Football Why Bob McNair is the worst NFL owner in history - Page 3

oaklandhater · 10-13-2015, 04:38 PM

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/why...istory-7839734

the Houston Texans, we are often told, are the ideal franchise. The owner doesn’t interfere with the coach or the general manager. The players are paid well and treated as professionals. The team goes out of its way to ignore any player with a troubled history. It’s an organization of which all Houstonians should be proud.

This is all because of Bob McNair, a man treated by many as a saint. The man who brought football back to Houston. A man who wants to win the right way. He’s loyal to the men he hires — only two general managers and only three head coaches in the history of the franchise. His decisions are calculated and not triggered by emotion. The Texans are the ideal, and all the NFL should do things the way McNair does.

No owner in the history of Houston sports has accomplished less with his franchise than Bob McNair. Yet no owner in the history of Houston sports is less criticized than McNair. Who cares if his teams don’t win? It’s not McNair’s fault. He saved football in Houston. He puts smart people in charge of the team. He leaves them alone.

But in 14 seasons, McNair’s Texans have won just 89 games against 124 losses. There are only two playoff seasons, only four winning seasons in those 14 seasons. Can you imagine the treatment Bud Adams would have received from the Houston media if the Oilers had accomplished so little? The Oilers wouldn't be praised as the ideal model. The Oilers would be mocked as a train wreck run by an owner concerned only with making money. There’d be no praise for passing on players with troubled backgrounds; instead, there’d be loud criticism for Adams being willing to stick with unproven players like Alfred Blue instead of taking a chance on a proven veteran like Ray Rice.

Bud Adams is perhaps the most reviled franchise owner in Houston sports history. He’s the guy who blackmailed Harris County into destroying the Astrodome, and the guy who attempted to blackmail the city into building him a downtown domed stadium, then taking his team and splitting for Nashville when he was told no. Adams was mocked endlessly as caring only about money, and for interfering too much with the coaches and general managers. He’s the guy who fired Bum Phillips. The guy who dumped Earl Campbell and Warren Moon.

But Adams actually hired legitimately smart, accomplished people to run his teams. Sid Gillman was a true offensive genius, and Bum Phillips was one of the masterminds behind the 3-4 defense. Jerry Glanville was an accomplished defensive coordinator, and Jack Pardee was a man who coached multiple teams to playoff appearances and who helped shepherd a revolutionary offense into the pro game. Adams might have been quick on the trigger to fire people, but there’s no way that a Rick Smith or a Gary Kubiak would have held onto their jobs for as long as they have (did) without having actually accomplished anything, and it’s doubtful a blowhard with no history of accomplishment like Bill O’Brien would have even been hired by Adams.

Bob McNair is a failure of an owner, everything that Adams was accused of being. There’s no evidence that he cares about winning games or making the playoffs. He’s dumped high-profile, accomplished players when they became too expensive. Sure, he doesn’t fire coaches and staff quickly, but he hires people with no real accomplishments and seems not to care that they’re in over their heads.

And why should McNair care? He rakes in millions of dollars off the league’s TV contracts and off of merchandizing. Every single game is sold out (remember how, even when the Oilers were good, there was always the weekly question of whether the game would sell out and thus be on TV). As long as the games are sold out, as long as he gets the same cash for being on television as the Patriots and Packers do and makes money off of Aaron Rodgers jersey sales, there’s absolutely no reason for McNair to care about putting a winning product out on the field.

There’s money to be made, lots of money to be made, in being a mediocre product that plays it safe and refuses to take chances. Peyton Manning is expensive, so just stick with Matt Schaub. Ray Rice commands a decent price, so just use the excuse of his domestic abuse to save a few bucks and keep using Alfred Blue to back up the injury-prone Arian Foster. Sure, some fans might get upset that the team’s never competitive, but hey, as long as there are millions of suckers willing to pay up for J.J. Watt merchandise, why change?

