Who are some of the winners at Texans Training Camp so far?

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast Podcast Summary

Episode: Who are some of the winners at Texans Training Camp so far?
Date: August 7, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Sean Pendergast
Main Theme:
A sharp, in-depth look at the standout performers at the Houston Texans’ training camp, centered on veteran DE Jadeveon Clowney’s return, the evolution of his career and reputation, and key training camp risers.

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1. Brief Overview

Sean and Seth devote this episode to recapping the highs of Texans training camp, focusing on returning star Jadeveon Clowney’s much-discussed comeback and newfound maturity, before highlighting other surprise and expected “winners” in camp so far. The show is rich with personal anecdotes, locker room perspective, and reflections on how past perception shapes present-day player narratives.

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2. Jadeveon Clowney: "Clowney 2.0" Returns Home

The Comeback Call

• [00:59] D’Amico Ryans confirms Clowney initiated the call to rejoin Houston, emphasizing it’s about “finishing the right way” and being “more than just him—about taking the Texans to the next level.”
  • Quote: “He wants to come back to take the Texans to the next level. And I love that conversation. And he’s been out here two days—he’s already in the backfield causing havoc.” — D’Amico Ryans [01:19]
• Both hosts note early skepticism among fans about Clowney’s return, especially given past injuries and frequent team changes.

Addressing The Narrative

• Impact Despite Movement: Seth and Sean challenge the notion that Clowney’s frequent team changes mark him as problematic, arguing his play has remained impactful but overlooked outside Houston.
  • Quote: “People don’t realize that…he’s remained a really impactful football player since the time he left Houston.” — Seth [03:58]
• They compare this to C.J. Gardner-Johnson's frequent moves, noting fan narratives become “easy” when a player changes teams often.

Clowney’s Growth: Maturity Reflected

• Childhood to Now ([06:08]):
  • Clowney discusses personal background, initial immaturity, and his development into a locker room vet and leader by example.
  • Quote: “I’m grown...I was a big kid at first...But coming back now, I’m a vet in the locker room. A lot older, a lot smarter...just enjoying it, taking it day by day.” — Jadeveon Clowney [06:08]
• On Past Bitterness:
  • Says he holds no grudges over 2019 trade, referencing run-ins with then-coach Bill O’Brien but emphasizing personal growth.
  • Quote: “...it was just O’Brien at the—me and him bumped heads...At this point… I just started taking care of myself, Clowney, and, you know, it’s gonna work out for you. And I started doing that when I left here.” — Clowney [06:58]

Personality & Locker Room Dynamic

• Hosts agree Clowney is “still a big, goofy kid” but newly mature—fun, positive, and a potential lead-by-example type for younger Texans.
  • Quote: “He’s just got kind of a fun personality…nobody’s asking him to be the alpha leader, but he is a guy who…being productive this long, there’s probably lead-by-example...in how he takes care of his body.” — Sean [08:49]

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3. “Clowney Files”: Revisiting the Past, Filtering the Present

Sean & Seth walk through the most talked-about “controversies” from Clowney’s first stint in Houston, asking: Did people (fans, media) overreact? Would the current Clowney act differently now?

Notable Incidents and Reflections:

Instagram “Scandal” [11:05]

• Rookie Clowney liked a woman’s Instagram post while inactive for a game, leading to media uproar.
  • Hosts’ verdict: Massive overreaction—expected behavior for a young, single player.
  • Quote: “It’s a commercial break or nothing going on…Oh no, the 21-year-old is liking a picture of an attractive woman on Instagram.” — Seth [13:01]

Medical Disclosure Dust-up [14:15]

• “Dr. Clowney” comment: Told media about injury setback before staff cleared messaging.
  • Assessment: Minor misstep, sign of a rookie learning pro protocols.
  • Quote: “This kid doesn’t necessarily know how to operate on an NFL team…you’re not supposed to be divulging your medical information.” — Seth [16:09]

The Pitbull Bite [16:55]

• Bitten by teammate DJ Swearinger’s dog; played into “unlucky” narrative.
  • Hosts see: Overblown, more a sign of bad luck than poor judgment.

Playoff “Storm Out” Rumor [20:18]

• Misreported (Lisa Salters, ESPN) that Clowney stormed out after being made inactive.
  • Clowney claims he only left to give family tickets; hosts wary of media “emotion reporting.”
  • Quote: “He looked genuinely confused… I don't like reporters when they report emotion…” — Seth [21:39]

Bortles “Trash” Comment [25:58]

• Clowney called QB Blake Bortles “trash” after a lopsided loss.
  • Hosts recall finding it funny/true, note that the more mature Clowney today wouldn’t say it.

Common Themes

• Many early controversies were routine rookie errors or overblown by narratives; most wouldn’t resurface with today’s Clowney.
• The show highlights the importance of context, maturity, and media responsibility.

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4. Training Camp "Winners": Standout Performers

After their “Clowney Files” journey, Sean and Seth shift focus to players making strides in camp and why.

1. Jaden Higgins (WR, 2nd-Year)

• [28:06] Emerged as a major camp beneficiary with Nico Collins limited—building chemistry with CJ Stroud.
  • Coach’s Praise: “Sky’s the limit for Jaden Higgins…he’s doing a really great job of running his routes the proper way…prepared himself the right way.” — D’Amico Ryans [28:15]
• Sean notes he’s further along than Nico Collins was in his second camp.
• Seth credits Higgins’ mental growth and notes how chemistry with a high-level QB (Stroud) unlocks talent.

