What a difference age has made for Bobby Slowik

Last year, the Texans went 10-7, won a playoff game at home despite being an underdog, and gave a much better team a solid run in the divisional round. The effort put offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik on the radar five teams who were looking for coaches.

This year, the Texans went 10-7, won a home playoff game despite being the underdog, and gave a much better team a solid run in the divisional round. And Slowik was fired.

There have been glaring flaws in Houston’s offense this year. The offensive line was not good. They haven’t adapted enough to that fact to win enough games to finish higher than the 4th seed. And only the rest of the staff and players know the full details of Slowik’s failure to adapt to the adjustments made by opposing defenses, based on a 2023 season that few noticed until the Texans won the AFC South.

The bottom line is that the window can close quickly for any assistant coach who draws attention for a potential promotion. That’s why many guys decide to jump out the window as soon as it opens, even if there’s a big pile of poo lurking on the other side.

For some, waiting a year may mean the window never opens again. For some like Slowik, that could mean being fired from the job that positioned him for head coaching consideration in the first place.

Slowik has a solid chance to get back on his feet. The NFL runs an offensive coordinator recycling factory, with more people falling by the wayside every year. Yet a year after being the next big thing in Houston, Slowik ended up on his ass.