Tag: Sports Radio 610

Texans GM Nick Caserio hints more contract extensions could come

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio indicated to Sports Radio 610 that more contract extensions could manifest by the end of the season.

The Houston Texans scored their first in-season contract extension of the Nick Caserio era when they signed defensive back Tremon Smith to a one-year, $1.6 million deal on Dec. 4.

Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] Tuesday and went through the process of how the team will approach the possibility of giving out more contract extensions through the end of the regular season.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Caserio said. “We’ve had discussions with various players, multitude of players, I would say throughout the season. So, there is never a timing element on this. Some players are more inclined, some players and agents are more inclined to have those discussions during the season. As you get a little bit closer toward the end of the season, some players and agents are kind of inclined to let the season play out.”

The first-year Texans general manager stressed that agents will be doing their own market research, and that communication is key, no matter the time of year.

“We’re going to have conversations with those players after the season,” said Caserio. “They’re going to know what direction we’re going to go, what our level of interest is. Some players will get to free agency and we’ll continue to talk to those players in free agency. Some players we’ll have a chance to sign before the free agent period starts. So, we’re going to be very flexible, we’re going to be very open-minded, and we’re going to try to identify players that we would like to have here next season. And there has to be some mutual interest on the opposing end.”

Caserio says the team has “had a lot of good feedback” and that more extensions like the one with Smith could happen over the final five weeks of the season.

Said Caserio: “There might be some others that over the course of the rest of the season we might be able to reach an agreement. And if we don’t, we’ll deal with it in the offseason.”

The Texans face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 at NRG Stadium. Currently, with a 2-10 record, the Texans are projected to have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

GM Nick Caserio doesn’t consider the Texans to be a ‘rebuild’

New general manager Nick Caserio doesn’t view the Houston Texans as a rebuild, unless that is the term for annual team-building every NFL team does.

Nick Caserio may have taken over as general manager of a salary cap-strapped club with a dearth of draft picks that finished 4-12 a season ago, but he doesn’t perceive the Houston Texans as a rebuild.

Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] Friday to talk about the state of affairs with the AFC South club.

“Really the reality is each team, all of us, are sort of restarting our team for the 2021 season,” Caserio said. “So, really, that’s the approach. You’re sort of restarting from ground zero. Really with the new league year kind of puts everybody in the same position.”

The former New England Patriots director of player personnel, a position Caserio had since 2008 and sundry other titles with New England going back to 2001, shared what he learned about team building with the Patriots.

“As it pertains to what I’ve learned the most or what have I taken the most is just try to make good decisions understanding that every decision is probably not going to work out the way that you hoped or whatever the extenuating circumstances are,” said Caserio. “But just try to make good decisions, try to be consistent, try to be very thorough with your thought process, and have a plan for that player and try to create as much competition as possible. I think those are the things philosophically that are consistent year to year.”

The Texans are missing their first and second-round picks and won’t have a shot at their first selection until No. 67 in Round 3. However, Caserio won’t allow that to provide fodder for making excuses.

Said Caserio: “We can’t change anything that’s happened in the past relative to contract or draft picks that may or may not been accumulated or lost. We can’t necessarily worry about that. We can only look at our situation and maximize our opportunities with the resources we have in front of us. That’s what we have a responsibility to do. That’s my responsibility with the coaching staff and with the rest of the organization.”

Houston sports fans consider the Texans a rebuild, and they are hopeful Caserio can make the right decisions to make the team competitive in 2021.

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Hundreds of Texans fans say goodbye to J.J. Watt on Sports Radio 610 hotline

Hundreds of Houston Texans fans left voicemails at Sports Radio 610 telling All-Pro DE J.J. Watt goodbye.

Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] in Houston created a hotline where Houston Texans fans could leave voicemails for J.J. Watt, and the fans responded with hundreds of messages of admiration and support.

One of the best voicemails was from man who told about how his wife gave birth to their daughter on Sept. 14, 2017, during the Texans’ 14-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.

“I got to put on the NFL Network right there in the labor and delivery room, and I’m like, ‘You can do it, babe. Yeah, come on, push, push,’ and I’m looking up and I’m looking up,” the caller said. “And right when you pancaked that center to end the game, because I think they were doing pass backs trying to make a miracle, you just laid this dude out. That very moment my daughter was born. So, it’s just something special that we had. I just genuinely want to say thank you. You’ve done it the right way. Nothing but love, J.J. Thanks a lot.”

Watt did it the right way with collecting three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards while with the Texans, and was the face of the franchise through the 2010s. Counting as a $17.5 million salary cap hit in 2021, the cash-strapped Texans had to make a move to get under the cap, which meant parting ways with their All-Pro defensive end that the city will forever love.

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Cal McNair thinks 1-6 Texans have a shot to qualify as an AFC wildcard

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair is optimistic the defending AFC South champions could backdoor their way into the playoffs as a wildcard.

The one thing about Cal McNair is he is optimistic, and the reality is anyone who is successful has to be. Negativity and not living with hope keeps one as a mote in the mire, no matter the profession.

The Houston Texans chairman and CEO is remaining optimistic about his team’s chances to qualify for the postseason. McNair joined Texans Radio play-by-play voice Marc Vandermeer on Sports Radio 610 Monday morning and talked about the advantages the team would have if they could qualify as one of the three wildcards in the AFC.

“The other thing about being a wildcard is you go on the road, which you think is a big disadvantage, but in this crazy year we have,” McNair said.

Of course, McNair was referring to the fact some NFL venues have fewer fans than usual, if at all. Therefore, going into classically hostile environments shouldn’t be as intimidating given that there isn’t that huge of a crowd.

“There’s very few fans on the road,” McNair said. “So, the homefield advantage isn’t what it typically is in a typical year. So, that’s not going to be such a disadvantage.”

The problem is making the playoffs. Houston has taken on a 1-4 conference record. Even if they win out, the losses to the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens could factor as head-to-head matchups that swing against the Texans. Because of the math, the Texans would be a 10-6 team that failed to make the playoffs.

Houston has taken on a lot of water when it comes to their playoff chances. However, they can cultivate tangible optimism and build momentum with a division win against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at TIA Bank Field. 2-6 looks more hopeful and optimistic than 1-7.

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Texans making the playoffs helped boost Sports Radio 610’s ratings

The Houston Texans making the playoffs boosted the ratings for Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM], which is the flagship station for the team’s radio network.

What can a Houston Texans playoff run do if you’re the flagship station for the team’s radio network? Try boosting your ratings.

According to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle, who covers sports media in Houston, the Nielsen Audio ratings had Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] land in the top-10 for audience share among men ages 25-54 in the 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during Jan. 2-29.

Houston defeated the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in overtime on Jan. 4 to kickoff wild-card weekend across the NFL. The excitement of the Texans winning a postseason game, and with quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt having noteworthy performances in the win, generated plenty of buzz around the Bayou City.

The Texans were bounced out of the divisional round 51-31 by the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 12. However, even with the Texans failing to get out of the playoffs for divisional round for the fourth time in team history, there was still a spike in interest as chairman Cal McNair announced coach Bill O’Brien would be promoted to general manager. That news occurred on Jan. 28, which gave Sports Radio 610’s full weekday lineup two shows to analyze the move.

If the Texans can ever get it going postseason wise, it will be a ratings explosion for whoever has the contract to be the club’s flagship station.

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