Tag: Lovie Smith

Rockets coach Stephen Silas feels for fired Texans coach Lovie Smith

“A rebuild is very different,” #Rockets coach Stephen Silas told @BigSargeSportz. “It’s unfortunate, what happened with the Texans. As a coach, you just want an opportunity to see it through.”

Last August, Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas enjoyed watching the Texans’ NFL training camp from the sidelines, where he spoke with head coach Lovie Smith and talked shop.

If Silas is still in his role by August and wants a return football visit, he’ll be speaking with a different leader because the Texans fired Smith after a 3-13-1 season.

The circumstances aren’t entirely dissimilar to what Silas faces with the rebuilding Rockets, who are going through growing pains with their own young players. At Tuesday’s practice, Silas was asked about the Texans’ choices to move on from Smith and David Culley (2021) after just one season each. He seemed sympathetic to the plight of starting a rebuilding process but not seeing it through.

Here’s what Silas told our Brian Barefield:

A rebuild is very difficult. It’s unfortunate what happened with the Texans the last couple years. I’m obviously close with Culley and Lovie.

As a coach, you just want an opportunity to see it through. You want to go through all this, and dig this tunnel, and be able to walk through it yourself. I feel where those guys could be disappointed.

It’s a difficult thing that you have to stay positive through, and you have to stay aligned with management and ownership. There also has to be a huge buy-in from the players, because it’s not easy. It’s not always about wins and losses. It’s development, teaching, coaching, helping, growth, conversations. It’s all of that.

Silas, who took his position with the Rockets in late 2020, is in the final guaranteed season of his current contract and has not yet been given an extension. The difficulty of making that evaluation, of course, involves weighing the team’s results of the past three seasons against the obvious context of a rebuilding roster.

As with Smith, it would be a bitter pill for Silas to swallow if he isn’t allowed to fully see the process through. The process of potentially turning the franchise around resumes Wednesday night in Sacramento, where the young Rockets (10-30) will attempt to end a brutal run of seven consecutive losses and 12 in their previous 13 games.

[lawrence-related id=104192,104175]

[listicle id=106072]

[mm-video type=video id=01gpaf855t482cbke88x playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpaf855t482cbke88x/01gpaf855t482cbke88x-8f8e7681a7e795cea6c42c560c9989b4.jpg]

NFL: Tracking head coach, coordinator and GM firings for 2023

Here’s a running list of who’s been fired during the season and in its immediate aftermath.

Yesterday was Black Monday in the NFL and it didn’t disappoint as several head coaches were given the boot. A couple coordinators and one GM have also left their positions.

Here’s a running list of who has been fired during the season and in its immediate aftermath.

Panthers request permission to interview Eagles OC Shane Steichen for coaching job

The Panthers are joining the Colts and Texans in requesting permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen for their head coaching vacancy

Jonathan Gannon was the perceived big name from the Eagles set to draw coaching interest, but it is offensive coordinator Shane Steichen who has the buzz early on.

According to Ian Rapoport, Carolina has requested to interview the Eagles’ offensive coordinator for their vacant head coaching job.

The Panthers fired Matt Rhule and replaced him with Steve Wilks as the interim coach.

Wilks went 6-6 as the interim head coach after Carolina got off to a 1-4 start. The Panthers were 4-1 at home under Wilks and nearly won the NFC South.

Steichen has overseen the Eagles’ offensive explosion since taking over play-calling duties during the 2021 season and has a good reputation for a run-centric approach to the offense while helping develop Chargers star signal caller, Justin Herbert.

Steichen has been at the helm of Jalen Hurts’ MVP candidacy, Miles Sanders logging his first 1,000-yard rushing season, along with two 1,000-yard receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx4gfbwm323hbt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=680966]

[listicle id=680357]

[listicle id=680918]

[listicle id=680673]

Texans request permission to interview Eagles OC Shane Steichen for vacant coaching job

After parting ways with Lovie Smith as head coach, the Houston Texans have requested permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen

According to Ian Rapoport, Houston has requested to interview the Eagles’ offensive coordinator for their vacant head coaching job.

The Texans fired Lovie Smith after one season at the helm.

Houston (3-13-1) will have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a 32-31 win over the Colts on Sunday, and the dismissal comes hours after a report that Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon could be a top candidate for the vacancy as well.

