Brian Gaine Thread

[powda]

Do you think this will happen?

No.

OB took on the oc position play calling and for 6 weeks looked brilliant. The rest of the year he looked incompetent and he single handedly lost 2 games.

Now He's getting his gm of choice. I think ownership might overlook a dip in the defense but won't ignore a lack of offense. He's gotta get 10-6 or better.

The texans put their chips in with ob. If he doesn't succeed He's out. No reason to believe Gaines has a horse in keeping ob if we're average again.

 

[xtruroyaltyx]

Be honest, looking at all of the holes on the team and lack of draft picks do you honestly think it wont take this yrs draft/FA, next yrs draft/FA and maybe even 2020's draft/FA to get the mess that Ricky left behind?

This doesn't even include the worst case scenarios like, what if Watson doesn't make it back or is unable to play a full healthy season? Or if Clowney is signed to a huge contract (After 3 knee surgeries) and his knee blows out in a couple of yrs like CnD has predicted.

Best case scenario is the team will be good in 2-3 yrs. Next yr is an 8-8, 7-9 wash at best. Worst case is Watson/Clowney can't stay healthy and if that happens Gain/BOB will both be fired which will make some around here very happy.

This team needs to be back in the playoffs next year either as a wild card or division winners.

If they have injuries at key positions again, then ok. But I’m going with the assumption that there arent an abnormal amount of key injuries again.

If Watson stays healthy and continues to play well and the team around him is relatively healthy this team needs to be challenging the Jags and surpass the Titans next season.

With a good free agency period and a good draft (even without a first or second) this should be feasible.

The Browns or Jets or should be looking at 2-3 years Not the Texans.

 

[beerlover]

This team needs to be back in the playoffs next year either as a wild card or division winners.

If they have injuries at key positions again, then ok. But I’m going with the assumption that there arent an abnormal amount of key injuries again.

If Watson stays healthy and continues to play well and the team around him is relatively healthy this team needs to be challenging the Jags and surpass the Titans next season.

With a good free agency period and a good draft (even without a first or second) this should be feasible.

The Browns or Jets or should be looking at 2-3 years Not the Texans.

Brian Gaines is this you?

 

[steelbtexan]

This team needs to be back in the playoffs next year either as a wild card or division winners.

If they have injuries at key positions again, then ok. But I’m going with the assumption that there arent an abnormal amount of key injuries again.

If Watson stays healthy and continues to play well and the team around him is relatively healthy this team needs to be challenging the Jags and surpass the Titans next season.

With a good free agency period and a good draft (even without a first or second) this should be feasible.

The Browns or Jets or should be looking at 2-3 years Not the Texans.

So you think they are going to be able to fill atleast 6 holes that badly need filling this offseason (2-3 OL, CB, S, TE and fixing the ST's) without a 1st/2nd rd pick?

High expectations indeed for Gaine in his rookie yr as GM. Good to see you have more faith in Gaine than I do.

 

[steelbtexan]

No.

OB took on the oc position play calling and for 6 weeks looked brilliant. The rest of the year he looked incompetent and he single handedly lost 2 games.

Now He's getting his gm of choice. I think ownership might overlook a dip in the defense but won't ignore a lack of offense. He's gotta get 10-6 or better.

The texans put their chips in with ob. If he doesn't succeed He's out. No reason to believe Gaines has a horse in keeping ob if we're average again.

Depends on if they can get the OL fixed this offseason without 1st/2nd rd picks to keep Watson healthy. There's still a big question mark in my mind if Watson can stay healthy. A bad OL and no draft picks to fix the issues doesn't comfort me when it comes to Watson's longterm health. This is the same reason I wanted Savage to play last season instead of Watson. (Lack of talent/crappy OL play)

 

[xtruroyaltyx]

So you think they are going to be able to fill atleast 6 holes that badly need filling this offseason (2-3 OL, CB, S, TE and fixing the ST's) without a 1st/2nd rd pick?

High expectations indeed for Gaine in his rookie yr as GM. Good to see you have more faith in Gaine than I do.

I’m not saying what I think will happen. I’m just saying what I think a good management team/coaching staff would do.

Regarding filling of holes, every team has holes. Even the super bowl winners. Everyone goes into the off season wanting to patch up areas of weakness.

The thing is, the Texans have enough talent (if healthy) in other areas to where they should be able to cover some weaknesses.

Coaching should also factor into the equation as well.

So yeah, hit free agency hard and I’m of the belief that they need to move into the 1st or 2nd this year to grab a rookie with increased odds to come in and start somewhere.

I just don’t look at the makeup of this team and see a 2 to 3 year rebuild.

 

[TheKDog]

Be honest, looking at all of the holes on the team and lack of draft picks do you honestly think it wont take this yrs draft/FA, next yrs draft/FA and maybe even 2020's draft/FA to get the mess that Ricky left behind?