2. Keelan Rutledge (Rookie Center)

• [31:43] Described as “the real deal” so far—praised for both toughness and technique.
  • Coach’s Praise: “You see 66 running downfield, taking a mike linebacker 15 yards downfield…it’s fun to watch him play.” — D’Amico Ryans [31:53]
• Seth notes improvement after pads went on, showing Rutledge is built for the physical game. Also highlighted are his cleaner snaps and communication, signaling rapid growth.
• Upcoming Test: Facing true nose tackles in preseason games—a new challenge, but one he may be ready for.

3. Colin Wright (CB, UDFA from Stanford)

• [35:47] Sean’s pick for a camp sleeper; making “Texans-worthy” impression with consistent ball skills.
  • Coach’s Praise: “Colin is one of the rookies who’s showing up almost every day…always showing that capability of being attached to the football…” — D’Amico Ryans [36:10]
• Sean and Seth discuss what it takes as an undrafted free agent to make a roster, highlighting Wright’s profile as a three-year Stanford captain.
• Anecdote: Stanford classes in gaming—hosts joke about “Legend of Zelda” and generational video game knowledge.

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5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clowney’s Reception:
  “There’s people that would say there’s no way in hell they’re going to sign Clowney...But he’s just been steadily churning out impressive season after impressive season.” — Seth [02:53]

• On Maturity:
  “I was immature, and I had to learn some lessons and grow up.” — Clowney [06:08]
  “He’s more self-aware. That’s my favorite one out of all.” — Sean [27:29]

• On Overreactions:
  “Oh, no. The 21-year-old is liking a picture of an attractive woman on Instagram.” — Seth [13:01]
  “I don’t like reporters when they report emotion…” — Seth [21:39]

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6. Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:59] D’Amico Ryans on Clowney’s return
• [06:08] Clowney on his personal growth
• [11:05–27:52] “Clowney Files” — Revisiting old controversies
• [28:06] Jaden Higgins named as a top camp riser
• [31:43] Keelan Rutledge’s welcome to the NFL
• [35:47] Colin Wright—UDFA surprise of camp

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7. Tone and Additional Insights

• The episode is classic Sean & Seth: conversational, irreverent but insightful, mixing media critique with dry locker-room humor.
• They blend player evaluation with personal perspective and are quick to challenge lazy media narratives or “old man takes.”
• The show warmly celebrates the transformation of veterans and the excitement of discovering new talent, making it an engaging listen for Texans fans and general football enthusiasts alike.

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary captures the spirit, key discussions, and essential takeaways from Payne & Pendergast’s deep dive into Texans training camp.

Transcript

[Sean]

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[Sean]

There was D' Amico Ryan's on the NFL Network with Jane Slater and Kurt Warner a couple of days ago talking about what was the phone call like that you had with Jedevion Clowney before he became a Houston Texan? Did he pick up the call and say, coach, I got juice in me. I got a house here. I can be there when you need me.

[D'Amico Ryan]

How'd it go down? Were you on the call? That sounds about how like it sounds just like it, right? Jadavian's been working out with some of his former teammates here in Houston and, you know, we had a conversation over this summer and it pretty much went down like that. He it means something to him to come back to Houston and to finish his career the right way. Very similar to Daniel Hunter. When I talked to him a couple years ago, he wanted to come back home to Houston and impact the city in a positive way by making the Texans successful. So when Clowney and me have that conversation, that's an easy conversation for me because I love guys who want to play, but it means more. It's bigger than just him and about him coming back. He wants to come back to take the Texans to the next level. And I love that conversation. I love everything about it. And he's been out here two days. He's already in the backfield causing havoc. So it's fun to have him. You know, the talent that he brings, he's going to get after the quarterback. And you can't have enough great defensive linemen to make quarterbacks. You can have too many.

[Sean]

That's definitely a thing. That's what your opponents would say. Yeah, all right, that was Kurt Warner saying, yeah, you don't need that many good defensive linemen. Former quarterback Kurt Warner. It was funny. Clowney, basically. Clowny was on afterwards, like right after d' Amico on the NFL Network at this very desk that we're sitting at right here. Clowney basically corroborated what d' Amico said about the.

[Seth]

It was Clowney that called them initially.

[Sean]

Said that, though.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Seth]

Is that d' Amico said it?

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean]

He said Clowney called him.

[Seth]

Yeah, yeah. That's. It's. It all fits really well. And sometimes, you know, you don't want it to be one of those things where, like, oh, it's awesome because it's convenient. I like Clowney. Clowney. In the first few years after he was here, I think there's people that would say there's no way in hell they're going to sign Clowney. Even early this off season, whenever we would talk about this, or I might talk about it on a live stream or something, there was a lot of pushback. And I think if you haven't paid attention to Clowney over the last few years, it's easy to not pay attention to him because he's been on a lot of different teams, but he's just been steadily churning out impressive season after impressive season where he's still a really solid, impactful football player. It's just he doesn't really stay around long enough or he's playing for the Browns or this.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That.

[Seth]

The other thing that you really like people. When I said he had a good practice yesterday, when I said it was he put it on a clinic out there, somebody replied to me and said, he hasn't put on a clinic since college. So I don't know what you're talking about. I'm like, all right, well, you just haven't paying attention at all.

[Sean]

Or he just doesn't like clowns.

[Seth]

Right, right, right. No, but I think. No, but I think that's a. There is that sentiment that I think a lot of people don't realize that. No, he's. He's remained a really impactful football player since the time he left Houston. It's just that it's not. It hasn't been a defensive player of the year type performance or anything to where he's front and center of your mind if he's not in your market.

[Sean]

No, totally. I agree with everything you just said. I think the other thing that plays into it, too, and it's interesting, it's convenient that we just got done talking about CJ Gardner Johnson less than an hour ago. Because what were you saying about C.J. gardner Johnson? Oh, this guy's been on six teams in six years.

