- 7 months ago
After discussing Nico Collins’ importance to the Texans offense, ITL zooms out to ask a bigger question: who are the most indispensable players on each side of the ball? And what does that say about C.J. Stroud’s talent — and how this offense is (or isn’t) maximizing it?
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00:00Nico Collins, obviously, you saw the impact of him.
00:04Is he an answer?
00:05Is Woody Marks an answer, as we were just talking about,
00:07to the most indispensable player on this Texas team?
00:11And we can split this up.
00:12Offense and defense.
00:13Offense, defense.
00:14Yeah.
00:14If you want to do special teams, I guess you could do that as well.
00:17But who do you view as the most indispensable player as we head into the postseason?
00:21And we have to qualify it, right, a little bit.
00:23You know, take away the obvious importance, import of the quarterback position.
00:29We're just saying at their position and how they're playing
00:34and how this offense and defense runs with them.
00:38That's how I'm looking at it anyway.
00:39And this came up because we were sitting in that press box Sunday,
00:43and it got better.
00:46Let's be very clear.
00:47It got better.
00:48But the whole first half, when, by the way, starters on both teams
00:52were really playing at their best because the Jacksonville game
00:56was somewhat still up in the air.
00:59We looked at each other and said, boy, I think you said it, actually.
01:03This offense is a little different without Nico on the field.
01:04That is correct.
01:05I felt that to be a novel observation.
01:08Clearly no one else in the building had thought it.
01:10No, clearly.
01:10It was very evident that Nico Collins stirs the drink when it comes to what this
01:15offense is, at least passing-wise.
01:17He takes a lot of attention, and that allows guys to do other things.
01:21And then he just wins.
01:22I think Matt Burt, was it Matt talking about it?
01:24It might have been Nick Haley because that would make more sense
01:25as the offensive coordinator last week, that there's instances where
01:30if you get in one-on-one, you trust him to be able to win it, right?
01:3250-50 circumstances aren't 50-50 when Nico Collins on the field.
01:36That matters when you have an offense that has looked the way that it has
01:39this year and an offense that has been built in the way that it has this year.
01:44And so that impact is there, not just for him.
01:47We were talking about this.
01:49Was it the Chargers game where you're seeing some of the big plays that are
01:52happening, not just for Nico, but because Nico is drawing attention,
01:56he's drawing down second players.
01:58Like, he has his immediate charge of whoever was defending him,
02:01and then the safety is coming down and allowing Jalen Noel to cross their face,
02:06right?
02:06Things like that.
02:07I think that that is one of the reasons why he's a good answer.
02:10Oddly enough, he's not the informant.
02:13He is the answer that came to mind for me,
02:15and maybe it's just recency bias because even C.J. Stroud, you know,
02:20Dalton Schultz was having his moments,
02:22but just clunky is the best way I could put it.
02:25The defense didn't have to really shade any safeties over a double team
02:29or anything else.
02:30This offense is vastly different without Nico Collins.
02:34I have him as number one.
02:37Do you agree with the 2-8-1 here on the text line that feels like you have
02:40to give him 10 targets?
02:41Because that's been an interesting thing that's happened in the season is we
02:44hit a point near the middle of the season where it was like just force feed the
02:48man the football.
02:49Get him the football and get things going.
02:51As this offense has gone throughout the season in the last, I don't know,
02:55handful of weeks,
02:55you have seen them kind of level out the targets all the way across the
02:59receiving core, whether that's tight ends,
03:01Dalton Schultz getting 4-5,
03:03Nico getting 4-5,
03:04Higgins getting 4-5 targets.
03:06You've seen that kind of spread out across.
03:09Do you like what we've seen the latter of this offense being a more distributed
03:13approach to sending the football around the field?
03:17Or do you like it?
03:17Get the ball to Nico Collins,
03:19focus in on him.
03:20I like it,
03:21but let's keep this in mind.
