April 10, 2025 • 47 mins
Pro Football Hall of Fame writer and longtime NFL Columnist John McClain joined the program to share his thoughts on the Texans options in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, tex Sins. Welcome to the show. Mark Vandermaer and
John Harris with you. Happy Thursday evening. As since it's Thursday,
it's been a while, but we'll catch up with him
right now. The General John McClain steps in and we're
here on the hun Day Texans Radio studio. John on
the line, General, good evening, we've missed you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
How's it going.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It's going great. I've been having a blast going around
the state working on our preview Inner Scholastic League documentary
Football Before Integration in Texas, and it's been a blast,
and I've been following everything on the Texans. Of course,
all the great things you guys said from the league meetings.
I always like the league meetings because of all the
(00:42):
events that we go to, that is the most relaxed.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
All right, John, we're gonna get into some Texans stuff,
but we got to ask you about the documentary that
you've been working on. How much of the PVIIL documentary
is stuff that you already knew but you're.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Just getting people to talk about it.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
How much of it is just completely Holy cow, I
didn't know that information. When you sit down an interview
with these coaches and figures in your documentary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
John, We started that about five or six months ago,
and almost everything is the latter that I didn't know.
I mean, I knew what the preiview Leers scholastically was.
It was the all black division compared to the UIO,
and I know they integrated in the mid sixties. When
the Supreme Court handed down the ending of desegregation in
(01:33):
nineteen fifty four, in Texas and other states in the
South were very slow to react. But some of the
things we've been doing. Rob Blanche, a good friend of mine,
one of the producers, has done a fabulous job getting
pictures from high schools, colleges and the things that the
date of Texas went through to keep from to having
(01:58):
to integrate. Abilene built a nice school for black students
to keep them out of the white schools even though
they were supposed to. And Mansville up south of Fort Worth,
they hung black dummies hung with a noose around their
neck to the entrance to the school to try to
encourage black students not to come. Brought out the Texas
(02:21):
Rangers and we went to Lubbock last week and interviewed
a ninety seven year old head coach who led Corpus
Christy Miller, featuring running back Johnny Rowland to the first
integrated state championship in our state's history nineteen sixty over
witchdol Falls at Baylor Stadium, and he said their toughest
(02:42):
game was in the semifinals when they played a school
in which they built their whole offensive game plan about
trying to beat this defensive lineman who was small but
so quick and disruptive, and they beat Porter Arthur and
Jimmy Johnson six to zero to move into the state
championship game.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
That's awesome, Jimmy Johns, Janice Joplin's high school classmate.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
That is just great trivia, right that.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
So we're learning all kinds of things. It all started
I wanted to do the Southwest Conference and Rob Lynch said, well,
what about the previewwenter scholastically because he had been talking
to Joe Green and Kenny Houston and they were telling
them stories when they played in the PV I L.
And when Rob told me, I said, really that that happened.
(03:34):
So it really got my interest in but Rob Lynch's
idea and now it's a labor of love and we're
hoping to have it out in February would be the
sixty year anniversary of LBJ signing the Civil Rights Actor,
which meantthew UIL absorbed the pv I L. And we're
open to talk to lbj's daughter, Lucy Bains Johnson and
(03:55):
Austin about her dad's impact on sports in the state
of Texas.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Well.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Can't wait till it's done, can't wait to watch it,
John McLean joining us. All Right, two weeks from tonight,
the Texans make their pick in the first round twenty
fifth or do they trade John? Are they going to
trade it either way up or down? Or do they
keep it? Stan padd at twenty five.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Well, we know Nick ca Serio is gonna make trades.
Whether he trades up or down, I don't know, but
I'm guessing he's going in one direction. Based on the
lineman that they've brought in two tackles and two guards,
I think they still need another cornerstone offensive lineman, and
there should be quite a few available at that point.
(04:38):
I think you can get receivers in the other round.
They've got depth in their defensive line and I and
we talk about this all the time, how many times
if we are Dimiko Ryant say the games are one
up front, they're one in the trenches. He's never said
that about running back, secondary, linebackers, wide receivers. It's the
(05:00):
and they have much more. They have more talent and
more depth in the defensive line. And that's why I
think they will still take aligneman. I'd love to see
if he has one he thinks is higher rated and
available moving up four or five spots, go for it.
He thinks he'd still get one moving down. So maybe
another team gets back in to take a quarterback they like,
(05:23):
like maybe Jackson Dart. I'm all for that too. All
I know is I can't wait. They didn't have a
first round pick last year, and that didn't turn out
too shabby. In the second and third rounds.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Yeah I did. It did not turn out too shabby.
Kamari Lassler, Blake Fisher, Kaylen Bullock catched over. Those are
the four picks in a row, and they were fantastic
picks contributing as rookies.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Will see what they do in year two. General, I
think you're right.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I do think and when I do my final mock soon,
I think I'm gonna end up putting an offensive lineman
with the Texans. I feel like the movement would happen
in the second round if they moved up for a pick.
What do you think would make more sense to move
for a pick in the second round for a wide
receiver or an interior defensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
They have much more depth in the interior defensive line
right now than they do at receiver, so I would
say a receiver is not a great draft for receivers,
And if they did take one in the first round,
I wish it'd be a Mecca Muca since he and
Strib played together at Ohio State and he had his
best season playing with CJ's drive. But I could see
(06:34):
them trading up in the second round, not giving up
a lot because they've got seven picks.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
We know.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I'm guessing out of those seven, they'll trade three of them.
But I would like to see him get that wide
receiver in the second round and then work third round.
Got two third round picks, take a defense interior defensive
tackle there. I just think that would be more ideal.
You need more in the line because let's be honest,
(07:04):
the laeman they have signed and traded for wouldn't be
available if they played real well last season. That's first
time Cam Robinson's played a full season in like forever.
And he had the most penalties, he said, since twenty nineteen,
but it's still ten fewer than Lermie Tunsil had nine
to what Tunzel had nineteen right nineteen. Wow, And so
(07:29):
I do think, and I do think maybe that guy's
disagree with me. I still see some people saying Titus
could play tackle. I think Titus is a left guard.
He played there better there last year than he did
at tackle, and they didn't draft Blake Fisher in the
second round last year to sit on the bench, and
he got some valuable experience. So I think going in
(07:52):
it's going to be Cam Robinson and Blake Fisher tackle
and left guard. I'm guessing Titus new right guard may
news center. I don't know. Jews Scruggs played pretty well
at right guard when he had to play for Shak
Mason last year, and then they made the mistake of
putting Shaq back in. Now he's gone and hadn't been
(08:13):
hadn't been any noise about him at all, and I'm
guessing he's one of those guys who signed right before camp.
I saw George Fans available George Fan did a pretty
darn good job here two years ago being signed in
training camp. But to me, I love the fact they
didn't try to put a band aid on the offensive
line in say, trade Kenyon Green and then maybe cut
(08:38):
Shack Mason and that's it. I like the way they've
done an overall.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, And I was gonna ask you about that, General,
because barring one of these draft choices turning into a
Hall of Famer, multi time Pro bowler, and I hope
they all do, the story of this offseason is going
to be that it's going to be the year they
blew up the offensive line and really started over, not
completely over, but by and large with that position group
(09:05):
to get better results. And now that a few weeks
have passed, many weeks have passed through, are you still
surprised they did it? What was your general reaction, General,
And what do you think is going to happen as
a result, Not necessarily personnel, but will this work as
they embark on twenty twenty five and beyond, the.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Greatest mystery, and we've talked about this before, is how
in twenty twenty three, with a lot of injuries in
the offensive line and Chris Dreisser and Kolbabovich as the coaches.
Did the line play so much better that year than
it did last season? What did opponents discover besides stunts
dead could make the offensive line look so bad. One
(09:47):
reason Bobby Slowan got fired is he didn't adjust with
the defensive coaches who's been all off season adjusting for him.
And the coach that's under the most pressures not Demiko
and it's not Kay, it's Cole Popovich. He was the backup.
They kept him on the staff. As you guys know,
when's the last line coach here that coach more than
(10:09):
two years in a row?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Uh, Mike Devlin Evn.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
That's right. And they need stability in the coaching staff
up front, where coaches here three, four or five years.
So Pavovich is under the most pressure to me of
any of the coaches. And I can't wait to see
how it all plays out. And I love what they've done.
(10:34):
Even if they if they weren't any better, at least
they're trying. That's the key. At Least they're making moves.
They've given themselves depth, they've got experience, but they still
need another one like they did Blake Fisher last year
in the second round. That's why I like Johnath think
it'll be an offensive lineman in the first round. Don't
(10:55):
know who, John, let me ask you about something. If
he hadn't blown out his Josh Simmons of a wild
State might have been the top tackle. They say he's healthy,
but you know what it is. When guys blow out
their quad, sometimes they're not ever the same. If he's
available at twenty five over, would you take him over
(11:17):
like Josh Connery or Donovan Jackson who moved from guard
to tackle to replace him and did really well. Would
you take a chance on Simmons who could turn out
to be better than the en lineman in this draft.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
I think Simmons is the most and the best natural
tackle in this draft. His agility, the way he moves.
He actually has got a desire to block in the
run game. But you watch a movie like Man, that's
the way a tackle is supposed to look. My only reservation, John,
is I've read I think it was Todd mcshae. Maybe
(11:53):
you talked about the fact that there were some there
were some issues, some maturity issues and things like that,
And then I talked to a few other people and
they were like, OHI to state coaches don't seem to be.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Real high on him. That would be my only reservation.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
What I see on the field, Josh Simmons would be
that guy my hairris one hundred. I think I have
Simmons eleven or twelve because I do think he is
the best natural tackle in this draft. But I just
don't know what that I don't know what all that means,
and I don't know that information I don't know at firsthand.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So it's one of those things where.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
You're like, yeah, you hear things and you know where
there's smoke, there's fire. But just from a playing standpoint,
Josh Simmons to me is the best natural tackle in
this draft. There's there's no question to me in my mind. Now,
he didn't play a lot this year, but tell Attendon,
which I think Trent Brown is coming back from as well,
(12:47):
So you would have two guys and two tackles coming
back to the same injury, one obviously a little bit
older than the other.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
But I love Simmons as a player.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
I just hesitate with some of that stuff off the field,
and whether it's is that you know, kind of just
immaturity being a young young guy, a young college student,
or are those inherent issues that you want to stay
away from because he's just not swarming like you want
those guys to be.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
That I think ends up being the question general, this.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Hang on one second. If they could get your eleven
or twelve or twenty five, I think that would be
a great deal. And I don't really care who they get.
