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- [00:00]
IXL Advertiser
Testing season is right around the corner and this is when confidence really matters. When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments, it can make all the difference. IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now so they walk into every test feeling prepared, capable and confident. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts. Designed for students from Pre K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized, interactive practice that adapts to your child's level and pace. It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch. Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests proven in all 50 states. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixllearning.com audio Visit ixllearning.com audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
- [01:16]
Seth Payne
Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun.
- [01:20]
Luke Morrow
An army hung on her every word.
- [01:23]
Carvana Advertiser
My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. Twas a lovely suv, an inexplicable queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees May apply the podcast
- [01:46]
Podcast Host (Campus Files / Rachel Braethan)
Campus Files is back with more stories of scandal, crime and intrigue on college campuses. It is not hard to destroy a college.
- [01:53]
IXL Advertiser
It's almost like a university under siege.
- [01:56]
Podcast Host (Campus Files / Rachel Braethan)
Listen to and follow Campus Files available now wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:00]
Luke Morrow
Is C.J. shroud the biggest X Factor not only for the Texans, but in the entire NFL? This season it's Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. 713-572-4610 to text the show, let us know what you think about Stroud. Is the X Factor biggest in the league? Also get in on the YouTube and Twitch chats as well. Is CJ Stroud not only the biggest factor X Factor for the Texans, but does that make him the biggest in the entire league? Fox Sports put out? Actually they put out an article where they listed the top X factor for every team in the NFL and I just happened to stumble upon this now. But Seth, before we have some audio too from Kevin Clark. Does it feel like Stroud with everything. Fox Sports actually put David Montgomery as the biggest X factor for the Texans. Does it feel like Stroud's that biggest X factor?
- [02:55]
Seth Payne
I know. You know what it is? I don't think you're allowed to call a quarterback an X factor because it's almost just already baked into. The things that really matter is like, yeah, you got to have. You got to have competent quarterback play, ideally really good quarterback play for your best chance to win a Super Bowl.
- [03:14]
Luke Morrow
I.
- [03:14]
Seth Payne
And I think that there's so many things that factor into whether he is that guy or not this year. I kind of look at it as the X factor is. Okay, what's the thing that most helps CJ Stroud? And then you can evaluate your quarterback. So for me, the X factor would just be whether the offensive line is actually substantially improved.
- [03:34]
Luke Morrow
Okay.
- [03:35]
Seth Payne
And like, so if. If Stroud, if Stroud plays his best football but they still can't run the football, it's not going to look that much different than last year if it just won't, you know. So if Stroud plays good football but they can't pass protect, it's going to be your ceiling. Might be like what the Chargers were last year with a horrible offensive line or C.J. stroud for the last couple years with a horrible offensive line. So that's where I think that without overthinking it, CJ Will have a better year if they actually can confidently run the football, if they actually have good offensive line play throughout. And so much of that just comes down to the additions they made and the growth of the younger guys. So for. Maybe that's too vague for it to be an X factor, but just simply the performance of the offensive line is the biggest question mark for me because it's a bunch of new moving pieces, and it's never as simple as just throwing a bunch of new guys in there. I think David Montgomery, as long as he stays, stays healthy and has a good offensive lineman in front of him, he'll be just fine. But we just don't know about how good that offensive line is going to be.
- [04:41]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, certainly. Okay, so offensive line for you. Fox Sports says David Montgomery is the biggest X factor for the Texans. But Kevin Clark, now part of espn, says not only is CJ Stroud the biggest X factor for the Texans, but apparently for the entire NFL this year.
- [04:57]
Kevin Clark
I don't think it's an overstatement, guys, to say that he's the biggest X factor in the league, because we just saw the Seattle Seahawks ride above average quarterback play. Okay. And an elite defense to a Super Bowl. Okay. The Texans defense is just as good, and CJ Stroud has the capability to be a lot better than Sam Darnold. So if C.J. stroud regains that form, we're talking about a Super Bowl. He was the first player in history last year to have five interceptions and five fumbles and one single postseason hit it in two games. Yeah. That's like Babe Ruth won 54 games, you know, hitting home runs and all that stuff, but with turnovers. Okay. And the reason usually the guys don't get more than that is they don't win a playoff game. He won playoff games because of that defense. Take a step forward.
