Who stood out at the Texans Practice in Day 2

Summary

Payne & Pendergast – “Who Stood Out at the Texans Practice in Day 2”

Date: July 31, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne (former NFL player), Sean (Matt) Pendergast (Houston radio veteran)
Key Focus: Sharp analysis and insider observations from Day 2 of Houston Texans training camp, with broader AFC South and Astros updates.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Day 2 of Houston Texans training camp for the 2026 NFL season. Seth and Sean “empty the notebook” on who’s impressing, developments in key position groups, and bigger-picture changes from previous years. They also dissect personnel moves, share coaching insights, and pivot to relevant Houston Astros and AFC South updates. The show features lively banter, memorable analogies, and astute analysis for die-hard sports fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Texans Training Camp – Offense Looks Sharper (03:31–05:01)

• Noticeable Improvement: Compared to last season, camp feels more upbeat and functional. “There’s a very distinct absence of an utter sense of despair about the offense.” (Pendergast, 03:31)
• Last year, offensive line mishaps and recurring mental errors were apparent even before pads; this year, communication and assignments are much improved.
• CJ Stroud’s command stands out: “He’s looked like a competent NFL quarterback and the offense itself around him looks confident.” (Pendergast, 04:27)
• The basic, expected throws aren’t just completed but consistently sharp, even in 7-on-7s—remarkable growth from last year when “the ball was hitting the ground” (Payne, 04:47).

2. Coaching Culture & Cole Popovich’s Influence (05:14–06:38)

• Offensive line coach Cole Popovich is a “movie version of an offensive line coach”—brusque but deeply respected by players.
• “He’s closest to the old school… but more than any O-line coach I can remember with the Texans, the players gush about him.” (Pendergast, 05:45)
• D’Amico Ryans and GM Nick Caserio prioritize players who can “take hard coaching” and value accountability. (Payne, 06:18)

3. Offensive Progress, But With Caveats (07:32–09:06)

• Despite positive trends, D’Amico Ryans cautioned that “the offense maybe went a little bit backwards in day two,” specifically citing pre-snap penalties and a fumbled exchange.
• “Best to go wrong in day two of training camp than go wrong in week one against the Buffalo Bills.” (Payne, 09:06)

4. Running Backs – Notable Standouts & New Dynamics (09:21–12:28)

• “The running backs have gotten a lot of compliments… Woody Marks especially.” (Payne, 09:21)
• Marks, Montgomery, and Jaw Jordan are consistently decisive on their reads—unlike last year’s rookie struggles.
• Montgomery and Marks both shine in the passing game and pass protection, enabling creative packages: “Their complete skill sets let you keep the defense off balance.” (Payne, 10:57)
• Marks’ progress as a rookie blitz pickup and receiver makes him unpredictable and valuable.

5. Receiving Corps – Year-Two Leaps and Surprise Names (12:28–15:25)

• Jaden Higgins is taking a big step: “He’s making plays everywhere we put him… we need a guy to step up opposite Nico [Collins], and Jaden can be that guy for us.” (D’Amico Ryans quoted, 13:26)
• Improved chemistry between CJ Stroud and young WRs is apparent—last year’s miscommunications are notably absent.
• Justin Watson and Lewis Bonds earn repeated practice mentions; the WR room looks ultra-competitive for roster spots.
• Brevin Jordan (TE) repeatedly shows up with big plays and could force tough roster decisions with his unique skill-set.

6. Defensive Notes – Kaden McDonald & Depth at DL (16:36–23:36)

• Kaden McDonald (DT, 2nd round pick): “He is incredibly strong and powerful… physically, he’s exactly what he was drafted for. Now it’s all about technique and consistency.” (Pendergast, 19:11)
  • Coaches are working with him on hand placement and pad level; raw strength is already apparent.
  • “He could develop into a guy who really gets push in the pocket” (Pendergast, 20:13).
• Logan Hall is also highlighted for his versatility—potentially a key piece both inside and outside.

7. AFC South Update – Daniel Jones & Colts, Division Context (24:46–29:41)

• Daniel Jones (Colts) has returned to full team drills after an Achilles injury: “This used to be a death blow… I don’t think we can even use Achilles’ heel as a metaphor anymore” (Pendergast, 26:13).
• Hosts are skeptical of Jones and Trevor Lawrence as franchise QBs, despite their flashes.
• Colts GM Chris Ballard, in the last year of his contract, is “self-aware enough to say, ‘we need to win’” and won’t take an extension without more success (27:56).
• Discussion of Colts’ recent decades-long struggles to win the division/playoff games.

8. Astros Trade Deadline Outlook – “Cockroaches of Baseball” (29:53–35:21)

• Astros are .500 (55–55) yet only half a game out in a weak division.
• Unlikely to conduct a “seller” trade; “zero percent chance” they deal foundational pieces.
• Ken Rosenthal calls them “the cockroaches of baseball” for their resilience and perpetual presence.
• Astros likely to buy or hold at the deadline. “I think there’s going to be a deal made, just because there’s always a deal made with the Astros.” (Seth, 32:52)
• Starting pitching remains a fluid situation, but organizational philosophy is to hang tight to top prospects.

9. College Football Sidebar – Michael Lombardi’s UNC Meltdown (36:19–46:34)

• Michael Lombardi, highly paid GM of UNC football, put on administrative leave for HR and NIL-related scandals.
• Bruce Feldman (Fox, The Athletic): “He is without question the worst general manager in college sports. Not even close. He should be getting his paycheck with a ski mask on” (40:26).
• Hosts lampoon “Belichick’s blind spot” in elevating Lombardi and discuss challenges pro coaches/execs face moving to the college ranks.
• Comparison to Urban Meyer’s failed NFL tenure: “It’s like cricket versus baseball—they’re different sports” (Pendergast, 43:18).