I just wanted to be a nasty soob who want
to bury people.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Yes, absolutely, and I think Josh's got a little bit
of that. Even though he's a really good pass protector.
I think when you look at it, people are like, oh,
that's larum me. I don't think he's the greatest run
block in the world, but you see effort, you see
a guy that wants to do it, and I think
that's a huge step in the right direction from that standpoint. General,
I can't remember last time we talked to you, but
the Texans went out and signed EJ. Speed, the linebacker
(13:48):
from the Indianapolis Colts, and I don't want to sefl conflicted.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I was happy because I know EJ. Speed.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Obviously you take him off the Colts, I think it
makes the Colts a little less lesser defense, yep, But
I know Speed can run get one hundred forty two
tackles last year. He is a good linebacker. But it
also I went, man, you got a z's in Christian
and Henry already they're already fighting for two spots, and
now you bring Speed in here. What are his expectations?
What are your thoughts about EJ. Speed joining the Texans
(14:19):
as one of the linebacker group.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
He was second on the team in tackles. He played
I think ninety five percent of the plays, which means
he they thought he could cover, and that's good. They
have so much depth there. And the only start too.
He got your two starters back in to Atoa to
go with Iss, and I thought it was strange when
I saw it because of Christian Harris. Is he one
(14:43):
hundred percent? Will he ever be one hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
He came back, he flashed, then they put him on
the bench and played Henry to Atoa, who made tremendous
progress in his second season. That's a pretty awesome one
two punch Iss and Tortola. And I don't Harris is
going the last year of his contract. Do you think
(15:07):
it'll be his best season? But as soon as I've
thought about that with Speed, I thought about Harris. What's
up with Harris?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
That's it. That's insurance, and it could be more. Who knows.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Maybe Christian's not healthy right now. Who knows what the
situation is. It's the off season. Maybe we'll see a
little bit more when they begin off season conditioning a
week from Monday and the draft obviously two weeks from tonight.
General Trevor Lawrence pitch count OTAs oh, my left shoulder
ac joint recovery not one hundred percent yet. They say
(15:42):
he'll be ready for the season, ready for training camp,
but you never know. I don't want bad things to
happen to people injury wise. That just popped out to
me though, that bit of information. Your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Liam Cohen is the new coach there. When he was
at Kentucky, when Will Levis was a sophomore, Lewis was great.
Everybody was talking about him first round next year. Then
Cohen left, lost a couple of receivers, he was not
the same, and the Titans got him in the second round,
and so far he hadn't done anything to make them
(16:16):
think he's going to be their starters. So they're going
to take cam Ward and I think Cohen, based on
everything I heard, is a really good offensive coach, and
that's not good for the rest of the AFC South
because he may have the effect on Lawrence. That's say,
who's the coach that went to Tampa's now they head
(16:37):
coach at Carolina, Dave canallis the effect he had on
Baker Mayfield. So if you get a good offensive coach,
whether it's coordinator or a quarterback coach or a combination,
that's not good for your other opponents. If Trevor Lawrence
is ever going to come close to living up to
(17:00):
the generational talent that everybody said he was, you'd think
it have to be this year. They don't seem to
be worried about him having a problem in the season.
It is his left shoulder, not his throwing shoulder. But
I think Lawrence has his best chance to be successful
under Liam Cohen than he does since he got into
(17:21):
the NFL. In that first season was a disaster because
of Urban Meyer.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Okay, this one's for both of you. Okay, stay with
me on this. So I was I.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Wasn't looking for this.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
It just popped up on my timeline and it was
from one of the betting services like bet us or
fandor one of the others, and it had the odds
for Shador Sanders being drafted, and it listed the teams
in order of the odds, and they had obviously the
top three teams. I think the Titans weren't in there.
(17:55):
I think it was the Browns and the Giants. Sitting
forth on that odds list was the Indianapolis Colts. In
your wildest imagination, could you see the Colts general you
go first? Could you see the Colts drafting Shador Sanders
at number fourteen to add to Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Absolutely not, but it would certainly be interesting to see
a team have three quarterbacks drafted. Let's see fourth, sixth,
and fourteen on their roster. So no, I don't If
they did do that, they might as well just cut
Anthony Richardson. That's telling everybody you've totally given up on him.
I think the most likely would be New Orleans, although
(18:42):
I think we're gonna be surprised. I think somebody's gonna
take him and we're gonna go oh, like we did
last year when Denver. Maybe it drafted next in the
first round and everybody's like, Wow, he's supposed to be
a second round pick. But I'd be stunned if he
ended up with the Colts.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Yeah, I don't think they'd do it, Johnny, because that's
just throwing more money. It's not money, it's draft capital
at a problem where you don't have an apparent solution
of Shador Sanders is not the guy. If it was
cam Ward available the number one overall pick, maybe they
go ahead and take cam Ward.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
And maybe if they had a number one overall pick,
they probably wouldn't have signed Daniel Georges or they would
have gotten rid of Richardson by the other.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Right, So they can't afford to do that. However, if
it doesn't work with this competition between Daniel Jones and
Anthony Richardson general, what do they do? Because I do
we go back to that salty veteran. Let's get Matt Ryan,
Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, guy in here. Try that again.
Do we draft a guy again? What are they gonna
do If this doesn't work? And I don't think it's
(19:45):
gonna work, So what are they gonna do?
Speaker 3 (19:47):
They will draft a quarterback next year in the first
round and his name is new general manager. Who's Ballard?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Chris Ballard.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Chris Ballard will get fired, Yeah, because of how bad
they miss hit on Anthony Richardson. I think Daniel Jones
was a good signing for a guy who's going to
back up a young guy. But you know, right now,
best they're looking at being mediocre. I tell you, if
I's the fan base of the Browns, I don't care
if they get Travis Hunter or Abdell Carter. Going into
(20:18):
the season with Kenny Pickett as my starting quarterback would
just make me want to vomit. And they're gonna need
a quarterback next year. Now we all know Shan Watson's
gonna bounce back because he put out a video on Instagram.
He'll get He'll be a free agent this time next
year because they'll cut him with a forty five million
(20:39):
cap hit, so he'll be unrestricted and he'll go somewhere
for like a million a year. He'll get another chance
because everybody is so desperate. But can you imagine how
many clauses that contract will have about off the field issues?
Speaker 4 (20:55):
How about Kirk Cousins going to Cleveland And oh, by
the way, do you know who the number one rated
prospect is for the twenty twenty six NFL Draft. His
name is Arch Manning.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
One year.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Think he's coming out after one?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Yeah, everybody said there was a PFF had an article
the other day said if everybody was eligible to come
out in this draft, arch Manning was the number one
prospect if.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
His name was Arch Smith. Would that be the case?
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Of course?
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Not how much if they've seen of him, of course that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I mean, it's all projection. He's played. I think he
played ninety four plays last No, not nice.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He's the greatest. If he's that great quarterback, a generational
quarterback like Andrew Luck first before since John Ilway. Why
would Steve Sargezan have been playing gwin yours? If he's
gonna be the first pick in the draft, and he
may be, I think he'll stay two years. I don't
think he'll come out after one. It's not like he
(21:52):
needs the money and no telling how much inn I Elman.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Oh, but you're yours saying about this.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
The cop in the Big Man of Text Tech got
four million to go back for one year to Texas Tech.
And basketball players can get that, how much can quarterbacks get?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
I guarantee your arch Maakes makes a little bit. I
just wanted to see Mark's face. If the Colts drafted
other Manning at quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Don't do it, Johnny, That's why I did it.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Don't do that to me.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Should it be something? If the Browns were so bad
with Kenny Pigott that they ended up after blowing the
Deshaun Watson trade and they ended up with arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I guarantee you Archie and Peyton and Cooper and Eli
would make sure that he went back to Texas for
another year. If it was Cleveland, I promise you. I
promise you, he would be playing another year at the
University of Texas, taking his chances that it would be
somebody different having a number one pick the following year.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
General other than Otto Graham. Who's the best quarterback in
Brown's history? Is it Brian Sipe, who was a league MVP.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
A lot of people from Bernie Gozar Bernie. Yeah, Bernie,
that's a good one, yep.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I mean side was the last, the only one to
throw for four thousand yards. That was in ninety teen
eighty and then Bernie of course went to three championship names.
Bernie is the most popular quarterback there's ever been up there,
including now. Not only did he want to play in
Cleveland because he's from Boardman, Ohio, when nobody wanted to
go to Cleveland in the mid eighty's one of the
(23:17):
greatest quotes I ever heard, Richie sin Believe, the baseball
player who was traded there, I think from Kansas City.
They said, how do you feel about being traded to Cleveland?
He goes, well, the best thing about is I don't
have to make any more road trips there. Bernie wanted
to go there. He's always lived there. He is the
(23:38):
most revered quarterback in that franchise's history.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Okay, I think Kirk Cousins is in play for them.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I've kind of heard a little rumblings about that. Now.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I don't know how they would make the money work
and all that kind I don't know.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
But I can't figure out what would what would Atlanta
do for a backup because there's a chance Pennis is
not going to be starting all seventeen games and they're
gonna have to have somebody else, and uh, they've already
paid him all the money. They don't need to trade
him for money. So if i'm them, I'm sticking with
Kirk Cousins because they're not gonna get much for him
(24:14):
if they do it, but Cleveland would be the likely
spot to go for him to go, since we all
think Rogers is going to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I got your backup right here, Ryan Tannehill, he's off,
he's out of the lead.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Johnnie, Yeah, made so much money sit on the couch
eating Pope him.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Talked to him last year and he just wasn't interested. Yeah,
I am talked to him this offseason, just not interested.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I think if he wanted a job, he could get
a job, certainly as a backup. So Cousins would be
a very expensive backup in Atlanta general. Speaking of backups,
Joe Milton traded from the Patriots to the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I was a little surprised about this.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I also thought maybe Milton could fetch more because I
think Milton, it's not like he's got NFL pelts, but
he kind of semi proved himself in some limited action
with New England last next year did and I was
kept him.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Yeah, well, because the Hoves are Drake May's not going
to play seventeen games and they signed Josh with Dobbs
who bounces around the league like a pinball. I would
have kept melting because everybody's oozing eyes about his arm.
See if he got any more playing time, look good?
Then try to trade him for more. But you get it.
You draft him in the sixth and you get a
(25:22):
fifth and Cowboys gave up a four for Trey Lance.
That didn't work. I'd like to be Trey Lance's agent.
