The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Rockets Take Down Bulls 119-113, Texans Still Prepping For Sunday

Episode Date: January 14, 2026

Rockets Take Down Bulls 119-113, Texans Still Prepping For Sunday 

is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. And welcome to a Wednesday edition of the Matt Thomas show with Ross. This is Sports Talk 790. And final score, Houston 119, Chicago 113. Sports Harvey, I needed that. There was too much in that game last night. I made me nervous about that street going to four. Yeah, you're celebrating more than I did on the postgame show.

I was like, I usually win, I guess. Matt's moving in here. Are you okay? Jonathan, we should go out. Me and you, all your friends, we'll go to the club, put this song on. Everybody will be in a massively good mood, dancing, drinking, smoking, smoking,

clear out. No, nobody's going to clear out. This song comes on this. No, this is a great jam. People run to the dance floor. Shout out to Sheik. Sheik, the criminally underrated Nile Rogers.

I didn't know who that was. I'll see. Like I said, criminally underrated. Do you know why I am in such a good mood. Why, Matt? One, the Rockets are winning. He did Sister Sledge stuff. He did he did sheik. He was, he did some of the daft punk stuff that was big. Not Rogers, Maddie. I feel like you are. You know what you are? You're a human Rolling Stone magazine. He did stuff with David Bowie. Really? Yeah, see? Criminal underrated. I'm not a David Bowie fan.

But they were big hits. Yeah, for sure, for sure. All right. So I'm in a good mood, A, because the Rockets won. B, we've got more football to talk about on a local level. Because honestly, if the Texans weren't playing, I mean, how much are we going to get into a deep dive on Buffalo, Denver? Probably not a whole lot. But number three, I don't know why this hit me. One of the most arrogant things you have done in the history of this show. Me?

Yeah. Is the habachi. Oh, yeah. And I mean the sizzle sound bites. Oh, my God, here. Let me find it. Let me find it for you. Adding the fried rice.

Adding for the high end. By the way, who that girl is? She's in pigtails again today. Are you okay? She's great. What? Can you, you admit sentence? Finish your sentence, Matthew. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

God, I know you've been on the road a while. I didn't get that right. Too long. Too much road, my friend. All right. Scallops, flamenon, dessert, extra soup,

extra salad. So bad. Oh, it's so bad. And we're in middle January and he still has its sign yet. And the latest report is like the Mets have offered him 50,

but it was some guy from fan-sided. So I don't know if we believe that. What was the offer? But if 50 million a year, year for how many years with opt-outs for with the Mets three or four years I think here this is for you now now the question is do I up the bet I'm not up I have to agree to it up which we did by the way we did we agreed to drive through for all three of us right plus this plus this oh my gosh so bad so is one of your cockiest all-time so bad

takes with the sound effects. I mean, come on, man. This, this is no way. Second straight year, I'm going to win this again. I'm the big bet. All right. We'll move on. We don't know yet. Again, he could get eight years in mid-January. Sure, that makes a lot of sense. No, it could. I think the Bryce Harper deal came in late in the year. There was some other deals that came in late. I'm just saying it, right now, it was at 20 to 80 year favor. No, it was at like 95-5. And now it's 50-50. I don't know if it's 50-50. I'm feeling, I'm still feeling like 5056. 5056? We're playing in 106.

46, 44. Okay. So you still feel confident? Because somebody at the Rockets game yesterday said, you see a Kyle Tucker to sign with Toronto. I'm like, so I went right. I was like, wait a minute. If Kyle Tucker would have signed in Toronto, I would have heard about it by now. I would have texted you a bowl of fried rice emoji. That's right. And then say, you pay or I pay with like a chef hat. That's right. That's right. All right. We are with you today until, 2 o'clock. Bob Soshe is going to join us.

The Voice of the New England Patriots. We're with us at 11 o'clock today. And we will get his perspective on things. The Texans are going to hit the practice field, if not now, the next handful of minutes. I don't know what their firm schedule is, but they start practicing. I mean, they get basically not even 24. How many hours do they have off? 30 maybe?

Okay, they probably got back to Houston. My guess is about 2.3 a.m. in the morning. Slept all day. probably got some treatment for a few of the guys. And they're back on the field. That's the negative of the Monday night football game. While again gives you an extra day for the wild card, it does hamper you on the back end,

especially you've got to jump on and play and go somewhere else. Yeah, I didn't like that they added it. And then, I mean, you had the, was it to tell the truth or got feeling that they were going to get rid of him yesterday. Yeah. I wish, I hope you're right. I don't think you're going to be right because of the money and ESPN shelling out all this cash for that standalone game on a Monday.

but it is whatever disadvantage it is, it's not nothing. I don't know how significant it is. It's not moving lines necessarily much. If the Texans lose, it's not because they got one less day. It's just you would like to have as much of a level playing field as possible. Or one more day to pass concussion protocol if your name is Nico Collins and you got your head slammed into the turf. Yeah, that's right. So, yeah, it's unfortunate.

But it is what it is. going to go on the road and try to get a victory. The Miko Ryans and the players aren't going to use it as an excuse. Meanwhile, the college national championship game is not until next Monday. The ratings for the playoff games, the semifinals

were not good. And I don't know if it's because the blue bloods are not there. Well, there's blowouts. Indiana's blowing everybody out. There's blowouts. And then I also think from a timing perspective, you can't get any juice for it when you were playing well first of all you had like two weeks before the first round

and then you had another week and a half before that and then you spread them out you're like you're trying to fit slot in the calendar where you're not going against the NFL and if I'm college I'm probably doing the exact same thing but it does not lend itself to any sort of momentum now granted Indiana destroyed Oregon so that was not much but the Miami game was very very good and now these two teams are playing for national championship

and we're still five days away from that championship game we will already know who the the AFC championship teams and the NFC championship teams are before we cry on a college football national champion. Wow. It's just, it's just disjoint it. I understand why they're doing it, and they have data. It's not like they're just picking days out of a hat.

They want to avoid the NFL. They want to maximize... All course. All costs, yeah. Yeah, they're dodging them like, I don't know, hopscotch or something. It's, they are dancing around. Wherever you want to play, NFL, we're going to dance around you, and we're going to figure it out.

And if I'm the college football playoff. I'm doing the exact same thing. I totally get it. That's a nod and I just don't get it. That's and I get it. Right. But as you said, it's tough to build momentum. The games, I mean, some of them have been good. The Miami Ole Miss game was really good. It was back and forth at the end.

But Ross, if you expand this thing to 16, you're going to be doing more dodging. Yeah. And you're going to be doing more of that. Now, if you go to ultimately to 24, is it the Big Ten that wants to go to 24? Somebody wants to go to 24, which would then basically make the season the postseason as long as a regular season.

The postseason will start September 8th every year. So I don't know exactly where they are on that, but the reality is not that we're a super big college town when it doesn't, I mean, again, I would expect not a single person to call in and talk about it. Unless the game is incredible or something crazy happens with coaching decisions or catches made or violation, but we're not a huge preview town as it is, except for a local team, like a Rockets and Astros, a Texans, but we're not, you know, for a city that doesn't, We live and breathe on our own teams.

And that includes A&M in Texas. With Indiana and Miami, it's just a game. Hope that's good. We'll watch it, of course. I'm intrigued. I mean, the ratings were higher than expected for a blowout because, I mean, it seems like people are tuning in to see Indiana just whip some ass. I mean, 38 to 3 and then 56 to 22.

Bama and Oregon. And Indiana will have won a national championship in football before they have won a college basketball championship. because they did not want one since 87, I think. Crazy. It is crazy. All right. On the show today, Bob Sosci is going to join us Voice of the Patriots. He'll be with us at 11 o'clock. We have shut your bum ass up. I ain't nobody got time for that at 1130 today.

We have the news at noon. We'll believe it or not. And frankly, to me, as I was thinking about this game a little bit, we'll talk to Bob about this from in New England coming up about an hour from now. It might come down to the Battle of Concussions. And I'll explain that in just a minute. 713-212-5-7-90.

Your rockets last night. got a win. We'll discuss that as well coming up. Jabari Smith, I don't know if he turned the corner, but first one he made looked a little flat, honestly. It went in. What is short of turning the corner? Looking at the corner? Approaching the corner? Yeah, approaching it would be the corner, yeah. Sure, why not?

Kevin Durant is amazing. A man Thompson's been very fluid. Rockets at their free throws. Didn't turn it all over a whole lot. How many more athletes in the NBA are more athletic than how many players are more athletic than I'm in Thompson than the NBA? It's a short list, if anyone. Yeah. He's so explosive and fast. Yeah.

He's so good. And if he could hit a three-pointer, which he didn't hit one last night, right? I think he did. He did one in the fourth quarter. It was a corner three. If he could get to 35% from three, which I don't know if he'll ever reach, he might be the best two-way player in the NBA. Well, if he can get there, we've heard from, I don't know, Westbrook, Janus,

but it's such. We can go down the list. In a league where 3 and D is so important. And he works on it. I'll tell you what's giving me a glimmer of hope is the free throws have started to go down. Yeah, there's over 80% now. To me, there's a strong correlation NBA. Now, there are outwires, but there are strong correlations between good shooters and good free throw shooters.

So hopefully maybe that, what did you say? Beginning to turn the corner? He's approaching the corner. He's approaching the corner. Yeah. Now, I'd like him to turn it. Yes? Go full throttle. Yes.

Moved up the Stannings in the West, by the way. We're now six in the West. Almost got to five, but the Lakers destroyed the Hawks last night. I'm obsessed with Stanley. Matter of fact, I mean... They're going to finish top three. I goofed yesterday. So I was looking at the San Antonio Oklahoma City game because I'm standing watching during the game,

which I probably shouldn't have done. Yeah, that's weird. It wasn't that weird. It's obsessive. Yeah, it's obsessive. I'll give you that. And I came back and I said, yeah, the rockets are beating San Antonio by 6. and Wex goes, come on, man.

Because you're reading this Thunder. Yeah, Thunder finally got one lick back against the Spurs. Have they played each other like nine times? I believe it's four and the Thunder are one in three now. I know you're exaggerating, but, you know. I still feel good about the Rockets. I hope you do. Top three in the West.

What's up? I'm sticking with it. I ain't scared. You know what? You've been good in your predictions lately. That's true. On your Texas predictions? Yes, sir.

Your rockets, you're giving me faith? Yes. How you feel about the asteros? I would perfect wildcard weekend picking the games with the spread. So hashtag fade RV this weekend probably. Oh, Lord. Y'all will make our predictions on Friday. Don't listen to Ward.

He says. 713-212-5-790. 7-13-212-5-790. It will be the Battle of Concussions. Maybe Sunday in Foxborough. Matt and Ross with you on this Wednesday. It's kind of strange, and I took Monday off. I didn't want to take Monday off, but.

that plane getting in from Sacramento at what time we get in? Winer. 4.10? You could have came straight up here. You could have stayed at the Moomy Men. You could have came straight here and got in the morning show. I've tried that before.

It's not fun. Oh, okay. And here's the thing. I probably could have done the show from the house, but I swore to. Can I tell you the truth? No, we're good. So I went to, I listened to you guys a little bit. I went to go run some errands run and lunchtime when I woke up.

I went to go get a shave at my barber and I fell asleep in the chair. You did? Yes. You were that relaxed. Well, yeah, because that plus you just can't sleep on a plane. It's just, it's hard. I mean, I can sleep a little bit, but. I thought you'd get the road to yourself.

I do, but it was. You get the big planers. No, no, no, no. We don't have that. We have a different plane right now. Okay. So. I sleep on the plane every time.

You ought to be, you ought to be excited about that. Unless I'm flying to like New Orleans. Because you're like anxious. Because it's short. Oh, I was going to say, Vegas is hard to sleep because you're like super anxious to get there and get the tables and then I'm out like a baby especially on the way back all right you sob in the bathroom for all the money you lost and then you sleep on the plane yeah two times I've been on planes that arrest have happened and they were both on Las Vegas Houston flights arrest yeah see really yeah

just because they were intoxicated okay two times I've struck out bad with the girl next to me in the plane and both times it was on the way to Vegas man I I'll ask one question uh what caused a strikeout was it I got a number and she never texted me back hmm I have one of my dear friends that lives in Florida. You may have met them, McQuivis. They met him an airplane together. And they're married. And they've been married for 20 plus years.

That sounds like a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts. Or what's the blondie that's... Kate Hudson? No, the Reese Witherspoon. Yeah. And like Vince Vaughn. They've been in a few movies together, right? I don't know.

I like Vince Vaughn. I like Vince Vaughn. Played a great character on Caribbean enthusiasm. Of course, if we were doing the show in the early 90s, we would say Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Yes, we would. R. I. Peter Rob Reiner, who was director of that movie. All right. Okay, so the Battle of Concussions, their best corner, I didn't do a lot of research because it's Wednesday.

Okay. But their best corner is Christian Gonzalez. Christian Gonzalez. Concussion. Yes. Best Texans receiver. Nico Collins. Concussion.

Yes. Now, I was listening to Cole. morning on the, what do they call that, the morning wake up call? It's the morning drive. Get your kicks with the morning boys? Yes. Something like that. I don't know what some kind of generic sports name it is.

We are changing the name of this show. It is going to be called the Sports Talk Show. The Sports Talk Show with a big THE. So apparently if you're in concussion protocol, one of your days has to be as a full participant. You can't be limited, limited, don't practice, and then be able to be clear by the NFL. Again, I don't know the true, and maybe Cole, if you're listening, can help us out. Yeah, I don't know. He's got a lot of hairbrained ideas.

No, I don't think he made it up. He's much more than minutia than I am. But point being is, they're not going to let you out there because they think you're better. You know what I mean? You have to really be out there. Hey, it looks good. In 19706, they'll put him out there. Ronnie Lott's gone there a bunch times. He looks okay. He said his ABCs and he got most of them.

So let's put him out there. Right. He only skipped seven and nine. Point being is that both those guys have got to be able to be not only cleared, but practicing, legitimately practicing in order for them to be on the game on Sunday. Okay.

With one or other, well, no, we'll have a good feel, at least what Cole was saying today, on both those guys when they announced the Wednesday injury report. And sources close to the show said that Christian Gonzalez's IG, he posted a song that basically, the lyrics of the song say, I'm back or I'm coming back or something like that.

So probably looking good for Christian Gonzalez. So Nico Collins down, Christian Gonzalez in would be a detriment to the Houston Texas. I'm getting word. Nico Collins and an IG is all by myself by Aaron Carmen. Oh, really? That's not great. Oh, okay.

It's brain damage by Pink Floyd. I wasn't going to go there. It's a great song. I'm not a Pink Floyd guy. Okay. You know what? If you want to say that they're overrated because some people put them like Tier 1 inner circle, I'm okay with that.

But Pink Floyd's good. Yeah, it's not me. I mean, to say that there's no value in them is ridiculous. Okay. For instance, the dude from Grateful Dead passed away. I mean, wish you were here is great. I mean, uh, the wall is great. Wish you were here.

It's Chicago. Look, and you can also say that Pink Floyd's overrated, but you can also in the same breath, you have to recognize that, uh, Dark Side of the Moon is one of the greatest albums ever made. All I'm going to say is, again, we're going back to sports. I'm not a Pink Floyd guy. Okay. I don't go, oh my God, why the hell? Now, I do go, why the hell with Bruce Springsteen.

I think Bruce Springsteen sucks. Oh, yeah, God, coming down. this is great. He does have some songs I do like. I was looking forward to putting sandpaper in my eardrums. But generally speaking, I think he sucks. Yeah. I'm going with you.

All right. So Christian Gonzalez, so if he's out, well, I mean, I mean, if he's in, yeah.

He's good. I don't think of him as like, you know, Patrick Surtain. Some people put him in that category of lockdown. He's not a Derek Stingley. He's not a Patrick Sertaine, but he is good.

He is a plus player. Right. Let me ask you this. And this is again, this is a listening to the morning wake-up call with the boys this morning. Nico's had a good year. And obviously, Nico, part of what you said yesterday makes some sense that having him on the field means that their best corner is going to have to go after him. He's had a good year, but Nico, amazing all-pro moments, not very many this year. Not saying it's against him.

