May 20, 2025 • 47 mins
Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross joined the show, and so too did the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Alexander. They shared their thoughts on the Texans' offseason, and where they think the team is headed in 2025.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, Texans, Welcome to the program, and we got a
big one for you tonight in just a few moments.
Frank Ross, special teams coordinator for your Texans. We had
him on a few weeks ago, but we're having him
on again because why not. He's awesome and he's got
a big event coming up too that you want to
hear about.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Also.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle wrote about the brock
Purty extension earlier this week. What that might mean for CJ.
Stroud heading into the twenty twenty six season. Can we
not get ahead of ourselves, please? We got twenty twenty
five coming up and we got to worry about that
one day at a time. But a lot of stuff
about the AFC South, Jonathan's thoughts on the schedule, the
(00:37):
flag football Olympic participation, Johnny and I will get into
that a little bit later, but let's get into this.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
We mentioned Frank Ross.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He's got an event coming up called Coaches Cuts, and
you find out about this. It's gonna be June sixth
at Covenant House. Coach Rosscuts dot com for more information
and to donate as well, because when you hear about
what coach Ross is doing and the effect he has
on others' lives. You might want to be a part
of this. Coach rosscuts dot com. So let's get into it.
(01:08):
Our visit in studio with Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross
in studio with us, and he's here for his weekly show.
It's not really a weekly show, but Frank Ross, Special
Teams Coordinator, we wish it was a weekly show because
we love visiting with you.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He's going, Frank, Oh great, let's do that. Can we
do that? Let's do the show.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We're signing the tam right here until Special Team starts
to fall a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
That way.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
We we love you at studio, but we love you
doing that more than anything else.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Fair.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It won't be all back. He can handle it. I
mean we could, and we know you could. We just
don't put too much on your plate. Oh good, whatever
you guys need. I mean, listen, Coach one time through
Kenny Lofton at me. I was walking by and he's
like yonas return, He's like, I want you to be
like Kenny Lofton, John Harris, you hear that. I'm like,
he's dropped Kenny Lafton on everybody.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
And then I did a Ricky Henderson who did kind
of some preluting. Here have Ricky Henderson T shirt to
give out to one of my special teamers at some
point this year.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Then I have to explain who Ricky Henderson was going
to say, explain Ricky.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, that's us, though, Rank We were ready on the
except to explain who Sinatra is to your players sometimes, right, Okay,
we'll get it to that. We'll get it to that.
In fact, let's let's go there right now. Coaches Cuts,
Covenant House, right June sixth, Yes, tell us about the event,
and this is something you've done before, but you keep
expanding it, coach, and tell us what it's about.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Yeah, thanks for allowing me to come in and talk
about this super near and dear to the heart and
something that's grown. It's grown with the Texans and you know,
the Houston community.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
But honestly, this is really cool.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
June sixth, we will be hosting the fourth annual Coaches
Cuts event at the Covenant House brand and they have
a literal brand new. They just did their ribbon cutting
to their new campus in Montrose, which is a fifty
five million dollar building that now can howse don't quote
(03:02):
me exactly, but up to two two hundred and fifty individuals.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Their experience and homelessness. Wow.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And the key with Covenant Houses they're eighteen to twenty
four year olds, so it's a youth population that they
can intervene from A to Z. Really helped to get
them on their feet and hopefully divert them from a
path of you know, a lifelong struggle and divert them
onto a situation that can hopefully lead to a successful
(03:30):
life in the community. So we're going to be there
doing the fourth annual Coaches Cuts, and I couldn't be
more fired up about that.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Coach, go back with us, if you don't mind to
when you actually started cutting hair, what what that was
all about? And obviously it's gone into this incredible event
that you have now done for a number of years.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
But where does it where does it go to? Where
did you start doing this?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
So Car, it comes and starts from a place of
absolute frugality and cheap Frank.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So I'm a freshman.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I'm a freshman in college and I had cut hair
doing the summer cuts at basketball and football camp in
high school. But freshman year, walk on to campus in
two thousand and six, and they said it was gonna
be seventeen dollars for a haircut.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I said, nope. I went over to the Walmart.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
I grabbed a set of clippers, and I taught myself
how to cut my own my roommates, and then on
Tuesday nights it turned into the common area in the
dorm rooms was a barbershop, and I made my spending money.
There was your nil money, mynil money. It was two
thousand and six. Nil money was coach's cuts. Starting in
the lobby of the dorm rooms.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Okay, so I got a hairstory Biggeres way way back.
But we had a buddy of ours. A buddy of
ours had cancer, and so we decided we were gonna
shave our heads. Before we did that, we were gonna
do all these crazy haircuts. And we had a buddy
that was like, I don't trust y'all. Did you have
teammates that took a little while to get them to
trust you to cut in?
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Hare?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Gotta do some trust earning along the way. When you
get to a status. When the head coach, my my
college head coach reg escaped Italian a front, I need
you to need to cut my hair.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I cut his.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Hair sitting in his in his office, in his office chair.
I cut his hair, and he had the kind of
the seventies like little poof to his hair. And I
used the scissors in the whole deal. So I had
a nice little reputation going.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, because there's a difference between cutting hair the way
you wear it right now, which.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Is straight, standard, high and tight. Yeah, yeah, pretty, I'm
pretty easy, and then the layering effect that others might
like or whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I mean, you get coach wrong, he's gonna take away
your target. That's right, that's right. You gotta bet, you
gotta get him.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
So we we we grew it along the way.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I got to a point where I was cutting coaches
and players in the locker room, even in the NFL.
I cut the whole staff on my whole team. I
cut everybody, including the head coach I cut. I still cut.
I cut Scarry's hair the other day, I cut the
gen You know, it's it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I think that's just austworthy, that's just the number five
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Right, there's some there's some things that I would recommend
go to somebody else, But I got the standards down.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, wait, you're self taught though, self taught, self taught
by sound.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
You just go off the same amount, take off the
same amount, same amount, check it out, same amount, same amount,
same amount.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Change.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
That's how I do it. Oh my yeah, I couldn't
think about two of my own. I mean, my hair
is the whole mess. Anyways, I couldn't think about that.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh yeah, Johnny in the chair.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I'll never the first time I found out you cut hair.
I'll never forget. It was your first year here and
you're walking on the the hallway and we got to
do each other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
But you said to me, hey, did you get haircut?
I was like, it wasn't like hey.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
John, how you doing? Or Hey, what's going on? You know,
hey what do you think about? Put team is like, hey,
you get haircut? I was like I did as a
matter of fact. And so that's when, you know, coach,
and I've always wanted you to be able to.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Do it because I don't want to pay seventeen bucks.
There you go, there, there you go.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
No.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
I I regularly and routinely I comment on people's hair,
but hopefully they don't take offense.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Oh nice cut. Nice you know I noticed it too much,
but drawn to it.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, So people at covet in the house are going
to get their hair cut by you and somebody to
or is it just you cutting the hair?
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, I'll give you the rundown. So good at the event,
coaches cuts and it's great. We're becoming working through it,
but becoming an official, an official nonprofit. We've kind of
got some tax free status at this point. We're working
through it. We provide a lot. Last first couple of
years we did at the Star Hope. Then we were
off site and we went to a local barber shop,
(07:24):
Empire Studios, which is Julian Diaz. And these barbers that
come in and cut our players hair are the These
are the best of the best and they cut all
the players and really a bunch of other professional athletes
around town. I mean they come with me. They've been
with me for going on this fourth year, so we'll
all go down there. But it's it's grown. So the
(07:44):
great part about Covenant House is there's females in the
population that are currently in the in the campus, so
we're going to be able to provide We've done some
limited metal care and dentistry work before this year we're
going to be able for the ladies to provide something again.
This whole thing stems to, man, can we make you
feel good today and then just get your day going,
(08:05):
give you a little boost and really hopefully you stem
that into something else. But for the ladies, we're gonna
do some manicures from the Houston Community College. They're gonna
come over and provide some nail text to do some
fingernail painting and things like that Oasis spawled down in Periland.
They're gonna come up and they're gonna do many facials
(08:26):
for the ladies and give like a little a basic
massage there and really lift some spirits of some people
that probably don't get pampering very often. And of course
we provide some Italian food. We do a great job there.
We do all Garden comes over with us. We do
a whole thing there, and man, we'll get the Sinatra
going and really lift up a really good atmosphere for
(08:49):
a nice evening.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Then the players will be there chopping it up. It's
it's an incredible situation.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Is it only Sinatra? Or will you expand the repertoire
a little bit?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So when I'm cutting in the locker room.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
It's strictly Pandora Radio station, strictly Sinatra. Yeah, and then
when we play it that we'll mix it up a bit.
We'll get some good vibes too. I know you don't
do it for this. I know you do it because
well we know you. I mean, you're an unbelievable individual.
You do it for the betterment of those people that
are involved. But has there been a moment over the
(09:20):
last few years where you're just like whoh man, Like
it's just you know, somebody saying thank you, were giving
you a hug or whatever it might be kind.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Of the response to you, you and your guys doing
what you do for them.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah, it's incredible to be Cutting hair is a very
true service industry.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It is a it is me hands on to another
human being.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
And I think when you get those life experiences, nobody
is immune to feeling that raw emotion. And I it
doesn't matter how many times.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
You experience it.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
You know, my mother she kind of ingrained helping growing
up and grain some of this spirit into me. I'm
now in a place where it's kind of being cool.
It's turned into something that it's embraced a little more
and so thankful for that. But go in there regardless
of this person's status which doesn't matter, or this person's
status which doesn't matter. You're just in there to talk
(10:11):
shop and give somebody a haircut. And when you hear somebody's,
especially in this population story, yeah, it makes you realize
real quickly how lucky you are one and how much
you want to just help more for somebody who doesn't
have it as good as you.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And then you know, we'll go from there.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
My mother Barbaras, she's you know, she's wonderful and truly
an inspiration.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
But she has this great idea that.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
We could one day provide an end to somebody's situation
and endgame of can we get them a scholarship to
go to a barber college, get an appoint get some
employment with a trade of going to cut hair for
the rest of your lives and having a.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Good life after that. And I think that would.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Be an incredible thing if we can get that accomplished
one day.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It's a good gig. Yeah, it's a good gig. A
lot of people do well with it, no question about that.
What's the player reaction when they learn that you do
this sort of thing.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, some some kind of you check back before and
like got their you know, one of those numbers. But
the players came and they come and they enjoy it too.
