first off, of course Kubiak is going to say that Bullock is the kicker. He'll keep saying this until he isn't the kicker anymore, and that will happen if he continues to miss kicks. Looking at the list that a previous poster submitted of the available kickers nobody on that list got my attention. I do agree with another post that Graham will be cut once Suisham is healthy (Pittsburgh). Sounds crazy but if Bullock continues to miss kicks I would bring in Graham again. He's pretty damn accurate from inside 50 yds, and he did make a 50 yarder (not sure exactly what the distance was) in the NE playoff game. He looks to be the best of what's available, and there doesn't appear to be much out there.
I think he gets until week 6 to shake it off. If the kid poops the bed anytime between now and San Fran, he won't be coming home to face the Rams.
So you're saying there won't be a competition for the job? Kubiak will continue to say Bullock is his guy... even if he keeps missing critical FGs week after week... even until Graham shows up and starts emptying Bullock's locker? Interesting.
What I'm saying is it doesn't matter what Kubiak says. It's just words. If he (Bullock) continues to miss kicks then they'll cut him and bring someone else in to do the job. There won't be a competition (involving Bullock) as they'll know he can't do the job. The competition will be amongst the kickers they bring in. How long will they allow Bullock to miss FGs? It becomes easier when the missed kick(s) cost them a game. Even if it doesn't cost them a gm, if it's obvious Bullock can't handle the pressure, why keep him around knowing he can't do the job? I think they'll know for sure over the next 2-3 gms. Maybe even sooner!!
Bullock - talked about a lot. 1/5. There's disappointment because we think he's heck of a kicker. 4 misses, 3 are 50 yards. Not like I'm giving him chip shots. We take that into consideration but he has to make that kick to end the game. That's his job. We got confidence in Randy. Lets get him closer. Expect him to step up and be stronger. I think it's important(meeting with him). Mr. McNair said something to him too. Our guys respect Randy. He's a worker. He works hard at what he does. And he's young. We're going young with him. We're standing by him. He has a job to do. We'll all support him.
When did anyone say Bullock would be competing against other FA kickers who are brought in? My earlier post assumes adult fans have been following the NFL long enough to know how 'in-season' competition works among FA kickers -- not incumbents. If Bullock has another poor showing next Sunday (conversion rate of 1-4) or if he flubs a game tying or game clinching FG again, then we should expect to see free agents brought in next Monday. Will it happen? That's another topic for debate.
I found this interesting (from the ESPN Texan blog): Kicking is mental and there are times when early struggles never reverse. There are other times when they do. Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski only made one of his four 50-plus yard attempts his rookie year. Overall in his 14-year career Janikowski has made 56 percent of his field goals longer than 50 yards. In fact, Janikowski started his NFL career missing three of his first four field goal attempts. That mental shift is what punter Shane Lechler, who has favorably compared Bullock's accuracy to Janikowski's, is trying to instill in Bullock.
Fat Randy still has a job. This "twitter feed" passed as news on chron.com Randy could have been the talk of the town if he hit the 2nd game winner in a week. I guess he's getting some slack because of his aggie blood line. I figure if our kicker was from any other school, he would be at least getting out his luggage. Randy is comfortably unpacked. Randy Bullock’s 1-for-5 start as the Texans’ new field-goal kicker continued to draw attention Monday. Coach Gary Kubiak said the team is disappointed in Bullock’s early struggles but acknowledged he’s been placed in tough situations. Bullock’s 0-for-3 on field-goals attempts of at least 50 yards. He failed on three kicks Sunday during a home overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans, including a 46-yarder that hit the left upright as time expired in regulation. “He’s got to make that kick to the end the game. … That’s his job,” Kubiak said at Reliant Stadium. Bullock was selected by the Texans in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft out of Texas A&M. He didn’t play last season, then replaced Shayne Graham this year. “We’ve got confidence in Randy,” Kubiak said. “We’ll see if we can get him a little bit closer. But we expect him to step up and be strong here and work through this and do a good job for us.” Texans owner Bob McNair and veteran punter Shane Lechler have reached out to Bullock, who hit a game-winner at San Diego in Week 1, then missed a potential game-winner against the Titans. “You watch your locker room as a coach and I know our guys respect Randy,” Kubiak said. “He’s a worker. He’s not some guy who comes in here and kicks his few balls and calls it a day. He works really hard at what he does and he’s young. We’re going young with him and we’re going to stand behind him. “He’s got a job to do. He’s responsible for his job. But we’re going to give him a lot of help. His teammates are going to support him. I’m going to support him and we’ve got to get him going in the right direction here.” Twitter: ChronBrianSmith If we have more breakdowns, which avaliable kickers are out there?
We spent a 5th round pick on him...of course he still has a job. All his misses have been long shots. He's got at least one more game.
