The Texans have come a long way from where they were a couple of years ago. What's the most unbelievable part about where this team is now? In The Loop's Reginald Adetula and John Lopez talked about that here.
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00:00We've been looking at a Texas team that has been kind of incredible for us.
00:04I mean just like the different place that this team is now
00:08compared to like the last what four or five years. Yeah
00:11It's kind of incredible and with that you were asking this question. I think it's a really good one
00:16What is the most unbelievable thing about where we stand with these Texans right now?
00:20You can always get involved with the program by texting in to the text line at 713-572-4610
00:27Look man, it truly is it truly is unbelievable
00:31What what this team when you think about a year ago even but more specifically like two years ago a year and a half
00:37What you thought of this team and more importantly what this team felt like?
00:41You know in terms of from a nationals perspective. I mean this team didn't get any respect
00:45No
00:46Like zero like zero
00:48Respect and I'm looking up at some of the things that people and we're saying it and other people around the country are saying it
00:53And it's like all the Texans and we're gonna hear some of this stuff over the course of the show
00:57You know people talking about how the Texans and I was watching one thing and not only can can CJ Stroud win a Super Bowl
01:04I think it was I forget it was but they can win this year and there's variations of that everywhere
01:09So I'm like, what is the most unbelievable thing? Not just the fact that they are looked at
01:15Completely 180 differently like they are looked at like a veteran team that has been there and already done that, you know
01:22They haven't been there and they haven't done that sure, but they're being treated like that
01:26And so I think that's that's where I'm gonna land, but there's a bunch of answers
01:29You know that you could give and maybe you have a different one seven one three five seven two four six ten
01:34But to me they are a polished mature
01:38Team and those are two words that I've never used with the Houston Texans. There's been hope there's been good years
01:45there's been anticipation and all that but they are a
01:49polished
01:51Mature team. It's like we're talking about maybe not the Chiefs. They're in their own category, but like the Ravens
01:56Well, like they've been around forever. They're they're they're, you know, personnel staff is top-notch
02:02You respect all the decisions they make right their coaches like their coaches
02:06Regarded as like, oh, well, they're gonna be well coached. Yes, you know like their quarterback is
02:12Oh, all he needs to do is take the next step
02:14Like it's like when did the Texans become the Ravens and and and the answer is this year?
02:21And it's unbelievable. Yeah, it is incredible. Like I'm glad that you took it to the place where it's
02:25Organizationally, yeah, it's not even just the team and we could talk about the players on the field that level of this
02:30But there's a level of respect in what's happening starting with I guess the most forward-facing
02:35Yeah, the people on the staff, which is D'Amico Ryan's
02:37I don't know that I mean anywhere around like the national football
02:42landscape that anybody has negative things to say about him and it's not just that like there is a
02:48Widespread trust in his decision-making and the way that he goes about things like people treat him
02:53Not like a second-year head coach, right?
02:55They treat him like a dude who has done this for a while whose decisions are to be respected
02:59Yeah in a similar way like you're talking about if we're gonna use the Ravens to me. That's like the example
03:04Where did they become the Ravens right John?
03:06When he makes decisions and sometimes he'll make spicy decisions. Yeah, sometimes he'll he'll go with the analytics in a way
03:12That's kind of odd and sometimes he'll deviate and it's not always consistent or what have you
03:16but by and large
03:19The smartest people in sports look around and they don't know that's a good coach and he knows what he's doing
03:23Yeah, Miko Ryan's is given that level of grace
03:26Pretty widely already. Yeah, like even in their own division
03:30When when John Harbaugh makes a decision people in the division like oh, oh, I don't know if that's gonna be good
03:35But I bet you it is, you know, because you have that respect, right?
03:37They draft somebody where you're like like a Kamari Lassiter
03:41Something of a surprise right? Yeah, and
03:44People that had the Ravens done that people in their division would be going. Oh, what do they know that we don't right?
03:49Well, we're finding out that you know
03:52D'Amico Ryan's and Nick Cassara do know something that others don't cuz Kamari Lassiter is probably gonna be a starting cornerback, you know
03:57So it's it's like it's unbelievable how far this team has come and you know, the most unbelievable thing to me is
04:04I don't feel like we're setting ourselves up for
04:07Disappointment, yeah
04:09Yeah, like that. There's definitely places around this league where something is done that you know
04:14Essentially is a good move and people go. Yeah, we'll wait till it fails
04:17Yeah, and you look there's places where if you wanted to have that that particular
04:23Negativity about things you possibly could write like free agency is something that gets the people going in football
04:30Because it is it is, you know, the sexy porsche portion
04:34Roster building but like there's arguments to be made that you know
04:37Free agency is not the most effective way to build a team
04:41Absolutely, and the Texans have existed have done made some big free agent moves this all season
04:46And so there's reasons to maybe go, huh?
