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[RobToxin]

Report: Texans agree to terms with Bill O'Brien

According to reports from ESPN, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle and Mark Berman of KRIV/FOX-26, the Texans are hiring Bill O'Brien to be the head coach.
The team doesn't comment on transactions until after they're made official with the NFL.
The Penn State head coach reportedly interviewed with the team on December 26th, and has been considered "the overwhelming favorite" for the position over the course of the last week.
The Texans fired Gary Kubiak on December 6, and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over as the interim head coach for the final three games of 2013. Phillips reportedly interviewed for the job last Thursday evening.
In the press conference announcing the Kubiak firing, team founder/chairman/CEO Bob McNair said the Texans' ideal candidate had experience as a coach in the NFL, as well as head coaching experience.
O'Brien, by virtue of the last two years, combined with his five-year stint as an assistant with the Patriots, met those qualifications.

 

[RobToxin]

Texans, your days of being coddled and having your hands held are over!

 

[RobToxin]

Houston Texans introduce new coach Bill O'Brien - ESPN

HOUSTON -- Bill O'Brien, a life-long Northeasterner, was asked about being new to Texas and how he would adjust.

"Right after I get out of here, I'm going to buy my first pair of cowboy boots," a smiling O'Brien said to laughter.

The truth was, O'Brien actually couldn't wait to get started at his new job as coach of the Houston Texans.

"I've got a lot of work to do on this team," O'Brien said in the 30th minute of his introductory press conference. "And the sooner I can get into my office and get started, the better."

The Texans introduced O'Brien as the third head coach in franchise history on Friday, doing so in a festive setting that included fans and music playing before the interviews began. O'Brien sat on a raised stage with Texans owner Bob McNair, general manager Rick Smith and Texans chief operating officer Cal McNair.

O'Brien follows a 2-14 season for the Texans and one in which they earned the first pick in this year's draft.

"He showed that he has the ability to step into difficult situations and turn them around," McNair said. "He did that at Penn State under very difficult circumstances and did an outstanding job there.

"We expect to see good things happen immediately."

The Texans hired O'Brien less than one month after firing former head coach Gary Kubiak, a move McNair said he made in order to get a head start on the coaching search process.

McNair said Houston interviewed several candidates. Only three interviewees are known: O'Brien, new Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith and Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who served as interim head coach for the last three games of the season.

The Texans were both the first organization to fire their head coach and the first to hire a new one.

"It's rare enough to be a head coach at the highest level of football," O'Brien said. "What makes this opportunity special and put it over the top for myself and my family was to work for an owner like Bob McNair."

McNair wanted a coach who had NFL experience and head coaching experience, though not necessarily at the same time. O'Brien served as Penn State's head coach for two seasons, joining a team about to be slammed by NCAA sanctions that followed a child sexual-abuse scandal involving former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky.

O'Brien kept the program afloat, going 15-9 in his two seasons while retaining several key players who could have transferred with no penalty.

"I love the players at Penn State and I respect their toughness and their resiliency and everything that they've demonstrated on a day-to-day basis," O'Brien said. "I do regret not being able to continue with the great kids on that team. While I tried never to mislead anyone, I understand that some people feel let down. But again, it was a decision that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me."

Prior to coaching at Penn State, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots for one year after spending five seasons with the organization, beginning as an offensive assistant.

He sought the perspectives of friends around the NFL about what kind of situation he would enter in Houston.

"These people were unanimous in one thought," O'Brien said. "And that is that the Houston Texans are a top-flight organization that does things the right way."

O'Brien will begin interviewing the coaches who were assistants under Kubiak on Saturday. He and Rick Smith will maintain a similar balance of power to what Kubiak and Smith had. While Smith will have the final say, they'll work together to determine the best players for the team.

It's not a roster that McNair believes needs a too much change, though.

"I think we started out with the best roster that we ever had," McNair said. "We were decimated by injuries and then we didn't play as the best team, which again says it's about teamwork and about how the team performs. Even though we had the best roster, we didn't have the best team.

"When Bill checked around with other coaches and around the league about this position, they all said we had one of the best rosters. But we didn't perform. We underperformed."

 

[RobToxin]

Did you know.....

every head coach in Texans history has begun his tenure having access to the first pick in the upcoming draft.

 

[RobToxin]

O'Brien is cleaning house.

Ultimate Texans » Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison says he was fired

Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said today that he was fired by new Texans coach Bill O’Brien.

O’Brien began meeting with the 20 current Texans assistant coaches Saturday.

Dennison had been fired head coach Gary Kubiak’s right-hand man since Dennison came to the Texans from Denver in 2010.

The Texans offense, which was led by play-caller Kubiak, finished second to last in the NFL in scoring during the 2-14 season.

O’Brien said at his introductory news conference on Friday that his first order of business on Saturday would be to meet with Kubiak’s staff.

