• 10 hours ago
In The Loop's John P. Lopez and Reginald Adetula discuss DeMeco Ryans as a defensive play caller being the Texans' secret sauce in the playoffs.
Transcript
00:00Saturday, 3.30 p.m. right here on Sports Radio 610, of course physically at NRG Stadium.
00:05The Texans welcome in the Los Angeles Chargers, and you know, we've been talking all around
00:08this, right?
00:09The red zone, the blitzing, the, you know, explosive plays, the Ladd-McConkie, all this.
00:17But is there something that we might be missing?
00:20One of John Lowe's days, are we missing the secret sauce?
00:24The secret sauce.
00:26So listening to D'Amico, you know, kind of reminded me of this, it's like, oh yeah, he's
00:32awesome in the playoffs.
00:34D'Amico, his defenses?
00:37You go back to San Francisco as a coordinator now.
00:41Sorry, just induced a laugh out of me just thinking about how good those San Francisco
00:47defenses were under D'Amico, right?
00:48I mean, and okay, let's go through it.
00:52Like D'Amico Ryan's, his playoff defenses have been the secret sauce.
00:57I mean, let's not forget that.
00:59If you're like, oh hey, because we all want the Texans to win, like, you know, path to
01:02victory.
01:03We know it's been defense, and we know how well this defense has played.
01:06Well, how much better have his defensive defenses played in the postseason?
01:11All right, let's go to 2021, all right?
01:13That was a year.
01:15Just let's just talk about, I looked at sacks, and I looked at, you know, times of possessions,
01:20and all that stuff.
01:21I always look at sacks.
01:24Who doesn't?
01:25Exactly.
01:26Yard's rushing that his defenses have given up, gave up in 2021.
01:3177, now this is three playoff games, 77, 67, and 70.
01:38Not bad.
01:39In the playoffs.
01:40Not bad at all.
01:41In the playoffs.
01:422022, 104, 76, and then they lost a game when they gave up 148.
01:48That'll do it.
01:50You let a team, you let a team start running up and down.
01:52But now, let's look at last year.
01:55Big win.
01:56Big win in the opening game of the of the playoffs.
01:58They gave up 56 yards, rushing, shut down.
02:03D'Amico Ryans has been in the playoffs as a player, as an assistant coach, as a coordinator,
02:09and is now as a head coach.
02:12His defenses have always played to another level in the postseason, and that's what it's
02:17a switch.
02:18No, seriously.
02:19But it's not like, it's not like from nothing, or I shouldn't say nothing, that's not fair.
02:24From struggles, periodically, like the Houston offense to all of a sudden, oh yeah, they're
02:27going to be lighting up the scoreboard.
02:29No, they've always been good.
02:31They've gotten great.
02:32You know, they've gotten great in the postseason.
02:34And then you start looking at this team, and outside of that, that nickelback position.
02:39Yeah, that was, I'm not going to lie.
02:42My negative brain, as you guys have come to understand, immediately was like, aight, but.
02:47Yeah.
02:48Nickelback.
02:49What are we looking at here?
02:50But let's look beyond that.
02:51But beyond that, yes.
02:52Defensive line never looked better, never looked healthier.
02:53Oh boy.
02:54Right?
02:55And I'm going to be real happy to see Foley back out there, especially to be able to really
02:58control the run.
02:59J.K. Dobbins is very good at explosive run.
03:01We talk about explosive plays.
03:03J.K. Dobbins has a really high explosive run rate.
03:05I'll have to get you the exact number on this, because I was looking at it last night, and
03:08of course it's on one of my many tabs that I have open.
03:12But J.K. Dobbins, explosive runs are possible.
03:14This is a good defensive team when it comes to stopping the run, and Foley's a part of
03:17that.
03:18But yeah, defensive line is huge.
03:19Now let's go to linebackers.
03:21Same thing.
03:22Never looked better.
03:23Full compliment, baby.
03:24Never looked better.
03:25Never been as healthy.
03:26I mean, and by the way.
03:27Agent Zero in Harris County.
03:28Yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:30I don't even think I can call him Agent Zero.
03:31Thank you for saying that.
