Texans All AccessA Texans Madness Bracket, plus more 'Sting in Studio | Texans All Access
Happy Friday. Everybody, Welcome in Texans. All access. Beautiful, beautiful day, last weekend of the Rodeo. But we're talking foot ball. John Harris alongside the Voice of Texas Mark Vandermer. Appreciate you guys being with us. It's another March Madness day. There's golf somewhere. In fact, I saw Houstonian somebody, so I don't know where they were.
Do you know where the PGA event is this weekend?
I'll find out it's the Valvespar Open.
Okay, because Heath Degalo, who's a Houstonian right, well, now, I didn't know he's from Houston.
I'm a big fan of him. I like watching him.
He hit his shot today and it goes right, like one of my drives in twenty seventeen with the late Jamie Roots and you at the old White at Green Brother, like it's going right, and he takes his club and just launches it. Oh really just launched No, oh no, no, he launched his club and the announcer basically do what I did.
He start laughing. He's like, listen, I'm so sorry to have laughed.
But when these guys that are so great had the realization like the rest of us do when we're on a course. But he was just one of those things. He could hold himself. But the GOLLA just took his club and he went just tossed it. I was like, oh my gosh, that's not a good day.
It's in Palm Harbor, Florida, Okay, little north of the South Florida area Fort Lottery.
The beautiful weather there for their event, beautiful weather here in Houston for the last weekend of the rodeo.
It's that's absolutely just fantastic.
By the way, before you get going, you brought up something good about the pro golfers, and it applies to all sports that anybody plays. Your kid, football, basketball, golf, anything. Watch the pros. They make mistakes, they do. People get down on themselves from making mistakes, and look, this is what they do. You know, you watch NFL players drop a ball every once in a while. You watch all these college kids and NBA players actually miss layups. Sometimes. Don't get down in yourself and forget about golf and putting. My goodness, just watch a PGA tournament. Now. They get back on track very quickly after their mistakes. They don't tend to like get back to back Snowman's on a holes. You know in eight eight, I'm going triple max today, no more than.
Seven on a part four. That's all I'm writing down.
And that's pretty much what makes them great is the fact that they don't match up a snowman with a snowman with a seven, and they go Snowman, Okay, get it right mentally, and then go back out and burn it the next two holes.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's just something I could I could never do. It's like being a pitcher in baseball. You walk a guy in four pitches and you're like, I gotta make an adjustment here, maybe armslot at this, maybe fingers here, maybe grip there, and all of a sudden you strike out. The next guy gets the next guy to fly out.
And Roger Clemons, I used to love watching him get into jams and get out of them, and I thought, I think he just enjoys getting out of it. Maybe he likes to challenge. Yeah, that's why he gets into him. I don't know, but you're right, Johnny. The pros handle things. They handle their business. But I just brought that up because everybody should just chill out when you play your sport. Understand you're gonna make mistakes, just try to make progress.
Well, it's fascinating when you listen to the pros talk about the game too.
And a little later in the show, won't play.
My interview with Derek Stingley that had the other day, and Sewan and Seth were playing some of the clips from that, and.
So I when you're doing an interview.
With it with somebody, I mean, I'm always listening, but in your mind you kind of think, Okay, what's the next question, especially when it's going on one, where do I go to the next question? So I listened, but what I was listening to, Sean Seth, I was really like honed in on what Derek had to say because I asked him about the first interception against the Dolphins, right against Tyree. It was fascinating what he spoke of and what he was talking about, and what he recognized and what he saw in how you know, I matched the hip.
I saw what his hip was. I'm like, you know, you think.
About people like just us as fans and followers and analysts. We know a lot about the game, but he's talking at a completely different level of what they're supposed to it's incredible how smart professional athletes are. Yes, they are athletic, and Derek can do anything on a football field athletically, but it's how smart he is and how smart these guys are.
It's absolutely incredible could verbalize it.
A lot of guys have that knowledge, but they don't necessarily verbalize it well he does. He explained in credible well like I red that Zoom call I did with him after he was drafted with those contest winners. The way he was describing what he does and that was in his college days was fascinating to me, and that's what I knew. Okay, he likes to talk. He does, it's just not maybe in front of huge groups or maybe not the way we're accustomed to athletes speaking in media or to the media. But I think Derek has definitely gotten a little older in a good way. Sure way, you know, you're still here and he's not exactly an extrovert. I think he would admit that, but he certainly he did the press conference the other day, is certainly talking more. It was great to have them on the show.
Yeah, it definitely was. You'll hear that interview a little bit later in the show. Drew Dordy and I did a mock draft for in the Lap. Now, in between doing the mock draft and signing Cam Robinson and today's signing of Trent Brown, things.
May have changed.
But actually, the more I thought about it, I was like, you know, I don't think they actually did. So I'm gonna play that for you a little bit later in the show as well. But a little bit of Texans news. Texas make a couple of signings. Trent Brown, according to sources, happened today, the big tackles at Cincinnati last year, was injured for most of the year. He has signed in addition to the guy I want to ask Mark about that being Ronald Darby. Mark gut reaction, Ronald Darby is a Texan. What'd you think? It's not a lot of money. It's a one year contract. I'll give you mine real fast more because I kind of hit you with that fast. I love it. I love it because he is a guy that one of the Texans played him. I always felt like, that's a guy that can get after is Ronald Darby. Rob Darby. I don't know how many times has played the Texans in his career, but it felt like it's more than five.
