Why don't you count Vrabel as a BB guy? Vrabel spent all those years learning under Bill as a player plus he spent time under Bill O Brien as an assistant coach. Would you consider Mean Joe Greene a Noll disciple even though he didn't coach under him? I think your definition is kinda weird.O'Brien's flaws are obvious, but is he the most successful Belichick disciple in NFL history? 52-48 record, four playoff appearances isn't terrible. I don't count Vrabel as a BB guy.
Dabo Swinney as coach to get the most out of WatsonIf Easterby survives this, have to think McDaniels and Caserio are the favorites for HOU coach and HOU GM next year.
I don't have a problem with people considering Vrabel a BB disciple, but he never served as coach in any capacity under Belichick, so I personally don't consider him a real disciple of Belichick. I don't think that is a weird way to look at it but YMMV.Why don't you count Vrabel as a BB guy? Vrabel spent all those years learning under Bill as a player plus he spent time under Bill O Brien as an assistant coach. Would you consider Mean Joe Greene a Noll disciple even though he didn't coach under him? I think your definition is kinda weird.
I don't consider Romeo O Crennel a BB disciple but a Parcells guy. I mean Romeo and BB both coaches under Parcells and Romeo is the same age as Belichek.
Nick Saban. Or maybe Ozzie Newsome.O'Brien's flaws are obvious, but is he the most successful Belichick disciple in NFL history? 52-48 record, four playoff appearances isn't terrible. I don't count Vrabel as a BB guy.
Ha! I specifically mentioned “NFL disciple” in my post because I was thinking about Saban. Newsome is a clever answer though.Nick Saban. Or maybe Ozzie Newsome.
...and that (Bolded) is why this...Amazing to me that Cal McNair would go so quickly from trusting BOB enough to let him make a widely panned trade that sent away the second-best player in franchise history for a 2nd-round pick, then turn around and fire him 4 weeks into the ensuing season. McNair hasn’t been the principal owner for long, so maybe he’s just getting his bearings; otherwise this is a sign of Jets-like incompetence in the owner’s chair.
...isn't going to happen. I mean, maybe Caserio, if he thinks he wouldn't be retained by a HC McDaniels. But with McDaniels pretty confident that he is the heir apparent in New England, and will have good, long-term-thinking, supportive ownership as long as he doesn't completely crater the franchise, and the best team culture he could possibly ask for, I don't know why he'd toss that aside. If McDaniels were going to jump at the first iffy-ownership HC job to come along, he'd have stuck with his first instinct in Indy.If Easterby survives this, have to think McDaniels and Caserio are the favorites for HOU coach and HOU GM next year.
A Shakespearean villain in our time.Easterby now running the show. Absolutely insane.
Well, not sure if BB wants him back and 100% certain BoB would be looking for at least an OC if not another HC gig.Can we bring back BOB as a QB coach for Stidham and our practice squad? Wouldn't mind him in here under McDaniels.
Wasn’t there a fired HC who came to the Pats to finish out a season as a consultant? Schiano? could be a model.Well, not sure if BB wants him back and 100% certain BoB would be looking for at least an OC if not another HC gig.
For the Texans, they have to have Chiefs' Bieniemy as their #1 target, no?
It was McDaniels in 2011Wasn’t there a fired HC who came to the Pats to finish out a season as a consultant? Schiano? could be a model.
Not that Watt is necessarily wrong, but also sets up a tough situation for the next guy...
His former role of scheming intriguer?This is like Eddie going from the mail room to associate editor of J Peterman
View: https://twitter.com/jamespalmertv/status/1313979617099706368?s=21
This is why Pats should stay 100% away from BoB.His former role of scheming intriguer?
Eh. I dont think Easterby pushed him out. I think BoB did a shitty job and got fired. Houston promoting Easterby shows the failing off Texan officials, not BoB.This is why Pats should stay 100% away from BoB.
He schemed to get his former GMs fired, brought in Stewart Sma...I mean Easterby then got schemed by the motivational guru and got fired himself.
