What A Career For Jonathan Feigen, End Of The Road For Bobby and Bregman-Hinch Reunion?

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Teams series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A Team.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
What's up, Houston, Texas.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
It is another Friday edition of the eight Team Sports
Talk seven to ninety. It's been a trying week for
us with this work schedule, but we'll try to soldier
through for the next four hours as we take you
up until six o'clock make way for Rockets pregame coverage
of the local variety, and then before you know it,
wex and mt You'll take over and get you ready
for the rockets fifth consecutive victory. Because last night, I

(00:43):
can tell you this much. The New Orleans Pelicans are
probably one of the worst teams in the NBA. Now,
you know Zion being out, brandon Ingram being out. That
doesn't help their cause. Oh in that nuisance, Alvarado was
also out with a very festive pink sweatshirt type top
on the sidelines. But they're not a very good basketball

(01:06):
team usually when they're fully healthy, I mean, if you
had some talent, but when those guys are out. The
Rockets were in a situation where they could go ahead
and rest most of their starters in the fourth quarter
because well all the dam which was done thanks to
their backcourt combining for fifty five points and blowing out
the Pelicans on the first night of a back to back.

(01:26):
That's the key, because they've got the Minnesota Timberwolves in
town tonight, first of five in a row. Finally for
the Houston Rockets, who like basically didn't play any home
games here in the month of December at all, and
we'll start to try and see an uptick in competition
as the teams that are coming into Houston over the
next handful of games are much much better than the

(01:47):
ones they've played recently. Although WEX big injury news on
that front. We'll get to that in a little bit.
But as far as the Texans go, I don't know
what I told WEX before the show. I said, I
can't do four hours of offensive line talk. I can't
do it.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
Apparently neither can Bobby Slowick or Christrausser or Demiko Ryans
or Nick Casario.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
So they just watch it and then go about their business.
Doesn't it feel that way though?

Speaker 4 (02:14):
Like you, I mean, I've said it before in season,
you're kind of screwed.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
What you got Yeah. I mean there's minimal things you
can do.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
There's only so many players available, there's only so many
combinations you can put out there, and at some point
you probably over an eighteen week schedule, also have to
work around injuries, and that's clearly what they're doing now. Again,
I think it's a I think you are running out
of depth. I think you're running out of options, But
I also don't think you've got any worse.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
They're starting Kendrick Green. I would go for options over depth.
By the way, if you want me to choose, well.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
You're starting Kendrick Green and Jack Mason is out, you've
moved Titus Howard inside, and Blake Fisher is starting.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Does anybody in position other than Laramie Tunsel are they
playing their husual physition?

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yes, kind of. You don't care about being better next year?

Speaker 4 (03:04):
Yeah, No, for reuse, Laramie Tunssel is an NFL quality
above average starter. And now we're done with our discussion
regarding the offensive line. So if you're trying to get better,
you have to make changes, and that means different people
different people. If you have a fifty two card deck
and you shuffle it and you have four of each suit.
You know, you got a king, then you've got three

(03:26):
more kings. You got some tens, probably four of them
different suits. You shuffle them up.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Guess what still the same suit. Yeah, that's how it
feels this season. That's how That's how I felt going
into the season. This is not a pat myself on
the back situation. By the way, I take no pleasure
in this because it makes what they did this offseason,
which by and large was very good outside of that

(03:51):
position group, even more frustrating. You've got a situation where
I feel like you're gonna look back. We are all
gonna look back, and I think CJ. Stroud is probably
already looking back, whether he wants to admit it or not.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
He's a very nice young man.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
But we've got a situation where I feel like you're
going to say, in the grand scheme of things, they
wasted a year of CJ. Stroud's rookie contract because they
just didn't have better protection in front of them.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
Yes, it's true, but in hindsight, there's no way they
should have thought that.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
I didn't think that. They shouldn't have thought that either.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
I think a lot of it has to do with
something we probably talk about week to week, but should
have probably figured there's a bigger aspect to it.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
In the offseason.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
They didn't get weaker these players because the majority of
them are the same. They didn't forget how to play.
I think other teams have figured out the ways to
get to them and they don't have any answer for it.
Their O line coach doesn't have an answer for it.
The players don't have an answer for it. Clearly the
OC doesn't have an.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Answer for it.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
So it's a bigger problem than than just the people
that are out there, is what I would say.

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, if you've got if you have a situation where
you've already been game planned for and there's film on
you now and all that kind of stuff that we
keep hearing about CJ. Stroud, then you know that's that's
a huge problem because you're not going to be able
to make any significant changes until not only you have
next year to put different personnel in place, but here's

(05:15):
the thing, what what if that doesn't work?

Speaker 2 (05:18):
We talked about this yesterday.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
The fact that Nick Cassario has done such a fantastic
job on the on the defensive side of the football,
both with free agency and with drafting, and so you're like, Okay, well,
this is the same GM that put this defense out
there through both of those avenues of adding additional or
different players because obviously they had some turnover anyways because

(05:40):
of free agency outgoing players. But how can that same
guy not hit multiple times on you know, fortifying that
side of the football. And it's I mean he hit
with Joe Mixon clearly, But as far as the offensive
line itself, yeah, it's you're having to not only make
those changes, but you having to trust that the guy

(06:01):
making those changes, who's already made big time mistakes that
has partly put you in this scenario because it's not
just about the line. It's about what has happened to CJ.
Stroud and how much of that is because of the
line versus just him himself. You've got to trust that
same guy now to make more changes to this position group.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
That's why I think it's much more than that, and
that's why I think it has more to do. Is
it can't be as simple as this. It feels this way.
The other teams have coaches, the other teams are have
film available to them, they watch it. The same things
keep working.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
I have it.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
The same thing keeps working against the Texans every single week.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
The big first hit on CJ.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
Stroud was Kendrick Green blocking his guy and the man
next to him blocking his guy, and then someone just
walked right or ran right around Kendrick and he never looked,
and then the guy blows by him. He goes, oh,
I was supposed to drop off this guy and block
that guy, but you didn't. And CJ got crushed that
we have the wrong guy. That's not we're teaching. They're

(07:06):
doing things wrong. They're coaching them very badly, I believe,
and I think there's a huge disconnect and what type
of player they want on the offensive line. So now
you're getting a combination of who do we bring in
and who do we have coaching them? And I am
surprised in season if you recall a couple weeks back,
clearly when that run of games through the Packers and

(07:27):
Colts where they were seeing fifty five percent pressure rates
and things like that constantly. That's coaching. That's just that's
what it is. It's very simple. You're getting out coached
every single week. Other teams defensive coordinators are saying, well,
I'm gonna take these players, and they're gonna run the
same things I just saw that team do and that
team doing that team do because.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Every single week it works.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
So why shouldn't we do it. Even if that's not
a huge part of our defense. We're gonna do it
because it's gonna work, and it keeps working. Kendrick Green,
Kenyan Green, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Jack Mason. It doesn't matter.
It works against all of them. So these five players
that just happened to mention those five names, they're not
all the same. People that didn't come from the same place.
They weren't taught the same things before they arrived. A

(08:08):
couple of them came from college, a couple of them
came from other organizations or multiple organizations.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
They weren't playing like this there.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
They weren't doing these things making these mistakes there like
they're doing here in season. At that point in the season,
they should have probably made a change in offensive line.
It's very tough to do in season with a coach
with any changes you make.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Just asked the Bears.

Speaker 4 (08:28):
They were losing all those games in a row, so
they changed coaches multiple times with an interim and then
an OC and they'd fired their OC.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
They've lost every game since. That didn't make any difference.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
Last night's defense finally showed up and last night's offense said,
hey watch this as they lost their tenth in a row.
But I thought they should have made that move. In
Most people's focus is on Bobby slowk the OC quite clearly,
and I think he's also on his way out. But
both of those guys should be gone, and I think
you make significant changes from there. You're gonna have to
have your third year quarterback c J Stroud thrust on

(09:00):
in a new offense. I'm a huge fan of the
tree under which Bobby Slowick learned. I would absolutely advocate
for another style like that because I don't think there's
anything wrong with the playbook per se. I think they're
running out the wrong plays in that playbook and some
of the things they're doing up front on the offensive line.

(09:21):
Maybe there's a way to combine a couple of things
that other teams coordinators have done. And yeah, you know,
you've talked about it a lot yesterday quite a bit.
You know, is it time for Demiico to get his
guys You're referring to the front office basically Nick that
was not a Demiko assist on the higher he was
already here. I do think they've worked well together. They've
certainly worked well together defensively, and again it's not about

(09:42):
the player acquisitions as much as it is the execution
and what you're trying to have them do offensively. But
his whole staff defensively, that's his. There's some holdovers. You know,
Frank Ross was kept not because he was here, but
because he's really really good. Like if Frank Ross was
doing what he did as a special teams coordinator for
any other franchise and Debiko Ryans got hired and he
said I want that guy, we just said, yeah, bring

(10:04):
him in. Well, he was already here, so he smartly
kept him on board, and I think he's been a
big assist to him. But I absolutely think their offensive
coaching staff, they're the people that are in charge on offense.
It's gonna change. Should change, that's the better way to
say it. And I sit here, I don't sit in
their offices. It should change. I think Beg McDaniels is
a pretty good coach. He's their wide receivers coach. Has

(10:25):
done a few different things with this offense through multiple coaches.
I could say see him being retained and there might
be a guy here, a guy there, or a promotion within.
But they need some new leadership with the offense, and
they absolutely have to be telling their getting from their
offensive line things that they're not getting from them now.
They have the ability to change a lot of the personnel.

(10:47):
Those three guys though, Mason Howard and Laramie Tunzel, there's
a tremendous amount of money there, tremendous amount of money
tied up. Everybody else is basically a mix and match
from a contract standpoint.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
They don't make any money. The three of them are
guys that you drafted.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
Fisher or four of them shrugs Patterson, Fisher, and Kenyan Green.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
Kenyan Green's going at his fourth year.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
I don't think the Texans have a fifth year option
worth picking up on him.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
I don't think they'll want him.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
If you've noticed these last couple of games with Kenyan
Green on the active roster, he hasn't played. He played
the end of this game along with Zach Thomas and
the other we don't want you out theres on a
line where the guys that are out there, they shouldn't
want out there. So the last couple of years, as
they've last four years, they've changed head coaches three times,
clearly that brought a ton of change with them. But

(11:38):
I don't think we're gonna see change like that the
Indomico's head coaching tenure, like we're about to see in
between year two and year three. The offensive personnel coaching
wise is gonna change. And the five players they have
out there on opening nights, opening Day, they're not gonna
get a primetime game and opening weekend next year? Will
they play at noon at Jacksonville to open up the

(12:01):
twenty twenty five season, so we'll see a different group
out there.

Speaker 5 (12:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
I also there's there, speaking of Jacksonville, there's a graphic
going around.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
That's is it graphic in detail?

Speaker 6 (12:10):
That?

Speaker 3 (12:10):
Ugh, it's gross. Uh if you believe it, Oh what
is it? Or if you well, I'll explain it to you. Well,
I will find it, I will track it down and
we will talk about it because it pertains to the
Jacksonville Jaguars and their quarterback and comparing him to C. J.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Stroud, it's just laughable. We'll get to that.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
We will continue to fix the Texans that's what we
do here on the show. We'll talk a little Rockets basketball, obviously,
as they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
Some college get our Stone Cold Locks in. We'll do
everything we usually do on a normal Friday edition. The
final one of twenty twenty four isn't it Yeah?

Speaker 2 (12:46):
Here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
The a team on Sports Talk seven ninety back to
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler the eighteen just to give
you a little preview of our Stone Cold Locks. We
are at the time of year where.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
Because lineups fluctuate, and that's putting it nicely. You know,
some teams, like the Cheese, for example, I don't think
a single starter should play for them this week.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
I don't think. I mean you think Justin reached kickfield Wills, Yes,
I do.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
I mean Harrison Bucker's already spent one stint on the
ir Why risk having anything happening to him? So, but
then there's other teams that actually absolutely have things to
play for, even if it's by like the thinnest of
margins that they're even faintly having their playoff hopes live.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
And you have to much like.

Speaker 4 (13:43):
My decision, on not forcing a college football selection on
our participants, myself, Dan and yourself. Who's really what do
they have to play for, Who's really going to be
out there, who's in the portal, who's already taken an
ail money lead?

Speaker 2 (14:00):
What is on the line? I don't know?

Speaker 4 (14:02):
So what is the line that we're talking about in
stone cold locks? What does it really even mean this week? Like,
for instance, Oklahoma goes into their bowl game at six
and six, Navy goes in at nine and three. Oklahoma
totally miraculously on a fourth down conversion long passed down
the field and then the very next play into the
end zone miraculously gets the game tying touchdown. But they

(14:27):
correctly decide to go for two down twenty one to twenty.
Why not, There's six seconds left in the game. This
is a bowl game. What difference does it make? Unfortunately,
their star quarterback of the future took a sack on
the two point play, stood in the pocket, waited for
it to collapse, and got tackled without even a pass attempt,
which again kind of makes it impossible to score on

(14:50):
the play, which is what you're trying to do. But
what do you know about these games?

Speaker 7 (14:55):
Going in.

Speaker 4 (14:55):
Who's really out there in these NFL games this weekend.
There's a lot of them that's very simpl or as
of today today, I request that you post your stone
cold locks. You really don't know. You really don't know
what they're really after, how much they're really going for it.
You have the situation of Philadelphia where it seems likely
that Jalen Hurts is not going to get out of
concussion protocol, meaning both Vegas and you have to factor

(15:19):
that into the Kenny Pickett starting the game for the
Philadelphia Eagles. You know, the Bills have a little bit
to play for. They clearly want the number two seed.
They don't want to have to go to Baltimore should
that happen. But all they have to do is win
this week against the Jets, or win next week against
the Patriots, or have a Steelers loss to the Browns
and the Ravens lose to the Browns in the final week.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
That's it.

Speaker 4 (15:44):
But yeah, they're probably going to go out there this
week and attempt to crush well, they attempted to crush
the Patriots last week, and we're holding on for dear
life saying please, Patriots don't score a touchdown to tie
this game late, they won by a smaller margin, So yeah,
I was a little bit extra to think about here
in Week seventeen in the NFL and a non college

(16:05):
football playoff weekend. They'll play on the thirty first and
first midweek next week.

Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, I I as much as I hate it, and
as much as it just means that we're waiting longer
for games that we really want to see, I'm fine
with not having any sort of college activity in this
week's picks.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
But I'm not saying you can't. I'm just saying you
don't have to. I'm saying I can't. I am putting
myself on well.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
I'm not saying you can't pick a game on the line.
You just don't have to, and you don't.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
I've never I don't think I've even taken one like
out of character because like an accident, not an accident.
But like you guys can all right, I'll take the
I do the money line on that. No, I'm just
over under. I'm doing very well for myself. I mean,
I'm leading technically stupid ties. I mean, as it relates

(16:57):
to the graphic that we'll post at four thirty, it's
too difficult for me to recreate it. The percentage points
the space needed to add that dash one or dash
two next to your wins and losses and mine I
have a tie.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
So yeah, we have the same number of wins. That's
how I look at it.

Speaker 3 (17:13):
I look at it as your five to seventy one
percentage is winning and mine's five seventy eight.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
I gotcha. So we'll get to that at four thirty.
But it is. It's I like it.

Speaker 4 (17:21):
Even though the games might not mean much to anybody,
we got a full slate of games today. I was
mentioning the Ou Navy game literally as it was happening.
There's now four seconds left, and.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
I told you they were gonna win.

Speaker 4 (17:31):
Oklahoma did not recover the on side kick, and now
they will lose by one.

Speaker 2 (17:35):
I love that for them.

Speaker 4 (17:36):
Brett Venables, nobody's really gonna pay attention in two years
or in a year when he remains on the hot seat.
All they're gonna see is Oklahoma went six and seven.
They're not gonna say it was a bowl game. Who cares.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
It's the opposite.

Speaker 4 (17:51):
And that's why they're really From a coaches standpoint, these bowl.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
Games matter for your record.

Speaker 4 (17:57):
I don't think there's much cachet in saying we're then
twenty four Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl champion.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
No one says that.

Speaker 4 (18:05):
But if you're seven and six when they're looking to
fire you, that looks better than if you're six and
seven when they're looking to fire you. And I think
there's a real chance if there's another poor showing in
the SEC, you know, because that's where Oklahoma plays their football.
Now that yeah, I think he I don't even think
he's on the hot seat. I think he's gone. So

(18:26):
not beating Navy, who got their tenth win of the season,
is going to cry about that in Norman, I don't
think anybody there because I think that's where the these
ground scround exactly get moving on to a coach that
can get us to competitive level in this conference. There
are only one year and I'm maybe going a little far,
a little fast, but I kind of sense that is
how they coach take us.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
To bowl games and lose that we're gonna have that now.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
Yeah, So there's some that's something to consider as we move.
I'm sure in another direction with college football, first year
of the twelve team playoff, these bowl games, the nil situation,
the calendar situation, it's definitely not getting better for the
forty to eighty teams that are playing in these other
Bowl games, non playoff games. They're just treated so much differently,

(19:14):
and yet that number still goes in the winner lost column.
As you move forward with your coaching career and there's bonus.
It's tied to all sorts of nonsense. But I think
this will will have to be addressed if they continue
to have these games. I know they still have sponsors
for the great majority of them. They're still getting money
that way that the players and coaches. I think the
ones who are run financially well, they feel good about it.

(19:35):
But we also have at some point we'll probably recognize
what it looks like in these buildings. We're lucky, I
think here in Houston, and I think we'll be lucky
again this year. The fan support for the Bowl game here,
the Kindris Texas Bawl. With LSU and Baylor playing on
the thirty, first to thirty, there's gonna be a really
good crowd. It's gonna be a good scene, it's gonna
be a good atmosphere. Again, who knows what Baylor's gonna

(19:55):
put out there. Who knows what LSU is gonna put
out there. But a lot of these other Bowl games. Actually,
as we've now just gotten to December twenty seventh, there's
some fans there at some of the games. There's also
several games where there are very very few fans there.
That's not necessarily what it's all based on, but.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
It could. It should matter.

Speaker 4 (20:13):
You'd think it would matter if people want to go
to the game, spend money on tickets, generate more funds.
It can't all come from ratings and the name sponsor.

Speaker 3 (20:22):
Which no one ever says yes, especially when it's longer.
Although you know what my favorite bowl.

Speaker 4 (20:26):
Game is, I mean later on tonight, the AutoZone Liberty
Bowl is going to go down.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Yeah, but you know what my favorite bowl is, Well,
it's easy, come on your favorite with the Pop Tart Bowl.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
No, that's a close second. I mean, now, now you're talking.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
I'm not sure that you know this.

Speaker 4 (20:43):
I know you and all of our listeners know that
I play fantasy football. I play in the league with
other people that everybody that listens to sports radio knows,
and I've played with them for probably twenty five plus years.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
And that doesn't count. This one that you play with
for this stag.

Speaker 4 (20:58):
Our fantasy football league is named for a sponsor of
a bowl game that's long since been extinct.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
Ooh okay, how long. I don't think this company. It
probably exists, but it's product long Care lawn Care. Yeah,
well it's not Kim Lawn.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
They still exist. No, I mean it's a it's equipment.
They sell equipment to help you care for your lawn.

Speaker 2 (21:28):
Big Lawns regular line.

Speaker 4 (21:29):
I mean, if you're going to handle your own work
at the house, you might use some of their products.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
It's not John Deere. No, mm I got nothing.

Speaker 4 (21:37):
Well we are Fantasy football league is the pooland weed
eater fantasy football league.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
That sounds like dunder Mifflin. It's pretty awful that that's
why it works.

Speaker 3 (21:45):
Like you just don't change it. That's like me not
changing my fantasy football team name. You've done that before, though,
well it's been a long time since. They haven't been
known as the bad Ombres.

