Gary Kubiak is out in Houston.
Team owner Bob McNair announced Friday that the Texanshave fired their longtime coach after dropping a franchise-record 11th consecutive game Thursday night -- a 27-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars -- to tumble to 2-11 on the season.
"We had a great run here and we will never forget our back-to-back AFC South championships," Kubiak said in a statement. "Coming back home was a dream come true for all of us. This will always be our home. Thank you."
TheMMQB.com's Peter King first noted Friday that he expected the team to fire Kubiak, who exits after seven-plus seasons and a 61-64 mark with the Texans in the regular season.
McNair told reporters that defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will take over as interim coach for the remainder of the campaign. He also announced that young quarterback Case Keenum will start the rest of the way. General manager Rick Smith, who sat beside McNair during the news conference, is safe. The Texans also fired special teams coordinator Joe Marciano. Marciano's assistant Bob Ligashesky will oversee the special-teams unit for the final three games, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports. Houston later announced those moves.
"Taking action now instead of waiting allows us the process of finding a new coach," McNair said. "That process is under way, and those prospects who are not under contract in the NFL are people we can visit with, so we'll start the process."
McNair added: "It's been horrible, a nightmare. It's not what I'm accustomed to or the organization's accustomed to."
Kubiak's time in Houston included two AFC South championships and just three losing seasons as he oversaw a team that many expected to soar back to the playoffs in 2013. Instead, veteran quarterback Matt Schaub imploded and foundation back Arian Foster was lost for the season after undergoing back surgery.
The coach's health became an issue after Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke on the Reliant Stadium sideline during a Week 9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 3. Phillips stepped in for the team's Week 10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and now guides the Texans against Indy in Week 15 before Houston finishes with the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans.
McNair made it clear Friday that dropping game after game is "not acceptable" for a team that came into the season with Super Bowl dreams. Instead of waiting around to make the inevitable a reality, the Texans are wasting no time.
The future, in Houston, is now.
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