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Brian Gaine needed Tyrann Mathieu signing

While most of America was watching UMBC shock the basketball world by blowing out Virginia in the NCAA tournament, Houston Texans general manager Brian Gaine pulled off a stunner of his own.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas
Dec 10, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) against the Tennessee Titans at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While most of America was watching UMBC shock the basketball world by blowing out Virginia in the NCAA tournament, Houston Texans general manager Brian Gaine pulled off a stunner of his own. The rookie Texans GM inked prominent free agent defensive back Tyrann Mathieu to a one-year deal.

Done well after traditional business hours closed, Gaine’s gamble on the Honey Badger at 10:30 p.m. ET on a Friday night got buried in the sports news cycle. Whether this is Gaine’s style, eschewing the spotlight for what is likely his signature move of the offseason, or just a case of odd timing remains to be seen.

Mathieu is a definite gamble. His name recognition and splash plays are largely legacies of his fantastic collegiate days at LSU and his phenomenal 2015 season in Arizona, where he was a first-team All-Pro.

He has not been the same player since late December of that magical season, when he tore his right ACL. He had previously torn multiple ligaments in his left knee two years earlier. His 2016 season, where he was clearly not returned to full speed, ended early with a shoulder injury.

Last season saw him rebound some, but that was playing more of a traditional free safety role than the slot corner/robber safety role where he thrived in his early Cards career.

Gaine and the Texans are gambling he can move back to that spot, a major hole on the Houston roster. It’s a hedged gamble at just one year and $7 million, a prudent move by Gaine to allow Mathieu to gamble on himself in Houston.

What the move means for Gaine, both with the uneasy fan base and the locker room, is worth far more. The Texans were linked to prominent free agents like Jimmy Graham, Nate Solder and Malcolm Butler All signed elsewhere, leaving the Texans to sign the likes of Seantrel Henderson and Zach Fulton.

Those are good players and definitely made the team better, but they don’t provide any sizzle. Nobody gets excited about signing a utility interior offensive lineman. Fan patience was wearing thin. They wanted some sizzle with their steak.

That’s what Mathieu represents. It’s a bold move to sign a big name. The leader of the team, J.J. Watt, openly lobbied for it to happen. Gaine proved he’s not tone-deaf and will take the risk to taste the potential reward, which is what the franchise sorely needed after the injury-ravaged downer of 2017.

It might not pan out as everyone hopes, but signing Mathieu was a necessary and brilliant gesture by Gaine and the Texans to prove they’re doing more than just relying on everyone getting healthy again.

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