Adapting to the new normal
O’Brien, staff practicing social distancing, meeting virtually with prospects ahead of draft
The new normal for Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien has brought him to his backyard patio.
That’s where he has conducted critical elements of the Texans’ business during a busy offseason altered by the novel coronavirus pandemic and the implementation of social distancing guidelines and other NFL restrictions.
O’Brien uses Zoom, FaceTime, Discord and other video conferencing technology to talk to draft prospects and communicate with his staff. He talks trades and plots strategy in person with vice president of football operations Jack Easterby in his backyard and during walks in his neighborhood where they shout ideas back and forth from 10 feet apart.
Adapting to working from home has been a major change for many people, especially a football coach and first-year general manager accustomed to being at NRG Stadium for most of the day.
“The stadium is kind of my home away from home,” O’Brien said. “So it’s been hard for me to be adjusted to working at home. I enjoy going into the stadium, I enjoy the face-to-face interaction with the players and the coaches and the scouts and all of the other people that work in in the Texans organization, and you don’t really have that. So that’s been an adjustment for me, but we’ve adjusted, we’ve adapted.”
NFL teams aren’t allowed to host draft visits or conduct private workouts, so O’Brien and his staff have leaned on Zoom and other technology or just made a lot of telephone calls to talk with draft prospects.
That includes conducting video conferences with several players, including Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, Charlotte pass rusher Alex Highsmith, Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu, Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins, Texas Tech defensive tackle Broderick Washington and University of Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones, a Bush alumnus.
“It’s a lot more FaceTime than in the past,” O’Brien said. “We’ve called a lot of different players. We’ve studied a lot of film, obviously separately, but then we’ve been able to come together on Zoom calls and be able to communicate about what we see with players on film. I think we’ve done a good job.
“There’s been challenges, but we’ve been able to do a lot of good things to be ready for the draft. I would say on the back patio here, we practice social distancing. (Director of player personnel) Matt Bazirgan, Jack Easterby, they come over a lot, we stay 10 feet apart. We feel very good about our preparation for the draft.”
O’Brien didn’t seem worried about drafting virtually during the three-day event that starts Thursday. The NFL is going to have a mock draft to allow teams to run through the picks and see how the process will work. The league is going to allow teams extra time during the draft if there’s a technological snag.
“I don’t know if I would call it a concern, I would say just making sure that your cellphone works,” O’Brien said. “If a team is trying to call you or you’re trying to call a team, making sure you have the ability to contact another team or they have the ability to contact you. I’m not concerned about the NFL, the technology.”
The Texans plan to start their virtual offseason April 27, concluding May 15. That will mean holding meetings on Zoom and Discord, which allows them to show film. They can send a chalkboard to quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“I feel good about those guys learning and seeing because you can see and you can teach, you can show film,” O’Brien said. “If you want to get up on the board and draw something or if Deshaun has a question, we’ll send him a chalkboard. He can draw it up on the board, whatever it takes until we can get back together.
“We’ll do what’s best for everybody and obey the rules, but we’ve got all that mapped out. It’s going to be different, but we’re looking forward to seeing everybody in a little bit here.”
The strength and conditioning component of the offseason program includes strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubanks sending workout programs to players and nutritionist Ladd Harris communicating with players about eating healthy.
NFL teams are allowed to use a $1,500 stipend per player to purchase workout equipment. Many players have adapted by working out at home. Center Nick Martin works out in his garage after loading up his truck with equipment from the Texans’ weight room.
“It’s a very unique time,” O’Brien said. “Our people in those programs are doing a really good job of communicating with those guys on a daily basis, but it is hard because they don’t have the field and they don’t have the weight room. A majority of your guys are going to have really understand what it’s going to take to be in shape when they do tell us we can play.”