They see me kind of in a different element, and
I think that that's that's special. It also helps, you know,
with the player coach bond and seeing guys like Aziz
as Shaira who have been through circumstances that most of
us have not, and he's been through it. He's in there,
(11:36):
you know, taking people under his wing and just helping
somebody experience a good day on that during that event,
and the players seem to really enjoy it, and I'm
thankful for those guys who participate on with me.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I have to ask you this because I think the
first time I saw you really coaching the team was
during this time of year and we had one of
the big monitors out there. It's like this huge flat
screen or something. Yeah, not describing it properly, but you're
demonstra you're showing the guys something, and I thought, he's
a teacher. You know, he's a coach. He's a teacher.
How has your style of teaching and relating to the
(12:08):
players evolved over the years, if at all it's the
same time, this is the way that works, or what
have you added to it or taken away or.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Whatever awesome question.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
View myself as a teacher every day and just the
subject material is football. Like I'm a teacher first, the
fun part of my job is to find out how
to have fifty three different sets of ears that learn
differently getting them on the same page.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Great.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So my teaching needs to reflect that and I need
to make sure I'm accommodating each different learning style. So
to be a good teacher, you got to understand your
audience on who is learning in what ways. So big
into the demonstrative emotions and me getting out and doing
the physical. I always make sure, like a little thing
I do. If I'm coaching you here, you're looking at me,
(12:57):
but I'll turn around this way because this is our
right hand and i want you to see it if
you're facing that way.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Yeah, you know, just little things to be precise. We've
used the video screens to class on the grass.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Before, like that class on the grass on the grass,
and just to just do some different you know media
as well as you know real time movement with football
and keeping it.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
You know, different elements to to to teach with Frank.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I was thinking about you during the rookie mini camp
because there are a lot of times when rookies set
foot on our campus, they may have never played special team,
may have never been a gunner, they may have never
been a protector on punt team. I'm watching Woody marks,
and I love Woody what he's done a lot throughout
his career. I don't know how often Woody was the
(13:48):
wing on punt you know, on punt protection. So now
you've got all these guys that have never played special
teams and you're basically introducing it to him for the
first time. What's that experience like, not only for them,
but for you to really kind of take it back.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
To the basics, for the back to the basics. So
first off, I got to find your baseline. And obviously
I've we've met with these guys. It's not like David
want we show up, don't know who you are. But
there's there's going to be an introductory level of fundamentals
and you're going to have that progression plan of teaching
from different points of view, like you know, all right,
(14:24):
I'm gonna make.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
It relatable for Woody Woody.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
This is past protection against a Blitzeen linebacker, and we
need to stay inside out as an example, right, a
super genuine generalized example right there, But try and make
it relatable and then we don't let them. You know,
the other part is with those specific cases, there is
a total blank canvas, so you only know how to
do it, quote unquote coaches way by my way, because
(14:48):
you don't have a bunch of other experience, quite different
than a free agent that you sign who's played elsewhere
for three years in a different system.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
So everybody's different.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
The rookie a lot of progression plan teaching start to finish,
and you know, you're trying to fast forward their learning
quickly to get them up to speed. But a lot
of those guys really don't play a lot of kicking game.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Some do.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Some you got to go digging back to tape from
you know, twenty twenty or twenty twenty one. You know,
when they just stepped onto their college campus and now
it was probably at another university. Right, they've transferred three
times since, so hit the portal. So like you gotta
do some digging, Yeah, you gotta do some projection, You
gotta do some looking at like, Okay, does that movement
(15:32):
skill set even though it's not it's on offense or defense, Like,
does that fit what I'm going to ask?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You know, what type of tackler are they? As a safety?
What type of coverage player are they? You know what?
Do they have instincts and ball skills as a dB? Great?
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Can he go down a punt as a gunner in
the plus fifty territory? So you do some of that,
but when you get here, you're a blank slaton. Yeah,
we're gonna We're gonna build him with a strong foundation
and grow up from there.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
So we see offensive defense practice sit situational work all
the time special teams. It's a situation every time, every down.
And you do have those end of game situations too.
Then we have one at the end of the Colts
game twenty twenty three finale, just kill the clock. The
safety is that you don't have much time to practice
that kind of stuff. Some of that must be drawn
(16:18):
up in the dirt. Okay, you do this and that
and the other thing. Tell us about those.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
We'd like to think we're prepared on its as much
as we can be.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
It's a little street ball and everything, right, go play ball,
but no, there nothing can.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Be exactly precise.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Just like the red zone offense, like they're gonna have
they're gonna practice from the one yard line. They're gonna practice,
but there's gonna be a twelve yard line where you're
kind of in that Noman's like those are going to happen,
So you cannot prepare for everything. Truthfully, the special teams
nuanced situations have lessened a lot with the new kickoff.
(16:56):
For example, how are you gonna play the end of
the half kicks? There used to be used to see
deep squibs just to get the ball bounce in. They
can't set up a beautiful return track and catch it
on the fly. Maybe the fullback returns it instead of
the deep the deep return man.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
So those are gone. One second bunt, you know, just
all of those. They're kind of eliminated in a way.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
They've changed going into this year. Can I talk about
man I talk about the new kickoff stuff? Yeah, absolutely
so going into this year, right, you cannot on side
kick until the second half, right, Okay, So at the
end of the first half and there's you know, seven
seconds left, go ahead and kick a touch back. They
have the ball on the thirty five like they can
(17:43):
get one play and then shoot a long field goal.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah, So you have to kick off and you have
to kick it in the field to play if you
want to if you elect and want to run time,
so like there's no put the ball on the ground
and just let some time burn off. You have to
land it in the landing zone and get So all
of those are the new nuanced situations. How you're going
to burn out those last call it fifteen seconds of
(18:06):
a half. So you know, we ended up the twenty
twenty three season regular season on Week seventeen with a safety.
We practiced that intentional safety from you know, really backed up.
That happened from twenty two yard line. It was pretty
cam Johnston had to run and he almost and we
(18:26):
still had to kick off after that. If you remember,
you remember what happened on that one second? It was
one second. He we couldn't burn one more second. But
you teach the punters like you're not a ball carrier,
don't even take a hit and work risk fumbling that
ball right like that would be the biggest man.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So we kicked off with one second left. You remember
what happened. It was lateral, lateral, and then we got
a takeaway big right there. That's Begs that Henry. I
think Henry came up with the ball. That's right. They
were doing hopped out. That's a kickoff takeaway. I don't
know what you're looking at. Yeah, there's my bonus.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Awesome on side kicks, yes, and the potential changes of
what can happen. I think we all you know, it's
onside kick situation. I mean it's I don't know what
the percentage chance has been lately, it's been maybe like
ninety percent. You were going to get it right. Do
you think some of the changes that have been talked
about Frank might generate a couple more or a few
more hope in the on side kick again?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Yeah, you know, the thought is that they're going to
move the kickoff team up about one more yard where
their front foot is on that yard line. We'll see
what the final end up ruling ends up being after
the owners meetings, and hopefully that gets what everybody's looking for.
Keeps the onside kick pure, It allows for an uptick
in chance.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
For recovery just because the coverage.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Team is down there one step earlier, so that bang bang,
maybe that jar that ball jar is loose a few
more times results in some more recoveries, and they're they're
still restricted by formation restrictions and alignment that you have
to be to.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Say, satisfy the rules five by five.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
They don't want any looping overloads for safety reasons.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
So you know, we'll see what it ends up being.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But I think I do think just by moving up
a yard, if that's what it ends up being officially,
that that'll end up scoring a few more recoveries.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
We'll see.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
There was some crazy stuff with onside kicks. When you
look back at the day guys who would loop over
you got ten guys on the side. I mean, just
all the things that you used to be able to
get away with. If the outside kick in college, you'd
have like a five yard run up before the guy
could kick it them like somebody was getting blasted with that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
But I always hated that onside kick for that.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
You should hear they said, special teams coaches go figure
this out. NFL down, so special teams coaches get together.
You should hear some of the ideas that come out there.
Oh yeah, man, we're gonna start it five yards. We're
gonna start it five yards on the minus scrim has
been the kick will be behind Joe. You know in
the kickoff return zone. Every quarter you have to take
(20:53):
a player out of the return area and get less
and less like there.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
There's been some wild ideas. Wow, it's still all about
the kick though. You need a really great high hopper
or whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Pace matching, the timing when your coverage team is down there.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I don't care what type of kick it is.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Whether it's the spinning sideliner we called out a chop,
whether it's the you saw it a lot more, which
was the spike.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
You used to see that all the time.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because that allowed when you had a
running start, enough time for you to get down and
get a big impact hit on the and the balls
already hit the ground. Yep, exactly, and balls already hit
the ground. That's the thing in college, you tell them
day one, the college kids, the receivers that are on
there's no fair catching on kickoffs.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
If it hits the ground, you.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Cannot fair catch the ball. So all right, coach, thanks
all for joining us. Best of luck with coaches.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Cuts.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Can I can I give you one one more thing,
Yeah do it. I want to say thank you to
Christina and my wife. She is powering this whole engine
on Coaches Cuts when when you know, I'm at work today,
she's out hitting the costcos and the Sam's Clubs and
buying all kinds of you know, basic essentials and socks
and underwear and T shirts for all these people that.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
We're going to be serving. And so thanks Christina for
all your help. That is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
All right, great move to thank the wife, awesome cortant Yes,
go Texans. Thank you Christina, Thank you guys, appreciate it.
We could spend hours talking with Frank Ross. An interesting guy,
so much to share on and off the field, great
topic stuff and that Coaches Cuts event coming up June
sixth the Covenant House. Coach Rosscuts dot com for more
information and to donate to be a part of this thing,
(22:29):
Coach Rosscuts dot com. Go there learn more about the
event and possibly donate. Check it out from Special Teams
coordinator Frank Ross. Coming up, Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle.
Let's dig into the topics of the day on the NFL.
Jonathan's thoughts on the schedule and much more coming up
on Texans Radio.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Back to it here on Texans Radio.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Mark vandermir and John Harris with you in the Hyundai
Texans Radio studio. But joining us on the line now
is Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle. And Jonathan, this
is an interesting week. You got owners meetings going on.
We have yet to get outside and see the vets
operate for the Houston Texans, and we have a lot
(23:10):
to look at. We have a lot to talk about,
but let's start here. Has anything that's happened in the
AFC South regarding the Texans, Jags, Colts, Titans, whether it
be draft, free agency, any relatively recent stories affected your
opinion of how this division is going to shape up.