This doesn't even include the worst case scenarios like, what if Watson doesn't make it back or is unable to play a full healthy season? Or if Clowney is signed to a huge contract (After 3 knee surgeries) and his knee blows out in a couple of yrs like CnD has predicted.

Best case scenario is the team will be good in 2-3 yrs. Next yr is an 8-8, 7-9 wash at best. Worst case is Watson/Clowney can't stay healthy and if that happens Gain/BOB will both be fired which will make some around here very happy.

I agree with you that it will take 2-3 years at least (if they make the right moves and there is no bad luck).

I don't agree that Rick created this mess on his own, or that he went rogue on a bunch of decisions. OB and Gaine have been here making many of the decisions. (I also think it's interesting the defense is in much better shape with multiple good players vs just 3 on offense).

So a new GM ideally should get time, but this isn't a new GM really.

Unless they told McNair something different, that they have a 2-3 year plan to make this team a contender to clean up the mess that resulted from misalignment, then you give them time.

Although we'll never know that, and I suspect they told him the team is close to contending.

 

[TripleTap]

A minute ago we were in year 3 of the mend and repair and now all of the sudden we're back to year 0 with a 5 year contract set?

Good work if you can get it.

 

[steelbtexan]

I agree with you that it will take 2-3 years at least (if they make the right moves and there is no bad luck).

I don't agree that Rick created this mess on his own, or that he went rogue on a bunch of decisions. OB and Gaine have been here making many of the decisions. (I also think it's interesting the defense is in much better shape with multiple good players vs just 3 on offense).

So a new GM ideally should get time, but this isn't a new GM really.

Unless they told McNair something different, that they have a 2-3 year plan to make this team a contender to clean up the mess that resulted from misalignment, then you give them time.

Although we'll never know that, and I suspect they told him the team is close to contending.

Good thing is we will know pretty quickly who was calling the shots by this FA/Draft period by the types of players that are added to the team.

Hopefully they were honest with the McNair's, I would suspect they told McNair if Watson stays healthy that the Texans were a playoff team.

 

[steelbtexan]

I’m not saying what I think will happen. I’m just saying what I think a good management team/coaching staff would do.

Regarding filling of holes, every team has holes. Even the super bowl winners. Everyone goes into the off season wanting to patch up areas of weakness.

The thing is, the Texans have enough talent (if healthy) in other areas to where they should be able to cover some weaknesses.

Coaching should also factor into the equation as well.

So yeah, hit free agency hard and I’m of the belief that they need to move into the 1st or 2nd this year to grab a rookie with increased odds to come in and start somewhere.

I just don’t look at the makeup of this team and see a 2 to 3 year rebuild.

I agree with you, especially about trading up. They gotta get a LT. Right now I'm watching the East-West game and I'm pretty sure Crabtree can be a starting RT in the NFL next yr. (Certainly a huge upgrade over Breno) If Gaine could trade up and get a LT and add a OG in FA the OL would look alot better.

They can fix the secondary in FA and the ST's late in the draft. So I agree if Watson can stay healthy they can be a playoff team next yr. But the team would still be very shallow depthwise and will need to be very lucky health wise to be a playoff team. This is why I think this is a 2-3 yr project.

 

[IDEXAN]

So you think they are going to be able to fill atleast 6 holes that badly need filling this offseason (2-3 OL, CB, S, TE and fixing the ST's) without a 1st/2nd rd pick?

High expectations indeed for Gaine in his rookie yr as GM. Good to see you have more faith in Gaine than I do.

But remember Steelb as a Gaine booster you have faith in "your guy".

 

[steelbtexan]

But remember Steelb as a Gaine booster you have faith in "your guy".

How many times do I have to tell you although I like the Gaine hire, Cesario is the guy I would've hired. Therefore Gaine wouldn't have been MY hire.

 

[IDEXAN]

How many times do I have to tell you although I like the Gaine hire, Cesario is the guy I would've hired. Therefore Gaine wouldn't have been MY hire.

He was your #2 choice right, don't try to wiesel out of this.

 

[steelbtexan]

He was your #2 choice right, don't try to wiesel out of this.

No wiesling here.

He wouldn't have been my choice.

The reason I wanted Cesario is he would've been a fresh set of eyes and I think you would agree is badly needed in the Texans org.

Gaine is sorta like the girl you settle for taking to the prom after the 1st girl you asked turned you down. You still have fun but you still would've rather gone with the 1st girl. Sometimes settling with girl #2 works out though. So there is hope.

 

[IDEXAN]

No wiesling here.

He wouldn't have been my choice.

The reason I wanted Cesario is he would've been a fresh set of eyes and I think you would agree is badly needed in the Texans org.

