The Texans have made quite a few moves along the offensive line, but don't really have any standouts in the position group. Tytus Howard could be the exception, given his positional flexibility. But what's next for Howard?
The Drive's Clint Stoerner and Ron "The Show" Hughley discuss that here.
The Drive's Clint Stoerner and Ron "The Show" Hughley discuss that here.
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00:00The offensive line is a big concern point on this team,
00:05even after free agency and the draft, and in particular, Titus Howard.
00:10Of all the guys that we feel most confident in,
00:14that we know is going to be starting day one, if healthy,
00:19Titus Howard just don't really have an understanding of where.
00:24Nick Casario kind of shed some lights on how they feel
00:28and what they're looking at when it comes to Titus Howard.
00:31I would say specific to Titus, that's an example of a player
00:34that he's actually shown that he can play at a good level at either spot.
00:39So there is sort of an innate level of versatility.
00:43I think sometimes that term is used a little, I would say, not carelessly or freely,
00:48but the assumption is a player just has position versatility
00:52because of A, certain measurables, or B, should be able to do it.
00:57But if you've actually never seen him do it, it's hard to make that extrapolation
01:01and make that assessment, and you're really not going to know with that player
01:05until you actually get into training camp because it's a little bit of a dynamic.
01:10All right, that was Nick Casario talking about Titus Howard.
01:13Before you get into your thoughts on what he had to say there, Clint,
01:16real quick, something he said in there.
01:18Do you agree that he has shown that he can play at a good level at that spot?
01:24Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:25No, I think he is one guy that has proven to have the ability to play guard and tackle,
01:32and you've seen really, really good at both positions.
01:38I think there's probably been some inconsistency.
01:43When you're playing a guy, flipping him from the right side to the left side,
01:46flipping him from tackle to guard, I think that's cutting the guy a little bit of slack,
01:50maybe showing a little bit of grace is probably fair.
01:52So, yeah, I think in the way – look, let's be honest.
01:56I think Nick worded that the way that he did on purpose.
01:59I think he said he's played both good.
02:03He used the term good.
02:04Now, I believe Titus would tell you that he'd like to play tackle and be great,
02:08and let's be honest, you paid him like he plays tackle,
02:11and he's been great at right tackle.
02:14But, you know, there's a lot of truth to what Nick said there.
02:17There's some true position flexibility there with Titus Howard.
02:21Yeah, like when – to the point that he made good, yes.
02:25We saw him – hell, he had a great game, one game against Chris Jones several years ago
02:30when he first started to venture out to the guard thing.
02:34I think the other part is consistent.
02:36Like, you know, how – is he consistently good at the guard position?
02:41I think – I'm pretty confident, maybe some of you may disagree,
02:45but I'm pretty confident that he could be consistently good as a tackle.
02:48I think we've seen that.
02:50You know, I wonder if that is the case at guard.
02:54And I also do this, fellas.
02:59His play was just so much of an improvement of what they were getting out of that position
03:04that I don't even know if I've even fairly really watched it and thought, like,
03:08man, has he – like, how good was he?
03:11Because it was just the comparison to what Kenyon Green was giving you,
03:15and you'd look over and it was just like, no, it wasn't – it wasn't a turnstile.
03:18Like, it wasn't just guys just immediately giving pressure.
03:23He got a everybody sucked before him type bump in which how we felt about him,
03:29and maybe that makes you feel – but I just – I don't even really remember –
03:33I just remember it wasn't just a train wreck like it was prior to him getting in there.
03:38I'm not even really sure how great he played.
03:41Well, I think you – he had the same struggles that I think everybody –
03:45that the biggest problem was with this offensive line, which was communication.
03:48And he's clearly a better player and a more experienced player
03:52than really anybody that was playing inside, really anybody not named Laramie Tunsil.
03:57He's more experienced then.
03:58So he was able to recover and able to overcome some issues,
04:01but it was still ugly offensive line play simply because of the communication.
