Texans fire Gary Kubiak

HOUSTON — Gary Kubiak pulled the Texans out of the NFL basement and remains the only coach to take them to the playoffs.

That wasn’t enough to save his job, not with the Texans mired in an 11- game skid that has dropped them back to the bottom of the league.

Houston fired Kubiak on Friday, one day after the Texans lost 27-20 at Jacksonville and continued their stunning fall for a team that expected to make a Super Bowl run. Houston (2-11) was flagged 14 times for a franchise-record 177 yards.

The 52-year-old Kubiak was hired in 2006 and led the team to AFC South titles in 2011-2012, the highlights of his eight-year tenure as coach of his hometown NFL team.

Titans eye Walker’s health

At Nashville, the Titans could be without tight end Delanie Walker on Sunday when they play the Denver Broncos.

Walker did not practice all week because of a concussion sustained early in last week’s 22-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He will be evaluated today before the Titans (5-7) depart for Denver (10-2).

“He’ll come in tomorrow and we can work him out and see where he is at,” coach Mike Munchak said Friday. “Tomorrow will be our final [evaluation.] We’re not going to wait until Sunday to work him out. We need to know before we get on the plane and go from there.”

Munchak said he would rather not have to play someone who didn’t practice all week. But because Walker is a veteran, the Titans could use him in a limited package.

Fox to coach from sideline

At Denver, John Fox will coach the Broncos from the sideline and not the booth upon his return Sunday five weeks after heart surgery.

Fox said he wrestled with the pros and cons of both scenarios.

The booth allows a better view of the game and he would have had direct communication with all his coordinators.

Being down on the field allows him to get a better feel for the mood of his team and he can look his players in the eye.

Withstanding two days of practice in temperatures around zero degrees this week helped convince Fox and his doctors that he’d be able to handle Sunday’s forecast of snow and temperatures in the teens when the Broncos host the Titans.