Last week I started the whole notion of the stages of suck and that continues unabated as the Texans drop to 0-4 for the first time in franchise history. Even the David Culley experience managed a victory in week one. Since this is unchartered waters it is impossible to see everyone in the key spots making it out alive. So, the question is exactly how warm is everyone’s seat getting? Naturally, this is just one observer’s opinion. People are free to flood the comments with their own. However, let’s
start on top.
Nick Caserio
These reports come out on Wednesday for a reason. Ultimately, we want to avoid making irrational decisions. Someone wise once said that perfect is the enemy of good. What they meant is that we can discard good way too easily in the search of perfect. The perfect general manager doesn’t exist. The hot name this week will be on the chopping block next month. Howie Roseman is a perfect example. One or two years ago he was the best general manager in sports. Now, Eagles fans are looking at him with side eye.
On balance, Caserio has taken this organization from the land of Bill O’Brien hell into constant competitiveness the last three years. Even three of these four games where down to the final possession. Yes, there are cracks in the veneer. Everyone focuses on the offensive line for obvious reasons, but there are other free agency misses as well. There have been draft misses as well. I would challenge any detractor to look at the records for any of the other general managers and name me ten better ones. It would be a difficult task.
However, the GM’s job is about much more than players. The coaching staff has his fingerprints all over it. In particular, the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach appear to be buddy hires. Interesting how those two units are coming under more scrutiny than any of the others. If we are looking at this from the Goldilocks zone of cold, warm, and hot then we would have to put Caserio in the warm category. I can’t see much of a case for firing him at this moment, but once this debacle is over he will be put on notice to get coaching hires and the offensive line right. Another year of this and he could be out. Seat: Warm
DeMeco Ryans
Like with Caserio one should consider whether you can do better. That is a very reasonable question. For some, simply having an offense first coach is always preferable and that is more than fair. However, it is fair to ask what Ryans has done to deserve the axe. It is only one man’s opinion, but I see him as 2010 Gary Kubiask. Kubiak was a gifted offensive mind and had one of the more prolific offenses in the NFL at the time. In fact, the Texans offense has never been better than it was in 2010. He just couldn’t figure out the defensive side of the ball.
The McNairs stepped in and hired Wade Phillips and forced him on Kubiak. It might be that time for Ryans. 2010 was year four for Kubiak and 2026 is year four for Ryans. My personal view is that Caley was selected for him. He failed when he brought in his own guy. So, that means Hannah McNair needs to come to the rescue and hire someone for Caserio and Ryans. The decision needs to be taken out of their hands. No more buddy hires.
The Colts game was rife with clock management issues, but those were cleaned up this week. He is growing as a football coach and he should be here for the long haul. Obviously consecutive losing seasons would change the calculus on that, but I see him on the Kubiak track. He will recover with a better offensive staff and hopefully Stroud will stay healthier than Matt Schaub. Seat: Cold
Nick Caley
The life of a teacher can be cruel. Teachers are usually put into three different buckets. There are those that are pros and we just leave them alone and let them do their thing. There are those that show promise, but have areas where they can definitely grow. We keep them around and offer them training and support until they figure out what they need to figure out. Then there are those that are lost causes. You bide your time and get rid of them when you can.
I have been all three in my teaching career. The differences were based on the situation. I am built to do specific things well and when allowed to do those things I will be great. There are other things I don’t do well and situations where I will struggle. So, I get Nick Caley more than most people. Caley isn’t an idiot. He is just in a bad situation for him and his skill set. Sometimes it is a location thing. Sometimes it is a question of what is being asked. Sometimes it is a question of the tools that are given to him. Either way, we are beyond the stage of hoping and working towards growth.
I have little doubt that Caley could potentially succeed in a different situation. He just isn’t the right guy for this job. Even in his good weeks there are too many instances where he is overmatched. The hook and lateral play in the fourth quarter was a moment of brilliance in a sea of mediocrity. There just aren’t enough of those moments to make up for the mediocrity. Looking back he probably should have been one and done, but they wanted to give him a chance to grow and I can’t fault them for that. It just didn’t work. Seat: Scalding Hot
