After a week on the job, Bill O'Brien has shown a few things to Bob McNair.
The new head coach, according to McNair, has a way with words.
"The main thing that I've noticed is that he is very easy to communicate with," the Texans' founder/chairman/CEO said on Friday. "Sometimes coaches are a little guarded when they talk with me but he isn't. He just tells me what he thinks and we have discussions about things and it's a very productive and healthy relationship."
O'Brien, who spent the past two seasons in charge of the Penn State football program as head coach, seems bright to McNair.
"I think part of it is he's very confident in what he's doing, number one," McNair said. "He's a smart individual and I think as a result of that, he thinks things through very carefully."
Along with general manager Rick Smith, O'Brien and McNair are the three main decision makers for the franchise. Even though it's O'Brien's first go-round as a head coach at the professional level, McNair is impressed.
"He's confident that what he's doing is the right thing, therefore he has no hesitation to talk about it and to discuss it and debate it and what have you," McNair said. "I just think that's a very healthy environment."
In addition to interiviewing candidates for assistant positions on the new coaching staff, O'Brien also had the opportunity to take a few brief breaks. On Wednesday evening he attended a Rockets game with Smith, and on Thursday afternoon he, his wife Colleen, and McNair joined President George H.W. Bush for lunch.