I know that you're not going to move the Texans
(23:30):
off the top spot, but what about the other three teams?
What are you thinking now that we have some water
under the bridge here in the offseason and you kind
of get a little bit of a better feel as
to how things might play out or at least projection anyway, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I saw a story.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
I mean, this didn't change my opinion, but I did
see a story where there was one I don't know
if it was the opinion of one person, but they
thought that the Jaguars might win the division. I don't
believe that, and that didn't change my opinion, but it
did force me to think, Okay, Jacksonville's probably as long
as Trevor Lawrence stays healthy, they're not going to be
(24:09):
a however many wins they had last year type of team,
they should be in the seven to eight nine range teams.
So I think there'll be a competitive team this year.
So that did change my opinion. I don't think they'll
be horrendous. I think as long as you have Trevor Lawrence,
should give yourself a chance to be pretty good. But
(24:31):
I still think the Texans are the kreml and cropping
the AFC Soulton and it's going to go through Houston
this year. Those teams, like the Colts are going to
have to go through Houston if they want to win
the division.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
PFF did an article Jonathan.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
It was essentially division winners that are most at risk
of not winning the division again, and as they teased it,
they were like Lions, question mark, Eagles, question mark, Chiefs
question mark, which division winner from last year do you think?
(25:04):
And in the AFC it was Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Texans.
In the NFC, it was Eagles, Lions, Bucks.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
And Rams.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Of those eight, which one do you think is the
most at risk of not winning the division in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 5 (25:28):
Yeah, I think it's easily the Lions.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
I just think that division itself is loaded with talent,
whether you're talking about the Vikings, whether you're talking about
the Packers or even the Bears, who got new coaching
Ben Johnson, who I think you know, has added a
lot of talent to that team and perhaps some help
to Caleb Williams. I just think that is going to
(25:53):
be a highly competitive division this year, as long as
the key players for each of those teams stay healthy.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
Now you wonder about JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
This is technically his first year after he missed all
of last season with the injury. But if a team
can help Sam Donald look as good as he did, that,
I'm sure they can allow, you know, help this rookie
JJ McCarty come along. I think the Lions are going
to have the toughest time, especially given the fact that
they lost two of their top coaches. It always takes
(26:22):
teams some adjusting when they lose to their offensive and
defensive coordinator in the same year, like we saw with
the Eagles a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
I see your NFC North and raise you the NFC
West because I think it's the Rams that are in
the most danger of not winning their division because Seattle
is a good team, and I know they have Donald
Down's Aposta Gino Smith, and that might be a deficit
for them. I know Donald played great last year, but
you know he doesn't have Kevin O'Connell's great taken the
(26:54):
best coach of the league.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Who did that list?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Greg Roose on JP Acosta the NFL Podcast, And the
Cardinals could be better the Niners.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Maybe they get healthy and better.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
But anyway, Jonathan, in between last time we visited and
this time the schedule was released, So your general takeaway,
what was your gut reaction, as Johnny would say, to
the release of the Texans schedule, what do you think?
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Yeah, looking at the schedule, you know, I don't think
it's not as difficult of a schedule as you know,
I initially thought it would be kind of coming in.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
You look at their opponents and even their tough games.
Speaker 6 (27:30):
Yes, so they have tough games to schedule Ravens, Bills, Chiefs,
Rams to start a season, but those games are spread out,
Like you know, last year you felt like a lot
of those games were clumped together.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
They had a lot of.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
Their primetime games like back to back, and then of
course the big guntlet with the Chiefs and the Ravens
and the Dolphins. This year, aside from the Bills game
and the Colts and the Ravens being back to back
to back, most of the games are pretty are pretty
spread out. And when I did my schedule prediction, you know,
(28:05):
I can see the Texans struggling kind of early on,
but really going on a stretch later down the season
and playing some of their best football late in the year.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, it would be fun if they're playing.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I mean, if they get to a point where those
last four games are in play for seeding or division whatever,
and you get three out of four of them at home,
that's pretty nice. I don't know why I keep basketball PFF,
but I've saw a couple of things that really kind
of triggered my my thoughts, and this one actually kind
of triggered more anger in a sense, because PFF did
their best players, their top ten players under twenty five
(28:35):
the age of twenty five, okay, and I had to
look it up to make sure that I didn't miss something.
But Derek Stingley Junior is only twenty three, right, whoa,
he's twenty three?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, yeah, he's not twenty five.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
He's not listed in the top ten players under twenty five?
Is he on the list anywhere? In fact, yes, he
is on the list. In fact, though he is not
even the best corner listed. They have Trent McDuffie listed
at number five as the best corner. If you pulled
one hundred coaches and said, take McDuffie or Stingley, which
one do you think they're taking? Now you know me,
(29:08):
I love McDuffie. I'm a huge McDuffie guy. But they're
in eighty I mean eighty nine to ninety percent of
the coaches are taking Stingley over McDuffie. So anyways, point
being well, Anderson Junior is at number seven. He is
the second edge rusher behind Jared Verse. So I ask
you this, Jonathan, what is Derek Stingley's twenty twenty five
(29:31):
look like?
Speaker 2 (29:32):
And I asked that because there are a lot of expectations.
He did somen to be contract.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Is it gonna get to a point where teams are like, no,
we can't, We're not thrown at this guy this. Do
you think he's kind of reached that that kind of
Stingley Islands status where you're just not throwing at sting
You think that teams are gonna still challenge him. What
do you think kind of the ceiling is for Derek
Stingley Junior in twenty twenty five? Again, as you mentioned,
as long as he stays healthy.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Wait before I answered that, you said, well Anderson Janey
was behind Jared Versus.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah, Jared Verse six will answer junior number seven.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We might should throw that that list in the trash. Yeah,
you know, I don't. I don't agree.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
I don't agree with any of those. I think Jared
Versus a great player, but I don't think he's better
than Will Anderson. But all right, so to your question,
I think Stingley could be in for another huge year.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
He got paid, he has the pressure of that office back.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
You know, we have been seeing the potential of Derek
Stingley coming out all the way back to his second
season when he had those five picks in those twelve games,
and you just knew it was a matter of time.
If he stayed healthy, he was going to put it
all together. And he finally stayed healthy his third year,
and I think if he continues to stay healthy, I
(30:45):
think he's found the formula. And I do think teams
will avoid throwing his way, just like teams avoided throwing
Patrick Surtain's way, and that'll be a benefit because the
Texans have another corner on the opposite side who is
very talented, and they won't know what to do. But
I think Derek Seeing is one of the best individual
(31:06):
players I've seen in a long time, and he is
going to be as long as he stays healthy.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
That's his big thing.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
You know, he was born to play football, and I
think he's showing it out there.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle joining us. You wrote
a story about brock Perty's contract extension and what it
could mean for CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Stroud.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Jonathan, So tell me, I feel like, am I right
or wrong about this? This is going to be a
number we've never seen before. Probably if Stroud has I
don't even think he has to match the rookie season productivity.
Somewhere between season two and season one if he puts
that up in season three of the team has another
ten to eleven wins season and has some playoff success
(31:51):
some playoff success, we're looking at a number that we
might have never seen before.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Yes or no.
Speaker 5 (31:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
I think regardless of how he plays, he's going to
get huge contract and be top five highest paid player
in terms of average per year. But I think if
he has a good season better than me at year two,
then he'll most likely either get close to Dak prescott
sixty million per year number or be right under it.
I definitely think he'll pass Trevor Lawrence at fifty five million.
(32:20):
I think the Texans plus that'll be two years removed
from when he got that contract, and he his agent
drives a hard bargain. He helped David Mullagetta, helped Derek stinglely
become one of the highest paid players, helped Deshaun Watson
get the first fully guaranteed contract.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
So I have no doubt that c J.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
Stroud, regardless of whether he has a fantastic year, will
be one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league.
But if he has a fantastic year, he's going to
probably be inching close to that sixty million per year
number and probably get close. Probably, I think he'll still
be behind Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in terms of
(33:03):
the total value of those contexts.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
Remember Patrick Mahomes has that.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I think he had that ten year deal, so that
his number at forty four hundred and fifty million is astronomical.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Josh Allen signed that six year deal.
Speaker 6 (33:15):
What we've seen recently for quarterbacks coming off that rookie
deal as they signed five year deals, which is what
I would suspect CJ would sign, so meaning he would
be under Allen and Patrick Mahomes in terms of total value,
but that average per year will probably be number two
behind that Prescott if he has a good year.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Jonathan, we had a good time yesterday talking about JP
Acosta and Grey Rosenthal's ranking of the NFL head coaches
on the NFL Daily podcast. So I'm going to give
you a couple of questions in relation to that number. One,
where do you think Demiko right now? They didn't rank
the new coaches, They just had the twenty seven guys
that have at least coached in the NFL before. Where
(33:54):
do you think Demiko Ryans falls in that? Who do
you think is the most underrated head coach in the NFL.
Who do you think is the most overrated head coach
in the NFL?
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Oh? Underrated?
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I think probably the most overrated coach is probably Kyle Shanahan.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Okay, all right, who's the most underrated?
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Most underrated? You can't say. I think Sean mvay is
a great coach, but you can't say he's underrated.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
People really do love him.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
That's a tough one.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
Probably it might be Sean McDermott.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah, good answer, good, good answer. We agree. Actually, yeah,
And where do you.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Think Demiko Ryan Where would Demiko Ryans fall for you?
Just going into year three kind of where he would
fall amongst the ranking of the head coaches.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
I think he's top five, you know, for his for
his first two years. He might be five for his
first two years, to be ten win seasons after what
the Texans had went through.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
He's shown that he's a great coach.
Speaker 6 (34:55):
Now it's time for him to get past that level
of the divisional round. He knows that he's been. He's
been on the record of saying that's that's his goal.
And I think he can really catapult himself if he
does that this year.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
All right, Jonathan, NFL players in Olympic flag football?
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Are you okay with this? What are your thoughts on it?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
I have a lot of thoughts on it, but you
tell me what you're thinking with NFL players being eligible
for Olympic flag football.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
Yeah, I think it'll be cool. From a fan perspective,
I think NFL teams will have a tough time allowing
their players, especially their skill position players, to go out there,
because you can you run the risk of a variety
of injuries from handstring injuries to soft tissue injuries. And
once that first star gets an injury in the Olympics,
(35:46):
then you're gonna have teams probably putting in their contracts
that those players can't play in these games. I think
eventually you'll see that these players don't want to play
in these games after probably the first couple of times.
