February 11, 2026 • 47 mins
Marc Vandermeer and John Harris debate Texans draft strategy, offensive line needs, and the NFL's defensive era, plus Nick Caserio's full Jim Rome interview. The guys dig into the big picture on this edition of Texans All-Access, opening with a thought-provoking question: What did Seattle's Super Bowl LX win tell us about the Texans and the NFL's future? The answer sparks a wide-ranging conversation about the league's defensive renaissance, why young quarterbacks are struggling to score in the red zone, and how Houston's elite defense positions the franchise to compete for a championship. The duo then plays "Either/Or," tackling the Texans' biggest offseason decisions. Will Nick Caserio stay at pick No. 28 or trade out of the first round again? Should Houston draft a right tackle or sign a veteran in free agency? And which AFC contender — the Patriots or Broncos — should you buy stock in for 2026? John makes a compelling case for accumulating 2027 draft picks in what projects to be a transcendent draft class, while Marc pushes for veteran offensive line help to avoid a rookie growing-pains season at right tackle alongside second-year LT Aireontae Ersery. The show closes with Nick Caserio's full Radio Row interview with Jim Rome, where the Texans GM reflects on winning 13 games, praises DeMeco Ryans' authentic leadership, addresses C.J. Stroud's ball security issues as an aberration, and shares a behind-the-scenes look at Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels from their Patriots days.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's happened?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Everybody, Welcome into a Wednesday ed istion of Texans All
Access from the Unday Texans Radio studio Sean Harris, alongside
the Voice of the Texans Mark Vanderbuy.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
We got plenty for you. Old Later in the show,
Nick Cassio.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Jumped on with Jim Rome, and there's some good stuff
here from Radio Row, which there's an interesting article on
Awful Announcing that talked about Radio Row at the Super Bowl,
which I think is pretty interesting stuff Mark about the
impact of Radio Row, how it's changed over the years,
all that kind of stuff. But Jim Rome had Nick
(00:34):
casarions wef that interview for you a little bit later
in the show because that there was some good stuff
there from Nick. And I know, I say the Patriots guys,
but Josh McDaniels, Nick Cassario, I know those two in particular,
they were huge Rome fans and they used to listen
to Sean on the Smackoff, and that's how Nick has
(00:56):
known of Sean Pendergass, who hosts on Sports Radio six ten,
So that that's how they've known for a long time.
So it'll be good stuff coming from that. But Mark,
how you know by the way.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm doing great and you bring up Jim Rome. This
is an absolute legend. This is somebody who was really
important to the development the emergence of Sports Radio six
ten to become the station it was, I mean, and
it is I should say it was, because what Jim
Rome was was absolutely huge for Houston. He did tour
stops here. He came and did a late in his
(01:30):
tenure on the station stop at the House of Blues,
and it was massive. It wasn't as massive as the
earlier tour stops, but it was still huge. It was
the kind of thing that just wouldn't happen today. So
Rome has been big for Sports Radio sixten over the years,
and Sports Radio six ten has.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Been big for Rome.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
There was a time when I joined the station in
two thousand and two where they thought about again tape
delaying Rome from noon to three instead of eleven to
two because it was just awkward to put shows around
it than eleven or two slot. And I think they
tried it once before I was here, and they said
we're not going to go that way again because they
(02:08):
received so many complaints, including Jim Rome saying bang the Monkey,
which is his way of saying, tell your program director
to not do this. He is the program director in
every market to Jim Rome, but he I don't think
you'll ever have a sports radio host as successful as
he was, again on so many different radio stations, that
(02:31):
full three hour show.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean, that was incredible. That was Rush Limbaugh.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Like in a sports universe, that was Howard Stern, like
in a sports universe, Jim Rome.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
There was nobody else like him.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You know, you could say Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick, all
these guys.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
It's not the same thing. Pat McAfee.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Look, it's a different world now because he's on YouTube.
Started with what did he start with, barb Stool, I
didn't even know, but but he went to YouTube and
then ESPN picks him up and he's still on YouTube
and he's gigantic, of course, but it's hard to compare anything.
It's not apples to apples. Rome was Rome and Rome
is still, you know, big in his own way. And
(03:10):
it's gonna be fun to hear that conversation with Nick.
I've already heard it. You have heard it, but maybe
some of the listeners missed it. So that's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, definitely have it later. In the show.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I remember when Pat McAfee got his first hooks into
the media game, and that was actually with us on
Houston Texas dot Com. He was floating around at the
twenty fifteen combine twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen, one of
those two years, and Deep City was like, I want
to I want to interview him.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
It's like okay, and he was fantastic yep.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And I remember dep getting done and was like, holy cow,
he was so good. He was so complimentary of Houston,
the Texans. Just a really good guy, very fun you know,
huh okay, Pat McFee. And then all of a sudden
he's grown into obviously what he is. He's incredible. I mean,
he's he's on Rome status now and it's funny. It's
one of the ways I always thought a radio show
(04:04):
would be good, and that is you've got Pat McAfee,
but you've have all the other cronies who are brilliant
in their own way, and they all add their own
kind of spin to the show, and they all kind
of play off one another really really well. So it's
more the Pat McAfee team that it is the Pat
McAfee show, which makes it you know, beautiful, but Jim
Rome his team was all callers that called in and
(04:28):
made that show famous and for what it was.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
So, speaking of radio, I was on Radio Tech SAgs
Radio with my buddy David Nuno, your.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Buddy as well.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
He asked me an interesting question that I wanted to
bounce off of you, and I wanted to give it
a Texans slant, if you will, I want to hear
your answer to this, And at first I heard, I
was like, hmm had I had to kind of think
about this for a second, and then I was like, well, okay,
(05:00):
here's my answer. So here's the question. Watching the Seahawks
win the super Bowl the other night, what did you
take from it? And I thought, what did I take
from the Seahawks winning the super Bowl against the Patriots
the other night? What did I take from it that
(05:22):
we could essentially apply to the Texans? And I had
to think about that for a second, and I was like,
here's my answer, Okay, I want to hear it. You
don't and didn't have to have that quarterback to go
win the big game. You could rely on the defense,
(05:45):
special teams in offense just had to do their jobs
without being overly spectacular. It didn't all fall back in
the hands you having to have a Matt Stafford or
a Joe Burrow or a Patrick Mahomes to go win
a championship. As long as the defense was built properly,
the defense played well together, it was unselfish, and then
(06:08):
at the time of contact, they were as dominant as
they could possibly be. And I feel like and then
I followed up with this Mark I said, I think
the NFL, at least for the next couple of years,
is gonna be led by teams that have defenses the
(06:29):
level of Seattle, which obviously we know that we have
one of those defenses.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The Broncos have one of those.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
That you can win a Super Bowl that way, and
maybe it's almost easier to win that way because you're
not paying a quarterback sixty sixty five million, seventy million,
whatever the number is going to be down the road
that you absolutely have to hit on that guy, because
if you don't, that's money poorly spent.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You can't spend on a defense.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
But if you pour it into the defensive unit, you're
not paying anybody on that side of the ball sixty
million dollars. You can go find all the right pieces,
make the plays, and make sure that the offense and
special teams do enough to make sure that they don't
give the game back to somebody that we're gonna win
with defense over the next two or three years. What
(07:14):
did the Seattle Seahawks win over the Patriots? Tell you
as it pertained a the Texans be to kind of
the shorter future of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, my first phrase, the first phrase that popped into
my head when you asked the question was defense wins championships.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
And the old slogan.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Defense win championships, and they've been saying it since the
Stone Age of football, but it became laughable after a
while because we had what was the year with Jared
Goff and Patrick Mahomes and fifty three to fifty and
twenty eighth, all those high scoring games, and you just
felt like, if you don't have that quarterback, if you
(07:52):
don't have Mahomes, Brady Burrow, you have no shot.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
And we always talk about Burrow.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Johnny Buru's been to one Super Bowl, okay, and you
and I were talking about him. The other has trouble
staying healthy, et cetera. But you look at this Super Bowl.
A couple of things. Yeah, you mentioned defense. These are
two defensive coaches, right, These are not offensive coordinators. These
are not wonder Kins who take their teams to the
Super Bowl. These are defensive guys who found a way
(08:16):
to work it out. I mean, Seattle's gonna lose Kubiak.
They got to find a way to work it out.
The Patriots still have Josh McDaniels, who is no threat
to leave as a head coach. What an ideal situation
for them. By the way, they still have McDaniels, who's
a great offensive coordinator, not a good head coach, at
least in his first two stints, and I don't think
he gets another. So good for them. But here's the
(08:37):
other thing you mentioned, Sam Darnold. You don't have the quarterback.
He's with his fifth team and wins the Super Bowl.
And look, give him credit, he played well, but he
led the league in turnovers in the regular season. Then
you have Drake May on the other side year two,
and I'm sorry, Drake May, say what you will. He
had a good regular season, no question about it. But
(08:57):
we all talked about the schedule. We all talked about
how much of this is schedule is just a fortuitous
situation for him, rather than he's the next big thing. Now,
we'll let that one play out, but I'm here to
say it might not play out the way the Patriots
fans wanted to. He might just be an okay quarterback.
(09:17):
Who was the other quarterback in the AFC Championship game, Well,
it was Stidham, But the week before, let's say Knicks
survives that game and ends up playing it's Bo Nicks.
Bon Nicks might turn out to be Dan Marino, but
I don't think he will. So your point is highly
valid here. Defenses can get you there and maybe will
get you there.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
As long as you're hanging there quarterback.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
And with the Texans, I think that's what has everybody's
minds just exploding, headspinning.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
That you had CJ. Strodd with that rookie year, CJ.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Stroud, with the bulk of the games he's played in
his career, just fine, thank you, if not better, if
not elite at times, and certainly good enough to win
with this defense. But you had the worst case Narry
occur in the first half of that Patriots game where
you had four interceptions, and my gosh, it's still hard
to even say and digest and get through.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
But moving forward, you don't give up on him.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
You run it back with this defense, you four to
five where you have to and as I say, run
it back, Look, Jalen Reid, Jalen Smith, you're gonna get
those guys back. You're gonna make the moves that Nick
is gonna make, the Miko's gonna want, and you've improved
the offense, and I think that you'll have a team
that will be there again with an opportunity. I'm not
(10:31):
saying divisional round automatically, but you'll be in the postseason
and you'll have that op to go further. You just
got to execute next time. So that's what I took
away from it. We're in this era. Here's another one.
I'm gonna throw this at you. Were you at all
worried because I was rooting for the shutout the day?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, but I was also worried. The back of my
mind was thinking, what's the league gonna do about this?
Maybe not right away, but the owner's meetings. What's the
conversation going to be. We can't have this. We lost
X number of millions of viewers in this Super Bowl.
We need points we don't like this. That's why we
change the kickoff rule. We wanted to make the kickoff
(11:09):
more active. Yet here we are having this conversation about
this defensive golden age in this postseason and maybe it
lives for a few years.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Why is that?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Why do we have this kickoff situation where the average
drive start is actually better than it's been, Yet we're
still in this defensive era. We get this defensive super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
We can't have this. We need points thoughts.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah, and to add on to that, you've got kickers
making field goals from fifty plus yards more so than
at any time in NFL history. You have teams that
are going for it on fourth down more often to
keep drives alive, and still you're having issues putting up
(11:54):
a lot of touchdowns. I go back to this, and
this is where this will kind of go to my
point here. But I remember when we would have We
had Bill O'Brien in studio with us many times, and
he mentioned this many times, and I always took this
with me. He said that Tom Brady told him that
(12:16):
the last basic hurdle that Tom had to overcome was
being effective in the red zone. Yeah, and you start
to think about it. I mean, think about our defense. Now,
our defense did struggle in the red zone at at times.