[Seth]

Oh, right, right.

[Sean]

Yeah. So I think when we're talking about the narrative that's out there with Texan fans who maybe don't follow Clowney on a game by game basis in Baltimore or Tennessee or Carolina or Seattle or Dallas or wherever, they look at the. They look at the career history and they see that the guy's on a different team every year and they're like, well, that must be a situation where he just wears out his welcome in places. It's an easy narrative to create just based on his career.

[Seth]

Right. And I think also that's not true. The last couple of years, the. Because there were. There were always stories or something, we're going to cover some of the most entertaining ones. But also because his first couple of years he was injured, it just. It wasn't going the way you had hoped for a number one overall pick. By the time he started playing really good football for the Texans, a lot of people really still didn't want to accept it because they didn't have ridiculous sack numbers. That. That was an argument we used to have. People would argue about whether Jadevian Clowney is actually really good or not. Those last couple years he was here with the Texans. This is a nice situation because there's none of that that you have to worry about because he's not the starting defensive tackle that you're relying on to be the elixir for the defense or the guy that turns things around or anything like that. He's a nice cherry on top of an already really good situation.

[Sean]

It's a low risk, high reward move. It's a great move by the Texans. All right, now, so just to set the tone here, as we go back through the history of Clowney, let's play a couple of the recent cuts from Clowney so that we've got to sort of internalize about how there's this new, More mature Clowney 2.0. This is Clowney on the difference between the first time he was here and now.

[Jadevion Clowney]

I'm grown. Yeah, man, I was a big kid at first when I first got here. I grew up different than a lot of these guys. Man, I told people, man, I was born, you know, my dad was in jail, grew up a single parent home, man, I grew up a lot different. So I got here, was never seen Houston. I enjoyed it during my time. And yeah, it was fun. I came up with some Great guys, a group of guys when I got here. But coming back now, you know, I'm a vet in the locker room. A lot older, a lot smarter than I was before, you know, just. Just enjoying it, taking it day by day.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Seth]

Yeah. And it's like, I don't. He wasn't making excuses or anything. I think he was just laying it out. So, like, yeah, that was. I was immature, and I had to learn some lessons and grow up.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yep.

[Sean]

Here's one more from Clowney saying he was asked if there was any bitterness when he was traded in 2019.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Nah, I. I don't take nothing personal, man. I always say to my head, it don't matter if they put me on the moon to play football. I can do that. You know what I'm saying? I can play football. So I ain't had no hard feelings. It was just o' Brien at the. Me and him bumped heads, and I couldn't really understand because I was an easygoing guy. I was like, all right, whatever you want from me type of guy. At this point, especially when I'm 21 years old, 22 years old, I was just taking people's advice. Instead of really looking in the mirror, trying to figure myself out, I was listening to other people. As I got older, I started saying, just take care of yourself, clowning, and, you know, it's gonna work out for you. And I started doing that when I left here. That's how I think I lasted eight more years in the league where I just started taking care of my, you know, developing my game and having fun with it.

[Seth]

That was, you know, it's interesting, though, too, because he starts off when he's talking about how he was immature and there were things that he didn't, you know, would do differently now, etc. Etc. All the classic stuff. Yet at the same time, it was Bill o' Brien who had issues with that immaturity. I feel like it's the manner in which Bill o' Brien probably handles an immature player.

[Sean]

Probably.

[Seth]

It might not. If he was having that same, you know, talk about, I don't know, like Marvin Lewis, who is great with young, immature players and getting the best out of them, he might feel a different way in. And it's two things can be true that, yes, he did. He did. He did have maturity issues. But also, Bill o' Brien has got a pretty brusque way of dealing with.

[Sean]

No doubt, no doubt. I just know this. I know this new version of Clowney that's here. I'm in love with this new version of Clowney here.

[Seth]

You know what it is though? He's a lot of it is he's the same guy. He's just kind of a big goofy kid, but. But. But a more mature version.

[Sean]

He's got guardrails on him now. Yeah, yeah, he's got guardrails on. And I mean, that's just his personality.

[Seth]

Goofy in a good way. He's just got kind of a fun personality.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sean]

And nobody's asking him to be like the alpha leader of the team or anything, but yet I think he's a guy who probably being 33 years old and staying around being productive this long, there's probably a definite, I think, lead by example things in terms of how he takes care of his body and things like that. Sounds like he's r. Lemonade.

[Seth]

Fresh squeezed lemonade.

[Sean]

Lemonade.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Oh, nuts.

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[Sean]

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[Sean]

I've been turning down interviews all week. Hoda Kapi reached out.

[D'Amico Ryan]

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[Sean]

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[Seth]

ready

[Sean]

to be a great teammate here. And certainly the first couple practices have been really encouraging as to what the physical tools still are. So with that in mind, knowing that this is a more mature version of Clowney than the one that we got, certainly when he got traded, but even more certainly early on in his career the first couple of years. I've got five different things that happen with Clowney the first time.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Seth.

[Sean]

Okay, that. Let's put this through the filter and say, would these things happen again with

[Seth]

Clowney2 or did people overreact to them at the time?

[Sean]

We can talk about that, too. These are in chronological order. November 3, 2014. Headline, Jadevian Clowney likes a picture on Instagram. Face is wrath. Okay, so Clowney, this is his rookies. This is his rookie. It's an awful announcing. This is his rookie year and apparently he was dealing with the micro fracture surgery in his rookie year.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Yeah.

[Sean]

But apparently it was at a point in the season where he could have come back and played.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Yeah.

[Sean]

And the article says jadevion Clowney was too sick to play in yesterday's game against the Eagles. He was not too sick, however, to like a picture on Instagram. And now apparently this is a thing that's an actual issue and it's got a tweet embedded from Nick Wright.

