FFS, Dare should not be getting any snaps outside of special teams! Same for Justin Watson. Noel is a playmaker!
Cole Popovich was the assistant of the worst O-line in the league and he got promoted to take over. Think about that.
That's why he was hired - because at that time due to the influence of Easterby, Bob wanted to recreate Patriots' South in Houston. They had hired a search firm to vet GM candidates but Easterby and Cal ignored their recommendation, flew to New England and hired Caserio. Caserio's primary purpose was to duplicate the Patriots operation in Houston. All I can say is: be very careful what you ask for because you may just get it.
my knee-jerk reaction is frustration - especially towards To'oto'o who had Baker in his sights on a fourth down play that would have ended the threat. the missed tackles, not wrapping up, letting this Bucs team do whatever they wanted for the most of the game against a D that is supposed to be elite, no holes to run through... its disappointing. as much as I love Demeco, it really looks like they are getting outcoached more times than not. after a night to sleep it off, its still a frustrating loss and a frustrating start to the season. that being said, its still early and playoffs is still very much in the picture. I have confidence there is a lot they can improve on, and they will improve. call me 2% worried right now. win the next 2 against division rivals, which they SHOULD, and we're fine.
The time to do that was during the offseason. They're more of less stuck with what they have for the season. To be honest, it just doesn't look good. If Jacksonville hangs an "L" on them then it could get real ugly fast.
it seemed that the defense was almost TOO amped up, especially at the start of the game alongside that 4th down play. The crowd energy I feel worked against them.
I obviously don't know who's to blame for the offensive line: is Caserio following DeMeco's lead or is he failing to meet DeMeco's expectations? Personally, I'm not entirely sure Caserio is the issue. I feel certain the Texans made four critical mistakes in the offseason: - they retained/promoted Cole Popovich (almost certainly DeMeco's call) - hired an inexperienced offensive coordinator (also DeMeco's call) - traded Larmey Tunsil (I have to believe this was a DeMeco mandate; Caserio merely executed) - looked for offensive line personnel in the bargain bin rather than spending premium pick/money on talent (this is likely all Caserio's) There's a lot of focus on Caley right now - and, yeah: his offense looks like a mess. But retaining *and promoting* the guy WHO WAS IN THE OL ROOM LAST YEAR is looking more and more like a giant mistake as the OL, with (mostly) all new personnel, looks exactly the same. Popovich is the one constant. The Texans should've hired the best, most experienced (expensive) offensive coordinator available. Short of that, they should have hired the best, most experienced (expensive) offensive line coach to work with the inexperienced coordinator. They failed to do either, which is indefensible. Maybe Caley can crack the code - but right now, I'm putting much of this at DeMeco's feet.
Nick Calley is an alumnus of Caserio's John Carroll University *and* New England. Why are you assuming this is Demeco's call? Why do you think Popovich (NE coach) is Demeco's call, for that matter? Are we going to credit Caserio's defensive acquisitions to him, or Demeco? Caserio's offensive line malpractice, alone, should have us all questioning his ability. An underrated mark against him is resource allocation. Caserio loaded up on the defensive line, thin at starting calibre offensive lineman, running back and playmakers. Look at the cap management. Look at how much dead money they are paying. Look at how much Caserio is spent on older skill position players. Look at the godawful contract extensions. Caserio is the problem.
Goal for them to atleast be 2-3 heading into the bye. Definitely can beat the jags and the oilers. Not a chance in hell at Baltimore.
Because I would be blown away if Caserio was dictating DeMeco's staff. I don't know how it works - but I think DeMeco has a very specific *type* of player in mind for his defense. I do not believe the offense has an identity, which is why they fling crap against the wall, hoping it sticks. This is precisely why you hire experienced coaches: they know what they want/need. I have no problem pointing the finger at Caserio. He wasted two years of bad coaches and failed to build any particular unit during that time. No reason he couldn't have put the offensive line in place in his first three years. He ignored it. Colossal mistake. He landed two supreme building blocks (Nico and Sting) but almost everything else good on this roster came post-DeMeco. Probably not a coincidence. But, as I said: I would be SHOCKED if Caserio is dictating coaching hires to DeMeco. Caserio is lucky DeMeco kept him as the team almost certainly handed the keys to the franchise to Ryans. My guess is - without improvement - Ryans will jettison Caserio this offseason and get one of his 49ers guys into that position.
Caserio has survived BoB, Culley, Lovie, and now we are saying DeMeco is the culprit? We knew the OL needed to be overhauled and that Diggs/Tank were gone going into the offseason, and yet we came out worse in both groups. The rookies have looked promising but Caserio basically betted the entire season on them plus a bunch of junk journeyman. Don't get me wrong, DeMeco's coaching has been bad but this offensive roster is in really really bad shape.
Not the offense, but the dropped INT by Azeez, which would also have taken 7 points off the board (that possession resulted in a TD
