The Houston Texans were the first team to fire their head coach this season, dumping Gary Kubiak after the team's Week 14 loss. They are now also the first team to fill their coaching vacancy, reaching an agreement with Penn State's Bill O'Brien, according to a report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. The move takes one of the big name candidates off the market for other franchises who fired their head man this year, including the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins.
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It also adds another big name college in need of a head coach, with Penn State joining Texas in that search. Could a NFL head coach or coordinator be lured into the college ranks with O'Brien's move? One potential coordinator who could be under consideration by the Nittany Lions is San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Roman was one of the finalists to replace Joe Paterno in Happy Valley two years ago, when the job was given to O'Brien, then the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots. Could Roan be lured away from Jim Harbaugh's staff this year?
Penn State is also said to be considering former Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano, who was fired after two years in Florida. He previously was the Rutgers head coach.
As the Black Monday/Coaching Carousel continues to turn, the first domino has fallen into place. When will the other jobs get filled? Will the Miami Dolphins join the search for a new coach - either as a head coach or as a coordinator? We shall see.