GM Nick Caserio chimes in from NFL Annual Meeting | Texans All Access

Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio joined Texans Voice Marc Vandermeer from the NFL Annual Meeting in Florida, and the two discussed the offseason moves by the club and a whole lot more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And away we go from South Florida.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Mark Vandermere with you at the NFL annual meeting for
Texans Radio, and we are excited to bring you tonight's show,
Nick Casserio in just a few moments. Also Texans team
president Mike Toeman his second appearance on the show since
taken over almost a couple of months ago. I think
it's six to eight weeks something like that, as he
is here at these meetings as well. Also Jonathan Alexander

(00:23):
from The Chronicle, our regular Tuesday visit, but in more
humid weather than what we usually feel in Houston this
time of year. And Sharene Williams Pro Football Talk, Pro
Football Hall of Famer, so we'll talk to her. Also
John McClain protege. I guess I can call her that.
Some news from the owners meetings. A lot of stuff
breaking out of here. The tush push band did not

(00:46):
get approved, disapproved whatever they tabled it, so they'll talk
about that again in May. There's some talk about outlawing
pushing and pulling, and that would take away the tush push.
So the toush push, I guess it's a big topic,
but they didn't do anything about it today. They did
do something about overtime. So now each team gets the
ball no matter what. That's the simplest way to explain this.

(01:09):
Each team gets the ball no matter what. These were
rules that were in place for playoff games, but now
regular season games as well, So a lot of you
will be happy about that. The rule change proposal from
the Lions about hey, why doesn't a higher seed in
the postseason, even though it's a wild card, get a
home game over a lower seed that won its division

(01:32):
that did not go through? And Rich McKay said they
did have a good discussion about that, but sorry, not
gonna happen.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Those are the highlights.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
There are others, including free agent contact during the legal
tampering period.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
We don't need to talk about that right now.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
When I get back to Houston, Johnny and I will
go over all this stuff in great detail.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
But right now I know why you're tuning in.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
It's not just for me, it's for the general manager
and executive vice president, Nick Cassario.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
We've visited with Nick earlier.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
All right, Nick, here we are at the NFL annual meeting.
How do you like these meetings? You've been here a
number of years now, what do.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
You get out of it.

Speaker 4 (02:08):
Yeah, more than anything. It's just kind of a rules discussion.
Some of the things that are per and irrelevant. I'd
say this year there was only a handful of things
that were really somewhat on the table for discussion. Some
of the other things are more procedural than anything else.
So just get more information, kind of get an idea
of where the league stands on certain topics or certain ideas,
and maybe with some of the emphasis points will be
moving forward into the season.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Like kickoff touchback to the thirty five yard line. What
is this going to mean for the NFL for detections too.

Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah, I mean everybody's gonna have to look at it.
I think in addition to the start point on the
touchback will be the setup. So I think they're going
to modify to kind of a six y three to
two setup, potentially add a little bit of schematic element
to it, maybe more so than it was last year. Obviously,
the start point is a little bit further than it
was last year, so you just have to figure out
from how do you want to handle it strategically, So

(02:54):
every team will probably handle it differently. I think the
league is encouraging a want more returns. There's some other
things that come along with that as well, So I mean,
put them all on the thirty five. It's touch back
and you get one first down your midfield, So put
the defensive maybe a little bit of its disadvantage, but
we'll handle it accordingly and deal with it however we
need to.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
I won't ask you too much about the push push,
but with the conversations interesting just tell.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
Us that, Yeah, I think it's really about the quarterback sneak,
and I think that play over the course of time
has evolved from how Brady ran it to how Josh
Allen runs it, to how Philadelphia runs it with Hurts,
and I think it's really each team does a little
bit differently with all the idea just trying to generate
one yard and try to convert the first down and
kind of keep the chains moving. So it was a
good discussion. I think there's going to be some further

(03:36):
discussion about it moving forward. So I think in the end,
everybody is just gonna go about their business however they
need to, and just to understand the rules that are
associated with it.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
You've got the draft coming up in three weeks. I
know you're looking forward to that, But how do you
feel about off season acquisitions so far?

Speaker 4 (03:50):
Yeah, for sure. I mean we've talked about this. The
team's gonna change over probably twenty five thirty percent each year,
so we're able to keep some players from last year's
team that it's the new players. Made a few trades,
so I think the team building process is very fluid.
So we're kind of through the March sort of April period,
if you will, from a free agency standpoint. Now, we'll
shift our focus to the draft and kind of get

(04:11):
ready in the month. Hopefully we can add players to
our team that we feel are going to help us.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
What's the philosophy on the offensive line? Big overhaul there?
You have a new offensive coordinator, new offensive line coach
who was an assistant last year, col Popovich.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
What are you trying to get done?

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yeah, we have a lot of players that have a
lot of playing experience, so including some of our own players.
We brought in some players externally from Lake and Tomlinson
who's played a lot of football. Signed Trent, you know,
was coming back a little bit from an injury, so
we'll kind of see how he progresses. Signed Kean Robinson,
so I take me to look at that group overall,
have a lot of players that have played.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
A lot of football, that have played a lot of snaps.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
The big thing now is kind of focus what can
they do in our system and we'll get more information
as we go from the spring through the summer and
into training camp.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
What can you learn about the old line during OTAs
in mini camp because I know, not a ton of contact,
they're no pads.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yeah, the big thing is focused on their strength condition
and kind of getting them up to speed systematically with
some of the things that we're doing. Obviously with a
new coordinator, new offensive line coach, so there's gonna be
a certain vernacular language that we're gonna have to learn.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
As far as what goes on on the field.

Speaker 4 (05:10):
We're not going to really get a true evaluation of
that group until training camp, but just to kind of
see their overall capacity to overall understanding how they handle
things in the classroom and whatever we do on to
feel just to kind of see how fast they they
can progress.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
The receiver room is going to be very different. You
brought in Kirk, Justin, Watson, Braxton Barrios. How will they
fit in.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yeah, everybody's going to kind of create their role based
on their performance, so varying levels of experience within that group.
Kirk is a player that we've played against twice a
year here for the last few years.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
You know, Nico returning. We'll kind of see how Tank progresses.

Speaker 4 (05:42):
I think Denko had some comments about him the other day,
so we'll kind of take it day by day. But
good opportunity for some new faces in addition to some
of the players out of returning. Everybody wants talking about Niko.
We got Metch coming back, we got Touch coming back.
Have some of our younger players around the practice squad
last season, Jared Wayne, David Johnson who potentially gonna put
themselves in a position to compete for some snaps.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
I want to ask you about all the position groups,
but on defense, bringing in CJ.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Gardner Johnson, real vocal guy, high.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
Energy, kind of matches up a disease that way, and
you were able to make some changes on the D
line and bring back Mario as well and Derek Barnett.

