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Fire Bill O'Brien

Discussion in 'Houston Texans' started by DonnyMost, Sep 23, 2016.

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Should we fire Bill O'Brien?

  1. Yes

    76.0%
  2. No

    15.9%
  3. Abstain (for the moment)

    8.2%
  1. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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    what gives Ross the authority?
    Wild guess: having a keyboard or smartphone and the ability to hit “send”?
     
    MSBRockets likes this.
  2. raining threes

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    Was Rick the problem with Kubiak?

    I mean his decade was a failure.

    Ever ask yourself why he doesn't have another job in the league?
     
  3. marks0223

    marks0223 2017 and 2022 World Series Champions
    Supporting Member

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    Happy April Fools Day
     
    coachbadlee and J.R. like this.
  4. zeeshan2

    zeeshan2 Member

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  5. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    Cocaine is a helluva drug.
     
  6. conquistador#11

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    high brow humor
     
    plutoblue11 likes this.
  7. DatRocketFan

    DatRocketFan Member

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    Not even something to joke about, cause Scarface might take it as gospel/evidence.
     
  8. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Not on the hot seat Brian.



    Bill O'Brien is both the head coach and the general manager, which is as good a place to start as any.

    Most league owners believe in a system of checks and balances when it comes to their football operations. They fear that giving complete control to one person could create an environment in which feelings and personalities influence decisions. Oftentimes, the coach needs a buffer to keep him from making emotional decisions, just as a general manager needs a counterbalance to avoid rushes to judgment on players. The perils of not having a separation of powers can be seen in the moves O'Brien has made over the last two years.

    Because coaches regularly feel the pressure to win now, they're known to want to make moves with little or no regard for anything beyond the current season. O'Brien appeared to be guilty of that last August, when he traded valuable draft capital -- two first-round picks and a second-rounder -- for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills, two veterans who could strengthen the 2019 Texans. An experienced general manager might have pushed the pause button, realizing the value of having high draft picks on rookie contracts for at least four years. He would balance the present against the future. O'Brien appeared to go all in, which became more problematic after the Texans were bounced in the Divisional Round -- having blown a 24-0 lead over the Chiefs before amazingly losing the game by 20 points -- and now find themselves without a first-round pick until 2022.

    Also, personnel people around the league scratched their heads at how O'Brien mismanaged the situation with the first player he ever drafted in Houston, former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The error was not in slapping the franchise tag on the standout edge defender last offseason; it was becoming frustrated at the prospect of Clowney sitting out all (or part of) the season because of an inability to come to terms on a multi-year deal, and then trading him in a panic on August 31. Waiting until such a late date meant the Texans had no leverage because teams ostensibly had set their rosters and locked in their salary structures.

    An experienced general manager would have known the importance of playing out every scenario ahead of time, then deciding what to do with Clowney before the start of the new league year, which is what the Chiefs and Seahawks did that offseason with their franchised edge rushers. They recognized that they were unwilling to pay the players and decided they would seek to trade them during the first month of free agency. Seattle came away with first- and second-round draft picks in exchange for Frank Clark, while Kansas City secured a second-rounder for Dee Ford.

    The Texans got only a third-round pick and two veteran reserves for Clowney, who arguably was the most disruptive of the three players. As if that weren't bad enough, O'Brien appeared to have topped himself with an even more baffling trade last month, when he sent three-time All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for oft-injured running back David Johnson, his $10.2 million base salary and a second-round pick.

    There are rumblings that O'Brien and Hopkins did not mesh. There also is talk that the Texans feared Hopkins was going to seek a top-of-the-market contract, which would have hindered their ability to build out the roster. A capable general manager possibly could have found a way to make either of those things work. But with no one as a counterbalance to O'Brien, one of the most inexplicable trades in recent memory went through, which is as good a reason as any to doubt whether Houston and O'Brien will get it right in the draft and beyond.
     
    Rudyc281 likes this.
  9. raining threes

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    The Tunsil trade was a good trade.