I'm just saying that this is what, that other guy stepped up. Knowles play better. Higgins play better. When I think of clutch plays, Dalton Schultz has been the safety blanket this year for C.J. Straub more than Nico Collins has. 120 targets. Only 71 catches of those. Six touchdowns, 1100 plus yards. Yeah, 1100 plus yards and six touchdowns, good. He missed a game or two, right? Right. He played 15 games. He was a healthy and active in the last game. So, yeah, average yards per catch is up from last year. No, no, I want to make sure I'm very clear in saying this.

you say Nico Collins sucks, right? If he's out there, that adds so much to the Texas offense. You want him out there. Absolutely. You need him on that wall. But frankly, you are used to him, not, I didn't say not being a difference maker, but just not being the, he ain't Jerry Rice, put it that way. He's not Jerry Rice, but, I mean,

we were arguing a couple years ago that he's like a top five wide receiver. I would still put him in the top 10 when healthy. Yeah. Let's go to the phones and talk to Steve. We'll do that next. Coming back at 1028. It is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. If you'd like to join us, we would love to have you at 713-212-5-790.

We thank you very much for listening to this radio show. We're here every day, 10 o'clock until 2. Is Matt Ross on 790. Jonathan's our producer. 7-1-3-212-5-7-90. If you'd like to join us, whether it be about the Texas game coming up. We've got three more days of preview.

We're going to preview the hell out of this. And the great thing is that there's no other station in town this preview in the Texas game. So if you're looking for preview for the game, it's here. Everybody else, they're talking about winter and Olympic stuff. It's really strange. Really?

Yeah, a lot of Winter Olympic preview. We're talking Texans. Okay, great. We're the home of the Rockets. Yes. Home of the Astros. Yes. Champions.

The two teams in this town to win championships. Yes. And we're the only station in town talking Texans. Everybody else is talking about Winter Olympics. I heard a little bit about girls lacrosse. I mean, that's the WMBA draft, I think. Yeah, a lot of other stuff going on. You know, that's not for a long time.

Well, yeah. When is it, Ross? Later. nice cover 713212 5790 let's talk to our friend Steve and Katie in the Matt Thomas show Ross Steve thanks for winning good morning Happy New Year guys

Happy New Year Okay so you guys I don't know if you look worried with this But that was 7-6 at the end of the third quarter We could have lost that game even though we killed them Yes yes What happened Okay but if we do the same thing with these other teams

Say the bills or Denver or in this case, New England, or if we get it to Seattle, we're going to lose one of those games if he does that. So I got a serious, I got a non-serious answer, and I'm going to give you a serious answer. Okay. All right. The non-serious is, is kneel it three times punt

and wait for your defense to score the touchdowns to win the game. Or the serious one is get behind center like you did in high school and junior high, and that way you don't have the ball going to your left or to your right and then play the game that way. I'll hang up and listen to your reply. Thank you, boss. All right.

No, you mean, you're not abandoning the shotgun. It gives your quarterback more of an opportunity to survey the field. Yeah, and... CJ Stroud had fumbled twice all season long, and then he had five. I can't personally guarantee you

he's not going to turn the ball over three times. This upcoming will, week. But that was the disaster game. You talk about in a playoff run, you have to be good enough if you want to make the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl to overcome your

favorite word, Matt, some adversity at some point. You have to have things go haywire and I mean just out of whack against you and overcome and they did. CJ Stroud all season long had two fumbles. He has not thrown three picks in a game

all season long, so he had turn the ball over three times in a single game all year long. So that was a disaster. And it was on the biggest stage. It was on Monday night football. It was on the road in Pittsburgh and they're going on the road again. So I understand where we can be a little wary. But I just don't think that's going to happen again.

It's not going to happen again. Let me say that. Five fumbles is just insane. No. And I was listening to ESPN this morning getting ready. I don't know which one of the analysts. It's like, why are we flipping out about C.J. Stroud? He fumbled five times in Texas.

Dominant's dominant a performance. Now, I think it's too flippant to say that, frankly, because I think the talent quality between, like, New England's offense can score. Pittsburgh's offense can't score. I mean, just because they had that one good game against Baltimore does not mean that the Pittsburgh Steelers ever, all of a sudden went, wow, we have this really complex offense. It's going to be hard for the Texans to decipher. Game they should have lost, yeah.

But you're playing against a real football team on the road. They have, what, 15 wins now this season. I mean, it's going to be a different ball game. Also, to say it's true for, as the caller said, if he does that, they're going to lose. But it'd be very unlikely, very unlikely that he's going to turn the ball over three times again. And by the way, somebody texts me, I can't tell this person's name, but said there is somebody in this market and he didn't know who it was, which is kind of weird, said that Davis Mills should be considered. considered of CDS struggles this week again. I would be a barring health?

No barring health. I mean, I'll get granted. Yeah, concussed, yes. Can't move his right leg, sure. Utterly shocked. Those are you calling for Davis Mills? It's stupid. Davis Mill, I'm sorry, it's stupid.

I was going to soft pedal. You full throttled. I like that. I mean, look, Davis Mills should not be starting and you should not see the field. No. Davis Mills is a backup quarterback. You know who said that?

Mr. and Mrs. Mills. When that baby came out with its long neck, with its long neck and said, we're going to grow a boy who is going to be a backup quarterback in the NFL. And it worked. He makes good money. Yes.

He obviously is having sex on a regular because his wife just had a kid. I mean... I don't know if it's on a regular. Okay, well, I guess once is enough. That's fine. You're so weird. I'm curious the brain that we'd even make that sentence

come out of their mouth. Well, he just had a baby. We're talking about him playing football. I'm saying my point. He's talking about his copulation skills. He's living a good life. He makes good money. He knows his name.

He doesn't have to eat food out of a blender. Yes. He's having regular relations. And he should not start this weekend. And he's not a starting quarterback. And he knows that. He knows it. He's a fine backup.

As a matter of fact, as I said on the show yesterday, he's compensated very well for being a backup quarterback. He makes good money. He's going to be able to retire whenever that is, being able to walk and talk and choose. gum at the same time. CJ Stroud is the best quarterback on this roster. It's not close.

We can argue the points of is he a franchise guy. Should they play him six, pay him 60 million? But he's the best option this weekend and it's not, it's not close. No question about it. So please, if anybody says, well, you don't give CJ a shot, hit them. Not like hit him like to, like incust them, but just like a bitch slap or something like that. Maybe like a left hook to the ribs? No, because you could get broken ribs and you don't need medical bills.

Well, how about the soft stomach area? that's where I used to punch my brother because you're not going to really you can't really kill somebody from that you know but did your brother go to your mom and scream that Ross hit me no he beat me up he hit me back so your solution doesn't work out well because the retaliation comes into play yeah but you got to fight man

you're going to get your ass kick but you got to fight okay I'm just saying do not trust anybody younger brothers out there know what I'm saying it could have been part of the boot looking media I don't know but you just cannot bootleaking media I thought New Year's resolution was to not bring them up Jonathan you're supposed to call me out every time I do that

Yeah, yeah, New Year's resolution was new, it's a new year, it's a new you, Matt. Come on. You know, I want you to hold yourself accountable. I'm glad you stopped this right here. Yeah. We don't need you to do it. He's trying to teach Amanda Fish. I like that from you, Jonathan.

But look, he's got, he noticed. He's like, you know what? He can't hold your hand to his whole life. Well, I mean, honestly, the biggest news story of the weekend was a bootlaker in Jacksonville. I mean, it's just the reality of it. Oh, right. Just wait until 1130 because I got something for you guys. Uh-oh.

Oh, ain't nobody got time for that. I got two things I got to get too free. Nobody got time for that. Really? Yes. I may have just have to racked off of the three things you guys have combined because I'm in a pretty good spot. My Rockets won last night. Texans are still playing in the playoffs.

Astrospring training right around the corner. I imagine the Couges throttled West Virginia. Oh, my God. He destroyed them. I was going to say, I didn't even look and I could tell you. I mean, West Virginia had some good teams around, what was it, when Bob Huggins was coaching? Yes. But not an NBA factory in certain.

not a team that was considered a legitimate threat. I'm glad you asked. Here's the final score from last night's game. The Rockets, excuse me, the University of Houston Cougars. I got rid of it. One about like 50. No, I mean, it's West Virginia. 77.48. I was not far off.

29 points. Milo Zuzan, 5 and 9 on 3-pointers. Ooh, baby. Joseph Tuggler, Jojo, 10, and 6. Kingston Fleming's. Hashtag one and done. It's good for the Kempong I'm up to number seven for the coogs. They were number seven yesterday.

I thought it was 10. Oh, maybe you're right. It was AP. They were at seven. Okay, I'm going to talk about that. I don't care about AP and all that. I'm Kim Palm guy. Cougars, by the way,

are now still with no losses in the Big 12. Going to run the table. And as I said, I told you the other day, the flights are booked. And big game tonight for the Texas Longhorns

hosting number 10 Vanderbilt at the mood. Really? And that'll be right here on 790 tonight. Yes, sir. that what the kids called the mood yeah it's rather disrespectful to the people

the moody family who paid for that facility to be built they paid a lot of cash they got buildings there they got moody gardens they got all kinds of moody stuff their fan base is typically moody that joke sorry strike that one can you get rid of that off the podcast I'm not mad at you I'm not mad

I'm disappointed myself I agree with you okay why do I do that to myself It's terrible. 713-212-5-7-9. Let's get to a little bit on the Rockets coming back because they did win a game last night

over the Chicago Bulls. 7-13-212-5-7-90. Rockets get a win last night against the Chicago Bulls. Among our topics of conversation, but the focus obviously is on what's happening Sunday in Foxborough. I said in Foxborough last summer. I, you know, why?

Because we were making a trip from Boston to Rhode Island where Carly was camp was, and the rooms in Rhode Island were ridiculous, expensive, so Foxborough was a little cheaper. Okay. I mean, truth be told. I got you. It's such a glorious part of the country. I can't out wait for the Matt Thomas or Ross, the two of us, I get up there for a week, because you're going to be like, this place is amazing.

And it's not going to be in the dead of winter, is it? No, no. No, her season goes from August till November. Oh, yeah. Okay. That sounds great. With the fall of the fall foliage? Yeah.

I like that. Because I'm not a big East Coast fan in general. You know what? I might branch off of there and take some time off after. You should. There's a Cayana National Park is up there. Yeah. I mean, the whole area.

How far is it from New Haven? Oh, two hours maybe. I've been wanting to go there. Apparently the pizza's legendary. And the casino where our Airbnb is is about 10 minutes away, which is they got blackjack? I'm sure they got it all. Three to two?

That I can't tell you. All right. Just saying, I'm not sitting. And if it's not three and two. Don't even argue. Just move on. I'm not going to argue with you. Good.

I'd like to play. William and Cyprus at 10.50 on the Matt Thomas show. Ross, William, thank you for waiting and good morning to you. Good morning to both of you. I wanted to comment on, it was a caller that y'all were talking about the fumbles with C-Day Shroud and what's going on with the Texans. How come, you know, everybody will take an ugly win. but it seems like when the Texans do it everybody's on top of them

they're on their butt about it but if that would have been Kansas City Baham's fumbling three times but he recovered a couple of them they would say he's a he's a hitty player he's great that's what the great ones do

blah blah blah well because the chiefs have won Super Bowls I mean there's a difference there is a level of expectation and level of what they've what you've done for me lately and what the Texans have done for us lately is about in the second round of the playoffs

year after year after year. There's a difference. There's one team that's won it and one team it hasn't. That's why. I understand that, but they still say great things about Josh Allen when he screws up. No, last time I checked, they say Josh Allen is not going to the Super Bowl. I mean, William, I think you're being a little myopic on this.

The criticism is fair to everybody. Lamar Jackson gets annihilated on the weekly basis because his team's not gone deep in the playoffs. Josh Allen has yet to go to the Super Bowl with all the offense. done. Every quarterback in the NFL, at least as I see it, and everybody's got a different set of eyes, but every quarterback that

doesn't get there gets criticized. And that would include C.J. Strat. Yeah, and I would also say William, like if we were doing Kansas City Radio, they are if you, for whatever reason, the local team locally gets more criticism.

And so we're here in Houston and we are going to look at the things that went negative in that game. And first of all, we've been very positive, I think. I mean, we talked about how they crushed them. I said they were going to steamroll them. I think they're going to win this weekend. I mean, how negative can I be if I keep saying they're going to go to the AFC championship?

How negative is that me being? And also another thing is this has been a pattern of these ugly wins, and you have to continue to wonder, like, when's the luck going to run out? You want to see more positive offensive performances. So I think they're going to win, William, but that doesn't mean that C.J. Stroud played great. No, it doesn't.

And it goes, like you said, it goes. hand in hand with any great quarterback that screws up, but it was an ugly win, but it was a great win. You got both sides of it. But it was also 7 to 6 going into the 4 quarters. Seven to 6 going into the 4 quarters and fun for anybody.

No. And I remember, of course, I can't remember what year it was when Baltimore, you know, they had the vaulted defense, and they were winning games, what, like 9 to 16? Yes. 2000. 2000 was the year. Yeah. And that's

We've been bringing that up. Thank you. They can ugly win their way to the Super Bowl way. Thanks, William. Thank you for the call. We've talked about this. They can ugly win to a Super Bowl championship. They could.

They've ugly won 10 games in a row. They can do it. There is the pattern there. The pattern is also that they continue to win. Defense is ferocious. All it matters is the final score. Oh, I want this to be an all-time defense. It already is an all-time defense in my mind, but they have to cement it.

You have to realize. we're talking about this not 20 hours a week, but 19 of our 20 hours this week is about the game. If I just went on there and said, Texans are awesome, Texans are awesome, Texans are awesome, defense is great, that's not, that's not conjuring up conversation. And I'm not trying to start something up,

we're just dealing in every little fast of the game. And the fast of the game is, C.J. Stroud, fumble the ball five times, through, lost two of them, through a terrible interception. And you want him and you need him, I would think, to be better against a team in New England who actually does have an offense.

It has two running backs. It has two wide receivers. Hunter Henry, right? Tight end. Yeah. Sterling there. Great. Stefan Diggs Revenge game.

Stefan Diggs Revenge game as long as he behaves himself. He can behave himself. He's fine. He hadn't missed much time this year. Isn't he like under a house arrest or something? I don't know. Well, I mean, he hadn't been suspended, has he? No, not yet.

Point being on the field. You have to think about playing better against better teams. Yeah. If you want Pompom coverage, you can find it in this town. zero issue with that. But we're not giving you pom-pom coverage. We're not cheerleaders. It was a good win.

The defense is great. We have said Super Bowl winning caliber defense all, I mean, basically since the middle of the year. We're talking about going into the upper echelons of all-time great defenses. But CJ Stroud can't fumble five times. Both statements can be true. So let me give you this real quick before we get to Bob Soshe.

If CJ puts up comp numbers, not necessarily the fumbles, but comp completion, interception, touchdown, is that enough to beat the Patriots? I'm going to eat touchdowns to the defense score. Two. But one of them was just salt on wound.

Yeah. You can't continue to win throughout the playoffs with your defense scoring more than your office. What was his quarterback rating? Do we know? It was in the 80s, but the QB... Let me go look. QBR is a made-up ESPN number, so I kind of like QBR. It's not in.

No data point is end all be all. But I kind of, it'll tell you, like, he's only had a QBR over 70, like three games. I'm going to go pull this up. You put me on the spot. That's okay. Okay. Quarterback rating was 86.7. QBR with 50 being average was 62.

Woof. QBR for Aaron Rogers, 14. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, Drake May can also throw interceptions and fumble the ball too. He's done that. Yeah. But the thought of

Aaron The thought of Drake May performing comparable to Aaron Rogers does not strike my mind. I don't care how great the defense is. I believe fumbling five times and losing two does not factor into QBR. Yeah.

So, all right. Let's go to New England next. We'll talk to Bob Sosci, the voice of the Patriots 1056 at Sports Talk 790 and the Matt Thomas show at Ross. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you.

It's 713-212-5-790. This is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. One on Sports Talk 790. Let's spend 10 quality minutes with a long-time voice of the New England Patriots. A young Bob Sosci and I were doing college games at the University of Houston and Rice when Bob was doing the Naval Academy. And now he is... Oh, really?

Yeah. You guys didn't have like an anchor man beef? I don't think so. That's good. Let me ask Bob. Bob, we've gotten along over these years. Have we not? Yes.

