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00:00Right now, we'll turn our attention to the Texas Matchmaker Hotline to talk to a longtime friend of the program.
00:06In fact, so much so that he let the football world know that he was calling it football quits on
00:11the air with John Lopez and Nick Wright back in the day.
00:15Joining us is a two-time Pro Bowler for your Houston Texans back in the day.
00:20His name is Chris Myers.
00:21Nice to make your radio acquaintance, sir.
00:23No, I appreciate that, Reggie.
00:25Thanks for having me on.
00:26Johnny Boy, how we doing, dude?
00:27Long time no talk.
00:28Man, I miss you so much.
00:29I don't know.
00:30How much do you miss him?
00:31I turned these guys off the air.
00:32I said, I just miss Chris Myers.
00:34He used to come in all the time, gave us that breaking news on your retirement, as Reggie just said.
00:38But here's the other thing.
00:39As much as I miss you, it's like when your kid goes off to college.
00:43And you're not that young that you could be my kid.
00:45But it's like when your kid goes off to college.
00:47Like, it breaks your heart.
00:49But you're so proud when you see them doing their thing.
00:52And Chris Myers, for those who don't know, I keep up with you.
00:55And you're doing your thing up there, man.
00:57You really are.
00:58No, I really appreciate that, John.
01:00I know that's a strictly platonic myth, man.
01:02I feel the same way.
01:03The feeling's mutual.
01:05You know, yeah, I had a blast being able to kind of transition.
01:09And I mean, which is well over a decade ago.
01:11We're down, which is crazy.
01:12But transition and jump right in the booth with you guys, you and Nick.
01:15And to be able to kind of like transition and go right into something that just seems so effortless.
01:21And you guys kind of welcome me with open arms.
01:23I'll forever be in debt for you guys with that.
01:26And, you know, and then since then, moving up, I'm outside the Philadelphia area for the last 10 years.
01:31And I've been able to kind of be a part of my kids growing up and jump into some coaching.
01:36I coached the high school level for a while, and now I'm coaching the 7th, 8th grade level a little
01:40bit with some CYO football up here.
01:43But really, really stay locked in with what's going on down there with everything going on with the Texans.
01:48So, I'm really appreciative of you guys having me on to kind of catch up a little bit.
01:51Chris, were you at all disappointed to hear that when we were flipping to 95.7, the fan, that John
01:57Lopez did not reach out to you to be a part of it?
01:59I did. He couldn't do it. I did.
02:01He did. I got to give him his kudos.
02:03It doesn't always match up with me schedule-wise.
02:06I'm glad it did. I'm glad it did now.
02:09But trust me, if I could be able to kind of get back and be a part of it as
02:12much as possible, I would.
02:13All right, so let's talk. You heard the breaking news.
02:16I'm sure you were already plugged in on that.
02:18I mean, this is a team. You are plugged in with the Houston Texans.
02:21And, man, Jaden Higgins was just doing so much.
02:24I was talking about earlier, you know, Tankdale, you kind of cross your fingers that he comes back.
02:28You know, Xavier Hutchinson, you cross your fingers that he takes another step.
02:32And you can even talk Jalen Knoll.
02:34You cross your fingers that all of a sudden he can take a step.
02:36But with Jaden Higgins, we were seeing it, man.
02:39And I know, you know, you stay in contact as well.
02:42We were seeing him make those steps as a wide receiver, you know, two behind Nico Collins.
02:47How does that hit you?
02:49It's a brutal shot, man.
02:51You know, hearing about the injury a little bit and then you guys confirming it right there.
02:56There's no beating around the bush.
02:58Anytime that kind of happens, especially right before the season in training camp, it's a brutal shot.
03:03But it's unfortunately a part of the game.
03:05But to happen this kind of close to the start of the season, to your point, with him making the
03:11strides that he was making and the receiver core kind of getting the gusto back a little bit.
03:17Yeah, it's definitely going to be something that the receiver room itself is going to have to take that next
03:22man up mentality, which I'm sure they already pre-set in there.
03:25But it's going to have to be something where everyone kind of rallies together and may the best man win
03:30to kind of take that spot.
03:32There's enough, you know, veteran leadership in that room.
03:35No doubt that they're going to be able to kind of take on the younger guys and push them.
03:39But, you know, you guys were mentioning if there's any kind of movement that can be made outside to kind
03:44of make any kind of trades.
03:46That's kind of where I foresee it.
03:47Chris, I'm very interested from your perspective as an offensive lineman.
03:50When an injury like this happens, or really just in general, if you look at a wide receiver core and
03:54it feels like there's only one real threat to a defense, and I think you know what I mean when
03:58I say that.
03:59Does that actually impact the offensive line in the way that you guys do your job, or am I making
04:03too much of that from the outside looking in?
