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Training Camp: Day 3

I'm surprised there's nothing out on Rainer. He appeared to be seriously hurt. I'm hoping it's just a close call but I sense something different.
 
TexansFanatic said:
I have to confess, I was having some trouble deciphering that little bit of NetSpeak myself....
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I have no idea what a lot of that stuff is too lol :heh: I wonder if the translators that they have help at all :hmmm:
 
There is no way they are going release him or not give him someplaying time. Smith will light a fire under his butt. You can count on that!:fireball: :bowser:
 
Thanks for the updates.

Has anyone seen anything positive out of our O line? please tell me that something has been observed indicating this unit will not bring down our team for a 5th straight year...

Was DD out there? What was he doing?
 
DD sat out this morning but there didn't seem to be any problems. He's been looking good -moving around well and cutting. They were in full pads and guys were taking some serious shots out there today. He doesn't really need to go there until about Week 3 of preseason IMO.

(this obviously wasn't correct based on Cloak's later post)
 
Wolf said:
Does anyone know if TJ has changed medication or is even still on it?
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I realize this has been reported nationally. But should we really delve into this area? Is the guy playing well or not? Is he injured? Let's leave the rest to his psychologist.
 
goodfella said:
Thanks for the updates.

Has anyone seen anything positive out of our O line? please tell me that something has been observed indicating this unit will not bring down our team for a 5th straight year...
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Here's a new article from the official site, FWIW:

Link: "Baby steps:


Houston needed considerable help in the offensive line last year after it led the league with 68 sacks. That total contributed to the passing game finishing a dismal 30 th in the NFL with an average of just 139.8 yards per game.

So new coach Gary Kubiak brought in assistant head coach/offense Mike Sherman, the former Packers head coach who has a strong background as an offensive line coach, and Benton, who had coached the O-line at St. Louis the last two years.

The Texans also signed former Packers Pro Bowl center Mike Flanagan along with veteran tackle Ephraim Salaam from Jacksonville. They moved center Steve McKinney to guard and expect him and tackles Zach Wiegert and Seth Wand to make big contributions as well.

Kubiak is already encouraged by what he has seen.

“I think you’ve got a group of guys that have been doing it and we went out and got some guys to push those guys,” Kubiak said. “So the combination of those two, whoever ends up being the top five, I think we’re going to be better as a football team. I think that group can play well for us and I think that they’re coached extremely well by Sherman and Benton. I think the two of those guys have done a great job so far.”

Flanagan was the biggest name acquisition in the offseason, but Kubiak isn’t discounting the talents Houston already had on hand.

“The group that was here, we have a lot of confidence in,” Kubiak said. “We’d love to settle them down and have them play one spot and say this is the way we’re going to do things now and this is what we expect.

“And those guys are being pushed everyday. Zach Wiegert is being pushed; McKinney’s being pushed; Seth Wand is being pushed.”

McKinney especially likes the prospect of the line being able to settle into one approach, which hasn’t always been the case with the Texans.

“Last year, we changed our scheme a couple times during the season, fired our offensive coordinator and changed O-line coaches,” McKinney said. “So it was some different things like guys moving around to different positions. Any time you have that type of stuff going on in your offensive line or with your offense in general, it’s going to make it a little bit tough.

“I’m not using that as an excuse, but I really feel that with the new scheme, and as long as we can keep some continuity up front, I think that will make the difference.”

The key might be how these guys pick up the zone blocking schemes Kubiak used as offensive coordinator in Denver.

“It’s really not that different than what they did here last year,” Benton said. “As a matter of fact, they did a pretty good job of it last year and that’s something real fortunate for us. They did a lot of good things and that will fit into what we do and maybe we’ll add some other elements.

“It’s not a particularly difficult system. But the technique involved for each situation gets pretty complex. The assignments are fairly easy, but executing them like we want to takes the experience and repetition and things like that.”

Wiegert and McKinney like what they’ve seen so far.

