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You should be excited about Gary Kubiak and the Denver Broncos - Horse Tracks

If you are not stoked about the new marriage between Gary Kubiak and the Denver Broncos, then you are ignoring some very important facts about what John Elway is trying to achieve here in Denver. So pay attention, because this is all about winning from now on.

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Brian Bahr/Getty Images

All of the negative talk surrounding Gary Kubiak - what little of it there is - and his hiring as head coach of the Denver Broncos seems to center around his losing record as a head coach. Making ones mind up after a cursory glance at some random statistic without providing yourself with any bit of context is one hell of a lazy way to pass judgment on things.

Here is that particular stat: 61 wins, 64 losses. Plus another two wins and two losses in the playoffs.

A lazy person looks at that and immediately decides the guy is a below-average head coach and undeserving of such a high post with a gold-standard franchise like the Denver Broncos.

Now let's force that lazy person to receive a fresh dose of context to that win-loss record, shall we?

Houston Texans Pre-Gary Kubiak
YEAR WINS LOSSES PCT. OFF RNK DEF RNK
2002 4 12 .250 32 16
2003 5 11 .313 31 31
2004 7 9 .438 19 23
2005 2 14 .125 30 31
Houston Texans With Gary Kubiak
2006 6 10 .375 28 24
2007 8 8 .500 14 24
2008 8 8 .500 3 22
2009 9 7 .563 4 13
2010 6 10 .375 3 30
2011 10 6 .625 13 2
2012 12 4 .750 7 7

When you have this full picture, any person can see that the Houston Texans were an awful football team prior to Gary Kubiak coming aboard. Dealing with that disaster, Kubiak was able to turn the entire franchise around in five seasons. His arrival instantly made the team a mostly .500 football club, but eventually he would turn them into a playoff contender.

I disregarded his final half season of the catastrophic 2013 season which found Kubiak getting fired before the season was over, because who knew Matt Schuab would fall from grace so utterly completely? The guy went from a Pro Bowl quarterback to a bum in the span of 12 months.

My point is that he took a franchise that was losing as much as the Oakland Raiders over the last decade and immediately stepped in to make them a competitive .500 football team, then took a few AFC South division titles. Does anyone actually think Kubiak was going to win a Super Bowl with Matt Schaub?

If Peyton Manning wants another world championship, he should definitely return to the Denver Broncos in 2015 and maybe even for 2016. This is the kind of GM/HC combo that produces multiple championships. It's time for the lazy among us to accept that and get excited about it.

When he’s behind the scenes, he’s emotional, he’s intense, he’s inspiring and that’s the way people say here that he was. -Frank Bush, Assistant Coach

And if all that still doesn't change your mind, then take the word of Frank Bush, one of his former coaches in Denver, who was a coach with him in Houston, "Man, the Koobs you guys see is not the Koobs we see. When he’s behind the scenes, he’s emotional, he’s intense, he’s inspiring and that’s the way people say here that he was. There’s going to be no problem to get people fired up behind the scenes."

So in other words, Gary Kubiak is surely not lackadaisical like John Fox is known to be when it comes to getting players ready to play hard in big games. I am convinced that weakness in Fox is the reason this team has been unable to win a Super Bowl since Peyton Manning came to town.

Horse Tracks

Houston Chronicle’s John McClain on Gary Kubiak | DenverBroncos.com
Learn more about the Broncos’ new head coach from John McClain, who has covered the NFL for the Houston Chronicle for 35 years.

Gary Kubiak: 'It's great to be home again' - Denver Post
All was quiet at Dove Valley. Only a skeletal staff was at the Broncos headquarters on a holiday Monday.

Are Gary Kubiak, Peyton Manning a fit in Denver? - NFL.com
With Gary Kubiak officially the Broncos' new head coach, how does that affect the likelihood that Peyton Manning will return? How would that arrangement work out?

How hard will it be for Manning to adjust to Kubiak's system? - NFL Videos
NFL Media's Brian Billick gives his take on the Denver Broncos signing Gary Kubiak as head coach and what it means for the team.