There was at one point I think through the first five, six,
seven weeks where we were tied for last in the
(12:39):
NFL right in red zone percentage. It was da give
up points because they weren't there right enough.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Right right right. And you think about our defense.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Just think about our defense playing zone in the red
zone and a quarterback saying, Okay, I've got to a
anticipate what they're going to be in b I gotta
scan to find an opening in the zone and then see,
I've got all these flying tared actles that can get
to any ball. I gotta make sure this ball is
(13:11):
put in the perfect spot at the right time. But
this is a young quarterback that doesn't trust it. And
I go back to Julian Love. There's a great clip
of Julian Love talking about the about Drake May and
the Super Bowl. He was micd up. He's a safety
for the Seahawks. He almost had an interception hit him
right in his shoulder pads. He could hang on, came
(13:32):
to the sidelines. Everybody says, oh, you're gonna get yoursy
you can get yours and he goes I know, I know.
And then he said, classic young quarterback. He gets to
his top step, he knows where he wants to go,
but he wants confirmation that that guy is open. And
then he said, this is not like Stafford throwing blindly.
(13:55):
And I thought it was really it was an insightful comment,
but it proved my point, and that is, you have
a lot of really young quarterbacks in this league.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
A lot.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
If you look around the league, you see there are
a ton of younger quarterbacks that have been in the
league three years or less that just don't have the
confidence of a Matt Stafford to know this is the
type of ball I have to throw in this spot.
Stafford's throwing him a million times. He's confident, he knows,
(14:27):
he knows what he's looking at. You can't fool him.
He knows defenses inside and out. He'll throw blindly because
he knows, hey, what his offense is supposed to be.
B He's done it a million times already, and see
he's got the arm strength to stick it in there.
I think a lot of times the quarterbacks that won't
do that, whether it's red zone or otherwise, they just
(14:47):
don't trust it.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I had.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I showed a throw to you from our game against
the Patriots, and it was a throw that you could
argue CJ has made a million times, but in this case,
he just didn't pull the trigger on it. Maybe he
didn't think it was gonna be there, didn't really have
the anticipation to man make that dag throw to jayde Higgins,
(15:10):
and instead he comes off it too early, checks it
down to the running back, maybe got two yards out
of it, when instead it could have been a big
gain that could have kept the potential touchdown drive alive.
Now CJ has made those throws at times in that game.
Who knows, maybe the snow impacted him, maybe the rush
was speeding him up a little bit. But I feel
(15:30):
like quarterbacks, these young quarterbacks, have not gotten to that
level of confidence of I'm sticking this throw in there.
I know the timing in the pocket. I've been with
my offense long enough that I know where everybody should be.
I've worked with these receivers year after year after year,
so I know they're gonna be there.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
I can trust them. I mean, think about it.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
We got ten new head coaches, so that means offensive
coordinators are new in those ten spots except for Buffalo,
although they'll be a new offense coordinator, it's same play caller.
But then you had offensive coordinator changes throughout the NFL.
You got offensive coordinators and offensive systems changing for these
quarterbacks year after year after year. And I think that
(16:11):
impacts quarterbacks as well. So I think the confluence of
younger quarterbacks, less experienced guys, changing of offenses, trusting wide
receivers where they're.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Going to be. I just don't know that you have that.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But when you think about the best offenses in the league,
Joe Burrow's been with Jamar Chase and t Higgins.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
He knows where they're going to be. They know where
to be.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
They've been with Zach Taylor since twenty twenty, the Rams
with McVeigh, he's been there since twenty seventeen. He's been
with Stafford since twenty twenty one. So the best offenses
in the league, they've been together for a while. And
then when you have to face the defense like Seattle,
like Houston, you realize the timing, I don't have that
time to throw, and so what do you do? You
(16:56):
check it down, You settle for a field goal. Hey,
we got three out of this, let's kick seven of
these things and we'll have twenty one points on the board.
I think that's really where the change has to be made,
where these younger quarterbacks get more experience, so they're taking
a few more chances, and teams start to learn how
to beat the match coverages that the Texans are playing,
(17:17):
how to beat the coverages the Seahawks are playing. But
they're not there yet. Those quarterbacks aren't quite there yet,
because what are a lot of these quarterbacks. You've said
this a few times, what are a lot of these
quarterbacks doing like Drake May, like Jaden Daniels, When their
first read is dead run, they take off, they run,
they take off, they run, And that's not always going
(17:39):
to be a recipe for touchdown success. And I think
it's gonna come back around. I think it's gonna come
back around. Offenses are gonna start to figure some things out,
and then you're gonna see offenses start to put more
points on the board over in due time. But it's
gonna take a little while for these younger quarterbacks to
(17:59):
kind of grow up and really take the experience and
use it going forward. I mean, Sam Donald eight years
of the NFL, five teams, and he wasn't listening. He
wasn't brilliant in the Super Bowl. He wasn't brilliant.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Twenty twenty five. But he was pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
And you can see that he had made some strides
as a quarterback in the eight years he'd been in
the NFL. And when you think about the quarterbacks in
the NFL, you kind of have this, you know, Mahomes, Allen,
even Donald, Age group, lamar Age group, and then everybody
else's first, second, third year. There are very few that
(18:36):
kind of, you know, fit in between that are kind
of a five year guy that's been around. You know,
maybe Trevor, I guess, is the only other guy. So
I think the offensive output will go back up in
the next few years as offenses start to figure out defenses,
quarterbacks get a little bit more experienced. They you know,
are accustomed to the receivers they're playing with. I think
(18:57):
it'll turn around in due time.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
You know, it's funny because teams get really hung up
on protection, and for good reason. You have to protect
your quarterback and the Texans jumbo line. You see a
lot of teams doing that and that's not a new innovation,
but it's just something that a lot of teams are using.
And you saw that in the Super Bowl as well.
But sometimes I think spread them out, man, spread them out.
You know, the more you spread them out, the more
(19:20):
you get those one on one situations where if you
can capitalize or you get the ball out fast and
you know, you get a little twitch here, you get
a little big play there, and all of a sudden
you're moving the football. And that's the thing, Johnny. I agree,
everything cyclical. It'll come back around again. The key is
predicting how it's going to come back around, what will change.
And I brought up the league because I thought they're
(19:41):
going to dabble in the rules again in a way
the offenses, which they have since the beginning of time
as well. I mean, anybody who played defense back in
the seventies and eighties will tell you it is totally
different right now. I saw a thing about nineties football.
Lawrence Taylor was talking about eighties and nineties football said
it was a war. It was different, and it was
(20:03):
it was different. It was way more physical because they
could get away with more and the concussion situation wasn't
what it is today, and for good reason. Look, you
want to see the protection of players and all of that.
But it'll be interesting to see how this thing evolves
because we are in a defensive era and the fact
that the Texans did so well that they won ten
games in a row, including the playoff win, the fact
(20:24):
that the Seahawks are there with all that defense and
Sam Darnold, the fact that the Patriots looked their defense
wasn't otherworldly at all, but it helped them a lot
in the postseason.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
And the Chargers too. You know what did we say
going into that divisional game.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
With the Patriots. Hey, the Chargers held them to sixteen.
I know they didn't score, but they held the Patriots
to sixteen. We can do that and we can win
by scoring seventeen. If it's the same kind of recipe. Well,
obviously things changed with all the turnovers and everything else
that conspire or went down in that game.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
That was just a really tough one to take.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yep, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Okay, when we get back, it's not either or will
Nick Cassario ruin the draft party again?
Speaker 1 (21:07):
We'll have that and others next on Texans All Access.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Welcome back to this Wednesday edition of Texans All Access,
John Harris and Mark vandmir with you a reminder. How
about tonight Love Volleyball Houston taking on Love Volleyball Nebraska. Yeah,
I love that. Houston versus Nebraska yep for Bank County
Epicenter tonight, seven o'clock. So hoping you're on your way
(21:32):
over there.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
This is kind of a second home opener for Love
Houston because they play at the Barry Center and the Epicenter.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
This is the first match at the Epicenter.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I saw a test match there preseason, kind of like
a preseason game if you will. Yeah, but it's highly
entertaining stuff. I'm headed over there after this highly entertaining stuff.
I mean, you're talking about the best players in the
world in this league, and Houston's really entertaining and they
put on a great show. It's a very easy watch.
It's a fun one. It's not like something. Look, I
(22:02):
love soccer. Sometimes I go to soccer and I'm like,
this is great, except for the soccer game.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I'm kidding. I'm kidding soccer fans.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Don't don't stoke the fire, bit fans, But this is
really fast paced bang bag I mean they are really good.
These are the best players on the planet in this league,
so among the best anyway, and you're gonna enjoy it
tonight at the Epicenter for Ben County.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I am a secret volleyball fan. I love I love volleyball.
I will watch viball on TV. I will watch it live.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I love to watch live the men's game. It's funny
talking to Shelby Coppice, our good friend to the sidelines
for TV. She's like, Yeah, the men's game is all
about power, and I'm telling you it's impressive to watch
that power. But when you watch, when you watch, whether
it's women's college vollyball, I mean high school vollyball, but
(22:56):
professional vieball, I mean it's impressive to watch what they do.
So Houston, Nebraska.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
Because you said Shelby does sideline. Look, she does sideline
for Yes Texans preseason TV.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yes, she's the.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
National play by playofnouncer on USA for the Wednesday night Slate.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
That's amazing strong, I.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Mean that is that is absolutely amazing for her.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yeah, So for Ben County Epicenter, seven o'clock to night.
Love Allyball, Houston, Love villyaball Nebraska. Get out there if
you get an opportunity, and if you see Mark, tell them,
tell him hello, because Mark is always one for that,
all right, It's not for either or. These are always
really fun to kind of bat around. We're gonna start
with a couple of Texans ones and I always love
(23:39):
asking these. I get them myself, so I love to
throw them at Mark to see what he thinks, because
sometimes when it comes to the draft, we think oppositely
signed Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 4 (23:48):
Okay, okay, first one.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Pick number twenty eight, where the Texans are picking right now?
Are the Texans staying pat or ruining the first round
of the party by trading out.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
They are, Oh, this is a good one, because they
did that last year.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
They did kind of got overshadowed at the party itself
by the fact that we had a huge rainstorm blow through,
and that kind of ruled that, i'll put it in
air quotes, ruin the draft party. So by the time
that the pick was traded, it was like, okay, fine,
we'll just do it all Friday night.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Great.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
I almost wonder if Nick is gonna tip everybody off
and say, listen this draft party that that you might
be planning plan it for Friday, okay, because Johnny, you know,
he's gonna pick two or three times on Friday, even
if he holds out of the first round pick. Sometimes
I think, all right, why don't we just make the
party Friday night. We can celebrate the first round pick
if it does happen, and then have at least two
(24:45):
or three picks on Friday night. Because Nick can't help himself.
He's gonna make two or three picks on Friday night.
He loves that second third round wheelhouse.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
So I say, yes, he's gonna ruin the draft party again,
but he might ruin it before it happens, so it
doesn't really ruin it me. We might be able to reschedule.
That's a prediction. I have no idea what's really gonna happen.