Gaine is sorta like the girl you settle for taking to the prom after the 1st girl you asked turned you down. You still have fun but you still would've rather gone with the 1st girl. Sometimes settling with girl #2 works out though. So there is hope.

So he was your second choice, you don't deny that do you ?

 

[leebigeztx]

We can talk about the holes just like they did with the Colts, but when you have that qb, he can hide alot. Watson was putting up 30 ppg, when you can score like that, you need to keep it at 20 defensively. That's what the pats do regardless of the pass rush. They do need to fill holes, but they should be in position to win this division.

 

[steelbtexan]

So he was your second choice, you don't deny that do you ?

If you can read you will know the answer to this question.

I just cant figure out why you're being the way you're being?

 

[AcresHomesTexan]

Good point, not just the McNairs were absent, all 4 decision makers missed it.

What's also unusual is someone returning to a team less than 8 most after leaving it.

The entire hire seems like more like promoting a long-term employee (forget the 8 months in Buffalo) to keep the organization to same. My guesstimation is that the McNairs don't think anything is wrong with the general set-up of the organization and staying the status quo (more or less) is favorable. If you are thinking in that manner versus ushering a new exciting era of Texans football, a delayed press conference with as little pomp as possible would be in order.

 

[steelbtexan]

We can talk about the holes just like they did with the Colts, but when you have that qb, he can hide alot. Watson was putting up 30 ppg, when you can score like that, you need to keep it at 20 defensively. That's what the pats do regardless of the pass rush. They do need to fill holes, but they should be in position to win this division.

Those holes contributed to Watson getting hurt.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

We can talk about the holes just like they did with the Colts, but when you have that qb, he can hide alot. Watson was putting up 30 ppg, when you can score like that, you need to keep it at 20 defensively. That's what the pats do regardless of the pass rush. They do need to fill holes, but they should be in position to win this division.

Yes, every team has holes but those holes are only as glaring as the talent of the core players who surround them. The Texans, from a core player perspective, just don't have enough to cover the holes. This is what will determine the time frame to turn this back around.

Offense Core:
Watson, Hopkins, Fuller, Foreman, Miller, Martin and Mancz.

Problem:
Not enough core players on the OL and none at TE to sustain momentum for the long haul.

Defense Core:
Entire unit except; Cushing and Safeties. I'm including KJo. He had a bad year coming off injuries, it happens. A full off-season to recuperate and a healthy front seven will help him rebound.

Problem:
Health!!! If this unit of core players stay healthy and productive for a full season, the DB's will enjoy a full rebound and the Texans defense will ascend to one of the Top 5 NFL Defensive units once again.

Special Teams:
No Core at the moment. The team needs Fairbarn to have a better season so he can be established as a core player on ST's. Damn, I forgot Weeks...he's been a consistent core player as long snapper.

 

[TejasTom]

Special Teams:
No Core at the moment.

Lechler was 2nd in AVG punt length this year and the punter that was first punted 18 less times. He’s still punting at HOF level. Imagine if he had coverage teams that could tackle, not hold or not block in the back.


My hope for this coming season is that we move from top 3 in number of punts to bottom 3 and not because of turnovers but because of scoring. I hope he has to look for his helmet when he needs to punt rather than just putting it on when we get the ball because we lead the league in 3 and outs.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

Lechler was 2nd in AVG punt length this year and the punter that was first punted 18 less times. He’s still punting at HOF level. Imagine if he had coverage teams that could tackle, not hold or not block in the back.


My hope for this coming season is that we move from top 3 in number of punts to bottom 3 and not because of turnovers but because of scoring. I hope he has to look for his helmet when he needs to punt rather than just putting it on when we get the ball because we lead the league in 3 and outs.

I wanted to add Lechler but I didn't think the Texans had given him a new contract yet. I wouldn't mind seeing him back with the Texans but I'm not sure if Gaine is ready to re-sign him or go younger.

 

[infantrycak]

I wanted to add Lechler but I didn't think the Texans had given him a new contract yet. I wouldn't mind seeing him back with the Texans but I'm not sure if Gaine is ready to re-sign him or go younger.

If he goes younger, it's stupid.

 

[Speedy]

I'm not sure if Gaine is ready to re-sign him or go younger.

If he goes younger for the sake of going younger, he's not going to gain any points with me. Lechler is not only still above average, he's among the best in the game. You don't trade that out for a youth movement. You put the best players on the field.

 

[TejasTom]

I didn't think the Texans had given him a new contract yet.

Sorry, I didn’t check that.

 

[zshawn10]

That was his personal preference.

Oh lol thanks

 

[Mr teX]

I'm not sure if you are referring to my mention of the EP system, but here is the best article that I've seen about the Patriots version of it (I've posted this one before):



The way the Patriots have evolved the system is adaptable to whatever players they currently have on the roster.

