John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
One of the secrets to a team's success is the behind-the-scenes relationship between the general manager and head coach.
Communication is paramount. Egos can't get in the way of personnel decisions that must be made in the best interests of the organization. Credit goes to the players, and the blame must be shared between the coach and general manager. When the team loses or a player decision backfires, there can be no finger-pointing. Like a rock-solid marriage, disagreements can't become personal.
Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans are in their 18th month working together. There was instant magic in their first season. Now they've had two drafts, two free agent periods and one season together. Two days into their second training camp, their relationship continue to grow. Their familiarity with each other has contributed to the Texans' success and is essential to improving on their 2023 AFC South title.
"DeMeco's one of the best coaches in the league, and I think he embraces the teaching and the developmental component of coaching," Caserio said Thursday before the first practice of training camp. "That's what coaching is. Coaching is teaching, developing, training (and) evolving, and we have no better example of that than our head coach. We're very fortunate to have him leading this team."
Trust and respect are vital to their relationship. The more time they spend together, the more Caserio and Ryans realize they have a lot of the same interests and similarities.
"Nick has a good sense of humor," Ryans said. "He knows how to lighten up, but when it's time to get serious and make decisions, he gets it done.
"What I like most about working with Nick is that we're kind of the same. We're straight shooters, and we both like to get to the point. We're able to be effective in our communication. We see football the same way. When he has a suggestion about a player or I have a suggestion about a player, it's rare that we disagree. We see the game and the players we're looking at in the same way, and that makes our conversations a lot easier."
Their positive relationship is good for the entire organization. Some general managers and coaches get involved in turf wars that can splinter a team. Those kind of power struggles can create a toxic work environment that trickles into the locker room and onto the field.
Because Caserio and Ryans have a mutual respect and personal creeds focused on doing what's best for the team, everyone in the organization sees it. They make it fun to come to work every day with a common goal of reaching - and winning - a Super Bowl.
"We talk every day," Caserio said. "When we talk about the team, we have very candid, honest conversations."
Their capacity to work well together is especially crucial during training camp because they have to make cuts down to 53 before the start of the season. Then they sign players to the practice squad.
"We go through the team every day," Caserio said. "We talk about individual players. We talk about position groups. How do we feel about it? Do we want to make a change?"
Personnel decisions are an every-day process. Players regularly come and go through the doors at NRG Stadium because Caserio and Ryans are constantly trying to upgrade the team. They're careful before finalizing a decision. If it's a significant decision, they usually want input from position coaches, scouts and others in the organization. Evaluating the roster is an almost 24/7 process.
"(If) we want to make an adjustment, you have to be careful," Caserio said. "You don't want to have a knee-jerk reaction or a response based on one or two days of practice. That's not fair to the player. It's very fluid. We're talking about it. Are we a little light here? Do we need an extra body (there)?
"Or maybe this just isn't working out. Maybe we move on from this player. Maybe there's a better option. But you're not going to move on from a player unless you feel like you have a better alternative. Otherwise, you're just shuffling paper. So we talk all the time. We talked over the summer about the team. It's something we're very conscious of. It's a very organic process."
It's difficult to cut players who've worked hard, but it goes with the job. It's particularly difficult when making roster decisions to get to 53. Fortunately, many can be signed to the practice squad.
"We're going to give the player the best opportunity," Caserio said. "Once you kind of reach that statute of limitations where you feel like, you know what, it's best for everybody involved to maybe go a different direction."
One player leaves, and another comes in. That process has improved because Caserio and his scouts have a much better idea about what Ryans wants in his players. He has position-specific characteristics he wants in players.
"It's much easier now," Ryans said. "When Nick hears me talk about what I'm looking for, he knows how to relay that message to the scouts. We can talk about traits easily. We know why we want this guy or don't want that guy."
And they're not just looking for talented players. Ryans and Caserio believe it's essential to acquire players who fit the culture that helped the Texans finish 10-7 last season before defeating Cleveland in the wild card round of the playoffs.
"Even though a guy might be a good player, Nick knows the mold we're looking for," Ryans said. "It makes transactions easier. It makes bringing in players for tryouts easier. Having that synergy in our second year makes it easier for the scouts to know what the coaches are looking for."
First and foremost, Caserio and Ryans are looking for hard workers with good attitudes and a team-first goal of winning above all else.
