“Sometimes Divorce is a Good Thing”

Last Sunday we saw the Houston Texans use a quarterback-by-committee strategy to score more than 20 points since week seven, but lost the game because of poor play calling – yet again. Pep’s play calling has hurt me more than my ex-wife. 

The Cowboys were favored by 16.5 points, but won by just 4 points (27-23 Cowboys). Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott only completed 6 passes longer than 10 yards. The Texans defense did a good job of limiting the Cowboys passing game. The problem occurred in the 4th quarter when Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton decided to trot out Mr. AARP (Rex Burkhead) after Dameon Pierce injured his ankle. Rex got stuffed at the 4th yard line in Cowboys territory and lost a yard. Rex was put out there again and lost another 2 yards.

Then on 4th down at the Cowboys 3rd yard line Jeff Driskel, who was supposed to run to the edge, tried to cut inside and was only able to pick up 1 yard. He thought the Cowboys defense picked up on the play call. According to Tytus Howard and Jeff Driskel, Pep had watched film earlier in the week and thought he saw a vulnerability in the Cowboys defense in a previous game. Instead of kicking a field goal on 4th down the call was made to go for it, even though this squad has struggled to put points on the board. In fact, we are the 3rd worst team right above the Colts and Broncos in points per game. 

There were plenty of ways to win this game and gloat in front of our intrastate rivals, but Pep had other plans. Pep made the wrong call at the goal line and this is not a unique situation. During the home game against the Cleveland Browns, Pep called a passing play 3 separate times instead of trying to punch it in at the goal line with Pierce.

Lovie Smith is not without fault as well. After the Texans turned the ball over on 4th down, Dak Prescott led a 98-yard drive which ended up with an Ezekiel Elliott rushing touchdown. This was possible because Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme left huge gaping holes right up the middle. All Dak had to do was throw 8 passes up the seam and there wasn’t anything we could do to stop him.

While we were much more competitive than we have been in the past, a large part of it happened because the Cowboys made plenty of mistakes. Dak gave up two interceptions, both caught by Tremon Smith. KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ball on a return as well. While Dameon Pierce fumbled and lost the ball, the Texans won the turnover battle and still lost the game. Jalen Pitre was a heat seeking missile and led the team with 12 tackles and stopped the Cowboys on a goal line stand. While the porous run defense and issues with missed tackles was evident during the game, the repetitive excuse that our roster was simply less talented than our opponent fell on deaf ears – with myself and much of the fan base.

Last Sunday was another nail in the coffin with the Lovie Smith and Pep Hamilton experiment. Lovie Smith was never meant to be the head coach of the Houston Texans and he has proven why he was only a last minute hire throughout the season. Players seemed to have checked out and so have most fans. While I am not on the Bryce Young train, I realize something has to change and that starts with the coaching staff.

Cal McNair and Nick Caserio will have many hard decisions to make this off-season. Should the Texans make Lovie Smith another one-and-done head coach, just like they did to David Culley?

If they do fire him, will the Texans be able to attract candidates that are coveted by other NFL teams? Both David Culley and Lovie Smith would not have been hired as head coach for another NFL franchise. Will we have to settle for a candidate that has so few options again? 

Should they keep Lovie Smith as head coach, but force Lovie to hire a defensive coordinator and just replace Pep Hamilton as the offensive coordinator?

Some people believe that even Nick Caserio should be on the chopping block. Former executives with inside knowledge have stated that Caserio is not on the hot seat for the moment.

I do not think Nick should be fired, but there are certainly valid arguments. Both of his 2022 first round picks are severely underperforming this season. Left guard Kenyon Green is having a particularly bad season and needs much more development to be effective in pass protection. Derek Stingley has missed four games due to his hamstring injury and has not had the rookie season that was projected for a 3rd overall pick.

Nick Caserio’s 2021 draft picks seem to be mostly busts. However, his 2021 draft class deserves to be graded on a curve because of the lack of premium draft capital. His first pick as the general manager of the Houston Texans was Davis Mills and he seems be a backup at best. The only future starter in the 2021 draft class is Nico Collins, and if the Texans upgrade the position in the 2023 draft, Nico Collins might be relegated to a backup role as well. Garret Wallow looks like a rotational linebacker at best and the same can be said for Roy Lopez. Caserio did draft strong foundational pieces in the 2022 draft class in Jalen Pitre and Dameon Pierce, but many fans do not believe he has accomplished enough. 

If Cal McNair fires Nick Caserio, which I highly doubt he is seriously considering, Texans fans would have to trust Cal to hire a better general manager. Would you trust Cal to make that decision? I don’t.

Texans fans have become apathetic and it’s unfortunate because we looked like a playoff team not too long ago. It was only four years ago when we had a 10-6 winning record and won a playoff game against the Bills. Meanwhile, the Lions, Dolphins, Raiders, Commanders, Jets, Bears, Giants, Broncos, Panthers and Cardinals have all had longer playoff droughts than us. The problem is that many fans do not believe the front office can steer us in the right direction.

The honeymoon with Nick Caserio, Lovie Smith and Pep Hamilton is over and fans want heads to roll. This off-season will be the most important off-season in the history of the franchise.