Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I mean I understand that some people might look at
the final game of the regular season and say, all right, fine,
if you go in as a sixth seed, does it
really matter that much, because I mean, I can kind
of understand it. Even though I told you that I
think that the path to be able to get to
the AFC Championship Game this year is a lot more
clear for the Texans than perhaps if they had gone
(00:22):
through Jacksonville. It's a team that knows you, you know them,
all of that. But I mean again, I just look
at it as this is a bad matchup for the Steelers,
and one of my buddies, it's a massive Steelers fan
that's been listening this morning, goes, dude, you're not lying
like this is a chance to be a setup for
a slaughter. But Aaron, you knows as you get in
(00:43):
with us here this morning, Good morning, buddy.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Good to see him. Yeah, man, good see you again.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
But I mean yesterday, no, Kamari Laster, that was something
that we saw one of the very first plays of
the game that it was a massive absence, And I
mean there's a reason why teams go after him because
the guy on the other side is really good. But
then it is also kind of a little bit of
careful what you wish for because that guy can get
after you too.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Right, absolutely, because you know throwing in all pro things
direction is a bad idea. Hey, guys, if you're not
out there, you can't see him. Of course he's wearing
LSU shirt.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Dan, it's usually if it's a day that ends and
why I've got some sort of purple and gold on
police continue.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Absolutely so Kamari even though he's targeted a lot as
a high success rate, you know you don't catch a
lot of passes a lot of touchdowns on Kamorra. Tremon
Smith is a special teamer and like a lot of players,
I think sometimes the fans get outside expectations.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Oh, they're out there on the field, they must be this.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
No, there's a reason why a guy was either on
the street like a Cavon Wallace, or is relegated to
covering punts and kickoffs. No one's ever said Tremont Smith
it was supposed to be the third corner. But you
lose guys and they're like every team you lose a
Jalleen Smith and the quality third corner and that injury.
I don't think it was really paid enough attention to
(02:02):
at the time, but it's very important to the Texans.
They lose either of these guys. And right now you
saw Gamora after the game. He's still limping a little bit,
but he'll be okay, he'll play. It has an impact
and they could have lost this football game because of
their secondary that they put out there. And it's a
calculated gamble and it worked out. A lot of guys
got rest. So it's almost like two wins as you
(02:23):
win in the way of the rest factor for the postseason.
Some of these guys really did need I almost think
they need two buys in the NFL. But you know,
for having lasted her out, they got through just barely.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I mean by the skin of their teeth. They made
it through this game.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Is if he goes down again, I mean, this could
derail their hopes of being a super Bowl team.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Now. The only thing that I will say is because
I mean even though DK Metcalf will be back for Pittsburgh,
and I mean Rogers was able to make some downfield throws,
but that's an offense. Now with this part of Rogers career,
most of his throws are underneath and I said it
earlier that you do that against this defense. That's a
defense that knows how to come downhill and be able
(03:08):
to keep you to a minimal game.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
And you throw to the running back as much as
he likes to throw to the running back, and you
do that again. You don't switch it up Arthur Smith,
who I don't think Rogers are real good right now?
You do that again and dealing Peacher is gonna blow
you up and he's definitely one lasted, or Will Stingley
will hit.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You mm hmm to toe. He's all Shire.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
I mean, he's looking for those kind of hits. It's
almost like you hope, you're a Texans fan, you'll get
a penalty, like you you know, really really really blast
the guy and the ref throws a flag.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
But I look at what they were doing.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
I was at kbar C last night with Randy mckaboy
Nick Mantas and we're getting ready to do the game
right after we're gonna break it all down after the
game's over, and we're watching this and Rogers they can't
move like he used to. It was a pretty good football,
and that's something that's the muscle memory that doesn't go away,
so you know, there were still some deep strikes and
(04:08):
having a Metcalf and I love to watch Stingley and
him go out in all the game. I think they'd
be fun. And I don't know if Metcalf and Rogers
chemistry is wait what it should be. They've played together
one year, but still the guy's formidable. It's gonna be interesting.
But yeah, he should not throw underneath against Texans. I
think that's gonna cause guys, those are what they call
hospital passes.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
You want to do that in the hospital balls. That's
always my favorite. I remember a buddy of mine dropped
that a few years ago and I was just like,
hospital ball.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
I like that. I'm gonna keep that.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Oh yeah, but I mean yeah, against his defense, you
throw some of those. Then it's not only that, but
it's also too. I mean you even saw it a
little bit. And I know that Kyle Hamilton, you know,
went down with an injury and how much he means
that Ravens defense. But I mean Rogers can be gotten
too now. I mean it's one of those things that
I always love people. All his mobility. It's like it's
(04:59):
kind of like seege, It's not necessarily a mobility. It's
just elusiveness is what he was able to work with.
And he likes CJ is so good and designed rollouts
all of that. I mean, you know, it's just he's
been one of the best in the league for a reason.
But I mean, this is a Texans defensive front that
can get after him also on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Right, Rogers is got great footwork, all of his fundamentals.
He's a little unorthodox at times. He'll break he routine
and he's a little bit wiry. He doesn't look like much.
He's not a big guy, but he's stronger than he looks,
and he will fight for every yard. I think no
one really questions the type of competitor is. He's kind
(05:40):
of a strange guy, and that's okay, you can be
a little different. He's a great football player and he's
had an amazing career. But I look at you know
what happened, and you know where the Steelers are at.
It's kind of a strange team. I mean, they haven't
played very good football. They're not ranked very highly. There's
nothing flashy about the Steelers. They got a good head
(06:02):
coach and they got a quarterback. I look at them
and I think, wow, they could sack him a lot.
