Is it just me or is this job much more attractive on the surface than the majority of media and fans are acting? How often do coaches get an opportunity to almost completely build a team from scratch exactly how they want with the resources to do it? Expectations will be extremely low for the first year or two after the misery this franchise has been through. Assuming it's not just a bluff and Caserio is actually on the hot seat, the owner will basically also give you complete control to do what you want if you win him over.
This should have been true the last two years for the Texans and they ended up with Culley and Lovie. Generally, a position where the GM who hired you is on the hot seat is not a good thing. It means there's a decent chance you'll soon end up with a boss who didn't hire you.
How was this true when Culley was hired? Last year I can see it could've been, but Texans did not have the cap space like they will this off season...
Well the timeline for the coach in 2021 shouldn't have been 1 year. If they had hired a real coach, that person would have known they were going to have several years to build from scratch. They had a new GM who would be wedded to the coach, either an elite QB or a bunch of picks that would come from trading him, and a fairly open roster with no long-term commitments meaning lots of upcoming cap space.
It wasn’t true either time as the Watson situation wasn’t resolved in either case. The results of that trade are a big selling point of the job. Prior to that it was a huge unknown and distraction.
The more I hear the more I like Ben Johnson of DET. I REALLY, REALLY want a young offensive mind to lead us and Johnson seems to have done the "most" with the "least" lately imo, especially qb-wise. But the one thing that could trump that for me is the blurb about Ed Dodds possibly coming here with Gannon. If I could pick 1 spot most crucial for a team's ongoing success it wouldn't be HC. It would be "talent evaluator"! We've NEVER had a great talent evaluator here in the Texans' existence (Rick Smith was slightly above average), and if Dodds is responsible for all those Indy picks (qb notwithstanding) that have hit the past several years like I've read then COUNT ME IN! Is there some way we could finagle a Ben Johnson-Ed Dodds package? That would be my best case scenario! Oh and I don't want Payton here even for a 3rd rounder! Always thought he's a bit overrated plus I have no desire whatsoever to give full roster control to 1 man like we did with B.O.B.!!! Nosirr!
This article is going to really piss off a lot of folks here. I know it would drive the battlered koolaid drinkers on the r/Texans forum on Reddit ballistic. I take no issue with what he's saying because the Texans have no one but themselves to blame (not that they'll do it). I'm posting it to show exactly the mess that Nick & Cal have brought on this organization (and I use that term very loosely): Black coaches should boycott the Houston Texans so they can’t fill their Rooney Rule quota The franchise fired two Black head coaches — David Culley and Lovie Smith — after one year on the job By Carron J. Phillips Published 2 hours ago When the Houston Texans fired Lovie Smith on Monday after only a year on the job, the sorriest franchise in the NFL was following the same script from last year when they fired David Culley after one season. The last three men to have the title of “coach” within that organization have all been Black — and all three men (which also includes Romeo Crennel) were used as scapegoats by an organization that’s been in shambles for years. Every Black candidate that the Texans reach out to this offseason should ignore their phone calls and reject the chance to be interviewed — making Houston noncompliant with the Rooney Rule and forcing the team to hire a white coach for the worst job in the NFL. In 2021, the league mandated that teams must interview at least two external minority candidates for open head coaching positions, and at least one external minority candidate for a coordinator job. To understand why this drastic measure should be taken at a time in which the league is being sued for its alleged racist hiring practices, as the annual discussion about the lack of diversity within the coaching ranks of the NFL is in full throttle, you have to go back and understand how the Texans got here. This is the same organization that used to be owned by a man that once doubled down on saying, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” when Black players were kneeling in peaceful protest against racism and police brutality during the national anthem. This is also the same organization that is now run by a man that once said “I’m sorry that we couldn’t get together last year, because of the China Virus,” at a charity event. Lastly, this is still the same franchise that donated money and announced that they were partnering with Texas Southern — an HBCU — last year to improve their athletic facilities and funds in a failed attempt to change their image. And that’s just the beginning. After Bill O’Brien — a white man — was fired after being a dumpster fire of a head coach that allegedly said racially insensitive things to DeAndre Hopkins and got into it with J.J. Watt at practice, the Texans promoted Romeo Crennel — a Black man — to interim head coach. O’Brien was 0-4 in 2020, and Crennel went 4-8 but was not retained. Why? Who knows, it’s the Texans. But, the team eventually wound up hiring Culley out of leftfield as it left people asking, “Who is that?” in a move that didn’t make sense after then-disgruntled star quarterback Deshaun Watson had already advocated for the hiring of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. 2021 was a disaster for Culley and the Texans given Watson’s situation as he didn’t play a single game that season. The team finished 4-13 — so they fired Culley as if he was the problem. With another head-coaching vacancy, it was speculated that the Texans wanted to hire Josh McCown for the job, despite the journeyman QB’s only coaching experience being an assistant at the high school level. However, Brian Flores’ lawsuit put the team in a bind. To save face, the Texans hired another Black coach, Lovie Smith, at the eleventh hour. Now, here we are again, as the Texans are looking for another head coach after Smith finished the season 3-13-1. And when the phone calls start being made, every Black candidate should hit ignore whenever a 713 area code pops up on their screens. You will never be able to tell me that Culley and Smith didn’t know what they were getting into when they took the Texans job. And while I understand that it came with a considerable pay raise, at this point, it’s time that the Texans learn a tough lesson — that it’s always been them. The Rooney Rule isn’t the problem here, the Texans are — and their affinity for making Black coaches the inevitable fall guys when the organization’s own incompetence is the true culprit. There is no value in being the head coach of the Houston Texans, and that goes for white and Black coaches. And while it’s a tough request to ask a group of men who have been overlooked for decades to ignore a potential opportunity to interview for their dream job, this franchise has proven that they’re only calling you to fire you, or because they need to speak to you to reach a quota. If the Texans truly want Josh McCown that badly, they should be allowed to hire him without any punishment from the league. And if that does happen, it will surely end in disarray — once and for all proving that the ones in the front office were the ones that should have been fired.
For those wanting Sean Payton, take a look at past trades involving HCs, what was given up and get back with us.
Was doing a dive into the rams coaching staff this morning when I heard McVay allowed his staff to interview for coaching positions, Thomas Brown and Don Shula's grandson stood out. Brown seemingly got promoted almost every year since leaving Georgia and was named assistant head coach after one year on McVay's staff. This dude has Tomlin written all over him.
I don't actually want him but I understand what he brings to the table and what a change he could make on the organization.
Offhand, I know Bill Belichick was traded to the Patriots and Jon Gruden traded to Tampa Bay, both winning superbowls with their new organizations. Both involved first rounders and I suspect both organizations were pretty happy with the deals.
