Texans owner denies rift between GM and coach

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair on Wednesday disputed talk of tension between head coach Bill O'Brien and general manager Rick Smith.

O'Brien and Smith were reported to have disagreed over the timing of backup quarterback Ryan Mallett's release from the team, something McNair rejected.

“I don’t know where those reports came from,” McNair said, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “They’re totally inaccurate. There’s nothing to it. They work well together. If they disagree on something they come to me. They’ve never come to me.

“I don’t like to have these anonymous sources, people saying something and they don’t know what they’re talking about. That bothers me. I don’t like it."

Something else McNair didn't like was Houston's play at times during the first half of the season, led by a pair of blowout losses to the Falcons and Dolphins. The owner said he let O'Brien and Smith know he wasn't pleased after the Miami game.

“Yeah, I was mad,” McNair said. “I was unhappy. We didn’t put out the effort we should have. Everybody recognized it.

“It was pathetic. Miserable. Everybody was (embarrassed). We just can’t have that sort of thing.”

The Texans, who are tied for first place in the AFC South at 3-5, return from the bye to face the Bengals on Nov. 16.