Astros Comeback victory + Texans Training Camp Day 10

Summary

Payne & Pendergast Podcast Summary

Episode: Astros Comeback Victory + Texans Training Camp Day 10

Date: August 11, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne, Sean Pendergast
Podcast: Payne & Pendergast (Audacy)

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Overview

This lively episode dives into the Houston Astros’ stunning late-game comeback win and delivers on-the-ground insights from Day 10 of Houston Texans training camp. True to form, former NFL defensive lineman Seth Payne and veteran sports host Sean Pendergast mix sharp analysis—rooted in local expertise—with humorous takes on sports culture, Houston's teams, and a dose of nostalgia about small-town bookmakers. The discussion spans Astros player trends, key results from Texans camp, hot takes on the team’s evolving depth chart, and playful banter about old-school gambling.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Astros' Thrilling Extra-Innings Comeback

[01:27–03:14]

• Game Recap: The Astros, down to their last strike, come back to tie the game in the ninth and secure a 6-3 win in extras, maintaining their AL West lead.
• Sean on Watching the Game:
  • “I made it all the way to the eighth inning and I’m like, yeah, you know what? Gotta get up early tomorrow... Got up at 2:11 in the morning… and poof, they won the game.” (Sean, 02:05)
• Seth on Key Players:
  • Cam Smith and Jeremy Peña converged at crucial moments—Smith's recent push and Peña's post-June 1st surge were highlighted as pivotal.
• Team Trajectory: World Series odds discussed; Seth jokes about Astros' perennial favoritism, reveals they're 9th with +2000 odds.

2. Nostalgia & Humor: Bookmaking Stories

[04:36–07:36]

• The hosts recall a time before widespread legalized gambling, sharing stories about how bets would be quietly facilitated through local businesses like barbershops and sporting goods stores.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • “Every company in the world also had their gamble... And every state, my dentist was taking bets.” (Seth, 05:10)
  • “My hometown... the sporting goods store owner would go on to be the mayor of our town six years later.” (Sean, 06:38)
  • “Anytime you worry… things are so corrupt now… Oh, they've always been corrupt.” (Seth, 07:29)

3. Astros Trade Reflections & Petty Joy

[07:37–08:53]

• Sean takes satisfaction in the strong showing from players acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade; all three contributed in the win. “I don’t know why I’m feeling petty all of a sudden about the Kyle Tucker trade, but…” (Sean, 08:29)
• Seth: “You've been in that hyperreactive baseball fan mode... you're going to ride the wave.” (08:33)

4. Texans Training Camp – Vibe Check & Key Developments

[09:36–14:56]

• Practice Update: Texans are preparing like it’s a game week for the preseason opener vs. the Chargers. No full practice, only walkthroughs. Starters won’t play much—if at all—reflecting NFL preseason trends.
• Depth, Injuries & Roster Evaluations:
  • Seth on O-line depth: “The depth on the offensive line is a lot better this year… excited about the trenches.” (09:36)
  • On the defensive side, Texans praised for being “three deep” on the D-line.
• Tank Dell Returns to Drills: After missing competitive action, WR Tank Dell worked in the red zone, making a contested catch. The hosts discuss the understated response from media and fans.
  • “He's smart, he laid off of him…It was not a touchdown, but…” (Seth, 14:20)
  • “This is the first drill that we've seen him do against…somebody in a opposite colored jersey.” (Sean, 15:19)

5. Depth Chart Hot Takes

[16:04–20:46]

• Unofficial Depth Chart Released:
  • Xavier Hutchinson listed as first-string WR alongside Jaden Higgins and Nico Collins.
  • Notably, rookies and young players are not being “buried” as in previous regimes; Keelan Rutledge listed as first-string center.
• Positional Battles:
  • Braden Smith vs. Trent Brown at right tackle—described as a true “dogfight.”
  • Various rookies slotted prominently (e.g., Wade Wood as second-string LB).
• Punt Return Dilemma:
  • Tank Dell is second-string on punt returns—a surprise given his recent injuries. Seth wonders if risk is exaggerated: “I feel like punt return is one of those things that people think is way more dangerous than it actually is.” (19:33)
  • Sean counters with concern: “This might be an extreme example though, a Tank just with, with the…” (20:28)

