SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY

by b4theprofit on Jan 23, 2012 9:00 PM CST

The 2011-2012 NFL post season has taught us the importance of special teams play. Texans, Ravens, 49ers, and maybe another game I am missing have all been won or loss on special teams. All games feature one play on special teams unit that either gave up, or failed to get points at a pivital time in the game( I say Jacobys was pivital because it reversed momentum......i felt a a stomping in the making until that point).

Our front office MUST focus on special teams in the late rounds/undrafted market. We need A PURE SPEED CB AND WR.......They can be vary raw, that is fine. Type of players that will probably not see the field , except on special teams, for their first couple years in the NFL. Add a couple more in the undrafted market. Guys that are fast, and have top tier game speed. Special teams has proven to be the deciding factor in many post season games( WHEN THEY COUNT ) .We need a new punt returner that can be solid with enough camp repititions. Jacoby has proven a LIABILITY in the return game. We also need better gunners on the outside and all around better blocking. A special teams unit like the 2000 era Bears would put us over the top come playoff time.

This is the only area of obviuos improvment this team could make. We have a average special teams unit. We have a above average Offens and defense. Get us a ABOVE AVERAGE SPECIAL TEAMS UNIT RICK SMITH, THEN YOU WIN THE SUPER BOWL........GET IT DONE MR. SMITH, GET IT DONE.

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No they don't.

Our ST in 2011 were top ten in KR’s. and PR’s and were decent in coverage and this was after losing some ST guys along the way. Jacoby just picked a horrible time to muff the first punt of the year. Other than that the return game in 2011 was one of the best the Texans have ever fielded.

Prediction: 11-5 AFC South champions.

by Ethan Matz on Jan 23, 2012 9:17 PM CST reply actions

Kick Returns

were not good (-1.9 worse than league average). That was bottom third in the league and worse than our kick coverage, punt coverage, and punt return squads (4.3, 1.0, and 4.6 better than average, respectively). FG/XP were also bad (-2.5 worse). Houston was 12th overall in ST DVOA, but that was bolstered to some degree by being among the biggest beneficiaries of weather impact (6.5 points better than average).

In terms of ST DVOA, the Texans were better in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009.

Sticking just to the four categories you mentioned, 2011 was much better than 2010 and 2004 and slightly better overall than 2008 and 2006, but worse than 2009 (Kicking: 5.5 above average; KR: 4.7 above; Punts: 10.3 above; PR: 4.0 above), 2007 (8.6; 21.2; 0.9; -1.0), 2005 (13.0; 22.5; 0.5; -4.8), 2003 (8.1; 0.6; 6.8; -2.6), and (overall) 2002 (-0.7; -5.1; 19.3; 0.7).

Point being, “the return game in 2011 was one of the best the Texans have ever fielded” is not accurate.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

The Two-Day Hangover @ Battle Red Blog (2011) & SBN Houston (2010) | Twitter | About MDC

by MDC on Jan 25, 2012 9:51 PM CST up reply actions

IMO, Sherrick McManis was the worst returner in the league.

by willieboyd on Jan 25, 2012 9:59 PM CST up reply actions

Pr's were " decent "

I am aware of how highly ranked Manning was…..but HOW MANY returns did he have? Fact is the blocking simply was not there to allow returns. On the returns he was allowed to make, he did a great job…….he has been one of the best in the league for years. Jacoby didn’t just muff a punt. He was horribly inefective in the return game all year, that game especially.
“decent " should not be acceptable to the caoching staff. Like I said, they are average. A average team goes 8-8. We can not settle for average.

by b4theprofit on Jan 24, 2012 1:00 AM CST reply actions

13. A lot of the kicks we got went out of bounds plus he missed weeks of play time and didn't return kicks immediately. when he got back.

Fact is the KR return game was very good. And I wouldn’t say “he was one of the best for years”. He’s decent to pretty good. Jacoby wasn’t ineffective this year. He led the AFC in punt returns yards and was tied for the league lead in returns of 40+ yards.

Decent as in top 10 in all returns categories as well as one of the better coverage units in the league, especially compared to last year, is very good and sure as hell not average.

Prediction: 11-5 AFC South champions.

by Ethan Matz on Jan 25, 2012 11:35 AM CST up reply actions

Again

No, the KR game was not “very good.” Not relative to what an average team would have expected.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

The Two-Day Hangover @ Battle Red Blog (2011) & SBN Houston (2010) | Twitter | About MDC

by MDC on Jan 25, 2012 9:52 PM CST up reply actions

Manning and Demps were very good.

33.8 and 27.4 respectively.

McManis was 20.5. I still don’t know why he was ever returning kickoffs.

by willieboyd on Jan 25, 2012 10:06 PM CST up reply actions

Sorry, reversed those numbers.

by willieboyd on Jan 25, 2012 10:08 PM CST up reply actions

Demps had a whopping 5 returns

so sample-size errors etc. etc.

More to the point, those 18 returns don’t make up overall for McManis’ 10 returns, and 28 total kick returns isn’t enough to say that “KR return game was very good” as Ethan is claiming.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

The Two-Day Hangover @ Battle Red Blog (2011) & SBN Houston (2010) | Twitter | About MDC

by MDC on Jan 26, 2012 8:31 AM CST up reply actions

True.

I just can’t get over McManis. He was Slaton-esque.

by willieboyd on Jan 27, 2012 8:57 PM CST up reply actions

We also have to remember

that every injury directly affects the ST. 2nd and 3rd teamers (for the most part) have to be able to play ST if they want a spot on the team. But if our normal ST players suddenly start on O or D, then they are likely to get replaced on ST to keep them fresh.

I remember a few years ago our ST REALLY stunk it up, but that was also the same year we had something like 17 guys on IR. They were pulling guys from the practice squad to fill ST holes. The health of our starters has a huge impact on the general quality of our ST.

Also, they tried to replace JJ…but Holiday couldn’t get it done. We all know that was our chance to get a speedy receiver AND replace JJ on ST. That attempt just didn’t work out.

Thank you Texans for 2011.
The 2012 season can't start soon enough.
Honey Badger for President

by Big T33 on Jan 24, 2012 8:53 AM CST reply actions