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Special Teams We WERE That Bad.........Again!

CloakNNNdagger

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
Like a broken record..............We Bad......We Bad.........We REAL bad........

Kickoff and punt returns: O'Brien mentioned special teams first, and focused primarily on the return game and covering returns. The Texans were 31st out of 32 teams last season in yards per punt
return with 6.1. Only the Chicago Bears were worse.

They weren't much better on kickoff return average, picking up 21.1 yards per kickoff return. That was the 29th-best mark in the NFL.

When covering punts, the Texans again ranked 31st in the League. Opponents averaged 12.4 yards per punt return. Kickoffs return yardage allowed was a bit better, but still in the bottom third of the NFL. The Texans gave up 26 yards per kickoff return, putting them in 25th place.

“We’ve gotta get better on special teams," O'Brien said. "We’re looking for, whether it’s in the draft or the rest of whatever’s left of free agency, can we find some guys? Maybe it’s a returner. Maybe it’s a guy that can cover kicks."

Speed on special teams can go a long way in helping punter Shane Lechler and kicker Randy Bullock, both of whom have strong legs.
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I'm a bit surprised by this. The season and my memory are long gone, but I thought our coverage teams were fairly solid last year, especially considering we actually blocked a couple kicks. Again I preface with a poor memory, but outside of a couple stinkers from Shane, I thought we won the punting game by a landslide with a high rate of kills inside the 10 yard line. The return game is still junk in both areas, but I apparently missed the holes in our coverage.
 
Stats show that the longest kickoff return against the Texans was 42 yards, with almost 50% of the kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. If I'm taking a sip of the Kool-Aid, that says the Texans never gave up a big play on kickoffs, even if they did give their opponents on average a slightly better starting field position.

As far as punts go, only 38% of Lechler's punts were returned, so the fuzzy memory is kind of right in that there were a lot of FC's and Inside20 kicks. It was when the opponents actually got the chance to make a return that it was a bit ugly for the Texans.

What they did well was keeping the ball out of play. What they did bad was stopping the returner when the ball was in play.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Like a broken record..............We Bad......We Bad.........We REAL bad........

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Well that's a shame because special teams play translates to wins and losses more than most phases of the game. We didn't seem to be that bad, but numbers don't lie.
 
sandman said:
Stats show that the longest kickoff return against the Texans was 42 yards, with almost 50% of the kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. If I'm taking a sip of the Kool-Aid, that says the Texans never gave up a big play on kickoffs, even if they did give their opponents on average a slightly better starting field position.

As far as punts go, only 38% of Lechler's punts were returned, so the fuzzy memory is kind of right in that there were a lot of FC's and Inside20 kicks. It was when the opponents actually got the chance to make a return that it was a bit ugly for the Texans.

What they did well was keeping the ball out of play. What they did bad was stopping the returner when the ball was in play.
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And I'm wondering if that isn't due, at least in part, to Lechler outkicking the coverage.
 
ObsiWan said:
And I'm wondering if that isn't due, at least in part, to Lechler outkicking the coverage.
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There was enough air in his kicks that there shouldn't have been many returns. But the first defenders ran by the returner far too often and left return lanes in their wake.
 
Seegara said:
Well that's a shame because special teams play translates to wins and losses more than most phases of the game. We didn't seem to be that bad, but numbers don't lie.
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???

There's three generally accepted phases to football. Offense, defense and special teams. Are you saying special teams play translates to wins and losses more than offense and defense?
 
michaelm said:
???

There's three generally accepted phases to football. Offense, defense and special teams. Are you saying special teams play translates to wins and losses more than offense and defense?
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If you make that offense OR defense, yes, absolutely.
 
I'm not surprised at all by the return rankings. They were abysmal last year, and the only seemingly positive thing about it was that they held on to the ball instead of coughing it up.
 
Double Barrel said:
I'm not surprised at all by the return rankings. They were abysmal last year, and the only seemingly positive thing about it was that they held on to the ball instead of coughing it up.
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That was the sole reason for them keeping Martin............he couldn't manage to go anywhere once he caught the ball, but he he offered a new concept in comparison to past Texans returners............he didn't fumble.
 
Seegara said:
Well that's a shame because special teams play translates to wins and losses more than most phases of the game. We didn't seem to be that bad, but numbers don't lie.
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Yep. That's what I've been trying to warn friends who are Detroit Lions fans about. Having Joe Marciano as their special teams coach translates to AT LEAST 3 losses, if not more.

As for the Texans, it seemed like we started out really well on special teams, but, then there was a drop off. Not sure what the deal was.
 
