Breakups normally never occur for only one reason. Typically, a long history of bitterness and negativity lurks behind every parting of the ways. However, when things get physical, that’s usually a good sign that it’s time to say goodbye.
According to reports, physical confrontation is exactly what happened between Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien and quarterback Brock Osweiler. It’s also, apparently, one of the main reasons Osweiler is no longer in Houston.
By the final game of last year, Bill O’Brien had seen all he needed to see of Brock Osweiler. In fact, Osweiler had been benched in favor of Tom Savage a couple weeks before. So, when the Texans began that final game against the Titans in Week 17, Brock Osweiler’s duties centered on holding a clipboard.
That all changed when, early in the game, starting quarterback Tom Savage took a hit to the head that landed him in the NFL’s concussion protocol, meaning that Savage could not continue playing in the game. Osweiler was then told that he would finish the game.
At that point things went sideways. According to Pro Football Talk, “Osweiler, per the source, reacted negatively, telling O’Brien in the visiting coach’s office at Nissan Stadium in Nashville that he’s only playing Osweiler because O’Brien needs him,” [Editor’s note: That’s sort of how football depth charts work.] An argument ensued, voices were raised. At one point, it’s believed that Osweiler got up to walk away and O’Brien threw out an arm to stop him. That prompted Osweiler to act as if he were being ‘held hostage,’ a claim that he would repeat (per the source) in the days after the game.
“And that was that for Osweiler in Houston. Following that incident, the team was determined to find a way to move on from him.”
The Texans did in fact move on from Osweiler last week, when they sent him to Cleveland in a trade. Following that trade, former Steelers defensive back Bryant McFadden appeared on 120 Sports, and said that a physical altercation that “got ugly” occurred between Osweiler and O’Brien.
McFadden said, “It was physical. It was physical. The players and coaches had to restrain O’Brien and Brock.”
It’s hard to tell exactly what set Osweiler off here. As Florio points out, the main duty of the backup quarterback is to play if the starting quarterback can’t play, a reality that Osweiler should have been more than familiar with, considering that he held the title of backup quarterback in Denver for four years before coming to Houston.
In fact, Osweiler had gotten replaced by Peyton Manning due to injury the year before.
Regardless, according to Pro Football Talk, this altercation was, “the moment the Texans decided to move on from Osweiler.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn