(SportsRadio 610) -- The amount of power Jack Easterby has within the Texans organization has been a popular talking point since he arrived in Houston in April of 2019.
However, the amount of power Easterby has is no longer relevant, the power has been over taken by another P-word.
I want to make two things clear before I get into the current Easterby problem.
No. 1: I think Nick Caserio was a good hire.
No. 2: I think Caserio will NOT allow Easterby to meddle with personnel decisions. This thought has been confirmed by many people in Boston, including Scott Zolak and NFL Insider Albert Breer on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.
That’s the good news, but there is bad news. Easterby is still here.
At one time Easterby added value to an NFL organization, but his tenure in Houston has decreased that value, if not eliminated it altogether.
Prior to the Texans' matchup with the Patriots in Week 10, Bill Belichick discussed the value Easterby provided when he was in New England for six years.
“Jack did a great job for us, his role was a varied one. He worked with a lot of different aspects of the organization. Players, coaches, support people, so forth. He was a person who could connect well with everybody, from the owner of the team to the equipment manager or equipment guy that picks up towels and all the people in between. He was a very valuable person in this organization in the time he was here.”
A LOT has changed since Easterby left New England.
Easterby emerged as Bill O’Brien’s right-hand man, dabbled in personnel matters and failed miserably in every area, something he should have never been allowed to do.
If you don’t believe me then take it from Belichick, who seconds after praising Easterby had this to say when asked about Jack as a personnel guy.
“Jack’s not a personnel person. No.”
The organization is in worse shape now than it was when Easterby arrived. The roster is worse, there are less assets, the media scrutiny has increased and things got worse as his responsibilities increased. Yet he’s still here.
During the GM hiring process I started to accept the fact Easterby was going to remain in Houston, regardless of who was hired as GM. I wish it weren’t true and Mr. McNair would give the city a late Christmas present, but I doubt it. That’s why I like the Caserio hire so much.
Caserio would’ve been a good hire regardless, but with Easterby still lingering on Kirby I don’t think there’s a better option.
Like Belichick, Caserio knows Easterby isn’t a personnel guy. He won’t allow him to screw up the roster and assets the way he did as O’Brien’s bombastic sidekick.
Caserio may know Easterby should’ve never been allowed to have a hand in personnel decisions, but there’s something new about Easterby that wasn’t the case when they worked together in New England.
Easterby has gone from a man of mystery to a man of shame since he left the Patriots.
There have been multiple reports including the in-depth Sports Illustrated article that painted Easterby as a sketchy, power-hungry, conniving opportunist.
#FireEasterby was the No. 1 trending topic in Houston yesterday after the Caserio news became official.
I feel bad for Caserio because despite his impressive resume, many people in Houston aren’t even giving him a chance because of his connection to Easterby.
Caserio could be an immediate hero in Houston if his first move as GM was granting the wish of the #FireEasterby hashtag.
Maybe Easterby adds value that media types and fans can’t understand. Maybe the reports about unrest in the locker room are fabrications. Maybe Caserio can calm the storm.
Winning can cure everything and hopefully, assuming Easterby hangs around, the Texans can win and the distraction will be limited, but it’s there and the players know.
J.J. Watt mentioned the SI article when he was talking about all of the things that went wrong for the Texans in 2020.
“It's just every week it's something," Watt said. "It's just kind of what it's been. Whether it's articles or it's suspensions, whatever it may be. Every week it seems like there's been something."
Deshaun Watson mentioned people thinking they had power when talking about the need for a culture change.
“We just need a whole culture shift.... There's too many different minds, too many different ideas and too many people thinking they have this power, and it's not like that."
In the past, Easterby appeared to be one of the guys wanting power, but power is no longer the problem.
The Easterby problem has gone from power to presence.
How big of a problem is it? Stay tuned.