Rebuilding football teams bandy about the word “culture” more than the word “literally” at the nearest mall food court.
The Houston Texans are trying to build that culture, and general manager Nick Caserio gave reporters on Nov. 4 his definitions for what it means.
“I think everybody kind of gets caught up in culture, like what does that exactly mean?” Caserio said. “I think there are a lot of different definitions of how that’s interpreted. Culture’s about habits and about action. It’s about work. That’s what culture’s about.”
Another great source in Houston sports on what the word culture means is Gary Kubiak, who was the coach of the Texans from 2006-13. Kubiak has parallels with current coach David Culley in that he took over a team on hard times as Houston finished 2-14 the year before and it took Kubiak four seasons to finally finish with a winning record.
Kubiak joined “The Wheelhouse” with Jake Asman, Cody Stoots, and Brad Kellner on ESPN 97.5 Houston [KFNC-FM] Tuesday to talk about exactly what culture means relative to a football team.
“You as a coach you know what type of culture you want in your locker room and with your organization and with your team, but the only way you’re going to get that done is if you’re surrounded with great leaders in the locker room,” Kubiak said. “Those are guys that take your message to another level with the football team. You’re talking 55, 60 players deep. So, you’re talking about a lot of people that that message has to resonate with. So, I think it’s very difficult.”
One of the problems the Texans face with their roster is it is replete with players on expiring contracts. There aren’t any long-term figures or strong faces of the franchise on the roster. Furthermore, while Caserio appears to be in it for the long-term, Culley seems more like a placeholder, keeping the seat warm for a better coaching candidate.
“It starts at the top and it’s got to trickle its way down,” said Kubiak. “You got to win some games here that help you keep culture going and make it better. So, that’s all part of the process.”
A win over the 8-2 Tennessee Titans would help Houston’s culture. The 1-8 Texans take on their AFC South rivals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Nissan Stadium.