The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Aaron Reiss Discusses The Gareon Conley Trade

Episode Date: October 22, 2019

Aaron Reiss of The Athletic joins Matt and Ross to discuss the Texans' newest trade acquisition, and the affect he will have on the secondary

Let's go. Houston's official sports cliche translator. I'm working hard. I'm trying to be a good teammate. I'm trying to go out here every day and do my job. Matt Thomas. Taking it one day at a time. Time is 1232.

We are heavy, heavy on the Astros and World Series. Don't want to neglect other things that are going on around town. That's a great time to be a sports fan. And we'll get a perspective on the nationals. Charlie Slows, their longtime Nationals play-by-play announcer, We'll be with us coming up at 1 o'clock today in about a half an hour to get a DC perspective on it. So that's coming up at 1 o'clock. Right now, he's said to our good friend Aaron Reese, who's able to jump in a little earlier for us because we are so much into the Astros coverage.

But Aaron was in Indianapolis. Level of disappointment on how the team, in your mind, Aaron, goes to Kansas City, beats one of the best teams on paper in the NFL. and then a penalty-filled, mental-erered-filled game against the Colts last Sunday. Yeah, I think in some ways, I mean, the penalty thing was just kind of a continuation of the week before they had 10 penalties in Kansas City, too. But I think kind of the difference ultimately was the red zone, the red zone issues for them. And even if the kicking was resolved, the red zone and the secondary was exposed a little bit more. Yeah, I mean, for me, it kind of just did. It seems like, you know, rather than the Chiefs game being a turning point,

it was kind of just a further representation of that this Texan team can look really good when things are clicking right, but you can't trust them to be clicked and right for, you know, maybe more than two weeks in a row. Aaron, here's the bit. Yesterday the team announces, or I guess it works its way through the national media that Garyon Connolly is now a Houston Texan. And so what we did is we, as responsible sportscasters, Aaron, we go on a Google search. and it was very, very, very ugly.

Now that we've had a chance to decompress a little bit and get the Twitter hate out there, tell me what you know about Garyon Connolly and how much of an upgrade is this and is there any concern that his poorest season for the Raiders will transition over to the Houston Texans? Yeah, so I was talking to the Athletics Raiders reporter, Vic Tafer, and he basically said that, you know,

they traded him in Parviction. because, you know, he wasn't drafted by the sort of Gruden, Mike Mayock regime, and didn't fit what they were wanting to do. And it just didn't really gel for them. And obviously, you can look on Twitter or Google, whatever, and see the low light. And, you know, I think the way the Texans hope this works out is that, you know, they're taking a guy with a third round pick that was the first round pick only a couple years ago.

They have them under, and maybe he'll be better with a better pass rush because Oakland had one of if not the worst pass rushes in the league the year before. and, you know, that obviously influences kind of how a young guy especially is going to be playing. So, you know, that won't be as much of a problem playing behind the Texans defensive front. And, you know, they also needed just regardless, they needed some kind of building blocks for the future with that cornerback. Jonathan Joseph is 35 years old. And, you know, in the last year of his contract, Bradley Robey was playing on a one-year deal. So really all they had prior to making this deal was, yeah, you know, Lonnie Johnson looks like he could be a starter in the league maybe and has played all right.

but, you know, I was not the only guy they were walking into the off season with. And Connolly, they have control of them for up to three more years with the fifth year option. And, you know, like I said, he was only a first round pick a couple years ago. So the Texans are hoping that talent will show through. Doesn't it seem like, though, Aaron, like the Raiders, if he were good, somebody you took in the first round, even it wasn't the same regime, a couple of years ago, and you're in a playoff hunt, and you obviously need some help in the secondary with what Aaron Rogers did to you last week.

It doesn't seem like you would let go of any cornerback that you'd think is any good in this scenario if you're the Raiders. Right. Yeah, I do agree with you in that regard. It very much, I mean, unless there are, you know, where personality disagreements or whatever, which I'm not, I don't know. I don't cover the Raiders, but, you know, unless it was something of that nature. And that wasn't really what a vacate for our athletic reporter led on to me, at least when I was speaking to him.

