To answer the topic creator's question: no, I would not like to see Gary remain as the Texans' head coach.
However, the next best alternative would be to have Kubes remain and have him or Smith bring in a trust defensive coordinator. While some statements of Kubiak becoming the next Bill Belichick are a bit far fetched, there is historical evidence that such a move can be the right now:
Sean Payton.
The head coach of the current defending World Champion New Orleans Saints. For his entire tenure as a Saints headcoach, the Saints have had the definition of elite offense in the NFL, always claiming a spot in the top 5 offenses (usually #1). Brees, Colston, Shockey/Graham, Reggie Bush/Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, etc. The list of depth on the offensive side of the ball is borderline unfair to the rest of the NFL.
Yet a lot of people have quickly forgotten how Sean Payton stumbled after his debut season. The Saints went 10-6 after Hurricane Katrina and got to the NFC Championship game, but the team didn't jump to the Superbowl to beat the Colts the very next week. Immediately following that historic 2006 season, the Saints finished a disappointing 7-9. The after that let-down season, the Saints laid another egg despite the hype of a return to championship caliber football by finishing a mediocre 8-8.
After three seasons, Sean Payton had a record of 25-23, thus giving Sean Payton a winning percentage of .520. How very Gary Kubiak of him.
So what caused the dramatic turn around from mediocre to world champion?
Gregg Williams.
A former head coach in his own right and a defensive coordinator for a handful of teams. Successful defenses follow this man no matter where he goes.
The national media slowly began to pick up on Sean Payton's average performance before the start of last season, but the local media down here in New Orleans already made it no secret that Sean Payton was quickly approaching the hot seat. This is a man who had a future hall of fame quarterback in Drew Brees, who had fielded one of the best offenses of the current decade, and could only produce "meh." The NFL championship window is much narrower now than what it was even just ten years ago, and if Sean Payton didn't it together, his ship would sail without him.
For his first three seasons, Sean Payton had appointed his
very good friend Gary Gibbs as the team's defensive coordinator. The result was a catastrophe. The Saints were basically dead last in nearly every category and produced one of the worst defenses in recent NFL history, and that in itself is no exaggeration. Want proof of this? Sure.
It took Drew Brees to become only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards to get the Saints to an 8-8 record.
That's how bad that defense was.
Sean Payton wised up and made the change. He fired his friend. Sean and Co. go out with the mindset of no more favors to friends and nab Gregg Williams. You all know the rest by now.
Coaching in the NFL is not so simple as the head coach. Football is the ultimate team sport and this applies to both the players and personal; it's why you have coordinators and assistant coaches. Sean Payton will be the first to tell you he has no idea how to field a defense; Gary Kubiak will likely be no different. The key is to make the right decision as to who you pick to shore up your gray area. Sean Payton made the wrong decision, made the attempt to correct it, and was successful. Gary Kubiak
could be that one correction away from a Lombardi in Reliant, and that's not an exaggeration.