The B-Block

The Texans selected five players in the 2021 NFL Draft. They started by taking quarterback Davis Mills with their first pick (No. 67 overall in the third round), then continued by trading up 20 spots to draft wide receiver Nico Collins later in the third round; and the next day drafted tight end Brevin Jordan in the fourth. To round out the draft, the Texans selected linebacker Garret Wallow in th...

The Texans are not expected to participate on the first day of the 2021 NFL Draft, because they don't have a pick until the third round.  In this episode, Brandon Scott explains how Deshaun Watson's legal situation really soured this draft.  Also, what are the Texans' draft needs. Hint: EVERYTHING! It's why they might consider trading back from the No. 67 overall pick. Support...

Rusty Hardin successfully argued for the names of some of Deshaun Watson's accusers to be made public.  Make no mistake. He could get those names without doing this in court, but he had to stop the media blitz somehow. Accountability was his only chance. Support the show

In just one week, the narrative about Deshaun Watson's NFL future focused on whether the Texans would grant his trade request -- and if so, where to -- jumped to something totally different. Watson is accused of assaulting and harassing more than a dozen women, as 16 lawsuits had been filed against the quarterback as of the time of this recording.  The cases raise serious questions about the...

The NBA All-Star game never seemed like a good idea. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons being ruled out the day of the game, because of contact tracing to their barber, only confirms that.  What's it like rooting for a Rockets team without an All-Star? And the bad luck continues for the Astros pitching staff.  Support the show

In the latest episode, we look back at what the city of Houston went through during a winter storm; Astros spring training coming as relief for Houston sports fans; DeMarcus Cousins' future with the Rockets; and the only worthwhile Deshaun Watson trades to consider.  Support the show

It caught no one off guard or by surprise. The exact timing, though, was somewhat ironic. Essentially one month to the date of Andre Johnson openly criticizing Jack Easterby and the organization, J.J. Watt and the team announce he’s being released.  Support the show

The Texans were the first of seven teams to fire their head coach this season and the last to replace him. They decided on David Culley as the fourth head coach in franchise history. Much of the reaction locally focuses on Culley's anonymity, the Texans' tendency to bungle processes and an idea that Jack Easterby is behind the scenes manipulating everything.  But as far as Culley goes, d...

And that’s if they couldn’t give the job away. It would have to mean Eric Bieniemy isn’t all in. It would have to mean Leslie Frazier doesn’t want the job.  Matt Eberflus, Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis.  Outside of this unusual circumstance, you have to consider the position your league is in right now.  When the NFL is having to force teams to interview minorities for these positions, minorities WIT...

It's been reported Deshaun Watson wants out and there's a belief around the league he may have played his last game for the Texans.  Trading Deshaun Watson sounds outrageous, but the Texans have not made it 100 percent clear they're against it. Also, who could blame Watson for wanting out of this mess.  We get in a little bit of lab work to understand this much: Watson's had qu...

James Harden is the primary reason for the Rockets' success for most of the past decade. Then he set the organization on fire.  Now, first-year general manager Rafael Stone is doing his best to put it out, sending Harden to the Brooklyn Nets to team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.  The Rockets got back a haul and can finally imagine a post-Harden future.  Support the show

The Texans have a new GM and the people who care about them can’t even enjoy it. So much for the search firm and casting a wide net. No one in Houston is excited about this move and it has nothing to do with Nick Caserio and whether he can actually do the job. What this is really going to come down to is whether Nick Caserio is good enough at his job to make up for the lack of trust and belief in...

I’ve changed my mind on wanting him gone. That was emotion and frustration talking, not logic. There has to be some relief among Texans fans that this season is almost over. Throw the whole thing away. Also, J.J. Watt was spot-on with his rant. But it still came off as corny.  Support the show

It's a good thing the Texans are losing their No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 cornerback for the rest of what's been a wasted season anyway.  The next Texans general manager already would have tough decisions to make, but this one's still easy. Offer Will Fuller a long term deal, incentivize the hell out of it and see how it plays.  With Bradley Roby, it's that the cornerback pos...

This is by far the best the Texans defense has looked. They brought safety blitzes. Got to the quarterback. Deshaun Watson was great Sunday. There’s no way you could’ve watched that game and not appreciate all the different things this guy can do as a QB. Justin Reid took the game personally  Keke Coutee is alive So are the tight ends.  Oh, and apparently DeMarcus Cousins is on his way to the Rock...

The Texans improved to 2-6 with Sunday's win against the Jaguars, but they need more than just deodorant to wipe off the stink.  Cody Stoots, who covers the Texans for SI.com, joins the show to discuss the state of this team. How did we get here? Cody addresses the Texans' rebuild; a struggling secondary, especially the cornerbacks; how Deshaun Watson and Will Fuller responded to trade d...

It was so fun Sunday watching the Texans fan base collectively root for the young players on this team.   There was some good, some bad, and some ugly from over the weekend.  Let's discuss.  Support the show

J.J. Watt took us into a debate of semantics on whether the Texans are rebuilding. Deshaun Watson says they aren't rebuilding, despite not having a head coach or general manager. But the rebuild started against their will, more than a year ago. Support the show

- Why it's difficult to get excited about the Rockets' head coaching hire, even if it's a good one - Daryl Morey frees himself from Tilman Fertitta - What it would take to feel right about trading J.J. Watt, and which other Texans make sense to trade - And taking the COVID-sports intersection a bit more seriously after the World Series fiasco Support the show

Astros general manager James Click does not sound like someone who is about to spend a couple of hundred million dollars on a 31-year-old player. Support the show

Carlos Correa told Dusty Baker and Jose Altuve he was going to end Game 5 of the ALCS with a walk-off homer. And he did that. Support the show

Bill O’Brien couldn’t afford to take a step back. Progress needed to be immediate. And at the very least, they needed to maintain the status quo. It’s not just that they’re 0-4, but it’s the way they look at 0-4. You don’t see a football team that can climb out of it operating the way they were. You had a clear crisis in leadership. J.J. Watt, the best player to ever put on the Texans uniform, sai...

Retired 12-year NFL veteran and former Texans Pro Bowl offensive lineman Wade Smith joins Brandon Scott to discuss what's happening with the Houston Texans in 2020.  They've started off 0-2, but it's the way the team looks that has Smith concerned.  - What's happening with the offensive line? - Did the Texans adequately replace the elite players they let go? - What, exactly, is...

B-Block Podcast host Brandon Scott joined Coty Davis and John Hickman this week for the Locked on Texans podcast to discuss an underwhelming start to the 2020 season.  What's going on with this offense? The line, the skill position players, the quarterback, the play calling. None of it looks particularly good right now.  We talked about all of it here.  P.S. Brandon GOES OFF about that failed...

- This is not a super talented team. That much has stood out in the Texans' 0-2 start to the 2020 season.  - Why are the Texans so bad in pass protection if they’ve invested this much in the offensive line, quarterback and skill positions? - Deshaun Watson’s decision-making and accuracy is a concern right now - The defense is getting graded on a curve because the offense is so bad and the exp...