The consistent keys, though, are a HoF QB and HoF HC.

When I mentioned it earlier, there is clear regression with every QB that O'Brien has worked with in Houston as they learn more of his version of the system (Watson being the exception, but if we're honest, a lot of his success was due to his natural abilities to improv). O'Brien's best QB games seem to be those where he has to quickly adapt to the skills of the individual QB and not have them conform to his system. 'cak has provided many points about this consistent regression along with supporting evidence, so I'm not going to rehash and regurgitate it here.

The jury is still out about O'Brien being a so-called "QB guru", which is a media tag with absolutely no evidence behind it. Kubiak's career clearly revealed him to be a QB whisperer. O'Brien, not so much, at least at this point. Heck, at this point, it is questionable if O'Brien is all that of an OC. His offenses have regressed every year, but I give him a mulligan for Brock (even though he was part of the brain trust that brought him here). That said, Savage is ALL on him, and he had the dude here for four seasons. Even his diehard supporters have to question his judgment there.

Now he's got Watson, and we know this kid has the potential that can only get better with the right coaching. He obviously likes O'Brien and they seem to have good chemistry. Now, without a GM "undermining" him, we will know if O'Brien is all that or not. No more excuses.

Not specifically addressed to you DB, but others here who seem to think that the E-P offense and system are interchangable terms meaning the same thing when in fact they are 2 different things. As far as Ob, I don't necessarily think you can say "clear" regression b/c for 1 he hasn't had any qb start for him in consecutive years & 2, All but 1 qb he has had start for him for an extended amount of time (9 games or more) left here having put up better than a 2:1 TD ratio & in many cases some of the best seasons in their careers. The 1 guy who didn't..well it probably says more about him than Ob given the fact that the 2 guys before him were career journeymen & didn't have near the requisite physical attributes that he had. Both of those guys also left here having had one of the better seasons they'd had in their careers.

& as I've said before, how do we know what's in BoB's system to know when he's conforming and when it's just his offense being run as it's supposed to be? The answer is, we don't really know short of a play here or there b/c we haven't seen his offense being run competently for any extended amount of time. Watson made his share of off-schedule plays that ultimately helped to extend drives, but every qb does that to some extent & we weren't scoring over 30 pts for 6 straight games b/c of those types of plays alone. People are really overplaying that angle of it.

I agree, he'll be out of excuses if his offense begins to stall out with Watson under center, but that would be the case with any HC who drafted a 1st round qb.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The 7 key priorities for GM Brian Gaine
Drew Dougherty Posted 3 hours ago


General manager Brian Gaine has been hard at work for over a week evaluating the Texans' current roster. He's now in Mobile for Senior Bowl week, where he and the scouting staff will keep a close eye on the prospects Bill O'Brien and company will coach on the South squad, and coach against on the North.

Whether or not the Texans wind up selecting one, two, six or zero Senior Bowlers in the April Draft, last week Gaine outlined his philosophy for building a roster.

Below, in his words, are seven key priorities when it comes to constructing a football team. The first one is taken care of with Deshaun Watson under center.

1. Quarterback: "You are going to pursue everything you can to try and get a quarterback. I feel like there’s one here that we can build a future with."

2. Up front: "The offensive line and the defensive line are critical. We will always be looking for players to help us impact as it relates to winning performances in offensive and defensive linemen."

3. Run it: "The running game’s critical offensively speaking, both for the impact it has in the running game, controlling down and distance, but also because of its impact on the passing game. If you can run the ball, it’s only going to help the passing game."

4. Explosiveness: "We’re going to be looking for explosive athletes. Not just players that we can surround Deshaun with, but we’re going to be looking for explosive athletes, players that can make plays in space and equally deter plays that are made in space."

5. Pressure: "We’re going to be looking for pressure players. Guys that can get to the quarterback. Equally, players on offense that can stress the defense vertically and horizontally relating to speed.

6. Coverage: "Looking for guys that can run and cover and stretch the perimeter. Obviously, vertically stretch the defense.

7. Four/ST: "Fourth down and special teams players...That, to me, will be the formula and the guiding principles of how we’ll build the roster.”

 

[badboy]

My thoughts are with current roster and hopefully all players returning healthy on defense we should not draft pass rusher unless a tremendous player happens to be there. If FA goes way I want and we get two CBs, we could maybe trade up to get OT(s) but I'm still hesitant to trade up.

 

[Mangler]

The 7 key priorities for GM Brian Gaine
Drew Dougherty Posted 3 hours ago


General manager Brian Gaine has been hard at work for over a week evaluating the Texans' current roster. He's now in Mobile for Senior Bowl week, where he and the scouting staff will keep a close eye on the prospects Bill O'Brien and company will coach on the South squad, and coach against on the North.