And he's always played very very well.
Now can you take that for the Texans to do it against somebody else? Obviously he's up there in years a little bit, but he's always been a really solid cover guy in a lot of situations. And when I think about last year that defense, I felt like the one thing it lacked was the ability to cover three wide receivers with three really good cover corners. You kne Kamari, you knew Derek, but you just didn't get out of Jeff Akuda what you thought you might. And I'm not just talking about the Cavante Turpin situation. That was a tough one. I mean, Kamant de Turpin probably beats everybody against Dallas on Monday Night. That was a tough one. But Akudu was just not the right fit. I think Ronald Darby could very well be. And what it might do is free up in certain situations on third. Now free up Kamaria to go play inside ooh, and go cover on the inside, which when was Corey Anglin We talked to them, said yeah, when we first got Kamari, that was kind of the plan. We thought we were gonna play him at the at the nickel inside and then we realized, no, we got him on the field every play.
Yeah, and so that's why he transitioned outside.
Jane the Peatrie moved down and look, there's still ways to get Jalen and Kamari on the field on third down and somebody coming outside with Derek as well, so you can have all that going on at the same time.
But I loved that signing Ronald Darby. What'd you think what we.
Talked about earlier this week, corner depth they needed, they got it with Darby.
Ye.
Look, you're not gonna be able to sign you know, Champ bailing his prime right to be corner depth for you. You're gonna sign Ronald Darby, who he might have faced the Texans up to six times Bill's in twenty fifteen, Eagles in twenty eighteen. No, that's right, he was with the Eagles. I forgot about Ravens twice in twenty three and Jaguars twice last year. I don't know if he played in all of those games, but he definitely played the Texans before. But it's the kind of player that you could expect for corner depth, and at some point in the drafter, they'd pick another corner. I don't know, We'll see. I'm so you know what this draft is. It's not as exciting, let's say, as twenty twenty three going into it because you knew quarterback was on the table and all these other things. But it really is exciting when you think about the prospects of this team, knowing how far they got the last couple of years, the changes they've made, how they have drafted. Ye, it is exciting. It's so exciting because you know that they hit it right. This can really be special this year. And no questions is there's always pressure to hit it right because I don't care who you get in free agency. You better have those young pups coming up, growing up and be able to take the place of certain individuals.
Well, think about it, just in the last two years, twenty twenty three draft, and.
This is going to be important. And I'll explain why a second. All right, twenty twenty three, you got your started quarterback. You're starting edge juices already both gardens center. You got Tank who went healthy as a starter. Dylan Horton has been a rotation guy out on the edge. Henry Toatoa is turning in one of your better defensive players. Jerick Patterson has started at center. Xavier Hutchinson has given you all kinds of good great stuff. That's your twenty twenty three draft right there, Like, how many guys is that contributing? Then last year your top four guys Lassiter, Fisher, block Stover four guys, I mean four starters in that draft.
It's too early to call twenty twenty three the greatest draft in franchise history. We still look at two thousand. Say, oh, is that where you're going today? Oh?
Surprise topic? And I guessed it. Well, yes, okay, okay, you're ready for the topic. All right, okay, So here's the topic.
So we got NCAA basketball going all the time, right or you know, throughout the last week. Oh yeah, I love a bracket as much as anybody. So the draft racket before before I I before you brought me over here and I was doing my overnight show, I used to do what I call Ultimate eleven. And so what I would do was around tournament time, I would have people come up with a come up with a topic, and then come up with a four seed tournament to figure out the winner of that particular topic, so like scandals and sports. The one seed was oj the two seed was I don't know, the Black Socks, Yeah, black socks. Third seed was Waki Leaks many years ago, which is one of the greatest stories in college football ever. And then the fourth seed might have been you know, I don't know, Phil Nicro or Joe Nicro with the Emery board. And then I would say, okay, here's the one to four. Play that contest out play the two and the three. Who's the winner of each? Then put the two winners, and we would solve basically that bracket.
Yeah, that's nice.
So that's what we're doing. Okay, I've come up with three brackets. All right, let's go. I've come up with three different brackets, okay, and you you get to decide.
So here we go.
The first one it is best Texans defense in history. Now I've seeded these and that might change the way that you go about answering these, So that's okay because you may have seeded them differently. And that's all right, all right, So here the top. Here are the four seeds. The number one seed is the twenty sixteen defense that was number one in the NFL. The number two seed is the og defense from two thousand and two, including our friends Seth pay, Gary Walker, Aaron Glenn.
Marcus, Robin Grabb, Marks Marks Coleman.
The three seed is the Bulls on Parade twenty eleven defense Cushing what Ninja.
The number four.
