https://theathletic.com/3041074/202...ills-the-starter-texans-predictions-for-2022/ Here are my predictions for what 2022 has in store for the Texans. David Culley returns for a second season As soon as Nick Caserio made Culley the oldest first-time head coach in NFL history (65), many assumed Culley would be a transitional figure who racked up losses next to his name until the Texans were ready to contend again. Culley doesn’t call plays and hurts his team as a game manager, so it’s hard to see how he would maximize a good roster. Yet with two games to go, against a 49ers team that might start rookie Trey Lance at quarterback and a Titans team that might have little to play for in Week 18, it’s possible Culley surpasses last season’s Texans win total. The 2020 team lost games by an average of 10.1 points, compared to 18.5 points this year, but winning one of these final two games to go 4-4 down the stretch has to count for something, right? What matters most is whether the coach Caserio wants to replace Culley with is ready to make the move this offseason. The job would seem to be more attractive a year from now for a few reasons: Firing Culley one season into a rebuild in which the team more or less met expectations would make Cal McNair look like an unpredictable and unrealistic owner, given he also gave Bill O’Brien the title of general manager only to fire him four games later. Caserio appears to have done well with his first draft class, especially given his lack of a first- or second-round pick, but this is still a roster lacking much young talent. Just seven players on rookie contracts have played 500 snaps, and three of them — safety Justin Reid, edge rusher Jacob Martin and offensive tackle Geron Christian — could be gone next season. We’ll see which players on one-year deals Caserio brings back. The Watson situation continues to cast tremendous uncertainty over the team, and it’s impossible to reasonably predict when and where he’ll be traded while he still faces 22 active civil suits and the possibility of criminal prosecution. Watson is set to count for $40.4 million against the Texans’ 2022 cap — what head coach wants to inherit a roster working around that in his first season? The job is much more attractive if and when the Texans trade Watson for multiple first-round picks, rather than simply have the chance to. Pep Hamilton replaces Tim Kelly as offensive coordinator Even if Culley returns, it’s hard to imagine the Texans running things back with the same coaches at the top. Teams rarely do when they have a season like this one. Given the personnel limitations, there’s only so much Kelly could do with this offense, but offensive coordinators don’t tend to keep their jobs when their units rank 31st in points per drive and last in three-and-out rate. Plus, Kelly has been somewhat of an awkward fit on this staff since Watson requested a trade. The team retained Kelly because Watson wanted to keep him around, and now Watson isn’t even playing for him. Mills’ improvement this season and Justin Herbert’s strong performance as a rookie last year, both while working under Hamilton as their position coach, should create buzz for Hamilton as an offensive coordinator candidate. If the Texans opt to move on from Kelly, why not promote Hamilton? Maintaining some continuity around Mills should be a priority for the Texans if they roll with Mills as their starter next season — which brings us to my next prediction.
Cal already looks bad in fans and media and NFL circles so what does that matter. If McDaniels has given Caserio the green light then it’s go time! The Texans have given Culley a chance to live his dream and an opportunity he hasn’t had in coaching career…the Texans shouldn’t receive any backlash if there is an opportunity to upgrade from culley to McDaniels.
The next two games could very well determine his fate. Two wins and he stays. Two losses and he gone. One win and one loss , who knows.
I don’t know anymore. At first I was all about firing Culley but now I see the young guys developing and playing well and the team is still playing hard for the guy. Also I’m sure Caserio likes having a head coach who is not going to resist any of his player personnel moves and is open to him having a headset on and giving feedback during the game. I don’t know how many of the top HC candidates are going to go for that dynamic.
Texans: With back-to-back wins providing some optimism late in the season, there are currently no signs that the Texans will move on from coach David Culley after just one year, sources say. Last week's win over the playoff-hopeful Chargers with two dozen players on the COVID-19 list was impressive. There has been a learning curve for Culley, but finishing strong with a mostly depleted roster could show that the curve has been accelerated. The Texans are 3-3 over the last six weeks, though games against two challenging opponents at the end will be telling. The remainder of the season will offer a lot about Culley's future leadership of an organization in transition, with matchups against two teams in the playoff chase: the 49ers and Titans. These games are part of the larger picture the organization is trying to paint.
Culley punting at the SF 41 down 10 is just bad bad football. He seems like a nice guy but dude is an awful coach.
I trust Caserio’s process. Yes, we’ve absolutely sucked- I get it. But that’s what we all expected after the Deshaun BS happened, right? It’s looking like we will have the number 3 overall pick, with possibly much more draft capital coming with a Deshaun and Tunsil trade. A 2 year tank job to infuse a team full of young talent and cap space isn’t the worst thing when you consider where we were a year ago today. We had a disgruntled QB (before the sexual allegations), an embarrassing amount of draft capital, and uncertainty about who- if anyone- would want to coach this organization. This time next year- the Texans job could be one of the most desirable jobs in the NFL, if Nick is able to strike big on his draft picks, trades, and cap space moving forward.
Nobody would have won more games with this group. I don’t think he is anything special, and he made a horrible decision to punt today in the 4th, but come on, this team was never going to win much more than they did this season. He met expectations. I have no problem keeping him around a little longer. Is he the long term answer? Almost certainly not.
Let Culley and Co tank it away it next year - grab one of the blue chip QBs and then I'd roll with Pep Hamilton as next coach. I wouldnt be completely livid about a Josh McDaniels hiring since I think he's done a pretty good job with Mac Jones, but Im continually annoyed by the team nepotism and the "we wont be Patriots South" talk out of the team and yet they keep hiring ex Patriots. SMH.
Head coach David Culley will likely get a second season in Houston. The Texans are expected to retain Culley in 2022, according to a source. Barring an unforeseen turn of events, the Texans are expected to finalize that decision next week after their regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans. The Texans (4-12) lost Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-7, but they already matched their win total from last season. The organization has maintained realistic expectations amid a massive roster overhaul, and the Texans believe Culley has done well enough so far to return next season. The 66-year-old has earned respect within the building for his steady leadership during a difficult rebuild. Culley, a first-time head coach, has led a more competitive team over the second half of the season despite those challenging circumstances. Quarterback Deshaun Watson asked to be traded before the season, but he has remained on the roster while facing 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. He has denied all allegations. Still, Watson has remained on the active roster with a $15.94 million cap hit, and the Texans have carried an additional $49 million in dead money because of other players who were cut or traded. Among the Texans’ injuries, key offensive linemen Laremy Tunsil and Marcus Cannon have played a combined nine games this season. The Texans will again try to trade Watson this offseason, although the pending status of his legal situation might first need a resolution. The Texans have asked teams for five to seven assets, including three first-round picks, according to sources. Discussions stalled with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers before the November trade deadline because of the legal situation. Through it all, the Texans have at least been competitive on the field. After an eight-game losing streak and a lack of consistency at quarterback, they’re 3-4 over their last seven games and missed a fourth-quarter field goal Sunday to tie up the 49ers before the score got lopsided. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills’ development has been a key component to those results, highlighted by an impressive performance last week in a surprising victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. So as the Texans continue with their rebuild, Culley is expected to be around for another season.
I'm all for promoting Pep to OC and like him alot as the next HC of the Texans, IF they cant get McDaniels to come join his best friend (Caserio) and his brother. (Ben) This will all come down to if McDaniels thinks he can win a championship with Mills as his QB. I hope it happens in the 2023 offseason.