“It’s a lot of the same techniques, really,” 12-year veteran Wiegert said. “This is more of a speed-type deal. Last year, we did a lot more inside and power zone stuff. We still zone blocked, but it was straight-ahead stuff.

“This is more of getting to the edges. It’s identical, basically, to what Denver runs. I think it’s really effective."

So does McKinney.

“I like the way we’re being asked to block the running plays,” McKinney said. “In my opinion, it’s better than what we’ve done before.”

The combination of old and new players and the new schemes might be just what the baby doctor ordered for this team.

“I like the guys we have,” McKinney said. “I think we have some fighters up front, some veterans who have played a lot in this league and some guys with a lot of talent.”

Benton thinks McKinney will be productive at right guard, where the nine-year veteran from Texas A&M has played.

“It hasn’t been that tough a transition for him since he’s played guard before,” he said. “Putting him between Flanagan and Wiegert give us a pretty experienced side with some very successful people.”

And adding 11-year-veteran Flanagan should give the line a boost.

“I think he’s a veteran who’s been to the rodeo before,” Benton said of Flanagan. “And he’s been very successful at it both individually and from a team standpoint. So I think he brings that type of experience and helps raise the level of play.”

Rookie third-round picks Charles Spencer of Pittsburgh and Eric Winston of Miami, two mammoth tackles, are the wild cards in this offensive line picture. Both come highly touted and could contribute this season.

“We’ll have to wait and see, but they certainly have the potential,” Benton said. “It’s just a matter of how quickly they develop.”
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Here's a nice review from Keith at HPF in a thread there that has some Oline stuff in it: Link: Camp Kubiak Day 3

There are various other thoughts about how things are going in different Training Camp threads.
 
I notice a few panicky-esque statements regarding the offensive line. I did indeed report that they are clearly getting slaughtered by our defensive line right now (as did AJ and others), but remember that (a) we're still very early into camp, (b) our O-line is doing a lot of subbing, while our D-line is already a much more consistent composition, (c) Sherman is clearly testing a lot of players and giving both Winston and Spencer a strong look, and as rookies, I expect both will exhibit a sharp learning curve, (d) our D-line is legitimately now a top-5 defensive line in the NFL. I am talking Panthers-esque: four strong across the front, pick your poison.

Plenty of time. No reason to start having nightmares/flashbacks yet :) Besides: remember that a big part of our sack woes were due in large part to Capers'/Palmer's/Pendry's playcalling: extremely predictable plays, few WR routes leading to Carr being stranded, etc. We've seen our very last edition of the Capers' Disturbingly Unintelligent Offense. Even if our O-line were just as shabby as last year's -- giving up the goat and giving Carr an average <2 seconds to unload the ball -- we'd still see about 15-20 less sacks this year IMO.

At any rate, for those who weren't there, take my word for it, FWIW: the O-line is a work in progress and I expect them to improve dramatically in the coming weeks.
 
aj. said:
Is scuttlebut more reliable than blather?
(that would be an attempt at humor. please no need to respond)
I'm done with this btw.
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Good, I'm glad you 2 are making up.
It can't be good that mummy and daddy are fighting with each other on our
website in front of all the kids.
 
I think the O-Line , for the first time has a fusion of young talent and veteran leadership . I call Spencer and Winston young legit talent to go with Pitts to form a future core . I'm not sold on Wand ... who was also a 3rd round pick , hey two outa three ain't bad .
 
Coach C. said:
A coach of mine use to tell me when we stop yelling at you is when we no longer believe in you.
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My coaches used to say that same thing, and it was true. The people you knew would never play never got yelled at.
 
Some info from Kub on HoustonTexans.com (No further info on Ranier):

(on CB Dunta Robinson’s ankle) “He rolled his ankle, he came back the next morning, and it bothered him again. We pulled him out. He just went and had x-rays done, just to ease our minds. He’s fine, and we need to look at some of these other guys anyways. We’ll get him healthy, even if it takes two or three or four days so we’ll do what we have to do to and he will be ready to play.”

