The Texans will move forward with former Bears and Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith as their defensive coordinator. The sides agreed to terms on a deal Friday afternoon, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
This was the expected move, and it will allow Smith to return to the NFL for the first time since the Bucs fired him following the 2015 season. Smith spent the past five seasons as head coach at the University of Illinois. He has been in Houston since Wednesday, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.
Smith, 62, and new Texans HC David Culley have not coached together in the pros before, but the former obviously brings many years of experience leading defenses. Smith has been a head coach or defensive coordinator at the NFL level in 15 seasons. He last served as a team’s DC with the Rams, doing so from 2001-03.
Although Smith was HC with Tampa Bay for two seasons, he is best known for his run in Chicago. The Bears built a dominant defense under Smith in the mid-2000s, riding that unit’s talents to Super Bowl XLI. Chicago ranked outside the top 20 in scoring defense in the two years prior to Smith’s arrival; the Bears were a top-three unit in 2005 and ’06 and finished as such four times during Smith’s nine-season tenure. Smith also was present for a dramatic Rams rise, overseeing the St. Louis defense’s climb from last in scoring defense in 2000 to seventh during the team’s 2001 Super Bowl season.
Smith’s Bucs defenses were not as successful. Each ranked outside the top 20. His five-season run at Illinois also ended with a 2020 firing. The Fighting Illini did not post a winning season under Smith, who is 89-87 as an NFL HC.
The Texans ranked 30th in defensive DVOA last season. Houston’s defense has struggled for a bit now, declining rapidly over the past two seasons. It is uncertain how much help the Texans’ new defensive play-caller will receive, however, with the team lacking first- and second-round draft picks (for now) and having future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt as a trade candidate.
Texans need to play this smart.
Probably the best deal they can get for Watson is:
Jets get Watson
Texans get Mims, Darnold, 2021 #2 overall pick, 2022 1st (the better of Jets or Seahawks), 2021 3rd, 2022 3rd. 2021 4th, 2022 4th.
Trade the #2
Dallas makes sense. They save money by not resigning Dak to help the defense and get a franchise QB on a rookie deal.
Dallas gets #2 and takes Fields
Texans get #10 overall, 2022 first, and other draft capital
Trade the #10 to a QB needy team. NE, PIT, CHI if Wilson is still there.
NE for the #15 and other draft capital
CHI for the # #20, 2022 1st, and other draft capital
PIT for the #24, 2022 1st, and other draft capital
Trade back trade back trade back and restock your draft capital for the next half decade to build a lasting contender.
Will Lovie Smith continue to run his old and dated Tampa Two defense ?
You can win with any system if you have great talent and if you have little talent then no system is going to make you a winner.
Tampa Two works really well with the right S’s and the right LB’s.
However, as a Texans fan….well, things don’t always work really well for US.
Bigger question. Will Lovie grow that old and outdated beard?
I hope so…he might even end up looking as sexy as Fitzmagic.
Finally back in a job he’s qualified for.