Whether it Was Cigars or Weed, Gary Kubiak Cutting Three Rookies Seems Irrational

Houston is 2-5, perhaps the biggest disappointment in the NFL – ahead of the 1-6 Giants? – and having one of those seasons. The type where you lose your ineffective starting QB, your backup gets hurt too, your tight end is out, and on top of all that you lose a star defender. Two straight years after reaching the postseason and winning a game, the Texans are plummeting fast, and will need a stroke of good fortune to hit the .500 mark.

It’s the kind of season where, if three inactive rookies are huddled in a hotel room allegedly smoking weed, and the team finds out, you cut the players on the spot to show that the Coach Means Business [enter fist pound on desk here].

Maybe this wasn’t the first time defensive end Sam Montgomery (3rd round pick), running back Cierre Wood (undrafted free agent) or linebacker Willie Jefferson were busted. But Gary Kubiak, from the hot seat Monday, dismissed the players from the team. All three were placed on waivers. None have been claimed yet, but somebody looking for defensive line depth might take a flier on Montgomery, an accomplished but arrogant star at LSU. (Remember this?)

Wood, a shifty back from Notre Dame, could actually have seen playing time after the bye if Arian Foster and Ben Tate aren’t 100%.

Does this not feel like a coach losing grip of his team, and his job, and trying to signal to the GM and owner, “this is still my team and I run a tight ship!”

If the Texans’ free fall continues, and they miss the playoffs, what will become of GM Rick Smith (in his 7th season), Kubiak and Schaub? Will all be gone? It feels like maybe Houston’s Championship window is closing, and some upheaval awaits in the offseason. Or, might owner Bob McNair say, “our defensive stats are all strong, and we’re a QB away from making a run in the AFC … get me Johnny Manziel and let’s do this!”