Mcnair has options for a new GM
HOUSTON — Starting Jan. 4, the day after regular season ends, the Texans can begin interviews for their vacant general manager position with candidates who currently are employed by NFL teams.
There’s no shortage of qualified candidates to fill the general manager openings. That includes personnel executives working for general managers across the league as well as former GMS trying to get second chances.
Under league rules, the search committee led by owner Cal Mcnair can interview GM candidates virtually if their teams are in the playoffs. If their teams aren’t in the playoffs, they’re allowed to conduct in-person interviews for the first time, or they can continue the process virtually.
Since Mcnair fired Bill O’brien after the 0-4 start, the plan has been to hire a general manager first and give him control over personnel. The new coach will oversee the coaching staff and the game day roster.
There’s already a lot of competition for general managers, and there could be more once regular season ends and more GMS get fired.
Other teams currently looking for general managers are Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit and Jacksonville. The Texans, Falcons and Lions also need head coaches.
There are several ways for the Texans to approach their search for a new general manager and coach. Some candidates for the positions could be package deals.
For instance, Kansas City has the best record in the NFL and is trying to win
consecutive Super Bowls. The Texans could be interested in assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
There are other worthy candidates who work for the same team: Tennessee director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Indianapolis assistant general manager Ed Dodds and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, San Francisco vice president of player personnel Adam Peters and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Buffalo assistant general manager Joe Schoen and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Seattle vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
I’m not advocating a package deal, just pointing out the possibilities among the qualified candidates for both positions. It’s interesting to note that if the Texans were to hire a general manager and coach from the Titans or Colts, it would do some damage to both AFC South rivals.
Mcnair’s goal is to hire a GM with an extensive background in personnel, who’s
respected around the league for his contributions to a successful organization and has the personality to energize a front office, inspire loyalty and create a positive working environment with the new head coach.
Among the other personnel executives who should be considered by Mcnair are New Orleans Vp/assistant Gm-pro personnel Terry Fontenot, Minnesota VP of player personnel/assistant GM George Paton, Dallas VP of player personnel Will Mcclay, Seattle personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, Baltimore director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, Los Angeles Chargers director of player personnel Jojo Wooden, former Green Bay and Cleveland executive Eliot Wolf and Philadelphia VP of player personnel Andy Weidl.
Any time an owner gives a general manager his first opportunity, there’s the fear of the unknown. While Mcnair will express confidence in his selection, until he sees how that general manager operates and how he works with the new coach, he’s not going to breathe easy for a while.
When a team hires a general manager with experience in that position, the owner has a good idea of what he’s getting.
One reason Bob Mcnair hired Casserly as his first general manager was because of his experience with Washington. They hired Dom Capers as their first coach because he had experience starting an expansion team with Carolina.
There are a lot of former general managers looking for another opportunity to oversee a personnel department.
Some are Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons), John Dorsey (Chiefs, Browns), Scott Pioli (Chiefs), Reggie Mckenzie (Raiders), Martin Mayhew (Lions) and Jerry Reese (Giants). And there are more who would jump at a chance to return to that preeminent position within an NFL organization.
Mcnair can’t rush his decision to hire a general manager because there’s a lot of competition. Once he completes the first round of interviews and eventually narrows the field to a few finalists, he should rely heavily on his advisory group that includes Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson as well as long-time NFL executive Rod Graves from the Fritz Pollard Alliance.
Once Mcnair decides on his new general manager, they’ll pursue a head coach who’ll be the face of the franchise. Together, they’ll create excitement and elevate expectations for a team that’s been a disaster since losing the 24-point lead in the divisional round of the playoffs at Kansas City seemingly an eternity ago.