Houston Texans Positional Breakdown: Special Teams
By Randy Gurzi
Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans kicker Randy Bullock (4) kicks off during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Randy Bullock 5’9″ 206 Pounds, 25 Years Old
The kicker who many people, including myself, were begging Houston to cut in 2013 really turned things around in 2014 and had a solid season.
Some Background Info;
Bullock is the first kicker ever selected by the Texans as they took him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft after he played at Texas A&M. The Texan born Bullock was competing for the starting job and tore his groin in the preseason that year and missed his whole rookie year.
After sitting out the whole year, Bullock entered 2013 as the starter and was erratic to say the least. After hitting a game winner week one, he followed that up with three misses in one game in week two. Again in week nine he had a trifecta of misfires, and finished the year a sad 26 of 35 for 74.3%.
In 2014 Bullock seemed much more calm as he finished the year hitting on 30 of 35 kicks and finished the season with a respectable average of 85.7%. He also set the record for most field goals made in a game for Houston when he his six makes dealt the Ravens a loss late in the season.
What To Expect This Year;
Perhaps 2013 was a mixture of the team falling apart, Bullock recovering from injury and getting used to the pressure of being an NFL kicker. If so, 2015 should be much more like last season where Bullock was a good kicker, and I have a feeling he will be again. Although it would be nice to see some competition at this spot, if for nothing more than to push Bullock to perform at an even higher level.
Next: The Veteran Punter