On Monday, the Houston Texans made the decision many thought they never would, as they officially fired head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien after the Texans fell to 0-4 with a 31-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. According to the numbers, O'Brien is the most successful head coach in franchise history, but that success appeared to have plateaued thanks to questionable roster decisions as well as reported internal discord.
In steps interim head coach Romeo Crennel, who has served in multiple capacities with the Texans since 2014. Crennel doesn't have much time to implement a new system or make any major changes, as the Texans are scheduled to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in four days. What then is Crennel hoping to see from his team in Week 5? He says he just simply wants to see that a change has occurred.
"I hope our attitude and energy is different," Crennel said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "I hope our performance is different. You're not going to come in and put in a new offense or defense overnight."
The Texans have had arguably the toughest schedule in the league so far, as they had to take on three playoff teams and a formidable defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers right out of the gate. The 1-3 Jaguars provide a great opportunity to see if this personnel decision will indeed change the energy of this team -- something they desperately need.
"It's worn on them (players' emotions)," Crennel said on the Texans' 0-4 start, via Wilson. "The expectations we're a playoff team and want to play playoff caliber football and we haven't been doing that and that's why we're 0-4."
The Texans rank towards the bottom of the league in both total offense (No. 27) and total defense (No. 22). Things will have to change and quickly if Houston wants to get back into the postseason race. Crennel knows this team has enough talent to mount a comeback this year, and it's something that starts this Sunday.
'I think have the ability and we can start winning," Crennel said, via Wilson. "Outlooks can change. Only time will tell."
