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Texans hire Bill O'Brien as HC

Texian said:
Harbaugh at his hiring press conference was asked, who had final say on the 53 man roster? Harbaugh answered, Trent Baalke.
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Baalke was made GM after Harbaugh was offered the job and:

The team president, York, promises to stay out of his football business. The general manager, Baalke, vows not to make a decision Harbaugh wouldn't go along with.
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Link
 
b0ng said:
Guys who want full control over personnel who have never been an NFL HC before always scare me.

I think the lack of information about who does what in the Texans offices leads to these stupid petty arguments about who should be fired and who brought in the right guys and blah blah blah. Since people like to prognosticate about Rick Smith, I'll throw one in there that has just as much weight as everybody else's:

If Rick Smith is allowed to hire the coach and they are on the same page, then we will be in the playoffs again by 2015.

And that is worth just as much as all of the other "predictions" for Rick Smith in this thread and has just as much information backing it up too (none)!
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There are only 3 Head Coaches who had full control of football operations in the last 20 years that I can think of who've been successful, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcels and Bill Belichick. There have been many, many, many who've failed.

Rick Smith was a Jr exec in Denver when he was hired to be Texans GM. Smith's training was virtually in the Shanahan system. Unlike other Assistants who have been trained in all phases and areas of being a true General Manager like Eric DeCosta, Eliot Wolf and Chris Polian for example.

I'll throw one in there that has just as much weight as everybody else's:

As long as Rick Smith is the Houston Texans GM the Texans will not return to the playoffs. (I threw one out there in 2011 and said the Colts would be Division champs in 2013, I also said if the Texans didn't do something to answer Andrew Luck the Texans could repeat their first 5 years in the league, that's looking good too).
 
infantrycak said:
Baalke was made GM after Harbaugh was offered the job and:



Link
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Did you read the article?:

"Same goes for general manager Trent Baalke, who landed his primary target just three days into the GM job."

so Harbaugh wasn't lying when he said Baalke had final say on the 53 man roster?
 
Texian said:
Did you read the article?:

"Same goes for general manager Trent Baalke, who landed his primary target just three days into the GM job."
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Yes and that doesn't contradict anything I said. Harbaugh was also the primary target of the owner. If you had read the article you would see an offer was already on the table from that owner prior to Baalke being promoted. The announcement of Baalke as GM came in the same press conference as announcing Harbaugh.

so Harbaugh wasn't lying when he said Baalke had final say on the 53 man roster?
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The article makes no mention of confirming your memory and it would be a logical thing to include in comments about the issue. So I am not sure the statement was ever made and certainly was not accusing Harbaugh of lying.

Either way you plainly overplayed your hand and continue to do so.

Saying Baalke will have final say is pure lip service if Baalke is going to match his final decisions to what the HC wants. It is certainly not the no control over personnel situation you were trying to paint.
 
infantrycak said:
Yes and that doesn't contradict anything I said. Harbaugh was also the primary target of the owner. If you had read the article you would see an offer was already on the table from that owner prior to Baalke being promoted. The announcement of Baalke as GM came in the same press conference as announcing Harbaugh.



The article makes no mention of confirming your memory and it would be a logical thing to include in comments about the issue. So I am not sure the statement was ever made and certainly was not accusing Harbaugh of lying.

Either way you plainly overplayed your hand and continue to do so.

Saying Baalke will have final say is pure lip service if Baalke is going to match his final decisions to what the HC wants. It is certainly not the no control over personnel situation you were trying to paint.
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You tried to insinuate that Baalke didn't hire Harbaugh. Did he? YES You tried to insinuate that Baalke doesn't have final say on the 53 man roster. Does he? YES Why do you often over play your hand? Argumentative? PROBABLY Until you see the video of a reporter asking Harbaugh who has final say on 53 man roster, and Jim saying Baalke, you'll just have to remained confused. Sometimes it is was it is. Sometimes it is exactly as it is written.

Did I say this article confirms my memory. no that was you. I said Press Conference not your article.
 
Texian said:
You tried to insinuate that Baalke didn't hire Harbaugh. Did he? YES
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No, the owner hired both Baalke and Harbaugh. Yes Baalke was in on closing the deal.

