Tag: Texans front office

Will Nick Caserio stay on the headset for the Texans’ new coach?

Whoever the Houston Texans hire as their next coach, general manager Nick Caserio being on the headsets may be an area they have to acquiesce.

One of the more interesting parts of the David Culley era hardly had anything to do with the Houston Texans coach.

While Culley was the Texans’ fourth full-time coach in franchise history, he wasn’t the only decision-maker on the headsets. General manager Nick Caserio was on the Texans’ headsets since the first preseason game.

The situation may have been odd for Houston sports fans. However, Caserio was also on the headsets when he was with the New England Patriots as their director of player personnel.

The intriguing aspect that a new coach will have to deal with is whether or not they want to have their general manager on the game day headsets. Ostensibly, no other general manager does this in the NFL. John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers in a suite taking in the game. Similarly, Rick Smith and Charley Casserly were not on headsets when they were in the Texans’ front office.

Caserio sticking to the concept of being on headsets could drive away prospective candidates, including those with former Patriots ties. Maybe they only tolerated Caserio on the headsets in New England because Bill Belichick had the final say. Caserio may have too much influence, which leads to a different dynamic.

As the Texans work their way through candidates, having the general manager on the headsets may be a factor they have to consider when becoming Houston’s fifth full-time coach in franchise history.

Houston Texans fire coach David Culley after one season

The Houston Texans have evaluated enough, and have decided to fire coach David Culley after a 4-13 season in 2021.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans fired coach David Culley on Thursday after one season with the team. The decision to move on from Culley comes four days after general manager Nick Caserio took additional time to evaluate all phases of Houston’s football operations. 

Culley, a first-year coach, led the Texans to a 4-13 record, the second straight season the Texans finished with four wins and double-digit losses. The last time Houston had consecutive double-digit loss seasons was from 2005-06.

Culley is now the sixth coach to be released after the conclusion of the 2021 season — joining the jettisons of Vic Fangio (Broncos), Mike Zimmer (Vikings), Matt Nagy (Bears), Brian Flores (Dolphins) and Joe Judge (Giants). 

“I enjoyed every minute of it,” Culley said during his final media availability on Monday. “I learned a lot, a lot of things, as I said before earlier, in that coaching manual I had to go through things that weren’t in there, but that’s okay. I was told that was going to happen. But again, from start to finish, each game was different.”

Following the end of the 2020 season, the Texans hired Culley in January of 2021. He was the fourth head coach in franchise history and the first following the departure of Bill O’Brien three months prior. 

Despite finishing the season with the league’s third-worst record, players within the Texans’ locker room adored Culley as a leader.

“I thought Coach Culley did a great job his first year as a head coach,” Justin Britt said. “I feel like his leadership was consistent and who he was was consistent, and that’s what we needed here as a leader, someone to run this team.”

Britt continued: “I hope he gets another shot. I hope he gets to kind of showcase who he is, what he does, how he does it here because it would be really interesting to see the jump he takes with the team next year. If everything was right, it would be cool to come back.”

Texans legend Johnathan Joseph shares advice on rebuilding for the future

Former Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph has some ideas on how the team can weather the storm of a rebuild.

HOUSTON — When the Houston Texans took on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Week 14 interconference match was a Homecoming game at NRG Stadium to celebrate several franchise legends. Johnathan Joseph, who played for the Texans for eight consecutive seasons (2011-2019), was one of several legends in attendance and served as Houston’s Homefield Advantage Captain.

The last time Joseph suited up for the Texans, Houston sustained a 51-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during the Divisional Round of the 2019 playoffs. Nearly 24 months later, the state of the franchise has experienced a complete 180 from Joseph’s final act as a Texan.

And following Houston’s 33-13 loss to the Seahawks, it is going to take some time before the Texans will be able to replicate the similar success Joseph experienced with the team.

“They have to base a foundation and build from there,” Joseph said. “When I was here, we did a lot of winning. It’s because they spent a lot of time building it up and making the right decisions. It’s about putting pieces together and building off it.”

“It’s a funny feeling walking down the hallways with the way things have changed. But it’s a special day for me to be back.”

Joseph was a vital part of the Texans’ success during the 2010s. In 133 games played while recording 118 pass deflections and 32 interceptions, Joseph helped the Texans sustain one of the NFL’s most fierce defensive teams — en route to capturing half a dozen division titles.