Defense is last year's defense, the twenty twenty four defense where you had two guys in double digit sacks, you had three guys in the back end that had four plus interception and was a defense that was generally known around the league as being one of the top five in the league.
So those are the four seeds.
One seed twenty sixteen defense, number one in the NFL. Number two defense two thousand and two defense that was tremendous for Dom Capers, Yep and Vic Fangio. Three defense, Bulls on Parade twenty eleven. The fourth defense is twenty twenty four. So your first round matchup is the one v four twenty sixteen versus twenty twenty four best Texas defense.
Choose your fighter.
Okay, this is an upset for all four wins, this four to one matchup. If your seed is twenty sixteen, yeah, I'll take last year's defense over twenty sixteen.
Really, yeah, twenty sixteen was number one in the league.
I know, but I still like last year's defense better Clowney.
Merciless, reader, will Ford, Koreem turnoversh Quintin Demps.
I like the turnovers. Now that twenty sixteen defense had their backs against the wall, But I also remember the Raiders in Mexico City, Oh Chargers here. Now, the Packers were another deal because you only put up seven points. I mean, it's not a common theme. And we'll get to the two thousand and two defense in a moment here. When you talk about how offense didn't help the defense, twenty sixteen, that offense did not help out the defense because you had blowout losses on the road, New England, Minnesota unable to deal with Jacobe Brissett, Minnesota unable to deal with Sam Bradford. All right, twenty sixteen had those blemishes. Denver you had Denver, you had, yeah thrumble, you had that three game losing streak and a really bad time. You were six and three, and then you go six and six and the season is on the brink, but able to win an Indy for the second consecutive time. We know what happened down the stretch, and you played a great game against the Raiders, but it was a you know, third string quarterback. You were playing in the playoffs. Co asterisk playoff win. But man, I loved counter cooking the Raiders as a player. Oh give me that every single year.
It was awesome.
So I'm gonna say twenty twenty four defense upset, upset, twenty sixteen huge ups a four to one upset.
Okay, now let's go two three.
It's a good one two thousand and two defense versus the twenty eleven defense. That's Seth Payne, That's Gary Walker, that is Aaron Glenn.
Oh yeah, Mark Coleman, Yeah yeah.
That defense is tremendous. Twenty eleven is bulls on parade. This is when the defense turns the corner. Twenty ten was not a good year. But twenty eleven Mario Williams starts off the year but then gets hurt. But it's what, It's Cody, It's Cushing, it's j Jo Cream, Danielle Manning in the second grade, Brooks.
Red as a rookie.
Twenty eleven wins. Now, I'll tell you a better matchup, not that it would have been seated properly, But a good matchup would have been the two defense, Gary Walker Aaron Glenn making the Pro Bowl yep. And and they finished sixteenth in yards, which was it doesn't sound good, but the offense was thirty second in points and yards and probably by a long way, like if they had improved a lot, they might have not finished thirty first. They were that bad on offense. So that defense, if you look at the scores that year, they're very close. They hold it together against Manning, Steve McNair, all these teams.
Now, they won a game against Ben Roethlisberger on their own.
It was Tommy Maddocks actionally, yes, but they stared three touchdowns.
Yeah.
So yeah, it's look that O two defense. I love them, I love those guys, those ogs, but twenty eleven is gonna beat them. Okay, But the two versus sixteen would have been interesting because both those defenses were hampered by poor offenses. Yeah, and they had that in common. But I'm gonna go twenty eleven, Johnny. Okay, So here's our championship game, yep.
Twenty twenty four defense as the four seed versus the three seed. Twenty eleven's defense who is the champion.
It's twenty eleven.
Okay, all right.
Twenty eleven was the highest rated defense in points and yards when you look at finishing second in yards, fourth in points. I mean they beat the Steelers seventeen to ten. Here they beat Atlanta seventeen to ten. The offense in the Kubiak Era was finishing top four at that point. They were just automatic top five offense. But not that year because they lost job. For the last six games they had Yeates, they couldn't score well as well as they wanted, and the defense had to really hold it together. So in fact, one of the games where the defense really struggled was that Cincinnati game where they clinched the playoff. Yeah, and Yeats had to throw for three hundred yards at a second start and had that seventeen yard scramble on third and fifteen and we all know what happened with Kevin Walter to cap that drive. It was an amazing game. But that defense so good playoff game at Baltimore, keeping the point total in control, but turning the ball over four times special teams and three on offense, and that just killed them that day. That defense is the best Texans defense of all time still.
Twenty eleven, You're champion the three seed? Okay, do you agree with me? Yeah?
I mean I put twenty sixteen as the number one seed. I just felt like, I just felt like clowney, merciless will fork Reider might be the best. I mean arguably, the I mean that front was that from was incredible. It was nasty.
But you're right they did on the road.
Man, there were some games, but I don't know, Clowning was such an X factor that year just because if he chose to show.
Up, it was bad for the opposent.
It was not good.