You tried to insinuate that Baalke doesn't have final say on the 53 man roster. Does he? YES
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Never said or insinuated that. The point was final say on the 53 is not definitive on the discussion of whether the HC is going to have "some control" on personnel. Baalke vowed to not make decisions the HC disagrees with. That confirms that (a) the GM has final say and that (b) the HC is going to have "some control."
 
infantrycak said:
No, the owner hired both Baalke and Harbaugh. Yes Baalke was in on closing the deal.



Never said or insinuated that. The point was final say on the 53 is not definitive on the discussion of whether the HC is going to have "some control" on personnel. Baalke vowed to not make decisions the HC disagrees with. That confirms that (a) the GM has final say and that (b) the HC is going to have "some control."
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We're done here!
 
I like the idea of Bill O'Brien based on what I've read in this thread.

But, I'm not getting my hopes up. I do not think he leaves Penn State at this point in his career. And, I think he would most likely bring a rebuild mentality to the Texans that McNair openly stated he wants to avoid. O'Brien is going to bring his own OC and DC, and they will have their systems and schemes.

Maybe I'm reading McNair's words too literal, but the owner said it and I have no reason to doubt his intentions. The specific terms "playoff contention" and "not a rebuild" is easy to extrapolate that he wants to keep a lot of the same players and scheme structure into 2014. I do not perceive Bill O'Brien as a coach that will want to be imposed upon by existing structure. If he's anything like Belichick, he's going to want to rebuild his new team in his own mentalities and image.
 
JB said:
Big leap from having a say to full control. If you think Harbaugh doesn't have ANY input you are kidding yourself
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This comes from a discussion of potential UT coaches but it appears there may be tension in San Fran:

Given the more or less common knowledge of the tension between Harbaugh and young 49ers team president Jed York and GM Trent Baalke -- including Harbaugh puzzlingly turning down a two-year extension to his contract -- it's pretty plain that Harbaugh is currently receptive to different employment options.
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Link
 
I talked to a person very recently that is close to the Texans. Not exactly an insider (ie not a Texans employee), but someone who knows everyone in the building up to McNair's level. That person told me that O'Brien is very high on the Texans list, and he may even have the inside track at this point, although nothing is set in stone, so this is not a prediction, just a hunch.

As an aside, that person felt Lovie Smith would not be coming to Reliant. Just thought it was an interesting observation. I don't want to say who it is because I don't want to jeopardize my source, and I didn't say I was going to put it on the internet! So not revealing the source.
 
Porky said:
I talked to a person very recently that is close to the Texans. Not exactly an insider (ie not a Texans employee), but someone who knows everyone in the building up to McNair's level. That person told me that O'Brien is very high on the Texans list, and he may even have the inside track at this point, although nothing is set in stone, so this is not a prediction, just a hunch.

As an aside, that person felt Lovie Smith would not be coming to Reliant. Just thought it was an interesting observation. I don't want to say who it is because I don't want to jeopardize my source, and I didn't say I was going to put it on the internet! So not revealing the source.
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I'd be really good with this. Sooner or later someone from Belichick's coaching tree is going to work out. This guy looks very promising.
 
I've stated it before, I'm a big O'Brien fan. He's been my top option all year.

With that said, there are rumors out there that he won't take an NFL job this year because of promises he made to recruits. The earliest he would take a job is next year.
 
Porky said:
I talked to a person very recently that is close to the Texans. Not exactly an insider (ie not a Texans employee), but someone who knows everyone in the building up to McNair's level. That person told me that O'Brien is very high on the Texans list, and he may even have the inside track at this point, although nothing is set in stone, so this is not a prediction, just a hunch.
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Your unnamed source might as well be as reliable as any other unnamed source, meaning: Take this for what it's worth.

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien is the leading candidate to be the Houston Texans next coach, a source close to the search tells CultureMap.

The Texans began putting early back channel feelers out to various coaches to gauge their potential interest even before Gary Kubiak was officially fired on Dec. 6 and have a very good idea at this point who is legitimately in play as a candidate and who is not, the same source says. From that sorting, O'Brien's emerged as the Texans No. 1 target.

O'Brien separated himself with the poise he's shown under extreme circumstances at Penn State University, his NFL experience under New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his track record of getting the best out of quarterbacks. He will take a big edge into an interview with the Texans.

