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Brian Gaine Fired

Something of a #GeneralBomb here: @McClain_on_NFL said he knew for weeks there was a deteriorating relationship w/ the organization and Brian Gaine, but nothing on the record. Weird, since they were in, "alignment" in March. Said Gaine would have been fired no matter what.

— John P. Lopez (@LopezOnSports) June 11, 2019
 
zshawn10 said:
Something of a #GeneralBomb here: @McClain_on_NFL said he knew for weeks there was a deteriorating relationship w/ the organization and Brian Gaine, but nothing on the record. Weird, since they were in, "alignment" in March. Said Gaine would have been fired no matter what.

— John P. Lopez (@LopezOnSports) June 11, 2019
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Both the Dillard screwup and the Frank Clark trade happened about 6 weeks ago.

Obrien probably mad gaine couldn't pull those off (with Clowney instead of Clark)
 
TheKDog said:
On sportsradio one of the guys said an NFL person told him gaine is kinda awkward and might not be good at building relationships with other GMs to get trades done
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I can see that. No trades during his tenure is evidence.

Edit: Gaine did make the Thomas trade. I thought it was a good one. I was thinking draft day deals.
 
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Some brief thoughts on the Brian Gaine situationhttps://t.co/pbuii95amK

— TexansCap (@TexansCap) June 11, 2019


Fans like myself may never truly know the truth behind the sudden firing of general manager Brian Gaine. We all can only work off of the tidbits provided by the people who cover the team both locally and on a national level. Information from John McClain, Albert Breer, Patrick Starr, and others paint the picture of slow deterioration of alignment and trust. Alignment with the coaching staff and trust from ownership. The firing of Gaine does not appear to be based on one large egregious move or lack of a specific move. By most accounts Gaine had a specific long term game plan for the Texans’ roster and had full intentions of sticking to that plan. Gaine often spoke of being selectively aggressive while building through the draft. Such an approach requires patience and strict parameters.

For the 2018 offseason Gaine’s work could be identified as selectively aggressive. Gaine signed a large number of free agents to various length contracts along with retaining specific pending free agents. It was clear the Gaine did not want to overspend on a top tier free agent, opting to sign a bevy of tier two and tier three free agents. Followed by, all accounts, a successful 2018 draft class Gaine was off and running.

One area that Gaine struggled in 2018 was adapting the roster after multiple injuries in the secondary group. Some of this blame goes on O’Brien as it was ultimately his choice to shift Jackson from safety to cornerback and lean on the young depth at safety. Gaine and O’Brien should have shopped the secondary market a bit harder to backfill the depth at the position. An injury to one of your marque free agent signings is a tough pill for any general manager, especially a first year general manager. The Colvin and Henderson injuries may have been the match to light Gaine’s conservative nature away from his new selective aggressive persona.

Gaine made one more swing for the fence at the trade deadline with a trade for WR Demaryrius Thomas out of Denver. Gaine dealt a 2019 4th round selection in exchange for Thomas to bolster the wide receiver room after losing Will Fuller to an ACL injury. Gaine’s selective aggressiveness persona was once again shattered when Thomas injured his achilles late in the 2018 season. Another situation to add fuel to the conservative fire within Gaine.

After an early exit in the playoffs the 2019 offseason quickly approached with the team sitting on a bevy of cap dollars; with a fan base ready for the organization to get crazy aggressive in free agency. Only it didn’t happen. Gaine ended up with Bradley Roby on a one year $10 million contract as the marque free agent signing during the first wave of free agency. The front office handled the Kareem Jackson situation with poor flavor, specifically the team (reportedly) did not even speak to Jackson once during the free agency period. Despite the mixed feelings on Jackson’s 9 year career in Houston; teams should not treat players in that manner. A simple phone call with a message of “thanks for your work here, but we are going in a different direction” would have been more than sufficient.

Gaine attempted to outbid to retain Mathieu’s services before bowing out to Kansas City, submitted a low-ball offer to Trent Brown, and was out bid by Tennessee for Roger Saffold. Instead of selective aggressiveness, Gaine displayed a conservative nature wanting to sign players whom would not affect the compensatory draft pick formula. Was Gaine worried about signing another Colvin or Henderson? The conservative nature was creeping in through the back door.

