The Rookie

Big Play Hands: DeAndre Hopkins shows why he absolutely must play — no matter what

DeAndre Hopkins has a step — and Case Keenum knows where the ball needs to go.

Keenum heaves it high and far. Right where Hopkins needs it. And as the rookie wide receiver comes down with the football inside the New England Patriots' 30-yard line, juking out Pats cornerback Kyle Arrington for another extra 10-plus yards to complete a 66-yard play, it seems unfathomable to imagine the struggling Houston Texans benching this talent.

But that's exactly what Gary Kubiak did a few weeks ago against the Oakland Raiders.

So this is what a pulse looks like. The Texans will score 31 points against one of the elite teams in the NFL.

Hopkins can't leave the field now. Not with the Texans using the rest of this season to develop young talent. Not with Keenum increasingly finding the man with 3XL hands.

It doesn't matter how many supposed mental mistakes Hopkins makes. He must play. Early and always. As he did throughout a 34-31 loss to New England Patriots.

He only makes two catches in the Patriots game. But when one of those catches is a 66-yarder . . . well, that's finding a way to be productive.

Hopkins now has more than 600 yards receiving in his rookie season. He hasn't been quite as much of a difference maker as the Texans hoped. He can't come down with a second-and-12 that Keenum throws up to him in the final three minutes Sunday. But he's doing some things while learning. It can't hurt him that Keenum is in there flinging it deep, giving receivers a chance to make plays down the field.

Keenum's long touch returns against New England. He completes a 29-yarder to Andre Johnson, a 27-yarder to Keshawn Martin, a 28-yarder to Johnson, a 17-yarder to tight end Garrett Graham . . . and that absolute bomb to Hopkins. He throws confidently, attacking spots in Bill Belichick's defense.

It takes Tom Brady all of six minutes and 58 seconds to erase every bit of a 10-point Texans halftime lead. But this time, the Texans and Keenum have an answer.

Try a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive — one punctuated by Keenum's five-yard TD on a designed run. The young quarterback spikes the ball with a forceful flourish that a young Tiger Woods could appreciate after this one, sending a jolt through the stadium.

So this is what a pulse looks like. The Texans will score 31 points against one of the elite teams in the NFL. It matters little that they still lose anyway.

It's more about how a guy like Hopkins ends his season. No benching the future.

DeAndre Hopkins needs to be on the field no matter how much he stumbles.

Photo by Michelle Watson CultureMapSnap

DeAndre Hopkins needs to be on the field no matter how much he stumbles.

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O'Brien Talks Tough

Tough new sheriff: Bill O'Brien sounds like the anti Kubiak, vows to be hard on Texans players

Photo by Rob Carr Getty Images

Bill O'Brien admits he missed the NFL.

Bill O'Brien certainly hasn't walked timidly into his new job as the head coach/franchise savior of the Houston Texans.

With large posters of J.J. Watt and Andre Johnson flanking him on either side of an elaborate press conference stage, O'Brien didn't pay homage as much as he demanded a new standard.

"To me it's about accountability," O'Brien said. "It's about demanding. It's about putting together a fast, physical football team."

In other words, Mr. Nice Guy went out the window with former Texans coach Gary Kubiak. O'Brien mentioned "accountability" and "demanding" several times in his introductory press conference Friday afternoon at Reliant Stadium. And you can bet the chorus sounded like sweet music to Texans owner Bob McNair.

CultureMap was the first news outlet anywhere to report that O'Brien was the Texans' top choice to be the team's new coach way back on Dec. 18. This was a McNair driven pick from the beginning and it is the 44-year-old O'Brien's toughness that drew the owner to the former Penn State coach and Bill Belichick assistant.

"To me it's about accountability. It's about demanding."

And McNair himself certainly talked tough on introduction day.

"I'm ready to kick 2013 the hell out the door," McNair said. "Not acceptable. Not what we're going to do in the future."

McNair went on to talk about O'Brien having shown he's willing to make the hard decisions — something he clearly felt was lacking as the Texans spiraled from Super Bowl schemers into a 2-14 death march in 2013.

"Some coaches who have been players still think of themselves as players rather than the head of an organization," McNair said. "And have trouble making difficult decisions."

Kubiak, of course, played quarterback for the Denver Broncos. As for an inability to make tough calls? Just look at how long Kubiak stuck with a flat-lined Matt Schaub and how he kept trying to go back to Schaub even after the Case Keenum call was made.

O'Brien noted that "there are a lot of good football players on this team." He also declined to take any pressure off himself and describe this makeover of a team with the worst record in the NFL as a rebuilding job.

"There are a lot of pieces in place here," he said. "It's all about hard work . . . Quick turnaround, rebuilding are labels. I'm not into all that."

Tom Brady Tough?

All in all, it's an impressive opening performance for a first-time NFL head coach. O'Brien knows how to command the stage. Texans general manager Rick Smith talked about the new coach's "charisma."

O'Brien even makes sure to work in the obligatory Texas joke about the cowboy life.

"Right after this, I'm going to go out and buy my first pair of cowboy boots," he said.

It's already becoming clear there will be one cowboy in charge of these Texans. One who happens to be a hard-nosed Northeast guy who's probably still most famous for getting into a sideline screaming match with New England Patriots golden boy quarterback Tom Brady.

"I'm ready to kick 2013 the hell out the door."

O'Brien downplayed the incident, but it's clearly helped burnish his taskmaster image.

"You know it's a competitive sports," O'Brien said. "Tom Brady's a great friend. These things happen. The thing that people don't understand is that 30 seconds after it was over, we were sitting together and going over pictures (of game action)."

The Texans players are clearly intrigued by O'Brien. Veteran center Chris Myers sat amongst the press at the stadium and listened to the new head man.

There will be a lot more change coming to the stadium. Smith hinted at as much when he noted how the Texans needed a coach who can guide young players.

It's hard to imagine O'Brien tip toeing around that change. He plans to meet with all the remaining Texans coaches Saturday (as with any head coaching change, it's unlikely many of the current assistants will be kept by O'Brien). He'll tackle the quarterback question later, though it's clear Keenum is still in the picture.

Almost every new NFL head coach sounds good on introduction day. Especially when the team brings out a marching band for the occasion. But O'Brien sounds tough and no nonsense.

Just what Bob McNair wanted. This is his call. His makeover. His tough guy.

Bill O'Brien will not call the Houston Texans a rebuilding team.

Photo by Scott Halleran Getty Images

Bill O'Brien will not call the Houston Texans a rebuilding team.

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