Matt, we've gotten along famously. and I think the history dates back to, dare I say, 1996-97 Navy at Rice in men's basketball. Yeah. As a matter of fact, I sent you the University of Houston Athletic Director, Glad Checkup to Navy to finish his career. So that was a gift from me to you. How about that? Well, he paid me to do my job and allow me to continue to do it.

So I appreciate that very much. And a little known fact, Ross, you don't know this. Bob has offered his spare bedroom when Carly's playing volleyball next fall. I'm staying with him from multiple months. So there it is. Hey, let me ask you this, and you've heard this. You've heard New England didn't play anybody. They're going to get their come up and come playoff time.

So how much of that is now, and in my opinion is that's all to spit, it was kind of a mushy argument to begin with, but how much of that was erased with beating the Chargers last weekend? I think for a lot of people it was, and I'm sure, Matt, for many, it still hasn't been erased. and certainly this will be the most difficult test. The Patriots offense and Drake May are going to face up against this Houston defense. And I think that for a lot of people who've made the argument,

the Matthew Stafford is this year's MVP, they've based it largely on the schedule the Patriots played and the kind of defenses that Drake May won against. And certainly he's going to have the opportunity, obviously, on this stage, won't count toward the MVP voting. That's already been done. but nonetheless, I think in terms of the perception of the outside role. To me, I think with any team in the NFL, it's just the nature of the league,

the way the schedule is formatted from year to year in upstart is going to benefit from a weaker schedule. The test of the Patriots, and when it comes to the schedule next year, will be far more rigorous than it was this season. But the way the team played against the Chargers, the defense dominated granted a very porous offensive line and really a quarterback and Justin Herbert who was beaten and battered coming in and certainly by the end of that game was a guy that was really defeated and I don't think had a lot of help around him, no running game. The receivers were very unimpressive at times with the effort in fact. So I think even with Houston, whether they have Nico Collins or not and despite

the struggles for C.J. Straub the other night, that's going to be a far more rigorous test for the Patriots defensively. this week. Bob, the Texans and the Patriots met last year in the regular season. And there were some signs that Drake was getting his first real golden opportunity and threw three touchdowns against the Texans. But I'm going to count that. Tell me where he made his biggest step up. And maybe just be playing time. Maybe just reading defenses. And then the only thing I think that gives perhaps people some optimism here is his interception count is not high, but there have been some throws that maybe he's made like any other second year quarterback

that make you go, oh, that could have been a lot worse than it eventually turned out to be? Yeah, Matt, I think first I'll answer that latter question and then get to the first part of the question with regards to May's growth and development. What we saw on Sunday against the Chargers with an interception and a couple of fumbles was the early Drake May from last year and as well the first part of this season, for example, against Pittsburgh. There were five turnovers by the Patriots, and there was a fumble very much like the two that he had against the Chargers that had in New England's hopes late in that game when Drake didn't protect the ball in the pocket. And then, of course, there was the interception the other night on a tip ball to line of scrimmage, turning the ball over to the charges at the 10-yard line. But for the most part, what we've seen since that Pittsburgh game in week three until the other night is a guy who's protected the football in the pocket. He's had two hands on the ball when he's been able to maneuver in the pocket and hasn't tried to do too much, even as he's been able to do an awful lot in extending plays.

He's made some remarkable off-platform throws, and he certainly hurt the Chargers significantly with a couple of long runs on Sunday night. What I think the Patriots are looking for in this game is for the Drake May, who was their quarterback between weeks four and the AFC Wildcard round. Now, as far as the other part of it, you know, there's so much to get to when it comes to his growth in development because the team that played the Texans last year outside of Drake May and a handful of other guys is almost completely different. Personnel around him, the offensive line, the wide receiver room, the presence of Trevion Henderson in the backfield. But most notably, it's the offense that he's in and the play caller who's orchestrating that offense from the sideline in Josh McDaniels.

And that to me is the most remarkable thing about May's continued growth and development this season is that he's. He's really started to master a new offensive system that puts far more on his plate than the West Coast offense of Alex Van Pelt from a year ago. And Drake has been able to handle this offense and really take command of the team. I think his ability to exercise leadership that's been a big part of the Mike Vrable influence on him as a quarterback. It's reflected by the play of the team, I think. There's around him. And, you know, he's been able to, like I said, just really develop in some. many different ways. We saw glimpses of the athletic ability last year. We saw some spectacular

plays, but we saw an awful lot of instances where he was a young guy that had only promise and potential, and certainly was far from really being a sure thing. And I think after this season, for sure, there's no denying that Drake May is this team's face of the franchise and one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Ross, with you here as well, Bob. And stick with Drake May, but talking about more as the matchup with the Texans defense, which of course we know one of the best units in all of football. But where the Texans have struggled sometimes is quarterbacks who can take off and run with the ball. So just if you will, your thoughts on how mobile Drake May can be and will need to be in this matchup.

I thought it was interesting the other night. There was a play late in the game where Aaron Rogers was dropped by that Texas defense that really suffocated him. as the game went along, and I believe was Troy Aikman at one point, said, you know, if that was the Aaron Rogers of old, he would have escaped that rush. And that's what the Patriots, I think, you know, have an advantage in Drake May over Pittsburgh, and it's certainly a diminished Aaron Rogers. And it goes beyond that, too, I think, you know, for this Patriots team, they've got to take advantage of the aggressiveness of the Texans at times. Play action has got to be a big part of, you know, what they do. I would imagine on Sunday night, I think, and I would imagine it would be a big part of the game plan going into Sunday's game against Houston here in the divisional round.

That's certainly a big factor that the Patriots have that the Steelers didn't the other night in terms of that mobility of the quarterback. But at the same time, the Patriots' offensive line, particularly the left side with two rookies, Will Campbell at left tackle, and Jared Wilson at left guard, struggled immensely with the Chargers pass Russian, in particular have had a difficult time all. season long going back to the preseason in fact with stunts and games up front, twists

tackles and ends on the defensive line and they have to shore that up certainly against this Houston team I said to people that the charges were a good defense but to me this Houston defense is vicious and the speed with

which they play is really overwhelming at times and certainly overwhelm the Steelers but at the same time the pages have got to try to take advantage of advantage of that as well with that aggressiveness. Bob Sochi with us here on a sports talk 790. And I'm curious your perspective on Mike Vrable, obviously has come in, has won, did win with the Titans. And what is, if I'm correct, he does not call the defensive plays, correct?

He does not. No. He does the defense coordinator. Our acting coordinator, Terlo Williams has cancer. Prostate cancer he's been dealing with. What is that that Mike Vrable went, as far as a least? leader of men, culture, all that type of stuff. Can you explain it kind of in more detail why it's different when Mike Vrable comes in the building?

It's all of it. It's the culture. It's the confidence that he's been able to cultivate within the team. He's a guy that, for example, with Remodre Stevens and early in the ear, Ramonters had a history of fumbling issues. I think seven fumbles last year. And during the course of his career, it's been a recurrent problem for him going back to his rookie season. And with Mike Rabel, he stuck by him, and a lot of people thought, get rid of this guy. I mean, that was, you know, the large part of what we heard on Sports Talk later, but Vrable continued to stay with him. And, you know, even the other night against the charges, Drake May commits a fumble,

runs off the field. Mike Vrable is there, you know, to slap him on the butt when he gets to the sideline and reassure him in that moment. Now, he certainly said a different message after the game, obviously, to be better with ball security. But I think to me the thing that stands out about Mike and his staff, and it really extends into some of the people that he brought in on the front office, is that this is a team that's being developed in his vision,

true to his identity as a player, resourceful player, tough player, smart player, and a guy that I think has instilled a lot of old-school values, if you will, in the Patriots, with a new school approach. He's a players coach in a lot of respects. I think the players really appreciate the way that he encourages them to celebrate. We saw that a couple of weeks ago. Guy intercepts the ball late in the game, and they run to the sideline, and Mike Rabel says, no, go back out there and celebrate.

He wants them to enjoy it, and he's invited the fans in to experience this, too, I think, in the social media presence the Patriots have now, and what Rabel's done, I think, to try to re-energize the, the local fandom after some really depressing seasons. I know the Patriots, we've been spoiled here for a long time, but the last couple years, you know, especially last year, it was kind of a rudderless season for the team on the field. And I think Rabel's just had an effect on all those different areas.

And I mentioned as well, the leadership that Drake May's exercised, I think, influenced by the head coach, it has really stood out. And on top of all of that, they've brought in players in the draft and hit on almost all their picks. All the rookies who were drafted have been on. who were drafted have been on the roster at one point or another in the season, and they've had for Yatins come in, and almost all of them, if not all of them,

have really made positive contributions, including Milton Williams first and foremost. And I think, you know, Rable and his staff deserve a lot of credit for the evaluation of those guys, but also the development of the young guys. Bob, final question. I mentioned this a little bit ago on the show. This could be the battle of which concussion cost the team the most.

Christian Gonzalez and concussion protocol. You've got Nico Collins. And again, I know you won't have a definitive word about Gonzalez until

later today when the injury report comes out, but it was like the Patriots didn't happen for much of that game over the weekend against the Chargers. How do things change

if Gonzalez is not clear for the game on Sunday? Well, I think that, you know, first of foremost, he put out a post last night on social media that a lot of people read into.

It was a cryptic post that seemed to be encouraging and he, you know, I think when we saw Nico Collins carded off, a lot of people jump to conclusions about him, and I don't think we should do that about either player. If both are available, you know, certainly it's going to be a great matchup. Now, this Patriots team hasn't played as much man coverage over the course of the season as we've been accustomed to seeing Patriots defenses,

particularly under Bill Belchitt, and the really strong Patriots defenses, the way we saw Stefan Gilmore, Dorel Rivas, or some of the other better cornerbacks they had during the two-decade-one Thai law going back to the first part of the dynasty for the Patriots. So Gonzalez is a guy with that capability, it seems, but over the course of the season, really hasn't been utilized in that particular way. It's been a different kind of defense, more zone coverages, some match coverages as well. But if Nico Collins is out there and Christian Gonzalez is out there, it's going to be a fascinating matchup to watch. I think we will see more. That we did see more of it against the charges with Gonzalez

and Carlton Davis tried to tighten things up before Christian left the game. If neither is available, to me, and this is maybe my own bias, I think it impacts the Texans far more than it does the Patriots because Collins is such a special, special player. And I think the Patriots can do some things defensively against the rest of that receiving corps that will allow them to compensate for the absence of Gonzalez. So that's the way I see it from a New England.

point of you. All right, Bob, thank you so much for the time. We really appreciate it. Your insights are always valuable, and I need you to save two tickets for a Patriots home game in October for next year. If it's somebody good, I won't expect it. But if it's like Arizona or Miami's coming in, save two for me, if you don't mind. Okay, and I've got to have court side seats in exchange for Rody. Let's go. Go, go Rody. I was going to say, if you said courtside for the Rockets, I mean, I could probably do that. If you want Rody volleyball, I get to your home damn section. I don't care about that. That's good for me. Thank you, Bob, for the time as always, friend.

We really appreciate it. Thanks, Matt. All right, we'll see you later. Bob Sosci. Voice of the Patriots with us here. On the Matt Thomas Show, Ross Good Insights there. He thinks the advantage would be, not necessarily advantage, but the bigger disadvantage would be if Nico could not go.

Tell me, did you see anything again, granted? We're not doctors, but there was nothing that made me think this is a quick recovery situation here. We're not doctors, but going straight to the locker room and the short week is what makes me not optimistic. Yeah, I would have to agree with you. that. All right. More on the NFL and the Texans throughout the course of the next couple of hours. If you would like to be with us now, you may do so. 713-212-5-790.

7-1-3-212-5-7-90. Ross has two shut your bum-asses up. Jonathan has one. I need to come up with something. My life is pretty happy these days. You got to come over somebody you're upset about? All daily. Ain't anybody got time for shooting under 30% from three every game. That's again. It happened again last night.

I know. That's now six straight games of under 30%. It exploded for 29%. Great. Exploded is a relative term. And they were at 23% going to the fourth. I know. I was there. 1116 on Sports Talk 790.

1121 on Sports Talk 790. Thanks again to Bob Sosci. I will never be a Patriots fan because I just can't. But I just love that area. Hey, don't we have angry for Patriots fan? Where's that guy? I haven't talked to him in years. Oh, you guys had a falling out after the...

No, not at all. So I reach out to him? After the big dust up. Huh. I forgot about Angry Patriots fan. That's, I think, I hope he still lives in the year. I have not talked to him in a long time. He drinks lots of Guinness. I mean, just like, like, literally it's motor oil.

That, does he drink a lot of motor, do people drink a lot of motor oil? No, but I mean, don't you drink in Guinness? It's the thickest beer out there, right? Yeah, it's pretty thick. Thick beer. It doesn't have a hot ABV, by the way, which people think because of its, right, of its stoutness.

Thickness. I'm not a big porters and stouts, guys. I love IPAs, blonde ales, pale ales. I've tried with IPAs, I can't do it. Porterson stouts, I can't. Yeah, I know you, I'm at, because you like a, you like cranberry drinks. I wish I can get vodka and diet, creamberry. It's a different, you have to, I will admit, yes, if you're just tasting it,

it's, you have to think of it different. It's kind of like people who get into wine or cigars or whatever. You have to look for the notes and kind of taste what's happening. You will be very happy with me In one of my rocket road trips this year One of my great friends, Eric Haseltine is the voice of the Memphis Grizzlies He and I went a bunch of other people

Went to dinner and he brought several bottles and wine to the restaurant with him And I felt bad because there was not a lot of wine You don't drink wine. Well, I did that night Yeah? And I really enjoyed the experience. You got smashed.

I didn't say smashed, but it felt good. Were you drinking red with cabernets? Pino-mois? We were having steak. Pinot-gris? I don't know. You're asking the wrong person. Point being is that

Perhaps a Malbec? Are you done? Yeah. I couldn't be, but I mean, I could think going, but I won't. Was it a Bartles and James? No. Was it a Zima? No, stop.

I'm naming types of wine. I know. You're naming types of teenager drinks. I know, I am. All right, 713-212-5-799. 7-1-3-2-1-2-7-9. Get shut your bum-ass up coming up in about 10 minutes right now. George is with us on the Matt Thomas show with Ross.

George, good morning. Hey, good morning. So, hey, quick digression regarding Guinness. If you've ever had a black and tan, you know that the Guinness floats on top of a logger. So Guinness is actually less dense than logger, even though it feels thicker. It's actually less mass per volume than most loggers are. So even though it feels thicker, it's less mass. Thank you, George.

Right. So one of the things I've concerned about is the Texans continuing to have the offensive line pre-start penalties. And it's one of those things, maybe I feel too strongly about it, but to me it's kind of like the way Jose Altuve manages to get picked off at first base. It's one of those things where if you're just paying attention, it shouldn't happen. It's 100% preventable, and I'm afraid that I'm discouraged to see that those are still happening. And I'm afraid that as we go into the playoffs and you get, we're up against teams that are really, really good at execution,

that that's going to cost us something big. And I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on why it keeps happening and what the impact might be. Yeah, the Trent Brown offside was bad. The couple first snaps of the game, you could tell. He's like, oh, God, this is T.J. Watt. He got off early, and I thought they could have called a false start to the game. Then he got called one.

I don't recall after that. But there was the illegal formations and the illegal shifts, they got to stop. Those are inexcusable. You will even say that for eight weeks now. Yeah, know the rules of football. And I can't remember they had six penalties for 44 yards. I'm trying to recall whatever else. They had a pass interference.

Did they have more pre-snap penalties, though, than the false start and then the illegal shift? I can't really recall it to top of the head. Generally speaking, was pretty well played. It's fairly clean for Texans-wise. But yes, the frustration, illegal formation and illegal shifts cannot happen. Like, read the rulebook of football and then follow those rules of the football. past interferences are going to happen Holdings are going to happen because you could probably get holdings on every call

The occasional fall start on the road especially You don't want it to happen but it does Just do you don't want it to Laramie Tunsell level But illegal shifts and illegal motions are inexcusable I think the pressure ramps up I think I'm going to look at every snap The human element gets into play on this Ross I don't all of a sudden see a team that has had formation and motion issues

all year long, all of a sudden behaving themselves in January when the pressure of winning these games and playing, performing is even a higher level. I just don't. I think the Texans are due for one or two per game. Again, it didn't mean much to me this week because the Steelers' offense couldn't do anything. So it didn't bite them. But I will say it makes things more difficult for a quarterback when it's third and three to go to third and eight because of something silly like a shift penalty. Shift, S-H-I-F-D. A shift.

