Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly last year when Casserly was being considered for the same job with the New Orleans Saints. A year later, Casserly got his man, hiring Capers to be the Texans' first head coach. Casserly has always wanted a man with head-coaching experience. He is not big into risks, so hiring an unproven coordinator didn't inspire him after his apparent lukewarm experience in Washington with Norv Turner.
Capers is a coach who has experienced expansion birth.
He was the first coach of the Carolina Panthers, and his downfall came when GM Bill Polian left for Indianapolis. Capers also has had an inside look at how the Jacksonville Jaguars have operated the past two years as defensive coordinator. Capers accelerated the Texans' hiring schedule with a terrific interview that impressed owner Bob McNair. When Capers became a head coach candidate for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, McNair told Casserly to close the deal, instead of waiting another year. One of the key contract issues was Capers' pay for 2001, when he's not coaching.