- [05:45]
Seth Payne
It's Super Bowl, Super Bowl. That's all you have to do. C.J. stroud, no pressure. Yeah, that's. That's the thing that I worry about with CJ Going into the regular season is that, look, going to the playoffs, going into the playoffs, I would have told you, CJ Takes care of the football. Coming out of the Steelers game, I was continuing to say, hey, C.J. stroud takes care of the football. Don't worry about that. That was a blip in the radar. There's some issues with the center, communication, all that. I made all kinds of excuses for him, or I didn't make excuses, but I said, that's going to be a blip on the radar. And you don't have to worry about C.J. stroud going in and throwing four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game. You certainly don't have to worry about that. And lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. That, like, the amount of pressure on CJ Stroud has not changed one bit since those playoffs. And it's actually, it's increased way more than it ever was before because they were. People would make excuses for CJ Stroud outside of Houston going into those playoffs and that. And would credit him with doing some of the smarter game management style things well as well. And all that kind of just flew out the window. So I think in the first few games of the regular season, it'll feel like the most pressure that's ever been on CJ Stroud. And I just hope that he handles it really well.
- [07:01]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, certainly.
- [07:02]
Seth Payne
I mean, that's.
- [07:02]
Luke Morrow
That's. That is the biggest story to watch. Yeah. I think when it comes to, like, X factor for the entire league, obviously, as Kevin Clark laid out, like, the Texans feel like they swing on, well, the offense, but it always comes back to the quarterback. Whereas Clark mentioned in that clip. Like if C.J. shroud plays well enough, it could be a Super bowl team. If he doesn't play well enough well, then this could be a team that if he plays like he did in the playoffs last year, obviously they won't go very far at all. But it just seems like there is a larger variance for the Texans based off of simply the quarterback and the offense's performance.
- [07:34]
Seth Payne
What is. Oh my gosh.
- [07:36]
Luke Morrow
All right.
- [07:36]
Seth Payne
Just, just as a thought exercise, let's say as it tends to happen in every single, every single good quarterback has some bad games. But man, week, Week one has to be good. Like they, I can't handle for my own mental health, I can't handle a bad offensive performance against the Bills in week one at home. A team that you've, a team that you've just really. I mean, you've made their quarterback look like the worst version of Josh Allen every time he's come to Houston. But they've got a new defensive coordinator. They're going to be super blitz heavy. The offensive line like last year got off to a really slow start in terms of picking up blitzes and all of that. It's a big test for a team that doesn't have a good defense. On paper, the Buffalo Bills, there's some things they're going to do that can present some challenges that man, if they haven't, if they spend all OTAs in training camp bragging about how good their pre snap operation is and all that, like it's going to get tested in week one and that'll be, I promise you. Now, if the Texans throttle the Bills defensively, I will act like they just won the super bowl. And if they, but if the Texans get throttled by the Bills defense, I am going to go into a deep, deep depression and I will lash out aggressively.
- [08:51]
Luke Morrow
That's an interesting thought and interesting question of. As you said, like it's, it's, it's vital. It's very important. Shroud gets off to a good start or the offense. But when we say the offense, we're especially talking about the quarterback and C.J. stroud because that's who it always comes back to. When you look at the opening slate, how good or bad is that for the offense to try to get off on good footing? You have the Bills like you said, then you have the Bengals, then you have the Colts, then you have the Cowboys who made a bunch of changes to their defense. Those are the first four games. Do you feel like that's set up for a smooth landing for the offense or is that a tough way to start the year?
- [09:26]
Seth Payne
Yeah, so much of it depends on like all of these changes that these teams have made that had bad defenses. I mean, the Bills defense wasn't bad, but they've taken, they're not what they used to be, but you have a new, you've got a new defensive coordinator. They're kind of still, they're still like trying to figure out exactly where the pass rush and is going to come from and what they're going to do in their secondary. But that's a relatively soft opening. The Bengals will get really interesting because the Bengals were horrendous defense, but they've got six new starters that they brought in via free agency, three of them on the defensive line and the types of guys that the Texans have struggled against, big, strong, physical, tough defensive linemen like Dexter Lawrence. That'll be, that'll be the first real physical battle and test for the, for, for that offensive line, especially on the interior offensive line. So I think we'll, we'll get a feel for whether the off season improvements made a difference. But then, you know, the, you've got the Colts and then the Cowboys are another one that was a really bad defense but they spent aggressively and trying to fix it and drafted, drafted Caleb Downs that by, by week four, we'll know whether they're actually an improved defense or if it's just a slightly improved. But it's like, you know, more teams than not, more times than not teams that spend aggressively on defense will, they'll get a bump just by having better talent on the field. But it's not always a guarantee that all of a sudden it's a formidable defense.