04:49Let's see. Let's see if you made the right decision in acquiring this player
04:52Let's see if they still have in them what you were looking for and whether that money that you ultimately signed them for even if
04:58They do have those things is proportionate to what they deliver you in value
05:02I think with Nick Asario, everybody's like yeah
05:07You did what you were supposed to do and just the idea that not only did you make those moves and I don't think there's
05:12A lot of doubt. I think that also just the idea that you were able to convince players
05:16You come to this place without too much. I think
05:20cajoling CJ Stroud help with that
05:22Absolutely, like having a quarterback that is very good and on the upswing, but that's another comparison. Yeah, for sure
05:28Yeah, you know and the other thing is
05:31And I know this is gonna sound a little bit hokey
05:34But I think it's very real like the character of the players while they are still dogs
05:39Yeah, like like like I was listening to Kamari Lasseter
05:42And I'm like I was listening to D'Amico talk about Kamari Lasseter and Lasseter himself
05:48I'm like, how is this dude 21 or I don't even know if he's 21. Hell, he might be 20
05:53But but but you know, how was he's a kid and he sounds like and you're right. He is 21 years
05:59Like he sounds like a guy like he said part of it was he goes well rookie is just a
06:05Tag or a name or something like that. Let's hear from his mouth figgy
06:08You got cut eight ready for me as this is Kamari Lasseter and his media availability
06:12What was this two days ago because they didn't have me availability yesterday. This was him talking about, you know being a rookie
06:17I feel like rookie is just a word. Honestly, I mean I was I was brought here to you know
06:22Come and do a job
06:22So I feel like if I'm not doing my job to my standard or the standard that you know that the organization has and then
06:28It doesn't really matter. So I mean, I mean, it's a balance. I know I'm gonna make mistakes. I'm not, you know going out there trying to
06:34Walk on eggshells knowing I'm gonna play fast. I'm gonna play physical. I'm gonna play my brand of football
06:38But at the same time I want it to be right
06:39I wanted to be decent in order and I wanted to you know, uh match the center of our organization, you know
06:44I'm I understand that you know, it's my first year
06:46It's gonna be a lot of things that I don't know or that I will see and that I will have to you know
06:50Come across and and make better but uh in terms of me kind of making that balance
06:54It's just going out there playing fast playing confident and then I'm just learning from mistakes
06:59Do you have any idea how far from that? I was when I was 21
07:09Or 7 1 3 rather 5 7 2 4 6 10 and let me know how far you were away like that's that level of I guess
07:17introspection and perspective at the age
07:19Well, that's that's this that's the audio that made me think polish and maturity
07:23Like that is a polished dude. That is a professional and that is a very mature, dude
07:27And I was so far away from that at 21
07:30It's not even funny
07:31But I think that's part of that's part of like why they've advanced so quickly to this level and I mean
07:37I think this ties in with a couple of things that we were just talking about right like
07:42D'Amico Ryan's and his last maybe availability was talking about the idea of
07:46Kamari Lassiter and how or the impact that playing for Georgia had on right, Georgia has a defense that is complex, right?
07:53They're not out there with very simple keys and telling you
07:56Hey this if you see this and this is how you play like there there's some reads. There's some games
08:00There's a lot of moving parts within the Georgia defense
08:03The Kamari Lassiter was able to exist in that and flourish in it
08:06and that's one of the things that
08:07allowed
08:08D'Amico Ryan's to talk glowingly about Kamari Lassiter and one of the things that it seems like gives him confidence that Kamari Lassiter can step
08:15into a starting role on the outside and be able to have some level of success in the NFL and
08:20Being able to identify then I know that you might look and go. Hey, you know blue, you know blue chip prospect
08:26I'm a big blue blood program. Hey, that's not too
08:30It's not too difficult to identify
08:31But the idea that that that's the way that the Texans went with Casario and the decision makers and then also D'Amico Ryan's like that
08:37Also adds into that that polish that maturity that you're able to see
08:40Yeah
08:41And I you know, I talked about how fast they've come here like a year and a half two years two seasons ago
08:45Let's say if the Texans were starting two rookies in the secondary. We'd be like, well, they're done
08:50Yeah, you know and now we're like cool, you know, they're ready. You know, they must be they must be ready
08:57So it's it turns into stability. It turns into confidence. It turns into just you know, the
09:03Hate to say it again, but the culture of this team. Yeah, it's just it's just amazing that we've gotten here so quick
09:10You know, I I I am surprising myself with you know, all the confidence I have in this team
09:17But I think it's well warranted. Yeah, and yeah in addition to it, right? I think what makes it
09:23Really unbelievable for me because we've seen teams like, you know go from worst to first and we've seen teams
09:27You know improve their status in the world, right? That's the nature of this thing
09:32You know, the great teams are not great forever. The bad teams are not bad
09:35These things shift and change but like the speed the quickness that this happened, right?