6. Texans Camp Competitive Dynamics

[10:57–15:12]

• Defense Dominating: Through ten practices, defense is “winning on points”—called the clear winner in most sessions.
• Specific Observations:
  • CJ Stroud’s play under pressure, protected by a “muddy pocket.”
  • Will Anderson’s near-sack—what constitutes a "live" rep in camp and how it’s measured.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Astros Comebacks:
  • Sean: “That’s not the audience’s problem. That’s my problem. So I’m a little tired this morning, but for good reason. The Astros won last night.” [02:31]
• On Gambling in the '90s:
  • Sean: “Keep in mind, this is like 1992…my barber in my hometown...sent me over to the sporting goods store…here’s the number to call.” [06:01–06:30]
• On Rookie Tank Dell at Camp:
  • Seth: “I was kind of surprised that that was the first action he saw was in the red zone…There tends to be a lot of traffic there.” [14:01]
• On the Depth Chart Philosophy:
  • Sean: “Clearly they’re not intentionally like burying rookies on the depth chart…Keelan Rutledge is appropriately listed as the first string center.” [16:49]
• On Old-School Small-Town Corruption:
  • Seth: “They’ve always been corrupt. Yeah, they have, man.” [07:29]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Astros Comeback Recap: 01:27–03:14
• Sports Bookmaking Stories: 04:36–07:36
• Astros Trade Petty Joy: 07:37–08:53
• Texans Preseason Tone & O-line Talk: 09:36–10:57
• Tank Dell Practice Return: 12:00–15:19
• Unofficial Depth Chart – Roster Skepticism: 16:04–20:46

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Tone & Style

The podcast maintains a blend of playful banter, rapid-fire inside jokes, and diehard fan intensity. Payne’s laid-back, ex-player cool mixes well with Pendergast’s everyman enthusiasm, keeping the episode both light and informative—ideal for the Houston sports obsessive or any fan who relishes storytelling.

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Summary

In this episode, Sean and Seth serve up everything Houston fans crave: detailed game breakdowns, genuine excitement (and exhaustion) over Astros late-inning heroics, and deeply informed Texans training camp observations. The conversation sparkles with wit—riffing on the oddities of both modern sports (gambling billboards, depth chart gamesmanship) and small-town Americana (barber bookies turned mayors)—while never straying far from the day’s most impactful sports developments. The “down the roster” emphasis on Texans training camp is especially valuable for listeners craving depth, while Astros coverage provides context for both the present push and the long shadow of past playoff glory.

By episode’s end, you’ll feel caught up and more connected not just to Houston’s teams, but to the quirky culture of its fans and the spirit of the city itself.

Transcript

[Kiana]

I'm Kiana. And I leveled up my business with Shopify. Once I figured out that Shopify was a thing, I never turned back. I can create a site with my eyes closed. Shopify thinks ahead of us, you know, and it thinks about the customer more than anything. Every day I'm thinking about some other new business, but Shopify is doing it to me because it's so easy to use. It's like I can't stop. I'm addicted.

[Sean Pendergast]

Start your free [e-mail].

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[Jill Schlesinger]

Hey there, it's Jill Schlesinger.

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I'm launching a brand new show.

[Sean Pendergast]

It's called Money Moves.

[Podcast Host (Money Moves / VRBO)]

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[Sean Pendergast]

Sports Radio 610 presents Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast.

[Seth Payne]

We coming to eighth time. Let's get the work in, man.

[Kiana]

Let's go.

[Sean Pendergast]

Great day. Great day.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, give me some juice. Play by.

[Sean Pendergast]

Oh, yeah, let's do it here.

[Sports Play-by-Play Announcer]

Ground ball, right side. Could be through. It is off the global Basavi. We're tied. Cam going to head to second. He'll be out. But we're tied at three, heading to the bottom of the ninth. Cam Smith with his third hit of the game. Astros down to their final strike. Pena ground ball, base hit. He snaps the over 24 with a go ahead run in the 10th. It's 4:3, Astros.

