A day after falling to 0-4 with a 31-23 loss to the previously-winless Minnesota Vikings, the Houston Texans fired Bill O’Brien on Monday.

Sunday’s loss was simply the last straw for O’Brien, who I see as a mediocre. In six-plus seasons serving as the head coach, O’Brien coached exactly 100 games. The Texans won 52 of those. They also finished over .500 in five seasons under O’Brien, but when it came to the postseason, he had nothing.

The Texans never played beyond the Divisional Round under O’Brien. Last season ended with a 51-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. It was a game where the O’Brien’s team led by as much as 24, and then suddenly collapsed. However, following the game, Texans owner Cal McNair officially named O’Brien the general manager. O’Brien had been fulfilling the role since Brian Gaine’s departure in June 2019.

Months after his designation, O’Brien drew criticism. He traded away three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason for a package highlighted by running back David Johnson and a second-round pick. I consider the trade one of the more confusing decisions in league history. It was the beginning of the end for O’Brien.

The team said associate head coach Romeo Crannel will serve as its interim coach for the rest of the season. 

In the meantime, I suspect, Houston’s ownership will spend the next few months looking for a coach and GM. It’s difficult to believe it would go the same route in terms of hiring one person for both roles. I hope it learned that few people can handle both responsibilities like Bill Belichick has for the New England Patriots — and that more often than not, it challenges the checks and balances system. More importantly, I hope they get someone who will work well with Watson, because he’s ultimately the most important piece to their puzzle and that’s what O’Brien couldn’t do.

The truth may be that O’Brien is a good coach but a bad GM, wearing two hats was too much and one awful move — trading Hopkins — cost him his job.