Yes, and I think he also I think Clowning was also the type that with JJ out he felt like, Okay, I can really kind of spread my wings here and be that guy. But the twenty eleven defense, I just I just love it. I feel like the one we talk about twenty eleven. I feel like we talked so much about the Cincinnati game. We talk about Walter's touchdown, you know, arians good years. You were talk about the offensive line, and yeah, I know the defense gets talked about, but I often think about the two that was eleven defense as kind of a what if, Like what if Mario Williams had stayed healthy. You know who knows because my barr when I forgot was on that defense was really he had seven sacks on again geez you know. Yeah, So yeah, I think twenty eleven is probably the right way, and we.
Got to keep motivated.
Wait, he didn't have seven day at seven. He had eleven or twelve that year. My bad.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got to keep the twenty twenty four guys motivated.
Going to the twenty twenty five. Okay, here's your next topic.
Okay, next bracket, Next bracket, twenty twenty four moments. Okay, top seed, top seed Derek Barnett scoop and score versus Dallas on Monday Night Football. Okay, go on number two. The second seed is CJ. Stroud. Ball goes through his hands, he dribbles it once, finds Xavier Hutchinson in the playoff game, which really kind of got the offense going. That's the two seed. Number three, the man who will join us later in this show. His two picks versus Miami. That was a great win as the Texas beat the Dolphins twenty to twelve. Derek Stingley Junior has two picks in the fourth quarter, shutting down the unshutdown a bowl, Tyreek Hill and number four you're gonna like this one, Okay, sweeping the Colts.
Ooh one se.
Derek Barnett scoop and score versus Dallas Comday Night Football.
Number two CJ.
Shroud dribble pass to Xavier Hutchinson against the charge of the playoff game. Number three Derek Stingley's two fourth quarter picks to beat Miami and number four.
Sweeping the Horseshoes.
So opening night Battle one the four Derek Barnett scoop and score.
Sweeping the Colts. This is this is an upset. Not only an upset, it's a blowout upset. Okay, swiping the Colts over Derek Barnett. Oh, Derek scoop and score is great play.
It's against Dallas and Monday Night Football. It's a good thing.
We never want, I know, but it's oparent just sweeping the Colts. In my mind, it's cute. Okay, sweeping the Colts is monumental, John, does it happen off? All right? All right?
Yeah?
There are probably a lot of people. There are probably a lot of people that are listening, going and what's the big deal. Mark, we beat the Colts twice, like whatever. No, this is one of those where you kind of had to be there, kind of all along, Like.
You've said this throughout the season. You're like, don't overlook the horseshoe.
You ever can never do it, and you can never have enough victories against them. Yeah, you must make them miserable for years. It has to be. It should go on the wall in the weight room. If they allowed me to hang stuff up in there, I'd be like, sweep the Colt, not beat the Colt, sweep the Colts, sweep those horseshoe wearing all right, it's a blowout, upset.
It's seed beating a one. It's a shocker, not even close.
I think the committee didn't get it right with that one seed.
But go on, I don't know, man. It was against Dallas.
It was big Dylan petrieonians involved in that.
I mean, it's a great moment.
You don't have anything against the Buffalo in that top.
No, I did, and that was huge.
No, I was I the ending moment.
You know what number four, the four number four seed was gonna be was Coymie Schielgal against Buffalo.
I think what everything leading up to that, the three in complete passes. The punt Robert Woods getting it into range was long range, but getting into range with just enough time left for Eming to drill it through was huge. The execution at the end of that game was phenomenal. Okay, all right, what's the two three, the two three.
Or four CJ's dribble pass Xavier Hutchinson against the Chargers or Derek Stingley's two picks in the fourth quarter against Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins.
Stingley's picks are huge because if they don't win that game, who knows what happened exactly. Let's say the Texans lou the Colts are playing later that day at Denver. Do they play better? No? I think Sexons went.
I absolutely think so.
I think there's a difference there. I think that they win necessarily, but it could have made a difference for them. And if you if that happens, weren't you gonna be tied with them? Yes?
Yes, if they won, to get tied with three to go and you had Chiefs Ravens, Chiefs.
Ravens coming up like huh oh, now you've got to play Tennessee.
More than likely with your full group because you don't have it clinched exactly.
You could have been Jacksonville twenty twenty three, but Sting made sure it didn't happen. And as big as those are, CJ's is bigger, Okay, CJ. Because Johnny, that play by CJ snap going through his hands, it's like kind of like a microcosm of the season, like, oh no, what's really happening with CJ. Oh, CJ's fine, Say he's back, He's great, And in one play, in one play, all of that happens. I love that play, and I think that play sent us into the offseason, despite what happened at Kansas City the following week, sent us into the offseason with way more of a glow about CJ and the offense's prospects. Moving forward into twenty twenty five and beyond.
Is it enough to overtake sweeping the Colts? Your championship matchup? The four seeds? Sweeping the Colts versus the two seeds? CJ's dribble past Xavier Hutchins City.
Shot at the buzzer. Sweeping the Colts because if you don't sleep the another four seed, Yes, all right, Colts is the most important thing, and I'm gonna say it about twenty twenty five too. Sweep the freaking Colts do it again. Keep them down, keep your foot on their neck. Yeah, because it's all about the division first. You gotta make sure you take care of business in your division, on your block.
