Lovie Smith is getting his chance to be an NFL head coach this season. Unfortunately, the cards are already stacked against him.
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks thinks Smith is the new NFL head coach in the worst situation right now.
Not only is the Texans’ gig a total rebuilding project – there simply isn’t much hope on the horizon either.
Smith needs big play out of second-year quarterback Davis Mills for the Texans to even have a pulse later this fall.
“It is hard to imagine a coach taking on a tougher challenge than the Texans’ rebuilding project,” Brooks wrote, via NFL.com. “The organization has allowed a lot of talent to walk out of the door in the past few years without finding suitable replacements for the star power. Smith will attempt to win games with a “hustle hard” approach that places a premium on effort, energy and execution. The grizzled coach is relying on a young quarterback with limited experience, but Davis Mills started to show promise down the stretch of his rookie season.”
Houston is a young team with poor overall talent. But there are a few things to keep an eye on in Smith’s first year.
Derek Stingley Jr. figures to be the next star defensive back in football. If he shines, Smith can build his defense around him.
In addition, Mills was much better than anticipated in his first NFL season last year. Can he take a big jump in year two?
Hopefully things go well for Smith in year one, but it’s going to be a turbulent ride.