I've listened to way too many podcasts talking about the firing but there seems to be enough smoke to suspect Easterby winning the power struggle:Eh. I dont think Easterby pushed him out. I think BoB did a shitty job and got fired. Houston promoting Easterby shows the failing off Texan officials, not BoB.
However, it does look like the straw that broke camel's back was when J.J. Watt had it out with BoB during practice:It appears that Easterby, the former Patriots “character coach,” has increasing sway in Houston. You may remember Easterby from the episode when the team was accused of tampering with Patriots executive Nick Caserio at the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony. O’Brien and Easterby “did not see eye to eye recently,” according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
I think there's an answer somewhere in the middle here. If you look at O'Brien's tenure, he couldn't wait to force out GM Rick Smith when Smith took a leave-of-absence because of his wife's cancer. Originally it was reported Smith would return in some capacity; never happened. O'Brien brought on Brian Gaine; that marriage lasted less than 18 months. Then Easterby gets promoted, and now he and O'Brien can't get along? So it may not have been an ouster / power struggle so much as Texans management getting sick of O'Brien fighting with his personnel head constantly.I've listened to way too many podcasts talking about the firing but there seems to be enough smoke to suspect Easterby winning the power struggle:
It's fair to argue O'Brien did a poor job in some respects, but usually guys don't get fired for an 0-4 start after consecutive playoff appearances. So I put some credence in personality issues being a factor here.Eh. I dont think Easterby pushed him out. I think BoB did a shitty job and got fired. Houston promoting Easterby shows the failing off Texan officials, not BoB.
it seems O'B has a bit of a Pitino problem in terms of the GM roleI think there's an answer somewhere in the middle here. If you look at O'Brien's tenure, he couldn't wait to force out GM Rick Smith when Smith took a leave-of-absence because of his wife's cancer. Originally it was reported Smith would return in some capacity; never happened. O'Brien brought on Brian Gaine; that marriage lasted less than 18 months. Then Easterby gets promoted, and now he and O'Brien can't get along? So it may not have been an ouster / power struggle so much as Texans management getting sick of O'Brien fighting with his personnel head constantly.
Parcells, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson. People don't usually report on Andy Reid that way (since he has always had someone with the official GM title), but he's presumed to have ultimate control over the 53. Jon Gruden does, too. In Cincinnati, Mike Brown is officially the GM but Marvin Lewis was presumed to have a ton of personnel sway (unsure if Zac Taylor does). Pete Carroll was the ultimate authority in Seattle initially; not sure how he and John Schneider divvy up duties these days. Same with Kyle Shanahan / John Lynch in SF. It's not all that uncommon, and great minds like Belichick, Parcells, and Walsh were pretty firm that it's a better system.Other than BB, which head coaches have been successful exercising ultimate personnel authority? It’s the overwhelming exception to the rule that the two jobs (which are not as complementary as one may think) are generally too difficult for one person to execute well.
And why they thought giving BOB (who just isn’t a Parcells or Mike Shanahan level coach in terms of resume and cred) that kind of authority is beyond me.
I'd add a prominent seat at this table for Chuck Noll.Parcells, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson. People don't usually report on Andy Reid that way (since he has always had someone with the official GM title), but he's presumed to have ultimate control over the 53. Jon Gruden does, too. In Cincinnati, Mike Brown is officially the GM but Marvin Lewis was presumed to have a ton of personnel sway (unsure if Zac Taylor does). Pete Carroll was the ultimate authority in Seattle initially; not sure how he and John Schneider divvy up duties these days. Same with Kyle Shanahan / John Lynch in SF. It's not all that uncommon, and great minds like Belichick, Parcells, and Walsh were pretty firm that it's a better system.
That said, I'm not at all a fan of giving a lame duck head coach GM authority with the idea that it takes away their excuses. It just encourages them to make dumb, short-sighted moves to save their job, which almost never works and often hurts the future.
This is the second time in a row the Texans have traded a future first-round pick and had that pick fall in the top five!
Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
The Texans’ first-round pick that the Dolphins own thanks to the Laremy Tunsil trade is now a Top 5 pick....