Tag: front office

Texans interview director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan for general manager

The Houston Texans continue their general manager search, and have recently interviewed director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan.

The Houston Texans continue their due diligence when it comes to filling their general manager vacancy.

The team announced Tuesday they have interviewed director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan for the full-time job.

Bazirgan has had a hand in the construction of the current Texans roster, collaborating with then-general manager and coach Bill O’Brien and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby. Bazirgan’s current role oversees both the pro and college scouting departments while also evaluating the players on the roster.

The Bates College alumnus joined the Texans in 2018 after spending 14 years with the New York Jets. Prior to joining the Jets, Bazirgan worked as a graduate assistant coaching defensive ends and linebackers at Springfield College. In 2001, he was the receivers coach and an intern at Bates College.

With the Jets, Bazirgan worked his way up from being a pro personnel intern and college scouting assistant in 2004 to assistant director of pro personnel in 2013. In 2015, Bazirgan spent the next two seasons as the Jets’ director of pro personnel.

Easterby is the interim general manager. Houston has interviewed ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for the vacancy.

Texans’ Romeo Crennel details what makes a good general manager

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel has been around successful organizations, and he knows what comprises a good general manager.

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel has been around his fair share of great organizations and terrible ones.

The three-time Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and two-time Super Bowl-winning position coach with the New York Giants provided insight as to what makes for a successful general manager.

“I think a general manager is that,” Crennel said. “He has to be a good manager. He has to be well organized. Have to have a thought process about what he wants the team to be and how he wants the team to operate. If he has that, and then particularly along with that if he’s had some experience. Some experience along the way. Maybe he was an assistant GM somewhere or he was a former head coach somewhere with that management experience.”

The Texans currently have a general manager vacancy due to the firing of coach Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5. The third full-time coach in Texans history also doubled up as the general manager starting in January 2020. Currently, executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby is the interim general manager.

Crennel doesn’t believe coaching is a prerequisite to being a good general manager.

Said Crennel: “You have to be a good manager. If you can deal with people, manage people and then your vision for what the program is going to be, I think that those things are critical. Now, this is not to say that a former player can’t be a good general manager, or a former coach cannot be a good general manager, all right? But all of those skills that you need to run a program, if you have those skills or have the exposure to those skills, then I think that increases your chances.”

The Texans interviewed a former NFL player in Louis Riddick on Friday. Riddick, who is currently a color commentator for ESPN Monday Night Football, also worked in NFL front offices for Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Report: ESPN’s Louis Riddick interviewing for Houston Texans GM job

The Houston Texans are reportedly going to interview ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick for their general manager job.

The Houston Texans have identified a candidate for their general manager vacancy.

According to Adam Schefter from ESPN, the 4-9 AFC South club is set to interview current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick for the team’s general manager job on Friday.

Riddick is a fan favorite among football scouts and game tape critics. The former NFL safety hasn’t been in an NFL front office since 2013 when he was the director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-13.

The 51-year-old got his start with Washington in 2001 as a pro scout. In 2005, Riddick was named director of pro personnel, and Washington made the playoffs that year and later in 2007, Riddick’s final year at that post. In 2008, the Eagles hired him as a pro scout, and in 2009 he was promoted to assistant director of player personnel.

The Texans fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5. Executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby has served as interim general manager since.

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Chris Spielman to join Detroit Lions as Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO

The Detroit Lions announced that former linebacker Chris Spielman to join the team as Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO.

The Detroit Lions announced that former linebacker Chris Spielman will join the team as Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO.

Spielman spent eight years with the Lions after they selected him in the second round of the 1988 draft, and he led the team to NFC North (then Central) division titles and an appearance in the 1992 NFC Championship Game. He was a team captain, a Pro Bowler, and team MVP.

After Spielman’s playing career was complete, he entered broadcasting and has spent time across multiple networks including ESPN, FOX, and was the color commentator for the Lions preseason games the last seven seasons.

As this is a full-time role, Spielman will be stepping away from his current broadcasting position at FOX to immediately help Shelia Ford Hamp and Rod Wood in their search for a new general manager and head coach. He will sit in on all interviews moving forward and will go back and revisit the three internal interviews the Lions conducted last week.

“I am humbled and excited about the opportunity to be involved with the franchise that is truly a part of me,” Spielman said in a press release. “The opportunity to work with Rod Wood and every single person in the Lions organization can’t get here fast enough. To Lions fans everywhere, I will do everything in my power to help Mrs. Hamp and the Ford Family achieve their vision of something we can all be proud of.”

Bringing in a football minded advisor in Spielman, to assist business-minded Wood and new principal owner Hamp in their search is a wise move, as it will give them a trusted perspective outside of their own.