03:22How much of the more balance,
03:24the more spreading out of the ball is because Nico was on the field,
03:28you know,
03:28because there was the safety cheating over,
03:30because there was a double team,
03:31because they laid off of him a little more to keep him in front.
03:36And so some of the other options became open.
03:38I think you have to keep that in mind.
03:39You know,
03:40Nico Collins affects everyone on the field.
03:42So that's why he's my number one,
03:45but I do like it.
03:45I mean,
03:46I do like that they're doing it.
03:47And as far as like,
03:48he needs to be targeted 10 times.
03:50Absolutely.
03:52This is one of the things that can and should be true.
03:54You know,
03:55because he's on the field,
03:56it's good to spread the ball because that's where the open look is.
03:59And that's where CJ Stroud has embraced this offense.
04:02CJ Stroud has bought into,
04:03you know,
04:04where the right read is immediately and then going with it.
04:06If not that,
04:07the second one.
04:08But at the same time,
04:09there are moments when you say,
04:11screw it,
04:12you know,
04:12screw it.
04:12Let's get the ball to up to Nico and see what happened.
04:15Yeah.
04:15I think that that's,
04:16that's,
04:16that's a fair play of going.
04:17I think you're right in that his impact shows up.
04:20And I like being able to spread the ball around because as long as he's on
04:24the field,
04:24he's going to guard in that interest.
04:25But if you feel like you have a lot of other dudes that can get involved,
04:28I think that you're also a little bit less predictable.
04:31However,
04:31I think in order to get the football out,
04:34it comes to the player that I'm thinking about.
04:36And I,
04:37can you give me D'Amico Ryan's cut 19 here?
04:40Figgy fig.
04:41I'd appreciate that.
04:42Cause yesterday during D'Amico's meeting with the media,
04:46he was asked about this particular player and his growth.
04:49And it was interesting to me because D'Amico was not glowing necessarily in
04:55talking about the entirety of this player's game.
04:57And I would have been really annoyed if he was,
04:59but he was very pointed.
05:01And I think it matters.
05:02This is D'Amico Ryan's talking about the growth of center.
05:05Jake Andrews.
05:06Jake has done a,
05:07he's done a good job of setting the table when it comes to the protections,
05:10the mic points,
05:11uh,
05:12idea.
05:12And up front,
05:13he's done a good job of communicating,
05:15which is,
05:15is what we need.
05:16You need a guy up front who is loud,
05:20can communicate,
05:21make sure everybody's on the same page.
05:22And Jake,
05:23Jake has done that for us.
05:24Yeah.
05:25I can't go there.
05:26Uh,
05:26okay.
05:27I think it's a great point.
05:28And,
05:28and I think you're,
05:29you're not,
05:29not that you're making him the most would be wrong,
05:34uh,
05:35necessarily because that's your opinion,
05:37man.
05:37Uh,
05:37but your opinion,
05:39bro,
05:39but he still gets blown up way far too often.
05:42He does.
05:43He gets blown up far too often.
05:44I'm looking,
05:45I remember I was talking about British Brooks.
05:46I was talking about how he had run the ball.
05:48Well,
05:48and I was interested to see how much of that was his play and how much that
05:52was offensive lines.
05:53Well,
05:53of course you get the all 22 drop the day after the game.
05:55And I was going through some of that yesterday and there's instances
05:58where Jake Andrews getting up to the second level,
06:00getting his hands on the linebacker and the linebacker going,
06:02all right,
06:02that was,
06:03that was nice.
06:04So let me go and get the running back.
06:05Right.
06:05There's instances where I still have issues for Jake Andrews,
06:08even more than I'll say.
06:09And I feel comfortable saying it to this microphone,
06:11right?
06:11This moment.
06:12However,
06:12I don't want to ignore the organizational aspect of what this offensive
06:18line has.
06:19It matters a great deal.
06:21He's on the field.
06:22And so he is indispensable as evidenced by,
06:24of all of the offensive line combinations that we've seen this year.
06:27Some of them maddening,
06:29some of them necessary.
06:30There's been one position where it has been static the whole way around.
