Which Texans players have the most to prove in their preseason matchup Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers? In The Loop's John Lopez and Figgy Fig discuss it here.
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00:00All right, I got a question for you guys. 713-572-4610. Figgy, you, Chris, you. We know
00:07now that the Texans are going to play their starters. Maybe, we don't know exactly how long.
00:12I'm thinking a couple series, maybe. We'll see. But we're going to get something out of it, man.
00:16Like, we're going to get something out of it. And there are a lot of guys that
00:21maybe have something to prove. And I'm not talking about those guys right now. I started thinking
00:25about, like, which Texas player has the most to prove, could do the most for themselves
00:31on Friday night. To me, there is a right answer. And I'll give you mine right now. I'm going to
00:35get you guys. Because you can talk about, oh, hell, Kenyon Green. You know, you can talk about
00:44any number of guys on this squad that you'd like to. Hell, Cade Stover. I'd like to see what he
00:49can do. Maybe take a big step. But I'm talking about one guy that has the most to prove. I don't
00:54know if you agree or disagree. We might have the same one. We might. And I'm going to give it away
01:01here. Because Joe Mixon is out. He ain't going to play. Dario Gumbawale, we know what he's going to
01:09be. And he might be even better. He's shown a little bit in the first preseason game. Cam Akers,
01:16maybe. I don't know. We'll see. I don't know how much they're going to use him. JJ Taylor,
01:21I don't know what your expectation would be. The right answer is Damian Pearce.
01:27That's mine.
01:28Chris?
01:30I like that one. But I'm going to go with Jalen Petrie.
01:35That's another one we're going to get to that was on the list. But here's the thing about Damian
01:39Pearce. You know, we talked yesterday about what if this defense is really, really good? Like,
01:43not just good, but really, really good. What if Damian Pearce is 2022 Damian Pearce? And you got
01:51that and Joe Mixon.
01:53I think that solves the running back concerns. Because I've been saying it from the beginning,
01:59I think you need that one-two punch. I think everybody does. To me, I don't believe
02:05in workhorses. Like, this ain't Derrick Henry. I think you need that one-two punch. And if you
02:11had Joe Mixon with 2022 Damian Pearce, I think that's a solid one-two punch.
02:18I think it's more than solid.
02:19Yeah.
02:20Especially with the receivers and CJ and Mixon coming out of the backfield. Who knows if Pearce
02:24is going to improve coming out of the backfield as a receiver or not. But Super Bowl teams have
02:29a one-two punch. Like, a good one.
02:31Yeah.
02:31Cam Akers will tell you all about it.
02:33Yeah.
02:33You know, the Rams had plenty.
02:36Yeah. And even outside the Super Bowl teams, I look at a team like the Baltimore Ravens.
02:40Yeah.
02:41I feel like they have four or five dudes that just come in where I'll be like, who the hell is that?
02:46Yeah. And this dude breaking off a 20-yard run.
02:48Like, who is that?
02:50Yeah. Some days you won't see Gus Edwards or whoever they had.
02:54Yeah.
02:54Somebody else just... I like that type of style, man. I think it's only a few running
02:59bats that you can lean on as a workhorse.
03:02Yep.
03:02But I think, man, I don't want to do that to Joe Mixon, man. I know some people look at him...
03:07And he can do it. He's done it in the past.
03:10He could.
03:10But boy, if he doesn't have to...
03:12Yeah, man. If I can last longer in the NFL just by having a number two behind me who can...
03:19Take the load off of me, pause. And I think that's a good thing to have.
03:24Yeah. I mean, if it's third and one, and Pierce can be a reliable guy.
03:29Fourth and goal, and Pierce can be a reliable guy.
03:33Like, everything...
03:34Obviously, we're going to be watching everything on Friday night.
03:37And we're going to, you know, take our notes and see who's doing...
03:39You know, who's up, who's down, who looks good, who doesn't look good.
03:42I'm going to be watching Damien Pierce more than anybody else.
03:45This was D'Amico on Damien.
03:47Damien has done a great job since the spring.
03:49I just see a guy who has a clear mind, fast feet.
03:53He's playing decisive, right? I mean, he's explosive.
03:56So you're back to seeing that rookie Damien who can gain a lot of yards for us.
04:01And he has a physical mindset to him that I really love.
04:05Love how he finishes the runs.
04:06I'm excited to see him play on Friday to see...
04:09So everyone can see, right?
04:10Right.