Special teams are very frustrating. Most of tbe games i wish we would just take a damn knee on kickoffs
 
Two weeks ago on a punt.. our punt returner was on the 10 and KC punted. The ball was sailing over his head and out PR just took off running forward while the ball was in the air.(out PR likes to go east/west not north/south it seems) No fake fair catch no nothing..my memory is shot on that gsme so i cant remember if KC stopped the ball at the 3(?) Or what or if it went in the endzone. If it was stopped onside the 5 was it the sequence that led to the pick 6?

Anyway. I thought about that yesterday while watchimg the green bay game. Their punt returner stood at the 10 and moved to the 15(or was he already at the 15?. Anyway i remember watching GB's punt returner do a semi fake fair catch and the ball sailed over his head.

Maybe i am nitpicking ...plus maybe its that my memory sucks. But to me i felt the GB play was the smarter play. Even if it is to slow the gunners down a bit and not a free sprint to the endzone amd maybe a chance to stop the ball...anyway in the green bay game it wouldnt have mattered. The ball hit and rocketed onto the endzone for a touchback
 
This thread was just flagged for an illegal block in the back.

But seriously, Lechler and Randy did their job Sunday. That's how bad it is when your punter and kicker were the highlights of the team.
 
TexansBull said:
This thread was just flagged for an illegal block in the back.

But seriously, Lechler and Randy did their job Sunday. That's how bad it is when your punter and kicker were the highlights of the team.
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Yep. Despite all the angst around being the first kicker to miss at the new PAT distance, Fat Randy has had two solid games. 3-3 on FGA and only 2 of 9 kickoffs have been returned. Last year I believe he was close to 50%. Lechler has simply been Lechler.
 
sandman said:
Yep. Despite all the angst around being the first kicker to miss at the new PAT distance, Fat Randy has had two solid games. 3-3 on FGA and only 2 of 9 kickoffs have been returned. Last year I believe he was close to 50%. Lechler has simply been Lechler.
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Lechler being Lechler is an improvement over the start of last year when he was battling some type of injury/pain.
 
They get rid of their ST stars. Brahman and more recently Charles James were standouts on ST and they kept others instead. That's on them. They have nobody to blame but their sorry ass selves.
 
I was expecting to see more of Worthy Sunday, but the Chronicle this morning wrote that he did return one KO for 27 yds. He was in for 8 offensive plays and caught both passes thrown to him. But on ST's, I would expect him to mishandle a few kicks over the course of the season, but on the flip side, to be an exciting and effective returner. I'd use him on both punt returns and kick returns until he proved ineffective in one or the other.
 
sandman said:
Yep. Despite all the angst around being the first kicker to miss at the new PAT distance, Fat Randy has had two solid games. 3-3 on FGA and only 2 of 9 kickoffs have been returned. Last year I believe he was close to 50%. Lechler has simply been Lechler.
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Yep but Bullock somehow managed to not kick his last kickoff out of the EZ, allowing precious time to be ticking away as the ball landed 3 yds into the EZ and was returned to ~ the 30 yd line.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Yep but Bullock somehow managed to not kick his last kickoff out of the EZ, allowing precious time to be ticking away as the ball landed 3 yds into the EZ and was returned to ~ the 30 yd line.
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That's being really nitpicky. That was what? 7-8 seconds for that play to run? Maybe the defense doesn't give up a 27-yard pass to the freaking TE on third down and save a few minutes of that 4-minute Panther drive. Nevertheless, the Texans got the ball back with almost 3 minutes on the clock and half a field. The offense had plenty of time to score and tie the game. Mallett **** a brick on that last drive going something like 2-9 along with the intentional grounding WTF.
 
sandman said:
That's being really nitpicky. That was what? 7-8 seconds for that play to run? Maybe the defense doesn't give up a 27-yard pass to the freaking TE on third down and save a few minutes of that 4-minute Panther drive. Nevertheless, the Texans got the ball back with almost 3 minutes on the clock and half a field. The offense had plenty of time to score and tie the game. Mallett **** a brick on that last drive going something like 2-9 along with the intentional grounding WTF.
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I don't believe that was "nitpicky." That play gave them good field position, and could have been run back even further. Every other Bullock KO was unreturnable. That late in the game, the last thing that you would want for a team that can't cover KOs worth beans is to take the chance of a long return with a shorter returnable kick.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
I don't believe that was "nitpicky." That play gave them good field position, and could have been run back even further. Every other Bullock KO was unreturnable. That late in the game, the last thing that you would want for a team that can't cover KOs worth beans is to take the chance of a long return with a shorter returnable kick.
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I understand your point about potential. The reality was 8 seconds and 9 yards compared to a touchback. There is enough wrong with this team to get frustrated over what actually happened to not worry about what might have happened but didn't.