06:33And it's been Jake Andrews.
06:34And I think that knowing the way,
06:36the places that you have been in the CJ Stroud tenure in particular,
06:40just in general,
06:40but last year in particular,
06:41knowing that having a,
06:44not just a inability to do the physical acts of blocking and protecting,
06:49right?
06:49Not being able to,
06:50you know,
06:51have the technique and shout out to Cole Popovich for getting that
06:53together,
06:53but having all of those guys,
06:56those five guys working like a fingers in a glove,
06:58working in tandem,
07:00being able to pick up twists and stunts and not looking like a remedial
07:02offensive line.
07:04It seems like the head coach and all of the different principles that talk
07:07about this,
07:07give credit to Jake Andrews for being an organizational force.
07:10And I don't want to ignore that.
07:11I want to,
07:11I don't want to give him that credit with the stakes that he's had.
07:14He's held steady.
07:15So I think that that actually in a weird way means that that organizational
07:19factor matters even more.
07:20That that's more than fair.
07:22And then I don't think that's,
07:23that's wrong at all either,
07:24but my,
07:25my second pick offensively,
07:26we got to get into the defense here as well.
07:28He's actually on the offensive line,
07:30but it's not Jake Andrews.
07:31It's Trent Brown,
07:32just because of the trickle down effect.
07:35Now they,
07:36they did better.
07:37You know,
07:37they did fine.
07:38And I should say this past week,
07:39but it was mostly backups on both sides or at least on the Texan side.
07:43But Trent Brown at right tackle,
07:45we,
07:46you can,
07:46there's a line of demarcation.
07:47When this line got better,
07:49there is an absolute,
07:50you can point to that one thing.
07:52And that one thing was Trent Brown getting on the field.
07:54And that's when this offensive line started to get better.
07:57To me,
07:57he's right behind Nico in terms of importance.
07:59He's,
08:00he's definitely helped solidify what they're doing here without question.
08:03As anything with the offensive line,
08:06there's the caveat.
08:06I don't think that we need to do it in this moment for the sake of time,
08:09but I think it's a good answer.
08:10And one of the things that I is most encouraging here is that as,
08:15although he did not play,
08:15he was limited participant all last week.
08:17I would,
08:18I'm surely hoping that that him not playing was more of a precaution for him at
08:23his age with the knocks that he's had or what have you coming off of the
08:26injury that he,
08:26that he did off of the off season more than his inability to play.
08:29And so hopefully he's ready.
08:31And in locker room opportunities to talk to the media,
08:35he's basically said he's,
08:36he's just now starting to feel more like himself again.
08:38And we've seen himself in the past be a really good line.
08:42And now how much of that is I'm in the best shape of my life talk,
08:44right?
08:45How much of that?
08:45But I think you're right.
08:46You can see a really good tackle on the right side,
08:48which you're going to need,
08:49especially against the Steelers.
08:50Cause they got some edge rush.
08:51Against these edge rushers.
08:54Now,
08:55who is as,
08:55as many,
08:56as I think Mina Kime said yesterday,
08:59that she voted for,
09:01I think four or five Texans all pro this year,
09:04as good as they are.
09:05Ooh,
09:05I wonder,
09:06I know she loves Kamari and he,
09:08she should,
09:08she mentioned him.
09:09So Kamari,
09:10Sting,
09:11Will,
09:11Danil,
09:12and Aziz,
09:13maybe that'd be an interesting question where she went.
09:15Petrie,
09:16Aziz,
09:16maybe Petrie,
09:17but I think we all agree.
09:19Will Anderson.
09:20Yeah.
09:20The most,
09:22the most,
09:22you know,
09:23meaningful for,
09:24for this defense.
09:25Or would you disagree?
09:27You know,
09:27so I feel like there's trends going on.
09:29You've been going with dudes that their impact is felt even when they're,
09:33the numbers aren't there in a traditional sense.
09:36Nico Collins doesn't have to catch the football to have impact.
