One of the more intriguing caveats to a head coaching interview happened inside the Houston Texans’ division.
Dubbed the “Leftwich effect” by our friends over at Black and Teal, the Jacksonville Jaguars were faced with a decision of fully hiring Byron Leftwich or sticking with the current General Manager and franchise implosion-specialist Trent Baalke.
Leftwich wanted to bring in Adrian Wilson, the VP of Pro Scouting for the Arizona Cardinals, to be his GM. It was a simple “Me or him” situation and one that Jaguars’ Owner Shad Khan probably wasn’t and isn’t ready for.
As interesting as that situation is, the Houston Texans could have their own situation like that. If the candidate doesn’t like Nick Caserio or Jack Easterby, it could spell trouble. It remains unclear as of this writing what Jacksonville is going to do.
Brian Flores is going to be high on the #Giants’ list, and it would seem per sources, that the #Texans’ hard-lined decision to move off Deshaun Watson could nudge Flores further from Houston. https://t.co/8csCU9t0lT
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) January 21, 2022
It’s just hard to see Cal McNair giving into the candidate’s demands, as Caserio and Easterby could be safe.
The Houston Texans should listen to their coach, not the GM
It’s another straightforward concept to understand. For McNair, making sure his head coach is happy will go a long way in rebuilding the Houston Texans franchise. If there is any conflict between Caserio and the new guy, it’s going to be a recipe for disaster,
Suppose the Texans have a chance to hire Brian Flores (just to give an example), who reportedly was abrasive during his final season in Miami. In that case, this is a possibility. It would be wise to take the head coach and figure out the new GM later.
Resetting quickly on a GM can be easier than getting a second coach in as many years. But unfortunately, the latter is what Houston is currently faced with. So what’s The lesson that’s learned here?
Don’t disregard an excellent head coaching option just because the owner wants to keep the general manager around. Don’t be like Jacksonville, Houston.