Texans GM Brian Gaine
by Craig Larson
exans First Year GM Brian Gaine will try and right the ship after last year’s disappointing season.
Q:You know a lot of people are going to focus in on the QB position and the comeback with Deshaun Watson. Where do you feel he is physically and mentally?
A:Sure, well without getting into specifics of his injury I would like to say he’s a great example to follow. As it relates to the player, and the talent and what his future holds he’s a young promising player with a lot of upside. You see that this guy is a unique worker and his preparation is outstanding. He’s a good teammate with poise and presence in the huddle and also in the locker room with the guys. The other thing about him is he’s a great character guy. This is a good person who thoroughly enjoys football, and hopefully, the combination between the physical and the intangible profile will give Deshaun a great chance to ascend.
Q:Your predecessor gave up a lot to get Deshaun, and given what we’ve seen on and off the field, many would say the price was well worth it….but as you approached your first year as the GM of the Texans, how did you address the draft differently knowing you had no 1st or 2nd round draft picks ?
A: Yeah, so we had some unique challenges as it related to the player acquisition process because we were not going to be able to take an at-bat for the first approximate 60 picks, but what we had was basically a normal offseason. I would tell you that we still went through our draft procedures, free agent procedures, and acted “as if” we were going to have that first or second round pick. We had a unique situation where we had four picks in the top 100-105 selections because we had three picks in the third round, with an early fourth round pick. We knew we’d still get good players. As it relates to free agency, you know it’s really a needs-driven process. You are going to pursue players that are going to fill some team needs that you have to address and we did add some pieces on the offensive line and some pieces in the secondary that allowed us to go into the draft. We took the best available player on the board when Redd from Stanford came up, and we felt regardless of the position he was the best available player. So with the ability to get those four players whom we perceived were top 100 players we still felt like we were going to have a very good opportunity to improve the team even without a 1st or 2nd round pick.
Q:When you look at the combination of Clowney & Watt, is it hard not to sit and daydream about the havoc the could create on the field when both healthy?
A: So we are pleased naturally to have both players on our team as anybody would. You know the first thing that comes to mind is “wow” we have to play in a very tough division and those two players amongst many other guys. The AFC South is greatly improved since the year that I left and came back so, in my mind, I’m thinking these guys have to go get Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota, Blake Bortles. You know the Jaguars went to the AFC Championship Game, the Titans reached the playoffs and Andrew Luck is coming back so the Colts will be improved. This is going to be a very difficult season but we’re ready for the challenge and those two players are definitely going to be impactful for us as it relates to playing the quarterbacks in our division and on our schedule.
Q:The division has gotten tougher. How do you approach the division now with the emergence of Blake Bortles, and improved play of Mariota and Luck’s return? Is the approach to just win the division and everything will work out?
A:Obviously in the division, it’s one game at a time and having a singular focus and purpose. You know health was a big issue for us last year. I understand that and maybe the season didn’t go as planned, but with the emergence of our quarterback, and guys returning from injury, I’m optimistic about a positive season.You know for me it’s all about one game at a time. We spend a lot of time trying to put mechanisms in place this offseason to help improve the durability and health and wellness of our football team through the sports science and sports performance elements through our nutritionists. We addressed the equipment that we use in our weight room facility, how we train, the players’ recovery process, their wellness and overall health. We are hoping that all of those things will impact their availability for us to stay on the field for long periods of time.
Q:You witnessed in Dallas what a strong running game can do for a young QB. What could the running game do for the Texans when you look at that position right now?
A: Sure, so you know the running game more or less probably didn’t go as planned for us last year, but any running game is going to help a young developing quarterback. In our specific situation, we had injuries on the offensive line and we had some attrition issues as it relates to the roster. That was a major focus for us to address via free agency and during the draft this offseason. We’re hoping that with the personnel that we added to that group, it will have a positive impact on our running game. Foreman is doing everything he can to return, so we won’t rush things. Alfred Blue is a good complementary runner for us where he’s an inside runner that gives us some size and strength along with special teams value. We are hoping for a bounce-back season from Lamar Miller especially with those upgrades on the offensive line position.
Q:Last thing Brian, you came up under Bill Parcells. What is your biggest takeaway from those years with Bill? Do you have a favorite Parcells story?
A:Well there’s many of them. First and foremost, I obviously was very thankful for the opportunity given to learn under Bill who’s a HOF coach, but there are so many things. One of the major things I took away from Bill was how to build a roster. You have to have prototypical standards and you have to have minimum requirements for every position. To this day I can hear him in my ear reminding me about height, weight, speed, the physical parameters for whatever position it might be. That ultimately leads to putting the type of team you physically want to look like. So there are constant reminders of those times and places where we had those conversations. Bill was a world-class motivator. He could personalize and instinctively reach people and find out what motivated you as a player or staff member. I can remember when we signed Cameron Wake in Miami and we got him on board for his services, and I was all happy, and then he quickly reminded me that we needed to now go find another great player. That kind of reset and recalibrated my thoughts like “he’s exactly right” we need to go find another guy.
Q:Best of luck this season!
A:Thank you.