A lot of shift issues. I don't know. I thought generally speaking, everything's amplified Ross. I thought they did a pretty good job of not causing themselves too many mistakes, except for the fumbles. And that is totally excusable to have those issues happening this time of year is hard to watch. Yeah, there was a, the shift, as I mentioned, there was the false start and then the holding. But not a lot of that. Legal man downfields, not a lot of that?

Oh, Ersery had a fourth quarter fall start. So two false starts and one illegal shift. That's, hell, Army and Tunsell had that in the first quarter of most games. That's pretty good. Yes, that's not ideal, but that's not terrible. Two false starts on the road, one illegal shift. No, to me, that was about the penalties, was the fumbles that were just inexcusable. But I'll say this.

And one holding in. They're going to have, that's going to be in the back of their mind. It's like guys, it's like guys that putt. You miss that four foot putt a couple of times. You're going to be thinking about that four foot putt over and over and over again. Wow. Okay. Like when Tiger Woods had the yips for a little while there?

Well, it's like when second baseman have a hard time thrown to first base on occasion. We saw that here a few years back. Now, you can correct that as Jose did. Yep. But. But. That was a weird sound. No, I don't know.

It's like a lamb or something. It was like one of the Budweiser frogs. Yeah. Here's a real current reference for you. Jonathan's like, oh. Yeah. I always feel like we got to pass things through Jonathan. I like this, though.

I like this. It's like a filter. The young lad, Jonathan Allen. You're going to be the young lad forever. Sorry. Are you ready for this? So we have a new young sales associate with us here in the office. Okay.

And this morning, she was singing a song yesterday when I saw her. I said, name who sings it. And she's like she forgot. I said, so then this morning I saw her, I said, name the oldest person you know that sings songs. Okay. And she said, John Cash. Yeah, John Cash. I said, John Cash.

She goes, oh, she goes, Johnny? That's better. And everyone in the hallway heard it too. Felt bad. And the young kids. I used to have a sportscaster guy that I used to listen, watch and goes, Matt, you need to do a better job of going back and learning about the 60s and 70s in the NFL. You are going to lose credibility

because you're not old enough to know the stuff from yesteryear. Now it's frankly the opposite way. The less you make dated references, the better. Yeah, let's get you current, Matt. I think I do a pretty good job. To play a song? Yeah, I mean, let's see. When was Good Times by Sheik?

No, I'm not... Songs are never going to change. Just the general topic of conversations. Oh, okay. Oh, my music taste is never going to change. You can't change me on that. But, like, I mean, if you're, like, if you're calling a show and you're referring to the Texans win is like when you watch the elders win

an 81 against the Bengals in a wildcar game. We get colors like that every week. What are you talking about? I'm just saying. It's just harder for the younger folks to kind of catch up on that kind of thing. All right. Next half hour.

Uh-oh. You're going to tell some people to shut their bum asses up and ain't nobody got time for that. You got something on your mind. Remember, Brad calls. You get to go in front of Brad. At this point, Brad is not with us. I mean, he's with us with us,

but he's not with us on the phone lines. If you want to tell somebody to shut their bum ass up, 713-212-5-790, 7-1-3-212-5-7-90. Everybody got time for that. Hey, nobody got time for that. 1135, sports talk, 790. This is the most cathartic half-hour of your week. Other people will not let you tell them to shut their bum-asses up.

We encourage it here at 7-1-3-212-5-7-90. 713-212-5-790. 1136 on 7-19. Jonathan, I'm going to let you go first this week, my friend. What's the matter with you? I'm talking about the Liam Cohen and Lynn Jones-Turping, the Jacksonville Free Press interaction. Yes.

And if y'all don't know what happened, basically went to the press conference, and she had the opportunity to ask some questions. Instead, encouraged him after it felt like he was looking down and you know, blah, blahze. The problem I have is all the hate from other media and journalists that are saying that she's fake media or so it's embarrassing that she did this and it's for organization, which I have a big gripe about because reporters and journalists as a whole get upset

when it's just coach speak and it's just they're, oh, they're not giving us answers, they're not doing this. because you guys don't treat them as human. And frankly, it's less professional to get your emotions in the way of reporting the team that you're reporting because they lost and you're mad because how the game went. Liam Collins is human.

And that's why she got the clicks. He now... Hold on, I've got to get my thoughts together. I apologize. Now she's the main reporter for Jacksonville. He's his main guy because she traded him just human. And that's what the problem is in media and social media.

You want the clicks, you want this. Oh, for the people that are actually working, it doesn't make any sense. Because at the end of the day, you're recovering the team. The team lost. You don't gripe and go on the team because the team lost. You're not there doing it. All you're there is reporting the news and what went down and what the coach has to say. So for everybody that says that, and I've seen so many tweets,

even locally that they think is fake media, shit your bum ass up. Get him, Jonathan. Shit your bum ass up, man. Just disgraceful. Ooh, disgraceful. I will talk. I'll follow up because I... So it's called a press conference because it is for the press.

Now, first of all, I understand both sides on this. It is a press conference and you were supposed to be in there covering it's for the coach making immediate availability. This goes back decades to where you want to get press coverage for your games. You make the coach available. The coach asks and is asked questions about the game, what's going on, and then they answer questions about the game. And to get behind into this press conference, you basically need to be credentialed media, which especially in years past was getting behind a velvet rope. You're getting access that people don't always get to, and you're doing it in a work capacity.

People are there to work. Availabilities are short. And you need to get your quotes for your stories, for your whatever. That's what it's supposed to be there for. What this reporter did did not use the press conference for what it is supposed to be for. It is not there to console the coach, to tell him everything's going to be okay, to mom him and tell him, you know, just baby him and say, it's okay. You had a great season. But that's not the purpose of the press conference.

So that's why there are many people in media who are reporters who have gotten angry about this. John, I'm going to have to respectfully completely 100% disagree. There was compassion there. This is a woman. I don't know her. I've never heard of her before. She seems like a very nice person. I've seen her on a couple of media interviews since then.

It was the wrong place. and the wrong time. There is a time and a place to do that. First of all, she's not a beat reporter. She works for a newspaper where she covers a variety of things, but her main job is not to cover Jacksonville Jaguar Games. That's first and foremost. Secondly, the press conference is a 10 to 15 minute opportunity

for those people that do cover the team, whether it be television, radio, or newspaper, to ask questions directly related to the game itself. And granted, it was only 20 or so seconds. And again, that's the main thing about this is, This is not the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen in my life. I see way more embarrassing things with a fake media in Houston, Texas than I ever see in Jacksonville, Florida. I'm just going to tell you that point blank.

It was wrong. She's sweet. Liam Cohn was awesome about it. It was just the wrong place. It was just not the right place to do it. And I agree with that point. But to your point with Texans media and how I think it would be 10 times worse what we see now when you just like, oh, you did a good job coach. and just getting

and bootlicking them. We have bootlicking media in Houston, Texas. Yes, and that's what I'm saying. And I don't respect them. I can't speak to the Jacksonville people because I've never heard of this woman. But again, I'm going for one particular situation. All I know is is that every city that I've lived in, Jonathan,

has bootlicking media. They just do. And they get their credentials. Frankly, sometimes in most cases, they don't deserve the credentials. But because teams are looking for friendly, media, to be nice to them, they're going to be a little more lenient. Now, again, if this woman was with the beat every single day and going to every single

practice and all that kind of thing, that wouldn't even, that wouldn't even make that big of a difference because it still was the wrong place. But she's not a sports reporter. She's a general assignments reporter who happened to be given a credential for the game because she works for a paper in the Jacksonville area. And that's where the rub is. 20 seconds of encouragement? Not the place.

It's not. It's not. You're correct, but it should not ever get this much national attention and hate compared to the bootlicking. Hate and anger is a little much. But to say wrong place, wrong time, it'd be like the president is in front of us and we're all working in the media. I'm like, hey, hey, I just wanted to say you're doing a great job. You're an awesome president. You're amazing.

You're just doing fantastic and you can never do wrong. Like that's not the time nor the place. Right. And look, it's not easy for my, I don't have this one. has a relationship with Liam Cohen, she could have easily gone to a PR director and said, hey, I want you to let him know, or I'd like to talk, speak to him personally.

They could have easily said no. You just can't do it. But again, I'm not so upset. There are so many people that lost their minds over it that for 20 seconds, okay, goofy, made a mistake, let's move on. And that is another thing why some media members are getting so angry because there used to be more

prestige as far as being a credentialed media member. Jonathan, I'm not to interrupt you, but I'm going to finish this real quick. I'll let you go. The credentialing for media in sports today is a joke compared to where it was 20 years ago. You had to have qualifications. You don't have to have qualifications anymore. Right. That's where people, Jonathan, are so upset is because every Tom Dick and Harry, that's an invaded date reference, but it is what it is, is getting in now when they need to have some qualifications. There are people that come. cover the Houston Texans.

And I was told this from a very sage person. And I'll keep it to myself who told me this. If you are, consider yourself a media. You have to report to somebody. You have to report to somebody that says, your job is to cover us. If you are your own website,

you are not a member of the media. You're just not. That's my thought. And that's the thing with, and that's what I'm going to say it's real quick. Times are changing in journalism and media as a whole. It's no longer like that. And it never would be in a million years.

Like with all the additional media that's out there, in a million years, it will never be okay for her to say what she said. It just won't be. I'm agreeing with you on that. It wasn't the right place. I'm talking about the hate she's getting for doing so. No, I don't hate her. No, I don't even know what she does or who she does.

I think people are relating it to their own city. And here's the thing, Jonathan, on your side of this, a bunch of cranky media people need to get out of their, stick out of their asses. I mean, honestly. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. So if you want to argue about the vitriol that she's getting, I can buy that much more than saying what she did was.

And I don't think you said she said which was right. So I'm just saying you can't do that. If you did it again, then I think the anger would be tenfold. But I'm, again, I'm a quick move around with things. Maybe you don't sense that because maybe I don't get on with certain things in my life. But in this particular case, seeing what she said, while being a mistake, I see it all the time and the media.

The media is changing as Jonathan said, it's not for the better. It's just different. Yeah. But it's not like there was a bunch of questions that needed to be asked. Leon Cohen wasn't able to answer. It wasn't like it took any extra time from anyone.

It did go viral. And I also do understand where people, there are people who get credentials who ask these questions to try to go viral. They record themselves and they say, look what I ask coach, who are not necessarily, media members and they use this

try to try to as a platform to try to build their own brand. They're doing it for themselves. It's self-aggrandizing. And that woman was not doing that, but you could see how this could be a bad example to where people who are credentialed media members who are actually working and getting paid want to try to not have

somebody just out there in a press conference just trying to go viral for their own sake. So that's it's a nuanced conversation. We didn't spend any time on it this week and well, we wasted this whole, not wasted, but we spent this whole segment doing it, but we still have more to get to. We got to your two. Yes. And I got one

and we got to get to the phone. 713, 212-5-790. More. Shut your bomb ass up and anybody got time for that next. 7-1-3-212-5-7-90. Ross, what is the matter with you? I can't wait for this. You have two things. Usually you're struggling to get one. So I went home

to my wonderful apartment on Monday. And I walk in and the whole place smells like paint. I'm like, what the heck's going on? Then I'm walking my living room, and my shower curtain plus the shower rod is on the ground. What the heck's going on?

I walk to my bathroom. It's all completely sealed off with, like, painters, tape, and some sort of, like, film covering the paint, and it's this very strong, pungent smell of paint. I check my email, nothing from maintenance or the building. I check my text, and I see if I missed any calls, nothing. I call the office. By the way, they don't pick up.

I walked to the office. They're out to lunch. And eventually I had to come back to the work. Because I had to go to the bathroom, by the way. I had to come back to work. That's personal, but both. That'd be more two than one then. Go ahead.

And then I finally called them. And the manager's like, I'm sorry, what room are you? What unit are you in again? The contractor painted the wrong bathtub. They were not. supposed to be in my apartment. They busted in there, threw my shower curtain on the ground,

painting my bathtub. I'm getting a massive headache from paint fumes because they went to the wrong building. They went to the wrong building. Ain't nobody got time for that. I could not sleep in my apartment. They gave me the key to a vacant place.

I went in with a blow-up bed. I got horrible sleep. All because these jackholes don't know how to read numbers on the front of a an apartment. Ain't nobody got time for that. It was annoying, Matthew. How's your bathtub, by the way?

It looks immaculate. Now that I've let some gain, right? I've had the windows open for two days blowing every fan in the house trying to get the fumes out. But that was annoying, Matthew. I'm sorry to hear that, but you got a fresh tub out of it. Yeah, it looks good.

God knows it was grimy. It was grimy as grimy as our West Palm beach hotel bathtub a couple of years ago? No, that was rust, man. It wasn't bloodstains. It was rust. That's what they told us. I believe it was bullet wounds. Bullet debris.

Yeah, I think they had a couple of kidneys cut out in there for black market sale. All right, what's your second thing? Second one. You know, I put out a tweet a couple of weeks ago saying the Texans were coming to the AFC championship game.

It was just a nice, pleasant, positive. It was a prediction. First guy to ever make a prediction on the radio, on the internet. to Steelers fans who are all up in my mentions, bookmarking my tweet, sending me gifts of Aaron Rogers doing his discount double check, and then what happened in the game? Nary a peep from one of you's.

Shut your bum ass up, Steelers fans who are crushing me on the internet for a week and then don't say a single word when you're wrong, and I said they were going to steamroll your team, and they did. Suck it. Steeler Nation. Get them. And now your coaches step down from your toxic organization.

I don't think the Steelers are toxic. The fans might be. Yeah, the fans. And your girl fans are kind of big, but that's a different issue for different times. Whoa. What? They're not Green Bay big, but they're bigger. They're number two out of 32?

Who's number one? No. I mean, who's the, ugliest is Green Bay one? Okay, who has the hottest fans? Oh, any of the California teams. There's no Chargers fans. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Oh, sorry.

Hey, do you think, if you've been to a day? In L.A. I know people that live in L.A., John, and I'm sorry. They're like third or fourth place in L.A. Okay. It's Rams, Niners, Raiders, and then Chargers. I'm going to assume that Miami Dolphin Girl fan is hot. I'm going to assume that L.A. Rams female fan is hot.

Yeah. I'm going to go probably with a Phoenix Cardinal fan is hot. I think Miami's got to be number one. Miami's got to be one. So let me tell you about Miami story very quickly before the phone. So Kim and I, this is we were just, I don't think we even had kids. Went to go see a Monday night game in Miami between the Colts and the dolphins. Okay.

And we were sitting in a section and when a girl would get up to get out of her chair to go up to the bathroom or go to the concession stand, some of the dudes around us would either applaud or stand up and applaud as they were walking up and down. Wow. And you died from ribs to the elbows that night. Elbows to the ribs, I should say. She actually said, I get it. You get a lot of elbow drops. Well, we were young in marriage.

Oh, okay. It wasn't a lot of that, you know, what do you do, Matt? We were young in love. It was fine. That's good. You had to put your blinders on? Instead of Fairfield in, too. That was when Budgett in T was in play, yeah.

I'm going to guess that wasn't on the beach. I don't think it was. I don't think it was a fair field on the beach. Now, Beach. We're saying on South Beach is this rocket trip coming up. I've never been, I've never been, I've never technically been to South Beach before. Oh, really?

Yeah. I've been. And? It's nice. It's real nice. I love Miami is the greatest people watching city. You see these big, ugly, gross chain wearing multiple shirt under unbuttoned with these hot Brazilian models. Oh, my God.

It is unbelievable. Yeah. If you want to feel fat, go to L.A., especially go to Miami. Or go to Uptown Dallas. make you feel fat too. Yeah, but they're getting liposuction. Yeah, but they got the yoga pants going. Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, but at least you can see my face when it smiles. You can tell a difference. James, what's the matter with you? Yeah, when Matt, when you go on vacation, which you truly deserve, we get the Matt Thomas show without Matt. When Ross goes on vacation, which he truly deserves, we get Jonah Do You Really Care? You know, no one's got time for that. When Ross is on vacation, you need to show up because. I get my women advice from you.

