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[Sources] OB & Smith relationship has worsened

Some in media think O'Brien is the source of the leak.

Hammond: What Is Happening With The Houston Texans?

...

More likely than not, pro-O’Brien parties — or O’Brien himself — are leaking reports of tension between he and Smith, who, for a number of reasons, is something of an easy target. Make Smith the fall guy for the team’s failings at QB. Put the rest of the league on notice that you may become available to be hired in just a few weeks. Makes sense, right?

To counter, pro-Smith parties — or Smith himself — are leaking reports of O’Brien clashing with Osweiler, who seems like the nicest guy ever. “If he can’t get along with Brock,” the thinking goes, “man, that guy must be intense. Insufferable, even.” Make O’Brien out to be Harbaugh, but without the .800 win percentage over four years in the NFC West, and one play away from a Super Bowl ring. In other words: Greg Schiano.

Link

My initial assumption was that O'Brien sourced the leak to signal other teams of his potential availability. Then Lance Zierlein's NFL executive contact expressed certainty that it was Rick. Looks like there's no consensus, but it's still a significant detail since it happened right before a playoff game.
 
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The idea that a HC would design a scheme to throw the ball to someone other than his best WR is silly. This same offensive scheme gave him plenty of passes the previous two seasons.

I didn't say the scheme is designed to get the ball to anyone else.
 
Every time he comes in here, he goes off on some anti OB tirade filled with curse words and hyperbolic narratives that haven't really ever existed.
I'm guessing he's day drinking. lol
That rant made no sense at all, but it was fun to read.
 
Just FYI to emphasize your post OB plainly said on one of his coaches shows a couple of weeks ago that Hop is the number 1 read on most passing plays.

Yep, not surprising at all. You can build the fastest race car, but if your driver sucks and hits a lot of guardrails, you're not winning any races.

I didn't say the scheme is designed to get the ball to anyone else.

I guess I misunderstood your point.
 
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I guess I misunderstood your point.

Hopkins was open a lot more in the last three games than he'd been all year. Instead of relying on his route running or push offs, he's been stacked, bunched, running underneath routes.

Look at the catches he had in the Jacksonville game & then again in the Titans game. They helped to get him open.

Both QBS were able to go to him quickly.
 
Hopkins was open a lot more in the last three games than he'd been all year. Instead of relying on his route running or push offs, he's been stacked, bunched, running underneath routes.

Look at the catches he had in the Jacksonville game & then again in the Titans game. They helped to get him open.

Both QBS were able to go to him quickly.

Hopkins is the kind of WR that can catch in traffic, though. Just get the ball to his vicinity and he has the ability to catch it most of the time. The problem with Brock is that he can't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

Separation is such an overused term in the NFL, simply because defenders are so fast and close so quickly. A decent pro QB should be able to hit WRs in stride, lead them, and throw into tight spaces. This is where Brock has not improved since college, and I'm just not sure if he's going to at this point.
 
The idea that a HC would design a scheme to throw the ball to someone other than his best WR is silly. This same offensive scheme gave him plenty of passes the previous two seasons.

Hopkins has been targeted 151 times this season, but only has 78 catches. That says to everyone that the QB position is unable to get the ball to him, which is also what our eyes have been telling us all season. Osweiler has terrible accuracy. Almost half of the passes thrown to him were not caught, and most because they were simply uncatchable.
Or intercepted
 
Hopkins is the kind of WR that can catch in traffic, though. Just get the ball to his vicinity and he has the ability to catch it most of the time. The problem with Brock is that he can't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

I agree about Hopkins.

Osweiler was a lot more "accurate" last season.
 
where r u getting 13-3 14-2 records from? There's been next to 0 reason why anyone here should've expected that from them at any point under BoB.

Just taking into account all the games that were blown due to the team not showing up, terrible play calls and management, having a semi-competent offense from our offensive guru coach, etc.

The worst was all the winnable games we blew in 2014. Cowboys, Steelers, both Colts games, Bengals, etc.
 
Osweiler was a lot more "accurate" last season.

He has regressed with every game he's played this year, until the last game when he didn't totally suck. Play calling hasn't helped him any, or his reads are fk'd and so were Savage's this year.
 
