The Houston Texans are hiring Lovie Smith as their new head coach, according to multiple reports, and the timing of the move couldn’t feel more convenient.
Mere days after the NFL sent a memo to teams calling results of the league’s efforts to promote diversity with respect to head coaching hires “unacceptable,” the Texans completely changed course in a nearly month-long coaching search that was thought to be zeroing in on former NFL quarterback Josh McCown.
McCown, who last played two seasons ago, has no professional or college coaching experience.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports that the lawsuit brought against the NFL and several teams by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores alleging racism in their hiring practices would’ve made the McCown hire difficult to explain. Thus, Smith, a man who was in the Texans’ own building the whole time as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator under former coach David Culley, finally got the call.
Broke down the Lovie Smith hiring in Houston earlier today in LA pic.twitter.com/5vh8YVb3G2
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 7, 2022
Smith is more than qualified for the job — he has an 89-87 career record in stints with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2006 — but he never appeared to be a serious candidate until now. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the team even consulted Smith throughout their process of interviewing other candidates.
That the Texans would fire Culley after a season in which the team largely exceeded outside expectations, and later replace him with one of his coordinators who wasn’t even in the running before Flores’ suit begs the question of how we got here. If they really wanted Smith, what took so long?
The move was met with plenty skepticism on social media.
The Houston Texans fired a black head coach after one season, then tried to hire a white guy with zero coaching experience before changing course.
1) Brian Flores got the league shook
2) The Texans are an unserious franchise
3) Get that bag Lovie Smith https://t.co/Fxqy9Y47qB— Master (@MasterTes) February 7, 2022
Less than a month ago, Caserio wasn’t even for sure if Lovie Smith was going to be back as DC—now he’s hired as their head coach?
Alright, man. https://t.co/vjaHKnS8X5
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) February 7, 2022
And no, I don't believe for a moment that Lovie Smith is who Houston wants to hire, but the week's events are backing baby into a corner.
— Full Dissident (@hbryant42) February 7, 2022
I totally forget that Lovie Smith was the head coach of Buccaneers. Completely slipped my mind.
But this Texans hire is odd. Fire David Culley to hire one of his assistants?
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) February 7, 2022
Of course, people were happy to see Smith get the opportunity, too. A third head coaching stint for a Black man is rare.
However, we can only hope the hire is more than a PR stunt, and Smith isn’t being used a placeholder on a bad team. Especially after Flores’ suit alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him to lose games, and Hue Jackson expressed a similar experience as coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Smith doesn’t deserve that. No one does.
In nine years with Chicago, Smith had five winning seasons including his last year in 2012. His three playoff wins are three more than the team has since he left. Houston will be his first head coaching job in the NFL since two losing seasons in Tampa.
