I don't think you know your history well enough. Belichick was actually with Parcells with the Giants before he took over the Browns... single-handedly implemented gameplans that had them beating the heavily favored 49ers and Bills (in fact, they carried BB... not Parcells.... off the field for one of those wins). Sure, he re-joined him for a mini-reunion with the Patriots/Jets after he got fired in Cleveland, but that wasn't anything close to what he had established prior. And looking back, there have been several documentaries and articles showing "indications" that he may have been on the right track... and the results that Baltimore ended up having (and then BB's success in New England) merely help to further fuel that narrative. Certainly, he learned from some mistakes... but there was plenty of stuff he already had with him the first go-around that ended up working out.
At worst he was average in Cleveland. Overall just under .500 record but also had a playoff victory (over Parcells) a year before he was fired. From my memory it was mostly a PR thing because he was his usual grumpy self which the media didn't like for someone unproven. That combined with the dirty move to Baltimore led to his firing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">OBrien "We have to self scout what we're doing. Things we're doing (calling) aren't working. Why aren't they working? We've got 2 find out."</p>— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL/status/658730153955069952">October 26, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bottom line, Bill O'Brien has 2 pieces of power in Houston that not all NFL coaches have: He reports to the owner, has final say on the 53.</p>— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/659070148226117632">October 27, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Something tells me that this will be the offseason that the McNair will have to chose btwn Bill OBrien and Rick Smith. Brian T Smith was on 790 this afternoon with Matt Thomas and said that a lot of what has happened...he has NOT reported. There is a ton of stuff he cant really say...that have been happening behind closed doors. Basically the power struggle is real and the owner will have to decide which direction they go. I would be ok with the firing of both. If they chose to fire both... Hire Sean McDermott as the Head Coach (from Ron Rivera's staff in Carolina), Hire Taylor Morton(Current Director of Player Personnel) from the Saint Louis Rams as your young GM. Both of these guys are two young defensive minds that can mold the teams in a certain direction. Their work speaks for themselves. If they chose to fire/reassign Rick Smith... Follow the tree structure that the Seattle Seahawks have. Pete Carroll is the Executive VP and has final say on the Roster. Then he went out and hired John Schneider as his advisor GM. Give that kind of reign for Bill OBrien and let him select his GM, someone that would follow how he thinks. If they chose to fire Bill OBrien...and keep Rick Smith as the GM. God help us all.
If McNair was smart (he's not), he'd ditch both and start from scratch. Smith and O'Brien have embarrassed the organization.
This is what makes absolutely zero sense. If they did this... and you were a prospective NFL head coach... on what planet would you think this was a desirable situation?
The easiest path to harmony is to fire Rick and let OB pick his own GM a la Kubiak. I'm not necessarily in favor of that though. OB does have control of the roster and this regression is worse than anything that happened under Kubes/Smith. I'm wary of him hand picking his own "yes" man. I'm afraid that simply replacing Rick won't have as much impact as people think it will. I think both need to go. It's a hard situation to call if he keeps one and gets rid of the other. There's definitely a loyalty factor with Smith that there isn't with O'Brien. But there's also the desire to try to keep as much intact as possible, like how he forced Kubes to fire Frank Bush and hire Wade when many wanted everybody fired. With O'Brien only in his 2nd year, it's easier to maintain continuity by only firing Smith (and maybe Romeo). But if reports about how the players feel in the locker room, I don't know how you keep O'Brien. At this point, I'd expect Rick to get the boot and OB to stay. But I have no faith in OBs, or his hand picked GMs, ability to build a roster. Better scenario might be to fire Smith, bring in a real GM who's in charge of the roster (OB doesn't make the decision), and re-organize the power structure between the coach and GM. But then there's more of a chance of another coach/GM clash if they go that route.
If you're Bob McNair, in order to earn respect from the fan base, you do the following at the end of the year: Fire Rick Smith. You call O'Brien aside and you tell him he has one year. One year. He must draft a quarterback that can play some within that one year. He also must show improvement between now and the end of next year in virtually every aspect as a head coach. Mainly, personnel management, development, as a leader of men, game planning, and his ability to dole out major responsibilities to people who can handle those responsibilities. You then tell him that if he doesn't meet all of these requurements, then he is gone at the end of next season. I still have some belief in him. I think deep down within, he's got the qualities you look for in a great head coach. I just think he is very green, and because he basically struck gold last year, we expect him to be Bill Bellicheck right away. I'm also not naive, and I know there is more than meets the eye going on behind the scenes. This off-season is a major turning point in this franchise. It will basically give us great insight into what kind of an owner McNair really is.
Oh how quickly every one has turned on o'brien lol. Just last year, everyone thought he was the right man for the job.
I also heard Brian T. Smith on the radio this afternoon, his comments were quite telling when he talked about what he can't report out, but that something is definitely going on. Rick Smith has to go. There is no bringing that guy back as the GM, VP of Operations, water boy, parking lot attendant, etc. Ten years of mediocrity with the draft and stupid contracts (which IMO outweigh the very few positives that he has had) are enough to get rid of him. Bill O'Brien should be shown the door as well. The guy is clearly in over his head, the handling of the QB situation, his input on the draft, the lack of team preparation show that he may not be ready to be th head coach of an NFL team. This past Sunday, I really believe that this team gave up. Not even during the 2-14 seasons have I ever seen the team look so apathetic. Here's to hoping Bob McNair makes some changes this offseason.