Bob McNair is, without a doubt, the worse owner in the history of Houston sports. But there’s absolutely no reason for him to change. He’s making money. He’s everything that Bud Adams was accused of being, and it’s time the fans and the media started treating McNair the way they treated Adams.

McNair deserves contempt; he deserves fan anger. Not that it’ll matter, not that it’ll actually change anything. Not as long as he’s making millions upon millions of dollars a year by fielding a largely non-competitive, mediocre product year after year after year.

Hydrae · 10-13-2015, 07:41 PM

With the cap minimum that is in place now, I am not sure the argument that keeping cheap players earns the owner more bottom line is the case any more.

Al Bundy · 10-13-2015, 07:45 PM

Hugh Culverhouse was definitely the worst NFL owner in its current incarnation.

Eleazar · 10-13-2015, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

But in 14 seasons, McNair’s Texans have won just 89 games against 124 losses. There are only two playoff seasons, only four winning seasons in those 14 seasons. Can you imagine the treatment Bud Adams would have received from the Houston media if the Oilers had accomplished so little? The Oilers wouldn't be praised as the ideal model. The Oilers would be mocked as a train wreck run by an owner concerned only with making money. There’d be no praise for passing on players with troubled backgrounds; instead, there’d be loud criticism for Adams being willing to stick with unproven players like Alfred Blue instead of taking a chance on a proven veteran like Ray Rice.
...

There’s money to be made, lots of money to be made, in being a mediocre product that plays it safe and refuses to take chances. Peyton Manning is expensive, so just stick with Matt Schaub. Ray Rice commands a decent price, so just use the excuse of his domestic abuse to save a few bucks and keep using Alfred Blue to back up the injury-prone Arian Foster. Sure, some fans might get upset that the team’s never competitive, but hey, as long as there are millions of suckers willing to pay up for J.J. Watt merchandise, why change?

What is this guy's deal with Ray Rice, that he is the prooftext for the Texans not wanting to win?

He has been out of football for a long time and was declining when he decided to knock his wife out anyway.

Eleazar · 10-13-2015, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TambaBerry

because they picked clowney instead of a qb like every other ****ing stupid ass franchise that has always sucked ever did.

They picked Clowney ahead of Blake Bortles and essentially no one else. What were they supposed to do? Pick Manziel at #1?

Simply Red · 10-13-2015, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorter

The Texans have won multiple playoff games recently.

**lewdog** · 10-13-2015, 08:52 PM

Winning two playoff games in the past 5 years makes you 100% more relevant than the Kansas City Chiefs.

TEX · 10-13-2015, 09:14 PM

When did they "destroy the Astrodome?" I drove by it tonight on the way to donate blood. I must have passed out and they did it then ...

Psyko Tek · 10-13-2015, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayze

I mean, don't get me wrong I joke quite a bit and I'm pretty sarcastic nearly every waking moment. But I'm serious when I say this town only has so much money to spend on entertainment. The Chiefs have been the luckiest mother****ers on earth for the last 30 years in that they've been the 'only' real ticket in town that could sniff a championship - or so we all thought.

with what the Royals did last year, and what they're continuing to do, the Chiefs are pissing into the wind. I'm serious when I say that if I had, say $3k, sitting around waiting to be spent on a sports team.....it would be the Royals. and probably can't even name 5 players on the team. but I know they're competing and I"ll learn their ****ing names. Yeah, bandwagon, I know. But at this point in my life after eating Chiefs sammiches for 25 years.....I don't give a shit. LIke you get some sort of courage badge / tattoo you can wear/show everyone. "hey....I was a fan when they sucked as for 35 years!!!!" . GFY.