I agree about Hopkins.

Osweiler was a lot more "accurate" last season.
When the QB tends to lock on a receiver (not always, but often enough) and/ or the delivery is slow ( because of the wind-up), the window closes quicker.

In Kubiak's system, the QB is not required to make those throws as often.
 
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When the QB tends to lock on a receiver (not always, but often enough) and/ or the delivery is slow ( because of the wind-up), the window closes quicker.

In Kubiak's system, the QB is not required to make those throws as often.

It would help any of the developing QBs we've had if we could get our WRs open as regularly as Osweiler's receivers got open last year.

Our veterans too for that matter.
 
Mr Tex made a similar post in another thread, but it's mostly proven untrue. You frequent the draft forums enough. Almost everyone wanted investment in the OL, I would say 90% wanted to draft a tackle atleast somewhere. A lot of people wanted a tackle in the 1st. Actually, when @Wolf6151 in late March said he would be interested in drafting Brown's replacement in the 1st, you said:



Wolf's idea wasn't abnormal on this board for that time period. If anything, you showed less interest in building the trenches than many others, although you did show interest. I'm not saying your idea was better or worse, just that it required less investment in the OL.
Uhnnonit didn't. The guy he wanted to draft was a project player. You dont take a project pick in the first to learn behind someone when there are weaknesses that can be addressed with a starter. I had no problem with drafting ol and wanted OL and DL heavy in that draft.

Most people wanted a WR for the shiny new QB. And when we drafted two wrs in the first three picks most were OK with it. Then we go and draft another speed RB that was a clone of Hunt allready on the roster. It was a flawed draft strategy and I said as much. We should of heavily invested in the trenches. But I did give them credit for having a plan and sticking to it. Even though I never agreed with it. So you got that completely wrong.
 
This was the exact list of rumors I saw on Social media today. I tried to post this very thread but I couldn't find this anywhere.

If this is all true, then this franchise is much worse than I ever expected, and Texian and Swtbound's theories about Mcnair are a little more accurate than what people including myself have wanted to agree with.

OB definitely has had his problems on offense and its been frustrating, but overall he has been a pretty solid coach to me. If he ends up leaving due to Rick Smith, then this organization is the biggest clown show in the NFL right there with the Browns. Rick Smith is such a god damn joke, I swear.

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel about Rick.
 
Thorsson is Bill O'Brien! That explains so much!

Actually Bill O'Brien has won games with people I don't even totally understand how it was possible to win with under the circumstances. Case Keenum couldn't get a win until Bill O'Brien came to town. Brandon Weeden that year in Dallas couldn't get a win until he got on a Bill O'Brien led team. He couldn't get Hoyer past the pressure of a playoff game but then it's not like anyone else has ever been able to do that and until Mallet got delusions of grandeur and didn't come clean about his pectoral injury he had him playing well too. Fitz played well (for Fitz), Yates kept right on trucking like always.

Not Os though. Os just hasn't worked out. Makes me wonder how much is Os and how much is O'Brien.

O'Brien has nothing to do with Os missing open men. Os has no accuracy. No coach can help that.
 
If Brock doesn't prove he deserves to be here as our starter beyond 2017, my rookie will probably be starting after Thanksgiving & into 2018, with another drafted QB nipping at his heals (unless Weeden has us in the playoff race).

I was a big Savage fan but it appears he will not stay healthy. I guess I will have to change my Avatar.
 
Where we disagree is I think a QB prospect should have been forced on O'b. He botched the position two years in a row. Giving him a third opportunity is the definition of insanity.

I also don't believe Rick has the juice to run a HC out of town.

I think McNair is smart enough to know what's going on & I wouldn't put it past him to tell O'b to get an offensive coordinator. He doesn't have to fire Godsey. Make him assistant to the assistant towel boy for all I care. Will O'b do like Mike Shanahan & stand by his man, or will he throw him under the bus (which he deserves). That's the question.

We will see how much juice Rick McNair has. If BOB is gone for any reason we will know the answer. Yes, we will have to disagree on whether Os was a Ricky pick. If I was BOB and Little Ricky forced Os on me and risked my career, you better bet I would be looking as hard as I could for a way out.

