Which NFL Head Coach will get fired first ?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Payne & Pendergast

Episode: Which NFL Head Coach will get fired first?
Date: August 12, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Sean Pendergast
Network: Audacy

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Payne & Pendergast" blends Houston Texans preseason insights with the hosts’ annual tradition of wagering on which NFL head coach will be fired first in 2026. Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast bring sharp and often playful analysis, dissecting player developments from Texans training camp, weighing in on the notorious head coach "death pool," and discussing broader NFL narratives. True to their signature mix, the conversation spans strategic football takes, inside-the-locker-room banter, and the quirks of Houston sports life.

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Texans Training Camp: Stock Up, Stock Down

[00:39 – 18:16]

Physicality and Mentality Among Texans’ O-Line

• Notable Quote [01:17]:
  Seth Payne: “There's more of a scrappy element to these guys and especially on the interior offensive line, which has really been the source of so many of the issues... I’d rather have [overaggressive] than a bunch of guys that seem content to let the quarterback get roughed up.”

• Keelan Rutledge’s chippiness and intensity in practice are seen as positives—contrasted against the Texans’ previous lack of physical response when QB C.J. Stroud was hit during a 2024 game.

Stock Up Players

• Jaden Higgins:

  • Impressing with improved chemistry with C.J. Stroud.
  • Quote [04:52], Seth Payne: “Some of these back shoulder throws... Higgins knows how C.J.'s going to read this play. They're seeing it through the same eyes.”

• Jadeveon Clowney:

  • Unexpected valuable addition as a backup defensive end, comfortable backing up stars and showing run-stopping form reminiscent of his prime.

• Rookie Class:

  • Collectively promising, with Marlon Klein, Colin Wright, Louis Bond, and Wade Woodaz highlighted.
  • Colin Wright, an undrafted rookie, receives praise as a likely roster spot earner.

• Keelan Rutledge:

  • Earning confidence as starting center, praised for conscientiousness and rapid adaptation.

Stock Down Players

• Brevin Jordan (TE):

  • Repeated injuries threaten his roster spot amidst the Texans’ deepest TE room in years.
  • Marlon Klein lauded as a more complete tight end option.

• Jawar Jordan (RB):

  • Ongoing injuries have jeopardized his status as the expected #3 back.
  • The RB room overall is questioned for lack of sufficient depth behind David Montgomery.

• Jake Andrews (C):

  • Once a starter contender, now possibly a practice squad candidate due to limited positional versatility.

• Special Teams:

  • Punter Jack Stonehouse cut; Kai Kroger is holding the job “for now,” and the hosts joke about the revolving competition.

Texans’ Offensive Line & Run Game

• The O-line’s improved process, technique, and run concepts are noted, though hosts acknowledge that true progress won’t be fully visible until regular season games.
• Quote [13:23], Seth Payne: “I’m trying to look at the process more than the results... the whole operation is just night and day better than last year.”

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Annual NFL Head Coach "Death Pool": Predictions and Odds

[18:16 – 28:00]

Explaining the Game

• Each host annually picks four NFL coaches they predict could be the first to get fired; winner gets bragging rights.

• Historical Results:

  • 2025: Sean won by selecting Brian Callahan, who was fired six weeks in.
  • Discussion of why it’s rare for first-year coaches to get fired midseason (e.g., Urban Meyer was a rare exception).

Leading Candidates for 2026

• Aaron Glenn (Texans legend, now an NFL head coach):

  • The betting favorite due to a “bad quarterback situation, bad owner, bad team, bad media” [20:38].
  • Payne hesitates to pick Glenn, citing his ability to turn defenses around given time.

• D’Meco Ryans (Texans HC):

  • Listed at “50-to-1”—hosts unanimously consider him among the safest, dismissing speculation around his job security as “vestigial perception.”

• Other Names on the Hot Seat:

  • Zach Taylor, Shane Steichen, Brian Schottenheimer (Texans’ early opponents who are high on the "hot seat" odds list).
  • Mike Vrabel is discussed as an outside candidate due to “culture” rumblings, despite a Super Bowl appearance the previous year.

• Potential Long-Shots:

  • Todd Monken (Browns), especially if quarterback controversies worsen.
  • Atlanta and Cleveland noted as only remaining QB competitions—instability there could affect job security.

• Quote [20:36], D’Amico Ryan: “He [Aaron Glenn] checks a lot of boxes to be the first head coach fired.”

NFL Trend: Fewer Midseason Firings

• The hosts discuss how the league is trying to slow the frequency of in-season coach firings; now, it’s usually extreme culture issues or disastrous on-field results that drive early pink slips.

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Texans/Chargers & NFL Odds Sidebar

[29:51 – 30:23]

• Justin Herbert’s playoff woes are joked about in contrast to C.J. Stroud’s playoff success for the Texans.
• The Chargers’ historically bad offensive line is now overhauled and reportedly much improved—something for Texans fans to monitor in the preseason matchup.

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Johnny Manziel Anecdote: Release from Browns

[30:23 – 32:34]

• Clip: Johnny Manziel recounts learning he’d been cut by the Browns while partying with Chandler Parsons, feeling “no ounce of being upset.”

• Quote [30:54], Manziel: “I remember not feeling an ounce of being upset. I'm like, let's go across the street to the bar and celebrate... but I wasn't equipped to do it. And I was in a situation that I hated.”

• Hosts discuss Manziel’s unique ability to blame everyone but himself while paradoxically admitting personal failings. Seth notes that, in this particular clip, Manziel appears more reflective than in other interviews.

• The discussion segues to a notorious Skip Bayless 2014 tweet (“The Houston Texans will forever regret it if they do not take Johnny Manziel...”)—the hosts laugh at how wrong that prediction was.

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Astros Segment: Playoff Race & Personal Wish List

[38:10 – 44:58]

Current Standings

• Astros lost to the Giants but remain half a game up in the division. The hosts discuss both the division and wild card scenarios, and their “wish list” for the rest of the season.

Five Things Sean Is Rooting For (Astros Edition)

1. Yordan Alvarez for Triple Crown

   • Still favored despite a home run slump—hosts explain the significance for MVP voting.

2. Cam Smith Outshines Kyle Tucker (WAR Battle)

   • Dana Brown’s trade for Cam Smith is framing the season, and Smith has outperformed Tucker defensively.

3. Josh Hader: Perfect in Save Opportunities

   • Closer is 16-for-16 in saves; Brian Abreu’s rebound is also highlighted as crucial for October baseball.

4. Any Positive Signs from Bryce Matthews

   • First-round pick’s progress has stalled due to injury. The system’s lack of depth compared to Houston’s glory years is a concern.

5. Tatsui Imai Opts Out

   • Jokingly suggesting the Astros should make their struggling import so miserable he returns to Japan (a tall order given a $36 million contract).

