THE PALLILOG
Texans latest move is not a great look, but it was justified
Jan 14, 2022, 10:07 am
The Texans fired HC David Culley on Thursday. Composite image by Jack Brame.
No pity party is warranted for ex-Texans Head Coach David Culley. He impressed as a head coach not at all. His retirement is funded by millions more dollars than it would have been had he remained an assistant coach in Baltimore or anywhere else. Still, washing Culley down a gulley after just one season makes Texans’ Emperor of Football Nick Caserio (and of course Cal McNair, and probably Jack Easterby) look worse.
It’s de facto acknowledgment that the Texans botched the hire when after one season they deemed their choice so bad that it was time to cut bait despite Culley having three more seasons of guaranteed salary. After the Texans’ miserable season mercifully ended Sunday, doing the deed took until Thursday? It took the last few days to put together the evaluation and decision? ? Somewhere on a spectrum from unimpressive to buffoonery, with disingenuous somewhere in there. Nevertheless, if Culley was determined to be over his head (he was) or at least immediately replaceable by someone better (he better be), firing him is of course justified. Cut your losses, move on, and do better with the next hire. Nevertheless, not a great look for the Texans or NFL that the only African-American hired as a head coach between the 2020 and 2021 seasons got only one year before getting his pink slip, albeit with a multi-million dollar go away check. As fair counter to that from the Texans’ perspective: Rick Smith, Romeo Crennel, Lovie Smith, Culley. Meaning the Texans’ resume of hiring minorities to positions of authority is not blank.
It’s not as if Culley underachieved. Of course, he didn’t overachieve either. The Texans’ 4-13 record was in line with low preseason expectations. The roster was terrible, in part by design. The greatest jockey in the world isn’t winning thoroughbred races saddled upon a jackass. Culley clearly was no great jockey. He certainly was guilty of too many bungled in-game decisions and explanations. Might he have grown in the job some in a second season? We’ll never know, but he didn’t look a good bet.
The idea that no decent coach would touch the Texans’ job with a ten foot pole is nonsense. Plenty might opt to wait for what they consider a better opportunity, but there are only 32 NFL head coaching gigs. Even on the low end, they pay well. The natural candidate pool of links to Caserio’s time with the New England Patriots includes Pats’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, 35 year old Pats’ linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, and Brian Flores, fired Monday as Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins.
The Texans have back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2005 and 2006. Last time the Rockets finished with losing records in consecutive years? 1983 and 1984. Damn impressive. That changes in the next month, month and a half with the Rockets lugging their 12-31 record into the weekend.
Turn back the clock
Had NFL all-time great safety Kenny Houston on the radio show this week. If only vaguely or not at all familiar with him since he last played in 1980. think a blend of Ronnie Lott and Ed Reed and you get a pretty good idea. Houston played six seasons with the Oilers before being dealt to Washington where he played his remaining eight seasons. 12 time Pro Bowler, 12 times named first or second team All-Pro, named to both the NFL 75th and 100th anniversary teams. Pretty good for a ninth round draft choice out of Prairie View A&M. Houston was drafted in 1967, a class which produced eight Hall of Famers. No class since has produced more. 55 years ago is obviously a long time, but it is still notable that among Houston and his Class of ’67 Hall brethren not one played his college ball in the Southeastern Conference or Southwest Conference. Four of the eight played at so called “black colleges.” Houston at PV, Rayfield Wright at Fort Valley State, Lem Barney at Jackson State, and Willie Lanier at Morgan State. Gene Upshaw played at Division Two Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville). Among those five only Upshaw was a first round pick.
Can you name the three “big school” Hall of Famers from the NFL 1967 Draft? Hints of course! Purdue quarterback, Syracuse running back, Notre Dame defensive lineman. Answer below.
Buzzer Beaters:
1. The Hall of Famers: Bob Griese, Floyd Little, Alan Page.
2. In Houston NFL head coach annals David Culley is no Bill Peterson. In 19 games as Oilers’ HC in the early 70s, Peterson went 1-18.
3. Betting the farm on it, most likely Super Wild Card Weekend upset winners: Bronze-Raiders Silver-Cardinals Gold-49ers
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What were the takeaways from the Texans-Panthers preseason game?
We’re getting close to cuts, so the stakes are high with one last chance to make a lasting impression in the final preseason game. In the Texans’ win over Carolina, the biggest takeaway was the offensive line and running game — they looked good. Pass protection held up, and C.J. Stroud put together a nice touchdown drive capped off with a fourth-down throw to Nico Collins. Both rookies Jayden Higgins and Jalen Noel caught passes, and Nick Chubb looked sharp running with the starters.
How did the O-line look?
The line already looks much improved from last season. Pass protection was solid, run blocking was effective, and they were able to grind out yards while giving Stroud a clean pocket. Rookie Aireontae Ersery continues to impress, and there’s a real chance he ends up as the starting left tackle over big ticket free agent Cam Robinson. Robinson is back at practice, but Ersery has looked good with the first unit — and he was drafted to take Laremy Tunsil’s spot anyway, so why not speed up the process?
In practice the starters have been LT Ersery, LG Laken Tomlinson, C Jake Andrews, RG Ed Ingram, and RT Tytus Howard. If Robinson slides back to left tackle, Ersery could move to right tackle with Howard shifting inside to guard. It’ll be interesting to see what combo the Texans roll out against the Rams in Week 1.
Did the running backs impress?
Chubb looked good behind the line, finishing with 5 carries for 25 yards and a reception. He seemed comfortable in the scheme and showed some burst — it’s obvious he knows what he’s doing. If Joe Mixon isn’t ready for the start of the season, Houston should be in good hands with Chubb.
Damien Pierce is still out, which has given rookie Woody Marks more opportunity. He made the most of it with 40 yards on 7 carries against Carolina. He’s also shown he can help on third down with his ability in the passing game, which could earn him a real role.
How did the receivers look?
Rookie receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both caught passes. Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, and Justin Watson each added a couple of grabs too. Based on last year, Stroud tends to funnel targets to his top two options. A season ago it was Collins and Stefon Diggs before injuries hit. This year, Kirk looks capable of filling that Diggs role out of the slot. He just fits.
Reaction to the John Metchie–Harrison Bryant trade
The Texans needed more tight end depth with Brevin Jordan hurt, and Metchie wasn’t going to make the team. Bryant gives them another option, and it looks like tight ends may play a bigger role in the offense after Irv Smith Jr. led the team in catches and yards against Carolina.
Special teams also factored in. Metchie doesn’t play there, while Braxton Berrios and Justin Watson do, which gives the Texans more flexibility. Collins, Kirk, Higgins, Noel, and Hutchinson all look like locks at receiver, so moving Metchie made sense. It will be interesting to see who the final pieces will be in the Texans receiver room. Will they keep Watson and/or Berrios? We'll find out on Tuesday when the final cuts are made. Stay tuned!
What to watch for against the Lions
It’s all about the offense at this point. The defense is expected to be elite, so the spotlight shifts to Stroud and the rest of the unit. If the offensive line holds up against Detroit and the operation looks sharp, the Texans should be well-positioned to open the regular season on the right foot.
There's so much more to break down! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The NFL season is almost upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Texans on Tap podcast, which drops each Thursday during the preseason! More episodes will ramp up when the regular season begins! We'll go live on YouTube after every regular-season game.
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