10. Texans Defensive Identity & Camp Culture (46:50–47:08)

• Jalen Petrie on D’Amico Ryans’ defense: “It’s about pure execution and energy. Are we swarming or not? It’s really black and white with us.” (Petrie, 46:50)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Offensive Progress:
  “He’s looked like a competent NFL quarterback and the offense itself around him looks confident.”
  — Matt (Sean) Pendergast, [04:27]

• On Cole Popovich:
  “Popovich is like the movie version of an offensive line coach… the players gush about him.”
  — Pendergast, [05:45]

• On D’Amico Ryans’ Coaching Philosophy:
  “The reason our coaches can coach hard is because they connect with our guys as people.”
  — Quoting Ryans, [05:33]

• On Offensive Line Mentality:
  “They didn’t even have a chance to lose a physical battle last year… that’s improved drastically, not just from last training camp but from the first half of last season.”
  — Pendergast, [06:38]

• On Running Back Versatility:
  “The fact that they both have a complete all-around skill set, really, if they’re both out there, there’s a lot of mystery that you can provide for the defense.”
  — Payne, [11:02]

• On Jaden Higgins:
  “We need a guy to step up opposite Nico and be a threat, and Jaden can be that guy for us.”
  — D’Amico Ryans, [13:26]

• On Kaden McDonald:
  “He is incredibly strong and he’s big and he’s powerful. He is, like, physically exactly what he got drafted for.”
  — Pendergast, [19:11]

• Ken Rosenthal on Astros:
  “The Astros are the cockroaches of baseball.”
  — Ken Rosenthal, [32:00]

• On Michael Lombardi at UNC:
  “He is without question the worst general manager in college sports. Not even close. He should be getting his paycheck with a ski mask on.”
  — Bruce Feldman, [40:26]

• Jalen Petrie on Defense:
  “It’s about pure execution and energy. Like, are we swarming or not? It’s really black and white with us.”
  — Petrie, [46:50]

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Key Timestamps

• Texans offense/OL improvement: [03:31–06:38]
• Running backs analysis: [09:21–12:28]
• WRs, Jaden Higgins & depth: [12:28–15:25]
• Brevin Jordan at TE: [15:25–16:22]
• Kaden McDonald & DL insights: [16:36–23:36]
• AFC South/Colts & Daniel Jones: [24:46–29:41]
• Astros trade deadline talk: [29:53–35:21]
• Michael Lombardi college football scandal: [36:19–46:34]
• Jalen Petrie on defensive culture: [46:50–47:08]

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Final Thoughts & What to Watch

• Hosts look ahead to continued camp coverage, especially line play and further competition at receiver and defensive end.
• Training camp open to the public on Day 3.
• Continued focus on Texans’ evolving identity under D’Amico Ryans and improvements from last year’s mental lapses.

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This episode is a must-listen for Houston sports fans wanting a detailed, on-the-ground pulse of Texans camp, packed with authenticity, sharp player insights, laughs, and a healthy dose of “inside baseball” on Houston’s pro sports scene.

Transcript

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[Seth Payne]

I Payne and Pendergast with you. Into the 7 o' clock hour we go Sports Radio 610. We are under two weeks away from our station becoming 95. 7 the fan. So that's exciting.

[Matt Pendergast]

What?

[Seth Payne]

James Litford just walked by and he said, hey boys, congratulations on the new stadium.

[Matt Pendergast]

He did.

[Seth Payne]

He did.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah. I acknowledge that he did. Yeah. Listens and for anybody that's just you don't want to get off the AM dial, we'll still be there but we're going to be on FM95.7 and sports

[Seth Payne]

radio 6:10am yeah, it'll be 6:10 the fan.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. So that'll be.

[Matt Pendergast]

Oh, 6:10 the fan.

[Seth Payne]

610 the fan.

[Chris Ballard]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Sports radio 6 August 13th.

[Seth Payne]

Yup. 610 the fan 95 meetings. That's okay. Yeah. You got the high points of it.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

So besides, you know what's annoying me now about our company now that the Odyssey? Apparently they wrote this new, this new movie called the Odyssey. Brand new concept Never been done before.

[Guest or Caller]

Yep.

[Matt Pendergast]

But no, now that the Odyssey is out, I wanted to Google some stuff about the movie or the original Odyssey. The actual. The piece of literature.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

But it keeps autocorrecting to Odyssey.

[Seth Payne]

Your voice to text is. Auto is putting in your employer.

[Matt Pendergast]

So I keep in. I'm trying to search for Odyssey, the movie, and I'm getting info on Mike Meltzer back in 2016. Yeah,

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well, that's not.

[Seth Payne]

That's the. You know what? If that's your employer and that's the thing that annoys you, it could be worse.

[Matt Pendergast]

Meltzer is in my list, though. He's in my top two of co hosts that I've had.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, nice.

[Matt Pendergast]

You're on there.

[Seth Payne]

Who's the other one?

[Matt Pendergast]

You're on there, too.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, that would have sucked.

[Matt Pendergast]

I've only had two. I'm not some hussy like some people that's had. Had a boatload of.

[Seth Payne]

I've had so many. I. Oh, yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Who knows what I'm picking up?

[Seth Payne]

Oh, yeah, it's. Yeah. That's why Seth wears a mask to the show every day. Seth's masking up. My co host has been with a lot of other co hosts. All right, so the theme yesterday. Seth, let's get to emptying your notebook here.

[Matt Pendergast]

The theme for yesterday was that there's a big difference for me between this year and last year early in training camp. And it's. I've noticed a very distinct absence of an utter lack of. Utter sense of despair. I have an utter sense of despair about the offense. And I was. I had been saying things a lot. I caught myself saying a lot like, well, it's a no pads. It's a no pads. What are you going to. Yeah, I don't know for real, until it's notepads. I think a lot of the issues with the offensive line in the last couple of years has been as much mental as it's been physical. So the missed assignments, the miscommunications, some of those things, whether they're wearing pads or not, you could see that you could pick up on it. You have run throughs by unblocked defensive linemen. That's gotten drastically better, like, so that I don't care whether they're wearing pads or not. It just looks like a better, better functioning unit out there. And then also early in camp last year, people were starting to kind of grumble a little bit about, like, I don't know about what's going on with cj. He doesn't seem as accurate as he usually is. We haven't had those discussions. I haven't had any concerns about it again. Look, he's not going to complete 100% of his passes. Nobody does. He's looked like a. He's looked like a competent NFL quarterback in the offense itself around him. Looks confident.

[Seth Payne]

No, last year, the ball was hitting the ground in seven on sevens.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And, you know, and then yesterday, like, he completes and. I know. I know. NFL football is 11 on 11.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I'm saying, like, the basic things. The basic baseline. He is hitting and overachieving now, you

[Matt Pendergast]

know, yesterday, we got to go over. They let us. They walked us around the. We had to walk the entire perimeter to get over to the back corner.

[Seth Payne]

That looked like a lot of work.

[Matt Pendergast]

They don't want to. This grass is pristine. They don't want to mess this up.

[Seth Payne]

I get it.

[Matt Pendergast]

With us in our tennis shoes, you know?

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Meanwhile, I got 300 pounders. No, but it's fun watching Cole Popovich work because. Because, you know, d'. Amico. D' Amico doesn't like his coaches to be all, you know, he wants them to be, like, modern, you know, don't. Don't be a bastard when you're talking to your players.

[Seth Payne]

Said that yesterday. He said the reason our coaches can coach hard is because they connect with our guys as people.

[Matt Pendergast]

Right, right, right, right. But Popovich is like. Popovich is like the movie version of an offensive line.

[Seth Payne]

He's, like, closest to the old school.

