Kris Brown is good in the community, good in the locker room and good in the postgame interview. His smile has earned him many fans of both sexes — some of whom wouldn't know the difference between Brett Favre and Bret Michaels.

Brown deserved much better than getting booed for missing a 56-yard field goal in what's likely his last appearance as a Houston Texan — a dreary preseason finale that excited Reliant Stadium about as much as a needling convention would. Having to sit through a 24-17 "loss" to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which Houston coach Gary Kubiak wisely (finally) completely held out Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub and every other starter or regular that matters is no excuse for making the Last Original Texan feel worse than he already likely does.

But none of this means that Kubiak isn't making the right decision when he cuts Brown.

That's what is coming of course. Oh, it's not official just yet, but the writing might as well be all over the goal posts — the same ones that Brown had too much trouble getting kicks between last season. Kubiak sure didn't seem like a coach who was wrestling with a kicking decision on Thursday night, no matter what he said at the podium.

He only gave Brown one chance at a field goal — that 56-yarder that was either one last Hail Mary play for Brown to pull off a miracle save or just a cruel way to send out a guy who'd been pretty good to your franchise depending on your point of view. Staying in character, Brown never came close to making it.

Kubiak later sent Neil Rackers out for a 21-yard chip shot. The coach bypassed several other opportunities to go for intermediate field goals on fourth down, neither giving his chosen kicker the chance to fail or the loser the opportunity to wow. Kubiak seemed much more interested in seeing if the daring John David Booty could pass the too-timid Dan Orlovsky for the backup quarterback spot and who could blame him?

The idea that this kicking competition was every really open is something of a lark, more of a sign of the respect given to the Las Original Texan than a reality. Rackers made 41 out of 45 field goal tries the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, a better than 90-percent success rate. Brown made only 65.6 percent of his kicks last year — seemingly missing every one that really counted, including the ones against Indianapolis and Tennessee that everyone remembers, the ones that could have changed the course of a near-playoff season.

The only player remaining from the 2002 franchise debut season, Brown had his moments in Houston, but he came in as a shaky kicker from Pittsburgh and he'll leave the same way.

Kubiak played to sentiment as long as he could — through the preseason. Now, it's time to make the cut, to officially seal what's essentially a no-brainer decision.

Rackers immediately becomes a kicker who will be coveted by the fantasy football geeks (as much as anyone covets a kicker) in the Texans' high-powered offense. Brown will be left to catch on with another team (though a starting kicking job anywhere — at least to begin the season — is anything but the super-sure thing Brown's friends in the media, and this good guy has many, would have you believe).

The Last Original Texan deserved to hear more cheers on what looms as his unglorious goodbye. But some guys can't help but get kicked when they're down.

Update: The Texans cut Brown as anticipated Friday morning.