- [10:59]
Luke Morrow
I do think it's interesting that the Texans face three or all, all three of their divisional foes in the first six games of the season. Now Stroud has always put up good numbers statistically, historically against all three of those teams. In fact, some of his best quarterback ratings are against those teams. But you know, the old cliche is like division opponents always know you the best. And so to have that many early on I do think is interesting. Where you get the Colts in week three, the Titans Week five, the Jaguars Week six, you get them early. And again, you know, those are the teams that know you better than, than a team that you might not have played in a few years and you could try to catch off guard.
- [11:36]
Seth Payne
You know, one thing, one thing that I worried about when the schedule first came out was the fact that, you know, the Texans, the, the, you know, in practice they're going against the Texans 43 all the time and then they get into the regular season and the first couple teams they play run a 3 4, which doesn't matter as much as it used to, but it does matter in some of the fronts that they'll see and there's some mental work that goes into it. The good thing is that The Texans all three of their preseason games are against opponents who run a 3 4, so they'll have a lot more in game, especially the young offensive linemen. They'll have a lot more reps at close to full speed, seeing those different looks and fronts where it won't be as much of an adjustment, hopefully mentally early on.
- [12:17]
Luke Morrow
So is Stroud the biggest X factor not only for the Texans, but the entire NFL? Let us know 713-572-4610 testing season is
- [12:26]
IXL Advertiser
right around the corner and this is when confidence really matters. When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments, it can make all the difference. IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now. So they walk into every test feeling prepared, capable and confident. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts. Designed for students from Pre K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized, interactive practice that adapts to your child's level and pace. It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch. Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests proven in all 50 states. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixllearning.com audio Visit ixllearning.com audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
- [13:39]
Podcast Host (Campus Files / Rachel Braethan)
Life can feel overwhelming, but on my podcast from the Heart with Rachel Braethan, we're in it together. Every Friday a new episode brings you a new story with topics on motherhood, wellness, self love and more. Listen to from the Heart with Rachel Braethon Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [13:55]
Luke Morrow
You know I I know on in the Loop, which is obviously coming up here after us. Top of the hour. They've been following along with this top 100 list. Yeah, and we get two new names every day. We already got one of the names today which was JC Horn, Panthers cornerback, was just named the 76th best player in the NFL. We're going to get number 75 at the top of the hour, I believe, which is obviously when we'll be getting off the air. But part of the whole thing with this top 100 list is waiting to see where is CJ Stroud going to land? Is he going to be in the top 100? And we got another quarterback yesterday in Baker Mayfield who made it into the top 80. And that's after, I believe, Brock Purdy, I think, was the other quarterback. We've had two quarterbacks in the top 100. The problem I have with the top 100 is we have to wait till all 100 names come out so I can compare. It's hard to say, like, oh, Baker Mayfield is ranked 78th. Well, I don't know how many quarterbacks they put ahead of him. Like, I don't know where that puts him or who's even ahead of him. So I need to see the whole list before I really form the opinions.
- [14:57]
Seth Payne
This is where I'm. I'm 99% confident that C.J. stroud made this list for a couple of reasons. One is that in 2025, CJ Stroud was ranked ahead of Baker Mayfield in the top 100. I can't remember, was he in the 30s, 39th.
- [15:13]
Luke Morrow
Yeah.
- [15:13]
Seth Payne
So 25. Baker Mayfield was 50th. He dropped to 77th last year. Those two guys had somewhat similar seasons. Like, CJ Won some statistical categories. Baker Mayfield won some statistical categories. You know, Baker Mayfield played the whole year. But the second thing that makes me confident that C.J. stroud is. Is in the top 100 is that they don't. They vote on these between Thanksgiving and the end of the season. That's where, like, most of the voters, most of the players who vote turn their ballots in sometimes towards the end of the season. So the playoffs didn't factor into this at all. And I don't think that it's not like CJ CJ Was playing largely the same way he did. Well, like, statistically and everything. Similar to what he did in 2024, where he did make the top 100 or the. In 2025 going into. Yeah. So I think that. I think that he's going to be on it, and people debate it. It'll be one of the most hotly debated ones when it comes out. But this was all voted on before the playoffs.
- [16:14]
Ozempic Advertiser
Yeah.
- [16:14]
Luke Morrow
Which would be a huge. Obviously a huge help for Shroud. And I'm surprised by what you said, I didn't think to go and look at last year, but I thought when I saw Baker there and I was thinking, I'm not telling you that I would put Baker higher than Shroud or I think Baker is better than Shroud, but I am a big Baker Mayfield fan and when I saw he was only whatever, 78th, whatever he came in as yesterday, I thought, oh, man, I don't know, maybe Stroud really did get punished as much as Baker.
