Agree. Take Ryan off that list, add Darrell Bevel, and I'm fine with anyone on it. You can also add Jay Gruden to the list. Jay Gruden technically fits the criteria of McNair. He was an Arena League head coach...
The next Texans coach needs to have overwhelming charisma and a commanding presence . He will need to come in to town and take absolute charge of the team, have the respect and support of the media and inspire the fan base. Find me that guy and let him get (pay whatever it takes) the coordinators he wants to handle the X's & O's.
McClain: Coaches I know they are or have checked out to gauge their interest are Lovie Smith, Bill O'Brien, Ken Whisenhunt, David Shaw, Jay Gruden and Mike Sherman. There are more, but I don't know who they are yet. Coaches who won't be coming here are Mike Shanahan, Kevin Sumlin, Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher. Also, they might be interested in a coach or two who get fired after the season.
The Texans next head coach will be an uninspiring retread.... someone that had coached in the NFL before and fired...... Lovie Smith, Mike Sherman, Marty Morninhwig, Jim Caldwell, Hue Jackson, Norv Turner, Todd Haley, Jack Del Rio, Tony Sparano, Ken Whisenhunt, Jim Hasslett, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick, Herman Edwards. Not a very inspiring list is it?
I'm hearing a lot of people advocating Bill O'Brian but I know nothing about the guy. What are some of his pros and cons?
Jay Gruden's an interesting name considering McNair's criteria. He does have head coaching experience. In the UFL and Arena League. Mike Sherman? Ugh. Really? We didn't even like him when he was our OC. Our offense didn't get good until after he left. His offense in Miami is subpar. He wasn't good in his last HC stint at A&M. Why do we even want to gauge his interest?
Pros: Turned around Penn State after walking into a pretty awful situation. Always has his guys ready to play. Disciplinarian under the Belichick coaching tree. Cons: None of the guys from the Belichick coaching tree ever seem to pan out.
He is a Belichek guy (OC/QB coach) who was never afraid to get into with Bill or Tom Brady. He is currently the Penn St head coach and was brought in before all the mess with Paterno played out and has handled that situation quite nicely, dealing with lost scholarships and kids leaving the program cause of sanctions. I think David Shaw is a pipe dream, so O'Brien is my ideal target.
Meh. He is young, has coached in the NFL (Patriots) and in college. He took over Penn St. right off of the sexual abuse allegations and led the team to a good but not great record. He won college coach of the year if I remember correctly. He knows how to handle adversity (Penn St.) and has worked under the best coach in the NFL for 5 years, where he moved up from a low assistant to OC. He has more upside than some of the other list of losers the Texans will interview, but he has only been "good" at Penn St, he was close to .500 last year. Do you want that as your HC?
Bill O'Brien at Penn State: 2012: 8-4 2013: 7-5 "OMG O'Brien is a great coach! I want him on my list!" I just don't get it. How many coaches can go 8-4 and win coach of the year? How many can go 7-5 and people hold them with the highest regard? 8-4 is a mediocre season. 7-5 is obviously even worse. And this came in a weak Big 10. Pass... David Shaw on the other hand is a stud.
You're right! We should hire Jim Harbaugh! He couldn't get the Niners a super bowl though, so maybe we should hire John Harbaugh. If we can't get either one of those maybe we can hire Belichek himself but he hasn't won a super bowl in almost 10 years so why go that way? You say Brian is only good, "do you want that as your hc?" What great coaches are available?
David Shaw ain't leaving Stanford for the lowly Texans bro, keep dreaming. He might come to Texas but it will be to Austin.
I know he's a Belichick guy from Penn State. What about his X's and O's? Was his offense great because of Brady or visa versa? I know a lot of people want a master-motivator with charisma who is going to yell and scream and be the opposite of Kubiak personality wise, but I think that's overrated. This is the NFL. If you need a coach to get you motivated to play....you probably shouldn't be in the NFL. I'm of the opinion that we need more of an X's and O's innovator than a yeller and screamer. Who out there fits that bill? Darrell Bevell? Pete Carmichael?
Record is the wrong way to judge a coach. I feel like people understand this sometimes and then forget it other times, depending on their bias. Example, everyone agrees Wade Phillips isn't a good to be head coach despite the fact that he has a very good record. Yet people would then use a mediocre record to dismiss another coach. You evaluate a coach based on what he gets out of the players he has, what kind of scheme he can run and how effective it will be, who will his assistants be, is he a "scheme only" guy or can he adapt, can he make in game adjustments, is he good at figuring out personnel...etc. Sometimes a guy can be great at all of that but have a mediocre record because of the talent he has to work with. Sometimes a guy can be mediocre at all of that but have a great record because of the talent he has to work with.
