The Texans didn’t address their obvious holes because they don’t have to - there is zero sense of urgency or expectation of greatness from ownership. They know the fans will show up and they will get their new stadium. The Texans situation is a lot like the Bears with their family ownership. From Ryan’s being a lot like Lovie Smith, to the GM being good as something but terrible at others …. To loyal fans and a mediocre male child running the organization and being bad at hiring the right people.. both those male children are mall cops without nepotism.
True, drafting CJ assured the stands would be full again and the sense of urgency went away. There's no burning desire from Cal to bring a Lombardi to Kirby. Frankly right now Cal has bigger fish to fry with Cary's lawsuit. That's not conducive to winning championships. Siblings fighting over their deceased parents wealth is a tradition that goes back to the stone age.
I am not a GM or Coach but even I could see that you needed to address the O Line but for whatever reason they thought they could scheme this thing with sub prime players and that was the most frustrating part, it's like your ego says you can coach them up but in reality the quality of the player doesn't allow that and that's the most frustrating part. I am not even asking to overpay like Chicago did, but maybe one QUALITY center and a QUALITY tackle?? This O Line flat out sucks, were paying Cam R north of $10 million and he flat out sucks..............I love Nick and Demeco but they have a horrible track record when it comes to the O Line, we needed an experienced OC who can help pick the players. The window to win is so short with a rookie QB before they get paid that I feel we have wasted this year...............probably too emotional after the loss, but were built to beat lesser teams right now, but were not going to beat the Ravens or Bills with this offense
I'm not Caserio's biggest fan; would be fine if he was jettisoned. But vehemently disagree on Ryans. I think people may be conveniently forgetting just how bare the cupboard was when Ryans got here. He inherited Nico, Sting, Pitre, Fairbarin, Howard & Harris. Two All-Pros; a legitimate starter (Howard) and two guys who are hit/miss and hurt a lot. When the kicker may be the 3rd or 4th-best player you inherit... Essentially, Caserio built *nothing* for two full offseasons. That the team almost immediately got better and more competitive once Ryans walked in the door probably isn't a coincidence. But Ryans has only had three offseasons and because of both the immediate turnaround and the Anderson trade, hasn't had the luxury of adding premium rookies over a 2-3 year rebuild the way *most* 3-13 teams do. Stroud's rookie season threw everything into chaos and accelerated the rebuild. But, theoretically, we should be in year 3 of a steady ascension and understanding we are going to have holes still to fill because you just can't do *everything* in a single offseason. I *hated* their offseason - not actively addressing the OL was malpractice and hiring another inexperienced OC - even Caley gets his **** together - was a mistake. Those two we can put on Ryans as his first two really significant stumbles. But all the other potential complaints with him are rooted in him inheriting almost nothing.
I think there was - and is - urgency but it has crashed into reality: 2023 was a bit of an illusion and, in hindsight, they should've slowed their roll. They still need a lot - not because they haven't been urgent but because they had almost *nothing* prior to 2023.
I don't have strong opinions on Ryans - he leads a very good defense. The main complaint I have with Ryans has been how he has handled getting an OC. He reminds me a lot of Lovie Smith - when Lovie was in his prime. A very well respected leader by his players, an excellent defensive coach that really isn't all that gifted at offense and doesn't pick the best OC's to lead the offense. The handling of the line is malpractice - but a lot of that is Caserio.
I can't explain, comprehend or defend their approach to the OL - but it strikes me more as hubris rather than indifference. They have, otherwise, urgently addressed issues the past two offseasons, understanding they've have fewer/lesser resources (late round picks; cap concerns; too many holes to fill). When Ryans was hired, this was arguably the worst-run organization in all of professional sports. That was 2 years and 7 months ago!! To be upset two games into a season that's following B2B playoff appearance - again, all built on the corpse of a team that, in 2022, was run by a youth minister - speaks to how much better off this franchise is under Ryans.
He reminds me of Gary Kubiak, who did the *exact* same thing his first four years, wasting prime Schaub. Arian and AJ. On this issue, I think you can point the finger at Cal (Hannah) and Caserio: Ryans should not been allowed to hire another inexperienced offensive coordinator. I don't know how to untangle the approach to the OL - but an experienced coordinator (and not a guy happy to have the job) would've jumped all over the, "We don't need good OL personnel; just a good offensive scheme" idea. Mike McCarthy, Chip Kelley, Frank Reich - they had options. Hell, I would've talked to Kubiak. I just..... it made zero sense.
I would rather have a head coach that is from the offensive side of the game. We are almost certainly going to a revolving door with the offensive coordinator position with Ryans as head coach. If the OC does well, he will get hired away. If he does poorly he gets fired. I want the HC to install and basically run the offense. He doesn’t necessarily have to make all the calls, but he should be in charge of the offense.
This is why we need a head coach that knows what a good offensive line really is. I'm not sure how he thinks they are "much better" than last year. That's a low bar to begin with honestly.
They need to pull the same move that was pulled on Kubiak. Stop hiring your buddies to run the defense and hire Wade ****ing Phillips. Or in the current case, whatever the experienced semi-equivalent offensive version of that would be. Money shouldn't really be an issue, the Texans are currently paying three HCs. They spend money.