(on pursuing new cornerbacks) “I think we’ll continue to. We even said heading into camp that we would look for a veteran corner as camp went through. Of course it’s escaladed from this standpoint. We’ll have a workout, I’m not sure if it’s going to be this afternoon or tomorrow, but we’re going to work out some more corners. As camp goes on and things happen, we’ve got to have a good camp from that standpoint. We’ve got to be watching a lot of football players out in this league. It’s just part of the process.”

(on his plans for RB Domanick Davis) “First off, we want him to go every morning with it. That’s what we what we want him to do. The first two days were good. There was a little soreness yesterday. He talked about it yesterday. He came in and we took a look at it. We took an MRI yesterday, it looked good. It is bothering him, he is sore. It may be a process where he goes two days and then takes a day off and comes back with two more. We’re going to do what’s best for Domanick and this football team. But the key thing is that we have to make sure that everything is fine with the knee. It looks like it is, so we have to sit down and chart out the course.”

(on the running back situation) “We’ll keep our eyes out in this league for veteran backs just like corners. That won’t change at any position. I like the competition we have. I like what (RB) Antowain Smith is doing. These are tremendously conditioned athletes and I’m sure you guys are seeing the same thing I have. There is three fine young football players out there, whether they’re a sixth rounder or free-agents. If they can play, that’s all that matters to me. I like watching these three kids and I’m excited to watch them play. I’m talking about the three rookies. I think (RB Vernand) Morency stepped it up. I think when you look at (RB) Wali (Lundy), and you look at (RB Chris) Taylor and you look at (RB Damien) Rhodes , you’re looking at three kids who are showing you they can play in this league. It doesn’t matter where you’re drafted. I’ve been through that before, and as long as they keep doing that, I’m going to give them a chance to contribute to this football team.”

For More Kub Comments



Morning Camp Notes
 
Hmmmm. I hate to see that again about DD. If the MRI is clear and he still has pain, what is it?

I saw him on the sideline today and assumed they were just letting him sit out one of the two dailys.
 
aj. said:
Hmmmm. I hate to see that again about DD. If the MRI is clear and he still has pain, what is it?

I saw him on the sideline today and assumed they were just letting him sit out one of the two dailys.
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aj, in case you or the others missed my post responsive to this same question a while back, I'm reposting it for reference:


After this length of time from surgery, I have to share your and many other board members' concerns over the true status of Davis' knee. The risks and complications of arthroscopic knee surgery are in general extremely small. However bear in mind that occasionally there is more damage in the knee than was initially thought and that this may affect the recovery time. In addition if the cartilage in the knee is partly worn out, then arthroscopic surgery has about a 65% chance of improving symptoms in the short to medium term but more definitive surgery may be required in the future. In general, arthroscopic surgery does not improve knees that have the dreaded well established Osteoarthritis, which will take it into the chronic category of pain, swelling and limited mobility. Hopefully, last year DD was not allowed to play through what should have been tended to before he would develop irreversible arthritic changes............... Hopefully, he has not already "run his knee into the ground."
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Small loose particles left behind from the original scope or postoperative torn scar tissue floating in the joint.....even tendonitis can lead to chronic pain and or/swelling in the knee. MRI can't always pick these things up. Time will tell if all this "resolves" or needs further surgery. If he does not resolve his present condition, it all has to do with what actual physical findings are present and how long his physicians are willing let him smolder before making a definitive decision. Again, hopefully it's not degenerative arthritis.
 
Really good stuff A.J. Really enjoyed the take on Coach Karmelowicz (Coach Kharma seems more appropriate) and also the snippet about Bruener. Thanks alot man, i really enjoy hearing your take on things. Keep up the good work.
 
