On Monday, we passed along speculation from more than one Houston journalist that guessed Texans coach Gary Kubiak was on his way out. They may have spoken too soon.
“After the Texans lost at Denver, I thought [Texans owner] Bob McNair would fire Gary Kubiak. Now I don’t. I believe Kubiak will be back,” John McClain of the Houston Chronicle wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
McClain cited McNair’s belief in Kubiak’s excellent offense and McNair’s patience. McClain says the owner hasn’t indicated what he will do, but the changing winds have to be coming from somewhere. He’s not the only reporter to indicate Kubiak may be safe.
Peter King on Twitter Tuesday: “Was told today: ‘Don’t fire Kubiak yet. You might be wrong.’'
NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora: “Speaking to coaches and executives today, hearing rumblings of Wade Phillips possibly landing as coordinator in Houston with Kubiak as head coach.”
Texans fans probably just threw up a little in their collective mouth. But this idea is just crazy enough to work.
We’ve said for weeks that it’s dangerous to just throw away Kubiak’s effective offense when it has so much continuity. Phillips may not be a great head coach, but he brings a lot to the table as a defensive play-caller. Kubiak has shown no aptitude to fix a poor defense, much like his former boss Mike Shanahan.
Our problem with this plan is more about Houston’s front office. G.M. Rick Smith has poured resource after resource into one of the worst defenses of the last decade. It’s a lot to expect Wade Phillips to fix all that.