[Matt Pendergast]

He. You know, and like every coach, like, d' Ameco always has a couple guys on his staff that, like, all right, they. They get away with doing what they want to do, you know, because they're. They're really good and effective at it. And the. The O lineman, it, like, Popovich is very brusque, but more so than any O line coach I can remember with the Texans. The players gush about him. Yeah. Like, they. They love them. Like, yeah. You can tell that Popovich. There's some coaches that coach that way, and they're just bastards. They. Deep in their soul.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Like, there's some coaches that coach that way, but the players respond to it and like it because they know the guy actually cares about him.

[Seth Payne]

Well, and I think this goes back to. To the types of guys they bring in. You know, d' Ameco and Nick d', Amico, Ryan's Nick Casario. They're pretty meticulous about finding their types of guys. And I think one of the boxes that they check on their types of guys is can they take hard coaching?

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Do they like being coached? You know, do they like being held accountable? That's what's happening over at that position.

[Matt Pendergast]

Well, you know that's. It reminds me a little bit of Alex Gibbs senior back when he was the O line coach that first really brought, helped bring competent offense to the Texans. He was kind of a brusque old school type of guy and it didn't matter if you were, if you were a 10 year veteran, it was the highest played guy in the league. He's going to, he's going to, he's going to let you know exactly what you need to work on. So the offensive line in general, my overall takeaway is that they're much more dialed in mentally. So they're not wearing pads. All right, cool. You're not, there's some things you're just not going to know until they, until they, until they get out there in pads. But they didn't even have a chance to lose a physical battle last year. Like they were like the guys weren't close enough to get beaten physically because they took two steps in the wrong direction. That's improved drastically not just from last training camp but really from the first half of last season. It just looks a lot tighter mentally.

[Seth Payne]

So here was d'. Ameco Ryan's that yeah, it's looked better. And d' Ameco still though, I love this. Like he was still, he was still in the press conference yesterday kind of harping on the things that need to improve with this offense. He said the offense maybe went a little bit backwards in day two.

[John Harris]

The one thing that stood out to me is, you know, we gotta, we had some poor pre snap penalties. We kind of went backwards offensively. So those are some things that stuff stood out where we can clean those things up. Defensively we got to finish on the football better. Had a couple opportunities to take the football away and we did it. So both sides right there got things we can clean up on. Come back tomorrow.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah. And I think, you know, when d' Ameco brought that up I really, I think he was thinking specifically about one period and as it relates to the ones, the first offense, first team offense, it was really just one set of downs where Keelan Rutledge had a fumbled QB center snap exchange. CJ was under center. Then there was a run that went nowhere. Then there was a pre snap penalty that was the first pre snap penalty that I had noticed from the ones. So it was conspicuous because that was the only really ugly period that we'd seen the Texans have, and by and large it looked worse than it did the first day because there were any issues at all. I guess the other part that I wonder about is did they add some complexity to the mix? Because that's where the, that's when things start going wrong, is when you're adding complexity to it. Are you adding some checks where you're using some more motion? Like that's, that's where you start.

[Seth Payne]

This is where, this is where you're allowed to let it go wrong. Best to go wrong in day two of training camp than go wrong in week one against the Buffalo Bills.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, like, by and large, it's been really, really clean. And the O line and the tight ends, especially in their blocking, it's just, it's been very clean and the pre snap part's been very cle.

[Seth Payne]

The running backs have gotten a lot of compliments out here from people. Yeah, go was gushing about Woody Marks yesterday.

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

And I think the biggest thing I've noticed with the running backs, two things really is one, when they're running their zone runs especially, man, if you compare it to Damian Pierce trying to get straightened out and figure out zone runs in the NFL, man, it just looked, it looked sluggish. It looked like he was hesitant to make his reads. You don't see any of that with Montgomery or Woody Marks or even Jaw Jordan.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, they're.

[Matt Pendergast]

They're hitting their, they're hitting their reads and taking that one cut and getting up field really quickly. That's good to see. The, the other thing is that, and this is similar to something we saw last year, but they're getting the running backs involved in the passing game a lot. And it's, and it's in both different aspects of it. There's one, there's some design throws to the quarter to the running backs. There's been some screens that are well executed by the offensive line, but then also just CJ early in the down, especially if it's first or second down, seeing like, all right, I don't like this coverage. Get it to the running back now. Get it to the running back when he's got some time to work and do something with it. And CJ Made progress with that last year, but it's an, it's an ongoing process.

[Seth Payne]

David Montgomery has been a nice, I think for people who, you know, haven't watched David Montgomery, he's done some nice things in the passing game these first couple of practices. He, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. I think, I think, and I know you point this out in the rundown. This is something I've mentioned a couple times too, as we've headed into training camp, is using packages where Woody Marks and David Montgomery are out there at the same time.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

The skill set that both of those guys have give you a real luxury because Woody Marks is ahead of the curve as far as young players go and being able to do everything that allows you to be out there. He's very good in pass pro, he's very smart. Montgomery's been around forever, so we know he's going to be proficient in those things. The fact that they both have kind of a complete all around skill set, really, if they're both out there, there's a lot of mystery that you can provide for the defense. You know, you can keep the defense off balance with the two of them.

[Matt Pendergast]

And I think the one thing about Woody Marks that, you know, a lot of people nationally might not realize because they weren't, you know, the Texans weren't much of a talking point in the first half of the season until they righted the ship from their 03 start. Yeah. Was that when Woody Marks became the number one back, they stopped, you know, working him in as a receiver as much and the focus was in just getting him dialed in in the run game. But yes, obviously he's adept as a receiver, but he's also adept as a pass protector. So with, by rookie standards, he was really good. Like, he was aggressive, he cared about it, he was smart. And that's going to be better this year. But what that does for the offense is, look, you got a young rookie running back or a second year running back who's adept as a receiver, but he can't pass block. It makes it real easy for the defense to know what to worry about. When he's actually adept as a pass protector, then all of a sudden, all right, we don't know exactly should we blitz, and we know we got a guy in there that can help pick up the blitz or Woody can make those decisions, that part of it is really intriguing for Woody Marks.

[Seth Payne]

What has stood out to you with the receiving core so far?

[Matt Pendergast]

Jner Higgins. Okay, stood out Jaden Higgins in both practices. Right. Because he had a really nice catch. He had a nice catch and run. It's already hard to tell. Okay, what do you have, you know, would Jaylen Petrie have made a tackle or would he have broken it or whatever on the first day? But yesterday, the first, the first catchy, the first pass he Caught from CJ was just a beautifully placed ball on the sideline. I don't know if it was a toe tapper or not, but he had to catch it pretty much going, you know, at high speed, out of bounds, and I think for everything that they want out of him and the ability to move him around, use him in the slot. I wouldn't have brought this up because we're not supposed to talk about formations a whole lot, but d' Ameco ended up bringing it up yesterday. Yeah, like we're moving around, we're putting him inside and like he can be that movable chess piece and he's going to be a lot smarter in his second year in this offense.