04:11This new slash old Damien, how he was his rookie year.
04:15Dude, like he can't...
04:16I mean, that's almost over the top.
04:19Like he's going to be...
04:21I could see that rookie Damien Pierce, the new slash old Damien Pierce.
04:26I mean, that flat out, I heard that yesterday.
04:28And I'm like, okay, I'm excited.
04:30Yeah, no, that would be the perfect Damien Pierce.
04:32And I know in 2022, Damien Pierce was doing his thing.
04:37But like, I was scared to kind of lean into Damien Pierce
04:41because that was a fourth round pick.
04:44He wasn't like this first or second round pick.
04:50And he didn't play that...
04:51He didn't play that many snaps or had that many carries at Florida.
04:55Yeah.
04:55So I think this role is the perfect ideal role for Damien Pierce to be that number two
05:03and probably knock off about 10, 12 carries, man.
05:07And take the load off of Joe Mixon.
05:10And if he can be that 2022 Damien Pierce,
05:14It's on, man.
05:15I'm not really worried about Joe Mixon as much.
05:18Of course, I want him healthy.
05:19Yeah.
05:20But I don't want to lean on Damien Pierce when Joe Mixon is not healthy.
05:24And we got 2023 Damien Pierce.
05:26That's not good.
05:28He got benched.
05:29Yeah.
05:29Or he got out of the starting lineup.
05:31Yeah.
05:32It was rolling with Darre.
05:33They were rolling with Darre in key situations.
05:36So like, that's it for me.
05:38We're going to get some other possibilities here.
05:39But Damien Pierce says he's feeling better, man.
05:42How's the body feel?
05:43You're not getting tackled and taking the ground, but you are taking shots.
05:45You're being blitzed.
05:47Who ain't getting tackled?
05:48We're tackling out here.
05:49We tackle every day.
05:50I go to the ground every day.
05:53So how does the body feel once you're getting tackled?
05:55My body's fine, man.
05:58I guess I'm going to call it brotherly love, man.
05:59They showing me some tough love out here.
06:01You know, getting my body ready for the season.
06:03So Friday won't be too much of a soccer, I guess.
06:06I guess that's the only good thing I get from it.
06:07But yeah, man, my body feeling good.
06:09Anytime I feel anything, little happens, whether it's a bruise, whether I'm sore.
06:13You know, I'm on top of it with Roe and the staff.
06:16They do a great job of making sure, you know, they're on top of things.
06:18And we got a great communication line with those guys.
06:21So, you know, the training room is always open.
06:23They're always here for us.
06:24Same thing with Coach Mike and his staff.
06:25You know, we're always doing, we're always taking preventative measures.
06:28You know, we're doing stretches.
06:29We was in the pool the other day.
06:30Like, the way we work out.
06:31Like, and they always track our steps.
06:33Like, hey, DPU was a little high today.
06:35You know, we're going to look out for you in the lift.
06:37Or, you know, we're not doing these jumps S-Y-Z.
06:39You know, they always cater to us.
06:40And that's one thing I can appreciate from the strength staff and the ATR guys.
06:44You know, they take care of us.
06:45And they let us just go out and play ball, man.
06:47They take all the thinking out of it when it comes to our body.
06:49Because they are not out of that tent.
06:50They already got something planned for us.
06:52And we just follow their rules.
06:53And we should come out here and play fast, man.
06:55All right.
06:56You probably don't want to tell the NFL PA about all that tackling stuff.
07:00But that's Texans All Access.
07:02Obviously, John Harris.
07:04And, you know, he's talking about the physical thing there and feeling right.
07:08But it's a mental thing with him.
07:10It's grasping the offense.
07:12And D'Amico, you know, talking about what he's seeing out there.
07:15That tells me he's grasping the offense.
07:17Yeah.
07:18Yeah.
07:18And this will be year two for Damian Pierce in this offense.
07:23And I think he said last year or earlier this year how
07:28last season was the best season of his career, I guess, from a mental standpoint.
07:34Yeah.
07:34He learned what he had to do.
07:35Yeah.
07:35And so if he learned this offense, if he's okay mentally and accept his role as a number two,
07:44I think that's a good thing, man.
07:47And I don't think he have to have the same exact year as his first year.
07:52But if he can be playable and somebody that we feel comfortable with
07:57back there when Joe Mitzen is on the side or if Joe Mitzen had to miss a game,
08:02then Damian Pierce is starting.
08:04And we're fine with that.