    The Clowney trade was a bad trade, but BOB was right about the market for Clowney.

    Nuk- If the BOB was truly about winning every year and the future be damned as this article suggests then Nuk would still be a Texan.
     
    Rudyc281 likes this.
  10. primtim24

    primtim24 Contributing Member

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    Looks like we found one of B.o.B.'s Burner Accounts. There's not a chance any real Texans fan would think that B.o.B. wasn't one of the worst GM's in the league.
     
    lnchan likes this.
  11. gucci888

    gucci888 Contributing Member

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    Anyone catch BoB’s interview earlier today? Dude said every move is made the best interest of the team and literally spelled it out “Capital T, Capital E, Capital A, Capital M.” Not just once, but twice.

    What an asshat.
     
    Canadiandude likes this.
  12. TEXNIFICENT

    TEXNIFICENT Member

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    The Clowney and Hopkins trades were about his ego.
     
  13. raining threes

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    Turns out he was right about Clowney. Clowney isn't going to get paid anywhere near the 20 mil he thought he was worth on the FA market.

    Time will tell if not re-doing Nuk's contract to the tune of 20 mil per yr was a good move or not. I'm betting in yrs 4-5 that contract will be an albatross on the Cards org.
     
    Rudyc281 likes this.
  14. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    Satire
     
  15. conquistador#11

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    Next candidate to get traded:

    "This son of a motherF'er, F'ing thinks he can f'ing do my job. Let me tell you something m'fer, I made Brady become the greatest when you were still in diapers. F' this FIFA'19 playing m'fer. I never selected you anyways." (teapot boils over. Takes a 3rd rounder from Detroit because Detroit was including a TE that was about to get cut)
     
    TheRealist137 and coachbadlee like this.
  16. davidio840

    davidio840 Contributing Member

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    Uhhh.. Bob speaks

    https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...-a-happy-face-on-offseason-moves-15177873.php

    Bill O’Brien broke his silence Friday on the Texans’ controversial trade of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for former All-Pro running back David Johnson.

    During a town hall conference call with season-ticket holders that included Texans chairman and chief operating officer Cal McNair and executive vice president of team development Jack Easterby, the Texans' coach and general manager explained the reasoning behind trading one of the top receivers in the league.

    O’Brien primarily cited Hopkins’ request for a raise with three years remaining in a five-year $81 million contract that includes $49 million guaranteed as an impetus for the unpopular move, which netted Johnson, a second-round draft pick and a fourth-round selection in exchange for a three-time All-Pro and a fourth-round pick.

    "I would say the deal with Arizona was a deal that we felt was in the best interest of our team," O'Brien said. "DeAndre Hopkins was a great football player here. He made so many plays for us. We love DeAndre Hopkins, but he had three years left on a deal and he wanted a raise. We weren't going to be able to go in that direction.

    "We felt like we had a great offer from Arizona that involved picks. It involved an excellent three-down running back who's hungry and humble and just can't wait to get started. David Johnson is going to be a great addition to our football team."

    It was more complicated, though, than a simple financial dispute that involved Hopkins communicating through his representatives that he would hold out if he didn’t get a bump from his $16.2 million average per year to the $19 million to $20 million range, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly. The Cardinals do plan to address Hopkins' contract situation.

    There was also friction in recent years between Hopkins and O'Brien, including a disconnect about him frequently not practicing during the regular season due to various lingering injuries, according to league sources.

    The trade has been widely criticized around the league privately and publicly, especially after the Minnesota Vikings got a first-round draft pick back from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The Texans shopped Hopkins to the Philadelphia Eagles, among others, but nothing could be worked out.

    The Texans have two second-round draft picks and are expected to select at least one wide receiver to work in tandem with Will Fuller, Kenny Stills and former Cowboys and Packers starter Randall Cobb.