[Seth Payne]

We've got that right here. Here's d'. Ameco. Ryan's talking about Jaden Higgins, Jayden, I

[John Harris]

put him in the same category. Woody, he's taking that year two jump. You seeing a guy who we're able to move around the formation a little bit more, get him inside the formation, he's making some plays just everywhere we put him. My first play of practice today, around us, a great route. CJ gives him a great ball, just shows his growth, shows a guy you can rely on, guy you can count on, you know, in those current situations. And we're going to need him. We need a guy to step up opposite Nico and be a threat and Jaden can be that guy for us.

[Seth Payne]

And I think we can't overstate this, that this time last year, the inability for CJ Stroud to get on the same page, really with both rookie wide receivers last year, both their second year guys now, Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel, it was tough sledding early on, you know, just the precision was not there between the two.

[Matt Pendergast]

And I think too with, you know, last year when there were concerns about CJ's accuracy in training camp, a lot of that at times was just receivers not being in the right spot. Right. You know, there's some nice, there are some really nice passes. CJ had some curious incompletions last year, but he also had some passes that were actually placed exactly where the receiver should have been. But when it was a rookie or somebody that wasn't quite up to speed on the offense, it looks like an inaccurate pass. We haven't seen as nearly as much of that this year. He threw a really nice pass to Xavier Hutchinson, who was in tight coverage by Jalen Petrie. The other guys that have shown up or the other guy that's shown up a lot from multiple different quarterbacks is Justin Watson.

[Seth Payne]

Yes.

[Matt Pendergast]

So, like the, the back end of the wide receiver depth chart is going to be super competitive. Louis Bonds made a couple nice plays.

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It'll be interesting because we know, we know Nico Higgins, Noel are all making the teams. I think Xavier Hutchinson is probably too. Tank Dell is a mystery right now. Yeah, that's five. Typically, I think they take six. So, yeah, Justin Watson, Lewis Bond, the six rounder, you know, that's. There's some. There's some good competition at the back end of that room.

[Matt Pendergast]

The other guy that keeps showing up with multiple different quarterbacks too is Brevin Jordan.

[State Farm Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

And I guess, you know, tell the

[Seth Payne]

people what you see with Brevin Jordan.

[Matt Pendergast]

Brevin was for one in the boot. Game was really good yesterday. There was a play where Davis Mills had to scramble and extend the play. And I think it was an honest scramble. It wasn't. It wasn't like, you know, he would have been sacked.

[Seth Payne]

Training camp scramble.

[Matt Pendergast]

But he was, he was. He was rolling out to the right and ended up hitting. Hitting Brevin Jordan with a nice pass. And Brevin Jordan made a nice catch. But he's been. He just keeps showing up. There was one.

[Seth Payne]

Is that the one in the end zone?

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, that was.

[Seth Payne]

That was nice.

[Matt Pendergast]

There was one where he was running down the seam and he didn't pull the ball in, but he was open. It was a high pass from Davis Mills. And you know, without the benefit of the replay or anything, I don't know whether I blame Davis or Brevin Jordan on that or both. I think it was probably catchable, but I'm more interested in the fact that he was open down the seam in there too.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

So like, yeah, he's gonna make it interesting. He's got a different skill set than Cade Stover and really the rest, he's got a different skill set than any of the other tight ends and does. But just to keep four tight ends on a roster, that's. That's not typical in the NFL.

[Seth Payne]

You played defensive tackle for 10 years in the NFL. The Texans drafted a defensive tackle in the second round, Kaden McDonald. So we're getting our first look at him. If we flip over to the defensive side of the ball before we get your thoughts on what you're seeing out of Kaden McDonald, who's an important player for this team this season and a very important player for this team over the next few years. Here was Demeko Ryan's yesterday when he was asked how's Kaden McDonald looking so

[John Harris]

far, Kaden really show how strong he is. He's probably one of the strong.

[Gone South Podcast Host]

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[Matt Pendergast]

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[Ana Garcia]

Lemonade.

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[Matt Pendergast]

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[Seth Payne]

That's digitallocalads.com okay, people, lines up starts here.

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[John Harris]

The guys that we have, you see him doing drills. He's knocking the coaches back a lot. Coaches are trying to hold bags and be tough guys. But Kaden is doing a great job of showing the strength that he has. Now. Can he pull it all in and can you consistently play with the proper hand placement, the proper footwork? Every single row?

[Seth Payne]

All right, give us the early scouting report.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, like, no. He is incredibly strong and he's big and he's powerful. He is like, he's physically exactly what he got drafted for. What they're really working on him with right now is his hand placement and just firing off and firing off straight ahead.

[Chris Ballard]

It's.

[Matt Pendergast]

This is, this is very, very normal for a big Guy that's trying to work on his technique. He'll come out of his stance and he's throwing his hands, but he's doing it like straight up in the air, which is awesome. If you're trying to punch out Glass Joe.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Remember when you hit Glass Joe with the undercut.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, dude, he was toast.

[Matt Pendergast]

Right?

[Seth Payne]

Right.

[Matt Pendergast]

Oh, he would knock out Glass Joe in three seconds.

[Seth Payne]

On kids, Mike Tyson's punch out was this game back in the day.

[Matt Pendergast]

I know, but it's hard. Like, when you're working on this stuff, you can see that he's really working at it. The first couple days, I've impressed with his eagerness to be coached with the effort that he's putting in there. He's asking for extra reps, and I think it's all there. I'd really. I can't judge him until they get the pats out. Like him and Keelan Rutledge both. It's going to be fun to watch those two going against each other.

[Digital Local Ads Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Because they're both big, strong, powerful guys that need to refine their technique. But he's. So far, everything I've seen out of Caden McDonald matches what the scouting report would have said of him. I don't like you're. I don't think he's going to get 10 sacks as rookie or anything. He can develop into a guy. I think he will get push in the pocket. And if you look at the Texans defensive tackles, they do a really good job of kind of unselfishly at times, not not giving themselves a chance to get a sack because they're just. They know that their first goal is to push the pocket. And then for defensive tackles, if you're not Warren Sapp or J.J. watt or somebody, it's dicey when you get to that spot where you push the pocket and then you decide to try to try to disengage and get past because you create a running lane. The Texans guys like Tim Settle and Tommy Togi last year, they do a really good job of pushing and then understanding, okay, I gotta wait and see where the quarterback's going. McDonald will be really good at that initially already just because of his size and strength.

