Bill O'Brien Archives - Head Coach Ranking

NFL Week 14 Monday Coaching Observations

By HCR Staff | Dec. 9, 2019

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offensive game plan was a dud. Sunday’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens for the Bills was the biggest in years, and it offered them a chance to notch a double-digit win total for the first time since 1999. Expectations were high, and we were excited to see how the Bills would attack the game. Offensively, and given the Ravens’ struggles against the run in their home victory against the 49ers, we fully expected the Bills one-two running back punch of Frank Gore and Devin Singletary to be featured prominently. We were wrong. Very, very wrong. Instead, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll put the game in quarterback Josh Allen’s hands, to disastrous results. For whatever reason, Daboll was not patient with the running game, even though there were moments of obvious success against the Ravens on the ground. The Bills have a roster full of talented and ascending young players, and we felt they were well-positioned to win this game against the Ravens. However, the offensive game plan was subpar, and we feel integral to their loss.

The Green Bay Packers secured a victory against the Washington Redskins, but it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, as Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was outcoached by Redskins interim head coach Bill Callahan. The Packers may be leading the NFC North at the moment, but in our view, they’re not a real threat to win the NFC. Matt LaFleur may have 10 wins in his rookie season, but he still has a long way to go as a head coach. That’s okay, as he’s never been a head coach before, and with more repetitions, he may get much better. In this game, however, he was outclassed by Bill Callahan. Strategically, Callahan has done two things very well. First, he’s simplified every offensive game plan. In short, he’s decided to do fewer things, but do those things well. He’s largely succeeded, as Washington has been competitive in nearly every game since he’s taken over. Second, he’s emphasized the running game, and this has served to shorten the game for Washington, and shorten possessions for their opponents. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky had a terrific game plan yesterday as well. Washington ran a very disciplined pass rush against Packers QB Aaron Rodgers–they never got too hard up field, and largely succeeded in keeping Rodgers in the pocket, where he showed impatience and irritability because he couldn’t get outside.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton demonstrated yesterday that when offenses are operating at a high-tempo, there is not much defensive coordinators can do. Going into yesterday’s game, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen had received a lot of attention this year for their work. No matter how good they might have been prior to yesterday’s game, however, both had their defenses undressed. The defensive performances were completely inept, and much of it was due to the quick tempo displayed by the offenses. Shanahan and Payton are among the elite playcallers in the game, and one of the reasons why is because the playcalls tend to come in quickly. They are decisive and bold–there isn’t much hesitation. That decisiveness makes it difficult at times for defensive coordinators to adjust.

We’ve been tough on Denver Broncos rookie offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, but yesterday’s effort against the Houston Texans was masterful. The Broncos completely decimated the Texans on their home turf yesterday, and much of the credit goes to Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. Scangarello finally has the Broncos offense operating at a higher tempo. The Broncos seemed quicker out of the huddle yesterday, and their energy level on offense was as high as we’ve seen it all year. Rookie offensive coordinators are no different than rookie players–everyone needs additional repetitions in order to get better. Perhaps that’s all Scangarello needed.

Alternatively, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien failed miserably at avoiding the big game let down. In Week 13, the Texans scored a huge home victory against the New England Patriots in primetime. In Week 14, they were poised to maintain distance in the AFC South race as they were hosting a losing Broncos team. The biggest issue, in our view, confronting O’Brien going into this week was to have his team take the Broncos just as seriously as they took the Patriots. After all, O’Brien spent a number of years in New England under Bill Belichick, and he surely has seen Belichick be sensitive to this issue. Well, O’Brien didn’t pass the test. It seemed as if he posted all the glowing reviews from national media about the Texans after their victory over the Patriots on their locker room wall. The Texans simply didn’t show up in this game, and that is a reflection of coaching.