• Discussion includes playful banter about personal “price tags” for enduring unpleasant situations for millions—a comedic tangent about personal sacrifices for NBA-level money.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• [01:17]: “There's more of a scrappy element to these guys... I'd rather have that problem than a bunch of guys that seem content to let the quarterback get roughed up.” (Seth Payne on Texans O-line)
• [04:52]: “Some of these back shoulder throws especially... they're seeing it through the same eyes.” (Seth Payne on Higgins & Stroud)
• [13:23]: “I’m trying to look at the process more than the results... it’s night and day better than last year." (Seth Payne on O-line progress)
• [20:36]: “Aaron Glenn... checks a lot of boxes to be the first head coach fired.” (D’Amico Ryan)
• [23:37]: “I will do Payne and Pendergast... on the median on the highway on I-10 if D’Meco Ryans is the first head coach [fired].” (D’Amico Ryan, on how safe Ryans’ job is)
• [30:54]: “I remember not feeling an ounce of being upset... Let's go across the street to the bar and celebrate.” (Johnny Manziel on being released by Browns)

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Episode Timestamps

• [00:39 – 18:16] Texans Training Camp: Stock Up / Down
• [18:16 – 28:00] NFL Coach “Death Pool” & League trends
• [29:51 – 30:23] Chargers’ O-line & Herbert’s struggles
• [30:23 – 32:34] Johnny Manziel’s Browns Release Story
• [38:10 – 44:58] Astros Playoff Race & Wish List

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Closing Thoughts

While centered on NFL head coaching futures, the episode is packed with sharp Houston sports analysis. Payne & Pendergast’s chemistry and humor shine as they toggle between Texans optimism, league-wide skepticism, and the realities of player and coaching turnover. For fans, this installment delivers a candid, layered snapshot of late-summer sports angst—Houston style.

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(All advertisements, show intros/outros, and non-content sections have been omitted from this summary.)

Transcript

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[Seth Payne]

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[D'Amico Ryan]

Apply Sports Radio 610 presents Payne and Pendergast. All right, we'll do a little stock up, stock down with some of these Texans players in just a little bit at 7:40 today, the end of this nice long segment we've got right here. We're going to give away tickets to the Texans and Chargers tomorrow night at Reliant Stadium, the newly renamed Reliant State.

[Seth Payne]

I'm just, I'm not going to enjoy these next three months of people correcting us on just calling more Ryan Stadium. Yeah, we're going to get the old. Well, the incorrect. Well, actually, which is the most annoying thing in the history of human beings. Yep, the. Actually guys, it's nrg. Didn't you know? No, it's actually Reliant now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Again, we got a few texts. We talked about Keelan Rutledge getting into a scrape with Will Anderson Jr. In the 6 o' clock hour. If you missed it yesterday, it will. You all would have missed it because it wasn't an open practice. But if you missed the news. Texans practiced yesterday inside the stadium and at one point Rutledge and Will Anderson got a little chippy with each other during practice. It seemed to be a level of chippiness that made d' Amico Ryan's happy. It didn't escalate or anything like that.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, but this is.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Rutledge has been involved in several little

[Seth Payne]

scrapes like this, like shoving around a little bit afterwards. Yeah, I'm cool with it.

[D'Amico Ryan]

But this is. I love this point here. You remember the Green Bay game, Seth, in 2024 in week seven when C.J. stroud was scrambling to the left, got knocked into the Green Bay bench and was surrounded by Green Bay Packers.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

And nobody came to his defense.

[Johnny Manziel]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Zero offensive lineman came to his defense. That we won't. There's a text. There won't be any of that BS that happened With CJ And Green Bay, with Rutledge on the field.

[Seth Payne]

No, no, no, no.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Say, or a few of the other guys.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I think that they've definitely got just. There's more of a scrappy element to these guys and especially on the interior offensive line, which has really been the source of so many of the issues the last few years in the run game and in the pass protection. I think that's exactly. If you look at as it stands right now, if it's Wyatt Teller, Keelan, Rutledge and Ed Ingram, those guys are a different type of player than a lot of the guys that have been rotating through on that offensive line. They are, they, they enjoy the physical aspect of the game. That's what their calling card is. You know, Ed Ingram to almost to a fault because I think his, he's really physical in the run game and then sometimes he tries to get too physical and in pass protection he gets overly aggressive. But I'd rather have that problem than a bunch of guys that seem content to let the quarterback get roughed up on the. Yeah, yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay, this is an interesting question. What's the over under on 15 yard penalties for Keelum Rutledge this season? I'm going to say a half one. Like I'm going to say yes or no. Does he even get a 15 yard penalty?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, this is all stuff that so far.

[D'Amico Ryan]

How often do you see guys get 15 yard penalties just for finishing blocks?

[Seth Payne]

Right, right, right. It's not, it's just playing to the echo the whistle. It's not anything that, it's not dirty or anything. It's just this stuff that guys are taking issue with in practice if they feel like, all right, a guy's, you know, the biggest thing is as a defensive lineman sometimes, oh, lineman keeps going after the play is over by practice standards and what it feels like. All right, try hard. You're trying to, you're trying to look good for the coaches.

[D'Amico Ryan]

All right?

[Seth Payne]

Like this is needless and extra and that's valid. That's not just like a veteran, you know, thinking the rookie is going too hard. It's like, listen, dude, you're kind of messing, you're messing with, you're messing with the way I look on this play for no good reason whatsoever. So cut it out. Yep. And I think that's a lot of just generally with rookie offensive linemen especially, that's when guys get agitated.

[D'Amico Ryan]

All right, so I've got a few stock up, stock downs. Like we're 11 practices in, we're about to See our first preseason game, who are some of the guys that have really flashed to a greater degree than we had hoped or we thought they could, and who are some guys that we're still kind of waiting on or maybe injuries have been an issue for them that could jeopardize their spot on the roster. I'll start with the good Jaden Higgins has been. To say he's been a revelation in this camp is probably overstating a little bit. He was a starter for them last year who had a decent rookie year. But the connection that he's had with C.J. stroud throughout pretty much the entirety of training camp, save for a play here and a play there, has been really encouraging to see.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, it's. It's everything that you would want in terms of, okay, a quarterback forming a relationship with a receiver. Some of these back shoulder throws especially, I think, are the best evidence of that, that Higgins knows how C.J. is going to read this play. And. And they're on the same. They're seeing it through the same eyes, the expression those guys use.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

And that's way more. Way more advanced now than it was last year.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. I'm stoked about Jaden Higgins. I would say another one stock up would be. Would be Jadevian Clowney. Jadevian Clowney. Just the mere fact that he's on the team, I don't think was expected. But we, you know, you and I had kind of. We had workshopped a few names at that backup defensive, and Clowney being one of them, but he's here now is unto itself a stock up. But then the fact that the first few practices that he's been out there, he's looked like the old Clowney. He's looked like he's got a lot of juice left in the tank.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Well, and that's how he looked last year when he played for the Cowboys. And the. The big question is always going to be. And we talked about this when we looked at the available free agents in the off season. All right, which of these guys is going to be cool with coming up and being a clearly defined backup to Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter? And we just didn't know with Clowney where his headspace was or anything. And Clowney is totally cool. Like, no defensive end that steps in here thinks, oh, yeah, I'm going to take. I'm coming for Will Anderson's job. No.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No.

