Caserio’s hiring comes with questions
Did Easterby have undue influence on filling such a crucial position?
So much for the promise of a clean slate.
#FireEasterby was a Twitter trending topic Wednesday morning before things really got crazy.
Franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson was back to his old ways, tweeting mysterious words that could have multiple meanings at once. “some things never change....” was posted to Watson’s account at 10:59 p.m. Tuesday.
And the huge general manager hire that was supposed to propel the horrible 2020 Texans into the rebirth that 2021 represents was ridiculed across this city as the evening sun
became another January sunrise.
Nick Caserio could be a great GM.
But thanks to CEO Cal McNair and soon-to-be-former interim GM Jack Easterby, Caserio was immediately thrust into an awkward Super Bowl-or-bust scenario.
The city-wide desire for a first NFL title was ultimately going to be the end result anyway. That’s what happens when a 25-yearold QB is this talented and a franchise has consistently been this backward and inept since its 2002 inception.
But hiring Caserio this quickly, with Easterby so clearly pulling the strings?
Ignoring all the recommended names provided by national search firm Korn Ferry, according to NFL Network, and turning to a leftover from a failed 2019 invasion of New England’s dynasty?
Ha ha ha.
In many ways, that’s all there is to say.
The Texans were also the only team with a head coach opening to not request an interview with Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, according to ESPN.
No wonder Watson tweeted “some things never change.”
Nothing shocks anymore when it comes to the powers that be on Kirby Drive.
I’m already looking forward to the official press release.
McNair, probably: “I hired Nick Caserio. No one told me to do anything. Especially not Jack Easterby.”
Misleading statements?
The Texans’ unproven big wig went out of hisway in recent months to downplay Easterby’s future inside NRG Stadium, his overall involvement with the Texans, and his influence on a search process targeting a new head coach and GM at the same time.
“I want to make it clear that Jack is not on our internal search committee for the next GM or head coach,” McNair said in a December statement to Sports Illustrated.
The Texans CEO misled fans for months, then misread the room. That’s the privilege that comes with owning a 4-12 team and knowing the entire time you don’t have to worry about reading a room because you can always buy the building. And the block.
When Brian Gaine was coldly fired as GM in June 2019, I told you it was about evenmore power for King Bill O’Brien and a larger role for the mostly unknown Easterby.
Nineteen months later, O’Brien is gone, the Texans are coming off another pitiful season with Watson as their quarterback, public relations disasters have piled up ... and guess who woke up Wednesday morning with more Texans power than ever?
The same guy in the middle of the #FireEasterby trend, of course.
In some futuristic alternate world, Easterby will soon step down from his do-everythingand-anything role, ending it all with a few simple but powerful words: “My work here is done.”
In the current real world, two ex-Patriots are set to run the 2021 Texans — 19 months after New England accused the Texans of tampering in the pursuit of Caserio for an open GM job.
The hot word back then was that a prying and hard-to-read Easterby was in the middle of it all, flying to New England on a McNair-fueled plane to steal Caserio away from bad ol’ Robert Kraft and tough guy Bill Belichick, who were in the middle of their sixth Super Bowl trophy celebration.
From John McClain in Wednesday’s Chronicle: “On Monday, owner Cal McNair and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby flew to New England to pick up Caserio and bring him back to Houston for the interview.”
I’m sure that’s all just a weird coincidence.
Easterby isn’t just on the verge of surviving the worst overall season in Texans history. He could be emboldened by keeping McNair’s ear and acquiring the GM/friend he first wanted to fly to Houston in June 2019.
The Texans devoted 2014-20 to their watered-down version of Patriots South. Some of the lesser names. None of the shining rings (or divisional round and beyond playoff wins).
Now that Caserio is finally one press release away from being in the building, why not bring the whole band back together, rehire O’Brien as HC and create the Patriots South power trio McNair initially dreamed of?
If the Texans win big — and I mean really big — none of the messy background stuff will matter.
Heck, if free agency goes well, half of the fan base will start buzzing again. And if the 2021 Texans start 4-0 with Caserio as GM? The season-ticket wait list will immediately start stacking up new names.
But Caserio must now nail the HC search. Then figure out how to best utilize Easterby’s Nosferatu skills. Then determine the immediate futures of J. J. Watt, Will Fuller and many more. Then build the Texans into an annual contender without first- and second-round draft picks in 2021 while navigating through a salary-cap disaster. And then win a Super Bowl with Watson, proving all the early Patriots South Part II fury wrong.
Not a fresh start
There was a much easier way to do this. Clean the slate. Listen to your superstars, role players and committees. Find the best and brightest in the NFL, then hire them to build a true winner around Watson.
McNair did this the Texans way. By listening to a friend. By ignoring howling fans. By following the once-revered Patriots the season after Tom Brady left, Cam Newton completely disappointed and New England’s two-decade dynasty fell apart.
The 2021 Texans employed a search firm and formed an AllStar list of advisers to find a GM they desperately tried to hire in 2019.
AllMcNair had to do was remember that Easterby was in his ear the entire time.