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Texans hire Bill O'Brien as HC

Has anybody watched this clip of some of OBs postgame speech?

LINK

From that selected clip I don't see him as an inspiring locker room guy.

Overreaction alert?
 
Has anybody watched this clip of some of OBs postgame speech?

LINK

From that selected clip I don't see him as an inspiring locker room guy.

Overreaction alert?

I have no idea how you came to that conclusion from that video.

here is another one that should change your mind:

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-med...o_OBrien/3fd04a6e-2c6a-4cae-8886-b416b992981c

BOB gets a game ball from McNair who the team captains selected to receive the ball. O Brien turns around and gives it to the team because it is a team mantra
 
I have no idea how you came to that conclusion from that video.

here is another one that should change your mind:

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-med...o_OBrien/3fd04a6e-2c6a-4cae-8886-b416b992981c

BOB gets a game ball from McNair who the team captains selected to receive the ball. O Brien turns around and gives it to the team because it is a team mantra

MEH.

There are some coaches that make you want to walk through walls and coaches that dazzle you with X's and O's.

Hope OB is the latter.
 
Well I think coaches fall into different categories.

You have the motivators, the man managers, the tactical geniuses.

Every coach has different strengths that make them good coaches.

I'm trying to figure out what makes OB special. I hope he is.
 
I liked that in a blow out he put mallet in..even though it was just to hand off. Gameday experience is immeasurable. I don't recall kubiak doing this and get some players some experience
 
I liked that in a blow out he put mallet in..even though it was just to hand off. Gameday experience is immeasurable. I don't recall kubiak doing this and get some players some experience

He did it twice with Yates in 2012...but we were the ones getting blown out.
 
Bill O'Brien
dm_141020_nfl_obrien_feature.jpg

Current position
Head coach/offensive coordinator
Houston Texans
Personal information
Date of birth October 23, 1969 (age 45)

I knew there was a reason I liked this guy... he's almost a scorpio.

25iylpk.jpg
 
I knew there was a reason I liked this guy... he's almost a scorpio.

25iylpk.jpg
Heart warming stories don't win football games. I can love Papa O'Brien. I'm still on the fence about Coach O'Brien. His unwillingness to change QB's is an issue with me. I normally defer to coaching staff's, as they have much more experience and info in making personnel decisions, but Fitz is a train wreck and I'd just as soon see how the Texans look with a different QB under center. Much like last season when I supported Keenum.
 
Heartbreaking to read the story about BoB's son with the
catastrophic health issues. No family should have to bear
such a tragedy. Good to see that they can find the positives out
of it and be happy and at peace as a family.

That said, I think BoB should fashion himself more in the vein
of Bill Cowher.

He has the proper mentality for it. Hard nosed, good motivator,
sharp (when he is not BS'ing) with the press.

Cowher won a superbowl by being "that guy" and having the
sense and wherewithal to hire the best OC/DC he could get his
hands on.

My big fear with BoB is that he sees himself as some kind of an
X's/O's guru like Chip Kelly (pros), Art Briles (college), etc.
Nothing I've seen tells me he is a play calling savant.

I think he, like Kubes, is reluctant to give up the reigns -- don't
tell me Godsey is the play caller, I do not believe that..

If he can come to grips with it, and hire someone who can really
scheme up a game plan, then he can have Cowher like success and
enjoy a very long tenure here with a super loyal fanbase that loves him.
(think about how close we were to returning to 'luv ya blue" with
Wade and Gary two years ago)

If he doesn't, and he always sees himself as "the best option" for
the minutiae of play-to-play management, then I fear in 3 years we'll
be hoping McNair hires the right GM for the next coaching hires..
 
Heartbreaking to read the story about BoB's son with the
catastrophic health issues. No family should have to bear
such a tragedy. Good to see that they can find the positives out
of it and be happy and at peace as a family.

That said, I think BoB should fashion himself more in the vein
of Bill Cowher.

He has the proper mentality for it. Hard nosed, good motivator,
sharp (when he is not BS'ing) with the press.