Whether or not the Texans wind up selecting one, two, six or zero Senior Bowlers in the April Draft, last week Gaine outlined his philosophy for building a roster.

Below, in his words, are seven key priorities when it comes to constructing a football team. The first one is taken care of with Deshaun Watson under center.

1. Quarterback: "You are going to pursue everything you can to try and get a quarterback. I feel like there’s one here that we can build a future with."

2. Up front: "The offensive line and the defensive line are critical. We will always be looking for players to help us impact as it relates to winning performances in offensive and defensive linemen."

3. Run it: "The running game’s critical offensively speaking, both for the impact it has in the running game, controlling down and distance, but also because of its impact on the passing game. If you can run the ball, it’s only going to help the passing game."

4. Explosiveness: "We’re going to be looking for explosive athletes. Not just players that we can surround Deshaun with, but we’re going to be looking for explosive athletes, players that can make plays in space and equally deter plays that are made in space."

5. Pressure: "We’re going to be looking for pressure players. Guys that can get to the quarterback. Equally, players on offense that can stress the defense vertically and horizontally relating to speed.

6. Coverage: "Looking for guys that can run and cover and stretch the perimeter. Obviously, vertically stretch the defense.

7. Four/ST: "Fourth down and special teams players...That, to me, will be the formula and the guiding principles of how we’ll build the roster.”

I hope we can pick up some help at corner or safety during free agency, that way we can use whatever picks we have to get us some new offensive linemen and running backs. We need a good running back! We’ve seen the difference a good one makes.

 

[Brisco_County]

The 7 key priorities for GM Brian Gaine
Drew Dougherty Posted 3 hours ago


General manager Brian Gaine has been hard at work for over a week evaluating the Texans' current roster. He's now in Mobile for Senior Bowl week, where he and the scouting staff will keep a close eye on the prospects Bill O'Brien and company will coach on the South squad, and coach against on the North.

Whether or not the Texans wind up selecting one, two, six or zero Senior Bowlers in the April Draft, last week Gaine outlined his philosophy for building a roster.

Below, in his words, are seven key priorities when it comes to constructing a football team. The first one is taken care of with Deshaun Watson under center.

1. Quarterback: "You are going to pursue everything you can to try and get a quarterback. I feel like there’s one here that we can build a future with."

2. Up front: "The offensive line and the defensive line are critical. We will always be looking for players to help us impact as it relates to winning performances in offensive and defensive linemen."

3. Run it: "The running game’s critical offensively speaking, both for the impact it has in the running game, controlling down and distance, but also because of its impact on the passing game. If you can run the ball, it’s only going to help the passing game."

4. Explosiveness: "We’re going to be looking for explosive athletes. Not just players that we can surround Deshaun with, but we’re going to be looking for explosive athletes, players that can make plays in space and equally deter plays that are made in space."

5. Pressure: "We’re going to be looking for pressure players. Guys that can get to the quarterback. Equally, players on offense that can stress the defense vertically and horizontally relating to speed.

6. Coverage: "Looking for guys that can run and cover and stretch the perimeter. Obviously, vertically stretch the defense.

7. Four/ST: "Fourth down and special teams players...That, to me, will be the formula and the guiding principles of how we’ll build the roster.”

This suggests that the offensive line will be his top priority. It's unfortunate we needed that confirmed, but this is the organization that thought we didn't need improvement over Derek Newton.

 

[JB]

This suggests that the offensive line will be his top priority. It's unfortunate we needed that confirmed, but this is the organization that thought we didn't need improvement over Derek Newton.

I certainly hope that the order of priorities is a media thing and that he will consider how each player will impact each. Have to build depth and st's will improve. Can't just go OL or CB if the best value isn't there.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

This suggests that the offensive line will be his top priority. It's unfortunate we needed that confirmed, but this is the organization that thought we didn't need improvement over Derek Newton.

Yeah, RS was part of that group, with Kubiak, in Denver that thought OL were interchangeable and could be taken anywhere in the draft b/c of their ZBS. That eventually led to a less than stellar Broncos team between Elway and Manning and since. RS must've operated under that same mindset b/c at no time did I see him act like his OL was a disaster. Hell, he was even prepared to run Romo's broken down ass out there with the current OL....what was he thinking?

 

[TheKDog]

Yeah, RS was part of that group, with Kubiak, in Denver that thought OL were interchangeable and could be taken anywhere in the draft b/c of their ZBS. That eventually led to a less than stellar Broncos team between Elway and Manning and since. RS must've operated under that same mindset b/c at no time did I see him act like his OL was a disaster. Hell, he was even prepared to run Romo's broken down ass out there with the current OL....what was he thinking?

