Both sound like BS. Drafting a QB doesn't tie you down like it use to. Especially not one in the 2nd round. You could literally say the same thing about drafting any QB (about not wanting to be tied down). No way Bill signing here was predicated on getting Hoyer. You can't guarantee something like that. What If Hoyer didn't stink it up and the Browns decided to keep him? Bill walks because we don't get Hoyer? lol
Stop giving Smith so much credit. When O'Brien was hired word around here was Smith wasn’t making any decisions. Not drafting Carr probably had more to do with McNair. Yea, Hoyer being a deal breaker is ridiculous. But I wouldn't doubt that they discussed trading for Mallet.
The culture of the organization is an issue. There is very little accountability, and when there is it's usually way late. Start by releasing Mallett today. You can't tell everyone in that room that "being a good teammate" is the ultimate and then let this guy get away with not showing up for a charter that everyone else showed up for....weeks after sleeping through his alarm and failing to show up for practice. That's step 1. I have no idea who is in charge of what over there...and I'm not entirely sure McNair is aware of even who to hold accountable. Which makes McNair a huge part of the problem, frankly. This is his organization. That's a problem. You can't keep missing on draft picks and pretend that's ok or excusable....not for as long as it's happened. Rick Smith is so overdue to be fired it's funny. Which makes me think it won't happen. And if you tell me he has no responsibility for the draft, you're full of it. It's his job to hire, organize and coordinate the scouting staff. They're awful. I wouldn't have a problem with BOB being fired either at this point. He has mishandled this team this year and it APPEARS to me guys aren't giving him everything. I don't know why that is...but he's not getting their best (though I still don't think this roster's best is enough to really matter anyway). Beyond all that....I'd reboot the whole damn franchise. There's nothing that wouldn't at least be on the table. Remember when Crane bought the Astros and pissed off fans like me by saying, "Everything is on the table...including a potential name change." I hated that...mostly because the Astros had 50 years of history here, for better or worse. The point was made though....change was coming, and EVERYTHING was on the table. That's exactly the spirit that should be embraced on Kirby. What you're doing isn't working...stop it. Do something different. They need a cultural overhaul that includes, primarily, the concept of accountability....if they have to change everything to make that happen, so be it.
I asked him why we went after Mallett...and he wasnt sure; his opinion was that the Texans wanted to test the unknown with him. No reason for him to make it up... The Hoyer one was more confusing...But after some reading of contracts, etc...Hoyer signed with the Browns in 2013. He was called into action ahead of Jason Campbell, when Josh Weeden had a hand injury for week 3 of that season. He ended up winning week 3/4 and injured his ACL in Week 5...ending his season. In 2014, the Browns selected Johnny Manziel and everyone knows the circus that happened during that season. Hoyer started hot...and mellowed out mid season. Why is any of this important. The same season Hoyer got to the NFL as an undrafted FA, Bill OBrien was named the QB Coach (taking over the job by one Josh McDaniel)...My guess, is that Bill carried a very high opinion of Hoyer during his time with the Patriots. Its probably why he thought he could quickly install his system and give the reigns to a QB that has played well for him before...And since Hoyer was set to be a FA at the end of 2014 season, I can see why Bill wanted him to come in and run the offense here.
They were already good. Wade's scheme ALWAYS works the first year. Then it gets progressively worse. He'll be gone after year 3.
GF and I went grocery shopping at about noon, we left the house right AFTER Miami just got its second touchdown. We went to HEB, and got back home, the TV was still on, and I looked at the score - 41-0 ?? And I hadn't been paying that close attention to the time, I thought, 'it must be late 3rd quarter, maybe early 4th, for it to be so big and so bad'.. and then I saw the time on the game clock, and it was STILL THE SECOND QUARTER?? I looked at her and said 'This is the kind of thing that gets people fired, right here.' And that person should be Rick Smith. Today. Hell, it should have happened YEARS ago. BOB has proven he is a decent coach, by managing a winning record here with mostly garbage. This season is just a train-wreck, I don't think ANY coach could have success with this no-talent team. BOB should stay. But Smith.. Smith, Smith, Smith. I don't care if he is NOT the guy who decides who to pick. He is the guy who decides who to PAY. This team WAS headed in a good direction for a while, Schaub was playing well (yes, it's true!), and Foster had burst onto the scene from out of nowhere.. we were getting top-shelf production from unexpected places.. translation: we had highly productive players, CHEAP. But just like ignorant armchair GM's (who DON'T have the benefit of professional football-management experience, scouting, coaches, you know, actual football intelligence information), Smith thought that Foster was so good because FOSTER was so good. Now, foster WAS good, but anyone who has even a modicum of football knowledge will tell you that you could have the best running back in the world back there, but without a good offensive line in front of him, he isn't going to produce. So, what did Smith do? He unnecessarily paid a mint to Foster, and in the process let Winston and Brisiel walk away. Your two primary run-blockers (who also by the way helped keep Schaub upright and his head screwed on right) are let go, leaving the entire offense doomed to sputter from that point onward. Smith let Mario Williams walk in Free Agency, despite Williams openly stating he wanted to stay a Texan. So the guy he SHOULD have let test Free Agency, Foster (who ALREADY had a history of hamstring troubles), he pays 40+million, and the guy he SHOULD have locked up, he lets walk. He keeps the undrafted free agent, and lets the #1 overall pick in the draft walk away. He fails to understand that a strong offensive line is pretty much THE most important building block of a good offense, and a bad offensive line is the kiss of death for ANY offense. And then, Brian Cushing.. great young player, truly.. BEFORE tearing his ACL. The first time. Immediately AFTER tearing an ACL is NOT the time to pay a guy 55 million You wait at least a year, so you can see if he can still play up to the level he played before. And of course he has not. I love the guy, he busts his ass, but he can't run fast any more, and Smith paid him like he COULD still play the same as before. Failing to find a developmental backup for Schaub while Schaub was still good... this speaks for itself. General overall lack of talent or depth, across the board. You have JJ Watt, and... who? DeAndre Hopkins? The guy would be a 2nd or 3rd receiver on most other teams. WASTING the career of Andre Johnson.. and well along the path of completely wasting Watt's career as well. Zero accountability. None. Go away Rick Smith. Get promoted 'upstairs' or something, where you can't do any more damage. Just get the hell out of the GM's seat, so we can get some talented players in here. This team is as bad as the Astros were at the end of Drayton McLane's tenure as Owner - no talent on the field, and the cupboards are completely bare. And since, unlike baseball, the NFL does not have 'farm teams', our farm teams are the college programs, and FINDING THE RIGHT PLAYERS IN THE DRAFT IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT. That's YOUR JOB, Rick. You have failed. GO AWAY.
