New gm caserio’s biggest priority: hiring a new coach
Nick Caserio’s No. 1 priority as the Texans’ new general manager will be hiring a head coach who becomes the face of the franchise.
Caserio, 45, is being introduced to the media on a Zoom conference call on Friday. He’ll be besieged with questions about his new team, including the disillusionment of his two stars — quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt — and the role of Jack Easterby, the executive director of football operation.
I’m sure Caserio will assure the hysterical fan base there’s no way Watson will be traded — even if he asks, which he hasn’t. That’s a moot point because it ain’t happening. Watson is here to stay for a long time.
I figure Caserio will be asked more than one question about Easterby. They’re friends after working together for six years with the Patriots. They’ve been reunited by owner Cal Mcnair and entrusted with the responsibility of revitalizing a 4-12 team that was a humongous disappointment one year after winning the AFC South and beating Buffalo in the playoffs.
What I’m the most interested in is the head coaching search, what candidates Caserio might be interested in and who that might be. I’m sure he won’t be every forthcoming after spending 20 years with the Patriots, the most secretive organization in professional sports.
After he finds the coach he likes, Caserio should be able to ease up a bit and smile every now and then while he’s trying to transform a roster that was riddled with injuries, suspensions and COVID-19.
Hiring the new coach may take some time.
After their seasons are finished, the Texans plan to interview Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Tennessee offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. They notified the Colts and Texans of their plans. Eberflus and Smith are expected to have multiple interviews and possibly multiple options.
Before Caserio was hired, the Texans interviewed two former coaches — Jim Caldwell (Indianapolis and Detroit) and Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati). They interviewed Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady last week.
Now that Caserio is the general manager, he also should have candidates he’s interested in interviewing. He’ll oversee the search with Mcnair, narrow the field and then recommend his candidate to the owner, who’ll sign off on it.
With Caserio and a new head coach, the Texans can put the Bill O’brien era behind them and start working on an assistant coaching staff, a roster with salary cap issues and no draft choices in the first two rounds.
When it comes to hiring a head coach, Caserio will be in an interesting position because he’s never witnessed an NFL coaching search. He’s never participated in a hiring process because he worked with one coach in his 20-year career with New England: Bill Belichick.
In 2000, Belichick was hired by Patriots owner
Robert Kraft. One year later, Caserio was hired as an offensive assistant by director of player personnel Scott Pioli.
Caserio saw so many members of his organization move on, including many of his friends, and now Mcnair is giving him the authority to resurrect the personnel side of the operation.
If Caserio didn’t share the same vision as Mcnair, he wouldn’t have been hired. Mcnair wants a “leader of men,” as he calls it. He wants a workaholic who comes to NRG Stadium every day with a positive attitude. He wants Caserio and the new coach to create a positive working environment.
Mcnair wants Caserio and the coach to work closely together and have clearly defined roles. As the general manager, Caserio is in charge of everything on the personnel side. He’ll delegate some of his responsibilities to Easterby as Belichick delegated them to Caserio.
The coach will be in charge of his staff and the game day roster. Mcnair knows there will be disagreements between Caserio and his head coach over personnel issues, but he doesn’t want them to become personal, destroy their relationship and threaten to rip apart the operation.
Mcnair knows what he wants in a new coach, and he knows how he wants his organization to operate. Now it’s up to Caserio to make a shrewd decision when it comes to recommending the first head coach of what is now his 21st year in the NFL.