Tuesday: Marc Vandermeer Returns

Houston wins again & gets a break before taking on Indy.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Let's not keep our guest rating as we turned to
the ticket hotline here and welcome voice of Texans Radio,
Mark VanderMeer. Mark, how are we doing today?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
So good after the win over the Bills and getting
ready for Thanksgiving of course, but the big one with
the Colts, the dreaded, hated, despised Indianapolis Colts on Sunday,
big rival of the Texans, and here we go for
the latest installment. It's a huge game.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, I definitely want to get your thoughts on the
Colts game, but let's start back with that game last
Thursday night, because you know, Texans defense sex Josh Allen
eight times to go along with the two interceptions. Talk
about that defensive performance. I know Coach Ryan's had to
be happy with that.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's one of the best I've ever seen calling all
the Texans games in the history of the franchise. Honestly,
this was a phenomenal performance when you consider that the
offense really didn't do anything the second half. They had
one field goal, and that's because the defense gave the
ball with that spot and it was stop after stop
beating up Josh Allen. He's the reigning MVP. We all

(01:12):
know what he's capable of, and the defense shut him down.
I thought it was tremendous what they were able to
do when you consider also that they send extra people, yes,
but not all the time. They rushed for a lot,
sometimes five, but they got to Josh Allen a bunch
and it was a team record tying eight sacks and
the moment of truth, they made the big pick on

(01:33):
the fourth down play. I know they gave up that
hook and lateral play that was really tough to stomach
at the time, but you had to get the ball
in the end zone against them, and they were not
going to be denied on that night. They've had games
this year when they gave up a final drive for
a field goal or a touchdown, like against Baker Mayfield
for instance Week two. There's some other instances, but they

(01:54):
weren't gonna yield on this night, and I thought that
was big. They got a winning record for the first
time this year. It's momentum and now they have to
take it to Indy.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, you mentioned the Texans record dying eight sacks, also
the most sacks Josh Allen's ever had in a game,
and coming off the heels of that six touchdown performance
two weeks ago, just an insanely impressive defensive performance. I
saw coach Ryan's talked postgame about the defense specifically not
wavering after giving up that forty four yard play on

(02:27):
fourth and twenty seven. I just wondered, what were your
thoughts as you were calling it, as you could kind
of see it playing out like that.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Well, I thought it was the greatest offensive play I've
ever seen against the Texans, considering the situation. Nice. I
have to be clear here, I've seen some amazing plays
against the Texans, but in the context of fourth and
twenty seven, to pull that off the way they did,
it was really phenomenal for them. And I thought, Okay,

(02:54):
they didn't go all the way. Had they scored on that,
at least you get the ball back, but you still
had a little buff zone between them and the end zone.
It wasn't like they got it down to the two
and oh my gosh, it's you know, foregone conclusion at
real play. So I knew the defense was going to
get their chance to make another play, and they did.
And that false start on fourth and one was absolutely

(03:16):
humongous because now it's fourth and sixth and it's a
completely different situation. You don't get that Josh Allen over
the top or anything like that. They had a time
out or two left to use, so you know they
came up with the clutch stop and that's all that
it took. Now, this whole winning streak, three games in
a row, and you know, you've won six of eight,
but the three games in a row, they're all down
to the wire wins. And they were losing these games

(03:39):
earlier in the season. Now they're winning them, and that's
the difference. You know, they're making the plays when they
need to both sides of the ball.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, you mentioned the Texans now over five hundred for
the first time this season, you know, looking forward to
that matchup, that big game against Indianapolis. You know, the
obvious question is what is the status of C. J.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Stroud.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Have we heard anything new? Is there a practice window
that is open now where he is going through practices
or what's the update there.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Well, today's the mandatory day off, right, so it's a
regular week now for the Texans. They got back to
it yesterday and had some kind of activity, but they
don't have to put out an injury report yesterday. Tomorrow
afternoon is the first injury report. Tamiko Ryan said that
CJ's still in the protocol, but that could just be
a formality. You know, he practiced a bit last week.
He's got to get through some practices and pass some tests.

