HOUSTON -- Gary Kubiak pulled the Texans out of the NFL basement and remains the only coach to take them to the playoffs. That wasnt enough to save his job, not with the Texans mired in an 11-game skid that has dropped them back to the bottom of the league. Houston fired Kubiak on Friday, one day after the Texans lost 27-20 at Jacksonville and continued their stunning fall for a team that expected to make a Super Bowl run. Houston (2-11) was flagged 14 times for a franchise-record 177 yards. The 52-year-old Kubiak was hired in 2006 and led the team to AFC South titles in 2011-2012, the highlights of his eight-year tenure as coach of his hometown NFL team. The Texans said they couldnt wait any longer to start turning things around, not with the losses and undisciplined play piling up. "Whats taken place with this organization is unacceptable," general manager Rick Smith said. "Weve got three weeks of an evaluation process left and weve got to right the ship." Kubiak thanked the team for giving him his first head coaching job in the NFL. "Though we came up short this season, the work, effort and sacrifice they gave me and this organization over the last eight seasons is not to be taken for granted," he said in a statement provided by the Texans. "We had a great run here and we will never forget our back-to-back AFC South championships. Coming back home was a dream come true for all of us. This will always be our home." Kubiaks overall record is 61-64, with a 2-2 mark in the playoffs. Owner Bob McNair said the decision to let him go was a hard one. "It was difficult for me because I think so much of Gary," McNair said. "Weve been evaluating it every game and asking the question, Whats in the best interest of the organization? Were at the point now where we need to go ahead and make some changes because losing like this is unacceptable." He added: "Were here to have a winning culture and this year has not contributed to that." The Texans said defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips would serve as interim coach for the rest of what has been a miserable season. McNair said NFL and head coaching experience were important factors in filling the job, and that the 66-year-old Phillips will be considered. Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke Nov. 3 in a frightening scene, collapsing at halftime during a game against the Colts and being rushed to a Houston hospital. He suffered a transient ischemic attack, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is briefly interrupted, typically by a blood clot or narrowed blood vessels. Experts say they are often a warning sign for a future stroke, particularly within three months of a TIA. Kubiak returned to coach, but the Texans have been unable to rebound from injuries to top players including quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster and linebacker Brian Cushing, who was lost for the second straight season. McNair pointed to messy play and the handling of second-year quarterback Case Keenum as reasons for the move before the end of the season. "I think the last straw was losing," McNair said. "Weve got a lot better talent than Jacksonville and to lose to them twice, to their credit they played harder, played smarter and to have them beat us on that is not acceptable. If a teams going to beat us because theyre better than we are, or have better ability thats fine, but we expect to go out and play hard and play smart, and we didnt play smart." Kubiak, a former NFL quarterback who calls the teams plays, has long been known as a top offensive coach, mentoring quarterbacks in Denver under Mike Shanahan and then Schaub and Keenum in Houston. He was hired in 2006, along with Smith, after the Texans finished a franchise-worst 2-14. Smith spent 10 years with Kubiak while the coach was offensive co-ordinator of the Broncos. Smith was Denvers defensive assistant for four seasons before moving into the front office for his last six years with the Broncos. The pair helped transform the Texans, which began play in 2002, from league laughingstock to contender. The team went 6-10 in their first year and 8-8 in each of the next two seasons. Expectations were high in 2010 after Houston finished at 9-7 for its first winning record in 2009. The Texans instead fell to 6-10, which led to many fans calling for Kubiaks firing. His original contract was due to expire after the 2010 season, but McNair defended him several times amid the bumps. Last year, the Texans announced contract extensions for both Smith and Kubiak, rewarding them for taking the team to the playoffs last year for the first time. Kubiaks three-year agreement has him under contract through 2014. McNair said at the time he offered Kubiak a four-year deal, but the coach preferred to make it for three. Kubiak made his mark as Denvers offensive co-ordinator under Shanahan, winning two Super Bowls. An eighth-round pick out of Texas A&M, he spent nine years as John Elways backup. He finished his career 4-1 as a starter, all in emergency relief of Elway. "You always hate to see guys fired," Broncos coach John Fox said. "It happens, its tough. But you never like to see that. Hes a good friend and a heck of a coach, a guy I have a lot of respect for and its unfortunate." The Texans also fired special teams co-ordinator Joe Marciano and replaced him with assistant Bob Ligashesky, who is in his 10th NFL season and first full year with Houston. Other recent departures from the Texans include assistant head coach Alex Gibbs (for Seattle) and offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan went to join his father in Washington. Keenum, Phillips and the rest of the Texans will get three weeks to show what they have to