But I think it'll be interesting for fans, interesting to
see these guys go out and play each other in
flag football.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
I'll look forward to the first.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Time, Jonathan.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
If you were commissioner of the league and you had
to vote, you had the sole remaining vote, it's a
tie on the tush push.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Which way would you lean, get rid of it, keep it.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
I think I might would keep it.
Speaker 6 (36:24):
You know, obviously it's almost an automatic first down, but
I don't think it's so much of a disadvantage.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
I think teams do.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I think that the Eagles have found a way to
perfect it, and now it's on teams to figure out
how to stop.
Speaker 5 (36:38):
But I don't think it's impossible to stop.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, I don't think it's cool to make the team
that just won the Super Bowl. Yeah, you know, penalize thing.
They've learned how to master that thing.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Never liked the idea of that. So we'll just leave
that there. Jonathan, what do you have going on in
the Houston Chronicle.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
Yeah, hopefully this Sunday, you know, working on a story
on Texans second round pick arianta Ursery and hopefully that'll
be out Sunday.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
So watching the Houston Chronicle for that to come out outstanding.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Jonathan, thanks a lot for being with us.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
There's Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle. Always fun to
have him on and coming up. Speaking of fun, Johnny
and I clean up some things that we left on
the table yesterday. Also, I've got a reaction to that
flag football stuff with the NFL players participating. We'll have
that and more coming up. Texans All Access. All right,
getting into our final segment here on Texans Radio, Mark
(37:34):
Vandermre and John Harris with you, and some things we
left on the table yesterday that we did not get
to when we were doing an extended Who's better questions
for Johnny type of segment.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Johnny, are you ready? Are you ready for some of these?
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Let's go, and after this, I'll react to the flag
football situation, all right. More impressive. Now, we talked about
the Ravens, a Texans opponent. We're going to play them
in Baltimore. Never have beaten them with Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Laura blah blah blah a lot about that.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, they have Derrick Henry, as you know, and coming
off a monster year. Monster year in fact, nineteen hundred
twenty one yards was his second best ever in his
career thirty years old. My goodness, but more impressive, more impressive, Johnny,
Lamar Jackson going forty one touchdowns and four picks. Unbelievable,
(38:27):
rushing for nine hundred and fifteen yards, by the way,
Lamar Jackson nine hundred and fifteen yards or Derrick Henry
going for nineteen twenty one and five point nine per carry,
which is the most in his career at thirty years old, basically,
which is more impressive because they're both very impressive.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But what are you more impressed with? I'm gonna say, gosh,
that's hard. That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
The Ravens put out a video showing Henry working out
on this hill.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Oh jeez, not one of these. That just depresses me.
When I see Derek workouts.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
He's it's not just like he's running up the hill.
Probably they're having him carrying. He's got like a chain
behind him with a weight. I think, get thirty years old,
him going nineteen hundred is incredible. That is amazing. I
think that's that's it. I mean, look, Lamar throwing for
forty one touchdowns. If you just said when Lamar was
going into the NFL in twenty eighteen, and we sat
(39:22):
here that night and Drey's texting him from the green
room and we're chatting about Lamar, I don't know that
we ever envisioned him going for forty one touchdowns. I
think he has improved so tremendously, But thirty years old,
nineteen hundred rushing yards.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Yep, when a lot of people kind of left him,
not for dead, but they just thought, Wow, we're on
the tail end of this thing. How bad did he
wanted to go to the Cowboys? Oh gosh, he lives
in Dallas in the off season, he wanted to go
to the Cowboys. As much as I would hate that
kind of success for a team in that market, put
him up there. Put them up there, because I don't
(40:02):
want him in Baltimore, where he makes them so unbelievably
great on offense. Now, all of that, they still to
make it to the AFC Championship, which is incredible that
they did better the year before they had the top seed.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
They made it to the championship. They went out the
same round we did. Yeah, it's incredible to say it
that way, but they did.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
I mean, in a few weeks earlier, beat the doors
off the texts at Christmas Day.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah, it's a team that has not performed exceedingly well
in the playoffs, which is weird. But I just think
there's gonna come a time where it all kind of clicks.
Say Flowers doesn't have a meltdown during a game at home,
in the AFC Championship.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
You know it's gonna click for them. They're gonna they're
gonna win one.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
I watched their behind the scenes draft video, and it's
an organization that is so clear on what it is
that they're looking for. The whole play like a raven thing. Yeah,
Like they are so innately in tuned to what it
is that makes that organization tick.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
It's an identity it is, is it?
Speaker 3 (41:03):
And I think I think we're getting there with the
swarm mentality. I think we're getting there. We're establishing that
we've talked about that.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
But he but the play like a raven thing.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
I think it probably stems from that Ray Lewis time
frame and all that kind of stuff. But man, you
just look up and go, huh he dropped the Malachi
Starks Yeah, figures. And then you watch the video and
it was like those they so clearly wanted Starks, like
they knew that he was the raven kind like he
was a raven kind of guy, and it was just
(41:35):
interesting to watch. But I would say in that scenario,
I still say it's nineteen hundred yards as a thirty
year old, Yeah, Like it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Yeah, this video scared me. But Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Yeah, Well, Derek Henry workout videos are always frightening, But
Lamar Jackson throwing for over four thousand yards and rushing
for nine hundred and fifteen yards, it's definitely.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Say stuff, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Well, Henry's running for almost two thousand, Lamar's running for
almost a thousand. Yeah, that's crazy and throwing four over
four so like yeah, yeah, and forty one touchdown passes.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
It's insane. That's insane production right there. Oh, another one
for you.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Tougher environment at the Chiefs at the Ravens, which is
a tougher environment to play in. I mean, arrowheads, all
that volume, you feel like you're in the lions Den.
You're on the field for both of these things and
multiple times, so you know, I mean, you were there
for a playoff game in Baltimore. I think you have
(42:32):
a better take on these things than I do because
you're feet away from the players and I'm up in
the broadcast booth along with Andre.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
So you tell me what's a tougher environment. I think
that there's kind of this bloodlust in Baltimore. It just
feels like their fans kind of match the intensity with
which they play when that game start, when the playoff
game started going a little sideways, you know, when Lamar
(43:00):
scampered in on a quarterback draw and they end up
taking a seventeen to ten lead. That next drive, Man,
that that place was loud. They were trying to make
things tough on us. Then on the you know they
stop hutchetson on the screens, not Second and Long, And
I just remember Second and Long we didn't do much.
It's third and Long now and that place is absolutely
(43:22):
full throttle. It feels like they're right on top of
you at Baltimore. I feel like in Kansas City's kind
of that way too. It's like a really tight corner
of the end zone and they're both I mean, look
when they're both full throttle, it's boy. I just feel
like Baltimore has this and I know this grittiness and
a griminess to it a little bit more than Kansas City.
(43:43):
I feel like Kansas City, as crazy as this is
gonna sound, I feel like Kansas City's fans can be
a little bit more fair weather.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Things aren't going well for them and they.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Kind of, you know, they're kind of they can be
that way a little bit. Things are going well, they're
front runners. I think with the Ravens, it doesn't matter
what the score is, matter what the time of the
game is. I feel like that fan base wants them
to cut you open and gut you right there in
the field and you know, you know, put your helmet up,
(44:12):
you know, you know to the crowd and they're like, oh,
it's like a gladiator type crowd.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
So I think.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Baltimore is just a tougher place to play in large
part for that reason.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
Okay, never have won there, so one they could do
a better job, and they need to have. The Texans
have beaten the Chiefs twenty nineteen. Patrick Mahomes got them
up there, possessed the football.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
We all saw the game together. That was the regular season.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
Yeah, and what I remembered about that mark about that
game was how quiet that crowd really was in the
fourth quarter when they should have been on it. They
should have been making life miserable for us as a
line of scrimmage on offense, and they just were not.
They were not, And I think Baltimore would have been
that way.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Yeah, Baltimore would be right on top of you. Okay,
A couple of minutes left flag football NFL players. Look,
I'm all for it as as promoting the game. And
you know NBC wants this too, Yes, you know they
want to show NFL players participating in flag football. I
just think, and you and I have talked about this,
it's a different sport. There are elements, of course. I mean,
(45:14):
the NFL athletes are supreme. I found it almost amusing
that the NFL said the International Pathway players can play
for their own country. But a lot of these International
Pathway guys are big dudes. You know, they're tackles, they're
defensive tackles, they're defensive linemen, they might be linebackers.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
They're not playing flag football. Flag football is not like that.
This is a speed game. This is speed.
Speaker 1 (45:39):
This is corners and receivers playing, and that's almost it.
That's almost all you got. The quarterbacks have to be
able to move like crazy. You cannot have a pocket
passer in flag football. You got to have a guy
who avoid that patam rush. He's got to be able
to move. So I just think it's going to be
interesting to see how you work them in. And I
(46:00):
know that, look, somebody's gonna get hurt. I hate to
say it. Somebody's gonna get hurt, and the first guy
gets hurt, it is going to be a monster story
and a lot of talk about why are we doing this?
Should we be doing this? And I just feel it's
gonna go that way. But I get it. This promotes
the game the best it could possibly be promoted, Dream
Team style.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
Yeah, and look what happened after the Dream Team went
to Barcelona ninety two. The explosion of the game geographically. Yeah,
I don't know that that can happen with football. It's
a little different dynamic.
Speaker 2 (46:34):
It can help flag football.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
I think it could absolutely create a situation where flag
football becomes more prevalent in countries overseas. And then maybe
out of that you get two three players that go
through the Pathway program that end up being played because
they've been introduced to it.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yep, more so than what they have been now. So
maybe it has that impact.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
But I'm with you the guys that play look, flag football,
tackle football. It might end in football. There are completely
different games.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yeah, And we'll talk more about this as the weeks
go on and as the years go on, because the
Olympics aren't for another what three years, twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
All right, that's going to do it for the show again.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
Frank Ross's Coaches Cuts event Coach Rosscuts dot com to
learn more and donate, June sixth at Covenant House. And
we want to thank you for being on the show
tonight Tomorrow night. Chris Clark, former Texans offensive lineman. Among
other things, owners meetings review, it's all happening tomorrow. Thanks
for listening. Area forty five coming up, Go Texans.
