Demeco wants to protect the team

Summary

Payne & Pendergast: "Demeco Wants to Protect the Team"

Date: August 10, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Sean (Sean Pendergast)
Theme: Texans Camp Updates, Tank Dell’s Recovery, Team Policy, NFL Banter

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the latest from Houston Texans training camp, putting the spotlight on WR Tank Dell's injury recovery, his outlook for the season, and the organizational philosophy of "Protect the Team" as championed by head coach DeMeco Ryans. Seth and Sean break down Dell’s emotional and physical progress, speculate on roster moves, and debate the merits of fan restrictions at practices. The episode also spotlights NFL news, Hall of Fame moments, and hilarious off-field stories, all delivered with the duo’s trademark blend of candor, humor, and insider knowledge.

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1. Tank Dell’s Recovery: Mental & Physical Battle

Tank Dell Talks About Mental Challenges (04:23)

• Tank Dell joins the media for the first time since his rehab, highlighting the hardest part:

  “The mental aspect of it is, like, the hardest thing you gotta get over. So if I went out there, like, iffy about what I'm doing, then I probably would never be able to come back to what I wanna be. So I was just out there just trusting it, putting my foot in the ground, trying to be explosive, and it's working in my favor.” – Tank Dell (05:09)

• Seth adds context from his own playing days:

  “It's easier to just go for it and you stop caring. You stopped catastrophizing injuries... My strategy for being sure I didn't favor it was to almost psychologically be like, no, I'm gonna try to tear it. I'm going to play so hard that I'm going to tear it at bleep you.” – Seth (06:15)

Physical Progress & Reintegrating in Practice

• Dell is running crisp routes, looks healthy, but hasn’t done live drills vs. defenders (01:30).
• Cautious optimism in the progression: next steps include participating in 7-on-7, full-team periods, and maybe preseason action (03:40).

Dell on Learning the New Offense (07:37)

• Concerns raised about learning Nick Caley’s new offense after Bobby Slowik's departure. Nick Caserio recently vouched for Dell’s football IQ.

  “I'm a student of the game ... every day, I'm in there walkthroughs ... on my own, I have my brothers at home call the play out and I just walk through it on my own.” – Tank Dell (08:11)

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2. Team Chemistry: Brotherhood & Redemption

The Jared Wayne Incident: No Bad Blood (10:14)

• Discussion on social media's harshness toward Wayne after the accidental collision that injured Dell.

  “I told him, man, it's good. God got me, like, ease up, man. Go play... it's no hard feeling. That's my brother, so we cool.” – Tank Dell (10:14)

• Hosts empathize with both sides, reflecting on team bonds and humanizing both players.

Relationship with CJ Stroud (11:38)

• Emphasis on their friendship on and off the field:

  “This long process. He was with me the whole time, from the first day it happened to today... just being a brother to me. Sending me scripture, praying for me, just hanging out with me, you know, having fun.” – Tank Dell (11:38)

• Hosts joke about potential for the two to eventually buy neighboring homes ("compound in Bridgeland") and raise families together (12:31).

Family and Personal Support

• Dell credits his little brother for being his “little maid” and emotional anchor during recovery:

  “He shed tears with me, you know, he was on my side every step of the way...” – Tank Dell (13:15)

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3. Roster Speculation: Will Tank Dell Be Ready?

Predictions & Fan Poll Results (15:30–18:40)

• Sean and Seth discuss a Twitter poll on Dell’s week 1 status:

  • 40.5% of fans: Dell will be active
  • 38.1%: On 53 but inactive
  • 18.4%: On IR
  • Only 3%: Cut

• Seth’s take:

  “I feel like there’s an element of how close he and CJ are... I don’t think there’s a chance in hell he’s cut.” – Seth (16:12)

• With a deep WR group and Dell’s incremental progress, Seth predicts Dell is on the roster but inactive in Week 1, possibly used in specialized packages later as he gains strength.

WR Room Competition (19:12)

• Discussion of depth (Nico, Jaden Higgins, Jalen Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Jared Wayne, Justin Watson, Louis Bond, Josh Kelly, undrafted rookie Sopkowitz, etc.)
• The implication: stiff competition means Texan coaches must carefully manage roster spots, especially with Dell returning from injury.

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4. “Protect the Team” – New Texans Camp Policy

DeMeco Ryans Explains Phone Ban at Practice (37:11)

• DeMeco institutes a policy requesting fans not film 11-on-11 periods:

  “We don’t want our plays getting out so other teams can study what we’re doing here in training camp. ... If you’re a true Texans fan ... you wouldn’t showcase our plays to teams who don’t know what we’re running.” – DeMeco Ryans (37:11)

• Hosts support the move, citing examples like Jimmie Johnson’s Super Bowl prep thanks to leaked footage (38:45).

• NFL DC Christian Parker confirms other teams (e.g., Cowboys) have had their tactics visible online, impacting opponents’ preparations:

  “Sometimes you can find some things ... might have been posted by the team or ... a fan or ... a player. You just want to turn over all those stones and see what you can find.” – Christian Parker (39:54)

• Seth: “You never know what little nugget of information might be the thing that ends up being a critical factor. So you try to eliminate as many nuggets as possible.” (40:34)

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5. NFL Weekend Roundup: Acknowledge Me (20:21–36:10)

Hall of Fame Inductions (22:28)

• 2026 Inductees: Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, Roger Craig.

  • Brees’ emotional New Orleans speech:

    “You accepted me, you embraced me, you believed in me, but more importantly, you trusted me with the soul of the city. And I would have died to protect that calling.” – Drew Brees (22:46)

  • Seth’s mock reaction: “Let’s settle down with the drama. Let’s not act like you’re going off to war.” (23:20)

• Adam Vinatieri’s speech skewered for “dad joke” delivery:

  “I was lucky enough to play with the greatest quarterback in Patriot history. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it here today. Drew Bledsoe.” (24:38)
  Hosts mock the delivery but acknowledge the cleverness of the joke.

Player Fights, Stadiums, and Oddities

• Kirk Cousins stands up to Max Crosby in practice scuffle (20:49).
• New Bills stadium opens to fanfare but complaints of obstructed views and exposure to the elements (29:05).
• Dave Stevens (reporter with no legs) interviews Bryce Young, who notably says “just where my feet are right now...” (32:04).
  • Hosts laugh at the gaffe, noting Stevens’ good humor.

Bear-Pastrami at Cornell (33:05)

• Wacky news item: Cornell outlaws butchering bears in dorms after students made bear pastrami on campus.
  • Seth: “Further evidence of the wussification of our educational system... It’s really sad to see traditions go by the way.” (34:12)

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6. Texans Camp Battles: Notes & Watchlist

What to Watch (42:47)

• Tank Dell Watch: Will he progress past individual drills?
• Right tackle competition: Braden Smith vs. Trent Brown (42:56)
• TE battle: Brevin Jordan vs. Kate Stover (43:18)
• Clowney’s strong, innovative camp performance, seeking advice from Daniil Hunter (43:45).
• Jalen Noel’s emerging role at WR.

