here as we're
almost back to the summer. Got tickets to give away
to you for those loyal listeners of the program. Many
of you are out there, and we thank you all.
We got tickets to go see Netlie Joe. Rule Eve
is the ware of the party at tour. It's September fourth,
It's at the Woodlands Pavilion and tickets are actually on

(02:39:31):
sale now takeamaster dot com. But we got a couple
of pairs of tickets to send your way. Those listeners
who heard us earlier this hour talk about a very
specific ballplayer. Earlier this hour, we talked extensively about this player.
It's an American League player. This headline was written in
one of the newspapers digitally that covers the American League.

(02:39:54):
I'll leave out the important parts as I ask you
for this player's name. Here are teammates reactions revealed as
their teammate wages war against front office. Is a baseball
player I'm asking for He's waging war against the front office.
Apparently the front office and the player who's waging war
against them has met with the front office today in

(02:40:16):
an honest exchange. Well, what player is this that is very,
very reluctant to do something that seems rather team friendly.
We were talking about him earlier this hour about twenty
five minutes ago. Just give us the name of that
player who's saying no to a request apparently from the
front office and the manager to do something to help

(02:40:38):
the team. You going to do that? No, No, I'm
just gonna keep doing what I've been doing all season
long and what I've You know, you already asked me
to do something this offseason and I said, all right,
I will do it, which I'm now doing. Now you're
asking me to do something else. No, thank you war
against the front office? Who is that player? Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three

(02:40:58):
two one two five seven n I you know the answer,
then Cole will give you a pair of tickets to
go see Nelly and jar Rule and Eve and you
won't have to ask where is this party at. It's
at the Woodlands Vility. Where the party at?

Speaker 4 (02:41:12):
Yeah, I did not know. This is so dumb too,
because it's just funny you bring him up. My wife
the other day sent me a video of Nelly eating
a bunch of grapes because his wife, Ashanti, was trying
to help with his diet, lowering his cholesterol and all
that kind of stuff.

Speaker 5 (02:41:33):
And I did not know that they were together. I
knew they used to be.

Speaker 3 (02:41:39):
Well, that means you must have missed the iHeartRadio Music Awards. Yes,
he was honored and she was asked to honor him
by giving the big pre Here He comes speech was awesome.
Big fan of hers? Is he? Well? Yeah? And others?

Speaker 7 (02:41:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (02:41:59):
Well they both have quite healthy fan bases. Let's just
put it that way, all right. So before this weekend
is over with, will Draymond Green have another technical?

Speaker 3 (02:42:11):
They have a game soon, not tonight. They played last
night already the man of the worst, they're about to
play games. I think it was Brian Anderson with Stan
last night and he was saying, so, the first five
games of this series are scheduled to be played every
other day, and they just wrapped up a series that
ended that way, so we could see the Warriors playing
a ten consecutive and he was trying to figure out

(02:42:31):
how to say it because it's not ten consecutive days,
it's ten consecutive every other days. Like it's so freaking
hard to play a game every other.

Speaker 5 (02:42:41):
Day, stretching the NBA season.

Speaker 3 (02:42:43):
The only reason that's impactful in the playoffs is because
of injuries. Is it helpful to have gotten lucky that
you had more days off, and so this player misses
less time. That's really all the matter. I mean, playing
every other day is not increasing injuries, is not. It
shouldn't be lowering the level of your play. What lower
the level of your plays? Your best player isn't playing.

(02:43:04):
So everybody, Hannah has to do their thing on their own.
You got fans in Golden State begging for a Jimmy
Butler to take forty shots a game. So they'll play
tomorrow night. We'll talk to you again on Monday. That's
the only game they will play between now and then.
Nine games, five techs, two flagrants. That's his tally to date.
I'm going to take the he will not earn a

(02:43:27):
technical foul tomorrow night, not even one, not even one,
cause two would be the automatic ejection that comes with it,
which never happens.

Speaker 5 (02:43:36):
But also if he gets two more, well we'll suspend it.

Speaker 3 (02:43:39):
Yeah. Well, we've talked about is he's not going to
get to two technicals in a game. He's not going
to get two flagrant foul points in a game, whether
it's a flagrant two on a one foul or two
flagrant foul ones. And he's not going to pick up
a sixth foul. We talked about that during the series
because we had a game where that happened. He had
five fouls, he had a flagrant foul one, and he
had a technical, and he did not receive any of

(02:44:00):
the other three additional anythings which would have gotten taken
out taken him out of the game. I already said
earlier today, this is their last series, so I wouldn't
even surprise me if he did reach suspension level. If
he picks up a flagrant two, he's getting suspended for
the next game. If he picks up two technicals at
any point the remainder of this postseason, he becomes a
suspended player for the next game.

Speaker 4 (02:44:19):
You know what I would love is if in their
elimination game he got tossed with two technicals and so
he has to miss the season opener the next year, because.

Speaker 3 (02:44:26):
That's how it works, right. I don't think postseason technical
foul accumulation points or flagrant foul points carry over.

Speaker 4 (02:44:33):
If you got enough technicals in a postseason that you
would have been suspended if they played another game, you
should you should be suspended for your next game.

Speaker 3 (02:44:43):
I mean, it's just like the regular season talities. It
starts Bryana Bray. You had to serve a suspension for
a playoffs a game different? Why because that he wasn't
trying to kill people with his hands and feet. So
what kind of points do pitchers need to accumulate before
they face league suspension? I don't know. There's no equivalent
went to Draymond Green in any other league, I don't
think right, and that that's what honestly sets him apart

(02:45:05):
from every other discussion, every discussion we have, because he's
a very unique accumulator of technical fouls. The other three series,
you got, you got anything you want to give before
we hit the weekend on any of the three other series.

Speaker 4 (02:45:17):
I'd like to see how Denver responds to being utterly humiliated.

Speaker 3 (02:45:21):
Yup, they were utterly humiliated. They have the late tip tonight,
Cleveland tries to avoid falling in an O three hole
to the four seed. I would laugh so hard if
Cleveland went down oh three. Now, granted, some injuries have
clearly been a part of this. Darius Garland hasn't played,
Evan Mobley and Hunter were both out for Game two,
while Donovan Mitchell absolutely went off until the very very

(02:45:43):
end of the game when they let the Pacers beat them.
Is Boston gonna win a game? Yeah, they'll win. They'll
win Game three. I said yesterday they're gonna win the series.
I'll stick with that.

Speaker 5 (02:45:52):
Well, they have to win Game three to win the series.

Speaker 3 (02:45:54):
Oh, it's a must wit. Even though the mak come
back from a maths So I guess it'll never happen.
Tell the road tracks that let's let Yeah, well not
in the NBA. It had never happened in baseball. Yeah
they did it, but it still never happened in the NBA.
That is true.

Speaker 4 (02:46:09):
That's the difference. That is a big difference, and that's
the Yankees being the gift that keeps on giving.

Speaker 3 (02:46:14):
We'll see what all unfolds there. We've got Astros Baseball
for you this evening, which means we've got the Astros
on Deck show coming your way next from the ballpark.
Ross will have that for you games each of the
next two days, including LMJ Day at dyke In Park
for the first time ever. He's pitched a minime before,
but not Dyking And we'll have all the weekends activities
for you. Monday at two o'clock

Speaker 11 (02:46:36):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety

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