Safety hitting home for O’Brien, family
As NFL teams finally get on the practice field to begin the conditioning part of training camp, every coach and general manager is being forced to adjust because of the COVID-19 threat.
Bill O’Brien is the only coach who also has the title of general manager. His dual role with the Texans as teacher and administrator is demanding enough during these unprecedented times, but when he goes home at night, O’Brien has an even greater challenge — trying to protect his oldest son, Jack, from getting the disease that’s killed more than 155,000 Americans.
Jack O’Brien, 17, was born with lissencephaly, a rare neurological disorder. A lot of players have opted to not play this season because of family members who have preexisting conditions. Jack’s health is a constant concern for O’Brien, his wife,
Colleen, and his youngest son, Michael.
“There’s definitely concerns when it comes to that,” O’Brien said Friday in a Zoom conference call with reporters. “If Jack were to contract the coronavirus, it would not be good for Jack. It wouldn’t be good for anybody’s family, but especially with a special needs child like Jack.
“Colleen and I have talked a lot about it, and we feel like we’re handling it the right way. It’s been a tough six months for everybody’s family, and we’re trying to take it one day at a time.”
The O’Briens have to be especially vigilant with Jack. He’s the main reason his father has been tested 20 times for COVID-19 and washes his hands “about 50 times a day.” O’Brien is careful to follow every NFL protocol that’s been implemented at NRG Stadium and Houston Methodist Training Center.
“I give Colleen a lot of credit,” he said. “She’s 24/7 with Jack and Michael. Here (stadium), we’re practicing good social distancing habits.
We’re wearing masks, doing what we’re supposed to do, but it’s still day-to-day with Jack.”
Day-to-day is a good way to describe how the Texans are dealing with their new normal. O’Brien mentioned face-recognition entrances, traffic patterns inside the stadium, a redesigned practice bubble for player meetings, three locker rooms, multiple cafeterias and a weight room that gets “scrubbed a half-dozen times a day.”
O’Brien called NRG Stadium the cleanest building in Houston. He works closely with executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, and they rely heavily on their training, medical and operations staffs to make sure the players have every possible advantage and adhere to league-mandated protocols.
O’Brien reiterated Friday he thinks it’ll be a difficult season for rookies because they were unable to get on-field coaching during the offseason program. He pointed out veteran leadership is essential to a team’s success this season.
With no NBA-type bubble for players, players have rules about what they can and can’t do once they leave the facility. Going to clubs and other indoor venues are prohibited. They can be fined and suspended and potentially lose a lot of money.
“I think the most disciplined team away from the building is going to have the best chance to win,” O’Brien said. “We have a really good veteran team that understands that. We have to be ready for anything that happens, but so far, so good.”
Ordinarily, the Texans would have been on the practice field the day after they reported. Instead, they had to test negative three times over a four-day period before they could enter the building to undergo physicals and get their equipment.
When the players aren’t meeting with the coaches in the practice bubble, where they wear masks and social distance. They continue to do a lot of Zoom meetings.
If everything goes according to plan and there are no COVID-19 outbreaks like the Miami Marlins have experienced, the Texans are supposed to put on pads for the first time on Aug. 14.
“That’s when we’ll start what we call real football,” O’Brien said.
Because there are no preseason games or joint practices to help the Texans prepare for the first game Sept. 10 at Kansas City, O’Brien is going to have some scrimmages.
“We’re going to have to plan at least two or three scrimmages,” he said. “It’s also going to be different for coaches. They’re not going to have preseason games to iron out some of the communication issues and substitutions during the game.
“The scrimmages will give players an opportunity to get on film and do some things they would have been able to show in preseason games.”
Even though this should be a season for the veterans, some rookies will still impress coaches faster than others.
“I think it’s going to be a tough year for rookies,” O’Brien said. “Rookies usually have eight weeks of spring — right after the draft (and) usually through June — to get indoctrinated into pro football.
“I think veteran leadership on this team is going to be key.
“I do believe you can still develop players. I think our staff does a good job of that. I just think it’ll be a lot harder.”
O’Brien, Easterby and those working with them are trying to prepare for every possible situation that could arise because of COVID-19. Teams may have a quarterback, kicker and others who are kept away from their teammates in case of an emergency and they have to play.
“We’ve gone through thousands of different scenarios,” O’Brien said. “Just talking about any position, whether it’s the quarterback, kicker (or) long snapper. We feel like with the roster flexibility and the rules that are going to be in place relative to the roster, we think that we will be able to deal with those things.
“There’s just so many unknowns. It’s hard to say exactly what is going to happen, but we cover all the bases every day.”