Maybe moving up, but that's my pack right now.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
So obviously, I've been in draft coverage for a while
and I'm really really diving into it right now. I'll
be honest, I don't love number twenty eight at all.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I I just don't love it.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
How do you know who's available at twenty eight?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, that's because I've been running right, and I know
what my boards look like, and I know what teams
in front of the Texans are looking for. And I
also know this is not a quarterback draft. And because
it's not a quarterback draft, then all of a sudden,
all those great players that get pushed down in a
(25:46):
quarterback draft are.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Not gonna be there. They're gonna be gone.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Teams are not going to jump in front of the
Texans that go draft a bunch of quarterbacks. Now it
might happen for one team that's it, but this is
not one of those where you're gonna have six quarters taking.
It's not like last year where the Giants wanted to
get up and get Jackson Dart and they gave the
Texans additional draft land Yap to move up to twenty
five and the Texans move out of the first round. Now, Texas,
(26:11):
we're trying to get back in the first round. Didn't happen.
I think it worked out very well because they got
Jayon Higgins and then with that other pick they got,
they got Jalen Smith, who's gonna play a big role.
I think you bring up a great point. Just put
it on Friday, but the draft party on Friday. Most
people like the party on Fridays. Anyways, Yes, you could.
You could celebrate the first round pick if there is one,
(26:31):
And if there isn't one, then your quote unquote first
round pick is Friday night when the draft parties taking place.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
So just make it Friday from now on. They get
Friday from now.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
On, from now on now on, unless unless and God forbid,
you pick way early in the first round.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, right right right now.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
If that happens, it's because we traded somebody, all right.
I don't want it to be because you're bad enough.
Oh no, that high, because there's no way you will
ever match the excitement of drafting Stroud second and then
moving up to get Will. I mean, come on, that
you can't can't happen again, And you don't want it
to happen again, because you don't.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Want to suffer like that.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
To make that happen, to give you that opportunity, all
that had to happen was bad season and historic trade
of your enfranchise quarterback, and I don't want to see that. No, No,
let's just draft late in the first round till the
end of time.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
That means you're doing pretty well.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
I'm with you. And here's the other thing too. I'm
gonna I know, I know this is not going to
go over well.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
But even if.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Somebody wants to move out of they say, somebody wants
to move you out of twenty eight, they want twenty
eight for something. Yeah, I don't care if it's for
twenty twenty seven draft picks. I want twenty twenty seven
draft picks because that's.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
The quarterback draft.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Not saying that we need a quarterback, but that's the
quarterback draft on top of a transcended edge draft, also
a transcendent wide receiver draft. This wide receiver draft, Yes,
twenty twenty seven is gonna be unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Okay, unbelievable. That's good because you're I want twenty twenty
seven draft picks.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
In a In a draft like that, people will overspend
bingo draft capital wise in order. Yes, they'll lose their minds.
They want to move up and take player X. Yes,
oh my gosh, we gotta have them. And here here's
a boatload of picks, Nick, and then Nick can cook
with that in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
I like that, Johnny. So you're saying, if.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
You move down this year, be okay with taking a
two from twenty twenty steps whatever.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
The hell, yes, in addition to other stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
All right, I like that.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
I like that thinking, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
That is exactly what I want the more twenty twenty
seven draft picks. And again for us, my hope is
it won't be a quarterback. And I don't want it
to be a quarterback because CJ is gonna bounce back
and have a hell of a year and that's gonna
gonna be an issue. But you might end up with
a couple of first round draft picks and then you
can package them together and go up and get I
don't know, one of these stud edge rushers, get a
(29:07):
stud wide receiver. There are a lot of things you
can do with these twenty twenty seven draft picks. Okay,
I'm gonna ask you this before I ask this either
or Okay, when it comes to needs for the Texans
as it sits right now, what is your top personnel
need for twenty twenty six?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Well, I have to say it's either right tackle.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Okay, stop right there, That's all I needed, all right,
right tackle. M would you feel more comfortable either drafting
one in the first round if you stay at twenty eight,
or going out and signing a veteran in free agency?
What would you feel most comfortable with doing to help
(29:58):
right tackle? Drafting one in the first round in the draft.
And this is where this is where I will say,
when I've gone through all the different mock draft generations
that I've already done, just kind of getting a feel
for things, tackle seems to be one where I think
we could end up getting a guy at twenty eight
that would be pretty solid Kylick last year, or you
(30:19):
can go out and get one in free agency. I
don't have the list in front of me, but would
you feel more confident with having a veteran you pay
money for to step right in right tackle or getting
that first round rookie sticking at twenty eight and picking.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
A right tackle.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Listen, if I'm going to replace right tackle because Trent
is a free agent, and look, Trent got the nod
over Blake when Trent was healthy, right they came in
Blake's entering year three. How do they feel about Blake?
I don't really know, but I do know that they
weren't starting him over Trent Brown when Trent Brown, at one.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Hundred years old, was healthy.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Now, Trent played well and We all talk about Trent
how big he is, and he was moving people around
and they built the streak around well, not around him,
but he was part of that when they really get
rolling this season.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
So I want to be clear.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I know Titus can play right tackle, but if you
move Titus back to right tackle, now we've got the
guard situation again on the left side.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So what do you do there?
Speaker 3 (31:16):
So it's one or the other to me, Johnny, it's
either left guard, right tackle, or however they want to
configure it. And how do they feel about center? Do
they like Jake? Do they want to try Juice again,
try to Jared again, or go in another direction.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
I don't know. So they got a lot of ways
to go.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
But I want veteran help in here because I loved
having Ursery on this team, and I love having Ursery
on this team moving forward. Great, you went through the
baptism of Tay Ursery at left tackle, but you mentioned
it for the show earlier this week, and you mentioned
it this season. How the Jacksonville game not so good
for him with Josh Heinz Allen having to contain him,
and we saw what Hines Allen did in that game,
(31:50):
and that was lost number three in an zero and
three start, then Nursery really started to get it going gradually.
He's a rookie left tackle. Dwayne Brown went through the
same kind of thing. Whatever, good to go year two.
I know he'll be better in year three and four
than he will in year two, but good to go
year two. I don't want to have to live through
that at right tackle with a rookie. Get me a veteran,
whether it be Titus or somebody else. I need more
(32:13):
veteran help. And knowing Nick okay, I know he tried
it with Robinson last year, but Robinson was really insurance
in case erthree was to work out and then okay, fine,
we'll start Cam Robinson. I know he's not an all
world left tackle, but he's solid and he can hold
it down or whatever. But I'm I'm gonna take the rookie,
and I'm gonna take a veteran and we're gonna go
so Johnny, I want kind of both, but not necessarily
(32:35):
first round tackle guard help all right, depending on what
they do in free agency. If they like go crazy
and I don't have the free agent list in front
of me, or a trade or whatever. But if they
acquire a veteran or veterans on the line, I expect
them to still draft at those positions because that's what
Nick Asari and Demiko Ryans.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Like to do. Yep.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Absolutely like the way. I like the way you put
all that. That was very very good. Okay, AFC Championship game.
Not that I really want to hammer this one home again,
but it was the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.
So in twenty twenty six, you have to buy stock
(33:16):
in one of those teams for the twenty twenty six season,
the New England Patriots or the Denver Broncos. Which one
are you doing, either New England or Denver buying stock
in for the twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Well, there's a team that resides in the AFC West
that will be a factor again, and that is the
Kansas City Chiefs. I don't care who you are, they're
gonna come back and they're gonna do something. You know,
they might not be great anymore, but they're not gonna
be an easy out. You know, ma Homes left the
building and they were an easy out. They'll be back
(33:52):
and they'll have something for you.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yes, they're gonna be maybe not great again, but they're
gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Right. Gosh, we don't play them. Oh, I love this,
I love it.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
But you don't know when Mahomes is coming back. You
don't know that, so that be a pretty big role.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
He'll, you know, dad bod aside. He'll do all the
work I know to get back. And some guys work
out like crazy and they still kind of have a
dad bod. It just doesn't you know, they don't get
as toned as some others do.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So I understand what you're saying about the Chiefs because
impacts the Broncos. And I know I'm going but I'm
just talking about these two teams in particular.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
You gotta buy stock in one of these two teams.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I hate them both so much. I know football hare
just oozes out of me.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
For both of these teams, I would say, Denver, I
believe in the defense more. I don't believe in Bonick's
a ton but I think they'll address the running game.
You know, Dobbin's got hurt really affected them. He's a
free agent now, I think, And it seemed like no
one was talking about that late in the year I'm like,
Dobbins is not there, and that's a big factor for
(35:03):
that team. You know, Harvey's good, but he's a complimentary player.
You need the other guy. So they're gonna have to
figure that out for themselves. But I would still say Denver, Johnny,
even though they play with the Chargers and the Chiefs
out there and the Raiders, I expect them to not
get any worse under Clint Cootiet. They're gonna be a
better football team. I have no idea what the plan
is quarterback, et cetera. The Patriots meanwhile, still a buffalo
(35:25):
to deal with Miami.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Are they gonna be better?
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
They might be dormat city again with the former Boston
College head coach there and the Jets Aaron Glenn.
Speaker 4 (35:37):
How about them hiring Bill Musgrave to coach quarterback?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Yeah, flashback, Yes, that's Marks the Great Sun.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
No, it's Bill Muskgrave.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Mark listened to this.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, Patriots road opponents, Bill's Bears, Chiefs, Lions, Jags, Chargers, Seahawks.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Beautiful, beautiful addition.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
To Dolphins, Jets. Yeah. This this one for me is
the Broncos. There's no question about that, all right, Nick
Casario was on with Jim Rome.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Some good stuff. We'll have that for you next right
here in Texans All Access. Tevin, everybody, Welcome back this
Wednesday Nation at Texans All Access from that Texans Radio studio.
I am your host, John Harris, football analyst, sideline reporter
for your Houston Texans. Glad to be with you as always. Man,
it's been good to be back this week after the
Super Bowl. Back on radio. It's been really, really fun. Now,
(36:33):
last week was Super Bowl Radio Row and Nick Caserio,
second vice President, General Manager your Houston Texans, stop.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
By and hung out with Jim Rome, the radio icon.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Some good stuff in this interview with Jim Rome and
our pound, Nick Casserio, I'm.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Gonna see it right now.
Speaker 5 (36:50):
I don't want to get out in head in front
of my skis, but one of the all time great
radio row weeks we've ever had, and I've done thirty
of these things, one of my favorite moments already and
it hasn't had happening, but I can already say it
is this guy. We are joined right now by the
executive VP and GM of the Houston Texans, wrapped up
his fifth season previously with the Patriots. As you know,
for twenty years, six Super Bowl rings. The Texans won
(37:13):
back to back AFC South Division titles twenty three twenty four.
They have made it to the postseason three straight years.
He is the most accomplished Clone ever. He is the
NTC Nick the Clone. Nick Caserio, My brother, love you man.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
How you doing, Jomi?
Speaker 6 (37:30):
Great to be here, Love you man. Thanks for having us.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Nick.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
When did you get into town?
Speaker 6 (37:35):
About an hour ago?
Speaker 7 (37:36):
So got to the hotel, team right over to the road,
got to the hotel, walked over to take an uber.
It was like twenty twenty five minutes, and it's the
same amount of time to walk. I'm like, I'll just walk,
so it's good exercise.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
For all right.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
So you got you how many steps?
Speaker 6 (37:47):
It was a while twenty minutes, so I'll check my whoops, how.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Are you a ten thousand step day?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
A guy?
