TOP CANDIDATES FOR TEXANS
Let's examine the Texans candidates for head coach and GM
Dec 26, 2020, 3:36 pm
Here's who they have met with so far. Photo by Getty Images.
Watch Texans GM candidate Louis Riddick talk about culture being just as important as QB
The Houston Texans search committee to find candidates for their vacant general manager and coaching positions has landed on some interesting candidates.
Jim Caldwell (Head Coach candidate)
Texans fans will be quick to reject the idea of Jim Caldwell as the next head coach because his recent head coaching tenure ended with thuds. He fails the “What have you done lately?" test. Fans would not be wrong in Caldwell's case.
I understand what Texans owner Cal McNair is thinking. Jim Caldwell has coached some of the more talent quarterbacks the NFL has seen in recent years. But despite star quarterbacks, Caldwell didn't have much success on the bottom line. He was head coach for the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2017, reaching the playoffs twice but ultimately fell short of bringing that franchise a Super Bowl trophy with Matthew Stafford in prime years. After two years out of the league, he signed on as Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach, where, some suspect the Dolphins were in a must lose situation to be in position to draft Tua Tagovailoa.
It would be wrong to say there is not a place for Caldwell in the Texans organization. He would be an upgrade to replace offensive coordinator Tim Kelly when this season mercifully ends. Caldwell had success during his helm as Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach under Tony Dungy when Peyton Manning flourished from 2002-2008. In 2009 the Colts made him the head coach, where he wore out his welcome with a 2-14 record in 2011 and was fired. Caldwell moved on to take the role as Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach where he won a Super Bowl ring in 2012 with Joe Flacco under center.
Jim Caldwell as a quarterback coach? If you are Cal McNair, it is something to think about. But Caldwell wasn't interviewing for the quarterbacks coach position. He wants the top job.
There is no doubt Caldwell's interview was urged by Dungy who Cal McNair is using for advice in the coaching search. Caldwell's days coaching under Dungy extend even before their Colts connection, when Caldwell was Dungy's quarterback coach in Tampa Bay in 2001. With Brad Johnson as quarterback, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2003.
Jim Caldwell, the quarterback coach, has found success all over the league. He is yet to prove his value as a head coach in the NFL.
Marvin Lewis (Head Coach candidate)
Marvin Lewis interviewed for the Texans head coaching vacancy earlier in this week. Contrary to Caldwell, Lewis has been known for his expertise on the defensive side of the ball. He has coached some of the most dangerous defensive fronts in the NFL, most notably the 2000 Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens led by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. He was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2003 to 2018, and the Texans dealt him wild-card losses in 2011 and 2012. He currently serves as the co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State.
The Texans could use Lewis' defensive mind to help rebuild a defense that is in shambles. Maybe we see Lewis as a defensive assistant before handing him the head coach job so fast. I'm not head-over-boots about any coach Bill O'Brien was able to beat so frequently.
Matt Bazirgan (General Manager candidate)
Texans' director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan was interviewed for the general manager role. The only reason Cal McNair might look to hire a general manager internally is so he has an excuse to keep current vice president of football operations (or “pastor") Jack Easterby, who has received a torrent of blame for the downfall of the Texans this season.
If the Texans are searching for long-term success, they will steer clear of searching within the current regime.
Louis Riddick (General Manager candidate)
Louis Riddick is the current analyst for ESPN, and is a favorite for every general manager opening around the league. Does Riddick have what it takes to rescue the Texans sinking ship?
Riddick has a fair share of experience with NFL personnel. He was the director of pro personnel for the Washington Redskins from 2005-2007, and was also the director of pro personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-2013. He did not have the strongest personnel with either organization, but at least Riddick is a candidate with experience, and his rich knowledge for the game is heard every Monday night. It's safe to say Riddick is the best candidate for the Texans general manager job out of the bunch that have interviewed.
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Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.
“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”
A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.
Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.
A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.
Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.
Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”
Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.
“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.
MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.
Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.
“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’
“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”
Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”
Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.
After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.
“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.
Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.
“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.