[Sean Pendergast]

There you go. If you went to bed early last night or just early enough to where you didn't see that that was me. I was committed. I made it all the way to the eighth inning and I'm like, yeah, you know what? Gotta get up early tomorrow.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

And then I did that thing that I told you that I did after one of these other Astro games a couple weeks ago where they came back and had this furious comeback. It was that Angels game where there are all those errors and everything else. They had 10 batters sent to the plate and they got one hit. The Astros, they still won the game. I did that same thing. Seth got up at 2:11 in the morning to go to the bathroom. Brought my phone in the bathroom and I looked and poof, they won the game.

[Seth Payne]

Were you able to go back to sleep?

[Sports Play-by-Play Announcer]

No.

[Seth Payne]

The adrenaline enthusiasm kept you up?

[Sean Pendergast]

I made the mistake calling old friends. I made the mistake of going, well, how did this happen? And I watched a couple of highlights. And then you do, you get, all of a sudden, now you're awake and you're, you know, you're, you're all sensitized and everything. But that's not the audience's problem. That's my problem. So I'm a little tired this morning, but for good reason. The Astros won last night. They went on to win six to three in extra innings to keep their lead in the American League west last night. Good morning, everybody. Payne and Pendergast with you. We are in studio this morning as the Texans prepare for a walkthrough a little later on this morning. So no practice today, per se, out at the Methodist Training center, the Texans are inside the stadium doing a walkthrough. They're kind of treating this like a game week because there is a game on Thursday. They play the Los Angeles Chargers. Good morning, my friend.

[Seth Payne]

Good morning. Yeah, and it'll be likely. I mean, d' Ameco didn't even really try to hide it yesterday. It's, it's, there aren't going to be a whole bunch of starters out there against the Chargers if there's, I mean, in the modern NFL, it's more of a surprise when you do see a bunch of starters in the first preseason game. Yeah, the Astros last night. I thought it was kind of the convergence of two things where Pena has been awesome since June 1st, but really bad over the last week or so. Cam Smith has really made a push over the last week, but the last time we saw him, it wasn't as impressive. So those two guys coming together there, and hopefully, hopefully both of the trends of Cam Smith recently and Jeremy Pena over the course of the last couple months can continue on till greatness. Astros likely World Series favorites right now. I haven't checked the odds. No, no, no.

[Sean Pendergast]

I know you're joking, but I wonder where they are on the board right now because they, you know, there is that whole, there is that whole theme of, like the Astros, they're inevitable they're going to show up this time of year. Now they, it hasn't really been that way the last couple of years. And they made the playoffs two years ago. They haven't won a playoff game since Game 5 of the ALCS back in 2023, the game where Altuve, where Altuve hit that home run. That was last night. Who knew that the night that Altuve hit that big home run in Arlington against the Rangers, that would be the last playoff win we would experience for years and years and years.

[Seth Payne]

They currently have the ninth. Shortest odds at plus 2,000.

[Sean Pendergast]

That's better than I thought they would be.

[Seth Payne]

That's on ESPN Futures. Yeah, the espn. They stopped their sportsbook, right?

[Sean Pendergast]

They did something with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Espn Bet you don't see that anymore.

[Sean Pendergast]

I think they got rid of that and they sold it. I don't know what they did.

[Seth Payne]

The gambling for a while seemed almost kind of like the, you know, like almost every single company out there had some kind of a seltzer drink. Like, hey, it was Michelin tires. Seltzer.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Everybody was getting in on it because it was big and you could do it easily. That's. It felt like every company in the world also had their gamble.

[Sean Pendergast]

I know, I know.

[Seth Payne]

And every state, my dentist was taking bets.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah. Well, it feels like every state except Texas had legalized it. So we feel.

[Seth Payne]

I feel like we.

[Sean Pendergast]

I feel like you and I, we may have missed the. The best of it, maybe in the rearview mirror.

[Seth Payne]

You know what? I just. I think we stumbled onto something. Who better than a dentist, a dentist bookie to, you know. You know, get that? You don't think, oh, you want Novocaine, do you? Oh, you want Novocaine, do you? Last I checked, you're into me for two grand.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah. Oh, I like that. Yeah, I like that.

