The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Aaron Reiss on Texans v Lamar Jackson, Goal Is To Keep Him In The Pocket

Episode Date: November 12, 2019

Aaron Reiss of The Athletic joins Matt and Ross to discuss the Texans taking on the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson

is the Matt Thomas show. 103 on Sports Talk 790 League. Let's get to some NFL talk on the Texans and the Baltimore Ravens. The most important stretch of the season, three games coming up here, Baltimore Sunday at NRG for a game against the Colts on Thursday, and then home the following Sunday for the New England Patriots. Aaron Reese is with us from the athletic. Aaron, first and foremost, give us a health update. How healthy can the Texan secondary be going against Lamar Jackson and Gang on Sunday?

Yeah, I mean, Tashon Gibson said yesterday reporters that he expected, he expects to play. I imagine he'll play. I think Bradley Robey is a little more up in the air. But when Bradley Roeby got hurt against the Chiefs, it was always kind of thought that he would come back after the buy. the question really was whether that would be this week or another week or so after. I think that one's the one that we're still waiting to see a little on. What did you think just as an odd of a football fan watching J.D. Colleen yesterday was there a part of you going, man, he shall still speak to doing this for the Houston Texans. Yeah, I mean, I think it's the people in Houston saw for him too, right?

I was watching the broadcast in there saying, you know, the sack numbers haven't necessarily been there for him this year, but the fact numbers have never really been there for him. this year, but the fact that I've never really been there for him. But that's not really the point. I think when you think about him that way, I mean, he got a second that game last night, but that was only his third this season, right? I mean, that doesn't mean everything. That doesn't tell the whole story of Connie. And even the numbers that, the really good numbers that he did have, you know,

five QB hits and stuff, even that doesn't, and the phone more coverage for the touchdown. Even that doesn't really tell the story of everything he does. I mean, I was just reading something that the athletic Seahawks supporter had, It was kind of some of the plays he sort of influenced and stuff that didn't even show up on the stat line and how that just kind of energize the team. So I think he's certainly a player who the Texas would probably like to have at this time of year without JJ Watt as they enter this comment. All right.

I think all of us know watching any bit of football, the differences between Deshawn Watson and Lamar Jackson about one's a better thrower, one's a better runner. It doesn't matter. They're both dynamic players. They're both seriously in the MVP consideration. and the Ravens have been one of the big surprises this year. So let's go to first, if you are Baltimore's defense, how are you going to confuse Deshawn Watson and making some mistakes?

Because it's really the only time he's ever vulnerable is when he throws an unnecessary interception in a wrong place in a wrong time. Yeah, you know, I actually, I was just, I just wrote kind of a stats-heavy look at Watson and just kind of buy the numbers of where he's improved and stuff this year. And, you know, you mentioned, you know, he's not very vulnerable. many places this year. Yeah, I don't know. You know, early in the year, I think that

I think that teams were having some success, so they brought a lot of blitzes and stuff against them. But I don't know, I don't necessarily know if that's going to be the case anymore. I think that when it comes to this team now, I think that the line which should be fully healthy again, it's kind of found some continuity and it's played better and Watson has done better job getting into the ball

quickly. The last time this team lost, right, against the cults, he was a, he was a little they took away some of those RPO stuff that the Texans like to do. And a lot of that was just having a really good linebacker in Darrys Leonard, who I think can kind of make up for prevent the Texans from getting out in space with the tight end, Darren Feldman, and making stuff happen.

You know, I think that the Baltimore has some versatile defenders, and this will be a tough challenge for Watson up. All right. On the other side of things, if you're the Texans defense in Romeo Cornell, who did a really nice job of making Gardner Minschew look beyond pedestrian out in London against the Jaguars. What is he dialing up this week? What are some things?

Because I don't know. I mean, if you put a terrific pass rush on him, he's got greatest capability, he's been able to bounce off tacklers, how does somebody, and this may sound strange, can you force Lamar to throw the ball more than maybe he wants to as part of

a key to a victory? Yeah, you know, I mean, I think that is I think definitely the technician's DJ Reader yesterday. I kind of just like the key is really staying disciplined. in terms of your rush and mostly trying to contain them. I don't think that the end game here, obviously if they end up sacking them six times or whatever, that's great.

But the goal is not necessarily, I think, to try to hit him so much as it is to make sure he could stay in the pocket. But he is, like you said, even if you make him throw him more than he wants to, he's plenty of dangerous. I mean, given that two games, have been against the dolphins and the Bengals, but he's twice now throwing for more touchdowns and incompletions in the game, including last week. That's crazy.

That's a, I mean, for a guy that does, get the reputation of being a good thrower. More touchdowns than in completions. Now, I will say this. You prefaced it by saying who they played. I mean, they played god-awful football team. Right, but if other quarterbacks could do that against the

Dolphins of Anglos every week, they would, right? I mean, he's pretty special. Is he getting plenty of line protection in the games that you've seen him play? I mean, is that an issue? Can there be any sort of pass rush the linebacking court can put out there? The front four can do to really disres.

force Lamar to maybe make a throw that he wouldn't normally throw? No, you know, I mean, I think this line is, this line is pretty solid and also what is, what the industry has gotten beyond kind of the protection is getting. Obviously, I think just the idea of all the things that the offense can do with the Ravens and all the kind of misdirection and all the guys who could potentially end up having the ball and running with it or throwing with whatever, you know,

that frees defenders, right? So they find ways to kind of create time for him that goes beyond simply just blocking their man. And, you know, I don't think that, like I said, I don't think that they're going to hit Lamar a lot. The hope has to be kind of that you don't let him make two guys miss and then burst out for 60-yard run. Yeah. Visiting with Aaron Reese of the Athletic here on the Matt Thomas show, getting ready for Sunday's game. You know, we have spent Ross and I have a lot of the last week and a half because we've had an off week talking about this next three-game stretch.