[Seth Payne]

So I think from that perspective, it's a really good fit. And Clowney's physicality, especially versus the run is something that Those, some of those other guys who are out there, like Von Miller, names like that, they don't offer that same thing, that same dynamic. So he really, he fits the mold of this defense way more than I think people probably would think with their knee jerk reaction to it given all of the baggage that we have from Clowney and his in his rookie contract.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep, yep. No question. As far as other stock up, I think you can look up and down the rookie class and find lots of reasons. I would say the rookie class collectively.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Is this looks like it's, this looks so far. Again, it's only 11 practices in. They haven't played a game yet. But I would be more surprised now if we're disappointed in this rookie class after the season is over than I would be if we're like, yeah, those guys, boy, they found four or five guys that were real contributors to this.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And I think the, the four biggest names right now would probably be in order. I think Marlon Klein, Louis Bond, Wade Wood as. No, no, I would say Marlon Klein, Colin Klein and then who's Colin Klein? Colin Klein. Colin, right?

[D'Amico Ryan]

Colin, right.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah. Colin right. Louis Bond and then Wade Wood as.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yep, those are good. Yeah, those are all. And you know like the day three guys there too, Louis Bond and Wade Wood as have been nice. And Keelan Rutledge obviously is a rookie, but he's, we've talked about him individually quite a bit. Yeah, they're all. Colin Wright's a good one too. Man. That, that is an undrafted guy who I think has a really good chance to make the team as a third or fourth cornerback.

[Seth Payne]

It's funny because the, the fact that I didn't mention Keelan in there that, that I did with somebody from Buffalo the other day and I caught myself, I didn't include Keelan in the rookies that I was talking about because I kind of started figuring, yep, he's a starter. And I don't, I don't, I don't put him in that same category, which is a really dumb thing to do before he's even played a preseason game. Yeah, yeah, I feel pretty confident that he's going to be the real deal.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I would say so.

[Seth Payne]

I think he is like, I do think he's the real deal. I think everything about his conscientiousness, the way he works, his, how he's adapted to playing center without hardly ever having played the position before and I don't doubt that he's going to continue to get better. So I'm really, I'm I'm feeling very bullish on him.

[D'Amico Ryan]

All right. As far as stock down goes or maybe guys who have been a disappointment or guys who maybe are in jeopardy of not making the team, who had a chance to make the team. I would say Brevin Jordan more because of injury, but it's been an ongoing thing with Brevin Jordan. You know, he's had two season ending injuries the last couple of years. He had flashed so nice that first year with cj. I mean, Brevin's been around longer than that. Brevin's been here since the David Cully year in 2021. But it looked like especially in the postseason that year, nice connection with C.J. stroud. And then the last two seasons couldn't get out of the starter's gate because he got, he got injured and now he's injured again and he's injured. And the problem for Brevin Jordan is he's in the deepest tight end room that they've had and probably going back to the Gary Kubiak era when they had Owen Daniels and Joel Dreeson and James Casey, like a really deep room. This is the deepest room they've had since then. And he's trying to make the team and he's fifth on the board.

[Seth Payne]

Right, right. And. And you made the really good point about Marlon Klein kind of providing a lot of what they were hoping to get out of Brevin Jordan, except being a more complete tight end. So Brevin Jordan's a different type of athlete than Marlon Klein. But man, d', Ameco almost every time he talks about Marlon Klein, talks about him being excited about Klein's potential as a receiver and. But he also has so much more potential as a blocker than Brevin Jordan ever will. He's a big dude. I. If you guys haven't been out to the practice yet, I just. He's just, he's bigger than you expect. You know, he's big when you watch him on film and everything. But I think that whether it was d' Ameco or Casterio when talking about Client had said, you know, he's got some room to change his body composition a little bit, which we've seen out of a lot of second year guys this year that you get a full off season next year of eating and training and everything, that he could end up being a pretty impressive looking dude.

[D'Amico Ryan]

The frame is impressive to begin with. He, you know, he didn't do much in the spring, like in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Klein was nursing an injury, so you didn't see him out there a lot. And I remember being out there for the first practice of actual training camp and you couldn't read the names on the back. And I didn't have a roster. I hadn't kind of memorized the roster yet. And I remember turning to somebody going, who's 83?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

And they're like, oh, that's Marlon Klein. Like that. That's how he pops. Like, look at that guy right there.

[Seth Payne]

You're like, it's an odd number to have for, like a rookie, undrafted free agent offensive tackle. You say you might look at him and they'd be like, well, ran out of numbers. He's a really skinny offensive tackle, you know. So that's Marlon Klein. Oh, yeah. He probably won't make the team. That's not the physique of. Oh, that's a tight end.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. I would say that, like, the, the thing that would be most encouraging to me if I were a Texan fan listening right now that I could say to a Texan fan is watching Marlon Klein. I watch him and I go, okay, I see why they took him where they took him well. And He's a classic 59th pick.

[Seth Payne]

I think he's the classic. Just. He's open when he's not open because of his wingspan, that he's just got a huge catch radius. And they've. He's gotten separation, though, too, against his defense.

[PJ Vogt]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

And he's going against the one.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's. He's gone. He's. He's run out there with, with. With those guys. Ed Ingram has been up and down this training.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. I think that's kind of in line with just Ed Ingram's playstyle and especially going against this defense. I'm. I'm going to have a real hard time for the next three weeks because I can feel myself as I'm saying this, that I'm not. I'm genuinely not trying to make excuses for the offensive line, but there are some things that they're flat out just not going to do against this defense. When, when you're in practice mode, it's. It's really hard to block the way that they want to block. And on some of the types of plays that they're running when you. When you also can't go to the ground. So I think there's a certain part of Ed Ingram's game that is a super aggressive and physical thing that he can't really do against this defense. There's also parts of this defense. It's just schematically. It makes it really hard to run the outside zone and some of these other things. So the, I think the, the fairest thing to say about the offense right now is that we really haven't seen much evidence of an improved, like a genuinely improved rushing attack. If you're looking at the outcomes, I'm looking at the way that they're blocking and guys getting a hat on a hat and that they're just, they're playing with better technique. They're fundamentally more sound. It will be a better rushing attack this year, but I don't. I understand why people are concerned that we're not seeing a lot of reports of 10 yard runs by David Montgomery or 10 yard runs by. By. By Woody Marks.