He must be making a nice cut the way that
guy keeps getting jobs without doing Jack Squad.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Boy doesn't Lance and some of these other guys don't.
They need a shot at the UFL or something. They
need to play football. Lance needs to actually play football. Yeah,
he needs to play the game. Didn't play it enough
in college.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Why he's got a contract where he can make up
to six million bucks.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Well even for him, that's fine, But if you want
to develop a guy, it gets to be a little tough.
There's no NFL Europe anymore. We all know that. Back
to the Melton thing, though, buzz around New England is
that Milton might have a little grassroots following and that
might put too much heat on May, and Vrabel wanted
to know part of it. Make May the unquestionable starting
quarterback thoughts.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
You worry about. One of the greatest examples of this
was Kirk Cousins and RG three and before that both
of them in Washington when he Heath Shooler was like
the fifth pick and Gus Faroot seventh round. Farright looked
better in preseason Sonny Jergensen on the broadcast said, I
think Fara should be starting over Schuler. It was a
(26:35):
huge quarterback controversy. Schuler couldn't handle it and he ended
up as an attorney in politics and talk shows. And then,
of course RG three is Rookie of the Year and
then he gets hurt and Cousins plays and plays better,
and even though they did everything they could to help
RG three come back get the job, he was never
(26:55):
the same. But the fan base after that rookie year
turned on him and they Kirk Cousins, So maybe there's
something to that. Like Cleveland, after the Texans just annihilated
them in the playoffs, they should have resigned Joe Flacco,
but they didn't want fans chanting we want Joe or
(27:16):
flag co Flacoh every time watching through an incompletion or
an interception that was bad for the team. Considering watching
didn't do anything, but Flacco was better for that franchise
than he has been in recent years since he left Baltimore,
So there's something to it. That's why you usually want
a young guy with a seasoned veteran who knows his role,
(27:38):
like Andy Dalton has played in multiple teams since he
left Cincinnati, and that's why he's got a multi year
deal with Carolina to mentor Bryce Young. And he loves
that role. He embouses and the fans and the coaches
appreciate that. So I could certainly believe that mark that
(27:59):
that's why they traded Melton.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Okay, so once for both of y'all.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Okay, higher number or more starts in twenty twenty five,
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh, Schador Sanders and New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
You think that's gonna happen? Yeah, yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
And I think he'll be the starter. You know, he's
never had injuries other than that major one two seasons ago,
and he's got a lot to prove. He's got a
team that can run the ball, he's got a team
that's got receivers. I just don't understand what the holdup.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Is Mark, I would say definitely Aaron Rodgers. Okay, because
Sanders left somebody in front of him named Derek Carr.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
We'll see how it goes.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Go me a diet coke when Shouder starts all seventeen
games for the Saints.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Okay, let's go, let's go. We'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Anyway, General, thanks so much for being with us. As always,
we appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Guys, is my pleasure. Thank you very much as always.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
All right, coming up, who's better We've got? Draft choice
is quarterbacks, vintage quarterbacks. It's all coming up here on
Texans Radio. All right, back to it here on Texans Radio.
Mark Vandermaer and John Harris with you. Great to have
you along for the ride as we are cooking draft
in two weeks. Opening night at Avenidas will be down
(29:16):
there and right in front of the Georgie R. Brown
Convention Center. In fact, I think we're kind of shaded
by the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
That's nice. Yeah, we got a little shade.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I think I think it works out pretty well for us,
as we'll have the main stage. That sounds weird to
say it that way, but there's a big stage. There's
all sorts of stuff going on. I'm sure Cecil will
be down there in some capacity. I know some things
about the draft party. I'll share more as we get
closer to it.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Okay, Ticella, we're like the side like the side stage,
we're like raging the machine used to go, like to
become big, you know, forgetting to the main stage.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
I think, well, look, when we first moved this thing
to Miller Outdoor Theater, it was different, right, there was
one big stage. So we had to make the decision
what are we gonna do about the radio show because
the radio show is a big part of the drafts
for In fact, that's the shot that everybody wanted to
get the reaction. You remember, you know, all the cameras
would line up around us because the draft party was
(30:12):
around West Club and then we moved to the first
level concourse one time in the East Club.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
You know, I don't want to give the whole history.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Here, but people would gather around the radio stage to
get the pick, and all the local TV cameras would
be there. Boom, I want to get the fan reaction shot. Well,
and that was a tradition when we moved to Miller
outdoor theater. Well, you're gonna get the shot from the stage, right,
And we thought about doing the radio show on stage,
but it was kind of weird because then everyone's sitting
in the seats watching us just drone on. I mean,
(30:39):
we're not droning. We're talking there all this conversation, but
it's just it's a radio thing. It's more audio. And
it's cool to, you know, see our fans and they
get a glimpse of us and all that. But I
don't know if you want to hang out there all
night and watching us on a big stage right right,
put on a show for the fans like during the breaks,
they have all this entertainment.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
It's really cool.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
So we thought about just having us do the show
on stage, but they won't hear us, and I thought
that's stupid. Put us in another area. That way, the
people want to watch us can watch us. The people
want to watch the stage can watch the stage. And
that's how we do it at Evenita's Houston. So it's
really cool. We'll be there two weeks from tonight, Friday
and Saturday. Of course we're gonna be on the air
the whole draft, but we're in the Hyundai Texans radio studio,
(31:21):
everyone asks me.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
And for a good reason, are you going to the draft?
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I get that question and you get that question two
a lot. But the draft, as I've said many times,
it's just shipping the podium around the country to different
cities with a big crowd and the commissioner and some players.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
That's it. That's all it is.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
The draft goes on in the buildings around the league
where the general managers, coaches, all their staffs are making
the selections and they send in the card.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Right card.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Well, when green Bay got the draft, yeah, I got
this excited text from your parents, from my parents, from
my mom.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Oh my gosh, the draft is coming to Green Bay.
This is great.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
We'll see, I said, Mom, How many years have you
even listening to the draft? In fact, I did the
math today. I was like, man, I've done seventeen draft shows. No,
this will be my This will be my seventeenth. No
about done seventeen with us?
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah? Well no, just in total, because I started two
thousand and eight.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
Dwayne Brown was my first one, and so I was like, Mom,
when have I ever gone out of town to do
the draft? I do the draft here because we do
the draft here. So she started giving me like everything
that's going on in Green Bay. She said, people are
airbnbing their places up in Green Bay and oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Twenty twenty five thousand dollars for the week. I've heard.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
I've heard because it's a friend of mine roof at
where I work out. He doesn't play basketball, but we
see each other in the locker room. He's a huge
Packer fan, goes up for a lot of games.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
He said.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
I tried to get there, but there's no way you
cannot get, not a chance. Every hotel room with everything
whatever is airbnbs are like through the roof. Yeah, I
mean through the roof. It's it's incredible. And I've seen
the layout and we've been to Lambeau a few times.
The layout looks awesome. I'll bet it does. But when
you start getting everybody going through those those little streets,
(33:02):
those little streets, yeah, no, it's the.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Green Bays brace. And I've told this to people.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
I think it's almost better to go almost better to
go there than the Pro Football Hall of Fame, because
it's right, the Packer Hall of Fame is the history
of the league. I mean, you're getting a big slice
of it, and an NFL team actually plays there, you know,
So there's something about that. Now, there's nothing like your
own guy getting in, like Andre Johnson for right last year.
But if you talk to Bears fans, a Bear gets
into the Hall of Fame every two three years, it
(33:30):
feels like we've been here a lot, you know. For
US Texans, this was monumental and the next one will
be as well. Anyway, let's do who's better? All right,
let's go here. We go in no particular order. Better
pick Johnny for the Texans, A Mecca Abuka or I'm
gonna go with another alignment, Graysabel Greysabel or a Mecca Abuka.
(33:51):
I'm not gonna take your boy Booker here because I
know you'd probably say Booker over Abuca.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
But to Booker over both, I've got Booker. Oh man.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I'm trying to remember where I had Booker in my
Harris one hundred. I'm a big fan of Booker. In fact,
I was actually studying him this morning watching the South
Carolina game because South Carolina has got some dudes on
their front and so I wanted to get kind of
a look at that. So I'm a bigger Booker fan
than probably a lot of people. I Booker was the
guy that I kind of earmarked a long time ago
(34:23):
as the number one guard.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I like him as the number one guard.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
That's where I'm going with him in my Harris one
hundred Footballtaker dot Com. Come check it out. I've got
Booker at number twenty five. Now I've got a Buka
a couple picks ahead. So by my numbers, I probably
would take a Buka. But I think you can flip
a coin on a Buka and Booker and you'd be You'd.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Be Okay or Booker.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
I would a Mecca, a Mecca, Buka and Booker, I
could flip a coin, I think I would take either
one of them over Zabel.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Okay. Now I like Zabel. I like him a lot
because I think Zabel has got He's.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Got toughness, he's got grit.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
He's very athletic and.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
Almost a thirty seven inch vertical lead as a guy
that played tackle in college.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Elson plays some guard, but his techniques kind of all
over the place.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
But at the Senior Bowl, what I liked a lot
about him was how he transitioned to guard and didn't
get overwhelmed at all. In fact, it looked like he
had been playing guard for a long time. So I've
got Zabel a little bit further down the Harrison one hundred.
But I understand why Zabel makes a lot of sense.
I mean he's played some tackle. I mean, shoot, if
(35:33):
you got a pinch, you can move him out to tackle.
The Colts have used Braiden Smith a tackle, and everybody
thought he was going to be a guard too.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
By the way, did you see that story about Braden Smith.
I felt for him. I did too.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
My heart goes out to him going through that. But
our football perspective, Braiden Smith was going to be a guard.
The Colts have yet to play him a day at guard.
He stayed at tackle, So maybe he's able stays at tackle.
I don't know, but I do think guard center is
probably his best fit. But I would take a Buka
Booker than's Abel. Okay, because I wanted to ask you
(36:05):
it this way.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Are you going to get that great offensive lineman that
you seek later on and later on could be on
the second round to trade up, or do you feel
better about I'm going to get a good receiver later on,
meaning second round or beyond.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
And I gotta take Booker right here.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
If you have the option at both, that's a real
difficult call right there. Probably a subject for a longer segment.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
So I kind of have all these scenarios going in
my head, and I have said, look, wide receiver eight
nine ten is better than interior offensive lineman eight nine ten.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
So would it behoove me to take Booker?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
And then Kyle Williams from Washington State, who I love
has been one of my favorites for a while. I
love Kyle Williams, like that would be a great offensive
lineman wide.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Receiver, Like I like that.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
If I take Abuka in the first, then what offensive
lineman am.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
I taking at fifty eight?