04:06No, as an offensive line perspective, you know, we kind of do what we do in there.
04:11And the next person that comes up is going to have to step up no matter what.
04:14And it all boils down to what play calls get called anyway.
04:18And if we can kind of maintain a lot of scrimmage and run the ball, how we're supposed to do
04:22things up front, it doesn't matter who's kind of at receiver.
04:25It's going to open up no matter what, because they're going to load the box trying to stop the run.
04:29So, you know, I tip my cat to any offensive line, no matter what injuries are going on.
04:35You've got to put the hard hat on and go to work every single day.
04:39And you want to be able to kind of have that offensive coordinator have the freedom and ability to do
04:43whatever he wants,
04:44because he can, you know, lay his hat on you guys.
04:47You know, and Reggie mentioned, you know, the next man up mentality.
04:50You were on the team.
04:52You were on the team that epitomized next man up.
04:55What about just in a general sense for the Texans?
04:59Yeah.
05:00I mean, in general, there's going to be a lot of movement.
05:03You know, specifically, one of the main things I wanted to talk to you guys about and get your thoughts
05:07on a little bit is, you know,
05:09on the offensive line specifically, already diving right into it, is the current depth chart they released without the right
05:16tackle even being on there.
05:17That was something that I've really never seen before.
05:20Now, I'm not sitting here going back on my history and dissecting, you know, release depth charts by multiple teams.
05:27But, I mean, they didn't even list anyone.
05:29So, I'm so curious as to what's going on there.
05:32I mean, even if you just list a 1A, a 1B, or just list them and then, you know, everyone
05:37understands it's not designated a for sure starter.
05:40But, you know, the competition obviously must be really, really tight.
05:44And I'm not out there every day in practice, obviously.
05:46But I'm curious to kind of hear from you guys between Brown and Smith.
05:49Is it someone that's really heating up there?
05:52Is it that tight that they can't make a call publicly?
05:54I think it is, and I'm glad you brought that up because clearly having you on with us today, I
06:00want to talk heavy offensive line.
06:02But I think, you know, Brayton Smith has probably been the leader, at least in my view.
06:08But when we're talking about a guy that, you know, in Trent Brown that has done so much, I really
06:14do think it has been, you know, that close.
06:16Yeah, no, 100%.
06:17It feels like it's, depending on flavors, whichever flavor you like, I think that you could have either of them
06:23in there.
06:24And I think that I have been a little bit more calm on that particular battle because it feels like
06:28knowing both of their injury histories and how long they've played in the league, it feels like you might need
06:33both of them just to get through the season regardless.
06:35But, yeah, it does feel like it could be either one of them.
06:38The thing I'm comfortable in is that they both, as recently as last year, showed that they're capable of playing
06:42the position, you know?
06:44Right, right.
06:45You know, and obviously, you know, Brown's tenure obviously speaks for itself a little bit.
06:49And I'm anxious to see kind of how this plays out.
06:51And, I mean, we're right around the corner.
06:52So that was something that was very intriguing to me.
06:55But, yeah, I mean, specifically across the line with depth-wise, there's plenty of, you know, young slash, you know,
07:03energetic young guys that have a couple years of experience.
07:05And then you've got a guy like Wyatt Teller who, you know, with his pedigree and veteran leadership can bring
07:11along these young guys.
07:12And I, for one, selfishly, obviously, is, you know, Rutledge, being able to kind of have him kind of come
07:18in.
07:18And with the kind of, you know, personality and character that he's kind of made up with, I'm excited to
07:24kind of see him progress there at center a little bit and have a guy next to him that's a
07:29little gritty and got some wet behind the ears a little bit and kind of push him forward a little
07:35bit.
07:35All right.
07:35I'm glad you brought that up because that's exactly where I wanted to go next.
07:38You, if I am remembering this correctly, by and large, played guard in college.
07:44I think maybe, you know, your last year you might have dabbled some, played a lot more at center.
07:49But this is a guy that has made that switch.
07:51I want to get your thoughts on that and how difficult it might be, even though he's a nasty dude.
07:56I mean, he could have been on that 0-1 Miami team that you were on.
08:00I mean, he is a nasty, nasty dude.
08:02But what about the switch from guard to center?
08:05Yeah, for the record, I was able to start at four of the five spots on the line back in
08:10college.
08:10I never thought of that.
08:11You've told me.
08:12You've reminded me.
08:13Talk your talk, Chris.
08:13You've reminded me.
08:15Let him know, Chris.
08:15Listen, listen, for the record, I won't go any further.
08:19But left tackle was never in my repertoire there.
08:22But, yes, no, just kind of like following him a little bit and kind of where he's been from Middle
08:28Tennessee State,
08:29transferred on over the GT and kind of making a name for himself.