[Seth]

I didn't realize that.

[Sean]

Who at the time sat in this seat that I am sitting in right now. This is when Nick, our morning host here, and he posted a picture of a very pretty young lady. Right.

[Seth]

But it's not like she's. There's nothing scandalous about the photo, just a headshot. It's a headshot.

[Sean]

She got on a, you know, kind of a sleeveless T shirt. She's very pretty. And Clowney liked it at 12:30pm which would have been about, you know, late in the first quarter of that game. And Nick Wright says, here's the picture. Post it at 12:30pm and the people who liked it. Awful look for clowning.

[Seth]

Yeah, I know. Boy, I wish I could go. We might have to go back through the archives and see how we all handled. This is a show on 2000 2014. I, I, honestly, Nick, I feel like that's kind of an old man take there. I like. Yeah, he's sitting. He's probably sitting up in the suite that the injured players sit in, or

[Sean]

if he was at home, especially he's in the stadium. He was in.

[Seth]

He was in the stadium. The sick part was where I couldn't remember. Yeah. But like, okay, I don't know. It's a commercial break or there's nothing going on. He's scrolling through and there you go. Did you. Were you afraid that Clowney wasn't offering up his strategic advice on the headset?

[Sean]

Yeah, he's on the headset.

[Seth]

Like I was contributing to the game.

[Sean]

Giving Romeo Cornell advice on what he's seen.

[Seth]

I mean, yeah. Would I advise that he do it? No. But he's also a young single guy. It's just like, all right. Oh, no. The 21 year old is liking a picture of an attractive woman on Instagram.

[Sean]

This story was such a big deal that Tom Mahan, the Philadelphia Daily News writer, devoted part of a column to it under the headline, in Houston, linebacker proving to be a clown.

[Seth]

Oh, no.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sean]

So Philly was coming after him. All right, so A, did we overreact at the time? It sounds like yes. And at least Nick did. Yeah, right. Nick Wright. And B, do you think this is something that Clowny 2.0 would do if he's sick for a game or he's injured, he's up in the booth. Do you're liking Instagram?

[Seth]

Remember? You know what? I think if he. Okay, I don't think he would like. You just understand. All right, you know what? Yeah, I get. People make a big deal out of this stuff. He knows that.

[Sean]

So married now with kids.

[Seth]

Well, and he's also. He's not under the scrutiny because everybody's waiting for him to fail. He's number one overall pick. He's not playing because he's injured. People were skeptical. People love to claim that the only reason people liked him was because of that one play versus Michigan, which. Which is such a ridiculously stupid argument. But, like, yeah, that. I don't think it would. It would cause as much commotion.

[Sean]

Okay. Three weeks later, November 27, 2014. We're going back through the old Clowney files here. Headline, o' Brien to check in with doctor. Air quotes, Jadevion Clowney. And for those who don't remember this, Clowney told reporters on Thursday that he had suffered a setback last week in his. I guess in his recovery from micro fracture surgery and indicated he would have a slim chance of playing that Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

[Seth]

Yeah, it wasn't after the micro. It was just after an injury.

[Sean]

Okay, so. So that Sunday, that was the game where Ryan Fitzpatrick threw six touchdown passes.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

So he indicated to reporters that he would. He suffered a setback, indicated he would have a slim chance of playing against Titans. So this is Clowney telling reporters this. Texans coach Bill O' Brien was not amused upon learning of Clowney's comments. O' Brien said, quote, I don't know, Dr. Clowney. I'll reconvene with him and see how he's doing. Yeah, end quote. So Brian didn't like how forthcoming Clowney was.

[Seth]

Well, he hadn't. Yeah. Like, it was.

[Sean]

Situation.

[Seth]

Yeah. Like, and I remember the press conference. He was kind of. He. He was kind of taken aback at the question. He's probably in his mind thinking, who's the source?

[Sean]

And.

[Seth]

And he asked, who. You know, basically, who's your source? Clowney. Dr. Clowney.

[Sean]

Dr. Clowney.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sean]

Would. Did we overreact? And would Clowney 2.0 disclose his medicals to media members?

[Seth]

Why do you keep saying we? I don't think I overreacted at the time.

[Sean]

I mean, we. As a fan.

[Seth]

Yeah, I got you. I got you. Oh, no. Yeah. Settle down. That I'm lumping you in with one huge group of people.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Did I. I thought at that time, at that point, nobody was, like, tired of Bill o' Brien's act. It was still kind of refreshing. He's a hard ass. And like, here. There you go. Yeah.

[Sean]

Clowney was not the favorite nation back then at this point.

[Seth]

Right, right, right, right.

[Sean]

He was an injured rookie.

[Seth]

I don't think it was an overreaction. Just like, that's a classic thing that, like. All right, It's. You know what it's an evidence of. Okay. This kid doesn't necessarily know how to operate on an NFL team. You're not supposed to be divulging your medical information and all that. Yeah. So I don't think we overreacted.

[Sean]

Did we?

[Seth]

Did.

[Sean]

Would. Would Clowney do that again? If he gets asked a question about, are you ready to play this Sunday? If he's dealing with an injury, would he be as forthcoming as he was?

[Seth]

Probably not, no. Yeah. Like, again, going back to the whole. Okay, liking an Instagram post during a game. He's learned. He's learned what he. He might think it's still stupid and dumb that people react to it that way, but he knows this to avoid the issues.

