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Brian Gaine Thread

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beerlover said:
NFL is time sensitive. What this organization is still exhibiting, is lack of urgency both on and off the field.

Don’t care for free agent signings, handling of Clowney, use of draft capital and putting to much pressure on coaching staff to develop talent.
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A perceived lack of urgency is one potentially valid interpretation of events. Respectfully, I see a different interpretation of those same events.

A lot of folks here don't like what the Texans did during Free Agency, but it's way too early to fairly evaluate how they handled that.

Handling of Clowney? That story isn't nearly written in full, so hold your horses.

Use of draft capital? I'm not sure, but I imagine you're referring to not getting Dillard or some other guy you wanted.

Putting pressure on the coaching staff? Of course they did! That's what happens to every cosching staff with every rookie every draft in every NFL city.

They grabbed two Offensive Linemen with high picks in order to address the teams biggest, though not only, weakness. That sounds urgent to me.

I'm sure they would trade Clowney if the right offer comes along. In the meantime, they're trying to pay him whatever fair market value is. I don't see that having anything to do with a sense of urgency, at least not yet.
 
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HaveMercy said:
So I guess what you're saying is that things didn't unfold the way you wanted, so that means there's a lack of urgency.

Interesting.
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So I guess what you're saying is fans aren't acting like you want.

Interesting.

The members here have explicitly stated their concerns about the way this organization has handled this offseason & identified consistent trends over the last five years if not 17.

Address those.
 
thunderkyss said:
So I guess what you're saying is fans aren't acting like you want.

Interesting.

The members here have explicitly stated their concerns about the way this organization has handled this offseason & identified consistent trends over the last five years if not 17.

Address those.
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That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm just disagreeing with the conclusion that there is no sense of urgency.

And not all folks on this MB agree with that. Many posters agree and many don't.

Your interpretation of recent events is different from mine.
 
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It seems clear to me that everyone employed in the Not For Long league likely has a sense of urgency (or they're soon gone...Jamarcus Russell, anyone?) especially if they want to keep a job or move up in their careers. That goes for players, coaches, GM's, etc. It's a very competitive business environment.

The smart ones are smart about it, not just hair on fire crazy grabbing at straws aggressive. The NFL has had plenty of that in other cities and occasionally here. Brock O comes to mind along with a few others that were big time swings and misses.

The best organizations are smart about being aggressive, not foolish. The poorly performing organizations are frequently aggressive but in ways that often backfire.

I want the entire Texans organization to wisely pick their spots. Not every opportunity is worth chasing. I want them to pursue good opportunities and bypass ones that, for one reason or another, not good fits. May Gaine always know the difference.

Being urgently aggressive for the sake of being urgently aggressive might work sometimes, but it's still not wise as a general strategy.
 
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HaveMercy said:
It seems clear to me that everyone employed in the Not For Long league likely has a sense of urgency, especially if they want to keep a job or move up in their careers. That goes for players, coaches, GM's, etc. It's a very competitive business environment.
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No they don't.
 
Mollywhopper said:
No they don't.
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I imagine they do. Still, some folks are good at what they do, some ain't. BO'b isn't a good team builder. & he doesn't seem to care about coaching the team he has.

He was a good OC in New England, but he didn't have to build that team or install that offense. & those are the things he's been struggling with here.

I'm willing to cede Rick Smith was not the team builder he needs. I'm seeing little evidence, so far, that Brian Gaine is either. But we're about to find out.

He still hasn't brought anyone in with experience installing an offense. At least I don't see him.

Wonder where the urgency is there.
 
thunderkyss said:
I imagine they do. Still, some folks are good at what they do, some ain't. BO'b isn't a good team builder. & he doesn't seem to care about coaching the team he has.

He was a good OC in New England, but he didn't have to build that team or install that offense. & those are the things he's been struggling with here.

I'm willing to cede Rick Smith was not the team builder he needs. I'm seeing little evidence, so far, that Brian Gaine is either. But we're about to find out.

He still hasn't brought anyone in with experience installing an offense. At least I don't see him.

Wonder where the urgency is there.
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5296575769bedd4c17a1daec-750-563.jpg


says hi..
 
FuzzyLogic said:
Jamarcus had urgency - to get a cheeseburger, preferably a double.
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Many times, people can be their own worst enemy. I've been in that boat more than a few times in my life...hey, I've even been the chief rower. I feel sympathy and sorrow when I see it happening to other folks, like Jamarcus R. So many opportunities squandered!

There's certainly some lessons in there for team management, and for life in general.

