The Houston Texans hired a 65-year-old rookie coach to take over for a 4-12 club that fired its coach-general manager after an 0-4 start in 2020.
Throw in the fact that David Culley, the new hire, more than likely won’t have the benefit of three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson, and the former Baltimore Ravens receivers coach and passing game coordinator is set to have a punishing introduction as the Texans’ fourth full-time coach in team history.
What are realistic expectations for Culley in 2021?
Bruce Arians was 60 years old when he took over the Arizona Cardinals, albeit he got a chance to prove himself on an interim basis with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 when coach Chuck Pagano was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Nevertheless, Arians was an “old guy” who got his first crack at being the man on the sidelines, and led Arizona to a 10-6 finish after fizzling to 5-11 the year before. Arians stayed with the Cardinals through the 2017 season and led them to three winning seasons, two postseason qualifications, and a berth in the NFC Championship Game.
Former Texans defensive coordinator Vic Fangio finally got his first coaching gig in 2019 with the Denver Broncos, also age 60 for his first game. The Broncos went 7-9 and then backslid to 5-11 in 2020.
The difference between Arians and Fangio is quarterback play. Arians had the benefit of Pro Bowler Carson Palmer still being in his prime when they both got to the desert. Fangio is still working through ambivalence at quarterback as the organization continues to believe in Drew Lock despite the results on the field not yet manifesting.
Culley will be in a similar situation with uncertainty at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor is a Pro Bowler, but that was in 2015. He also led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years, but that was in 2017, the last time he ever played a full season.
What Culley has going for him through the offseason workouts, according to general manager Nick Caserio, is his consistency.
“I would say his consistency day-to-day is phenomenal,” Caserio told reporters on May 10 at the Texans’ charity golf classic. “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.”
The Texans will probably be their opponent’s tune-up game for 17 weeks this season. However, if Culley can stay consistent and not let the travails beat him down, it will help to rebuild the culture in Houston, which is in dire need of revitalization after how the Bill O’Brien era crashed and burned.
As long as the players believe in what Culley and the staff is building, then the Texans are on the right track, regardless of how lopsided the W-L column may look by January.