Tag: Texans coaching

4 areas Texans coaching candidate Jonathan Gannon excelled in Eagles’ 38-7 thrashing of the Giants

Houston Texans coaching candidate Jonathan Gannon facilitated a dynamic performance as the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the New York Giants 38-7.

The Houston Texans have had a first interview with Jonathan Gannon this hiring cycle, but they got to see him make his case as a coaching candidate on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the New York Giants 38-7 in the NFC divisional playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field. Gannon’s defense smothered the Giants and kept the lid on quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley as Philadelphia’s offense built a 28-0 halftime lead.

The performance by the Eagles was more evidence that Gannon had taken the defense’s promising floor in 2021 and built upon it.

Here are four areas where Gannon’s defense excelled against New York.

How desirable is the Texans’ coaching job?

The Houston Texans coaching job isn’t officially open, but how desirable would the gig be if Nick Caserio moved on from David Culley?

Coach David Culley hasn’t exactly been the elixir to cure what ails the Houston Texans after two years of letting Bill O’Brien double up as coach and general manager.

Houston is 4-11 and sustained an eight-game losing streak that featured the Texans giving away winnable games to the New England Patriots in Week 5, the Miami Dolphins in Week 9. Even after Houston seemed to get back on track following a surprise win over the Tennessee Titans on the road, Houston gave away the momentum the very next week against the New York Jets at home.

The Texans are currently on a two-game winning streak, but the evaluation of Culley’s job still continues with two games left.

If a new coach were to come to Houston, Bill Barnwell from ESPN believes the draft capital will be attractive. However, the uncertainty at quarterback, the lack of talent, and the ambivalence from chairman and CEO Cal McNair could keep good candidates away.

The situation above the coaching staff in Houston feels like a minefield. [General manager] (Nick) Caserio was imported from the Patriots to run football operations. Former New England team chaplain Jack Easterby has a meaningful-but-undefined role within the organization. Owner Cal McNair has shown virtually no evidence of competency since inheriting the team from his father. I took many issues with the roster moves Bill O’Brien made during his time running personnel with the Texans, but it was bizarre to see McNair back the former Penn State coach for two offseasons before firing O’Brien four games into the 2020 season. Any coach who interviews for this job is going to look over his shoulder and wonder whether he’s about to lose a political struggle or get kicked out if Josh McDaniels is willing to leave New England.

The Texans may be in store for another year of Culley as the rebuilding process will continue throughout 2022.

Cardinals DE J.J. Watt appreciates ‘business-like atmosphere’ Kliff Kingsbury instills

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt says that he likes the culture of the Arizona Cardinals under Kliff Kingsbury.

HOUSTON — When J.J. Watt takes the field on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, for the first time in his career, he will do so as an opponent of the Houston Texans.

Watt and the Arizona Cardinals will look to continue their blistering start to the 2021 campaign, as the franchise sits at 6-0 ahead of their Week 7 match against the Texans.

Since departing the Texans in early February, Watt went from a team in Houston on the cusp of a rebuild, to a ball club in Arizona that has a chance to represent the NFC at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. But Watt’s experience with the Cardinals goes beyond the early success following an exasperated 4-12 season with the Texans a year prior.

“I think the thing that is really making this thing go is the business-like atmosphere,” Watt said when speaking to Houston reporters on Thursday. “Kliff [Kingsbury] sets a great culture where he handles what he handles and lets everyone else do their job. He trusts his coaches and players. Every day is work-like, and it’s been awesome.”

Watt said his decision to sign with the Cardinals came by the potential he saw in the organization following an 8-8 season in 2020. By joining a team that featured his former teammate in DeAndre Hopkins and rising star Kyler Murray, Watt saw an opportunity in Arizona that did not exist with the Texans.

With one sack on the season, Watt’s numbers do not justify his impact on the Cardinals’ success, but the 32-year-old defensive end has Arizona amid the top defensive teams in the league through the first six games.

Since joining the Cardinals, Watt has played more inside of the defensive line other than taking the helm at the end of the team’s d-line.

Watt said the familiarity with Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is another reason why his transition from Houston to Arizona has been “easy and great.” Watt began his career playing under Joseph as the Texans’ defensive back coach during his first three seasons in the NFL from 2011-2013.

“Whatever the team asks of me — I do,” Watt said. “Whatever it takes to win. I think our team has that same mentality here and it is part of the reason why we are successful here. Nobody cares about who will get the credit. All we care about is getting the one number that matters, and that’s to win.”

Ahead of the reunion, the inevitable roster turnover the Texans ultimately underwent since his final game with the organization has made it just another contest for Watt. From the scouting report, Watt said he noticed that Houston’s rookie quarterback Davis Mills has a quick release from the pocket — which he deems a good challenge for the Cardinals’ defense.

Although he views the unrecognizable Texans as just another opponent, Watt will look to sustain his on-field dominance against his former team but will do so with a sincere devotion for the City of Houston and its fans.

“I have a massive amount of love and respect for the city of Houston and their fans,” Watt said. “That’s one of the toughest parts for me, just knowing how unbelievable that fan base and the city is when everything is going great.”