I'm confused. The broncos won a super bowl and the Texans had a top 10 OL for much of Kubiaks tenure (including when he was fired)

 

[infantrycak]

Hell, he was even prepared to run Romo's broken down ass out there with the current OL....what was he thinking?

As was pointed out elsewhere, this is made up. Get Romo and there probably isn't a Watson trade and the picks would have been used differently.

And aside, who do you think led the way on Brent Guacamole, RS or his prior coach, Devlin?

I'm confused. The broncos won a super bowl and the Texans had a top 10 OL for much of Kubiaks tenure (including when he was fired)

Yup. Wanting certain types of players and those happening to be available later does not mean the OL is a lower priority. 2 of the 1st 4 picks under Kubiak we're OL - bookend OTs.

 

[ObsiWan]

Pendergast's take on the presser.
LINK

Other stuff has been covered like his priority of needs statement.
But I found this interesting.

5. John McClain asked the only question that really matters when it comes to Gaine's three previous seasons here....
The only thing that matters about Gaine's being here from 2014 through 2016 isn't that he was well liked, or that he was a nice guy, or that he got along well with O'Brien. With all due respect, the only thing that matters is which prospective players he campaigned for and against. McClain asked yesterday "Since you were involved with the draft and free agency process for four seasons here, who are the players you’re most proud of that you recommended?" Gaine's answer:

“Without getting into specifics, I would say that scouting truly is a collaborative process. What I mean by that is that there are a lot of aspects that go into the preparation before you arrive to make that decision. So, I would say the synergy that we’re going to have between the coaches and the player personnel department in terms of the types of players that we’re going to go look for, that will be a unified effort between the player personnel department and the coaching side, and it always has been in my experiences. So, I like to think that every pick that we made was a Texans organizational pick and maybe not a specific person. There are scouts who scout specific players, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of aspects that go into the player acquisition process. Those are Texans picks, those aren’t Brian Gaine’s picks. Those are Texans signs, not Brian Gaine’s signs.”​

McClain's question yielded the most disturbing answer if you're a Texans fan, as Gaine essentially admitted that there will be no direct accountability for draft picks and free agent signings. The credit and, more importantly, the blame will just be directed at some nebulous decision-making cloud labeled "TEXANS." I've been as critical of Rick Smith as anybody, but if Smith said "Those are Texans picks, those aren't Rick Smith picks" in explaining, say, his failure in the third round of the draft, he would rightfully get destroyed. I'll eventually forgive this answer if Gaine is more up front and visible when on days like cutting Andre Johnson, trading Brock Osweiler, or trading Duane Brown — all days where Smith hid behind press releases and prepared statements.

Some could look at this as just part of the collaborative draft and F/A process that has been par for the Texans' since Kubiak was here (I'm not sure what the Casserly/Capers relationship was). This year the marketing dept. put a label ("alignment") on it so it seems new to some.

Orrrrr...

Gaine is already weaseling just in case the draft and/or free agency goes badly.
Just like he weaseled out of answering that direct question (one of the few by the Houston media I must say)


I'm leaning towards the former just to give Gaine benefit of the doubt.
And because I think that's the way things work in McNair's boardroom environment.

 

[Perki-Perk]

All the QBs that 'werent worth a lick' were hand selected by Buttchin himself up to and including Brock Osweiler. His QB carousels will be what he is known for.

He's got his contract, no need for all the edginess. Just stop with the excuse making. X's and O 's be damned it doesn't explain the plethora of mishaps he's made as a coach.

The Tacks just fired a guy who took his team to the 2nd round and 'achieved' a 9-7 record. Not good enough for the tacks but good enough for us? Yuck.

People are painting O'Brien as some coaching savant that hasnt had any talent to work with and had a mean GM holding him down. Give me a break.

I respect your argument Tex, you are a great contributor here, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Too many ooops moments to simply sweep under the rug.

LMAO, when you are handpicking out of a pile of ****, you get ****. Reg season wasn't too bad for Fitzy and Hoyer though. Hoyer laid an egg against the Chefs, but com on, other the Mallet snafu (many people here wanted Malllet too) and Osweiler (widely considered the top available free agent), what did you expect???

 

[Thorn]

A good organization (good front office and coaches) can make a mediocre team seem better than it is. A bad organization could take Brady and the Patriots and turn them into Cleveland. We'll see soon enough if all this is just talk or not.

 

[TheKDog]

LMAO, when you are handpicking out of a pile of ****, you get ****. Reg season wasn't too bad for Fitzy and Hoyer though. Hoyer laid an egg against the Chefs, but com on, other the Mallet snafu (many people here wanted Malllet too) and Osweiler (widely considered the top available free agent), what did you expect???

