Texans finally give Deshaun Watson a chance by firing Bill O’Brien

The Houston Texans waited far too long to fire Bill O’Brien, but at least now they can begin to dig out of the disaster he left for them.

After 100 games, the Houston Texans finally, mercifully, saw enough.

Somehow, it took 100 games for the McNair family to realize Bill O’Brien wasn’t going to work out.  This despite giving him the title of general manager only nine months ago, allowing him to jettison ample first and second-round picks alongside three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Now, at 0-4 and on the road to oblivion, Houston finally made the move.

O’Brien finishes up in Houston with a 52-48 regular-season record, earning two postseason win over his seven years with the Texans.

For many Houstonians, the news has to be freeing. For Deshaun Watson, there is likely a mixture of emotions.

On one hand, Watson is a competitor. He understands the failures of the collective led to the dismissal of one, even if said one is largely responsible for the collective failure. However, Watson also must feel relief. For years, he’s been stuck behind a poor offensive line while his weaponry has been eroded by one bad decision by O’Brien after the next.

In past seasons, Watson has at least had the supreme talent of Hopkins to rely upon. This year, his fourth season, Watson is throwing to Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills. He’s handing off to David Johnson’s, whose complete inability to move is less than great.

Over the final 12 games of 2020, Watson is unlikely to experience a renaissance. Hell, don’t expect one in 2021 either. The Texans will pay for O’Brien’s sins for years, as they are without a top target on the outside, along with missing their first and second-round draft choices in April.

That said, the jettisoning of O’Brien opens up the opportunity to fill his spot with a more imaginative mind.

Houston is an attractive place for a prospective head coach for myriad reasons. Financially, Texas offers the allure of no income tax. From a roster standpoint, the Texans have Watson, a 25-year-old stud quarterback with limitless potential. The dearth of draft capital isn’t ideal, but when a vacancy comes open, the situation rarely is.

Ultimately, Houston deserves no congratulations for figuring out something most of the NFL has known for years. O’Brien was the root cause of the Texans’ problems, and was only going to make them worse with added power.

Now, the Texans can start digging out. It took 100 games to right this wrong. Here’s to it not taking another 100 to piece it all back together.