08:32And then that crazy accident he was in and, you know, kind of a different perspective on life.
08:38I'm really anxious to see how he kind of comes through.
08:41You know, in the years past, since I've been a Texan, watching different guys kind of come through
08:46and had that opportunity to make names for themselves and kind of solidify themselves in the middle for an extended
08:51period of time,
08:52there's been some ups and downs a little bit.
08:54And we've had our talent, don't get me wrong, and I've been in contact with some of those guys.
08:58But this guy just seems a little bit different.
09:00And I don't want to get the car before the horse, but I'm really anxious to see how he progresses.
09:04Yeah, he's been really exciting for us to watch on the ground, how, you know, he came in as a
09:09young buck
09:09in his introductory press conferences, like, I'm going to hold guys accountable.
09:13And darn it if he hasn't actually been out there doing that.
09:15The question I have for you is, especially if you were talking to him,
09:18what are the things that you are expecting to actually be, like, levels of difficulty for him early on
09:23and things that you would be giving him advice on to watch out for in his early tenure?
09:28You know, it all depends upon the knowledge of the game, the X's and the O's,
09:32kind of getting ahead of the game, studying game film and nuances from each individual player.
09:37But, you know, the day-in and day-out grind of training camp as, you know, a rookie,
09:42let alone someone brand new on a new team, if you're coming in as a trade or so,
09:46is kind of just earning your stripes a little bit, doing it the right way.
09:49And as a rookie, it's even harder, you know, to earn your stripes, you know, kind of like playing well,
09:55winning 99% of your reps, not making mental errors.
09:59Those are the basics that have to get done.
10:01Those are the generalities of offensive line that you don't get a pat on the back for those.
10:05Those are supposed to happen.
10:06But then more importantly, it's those little, like, intangibles when you're in one-on-ones
10:10and she kind of going a little bit past the whistle and pissing the defensive lineman off
10:14where they're having a chit-chat about him in the locker room and say a couple things.
10:18But he's doing it the right way.
10:20He stays quiet.
10:20He's not saying too much.
10:22He's not doing things at the breakfast table or in between, walking between meetings
10:25where it's like he's, like, thinks he's too good.
10:28Those are the kind of things where he's going to earn the stripes.
10:31So, doing it the right way, being that guy that's going the extra effort
10:35and earning the respect on the field while being a great teammate off of it.
10:39Can he?
10:40I mean, you did, and you were at the center of maybe, not maybe,
10:45the best offensive line we've seen the Houston Texans ever had,
10:49and you started all those 100-plus games at center.
10:52As a youngster, with that nastiness and with everything that you've talked about,
10:57can he fill that role?
11:00I have no faith and confidence in him.
11:03I'm speaking, you know, at both ends, too, but it has to be earned.
11:06You know, coming in as a rookie is something that, you know,
11:09you could say you want to do something, but it has to be a day-in and day-out grind
11:14and a consistent grind at that.
11:15And then at the same point, you've got to have luck with injuries
11:19and being able to kind of be on top of your game health-wise as well.
11:22You know, I think the one thing that, you know, going back to our time a little bit,
11:26and I give credit to when I came in the league in 2005 back in Denver.
11:31I came into the league with the old-school John Elway offensive line,
11:34with the center being Tom Nalen and the left tackle being Matt Lepsis and Ben Hamilton,
11:38all these guys that were, you know, Denver Bronco royalty out there,
11:41and they were the old-school zone-blocking guys that never did media, never were around,
11:49didn't do too much, implemented a fine system to keep each other accountable in-house in the offensive line.
11:54And I was able to bring that kind of stuff over to Houston,
11:56and it created this, like, internal bond between us as an offensive line.
12:01We all came from different walks of life, but, I mean, John, you know this.
12:04We used to have internal fine system with each other where we would fine each other for wearing the wrong
12:10outfit
12:10because you were trying to look, quote, too sexy, or, you know, fart in the middle of the meeting room.
12:14So that's 20 bucks, and yet at the end of the week, you collect it.
12:17And at the end of the year, we all kind of did a big dinner or a trip together and
12:20had a great time, right?
12:22We didn't want to do too much media together because it wasn't about the individual self.
12:25It was about the whole.
12:26So small things like that, if they ever can kind of get implemented
12:31and create their own little, like, camaraderie amongst each other,
12:34it's going to have to be from someone.
12:36Didn't you find guys for doing media?
12:39A hundred percent.
12:40You know how much I got time for talking to you every damn day?
12:42I know.
12:42You've paid a lot of money.
12:45Speaking of, I actually just crossed across one of our group texts, you know,
12:49between Eric Winston, Wade Smith, Dwayne Brown, Casey Sutter, Brandon Brooks.
12:54We're all in this big, huge text together.
12:56And this whole, I don't know what it's called, the pit room, I guess it's called down there.
