A few days ago I was having a discussion in a group chat with a few friends of mine. Mind you, this group is filled with people who have differing opinions, fandoms, and it's also pretty diverse. We will discuss anything and everything under the sun, but we mainly stick to sports. It's like listening to a show on ESPN Houston: you'll get your fair share of sports, but there's also some other stuff that'll get covered as well. One of my friends posed the question of why isn't Nick Caserio getting the same love Daryl Morey got as far as media coverage and on social media?

My immediate answer was short and simple: he hasn't made any splash moves and has only been on the job a few months. But it begs a different question to be answered: can Caserio reach Morey or even Jeff Luhnow status as a general manager? Both of those guys stepped into situations that weren't ideal and ended up turning them around. Morey never won a title in his run with the Rockets, but his teams made the playoffs in 10 of his 13 years and made two Western Conference Finals appearances. He succeeded in doing so while being told he couldn't tank and had to constantly find a way to build a winner. Luhnow was afforded the ability to tear it down and start from scratch. The Astros went on to lose 90 games or more in his first four seasons, but proceeded to make the playoffs in five of the next six, including two World Series appearances, with the roster Luhnow was able to rebuild. Although neither guy's era ended well (Morey stepped down when the team needed to rebuild and the Harden/Westbrook experiment failed; Luhnow was fired after the cheating scandal came down), they both brought their respective franchises to heights that neither had never been seen (Astros winning the 2017 World Series), or heights that haven't been seen in years (Rockets making the Western Conference Finals for the first time in almost 20 years) under these two guys.

But can Caserio replicate Morey and Luhnow's level of success? I believe he can. As with some of my other opinions, there's always a caveat: I believe he can, if given the free rein to make moves and decisions he feels are beneficial to the Texans' success moving forward. So far, he's been making good bargain signings and trades. Of the 20 plus signings/trades/acquisitions he's made, only a select few have contracts that last past this upcoming year. His biggest tradeable asset is currently embroiled in a massage/sex scandal that could hinder his ability to make a splash move to acquire more assets. However, I see what he's doing and think he's doing a good job so far reshaping this roster.

The rubber will really hit the road when the draft rolls around. If Caserio can turn the draft picks this offseason and next into quality players for this team, as well as continue to spend money in free agency wisely, he'll cut short the rebuild time for the Texans. Finding or keeping your franchise quarterback plays a HUGE part in all of this. I don't envy the position he's in right now at all, but I'd trade places with him in a heartbeat because he's in a much more enviable position than I'm in. I truly hope he's allowed to work his magic and change the culture of this franchise. This fanbase and city deserves a winner to root for in their NFL franchise because they've been extremely loyal throughout some very lean years. It'd be nice to see them rewarded with a product worthy of respect and their hard-earned money they choose to spend.