[Chron] McNair expected to keep Kubiak, hire Phillips

One silver lining about hiring Wade is that, imagine a 10 win season and the playoffs next year, that would make Cowboys fans heads explode.

 

Dylan actually made a GOOD POINT.

Wade is brought in . . because he is NON THREATENING to Kubiak.
Not unlike how SAGE was never a threat to David Carr [The Kubiak of Quarterbacks]

Wade is not going to take over as HC nor will anyone call for it. Kubiak is safe.
Wade will be a good little soldier and follow Kubiak over the Canyon wall.


Could some please Photoshop Texans faces on these buffalos?

Rocket River

 

Dude...I've been watching 'em all season. There's a big difference between giving up on your coach and coming out ill-prepared and mentally weak. This team has shown the latter all season. That they can't put together 4 complete quarters is on Kubiak's inability to have them mentally prepared for the game from the get-go. The difference between the Texans and Cowboys (pre-Wade firing) in the players' attitude and work ethic on the field and on the sidelines is plain as day. If they had given up on their coach, they wouldn't have stormed back against the Jags, the Jets, the Ravens, Eagles; they wouldn't have gone into the half with a good lead over the Broncos. Defense doesn't come unglued you could be looking at a 10-5 or 9-6 team possibly. For whatever reason, the players still believe in Kubiak. I'm not saying that's a sole reason to keep him though (see Adelman and JVG) but it's a definite reason to fire if the coach has lost the locker room. From what I've seen, he hasn't lost the locker room. But he could be close....I hope they don't keep Kubiak only for the team to become unhinged like Dallas and Wade this year.

As for Cowher or Gruden...your chances of success with them are definitely greater than Kubiak at this point. But nothing is guaranteed. Need the post-Super Bowl success (or lack thereof) of head coaches be regurgitated again?

I definitely agree... if Kubiak were to be let go and hired as head coach somewhere else immediately, he'd be seen as a retread. But again my point is you could do a lot worse than him. You let go of Kubiak and don't get Cowher or Gruden, then what do you have? McDaniels, Singletary, Marvin Lewis? I'd rather just keep Kubiak if that's the case. Then again you could go with a young, unproven coach and hope to catch lightning in a bottle (like Sean Payton); but then isn't that what we did with Kubiak and so far it hasn't worked.

Look I'm definitely not defending keeping Kubiak. If there's a minute chance you can get a veteran, experienced coach or hell even a Rex Ryan type, why not take the risk and go for it? And at the very least, after 5 years and only one winning season to show for it, it might be in both parties interests to start fresh.

This team is my team, through the good and the bad now, and I want them to win; I don't give a s*** how they do that. Do I want Kubiak back? Well no. Would I like them to make a run for Cowher or Gruden? Sure. But I'm not gonna pretend I know more them what goes on behind the scenes in the Texans organization. Maybe they know things we don't, maybe they're being complete morons, maybe they're being ultra conservative with this decision...hell maybe they don't even do what is only being "reported" at this point. I don't know. But whatever happens, I just want to see a winning team, regardless of who's coaching.

I'm so beyond being angry, frustrated and exhausted with the Texans, it makes no sense anymore (this season) to b**** and moan. I'm just gonna try and be hopeful with whatever happens, continue to display the liberty blue and battle red, and count the days to the 2011 season (assuming it starts).

 

Understood. But a Phillips-like hire fixes a - the - massive issue with this team. They are instantly better with a competent defensive coordinator. Instantly.

I believe if you fix the defense - and by fix, I merely mean make it average - some of our offensive problems are going to be miraculously fixed, too. I think when you approach every game knowing you have to score 4 TDs and not make any mistakes just to be *competitive*, that it changes *everything*: your game plan, the way you practice, game day decisions....

It's not ideal; ideal would be firing this regime top to bottom. But in terms of a plan B - I just don't think it's that awful.

 

Suffice it to say I disagree.

As you've said for quite a while, a HUGE part of the problem isn't x's and o's...it's personnel. And the Rick Smith/Gary Kubiak Due will still be practicing their brand of witchcraft and sorcery in that realm. No thanks.

I thought you didn't like the idea of a switch to a 3-4.

 

Wait wait wait.
So . . you saying all the 3 and outs in the 1st quarter is because of the Defense??

Rocket River
"Well, I don't run Arian more because. . .well the defense is just so bad . . . need to either score quickly or get off the field quickly to get them back on the field" - Kubiak and Kubiak apologist.

 

Really? How much worse can it get?

How is Kubiak any better than a "retread" ? Isn't Wade Phillips also a "retread" ?

Even if we don't get Cowher or Gruden, I can still name at least 5 coaches off the top of my head that would be better than Kubiak as head coach.

1) Brian Billick
2) Jon Fox
3) Greg Williams
4) Sean McDermott
5) Rob Ryan

 

But my point is that those alternatives AREN'T much worse (well, the first two of those specifically might be). They aren't better, but hiring a retread is not really any worse than keeping Kubiak - its the same thing as keeping Kubiak, who is basically a failed head coach getting hired for the same job.

Everyone's preference would be Cowher/etc obviously. Beyond that, I'd prefer an up-and-coming coordinator - while they could crash and burn, they also have a high ceiling. If that's not an option, I'd be much more interested in trying a retread that might be able to do something different with a new team than a retread that's already failed over and over with this team.

 

Honest question - with the right coordinators, can you see Kubiak ultimately leading this team to a championship? If so, I understand how this could work. But I would argue no - ultimately, Kubiak has too many flaws as a head coach. I understand that making the playoffs is the short term goal, and maybe Kubiak + coordinators can get you there. But that's not the ultimate goal, and if he's not the type of coach that even has Superbowl potential, then ultimately he's going to fail - all you're doing is delaying the inevitable and building around something that is not going to succeed.

