Bill O’Brien Strikes Again!

Texans fans have grown accustomed to the head-scratching decisions Coach Bill O’Brien makes on the field. Whether it be atrocious play-calling or appalling clock management, Texans fans always seem to have a deep hatred for the way he runs the team. Now, as a newly appointed General Manager, he’s made a decision that will alter the course of the Texans for years. By trading away All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins for essentially 20 rolls of toilet paper and a 2nd round pick, O’Brien is not only shipping away the only reliable asset he’s had during his tenure but has broken up the NFL’s best Quarterback-Wide Receiver duo before it had realized its true potential. This year’s free agency loomed large for the Texans, a team that blew a 24-0 1st Quarter lead in the Divisional Round to the Chiefs due to their lackluster defense. Instead of addressing their putrid Secondary that ranks near the bottom of the NFL, O’Brien has created another glaring weakness in an already unstable franchise. 

Fire Bill O’Brien?

Whenever O’Brien makes a dumbfounding mistake, there are always cries from Texans fans to have him fired. These claims are still legitimate; however O’Brien isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Despite his errors and the Texans miserable playoff performances, the Texans have had a winning record every year except one and have won the AFC South 4 of the last 6 years. The one year the Texans did not have a winning record was due to OVER HALF of the team being injured. O’Brien has led teams Quarterbacked by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, Case Keenum, Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, Tom Savage, TJ Yates, and BROCK OSWEILER to winning records. I think Texans Fans have become spoiled by the magician-like Quarterback play of DeShaun Watson to the point that they’ve forgotten the days of running draw plays with Jonathan Grimes when it’s 3rd & 10 due to the team having starting Quarterbacks that either fumble the ball while trying to throw or are best known for going to Harvard. Realistically, not a single owner in the NFL would part ways with a head coach that has achieved a consistent level of success. Sure, you could argue that O’Brien lead teams have underperformed since the arrival of DeShaun Watson, but if you fire him, then who is the new head coach? The only options on the market now are either failed NFL head coaches, unproven college coaches (a significant risk due to the low success rate of college coaches transitioning to the NFL, see Nick Saban), or mediocre NFL Coordinators. If the team looks to go in a different direction, there must be a definitive upgrade to fill his place, and currently, there isn’t one. Now the NFL is all about results, and if the Texans start losing games the way the Cardinals or Bengals do, then Texans Management will have a valid reason to replace him. Until then, this team will keep settling for division titles, which lead to Wild Card wins against bad teams before getting demolished in the Divisional Round. The Texans are a team at a crossroads, one that is either one more playoff failure away from rebuilding or one key piece away from winning a Super Bowl.

So the question remains, which team will we see in 2020?