The player quote of the day goes to tight end Mark Bruener. In 7-on-7’s, Mark took a short pass over the middle, turned and was immediately hit hard by a linebacker. But he stayed on his feet, spun and turned downfield and immediately took another shot by a cornerback. Finally, as he was running it out, a safety came over and gave him yet another shot. Bruener would probably argue that he was really the one doling out the punishment since after the play he was overheard saying to defensive backs coach Jon Hoke “did I get ‘em all Jon?”
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from AJ's link

funny stuff
 
Putzier, during pass drills, caught a pass and ran it out into the endzone .... as he walked past one of the ball boys he said "When does it start snowing?"
 
HJam72 said:
I'm not feeling good about Wand right now. If he doesn't show something at LT this year, I don't think he ever will.
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I think Wand is biding time until they feel Spencer is ready to start. Spencer has been making some rookie mistakes but looks decent right now and he should definitely be a good starter for several years. Wand really has not looked good thusfar, in 1 on 1 drills or on most plays in full team drills.

aj. said:
I'm surprised there's nothing out on Rainer. He appeared to be seriously hurt. I'm hoping it's just a close call but I sense something different.
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I thought I had heard from someone that he has an MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning, so hopefully we'll know something by then, assuming they announce it to us.

goodfella said:
Thanks for the updates.

Has anyone seen anything positive out of our O line? please tell me that something has been observed indicating this unit will not bring down our team for a 5th straight year...

Was DD out there? What was he doing?
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There have been some bright spots on our OLine. Wiegert, Flanagan, and Pitts have all looked pretty solid in 1 on 1 drills, unless they're going against Mario. McKinney has looked ok at times but has also had some lapses in performance, Weaver and Mario have both made him look foolish in 1 on 1s. Wand has not looked very good at all in any of the drills. Weary has looked pretty good for a backup, and Ephraim Salaam has shown flashes of being pretty solid as well. The rest of them haven't looked very good, although our DLine has also looked great. I think once Spencer and/or Winston are ready to start that our OLine will be pretty solid barring injuries, although I have concerns about our depth if injuries do occur.

Spencer and Winston have both looked pretty good, although they've made a lot of rookie mistakes and have a decent amount of technique and such to improve on. Winston lets pass rushers get too close in on him too much of the time and has relatively short arms so he ends up getting overpowered, but he is definitely very athletic for an OLineman. He looks very solid in run blocking where he's initiating the contact and can get to the 2nd level quickly, from my observations in his pass blocking he needs to get a little lower in his stance and make contact with the pass rusher a little sooner, but he definitely shows flashes of being a potentially very good OLineman. When he gets locked up on someone the battle is usually over and he keeps them from going anywhere. Spencer has been beaten on a few inside moves and also needs to stay lower in his stance, but he has an amazingly strong punch and is very strong. He doesn't read/respond to pass rushing moves as well as some others, but he has pretty long arms, he's athletic, and if he locks up a pass rusher he dominates them, he hsa tossed a couple guys several yards with a quick punch on outside rushes. He is also solid in runblocking, displaying very good strength and the ablity to get to the 2nd level. Spencer is probably a little closer than Winston to being ready to be a solid starter as of this point in time.

Another point with the OLine, our DLinemen have looked very good in 1 on 1 drills against them, but 1 on 1 drills somewhat favor the defense. In real game situations there will be less room for DLinemen to operate and there will be an extra blocker or two to help out with some double teams. Thusfar in team drills the OLine has not worked together especially well, but I think that cohesion will develop. OLine is one area of football where the whole can/should be far greater than the sum of the parts, so if we can get our OLine on the same page and playing together well (along with moving the pocket, establishing a good running game then using play actions and bootlegs to get Carr on the move and create hesitation in opposing defenses) then it should vastly improve the perceived shortcomings of the OLine in these 1 on 1 drills. That said our DLine still has looked very good, I'm not ready to put them on the same level as Carolina or Philadelphia, but I really think this DLine group can be in the top 5 in the league.

