HOUSTON — The Texans are sticking with coach Gary Kubiak.
The Texans said Monday the former Broncos quarterback and assistant coach will return next season despite another lackluster year that ended without a playoff berth.
But the team made wholesale defensive staff changes, firing coordinator Frank Bush, secondary coach David Gibbs, linebackers coach Johnny Holland and assistant linebackers coach Robert Saleh. The Texans (6-10) lost eight of their last 10 games, mostly due to a defense that gave up a league-high 4,280 yards passing along with 33 touchdown passes, tied with Dallas for the most.
Speculation has swirled for a week that owner Bob McNair is interested in meeting with fired Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who’s been a defensive coordinator most of his career. Bum Phillips, Wade’s father and the former Houston Oilers coach, showed up at Texans practice last week and chatted with McNair.
Kubiak said he’s “talked to nobody” about filling the vacancy. Phillips has been out of work since the Cowboys started 1-7, their lone victory a 27-13 win over the Texans in Week 3.
Phillips was the defensive coordinator in Denver from 1989-92, overlapping Kubiak’s playing career as John Elway’s backup for the Broncos.
Orton calls for two-way street.
A day after the NFL regular season ended, commissioner Roger Goodell sent an e-mail to about 5 million fans, telling them that “if both sides give a little,” the league and its players’ union “can and will reach an agreement” on a new labor deal.
Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton found it noteworthy Goodell wrote about owners and players needing to “give a little,” and also pitched an 18-game regular season and changes to rookie salaries.
“It sounds like more than ‘a little’ to me. What are the owners giving that’s equal to that?” Orton said. “So we’ll see how that plays out, but it’s not going to be a one-way situation where the players give and the owners don’t.”
Mangini fired
BEREA, Ohio — The Browns fired coach Eric Mangini after going 5-11 for the second straight season. Among the candidates to replace Mangini are Jon Gruden, John Fox, Jim Harbaugh, Marty Mornhinweg, Brad Childress and Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.
Vikings retain Frazier as coach
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Vikings decided to strip the interim tag from Leslie Frazier and make him their head coach.
The Vikings started 3-7 before Frazier took over Nov. 22 for the fired Brad Childress. They went 3-3 under the 51-year-old longtime assistant coach the rest of the way.
Del Rio gets ninth year with Jags
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jack Del Rio will return for his ninth season as the Jaguars’ coach, though his role as defensive play caller is over. Team owner Wayne Weaver also made it clear Del Rio needs to make the postseason in 2011 to keep his job.
Footnotes.
Seahawks guard Chester Pitts (concussion) and tight end Chris Baker (hip) will be out for Saturday’s playoff game against the Saints.
• The Chargers told special-teams coach Steve Crosby his contract won’t be renewed.
• Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will have arthroscopic surgery this week to repair partially torn meniscus in his right knee.
• Giants offensive lineman Rich Seubert is scheduled to undergo surgery today for a dislocated right kneecap.
The Associated Press