Cowher won a superbowl by being "that guy" and having the
sense and wherewithal to hire the best OC/DC he could get his
hands on.

My big fear with BoB is that he sees himself as some kind of an
X's/O's guru like Chip Kelly (pros), Art Briles (college), etc.
Nothing I've seen tells me he is a play calling savant.

I think he, like Kubes, is reluctant to give up the reigns -- don't
tell me Godsey is the play caller, I do not believe that..

If he can come to grips with it, and hire someone who can really
scheme up a game plan, then he can have Cowher like success and
enjoy a very long tenure here with a super loyal fanbase that loves him.
(think about how close we were to returning to 'luv ya blue" with
Wade and Gary two years ago)

If he doesn't, and he always sees himself as "the best option" for
the minutiae of play-to-play management, then I fear in 3 years we'll
be hoping McNair hires the right GM for the next coaching hires..

Would you believe that when I saw the thread title (this time) the first thing that popped into my mind was "he needs to hire an OC" !??!

Then I read your post ....


:handshake:
 
If he doesn't, and he always sees himself as "the best option" for
the minutiae of play-to-play management, then I fear in 3 years we'll
be hoping McNair hires the right GM for the next coaching hires..

I heard a guy ranting about Rick Smith & how long it took for him to fire Gary Kubiak, saying if Gary didn't bring Rick in, he'd have been fired much earlier... I got to thinking, Rick didn't fire Kubiak & technically Kubiak didn't hire Rick.

Gary recommended Rick for the job. McNair hired Rick Smith. McNair also fired Gary Kubiak, I'm not sure if Rick recommended that or not.

Rick Smith was also not very "involved" in the hiring of Bill O'Brien. McNair hired an executive search firm to find the right guy, & he hired O'Brien.
 
I heard a guy ranting about Rick Smith & how long it took for him to fire Gary Kubiak, saying if Gary didn't bring Rick in, he'd have been fired much earlier... I got to thinking, Rick didn't fire Kubiak & technically Kubiak didn't hire Rick.



Gary recommended Rick for the job. McNair hired Rick Smith. McNair also fired Gary Kubiak, I'm not sure if Rick recommended that or not.



Rick Smith was also not very "involved" in the hiring of Bill O'Brien. McNair hired an executive search firm to find the right guy, & he hired O'Brien.


Executive search firms mainly do the legwork when vetting candidates (background checks, etc) so that when the candidate interviews, all of the vetting is done. Yes, these firms do find candidates, but, they also simply follow orders. I'm guessing O'Brien was already on McNair's shortlist, and he simply gave his name to the firm to get the ball rolling.

These firms are used a lot to vet high level people in business, as well as in sports.
 
I still don't know what to think of this offense. Subtract Arian and it looks very boring. Is it all because of the QB? Is it just me? lol

The whole "game planning" idea seems like a farce.
 
That's the thing that I can't wrap my head around.
The Texans lost so many games last year by less than a score.

They didn't have Arian/Cush/etc., Tate had broken ribs, and they
were playing a first place schedule with street free agents.

If this team plays last years schedule -- or last years team had this
teams healthy players -- they might have exactly the same results.

So, even with a complete coaching change and tons
of roster turnover, (theoretically) we might not actually be that much
"different".

It's like the entire organization and fan base is Bill Murray in Ground
Hog Day..

The hamster wheel is turning, but are we actually starting to roll forward?

I still don't know what to think of this offense. Subtract Arian and it looks very boring. Is it all because of the QB? Is it just me? lol

The whole "game planning" idea seems like a farce.
 
That's the thing that I can't wrap my head around.
The Texans lost so many games last year by less than a score.

They didn't have Arian, Tate had broken ribs, and they were playing
a first place schedule.

If this team plays last years schedule, or last years team had this
teams healthy players -- they might have exactly the same results.

So, even with a complete coaching change and tons
of roster turnover, (theoretically) we might not actually be that much
better off.