Speaker 7 (37:52):
Or you usually go by strain because the woop measures
a strain, So I usually end up between eleven and
thirteen if somewhere in there.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
Okay, try to stay on course, all right?
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Nick?
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Sarah joining us now, I'm not going to ask you
to partake, but twisted tea is one of our big
partners this week. I want to say to you, you
want to know something really twisted. How twisted would it
be if parody Larry, who's on the outside with his
face smashed up against the glass somehow some way got
in and bum rushed us. And by the way, he's
been using your name to try to get through the door.
Speaker 6 (38:21):
Of course he is.
Speaker 7 (38:22):
He might be using my Twitter profile that I don't have,
that apparently is out there as well, so he can
maybe use that.
Speaker 6 (38:27):
So that is kind of twisted, really twisted.
Speaker 5 (38:30):
You know what he's also doing, Like you know, Nick
Casario made up parody Larity, so I think that he
can get me in here so I can go up
on the stage and relived that great moment I had
ten years ago with Rome.
Speaker 6 (38:40):
He's not wrong. Actually I did make up his names.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
Yeah, he's wrong about the rest. He's right about that.
You make up that name?
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Twisted? It is twisted. It is really really twisted. Dude.
See him? Punk came on today? Did you see it?
Speaker 6 (38:53):
Did you see it?
Speaker 7 (38:54):
Yeah? Okay, the best guest of the week. Probably know
you were such a big wrestling fan. All of a sudden, I.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Didn't know you were either, and now that you are,
I am well and are so of course you have
to be.
Speaker 6 (39:06):
I have to know.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
I don't want to be a part of that club.
So to that point, though, you know what he said,
he's never had a drink. Did you see that? Was
that part of the play he said, he's never I go, dude,
you look great. You're forty seven and you're still at
a really elite level and you travel how how he
was number one?
Speaker 1 (39:21):
I don't drink.
Speaker 5 (39:21):
I'm like, you don't drink, or you've never drank. He's like,
I've never drank. Did you know that about him?
Speaker 6 (39:26):
I did not.
Speaker 7 (39:27):
He and I could probably hang out then, so we
probably you never drink. I've had a drink, but I
don't drink. It's probably honestly been a while since I've
playned anything in my body. I mean, my wife and
I maybe have gone to dinner, you know, a handful
of you know, maybe a few years back and made it,
had a glass of wine, but honestly, I don't want
to put anything in my body. And then I got
to get in the car and God forbid something were
to happen. But honestly, I don't have really inkling. I
(39:48):
really don't have any desire to.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
You don't miss what you don't do.
Speaker 6 (39:51):
Not at all. So I have my routine.
Speaker 7 (39:53):
I kind of stay true to it and try to
put in my body what I want to put in
my body.
Speaker 5 (39:58):
As we know, routines and rituals ultimately make us.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
That said, go ahead and have a twisty.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
So I said to see him Punking'm like, so you've
never had a drink, so you'll have a twisty right now?
Speaker 1 (40:08):
Right He's like no, I'm like, but that'd be so twisted, that.
Speaker 6 (40:11):
Would be twisted.
Speaker 7 (40:12):
It probably would infringe on his training. So I'm sure
he's just gonna stay away from him.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
You know what's incredible.
Speaker 5 (40:16):
So we had Joe Brady on this week, and we
have you Nick the Clone, we have Josh who Josh
doesn't come on as much because Josh doesn't come on
as much, but he's still Josh the Clone.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Joe Brady says to me, I didn't know this.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
He's like, did just so you know, Jim, big fan
of the show, listen to it watching him.
Speaker 7 (40:34):
Like, holy crap, do we have a third member of
the group. We might forget about drink. I mean, you
might as well put Eli in there. Yeah right, Eli, dude,
can't forget about him. Dude, he has a golden ticket,
all right.
Speaker 5 (40:43):
So Eli, he may not actually say I am a clone,
But what about Joe Brady, Like, does he have what
it takes to be a clone?
Speaker 1 (40:51):
And I know you're not in the.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
Business of talking about other people and other teams, but
how do you think he'll do there?
Speaker 6 (40:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (40:55):
No, Joe's a really good coach. The fact that he's
a clone probably make him a better coach. But I
mean he's done a really good job honestly with the
Buffalo offense when he was kind of inserted into that role.
He understands the culture, he understands the city, understands the mafia.
So between being part of the Bills mafia and being
a clone, like, he's probably gonna have a good chance
for success.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
I like it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
I love the energy. I love the way he showed up.
We're talking to Nick the clone, Dick Casario.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
Nick.
Speaker 5 (41:18):
I know as much as you love and appreciate the
Jungle because you always point that out.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
And you don't need to, but thank you, dude.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
I know you'd rather be preparing for the Super Bowl
than talking to me right now. When you look back
on the year, you've had a couple of days. Now,
what kind of thoughts do you have?
Speaker 7 (41:30):
Yeah, overall, honestly, I said this kind of after the
Sea's really proud of what we accomplished. So we did
a lot of good things, won thirteen games. We include
the playoff game, you know, which we did a lot
of things a franchise that hasn't really done over the
course of its history. So we understand there's just still
work in front of us. We have to make some
improvements in the offseason, and you know, it's kind of
turned a page and starting to get ready for the
twenty six seasons. But from where we started, which was
(41:50):
OZO three, to end up where we were, we gave
ourselves an opportunity. In the end, probably didn't play our
best football, but overall, I mean, can't say enough about
what de Miko did, how he led the team, the players,
how they responded to win nine games. To win one
game is hard to win nine games in this league
and then ten in the playoffs. I mean, it says
a lot about the people in our building. So certainly
proud of what we accomplish, Understanding we realize there's more
(42:10):
in front of us, and that's what the focus is.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
As we move forward to the next season.
Speaker 5 (42:14):
Nick Casari is joining us, so it's gonna ask about
Dimico next because one of the buzz phrases of the
offseason has been alignment alignment, alignment, alignment, alignment between a
coach and a GM. The Texans decision to hire Domico
as head coach continues to pay dividends.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Right had three straight trips to the playoffs. I know
you love him.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
What is his separation and what has enabled him to
excel the way he has as a first time head coach.
Speaker 7 (42:38):
Well, he's very sincere, he's very consistent, he's very authentic,
and he is who he is and that kind of
transcends the rest of the program as well, Like we
want everybody that comes in our billions to be who
they are, be true to who you are, and we
have to provide some guidelines in direction. And Dimiko has
a really good pulse of the team. He's sat in
the chairs of the players that he talks to on
a daily basis, so that certainly resonates that message Harris,
(43:00):
probably a little bit more weight than it would maybe
if somebody else was doing it, But he's kind of
been immersed in the franchise. He loves the organization, and
he loves the city of Houston. His wife is from Houston,
so there's a lot of elements. I would say, like
he pours so much into it. I think our relationship
has grown from what the start to where it is now.
And I think it's all about communication. Like we trust
one another, we respect one another, and there's constant communication
(43:22):
back and forth. That's the only way a partnership is
really gonna work.
Speaker 5 (43:25):
Right, we were talking to Nick Asario and Nick ilet'a say
something twisted, and you mentioned, look, I'm proud of a
lot of things that happened this year, and the season
did not end the way we had hoped it would end.
What was really unusual about that was the bass security
was an issue at the end of the year, but
it was not during the year at all. That's twisted.
Is that an aberration and an anomaly?
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Where do you come out on that?
Speaker 7 (43:47):
Yeah, look, it's unfortunate that it happened. To your point,
I mean, we had twelve turnovers the entire season. I
think it was a franchise record or second in franchise history.
So we did a really good job of taking care
of the football. There's a direct correlation between taking care
of the football and winning, and we seen that throughout
the league. We've seen that and a lot of our
games as well. So unfortunately it happened. That's the way
it goes sometimes. I mean, that's why ball security is
such a premium. And you look at the teams that advance,
(44:09):
those are the teams that like took care of the football,
and that's always going to be important whenever you play,
whether it's regular season, postseason, and regardless of the opponent.
Speaker 5 (44:16):
All right, Nick, what about the JTC. What kind of
headspace is he in right now? Like, I'm sure you
talked to him. I don't talk to him, but man,
it's his third stand. He's doing a great job. I'm
gonna argue there's there's a lot of reasons why they
are where they are right now, but they're not there
without him. I don't think what kind of headspace is
he in right now? I think he's in a really
great spot.
Speaker 7 (44:32):
Had a chance to visit with them over the summer,
you know, just to kind of catch up with him
and before he was about to embark on the season,
and he felt good. It was interesting because a lot
of the staff that's in place or that they ended
up hiring, he hadn't really worked with anybody before, so
there wasn't a lot of carryover and overlap.
Speaker 6 (44:48):
I mean, he never coached with Mike.
Speaker 7 (44:50):
Mike played, Josh was coaching, so I think he had
a refreshed outlook and I think he was excited about
the opportunity to work with Drake and his year went on.
I mean, you can't say about the work that Josh
has done to your point, j Art, I mean, he's
a big part of the reason that they're There's no
question about it. Quarterback play is a really direct result
and correlation between you know, the coordinator and a coach,
(45:10):
and you know.
Speaker 6 (45:11):
Josh has done a good job as anybody.
Speaker 5 (45:13):
So Nick, when you were in the facility grinding away,
working your way up, what was Mike Vrabel like as
a player in the facility too?
Speaker 7 (45:21):
Mike is how he is now, I mean, very confident.
He's kind of a smart ass in a good way.
He could he could ras Bill a little bit and
do it in a playful way. But Mike was one
of the most respective players that was in the building.
He was smart, He was very tough. He was a
very instinctive football player, and his team when you watch
them play, is a reflection of his personality. So Mike's
(45:41):
had a lot of success as a coach. He started
kind of at the ground level, similar to Miko. They
started kind of QC kind of quality control. Worked his
way up. He was a position coach, He was a
coordinator and Houston defense coordinator there for here before he
went to the Titans. Had a lot of success at
Tennessee and then that year off. Honestly, when you look
at both Mike and Josh, that year off probably was
a blessing in disguise, and they really took advantage of it,
(46:03):
and you know, now their teams are in a pretty
good spot.
Speaker 5 (46:05):
You know what, I asked somebody this yesterday, like did
Tennessee not know what they had?
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Or in that year off?
Speaker 5 (46:11):
Did Mike actually do a self audit and really think
about why he is where he is?
Speaker 7 (46:17):
Like did he come back a better coach? You think, well,
it's probably a combination of everything. Look look at the
kind of the arc of your career, our career, always
looking for opportunities to grow. How can we kind of
enhance the things that we've already done and maybe learn
from and modify and adjust.
Speaker 6 (46:30):
And Mike.
Speaker 7 (46:31):
I can't speak for Mike, but I would assume Mike
did some of those things. So sometimes you need a
fresh start, and then when you kind of take a
step back, when you get a new opportunity, maybe you're
able to implement some things that you hadn't thought of,
or that you didn't think about in your previous job,
or just so it's all about kind of a growth mindset.
I mean, not to use your phrase, but it's really
kind of about the reinvention of yourself, not only as
(46:51):
a person and a coach. And I think you're seeing
some of that.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
That's some great stuff there with Jim Rome, and Jim
respects the fact that Nick is a clone. It's so
so interesting. I remember an interview I heard with Josh
McDaniels and Jim Rome many many years ago, and he
talked about how many of the Patriots employees at the
time we were clones. They were huge fans of Jim Rome.