[Sean]

All right, the next1 is March 10, 2015. Report Jadevion Clowney bitten by teammates. Pitbull.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sean]

All right, so this is Jadevion Clowney missed 10 games the previous season with various ailments his rookie year. So Clowney stock was not high with the fan base at this time. DJ Swearinger, who is also a teammate of his at South Carolina, so they go back a long ways, hanging out in the off season with each other, according to Sports Radio 610. Oh, somebody here broke that story. Clowney suffered a minor bite by teammate D.J. swearinger's dog. According to police reports, the pit bull bit Clowney on the right arm, breaking the skin. The defensive End Sought treatment at a local emergency room hospital. Pearland PD was alerted to the incident by the emergency room Clowney visited. So I guess the emergency room called the police to say he was bitcoin. This is a bit of a silly one. Did we overreact at the time and would this happen to Clowney again?

[Seth]

This was more of a D.J. swearinger, Jedevion Clowney combo package, I think, because those were the two guys where you felt. You felt like, all right, they might not be good influences on each other. DJ was kind of a unique individual in his own right. I remember probably overreacting to being overly impressed that swearing is. Dog's shots were up to date. That was. That was the biggest surprise to me. I was like, holy crap. Swearinger staying on top of it like that.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Good job swearing.

[Sean]

And then he would drive off without paying for upgrades to his car.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

Including a Batman skin that they put.

[Seth]

He stole his own car. He was. He was wanted for stealing his own car.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

No, I think that. No, I don't think this would have been an overreaction just because it was one of those things where it became just a litany of thing after thing after thing. Who was the Rockets player who kept getting into weird situations?

[Sean]

Terrence Jones.

[Seth]

Oh, yeah. Terrence Jones. It was just every. It was always something, and it's only. Even if it was something relatively minor, like, oh, it's another something. It's a car accident on the way to the. Oh, you're accused of kicking an unhoused man. There's always something. I can't say Clowney never kicked in unhoused man. That we know of.

[Sean]

Not that we know of.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean]

I would. I would say as far as this happening again with Clowney, I would say it definitely could, because I don't think that was Clowney's fault.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Right.

[Sean]

Clowney's probably very nice to animals.

[Seth]

If anything, it was probably his gregariousness that got it. Him in trouble.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

He's like, hello, friendly canine. Right.

[Sean]

And he seems like he's still that kind of guy.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

So I would say this could definitely happen to Clowney.

[Seth]

I think it's gonna happen again if he's hanging around. Well, you know, like they say, it's also about sometimes, even though it's not technically your fault, you're responsible for the company you keep.

[Sean]

Right.

[Seth]

You gotta be. I would. I would hope that he asks his teammates from now on, are you a responsible dog owner?

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yes.

[Sean]

Yes. All right, next one. Got two more. Boy, it was an eventful 2014 and 2015.

[Seth]

By the way, that was probably Fred Davis that broke that story. Fred Davis had been an old crime reporter in Beaumont and he also broke the story about the shop. Jersey burnings shop.

[Sean]

Getting accosted in his driveway.

[Seth]

Yeah, yeah. Somebody. Yeah.

[Sean]

Yelling at him in his driveway. Yeah, yeah. That probably was Freddie. Shout out Fred Davis. All right, next one. This is January 6, 2016. So this is in early 2016. But it's the day of the Chiefs playoff game that postseason headline, Jadevian Clowney inactive vs. Chiefs briefly leaves stadium right now. This got reported. It was Lisa Salters.

[Seth]

Was the Salters. Oh, I've been saying to foyer apologies to Michelle Defoyer.

[Sean]

Yep, yep, she's.

[Seth]

It was.

[Sean]

The game was on ESPN. It was that Saturday 3:30 game that the Texans have come to know and love. And Lisa Salters reported before the game that judevion Clowney stormed out of the Texans locker room and left NRG Stadium after the team ruled he would not play in the wild card contest on Sunday.

[Seth]

And I was on the pregame show at the time. Yeah, you were not.

[Sean]

I don't think I was not on the pregame. I was on the post game show.

[Seth]

I can't remember who was on the pregame show at that point, but I remember saying, pleading with Clowney to come back to the stadium, kind of jokingly like, clowney, if you're listening, come back.

[Sean]

Don't.

[Seth]

Don't have it be like this. So. But then ironically enough, after the pregame show is over, I'm walking into the stadium, about to enter the one Genevion Clowney. I was like, hey, man, what's up?

[Sean]

Hey. I heard.

[Seth]

I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was basically like, hey, man. Like, it's like, I don't know. I went out to give my tickets to my mom.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I didn't storm out of the stadium.

[Sean]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jadevion Clowney]

So the.

[Sean]

The clown. The Texans listed Clowney among their inactives following a pregame workout in the weight room. Clowney was upset about the decision, believing he was ready to play. That's the. What the article is saying. The article then goes on to say the team said Clowney left for a family errand.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Yeah.

[Sean]

He was then spotted in the stadium before kickoff by many, including Seth C. Pain. Yeah, yeah.

[Seth]

That was my source on that one. Jadevion Clowney. He did look. He looked genuinely confused. He was like, I don't know what's going on here. Well, that's all. So I don't like reporters when they report emotion. Like, unless somebody specifically said, like that you're describing somebody state of mind based on, you know, what you're judging their facial appearance to be. And this is why people have bad relationships.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

It's just assuming what the other person thinks. Okay.

[Sean]

Yep.

[Seth]

So who's at least assaulters? I got. Yeah. You know what? I'm gonna. I'll describe her emotion there. She was irre. That's not even her. She was irresponsible in reporting it that way. Yep, Yep.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Indeed.

[Sean]

He had been listed as questionable all week long and did not practice on Friday.

[Seth]

So, yeah, I would say she's overly ambitious. That was her emotion. She's like, oh, this is going to hit. Yeah.