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Notable Quotes

• "If you're a true Texans fan ... you wouldn't showcase our plays." – DeMeco Ryans (37:26)
• "The mental aspect ... is the hardest thing you gotta get over." – Tank Dell (05:09)
• "You never know what little nugget ... might be the thing that ends up being a critical factor." – Seth (40:34)
• “It’s about the team first.” – DeMeco Ryans (37:11)
• “I don’t think there’s a chance in hell he’s cut.” – Seth (16:12)

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Tone & Style

• Lively, humorous, opinionated, and personal—full of anecdotes and inside-the-locker-room perspectives
• Mix of serious football insight and irreverent banter
• Empathy for players’ mental challenges and the business side of the NFL
• Strong Houston pride, but with skepticism towards institutional “wussification”

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Timestamps – Key Segments

• 00:32–04:23: Tank Dell’s recovery prognosis & practice impressions
• 04:23–05:09: Dell discusses mental rehab challenges
• 07:37–08:11: Dell on playbook & new offense
• 10:14: Dell recounts exchange with Jared Wayne post-injury
• 11:38: Dell talks about friendship with CJ Stroud
• 13:15: Dell on his brother’s support
• 15:30–18:40: Fan poll & hosts’ predictions on Dell’s season start
• 19:12–20:18: WR room depth & competition
• 37:11: DeMeco Ryans on “Protect the Team” policy
• 39:54: Christian Parker (Cowboys DC) on mining social media footage
• 22:28: Hall of Fame class headline speeches
• 29:05: Bills stadium opening & complaints
• 32:04: Dave Stevens humorously interviews Bryce Young
• 33:05: Cornell’s bear-butchering controversy
• 42:47: Texans camp position battles and watchlist

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Summary

This episode encapsulates the drama and optimism around Tank Dell’s recovery, the strategic evolution of the Texans under DeMeco Ryans, and the lively culture of NFL media. With sharp takes, locker-room laughter, and real football analysis, Payne & Pendergast manage to keep content both informed and thoroughly entertaining—for diehard fans and casual sports listeners alike.

Transcript

[Maddie]

Hey, y', all, I'm Maddie. And I'm Poodle.

[Poodle]

And together we host the podcast Reality Gays.

[Maddie]

We are two ridiculous homosexuals who love nothing more than talking about reality television and tearing in a new one.

[Poodle]

So whether it's 90 day fiance love is blind Love after lockup, or any other trash TV show about lonely hearts looking for love, your gay bestie's got you covered, y'.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

All.

[Maddie]

New shows every week.

[Poodle]

Follow and listen to Reality Gays wherever you get your podcast. Reality Gays, let's love.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Tank Dell]

Right now we just taking it one day at a time. Like I said, it's light at the end of the tunnel for sure I'll be out there. But we just taking it one day at a time, so that's all we do.

[Maddie]

Okay. That was Tank Dell. When does he hope to return? He's just taking it day by day. He did say there's light at the end of the tunnel, Seth. Tank Dell. So we'll see.

[Poodle]

Yeah, I, you know what, he was talking about his rehab in the past tense a lot. You'll notice on a couple of these that I like in terms of look, some of the. He posted him running a route on his Instagram and it was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it looked really, really good. Yeah, I mean, everything he does, he looks really crisp. If you walked out on the field and you didn't know anything about Tank Dell or his last couple of years and you saw him play, you'd think, who's that little guy? Yeah, that is. Wow. Who the hell is that? So you wouldn't think, oh, that's. Boy, that it looks like he might be fast, but he's recovering from an injury. No, there's none of that.

[Maddie]

No, there's none of that. Now we should caveat. He has not gone against any defenders yet in anything that he's done out here.

[Poodle]

Now that we've seen out here, you know, they've said that he's doing some other stuff, you know, when they're not out here at practice and everything, but I don't know. I don't know if they're like getting together a bunch of the rookies to, you know, play press coverage against him.

[Maddie]

Yeah, we just don't know. We just don't know. But Tank Dell. Tank Dell met with the media on Friday. We're going to get into a few of the cuts here in just a second. Before we do, I thought, and you tell me if I'm reading too much into this. I thought it was significant that they let Tank Do a media session on Friday. They don't, they don't normally put guys in front of the media who are in hardcore recovery mode from an like still in the recovery phase. Yeah, they just don't.

[Poodle]

They care. Okay, let me ask you first, then, did we read into it all the fact that Henry Towa Toa did his media availability the day before they ended up announcing that he had an extension?

[Maddie]

No, that doesn't impact that he. I don't get the correlation.

[Poodle]

There was big news that was about to come out with Henry Toa Toa. So they put him up there and, you know, and there's big news the next day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know. We had a bunch of sound bites ready to go and everything. The Texans media people do as a solid every now and then with stuff like that.

[Maddie]

Yeah, I would think. I know the Toa Toa. They might have come out of nowhere because I would be thinking to be more inclined to put him up there after he signs a contract than before, because that's what they did with Aziz and Will.

[Poodle]

So. No, I don't know. I think that Tank's one of the bigger stories and I think people nationally have a lot of questions about Tank right now. I mean, there might have been requests from outside of Houston for people wanting to get. Wanting to get some Tank Dell quotes. So I'm trying not to read into that because honestly, everything he said, everything he said in his press conference is in line with everything we've heard already, which is it's going to be. There's no real solid timeline that it's. They're going to go step by step, and every step that they take seems to be minuscule. It was the, the one big step last week was he's out there in shoulder pads. All right. But he's still not doing anything extra or more than he was before. So the next. I mean, the next big step would be if we see him out here in seven on seven.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Poodle]

And then after that is in a team period, and then after that's in a preseason game. So I don't. This could be the week where. All right, it's the first preseason game. He's not going to play in that one. But maybe he's out there for seven on seven this week, and then maybe he's out there for team periods next week, and then maybe he makes an appearance in the third preseason.

[Maddie]

So you're saying like Henry was. You thought that was maybe purposeful that he did his press?

[Poodle]

I was just asking the day before.

[Maddie]

And that maybe this is a prelude to Tank doing more out here at practice today or something like that.

[Poodle]

Yeah, maybe.

[Maddie]

I mean, we don't know. It's still a lot of mystery with Tank. This is Tank Dell, very first cut from his press conference. He was asked about the rehab process. And he said the hardest part was the mental part.

[Tank Dell]

I'll say mentally, it's just about trusting. Trusting that the work you put in, like, prior to going out there to do those things, like, prior to going out there to put your foot in the ground, trusting the process with the training staff and what they had set out for me. So when I got out here, I wasn't scared. And I was talking to my doctor, Dr. Lowe, and I was just asking, like, he was just telling me, let loose, like, and trust it and be you, because it's 100% stable. So when he told me that I just came out and was putting my foot in the ground, I didn't care about it. Try not to think about it. Cause during your process, like, the mental aspect of it is, like, the hardest thing you gotta get over. So if I went out there, like, iffy about what I'm doing, then I probably would never be able to come back to what I wanna be. So I was just out there just trusting it, putting my foot in the ground, trying to be explosive, and it's working in my favor.

