Jeff Van Gundy defends that infamous Texans fake punt against Chiefs (Video)

ESPN commentator is probably the only Houston Texans fan with faith entering Thursday night’s regular-season opener.

Every NFL offseason, there’s one team that finds a way to be the brunt of jokes from the 31 other fan bases. The team to hold that dubious distinction are the Houston Texans, whom were one win away from reaching the AFC Championship Game, had it not been for a stunning second-quarter collapse stemming from an ill-timed fake punt call by head coach Bill O’Brien in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs. That confusing play-call allowed the Chiefs to comeback from a 24-7 deficit before halftime, and pile it on in the second half to win 51-31. Texans fans are forever haunted by that play, because if they didn’t call it, their fortunes might not have disintegrated to dust. But there’s apparently one Texans diehard who loved the call, and that’s ESPN NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy.

While calling Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Van Gundy said he loved the fake punt so much, that he hopes O’Brien calls it again during the regular-season opener against the Chiefs on Thursday night. No seriously, he actually said it. Take a listen for yourself!

Jeff Van Gundy might be the most optimistic Texans fan in the world

Van Gundy wasn’t done with his gushing over the Texans, as he said the defending AFC South champions are going to win the Super Bowl this year. His colleague, Mark Jackson, didn’t hesitate to let the audience know that Van Gundy has “been saying that for years,” and it never panned out.

Texans fans had to live with that disheartening loss for months, and they thought there was no way things could get any worse for them. But at the start of the 2020 league year, the Texans opted to trade star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for running back in David Johnson and two mid-round draft picks. That was it. After pulling off that trade, O’Brien brought in Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks to replace Hopkins’ production.

Houston does have a good chance of making the playoffs this year, but it’s unknown how far they’ll actually go without Hopkins speeding past defensive backs downfield. Best believe that Texans fans will be more confident in the team clinching a postseason berth if O’Brien doesn’t use that crazy, dumbfounding fake punt again.

Don’t listen to Van Gundy, Bill! Don’t you even think about it!