The Houston Texans are sticking with coach Gary Kubiak.
The team said Monday that Kubiak will return next season, despite another lackluster campaign that ended without a playoff berth.
But the Texans 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 because of a defense that gave up an NFL-high 4,280 passing yards and tied the Dallas Cowboys for the most touchdown passes allowed, with 33.
"We've got some serious problems that we've got to address," Kubiak said. "It definitely wasn't all coaching, in my opinion. We've got issues across the board. I had to make a decision on how we can get better, and so doing that, I made that decision to let those four guys go."
Pro Bowl middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who sat out the final 10 games with a ruptured Achilles' tendon, was surprised to hear that the team had released Holland, an assistant in all five of Kubiak's seasons.
"It's tough to lose a guy who's been with me for my first five years in the league," Ryans said in a telephone interview. "I learned a lot from him. That was definitely shocking, that he had to go."
Kubiak, whose contract runs through the 2012 season, acknowledged he felt fortunate that owner Bob McNair decided to retain him.
"We visited and decided on a new direction," Kubiak said. "Obviously, him giving me a chance to move us in that direction, I'm very thankful for that. But I know I've got a lot of work to do and a lot of problems to fix."
Speculation has swirled for a week that McNair is interested in meeting with fired Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who has been a defensive coordinator for 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.
Phillips was the defensive coordinator in Denver from 1986 to 1992, overlapping Kubiak's playing career as John Elway's backup for the Broncos.
"I know Wade; I've competed against him many times," Kubiak said. "I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, but we'll talk to a number of people. It's pretty safe to say that Wade will be one of the people we'll talk to, and it'll probably be very quickly."
Phillips told the *Houston Chronicle* he's interested in the job.
"I know the owner and coach," Phillips said. "I like them, and they're guys I'd like to work for."
Phillips knows the city well, having played and coached at the University of Houston and tutored the Oilers' defensive line under his father.
"Coming home to Houston would be an added bonus," Phillips said. "I've got family, friends and classmates there."
Bush seemed resigned to his fate after the final practice of the season Friday.
"I've got to go out and try to find a way to sell myself to another organization," he said. "I'll stay positive, I'll stay upbeat, I'll keep believing in the things I do. Quite frankly, I felt like we had the right approach. Things didn't work out, but I'll stay positive about the whole situation and keep moving forward."
But the unit was bad from the start this season, yielding 410.5 yards through the first six games. The Texans started 4-2 only because the offense topped 30 points in each of the victories.
After Ryans was injured, the defense never got better.
Kubiak also was hurt by his preseason decision to start rookie Kareem Jackson and second-year pro Glover Quin at cornerback. Houston's secondary was repeatedly beaten on long pass plays, most critically in the fourth quarter.
Defensive line coach Bill Kollar is keeping his job, although the pass rush also was an issue. Defensive end Mario Williams had 8.5 sacks through the first 13 games, then went on season-ending injured reserve with a sports hernia. Houston had 30 sacks to rank 23rd in the league.
"I like the way (Kollar) does his job," Kubiak said. "It has a lot to do with where I see us going forward."
A few players wandered Monday through Reliant Stadium to meet with Kubiak and clean out their lockers. They offered differing opinions on why the season unraveled, and they expected defensive coaches to lose their jobs.
"We're at a point that a lot of people didn't think we would get to," said safety Bernard Pollard, who is a free agent. "Now they're questioning, 'OK, can this coaching staff get it done? Can this coordinator get it done? Can this head coach be the man?' We're at that point."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