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Because because more than likely Jnava Jackson Sable Booker throw
off the board. So and all of a sudden, I've
gone to inter your offensive lineman four five whoo man.
And so I do think from that perspective, I probably
feel better about getting my lineman there and then getting
a very capable wide receiver at that second round. Because
(37:20):
you've got the two IRI State guys in Jalen Knowle
and Jayden Higgins, You've got Kyle Williams, you got Savian
Williams from TCU, Who's an absolute dude. This guy Wow
six three two twenty seven ran four to four and
he had fifty one carries as a running back last
year at TCU.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
This is interesting for me. I'm starting to root for
Booker being there. I like a booka Yeah, I'm starting
to root for Booker being there and Booker being a Texan.
So I don't want to fall in love with anybody
pre draft because this is just stupid because it never
works that well, not never, but it seldom works out
the way you think it should.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Well, remember yesterday I said the two Vonte mc no
matter what's to me? Yeah, they are Tyler Booker and
Matthew Golden. Okay, Like if one of those.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Two is at twenty five and I know they're both there, Johnny, Oh,
now tomorrow's show, we got it already. I mean that's
done tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
Call man, That's a really tough call because out of
a shoot tomorrow, I love Booker. I really love Booker.
That would be that would be hard to turn Booker away,
to be honest.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Okay, let's get to the next Who's better here more
draft related stuff? Will Howard Johnny says he's the best
quarterback in this draft. Who's better Will Howard or Shadure Sanders.
You got to take somebody. Let's say you're picking fifteenth,
you're on Team X and you're the GM, and you
got both those guys in the crosshairs here. So Ward
has already gone and Dart is gone too. You can't
(38:40):
enter him into this conversation like him and you really
want a quarterback. Let's let's move it down to, like say,
pick number twenty, so it's not embarrassing that you take
Howard this high. Howard says he's the best quarterback in
this draft. I like your confidence.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
He might not be. Yeah, but Howard or Sanders go.
I'll probably take you.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
Shad I think SoRs got more passing acumen, throws a
little bit more touch, a little more accurate. You know,
Will struggle throwing the wall. Kansas State got to Ohio
State and magically had a Mecca Buca and Jeremiah Smith
and oh my god, look at Will Howard's really good.
Well look at you guys. He's don't to but he
was inconsistent. I thought throughout the year he made some
(39:20):
questionable decisions. The end of the Oregon game in the
regular season, Like, what was he doing the Michigan game.
He melted down at the end of the game when
when Ohio State needed to drive. So I think I
would take Sanders. I think if Will was a little
bit better, if he's a little bit more accomplished throwing
the football consistently, I would feel more confident about saying it.
(39:42):
I just don't know that he's gotten there. I've said
this before. I don't love these quarterbacks. I really don't.
I have cam Ward at number ten, and I have
Jackson Dart at twenty eight and should do at thirty
in my Harris one hundred.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And I've not had first round quarterbacks lower than fifteen
for the most part.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
So I just I don't know where was Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
I had him at twenty seven, twenty seven to twenty eight,
and he was the highest rate of that group.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
He was the highest rated. Because you have Matt Crall
and Malik Willis.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Everybody's trying to talk to themselves into them like I
don't see it, but you know, I just don't love
the quarterbacks of this group, including Will Howard.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
I don't love it.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
I love the confidence, I love it and I think
that's gonna help him going forward. But I think i'd
like to see Will get in a spot where like
with Shane Steichen, where a guy understands how to use
him in the run game, a little mix, mix it in,
but give him play action throws.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
He's got a good strong army's good build.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
I just don't know that he is a complete quarterback
that I would like to throw my weight around.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'll go shoudu on that one, all right.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
I got one more quick one for you. Who's better
better career? Caleb Williams or cam Ward? Who's gonna have
a better career? Caleb Williams, he's already a year in.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
Cam Ward, who's.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
Going to be the number one pick in this draft
going to Tennessee. I'm gonna old Kayleb Williams.
Speaker 4 (41:03):
I'm gonna I'm gonna trust my scouting from a couple
of years ago and a few years ago about what
Caleb can do. That if Caleb can start hitting the
singles consistently, he's gonna be able to hit the grand slams.
I think cam eventually will struggle trying to make some
of the plays he made in college. Whereas I think
(41:24):
Caleb can get himself out of some things. Cam can too,
but I think Caleb just does it at a higher level.
And honestly, I thought in college Caleb was a much
better decision maker than Camp.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
Like there are times Cam throws a ball and you're like,
what are you doing? Where's he going?
Speaker 4 (41:39):
So I do think Camp still has to get over that.
Whenever we play Cam, he's gonna throw an interception, It's
gonna happen because he's just gonna make a decision where
you're like.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
What why that happens?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
He does some other kind of wacky things. I think
once Caleb settles down and just plays his game. Now
with Ben Johnson, I think Caleb's gonna be trouble for.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
A lot of people. Yeah, Ben Johnson, I think is
a big fact. He there up.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Liam Cone said he's doing this with Trevor Lawrence. How's
that gonna work? What is this? And it has nothing
to do with his injury. It's all coming up among
other things on Texans Radio.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
All right, our.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Final segment tonight, and we've been quarterback heavy, but look,
it's the most important position on the football team. And
we haven't even mentioned CJ tonight. But We've been talking
about other quarterbacks, but it's another reminder Sale it's just
so nice to have a quarterback. It's just so nice,
and especially the way his last performance at home went
(42:32):
with the fine performance against the Chargers, and you're thinking, okay, good,
good good, let's get ready for twenty twenty five and
be sharp and be awesome.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
And you know they're working on it.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Nick Cayley and crew grinding away, coming up with new
x's and o's, trying to run the football revamped oh line.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
We'll get to it all.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
But Johnny, the competition in the division, we talk about
it all the time. We talked about the cults. Earlier
tonight we mentioned that Trevor Lawrence is going to be
on a pitch count for OTAs. But this also came up,
this little nugget, Liam Kohane want to work with Trevor's footwork.
We're gonna tweak his footwork. Oh and look, this kind
of stuff happens all the time. I don't want to
(43:13):
blow this out of proportion, but if I'm Trevor Lawrence,
if I'm the Jags, I have mixed feelings about hearing
this because I'm thinking, on one hand, all right, that's good.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
That'll improve him. Maybe.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
On the other hand, what are we doing here? This
is year five? Are we gonna be okay? Is this
really the end? The beginning of the end or maybe
midway through the end for Trevor Lawrence? What are you thinking?
Speaker 2 (43:36):
I think this is gonna tell us a lot.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
I think about Josh Allen and I watched this segment
in NFL Films Presents this offseason and it was about
the mechanics of throwing and they had Jason Garrett go
to all these different throwing gurus and quarterbacks and such
an Josh Allen, after his rookie year, had realized, I.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Can't continue throwing this way at the end of the year.
My arm is just ugh.
Speaker 4 (43:58):
And so he changed changed his mechanics on throwing the
football and it changed him as a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
But how hard that is?
Speaker 1 (44:07):
It's so hard all the time, Like Tebow talked about,
I know Allen was more of a prospect than TBO
coming out, but you know what I'm saying, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
It's so hard to change those habits.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
I mean, think it's something you've done for twenty five,
twenty six years, and all of a sudden it's like,
oh no, no, turn your toe this way, turn your
heel this way. It it's so difficult to do.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
So now you're coming back from an injury. Oh and
by the way, we're changing some of your mechanics. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
Man, Sometimes I feel like once you get to this
level in the NFL, like it is what it is,
like Jamal Wilkes. If you remember Jamal Wilkes, he played
for the Lakers in the eighties and he had this
kind of jacked up jump shot. Sean Marian was more
recent from the Suns. All right, so kind of jacked
up jump shots.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
I've been compared to old timer Sea Me shoot the ball, yeah,
and they say Jamal Wilkes because I have that jacked
up jump shot too.
Speaker 4 (45:04):
But it's your jump shot and you know how to
get it off and you know how to make it.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I think basketball is an interesting and I'd love to
have Andre in on this conversation too. Basketball is interesting
because I feel that way different guys shoot the ball differently.
Now sometimes things can be inherently wrong, yet people and
not Look. I play a ton of pick up with
guys who have different styles, and a lot of guys
who have high shooting percentages and their shots all look different. Yeah,
(45:28):
it's uniquely them. It's your own fingerprints.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
But if they go in, if they go in and
he gets it off, then don't mess with it.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Now.
Speaker 4 (45:35):
I could see where you watch Trevor and go, Okay,
your feet are costing you these interceptions. You need to
change this. So to me, it's just a matter of
what they're trying, what they're changing, and how they're going about.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
It, which I think is going to be really interesting.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
But I think also it's Liam Cohen saying, yeah, he's
been mechanically not right and it should have been fixed
at some point, so we got to try and fix
it now. So maybe, I mean, I don't know, we'll
see how bad the shoulder ends up being. I mean
that ac joint can be tough. I had that ac
joint injury and it is the most painful thing I've
(46:14):
ever had.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Is it like a collar ball. It's obviously all connected
right right at the top.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Of your shoulder, like I could still feel it now,
and any time that anything.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Hits it, it's just that's the left shoulder. Yeah, it's
like your arm just going noh, No one's gonna hit him.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
In OTAs yet the torque, the throwing motions.
Speaker 4 (46:33):
You do have guys rushing, the guy can bump into him.
So you know, just anything can happen, even in OTAs,
even if you're not looking for contact, even if it
is stay away. All of a sudden that that third
round rookie you get wanted to show everybody, And and
the two guys Josh Heines Allen and Treyvon Walker on
(46:53):
practicing that day and he's got to go in there
and he's just too gung ho and he hits him.
And man the way you go so I can understand
complete what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
But good luck to them. That's a lot to change
in one year.
Speaker 1 (47:04):
All Right, On tomorrow's show, what did I say we
were gonna do? We're gonna put Johnny on the spot
with Matthew Golden and Toddler Booker. So we're gonna put
you on the spot with those two. Nick is gonna
call you say, Johnny, you gotta make this pick for me. Johnny,
I need you to make this pick. So you're gonna
make the pick. And I want to redraft the class
of eighty three.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
This goes way back. I think't do that.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Later in the show, plus Brett Stewart, who is the
director of Youth Football Development for the Houston Texans. Great
stuff from him. It's all happening tomorrow. Area forty five
coming up. Have a great night everyone, Go Texans.