It's like the entire organization and fan base is Bill Murray in Ground
Hog Day..

The hamster wheel is turning, but are we really rolling forward?

We have won twice as many games as last year in half the time... we're playing better football...
 
Or we're playing less formidable opponents.

Last year they were dead last in forced turnovers , this year they are at the top (#2??) in forced turnovers.

Most of those have been fumbles .... and there is a BIG Luck Factor in the number recovered. I cant see them continuing at this pace for 16 games.

If last years team had produced this volume of turnovers , they likely would have been around .500 , much like this years team and where many predicted it would finish at or near .500.

The difference in strength of schedule between this year and last is almost impossible to factor in as you can only play who's on the schedule .... but the fact is they did play a tougher schedule last season.

Injuries played a huge factor in last years record - Starting at the most important position in Matt Schaub's degenerative foot injury. They couldn't catch a break .... errr broke everything?
 
Last year they were dead last in forced turnovers , this year they are at the top (#2??) in forced turnovers.

Most of those have been fumbles .... and there is a BIG Luck Factor in the number recovered. I cant see them continuing at this pace for 16 games.

If last years team had produced this volume of turnovers , they likely would have been around .500 , much like this years team and where many predicted it would finish at or near .500.

The difference in strength of schedule between this year and last is almost impossible to factor in as you can only play who's on the schedule .... but the fact is they did play a tougher schedule last season.

Injuries played a huge factor in last years record - Starting at the most important position in Matt Schaub's degenerative foot injury. They couldn't catch a break .... errr broke everything?

Last year was brutal, with seven games against teams that ended up with 11 or more wins. There were only 2 truly bad teams on their schedule in Jacksonville and Oakland. Of course, they were swept in those three games...

But this year... take away the awful 0-7 Raiders and their opponents this year have a combined winning record. Half of them are legitimately in playoff contention. That's a pretty tough easiest schedule in the league.
 
I still don't know what to think of this offense. Subtract Arian and it looks very boring. Is it all because of the QB? Is it just me? lol

The whole "game planning" idea seems like a farce.

O'Brien was a good OC in New England and a good play caller at Penn State. I have taken issue with some play calls this year, but on the whole I'm quite happy with it.

His offense is held back by a porous O-Line and a QB who is extremely limited. You can blame O'Brien for the QB, but it's tough to convince me that Mallett is any better as he's been riding the bench his entire career. Even if Mallett were to play and perform better than Fitz, O'Brien still has to scheme around the porous O-Line that can't pass protect for more than 2 seconds.
 
That's the thing that I can't wrap my head around.
The Texans lost so many games last year by less than a score.

They didn't have Arian/Cush/etc., Tate had broken ribs, and they
were playing a first place schedule with street free agents.

If this team plays last years schedule -- or last years team had this
teams healthy players -- they might have exactly the same results.

So, even with a complete coaching change and tons
of roster turnover, (theoretically) we might not actually be that much
"different".

It's like the entire organization and fan base is Bill Murray in Ground
Hog Day..

The hamster wheel is turning, but are we actually starting to roll forward?

What is a "first place schedule"? With the exception of two games every year, these schedules are established many years ahead.

The Texans are playing the AFC North this season. As of right now, every team in that division has a winning record.

And while the Redskins are not good this season, the rest of the NFC East are solid teams.

While both the 2013 and 2014 Texans have a void at QB, there is no doubt that Fitz is playing better than either Schaub or Keenum did last season.

And you are comparing a team of an 8 year head coach to half a season with a first year head coach. This is not O'Brien's roster right now. He's got some of his pieces, but realistically we cannot make an objective (ie unbiased) comparison for a couple of seasons.

The biggest differences I see between the 2013 and 2014 teams is persistence and heart. I see a lot of fight in this team when they get down, where last year they tended to have a defeatist attitude even when they had a lead. Just my perceptions, just my opinions, though.
 
