TEXANS TAKEAWAYS
9 important Texans takeaways from Lovie Smith's press conference
Feb 8, 2022, 3:35 pm
Lovie Smith was announced as head coach of the Texans. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images.
New front-runner emerges in Texans coaching search, per report
Newly named head coach of the Texans, Lovie Smith, and Texans GM Nick Caserio met with the media on Tuesday. Here are 9 takeaways that caught our attention at the press conference.
1. Lovie Smith wants to get the fans back and excited again. When discussing some goals for the season, Smith made it clear that playing good football and getting fans back to NRG this season is important to him.
2. Lovie admitted he wasn't part of the interviewing process early on. A lot was made of the Texans posting on social media after candidates were interviewed, and none of those posts included Lovie Smith until the end of the process. So it was nice to get confirmation that Smith landing the Texans HC job was a relatively new idea.
3. The Texans are doing something about the league's problem with diversity. Smith was peppered with questions about Brian Flores suing the NFL and the overall lack of diversity with head coaches in the league. Smith made the point that Cal McNair and the Texans are doing their part to help address that issue by hiring him.
4. A fire alarm went off during the press conference just as Nick Caserio was answering questions about Brian Flores. Coincidence? Who knows, but it sure was on-brand for the Texans. The alarm didn't go off quickly, either. It went on for what seemed like an eternity.
5. Nick Caseiro didn't give a definitive answer regarding Josh McCown being named to the Texans coaching staff this season. The possibility still remains that McCown could be the Texans QB coach in 2022.
6. Caserio told the media that McCown wasn't offered the Texans head coaching job. That decision wasn't made until the end of the interviewing process, per Caserio. Also, Caserio said Flores' lawsuit had nothing to do with his decision to hire Smith. What else was he going to say?
7. Lovie Smith will remain the play-caller for the defense this season. Smith spoke about how much he enjoys calling the defense, so that's not going to change. He will serve as head coach and defensive coordinator.
8. It was a "must" to keep Pep Hamilton for the development of Davis Mills. Smith spoke highly of newly named offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton. And also said Hamilton had other coaching opportunities but wanted to stay in Houston.
9. Caserio further discussed his role on game day for the Texans. Caserio and Lovie will decide exactly how they will approach Caserio's role as the season gets closer and do what makes the most sense for the team. Caserio explained that he serves a role as GM that requires him to be a conduit of information between the coaching staff and the front office/scouting department. Caserio went on to say that if he's more aware of what's going on with the players on game day, it will help him make better and more-informed decisions about players as a GM.
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Astros stumble again as Braves complete gut-wrenching series sweep
Apr 17, 2024, 4:51 pm
Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night at the Washington Nationals.
Houston manager Joe Espada made the announcement Wednesday.
“Getting him back is huge because it brings a level of confidence to our team, a boost of confidence that we’re going to get someone who’s been an MVP, a Cy Young (winner) on the mound,” Espada said. “It's (good) for the morale and to get stuff started and moving in the right direction.”
The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. He made two rehabilitation starts, the first for Triple-A Sugar Land on April 7 before Saturday’s start for Double-A Corpus Christi.
Espada wouldn't say how many pitches the 41-year-old would be limited to but said they'll keep an eye on his workload.
“We've got to be careful how hard we push him early,” Espada said. “I know he’s going to want to go and stay out there and give us an opportunity to win, but we've got to be cautious of how hard we push him early in the season.”
Verlander wasn’t thrilled with the results in his rehabilitation starts, but he said Monday that those games were valuable in getting him prepared to come off the IL.
He allowed seven hits and six runs — five earned — in four innings against Frisco on Saturday. He struck out three, walked one and threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes.
Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning for Sugar Land on April 7.
The Astros have gotten off to a tough start with Verlander and fellow starters Framber Valdez and José Urquidy on the injured list. They enter Wednesday's games last in the AL West with a 6-13 record.
Espada hopes Verlander can be the boost the team needs to get on track.
“It’s good to get him back in the rotation,” Espada said. “With what he means to this club just to get him back on track, getting some innings from him (to) build our rotation with the pieces that we need to move forward is exciting.”