And I think that's why Nick Casario and Sean penderg
(47:15):
had hit it off so well, because obviously Sean's a clone,
but he's also the Smackoff champion eighty five times over
and that's why they connected us Road. Really cool, but
appreciate Jim Rome and of course our pal Nick Cassari.
All Right, we'll be back tomorrow. Plenty more going on
in the NFL, plenty more of the offseason cranking up.
(47:36):
We're getting close, man to combine, coming up less than
two weeks. Free agency will be here before we know it,
and then we'll be seriously on at the twenty twenty
sixth season.
Speaker 1 (47:44):
We'll see it tomorrow, buddy. There's always go Texans,
What's happened?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Everybody, Welcome into a Wednesday ed istion of Texans All
Access from the Unday Texans Radio studio Sean Harris, alongside
the Voice of the Texans Mark Vanderbuy.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
We got plenty for you. Old Later in the show,
Nick Cassio.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Jumped on with Jim Rome, and there's some good stuff
here from Radio Row, which there's an interesting article on
Awful Announcing that talked about Radio Row at the Super Bowl,
which I think is pretty interesting stuff Mark about the
impact of Radio Row, how it's changed over the years,
all that kind of stuff. But Jim Rome had Nick
(00:34):
casarions wef that interview for you a little bit later
in the show because that there was some good stuff
there from Nick. And I know, I say the Patriots guys,
but Josh McDaniels, Nick Cassario, I know those two in particular,
they were huge Rome fans and they used to listen
to Sean on the Smackoff, and that's how Nick has
(00:56):
known of Sean Pendergass, who hosts on Sports Radio six ten,
So that that's how they've known for a long time.
So it'll be good stuff coming from that. But Mark,
how you know by the way.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm doing great and you bring up Jim Rome. This
is an absolute legend. This is somebody who was really
important to the development the emergence of Sports Radio six
ten to become the station it was, I mean, and
it is I should say it was, because what Jim
Rome was was absolutely huge for Houston. He did tour
stops here. He came and did a late in his
(01:30):
tenure on the station stop at the House of Blues,
and it was massive. It wasn't as massive as the
earlier tour stops, but it was still huge. It was
the kind of thing that just wouldn't happen today. So
Rome has been big for Sports Radio sixten over the years,
and Sports Radio six ten has.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Been big for Rome.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
There was a time when I joined the station in
two thousand and two where they thought about again tape
delaying Rome from noon to three instead of eleven to
two because it was just awkward to put shows around
it than eleven or two slot. And I think they
tried it once before I was here, and they said
we're not going to go that way again because they
(02:08):
received so many complaints, including Jim Rome saying bang the Monkey,
which is his way of saying, tell your program director
to not do this. He is the program director in
every market to Jim Rome, but he I don't think
you'll ever have a sports radio host as successful as
he was, again on so many different radio stations, that
(02:31):
full three hour show.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean, that was incredible. That was Rush Limbaugh.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Like in a sports universe, that was Howard Stern, like
in a sports universe, Jim Rome.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
There was nobody else like him.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You know, you could say Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick, all
these guys.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
It's not the same thing. Pat McAfee.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Look, it's a different world now because he's on YouTube.
Started with what did he start with, barb Stool, I
didn't even know, but but he went to YouTube and
then ESPN picks him up and he's still on YouTube
and he's gigantic, of course, but it's hard to compare anything.
It's not apples to apples. Rome was Rome and Rome
is still, you know, big in his own way. And
(03:10):
it's gonna be fun to hear that conversation with Nick.
I've already heard it. You have heard it, but maybe
some of the listeners missed it. So that's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, definitely have it later. In the show.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I remember when Pat McAfee got his first hooks into
the media game, and that was actually with us on
Houston Texas dot Com. He was floating around at the
twenty fifteen combine twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen, one of
those two years, and Deep City was like, I want
to I want to interview him.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
It's like okay, and he was fantastic yep.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And I remember dep getting done and was like, holy cow,
he was so good. He was so complimentary of Houston,
the Texans. Just a really good guy, very fun you know,
huh okay, Pat McFee. And then all of a sudden
he's grown into obviously what he is. He's incredible. I mean,
he's he's on Rome status now and it's funny. It's
one of the ways I always thought a radio show
(04:04):
would be good, and that is you've got Pat McAfee,
but you've have all the other cronies who are brilliant
in their own way, and they all add their own
kind of spin to the show, and they all kind
of play off one another really really well. So it's
more the Pat McAfee team that it is the Pat
McAfee show, which makes it you know, beautiful, but Jim
Rome his team was all callers that called in and
(04:28):
made that show famous and for what it was.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
So, speaking of radio, I was on Radio Tech SAgs
Radio with my buddy David Nuno, your.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Buddy as well.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
He asked me an interesting question that I wanted to
bounce off of you, and I wanted to give it
a Texans slant, if you will, I want to hear
your answer to this, And at first I heard, I
was like, hmm had I had to kind of think
about this for a second, and then I was like, well, okay,
(05:00):
here's my answer. So here's the question. Watching the Seahawks
win the super Bowl the other night, what did you
take from it? And I thought, what did I take
from the Seahawks winning the super Bowl against the Patriots
the other night? What did I take from it that
(05:22):
we could essentially apply to the Texans? And I had
to think about that for a second, and I was like,
here's my answer, Okay, I want to hear it. You
don't and didn't have to have that quarterback to go
win the big game. You could rely on the defense,
(05:45):
special teams in offense just had to do their jobs
without being overly spectacular. It didn't all fall back in
the hands you having to have a Matt Stafford or
a Joe Burrow or a Patrick Mahomes to go win
a championship. As long as the defense was built properly,
the defense played well together, it was unselfish, and then
(06:08):
at the time of contact, they were as dominant as
they could possibly be. And I feel like and then
I followed up with this Mark I said, I think
the NFL, at least for the next couple of years,
is gonna be led by teams that have defenses the
(06:29):
level of Seattle, which obviously we know that we have
one of those defenses.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The Broncos have one of those.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
That you can win a Super Bowl that way, and
maybe it's almost easier to win that way because you're
not paying a quarterback sixty sixty five million, seventy million,
whatever the number is going to be down the road
that you absolutely have to hit on that guy, because
if you don't, that's money poorly spent.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You can't spend on a defense.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
But if you pour it into the defensive unit, you're
not paying anybody on that side of the ball sixty
million dollars. You can go find all the right pieces,
make the plays, and make sure that the offense and
special teams do enough to make sure that they don't
give the game back to somebody that we're gonna win
with defense over the next two or three years. What
(07:14):
did the Seattle Seahawks win over the Patriots? Tell you
as it pertained a the Texans be to kind of
the shorter future of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, my first phrase, the first phrase that popped into
my head when you asked the question was defense wins championships.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
And the old slogan.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Defense win championships, and they've been saying it since the
Stone Age of football, but it became laughable after a
while because we had what was the year with Jared
Goff and Patrick Mahomes and fifty three to fifty and
twenty eighth, all those high scoring games, and you just
felt like, if you don't have that quarterback, if you
(07:52):
don't have Mahomes, Brady Burrow, you have no shot.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
And we always talk about Burrow.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Johnny Buru's been to one Super Bowl, okay, and you
and I were talking about him. The other has trouble
staying healthy, et cetera. But you look at this Super Bowl.
A couple of things. Yeah, you mentioned defense. These are
two defensive coaches, right, These are not offensive coordinators. These
are not wonder Kins who take their teams to the
Super Bowl. These are defensive guys who found a way
(08:16):
to work it out. I mean, Seattle's gonna lose Kubiak.
They got to find a way to work it out.
The Patriots still have Josh McDaniels, who is no threat
to leave as a head coach. What an ideal situation
for them. By the way, they still have McDaniels, who's
a great offensive coordinator, not a good head coach, at
least in his first two stints, and I don't think
he gets another. So good for them. But here's the
(08:37):
other thing you mentioned, Sam Darnold. You don't have the quarterback.
He's with his fifth team and wins the Super Bowl.
And look, give him credit, he played well, but he
led the league in turnovers in the regular season. Then
you have Drake May on the other side year two,
and I'm sorry, Drake May, say what you will. He
had a good regular season, no question about it. But
(08:57):
we all talked about the schedule. We all talked about
how much of this is schedule is just a fortuitous
situation for him, rather than he's the next big thing. Now,
we'll let that one play out, but I'm here to
say it might not play out the way the Patriots
fans wanted to. He might just be an okay quarterback.
(09:17):
Who was the other quarterback in the AFC Championship game, Well,
it was Stidham, But the week before, let's say Knicks
survives that game and ends up playing it's Bo Nicks.
Bon Nicks might turn out to be Dan Marino, but
I don't think he will. So your point is highly
valid here. Defenses can get you there and maybe will
get you there.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
As long as you're hanging there quarterback.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
And with the Texans, I think that's what has everybody's
minds just exploding, headspinning.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
That you had CJ. Strodd with that rookie year, CJ.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Stroud, with the bulk of the games he's played in
his career, just fine, thank you, if not better, if
not elite at times, and certainly good enough to win
with this defense. But you had the worst case Narry
occur in the first half of that Patriots game where
you had four interceptions, and my gosh, it's still hard
to even say and digest and get through.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
But moving forward, you don't give up on him.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
You run it back with this defense, you four to
five where you have to and as I say, run
it back, Look, Jalen Reid, Jalen Smith, you're gonna get
those guys back. You're gonna make the moves that Nick
is gonna make, the Miko's gonna want, and you've improved
the offense, and I think that you'll have a team
that will be there again with an opportunity. I'm not
(10:31):
saying divisional round automatically, but you'll be in the postseason
and you'll have that op to go further. You just
got to execute next time. So that's what I took
away from it. We're in this era. Here's another one.
I'm gonna throw this at you. Were you at all
worried because I was rooting for the shutout the day?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, but I was also worried. The back of my
mind was thinking, what's the league gonna do about this?
Maybe not right away, but the owner's meetings. What's the
conversation going to be. We can't have this. We lost
X number of millions of viewers in this Super Bowl.
We need points we don't like this. That's why we
change the kickoff rule. We wanted to make the kickoff
(11:09):
more active. Yet here we are having this conversation about
this defensive golden age in this postseason and maybe it
lives for a few years.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Why is that?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Why do we have this kickoff situation where the average
drive start is actually better than it's been, Yet we're
still in this defensive era. We get this defensive super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
We can't have this. We need points thoughts.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah, and to add on to that, you've got kickers
making field goals from fifty plus yards more so than
at any time in NFL history. You have teams that
are going for it on fourth down more often to
keep drives alive, and still you're having issues putting up
(11:54):
a lot of touchdowns. I go back to this, and
this is where this will kind of go to my
point here. But I remember when we would have We
had Bill O'Brien in studio with us many times, and
he mentioned this many times, and I always took this
with me. He said that Tom Brady told him that
(12:16):
the last basic hurdle that Tom had to overcome was
being effective in the red zone. Yeah, and you start
to think about it. I mean, think about our defense. Now,
our defense did struggle in the red zone at at times.
