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How Texans incessant focus on culture points to a much larger issue
Dec 1, 2021, 1:49 pm
Do the Texans have a culture problem, or a Culley problem? Composite image by Jack Brame.
cal-culley-easterby
This past week saw another step in the ongoing attempt to change the culture on Kirby. Safety Justin Reid, one of the Texans' best defensive players, was a healthy scratch. Coach David Culley called it a disciplinary issue they handled internally. Rumors quickly came about stating there was a disagreement in a team meeting following the win against the Titans. So now the public is left to wonder what's going on over there? ESPN's Ryan Clark shed some light on the situation this past Sunday.
The @HoustonTexans’ starting safety @JustinqReid will be a healthy scratch today. Sources tell me it isn’t performance related. Coaching staff & Reid had a disagreement recently. That disagreement resulted in the Texans deciding to bench one of their best players! Seems petty pic.twitter.com/WIF4UHZBO8
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 28, 2021
If the public paid close enough attention, you'd know what was going on. This suspension was a part of all the moves they've made over the last several months to establish a culture of falling in line. The trades, the releases, the suspensions, all of them point to the organization laying down the law. Let's be honest. David Culley isn't the kind of coach that can command the type of power and respect to shift the organization's focus while also galvanizing the locker room. He didn't even know where to stand and when to run a team meeting in training camp!
While admirable in thought, the execution is falling short. Nick Caserio, and others to a certain extent, are the ones most feel are truly running things on Kirby. Culley is the figurehead. He's the one that's out in front of the cameras and mics that people see. He's also the one that'll take the blame for things appearing to fall apart. That's what things are looking like now. There were too many moves made that speak to a new direction the team is taking. The difference is, when this has happened before and been successful, the coaches have had a previous track record of success. They even had top tier talent in most cases.
Bill Belichick had Tom Brady and won six rings with different surrounding casts. Pete Carroll turned the Seahawks into a perennial contender with Russell Wilson as his trigger man. Andy Reid is the one that sticks out the most because he did it with Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick with the Eagles, then again with Alex Smith and Pat Mahomes with the Chiefs. Belichick and Brady built multiple dynasties with the same team. Carroll chose to start Wilson over their prized free agent signing that same offseason and the rest is Seahawk history. Reid did it twice each with two different teams! They all established their credibility, then culture. They all had franchise quarterbacks to work with. They all were coordinators and/or previous head coaches prior to finding the ultimate success.
The Texans are attempting to replicate this model with a coach who's never been a coordinator. A franchise quarterback that wants out no matter what. A first-time general manager. An owner who was supposedly groomed for this but isn't up to snuff. All the while their character coach chaplain turned EVP of football ops is lurking. Nobody really commands a room, except Caserio, but he's in the midst of his first run as the guy. Culley seems like a squire who does Caserio's bidding. The message isn't coming in clear because I feel there's a lack of respect behind the actions. Why else would players feel frustrated in this situation? Sure, the losing is detrimental, but perceived lack of direction and respect is more damaging.
Once this team gets the right pieces in place, they'll be fine. From coaches, to players, to personnel, I think it'll get put together sooner rather than later. Meaning, I think they'll be in the playoffs within the next three years. There will be players in place with the pedigree of talent to execute the organization's vision flawlessly. Questions still remain though: Will Culley be around to enjoy it? Will Caserio be allowed to see his vision to completion? Will we ever know what video game Cal was playing? Hopefully we get the answers whenever we see this team winning again.
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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!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.