[Johnny Manziel]

Right, right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I mean, there's been a few of those, but like over the course of a dozen practices. But the way I put it to people, Seth, with the running game, is that this year they actually do have a few plays that it looks like good running teams have.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

You know, I think that's kind of playing into what you're saying. Like, it just looks better the way

[Seth Payne]

that the running backs are making their reads and making their cuts and everything. They have a. This is what I would say. Maybe there's the best way to put it. They have a clear picture in front of them.

[Podcast Host (Various Ads)]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

There have been times in training camp the last few years where I'm trying to figure out whether Damian Pierce is doing well or not, but I can't. There. You can't judge him because there's no picture in front of him. Because with Damian, it was always all right, he needs to. He needs to be crisper in making his reads in the backfield. But the picture in front of him was so disheveled and messy that he couldn't. So I don't know if he's capable of it and not doing it because of the reads or just. Or if he's just incapable of it. This year it hasn't been like that. And yeah, a lot of the runs are getting snuffed out, but it just flat out looks better looking from the end zone. Copy the other part of it with the offensive line right now too. And this is where I'm trying to think. I'm trying to look at the process more so than the results. And it. I can't tell you, Sean, how, How dirty I feel and that I'm going to make excuses for the offensive line. As a former defensive lineman, it's that there are a Lot of sacks that happen in practice that. Yeah. Guy got beat. Okay. Get it. But in the, in the fog of war of like an actual football game, there's a lot more mayhem and it's just not always so simple and easy as the one like winning your one on one battles as a defensive lineman versus the offensive lineman. The whole process and the whole operation is just night and day better than it was last year. And we'll see. And unfortunately we have to wait most likely to really see that number one, that first team offense out there. But I feel better about it right now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Unless you're, unless you're at the joint practice, you know, with the Raiders next week.

[Seth Payne]

Well. And even. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's. That, that's. That's might be the only competitive situation we see them in.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

So Jawar Jordan, I've got him in the stock down and it is because he's banged up again right now.

[Seth Payne]

Okay.

[History Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Cause I would have put him in stock up.

[D'Amico Ryan]

You would have looked better than you thought.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, no, no, I think he's, I think he's your third running back if he was healthy.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And this, this is where I've got a bit of an issue with that. And this is no disrespect to Gerard Jordan. He's got 43 carries in his career.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I felt this way about this running back room from the beginning of the off season. I've been waiting for them to bring in another body in this running back room because if something happens to David Montgomery, you've got the exact same room you had last year, and that was not good enough.

[Seth Payne]

Well, and the hard thing with Gerard Jordan being your third running back as opposed to maybe an accessory running back, is that, yeah, if, if David Montgomery goes down, you've got two undersized running backs and one of them is drastically undersized in Jawar Jordan. That's where I think Noah Whittington. I've liked what I've seen out of Noah Whittington and he's a guy that's played a ton of football that might be further ahead of the curve than your average rookie and might end up in. He's a stockier build. He might end up being the guy they're more comfortable with if he shows out in some of these.

[D'Amico Ryan]

And to that point, he's getting an opportunity now because Gerard Jordan's not out there. And so that hurts his chances of making the team. To your, you know, to your point, at the outset of training camp, it looked like it was a lock. You know, it was Montgomery, it was Woody Marks, it was Gerard Jordan. Those were the guys that d' Amico Ryan's had mentioned. Unprompted. I guess maybe I'm. I'm kind of picking on Gerard Jordan as an individual for something that I think is deficient collectively with that room. It's just not. It. It's. To me, it's not a deep enough room.

[Seth Payne]

And to be clear, Noah Whittington is not a big back or anything. It's just Gerard Jordan small. Yeah. Whittington's 5, 8, 2, 10, I think. Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

He's a bowling ball.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Johnny Manziel]

Yep.

[D'Amico Ryan]

So I had Joa Jordan in there as well. The other stock down punters, Jack Stonehouse, cut. Although I guess Kai Kroger had a pretty good day yesterday from everything that I was reading from people who were at the practice.

[Seth Payne]

It's exactly what I want to feel about, that's what I want to have in my punter situation, is that people register surprise when he has a good practice.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah. Stock down.

[Seth Payne]

All you got to do is that

[D'Amico Ryan]

more and more stock up as a holder, apparently.

[Seth Payne]

Well, I. Dude, I mean, d' Amico flat out the other day when asked about Kyle Kroger, he did the classic head coach speak. He's our punter now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

He said now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Anytime a head coach says now, that's. You're not the punter. You are.

[Johnny Manziel]

You are.

[Seth Payne]

You are on concert. You're in constant tryout mode with every single other punter in the league and every guy that gets cut or might be available for trade in the next few weeks.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep. Do you have any others you'd add here to the stock down or. I mean, it's been a good camp. I. There's not a lot of. I don't come away from these practices pissed off about a lot of stuff.

[Seth Payne]

I would say Jake Andrews. I think Jake Andrews went from fighting for a starting center spot to maybe fighting to be on the team.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, he's one. I could see them waving and then bringing back on the practice squad.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

But you're right, I think in the fact that he's a one position guy, it seems like, yeah, that hurts. Him versus Evan Brown or Jared Patterson. They just restructured Jared Patterson's contract.

[Seth Payne]

I think he could play guard. I don't. I just. So I think that they've, you know, had that need at center, but. Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep. So that's a good one. Jake Andrews. Okay, shifting gears here. Odds on the first head coach to Be fired, are out. So we got to prep because you and I do the head coach death pool every year.

[PJ Vogt]

Oh, that's right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Where we each pick four.

[Seth Payne]

If I won it a few years ago.

[History Podcast Host]

You've won.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I won it last year. But you had won it the previous few years.

[Seth Payne]

I won with Salah and I felt awful about that. I really like Salah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But now I feel worse about it because I think the Titans are going to be a better football team with Salah as their head coach.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I do too. I would. I would not pick Salah. I would not pick solid this time around.

[Seth Payne]

No, no, no.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. Here were the picks you and I had last year. We were pretty dialed in. I ended up winning cause I had Brian Callahan of the Tennessee Titans. He got fired six weeks into the season. But you and I each pick four guys and the winner is the one who picks the head coach who gets fired first. Now, there have been some seasons where neither of us have won. I don't think either of us picked Urban Meyer the year that he got fired during the season.

[Seth Payne]

No, no, because. No.

[D'Amico Ryan]

He was like 50 to 1.

[Seth Payne]

You hardly ever pick a first year coach. It's so rare to. So not only to get fired in the middle of his first year, but it was ridiculously early in his first season.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Again, it's not betting that they'll be fired, it's betting they'll be the first one to be fired. So schedules play into it and things like that. But here are the guys that you and I picked last year. My four picks. Mike McDaniel ended up getting fired. Brian Callahan won the pool for me. Jonathan Gannon ended up getting fired. Shane Steichen, who is on the. Let's see the. Shane Steichen didn't get fired, but he's on the fourth hottest seat this year. According to these odds. Your four picks last year were Stefanski fired. Canales actually made the playoffs. No Day ball fired.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Raheem Morris fired.