Speaker 4 (06:15):
Yeah, I mean we felt our defense was a strength
last year. Hopefully we want to be able to maintain
a strength and be able to build on that, So
some of the players that we resign in addition to
some of the players that we acquired.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
You mentioned CJ. CG is a good football player.

Speaker 4 (06:27):
He's had an impact on whatever team he's been with,
so loves playing football, a lot of energy, a lot
of juice. Certainly fits with our mindsett and mentality on
that defensive side of the ball. So I think holistically
as a team, we're just trying to create as much
competition offensively, defensively, the kicking game as possible, understanding we're
going to need all three phases at some point.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
When you go into the draft, I guess every year
is different because you have different needs. But I know
you don't like to entirely draft on needs. So how
do you approach this year's draft?

Speaker 4 (06:54):
Yeah, very similarly. We'll go through the process of stacking
the board. We're grading the player based on what we
think their role going to be in our system, and
we're just going to pick the best players that we
feel fit to Houston, Texan. So there's no positions that
are really off limits. We've never really approached it that way.
Really don't foresee that change in here this year. So
try to get good players with the right mindset that
have a good physical sealut skill set and inject them

(07:17):
into our system and to see how quickly we can
bring them along.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
We talked you at the Combine and at these meetings too.
Are the seedlings being planted for potential trades dealings, just
laying some possible.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Framework, Yes and no.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
You're probably a little further out from some of that,
and especially right now where we're scheduled to pick it's
twenty five.

Speaker 3 (07:34):
Probably not too much is going on.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
A lot of discussions that are probably taking place and
more at the top of the draft, but those discussions
will pick up as you get a little bit closer
the draft. How much it affects us, how materially it
affects us, probably TVD on that.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, I've talked to Debico Ryans about this. I'm struck
by how many guys are in the building working out
prior to off season conditioning starting. It feels like dozens
of guys are in the building at a time of
year where you don't always see this many.

Speaker 4 (08:00):
It's awesome. It's tremendous credit to the players. It's a
credit to our strength conditioning staff and overall sports performance
staff and we've talked about we want to be able
to provide the players with the resources that they need
so they don't have to go elsewhere any offseason.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
So we've probably had thirty players.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
We've had some players that we've signed the offseason who
are in other teams who've made positive comments about the
number of people that are in the building, which tells
us we've got the right people with the right mentality
and the right mindset that are here to work and
try to improve, and that's all we can ask.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
It feels like strength and conditioning. Sometimes those guys are
the unsung heroes of the coaching staff because they spend
so much time with the players.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Sometimes they spend more time in the players than the
actual coaches do. But this time of the year is
about your strength, conditioning, your overall physical development, and the
players that can help them in those areas, those are
the people that they spend time with.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
All right, tell us about whatever you could share. You're
walking through the halls here at the receptions. It's got
to be interesting for you too, because for me, I've
just noted by how many coaches, gms, everybody in the
league in one place, everybody getting sushi together, whatever.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
The case is.

Speaker 2 (09:03):
You're in the food line and at the bar line,
whatever the case is.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
So tell me.

Speaker 4 (09:06):
Yeah, I'm not like the most sociable person, but try
to mingle a little bit, kind of see everybody, say hi.
And actually it was a great opportunity for my wife
Kathleen and I to go out each night. We grab
some dinner and kind of get time to ourself, which
really don't have the ability to do when we're at home.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
With the girls. So it kind of works itself out.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
Date night opera, Yes.

Speaker 3 (09:23):
Absolutely, multiple date nights, so we took advantage of it.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
I think I've asked you before, like your ideal this
is a vacation spot, but we're having actual meetings here,
work's getting done.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
But what's your ideal vacation spot.

Speaker 3 (09:34):
No, this is a good place.

Speaker 4 (09:35):
We obviously spend time up north during the summer, so
we're kind of partial to certain areas that we know.
Our girls went skiing for the first time over their
spring break, which was during fer agency. I can't ski,
I'm kind of useless, so they went to Beaver Creek.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
They had fun.

Speaker 4 (09:50):
So we'll go wherever, I mean, but we have certain
spots we've been to a Meili Island a few times.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
We obviously spent some time up.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
North in the Cape over the summer, so try to
go to those spots. At some point, our girls are
asking when we're going to Europe, so I guess that's
the next place on the agenda.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
We're a long way off, all right. One more for you.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Off season conditioning is about to start. How important is
this nine week situation here before you have that long
break going into training camp.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
You can make a lot of progress.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
And we've seen players on our team from Nico to
Staying who have seen the fruits of a labor impact
them in a positive way on the field. So this
is your really chance to focus on that specific area
where you don't necessarily they worry about scheme.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
You can make a lot of progress.

Speaker 4 (10:31):
And i'd say the big thing for the rookies going
in from year one to year two, that's an opportunity
to kind of get in an off season program, really
in our program for the first time, because we didn't
get them until May. When you go through the season,
it's just a different type of training. So it's a
great opportunity for any player to really work on their
individual improvement and get themselves physically and mentally ready to go.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
When you have a Nico and a Sting guys who
have been extended. Is that the kind of example it's
got to be that you want to set for the
younger players.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
I mean, Tomiko talked about this the other day.

Speaker 4 (10:59):
We want to show lawyers that we're gonna reward you
for your habits and for your mindset and if you
do the right things like you're gonna be rewarded for that.
And that's the way it shouldn't be. So we're always
going to be open minded that we want to try
to keep as many good people in the building as possible,
understanding we can't keep everybody, but show them that opportunity
is in front of you if you do the right things.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
Nick bens a lot, Good luck, Thanks Benny.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
All Right, there's Nick Cassario, executive vice president and general
manager now the new president of the organization. He deals
with everything but the football product. But there's so much
to consider here when you talk about game day ticketing, marketing,
public relations, broadcasting, everything, stadium renovation. Is that going to
come up in this conversation. Maybe let's listen Mike Great

(11:42):
to see you.

Speaker 5 (11:43):
Your reaction to being here at the NFL Annual Meeting.

Speaker 6 (11:45):
Oh, it's been a great couple of days, great setting
as we can see here, but I've been really looking
forward to sitting with you. So it's like kind of
peak on peak on peak.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, here we go. Well, you've been in a number
of the meetings. Can you tell the audience what it's
like to be here for you and what you're looking
out for, what you're hearing, what you're taking away.