09:40And we'll talk more about this in varying degrees during the course of the program all the way till 2 p.m
09:44But I mean you got a rookie quarterback in and he
09:48Immediately flourished in a way where people are willing to put him in the top 10 of their quarterback rankings
09:52Yeah, pretty early right a lot of folks and maybe not everyone
09:55But you have that right the ways in which we talked about the free age season free agents rather that you were able to get
10:01Very quickly and I mean remember last year and I know that from a local perspective
10:05There was probably a little bit of optimism, but from a national perspective
10:08There were people that were still dogging this Texans team
10:10Oh, yeah, especially like the idea that hell man you traded up for Will Anderson jr
10:15You gave away your first round pick when you're expected to be at the top of that draft again
10:19And you looked up and they were not
10:22Of that draft again and that speaks just how quickly this happened and it seems to be like the one of the things that's amazing
10:28For me is just like the the unity right the synergy that's happened when it comes to
10:34Perspective in the way that they want to do things
10:36They seem to have their ducks in a row in that way
10:38Whether it comes to like the way that the physicality is going to be on defense
10:42Everybody knows what the time is and everybody is operating on that time, right?
10:46When you talk about the maturity levels in that way as well, like there's various different degrees
10:51Where you talk about the dog in them, but also still being you know within line still being
10:56The right kind of guy so to say and so, you know
10:59I've been thoroughly impressed looking at what the way that this Texas team is now
11:03We are in the time period of the of the schedule. Oh, everybody's optimistic
11:08Like at least they are they're clearing all the bars that you imagine for this time period in that way. No, it absolutely is but
11:17When you talk about the maturity of this team and you heard from Lassiter, it's not just him
11:22It's like if you were listening during training camp just consistently blown away
11:26By the way, these people these players, you know perform on the field like dogs
11:31I mean, I mentioned yesterday the all Shire quote if you're soft, you might go play somewhere but you can go play here
11:37Yeah, you know and and yet off the field they all seem to buy in and that look that's it starts with D'Amico
11:43Obviously and and that's why I made that I made that comparison to to the Ravens
11:49It's like D'Amico from a player perspective forget what we think, you know, we'll forget what people nationally think
11:56Players are like I want to play for that dude because he's the real deal
12:00Would you say that D'Amico then deserves the most credit for this now understanding that it's probably a pie
12:05We have to slice it up and I get you know, hand some to everybody but when it comes to like the the primary
12:11Person that you give the credit for this this particular place that the the Texans are in
12:16Yes, because they got here so fast like like obviously Nick Casario and and I said last week, you know that I think he's already the
12:23best general manager this organization's ever had just because of everything that
12:26He was able to do and adjust to with a new coach and all that
12:30So he gets a lot of a piece of that pie as you talk about
12:33But the big portion of it has to begin and end with with D'Amico and and and it's been
12:38Stunning to be honest that we're here, you know
12:41Absolutely and look this has been a incredible thing to watch like and of course
12:47I'm I can speak mostly from afar
12:48But it's one of the reasons and we'll talk about if we're drinking too much of the Kool-Aid later in the program
12:54But it's one of the reasons why I feel so positively is that on a national scale you can see
13:01Diana Rossini you could see like all the rankings that are putting this this team
13:04Yeah, and it's like maybe Super Bowl contenders or at least borderline Super Bowl contenders in that way
13:10And that positivity is because of all of the things that we're talking about like the the indicators of
13:16Things that will make a team good all point in the upwards at least from from a 30,000 foot view now
13:23Of course, that's where it's our responsibility to get down into the nitty-gritty
13:26Yeah
13:26Hey
13:27what's happening here when we talk about you know depth when we talk about the the areas of you know of potential weakness, but
13:33We do have to make sure that we're very
13:36Cognizant especially because of the the the dry parts that you've gone through
13:41Of how this team is not the team of five years ago. It's not the team of the David Culley era
13:47It's not the team of that time. It's definitely a new era
13:50I mean and from the two eight one on the text board seven one three five seven two four six ten two years ago
13:56We were talking about a total rebuild and now we're talking about a Super Bowl. That doesn't happen. No, it never happens that fast
14:02I mean, you know that that's what I was saying
14:04Like this is this the stunning part like when I when I was thinking total rebuild I was thinking six years, you know
14:10Sure at best
14:12Well, we're here and that that's D'Amico that and that starts with D'Amico