...and if Watson continues to play well, they'd be idiots to bring in a new coach and change systems on him after his rookie year.
NFL GM's are generally cap managers on average... Most head coaches around the league have a significant enough say in personnel matters to make draft decisions as well as roster decisions independently enough. At no point is it about "taking credit" for this player or that player. If BOB has them playing good football, as a unit, and Watson is making progress... they shouldn't disrupt that, no matter what the HC-GM relationship is.
The only way he gets leverage is by continuing to win and Watson continuing to do well. His options then are to use his contract negotiation as leverage to either take over PP or bring in one of his own guys..... or he could keep the status quo. But, chances are the Texans will end up doing the most asinine/dumb thing possible... because they like to make straight-forward/simple decisions as difficult as possible.
1. Never over Rick 2. He doesn't want that 3. Brian Gaine, who supported O'Brien, suddenly decided to take a lower position with the lowly Bills
Schottenheimer won some in Cleveland and KC well before he went to SD. Nobody would bet on this being BOB’s last coaching offer if they eventually decided to part ways... but like Schottenheimer went through, eventually you reach a maximum capacity of what you can accomplish (or you get too old for the job).
The O'Brien hate continues to baffle me. Smith? I get it. He has a long track record of ho hum. O'Brien has won every year despite the Smith-obtained bums behind center. This year he has something to work with...
So what? He already said that Rick doesn't get them players the coaches don't want. Rick wanted to trade up and O'Brien was cool with it. Doesn't show that O'Brien didn't have a say.
No but it does say that Rick Smith thought Watson was good enough to trade up for. It wasn't O'Brien's call. People on here were suggesting that Watson was O'Brien's guy and not the GMs.
I do think Rick has input, but I believe ultimately it comes down to the what the coaches really want. You could also reason that as him checking that obrien was good with it
There was an interview right after the draft. Obrien says he has a good relationship with Rick and that Rick would never get him a player the coaches don't want. Here's a link: http://houston.cbslocal.com/2017/06/22/mad-conversation-1-bill-obrien-full-interview/
These are my thoughts also. I KNOW what RS is. Average at best. But I'm still undecided on BOB. He can win by holding the reins in on ho-hum QB's to minimize mistakes but can he get a team to that elite level? I give Rick credit for Watson but if he had hit on even 2 or 3 of these 2nd-4th rounders we've been squandering the last few years we would be positioned much better. Especially if they were o-linemen or db's. `
