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Making the case for Adam Gase: Texans could use another offensive mind

Making the case for Adam Gase: Texans could use another offensive mind
Adam Gase would help the Texans. Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Houston Texans have made it to the playoffs. The feat was all the more impressive considering they started the season by losing their first three games.The fan base is happy. Some believe the team has a shot to make a deep playoff run.

Others, such as myself, see room for improvement. We can all agree on some necessary changes. Offensive line, secondary, running back, and a few other positions either need new starters or quality depth. But these aren't the changes I'm looking forward to the most.

The change I'm most looking forward to is getting Bill O'Brien some help on the sidelines, or in the booth. He needs someone who can assist in play-calling duties, situational football, and another set of eyes/opinions in the development of Deshaun Watson.

Enter Adam Gase.

Gase is one of the young up and coming coaches in the league. The Dolphins fired him after three seasons. A 23-25 record can do that to a coach these days. Given the fact that he was asked to make chicken marsala out of chicken sh--, I think he fared well.

Known as an offensive guy, Gase has been in coaching since he graduated from Michigan State and became a grad assistant under Nick Saban at LSU in 2000. He's been coaching in the NFL since 2005. He actually started with the Lions in 2003 as a scouting assistant.

When you look back at some of the quarterbacks he's coached and offenses he's been in charge of, you'd be amazed. He was part of the staff that helped John Kitna have back to back 4,000 yard passing seasons in 2006 and 2007. In 2013, he was the offensive coordinator for the record-breaking Broncos offense. They set numerous records, Peyton Manning set new NFL records for passing touchdowns and yardage, as well as team records for touchdowns and points scored in a single season.

O'Brien may not like to have another offensive hotshot in the building, much less someone almost nine years his junior who was just fired from another head coaching job. If I'm Cal McNair, I'm telling O'Brien this is a hire I feel will only help this offense move forward and help Watson develop much quicker. I'd also mention how I'm writing the checks around here now in case he wants to get into a pissing match over power.

The best thing for this offense and Watson is another set of eyes. O'Brien has taken this thing as far as he can take it. Sure the line needs improvement, and quality depth is necessary at running back and wide receiver, but when you have the main piece in place, you have to do everything you can to make him successful.

I don't view this as a slap in the face to O'Brien. The best leaders know what they don't know and know how to compensate for those shortcomings. I bust my ass to provide good content, but I also know what I don't know and ask for help when I need it. I'm not too proud to ask for help, or admit when I need it. I'm also not a head coach in the NFL and my ego isn't as big as O'Brien's either (it's probably bigger, but that's another story for another day). Bottom line: Gase could be the missing piece in the coaching ranks on the offensive side of the ball that could stand in the way of this team possibly winning it all.

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Welcome to Houston, Nick! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.

The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.

For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.

“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”

As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.

Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.

He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.

Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.

It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.

You can watch the full interview in the video below.

And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.


*ChatGPT assisted.

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