Hello, tex Sins. Welcome to the show. Mark Vandermaer and
John Harris with you. Happy Thursday evening. As since it's Thursday,
it's been a while, but we'll catch up with him
right now. The General John McClain steps in and we're
here on the hun Day Texans Radio studio. John on
the line, General, good evening, we've missed you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
How's it going.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It's going great. I've been having a blast going around
the state working on our preview Inner Scholastic League documentary
Football Before Integration in Texas, and it's been a blast,
and I've been following everything on the Texans. Of course,
all the great things you guys said from the league meetings.
I always like the league meetings because of all the
(00:42):
events that we go to, that is the most relaxed.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
All right, John, we're gonna get into some Texans stuff,
but we got to ask you about the documentary that
you've been working on. How much of the PVIIL documentary
is stuff that you already knew but you're.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Just getting people to talk about it.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
How much of it is just completely Holy cow, I
didn't know that information. When you sit down an interview
with these coaches and figures in your documentary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
John, We started that about five or six months ago,
and almost everything is the latter that I didn't know.
I mean, I knew what the preiview Leers scholastically was.
It was the all black division compared to the UIO,
and I know they integrated in the mid sixties. When
the Supreme Court handed down the ending of desegregation in
(01:33):
nineteen fifty four, in Texas and other states in the
South were very slow to react. But some of the
things we've been doing. Rob Blanche, a good friend of mine,
one of the producers, has done a fabulous job getting
pictures from high schools, colleges and the things that the
date of Texas went through to keep from to having
(01:58):
to integrate. Abilene built a nice school for black students
to keep them out of the white schools even though
they were supposed to. And Mansville up south of Fort Worth,
they hung black dummies hung with a noose around their
neck to the entrance to the school to try to
encourage black students not to come. Brought out the Texas
(02:21):
Rangers and we went to Lubbock last week and interviewed
a ninety seven year old head coach who led Corpus
Christy Miller, featuring running back Johnny Rowland to the first
integrated state championship in our state's history nineteen sixty over
witchdol Falls at Baylor Stadium, and he said their toughest
(02:42):
game was in the semifinals when they played a school
in which they built their whole offensive game plan about
trying to beat this defensive lineman who was small but
so quick and disruptive, and they beat Porter Arthur and
Jimmy Johnson six to zero to move into the state
championship game.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
That's awesome, Jimmy Johns, Janice Joplin's high school classmate.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
That is just great trivia, right that.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
So we're learning all kinds of things. It all started
I wanted to do the Southwest Conference and Rob Lynch said, well,
what about the previewwenter scholastically because he had been talking
to Joe Green and Kenny Houston and they were telling
them stories when they played in the PV I L.
And when Rob told me, I said, really that that happened.
(03:34):
So it really got my interest in but Rob Lynch's
idea and now it's a labor of love and we're
hoping to have it out in February would be the
sixty year anniversary of LBJ signing the Civil Rights Actor,
which meantthew UIL absorbed the pv I L. And we're
open to talk to lbj's daughter, Lucy Bains Johnson and
(03:55):
Austin about her dad's impact on sports in the state
of Texas.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Well.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Can't wait till it's done, can't wait to watch it,
John McLean joining us. All Right, two weeks from tonight,
the Texans make their pick in the first round twenty
fifth or do they trade John? Are they going to
trade it either way up or down? Or do they
keep it? Stan padd at twenty five.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Well, we know Nick ca Serio is gonna make trades.
Whether he trades up or down, I don't know, but
I'm guessing he's going in one direction. Based on the
lineman that they've brought in two tackles and two guards,
I think they still need another cornerstone offensive lineman, and
there should be quite a few available at that point.
(04:38):
I think you can get receivers in the other round.
They've got depth in their defensive line and I and
we talk about this all the time, how many times
if we are Dimiko Ryant say the games are one
up front, they're one in the trenches. He's never said
that about running back, secondary, linebackers, wide receivers. It's the
(05:00):
and they have much more. They have more talent and
more depth in the defensive line. And that's why I
think they will still take aligneman. I'd love to see
if he has one he thinks is higher rated and
available moving up four or five spots, go for it.
He thinks he'd still get one moving down. So maybe
another team gets back in to take a quarterback they like,
(05:23):
like maybe Jackson Dart. I'm all for that too. All
I know is I can't wait. They didn't have a
first round pick last year, and that didn't turn out
too shabby. In the second and third rounds.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Yeah I did. It did not turn out too shabby.
Kamari Lassler, Blake Fisher, Kaylen Bullock catched over. Those are
the four picks in a row, and they were fantastic
picks contributing as rookies.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Will see what they do in year two. General, I
think you're right.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I do think and when I do my final mock soon,
I think I'm gonna end up putting an offensive lineman
with the Texans. I feel like the movement would happen
in the second round if they moved up for a pick.
What do you think would make more sense to move
for a pick in the second round for a wide
receiver or an interior defensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
They have much more depth in the interior defensive line
right now than they do at receiver, so I would
say a receiver is not a great draft for receivers,
And if they did take one in the first round,
I wish it'd be a Mecca Muca since he and
Strib played together at Ohio State and he had his
best season playing with CJ's drive. But I could see
(06:34):
them trading up in the second round, not giving up
a lot because they've got seven picks.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
We know.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I'm guessing out of those seven, they'll trade three of them.
But I would like to see him get that wide
receiver in the second round and then work third round.
Got two third round picks, take a defense interior defensive
tackle there. I just think that would be more ideal.
You need more in the line because let's be honest,
(07:04):
the laeman they have signed and traded for wouldn't be
available if they played real well last season. That's first
time Cam Robinson's played a full season in like forever.
And he had the most penalties, he said, since twenty nineteen,
but it's still ten fewer than Lermie Tunsil had nine
to what Tunzel had nineteen right nineteen. Wow, And so
(07:29):
I do think, and I do think maybe that guy's
disagree with me. I still see some people saying Titus
could play tackle. I think Titus is a left guard.
He played there better there last year than he did
at tackle, and they didn't draft Blake Fisher in the
second round last year to sit on the bench, and
he got some valuable experience. So I think going in
(07:52):
it's going to be Cam Robinson and Blake Fisher tackle
and left guard. I'm guessing Titus new right guard may
news center. I don't know. Jews Scruggs played pretty well
at right guard when he had to play for Shak
Mason last year, and then they made the mistake of
putting Shaq back in. Now he's gone and hadn't been
(08:13):
hadn't been any noise about him at all, and I'm
guessing he's one of those guys who signed right before camp.
I saw George Fans available George Fan did a pretty
darn good job here two years ago being signed in
training camp. But to me, I love the fact they
didn't try to put a band aid on the offensive
line in say, trade Kenyon Green and then maybe cut
(08:38):
Shack Mason and that's it. I like the way they've
done an overall.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, And I was gonna ask you about that, General,
because barring one of these draft choices turning into a
Hall of Famer, multi time Pro bowler, and I hope
they all do, the story of this offseason is going
to be that it's going to be the year they
blew up the offensive line and really started over, not
completely over, but by and large with that position group
(09:05):
to get better results. And now that a few weeks
have passed, many weeks have passed through, are you still
surprised they did it? What was your general reaction, General,
And what do you think is going to happen as
a result, Not necessarily personnel, but will this work as
they embark on twenty twenty five and beyond, the.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Greatest mystery, and we've talked about this before, is how
in twenty twenty three, with a lot of injuries in
the offensive line and Chris Dreisser and Kolbabovich as the coaches.
Did the line play so much better that year than
it did last season? What did opponents discover besides stunts
dead could make the offensive line look so bad. One
(09:47):
reason Bobby Slowan got fired is he didn't adjust with
the defensive coaches who's been all off season adjusting for him.
And the coach that's under the most pressures not Demiko
and it's not Kay, it's Cole Popovich. He was the backup.
They kept him on the staff. As you guys know,
when's the last line coach here that coach more than
(10:09):
two years in a row?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Uh, Mike Devlin Evn.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
That's right. And they need stability in the coaching staff
up front, where coaches here three, four or five years.
So Pavovich is under the most pressure to me of
any of the coaches. And I can't wait to see
how it all plays out. And I love what they've done.
(10:34):
Even if they if they weren't any better, at least
they're trying. That's the key. At Least they're making moves.
They've given themselves depth, they've got experience, but they still
need another one like they did Blake Fisher last year
in the second round. That's why I like Johnath think
it'll be an offensive lineman in the first round. Don't
(10:55):
know who, John, let me ask you about something. If
he hadn't blown out his Josh Simmons of a wild
State might have been the top tackle. They say he's healthy,
but you know what it is. When guys blow out
their quad, sometimes they're not ever the same. If he's
available at twenty five over, would you take him over
(11:17):
like Josh Connery or Donovan Jackson who moved from guard
to tackle to replace him and did really well. Would
you take a chance on Simmons who could turn out
to be better than the en lineman in this draft.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
I think Simmons is the most and the best natural
tackle in this draft. His agility, the way he moves.
He actually has got a desire to block in the
run game. But you watch a movie like Man, that's
the way a tackle is supposed to look. My only reservation, John,
is I've read I think it was Todd mcshae. Maybe
(11:53):
you talked about the fact that there were some there
were some issues, some maturity issues and things like that,
And then I talked to a few other people and
they were like, OHI to state coaches don't seem to be.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Real high on him. That would be my only reservation.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
What I see on the field, Josh Simmons would be
that guy my hairris one hundred. I think I have
Simmons eleven or twelve because I do think he is
the best natural tackle in this draft. But I just
don't know what that I don't know what all that means,
and I don't know that information I don't know at firsthand.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So it's one of those things where.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
You're like, yeah, you hear things and you know where
there's smoke, there's fire. But just from a playing standpoint,
Josh Simmons to me is the best natural tackle in
this draft. There's there's no question to me in my mind. Now,
he didn't play a lot this year, but tell Attendon,
which I think Trent Brown is coming back from as well,
(12:47):
So you would have two guys and two tackles coming
back to the same injury, one obviously a little bit
older than the other.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
But I love Simmons as a player.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
I just hesitate with some of that stuff off the field,
and whether it's is that you know, kind of just
immaturity being a young young guy, a young college student,
or are those inherent issues that you want to stay
away from because he's just not swarming like you want
those guys to be.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
That I think ends up being the question general, this.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Hang on one second. If they could get your eleven
or twelve or twenty five, I think that would be
a great deal. And I don't really care who they get.