[Seth Payne]

Okay. So I was doing all right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

You're doing good.

[Seth Payne]

That's weird that I picked Canales. I was surprised. Yeah, but it was.

[D'Amico Ryan]

David Tepper is the owner.

[Seth Payne]

That's right. That's right. That's right. It was a. That was a vote for Tepper.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, I thought that was a good.

[Seth Payne]

And Bryce Young was just wherever he was.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, I thought it was a good pick when you made it.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Now the favorite. I know you don't like this because he's a former teammate of yours and I know a lot of people in town don't like this because he's a te. He's. He's literally a Texans legend.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

He's not the ones I sarcastically say Texans legend about. Aaron Glenn is the favorite right now and he checks a lot of boxes to be the first head coach fired.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I think that the bad quarterback

[D'Amico Ryan]

situation, bad owner, bad team, bad media.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Bad everything. It's just a bad situation all around. It's. Why just it's, you know, taking two to one, taking that job is a dicey proposition. I just wonder if they, if they're also in a season where it would have to be because the culture had gotten so bad that it was untenable or something. But I wouldn't. I don't think that. I don't. I don't think it's going to be him.

[D'Amico Ryan]

You don't think it'll be Aaron Glenn? We'll do our drive. We won't. We won't make our picks today.

[Seth Payne]

I think Aaron Glenn is most likely to be in a situation where his defense comes around because when he was in Detroit, it took a couple of years for him to turn that defense around. But he did.

[Podcast Host (Various Ads)]

Hey there. I'm Kendra Adachi and my show the Lazy Genius Podcast helps you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. And you get to decide what matters. I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to give you a new way to see. Episodes of the Lazy Genius Podcast are full of compassionate time management tips and permission slips to do what makes sense for you. New episodes drop every Monday. Follow and listen to the Lazy Genius Podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[History Podcast Host]

Sometimes historic events suck, but what shouldn't suck is learning about history. I do that through storytelling. History that Doesn't Suck is a chart topping history telling podcast chronicling the epic story of America decade by decade, from the 18th century to the 20th. Original music and immersive sound design accompany us on our storytelling journey. Listen to and follow history that doesn't Suck An Odyssey podcast, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Seth Payne]

And then last year they had that ridiculous situation with the number of interceptions that they had the fewest interceptions in NFL history.

[D'Amico Ryan]

They had zero for almost the whole season. Did they not end with any interceptions?

[Seth Payne]

They might have ended up with zero interceptions.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, I know they had zero. They had zero far enough into the season where it was a story that they had zero.

[Seth Payne]

I think Aaron Glenn is actually most likely to be the coach who's fan base is angry at him because he. They're not tanking hard enough because they're actually like they're winning games. But not enough to make the playoffs, but not enough to. But. But enough to drive them down. Out of this quarterback.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Gino Smith, your quarterback is. It worked for the Raiders last year. They got the number one overall pick. So Aaron Glenn is the favorite D' Ameco. In case D' Ameco is like halfway down the list at 50 to one. I don't know.

[Seth Payne]

That's way too high on this list.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I agree with you. I think d' Ameco is like one of the three or four safest head coaches from getting fired first.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

For like I would. I will do the show. I will do Payne and Pendergast on 957 the Fans. Starting tomorrow at 8am I will do a show sitting on the median on the highway on I10. If D' Amico Ryan's is the first head coach.

[Seth Payne]

That is just a vestigial perception that the Texans fire coaches quickly because somehow I can't believe they fired David Colley. Yeah, that poor David Colley. I just. What are the poor man.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Who are you talking like right now?

[Seth Payne]

Every single person that wanted to stand up for David Cauley but then never recommended him for another job. How could you fire this. This man who nobody had ever talked about being a before.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's Rich Eisen is.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, is that.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's your Rich Eisen voice.

[Seth Payne]

What are they doing? Poor David Colley.

[D'Amico Ryan]

So D' Amico is 50 to 1 and there's like 15 other names after him. I'm not. I'm not seeing that. Okay, fun fact. Three of the Texans first four opponents, Seth of this season, Cincinnati. Zach Taylor, Shane Steichen, Colts. Brian Schottenheimer, who the media likes to call shoddy.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Dallas are in the top five on this thing. So the Texans in their first four games play by this odds board. Play three of the five hottest seats for head coaches in the NFL.

[Seth Payne]

This is an interesting one.

[D'Amico Ryan]

It could get somebody fired.

[Seth Payne]

It's harder than it used to be because the, the league has decided like, hey, we need to stop firing coaches so quickly and so liberally. Can you guys at least wait a little while? Wait till the end of the season. And it just, it's so, it's. You got to really, really hate your guy to, to go against the grain

[D'Amico Ryan]

and like Callahan getting fired five games into last year.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That's like that. Well, you know. Or you got to have severe culture issues. That's where I would be really surprised. Okay. Vrabel is the interesting one because as Mike Tomlin said this weekend, if the Patriots are winning games early in the season, that whole Rossini stuff is going to be a non story. If they go out and lose a bunch of games, it is going to be all kinds of speculation about the. Everything going on. And sometimes that can, that can be. That can be a self fulfilling prophecy. You start speculating about the. The culture and then it does some damage to the culture.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Vrabel is 16 to 1 on this oddsboard. He is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. He's eighth on the list. This has to be the highest on the board that a coach that went to the super bowl the year before.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Is on for a first head coach to be.

[Seth Payne]

We call it the John Fox dynamic.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

John Fox as far as we know, was loyal to his wife. So we don't.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Wasn't stupping a reporter.

[Seth Payne]

John Fox didn't have that same look in his eyes that Vrabel does.

[PJ Vogt]

No.

[Seth Payne]

Bravel, there's some NFL coaches that if you found out they were involved in this stuff with Rossini, you'd be like, yeah, makes sense. And brables one of them.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You're like, yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I could see.

[Seth Payne]

I see it in his eyes. Yep.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. If you're looking for. If you, if you choose to wager unemployment and you're looking for a nice little kind of long shot here like something 100 to 1 or more. And I know you said that first year coaches don't often get fired in season.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Cleveland's just a dumpster fire. The Browns.

[Seth Payne]

Right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I get in. I don't. Todd Monkin doesn't feel like the permanent solution there.

[Seth Payne]

Monkins already I can see where both

[D'Amico Ryan]

quarterbacks, if they've like if Shador and desean and Dylan Gabriel all look terrible and they're just angling to get the first overall pick. I could see them just punting on their head coach.

