Next Year
» Chron: Texans keep Kubiak; four defensive coaches fired
A bit of an afterthought considering the rumor-milling of the past week …
Owner Bob McNair announced today that Gary Kubiak will return for his sixth season as the Texans’ coach.
Kubiak admitted that Wade Phillips is a candidate to replace Frank Bush as defensive coordinator.
Kubiak, who fired Bush, linebackers coach Johnny Holland, secondary coach David Gibbs and assistant linebackers coach Robert Saleh, said he wants to compile a list of defensive coordinator candidates as early as tonight and start the interview process as soon as possible.
I’m a little torn on this. I like Kubiak and have been among those waiting to see how good of a head coach he was always supposed to be during his eleven years preceding his run with the Texans. Maybe this season will turn out to be the blip that it warrants being and maybe Kubiak will have a lot of great seasons after this very forgettable one. But five years as a head coach and no progress to show for it is usually pretty cut & dried in this day and age. By every other standard in the league, Kubiak should be answering his cell phone for his next OC gig.
To his credit, Kubiak’s offense with the Texans has been pretty darned good. I’m not crazy about Matt Schaub at QB, but Kubiak has gotten a lot out of him and even managed to make a true NFLer out of a guy named Sage. As far as defensive upgrades for next season … I’d be happier if I knew we were bringing in Buddy Ryan. Shoot, I’d even suggest we let him have his pick of fellow coaches that he can take a punch at without any recourse.
Instead, we get Wade Phillips. Another guy that I like – heck, he’s even a Coog! But he’s also a 3-4 guy heading into a team built around Mario Williams on a 4-3 defense. I’m not sure what to expect once the games start counting for next season. But then again, I can’t claim to have been a gung-ho Texans fan with the exception of the first game (a win against the Cowboys). I’d like to, but it’s hard to get fired up over mediocrity.