Coaches

Brian Pariani is in his seventh season with the Houston Texans as the tight ends coach. Pariani is responsible for one of the more utilized units in the Texans’ offensive scheme. Under Pariani’s guidance, Owen Daniels has established himself as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

The Texans relied on their tight ends in 2011 more than any other year in franchise history. Pariani’s unit, which included Daniels, Joel Dreessen, Garrett Graham and James Casey, caught a combined 101 passes for 1,314 yards and 10 touchdowns. The group also blocked for the NFL’s second-ranked run game and set a franchise record 153.0 rushing yards per game. Daniels stepped up to lead the team with 54 receptions for 677 yards and three touchdowns. Dreessen caught 28 passes for 353 yards and a team-best and career-high six touchdowns. Casey set career highs with 18 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown.

Houston’s tight end trio of Daniels, Dreessen and Casey combined to make 82 receptions for 1,087 yards and six touchdowns in 2010, marking the most yards in a season by Texans tight ends in franchise history at the time.

In addition to pass-receiving production, Houston’s tight ends also blocked for NFL rushing champion Arian Foster’s 1,616 yards on the ground in 2010. It marked the second time during Pariani’s tenure the Texans have had a 1,000-yard rusher. Dreessen set career highs with 36 receptions for 518 yards, a 14.4 average per catch and had four touchdown receptions. Daniels, who fought through a residual hamstring injury suffered during rehabilitation from his 2009 knee injury, posted 38 receptions for 471 yards and two touchdowns. Casey had eight receptions for 98 yards.   

Daniels earned his first Pro Bowl trip in 2008 while under Pariani’s watch and was on pace for a second all-star nod in 2009 before his season was cut short by injury.  Daniels caught 40 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns before going down with a season-ending knee injury in the eighth game of the year. 

Despite the loss of Daniels, the tight end position remained a vital cog in the League’s top-ranked passing attack. Dreessen put together a career year, catching 26 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown. 

In 2008, Daniels caught 70 passes for 862 yards, both career highs, and two touchdowns. He ranked among the top five AFC tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, first downs (46), yards per catch (12.3) and yards per game (53.9).  In addition to Daniels’ stellar year, Dreessen caught 11 passes for 77 yards on the season.

In 2007, Pariani’s tight ends had what was then the third-most productive year in team history, combining to catch 73 passes for 859 yards and six touchdowns. They were led by Daniels, who was sixth among NFL tight ends with 63 receptions for 768 yards and three touchdowns. Nearly 70 percent of Daniels’ receptions (44-of-63) went for first downs, which ranked fourth in the League among tight ends. Dreessen caught four passes for 55 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career.

In his first season with Houston, Pariani developed Daniels, a fourth-round draft choice, into the most productive rookie tight end in the NFL and a first-team PFWA/PFW all-rookie selection. Daniels set the Texans rookie record with five receiving touchdowns, which matched wide receiver Andre Johnson for the team lead. Daniels finished his first year with 34 catches for 352 yards and five touchdowns, all of which were first among rookie tight ends. 

The move to Houston returned Pariani to the pro coaching ranks after spending the 2005 season as the offensive coordinator at Syracuse University. He spent 1995-04 coaching tight ends with the Denver Broncos alongside Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. Before his time with the Broncos, Pariani coached with the San Francisco 49ers from 1991-94. Pariani teamed with Kubiak to bring the 49ers a Super Bowl championship in 1994.

Having coached with the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII and with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, Pariani is one of only eight coaches in the NFL to have won World Championships with teams from both conferences.

While with the Broncos, Pariani coached Shannon Sharpe, the second-leading receiving tight end in NFL history and 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Sharpe led the NFL in receptions by a tight end from 1996-98 averaging 73 catches over the three-year span. Sharpe totaled 425 receptions for 5,373 yards and 38 touchdowns with Pariani. Sharpe retired in 2004, finishing his career with eight Pro Bowl selections. He retired as the NFL career record holder among tight ends with 815 receptions, 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns. On Oct. 20, 2002, Sharpe set an NFL record with 214 receiving yards by a tight end in a 37-34 overtime win at Kansas City.

From 1995-2004, Pariani’s tight ends combined for 859 receptions and 9,948 receiving yards, the most in the NFL during that 10-year period. In 2001, Pariani’s unit combined to catch 100 passes, sending tight end Dwayne Carswell to his first Pro Bowl.

On the ground, Pariani’s group helped lead the way for Denver runners to rush for 22,483 yards, most in the NFL from 1995-04. Denver running backs topped the 1,000-yard mark nine times during Pariani’s tenure in the Mile High City.

In 1990, Pariani served as a scouting assistant with the San Francisco 49ers before being promoted to offensive coaches assistant in 1991. The 49ers’ offense led the NFL in total yards in 1992 and ‘93, and scored a team-record 505 points and 62 touchdowns in 1994 en route to a Super Bowl title. After earning his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA in 1989, Pariani began his career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater under Terry Donahue.

Pariani was born in San Francisco and was a three-sport athlete at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, Calif. Pariani and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters, Jessica and Gianna. The family resides in Houston.

PARIANI’S COACHING LEDGER
2006-12:  Tight Ends, Houston Texans
2005:  Offensive Coordinator, Syracuse
1995-04:  Tight Ends, Denver Broncos
1991-94:  Offensive coaches assistant, San Francisco 49ers
1990:  Scouting assistant, San Francisco 49ers
1989:  Offensive graduate assistant, UCLA