Last year, the Texans went 10-7, won a home playoff game despite being the underdog, and gave a much better team a solid run in the divisional round. The effort landed offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik on the radar of five teams that were looking for coaches.
This year, the Texans went 10-7, won a home playoff game despite being the underdog, and gave a much better team a solid run in the divisional round. And Slowik got fired.
There were obvious flaws with the Houston offense this year. The offensive line was not good. They didn’t adjust to that fact well enough to win enough games to finish higher than the No. 4 seed. And only the rest of the staff and the players know the full details about the failure of Slowik to adapt to the adjustments made by opposing defenses, based on a 2023 season that few noticed until the Texans won the AFC South.
The point is that the window can close quickly for any assistant coach who attracts attention for a potential promotion. It’s why so many guys choose to jump through the window as soon as it’s open, even if a large pile of excrement is lurking on the other side.
For some, waiting a year might mean the window isn’t open again. For some like Slowik, it might mean getting fired from the job that positioned him for head-coaching consideration in the first place.
Slowik has a solid chance to land on his feet. The NFL operates an offensive coordinator recycling plant, with multiple guys failing sideways every year. Still, one year after being the next big thing in Houston, Slowik ended up out on his ass.
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