“When at its peak, it is a beautiful thing, and I wish that for the city. I hope one day it can happen again.”

Instant analysis: Texans coach David Culley not superb against the Browns

Houston Texans coach David Culley wasn’t at his best during the Cleveland Browns’ 31-21 win in Week 2.

Houston Texans coach David Culley preaches consistency and has a penchant for fixating on pre-snap penalties.

Six of the Texans’ 11 penalties against the Cleveland Browns in Houston’s 31-21 loss were either pre-snap infractions or dead ball fouls.

As if that didn’t underscore the Texans’ problems with detail, the first punt return of the game definitely highlighted the issue. Receiver Andre Roberts muffed the punt and allowed the Browns’ drive to continue. The Browns made Houston pay the price with a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.

Houston also had a questionable decision from the coaching staff early in the second quarter. The Texans faced a fourth-and-2 from the Cleveland 49-yard line. Instead of going for it, the Texans sent punter Cam Johnston in for a punt. The risk in punting was they would get a touchback, which they did. The reward was they could back up the Browns inside their own 10.

The risk for Houston if they went for it was they would give the Browns the ball back at midfield. The reward would be the drive would continue and put points on the board for Houston. The Texans passed it up.

Of course, the ensuing Browns drive ended with safety Justin Reid picking off quarterback Baker Mayfield, which was a great way for Houston to keep fighting.

And “fight” is what the Texans embody under Culley. When rookie quarterback Davis Mills spelled an injured Tyrod Taylor coming out of the halftime locker room, the Texans didn’t fold. The game was 14-14, and it did get away from them, but it was mostly due to injuries to frontline starters. The Texans didn’t pack it in, which does speak to the culture on the roster instilled by Culley that want to continue to chase victory despite the odds.

Culley will have the biggest challenge of his budding career this week as he has to get the Texans ready for the 2-0 Carolina Panthers on a short week with a rookie starting under center.

Texans WR Brandin Cooks says OC Tim Kelly is ‘a lot more smooth’ in second year as play-caller

Houston Texans receiver Brandin Cooks was pleased with the way OC Tim Kelly called the offense in the 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

No Deshaun Watson. No DeAndre Hopkins. No Will Fuller. The Houston Texans didn’t have any of the star power on offense that carried them to AFC South crowns the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, the Texans generated 449 total yards, went 12-of-21 on third downs, and didn’t have a single turnover. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 21 passes on 33 attempts for 291 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Brandin Cooks caught five passes for 132 yards.

The new faces of the Texans’ offense made a great first impression, and it was third-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s play-calling that helped.

“I mean, the confidence right off the bat, you just see he’s a lot more smooth with the play calling having a year under his belt,” Cooks said of Kelly’s play-calling after the 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at NRG Stadium. “The guy is smart, and he uses all his guys, and that’s what you love about him. You never know what you’re going to get.”

Taylor was pleased with the play-calling from Kelly, but also acknowledged that they need to get better in some aspects.

“Coach TK (Kelly) done a great of calling the game today, and like I said, we could have been better in some aspects,” said Taylor. “We’ll clean that up and continue to keep moving forward.”

Coach David Culley was impressed with the way Kelly was able to feel the game and not force his game plan into the action.

Said Culley: “Tim threw it when we knew we had some one-on-ones. We made some plays there. Then when we had a good box to run, we run. Tyrod had some checks, and he ended up putting us in some nice checks to be able to give us a chance to be able to run the ball. And we had some nice runs.”

The Texans will get another shot to see just what they have in terms of offensive brain trust when they take on the 0-1 Cleveland Browns next Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Texans working on chemistry, holding a barbecue instead of practice

The Houston Texans are holding a barbecue instead of practice to strengthen their cohesion.

The Houston Texans aren’t practicing with 10 days to go until their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Sept. 12 at NRG Stadium.

According to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790, the team is holding a barbecue, a team-bonding event designed to strengthen the cohesion among the coaches and players.

The Texans face an uphill climb as they seek to win games in the NFL with a run-heavy offense backed by an opportunistic defense. Rookie coach David Culley certainly will have his own challenges as he becomes the top boss on the sideline for the first time in his career — ever, at any level.

“I like where we are from the standpoint of I like our effort and with what we have been trying to get done,” Culley told reporters on Aug. 31.

No word if quarterback Deshaun Watson is at the barbecue.

Is David Culley the right coach to lead the 2021 Texans?

The Houston Texans made an interesting hire in 65-year-old David Culley. Is he actually the right coach for the job in 2021?

The Houston Texans made a no-surprise yet successful hire in Nick Caserio as their general manager. The move was almost a completion of a year and a half arc that began with the firing of general manager Brian Gaine on June 7, 2019.

The hiring of 65-year-old rookie coach David Culley, who had never been a coordinator in his 27 seasons in the NFL, was quite a shocker and replete with questions.

According to ESPN, which ranked NFL teams according to their own three-year power rankings, Culley may be the right man to fix the Texans. Analyst Louis Riddick provided detail, even though it was in the “biggest worry” part of the evaluation.

