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BILL O'BRIEN FIRED

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DocBar

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
By virtue of his record of winning 4 AFC South division titles in 6 years I think O'Brien deserves to be labeled at least a mediocre NFL HC.
I dunno but I think it's 4 out of 6, maybe I'm mistaken about that ?
OB is exactly that: mediocre as a HC. His record of 52-48 proves that. That's the best he could pull off with the rest of the ACFS being a dumpster fire for the vast majority of his tenure. If .500 ball is what you're looking for, OB is your man.
 

Earl34

Hall of Fame
Ironic thing is that OB is mediocre with someone else as GM. He is a bad HC when he is GM.
Very true. It seems like from the minute he was hired, he wanted control of personnel similar to what he saw with the Patriots. I really don't know why any team would give personnel responsibilities to a first time HC. Especially one with as little NFL coaching experience as OB.

During the media speculation of a power struggle between him and Rick Smith, his friends in the media would comment on OB being frustrated with the organization structure not being similar to the Patriots'. What did BOB think when he accepted the Texans' job offer? A GM was already in place when he was hired. Did he expect the GM to just step aside and give him control of personnel?

So, he got control of personnel and lack of experience without any checks and balances played a significant part in getting fired. Having Ricky around actually saved him from himself. Go figure.
 

Texansballer74

The Marine
Very true. It seems like from the minute he was hired, he wanted control of personnel similar to what he saw with the Patriots. I really don't know why any team would give personnel responsibilities to a first time HC. Especially one with as little NFL coaching experience as OB.

During the media speculation of a power struggle between him and Rick Smith, his friends in the media would comment on OB being frustrated with the organization structure not being similar to the Patriots'. What did BOB think when he accepted the Texans' job offer? A GM was already in place when he was hired. Did he expect the GM to just step aside and give him control of personnel?

So, he got control of personnel and lack of experience without any checks and balances played a significant part in getting fired. Having Ricky around actually saved him from himself. Go figure.

His famous line was,” I play the guys that are given to me”. ( paraphrasing) making it seem as though Rick wasn’t giving him the players he needed to be successful. His soldiers would echo that same sentiment.

Another thing the Patriots doesn’t over spend or put themselves in cap he’ll.
 

TexansBull

Hall of Fame
His famous line was,” I play the guys that are given to me”. ( paraphrasing) making it seem as though Rick wasn’t giving him the players he needed to be successful. His soldiers would echo that same sentiment.

Another thing the Patriots doesn’t over spend or put themselves in cap he’ll.
Ha!

OB the HC can’t be get fired if OB the GM doesn’t give OB the HC any players or draft picks.

That was his strategy.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
Is it terrible that I miss Rick Smith as the GM?
Not at all.

He drafted JJ Watt, Brian Cushing, Deandre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, Will Fuller, Bernardrick McKinney. Whitney Mercilus, and Jadaveon Clowney. He also got Arian Foster. He was better than average drafting in the first round.

He was pretty much crap otherwise, but dammit, he was pretty good at finding talent in the first round (and sometimes the second.)
 

santo

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Rick Smith was also good at finding street players when the Texans had injuries. Vinny would say the reason the Texans would suck at drafting was because our Scouting department sucked. Maybe RS was in charge of the first round and didn't look beyond that.

idonno:
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
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OB is exactly that: mediocre as a HC. His record of 52-48 proves that. That's the best he could pull off with the rest of the ACFS being a dumpster fire for the vast majority of his tenure. If .500 ball is what you're looking for, OB is your man.
Yep. Then mix in the fact that the other three AFC south teams made it to the AFC championship game while O'Brien was the HC.

The best he could do is beat up a back up QB with the Raiders and then have Watson play hero ball in the fourth quarter against the Bills.

His record is 52-48, but against winning teams it is utterly abysmal. Which is why he could never do much in the postseason.

O'Brien's legacy is cemented in NFL history as the fourth biggest playoff choke in league history. Now H-town has 2 out of the top 4. Yay us.

Rick Smith was also good at finding street players when the Texans had injuries. Vinny would say the reason the Texans would suck at drafting was because our Scouting department sucked. Maybe RS was in charge of the first round and didn't look beyond that.

idonno:
Vinny did a deep dive back then with the front office execs, and he found the head of the scouting department had been a failure with every team he'd been on. Failed scouting execs are not known for having great scouting departments. But, at least McNair was loyal and kept him around for a long time. He retired in 2016 after 16 years with the organization.
 

dream_team

Hall of Fame
If he could have been better in the middle rounds and handled the Duane Brown fiasco better he would still be here.

To me that was what I understand to be he biggest set backs. The middle round draft being the serious one.
When you compare RS to other GMs, I think he's more average when it comes to middle round picks. I don't think he was horrendous.
 

zshawn10

All Pro
So the firm we are using to find our next HC; I did some research and found some interesting coaches he's found for other teams:

From what I could find, it’s pretty hit or miss. But probably not that far off from other coaching hires percentages.

