Should Gary Kubiak Be Fired?

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Let me start with a series of questions (and I want them answered immediately).

First, what do Brian Billick, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan, Bill Parcells, and Jimmy Johnson have in common with Gary Kubiak? 

Answer: nothing.

These coaches, who are not currently coaching NFL teams, have all won Super Bowls, while Kubiak has yet to post a winning record.  Hmm, food for thought.  Let's come back to this question.

Second, what do Dom Capers (sorry to bring that one up), Norv Turner, Dick Le Beau, Dick Jauron, Scott Linehan, Gregg Williams, Romeo Crennel, Cam Cameron and Mike Nolan have in common with Gary Kubiak? 

Answer: all are good to great coordinators and below average head coaches.  Let's come back to this statement as well.

Third, what does George W. Bush have in common with Kyle Shanahan?  OK, I'll leave that one to your imagination, but you see what I'm saying.

You don't have to be 10,000 miles away to see that the Texans are an up-and-down team and that they lack identity. 

The Texans are a excellent passing team.  This is clear.  Quarterback Matt Schaub has so far stayed healthy and put up great numbers.  Superstar Andre Johnson leads a talented and versatile receiving corps.

Yet, twice, with the game on the line against Jacksonville and Arizona, the Texans attempted to run the ball for tying touchdowns.

Now, we don't need to go into all the specifics again, but Chris Brown fumbled once and failed to score the second time.  What's worse, Johnson was not even on the field on the last play against Arizona.

It's also clear the Texans are not a power running team.  See above for explanation.  For some reason, Kubiak has tried to force the Texans into running the ball into the end zone. 

Against the hapless Raiders, Kubiak spent almost the entire second half forcing the run.  The word "stubborn" comes to mind.

When I first sat down to write this article, I was going to open with a joke.  How many Aggies does it take to coach the Texans to a winning record?  I couldn't come up with a better punchline than: "not this one Aggie, Kubiak" or something along those lines.

But this only muddies my point.  Kubiak being an Aggie is not a joke, but his coaching has become a punch line. (Before any of you Aggies get upset, I'm only kidding.  Some of my best friends are Aggies.)

Let's go back to my second point from above.  There have been a long line of successful coordinators who have, for whatever reason, not developed into good head coaches in the NFL.  There is no shame in not becoming a head coach. 

The head coach position has become less and less about X's and O's and more about personality management and leadership.  There is something of an "it" factor. 

It's somewhat similar to quarterbacks.  If a guy can throw the ball a country mile, but his teammates don't believe in him or if he doesn't show confidence, what do you end up with? Jeff George? David Carr? (Sorry about this one too) JaMarcus Russell?

Kubiak was a very successful offensive coordinator in Denver under Mike Shanahan.  Sure, he had John Elway at quarterback, but Elway won exactly ZERO Super Bowls without Kubiak. 

Kubiak has a good system, but the NFL is not about systems, and it's not about X's and O's.  The NFL is about adapting and, more importantly, winning.

It seems more and more obvious that Kubiak is trying to force a square peg into a round hole.  It seems as though he's thinking, my system worked so well before, why can't it work again here?  This shows a lack of flexibility and imagination.  This looks like a my way or the highway scenario.

Take the second half against Oakland as an example.  Even the Raiders were able to stop the running game.  They brought eight men into the box, and still Kubiak did not resort to throwing the ball. 

Remind me again how the Texans scored in the second half?  How did the Texans score against Arizona?  It was not as a power running team.  Identity crisis.  Why try to pound the ball when you're built for the passing game?

Further, that "it" factor seems to be missing with Kubiak in Houston.  There are no more cries that the team is not talented anymore. 

Sure, there are still some missing pieces, namely the interior of the line and the defensive secondary, but there is no longer a talent gap between the Texans and the rest of the league. 

The Texans are no longer an expansion team.  This team is talented enough to be a winning team.

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