Was Manning surprised by Broncos coaching change? - NFL Videos
Is Gary Kubiak and Peyton Manning a match made in heaven or a career ender for one?

Peyton Manning should not retire; he was likely playing hurt | The MMQB
I watched every drop-back he took this season, and I don't believe I was watching a quarterback who is washed-up. Why Peyton Manning shouldn't retire.

Video: The Coach That Almost Beat Out Kubiak - Mile High Huddle
Gary Kubiak is already busy hiring his new coaching staff. Rick Dennison will be the Denver Broncos new offensive coordinator, and Brian Pariani will be the tight ends coach. Will Peyton Manning return?

In Gary Kubiak, Broncos find a tactician who can motivate | DenverBroncos.com
In hiring Kubiak, the Broncos brought aboard a familiar face with plenty of outside experience that he will apply to his new challenge: earning Denver another Lombardi Trophy.

Statements from Ellis, Elway on Kubiak | DenverBroncos.com
President and CEO Joe Ellis and Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway spoke about hiring Gary Kubiak as head coach.

Kubiak named next head coach | DenverBroncos.com
Former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak and the Broncos have agreed on a four-year deal, making him the next head coach of the Broncos. Kubiak has 24 years of coaching experience and will now add to his already two-decade association with the team.

A Homecoming 3 Decades in the Making - Mile High Huddle
Gary Kubiak fits Denver in so many ways. He has always been a Bronco; he's shed blood sweat and tears as a Bronco, so it's only fitting that he should be chosen as the guy to lead this team back to the top.

Hochman: Vance Joseph would be historic hire for the Bronocs - Denver Post
During the Broncos' game against the Bengals, as if to show up Cincinnati cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, Mother Nature made it rain, all right.

Gary Kubiak is on board, and so are Broncos fans - Denver Post
The people have spoken: They still trust in John Elway. Less than a week after the Broncos parted with coach John Fox, they hired Elway's former backup and coordinator, Gary Kubiak, to take the reins.

Gary Kubiak Through the Years | DenverBroncos.com
Check out photos of new Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak.

Gary Kubiak officially hired as Denver Broncos coach | USA Today
Gary Kubiak agreed to a four-year contract Monday to be the Denver Broncos' new head coach.

Gary Kubiak hired as head coach of Denver Broncos: Grading the move - SI.com
Gary Kubiak was John Elway's backup at quarterback from 1983-91, a stretch during which Denver lost three times in the Super Bowl. Kubiak left briefly in '92, before returning to the Broncos as offensive coordinator in 1995.

Gary Kubiak headed back to Denver as Broncos’ new head coach - Chron.com
After playing and coaching in Denver for 20 years, Gary Kubiak is returning to the Broncos as their head coach. The Broncos are finalizing a deal on a multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract for Kubiak to replace John Fox. The deal is expected to be announced Monday.

Seattle Seahawks stun Packers, head to Super Bowl XLIX to see Patriots | The MMQB
In an instant, the Seahawks went from down 12 with under three minutes left to wildly celebrating another Super Bowl trip. Here's a closer look at how Seattle stunned the Pack. Plus, the Pats rout Indy, coaching and draft buzz and more.

Catching up with Sam Wyche, the father of the NFL’s no-huddle offense | The MMQB
Sam Wyche introduced the no-huddle offense with the Bengals in the 1980s, and the retired coach can’t help but watch the playoffs like a proud father. He breaks down the scheme’s evolution, takes a stab at the meaning of "New York Bozo," and points out the fatal flaw some teams routinely make.

How the Seahawks saved their season in 6 minutes - SBNation.com
The wild finish to the NFC Championship game will go down as one of the most unlikely and unbelievable comebacks in the history of the NFL playoffs.

NFL investigating Patriots for deflating footballs - SBNation.com
The New England Patriots came away with a 45-7 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the NFL will investigate the footballs used in that AFC Championship victory.