In an attempt to bring some hope amidst the Texans’ 2-11 season, Joseph illustrated that a rebuild does not indicate that a team will remain in football purgatory.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback recalled his final season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010. The Bengals went 4-12 during the season. And similar to the Texans, their roster underwent a significant overhaul that offseason — which included starting quarterback Carson Palmer forcing his way to the then-Oakland Raiders.

The following year, the Bengals returned to the post-season with a 9-7 record, where they lost 31-10 to the Texans during the Wild Card round — Joseph’s fondest moment in Houston.

In addition to the team’s management putting the right pieces together, the development of the Texans’ younger players is correspondingly influential.

“You have to take it week-by-week and try not to be so critical of yourself,” he said. “If you can, go out and get a mentor. Someone who can slow the game down. The game has not change. But it is about guys being confident in their abilities.”

6 mistakes from the Cal McNair era that have wrecked the Texans

The Houston Texans are 2-10 and most of it is because of top-down decisions. Here are six mistakes Cal McNair has made since taking over.

The Houston Texans underwent significant change near the end of the 2018 season when founder Bob McNair passed away on Nov. 23, 2018.

Cal McNair took over as the chairman and CEO of the team. The Texans finished out that year with an 11-5 record and won the AFC South.

The first offseason — 2019 — was where the Texans started to take on water that ultimately has shipwrecked the team in 2021. For the first time since 2005-06, the Texans have put together double-digit loss seasons, and they have been shutout multiple times in the same season, an unprecedented feat.

Here are six mistakes that happened when Cal took over that have hurt the franchise.

Disgruntled Texans fans ravage tweet wishing Cal McNair a happy birthday

The Houston Texans’ official Twitter account wished chairman and CEO Cal McNair a happy birthday, and Texans fans provided their own wishes.

Fun fact: Oct. 24 is Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair’s 60th birthday.

Certainly McNair has had an interesting career in the NFL as his late father, Robert McNair, was the founder of the Texans.

The Texans’ official Twitter account did the right thing and honored McNair by wishing him a happy birthday.

However, disgruntled Texans fans, who have endured an offseason full of discontent, have seen their team stumble to a 1-5 start while riding a five-game losing streak, and are about to see former faces of the franchise in DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt return as Arizona Cardinals just weren’t having any of it.

Contrast that with last year’s similar tweet. Fans were somewhat optimistic after McNair fired Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start. With a franchise quarterback already locked up, pick the right general manager, right coach, and it could be good times in Houston again.

Winning cures all ills. Losing makes everything grating and insufferable.

Here are some tweets that highlight how Texans fans took the invitation.

Former Texans president Jamey Rootes takes job as new Houston Dynamo CEO

Former Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes has taken a job as the new CEO for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash, going back to soccer.

Jamey Rootes was riding off into the sunset in 2021.

He had the new book and he was going to stay active serving the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Partnership and the United Way of Greater Houston. Rootes was also going to teach undergraduates at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, a job he had already taken in January.

Sports appeared to be behind the man who had been with the Texans since 2000. Rootes was in his reflection and instruction phase after accomplishing so much sports wise in Clutch City.

Not so fast.

According to Vanessa Richardson of KPRC-TV in Houston, the former Texans president is going back to his roots and joining the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash as their new chief executive officer.

Before Rootes took the job to help Bob McNair bring the NFL back to Houston, he was the president and general manager of the Columbus Crew, also of Major League Soccer.

That Rootes took a job within the same city and is back in pro sports opens the question as to whether the Texans burned out one of their longest-tenured employees who was instrumental in building a winner over a 20-year arch.

The consolation for the Texans is that the new president, Greg Grissom, is a front office boss that learned plenty from the first ever Texans president.

“I got the opportunity to work for Jamey for almost 20 years,” Grissom told reporters on May 10 at the team’s charity golf classic. “What did I learn? I think it’s countless, too much to even ever really measure. He just taught me about doing the right thing, treating people the right way and investing back in our team and our teammates that work with us every day and then obviously our community as a whole.

“Jamey was a phenomenal mentor to me. I can’t thank him enough for the opportunities that he has helped me grow into. Very thankful for him.”

Houston sports benefits from keeping one of their more successful front office executives in the fold in Rootes. The Texans are hopeful one of his understudies can continue to build upon the foundation Rootes laid.