(04:31):
So I think he's got to get through a full
tomorrow and if I think, I believe if he's cleared
after that, he's good to go. He'll be cleared for good.
He'll be out of the protocol. But don't quote me
on that. I just think he's trending in the right
direction based on the fact that he practiced a bit
last week. He did an appearance Friday at the Houston
Texans YMCA for the Texans, so that means that he

(04:52):
probably had no negative tests coming out of that practice
that he participated in last week. So again, trending right direction.
Let's hope he can play. I would expect it, but
you don't know until you know. They need him though,
They need that potential that he gives you, that explosiveness
in the passing game. Davis Mills has done really well
for them, and they can win games. They've proved it

(05:13):
with Davis Mills. But you need the ceiling that CJ.
Stroud has, it's a lot higher.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah, it feels like CJ just you know, obviously, with
as good as that defense is, as you said, you
find a way to win games. And Davis Mills has
been great serving in that role, but CJ just unlocked
so much for that offense getting him back. I know
my producer here, Shane, he had a question for you
specifically about that defense.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
Hey, Mark, So my question was about Daniel Hunter and
Will Anderson because at the start of the season, the
consensus around the NFL felt like that Rashaun Gary and
Michael Parsons might have been the best edge rushing doing
the league, but Daniel Hunter Will Anderson from last year,
who were really good this year as might be an
elite Tanem as anybody else in the NFL. Talk about
the development in year two of this pairing and where

(05:58):
it looks like it'll go four from here.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Since Danil's been in the league in twenty fifteen, I
think he's third in sacks behind Miles Garrett and TJ. Watt.
That's really good company. I think Daniil is the most underappreciated,
unrecognized defensive end in the league when you consider what
he's put on tape. What he's put up in numbers
with Minnesota now with the Houston Texans, it's amazing. It's

(06:21):
because he's not loud. And I'm meant that those guys
are boisterous or anything, but Daniel's just not a great quote.
You know, there was a locker room speech that was
on the Texans and Meat channels and Demika said speech
speech and he said, thanks love. You know, it was
very anything. But he's loud. On the field, guys, he's amazing.
And he's also great against the run. He sets the

(06:43):
edge so well. They rush the passer as a group.
They're like the Eagles. There's no lead singer here. They
do it all together. Anybody sings lead at any particular point,
even the defensive interior guys. And Will Anderson junior defensive
Rookie of the Year two years ago, double digits last year.
You know, he and Daniel are thirty fourth in the
league this year and you got six games to go.

(07:06):
Will Anderson is an animal. What did you run something
like fifty three yards on that one sack of Josh Allen?
You had two and a half that night. Absolute monster
game for him. And we've got a lot of big
ones down the stretch, so it's gonna be fun to watch.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah, speaking of the big ones, obviously, you know with
the Colts up next, you mentioned it. They're the hated
rival Indianapolis Colts. For those that might not be as
familiar with that rivalry, what is it about those two
teams that seemed to bring out the best in each other?

Speaker 2 (07:35):
Okay, well it started out all Colts, right, it's Peyton Manning.
You're at the RCA Dome on that carpet. You got
Mathis and Freeny firing off because they get big leads,
and it's just ridiculous. And Manning was sixteen and two
against the Texans as a Colt. Sixteen and two. You
didn't beat them until ow six, and then you didn't
beat them on the road. You were zero for thirteen

(07:56):
in Indy until twenty fifteen. So this is now the
tenth anniversary of the first time you beat them up there.
And I know all the painful memories with the Colts.
I could go through them. We don't have enough time.
But this is the team that makes my blood boil
more than any other squad. And it's all healthy sports hate,
but it is hate. So I can't wait to see
them go up there and see these two teams battle.