[Seth Payne]

You know how he set very high goals for himself. Cade McDonald, he wants to be first team all probably he wants to be defensive rookie of the year. I don't know if this is on his list of accolades he's looking for, but he is on Gennaro Felice of NFL.com's preseason all rookie team.

[State Farm Advertiser]

Ah.

[Seth Payne]

So that's one accolade right there.

[Matt Pendergast]

I think the. It's tough on the. With the Texans because they rotate their defensive linemen so much, and I think he's initially going to be a guy that is in there on first and second down. I liked what Will Anderson said a couple of days ago about his goals are all about, you know, where he wants to get better his technique and everything and not worry about the outside stuff because you don't have a lot of control over the outside stuff and what the voters do or anything. And Will is kind of taking Caden under his wing, so I'm guessing he's having some conversations with him about like, hey, look, man, you could have the. See, for what this team is asking you to do, you could be the best defensive tackle of all time, but you have zero control over whether or not you're going to be first.

[Seth Payne]

No, the old Kaden McDonald is good for radio. When he walks by here, I'm going to pick up my iPad and show him like, hey, Kaden, did you see you made the first team preseason all rookie?

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Stop listening to Will Anderson. Listen to Sean Penrose.

[Matt Pendergast]

You're a loser. Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You could be a radio host someday if you listen to me, Kaden, I know you could make millions of dollars being a defensive tackle, but if you keep saying bombastic things that wind up on the radio, you too can be a hot take artist.

[Matt Pendergast]

The other thing was, you know, Solomon Bird flashed a few times yesterday and he's a guy that's, you know, in the third year of his career and he's got a chance here now with both Derek Barnett and Denico Autry gone, he's got a chance to make the

[Seth Payne]

active roster more consistent at a position of need. Yeah, yeah, you've been saying that the depth of defensive at defensive end Will Anderson in the.

[Matt Pendergast]

They were just. It wasn't one on one pass rush. They were just doing pass rush drills versus dummies. But he did that little Daniel Hunter hop.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. You took a video of it that should terrify the other 31 teams.

[Matt Pendergast]

It was awesome.

[Seth Payne]

Will is adding moves.

[Matt Pendergast]

Beautiful. People accused me of speeding it up. Speeding up the video. No, I said no. Listen to the audio. You can hear Rod Wright's voice on there, just speaking at his normal.

[Seth Payne]

Will Anderson is speeding that video up. Yeah, he's the one doing it.

[Matt Pendergast]

He's adding to his repertoire.

[Seth Payne]

Hey, last thing as we empty out Seth Payne's training camp notebook. We've not talked much about Logan hall, and as long as we're talking about positions of need and versatility and whatnot. His ability to play outside or inside may wind up being big.

[Matt Pendergast]

He is a tall glass of water. Logan Cougs will remember this and I talked to Matt Burke a little bit after practice yesterday and Burke was talking about how he's he liked Logan hall coming out.

[Seth Payne]

Did you guys compare beards?

[Matt Pendergast]

Huh?

[Seth Payne]

Did you compare beards?

[Matt Pendergast]

He's trimmed down his a little bit. He's a little too well manicured, frankly.

[Seth Payne]

So you're the Grizzly Adams of this duo.

[Matt Pendergast]

Well, he's trimmed down too. He's lost some weight in everything looks good. And I was like, man, I was, I was gonna, you need to let your beard go a little bit. Get on my gain about £20 or something.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, gain.

[Matt Pendergast]

But he liked Logan hall coming out of college in that I think his versatility in his ability to play inside or outside is going to be something that they, they can use on a game plan by game plan basis. When they first signed him and d' Ameco had said they're going to start him off on the inside and that makes sense given the scheme that he came out of. They're going to be asking him to do some things at defensive tackle that are different than a lot of what he did in Tampa playing. He can go out and play end on this team and it's going to feel like no big deal at all. So I think a lot of the work is going to be on the inside early on in camp. But he could easily in any given game be playing mostly defensive end or mostly defensive tackle. And he's an impressive looking dude.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. So that's Seth emptying out the notebook, getting you up to speed in a big, big detailed way on what's going on out here at training camp. Let's shift gears for a minute and just take a look inside the AFC South. I would say probably the biggest news involving a non Texans team in the division is the fact that it looks like Daniel Jones is a full go or he is a full go for training camp. This is Daniel Jones earlier this week confirming that.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah, I'm feeling good. Feeling good. I think. Yeah. Plan is to be back in 11, 11 full team drills tomorrow or Wednesday when we start up practice. So be out there with the guys. Excited to get back back rolling but feeling good and rehab has been good to this point. Still some work to do as we get ready for week one, but feeling really good with where I am.

[Matt Pendergast]

All right, you know what, this is annoying me now. Can we cool it down a little bit on the Achilles tendons injury being so easy to come back from these days. The reports out of Colts camp are that he looks mobile. He looks like pre injury Daniel Jones. He's on rollouts and everything. Just looks like it's no big deal. Look, this used to be a death blow. I don't think we can even use Achilles heel as a metaphor anymore. What's my Achilles heel? Oh, you mean that thing. That might be a minor setback, but

[Seth Payne]

I'll come back surgery from and I'll be back in three weeks.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is. But Daniel Jones reportedly so far very early in camp looks like it's this Achilles tenant is no big deal.

[Seth Payne]

Daniel Jones doesn't scare me, man. I know, I know. They were great the first eight or nine games of the season. Last year he was on an MVP track. Daniel Jones is a little like Trevor Lawrence to me. You know, they've been. They're somewhat similar in that they've had these flashes of play. Yeah, they get them paid, right? They get them paid. But Trevor Lawrence is a guy who's played way more bad football than good football. The league has figured him out one time before after a supposed season where he was making the leap.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And Daniel Jones, same thing. He had that big season back in 2022 like just like Trevor Lawrence did in 20. There was the same season in 2022. He was with the Giants. Daniel Jones was. We've just seen this from them before.

[Matt Pendergast]

I'll quote Calum Bullock who last year on Good Morning Football said we got to stop the run. That's their whole offense. The whole offense goes through Jonathan Taylor. He's the best back this year. Once you stop him, we feel like the offense don't have nothing else.

[Seth Payne]

I think that's good analysis by Kalen Bullock.

[Matt Pendergast]

You know, and that's where when I think Shane Steichen has done a really good job getting the most out of guys like Gardner Minshew. And he does, he'll mix in the rpo. He does a whole lot of misdirection and things that keep a defense off balance. But you can only do so much of that before it's all on film. And you know what the little tricks are to try to cover up his weaknesses. And by and large, if you stop Jonathan Taylor, it makes it really difficult. If you stop Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones turns back into a goofy eyed pumpkin.

[Seth Payne]

Yes.

[Matt Pendergast]

You know, pumpkin that looks lost and confused pumpkin.

