HOUSTON -- Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said he and special teams coordinator Larry Izzo have moved on from the argument on the sideline in Sunday’s 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions.
On the kickoff to start the second half, O'Brien was seen screaming at Izzo. According to the television broadcast, O'Brien was upset that the Texans had only 10 players on the field to start the half. He was restrained by an assistant coach and outside linebacker Brian Peters, who was inactive for the game.
After the game, O'Brien initially denied that any argument occurred, but on Monday said, “Things happen on the sideline.”
“I can tell you, it’s the nature of the game,” O’Brien said. “It’s a competitive game, and we all want to win. We’re all pulling the same rope, just trying to win.”
O’Brien called the Texans’ coaching staff “intense” and joked, “I don’t know where they get it from. I’m not that intense.”
O’Brien, who was clearly in a good mood after the victory heading into the bye week, said this is not the first time the intensity has come out among the staff.
“We had a basketball court outside the bubble back there and we were playing for a while, and things got intense out there,” O’Brien said. “The next time we showed up out there, the basketball hoop was gone."
O’Brien also joked that there would be people in Houston dressed up as him tonight for Halloween with a "Kick Me" sign on their backs.
Still, O’Brien said there will not be a repeat performance of his screaming match.
“We’ve moved on from that and it won’t happen again,” O’Brien said.