Hello, Texans, Welcome to the program, and we got a
big one for you tonight in just a few moments.
Frank Ross, special teams coordinator for your Texans. We had
him on a few weeks ago, but we're having him
on again because why not. He's awesome and he's got
a big event coming up too that you want to
hear about.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Also.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle wrote about the brock
Purty extension earlier this week. What that might mean for CJ.
Stroud heading into the twenty twenty six season. Can we
not get ahead of ourselves, please? We got twenty twenty
five coming up and we got to worry about that
one day at a time. But a lot of stuff
about the AFC South, Jonathan's thoughts on the schedule, the
(00:37):
flag football Olympic participation, Johnny and I will get into
that a little bit later, but let's get into this.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
We mentioned Frank Ross.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He's got an event coming up called Coaches Cuts, and
you find out about this. It's gonna be June sixth
at Covenant House. Coach Rosscuts dot com for more information
and to donate as well, because when you hear about
what coach Ross is doing and the effect he has
on others' lives. You might want to be a part
of this. Coach rosscuts dot com. So let's get into it.
(01:08):
Our visit in studio with Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross
in studio with us, and he's here for his weekly show.
It's not really a weekly show, but Frank Ross, Special
Teams Coordinator, we wish it was a weekly show because
we love visiting with you.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He's going, Frank, Oh great, let's do that. Can we
do that? Let's do the show.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We're signing the tam right here until Special Team starts
to fall a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
That way.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
We we love you at studio, but we love you
doing that more than anything else.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Fair.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It won't be all back. He can handle it. I
mean we could, and we know you could. We just
don't put too much on your plate. Oh good, whatever
you guys need. I mean, listen, Coach one time through
Kenny Lofton at me. I was walking by and he's
like yonas return, He's like, I want you to be
like Kenny Lofton, John Harris, you hear that. I'm like,
he's dropped Kenny Lafton on everybody.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
And then I did a Ricky Henderson who did kind
of some preluting. Here have Ricky Henderson T shirt to
give out to one of my special teamers at some
point this year.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Then I have to explain who Ricky Henderson was going
to say, explain Ricky.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, that's us, though, Rank We were ready on the
except to explain who Sinatra is to your players sometimes, right, Okay,
we'll get it to that. We'll get it to that.
In fact, let's let's go there right now. Coaches Cuts,
Covenant House, right June sixth, Yes, tell us about the event,
and this is something you've done before, but you keep
expanding it, coach, and tell us what it's about.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Yeah, thanks for allowing me to come in and talk
about this super near and dear to the heart and
something that's grown. It's grown with the Texans and you know,
the Houston community.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
But honestly, this is really cool.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
June sixth, we will be hosting the fourth annual Coaches
Cuts event at the Covenant House brand and they have
a literal brand new. They just did their ribbon cutting
to their new campus in Montrose, which is a fifty
five million dollar building that now can howse don't quote
(03:02):
me exactly, but up to two two hundred and fifty individuals.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Their experience and homelessness. Wow.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And the key with Covenant Houses they're eighteen to twenty
four year olds, so it's a youth population that they
can intervene from A to Z. Really helped to get
them on their feet and hopefully divert them from a
path of you know, a lifelong struggle and divert them
onto a situation that can hopefully lead to a successful
(03:30):
life in the community. So we're going to be there
doing the fourth annual Coaches Cuts, and I couldn't be
more fired up about that.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Coach, go back with us, if you don't mind to
when you actually started cutting hair, what what that was
all about? And obviously it's gone into this incredible event
that you have now done for a number of years.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
But where does it where does it go to? Where
did you start doing this?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
So Car, it comes and starts from a place of
absolute frugality and cheap Frank.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So I'm a freshman.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I'm a freshman in college and I had cut hair
doing the summer cuts at basketball and football camp in
high school. But freshman year, walk on to campus in
two thousand and six, and they said it was gonna
be seventeen dollars for a haircut.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I said, nope. I went over to the Walmart.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
I grabbed a set of clippers, and I taught myself
how to cut my own my roommates, and then on
Tuesday nights it turned into the common area in the
dorm rooms was a barbershop, and I made my spending money.
There was your nil money, mynil money. It was two
thousand and six. Nil money was coach's cuts. Starting in
the lobby of the dorm rooms.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Okay, so I got a hairstory Biggeres way way back.
But we had a buddy of ours. A buddy of
ours had cancer, and so we decided we were gonna
shave our heads. Before we did that, we were gonna
do all these crazy haircuts. And we had a buddy
that was like, I don't trust y'all. Did you have
teammates that took a little while to get them to
trust you to cut in?
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Hare?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Gotta do some trust earning along the way. When you
get to a status. When the head coach, my my
college head coach reg escaped Italian a front, I need
you to need to cut my hair.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I cut his.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Hair sitting in his in his office, in his office chair.
I cut his hair, and he had the kind of
the seventies like little poof to his hair. And I
used the scissors in the whole deal. So I had
a nice little reputation going.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, because there's a difference between cutting hair the way
you wear it right now, which.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Is straight, standard, high and tight. Yeah, yeah, pretty, I'm
pretty easy, and then the layering effect that others might
like or whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I mean, you get coach wrong, he's gonna take away
your target. That's right, that's right. You gotta bet, you
gotta get him.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
So we we we grew it along the way.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I got to a point where I was cutting coaches
and players in the locker room, even in the NFL.
I cut the whole staff on my whole team. I
cut everybody, including the head coach I cut. I still cut.
I cut Scarry's hair the other day, I cut the
gen You know, it's it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I think that's just austworthy, that's just the number five
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Right, there's some there's some things that I would recommend
go to somebody else, But I got the standards down.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, wait, you're self taught though, self taught, self taught
by sound.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
You just go off the same amount, take off the
same amount, same amount, check it out, same amount, same amount,
same amount.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Change.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
That's how I do it. Oh my yeah, I couldn't
think about two of my own. I mean, my hair
is the whole mess. Anyways, I couldn't think about that.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh yeah, Johnny in the chair.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I'll never the first time I found out you cut hair.
I'll never forget. It was your first year here and
you're walking on the the hallway and we got to
do each other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
But you said to me, hey, did you get haircut?
I was like, it wasn't like hey.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
John, how you doing? Or Hey, what's going on? You know,
hey what do you think about? Put team is like, hey,
you get haircut? I was like I did as a
matter of fact. And so that's when, you know, coach,
and I've always wanted you to be able to.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Do it because I don't want to pay seventeen bucks.
There you go, there, there you go.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
No.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
I I regularly and routinely I comment on people's hair,
but hopefully they don't take offense.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Oh nice cut. Nice you know I noticed it too much,
but drawn to it.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, So people at covet in the house are going
to get their hair cut by you and somebody to
or is it just you cutting the hair?
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, I'll give you the rundown. So good at the event,
coaches cuts and it's great. We're becoming working through it,
but becoming an official, an official nonprofit. We've kind of
got some tax free status at this point. We're working
through it. We provide a lot. Last first couple of
years we did at the Star Hope. Then we were
off site and we went to a local barber shop,
(07:24):
Empire Studios, which is Julian Diaz. And these barbers that
come in and cut our players hair are the These
are the best of the best and they cut all
the players and really a bunch of other professional athletes
around town. I mean they come with me. They've been
with me for going on this fourth year, so we'll
all go down there. But it's it's grown. So the
(07:44):
great part about Covenant House is there's females in the
population that are currently in the in the campus, so
we're going to be able to provide We've done some
limited metal care and dentistry work before this year we're
going to be able for the ladies to provide something again.
This whole thing stems to, man, can we make you
feel good today and then just get your day going,
(08:05):
give you a little boost and really hopefully you stem
that into something else. But for the ladies, we're gonna
do some manicures from the Houston Community College. They're gonna
come over and provide some nail text to do some
fingernail painting and things like that Oasis spawled down in Periland.
They're gonna come up and they're gonna do many facials
(08:26):
for the ladies and give like a little a basic
massage there and really lift some spirits of some people
that probably don't get pampering very often. And of course
we provide some Italian food. We do a great job there.
We do all Garden comes over with us. We do
a whole thing there, and man, we'll get the Sinatra
going and really lift up a really good atmosphere for
(08:49):
a nice evening.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Then the players will be there chopping it up. It's
it's an incredible situation.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Is it only Sinatra? Or will you expand the repertoire
a little bit?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So when I'm cutting in the locker room.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
It's strictly Pandora Radio station, strictly Sinatra. Yeah, and then
when we play it that we'll mix it up a bit.
We'll get some good vibes too. I know you don't
do it for this. I know you do it because
well we know you. I mean, you're an unbelievable individual.
You do it for the betterment of those people that
are involved. But has there been a moment over the
(09:20):
last few years where you're just like whoh man, Like
it's just you know, somebody saying thank you, were giving
you a hug or whatever it might be kind.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Of the response to you, you and your guys doing
what you do for them.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah, it's incredible to be Cutting hair is a very
true service industry.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It is a it is me hands on to another
human being.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
And I think when you get those life experiences, nobody
is immune to feeling that raw emotion. And I it
doesn't matter how many times.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
You experience it.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
You know, my mother she kind of ingrained helping growing
up and grain some of this spirit into me. I'm
now in a place where it's kind of being cool.
It's turned into something that it's embraced a little more
and so thankful for that. But go in there regardless
of this person's status which doesn't matter, or this person's
status which doesn't matter. You're just in there to talk
(10:11):
shop and give somebody a haircut. And when you hear somebody's,
especially in this population story, yeah, it makes you realize
real quickly how lucky you are one and how much
you want to just help more for somebody who doesn't
have it as good as you.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And then you know, we'll go from there.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
My mother Barbaras, she's you know, she's wonderful and truly
an inspiration.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
But she has this great idea that.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
We could one day provide an end to somebody's situation
and endgame of can we get them a scholarship to
go to a barber college, get an appoint get some
employment with a trade of going to cut hair for
the rest of your lives and having a.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Good life after that. And I think that would.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Be an incredible thing if we can get that accomplished
one day.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It's a good gig. Yeah, it's a good gig. A
lot of people do well with it, no question about that.
What's the player reaction when they learn that you do
this sort of thing.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, some some kind of you check back before and
like got their you know, one of those numbers. But
the players came and they come and they enjoy it too.
