Texans HC David Culley Operating As If He'll Return Next Season
As the NFL's "Black Monday" draws to a close, David Culley remains head coach of the Texans.
Culley went 4-13 in his first season with Houston but all signs point to Culley returning for a second season. The 66-year-old spoke to reporters Monday and said no meeting has been scheduled with general manager Nick Caserio and owner Cal McNair to discuss his future.
"As far as I know, I'm the head coach of the Texans right now and I'm moving forward with that," Culley said, via NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Culley's remarks echo what he said after the Texans' 28-25 loss to the Titans Sunday.
“As of right now, I feel like I will be coaching this team next year,” Culley said. “I haven’t had any questions or doubts at all about what’s getting ready to happen. I’m looking forward to being the head coach of this football team next year. Haven’t thought about it one minute.”
Houston, despite winning only four games, routinely played hard under Culley and picked up a signature 22-13 win over Tennessee in Week 11 on Nov. 21. All while starting rookie quarterback Davis Mills in 11-of-17 games.
Mills was originally thrust into action after an injury to Tyrod Taylor, who was already filling in for Deshaun Watson. Watson sat out the entire year amid sexual assault allegations. Mills, the 2021 third-round pick, may have earned himself the starting gig moving forward. Mills threw for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 66.8% passing.
Mills said Sunday that he would like to see Culley return as head coach next season.
“I think he did a great job all season,” Mills said. “Obviously, he was a great leader for the team. In the game of football, ultimately, it comes down to wins and losses, but he had full faith in the team and really led us well all season. I loved him as a coach, and I hope he is back.”
While you could argue Houston overachieved, the NFL is a game of wins and losses. The Texans didn't win enough, according to Culley.
“I didn’t feel like we won enough ball games,” Culley said. “I feel like we needed to win some more ball games. I thought there were some ball games that we had that we could have won that we didn’t win. Basically, I’m just looking forward to this offseason and moving forward.”
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.