I guess you didn't believe LZ's tweet either? It doesn't fit your narrative.
 
I was a big Savage fan but it appears he will not stay healthy. I guess I will have to change my Avatar.
I wasn't a big fan but he made me hopeful and optimistic. That didn't last long though. His health issues make him unreliable.

I was kind of hoping the team got beat by OAK in the hopes they'd clean house but I just have the sick feeling Rick Smith will nuzzle up to bob mcnairs teet and not get canned. AGAIN.
 
It would help any of the developing QBs we've had if we could get our WRs open as regularly as Osweiler's receivers got open last year.

Our veterans too for that matter.
There's a difference in how a system like Kubiak's to attack the D. He does have more plays to scheme a receiver open, but there's a drawback. When the D doesn't bite, that particular receiver would be well covered and the play is dead in the water.

In a system like that of OB's, there are more options that the QB can go to overall. It just requires the QB to make a good read and go to the most open target. This is where the quick delivery helps, because the window doesn't last, especially this year when the NFL allow the "bang bang" play to go (this is also the reason why Bouye was doing well; the new rule plays into his strength.)

But, it is true that OB and/or his OC doesn't adapt to this new rule as well as the guy(s) in Foxboro.
I was rewatching the early games with their two young QBs, and they didn't call many plays that require this type of throw. That or the young QBs were able to read the defense better than Osweiler. They both have a quicker release anyway.
(I haven't spent that much time yet, so that was just first impression - but I did watch those games early in the season; now I was just rewatching.)
 
For those of you saying no real national writers are saying anything:

http://nfltraderumors.co/nfl-notes-bengals-bills-broncos-jets-texans/

  • After speaking to people around the NFL, Albert Breer mentions that it wouldn’t be a stunner to see the Texans part ways with HC Bill O’Brien after the season.
  • Breer confirms that the relationship between O’Brien and GM Rick Smith has “never been perfect” and it’s possible that owner Bob McNair could look to remodel the organization.
  • Should O’Brien become available, Breer says that he would be on every team’ss list of candidates almost immediately.
    Breer ultimately believes it would be a big mistake for the Texans to let O’Brien go based on what he’s been able to accomplish, despite the team’s quarterback issues.
Well...there ya go.
 
When the QB tends to lock on a receiver (not always, but often enough) and/ or the delivery is slow ( because of the wind-up), the window closes quicker.

In Kubiak's system, the QB is not required to make those throws as often.
This 1000%.

Even the most elementary viewer of Texans football should be able to see this almost immediately with Brock. His windup has to be one of the worst I have ever seen. In an offense that tends to rely on lots of reads and a quick release, Osweiler is the exact opposite kind of QB we should have gone for.

Thus to get back to the point of the thread, heads need to roll over the Oz signing. Either Rick Smith and OB need to go, or Ricky needs to go. If the rumors are true and Oz was forced on OB, then it needs to be Little Ricky. There simply is no excuse for this kind of a screw up and because it seems to involve a bad fit for OB's offense (if you can call what we have watched "offense"), then it would seem to make sense it was a Rick and McNair signing. But if it was really OB, he has to go.
 
Okay, well have fun thinking that Bill O'Brien didn't want and isn't responsible for Mallett and Hoyer and Wilfork and all "the speed!" and all the other crap decisions in the last 3 years.

I have no idea why some people insist on giving this guy a pass on everything and continue to place completely baseless trust in him and his vaunted system that doesn't exist. He's one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on football and I have literally no clue why. None.

I just...I don't get it. People point to three straight straight 9-7 seasons with a "crap roster" and "crap QB's" and all the situations HE is responsible for, never taking the time to realize that this team has either blown game after game after game after ******* game or no-showed game after game after game after ******* game against the best competition. 9-7 means crap when you should be 13-3 or 14-2 with even a semi-intelligible identity and offensive performance. But no I guess, cuz "doesn't matter Brian, AFC South champions two years in a row Brian" or some ****. I guess hollow records and playoff rapings and perpetual piss-poor performances are enough to grant a benefit of a doubt for whatever the **** reason.

