Texans Daily

Lovie Fest: Texans' Players Embrace New Head Coach

The hiring of Lovie Smith as head coach of the Houston Texans seems to have his players excited

Anthony Wood

It's official: Lovie Smith is the fifth full-time head coach of the Houston Texans. And it seems safe to say his players are pumped.

In 11 years as an NFL head coach, Smith has an 89-87 record with three NFC North titles, one Coach of the Year award and a Super Bowl appearance. He will be replacing David Culley, who went 4-13 in his sole season in the role.

It has already been confirmed by the Texans that Pep Hamilton will be promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, replacing Tim Kelly. Frank Ross has been retained as special teams coordinator.

When news broke of Smith's last-minute candidacy on Sunday evening, tweets seeming to support Smith came from a few of his defensive playmakers from 2021 in the shape of cornerback Lonnie Johnson, nickelback Tavierre Thomas, and safety Jonathan Owens. 

Lonnie Johnson, TY Hilton
© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Ross Blacklock, Jonathan Greenard
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jonathan Owens
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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thomas king nyj
Phillip Dorsett
© Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Tytus Howard
Jeff Hanisch-USA Today

Meanwhile, defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and receiver Phillip Dorsett both replied to a post about Smith's candidacy on an Instagram post to show their support. Their positive sentiments were later echoed by defensive end Jonathan Greenard.

Johnson later tweeted, "Well IG I’m staying at corner for once let’s get it" in an obvious reference to his positional switch last year. 

Elsewhere, tackle Tytus Howard liked an article regarding Smith's ongoing negotiations for the position. And early Monday afternoon soon-to-be free agent safety Justin Reid said simply: "This is getting interesting."

Defensive back Desmond King was one of the first to comment once Smith's appointment was all but confirmed on Monday afternoon.

Initial positive feedback is one thing. It will now be interesting to watch how Smith's hiring affects the decisions of free agents such as Reid and King over the coming months. By promoting a coach, did Houston also retain some players?

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Anthony Wood
ANTHONY WOOD

Houston Texans beat reporter for TexansDaily.com on Fan Nation, powered by SI. A Canterbury Christ Church University graduate, Anthony had also appeared as a Houston Texans insider on various radio stations across North America and Europe. Follow him on Twitter @arwoodNFL.