There was at one point I think through the first five, six,
seven weeks where we were tied for last in the
(12:39):
NFL right in red zone percentage. It was da give
up points because they weren't there right enough.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Right right right. And you think about our defense.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Just think about our defense playing zone in the red
zone and a quarterback saying, Okay, I've got to a
anticipate what they're going to be in b I gotta
scan to find an opening in the zone and then see,
I've got all these flying tared actles that can get
to any ball. I gotta make sure this ball is
(13:11):
put in the perfect spot at the right time. But
this is a young quarterback that doesn't trust it. And
I go back to Julian Love. There's a great clip
of Julian Love talking about the about Drake May and
the Super Bowl. He was micd up. He's a safety
for the Seahawks. He almost had an interception hit him
right in his shoulder pads. He could hang on, came
(13:32):
to the sidelines. Everybody says, oh, you're gonna get yoursy
you can get yours and he goes I know, I know.
And then he said, classic young quarterback. He gets to
his top step, he knows where he wants to go,
but he wants confirmation that that guy is open. And
then he said, this is not like Stafford throwing blindly.
(13:55):
And I thought it was really it was an insightful comment,
but it proved my point, and that is, you have
a lot of really young quarterbacks in this league.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
A lot.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
If you look around the league, you see there are
a ton of younger quarterbacks that have been in the
league three years or less that just don't have the
confidence of a Matt Stafford to know this is the
type of ball I have to throw in this spot.
Stafford's throwing him a million times. He's confident, he knows,
(14:27):
he knows what he's looking at. You can't fool him.
He knows defenses inside and out. He'll throw blindly because
he knows, hey, what his offense is supposed to be.
B He's done it a million times already, and see
he's got the arm strength to stick it in there.
I think a lot of times the quarterbacks that won't
do that, whether it's red zone or otherwise, they just
(14:47):
don't trust it.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I had.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
I showed a throw to you from our game against
the Patriots, and it was a throw that you could
argue CJ has made a million times, but in this case,
he just didn't pull the trigger on it. Maybe he
didn't think it was gonna be there, didn't really have
the anticipation to man make that dag throw to jayde Higgins,
(15:10):
and instead he comes off it too early, checks it
down to the running back, maybe got two yards out
of it, when instead it could have been a big
gain that could have kept the potential touchdown drive alive.
Now CJ has made those throws at times in that game.
Who knows, maybe the snow impacted him, maybe the rush
was speeding him up a little bit. But I feel
(15:30):
like quarterbacks, these young quarterbacks, have not gotten to that
level of confidence of I'm sticking this throw in there.
I know the timing in the pocket. I've been with
my offense long enough that I know where everybody should be.
I've worked with these receivers year after year after year,
so I know they're gonna be there.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
I can trust them. I mean, think about it.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
We got ten new head coaches, so that means offensive
coordinators are new in those ten spots except for Buffalo,
although they'll be a new offense coordinator, it's same play caller.
But then you had offensive coordinator changes throughout the NFL.
You got offensive coordinators and offensive systems changing for these
quarterbacks year after year after year. And I think that
(16:11):
impacts quarterbacks as well. So I think the confluence of
younger quarterbacks, less experienced guys, changing of offenses, trusting wide
receivers where they're.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Going to be. I just don't know that you have that.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But when you think about the best offenses in the league,
Joe Burrow's been with Jamar Chase and t Higgins.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
He knows where they're going to be. They know where
to be.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
They've been with Zach Taylor since twenty twenty, the Rams
with McVeigh, he's been there since twenty seventeen. He's been
with Stafford since twenty twenty one. So the best offenses
in the league, they've been together for a while. And
then when you have to face the defense like Seattle,
like Houston, you realize the timing, I don't have that
time to throw, and so what do you do? You
(16:56):
check it down, You settle for a field goal. Hey,
we got three out of this, let's kick seven of
these things and we'll have twenty one points on the board.
I think that's really where the change has to be made,
where these younger quarterbacks get more experience, so they're taking
a few more chances, and teams start to learn how
to beat the match coverages that the Texans are playing,
(17:17):
how to beat the coverages the Seahawks are playing. But
they're not there yet. Those quarterbacks aren't quite there yet,
because what are a lot of these quarterbacks. You've said
this a few times, what are a lot of these
quarterbacks doing like Drake May, like Jaden Daniels, When their
first read is dead run, they take off, they run,
they take off, they run, And that's not always going
(17:39):
to be a recipe for touchdown success. And I think
it's gonna come back around. I think it's gonna come
back around. Offenses are gonna start to figure some things out,
and then you're gonna see offenses start to put more
points on the board over in due time. But it's
gonna take a little while for these younger quarterbacks to
(17:59):
kind of grow up and really take the experience and
use it going forward. I mean, Sam Donald eight years
of the NFL, five teams, and he wasn't listening. He
wasn't brilliant in the Super Bowl. He wasn't brilliant.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Twenty twenty five. But he was pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
And you can see that he had made some strides
as a quarterback in the eight years he'd been in
the NFL. And when you think about the quarterbacks in
the NFL, you kind of have this, you know, Mahomes, Allen,
even Donald, Age group, lamar Age group, and then everybody
else's first, second, third year. There are very few that
(18:36):
kind of, you know, fit in between that are kind
of a five year guy that's been around. You know,
maybe Trevor, I guess, is the only other guy. So
I think the offensive output will go back up in
the next few years as offenses start to figure out defenses,
quarterbacks get a little bit more experienced. They you know,
are accustomed to the receivers they're playing with. I think
(18:57):
it'll turn around in due time.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
You know, it's funny because teams get really hung up
on protection, and for good reason. You have to protect
your quarterback and the Texans jumbo line. You see a
lot of teams doing that and that's not a new innovation,
but it's just something that a lot of teams are using.
And you saw that in the Super Bowl as well.
But sometimes I think spread them out, man, spread them out.
You know, the more you spread them out, the more
(19:20):
you get those one on one situations where if you
can capitalize or you get the ball out fast and
you know, you get a little twitch here, you get
a little big play there, and all of a sudden
you're moving the football. And that's the thing, Johnny. I agree,
everything cyclical. It'll come back around again. The key is
predicting how it's going to come back around, what will change.
And I brought up the league because I thought they're
(19:41):
going to dabble in the rules again in a way
the offenses, which they have since the beginning of time
as well. I mean, anybody who played defense back in
the seventies and eighties will tell you it is totally
different right now. I saw a thing about nineties football.
Lawrence Taylor was talking about eighties and nineties football said
it was a war. It was different, and it was
(20:03):
it was different. It was way more physical because they
could get away with more and the concussion situation wasn't
what it is today, and for good reason. Look, you
want to see the protection of players and all of that.
But it'll be interesting to see how this thing evolves
because we are in a defensive era and the fact
that the Texans did so well that they won ten
games in a row, including the playoff win, the fact
(20:24):
that the Seahawks are there with all that defense and
Sam Darnold, the fact that the Patriots looked their defense
wasn't otherworldly at all, but it helped them a lot
in the postseason.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
And the Chargers too. You know what did we say
going into that divisional game.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
With the Patriots. Hey, the Chargers held them to sixteen.
I know they didn't score, but they held the Patriots
to sixteen. We can do that and we can win
by scoring seventeen. If it's the same kind of recipe. Well,
obviously things changed with all the turnovers and everything else
that conspire or went down in that game.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
That was just a really tough one to take.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yep, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Okay, when we get back, it's not either or will
Nick Cassario ruin the draft party again?
Speaker 1 (21:07):
We'll have that and others next on Texans All Access.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Welcome back to this Wednesday edition of Texans All Access,
John Harris and Mark vandmir with you a reminder. How
about tonight Love Volleyball Houston taking on Love Volleyball Nebraska. Yeah,
I love that. Houston versus Nebraska yep for Bank County
Epicenter tonight, seven o'clock. So hoping you're on your way
(21:32):
over there.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
This is kind of a second home opener for Love
Houston because they play at the Barry Center and the Epicenter.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
This is the first match at the Epicenter.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I saw a test match there preseason, kind of like
a preseason game if you will. Yeah, but it's highly
entertaining stuff. I'm headed over there after this highly entertaining stuff.
I mean, you're talking about the best players in the
world in this league, and Houston's really entertaining and they
put on a great show. It's a very easy watch.
It's a fun one. It's not like something. Look, I
(22:02):
love soccer. Sometimes I go to soccer and I'm like,
this is great, except for the soccer game.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I'm kidding. I'm kidding soccer fans.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Don't don't stoke the fire, bit fans, But this is
really fast paced bang bag I mean they are really good.
These are the best players on the planet in this league,
so among the best anyway, and you're gonna enjoy it
tonight at the Epicenter for Ben County.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I am a secret volleyball fan. I love I love volleyball.
I will watch viball on TV. I will watch it live.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I love to watch live the men's game. It's funny
talking to Shelby Coppice, our good friend to the sidelines
for TV. She's like, Yeah, the men's game is all
about power, and I'm telling you it's impressive to watch
that power. But when you watch, when you watch, whether
it's women's college vollyball, I mean high school vollyball, but
(22:56):
professional vieball, I mean it's impressive to watch what they do.
So Houston, Nebraska.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
Because you said Shelby does sideline. Look, she does sideline
for Yes Texans preseason TV.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yes, she's the.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
National play by playofnouncer on USA for the Wednesday night Slate.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
That's amazing strong, I.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Mean that is that is absolutely amazing for her.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yeah, So for Ben County Epicenter, seven o'clock to night.
Love Allyball, Houston, Love villyaball Nebraska. Get out there if
you get an opportunity, and if you see Mark, tell them,
tell him hello, because Mark is always one for that,
all right, It's not for either or. These are always
really fun to kind of bat around. We're gonna start
with a couple of Texans ones and I always love
(23:39):
asking these. I get them myself, so I love to
throw them at Mark to see what he thinks, because
sometimes when it comes to the draft, we think oppositely
signed Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 4 (23:48):
Okay, okay, first one.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Pick number twenty eight, where the Texans are picking right now?
Are the Texans staying pat or ruining the first round
of the party by trading out.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
They are, Oh, this is a good one, because they
did that last year.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
They did kind of got overshadowed at the party itself
by the fact that we had a huge rainstorm blow through,
and that kind of ruled that, i'll put it in
air quotes, ruin the draft party. So by the time
that the pick was traded, it was like, okay, fine,
we'll just do it all Friday night.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Great.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
I almost wonder if Nick is gonna tip everybody off
and say, listen this draft party that that you might
be planning plan it for Friday, okay, because Johnny, you know,
he's gonna pick two or three times on Friday, even
if he holds out of the first round pick. Sometimes
I think, all right, why don't we just make the
party Friday night. We can celebrate the first round pick
if it does happen, and then have at least two
(24:45):
or three picks on Friday night. Because Nick can't help himself.
He's gonna make two or three picks on Friday night.
He loves that second third round wheelhouse.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
So I say, yes, he's gonna ruin the draft party again,
but he might ruin it before it happens, so it
doesn't really ruin it me. We might be able to reschedule.
That's a prediction. I have no idea what's really gonna happen.
Maybe moving up, but that's my pack right now.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
So obviously, I've been in draft coverage for a while
and I'm really really diving into it right now. I'll
be honest, I don't love number twenty eight at all.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I I just don't love it.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
How do you know who's available at twenty eight?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, that's because I've been running right, and I know
what my boards look like, and I know what teams
in front of the Texans are looking for. And I
also know this is not a quarterback draft. And because
it's not a quarterback draft, then all of a sudden,
all those great players that get pushed down in a
(25:46):
quarterback draft are.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Not gonna be there. They're gonna be gone.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Teams are not going to jump in front of the
Texans that go draft a bunch of quarterbacks. Now it
might happen for one team that's it, but this is
not one of those where you're gonna have six quarters taking.