Thus far, our two brackets best Texans defense was the three seed to twenty eleven Bulls on Parade. Best twenty twenty four moment bracket went to sweeping the Colts.
The four seed.
Yeah, but as far as one single play, I'd say, CJS.
Yeah, yeah, finally yeah, best draft in Texans history.
Oh boy, we don't have enough time, all right, but I can do.
Okay, So here we go.
The one seed in a not really an upset, but they're kind of like Loyola Merrymount. They just kept shooting and gunning. They just kept running and going and going and going right. The twenty twenty three class, which that's the one seed, included CJ.
Stroud, Will Anderson two three two Scrugs.
Tank Dell, Dylan Horton, Henry TOATOA Jarted Patterson, Xavier Hutchinson.
That's the one seed.
The number two seed is often thought to be the best draft in Texas history. The twenty six draft featuring Mario Williams one dot one, a man named Demico Ryans in the second round, Charles Spencer, who could been a great how he stayed healthy. Then you had Eric Winston starting right tackle, Owen Daniels the best tight ended team history, Wally Lundy, and my favorite, David Anderson. Two thousand and six is the second seed. The third seed is two thousand and nine. Brian Cushion goes to pick number fifteen. Second round, Connor Barwin, third round, Antoine Bubba Caldwell, fourth round arguably the best one of the best Day three picks I've ever made, Glover Quinn also in the fourth round, Anthony Hill, tied enm from North Carolina State didn't really work out.
James Casey from Rice was a great pick.
In the fifth round, Bryce McCain in the sixth, and Troy Nolan didn't really work out. He was in the seventh. Two thousand and nine is the three seed and the fourth seed. Twenty eleven. Okay, some guy named.
Watt went with pick number eleven.
Yep.
Brooks Reed was then a second round pick.
Brandon Harris, shot Carmichael Shallowcadt but at quarterback from North Carolina, invited to combine to just be a combine arm turn into a cult hero for the Texans.
TJ.
Yeats and Derek Newton from Arkansas State in the seventh round. Watt Reid Yates Newton twenty eleven is the fourth seed. Okay, so the one to four matchup will save Let's do two verses three?
First year.
Yeah, this game is in Dayton, so it's oh nine. So the second seed is two thousand and six versus the three seed two thousand and nine.
If Drew were here, he would say, oh nine, He would say oh nine, But I'm gonna say oh six. Okay, all right. First of all, Mario Williams put up some big numbers.
He did. People don't want to believe that, but he did, don't.
I mean, look at his numbers compared to Clowney. They're better. They're numbers, they're better. Clowney is kind of sexier, but Mario put up better numbers. And Mario, if he played three more years at a high level, you're talking about a Hall of Fame potential player there, ye Demiko, I mean, is he the best linebacker? He's not the leading total tack learned team history, but he's the leading solo tack learned team history. So he's the best linebacker you ever had. Team captain Waite Smith on with us yesterday talking about he was my captain. He plays offense. Okay, that's how they regard Tomiko. Now he's the head coach of the football team. Eric Winston beautiful, great right tackle, Owen Daniels, my gosh, Uh, David Anderson really good player. Undrafted free agents don't camp. But Mike Brazell was in this class too. I like nine as well. How can you not with Kushing Barwin.
I mean, we like all four of these drafts.
Oh gave us some great guys and some tremendous players, including one future Hall of Famer. Uh, at least that we know of right now. O six wins, Oh, six wins. Okay, let's get to the one v.
Four all right.
This kind of feels like, in a sense you've seen that.
That gift of the the Uh, who's the guy from three hundred the movie three hundred Butler? Yeah, our Butler is standing there and like everybody is running at him, and he's just standing there like he's ready to fight. It's like, that's why any here comes CJA. The entire twenty three draft one v. Four twenty twenty three to one seed, the four C twenty eleven picket.
Eleven has such a great story because of what and Yeates, Yeah, Brooks Reed did some things here too. He's really good in the playoffs. Yeates, though, the folk hero that he is for this organization adds to the draft. And Newton starter at right tackle. But what can't hold everybody by himself? Basically he can't even though he's going into Canton, he can't hold back the class of twenty twenty three as a whole. And look, only time will tell. We go five more years and who knows what happens in the postseason. This is definitely the number one class twenty twenty three, but we're only two years in. However, so far, so very good. Y. I mean, when you consider the history of this team and you're talking about two division championships, two seasons and playoff victories, very nice drought Anderson Jews tank, my gosh, Henry leading tackler on the team last year actually that big catch and several others. Jared Patterson, a starter at center, for a chunk of time over the last two years. I love the class in twenty twenty three.
Okay, this feels like USCV Texas in two thousand and five, your championship battle the one seed CJ. Stroudwill Anderson Company in twenty twenty three and in two.
Thousand and six.
On the other side, they're head coached Miko Ryans, Mario Williams, Owen Daniels and David Anderson. Who wins twenty twenty three versus two thousand and six.
I think six still wins it for now. Oh, it's kind of like when the Celtics held off the Pistons at eighty seven.
And birdstole the ball. You knew it was coming.
