While he's known for his intense work ethic and commitment to film study, Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien admitted on Friday that when it comes to his new team, he has yet to put them under the microscope.
During his introductory press conference held at Reliant Stadium, the Massachusetts native and former Penn State head coach spoke about his familiarity with the squad.
"I can tell you that I basically studied what I saw on paper," O'Brien said. "I've got a lot of work to do on this team, and the sooner I can get back to my office and start that work, it'll be better. I can't wait to get going and study this football team and watch all the players. I'm really looking forward to that."
Although O'Brien does not yet have extensive knowledge of each player and member of the staff, his research on Founder/Chairman and CEO Bob McNair, COO Cal McNair and general manager Rick Smith left him with high hopes for the franchise.
"I spoke to many people in this league that I really respect and everyone had the same thing to say; that this was a special organization with a fantastic owner that really supports the coach and the general manager," O'Brien said. "I think, to me, once I met that owner and Cal and Rick Smith, that put it over the top for me. It was just a great meeting that we had, and it's been great to get to know them over the last week or so."
In terms of reconstructing the Texans after a dismal 2-14 season, O'Brien believes there's already a "strong roster of players" that will be "fun" to evaluate.
"I think this is a football team, having just gotten here, but listening to Rick and Mr. McNair and Cal, there's a lot of pieces in place here. It's all about hard work. 'Quick turnaround' and 'rebuilding'-- I'm not into labels. I think you need to get going, you got to get to work, you got to evaluate the team."