There is no coherent identity to this team. Nothing. Three years in there is nothing. Well, actually, the identity is that our team continues to be a ******* joke that gets hyped year after year after year and fails spectacularly because we're run by clowns and coached by clowns. A losing culture perpetuated by losers. We're a footnote to the league and nothing this guy has supposedly done has earned even the slightest shred of respect or credibility throughout the league. Hilarious considering this guy and this regime was brought in first and foremost to bring legitimacy to our franchise. For whatever reason this ability was bestowed on him by fans, management and media alike despite absolutely ******* nothing pointing to this.

And if it was Kubiak or Capers doing this **** (which they did) they'd be annihilated and ran out of town (they were, deservingly of course). It could be anyone else in the league and the same would happen. Oh but not Bill O'Brien. Same mismanagement same miscues same underperformance same garbage playcalls same blown games same big game failures and yet the guy gets nothing. For whatever reason.

Did you like the BOB hire? BOB isn't in charge of bringing in guys that's Ricky. Although I will agree with you Mallett probably was a BOB choice that Ricky outsmarted himself and waited until the end of TC to bring him in, not giving Mallett a chance to develop chemistry with the team/receivers. But hey Rick McNair only had to give up a 7th.

As far as your boy Kubes, how many yrs was he here? How many yrs did he make the playoffs? BOB? Enough said. After all that's come out do you really believe Os was a BOB choice? If so then I'm done here because we will never agree and all that will happen will be you typing a bunch of cuss words that I'm not really interested in seeing.
 
Has anything of substance been released other then the glazer report?
 
For those of you saying no real national writers are saying anything:

http://nfltraderumors.co/nfl-notes-bengals-bills-broncos-jets-texans/

  • After speaking to people around the NFL, Albert Breer mentions that it wouldn’t be a stunner to see the Texans part ways with HC Bill O’Brien after the season.
  • Breer confirms that the relationship between O’Brien and GM Rick Smith has “never been perfect” and it’s possible that owner Bob McNair could look to remodel the organization.
  • Should O’Brien become available, Breer says that he would be on every team’ss list of candidates almost immediately.
    Breer ultimately believes it would be a big mistake for the Texans to let O’Brien go based on what he’s been able to accomplish, despite the team’s quarterback issues.
Well...there ya go.
Please tell me you forgot to include someone saying McNair could fire Smith. I'll just hope that firing Rick Smith sorry sss means remodel.
 
Thus to get back to the point of the thread, heads need to roll over the Oz signing. Either Rick Smith and OB need to go, or Ricky needs to go. If the rumors are true and Oz was forced on OB, then it needs to be Little Ricky. There simply is no excuse for this kind of a screw up and because it seems to involve a bad fit for OB's offense (if you can call what we have watched "offense"), then it would seem to make sense it was a Rick and McNair signing. But if it was really OB, he has to go.

It was Rick. Savage was O'Brien's guy, and I doubt that O'Brien would've put his stamp on Osweiler and his Tebowesque wind-up.

Until O'Brien, we never saw Rick make decisions on QB's or many other offensive players. Kubiak was the decision maker on those. All of Rick's successes (except Hopkins) have been defenders. So when Rick got a chance to acquire a QB, he got one who was clearly incompatible with the coach's system. That's some Casserly/Capers discord right there.

Has anything of substance been released other then the glazer report?

The Nate and Creight clip that prompted this thread offers more substance than the Glazer article. They strongly vouched for their sources and confirmed that Osweiler was forced on O'Brien. I doubt we'll hear anything else until after the playoffs.
 
We will see how much juice Rick McNair has. If BOB is gone for any reason we will know the answer. Yes, we will have to disagree on whether Os was a Ricky pick. If I was BOB and Little Ricky forced Os on me and risked my career, you better bet I would be looking as hard as I could for a way out.

I guess you didn't believe LZ's tweet either? It doesn't fit your narrative.

When Kubiak benched Keenum McNair was upset. He didn't try to hide it. When O'b benched Osweiler McNair seemed proud of his H.C.

My point about Rick not having the juice, all he can do is let McNair know his opinion. McNair will be the one to fire O'b.
 