I mean, it seems like it just wasn't a fit movie for them schematically, but you would think, like you're saying, I mean, the guy, he's not that, he's pretty young into his career and he wasn't a first round pick that long ago you would maybe give him more time to try to bold it. Given that they are in the playoff hunt than just punt on them so quickly and you have a third round pick out of them.

Maybe the Raiders do it as a little bit of a high price to pay or a good return for them. Obviously they decided one way or another it was worth it for them but you know I kind of get it from both sides I guess I think this makes sense for the Texans that they didn't have the draft capital to acquire

a really big, one of the big time people like Jalen Ramsey or Patrick Peterson. Like I said, they also needed kind of some building blocks. So they weren't going to just trade for a one year or half-season rental or whatever on some veteran like Chris Harris, maybe. Aaron Rees with us from the athletic on the Matt Thomas show. So we tease about the fact that the Texans are operating like the New England Patriots, except for the winning part, clearly. They are trading one pick after the other like the Patriots do, because they're

the Patriots do not value trade picks, much draft picks, much like, frankly, the Houston Rockets don't do with Daryl Morey. The Texans are setting themselves up for a really, really skim draft unless you are on the flip side of it saying, look what these draft picks have done

in order to the players have gotten back in return. How do you see that? I did see some tweet that someone said, like, their 2020 draft or whatever was basically like Puncel and Stills and Conley or something in the first three rounds, and Duke Johnson too. And I guess that is true, right?

And that is kind of the, that is the way the Texans are viewing these transactions, is that drop-ticks and kind of the sexy allure of the unknown is overvalued and that you would rather get assets, you know, what you're getting in return, and it's just a better investment. And there is some truth to that by the same time. Like, obviously, not so much the case with Conley, but like, Tunsell, okay, so you gave up two first round picks who, you know, could be really good guys on chief contracts for now, someone who, because of the price paid for him, is going to be the highest paid offense line in league history, almost certainly. So, you know, if you are of the mind that you are a win now team and that you can do it this year if you're a Laramie Tunsell away and Kenny steals away, I guess, like Garyon Connolly away. then you do it.

But I'm not sure that the Texans are a good enough team, that they are a win-now team to make all these moves. The economy one at least doesn't feel quite as much of a win-now thing. Like I said, he has some years left on a cheaper deal. Last question for you. And look, I think the Texans are going to be in a good spot against Oakland. This is a tough trip for them after having to go to Green Bay and lose, and we saw the secondary get burned.

And the Texans against poorest defenses, i.e. Atlanta, have thrived. How do you size up the division? I mean, this is really no surprise where this is, But do you like Ross and I do flip your opinion about who's going to win the division almost every week? Or did you see enough against the Colts to say, you know what, this Jacoby Brissette is pretty damn good. The defense is getting back healthier. And, oh, by the way, their schedule back half of the season on paper is a lot easier than Texans. Yeah, you know, I mean, I don't know if I think for me it is definitely just like kind of a two-team race.

I would say that out of me. I know the Titans won, but like I don't put a ton of stock. and either of those victories, the Titans one, especially with kind of wacky. And, yeah, I just think, I know, Brian Tanahill is going to play that as well if he played on Sunday all season. So to me, it is kind of between the Colts and the Texans. And in terms of who wins it or who wins the division or who might get in the wild card, I do kind of toss back and forth in that either way. I think the Colts are a really good team.

And I think what you saw on Sunday was that while Jacoby percent might not challenge you downfield every week and throw up a bunch of yards, and they might just try to run it on your throat. The fact that they have a coach who can kind of put them in positions to succeed when they need to modify the game plan, and then he can step up and do what's needed, I think, says a lot about them. And, you know, I think that the Texans have some difficult games coming up. I mean, that London game, I think anything can happen in those London games just because of the wackiness of it.

And then they have to play the Patriots and they have to play the Ravens. I mean, they have some difficult games coming up. Well, labor with that, my friend. Thank you for the visit. And look forward to reading your stuff online. line at the Athletic with the Texans and the Raiders this Sunday. Talk again next week. Appreciate it as always. Thanks. You got it, Aaron Reese from the Athletic doing a really nice job on the Texans beat.