David Culley walked into one-of-a-kind dysfunction in Houston, and for a first-time head coach who has waited a long time to get his opportunity, it appears that he has been set up to fail. Culley is a man of impeccable character and leadership skills, so if anyone can fix the culture in Houston, it is him.

At the Texans’ charity golf classic on May 10, general manager Nick Caserio spoke of Culley’s constant positivity as one of Culley’s hallmarks.

“I would say his consistency day-to-day is phenomenal,” Caserio said. “His attitude, his messaging to the players, messaging to the coaching staff. Every day you walk in the building, he’s the same guy regardless of what’s going on. That speaks to who he is. Honestly, it’s no different — we talked about this in the opening press conference — it’s no different now than however many years ago when I met him on the field at the combine, fast forward however many years later.

“So that consistency day-to-day has been a hallmark of his all his whole career and he’s done nothing to dissuade us from thinking otherwise.”

If Culley can get the most out of a veteran roster that the rest of the sports media has written off, it will be one of the more meritorious coaching jobs in the 2021 season.

WATCH: Texans coach David Culley mic’d up for OTAs

Houston Texans coach David Culley was wearing a microphone during the last session of organized team activities.

The Houston Texans released an interesting video on their official YouTube channel on Monday.

The AFC South club posted a 2:35 video of first-year coach David Culley mic’d up throughout the last session of organized team activities to conclude the team’s eight-week offseason workout program.

“If you looked around and see most of our coaches and you see us with this one right here,” Culley says while pointing to his shirt that says “Team. Team. Team.” “Man, don’t forget that. Just remember that’s what we’re all about. That’s what we’re all about. And you know what, these last four weeks, that’s what we want to find out. And that’s what we are. And that’s what we’re going to be. And when we come back here, that’s what we’re going to be.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtIn_xghVwA

Although quarterback Tyrod Taylor is the only player observed breaking down the end of practice, suggesting he has taken the mantle as unofficial leader of the team, general manager Nick Caserio says it is just an example of one player among many who have shown leadership throughout the offseason workouts.

“I would say we had a number of players who have shown good leadership throughout the spring,” Caserio told “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 on June 14. “All of our practices, and quite frankly it was a different player that broke the team down, but leadership comes in many different shapes and sizes. Everybody can kind of lead in their own way. It’s not necessarily about who is the most vociferous or who is the loudest. I think leadership is about doing. It’s about action. It’s about work. I would say there’s a number of players that fit that classification.

“So, I would say there’s a number of players that fall into that category. Players like Tyrod would certainly be part of that conversation. I would say some other players who have shown that and displayed that through the course of the offseason.”

Culley does bring energy and enthusiasm to the Texans, which is an element they will need as they seek to form a cohesive bond that can help the club rebound from its 4-12 finish in 2020.

What is David Culley’s message to the Texans’ 2021 draft class?

New Houston Texans coach David Culley has a message for members of the incoming 2021 NFL draft class who join the AFC South club.

The Houston Texans have eight draft choices for the 2021 NFL draft.

They may trade back and add more picks. They may trade up and have a small draft class, similar to last year’s five-man draft class.

Regardless, the Texans will be adding newcomers from the college ranks, and first-year coach David Culley has a message for the youngsters.

“We’ve got a wonderful opportunity for you here,” Culley told ABC 13 [KTRK-TV]. “We’re building something special here. It’s a wonderful organization with wonderful people.”

ABC 13 will be airing an exclusive interview with Culley during their 10:00 p.m. newscast following the channel’s coverage of the NFL draft.

“I love being here in Houston with the Texans,” Culley said.

Culley will have to cultivate that same motivation from the rest of the roster, including the Texans’ new draft class. Houston finished 4-12 in 2020, firing coach and general manager Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start. With new general manager Nick Caserio in the front office and Culley on the sidelines, the Texans are hopeful they can turn the page to a more optimistic and victorious era in Houston sports.

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Texans QB coach Pep Hamilton to participate in leadership and networking program for minority coaches

Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton will take part in the National Coalition for Minority Football Coaches’ leadership program.

Houston Texans quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton will be part of a leadership and networking program for minority coaches through the National Coalition for Minority Football Coaches.

The NCMFC announced the first class of the Coalition Academy on Thursday according to Deephi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com. The opportunity will be year-long and will help pair athletic directors with minority assistant coaches.

“As part of our efforts to provide comprehensive educational opportunities and networking to minority coaches, the Academy allows our participants to build upon their on-field experiences with the off-field information necessary as they advance,” NCMFC Board Member Desiree Reed-Francois said. “In the end, as in many professions, relationships and advocacy matter. The Academy will hopefully foster lifelong relationships between coaches and decision-makers. The Academy will provide minority coaches with one more tool in their belt as they seek to advance their careers and we are grateful to the mentors and to the coaches for their willingness to move college athletics forward.”

The Coalition Academy will help minority coaches with individual mentoring as well as learn the “Xs and Os of hiring.” Coaches will gain insight into the hiring process and intangible skills as they are paired with athletic directors.

The Coalition will also track the progress of participants with a set of metrics and data to help improve the program for future participants.

The only other NFL coach to be a part of the 12-member inaugural class is Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.