Speaker 4 (21:57):
When Hard Knocks used to be popular and people everybody
would watch it and there weren't three different versions on
during this off season, training camp and in season oversaturation,
I would change my fantasy football name because Hard Knocks
was during camp, so the season, our fantasy football season
started yet, so I'd watch a few episodes.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
I'd watch all the episodes, probably more than once.

Speaker 4 (22:19):
Something would come up, something would be said, like Ocho
Sinko at the time, Chad Johnson kept saying it over
and over and over. During the year the Bengals were there,
It kept saying child Please. That was my fantasy football
team name one year, child Please was the name. Okay,
there was a year where Rex Ryan had some fiery

(22:40):
speeches for his team. Not towards his wife's feet, no,
but he was talking about going to get an effing snack. Yeah,
I believe that was a team name one year something
like that. So yeah, I usually go that route.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
That's good. Yeah, pop culture is popular to go a time.

Speaker 4 (22:56):
I do think the idea of the clever name based
on NFL players makes a lot of sense, but it
seems like it's only useful if you have drafted that player.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
On your team.

Speaker 4 (23:05):
Otherwise, and I feel like people are just drafting them
so they can name their team that, which is great
if you're in my league, because obviously don't care about winning.

Speaker 3 (23:11):
Right if that's your number one priority. Now I did
care about winning, and here we are, so I.

Speaker 4 (23:17):
Don't think it's a real matchup because there's nothing to
play for in fifth place or seventh place.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
I do believe we're matched up this week. We are,
and I'm just hoping to get to five hundred.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
After everybody I drafted has been on IR at one
time or another.

Speaker 2 (23:30):
Nobody wants to hear about that. All right, I'll tell
you what you do want to hear about.

Speaker 3 (23:34):
Speaking of pop culture, I mean, maybe we'll have to
see best of X. We do it every day about
this time. We will come back with the latest edition
of that.

Speaker 8 (23:41):
Next the eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (23:48):
No need for a roadmap when all roads lead to
as sweet iHeart Radio app, Astros and Rockets games plus
legendary Houston Sports Talks seven nine on any device with
the free iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Now that's the art of living. Did you all see this.

Speaker 10 (24:10):
Should be putting out between five and fifteen posts a day.

Speaker 2 (24:14):
Four hundred people were arrested. Four things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 3 (24:17):
History repeats itself type bang, you'll succeed, never doubt that
you're the one who pust'll go one building lead you're
the best of X.

Speaker 2 (24:30):
Nothing's gonna ever top you know you're the best of X.
Posting every single day. You know you're the.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
Best of X breaking the entire Internet.

Speaker 4 (24:45):
It's just saying nobody's broken the Internet with something they
posted on social media.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
Not yet, anyway, That's not true. So far, so good.

Speaker 4 (24:51):
Best of X to thirty every weekday afternoon here on
the eight team. I have something we could go with,
but I like to hear from you first. Well, well,
you guys are very well I say this. I'm assuming
I should probably not do that. I'm assuming that a
lot of you who.

Speaker 3 (25:07):
Enjoy college football and therefore enjoy college game Day.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
Are aware of the introduction.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
I'll put it that way of one Nick Saban, who
has been I think really underrated in his presence on
that show.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
This year, three major football stars added to our television
coverage this year of football, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Nick Saban.
Like the three biggest winners of the last two plus decades,
Nick Saban's been phenomenal yep.

Speaker 4 (25:43):
Bill Belichick has been phenomenal yep. And Tom Brady calls games, yes,
analyzes games. Jeez, okay, come at the goat.

Speaker 3 (25:52):
You best not miss all right, So in case you
missed it, this is how it went when they were
in dos to each other. Shane Gillis one of the
best comedians out there, and he does probably pound for pound.
I'm gonna put him in Sean ferrosh fairish. I'm gonna
put them as like one in one A. As far
as Trump impressions, they minus crap compared to both of

(26:17):
these guys.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
And if you've seen you, they.

Speaker 4 (26:19):
Can say some former trouble making political person in another
country that they went after and they killed like a dog.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
You couldn't talk about him, well I could have. You
should actually play that he died like a dog.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
But no, Shane Gillis didn't exactly endear himself. Let's put
it out. It was awesome. Yeah, this is what it
sounded like when those two met the first time.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
Caught him earlier. I was just joking around.

Speaker 8 (26:44):
I don't think the SEC paid players eever.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
Period.

Speaker 8 (26:50):
I'm joking. Jones is very sus.

Speaker 11 (26:59):
I'm not so.

Speaker 8 (27:03):
I do believe in integrity.

Speaker 12 (27:04):
Yeah, I was trying to run the program that way
so players had a better chance to be successful, more
money in the NFL than any other school. Sixty one
plays in the league. That was how we cheated. We
developed play.

Speaker 4 (27:20):
Earlier, during the missing Kicks portion of College Game Day,
Shane Gillis had insinuated that there might have been some
cheating going on in the SEC, including Alabama. He called
him Alabama Jones if you missed that right there, and
the fact that that's what was adorning the dome of
Nick Saban, a Indiana Jones esque hat. So they were
having some playful banter about everything, well everything not a

(27:43):
fun show.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
I thought this was a fun show. It was great.

Speaker 3 (27:45):
It is until Nick Saban's involved and you're calling him
Alabama Jones because he's wearing a fedora that day.

Speaker 2 (27:51):
But I digress.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
So you might have thought, Okay, well, maybe they made nice,
maybe they've caught up, maybe they've I've gotten closer.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
No such luck.

Speaker 3 (28:01):
Nick Saban was on the Pat McAfee show earlier today
and was asked about that very thing.

Speaker 8 (28:07):
I understand he's a comedian.

Speaker 13 (28:09):
Obviously, he's much more intimidated by JJ Watt than he
was by me, which is understandable, and I guess you
got a live with it. But you know, we were
trying to create value for players and I think that's
why we were able to recruit good players, whether it
was how many degrees they got, how many guys went
in the NFL, how many guys had careers that were

(28:29):
very productive for him, and that's why we got good players.
So that speaks for itself, and that's that's all there
is to it. But you know, he was trying to
be funny, which I get it.

Speaker 8 (28:40):
And you know, my daughter.

Speaker 13 (28:41):
Kristen loves them, so that's kind of soothed the soul
a little bit that somebody in our family likes to die.

Speaker 8 (28:49):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (28:50):
So I mean, he wasn't too harsh. He just acknowledged
that he's not he is. He is, just I think
what it is is. I think he could have called
him Alabama Jones and it would have been fine. But
if you're just his integrity, yeah yeah, you can't because again,
that's his legacy, that's what he's built for himself. Even

(29:13):
when he had won a LSU, he was nowhere near
what he is now, of course not. And now that
he's built that, he's not gonna let some Johnny cum
Lately Shane Gillis comedian desecrate that.

Speaker 2 (29:26):
In any way because he knows I guarantee.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
What he's thinking in his mind is, hey man, we're
on college game Day right now. More people watch this
than pretty much any football show in America, and you're
gonna you're gonna try and tarnish my legacy by saying
we paid players.

Speaker 2 (29:39):
And again this is not.

Speaker 3 (29:41):
Surprising if you remember the back and forth of him
and disgraced Aggie coach Jimbo Fisher. They got into it
over this very subject. He started it, well, he also
finished it.

Speaker 4 (29:52):
Maybe so his comment there about JJ Watt missed that
Netflix series that Shane is a part of tires Netflix series.
They did a nice little sketch where JJ was intimidated
to a certain descent by the bully that Shane Gillis is.
That was pretty funny as well. Shane made two appearances

(30:13):
this year on college game Day. He's done enough with
his act if you've seen any of that or if
you have it on your for you page, because it's
all over everything now he's into sports, which is those
are the types of guests that make the best guest
pickers or whoever whatever role they play on game day.
And I do respect the Bob Dylan character. Typically Stala

(30:36):
May that showed up on game day. He did sound
like he knew what he was talking about. I'm sure
he as an actor, put some time and effort into
researching everything, believe it or not, but I really think
Shane he's a sports fan.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
So Teresa wanted to get Brooklyn a subscription to Rolling
Stone Magazine for Christmas as just one of her little
side presents, and believe it or not, I was tasked
with and bought one, not one, but tried to buy
two different versions of Rolling Stone Magazine. The first one
I got was the Bob Dylan Special Edition. Biggest waste

(31:11):
of fourteen dollars ever, fourteen dollars for a magazine. I'm
sorry if I sound like an old that's ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
Let's you just get the digital version.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
Secondly, well, no, because it's all about having it in
your hand, I know. And the what's his name again, Timothy?
Timothy calame no whatever, it doesn't matter to me, by
the way, yeah exactly. I was tasked with finding the
one that he was on the cover of. Couldn't find it.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
By the way he spell most everybody knows that Timothy
spells his first name like a stripper.

Speaker 3 (31:43):
How's that he had he draws a heart over the eye.
Uh no, he's got too easy at the end instead.

Speaker 2 (31:47):
Of a y oh my gosh. So I asked the
lady at the Barnes and Noble.

Speaker 3 (31:53):
I was at, hey, do you have this Timothy Challa Mayott?

Speaker 2 (31:58):
You know? Yeah? I like and I do that sometimes too.
I really don't know who this guy is.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
She's like, oh, and she rattles off the correct pronunciation
to me, like you idiot, you old bald idiots.

Speaker 2 (32:09):
Exactly, and part I get it.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
I was like, oh, he's in the Dune thing, right,
and she was like yeah, And I go like that
and the cover of the book for the Dune that
he's on. OHO's right behind her at the register, and
I go, oh, that's who I'm looking for. Yeah, she goes,
we've been sold out. Everybody came in and got it.
I'm like, really, he's that popular.

Speaker 4 (32:28):
So Rolling Stone for her a magazine that has some
cachet and some staying power, and it's really nostalgic to
a lot of people that are on the music side
of Enner same it's side. So in a few years,
are you going to be asking her to get Carson
like sports Illustrated.

Speaker 2 (32:44):
I want to it won't exist, man, Yeah, I know.
I mean that's kind of the point.

Speaker 3 (32:49):
I just but Rolling Stone's like been around for even
longer than that.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
It's it's important.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
Remember when Rick Riley wasn't a total ignoramus and actually wrote.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
Some car right, man, we'll just article page.

Speaker 3 (33:03):
In the back of Sports Illustrated. What was it called,
not the last Word, but something along those lines.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
Oh, maybe it's called the back page. Yeah, something like that.

Speaker 3 (33:11):
Anyways, then anyone off the defense deep end, but not
so much as Keith Oldman, another guy who used to
do sports and is now a crazy person.

Speaker 2 (33:17):
All right, we will come back.

Speaker 3 (33:19):
We're going to talk about something that will absolutely benefit
your Houston Rockets that happen right here in this very state.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
We'll explain when we return.

Speaker 8 (33:28):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
But first we're gonna tell you one more time about
the only place, and technically there's fourteen of them that
you need to be going to to get yourself ready
to ring in the new year. And we're not talking
about champagne and all that kind of stuff. We're talking
about fireworks, man, And we're talking about top dog fireworks
and specifically, we're talking about our buddy Eric, a total
p one, long time Sports Talk seven ninety listener who

(33:56):
just happens to be working at the two ninety and
Huffmeister location, one of fourteen Top Dog Fireworks locations located
in and around the Greater Houston area, and wex we've
got video proof. You'll see it later on on social media.
They are locked and loaded and ready for this New Year's.

Speaker 4 (34:14):
Yeah did it about a week ago, kind of showed
you around the place where we're going to show you
around the place again and let you see. After one
holiday has coming gone and now another holiday is on,
it's right around the corner New Year's. You can enjoy
and celebrate with the biggest, the largest, the most fantastic
buy one, get one free selection in Texas right there
at top Dog Fireworks, over one hundred dazzling items to

(34:37):
choose from Topdog Fireworks dot Com. You go there, you
can find the top Dog location near you. Enjoy yourself.
We certainly have. We're gonna show you all about it,
so check out their social media and ours as well,
and celebrate the season and say it with a boom
at Top Dog Fireworks.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
Back to Adam Clinton and Adam.

Speaker 5 (34:57):
Wexler the eighty. He died like a dog. He died
like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.

Speaker 3 (35:10):
Wait was that Shane or Donald? It was Donald. That's
why I wasn't very funny. Comedian is funny.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
President is a guy who thinks he's delivering Mike drop Movens.

Speaker 2 (35:27):
That was a Mike drug moment.

Speaker 7 (35:28):
I know.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
That's why he is who he is. I don't.

Speaker 4 (35:32):
I'm pretty sure I could be wrong. There weren't people
laughing when he did it. I know for a fact
were people laughing when Shane did it.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
If, if not publicly, if I were a part of
his team, you know, the President of the United States,
his team, and I'm in the back and I'm watching
him deliver that.

Speaker 4 (35:53):
This is one of those the White House approached the podium.
This is a big, major world news item. Yeah, the
one he's delivering.

Speaker 3 (36:01):
The biggest terrorist in the world has been well, has
died like a dog. I'm laughing my butt off in
the background.

Speaker 4 (36:07):
And again the fact that Shane is a sports fan.
When he delivers that part of his act, he basically
like he's you know, giving up press conference at the
end of an NBA Finals game, or give it a
sport like he's tying it into what we all love
and he's yeah, he's trying to is It's hilarious.

Speaker 3 (36:23):
The best part about Shane's delivery, and if you've seen
any of his stand up you know this, is that
he knows when the jokes are super inappropriate, so he
does that thing like we're all in on this. It's
just he's so good. I cannot wait to go see him. Uh,
I've never seen him before in person. I'm totally gonna
do that the next time I can. I think I

(36:44):
just missed him here in Houston too. So anyway, speaking
of Houston, Rockets are good, but beating up on the
New Orleans and the Charlottes of the world, especially when
they're down a bunch of players, is not as impressive
as say it will be if they rip off another
four or five wins in a row.

Speaker 4 (37:03):
Mean, it's I hear what you're saying, but considering who
do you want them to beat. They've beaten everybody they
have been, literally been every good team in the West
that they've played.

Speaker 3 (37:13):
I would have liked a better effort the last time
they matched up with Oklahoma City, especially from one outbranching Goon.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
Yeah, that would have been nice.

Speaker 4 (37:20):
The game you didn't know would be on your schedule
either way, Vegas to meet them outprach Ching.

Speaker 3 (37:24):
Goon in large part has been on the side of
a milk carton for the better part of two weeks compared.

Speaker 4 (37:28):
To what he was doing, maybe from getting his own,
but he's been all over the glass like usual. Yeah,
and he's he and Fred are basically splitting their playmaking
duties and they run things for him where he's not. Recently, Yeah,
he hasn't been as nearly as good offensively. He hadn't
had too many good first and second halves of games,

(37:50):
but he usually had one or the other. All while,
as you mentioned, they've won four in a row, they've
won six out of seven, they've won nine out of
their last twelve. They've won twenty nine twenty one of
their life thirty. Like, if you need that note for
your next game, I can I can help.

Speaker 2 (38:03):
You out with that. Well, you have the next game.
They're on a twenty one out of thirty run of wins.
I see that.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
It's a very important information. You've got to dig deep
to find stuff like that, as in just looking at
their record.

Speaker 4 (38:14):
I mean, if you maybe, but if you need somebody
to pass to that information, I'll be happy to do that.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
It's not much of a deep dive if you just
see that there's.

Speaker 4 (38:21):
This one of Miami, Dallas, Boston, LA Lakers are all
coming to Toyta Center over the next week to ten
days through the fifth of January.

Speaker 2 (38:29):
Only one of those teams is really good.

Speaker 3 (38:31):
Boston, Yeah, the defending champs, who are just as much
of a juggernaut this year. And as it pertains to that,
that game on New Year's Day was probably gonna be
a lot more of a marquee matchup, if you will,
until last night when Luka Doncic, who looks like the

(38:52):
most unathletic superstar in the league this side of the Joker.
I bring that up because a calf strain can happen
to anybody. Just see Kevin Durant. No one's ever accused
him of being overweight, But Luka Doncic having soft tissue injuries.
I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened more with the way

(39:13):
he looks.

Speaker 4 (39:15):
So let's turn to a doctor to talk about this.
Christeler doctor Johnson.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
I like that guy better.

Speaker 4 (39:21):
Luca hurd his calf and if you saw the highlights
of it, he basically just never joined his team on offense.
He knew, he knew he couldn't move, he knew he
needed to leave the game. He was pretty frustrated by it.
And they've said in a month we'll reevaluate, So he's
not playing for a month. He's obviously missing this game.
There's a real good chance he misses the early game
in February two. There's a real good chance he doesn't
play again until after the All Star break. And the

(39:42):
way awards are handed out and all NBA things are
handed out, he's not in that he's gonna be ineligible
for that. Doctor Johnson. You know him as at jump
Shot eight, former Rocket and current Sons analyst Eddie Johnson.

Speaker 3 (39:55):
Not to be confused with Agent Johnson or the other
agent Johnson.

Speaker 4 (39:59):
Uh yeah, yes, I'll try to give you some lines
from that Christmas movie as we continue. He wrote about
that injury yesterday, strained my calf three times in my prime,
like Luca exclamation point, a lot of issues or alignment
structural doctor and non stop stretching with good posture is
his only cure, or it will happen, or it will

(40:21):
continue to happen. Doctor Johnson has spoken so a foreign
NBA player relating to this very specific injury and all
of our comparisons over the years between Luca and James Harden.
While Harden constantly plays and somehow always stays healthy, Luca
is the opposite. But they condition themselves similarly as to say,

(40:44):
they don't.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Look he doesn't look athletic. He's a fear.

Speaker 4 (40:49):
It doesn't look like he gets in shape for his
NBA seasons every single year. That was being much doesn't
mean you're gonna have a calf injury, but also it
doesn't mean you're likely to be without injury. And the
longer you go into your career, the older you get,
the harder it is to recover. But that being said,
the Mavericks will try to beat the Rockets for the

(41:10):
first time without him.

Speaker 8 (41:13):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your Team,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A.

Speaker 3 (41:39):
It is the A Team Sports Talks seven ninety and
now Space City Home Network. And if you're a longtime
listener and in this case viewer of the show. You
know that WEX and I and really all the shows
here on Sports Talk seven ninety. When you hear that sound,
you know it's big time. You know it's breaking news.
And boy do I have some breaking news for you guys.

(42:00):
It turns out that the Cleveland Browns have finally figured
out that that guaranteed money that they gave to Shawn
Watson was not a great decision and that they should
probably I don't know, restructure that contract so as not
to make it such a cap burden in the future.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
And that's exactly what they have done.

Speaker 3 (42:23):
The Browns and Deshaun Watson have agreed to terms on
a contract restructure, according to Ian Rappaport, easing the salary
cap burden for years to come. The reworked deal also
signals that Watson is expected to be on the Browns
next season, stealing money, however much it is. That last
part I made up, but it's true. This is about

(42:46):
the cap after his deal is up.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
This was going to happen regardless, regardless of his injury
this season, because his performance wasn't going to get any better.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
They had to do this. Is what teams do with
contracts that suck.

Speaker 4 (42:57):
When the player sucks, and he's under contract for many years,
ninety two million dollars guaranteed, still ninety two million dollars
fully guaranteed. But my constant conversation about the cap and
how you management this is what I'm talking about, and
if you're listenable contract terrible situation when you have to

(43:18):
let him go, but you can always, always, always find
a way to make it less troubling. What this It
says two things loudly. One thing, we already knew he's
going to be on the Browns roster in twenty twenty five.
Now what we figured would be the case is much
more financially possible from a dead cap standpoint, makes his

(43:41):
contract easier to manage following the twenty twenty sixth season
when his deal expires. They're just figuring out how soon
can we make it less troublesome, dead cap wise to
get rid of him, And that's what this restructuring is doing.

