Dear Gary Kubiak,

You may not know it, see it, or feel it right now, but before you head off to the great locker room in the sky, I want to thank you. Thank you for all the crazy shootouts. Thank you for taking a team that was completely ruined by Dom Capers and turning it into the franchise that, regardless of record, nobody wanted to play. Thank you for passing on Vince Young. Thank you for trading for Matt Schaub, who for all his faults gave several fine years of service to this organization. Thank you for giving this franchise two division titles and a real shot at a Super Bowl. Above all, however, thank you for being a good man.

One of the hardest jobs for any coach in the National Football League is turning boys into men, and you have done that in spades. This team, this city, and this league are forever grateful to you for the class, grace, and respectability with which you handled yourself. Heartbreaking losses and fan frustration aside, you have truly produced some of the best and brightest individuals that this sport has to offer both on and off the field. Andre Johnson, J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing, Owen Daniels, Duane Brown – all of them drafted and developed by you into Pro Bowl players – are some of the finest representatives that Houston could ever hope for. No matter the ignorant vitriol that has been spewed your way this season, just know that you have put together a spectacular team. Even at our lowest point, this club hung tough with the Patriots of all franchises, and they didn’t even need letterman jackets to do it.

We here at Battle Red Blog often make fun of the "battle-fightin’" mantra, but to be honest we would have it no other way. There are not many teams that still give every ounce of energy in their body to try to beat New England after nine straight losses, and yet your group of men did. They never gave up. They never stopped fighting. You, after suffering serious medical issues of your own, never stopped fighting. With eight losses by seven points or less, the results have been hard to swallow. Yet not once have I sensed this team giving up. By putting in Matt Schaub last night to try to rally a victory, I do not think that you were giving up either. Hell, if football were played for five quarters instead of four, that game very well might have been won.

I did not expect to have to write this letter so soon, Gary. I think we all saw the writing on the wall, but knowing that you no longer will be commanding this team next week is still surprising nonetheless. I think I speak for the rest of (or at least most of) Texans fans when I say that I wish you good health and success in your next endeavor, wherever that may be in the NFL. For better or worse, it has been an absolute joy to be a fan of your team.

Thanks for all the good times,

Battle Red Blog