You knew it was coming, but did it wasn't That's a really dated reference, but those who followed it closely understand.
Yeah.
Yeah, but you know that the young Bucks from twenty twenty three are going to be regarded as the best class. They just only have two years into this thing, you know. Or like Jordan putting up sixty three at the Garden. Uh, oh, it's common they lost in a sweep. Yeah, it hadn't happened yet, but you saw what's gonna happen, and this is gonna happen. This is gonna be the greatest franchise draft class ever. Twenty twenty three.
As a side note, you you want to learned me to this to on Max the Celtics Doc. Yeah, the first three episodes, it's unbelievable. It's it's incredible because they have.
It's a social unrest in Boston.
It's just it's it's so incredibly good. So check that out, all right?
Bracket time, best defense became the three seed twenty eleven's defense. The best moment in twenty twenty four was a four seed snuck in, but they ended up getting hot in a tournament sweeping the Colts. Was the four seed that was the best moment and the best drafted team history. It's the two seed for now, the two thousand and six Houston Texans, led by one Mario Williams and Demico Ryans and On Daniels and David Anderson as well. All right, we get back Drew and I to mock draft for in the lab. We did it about two hours before the Texans signed Cam Robinson. But I'm gonna still make it worth its wox. I remember who we picked and I remember how we went about it, and I think it still fits.
So we're gonna have that next on Texans All Access.
Stepan, everybody, Welcome back to this Friday issue of Texas All Access from today Texans Radio Studio. I'm your host, John Harris, football analyst, sideline reporter. Some news for your Texans if you missed it, Ronald Darby signed with the Texans.
That was made official yesterday. Mark and I talked about that in the first segment.
Trent Brown, formerly of the Niners, the Patriots, and last year the Bengals. You often forgot about him because he only played the first three games and then tore his pateller tendon and set out the rest of the year with that injury, a similar injury to what Josh Simmons, Ohio State draft prospect, and he will come up here in just a little bit for a particular reason. But Trent Brown trying to resurrect a career. One year deal, not a lot of money, but Trent Brown now a Houston Texan.
More paint thrown on the canvas at that offensive line position.
Over the last few days, Cam Robinson Trent Brown both brought in to play presumably tackles. I know Cam probably left tackle. Trent's probably played right in the past. I don't think they would move in the guard. We'll see, but Trent Brown now a member of the Texans. So before those moves happened, Drew Doherty and I did a mock draft on in the Lap.
We like to do this from time to time.
We examined all the trades, and even though things had changed a little bit, when I went back and I listened to and looked at who we ended up selecting, I even thought that these moves that were made with Robinson and Ronald Darby and now Trent Brown. Really I think our draft sort of fits right in line with that.
I don't think we really had to change anything. So let's do it. Let's get into our mock draft.
At pig number twenty five, I was considering some defensive linemen, but I eventually settled.
On the star of the Senior Bowl.
I mean, between Tyler Williams, Walter Nolan, and Kenneth Grant, who's right there beyond Greys Abel, you got three tremendous options. Yeah, but you've really bolstered your defensive line, and I think you can get defensive line later in the draft. I think defensive line number eight is way better than into your offensive line number eight, if that makes sense. So I think at this point I've kind of got circled number thirty three on Pffan's board, and that's greys Abel. That's right, We're bringing grays Abel to Houston in the lab mock draft pick number twenty five. Can play dark play tackle, might even end up being the best at center.
He split out three positions in college. Love everything about him.
Athletic thirty six and a half inch vertical, had a great senior bowl, had a great career south at North Dakota State. We're going Grayzable at pick number twenty five. So it's time for pick number fifty eight. And I kept looking at the board and I don't think it falls because this guy's gonna end up being a top twenty player for me. But there was a particular old miss defensive lineman still on the board that I just couldn't take my eyes off. And he became our pick at number fifty eight. Then I look at defensive line. Walter Nolan at number fifty eight is a freaking steal. Let's do that then, let's do it. I think Walter Nolan fifty eight is to steal. There's some reason labels on the field.
Let's do it.
Yeah, he's he's a freakazoid. He can disappear at times. But getting him a fifty eight, I think he's a great pick. So I like that walteron Nolan. Nolan is one hell of an athlete, number one recruit in the country at twenty twenty two, ended up at A and M and then moving on to Old Miss. There were games at Old Miss where he just took the game over, just took it over. And there were games you're like, oh, hey, where's number two? At Senior Bowl. You could just see the bounce of the twitch off the snap of me. It was incredible to watch. Okay, that gets us to pick number seventy eight. And we were looking at the board and all of a sudden, we you listed about six or seven names, and then I said, Drew, look at who next in our list.
We scrolled down a little bit more and we found this. Who's next is Jared Wilson from Georgia.
He's a center.
Now I have seen a few different people that I really really respect over the last month or two. Say you can get Wilson, Ratledge or who's a third from Georgia, the interior guy, Dylan Fairschild or Dylan Fairchild. You can plug them in and you will never have to worry for a while. You'll have starters there that like, that's that put off like sirens in warning six.
