FALCON POINTS
How the Texans hiring of Nick Caserio impacts the coaching search, Deshaun Watson
Jan 6, 2021, 10:03 am
FALCON POINTS
Let's start with this: Nick Caserio may turn out to be a fine GM for the Texans. There's a chance he winds up being the right guy, the one person from the Patriots organization that turns out not to be a disaster. Of course, the odds are against it. So far, Dolphins coach Brian Flores is the one former Bill Belichick sycophant who has proven to be successful.
The bigger issue is that the Texans have learned nothing. Jesus Jack Easterby - the Kenneth Copeland of the NFL - got his man. Easterby, the man who thought it was a good idea to trade DeAndre Hopkins, has his fingers all over this.
Deshaun Watson maybe said it best in his cryptic tweet. "Some things never change..."
Of course, Watson has no real beef. He signed a contract extension and got paid. But his point is well taken. The Texans will never change as long as Cal McNair is in charge and entrusting Easterby.
The Texans are basically like my dog. The dog eats grass. The dog throws up. The dog then starts lapping up its own throw up. What do you think is going to happen when you eat the same thing that just made you sick?
So here the Texans are, lapping up their own vomit once again. What do we think will happen next?
The more important hire will be head coach. Chances are, that decision is already made. Much as with the GM "search," the interviews they have done so far have been a dog and pony show, with dog vomit all over it.
Reportedly, Caserio wasn't on the list of five finalists suggested by Korn Ferry, a firm the team needlessly hired to consult. If you are going to spend the money on consultants, why not listen to them? Unless, of course, Easterby thinks he is smarter than them.
Maybe Caserio will make the right call at head coach. But does anyone believe that? Speculation immediately turned to - wait for it - Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels, yet another Belichick protege who failed as a head coach before returning to the fold. McDaniels would be a disaster hire. But he would fit the Texans culture of lapping up the same gruel.
Brian Daboll, yet another Patriots refugee, might also be a possibility. At least Daboll has been a few other places since and the work he has done with the Buffalo offense is terrific. So that might actually work. But it would also be just a continuation of a culture that has proven time and time again to be an abject failure.
Houston fans had hope when the team finally axed Bill O'Brien. Since then, the Texans have quietly sucked the life out of that hope. Now all that is left is the head coach. And if this is what Easterby is going to do at GM, is there any real hope they get the coaching hire right?
I picture Easterby and Caserio strolling hand in hand through NRG, walking their poodles and staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, Texans fan is left to watch those dogs lap up the same old crap. And yet the fans will endure, because who doesn't love their dog?
No matter how stupid it may be.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!