I really hope that Brian Gaine succeeds at a being the Texans best and wisest friend, not their worst enemy. No self-inflicted damage, please.

May Gaine display good urgency, wise urgency, pick-your-spots-carefully-then-go-for-it kind of urgency.
 
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HaveMercy said:
Many times, people can be their own worst enemy. I've been in that boat more than a few times in my life...hey, I've even been the chief rower. I feel sympathy and sorrow when I see it happening to other folks, like Jamarcus R. So many opportunities squandered!

There's certainly some lessons in there for team management, and for life in general.

I really hope that Brian Gaine succeeds at a being the Texans best and wisest friend, not their worst enemy. No self-inflicted damage, please.

May Gaine display good urgency, wise urgency, pick-your-spots-carefully-then-go-for-it kind of urgency.
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Some people just cant help themselves regardless how much other try to help them.

The last sentence would be one that the Texans org has never been able to accomplish and most likelt wont as long as the McNair's own the team.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
He's seen the bigger picture and decided to put the team and organization ahead of himself. In the end, with or without his wife......he'd have enough money for 2 lifetimes.
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Complete speculation that doesn’t fit the evidence. It’s easy to have a “winning is more important than big contracts” attitude when your wife makes twice as much as you do. Or do you really believe that Brady is just that much more team focused than pretty much every player to play the game over the last 50 years?
 
HaveMercy said:
Many times, people can be their own worst enemy. I've been in that boat more than a few times in my life...hey, I've even been the chief rower. I feel sympathy and sorrow when I see it happening to other folks, like Jamarcus R. So many opportunities squandered!

There's certainly some lessons in there for team management, and for life in general.

I really hope that Brian Gaine succeeds at a being the Texans best and wisest friend, not their worst enemy. No self-inflicted damage, please.

May Gaine display good urgency, wise urgency, pick-your-spots-carefully-then-go-for-it kind of urgency.
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Love of playing the game is huge... JR never had it, TB has it in spades!
 
maverick512000 said:
Complete speculation that doesn’t fit the evidence. It’s easy to have a “winning is more important than big contracts” attitude when your wife makes twice as much as you do. Or do you really believe that Brady is just that much more team focused than pretty much every player to play the game over the last 50 years?
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He was like that before he married her too.

And you would be surprised on how many men has to make more money than their wives. I work with a dude now with that train of thought.
 
maverick512000 said:
Complete speculation that doesn’t fit the evidence. It’s easy to have a “winning is more important than big contracts” attitude when your wife makes twice as much as you do. Or do you really believe that Brady is just that much more team focused than pretty much every player to play the game over the last 50 years?
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Wasn't Kirby Puckett, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio to name a few? All 3 remained with their small market teams at considerably less money. Tony Gwynn also comes to mind of a player who chose to play for less money in order to remain with his team.
 
maverick512000 said:
Complete speculation that doesn’t fit the evidence. It’s easy to have a “winning is more important than big contracts” attitude when your wife makes twice as much as you do. Or do you really believe that Brady is just that much more team focused than pretty much every player to play the game over the last 50 years?
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He's incredibly focused and driven to succeed. After all Brady is not the most talented QB of all time, actually probably not even among the top half dozen QBs in terms of pure talent but he is surely the most accomplished QB and that's from his drive, his competitiveness, and his desire to win at the highest level.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
Wasn't Kirby Puckett, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio to name a few? All 3 remained with their small market teams at considerably less money. Tony Gwynn also comes to mind of a player who chose to play for less money in order to remain with his team.
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Dude you didn’t name one NFL player. All of those are baseball players, baseball players have a much longer shelf life than NFL players. In other words they can afford to take less money because odds are they will get a lot more years to play.
 
maverick512000 said:
Dude you didn’t name one NFL player. All of those are baseball players, baseball players have a much longer shelf life than NFL players. In other words they can afford to take less money because odds are they will get a lot more years to play.
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Joe Cool and all his concussions come to mind.
 
Has Gaine had his defining moment yet? Is it not moving up to draft Dillard? Is Warring going to be the next big time TE, along the lines of Kelce? Is Howard the franchise LT for the next 10 years? Will Reid continue his skyrocketing trajectory?

I don’t think Gaine’s had that moment yet. I think he’s signed some good players and some disappointments. So it’s difficult for me to get emotional about the guy.
 
banned1976 said:
Has Gaine had his defining moment yet? Is it not moving up to draft Dillard? Is Warring going to be the next big time TE, along the lines of Kelce? Is Howard the franchise LT for the next 10 years? Will Reid continue his skyrocketing trajectory?