It's not like last year where the Giants wanted to
get up and get Jackson Dart and they gave the
Texans additional draft land Yap to move up to twenty
five and the Texans move out of the first round. Now, Texas,
(26:11):
we're trying to get back in the first round. Didn't happen.
I think it worked out very well because they got
Jayon Higgins and then with that other pick they got,
they got Jalen Smith, who's gonna play a big role.
I think you bring up a great point. Just put
it on Friday, but the draft party on Friday. Most
people like the party on Fridays. Anyways, Yes, you could.
You could celebrate the first round pick if there is one,
(26:31):
And if there isn't one, then your quote unquote first
round pick is Friday night when the draft parties taking place.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
So just make it Friday from now on. They get
Friday from now.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
On, from now on now on, unless unless and God forbid,
you pick way early in the first round.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, right right right now.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
If that happens, it's because we traded somebody, all right.
I don't want it to be because you're bad enough.
Oh no, that high, because there's no way you will
ever match the excitement of drafting Stroud second and then
moving up to get Will. I mean, come on, that
you can't can't happen again, And you don't want it
to happen again, because you don't.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Want to suffer like that.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
To make that happen, to give you that opportunity, all
that had to happen was bad season and historic trade
of your enfranchise quarterback, and I don't want to see that. No, No,
let's just draft late in the first round till the
end of time.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
That means you're doing pretty well.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
I'm with you. And here's the other thing too. I'm
gonna I know, I know this is not going to
go over well.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
But even if.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Somebody wants to move out of they say, somebody wants
to move you out of twenty eight, they want twenty
eight for something. Yeah, I don't care if it's for
twenty twenty seven draft picks. I want twenty twenty seven
draft picks because that's.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
The quarterback draft.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Not saying that we need a quarterback, but that's the
quarterback draft on top of a transcended edge draft, also
a transcendent wide receiver draft. This wide receiver draft, Yes,
twenty twenty seven is gonna be unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Okay, unbelievable. That's good because you're I want twenty twenty
seven draft picks.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
In a In a draft like that, people will overspend
bingo draft capital wise in order. Yes, they'll lose their minds.
They want to move up and take player X. Yes,
oh my gosh, we gotta have them. And here here's
a boatload of picks, Nick, and then Nick can cook
with that in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
I like that, Johnny. So you're saying, if.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
You move down this year, be okay with taking a
two from twenty twenty steps whatever.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
The hell, yes, in addition to other stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
All right, I like that.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
I like that thinking, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
That is exactly what I want the more twenty twenty
seven draft picks. And again for us, my hope is
it won't be a quarterback. And I don't want it
to be a quarterback because CJ is gonna bounce back
and have a hell of a year and that's gonna
gonna be an issue. But you might end up with
a couple of first round draft picks and then you
can package them together and go up and get I
don't know, one of these stud edge rushers, get a
(29:07):
stud wide receiver. There are a lot of things you
can do with these twenty twenty seven draft picks. Okay,
I'm gonna ask you this before I ask this either
or Okay, when it comes to needs for the Texans
as it sits right now, what is your top personnel
need for twenty twenty six?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Well, I have to say it's either right tackle.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Okay, stop right there, That's all I needed, all right,
right tackle. M would you feel more comfortable either drafting
one in the first round if you stay at twenty eight,
or going out and signing a veteran in free agency?
What would you feel most comfortable with doing to help
(29:58):
right tackle? Drafting one in the first round in the draft.
And this is where this is where I will say,
when I've gone through all the different mock draft generations
that I've already done, just kind of getting a feel
for things, tackle seems to be one where I think
we could end up getting a guy at twenty eight
that would be pretty solid Kylick last year, or you
(30:19):
can go out and get one in free agency. I
don't have the list in front of me, but would
you feel more confident with having a veteran you pay
money for to step right in right tackle or getting
that first round rookie sticking at twenty eight and picking.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
A right tackle.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Listen, if I'm going to replace right tackle because Trent
is a free agent, and look, Trent got the nod
over Blake when Trent was healthy, right they came in
Blake's entering year three. How do they feel about Blake?
I don't really know, but I do know that they
weren't starting him over Trent Brown when Trent Brown, at one.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Hundred years old, was healthy.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Now, Trent played well and We all talk about Trent
how big he is, and he was moving people around
and they built the streak around well, not around him,
but he was part of that when they really get
rolling this season.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
So I want to be clear.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I know Titus can play right tackle, but if you
move Titus back to right tackle, now we've got the
guard situation again on the left side.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So what do you do there?
Speaker 3 (31:16):
So it's one or the other to me, Johnny, it's
either left guard, right tackle, or however they want to
configure it. And how do they feel about center? Do
they like Jake? Do they want to try Juice again,
try to Jared again, or go in another direction.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
I don't know. So they got a lot of ways
to go.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
But I want veteran help in here because I loved
having Ursery on this team, and I love having Ursery
on this team moving forward. Great, you went through the
baptism of Tay Ursery at left tackle, but you mentioned
it for the show earlier this week, and you mentioned
it this season. How the Jacksonville game not so good
for him with Josh Heinz Allen having to contain him,
and we saw what Hines Allen did in that game,
(31:50):
and that was lost number three in an zero and
three start, then Nursery really started to get it going gradually.
He's a rookie left tackle. Dwayne Brown went through the
same kind of thing. Whatever, good to go year two.
I know he'll be better in year three and four
than he will in year two, but good to go
year two. I don't want to have to live through
that at right tackle with a rookie. Get me a veteran,
whether it be Titus or somebody else. I need more
(32:13):
veteran help. And knowing Nick okay, I know he tried
it with Robinson last year, but Robinson was really insurance
in case erthree was to work out and then okay, fine,
we'll start Cam Robinson. I know he's not an all
world left tackle, but he's solid and he can hold
it down or whatever. But I'm I'm gonna take the rookie,
and I'm gonna take a veteran and we're gonna go
so Johnny, I want kind of both, but not necessarily
(32:35):
first round tackle guard help all right, depending on what
they do in free agency. If they like go crazy
and I don't have the free agent list in front
of me, or a trade or whatever. But if they
acquire a veteran or veterans on the line, I expect
them to still draft at those positions because that's what
Nick Asari and Demiko Ryans.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Like to do. Yep.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Absolutely like the way. I like the way you put
all that. That was very very good. Okay, AFC Championship game.
Not that I really want to hammer this one home again,
but it was the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.
So in twenty twenty six, you have to buy stock
(33:16):
in one of those teams for the twenty twenty six season,
the New England Patriots or the Denver Broncos. Which one
are you doing, either New England or Denver buying stock
in for the twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Well, there's a team that resides in the AFC West
that will be a factor again, and that is the
Kansas City Chiefs. I don't care who you are, they're
gonna come back and they're gonna do something. You know,
they might not be great anymore, but they're not gonna
be an easy out. You know, ma Homes left the
building and they were an easy out. They'll be back
(33:52):
and they'll have something for you.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yes, they're gonna be maybe not great again, but they're
gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Right. Gosh, we don't play them. Oh, I love this,
I love it.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
But you don't know when Mahomes is coming back. You
don't know that, so that be a pretty big role.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
He'll, you know, dad bod aside. He'll do all the
work I know to get back. And some guys work
out like crazy and they still kind of have a
dad bod. It just doesn't you know, they don't get
as toned as some others do.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So I understand what you're saying about the Chiefs because
impacts the Broncos. And I know I'm going but I'm
just talking about these two teams in particular.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
You gotta buy stock in one of these two teams.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I hate them both so much. I know football hare
just oozes out of me.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
For both of these teams, I would say, Denver, I
believe in the defense more. I don't believe in Bonick's
a ton but I think they'll address the running game.
You know, Dobbin's got hurt really affected them. He's a
free agent now, I think, And it seemed like no
one was talking about that late in the year I'm like,
Dobbins is not there, and that's a big factor for
(35:03):
that team. You know, Harvey's good, but he's a complimentary player.
You need the other guy. So they're gonna have to
figure that out for themselves. But I would still say Denver, Johnny,
even though they play with the Chargers and the Chiefs
out there and the Raiders, I expect them to not
get any worse under Clint Cootiet. They're gonna be a
better football team. I have no idea what the plan
is quarterback, et cetera. The Patriots meanwhile, still a buffalo
(35:25):
to deal with Miami.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Are they gonna be better?
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
They might be dormat city again with the former Boston
College head coach there and the Jets Aaron Glenn.
Speaker 4 (35:37):
How about them hiring Bill Musgrave to coach quarterback?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Yeah, flashback, Yes, that's Marks the Great Sun.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
No, it's Bill Muskgrave.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Mark listened to this.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, Patriots road opponents, Bill's Bears, Chiefs, Lions, Jags, Chargers, Seahawks.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Beautiful, beautiful addition.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
To Dolphins, Jets. Yeah. This this one for me is
the Broncos. There's no question about that, all right, Nick
Casario was on with Jim Rome.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Some good stuff. We'll have that for you next right
here in Texans All Access. Tevin, everybody, Welcome back this
Wednesday Nation at Texans All Access from that Texans Radio studio.
I am your host, John Harris, football analyst, sideline reporter
for your Houston Texans. Glad to be with you as always. Man,
it's been good to be back this week after the
Super Bowl. Back on radio. It's been really, really fun. Now,
(36:33):
last week was Super Bowl Radio Row and Nick Caserio,
second vice President, General Manager your Houston Texans, stop.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
By and hung out with Jim Rome, the radio icon.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Some good stuff in this interview with Jim Rome and
our pound, Nick Casserio, I'm.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Gonna see it right now.
Speaker 5 (36:50):
I don't want to get out in head in front
of my skis, but one of the all time great
radio row weeks we've ever had, and I've done thirty
of these things, one of my favorite moments already and
it hasn't had happening, but I can already say it
is this guy. We are joined right now by the
executive VP and GM of the Houston Texans, wrapped up
his fifth season previously with the Patriots. As you know,
for twenty years, six Super Bowl rings. The Texans won
(37:13):
back to back AFC South Division titles twenty three twenty four.
They have made it to the postseason three straight years.
He is the most accomplished Clone ever. He is the
NTC Nick the Clone. Nick Caserio, My brother, love you man.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
How you doing, Jomi?
Speaker 6 (37:30):
Great to be here, Love you man. Thanks for having us.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Nick.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
When did you get into town?
Speaker 6 (37:35):
About an hour ago?
Speaker 7 (37:36):
So got to the hotel, team right over to the road,
got to the hotel, walked over to take an uber.
It was like twenty twenty five minutes, and it's the
same amount of time to walk. I'm like, I'll just walk,
so it's good exercise.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
For all right.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
So you got you how many steps?
Speaker 6 (37:47):
It was a while twenty minutes, so I'll check my whoops, how.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Are you a ten thousand step day?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
A guy?
Speaker 7 (37:52):
Or you usually go by strain because the woop measures
a strain, So I usually end up between eleven and
thirteen if somewhere in there.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
Okay, try to stay on course, all right?
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Nick?
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Sarah joining us now, I'm not going to ask you
to partake, but twisted tea is one of our big
partners this week. I want to say to you, you
want to know something really twisted. How twisted would it
be if parody Larry, who's on the outside with his
face smashed up against the glass somehow some way got
in and bum rushed us. And by the way, he's
been using your name to try to get through the door.
Speaker 6 (38:21):
Of course he is.
Speaker 7 (38:22):
He might be using my Twitter profile that I don't have,
that apparently is out there as well, so he can
maybe use that.
