Will he stay or will he go now?
Unless you were deep into the minutia of NFL life, odds are you had no idea who Bobby Slowik was this time last year. The former Washington Redskin and San Francisco 49ers assistant coach, spent three years with PFF.com on his way to head coach DeMeco Ryans’ Houston Texans staff.
After he helped PFWA Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud become that and more in 2023, Slowik, as expected, has his name in the mouths of all those looking for an offensive-minded head coach in 2024.
More creative misdirection to get the ball to your playmakers by Bobby Slowik
•Singleback Wing
•F jet fake wide zone PA Slide
•Motion and action left allows Nico to slide underneath into spaceLook at that Burst after that catch, Nico can do it all pic.twitter.com/ySY42pXcER
— Drew (@IndepthTexans) January 18, 2024
Allegedly, Slowik is favored to take the Atlanta Falcons HC spot. Is he ready to lead a team of his own? Would he have a roster equal to that built by general manager Nick Caserio? Would he assemble a staff on par with the one Ryans built in H-Town? Would he get a player like Stroud? Receivers like Nico Collins and Tank Dell?
Would he have any real success running the ball?
Or, should Slowik stay in H-Town, continue to grow and wait for a better opportunity when his skills and experience are a little more ripe and ready?
Let’s face it, the offensive coordinator role in Houston will likely get filled in a blink if Slowik decides to move along.
Bobby Slowik with one of the best designed plays of the NFL Season
•Deuce close Y off
•Y jet fake toss X Tunnel
•Browns flow towards Motion and toss fake
•Big numbers advantage with Tunsil on 23, keeps him inside
•Nico bounces out and finishes strongBobby Slowik pic.twitter.com/zGEu0tfFiJ
— Drew (@IndepthTexans) January 17, 2024
An owner who finally got out of the way and let football people run football things. Check.
A highly supportive, highly motivating head coach. Check.
A killer young roster assembled by a proven general manager. Check.
A truckload of salary cap space to address the George Fant spots on offense. Check.
A culture free agents will flock to in H-Town. Check.
People blaming Bobby Slowik for this play call is honestly pissing me off. If Fant wasn’t such a disaster this would’ve been a house call #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/E6hZarDWia
— VT (@brownchubbybear) January 21, 2024
However, most offensive coordinators only make about 1/10th of what NFL head coaches make, so all those other things might take a back seat if your paycheck goes from $60k to $6 million a year.
In looking at the Falcons, and other open coaching spots, it’s not a sure thing. The Falcons, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers have had something of a revolving door at the top coaching spot this century.
But, there are only 32 of those jobs on Earth and if you’re offered one, you likely take it.
Sure you can wait until the next go ‘round and hope for something better. But, just ask Eric Bieniemy how fast you fall from “hot prospect” to “no one’s interested”.
Hopefully Slowik stays put and C.J. Stroud can continue to grow in the system and have stability. Along with that, a stronger/healthier offensive line and a replacement for Dameon Pierce might open up the ground game next season.
If Slowik moves on, not only will he step into uncertainty, but he’ll leave some behind in NRG.
I’ve always felt like GREAT OCs have a counter or three to their staple plays in the playbook. It can be just one tweak & it changes everything about how the defense sees/covers that play.
This was one of those from Bobby Slowik – 37-yard TD C.J. to Dalton Schultz
Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/3Uj1e8ahd5
— John Harris (@jharrisfootball) January 17, 2024