Poll: Does Bill O’Brien Have Staying Power With Texans
By Randy Gurzi
Since becoming a franchise in 2002 the Houston Texans have showed some patience in allowing their coaches to build a roster and have stuck with them through tough times. Because of their patience there have only been three full-time head coaches and one interim coach in their 13-years of existence.
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The first coach was Dom Capers and Houston gave him four years despite the fact that he had a winning percentage of only 28.1%. With a record of 18-46, Capers was given every opportunity to be a success, but he was never able to build a consistently competitive team.
Next was Gary Kubiak, who coached the team from 2006-2013 and had a record of 61-64, but did get the team to the playoffs more than once and they had a 2-2 playoff record. There were some up and downs for Kubiak and it took him three seasons before finally having a winning record at 9-7.
After some successful years, things fell apart for the coach and he was fired after starting 2-11 in 2013 and replaced with interim coach Wade Phillips, who subsequently went 0-3, and was not brought back for his former role of defensive coordinator.
This brings us to the current ball coach, Bill O’Brien, who is fresh off a surprising 9-7 season, which was an amazing turnaround that saw seven more wins than the previous year. After such a feat all the talk about coach Bill seems to be positive, but after some moves may have raised eyebrows, it seems like a good time to ask if O’Brien has staying power with the Texans, or is he a one-year wonder about to fizzle out.
One move that puzzled some was the release of 2013 second round pick, safety D.J. Swearinger. The former South Carolina Gamecock was a good player who hit hard, but lacked at times in coverage. Still, cutting such a young player so quickly seems odd, especially given the lack of depth behind the projected starters Rahim Moore and Stevie Brown.
Another move that is confusing is the fact that O’Brien has brought in former Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer, a journeyman who has never been a solid starter, and given him the first reins at OTA’s. Will O’Brien’s preference for coverage safeties like Moore and Brown result in a soft defense, and is it a mistake for him to believe Hoyer is the better option at quarterback over Ryan Mallett?
Obviously there are no easy answers and if it all pans out O’Brien will look brilliant. What I want to know is if the fans believe in the coach and feel he will have the ability to stick around and build a competitive team for years to come.
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