Speaker 6 (12:04):
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the great things
is the community, the NFL community. I think there's such
an aligned interest on the health of the game, the
fan experience.

Speaker 7 (12:14):
And the fan engagement.

Speaker 6 (12:15):
I mean, those are that's common between all thirty two teams,
and so it's great to be together when there's such
a common interest overall. You know, my biggest takeaways is
the future is exciting. Yeah, certainly the Texans position in
the league and how we're aligned on some of the
major initiatives, flag football, girls, flag, our international game, and

(12:39):
our ability to continue to expand our base, and really
just thinking about the health of the game and how
we can make this sport even more accessible to our
Texans fans.

Speaker 2 (12:52):
The league announced even more countries where teams can market
themselves and these are designated certain teams in certain areas.
How important is that global growth for the NFL, not
just domestic work?

Speaker 6 (13:03):
Extremely you know, I think when you think about the
power of the league and how it's grown, one of
the things you have to be responsible for is how
will it continue to grow? And so as you look
at ways that it can grow, certainly international is a
huge part of that, and that's really important for us.
You know, when we think about Houstonians, one of the

(13:25):
greatest things that we have is the fact that we
have such a special city that has a special place
on the global scene. And so again, the alignment of
where the league's going and what it means for us
from a Houston, Texan standpoint is one of the.

Speaker 7 (13:41):
Things that I'm walking away extremely excited about.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
Well, last time we got together, you talked about Houston
being a city of diversity, international city, and I know
you want to play into that even more.

Speaker 5 (13:50):
Can you discuss that.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
A little bit?

Speaker 7 (13:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (13:52):
Absolutely, you know, I think you'll see a continued amount
of focus on how we proliferate the games across globally,
making sure there's more games globally, but more of a
drill down onto how can we make it easier for
people to get to know and love this game from

(14:12):
an international standpoint, So some of its education, some of
its access, but a really more thoughtful approach on it.

Speaker 7 (14:19):
And that's huge for us. You know, when you think.

Speaker 6 (14:20):
About Houston where we play internationally, as we've talked about,
and you think about the Texans and what we know
about the Texans and how we know people will love that.
To be able to sit there and say, Okay, there's
a strategy, there's a plan to bring that.

Speaker 7 (14:33):
To the rest of the world's pretty exciting.

Speaker 2 (14:35):
So fans are starting to hear so much more about
flag football.

Speaker 5 (14:38):
You mentioned it, girls flag football.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
The Texans so heavily involved in getting this to be
a sanctioned sport in the state of Texas.

Speaker 5 (14:45):
Why is that important? Can you tell the audience about that?

Speaker 6 (14:48):
Yeah, I think when you think about how you can
bring the sport to as many.

Speaker 7 (14:54):
People as possible.

Speaker 6 (14:56):
Now, flag football is one of the great places because
you have so many people who love the game, or
so many people who would benefit from all the great
characteristics that the game builds.

Speaker 7 (15:07):
How do you get an access.

Speaker 6 (15:09):
Think about flag football like you and you and I
were just talking about the grass here.

Speaker 7 (15:13):
All we need is a ball, oh Marko ref and
we could get going.

Speaker 6 (15:17):
But I mean that in a very sincere way, which
is there's not a ton of barriers to flag.

Speaker 7 (15:21):
It's accessible to so many people at such a young age,
and you can.

Speaker 6 (15:25):
Learn some of the real basics of the game and
grow it from there and grow your love from there.
And that's why we're so excited is here's a great
way to bring it to the youth. Here's a great
way we can bring it to the state and beyond
to stay close to the game, to learn the game,
to learn all the best things about the game, and
get closer to the Texans.

Speaker 7 (15:44):
And that's exciting for us.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
Now you've coached it, right, I have, I have. So
what's your favorite player to call? Do you have anything
special for it?

Speaker 6 (15:51):
Well, I can't tell that because I haven't retired officially.

Speaker 5 (15:54):
You haven't shared it with Demiko Rice yet already.

Speaker 6 (15:56):
Gain Well, I have thoughts for Demiko. He knows that
I'm just kind of waiting for the right moment.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
So we're all waiting. I'm still waiting for that moment.
I think he knows what he's doing.

Speaker 5 (16:04):
Everything's so.

Speaker 7 (16:05):
Yeah, it seems like that, doesn't it.

Speaker 6 (16:07):
No, I mean we are like when I get excited about.

Speaker 7 (16:10):
Our business and our game, a lot of it has.

Speaker 6 (16:12):
To do with coach certainly Nick, the whole team on
how they think about it.

Speaker 7 (16:17):
That is one of the most exciting things.

Speaker 6 (16:19):
And the great thing is the buzz that is here
when we're together as a league with them.

Speaker 2 (16:24):
Well, I've noticed more players than ever working out in
the off season prior to off season conditioning actually starting.
They're just packing that cafeteria and they're in the weight room.
They're doing whatever they can to get ready for the season.
But I've also noticed so that culture really flourishing. I've
also noticed you making a difference in the culture on
the other side of the building and uniting everything, and
there's a notable buzz to it all.

Speaker 6 (16:46):
Well, thanks for saying that. You know, we're pretty fortunate.
One of the things is we have a great football
culture and the football of the business that's the organization
and so having one authentic culture of being together and
being excited, swarming, swarming to the ball, those are those
are easy things I think for people to gravitate to.
So it's been really fun kind of making sure that

(17:08):
we're all aligned on those pieces.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
Since we last got together, a lot of people are
talking about things you said regarding stadium issues, improvements, things
like that. I know not a lot of time has
passed since then, but what can you tell us about
how you not only get started, but keep it.

Speaker 5 (17:24):
Going, keep some momentum going, or get it going.

Speaker 6 (17:27):
Well, there's a ton of momentum on the stadium. I
think that's great. You know that that's already happening. You know,
we're every day we speak, we're one less day away
from our least expiring, and so the momentum is there.
I think the great thing that I've realized is.

Speaker 7 (17:45):
That there's a ton of excitement there.

Speaker 6 (17:47):
And there's a ton of excitement across the board, I mean.

Speaker 7 (17:51):
From our parties, from our partners at.

Speaker 6 (17:53):
The triparty, certainly having time to spend with all the
key stakeholders and more stakeholders to go, but.

Speaker 7 (18:01):
The common theme is excitement. So there's a ton of momentum.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
Mark all right, draft party is coming up, and I
know that's got to be crazy. Stuff with Avenita being
the site, is that it by Medello. I know you're
excited to see that, to see all the fans in
one place and it's not game day, but it's pretty close.

