POWER PLAY
It looks like Jack Easterby is up to his old tricks again
Jan 21, 2022, 2:43 pm
This marks the second straight year that former NFL QB Josh McCown has interviewed for the Texans head coaching job without ever coaching in college or the pros. Pretty incredible that someone with absolutely no job experience would get to interview for a head coaching position in the NFL. Many Texans fans had concerns about David Culley being hired last year because he had never been a coordinator in the league. And look how great that worked out, Culley was fired after just one season.
It's interesting that all of this is happening after Nick Caserio spoke openly to the media this week about Jack Easterby's role with the team, and how Easterby has nothing to do with personnel decisions. He didn't say anything about coaching decisions, though.
According to The Houston Chronicle's John McClain, Easterby and McCown are "close friends." Now things are starting to make a lot more sense. Why else would the Texans be considering a coach with no experience after they just fired one who underwhelmed due to inexperience? Easterby, that's why. At least that's what I think is going on. So all this talk that Easterby has nothing to do with football decisions, looks like a bunch of BS.
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio spoke with Peter King about the Texans' interest in Josh McCown and said he believes the Texans are hoping another team gives McCown an interview so that the Texans would have more justification in hiring McCown. If you're trying to talk Texans CEO Cal McNair into hiring someone who is way underqualified, it sure would make it easier if you could point to another team that's showing interest, right?
Well, it looks like that is actually happening. Aaron Wilson is reporting that McCown had a conversation with the Jaguars this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars have had a conversation this week with retired quarterback Josh McCown this week, according to league sources. McCown, who had a formal interview with the Texans on Thursday, highly regarded for his knowledge of the game, leadership skills and intelligence
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 21, 2022
You just can't make this stuff up when it comes to the Texans. Don't be surprised if McCown ends up being the Texans next head coach. It makes zero sense, considering the Texans have interviewed several qualified coaches. But never underestimate Jack Easterby's ability to get what he wants, and don't buy in to the comments about Jack having nothing to do with Texans personnel. McCown could end up being a great coach, but why not make him prove it as coordinator first?
Be sure to check out the video above for more information about Josh McCown being a serious candidate for the Texans head coach position, and why he wasn't on David Culley's Texans staff last season.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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