Nick Caserio may have taken over as general manager of a salary cap-strapped club with a dearth of draft picks that finished 4-12 a season ago, but he doesn’t perceive the Houston Texans as a rebuild.
Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] Friday to talk about the state of affairs with the AFC South club.
“Really the reality is each team, all of us, are sort of restarting our team for the 2021 season,” Caserio said. “So, really, that’s the approach. You’re sort of restarting from ground zero. Really with the new league year kind of puts everybody in the same position.”
The former New England Patriots director of player personnel, a position Caserio had since 2008 and sundry other titles with New England going back to 2001, shared what he learned about team building with the Patriots.
“As it pertains to what I’ve learned the most or what have I taken the most is just try to make good decisions understanding that every decision is probably not going to work out the way that you hoped or whatever the extenuating circumstances are,” said Caserio. “But just try to make good decisions, try to be consistent, try to be very thorough with your thought process, and have a plan for that player and try to create as much competition as possible. I think those are the things philosophically that are consistent year to year.”
The Texans are missing their first and second-round picks and won’t have a shot at their first selection until No. 67 in Round 3. However, Caserio won’t allow that to provide fodder for making excuses.
Said Caserio: “We can’t change anything that’s happened in the past relative to contract or draft picks that may or may not been accumulated or lost. We can’t necessarily worry about that. We can only look at our situation and maximize our opportunities with the resources we have in front of us. That’s what we have a responsibility to do. That’s my responsibility with the coaching staff and with the rest of the organization.”
Houston sports fans consider the Texans a rebuild, and they are hopeful Caserio can make the right decisions to make the team competitive in 2021.
[listicle id=59425]