Gaine remained relatively quiet through the remainder of the offseason, even with applying the franchise tag to Jadeveon Clowney. Signing Clowney should not be a difficult task. The market had been clearly identified with the signings of Flowers, Ford, Clark, and Lawrence. Clowney’s camp had to know what the market was as well, and likely knew that Khalil Mack was not the market Clowney would reach with Houston. Either Houston is bringing a low offer to the table or Clowney’s camp is bringing a Mack level deal to the table; but the suspicion is Houston is not coming close to the market set. Gaine was concerned with signing Clowney to a contract that would pay Clowney more than all-pro J.J. Watt. Gaine was concerned with the optics of the situation. Would signing Clowney to a $20+ million per year contract cause Watt to approach the team for a raise? Honestly I don’t think so, at least not in 2019. The conservative nature is starting to take over now.

The 2019 draft marked Gaine’s second effort through the draft process with zero draft day trades once again. During and after the draft there are mixed reports on which tackle Houston was truly targeting. Maybe the plan was to draft Howard all the way, and that is perfectly fine. The drafting of Howard, Scharping, Johnson, and Warring raised some concern through the fan base, and possibly through the ownership group. The two tackles came from small school programs, and Johnson and Warring had limited success in their college careers. Gaine drafted players with tools, versatility, and potential. That draft aligns with the long term plan that we discussed at the beginning of this piece.

Add up the failings of 2018 with the conservative game plan in 2019…the long game approach did not produce the same picture that Cal McNair had hoped to see. One thing is clear this is not the Bob McNair mentality running the organization. Cal McNair is expecting results sooner rather than later. Maybe the passing of his father coupled with an early playoff exit fueled Cal McNair into an aggressive mindset, a mindset and plan which did not align with Brian Gaine’s plan for the roster.

In the past three years Houston has routinely been in the bottom third of the league in cash spending. This is a routine which Gaine continued on with through the 2019 free agency period. The top spending teams are back at the top as usual, but a new crop of organizations have decreased their spending thrusting Houston up into the middle of the pack for 2019 cash spending. Gaine’s 5 year plan was likely a very solid plan, one he stuck to and had executed correctly through 18 months of the 60 month plan. But the NFL is a what have you done for me lately league, and that applies to GM’s as much as it does players.

No contract with Clowney, no aggressiveness in free agency, lack of pursuit in the trade market, shortened patience level with ownership, second highest available cap space…all while Deshaun Watson is playing on a rookie contract. That’s what happened.
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TheKDog said:
On sportsradio one of the guys said an NFL person told him gaine is kinda awkward and might not be good at building relationships with other GMs to get trades done
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If this is true, it probably also extends to players and agents as well. How much could a good rapport with Clowney and his agent change his contract negotiations? Would KJack still be here at a reduced price?

Im tired of seeing TY burn KJack, but he could still play safety and give badly needed corner depth.
 
frethack said:
If this is true, it probably also extends to players and agents as well. How much could a good rapport with Clowney and his agent change his contract negotiations? Would KJack still be here at a reduced price?

Im tired of seeing TY burn KJack, but he could still play safety and give badly needed corner depth.
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Yeah, it could. Gaine is probably better as a director of scouting then in a position where he has to make deals
 
"He has been perfectly clear on what he wants from me." Bill O’Brien on Cal McNair. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019


Bill O'Brien on Cal McNair, "he's a humble person, very clear on his expectations and what he needs … he's not afraid of making tough decision. … He wants to win."
Listen: https://t.co/aeCO11zIcx #Texans

— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) June 11, 2019


Bill O'Brien starts off his minicamp presser addressing the GM situation. Says #Texans owner Cal McNair did a thorough evaluation of the football operation that included him. McNair has been clear on his expectations moving forward.

— Deepi Sidhu (@DeepSlant) June 11, 2019


O’Brien on Easterby: He helps me with the team. #Texans

— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) June 11, 2019


Bill O'Brien: "I believe we've improved. … I'm looking forward to the future and trying to carry out Cal McNair's vision for the organization." #Texans

— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) June 11, 2019


BOB: Feels team has improved, wouldn’t touch on reports of flawed relationship with Gaine and is looking forward to #Texans 2019 season.

— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) June 11, 2019


O'Brien says Jack Easterby, "helps with the duties of each department that are relevant to the team". #Texans

— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) June 11, 2019
 
#Texans O’Brien denies contact with Nick Caserio before Brian Gaine was fired.

— Greg Bailey (@GregBailey13) June 11, 2019


From O’Brien opening comments. KPRC2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsTalk790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">SportsTalk790 #Texans pic.twitter.com/71cb2oYAnf

— Adam Wexler (@KPRC2AdamW) June 11, 2019


Bill O'Brien asked if he was worried about his job. He said Cal McNair made it clear on his vision and "we need to carry out that vision". #Texans

— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) June 11, 2019


O'Brien won't address anything involved in the decision to fire Gaine. He continues to reference

Cal McNair's statement as the only thing he will say on the matter. @espn975 #Texans

— Jake Asman (@JakeAsman) June 11, 2019


"I’m not sharing anything with my conversations with Cal." Bill O’Brien on his covnersation with Cal McNair. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019


Asked about power within #Texans’ organization, O’Brien said roles are still being determined.

— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) June 11, 2019


"That is yet to be determined. My first job is to coach." Bill O’Brien on the power structure of the potential GM coming in to work with him. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019


"When I was informed by Cal what his decision was…." Bill O’Brien on when he figured out that the time with Brian Gaine was over. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019


Bill O’Brien: "The word power, that’s not anything I think about." #Texans

— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) June 11, 2019


"Why should Texans fans believe that this organization is headed in the right direction?" O’Brien response: #Texans #VeteransMiniCamp pic.twitter.com/bjtYitbkn6

— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) June 11, 2019
 
"No. He is frnachised. He is not here today. It is what it is." Bill O’Brien on the Jadeveon Clowney contract situation. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019


Who just asked a receiver depth question in the middle of this #Texans BOB presser? Lol COME ON MAN!!!! #PodiumCritic

— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) June 11, 2019


"Depends who you ask." Bill O’Brien answering if he is easy to work with. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) June 11, 2019
 
I have changed my mind. After listening to the OB presser, I no longer feel this was an OB power play. This was a Cal decision and OB was likely put on notice and is officially now on the hot seat.

Cal isn’t his Father’s child. He appears determined to make his own mark on this franchise.
 
DocBar said:
Things are shaping up like the Texans are a hot mess, organizationally. You can hire all of the Patriot related people you want to. Unless you're hiring Bill Belichick, you're pissing in the wind.
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Thank you. Took 38 pages for someone to aknowledge this.

It's as if you people on here are completely oblivious to the 2 main reasons behind New England's success all these years.

Poaching one of Belichik's powerless yesman to head up your front office ain't gonna make you the Patriots. I'm sorry to tell you.
 
DocBar said:
I disagree. Athleticism, height, weight speed. Gaine tended to draft very athletic players. Height and weight may have been factors, but athleticism was the common denominator. Oddly enough, it's something Belichick values.
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I think everyone in the entire NFL values athleticism.
 
thunderkyss said:
Everything Caserio has done has been behind the scenes. His role is more obscure than the Texans org chart & balance of power.

How is it so many people back him as a GM?
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Good question. I am also wondering how a guy who has never been GM before is considered a great GM. Vintage Texan fan logic right there.

I think most of you think all you need to do is hire someone from NE and they will automatically be a success. Nevermind the dozens of times Patriot front office and coaches have gone elsewhere and failed.
 
TheKDog said:
Caserio is basically GM I think
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If by "Caserio is basically GM" you mean that he carries out Belichick's wishes, then yes indeed he is basically a GM.

I'd never even heard of this guy before his name was starting to get thrown around as a potential GM for the Texans. Now all the sudden he's established himself as the mastermind behind NE's nearly 2 decades of success, who will bring the same level of accomplishment to Houston.
 
KarlK said:
Good question. I am also wondering how a guy who has never been GM before is considered a great GM. Vintage Texan fan logic right there.