Well, I'm gonna'm gonna throw one more siren at you, Okay, and hopefully you respect the guy that you're doing this podcast with.
Yep, because my name is John Harris.
Yeah, you know for Plano Syline Report for Houston Texans Football Takeover Deck. Hopefully've done a lot of draft football takeover dot Colm Jared Wilson is the best center that I've studied in a long time.
That's all you gotta say.
Let's take him. I love Wilson. I think he is a tremendous center.
Uh.
They've had some centers come out at Georgia, you know, from the Ben Jones going forward. You know center Fan Graingery a couple of years ago. This guy is the best I've seen and he is tremendous. I think he play in his own scheme. I think you need to hold up against zero techniques I think you can do a little bit of everything at center. Bring him here, throw him into the competition. But we weren't done in the third round. We looked at the list, we saw a lot of names we liked. We'd liked Emery Jones, he was on the board at this point. But we've kind of gone offensive line already in this draft, and we've already added today. Trent Brown came Robinson a couple days ago, so we've really been adding Pieces Lake and Tomlinson at Ingram a few days before that.
So we kind of felt like we had beaten that drum a little bit.
But one area we felt like we hadn't addressed yet with our picks was wide receiver. And then I looked at the list and it went down about four or five names, and I saw it right there, there's the name I was interested in, right there at pick number eighty nine. So to me, what I don't know that you have is Jack Besh. I think Jack Besh is the swarmiest of the swarming. I think one of my favorite, my favorite moment in the Senior Bowl was the Ran toss crack and Jack Besh was in the Nico Collins alignment and that means you got the down block on a defensive end. And Jack Besh hit rj Oben from Notre Dame and then stayed on the block to a point where rj Oben is basically like banging on the back of him, like get him off, me, get him off me.
Besh can run. He's gonna be in four to five range.
Kind of got some build up speed, great hands, tough, mentally tough. Fortune lost his brother, Tiger Besh in the tragedy in New Orleans this past New Year's Eve, and the Senior Bowls basically dedicated to him, and he rose up and just was incredible. There you go, Low, what's your appetite? With Gray Zabel, Walter Nolan, Jared Wilson and Jack Besh.
That was a really fun mock draft.
But the guy the Texans drafted number three overall in twenty twenty two, that was Derek Stingley Junior. He's a stud He jumped in studio with me to go one on one exclusively. Right here, we have won final segment this Friday issue of Texans All Access from.
Monday, Texans Radio Studio.
I'm your host, John Harris, Football Analyst Sideline reporter Earlier this week, I had a chance to go one on one with one of my favors of this building, Derek Stingley Junior, the y'all pro three year, ninety million dollar extension, said he want to stay in Houston for his career, and we're moving in that direction signing a second contract with the Texans. Here's my discussion one on one with all prosting My man guy wanted all along twenty twenty two. In fact, I actually wanted you wait before that. I don't know if I've ever told you the story Derek Stingley Junior in studio twenty nineteen. I walked into the studio. We were having trouble covering people and I walked in. I said to Mark, I was like, man, I wish we had that kid from LSU. And he goes, he goes who Stingley? I said, yeah, and he goes, well, year is he?
I know?
He's a true fresh And we got to wait and I was like, yeah, we're not gonna get him anyways. Lo and behold you end up here in Houston. Derek has been one of the best things for the franchise. You get the extension he signed the extension. First of all, how do you feel just to kind of have I don't know if that was weighing on you at all, but just to have that done it over with, how's it feel?
I mean, it feels great. I'm glad to be a part of this team for you know, more time. Oh hopefully you know, a little bit longer and then I'm just ready to get back to work, like keep going.
So I saw you in the hallway two days after you signing extension. You're out there working with a bunch of guys, and you've got more guys here seemingly in the building at this time of year than ever before.
And you mentioned it in the Ryan Clark podcast.
You talked about setting a standard that Nico the year before you saw what he went through and you wanted to be able.
To set a standard. Why was that important to you for this organization?
Well, really, like like you said, Nico, Nico was already here doing all that, so like that that standards is already set. So I mean I was just trying to keep up with how we how things operate around here, and hopefully more people just do that on a consistent basis.
You get drafted in twenty twenty two, I'm not very good.
In twenty twenty two, the Miko comes in, we get a few more players to come in.
Things change. You saw it before you see it now.
What's kind of been the biggest thing you think in the transformation of this organization, Derek?
In your opinion, you actually like, like on the like.
Just from the team perspective, what's been different from when you got here to what it is now?
Well, really, I think that the group of guys that we got or that we had on the team last year and the year before that just like an immediate like almost like a chemistry. Yeah, right, thing played into that, like going through the workouts before the season started, like you can already see like you you know how to talk to your teammates, and then by the time you get on the field start doing practice, then that's where you start seeing like like how people are when they come to.
Competition on the field.
And then by the time we get to the actual games, it's like everybody's already clicking. And I mean you just see that from the from the beginning.
So I grew up about thirty minutes from here. My dad was my coach. My dad had a way of getting kind of tough on me. I know, your dad coached you for a long time, and when my dad got tough on me, I always had moms that was there. And a lot of people talk about your dad and the impact, but what about your moms being there for you throughout this entire journey.