[Seth Payne]

I feel like with Monk and I think that they. They hired him. I think genuinely feeling like, okay, you can probably get the best. We can see Egan develop Shador. We'll see if there's any hope for DeSean Watson. Monkin is a good guy to think that he could get that he could get it out of him. But if it doesn't work out, maybe he is also a good head coach and we'll stick it through with him. It's just that, man, I. To. To try to. To be the guy that somehow turns around all of those cultural things and everything in Cleveland while also dealing with extreme quarterback controversy, a highly. A highly divided fan base when it comes to Shador Sanders.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I don't know if Monkin or anybody else can navigate that whole situation while also losing a bunch of football games and keep their head at the end of the year.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I was thinking on the way in today, I think with Kyler Murray getting named the starter in Minnesota, I think that's. I think Cleveland and Atlanta are the only two. Have they named his. Stefanski named a starter in Atlanta between TUA and Penix yet? I don't think he has, to my knowledge. I don't think he has. I think those are the only two quarterback competitions still left. Yeah, most teams have their QB kind of nailed down. So for better or worse, I mean, like, for example, like, you know, the Dolphins have Malik Willis. I don't know that he's good. You know, the jets have Geno Smith. He's definitely going to be their starter.

[Seth Payne]

I saw a highlight on X making a really nice throw, so there you go.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

I don't know. Malik Willis is the one. Malik Willis, in the way he played last year was nothing like I would have expected he could after we saw him in his rookie season where they didn't allow him to throw the football for an entire half a football against Texas. Yeah. So, yeah, I think, well, Malik Willis is kind of the Todd Monkin of quarterbacks right now. I think the Dolphins thought, you know what? There's something in there potentially. We'll find out. If it's not, then. So what, we got to hide 20 million?

[History Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

50 million. Okay. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But then they. What's his name? The coach there came out yesterday and said that Achan is going to get just a. They're going to work the hell out.

[D'Amico Ryan]

40 touches in some games.

[Seth Payne]

He said, yeah, fantasy owners rejoice when they get any kind of clarity from a coach like that on a running back. Just give me some clarity or the

[D'Amico Ryan]

clarity that Mike McDaniel gave, which is, you're not going to get any clarity from me.

[Seth Payne]

He said, yeah, I watched his press conference from a couple of days ago, and he was asked a question about running back usage. And McDaniel's like, this feels like a fantasy question. He's like, sorry, guys, it's going to depend on the game and it's going to depend on the situation.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No, but that's good to know. I just won't take anybody on the Chargers. You know, I like that he like, all I want is clarity. I don't need him. I don't need him to feed Omari and hampton the ball 50 times. Cause then I just want, you know, he's not on my team.

[Seth Payne]

If you guys are wondering about, hey, boy, don't the Chargers have the worst offensive line in football? This should be fun on Thursday night. They. They did a lot to it. Well, for one, they got guys back healthy.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But then also just stocked up on offensive linemen and they. It looks to be a much improved offensive line.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Maybe Justin Herbert will win a playoff. You never know.

[Seth Payne]

Maybe you won't throw four interceptions in a playoff game. Maybe, you know, I mean, yes, CJ has thrown four interceptions in a playoff game, but he's also had a bunch of playoff victories. He's got three of them. Yeah. Justin Herbert is just sucked in the playoffs every single attempt.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep. So Johnny Manziel was on a. You sent this to me yesterday. Was on a podcast and told the story of him finding out that he was cut from the Cleveland Browns.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

This was. Who knew that these two were such fast friends. The guy. He's about to talk about who he was at. He was at a former Houston Rockets apartment, hanging out in Dallas, going out doing those Chach things that they do. And this is Johnny Manziel learning and who he learned it with the day the Browns cut him.

[Johnny Manziel]

I remember waking up on super bowl weekend, and I was staying with Chandler Parsons in Dallas, and he came busting in my room and he goes, turn TV on. I'm like, what turns the TV on? It's all over. Browns cut me this and that. And I remember not feeling an ounce of being upset. I'm like, let's go across the street to the bar and celebrate. Like, that's what it was like. So I look back at it now, like, damn, you're supposed to handle that stuff, and you're supposed to handle it better. But I wasn't equipped to do it. And I was in a situation that I hated that I Didn't really give much of a choice to. So, you know, I made that decision to be happy walking away from it. A decision that would later in life, you know, come back to haunt me and bite me a little bit.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

A little bit.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Never played football again.

[Seth Payne]

The other thing, the funny thing about him being so angry with the Browns, while also. It's weird, he has this ability to be angry at the Browns and Brian Hoyer and everything else while simultaneously admitting that he did absolutely nothing to improve the Browns or himself while he was there. Uh, it's. He's got a remarkable ability to hold the divergent, like, contrary opinions at the same time.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I. I like. Of all the cuts that we've seen from Johnny Manziel over the last year or so, that one is actually one that. That I find to be an easier one to listen to than a lot of them. A lot of Johnny Manziel's podcast appearances, it feels. He feels like a frat boy who's bragging about all his exploits back in the day.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

About how hard he partied and things like that. How much he hates the Browns. I mean, obviously this one, he alludes to the fact that he hated the Browns, but he at least sounds somewhat reflective in that one, that maybe he did some things wrong.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

And he's to blame for some reason.

[Seth Payne]

Right, right, right. Yeah. Yeah. That specific clip, he doesn't show the hypocrisy necessarily as much. It's funny though, too. It was ironic. Maybe that's why. You know what? Maybe that clip was out before I realized it, but I just. I was looking for Texans news to see if I had missed anything. So I searched Houston Texans on X, and the number two result that popped up was this tweet from May 8, 2014 from Skip Bayless.

[D'Amico Ryan]

What did you search for?

[Seth Payne]

Have you ever heard of this? I'm familiar with this work on X.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay. What was the search?

[Seth Payne]

Houston Texans.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Houston Texans. Okay.

[Seth Payne]

In the number two result is a tweet from 12 years ago, skip Bayless, saying, the Houston Texans will forever regret it if they do not take Johnny Manziel with a number one overall pick. He will haunt them.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, that didn't turn out to be true.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That is a freezing cold take. That's what got curated to you?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Number two result. Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's weird.

[Seth Payne]

X used to be. That's the one thing I think. X. X has done some good things. I know that. Like, they've done some good things, they've done some bad things since Musk took Over. But the worst is that they used to be a really good search engine for what's going on right now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It's gotten atrocious like this. Like, I want something that's current.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And I'm getting a tweet from 2014.

[D'Amico Ryan]

But you know what? It is good in searching. See, I disagree a little bit with you.

[Seth Payne]

Well, you're wrong.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No, no. But if there's a clip out there that. That people are talking about, if you. If you put the right name in the search.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

And it's a video that's kind of gone viral a little bit.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That. Then for the purposes of this show, a lot of times it involves audio that we end up using on the show. It does do a pretty good job of taking the relevant video clips that

[Seth Payne]

are out there trending or something.