Speaker 7 (18:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (18:19):
I think anytime that we can be with our fans
on an exciting, relevant moment, that's a great days and it's.

Speaker 7 (18:25):
Important for us to be accessible.

Speaker 6 (18:26):
So when we think about Avenita's, as you said, sponsored
by Modello are great partners, that's one of those places.

Speaker 7 (18:33):
It's an easy place to get to.

Speaker 6 (18:35):
It's a way that we can all get together and
draft's always a fun time. You know, you get to
talk about team direction and you get to witness live events.
So I couldn't think of a better place than to
be with all of our fans.

Speaker 5 (18:47):
All right, So how has it been for you adjusting
to Houston so far?

Speaker 1 (18:51):
Has it been that long?

Speaker 2 (18:51):
And I know you know the city, but now you're
really part of the city.

Speaker 7 (18:55):
It's been fantastic.

Speaker 6 (18:57):
I mean maybe one of the easiest things I've ever
had to do.

Speaker 7 (19:00):
It is uh, it is.

Speaker 6 (19:02):
Such such a warm culture, warm city, best fans. It
is like I said, it has been such a great
thing to go through and such an easy thing to do.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
I know, the rodeo is a big partner of the Texans.
So what was it like for you to sort of
experience that from the inside. You're inside the building while
the rodeo's going.

Speaker 6 (19:20):
Yeah, yeah, Like I was telling people, it's not my
first rodeo, it was my first Houston rodeo, and it's
pretty special, you know. I think just the size and
the scope and the quality it is. It is a
great atmosphere and was really excited to be a part
of it.

Speaker 5 (19:37):
All right.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
One more for you as you embark in the early
stages of your presidency of the Houston Texans.

Speaker 5 (19:43):
I know you have long range plans.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
How do and this is good for anybody who has
a business or leads anybody, how do you go about
five year plan, two years, one year? How do you
go about that in the culture of the Houston Texans.

Speaker 6 (19:55):
Well, I think I think you always think about the
basis because you need a strong foundation.

Speaker 7 (20:00):
You need to have a vision on where you're going.

Speaker 6 (20:02):
I think the McNair's have done a great job laying
that out, so we have a great feel and a
great vision. For me, it's about the basis, and the
basis is making sure we're aligned. We were just talking
about football the business side, making sure everything's aligned in
our look and our field, we're authentic to football and
making sure we're aligned as a business. And so, as

(20:23):
you know, Mark, we've spent a lot of time in
the beginning talking about alignment. We have great people making
sure everyone is aligned with the vision and everyone knows
how they contribute.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
Awesome.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
Thanks a lot for joining us, Mike, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 7 (20:35):
Mark.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
There's President Mike Towman of your Houston Texans all right,
coming up. Sharene Williams covers the NFL at large and
works for Pro Football Talk. We will talk to her
in a bit. Jonathan Alexander from The Chronicle joins us
next on Texans Radio. Kipping it rolling here from the
NFL Annual Meeting. Mark VanderMeer with you back with Johnny
later this week. I think Thursday night will be our

(20:58):
next show together. Tomorrow he'll be driving, but we still
have a lot of content from these meetings, including the mcnairs.
They're gonna be on the show Calan Hanna McNair on Wednesday,
right out of the shoot, so you don't want to
miss that, among other guests we will have on the
program later on this week. Paul Kaharski from Paul Koharski

(21:19):
dot com covers the Titans and a bunch of other things.
AFC South expert and Stephen Holder, Colts expert and NFL
expert from ESPN, So he's going to join us as
well this week. John mcclan will join us on Thursday.
So a lot of stuff happening on the program this week.
And I got a comment that I'm really slowing down
on my name dropping. I guess I haven't kept up

(21:39):
with my name dropping expertise. Usually I'm just on fire
at the combine and these NFL annual meetings, the owners
meetings with the name dropping.

Speaker 1 (21:49):
You want me to do some listen.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
As we've discussed with many of the guests, it is
really incredible when you're on the shrimp line or the
sushi line with Brian Dabel or Andy Read and you
walk over there and there's Jerry Jones talking to some
people and our photographer, well videographer Josh Siege was he's
here for the first time. He was at the reception

(22:11):
on Sunday night and he said he sits down at
one of these I guess circular stand up tables, you know,
or heat or durvs and Shod Khan comes over there
and puts his plate down next to him, and he thought, yeah,
I'm at a table with Sead Khan, owner of the Jaguars.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
How does this happen?

Speaker 2 (22:26):
And I was kind of jelly because I would have
talked to Shad about Fulham, his soccer club, football club
in the Premier League.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
They played Craven Cottage.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
Johnny and I went to a match when we were
there in twenty nineteen, playing the Jaguars, So I kind
of became not so much a fan, but just interested
in how they're doing because I want to follow the
Premier League a little bit. And I thought, since I've
seen them up close, A'm going to follow them. But
I'm not really a fan because you know, my test
in being a fan or not, and the test is

(22:58):
you know you're a fan when the team loses you
feel pain. If the team loses and you feel pain,
you're a fan. If the team loses and you feel
no pain, I'm sorry, you're not a fan.

Speaker 1 (23:10):
You're fair weather. Fine, nothing wrong with being fair weather.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
I've jumped on many a bandwagon in my dad do
it every NCAA tournament, every time I don't have a
dog in the fight. I pick a team whatever, whether
it's the tournament, NBA playoffs, that the Rockets are out
of it, or whatever. I'll pick a dog and follow it.
But I usually don't feel pain in these circumstances. So
that's how I know I'm not a true Fulham fan,
but I do like following football overseas and especially on

(23:36):
American shores. American football the greatest game ever. Let's get
to a conversation that I had just a few hours ago.
Jonathan Alexander covers the Texans for the Chronicle. We have
them on every Tuesday night, and this Tuesday is no different.
All Right, our weekly visit with Jonathan Alexander from the
Houston Chronicle.

Speaker 1 (23:55):
Jonathan, you joined South Florida.

Speaker 8 (23:57):
So far, I'm enjoying it. And I've been out here
for a week now.

Speaker 7 (24:01):
You know.

Speaker 9 (24:01):
We told you last.

Speaker 8 (24:02):
Time that, yeah, I had just arrived in Miami and
took a week long vacation before the owners meetings, and
I'm enjoying the sun.

Speaker 9 (24:12):
I enjoyed the beaches, and now it's back on the grind.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
Back on the grind, and the grind included meeting with
Demiko Ryans on Monday.