I don’t think Gaine’s had that moment yet. I think he’s signed some good players and some disappointments. So it’s difficult for me to get emotional about the guy.
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Gaine's defining moments will only be seen clearly in hindsight. It's like viewing a distant star. What we're finally seeing actually took place millions of years ago.

Any fair evaluation of Brian Gaine will take at least 2 or 3 more years. But I like the general trajectory it seems he has the Texans on.

It's funny to me how so many of us can see the same set of facts and yet draw very different conclusions.
 
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HaveMercy said:
Any fair evaluation of Brian Gaine will take at least 2 or 3 more years. But I like the general trajectory it seems he has the Texans on.
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Just like you can like the general trajectory, others can hate it. Right now, I think we're mixed... some really loved what he was able to do in 2018 & are scratching their heads about 2019. Another person whose performance took a nose dive after a short time with Bill.

Coincidence?

HaveMercy said:
It's funny to me how so many of us can see the same set of facts and yet draw very different conclusions.
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Exactly.
 
thunderkyss said:
Just like you can like the general trajectory, others can hate it. Right now, I think we're mixed... some really loved what he was able to do in 2018 & are scratching their heads about 2019. Another person whose performance took a nose dive after a short time with Bill.

Coincidence?



Exactly.
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I remember last post Draft.............there was just as much questioning and headscratching over the picks as there is this post Draft. The only reason some can finally admit that it was a pretty good Draft is that was only established well into and after the season. To say anything at this point about anything or anyone taking a nose dive from last season's Draft is just being downright disingenuous.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
I remember last post Draft.............there was just as much questioning and headscratching over the picks as there is this post Draft. The only reason some can finally admit that it was a pretty good Draft is that was only established well into and after the season. To say anything at this point about anything or anyone taking a nose dive from last season's Draft is just being downright disingenuous.
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Yea, what he said.

And to this, "To say anything at this point about anything or anyone taking a nose dive from last season's Draft is just being downright disingenuous" I'd add "and guilty of an overly hasty rush to judgement."
 
McClain: How Texans are measuring up to GM's goals
John McClain , Houston Chronicle May 23, 2019
Going into the offseason, second-year general manager Brian Gaine didn't try to hide his intention of signing and drafting players who would help the Texans get bigger, faster, longer and stronger.

And more talented, of course.

Gaine and his personnel department would work in conjunction with Bill O'Brien and the coaching staff to improve the team on both sides of the ball and on special teams.

"There's a process that goes into implementing your evaluation and acquisition plan," Gaine said this week. "To put that kind of plan in place and then to execute takes a great partnership with the coaching and personnel staffs."

Watching the veterans and rookies at OTAs this week, it's been apparent to everyone that Gaine is on his way to accomplishing his goal.

"We're trying to improve the team in a way in which we could get bigger, stronger and longer and improve our team speed and athleticism at the same time," he said.

Let's examine the Texans' two biggest areas of need, the offensive line and secondary. They received the most attention in free agency and the draft.

The offensive line has 11 players who are at least 6-5, and they average 320 pounds. They have six who are at least 6-7 and average 322.1.

There are a lot of wide wingspans in that group, which is something coaches covet.

Two defensive backs who were drafted – cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson (second round) and Xavier Crawford (sixth) – have outstanding speed. Johnson (6-2, 213) has terrific size and the kind of long arms he needs to jam receivers at the line and to reach for the ball and break up passes.

Free agent cornerback Bradley Roby has decent size (5-11, 194), and he runs in the 4.3s. Free agent safety Tashaun Gipson (5-11, 212), who's expected to join Roby in the starting lineup, is strong and stout.

There are new players at other positions who stood out because of the attributes Gaine was seeking.

Defensive end Charles Omenihu (fifth round) is 6-5, 280 and has long arms.

Veteran tight end Darren Fells (6-7, 270), who signed as a free agent, has exceptional size. Rookie tight end Kahale Warring (6-5, 252), a third-round pick, has excellent size and speed.

Receiver Johnnie Dixon, an undrafted free agent, has 4.3 speed to go with decent size (5-11, 198).

Link
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
McClain: How Texans are measuring up to GM's goals
John McClain , Houston Chronicle May 23, 2019
Going into the offseason, second-year general manager Brian Gaine didn't try to hide his intention of signing and drafting players who would help the Texans get bigger, faster, longer and stronger.

And more talented, of course.

Gaine and his personnel department would work in conjunction with Bill O'Brien and the coaching staff to improve the team on both sides of the ball and on special teams.

