The Texans continue to put first-year coach David Culley in a position to fail.
After G.M. Nick Caserio made it clear during a radio appearance that quarterback Deshaun Watson won’t play in the preseason opener, Culley faced similar questions during a press conference, and he said that Watson indeed won’t play. But then Culley was asked a natural follow up question: Do you expect Watson to play at all this preseason?
“No comment,” Culley said.
It’s a strange response. There’s a way to provide a non-committal answer without such an abrupt and secretive reply. “We’re working through that,” for example, would get to the same place without seeming so damn odd.
Again, it’s not Culley’s fault. Others are making the decisions, and Culley is simply a bystander. Still, even when he’s in the dark, there’s a way to answer questions that don’t make people say, “What the hell is going on here?”
Maybe they don’t trust Culley to say anything more than “no comment.” Maybe he doesn’t trust himself to not blurt out something he shouldn’t. Regardless, it’s a bad situation for Culley, and it’s imperative that others in the organization give him a little more leeway to say a little bit more than “no comment” on a subject that cries out for one.