Texans Take Stranglehold on Number One Pick, Fire Coach Gary Kubiak

Dec 5, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars fans hold a sign in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at EverBank Field. The Jacksonville Jaguars best the Houston Texans 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

What a disaster this year has been for the Houston Texans.

Arian Foster was lost for the year. Matt Schaub was benched. Brian Cushing went down–AGAIN. Their top free agent acquisition Ed Reed was cut before he could even get used to the area. It has all led to the Texans leading the NFL’s race for the number one pick, and last night’s loss to Jacksonville on the road places them firmly in the lead.

The Texans remain the NFL’s only two-win team, and will continue to be the only two-win team after this weekend.

When things were going sour against the Jaguars on Thursday Night, coach Gary Kubiak benched Case Keenum in favor of veteran Matt Schaub, who looked good for a brief moment and then came crashing back to earth, throwing a game-ending interception.

Kubiak’s decision to replace Keenum as well as the fact that the Texans have lost 11 games in a row all proved to be enough for Houston to realize they indeed had a problem.

The Texans fired Kubiak on Friday, naming Wade Phillips the interim head coach, and it’s likely only the beginning of wholesale changes for the Texans.

Houston will not only hire a new head coach, but they’ll probably have a shiny new quarterback next season, and will need to spend the offseason getting healthy and making some other important player personnel moves to get back to the 13-3 form they had a year ago.

Not to mention, the deteriorating play of Matt Schaub. There were some close games that the Texans should have won, but it’s simply not their year. Sometimes you need fate on your side, and fate has dealt the Texans a high draft pick rather than high playoff hopes this year.

It will be interesting to see what the Texans do this offseason. They would be a really intriguing destination for Jay Cutler if the Bears let him go, with weapons already in place. Such a move would allow them to use their top draft pick in a trade, or on a top flight pass rusher. Perhaps an upgrade on the offensive line as well.

Either way, I’m excited to see what changes come for Houston, and wish the best for Gary Kubiak in future endeavors.