Form and health contributing factors to decision taken by front office.
The Houston Texans have announced that they have fired coach Gary Kubiak following an 11-game losing streak which has left them with the worst record in the league.
Kubiak, 52, was in his eighth season with the franchise after taking charge back in 2006, and was able to compile a 61-64 record during the fourth-longest spell in the league of active coaches.
However, they have lost their last 11 games to fall to 2-11 for the season and have fallen out of Super Bowl contention despite claims prior of the season that they were a team to watch.
Owner Bob McNair has appointed defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as interim coach, but the disappointment surrounding his decision has been felt by all.
“This has been a very disappointing year,” McNair said, according to ESPN. “We started with such high hopes. To have this string of losses is unacceptable.
“We normally would wait until the end of year to evaluate our staff; under these extreme circumstances thought best to start the process now.”
Kubiak’s health was also a major concern ahead of the decision, after he suffered a transient ischemic attack on November 3 as he walked off the field at half-time in the Texans’ 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
While he had since returned to the sidelines, form on the field from his players wasn’t enough to save his job as the Texans now look to push their rebuilding project early with a view to being settled for next season.
Despite sending an AFC-high of nine players to the Pro Bowl last season, the Texans struggled for consistency from their star players with quarterback Matt Schaub amongst those to lose their place in the team.
Nevertheless, it is a disappointing end to Kubiak’s tenure and it has yet to be confirmed as to who will replace him in the long-term.
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