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Should The Houston Texans Cut Randy Bullock?

After a rough start to 2015, including missing two extra points, Texans fans wonder whether Bill O'Brien should cut ties with his kicker and bring in someone else.

By Tim
Under attack.
Under attack.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Through three games in 2015, Randy Bullock has attempted five extra points after Texans' touchdowns. He has missed two of them, one of which occurred yesterday. Bill O'Brien's reaction to Bullock's latest PAT miscue was captured on the television broadcast.

As infuriating as that is, it must be noted that this is the first year in which NFL PATs are kicked from the 15-yard line instead of the 2-yard line. While you'd like to think your professional football kicker would regularly nail 32 yard field goals, early returns indicate that may not be the sure thing we thought it would be.

PATs are only one part of the equation. A kicker needs to also consistently hit field goals. In yesterday's win over the Bucs, Bullock also missed a field goal (his first such miss of the season). Over his three-year career (recall that Bullock missed 2012, which would have been his rookie year, due to injury), Bullock has hit 61 FGs in 76 attempts, good for a success rate of 80.3%.

Before you pack Bullock's bags, it's fair to give the guy credit for his kickoffs, which are consistently strong. Of course, that doesn't make up for a lack of accuracy on PATs or FGs, but it's worth mentioning.

Also worth mentioning: The Texans have brought other kickers in for workouts while Bullock was still on the roster before, though it was back in 2013, under a different regime, when Bullock was in the late stages of a truly wretched campaign.

My question to you, loyal Texans fan, is this: Should the Texans cut Randy Bullock before the next game against the Falcons? If you're wondering who they'd replace him with, here's a partial list of available kickers. Do Shayne Graham (for a return engagement!), Alex Henery, Rian Lindell, or Jay Feely excite you? Hit the poll and discuss the situation in the Comments below.

UPDATE: While it doesn't mean Randy Bullock is going to get cut, the Texans are bringing five (5) free agent kickers to town tomorrow for a workout.

UPDATE II: It would seem Bill O'Brien answered the question posed in this post in the affirmative.

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