I get my food advice from me. I get a lot of advice from you. You don't even show up. Ross and I have never taken a vacation day on the same day ever. No, but he's saying, but he's talking about the Jonas. I think that was on the day after Christmas. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was both of us were off.

Yeah. But normally, and now we would. That's rare. There could be some exceptions, but normally one of us is going to be here every day. We're into syndicate unless it's a holiday. So that was a, those were company holidays. That's why we were in syndication. James. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm not going to tell you to shut your bum ass up over that because you don't know our company holidays. But I, yeah. Yeah, we would not, yeah. When one of us is gone, one of us is usually here. I've been here too long. I didn't even have vacation. It's been like two weeks. We forgot something. What's that? We forgot to say shit your bum ass up to Ray and Miami. Oh, yeah, that's fine. I don't even want to think. I wasn't even thinking about him. He's irrelevant. He's irrelevant. He's irrelevant. Hey, because I know he's still listening. Thank you. Such a bum ass up, man. Oh, get him. Get him, John. Oh, get him. John. Oh, shit your bum ass up, man. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't. I don't know. I don't. I don't. I don't.

and that shut your bum ass up. Hey, we had some good times at TOTA Center last night. We're going to play some of the highlights. I see what you're doing there. It's a little professional radio tease. Ross, you're trying to learn here at things. We've got the news at noon coming up as well. Ross, what is today's edition of Believe it or not?

Coming up at 150. That's only an hour and 50 minutes away. 713-212-5-7-90. This is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. Davison on the side to his right for Durant with two with one. Down the lane. Weather. Left side angle against a coral. Bounce pass right side, Davison. Baseline right for Jabari. Slits by his defender, pulls up 14 feet away, right side up and in. Maybe this can be a start of a

confidence builder for Jabari. He's got now a total of 13. 112, 108, 145 remaining. Durant, three point line right, flips of Jabari, setting, firing, and hell for Jabari. Rockets up by seven. Timers at six at five fall away 15 footer of men short ball is loose saved by Durant new 14 baseline jam two more two attempts in the rim two emphatic dunks for Kevin Durant he's got 28 mousovitch left hand dribble drive spins it back out the Jones a launch of a three to end the game is up and that is good but it's still going to be a second twin final score Houston 119 Chicago 113

Sheik in the building Well not literally with us How many members of Sheik are still alive? Nile Rogers is alive and I don't know any of the other members He's got a good tiny desk concert if you want to check that out Jonathan? One to ten on the song

This is like a cookout classic Everybody knows the song Oh, okay good Good. Oh, the Cookout Classic Can I go to Jonathan Allen cookout sometime soon? It stick out like a sword thumb. Are you saying fish out of water on that one? We got to get you a little more hip hop in, you know.

You know, I know every song it is there. Get you some Frankie Beverly in the maze. Let me tell you. The white guy shows up singing rap songs at a cookout. That would be more startling than me not knowing it. You're like, he's a white guy. I didn't know those songs. Me coming in, like, who's the most vulgar rap artists today going?

Like if I was spitting out candidly, Lamar tunes. Hey, Kendrakema is not that vulgar. You do like King Vaughn or something. Okay, if I came to your cookout with King Vaughn singing King Vaughn songs, that would shock the entire party, yes? Tell the truth. Us white guys are going to stay in our lanes. Me trying to sing King Vaughn probably isn't a good thing. I might get some respect. I should. All right, let's try it. 1207 on Sports Talk 7. Anytime for us to get you the headlines of the day. And with that, we present to you the news at noon. And with that, we go to the news center

where we would like to have the Scott Van Pelt read our headlines and say we have Ross. Whoa. Way out of my league is Scott Van Pelt. But I'm sorry, Matt. You take what you can get. You take what we can afford. Let's put it that way. Rockins get the win last night against the Chicago Bulls 119 to 1-13.

They were cold from 3 for 3 quarters. They did just still shoot 29% for the game, but it was enough as they got the victory. Amin Thompson continues to play well. He had 23 points in the game. Jabari Smith Jr. woke back up. Kevin Durant continues to be excellent and a much-needed win for the Rockets. Hopefully they can rest last night, rest today,

and be ready for a couple of big games coming up. Thursday on Prime Video, it is an early, it's an early start for you Rockets fans, season ticket holders, anyone going to the game, an early start against the Oklahoma City Thunder 630 and then a late 830 start on Friday against Minnesota Timberwolves. Rockets currently in 6th in the west so a couple of big matchups

coming up for the hometown hoopers, Matthew. Yeah, four home games in a row coming up. Back to back the Oklahoma City and Minnesota potential, shall I say playoff previews? I would say so. And then San Antonio to end the potential well potential playoff previews.

This game on Prime Video, then ESPN on Friday, NBC slash Peacock on Tuesday. New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. You're on SCHN. Don't downgrade Craig Vanessa and Ryan. I love Craig Vanessa and Ryan. I don't love you, but that's a different issue for different time.

Well, that's to be expected at this point. All right, elsewhere in the news, Matt, we have some NFL news going on. Apparently, the Jaguars announcing that they are still planning to use Travis Hunter on both sides of the ball going forward. I've made my prediction that he wasn't going to be a full-time, two

player. I was correct on that. We'll see. But apparently, they want to keep doing that in the NFL. We mentioned Mike Tomlin stepping down yesterday, ending his 19-year run as a head coach of the Steelers. According to Art Rooney II, he says he talked to

Mike Tomlin and Mike Tomlin said, coaching is nowhere on his radar. For one calendar year. Actually, no, it won't he be a calendar? He'll be hired next August. So believe him or not, December. He wants to be with his family. And coaching his furthest thing from his mind, says Mike Tomlin, according to Art Rooney the second.

B.S. Okay. So you're calling BS on that. One or two years or C, he'll never coach again. I mean, because Bill Cower, talking about a Pittsburgh coach. We all thought he was going to come back. He was mentioned for a couple cycles. Texans on numerous occasions.

Mike Tomlin's made a lot of money. He's spent, basically, his entire life, you can retire. You can retire at 53 and just enjoy life. It could happen. TV money is really good now. And I think guys are more apt to, especially on the player standpoint, and you brought up Bill Cowher, you can be with the financial security that you have, not necessarily needing to coach. You have that passion and you have that fire and you don't want to extinguish it. I get it.

I still think it's one year, two years, max. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. We all said the same thing for guys who did. I mean, Pete Carroll continues to come back and back and back. I mean, Bill Belichick is wasting his time in North Carolina. There are guys who just continued to hang on because that's all they've known. And that's what they love.

I think if Mike Tomlin was 63, it would be a difference. 53, got a lot left in that coaching tank. All right, moving along. Matt, did you see what happened in Milwaukee last night with the Bucks? The Bucks eventually got crushed as they lost last night to the Minnesota Timberwolves 139 to 106. Early on in the game, the Milwaukee Bucks fans were booing the Bucks. Janice of Tentel Kumpo scores an and one bucket in the start of the third quarter

and he booed the fans giving two thumbs down. He gone. Didn't I say he was gone? He is so gone. Didn't I think I got the honest. I think you got feeling he was going to be gone. When your star player begins to boo his own fans and give them thumbs down after making a bucket,

yeah, he's gone. Pretty funny video of him booing the fans. And the reality is this for the, those rocket fans that are like, we need to make a change, got to get a point card. This is going to be, if there is going to be an active trade deadline, it's going to be from the top down. We're going to see what the top players are getting in return, i.e. if John Moran gets moved from Memphis, if Janus gets moved from Milwaukee to wherever he happens to go. Once those two deals go down, I think we'll see some other deals go down.

But if those two guys stick around with their respective teams, I don't expect the trade deadline to be overly hectic. All right. Bob Nightingale has been reporting on Kyle Tucker. Yes, I love... Take your time on this one, by the way. He says that the Mets have offered a three or four-year contract that will pay him an average annual value of $50 million. Sign it.

That's going to hurt so much. I have been... Look, I have lost a fair number of bets to you over the years, including getting my head painted, which is the ultimate low life of my professional career. You lost the latest bet we had. You got your head painted? Texas.

Texan seven and a half wins. You owe me a deli lunch for that. Actually, I need to cash that in today. I'm hungry. Apparently, Bob Nightingale also saying the Blue Jays made the biggest offer to Tucker, but now that may be spread out over more years, which is what we're hoping for.

Normie, one more year. Let's go Blue Jays. So Tucker wanting over $300 million at the beginning of free agency. Of course, the Mets offer would be about $200. hundred million dollars. I'm just telling you, if I win, I'm so sad. It will be the harassment of your lifetime.

I'm blocking you from my phone and all social media. And you may have to take a day off, call sick day. I won't take a day off. I'll take my, I'll take my medicine. Well, you're going to take it. You're going to be going through a lot of medicine and therapy. That's fine. I will scar you for life.

I'm a big boy. I can handle it. Good. Also, Matt, one of the all-time great Hornets legends, getting his number retired in a ceremony, in March. Del Curry, who was a sixth man of the year

as a Charlotte Hornet, but zero-time All-Star, Del Curry, getting his number 30 retired by the organization. Your thoughts? I have no thoughts on anything Charlotte-Hourn-related. I have thoughts.

It's soft. He played there for like eight, nine, okay, I guess it was 10, years. But nobody even knows what the number Dale Curry wears, except that his son wears the same number, so that would probably be your first guess.

Zero time All-Star, zero seasons of 20 points per game, probably a lot of losing those years with the Charlotte Hornets as well. This is soft. Retiring numbers should be set for the holiest of holy organization. But it's a standout.

Who's the greatest Charlotte Hornet of all time? Larry Johnson? The new version of the Charlotte Hornets. Larry Johnson? Gerald Wallet. because he was a bobcat too. Does that count? No, who's... Who is the kid?

Chris Paul? No, no, no, no. Terry Rozier, but he's in trouble now. Terry Rojier? Kimball Walker. Kimball Walker is the greatest current. Greatest Hornet of the new generation of hornets.

I mean, let me go, I can go look. Now, did they do like a Cleveland Browns and they took all their history back? And the Pelican, or do the Pelicans have that history? Couldn't tell you. This is soft. I'm going to say it. And that's the news and new?

Thank you, Matt. No, you did it. Yeah, you're right. You're welcome, Matt. 1215 on Sports Talk 790. All right, 713, 212-5-790. 7-1-3-212-5-7-9. Zero, if you want to visit with us through Twitter, you may do that as well. At SportsMT, at SportsRV, and at...

Jonathan, I always figure, are you on Twitter? Nah, I need to, but... Don't do it. Stay on, say on the gram. The DMs get easier that way. 7-1... What? I'm sending a DM to an NFL player.

former NFL player today, as a matter of fact. Really? Trying him on the show for the later this week. That's great. Will he respond to their Twitter? Kimball Walker, the all-time leader in points in Charlotte Hornets history. Yeah. Hey, I mentioned Gerald Wallace.

He's third, so I guess they do have Bobcats history. 1216, Sports Talk, 790. 7.1.3212-5-7-90. Serta Pro painters. Go get your other lunch. Oh, yes. Chris, a little $10, okay? Yes, I gave him a 20-piece.

No, no, don't get a 20-piece nugget. You can't get that much. All right, we'll see. 1223 on the Matt Thomas show with Ross. We were just talking about the television numbers for the Green Bay Chicago NFL game. 31 million people streamed. 31.6.

So it's almost 32 main. The most streamed game in NFL history on Prime Video. I mean classic rivalry, good back and forth game. Nobody seemed to complain too much about Al Michaels on the call. Again, it's about the game, not about the announcers. I mean, he's sleeping. He's back also next year. No surprise on that.

I got news for you. The only thing that people of all ages, not just the young ands, not just the olds, it's more difficult to watch a game going from a stream to a regular television channel. I was talking to Adam Amin, who's the voice of the Chicago Bulls, does Fox games. He was in town yesterday calling the Bulls Rockets game.

We were talking about... What you were talking about? flipping back and forth. Yeah, flipping back and forth. Get another TV, Maddie. That's what I've been telling you. This is easy solution. But not everybody can afford two televisions in the same room.

You can get TVs for cheap now. I'm getting for $150. You'll have to connect them and all that kind of thing. Plug it in. You can do it. I'll do it for you. Okay, but let's take you out of the group here because you're, you know. I'm not rich. I promise you.

I promise you. My point is, is it going from direct TV or cable to your streaming, it takes about it. It's not flipping back and forth. That's the biggest negative. It is. The biggest positive is that you can now, like when I was on a road this whole time, I was watching games on Peacock on my phone. I was watching games on Amazon Prime on my phone. So if you want to do it that way, you can do a phone or a tablet or your computer with your TV. But it is, it's not like going from 13 to 26. It's a little more of an effort. It takes a little more. But yeah, if you have a smart TV, it can operate like your phone. You go from app to app. But even so, when I go from, I have smart TVs in my house. Even I go from normal TV to. If a game is on Netflix, you gotta go to the interface. It says Netflix,

and this is who's playing, who wants to watch it. So that's that to me, and maybe I think with technology, that's going to change because so many things are going on now that are being streamed. I got to tell you,

I think I'm going to take a big loss on something. I never thought a streaming service would ever carry a Super Bowl, and I think that's going to happen. Someone is, one of these networks, Netflix's, Amazon's, there were two things I put my name on that I'm really nervous about.

I'm pulling the file up. One was there would never be a Super Bowl overseas. Ooh. Which to me now, I don't really care because I'm not going any Super Bowl anytime soon. So why would I really care where it is? As long as the game's on at 5.30 on a Sunday, right? Mm-hmm. And then I always thought that there would never be a streaming Super Bowl.

But the amount of money that Netflix and Amazon Prime and Paramount Plus and who else is there, who, not Hulu, but YouTube TV, the crazy amounts of money, there's going to be a check that someone's going to cash. or someone's going to write to the NFL that they're going to say, okay, let's try it. I think so. I mean, Amazon's got unlimited money. I don't know if you can look this up, but if you can.

So you said Amazon had Chicago Green Bay had, what, $21.6 million? $31.6. What did the other games have? Because if you want to... Yeah, via Nielsen, which is an exact, right? Well, both them are inexact. I mean, they both use different measures. I would assume that maybe the...

Streaming numbers are a little more accurate? I would say so. Niners, Eagles, 41. This is AI. Okay. So hopefully this is relative. Yeah, it's right. 41 million. Bill's Jaguars, 32 million. So, yeah, Bill's Jaguars on CBS, almost as much as... Oh, a little more.

I mean, sorry, a little more. Yeah, yeah. Patriots Chargers, 28.9 million. So streaming can beat over the air. which ultimately proves my point, I think, that says, if you have a great matchup, people will find a way to watch the game. Now, will the casuals step aside from that maybe? A little bit.

But if you're a casual football fan, you know how big last weekend was. It was Wildcard weekend. If you watch any football at all, you're looking for more football. So you'd say, okay, you're telling me that the Green Bay Chicago game was on Prime. See what I did when I got to my hotel in San Francisco this past weekend. I put it on my phone and then I, what do you call it? Google cast it to my TV. Now the picture wasn't nearly as clear, but I still got the game.

It was fine. So I'm going to take two losses on that. I like the prime picture on NFL looks great. And the peacock one looks good too. On my phone, it looks spectacular. When I Google cast it on a TV like at the hotel, it wasn't nearly as good. Yeah, the hotel Wi-Fi. Yeah, it's what it is.

All right. By the way, the Texans game is going to be on ABC and ESPN this. Sunday. The early game. Yes. Which made me further think that, I know there's lesser games, but can the NFL really afford to hear from the bitching of moaning of the two teams that play on Monday that have a quick turnaround? I mean, you tell me, and the big scheme of things, would one day, would one day make a difference for Nico Collins? It looked like to me it wouldn't in this particular case, but it could be others.

But for others, for other people a day is a lot. Yeah. What a difference of day makes. I think. I think it's going to stay just because of the giant checks. How many years has it been now? Monday night football wildcard weekend. At least three or four?

At least three or four, yeah. I mean, ever since Super Wildc? They used call it Super Wild Car weekend. They just call it now a regular Wild card. The first year was Super Wild. Yeah, I'm trying to find it. I don't know. That's okay.