I was kind of hoping the team got beat by OAK in the hopes they'd clean house but I just have the sick feeling Rick Smith will nuzzle up to bob mcnairs teet and not get canned. AGAIN.

I'm kinda hoping they win & learn something in the process. Hopefully O'b will become that coach we all want. Rick can become that GM we all want. Osweiler can become that QB we all want. Then McNair can be the owner we all want.

& this is where it's going to happen. In the playoffs. Learning to overcome the B.S.. the BS every team is dealing with.

These games have meaning no regular season game can replicate. Whether it's the Oakland Raiders or Cincinnati Bengals. Win the wildcard & prove you belong in the division game.
 
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There's a difference in how a system like Kubiak's to attack the D.

Regardless, they did things in the Chief's game, the Jag's game, & the last Titan's game that helped Hopkins get open quickly. Those things helped both Savage & Osweiler. First half they struggled. Second half, different ball game.

It would help any young QB if we did those things throughout the game. Simplify things for them. We can even do something crazy like mix up these concepts with the bevy of pass catchers we have now.
 
Okay, say Osweiler was "forced" on Bill O'Brien.

Who the **** is responsible for Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage?
 
It was Rick. Savage was O'Brien's guy, and I doubt that O'Brien would've put his stamp on Osweiler and his Tebowesque wind-up.

It was all of them.

I'll go one step farther. Osweiler is still & always has been their guy. Benching him was part of the process. A part they hoped they never had to get to, but a part of the process.

It's no different than benching Derek Carr his rookie season. It needed to be done & he's better for it.

I know there are real problems with Osweiler the QB. Some of it mechanical, some of it mental. But I think a majority of it is getting used to the system. Just like Cj took three years to figure it out, it's going to take Osweiler more than 15 games to figure it out.
 
What exactly is the issue with Savage that someone has to be "responsible" for him?

Looked like ass in his opportunities even after being seasoned by a supposed QB guru who hand-picked him and wanted to "roll with him" by all accounts.

Not that I ever was expecting anything out of him. But I'm not the one on his nuts.
 
Looked like ass in his opportunities even after being seasoned by a supposed QB guru who hand-picked him and wanted to "roll with him" by all accounts.

Not that I ever was expecting anything out of him. But I'm not the one on his nuts.

I'm not "on his nuts" as you say, but he was a 4th round supplemental draft pick. I'm pretty sure that we can find quotes from OB with some variation of the word "project" in them. After nearly three seasons and a few injuries, Savage got 8 quarters of playing time and had a comeback win in replacing Osweiler and won his first NFL start. I guess we have different opinions of what it means to look like an ass.

And let me pre-empt the "but he didn't throw any TD's" and "the offense still couldn't get in the end zone" replies with the obvious: this offense has struggled with that all season long. Maybe it is the scheme/play calling/OC more than it is the QB.
 
I'm not "on his nuts" as you say, but he was a 4th round supplemental draft pick. I'm pretty sure that we can find quotes from OB with some variation of the word "project" in them. After nearly three seasons and a few injuries, Savage got 8 quarters of playing time and had a comeback win in replacing Osweiler and won his first NFL start. I guess we have different opinions of what it means to look like an ass.

And let me pre-empt the "but he didn't throw any TD's" and "the offense still couldn't get in the end zone" replies with the obvious: this offense has struggled with that all season long. Maybe it is the scheme/play calling/OC more than it is the QB.

I wasn't referring to you with the being on his nuts.

And as for your second paragraph, well, that's my point entirely. The guy heralded as a guru is really just clueless garbage.
 
I'm kinda hoping they win & learn something in the process. Hopefully O'b will become that coach we all want. Rick can become that GM we all want. Osweiler can become that QB we all want. Then McNair can be the owner we all want.

& this is where it's going to happen. In the playoffs. Learning to overcome the B.S.. the BS every team is dealing with.

These games have meaning no regular season game can replicate. Whether it's the Oakland Raiders or Cincinnati Bengals. Win the wildcard & prove you belong in the division game.

