Faith in O’Brien begins to show dividends
Widely criticized personnel moves made by de facto GM look better as season goes on
When Cal McNair awarded coach Bill O’Brien full authority over personnel in early June, the Texans’ chairman was accused of losing his mind.
McNair was ridiculed for making a preposterous decision to put O’Brien in control of the personnel department. That move made O’Brien the general manager without the title and, in essence, the third-most powerful person in the organization behind the McNairs — Janice, the controlling owner, and her son, Cal, who oversees the team.
Howls of scorn from media and fans were directed at the Texans. What in the world was McNair thinking? Or was he thinking at all? What kind of snake oil was he trying to sell his loyal and passionate ticketholders and sponsors? What made him think O’Brien could handle personnel when he had enough issues calling plays and managing the clock?
The widespread accusations of incompetence skyrocketed when O’Brien started flexing his muscles during training camp. It reached epic proportions on Aug. 31 when he was accused of weakening the team this season and also mortgaging the future with trades proving he was clueless about making smart personnel decisions.
Getting rid of outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney for a third-round pick and two backups? Trading a pair of firstround draft choices and a second-round selection for an offensive tackle and wide receiver?
Surrendering a fourth-round pick that would surely become a third-rounder for a reserve running back? Or how about dealing an offensive lineman drafted in the third round last year for another reserve running back who’d bounced around the NFL like a pinball?
O’Brien the coach had to be fired immediately to save the franchise from O’Brien the general manager, right? That’s what the public demanded. It was a dereliction of duty by O’Brien, and McNair was to blame for this untenable situation.
O’Brien had sought what every head coach wants — control of personnel or, as Bill Parcells put it, buying the groceries and cooking the dinner. He saw how it worked in New England with Bill Belichick, and he thirsted for the same kind of power. He finally got it when McNair fired general manager Brian Gaine.
The Texans preached patience, which is in short supply in the NFL. But now, six weeks into the season and 4½ months since McNair put O’Brien in charge, they don’t look so foolish, do they?
The Texans are 4-2 and in first place in the AFC South. They’re coming off impressive victories over Atlanta and Kansas City. They’re earning respect around the NFL. Fans and media are praising O’Brien the coach and O’Brien the general manager.
Of the 53 players on the roster last week, 24 are in their first season with the Texans. Eleven of those 24 have been acquired since O’Brien was given final say on personnel.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills, acquired in the expensive and highly criticized trade with Miami for the three high draft choices, have helped elevate the performance of the offense.
Tunsil has been exceptional, solving a problem at the most important position on the retooled offensive line. Deshaun Watson hasn’t been sacked in the last two games in which he’s thrown for 706 yards and helped the offense generate 1,064.
Stills, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, averages a team-high 17.1 yards a catch and provides bigplay capability for Watson.
Whitney Mercilus has done a nice job replacing Clowney on the weak side. Outside linebacker Jacob Martin, acquired in the Seattle trade, has pass-rush skills off the edge and has contributed some big plays to the defense.
And those backup running backs?
Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson have been a revelation.
To replace the injured Lamar Miller, O’Brien got Hyde from Kansas City for offensive lineman Martinas Rankin. Earlier, he had dealt a conditional fourth-round pick to Cleveland for Johnson. If Johnson is on the active roster for 10 games — and he will be barring injury — the pick will become a third-rounder.
How much have Hyde and Johnson helped?
The Texans are fifth in rushing, averaging 139.8 yards a game after Sunday’s 192-yard performance in the victory at Arrowhead Stadium. Together, Hyde and Johnson average 110.8 yards a game and 4.9 per carry.
Other moves O’Brien made aided the victory over the Chiefs. Cornerback Phillip Gaines, signed as a free agent, became the third corner when Johnathan Joseph couldn’t play because of a hamstring injury.
Gaines’ role increased Sunday when the other starting cornerback, Bradley Roby, left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for a month. When Gaines stepped into the No. 2 cornerback role, another O’Brien move, Keion Crossen, entered the game.
Crossen was acquired from the Patriots for a sixth-round pick. Gaines and Crossen came off the bench to contribute to a victory that might have been the most impressive and important of O’Brien’s career.
Based on what we’ve seen, Trader Bill isn’t finished making deals. He’ll be churning the roster as the Texans try to continue winning and competing for the Super Bowl.
“We brought a lot of new guys in right at the beginning of the season (and) that’s not easy,” O’Brien said Monday. “We felt good about the type of pros we were bringing in and that they would understand.”
The new guys understood they had to dive in and learn on the fly. The coaches did a good job of teaching them.
“I think these guys have done a good job of trying to get in here and learn the game plan,” O’Brien said. “I think they’re more comfortable now with how we do things — how we meet, how we practice, where the training room is, where the cafeteria is — all the little things you can’t take for granted.
“All the guys that joined us at the beginning of the season have done a good job of trying to acclimate themselves to how we do things.”
And O’Brien the coach is still trying to acclimate himself on how a general manager does things. He was asked Monday if he has his best roster since he came to Houston in 2014?
“Not sure I look at it that way,” he said. “It’s more year to year, and this year we’ve done a decent job of trying to anticipate — whether it’s an injury or some things we may need down the road relative to who we’re playing. And this goes all the way back to the offseason.
“Whether it was trading for Duke Johnson or most recently signing Phillip Gaines. Whatever it is, I think we do a good job of communicating — myself, (executive vice president of team development) Jack Easterby, (director of player personnel) Matt Bazirgan, (senior vice president of administration) Chris Olsen — we communicate all the time on the roster, and I think we’re working well as a team.”