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We are 12 days away from training camp and John Harris and I loaded up the Friday show with a little bit of everything. We started with Azeez Al-Shaair landing at No. 6 in ESPN's annual linebacker rankings — compiled by Jeremy Fowler from surveys of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. Aaron Rodgers once admitted he always knows when Azeez is on the field, and that's exactly the kind of respect a defender wants. An NFL coordinator also praised his improvement in coverage, noting he is "explosive and good in coverage." That was personal for Azeez, who told us in studio how down he felt about his coverage against Chiefs in the 2024 postseason. His nine passes defended were the most by a Texans player with 100-plus tackles since Brian Cushing had 10 in his 2009 rookie season. And what I love most is watching him stay after practice with rookie LB Wade Woodaz, spending 35 or 40 minutes at the goal post working on initial steps and striking. That's veteran leadership at its finest, and Azeez has fully embraced it — even if he insists on being "unc" instead of "OG."
The second half of the show was all about Chris Simms' all-time prime quarterback rankings from his Unbuttoned podcast. Tom Brady at No. 9? Peyton Manning at No. 1? No Joe Montana? John and I both could not let that go. "The guy at number nine has seven Super Bowls, and the eight guys in front of him have a combined nine," I pointed out. I've called games against Brady, Mahomes, Manning, Rodgers, Lamar, Josh Allen, and Favre, and there is no one who terrified me more than Brady. When he's at the line looking at your defense, reshuffling the formation, and the ball comes out that quick and that accurate — there's no recourse. I ranked my personal fear factor list: Brady, Mahomes, Manning, Lamar, Rodgers, Allen, Favre. We also had some fun debating whether Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, deserves a spot in the top 10. And I'll throw this one out there — Michael Vick in his prime would be at the top of every defensive coordinator's nightmare list.
We closed the show with something John and I are passionate about: the NFL needs to end ties. This is America. Somebody has to win the game. We pitched a format — each team gets a guaranteed possession, and if it's still tied, you go to the two-yard line and keep going until someone wins. Just end the game. It shouldn't be that complicated.
That's a wrap on a loaded Friday show. If you haven't already, make sure you subscribe to Texans All-Access on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and ride with us all the way through training camp and into the season. Go Texans.
