TEXANS TAKEAWAYS
9 important Texans takeaways from Lovie Smith's press conference
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.