03:32Thank you for saying that.
03:33And by the way, linebackers in the postseason have been monsters for D'Amico, whether it's
03:37in San Francisco or here.
03:38And I mean, some of that is like, hey, look at the names.
03:40But I mean, Warner, Dre Greenlaw, those types of guys, like, hey, you can put Aziz right
03:45next to that.
03:47Christian Harris absolutely has that capability.
03:48But last year, Christian Harris, we've all seen the video, D'Amico brings him over on
03:53the sideline and says, hey, if they do this, you can jump that route.
03:57Turn up.
03:58What happened?
03:59Pick.
04:00Yes.
04:01Yes.
04:02So now let's go to the secondary, the third level.
04:04I mean, Kalen Bullock, he's been on something of a roll.
04:07Should have had another interception.
04:08I'm sorry.
04:09Who was that again?
04:10Kalen Bullock.
04:11There it is.
04:12I'mma call him Bullock.
04:13I'mma call him Bullock.
04:14Understood?
04:15I'm not sure that's true, though.
04:17You'll have to ask him.
04:18But anyway.
04:19I don't know his mama.
04:20Anyway.
04:21Both, like, respectfully.
04:22Mm-hmm.
04:23Should have had another interception.
04:24Playing well.
04:25Kamari Lassiter.
04:26We know the season he's had.
04:27Expect him to play better.
04:28And then Derek Stingley, go ahead and shut that fool down.
04:31You know?
04:32Like he did against, last year, in the playoffs, Amari Cooper.
04:36Yep.
04:37Like, the secret sauce is D'Amico and what his defenses can rise to in the postseason.
04:44I 100% agree with you, and I feel like everybody agrees with you in that regard.
04:48Earlier today, when we were talking about Bobby Slowick and the ways that he was talking
04:52about this offensive staff having honed in on what they do well, you know, the skepticism
04:57that arises that we brought to the table, to be honest, was there.
05:00But somebody texted in.
05:01I think that they're absolutely right.
05:03The fans' hope in this team is CJ Stroud and D'Amico.
05:07And when I say D'Amico, it really speaks to, like, the entirety of this defense.
05:12The thing about it for me, within this is, you say it's the secret sauce, this is the
05:16whole package at this point.
05:18And that's the concerning part, is like, can you do this, oops, all defense?
05:24You know?
05:25Can you do it in that way?
05:26And the answer is likely no.
05:28Like, I don't think that you can just, hey, the defense is going to drag a team to a victory.
05:33You're going to need some add-in.
05:34But when it comes down to it, that says less about the defense.
05:38We know the defense is going to be great.
05:40And honestly, I think that you've laid out a pretty good case on why I think the defense
05:43can be exceptional, unless Greg Roman does a really good job of, like, pinpointing certain
05:50places to attack.
05:53And I don't know that I feel strongly about Greg Roman doing that to a high level, but
05:56he does a great job of crafting up a run game, thankfully, strength on strength there for
06:00this defense.
06:01Like, no, I feel great about what's going to happen with that matchup of Texans defense
06:05versus Chargers offense.
06:06What scares me is the other one.
06:08Yeah, sure.
06:09Absolutely.
06:10But, you know, they've been able to get it done defensively, and then, you know, you
06:12talk about, you know, peaking at the right time or raising your game, whatever you want
06:16to call it.
06:17You know, not only are they fully complement, you know, is the full complement there, and
06:21are they healthy on the front seven, but his defenses, again, this hasn't been against
06:26the Titans, you know, in week 18, it's been against playoff teams.
06:30Five sacks, these are in the wins.
06:32Five sacks, five sacks, three sacks, four sacks, two sacks.
06:36Is that good?
06:37That's good.
06:38So, you know, he's trying to get pressure on, he figures out a way to get pressure on
06:41the opposing quarterbacks.
06:42Yeah, and this text is spot on from the 2A1.
06:44We need that same D'Amico effect on the offense, and this is, I think this is the clear dichotomy
06:49and the reason why I've really crystallized of late my opinion with this offense is D'Amico,
06:56what you're seeing there is a clear schematic advantage that is being given by having that
07:00particular person in organizing a defense.
