Bob McNair Says He'll "Make Some Changes," But Is Gary Kubiak One of Them?

This spot was supposed to be reserved for this week's edition of Luv Ya Steel Blue, but Aaron apparently still depends on AT&T for his access to the internet and that usually doesn't end well. So look for that this weekend.

For now, let's take a look at some of the quotes that Bob McNair threw out to the media yesterday concerning the team's immediate future. They've gotten fans vocal in one way or another, so why should we be any different?

It all begins after the jump.

While at the Monday Night game, I checked my Twitter feed at halftime and everyone was calling for Gary Kubiak to be fired at halftime and it was hard to argue. Another slow start and a touchdown against a zone defense found them down 14 at the half. Then, the kickoff return for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter found them back down three touchdowns. I even texted MDC and told him that these was the loudest boos I had heard in Reliant Stadium since David Carr was behind center. A weak "Fire Kubiak" chant was even trying to get started.

But then, what happens? The almost routine Texans second half comeback. I won't lie; it was exciting as hell for the 1/3 of us fans who actually stayed to see it all.  The end result was the same, of course; another notch in the loss column.  In the back of my mind, I already knew that we would hear the usual Bob McNair rhetoric about how the team was in that game until the end and is showing the right progress and they're "close." Well, not that this was a Nostradamus-like prediction, but I was right.

At the NFL owners meeting in Dallas, McNair said he was given plenty of positive feedback and support from the other owners about how impressed they were with the teams comeback on Monday Night. So, Bob shared it with the team and then the media:

"I wanted the team to know not only how close we think they are but how close our competitors think they are to being an outstanding team. The level of respect they have for our team and how close they think we are to having not just a good team but an outstanding team, it was nice to hear your peer group say that about you. It’s sort of an affirmation that we’re on the right track. Clearly, we have to do better, because what we’ve done wasn’t good enough. But we’re on the right track, and I’ve felt that way all along."

That doesn't sound like a guy who is ready to clean house on the coaching staff. Honestly, what were the other owners going to say to you, Bob? "You guys are f'n garbage?" It's called being patronized. One would think that a guy who has been so successful in the business world would understand this. And these guys are your competition.  The last thing they want you to do is improve. Yet, McNair went on:

"I was sort of overwhelmed by the comments our competitors had to say about our team. That’s never happened. I was shocked. They said it was one of the most impressive comebacks they’d ever seen. Frankly, they were all pulling for us after the way we came back. They were heartbroken because they knew how upset I was. You don’t see it happening with other teams. I was amazed by it."

/facepalm

When asked about potential changes to the team in the offseason, he shared this little nugget that's getting all the press right now.

"We’ll review everything at the end of the year. Will we make some changes? I’m sure we’ll make some changes; we’ll see some things that need to be improved. We’re very close to having the kind of team I think we can all be proud of, but we have to keep working hard to push it over the top."

Ladies and gentlemen, your head coach for the 2011 Houston Texans:  Gary Kubiak.

Tim and I have been talking all season that Frank Bush is going to be the sacrificial lamb and Kubiak would be given another year, regardless of whether the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached or not. Alan Burge even called it back in November.  If there weren't great coaching candidates out there right now, I think most would probably accept that. Don't get me wrong--a good number of people want Kubes gone at all costs. I'm obviously one of them. But if a new defensive coordinator was hired by someone other than Gary Kubiak, who has struck out twice now, then a good number of fans would be in favor of the move.

Personally, I think McNair is drinking from JaMarcus Russell's cup of purple drank. There is absolutely no reason to keep Gary Kubiak for another season. Some of you can call me an anti-fan all you want (which is getting really old by the way. I haven't missed a game in 9 seasons and I've been a season ticket holder since day one. Quit questioning my fandom). In a results-oriented business, five years is more than enough time to prove yourself. A 5-8 football team is NOT on the right track. I don't care if you lost every game by one point. You still lost. And in the end, that's all that matters.