Texans fire Kubiak after suffering 11th straight loss
Gary Kubiak pulled the Houston Texans out of the NFL basement and remains the only coach to take them to the playoffs.
Gary Kubiak pulled the Houston Texans out of the NFL basement and remains the only coach to take them to the playoffs.
That wasn't enough to save his job, not with the Texans mired in an 11-game skid that has dropped them back to the bottom of the league.
Houston fired Kubiak on Friday, one day after the Texans lost, 27-20, at Jacksonville and continued their stunning fall for a team that expected to make a Super Bowl run. Houston (2-11) was flagged 14 times for a franchise-record 177 yards.
The 52-year-old Kubiak was hired in 2006 and led the team to AFC South titles in 2011-2012, the highlights of his eight-year tenure as coach of his hometown NFL team.
The Texans said they couldn't wait any longer to start turning things around, not with the losses and undisciplined play piling up.
"What's taken place with this organization is unacceptable," general manager Rick Smith said. "We've got three weeks of an evaluation process left and we've got to right the ship."
Kubiak thanked the team for giving him his first head coaching job in the NFL. Kubiak's overall record is 61-64, with a 2-2 mark in the playoffs.
McGloin pumped
As if playing in the Eastern time zone where they've lost 12 straight games isn't bad enough, the Oakland Raiders could be facing snowy conditions for Sunday's game in New York against the Jets.
Rookie quarterback Matt McGloin couldn't be more excited.
McGloin, who will be making his fourth consecutive start for the Raiders, grew up in Scranton, Pa., about two hours away from MetLife Stadium, and spent four years at Penn State.
Playing in the cold? That's easy, especially when McGloin is expected to have about 200 family member and friends in the stadium to support him.
"The weather is going to be a nice change for me," McGloin said. "I grew up in the East my whole life so I'm used to playing in the cold weather. I'm used to the grip of the ball, how it feels, how to keep your hands warm and moist. That won't be too much of an adjustment for me."
- Associated Press