[Sean]

If we. If we ask the question, the two questions we're asking. Do we overreact to this? And would Clowney 2.0 do this again? Yeah, I would say one. Lisa Salters definitely overreacted to it. We were just reacting to what she was reporting at the time. And I would say that Clowney, if he were hurt, would definitely.

[Peter Hamby]

Gone south has been a podcast about crime in the American South. But for our new season, we're widening the lens. Follow and listen to gone South Season 5, wherever you get your shows. We have the tech to get food delivered in 15 minutes, but we all have horror stories about buying tickets. The GameTime app gives fans the advantage. Get amazing tickets in just a few taps. Fees are included, so what you see is what you pay. And the gametime guarantee means authentic tickets at the best price. Every time you take the guesswork out of buying tickets to concerts, sports comedy, and more with GameTime, download the GameTime app and create an account for $20 off your first purchase term supply.

[Sean]

Bring tickets out to his family again and make sure they were taken care of.

[Seth]

How about this trip through the past? All right, so Lisa Salters via Kevin. Via colleague Kevin Seifert reported to Seifert on Saturday the Clowney quote, stormed out of the Texans locker room and left the stadium when deactivated. ESPN's Ed Werder reported Clowney was, quote, visibly upset with O' Brien's decision not to activate him for the playoff game. James Palmer of NFL Network said Texans players who are inactive can leave and are allowed to leave, as per ESPN's Tanya Ganguly.

[Sean]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Seth]

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reported Clowney left the stadium to take tickets to his family.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And he's known he was going to be active since Wednesday.

[Sean]

Yeah. See, count on John McClain again. It right there. You Go. Well, who's who in that article right there.

[Seth]

Per Cody Stutes of CBS Houston, o' Brien said Thursday that Clowney was moving around. Well, who is still being listed as day to day leading into Saturday's playoffs?

[Sean]

I'm going to tell you what my reaction is. That article you're looking at.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Yeah.

[Sean]

You and I were two lazy A holes back then. We didn't wind.

[D'Amico Ryan]

How did.

[Sean]

How did. You and I. You and I are like the only news.

[Seth]

I gave that news. I may have talked to McClain about it. I can't remember, but I don't report news.

[Sean]

You look at Cody.

[Seth]

I kind of.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I mean, he found his way in there. I gave it to somebody. I can't remember exactly, but I don't like.

[Sean]

You hate reporting things.

[Seth]

Well, because. No, because I'm an unreliable narrator. I. Look, I just. There's. I get details mixed up in my mind. I don't trust myself to get it right. I tried to help people out during Harvey once and I misunderstood something that a city official told me.

[Sean]

How many drownings did you call?

[Seth]

The tweet stayed up for about 90 seconds. I was like, oh God. Oh God, no, no. Something about the water quality in League City or something. And I misunderstood what he told me. I'm not.

[Sean]

This whole city has Ebola.

[D'Amico Ryan]

That's it.

[Seth]

I'm done. I'm done being an emergency reporter.

[Sean]

Smart. Last one. Last one. Would Clowney 2.0 do this? This is back in 2017. Remember 2017. Bad year for the Texans. They did find DeSean Watson, but he tore his knee halfway through the year and the season slipped into the toilet just as the Jaguars were having their only good season over like a 15 year period, including a game in mid December. This is December 17, 2017. An article by Sarah Bar Shop if we want to keep going down memory lane. The Texans got blown out by the Jags 45 to 7 and defensive endeavion Clowney was asked if Blake Bortles, who had a good game that day, they

[Seth]

won by 45 to 7.

[D'Amico Ryan]

45.

[Sean]

7 is the final score. Jags beat the Texans. Clowny was asked if Portals is improving the defensive end. Reply to reporters, he's trash.

[Seth]

The best was though.

[Sean]

It was 21 of 29 for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Passer rating of 143. That was trash.

[D'Amico Ryan]

No.

[Seth]

And that was the original trash can scandal because the next time the Texans played the Jaguars, there were some trash cans and stuff in the stadium. The best part about that was there's no good audio of it because he said it kind of laughing as he was leaving the podium.

[Jadevion Clowney]

Right, right.

[Sean]

He did say it, though.

[Seth]

What do you think of Bortles? He's trash.

[Sean]

Trash. Now, I would say. I would say this. I would say this.

[Seth]

He was right.

[Sean]

I don't even know what our reaction was to this. Probably laughter because that season was so bad at that point. So I don't think we even really cared that he said that. I'm guessing we all laughed about it. Yeah, I'm guessing I probably said he's right because I was never a believer in Blake Bortles. And ultimately Blake Bortles was the reason they got knocked out of the season that year. They needed him to make plays in New England and he couldn't make plays. So I would say, I don't know remember what the overall reaction to that was. And Clowney was a much more popular player at that point because he had made the Pro bowl the previous year, was on his way to making it again that year and the following season. So Clowney's Q rating was a lot higher with Texan fans. I will say this. I don't think the version of Clowney that we saw two days ago at the podium would call any opposing QB trash.

[Seth]

Yeah, he's just. He's.

[Sean]

He's a more mature guy.

[Seth]

He's more mature. He's more self aware.

[Sean]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my favorite one out of all.

[Seth]

He had three hits on the quarterback in that game. Two solo tackles and three hits, no sacks. But yeah, he wasn't impressed. He was a good. His evaluation was correct.

[Sean]

He would know that's a good scout.

[Seth]

He wasn't affected by the results. You know, he's looking at the process.

[Sean]

Absolutely. Absolutely. All right, so that was our trip down memory lane with Clowney.

[Seth]

All right.

