O’Brien wins power play with McNair
By picking Gaine as GM, owner really is backing his coach.
The news HOUSTON — release arrived at 9:53 Saturday morning.
“The Houston Texans have hired Brian Gaine as general manager and extended the contract of head coach Bill O’Brien . ... Gaine signed a five-year deal and O’Brien was extended for four years, with both deals running through 2022.”
More than 1,100 words. The new GM’s life and career bio. Select highlights of O’Brien’s initial four years coaching Houston’s biggest pro sports team.
All that really needed to be said: Bob McNair believes in O’Brien.
That’s it. Because that’s the true takeaway from a decision that was months in the making and, once made by the big man up above, re-established order on Kirby Drive. McNair. O’Brien. Gaine. That’s the Texans’ new world order.
I told you more than two years ago that McNair’s franchise was heading toward this breaking point. The Chronicle reported two weeks ago about the unbridgeable divide that had forced McNair to finally choose sides. And even though we’re still waiting on the Texans owner to speak to the masses, Saturday’s news confirmed everything this paper had been reporting. Rick who? The Texans’ immediate and long-term futures were on the line. McNair had to decide and back one side.
“Bill O’Brien has been a tremendous leader for us these last four years, and we believe in his vision for the team moving forward,” the owner said in a statement. “Bill is a terrific teacher that the players respect. We have a lot of trust in him to build a unified, championship culture, and we’re thrilled to have him as our head coach into the future.”
Ex-GM Rick Smith’s name wasn’t mentioned once. Neither was the Texans’ pitiful 4-12 record in 2017, which saw the back-to-back AFC South champs plummet to the bottom of their division and finish tied for third-worst in the league.
It was just praise, positive statistics and the vague promise of something better than everything you’ve received before.
“Our committee was unanimous in praise for Brian Gaine and we are all aligned in our philosophy on how to continue to build our roster and win a championship,” McNair said.
“Brian is an incredibly smart, hardworking individual that understands the importance of good communication. We couldn’t be more excited about naming him our new general manager.”
Communication. Aligned. There are those all-important words again.
It’s amazing that after 16 years of owning a pro football team, McNair is now publicly celebrating getting everyone on the same philosophical page.
It’s also clearer than ever that McNair — and, thus, the Texans — are still learning how to win.
Who else would gift-wrap a multiyear extension after going 4-12?
Why did this appear in an otherwise celebratory news release?
“In 2017, the Texans dealt with multiple injuries to their roster, which led to an NFL-record 78 different players recording at least one snap on offense, defense or special teams.”
O’Brien now has a firsttime GM he sees eye to eye with because the Texans’ brass was sold on his personal vision. By siding with a coach who possesses a 31-33 career record and providing Smith with a graceful exit after 12 consistently frustrating years on Kirby, McNair ultimately acknowledged that the old, comfortable ways weren’t working and the outdated Texans were falling behind the NFL’s cutting-edge franchises.
Now, you’re going to hear the term “four-year extension” over and over and over the next eight months, especially on talk radio. Ignore it and don’t waste your time.
After three solid (but frustrating) seasons with way too many handpicked quarterbacks (and Brock Osweiler), O’Brien deserved one more shot — a prove-it year — with a healthy Deshaun Watson. But his new job security will disappear as soon as another bad season arrives.
Just ask Jack Del Rio, who received an O’Brien-like deal from Oakland last February, then was forced to walk the plank on live TV after that wild-eyed guy from “Monday Night Football” decided he needed a little extra pocket change.
We’ll know this year whether O’Brien can really begin to create McNair’s “championship culture.”
Franchise QB. GM in his corner. DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt. No excuses.
The potential is there. Gaine has spent his career working toward this job. O’Brien has spent his football life building toward this moment.
Power, influence and alignment. Now, just win.
After just one pro season, it’s already easy to picture the 22-year-old Watson eventually guiding the Texans to the first Super Bowl in this city’s history.
If the team can protect him and surround him with championship talent.
If McNair backed the right coach.
‘Bill O’Brien has been a tremendous leader for us these last four years, and we believe in his vision for the team moving forward. We have a lot of trust in him to build a unified, championship culture.’ Texans owner Bob McNair (right) on coach Bill O’Brien