After firing David Culley and Lovie Smith in back-to-back seasons after each only coached one year for the franchise, Texans owner Cal McNair cracked a joke on Houston sports radio on Friday related to the team’s coaching search.
McNair joined the Payne & Pendergast show on Sports Radio 610 and was asked what he would say to a candidate who is concerned about joining a team that has fired each of the last two coaches after one season.
“They do have some questions like that,” McNair said. “I was kidding with someone. I said it’s almost like we can’t do one-and-done this year.”
The decisions made with the team’s coaching staff have come under scrutiny over the last two seasons given the quality of the team’s roster relative to expectations from ownership. While there is no doubt that Houston has struggled to remain competitive in the AFC South, the roster quality, especially at the quarterback position, is a key reason why.
Since trading quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland, it’s been a revolving door under center for the Texans, who deployed Davis Mills as the team’s starter for much of the season. Houston holds the No. 2 pick in April’s draft and is expected to take one of the top quarterbacks available when the team makes its selection.
The new coach having the ability to hand pick his own starting quarterback is certainly an attractive selling point for the position, but McNair will need to give assurances that there is some semblance of job security, whether he jokes about it or not.