Last year was brutal, with seven games against teams that ended up with 11 or more wins. There were only 2 truly bad teams on their schedule in Jacksonville and Oakland. Of course, they were swept in those three games...

But this year... take away the awful 0-7 Raiders and their opponents this year have a combined winning record. Half of them are legitimately in playoff contention. That's a pretty tough easiest schedule in the league.

What I was getting at mainly was the number of turnovers they have produced and the sheer luck factor involved in fumbles.
I cant see them continue to force / recover fumbles at the current rate over the course of a 16 game season.
The lack of turnovers forced last season and the volume they have produced this season are probably the biggest factors in the difference in the W/L results so far.
 
What I was getting at mainly was the number of turnovers they have produced and the sheer luck factor involved in fumbles.
I cant see them continue to force / recover fumbles at the current rate over the course of a 16 game season.
The lack of turnovers forced last season and the volume they have produced this season are probably the biggest factors in the difference in the W/L results so far.

Couldn't agree more. Turnovers are a huge difference, although I may not hold the same position that it isn't sustainable.

My point was that this team at 4-4 is actually playing better than expected in my eyes because what we thought was going to be a last place schedule has turned into a fairly hard one so far. Those turnovers, Watt and Foster have been a big reason why.
 
What I was getting at mainly was the number of turnovers they have produced and the sheer luck factor involved in fumbles.
I cant see them continue to force / recover fumbles at the current rate over the course of a 16 game season.
The lack of turnovers forced last season and the volume they have produced this season are probably the biggest factors in the difference in the W/L results so far.

I agree. Last year at 8 games we had 16 turnovers on offense and 5 forced on defense. Minus 11 differential in 8 games is atrocious.

This year at 8 games we have 13 turnovers on offense and 17 forced on defense. Plus 4 in 8 games is pretty decent although it should be a lot better if you consider just how many turnovers we have forced. We're still turning the ball over way too much.

*And before people start jumping on Fitpatrick, remember that he is only responsible for 8 of those 13 turnovers. Still too many, but I think he gets too much blame for the turnovers.
 
Couldn't agree more. Turnovers are a huge difference, although I may not hold the same position that it isn't sustainable.

My point was that this team at 4-4 is actually playing better than expected in my eyes because what we thought was going to be a last place schedule has turned into a fairly hard one so far. Those turnovers, Watt and Foster have been a big reason why.

Thing is , fumbles are so random. Once forced then you have to recover them. If they were intercepting a lot of balls , I wouldn't make the statement about sustainability .... but with fumbles there is a lot of luck involved.

Looking at the schedule , I figured they would be a .500 team if they could win the turnover battles and control the ball on the ground .... which they have done for the most part as well as the defense playing up to its potential.


So far they are what I thought they were ..... a team around .500.
 
Thing is , fumbles are so random. Once forced then you have to recover them. If they were intercepting a lot of balls , I wouldn't make the statement about sustainability .... but with fumbles there is a lot of luck involved.

Looking at the schedule , I figured they would be a .500 team if they could win the turnover battles and control the ball on the ground .... which they have done for the most part as well as the defense playing up to its potential.


So far they are what I thought they were ..... a team around .500.

I would say interceptions involve the same amount of luck as recovering fumbles. QB has to make a bad throw AND defensive player has to be at the right place at the right time to make the pick. Look at Keisel's interception on Fitzpatrick in the Steeler's game. That was all Fitz's fault, but total luck on the side of the Steelers. They did absolutely nothing to force that pick, just the luck of the bounce.

With that being said, I don't think turnovers are complete luck. Generating pressure, forcing bad throws, making good hits, knowing when to go for strips, are all things the Texans are doing alot better than last season... which increase the odds of generating turnovers.
 
I would say interceptions involve the same amount of luck as recovering fumbles. QB has to make a bad throw AND defensive player has to be at the right place at the right time to make the pick. Look at Keisel's interception on Fitzpatrick in the Steeler's game. That was all Fitz's fault, but total luck on the side of the Steelers. They did absolutely nothing to force that pick, just the luck of the bounce.