Point being is this. Yeah, I don't know how big of a disadvantage it is. frankly ross if i'm a team that advances in the playoffs i'm happy i don't i mean you could play the game tomorrow and i wouldn't care yeah but sunday i mean that's it's it's gonna be travel granted they're also traveling on a big jumbo jet there's plenty of seats uh hannah will be in first class rest of the team will be in an extent and uh economy plus they'll be fine it is a long flight though

they they are going to be fine i'm not worried about it no you Why is that long of a flight? It's four hours up there. Really? Mm-hmm. I didn't know that. Well, think about New York's three and a half, so you're going further north. Hmm.

Okay. All right. What else on the Texan side? Do we have, are they on the field for media portions? I've not seen Wex's update here. He's just retweeting things he said about himself on the show. That's good. Yeah, all he's putting up is Texans roster moves.

Brandon Hill signed a practice squad. Jalen Thomas released from practice squad. That's topic A. Okay. Jalen Thomas walked in here today and said, Jalen, I'm Matt. You'd say, I'm Matt and you said, I'm Ross.

He'd say, I'm Jalen. We'd say, what do you do for a living, Jalen? Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. You seem like a nice fellow. Yeah. I heard you just got released on the practice squad. That doesn't sound great.

No, no. I mean, imagine being on the practice squad this late in the season and being released. Now, that's more about just transactional stuff as compared to he did something wrong probably right Ross your thoughts

right now go say something Ross right now but I've said it once in a thousand times eating during the show is so rude it's terrible um-mm-mm-mm-mm-s see that Jonathan he can't even argue with me right now because he's got his mouth full of food

he's still going dang what are you taking a big bite trying to try to shove that all in your mouth at one time huh how to mighty fall it's funny He was calling Captain Shoeber. This is awesome.

I wish you guys, I wish we were on TV today because he just can't respond. He's still chewing. He took about a quarter of a sandwich bite in one bite. I've become everything I hate. Oh yeah, you are a fraud. You are the second biggest fraud in Houston. 713-212-5-790. I'm starving.

I know this show sucks for that. We fully expect y'all to eat while we're on the air. In fact, you should be at lunch today. Listen to our show. Yeah. A lot of days I tried to wait until after two, but I couldn't sit. I couldn't date because I got early. I got her early to talk to my guy, Nick Tamarrow from Sam Houston Race Park. Are we going going soon? We need to go. You want to go? Absolutely, I would like to go. You want to go. This weekend or next. The big weekend, the big race weekend is next weekend.

I have. They have like a big handy. Yeah, see, I shut your bum ass up. Can I even say what I wanted to say? You go ahead. You're not free. Mr. Busy. I have something going on every Saturday until early March. Yeah, but when? What's going on this Saturday? Rockets are off. I've got our U.H. Women's Basketball game. Oh, you're calling it? What time? 1 o'clock. PM?

PM. Oh, you can come for the evening. Come to the race part, blow off some steam. Get some bets down. Okay. You got a country band? No, no. This weekend is it the Eagles cover band is this weekend, I think.

Really? Yeah. I like the Eagles. They're going to take it to the limit. One more time. All right. Back to my point out. I got your sandwich out of your mouth there.

So let's go. to the cities that are still involved in the playoffs. Okay. If we're New England, we passed a test. We beat a good quality playoff team. The Chargers are, I mean, look, the offensive line was banged up. Justin Herbert was banged up, but he

was also banged up on their winning game. So it wasn't like he created this new injury. They dominated a lot only three points. But as Bob Sochi pointed out, they struggled against the Chargers pass rush and it's not going to get any easier this weekend. Okay, so you think

Boston fan is flipping out over the fact that Drake may coughed up the ball a couple of times. Maybe not necessarily flipping out, but not happy about the offensive line handling a good pass. Let's go to Denver. Okay. Bo Nix. That's easy. Great season. Defense, amazing.

Hey, Bo Nix, don't screw it up. Kind of sounds familiar, does it not? Yeah. I mean, are we huge R.J. Harvey fans? I mean, is he like the goat? Cortland Sutton's not putting the fear in people's defenses. Exactly. But my point is, I think Houston's defense is better than Denver's,

but Denver's having the same kind of conversation that we're having here. I think so. Do we trust the quarterback? All right. Let's go to the next one. Buffalo. Easy. Gritty win at Jacksonville.

I just say it is. If I'm Buffalo, how are we going to handle, how is Josh Allen going to throw against at Denver defense? He's fine on the road in the cold normally. Yeah, I was going to say weather conditions. except for the thinnier would be the only difference in playing in Buffalo as compared to Denver. RJ Harvey is their lead dog running back in Denver, but is he going to necessarily be the difference maker

even though the Buffalo run defense is not very good? I'd say what, of the four cities that are still left in the AFC, I'm going to go ahead and say it. I think confidence is the highest in Buffalo. See, you say that and on its face it makes sense, but let me phrase it this way. confident Buffalo Bills fan

With all the turmoil There's no such thing There's got to be no such thing As a confident Buffalo Bills fan They always have to have it back in their mind The collapse after collapse after collapse Even in the Josh Allen era Yeah, don't even include the Jim Kelly

I'm talking about, yeah, if you're going just to Josh Allen We have the Golden Road Is going to end at some point I know I'm going to stick to my guns I think of the four cities that are the most confident about their teams winning the AFC, I think it's in Buffalo. I think Houston's second.

Ooh. I think Denver's third. I think New England's fourth. New England's fourth? Hmm. I mean, you feel like you're probably feeling pretty good. I mean, they're all feeling good. They're in the final four.

I'm not saying I didn't feel bad, but I mean, they're the biggest favorite remaining. My confidence, I said, of the four, I think the most confident of the group is Balthow's already gone on the road once in one. But when I say Patriots fan confident, you're going to say yes. I'm going to say Patriots fan, arrogant, yes.

All right. On the NFC side, you have San Francisco. What are they complaining about this week? George Kittles out. How many more times can you take an injury and win it? At what point does the attrition come too much? Rock party's been good, but not perfect. Seattle's easy.

Is Sam, playoff Sam Darnal going to show up? Right. That's easy. Their defense has been great all season long. Rams. Why are you toying around with Carolina the way that you did? Yeah, you could feel a little bit shaky about what happened last week.

And are you afraid that Chicago is the greatest comeback team in recent NFL history? And if you're Chicago, we can't fall behind like we did to Green Bay. And the Rams have had a good defense all season. They gave up 31 to the Panthers. Got to be worried about that, too. Okay, so of the four teams that are left, who's the most confident an NFC team of the four. Seahawks. Because of home field.

Home field. Biggest favorites. They've been great all season. And Sam Darnel has something to prove. You're the one seed. Got a week of rest. But everybody's got, yeah. There's no perfect team.

That's the way the NFL is supposed to be. We said that last week. Right. That's why any of the teams that were in the playoffs, probably in the back of their mind, said, all right, I can figure out a way for us to go the whole thing, or I can figure out a way to lose in the first round. You can think of ways to lose, but every team

can say to themselves, why not us? Houston Texans, why not us? I would say if you were to poll 10 Texans fans, seven of them are extremely confident they can win in New England. Hmm. Because they can, you know, if they can do, you can go to a sports bar and find 10 Texans fans, you can find the seven and they can say,

our defense is the best in the NFL. You'd be right. The three that you would find that wouldn't feel so great about it is because they keep waiting for CJ Stroud to get out of the funk that he's been in. And you're most going to reflect on something that just happened. And what you saw happen was

some good throws. Yes. The Christian Kirk, not the other Kirk. Poor Stephen. I said Sam. I got his name wrong. No. Stephen A. Smith. The fumbles? Yikes. And here's another thing for you.

Is Woody Marks going to be able to do the same thing he did last week in Pittsburgh like he can do? I mean, I'm not expecting him to rush for over 100 yards. That was the game of the year. But that was by far his best performance. I mean, also, he was like three yards down the field a lot of time. The offensive line got great push. They did.

Woody Marks isn't going to create a whole lot of yards for you. He can't here and there. But also, if you give him lanes to get going, yeah, he can run like he did on Monday. He's a smart running back. He just isn't at the burst that you're looking for in an RB1. He's not going to break, you know, he's not going to break a 60-yarder on you. Right. Do you think that's a good comp?

Seven out of ten fans are really, really confident? The three are negative Melis and thinking that they're scared to death. Yeah, close to seven, maybe a six does feel low, seven feels almost a touch high, so I don't know. It's probably somewhere around there. Okay. Feeling good.

I just put a poll on my Twitter account at SportsRV. Texans plus three. How we feeling? So far, zero votes. Because I just posted it. You know what? Do me a favor. I know you're going to be mad at me for this, okay?

Take the points off the board. Because it doesn't, because betting doesn't matter here. It's about advancing. But I think if you're picking the Texans, you're picking them to win. in this one. If it was like Texans 6.5, 7 and a half. I get what you're saying. All right.

Here's what I'm going to do that. I'm going to do a poll without the plus three on there. Okay. And we'll see if there's a big discrepancy. 713-212-5-7-90. I say if you've pulled 10 Texans fans, seven would say their defense is so awesome. It's going to carry them no matter what the Texans offense does.

The three are scared as hell about what mistakes CJ could make. For that matter, Nick Haley, and I really not trying to put C.J. in a loan category. I'm saying the entire offense. And Nico Collins is not playing, potentially. Are you a seven? Or are you a three? Don't ask a girl that. Don't ask anybody that.

Don't. I'm definitely a seven. How about you? Yeah, seven. I could pass for a seven. Hmm. I know one demographic you could pass for a seven. What does that mean?

I saw I met them in the Lake Charles Casino many years ago. See, you're so weird. Number one, you weren't even there. And number two, the stories are fabricated. Terrible. 713-212. Just because you're being jovial and chatting with people, it doesn't mean you're hitting on them.

No, they were hitting on you. That's not true. I didn't say you were hitting on them. They were hitting on you. Nobody was grabbing anything. The one woman said, I want to take, I'm going to take your head and put it between my breast. I was like, damn, girl.

This is, hold on, this is not happened. Now you're making stuff up. You're making me question it because I was drunk. He almost got me. I almost got him. I got to eat. 1245, 713, 212, 5, 790. 1250 on Sports Talk 790.

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and you can nominate your favorite teacher now at iHeartRadio.com slash teacher. That's iHeartRadio.com slash teachers. All right, 1251 on Sports Talk, 790. Let's take a look at the poll question. Yours and mine. You have plus three. I just put who you got. And I have Texans at 83% Patriots at 17%.

Wow. I have Texans at 89%. Even with the points. Okay. By the way, shoutouts to Chris and Wade Listen to Show. They said that's exactly what I'm doing Now eating lunch and listening to show. Thank you very much Chris and Wade. Thank you, lunch timers.

You know we ought to do? We had to do a contest one day Where people just shoot pictures of them eating lunch While they listen to show. What's the prize? Well, they get a shout out. Okay. Like Wade sent me a photo of what he's eating. Let's see, he's got, looks like he's got chicken fried chicken, green beans, cream gravy, an okra. Ooh, it sounds delicious.

That does sound good. really nice job waiting on the picture there now chris we don't know what you had for lunch you didn't show us to us but let us know by the way uh the three of us ross jonathan myself we're gonna we've got our jci i get together coming up next week yes where jonathan will lose his jcii virginity oh it's the hot dog joint right yeah yeah we're going when next month next tuesday before the rockets and spurs game so write that down if i'm sick before the spurs Rockets game, you'll know why. You do have a bad track record. What, JCI? I certainly do.

I'm willing to give it a second. What was working in that game with you? Neither one. I don't know which one it is. One of the Adams. Yeah. They've been boxing me out of that job for too long. I want to go there. I want to be your color commentator. That's a dream. Yeah, but I got to like poison their food or something.

You are more than welcome to. Maybe I'll do it on the road one day. You know what you ought to do is you ought to lock the door. Locked them in? Not like that. No, no, no. You lock yourself in here. They can't come in here and do it.

Oh, I got you. No, I mean, I just mean at the arena. Hmm. Oh, I see what you're saying. Okay, yeah. You know, I don't care about throwing to the corona spots or whatever. I want to be talking about the game. Oh, you want a home game, I see.

We've got four coming up. Why don't you, you know, when they come in here today to do their show, why don't you ask one, they can have a day off? No, they can do all the network stuff, and I'll just sit with you. You want them? do the heavy lifting and you do nothing but just sit there and talking about the game. And keep the check. You don't even sit next to me during the game if you want to.

Keep the money. Oh, you just want to do it just to do it. Yeah. Okay. I don't, I don't, you know, I mean, I'll tell you what. We have two exhibition games coming up in the fall that I'm not going to. I believe they're going to be in China. Did we not say that was, remember that was going to do? Oh, really?

Yeah. Okay. And Manson Merlin did it with you. And Mance did it with me. You can do it with me. Why not? Yes. Now, the only difference was.

is that that was during our time slot of our show. Yeah, that was. So what? We can knock off, what's the name of the show that's on before us? That's the morning we are on 6 to 10 a.m. show. Yeah, okay. Yeah, they'll take a day off. That's fine.

Okay. All right, 713-212-5-790. If you want to join us, 7-1-3-1-2-5-790. We had Bob Soci on earlier today. He is the voice of New England Patriots. And if you missed that conversation, we will be playing that coming back at 1.30. this afternoon. We've got, believe it or not, at 150,

so I'm looking forward to that. Oh, but, oh, look, what are, Kenny just sent us a photo? He's a JCI right now. Or is it Chili's? I can't, what is that logo? Is that where I don't see it? Let's see it.

Is it on? Is that Chili's or JCI? Yeah, it's Chili's. That's Chili's. Maybe he's getting his baby back, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby. He's got a Texan's hat on and everything. Good for him. All right, Wexler chimes in. Jawar Jordan is practicing.

that's good it's fine it's good running depth depth is good Woody marks goes down once a game minimum Nick Chubb goes down

once a game yeah I guess you are how many running backs you're going to carry six wax has not seen Nico Collins

or Justin Watson or Trent Brown Trent's relaxing he's like I can't practice on a Wednesday I'm too big maybe he's practicing

snapping on time what is Justin Watson ever done for the Texans am I missing something here I think he's He's, you know, he's a Xavier Hutchinson's backup. He's the best WR5 in football. Justin Watson.

If Wax walked in today and said, what did you think about Justin Watson not being in practice? I'm like, is he an equipment manager? Or was he not in charge? It's a team dentist? I think he made a couple returns, I think. I really don't know what Justin Watson does. I can go deep on your Y receiver debt chart.

I can't go to Justin Watson. Well, neither does ESPN. They have a picture of a black guy when you go. Look at this big ESPN and I put Justin Watson in. That's the wrong dude. That's so bad. Apparently, what happened on the broadcast on Monday night football? Somebody sent me a message.

Did they put somebody on the starting lineup for the Texas that was heard? Yeah, they put Jimmy Ward in. Jimmy Ward? Yeah. You mean hasn't played all year long, Jimmy Ward? What, they put Joe Mixing in his RB1? I think so. By the way, no one asked this week if Joe Mixing will be available for this week.

Oh, man. That's tough. I heard you guys on Monday talking about the conspiracy theories about it. Oh, yes, about the rumor that you keep proliferating. I don't proliferate a lot. But what I do, it's usually pretty good. I'm an insider. Okay.

Isn't it crazy? It's been since the summer Matt said he wasn't going to come back. Thank you, Jonathan. Matt was good. We're all the way in January. I just think that's nuts. Now, Jonathan, do you think the rumor that we talked about has any validity to her or does anything that was completely made up? it's got to be some type of truth to it.

It's got to be something bad happened that they don't want to announce. Something embarrassing? Embarrassing and or bad or just non-football. I mean, he's on the non-football injury list. Shooting yourself on the foot be kind of embarrassing? Yeah, like if you were, I don't know, playing volleyball at the beach and you had twisted your knee, we would know about it. Correct. I'm telling you, we're going to find out about this.

Let's go, you. Well, let's get on it, Mr. Texan's insider. Shouldn't you know? I'm busy with the rockets right now. Oh, okay. You're the Texans insider, so why don't you know? Because I told you I'm busy with rockets. Okay.