"There's a process that goes into implementing your evaluation and acquisition plan," Gaine said this week. "To put that kind of plan in place and then to execute takes a great partnership with the coaching and personnel staffs."

Watching the veterans and rookies at OTAs this week, it's been apparent to everyone that Gaine is on his way to accomplishing his goal.

"We're trying to improve the team in a way in which we could get bigger, stronger and longer and improve our team speed and athleticism at the same time," he said.

Let's examine the Texans' two biggest areas of need, the offensive line and secondary. They received the most attention in free agency and the draft.

The offensive line has 11 players who are at least 6-5, and they average 320 pounds. They have six who are at least 6-7 and average 322.1.

There are a lot of wide wingspans in that group, which is something coaches covet.

Two defensive backs who were drafted – cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson (second round) and Xavier Crawford (sixth) – have outstanding speed. Johnson (6-2, 213) has terrific size and the kind of long arms he needs to jam receivers at the line and to reach for the ball and break up passes.

Free agent cornerback Bradley Roby has decent size (5-11, 194), and he runs in the 4.3s. Free agent safety Tashaun Gipson (5-11, 212), who's expected to join Roby in the starting lineup, is strong and stout.

There are new players at other positions who stood out because of the attributes Gaine was seeking.

Defensive end Charles Omenihu (fifth round) is 6-5, 280 and has long arms.

Veteran tight end Darren Fells (6-7, 270), who signed as a free agent, has exceptional size. Rookie tight end Kahale Warring (6-5, 252), a third-round pick, has excellent size and speed.

Receiver Johnnie Dixon, an undrafted free agent, has 4.3 speed to go with decent size (5-11, 198).

Link
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That's a really good presentation of Brian Gaine's approach to his job. I like his approach.

I'm not trying to stir up a lot of grief here, but John McClain's article doesn't provide any hint of evidence whatsoever that BG is OB's puppet. It does provide evidence that BG and his personnel staff are doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Thanks for posting this, CnD.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
McClain: How Texans are measuring up to GM's goals
John McClain , Houston Chronicle May 23, 2019
Going into the offseason, second-year general manager Brian Gaine didn't try to hide his intention of signing and drafting players who would help the Texans get bigger, faster, longer and stronger.

And more talented, of course.

Gaine and his personnel department would work in conjunction with Bill O'Brien and the coaching staff to improve the team on both sides of the ball and on special teams.

"There's a process that goes into implementing your evaluation and acquisition plan," Gaine said this week. "To put that kind of plan in place and then to execute takes a great partnership with the coaching and personnel staffs."

Watching the veterans and rookies at OTAs this week, it's been apparent to everyone that Gaine is on his way to accomplishing his goal.

"We're trying to improve the team in a way in which we could get bigger, stronger and longer and improve our team speed and athleticism at the same time," he said.

Let's examine the Texans' two biggest areas of need, the offensive line and secondary. They received the most attention in free agency and the draft.

The offensive line has 11 players who are at least 6-5, and they average 320 pounds. They have six who are at least 6-7 and average 322.1.

There are a lot of wide wingspans in that group, which is something coaches covet.

Two defensive backs who were drafted – cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson (second round) and Xavier Crawford (sixth) – have outstanding speed. Johnson (6-2, 213) has terrific size and the kind of long arms he needs to jam receivers at the line and to reach for the ball and break up passes.

Free agent cornerback Bradley Roby has decent size (5-11, 194), and he runs in the 4.3s. Free agent safety Tashaun Gipson (5-11, 212), who's expected to join Roby in the starting lineup, is strong and stout.

There are new players at other positions who stood out because of the attributes Gaine was seeking.

Defensive end Charles Omenihu (fifth round) is 6-5, 280 and has long arms.

Veteran tight end Darren Fells (6-7, 270), who signed as a free agent, has exceptional size. Rookie tight end Kahale Warring (6-5, 252), a third-round pick, has excellent size and speed.

Receiver Johnnie Dixon, an undrafted free agent, has 4.3 speed to go with decent size (5-11, 198).

Link
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Imagine that, a GM doesn't want short, squatty,slow, weak players.
 
Oh, and I understand that "bigger, faster, longer, stronger" doesn't by itself mean the guys they're acquiring are the best football players with the best football smarts, athleticism, instincts, anticipation, etc.

But it's a very good place to start.
 
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HaveMercy said:
That's a really good presentation of Brian Gaine's approach to his job. I like his approach.