Like the defense having Carolina in 3rd down at their own 35 late in the game down by 7 and giving up a 27-yard pass to a TE.
 
sandman said:
I understand your point about potential. The reality was 8 seconds and 9 yards compared to a touchback. There is enough wrong with this team to get frustrated over what actually happened to not worry about what might have happened but didn't.

Like the defense having Carolina in 3rd down at their own 35 late in the game down by 7 and giving up a 27-yard pass to a TE.
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No argument with that. Just a concern over Bullock's inconsistencies.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
No argument with that. Just a concern over Bullock's inconsistenciies.
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IMHO, the NFL is going to do something to change the kickoff rules. It used to be good kickers got kicks to the back half of the end zone. The expected is now to boot it out of the end zone. That doesn't help the NFL game generate excitement. Might as well just automatically start at the 20 and do away with the kickoff.
 
Punt returns ave ~3 yds ( what's with Rolle not catching the ball inside the Bucs' 5, and letting it bounce into EZ?)
Terrible protection return blocking for both punts and KOs ( with penalties again)
Terrible punt and KO coverage
Need for a blind fold during FG attempts
I'm sure I missed something, but I'm tired of thinking about it.
 
sandman said:
IMHO, the NFL is going to do something to change the kickoff rules. It used to be good kickers got kicks to the back half of the end zone. The expected is now to boot it out of the end zone. That doesn't help the NFL game generate excitement. Might as well just automatically start at the 20 and do away with the kickoff.
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Well, with Bullock and the Texans' incompetence at coverage, like last week, the single KOs not out of the EZ almost gave me a stroke.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
I don't believe that was "nitpicky." That play gave them good field position, and could have been run back even further. Every other Bullock KO was unreturnable. That late in the game, the last thing that you would want for a team that can't cover KOs worth beans is to take the chance of a long return with a shorter returnable kick.
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It's not like Bullock's leg was worn out from kicking extra points. WTF happened today? 5 missed kicks between the two teams? Geez!!!
 
tyler lockett with another return td today. man i wish we would have drafted him. but our dumbasses might have waived him.
 
brg88tx said:
tyler lockett with another return td today. man i wish we would have drafted him. but our dumbasses might have waived him.
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Our problems are clearly not the returner. He may have helped a little, but not much. The returners are pretty much getting tackled as soon as they catch the ball.
 
dream_team said:
Our problems are clearly not the returner. He may have helped a little, but not much. The returners are pretty much getting tackled as soon as they catch the ball.
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I agree, we would need Hester in his prime to get the ball returned past the 30 yard mark consistently with this group and that is just assuming they don't cause more penalties to take away yardage..
 
dream_team said:
I want Joe Marciano back... that's how bad it is.
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4368186_orig.jpg
 
Then it must be very bad indeed. I didn't get to watch the game but from what they're saying....
 
Naija Texan said:
I agree, we would need Hester in his prime to get the ball returned past the 30 yard mark consistently with this group and that is just assuming they don't cause more penalties to take away yardage..
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The illegal block in the back was invented here in Houston.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Punt returns ave ~3 yds ( what's with Rolle not catching the ball inside the Bucs' 5, and letting it bounce into EZ?)
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This is my biggest gripe about our abysmal special teams.

Who is the moronic coach that cannot seem to teach his returners to let the ball go into the endzone??? Even the tv announcers were talking about the concept of staying at the 8 yard line and if you have to go backwards to catch it, LET IT GO FOR A TOUCHBACK!!! Freakin' morons.
 
Double Barrel said:
This is my biggest gripe about our abysmal special teams.

Who is the moronic coach that cannot seem to teach his returners to let the ball go into the endzone??? Even the tv announcers were talking about the concept of staying at the 8 yard line and if you have to go backwards to catch it, LET IT GO FOR A TOUCHBACK!!! Freakin' morons.
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Maybe they should stop going for length at the end of their roster and go for speed and ball skills .
 
Dale Robertson ‏@sportywineguy 7h7 hours ago Dallas, TX

Romeo Crennel says he's not selfish when it comes to having his front-line defensive players contribute on special teams.

If they "help us win," Crennel said, "then they'll do the things to help us win." Reminded us that he used to coach special teams himself.
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Hopefully some of the new guys that were added this week will help seriously upgrade the ST's.
 
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