Do Houston Texans need changes at head coach and quarterback?

The Texans began the 2013 with Super Bowl aspirations. But now, the team is reeling, having lost four games in a row and the head coach might be on the hot seat. “It’s not his fault. We play the game,” offensive tackle Duane Brown said. “The coaches put you in position to be successful. We have to play the game. We are the eleven in between the lines that have to go out and execute our game plan; it’s as simple as that. He can’t control penalties and turnovers; that’s on us as football players and men out there battling to get the job done. It’s not his fault and anybody who says that, is wrong.”

In a potential must-win, the Texans were demolished by the Rams 38-13. And to make matters worse, they killed themselves with dumb penalties and costly turnovers. “It’s my job to figure that out,” Gary Kubiak said about his struggling team. “My job to figure it out.”

And he better figure it out quick. The Texans won their second straight division title last season before making it to the second round of the playoffs. This year, the roster is full of Pro Bowl caliber players on offense and defense but the team is 2-4. If Indianapolis wins on Monday night, the Texans will be three full games out of first place in the AFC South.

Fingers from fans and critics around the Houston area are now pointed directly at Kubiak, who has been the head coach since 2006.

“Damn right they do,” Kubiak said about players owning up to mistakes, “but it’s also my job to make sure we don’t have them. First thing I do every day is I look at myself. I’m not just saying that. That’s not just me saying that to say that, that’s the way I operate, that’s the way I always operate. I’m the coach of this football team, and we’re out there doing numerous things to hurt ourselves over and over again. It’s my job to have the people out there who won’t continue to put themselves in that situation.”

Kubiak has a 61-57 record as the Texans’ head coach. But since the 11-1 start last season, the Texans are 4-8 (including playoffs) in the last 12.

Andre Johnson said that when a team struggles, the onus gets put on the head coach and the quarterback. He said Kubiak is a “great coach.”

The troublesome part surrounding Kubiak, the former quarterback, are the team’s struggles on offense. He has a heavy hand in the offensive gameplan, which has seemed predictable in recent weeks.

Rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree added himself to the list of players who claimed they knew what to expect from the Texans’ offense in a key situation. Ogletree returned a T.J. Yates pass 98 yards for a touchdown in the second half and said “when they get down close they want to run a few routes like that.”

Texans owner Bob McNair was not available after Sunday’s game as he normally is.

“I’m 100 percent confident. Coach gets us ready to play football,” Brian Cushing said. “The bottom line is we’re not going out, and putting the product on the field. We’re not playing our best football. This isn’t about Coach Kubiak. Coach Kubiak prepares us perfectly for games. What it’s coming down to right now is us not executing, and not finishing football games.”

- Dave Zangaro, CSN Houston