Carr, Garoppolo, Bridgewater, Prescott, and Bradford were available. Heck, even Tyrod Taylor or Cousins (who were rumored to be shopped) would have been far better. Or even Nick Foles.

Queue the next round of excuses that no one could have possibly known they would be good.

 

[Perki-Perk]

Carr, Garoppolo, Bridgewater, Prescott, and Bradford were available. Heck, even Tyrod Taylor or Cousins (who were rumored to be shopped) would have been far better. Or even Nick Foles.

Queue the next round of excuses that no one could have possibly known they would be good.

Oh, good ol hindsight. Not one QB is a guarantee. Many have been taken high and faltered. Many performed well in limited action and got high salary starting gigs, and failed.... If it was an exact science, every team would nail their 1st round QB picks and there would be no Tom Brady's or Dak Prescotts taken so late. Or Kurt Warners. Or Case Keenum's.....the list can go on and on and on.

 

[Uncle Rico]

LMAO, when you are handpicking out of a pile of ****, you get ****. Reg season wasn't too bad for Fitzy and Hoyer though. Hoyer laid an egg against the Chefs, but com on, other the Mallet snafu (many people here wanted Malllet too) and Osweiler (widely considered the top available free agent), what did you expect???

I don't know .. draft someone maybe? Buttchins been here 5 years already. Crazy how they finally draft the franchise QB, and still OBrien rolls out Savage? It's comical after a certain point. Hey he's the QB Whisperer right?

 

[TheKDog]

Oh, good ol hindsight. Not one QB is a guarantee. Many have been taken high and faltered. Many performed well in limited action and got high salary starting gigs, and failed.... If it was an exact science, every team would nail their 1st round QB picks and there would be no Tom Brady's or Dak Prescotts taken so late. Or Kurt Warners. Or Case Keenum's.....the list can go on and on and on.

Sure, it's a bit of a crapshoot.

That's not an argument to roll with Hoyer and Mallet.

 

[banned1976]

Pendergast's take on the presser.
LINK

Other stuff has been covered like his priority of needs statement.
But I found this interesting.

5. John McClain asked the only question that really matters when it comes to Gaine's three previous seasons here....
The only thing that matters about Gaine's being here from 2014 through 2016 isn't that he was well liked, or that he was a nice guy, or that he got along well with O'Brien. With all due respect, the only thing that matters is which prospective players he campaigned for and against. McClain asked yesterday "Since you were involved with the draft and free agency process for four seasons here, who are the players you’re most proud of that you recommended?" Gaine's answer:

“Without getting into specifics, I would say that scouting truly is a collaborative process. What I mean by that is that there are a lot of aspects that go into the preparation before you arrive to make that decision. So, I would say the synergy that we’re going to have between the coaches and the player personnel department in terms of the types of players that we’re going to go look for, that will be a unified effort between the player personnel department and the coaching side, and it always has been in my experiences. So, I like to think that every pick that we made was a Texans organizational pick and maybe not a specific person. There are scouts who scout specific players, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of aspects that go into the player acquisition process. Those are Texans picks, those aren’t Brian Gaine’s picks. Those are Texans signs, not Brian Gaine’s signs.”​

McClain's question yielded the most disturbing answer if you're a Texans fan, as Gaine essentially admitted that there will be no direct accountability for draft picks and free agent signings. The credit and, more importantly, the blame will just be directed at some nebulous decision-making cloud labeled "TEXANS." I've been as critical of Rick Smith as anybody, but if Smith said "Those are Texans picks, those aren't Rick Smith picks" in explaining, say, his failure in the third round of the draft, he would rightfully get destroyed. I'll eventually forgive this answer if Gaine is more up front and visible when on days like cutting Andre Johnson, trading Brock Osweiler, or trading Duane Brown — all days where Smith hid behind press releases and prepared statements.

Some could look at this as just part of the collaborative draft and F/A process that has been par for the Texans' since Kubiak was here (I'm not sure what the Casserly/Capers relationship was). This year the marketing dept. put a label ("alignment") on it so it seems new to some.

Orrrrr...

Gaine is already weaseling just in case the draft and/or free agency goes badly.
Just like he weaseled out of answering that direct question (one of the few by the Houston media I must say)


I'm leaning towards the former just to give Gaine benefit of the doubt.
And because I think that's the way things work in McNair's boardroom environment.

It doesn't seem like you're going to be giving Gaine the benefit of the doubt. Smith had given similar answers to questions like McClain asked Brian Gaine above. It's a politically correct answer and had Gaine (or Smith, for that matter) taken credit for a specific player(s) that have played well I'm guessing Pendergast, who's more interested in "Pro Wrestling" than he is football, would have blasted him for that.

