Patriots Will Surprisingly Send Nick Caserio to Face the Media Following Texans Debacle

Look at those eyes. Seriously, look at them. Wow. Sheesh. Those are the eyes of a man who is about to be in the midst of a meticulously-crafted New England Patriots PR reclamation project.

In the wake of a bizarre, disastrous will-they-or-won't-they saga in which the Houston Texans unsuccessfully tried to poach him to serve as their general manager, Pats personnel executive Nick Caserio will be given the unusual task of speaking publicly to members of the media Friday.

As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, Caserio isn't the kind of guy who is typically involved in such public engagement. Given that we're still in the offseason and camp has barely begun around the NFL, it's a strange step indeed. But clearly, the Patriots organization feels it's a necessary one, given how much of a stinker the aborted attempt to get him to Houston turned out to be.

Devotees will remember that the Texans were keen to hire the 43-year-old earlier this summer and hand him a proper promotion, and Caserio was understood to be agreeable to the move. The Patriots, who were not required to permit the guy to leave, refused to allow the Texans to poach him away, and even threatened to file tampering charges against the franchise. When the dust settled, it was reported that Caserio's desire to depart had only grown stronger.

And here we are. Let's all sing "Kumbayah" and smile for the cameras! Expect ol' Nicky to read directly from a series of index cards written in blood by Jonathan Kraft and only take softball questions from WEEI homers on Friday.