Speaker 1 (24:18):
So what were your takeaways.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
Give me two or three takeaways from your conversations with
Demiko Ryans.

Speaker 9 (24:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (24:24):
I think the biggest thing was he talked for the
first time, he addressed why they traded Laramy Tumsel, and
I thought he provided a lot more clarity in the
fact that you know, it was, you know, a deal
that they couldn't pass up.

Speaker 9 (24:38):
They got four draft picks.

Speaker 8 (24:39):
Obviously, the Texans want to get younger at certain positions.
They want to invest in their younger players like CD Striw,
Will Anderson, Jalen Petrie. Of course, they you know, gave
Derek Stingley the contract extension, and in order to do that,
they felt like they needed to trade Laramy Tunsel. It
wasn't because of a toxic environment as what was previously kind.

Speaker 9 (25:01):
Of reported in a couple of reports.

Speaker 8 (25:04):
Demico denied those But they're building this offensive line. The
the challenge now is trying to figure out how to
replace a guy like Larryman sons of who was a
Pro Bowl guy. And what you see and how they're
building this team is they're adding a lot of competition
at various spots in the offensive line, whether that's tackle
guard and giving different guys the opportunity to compete for

(25:28):
a starting.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Role wide receivers.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Sounds like he really likes Kirk, which you'd figure he
would because they acquired him and he talked about his speed.
I think Kirk is gonna be interesting to watch for
this team, you know, being healthy out there, good route runner.
That's a nice digs replacement. Really, I mean it digs
as digs, I get it. But if Nico's healthy and
Kirk is healthy, and then you get some other help,

(25:52):
it seems like it could be a really good mix.

Speaker 9 (25:53):
Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 8 (25:54):
I think it hinges on the health of Christian Kirk
because you know, I was just actually talking to a
guy who covered the Jaguars and he's saying, the guy
can still separate like he is. You know, he's twenty
I think twenty nine or twenty eight, so he's still
at the top of his game. Hasn't slowed down yet.
It's just a matter of can't he stay on the field.
When he stays on the field, he is a productive
wide receiver and plays out of the slot, and he'll

(26:17):
be a good you know, mixing, a good ad for
a guy like Nico Collins, who later towards the end
of last year had a lot of the attention places
on him because they didn't have you know, their other
wide receivers.

Speaker 9 (26:29):
Who were healthy.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
Right, So that'll be fun to watch him operate the
defensive side of the ball again.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
Coach super excited about what they've added.

Speaker 2 (26:37):
But I felt this, You know, he hates seeing guys
walk out no matter what the situation is, because you know,
there's some players that he probably loved working with that
maybe they can't get back, like Eric Murray, he mentioned
him by name.

Speaker 8 (26:49):
What are your thoughts, Yeah, I mean I thought, you know,
Eric Murray obviously got a phenomenal deal for himself. Yeah,
with the Jaguars, if he were to come back, he'd
probably be like a third safety time a role.

Speaker 9 (27:00):
But then you add a guy like c. J.

Speaker 8 (27:02):
Gardner Johnson who was one among the best ballhawks in
the league six interceptions, which would have been more than
any Texans would have had, and they feel like they're
elevating that room. And they also gives you kind of
another leader or somebody Kaylen Bullock can look up to,
and Kaylyn book is somebody they have strong faith in.
So you know, I was listening to Nick Sirianni talk

(27:22):
about c J. Gardner Johnson and he loved him, and
he thought that c J. Gardner Johnson really brought the
energy for that Eagles team and they were sad to
lose them. But I think another strength for the Texans
is they re upped on that defensive line.

Speaker 9 (27:37):
They brought a lot of guys back, also brought back.

Speaker 8 (27:39):
Sheldon Rankings who they think can help elevate them, and
I think that's gonna be huge for them.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
Yeah, bringing Barnett back is big. Yeah, And you mentioned CJ.
Gardner Johnson, what Sirianni said about his energy. Between CJ.
Gardner Johnson and his he'z al Shier, I think those
two guys are so vocal. They're gonna be big energy
boosts for a unit that maybe doesn't even need it,
but it's certainly gonna help, right.

Speaker 9 (28:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (28:01):
Absolutely, the more guys you have talking, the more guys
you have who are encouraging other players to bring that heat,
to to bring that energy.

Speaker 9 (28:10):
To bring it on the field.

Speaker 8 (28:12):
You want those type of guys, and Demico talked about it.
He fits the type of player that he looks for.
And you know, I think He's gonna be a huge benefit.
Uh and it's gonna be one of the most feared
secondaries in the NFL as long as they can remain healthy.
You know, I can only see Kamaria Lassiter extending his game,

(28:33):
Kaylen Bullock is sending his game. And then you add
that with Stingley and Bullock in the the Texans are
really building a deep, deep team and that's what Demiko
I wanted to do this offseason.

Speaker 2 (28:44):
We don't talk about this much, but with no John Wiggs,
Tucker Addington now long snapper and canambe fair baron?

Speaker 1 (28:51):
Do you think they bring in competition for him?

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Obviously, fire hot start for him last season unbelievable and
then down to stretch some kicks he would definitely want back.
What are your thoughts heading into camp and place kicker.

Speaker 8 (29:05):
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised, just knowing Frank Ross and
and the level of accountability he has as a coach.

Speaker 9 (29:11):
I do think that they'll probably bring in some competition.

Speaker 8 (29:14):
Now, I don't think that that competition will probably challenge
Kanymi for a Rochester by, but I think they will
bring in somebody to signal.

Speaker 9 (29:22):
That this is serious.

Speaker 8 (29:23):
We need you to perform at a more consistent level
that you had done in the past, because it was
a little bit shaky last year and they can't have that.
Those are the difference between a lot of these games
in the NFL that come down between one possession. You've
got to have a solid automatic kicker and they're paying
him like one. And he's done it before, so you
know that he can do it. You know, kicking is

(29:44):
such a mental game, right and and and Kayimi uh
when that pressure has been has been on his back
in the past, he has performed up to that level.

Speaker 9 (29:54):
So I believe that will happen.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
I think coaches and gms would love to have competition
at all positions, but you can't afford to do it.
You know, you can't afford to have dual long snappers, putters, kickers.
Every position group on the team obviously has multiple spots
or multiple players competing or at those spots, but to
create the actual competition is easier said than thought, because
you can't get pro bowlers at every position in multiple ways.

Speaker 9 (30:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (30:18):
Absolutely, you know that's hard, and you only have a
certain amount of spots you can bring in camp.

