Winning the AFC South title this year could actually be a bad thing for the Texans
We are now halfway through the 2015 NFL season and it is apparent that the AFC South has inherited the “ghost of under achievement” that belonged to the NFC South last year. As bad as the Texans season has been so far, the team is amazingly only one game behind the Indianapolis Colts in the standings.
The issues on this team are much deeper than what appears on the surface (albeit not very pretty as it is anyway). This franchise needs a Houston Astros-like organizational exorcism. From top to bottom. Literally starting with Bob McNair himself, every single position in the Texans organization should be carefully scrutinized. Is Cal McNair (Bob’s son and his heir apparent) ready to step in and take the reigns as owner, or at least provide much more input than he has previously?
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Although they are having a rough season this year due to injuries, there is a notable difference in the way that things operate for the Dallas Cowboys since Jerry Jones handed over control of personnel decisions to his son (and heir apparent) Stephen Jones . Perhaps it’s time to do the same in Houston.
Unlike his father who prior to snatching the ownership rights away from the cold dead hands of the city of Los Angeles probably never watched a football game, Cal McNair actually knows football. He was a former walk-on at the University of Texas and a high school standout at Cy-Fair High School.
Having your hand in the dirt in the trenches of course doesn’t guarantee success as a front office executive or owner, but it certainly helps to have some perspective. A NFL franchise isn’t your typical business investment, and someone who doesn’t at least understand the shell of how sports organizations should look won’t know what to expect when they acquire one (hint hint).
Bob McNair runs his team the same way that he ran his mega-energy conglomerate Cogen Technologies in the 90s (which by the way became a part of the now defunct Enron, another epic failure of an organization in Houston).
He “rides the wave” of conditions in the NFL market the exact same way that he did as an energy broker, waiting for the “right opportunity” where the risks are carefully calculated and conservatively taken only when the signs point to them being outweighed by the rewards.
Well Mr. McNair, that model doesn’t work in the NFL. You must have a foundation that is consistent in order to achieve success, and more importantly, you have to take risks that aren’t always calculated.
Having a “wild hair” to draft Xavier Su’a-Filo in the 2nd round of last year’s draft when no one had him on their 2nd round board isn’t exactly what I’m referring to in regards to risk-taking either (single party horn blowing).
The time to make this ownership transition couldn’t be better than the present. Daddy McNair has overcome his battle with cancer and we are all grateful for that, which is another reason why he should step down now and enjoy himself.
I’m sure that there are many wonderful golf courses and resorts across the planet that he hasn’t visited yet. Maybe it’s a good time to put some miles on that 100+ million dollar private jet? If he has a craving for italian food, then he should be able to dine on the best directly from the wonderful chefs in Rome. He’s earned that.
Robert McNair had a brilliant career as a businessman. He was a business mogul who had remarkable success in multiple industries. He was just never able to transfer that success to his endeavors as a professional football franchise owner. That being said, there’s absolutely no reason for him to continue forward. Quit while you’re ahead.
Before the “franchise savior” at quarterback is drafted. Before Rick Smith is or isn’t fired. Before Bill O’Brien and the coaching staff are evaluated for continuation or termination. It’s time to make the change at the top.
Winning the AFC South title this year however, may actually be to detriment in the process of transferring the ownership of the team to the new blood. As unpopular as it will be for me to say so, the Texans need to miss the playoffs this year.
Squeaking out a division title with a .500 or below record (which is certainly a possibility) would only create reasonable (yet unrealistic) doubt that the franchise is still heading in the right direction. At best they’ll host a wild card game where they most likely will be a first round feast for a grateful visiting team who will have a better record, and Texans fans will have the privilege of witnessing yet another thrashing of their team in the playoffs. Yeah that sounds exciting huh?
The ship isn’t heading in the right direction folks. It’s time for a new captain to steer the ship.
The sooner that the wound that is this franchise’s front office operations can be addressed, the sooner it is that the healing process can begin with a new leader and philosophy. It’s very good to be nice, but it’s also very nice to be good, if you catch my drift.