Lovie Smith Becomes Fifth Head Coach in Texans Franchise History

The Houston Texans announced that they will be hiring Lovie Smith as the team’s new head coach. Smith is a well respected coach and leader.

Even before his hire, Texans General Manager, Nick Caserio was asked about Smith. Caserio said in an old interview that he appreciates Smith as a coach for his ability to develop players on and off the field.

A Closer Look

After nine years with the Chicago Bears and a year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith has an 89-87 record as an NFL head coach and was the 2005 AP Coach of the Year. On top of that, he has also been head coach for 21 years at the high school and collegiate level.

In his first season leading the Texans’ defense in 2021, Houston recorded 25 total takeaways. On top of that- they were intercepting 3.1 percent of opponent passing attempts, the fifth-highest rate in the league.

ESPN’s Marcus Spears on NFL Live says he’s happy for Smith, but wants to know what the Texans are doing in terms of building a strategy.

Diversity in the NFL

New Texan’s head coach joins the Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel, the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and the Washington Commanders’ Ron Rivera as the league’s only minority head coaches.

Smith speaks out on the ongoing lawsuit involving former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. He has been open about his thoughts on the NFL and the alleged discrimination in the hiring practices of teams. The amount of black head coaches in the NFL is slim, and he expresses how special this moment is for him.

There was some protest after Smith’s hire. However, some were happy to see Smith get the opportunity.