Speaker 9 (30:23):
But yeah, I do think that you'll probably see an
extra kicker.

Speaker 8 (30:26):
Body in or tryout or somebody you know in training camp,
and then eventually I think Kyami will went out.

Speaker 2 (30:33):
Any other takeaways from these meetings as far as the
rest of the AFC South, Jonathan.

Speaker 9 (30:37):
Yeah, I mean as far as the AFC South.

Speaker 8 (30:41):
You know, the Jaguars think that Liam Cohen can can
help elevate this team, and I think they'll be a
better team. I just have trouble seeing them become a
playoff team. I think they have a lot more pieces
that they have to figure out, and this is a
rebuild for them.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
You know.

Speaker 9 (30:57):
The Colts, of course have a situation.

Speaker 8 (31:00):
Where Anthony you're interested in, and and Daniel Jones and
and who went out, and and then the and then
of course the Titans pick and who they're gonna pick
number one?

Speaker 9 (31:09):
Overall, I think they gotta go with cam Ward.

Speaker 8 (31:11):
Uh So, it's a lot of interesting happenings in the
AFC South. But I think the Texans are in another
good position to I think emerge if if they can
stay healthy at the right positions.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
All had Paul Kaharski and he said the Texans will
win this division by five games. I thought Oh my gosh,
I'd love to see it, but well, we'll wait till
that happens.

Speaker 1 (31:31):
Jonathan.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
When you're walking around these halls here at the NFL
Annual meeting, I always think this would be great for
fans to see, but you couldn't possibly do it. You
get like maybe one fan win a contest and mingle around.
But how would you describe what you see here to
the listeners?

Speaker 8 (31:48):
Yeah, so you know, I wrote a little bit about
this in my newsletter, and you know, the hotel is extravagant.
It's beach front, you would say, the best of the best,
you know, the and you're you're liable to walk into
just just about anybody, whether it's Sean McVay or Mike Lafore.

Speaker 9 (32:06):
I bumped into him twice. Any NFL owner Jerry Jones.

Speaker 8 (32:10):
We saw him at one of the restaurants inside the hotel.

Speaker 9 (32:14):
So but it's a beautiful scene.

Speaker 8 (32:17):
A lot of palm trees right now, Sunny Skies, which
is which is awesome. But it's just like a it's interesting,
and this is where the rules happened in the off
season and are mended in in our made and uh,
it's it's it's an overall kind of fascinating, kind of
setting to be in in the NFL's off season.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
So you've been in South Florida for about a week
or whatever. What is your take on South Florida, the
whole pob beach, for Lauderdale, Miami, the whole area.

Speaker 9 (32:44):
Yeah, I love for Lauderdale because it's peaceful. You know.

Speaker 8 (32:47):
Miami is a little bit more happening, a lot a
lot going on. Me and my girlfriend, we we hung out.
We didn't do we didn't do the crazy scene. We
we tried to do the more quieter stuff. Went to the museums,
tried to eat his food. It doesn't have as good
food as Houston, I'll say that right for sure. But
I enjoyed it was peaceful going to the beach.

Speaker 9 (33:06):
That's my happy spot. Okay, So but now it's back
to reality.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
All right.

Speaker 2 (33:10):
So what do you have going out of the chronicle?
You have the newsletter you told us about.

Speaker 1 (33:13):
What else?

Speaker 8 (33:13):
Yeah, got a story we posted on on Dmika Ryant's
thinking as far as how he built this offense line.
We just talked about it and I'll have some more stuff.
As we talked to cal McNair a little bit later
on about the future of Texans.

Speaker 1 (33:30):
Very cool.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
Thanks a lot, Jonathan, thanks for having me there. It
is our weekly conversation with Jonathan Alexander. Here from the
NFL Annual Meeting in Palm Beach at the Breakers, where
I am shutting down Radio Row. I am the last
guy here on Radio Row during the NFL Annual Meeting.
This is the first time this has ever happened. The
Steelers they're done. They go to everything. I mean, the

(33:52):
Steeler nation is strong with their team media stuff and
ninety eight point five the sport.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
I think they're done.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
It looks like, oh maybe I'm not the last guy here.
That station, by the way, the Sports Hub, The Hub Boston.
They are a big time sports talk radio station. But
as far as team media, last guy here, but a
lot of writers are still here doing stuff.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
You know, they write for ever.

Speaker 2 (34:17):
Wanting to cover everything that's been going on here at
the meetings. Okay, coming up, Sharen Williams.

Speaker 1 (34:21):
We love her.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
She writes and she talks, and she's from Pro Football Talk.
She's a John McClain protege, a Texan. Fun to visit
with her. That's next here on Texans Radio. Final segment.
We're rid in a fire off here Sharen Williams, Pro
Football Talk Outstanding Writer, Pro Football Hall of Famer. Let's
get into that with Sharen Williams. So Build Nunn Award winner,

(34:43):
which means you're in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So you're a Hall of Famer just like the General
John McClain. How's it going, Sharen, it's going good.

Speaker 10 (34:50):
Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
I mean, I think you should be introduced like that.
You're a Hall of Famer. I mean, how does that
make you feel when I say that? I know it
was since twenty eighteen that you've had this honor, but
it it's got to have some perpetual energy, if you will.

Speaker 10 (35:03):
It does.

Speaker 11 (35:04):
And seeing your name in there right next to John
McLean's is a real thrill. You know, I grew up
in Beaumont reading John. He was one of my heroes
growing up. I wanted to be just like John, except
I wanted to cover the Cowboys as a Cowboys fan
growing up. So yeah, I've gotten to do what I
wanted to do in my career. And that was just
kind of the cheery on top of it.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
Well, let's start with the Cowboys because I know you've
worked for Pro Football Talk. You covered the entire league,
but you're still up there. You're based up there, right.

Speaker 10 (35:32):
I go to the home games.

Speaker 11 (35:34):
I don't obviously, I traveled with them for seventeen years,
covered them as a beat for seventeen years. My two
main teams now being in Texas and having grown up
in Beaumont again, and you know a lot of Texans
fans down there now. So Texans and the Cowboys are
my two primary teams.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
So I've talked to a lot of people this week,
and I have this theme where did it all go wrong?

Speaker 1 (35:56):
For teams? Where it all went wrong?