[Sean]

Three training camp winners so far that I've got, Seth, and want to see what you think about this. Jaden Higgins has taken a big step forward in this camp. I think Jaden Higgins has benefited big time from how they're handling Nico Collins. Nico hasn't been a full participant in everything out here.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

So Jaden Higgins is getting a lot of run with CJ Stroud. This is d' Amico Ryan's couple days ago on Higgins progress.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Higgins came back ready this camp. He came back ready and showed. And OTAs. It's showing now. It's not surprising him and CJ are finding a connection because Higgins is doing a really great job of running his routes the proper way. Playing with precision. And he's, he's excelling at every level. Third down, he's winning, making plays for us. So, I mean, sky's the limit for Jaden Higgins because he's, he's prepared himself the right way over the offseason, and that's what he's a really great example for young guys. You prepare the offseason the right way, you come to camp with the right mindset that you're going to get better, you can do that. And he's put the work in and it's showing here at camp.

[Seth]

The mental stuff of it, that part of it. Jaden Higgins talked about it the other day and you know, Nico talked about it. As it relates to Jaden Higgins, there's just, there's a lot as a young receiver into this defense, offense especially, and how you're reading the defense, which leverage you're supposed to use in certain situations, your sight adjustments, all of that, it's a lot to handle while also trying to play fast. And what you hear football players say all the time, man, if you're thinking, it slows you down. So you want everything to be as automatic as possible. And I think that you saw a steady growth in that by Jaden Higgins during the season. So it would have been a surprise for me if he didn't come back and look even better at the beginning of training camp because they've had OTAs, they've had the individual sessions that they've had with CJ that he just. He looks like. He looks like he might end up being the next. Nico Collins is a guy that. Not drafted in the first round, but with all those physical traits and tools, and if you pair him up with a guy like, let's say, C.J. stroud, I mean, that was what. That was a big deal with Nico Collins. It was like he wasn't all that impressive until you paired him up with a quarterback that could get him the ball.

[Sean]

It's probably. And yes, you're making, you're making part of the point I'm about to make, which is we'll give Nico Collins a bit of a pass because this is a much more functional environment that Higgins is operating in. But in a vacuum, Higgins is ahead of where Nico Collins was in his second training camp. Granted, like you said, it was second year Davis Mills with Lovey Smith as the head coach, coming off of a season with David Culley as the head coach.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

So it's not like Nico was operating in, you know, in a great environment. But Higgins looks advanced For a second year guy.

[Seth]

Yeah. You know, and honestly, a lot of that goes back to CJ too. He's just genuinely operating the offense much more like the way it's supposed to be operated. And I, like we said this at the beginning of last season, we said it before training camp that it's not. There's going to be bumps in the road with an offense like this in depending on how much you want your quarterback to do. And I think the biggest part for me really is that the pre snap stuff with cj I think he really gets it and understands now the value of it and the importance of him really being dialed in on the passing protection and everything that goes into pre snap because there's just way too much going on to just rely on your, your arm talent or making a brilliant play or something that to get by in the NFL. He just looks like a. He looks like he's got way more command out there and that's going to help Jaden Higgins.

[Sean]

No doubt. No doubt. All right, so training camp winner for me, number one. Number two, Kalin Rutledge. Kalin Rutledge a week into camp, Granted, just a week into camp, but looks like the real deal so far. This was Demiko Ryan's with Jane Slater and Kurt Warner on where Rutledge is right now.

[Seth]

Keelan Rutledge is getting so much love out here.

[Sean]

I haven't had eyes on practice for as many days as some of the other reporters. Why are people singing his praises right now?

[D'Amico Ryan]

Well, they're singing his praises because you see 66 running downfield, taking a mike linebacker 15 yards down feels like, wait, is that, is that an offensive lineman that far downfield? Yeah, that's him. So you see the feistiness, you see it shelving after the play like just a gritty old school offensive lineman that we haven't seen in a while. And that's really jumping out in our camp. And a rookie and a rookie who doesn't play like a rookie. So it's fun to watch him play.

[Seth]

Yeah, the. I think the two encouraging things about Keelan Rutledge is just everything d' Ameco is saying right there. It's not just about the toughness and the grittiness. It's his ability to get to his assignment on the second level and attached to Aziz Elshire and productively blocking by taking the right angles, having the right technique. And as he's gotten more comfortable snapping the football, I think you're seeing more of that discipline technique that a lot of rookie offensive Linemen don't have. So that's been encouraging. I think the most encouraging thing I realized yesterday as I was thinking about it was all right with offensive linemen and defensive linemen, especially interior offensive lineman and defensive lineman. I try not to be overly impressed by anything that happens before the pads come on. And then after a couple days in pads, I'm looking at Keelan Rutledge and I'm thinking, oh, yep, I feel better about him after the pads come on than I did before the pads came on. Some guys just are flat out the guys who are built for physicality. They don't look as good in no pads as some of the fancy lad athletes that don't that aren't physical football players. You put the pads on and the physicality is an element all of a sudden. Oh wait, now I, now I really see why he was a first round pick.

[Sean]

Granted, it's only been a few practices and pads, but do you feel good about him having everything on his plate that comes with being a center also, as opposed to playing guard?

[Seth]

Okay, this is what I'm glad you brought that up, Sean. I'm really glad you brought that up. We haven't talked about pre snap penalties at all and I think I've seen one false start by the offense and I probably missed one somewhere along the way, but it's been very, very clean. So when the center is up there and making the calls, he's a part of that. But then the other part of it too is we haven't seen blown assignments that might come from guys getting on the wrong, making the wrong call or being on the wrong page. So that part of it now is looked really, really clean so far when he's been in there.

[Sean]

That's encouraging.