Steichen has overseen the Eagles’ offensive explosion since taking over play-calling duties during the 2021 season and has a good reputation for a run-centric approach to the offense while helping develop Chargers star signal caller, Justin Herbert.

Steichen has been at the helm of Jalen Hurts’ MVP candidacy, Miles Sanders logging his first 1,000-yard rushing season, along with two 1,000-yard receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx4gfbwm323hbt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[vertical-gallery id=680739]

[listicle id=680966]

[listicle id=680357]

[listicle id=680918]

[listicle id=680673]

[lawrence-related id=680981,680976,680970,680931,680719,680706,680696]

Texans request permission to interview Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon for vacant coaching job

After parting ways with Lovie Smith as head coach, the Houston Texans have requested permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon

The Texans flirted with Jonathan Gannon a year ago, and the AFC South’s worst franchise is back for a third round.

According to Ian Rapoport, Houston has requested to interview Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon for their vacant head coaching job.

The Texans fired Lovie Smith after one season at the helm.

Houston (3-13-1) will have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a 32-31 win over the Colts on Sunday, and the dismissal comes hours after a report that Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon could be a top candidate for the vacancy.

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Gannon’s Eagles’ defense surrendered 5.2 yards per play, tied for the seventh-fewest in the league. The Eagles were tied with the Bears and Panthers for the fifth-fewest takeaways in the NFL with 16.

This season, Gannon’s defense was among the top units in the NFL, finishing No. 1 overall in total defense, No. 1 against the pass, and 8th in the NFL in points allowed.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx4gfbwm323hbt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[vertical-gallery id=680739]

[listicle id=680966]

[listicle id=680357]

[listicle id=680918]

[listicle id=680673]

Texans GM Nick Caserio needs to start feeling the pressure from firing coaches

The Houston Texans are on their third coaching search in as many offseasons. It is time for GM Nick Caserio to start feeling the pressure.

HOUSTON — On Sunday, the Houston Texans decided to part ways with head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith after the Texans finished the 2022 regular season with a 3-13-1 record.

“Nick Caserio and I spoke with Lovie Smith tonight and informed him that we will be moving in a different direction as an organization,” said Houston Texans Chairman and CEO Cal Mcnair. “I appreciate Coach Smith and his entire family for their contributions over the last two seasons. We are grateful for his leadership and character, and we wish him the best moving forward. “

It is the second consecutive year that Houston has fired their coach after one year of service. Former coach David Culley was terminated after he completed the 2021 season with just four wins. General manager Nick Caserio is responsible for hiring both Culley and Smith will now have an opportunity to employ his third coach in as many years, which is unprecedented in the NFL.

Caserio will be headed into his third year of a six-year $30 million contract next season. After firing Culley in January 2022, he was asked if he felt any pressure to get the hire right, given that most general managers don’t get the opportunity to hire a third head coach.

“Only the pressure you guys put on me,” Caserio said on Jan. 14, 2022. “I’m immune to pressure. We live with pressure every day. Everybody deals with a lot of difficult situations that we’re dealing with. I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in, and I am excited for the opportunity here moving forward to try and continue to build our program out with whomever the next coach is. Excited about the opportunity. Pressure is; however, you define it, so the pressure will probably come more externally, but that’s ok; that’s part of the fun of it.”

Being immune to pressure does not give Caserio the green light to keep putting this franchise into situations where they will have to replace head coaches year in and out after less-than-mediocre seasons. If the Texans have another terrible season, Caserio will have to look at himself in the mirror and ask, “Is it me that is keeping this franchise from getting back to some sort of relevancy?”

Houston is scheduled to have the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. That would have been the No. 1 pick had the Texans not pulled off some late-game heroics to beat the Indianapolis Colts 32-31 in the season’s final game.

That selection now belongs to the Chicago Bears, whom Lovie Smith once coached. They also have the No. 12 pick in the draft thanks to their blockbuster offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns.

Caserio hopes to entice a head coaching candidate with 11 total draft picks and a budget of $46.7 million to spend in 2023. With a plethora of picks and cap space in the future, Houston becomes one of the most attractive jobs available in the offseason. The only blemish will be if Caserio is unwilling to allow the new coach to hire his staff and take a hands-off approach regarding game-day preparation.

McNair and Caserio are slated to address the media on Monday about the future of the Texans and their coaching search.