If you know the guy you have can't take you to the ultimate result, there is no good reason to keep him. Go find someone who you think might be able to get you there - if he fails, fine. But at least you're giving yourself the opportunity.

The goal shouldn't be to make hires because "hey, this could work!". The goal should be to make hires because you think they are the best possible solution. And this isn't it. This isn't anywhere close to it.

 

Dude I was having the same exact discussion with a friend this morning. So many people fail to realize that our offense is top 10 in the league only because we play from behind in almost every game. We struggle terribly in the first half where both the offense and defense are anemic. Then, in the 2nd half trailing by 3 touchdowns, we score in a hurry thanks to our opponent playing soft prevent coverage. It's kind of like the opposite of what the Patriots do. Brady and Co score early a go up by 3 or more TDs in the first half and then their defense plays prevent in the 2nd half against teams trying really hard to catch up. The only difference is that when push comes to shove, the Patriots always make a play on defense to seal the game. Not only do we have to score 3 TDs in the 2nd half, but our defense will also give up at least one score in the 4th quarter to make it almost impossible to come back and win.

Fans are in for a rude awakening next season if the defense is even decent or average. Our offense is a complete fraud and we are going to struggle mightily once defenses start playing aggressive. It happens in every game already, look at the first half and how we get shutdown on offense when teams play aggressive defense. Adding to that problem is Kubiak's dinner menu play-calling, passing on short yardage downs instead of running Foster. Also WTF can't we run a hurry-up no huddle in the 1st half considering how effective it has become?

 

Agreed.
I don't watch alot of KC Games
but . . . if their HC proves fatally flawed like Kubiac
Having Wies and Romero there won't mean d*ck!
they will make some playoffs. . but never the superbowl
If
Having superbowl caliber Coordinators is all it takes
then they would get there with or without Kubiac
and
keeping kubiak so he can 'get the credit' is just crap

Rocket River

 

I'm not totally enamored with any of those names to be honest. Would rather keep Kubiak than hire any one of them.

I think for me, if you can't get Cowher or Gruden, then I'd rather get some hot up and comer that might be able to bring some passion and fire to the team. And if you can't get that then stay with Kubiak. And again I think the problem with McNair is that he's taking the safest road possible instead of gambling. He goes right to plan C,D or E instead of trying A and B first.


I also love how people lump Wade Phillips and Kubiak together as though both will serve head coaching duties. Everything I've heard about Phillips is that he's a great defensive coordinator, which is what he'd be doing and what this team needs. He's not coming here to be the head coach. If Phillips can make this defense just AVERAGE...AVERAGE...then we can be looking at a playoff team despite the other weaknesses Kubiak brings to the table.

 

I don't agree at all.
I think this team is like a pie chart.
Right now . .the Defense is 10% Special teams is 10% Offense is 80%
Fix the defense
and then you get defense is 45% Offense 45% Special Teams 10%

Which doesn't matter because it is still and 8-8 Pie!!!

Rocket River

 

As do I (disagree). Please explain to Ric that the coach he says that has a better winning % than Gruden has somehow managed to only win ONE playoff game. I am truly excited about this new plan! Why just think: with this new coaching staff, the Texans have a shot at making NFL history! Consecutive number one draft picks! Whoo-Hoo!

 

Yeah I can definitely agree to that. It's a band-aid solution. But at this point, I'm so totally spent I hope it's all they need...I'm done getting angry with this team for one season!

I don't even think firing Kubiak and promoting Bush himself to HC would enrage me at this point.

 

Will you listen to yourself? Jeez! Phillips is an absolute joke. It was so bad up here that radio stations were running comedy skits about Coach StumbleDufus. I have had enough of watching him look confused and clueless on the sidelines but apparently Uncle Bob and good fans like yourself find this somehow endearing. As for his "stellar" defensive genius: Where the hell was it in Dallas this year? Cause I must have missed that memo. This is not going to be just bad - it's going to make the Titanic look like just another small watercraft accident.

 

Wade Phillips (11 years): 82-61 (.573), 2 division titles, 5 playoff appearances, 0 Super Bowls

Bill Cowher (15 years): 149-90 (.623), 9 division titles, 10 playoff appearances, 2 Super Bowls (1 win)

Jon Gruden (11 years): 95-81 (.540), 5 division titles, 5 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl (1 win)

John Fox (9 years): 73-70* (.510), 3 division titles, 3 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl

Brian Billick (9 yrs): 80-64 (.556), 2 division titles, 4 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl (1 win)

Gary Kubiak (5 years): 36-43* (.456); 0 division titles, 0 playoff appearances, 0 Super Bowls

* = to date


But hey, we're on the right track...

 

My concern about the bandaid is that this is the year you have a chance to reshape everything. The offense has fundamental talent - it can change schemes and should still be able to be successful. The defense needs to be rebuilt no matter what scheme it runs. You can go out and get any coach you want with relatively minimal upheaval.

In a year or two, when the bandaid Kubiak w/ Phillips as DC experiment fails, the team will presumably have drafted a bunch of 3-4 defense guys. At that point, you're far more limited in who you bring in. What if the great coach that's available then is a 4-3 guy? Then you either wasted a bunch of draft picks, or you don't hire him.

This is the perfect year to start fresh, with enough talent on offense to immediately improve and enough holes on defense that a new coach can rework the roster and establish a new philosophy quickly.

 

Let's assess the Texans Talent that was under acheived this year on the way to 5-11

Offensely
1 - Pro Bowl Full back
1 - Pro Bowl QB
1 - Best Receiver in Football
1 - Best Running back in Football

Defensively
2 - Defensive Rookies of the year
1 - Pro Bowl DT

Rocket River