Speaker 2 (43:58):
Well, this isn't.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
Even the first restart. I don't think it's the second
restructure of his deal. And Tom Pellisero went on to
say that this doesn't impact his seventy three million dollar
cap number next year, which can happen later, but it
lets the Browns spread the cap hit at the end
of the contract, which aspires after twenty twenty six. A

(44:19):
strong sign wait for it, Browns fans that Watson will
be in Cleveland two more years. And then he puts
in parentheses at least I just if you're a Browns fan,
that was like, just cut your losses, easy for you
to say, but like day, this guy is a paro.

(44:40):
Well he was al Riya pariah, but now he managed
to make the one market that was willing to give
him all this money almost hate him as much as
the one that sent him there.

Speaker 4 (44:50):
In light of the fact that it appeared he was
in Atlanta like it was done and he was going
to Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Left a jersey on the table in the photo, there
was probably more than one owner who was willing to
accept his services as an unfer. How are you if
you're a Falcons fan today, just looking at this, I know.

Speaker 4 (45:08):
Thank god they didn't get saddled with a bad contract
for a veteran quarterback signed his deal with the Browns
not long after the trade was made.

Speaker 2 (45:17):
Clearly that was may Or excuse me.

Speaker 4 (45:19):
March of twenty twenty two, two hundred and thirty million
dollars over five seasons, so he's three seasons through it.
That's why this contract still runs through twenty twenty six,
two more seasons to go. In March of twenty three,
a year after the original deal was signed, converted some
of his money into a signing bonus.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
Again.

Speaker 4 (45:37):
In August of twenty twenty four, which was just prior
to this year, converted more salary into signing bonus. And
now he's restructured again. Three years of football paid for,
three restructures have come along with it, and zero good football.

Speaker 2 (45:56):
But that's good news for the rest. Again.

Speaker 4 (45:58):
This has been a huge for Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, the Ravens,
the Chiefs, the Chargers, the Texans, and anybody else who
cares about winning in the AFC. This deal took Cleveland
out of the running to compete for anything during his
time there. I know they made the playoffs and were

(46:21):
embarrassed by Houston. Yeah, they were embarrassing. The year before,
they was embarrassing.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
This year. He was on the sideline.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
They're going to be I don't imagine Cleveland is going
to compete in any way. Next year either that's year
four of his five year deal that they chose to make,
which is probably at some point going to start costing
them other players who have also agreed to deals that
are they're going to get their money. But these one
year base salary deals, with all this money pushed forward,

(46:48):
they're going to be in a bad situation without a
quarterback for a lot longer than his time there is,
unless they get lucky and land a quarterback that has
to share a roster spot with him over the next
couple of years.

Speaker 3 (47:02):
I'm sure he'll beating and helpful in the quarterback room
if that were to happen. I mean, I don't think
he's I don't think he's a negative in that respect,
but it shown.

Speaker 2 (47:10):
All the great places to get worked on.

Speaker 4 (47:13):
He might I mean, for all we know he doesn't
know where those well, I don't even know how to
say that, because the great place you mean on his
body or you mean like locations, Yes, well I think
they were literally everywhere they were in them Expetian in
place or his place or is there a Clevelander hotel,

(47:33):
like there's a Newstonian here?

Speaker 3 (47:35):
How bad this season has gone for the Texans in
light of expectations.

Speaker 2 (47:39):
Just remember that it could be a lot worse.

Speaker 4 (47:41):
Remember that you're in a great situation. As much as
this season and certainly Christmas Day was painful, this is
the kind of pain you want. This is Houston sports
fan pain.

Speaker 2 (47:54):
You want it. I'm sorry, you gotta have it. Houston
sports fan pain.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
While coach Dave and love you were the coach, while
coach Silas was the coach, while Brad Mills was the manager.
You don't want that sports pain. You have no chance.
You aren't competitive. You're not doing anything and you can't
even tell at the time you're doing anything to get
you competitive. Clearly, the Astros got competitive, and the Rockets

(48:19):
have managed their way through three years of losing a
heavy percentage of their games, and now ema Udoka has
won more games in his year and change than that
three year run went for the Rockets. They're number two
in the West today and obviously the Texans are competing.
They're going to the playoffs. Their competitive team. Their record
against very good teams this year is bad. They've won

(48:39):
once against the six playoff teams that they faced this year.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
That's not good. But they've They've put themselves in position
to make you care.

Speaker 4 (48:49):
That's why three hundred thousand people watched, viewed, or commented
on CJ.

Speaker 2 (48:54):
Stroud accepting the responsibility for it.

Speaker 3 (48:56):
C J.

Speaker 4 (48:56):
Stroud talking about crying two weeks ago or a week
ago because people care, because you should care because your
team matters. Again, the Browns don't matter. And it definitely
can be traced to that trade. They put together a
really good roster. I can't lie to you and pretend
I didn't say these things back when this deal was.

Speaker 2 (49:14):
Made, the Browns were ready to win.

Speaker 4 (49:17):
The Browns have a winning roster with garbage at quarterback,
and it's only gotten worse every year.

Speaker 2 (49:24):
I mean, they're so bad.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
They're so bad that people couldn't get enough of terrible
Jameis Winston this year. He is a terrible can't win
with him NFL quarterback because and this is my favorite saying, like,
when you're a bad quarterback, you're a mistake machine. Nobody's
a bigger mistake machine than Jamis Winston. That's why he

(49:49):
can't elevate past backup stat That's an amazing press conference giver.

Speaker 4 (49:53):
He gives you great interviews, he has great quotes, he
does great pregame speeches.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
He's fun, he prays. That's great, but can't win. He
can't play.

Speaker 4 (50:02):
I'm glad that he actually made a few plays this
year because he did throw some nice touchdown pass. He's
made some nice plays, But the overwhelming time spent on
the field is with, well, we can't win because he
keeps making mistakes.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
Just stop making the mistakes.

Speaker 4 (50:16):
And maybe I'd say things otherwise, but they're not getting
closer to competing. They're actually getting further away, and they're
getting close to the top of the draft, and they
will have their own selections to make and that might
allow them to return to competitiveness, but probably not when
you should be at your peak if you're the Texans,
probably not when you're riding through the end of your peak.

(50:39):
For the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens, who clearly are much
further along than Houston with Stroud, or Cincinnati with Burrow,
or the Chargers or Broncos with Herbert and Knicks. But
I don't think Patrick Mahomes is about to be done
or Kansas City's window is getting anywhere near closed. And
it clearly is the same story in Baltimore and in Buffalo.

(51:01):
It's it's not an accident that here we are again
with two NFL games to go for most teams and
the best three teams in the AFC, they're the same
teams again, with the same three quarterbacks. Again, some teams
are closer to catching them, but are hitting reality that
they're nowhere near that the Texans. The Texans are fourth
in the AFC. They basically have the fourth best record.

(51:23):
You know, Pittsburgh has ten wins.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
The two teams this weekend could get to ten wins
and then you might be saying, yeah, the Texans have
the worst record in the AFC among the playoff teams.
Asked that question yesterday. Are the Texans the worst AFC
playoff team? Yeah, they might be, but each of those
four teams they're with the Steelers, the Broncos, the Chargers,
the Texans. That is a clear step back Tier two

(51:45):
in the AFC. And in twenty twenty five, same twenty
twenty six. Same Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Pat Mahomes
have a stranglehold on the top of the AFC and
probably the MVA Award for multiple seasons to come. This
isn't about to end and Cleveland is so far down

(52:07):
the ladder. Oh yeah, I mean it's so you're welcome.
Rest of the NFL signed it. Nick Cassario, He's listen.
I know you're talking about Bobby Slowek being gone after
this year.

Speaker 4 (52:19):
That was one of my solutions suggested many times before today,
but again today we're here to help you realistically give solutions.

Speaker 2 (52:27):
We'll talk about this when we come back.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
And there's actually two things I want to talk about
with regards to the future of the NFL and specifically
and the AFC as.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
It pertains to the Texans.

Speaker 3 (52:38):
We'll talk about the first one in the immediately when
we come back, and it obviously involves the GM of
your Houston Texans currently, but there's also a big piece
of one of those teams that you mentioned that's ahead
of the Texans, that is clearly not what they used
to be, clearly in decline, and we need to talk
about how that factors in to one of the power

(52:59):
house in the AFC.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
We'll do all of that.

Speaker 3 (53:02):
We still have our Stone Cold Locks coming up in
an hour, and a very very important sendoff we need
to give to somebody in the Houston sports landscape.

Speaker 2 (53:12):
I did not know this was coming.

Speaker 3 (53:13):
Took me by surprise, and we've actually reached out to
this person as well.

Speaker 2 (53:17):
All of that's still to come here on the A Team, The.

Speaker 8 (53:20):
A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (53:24):
Here's what's to come for you in twenty twenty five.
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Speaker 1 (54:26):
Back to Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler the.

Speaker 3 (54:30):
Eighty I'm not sure that I recall you being so.
I guess certain about the departure of Bobby Slowick following
this year until I think you just mentioned it. Maybe
like under the radar almost this show.

Speaker 4 (54:51):
They have to do something or else they'll do what
you said again. If we're still believers in CJ. Stroud,
I am. I think you are too. I think the
people is the Texans building are and I think CJ
still believes in himself. Bad season some question, why would
you not be right? I think you know enough about him,
and they know him better than we do. They're in
the building with him every day. They've gotten to know

(55:11):
him even better. They understand how he prepares for games,
how he plays games, how he handles everything, how he
leads this team. I believe they believe in him as
their future, and they'll show it financially, I'm sure, both
by initially probably picking up the option and then having
that go out the window when they extend him, not
this off season, but quite possibly next offseason, the idea

(55:33):
that this franchise is going to have something happen a
second time that we still can't believe happened a first time.
You're basically saying they wasted you know, the early part
of his career in year two, Well, the Texans had
the best player in franchise history till their quarterback. I'm sorry,
we wasted your season when JJ Watt was walking off

(55:53):
the field with Deshaun Watson. And now you're saying management
Demiko Nick. Players maybe are gonna say to c J, Hey, sorry,
sorry we stunted your development. Sorry we kept you as
a non confident player. Sorry we got you hit so
much this year. Second most sacks in the NFL. If
you were watching last night, you'll see why he can't

(56:14):
possibly lead the league in sacks taken because Caleb Williams
loves taking sacks.

Speaker 3 (56:20):
That is that was that the worst game of the season.
I'm seriously asking.

Speaker 2 (56:24):
Believe I was.

Speaker 4 (56:26):
I was watching the game, and then I usually will
go to the box score. I want to see some
of you know, how have the possession's gone? Why are
they off the field again? How many punts have there been?
Why can't they move the ball? Can these total yardage
totals be real? There's nobody's doing anything. Oh, they must
be playing them on soon. Oh it must be snowing.
It must be raining, they must conditions must be terrible.
They've greased the football. Something must be there.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (56:48):
That was the least impressive football put on display in.

Speaker 2 (56:53):
An NFL game this year, I believe so.

Speaker 3 (56:54):
Yeah, Like, we scored six points and it was enough
to beat the Bear.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
The teams.

Speaker 4 (57:01):
Now, I can't say this without the use of a penalty.
I want to say neither team visited the end zone.
Now there was one touchdown pass called back by penalty. Now,
if you stayed with the game throughout, you were treated
to the final two minutes and the newly run the
new leadership in Chicago, they did a huge homage to

(57:24):
their outgoing coach Matt Eberfluss with the way they handled
their timeouts and the clock in the final two minutes.
It's one of the biggest reasons why he got fired
because I think management finally said, man, your game day
operations are awful. Your use of your timeouts and recognition
of what's going on in the game is awful. It's
we keep losing these close games because you don't know
what you're doing. We got to let you go. And

(57:46):
what they did last night their quarterbacks coming off the
field basically screaming at them with his eyes, what are
you doing. They're calling timeouts with the clock stopped because
they're unsure of what to do, and their coach afterwards saying, well,
I'd changed my mind. You know, we had this going
and we still could do that, so I thought it
was the right thing to do.

Speaker 7 (58:03):
You know.

Speaker 3 (58:04):
They just their operation is so bad. Six ' three
and one of the two teams could still win their division,
not Chicago, not Chicago.

Speaker 2 (58:16):
Best division in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (58:17):
Still even wish Chicago being in it, because that's that's
actually an accomplishment.

Speaker 4 (58:21):
There's fourteen teams going to the playoffs. Their division has
three possible Super Bowl champions.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
Not just playoff teams. I'm gonna say yes, I mean it.
I do believe the Packers are at that level.

Speaker 4 (58:31):
And I can't believe Sam Donald's going to be playing
in the biggest showcase game in sports.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
This year, but I can't rule it out. Okay, here's
the thing. Jared Goff's team is awesome.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
None of this is apar to what I wanted to
talk about this segment. But I'm fine with this because
here's the thing. If Sam Donald leads them on a
deep playoff run, you have to start him next year,
right deep one win? No, that's a Texans. If they're
in the final eight, it's not deep. Why Why would
the Minnesota Vikings not have as good a shot as

(59:02):
any to line up in the conference championship, especially given
what's happened to Detroit from an injury standpoint, and maybe
they're playing Detroit they are.

Speaker 2 (59:11):
No, I'm just saying, like in the conference championship.

Speaker 4 (59:14):
Game, Well, they haven't yet fallen out of the race
for number one. Right, the Vikings, led by Darnold, could
be the number one seed in the NFC.

Speaker 3 (59:24):
And that's how that's the cruel part of an NFL season.
The Detroit Lions have been the best team in football
wire to wire, but they're not healthy, and the places
they're not healthy, you really need those to win a
super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (59:38):
Most of the.

Speaker 3 (59:38):
Time, your best pass rusher and your best running back Donzo.

Speaker 4 (59:43):
Yeah, the quality of football they put on the field
makes it a little bit different analogy than kind of
looking back at the Drew Brees Chargers and the Philip
Rivers decision. Obviously, Drew Brees was a good quarterback. They
moved on and went with Philip Rivers for a reason.
They orchestrated the deal to bring him in and they
felt like, this is our guy. JJ McCarthy doesn't come
with that. I don't think that high of a grade

(01:00:04):
to begin with, or maybe even the pedigree from college.
Will draft a little bit later than Rivers, who was
four and he was in the top ten.

Speaker 2 (01:00:10):
Still, I thought he was going to be the starting
quarterback this year. What if he's the next Jordan Love
I mean in the division, that's pretty high praise. I
don't think he's that I would you know what I
mean by that?

Speaker 3 (01:00:24):
Right?

Speaker 4 (01:00:25):
The scenario, maybe take it here. You've watched Sam Darnold
play in your offense. This is Kevin O'Connell's team. This
is Kevin O'Connell's offense. I really like him, by the
way you should. But I like the guy too. He's
a great guy. Yeah, awesome coach. He reminds me, you know,
he reminds me of baseball manager. Very familiar is he

(01:00:45):
in Detroit? His mannerisms, even his face a little bit.
So which of his Which of Kevin O'Connell's vikings would
you equate to? Aj Hinch's newest free agent signing.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
Is he Alex Bregman?

Speaker 4 (01:00:59):
No, No, he's Labor to Oh if you hadn't heard
Labor Torres. Fifteen million dollars, just a one year deal,
but fifteen million dollars. It is the Tiger's new second baseman.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
There.

Speaker 4 (01:01:13):
GM spoke about the deal today and said, he's playing second.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Colt Keith is playing.

Speaker 4 (01:01:17):
First, we're playing third. They still don't have a third basement.
But no, I like Kevin O'Connell a lot. I think
they're on their way to continuing to do great things.
But you're not even kind of considering this year. As
soon as this year's over, what you're considering is who
do I think is gonna win us more games the

(01:01:37):
next four years? Sam Donald under a new lucrative contract
or the guy we already have under a rookie contract.
Who do you think we're gonna win more with? Moving forward.
Are you sure Sam Donald's gonna keep doing this, presuming
you have the same type of players around him, And
if you are sure, it does make a lot of
sense to just go ahead and do it like it's

(01:01:59):
the reverse Falcons method. You've already seen Darnold on the field. Unfortunately,
you've already drafted the guy you thought was gonna beat
him out to begin with. You signed Sam Darnald to
help your brand new court. Not at the time, no,
but as it played out. But it's such a healthy
young quarterback.

Speaker 3 (01:02:15):
This is why again, this is like the billionth reason
why the NFL is the best. This storyline. Nobody saw
that coming. When was McCarthy hurt in training camp or
was it before.

Speaker 4 (01:02:25):
That noson camp, So right before the season they thought
he would either be back soon or would play, and
ultimately he was gonna be a season away.

Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
Imagine you're the Minnesota Vikings and they can because this
is what happened. But just imagine you're the Minnesota Vikings
and you are that team. You had this highly touted
draft pick at the quarterback position and suddenly his season
is over before it ever even began, and your backup
is like one of the most maligned quarterbacks in the

(01:02:54):
entire NFL that you probably got for a song because
he was available, because the Jets weren't thinking he was
good enough for them because he hadn't been And so
what do you do. You're like, well, we got to
go with our backup. It's too late. Now it's August.
What do we do. Oh, we're just gonna roll to
maybe the top seed in the NFC this year. Because

(01:03:14):
he is the biggest reason why. That's crazy to me,
and that's why the NFL is the best.

Speaker 4 (01:03:19):
Do you let your your front office or coach O'Connell
look around the rest of the NFL from the twenty
twenty four draft and say, well, Jaydon Daniels pretty good,
he played well as a rookie. He's probably the guy.
Drake May played pretty well. He's the guy in New England.
You know, bow Knicks is going to the playoffs. He
went number twelve. He's the guy. Michael Penix had a
really good start.

Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
He's the guy.

Speaker 4 (01:03:38):
I mean, all these quarterbacks, all six of them, if
you include McCarthy, and I didn't even mention Caleb six
QB's draft in the top twelve. Bow Nicks is going
to play in the playoffs this year. There's still a
reasonably good chance a big reason they're playing. Michael Penix
is going to start in the playoffs this year. Jayden
Daniels is likely to start in the playoffs years. That's

(01:03:58):
already half of the six that were drafted. Can they
just say, oh, well, our guy can do that too,
even though he hasn't played.

Speaker 3 (01:04:07):
Uh no, you can't. You can't say that until he
does it. It's the NFL. But money does matter. He
makes very little, and Sam Donald will likely make Kirk
Cousins like money.

Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
We might as well get your money's worth.

Speaker 3 (01:04:21):
I know that does that goes against the whole Well,
build a winning team around your rookie quarterback while he's
on that deal. But it's not like they're paying Sam
Donald big time money because he couldn't command it because
he didn't do well in the you know, in the
Jets system.

Speaker 4 (01:04:37):
So that's why the career backup planned. Yep, with his
last team with the team before that and now the
team that signed him, and then he got on the
field one year ten million bucks. Vias great football, like
it isn't a fluke. What if you're watching each week
he's had a great season. Yeah, like just watch the football.
He's he's been really really good this year.

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
You know, he's gonna end up being maybe the next
Baker Mayfield Reclamation progre project. It just took Baker two
extra teams instead of one extra team to get to
this point.

Speaker 4 (01:05:08):
Interesting you mentioned Baker Mayfield as we sit here in
Houston wondering about the future of the Texans offense.

Speaker 2 (01:05:13):
How does that tie together? I'll tell you about that next.

Speaker 8 (01:05:19):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
Hey, yo, listen to Sports Talk seven ninety on any
device with our free iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (01:05:32):
It's free like a punch to that face.

Speaker 3 (01:05:41):
The a team rolling along here on a Friday edition
of the program Sports Talk seven ninety Space City Home Network.
Speaking of free punches to the face, there are some
that would like to give a metaphorical one to Nick
Cassario for putting such an awesome team together around such
a crappy off defensive line.