That would be ideal but unlikely. Of all the 3 you listed I'd say BoB improving as HC is the most realistic. Rick Smith has proven over the long haul he is overall a lousy evaluator of talent. Aside from first round picks he routinely selects players that don't have impact. I won't give him too much credit for getting undrafted FA like Arian Foster. Undrafted guys have just as much say as the GM on whether or not to sign with a team. As far as Osweiler goes, well.... He's just not a good QB. His best games are average. He's not accurate, he can't read defenses and wilts under pressure.
 
That would be ideal but unlikely. Of all the 3 you listed I'd say BoB improving as HC is the most realistic. Rick Smith has proven over the long haul he is overall a lousy evaluator of talent. Aside from first round picks he routinely selects players that don't have impact. I won't give him too much credit for getting undrafted FA like Arian Foster. Undrafted guys have just as much say as the GM on whether or not to sign with a team. As far as Osweiler goes, well.... He's just not a good QB. His best games are average. He's not accurate, he can't read defenses and wilts under pressure.


The smartest move this team can make is to promote Brian Gaine to GM.

Gaines' first move should be to blow up our obviously lousy scouting dept.

Those clowns make Jerruh look like a genius.
 
The smartest move this team can make is to promote Brian Gaine to GM.

Gaines' first move should be to blow up our obviously lousy scouting dept.

Those clowns make Jerruh look like a genius.
I'm not familiar with Gaine. Wouldn't you rather see someone outside the organization get the GM position. I'd be concerned they've been RickSmithized.
 
It was all of them.

I'll go one step farther. Osweiler is still & always has been their guy. Benching him was part of the process. A part they hoped they never had to get to, but a part of the process.

It's no different than benching Derek Carr his rookie season. It needed to be done & he's better for it.

I know there are real problems with Osweiler the QB. Some of it mechanical, some of it mental. But I think a majority of it is getting used to the system. Just like Cj took three years to figure it out, it's going to take Osweiler more than 15 games to figure it out.
There is something to this argument. The one thing not being brought into this discussion of McNair, Smith, OB and Oz, is the right now, going into the playoffs. Right now should be all about winning and nothing else. Who gives us the best chance of winning.

The problems with Oz's game has been well discussed by many. There's been no need for me to repeat what so many others have said - I simply sum it all up by saying I don't like his mechanics. I've expressed my opinion that I'd like to see Weeden starting.

But to return to the point of this thread, if O'Brien is not OK with Oz, why isn't he playing Weeden? There is something to be said with the suggestion by some on this forum that Weeden has the better mechanics and is the more accomplished QB and gives us the better chance at winning. So why isn't OB seeing this?

Why is Oz starting over Weeden?
 
There is something to this argument. The one thing not being brought into this discussion of McNair, Smith, OB and Oz, is the right now, going into the playoffs. Right now should be all about winning and nothing else. Who gives us the best chance of winning.

The problems with Oz's game has been well discussed by many. There's been no need for me to repeat what so many others have said - I simply sum it all up by saying I don't like his mechanics. I've expressed my opinion that I'd like to see Weeden starting.

But to return to the point of this thread, if O'Brien is not OK with Oz, why isn't he playing Weeden? There is something to be said with the suggestion by some on this forum that Weeden has the better mechanics and is the more accomplished QB and gives us the better chance at winning. So why isn't OB seeing this?

Why is Oz starting over Weeden?

Listen to yourself... Cleveland fans be rotfltao

 
Listen to yourself... Cleveland fans be rotfltao

I'm not sure what your point is, but you seem to have missed mine.

There have been comments that support the idea that Oz was forced on OB. There have been comments reflecting on Oz's poor mechanics and the mental aspects of his game.

If OB was not/is not on board with Oz being signed by the Texans, why is he sticking with him over a QB who could possibly give us a better chance at winning.?

(Edit) To put it another way, this not about whether Weeden should be starting. It is the why of OB staying with a player that he didn't want and was forced on him. Add in the comments from other threads that are suggesting that OB is on his way out.
 
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I'm not sure what your point is, but you seem to have missed mine.

There have been comments that support the idea that Oz was forced on OB. There have been comments reflecting on Oz's poor mechanics and the mental aspects of his game.

If OB was not/is not on board with Oz being signed by the Texans, why is he sticking with him over a QB who could possibly give us a better chance at winning.?

Obviously because he doesn't think that Weeden would give us a better chance
 
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