FoxSports reported early Saturday that “O’Brien met briefly with assistants to fire them.”

O’Brien has not met with all coaches yet.

 

[RobToxin]

Wade Phillips fired as Texans defensive coordinator | khou.com Houston

HOUSTON – Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was fired Saturday as new head coach Bill O’Brien continues to overhaul the coaching staff.

Phillips tweeted the following message Saturday morning.

“Thanks to McNair family and great Texan fans and most all our players. It was wonderful being home. I wish the best to all.”

Phillips had served as interim head coach for the Texans final three games of the regular season after Gary Kubiak was fired in early December. The team failed to snap their losing streak under Phillips.

“Special thanks to Bob & Janis McNair who treated my Dad so well. I will always be grateful,” Phillips said in another post on his Twitter account.

Phillips also served as interim head coach earlier in the season after Kubiak was sidelined after collapsing on Nov. 3 during a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Phillips was considered a candidate to replace Kubiak on a permanent basis before O’Brien was hired earlier this week.

Several other firings from the coaching staff are expected but have not been confirmed at this time.

There have been multiple reports regarding who O’Brien will bring to Houston to replace Phillips and other members of the coaching staff who are not retained.

The Houston Chronicle reported on Friday that former Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel could be a possible defensive coordinator.

O’Brien was asked about his choice of defensive scheme, but would not elaborate on whether he prefers a 4-3 or a 3-4, like the Texans have used the past 3 seasons.

“Everybody wants to pin you down and ask you if you’re going to be a 3-4 guy or a 4-3 guy,” O’Brien said. “To me, I think, right now, about 70 percent of games are played in nickel and dime defense because of the type of league it is. We’ll evaluate the personnel on this team. We’ll do a really good job of putting together a good football team and we’ll adapt the systems to the players that we bring into this program.”

 

[RobToxin]

Texans make coaching changes

The Houston Texans have retained Bill Kollar as defensive line coach and parted ways with 16 assistant coaches, Head Coach Bill O’Brien announced today.

“I commend and thank all the coaches who worked for the Texans prior to my arrival,” said O’Brien, who was named third head coach in franchise history on Jan. 3. “Many of them played a large role in taking this franchise to the playoffs for the first time ever and will remain a part of the history here. I wish all of them well in their future endeavors.”

The following coaches were officially relieved of their duties to the organization: Perry Carter (assistant defensive backs), Rick Dennison (offensive coordinator), Karl Dorrell (quarterbacks), Dan Hammerschmidt (offensive assistant), Chick Harris (running backs), Reggie Herring (linebackers), Vance Joseph (defensive backs), Bobby King (assistant linebackers), Larry Kirksey (wide receivers), Marc Lubick (assistant wide receivers), Brian Pariani (tight ends), Wade Phillips (defensive coordinator), Jim Ryan (assistant offensive line), Matt Schiotz (assistant strength and conditioning), Cedric Smith (head strength and conditioning) and Jeff Zgonina (assistant defensive line).

Wishes them well in their future endeavors? WTF is this? The WWE?

 

[RobToxin]

Report: Crennel interviewing for DC job | CSN Houston

Romeo Crennel is in Houston on Wednesday.

According to the Houston Chronicle's John McClain and Fox26's Mark Berman, the former Chiefs head coach is in town to interview for the defensive coordinator opening on Bill O'Brien's staff.

It had been reported that the 66-year-old Crennel was a top choice of O'Brien to become the Texans' next defensive coordinator.

Crennel and O'Brien have never worked together but they both have ties to the Patriots. They both worked there, just not at the same time.

According to NFL reporter Adam Caplan, Crennel is set to make $3.5 million in his last year from his contract with the Chiefs this season. The tricky part: there is offset language in his contract, which means he'd lose that money if he coaches for the Texans this season. Basically, he'd get paid whether he coaches or not this year.

Crennel has, in the past, coached a more traditional two-gap 3-4 defense. Meanwhile, the Texans have officially retained just one coach from 2013: defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who most recently coached in Wade Phillips' one-gap 3-4.

 

[RobToxin]

Bill O'Brien: The first 100 days

Much like a president is evaluated by the first 100 days in office, Bill O’Brien’s decisions will affect the next four years (or more) of this franchise. Just seven days in, O’Brien has been putting together his coaching staff, interviewing candidates from around the country. He has also been watching game film to begin the player evaluation process.

“From there, you’re beginning to get ready for all the different stages of the offseason, the free agency and the draft and all that goes into that,” O’Brien said in a radio interview with Marc Vandermeer. “It will be a whirlwind but it’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to it.”

O’Brien met several players including J.J. Watt, Danieal Manning, Brian Cushing, Chris Myers. Upon his arrival on Jan. 3, O’Brien has been impressed with what he’s seen at Reliant Stadium.