Chiefs suck, and they're as hopeless as can be when discussions of Super Bowls start.

don't care if they are winning or not
baseball ain't a sport I care about
will just keep any money I would spend onthe chiefs for other entertainment, royals don't matter

but I am long distance fan

**TinyEvel** · 10-13-2015, 10:35 PM

seriously,

The Hunt family commitment to the Chiefs died with Lamar. How can they care about this city and this fanbase when they don't even live here?! Clark should sell the team to someone who is more like Jerry Jones, but not going full Jerry, not going full Al Davis, but a resident and serious about winning.

I say we form a kickstarter to buy the Chiefs from the Hunts. Then elect a leadership team with ethics and a real desire to win.

Brock · 10-13-2015, 11:06 PM

Pioli tried to set shit straight.

ok

Discuss Thrower · 10-13-2015, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

Pioli tried to set shit straight.

ok

Does explain why there were old school employees that cried foul and sued the team for age discrimination or whatever.

Also, the team committing tax evasion.

Brock · 10-13-2015, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Does explain why there were old school employees that cried foul and sued the team for age discrimination or whatever.

Also, the team committing tax evasion.

what does pioli have to do with tax evasion

Discuss Thrower · 10-13-2015, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

what does pioli have to do with tax evasion

Pioli doesn't necessarily. I don't remember the exact timeline, but the team was caught for tax evasion as it pertained to the whole renovation agreements from 2005. And now that I think more clearly on it, it wasn't evasion it was misappropriation. Something about using taxpayer money earmarked for the renovations to pay employees.

**Dave Lane** · 10-14-2015, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

and if we go 1-15-2-14 this year will it not be the same - the suicide thing

Don't sell the Chiefs short. 33% of the last 3 years its happened.

oaklandhater · 10-14-2015, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Don't sell the Chiefs short. 33% of the last 3 years its happened.

10-13-2015, 04:38 PM
oaklandhater future chiefs fans Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: oakland california Casino cash: $5808993	Why Bob McNair is the worst NFL owner in history http://www.houstonpress.com/news/why...istory-7839734 the Houston Texans, we are often told, are the ideal franchise. The owner doesn’t interfere with the coach or the general manager. The players are paid well and treated as professionals. The team goes out of its way to ignore any player with a troubled history. It’s an organization of which all Houstonians should be proud. This is all because of Bob McNair, a man treated by many as a saint. The man who brought football back to Houston. A man who wants to win the right way. He’s loyal to the men he hires — only two general managers and only three head coaches in the history of the franchise. His decisions are calculated and not triggered by emotion. The Texans are the ideal, and all the NFL should do things the way McNair does. No owner in the history of Houston sports has accomplished less with his franchise than Bob McNair. Yet no owner in the history of Houston sports is less criticized than McNair. Who cares if his teams don’t win? It’s not McNair’s fault. He saved football in Houston. He puts smart people in charge of the team. He leaves them alone. But in 14 seasons, McNair’s Texans have won just 89 games against 124 losses. There are only two playoff seasons, only four winning seasons in those 14 seasons. Can you imagine the treatment Bud Adams would have received from the Houston media if the Oilers had accomplished so little? The Oilers wouldn't be praised as the ideal model. The Oilers would be mocked as a train wreck run by an owner concerned only with making money. There’d be no praise for passing on players with troubled backgrounds; instead, there’d be loud criticism for Adams being willing to stick with unproven players like Alfred Blue instead of taking a chance on a proven veteran like Ray Rice. Bud Adams is perhaps the most reviled franchise owner in Houston sports history. He’s the guy who blackmailed Harris County into destroying the Astrodome, and the guy who attempted to blackmail the city into building him a downtown domed stadium, then taking his team and splitting for Nashville when he was told no. Adams was mocked endlessly as caring only about money, and for interfering too much with the coaches and general managers. He’s the guy who fired Bum Phillips. The guy who dumped Earl Campbell and Warren Moon. But Adams actually hired legitimately smart, accomplished people to run his teams. Sid Gillman was a true offensive genius, and Bum Phillips was one of the masterminds behind the 3-4 defense. Jerry Glanville was an accomplished defensive coordinator, and Jack Pardee was a man who coached multiple teams to playoff appearances and who helped shepherd a revolutionary offense into the pro game. Adams might have been quick on the trigger to fire people, but there’s no way that a Rick Smith or a Gary Kubiak would have held onto their jobs for as long as they have (did) without having actually accomplished anything, and it’s doubtful a blowhard with no history of accomplishment like Bill O’Brien would have even been hired by Adams. Bob McNair is a failure of an owner, everything that Adams was accused of being. There’s no evidence that he cares about winning games or making the playoffs. He’s dumped high-profile, accomplished players when they became too expensive. Sure, he doesn’t fire coaches and staff quickly, but he hires people with no real accomplishments and seems not to care that they’re in over their heads. And why should McNair care? He rakes in millions of dollars off the league’s TV contracts and off of merchandizing. Every single game is sold out (remember how, even when the Oilers were good, there was always the weekly question of whether the game would sell out and thus be on TV). As long as the games are sold out, as long as he gets the same cash for being on television as the Patriots and Packers do and makes money off of Aaron Rodgers jersey sales, there’s absolutely no reason for McNair to care about putting a winning product out on the field. There’s money to be made, lots of money to be made, in being a mediocre product that plays it safe and refuses to take chances. Peyton Manning is expensive, so just stick with Matt Schaub. Ray Rice commands a decent price, so just use the excuse of his domestic abuse to save a few bucks and keep using Alfred Blue to back up the injury-prone Arian Foster. Sure, some fans might get upset that the team’s never competitive, but hey, as long as there are millions of suckers willing to pay up for J.J. Watt merchandise, why change? Bob McNair is, without a doubt, the worse owner in the history of Houston sports. But there’s absolutely no reason for him to change. He’s making money. He’s everything that Bud Adams was accused of being, and it’s time the fans and the media started treating McNair the way they treated Adams. McNair deserves contempt; he deserves fan anger. Not that it’ll matter, not that it’ll actually change anything. Not as long as he’s making millions upon millions of dollars a year by fielding a largely non-competitive, mediocre product year after year after year.
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10-13-2015, 07:41 PM	#31
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $-1163000	With the cap minimum that is in place now, I am not sure the argument that keeping cheap players earns the owner more bottom line is the case any more.
Posts: 14,858

