Texans release Randy Bullock; sign Nick Novak

He was in camp with the Chargers. It's not like he's been sitting around doing nothing since the end of last season.

And he averaged 65.3 yards per KO this preseason which is pretty much what Randy averaged all of last year (65.4).

 

Because if points are at a premium... you need every single one you can get.

 

Jeez, I didn't even think they kept track of stats like that... pretty sure this is the first time anybody has ever analyzed average kickoff yardage before.

Of course some will still go around touting that a 3% reduction in field position or kickoff yardage is the end of the world.

 

Love this waive. Novak is good.

 

It's a stat that exists, though it's a little misleading. If you kick a touchback, it counts as a 65 yard kick. But if you kick it into the endzone and the returner brings it out, it counts the full distance of the kick. So if you kick the ball 5 yards deep and they bring it out, it counts as a 70 yard kick and if they don't, it counts as a 65 yard kick.

I mentioned in a earlier post that Novak actually led the league in average yards per KO in 2013, but it still didn't result in many touchbacks and I'm unsure of the reason for that. He had obviously got the ball into the endzone plenty, but the returners rarely took a knee.

 

Probably didn't kick the ball with enough hangtime for the special teams to get down there

 

Wonder who'll be the next starter/ high draft pick casualty will be. My eyes are on Filo and Strong next year.

 

Why did the Chargers get rid of Novak?

 

I'm in wait and see mode here, and I don't really care one way or the other, but you're "it all evens out" claim is pretty simplistic.

And, while you've never heard of teams willing take the trade-off of distance vs. accuracy, there are already two examples in this thread: The Chargers and The Redskins.

Kickoff distance definitely matters to some teams (more than others). It's probably dependent upon other factors of that situation.

 

If that is the case then you DO have to be concerned about kick-offs. Field position and return touchdowns matter too. Those lead to much more than 1 point.

 

Presumably because the other kicker in camp had a stronger leg and SD had struggled with KO coverage. That said, through 3 games the SD kicker (Lambo) is still allowing the 4th most yards per return and has the 6th worst touchback % in the league. Teams are still bringing the ball out and getting a lot of yards against the stronger legged kicker. The problem is deeper than who's doing kickoffs.

 

Yes... but ultimately the scoring comes first.

And if you're kicking off a lot, you're scoring a lot.

 

not if you're just scoring on fg's and giving up td's on the other end...

 

Texans passed on Carr for this guy.

 

Must be absolute worst case scenario day on the BBS.

You guys presume that the opponents are going to be starting at midfield... his average was the 24 yard line last year, which is about where the Chargers are averaging this year.

The Texans average is above the 20 yard line as well.... and Bullock was not a league leader in TB% last year.

If they're scoring on FG's, they're scoring... they need a kicker who can be relied upon to make kicks (both routine and slightly difficult).

 

I don't quite get all the hub bub.

The Bullock missed 3 PAT's in 3 games and didn't look to be kicking well. The HC didn't like his attitude, performance and lacked confidence in him. So a new kicker was brought aboard.

Not much to discuss. You defer to your HC.

 

I have never seen such an outstretched football discussion for someone as petty as a kicker....

You would think we just lost Adam Vinatieri for freaking Neil Rackers.

And Nick you only like him because y'all have the same name!

 

If your kickoffs and coverage is bad, so is the other team.

Alright enough going around in circles. I wonder why/if he considered just going for 2. Jay Prosch? Hopkins? Mallet? Watt? Do like the Steelers and go for 2 all the time. Or at least most of the time.

 

When you're waiting with bated breath every time your kicker attempts a field goal or extra point, then it's probably time for a change. I like that BOB didn't waste more time with this issue; he's holding his players accountable. And he replaced him with a guy that was 84% last year on field goals and 90% the previous two years before that. Solid move.

 

Couldn't care less about Novak... just never had confidence in Bullock, and was pretty sure they were going to make this move once they decided to bring in other kickers.