[Poodle]

So, you know, as he was telling that story about Dr. Lowe saying that and Dr. Laura, he cut me open a bunch of times. I love Dr. Lowe.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

And I think he gave me some similar advice long, long, long ago. And it's true. It's. It's kind of like trusting an airplane in turbulence. People don't realize just how strong those airplanes are. And that turbulence isn't going to be the thing that it's not going to break up just because there's violent turbulence and everything. And a surgically repaired knee is kind of like that, too. You're more likely to. You're more likely to get injured once everything's stable. You're more likely to get injured if you're. If you are compensating and if you are kind of easing up a little bit, you might injure something else somewhere else in your anatomical chain. So just to trust it and if anything, just really, like, lean into testing it, you know? And know that I can stick my foot in the ground and get moving. And that's what it's looked like out there. It doesn't look like he's, like. He's Favoring anything at all.

[Maddie]

You had multiple surgeries. Was it the first surgery that you had where you had to come back from it?

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Was that hard to do that and did it get easier with all the subsequent surgeries or trigger.

[Poodle]

Yeah, it's easier to just go for it and you stop caring. You know what? You stopped catastrophizing injuries, and I just stopped caring about whether I got injured or not. So it wasn't like I almost had a sick. Like, my strategy for being sure I didn't favor it was to almost psychologically be like, no, I'm gonna try to tear it. I'm going to. I'm going to play so hard that I'm going to tear it at bleep you.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

You know, and so, yeah, it does. It gets easier with time and when you have more surgeries. Now, ideally, I would prefer to have not had to mentally strong at doing that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

That's.

[Jenna Fisher]

But.

[Maddie]

But.

[Poodle]

But you get comfortable that, you know, Cushing, I think was. Had kind of the same mindset.

[Maddie]

Yep. So this was Tank Dell again. Tank Dell met with the media on Friday. This was something that we asked Nick Casario about several months ago, because I'd seen some Texan fans, you know, when they start talking about Tank coming back this year going, well, you know, last time he was playing, it was Bobby Slowik offense. It wasn't this Nick Caylee offense. And I remember asking Nick about that part of it with Tank, you know, if and when he comes back getting into the offense, you know, from. From a mental and X's and O standpoint. And Nick was almost like, no, Tank is. I mean, he was like, really defending Tank's football intellect when we asked that question of him. Tank was asked about it on Friday, and he said he's a student of the game.

[Tank Dell]

I feel like anything you do in life, you're gonna have to get reps at it. So. But as far as knowing my plays, I'm a student of the game. So every day, like, I'm in there walkthroughs. I know y' all know otas. I was doing, like, walkthroughs. They was implement, implement, implement. Damn. Yes. Into the office. So I was doing walkthroughs and stuff like that. And on my. You know, I have, like, my brothers at home call to play out, and I just walk through it on my own. And so being a student on the game, that's easy for me because I love it. So I was just taking the time by Myself to, you know, learn often. So it's cool.

[Poodle]

Yeah, the mental reps really, really matter. And especially when you're walking through it and doing all of that stuff. I mean, doing everything in real time. Obviously there's a matter when you're healthy, you know. Yeah. But like, it's like. So if you do all that stuff and do the mental reps, then there is an adjustment when you start doing it in real time. But I think that he's been so active and involved. I was talking to. I was talking to Bill Lazer out here the other day. He's the special defensive assistant, but, you know, he's a longtime offensive coordinator. But he was talking about his son. His son's a quarterback at Brown, and he's. He was injured last year, and what he told. What he told his son was in talking to the coaches at Brown was, hey, give him some jobs to do, like to stay involved. Just, you know, so. So he's not just sitting there passively, whether it's him relaying calls or writing calls down on the sideline and everything. And I think Tank has been really. He's just been around. It seems like he's been involved and really learning that offense more on a functional level, the way the team is. So it's not like him just learning it in a book and then showing up and trying to go out there and do it. I think that. That part I'm not worried about.

[Maddie]

Yep, me neither. Okay, so this was a good one. Somebody asked him. Somebody asked Tank about Jared Wayne. And of course, if you saw it, you remember it. But Tank and Jarred Wayne found themselves in the same part of the field in the end zone. And Jared Wayne going to the ground, hit Tank's knee. And that's what did it to Tank, was Jarred Wayne hitting Tank in the knee and tearing all those ligaments.

[Poodle]

This led to a whole lot of social media hatred on Jared Wayne over these past couple years on his birthday. Right, right.

[Maddie]

Happy birthday, Jared Wayne.

[Poodle]

And I'm sorry to tell everybody, but Jarod Wayne is having a really good camp. So he shows up over and over and over again.

[Maddie]

Imagine if Jared Wayne makes this team and Tank doesn't. Not only hurt his knee, you took his spot on the roster.

[Poodle]

The mic drop for Jared Wayne there.

[Maddie]

Mission accomplished. Here is. Here's Tank relaying or conveying the story about the communication he had with Jared Wayne after the injury.

[Tank Dell]

He wrote me, like. He wrote me, like, right after it happened, but I wasn't on my phone like that. So I Ain't really sit. But then when I got back to him, you know, I told him, like, ease up, yo. Like, it's football, you know? And I know it was a genuine mistake. Nobody wanted to take out their own guy. Not even another guy, like, today. So it was a mistake. I told him, man, it's good. God got me, like, ease up, man. Go play. Go have fun. Play football. I'll be back. So it was cool, you know, and it's no hard feeling. That's my brother, so we cool.

[Poodle]

I feel bad for Jarod Wayne and however long that period was where Tank wasn't checking his phone or texting people back or anything, you know, when you.

[Maddie]

When you think someone's mad at you, you know.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

You apologize or something. And then the longer that goes without a response, you're. Oh, boy.

[Additional Commentator]

They.

[Poodle]

I really screwed it up.

[Maddie]

Not accept.

[Poodle]

And then all of a sudden, it turns out that. Yeah, they're like, oh, no, I was at a. Yeah, I was. I was at a. I was at a retreat with no phone for a week.

[Maddie]

We're all good, right? Yeah. As far as people, you know, to hurt their knee. Jared Wayne couldn't have picked a nicer human being than Tank Dell.

[Poodle]

Yeah, it's. Yeah. And that's largely, like, guys don't. I can't try to pick a guys. Yeah, guys don't usually get. You got to be kind of petty to get upset at somebody that just.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Totally accidentally injured.

[Maddie]

Yeah. No, he didn't do it on purpose. This was Tank Dell talking about CJ Stroud. We all know Tank Dell and CJ Stroud very close friends. How did that relationship go throughout your rehab?

[Tank Dell]

Hey, man. This long process. He was with me the whole time, from the first day it happened to today. Like, long conversations. I go to his house. He come to my house. Like, long conversations about the future that we want to build with each other on. On the field and stuff like that. But off the field, bro, just being a brother to me. Sending me scripture, praying for me, just hanging out with me, you know, having fun. Y' all saw us off the court during the off season. Like, I was with him a lot, so it's the same. Like, that's my brother, like, to the end, with or without football. So, like, you know how that goes. So he was with me the whole time.

