The O'Brien Tumor Was Removed, But Was It Too Late?

 

Billy O, Searching For His Draft Picks

Bill O’Brien lasted longer as the general manager of the Houston Texans than Kim Kardashian lasted married to Kris Humphries. That’s probably far from Bill O’Brien’s mind as this week he was terminated from his duties as both the Texans’ head coach and general manager. Bill O’Brien’s firing was a culmination of a man who gained so much power, he was unable to point the finger when the team started the season 0-4. The question really becomes which Bill O’Brien ended his tenure in the Lone Star state – Bill O’Brien The Head Coach, Bill O’Brien The General Manager, or Bill O’Brien The Man?

Part 1: Bill O’Brien: The Head Coach

The Texans hired Bill O’Brien in 2014 after he completed his second year as Penn State’s head coach. Although the Texans were a 2-14 team the year prior, they held the first overall pick and used that to pick up stellar defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, who would then lineup with the already stellar, J.J. Watt.  The Bill O’Brien turnaround was on as his team went 9-7. O’Brien would go on to a 52-48 record as the leader of the Texans, win the AFC South title (a mostly dismal division) four out of his six full seasons, and only had one losing season when his 2017 team finished 4-12.

Easy to tell which team scored zero points

Despite his ability to turnaround a depleted team, it more or less felt that O’Brien’s coaching abilities plateaued, especially when his team’s entered the playoffs. In each of his four playoff appearances his teams were unable to get over the “hump.” In 2016, at home, Bill O’Brien’s team was the first team in a decade to be shutout in a playoff game – 30-0 against the wildcard Chiefs. 2016’s Divisional Round, against the AFC’s power team, the New England Patriots, O’Brien’s team failed to be competitive and lost 34-16. This game was to be the “great leap forward” as the Texans would overthrow the Patriots and assert their dominance across the AFC. Instead, the Houston Texans looked more like a paper tiger who were able to wallop on their weak AFC South opponents but could not muster the right stuff against the Patriots. The 2019 AFC Wild Card game was another no show for O’Brien’s team as his, on paper, favored team was trampled at home by their division rival, and less superior, Indianapolis Colts – 21-7. Finally, and where the train really got derailed, was in the 2020 Divisional Round when Bill O’Brien’s team gave up a 24-0 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs.

For all the greatness that made up O’Brien’s Houston Texans – DeShaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt – he was never able to overcome mediocrity. In many respects, Coach O’Brien most resembled the former Cincinnati Bengal’s head coach, Marvin Lewis. Both Lewis and O’Brien excelled at maintaining winning records, but never brought their respective franchises any lasting glory.

Part 2: Bill O’Brien: The General Manager

Technically, Bill O’Brien wasn’t the Texans’ “official” general manager until they bestowed him the title in January of 2020. However, his fingerprints and demands for certain players were in every transaction.

The Brock Osweiller signing should have been exactly the point in which the Texans fired O’Brien. Osweiller played only eight games for the Denver Broncos before signing a four-year $72 million contract in 2016, with O’Brien’s club. Even O’Brien discussed how the two, paired together, would lead to great success for the organization. Osweiller was quickly traded when his play did not add up to his worth, but O’Brien’s spending left a damaging hole in the Texan’s cap space. This hole only grew stronger as O’Brien was allowed to make further front office decisions.

In 2019 O’Brien let his once lauded over defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, walk and then immediately sent two first round draft picks to Miami. The Texans received offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and then decided to pay him $22 million per year. Tunsil was supposed to give DeShaun Watson, the all-pro quarterback for the Texans, extra protection. This failed. Watson remains one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the NFL. In addition it’s no surprise that after Clowney left, the Texans are ranked last against the run and 26^th for most points allowed.

In his first move as the “official” general manager of the Texans, O’Brien traded his future Hall of Fame receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals for a beat up running back, David Johnson, and a second-round pick. It was obvious which team won this trade. Johnson currently ranks 35^th for yards per carry, but then again Johnson’s offensive line is atrocious (remember Watson is the most pressured quarterback in the NFL). Despite all these earth-shattering signings and trades, O’Brien wasn’t finished making his mark. He traded a second and fourth round pick to the Rams in order to acquire the nearly always banged up wide receiver, Brandin Cooks.

The general manager left to clean up Bill O’Brien’s mess will have an arduous time just to rebuild. The Texans have absolutely no cap space to sign players. Thanks to O’Brien’s dealings, his team spends the most per year on player salaries ($255million). The new GM will also be hindered trying to build through the draft as Miami holds the Texans’ first round draft picks and the Texans won’t pick until the third round.

Part Three: Bill O’Brien: The Man

Bill O’Brien advanced to the top of an organization through a strategy known as “failing up.” O’Brien successfully blamed Rick Smith, the general manager who was able to get Brock Osweiller off Houston’s books, for not providing him with adequate talent. It was reported the relationship between Rick Smith and Bill O’Brien was “toxic.” Smith would be shown the door at the end of the 2017 season.

Even the most ardent romances result in the most acrimonious divorces

Brian Gaine would then be the next general manager to run afoul of Czar O’Brien. This time it was reported that Gaine and O’Brien’s relationship had “eroded”. Gaine would be let go at the end of the 2019 season which is where O’Brien successfully “failed up” to become the Texans’ “official general manager.”

Brian Gaine was Billy O's guy, until he wasn't

Not only did O’Brien fail to get along with front office personnel but he also failed to have good relations with his players. In his “negotiations” with DeAndre Hopkins, which led to Hopkins’ trade, O’Brien thought it best to compare Hopkins to murderer Aaron Hernandez and then later made a joke about Hopkins’ “baby mamas [all] being around.” It’s not clear if ever insulting the other party personally is an intelligent negotiation strategy. In light of this information, it should come as no surprise that rumors are coming out that many Houston players have a “feeling of relief” after O’Brien’s departure.

Part Four: Conclusion

In every mob movie there is some cheesy line that suggests that business really is personal. Bill O’Brien makes that notion entirely true. Each of his moves – Osweiller, Hopkins, Clowney – was made through his own personal instincts. The football logic is hard to see because the football logic wasn’t there. The more alarming factor is how this rampage and malfeasance was able to get out of hand. Each person who attempted to rail O’Brien in (Smith and Gaine) were shown the door.

The Texans’ ownership, the last safeguard of a promising franchise, allowed O’Brien to turn a once promising franchise into a broke, cashless, dumpster fire of a team.

Shame on Bill O’Brien but even greater shame on Cal McNair for allowing this gross negligence to continue for far too long.

Sources

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2020/10/6/21503681/bill-obrien-texans-coach-fired

https://www.battleredblog.com/2017/12/30/16833736/aaron-wilson-obrien-smith-relationship-toxic

https://africa.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30048456/the-texans-fired-bill-obrien-now-barnwell-strange-timing-rocky-tenure-houston-future