No, the Houston Texans’ 2022 season has not gone as most fans hoped. After tying the perennial playoff-contending Indianapolis Colts on opening weekend, it looked like head coach Lovie Smith might have something up his sleeve and the team’s rebuild was going to be quicker than people thought. Then they lost seven of their next eight and now it’s all about looking forward to next year.
Part of the “next year” talk has inevitably landed on the idea that Lovie needs to go. After all, at the moment, it seems as though Houston has somehow taken a step back from 2021. While last year wasn’t a particularly good season, the Texans went 2-2 in their final four games and there appeared to be growth. That hasn’t paid off this fall and there’s a growing push to move on to the “next guy.”
Firing the coach is always a cathartic way to deal with a lost season. It makes people feel like the front office is being proactive in the face of something going very, very wrong. But when it comes to this year’s version of the Texans and what should be done, Nick Caserio should stand pat this time. In other words, he should take a page from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders are right there with the Houston Texans as far as struggling more than people expected this season. Most people thought head coach Josh McDaniels’ was the magic wand that was going to turn David Carr and company into playoff, if not Super Bowl contenders.
Lovie Smith explaining a bit of his philosophy on cover 2 on 3rd downs and not worrying about it being predictable. Always appreciate when coaches dive in schematically a little even though they can’t say too much publicly. pic.twitter.com/TPt8sIwjQP
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) November 10, 2022
Instead, first-year head coach McDaniels is off to a 2-7 start, and it feels like the team is even worse than that. After his latest loss, there has been more than a few people thinking he might be on the chopping block. However Mark Davis, well-known son of Raiders’ found Al Davis has made it clear McDaniels’ job is safe.
“As far as Josh goes, I have no issues,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday. “I’m getting to know him a lot better. When you sign someone to a contract, don’t you expect him to fulfill the contract?”
No, Houston Texans fans shouldn’t get all excited about the idea of the team making Lovie Smith “fulfill his contract.” That’s actually not the best argument out there. But just like McDaniels, Lovie deserves more time.
Houston Texans need to give Lovie more time
The former Chicago Bears head coach has a young team that is clearly rebuilding. It’s also got a quarterback in Davis Mills who may or may not be the QB1 of the future.
The big reason why the Houston Texans need to give their current head coach more time at the helm is that the team really doesn’t seem that far away from taking the next step. This isn’t a team that’s getting blown out week in and week out.
Six of its nine games have been one-score contests. Of its seven losses so far, ironically enough, the only one that should be galling at all is a bad loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, ironically enough.
If the Raiders, who do seem to have better weapons and more talent are going to stick with McDaniels, then the Houston Texans need to let Lovie Smith have more time to try and build on what is still an undertalented squad overall.