(08:18):
The Colts are very good this year, as you know,
They've been brought down to earth a few times lately,
so we'll see how this goes. They lost to the Chiefs,
blowing a twenty to nine lead. A lot of teams
do that in Kansas City. We are familiar with that ourselves.
It's on. This is a big battle. Getting that win
over Buffalo was a monster because with the Chiefs beating

(08:39):
the Colts, now you're two back and you play them twice. Now,
the Flying the ointment is the Jaguars because there's still
a game up on you, and you split with them,
you're done with the season series. But that'll work itself out.
You got to go after the Colts, get this one
done and take it from there. A lot of big games.
Like I said, down the stretch.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, we were talking about it in the previous segment.
I mean you mentioned it. The Flying the meant they're
the Jaguars. This whole AFC South. I mean, when's the
last time there were three teams that were this good,
all vying for the conference or division title.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
You know, you've had years where you get two teams in.
There was a year with the Colts getting in and
beating the Texans at NRG Stadium in the playoffs in
twenty eighteen. You know, the AFC South has had some
squads do some things. The weird thing about this division
is the Colts haven't won it since twenty fourteen, and
since that time, three teams have been to the AFC

(09:33):
Championship Game and none of them are the Texans. Okay,
so the Texans have not been to the AFC Championship Game,
yet they've won the division far and away more than
anybody else in that span. So it's weird that way.
And you know, there's no team that lives on Broadway
in New York, in Philly, in LA. You know, these
are not big market teams other than the Texans. Houston

(09:53):
is a big market, but it's not one of these
celebrated national big markets. Right, So you know you're not
going to get the notori until there's a team that's
really going to be a perennial power, the way the
Colts were with Manning, or for a brief time with
the Titans when Steve McNair was there. They go to
a Super Bowl he's coedyp with Manning in two thousand
and three. So the division's just not going to get

(10:14):
recognized until somebody makes a run to the super Bowl
and does some damage, and I'm hoping it's the Texans. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (10:19):
I mean, it looks like this might be the year
you're going to get to see that coming out of
the division. Mark, I appreciate you joining us before we
let you go. I did have one more question. I
know you and Andy last week were starting to share
some old war stories of early broadcasting days calling high
school football, and of course here right now across Texas

(10:40):
we have so many kids participating in the high school
football playoffs. I just wondered, what was one of those
early memories where you remember just thinking to yourself, is
this really what I want to do for the rest
of my life as you were dragging equipment to some
high school game, or was there a moment like that

(11:01):
where you reconsidered and maybe would have changed professions and
not ended up the voice of the Texans.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Never doubted it for a minute. The first time I
ever called a high school game, I didn't want to
do it. I was doing color commentary. I when kicking
and screaming. I was doing some work in the radio station.
It's a long story, but I do this high school game,
just filling in doing color, know nothing about the teams,
no idea how to prepare. Yet at halftime of that game,
I said, I love this, and this is what I'm

(11:27):
gonna do with the rest of my life, no matter
what it takes. I decided that night at halftime that
I was going to do whatever it took. So I
was doing broadcasts from a car on a hill and
stringing two hundred feet a phone line back in the
day and lugging equipment around and horrible conditions, and high
school games. God bless the high school broadcasters. It's the
hardest game to broadcast in sports. I will stand by

(11:50):
that statement. It is really difficult to do high school games.
You don't get the information. You have weird angles, you
got a PA speaker right in your headset practically like
you know, you're trying to call the game. It is
extremely difficult. They change the roster numbers on you. Oh wait,
they flipped from odd to even. Things like that happen.
It is absolutely nuts, but it's a joy, and I

(12:11):
encourage anybody who's doing it. To stick with it. Not
that you're going to get to the NFL necessarily, but
it's just so much fun to broadcast games. To be
at a mic during that action.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, I know. For Shane and I, it's good to
hear the voice of confidence to keep going there. Mark,
I appreciate you joining us even with Andy out of
the room. Have a great call in that Colts game,
and good luck to the Texans as they try to
climb in back into the division title race.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
Thanks guys, Happy Thanksgiving.