Houston Texans fire coach Gary Kubiak as losing skid reaches 11 games
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley, left, shakes hands with Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, right, after an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville beat Houston 27-20. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton) (The Associated Press)
The Houston Texans have fired coach Gary Kubiak.
The team announced the decision Friday, one day after the Texans lost their 11th straight game, 27-20 at Jacksonville. Houston (2-11) played miserably and was flagged 14 times for a franchise-record 177 yards.
The 52-year-old Kubiak was hired in 2006 and was working under a three-year contract that runs through 2014. An eighth-round pick out of Texas A&M, he spent nine years as John Elway's backup in Denver and has made his mark as an offensive guru and quarterbacks mentor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He suffered a mini-stroke during a Nov. 3 game, but had returned to the team. The Texans said defensive coordinator Wade Phillips would serve as interim coach for the rest of the season.