How Rich Eisen's eye-opening inside scoop speaks volumes about Houston Texans
HIGH PRAISE
06 June 2024
Everyone is talking about the Texans! Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Texans' additions this offseason certainly have not gone unnoticed. When a talented young core coming off a playoff victory adds Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Joe Mixon, there's good reason to pay attention.
However, the Texans wouldn't be the first team to disappoint with a second-year quarterback looking to build off a tremendous rookie season. Add that to all the media rounds CJ Stroud is currently taking part in and one could see the Texans struggling to live up to expectations. Especially with a difficult first place schedule on the horizon.
ESPN's Shannon Sharpe isn't the only person to say expectations could be what derails Houston's season, it's a different ballgame when you're the one being hunted.
But Rich Eisen said something very interesting on his show this week about the Texans 2024 outlook that many Houston fans will want to hear. Eisen has no shortage of NFL insiders he can contact who have a finger on the pulse of what teams across the league are thinking.
One of those insiders is Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. So, Eisen asked Breer what the consensus is among other insiders, coaches, and front office members across the league on the following question.
“Which team has pressed the most buttons properly to set themselves up for ultimate success this year?” And the answer Breer keeps hearing is the Houston Texans.
Which you have to love as a Texans fan, because this is coming from the people in the know. Not just media outlets looking to get pageviews. People that coach and run football organizations are all pointing to the Texans as the team that's doing it right.
Pretty amazing how much things can change in a year or two. Credit to GM Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, being set up for success doesn't guarantee the Texans anything. But it's the one thing they can control, and the reviews across the league speak for themselves.
To watch Eisen's discussion about the Texans, be sure to watch the video above!
It’s the first place Houston Astros against the first place Los Angeles Dodgers as they open their latest head-to-head series. This is not a recording. The two most dominant powers in the sport over the last decade gather at Dodger Stadium this Independence Day weekend. The Astros have a sizable lead in pursuit of their eighth American League West championship in the last nine years. The Dodgers have an even more sizable lead as they chase their fourth straight National League West crown, which would be their 12th in 13 years. Each franchise has won two World Series in that time frame, each has lost two. All Astro and Dodger parties would sign off immediately on a 2025 World Series matchup. This three-game set carries no big picture significance, but every game counts, and it’s just fun seeing these two get after it. It would be more fun if the Astros had Yordan Alvarez available. Then again, the Dodgers won’t have Josh Fields.
Both continue to roll along despite rashes of injuries. When the Astros awoke May 24 their record sat at 26-25. Since then they have gone 26-10. That is a dominant stretch despite this clearly not being a dominant team. The still Alvarez-less offense is mediocre. So is the starting pitching apart from the one-two awesome punch that Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been. When Brown or Valdez has been the Astros’ starting pitcher this season, the team record is 25-9. With anyone else making the start, 27-26. They have been every bit as dynamic a duo so far in 2025 that Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were for the Astros in 2019 when Verlander edged out Cole to win his third Cy Young Award. Brown is a lock to be named to his first American League All-Star team this Sunday. Valdez is worthy of a third consecutive selection but could get caught in a numbers squeeze. Eight or nine starting pitchers are picked for each league.
The Dodgers won’t face Brown this weekend, but will have to deal with Valdez on Saturday night. His mound counterpart will be Shohei Ohtani. Oooooooh! Framber didn’t give up a run in his last 13 innings over his last two starts, and over his last 10 outings has a super-spiffy 1.72 earned run average. The amazing Ohtani is easing back into pitching after his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has started three games, totaling just four innings. He has yet to throw 30 pitches in an outing. Saturday he probably will be allowed 30 to 40.
Arms race
While Friday’s outing isn’t remotely a make or break start for Lance McCullers, it does speak to a significant question the Astros hope to find a pleasing answer to over the remainder of the regular season. Who is their third starting pitcher in a playoff series? After Brown and Valdez there is simply no one who inspires confidence at this point. McCullers has been awful his last two times out, jacking up his ERA to 6.61 eight starts into his season. 20 walks issued in 32 2 /3 innings pitched is glaringly bad. McCullers is still reasonably in ramp up mode, but given his injury history along with performance concerns, the third starter spot can’t be considered his to lose. Spencer Arrighetti’s resume is thin but his return at the level he pitched at after the All-Star break last season would be massive. Colt Gordon and Brandon Walter have both done some nice fill-in work, but no one plausibly wants them starting what would be a do or die game if the Astros wind up in a game three of a best-of-three Wild Card series.
Historic achievement
Not as if it’s subplot or anything this weekend, but let’s call it notable that the two active career hits leaders in Major League Baseball share the field this weekend. Jose Altuve this week vaulted past Jeff Bagwell for second in Astros’ history behind Craig Biggio. Altuve enters the weekend 743 hits behind Biggio. He is no lock to catch him before Altuve’s five-year contract expires at the end of the 2029 season. Altuve will be 39 then. Biggio was 41 when he rapped his 3000th hit, then added 60 more before beginning the waiting game for election to the Hall of Fame.
Like Biggio got and presumably someday Altuve will get, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman will get the call from Cooperstown some day. Like Altuve, Freeman is 35 years old, has won a Most Valuable Player Award, one Gold Glove, and with his selection this week been named an All-Star nine times. Aaron Judge may change this in the next couple of years, but among active players only Mike Trout (by a long shot) has compiled more Baseball-Reference offensive Wins Above Replacement than Freeman (second) and Altuve (third).
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me 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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