You're supposed to say, I know, but I can't reveal the information at this point. Well, I do know, but I don't want to tell you. Yes, there you go. That's better. By the way, tomorrow, Ross is going to, normally Ross hates me a lot. He's really going to hate me tomorrow. Because tomorrow, in the last hour of the show, Space City Home Network is coming to filmed the show. Oh, really? Yes.

Are they doing a documentary on you? They're doing a segment for their Rockets All Access show called. That's what I was going to say. They're running out material on All Access because it's midseason. Go ahead. No, they said, let's find something to boost ratings. And they said, let's get it. Tomorrow's going to be a day in the life of me. Oh, that's good. They're probably like, man, we've been following around

and Reed Shepherd and, like, we're down to Josh Akogi. So they're going to follow you now. That's good. Yeah. That's cool. They got to fill those hours on Rockets All Access somehow. So they'll be here to chew it. They're going to hear to watch me take a nap, which is going to be really kind of weird. Are they really? I told them I take naps after shows. And they said they're going to film you taking a nap.

Well, they're going to film me, probably not the whole thing. Can you go somewhere nicer and not just be on our dingy couch? I have a pillow on a blanket. It'd be fine. But you'll see what my day is like from the time I finished this show. Okay. So the one o'clock hour, they're going to be filming us. Probably they'll be here about 1.30. Okay.

So we're going to have to. Do I have to be like more demonstrative and throw my hands up like we're doing serious sports, radio talk. Strong takes. Yeah. Accentuate every syllable. Unbelievable. Okay. So I need you to. So I'll be on TV too. Yeah. But don't take my shine. Why not? Because it's not a Rossville Reass segment. Should be. I don't do anything. I just show up here and then go home and nap. You should be in the after, you should be in the back. If you want to the last hour off tomorrow, you probably can. Oh, you know what? I can step out. You want me to. No, I'll step out. It's a Matt Thomasville Ross. That's okay.

No, no, no. We already got the sales pitch. It's just the Mad Thomas show, so. I didn't say that. I mentioned you yesterday, as a matter of fact. That's what I heard. I was there. You were in the background, taking a nap.

In my nap in space. That's fine. Final hour of the Matt Thomas show with Ross is coming up. 713-212-5-790. 7-13-212-5-7-90. The Texans, man, we're going to just beat this game to, dead like a

dead toe dead horse right is that the phrase? What is it? What is it? Beating a dead horse? What's the phrase you use? Yeah. Beating a dead horse?

We're going to preview this thing like nobody Because again, nobody else in the marketplace. The horse is not dead. It's Wednesday. It's the playoffs. You cannot kill the horse. No, we're not. We've got another hour of this and we got a

A big one ago. The visual round horse. Very, very strong. 1259 on 790. This is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. The only station in town that is talking Texans football is right here

at Sports Talk 790. nobody else in the marketplace is. A lot of bowling conversation elsewhere, a lot of weightlifting, and I believe Mount West Conference Volleyball has been talked about a lot of other stations today. Interesting. Yeah, so we're here to talk Texans. But I'm more into A10 volleyball. As you should be. Thank you very much for the reference there. One baseball note, and our website, our Twitter account, Sports Talk 790, which is always a good follow, put out some Vegas odds on the MLB free agent destinations. There are three big free agents. that are still left. Now the Bregman is going to be wearing Chicago Cubs gear. They're announcing him tomorrow. He's wearing jersey number three there.

Okay. What do he wear in Boston? Do he wear two in Boston? I don't think so. Isn't that probably, I just assume it's retired with these old organizations. Well, Nico Horner has been wearing two for the Cubs for a long time. Okay. So I don't know if he asked for two in Chicago and they said,

Nico says such a mom ass up. Yeah, he wore two with the Red Sox. Okay. So this is the first time he's wearing three. Who cares? people get uniform goofy on it. You know what? They get too much into it. You can wear number 79.

It'd be fine. Yeah, it's funny. And it's funny, I don't get into uniform talk too much because I don't remember the person, not the number. Yeah. Like Kevin Durant's worn a couple different numbers. Some of you remember, yeah. LeBron is worn different. Those are kind of the easy ones, but there are much more that I just like, oh, I don't remember.

Some people get into it. Yeah. All right. Name your top number 51 in N. NFL history. We have 52 days to start the NFL season. We're going to go with League Gross Cup, Arkansas linebacker in the 1950s.

Broncoe Nogerski. You almost booked him for Radio Row for me. Hey. His best guess I could have ever gotten. The ghost of Bronco Nogerski would be a good get. Everybody's running around. Hey, that's showing Houston got Bronco Nogerski. There's a big white cloud over us.

Yeah. We will not be at Radio Row. I hope we are. Well, you would be going I have rockets. I can't go. I hope we are because there's only one scenario where we're going. And even then it's... I know.

You want the God's honest truth? Peel the curtain back? If there's any show that would benefit from us going to radio roll, it would be you going because it'd be 8th to noon Pacific time. Yeah. The morning show would be a complete waste of time. I'd like to interview Colleen Wolf again. Is that the verb you're going with?

Yeah, interview. Hmm. So you want to go interview Hots NFL reporters. You don't? I mean, I would like a video cam. She's very sweet. You don't know that. Yeah, she could be a major being.

Oh, you can tell a little bit when you interview people on Radio Row before, especially before and after the interviews. Remember Ryan Leif? Ooh, he was grumpy. Oh, my God. Now, he obviously was still under the influence because he just wasn't in a good spot, but I think he's in a much better spot today. That's good for him. I'm trying to think, who have we interviewed?

face to face over the years. I tell you who was really nice. Chrissy Teigen, she was nice. Yeah. I thought Charlotte Flair was just okay. Oh, Amanda Nunez, UFC, she was a sweetheart. Very nice. I don't remember her.

She was just going to kick your ass. That doesn't surprise me at all. I mean, get to realize, folks, to peel the curtain back one more time before we go back to the odds we're talking about this baseball. When Gordy was booking the shows, he got the best guest for his shows, and then everybody else got a distant second.

It just is what it is. We did well. He got you. Emmett Smith and some other big names. We went through the list. You just have this thing where you can't remember when people do good things for you. I frankly remember more things that are done badly for me. Exactly.

Yeah, you remember Carl Mecklenburg. You don't remember Harvey Martin coming on. Oh, great. You don't even remember me getting you Maurice Jones Drew and James Brown? Do you remember we had a caller call and ripped the crap out of Maurice Jones Drew? And he was literally waiting right? He was listening on the air. That was pretty damn good.

That's gold. The funniest moment in the history of Radio Rose is when Bobby A. and Morton Anderson came over and did the show with me. And it's like you weren't even on the show. No, they literally took over and I didn't care. I'd spilled ice cream and fudge and vanilla ice cream all over our place mat. It was embarrassing. Those guys were talking.

Oh, wait, where is it? Santa Clara? We might have to stay in Sacramento, like the reverse rockets. Hey, what hells are booked? I commute every morning. Santa Clara, well, I'm sure the, I'm guessing Radio Rose in San Francisco. So you're looking about 80 miles. I can tell you it's 80 minutes.

Yeah, just get a rental. Unlimited miles. Now, you're going in morning drive. That could take a little longer. Well, I'll take the BART. Does the BART go up there? You can't, you can't bark to Sacramento. I can't.

No. I was hoping so. All right. So if the Texans go to the Super Bowl, there's no guarantee that Ross will go. But if anybody's going from the station, it's going to be Ross and Gordy. And they'll book all the headliners. Yeah. We got you.

So really, I'll benefit from me not being there. Gordy actually having a give a damn about our show. Is Too Tall Jones still alive? He's asking for a friend. If Ray Lucas is around, he'll be on our show for damn sure. How's, how's Vince Football doing these days? Ray Lucas. We're going so inside.

Former Detroit Lions quarterback Eric Kippel joining us. I remember Eric Kippel. It's always Ray Lucas, man. And, you know, I mean, God love him, but he's talking about his mental problems. And you're like, man, this is terrible. This is not sad. Brought to you by Truscets.

I want Ray Lucas to be okay. Every night since I left the NFL as hell. I don't know how I wake up every morning. All right, that's Ray Lucas, folks. Really appreciate him coming on the show. You know, it's not even radio anymore. It's more like podcasts. All those NFL players do their podcasts,

and so they all bring their bros on, and thus legitimate stations get screwed. Thus, the Ray Lucas isn't Carl Mecklenburg is the world making it on the show. I'd still like to go. I don't know. Bay Area. I'm good. All right. Quick baseball note before we get to some other things. So Vegas odds on MLB for Agent and that destinations.

Cody Bellinger, the favorite in the clubhouse, the New York Metropolitan's 2 to 1. Yankees are 5 to 2. The Cubs are 3 to 1. Coming in fourth, the Astros are 22 to 1. Now, maybe the 4th, but they're on this list. Cody Bellinger is an Astro. You can go and just strike that. I don't know. I know. Who's left?

I was going to say. Al-Tube is not going to care. Correa will be pissed. Correa might be pissed. Yeah. But Al-Tube had passed it. I mean, a lot of those wounds of healed. That was eight, nine years ago.

Yeah, that's true. All right. Framber Valdez. Favorites. Cubs. Oh, really? Then Mets. Then Orioles.

Astros at 7 to 1, fourth highest on the board. Hmm. You know what really helps you, by the way, with your Hibachi bet? Yeah. It feels like Kyle Tucker would be the first domino. The fact that Bregman is. has signed now, makes me even further think that that

domino is not going to be the first domino. Kyle Tucker favorite Toronto Blue Jays, then the Mets, then the Cubs, all the way down the list of the Astros at 25 to 1. That'd be literally throwing money. You want to like money on fire. Go ahead and do that. He ain't coming to Houston. Trust me on that. All right, 113 of the Matt Thomas show with Ross. If you'd like

to join us, and God knows we need you at this point, 713-212-5-790. I'm checking airfares to Boston. because the Texans are playing the Patriots there. Well, they're playing in Foxboro. And again, for those that don't know, you can fly either to Boston or to Providence. Providence requires a change of planes.

You're probably going to pay a little bit more to Providence, but you're also going to get a cheaper hotel in Boston, in Providence and you're in Boston, but there's more so the dude in Boston. All right, Rossi, we're going to leave on Saturday. We're going to come back on Monday. Airfare to Boston from Houston. It's figuring out. It's laughing.

The lowest airfare to leave would be Saturday, $778 with a change of planes in Newark. 778, 778. That's a change. That's not not. To Newark. No, no. To Newark, the Newark to Boston. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying.

On the return, you would be leaving at 621 p.m. on Monday night. So you have to kill time, which you probably could in. Boston's a good time to do that in. Getting back into Houston at 12, 12 a.m. and you could pay 770. $28 round trip. All right. I'm good.

So let's try. Plus tickets. I'll look up tickets while you were doing that. Yeah, and I'm going to look up Providence. See if Providence is any cheaper. That's where that'll be the Matt Thomas family airport for the next four years. That's where my daughter has been playing volleyball in Rhode Island.

I'm going to name a wing after you. I mean, at least it's Eternal, maybe, something like that. I don't know. All right. So here we go. Let's do this. Houston to Providence, leaving Saturday coming back minutes. I know this is great radio, but we're just trying to figure it out.

of you were thinking about making the trip up there. I'm thinking about it. Because it's really a beautiful part of the country. The weather's going to be bone-chilling cold. You can fly to Providence for 699s. It was a little bit cheaper. Plus your hotel's going to be a little bit cheaper.

Your drive's about the same. But again, not as much stuff to do in Providence as there is to do in Boston, clearly. Get in price, $286. And those seats are where? Like, like I said, get in. Top corner. You don't be kind of funny if you sat in the seat

where the cold play. family was a couple was that at that stadium yeah it was at jillette stadium because i was there the week before it happened we went to take a tour of jolette stadium while we were up there for collars if you want to be like top level around 40 50 yard line that's going to run you 700 bucks oh you know what you can get top level around the 40 yard line for 326 that's not terrible let's put this in math you and the girlfriend okay yeah you buy two tickets let's say the 800 bucks a pop airfare airfare tickets you said how much of the football? Yeah.

But let's save for a decent, enough seats, about 300 a piece. Okay, that's $600 plus $600 is $2,200. You're going to get a hotel at probably $159 times two. That's $300. That's $2,400. Then you're going to eat, drink, and be merry. That's another $300 or $300 or so. So for the low price of $2,700, you can be a traveling Texan

and go to see the Texans play in either fly into Providence or Boston. What was that total again? Sorry, I was reading this. I was reading the spite email that Gordy sent you, so we have to read this. But $2,700? Is it about the guest in Super Bowl? He got a list. Get him, Gordy! Get him! You want me to read it? Go ahead.

He said, by the way, he corrected it's Media Row is what it's called now, not Radio Row. Oh, fair enough. Media Row. Past guest booked on the Matt Thomas show, include... Go ahead. Dan Marino. Yes, Charlotte Flair. Yes. Hannah Storm and Andrea Kramer. That was good in.

Yeah, it was good. Carson Palmer. Don't remember having Carson. Yeah, I guess I do. Mark Schlereth. No comment. Yes, that's true. Mark Summers.

Awesome, because we talk game shows. He threw Charles Haley in there. I mean, that's a good kid. No. No, Charles Haley is not a good get. I'm sorry. Jeff Garcia. For the time, it wasn't bad.

Roger Michael Finley, I took a picture with him and put my horns up. I remember that. Ryan Leaf. Ooh, this list is getting a little... This list is falling off significantly. Keep calling. This is like reading the lineup at a festival, Gordy. You're like, who the hell are these guys by the end of it?

Keep going. Nate Boyer. Who? Gordy, don't put Nate Boyer on the list. You're not helping your cause here. That's terrible. Bill Romanowski, work done. Okay, not bad.

I'm not even going to read a couple of easy, but Chris Myers. Oh, I like Chris Myers. Which Chris Myers? Texan Center or a broadcaster. Yes. Okay. There you go. That's a, you know what? All right, I'll tell you the one I didn't read.

Don Yee. That was Tom Brady's agent. Yes. Not terrible, frankly. Not a heavy hitter, though. You're not going to put him on the same list as Dan Marine. Oh, come on, Gordy. You know what?

I really give Gordy a lot of grief for no reason. Yeah, you're rude. He's out here running our station, San Antonio, Dallas. Yeah. Lubbock, New Orleans, Baton Rouge. Omer Sheen is crashing on the daily. Shreveport. That's not his fault.

He's not our IT guy. You should be. Isn't our social media? He's our social media manager. All praise be to Chris Gordy. Yeah, we don't want you going anywhere, Gordy. I don't care. the love of God. I don't care of Lockdown

SEC wants to give you an extra $50 a week. I'll be a big hole in the boat. Let me just say that. All right. Let's get a call in before we hear from Bob's social, the voice of the Patriots. Let's talk to KJ on 7. 20. KJ., what do you got today? Fellas, my brothers from others. I got doing this afternoon. Excellent, excellent. Excellent, man. Just here

from y'all as usual, man, real quick. Anybody that knows me, first and foremost, I'm a Houston sports fan of everything with the letter agent, my love it. That said, I have been one of the more critical individuals in regards to CJ, primarily all of last year, but definitely this year, in regards to restart comings.

With that said, I think I probably narrowed down something that they can do in the off season to address CJ's shortcomings. Again, we all know that physically he's as talented as any quarterbacking the league, with his ball placement, is accuracy, so forth and so on, yada, yada, yada. this issue to me you look at some of the younger quarterback the

boroughs the the Drake Mays you know what I'm saying these guys have someone associated with that organization that provides mentorship for CJ

the RICO Rines as good as a coach as he is he's not offense heavy when it comes to the intangibles when it comes to playing the position CJ I think the Texans in the offseason if they do decide

to retain the offensive coordinator, they need to get a veteran quarterback, not necessarily as a backup. He can be the third stringer, but a veteran quarterback who can instill in Cizade the nuances of playing quarterback in the NFL and or an established offensive coordinator who can instill those things.