As for the field situation, it makes sense to rotate the fields, they all seem to be in pretty good condition still but repeated use of a single field will tear it up, and they don't want to ruin them this early in the season. At least they have let the fans come over closer to see decently, I've heard Kubes didn't initlally want to have any practices open to the public (not sure if that's how it was in Denver or he just wanted outside distractions to be kept to a minimum). I am one of the lucky ones that am able to roam the sidelines more freely as a guest of an employee (all morning practices are open to guests of staff/players, so hopefully I'll end up getting to go to another few practices that aren't open to the rest of the public so I can add any other insight/info from those days).
 
Nice read AJ! Thanks for the update. . That goes to all you guys that have been putting the time in to give us all reports!
 
Keep those updates coming!

I have been getting my ear bent by my loving other half over the situation with the team practicing far from the fans this year. Hopefully, my toe will allow me to come to practice later this week. I can almost walk half arsed human. :crutch:

Is it really that bad, are the fans kept THAT far away? Doc is mega-torqued on this issue, and he is usually the less vocally outspoken in our union. I have read the excuse given, but come on....

Also, those of you who were at the tailgate...if you have some feedback on the burgers before I do my finalization of my recipes to the contest....give it to me, warts and all via PM (or here, I'm not skeered). :cool:

Hope to see y'all on Thursday night, and bummed that I missed meeting Vinny (so please go Thursday so I can say HI in person). :shades:

Would be nice put more faces to screen names, so don't be shy when coming up to the tailgates or groups of fans shooting the breeze. Remember, we have a great common interest! :logo:
 
jerek said:
Was on the sidelines ... different pass than y'all had. Was hanging with Coach C. I don't know aj. but I am pretty sure he was out there as well.

As far as TJ still being here, I don't think anyone has told him he was cut. This is an NFL team we are talking about, and no coaches -- especially new ones who didn't draft the guy -- would waste their time coddling to a guy they had already decided to cut. I think they are honestly trying to work with him and improve his play. As of right now his chances for a starter spot are almost zero but if nothing else I think he'd stick around as second team/ST and practice squad. Not sure the cap ramifications of cutting him but that, given also that he is only a second year player, would indicate to me that they are willing to at least try to work with him still at this point.
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Man, I know this is just his 2nd year with us, but he is turning out to be a waste of a 1st Round Pick. Why the hell did we pass up on Marcus Spears to grab this bum? I just get boiled up to hear how much of a lazy good-for-nothing he has been with us so far.
 
MorKnolle said:
I am one of the lucky ones that am able to roam the sidelines more freely as a guest of an employee (all morning practices are open to guests of staff/players, so hopefully I'll end up getting to go to another few practices that aren't open to the rest of the public so I can add any other insight/info from those days).
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I know everyone's already said this but thanks for these. I really appreciate all the training camp reports.

Especially since I'm exiled to the land of the Cowgirls.
 
This is my very late take on TC today:

Phillip Buchanon was doing very well. He was sticking to his reciever like glue. He was making AJ mad and even picked one off meant for AJ. He got his hands on a few more as well.

#11 has NO hands. That boy can't catch anything to save his life.


Joppru seems very motivated to be out there and showed some surprising speed. He was going all out, all day. In the begining, most fans were by the TE's.


Weigert and Wand both got owned. Flanagen seemed lathargic to me, and could not hold his own in 1 on 1. Wand did the worst out of our group, being taken by everyone. He made Babin look like Mario.


Mario owned again, as expected.


Eric Winston really does look like a caveman.

Spencer really is HUGE, but he looked very strong when he worked with the 1st team.


Moulds did not run much at all, and seemed to be sitting out much of the drills.

AJ could not really be contained by anyone except Buchanon. AJ was seperating from everyone else, but struggled some for AJ against Buchanon.

Putzier is bigger than I thought, seems to be our largest TE.

Owen Daniels is a shrimp compared to the other TE's.

I hope Rainer is ok, that looked bad.

I had trouble following DeMecco. He didn't stand out at all.

None of our LB's stood out and their tackeling seems to be piss-poor.

Our entire secondary with the exception of Buchanon and Danuta (sat out) was biting very easily on double moves. Hoke chewed out a few of them a few times.

