BRB GroupThink: Top 10 Reasons Why Cal McNair Should Fire Bill O’Brien NOW

To say trading away the best wide receiver in all the land for peanuts is the worst thing that’s ever happened to Houston football since the Oilers left is an understatement. While the DeAndre Hopkins trade is shocking on the surface, to nearly all of the football world, for those who pay close attention to Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, it’s just the final straw in a pattern of behavior unprecedented by anyone who should be running an NFL franchise.

Whether it’s unmitigated ego, overconfidence-compensating-for-incompetence, or some as yet undiagnosed mental illness, O’Brien has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt he shouldn’t remain on the Texans’ payroll any longer.

At its core, the NFL is entertainment. When the guy calling all the shots is doing everything he can to suck the entertainment out of the franchise, it’s time for a change.

For those who might still be on the O’Brien Bandwagon, we’ve compiled a list of evidence as to why you should, in fact, get off that wagon as soon as humanly possible and join the petitions and more petitions and more petitions calling for Bill O’Brien to pull an Elvis and leave the building.

To make Cal McNair’s life easier, we’ve put together this abridged list of reasons why O’Brien is not the right man for this - or any other - NFL job.

Kennth L.:

1. Demanding that Brian Gaine be the GM, to only overthrow him months later.

2. Never winning a divisional round playoff game.

3. These trades. Especially the fact that we did not receive a first round pick for either Jadeveon Clowney or Hopkins.

4. The inability to control the game, extend the lead, or dominate inferior opponents.

5. The caging of Deshaun Watson.

6. The handling of Jadeveon Clowney, Duane Brown, A.J. Bouye, and now DeAndre Hopkins (am I forgetting anyone?).

7. The inability to build an offensive line despite the investment we’ve made in the offensive line.

8. The embarrassing playoff losses.

9. The lack of delegation. The offensive coordinator hasn’t called plays. Several of his assistants are now head coaches in the league. Romeo Crennel staying past his time. He did bring in and revitalize the special teams with Brad Seely, but overall, a general lack of organizational structure.

10. Wasting Watt’s career.

11. That ugly chin.

12. Making “Hard Knocks” below average.

13. His press conferences.

14. For constantly watching teams trade in front of us.

15. For making me question my entire fandom of this franchise.

Mike:

10. Not having the team ready to go on Sunday due to messing with the game plan on Friday.

9. Not having a play ready for 4th and 1... or any other down and distance for that matter.

8. Continually slamming (insert running back here) into the A-Gap so predictably people who don’t understand football expect it.

7. Constant clock mismanagement. Pop Warner coaches do it better.

6. Failure to sign and empower a quality offensive coordinator.

5. Wasting the prime years of J.J. Watt’s career.

4. Going all in on a long line of second string quarterbacks (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Savage, [NAME REDACTED], Ryan Mallett) and making them starters.

3. Wasting an entire preseason and training camp with Tom Savage instead of giving Deshaun Watson reps, only to pull Savage five seconds into the first game.

2. Paying Jadeveon Clowney to leave.

1. Giving DeAndre Hopkins away for a bloated contract masquerading as a poor man’s Duke Johnson.

Carlos:

1. Accountability (or lack thereof).

2. “It’s on me”. Each time this phrase is spoken, it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

3. The “You suck too!” debacle.

4. The trades. Jadeveon Clowney, DeAndre Hopkins, Duane Brown. All of them.

5. Wasting the majority of Deshaun Watson’s rookie contract.

6. CHUMing the offense to death.

7. Blowing a 24 point lead.

8. His clock management.

9. Starting Tom Savage over Deshaun Watson for even a second.

10. Accomplishing the hostile takeover of this franchise and then burning it to the ground.

BFD:

3. Trading Clowney.

2. Trading Hopkins.

1. Willingly giving the ball to Alfred Blue 673 times and expecting any level of success

“...the Houston Texans’ approach from the 2nd quarter on with a lot of stupidity...”

Weston:

1. His game plan against Indianapolis in the 2018 WIld Card Round.

2. The 4th and 1 field goal in the Divisional Round against Kansas City.

3. The fake punt against Kansas City.

4. Every “I have to do better” press conference monologue without ever doing better.

5. The fact that, as being touted as an offensive head coach, he’s had one season with a positive offensive DVOA in his six seasons as a head coach.

6. The constant running on first down, the sick play action passing game, the inability to scheme players open, the lack of hot options in the passing offense, the constant struggles against the blitz.

7. The botching of the Jadeveon Clowney situation and the events that led not only to the Jadeveon Clowney trade, but to the package they received for him.

8. The DeAndre Hopkins trade.

9. Moving Julien Davenport to right tackle and starting Martinas Rankin at left tackle when Seantrel Henderson snapped his ankle in Week One, ruining Houston’s even dubious ability to protect the quarterback in 2018.

10. The Matt Kalil signing, which led to the Laremy Tunsil trade, which played a part in the Hopkins trade.

At least we have June Jones hanging his hat in Houston!