Will Bill O’Brien become the next Houston Texans head coach?

Nov 30, 2013; Madison, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Bill O

The rumors are current Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien could make his return to the NFL in 2014, and he is one of the top candidates for the head coaching job for the Houston Texans.

Houston Culture Map reported:

"“Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is the leading candidate to be the Houston Texans’ next coach, a source close to the search tells CultureMap.”"

The site also said:

"“O’Brien separated himself with the poise he’s shown under extreme circumstances at Penn State University, his NFL experience under New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his track record of getting the best out of quarterbacks.”"

As for the source, who knows, but if the Texans were able to hire O’Brien away from Happy Valley, the hire would be huge for a Texans team in big need of discipline and a change of culture.

If anyone knows how to change a culture, it is O’Brien, who completely revamped the Penn State football program the past two seasons following multiple NCAA sanctions by the previous administration at the school.

What I like best about O’Brien is his ability to groom quarterbacks, and one “project” could be Case Keenum.

Sure, I wrote Sunday that I don’t believe Keenum is the answer for the Texans at QB, but that doesn’t mean I know anything … it is just my opinion. O’Brien can groom QBs.

What I do know is whomever becomes the next head coach will have to either groom Keenum over the offseason to become a better player or draft a QB in the early rounds of the draft and groom that player quickly.

The Texans need a quarterback now, but they need offensive line help as well.

If there is one coach who I truly believe could turn around the mess that has become Houston Texans football in a hurry, and groom a quarterback in the process, it is O’Brien.

Tom Brady had one of his greatest years with O’Brien, and look at the past two years at Penn State and their quarterback play. He worked wonders with Matt McGloin (currently the starter for the Oakland Raiders) and now with current PSU freshman QB Christian Hackenberg.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple other coaching candidates I feel could get the job done in Houston as well (Lovie Smith, Ken Whisenhunt), but I’m a fan of O’Brien’s work, and he’s proven he can turn a program around quickly.

If O’Brien wants to coach in the NFL again, he will (and can), so why not become the next coach for the Texans? He would turn this franchise back in the right direction … in a hurry.

What are your thoughts on O’Brien being linked to the Texans? Let us know at the Toro Times.