[Seth Payne]

Yes, he's a goofy eyed pumpkin. Here's Chris Ballard, the GM of the Indianapolis Colts, he was, I guess he's in the last year of his contract and was asked about doing a contract extension with the Colts. Here's what he had to say.

[Chris Ballard]

No, no, I wouldn't do one. I'm in the last year of my deal. We need to win. We need to win.

[Seth Payne]

Okay.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, that's, you know, that's some self awareness. You need to win a. You need to make the playoffs or win a playoff.

[Seth Payne]

It's. When you look at the body of work of the Colts over the last decade, he got there in 2017 or 2018, around there about the same time Frank Reich got there. It's incredible that he's lasted as long as he has at the G as the gm, that they've won one playoff game and it was right across the street here at NRG Stadium back in 2018.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And it's almost like he got a pass for a few years after Andrew Luck up and retired unexpectedly. That was in 2019.

[Matt Pendergast]

Sean. They haven't. They haven't before, COVID Sean, they haven't. Guess when the last time they won the division was.

[Seth Payne]

2021. I think they won the division.

[Matt Pendergast]

2014.

[Seth Payne]

20. Okay. 2021. They made the playoffs.

[Matt Pendergast]

They made the playoffs with the nine and eight record.

[Chris Ballard]

Okay.

[Matt Pendergast]

Second that year.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the Carson Wentz year.

[Matt Pendergast]

Like they used to own this division. They did, you know.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

It was early days. Yeah. 2014 was the last time they won the division.

[McDonald's Advertiser]

Wow.

[Seth Payne]

And I'm in the play. Last playoff game they won was here. Right. They haven't won a playoff game since 2018.

[Matt Pendergast]

They lost a wild card game in 2020.

[Seth Payne]

Okay.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, so they. Yeah, so they lost a wild card game. So last one they won was here. Yeah. So Chris Ballard will not do an extension. Okay. So if they offer. You telling me, Chris Ballard, they offer you a multi year extension for tens of millions of dollars, you're going to say no because you got to win this year.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah. Sorry. You were right, by the way. The last one they won was in 2020.

[Chris Ballard]

They won.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

But they won that. They made the playoffs in 2020, but they didn't win a game.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. All right, Payne and Pendergast with you on a. On a Friday here. Let's shift gears over the Astros for a little bit. All right, so the Astros are 55 and 55. They are back to.500. They're a half game out in this horrible division that they're in.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

55 and 55 in late July get you a half game out of first place. Okay. So as we handicap the as we handicap Monday, which is the trade deadline. Trade deadline is 5 o' clock Monday afternoon. I think the chances of them making a deal that is a seller's deal is practically 0%. I think there's a 0% chance that the Astros are going to be trading a foundational everyday player or a pitcher in their rotation or a key bullpen piece to another team. Everybody who fits that description right now is going to be on this team come August 4th, the day after the trade deadline. Yeah, I feel strongly about that. So I think they're either in buy or hold mode right now.

[Matt Pendergast]

Right, right. And this is where I don' I was trying to examine myself and see, ask if I'm just being a punk or if I'm just being too passive about this. I would be totally comfortable with a hold mode with the philosophy that, man, these guys who are either coming off the IL over the last month and or, you know, coming back into form. The way that Pena has been playing specifically has just been a revelation that it doesn't feel like a typical. It wouldn't have felt like in 2017 when, you know, Kaiko was PO'd. They didn't make a move at the trade deadline because there are a lot of things that have just happened organically on this team that make them a better baseball team than they were in the first couple months of the season.

[Seth Payne]

There are. And, well, the fact of the matter is, too, they're just not a good enough baseball team for anybody to be any. Anybody in the clubhouse to be complaining about them not making trades like Kaiko. When Kykal did that, they were in first place. You could tell they were on pace to go in 100 games that year. So, you know, the front office is going to do what they're going to do. Look, Jim Crane is somebody who has a history of making at least some moves anywhere from somewhat aggressive to very aggressive moves. Here is. Here's Ken Rosenthal earlier this week of Fox and of MLB TV saying that the Houston Astros are the cockroaches of baseball.

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[Matt Pendergast]

They have won five of six, and as Chandler Rome writes today in the Athletic, they're not going to sell.

[Digital Local Ads Advertiser]

There have been all these stories about

[Matt Pendergast]

them selling early on.

[Digital Local Ads Advertiser]

Jordan Alvarez and more recently, Josh Hader and Jeremy Pena.

[Matt Pendergast]

No, not happening was never going to happen.

[Jimmy Conrad]

All right?

[Seth Payne]

So it was never going to happen. The Jordan thing, I believe, was never Going to happen. Painting, I think so, too. Painting, I think, is a little more nuanced situation, just given his contract.

[Matt Pendergast]

Was there even any actual. The Yordan thing? He's acting like the Yordon stuff was never gonna happen. Like, I don't know what. I don't think anybody really. Was that the Yordon thing?

[Seth Payne]

No, it was. That was all people on his network doing hypotheticals. Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

I think he's tearing down a straw, man.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Beating the crap out of that strawman.

[Seth Payne]

Or stupid co workers that were trying to get Jordan Alvarez up and out of here.

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So. So I think if I had a guess, I would say there's. There's going to be a deal made. Just because there's always a deal made with the Astros.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

To me, it's just got to be. And they used to do this back when Luna was the gm, too. I mean, there was, you know, Kyle Tucker was untouchable in trade talks back when Kyle Tucker was a prospect.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

They need to have a hard freeze on, you know, the tippy top prospects. And most of those guys are down in a ball right now. Like, it's the. It's the lower. Lower levels of the minor league system that people are getting excited about with the Astros. So it's so weird, though, the starting pitching, because they've got, like, eight guys that at various times this year have done things where you go, okay, he could. Imai's a perfect example. There was a few weeks ago where I was saying to you after Imai had a few good starts, he's their number two guy behind Hunter Brown. Yeah. Now here we are. And now here we are.

[Matt Pendergast]

There's a time where Mike Burroughs was going to be the guy.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

I mean, there was a time when, you know, Peter Lambert was DFA'd because we got all these other guys.

[Seth Payne]

He's your number two starter right now.

[Matt Pendergast]

Look at all these other guys. Why would we keep Peter Lambert around? Well, we were.

[Seth Payne]

We were. I can't remember if it was when you were out or. I just remember having a conversation with somebody, like, what would. If they make the wild card round, what does the pitching situation look like? And the first. It's two out of three. So the first two games are easy. Hunter Brown's your one and Peter Lambert's your two. Based on where we sit right now, like, if the series had to take place tomorrow. So if they split those first two games, then who's number three? And the answer is everybody. I think you just do a bullpen game in number Three, you throw Christian Javier out there to start the game. And if he shows any signs that the invisible is not working or he's putting guys on base, you're in now, Eric, Eddie, or whoever it is. Yeah, you know, it's like, I think that's.

