To say Houston Texans fans are angry about the trade of DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals is putting it mildly.
According to the online petition site Change.org, Texans fans have started 10 petitions since March 16 asking that coach and general manager Bill O’Brien be fired.
Chance Diaz from Houston said in his petition entitled “Fire Bill O’Brien” that he is at his “wit’s end” with the Texans:
They continue to prove time and again they have no idea how to run a football team and it all stems from one man, Bill O’Brien. You would think after last season the front office would have done anything possible to protect Deshaun but the O-line is not significantly better than last season and now we have lost our second best defensive player. In exchange for Clowney we received backups and a 3rd pick. Change needs to occur and it starts with getting rid of the head coach. Even if Bill O’Brien doesn’t get fired they need to know how bad their decision making is.
Fans overreacting to a big loss is one thing. After all, there are among the 45 petitions that render when searching for “Bill O’Brien” petitions that ask for his removal following Week 4’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. However, trading a three-time All-Pro who represented the franchise well struck a chord with Texans fans.
Trading away Hopkins for All-Pro running back David Johnson is a huge gamble on O’Brien’s part, one that puts his reputation with chairman and CEO Cal McNair on the line. The trade also strains any credibility O’Brien had left with the fans.
As the old adage goes: “Winning cures all.” The problem is there’s nine months still to go until O’Brien can prove his way works. Until then, it’s an offseason of discontent with Houston sports fans zeroed in on the loss of Hopkins as the Houston Rockets and Houston Astros are put on ice thanks to the COVID-19 social distancing measures.