I'm not trying to stir up a lot of grief here, but John McClain's article doesn't provide any hint of evidence whatsoever that BG is OB's puppet. It does provide evidence that BG and his personnel staff are doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Thanks for posting this, CnD.
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that's b/c the "puppet" narrative is formed by fans that want BoB out & anything short of that was a fail.
 
If it was as simple as getting big and fast guys then everyone would do it. They should be looking at a lot more things. Sometimes the best guys don't fit the physical mold. I find it funny that this is the philosophy OBrien wants to install. It's like going back in time to when there was little data and you just looked at guys and relied on eye test rather than data
 
TheKDog said:
If it was as simple as getting big and fast guys then everyone would do it. They should be looking at a lot more things. Sometimes the best guys don't fit the physical mold. I find it funny that this is the philosophy OBrien wants to install. It's like going back in time to when there was little data and you just looked at guys and relied on eye test rather than data
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Saying the best guys don't always fit the physical mold reminds me of Toni Fritch, the 5'7" not-in-such-good-shape Austrian kicker that played for the Oilers for a few years. He was a really good kicker, very accurate.

There was also a short middle linebacker who was a very good player for the Saints a long time ago. Sorry, I can't think of his name. (MrTex provided the missing name; it was Sam Mills. Thank you, MrTeX.)

So yes, you're right. Good players don't always have all those attributes, but those attributes still help a lot.

Joseph Stalin is quoted as saying that Quantity has a quality all its own. (I'll bet that's the first time EVER that Joseph Stalin, a true psychopath and megalomaniac, has been quoted on TexansTalk.)
In a football sense, bigger faster longer stronger has a quality all its own, too.
 
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TheKDog said:
If it was as simple as getting big and fast guys then everyone would do it. They should be looking at a lot more things. Sometimes the best guys don't fit the physical mold. I find it funny that this is the philosophy OBrien wants to install. It's like going back in time to when there was little data and you just looked at guys and relied on eye test rather than data
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The only person saying that that's all they look at is you. & this isn't baseball bro. i manipulate data for a living. The data lies just as much as the eyes do. Best approach is always a combo of both.
 
HaveMercy said:
Saying the best guys don't always fit the physical mold reminds me of Toni Fritch, the 5'7" not in such good shape Austrian kicker that played for the Oilers for a few years. He was very accurate.

There was also a short middle linebacker who was a very good player for the Saints a long time ago. Sorry, I can't think of his name.

So yes, you're right. Good players don't often have all those attributes, but those attributes still help a lot.
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You're talking about Sam Mills. But you're talking about a pool of 1600 players. Yes, there's a likilihood that all of them won't fit that size, speed,strength mold that everyone wants. but you can bet your ass that 95% + do, which is why it's still the best approach to take when selecting and bringing in players.
 
Bwhahaha too darn funny. All because someone wrote an opinion that aligns with a few members agendas. That skit suppose to be golden.

And then another shot at RS like he made all the decisions to get slow squatty weak players. I thought the previous HC wanted certain linemen for his brand of offense. And it worked like a charm.

Then here comes the coaches kin peeps with the same old skit. People on here wanted Obrien gone because he doesn't seem to be a good fit here. His brand of football just isn't panning out as planned. Maybe he will get it in motion this year.
 
TheKDog said:
If it was as simple as getting big and fast guys then everyone would do it. They should be looking at a lot more things. Sometimes the best guys don't fit the physical mold. I find it funny that this is the philosophy OBrien wants to install. It's like going back in time to when there was little data and you just looked at guys and relied on eye test rather than data
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IMO, the eye test seems usually leans towards guys who don't have incredible profiles
76Texan said:
Lots of great players don’t fit the “fast, big, tall, Long, strong” mold.

Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, Luke Kuechky...

Brees, Wilson, Welker, Bakhtiari, and on and on.
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The top 3 had high level athletic profiles coming out of college...donald is only short..the other two are just wrong.

Just context

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...ho-once-dominated-the-scouting-combine#slide6
 
In his first offseason he got Reid for a 3rd and then turned HB into a 3rd.

That's a good first offseason.

What if Kalil ends up being something he might possibly turn him into a late compensatory pick, also.

Like the poster above said, it takes a few years to get an idea of what a GM is capable of.
 
You can have all the highest talent in the world If your coach can't drive home his philosophy. That talent will more and likely be wasted
 
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I think he has targeted guys with things to prove and/or who love the game. You need workers who want to get better. Athleticism is the start, then they have to get better and a ton of that is with the player and leaders on the team, then the coaching staff. You can coach your ass off and if the guys dont listen or care who's fault is it?
 
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