[Maddie]

Okay. No surprise there. CJ Stroud and Tank Dell are very close.

[Poodle]

The future that we want to build together in.

[Maddie]

Did you and Gary Walker sit around

[Poodle]

talking about the future, planned our future together in football? Football. Yeah. Like I said, you know, I'd like to have a. You know, maybe a place out. Place out in the suburbs, you know, where we can go. We get to maybe have a half practice field out in our backyard.

[Maddie]

Planning a place out in Bridgeland.

[Poodle]

Oh, yeah, that's true. Yeah.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

They were, like, side by side. They can't have a compound.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Maybe Tank and CJ can have a compound in Bridgeland.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Houses side by side. Kids will grow up together and everything.

[Maddie]

It gave me a lot of time to reflect on the different fixtures I'd want in my house out in Bridgeland.

[Poodle]

Just sitting there. Yeah. They're going through Restoration Hardware catalogs, coordinating their interior. Interior decors and all that.

[Maddie]

All right, one more from Tankdale. This is just a funny one. I guess his little brother was around with him throughout his rehab. Tankdale's actual biological brother, as opposed to his team brothers like Jared Wayne and C.J. stroud. And he said having him around was a big help during recovery.

[Tank Dell]

That was like my little maid around the house when I couldn't walk for a little bit. Like, he was like, if I. Like, if I go to walk down the stairs, he'll be by me, like, trying to hold me and stuff. Like, he was like, go get a water for me, bro. He'll go run to the bath. I'm gonna run to the kitchen, get a water. So that's my guy, man. He'll spit an image of me. He love the game. He love to learn. He love to go out there and play football on his own with my brothers. They be in the house throwing the ball, and I be telling them not to. But, you know, he love it and he love me, so he was just with me the whole time, man. He shed tears with me, you know, he was on my side every step of the way. When I get back, when I was working out in the back, he in the back trying to work out with me. So you know how that goes.

[Poodle]

So, yeah, if there's one thing I know about. I don't know how old his brother is, I don't either.

[Maddie]

I want to know.

[Poodle]

Let's say he's 12 years old. If there's one thing I know, they love being referred to as little maids.

[Maddie]

I want to know how old his brother is.

[Poodle]

I first. I couldn't hear the question.

[Maddie]

The ball in the house.

[Poodle]

I couldn't hear the question. And it was. I think he answered this one after the question about CJ Stroud. And I thought he was talking about CJ Stroud. And I know, see, I know CJ probably didn't want to be referred to as his Tank's little maid. Yeah. But he was talking about his little

[Maddie]

brother wear this outfit.

[Poodle]

Yeah, that's cool. No, but it sounds like he really got his brothers involved in.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And they were throwing the ball around the house and Tank had to tell him, stop throwing the ball in that. Tank had to be like a parent.

[Poodle]

Well, you know, Keelan Rutledge told the story within the loop about how he's been snapping the ball 150 times a day to his wife, too.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

So a lot of. A lot of family support from these guys.

[Maddie]

That's it, man. That's a football. What is it? Football, Faith and family. Yeah, that's.

[Poodle]

Well, it's supposed to go faith, family, football.

[Maddie]

I think I would say I'd put in parentheses in no particular order.

[Poodle]

Yeah, I can see where your power. Well, what they're supposed to do is what football coaches want to do is lie and say that it's faith, family, football, when in reality, the vast majority of really successful football coaches football in

[Maddie]

a much bigger font way at the time.

[Poodle]

However, I can squeeze family and faith in as long as football remains umaro uno.

[Maddie]

All right, let me ask you this question that I posed to the Twitterverse over the weekend with respect to Tank Dell. So Tank has done media now. He's been out here at practice doing some things. We're starting to see more of him.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

So we put to your point. We've, you know, in terms of, like, where this whole thing's going, we still got limited information. We haven't even seen him go. We haven't seen him go against other people. We don't know what he's doing behind the scenes, so. But with that information, we can always guess. That's not illegal to guess at things. What would you guess? Best guess for Tank status in week one. I put a poll out there. I'm curious what your opinion is as well.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

On the 53 man roster and active on game day. So tanks back.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Number two on the 53 man roster, but inactive on week one. Number three on some injured reserve designation.

[Poodle]

Right.

[Maddie]

Number four. Cut.

[Poodle]

Oh, cut. Okay. I think, honestly, I think that. Not that you want to kowtow to your starting quarterback all the time, but I do feel like there's an element of how close he and CJ Are. That aside from any football considerations, I don't think there's a chance in hell he's cut.

[Maddie]

I don't see, you know, what I don't. That's a good point because I think C.J. seems like he's in a great place mentally right now. Yeah.

[Poodle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

And I think the last thing you want to do is cut his best friend. Yeah.

[Poodle]

Yeah. So. And then with all the football considerations, I still think that they. They see the upside in having Tank Dell around.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Poodle]

I think most likely because he can't be on the PUP because he wasn't on the PUP at the start of training camp.

[Maddie]

That's right.

[Poodle]

So it would have to be one of those. He's not going to get cut. I think the best possibility, given where I don't. I don't think right now. I don't think we're going to see a whole lot of them in a preseason game. Maybe we'll see some in the combined practices against other teams, but I'd be kind of surprised if they do that, too. So I'm going to say he's probably on the roster, but inactive on game day.

[Maddie]

Okay, so that's your guess.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

What do you think the people think? Think?

[Poodle]

I think the people think the same as I do.

[Maddie]

Okay, the people. The people. They don't. But it's very close.

[Poodle]

Okay.

[Maddie]

It's very close.

[Additional Commentator]

The.

[Maddie]

The. Not the majority, but the most. The plurality.

[Advertisement Voice]

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[Maddie]

Think that he's going to be active week one.

[Poodle]

Oh, okay.

[Maddie]

40.5% of Texan fans voting in this poll. Several hundred voters say that he'll be active in week one. 38.1%, so almost the exact same amount say he'll be on the 53, but inactive in Week 1. 18.4% say he'll be on injured reserve. Only 3% say he's going to be cut. Yeah, and I would agree with. I think cut. I. I can't. Unless there's just some drastic thing that happens with him medically between now and the end of camp. And even then, I think they keep him here on injured reserve just because they like having him around.

[Poodle]

Yeah, I think that there's 3% high

[Maddie]

is what I'm saying. Right, right, right.

[Poodle]

The tough part right now with the numbers is that with Tank Dell only doing so much so far, maybe they. Maybe they really start moving along through the process. There's just. There's too many viable NFL wide receivers right now that could be a functioning part of your offense in case Nico or Jaden Higgins went down. Whether it's, you know, obviously, you've got Nico, you've got Jaden Higgins, you got Jalen Noel, you've got Xavier Hutchinson, you've got Jared Wayne. Well, let's say Justin Watson.