They see me kind of in a different element, and
I think that that's that's special. It also helps, you know,
with the player coach bond and seeing guys like Aziz
as Shaira who have been through circumstances that most of
us have not, and he's been through it. He's in there,
(11:36):
you know, taking people under his wing and just helping
somebody experience a good day on that during that event,
and the players seem to really enjoy it, and I'm
thankful for those guys who participate on with me.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I have to ask you this because I think the
first time I saw you really coaching the team was
during this time of year and we had one of
the big monitors out there. It's like this huge flat
screen or something. Yeah, not describing it properly, but you're
demonstra you're showing the guys something, and I thought, he's
a teacher. You know, he's a coach. He's a teacher.
How has your style of teaching and relating to the
(12:08):
players evolved over the years, if at all it's the
same time, this is the way that works, or what
have you added to it or taken away or.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Whatever awesome question.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
View myself as a teacher every day and just the
subject material is football. Like I'm a teacher first, the
fun part of my job is to find out how
to have fifty three different sets of ears that learn
differently getting them on the same page.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Great.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So my teaching needs to reflect that and I need
to make sure I'm accommodating each different learning style. So
to be a good teacher, you got to understand your
audience on who is learning in what ways. So big
into the demonstrative emotions and me getting out and doing
the physical. I always make sure, like a little thing
I do. If I'm coaching you here, you're looking at me,
(12:57):
but I'll turn around this way because this is our
right hand and i want you to see it if
you're facing that way.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Yeah, you know, just little things to be precise. We've
used the video screens to class on the grass.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Before, like that class on the grass on the grass,
and just to just do some different you know media
as well as you know real time movement with football
and keeping it.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
You know, different elements to to to teach with Frank.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I was thinking about you during the rookie mini camp
because there are a lot of times when rookies set
foot on our campus, they may have never played special team,
may have never been a gunner, they may have never
been a protector on punt team. I'm watching Woody marks,
and I love Woody what he's done a lot throughout
his career. I don't know how often Woody was the
(13:48):
wing on punt you know, on punt protection. So now
you've got all these guys that have never played special
teams and you're basically introducing it to him for the
first time. What's that experience like, not only for them,
but for you to really kind of take it back.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
To the basics, for the back to the basics. So
first off, I got to find your baseline. And obviously
I've we've met with these guys. It's not like David
want we show up, don't know who you are. But
there's there's going to be an introductory level of fundamentals
and you're going to have that progression plan of teaching
from different points of view, like you know, all right,
(14:24):
I'm gonna make.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
It relatable for Woody Woody.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
This is past protection against a Blitzeen linebacker, and we
need to stay inside out as an example, right, a
super genuine generalized example right there, But try and make
it relatable and then we don't let them. You know,
the other part is with those specific cases, there is
a total blank canvas, so you only know how to
do it, quote unquote coaches way by my way, because
(14:48):
you don't have a bunch of other experience, quite different
than a free agent that you sign who's played elsewhere
for three years in a different system.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
So everybody's different.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
The rookie a lot of progression plan teaching start to finish,
and you know, you're trying to fast forward their learning
quickly to get them up to speed. But a lot
of those guys really don't play a lot of kicking game.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Some do.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Some you got to go digging back to tape from
you know, twenty twenty or twenty twenty one. You know,
when they just stepped onto their college campus and now
it was probably at another university. Right, they've transferred three
times since, so hit the portal. So like you gotta
do some digging, Yeah, you gotta do some projection, You
gotta do some looking at like, Okay, does that movement
(15:32):
skill set even though it's not it's on offense or defense, Like,
does that fit what I'm going to ask?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You know, what type of tackler are they? As a safety?
What type of coverage player are they? You know what?
Do they have instincts and ball skills as a dB? Great?
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Can he go down a punt as a gunner in
the plus fifty territory? So you do some of that,
but when you get here, you're a blank slaton. Yeah,
we're gonna We're gonna build him with a strong foundation
and grow up from there.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
So we see offensive defense practice sit situational work all
the time special teams. It's a situation every time, every down.
And you do have those end of game situations too.
Then we have one at the end of the Colts
game twenty twenty three finale, just kill the clock. The
safety is that you don't have much time to practice
that kind of stuff. Some of that must be drawn
(16:18):
up in the dirt. Okay, you do this and that
and the other thing. Tell us about those.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
We'd like to think we're prepared on its as much
as we can be.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
It's a little street ball and everything, right, go play ball,
but no, there nothing can.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Be exactly precise.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Just like the red zone offense, like they're gonna have
they're gonna practice from the one yard line. They're gonna practice,
but there's gonna be a twelve yard line where you're
kind of in that Noman's like those are going to happen,
So you cannot prepare for everything. Truthfully, the special teams
nuanced situations have lessened a lot with the new kickoff.
(16:56):
For example, how are you gonna play the end of
the half kicks? There used to be used to see
deep squibs just to get the ball bounce in. They
can't set up a beautiful return track and catch it
on the fly. Maybe the fullback returns it instead of
the deep the deep return man.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
So those are gone. One second bunt, you know, just
all of those. They're kind of eliminated in a way.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
They've changed going into this year. Can I talk about
man I talk about the new kickoff stuff? Yeah, absolutely
so going into this year, right, you cannot on side
kick until the second half, right, Okay, So at the
end of the first half and there's you know, seven
seconds left, go ahead and kick a touch back. They
have the ball on the thirty five like they can
(17:43):
get one play and then shoot a long field goal.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah, So you have to kick off and you have
to kick it in the field to play if you
want to if you elect and want to run time,
so like there's no put the ball on the ground
and just let some time burn off. You have to
land it in the landing zone and get So all
of those are the new nuanced situations. How you're going
to burn out those last call it fifteen seconds of
(18:06):
a half. So you know, we ended up the twenty
twenty three season regular season on Week seventeen with a safety.
We practiced that intentional safety from you know, really backed up.
That happened from twenty two yard line. It was pretty
cam Johnston had to run and he almost and we
(18:26):
still had to kick off after that. If you remember,
you remember what happened on that one second? It was
one second. He we couldn't burn one more second. But
you teach the punters like you're not a ball carrier,
don't even take a hit and work risk fumbling that
ball right like that would be the biggest man.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So we kicked off with one second left. You remember
what happened. It was lateral, lateral, and then we got
a takeaway big right there. That's Begs that Henry. I
think Henry came up with the ball. That's right. They
were doing hopped out. That's a kickoff takeaway. I don't
know what you're looking at. Yeah, there's my bonus.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Awesome on side kicks, yes, and the potential changes of
what can happen. I think we all you know, it's
onside kick situation. I mean it's I don't know what
the percentage chance has been lately, it's been maybe like
ninety percent. You were going to get it right. Do
you think some of the changes that have been talked
about Frank might generate a couple more or a few
more hope in the on side kick again?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Yeah, you know, the thought is that they're going to
move the kickoff team up about one more yard where
their front foot is on that yard line. We'll see
what the final end up ruling ends up being after
the owners meetings, and hopefully that gets what everybody's looking for.
Keeps the onside kick pure, It allows for an uptick
in chance.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
For recovery just because the coverage.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Team is down there one step earlier, so that bang bang,
maybe that jar that ball jar is loose a few
more times results in some more recoveries, and they're they're
still restricted by formation restrictions and alignment that you have
to be to.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Say, satisfy the rules five by five.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
They don't want any looping overloads for safety reasons.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
So you know, we'll see what it ends up being.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But I think I do think just by moving up
a yard, if that's what it ends up being officially,
that that'll end up scoring a few more recoveries.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
We'll see.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
There was some crazy stuff with onside kicks. When you
look back at the day guys who would loop over
you got ten guys on the side. I mean, just
all the things that you used to be able to
get away with. If the outside kick in college, you'd
have like a five yard run up before the guy
could kick it them like somebody was getting blasted with that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
But I always hated that onside kick for that.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
You should hear they said, special teams coaches go figure
this out. NFL down, so special teams coaches get together.
You should hear some of the ideas that come out there.
Oh yeah, man, we're gonna start it five yards. We're
gonna start it five yards on the minus scrim has
been the kick will be behind Joe. You know in
the kickoff return zone. Every quarter you have to take
(20:53):
a player out of the return area and get less
and less like there.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
There's been some wild ideas. Wow, it's still all about
the kick though. You need a really great high hopper
or whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Pace matching, the timing when your coverage team is down there.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I don't care what type of kick it is.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Whether it's the spinning sideliner we called out a chop,
whether it's the you saw it a lot more, which
was the spike.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
You used to see that all the time.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because that allowed when you had a
running start, enough time for you to get down and
get a big impact hit on the and the balls
already hit the ground. Yep, exactly, and balls already hit
the ground. That's the thing in college, you tell them
day one, the college kids, the receivers that are on
there's no fair catching on kickoffs.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
If it hits the ground, you.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Cannot fair catch the ball. So all right, coach, thanks
all for joining us. Best of luck with coaches.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Cuts.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Can I can I give you one one more thing,
Yeah do it. I want to say thank you to
Christina and my wife. She is powering this whole engine
on Coaches Cuts when when you know, I'm at work today,
she's out hitting the costcos and the Sam's Clubs and
buying all kinds of you know, basic essentials and socks
and underwear and T shirts for all these people that.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
We're going to be serving. And so thanks Christina for
all your help. That is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
All right, great move to thank the wife, awesome cortant Yes,
go Texans. Thank you Christina, Thank you guys, appreciate it.
We could spend hours talking with Frank Ross. An interesting guy,
so much to share on and off the field, great
topic stuff and that Coaches Cuts event coming up June
sixth the Covenant House. Coach Rosscuts dot com for more
information and to donate to be a part of this thing,
(22:29):
Coach Rosscuts dot com. Go there learn more about the
event and possibly donate. Check it out from Special Teams
coordinator Frank Ross. Coming up, Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle.
Let's dig into the topics of the day on the NFL.
Jonathan's thoughts on the schedule and much more coming up
on Texans Radio.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Back to it here on Texans Radio.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Mark vandermir and John Harris with you in the Hyundai
Texans Radio studio. But joining us on the line now
is Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle. And Jonathan, this
is an interesting week. You got owners meetings going on.
We have yet to get outside and see the vets
operate for the Houston Texans, and we have a lot
(23:10):
to look at. We have a lot to talk about,
but let's start here. Has anything that's happened in the
AFC South regarding the Texans, Jags, Colts, Titans, whether it
be draft, free agency, any relatively recent stories affected your
opinion of how this division is going to shape up.