[Seth Payne]

You don't have to break any thumbs when you got an incisor at your disposal.

[Sean Pendergast]

Before they legalized it, you know, there were dentists taking book in their place, like up in New Jersey and stuff like that. There had to be. Everything was a front for gamb. Yeah, that's what I've often said.

[Seth Payne]

Dentists and mattress stores. This is just a money laundering operation.

[Sean Pendergast]

In my hometown, it was the barber shop. And the sporting goods store is my barber shop, too.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I'm not going to tell you the name of the barber because, like, I know how to take care of myself.

[Sean Pendergast]

No, I'm not either. Well, I went. This is back in my early 20s. I went to my barber in my hometown and we were talking about the super bowl. And I said, you know what I'd like to do? I'd really love to place a bet on this Super Bowl. Keep in mind, this is like 1992. You know, the only place you go place bets was Vegas unless you had a sports book in your town. But I wasn't smart to the ways yet of who the person was to go to. And he said, well, wait a second, Sean, hang on, let me make a phone call. And he sent me over to the sporting goods store and I went and talked to the owner of the sporting goods store, and he said, here's the phone number to call.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

And every week I would either drop off money or pick up money. And I'm not saying any names on here. And it's probably a statute of limitations thing.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

No, at sporting goods store owner, we go on to be the mayor of our town. Six years later.

[Seth Payne]

He just painted a Norman Rockwell picture that was beautiful. Just a young man in America growing

[Sean Pendergast]

up the American in a very serene New England town.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Trees and babbling brooks and things like that.

[Seth Payne]

My area of the country had a lot of, like. It felt like every small town had somebody who was. It was like two or three generations removed from being full bore mob. But they were like Italian families or Greek families at times that kind of just had their thumb on everything in the. They weren't. They weren't charging people for protection or anything. There was no violent crime. But they were very. They were kind of plugged in to the point where they got away with a lot of stuff.

[Sean Pendergast]

They knew their way around.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And that was my barber in that town.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Who would also become the mayor. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

For real.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

So did our sporting goods guy. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Wow. Any of those kids, anytime you worry about it, like, oh, things are so corrupt now and everything. Oh, they've always been corrupt. Yeah, they have, man.

[Sean Pendergast]

Let's get over it.

[Seth Payne]

Actually, way more corrupt.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yep. So the Astros win last night. I like this point that Brian McTaggart made. We'll get to the Texans here in a second. The depth chart is out. I've got some hot depth chart takes. Brian McTaggart pointed this out after the game last night. And you know that I'm feeling petty about this whole thing right now with the whole. I told you Cam Smith and Kyle Tucker that I want Cam Smith to have better war at the end of the year. Wins above replacement. Good night last night for the Kyle Tucker trade. Wisneski quality start. Seven innings, three runs. Cam Smith three for four with a whole. He tied it with a home run in the 8th and then. Or in the 7th and then Wisneski promptly coughed up the lead. And then he had that single that we heard in the. In the ninth inning to tie it up. And then he. Sock Paredes went 2 for 4 and he gave you the insurance runs in the 10th inning. He laced a double down the line in the 10.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

So the three guys they got in the Kyle Tucker trade all getting it done last.

[Seth Payne]

Getting it done.

[Sean Pendergast]

I don't know why I'm feeling petty all of a sudden about the Kyle Tucker trade, but this is.

[Seth Payne]

Well, you've been, you know, you've been agitated. You've been, you've been in a good place. You've been in that hyper reactive baseball fan mode where you know, you want nothing to hear about, you know, hey, actually, look at, look at the, look at the run they were just on. This is just a lull or anything you don't want to hear, hey, it's one out of 162 games. No, man, you're going to, you're going to ride the wave.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yes. And motion.

[Sports Play-by-Play Announcer]

You're.

[Seth Payne]

You're not going to mention that. By the way, this was against the Giants, one of the worst teams in, in the history of baseball.

[Sean Pendergast]

They won and they covered the 1 1/2 run spread.

