Culley Out as Head Coach / Lovie Smith Hired
 

Source: Houston Texans fire coach David Culley after just one season

I think he gets 2 years pay and wish him well.

Who'll be the next in line?

I think Pep Hamilton is a keeper. Kelly not so much.

Welcome back to Houston, Coach McCown!

I don't want anyone who is willing to take this job.

I assume discussions with Brian Flores have taken place behind the scenes,

I would expect him to be announced as our head coach by this time next week, if not sooner.

If this is in fact the case, I am in full support.

Culley was definitely not the short or long term answer.

Those idiots guaranteed 4 years of salary to Culley last year when they and everyone breathing knew he was a placeholder with a 2-years expected in the job.

Whatever agent Culley had for that negotiation earns some praise. The Texans were competing with no one on that hire. Culley basically got his gold watch for his career as a coach in the league. Good for him.

Why would Flores take this job? He's coming out of a situation where relational conflict with ownership cost him his job even though he'd won more than expected every season. Is this the front office and ownership you want to get involved with after relationship problems in your last job?

Must be the New England connection. Familiarity. Buds with Caserio and Easterby?


Year Age Level Employer Role
2004 23 NFL New England Patriots Scouting Assistant
2005 24 NFL New England Patriots Scouting Assistant
2006 25 NFL New England Patriots Pro Scout
2007 26 NFL New England Patriots Pro Scout
2008 27 NFL New England Patriots Special Teams Assistant
2009 28 NFL New England Patriots Special Teams Assistant
2010 29 NFL New England Patriots Asst. Offense/Special Teams Coach
2011 30 NFL New England Patriots Defensive Assistant
2012 31 NFL New England Patriots Safeties
2013 32 NFL New England Patriots Safeties
2014 33 NFL New England Patriots Safeties
2015 34 NFL New England Patriots Safeties
2016 35 NFL New England Patriots Linebackers
2017 36 NFL New England Patriots Linebackers
2018 37 NFL New England Patriots Linebackers
2019 38 NFL Miami Dolphins Head Coach (5-11)
2020 39 NFL Miami Dolphins Head Coach (10-6)
2021 40 NFL Miami Dolphins Head Coach (9-8)

Age 40 is good. And he's not a rookie head coach.

This just confirms what everyone already knows but the decision was made because Caserio has 2 good options (according to him). My friend didn't say who they were but I assume they are Flores and Mayo.

Also, don't discount Flores PLUS Mayo (as DC).

My friend also said that it is his understanding (without seeing the contracts himself) that Culley is owed the full $22 mil. Not my money but typical Texans.

Also, they are trying to get Pep to stay as OC but the damage (via Culley) may have already been done.

Berman just reported that the Texans interviewed FAU WR coach Hines Ward. Chargers OC Joe Lombardi also interviewed.

Lots of talk about the connections between Brian Flores and Deshaun Watson.

Not hearing much about the team wanting to interview either DeMeco Ryans or Aaron Glenn.

The Hines Ward interview indicates that the Texans value championship experience more than coaching experience. Dancing with the Stars championship experience, that is.

Did not know AAron Glenn was the Lions DC if only for the current year.
Glenn a helluva corner in his day and probably along with Jonathan Joseph the best CBs to ever play for the Texans, and the same could be said about DeMeco at LB and he also has a single year of experience as the 49er DC.
I really like DeMeco but neither him nor Glenn have the all important Pats connection to Caserio as far as I know.

Prior to being the Eagles DC this season, he was the DB coach for the Colts for a few seasons. Not immediately seeing any Patriots connections.

https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/stat...35370039091204

Also, Pep turned down a chance to interview with the Panthers as their OC.

I saw online (I think it was an @TexansCap tweet) that Gannon came to the Colts in 2018 as part of the staff that was being assembled for Josh McDaniels. McDaniels backed out at the last second but the Colts had already hired the assistants (also including Eberflus) and so they kept them on. So there is no direct Patriots connection, but if McDaniels knew or at least knew of Gannon, there is a good chance that Caserio did as well.

O'Connell was a 2008 Patriots 3rd round draft pick and spent a year with the team.

McCown interviewed with the team today.

Oh, I know, don't worry. They thought they'd sneak him in towards the end.

This is pretty on brand. These idiots want to hire McCown but they somehow know it will make them the target of league wide ridicule (why are they suddenly concerned about that I wonder...) so they're hoping some other team interviews him, too, to make it look like he's a legitimate HC candidate. Unfortunately for the Kirby Drive VBS, no one else is anywhere near as stupid as they are.

Hey, isn't it time to demonstrate a little leadership?

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...w-josh-mccown/

And the first candidate to get a finalist interview is... Josh McCown.

Looks like Gannon is back for round 2 as well.

If we hire McCown I surrender. Right now I already barely care about this team, but with a hope that somehow things change. I know they likely won't because Cal probably defines this as success. But I'm ready to care again if circumstances change. But hiring McCown would just end any connection I have to the team. I have zero opinion on McCown as a coach, but if we hire a guy who's never coached before I'll just pick another team. I've never done that before, but I'm pretty sure it's allowed.