[PJ Vogt]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So I. I. Texans weren't trending right that moment. So it's a good search engine when you have one out of millions of things that you want to search. Yeah, yeah.

[PJ Vogt]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

Very, very specific.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I'm just telling you what I use.

[Seth Payne]

Sounds like Christian Javier to me.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I'm just saying what I use it for. I don't find it to be terrible. Like, just for that specific thing, like finding the videos. Yeah. Like you getting a tweet. The number two thing you can send is a Skip Bayless tweet popping with

[Seth Payne]

the Texans right now. Skip Bayless in 2014.

[D'Amico Ryan]

There's no defending that.

[Seth Payne]

It was honestly, too.

[PJ Vogt]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Because Bayless.

[D'Amico Ryan]

What was number one?

[Seth Payne]

Bayless is not nearly as relevant as he used.

[GameTime Ad Voice]

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[PJ Vogt]

Hi, I'm PJ Vogt, and I want to tell you about my podcast search engine. We try to make sense of the world one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small. We will even answer your questions if you send them in. Stuff like what happens when a cemetery goes out of business? What should we do about teens using AI to do their homework? Who buys luggage at the airport luggage store? Follow and listen to Search Engine in partnership with Odyssey. Wherever you get your podcasts, no, that's true.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, that's true.

[Seth Payne]

I can't remember what number. Number one was. Like a something. Something relevant.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay. Yeah, that's hilarious.

[Seth Payne]

All right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Hey, in about 23 minutes we will be announcing our guest list for tomorrow's big launch of 95.7the fan. We couldn't be more. Everybody around here is so excited about this. We're having a big party up here tomorrow. It's going to be a good time and you will feel that through the radio tomorrow at 8am the joy in all of our voices that we will actually be able to hear our station when we're in a parking garage. That is a big joy for me because I have a parking garage at home and I have a parking garage at work and I like that I'm going to be able to still hear the station. No static, no dropouts, no nothing. It's going to be great. And we do that at 8am tomorrow. Sports Radio 610 presents live from the West Point Lincoln and West Point Lincoln of Sugarland Studios. Here's Pain and Pet. Okay, a couple things here, a couple administrative things. We will be giving away those tickets that we've been talking about for Texans Chargers at the end of this segment. So be listening at the end of this segment and you get a chance to sit in the front row in the bullpen on Thursday. Tomorrow night Texans Chargers preseason game. Should be a whole lot of fun. Good to have football back. Top of the hour. We're going to be announcing our guest list for Tomorrow's launch of 95. 7 the Fan. Seth and I have a few guests lined up starting in the 8 o' clock hour. So you want to be listening for that.

[Seth Payne]

You did a good job of getting some people to kind of COVID the breadth of the entire Time Sports Radio 610 has been on the air with some and all three teams. Yes. With some very important Houston sports figures.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. I promise you you will not be disappointed with the guest list. I promise that. So we'll do that at the top of the hour. We haven't done a pedicast in a while. I want to do one at nine o' clock today.

[PJ Vogt]

Oh.

[D'Amico Ryan]

If that's okay with you.

[Seth Payne]

I've been wondering what was missing in my life.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Pedicast.

[Seth Payne]

Sometimes there's a void.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Take a mania.

[Seth Payne]

That's what they'll always tell if you want to feel better. Be super negative about. Just really snarky about other people. It's got me this A recipe for happiness.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Absolutely. Absolutely. All right. So I think We've got, I think, checked all the administrative boxes. Astros lose last night four to one to the Giants. Good news. The Rangers, they stunk last night also. They lost to the Angels. The Astros maintained their half game lead. They maintained their half game lead in the division. I took a look at the wild card standings. You know, I dumpster dove a little bit last night.

[Seth Payne]

Set.

[History Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And typically we're above such things.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Check them out. I just want to see how the pores were living. Yeah. If the Astros do fall out of the division, if they fall behind, the Rangers, they're in decent shape with the wild card right now. The. The Astros would be. So they're, they're still. Even if they fall out of first place today in the division, when we awake tomorrow, they'll still be very much in the thick of the postseason hunt.

[Seth Payne]

Okay.

[D'Amico Ryan]

But I think we want them to win the division. So we get a couple home games. The wild card.

[PJ Vogt]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I don't want to get on the

[Seth Payne]

road and also just because it would be evidence that they're actually a genuinely good baseball team. That part of it, too.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Winning games. Yeah. These are the, these are the things I'm rooting for for the rest of the season, independent of the standings. And the top two I mentioned the other day, but I'll mention them again. I'm rooting for Jordan Alvarez to win the Triple Crown, which as of like a week ago, he was favored to do. It was like, yes was like minus 150, and no was plus 120, which when it's minus. For those who aren't fluent in the. The art of gambling, that that's the favor you'd have to risk 150 just to win 100 bucks on your don. Now, he hasn't hit a home run in a long time. It feels like he's been stuck on 35 home runs for like over a week now. And I. Maybe it's just coincidence. You know this. We know with Jordan, when he goes through a stretch like this on the horizon, you know, the light at the end of the tunnel is usually like three games where he hits four home runs or a week where he hits six home runs and wins player of the week. But he still is leading for the Triple Crown in the American League right now. Yeah, he's not leading for the Triple Crown of overall baseball, but they recognize it just for winning it in your league, because if he wins that, he's going to win the mvp. They'll be hand in hand.

[Seth Payne]

Right, Right. Yeah, that's are the MVP odds. Still pretty.

[D'Amico Ryan]

He's still way out in front.

[Seth Payne]

Way out in front.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm rooting for that, as you know.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. I just want to look at the home runs right now for. And I lost it, so. No. Oh, okay. Yeah. Like everybody. Oh, wow. Hunter Goodman's got 34.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay. So he's right behind him.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Oh, and Junior Camin Arrows got 35. Also. There's four guys in the league that are at 35. Right.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

So he's tied Matt Olson, Kyle Schwaber, Jordan Alvarez, and Junior Camino.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Okay. There you go. And Camin Arrows in the American League on Tampa. So. All right, so Yordon Triple Crown. That's number one. Number two, I want Cam Smith to not just win, but blow away Kyle Tucker in Wins Above Replacement, which he's doing right now.

[Johnny Manziel]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Neither of them are great, but last I checked. And Cam Smith's has probably gone up because last I checked was before he. He had another big game two nights ago where he had three hits and a home run, but he was at 1.2 and Kyle Tucker was at 0.7. I need the right fielder. They got in the trade for Kyle Tucker.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

To have a better season than Kyle Tucker at 1/60 of the very least, just say yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Look, all right, whatever you thought. And I mean, that's all dead and gone. And with the Cubs, because the Cubs got nothing out of them. None of the success they hoped for. They didn't keep them anyway. But now at least they're probably saying, like, well, good riddance. But, yeah, you just. It's. That still has been a very, very good trade. If you. If you factor in Kyle Tucker and what he's been since.