[Seth Payne]

Even kept the Giants from fondling themselves or whatever the hell it is they do.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah, the Giants have issues.

[Seth Payne]

You remember they had those celebrations and everything early in the season. Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Oh yeah. Were they.

[Seth Payne]

They're like trusting each other and all that.

[Sean Pendergast]

I forgot about that.

[Seth Payne]

It's not that cool. Do what you want to do. But you know, like not during prime time.

[Sean Pendergast]

Not during prime time. And honestly, celebrations like that, you have to be a good baseball team to get away with that.

[Seth Payne]

Right.

[Sean Pendergast]

Sorry. You're not.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Nobody wants that.

[Sean Pendergast]

No, no, no. All right. Are you excited for Thursday, actual real preseason football against the Chargers?

[Seth Payne]

I actually am. I wish, I wish that. I wish d' Ameco would be the first coach to say, you know what? To hell. To hell with all of the common sense that it makes to hold our starters out of preseason games. We're going to do it old school. We're going to have the starters play at least some in the, in the first game, but we're not, we're not going to see that. I am excited about the A. I think the depth on the offensive line is a lot better this year. So seeing some of those guys, some of those guys who will be starters at point this year is because of injury. I'm excited about seeing that. And then the defensive line, their three deep roster is pretty damn impressive at this point. So I'm excited about watching the trenches. Really.

[Sean Pendergast]

Do you think that Keelan Rutledge will play on Thursday night?

[Seth Payne]

That's a really good.

[Sean Pendergast]

He's the undeniable first string center right now.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I hope he does. I think he's one of the guys that maybe it gets at least a couple of.

[Sean Pendergast]

So you're You're a needs the reps guy.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, well, the whole thing about the Rutledge versus the Texans, he doesn't see a whole lot of nose tackles right up in his face. The Texans don't play that way. So these first three pre. These three preseason games, the defenses all play a three, four. So there's going to be more opportunities to see a nose tackle right up in your face at the snap. And that's a, That's a big difference for a guy that's just learning how to play center. So I hope he gets some live action in all three of these games.

[Sean Pendergast]

I'm with you. I'm with you on that. Even if it's just a series, just to get your feet wet in an NFL environment, you know, going through the whole pregame and everything else, although I'm guessing everybody's going to go through the pregame and then the guys who aren't going to play will just put their sweats on and come back out and watch from the sideline. So yesterday's practice was not one of the better ones for the offense. Defense ruled the day. And I would say over the course of training camp, and to very little shock to anybody, if we, if we were grading training camp, they've had 10 practices now eight, I would say, like eight of them have been at an intensity level. That's a normal practice. And probably four or five of those have been in pads. Yeah, if this, if we were grading this, like a prize fight, you know, if each day at practice were around in a fight, the defense is going to win in a decision here, you know, the defense probably won six or seven rounds. The offense that some. Some decent days, which is way more than we can say than last year, but defense ruled the day. Yesterday, I guess the biggest story, which I didn't see as much reaction to as I thought I would, but Tank Dell got in, in some real drills

[Seth Payne]

for a few rounds, caught a catch in traffic in the red zone. And, you know, I was surprised, too. And I think maybe this is because. Partly because a lot of national accounts kind of misleadingly framed it as Tank Dell was already practicing. We saw a lot of headlines over the last week of Tank Dell practices for the first time, et cetera, et cetera. I know he hadn't done anything that we could see competitively in 11 on 11 drills.

[Sean Pendergast]

Until you do something where people were, the. The media relations people tell you you have to put your cameras down. Yeah, you haven't practiced yet.

[Seth Payne]

Right, right, right.

[Sean Pendergast]

When it's something that you have to put your cameras down. You're not allowed to film. Yeah, that means.

[Seth Payne]

That's a real drill. Drill.

[Sean Pendergast]

That's a real drill.

[Seth Payne]

So I. Yeah, that was really, really. No.

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[Seth Payne]

And I was kind of surprised that that was the first action he saw was in the red zone, because there tends to be a lot of traffic there now. It also tends.

[Sean Pendergast]

It's where he got hurt.