[Jimmy Conrad]

I.

[Seth Payne]

If you had to play a wild card round series starting this Monday, I think that's what they would do. It's Hunter Brown, it's Peter Lambert, and then who the hell knows what? Unless they make a trade for a pitcher. And the Athletic has a big board of the top 60 trade targets, they've got the Astros listed in the top three possibilities for no fewer than about 10 different starting pitchers of various levels. Not probably the best or at least the biggest name they've got. The Astros being in for would be Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, who started to pitch like the Cy Young guy that he is lately. Like, they don't have him in there for school ball or Joe Ryan from Minnesota, but they've got the Astros on that big board listed as one of three teams for a slew of starting pitchers.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So I think that's. If we see something, it'll be for like a back end of the rotation type starting pitcher. But it's a big weekend, man. Big weekend. I think they could get swept by the Rangers and still be buying on Monday. That's how. That, that's. That's how motivated I think they are. All right, coming up next. Oh, we haven't gotten to this yet. The, the biggest story so far in the offseason leading into the college football season is one of the, one of the funnier stories, especially when you hear people talk about this guy who just got put on administrative leave. We've not touched on this story on the show.

[Matt Pendergast]

We need to do that. It's got relations with a lot of current Texan staff.

[Seth Payne]

Indeed. Yes, yes. Six degrees of the New England Patriots. We'll do that coming up. All right, final segment. We'll hand things over to John Harris and Mark Vandermeer, day three of training camp. We'll hear from Jalen Petrie in just a little bit as well. What's been going on on the defensive side of the ball through his eyes. We've not talked about this Michael Lombardi story yet this week.

[Matt Pendergast]

The GM of unc.

[Seth Payne]

Well, the currently administrative leave GM of

[Matt Pendergast]

unc still technically the GM of UNC football.

[Seth Payne]

He is. He was presumably still getting a job.

[Matt Pendergast]

Highest paid GM in college football. $1.5 million.

[John Harris]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And according to Bruce Feldman, the worst general manager not just in college football. Yeah, but across collegiate sports. This is Bruce Feldman of both Fox and the Athletic on his podcast. If you missed it, Michael Lombardi's in place, not administrative leave for a reported HR issue. There's also issues with that clearinghouse the NCAA has created for NIL deals that he's in the crosshairs with as well. So he's got stuff going on with the nil and he's got stuff going on, it seems like, inside the building at North Carolina.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah. So I don't know what the HR issue is. I don't know. I haven't like fact checked this at all, but at least one person who was doing some sleuthing said that.

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[Jimmy Conrad]

as the U.S. men's National Team takes center stage at a home World Cup. Make sure you're listening to Call it what you want, part of the CBS Sports Podcast Network where you can join Me, I'm Jimmy Conrad alongside Charlie Davies, Tony Miola, Marcelo Balboa, and Benny Fieldhaver throughout this tournament for previews, instant reactions and analysis of every US Match. Then all summer, we're back every Tuesday and Thursday covering all things U.S. men's National Team. Download and follow Call it what yout Want on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Matt Pendergast]

He had liked a thirst trap photo on Instagram.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, okay.

[Matt Pendergast]

So maybe this is a little bit of an indicator.

[Guest or Caller]

Okay.

[Matt Pendergast]

We don't know. We don't know.

[Seth Payne]

We don't know. The school has spoken on thing I

[Matt Pendergast]

would advise for anybody who's working in academia, including just, you know, sports at a college department is don't. Don't do that.

[Seth Payne]

Yes. Here's the statement the school put out yesterday. This is courtesy of Bruce Feldman, who we're going to hear from in a second. As a result of concerns beyond allegations that led to the personnel action regarding Michael Lombardi announced on July 27, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through its Office of University Council, is in the process of investigating this matter. Because this involves confidential personnel issues, the university will not comment on the nature of the allegations and or discuss personnel information. So they're basically saying, we ain't saying nothing. There's something going on. We ain't saying nothing. Bruce Feldman says they ain't gonna miss the guy that much. He's the worst at his job in all of collegiate sports.

[Bruce Feldman]

You are being very kind. He is without question the worst general manager in college sports.

[Tostitos Advertiser]

Also the highest.

[Bruce Feldman]

Not even close. He should be getting his paycheck with a ski mask on. I'm sorry. He, like, this is such a staggering amount of ineptitude in the job he's had for Bill Belichick. Right. And I go back to the big story we did last year, and he was a focal point of it. It's the arrogance, it's the abrasiveness. I mean, there's a lot of qualities that have rubbed people the wrong way for a long time, but Bill Belichick has been one of the people who has been in his corner. And the fact that Bill Belichick trusted him to have the most important job of anybody he could hire, and it has blown up in his face and North Carolina's face spectacularly.

[Seth Payne]

This is one of the strangest blind Spots of any highly competent person that I can think of in sports. Bill Belichick's Michael Lombardi fetish.

[Matt Pendergast]

He's had him just in various plays ill with the Browns and with the Patriots. And when Lombardi, you know, was. Didn't get any more chances at GM anymore, he was like, always in some weird position with the Patriots where he was almost like a football. I think he was like a football historian because he knows a lot of stuff. He's like one of those old school football sports nerds that can just pull up all kinds of random data and everything in his brain. I think. I think Belichick liked having him around just to tell him stories or he was like the little fella in Game of Thrones there.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, Tyrion.

[Matt Pendergast]

Tyrion, yeah. He was like Tyrion. He might not actually be all that competent, but he knows. He knows things. And. But. But Belichick going to unc. You get this sense that there was this level of arrogance that, like, Belichick had a well earned arrogance in the NFL. Like, all right, yeah. Yep. What are we gonna do, argue with you?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

But all these stories, it sounds like they got to UNC and acted like, wow, we're gonna show you guys how it's done. With zero regard for all of the difficulties and intricacies of college recruiting. Working with young people, not to mention the rules and regulations and all of that. They just looked wholly unprepared for it. And meanwhile, Belichick's got his much younger girlfriend running around in charge of stuff. He's hiring every family member he can to his staff.

[State Farm Advertiser]

I know.

[Matt Pendergast]

Like, it just.

[Seth Payne]

It's. I don't want it to end.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I don't want it to end. It's such a train wreck.

[Bruce Feldman]

They gotta.

[Matt Pendergast]

They gotta beat somebody other than an FCS team this year if you want that to happen.

[Seth Payne]

I know.

[Matt Pendergast]

10 million a year. 10 million a year. They're paying for this.

[Seth Payne]

A million. Michael, who's.