[Maddie]

Justin Watson. That's five.

[Poodle]

That's five right there. And then the young guys and. Or let's put Jarred Wayne and Louis Bond and like some of the. Like even Josh Kelly is showing up.

[Maddie]

Josh Kelly's made plays.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Additional Commentator]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Sopkowitz keeps showing up pretty consistently. The undrafted rookie free agent. He's a very big wild card. I'm guessing he's going to be on the practice squad this year, but I think in week one, there's just too many viable guys that you could rely on for a heavy number of snapshots that they'd want to have out there on the field to shoehorn Tank in there.

[Maddie]

The clock's ticking.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

You know, like, there's some. There's going to be. If Jared Wayne and Louis Vaughn keep playing the way that they are at camp and it translates in the games, then this Tank Delt thing becomes quite the conundrum for the Texans.

[Poodle]

But I do think, though, that if. I think that depending on health of everybody else, I think there's room for Tank in limited action and in special packages where he could be lethal for you without having to. You just all of a sudden, you know, roll everybody out in a hurry up and Tanks on the field and teams don't quite know what to expect from him.

[Additional Commentator]

That.

[Poodle]

That he could be that. But it might not be week one.

[Maddie]

All right, let's get to acknowledge me. We acknowledge big performances from over the weekend, noteworthy things that were done that have been done. We do it every Monday. I will say a name or in one case, a series of names. And Byron, our producer. Back in studio will play Roman Reigns.

[Poodle]

Acknowledge me.

[Maddie]

So let's start. I want to start with Kirk Cousins.

[Poodle]

Acknowledge me.

[Maddie]

Good job. Byron got into a scrap with Max Crosby at Raiders practice over the weekend.

[Poodle]

Crosby's getting a little too frisky with the qb. Turns out Crosby, he's been acting like he's super happy to be back with the Raiders, but it also feels like he's probably got a chip on his shoulder about the fact that they Tried to trade him away.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Additional Commentator]

And that.

[Poodle]

And probably would have traded him again if anybody. If the circumstances had worked out.

[Maddie]

It may still.

[Poodle]

And we've seen on the Netflix series Quarterback that you see how he treats Pat Mahomes. Always kind of like giving a little bit of extra or something, hitting him on the helmet when nobody's looking. I wonder if it was stuff like that, that Kirk Cousins had just had enough. And Kirk Cousins stood up for himself. He set boundaries.

[Maddie]

He did. He set boundaries. He got into a scrape with Max Crosby. If I had to just look at the two of them, I'd say, kirk Cousins, you're gonna lose that scrape. But he didn't care. He wasn't scared.

[Poodle]

They were both held out of the next practice.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Clint Kubiak laying down the log.

[Poodle]

So I don't know. So Kubiak. I wonder. I wonder what Cousins. I wonder what the reason for holding Cousins out was.

[Maddie]

I was, like, getting into fights.

[Poodle]

I know, but he's like. But were punches thrown or were they just face to face?

[Maddie]

Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure now if he.

[Poodle]

If he.

[Maddie]

If Kirk Cousins is throwing punches. Especially Max Crosby had a helmet on.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And he should be sat out of practice for being dumb.

[Poodle]

Yeah. It's setting a bad example for Fernando Mendoza. All right, so you know Fernando Mendoza, He's a fighter. You know, Mendoza's probably watched a TED Talk on mediation techniques and everything.

[Maddie]

No, he would congratulate Max Crosby on beating the snot out of Max Crosby. Good job. Okay. Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Keakley, Adam Vinatieri, Roger Craig.

[Poodle]

Acknowledge me.

[Maddie]

That is the 2026 hall of Fame class that went into the hall of Fame this weekend. I would say the headliner out of all of those is probably Drew Brees, super bowl winning quarterback. This is Drew Brees with his salute to New Orleans. New Orleans.

[Poodle]

You accepted me, you embraced me, you believed in me, but more importantly, you trusted me with the soul of the city. And I would have died to protect that calling.

[Maddie]

Yeah. And kids, for those of you that don't know, Drew Brees signed with the Saints right after Katrina.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And the city was a mess, you know, psychologically, actually, you know, like. And Drew Brees. Drew Brees and the Saints kind of, you know, from at least a sporting standpoint, kind of saved the city.

[Additional Commentator]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Yeah. Oh, no.

[Additional Commentator]

He did.

[Poodle]

He did. You know what made me cringe a little bit was when he said, I would have died for you. Because it's one of the things all these offensive Linemen are saying it when they get drafted now. Oh, yeah, yeah. Like Will Campbell said it. I'll die for you, man. I'll be like, all right, let's. Let's settle down with the drama. Okay, guys? Okay, kids, the melodrama is a bit much, all right? Let's not act like you're going off the war.

[Maddie]

Can he please not have a moment? Yeah, can he just not have a moment?

[Poodle]

I didn't realize he was out there in a flat bottom boat during Katrina, saving people when nobody else dared to go in.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Trust me, I would have died for you.

[Poodle]

Believe me. Trust. Truthfully, I would have died for you.

[Maddie]

All right, so now the guy that got the most.

[Poodle]

There's opportunities to die for people every day. If you really want one.

[Maddie]

That's true.

[Poodle]

You can go out and find one right this morning.

[Maddie]

Especially in New Orleans.

[Poodle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

Just go out after midnight.

[Poodle]

All right. I never told anybody, but I was an undercover vice cop for three years when I first got there. Bad part of the French Quarter.

[Maddie]

All right, so I would say of all of the five inductees, the one that got the most viral run over the weekend was Adam Vinatiero.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

The hall of Fame kicker for the Patriots and the Colts. And this was Adam Vinatieri. So let's judge his comedic chop. Seth. All right, this is Adam Vinatieri taking a jab at the great Tom Brady.

[Additional Commentator]

I was lucky enough to play with the greatest quarterback in Patriot history. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it here today. Drew Bludso. I had a few more Tom Brady jokes, but I was afraid that he'd run up on the stage and maybe give me a Will Smith like he did to Logan Paul last month. Yeah.

[Maddie]

That deserved the laughter it was. Was that real laughter or was that.

[Poodle]

It's his hall of Fame polite laughter? He had. He had all kinds of jokes, and he was kind of. When did he play with Drew Brees? Who? Oh, did I.

[Maddie]

He said tom Brady.

[Poodle]

Yeah. No, but he said. What was the Drew Brees part of that joke?

[Maddie]

No, Drew Bledso.

[Poodle]

Oh, Bledo. Bledo.

[Tank Dell]

All right.

[Poodle]

I had Drew Brees on my mind from the greatest Patriot. Yeah, I got you. Yeah. Yeah. I wasn't paying attention because he's such a dork. He was really a dork in this. It was a. I just. I was like, man, I don't know who told him it was a good idea to tell these jokes, but they were not good. They were good. Some of them were good jokes, but he did not deliver them well.

[Maddie]

The delivery is the big thing. That's a funny Tom Brady joke. If I were just reading, like, that's pretty good. Like this Bill Belichick 1. If delivered by somebody with comedic chops.

