When the Texans were the first to fire their head coach and last hire a new one this cycle, for a time it seemed like they may have been waiting on someone who was still playing for a Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who's been a head coach in the NFL, and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who's become a popular coaching candidate in recent years, had both interviewed for the job. And both appeared to be logical candidates.
By surprise, David Culley emerged as the one to become the Houston Texans' fourth head coach in franchise history.
In 27 years of coaching in the NFL, Culley had never been interviewed to be a head coach, and also lacks experience as a coordinator.
He was hired in spite of this, because Texans CEO Cal McNair and general manager Nick Caserio believe in Culley.
But the first-year head coach was just as skeptical as anyone when the Texans showed interest.
Speaking on the Huddle and Flow podcast with Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche at the NFL Network, Culley spoke candidly about making sure the Texans were not just trying to fill some quota.
"This was my first time in 27 years in this league having an opportunity to interview for a head coaching job," Culley told Trotter and Wyche. "Quite frankly, when I got into this situation and got offered the opportunity to interview for this job, the first thing that went through my mind is this. I've never been a coordinator. I've never had an interview for a job as a head coach at this level. And all of a sudden, why me? So when I talked to Nick (Caserio) and the guys here, the first thing I said is how do you justify hiring me when I look around at all of these other candidates, they've been coordinators before. Some of them have been head coaches before. They've been interviewed multiple times in the league, sometimes two or three years and not getting jobs. I said how do you justify that.
"I wanted to know because I did not want to be an interviewee because of the Rooney Rule. I did not want an interview to say I'd been interviewed for a job. I didn't need that. I didn't want that. And before I took the interview, I wanted to make sure I wasn't a part of that. And they assured me they were looking for the best head coach to fit this situation and from doing all the research on me, through talking on all the people that I've coached with."
Culley added Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had been a big advocate of his in their two years together in Baltimore.
Culley also told a heart-warming story of meeting with his 94-year-old father in native Sparta, Tennessee, to share this special moment with him.
It's really inspirational stuff.
Now, Texans fans can only hope the head coach is not in over his head. It was a bad sign when during the podcast, which was recorded shortly before a virtual press conference Thursday, Culley went slightly off message on whether the Texans might trade Deshaun Watson.
The candor is appreciated, but it might have been his first rookie mistake.
Culley is clearly playing with house money. Whether he can be an effective head coach is unknown until the Texans take the field.