INTERVIEW
DeAndre Hopkins discusses how close the Texans are to winning a championship
Jan 31, 2020, 2:36 pm
Composite photo by Jack Brame
Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins and his mother Sabrina Greenlee caught up with The Main Event's Cody Stoots and Jake Asman from Radio Row in Miami. They talked about Sabrina's upcoming film "Sabrina" and Hopkins shared his thoughts on losing to the Chiefs, how close the Texans are to winning a championship, and more.
You can read the transcript below where Hopkins talks about the Texans' season or you can listen to the entire interview if you want to hear more about the upcoming movie.
On the Chiefs loss and playing through the injury (Rib/finger)
It's football. I knew, obviously going out there playing, being injured, it didn't matter to me. We had a lot to fight for. I'm pretty sure a lot of my other teammates were banged up also. It was a tough game. Really don't want to re-live it too much obviously (laughs). But Kansas City is a great team you can't take anything away from those guys. They beat us out fair and square. Obviously a great comeback by Patrick Mahomes and those guys but uh, you know, I'm pulling for them. Sammy Watkins is a fellow teammate of mine at Clemson University. Also like family to me. So I'm happy for them.
On the big lead and did they think they were going to the AFC title game?
Oh, man. No question. No question. Up 24 to nothing there's no question in your head we're going to the AFC title game. But obviously us beating ourselves, making mistakes, turnover, just little critical mistakes. But I think everyone went out there and played hard. I don't think anybody has any regrets.
On Deshaun Watson continuing to grow
That's what I love about Deshaun. He never feels like he arrived. Little things, even if he's faking a hand-off. Little stuff like that, that you wouldn't think a quarterback is hard on himself. Deshaun, he's his biggest critic. I don't expect him to feel like 'Oh, you know, we had a good year, let me not work on it' that's not Deshaun at all. He's a hard worker. I know he's going to come out next year and demand the most from us, his teammates, and also himself.
On if Bill O'Brien is overloaded with the new GM title
You know, it's not easy man. I'm pretty sure he has a lot on his plate, but he handles it pretty well. Being able to go out there and still coach a team at a competitive level the way we did and compete for almost a title man, it's not easy, he's human, but he does a great job handling it very well.
Could Bill actually be better at the GM job because he is the coach?
I'm not sure. I can't speak on that because I've never, honestly, I don't know how that works upstairs. What those guys go through, I'm pretty sure other GM's are pretty knowledgeable about football. But, I think it's definitely probably an advantage that he's coached before and you know actually been out there on the football field and knows exactly what's going on X's and O's wise. So I'm pretty sure that helps.
Are the Texans close to getting to an AFC Title game and ultimately a Super Bowl?
Oh, there's no question that we're close. Obviously, us being up 24 to nothing on a team playing for a Super Bowl, I don't think that's a question. But I think that everyone has to perform at their peak ability in those games. You know, beating ourselves will not help. Turnovers, little things like that. It's a players league. Players out there playing. So I think for us to get over that hump everyone has to take accountability for their own job.
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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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