Speaker 2 (35:58):
Now, it hasn't all gone wrong to the Cowboys, but
it hasn't lived up to their standard for the last thirty.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
Years, right.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
And for a lot of teams, it's we haven't got
the quarterback position right. But you've had Tony Romo for
a long stretch. You've had Dak Prescott, who's a good quarterback.
I don't know how you see it. What would you
say is wrong with the Cowboys? I know they had
the two was it two or three great regular seasons
with McCarthy twelve wins. Outstanding output in the regular season,
not so much in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
What do you think, Shari, Yeah.

Speaker 11 (36:26):
Three consecutive twelve wins seasons, first time they had done
that since the nineteen nineties, and couldn't get it done
in the postseason.

Speaker 10 (36:33):
For whatever reason.

Speaker 11 (36:33):
There's been different reasons they haven't gotten it done in
the postseason, and a couple of those times they've had
the best record in the NFC going in the postseason
and couldn't even get to the championship game. Couldn't win
one game to get to the championship game. So a
lot of things have had a lot of different things
have gone wrong lately. It's to me it's been that
they haven't spent the money in free agency to supplement

(36:57):
they've drafted really well. I understand for the most they've
had some very successful drafts when you look at Ceedee
Lamb and Michael Parson, some of the players that they've
built around, even going back farther than that, and the
Zach Martin's and the Tyron Smiths and those Tyler smith
those types of guys in the offensive line. But you
can't draft seven or eight guys and expect them to

(37:21):
come in and start for you and be longtime starters.

Speaker 10 (37:24):
That's not how it works in the league.

Speaker 11 (37:26):
If you hit on three or four of the guys
in your draft, that was a great draft. If you
have three or four of those guys starting. And so
last year they were relying on a ton of rookies
to come in and start for him, and you just
can't do that. You've got to supplement with free agency.
And they're not willing to spend the money. They did
better this year. They did spend some money.

Speaker 10 (37:46):
Did they do enough? I don't know.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
We're gonna find that out well, Brian Schottenheimer, See, I'm
in the minority.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
I think where I'm thinking crazy like a fox. Right.
Maybe he's a great delegator.

Speaker 2 (37:57):
Yeah, maybe he's the great organize or that they need
to put the whole thing together. What are your thoughts
so far in covering him? I know you had the
coach's breakfast this week.

Speaker 11 (38:06):
I think he's been impressive with how he's handled things
since he's gotten the job, you know, And I think
he's convinced some Cowboys fans that maybe he's the guy.
You know, they were against him when it. You know,
we're settling, we're settling, We're settling. And now I think
he's he's done enough and been impressive enough in his

(38:27):
press conferences that they're like, gonna give him a chance.
Now that honeymoon's gonna wear off, as we all know
very very quickly, you know, if they don't start off the.

Speaker 10 (38:36):
Season well, So they do have to do that. They
do have to start off with.

Speaker 11 (38:40):
Some wins to get people really on board that that
he is the guy. But they're gonna give him a
chance initially, and we all know Jerry doesn't buy out contract,
so he's gonna be here probably for the duration of
his contract coaching this team. And however they do is
however they do, and and that's kind of been there

(39:00):
under Jerry since Jason Garrett initially got the job over
Wade Phillips in the middle of the season, then became
the full time coach the next year. That's kind of
how they've done their business. So he's gonna be there,
you know, long term. This is he gonna be a
one year thing or two year thing. He's gonna get
time to see what he can do to build a team. Now,
I mean said all that, it's a lot different being

(39:23):
a coordinator and not having to call plays, and now
he's gonna call plays and be the head coach, a
lot different role he's going to.

Speaker 10 (39:29):
Be in next year.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
Absolutely, Sharen, Dak Prescott, you get asked all the time,
how good is he? What's the deal? Where does he
fit in with the quarterbacks in the league? And I'm
going to join that chorus, what's the deal with Dak Prescott?
Because we've seen such outstanding production from him, but you've
seen some moments that you want to have back in
the postseason for sure.

Speaker 11 (39:49):
Yeah, you know they've stuck with him because it's so
hard to find a quarterback in this league and they
feel like he's a guy that can win with I
think his legs are probably shot. I think we've seen
that of a lot couple of years since the fractured
ankle that he had. I don't think he's the same
guy running. I think that's taken away some of that ability.
He's got to stay healthy, and last year he didn't

(40:10):
stay healthy, and some of it's just bad luck. But
you know, you got to have your quarterback on the
field to have a chance to win in this league.

Speaker 10 (40:16):
We all know that Nick Foles.

Speaker 11 (40:19):
Then what the Eagles did with Nick Foles doesn't happen
in this league very often, if you don't have your
starting quarterback, normally the season is going to be over.
And we saw that with the Cowboys last year. They
weren't very good before he got hurt, and they definitely
weren't good after he got hurt. So you know, he's
got to stay healthy first of all, and then I
still think he has a lot to prove despite the contract.

Speaker 10 (40:38):
Sixty million dollars a year they're paying him.

Speaker 11 (40:41):
Just like I said, Brian Schottenheimer's there, these two guys
are tied together. The Cowboys are tied to Dak Prescott
for the next four years with the contract.

Speaker 10 (40:49):
They gave him, and that is what it is.

Speaker 11 (40:52):
And if they don't accomplish anything in the next four years,
he's going to be gone. So he's got four years
to get something done and if he can can't do that,
then they're gonna move on. But I do think you
see him draft a quarterback at some point. This draft
signing will be early. I think Cowboys fans.

Speaker 10 (41:09):
Will revolt if it's early.

Speaker 11 (41:10):
But fourth fifth, you know that third day, I think
you're gonna see him draft a quarterback. They have interesting
Quinn Yours and seeing if they can develop Quinn yours.
We'll see if he's still there, yeah, when they get
to that point, but they do have some interest in him.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Sharen Williams joining us. How surprised were you at Washington's
success last year?

Speaker 11 (41:31):
A little bit, but I did think that they had
a shot at the playoffs getting Dan Quinn and they're
getting Jade Daniels, and it always comes down to how's
your quarterback gonna play?

Speaker 10 (41:42):
Just like c J.

Speaker 11 (41:43):
Stroud played great as a rookie, Daniels played great as
a rookie, and that's what you wanted to see if
you're the Commanders, And I think he showed he's a
franchise quarterback. And we started listing top ten quarterbacks in
the league. I think you put him in that top
ten right now of of quarterbacks in this league with
the way he played. So, you know, it's great for

(42:04):
Commanders fans. They suffered a long time, especially with the
ownership situation the way it was, so kudos to what
they did and changeing ownership, getting Dane Quinn in there
and getting Jaydon Daniels as their pick at quarterback. I think,
you know, I think the jury is still out on
Caleb Williams. I don't think the jury is still out
on Jane Daniels. I think we all saw he can play.