Seattle - Pete Carrol and John Schneider
Texans - BoB
Bucs - Bruce Arians
Jags - Gus Bradley
Falcons - Dan Quinn
Michigan - John Harbaugh
Texas - Charlie Strong and Shaka Smart
SEC Commissioner - Greg Sankey
BIG 10 Commissioner - Kevin Warren

Here’s an interview on his approach to finding GMs from 2015.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/11/07/mmqb-talking-football-coaches-fired-jed-hughes-nfl-headhunter
 

IDEXAN

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
OB is exactly that: mediocre as a HC. His record of 52-48 proves that. That's the best he could pull off with the rest of the ACFS being a dumpster fire for the vast majority of his tenure. If .500 ball is what you're looking for, OB is your man.
Just pu
OB is exactly that: mediocre as a HC. His record of 52-48 proves that. That's the best he could pull off with the rest of the ACFS being a dumpster fire for the vast majority of his tenure. If .500 ball is what you're looking for, OB is your man.
Dunno 'bout you but I'm looking for more than .500 ball.
I wonder would Mike Lech have any potential as an NFL HC ?
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
Hey everyone! You might not have heard, Bill O'Brien was fired...over a week ago! Yes! I know..Texans Talk had a thread on it almost from the time Trump..er.. McNair said "your fired!" Yeah I know, everyone had to vent their spleen, use their education from junior high by masking curse words with other letters so you know those meanie old mods couldn't figure out what was being said..you know like in that Nicolas Cage movie Windtalkers?
Anyways y'all go ahead. You know I clean forget what this thread was even about.. So much repeating same old yes you did..no I didn't but let me bring up what someone said or did years ago...

Someone on facebook just asked if Obrien was still with Texans! Ha..i can't wait to bash him to someone else. Go Texans!
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
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Hey everyone! You might not have heard, Bill O'Brien was fired...over a week ago! Yes! I know..Texans Talk had a thread on it almost from the time Trump..er.. McNair said "your fired!" Yeah I know, everyone had to vent their spleen, use their education from junior high by masking curse words with other letters so you know those meanie old mods couldn't figure out what was being said..you know like in that Nicolas Cage movie Windtalkers?
Anyways y'all go ahead. You know I clean forget what this thread was even about.. So much repeating same old yes you did..no I didn't but let me bring up what someone said or did years ago...

Someone on facebook just asked if Obrien was still with Texans! Ha..i can't wait to bash him to someone else. Go Texans!
Hi! You must be new here. Welcome to Texans Talk. Stick around and make new friends. :bubble:
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
If he could have been better in the middle rounds and handled the Duane Brown fiasco better he would still be here.

To me that was what I understand to be he biggest set backs. The middle round draft being the serious one.
That and never preparing for life after Schaub. He’s probably the reason we didn’t get Peyton, and he’s definitely the reason we went through a plethora of QBs until Watson.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Analysis of Rick Smith is not as simple as many traditional GMs, simply because of the boardroom-collective-decision-making process the Texans utilize.

The blame should be shared, but we can blame one man if it makes us feel any better.

That said, Smith was better than Casserly and O'Brien, being such a low bar and all.
 

Earl34

Hall of Fame
His famous line was,” I play the guys that are given to me”. ( paraphrasing) making it seem as though Rick wasn’t giving him the players he needed to be successful. His soldiers would echo that same sentiment.

Another thing the Patriots doesn’t over spend or put themselves in cap he’ll.
Speaking of soldiers. Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated was one of O'Brien's media friends who seemed to be his PR agent. As far back as 2017, he mentioned O'Brien not signing another contract with the Texans unless changes were made to "align" the football operations. In 2018, he was floating the idea that if Belichick leaves the Patriots, O'Brien would replace him. There was even talk about O'Brien leaving the Texans and signing with the Bears.

I always wondered if the McNairs paid attention to this media generated narrative of how much BOB would be in demand if he was fired. Jeff Fisher did the same thing with the Titans to get control of personnel and it also resulted in him getting fired. The media would report that Jerry Jones would hire him in a minute if he was available. What better way to get Bud Adams to not fire him? Keep him from the Cowboys. Genius.



1602618342956.png
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I love how the McNairs can make decisions & fire O’Brien for them. That’s gangsta
ha! That's awesome, man.

tbh, from that perspective, maybe Cal has a secret life as a corporate mafia don. . .

CalGangsta.jpg

I think I'm going to roll with this perspective for the day, just because it makes it funner and more interesting than my skeptical perception. :D
 

JB

Innocent Bystander
Contributor's Club
So the firm we are using to find our next HC; I did some research and found some interesting coaches he's found for other teams:

From what I could find, it’s pretty hit or miss. But probably not that far off from other coaching hires percentages.

