McNair keeping eye on the big picture
Cal McNair, the chairman and CEO of the Texans, was encouraged by the franchise’s 37-21 win over the Jaguars in Sunday’s opener but remains measured with his expectations as the rebuilding team continues its season.
“One game doesn’t make a season, but that was a fun game and you have to enjoy it,” McNair said. “And we’re certainly enjoying it. We’re looking forward to the next game. It is a long season. I thought the guys played well, coming out with a win when we were underdogs was just a lot of fun, a lot of fun to win.”
McNair and his wife, Hannah, made an appearance at The Mission of Yahweh on Thursday, where the family donated $50,000 to support the construction of a new playground. The organization was founded in 1961 and provides shelter to homeless women and children and outreach services to low-income communities.
Afterward, McNair expressed support for first-year general manager Nick Caserio and a new coaching staff as it continues to gradually improve the team. Caserio was candid about the franchise’s direction in training camp, when he said the Texans were approaching 2021 with looking for more “process-oriented” results than “resultsoriented.”
“It is one game at a time, one week at a time,” McNair said, “and I think you do focus on the process and focus on the fundamentals and you have to let the results, they’ll show on the field, and you have to believe that and he definitely believes it. He executes it. He’s a fundamentalist, if you will. And what that happens, that builds on your foundation and you go and you see the results and the wins sort of take care of themselves, but you have to believe in the process and building the right foundation, which Nick is a big believer in.”
McNair said quarterback Tyrod Taylor “looked composed” in his debut with the Texans. The 11-year veteran was 21-of-33 passing for 291 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars and connected with receiver Brandin Cooks on deep passes of 52 and 40 yards.
The Texans defense intercepted rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the NFL draft’s No. 1 overall pick, three times, which matched the franchise’s interception total in all of the 2020 season. New defensive coordinator Lovie Smith has emphasized boosting the defense’s turnover margin this year.
“Lovie is a great guy,” McNair said. “I’m so glad he’s here. That’s part of his defense is the turnovers. He believes it. He teaches it. He drills it into the guys. And the guys are believing it, and they’re showing it in the preseason, and it was really fun to see him execute it on Sunday.”