The end of Bill O’Brien’s tenure as head coach / general manager of the Houston Texans was strange in many ways, and a recent report suggested that behind closed doors it may have been tumultuous. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston ChronicleO’Brien got into an argument with JJ Watt and Defense Coordinator Anthony Weaver on the practice field, as well as verbal arguments with other employees, in the weeks leading up to his release.
“I don’t know, I won’t talk about what happened in practice and what conversations were held,” Watt replied when asked about the report on Wednesday. about Wilson. “At the moment we have a fresh start.”
This corresponds to what CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported Monday when he said that O’Brien had bumped into prominent players in training and taking on call-up duties was his last attempt to save things within the organization. Another move that allegedly rubbed the players in the wrong direction was O’Brien’s quest to keep Free Agents Earl Thomas safe – a possible addition hit with strong recoil at the Texan locker room.
According to La Canfora, O’Brien’s relationships with his players suffered a long time and dealing with DeAndre Hopkins certainly didn’t help. The Texans swapped Hopkins and a selection for the fourth round of 2020 against the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson and his huge contract this off-season, one selection for the second round of 2020 and one selection for the fourth round of 2021. Many found it very surprising that the Texans hadn’t made a first choice for one of the best receivers in the game.
The morning after the Texans fired O’Brien, Watt tweeted this photo on the pitch at NRG Stadium. The “why” behind this post is up for debate, but it could be related to ushering in a new era in Texan football.
Romeo Crennel has taken on the position of interim head coach for the Texans and when asked what he would like to see from his team, he simply said he would like to see a change occur.
“I hope our attitude and energy is different,” said Crennel. about Wilson. “I hope our performance is different. You won’t have a new offense or defense overnight.”
