Former QB Josh McCown the favorite to be next Texans head coach?

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, McCown is the only known candidate to get a second interview with the Texans at this stage of the process, which indicates he's the leader in the clubhouse to win the job even though he's never coached at any significant level as an assistant, let alone the head man. Despite that lack of experience, retired wide receiver Steve Smith recently went to bat for his former teammate. 

"Josh sees the game the way quarterbacks see it, a certain way, and they have so many responsibilities," Smith explained, per Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790. "I like Josh. He’s been on so many teams that he knows half of the offenses in the league because he’s been around a lot of teams as the backup. He’s assisted in developing the quarterbacks to see it a certain way. I think he’s helped coaches with game plans. It’s an advantage for a coach to have been a backup quarterback. Let’s be honest. When I see a backup quarterback get in the game, at some point, he will reveal why he’s a backup.

"The true essence of a backup’s value is because they study so much that they have to be a second pair of eyes for the quarterback, the coach and the offensive coordinator. That’s a unique responsibility. Not everybody is built for it, but backup quarterbacks have a unique advantage in studying the game and knowing so much. Frank Reich, Doug Pederson, Jason Garrett, they were all backup quarterbacks. They’ve seen the inside of the game. It doesn’t surprise me at all that Josh is being considered for a head coaching job." 

As a backup signal-caller, McCown built a reputation for being an extra coach throughout the latter portions of his career during stints with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and, lastly, the Texans.