I just wanted to be a nasty soob who want
to bury people.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Yes, absolutely, and I think Josh's got a little bit
of that. Even though he's a really good pass protector.
I think when you look at it, people are like, oh,
that's larum me. I don't think he's the greatest run
block in the world, but you see effort, you see
a guy that wants to do it, and I think
that's a huge step in the right direction from that standpoint. General,
I can't remember last time we talked to you, but
the Texans went out and signed EJ. Speed, the linebacker
(13:48):
from the Indianapolis Colts, and I don't want to sefl conflicted.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I was happy because I know EJ. Speed.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Obviously you take him off the Colts, I think it
makes the Colts a little less lesser defense, yep, But
I know Speed can run get one hundred forty two
tackles last year. He is a good linebacker. But it
also I went, man, you got a z's in Christian
and Henry already they're already fighting for two spots, and
now you bring Speed in here. What are his expectations?
What are your thoughts about EJ. Speed joining the Texans
(14:19):
as one of the linebacker group.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
He was second on the team in tackles. He played
I think ninety five percent of the plays, which means
he they thought he could cover, and that's good. They
have so much depth there. And the only start too.
He got your two starters back in to Atoa to
go with Iss, and I thought it was strange when
I saw it because of Christian Harris. Is he one
(14:43):
hundred percent? Will he ever be one hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
He came back, he flashed, then they put him on
the bench and played Henry to Atoa, who made tremendous
progress in his second season. That's a pretty awesome one
two punch Iss and Tortola. And I don't Harris is
going the last year of his contract. Do you think
(15:07):
it'll be his best season? But as soon as I've
thought about that with Speed, I thought about Harris. What's
up with Harris?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
That's it. That's insurance, and it could be more. Who knows.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Maybe Christian's not healthy right now. Who knows what the
situation is. It's the off season. Maybe we'll see a
little bit more when they begin off season conditioning a
week from Monday and the draft obviously two weeks from tonight.
General Trevor Lawrence pitch count OTAs oh, my left shoulder
ac joint recovery not one hundred percent yet. They say
(15:42):
he'll be ready for the season, ready for training camp,
but you never know. I don't want bad things to
happen to people injury wise. That just popped out to
me though, that bit of information. Your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Liam Cohen is the new coach there. When he was
at Kentucky, when Will Levis was a sophomore, Lewis was great.
Everybody was talking about him first round next year. Then
Cohen left, lost a couple of receivers, he was not
the same, and the Titans got him in the second round,
and so far he hadn't done anything to make them
(16:16):
think he's going to be their starters. So they're going
to take cam Ward and I think Cohen, based on
everything I heard, is a really good offensive coach, and
that's not good for the rest of the AFC South
because he may have the effect on Lawrence. That's say,
who's the coach that went to Tampa's now they head
(16:37):
coach at Carolina, Dave canallis the effect he had on
Baker Mayfield. So if you get a good offensive coach,
whether it's coordinator or a quarterback coach or a combination,
that's not good for your other opponents. If Trevor Lawrence
is ever going to come close to living up to
(17:00):
the generational talent that everybody said he was, you'd think
it have to be this year. They don't seem to
be worried about him having a problem in the season.
It is his left shoulder, not his throwing shoulder. But
I think Lawrence has his best chance to be successful
under Liam Cohen than he does since he got into
(17:21):
the NFL. In that first season was a disaster because
of Urban Meyer.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Okay, this one's for both of you. Okay, stay with
me on this. So I was I.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Wasn't looking for this.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
It just popped up on my timeline and it was
from one of the betting services like bet us or
fandor one of the others, and it had the odds
for Shador Sanders being drafted, and it listed the teams
in order of the odds, and they had obviously the
top three teams. I think the Titans weren't in there.
(17:55):
I think it was the Browns and the Giants. Sitting
forth on that odds list was the Indianapolis Colts. In
your wildest imagination, could you see the Colts general you
go first? Could you see the Colts drafting Shador Sanders
at number fourteen to add to Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Absolutely not, but it would certainly be interesting to see
a team have three quarterbacks drafted. Let's see fourth, sixth,
and fourteen on their roster. So no, I don't If
they did do that, they might as well just cut
Anthony Richardson. That's telling everybody you've totally given up on him.
I think the most likely would be New Orleans, although
(18:42):
I think we're gonna be surprised. I think somebody's gonna
take him and we're gonna go oh, like we did
last year when Denver. Maybe it drafted next in the
first round and everybody's like, Wow, he's supposed to be
a second round pick. But I'd be stunned if he
ended up with the Colts.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Yeah, I don't think they'd do it, Johnny, because that's
just throwing more money. It's not money, it's draft capital
at a problem where you don't have an apparent solution
of Shador Sanders is not the guy. If it was
cam Ward available the number one overall pick, maybe they
go ahead and take cam Ward.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
And maybe if they had a number one overall pick,
they probably wouldn't have signed Daniel Georges or they would
have gotten rid of Richardson by the other.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Right, So they can't afford to do that. However, if
it doesn't work with this competition between Daniel Jones and
Anthony Richardson general, what do they do? Because I do
we go back to that salty veteran. Let's get Matt Ryan,
Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, guy in here. Try that again.
Do we draft a guy again? What are they gonna
do If this doesn't work? And I don't think it's
(19:45):
gonna work, So what are they gonna do?
Speaker 3 (19:47):
They will draft a quarterback next year in the first
round and his name is new general manager. Who's Ballard?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Chris Ballard.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Chris Ballard will get fired, Yeah, because of how bad
they miss hit on Anthony Richardson. I think Daniel Jones
was a good signing for a guy who's going to
back up a young guy. But you know, right now,
best they're looking at being mediocre. I tell you, if
I's the fan base of the Browns, I don't care
if they get Travis Hunter or Abdell Carter. Going into
(20:18):
the season with Kenny Pickett as my starting quarterback would
just make me want to vomit. And they're gonna need
a quarterback next year. Now we all know Shan Watson's
gonna bounce back because he put out a video on Instagram.
He'll get He'll be a free agent this time next
year because they'll cut him with a forty five million
(20:39):
cap hit, so he'll be unrestricted and he'll go somewhere
for like a million a year. He'll get another chance
because everybody is so desperate. But can you imagine how
many clauses that contract will have about off the field issues?
Speaker 4 (20:55):
How about Kirk Cousins going to Cleveland And oh, by
the way, do you know who the number one rated
prospect is for the twenty twenty six NFL Draft. His
name is Arch Manning.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
One year.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Think he's coming out after one?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Yeah, everybody said there was a PFF had an article
the other day said if everybody was eligible to come
out in this draft, arch Manning was the number one
prospect if.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
His name was Arch Smith. Would that be the case?
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Of course?
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Not how much if they've seen of him, of course that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I mean, it's all projection. He's played. I think he
played ninety four plays last No, not nice.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He's the greatest. If he's that great quarterback, a generational
quarterback like Andrew Luck first before since John Ilway. Why
would Steve Sargezan have been playing gwin yours? If he's
gonna be the first pick in the draft, and he
may be, I think he'll stay two years. I don't
think he'll come out after one. It's not like he
(21:52):
needs the money and no telling how much inn I Elman.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Oh, but you're yours saying about this.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
The cop in the Big Man of Text Tech got
four million to go back for one year to Texas Tech.
And basketball players can get that, how much can quarterbacks get?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
I guarantee your arch Maakes makes a little bit. I
just wanted to see Mark's face. If the Colts drafted
other Manning at quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Don't do it, Johnny, That's why I did it.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Don't do that to me.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Should it be something? If the Browns were so bad
with Kenny Pigott that they ended up after blowing the
Deshaun Watson trade and they ended up with arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I guarantee you Archie and Peyton and Cooper and Eli
would make sure that he went back to Texas for
another year. If it was Cleveland, I promise you. I
promise you, he would be playing another year at the
University of Texas, taking his chances that it would be
somebody different having a number one pick the following year.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
General other than Otto Graham. Who's the best quarterback in
Brown's history? Is it Brian Sipe, who was a league MVP.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
A lot of people from Bernie Gozar Bernie. Yeah, Bernie,
that's a good one, yep.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
I mean side was the last, the only one to
throw for four thousand yards. That was in ninety teen
eighty and then Bernie of course went to three championship names.
Bernie is the most popular quarterback there's ever been up there,
including now. Not only did he want to play in
Cleveland because he's from Boardman, Ohio, when nobody wanted to
go to Cleveland in the mid eighty's one of the
(23:17):
greatest quotes I ever heard, Richie sin Believe, the baseball
player who was traded there, I think from Kansas City.
They said, how do you feel about being traded to Cleveland?
He goes, well, the best thing about is I don't
have to make any more road trips there. Bernie wanted
to go there. He's always lived there. He is the
(23:38):
most revered quarterback in that franchise's history.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Okay, I think Kirk Cousins is in play for them.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I've kind of heard a little rumblings about that. Now.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I don't know how they would make the money work
and all that kind I don't know.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
But I can't figure out what would what would Atlanta
do for a backup because there's a chance Pennis is
not going to be starting all seventeen games and they're
gonna have to have somebody else, and uh, they've already
paid him all the money. They don't need to trade
him for money. So if i'm them, I'm sticking with
Kirk Cousins because they're not gonna get much for him
(24:14):
if they do it, but Cleveland would be the likely
spot to go for him to go, since we all
think Rogers is going to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I got your backup right here, Ryan Tannehill, he's off,
he's out of the lead.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Johnnie, Yeah, made so much money sit on the couch
eating Pope him.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Talked to him last year and he just wasn't interested. Yeah,
I am talked to him this offseason, just not interested.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I think if he wanted a job, he could get
a job, certainly as a backup. So Cousins would be
a very expensive backup in Atlanta general. Speaking of backups,
Joe Milton traded from the Patriots to the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I was a little surprised about this.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I also thought maybe Milton could fetch more because I
think Milton, it's not like he's got NFL pelts, but
he kind of semi proved himself in some limited action
with New England last next year did and I was
kept him.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Yeah, well, because the Hoves are Drake May's not going
to play seventeen games and they signed Josh with Dobbs
who bounces around the league like a pinball. I would
have kept melting because everybody's oozing eyes about his arm.
See if he got any more playing time, look good?
Then try to trade him for more. But you get it.
You draft him in the sixth and you get a
(25:22):
fifth and Cowboys gave up a four for Trey Lance.
That didn't work. I'd like to be Trey Lance's agent.
He must be making a nice cut the way that
guy keeps getting jobs without doing Jack Squad.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Boy doesn't Lance and some of these other guys don't.