04:04He didn't know who he had, he didn't – the communication pre-snap
04:09and identifying who you have and what you're going to do,
04:11the communication post-snap and communicating, hey, man, here's –
04:14you know, we're getting a twist, a potential twist.
04:16That was not good.
04:18So he struggled because of all of those things.
04:20And there were bad – there were more bad moments
04:22than there were really good moments.
04:25And so, you know, there's nobody on that offensive line
04:28that didn't struggle due to the communication issues.
04:32The most talented guy, Laramie Tunsil, he overcame
04:35and passed protecting situations more times than not.
04:38But as a whole, the offensive line struggled big time
04:41and guys played well below their ceiling because of those communication issues.
04:47And I don't think Titus is void of that being a real issue
04:51or having been a real issue for him.
04:53Yeah, I think they've all but said it, Clint, where he's going to play next year.
04:57Yeah.
04:58Yeah, look –
04:59And it adds up to that.
05:00Yeah, I think that to me, again, I don't –
05:06you know, I think he would be a –
05:09I think he'd be a lot better than just a good right tackle.
05:11Like, I think he would have potential or left tackle.
05:16I think he would – you put him there.
05:18One, I think the player's happy.
05:19I think athletically, I think his skill set actually fits the movement
05:23at the tackle position more so than the movement
05:26and the requirements at the guard position.
05:29So, I think that's going to be the hurdle here is –
05:34and I don't fault him.
05:35I would not fault Titus Howard for this.
05:37But the – if they're playing with his emotions now,
05:43that's going to be a problem, right?
05:45I mean, this has got to be a situation where –
05:47I mean, we're going on three years now of Titus Howard putting in his Twitter bio
05:51that he's a right tackle and that he's a tackle and he's this and he's that.
05:55You move Laramie Tunsil, you think, hey, man, you can't tell –
05:57we weren't the only ones.
05:58You can't tell them that Titus Howard didn't go, okay,
06:00now am I the next left tackle on this team?
06:03Am I going to get an opportunity there to go earn that in my next contract?
06:06Like, it's human nature to think that way.
06:09So, you know, how –
06:10I would hope they have had conversations with him.
06:12Well, how they play this is going to be interesting.
06:17It wouldn't surprise me at all if they haven't had conversations.
06:19I would like to think that they have, but with this crew,
06:22it wouldn't surprise me at all if they have not had those conversations.
06:27It seems to me with Nick's answers today, we can't play all of them for you.
06:31If you want to go back, the 730-hour segment with the pain and pender gases,
06:37want to hear the whole thing.
06:38But it – to me, the way that Nick Casario tip tackle, good,
06:45he's shown the position flexibility.
06:47It seems to me like the news hadn't been broke to Titus Howard.
06:51Hey, man, you're a guard, boss.
06:53Oh, man, no.
06:54Which that's the part –
06:55I didn't even think about that until you just brought that up.
06:58They have had to have talked to him about it.
06:59It can because, like, obviously, Clint,
07:02Titus can see the numbers it had, too.
07:05Like, he can see, oh, they brought in Cam Robinson.
07:09They gave him $14 million.
07:11They ain't just doing it for him to sit down.
07:13They brought in Trent Brown.
07:14They drafted Blake Fisher last year.
07:17They drafted a tackle.
07:18And we're going to let you hear what D'Amico and Nick echoed it today,
07:21what D'Amico had to say about the tackle-ursery who they brought in.
07:24Like, that's a bunch of tackles.
07:26I just – I would just hope they're not just –
07:29they ain't said nothing to him yet.
07:31Yeah, no, no, no.
07:32Look, the tackle thing is clearly –
07:36I mean, it's hard to ignore if you're Titus Howard.
07:40But still, you –
07:42I mean, you've been in the organization forever, it feels like.
07:46You've been told, I'd imagine, multiple times that you're a tackle.
07:50And it just strikes me as this is –
07:53like, Nick Casario went on today to talk about how you got guys that are tackles
07:57that can also play guard.
07:58You got guards that can play center.
