You might think it’s a little crazy to consider firing an NFL coach who’s gone 52-44 in his first six years at the helm, one who has led his team to a winning record in all but one of those seasons, four of which ended with his squad in the postseason. That kind of consistency is a rarity that franchises covet.
But the Houston Texans should absolutely consider firing Bill O’Brien. And they should look to the NBA to help them make their decision.
I keep thinking about the Golden State Warriors, who had just finished a 51-31 season in 2014 under Mark Jackson but exited in the first round in a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers. They had the Splash Brothers, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, the pieces of what would be a championship winner the very next season. But the front office first fired Jackson and hired Steve Kerr, who made an immediate impact.
Bill O’Brien’s Texans have won the AFC South in four of the last six years. On the surface that seems awesome.
Then you realize that in that same time period, Houston has never won a divisional playoff game, while literally the rest of the division has made the AFC Championship.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 13, 2020
The Toronto Raptors are another example. Dwane Casey compiled a 320-238 record in seven seasons as head coach, a run that seems kind of comparable to O’Brien’s — his Raptors made the playoffs five straight seasons, but they fell short of the Finals year after year. Despite having a contender-level roster, the Raps relieved Casey of his duties and turned to Nick Nurse, who was an assistant under Casey. The acquisition of Kawhi Leonard helped, but perhaps the change at the helm was a factor in 2019 when the Raps won a ring.
It feels that way with the Texans. They keep knocking at the door with Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. Although the defense struggled and J.J. Watt played only half a season, the Texans have some cap room to work with and improve the unit (maybe they follow the Packers’ blueprint from the last offseason?).
Although O’Brien’s accomplishments suggest his job should be safe, he had a horrific playoff game in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps, as my colleague Henry McKenna suggested, they should hire the Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy, who had a big hand in the embarrassing loss.
Bill O'Brien's decision to call a fake punt on fourth and 4 at his 31 with a 24-7 lead midway through the second quarter will go down as one of the worst in playoff history if the Texans blow this game as they're trying so hard to do.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 12, 2020
But the Texans shouldn’t just settle for another year of almosts to persuade them to keep O’Brien. This might be a case like the Warriors and Raptors, where they can take something good and make it greater.
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