The Houston Texans announced Monday afternoon they have interviewed former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell for the coaching job to replace Bill O’Brien, who was fired on Oct. 5.
The interview makes sense for the Texans.
Though Caldwell spent three seasons with the Colts as their coach from 2009-11, and his last season ending ignominiously with a 2-14 finish, his work with the Lions was especially impressive. Consider that prior to his arrival in 2014, Detroit had one playoff appearance since 2000, albeit that appearance was in recent memory in 2011. Nonetheless, Caldwell was able to get the Lions back on track after the Jim Schwartz era and get Detroit back into the playoffs.
The Lions’ two playoff appearances over a three year span (2014-16) is their highest frequency of postseason qualification since Barry Sanders, when they were able to go to the playoffs five times from 1989-98. Caldwell’s 7-9 mark in 2015 was the only losing season he had with the Lions. Since the Lions fired Caldwell after a 9-7 record in 2017, the Lions have sustained double-digit losing seasons under coach Matt Patricia.
Caldwell was Peyton Manning’s quarterbacks coach from 2002-08 prior to his taking over as coach. Caldwell was also the Baltimore Ravens’ quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator in 2012 when they won the Super Bowl, which was also the season that helped Joe Flacco earn his contract extension as he had an 11-0 touchdown to interception ratio all throughout the victorious postseason.
The 65-year-old has worked with proven quarterbacks before in Manning, Flacco, and Matthew Stafford and cultivated results. He has also helped teams achieve what they weren’t able to before, though the lone exception would ironically be the Colts, who lost 31-17 to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. However, Caldwell’s track record as a coach demonstrates improvement.
Giving Caldwell an interview is part of the process, but it shouldn’t stop with Caldwell. Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair has to make the right hire when it comes to installing a coach that is going to work with a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback in Deshaun Watson.