They need a shot at the UFL or something. They
need to play football. Lance needs to actually play football. Yeah,
he needs to play the game. Didn't play it enough
in college.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Why he's got a contract where he can make up
to six million bucks.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Well even for him, that's fine, But if you want
to develop a guy, it gets to be a little tough.
There's no NFL Europe anymore. We all know that. Back
to the Melton thing, though, buzz around New England is
that Milton might have a little grassroots following and that
might put too much heat on May, and Vrabel wanted
to know part of it. Make May the unquestionable starting
quarterback thoughts.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
You worry about. One of the greatest examples of this
was Kirk Cousins and RG three and before that both
of them in Washington when he Heath Shooler was like
the fifth pick and Gus Faroot seventh round. Farright looked
better in preseason Sonny Jergensen on the broadcast said, I
think Fara should be starting over Schuler. It was a
(26:35):
huge quarterback controversy. Schuler couldn't handle it and he ended
up as an attorney in politics and talk shows. And then,
of course RG three is Rookie of the Year and
then he gets hurt and Cousins plays and plays better,
and even though they did everything they could to help
RG three come back get the job, he was never
(26:55):
the same. But the fan base after that rookie year
turned on him and they Kirk Cousins, So maybe there's
something to that. Like Cleveland, after the Texans just annihilated
them in the playoffs, they should have resigned Joe Flacco,
but they didn't want fans chanting we want Joe or
(27:16):
flag co Flacoh every time watching through an incompletion or
an interception that was bad for the team. Considering watching
didn't do anything, but Flacco was better for that franchise
than he has been in recent years since he left Baltimore,
So there's something to it. That's why you usually want
a young guy with a seasoned veteran who knows his role,
(27:38):
like Andy Dalton has played in multiple teams since he
left Cincinnati, and that's why he's got a multi year
deal with Carolina to mentor Bryce Young. And he loves
that role. He embouses and the fans and the coaches
appreciate that. So I could certainly believe that mark that
(27:59):
that's why they traded Melton.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Okay, so once for both of y'all.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Okay, higher number or more starts in twenty twenty five,
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh, Schador Sanders and New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
You think that's gonna happen? Yeah, yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
And I think he'll be the starter. You know, he's
never had injuries other than that major one two seasons ago,
and he's got a lot to prove. He's got a
team that can run the ball, he's got a team
that's got receivers. I just don't understand what the holdup.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Is Mark, I would say definitely Aaron Rodgers. Okay, because
Sanders left somebody in front of him named Derek Carr.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
We'll see how it goes.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Go me a diet coke when Shouder starts all seventeen
games for the Saints.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Okay, let's go, let's go. We'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Anyway, General, thanks so much for being with us. As always,
we appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Guys, is my pleasure. Thank you very much as always.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
All right, coming up, who's better We've got? Draft choice
is quarterbacks, vintage quarterbacks. It's all coming up here on
Texans Radio. All right, back to it here on Texans Radio.
Mark Vandermaer and John Harris with you. Great to have
you along for the ride as we are cooking draft
in two weeks. Opening night at Avenidas will be down
(29:16):
there and right in front of the Georgie R. Brown
Convention Center. In fact, I think we're kind of shaded
by the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
That's nice. Yeah, we got a little shade.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I think I think it works out pretty well for us,
as we'll have the main stage. That sounds weird to
say it that way, but there's a big stage. There's
all sorts of stuff going on. I'm sure Cecil will
be down there in some capacity. I know some things
about the draft party. I'll share more as we get
closer to it.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Okay, Ticella, we're like the side like the side stage,
we're like raging the machine used to go, like to
become big, you know, forgetting to the main stage.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
I think, well, look, when we first moved this thing
to Miller Outdoor Theater, it was different, right, there was
one big stage. So we had to make the decision
what are we gonna do about the radio show because
the radio show is a big part of the drafts
for In fact, that's the shot that everybody wanted to
get the reaction. You remember, you know, all the cameras
would line up around us because the draft party was
(30:12):
around West Club and then we moved to the first
level concourse one time in the East Club.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
You know, I don't want to give the whole history.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Here, but people would gather around the radio stage to
get the pick, and all the local TV cameras would
be there. Boom, I want to get the fan reaction shot. Well,
and that was a tradition when we moved to Miller
outdoor theater. Well, you're gonna get the shot from the stage, right,
And we thought about doing the radio show on stage,
but it was kind of weird because then everyone's sitting
in the seats watching us just drone on. I mean,
(30:39):
we're not droning. We're talking there all this conversation, but
it's just it's a radio thing. It's more audio. And
it's cool to, you know, see our fans and they
get a glimpse of us and all that. But I
don't know if you want to hang out there all
night and watching us on a big stage right right,
put on a show for the fans like during the breaks,
they have all this entertainment.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
It's really cool.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
So we thought about just having us do the show
on stage, but they won't hear us, and I thought
that's stupid. Put us in another area. That way, the
people want to watch us can watch us. The people
want to watch the stage can watch the stage. And
that's how we do it at Evenita's Houston. So it's
really cool. We'll be there two weeks from tonight, Friday
and Saturday. Of course we're gonna be on the air
the whole draft, but we're in the Hyundai Texans radio studio,
(31:21):
everyone asks me.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
And for a good reason, are you going to the draft?
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I get that question and you get that question two
a lot. But the draft, as I've said many times,
it's just shipping the podium around the country to different
cities with a big crowd and the commissioner and some players.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
That's it. That's all it is.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
The draft goes on in the buildings around the league
where the general managers, coaches, all their staffs are making
the selections and they send in the card.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Right card.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Well, when green Bay got the draft, yeah, I got
this excited text from your parents, from my parents, from
my mom.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Oh my gosh, the draft is coming to Green Bay.
This is great.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
We'll see, I said, Mom, How many years have you
even listening to the draft? In fact, I did the
math today. I was like, man, I've done seventeen draft shows. No,
this will be my This will be my seventeenth. No
about done seventeen with us?
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah? Well no, just in total, because I started two
thousand and eight.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
Dwayne Brown was my first one, and so I was like, Mom,
when have I ever gone out of town to do
the draft? I do the draft here because we do
the draft here. So she started giving me like everything
that's going on in Green Bay. She said, people are
airbnbing their places up in Green Bay and oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Twenty twenty five thousand dollars for the week. I've heard.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
I've heard because it's a friend of mine roof at
where I work out. He doesn't play basketball, but we
see each other in the locker room. He's a huge
Packer fan, goes up for a lot of games.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
He said.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
I tried to get there, but there's no way you
cannot get, not a chance. Every hotel room with everything
whatever is airbnbs are like through the roof. Yeah, I
mean through the roof. It's it's incredible. And I've seen
the layout and we've been to Lambeau a few times.
The layout looks awesome. I'll bet it does. But when
you start getting everybody going through those those little streets,
(33:02):
those little streets, yeah, no, it's the.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Green Bays brace. And I've told this to people.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
I think it's almost better to go almost better to
go there than the Pro Football Hall of Fame, because
it's right, the Packer Hall of Fame is the history
of the league. I mean, you're getting a big slice
of it, and an NFL team actually plays there, you know,
So there's something about that. Now, there's nothing like your
own guy getting in, like Andre Johnson for right last year.
But if you talk to Bears fans, a Bear gets
into the Hall of Fame every two three years, it
(33:30):
feels like we've been here a lot, you know. For
US Texans, this was monumental and the next one will
be as well. Anyway, let's do who's better? All right,
let's go here. We go in no particular order. Better
pick Johnny for the Texans, A Mecca Abuka or I'm
gonna go with another alignment, Graysabel Greysabel or a Mecca Abuka.
(33:51):
I'm not gonna take your boy Booker here because I
know you'd probably say Booker over Abuca.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
But to Booker over both, I've got Booker. Oh man.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I'm trying to remember where I had Booker in my
Harris one hundred. I'm a big fan of Booker. In fact,
I was actually studying him this morning watching the South
Carolina game because South Carolina has got some dudes on
their front and so I wanted to get kind of
a look at that. So I'm a bigger Booker fan
than probably a lot of people. I Booker was the
guy that I kind of earmarked a long time ago
(34:23):
as the number one guard.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I like him as the number one guard.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
That's where I'm going with him in my Harris one
hundred Footballtaker dot Com. Come check it out. I've got
Booker at number twenty five. Now I've got a Buka
a couple picks ahead. So by my numbers, I probably
would take a Buka. But I think you can flip
a coin on a Buka and Booker and you'd be You'd.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Be Okay or Booker.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
I would a Mecca, a Mecca, Buka and Booker, I
could flip a coin, I think I would take either
one of them over Zabel.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Okay. Now I like Zabel. I like him a lot
because I think Zabel has got He's.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Got toughness, he's got grit.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
He's very athletic and.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
Almost a thirty seven inch vertical lead as a guy
that played tackle in college.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Elson plays some guard, but his techniques kind of all
over the place.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
But at the Senior Bowl, what I liked a lot
about him was how he transitioned to guard and didn't
get overwhelmed at all. In fact, it looked like he
had been playing guard for a long time. So I've
got Zabel a little bit further down the Harrison one hundred.
But I understand why Zabel makes a lot of sense.
I mean he's played some tackle. I mean, shoot, if
(35:33):
you got a pinch, you can move him out to tackle.
The Colts have used Braiden Smith a tackle, and everybody
thought he was going to be a guard too.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
By the way, did you see that story about Braden Smith.
I felt for him. I did too.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
My heart goes out to him going through that. But
our football perspective, Braiden Smith was going to be a guard.
The Colts have yet to play him a day at guard.
He stayed at tackle, So maybe he's able stays at tackle.
I don't know, but I do think guard center is
probably his best fit. But I would take a Buka
Booker than's Abel. Okay, because I wanted to ask you
(36:05):
it this way.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Are you going to get that great offensive lineman that
you seek later on and later on could be on
the second round to trade up, or do you feel
better about I'm going to get a good receiver later on,
meaning second round or beyond.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
And I gotta take Booker right here.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
If you have the option at both, that's a real
difficult call right there. Probably a subject for a longer segment.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
So I kind of have all these scenarios going in
my head, and I have said, look, wide receiver eight
nine ten is better than interior offensive lineman eight nine ten.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
So would it behoove me to take Booker?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
And then Kyle Williams from Washington State, who I love
has been one of my favorites for a while. I
love Kyle Williams, like that would be a great offensive
lineman wide.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Receiver, Like I like that.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
If I take Abuka in the first, then what offensive
lineman am.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
I taking at fifty eight?
