Gary Kubiak is no longer the head coach of the Houston Texans.
The change was made Friday morning. The Texans fell to the Jaguars on Thursday night, 27-20, slumping to an NFL-worst 2-11 in 2013.
"We felt that a change was needed at the head coach position and Gary Kubiak is no longer the head coach," Texans chairman and CEO Bob McNair said Friday.
Wade Phillips will be the interim head coach, and the rest of the coaching staff will be evaluated.
"To have this string of losses that we sustained is just totally unacceptable and it's not what this organization is about," McNair said. "We're about winning and accountability. Even though we normally would wait until the end of the year to evaluate our coaching staff and our players, under these extreme circumstances, we decided it was in the best interest of the organization to go ahead and start that evaluation process now."
2013 started out with a pair of victories over San Diego on Monday Night Football and in overtime at home against Tennessee. But the Texans wouldn't win again, as shakiness at the quarterback position, along with injuries to tight end Owen Daniels, safety Danieal Manning, linebacker Brian Cushing and running back Arian Foster helped to cripple to club's chances.
"When you have a setback of this magnitude, it requires extensive introspection and we've got three more weeks of a season to continue the evaluation process that has been ongoing," general manager Rick Smith said. "We've got to right the ship and that's what this decision unfortunately is about, but we've got to move forward as an organization."
Further, Kubiak collapsed on the field as he and the team headed into the locker room at halftime of the Week 9 loss to the Colts. He was taken from Reliant Stadium via ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital, and was diagnosed as having a transient ischemic attack (TIA). He missed the next game at Arizona, and coached the two following contests from the press box at Reliant Stadium.
Kubiak was hired by the Texans on January 26, 2006. His first season saw the team improve from just a pair of wins in 2005 to 6-10. A pair of 8-8 seasons in 2007 and 2008 followed, before the team broke through with a 9-7 record in 2009. In that season finale, the Texans came from behind to beat the Patriots at Reliant Stadium.
A 6-10 record the following season was followed by the franchise's first playoff berth in 2011. It was, perhaps, Kubiak's finest coaching performance, as he guided an injury-ravaged squad to an AFC South title. That team went 10-6, beat the Bengals at Reliant Stadium in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, and battled the Ravens on the road in a Divisional round loss.
The 2011 crew, at times, was without running back Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, and saw outside linebacker Mario Williams' season end due to injury after just five games. Furthermore, starting quarterback Matt Schaub's season was ended in a November win at Tampa Bay when he suffered a lisc franc injury. His backup, Matt Leinart, broke a collarbone in the next start at Jacksonville, and fifth-round rookie T.J. Yates was under center throughout December and the two playoff games.
In 2012, Kubiak signed a contract extension, and the Texans roared to an 11-1 start. But a 2-3 December prevented the team from earning a first round bye and homefield advantage in the AFC. The Texans beat the Bengals again in the first round, before a Divsional round loss at New England ended what had promised to be a special season.
2013 started out with a pair of victories over San Diego on Monday Night Football and in overtime at home against Tennessee. But the Texans wouldn't win again, as shakiness at the quarterback position, along with injuries to tight end Owen Daniels, safety Danieal Manning, linebacker Brian Cushing and running back Arian Foster helped to cripple to club.
Kubiak's record is 61-64, with a 2-2 mark in the postseason.