[lawrence-related id=80116,80113]

[mm-video type=video id=01gpaf855t482cbke88x playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpaf855t482cbke88x/01gpaf855t482cbke88x-8f8e7681a7e795cea6c42c560c9989b4.jpg]

3 reasons why the Houston Texans had to fire Lovie Smith

The Houston Texans had to fire Lovie Smith as their coach when these three reasons are considered.

The Houston Texans fired coach Lovie Smith on Sunday evening.

Despite the fact the Texans finished 3-13-1 with a 32-31 win over the Indianapolis Colts, and posted a 2-3 record in their final five games, including tight matchups with the playoff-bound Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, Houston decided to move in another direction.

The coaching move will commence the third consecutive offseason in the Nick Caserio era that the Texans will conduct a coaching search.

Last offseason the Texans settled on promoting Smith from defensive coordinator to coach after a month-long search. The end result was suboptimal.

Here are three reasons why the Texans had to move on from Smith.

Tony Dungy incensed with Texans’ decision to fire Lovie Smith

Former Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy is upset the Houston Texans decided to fire Lovie Smith after a 3-13-1 season.

Count Tony Dungy as someone who is not pleased with the Houston Texans’ decision to fire Lovie Smith as coach.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach and current NBC Sports analyst took to Twitter Sunday evening to react to the news of the Texans firing Smith after a 3-13-1 finish.

“What are the Texans doing,” Dungy wrote. “What kind of operation is this where you don’t have any convictions about supporting the coaches you hire. Who is going to want to coach there if you might only get one year to implement your plans. Two years in a row is ridiculous.”

Dungy raises an interesting notion that the Texans are displaying a lack of convictions about providing support for coaches when they fire them after just one season. It could be argued that Smith’s plans, especially on the defensive side of the ball, already had two years of implementation due to the fact Smith was hired as defensive coordinator on David Culley’s staff in 2021.

Firing a coach two years in a row is also puzzling and could be a deterrent to other candidates. What kind of stability is there in a job when it has been shown on record the past two seasons they are willing to get rid of a coach.

Smith got his start coaching at the NFL level under Dungy with the Buccaneers in 1996 as linebackers coach. Smith remained at the position through the 2000 season when he was hired by the St. Louis Rams during the 2001 offseason. Smith later was the coach of the Chicago Bears in 2006 and ended up going to Super Bowl XLI where they faced Dungy’s Colts.

Houston Texans fire Lovie Smith and Twitter reacts

The Houston Texans fired Lovie Smith as their coach, and Twitter was full of reactions.

The Houston Texans fired Lovie Smith as their coach Sunday evening.

The Texans finished 3-13-1 and the organization decided to initiate a search for a new coach for the third time in as many offseasons.

General manager Nick Caserio thanked Smith for his contributions to the team in the past two seasons — one as defensive coordinator and the last as coach — and emphasized the move was about improving as an organization.

“I’m constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time,” said Caserio. “It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program that can sustain success over a long period of time. We aren’t there right now, however, with the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I’m confident in the direction of our football program moving forward.”

Twitter was full of takes after learning of the firing of Smith.

Lovie Smith thought he would return as Houston Texans’ coach

Lovie Smith thought he would return to the Houston Texans after finishing 2022 with a 3-13-1 record.

Even though the Houston Texans finished 3-13-1, a record worse than the 4-13 finish a season ago that cost rookie coach David Culley his job, Lovie Smith thought he would get another shot.

After the Texans’ 32-31 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 that resulted in Houston not securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 as a result, Smith told reporters that he expected to be back with the Texans the next season.

“A couple things, and that’s all I’m going to say about that,” Smith said. “First off, they’re reports. I don’t know what the reports are. Yeah, I meet with [chairman and CEO] Cal (McNair) every Monday. I met with him this past Monday. As far as — we talk about what’s happening the last game. We understand the totality of the season on what’s going on. Do I expect to be back? Yeah, I expect to be back. Absolutely.”

When asked to elaborate of a scenario wherein he wouldn’t return to the Texans, Smith said, “No need for hypotheticals. I can’t get into those.”

The 3-13-1 finish is also the second-worst of Smith’s coaching career. The worst record for Smith was in 2014 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 2-14.

Smith, a former 2005 NFL Coach of the Year, was brought into the Texans organization as a defensive coordinator on Culley’s staff. Smith retained duties as defensive play-caller after taking over for Culley as coach in Feb. 2022.

[listicle id=80110]