Kevin Walters looked very good. He appeared faster than advertised and used his hands away from his body very well. He showed the ability to seperate as well.

Mathis is a moron, he had his crutch on the wrong side of his body. He is still in a boot unfortunatly.

TJ looked lacksadasical. He hardly ever hustled at the horn sound, walked a lot between drills and just seemed reluctant. His play didn't make up for it either. Malone might beat him out at this point.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Phillip Buchanon was doing very well. He was sticking to his reciever like glue. He was making AJ mad and even picked one off meant for AJ. He got his hands on a few more as well.
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Good he needs to step up

YoungTexanFan said:
Mathis is a moron, he had his crutch on the wrong side of his body. He is still in a boot unfortunatly.
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Haha, that is something I would notice. He needs to decide if he is going to be a one season stunner or a career contributor when he gets back from injury, or he's not going to make it with these WRs for long.
 
D-Love said:
How does the rep system work over here guys..................
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Like...if you are off-topic like this post is, someone may give you a negative rep like this....
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Phillip Buchanon was doing very well. He was sticking to his reciever like glue. He was making AJ mad and even picked one off meant for AJ. He got his hands on a few more as well.
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Was he really playing that well or just fouling him the whole time? Cause even I can look like a decent CB if I can hold onto AJ's jersey every play. Either way this is good news as at least he looks very motivated to play well.
 
WOW!!! Thanks for the updates! It's really hard to get news coverage here in the Rio Grande Valley! The newscasters really wants to talk about the Cowboys!:crutch: :shoot: :francis: Man, we really need to change all this love for the Cowboys or Spurs here!
 
Hey Vinny since you made practice, what did you think of Meco up close, eventhough you guys werent that close. I know you like the kid alot, he has the ability and mindset to be something special. Literally if he starts all year he could challenge for Rookie of the Year Defense. It has gone to LBs what the last 4 years right.
 
Coach C. said:
Hey Vinny since you made practice, what did you think of Meco up close, eventhough you guys werent that close. I know you like the kid alot, he has the ability and mindset to be something special. Literally if he starts all year he could challenge for Rookie of the Year Defense. It has gone to LBs what the last 4 years right.
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I have not heard anything about it, my guess is today people will pay more attention to him even if he doesn't play much.
 
TexansSeminole I was at TC been to everyone of them, just asking about what Vinny thought since he finally made it out there.
 
Coach C. said:
TexansSeminole I was at TC been to everyone of them, just asking about what Vinny thought since he finally made it out there.
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Yea I know I have been following this thread, I appreciate all your input, jerek, and aj. etc.
 
Michael Smith, ESPN/Boston Globe, was live on SR 610 this morning from
TC.
Only 27, really sharp guy. He and family are from NOLA, and his parents are still here in Houston after the Katrina disastor hit their home town last year.
With McClain and Granada, they had a great discusiion about the NFL, but Smith was not on long enough as the guy is very smart, articulate, knowledgeable, and very entertaining.
Smith is a huge Mario fan and raved about him this morning, though I know he's happy that his hometown Saints getting RB.
 
I think Michael Smith is one of the best, if not the best, analyst on ESPN. It doesn't seem like he gets caught up in hype too much and calls it like he sees it.
 
FILO_girl said:
Keep those updates coming!


Is it really that bad, are the fans kept THAT far away? Doc is mega-torqued on this issue, and he is usually the less vocally outspoken in our union. I have read the excuse given, but come on....
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Pretty bad. My darlin' bride has arthritisis really bad. We were stuck in the stands. It was HOT. Can't see at all with the camera cranes, water guys, press, ect. ect. Can't see squat, even with feild glasses. We left early. Wensday./thursday tickets should be gold...lucky dogs. So who do you have to kill to get the VIP tickets on field three ?

Nice Job Coach, Mork & AJ. We're depending on you all. Nice job, YTF
 
I am guessing with the following he is starting to garner from younger fans he will soon have his on radio show on ESPN radio
 
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