🔒FULL INTERVIEW: NBC Sports NFL analyst and former Texas Longhorn Chris Simms dishes on the Super Bowl and the Texans’ head coaching hire of Lovie Smith

Simms on Lovie Smith: “I think he’s the kind of guy that can get some stabilization throughout the organization”

FILE - Houston Texans assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, center, looks on from the sideline during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Houston. The Houston Texans are expected to hire current assistant Lovie Smith as their head coach, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, because the team had not announced that Smith would be hired. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File) (Matt Patterson, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It’s the beginning of Super Bowl week and NBC Sports national NFL analyst Chris Simms spoke with KPRC 2′s Randy McIlvoy with his thoughts on the big game as well as the Houston Texans’ head-coaching hire of Lovie Smith.

And while Simms is a bit confused as to the Texans’ hiring process, he’s a believer in Lovie Smith and a believer in Nick Caserio.

“I’m not disappointed with the Lovie Smith hire at all,” Simms said. “I think he’s got a really good feel for the overall NFL game. You saw him this year - your defense wasn’t bad. Statistically, it was bad and okay, it wasn’t the best, but I think they were better than statistics say when your offense, where for a period of time they were on the field for three plays and then off the field right away and then on the field for three plays and then off the right away, that’s hard on a defense. But I think Lovie has good pedigree and I think he’s the kind of guy that can get some stabilization throughout the organization here and get things going in the right direction.

“I like Nick Caserio,” Simms continued. “I worked with him in New England. I know he knows how to build teams, certainly. But yes, I’m like the rest of the country, I don’t know what the hell is going on with some of the coaching conversation there in Houston.”

And with his background playing quarterback, Simms also gave some in-depth insight into the upcoming Super Bowl quarterback matchup between the Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, calling Burrow a top-5 quarterback in the league and that he loves the Matthew Stafford story of finally getting his chance with a better team around him.

For more on Simms’ Super Bowl analysis and thoughts on Lovie Smith, check out the full interview below, exclusive to KPRC 2 Insiders.


About the Author:

Born in Canada but raised in Houston, Howard joined KPRC 2 in 2021 after five years at ESPN. Before that, Howard was a reporter on Houston Rockets and Houston Astros game broadcasts. Among the events that Howard has covered on site: the NBA bubble and the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions for both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. He's H-town proud!