McNair insists winning, not mediocrity, Texans' top goal
Bob McNair is falling behind.
Not in the annual roll call of the world's wealthiest businessmen. Not in the gazillion-dollar branding game, with Texans red and blue covering this city like never before. But between the lines in the world of sports, the most powerful owner in Houston has some catching up to do.
The Rockets were just in the Western Conference finals. The Astros have recharged the city with a club that should be an annual World Series contender into the next decade.
McNair's Texans? The best thing the biggest team in Houston has done is two measly wild-card playoff victories during 13 long seasons.
A week away from firing up his cash machine again for the start of training camp, McNair escaped the near-100 degree saturation of Kirby Avenue and headed west, vacationing on a ranch about 70 minutes from his home city. There were smooth, rolling hills and huge, comforting oak trees. There was no prickly quarterback controversy.
"I don't have this opportunity very often, so I better take advantage of it now," McNair said. "It's a beautiful piece of property and peaceful. We enjoy it very much."
Houston adores his football team.
Saturday, J.J. Watt will play John, Paul, George and Ringo across the street from NRG Stadium, with screams so high-pitched you'd think the 9-7 Texans were coming off another Super Bowl win. McNair can watch a frustrated Andre Johnson walk away and enter camp with second-year coach Bill O'Brien still deciding between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, and the Texans can sell out tickets for public practices in six frantic minutes.
Even with James Harden and Dwight Howard in downtown Houston and the Astros re-establishing the city's love of baseball, nothing can touch McNair when he turns the key on his football steamroller and takes over the sports conversation for the next six months.
"I feel we have a group that the city can be proud of. I'm certainly proud of them," said McNair, who led the march to bring the NFL back to Houston in 2002. "We still have a long way to go to accomplish what we want to accomplish, which is to win the Super Bowl."
Ah, that thing.
McNair mentioned the city's elusive silver trophy several times during a 25-minute interview. But he also was realistic and practical. First, take care of Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts. Everything else will follow.
"You can't get to the Super Bowl without getting in the playoffs," McNair said. "The primary goal is to get in the playoffs. The only sure way you can do that is to win your division. That has to be our goal."
To the dismay of all those who want the Texans to somehow immediately discover the franchise quarterback they've never had, McNair was equally pragmatic. Ripping a page from O'Brien at the podium, McNair went through the complexities of finding the next Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He also mentioned luck - both Andrew and good fortune.
McNair refers to franchise QBs as "super quarterbacks." Until the Texans have theirs, they'll roll behind Watt's defense, Arian Foster's ground game and improved special-teams play. The 2015 Texans are designed to be three-fourths of a Super Bowl contender, with an efficient quarterback who doesn't have to be a "superhero."
"Other teams have won with this philosophy, and we think we can win that way, too," McNair said. "Now, would we like to have that super quarterback? Absolutely. And if we have the opportunity to get that person or develop that person, that's what we'll do. Maybe Mallett or maybe Hoyer will blossom and be that person for us. It remains to be seen."
GM getting better
McNair's calm CEO talk changed only when two questions were asked.
What about those who believe the Texans are content to be average? The franchise has been better than .500 only four times since its inception. An 8-8 mark can be good business in a city that worships at football's altar.
The owner's voice raised. He has balanced patience with urgency for 13 seasons. He'll continue to weigh the two with general manager Rick Smith and O'Brien leading the way. But there's no way the Texans aren't attempting to be annually elite, McNair insisted.
"No. That's not - we're not in it for that reason," said McNair, whose worth is valued at $2.4 billion by Forbes and his team ranked No. 16 in the world at $1.85 billion. "The organizations I've had before have been winners. We play to win. We're not happy if we're not winning. … That's what coach (O'Brien) talks to the team about all the time: Every day we have to get better. We just have to go out and outperform these other players, these other teams."
O'Brien is nowhere near content. He appreciated the city-wide praise that followed 9-7 despite the use of four QBs in 2014. But he knew all along that just above average in the NFL means nothing the next season. McNair is proud of O'Brien, respects his passion and loves his underrated versatility.
"You've got to have a coach that's not just a good coach and just average intellect. You need a guy who's smart, and our coach is smart," McNair said. "He's able to size things up and when he needs to make a change, he's not afraid to move quickly. And that's extremely important these days, and the coaches who are really successful can do that."
McNair was more ambiguous when Smith's name was mentioned. The 10th-year general manager is a lightning rod in a football city. He found Watt and Foster, twice overhauled the roster and helped guide the Texans to 12-4 in 2012. But Smith also has become an easy scapegoat in a thankless sports culture, where fans try to fire secure executives every day on Twitter.
One general question about Smith resulted in a wide-ranging, four-minute reply from McNair.
"Some of the people that Gary Kubiak wanted didn't fit in with what coach O'Brien wanted," McNair said. "So all of a sudden, some of those guys that were all right under one system are not adequate under another system. You have that any time under a transition, and that's one reason why transitions hurt you. It does set you back temporarily, because you have a change in personnel.
"Rick's on the (NFL) competition committee, (and) he's respected by the other general managers. We're able to make trades with other teams and to exchange information that's helpful for all of us. He works hard. He came into this position very young, and he's grown into the position. He's a lot better now than he was two or three years ago."
The owner was more direct about the son who'll one day follow him. A year after revealing that he overcame two forms of cancer, the 78-year-old McNair has a white-blood cell count that's higher than it has been in a decade.
"I'm getting stronger," McNair said. "I'm still a little thinner than I was. But I've gained about half the weight I lost. … I can go out and play golf, not quite as well. But hopefully I'll get back to where I was and enjoy life for a long time."
Family business
At some point, though, Cal McNair will take over for his father. The Texans' vice chairman and COO has taken a more active role in recent years. The duties have increased since his dad's health scare.
"We're grooming him to be the leader, and I think he'll be a good one," Bob McNair said.
With dogs barking in the background and a brief getaway paused by more Texans work, McNair signed off with hope. The Rockets, Astros and Texans all possess some of the pieces required to win a championship. It would mean the most to Houston if McNair's team was the first to go worldwide.
"I don't think there's any question that all of us, with the Texans and the Astros and with the Rockets and with our soccer teams, they all want to produce a winner for our fans," McNair said. "Nothing would make me happier than to hold a trophy up for the Houston fans, and I'm sure the other owners feel the same way."
