The Houston Texans have confirmed that former Penn State Nittany Lions boss Bill O'Brien as their new head coach.
O'Brien left Penn State after two years with the team, whom he led to a 15-9 record in difficult circumstances after taking over from long-standing coach Joe Paterno in 2012.
The 44-year-old replaces Gary Kubiak, who was fired following 11-straight defeats as the Texans fell from being Super Bowl contenders to worst team in the NFL.
Texans owner Bob McNair is confident that O'Brien is the right man to lead his side forward going into the 2014 season.
"He showed that he has the ability to step into difficult situations and turn them around," McNair told reporters. "He did that at Penn State under very difficult circumstances and did an outstanding job there.
"We expect to see good things happen immediately."
The Texans will have the number one pick in the 2014 NFL Draft in May.
Simon Sinclair