[Seth Payne]

Full speed. Yeah. If I could. I think Colin Wright was covering him. And Colin Wright, an undrafted rookie free agent, might be the most likely guy to be overly rambunctious and hit a

[Sean Pendergast]

guy trying to make decisions.

[Seth Payne]

But he was good. He's smart. He laid off of him. Yeah, it also. I've seen it framed that it was a touchdown. Tank.

[Sports Play-by-Play Announcer]

Tank.

[Seth Payne]

And his 165lb would have had to break three tackles to make that a touchdown. So it was not a touchdown, but it wasn't.

[Sean Pendergast]

People, I. Yeah, I texted people that it was a touchdown because I only saw, like, the very end. I couldn't. I didn't see where the line of scrimmage was likely.

[Seth Payne]

A tackle at the spot of the.

[Sean Pendergast]

Probably. Probably.

[Seth Payne]

But he did also have to reach behind him himself to catch it, and he. He turned and ran really, really well. You know? Yeah, maybe he could have spun out of one of those things down there. He's got a nose for the end zone.

[Sean Pendergast]

Or maybe I'm just an idiot.

[Seth Payne]

Well, you go back to the Bengals as rookie year and remember, and he kind of bulldozed his way into the end zone.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah, he. He caught the ball Planted his foot and then dove for the goal line.

[Seth Payne]

Took a hard hit on the way in. But that's. That was several. That was like 18 years ago.

[Corona Extra Announcer]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I was surprised that it wasn't a bigger deal. And I think it was a lot of people just kind of assumed, oh, yeah, we know he's been practicing. No, he caught a pass.

[Fred's Appliance / GameTime Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

But this is against other guys. Like, people got to understand this is the first drill that we've seen him do, that we've seen him do against with. With somebody in a opposite colored jersey across.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Nice play because CJ Got pressure on the edges and stepped up into a really muddy pocket. I think will, Will Anderson probably in a real game would have hit him. I don't think it would have been a sack, but it might have been really interesting.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That's where sometimes, you know, people kind of, you just assume, well, that like Will Anderson's close. Probably a sack. Yeah, sometimes. But then also, sometimes CJ Is capable of making. CJ makes some really nice throws as he's getting hit.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

I think people have forgotten that CJ CJ doesn't go out and throw for 33% every game.

[Sean Pendergast]

No, no, no. Did you see that the depth chart is out for the game on Thursday?

[Seth Payne]

The unofficial depth chart.

[Sean Pendergast]

Unofficial depth chart. So here are some hot depth chart takes or at least some noteworthy things on the depth chart. Xavier Hutchinson is listed as a first string wide receiver on this team. So in case you're wondering if he's a guy because of all these other bodies that are in the wide receiver room, is Tank going to be on the opening day roster? All these things. Just know that. Likely affected heavily by injuries. No. And Tank. Xavier Hutchinson is listed as a first string wide receiver along with Jaden Higgins and Nico Collins. Noteworthy. I also think it's noteworthy too. Clearly they're not intentionally like burying rookies on the depth chart. Like, I feel like that's something. Bill o', Brien. You get the first depth chart. Rookies are always in bold.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

And with o', Brien, I always felt like all the rookies were the highest. They were was fourth string because the rookies don't know anything. I think it's interesting. Keelan Rutledge is appropriately listed as the first string center. So they're not doing this thing where they're hazing the rookies on the death chart.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Keela Rutledge is listed as a first string center. Kaden McDonald's is listed as a second string defensive tackle ahead of Mario Edwards and Naquan Jones, some veteran guys.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Marlon Klein is buried fifth on the tight end depth chart. He was, he, he has been getting snaps all over the place.

[Seth Payne]

I think that's where I think the, the rhyme and the reason on the depth chart here. I don't want to read too much into it because I do like, I don't think right now, I don't think right this moment Kaden McDonald would be the second string on the second string defensive line nor do I think Klein

[Sean Pendergast]

would be the fifth.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So I, and I'm not sure we Woo. Would be the right guard. Now that gets, that gets a little dicey just because, you know, there's a swing interior offensive lineman. They've also got Jake Andrews listed ahead of Jarrett Patterson on the depth chart and I don't, I don't know if that's the actual.

