Giants-Texans matchups
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00:00This potentially is the game where we'll see the ones and the twos, the ones that'll be playing against the Colts week one.
00:08We'll see them the most, as potentially we may not see them at all in the final game.
00:15But this is the one, and I know for you, Clint, you've got some key matchups in this game.
00:22I'm talking about for the ones, the players that we'll be seeing in the first, potentially, couple of quarters.
00:28There's some big-time matchups that jump out to you.
00:31Well, there's enough matchups in this game, Ron, where I think even if they play a limited, let's say, first quarter,
00:36let's say three drives and not the first half, like I think, the odds are you're still going to get a peek at one of these,
00:41if not a couple of these matchups, which I think should be very telling, hopefully in favor of the Texans.
00:48And it starts, again, every conversation when we talk about leading up to the season at this point in time
00:53has to start with interior offensive line.
00:55And Kenyon Green, and I'll throw Juice Scruggs in there as well, but really Kenyon Green versus Dexter Lawrence on the inside.
01:03That's a matchup, Jack. Second-team All-Pro last year.
01:06Come on, man.
01:07He's something else.
01:08If you can hold your own on him, do we have a report about what all Giants are playing and not playing?
01:13Have they announced it?
01:14I was trying to look that up.
01:16I didn't see anything about Dayball saying they weren't going to play.
01:22I would imagine that the New York Giants are in a place where everybody needs to play in Week 3.
01:26They seem like a team that's going to play.
01:27Yeah, but Kenyon Green versus Dexter Lawrence inside, don't know if we're going to get it,
01:31but if Dexter Lawrence is carrying any kind of sway and he is going to play,
01:37his ass is going to line up over Kenyon Green well before he lines up over Shaq Mason.
01:42Now that's the test, right?
01:43We've talked about every test, and we talked to D'Amico the other day.
01:47We've watched it.
01:49He has passed every single one of them from getting his body together,
01:53from getting to OTAs and getting through it,
01:56from getting to mandatory minicamp to training camp to the first preseason game
02:00where he's moved people to the one against the Steelers.
02:03This is an all pro in front of him potentially, and this would be a different test.
02:07Yeah, and I don't need him to move him.
02:09I just need him to answer the bell.
02:11I need him to meet the challenge.
02:13I need him to not stick out like a sore thumb on film of getting pushed three, four, five yards deep
02:17in the backfield.
02:18Just don't be Quinton Williams with the Jets last year.
02:20Correct.
02:21Correct.
02:22Correct.
02:23I mean, that's where we're at.
02:24So Kenyon Green, Dexter Lawrence is at the top of the list.
02:26I'm going to stay on the offensive side of the football, really on the offensive line.
02:29Titus Howard, I'm not worried about Laramie Tunsil.
02:32I don't need to see Laramie Tunsil against anybody.
02:34I just don't.
02:35But Titus Howard, having played out of position last year,
02:38we haven't seen a whole hell of a lot of him at tackle.
02:41He left practice last week with a little bit of an injury, whatever it was.
02:45As he told everybody, he walked off the field.
02:47He didn't get assistance.
02:49But Titus Howard at right tackle versus Brian Burns, because remember,
02:55did they trade or did they sign Brian Burns?
02:57Either way it goes.
02:59Either way it goes.
03:00Burns is a giant, and Kayvon Thibodeau is a giant.
03:05So you got Burns and Tibbs.
03:07He's going to see one of them.
03:08He's going to see one of those two guys at the right tackle position.
03:12So Titus Howard, we're going to get a little look at him at tackle
03:16versus some pretty damn good defensive ends,
03:19and we'll see how he holds up at that position.
03:22So I think it's about Kenyon Green and a little Juice Kruggs there,
03:25as I mentioned, and then Titus Howard up front versus –
03:29because look, here's what you can – when you look at the Giants,
03:32and look, obviously I don't study these guys all week long and all year long,
03:37but you look at the Giants, they are a team that is going to be
03:41heavily reliant on their front.
03:43I mean, whether it's a passing situation or a running situation,
03:45they are going to be heavily reliant on their down four,
03:48making a bunch of noise.
03:49And so Green, Juice, and Titus Howard,
03:53I got my eyes on those guys on the offensive side of the football, Ron,
03:55to see how they hold up.
03:56This is a big-time matchup for wanting to see where the Texans are
04:03and what are the areas that you have some concerns about.
04:07And I would think like Kenyon Green, Juice Kruggs, and Titus Howard
04:12are probably the three linemen, even with Titus Howard being paid the way he is,
04:17are the three linemen I think most Texans fans have the most questions about.