Hamp and Wood also issued statements:

Hamp: “Chris Spielman has been a tremendous ambassador for the Detroit Lions since the day he first put on a uniform as a rookie in 1988. He brings great passion for people and the game of football, and we are thrilled to have him on board to help lead our team. This position is a full-time opportunity for Chris that will allow him to work across various departments on both the football and business sides of our organization.”

Wood: “This is an exciting day for the Lions organization. The Ford Family and I look forward to working with Chris and leaning on his knowledge and advice as we take the next steps as a team. His relationship with our team and our city will serve as a strong foundation for him in helping to fortify and sustain our organization’s culture.”

Additionally, the Lions announced that Barry Sanders (former Lions Hall of Fame Running Back), Rod Graves (Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation Executive Director), Mark Hollis (Rock Ventures Vice President of Business Development) will serve as advisors in the teams search for a GM and head coach.

Report: Lions to interview former Texans general manager Rick Smith

The Detroit Lions are reportedly interested in former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith.

While the Houston Texans haven’t exactly made waves in the general manager search, the Detroit Lions are getting a head start by taking a look at a former Texans general manager

According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are expected to interview former Texans general manager Rick Smith next week. Smith ran the front office for Houston from 2006-17 and was a key part of building a playoff contender alongside coach Gary Kubiak, who was also hired in 2006.

In January 2018, Smith took a leave of absence to be with his wife, who was battling breast cancer. Although the team hired Brian Gaine as general manager to replace Smith, he kept his title as executive vice president of football operations. By 2019, Smith was out of the organization, and his wife passed away in January of 2019.

At the beginning of 2020, Smith was considered for the Washington general manager job. The situation in Washington is complicated as they decided to roll without an official general manager.

The Lions fired Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia on Nov. 28, two days after the Texans beat the Lions 41-25 on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

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Patriots coach Bill Belichick says Jack Easterby is ‘not a personnel person’

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a conference call with Houston media that Texans EVP Jack Easterby is not a personnel person.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spent time with the Houston media on a conference call Monday afternoon, and he shed some interesting light into Houston Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby.

Easterby used to be with the Patriots starting in 2013 as a character coach. According to Easterby’s biography on the Texans’ official website, Easterby’s role expanded to include the title of “team development director and management responsibilities over several sub-programs within the organization.”

The Texans hired Easterby as their executive vice president of team development in April 2019.

Belichick was posed the following question: Did you think Jack Easterby would ever want to pursue a career on the football personnel side?

Belichick’s reply: “Jack’s not a personnel person, no.”

After the firing of coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, the Texans promoted Easterby to the role of interim general manager.

Belichick was complimentary of Easterby’s role with the Patriots for six seasons wherein the club won three Super Bowls at the end of the 2014, 2016, and 2018 campaigns.

“Jack did a great job for us,” said Belichick. “His role was a varied one. He worked with a lot of different aspects of the organization — players, coaches, support people, so forth.

“He was a person who could connect well with everybody, from the owner of the team to the equipment manager or equipment guy that picks up towels and all the people in between. He was a very valuable person in this organization in the time he was here.”

Quarterback Deshaun Watson has been impressed with Easterby thus far.

“He’s a man of God who cares about this organization, these players,” Watson told reporters on Nov. 4. “He cares about players in that locker room to be the best of their ability and get whatever they can out of their careers. Having that good positive energy and spirit around the locker room is definitely good.”

The Texans haven’t been as fortunate with Easterby as the Patriots were. After Easterby joined the team in 2019, the club won a wild-card playoff game over the Buffalo Bills, but are currently 2-7 after a horrendous 0-4 start that cost O’Brien his job on Oct. 5.

According to chairman and CEO Cal McNair, Easterby will revert back to his role in football operations once the club hires a full-time general manager.

J.J. Watt says Texans firing Amy Palcic ‘a very difficult loss’ for the organization

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt took time to express his thoughts on the firing of vice president of communications, Amy Palcic.

The Houston Texans shook up more of their behind-the-scenes operation Wednesday when they fired vice president of communications Amy Palcic.

For the average Houston sports fan, Palcic may have been recognizable as the lady who would accompany Deshaun Watson or J.J. Watt during postgame interviews. For many of the players, especially Watt, she was part of the fabric of Texans football at NRG Stadium.

“I think you can tell from the universal response from prominent people in the business, what type of person Amy is and how well respected and well liked she is, both inside our building and outside the building,” Watt said. “Extremely professional; just really good at her job, cared a lot, just wants what’s best for the team and what’s best for the organization.”

Palcic would normally help Watt out with his annual charity softball game, but the biggest assist she gave Watt was in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. As Watt sought to raise money for the city of Houston and areas of South Texas affected by the hurricane, Palcic worked her connections to get in touch with GoFundMe directly to handle all of the donations that were pouring into the site, up to $37 million worth.

