Kubiak officially out, Smith staying?

[WMH]

Originally Posted by Joshua

LZ tweeted about 15 minutes ago that the word he is getting is that Kubiak is gone and Smith will be retained. I guess we'll find out shortly.

He got that from an agent.....who knows if its accurate.

Here's the tweet:
@LanceZierlein: The word on the agent grapevine is that Rick Smith will remain as GM and be in charge of hiring a new head coach for the Texans

[Joshua]

Clearly rumor mill material at this stage, but I would put LZ at the top of the list of knowledgeable, informed and reliable sources. I doubt he would tweet this unless he thought there was a very good chance that it is correct.

[chuck]

I've always thought that Rick Smith was secure in his job. Of course, I thought that Kubiak was, too. Being wrong about one of those is better than being right I suppose.

I guess even McNair can't overlook the fact that his team is in an endless death spiral.

[Warren]

What has Smith shown to deserve being retained? Almost all of their personnel successes have been on offense, where I assume Kubiak had significant input. I have no confidence in his ability to hire a head coach and I don't see the top candidates wanting to be in a position where Smith's in charge of the roster.

[TexanJedi]

I've got a bad feeling about this.

[Fonz the Boss]

Mortensen of ESPN said that if Kubiak were to be fired that they may look into Mike Sherman. I certainly hope not because we need a defensive minded head coach. Also, I agree that keeping Rick eliminates our chances of getting a high profile coach.

[Keith]

Bob McNair, other owners approve since it means one less team fighting for a playoff spot.

If Kubiak goes, Smith has got to go too. And Grier too for godsakes.

I'd be curious to see who Sherman would like to run the defense...

[WMH]

I still see the status quo at the top spots, Kubiak stays, Smith stays.
O Staff stay fairly in tact.

D is a complete overhaul.
I see a higher end DC coming in, maybe a M Lewis, J Fox, W Phillips type that could be plugged in with the interim tag if/when it comes crashing down next year, again.....

Not saying I agree, just my hunch.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Warren

What has Smith shown to deserve being retained?

From what I know, nothing. But I have heard whispers that Kubiak has more input on personnel decisions, especially draft decisions, than Smith does. Smith denies this, of course, but if it's true that many or all of the shit picks were Kubiak picks then I am potentially less bothered by Smith's staying.

I would love to see him replaced by a seasoned GM or personnel guru, anyone not named Casserly, but once Smith joined the Competition Committee I assumed that he would outlast this coach and probably future coaches as well.