A football life
TEXANS OWNER’S PASSION FOR GAME, FAMILY AND HOUSTON UNMATCHED
They planned to visit him. • Texans coach Bill O’Brien, general manager Brian Gaine and players from an NFL team that has won seven consecutive games and would be two days away from “Monday Night Football.” • Now, televisions across the country will see RCM decals proudly displayed on Texans helmets. And on the day when his players were supposed to check in on ailing team founder and owner Bob McNair, O’Brien suddenly found himself reflecting on all the old memories and new feelings.
The fifth-year coach warmly impersonated a thick Southern accent while telling a classic McNair story.
“He had a great sense of humor,” O’Brien said Saturday, after the Texans practiced for a Week 12 contest against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. “I would call him a lot and he would say, ‘Billy’ or ‘O’B, how we doing today?’ It was pretty funny.”
O’Brien recalled how much the man who brought the NFL back to Houston truly cared about his players. Asking about J.J. Watt. Checking in on Deshaun Watson. Wondering about Johnathan Joseph, DeAndre Hopkins, Nick Martin and so many others on an ever-changing roster.
“He had a great way of communicating. He never lost his cool,” O’Brien said. “He was just a very introspective, thoughtful guy who wanted to win. He was a very competitive guy but it wasn’t outwardly — he wasn’t yelling and screaming.
“If you lost a game, he just wanted to know, ‘Hey, what happened?’ or ‘Can we do this better? Why can’t we do this?’ He was just a very, very honest man and never pulled any punches.” Charitable mam
Then O’Brien’s voice changed again.
The importance of family on Kirby Drive was mentioned.
Another personal McNair story followed.
“It sends a chill down my spine,” the Texans’ coach said.
O’Brien’s son, Jack, attended the Caroline School, which provides unique educational services to meet the physical, social and cognitive needs of individuals with disabilities. McNair and his wife, Janice, wrote checks for $50,000 in support.
“That always meant a lot to (my wife) Colleen and I,” said O’Brien, who became emotional and paused several times to collect himself. “That was who he was. That was the type of stuff that he did. A good man. He was a good man.”
Capturing the depth of McNair’s life, O’Brien also roared in laughter when reminded of their polar-opposite personalities and backgrounds.
“There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
The coach also revealed the strength of an evolving relationship that started when he met McNair, his son, Cal, and former Texans GM Rick Smith at a small, hotel-type room in Massachusetts, then saw O’Brien visit McNair at his house several times after the team’s 4-12 season in 2017, when a new path for the franchise was being established.
“We had some good talks,” O’Brien said. “He asked me a lot about how I liked being here, how I liked living in Houston. I asked him a lot about exactly what type of organization he wanted.” Honest approach The third head coach in franchise history led the Texans for 74 regular-season games and to two AFC South titles under McNair. When O’Brien was hired Jan. 3, 2014, McNair said he always wanted to be told the truth. As the years passed — Ryan Fitzpatrick to Brock Osweiler to Watson; Hurricane Harvey, season-changing injuries and staff changes — the honesty and directness increased. So did the bond between owner and coach.
“Sometimes the truth is whatever your opinion is,” O’Brien said. “So a lot of times I would give him my opinion and I felt like I was trying to give him my honest opinion all the time. He didn’t always agree with that and he would be very thoughtful about what his counterpoint was. But many times he did agree with it.”
O’Brien’s final memory of speaking with McNair dates to about a month ago. He called the Texans’ owner. A familiar, friendly voice came through the line.
“He answered the phone and he’s like, ‘Billy, how are we doing?’ And we talked a lot,” O’Brien said. “We had won a couple games and we were doing better and he was happy about that. And then things took a turn for the worse; he went into the hospital.
“Brian (Gaine) and I communicated with Cal every single day. Cal’s a good man and very easy to communicate with. I would try to text with Janice to see how things were going, but things weren’t going great. So I tried to give them, obviously, a lot of privacy.”
As McNair’s death became national news Friday night, the Texans’ coach found himself speaking with offensive line coach Mike Devlin about the sudden and challenging realities of life.
“It is a hard thing to get adjusted to,” said O’Brien, who gathered the Texans together for a moment of silence before Saturday’s practice. “Because in your mind you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. I’m never going to see Bob McNair again.’ And there were times, obviously, for years where we saw him every single day and he came out to practice every day.
“And so it is hard to know that you won’t see him again. But it’s great knowing that you’re going to be able to see Janice and Cal and Hannah and the rest of the McNair family, probably on Monday night.” Family matters
Answers to questions about McNair kept coming back to family.
He believed everyone on Kirby Drive was in it together, O’Brien said, whether you were selling tickets or coaching linebackers. The cafeteria and team weight room were open to employees. Grandchildren attended Texans practices.
“I’m not saying I’m not that way. But, in football, sometimes you’re not thinking all the time about family,” O’Brien said. “I learned a lot about that over time. This is a guy that cared deeply about his organization, his city and the family that he had created at the Houston Texans.” McNair’s devotion to Houston? “I would always ask him, ‘You know, Bob. You’re from North Carolina. You went to South Carolina,’ ” O’Brien joked. “But he’s like, ‘Billy, I’ve been here since 1960. Houston is my home.’ He knew everything about Houston. How it was developed from the ’60s on. Where to go eat. All the different neighborhoods.
“He would give me directions. I would be like, ‘How do I get to?’ if I was going to some high school game with (my son) Michael or something. ‘Bob, how do I get to this high school?’ He’s like, ‘You just go over here, up Bissonnet, then over here.’ ”
McNair’s life advice to his coach?
“One thing he would always tell me. He would say, ‘O’B, you need to take some time off,’ ” O’Brien said. “He would say, ‘You need to get out of that office. You need to get out of there sometimes.’ He would always advise me on, ‘Don’t work yourself to death.’ ” Goals remain
Saturday was supposed to be the day the Texans checked in on their owner. McNair, 81, passed away Friday. “We were all, actually, going to go see him,” O’Brien said. “Brian Gaine and I were going to take some players and go see him this afternoon. He made it home and he passed away at home right before we could do that.”
Then the coach whom McNair first believed in five seasons ago in Massachusetts captured it all.
The NFL’s triumphant return to Houston. The Texans. A fan base that believes but hopes for so much more.
A football team, trying to bring a Super Bowl trophy to its city, now with even more to play for.
“He was very passionate about the fans and he was very passionate about bringing a winner to Houston,” O’Brien said. “That’s why I hope that we can continue to win here, because that would be the greatest thing for Bob.
“Knowing that Bob’s looking down from heaven — I’m going to tell you right now, Bob is in heaven. And that he’s able to see some day … a real winner here. That’s really what he wanted (for) the fans and the city of Houston.”