Speaker 2 (01:06:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:06:02):
Well, we opened up the show and we were talking
about the makeup of this team, especially what they did
in this offseason, and we weren't wrong. At the beginning
of the you know, March of twenty twenty four and
looking at what they've done and who they brought in
and who they target in free agency and how much
they spent, and then their draft same thing. Look at
all the players that have been on the field that
have made a difference for the Texans this season, and

(01:06:23):
pretty much all of them in a good way. You know,
your two draft picks in the secondary unreal, definitely on
the way to great things. Signed ASA's Al Shaier when
he hasn't been hurt or suspended, he's been great. Daniel
Hunter when he's not chasing Lamar Jackson and not getting
to him like everybody else.

Speaker 2 (01:06:41):
On the Texans, he's been great.

Speaker 4 (01:06:43):
Unbelievable, targeted him, spent money on him, great performer. All
the guys on the defensive line, settle what to Cassi,
Nico Autrey, one after.

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
The other, after the other, after the other. Hit hit hit,
all of them hits.

Speaker 4 (01:06:58):
Joe Mixon another hit, Steph Diggs while he was healthy,
the player on the field, maybe even regardless of the
money that you decided to do another hit. This is
an unbelievable offseason for your general manager, in conjunction with
your head coach and everybody else. It's part of the
decision making group, maybe you would have some second thoughts

(01:07:19):
about the Dalton Schultz signing when I think with the
way that contract is structured, it sounded like it was
a whole lot of money off the top, and it
probably won't be that bad if they have a chance
to move forward without it. And really, the only thing
you did on the offensive line, which is again in
a totally other different category which makes evaluating your general

(01:07:40):
manager a challenge, they drafted Blake Fisher, George fanmpt walked.

Speaker 2 (01:07:47):
That's basically it.

Speaker 4 (01:07:48):
That's basically what they did for the twenty twenty four
Texans offensive line.

Speaker 2 (01:07:53):
They've paid both.

Speaker 4 (01:07:54):
Of their tackles and Titus Howard wasn't even playing tackle
for much of the last season because of injury and
fan presence. He isn't currently playing tackle either, because Blake
Fisher with Howard as part of your starting five is
a better starting five than any other combination you can
come up with. But they spent as little time, effort

(01:08:16):
money on that position as basically any position any team
outside of quarterback would have spent on. They literally paid
it almost no attention and granted the play of their
offensive line last year while still not above average, was
good enough that your quarterback had the time to go
out and show I'm a player. Had one of the
best seasons ever for a rookie quarterback. If he didn't

(01:08:38):
have an offensive line that was capable of giving him
time last year, he would not have been able to
do it. They were capable of giving him just enough
time to do that, and all that happened. While their
running game was Damian Pierce and Devin Singletary. It was
not very good. It was much better at the end
of the season than it was the beginning when they
made the shift to Singletary as the primary ball carrier
away from Damian Pierce. And now your offense line not

(01:09:01):
really concerned about the PFF grades or whatever else. And
I know that helps you when you don't see every
other team for sixty minutes a week. But this is
a poorly performing offensive line. It went from maybe middle
of the pack, maybe probably on the back half of
the second twenty to back half of the league or
back ten ten spots in the league.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
For sure.

Speaker 4 (01:09:23):
If you're ranking this Texans offensive line anywhere above twenty
three as a whole, I'd love to see your metrics
because I don't know how that's possible. Probably closer to
the backside of twenty three to thirty two than to
twenty three, which means I fixed these areas. I fix
this problem. I've got these guys under contract. We're okay
moving forward. I have the answer here. There may be

(01:09:44):
other holes due to injury, and they maybe have been exposed,
and there's some you know, there's some tiny leaks to plug.
But all of the water is not flying out of
your backyard pool yet all of the braces on the
side that allow you to keep it and use it
all summer long, they're still in place. Maybe there's a
needle sized hole in the left quadrant and a little

(01:10:05):
bit of water is coming out. At safety, it's your
nickel corner, your backup to Kamari Laster, a second running back,
a second wide receiver. But the pool is a total
disgusting I'm not getting in this sloppy mess full of algae.
I can't believe you haven't changed the water in the
last eight years in your backyard and you want me

(01:10:25):
to get in this.

Speaker 2 (01:10:26):
That's your offensive.

Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
Line having remodeled a pool lately like it within the
last calendar year, and it was not nearly eight years.
It was just a few months, but it was to
the point where Bullfrogs had set up shop back there.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
They like new pools too on the.

Speaker 3 (01:10:43):
Old Polaris pump that was going to be discarded, and
you could hear them at night.

Speaker 2 (01:10:48):
They loved when it rained. We did not.

Speaker 3 (01:10:52):
That's a very very good description. It's just it's disgusting.

Speaker 4 (01:10:56):
And I don't mean as personally obviously against those players,
and honestly, having talked to them throughout this season and
most of them throughout many of their seasons here, Tunsll, Mason,
and Howard have obviously been here for several years. It's
something they have. They know what's happening. They're not do
you think to this. They don't aren't happy with how
things have come out from their play, how it affects

(01:11:19):
the offense, how it affects the outlook of the team.
I mean, it's the whole locker room is feeling down
this particular game because both sides were awful. Their defense
was not very good. But something is clearly derailing this team.

Speaker 3 (01:11:31):
We just got done talking about Deshaun Watson getting his
contract restructured, and I'm not sitting here saying that that's
what Nick Cassario should do. But to me, it feels
like every time, for example, you mentioned Titus Howard's name,
the only reason he's gonna be here is because he
got extended. That's the best reason you can give for
me to me for him still being out there in

(01:11:53):
twenty twenty five blocking for CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:11:55):
Stroud.

Speaker 3 (01:11:56):
And while he's not probably the biggest problem on that line, which,
by the way, I'm sure you're aware already Josh Thompson
has transferred from Northwestern to LSU.

Speaker 2 (01:12:08):
Just happens to be an interior offensive lineman.

Speaker 3 (01:12:10):
Who's really good, very important, but he's not gonna be
available until after next year. I'm just saying, like it
to me, if the best reason you can give to
me for why a guy is going to remain on
this offensive line, well, we paid him, we have to.

Speaker 2 (01:12:23):
That's not good enough.

Speaker 4 (01:12:24):
I'll give you a better reason, and you'll hate that too,
because he's not your first problem.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
No, I know, I just said that, Like, look where
he plays, he's he's probably the second of position, right
because the other players at the position are so awful
you can't put them out there.

Speaker 2 (01:12:40):
How about this?

Speaker 3 (01:12:41):
He has done that multiple times because of the same problem. Ye,
why did you draft him to be a what right tackle?
It anticipated he would play on the outside of their line.
So then why did you draft Blake Fisher because he
had to move over because the other guys you brought
in weren't good enough?

Speaker 2 (01:12:57):
Is that the reason? Because if that's the reason you're
at your job.

Speaker 4 (01:13:01):
No, it's because you thought, maybe you have a better
financially sound structure to your offensive line with Blake Fisher
as a starter and one of the two starters you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
Currently have not and by the way, that's not Tea
at all.

Speaker 7 (01:13:16):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:13:16):
By the way, that's not to say they Blake Fisher
can't wind up being your franchise right tackle. It happened
for Dwayne Brown. Now that is a probably. I don't
know if he's a Hall of Famer, but he's very good,
not a Hall of famer, very good, though, very good,
very long career.

Speaker 6 (01:13:34):
Right.

Speaker 2 (01:13:34):
That's why I say, I don't know, you know, long
jemity goes along way, you.

Speaker 4 (01:13:37):
Deliver it in a very professional, accurate I'm going to
assess his quality of playway, and I bluntly say, get
out of here.

Speaker 2 (01:13:45):
It's not a Hall of fame. That sounds like a
role reversal.

Speaker 4 (01:13:47):
Get out of here, not Hall of Famer of me
and Dwayne isn't it was a very enjoyable person to
cover as a Texan. Yes, very accommodating. But he also
spoke his mind, which which sometimes you don't get both
from the same player in a team's locker room. He
was very good at if he had something to say,
even if it was negative to whatever I think.

Speaker 2 (01:14:10):
In the position of you.

Speaker 4 (01:14:11):
Was also like, look at who they have now we
talked about it yesterday versus him per se as a leader.
I thought he was a very good leader. I don't
know that they have that with who they have now.
Three years extension is what Titus Howard got the offseason.

Speaker 2 (01:14:24):
Prior to this year.

Speaker 4 (01:14:25):
So there is an opportunity to consider making a change
on their offensive line.

Speaker 8 (01:14:31):
Clearly the ad on Sports Talk seven ninety let's.

Speaker 3 (01:14:37):
Talk about blinging out your special someone. She's gonna love
when you take her over to vas between San Felipe
and West Timer and you say, hey, let's walk into
Sethi's Fine Jewelry because they.

Speaker 2 (01:14:48):
Have forty percent off.

Speaker 3 (01:14:50):
A huge selection of diamond jewelry at the highest quality
and you know what, though, if you're gonna get her
one of their engagement rings, maybe don't bring her with you.

Speaker 2 (01:14:57):
In fact, I just scrap that idea.

Speaker 3 (01:14:59):
Surprise her with the engagement ring or obviously the diamond earrings,
tennis bracelets and necklaces and so much more. Their holiday
sale going on right now at set these Fine Jewelry
forty percent off on VOSS between Sam Philippe and Westeimer
Kanye with Kanye Wess.

Speaker 5 (01:15:16):
Listen, you know what, Bro, I'll say a lot of
stupidh but.

Speaker 2 (01:15:20):
Listening to Adam Clinton give.

Speaker 8 (01:15:23):
Me mad anxiety.

Speaker 6 (01:15:24):
Bro, fam You'll never know what home he is gonna say.

Speaker 2 (01:15:28):
He's damn lost it.

Speaker 8 (01:15:31):
Hey, Hey, Sam, what up? This is Jay Ferrell. Back
to the eighty eight oh Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:15:41):
Continuing on here in the three o'clock hour.

Speaker 3 (01:15:44):
It's the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety Space City
Home Network. Got another domino potentially falling the rockets way
I'll tell you about at the top of the hour.
It's all lining up lex in my little fantasy world
in my head, where where the lesser teams die figuratively
of course, and good things happen to set up the

(01:16:06):
Rockets to be even better than they already are. Things
are going according to my evil connived plan. So I'm
looking forward to telling you guys about that. In the meantime,
we've talked about, you know, the the mess that the
Texans are gonna have to clean up this offseason. You've
already fired Bobby Slowick. You did this earlier. You did it,
you said.

Speaker 2 (01:16:26):
When he says you, he means me, yeah, you the
Texans organization. I'm talking about Adam West.

Speaker 3 (01:16:32):
He looked, he looked him right in his fat, ugly
face and he said, you're fired.

Speaker 2 (01:16:35):
Oh wait, that was Rosie with Donald definitely didn't do that.
To have plenty of respect for Bobby. He's not fat. No,
he's not or ugly, I don't think.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
And sometimes this is teams do stuff like this all
the time. They might not even think his offense is
bad that they can't do nothing right. And this is
significant enough that yes, this is something we have.

Speaker 3 (01:16:56):
What about their offensive line coach? Oh lost of time. Yeah,
but a lot of time. That's the first Like, would
you see a scenario and I could where they don't
fire Bobby Slowan, they just fire him. No, so they're
just getting they're there. Is it, You're dead, You're done.

Speaker 4 (01:17:11):
I think Mike I said this earlier today and said
it back at the time that I thought this was
an in season move they should have made Chris Drosser,
who I think is perfectly well regarded as an offensive
line coach, but in the NFL as an O line
coach for not that long but long enough and through
a couple of jobs, plus all of his work in college,
normal progression. Coach here well, coach there, well, coach there well,
and here he is here in Houston with Demiko's initial staff. Okay,

(01:17:34):
it made perfect sense. I just think that's a move
they should have made.

Speaker 3 (01:17:37):
Watching the types of mistakes that they're making, the types
of things they're not correcting.

Speaker 2 (01:17:44):
You can't. Now in this case, we actually want the
answer to be you.

Speaker 4 (01:17:47):
Can get rid of the players, because we've been talking
about it for weeks about getting rid of some of
their offensive line. But in season you really don't even
have that option, and now in the offseason you do.
In both cases, I don't know that there's any reason
to keep him. They have an assistant offensive line coach.
Maybe there's a promotion there, or maybe there's a complete overhaul.
Once you fired the OC, you pretty much have to

(01:18:09):
give them if you want to do it right. In
my mind, free rein.

Speaker 2 (01:18:12):
Who do you want? Do you want to keep anybody here?
Go ahead?

Speaker 4 (01:18:15):
Do you not go ahead? It's your decision. There are
some good coaches on the staff. I mentioned Ben McDaniels
by name. I do believe that Jarrad Johnson's future in
the NFL is bright. Hard to not include him anything
that's happened this year. If there's some mechanics that you
don't like from CJ Stroud, there's no one coach to
put that on, and potentially it could just be all

(01:18:36):
on CJ himself. But I think there are things he's doing,
you know, footwork wise and other things that he seemed
much more clean with last year. If you do all
those things correctly, making your drops clean, stepping into your throws,
throwing off the right base, things like that, which last
year is sure looked like he was doing everything right,
and this year I get it. Why might you be

(01:18:57):
throwing off a bad bass? Why might you have overthrown
Dalton in this last game? Maybe because Laramie Tunzel was
standing on your foot, because the pocketthead collapsed.

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
I get it.

Speaker 4 (01:19:06):
There are definitely other things also at play, But yeah,
I think Jirad Johnson has a very bright future. It just, unfortunately,
because of other circumstances, might not end up being here.

Speaker 2 (01:19:17):
If you hire a new OC, then he gets to
do whatever he wants.

Speaker 3 (01:19:21):
In my opinion, especially when you have defensive head coach,
he can't do whatever he wants with the defense.

Speaker 4 (01:19:26):
That's his defense he runs. He's the DC, he runs
the defense. He hires and fires the coaches for the defense.
They have some holdovers, and that's fine. He probably likes
the job that they did and had respect for him.
And I think, for the most part, especially when you
consider hard to say this after last Wednesday's game against
the Ravens where they allowed four touchdowns, a field goal
and just were overwhelmed by what the Ravens were doing

(01:19:48):
on offense, they really have a good defense. They certainly
have good personnel. They're definitely hurt a little bit by
having two starters not available for them all share he
is not available whomever they would be starting at the
nickel spot, essentially their slot corner. A safety Jalen Petrie
is out now his backup is also out.

Speaker 2 (01:20:08):
So that's some impact for this week.

Speaker 4 (01:20:10):
Pass rush win rate, the Texans are number one in
the NFL run stop win rate. The Texans defense is
number one in the NFL. That's not always the case
with one of your better defenses league wide any given year,
where that team is number one in both, and since

(01:20:33):
they got off to a five to one start, this
is a below average football team at four and six overall.
It's probably not because of their defense. No, even though
for two straight games against playoff teams, the only teams
we should really use as a measuring stick for this team,
no takeaways forced against either one of them. Chiefs scored

(01:20:55):
twenty seven points, Ravens scored thirty one points. Did not
play well in either of the most recent biggest games.
Their defense has been on the field for little help
from the offense. Obviously, in this last game, they should
have been in a seventeen seventeen tie.

Speaker 2 (01:21:11):
In the other game, it's.

Speaker 3 (01:21:13):
Just so many could have should have What was about
this this season? And that's why I'm just you know it.
I told WEX this before the show. If I feel
like I'm already in post mortem mode, just because I
already know that this team is you know, whatever happens
with the Tennessee Titans, it doesn't matter.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
They're locked into the four seed.

Speaker 3 (01:21:32):
And so whoever they end up playing now, and I
use the term, I think they're gonna get smoked by
whoever they play at home in the wildcard round. And
you were rattling off teams that could do the smoking.
There's only four of them, and there's teams that could
not do the smoking in your opinion, But I just don't.
I as much as I hate to say it and
as much as it pains me to say it, I'm

(01:21:54):
already kind of focused on the offseason for sure in
twenty twenty five, because the best version of the Texans
I said yesterday, I think on the show they peaked
in the first half of that Detroit game.

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
That's where they peaked this year.

Speaker 3 (01:22:06):
Go back and look at everything that's happened since then,
and I challenge you to argue that there was a
higher point this year again, halftime of that game, not
the second half where things started to go downhill on
this roller coaster. But yeah, you've got a lot of
work to do, and the ultimate question is how much
longer is Nick Cassario doing that work?

Speaker 7 (01:22:25):
For you.

Speaker 4 (01:22:26):
I mean, that sounds ridiculous, even though it's not, but
it does sound ridiculous. You brought in a GM in
an era where you had to clean out, you had
to clean up the bill O'Brien Jackie used to be
mess and he's done that, which I've said many times.
Any every GM would have done that. It was pretty
obviously they might not have done it the same way,
and they might not have spent the money the way

(01:22:46):
they did those first two years.

Speaker 2 (01:22:49):
We totally let it go.

Speaker 4 (01:22:50):
Now that they had an embarrassment of a coaching search
twice in his first two seasons, I guess method madness.
You got to put all that together. Yeah, hire coach Kulli,
you're gonna lose. Hey, put Lovey Smith in charge. They
were bad on defense. Why not just make them the
head coach. They'll be bad on defense again, and they
won't win. Great, perfect, We're all set. They also went

(01:23:12):
from two years with Cassaro of clearly not wanting to win,
signing players, hiring coaches to not win, and then you
change your obvious philosophy. We're hiring a coach to win,
and we're going to add more players that we can
win with back to back years of spending in free agency,
drafted your quarterback, traded up for Will Anderson Junior. A
couple of the draft picks you had in the first

(01:23:32):
two years playing at that level, Derek Stingley Junior among them,
Nico Collins another. So in four years he's taken a
crappy organization and team and turned them into back to
back division champion and playoff teams. And you're saying, how
long does he have here? It doesn't sound right, but
I think everybody listening thinks, no, no, no, that sounds right.

Speaker 1 (01:23:53):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety to long
Houston sports guys named at him Talking Your Team series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 3 (01:24:11):
A halfway Home on a Friday edition of the program
Sports Talks seven ninety The Texans conversation has been a plenty,
as you would imagine after a thirty one to two
drubbing at the hands of the team that basically owns
you on Christmas Day in your house where the highlight

(01:24:32):
of the day was a halftime concert twenty million dollars.

Speaker 7 (01:24:36):
Jeez.

Speaker 3 (01:24:37):
So anyways, wex and ac with you, taking you until
six o'clock as the Rockets will play the second half
of a back to back. They're now home, and I
can do this because he was giving me so much
grief on air last night. I mean, Matt Thomas could
not be bothered to work his show today after.

Speaker 2 (01:24:55):
Making that long, long.

Speaker 3 (01:24:57):
Flight from New Orleans, after a game that was over
by like the time the Rockets bus pulled up to
the arena.

Speaker 2 (01:25:03):
Last night, they were the first team to score, and
they never trailed.

Speaker 3 (01:25:07):
Well, it took them two minutes for anybody to score,
that's fine. And then Jalen hit a three, and then
he hit a two, and then he scored thirty and
Fred scored twenty five. And yeah, they both sat the
entire fourth quarter, which is good because you got the
second half of it back to back tonight. Better team.
Anthony Edwards comes to town with his cast of misfits

(01:25:27):
and it's gonna start a stretch of five straight in
which you mentioned all of the teams that were coming in.
I know, I'm gonna leave one out, but you got Minnesota, Dallas,
the Lakers, the Celtics.

Speaker 2 (01:25:39):
What was the other team? You said, do you want
to leave one out?

Speaker 3 (01:25:43):
No, I said, I'm gonna leave one out, so I'm
relying on you.

Speaker 2 (01:25:47):
Jimmy Butler's team is one of them.

Speaker 3 (01:25:49):
That's the game after Minnesota this Sunday. He will not
be traded, just asked pat Riley. But will de Aaron
Fox be traded? And we were talking about this. I
think it was more so off air yesterday. I was
asking you to rank.

Speaker 4 (01:26:03):
No, we talked about it on the air. We had
three guys in the mix, Anthony Edwards, de Aaron Fox,
Devin Booker.