07:59You got guards that can play all three interior positions, inside positions.
08:04Like, just the tiptoeing around, handling with kid gloves,
08:08it just strikes me as a, you know,
08:11we're not ready to tell Titus and call Titus a guard yet.
08:14Now, their actions will obviously say that, but it strikes me as –
08:21Well, you're going to be a guard.
08:25I mean, we're still talking about this offseason, Nick talking about, you know,
08:29now's the time to experiment ultimately and try all the different things
08:33and techniques and positions and all that stuff.
08:35I mean, you've seen enough football with Titus Howard at guard and tackle.
08:38There's no need to experiment in the offseason with Titus Howard.
08:41You've seen everything you need to know about guard and tackle.
08:43You've seen it all.
08:44Like, good, bad, and ugly.
08:46You know exactly what the strengths and weaknesses are with Titus Howard
08:49at both positions.
08:51And, you know, I would like to think, which I don't believe it's happened,
08:58as I mentioned, I would like to think that there's a sit-down coming
09:02where they say, hey, man, you're a guard, boss.
09:05He has to know it.
09:07I haven't looked at his Twitter bio yet in a minute.
09:11I hadn't looked at it either.
09:13That just has to be a conversation that's had.
09:17Because the thing that I have said is, listen, I'm not going to come off of it.
09:22Like, I don't love him at guard.
09:25Never have.
09:26I remember sitting up at that Buffalo Wild Wings two years ago, you know,
09:30planting my flag.
09:31Like, don't ever put him back over there.
09:33And then having to turn face on that because it was so bad last year.
09:37Like, the thing is, I know he won't be a train wreck.
09:41And he won't get CJ killed.
09:44I don't know if it's the best thing to improve, but I know he won't get him killed.
09:48But surely, the worst, the thing that I appreciate was like, all right,
09:52if he's going to play guard, at least you bring him in in the offseason.
09:55And he has the entire offseason.
09:57And he has no confusion of where he's going to go.
10:00Because every time he's had it in the middle of the season as an emergency
10:07and not just like, all right, I know I'm going to be playing this position.
10:10And I know this is what I need to do and get ready for it.
10:14He's just had to switch, which is, as you've said,
10:16completely other side of the line that he lines up on.
10:21A different hand that he puts down.
10:23So, I did think that part of it.
10:25But the worst thing about it is having a maybe irritated, pissed-off Titus Howard
10:34playing guard and not going into it understanding and coming to him
10:40and just being sprung up.
10:41Well, yeah, and here's the thing, though.
10:43He's not a good enough player to do that.
10:45That's the problem with – and I don't think he's the kind of player to do it either.
10:49By the way, we've talked a lot about – I don't think Titus is a rock-the-boat guy.
10:53I think Titus is a fall-in-line type of player.
10:56And if you tell him, hey, you're going to play guard, you're going to play guard,
11:00and that's just what it is.
11:01We paid you like a tackle.
11:02You better be lucky.
11:03You're making the money you're making, and you're asking the guard.
11:05But he's pass-aggressive.
11:07Well, yeah, no, look.
11:08He'll put out a tweet or put in his bio, I am a right tackle.
11:12His mentor is stuff his mentor would do.
11:14But, yeah, look, to me, it's – Nick and D'Amico need to sit down with the kid
11:23and tell him, hey, man, look, you're going to play guard,
11:25and we're going to do guard things.
11:28We're going to do guard things moving forward.
11:30All the position-specific work that you get in the offseason,
11:34what little we do get with you and what little you do put in,
11:37we're going to get it's going to be guard.
11:39It's going to be guard-oriented.
11:41It's going to be guard sitting up and getting wide
11:45and handling a D-end and edge rusher in space.
11:49It's going to be in tight quarters.
11:51It's going to be out of a three-point stance inside
11:54and communicating with the center and the other guard.
11:57And that's what I think is the right thing to do by the guy.
12:01The one thing – and I can see Nick doing this
12:05because Nick is just the way they operate, I think,
12:07especially when it's guys not named Laramie Tunsil.