...

Instead the Texans owner is focused on making a hire who can make an immediate impact and impart a culture change. It's about ensuring he and general manager Rick Smith make the right hire rather than just an economical hire.

...

Despite operating under severe scholarship restrictions and a bowl ban, O'Brien's teams tend to get better as the season goes on. Penn State lost to lowly Ohio University in O'Brien's first game in Happy Valley last year and he still ended up winning the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award (which happens to be given out in Houston).

Perhaps even more importantly for a Texans franchise still reeling from the Gary Kubiak-Matt Schaub marriage, O'Brien's built something of a reputation as a quarterback whisperer. Whether it's with Tom Brady or an 18-year-old true freshman named Christian Hackenberg.
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Link.
 
Brisco_County said:
Your unnamed source might as well be as reliable as any other unnamed source, meaning: Take this for what it's worth.



Link.
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OhYes.gif


Do it Bob! DO IT!
 
I would be ecstatic if Bill O'Brien is our new head coach. It will make this horrific season worth it if he does become our coach. I think it'd be a grand slam hire
 
Texecutioner said:
He was the same guy who ripped Brady a new ******* on the sidelines Two years ago and Brady was arguing back. Brady said he was wrong after the game and that he needed to listen to his coach. Brady respected the hell out of him. He didn't have any problems getting in his star player's ass. I liked that about him. He was also the OC when Brady got his 2nd MVP season.
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This is what i came in here to say...for him to handle an accomplished qb like Thomas says quite a bit about this guy's leadership qualities. see the below youtube clip.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu9TKEKia9s&noredirect=1

Bill O'brien is my top choice b/c he meets all the criteria i'd like to see for our next HC.

A fresh face, not a retred.......with a winning background that's fairly young & in tune with the emerging NFL.
 
In my rush to be a snarky a-hole, I forgot to say that I would be fully on board with this hire. O'Brien is my top candidate for the Texans, and also for the Horn's.
 
Ok, before we all rush out to name our pets Bill O'Brien out of excitement, I'd like for this franchise to take their time and cast a wide net. This is a very important decision, and they should take their time.

I like what I hear about this guy, but, I also think we should do our due dilligence. Bill Belichek's assistants have been horrible head coaches, and this guy could break the mold, but, I just want to make sure we are careful in hiring.

O'Brien might be the guy, but, I'd also like to take a hard look at the Seattle Offensive Coordinator, and a couple other people as well.
 
houstonspartan said:
Ok, before we all rush out to name our pets Bill O'Brien out of excitement, I'd like for this franchise to take their time and cast a wide net. This is a very important decision, and they should take their time.



I like what I hear about this guy, but, I also think we should do our due dilligence. Bill Belichek's assistants have been horrible head coaches, and this guy could break the mold, but, I just want to make sure we are careful in hiring.



O'Brien might be the guy, but, I'd also like to take a hard look at the Seattle Offensive Coordinator, and a couple other people as well.
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I completely disagree. Bill O'Brien will be an elite NFL coach. Mark me down as calling it and hold my feet to the fire if I am wrong.

You are advocating the same old 2 steps slow Texans way of doing things. The Texans need to pounce on this guy now and not drag their feet.
 
TexansFight said:
I completely disagree. Bill O'Brien will be an elite NFL coach. Mark me down as calling it and hold my feet to the fire if I am wrong.

You are advocating the same old 2 steps slow Texans way of doing things. The Texans need to pounce on this guy now and not drag their feet.
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I admit I don't know everything there is to know about Bill O'Brien. I'm just saying that Gary Kubiak made his name after "coaching" John Elway and Steve Young, and was branded a qb guru. I'm seeing that people are saying the same thing about Bill O'Brien because of his work with Tom Brady (a rare, talented, once-in-a-lifetime qb, like Elway).

No, I'm not advocating dragging our feet; I'm merely saying we should interview more than one person instead of handing this guy the keys to the franchise based on two decent years as a college head coach.
 
houstonspartan said:
Ok, before we all rush out to name our pets Bill O'Brien out of excitement, I'd like for this franchise to take their time and cast a wide net. This is a very important decision, and they should take their time.

