Houston Texans set up coach David Culley to fail, then fired him – Houston Texans Blog

HOUSTON — When the Houston Texans hired David Culley, team chairman and CEO Cal McNair said the head coach’s “vision and ability to bring people together” was the reason the organization felt Culley was “our guy.”

Not once in that news conference did McNair or general manager Nick Caserio speak about building around Culley or his ability to lead the team into the future.

Less than a year after that news conference, the Texans are once again looking for a head coach. It’s clear they never intended for Culley to be the long-term solution.

By firing Culley, who was coaching a roster turned over by Caserio and without quarterback Deshaun Watson, the organization showed it never intended to give Culley a real shot at making it through this rebuilding period. That, or they didn’t understand the quality of the roster put together for Culley. You can guess the most likely answer, but either is damning evidence against the current ownership and front office.

That’s before mentioning the team is firing a Black head coach in a league that had just three last season and now only one (Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin) after the Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores earlier this week. Culley was the only Black head coach hired in 2021, and his firing brings to mind what happened to Steve Wilks in Arizona. The Cardinals fired Wilks in 2019 after one 3-13 season.

Culley was also tasked with winning games with his third-string quarterback, rookie third-round pick Davis Mills. Because Watson would not play for the Texans, Mills started six games while Tyrod Taylor was on injured reserve with a left hamstring injury. Mills also replaced Taylor for the final five games of the season after the veteran was benched in Week 13.