Every door in the Jacksonville Jaguars organization now has an EXIT sign on it, and it isn’t pretty. Yes, the Jaguars have had a tough season. And yes, they no longer are relevant. However, when you’re facing a losing team that is traveling 3000 miles to play you at home, mustering a professional effort shouldn’t be that hard. The entire Jaguars organization embarrassed themselves yesterday, and the responsibility lies with owner Shad Khan, general managers Tom Coughlin and David Caldwell, and head coach Doug Marrone. We simply didn’t see much effort or pride.

Setting aside the officiating blunders, the Patriots had opportunities to beat the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday, but they simply weren’t good enough. The Patriots simply can’t score in the red zone. They also can’t score, on offense, outside of the red zone. The reason isn’t coaching, and the reason isn’t lack of effort, The reason is Bill Belichick’s failure as a general manager. He simply left the cupboard bare on offense. The Patriots don’t have any explosion on offense, and it’s simply a talent issue. It’s a shame, because the defense is good enough to win a Super Bowl. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is trying, but there’s only so much scheming you can do to cover up the lack of physical talent. Going forward, the best the Patriots can do on offense is to maintain ball security, and convert any short fields the defense gives them.

Head Coach Rankings Update After NFL Week 13

By HCR Staff | Dec. 3, 2019

It took a while, but the Los Angeles Rams finally played like the team that went to the Super Bowl last year. Following a rough rating last week, head coach Sean McVay shot up from worst to first this week. The Rams were dominant on all fronts of the game and this statement win came when the Rams most needed it. Had they lost, any momentum to turn the season around would have been gone as well. However, it is quite the opposite now.

Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans conquered one of their demons on Sunday night in fine fashion. For years, the New England Patriots have gotten the better of the Texans, but the Texans played great complementary football to win a crucial game to stay atop the AFC South against the best team in the AFC record-wise.

The Washington Redskins have been playing well under interim head coach Bill Callahan. In Sunday’s 29-21 road win against the Carolina Panthers, the Redskins seemed to find their identity on the ground. They nearly had two 100-yard rushers with running backs Derrius Guice gaining 129 yards and Adrian Peterson falling a yard shy at 99. On the other side of the ball, they effectively stopped the running game, holding RB Christian McCaffrey to 44 rushing yards and, most importantly, out of the endzone.

Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys at home on Thanksgiving of all days. After an opening drive touchdown, the Bills defense kept the Cowboys out of the endzone. The offense got the job done as well behind a trick play and some impressive grit shown by quarterback Josh Allen.

Here are HCR’s Top 10 head coaches for Week 13:

1. Sean McVay–9.4
2. Bill O’Brien–8.6
T3. Bill Callahan–8.2
T3. Sean McDermott–8.2
T5. Andy Reid–8.0
T5. Bruce Arians–8.0
T5. John Harbaugh–8.0
T5. Kyle Shanahan–8.0
T5. Sean Payton–8.0
T10. Brian Flores–7.8
T10. Mike Tomlin–7.8
T10. Mike Vrabel–7.8
T10. Pete Carroll–7.8

Click here for YTD Head Coach Rankings after Week 13

NFL Week 12 Thursday Night Football Coaching Observations

By HCR Staff | Nov. 22, 2019

The Houston Texans prevailed 20-17 over the Indianapolis Colts in a well played Thursday Night football game. Here are our observations.

The Colts have a fast, very young defense primed to be a top-five unit in 2020. When New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left the Colts at the altar after having accepted the head coaching job, he did leave behind a valuable resource in his chosen defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Eberflus may be a head coaching candidate after this season, but if he does return in his current position for 2020, he will be spearheading a talented young defensive unit that we believe will be one of the best in the league. They’re fast and disciplined, and by next season, the on-field communication between this group of young players should be at a peak.

Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has his unit playing well, even though they have lost DE J.J. Watt and are trying to incorporate new secondary members Gareon Conley and Vernon Hargreaves. This unit is one of the better defensive units in football, and it’s a good mix of ascending young players such as DL D.J. Reader and LB Brennan Scarlett, veteran CB Jonathan Joseph and veteran LB Bernardrick McKinney. The strength of the unit is discipline, as Crennel has them playing with good situational football awareness. If this squad qualifies for the playoffs, this unit will make them a tough out.