I like what I hear about this guy, but, I also think we should do our due dilligence. Bill Belichek's assistants have been horrible head coaches, and this guy could break the mold, but, I just want to make sure we are careful in hiring.

O'Brien might be the guy, but, I'd also like to take a hard look at the Seattle Offensive Coordinator, and a couple other people as well.
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I don't think any (or at least, very many) of us are saying that the Texans shouldn't do their due diligence and take a look at as many candidates as possible. I think we're just saying that based on what we know (which is going to be less than what McNair and Smith know), Bill O'Brien wouldn't be a bad choice.

Granted, the Belichick coaching tree has not had a lot of success but... at least this guy has gone out and been fairly successful in a very trying situation. That's got to be a good sign.

But. Yeah. Don't just find a guy and stop looking.
 
Brisco_County said:
Your unnamed source might as well be as reliable as any other unnamed source, meaning: Take this for what it's worth.



Link.
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Great.

Now he's got to make another public statement about never leaving Penn State in a million years so he can continue to do his current job... then look like a complete as5 when he walks out on all those kids.
 
TexansFight said:
I completely disagree. Bill O'Brien will be an elite NFL coach. Mark me down as calling it and hold my feet to the fire if I am wrong.

You are advocating the same old 2 steps slow Texans way of doing things. The Texans need to pounce on this guy now and not drag their feet.
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Man, I am so with you on this!

This guy represents everything that Bob typically is afraid of. He has fire and passion and holds guys accountable.

He is my top guy over anyone at this point. This would be the first time in Texans history that I'd be stoked and super excited about the HC situation. I don't know about him becoming an elite HC and maiming a guarantee, but I think he has all of the intangibles and traits to do that with a little bit of luck and a QB. I have a feeling this won't happen, but if it does I'll be more excited about the Texans next season then I ever have been in the past.
 
houstonspartan said:
I admit I don't know everything there is to know about Bill O'Brien. I'm just saying that Gary Kubiak made his name after "coaching" John Elway and Steve Young, and was branded a qb guru. I'm seeing that people are saying the same thing about Bill O'Brien because of his work with Tom Brady (a rare, talented, once-in-a-lifetime qb, like Elway).

No, I'm not advocating dragging our feet; I'm merely saying we should interview more than one person instead of handing this guy the keys to the franchise based on two decent years as a college head coach.
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People were talking about how he handled Brady on the sidelines during the game. Texans better not wait on him. They aren't the only potential attractive team for a new head coach. Other teams will be interested too.
 
alphajoker said:
...more alluring for an NFL team such as the Houston Texans to hire him. O'Brien, however, is said to be torn about whether to leave Penn State.
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If the Texans come a knocking, he'd best take the job. There are many worse organizations to work for than in Houston.
 
Playoffs said:
If the Texans come a knocking, he'd best take the job. There are many worse organizations to work for than in Houston.
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True, but I think he feels a certain commitment and attachment to Penn State. I think he'll leave (whether for us or for another organization) but it won't be an easy decision for him.
 
Bill O Brien wouldn't be bad, but we need an alpha dog for our defense. i think best case would be Bill with Rex Ryan as DC, I think rex would do great things for this defense, but wouldn't want him as HC, only DC.
 
Interested in O'brien but I watched first five minutes of Bortles video & of 3 long passes he made one, threw short on another and had the third intercepted.
 
amazing80 said:
i think best case would be Bill with Rex Ryan as DC, I think rex would do great things for this defense, but wouldn't want him as HC, only DC.
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I can't think of a worse fit than a Ryan in the Texan organization. Ryan as an assistant would be a disaster with a first time coach like O'Brien.
 
I'd be interested in O'Brien, but there are a couple of things I worry about. His success with NE doesn't mean much to me since Brady and Bellichek are all that's need there.

What kind of offense is he running at Penn State? Are they running the spread or a pro style offense
 
Lucky said:
I can't think of a worse fit than a Ryan in the Texan organization. Ryan as an assistant would be a disaster with a first time coach like O'Brien.
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I think Ryan is the HC who gets fired and then goes directly back into the HC position on another team not the one who gets fired and then spends time in purgatory as a coordinator earning another shot at the top job.

