The Texans need to hire someone who isn't taking his first shot. That's the point I'm making. They need to make this hire communicate to the fan base that they are serious about getting it right and are not taking chances in that regard.
Touché, I can respect that. Let's hope a Gruden or a Cowher wants to coach here (and the Texans actually pursue them seriously).
You answered your own question: No way Stoops doesn't come here and clean house. So we rebuild, again. But if he fails.... and we have to rebuild a *fourth* time, you're staring at 20 years of inept football. The CANNOT miss on this hire, or - if they do miss, it has to be a no-brainer hire. If Cowher comes here and fails, hard to blame McNair. But big-time college coach? Top NFL assistant? Retread NFL coach not on the same plane as Cowher or Dungy? Not good enough.
McNair could have a lucid moment and fire Kubiak, but this is unlikely. I have often wondered how can professional sports owners be so great at business and so stupid at sports. But, I digress, please no college coaches, that transition is not easily made. stay with proven veteran NFL coaches. I'm not even big on NFL assistants at this point. The fans and city can't take another OJT arrangement.
I'm sure I'm just repeating what everyone else is thinking but: No way to a college coach, no matter what they've done. Far riskier than grabbing an NFL assistant. No to Kyle - if you're breaking from Kubiak, you're breaking from his tree. Besides, a big reason why Kubiak needs to go is that he's proven that he's a great coordinator that's over his head running the entire show. Why bring in Kyle, whose the exact same thing with even less experience as a coordinator? Have to go big. Capers to Kubiak was a positive step, and we have to build on that, not take another stab at the same thing (rolling the dice trying to find a Sean Payton). First Choice: Bring in Cowher. Second Choice: Bring in a Parcells-type President/GM, leave Kubiak and the offensive coaches for a year "probation", let the GM bring in a top flight defensive staff. Third Choice: Bring in Gruden, Fox, Fisher, or some other playoff caliber coach. Last resort: Fire the defensive staff and try to lure a Marv Lewis type to be "head coach" of the defense.
ok, i really want someone to give me an example of it working where a coach is stripped of all his power except for keeping the head coach title and it working. i'm sure it's happened, but i can't think of one.
As a long term solution, it's never worked. I don't think anyone *really* thinks it's the best way to proceed. But it's an intermediary step that: Disarms the issue (excuse) of eating Kubiak's contract, Giving the offense a transition with the new staff, Disarms the continuity issue (excuse) regarding the lockout, Buys time for the new head coach search (assumes we struck out on Cowher) I think it'd be a lot easier and safer to fix the talent evaluation (GM and Kubiak) and sad defensive coaching without the risk of disrupting the offense this way. If we strike out on Cowher, I'd rather they do this (a la Cleveland with Holmgren) than chase after head coach off the street to make a major change for change's sake. We've got to get this right. Either we get the guy we really want in January...or we turn it into a one year process to make sure we get the right guy.
I think...after 5 years...this team needs an organizational culture change that will not come by keeping either Rick Smith or Gary Kubiak.
There are some posters that I really respect advocating this "keep Kubiak in a smaller role" strategery. Honestly, I can't believe it. We're worried about "disrupting" the offense? The same offense that's 8-22 vs. winning teams? I don't think there's anything wrong with "disrupting" ANY part of this sad franchise. I think it's exactly what it needs. It's like someone being afraid to give a dying man CPR because they don't want to rip his shirt.
I agree - what I'm saying is that we make certain we get "The" guy. If we can get him in January (Cowher) - they're gone. If not, Kubiak gets a maximum-1-year-only stay of execution while we look for "The" guy. Don't be so quick to throw him out the door Jan 3rd that we end up tied to a Dick Jauron for 4 years. If we go the President/GM route and they can bring in both a D-coordinator and a new O-coordinator (which ever one tagged as HC)...than super - drop Kubiak like a rock. But I'd want Kubiak the OC to be the last one out the door and be sure that we have the right pieces in place.
Unless the new defensive coordinator is the "new staff", I don't see how delaying firing Kubiak for a year helps the offense transition to the new staff. Whenever the new guy comes in, the offense is going to have the same transition issue. I also don't buy the idea that it takes a year to find a new head coach. If they start looking today, there is plenty of time to evaluate every potential candidate out there. Of course, new candidates may show up over the course of the next year, but that will always be the case. Comprehensive coaching searches don't take 6 months to conduct.
Why? It shouldn't take a year to implement a new offense. Sure, the X's and O's change a little bit, but no matter what the scheme is, it's basically about execution. It shouldn't take a year for an O-lineman to figure out how to pass block with a new offense.
Then maybe it won't take a year - and I'm not saying Kubiak *can't* be fired for a year...I'm saying by a year's time, he's out no matter what. If it only takes 3 months, then it's 3 months.
It was done to Mike Holmgren in Seattle and like two years later they were in the Superbowl. It wasn't done to Shannahan in Denver and he ended up spiraling down the drain and getting fired. In New Orleans I think they brought in Greg Williams and made him basically the head coach of the defense and they won the Superbowl the same year.
They still stripped him of his powers in Seattle and brought in an outside personnel guy to take over that side and ended up going to the Superbowl.
But the team isn't 100% broken: It has a top-flight offense; it has top-flight offensive personnel; it appears to have top-flight offensive coaching. You can cite a laundry list of issues with Kubiak but you can also list: turned a back-up QB into a Pro Bowler; turned an undrafted free agent into a rushing champion; somehow made Andre Johnson even better; fixed what had been a long-standing issue with pass protection and turned the OL into one of the better run blocking units in football; drafted/signed and developed Owen Daniels, Kevin Walters & Vonta Leach (in addition to Schaub and Foster). And he still has guys like Jacoby and Casey that flash a lot of potential. There is merit in keeping *that* guy around; there is. And there's a possibility that if you let *that* guy focus on what he's good at, and surround him with quality people who can successfully do the things he's not good at, that you'll have fixed what's broken and have the team you've always wanted. IMO, I think that *potentially* could represent a shorter trip to respectability than blowing the regime up and starting over.
Excellent post. What I really hope for, since I know Gary isn't leaving, is that Smith and Bush will be toast, and Bob will go drop mad dollars on a top flight DC, and bring in somebody who ISN'T a Denver lackey to oversee personnel, while letting Kubiak keep his offense rolling. Someone needs to challenge Kubiak on personnel decisions from time to time, it doesn't have to be some crazy big name, or someone who wants to re-engineer Kubiak's offense, but someone who knows defense at least... and please... NO MORE OF GARY'S DRINKING BUDDIES FROM DENVER!
If there was a coach out there who had compiled an 8-22 record against winning teams over the last 5 years, would we want to hire him as a head coach because his offense puts up a lot of yards?