Speaker 3 (01:26:07):
With Anthony Edwards being the clear, far and away the
guy you're gonna see tonight opposing the Rockets awesome defense,
far and away the number one target. Like, if you
could have any of those three guys, that's the guy
you would probably take if you're Houston and probably anybody else.

Speaker 4 (01:26:22):
Right, Probably the costliest in trade for all those reasons,
But it.

Speaker 3 (01:26:27):
Has to hurt to get something that good, and you
would still be winning the trade because you got the
best player.

Speaker 2 (01:26:31):
You've already established this game.

Speaker 4 (01:26:32):
There's one deal that probably still strikes me. I can't
say that, like this is a team that gave up
for first round picks for Rudy Gobert. Well again, probably
gonna want for first round picks for and you.

Speaker 2 (01:26:47):
Can have Phoenixes, you can have all their picks.

Speaker 4 (01:26:50):
So yeah, Minnesota in town tonight, just a game over
five hundred for the Wolves at this point their season
at fifteen and fourteen. You brought up to Aaron Fox.
The Kings are on the rock Its schedule again. After
beating the Rockets already earlier.

Speaker 2 (01:27:04):
This yearnfeated against them the.

Speaker 4 (01:27:06):
Typical Kings Rockets game where doesn't matter how the Kings
are playing offensively, they're they're gonna make all their shots,
and that the Rockets are really really good defensively. They
could not stop the Kings from scoring and hitting shots.
I think they hit eleven shots in a row if
I'm not mistaken at some point game game. So you
have them again mid January. We know one thing about

(01:27:29):
what the Kings won't have that night. Mike Brown on
the sidelines fired you fired.

Speaker 3 (01:27:35):
They looked at him in his fat, ugly face and said, Mike,
you're fired. Actually he's not. I mean, I'm not going
to get into the physical appearances. That's just a Rosio don.

Speaker 2 (01:27:45):
Twenty twenty two to twenty three NBA Coach.

Speaker 7 (01:27:49):
Of the Year.

Speaker 2 (01:27:50):
Why does this keep happening? Dwayne Casey?

Speaker 4 (01:27:52):
They won forty eight games that year, they won forty
six a year ago, and they are not good this
year with a fairly healthy Fox Sabonis Monk DeRozan. They
added Damar deroz a forty six win team.

Speaker 2 (01:28:09):
The only coach he hasn't killed is Greg Popovich. I
don't know that he's a coach killer.

Speaker 3 (01:28:14):
Well, wasn't Dwayne Casey in Toronto when he got there?
Am I getting? Even if that were mixed up?

Speaker 4 (01:28:22):
The Casey issue was more Detroitish maybe, but even still,
what did they do after that?

Speaker 2 (01:28:28):
Didn't they win a title after that? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:28:30):
With Nick Nurse, who was also no longer there? So
aren't you happy that he killed your coach?

Speaker 2 (01:28:35):
Wait, no, Nick Nurse? Yeah? Where's Nick Nurse?

Speaker 7 (01:28:37):
Now?

Speaker 4 (01:28:37):
He's in philadelph Philadelphia, that's right, Okay, got together with
Darryl right obviously. So the Kings will Sam Pressed He's
not there, I mean, not Sam Prest, He's Sam Hinky
not there.

Speaker 2 (01:28:48):
Uh, I need to start the segment over.

Speaker 4 (01:28:51):
Oh not really, the Kings where they are this season?
Net rating is an evaluation statistically your offensive your defensive rating.

Speaker 2 (01:29:02):
What's the difference between the two.

Speaker 4 (01:29:03):
If you have a good net rating, that means you're
have a really good offense and a really good defense.
The Thunder number one in the NBA. The Caves are
number two. Those are the two best teams in the league.
The Rockets are sixth in net rating, roughly right where
their record would put them. It's pretty clear the Rockets
have the fourth best record. They have the sixth best
net rating. There are fifteen teams in the NBA with

(01:29:24):
a positive net rating. All of those teams are above
five hundred except for the Kings. Well, the Kings five
games under five hundred, and to me, that's kind of
screams as management, Monty mcnaher, their GM and everybody involves, probably,
why aren't we winning more of these games? Why hasn't

(01:29:46):
there been a better start to the season. Why are
we trying to get into the top ten in the
West still at thirteen and eighteen, we can't fire the players.

Speaker 3 (01:29:58):
They have thirteen clutch time losses this year. That's an
NBA high. Please define clutch time for those who are
not aware.

Speaker 4 (01:30:08):
Last five minutes of a five point game or less,
or last three minutes of three points.

Speaker 2 (01:30:12):
It's five or three. You're right, those are the two numbers.

Speaker 3 (01:30:14):
I was thinking, I don't know what you one it
is for sure, but you know, a close loss, you know,
like the Texans had a bunch of earlier this year,
field goal misses or makes it at the buzzer against them,
that kind of thing final.

Speaker 4 (01:30:26):
Five minutes of the end of the game, fourth quarter
or ot when.

Speaker 3 (01:30:30):
So to me, if you're saying that, like you're the
Kings and you're trying to make yourselves feel better, that's
what you do.

Speaker 2 (01:30:36):
Well, we have.

Speaker 3 (01:30:36):
Thirteen NBA high clutch time losses. That means we were
right in all those games that we lost. Well, that
just means you lost them all. That doesn't tell me
that you're good and your record is not indicative. This
is the ultimate example of you are what your record
says you are. Just like you just got done saying
with the Rockets, there's a reason they're twenty and nine.
It's not because their offense is amazing. It's fine, but

(01:30:58):
that's what they're trying to make better, Which brings us
to this conversation. Mike Brown getting fired signals that well,
things aren't going well in the organization. That one of
those three names currently resides.

Speaker 9 (01:31:13):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:31:13):
By the way, he's a Houston native.

Speaker 3 (01:31:15):
I don't think he would be exactly upset if he
found out that the Kings had shipped him back to
his hometown Rockets to go play for a coach that's
not getting fired anytime soon because he runs the organization.
Whether you know this or not, ima Udoka is very
much in charge, and I'm very happy about that. By
the way, I love him. I don't know that D'aron

(01:31:36):
Fox would be my top pick. Well, he wouldn't be
my top pick because we just got done saying it's
Anthony Edwards. But if like, you couldn't have Anthony Edwards
and so it's between Devin Booker and Daron Fox. These
are all three players that will probably be available. I
just have a very good feeling. I'm not upset about
that at all. It's kind of what you did. You know,

(01:31:57):
you like all your guys that you picked two pan out.
That's also why the Rockets may still want to see
that play out. You got a Men Thompson starting, you
got Jalen coming off a thirty point game.

Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
You want to see more consistency.

Speaker 4 (01:32:08):
Everybody's shooting all of a sudden this month or the
last four or five games gotten a little bit better.

Speaker 2 (01:32:13):
Competition probably has something to do with it.

Speaker 4 (01:32:15):
But you do all those things while still stockpiling to
a certain degree. First round picks the deal with the
Nets initially, Now the deal with these sons. You are
in position, certainly financially, because most of your contracts are
if they're expensive, then they're about to be over like Fred's,
or they're with really young players who haven't quite hit
the unbelievable stage. You're just about there with Jalen and

(01:32:38):
Alpern in an Alpern's case, a little bit more in
Jalen's case obviously not quite at the max. So you
have the you got a line up and there's a
certain order, and you want to be at the top
of the list. It's where the Rockets were when the
Thunder's dumb GM at the time that one day, the
bad day for Sam Prest.

Speaker 2 (01:32:55):
He could write a book about his one bad day.
He can still be dumb. He just got pick that.

Speaker 4 (01:32:59):
He was going to make a potential star player, just
a sixth man. At the time available, the Rockets were
at the front of the line of we.

Speaker 2 (01:33:09):
Can do this deal.

Speaker 4 (01:33:10):
We know what a team will be looking for, so
we're going to be on the other end of that phone.

Speaker 2 (01:33:14):
We're going to be in a position to do that.

Speaker 4 (01:33:16):
I think that's what Darryl kind of did most of
his time here in Houston. Even when he was building
better teams and winning and competing for you know, long
playoff runs, they still were almost always in position to
be the answer to where's this guy going to? Because
he managed the cap the way. Are the Rockets in
on this? The answer was yes almost every time. And
this isn't the first year where the Rockets would have

(01:33:38):
been considered the same. You think the Rockets might be
in on this, You think the yes because they have
you know, Rafel and Patrick and the input from their
head coat. They have put themselves in position to be
at the other end of that phone call for any
of these three players. And there's only so many teams
that are.

Speaker 3 (01:33:56):
In this situation. I think they're at the front of
the line. Like these plays like say, Jimmy Butler, don't
do that. But let's just say Jimmy Butler said Warriors
or was the other team that you mentioned? You want
to go to the Lakers?

Speaker 4 (01:34:08):
You can almost always say that, right yeah, but I
think it was actually Phoenix.

Speaker 2 (01:34:11):
And Phoenix, Phoenix and Golden State.

Speaker 3 (01:34:13):
Let's just say he added Houston to that list, right,
that's my third team that I would Well, I mean,
he might want to go to the other two more,
but the team trading him has to be satisfied with
their part of the deal. And honestly, I don't know
that there's a single team out there that has a
better package that's going to be able to give those

(01:34:35):
assets up, whether this is draft picks, young talent, or
combination of both, that's better than the Rockets in any
of those scenarios.

Speaker 4 (01:34:47):
Probably not, unless there's one major hold up. In order
for us, the team that's giving up this player to
make a deal with you, the Rockets, we have to
have player X, and the Rockets won't move that player.

Speaker 2 (01:35:01):
Well, what is that player? Who is that player?

Speaker 4 (01:35:04):
I mean, I don't know that they really should have
somebody like that if they're in the position they're in,
Because if you bring in this new Booker Fox Edwards player,
whatever you gave up for him, he's probably isn't he
Anthony Edwards, Fox or Booker a better player than that
ceiling for this player, you're talking about Well, I love
Amn Thompson.

Speaker 2 (01:35:21):
I think alprin chenoons grad.

Speaker 3 (01:35:23):
I think there's a possibility that Jalen gets to a
level that we haven't seen yet.

Speaker 2 (01:35:27):
But I already know the answer on each of these
other three players. It's hard.

Speaker 3 (01:35:30):
I would like to say, no, I don't I don't
want any part of Amn Thompson not playing here. Well, Anthony, yes, exactly,
And Anthony Edwards is going to the Rockets, then Jalen
Green's going to the Timberwolves. I mean that's a two
guard for a two guard. Also, he's part of the
deal you're sending back there. Anyway, It's very interesting since
this is just the first domino of many that I
think will fall the Rockets way.

Speaker 8 (01:35:52):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:35:56):
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Speaker 2 (01:36:25):
You've got it all. With their holiday sale.

Speaker 3 (01:36:27):
Going on now, is set these fine jewelry forty percent
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Speaker 8 (01:36:33):
The eighteen continues continues on sports.

Speaker 2 (01:36:46):
I didn't ask you this beforehand.

Speaker 3 (01:36:49):
I'd like permission to share what you said about what
we were talking about off air with regards to these
three players.

Speaker 4 (01:36:56):
Kind of framing it, which one are your most confident
in life leading them somewhere great versus least of those three?

Speaker 3 (01:37:02):
That conversation well, I I mean you were very very
blunt in what you said about Jalen. Yes, yeah, so.
But I but since we worked for the Rockets, I
didn't want to just be like, hey, guess what wack
during the commercial.

Speaker 4 (01:37:14):
Yeah, listen to I'm sure you've heard me say this
to anybody who's been a regular listener here, even during
Rockets games themselves. You know, watching the Jalen Green basketball
player under this head coach, it was pretty good last year.
It's way better this year. Just the way he plays
the game. The way he defends, the way he runs

(01:37:35):
his role in the offense, the way he pushed the ball,
the way he finishes, the way he plays the game.
Just the simple I'm not trying to be too much.
The way he plays. That's how I want the two
guard on this team to play. If he has the
skill set to do that, and he does. The shots
are not going in as often as you need them
to for this to be a successful basketball player on
this team.

Speaker 3 (01:37:55):
Like he has to do what he did last night
every night for you to be there, or just simply
a lot more often.

Speaker 4 (01:38:00):
You can't have a thirty three percent three point shooter
that's Jalen Green.

Speaker 2 (01:38:04):
That is not going to work.

Speaker 4 (01:38:05):
You can't have a low, low forty percentage overall field
little shooter as Jalen Green. Maybe if you had certain
pockets like he's, you know, really high percentage shooter from here, really,
then maybe you can make your way around.

Speaker 2 (01:38:18):
But you want to make your way around it.

Speaker 4 (01:38:20):
I basically said, I want that player at two in
this team's you know, offense and defense. I want him
to play the same way Jalen does. I want Jalen Green.
The shots just have to go in more often. He
knows that, email knows, everybody knows that, and he's clearly
worked on it.

Speaker 3 (01:38:35):
It's just a well, you said you want a player
that plays the way Jalen does, but the shots go
in more often than they do.

Speaker 2 (01:38:43):
That's Devin Booker.

Speaker 4 (01:38:45):
Yeah, and I the the way that Jalen's attacked and
finished this year is extremely exciting because it's it's happened
a lot more often where he's just found a little
bit of extra.

Speaker 2 (01:38:56):
Okay, if I just go this should be a reverse lap.

Speaker 7 (01:38:58):
This one.

Speaker 2 (01:38:59):
I've got to go left hand. This one.

Speaker 4 (01:39:01):
I need to rise up a little bit. This one,
I need to draw the contact. I need to be
able to absorb the contact. It has taken time, very
young player. I'm not gonna I don't know how much
he got out of his post high school season G
League season, because remember his G League Ignite season was
bubbled and brief. It's a fifteen game season, so I

(01:39:22):
don't know if it was a waste. Kind of felt
like it. So I think he was even further behind
some other players who might have gotten a thirty game
college season or something like that in any given normal year.
And then he like pretty much anybody who played under
the previous coaching staff also kind of stunted your growth.
They can do all the work they want on the side,
and I think he did, and I think a lot
of these players do. I think he works a lot

(01:39:43):
harder than probably people will give him credit for, and
you can see it in the way he shoots it.

Speaker 2 (01:39:47):
I keep watching him.

Speaker 4 (01:39:49):
Great lift, great balance on target, good footwork off the
back of the rim, off the backboard, off the front
of it. Everything's there for the percentage to be much higher.
But it's point. If you keep adding quantity to it
and the percentages don't go up, then you probably have
what you have.

Speaker 2 (01:40:05):
It probably is who he is.

Speaker 4 (01:40:07):
There's probably more time to determine that, and the Rockets
have clearly given him that time, will continue to give
him that time. It's maybe another full season of giving
him that time, and they've already made a certain decision
in the fact that they extended him. But I don't
have any issue with really how he plays. Everybody makes
mistakes in a game, and he does too, but got
a lot more problems with how other players play, I think,

(01:40:28):
more so than where he is now. Yeah, Devin Booker's
he's an All NBA player. He's a championship level player.
I think he's an elite shooter. I don't know that
the numbers back it up quite as much this year,
And I think every year he plays with two other
players who are not out there with him, it puts
even more strain on him. And I think the pressure

(01:40:49):
of that, and I don't mean mental pressure, I mean
if you don't do it, we're losing. I think that
weighs on some of his ability to be great. This
team isn't full of Hall of famers by any means.
There's no Hall of famers on this team. He plays
with one in Durant, But put him on this team
with other players doing the role the same way they're
doing now, I think he'd be great here. I think
all three of those players would be great. There's a

(01:41:10):
reason why we keep focusing on those three and we
are maybe shooting too far and jumping into Okay, go
get it. It's been two years, you've had em, You've
got three straight years of two first round picks. They're
all part of your young core, all right, Now go
for it. Now, go do that. Versus a team the
Rockets and management might feel like there's nothing wrong with
the course we're on.

Speaker 2 (01:41:30):
Sure there's a time to pounce.

Speaker 4 (01:41:32):
We're gonna be in position to do that this year,
next year, maybe even the year after. It has hadn't
happened yet, but also by that time they might have
a different outlook on the current roster. Like they've played
almost a little more in the third of the season.
They've played five games, four games with Cam Witmore, not
any of the games he appeared in at the beginning

(01:41:53):
of the season. I mean these last four games, Cam,
whatmore is in the Rockets rotation? Now they played some
bad teams. Maybe the numbers are a little inflated. They
are a better, different basketball team, and these games have
been without Tari. You have enough room in your rotation
a fully healthy team with Brooks back in the starting lineup.
You're telling me a men Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Tarry

(01:42:15):
Easton are coming off the bench for you. You're going
to embarrass teams from the three minute mark of the
first quarter to the five minute mark before halftime by
running them off the floor, jamming dunks down their throat,
stealing the ball from them in the back court for
dunks constantly, and your starters are going to come back
on the court after what they did again back to

(01:42:35):
the maybe they should change the starting lineup. I know
they put it up during the broadcast last night, and
you and Matt and myself have talked about it as
well on our radio broadcast for the games and on
our shows. Their starters statistically are among the best groups
in the NBA. They're top five. There's no reason to
change the starting lineup. The reserves are going to be

(01:42:56):
the very same thing in my opinion, now that Cam's
are part of the rotation.

Speaker 3 (01:43:00):
It and that what you just said, all of that,
what you just said, I did talk Crowell is the
reason a lot of people are like, don't make a deal.
Why not just wait till these guys get even.

Speaker 2 (01:43:11):
Better than they already are.

Speaker 4 (01:43:12):
And you know what, we're not even saying. They're twenty
one and nine. They've got the fourth best run beat
in Oklahoma City. They've beaten the Mavericks, you nay, every
team at the top of the West that they've played
because they haven't played Denver.

Speaker 3 (01:43:25):
They did beat Okay see without the shot. That's the
one thing that I would say.

Speaker 4 (01:43:29):
That is fair, but nobody else is beating them without Chet,
and the without Chet, as unfortunate as it is, is
more of his time there than not. Right, he played
every single game his second NBA season, all eighty two.

Speaker 2 (01:43:43):
Shaye played the night they beat them.

Speaker 4 (01:43:44):
That's important, But he played none of the games in
his first season, and now he's missed more games that
he's played again in his third season. So in his
time since leaving college, he's missed more games than he's played. Unfortunately,
it's probably a part of Chet as a member of
the Thunders story. He's a he's their second best player
and they're the best team in the West without him.

(01:44:07):
They're incredible with her. Without him, they're unbelievable with him,
and that's fair to say. But over the course of
the season, that stuff kind of you plays itself out.
They've got two more games with them, they'll see them
five times. The only team in the West, the only
team in the NBA, the Rockets are gonna play five
times this year, is the only team ahead of them.

Speaker 2 (01:44:24):
It's in the West. Real quick. This is like on
the fly and just happened. Another coach got fired today.

Speaker 3 (01:44:32):
No, unfortunately, this is much sadder news. Greg Gumbel Long
time sportscaster. You probably well, I mean NFL on CBS, obviously,
all the NCAA tournament, and I mean all sorts of
gigs he's had. He's he's dead now at seventy eight,

(01:44:55):
passing away. No cause of death has been revealed, but
for me just because I'm forty three, so that kind
of gives you an idea of the age I was
when this happened.

Speaker 2 (01:45:05):
He will always be the.

Speaker 3 (01:45:06):
Guy that was on the call for one of the
best shots in Rockets.

Speaker 8 (01:45:10):
History, Robert or Mario laid Drexler, achemolozed lot on the
boor from the Rockets. Do you fill a hold to
the last shot. There's a tendency of this situation to
wait too long, though, Ela out of the corner for
three hues?

Speaker 9 (01:45:31):
What three?

Speaker 3 (01:45:32):
What's seven point one seconds?

Speaker 6 (01:45:34):
To play?

Speaker 8 (01:45:36):
Time out Phoenix and look at him.

