No excuses for Smith in Houston

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, June 07, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Houston Texans
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On Monday, the Houston Texans announced the hiring of Rick Smith as their general manager. The 36-year-old Smith is now the youngest GM in the NFL. He spent 10 seasons as an assistant in the Denver Broncos' front office, where he developed a solid rapport with former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Of course, Kubiak was hired earlier this offseason to be the Texans' head coach, which means that he and Smith are now reunited.

One of the most important aspects in successful organizations today is that the coach and GM establish a friendly relationship. Luckily for Texans owner Bob McNair, he won't have to worry about that.

When Smith was hired, he became the second GM in the Texans' four-year history, succeeding their former head man, Charley Casserly, who resigned last month. Judging by on-field performance, Smith won't have a tough act to follow. Casserly's Texans went just 18-46 during his span, including a painfully disappointing campaign last season, as the team went just 2-14.

Despite the fact that the teams Casserly constructed didn't perform well on the field, he left a youthful yet promising roster behind. Currently, the Texans bring up-and-coming youngsters such as quarterback David Carr, running back Domanick Davis, receiver Andre Johnson, defensive end Mario Williams and cornerback Dunta Robinson, among others.

Thanks to those young players and a terrific mix of veterans like receiver Eric Moulds, the Houston Texans have an opportunity to be a sleeper team next season. Thus, because of their somewhat high level of talent already on the roster, Smith won't have to fret about joining a dead-end team with little hope of becoming a contender.

These days, rarely do first-time general managers have the opportunity to take over a team jam-packed with good talent. Fortunately for Smith, he has that chance, and must make the best of it. Although it seems like oodles of pressure won't be on Smith, his tenure could prove to be dangerous. After all, since he's not inheriting a horrendous team, many are expecting big things from Smith's Texans, especially the fans, who have sat and watched as their young franchise turned into an embarrassment.

Under Casserly's regime, the Texans have selected no lower than the 16th overall pick in five drafts. Now that they have a legitimate roster and a well-thought of head coach, there won't be anymore excuses for the Texans to fail. Obviously, Smith knows that, and he'll work to bring some glory to the city of Houston, where decent football hasn't been played since the early '90s, when Warren Moon and the "Run 'n Shoot" offense dominated opponents weekly.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

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