09:38Sure.
09:38On the game.
09:39As we've talked about Will Anderson jr.
09:40Also,
09:41there's been a number of times where there's a sack or a pressure and that is
09:45actually Will creating this on one side.
09:47Yeah.
09:47Or run.
09:48He is creating this.
09:49Like there's been a lot of run stopping for him this year that I don't know
09:52how much credit he's gotten in a,
09:53in a national sphere.
09:54Yeah.
09:55I think those you,
09:56you bring those up.
09:56So I'm going to stick with my trend of trying to be the smartest man in the
09:59room and pick and off the cuff one.
10:02I really liked Sheldon Rankins as an indispensable player on this defense.
10:05Sheldon Rankins is,
10:06is really the defensive version,
10:08but better of Andrews of Jake Andrews.
10:12And that's,
10:12that's my thought,
10:13right?
10:13We,
10:13we came into the season and actually not even came to see me.
10:16We went into the off season last year with one of the draft possibilities
10:20being an interior defensive line.
10:21Sheldon Rankins has come back and picked up where he left off in more so.
10:24And I continue to give him the credit for when you were dealing with mobile
10:28quarterbacks,
10:29cutting your ass up,
10:30running down the football field.
10:33It was some three,
10:34the other guys,
10:35Tim settle a Togion once he got more run,
10:37Mario Edwards being able to contain and help those rush ends while they're
10:41also making sure that they keep their good rush lanes.
10:44It's,
10:44it's the Sheldon Rankins been aware of getting out there and being able to
10:47contain.
10:47He's,
10:48he's almost solely,
10:49I don't want to say solely,
10:50but he's almost solely the reason where I'm not afraid of a screen at all
10:53because he is always,
10:54he is always there.
10:56He's always acknowledging.
10:57Oh,
10:57I thought he sees the screen before it happens.
10:59He gets there.
11:00I think that that matters a great deal in setting the spine of the defense and
11:03being able to allow your Russians to do what they do.
11:06I think Sheldon Rankins is indispensable.
11:07Yeah,
11:08I think that's a good one.
11:09And,
11:09but my second choice would be right behind Sheldon Rankins.
11:11That's one Aziz Alshair.
11:13Yeah.
11:13We see what they,
11:14they,
11:15they,
11:15I don't want to say struggle cause they're still really good,
11:18but we see the drop off when Aziz is not on the field.
11:20Without question.
11:21Without question.
11:22Some other ones coming in.
11:23Somebody said,
11:23no,
11:23we can't pay all that,
11:24that many all pros.
11:25That's a great problem to have nine,
11:27three,
11:27six.
11:28Yeah.
11:28And they will have to figure that out.
11:30I think that that's something that we'll talk about in the future,
11:32but for the time being,
11:33I right now you are getting the effect of all pros.
11:36Excellent.
11:36I would like to give them the all pros and appreciate that.
11:39We'll deal with the issues on the backside.
11:40Uh,
11:41some other names that came in can't overlook Dalton Schultz.
11:44Yeah.
11:44And the toughness that he has demonstrated,
11:46continuing to play through the injuries that we know.
11:48And only God knows what other injuries he's had up there.
11:51Petrie absolutely up there because we've talked about this.
11:54This defense is you can,
11:56you play kind of like a base defense while being a nickel.
11:58That is huge in the modern NFL,
12:00especially where the pendulum is swinging towards teams running the football.
12:04We've talked about that.
12:05So being able to come up,
12:06stop the run,
12:06apply pressure,
12:07and also still be solid enough in coverage.
12:10All those things matter a great deal.
12:13Um,
12:14seven,
12:14one,
12:14five,
12:14seven,
12:14two,
12:15four,
12:15six,
12:1510 on the most indispensable players.
12:17And thankfully so many of them are healthy.
12:20You're,
12:20you're,
12:20you're relatively healthy for this time of year headed into the playoffs,
12:23which is really good for a Texas team looking to make big noise,
12:26um,
12:27in the postseason.
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