Texans fire Lovie Smith, after one year

Houston Texans v Indianapolis Colts
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The Texans have extended their streak of one-and-done coaches from one to two.

The team has announced that Lovie Smith has been fired after one year on the job.

The former Bears and Buccaneers (and Illinois) coach got the job under bizarre circumstances last year. A member of the coaching staff under former coach David Culley, Smith wasn’t one of the three finalists for the job, and then he suddenly got the job.

It will be interesting to see how the Texans explain the decision. It’s not as if Smith had a loaded deck of players in 2023.

In his final game, Smith scored a late win over the Colts. The victory cost the Texans the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Smith, 64 led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI in 2006. He coached Chicago from 2004 through 2012, and the Bucs in 2014 and 2015.

90 responses to “Texans fire Lovie Smith, after one year

  1. The Texans have fired two coaches in a row after one season. The real question is what self respecting coach wants that job? Probably not many.

  2. I think they should have kept him. The team played hard with a developing roster. Not sure who they think they will get.

  3. Lovie, thank you for the 1st pick of 2023! Ya did Chicago a big solid!

  4. That`s what happens when the owner wants you to tank the game and you have the audacity to win.

  5. They should’ve given Lovie one more year. While their record doesn’t reflect it, the Texans were much better than many had expected, especially given how little talent their is on their roster and the lack of a franchise QB. Lovie walked into a terrible situation, what was the heck was he expected to do with that roster? The team was extremely competitive in most of their games and the players responded well to him. If they can develop their young players and have a great draft this year, they could be very competitive next season in the weak AFC South. Awful decision, but since it’s the dysfunctional Texans, it shouldn’t come as any surprise.

  6. Owner yelling at Lovie on the sideline: “We don’t want pick #2!”

    Lovie: “Guys, I think the owner wants us to go for two.”

  7. johnc44 says:
    That`s what happens when the owner wants you to tank the game and you have the audacity to win.
    ——————————————
    They made the decision to fire Lovie before the game, thats why the Texans won.

    Bears are holding an auction for Bryce Young. Do I hear 3 1sts…. do I hear 4?

  8. GM? Hello! They are not allowing Caserio to announce his third head coach in three years with the roster he assembled. Say it ain’t so.

  9. Worst franchise in the NFL. The league really needs relegation to get rid of garbage like the Texans. Lovie clearly knew he was gonna be fired the way he smirked when he got the W.

  10. I guess Caserio won the power struggle. Stick with the guy who traded away a franchise QB without a viable replacement.

  11. Can’t judge a coach with that roster in his first year by wins and losses. You judge it by how hard his team competed. They kept playing hard. Similar to the lions. This organization keeps failing their fans

  12. The person that needs to be fired in Houston is booger eating moron Cal McNair, but his mommy owns the team.

  13. He didn’t have much to work with and the organization is a joke, but how many opportunities is this guy going to get? He’s just not a good head coach

  14. I mean he’s not the best HC but I’d say they actually overachieved this year when you take a look at that roster

  15. Gonna have to add a minimum number of years the person has to be on your staff before getting the third round compensatory picks fit minority hires.

  16. Well, we all know rich owners have earned everything by having more merit than everyone else. So I trust the Texans owners are true American talents, true geniuses, real entrepreneurs who deserve to own one of 32 NFL franchises. They are real proof that the common person doesn’t know nearly as much as the genius, mega-rich owners

  17. I think Lovie knew he was cooked and won the game as a giant middle finger to management.

  18. Caserio is more proof that Patriots success was all Brady… Belichik and his cronies are all overrated trash

  19. Not saying he’s a good coach but I don’t think he’s the main reason the Texans sucked this year.

  20. This really helps Brian Flores case against the league. Black coaches are fired at a faster rate when compared to their white counterparts.

  21. I think he knew he was out and went and won to stick it to them. That said, the long term staff can be hired now and have their rookie QB. Ironically, the Colts are hiring. Dan Quinn to Houston.

  22. He was only hired in the first place to be fired. This was always the plan , the only question was when.

  23. People think Lovie deserves another year should get real. The sole reason they hired him was for him to tank the season for them because they knew he’s a mediocre coach. Unfortunately he won more games for them more than they like so they ain’t getting the first overall pick. He did Chicago a solid!