At least this time around.
 
hradhak said:
I'd be interested in O'Brien, but there are a couple of things I worry about. His success with NE doesn't mean much to me since Brady and Bellichek are all that's need there.

What kind of offense is he running at Penn State? Are they running the spread or a pro style offense
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Penn State runs a "pro" offense. The QB while highly recruited, had a really good 1st year and one the WRs is a 1st/2nd round candidate.

The buyout is a real issue because the pure dollars involved, but even post-scandal Penn State is the college football program of the entire northeast/new England state area and is probably the equal of the Longhorns job...i.e. better than a good portion of the NFL.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
Penn State runs a "pro" offense. The QB while highly recruited, had a really good 1st year and one the WRs is a 1st/2nd round candidate.

The buyout is a real issue because the pure dollars involved, but even post-scandal Penn State is the college football program of the entire northeast/new England state area and is probably the equal of the Longhorns job...i.e. better than a good portion of the NFL.
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Nonsense. Penn State isn't the Big Program you think it is. And hasn't been for a while. It is not UT, or USC, or Alabama. The Penn State job is not better than a good portion of the NFL; the NFL is the NFL. Period.

And, no, Penn State does not run a "pro" offense; it's a college. it runs a college offense.

The buyout is pennies. We can afford it. We can afford anyone we want.

Look, I'm on board for O'Brien, but, I'm being real about the fact that he has NEVER been an NFL head coach. Two years at a big school does not mean he's the great coach everyone thinks he is...
 
Lucky said:
I can't think of a worse fit than a Ryan in the Texan organization. Ryan as an assistant would be a disaster with a first time coach like O'Brien.
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As a DC Rex was fine, it was when he became HC that his antics were a problem. No matter what happened his Jets defenses were always top half of the league. Put him back at DC and let him focus on that, WATCH OUT.


And for those who say he gets a head coach job immediately, I doubt it. There are tons of HC options out there and there are lots more BETTER candidates at HC than Rex. I think he has to take a DC job for a few years before becoming HC again.
 
Playoffs said:
If the Texans come a knocking, he'd best take the job. There are many worse organizations to work for than in Houston.
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There will be additional NFL HC openings. O'Brien will have his choice of jobs. At the top of his list will be a team that will give him final say on the 53 man roster. The Texans are not one of those teams.
 
Lucky said:
I can't think of a worse fit than a Ryan in the Texan organization. Ryan as an assistant would be a disaster with a first time coach like O'Brien.
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Rex Ryan is exactly the type of coach the Texans need. That he would be such a terrible fit in your eyes with the Texans organization shows me how far away the Texans are from being championship caliber organization. I want Bill O'Brien but I would also love a Rex Ryan hire. He has done a great job coaching a Jets team with far less talent than the Texans.
 
Texian said:
There will be additional NFL HC openings. O'Brien will have his choice of jobs. At the top of his list will be a team that will give him final say on the 53 man roster. The Texans are not one of those teams.
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Any team that gives final say to a man who has zero experience as an NFL head coach deserves whatever they get.

Let's get the "Coordinator X wants full control" narrative out of our heads. It's unrealistic and probably won't happen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
houstonspartan said:
Any team that gives final say to a man who has zero experience as an NFL head coach deserves whatever they get.

Let's get the "Coordinator X wants full control" narrative out of our heads. It's unrealistic and probably won't happen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Happens all the time, almost every year.
 
TexansFight said:
Rex Ryan is exactly the type of coach the Texans need. That he would be such a terrible fit in your eyes with the Texans organization shows me how far away the Texans are from being championship caliber organization. I want Bill O'Brien but I would also love a Rex Ryan hire. He has done a great job coaching a Jets team with far less talent than the Texans.
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Something I want to point out is that, the reason why they don't have talent is because he never gotten talent for that team. He always went with the sexy signing and picks. Look how that jets team turned out.......
 
houstonspartan said:
Any team that gives final say to a man who has zero experience as an NFL head coach deserves whatever they get.

Let's get the "Coordinator X wants full control" narrative out of our heads. It's unrealistic and probably won't happen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I'm willing to trust Bill O'Brien a heck if a lot more than Rick Smith when it comes to our roster....isn't even close.
 
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