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Because because more than likely Jnava Jackson Sable Booker throw
off the board. So and all of a sudden, I've
gone to inter your offensive lineman four five whoo man.
And so I do think from that perspective, I probably
feel better about getting my lineman there and then getting
a very capable wide receiver at that second round. Because
(37:20):
you've got the two IRI State guys in Jalen Knowle
and Jayden Higgins, You've got Kyle Williams, you got Savian
Williams from TCU, Who's an absolute dude. This guy Wow
six three two twenty seven ran four to four and
he had fifty one carries as a running back last
year at TCU.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
This is interesting for me. I'm starting to root for
Booker being there. I like a booka Yeah, I'm starting
to root for Booker being there and Booker being a Texan.
So I don't want to fall in love with anybody
pre draft because this is just stupid because it never
works that well, not never, but it seldom works out
the way you think it should.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
Well, remember yesterday I said the two Vonte mc no
matter what's to me? Yeah, they are Tyler Booker and
Matthew Golden. Okay, Like if one of those.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Two is at twenty five and I know they're both there, Johnny, Oh,
now tomorrow's show, we got it already. I mean that's
done tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
Call man, That's a really tough call because out of
a shoot tomorrow, I love Booker. I really love Booker.
That would be that would be hard to turn Booker away,
to be honest.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Okay, let's get to the next Who's better here more
draft related stuff? Will Howard Johnny says he's the best
quarterback in this draft. Who's better Will Howard or Shadure Sanders.
You got to take somebody. Let's say you're picking fifteenth,
you're on Team X and you're the GM, and you
got both those guys in the crosshairs here. So Ward
has already gone and Dart is gone too. You can't
(38:40):
enter him into this conversation like him and you really
want a quarterback. Let's let's move it down to, like say,
pick number twenty, so it's not embarrassing that you take
Howard this high. Howard says he's the best quarterback in
this draft. I like your confidence.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
He might not be. Yeah, but Howard or Sanders go.
I'll probably take you.
Speaker 4 (38:58):
Shad I think SoRs got more passing acumen, throws a
little bit more touch, a little more accurate. You know,
Will struggle throwing the wall. Kansas State got to Ohio
State and magically had a Mecca Buca and Jeremiah Smith
and oh my god, look at Will Howard's really good.
Well look at you guys. He's don't to but he
was inconsistent. I thought throughout the year he made some
(39:20):
questionable decisions. The end of the Oregon game in the
regular season, Like, what was he doing the Michigan game.
He melted down at the end of the game when
when Ohio State needed to drive. So I think I
would take Sanders. I think if Will was a little
bit better, if he's a little bit more accomplished throwing
the football consistently, I would feel more confident about saying it.
(39:42):
I just don't know that he's gotten there. I've said
this before. I don't love these quarterbacks. I really don't.
I have cam Ward at number ten, and I have
Jackson Dart at twenty eight and should do at thirty
in my Harris one hundred.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
And I've not had first round quarterbacks lower than fifteen
for the most part.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
So I just I don't know where was Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
I had him at twenty seven, twenty seven to twenty eight,
and he was the highest rate of that group.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
He was the highest rated. Because you have Matt Crall
and Malik Willis.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Everybody's trying to talk to themselves into them like I
don't see it, but you know, I just don't love
the quarterbacks of this group, including Will Howard.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
I don't love it.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
I love the confidence, I love it and I think
that's gonna help him going forward. But I think i'd
like to see Will get in a spot where like
with Shane Steichen, where a guy understands how to use
him in the run game, a little mix, mix it in,
but give him play action throws.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
He's got a good strong army's good build.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
I just don't know that he is a complete quarterback
that I would like to throw my weight around.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'll go shoudu on that one, all right.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
I got one more quick one for you. Who's better
better career? Caleb Williams or cam Ward? Who's gonna have
a better career? Caleb Williams, he's already a year in.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
Cam Ward, who's.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
Going to be the number one pick in this draft
going to Tennessee. I'm gonna old Kayleb Williams.
Speaker 4 (41:03):
I'm gonna I'm gonna trust my scouting from a couple
of years ago and a few years ago about what
Caleb can do. That if Caleb can start hitting the
singles consistently, he's gonna be able to hit the grand slams.
I think cam eventually will struggle trying to make some
of the plays he made in college. Whereas I think
(41:24):
Caleb can get himself out of some things. Cam can too,
but I think Caleb just does it at a higher level.
And honestly, I thought in college Caleb was a much
better decision maker than Camp.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
Like there are times Cam throws a ball and you're like,
what are you doing? Where's he going?
Speaker 4 (41:39):
So I do think Camp still has to get over that.
Whenever we play Cam, he's gonna throw an interception, It's
gonna happen because he's just gonna make a decision where
you're like.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
What why that happens?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
He does some other kind of wacky things. I think
once Caleb settles down and just plays his game. Now
with Ben Johnson, I think Caleb's gonna be trouble for.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
A lot of people. Yeah, Ben Johnson, I think is
a big fact. He there up.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Liam Cone said he's doing this with Trevor Lawrence. How's
that gonna work? What is this? And it has nothing
to do with his injury. It's all coming up among
other things on Texans Radio.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
All right, our.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Final segment tonight, and we've been quarterback heavy, but look,
it's the most important position on the football team. And
we haven't even mentioned CJ tonight. But We've been talking
about other quarterbacks, but it's another reminder Sale it's just
so nice to have a quarterback. It's just so nice,
and especially the way his last performance at home went
(42:32):
with the fine performance against the Chargers, and you're thinking, okay, good,
good good, let's get ready for twenty twenty five and
be sharp and be awesome.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
And you know they're working on it.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Nick Cayley and crew grinding away, coming up with new
x's and o's, trying to run the football revamped oh line.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
We'll get to it all.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
But Johnny, the competition in the division, we talk about
it all the time. We talked about the cults. Earlier
tonight we mentioned that Trevor Lawrence is going to be
on a pitch count for OTAs. But this also came up,
this little nugget, Liam Kohane want to work with Trevor's footwork.
We're gonna tweak his footwork. Oh and look, this kind
of stuff happens all the time. I don't want to
(43:13):
blow this out of proportion, but if I'm Trevor Lawrence,
if I'm the Jags, I have mixed feelings about hearing
this because I'm thinking, on one hand, all right, that's good.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
That'll improve him. Maybe.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
On the other hand, what are we doing here? This
is year five? Are we gonna be okay? Is this
really the end? The beginning of the end or maybe
midway through the end for Trevor Lawrence? What are you thinking?
Speaker 2 (43:36):
I think this is gonna tell us a lot.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
I think about Josh Allen and I watched this segment
in NFL Films Presents this offseason and it was about
the mechanics of throwing and they had Jason Garrett go
to all these different throwing gurus and quarterbacks and such
an Josh Allen, after his rookie year, had realized, I.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Can't continue throwing this way at the end of the year.
My arm is just ugh.
Speaker 4 (43:58):
And so he changed changed his mechanics on throwing the
football and it changed him as a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
But how hard that is?
Speaker 1 (44:07):
It's so hard all the time, Like Tebow talked about,
I know Allen was more of a prospect than TBO
coming out, but you know what I'm saying, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
It's so hard to change those habits.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
I mean, think it's something you've done for twenty five,
twenty six years, and all of a sudden it's like,
oh no, no, turn your toe this way, turn your
heel this way. It it's so difficult to do.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
So now you're coming back from an injury. Oh and
by the way, we're changing some of your mechanics. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
Man, Sometimes I feel like once you get to this
level in the NFL, like it is what it is,
like Jamal Wilkes. If you remember Jamal Wilkes, he played
for the Lakers in the eighties and he had this
kind of jacked up jump shot. Sean Marian was more
recent from the Suns. All right, so kind of jacked
up jump shots.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
I've been compared to old timer Sea Me shoot the ball, yeah,
and they say Jamal Wilkes because I have that jacked
up jump shot too.
Speaker 4 (45:04):
But it's your jump shot and you know how to
get it off and you know how to make it.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I think basketball is an interesting and I'd love to
have Andre in on this conversation too. Basketball is interesting
because I feel that way different guys shoot the ball differently.
Now sometimes things can be inherently wrong, yet people and
not Look. I play a ton of pick up with
guys who have different styles, and a lot of guys
who have high shooting percentages and their shots all look different. Yeah,
(45:28):
it's uniquely them. It's your own fingerprints.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
But if they go in, if they go in and
he gets it off, then don't mess with it.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Now.
Speaker 4 (45:35):
I could see where you watch Trevor and go, Okay,
your feet are costing you these interceptions. You need to
change this. So to me, it's just a matter of
what they're trying, what they're changing, and how they're going about.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
It, which I think is going to be really interesting.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
But I think also it's Liam Cohen saying, yeah, he's
been mechanically not right and it should have been fixed
at some point, so we got to try and fix
it now. So maybe, I mean, I don't know, we'll
see how bad the shoulder ends up being. I mean
that ac joint can be tough. I had that ac
joint injury and it is the most painful thing I've
(46:14):
ever had.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Is it like a collar ball. It's obviously all connected
right right at the top.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Of your shoulder, like I could still feel it now,
and any time that anything.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Hits it, it's just that's the left shoulder. Yeah, it's
like your arm just going noh, No one's gonna hit him.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
In OTAs yet the torque, the throwing motions.
Speaker 4 (46:33):
You do have guys rushing, the guy can bump into him.
So you know, just anything can happen, even in OTAs,
even if you're not looking for contact, even if it
is stay away. All of a sudden that that third
round rookie you get wanted to show everybody, And and
the two guys Josh Heines Allen and Treyvon Walker on
(46:53):
practicing that day and he's got to go in there
and he's just too gung ho and he hits him.
And man the way you go so I can understand
complete what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
But good luck to them. That's a lot to change
in one year.
Speaker 1 (47:04):
All Right, On tomorrow's show, what did I say we
were gonna do? We're gonna put Johnny on the spot
with Matthew Golden and Toddler Booker. So we're gonna put
you on the spot with those two. Nick is gonna
call you say, Johnny, you gotta make this pick for me. Johnny,
I need you to make this pick. So you're gonna
make the pick. And I want to redraft the class
of eighty three.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
This goes way back. I think't do that.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Later in the show, plus Brett Stewart, who is the
director of Youth Football Development for the Houston Texans. Great
stuff from him. It's all happening tomorrow. Area forty five
coming up. Have a great night everyone, Go Texans.
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