[Matt Pendergast]

Who's been more of an extreme flameout so far. Urban Meyer going to the NFL or Bill Belichick going to college.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, boy. That's a good one. That's a good one.

[Matt Pendergast]

I like both of those guys because what I've long maintained is that look, and this is one of the reasons it's so hard to evaluate college quarterbacks. They're two different sports. They are different sports. It might as well be cricket and baseball. They've got a lot of similarities, but, man, the differences in the college game are so much different. And then when you factor in all of the transfer portal and nil and everything else that goes into it. It's not just so simple that, you know, it's like an IndyCar driver, if all of a sudden he jumps into a stock car, he's not going to be the best stock car driver in the world all of a sudden. There's a lot of differences.

[Seth Payne]

This is your question. You asked me about who's the bigger flame out, Urban Meyer with Jacksonville or Bill Belichick with North Carolina? I am going to dig into that this weekend because it's a great question. My gut tells me that it's Urban Meyer and it might not even be that close.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Urban Meyer didn't make it through the full season. Urban Meyer tried to bring in Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer. From all accounts, it seems like the kids at North Carolina actually kind of enjoy playing for Belichick there.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It didn't seem like the Jaguars enjoyed all that much playing for Urban Meyer.

[McDonald's Advertiser]

Well.

[Matt Pendergast]

And Belichick has made it through a full year.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

That's the biggest difference.

[Seth Payne]

Urban Meyer had off the field stuff, too. He didn't fly home with the team after a Thursday night game so he could stay in Ohio, go to Columbus and start and get a lap dance

[Matt Pendergast]

from a work associate.

[Seth Payne]

Feeling up a work associate.

[Matt Pendergast]

She was more feeling him up, but he wasn't stopping her.

[Seth Payne]

I don't know. She was sitting on his head.

[Matt Pendergast]

His hands were to the side. He was following. He was acting like he was at a club and he had to follow the rules.

[Seth Payne]

Go back and look at the replay. I don't. Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Conrad]

Either.

[Matt Pendergast]

Grinding up against him right as he was sitting on that tall chair.

[Seth Payne]

He wasn't saying no. Yeah, he wasn't saying no.

[Matt Pendergast]

But. No, I think the. That whole dynamic of Belichick thinking that he was going to come in and just show everybody how it's done, that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

[Seth Payne]

Michael Lombardi said we're the 33rd NFL team.

[Matt Pendergast]

Right. And they would go on to have zero players drafted to the NFL.

[Seth Payne]

Exactly. Right.

[Matt Pendergast]

Nobody was having a discussion about, like, hey, could UNC beat the Browns?

[John Harris]

Right.

[Jimmy Conrad]

What do you think?

[Matt Pendergast]

You guys think UNC could beat the Browns?

[Seth Payne]

And if you. And if you and Seth think we're being over the top or extreme, just know, go Google it. Every year there's somebody that says Georgia could be the worst team in the NFL. Somebody says it. It's not true.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

They couldn't.

[Matt Pendergast]

We haven't had this discussion with UNC.

[Seth Payne]

No. No.

[Matt Pendergast]

Despite them being the 33rd team, they're on the.

[Seth Payne]

They're on the other end. They're like, could Mohler High School in Cincinnati beat North Carolina?

[Matt Pendergast]

You know what? One of the things about Belichick's book that I didn't like and I enjoyed his book, I thought. I really liked a lot of the parts of Belichick's book, but I could see the fingerprints of Michael Lombardi in the book, because there were times where it was kind of like, you know, Belichick's telling some cool stories, talking about film, you know, you know, building a team and all of that and a culture. But then here and there, there'd be sprinkled in like, hey, actually, this is a business advice book. And. Or at the end of one chapter, it was like, so for young people looking for a job or whatever, I'm like, oh, that's Lombardi, man. Lombardi had a talk with him about, like, hey, if you want to make this marketable to the masses, you got to be able to.

[Digital Local Ads Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Matt Pendergast]

Turn it into a keynote presentation to a Fortune 500 company.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, you're talking to C level. Sweet people out there. All right, so we got about a minute or so to go here. No, to get our game face back on before day three of practice. Here's Jalen Petrie yesterday talking about. This defense is about precision and swarming.

[Chris Ballard]

From the first play we step out there in a preseason game, it's about pure execution and energy. Like, are we swarming or not? It's really black and white with us. Black and white with coach d', Amico and, yeah, it's one standard. So if we're not living up to it, it's going to be known, and we got to get it fixed.

[Seth Payne]

All right, see, that's the motivational speech I need before we get out of here today. Seth, we are all about precision and swarming when we cover day three of practice and day four tomorrow. You know, there's practice tomorrow.

[Matt Pendergast]

There's practice tomorrow morning, 9am and then there's no practice. Isn't the one tomorrow is open to the public?

[Seth Payne]

Yes. First one.

[John Harris]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Yeah. If you got tickets out. Tickets for tomorrow's practice, and you see us out here, be sure to wave and say hello.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah. If you see Sean, grab them.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, grab me.

[Matt Pendergast]

Yeah, grab him and take a selfie.

[Seth Payne]

Grab me and hug me and. Yeah, let's take a selfie together. That'll be fun.

[Matt Pendergast]

You guys are in for a good show because Vandermeer is Either praying or he's deep in contemplation.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, he is, though. He's filming something.

[Matt Pendergast]

Oh, he was filming.

[Seth Payne]

He's filming something now. He just flexed.

[Matt Pendergast]

I thought he was doing that thing of that coach that kneels and grabs the grass on the sideline and.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I like his shirt that he's got on, too.

[Matt Pendergast]

You guys are in for a show with Vandermeer and John.

[Seth Payne]

Indeed. Indeed. All right, so what are you gonna be watching for today?

[Matt Pendergast]

Today, I actually am gonna start to try to zero in on the offensive and defensive line more, even though there are no pads. I've been just. I've been watching. I've been watching all the fantasy league players out there. I want to get back down into the trenches.

[Seth Payne]

Nice, nice.

[Matt Pendergast]

I won't be distracted. Gonna have my blinders on.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, good, good. Yeah. So we got you covered out here all day long. Hey, quick reminder, too, for those of you I know there's still some of you coming back from vacation, we will be Sports Radio 610 August 13th Circle at 8am 957. The fan is born on August 13th. So we'll be out here all day long today. Mark Vandermeer and John Harris. Got you next. John Lopez, Reggie Attitula. After that, they'll have players coming off the field here as well later on. So have a great weekend out there and enjoy the rest of the day. Seth Antibodies.

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[Gone South Podcast Host]

Gone south has been a podcast about crime in the American south, but for

[Matt Pendergast]

our new season, we're widening the lens.

[Gone South Podcast Host]

Follow and listen to Gone south season

[Matt Pendergast]

wherever you get your shows.