08:06I think that's a great thing, man.
08:08Yeah, it absolutely is.
08:11One more from Damian Pierce here, though, because
08:14this is about Friday night's game specifically what we want to see.
08:18Oh, man.
08:18I think I'm speaking on behalf of everybody, man.
08:20We're ready to, you know, get out on the field and just go live.
08:23Just have some live reps like Coach Mikko said, man.
08:25It's kind of hard to prepare for the season if you haven't got, you know, real life football,
08:29real life speed, game reps, and just seeing how that timing looks in real time
08:33and seeing how those cuts look, how those run lanes feel, how pass blocking feel.
08:37You know, I think it's a good opportunity for everybody to get those live reps
08:40and, you know, prepare for September.
08:42That's the story.
08:43That's the story.
08:44How's he going to read the blocks?
08:45How's he going to make those cuts?
08:47It's a different world.
08:48Any player will tell you when they get into that zone blocking scheme.
08:52And he lived it.
08:53Like, he couldn't do it last year.
08:54So if he can do it this year, like, no question, I'm going to, you know,
08:58all eyes on Damian Pierce on Friday night.
09:00But if he can do it, you know, total game changer.
09:03Who are you more confident in having a better bounce back season?
09:06Petrie or Pierce?
09:09Uh, Pierce.
09:10A hundred percent.
09:11Me too.
09:11How about you, Chris?
09:13I'm gonna go with Pierce.
09:14Yeah.
09:14Just, just feel like the running back position just,
09:17it just seems a little bit more easier for him to, you know.
09:21I think also he's, he's admitted it.
09:24Like, like he, he, earlier when we had him on and we talked to him during training camp,
09:28he's like, yeah, man, I, I had to learn my lesson last year.
09:32Yeah.
09:32That's a big step.
09:33Yeah.
09:34Just knowing it.
09:34I agree.
09:35And he mentioned it during the season.
09:37Remember it was after a post game show.
09:39He was on the, he was on the post game show with Sean Pendergast and
09:43he, he had probably one of the greatest quotes.
09:45Um, I seen the Texans player have, and he admitted he, he was completely honest with
09:52himself during that, about that season.
09:54So, um, I, I have more faith in Damian Pierce right now than Jalen Petrie.
10:00I'm not sure what they're doing with Jalen Petrie.
10:01They moving them to the nickel and all that stuff.
10:04So to me, I felt like Petrie is more of a man without a country right now.
10:10It's like, like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, if it got a Lonnie Johnson feel to it,
10:15where they move them from safety to nickel and then back to safety and all this other
10:21stuff, it seemed like they trying to find a fit with him.
10:24And I think Damian Pierce knows his fit and he just got to execute it.
10:30I think Damian Pearson, this is where we're going to talk about other candidates like
10:33Petrie.
10:34Chris says he thinks Petrie, you know, might be the guy with the most, uh, who has to show
10:39the most on Friday.
10:41Uh, I think Damian Pierce, it's all about upside.
10:44I think his upside is legitimately really, really good.
10:47We've seen it.
10:48We've seen him really, really good at his best, you know, whatever, however many yards
10:52eight, 900 and something, or whatever it was as a rookie, but Petrie's on the list.
10:57Uh, I don't know if I have the confidence that, and we've seen him make plays.
11:01I mean, you know, obviously the, you know, all the big plays he made as a rookie and
11:04all that, but I don't think it was the same as Damian Pierce.
11:07Like I, I know Petrie would be on this list and he is for me too, Chris, but, uh, but
11:12I don't expect him to like, take that big leap, you know?
11:17Yeah.
11:17I don't, I don't know who else would be on the list.
11:20Like, like, and somebody on the text board mentioned John Medjie, no expectation for
11:24John Medjie other than make the team and maybe contribute.
11:28Yeah.
11:28He's not going to help you win big time.
11:30Yeah.
11:31I do think if he, if he do step up, I do think that's found money right there, but you got
11:37a lot of people ahead of him.
11:38And does he have to, does he have the most to put?
11:40No, because they've got, they got, they got their guys.
11:44Yeah.
11:44So with, or without him, they're going to be fine.
11:46I don't think you depending on John Medjie, but you, I think you are depending on Damian
11:52Pierce, especially if, um, if, if Joe Mixon is not fully healthy and it looked like he's
11:59not really fully healthy right now.
