Texans coaching staff continues construction of team

The Texans coaching staff may not be wearing construction hats this season, but the leaders and decision makers on the sidelines are prepared to continue building the Houston franchise block by block.

Leading the construction team is head coach Gary Kubiak who joined the franchise in 2006, overseeing a series of offensive, defensive and special teams improvements in the young team. Under Kubiak’s watchful eye, the team went from a season low record of 2-14 under previous head coach Dom Capers to winning six games the next season and finally finishing even the following two seasons with as many wins as losses.

Kubiak is no stranger to success on the field, having been to three Super Bowls as a player and three as a coach. He also coached three teams that made it to the World Championships and proved he had the ability to develop individual players, allowing them to realize their full potential on the field. Among the players he helped develop were quarterback Hall of Fame inductee John Elway and the 1998 MVP running back, Terrell Davis.

The ability to develop players may prove to be just what the Texans need in these formative years of the franchise, especially considering that this ability is coupled with decades of experience playing and coaching the game of football. Before tackling the job as head coach of the Texans, Kubiak spent 11 years coordinating the Denver Broncos’ offense. During his tenure with the Broncos, 28 players in the team’s offense were Pro Bowl players.

Aiding Kubiak on the coaching staff is Alex Gibbs, assistant head coach/offense hired in January of 2008, whose previous coaching experience also prepared him to help construct a strong offensive line.

    Gibbs helped to lead the Texans to setting record highs with his zone-blocking scheme last season. In that season, the team’s passing attack ranked fourth in the league, and the team improved from an average of 3.8 yards per carry to 4.27 yards.

Gibbs previously worked with Kubiak while on staff with the Broncos, sharing in the team’s success. Gibbs was the assistant head coach/offensive line and consultant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2004-2006. For the first time in the team’s history, the Falcons had the most rushing yards of the 2004 season in the NFL.

Fellow Falcons coaching staff member Bill Kollar also made the move to Houston to assume the position of assistant head coach/defensive line in January of 2009, after coaching for the NFL a total of 20 years. Kollar most recently served as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons.

While with the Falcons, the team’s defense allowed just six rushing touchdowns, a record for the NFL that season. The defensive coach also helped Leonard Little develop into a player with 57 sacks in a period of five years. 

With the experience of Kollar and Gibbs, Kubiak’s construction will likely continue this season as the coaching staff tries to build a winning franchise.