Bill O'Brien Hopes Texans Opener Provides Fans 'Reprieve' After Hurricane Harvey

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien wants the NFL to keep the team's Week 1 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium in Houston as part of an effort to help the city return to a sense of normalcy after the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

The coach talked about the situation during an appearance Thursday on ESPN's Mike & Mike and said the organization will remain in contact with all key officials about the decision. He went on to express his belief that keeping the game in Houston could help fans "get back on their feet quickly."

"We feel like people can get to the game, so we feel strongly about playing the game in our stadium," O'Brien said, per ESPN.com. "Obviously that will be in conjunction with the mayor, city council and all that. But I do feel strongly about playing there."

He added: "I think the reason why—having been down here four years, having been in a lot of places coaching football—football is king down here. People love their team. They love the Texans. They love their college teams. And I think that in this time, maybe for three hours on a Sunday, it gives them a chance to not think about the journey back to where they have to get to and come cheer for the Texans."

The Texans' final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys was set to be played in Houston before getting moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and then canceled Wednesday. The team announced the decision was made so players and staff could return to their families.

"At this time, the priority of our organization is getting our players, coaches and staff back home to be reunited with their families, many of whom have been evacuated from their homes and are currently sheltered," the statement said. "The team feels it is imperative to get back home to help the Houston community recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey."

J.J. Gallagher of ABC News noted the storm, which came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane, dropped 20 trillion gallons of rain on the Houston area. An estimated 32,000 people are currently in temporary shelters due to the flooding and 300,000 customers are without power, per the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

O'Brien said on Mike & Mike the team is doing better after a "long, long week," but he's confident Houston will bounce back and believes playing the home opener as scheduled would help the cause.

"It's going to take a while to get back, but this city is tough," he said. "... These people here are great. We've got great fans here. And they're going to get back on their feet quickly. I can only imagine what it would be like on that day (Sept. 10). So we feel strongly about playing the game. Hopefully it will give our fans a little bit of reprieve from the cleanup."

Meanwhile, Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt has taken on a prominent role in raising money for the massive relief efforts. The fund's YouCaring site lists donations of more than $10 million as of Thursday morning.

So far there's been no decision about whether the Texans' game with the Jaguars will remain in Houston.