(42:25):
He's a franchise quarterback, and to me, Caleb Williams still
has something to prove next year with the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
It's interesting that you win a Super Bowl with Doug
Peterson and Nick Foles, like you said, coming off the bench,
and then you win one last year and it's a
different regime coaching the team. But Howie Roseman is the
thread here, maybe a rope really is that? It is
that why they're such an elite organization right now.

Speaker 11 (42:50):
Yeah, I mean I think you see what they did
in free agency, you know, getting Saquan and the other
players they got. I mean Zach Bond, he you know,
it wasn't a big name last year, and what they
did in him fit their system perfectly. I think that's
what he's really good at. It's not just getting Anybody
could have seen that Taekwon Barker was gonna be really good.
If he could stay healthy, he was gonna be He's

(43:10):
gonna do what he did in Philadelphia. I mean, he's
that good of a running back. But the Zach Bonds
and those type of players. I think is where how
he excels, and it's maybe the best of anybody in
the league is finding those guys supplementing And that's what
I was talking about with Dallas.

Speaker 10 (43:27):
Find those guys who.

Speaker 11 (43:28):
Supplement your roster that you don't pay those high salaries too,
that fit your system perfectly, and he does a very
good job of that. And so I do think that's
you know, if they didn't have the best quarterback, they
didn't have the best quarterback in that game, they didn't
have the best quarterback in some of their playoff games,
they had the best team and the best team won it.
The quarterback was good enough, and the team was the

(43:49):
best in the NFL last year. And I think they're
when you look at their roster, they're one of the
best teams again this year, and they're gonna be hard
to beat again this year. So you know, it's tough
to win back to back, but you know, you start
looking at teams that are going to be contenders, they're.

Speaker 10 (44:03):
Going to be right there.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Sureen yesterday they were talking about this league and more
international opportunities for teams to market themselves, UAE, et cetera.
It's amazing in your opinion, Are we definitely headed for
eighteen games and maybe a sixteen seventeen game international slate
with various teams filling those holes.

Speaker 11 (44:24):
I don't think there's any question. I think that's exactly
where it's headed. It's new revenue streams for the league.
I think that's what they're looking for. So yeah, I
don't think there's any doubt that's exactly what we're going
to see, and I think we're going.

Speaker 10 (44:35):
To see it fairly quickly.

Speaker 11 (44:38):
The move to eighteen games, the league will have to
figure out what to give up to the players to
get to that point. The players are against it right now.
I mean I've been at some of those NFL PA
things at the Super Bowl and there's like, look, we're
not for this.

Speaker 10 (44:53):
Nobody. I haven't heard a single player say we're for this.

Speaker 11 (44:56):
So they've got to figure out what to give the
players to get them to agree to it. We all
know that money is a big incentive, and that may
be part of it, and there may be other things
that they throw in there to get them to agree
to that. But I do think they get them to
agree to that, and we go to eighteen games and
have As you said, a slate of international games. I

(45:17):
think we probably see every team playing internationally every single year.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
It's wild. It's wild to think about.

Speaker 2 (45:24):
See I think and see if you agree with this,
they got it. It's not cutting camp short. But when
they got rid of the fourth preseason game, the workload
is the same because the starters i'll put that in
air quotes didn't play in that fourth game anyway, but
they're in the building the same amount of weeks practicing.
So they really got no break whatsoever for getting the

(45:45):
seventeen games. Now they get more money, which is nice,
and I think the eighteen games. I don't know how
you handle this. They talk about less offseason time, but
the coaches are going to say, we need more because
we're not going to be ready.

Speaker 11 (45:55):
Yeah, well that they're going to have to do something
about the offseason program. It's going to be down. They
don't need as much time as what they get. Now
we're going to see that reduced.

Speaker 10 (46:05):
You know, I'm starting to see a lot of these veteran.

Speaker 11 (46:08):
Players don't participate in the voluntary portion of the off
season program and in some of that. But yeah, they're
going to reduce that down. The challenge for them is
with the international game is to make it fair.

Speaker 10 (46:21):
You know, how are you you know, if you do
decide to play a game in Abu Dhabi, like, how
do you how do you work that out?

Speaker 11 (46:30):
Like I I you know, it's it's going to be
a difficult challenge not to make this very unfair. You know,
you may have to go to two bye weeks as
well to fit all that in. And that's something that
they're going to have to talk about and deal with.

Speaker 10 (46:45):
And I'm sure they are already.

Speaker 11 (46:46):
Doing that, you know, with the with the thought looking
ahead to to go to eighteen games.

Speaker 2 (46:50):
See, I think they'll play on Labor Day at some point,
but John McClain, who we both know so well.

Speaker 1 (46:55):
They'll never play on Labor Day again. The audience isn't it.
But I think they almost have to.

Speaker 11 (47:00):
Yeah, well, and I think the audience is going to
be there. Yeah, if they play the games, people are
gonna watch.

Speaker 1 (47:05):
Right, if you're on vacation, turn on the TV, right.

Speaker 10 (47:07):
They're gonna watch absolutely.

Speaker 1 (47:10):
Streaming audience, it'll all be there.

Speaker 9 (47:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
How is life at Pro Football Talk?

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Because you've worked at the newspaper business Pro Football Talk,
and I always have mad respect for Florio for developing
something out of thin air. I mean, I know people
don't always agree with what he says or whatever, but
he developed a platform out of thin air on a
website and now look at it.

Speaker 11 (47:29):
Yeah, found that niche of You know, I'm a lawyer
and I know the law really well. I know contracts
really well, and that's how it started. And yeah, kudos
to him for starting his site. And now it's least
by NBC.

Speaker 10 (47:43):
So I'm actually.

Speaker 11 (47:44):
Employed by NBC, which is oh fantastic, have a great
have a contract with NBC, so they pay my salary
and I answer to Mike Floria. So it's a great
setup for me and it's where i'll I plan on
retiring at Pro Football Talk and NBC. They've been really
good to me, so I think that's where I'll i'll
finish my career.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
Excellent. Seren, thanks a lot for joining us. We appreciate it.

Speaker 10 (48:06):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
All Right, that's it with Serene Williams, and that's it
for the show tonight. Thanks so much for listening. This
show is up in podcast forms soon enough, right away
in the Odyssey app and later on on all the
podcast platforms, and tomorrow we will have the mcnairs on
the show coming up Area forty five to react to everything,
Everything under the sun and beyond. It's next year. Have
a great night, Go Texans.