  24. Chicago fans loved him when he coached for them and love him more today. As for Houston, I blame his bosses, you don’t like Lovie? Don’t hire him, that simple

  25. So the Bears get the 1st pick and they don’t need a QB because they are convinced that Justin Fields is the real deal so they trade that pick for a truck load of other picks (couple of 1st round and couple of second round picks) and somebody gets either Bryce Young or CJ Stroud and the Texans get the one not picked or could take Max Dugan (TCU) or Will Levis (Kentucky).
    Having a top prospect at QB will at least give the new coach a good starting point provided the Texans don’t do Texan things and trade the pick or even worse…draft a defensive player with the number two pick.

  26. Owner yelling at Lovie on the sideline: “We don’t want pick #2!”

    Lovie: “Guys, I think the owner wants us to go for two.”

    That’s hilarious!!

  27. I do not understand this franchise. They are utterly bereft of talent and despite that fact, Smith had this team playing hard every game. I watched half a dozen Texans games this year so I can’t claim to have watched as much of them as your average Texans fan, but what I saw was a team playing hard for 60 minutes every time.

    Who would want this job?

  28. Lovie Smith has been a credit to every organization he’s been a part of. He’s a man of high character and a solid coach. He deserved better than this considering what he was working with. I wish him well.

  29. dannob says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:53 pm
    HE lost the number one pick

    ————————————————————
    Texans wanted that winning feeling, so THEY lost the first pick.

  30. They should really let Daniel Snyder buy the team. It would increase the organization’s credibility.

  31. In all seriousness, did they do this because of that 2 point conversion? It could be worse, the team that jumped them for the #1 already has a franchise QB. It would cost them to move up even though they’d only be doing that to keep another team from jumping them. I would get moving on from Lovie if they had it in good authority they have a legit shot at Sean Payton. Yes, I think that’s batty to think he would want to go there given he’ll have his pick of the litter BUT maybe there’s some sliver of a chance Payton has his heart on coaching one of the kiddy QBs that are going to be drafted around Houston’s slot.

    I also think CJ Stroud is going to be the best player in this draft at the QB spot but I highly doubt he’s coming off the board first. For the sake of the kid, I hope I’m wrong but I don’t know about Bryce Young. He has all the talent in the world, the kid can spin it butttttt he has the body type of Devonta Smith and I worry about Smith taking too many hits from safeties…Bryce Young will be taking hits from guys of JJ Watt’s stature (shout out on a hell of a career, HoF player & man)…and that concludes my scatterbrained post about Lovie Smith…that’s very loosely affiliated with Lovie Smith.

  32. Love the fact lovie won yesterday and shafted the Texans out of the #1 pick.

  33. joeinsk20 says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:21 pm
    They should’ve given Lovie one more year. While their record doesn’t reflect it, the Texans were much better than many had expected, especially given how little talent there is on their roster and the lack of a franchise QB. Lovie walked into a terrible situation, what was the heck was he expected to do with that roster?
    ———————————————-
    It’s amazing that you couldn’t see this firing right after the season ended as soon as he was hired. Lovie knew exactly what he was walking into when he accepted the job.

  34. Bad roster but they showed zero improvement over the year. Any decent Head coach should have shown a little improvement and something to point to in the future. Lovie has proven he is not the guy. They actually got worse over the season.

  35. datruth407 says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:42 pm
    This really helps Brian Flores case against the league. Black coaches are fired at a faster rate when compared to their white counterparts.

    ________________________________________________________________________

    BS excuse for lazy and ignorant people to point to. Meyer, Hackett. Enough said.

  36. Look at Lovie doing the Bears one last solid favor on his way out gettjng them the #1 pick. Good for him.

  37. Now you losers can go hire Josh McCown-Saturday to coach your miserable team. Embarrassing.

  38. The worst thing about clueless owners that stick behind bad personel decisions is that coaches get thrown under the bus for doing what they can with crap rosters they have no say in. Smith is only the second victim of this in the AFC South after Frank Reich had a high school roster looking at least respectable before he was fired just to watch Jeff Saturday get paid to watch games from the sideline for half a season.

  39. It was a bad hire in the first place. Literally everyone was questioning it from Day 1. Not surprised he’s out… plus the franchise absolutely sucks, let’s face it.

  40. The cycle will continue on and on and on because the ownership is a bunch of weirdos. All you need to do to understand just how dysfunctional this organization is, is to read the SI story about Jack Easterby and his gross behavior. Shame on the Texans for giving their fans such garbage to watch. Oh, and also Bill Obrien was no great help as GM during his tenure, he made some head scratching “decisions”.