- [16:38]
Seth Payne
I think he'll end up because, you know, when people were voting on it in the 2024, during the 2024 season, which would become the 2025 list, that was on. That was still on the heels of CJ's rookie season where there was so much buzz about him. So I think that CJ will still make the list, but he's probably going to be closer to make Baker Mayfield this time around than he was last time around. But like, as far as, you know, CJ was on a better team. Baker Mayfield played 17 games and CJ only played 13 and a quarter. 13 and a half. But they had, you know, CJ ended up with 3,041 yards passing. Baker had 3,700. But like CJ projected out to 3,600 or so. Like, touch that. CJ, like a lot of the numbers were relatively simple, similar. I think Baker had a better year, but CJ's got better PR in general. He's on a better football team.
- [17:30]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, yeah. And I know people have, Texans fans have texted the show and the station and whatnot, but they, they will reference Baker. A lot of that guy that has that quote, unquote, like dog in him that will find a way to lead you to victory where.
- [17:44]
Seth Payne
Yeah.
- [17:45]
Luke Morrow
Feel like Stroud can be lacking that at times. And.
- [17:48]
Seth Payne
Yeah, no, there's a whole different, whole different just feel about both those guys and how they operate.
- [17:53]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, for sure.
- [17:54]
Seth Payne
Biggest thing, I mean, Baker had a boatload of. He was. Well, he had. It's hard to look at the cumulatives. Go ahead. Yeah.
- [18:01]
Luke Morrow
And Baker also, he dealt with injuries last year. He started off at an MVP level and then cratered second half of the year as he was trying to play through like a should issue. So that, that certainly hurt the numbers. Pro Football Focus also ranked their top 32 quarterback, C.J. shroud, for those interested, wound up 17th on their list. So bottom half, that's where.
- [18:20]
Seth Payne
That's where I expected. I think their, their QB grade tends to run a little bit different than like the other QBRs. And you know, Pass rating and all that. And it seems like that's where he was for most of last season and at the end was like right around 17th or 18th in their grades.
- [18:37]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, they said here if they include the playoffs, which obviously we know is a disaster for Stroud, he would have a 62 passing grade for PFF, which would actually put him 34th among 43 quarterbacks last year. So not great when you factor in the playoffs.
- [18:51]
Seth Payne
I don't, yeah, I don't know like how would, I don't know how would Geno Smith have done in the playoffs and I don't last year if he had made the playoffs. That's really not, that's not fair at all actually. I'm not trying to stick up for him overly. I don't to even throw that in there. Like hey, when he played against a couple of really good teams at the end of the year who were playing for it all, he wasn't. It would have knocked him down below guys that didn't even make the playoffs. I reject, I reject that paragraph.
- [19:21]
Luke Morrow
Hey, always take PFF grades with a grain of salt. And lastly, I disagree with you texter who said Lamar Jackson doesn't perform well in the playoffs, doesn't get punished. Lamar certainly gets punished for his lack of playoff success or victories, but he also never had the back to back games like Stroud had this past postseason.
- [19:38]
Seth Payne
Well, he also, like Lamar Jackson has also been screwed over by Zay Flowers and his tight end Mark Andrews. Yeah, yeah, the Mark Andrews drop and everything. It's not like Lamar Jackson doesn't play well in the playoffs. He just doesn't have the record that which, and again before Anybody brings up CJ's playoff wins and how incredible it is, he has as many playoffs as Mark Sanchez playoff victories as Mark Sanchez did. So it's not good contest. And I give CJ more credit for his playoff victories than I give Mark Sanchez for his. But if we're just, if we're just going to add up playoff wins, we can find any number of either awesome or horrible quarterbacks where it just proves it doesn't matter.
- [20:16]
Luke Morrow
Yeah, it's true. Awesome.
- [20:16]
Seth Payne
I mean as far as like actually evaluating a guy's entire career.
- [20:20]
Luke Morrow
Right. Yeah, true. Also, I believe there's been a defensive touchdown in all of Stroud's playoff wins and no defensive touchdowns in all of his losses. So you can draw, you know, some parallels there too. Coming up, the NFL actually released their 2026 Texans preview last night and they seem to be pretty high on our Texans we'll talk about that next Pain
- [20:41]
Powers that Be Podcast Host
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- [20:51]
Seth Payne
There's a Pill Version of Ozempic hello,
- [20:55]
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- [20:58]
Luke Morrow
Hey, did I hear there's a pill version of Ozempic?
- [21:00]
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Seth Payne
version of Ozempic Oregon Parks make an
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- [21:52]
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