Where does the Texans’ McNair’s winning percentage rank among comparable NFL owners?

The Houston Texans are still amid frustrating times. Where does the McNair family’s winning percentage compare to comparable NFL owners?

Houston sports fans will be forever grateful to the McNair family for brining the NFL back to Space City.

However, the Texans’ recent struggles, coupled with 19 seasons and nary an AFC Championship Game appearance, have fans feeling sour about the direction of the franchise.

Although founder Bob McNair was awarded an NFL team in 1999, the franchise did not begin its first official season until 2002. Since 2000, there have been 10 ownership changes in the NFL, providing an extensive enough body of data to compare to how the McNairs have fared with the Texans.

Here is a list of where the McNairs rank among similar owners, categorized by winning percentage.

Texans offseason program Phase 3 begins May 24

The third phase of the Houston Texans’ offseason program begins Monday, and the team will start to have their 10 organized team activities.

The third phase of the Houston Texans’ offseason workout program starts Monday, May 24.

The phase includes 10 organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp that concludes the offseason program on June 15-17.

Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair told reporters on May 22 during the Texans Care Volunteer Day at the Harvard branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Houston that he is pleased with the way the team is coming together after meeting with coach David Culley and general manager Nick Caserio.

“I had a great meeting with Nick and coach, and we’re excited about the turnout (of players), how the team’s coming together and where it’s going,” McNair said via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “The players are excited about it (offseason program). The program’s voluntary. None of them have to (participate), but I think one reason they are is because they want to see what this staff is putting our team together.”

The Texans need every opportunity available to form cohesion as they seek to rebound from a 4-12 record and a third-place finish in the AFC South in 2020.

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New Texans president Greg Grissom working with mindset to pack NRG Stadium in 2021

New Houston Texans team president Greg Grissom hopes to fill NRG Stadium with fans in 2021.

Due to the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Houston Texans were one of 19 teams that allowed fans at their home games during the 2020 NFL season. The Texans set a 20% capacity inside NRG Stadium while averaging 12,400 fans in seven of the eight home games played. The max capacity for NRG Stadium is 71,795.

In March, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league plans to have full stadiums in 2021, and the Texans are moving along with the plan in place.

“That’s our intention right now,” first-year team president Greg Grissom said on Monday. “We’re working with that mindset, and the NFL’s working with that mindset in all the venues. We feel like by the time we get to August that we’ll be in a position to do that. And if for some reason, we aren’t and there’s a reason not to, then we’ll adjust our plan — just like we did last year.”

Grissom acknowledged that the goal for the Texans is to sell out every home game next season, which has always been the organization’s intention. Despite the lack of expectations surrounding the on-field talent, Grissom stated people are still interested in the Texans and excited.

Last year, the Texans finished the season with the league’s sixth-highest attendance, with a total of 86,800 spectators inside NRG Stadium. Houston’s 33-16 Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens was the only game the Texans played without fans in the stands.

“I think 2021 is just about getting it back going again and kind of adjusting to everything, getting people used to coming to football games again,” Grissom said. “Tailgating on Sundays and having those experiences that we all know and love, and then kind of get back as we move forward on how we can build and continue to grow as we have always done.”

Fans who are looking forward to making their return back to NRG Stadium can start planning on which games they would like to attend on Wednesday, during the NFL release of the 2021 schedule. In addition to their AFC South counterparts, the Texans will have home games against the Chargers, Jets, Patriots, Rams and Seahawks.

Cal McNair excited for Houston Texans 2021 schedule release

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair is looking forward to the release of the 2021 NFL schedule.

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair has great anticipation as the 2021 schedule is about to be released.

The NFL will release the schedule for all 32 teams on May 12 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. The Texans already know their opponents for 17 games and even where they will meet. The last question to be revealed is when.

“I’m excited for the schedule release,” McNair told reporters at the Texans’ 18th annual charity golf classic. “I think it’s Wednesday — Wednesday evening. That’s always a fun time. Then your friends plan their trips to go see a game they want to go see. There’s a lot of excitement around that. So, that’ll be a lot of fun later this week.”

In addition to their two-game series with each of their three AFC South foes, the Texans will play the NFC West and the AFC East this season. Their 17th game is another inter-conference matchup as the Texans take on the Carolina Panthers.

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