  41. Lovie was doomed from the start. He inherited a bad team but he got them to play tough all season. Took Chiefs to overtime, had Cowboys beat with 1 min left, played Eagles and Giants hard, beat a playoff caliber Titans team, beat the playoff bound Jaguars. Yesterday his team further proved this playing hard until the very end getting the win.

  42. actxguy says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:32 pm
    I guess Caserio won the power struggle. Stick with the guy who traded away a franchise QB without a viable replacement.

    ===

    That was actually a fantastic move. We’ve already seen the best from Watson, and it wasn’t good enough. He has always been just an also-ran who comes up small when it counts.

    For avoiding paying for his past-prime years, they got a huge draft haul. Whatever else Caserio has done wrong, this is one thing he did very right.

  43. Maybe this needed to be done at some point but I think after the way that the guys were playing for him yesterday I would have given him one more year. Cuz it’s going to take more than one year to turn this dumpster fire around. Personally I think it was more of a you lost this the first pic in the draft thing. Don’t know if anybody paid much attention but at the end of the game yesterday as time was running down they showed Cal McNair and he did not look happy at all I think love you Smith probably knew he was done for and that’s probably why he won the game that and he didn’t want to tell the guys to go out there and lose what coach would ever tell their people to do that? It’s going to be hard for them to get a good coach cuz nobody’s going to want to come in and I mean yeah you can still get your quarterback but still I’d be scared to attach my name to this organization

  44. datruth407 says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:42 pm
    This really helps Brian Flores case against the league. Black coaches are fired at a faster rate when compared to their white counterparts.
    ————————
    Nathaniel Hackett would like a word

  45. Yet the guy who buys the groceries still has his job? That’s on-brand for the Houston Texans.

  46. Next up: Jeff Saturday 2.0 as Josh McKown comes in. He’ll also lose a ton of games but will get several years because the owner likes him.

  47. Lovie Smith has always said “as long as they are keeping score I want to win” He is much better than a mediocre coach and for all those saying no coach wants the Texan’s job think again there are only 32 of these. If Not for Lovie’s defence “the greatest show on turf”would’ve never happened. Lovie is a born and raised Texan as well. He would often talk of his “Friday night lights” high school contest So while Bears fans might like him (he was fired after a 10-win season) He is a Texan through and through.

  48. dannob says:
    January 8, 2023 at 11:53 pm

    HE lost the number one pick
    ———-

    I don’t know why fans think there is such a big difference between #1 and #2, this year, for these teams. People want to point to Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, but it could just as easily be JaMarcus Russell and Calvin Johnson, or Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

  49. Lovie knew he was getting canned. So, he said if I am getting axed, I am sticking it to this joke of a franchise on my way out of the door and laugh my way all the way to the bank as I still have 3 more years on my contract (guaranteed money).
    Lovie Smith is a good coach and should have been given a little more slack to build a team with the all the draft capital they have.
    Good for Lovie. If Chicago’s first overall pick ends being a Hall of Famer, he will certainly thank lovie in his HOF speech for sticking it to the Texans organization.

  50. TRUST those who had to suffer the years of misery in Tampa because of Lovie horrible decisions…
    He obviously tanked the last game for the Bucs to get the 1st over all pick and what did we get for it…. ‘Lameis’ Jameis Winston… Those 5 years was brutal!

    Lovie would have messed your pick coming up and you would have to suffer it long after Lovie got fired!

  51. I believe Lovie knew his fate prior to kickoff & said screw-it, to heck with the texans. Also, in my humble opinion you don’t draft 5ft10in qb’s – bryce young & cj stroud won’t pan out at the NFL level. Again, just my opinion

  52. tyelee says:
    TRUST those who had to suffer the years of misery in Tampa because of Lovie horrible decisions…
    He obviously tanked the last game for the Bucs to get the 1st over all pick and what did we get for it…. ‘Lameis’ Jameis Winston… Those 5 years was brutal!

    Lovie would have messed your pick coming up and you would have to suffer it long after Lovie got fired!
    —————–

    Was Lovie the GM at the time?

  53. Teams need to provide some stability. Firing coaches so often and so fast is in of itself a major destabilization of any org.

  54. Dude should’ve never been hired, never saw a coach look as lost as him – just stares and looks like he doesn’t even know where he is or what’s going on.

  55. Garbage franchise, clearly hired Lovie Smith after pressure surrounding Flores last yr. and planned to fire him the moment they could.

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