“Well it’s a fantastic facility, no question about it,” O’Brien said. “It’s user friendly. You have the weight room right across from the locker room and the training room right there. There’s a lot of great things about this facility. The practice fields and bubble look great. I’m just really excited to get started.”

In his first week, O’Brien released 16 assistant coaches and kept defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who just completed his fifth season with the Texans.

 

[RobToxin]

 

[HammerDown]

Texans, your days of being coddled and having your hands held are over!

A man and a whiny lil bitch.

Congrats on this hire. I'd be excited too.

 

[RobToxin]

Texans fire director of pro personnel, top scout | ProFootballTalk

The arrival of new head coach Bill O’Brien isn’t the only major change for the Houston Texans this offseason.

The Texans fired Director of Pro Personnel Brian Gardner and Pro Scout Kevin Murphy, Tania Ganguli of ESPN reports.

Those are significant changes: On the Texans’ website, Gardner is listed as the highest-ranking player personnel executive, and Murphy is listed as the third-ranking player personnel executive.

There’s no word on whether the Texans are planning any more changes in the front office, but it’s clear that after last year’s 2-14 debacle, owner Bob McNair decided that heads had to roll.

 

[RobToxin]

Calling plays may cause O'Brien's plate to overflow - Houston Chronicle

Bill O'Brien is still putting together his first NFL coaching staff.

None of his hires has been introduced yet, as the Texans' new head coach says he prefers to announce the group when the staff is complete. That fits his "we're all in this together" theme; no coach is bigger than the group.

One coach, however - the offensive coordinator who shall not be named - is indeed less than the rest. O'Brien seems to be headed toward not even naming an offensive coordinator.

No need to be alarmed about that. O'Brien has a long history coaching offense, so he knows how he wants his unit to operate. He will coordinate.

A more interesting, and risky, decision O'Brien has made is to call the offensive plays.

"I love calling plays," O'Brien told the Chronicle's John McClain last week. "I've always enjoyed putting together a game plan."

Will this be a choice O'Brien later regrets?

While O'Brien has three years of NFL play-calling experience, he has zero years of NFL head coaching experience. During those three years calling plays, he had Bill Belichick doing the heavy lifting otherwise.

Former Texans coach Gary Kubiak elected to call his own plays when he took over, and that proved to be a poor choice.

After he had been an assistant coach his entire career, 11 as an offensive coordinator, Kubiak was excited about the move to the captain's seat. Early on, he seemed overwhelmed.

There are many decisions to be made in an NFL game. Anybody can sit at home and make all the right decisions, but get on the sideline with a headset, a play sheet, 46 players, a dozen or so assistants, game officials and 70,000 screaming fans, and it's a little more difficult to keep up with all that is happening.

O'Brien has less of an NFL résumé than Kubiak did when he became a head coach, but O'Brien has a couple of advantages. For one, he has a taste of what the top spot is like thanks to two years as the head coach at Penn State. It's wasn't the NFL, but it'll help.

"There are so many things that come across your desk," O'Brien said recently. "You have to be a multi-tasker. You have to be organized. You have to be able to deal with all different kinds of people and personalities. I think in that regard, the two years at Penn State really helped me."

Secondly, O'Brien was smart enough to know that if he is going to be so focused on the offensive game plan, he had better ensure that his defense is in good hands.

Incoming coordinator Romeo Crennel is an accomplished defensive coach, teacher and motivator who has been around a long time and helped teams win a host of big games (including five Super Bowls).

Kubiak made a questionable call when he took over by going with a relatively inexperienced defensive coordinator in Richard Smith, who had been a coordinator in the NFL for only one season. Three years later, Kubiak promoted first-time coordinator Frank Bush to the position.

Kubiak became a much better coach when he hired Wade Phillips, one of the best in the business. And he was a better head coach when he relinquished some of the play-calling to Kyle Shanahan.

Having to decide the best play to run while managing all about you is no easy task, but not impossible. See New Orleans' Sean Payton.

Despite the logic that the additional responsibility has to take away from attention to other details, there is a growing trend of NFL coaches who want to handle play-calling duties. This season, three first-time NFL head coaches - Arizona's Bruce Arians, Philadelphia's Chip Kelly and Chicago's Marc Trestman - did so.

Like Kelly's system, O'Brien's offense is complicated. No one knows it better than he does, so it stands to reason no one would be better at calling the plays.

The time spent bringing another coach up to speed with the scheme just to allow him to call the plays could be better spent on something else. Those who know O'Brien say his decision isn't about ego, and it isn't one he would stubbornly ride to defeat if it isn't working.

Do note O'Brien said he would call plays for "the first year."

"He's not a coach who will keep doing it if it's not working," says a former coach who has worked with O'Brien. "I guarantee you your questions, while valid now, will be moot when the games begin. If calling his own plays works, that's what he'll do. If not, he'll do something else."

That sounds like a coach who can make adjustments, a skill high on Bob McNair's list of qualifications for the position.