Amid lingering chatter that the Texans and coach Bill O’Brien may be separating, Patriots coach Bill Belichick has provided a ringing endorsement of his former lieutenant.
“Billy is a great coach,” Belichick told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s one of the best coaches in this league, one of the best coaches in football. We saw that at Penn State, too. He’s got a great football mind, does a great job of motivating the players. He’s one of the top coaches I’ve been around, period. You’re not going to do much better than him. He’s solid day-to-day, week-in and week-out. Again, he does an excellent job with personnel motivation, scheme, building a good team attitude and chemistry. He really does a good job. He’s an excellent coach and I’m very fortunate that I had the opportunity to have him on my staff. We had a great working relationship. I learned a lot from him. I think he’s an outstanding coach.”
Belichick knows O’Brien well; he served as offensive coordinator in New England before becoming the head coach at Penn State, taking the reins of a program at its nadir and restoring its dignity and respect.
Coming from Belichick, it’s the kind of praise that should make every team looking for a coach take notice. And it should make the Texans determined to figure out: (1) whether O’Brien is happy in Houston; (2) if he’s not, the reasons for it; (3) how to make him happy, which, in turn, will make the team as successful as it can be.