[Additional Commentator]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

Here is Adam Vinatieri taking a jab at Bill Belichick.

[Additional Commentator]

I would repeat those last few statements about coach Bill Belichick as well. Thank you for demanding excellence every single day. Your preparation, discipline, and attention to detail shaped far more than my football career. Unfortunately, Bill couldn't make it here today. There's a lot going on at UNC right now. He may be on a recruiting trip right now looking for the next Lawrence Taylor. I thought it was because training camp had already started, but in truth, it's because he's judging his girlfriend's cheerleading competition.

[Maddie]

See, that one was even worse.

[Poodle]

It was the first laugh. That little chuckle. It was in the script. Chuckle.

[Advertisement Voice]

Oh.

[Poodle]

Where he's like, they got some issues going on at unc.

[Maddie]

You're right

[Additional Commentator]

there.

[Maddie]

Oh, my God.

[Poodle]

And the final advice that I'd like to give. Be yourself, children. Always stay true to yourself.

[Maddie]

He told another one he took a jab at McAfee, but this is the kids in the car on the first day back to school.

[Poodle]

Yeah, well, you know, you know what it was? It was kind of a crude joke. That's a played out joke. Yeah, it was about. It was about, you know, as Pat McAfee is the holder holding balls for adding vinitarian. He threw his wife in there and it was. It's just like a really old stupid kicker joke. And a lot of laughter. Yeah, I guess so.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Just like those other two we just played.

[Poodle]

Vinnetari was a huge disappointment to me for guys who, like, so clutch for so long.

[Maddie]

Yeah, that's true. You get in as a kicker, he's clutch.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

If you get in as a kicker, you better come with a good speech. You know what I mean?

[Poodle]

I feel like he had a good speech.

[Maddie]

You better get somebody good to read it for you.

[Poodle]

There's a good speech written out verbatim in front of him.

[Maddie]

It'd be great if he hired an actual comedian to read his speech. And he just said that would have been funnier if he hired a comedian to read his speech. And he just sat there with his arms folded.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Smoking a cigar.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Next year's headliners should be Rob Gronkowski and Adrian Peterson. Are those both first ballot guys? I think so. Right?

[Poodle]

I hope Adrian Peterson. I hope Gronk gets up. So apparently it's turning into a Roast the hall of Fame induction. This is just now a Netflix roast. Gronk's got to get up and make a lot of jokes about slapping people around and everything.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Yes. The year after will be J.J. watt and Tom Brady. We got some good headliners coming.

[Poodle]

Well, is Belichick.

[Maddie]

Belichick should get in this next round. They're saying.

[Poodle]

Okay, he was.

[Maddie]

He didn't make it this past time.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

But they're saying he should make it this time. We'll see. We'll see.

[Poodle]

Was there any speculation about Belichick not showing up?

[Maddie]

Maybe because he's judging his girlfriend's cheerleading?

[Poodle]

No, no, no. But I'm seriously, was there any speculation about him being petty with the hall of Fame voters or anything?

[Maddie]

Good question. I could totally see that being the case, 100%. The new high Mark stadium in Buffalo. I'm acknowledging a stadium, Seth. They had a big event there. I guess this weekend. You have family members that are full season ticket holders.

[Poodle]

Well, no, not anymore.

[Maddie]

Not anymore. I know.

[Poodle]

He said this PSL stuff. No. No way, man.

[Maddie]

It looked like this was like sort of like a grand opening of the stadium maybe of some sort.

[Poodle]

They let people had a practice and I think they had a practice in it. Yeah. So they went out and practiced on the field for the first time.

[Maddie]

Okay. So there were people, there were fans in the stadium.

[Poodle]

And it starts off poorly just because their new alternate uniforms are atrocious.

[Additional Commentator]

Horrible.

[Poodle]

They're just the ugliest things you've ever seen.

[Advertisement Voice]

Horrible.

[Poodle]

There's not even any, like, charm to them like that. Some of those Steelers throwbacks that are so ugly. They're beautiful, you know, nothing like that. They're just ugly.

[Maddie]

No, they're ugly. The stadium looks. I mean, from 30,000ft, the stadium looks nice. I'm excited. Amy and I are going there in week eight.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

For the by the Texans bye week. We're going to see the Ravens and the Bills there. There were a few complaints making the rounds, though. Apparently there's a lot of seats with obstructed views.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

That are very obstructed.

[Poodle]

Oh, really? I can't see an entire Jerry Jones at the super bowl style. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

A little bit. A little bit. Yeah. Apparently the overhang doesn't overhang nearly as much as people thought.

[Poodle]

It's not going to protect them from the elements the way they were now.

[Maddie]

The way they thought.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And it's apparently very windy down on the field. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jen Hatmaker]

Hey, it's Jen Hatmaker. Here's what I've learned in midlife, joy isn't the reward you earn after all the work is done. Joy is the work. That's what this new series on for the Love is all about. The sacred yes. It's choosing delight, rest and pleasure on purpose. Because saying yes to yourself, that's the thing that finally lets you fill your table with everybody else. Come, come find your sacred yes with me. Follow and listen to for the Love wherever you get your podcasts now that's

[Additional Commentator]

just what I'm reading.

[Poodle]

May give her some interesting. You know, for a team that just missed going to the Super Bowl a few years ago with trying to kick a field goal and inclement weather conditions.

[Maddie]

Good point, good point.

[Poodle]

All right. Whenever you've got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, what you really want is a stadium that makes it hard to play quarterback. Yeah.

[Maddie]

Yeah. At least he can run.

[Poodle]

He's got that, that.

[Maddie]

Okay, Dave Stevens acknowledgement. People may not know who Dave Stevens is. Dave Stevens is an Emmy Award winning reporter who has no legs. People may have.

[Poodle]

Metaphorically or literally.

[Maddie]

No, literally has no legs.

[Poodle]

Okay.

[Maddie]

Literally. He's. Yeah, he's just. He has. He has no legs.

[Poodle]

How's Drew Brees fit into all of this?

[Maddie]

So Bryce Young fits into this. So Dave Stevens is at the. He was at the hall of Fame game. Yeah. And he was there and he's interviewing Bryce Young out at a practice or something. Bryce is in his Carolina jersey with shorts on and. And Bryce is kind of crouched down next to him.

[Poodle]

Yeah, Dave Stevens is down there on the ground.

[Maddie]

On the ground? Yeah, yeah. Like he's not in a wheelchair. Anything.

[Poodle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Maddie]

Literally on the ground with a microphone. And Bryce is kind of crouched down next to him. And I give. Dave Stevens is getting acknowledged because he is a. He is a funny guy and a good sport and maybe someday you'll be

[Poodle]

here and enshrined it. I mean, do you think about things like that?

[Maddie]

Definitely the goal, but that's a long term one. You know, can't think too far ahead.

[Additional Commentator]

Right now.

[Maddie]

It's about being the best version of the team. We are training camps about finding that. So definitely just where my feet are right now.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

I don't know.

