FRED FAOUR

A look back at the Robert C. McNair I knew

A look back at the Robert C. McNair I knew
Texans owner Bob McNair passed away on Friday. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

You will read a lot of tributes to Robert C. McNair, who passed away on Friday at the age of 81. You will hear a lot about his character, philanthropy and caring nature.

Some will also choose to focus on the controversies he became involved with regarding his comments in recent years.

I have chosen to tell you about the Bob McNair I knew.

I first met him in 1994 at Sam Houston Race Park, while working as a horse racing handicapper and writer. When the track first opened, McNair brought some of his high quality racehorses to Houston. Over the next few years, McNair’s racing operation - under the guidance of John Adger - would grow into one of the largest in the world. People forget just what a major player he was in the racing game before the Texans were founded. That was how I came to know him intitially.

I once spent a day with Adger, McNair and his wife Janice at their Ranch in Lexington, Kentucky, touring the massive place with his dog Liberty sleeping on my feet in a golf cart. We talked about a lot of things besides horses. He had just won the rights to shell out almost a billion for an NFL team he had been working to bring to the city for years.

We talked about building winning organizations. Bouncing back from failures. Business practices. Politics. Family. The man I knew was driven, intent on winning and had a deep love for the city of Houston. And of course, football.

Over the next two-three years, I was fortunate enough to spend more time with him. We played golf on a few occasions (he beat me soundly), talked horses. I attended Super Bowl parties with him in San Diego and New Orleans. Whenever we saw each other, we talked about his horses. Where they should run next. What newcomers he had coming up. Breeding theories that Adger had to create “The One.” He always went out of his way to spend a few minutes with me, even as his profile increased significantly as the Texans continued to develop.

Once the Texans began playing on the field, my role changed, and I was running the sports department at the Houston Chronicle. It got me on his bad side once. The Chronicle chose to run a rather graphic cartoon depicting him and then-GM Charley Casserly as buffoons. It was frankly too much. I did not want to run it but I was overruled. It resulted in a rather tense meeting at his office, and the first time I met his son Cal. Bob was clearly angry, but he handled it in a measured, sincere way, and accepted my apology.

It was not long after that I left for radio. He was my first guest on a Saturday morning show whose only listeners were friends and family.

I only saw him a few times at Texans practice after that. We always chatted for a few minutes, sometimes about the team, sometimes about the few remaining horses he had. The racing operation was sold off once he became an NFL owner, and our common bond eventually drifted away.

I lost touch in recent years, in part because it is hard to have a relationship with someone you have to talk about on radio. It started early on in my career, with dozens of callers saying “he didn’t want to win. He is just happy with selling out every game and making money.”

It was a take that was frankly as far from the truth as anything I have ever dealt with. I once saw how angry he got over one of his horses, a significant favorite, finishing fourth in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. He wanted answers. He was not happy. But he never lost his temper.

McNair’s theory on building a winning operation was simple: Get the right people in place and give them everything they need to succeed. With his horse operation, he had that man in Adger. They would not deal with questionable trainers or people of low character. And they had remarkable success.

In football, he tried the same model. The problem was he never got a John Adger to run the operation. Casserly’s early drafts were disasters. Rick Smith was just successful enough to lead the team to mediocrity. Gary Kubiak had success then melted down. And Bill O’Brien continued the trend. If McNair had a flaw, it was never quite getting the right people.

So I watched from afar as the team never got where he hoped. And I could see how frustrating it was for him.

The last few years, his “inmates” comment and support of fellow owner and friend Jerry Richardson cast him in a negative light. I did not agree with those comments, and they weren’t reflective of the man I knew. I attributed it to age and illness, and I stand by that.

The man I knew loved horses. Loved winning. Wanted the Texans to be successful, not for the money, but for the city of Houston. I learned a great deal about business and life from him. I am sad his team never achieved the success he wanted. I am sad I lost touch with him. I am sad he is gone. I am sad that his comments will taint his legacy with many people.

I will miss the man that built that racing operation and fought hard to get Houston the Texans. I miss the friendship with someone I admired.

That was the Robert C. McNair I knew.

 

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The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

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