[Seth]

I haven't seen the sound, you know, during OTAs and minicamp there was some errands, snaps. I think there was, I think there was one that I've noticed where it wasn't like a horrendously bad snap, but it was like CJ had to take his eyes off the defense to go get it. But I think by and large he's coming along very nicely for a guy that's only been in pads for a couple days.

[Sean]

Yeah, one.

[Seth]

One big test for him will be versus the Texans defense. You don't have a nose tackle right on the center, right on top of the center all that much. They play even fronts, which means that the defensive tackles are over the guards. Each preseason game the Texans play, they're facing a 3, 4 defense where they'll have a nose tackle on the center.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Seth]

So it's a big leap forward and that's where he might have some issues, just because that's the first time he's going to see a bunch of it, because he's not going to see it in practice all that much.

[Sean]

Normally in the early preseason games, they wouldn't keep the first string in there more than a series or two. If you were d' Amico Ryan's and Cole Popovich and Nick Kaley, would you have Rutledge out there maybe playing a little bit extra just because he needs reps at center?

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

You know what I mean?

[Seth]

The ones and the twos maybe against the 3, 4.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

The first two games of the season, he's going against the 3, 4 defense also.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

So maybe Dexter Lawrence playing nose tackle in the second if he's. If he wins the starting center job.

[Sean]

Right, right, right. Speaking of right, WR A IHT winner, number three in training camp so far. I don't know if you've picked your undrafted free agent yet, but I pick mine.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Sean]

Mine is Colin Wright. I actually had him making the team in my last 53 that I did before training camp because I wanted to have kind of a wild take out there. And I heard some good things about him. He feels like a. Definitely a cultural fit on this team. He's had a good camp. He's number 37. If you come out here, he's a corner that's been kind of running with the backups. And here Demiko Ryan's thoughts on undrafted free agent out of Stamford, Colin Rice.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Colin is one of the rookies who's showing up almost every day. He finds a way to, you know, get a. Get a. Get to get his hands on the ball in some type of fashion. Right. Whether he's picking the ball, whether he's playing sticky coverage and attacking the ball, getting PBUs. He's done a really great job of always, you know, showing that capability of being attached to the football. And that's a. That's a good quality to have as a corner. So he's done a really good job.

[Sean]

It's good quality to have as an undrafted free agent because you got to have a few plays where they want to go back and watch you on the film. Right. I mean, you got to. If you're. If you're trying to make the team, you've got to do something that cuts through.

[Seth]

You got to do something. You got to show up. You got to show up, and then it's all Then it's a matter of, okay, who's he covering? What's the quarterback doing?

[D'Amico Ryan]

All of that.

[Seth]

That's where it gets tough with those guys. But they have the. It feels like every guy, when asked to name a couple of guys that have stood out to him, they'll usually try to, you know, name a few. I always feel, I feel bad when guys are asked that question. As a veteran, it's like, hey, who stuck out to you? And when you're talking about young players especially, it's like, oh man, these, like something like, there's the kid that I don't name. All of a sudden is going to be sitting there in his locker thinking,

[Sean]

oh crap, this is what I would think is that. Dude, it's 150 degrees out here. You think I'm scouting the rest of the team? I'm just trying to focus on my job.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

I'm not out here breaking down the film of the other 89 guys out

[Seth]

here, but they do all seem to bring up Colin Wright pretty easily.

[Sean]

Three year starter at Stanford. Captain, you know, like he's got sort of that profile of a guy who's kind of Texans worthy.

[Seth]

You know the one I can remember, I did, they did a video on him at Stanford and it was, I can't remember what class he was taking, but it was like, it made me feel like an old man. It was some Internet based one. Kaleb Bullock, when he was on Blankenship's podcast, talked about, I think he said when he found out that the coach was fired there at usc, he was in a, he was in a gaming class. They're like, wait a second. Gaming class? Gaming class? Yeah, you learn about like how they make video games and everything. So it wasn't, it wasn't just like learning how to play, you know, the Legend of Zelda or anything. Yeah, it was, it was more about the business side of things. Hey, kids, Legend of Zelda was how many diamonds you need to get into.

[Sean]

That's great.

[Seth]

I'm guessing Legends of Zelda is still big.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Maybe.

[Sean]

You know what's always new sometimes.

[Seth]

No, but that's one of those types of games that's all.

[Sean]

Yeah, Just gets built.

[Seth]

Feels like anything where you go on quests.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Ends up having stay.

[Sean]

Yeah. Probably exists, but like way, way better than it was back in the day.

[Seth]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sean]

Like, like amazing.

[Seth]

Yeah. Like my apple. Iie like, I gotta get it replaced at some point. They've come out with much better things.

[Sean]

They have.

[D'Amico Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sean]

You got to get to Best Buy and check that out. All right, final segment coming up. Seth, if you have any other names you want to toss in with winners, we'll hit that in the final segment. Also, d' Ameco, Ryan's does not do very many unpopular things. This is getting an unpopular reaction and we will tell you what that is. D' Amico's actually asked about it and we'll tell you what that is. Coming up.

[Seth]

Life can feel overwhelming, but on my

[Sean]

podcast, from the Heart with Rachel Braethan,

[Seth]

we're in it together. Every Friday, a new episode brings you a new story with topics on motherhood,

[Sean]

wellness, self love and more. Listen to from the Heart with Rachel Braethon.

[Seth]

Wherever you get your podcasts, we have

[Peter Hamby]

the tech to get food delivered in 15 minutes, but we all have horror stories about buying tickets. The GameTime app gives fans the advantage. Get amazing tickets in just a few taps. Fees are included, so what you see is what you pay. And the gametime guarantee means authentic tickets at the best price every time. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to concerts, sports, comedy and more with GameTime. Download the GameTime app and create an account for $20 off your first purchase term supply.