As much as your dad.
Yeah, I mean without without her, Like I mean it's say it's the same for both. Like if without what they do, I wouldn't be sitting right here right now, like like yeah, with my dad a lot working out and you know, just you know football and it really is more than football, but like talking about but yeah, so yeah with football with him and then with my mom is like you know, like you see the family side of like like her side of the family, like how they always together, how they always you know, communicating and stuff like that. So I mean it's different levels to what they do. And I mean a lot of people don't have that, but I got it.
So to hell of support system.
Man, And they're the only two people that get to the stadium before any of us too, which I think it's fantastic. I've seen him in every single stadium before I get there. And I'm one of the first to get there. One of the things I love doing with you is talking about the game. We talk about things that have happened in the game, like you can give me the details and everything. We after Jacksonville game and you had an interception and you gave me a whole breakdown of what happened against Brian Thomas. So I'm gonna give you my favorite interception and I want you to tell me what happened December fifteenth, twenty twenty four, fourth down against Miami Dolphins. The first interception when you're one on one on Tyreek Hill, the one in the south end zone or near the south end zone. Take me through that play and what happened you remember, I know you got the recall.
Yeah, So.
On that play, I think it was either to play before or to play or two plays before that he ran He took an outside release and ran a dig and he caught the ball for a first down. And that that really the way he ran the route. It was kind of weird, like you're not You're not gonna see nobody else run that how he runs it, So all right, anyway, So that's that's that's beforehand.
So that said in your brain, that's something that said something out right. And then.
Either the next player or two players after after he caught that past it was kind of like the shot area going into the field, and I kind of like, I just had a thought in my mind that he wasn't going to try to just run past me all right here, even though he could have because we was in single high and they had a lot of field to work with to like a front pile line throw or back pile line, whichever one they wanted to do. But he took the release and he still he stayed kind of vertical off of his first couple of steps. And then when he was running like he wouldn't like Tyree. He has a specific type of run and how he looks when he's running like he but I just had a feeling that he was about to break and then and I just kind of locked in on the hill. And then once he turned, I turned look for the ball.
A lot of people when they the NFL put out a video. I don't know if you know this. The NFL put out a video on Twitter.
It was like three and a half minutes of your best places going all the way back to your game against Jackson with your first interception in your career, it was an interception, past breakup, et cetera. I think what people miss a lot about you, it's how well you play the run and how well you come up and how willing you are to come up and tackle.
Where did that kind of start for you?
It's always has it always been part of your game that you're going to take pride in not only.
Cover people, but coming up and making tackles as well. Yeah, I mean that that kind of well, I mean going back to a little kid. Yeah, but once once I got into college, my defensive back coach, Cory Raymond, he would always say.
Y'all got to tackle.
Y'all got to y'all gotta know how to come down and make a tackle, hit with this shoulder, this foot forward. And he would just say that and we would kind of look at him like why, like you know, like what's the point of us really getting in there and tackling. But I mean it turned out that, I mean, to be a great, a better corner, you got to show up in the run like you gotta. You gotta be reliable or they just gonna run the ball at you thirty times a game and you're not gonna help the team if you can't make the tackles.
And now on the other side of you got this young buck. He'll come up and do things.
And you said, use the word crazy, and I think that kind of fits with the way Kamari plays and Kaitlin's back there. Now you're adding CJ to you guys, what are your thoughts about the secondary and what you've got now with those two young bucks. Now in the second year, you're coming back, JP coming back healthy, Chauncey being added to the mix.
What you think about your secondary now? I mean, I think I think we can just keep growing. There's always room to grow, Like, yeah, we had what we how many? Like we all we had a couple of sicks each last year?
Yeah, now so that's like twenty I think between y'all. Right, So, but I.
Know I'm speaking for everybody, and I know that we all dropped some interceptions.
Like we all yeah, I wasn't gonna say it, was gonna let you say.
It, like we all dropped the light, like we left a lot out there on the field. So I mean, just getting back to the basics of fundamentals, like why did that happen. Why did this happen? And just going out there and probably getting like thirty each.
That'd be nice.
I got to ask you about the commitment from the organization, from the McNair's on down, making that commitment to you for the next how many every years? And you said it on the podcast, you want to be in Houston. Like a lot of us, we want to be in Houston. I think when we see players that say we love Houston so much we want to be here, that you you're endearing yourself to us. But the organization has been endeared to you, from the McNair's on down.
How does it feel that they make the commitment to you.
I mean it feels great, and I mean I want to thank thank the McNair's for having me here, believing in me since I since I before I got here them Nick Serio, Miko Dino, see like everybody, everybody, that's a part of my growth as a player in the NFL. But really, you know the mcnery without them, I would I wouldn't be here, so no doubt.
Congratulations Derek Stingley as we know him all pro sting You're.
The very beast man.
Appreciate your time. Thanks so glad Number twenty four is here in Houston. Big thanks to him, big thanks to Mark, to Drew, to all of you for listening. We'll see you next time and as always, go Texans,