13:01Someone's doing some kind of media, and it was, I guess, it was a teller and nursery
13:05were there kind of together, and we were all like, what would the fine be
13:09if we got caught doing that together?
13:11And the numbers were astronomical in the sex chain.
13:15So I'm not saying that has to come back, but if they did implement something like that
13:20to gain that credibility amongst each other, it would be phenomenal.
13:24I want the credibility, but I got to admit,
13:25selfishly, I would like them to keep talking to us.
13:28That's right.
13:29Enjoying talking to Chris Myers right here, former Houston Texan, pro bowler, mind you.
13:33Don't ever forget it.
13:34A question I have, because this offensive line last year,
13:37one of the things that you could get them on was these stunts, right?
13:40These, you know, tackle, tackle stunts, or stunts, or tackle end stunts at times
13:43where you have these looping plays, and they just keep getting ear-holded.
13:46And it feels like they've gotten better at pass protection this season,
13:49but it seems like they've still been getting got on those stunts a little bit
13:52when those happen.
13:53How does one get that right, or is that just a matter of time
13:56when it comes to getting right on those stunts?
13:58A little bit of both.
14:00You know, obviously it's repetition practice,
14:02but it kind of goes back to what I was just referring to
14:05about them kind of coming together as a group.
14:08Every intangible that you have in an offensive line room
14:11is garnered by how close you guys are as a unit,
14:15to the point where you guys aren't really having to talk too much.
14:18And you've heard this for decades now amongst offensive linemen and stuff.
14:22When you guys can understand things before they happen,
14:25you say certain things.
14:26But, yeah, obviously it's film study.
14:28But it truly is basically the camaraderie amongst each other and communication.
14:33You know, the amount of time that you guys kind of spend together
14:35and you see certain things.
14:36You guys know that left guard, that right guard is going to react to you.
14:40And you know how to set based upon whatever it is.
14:43And that's kind of like the cool thing about an offensive line group.
14:47And that's why 10 years, 12 years later,
14:49we're on these group tests still together
14:51because we all still deem each other brothers
14:52and we kind of still can catch up without talking to each other in a while.
14:56But to pick up those stunts, it's a lot of things combined.
15:00It's experience, it's film study, and it's you guys operating as one fluid unit.
15:05All right, Chris.
15:06One more for you here.
15:07And it has to do with that camaraderie
15:09and some of the things you guys did to be together.
15:13I know you often, and it was often you, by the way,
15:16asked some questions that got the group going.
15:21And some of them I don't even want to mention on air that you asked me.
15:24But either way, our question of the day,
15:27and I think this would have gotten you guys going,
15:29what's a music hill that you will die on?
15:33You know, it's in honor of Frank Beard from ZZ Top who passed away.
15:38Sure.
15:39And I said, what's one for you?
15:42You know, I've tried to kind of rack my brain around this a little bit,
15:47and there's so many directions you can go with this.
15:50I didn't go the comedic route there, John,
15:53but I actually kind of dissected my childhood.
15:56I'm a 1981 baby, so the late 80s, early 90s
15:59was kind of like where I'm developing my music love a little bit.
16:02But back then, it was kind of like the hard rock into grunge area a little bit.
16:09And I always kept coming back to,
16:11there's no more music videos these days, right?
16:13I mean, there are a little bit,
16:14but I remember every single song that I loved having a music video,
16:18and I could not ever get over November Rain by Guns N' Roses.
16:21Okay.
16:22For some reason, that song specifically,
16:25and then like the solos by like Slash,
16:28I've never been able to play a guitar in my life or any instrument for that matter.
16:31But that video itself, which probably was 15 minutes long,
16:35that's those mini movies that they made for these music videos
16:38always stays ingrained in my head.
16:40Those, Aerosmith, all these different songs from back then,
16:44but for some reason, Guns N' Roses' November Rain popped in my head
16:47as one of my all-time favorites.
16:48Because whenever it comes on the radio or I hear it at all,
16:51I try to show my kids, they can never laugh through the intro,
16:54which is probably three minutes long.
16:56But that one, for sure, for me, is one of my all-time favorites.
16:59All right.
17:00So you're just seeing your dreams just shredding on a guitar in front of a chapel
17:03out in the middle of nowhere?
17:04Yeah, well, coming from a bald guy, Reggie,
17:07if I could grow my hair like Slash,
17:08I could do it in an instant moment.
17:11Chris, we appreciate you talking with us.
17:14Talk to you tomorrow?
17:14Oh, God.
17:16Absolutely, guys.
17:17Whenever you want to have it, let me know.
17:18No, we appreciate it greatly.
17:19Chris Myers, Pro Bowler with your Houston Texans.
17:22And honestly, really and truly, friend of the program here in Loop on 95.7 The Fan.
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