04:21Well, I think we need to see Titus Howard.
04:24We need to see Kenyon Green play and hold his own.
04:26Yeah.
04:27Ron, I mean, just show that you can be a formidable starter
04:30on this offensive line and help us protect and help us run the football
04:34to some degree, right?
04:35Just show you're that guy.
04:36No disrespect.
04:37This is where he's at in his career.
04:39Titus Howard, on the other hand, is I'm looking for some wow, right?
04:43I mean, I know the guy.
04:44Like, I feel pretty confident in saying obviously he's a better tackle
04:47than he is a guard.
04:48We saw him versus TJ Watt a couple of years ago have a good game.
04:51We've seen him play the tackle position at a high level.
04:54It's just not been consistent because he's been asked to move around
04:56and play multiple positions.
04:58With Titus Howard, I'm looking for some lockdown moments.
05:03And again, not for a half.
05:05I don't care for a whole quarter, however long he plays.
05:07But we got to see a snap or two where it's either Burns or Tibbs
05:11and we get an erk, just grips them up and stops them in their tracks.
05:17Right?
05:18I mean, wouldn't surprise anybody if we see that from Laramie Tunsil.
05:21The athleticism that he shows, the great feet that he shows
05:25on a night in, night out basis, really.
05:29We need to see a little bit of that from Titus Howard on that right side, Ron.
05:32That's it.
05:33I'm not asking to see something that we're going to compare to Laramie Tunsil,
05:37but there ought to be a couple of snatch ups.
05:39Like I said, the New York Giants aren't a great football team.
05:42I don't think they're going to be really good this year.
05:44Right.
05:45But that particular area of their team is maybe the strongest part of the team.
05:50And this is good for the Texans.
05:53This is good for Bobby Slowick and D'Amico Ryans to see
05:56what the challenge of those guys.
05:59What is Scruggs and what do Green do up front with that big dude
06:04in the middle right there?
06:06How do they handle that?
06:07That is exactly what they need.
06:10Exactly what they need.
06:11Flip over on the defensive side of the football, Ron.
06:13This is, again, it's cover defender heavy.
06:17I think that's where our questions are at.
06:19At this point, anyway, the matchup questions are at.
06:22It's Kamari Lassiter, who it looks like he's going to play.
06:27He's been running with the ones again since he came back.
06:29Kamari Lassiter versus Malik Neighbors if he plays.
06:33I don't know if they've announced it or not, if he's going to play or not,
06:35but I think he's back at practice.
06:37And then Jalen Hyatt, who if you remember, I mean, just torched the SEC
06:42with Hendon Hooker as his quarterback at Tennessee.
06:44He got drafted early by the Giants last year, a real speed guy.
06:49So I don't know who's going to get the matchup with Lassiter and who's not,
06:52but if I'm quarterbacking the Giants, I'm going away from Stingley.
06:55That's for damn sure if I've got an option.
06:57And I'm going to throw the football at Lassiter.
06:59So Lassiter versus Neighbors and Hyatt.
07:02You look at one – depending on what depth chart you look at for the Giants,
07:06Neighbors and Hyatt are first or second team right there.
07:09But you've got to believe that they're going to find a way to get those two
07:11on the field together with a couple of these other guys.
07:14Those guys have to be their two outside receivers.
07:16So I would imagine that matchup versus Lassiter is going to happen.
07:20Now, whether they're throwing the football that direction
07:22or they're running the football, well, we'll see if it unfolds
07:25in a way in which we can tell anything.
07:27But that matchup I think is something to keep an eye on.
07:29That has to be on the mind of most Texans fans.
07:34That's got to be one of the top things Texans fans are watching this game.
07:39We haven't seen Kamari Lassiter in a game yet.
07:42Even though it's preseason, still haven't seen him in the first two games.
07:46To be able to see what he's going to look like on the field,
07:50if there's any issues with the speed or whatever,
07:52we'll see what the Giants do.
07:54But that's got to be one of the top players, top things,
07:59that Texans fans are paying attention to for Saturday.
08:01Probably going to be a top thing, Ron, for the first month of the season
08:06until we see something because it's going to take a while
08:09and we'll see how D'Amico is going to play it.
08:11We'll see where he's at.
08:14Hopefully it's never a question, but I've got to believe if you're a fan
08:16and you're dialed in to a point where you're looking at the rookies
08:20that are playing and you know who they are
08:22and you want to see how they fare, Lassiter's up there on the list.
08:25The second defensive matchup for me is in that secondary as well,
08:29and it's Jaylen Petrie.