Seattle - Pete Carrol and John Schneider
Texans - BoB
Bucs - Bruce Arians
Jags - Gus Bradley
Falcons - Dan Quinn
Michigan - John Harbaugh
Texas - Charlie Strong and Shaka Smart
SEC Commissioner - Greg Sankey
BIG 10 Commissioner - Kevin Warren

Here’s an interview on his approach to finding GMs from 2015.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/11/07/mmqb-talking-football-coaches-fired-jed-hughes-nfl-headhunter
From your link this stood out to me:
I think this year, over half the teams, the GM and the head coach are both reporting to the owner. If you say, what’s the one trend that is really occurring more, that’s it: the GM and the head coach are both reporting to the owner.
Corporate boardroom mentality more prevalent than thought?
 
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welsh texan

You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one
Vinny did a deep dive back then with the front office execs, and he found the head of the scouting department had been a failure with every team he'd been on. Failed scouting execs are not known for having great scouting departments. But, at least McNair was loyal and kept him around for a long time. He retired in 2016 after 16 years with the organization.
It tells you all you need to know about this teams executive recruitment that the scouting seems to have regressed since this guy was replaced as well.
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
And if this was indeed under consideration then it's even more reason to discredit the Texans front office for not having any kind of football sense.
Maybe the FO just didn't want to see RC with a scare on the field a la Kubiak, knock on wood.

But I think RC is at a good place in his life; that should reduce the health risk tremendously.
 
Maybe the FO just didn't want to see RC with a scare on the field a la Kubiak, knock on wood.

But I think RC is at a good place in his life; that should reduce the health risk tremendously.
Let this sizzle in your spirit, let's say Crennel has to take medical leave and Weaver has to be the HC and they promote Brian Cushing from assistant strength and conditioning coach to defensive coordinator :this:
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
Let this sizzle in your spirit, let's say Crennel has to take medical leave and Weaver has to be the HC and they promote Brian Cushing from assistant strength and conditioning coach to defensive coordinator :this:
Interesting thought. Did you just have some club soda?
:ahhaha:

But seriously, it might be an opportunity for them to add something to the resume, good or bad.
There's not much else the Texans can do in that situation anway.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
And if this was indeed under consideration then it's even more reason to discredit the Texans front office for not having any kind of football sense.
Maybe they're thinking about what they're missing in Vrabel. A lot of folks are saying Weaver will be a HC in this league.
 
Maybe they're thinking about what they're missing in Vrabel. A lot of folks are saying Weaver will be a HC in this league.
Vrabel didn't walk into a hot mess like we are currently in. I could only imagine if RAC wasn't on this staff when OB was fired, the Texans would be laughed at all the way to China. Weaver may have potential but this isn't the scenario that he should be thrust into and RAC is here so mute point. Now that OB's fired, what do you think the chances are that Weaver would be retained by whomever is chosen as the next HC?
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
Vrabel didn't walk into a hot mess like we are currently in. I could only imagine if RAC wasn't on this staff when OB was fired, the Texans would be laughed at all the way to China. Weaver may have potential but this isn't the scenario that he should be thrust into and RAC is here so mute point. Now that OB's fired, what do you think the chances are that Weaver would be retained by whomever is chosen as the next HC?
I think his chance would fizzle rather than sizzle. :hides: :jam:
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
Vrabel didn't walk into a hot mess like we are currently in. I could only imagine if RAC wasn't on this staff when OB was fired, the Texans would be laughed at all the way to China. Weaver may have potential but this isn't the scenario that he should be thrust into and RAC is here so mute point. Now that OB's fired, what do you think the chances are that Weaver would be retained by whomever is chosen as the next HC?
Hopefully 0 % chance.

Clean house.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Vrabel didn't walk into a hot mess like we are currently in.



I'm not arguing Wesver should be our HC, or interim HC. The dude in the video reported the Texans 1st consider Weaver.

Someone asked why would they & I'm just throwing out a possible theory.

I guarantee you, though, when asked if Weaver is in consideration for the permanent job, they will say yes.
 
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Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller



I'm not arguing Wesver should be our HC, or interim HC. The dude in the video reported the Texans 1st consider Weaver.

Someone asked why would they & I'm just throwing out a possible theory.

I guarantee you, though, when asked if Weaver is in consideration for the permanent job, they will say yes.
If RAC wasn’t here, what would they have done?

I heard they were going to give it to Weaver because they didn’t think the 73 year old wanted to come out of the booth and be more at risk of Covid. Then somebody came up with the brilliant idea to actually ask RAC.
 



I'm not arguing Wesver should be our HC, or interim HC. The dude in the video reported the Texans 1st consider Weaver.

Someone asked why would they & I'm just throwing out a possible theory.

I guarantee you, though, when asked if Weaver is in consideration for the permanent job, they will say yes.
I know it's not your stance, I'm just commenting on the scenario if RAC wasn't here.
 
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