    “There's a lot of things that go into trades, lot of thoughts that go in,” O’Brien said. “How much are you going to take on contractually? How much does it take to buy that second-round pick, that No. 40 pick? What type of player are you bringing in? What type of player are you losing and what is in the best interest of the team?"


    Hopkins’ departure leaves the defending AFC South champions, who were blown out in the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, without one of the most accomplished, acrobatic receivers in the game.

    "We're excited about where we're at and excited about where we're going," O'Brien said. "It's hard because there's a lot of noise out there but there's a lot of things going on in our organization that make us feel very excited about the upcoming season.

    "Every decision we make will always be made in the best interest of the team. We're not trying to win March. We’re trying to win in January. We’re incomplete right now. It’s April, it’s not November. We're trying to set up our team depth-wise talent-wise to be able to win in January.”

    The Texans are planning blockbuster contract extensions for quarterback Deshaun Watson and left tackle Laremy Tunsil, which could cost nearly $300 million combined over the length of those potential deals.


    "We think about the great quarterback Deshaun Watson that we have," McNair said. “We want to surround him with dependable, tough, smart players that care about winning and care about the team."

    O’Brien struck a similar tone to past statements from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, his former boss. Twice, O'Brien emphasized the importance of the collective over the individual.

    "Whatever decisions we make will be made in the best interest of the team: Capital T, Capital E, Capital A, Capital M," O'Brien said. "Every decision we make, as long as I'm the football coach here, will always be made in the best interest of the team."

    The Texans fired former general manager Brian Gaine last June. Since then, O’Brien has operated with the authority of a general manager with more power than the majority of NFL head coaches. He was given the official title by McNair after the season.

    O'Brien has operated aggressively, trading for Tunsil, Stills and running backs Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde, adding Cobb and safety Eric Murray in free agency and re-signing center Nick Martin, linebacker Whitney Mercilus, cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves, tight end Darren Fells, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and several other players.


    McNair repeatedly expressed confidence in the direction of the organization.

    "It's important that the focus is the team," McNair said. "I would think as a fan, I would be really excited that your leadership of the team can make bold moves and can go out and do these things to make the team better and take these next steps we’re all looking forward to. It's an exciting time for us and for the fans.

    "Our team is getting better through free agency. You can't look at any one move. You have to put them all together to see how the team has changed over the last 18 months. The whole idea and the focus is to make the team better and take the next step.”

    O’Brien works closely with Easterby, a former Patriots character coach and Chiefs team chaplain, along with other team executives.

    That includes daily conversations between O’Brien, Easterby and McNair while practicing the government-mandated social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “Cal McNair has done a great job of leading us,” O’Brien said. “Jack and I have been empowered to do certain things. I think it’s been good. Are there challenges? Yes.

    “A lot of times Jack and I meet over at my house. We stand outside. We stay six feet apart. We do the right things. We go for a walk. We’re on opposite sides of the street yelling back and forth at each other.”

    Added McNair: “They work very collaboratively. They’re very smart people. They work very hard and they take a long time debating back and forth all the issues, all the important questions. I think they’re doing a great job.”

    O'Brien emphasized that the Texans have won four AFC South division titles during his tenure. During that span, they have won two playoff games. They are the only team in the AFC South that has not reached an AFC championship game in franchise history.

    “We're excited with where we are,” O’Brien said. “Any organization that has achieved greatness, there has always been noise. We've won 4 of 6 division titles. We know how to win.

    "We aren't talking about a 6-10 football team. We’re doing everything possible to put together a great football team and try to get where we can win in January.”
     
  17. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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  18. raining threes

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    Sad to think that was the best deal on the table for Nuk.

    Guess his value while wanting a new contract was low.
     
  19. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    nah it's just someone who doesn't know wtf he's doing as the tweets refer
     
    SWTsig and red5rocket like this.
  20. TEXNIFICENT

    TEXNIFICENT Member

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    The returns are indefensible. $10 million for David Johnson? $18 million for Randall Cobb o replace Hopkins? $28 million WASTED. It's a joke.
     
    Canadiandude likes this.

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