12:00So you're going, you're going to have to depend on Damian Pierce at some point, even Petrie,
12:05you don't have to depend on Petrie at some point, but I don't, I don't know about Mitch.
12:09I think they'd be fine without Mitch.
12:11I actually have one go ahead, Chris, with the, with the Pierce things, especially if
12:14you want to make a deep playoff run, you're going to want to have healthy running backs
12:19and you want to have another guy that can contribute like Pierce.
12:22So that's why, I mean, I, I understand with, with the whole Pierce thing.
12:25So I I'm with y'all with Pierce as well.
12:28Yeah, no.
12:29And you know, somebody had put up a Petrie though, even because it's so important,
12:34especially in this offense.
12:36And that's, uh, that's cased over like, like, uh, by the way, I guess yesterday, uh, Brevin
12:42Jordan and Katoriano did not practice.
12:45Um, like the most to prove you could obviously argue Brevin Jordan too.
12:51Cause he's been up and down.
12:52He's had some, some signs of, of this or that, but I think the biggest upside, the guy that
12:56could be like a big time contributor, like a, like a Damian Pierce, like if he's real
13:01good, all of a sudden everything changes.
13:03I think that's cased over.
13:04I think so too.
13:05And that's somebody they kind of missed last season because, uh, Katoriano wasn't healthy
13:11last year and Brevin Jordan, he was, he was up and down and I wouldn't even put him in
13:16that position of, uh, uh, I guess a traditional tight end.
13:20Yeah.
13:20But if you could get, uh, some decent production from a case over, I think that's really good,
13:26man.
13:27If he's another option and you go to tight ends and then you got, let's say it all, it
13:31all comes together.
13:32You got those three wide receivers.
13:34You got Pierce, you know, being something of a monster, like it was, uh, uh, as a rookie,
13:39then you got two tight ends.
13:40Yeah.
13:40Like that.
13:41Yeah.
13:42I mean, no, we cooking now and we're having some fun.
13:45Yeah.
13:46Yeah.
13:46No, I think Stover, I think that's a, um, he can be kind of like, I want to say like
13:51Pierce was in his rookie year, but somebody you drafted in the four for a fifth round,
13:56whatever round he was drafted and who can be another option, like a good option.
14:02Yeah.
14:02I think that's, that's a good thing.
14:04Even Kenyon green is not a must.
14:06Like, you know, he's not a must.
14:09You, you, you've got options.
14:11Uh, it would be great, but I don't think it's in the same category as like Pierce.
14:15No, it's not.
14:16I think right now with, uh, Kenya green, if he could just hold his side and just be available
14:22for 16 games, 17 games and, and just be decent.
14:27I think that's a good thing.
14:28Like I said, early, I threw out the first round pick.
14:31I threw that out the window.
14:33Yeah.
14:33If you could just be available and just do your thing right there, you ain't gotta be
14:37all pro.
14:38You ain't gotta be make no probos.
14:40If you could just be there and just, you know, handle your business, then I think that's,
14:45that's a win right there.
14:47I got one more, uh, that I think is a must, but I don't know his name.
14:52I'm serious.
14:53Like, like, I think there's a must out there, but I don't know his name.
14:57Some linebacker, give me a linebacker, give me a Blake Cashman.
15:03But like, we didn't have expectations for Blake Cashman.
15:06Is it Neville Hewitt?
15:07Doubtful.
15:07Uh, is it toe toe?
15:10Maybe, maybe, uh, is it Jake Hanson?
15:15Maybe.
15:16Yeah.
15:16Like to me, it's a must.
15:18You get another linebacker that steps up.
15:20Yeah.
15:20Maybe that's where the D'Amico Ryan's pixie dust can come around and maybe he could use
15:25it on a toe or Jake Hanson.
15:28Maybe Jamal Hill.
15:30Jamal Hill.
15:30Maybe that sixth rounder.
15:32Yeah, that could, that could be, but you need one of these guys to step up.
15:35I feel way more comfortable if we can find a Blake Cashman out of one of these dudes.
15:41Yeah.
15:41Christian Harris still in practicing, but you know, I don't really worry about that too much.
15:46Uh, we know I'll shy ear is going to be that after that.
15:49Yeah.
15:51Uh, I don't know.
15:53Question marks, man.
15:54Yeah.
15:55That's all it is.
15:56It's a tough.
15:56So Damian Pierce cased over top two on my list.
16:00And number three on my list is somebody.
16:05Anyone LB to a player to be named, uh, later, uh, is on my list for sure.