Did NFL Force Houston Texans to Hire Coach Lovie Smith?

Lovie Smith was never Houston's plan. He simply became a palatable option - and one that was likely shoved down the Texans' throat.

HOUSTON -- In terms of a tangled and twisted coach search, the Houston Texans have outdone themselves this time following a near month-long quest.

How did they end up hiring a "candidate" who wasn't a candidate, a "new hire'' who was in their employ the entire time?

Because general manager Nick Caserio and the Texans staff cleaned up a mess in their hiring process? Or because someone even higher than Caserio - and yes, even higher than team exec Jack Easterby told them what to do?

Congrats are in order for Lovie Smith, who begins a new (old) chapter in his life as head coach.

But questions are also in order. Like this one: How easy is it to imagine that given the explosive Brian Flores lawsuit, somebody in the NFL offices forcefully urged Caserio thusly:

"You are NOT, in the wake of the Flores lawsuit, going to hire a Josh McCown with ZERO experience! Got it?

"Oh, and also, in the wake of Flores lawsuit, you are NOT hiring Brian Flores!''

That's not a conspiracy theory; let's call it the "buzz,'' shall we?

Smith is now the Texans leader. The hope is he can build a culture with Caserio (and, yes, still) Easterby that will help Houston get back to respectability.

Of course, this sounds so much like what was said roughly one year ago when David Culley was hired.

Smith is qualified to be a head coach in the league despite his recent losing track record. He was hired in 2004 by Chicago, won Coach of the Year in 2005 and helped the Bears to the NFC title in 2006.

In the NFL, Smith has an 89-87 record. He also spent five seasons at Illinois, producing a plethora of NFL talent but only a 17-39 record.

His vast knowledge and experience leading a team makes him more than a qualified candidate. But if Smith was the right hire all along, why not hire him over Culley a year ago?

It's elementary, my dear readers: Caserio and Easterby were never going to hire Smith. Until they had to.

The ramifications of hiring McCown, the basis of which would've been, in part, he's buddies with the front office, are obvious.

And similarly, the ramifications of hiring the man who is bringing a racism-hinged class-action lawsuit against the very body he is suing, are obvious.

If not for Flores citing racial discrimination in the hiring and firing process of minority candidates, we say McCown is the one who would've been introduced as coach. Instead, Tuesday morning at NRG Stadium will be all about Lovie Smith.

Curiously, at the end of the 2021 season, Caserio was non-committal about keeping Smith on staff. Now, Lovie is suddenly in charge.

This doesn't prevent this from working. Smith very well could be an upgrade over Culley. Second-year standout Davis Mills has the potential to be better at that position, plus quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton is being promoted to offensive coordinator.

The defense — which currently is expected to lose seven starters — was one of the main reasons for Houston's limited success in 2021. Under Smith, the Texans finished top-10 in takeaways with 25, and finished 3-3 in divisional play.

But this was never Houston's plan. It simply became a palatable option - and one that was surely shoved down the Texans' throat.