Two articles from Mark Lane of TexansWire: 1) News that’s not new news, regarding Louis Riddick interviewing for the GM job in Houston, and 2) An opinion piece on Brian Daboll as a HC candidate for the Texans.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick interviewing for Houston Texans GM job
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: Riddick is a fan favorite among football scouts and game tape critics. The former NFL safety hasn’t been in an NFL front office since 2013 when he was the director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-13.

The 51-year-old got his start with Washington in 2001 as a pro scout. In 2005, Riddick was named director of pro personnel, and Washington made the playoffs that year and later in 2007, Riddick’s final year at that post. In 2008, the Eagles hired him as a pro scout, and in 2009 he was promoted to assistant director of player personnel.

Should the Texans consider Bills OC Brian Daboll as their new coach?
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: According to Mark Schofield from the Touchdown Wire, the 45-year-old offensive coordinator is one of the best play-callers in the NFL today.

The main reason that Brian Daboll is a hot name among potential NFL head coaches for 2021 is what he and the Buffalo Bills have done for the development of Josh Allen. From now until the end of time Allen’s name is going to be mentioned every draft season when the big-armed, athletic quarterback prospect is debated. Daboll and the Bills took Allen and molded him into a complete quarterback and and MVP candidate. Sure, the QB himself deserves credit too, but Daboll’s developmental chops is going to be the reason he gets hired as a head coach.

Schofield used the example of how the Bills went against a lot of man coverage earlier in the year. As Buffalo beat man coverage with ease, defenses started getting more complicated, and Daboll matched with better play-calls, unlike some play-callers who stall out once they are figured out.

Jordan Palmer says Deshaun Watson is THE guy that NFL head coaches and general managers want to work with right now. Also: Mark Lane of TexansWire believes Buddy Howell deserves carries at RB for the final three games of the season.

“This is the most enticing employee in the NFL to work with right now,” Palmer said of Watson during Tuesday’s episode of The Herd w/Colin Cowherd. “If you’re a GM, you want this job. If you’re a coach, you want this job. If you’re a free-agent wide receiver, you want to go play for this team. . . . He’s going to build a championship there at some point.”

Texans need not be bashful about giving RB Buddy Howell more carries
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: Houston already knows what it has in running backs David Johnson and Duke Johnson. However, Howell has toiled away playing special teams and seeing other running backs such as Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue, D’Onta Foreman, Carlos Hyde, and Taiwan Jones get their chances in the past three seasons. Given that Howell is in the last year of his rookie contract with the Texans, there wouldn’t be a better time to see what Howell can offer in the final three games.

Against the Chicago Bears amid the 36-7 loss at Soldier Field, Howell tallied 11 carries for 42 yards, and that was also the game where he logged his only career catch to date. The 6-1, 215-pound bruiser provided a burst up the middle and contact that Texans runners have lacked in 2020.

Playing Howell also gives the 24-year-old a chance to put more of his body of work on film, an opportunity he missed out on with there being zero preseason games in 2020. As Howell enters free agency, having evidence on tape of what he could bring to a backfield, whether in Houston or elsewhere, would be beneficial to helping him earn that second contract.

Justin Reid is done for the year. So is Brandon Dunn. Maybe it would be good to take #4’s helmet from him so he won’t have a chance at a severe injury in these final 3 games?

Should the Texans sit Deshaun Watson for the last three games?
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: What makes Watson great is his competitive drive, and it won’t allow him to sit, not even amid the worthlessness the final games represent to the team’s legacy.

“I’m going to play,” Watson said after the loss Sunday. “That’s my job. I’ve got to be out there every game. I’m not looking forward to throwing the book of vacation right now. We’ve got three more games. I’ve got too much pride and respect for myself and this organization and this team to go out there and just get embarrassed again or lose. My job is to go out there and play to the fullest and try to get these Ws.”

Similarly, interim coach Romeo Crennel is going to continue to play Watson as the hits he took in Chicago, part of a six-sack, 11 quarterback hit performance, are part of the game.

“This game is called football, and there are hard hits that occur in the game,” Crennel said. “When you’re at the quarterback, you’re going to take some of them.”

Well, there’s not much use in posting any news articles. Nothing at all was working for the Texans in yesterday’s loss to the Bears, so let’s just try and scrub that game from our collective minds.