Speaker 2 (01:45:39):
Talk to the phoenix bench.

Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
How about the fact that everybody in the booth that
day is now passed.

Speaker 4 (01:45:46):
That's very unfortunate, that is very sad news. I think
people should recognize him as who he was, and I
mean at the top of the ladder, the very very
top of the ladder. I don't know if This is
the best way to describe his career in all of
the sports. The host of the NFL on NBC, Who
do you replace? Jim Lampley, the host on college basketball

(01:46:08):
on CBS, replaced Pat O'Brien, replaced Dick Enberg on CBS
play by play, replaced Bob Costas on NBC Baseball play
by play God I mean over, and replaced Brent Musburger
and Jim Nance As.

Speaker 3 (01:46:22):
The end, there's a legend that needs to be replaced.
We'll just call Greg, which means that's what he good.
He is a broadcasting legend, and it's unfortunate that he's
passed away. Yeah, Greg Gumbel. Obviously you heard Bill Walton
and you couldn't hear him, but he was there that day.
Steve Snapper Jones were in the booth in Phoenix game
seven May twenty third, nineteen ninety five when Marrio Ellie

(01:46:44):
hit the Kiss of Death against Barkley and kJ who
could not stop scoring.

Speaker 4 (01:46:49):
Yeah, as the play by play voice with the NBA, that's.

Speaker 3 (01:46:54):
Like the smallest tenure, and yet that's what I remember
because that's probably the biggest shot in rockets.

Speaker 2 (01:46:59):
Ishe It's one of them. It's top five for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:47:01):
So yeah, rip to Greg Gumble, who has so many different, amazing,
countless moments and gigs that we just kind of went over.

Speaker 2 (01:47:09):
He is passed away today at seventy eight.

Speaker 3 (01:47:12):
We've got our stone cold locks of the week coming
up next. None of them will involve the Texans or
College unless we decide to.

Speaker 8 (01:47:20):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:47:25):
Oh, let's enjoy some ice coled refreshing goodness from bud Lights.

Speaker 2 (01:47:29):
The weekend is here.

Speaker 4 (01:47:31):
Hopefully it got to you yesterday, you know, maybe even
during happy hour, certainly as all the football is upon
us again, tailgating with bud Light, make sure that cooler
is full. Make sure you're enjoying the official beer sponsor
of the NFL, that is bud Light. You're Houston, Texan
special edition cans from bud Light that can be part
of the party as well. Just like I do, I
encourage you to enjoy your bud Lights safely and responsibly.

Speaker 2 (01:47:54):
Fatal you see two Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (01:47:59):
Ninety on any device with our free apart radio app.

Speaker 2 (01:48:04):
See that chap Hood bom stick that Houston Sports.

Speaker 14 (01:48:07):
In my ear holes, Remember that magic eight ball, A
nice little shaken.

Speaker 8 (01:48:16):
Look at this I'm getting laid tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:48:18):
Could man answer guys giving it to you, you.

Speaker 14 (01:48:21):
Can trust whatever it said, or you could trust these
two guys named Adam. It's a crap shoot either way,
but these are your stone cold.

Speaker 8 (01:48:34):
Locks.

Speaker 3 (01:48:37):
Halfway through our number three brings us our signature segment
each and every day, right around four thirty Fridays.

Speaker 4 (01:48:44):
That means stone cold locks. First time in a couple
of weeks. We had it with their off week, and
had it before the NFL season began. There's no Texans
that needs to be selected today. They played two days ago.
If you had the Ravens minus six and a half
or the under, you crushed on both, nowhere near hitting

(01:49:05):
the over under forty six and a half or forty seven.
And I don't think I've ever seen an NFL team
favored by twenty nine and a half, So obviously Baltimore covered.
It was less than twenty nine and a half. It
was six and a half. Not on the board today,
and no Texans game at Also no forcing you to
select something from the Texans game. In light of the

(01:49:27):
fact that none of the college football playoff games are
scheduled for tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday before you reconvene on Monday.
Those are also not needed here, nor is any other
college football game, but of course it's open to you. Essentially,
what I'm saying is hit us with a prop bet,
and then anything else goes. You have five props, you
gonna have five overs if you want. Somebody might, but

(01:49:50):
pretty much anything goes this week. And we'll get started
with Dan. Each of the three of us got two
picks right last week out of five. Unless the tally
for the season, we're all in the forties now, forty
eight dubs for this guy, forty eight dubs for ac A.

Speaker 2 (01:50:05):
Dan at forty as we win our.

Speaker 4 (01:50:07):
Week eighteen of stolen cold locks, go ahead, Dan, all right,
so prop I'm gonna go Josh Allen over two hundred
and thirteen in a hook through the air.

Speaker 15 (01:50:17):
They are taking on the Jets this weekend, so I
feel good about that. It feels like Vegas is given
away money. So I'm going to college games. Two NFL games,
College game one tonight, A and M three point favorite
against USC, stealing money. Everyone at USC hates Lincoln Riley.
They're going to lose LSU here in Houston on Tuesday,
against Baylor. They are a two and a half point dog.

(01:50:39):
I'm taking the Tigers a lot of momentum with Brian
Kelly's club right now. In the NFL, I'm gonna go
the Colts seven and a half point favorite at the Giants.
The Giants are not a serious football team. They don't
care about winning. They just want to finish this thing out,
and it's bad against worse. Saints are a one point
favorite against the Las Vegas Raiders. I like the Saints
against the I.

Speaker 4 (01:51:00):
Didn't want to interrupt you because you sounded like you're
on a roll, but I did hear something that I
wanted some two things I wanted an explanation on. In
a minute, I want your explanation on who came up
with the line for the Baylor LSU game. But initially
I believe you said Brian Kelly is on a roll
right now.

Speaker 2 (01:51:19):
Is that correct? Crushing in the portal? App crushing in
the portal?

Speaker 4 (01:51:22):
Okay, So because of the portal momentum, he just.

Speaker 3 (01:51:26):
Got the Texans next guard and they're going to crush
probably one of the best linebackers that was gone for
the season.

Speaker 15 (01:51:33):
Announcing he's coming back for next season. Okay, and this quarterback.

Speaker 4 (01:51:37):
Me being me, what does that have to do with
twenty twenty four bowl game season?

Speaker 2 (01:51:43):
You want to carry some momentum in the next season.

Speaker 4 (01:51:45):
So because they're recruiting so well, the players that are
on the team currently that probably will be on the
team next year because they're a classmen.

Speaker 2 (01:51:53):
Are going to be pumped. Yeah, they're going to take
apart the Bears. Yeah, they're going to be fired up.

Speaker 15 (01:51:57):
They want to come into basically their second home state
and be able to crush.

Speaker 2 (01:52:01):
Okay, So now tell me why aren't they favored. I
don't know, because I'm not trying to.

Speaker 4 (01:52:08):
Get some money, you know, disagree with some of the
things you're saying. I think those do make sense, but
I don't. This is why I'm not asking anybody to
commit to using a college football line. I'm not for
this weekend because I I'm really that is one I'm
having a whole lot of trouble with now, especially I
don't know the way that Baylor played later in the year.

(01:52:28):
Baylor could have an explosive offense on some days. There's
some familiarity I guess with David Randa.

Speaker 2 (01:52:35):
I don't. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:52:37):
Two and a half points. Not only that, that's if
they were dogs. Okay, half point maybe one, maybe a
point a half, two and a half point. I don't
see it.

Speaker 2 (01:52:46):
You can have it.

Speaker 4 (01:52:47):
I'm very surprised you're doing anything with the Saints.

Speaker 2 (01:52:50):
But to each his own, I don't see it. That's
what I heard.

Speaker 4 (01:52:54):
Uh yeah, I lsu taking them to cover when you're
giving them two and a half point that sounds right
to me for sure. I think they're going to win,
which is all they have to do to cover in
that case.

Speaker 3 (01:53:05):
All right, is there a specific order I'm supposed to
do this or just yeah, start at the top and
go to the bottom. All right, Well, then I'll start
with my prop according to the grid, the actual document.

Speaker 4 (01:53:14):
Not the graphic that everybody's enjoying looking at. It's actually
a reverse order on the graphic.

Speaker 2 (01:53:18):
So I should Okay, I don't know which order you put.

Speaker 3 (01:53:21):
Mine in on the graphic, and I can't see it
because this stupid design of our studio means I can't
see the graphic over there.

Speaker 4 (01:53:26):
If this was a normal week, the first thing on
the graphic is the college football game of the week,
which we do not have this week. I see The
fourth thing on the list is the Texans game. In
between we have your anything goes and the fifth item
listed there is always the prop.

Speaker 3 (01:53:40):
Well, it's not going to be the order of it.
Multiple props in any given week. Cowboys Eagles over thirty eight.
Loves Cooper Rush and Canny Pickett.

Speaker 2 (01:53:47):
Next, Falcons, Commis over forty seven and a half. Hates
America Well, communists.

Speaker 3 (01:53:54):
Do Dolphins Browns on the strength of the restructure. Sure,
Deshaun Watson deal that has nothing to do with Jamis Winston.

Speaker 2 (01:54:04):
Like Dan was promoting earlier.

Speaker 4 (01:54:05):
When you have some good off field vibes, it can
translate onto the field.

Speaker 2 (01:54:10):
Over thirty nine. That is a low number for Tua's offense.

Speaker 4 (01:54:13):
It's just it's yeah, they did only score twelve against Houston.

Speaker 2 (01:54:16):
It's not yeah, that's a good defense.

Speaker 3 (01:54:19):
Jalen Waddle's situation is impactful. Broncos Bengals over fifty.

Speaker 4 (01:54:25):
Do you have a pick on the game, just for
conversation's sake. The game is meaningful to both teams as
we sit here today, and the fact that it's Saturday,
the Bengals can't be eliminated for the playoffs. Yet this
is one of the teams that helps get them eliminated,
which means they really want to beat them.

Speaker 2 (01:54:43):
Which means it's going to be a high scoring affair.

Speaker 3 (01:54:46):
Cincinnati in a high scoring affair in twenty twenty four,
get out that the Bengals lose, because that's their theme
of this year. If they, along with the Dolphins and Colts,
have managed to just stay alive by the skin of
their teeth for a little bit now, and they could
do it into the final week of the season, but
they all have to win again. Joe Burrow is victor Winbinyama. Oh,
look at all these stats in a loss. Okay, and

(01:55:08):
Baker Mayfield. I moved my pick since stupid Anthony Richardson
may Or may not play. He's averaging I think north
of two hundred and sixty passing yards per game this year.
The numbers two forty eight and a half. I'm taking
the over.

Speaker 2 (01:55:25):
Let's make some sense. Another one of those games.

Speaker 4 (01:55:27):
I roll through mine real quick like that applies to
the bottom of the wild card standings at the top
of the we wish we were in it. I'll take
the Chargers minus four and a half. I believe I've
matched you with the Kamis, I also hate America. I'm
going with them to work together with the Falcons to
go over that number.

Speaker 2 (01:55:45):
I'll take the Lions minus three and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:55:47):
Obviously, I think they're going to win and stay in
very good position to set up the final game of
the season against the Vikings, which is gonna be awesome.
I'll take the Bill's minus ten. Thinking like Dan, I
think the Bill offense will be rolling Bill's minus ten
against the Jets. The Jets are going to be trailing.
Aaron Rodgers has a couple of favorite targets. He almost

(01:56:08):
never throws the ball to anybody else. Garrett Wilson's only
four and a half receptions. That's my prop.

Speaker 3 (01:56:15):
Nice, all right, Well, I need some separation from you,
and not in a bad way.

Speaker 4 (01:56:21):
Well, good luck getting a separation when we both took
Atlanta and Washington match you there.

Speaker 2 (01:56:25):
Good luck on the other floor. You did that on purpose,
didn't know? I think you did that.

Speaker 4 (01:56:29):
Yours were technically in first, but as the commissioner.

Speaker 3 (01:56:34):
Of the Stone Cold Locks, I guess commissioner of the
Stone Cold Locks, I.

Speaker 2 (01:56:38):
Tried to keep it as unbiased as possible.

Speaker 3 (01:56:40):
Winding down the four o'clock hours straight ahead here on
the eighteen the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety. You
got tickets, You need to move those tickets. I got
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(01:57:17):
for you. It's quick assist your ticket everywhere.

Speaker 11 (01:57:22):
Scoring gifts, care passing the gravy. What terriffic pass it
is this season for Houston Rockets basketball on Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:57:35):
Talk seven ninety, All of the Rockets very good. Now
to drive on Sports Talk seven ninety from the classic
Chevy sugar Land together, let's drive traffic Center.

Speaker 10 (01:57:49):
Well, if you do have to make that commute today,
it is a much lighter start to the evening drive.
We've got a minisula traffic forty five North three way
moving out bound from the north Loop.

Speaker 2 (01:57:59):
It's gonna open up a lot more once you get
past Hidwell.

Speaker 10 (01:58:01):
We're also seeing a bit of a stack up there
on the North Loop coming westbound from the Hearty Toll.
I'm Katie London and the twenty four Hour Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:58:08):
Talk about guilty pleasures and when it comes to snacking,
there's only one that is the top of that list.

Speaker 2 (01:58:14):
You're talking about.

Speaker 3 (01:58:15):
The French onion and ranch dips all new from Daisy
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the new dip addiction. French onion and ranch dips from
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Real herbs and spices and ingredients you'd find in your
own kitchen, Perfect for any occasion during the football season.

(01:58:37):
The French onion in ranch dips all new from Daisy
Sour Cream. Pick them up wherever Daisy products are sold.

Speaker 11 (01:58:44):
Oh, ladies and gentlemen, Kevin Heart, what's up?

Speaker 6 (01:58:47):
Gods?

Speaker 5 (01:58:49):
You're listening to Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler.

Speaker 2 (01:58:54):
Say, sweat sweat guy? Okay, cool? Just met these gods
to dick sweat a guy? Lion? I didn't. I'm know them.

Speaker 8 (01:59:00):
They're cool.

Speaker 2 (01:59:01):
They're the best. Listen faythe Well Sports Talk seven ninety
we are winding down the four o'clock hour.

Speaker 3 (01:59:10):
It's WEX, it's AC, It's the eight team Sports Talk
seven ninety and Space City Home Network. And I gotta admit,
I mean, I was caught off guard. I asked WEX,
I said, did you know this was happening? We just
found out about it. So Jonathan Fagan joins us now.
He of course, has covered the Houston Rockets for the
Chronicle for as long as I can remember, and he's
calling it a career.

Speaker 2 (01:59:31):
It's his last day. Today.

Speaker 3 (01:59:32):
I was like, Jonathan, you got to come on with
us on the Rockets flagship station.

Speaker 2 (01:59:36):
Obviously you are very good at keeping secrets, sir.

Speaker 7 (01:59:42):
I don't know if good is the right word. Maybe
it was foolish. I had a hard time telling anybody,
and I put in the story today the column. A
lot of it is forty years of we're not the story,
you know, the journalist credo were not the story, and
so I couldn't bring myself. And then I started to

(02:00:03):
feel rude when I wasn't telling friends, and then the
other part when I started to admit it to people
I told Raymond Ritter of the Warriors when they were
here and when he went when we went back there
in San Francisco, he wanted to make a little, you know,
a few words of a little speech in the media room. Well,

(02:00:27):
I told her, I haven't told me. People are going
to hear about it from you instead of me. And
so I started scrambling around to tell people then, But
there were a lot I never did get to start
to tell, and I felt bad about that. And then
there's a lot I just couldn't remember. Did I tell him?
I can't remember? And so I was going to like
stop people, hey, guess what and so but maybe it

(02:00:50):
was wrong with me in the first place, not to
just bring it up a lot, but it was just
hard for me to be talking about myself. It's spent
a lot of years right about other people and what
they do and shots that go in and shots that don't.
And so yeah, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (02:01:09):
Not at all.

Speaker 3 (02:01:09):
And listen, I mean, I'm not gonna speak for Wex,
but I think he would agree with I mean, just
the most. And I said this on on social media.
You know, when it comes to like hearing the term
consummate professional in any you know, profession you your picture
would be next to it because you just you just
had a way that you you went about your job.

(02:01:30):
And it sounds weird saying this in the past tense
by the way, like I'm gonna miss you man, It's
just been I never had a bad encounter with you once,
always had a smile for everybody, and you're just as
good at your job as anybody out there.

Speaker 2 (02:01:45):
So we wanted to give you your flowers here on
the air today.

Speaker 7 (02:01:48):
Well that's very kind. I really appreciate it. Yeah, the
day has been very moving. People have been incredibly generous
and kind, much more than I deserve are expected. You know,
I'm actually a little drained from and I couldn't. I
don't think I've responded to everybody. I tried at some point. Well,

(02:02:08):
i'll respond to anybody that I know. I hope that
people that I don't understand, but I'm sure I missed
quite a few too, because eventually you sort of do
get along with the day. But I spent the first
half of the day trying to respond just to show
how much I appreciate it, and I really do. I'm
very very moved. My family is very moved. My son
and daughter in law are in town, and so they

(02:02:30):
are on Twitter all morning, you know, feeding my wife
what oh ano? This one said, this one said, And
so it's been good for all of us.

Speaker 4 (02:02:38):
You said this was your last day covering the team.
They're playing at home tonight. I believe if you're saying
all this about the day leading up to this, if
you're out of Toyota Center tonight, continuing your final day
covering this team looking for their twenty second when going
to twenty two to nine, have you given it thought
about what tonight's going to be like for you.

Speaker 7 (02:02:59):
Little But weren't just from logistics? You know, Will Danielle
do the locker room post game? Well, I you know
that kind of stuff. I'm really hoping when the game
is going, and I'm sure it will be this way,
I'll be focused on that and I won't be tweeting about,
you know, something Steve Francis said to me or whatever.
I'll be tweeting, you know, the Rockets have made the

(02:03:21):
last four threes or something. You know, I really you
know the game and I put that in the column
when the game began. It was rejuvenating all the time.
It really was you could be tired on a road trip,
and you know, we had that road trip last week,
Toronto to Charlotte in a back to back. I had
a connection, you know, so I didn't even fly non

(02:03:43):
stop to get to it. Game starts and you get
in the gym and it was invigorating. And so I'm thinking,
that's how I'll be, you know, to me, it'll be
do the job, you know, make deadline. You know, you
get two to four minutes after the game is over
to file your stof Sorry, that hasn't changed, you know.
As home games, that's what I take two to four minutes,

(02:04:05):
and so I'll be focused on that, I think, I.

Speaker 4 (02:04:08):
Hope probably a difficult question to answer, I'll ask it anyway.
You've covered so much of this team's history over these
last several decades, from the late nineties and to where
we sit today. A lot of different eras, a lot
of different winning, a lot of different losing, a lot
of different buildings, a lot of different personalities. Is there
a player you've dealt with, worked with, a story you've
written that you know kind of you're most proud of,

(02:04:31):
most happy to have been the person to unearth that
For fans whether I mean not necessarily some breaking news,
but just something you were able to write about regarding
this team over the years you've been on their beat.

Speaker 7 (02:04:43):
Yeah, well it definitely wouldn't be breaking, you know, they
can admit now. I never really cared that much about
a story that people were all going to find out
in a few minutes anyway, just like whatever, you know
that when I had it first, you know, on those
occasions whatever, you know, I was never like real fired

(02:05:04):
up about that that much to this guy got a
contract extension or this. You know, the Rockets are trying
to do this trade. Like I think I wrote a
lot about the Rockets trying to do the trade with
the Nets, and then eventually they finally did. Of course
it took months after I wrote it, but I don't care.
You know, people, the things I liked most with the individuals,

(02:05:28):
the people you get to know, the people you get
to write about. I can't pick the story that I
would say I liked most, just because I haven't really
looked back that much. But I guarantee it would be
something like that, somebody telling their story and asking me,
trusting me to tell their story. It's always been that

(02:05:49):
by far and like I've you guys have been around me.
You get a great interview, you feel great, just like
even Tarry you said yesterday, just showing the perspective that
he did. I was pretty fired up after that interview then.
So it wasn't his life story or anything, but I
love that. I love the people, you know, favorite times,

(02:06:10):
favorite people to cover. That was always what it was about.
So a king was the greatest, you know, just thanking
you for your interest. After every he and I spent
an hour and a half one day. My wife was
a teacher, a preschool teacher at a nonprofit, and she
would teach about religion, religious holidays, and you know, just

(02:06:32):
in a way that a four year old could understand.
And so we spent an hour and a half talking
about Ramadan and how he could express that to kids
to understand what it was about. Just sat there under
the basket at Westside Tennis Club. He was, you know,
Charles was everything. He you know, he was exactly like
you see on television. He was a pleasure every day.