[Sean Pendergast]

Well, Patterson reworked his contract earlier this week which everybody's reading is a sign he's going to make the team.

[Seth Payne]

He's going to make the team. Whereas Jake Andrews I think is fighting for a roster spot.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yes. And he's a center only. And Patterson has position versatility which is I'm told they like a lot.

[Seth Payne]

Well. And he's also in terms of who Jake Andrews is competing with, you know, Evan Brown can play all three spots. He's been a starter, et cetera, et cetera.

[Sean Pendergast]

Right tackle. Which many have said is the position battle that they really, really are going to enjoy here.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Because Braden Smith and Trent Brown are two veterans who've been productive. They're in a dogfight right now for right tackle. That is one of those very special. They have. Or in between the two of them.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. You know, with my.

[Sean Pendergast]

Nobody's getting ahead. Nobody's falling behind with my old man.

[Seth Payne]

And just, you know, still it being baseball season, everything I thought, I thought that doctor instead of. Or and I thought, oh, he's. I didn't know he's from the Dominican Republic. The doctor spits out another great athlete. Yeah. Braden Smith in a non traditional sport.

[Sean Pendergast]

Braden Smith. Yeah. Yeah. So it's.

[Seth Payne]

No, it's. Trent Brown would be the doctor.

[Sean Pendergast]

Oh, oh. Gotcha.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

It's funnier if Braden Smith's from the doctor.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, that's true. That is. Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Braden Smith or Trent Brown on the depth chart. Wade Wood. As long as we're going through the rookies, Wade Wood as listed as a second string linebacker. This one I'm not sure I totally buy. At the very bottom there, if you page down to the special teams, Tank Dell is listed As a second shrink punt returner, I'd be stunned if they stick Tank Dell back there to return punts.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Wouldn't you?

[Seth Payne]

Yes, I would.

[Sean Pendergast]

Just based on the injuries.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah. Like as of right now and even

[Sean Pendergast]

in the season, you know, Jalen, for one thing, Jalen Noel was really good at it.

[Sports Play-by-Play Announcer]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But I think the, you know, one of you smart people out there back me up on this or don't, you know, shut me down. I don't. I feel like punt return is one of those things that people think is way more dangerous than it actually is. Just because of the speed involved. Yeah. That it's just not a bunch of

[Sean Pendergast]

guys running at you.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's.

[Sean Pendergast]

You're out there naked.

[Seth Payne]

Right, right, right. But it's not, you know, it's not the Canadian Football League with no fair catch or anything.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That's. They might feel, they might feel like. Okay, actually we, we like that because unlike, unlike running a route, you're not necessarily going to be making breaks at and cuts, you know, traffic and all that.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah. And Tank's been a good punt returner.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

You know, he's, he's shown the ability to make game changing plays. I just think this is an extreme example. I am one of those people that, I agree with you like, I think too much is made of guys playing on special teams.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

That are regulars in the lineup. This might be an extreme example though, a Tank just with, with the.

[Seth Payne]

I don't know. Yeah, I guess like football in general is a pretty violent sport and I just figured, I look at it all the same way. Yeah. I think if, if they're gonna have him out there as a receiver, you might as well also have them out there as a punt returner.

[Sean Pendergast]

All right, we got a bunch of stuff to get. So we got some good audio yesterday from Dalton Schultz and from Sheldon Rankins that will sprinkle in here. But coming up next, Warren.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, what happened?

[Sean Pendergast]

Oh, baseball. Oh, the baseball talk promo's still in. The baseball talk On Sports Radio 610 is presented by Xfinity Score. The most reliable Wi Fi 1 price 5 years guaranteed Xfinity. Imagine that. Coming up next, Warren Sharp, noted analytics guy in football. If you're looking to get a bet down on the Texans over under nine and a half, he brings up some, what I think are some really good reasons to go over nine and a half that I want to run by you.

[Seth Payne]

I've got a. Okay, yeah, yeah, do that next. I've got a really good life.

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