Former Colts coach Caldwell interviews
Jim Caldwell, an experienced coach and quarter back mentor, interviewed Monday for the Texans’ head coaching vacancy.
Caldwell, 65, is the first candidate to interview for the Texans job, which came open when chairman and chief executive officer Cal McNair fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien following an 0-4 start.
A former Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts head coach, Caldwell has been a part of two Super Bowl winners. He was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl in 2012 and coached Super Bowl MVP quarterback Joe Flacco.
As assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach of the Colts squad that won the 2006 Super Bowl, Caldwell coached Peyton Manning.
Because of Caldwell’s quarterback background, the former Wake Forest head coach is regarded as a potentially good fit with Texans Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“Jim is an outstanding person, period, and an offensive-minded teacher with so much insight into the game,” said John Wooten, a retired Browns All-Pro guard who blocked for Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown and was a Dallas Cowboys and Ravens executive.
“Look at his records. Jim has always been an outstanding teacher as it relates to the offensive side of the football. He knows the mechanics of the quarterback position. He certainly deserves the opportunity.”
Caldwell has a 62-50 all-time record as a head coach. He went 3628 with the Lions from 2015-17, making the playoffs his first and third seasons in Detroit. He went 0-2 in the playoffs.
After one year under general manager Bob Quinn, Caldwell was fired and replaced by Matt Patricia, his former New England Patriots colleague, as Detroit’s coach. Quinn and Patricia were fired this year after the Texans’ Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions.
Caldwell was 26-22 as the Colts’ head coach from 2009-11, leading them to the Super Bowl in his first year after a 14-2 regular season. He was fired after a 2-14 season in 2011.
After being dismissed by the Lions in 2017, Caldwell interviewed with the Packers, Jets and Browns in 2018.
The NFL has attempted to improve its diversity by enhancing the Rooney Rule and incentivizing hiring minority coaches.
Caldwell was going to be Miami coach Brian Flores’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach but instead took a leave of absence to address health issues. Caldwell is healthy now. “There was an illness, and I’m very happy to hear the illness is all behind him,” said Wooten, a former chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. “Now Jim can go ahead with a great career. Houston is an ideal situation for Jimbe cause they have an outstanding quarterback in Deshaun Watson.”
Caldwell said on former Texans and Lions safety Glover Quin’s podcast that he’s feeling great and has lost 32 pounds on a plantbased diet.
“Feeling great, actually,” said Caldwell, a four-year starting defensive back at Iowa. “Almost back to fighting weight, but I feel good. I had an issue that popped up that really was something that could be corrected without surgery and just amatter of getting a little bitmore rest and watching my diet, that kind of thing, and exercise, which I’ve always done.”