Does new Texans coach bring Houston hope?
Bill O’Brien, the former offensive coordinator and head coach at Penn State, is the new head coach of the Houston Texans. The hope is he can turn around an awful 2-14 season.
If you needed more proof the NFL is king, look no further than Denver and Seattle.
Both cities have their respective franchises in New Jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII. Yes, it’s nice for the fans of those teams and the organizations themselves.
But it comes in the form of a huge economic boost to those cities as well. Both cities could, according to reports, see a jump of $20 to $40 million each week they have advanced in the NFL playoffs.
That was before either team made it to the Super Bowl. So it’s safe to assume both cities could, at the least, expect to see similar jumps to the local economy.
When a team does well, the community itself gets riled up. When they feel that way, they are more likely to spend money.
The Houston Texans are a complete 180 from that.
When the season started, most were of the thought the Texans would compete with the Broncos and New England Patriots for the top spot in the AFC. That was based on last season and the strong team it had returning for 2013—namely a defense led by the phenomenal defensive tackle JJ Watt.
The first two games solidified that thinking when Houston started 2-0. But in a flash, and a string of pick-sixes by quarterback Matt Schaub, the Texans went from contenders to frauds.
And the fans in Houston let their frustration known. When Schaub was hurt, fans cheered when he was helped off the field.
The rest of the season was forgettable, as the Texans lost 14 straight games and distinction in history they never wanted: The first team to start 2-0 and finish 2-14.
Instead of waiting for the season to end, Houston owner Bob McNair fired coach Gary Kubiak. When the season ended, he pegged former New England offensive coordinator and Penn State coach Bill O’Brien as his next coach.
Prior to that news, it’s safe to say Texans fans weren’t in the best of moods. They didn’t feel optimistic about the direction of the team, even with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. As noted above, when fans are in great moods they spend more money. Well, the opposite also is true. When the fans are in bad moods, they don’t spend money. They don’t want to leave the house.
If they don’t want to spend money, they probably don’t want to buy a house either—or sell it, for that matter. How would you like to sell a home when people are in the dumps? It’s probably not the best time to sell a home when a NFL franchise is terrible.
O’Brien’s hiring was a boost—however minute. As is often the case, there is no place to look but up since it can’t get much worse for Houston. Just don’t tell the fans the track record of former coordinators of Bill Belichick, the head coach of the Patriots, is not good.
For the sake of Texans fans and the market in Houston, it’s a good bet they’re hopeful this is the exception to that rule.