10-13-2015, 07:45 PM	#32
Al Bundy Damnit Peg Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $3371831	Hugh Culverhouse was definitely the worst NFL owner in its current incarnation.
Posts: 23,651

10-13-2015, 08:52 PM	#36
lewdog Mod Team Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Valley of the hot as **** Casino cash: $-1588100	Winning two playoff games in the past 5 years makes you 100% more relevant than the Kansas City Chiefs.
Posts: 46,369

10-13-2015, 09:14 PM	#37
TEX Out Gunning CP's Fandom Police Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Galveston, TX Casino cash: $-1456873	When did they "destroy the Astrodome?" I drove by it tonight on the way to donate blood. I must have passed out and they did it then ... __________________ "Do we have time to run WASP?" Last edited by TEX; 10-13-2015 at 09:19 PM..
Posts: 37,108

10-13-2015, 10:35 PM	#39
TinyEvel Just a li'l Evel Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bald. Goatee. Jorts. Casino cash: $2229601	seriously, The Hunt family commitment to the Chiefs died with Lamar. How can they care about this city and this fanbase when they don't even live here?! Clark should sell the team to someone who is more like Jerry Jones, but not going full Jerry, not going full Al Davis, but a resident and serious about winning. I say we form a kickstarter to buy the Chiefs from the Hunts. Then elect a leadership team with ethics and a real desire to win. Last edited by TinyEvel; 10-13-2015 at 11:26 PM..
Posts: 12,324

10-13-2015, 11:06 PM	#40
Brock Say hello to my little friend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Larryville Casino cash: $9598422	Pioli tried to set shit straight. ok
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