07:05And this is no disrespect to anybody else, but D'Amico calls this defense.
07:10I mean, you know, it is his baby, so he, you know, he's been here.
07:14And of course, like, there's a lot of other things that are, like, I'm sure Matt Burke
07:17does a lot in organizing the defense throughout the week, right?
07:20And influences the calls, maybe, you know, I'm sure he does, in fact.
07:23In fact, it felt like, and I know that we don't have any of the audio, but in listening
07:26to Matt Burke and his availability, I think there was a question about, asked of him about,
07:33like, something to the effect of, like, what it brings to have D'Amico calling the defense.
07:38And I feel like Matt Burke, for a moment, you know how you're getting your feelings
07:40worse?
07:41Hey man, I'm sitting right here.
07:42Hey, don't go.
07:43And I think he kind of alluded to it by saying, I mean, it's a team effort, you know, like
07:46we all kind of put in, as if to say, hey man, the rest of these defensive assistants, we're
07:49not just sitting here looking at D'Amico, we're putting stuff in here, too.
07:52And I do believe that, right?
07:54This is a full compliment.
07:55I know that they've given a lot of credit to your defensive line coach on making sure
07:59that these dudes are playing at the level that they are.
08:02But yeah, no, I think that there's also just something to be said for the head of the snake,
08:06which is D'Amico Ryans, and making sure to get these guys, and like you mentioned, things
08:10as small and minute as bringing over Christian Harris and giving him a little bit of game
08:14that allows him to have an additional level, or something additional over his competition
08:20so that his talent can now also be elevated by some information that allows him to go
08:24and make a great play.
08:25Yeah, the most intriguing things for me that I think D'Amico is really, you know, the wheels
08:29are turning, so to speak, is those linebackers, specifically, you know, Christian Harris
08:34on the field, a full go with, you know, with Aziz Alshayer.
08:41I think he's, I think he's fancy because his linebackers have been the difference makers
08:44everywhere he's been.
08:45Yeah.
08:46Like, absolutely.
08:47So now you got these two dudes, one's going to be a star, one is, I guess you could say
08:52a star, maybe not a superstar in Alshayer, and that's where he hinges, you know, all
08:58the things that they do in front of him and behind him.
09:00Yeah, and with Aziz, I don't know if he needs to be a superstar, what he needs to be is
09:02a quarterback of the defense.
09:03Like, that's one of the things that's beautiful about that particular position, and this is
09:07what you got Aziz for.
09:08Right?
09:09The rest of the season, that was gravy.
09:10Like, having him here in these moments, like, having that veteran guy that has level experience,
09:16has a really almost like a mind-meld tether with D'Amico, with understanding the ways
09:21that his defense works and the ways that he, the expectations that he has from his defense,
09:27having that floor general, so to say, or that fields general, I imagine is going to be huge
09:31in this game.
09:32I'm looking forward to, like, incredible play from this defense.
09:34I am, too.
09:35This is where the confidence comes from, for me.
09:37100%.
09:38Look, I think, you know, things I want to see is Christian Harris getting to work, but
09:43really, Kalen Bullock, you know, he's just been, this is, it's almost like a mirror image
09:50of what Christian Harris was last year.
09:52Boy, he's really good.
09:53Boy, he's making some plays.
09:54And then in the postseason, this guy's going to be a star.
09:57You know?
09:58And I think Bullock could be that, or Bullock.
10:01Gosh, man, I just can't say this name with no respect.
10:03No, but I am interested, though, like, how that feeling and the clear ball hawking ability
10:10and just being in the right place, the nose for the ball, if you will, for Kalen Bullock,
10:14how much does that get negated by the fact that this, this, this Chargers team just seemingly
10:20is really good at not turning over the football, right?
10:22Is that something that we feel like can be generated, like, can you generate the pressure
10:26to put Justin Herbert in that place to maybe?
10:29He doesn't turn the ball over, that's for sure.
10:31Not if you don't get pressure on him, right?
10:33So like, are you capable of generating enough pressure to have the back, you know, the back
10:38of the defense benefit from the front of the defense with Danil Hunter, Will Anderson Jr.