“Always trying to do what’s best, and was a massive helping hand with me during the hurricane, during my entire time here,” Watt said. “So, I think it’s a very difficult loss. She’s an incredible person and I think she’s going to have another job in an absolute heartbeat. I think it’s a big loss for us.”

Incidentally, the Texans are playing the Cleveland Browns Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at FirstEnergy Stadium. Before coming to the Texans in June 2013, one of Palcic’s prior jobs was with the Browns for 10 years, which also included the Romeo Crennel regime from 2005-08.

Texans fire vice president of communications Amy Palcic

The Houston Texans have fired their vice president of communications, Amy Palcic.

The Houston Texans continue to make changes inside the building as they attempt to get to the bottom of why they started the year 0-4.

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the club fired vice president of communications Amy Palcic, who had been with the team since June 2013. However, she was no longer considered a “culture fit,” according to Schefter’s source.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, team president Jamey Rootes was the one who fired Palcic. In addition to leading public relations for the team, Palcic also handled all relationship management with the league’s network TV partners.

Palcic was the first woman to be the head of an NFL public relations department, and her work was meritorious. In 2017, Palcic and the Texans PR department won the Pro Football Writers of America’s Pete Rozelle Award, which is given to the most outstanding team PR staff for that year. Not only was Paclic the first woman PR director to win the award, but she was the first PR director to win the award in their first year.

In 2016, Palcic was promoted from director of corporate communications to director of communications and eventually earned the vice president of communications title in April of 2018.

A graduate of Auburn, Palcic spent her 10 years as the director of communications for the Cleveland Browns.

QB Deshaun Watson wants to be a part of the team-building process with Texans

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says that he wants to be a part of the team-building process with the franchise going forward.

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If it has to do with the Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson wants to be involved.

The two-time Pro Bowler is playing for an interim coach in 73-year-old Romeo Crennel. Chances are the three-time Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator won’t be brought back in 2021 as the team’s full-time coach, as he was in 2012 with the Kansas City Chiefs after finishing his interim stint the year prior 2-1.

There are changes on the horizon with the Texans, and Watson wants to be involved.

“Of course I want to be involved in the process, being the franchise quarterback with what the organization, what we want to be here exactly, the foundation and the people that’s going to be running this team and this organization along with the players and myself being the quarterback,” said Watson, who signed a four-year, $177.5 million contract extension in September that keeps him locked in through the 2025 season.

For Watson, it goes beyond having input who will be the new coach and general manager, two jobs they will have to fill after the firing of Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5. The former 2017 first-round pick also sees himself as someone who needs to keep the team unified in mindset and attitude.

“Of course I want to make sure that we’re all on the same page and good energy and things like that, and we’re clicking the right way,” Watson said. “Of course you’re going to hear rumors and things like that, so, I just stay focused on my task and what I can do and communicating with people. I’m just here trying to find ways to win games to try to turn the season around.”

While Watson says he wants to be a part of the input with who will be his new general manager and new coach, in Week 9 preparing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Watson is more oriented on fixing Houston’s 1-6 record.

Said Watson: “Right now, my main focus is trying to turn this season around and try to get some wins and try to make a push. Definitely want to focus on that.”

When the time comes for the Texans to start thinking about the long-term again, Watson will be one of the voices to provide key input.

The Texans have a bad prognosis after firing Bill O’Brien

The Houston Texans may have gotten rid of the problem in Bill O’Brien, but they are still in a mess that may take time to clean up.

The Houston Texans believe they fixed the source of their 0-4 woes when they fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, but the slow road to fixing the problems that led to that ignominious start is just beginning.

According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, the Texans put themselves in a disadvantageous position that may take a season or two to fix. Generally when teams fire a coach or even a general manager, they can plug and play. However, because O’Brien traded away DeAndre Hopkins and Jadeveon Clowney, mortgaged the future for Laremy Tunsil, and had Houston tied up with contracts that will have them $11 million over the salary cap in 2021, not to mention picking for the first time in next spring’s draft starting in the third round, the Texans are headed for a soft rebuild.

The danger in letting a head coach pick all of his own groceries is that he’ll sacrifice long-term stability for the quick fix and short-term success. Unfortunately for the Texans, O’Brien has left them without either.

Houston is bad now, have traded away their best draft resources with which they could have gotten better later, and in the process are wasting one of the most dynamic and talented players in the league, at the game’s most important position.

Watson deserves far better, and so do Texans fans.

Watson is the one element that still makes Houston competitive. As was proven with the Texans in the mid-2010s, having a talented roster or even a dominant defense has a natural governor put on it when the quarterback play is anemic. On the flip side, any roster has a chance to compete so long as there is a dynamic quarterback under center, and Houston has that in Watson.

 

Chairman and CEO Cal McNair has to nail two hires: general manager and coach. If the Texans get cheap or aren’t diligent, it could be more of the same.