Texans to go with offensive-minded Kubiak as coach

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

1/23/06

NFL NOTEBOOK

Texans to go with offensive-minded Kubiak as coach

Monday, January 23, 2006


ASSOCIATED PRESS
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



The Houston Texans will hire Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak to take over the worst team in the league and help decide what to do with the first pick in the draft.

Texans owner Bob McNair said during a news conference yesterday that the hiring won’t be completed until later in the week because the Texans could not negotiate a contract with Kubiak until the Broncos were eliminated from the playoffs. McNair’s announcement came about an hour after Denver lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game.

"Hopefully we’ll have him down here by the middle of the week and he will then be assembling a staff," McNair said.

There’s been speculation for weeks that Kubiak would become the Texans’ second coach, replacing Dom Capers, who was fired a day after Houston finished its season 2-14. He had led the team since its inception four seasons ago.

Houston won four games in its first season, five in 2003 and seven last season before its 2005 meltdown.

Kubiak has been a highly regarded coaching prospect for several years, but this will be his first head-coaching job at any level. He spent the last 11 years with Mike Shanahan in Denver, helping the team to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999.
"To lose him is going to be tough," Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. "He really helped me step up in my career. We’ll miss him, but at the same time you’re excited for him. He deserves it and he’s a great football coach."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

1/27/06

Kubiak returns home as coach of the Texans
Friday, January 27, 2006

ASSOCIATED PRESS
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DAVID J . PHILLIP | ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Gary Kubiak was officially introduced as coach of the Houston Texans, replacing Dom Capers. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


As a ball boy for the Houston Oilers more than 25 years ago, Gary Kubiak never thought he would coach the team that replaced them.
But he long vowed that he would return to Houston. Yesterday, he did, and was introduced as the second coach of the Houston Texans.
"I always told my mom and dad I would be home someday," he said. "I think they started not to believe me after a while. But I finally made it back."
Kubiak, who spent the last 11 years as Denver’s offensive coordinator, inherits a team that had a league-worst 2-14 record last season, costing Dom Capers his job. Kubiak reportedly signed a five-year contract worth about $10 million.
Kubiak, who grew up in Houston and is a former Texas A &M quarterback, played for Texans consultant Dan Reeves and backed up John Elway from 1983 to 1991. He said he hasn’t evaluated Southern California running back Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young but that he’s excited about getting to work on deciding whom the Texans will pick with the No. 1 draft choice.