But yes, last year, and I was up there for this,
like for every road game, I'm in the meadowlands, and
I watched Aaron Rodgers just pick them apart. And Kamar
last was one of the guys that they beat for
a touchdown. That was I believe Garrett Wilson. It was
(06:24):
a great throw. It was epic throw, great catch. It
was one of those one things said he had good coverage,
but they beat good coverage, so he's capable of that.
I think you're gonna hear all week a ton of
respect for Aaron Rodgers, and that's gonna make the Texans
really dial in because you're playing against a guy that's
capable of what he did last night. I mean two
hundred and ninety four yards. No DK metcalf. He still
(06:46):
had a game.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
No, I definitely did.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And of course that voice you're hearing along with me
here on the morning Drive is that of our own
Sports Talk seven ninety insider, Aaron Wilson hopping on in
my imagining this or did we see a lot more
of EJ. Speed than we saw Aziz al Shaire yesterday?
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Right? And that was by design?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
He was another one of the guys that Aziz said
after the Chargers game, he was showing us his thumb.
He needs to have it fixed after the season. He
can't do it now, but he needs surgery. So he's
had a bunch of dislocations of this thumb, and it's.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
It's kind of gross.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
They actually talk about that locker room, who's got the
worst feed, who's got the ugliest hands, things like that.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
It's like a.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Scars Battle, Scars Badger courage kind of thing. But yeah,
that was all by design. So you look at actually
at the you know, playtime and the way they handled
all that.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I was overnight.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
It's one of the things I like to do with
nflgsis and look at the snaps and so you see
like kind of how that bears out. So right here,
you know, you're looking at for snap counts for the Texans,
it's really unusual.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
This is such a strange one.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
So you've got Hendry Totoa playing sixty nine percent of
the defensive snaps that normally never happens, and Azi's only
played twenty six plays and EJ plays thirty plays, so
they count all that stuff. They've got guys counting rotations
and things, and there's some really strange playtime stuff like
Elijah Hussy has an interception and he never plays and
(08:19):
he was supposed to have a medical red shirt. So yeah,
it was very strange day. Statistically, I'd say they got
away with one. I mean, you know, Davis Mills was
what like three for nine. I think at one point
he was what zero for six, So the Davis should
start truthers out there. Oh man, that was one of
those that if he had scored a touchdown on that
final drive right there where they settled for the field goal,
(08:41):
I was like, I'm already prepared for those, Like I'm
already It's just like yet I thought the more realistic
ones came down to earth and I think, you know,
money Mills is a real thing. Sometimes he will make
the play you need.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
To do the job. He's a good backup.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, that's the thing, like don't don't yeah, don't don't
crash the car.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
But the Bill second half, when the offense just nose dived,
and I thought, that's when everybody kind of came to Okay,
they need CJ.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Stroud.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
He need this highly skilled guy that was drafted his
second of all, there was a Heisman finalist, not the
third round pick from Stanford that you know is a
great guy, great backup, like you say, and you know
they definitely having any real enthusiasm for a quarterback controversy.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
S having that.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
They lost me with that, And it's just like like
when everyone didn't believe that CJ, you know, was it
was gonna be fine and he didn't need shoulder surgery,
hadn't had shoulder surgery. I had to keep yelling it
he did not have surgery, and they were so because
of the way they wouldn't answer the question and wouldn't
(09:44):
just come right out with it.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
That's what led to all that.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So transparency is a good thing, and so is a
lack of a quarterback controversy. CJ's playing well. I thought
it was a good football game. I have the rollout
pass to Higgins. I felt every timing to Geah. But
at least he got his touchdown touchdown. Tommy got to
score in the end. CJ said, my bad, and he
whom five push ups. But they were all annoyed with
(10:07):
cjsonid man, they bringing it off my back now because
Tommy got to score on that. We called it a
rugby play and.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
That was cool.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
And he thought he showed off some wheels on that one.
That was impressive.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, definitely did. And of course, you know a big
guy when he's got the football in his hands and
he's got the end zone in sights. I mean you
even you know me and you were sitting in there
with Tommy Togi. He was like, yeah, I wouldn't be denied.
He was like, I'm getting into the end zone on
this one. It's happening.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
It's cool.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
And you know, Tommy is pound for pound, the strongest
guy on the team. Seven hundred pound squad, five hundred
pound bench, and he didn't scored since high school Pocatello, Idaho,
where he was the Gator Ay Player of the Year,
big time recruit for the state Buck guys, like CJ said,
he's known since he's eighteen years old.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
They're bros.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
They go way back to freshman year at Ohio State.
And it's a neat thing because this was someone that
they found, given the Cacio credit, they got him on
the practice squad and then they've cultivating and brought him
along and now he's a full fledged legit NFL starter
And they got him at a great price for next
year one year, three point three million max value, So
(11:09):
that is a very cheap quality young starter to have
in the fold for next season. And sometimes those a
little under the radar moves like I think Jake Hanson,
he's out for the year. Jake Hanson is a really
good special teamer. They got him under contract too.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah, And that's actually a good segue by you, because
that is where I want to I want to give
credit because I mean, finding guys like that is what
makes a team go round, and that's something that Nick
Cassario has been able to do. So we'll talk about
that again as we continue here in the seven o'clock hour.
Again our own Sports Talk seven ninety Texans insider Aaron
Wilson going to be in studio with.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Us also here in this hour.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Look at the Shield coming up a little bit later on,
but we'll continue the Texans conversation you want to get
in seb one three two one two five seven ninety
against Sebon one three two one two five seven ninety.
As it is the morning Drive with Dan and Cole
Sports Talk seven ninety