This is actually Gannon's third meeting with the team...but the first one wasn't called an interview.

McCown has 20 years of playing experience and is considered by media mouthpieces to be something of an acting QB coach... but I cannot think of one McCown protege worth touting.

Ya, I think he might be worth the risk. Since they seem dead-set on giving McCown a job, maybe they can bring him in as QB coach or OC. Whatever they do, get ready for another rookie HC.

Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon appears to be the leading candidate for Texans' head coaching job.

Reports have Brian Flores in town to interview in person for the first time. First interview with Flores was a video call apparently on 1/14/22.

I am guessing Flores isn't getting this job (good for him) since he just announced he is suing the NFL for racist hiring practices. If we were honestly considering hiring him I can't imagine he'd be bringing this suit. Looks like we are going to pass on him because he's too qualified and we prefer guys who have never been a coordinator (or ideally have never coached ever).

OR, it'll come to pass that he's the only guy who'll accept the job.

I like this Gannon motherscratcher, by the way. He does not appear to be a total idiot by any stretch. I hope he's devout. He already has the head coaching experience required (none).

I find it captivating that Flores noted in his suit focusing on the league's racist hiring practices that the Dolphins' owner in 2019 was incentivizing him with $100k bonuses to lose games. Kinda feels like how the Texans might have felt about David Culley and him getting the ragtag underachievers to beat the front-running Titans this season.

There were so many shady player suspensions just prior to a gametime in 2021, and Caserio said before the season started that success would not be measured by wins.

Anyhoo, would seem that Flores is out of the running, leaving Gannon, McCown, and presumably O'Connell still in the mix to be the next head coach of the Texans.

Cross off O'Connell. He is going to the Vikings.

If that part is true, it just means the Dolphins owner is stupid. You can't be that obvious even in house. Hugh Jackson made similar claims today but said it was a coded message where the Browns owner (who knows about skirting rules and laws) told him there were bonuses for a younger team and things like that.

The funny part of this whole sad affair is there is not one part of it that raises to the level of mildly surprising. Obviously teams lose on purpose. Obviously the Texans paid a black coach to oversee the losing before hiring another coach to have a chance to win. Obviously NFL owners are racially motivated in their hiring practices. I just doubt any of that results in a legal victory for Flores. But it will likely result in a boardroom victory for black coaches. The NFL will have to actually change their practices now that it's big news.

I'm skeptical how much will actually change though. They changed their hiring practices around the time of the introduction of the Rooney Rule when maybe just Tony Dungy was about the only black head coach. And for whatever a sham that rule has since become, there was an increase in the hiring of minorities for awhile in the years since. It just seems to be at its lowest point now than it has been in a couple decades.

I'm not sure how the league adds more teeth to the rule, probably in how it just enforces/penalizes the existing rule. But the teams and owners are going to do what they're going to do.

I like how they named the Rooney Rule after a white guy.

I don't think any rule will change things. But if the bad press hits the bottom line, or even threatens to, I wouldn't be shocked if owners just decide in a backroom that 'X' number of them just need to go hire black coaches to remove the media eyes. In the end this is just 32 rich guys who do get together and decide what happens more than any rule does. If those guys just decide to hire some black coaches it all changes without rules.

Denver Broncos announce they're up for sale, ending 38 years of ownership by Bowlen family
***
Will Oprah or another Black billionaire lead a group to become the first black majority owned NFL franchise ?

NFL would jump all over that right now.

Gannon no longer a candidate, neither is McCown. Apparently the Flores is lava, too.

Heyyyyy Lovie... buddy... wanna head coach?

It's as if the leadership at the Texans has no direction. Hopefully the team won't give Lovie another four-year contract for when they let him go next January.

My friend sent me this message...

"Caserio wanted a younger head coach but struck out. On to plan D"

Also, sounds like Pep is in line for OC job unless he decides he wants to move on. JAX has put in a request to interview him. Pep's son playing at Pearland HS may keep him from leaving.

(this is me speculating) - If I were Lovie/Caserio, I would try to get Flores to come in as a DC since he isn't going to be a HC this year. If someone hires him away next year, the Texans would get draft comp.

Yep. Firing a placeholder coach to hire another placeholder coach seems odd. Especially when you fired Culley late. Why pull the trigger on that firing if you didn't have a guy in mind already? If you did have a guy then how did that fall apart? How does it cost you $30+ million to employ two guys nobody wanted as head coach?

But honestly I'm happy for the decent candidates who didn't end up here. This place is a dumpster fire that will remain so as long as Cal is 'in charge'.

Last minute update.

Cal said no to Flores b/c of lawsuit. Nick still trying to talk him into it. If he can't, Lovie will be the hire.

Congrats Lovie.

Watching the sausage made is never a good look. Had the Texans let Culley go in order to promote their associate head coach in Lovie, there would have been far less consternation.

Or, what if the Texans had acted more quickly to extend an offer to Flores? Might the league been able to avoid his lawsuit if the Texans completed the interview process in a more expeditious manner?

The number of outcomes that would be changed by the Texans operating like a professional football team is staggering.