On the Texans
Barry Laminack: For Bill O'Brien, it is win or else
Jan 4, 2018, 8:00 am
It's time for Bill O'Brien to win. Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
The 2018 NFL season should be make or break for Bill O’Brien. He has one year left on his contract with the Houston Texans, and now that Rick Smith will no longer be the GM, O’Brien is pretty much out of excuses. And while some people would probably prefer not to see O’Brien back again next year, I think you have to give him one more year.
The 2017 season was an injury plagued disaster. By now you know about the injuries to Watt, Mercilus, and Watson. But don’t forget that both tight ends, Foreman, and Fuller all missed significant time.
Oh, and there was the whole Cushing suspension fiasco.
When you think about it, 4-12 was about all that could be expected.
(Speaking of 4-12, kind of makes 9-7 and a playoff game look a lot better now, doesn’t it?)
Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t think O’Brien is a great coach by any stretch of the imagination, but I think he’s a good coach – at least better than some are willing to give him credit for being – and I think there would be plenty of teams that would snatch him up if the Texans don’t want him. But make no mistake, he is going to have to do something special to earn a new contract.
In other words, it’s playoff or bust.
I was talking with Jerome Solomon on The Usual Suspects yesterday and we discussed how much time O’Brien should be given next season. Assuming they avoid another injury filled season like 2017, I say you give him the entire year. If he misses the playoffs with a healthy squad, then you don’t bring him back.
One thing that plays in the Texans favor however is that when it comes to making the decision – should it be necessary to fire O’Brien mid season – they have the very capable Romeo Crennel on staff who can step in and finish out the season.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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