(02:06:54):
Steve Francis was always one of my favorites. Louis Scola
and that's the other thing, And I put it in
a column. We know how lucky I've been. I mean,
think about the people that I've gotten to cover, the
incredible cooperation that came from the top down. I mean,
it was a way things are done here, you know.
And I quoted this Sam Smith line in the column

(02:07:16):
when he was talking to David Stern trying to improve
the situation around the league, and he finally got set
up and said, we can't all work in Houston. You know,
I did, and so it was pretty great. You know,
think of the Rudy Tom Johnovitch Award is named after
Rudy Tom Johanovitch for a reason. d'An TONI was the
same thing, and he was great. When Dane Gundy left

(02:07:39):
the thing, I said to him, great, now I'm gonna
have to do my own work because he filled the
notebook so much. And I tell you, and I was
happy with myself that I remember to include Stephen Silas
because that guy, through the toughest of times, was just
from day one to the last day, a great guy.

(02:08:00):
That's what I got to be around, you know. And
this current group is wonderful. They've been very kind to
me since the word got out on the road trip,
you know, just really really nice. Although I did promise
them and they got the point. I'll be back in May.
You know, I'll probably be back sooner. But you know
they got when I said, Hey, in May, I'm going

(02:08:22):
to be around, and I hope they liked that. I
hope they got it. But those guys were great, you know,
so favorites. I could go on and on because there's
so many.

Speaker 3 (02:08:31):
Yeah, now the list is long, obviously, but when it
comes to people that haven't gotten a chance to encounter you,
we could say the exact same thing about you.

Speaker 2 (02:08:38):
And that's my favorite thing about you, Jonathan.

Speaker 3 (02:08:39):
As good as you were at your job, you were
an even better guy and always a pleasure to be
around it. Please enjoy retirement, don't be a stranger, and
we'll be catching up with you very soon anytime.

Speaker 7 (02:08:50):
Thank you for those are very kind words, and I
really appreciate it absolutely.

Speaker 3 (02:08:55):
Jonathan Fagan of the Houston Chronicle on his last day.

Speaker 2 (02:08:58):
It's crazy to even say it.

Speaker 3 (02:09:00):
Joining us here on Sports Talk seven to ninety five
o'clock hour, Football at five coming up next.

Speaker 8 (02:09:07):
The A ten on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 4 (02:09:10):
Ninety Definitely want to pop the top on a cold
one after that great visit, with the outgoing report beat
writer for the Rockets, well, bud Light, Yes, absolutely, tip
of the cap. Bud Light goes great with everything, celebrating that,
enjoying your football, enjoying your special edition in Houston, Texans
cans because bud Light, of course is the official beer

(02:09:30):
sponsor of the NFL. Lots of pigskin going on right now,
so lots of opportunities to enjoy that ice cool bud Light.
Easy to Sunday, easy to enjoy. Enjoy your bud Light,
I do safely and responsibly.

Speaker 1 (02:09:45):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adhaim Talking Your Teams series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team A.

Speaker 2 (02:10:06):
Well.

Speaker 3 (02:10:06):
Before we get back into the football conversation for Football
at five, got to say thanks again to Jonathan Fagan
of the Houston Chronicle on his final day. And in
case you missed any of that interview last segment, we
will get that up on the podcast asap. But just
and I told him this before and after the interview,
it just the nicest guy.

Speaker 2 (02:10:26):
You'll ever meet. He happens to be really good at
his job.

Speaker 3 (02:10:29):
But the fact that someone is as good as as
he has been and by the way something he said
that I really appreciate, and it's probably not appreciated, especially
in the NBA, in the world of breaking stories and
being first. You know, first it was Woj's, then it

(02:10:51):
was Shams, and now woj just step aside and Shams
takes his spot essentially, and it's always about who's gonna
be first, And Fagan said it best himself. Who cares.
I mean, great, you can be the Woje bomb guy.

Speaker 2 (02:11:05):
You could be.

Speaker 3 (02:11:05):
And I'm not taking anything away from those two guys,
but how many times have you looked back at a
big NBA story, for example, or a big NFL story
that Adam Schefter or Ian Rappaport whoever broke, and said, oh, yeah,
it was them who broke it. Now it's you look
back and you think about the story. I've never once
heard somebody say, yeah, well that was the story that

(02:11:26):
so and so broke, unless it was like, oh, I
saw the Woje bomb saying that you know, you know,
Tracy McGrady has been sent to the rockets or whatever.

Speaker 2 (02:11:34):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:11:35):
I love that Fagan was a as brutally honest about
that as he was, and b was willing to be
that honest about something like that, because that's never been
his mo and you didn't have to have that mo
o for him to be considered.

Speaker 2 (02:11:49):
Such a good guy what he did.

Speaker 3 (02:11:51):
So yeah, if you can, if you can't tell, I'm
a huge fan of Jonathan Fagan, namely because there are
guys in this business that when I started, you know,
really started where I was actually covering the teams in Houston,
and this would be about this time, exactly twenty years ago,
because it was December of two thousand and four when
I was first on the radio, you know, in sports

(02:12:12):
talk here in Houston. There were guys that from day one,
had my back, were nice to me, were kind to me,
helped me out, maybe helped me out in a pinch,
you know, didn't basically blow me off because I didn't
know what I was doing or whatever. And Jonathan Fagan
was one of those. John McCain's another one of those
guys that have been around since I started and long

(02:12:35):
before that in this business. And you just remember that
if you get anywhere have any sort of success in
this business, whether it's locally, nationally, or but you always
remember people like that, and Jonathan Fago was one of
those guys. So that tells you what a good secret
keeper he is, if that's what he was trying to do,
the fact that the Warriors pr staff wanted to put

(02:12:55):
something out and he realized, well, that means I'm gonna
have to tell people. So I didn't know about it
until I saw, you know, his story on on social
media today, And definitely a guy that's gonna be missed.
And it's it's sometimes hard to convey something like that
to you guys, the viewers on the audio side, and
the and the or the viewers on the Space City

(02:13:17):
Home network side, the television side, and the listeners on
the audio side, to kind of convey somebody that you
don't maybe necessarily know personally and you definitely don't necessarily
interact with on a day to day basis. But it's like,
it's gonna be weird to walk into Toyota Center a
week from now and not see Jonathan Fagan there at
some point, whether it's in media dining before the game,

(02:13:39):
whether it's in his perch where he always sits inside
Toyota Center during the game, or on the rare occasion,
I can't tell you the last time I've been in
the locker room because I'm always on the air when
those interviews are taking place, but he was always there too,
I mean, so it's just it's it's kind of I'm
learning this on the fly and kind of digesting it
on the fly, and I had to get him on.

(02:14:00):
We had to get him on to talk about it
with him because he's been so good to both of us.
So again, good interview with him, I thought, great conversation
and kind of an insight into a guy who's kind
of a little bit of a shy demeanor and someone
that you he's not going to be the most boisterous personality,
but you heard the list of personalities that he's been
able to cover here in Houston over the years, and

(02:14:24):
for him to not be that way and to still
have that good relationship with those guys and to have
them open up to him and him talk about even
this year's very young still rocket squad overall, and how
they've been so good to him. Just cool to kind
of to peel back the curtain a little bit on
a guy who's done a great job for so long
providing information and stories, as he put it, and that's

(02:14:46):
what they were about your Houston Rockets and just kind
of sudden that here we are in December twenty seventh
and it's the final day for Jonathan Fagan.

Speaker 2 (02:14:56):
All right. So we were talking.

Speaker 3 (02:14:59):
About a lot about Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen yesterday
and whether or not you know Lamar Jackson. I think
I saw it might have been Stephen A. Smith somebody
that was like, how are we not talking about the
fact that this is Lamar Jackson's award to lose? And

(02:15:22):
I actually think I think Stephen A. Smith is siding
with Josh Allen. But either one of these guys, it's
kind of like a no brainer situation. There's occasionally, like
you know, speaking of Fagan and the Rockets, I'll never
forget when Elton brand and Steve Francis won the CO
Rookie of the Year award back in nineteen ninety nine,

(02:15:44):
two thousand and there have been I believe CO MVPs
in the NFL before. I don't know that this isn't
one of those times where you could have that situation,
because if you look at the numbers, I mean it's
not they're very very close yards per attempt eight nine

(02:16:05):
to seven eight in favor of Lamar he has many
many more passing touchdowns. Like if I were to tell
you that, all right, one of these guys has thirty
nine passing touchdowns and the other one has twenty six,
you might think that it would be Josh Allen, even
though they're both kind of known as as running quarterbacks.
If you will, you would think that, you know, Lamar

(02:16:27):
Jackson would have the bigger rushing touchdown numbers of the two,
But it's actually Josh Allen eleven to four. Lamar Jackson
has thirty nine passing touchdowns and counting, by the way
to Josh Allen's twenty six, and neither one of these
guys have very many interceptions. Four for Jackson, six for

(02:16:47):
Josh Allen, and so I really think like this is
going to be one of those years, because essentially, the
MVP Award is the de facto best quarterback award every
single season. It's very rare that anybody other than a
quarterback these days is gonna win the MVP Award in
the NFL. But then you start getting into the semantics,
which is my departed co host's favorite part of the

(02:17:10):
sports world. I think sometimes aside from numbers and wex
is on his way to Toyota Center, obviously, but he
jumped right in here because you just have to decide,
all right, what sexy numbers are gonna be, what stands
out and puts one I guess across the finish line
ahead of the other. And I really I do wonder if,

(02:17:32):
like you know so many years, when you have an
MVP award, and it doesn't just have to be in
the NFL, It could be in the NBA. In fact,
I think in the NBA this is more prevalent than
in any other league, where it's almost determined, predetermined in
some senses, who's gonna win the award based on all right,
if they put the type of numbers we think they're

(02:17:54):
gonna put forth fourth, this guy's gonna be our guy
this year. I mean Ramona Shelbourne going on ESPN saying,
oh yeah, I vote based on narratives. First of all,
why would you do that? And secondly, even if you did,
why would you admit it? But I digress. I wonder though, again,
if this is gonna be the first time in a
long time where it's like a neck and neck thing

(02:18:16):
and maybe even we have a co VP.

Speaker 2 (02:18:18):
Was it?

Speaker 3 (02:18:18):
Steve McNair and Peyton Manning that won it together back
in the two thousands. I want to say that might
have happened. But this is a very interesting race. And
the funniest part about it is you've got Josh Allen
and Lamar Jackson vying for an MVP award in a
year in which Pat Mahomes has lost once, his team

(02:18:42):
has lost once, And it's like, I know, I've said
this a million times, and I know that you know,
Wex and others just absolutely can't believe it, but they
just the Chiefs just don't feel like they're the same.
They feel like they've won in spite of themselves so
many weeks, and this is kind of evidence of that.

Speaker 2 (02:19:04):
Like, don't you.

Speaker 3 (02:19:04):
Feel like if they were as good as their record
says they were, that this would be a no brainer
that you know that Pat Mahomes is the MVP because
he's led the Chiefs to a fifteen to one record,
and in some ways he has done that, it's just
not the traditional ways that we're thinking of. I just

(02:19:25):
think it's an interesting commentary and it's the latest example
of why the NFL is king with the parody that
it has that you can have a team that's fifteen
to one, and their quarterback in a quarterback driven league,
is not even in the conversation for the MVP award
because Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are doing what they're doing.
And by the way, I would probably pick either one

(02:19:46):
of those teams to beat Kansas City, even in Kansas
City if that were the playoff matchup starting this weekend,
for example, there's still a.

Speaker 2 (02:19:55):
Lot to be determined.

Speaker 3 (02:19:56):
Obviously, the Chiefs have the number one seed, but their
quarterback is not in the end MVP conversation. It's Lamar
Jackson or Josh Allen, and I think that is one
of the best things about the NFL. All Right, speaking
of the NFL, former coach has my back regarding something
on the NFL schedule.

Speaker 2 (02:20:13):
I'll explain when we come back.

Speaker 8 (02:20:15):
The A Team Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:20:20):
Don't have to explain a lot about daisy dip, just
that it's the best, the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and
it's all new. We're talking about two different flavors. The
newest dip addiction the French onion or ranch dips from
daisy sour cream. They go perfect with chips, wings and
veggies or anything else you want to snack on.

Speaker 2 (02:20:38):
They're as good as homemade dip.

Speaker 3 (02:20:39):
They have real herbs and spices and the ingredients you'd
find in your own kitchen.

Speaker 2 (02:20:44):
But they're new and they've done all the mixing for you.

Speaker 3 (02:20:46):
We're talking about the brand new French onion and ranch
dips from Daisy Sour Cream.

Speaker 2 (02:20:51):
Pick them up wherever Daisy products are sold.

Speaker 1 (02:20:54):
Adam Clinton, Adam wait for it, the eight Team.

Speaker 3 (02:21:03):
All right, we are continuing on here in the final
hour of a Friday edition of The Eight Team Sports
Talk seven ninety final Friday of twenty twenty four. I
know I've said this to Wex a number of times.
I can't believe how fast this year flew by, especially
in light of like, you know, when we do what
we do for a living, like our job is to

(02:21:28):
talk about sports. So when the tech or when the
when the Astros are off to like one of their
most I mean, it's the slowest start they've had since
the one hundred lost seasons, right, and I was like, man,
this is gonna be a long summer.

Speaker 2 (02:21:42):
And it turned around and it didn't in the way
we would have liked.

Speaker 3 (02:21:44):
And so much has happened since then, but I just
can't believe we're sitting here in twenty twenty five is
a few days away. And I know people say this
kind of stuff every year, but I just feel like
twenty four was a sneakily raced by sports year and
just year in general. I've said this, and I know
those of you that have kids out there and have

(02:22:04):
had them for a while will tell you this. Once
I had a little guy, I mean, everything started speeding up.
But this year, in particular, from the sports calendar standpoint,
really crazy how it's flown by. I'll tell you what
did not flying by most Thursday nights on the NFL schedule,
because I've been screaming this from the mountaintops and I
don't know how they do it every year, but they do,

(02:22:26):
and there's been some exceptions. There always are, but it's uncanny.
It's kind of like Vegas. With these lines they set
and the numbers and everything that they know better than
almost anybody, they find a way to put crappy matchups
on Thursday night Football more often than not, which brings
us to John Gruden. Now, John Gruden has had some

(02:22:53):
let's just call them incidents in the past several years
that probably take away from what's a pretty fantastic football
coaching career, and you have to sometimes separate things, and
I know it's difficult, especially in the case of those emails,
because it wasn't separated.

Speaker 2 (02:23:10):
They were about football.

Speaker 3 (02:23:12):
But you know, John Gruden's a guy that I will
still pay attention to when he talks, just because he's
been doing this for nearly forty years, whether it's coaching analyzing.
I mean, he was awesome on Monday Night football. I
don't care what anybody says. I thought it was highly entertaining,
different entertainment than you know, the Manning cast and things

(02:23:33):
like that. You're always looking, but you were never gonna
accuse him of being dull.

Speaker 2 (02:23:38):
So he started.

Speaker 3 (02:23:40):
He came on pardon my take, and just basically went
off about why he hates Thursday night football so much.
And I'll just sit back and let you listen to
how Chucky shared his thoughts on the Thursday night schedule.

Speaker 16 (02:23:53):
On a short week, you really don't get any time
to practice. You don't get any time to really familiarize
yourself with the opponent's blitzes, the coverages that they run,
the stunts that they run up front.

Speaker 2 (02:24:05):
You don't get a chance to study the red.

Speaker 16 (02:24:06):
Zone defense, their third down defense, you don't get a
chance to look at them a goal line and short yardage.
So there's very little preparation, and these guys are beat up.

Speaker 2 (02:24:14):
Man.

Speaker 16 (02:24:15):
I don't like seeing these guys play sixty one snaps
on Sunday and then have to go play sixty eight
snaps on Thursday. It bothers me. I don't mind doing
it on Thanksgiving. I think it's a wonderful thing, but
I do believe when you're playing Thursday football, there's very
little preparation. There's very little time to recover, and it's

(02:24:36):
gonna take its toll on the performance.

Speaker 2 (02:24:39):
You know, you just don't show up.

Speaker 16 (02:24:40):
This is not Major League Baseball where we can play
a doubleheader and go out and play here. It's not
the NBA, No disrespect, but this is a lot of
physical contact, right and a lot of these guys are
they're hurting. Yeah, they are really sucking it up right
now to play? Does this microphone work?

Speaker 2 (02:24:56):
I would?

Speaker 16 (02:24:56):
I make sure I can say this clearly. I hate
Thursday foot, especially when you gotta be the road team. Yeah,
and when they make you fly into a different time
zone on a Thursday. It's ridiculous to me. I think
he gotta be really honest and careful with how you
look at the performances on Thursday night.

Speaker 3 (02:25:14):
I mean, listen, you can see we all get it.
We all get why it's happening. We all get who's
doing it. The NFL. I mean, Roger Goodell's just he
is maximizing the dollar making.

Speaker 8 (02:25:34):
Kiss.

Speaker 3 (02:25:34):
You can't tell me you were sitting there and forget
the final score. I'm just talking about the quality of football.
And I know that Wex and I have sat here already,
you know yesterday talking about well, it didn't affect the Ravens.
They looked like they were fine on five days or
whatever it was. But overall, what he's saying is true,
and we've seen this in you know, short weeks. Maybe

(02:25:55):
that's why the game quality by and large, for the
most part, more often than not, whatever you want to
say has been bad. It's not just that it's you know,
Carolina versus Jacksonville or whatever. It's that there on a
short week and the low the later you get into
a season, the more what he's talking about is true.

Speaker 2 (02:26:16):
You know, it's a very violent, physical game.

Speaker 3 (02:26:19):
And your body's not recovering from the sixty or so
car crashes that it's essentially been in in the week
prior when you got to turn around and play. And
the time zone thing that he was talking about also
is is actually i think an underrated part of it
when you've got to you know, lose that time on
your body clock. Because the again, you know, these these teams,

(02:26:42):
it's not like baseball where you're in a city for
several nights, and it's not even like the NBA where
you might be there a night or even two. You're
there taking off. I mean the Texans, for example, if
they've got a noon kick in Jacksonville on a Sunday,
they're probably fling out on Saturday afternoon around three three

(02:27:03):
thirty in the afternoon most cases, to get to wherever
they're going.

Speaker 2 (02:27:08):
It's and then you've got the you know, curfew situation.

Speaker 3 (02:27:12):
It's like they're going up and enjoying their time in
that city, you know, walk through that night. Maybe you know,
everybody's schedule varies, but what John Gruden is saying here
is absolutely the case, and it's it's if anything, that
they've expanded it. You know, Thursday night is now. Wednesday
on Christmas is now. You know, there's just there's a

(02:27:34):
lot of different scenarios where that's why I can't take
the NFL seriously when they're saying, hey, we really do
care about players safety. Oh yeah, well here's your seventeen
game schedule. Yeah, but we really we cete is an
issue and we are addressing it and we really do
care about it. Yeah, but we're gonna play on Christmas Day,
and we're gonna play on Thursday still and Mondays and then.