Cizier has not benefited from his backup has been Davis-Mills. And kudos to Davis-Mills. He's a good backup, but Davis Mills has only been in the league, what, one, maybe two years longer than CJ. So there's still a lot of, and he's been a backup entire career with the exception of one year. There needs to be a backup quarterback who's seen it all, done it all, who's played it all, who can show CJs the things that he doesn't have physically, I mean, that he doesn't have mentally in regard to the position,

or get an offensive coordinator over there, who's established enough to implement certain perspectives that CJ just has a been able to learn because he hasn't had the benefit of a Zach Taylor. He hasn't had the benefit of some of these officer coordinators or Sean Peyton who knows how to play offensive football in his league. And again, love to show, but I just want to hear what you guys have to care about that. Who's the backup behind Drake May that's teaching him how to be a quarterback? Well, the fact is the backup behind Joe Burrow that's teaching him how to be a quarterback.

I mean, Garner-Menschu backs up Pat Mahomes. That means nothing. Back of quarterbacks don't do anything. He's your third year in the league. And he had Case Keenumer. on, which people have talked about that as a good case Keenham was a good veteran who CJ Stroud did have the first couple of years

of his career. I think was it because Keenham here last year he was, right? Or no? He's hurt all year, remember? Definitely the first year. Okay. So yeah, Keenom's been in there. I mean, no. I'm not using that as a, as any sort of valid reason why C.J. Stroud hasn't developed the way that you

would have wanted. No. No. Backup quarterbacks don't carry that kind of weight. Great offensive coordinators and quarterback coaches? Certainly. Who's the backup? Josh Allen has had and the offensive grew that Josh Allen had. The North Carolina quarterback. Oh, Mitch Trubisky. Yeah.

All right. That, yeah. It was like Nathan, he was the, it wasn't a Nathan Peterman, the guy who threw like five interceptions when Josh Allen were first starting there was the backup? Yeah, we're good. No, backups will not make a difference. starters do. Good quarterback coaches do. All right, let's hear from Bob Sochi, the Voice of the Patriots.

He's up next at 128 on 790. We're on the show. We were pleased to be joined by Bob Sochi, the radio play-by-play voice for the New England Patriots here on the Matt Thomas show with Ross. So let's go ahead and give you some of that great conversation with Bob. And I asked him, as a good segue, about whether or not people would start to respect the Patriots norm because they actually, quote-unquote, beat somebody in the Chargers last week in the Waldcard round. I think for a lot of people it was, and I'm sure, Matt, for many, it still has. been erased. And certainly this will be the most difficult test. The Patriots offense and Drake May are going to face up against this Houston defense. And I think that for a lot of people

who've made the argument, the Matthew Stafford is this year's MVP. They've based it largely on the schedule the Patriots played and the kind of defenses that Drake May went against. And certainly he's going to have the opportunity, obviously on this stage, won't count toward the playoffs, the MVP voting. That's already been done. But nonetheless, I think in terms of the perception of the outside world. To me, I think with any team in the NFL, it's just the nature of the league, the way the schedule is formatted from year to year

and upstart is going to benefit from a weaker schedule. The test of the Patriots, when it comes to the schedule next year, will be far more rigorous than it was this season. But the way the team played against the Chargers, the defense dominated granted a very porous offensive line and really a quarterback in Justin Herbert, who was beaten and battered coming in, and certainly by the end of that game, was a guy that was really defeated,

and I don't think had a lot of help around him, no running game. The receivers were very unimpressive at times with the effort, in fact. So I think even with Houston, whether they have Nico Collins or not, and despite the struggles for C.J. Stroud the other night, that's going to be a far more rigorous test for the Patriots defensively this week. Bob, the Texans and the Patriots met last year in the regular season. And there were some signs that Drake was getting his first real golden opportunity and threw three touchdowns against the Texans. But I'm going to count that.

Tell me where he made his biggest step up. It may be just be playing time. Maybe just reading defenses. And then the only thing I think that gives perhaps people some optimism here is his interception count is not high. But there have been some throws that maybe he's made like any other second year quarterback that make you go, oh, that could have been a lot worse than it eventually turned out to be. Yeah, Matt, I think first I'll answer that latter question and then get to the first part of the question with regards to May's growth and development. What we saw on Sunday against the Chargers with an interception and a couple of fumbles was the early Drake May from last year and as well the first part of this season, for example, against Pittsburgh.

There were five turnovers by the Patriots and there was a fumble very much like the two that he had against the Chargers that, and New England's hopes late in that game when Drake didn't protect the ball in the pocket. And then, of course, there was the interception. The other than that on a tip ball to line of scrimmage, turning the ball over to the charges at the 10-yard line. But for the most part, what we've seen since that Pittsburgh game in week three until the other night is a guy who's protected the football in the pocket. He's had two hands on the ball when he's been able to maneuver in the pocket and hasn't tried to do too much, even as he's been able to do an awful lot in extending plays. He's made some remarkable off-platform throws, and he certainly hurt the Chargers significantly with a couple of long runs on Sunday night.

What I think the Patriots are looking for in this game is for the Drake May, who was their quarterback between weeks four and the AFC Wildcard round. Now, as far as the other part of it, you know, there's so much to get to when it comes to his growth and development. Because the team that played the Texans last year outside of Drake May and a handful of other guys is almost completely different. personnel around him, the offensive line, the wide receiver room, the presence of Trevion Henderson in the backfield. But most notably, it's the offense that he's in and the play caller who's orchestrating that offense from the sideline in Josh McDaniels. And that to me is the most remarkable thing about May's continued growth and development this season is that he's really started to master a new offensive system that puts far more on his plate than the West Coast

offense of Alex Van Pelt from a year ago. And Drake has been able to handle this offense and really take command of the team. I think his ability to exercise leadership that's been a big part of the Mike Vrable influence on him as a quarterback. It's reflected by the play of the team, I think. There's around him. And, you know, he's been able to, like I said, just really develop in so many different ways.

We saw glimpses of the athletic ability last year. We saw some spectacular plays, but we saw an awful lot of instances where he was a young guy that had only promise and potential and certainly was far from really being a sure thing. And I think after this season, for sure, there's no denying that Drake May is this team's face of the franchise and one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Ross, with you here as well, Bob. And sticking with Drake May, but talking about more as the matchup with the Texans defense. which of course we know one of the best units in all of football. But where the Texans have struggled sometimes is quarterbacks who can take off and run with the ball. So just if you will, your thoughts on how mobile Drake May can be and will need to be in this matchup.

I thought it was interesting the other night. There was a play late in the game where Aaron Rogers was dropped by that Texas defense that really suffocated him as the game went along. and I believe was Troy Aikman at one point said, you know, if that was the Aaron Rogers of old, he would have escaped that rush. And that's what the Patriots, I think, you know, have an advantage in Drake May over Pittsburgh and certainly a diminished Aaron Rogers. And it goes beyond that, too, I think that, you know, for this Patriots team, they've got to take advantage of the aggressiveness of the Texans at times.

Play action has got to be a big part of, you know, what they do, I would imagine, on Sunday, and I think, and I would imagine it would be a big part of the game plan, going into Sunday's game against Houston here in the divisional round. That's certainly a big factor that the Patriots have that the Steelers didn't the other night in terms of that mobility of the quarterback. But at the same time, the Patriots' offensive line, particularly the left side with two rookies, Will Campbell at left tackle, and Jared Wilson at left guard, struggled immensely with the Chargers pass rush.

And in particular, have had a difficult time all season long, back to the preseason in fact with stunts and gains up front, twists tackles and ends on the defensive line. And they have to shore that up, certainly, against this Houston team. I said to people, the charges were a good defense, but to me, this Houston defense is vicious. And the speed with which they play is really overwhelming at times and certainly overwhelm the Steelers. but at the same time, the patrons have got to try to take advantage of that as well with that aggressiveness. Bob Sochi with us here on a sports talk 790, and I'm curious your perspective on Mike Vrable, obviously has come in, has won, did win with the Titans. And what is, if I'm correct, he does not call the defensive plays, correct?

He does not. No, Zagore is his defensive coordinator. Yeah, so. coordinator, Terlo Williams has cancer. Prostate cancer he's been dealing with. What is that that Mike Vrable as far as a leader of men, culture, all that type of stuff? Can you explain it kind of in more detail

why it's different when Mike Vrable comes in the building? It's all of it. It's the culture. It's the confidence that he's been able to cultivate within the team. He's a guy that, for example, with Remodre-Stevens and early in the year, remoders had a history of fumbling issues.

I think seven fumbles last year and during the course of his career has been a recurrent problem for him going back to his rookie season and with Mike Rabel he stuck by him and a lot of people thought get rid of this guy I mean that was the large part

of what we heard on sports talk radio but Rabel continued to stay with him and even the other night against the charges Drake May commits a fumble runs off the field Mike Rable is there to slap him on the butt when he gets to the sideline and reassure him in that moment.

Now, he certainly said a different method of the game, obviously, to be better with ball security. But I think to me the thing that stands out about Mike and his staff, and it really extends into some of the people that he brought in on the front office, is that this is a team that's being developed in his vision, true to his identity as a player, resourceful player, tough player, smart player, and a guy that I think has instilled a lot of old-school values, if you will, and the Patriots with a new school approach. He's a players coach in a lot of respects.

I think the players really appreciate the way that he encourages them to celebrate. We saw that a couple of weeks ago. Guy intercepts the ball late in the game and they run to the sideline and Mike Rabel says, no, go back out there and celebrate. He wants them to enjoy it. And he's invited the fans in to experience this too, I think, and, you know, the social media presence the Patriots have now, and what Rabel's done, I think, to try to re-energize the local fandom

after some really depressing seasons. I know the Patriots, we've been spoiled here for a long time, but the last couple of years, you know, especially last year was kind of a rudderless season for the team on the field. And I think Rabel's just had an effect on all those different areas. And I mentioned as well, the leadership that Drake Mays exercised, I think, influenced by the head coach. which has really stood out.

And on top of all of that, they've brought in players in the draft and hit on almost all their picks. All the rookies who were drafted have been on the roster at one point or another in the season. And they've had free agents come in. And almost all of them, if not all of them, have really made positive contributions, including Milton Williams, first and foremost.

And I think, you know, Rabel and his staff deserve a lot of credit for the evaluation of those guys, but also the development of the young guys. final question. I mentioned this a little bit ago on the show. This could be the battle of which concussion cost the team the most. You've got Christian Gonzalez in concussion protocol.

You've got Nico Collins. And again, I know you won't have a definitive word about Gonzalez until later today when the injury report comes out. But it was like the Patriots didn't happen for much of that game over the weekend against the Chargers. How do things change if Gonzalez is not clear for the game on Sunday?

Well, I think that you know, first of the foremost, he put on a post put out a post last night on social media that a lot of people read into. It was a cryptic post that seemed to be encouraging. I think when we saw Nico Collins carded off, a lot of people jumped to conclusions about him,

and I don't think we should do that about either player. If both are available, you know, certainly it can be a great matchup. Now, this Patriots team hasn't played as much man coverage over the course of the season as we've been accustomed to seeing Patriots defenses,

particularly under Bill Belich. and the really strong Patriots defense is the way we saw Stefan Gilmore, Dorel Revis, some of the other better cornerbacks they had during the two-decade run, Thailand. That again, Bob Sosci, the voice of the New England Patriots with a great perspective on things. On the New England side, again, no Nico Collins today at Texans, at least to the media shooting portion of the practice. But again, for him to be out there would be a complete surprise. pleasant surprise, but would be a complete surprise.

Ross, believe it or not, is up next. The category is all things about Mike Tomlin. Mike Townland, who yesterday resigned as the head coach of Steelers after 19 years, and Ross will tell you more about synergenic. And Adam Klein just came in and told us about the all-22 tape he's watching on the Texans game from the matchup with the... A lot of line penetration on the tape. Apparently, you saw a lot of blitzing. This yesterday, is this on?

Yeah, it is now. I was talking about Ross about this yesterday. If I were to ever do a podcast in this city, just away from the, the last thing I would do is talk about Houston sports. Well, you know what mine would be. Mine is. Game shows and wrestling.

What's the game show podcast and a wrestling podcast? But you had a name for this. You had a name for it, right? Plankos and Powerbonds. Yeah, I would have to separate them. I think it lasted two episodes. Jonathan, let me tell you this right now really quick. if I do a game show podcast,

will you produce it and get me some guests and I'll give you 80% of the money I make from it? All your guess would be dead. All day. Bob Parker's dead, Matt. I can get some people. I can get Mark Summers on.

That's what Gordy got me from the Super Bowl. We'll get Snoop Dog on. Snoop's a guy on game show host. Yeah. Did you go to the prices right? Nate Burleson. No, I just went with you that one time. Well, that didn't count.

I know. It was a fake price is right. All right. All right. The film of the All-22. I won't be recovering it, though. I was going to say, Wex definitely watched it.

You know what he likes to do? Snap counts? Yes, but you know what he likes to do for fun? What? Watch press conferences. All types of press conferences. Really? The sports only.

Yeah. It's like a fetish. Are you working rockets with me this week at all? So he's going to watch the Jaguars press conference? Hey, seriously, tomorrow night we work this game. You're not going to bitch a moment about SGA getting the free throw line. It's going to happen. How could I?

He pales in comparison to that Euro trash. They played in Portland last week twice. Denny. That guy's a piece of crap. Whoa. Yeah. I don't like his game. I don't like anything about that guy.

Is he European? Yeah, it's Turkey, isn't he? Serbian. Israeli? Is that one of those? Is that Europe? I don't know. Five minutes left to go on the show.

What should we do? Good God. We should play America's fastest growing sports radio game. Shall we simply call it B? Leaving it out and here. So it works. You call 713-212-2-5-7. 713-212-5-7-90.

Today's edition of Believe or Not is All Things About Mike Tomlin. I'll read your statement about Mike, statement completely not early accurate. You'll say this. Belie-Vee. If a statement, it's a unanimous, full of bonnet up, you'll say this. Two Belabornauts in a row win you a 790 t-shirt or a pair of tickets to see Motley crew on their return to the Carnival of Sin's Tour. They'll be joined by Tesla and Extreme on September the 11th of the Woodlands.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. That's Ticketmaster.com for Motley crew with Tesla and Extrtle. on September the 11th. 713-212-5-7-90. That's 7-13-212-5-7-90. Joe on 7-90. Joe, you're ready to play, believe it or not? Yeah, really?

Joe, although Mike Tomlin is a defensive-minded coach, he was a stand-out college-wide receiver at William and Mary. Believe it or not? Not. That's a believe it. Thank you for playing. Goodbye. Ron on 7-90.

Ron, you're ready to play, believe it or not? Believe it. Mike Tomlin's first. coaching job was as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, William and Mary. Believe it or not? Believe it. No, he was a wide receiver coach at Virginia

Military Institute. Duh. Paul, on 7-90, Paul, what was your favorite part of today's 10-2 radio show? The talk about doing a wrestling podcast. I'm in. Thank you very much. Mike Tomlin's father, Ed, was a running back

and played for the Montreal alouettes of the CFL. Believe it or not. Uh, not. He did. I'm sorry. Thank you for playing, no. Kevin on 790. Kevin, you're ready to play, believe it or not? Believe it. As Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin had not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Believe it or not? Believe it.

That's right. Believe it. Staying the number two for the win. Mike Tomlin is still the youngest NFL head coach to ever win a Super Bowl. Believe it or not. Oh, got to believe that. No, Sean McVey of the Rams. I know, I know, I know, poor guy. Dave on 790, Dave, your favorite part of today's 10-2 radio show. Oh, the Bob Barker taught.

In his 19-year NFL head coaching career, Mike Tomlin was twice named AP coach of the year. Believe it or not? Believe it? No, never won the award. Thank you, though. Let's go to Carrie on 790. Are you ready to play believe it or not? Believe it.

Mike Tomlin's 193 wins are tied with Chuck Knoll for the most in Steelers history with Tomlin holding the edge and winning percentage. Believe it or not? Not. That's a believe it. Thank you for playing. Line 5. Who is this? Mike.

Mike Tomlin appeared on a season six episode of the FX series The League, but it had no lines. Believe it or not? Believe it. No. there. Thank you, though. Ross, good work today. We gave away nothing. Motley crew tickets are going to go to Adam Clinton in all

of his teenage high school year dates. Big reunion tour for Adam Clinton and the experience. Remember that? I remember the Adam Clinton experience. An experience coming up in a matter of moments. It's Wexler, it's Clinton. It's the A team. They're going to entertain you until 6. I'll talk to you tomorrow with Ross at 10 here on

790.