With that being said, I don't think turnovers are complete luck. Generating pressure, forcing bad throws, making good hits, knowing when to go for strips, are all things the Texans are doing alot better than last season... which increase the odds of generating turnovers.

I think you're way off base on this one. Lots of interceptions are just great plays by the defender
 
I think you're way off base on this one. Lots of interceptions are just great plays by the defender

He is way off base .... Much easier for an outstanding individual play , the scheme or pressure to produce an INT.

Fumbles are far and away more random.
 
I think you're way off base on this one. Lots of interceptions are just great plays by the defender

I totally agree... just like alot of fumbles are great plays by the defender. I just don't buy the notion that recovering fumbles require luck, but interceptions do not.
 
I totally agree... just like alot of fumbles are great plays by the defender. I just don't buy the notion that recovering fumbles require luck, but interceptions do not.

I agree. A lot of interceptions are the QB overthrowing a receiver & the DB late getting to his spot.

Fumbles.... you've got to have a lot of hustle, more than the other team to consistently recover fumbles.

It wasn't luck that Hopkins didn't recover that fumble, or that Arian didn't... it wasn't luck that the other guy had more snap, hustle, & want to than they did.
 
What is a "first place schedule"? With the exception of two games every year, these schedules are established many years ahead.

The Texans are playing the AFC North this season. As of right now, every team in that division has a winning record.

And while the Redskins are not good this season, the rest of the NFC East are solid teams.

While both the 2013 and 2014 Texans have a void at QB, there is no doubt that Fitz is playing better than either Schaub or Keenum did last season.

And you are comparing a team of an 8 year head coach to half a season with a first year head coach. This is not O'Brien's roster right now. He's got some of his pieces, but realistically we cannot make an objective (ie unbiased) comparison for a couple of seasons.

The biggest differences I see between the 2013 and 2014 teams is persistence and heart. I see a lot of fight in this team when they get down, where last year they tended to have a defeatist attitude even when they had a lead. Just my perceptions, just my opinions, though.
which "Kubiak" players would O'Brien dispose of if he could that are of any impact status?
 
which "Kubiak" players would O'Brien dispose of if he could that are of any impact status?

Dispose of or replace?

Ben Jones
Garrett Graham and what's his name Griffin- should be impact but not
Swearinger
Posey
Martin
Jamison
Pleasant
Mercilus
 
Graham is no longer a Kubiak guy. OB bought that horse.

Didn't he sign that extension before OTA's though? OB only had film to work off of?


edit: Perhaps he thought Graham could pick up the offense quicker...
 
Didn't he sign that extension before OTA's though? OB only had film to work off of?


edit: Perhaps he thought Graham could pick up the offense quicker...

Well the film he had to work off of had shitty QB play getting him 50 ypg. With our current ______ QB play he is getting 17 ypg. You get to fill in the blank.

I'm not sure film is the issue.
 
Thing is , fumbles are so random. Once forced then you have to recover them. If they were intercepting a lot of balls , I wouldn't make the statement about sustainability .... but with fumbles there is a lot of luck involved.

Looking at the schedule , I figured they would be a .500 team if they could win the turnover battles and control the ball on the ground .... which they have done for the most part as well as the defense playing up to its potential.


So far they are what I thought they were ..... a team around .500.

They are where I expected them to be also. The thing that has disappointed/impressed me is that they've been in every game except the NYG game. If they had a Hoyer level play at QB they probably would have a couple more W's and would be talked about as being this yrs Chiefs team.
 
. If they had a Hoyer level play at QB they probably would have a couple more W's and would be talked about as being this yrs Chiefs team.

I think they are a Chiefs level team. The Chiefs aren't very good, they were able to benefit from a weak schedule... like we should.

I said before the season started that 10 wins wouldn't mean we were good, or even an 10 win team. Only that we had a weak schedule.

But since we're playing like we have a rookie QB, ain't going to happen.

The Chiefs will be lucky to finish 8-8 this year.
 
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