08:32We've talked about it at length, Jaylen Petrie against Wondell Robinson,
08:36old Kentucky Wildcat, I believe, if I remember correctly.
08:39I think that's right, Wondell Robinson.
08:41Yeah, Kentucky.
08:42And then I believe it's Isaiah McKenzie.
08:44Is that Isaiah McKenzie?
08:45No, it's A McKenzie.
08:46I think it's Isaiah McKenzie is the other smaller kind of inside receiver
08:51that may get matched up.
08:52Either one of them are true slot guys, got a lot of shake, got a lot of twitch.
08:57Petrie will have the size and length advantage on them, I would imagine.
09:00We'll see how that matchup.
09:02But at some point, you've got to believe that they're going to go with Petrie,
09:07especially with those two guys.
09:09Two guys that I think should be above average slot receivers in the league
09:13if they decide to use them the right way.
09:16Matched up on Petrie, we've got to see, as Texans fans,
09:18we've got to see what Petrie can do in the cover category.
09:21Absolutely.
09:23You wonder if we'll be able to see all of this.
09:26I don't think we'll see it all, but I think we'll get a couple of them.
09:29Hopefully we do.
09:30Hopefully they play long enough that we get to see Petrie matched up
09:35with somebody on a second down, third down, and a passing route.
09:40Hopefully we get to see Lassiter.
09:41Hopefully we get to see these scenarios come about.
09:45Because, honestly, there's an argument this may be the last time
09:49before the regular season starts that we get to see them potentially in coverage,
09:54get to see them in these routes.
09:57So that will be at least hopefully something we're able to see.
10:05I don't know.
10:06We'll see what Daniel Jones wants to do,
10:07see if Daniel Jones wants to try to throw the football like this,
10:10see how many times they're trying to do that, what the Giants' focus is.
10:13But Petrie and Lassiter are two key guys that I don't think we've been able
10:19to see outside of practice be put in these situations that we have wonders about.
10:25So those are some of the big matchups there.
10:28And I know we've been talking about the run game,
10:30but as we're saying this may be the final time that we see these guys
10:35before the regular season starts,
10:38that means this may be the last work in game setting that CJ gets.
10:42And I know we want to see the run game.
10:46We want to see Joe Mixon in this offensive line
10:48and Damian Pierce for the first time.
10:50But this is also a game where probably CJ Stroud needs to get some work too
10:54with these receivers.
10:55Yeah, look, as I just scan, again, the roster, the depth chart for the Giants,
11:00I think the Giants are a team that are going to live and die
11:02with their defensive front.
11:04And it happens to be a situation where if you're the Texans,
11:10you've got to feel pretty good about being able to block up the pass rushers
11:14on the end.
11:15You've got to feel really good about Laramie Tunsil and Titus Howard.
11:18You throw Joe Mixon in the mix, you've got to feel really good about being able
11:21to help all the way across the board.
11:23Your interior offensive line, you ought to be able to double Big Dexter.
11:26You should be able to protect CJ Stroud.
11:29And if you can, with these explosive wide receivers that the Texans have,
11:33they should absolutely eat against the New York Giants.
11:37I mean, they should run wild against the Giants,
11:42given the fact that you should be able to neutralize their pass rush.
11:47And this caliber wide receiver crew that the Texans have versus this secondary,
11:51I don't know a whole hell of a lot about their secondary,
11:54but I ain't writing home about them.
11:56No, it's not great.
11:57They lost their best corner in free agency,
11:59and one of the best corners that was out there on the market.
12:02So we'll see.
12:03But like you said, their front is what they're going to win by.
12:07But again, this will be something that will show well for the Texans.
12:12I don't think they're going to do anything exotic,
12:14like send a lot of blitzes and everything.
12:16But if we start to see pressure and we start to see issues in the run game
12:24with a non-exotic type of a defensive game plan, that will jump out.
12:31That's a great point.
12:32I go back to our first matchup we discussed.
12:35If Dexter Lawrence is pushing that middle of the pocket
12:37and he becomes a problem for C.J. Stroud,
12:40now we've got something to discuss because there's going to be
12:43some big, bad-ass dudes on this schedule that you're going to see week in,
12:46week out.
12:47That's right.
12:50Damn near every team you play has got one of those dudes,
12:52so you've got to shore that up somehow, some way.
12:54So we shall see.
12:55I don't foresee it being a major problem.
12:57I love where Juice Scruggs and Kenyon Green are at.
12:59But rubber meets the road tomorrow at noon,
13:01and there ain't no hiding when that happens.
13:03Yeah.