Even though Colts RB Marlon Mack was injured, Colts head coach Frank Reich did a good job staying patient with backup running backs Nyhiem Hines and Jonathan Williams. We were impressed with how Reich used his running backs in this game–he stayed very patient with them and the running game overall, and by doing so, was able to stay balanced throughout the game. When you’re the road team on a short week game, just having a chance to win in the fourth quarter is a win, and by staying with his running game, Reich gave his team that opportunity. Balance wins championships in our view, and we like Reich’s play calling in this game.

If there is anything Texans QB DeShaun Watson must improve on, it’s his management of the pocket. All of us know that Watson is an elite athlete, and he also possesses superior instincts. However, one area that we bet Texans head coach Bill O’Brien would like to see him improve on for the rest of this season and into the future, is his pocket management. On several occasions last night, Watson actually had a clean pocket, and if he would have stayed patient and waited just a beat longer, some plays would have come open downfield in our view. Even when presented with a clean pocket, Watson appears to have an internal clock in his head that goes off under all circumstances, and this causes him to bail out too early sometimes and it can negatively influence the outcome of a play. For example, on one play in the third quarter, Watson had a clean pocket in the middle of the field, but he decided to dart for the left sideline, thereby cutting off half of the field, and resulting in an incomplete pass.

Reich continues to have his ups and downs with clock management. The Colts faced a 4th and 7 from the Texans’ 48-yard line with three minutes left to play in the fourth quarter and trailing by three. The Colts also had all three of their timeouts left. The choice presented here was whether to punt or go for the first down. Reich chose to call a timeout before the play. The Colts ultimately opted to try to convert the first down, which resulted in a QB Jacoby Brissett run that fell short. We felt the better decision here was to simply run the play without burning the time out. Every 4th and 7 play is risky–the chances of any staff dialing up a successful play call in this down in distance is minimal anyway. If they would not have burned this time out, they might have been able to get the ball back with 30 seconds or so left to go in the game. The Colts probably would not have tied the game anyway, but we still felt the better call was to preserve the time out.

Head Coach Rankings Update After NFL Week 9

By HCR Staff | Nov. 5, 2019

The head coach tied for the top spot this week also is this week’s biggest mover. Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn earned a huge win at home against a one-loss Green Bay Packers team. Lynn’s game plan to keep the ball out of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ hands was immediately echoed by his team after an eight-minute drive to open the game. The defense also performed well as they held them to a field goal through the first three quarters.

Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien had another solid week, which earned him a tie for the top spot. The Texans are playing complementary football under O’Brien and behind MVP candidate QB DeShaun Watson. O’Brien has been one of the most consistent head coaches this season.

John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens came off their bye week and handed the New England Patriots their first loss of the season. Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs escaped the Minnesota Vikings on a game-winning field goal. Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks came from behind to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a shootout.

Here are HCR’s Top 10 head coaches for Week 9:

T1. Anthony Lynn–8.4
T1. Bill O’Brien–8.4
T3. John Harbaugh–8.2
T3. Andy Reid–8.2
T3. Pete Carroll–8.2
6. Bruce Arians–7.8
T7. Jon Gruden–7.6
T7. Mike Zimmer–7.6
T9. Kyle Shanahan–7.4
T9. Mike Tomlin–7.4

Click here for YTD Head Coach Rankings after Week 9

NFL Week 9 Monday Coaching Observations

By HCR Staff | Nov. 4, 2019

Here are some observations of head coaches from around the NFL prior to HCR’s Week 9 rankings:

Don’t count out Anthony Lynn’s Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are returning to health and availability, as the presence of running back Melvin Gordon and tight end Hunter Henry is transforming the team. While those player additions are important, it was the Chargers’ crispness and tempo that stood out to us. In their best performance of the season, the Chargers played with excellent and consistent energy throughout the game on both sides of the ball. The Chargers also seemed to play with a higher degree of discipline and dedication to assignment. As a result, the Chargers completely controlled the game from start to finish–something that is difficult to do against a good Green Bay Packers team that was playing in front of a pro-Packers crowd. If the Chargers can bring this type of execution to their remaining schedule, it would not surprise us if they run the table.

Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears has a potentially career-defining decision to make. We still feel that Matt Nagy is a promising head coach, but he certainly is confronted with a potentially career-defining decision, and that is whether or not to bench current starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. It’s very clear to any observer that Trubisky is not improving–at the moment, at the very least. Perhaps if Trubisky sits for a stretch, it actually might help him in the long run. Either way, it’s a difficult decision that Nagy has to make, and thus far, he still seems firmly in Trubisky’s corner, even though Trubisky is not passing the eyeball test. Whether it is fair or not, Nagy’s career could be defined by this singular decision. The division still is up for grabs, and while the Bears’ defense has not performed at its highest level, it still is formidable enough to contend.

The New York Jets have some good young talent, but it is not being served well by head coach Adam Gase. Of course, this statement may be accused of stating the obvious, but Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins was an embarrassment. Jets head coach Adam Gase simply has not created an environment that produces a professional result. Other than the personal efforts of the players–and they should be commended–there is no rhyme or reason to what the Jets are doing. Their game plans are far too ambitious, particularly considering they have not proven they can simply line up the most basic plays and produce results. Franchise QB Sam Darnold’s fundamentals are completely frazzled, and we are fearful he will lose confidence and regress. The circumstances surrounding Gase’s hiring at the Jets were strange to begin with, and it is not surprising that the results he is producing also are far beyond the norm.

Bill O’Brien’s Houston Texans are finding an identity and settling into a rhythm. The Texans are growing by leaps and bounds in the right direction, and the credit goes to their head coach Bill O’Brien. What we see is a team that has found its identity, and knows exactly how to move the ball, and what it wants to do on defense. That creates a team that will be dangerous in the playoffs. QB DeShaun Watson is a legitimate MVP candidate, and his comfort in the talent around him and the system, is now second nature. On defense, the Texans play as a sound and disciplined unit, and most importantly, play with great passion. All of this adds up to an organizational confidence that is trending in the right direction. There’s no more “hoping” in their play. The Texans know how to get on top of an opponent, and they also know how to close out a W now.

The NFL game is all about matchups, and in last night’s Ravens-Patriots game, the matchups favored the Ravens–for now. John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens coaching staff and players brought an excellent performance to their victory last night over the New England Patriots, and it was largely due to a matchup advantage in personnel. The Ravens like to blitz a lot, principally because they have to help a defensive line that cannot generate pressure on its own. Last night, the Ravens were able to get away with this defensive tactic because, from a matchup standpoint, the Patriots don’t have a burner on the outside to threaten the end zone. Consequently, the Ravens could sell out with minimal risk, and the strategy worked well. Earlier in the season, the Ravens defense was torched for 40 points by the Cleveland Browns. Why? Well, the Browns have speedster WR Odell Beckham Jr., and that creates a completely different problem for the Ravens. Bill Belichick’s Patriots won’t stand pat, however. Rookie WR N’Keal Harry wasn’t active last night, and while he isn’t a top-level burner, his future presence in the offense will change the dynamic. Patriots opponents know the Patriots cannot threaten them over the top, so for the remainder of this season, Belichick will have to scheme around this limitation–which he created as he was wearing his GM hat.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has the Steelers playing a more complementary style of football. While we don’t believe Mike Tomlin will ever grace the top of our HCR rankings given his in-game judgment ups and downs, he has done a good job of motivating a young Steelers roster and bringing them together to play a complementary style of football that is producing great results. Interestingly enough, the Steelers had in recent years become so proficient on offense, that the defense had become an afterthought. Now, however, it is not a given that the offense will score 35 points, so Tomlin and his staff have to manage the game differently, and much of that depends on not putting the defense into bad positions.

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