[D'Amico Ryan]

It's Dana Brown's best move by far.

[Seth Payne]

I mean, now Cam Smith's WAR is better than his, mostly just because Cam Smith is so good defensively. And Kyle Tucker stopped caring about defense a long time. Yeah. Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Stop caring out.

[Seth Payne]

Check off that box.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep. Yep.

[Seth Payne]

He's like a guy who's been married for 10 years that just stopped trying to even act like he's gonna do anything nice for his wife.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's exactly right. Number three, I want Josh Hader to go perfect in save opportunities this year. I like Josh Hater. I like the way he's come back from this injury. That's another signing that came on Dana Brown's watch, but feels more like a Jim Crane signing.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Five years, 95 million, but he's 16 for 16 and save opportunities this Year.

[Seth Payne]

I guess I would lump in with that, that Brian Abreu continue to look the way he has since he figured things out. You know, that's. I mean, that was the big. Now, depending on what the Astros do in the division and in the wild card and everything, like the bullpen and the ability of, you know, Josh Hader coming back was a huge shot in the arm for the team. But Brian Abreu playing the way he has as of late is also a huge shot in the arm if you want to be an actual baseball team.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yes. Yes. I'm going to skip this. The next one, just to go to the last one, because I think the one I'm skipping is. Will lead to. Good discussion. Number four. Any sign of life from Bryce Matthews? I know he's injured right now.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I forgot he existed.

[D'Amico Ryan]

He's kind of an important piece, though. I mean, he was Dana Brown's first ever draft pick right from here. That's the frustration rooting for Bryce Matthews because of the story.

[Seth Payne]

That's the, you know, Dana Brown's insistence on just elevating guys so quickly. And part of it is his philosophy, but then also it's just been by. By the actual need, the pressing need to do so. That's the thing that's. That's the thing that feels so starkly different from the golden era was we were so spoiled for so long with all these guys who were in the Miners that you knew looked like they were going to be awesome, but there just wasn't room for them necessarily right now that they were being artificially held down in the minors. And it's the exact opposite now.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Like, hey, no, actually, look, we know he doesn't know what the hell he's doing out there in center field, and we're just going to throw him out there. Well, does he make up for it on the plate? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not one bit. What are the redeeming qualities?

[D'Amico Ryan]

He's a first round pick and he's from Atascocita. Yeah, yeah. Last one. Five things I'm looking for the Astros. Okay. This one is a little more nuanced. It's not statistical in nature. It may involve, I don't know, a bit of bullying perhaps. I don't know. But they need to make Tatsui Imai so disenchanted with the United States of America and being a Houston Astro that he opts out of his deal after the year and goes back to Japan.

[Seth Payne]

So just to lay out somewhere else to lay it out just how difficult to challenge that would be with Shawn Watts. He will. At the end of this season. He'll just have to stick around for 24 more months at the end of the season to make $36 million.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's right.

[Seth Payne]

No matter how bad he is.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

His last year in the NPL in Japan.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Oh, is that the league he played in before?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, the. That's what they all play in Japan. The 1.2 million. So is.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Do the math. Is 1.2 less than 36.

[Seth Payne]

So is he willing to give up a net 34.8. Oh, well. Plus the next year, too. So $33.6 million. Yeah. Is he willing to give up $33.6 million just to be more comfortable?

[D'Amico Ryan]

I'm not saying they'd have to make it really, really miserable. You know, they would have to make it really miserable for him to opt out.

[Seth Payne]

You have to tell him whatever it takes. Circulating false reports that MLB is going to make the ball even more slippery next year. The mounts are that much steeper and harder.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And listen, listen. When are you going to eat? We don't know.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No.

[Seth Payne]

New mandate. You have to eat dinner sometimes at the hotel, sometimes at the clubhouse.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

But we're not going to let you know. We're not going to let you get your bearings.

[History Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yep.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep. That's a start. That's a good start.

[Seth Payne]

And you must throw a change up at least 10 pitches a game. He'll hate that.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Oh, he will. Okay. Well, you're. You're putting a pretty good list together. You're trying to get him. Get him up and out of here.

[Seth Payne]

There's not a lot of things that I wouldn't do for $35 million. Oh, I would, in 24 months, show up.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I would suck. Yeah. A lot of money, man.

[Seth Payne]

I would. I would submerge myself in pig manure. Like having to hold my breath one minute at a time. And every time I stepped up, a large man could slap me in the face.

[D'Amico Ryan]

How many times?

[Seth Payne]

Only for four hours a day, for 24 months.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Four hours a day, every day for 24 months. You would submerge yourself in pigment or.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, Realistically, I don't think I would do that.

[D'Amico Ryan]

You have a.

[Seth Payne]

Think of it.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

No, I don't think I would do that. That's my price tag. A little higher.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, I was going to say. I was going to say. Now the slapping part. Would you let someone slap you in the face once a day, every day for $34 million? Over the next two years.

[Seth Payne]

I honestly wouldn't let. I wouldn't let a large man give, like, really throw his hips into a slap on me once for $34 million.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Really?

[Seth Payne]

Now that I think about it, yeah. Concussion, there's too much of a chance. I got how many?

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, see, I haven't had that many of them.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, if you've never had a concussion, I still advise that you don't get one.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No, I had one when I was a kid.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Yeah, but I'm saying, if you have never had one, I still wouldn't advise, like, oh, I got.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I got plenty in the bank. Really?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[D'Amico Ryan]

34 million bucks.

[Seth Payne]

Nope, wouldn't do it. Oh, yeah, great. Like, I can. I can get the. The. I could get early onset dementia. At our age, a concussion, you don't recover from it nearly as well as when you're younger.

[D'Amico Ryan]

All right, I'll be really rich. For a period of time, you might

[Seth Payne]

not know who you are.

[D'Amico Ryan]

I'll take my chances.

[Seth Payne]

No, you would know who you are. I'm not trying to be overly drastic about, like, be real. Crap can happen when you get a concussion.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Whoever I think I am might be a better person than I am right now. You never know. All right, let's give away those tickets to the Texans in the. In the chargers, call number 10. Gonna win a pair of front row tickets to Texans Chargers on Thursday night in the bullpen, call number 1071-3572-4610-7135-7, 2, 4, 6, 10. All right, up next, we are switching over about 24 hours from now, 8:00am on the nose. Tomorrow, we are switching over From Sports Radio 610 to 95. 7 the Fan. We've got a great guest list lined up here on Pain and Pendergast. We will unveil.

[Podcast Host (Various Ads)]

I'm Susie Welch, the host of Becoming youg, a podcast where I help you stop living by default and start living by design. Listen to Becoming you wherever you get your podcasts.