I know that you're not going to move the Texans
(23:30):
off the top spot, but what about the other three teams?
What are you thinking now that we have some water
under the bridge here in the offseason and you kind
of get a little bit of a better feel as
to how things might play out or at least projection anyway, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I saw a story.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
I mean, this didn't change my opinion, but I did
see a story where there was one I don't know
if it was the opinion of one person, but they
thought that the Jaguars might win the division. I don't
believe that, and that didn't change my opinion, but it
did force me to think, Okay, Jacksonville's probably as long
as Trevor Lawrence stays healthy, they're not going to be
(24:09):
a however many wins they had last year type of team,
they should be in the seven to eight nine range teams.
So I think there'll be a competitive team this year.
So that did change my opinion. I don't think they'll
be horrendous. I think as long as you have Trevor Lawrence,
should give yourself a chance to be pretty good. But
(24:31):
I still think the Texans are the kreml and cropping
the AFC Soulton and it's going to go through Houston
this year. Those teams, like the Colts are going to
have to go through Houston if they want to win
the division.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
PFF did an article Jonathan.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
It was essentially division winners that are most at risk
of not winning the division again, and as they teased it,
they were like Lions, question mark, Eagles, question mark, Chiefs
question mark, which division winner from last year do you think?
(25:04):
And in the AFC it was Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Texans.
In the NFC, it was Eagles, Lions, Bucks.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
And Rams.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Of those eight, which one do you think is the
most at risk of not winning the division in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 5 (25:28):
Yeah, I think it's easily the Lions.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
I just think that division itself is loaded with talent,
whether you're talking about the Vikings, whether you're talking about
the Packers or even the Bears, who got new coaching
Ben Johnson, who I think you know, has added a
lot of talent to that team and perhaps some help
to Caleb Williams. I just think that is going to
(25:53):
be a highly competitive division this year, as long as
the key players for each of those teams stay healthy.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
Now you wonder about JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
This is technically his first year after he missed all
of last season with the injury. But if a team
can help Sam Donald look as good as he did, that,
I'm sure they can allow, you know, help this rookie
JJ McCarty come along. I think the Lions are going
to have the toughest time, especially given the fact that
they lost two of their top coaches. It always takes
(26:22):
teams some adjusting when they lose to their offensive and
defensive coordinator in the same year, like we saw with
the Eagles a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
I see your NFC North and raise you the NFC
West because I think it's the Rams that are in
the most danger of not winning their division because Seattle
is a good team, and I know they have Donald
Down's Aposta Gino Smith, and that might be a deficit
for them. I know Donald played great last year, but
you know he doesn't have Kevin O'Connell's great taken the
(26:54):
best coach of the league.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Who did that list?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Greg Roose on JP Acosta the NFL Podcast, And the
Cardinals could be better the Niners.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Maybe they get healthy and better.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
But anyway, Jonathan, in between last time we visited and
this time the schedule was released, So your general takeaway,
what was your gut reaction, as Johnny would say, to
the release of the Texans schedule, what do you think?
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Yeah, looking at the schedule, you know, I don't think
it's not as difficult of a schedule as you know,
I initially thought it would be kind of coming in.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
You look at their opponents and even their tough games.
Speaker 6 (27:30):
Yes, so they have tough games to schedule Ravens, Bills, Chiefs,
Rams to start a season, but those games are spread out,
Like you know, last year you felt like a lot
of those games were clumped together.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
They had a lot of.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
Their primetime games like back to back, and then of
course the big guntlet with the Chiefs and the Ravens
and the Dolphins. This year, aside from the Bills game
and the Colts and the Ravens being back to back
to back, most of the games are pretty are pretty
spread out. And when I did my schedule prediction, you know,
(28:05):
I can see the Texans struggling kind of early on,
but really going on a stretch later down the season
and playing some of their best football late in the year.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, it would be fun if they're playing.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I mean, if they get to a point where those
last four games are in play for seeding or division whatever,
and you get three out of four of them at home,
that's pretty nice. I don't know why I keep basketball PFF,
but I've saw a couple of things that really kind
of triggered my my thoughts, and this one actually kind
of triggered more anger in a sense, because PFF did
their best players, their top ten players under twenty five
(28:35):
the age of twenty five, okay, and I had to
look it up to make sure that I didn't miss something.
But Derek Stingley Junior is only twenty three, right, whoa,
he's twenty three?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, yeah, he's not twenty five.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
He's not listed in the top ten players under twenty five?
Is he on the list anywhere? In fact, yes, he
is on the list. In fact, though he is not
even the best corner listed. They have Trent McDuffie listed
at number five as the best corner. If you pulled
one hundred coaches and said, take McDuffie or Stingley, which
one do you think they're taking? Now you know me,
(29:08):
I love McDuffie. I'm a huge McDuffie guy. But they're
in eighty I mean eighty nine to ninety percent of
the coaches are taking Stingley over McDuffie. So anyways, point
being well, Anderson Junior is at number seven. He is
the second edge rusher behind Jared Verse. So I ask
you this, Jonathan, what is Derek Stingley's twenty twenty five
(29:31):
look like?
Speaker 2 (29:32):
And I asked that because there are a lot of expectations.
He did somen to be contract.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Is it gonna get to a point where teams are like, no,
we can't, We're not thrown at this guy this. Do
you think he's kind of reached that that kind of
Stingley Islands status where you're just not throwing at sting
You think that teams are gonna still challenge him. What
do you think kind of the ceiling is for Derek
Stingley Junior in twenty twenty five? Again, as you mentioned,
as long as he stays healthy.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Wait before I answered that, you said, well Anderson Janey
was behind Jared Versus.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah, Jared Verse six will answer junior number seven.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We might should throw that that list in the trash. Yeah,
you know, I don't. I don't agree.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
I don't agree with any of those. I think Jared
Versus a great player, but I don't think he's better
than Will Anderson. But all right, so to your question,
I think Stingley could be in for another huge year.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
He got paid, he has the pressure of that office back.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
You know, we have been seeing the potential of Derek
Stingley coming out all the way back to his second
season when he had those five picks in those twelve games,
and you just knew it was a matter of time.
If he stayed healthy, he was going to put it
all together. And he finally stayed healthy his third year,
and I think if he continues to stay healthy, I
(30:45):
think he's found the formula. And I do think teams
will avoid throwing his way, just like teams avoided throwing
Patrick Surtain's way, and that'll be a benefit because the
Texans have another corner on the opposite side who is
very talented, and they won't know what to do. But
I think Derek Seeing is one of the best individual
(31:06):
players I've seen in a long time, and he is
going to be as long as he stays healthy.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
That's his big thing.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
You know, he was born to play football, and I
think he's showing it out there.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle joining us. You wrote
a story about brock Perty's contract extension and what it
could mean for CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Stroud.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Jonathan, So tell me, I feel like, am I right
or wrong about this? This is going to be a
number we've never seen before. Probably if Stroud has I
don't even think he has to match the rookie season productivity.
Somewhere between season two and season one if he puts
that up in season three of the team has another
ten to eleven wins season and has some playoff success
(31:51):
some playoff success, we're looking at a number that we
might have never seen before.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Yes or no.
Speaker 5 (31:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
I think regardless of how he plays, he's going to
get huge contract and be top five highest paid player
in terms of average per year. But I think if
he has a good season better than me at year two,
then he'll most likely either get close to Dak prescott
sixty million per year number or be right under it.
I definitely think he'll pass Trevor Lawrence at fifty five million.
(32:20):
I think the Texans plus that'll be two years removed
from when he got that contract, and he his agent
drives a hard bargain. He helped David Mullagetta, helped Derek stinglely
become one of the highest paid players, helped Deshaun Watson
get the first fully guaranteed contract.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
So I have no doubt that c J.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
Stroud, regardless of whether he has a fantastic year, will
be one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league.
But if he has a fantastic year, he's going to
probably be inching close to that sixty million per year
number and probably get close. Probably, I think he'll still
be behind Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in terms of
(33:03):
the total value of those contexts.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
Remember Patrick Mahomes has that.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I think he had that ten year deal, so that
his number at forty four hundred and fifty million is astronomical.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Josh Allen signed that six year deal.
Speaker 6 (33:15):
What we've seen recently for quarterbacks coming off that rookie
deal as they signed five year deals, which is what
I would suspect CJ would sign, so meaning he would
be under Allen and Patrick Mahomes in terms of total value,
but that average per year will probably be number two
behind that Prescott if he has a good year.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Jonathan, we had a good time yesterday talking about JP
Acosta and Grey Rosenthal's ranking of the NFL head coaches
on the NFL Daily podcast. So I'm going to give
you a couple of questions in relation to that number. One,
where do you think Demiko right now? They didn't rank
the new coaches, They just had the twenty seven guys
that have at least coached in the NFL before. Where
(33:54):
do you think Demiko Ryans falls in that? Who do
you think is the most underrated head coach in the NFL.
Who do you think is the most overrated head coach
in the NFL?
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Oh? Underrated?
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I think probably the most overrated coach is probably Kyle Shanahan.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Okay, all right, who's the most underrated?
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Most underrated? You can't say. I think Sean mvay is
a great coach, but you can't say he's underrated.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
People really do love him.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
That's a tough one.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
Probably it might be Sean McDermott.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah, good answer, good, good answer. We agree. Actually, yeah,
And where do you.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Think Demiko Ryan Where would Demiko Ryans fall for you?
Just going into year three kind of where he would
fall amongst the ranking of the head coaches.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
I think he's top five, you know, for his for
his first two years. He might be five for his
first two years, to be ten win seasons after what
the Texans had went through.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
He's shown that he's a great coach.
Speaker 6 (34:55):
Now it's time for him to get past that level
of the divisional round. He knows that he's been. He's
been on the record of saying that's that's his goal.
And I think he can really catapult himself if he
does that this year.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
All right, Jonathan, NFL players in Olympic flag football?
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Are you okay with this? What are your thoughts on it?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
I have a lot of thoughts on it, but you
tell me what you're thinking with NFL players being eligible
for Olympic flag football.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
Yeah, I think it'll be cool. From a fan perspective,
I think NFL teams will have a tough time allowing
their players, especially their skill position players, to go out there,
because you can you run the risk of a variety
of injuries from handstring injuries to soft tissue injuries. And
once that first star gets an injury in the Olympics,
(35:46):
then you're gonna have teams probably putting in their contracts
that those players can't play in these games. I think
eventually you'll see that these players don't want to play
in these games after probably the first couple of times.