Speaker 6 (38:27):
So that is kind of twisted, really twisted.
Speaker 5 (38:30):
You know what he's also doing, Like you know, Nick
Casario made up parody Larity, so I think that he
can get me in here so I can go up
on the stage and relived that great moment I had
ten years ago with Rome.
Speaker 6 (38:40):
He's not wrong. Actually I did make up his names.
Speaker 5 (38:42):
Yeah, he's wrong about the rest. He's right about that.
You make up that name?
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Twisted? It is twisted. It is really really twisted. Dude.
See him? Punk came on today? Did you see it?
Speaker 6 (38:53):
Did you see it?
Speaker 7 (38:54):
Yeah? Okay, the best guest of the week. Probably know
you were such a big wrestling fan. All of a sudden, I.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Didn't know you were either, and now that you are,
I am well and are so of course you have
to be.
Speaker 6 (39:06):
I have to know.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
I don't want to be a part of that club.
So to that point, though, you know what he said,
he's never had a drink. Did you see that? Was
that part of the play he said, he's never I go, dude,
you look great. You're forty seven and you're still at
a really elite level and you travel how how he
was number one?
Speaker 1 (39:21):
I don't drink.
Speaker 5 (39:21):
I'm like, you don't drink, or you've never drank. He's like,
I've never drank. Did you know that about him?
Speaker 6 (39:26):
I did not.
Speaker 7 (39:27):
He and I could probably hang out then, so we
probably you never drink. I've had a drink, but I
don't drink. It's probably honestly been a while since I've
playned anything in my body. I mean, my wife and
I maybe have gone to dinner, you know, a handful
of you know, maybe a few years back and made it,
had a glass of wine, but honestly, I don't want
to put anything in my body. And then I got
to get in the car and God forbid something were
to happen. But honestly, I don't have really inkling. I
(39:48):
really don't have any desire to.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
You don't miss what you don't do.
Speaker 6 (39:51):
Not at all. So I have my routine.
Speaker 7 (39:53):
I kind of stay true to it and try to
put in my body what I want to put in
my body.
Speaker 5 (39:58):
As we know, routines and rituals ultimately make us.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
That said, go ahead and have a twisty.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
So I said to see him Punking'm like, so you've
never had a drink, so you'll have a twisty right now?
Speaker 1 (40:08):
Right He's like no, I'm like, but that'd be so twisted, that.
Speaker 6 (40:11):
Would be twisted.
Speaker 7 (40:12):
It probably would infringe on his training. So I'm sure
he's just gonna stay away from him.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
You know what's incredible.
Speaker 5 (40:16):
So we had Joe Brady on this week, and we
have you Nick the Clone, we have Josh who Josh
doesn't come on as much because Josh doesn't come on
as much, but he's still Josh the Clone.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Joe Brady says to me, I didn't know this.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
He's like, did just so you know, Jim, big fan
of the show, listen to it watching him.
Speaker 7 (40:34):
Like, holy crap, do we have a third member of
the group. We might forget about drink. I mean, you
might as well put Eli in there. Yeah right, Eli, dude,
can't forget about him. Dude, he has a golden ticket,
all right.
Speaker 5 (40:43):
So Eli, he may not actually say I am a clone,
But what about Joe Brady, Like, does he have what
it takes to be a clone?
Speaker 1 (40:51):
And I know you're not in the.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
Business of talking about other people and other teams, but
how do you think he'll do there?
Speaker 6 (40:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (40:55):
No, Joe's a really good coach. The fact that he's
a clone probably make him a better coach. But I
mean he's done a really good job honestly with the
Buffalo offense when he was kind of inserted into that role.
He understands the culture, he understands the city, understands the mafia.
So between being part of the Bills mafia and being
a clone, like, he's probably gonna have a good chance
for success.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
I like it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
I love the energy. I love the way he showed up.
We're talking to Nick the clone, Dick Casario.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
Nick.
Speaker 5 (41:18):
I know as much as you love and appreciate the
Jungle because you always point that out.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
And you don't need to, but thank you, dude.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
I know you'd rather be preparing for the Super Bowl
than talking to me right now. When you look back
on the year, you've had a couple of days. Now,
what kind of thoughts do you have?
Speaker 7 (41:30):
Yeah, overall, honestly, I said this kind of after the
Sea's really proud of what we accomplished. So we did
a lot of good things, won thirteen games. We include
the playoff game, you know, which we did a lot
of things a franchise that hasn't really done over the
course of its history. So we understand there's just still
work in front of us. We have to make some
improvements in the offseason, and you know, it's kind of
turned a page and starting to get ready for the
twenty six seasons. But from where we started, which was
(41:50):
OZO three, to end up where we were, we gave
ourselves an opportunity. In the end, probably didn't play our
best football, but overall, I mean, can't say enough about
what de Miko did, how he led the team, the players,
how they responded to win nine games. To win one
game is hard to win nine games in this league
and then ten in the playoffs. I mean, it says
a lot about the people in our building. So certainly
proud of what we accomplish, Understanding we realize there's more
(42:10):
in front of us, and that's what the focus is.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
As we move forward to the next season.
Speaker 5 (42:14):
Nick Casari is joining us, so it's gonna ask about
Dimico next because one of the buzz phrases of the
offseason has been alignment alignment, alignment, alignment, alignment between a
coach and a GM. The Texans decision to hire Domico
as head coach continues to pay dividends.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Right had three straight trips to the playoffs. I know
you love him.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
What is his separation and what has enabled him to
excel the way he has as a first time head coach.
Speaker 7 (42:38):
Well, he's very sincere, he's very consistent, he's very authentic,
and he is who he is and that kind of
transcends the rest of the program as well, Like we
want everybody that comes in our billions to be who
they are, be true to who you are, and we
have to provide some guidelines in direction. And Dimiko has
a really good pulse of the team. He's sat in
the chairs of the players that he talks to on
a daily basis, so that certainly resonates that message Harris,
(43:00):
probably a little bit more weight than it would maybe
if somebody else was doing it, But he's kind of
been immersed in the franchise. He loves the organization, and
he loves the city of Houston. His wife is from Houston,
so there's a lot of elements. I would say, like
he pours so much into it. I think our relationship
has grown from what the start to where it is now.
And I think it's all about communication. Like we trust
one another, we respect one another, and there's constant communication
(43:22):
back and forth. That's the only way a partnership is
really gonna work.
Speaker 5 (43:25):
Right, we were talking to Nick Asario and Nick ilet'a say
something twisted, and you mentioned, look, I'm proud of a
lot of things that happened this year, and the season
did not end the way we had hoped it would end.
What was really unusual about that was the bass security
was an issue at the end of the year, but
it was not during the year at all. That's twisted.
Is that an aberration and an anomaly?
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Where do you come out on that?
Speaker 7 (43:47):
Yeah, look, it's unfortunate that it happened. To your point,
I mean, we had twelve turnovers the entire season. I
think it was a franchise record or second in franchise history.
So we did a really good job of taking care
of the football. There's a direct correlation between taking care
of the football and winning, and we seen that throughout
the league. We've seen that and a lot of our
games as well. So unfortunately it happened. That's the way
it goes sometimes. I mean, that's why ball security is
such a premium. And you look at the teams that advance,
(44:09):
those are the teams that like took care of the football,
and that's always going to be important whenever you play,
whether it's regular season, postseason, and regardless of the opponent.
Speaker 5 (44:16):
All right, Nick, what about the JTC. What kind of
headspace is he in right now? Like, I'm sure you
talked to him. I don't talk to him, but man,
it's his third stand. He's doing a great job. I'm
gonna argue there's there's a lot of reasons why they
are where they are right now, but they're not there
without him. I don't think what kind of headspace is
he in right now? I think he's in a really
great spot.
Speaker 7 (44:32):
Had a chance to visit with them over the summer,
you know, just to kind of catch up with him
and before he was about to embark on the season,
and he felt good. It was interesting because a lot
of the staff that's in place or that they ended
up hiring, he hadn't really worked with anybody before, so
there wasn't a lot of carryover and overlap.
Speaker 6 (44:48):
I mean, he never coached with Mike.
Speaker 7 (44:50):
Mike played, Josh was coaching, so I think he had
a refreshed outlook and I think he was excited about
the opportunity to work with Drake and his year went on.
I mean, you can't say about the work that Josh
has done to your point, j Art, I mean, he's
a big part of the reason that they're There's no
question about it. Quarterback play is a really direct result
and correlation between you know, the coordinator and a coach,
(45:10):
and you know.
Speaker 6 (45:11):
Josh has done a good job as anybody.
Speaker 5 (45:13):
So Nick, when you were in the facility grinding away,
working your way up, what was Mike Vrabel like as
a player in the facility too?
Speaker 7 (45:21):
Mike is how he is now, I mean, very confident.
He's kind of a smart ass in a good way.
He could he could ras Bill a little bit and
do it in a playful way. But Mike was one
of the most respective players that was in the building.
He was smart, He was very tough. He was a
very instinctive football player, and his team when you watch
them play, is a reflection of his personality. So Mike's
(45:41):
had a lot of success as a coach. He started
kind of at the ground level, similar to Miko. They
started kind of QC kind of quality control. Worked his
way up. He was a position coach, He was a
coordinator and Houston defense coordinator there for here before he
went to the Titans. Had a lot of success at
Tennessee and then that year off. Honestly, when you look
at both Mike and Josh, that year off probably was
a blessing in disguise, and they really took advantage of it,
(46:03):
and you know, now their teams are in a pretty
good spot.
Speaker 5 (46:05):
You know what, I asked somebody this yesterday, like did
Tennessee not know what they had?
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Or in that year off?
Speaker 5 (46:11):
Did Mike actually do a self audit and really think
about why he is where he is?
Speaker 7 (46:17):
Like did he come back a better coach? You think, well,
it's probably a combination of everything. Look look at the
kind of the arc of your career, our career, always
looking for opportunities to grow. How can we kind of
enhance the things that we've already done and maybe learn
from and modify and adjust.
Speaker 6 (46:30):
And Mike.
Speaker 7 (46:31):
I can't speak for Mike, but I would assume Mike
did some of those things. So sometimes you need a
fresh start, and then when you kind of take a
step back, when you get a new opportunity, maybe you're
able to implement some things that you hadn't thought of,
or that you didn't think about in your previous job,
or just so it's all about kind of a growth mindset.
I mean, not to use your phrase, but it's really
kind of about the reinvention of yourself, not only as
(46:51):
a person and a coach. And I think you're seeing
some of that.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
That's some great stuff there with Jim Rome, and Jim
respects the fact that Nick is a clone. It's so
so interesting. I remember an interview I heard with Josh
McDaniels and Jim Rome many many years ago, and he
talked about how many of the Patriots employees at the
time we were clones. They were huge fans of Jim Rome.
And I think that's why Nick Casario and Sean penderg
(47:15):
had hit it off so well, because obviously Sean's a clone,
but he's also the Smackoff champion eighty five times over
and that's why they connected us Road. Really cool, but
appreciate Jim Rome and of course our pal Nick Cassari.
All Right, we'll be back tomorrow. Plenty more going on
in the NFL, plenty more of the offseason cranking up.
(47:36):
We're getting close, man to combine, coming up less than
two weeks. Free agency will be here before we know it,
and then we'll be seriously on at the twenty twenty
sixth season.
Speaker 1 (47:44):
We'll see it tomorrow, buddy. There's always go Texans,
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