Honestly, I didn't care one iota about Gaine leaving and going to Buffalo. I'm not sure that he's the right person for this job. But I'm not going to nit-pick everything he says or doesn't say. I didn't do that with Smith either, even though I had wished he had been fired along with Kubiak. That sentiment was purely based on the product on the field. Now if Gaine and BoB fail together they should be fired together.

 

[AcresHomesTexan]

Pendergast's take on the presser.
LINK

Other stuff has been covered like his priority of needs statement.
But I found this interesting.

5. John McClain asked the only question that really matters when it comes to Gaine's three previous seasons here....
The only thing that matters about Gaine's being here from 2014 through 2016 isn't that he was well liked, or that he was a nice guy, or that he got along well with O'Brien. With all due respect, the only thing that matters is which prospective players he campaigned for and against. McClain asked yesterday "Since you were involved with the draft and free agency process for four seasons here, who are the players you’re most proud of that you recommended?" Gaine's answer:

“Without getting into specifics, I would say that scouting truly is a collaborative process. What I mean by that is that there are a lot of aspects that go into the preparation before you arrive to make that decision. So, I would say the synergy that we’re going to have between the coaches and the player personnel department in terms of the types of players that we’re going to go look for, that will be a unified effort between the player personnel department and the coaching side, and it always has been in my experiences. So, I like to think that every pick that we made was a Texans organizational pick and maybe not a specific person. There are scouts who scout specific players, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of aspects that go into the player acquisition process. Those are Texans picks, those aren’t Brian Gaine’s picks. Those are Texans signs, not Brian Gaine’s signs.”​

McClain's question yielded the most disturbing answer if you're a Texans fan, as Gaine essentially admitted that there will be no direct accountability for draft picks and free agent signings. The credit and, more importantly, the blame will just be directed at some nebulous decision-making cloud labeled "TEXANS." I've been as critical of Rick Smith as anybody, but if Smith said "Those are Texans picks, those aren't Rick Smith picks" in explaining, say, his failure in the third round of the draft, he would rightfully get destroyed. I'll eventually forgive this answer if Gaine is more up front and visible when on days like cutting Andre Johnson, trading Brock Osweiler, or trading Duane Brown — all days where Smith hid behind press releases and prepared statements.

Some could look at this as just part of the collaborative draft and F/A process that has been par for the Texans' since Kubiak was here (I'm not sure what the Casserly/Capers relationship was). This year the marketing dept. put a label ("alignment") on it so it seems new to some.

Orrrrr...

Gaine is already weaseling just in case the draft and/or free agency goes badly.
Just like he weaseled out of answering that direct question (one of the few by the Houston media I must say)


I'm leaning towards the former just to give Gaine benefit of the doubt.
And because I think that's the way things work in McNair's boardroom environment.

Where do you think the phrase McSmithiak (or Smithiak) came from? This is the model McNair wants to run in terms of structure and accountability. The fans (especially on this message board) and media are the ones who want to blame his fault (or his decision game)

 

[zshawn10]

Adam Wexler@awexlerKPRC

"Brian & I see things in similar ways, we understand each other. He’s probably already sick of me. Great person, very calm guy, very smart guy. He’s got excellent thoughts about how to create the most competitive roster we can," #Texans O'Brien from @seniorbowl on GM Gaine @KPRC2

1:23 PM - Jan 23, 2018

 

[beerlover]

Now if Gaine and BoB fail together they should be fired together.

And so they shall, if McNair is still around otherwise those duties may fall to Cal?

 

[dream_team]

Oh, good ol hindsight. Not one QB is a guarantee. Many have been taken high and faltered. Many performed well in limited action and got high salary starting gigs, and failed.... If it was an exact science, every team would nail their 1st round QB picks and there would be no Tom Brady's or Dak Prescotts taken so late. Or Kurt Warners. Or Case Keenum's.....the list can go on and on and on.

A lot of people on here like to think selecting QBs are easy, and if you fail on it, you should be fired. Lol.

 

[infantrycak]

A lot of people on here like to think selecting QBs are easy, and if you fail on it, you should be fired. Lol.

Easy - no.

Is there a time for a new person selecting - yes.

 

[Thorn]

I think most people understand the draft is partly a crap shoot, it's how many times you've guessed right that counts. Texans don't have a reputation for guessing right a lot.

 

[ObsiWan]

Where do you think the phrase McSmithiak (or Smithiak) came from? This is the model McNair wants to run in terms of structure and accountability. The fans (especially on this message board) and media are the ones who want to blame his fault (or his decision game)

I know where it came from because I posted it as a joke years ago (true story).
I did it because I saw they were joined at the hip with respect to personnel decisions. Back then, Smith would hardly make a move without running it past Kubiak.

And I think that's the way it should be. How else can a GM and scouting dept make good/effective evaluations unless they and the coaching staff are thinking along the same lines??