[Poodle]

Speaking of feet, I don't have any, but I was always wondering, if you're a Heisman winner, where do you keep your trophy? Is it in a closet? Is it a paperweight? Where do you keep it?

[Maddie]

My parents have it.

[Tank Dell]

My parents have.

[Maddie]

Okay, good recovery by both guys there.

[Poodle]

I thought, dude, as soon as. If you're Bryce Young. I wonder if he realized it as soon as he said it. Just like, you know, right here where my feet are. My two functioning feet.

[Maddie]

The best caption.

[Jenna Fisher]

The best.

[Poodle]

Sorry, pal.

[Maddie]

The best caption, Bryce, is crotch chopping his feet. The best caption I saw was, Bryce, you had one job. Oh, we can laugh because Dave.

[Poodle]

Dave Stevens was good. No, he's really good.

[Maddie]

Yeah, he has a good sport about it. All right, last one. Aaron Chin, acknowledge. Who's Aaron Chin? He's one of two Cornell students.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Who are the impetus for a new rule passed whereby students can no longer butcher bears in their dorms.

[Poodle]

Oh, this is something. That's good. You know what? I, I, I put this motion forward in 1996, and I'm glad to see it's finally grabbed some grab traction. Yeah.

[Maddie]

So apparently this stems from a, an incident last year.

[Poodle]

Yeah, I remember that. I remember when this incident was reported, basically a couple of guys had killed a black bear, and they took it into one of the dorm halls, the kitchens, to butcher it.

[Maddie]

To butcher it and make. They literally were gonna make bear pastrami.

[Poodle]

Bear pastrami.

[Additional Commentator]

That's right.

[Maddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, but here's, here's the thing. This is what I learned in this story.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

They, they killed this bear, like, two hours from campus.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And they were supposed to take it to a friend's house to do the butchering. And the friend, the friend had an emergency or something like that. So Chin and the other. And the reason why we know Chin's name and not the other guy. Chin's done, like, a couple podcasts, I guess.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Talking about this whole thing. So they took it back to the dorm and brought it into the kitchen of the dorm and I guess made some delicious bear pastrami. I don't know if it was good

[Poodle]

or not, but the, you know, and there were no code violations, apparently. And however they did it right, they did it the right way.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

And now, Cornell, further evidence of the wussification of our educational system is saying that you can't butcher black bears in the dorm dining halls, which used to be damn near a rite of passage

[Maddie]

back when I was there. It's really sad to see traditions go by the way.

[Poodle]

We used to take the freshman football players out and make them kill a bear and drag it back barefoot and then butcher it and then feed us. Yes. Yeah. And now where's our, where's our. Where, where's our heritage? Where's our tradition?

[Maddie]

This took place in Ghana. Dogo Hall. Are you familiar with that hall?

[Poodle]

No. That sounds like one of those new fangled ones.

[Maddie]

It's a newfangled one, and a couple of the letters in it have, like, the little accents hanging off.

[Poodle]

Well, it's probably Native American. They've got it. They've got some cool. Actually, like, some of the. Some of the dorms and everything are kind of Native American themed and everything. So it's probably some. Something from the. No, I think that's the thing.

[Jen Hatmaker]

This is.

[Poodle]

The whole thing about Cornell is like, unlike these other Ivy Leagues, these poverty schools that don't have an ag school, we have an ag school and we got a lot of dudes, young men and women, who's just like, yeah, they know how to hunt. They know how to. They know how to butcher black bears. They know how to plow a field.

[Maddie]

I love this story.

[Poodle]

And it's why Cornell is the best Ivy League school. All these other Ivy League League schools, they try to look down at us for having an ag school, and we're like, oh, I'm so. I didn't realize we were all trying to be English aristocrats. You know, they turn their nose up at us. I look at them like, you snooty bastards, you don't have an ag school. And you're proud of it. It's like, what kind of an American are you?

[Additional Commentator]

Sorry.

[Poodle]

We care about feeding people. Oh, oh, oh. You just. You don't need to lower yourself to the level of the peasants. I see. Let them eat cake.

[Maddie]

I berate.

[Poodle]

Let them eat. Let them eat bear pastrami from a deli instead of getting it on their own.

[Maddie]

That's what my daughter.

[Poodle]

Sorry, sorry. Fancy lads. Yeah.

[Maddie]

My daughter went to an Ivy League school. She's got her bear pastrami on the outside. Yeah, they didn't. They didn't make their own.

[Poodle]

All right. Teach these kids how to live.

[Maddie]

That's right. That's right. All right, coming up next, that was acknowledged me. We do it every Monday. That was a good one. Oh, credit Aaron Raybal, by the way, our engineer on site who sent that story to me yesterday.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

Thank you, Aaron.

[Maddie]

Good job, Aaron.

[Poodle]

Be lobbying the trustees this afternoon about this draconian bear policy.

[Maddie]

Does Demico Ryan's have a point about protect the team? There's a defensive coordinator in the NFL that thinks he does. We'll explain. One of the things that's kind of new and kind of a big deal out here at Texans training camp with fans out here, and fans are going to be out here again today. Then I think there's one more fan practice. It's next Tuesday, the joint practice with the Raiders. That'll be when Cal McNair is cooking out out in the parking lot. But is the theme is protect the team. And what that means is when the team is in 11 on 11 periods, they're asking all the fans to put their phones away and not film anything and post things on the Internet. Here is Demico Ryan's on the thought process behind that.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

It's important to protect the team. Not just videos, but for us, you know, how we operate as a team. My main message is always it's about the team first. So when it comes to the videos and things that are posted, we know everyone who has a phone is media.

[Tank Dell]

Right.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

And we don't, we don't want our plays getting out so other teams can study what we're doing here in training camp. That's just obvious. A lot of teams do this around the league, so it's, it's all about the team. So if you're true Texans fan and you want to see the Texans succeed, you wouldn't showcase our plays to teams who don't know what we're running.

[Maddie]

Do you, do you think it's a big deal to keep that stuff up?

[Poodle]

I think it's, I think it's a good policy just because, I mean, we. I told the story last week. The most infamous example of this was Jimmie Johnson who was sitting in his hotel room watching television before they were going to play the Bills in the super bowl. And there was like B roll footage behind the, on the sports broadcast of the Bills at a walkthrough running a shovel pass that they hadn't run all season long. So lo and behold, Jimmy Johnson prepares for the shovel pass. Shut it down in the Super Bowl. Yeah. And I think that sounds, that might sound like an extreme example or whatnot, but I think, look, look, the Texans are doing some things offensively this year that are a little bit different than they've done in the last couple years. And I think that there's, I think that that's the kind of thing that if a Bill's all it takes is one. Like, it's not like a deep dive investigation to have an intern peruse Texan social media like a Bills intern or a Bill's quality control guy to peruse all of these, these clips and see what they're running and what it looks like they might be doing. They're like, oh, here's a guy just for whatever, whether it's An RPO or something else that any team might be doing that we haven't seen out of them before.

