O’Brien will be whistling while he works now
When Bill O’Brien goes to work this week at NRG Stadium, he should have a little more pep in his step.
His co-workers can expect O’Brien to wear a smile rather than a scowl.
This will be good-mood Bill, not the wild Bill who patrols the halls during the season, snarling because injuries forced him to start a quarterback signed off the street, play a fifth left tackle, use a guard at tight end and look for replacements for a first-team defensive line that was wiped out.
This should be one of the best weeks of his career.
O’Brien just signed a four-year contract extension that takes him through the 2022 season.
He got the general manager he wanted in Brian Gaine. They developed a mutual respect and became friends during Gaine’s three seasons (2014-2016) as Texans pro personnel director and director of player personnel.
O’Brien knows he will get to coach quarterback Deshaun Watson beyond next season and will get back a lot of other players who suffered season-ending injuries.
One of the many reasons owner Bob McNair signed O’Brien to an extension was because of the way he coached Watson, who was magnificent before his
season was ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
With O’Brien as his primary coach who called the plays, Watson was on a pace to throw 43 touchdown passes. The Texans averaged 39 points in his last five starts.
“I’m very excited to continue growing with Deshaun,” O’Brien said over the weekend. “I’m excited to coach all the other guys, too. We feel like we’ve got a good core group of players that we love coaching.
“We’re getting J.J. (Watt) and Whitney (Mercilus) back, as well as some others. We’ve got players like DeAndre (Hopkins) and Jadeveon (Clowney) and (Benardrick) McKinney in the prime of their careers. We’re thrilled to be able to continue to work with all of those players.”
And, of course, O’Brien is thrilled to work with Gaine.
The working relationship between O’Brien and former general manager Rick Smith had run its course after four years.
Past experience a plus
When Gaine served as Smith’s right-hand man on personnel decisions, he worked closely with O’Brien. Gaine participated in four drafts and free-agent periods before leaving in May for the Buffalo Bills.
O’Brien knows what role Gaine played in decisions by Smith, who had final say on personnel and tried to find players who fit what the coaches wanted at their positions. Some worked; some didn’t.
O’Brien knows who Gaine liked and didn’t like.
“Brian’s a very detailed and thorough evaluator,” O’Brien said. “He’s a very hard worker. He’s a guy the organization really believes in.
“He made great strides with our (personnel) department. He mentored the younger scouts. Across the organization, there was great confidence in him. Now that he’s back, I think everybody’s excited about it.”
Gaine will answer to owner Bob McNair and vice chairman Cal McNair. He signed a five-year contract and will have control of the personnel department and football operations, just as Smith did.
Gaine knows his coach
Gaine has seen O’Brien behind the scenes and believes they will work well together.
“Bill’s a very competitive person in pursuit of winning,” Gaine said. “That’s an admirable trait to have in the very competitive business of pro football.”
As a player, Gaine spent time on practice squads with the New York Jets, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs before beginning his NFL scouting career.
Other than the Texans, Gaine has worked with the Jets (1999-2004), Dallas (2005-2007), Miami (20082013) and Buffalo (2017).
Gaine, who wasn’t given authority over personnel until the McNairs offered him that responsibility, has worked with a lot of coaches.
“Bill loves the craft of coaching,” Gaine said. “He’s also passionate about the process of building a winner.
“There’s a process that goes into winning, and that’s the preparation of getting to Sunday. He’s excellent in regard to that process.”
Depending on what time of the year it is, Gaine and O’Brien should communicate almost daily.
“Bill’s a great partner as it relates to a unified effort between coaching and personnel to do what it takes to build a program,” Gaine said. “And it’s not just from what you see on Sundays. It’s what goes into it from the locker room to the training room to the practice field to strength and conditioning — all those factors that go into it.”
O’Brien and Gaine have a lot of work to do to resurrect a 4-12 team that produced the Texans’ first losing season since 2013. They have the same goal.
“We’re going to represent the McNair family to the best of our ability and try to bring a championship to Houston,” O’Brien said.