10:43actually getting in there and touching him a little bit and, you know, putting some heat,
10:46heating up his kitchen to the point where now he's putting up some footballs that are
10:48possibly ones that could be brought down by Kalen Bullock.
10:51All you need is one.
10:52And by the way, how profound is this?
10:55Maybe profound isn't the right word.
10:57How weird is this?
10:58Don't worry.
10:59You know, they listen over there at Houston Texans.
11:02Thank you for listening, social media team.
11:04And thank you for all you do.
11:05Y'all do a great job.
11:06They do a great job.
11:07They just posted what I was just talking about as Spoket Into Existence.
11:11You just hang right there and just play the quarterback.
11:14Play the quarterback.
11:15As soon as he snapped, you step in front of it, go pick.
11:18Yes, sir.
11:19I'm telling you.
11:20I'm telling you.
11:22Fourth and two from the Browns, 33.
11:26It's picked off.
11:27Here we go to the left, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5.
11:32Touchdown Christian Harris.
11:34Second pick six of the game.
11:37Zone defense.
11:38So here's Harris.
11:39His eyes are on the quarterback.
11:41And at the last minute, he breaks underneath.
11:44Man, that's weird.
11:46It's a sign.
11:48It's a sign.
11:49I just mentioned it.
11:50They just tweeted it.
11:52And that's going to be it.
11:53I mean, that's what we're talking about.
11:55I love that moment right there.
11:56That was so good.
11:57I ain't going to lie.
11:58A lot of people always bring up the J.J. Watt pick six.
12:01I feel like this one is up there, man.
12:03It is.
12:04It absolutely is.
12:05This pretty much was like a J.J. pick six.
12:09I can't go there with you, dog.
12:11Hey, man.
12:12This was Demiko Ryan's first year with the Houston Texans.
12:15He called his shot.
12:16Nobody picked him against the Browns.
12:19And that pick six right there.
12:21The game was over at that point, man.
12:23I hear you, but.
12:25Oh, there he goes again.
12:26You're on the right track.
12:28Literal first playoff game.
12:33And you've gone and scored a touchdown.
12:36They get the ball back, and you go and put it up to score.
12:39Nah, nah, nah, man.
12:40I don't know.
12:41I don't know if I can go with you here, bro.
12:42Hey, that's cool, though.
12:43But if you look at the bigger picture.
12:46If you look at the bigger picture.
12:48I hear what you're saying.
12:50You know what?
12:51We're going to put a pin in this one.
12:52We're going to circle back at another time where we can find some alignment.
12:56You know what I'm saying?
12:57From the 2-8-1, Jared Goff didn't turn the ball over before playing the Texans.
13:01And he threw five picks versus this team.
13:04Yeah, no.
13:05And I get that.
13:06And I don't know.
13:07I have a low level of hesitation, and maybe I'll look foolish.
13:09You know what?
13:10That's cool.
13:11It'd be like that sometimes.
13:12I think that's a sign, man.
13:13I do.
13:14I think that's a sign.
13:15It's going to happen.
13:16But see, I've never had questions about the defense, though.
13:19I think the question is all the offense.
13:20No, but I think we're going to see more magic, man.
13:22We're going to see.
13:23Magic from what?
13:24Like the defensive side.
13:26Stuff like that.
13:28We know they're good.
13:30But we've been talking about how he raises the level of this defense in the post.
13:33I think we're going to see that.
13:34I feel like they always had that, though, man.
13:37Just the offense scares me.
13:40Like what are we going to get from the offense?
13:42I mean, if you get some secret sauce and some defensive touchdowns,
13:44then we're going to be in a spot.
13:46Stop checking out the little girls behind, man.
13:48What you doing?
13:49They're doing some funky dance.
13:52Is it the tighten up?
13:55I don't know what it may be.
13:56It might be doing the tighten up.
13:58You never know what you're going to see at a radio station.
14:00Yeah.
14:01Actually, you do.
14:02Most of the time it's just.
14:03It's bizarre.
14:04Most of the time it's just microphones in empty hallways.
14:06Well, there's that.
14:07All right.

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