McNair and company. With Kubiak out, it is clear that the evaluation process could have stiff consequences as the team tries to rebuild. "We have a young quarterback in Case Keenum and we need to find out if hes capable of being a starter or capable of being the backup," McNair said. "The way you find out about that is by playing him." cheap nfl jerseys . The Japan striker scored in the 89th minute, 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute. He controlled a long crossfield pass with his right foot, cut infield and unleashed an unstoppable 18-meter (yard) shot with his left. wholesale nfl jerseys . And theres no sign that the contract standoff between Doughty and Kings management is any closer to an end either. Doughty, who became a restricted free agent July 1, is believed to be seeking a contract of $7 million per season, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. http://www.cheapchinajerseynfl.us.com/ . Oswalt gets a US$2 million buyout instead of $16 million next season. Lidge receives a $1.5 million buyout instead of $12. jerseys from china . Miles Plumlee and rookie Dionte Christmas, 3 for 4 on 3-pointers, added 14 points each. Starting point guard Goran Dragic, who was 0 for 3 in 7 minutes, was the only one of Phoenixs 16 players who did not score. nfl jerseys china . -- Kaitlyn Lawes was given a tremendous opportunity in 2010 when she joined an experienced and successful Winnipeg rink skipped by Jennifer Jones.TORONTO -- Artificial turf and Canadian talent were two of the topics that had Toronto FC supporters riled up at a recent question-and-answer session with the MLS teams braintrust. Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, shot down the turf question by saying its a non-starter. But the issue of how the team treats its Canadians kept coming back to the microphone. "Id like to see Canadians being played," said one fan. "I think that was one of the draws to me coming to this is to see Canadians play. Im not seeing enough of it from this team." "My concern is how youve treated the Canadian players since the beginning," lamented another supporter. "Ive looked at the salaries every year and every year since Year One, the Canadian kids get almost the lowest pay across the board. Every year. And this will never work unless you start to respect the Canadian soccer player." Manager Ryan Nelsen patiently answered the questions, pointing to local defenders Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry and midfielder Jonathan Osorio currently starting with rookies Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshman also in the squad. Goalie Quillan Roberts completes the TFC Canadian contingent with homegrown player Manuel Aparicio newly promoted from the academy. Talented and young, said Nelsen. "We have to nurture them. We cant throw them in the deep end, we cant scar them," he added. Theyll get their chance, he added, pointing to Sporting Kansas City star midfielder Graham Zusi, who made just nine starts in his first two MLS seasons. Bottom line, said Nelsen, "I want more Canadian players on my team. "Even when the Canadian (national) team goes and plays in Spain and they take all my players away and I cant field them for TFC, Ill take that hit. Not a problem." The questions about the handling of Canadian talent took Nelsen by surprise. "I was expecting a lot worse questions, to tell you the truth, but on that one I was a wee bit let down because no other Canadian team is producing the young kids that were playing and giving them the opportunity," he said after practice Tuesday. The Vancouver Whitecaps rooster features three Canadians: midfielders Bryce Alderson and Russell Teibert and goalie Simon Thomas.dddddddddddd. Another Canadian, 20-year-old midfielder Caleb Clarke, is on loan to FC Augsburg in Germany. The 20-year-old Teibert has seen action in 20 MLS games this season, starting 18, and is seen as a rising star. Alderson, 19, and Thomas, 23, have yet to play in the league in 2013. The Montreal Impact have four Canadians listed on their roster, including hard-nosed veteran midfielder Patrice Bernier. The others are 19-year-old goalie Maxime Crepeau and 21-year-old defenders Karl Ouimette and Maxim Tissot, who have a handful of games between them this year. Nelsen identified Osorio as a rising talent from Day 1 of pre-season and he has partnered the 20-year-old Henry with captain Steven Caldwell at centre back. Morgan has won back his job at left fullback. And he says he remains a big backer of Bekker and Welshman, who have played 200 minutes between them in the league this season. Nelsen says the two first-round draft choices perhaps got "blown up a wee bit in the media" when they arrived on the Toronto FC scene. "But theyre fantastic players, theyre very good players and we believe in them," he said. Its a tough learning curve, however, Bekker, 23, choose his words carefully when asked about his first pro season. "It hasnt been the easiest," he said Tuesday. "It is what it is," he added. "Its my first year. I just have to keep working ... and bide my time." Nelsen reminded his Saturday morning audience that his players have every day at practice to stake their claim to a place in the starting 11. "I dont pick the team. The players pick the team ... trust me. Young Canadian players? Ill play them, Ill play them when theyre ready." "Its all about production," added Toronto GM Tim Bezbatchenko. Leiweke had the last word on nationality when asked about where the club is conducting its hunt for designated players. The focus is on the English Premier League and Italys Serie A, he said, adding: "I know this. If we win, I dont care where theyre from. 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