This is *exactly* where I am. It's not the direction I wanted them go - it feels like a lateral move - but there's a better-than-decent chance Caserio was under Belichick's thumb in NE and he'll have a chance to really shine here. Let's hope. He gets to immediately make a statement with the head coach; anxious to see where he goes. If it's McDaniels.......
There won’t be any gray areas in what a Houston Texans player will look like. It will be black and white and very clear. SMART. TOUGH. DEPENDABLE. Working hard, getting better every day. Very versatile. Love this group of guys John. Fun to be around, fun to coach. Very excited about this team.
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/what-texans-hire-nick-caserio-gm-means-patriots IS CASERIO EVEN GOOD? As much as I’ve pummeled the team for its draft floppage and willful disregard for positions of need, that buck stops with Belichick. Caserio isn’t going to say, “Let’s take N’Keal Harry!” unless the combined research and conversations between him, his staff and Belichick landed him at the top of their 2019 wideout board. Am I saying, “It’s not Nick’s fault”? Kind of. Where Caserio isn’t blameless -- or at least above questioning -- is in how much he was willing to give Belichick spirited debate. Indications I’ve gotten are that Caserio wasn’t one to challenge Belichick. And the lack of anyone who’ll say, “Bill, I disagree and we need to do something different ...” is obvious. And it includes ownership to a large degree as well. But ownership shouldn’t have to intervene in football conversations. That should be the role of the head personnel man. But Belichick adroitly avoided giving Caserio a VP title the same way he did with Scott Pioli a decade before. And Caserio -- like everyone else on the staff -- came to the Patriots in 2001 when Belichick was morphing into a football deity. It’s hard to tell a guy as accomplished as Belichick who’s in large part responsible for your professional success and personal comfort that he’s doing it wrong. With the sway to do it his own way, it will be interesting to see how Caserio performs. And that’s what will be fascinating. Think about this: The Patriots may have had more success with undrafted players in the past seven seasons than they did with picks in the first three rounds. David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, J.C. Jackson, Malcolm Butler, Adam Butler, you get the point. And later-round picks. They’ve done a great job. Aggressive trades at the deadline. Mid-tier free agents. Cap maneuvering. There are some dud deals and the draft stuff is what it is. But Caserio has more experience than anyone in the league at working phones, relationships and different avenues for collecting talent. That’s what makes him a great hire. Along with the fact that he’s as decent and diligent a guy as I’ve covered down there.