Speaker 2 (02:27:56):
If we can throw some it's just it's just admit it,
you know.

Speaker 3 (02:28:01):
I I'm fine if you want to just be transparent.
It's not gonna make it better. And the players are
certainly not fooled by anybody. But the flip side of
that eighteen game schedule is definitely going to be here
before you know it, and it's gonna happen a lot
sooner than it took for the NFL to decide that
they were going to increase the games from sixteen to

(02:28:23):
seventeen every year. There's no doubt in my mind it's coming.
So you can either be a part of it and
you know, be a part of this charade where they
pretend like, you know, the thing about the the giving
yourself up when quarterbacks are running and all this kind
of stuff is like a band aid on what the

(02:28:46):
reality of this is, which is that it's not about
players safety. It's not about making the game safer in
any way, shape or form. It's about being able to
churn out as many games as possible in as many
high profile, high visibility scenarios as possible, to capitalize and

(02:29:07):
monopolize and bank as much money as possible, because that's
what the NFL does better than anybody else out there.
That's not, I guess, a soccer organization overseas, because here
in America it's not football. It's football and it is
king And if you need any help with that. And
going back to what you know Gruden is talking about

(02:29:29):
here the numbers and the NBA coming out with all
of the pr in the world, Ah, the game is
great in great hands. Look at all these ratings, and
then the NFL is like, here's our two dud non
competitive games on Christmas Day, and they absolutely dwarf your ratings.
If you were to combine them all, they would still

(02:29:51):
outpace you by probably half.

Speaker 2 (02:29:53):
I think each of those.

Speaker 3 (02:29:54):
Games got north of twenty one twenty two million, and
I think the best NBA rate a game was what
seven point seven and it was the Warriors Lakers that
wasn't in an NFL conflicted window. So yeah, Lebron can
make all the comments that he wants and Kevin Durant
and all that, and it's fine, Like you want to

(02:30:16):
talk about the NBA bouncing back, you know, just remember
they were on broadcast television, which still actually matters.

Speaker 2 (02:30:24):
There's no comparison to the NFL.

Speaker 3 (02:30:26):
And so if the NFL wants to make Christmas Day
it to day, they certainly will guess what it's on
Thursday next year?

Speaker 2 (02:30:33):
What are we talking about here?

Speaker 3 (02:30:36):
But yeah, you know, and again you're talking about a
guy who's sort of an outcast in NFL circles now,
but a guy who was there so long who would
know better than anybody the grind of getting ready for
whatever day of the week it is to play a
game that's not Sunday essentially or Monday night. I remember

(02:30:58):
when Monday night it was such a big deal that
your team played on Monday night football because that was
one lass day and that is just so far in
the rear view mirror at this point, it's it's hilarious
to think about.

Speaker 2 (02:31:09):
But yeah, not.

Speaker 3 (02:31:11):
A fan of Thursday night football, not a fan of
how it inevitably becomes just a terrible product more often
than not, with exceptions. Again, I'm aware there have been
some good Thursday night games, but yeah, me and John
Gruden lockstep on a subject like Thursday night football. We've

(02:31:31):
got about a half hour to go here on the
A Team Sports Talk seven ninety, we've got in case
you missed it, all the things we have not discussed.

Speaker 2 (02:31:39):
That is straight ahead. Coming up on the show.

Speaker 8 (02:31:42):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety is Kyle Tucker
catch every Astros game on Sports Talk seven ninety, mile
Talk the Glover and streaming on the free iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 3 (02:32:00):
All right, that's too soon. It is the A Team
Sports Talk seven ninety. I'm not ready for the days
where Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman liners are obsolete. Brutal,
brutal offseason, although we'll see how it all pans out.

Speaker 2 (02:32:17):
All right. That music, as per.

Speaker 3 (02:32:18):
Usual, means it's time for in case you missed it,
and that means Dan Matthews takes it away.

Speaker 2 (02:32:23):
Well real quick. On a couple of things.

Speaker 15 (02:32:25):
Number one with Kyle Tucker just bringing us back from
break right there? Did you see that Major League Baseball
throughout a tweet that were ninety days away from opening
Day and guess it was part of the graphic in
a new Cubs uniform.

Speaker 3 (02:32:37):
Well, it's funny since I don't recall the last time
Kyle Tucker was ever put on any sort of graphic
like that in an Astros uniform. But that's probably just
because he had so much star power around him, right,
I don't.

Speaker 2 (02:32:50):
I'm just.

Speaker 3 (02:32:53):
You know, baseball once the blue blood's the matter so
much at any given time, even if they are the
forever lovable losers like the Cubs, So that doesn't really
surprise me, but it doesn't make it any less.

Speaker 15 (02:33:07):
Bitter and great stuff too that you passed along about
Jonathan Fagan, similar interactions with them all throughout my careers.
Very first assignment I ever had in this business covering
a Rockets practice when they still practiced over at Toyota Center,
and one of the most helpful people that day Jonathan Fagan,
all the way back in two thousand and nine. So,
like you, a huge fan of Jonathan Fagan, all right,

(02:33:29):
Let's start first with speaking of one of those players
you mentioned, Alex Bregman, Well, he could possibly be still
in line to be a Detroit Tiger. Now, I know
some people out there might say, Dan, wait a minute,
they signed Glaber Torres to a one year deal today. Well,
president of Baseball ops for the Tigers, Scott Harris telling
reporters earlier Glaber is going to play second base in

(02:33:50):
twenty twenty five for Detroit. Colt Keith is going to
move over to first base.

Speaker 3 (02:33:55):
So they're clearing the infield for you know, you know
who I listen. I have kind of felt in my
heart of hearts all along that if Alex Bregman didn't
return to the Astros, and again I was on record
as saying I thought that would actually happen. And I
still think that the offer they gave him, relative to

(02:34:17):
what he is right now here in twenty twenty four,
it was fair, but that if he didn't that one
of two places, Boston or Arizona would be where he
would wind up. It's not to say I don't want
to say that that Detroit's a dark horse, because they

(02:34:39):
obviously have young talent. And could I mean, you talk
about a perfect guy to plug into that clubhouse.

Speaker 2 (02:34:45):
Forget the position, but aj Hinch is there.

Speaker 3 (02:34:50):
They just beat you in the postseason, and you've got
a young group that you could be the veteran leadership
for now. You do have to live in Detroit, so
that is also part of it, but you can live
in Detroit a whole lot more comfortable with you know.
I don't know what Detroit would get him for. I

(02:35:11):
just always figured that the Red Sox would throw two
hundred million at him. He'd be in a high profile
situation and he and Scott Boris would both wind up
happy with that. And it's not to say that Boston's
not going to be a good team next year obviously,
and if they take him away from the Astros and
put him on the Red Sox, then that's, you know.

Speaker 2 (02:35:30):
A feather in their cap. But I just I don't know.

Speaker 3 (02:35:34):
I guess I didn't envision it being Detroit, but in
an off season where so many things like that have happened,
I mean, Wan Soto getting the most money from the
richest owner in sports is not a surprise. But Wan
Soto's staying in New York only he's playing for the Mets,
just kind of seems another quirky part of this offseason.

Speaker 2 (02:35:55):
I mean, Kyle Tucker's a Chicago cub. It's just weird.

Speaker 13 (02:35:58):
You know.

Speaker 15 (02:35:59):
Well, here's where I would push back on, you know,
the Red Sox, the Yankees, anybody else offering that money.
Nothing is going to change between now and when you
would possibly do that. So if that's the case, why
wouldn't they have already done it?

Speaker 3 (02:36:11):
No, there's something to be said for that, Like if
he had all these two hundred plus million dollar offers,
wouldn't we have heard about them? And I would I
would argue that's true because since when have I mean,
even if it's Scott Boris putting it out there, really
there's nothing. So I don't know, like I'm not gonna

(02:36:34):
sit here and say this is gonna be like Dallas Kaykeel,
because wasn't Boris his agent as well?

Speaker 8 (02:36:39):
Well?

Speaker 15 (02:36:39):
But I think Kykele it was more of teams not
wanting to part with the option capital that you would
have to give up, of course, surrendering draft picks. So
that's why, in addition to what he was asking for
out there, is why he was out for some time.
Because I remember he came to the Braves when I
was there, and he talked about having to sit out
and throw you know, on side field to high school

(02:37:01):
kids or whatever in order to try to stay sharp.
And you know, he came back in about the middle
part of the season because teams were just like, yeah,
we're not giving up that for him.

Speaker 8 (02:37:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:37:11):
Well, and again, I think Alex Bregman's standing in Major
League Baseball relative to the third base position is much
more elevated than Dallas Kichel in a league or leagues
littered with starting pitchers. But again, I don't think it's
going to go into what was that was like in
the middle of the season where he finally got his deal,

(02:37:33):
like July. I'm not saying that's gonna happen, but would
why would this deal be signed at any point in January?
Like what's the pressing? If it's out there? Like you said,
why wouldn't it have already been signed? I just wonder
what's I'm really curious where Alex Bregman goes, but I'm
almost more curious for what figure.

Speaker 15 (02:37:55):
The declining in the bat I think is what is
probably scaring off teams at this moment, because you know
what he is with the you know what he is
in the clubhouse, and I think for Detroit's side of
it as well, you have to remember they're gonna have
a huge decision to make with Trek Skouble. I think
he's up in a couple of years. He's going to
command a ton of money. And you also have to
be pitching on Detroit. But you also have to keep

(02:38:15):
in mind too, they gave huge money to Hobby Baias
and that's been an absolute failure. So I think that's
a little bit of the buyer beware.

Speaker 3 (02:38:22):
Yep, no, for sure, in Detroit's not one of these
blue blood, big market teams with a bunch of money.

Speaker 2 (02:38:33):
I don't know, it's weird.

Speaker 3 (02:38:34):
It's They've got a good thing there, But then they
dealt Jack Flaherty, so.

Speaker 2 (02:38:38):
I don't know what they're doing in Detroit. I love
aj Hinch.

Speaker 3 (02:38:42):
I'd like him back here actually, all right, So.

Speaker 15 (02:38:45):
We got about a couple of minutes left here And
in case you missed it, sa Kwon Barkley has a
chance to break the single season rushing record in the
final two games. He needs two hundred and sixty eight
yards over the final two weeks of the regular season
to break a record that has stood since nineteen eighty
f when Eric Dickerson ran for twenty one hundred and
five yards. Now, it is worth noting Dickerson did it

(02:39:06):
in sixteen games. Barkley will have done it now in
seventeen games if he breaks it. But the story here
is Dickerson recently caught up with the La Times and
was asked, do you want him to break the record?
He said, quote, do I want him to break it?
Absolutely not.

Speaker 3 (02:39:22):
That's completely understandable. Your name's now number two on a list.
Your name is now number two on that list because
a player who took that record from you got an
extra game to do it. So yeah, I understand where
he's coming from. And this is a part of you know,
adding a seventeenth game, and as I just mentioned last segment,

(02:39:45):
eventually an eighteenth game, it's gonna cause all these records
to just kind of be in this weird purgatory of all, right, well,
this guy broke it, but he had two extra games
to do it.

Speaker 2 (02:39:57):
That kind of thing. That's the downside of adding to
the cash cow that is the NFL.

Speaker 15 (02:40:05):
I mean, I think you could also make the the
argument too as well with quarterbacks with all these passing
records that are being broken, where quarterbacks of the past
are like, whoa wait a minute, we didn't throw it
forty times a game, right, It was.

Speaker 3 (02:40:18):
Not as much of a pass heavy league, ironically, it
was more of a running league then. And then you
add on top of that the two extra games. Yeah,
that's that's tough to look at if you're the Troy
Aikman's of the world, a very accomplished quarterback whose numbers
look paltry for today's standards. The a team on Sports

(02:40:39):
Talk seven ninety, you know it's not paltry. Fourteen different
locations to go to for Top Dog Fireworks, head on
over to their website Topdogfireworks dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:40:51):
You'll see exactly what we're talking about.

Speaker 3 (02:40:53):
Everything is twenty five percent off, including at the location
that Wex and I went to just earlier today. Caught
up with our buddy Eric, who is a longtime Sports
Talk seven to ninety listener but also working at the
two to ninety location right there just before Huffmeister.

Speaker 2 (02:41:10):
That's the flagship location.

Speaker 3 (02:41:12):
I believe it's ten thousand square feet of fireworks, and
trust me, you're gonna see the video later on tonight.
You probably saw the video that we posted about a
week ago. It really they use every bit of that
square footage for the buy one, get one free items.
And that's not all you spend two hundred and fifty bucks.
Sanna is gonna give you a free firework valued at

(02:41:34):
eighty nine ninety nine.

Speaker 2 (02:41:35):
Yeah, sant is still working.

Speaker 3 (02:41:36):
It's top Dog Fireworks in their website Topdogfireworks dot com.

Speaker 5 (02:41:43):
I'm sorry, but I gotta put an asterisk on any organization.

Speaker 11 (02:41:49):
That wow, keep the astro's name out your fing mouth.

Speaker 8 (02:41:59):
Hey, this is Jay Ferrell's back to the eight Team
Sports Talk seven tiny.

Speaker 3 (02:42:09):
Final segment of the A Team on a Friday edition
of the program. So it's the final segment of the week.
And bloye, it's been a full week here. We've done
three whole days of full shows here and you know what,
Matt Thomas next week, same exact thing. But you know what,
when we're here, we're gonna give it our all, just
so people like Matt Thomas know how hard we are

(02:42:32):
working here for you on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
WEX is already probably in place over at Toyota Center.
As we'll make way for Rockets and Timberwolves coverage. If
the Rockets want to go ahead and just make a
deal for Anthony Edwards tonight while he's here, I mean, sure,
there's actual technicalities that might keep that from happening, but

(02:42:54):
I'm just playing here on the radio, right they can
go ahead and do that.

Speaker 2 (02:42:57):
I'll be fine with it.

Speaker 3 (02:42:59):
Before we get to that, before we get to probably
the dumbest take of the year by an athlete, and
that's saying something. Um, tell me if you've heard this before.
The Dodgers are signing a highly touted free agent, this

(02:43:21):
one happens to be their own, to a deal for
a lot of money, and they're deferring it. Yep, Taoscar
Hernandez three years, sixty six million. The deal includes a
fourth year option for fifteen million and a little more
than twenty three million in deferred money and a twenty

(02:43:45):
three million dollar signing bonus. That's from Jeff Passon, and
I keep hearing like I get into this argument. It's
not an argument. I just I get into this with
chandeler Rome and via text all the time. I'm like,
he's like, any team can do this, yeah, but no
other team is doing it. Like the Dodgers deferred so

(02:44:11):
much of sho heo Tani's money that it was laughable,
and they won a World Series in his first year there.
And so if every team can do this, and I
realized that the player has to agree to it, But
if Shoeotani's agreeing to it, then why is it not
good enough for you to agree to it? Player X

(02:44:34):
and player why over here? Dodgers the only one to
keep doing it though, So the rich get richer and
ta Oscar Hernandez would have been great anywhere, especially here
in Houston, not that they are ever going to do that,
although I mean's the money is close to Christian Walker
money if you don't count the deferred and the fourth

(02:44:57):
year team option. Obviously, Speaking of baseball, you know what
I've always wondered what Cam Newton has to say about
the game of baseball.

Speaker 6 (02:45:07):
Baseball is like a I hate to say, a dying sport.
I think baseball would be surpassed by WNBA in twenty years.

Speaker 3 (02:45:21):
Okay, Cam, I mean, I'm not gonna make any cte
jokes here, even though that's the first thing that probably
is gonna come to mind when anybody hears that guy
say those words. But WNBA surpassing baseball in twenty years.
First of all, if the WNBA ever did surpass baseball,

(02:45:46):
that would be impressive in and of itself. But the
fact that he's giving it twenty years to do that.
You know how much happens in twenty years, Well, my
whole career, I mean, I don't even know. Well, I
can tell you exactly what it was. I think it
was December ninth, whenever Tracey McGrady scored the thirteen points

(02:46:07):
in thirty three seconds against the Spurs to win that game.
That was my twentieth anniversary of being on the radio
here in Houston. So that just shows you how long
twenty years is. Twenty years for the WNBA to surpass MLB,
if it ever was, is not impressive.

Speaker 2 (02:46:28):
That's a slow burn.

Speaker 3 (02:46:31):
Twenty years, two decades to pass the majors, a sport
that goes so far back in time.

Speaker 2 (02:46:40):
But then, what is he talking about? Like, I get it,
I get that.

Speaker 3 (02:46:46):
I just got done harping on the fact that the
Dodgers are once again just buying championships by putting it
on credit, and nobody seems to be complaining about it,
other than the fans, just like the umpires, just like
the strike zone, just like the gimmicks that the stupid
commissioner has added to the game. But all of that aside.

(02:47:10):
I mean, come on, nobody's selling out WNBA Arenas like
they're going to see America's pastime. Because that's what Cam
Newton is saying, that America's pastime will be surpassed by
a league by the way that is self sabotaging in
every turn, because it can't get out of its own

(02:47:32):
way talking about Caitlin Clark because she happens to be
popular when you should be making that the golden goose
of your league and exploiting it for coverage and money
and exposure and everything else. They can't stop getting in
their own way of just insulting her for whatever reason.

(02:47:53):
Their's speculation as to what those reasons are, but I
can tell you this, they're not doing a good job
of maximizing that asset they finally have after they've been
around for basically twenty years and in that time have
not even scratched the surface of surpassing Major League Baseball.
Cam Newton, maybe stay in your lane on this one,

(02:48:13):
or pick something else to have a bad opinion about
that's probably one of your worst, if not the worst.

Speaker 2 (02:48:18):
That's the worst take of the year.

Speaker 3 (02:48:19):
I think I've heard I'm challenging anybody to come up
with something dumber that's been said by an athlete, at
least with regards to the sports landscape. But I think
Cam Newton's saying that the WNBA is going to surpass
Major League Baseball in the next twenty years takes the
cake for at least twenty twenty four and it's in

(02:48:41):
the running for all time worst takes from a guy
who had a straight face at the time.

Speaker 15 (02:48:46):
Wasn't an athlete, but you are out when we played
Jason McIntyre blaming inside the NBA for the reason that
the NBA's ratings are declining.

Speaker 3 (02:48:56):
See But the difference there is that Cam Newton once
matter and Jason McIntyre has never mattered for anything like
the fact that a company puts him on national platforms.
And I've had him on the show before and I've
told him I thought he was stupid to you know,
to his face essentially.

Speaker 2 (02:49:15):
But that's different.

Speaker 3 (02:49:16):
That's just a blowhard full of hot air that actually
is probably doing it on purpose to I guess somehow
stay relevant. Cam Newton is like a former MVP and
was in the Super Bowl and he's sitting around talking
about it. By the way, I know this is going
to shock all of you. When he said this stupid thing.

(02:49:36):
He was wearing a ridiculous set of clothes. But that's
that's not really a surprise when it comes to Cam Newton.

Speaker 2 (02:49:42):
What's whereas that take?

Speaker 15 (02:49:43):
Or making a business decision in the Super Bowl to
not jump on a fumble.

Speaker 3 (02:49:50):
Depends on uh, depends on your endgame. I guess like
if he wins that Super Bowl, what was the final
score in that game? I can't remember. I'd have to
go by I know that Peyton was throwing ducks. Yeah
they won because of defense and running the football. Yeah, yeah,
I don't know. That's a push for me. This is

(02:50:12):
a pretty bad take though, even for Cam Newton. All right,
hopefully we didn't have bad takes this week. We will
be back at it again on Monday, then offer a
couple days, and then back at it on Thursday and
Friday next week. We will have a lot to discuss
from over the weekend and we plan on doing just that.
Rockets basketball against the Timberwolves. The first of five straight
inside Toyota Center. We got your pregame coverage right around

(02:50:35):
the corner here in your home for Rockets basketball, Sports
Talks seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (02:50:40):
The a team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (02:50:42):
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