Falcon Points
Bill O'Brien keeps adding to his power, and the Texans are not likely to be better for it
Jan 22, 2020, 6:55 am
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
In the wake of the Texans ugly loss to Kansas City, changes needed to be made. Head coach/GM/offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien needed to add some new voices. But did anyone really expect that to happen?
Instead, O'Brien began making moves to consolidate his power and help prevent anyone from questioning him.
Will the moves make the Texans better? Maybe, but based on O'Brien's history, they probably won't.
The departed
Romeo Crennel: The veteran defensive coordinator's contract was not renewed, which was hardly a surprise. Crennel seemed lost at times. Whether or not that was a lack of talent or the game had passed him by, it was time for a new voice. A veteran DC with a track record of success would have been a good step. More on that in a minute.
Chris Olsen: A behind-the-scenes, longtime member of the front office, Olsen had been with the Texans for 13 years and was roundly praised for his work on contracts and the salary cap. He also apparently had the "interim" general manager tag. His firing basically gives O'Brien yet more control over the front office.
John Pagano: The linebackers coach had experience as a defensive coordinator in the past. The linebackers were not the problem with the defense. More likely it is yet another spot where O'Brien wants his guys.
Rest assured, more moves will be coming. If they are anything like these, it will be to get more O'Brien puppets in the dope show.
The new DC
Anthony Weaver has been the Texans defensive line coach. He is highly regarded and he might do a good job. But he has no experience. O'Brien's past coordinator hires - with the exception of Crennel - have been abject failures. Even Mike Vrabel was a poor DC who went on to be a quality head coach. At some point, you have to give young, talented coaches a chance, and there is nothing wrong with that. But a veteran with a track record of success would have been a smart move. It might work out, but does anyone believe it will?
Past performance
As bad as the defense was, the other side of the ball has not been good enough, either. And that has been O'Brien's baby.
In his six years as head coach, the Texans offense has never been in the top ten in points or yards. The closest he came was 11th in points in 2018. Even with Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, the offense has been slightly better than league average at best. Yet he refuses to add new blood with new ideas. Why not tap into the KC pipeline? Or the Saints? Or anyone with a track record of success?
That would be admitting he is not doing a good enough job. Yet despite his track record of mediocrity, O'Brien has added more power each year. And here he goes again.
O'Brien the GM
He has had mixed results in the role. He paid a lot for Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills, but they were good pickups. However, if he can't re-sign Tunsil, the trade will be an abject failure. He also added Duke Johnson and Gareon Conley for third-round picks. Both were solid additions, and with the way the Texans draft in the third round, you could call those wins. The Carlos Hyde for Martinas Rankin deal was a win, picking up a 1,000-yard back for another failed third rounder.
But he overpaid on contracts for Nick Martin and Whitney Mercilus, two more of "his guys" who did not perform to the contracts they were given. Now, with Tunsil's extension looming, plus Watson's, a need to pay D.J. Reader plus Hyde and Bradley Roby hitting free agency, he dismisses his best cap guy?
Face of the franchise
O'Brien has made himself the be-all and end-all. His need to control the entire organization has led to poor decisions on the field. He has been an average offensive coordinator, a slightly above average head coach, and the jury is still out as a GM. But he has done nothing to show he can manage all three jobs effectively. Like it or not, he is now in control of everything. From his perspective, it means no more excuses. And by now, you have to wonder why adding more on his plate is warranted.
Future looks...mediocre
It really is a shame that a team with so many likable, easy to root for guys has chosen to make O'Brien the centerpiece of everything. Watson, Hopkins and J.J. Watt should be the centerpieces. Instead it is O'Brien who is the main man.
After six years, we know what he is. The team has reached its high point under O'Brien, and there is no reason to think things will be different moving forward. All Texans fan can hope for is that giving him more power takes them to another level. That has not worked for six years, so that's a hard sell.
But it is all that is left. O'Brien and his band of yes men taking even more control. Maybe it will work.
It sure hasn't so far.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
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