The Houston Texans have had two practices since the firing of coach Bill O’Brien. The coaching change begs the question: what has changed in the team’s practices since the coaching move?
According to defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, there have been changes that have occurred that have brought enthusiasm to the players.
“I think structurally there were some changes in just the scheduling, which I think players were obviously excited about,” Weaver said. “But other than that, the game is the game.”
The only time a Texans coach was fired in-season was in 2013 when Gary Kubiak was let go with three games to go. Weaver was not yet in Houston; the only comparable event for Weaver is when general manager Brian Gaine was fired on June 7, 2019, the Friday before mandatory minicamp the following week.
“I was a here a year ago when our GM, Brian Gaine, god bless him, I love him, a phenomenal human being — was fired in June, and this train kept moving,” Weaver said. “We had an OTA and we came to work the next day and it kept going. You see NFL means ‘not for long.’ That’s everybody.”
“Not for long” could also apply to Weaver if the defense can’t find a way to stop the run and generate turnovers. The Texans give up 188 rushing yards per game, the most in the NFL, and are the only team yet to procure a takeaway through the first four games.
Said Weaver: “At some point we’re all going to be out of here. But while we’re here, we’ve got to maximize this time and do everything we possibly can to try to win and deliver wins obviously for our fans, but also for these players. At the end of the day for me, it’s all about these players.”
The Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 at NRG Stadium Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT. The opportunity is there to show much more than the practices have changed, but so have on-field results.