If this team goes three-and-oh, they're going to win the division, correct? Because the bottom four games are a piece of cake. let me give you the other side of it. Let's say this is a prolonged losing skit because they're all three good opponents. Not like any of the three, the team has had a lot of success against in recent years. Where would you put this team if this team was to drop all three games? Yeah, you know, I think it definitely becomes a little strange. You know, I originally a couple weeks ago, I would have thought that they would win both those games against the Titans when they play them,

do the final three games of the season. Now I think, you probably wait football as I think you probably think they maybe lose one of those, right? And then if you lose one of those, I don't think you can kind of, you may probably beat the bucks for the Broncos, but you probably can't lose all three of these.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the Colts slide is something that continues, but I think they're going to get brisked that back sooner than later. So I think they definitely got to win at least one of these. Is Will Fuller expected to be back and just talk about your thoughts on the receivers

overall, and we know Kiki Kuti has fallen out of favor. And I thought he was a guy, especially last year, who added a lot of wrinkles to the offense. But this year, he's just not being used at all. And what's going on with that? Yeah, with Eric Kuti, O'Brien had actually been pretty honest about it, saying that he kind of has to play, you know,

be a little bit more paying attention to details. And I talked to Kutti yesterday, too, with another reporter. And he said, and he was, he admitted it too. You know, it's not necessarily knowing the playbook being kind of a little more decisive in terms of his routes and stuff like that. So, you know, maybe he'll get back on the field soon. It doesn't seem like O'Brien wants him to be on the best forever. Like, I think a lot of people will say that Kutti is the more talented player than

DeAndre Carter in terms of burst and stuff like that. But it's more about kind of Deshaun being able to trust him. So I imagine he'll get back on the field soon. I don't know if you'll get back to the point where he's going to have all those snaps and Carter has none of them. Carter clearly has earned some trust on this offense. As for Will Fuller, he returned, he was in practice yesterday, but, you know, typically kind of they let a guy gear up for a week before they play.

So I'm not sure that they'll bring him back out just yet. I think with, especially with Fuller's history, kind of you don't want to push him. And the Texans, they kind of have the luxury. They don't necessarily need to push him. Kenny Stolls can still be that deep threat for them. And then obviously they have DeAndre Hopkins, who is statistically not having the season that fantasy owners are hoping stuff, we've still been a really effective player for them. Let me ask you this.

why haven't opposing defense has been able to figure out how the Texans have so successful have been able to use the tight end in the last seven or eight weeks? I mean, it is an absolute almost guarantee that a tight end finds the end zone at least once per game during this winning way as run as of late. Yeah, it really is. You know, I wrote about this recently. There's a lot of factors at play here. One is kind of just that they are using the two tight ends that so often that, you know,

you can't just predict it's going to be this RPO. But when it is an RPO, they have kind of all these pieces that make it really effective. You know, like I said, earlier with Lamar, same sort of deal. Deshawn, the threat of Deshaun being on the throw. I mean, that's going to freeze the defender. And if they play towards the quarterback run, then Carlos Hyde can hit the whole really fast. He's been one of the most efficient runners in football in terms of if you look at all the tracking data and stuff. And then I think Darren Feld was kind of, they found something in him with sort of these easier completions and stuff that he's a powerful player.

And he's proven to be more than just a. blocker. You know, the Colts have success, like I said earlier, because Darrys Leonard is a really good linebacker can kind of play all over the field. I'm not quite as sure that every team can do that. We'll see if the Ravens can. I think the winning team to wrap this up here, Aaron, has to score

32 points to win this football game. I think this is going to be a very high-scoring game on Sunday. Agree or disagree? Oh, no, yeah, I definitely agree. I mean, I think that overall, in the back half of the schedule, all the kind of advanced numbers and stuff that the Texans defense was catching a

a little more of a break in the back half from the beginning, and that would allow them to kind of weather the storm of losing JJ Watt and stuff. But that doesn't really apply to this game specifically. I think it's going to be a really high-scoring game. And, you know, if Deshaun wins, I think can do a lot to kind of boost that sort of MVP narrative and stuff. And if Lamar wins, then he'll only further his own case. And I'm really excited to watch it in person. Yeah, for sure. Thank you very much. Aaron Safe Travels of Baltimore. We'll talk again next week. Yeah, thanks, guys. You got Aaron Reese with us from the athletic. Jay Reese on Twitter.

Texans and Baltimore, has the line shifted much? Have you been paying much attention to the odds on this game of it all? Sorry, what? This one, this weekend? They're four-point dogs, Texans. It seems about right, right? Yeah. I think you and I am the same feel of how this was going to go.

I'm leaning Baltimore right now. You can actually not speak under, you know, such low tones. I'm leaning Baltimore right now. I'm still believing if I'm going to give them two wins in this three games set, that they're going to have to win this one and win the Indianapolis game. Probably that would be your best beds. Although I don't know they're going to be much more than the four-point dogs at home on a Sunday night against the Patriots. Yeah.

They could very well use the lose to the Colts as well, by the way. No, no, no, no, don't speak to that. No. That's not a guaranteed win. Sure it is. Texans on Thursday night against the Colts are very good. Okay. I think.

Can somebody make sure T.Y. Hilton can't get on the plane? Because I feel like that NRG Stadium is the house of T.Y. Hilton built. Yeah. Is he heard? Is he back yet? Yeah, the games, unfortunately. Can Adam and Terry come down here? Because God knows, well, actually, he loves paying.

They need to cut him. Yeah. They actually got a couple of kickers in camp, but they have not made a decisions yet.