I think most of you think all you need to do is hire someone from NE and they will automatically be a success. Nevermind the dozens of times Patriot front office and coaches have gone elsewhere and failed.
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Which is ironic considering how some here feel about BoB and in particular the job he has done as OC and QB coach which was what he did in NE.
 
maverick512000 said:
Which is ironic considering how some here feel about BoB and in particular the job he has done as OC and QB coach which was what he did in NE.
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Lots of Pats fans hated what obrien did relative to the offensive playcalling. That's why he was replaced by Josh McDaniels as soon as he was available relative to the offensive coordinator position
 
Mr teX said:
& whose fault is that?

Anyone who pays even half attention to the league as a whole knew of Caserio. He's basically been at the top of every team's GM wish list going back to 2017.
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Because he's associated with NE, not because of his body of work. Because.....he has no body of work. But you already know that.
 
maverick512000 said:
Which is ironic considering how some here feel about BoB and in particular the job he has done as OC and QB coach which was what he did in NE.
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O'Brien is about 10-15 years behind the times with his offensive mind.

There is nothing creative, cutting-edge or modern whatsoever about anything that he does.

Pretty funny how he seems to have garnered so much power in the Houston Texan organization.

More false belief that anyone who has ever been associated with NE has some kind of Midas touch.
 
KarlK said:
Because he's associated with NE, not because of his body of work. Because.....he has no body of work. But you already know that.
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Neither did Sean McVay................or Chris Ballard. So again, what's your point?

The guy's been the 1 constant in NE outside of Brady, Belichick & Kraft. Anyone who has worked with him speaks very highly of him & he's already turned down at least 1 job prior to us even asking to interview him last year.

Maybe........just maybe, he's actually good at what he does & can do the job he's likely already been doing a significant amount of in NE for the last 17 years.
 
Mr teX said:
Neither did Sean McVay................or Chris Ballard. So again, what's your point?

The guy's been the 1 constant in NE outside of Brady, Belichick & Kraft. Anyone who has worked with him speaks very highly of him & he's already turned down at least 1 job prior to us even asking to interview him last year.

Maybe........just maybe, he's actually good at what he does & can do the job he's likely already been doing a significant amount of in NE for the last 17 years.
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And nobody anointed McVay or Ballard as great before they spent a single day doing their jobs. So what is your point?

Nobody said you don't hire people who have never been gms or coaches before. What people do say is to not run your mouth about how good someone is at a job they've never performed at before, as i'm seeing on pages upon pages of this thread.

But you already know that, you silly goose.
 
KarlK said:
And nobody anointed McVay or Ballard as great before they spent a single day doing their jobs. So what is your point?

Nobody said you don't hire people who have never been gms or coaches before. What people do say is to not run your mouth about how good someone is at a job they've never performed at before, as i'm seeing on pages upon pages of this thread.

But you already know that, you silly goose.
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Lol, silly goose? Dude, you're the one who charged in here talking about "record" this & that.....as if someone has to have a record of doing something to be regarded as good....or potentially good. I just shot a hole in your garbage thesis.


& to the best of my knowledge, noone's annointing him "great"at the job either jackass. That rhetoric is mostly coming outside of Houston from folks who he has worked with & that know of him.......The same way it did with Sean McVay & Chris Ballard.

But you go ahead & keep trolling.
 
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Mr teX said:
Anyone who has worked with him speaks very highly of him & he's already turned down at least 1 job prior to us even asking to interview him last year.
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Folks spoke/speak very highly of Gaine too..including that Parcells guy who he worked with at three different organizations.

It's amazing what a few years (and a little spin) will do.

Here's Boston Globe perspective on Caserio from the time of the Dolphins GM opening Vs. now.

2014 Globe -
It is believed (Caserio) is the salary cap guy since Floyd Reese left the team, and he is frequently on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, keeping an eye on the roster as he keeps up with scouting the pro ranks and college players.

Belichick frequently credits Caserio and his staff — the director of college scouting is Jon Robinson and the director of pro scouting is Bob Quinn — for finding players who contribute to the Patriots’ success, but many observers assume that Belichick is the one who pulls the strings, and it’s unclear how much influence Caserio has over those decisions.

A league source said Friday night that little is known about Caserio, around the league and that he’s seen more as an organizer than decision-maker.
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2019 Globe -
Three, is Houston really a better job than the one Caserio has in New England? He doesn’t have total control over the roster here — that would belong to Belichick — and he doesn’t have the GM title. But he does just about everything else.