It also starts with ownership not having any firm rules, responsibilities and having a way to hold subordinates accountable. Also, it isn't coincidence that it is almost impossible to tell who is at fault on a case by case basis. Think about it, if you are Rick Smith, you have the ear of the owner and you sure as hell are not going to take the blame, you will blame the head coach. If you are the head coach, you will try to blame the GM and when that fails, you blame your assistants, who take the fall and the assistants will blame scouting. Also you have a owner and his son that are entirely too close to their GM. The GM is in the box with Cal and Bob every home game. Smith is the Godfather to Cal's child. Cal and Bob and Smith all go to church together and they spend holidays together. That isn't healthy for a football team. Especially one that has accomplished so little. What we need is for McNair to sell the team, but it isn't happening because it is a wonderful way to preserve wealth generation to generation. Thus, Cal will get and keep the team and he doesn't seem much different than his old man. The best we can hope for is that McNair blindly stumbles into an excellent GM that can overcome the poor institutional structure within the organization.
I don't know if all of that is true, but I think it's pretty close and that is the most concerning part of this franchise. Rick is more like a minority owner than a business-minded GM at this point. Even if he is removed from the GM position (which he has to be soon right?? Please??), I don't think he's going anywhere outside of this organization for a while. He'll stick on in his President of Football Ops or whatever feaux title they give him and still have his hands all over the front office. It really is disgusting. Unlike the Astros during the dark years there appears to be no Jeff Lunhow on the horizon to give us any hope.
Hoyer wasn't great with Cleveland. Last year Cleveland's running game started off hot until their center got hurt. But that doesn't mean O'Brien took this job under the pretense he would get Hoyer... Too much had to happen for him to get Hoyer. Him taking the job wanting the Texans to trade for Mallet is more feasible... Especially considering the Mallet trade rumors started not too long after he was hired. I think the Texans rushed to hire a new coach. McNair should have went after a GM 1st instead of having a GM he could tell what to do.
A coach bringing in a QB who is familiar with his system is not that big of a deal. That happens all of the time. The bigger deal is thinking either Mallet or Hoyer are starting NFL QBs. Who would have thought dropping Fitzpatrick would be a HUGE mistake!?!? Going forward, I still like BOB. He didn't suck last year with Fitzpatrick but his first draft was a disaster though I still like Clowney as #1. XSF, CJ, Nix ouch... 2015 draft seems a little better with KJ, McKinney, Strong, Convington, and Mumph. Should have another high draft order, let's see what he can do.
BOB isn't going anywhere. Rick Smith and the assistant coaches are goners. If McNair has any brains, he will hire and EMPOWER a new GM to make personnel decisions. BOB will be taking orders from the new GM and coaching for his job next year. I haven't given up on BOB just yet.
Foster was healthy last year... The way Ivory has been playing and with two big receivers the Jets would probably have the same record with Geno. You're giving Fitzpatrick too much credit.
They do have accountability.They cut the kicker Oh yeah, the Nose Tackle. And can't forget he got rid of Fitzpatrick who was fine being a backup. Bill O'Brien cuts players. He just cuts the wrong ones. The problem with cutting Mallett is the team needs a backup QB. I'm almost certain he'll be gone as soon as they find one. I think the coaching hires have been questionable. They've gotten good coordinators but not good head coaches. Kubiak, Wade, Capers, and O'Brien are pretty good coordinators. They haven't translated to very good head coaches here. I think Smith still has a job because everyone (outside of fans) believes he is not the problem. Most of the negative talk about him are from the fans. There aren't a lot from the experts around the league calling him incompetent like they do Grigson in Indianapolis. That's another reason why I think the problem with the team is not him. But he is not making the team better, might as well let him go too.
Fitzpatrick has a tremendous o-line, great running game, and well above average receivers surrounding him on an all-around good team, has only been sacked twice, yet he's still thrown 7 INTs in 6 games and produced a 76.0 QBR. He is what we thought he was. You can win with him when everything else is right, and occasionally he'll give you a stud performance, but over the long haul he is average at best.