12:09So, this is a do what you're asked to do, do your job.
12:14And if you're out there telling him he's a tackle and a guard,
12:17I could see the young fellow getting real frustrated at that.
12:20Yes, that's what I'm saying.
12:21Instead of just being up front.
12:22That's why I believe – I don't know why I do.
12:26I'm proud to be the thought process that you have
12:29because the way they are saying it,
12:31they are making it seem like they don't know.
12:33And I'm just thinking that's gamesmanship maybe to others.
12:38But I just have to believe that Titus Howard has a clear idea
12:43of where he's going to be.
12:45Right?
12:45Like, he is the only lineman there that you would look at and say,
12:49I know he's going to be one of the five.
12:52Like, without a 100% guarantee, I know he's going to be one of the five
12:57because he can play multiple spots.
12:59I just got to believe that Joker knows where he's playing.
13:03I just – I know the look you're giving me right now.
13:06No, no, look, I'm just telling you it wouldn't shock me
13:08if he hadn't had a conversation with him about it.
13:09It wouldn't shock me one bit.
13:13I think that's the – I think that especially in the offensive –
13:15Now the stuff you're talking about with D'Amico yesterday
13:18is starting to come into –
13:18Well, look, especially –
13:20If that's the case.
13:21Well, look, they're trying to create in that offensive line room
13:26is you've got to earn everything.
13:30Nobody's – we're not going to have guys that feel entitled.
13:33We're not going to have guys that think they're above what's best for the team.
13:37I mean, think about what they're trying to do in that offensive line room.
13:40And now we're going to go around
13:42and we're going to have – we're going to handle certain guys with kid gloves again
13:45and we're just going to have certain conversations with certain guys.
13:48It wouldn't shock me one bit if it wasn't happening.
13:51Yeah, someone texted in.
13:52This is a shut up, especially in the offensive line.
13:55Shut up and do your job.
13:57Earn your keep.
13:58All right.
13:58That's a route to go.
14:00As you said, who his mentor is.
14:01Someone texted in – or from the YouTube and Twitch 99 Reasons.
14:06Titus is whatever they need him to be, period.
14:10Not that complicated, fellas.
14:12As Clint said, I think ultimately –
14:14No, I disagree.
14:15It is complicated.
14:16He'll be that.
14:16But ultimately, this is a guy that just went unprompted to his social media
14:22and said, I'm a right tackle only.
14:26When – after he had been moved to guard.
14:29He came into the season right tackle only.
14:33Clearly to let you know that – what his wishes are.
14:38Yeah.
14:38And where he is and that he's not just –
14:40Hey, man, I play – you know, happy to play.
14:43I'll play wherever I want to.
14:44And I just – I don't even think it's being soft with somebody.
14:47I just think it's an – like, hey, man, we got a guy here.
14:50We want to make sure it's very – we want to make sure the communication is clear
14:54and everybody knows what they're going to do and not just say, hey, man,
14:58all right, here, man, training camp.
14:59Look, man, here, this is where you're going to play.
15:01Yeah, it is.
15:04I mean, if you're a fan that looks at it as that texture does, then so be it.
15:08I ain't going to tell anybody how to fan.
15:09But it's a very – it's very complicated for him.
15:12Right?
15:12Right tackle to left guard is very complicated.
15:15Keeping this – having a whole career in Houston where it was just like,
15:18hey, Titus, you might play right tackle, you might play left guard,
15:21whatever the hell we need.
15:22Like, that's complicated.
15:23Like, you're in his pocket big time for his next – his next contract.
15:30I mean, that's – it is complicated.
15:32And the O-line issues – I mean, it's one of the biggest problems.
15:36Not just – it's not the biggest problem in Houston.
15:38It was one of the top three or four biggest issues in the NFL.
15:41Not protecting C.J. Stroud.
15:43I mean, that's a big-ass deal and it is very, very complicated.
15:47Absolutely it is.