He chooses the free agents, negotiates the contracts, works out the college kids, plays quarterback in practice, talks on the headset from the press box during games, and sits in on the general managers photo at the owners meetings each March. He makes a good living (likely several million per season), and, oh by the way, he wins Super Bowls almost every year.

In Houston, the Texans proved with last week’s sacking of Gaine that O’Brien has the juice in the building. Caserio might get the GM title, but he wouldn’t have more power than O’Brien, and wouldn’t get to pick the players (especially this year, with the draft and free agency already complete).

The Patriots have been able to withstand the losses of most coaches and executives over the years, but losing Caserio unquestionably would hurt. There has been a significant brain drain in Foxborough over the last two years, with several longtime, trusted staffers leaving for other opportunities: Matt Patricia, Brian Flores, Chad O’Shea, Easterby, and a handful of assistant coaches.
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From Belichick's mouth
“Nick does a great job and he has a great interaction and understanding of what’s going on on the coaching side of it,” Belichick said in Nov. 2017. “Yeah, so, he’s involved in the day-to-day coaching part of it. He’s certainly involved in all of the personnel aspects of his job, college, pro, free agent workouts, waiver, everything. But you throw all of the coaching stuff on top of that, the week-to-week role in the press box and on the practice field. I mean, he does a tremendous amount. I can’t think of any other personnel person that would even come close to that. I don’t know who it would be. I don’t know what everybody else does, but I don’t know anybody.”
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On how Belichick could block Caserio
if the person being requested is already a “high-level” employee. The NFL defines that as someone who reports directly to the owner — which is not the case with Caserio — or who has significant duties.
  • In this case, Belichick could claim that Caserio “(i) is the primary authority over all personnel decisions related to the signing of free agents, the selection of players in the College Draft, trades, and related decisions; and (ii) the primary responsibility for coordinating other football activities with the head coach.” That would qualify Caserio as a high-level club employee. Team’s are allowed to stop other teams from hiring away a high-level club employee. However, Belichick may not want to relinquish his final say as primary authority. So…
    Belichick could concede that Caserio is not a “high-level” part of the Patriots but block the interview by contending that the Texans don’t actually plan on making Caserio a high-level employee.
  • In this scenario, Belichick could seek an understanding of the Texans power dynamic for Caserio. If, upon joining Houston, Caserio was also not the “primary authority,” and instead was forced to report to O’Brien, then Caserio would not be getting the title of “high-level club employee.” Because moving from New England to Houston wouldn’t be a promotion, Belichick might be able to block the interview. (Though it’s hard to imagine Caserio would want to join the Texans in a “GM light” role.”)

  • Belichick doesn’t have a history of rejecting interviews — in fact he let Caserio talk to the 49ers in 2017. So perhaps the Patriots coach will be more open to the idea at this point in the season. Perhaps he will let Caserio walk.
The next question is whether Caserio would actually want to leave. One source with knowledge of the Patriots organization told For The Win that Caserio would be interested in the job because of the fit with O’Brien, a former Patriots offensive coordinator. But Caserio has made zero indication on whether he’d like to leave New England. If he did stay, he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — who have known each other since attending college together — could potentially be the succession plan for Belichick when he retires.

So while the Texans may be firmly committed to Caserio, they may not even get the chance to interview him, which could leave them looking foolish if they fired Gaine with hopes of hiring Caserio.
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https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/06/texans-gm-search-bill-belichick
 
disaacks3 said:
Folks spoke/speak very highly of Gaine too..including that Parcells guy who he worked with at three different organizations.

It's amazing what a few years (and a little spin) will do.

Here's Boston Globe perspective on Caserio from the time of the Dolphins GM opening Vs. now.

2014 Globe -


2019 Globe -
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That's a 5 year difference bro. Alot can be learned by him & those writing these types of stories about him & what he does.

5 years before the Penn State child abuse scandal, Joe Paterno & Jerry Sandusky were admired and praised for their dedication & committment in developing young men.
 
People are acting like Caserio wants to come and Belichick is holding him hostage.

Does he want this job that looks like a dumpster fire?
 
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