[Maddie]

Okay. It's funny you should say that. Christian Parker is the new defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Yeah, he's got an uphill climb this year. That was not a good defense last year. He was on 1053 the Fan over the weekend. Now the Cowboys are a team, Go figure. That are the opposite of what the Texans are.

[Poodle]

Right. Because the complaint from Cowboys players and coaches has always been that Jerry Jones does not give a damn if it hurts the. The football side of things if it's going to get more publicity.

[Maddie]

Yeah, that's exactly right. So Christian Parker, who. Who in this interview had said kind of what you said, Seth, like he was a quality control guy. Even just through the course of just getting information on other teams, you get these videos that pop up. He said that he coached in Green Bay, Denver and Philly. And he said in all of those places we took stuff that we saw the Cowboys do.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Online and we incorporated, you know, at least early in the season, incorporated things that we saw.

[Christian Parker]

Everybody's gonna stream a practice, whatever. Whatever. But then sometimes you can find some things, you know, I won't tell all the stories, but there have been some things I found along the way, either when I was a QC or as a position coach that, you know, might have been posted by the team or might have been posted by a fan or might have been posted by a player. You know, you never know, but you just want to, you know, kind of turn over all those stones and see what you can find.

[Maddie]

Does it affect how you coach out here? What you show?

[Christian Parker]

Nah, we can't afford to let that affect it. You know, we still got a job to do and, you know, they know what we're doing, then we just got to do it better, you know what I mean? But you definitely have awareness to it. But no, that can affect what we do in terms of being ready for the season.

[Additional Commentator]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

So it's one of those things where I think the classic knee jerk response by a lot of people is like, oh, that's why you're gonna lose a game in October. And like the answer whenever anybody says that is like, well, we don't know. Maybe not. Maybe it does just. You never know what little nugget of information might be the thing that ends up being a critical factor. So you try to eliminate as many nuggets as possible.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Poodle]

So it's a matter of policy. And no, you're not gonna. It's like any, any measure you ever take to protect information or property and everything, it's never going to be 100%. But you can, you can increase your odds or improve your odds by. By doing it. And just. If the Texans were the first team to do this, I would wholeheartedly say, okay, I get it, people.

[Tank Dell]

The.

[Poodle]

The Texans are being like more killjoy than other organizations, but I think other teams are doing and it's not as good.

[Maddie]

Do we know?

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And I'm asking. I know you don't know the answer to this. I'm just rhetorically, I'm like, do we know. Is it a majority of the teams. Is it.

[Poodle]

No. Is it something.

[Maddie]

Is it something the teams. More teams have started doing in the last. This is the first year the Texans have done it.

[Poodle]

I did a cursory search and couldn't find any hard and fast numbers on it. So I don't. Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't. I didn't. A cursory search.

[Maddie]

Yeah, no, I saw there were any articles. Yeah.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

I'm just curious, like, you know, when D' Amico says other teams are doing this, is it two other teams, 15 others.

[Poodle]

I know from the last couple off seasons. I've just noticed at times various fan bases commenting on this.

[Guest or Minor Speaker]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

I do think it's a classic thing where it's probably a pretty small minority of the fans that are really vocal about not liking it. And you know, for people that. Especially the people that put the content out, I get it. Cause it's like. Yeah, it's really. I liked using the, like, we're not allowed to film a lot of the stuff that the fans were allowed to film.

[Maddie]

Yeah, I liked that.

[Poodle]

I had access to that.

[Maddie]

That's right.

[Poodle]

But I also get it and understand why they don't want to do it. It's kind of like with callers to sports radio, like, it's a. Like there's study after study after study that shows the vast majority of people really don't like callers. But the people who call, they do not like when you don't take calls. And they think it's the greatest crime ever committed in human history and they will be very vocal about it.

[Maddie]

It's a good analogy. It's a good analogy. All right, what are we looking for out here today? Old Seth C. Pain.

[Poodle]

I well, for one will be on Tank Dell Watch. Yep. I intrigued by the battle between Braden Smith and Trent Brown at right time.

[Maddie]

That's been a good one.

[Poodle]

Yeah. And the other thing, Jalen Knoll. Jalen Knoll.

[Maddie]

Well, yeah. Jalen Noel. Does he get more stuff? I would say, too. Is Brevin Jordan back? Because that's a battle too. You know, I'd been talking about that tight end. I think either Kate Stover coming into camp. I said either Kate Stover or Brevin Jordan's not making this team. Brevin Jordan's falling behind the last couple days.

[Poodle]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Dealing with whatever he's, you know, whatever. He's got an injury.

[Poodle]

The fun thing with the battle between Braden Smith and Trent Brown has been is that with the addition of Clowney to the mix. Oh, those guys aren't getting a break when they were the two. It's not like you can go down and look really, really good versus the backups. Now all of a sudden it's like, well, you know, yesterday I had to take on. Had to take on Daniil a bunch. But don't worry about it. Today I've got. Oh, crap.

[Maddie]

Clowney's look good. That's the other one. I would say. The people I get asked about the most by if I'm out and about. C.J. stroud, Tank Dell. And now with Clowney here, Clowney's, I would say, number three on the list.

[Poodle]

Yeah. No, and Clowney is. And I saw this, the first reps that he took in team, period. He. He did a move that I hadn't really seen out of him before and I'd never noticed out of him before. And then, lo and behold, Clowney and Danil both talked about how, you know, Clowney's been asking Danil about certain things, things he can pick up.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Poodle]

People love talking to Neil because he said he's the ultimate technician. And it's almost like going to train with Bruce Lee or something. You're hoping he teaches you some magical six inch punch that would destroy all.

[Maddie]

I thought that was cool hearing that story from Daniil about Clowney, asking him about stuff. Clowney's older than Daniil Hunter. People may not realize that.

[Poodle]

Is he like one year?

[Maddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think back, yeah, Daniel's 31. I think Clowney's 30, 33.

[Poodle]

Daniil's kind of like Aziz in that they kind. They've got old souls. If you were just. If you didn't know him and then never watched him and you're just talking to him in an interview over the phone or something, you might think they were 45 years old.

[Maddie]

And Daniil was 20 when he came into the league too. He was a young.

[Poodle]

He came in a younger Connie was young, too.

[Jen Hatmaker]

Yep.

[Poodle]

All right.

[Maddie]

Pain and pender gas with you here on a Monday. Seth, Antibodies to you.

[Poodle]

Oh, antibodies. And some bear pastrami to you.

[Maddie]

Yes. John Harris and Mark Vandermeer are up next. We'll see all of y' all tomorrow at 6.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm Jenna Fisher. And I'm Angela Kinsey. And together we have the podcast Office Ladies. Just because we finished rewatching the Office does not mean we're going anywhere. Every Wednesday, we'll be sharing even more exclusive stories from the Office and our friendship with brand new guests. Plus, you can revisit all the Office Ladies rewatch episodes every Monday with new bonus tidbits before every episode. So follow and listen to Office Ladies on the free Odysee app and wherever you get your podcasts.