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A lousy recipe Mix an incompetent defense with bad special-teams play, add a dash of offensive droughts and you end up with a 6-10 record

احدث اجدد واروع واجمل واشيك A lousy recipe Mix an incompetent defense with bad special-teams play, add a dash of offensive droughts and you end up with a 6-10 record

After the 2009 season, Gary Kubiak vowed to improve a running game that ranked 30th and a red zone offense that was 12th in touchdowns and 25th in points.

Now, Kubiak has to find a way to improve the defense and the victory total after a disastrous 6-10 season.

Looking back on the Texans' season, it's obvious the problem wasn't on offense. The Texans ranked third in offense, seventh in rushing, fourth in passing, sixth in touchdowns, fourth in red zone touchdowns and second in red zone scoring.

The offense was among the NFL's best despite having the league's worst starting field position (25.6-yard line).

The problem was a defense that ranked 30th — 13th against the run, 32nd against the pass, 29th in points allowed, 32nd in three-and-out possessions, 30th in red zone touchdowns and 28th in red zone points.

That's why Kubiak fired four defensive coaches and is looking for an experienced coordinator who will shake up the defense, specifically a secondary that needs to be overhauled.

"Our defensive side of the ball was not good," Kubiak said. "We've got some serious problems that we've got to address. It definitely was not all coaching in my opinion. We've got issues across the board."

Kubiak fired defensive coordinator Frank Bush, linebackers coach Johnny Holland, assistant linebackers coach Robert Saleh and secondary coach David Gibbs.

Kubiak spoke to Marvin Lewis about the defensive coordinator job before Lewis signed a new deal to remain as Cincinnati's head coach. Interviewing today is Wade Phillips, considered the leading candidate to replace Bush.

"I've had two opportunities, gave two first-time guys (Bush and Richard Smith) opportunities to be coordinators, and I'm proud of the effort they put forth," Kubiak said. "We've got to be successful. It cannot take time. It's got to be quick. We've got to do everything we can to get the right person and get it going very quickly.

"I don't think we're talking about a three- or four-year building process. Whoever we go get, we've got to get him the people and expect to be successful next year."

Kubiak said the problems on defense contributed to the disappointing performance by the special teams.

Fade after early promise

After a 4-2 start and a 2-8 finish, change was inevitable for a team that blew five games it could have won over the last nine weeks.

Owner Bob McNair announced Monday that Kubiak would return but said the Texans "absolutely have to see better results next season," and that there is "no way we can tolerate having this kind of season again."

In other words, McNair has put Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith on notice.

In justifying his decision not to fire Kubiak, who is 37-43 with one winning season and no playoff appearances, McNair praised the offense. Many wondered why, considering the offense started many games so slowly after doing just the opposite in 2009.

Yet the Texans were one of only three teams to rank among the top 10 in rushing and passing. They set team records with 390 points, 6,186 yards, 2,042 yards rushing and 20 rushing touchdowns.

If you delve into the strengths of the offense, you'll find the Texans started a league-high 56 drives inside their 20. They scored on 32.1 percent of those drives compared to the league average of 21.3 percent.

The Texans led the NFL with 13 touchdown drives of 80 or more yards, including seven of 90 or more.

The Texans ranked sixth with 29 drives of 10 or more plays.

The Texans finished even in turnover ratio. They committed 18 turnovers. Only four teams made fewer. Only six teams threw fewer than their 12 interceptions. The Texans lost five fumbles, which ranked second.

Too young in secondary

The Texans' defense was doomed from the start. Cornerback Dunta Robinson, who was allowed to depart via free agency, meant more to the secondary than the Texans thought.

They made a mistake going with four inexperienced cornerbacks. They tried to relieve the problem by acquiring Jason Allen in the middle of the season, but it was too late.

The pass rush suffered when defensive end Connor Barwin suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans was lost for the season after a 4-2 start.

The Texans were one of three teams that failed to return an interception, fumble, kickoff or punt for a touchdown.

After ranking fourth in three-and-out drives in 2009, the Texans' defense couldn't stop anybody this season. They were 31st at stopping opponents' drives that started inside the 20.

They ended up allowing 6,031 yards — second-worst in team history to the 2003 defense that surrendered 6,082.

As for the special teams, the Texans ranked 29th in punt returns (6.7 yards) and 27th in kickoff returns (19.8). They were 10th in punt coverage (8.0) and 25th in kickoff coverage (24.2).

If Kubiak doesn't improve the defense and special teams next season, don't be surprised if McNair cleans house in 2012.

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