'Be Thankful': Texans GM Nick Caserio Deflects Bad Season in Favor of Thanksgiving
HOUSTON — When general manager Nick Caserio made a guest appearance on Sports Radio 610 Wednesday morning, he noted that fans should focus on being thankful at Thanksgiving than worrying about the misfortunes of the Houston Texans.
Four days later, it would be difficult for Caserio to reiterate his statement following the Texans' 30-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Their lackluster performance at Hard Rock Stadium made it challenging for anyone to be thankful for the Texans' current state.
"There's a lot to be thankful for," Caserio said. "I think when you take a step back and put everything in perspective, Thanksgiving is a good opportunity for all of us to realize there is more than football and to enjoy the company of our loved ones. That matters more than what takes place on the football field."
The Dolphins jumped out to a 30-0 halftime lead after the Texans' horrid play.
On the offensive side, the Texans had tallied 32 total yards during the first half, as veteran quarterback Kyle Allen failed to provide Houston with the "jumpstart" Smith believed he would have after benching Davis Mills.
For the second consecutive week, the Texans could not establish the run that left rookie running back Dameon Pierce with eight yards on five carries.
Defensively, Houston had no answer for MVP candidate Tua Tagovailoa, who completed 59.0 percent of his passes for 278 yards during the first half. He finished with 299 yards on 22-for-36 passing and a touchdown in three-quarters of play.
The Dolphins replaced Tagovailoa with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson for the final five drives.
Houston outscored the Dolphins 15-0 during the second half and sacked Tagovailoa three times. But veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks did not believe the Texans' second-half fight was on a positive note.
But Smith was left encouraged.
"Plays weren’t being made, and we weren’t helping the quarterback in any way," Cooks said. "You could point to a lot of things. But I’m talking about looking in the mirror and see where we can get better and help our quarterback."
Smith added: "When you're down 30-0 at the half, and you come back and make a game of it at the end, and we put ourselves in a position to win the game — that's what I saw today."
Following the loss, the Texans have extended their losing streak to six, with their record plummeting to a league-worst 1-9-1.
Sunday's showdown against the 4-7 Cleveland Browns will be another reminder that the current state of the franchise doesn't merit anything to be thankful for. Former franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson will make his debut with the Browns while taking his first snap under center as an opponent inside NRG Stadium.
"I just didn't put our team in any type of position to win today," Allen said. "The interception early was just a bad ball. That's essentially a pick-six with them getting the ball on the 2-yard line, and then we're down 17-0 at that point. I've got to be a lot better if we want to win games."
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