But I think it'll be interesting for fans, interesting to
see these guys go out and play each other in
flag football.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
I'll look forward to the first.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Time, Jonathan.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
If you were commissioner of the league and you had
to vote, you had the sole remaining vote, it's a
tie on the tush push.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Which way would you lean, get rid of it, keep it.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
I think I might would keep it.
Speaker 6 (36:24):
You know, obviously it's almost an automatic first down, but
I don't think it's so much of a disadvantage.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
I think teams do.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I think that the Eagles have found a way to
perfect it, and now it's on teams to figure out
how to stop.
Speaker 5 (36:38):
But I don't think it's impossible to stop.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, I don't think it's cool to make the team
that just won the Super Bowl. Yeah, you know, penalize thing.
They've learned how to master that thing.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Never liked the idea of that. So we'll just leave
that there. Jonathan, what do you have going on in
the Houston Chronicle.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
Yeah, hopefully this Sunday, you know, working on a story
on Texans second round pick arianta Ursery and hopefully that'll
be out Sunday.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
So watching the Houston Chronicle for that to come out outstanding.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Jonathan, thanks a lot for being with us.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
There's Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle. Always fun to
have him on and coming up. Speaking of fun, Johnny
and I clean up some things that we left on
the table yesterday. Also, I've got a reaction to that
flag football stuff with the NFL players participating. We'll have
that and more coming up. Texans All Access. All right,
getting into our final segment here on Texans Radio, Mark
(37:34):
Vandermre and John Harris with you, and some things we
left on the table yesterday that we did not get
to when we were doing an extended Who's better questions
for Johnny type of segment.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Johnny, are you ready? Are you ready for some of these?
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Let's go, and after this, I'll react to the flag
football situation, all right. More impressive. Now, we talked about
the Ravens, a Texans opponent. We're going to play them
in Baltimore. Never have beaten them with Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Laura blah blah blah a lot about that.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, they have Derrick Henry, as you know, and coming
off a monster year. Monster year in fact, nineteen hundred
twenty one yards was his second best ever in his
career thirty years old. My goodness, but more impressive, more impressive, Johnny,
Lamar Jackson going forty one touchdowns and four picks. Unbelievable,
(38:27):
rushing for nine hundred and fifteen yards, by the way,
Lamar Jackson nine hundred and fifteen yards or Derrick Henry
going for nineteen twenty one and five point nine per carry,
which is the most in his career at thirty years old, basically,
which is more impressive because they're both very impressive.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But what are you more impressed with? I'm gonna say, gosh,
that's hard. That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
The Ravens put out a video showing Henry working out
on this hill.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Oh jeez, not one of these. That just depresses me.
When I see Derek workouts.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
He's it's not just like he's running up the hill.
Probably they're having him carrying. He's got like a chain
behind him with a weight. I think, get thirty years old,
him going nineteen hundred is incredible. That is amazing. I
think that's that's it. I mean, look, Lamar throwing for
forty one touchdowns. If you just said when Lamar was
going into the NFL in twenty eighteen, and we sat
(39:22):
here that night and Drey's texting him from the green
room and we're chatting about Lamar, I don't know that
we ever envisioned him going for forty one touchdowns. I
think he has improved so tremendously, But thirty years old,
nineteen hundred rushing yards.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Yep, when a lot of people kind of left him,
not for dead, but they just thought, Wow, we're on
the tail end of this thing. How bad did he
wanted to go to the Cowboys? Oh gosh, he lives
in Dallas in the off season, he wanted to go
to the Cowboys. As much as I would hate that
kind of success for a team in that market, put
him up there. Put them up there, because I don't
(40:02):
want him in Baltimore, where he makes them so unbelievably
great on offense. Now, all of that, they still to
make it to the AFC Championship, which is incredible that
they did better the year before they had the top seed.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
They made it to the championship. They went out the
same round we did. Yeah, it's incredible to say it
that way, but they did.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
I mean, in a few weeks earlier, beat the doors
off the texts at Christmas Day.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah, it's a team that has not performed exceedingly well
in the playoffs, which is weird. But I just think
there's gonna come a time where it all kind of clicks.
Say Flowers doesn't have a meltdown during a game at home,
in the AFC Championship.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
You know it's gonna click for them. They're gonna they're
gonna win one.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
I watched their behind the scenes draft video, and it's
an organization that is so clear on what it is
that they're looking for. The whole play like a raven thing. Yeah,
Like they are so innately in tuned to what it
is that makes that organization tick.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
It's an identity it is, is it?
Speaker 3 (41:03):
And I think I think we're getting there with the
swarm mentality. I think we're getting there. We're establishing that
we've talked about that.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
But he but the play like a raven thing.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
I think it probably stems from that Ray Lewis time
frame and all that kind of stuff. But man, you
just look up and go, huh he dropped the Malachi
Starks Yeah, figures. And then you watch the video and
it was like those they so clearly wanted Starks, like
they knew that he was the raven kind like he
was a raven kind of guy, and it was just
(41:35):
interesting to watch. But I would say in that scenario,
I still say it's nineteen hundred yards as a thirty
year old, Yeah, Like it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Yeah, this video scared me. But Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Yeah, Well, Derek Henry workout videos are always frightening, But
Lamar Jackson throwing for over four thousand yards and rushing
for nine hundred and fifteen yards, it's definitely.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Say stuff, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Well, Henry's running for almost two thousand, Lamar's running for
almost a thousand. Yeah, that's crazy and throwing four over
four so like yeah, yeah, and forty one touchdown passes.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
It's insane. That's insane production right there. Oh, another one
for you.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Tougher environment at the Chiefs at the Ravens, which is
a tougher environment to play in. I mean, arrowheads, all
that volume, you feel like you're in the lions Den.
You're on the field for both of these things and
multiple times, so you know, I mean, you were there
for a playoff game in Baltimore. I think you have
(42:32):
a better take on these things than I do because
you're feet away from the players and I'm up in
the broadcast booth along with Andre.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
So you tell me what's a tougher environment. I think
that there's kind of this bloodlust in Baltimore. It just
feels like their fans kind of match the intensity with
which they play when that game start, when the playoff
game started going a little sideways, you know, when Lamar
(43:00):
scampered in on a quarterback draw and they end up
taking a seventeen to ten lead. That next drive, Man,
that that place was loud. They were trying to make
things tough on us. Then on the you know they
stop hutchetson on the screens, not Second and Long, And
I just remember Second and Long we didn't do much.
It's third and Long now and that place is absolutely
(43:22):
full throttle. It feels like they're right on top of
you at Baltimore. I feel like in Kansas City's kind
of that way too. It's like a really tight corner
of the end zone and they're both I mean, look
when they're both full throttle, it's boy. I just feel
like Baltimore has this and I know this grittiness and
a griminess to it a little bit more than Kansas City.
(43:43):
I feel like Kansas City, as crazy as this is
gonna sound, I feel like Kansas City's fans can be
a little bit more fair weather.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Things aren't going well for them and they.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Kind of, you know, they're kind of they can be
that way a little bit. Things are going well, they're
front runners. I think with the Ravens, it doesn't matter
what the score is, matter what the time of the
game is. I feel like that fan base wants them
to cut you open and gut you right there in
the field and you know, you know, put your helmet up,
(44:12):
you know, you know to the crowd and they're like, oh,
it's like a gladiator type crowd.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
So I think.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Baltimore is just a tougher place to play in large
part for that reason.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
Okay, never have won there, so one they could do
a better job, and they need to have. The Texans
have beaten the Chiefs twenty nineteen. Patrick Mahomes got them
up there, possessed the football.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
We all saw the game together. That was the regular season.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
Yeah, and what I remembered about that mark about that
game was how quiet that crowd really was in the
fourth quarter when they should have been on it. They
should have been making life miserable for us as a
line of scrimmage on offense, and they just were not.
They were not, And I think Baltimore would have been
that way.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Yeah, Baltimore would be right on top of you. Okay,
A couple of minutes left flag football NFL players. Look,
I'm all for it as as promoting the game. And
you know NBC wants this too, Yes, you know they
want to show NFL players participating in flag football. I
just think, and you and I have talked about this,
it's a different sport. There are elements, of course. I mean,
(45:14):
the NFL athletes are supreme. I found it almost amusing
that the NFL said the International Pathway players can play
for their own country. But a lot of these International
Pathway guys are big dudes. You know, they're tackles, they're
defensive tackles, they're defensive linemen, they might be linebackers.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
They're not playing flag football. Flag football is not like that.
This is a speed game. This is speed.
Speaker 1 (45:39):
This is corners and receivers playing, and that's almost it.
That's almost all you got. The quarterbacks have to be
able to move like crazy. You cannot have a pocket
passer in flag football. You got to have a guy
who avoid that patam rush. He's got to be able
to move. So I just think it's going to be
interesting to see how you work them in. And I
(46:00):
know that, look, somebody's gonna get hurt. I hate to
say it. Somebody's gonna get hurt, and the first guy
gets hurt, it is going to be a monster story
and a lot of talk about why are we doing this?
Should we be doing this? And I just feel it's
gonna go that way. But I get it. This promotes
the game the best it could possibly be promoted, Dream
Team style.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
Yeah, and look what happened after the Dream Team went
to Barcelona ninety two. The explosion of the game geographically. Yeah,
I don't know that that can happen with football. It's
a little different dynamic.
Speaker 2 (46:34):
It can help flag football.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
I think it could absolutely create a situation where flag
football becomes more prevalent in countries overseas. And then maybe
out of that you get two three players that go
through the Pathway program that end up being played because
they've been introduced to it.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yep, more so than what they have been now. So
maybe it has that impact.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
But I'm with you the guys that play look, flag football,
tackle football. It might end in football. There are completely
different games.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yeah, And we'll talk more about this as the weeks
go on and as the years go on, because the
Olympics aren't for another what three years, twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
All right, that's going to do it for the show again.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
Frank Ross's Coaches Cuts event Coach Rosscuts dot com to
learn more and donate, June sixth at Covenant House. And
we want to thank you for being on the show
tonight Tomorrow night. Chris Clark, former Texans offensive lineman. Among
other things, owners meetings review, it's all happening tomorrow. Thanks
for listening. Area forty five coming up, Go Texans.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com