The Houston Texans set David Culley up to fail

David Culley had the best of intentions for his first head coaching gig. The Houston Texans didn’t.

Many fans are calling for David Culley’s job as head coach. This doesn’t appear to be something that will happen during the season. But afterward, It’s more than possible, it’s likely. But was there ever a doubt?

The way the Houston Texans put the team together proves that the front office never had a desire to win this year. Yes, they’re saying all the right things. They talk like they wanted to win with this group. But it doesn’t take an expert to see through that deception quickly. Culley was set up to fail.

When Nick Caserio was interviewing head coaching candidates or refusing an interview, the wheels were turning. The Texans could not offer a future head coach any guarantees. They had no quarterback, no high draft picks, minimal talent, and no financial flexibility in free agency.

Bill O’Brien was so “very helpful” in ensuring the organization was worse off than when he arrived. So, Nick Caserio was stuck with an unmarketable product. There was a collective, “WHO?!” when Culley was announced. Perhaps we should have been saying, “Why??” instead?

The Houston Texans’ terrible infrastructure railroaded Culley into a situation he cannot win in

Culley is a prime candidate for a “one and done” head coach. It’s not a stretch to believe that that was the plan all along. In 2022 Caserio has a brand new “toy” that he can sell to a head coach candidate who can lead this team.

The Texans are poised to potentially have multiple first-round picks (only contingent on a near-impossible Deshaun Watson trade) and roughly $60 million in cap space- all the things he didn’t have to offer last year. Culley just wanted a job after chasing it for 27 years.

He didn’t need “perks.” Caserio took advantage of that. Now, he can move Culley into a different position in the organization (wouldn’t it be nice if he replaced Easterby?) to not embarrass a man due to respect and fix the top coaching position.

Culley deserves no blame, only respect. Just because Culley rose to a position above his abilities doesn’t mean you fail. It just means your skills can be better utilized elsewhere. Culley knows the game; he’s just not a “field general.” There’s no shame in that. After all, it was Caserio’s idea in the first place.

It was well-publicized that some highly regarded candidates refused an interview with the Texans. That makes perfect sense with the mess the organization is in. As previously stated, Caserio had nothing to offer. In 2022 he will. This time around, Caserio will have more to market his team to candidates. That’s a good start.