There are not many NFL franchises that can claim to have had a great deal of success against either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but the Houston Texans in particular have a difficult time dealing with arguably two of the top five quarterbacks to ever step foot on the gridiron. Against those two legendary quarterbacks, the Texans were just 5-24 all-time, so as the old saying goes, 'If you can't beat 'em, get someone who played with 'em to join you!'
The Texans made their first addition of the offseason to the coaching staff today, hiring former New York Giants assistant offensive line coach -- and former center for both the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots -- James Ferentz to a role on their offensive staff. Although it's possible that Ferentz will retain that very same position with the Texans, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Ferentz is also expected to work with Houston's tight ends after the team moved on from previous tight ends coach Jake Moreland earlier this week.
Ferentz won a Super Bowl title with the Denver Broncos ten years ago, and then just three years later he was part of another Super Bowl winning team, the last of the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era in New England. Prior, Ferentz played for his father, legendary Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz, and was a 2nd Team All Big Ten performer in his final collegiate season.
Ferentz's time in New England also overlapped with the tenures of offensive coordinator Nick Caley, offensive line coach Cole Popovich, senior offensive assistant Jerry Schlupinski, and general manager Nick Caserio, who was serving as New England's director of player personnel when Ferentz was signed by the Patriots in 2017.
Considering that Ferentz's father and brother are both coaches, it makes perfect sense that the youngest son followed in their footsteps. Even as he was still fighting for roster spots as a player, James Ferentz was already acknowledging that coaching was in his future.