Tag: Bryan Anger

Texans Week 12 injury designations: Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills ruled OUT

The Detroit Lions (4-6) Week 12 opponent, the Houston Texans (3-7), have released their injury designations ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game. 

The Detroit Lions (4-6) Week 12 opponent, the Houston Texans (3-7), have released their injury designations ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game.

Here’s a look at the Texans’ full injury designations list.

Injury status

Player Position Injury Designation
Josh McCown QB Illness OUT
Cullen Gillaspia FB Back OUT
Randall Cobb WR (starter) Toe Placed on IR
Kenny Stills WR Quad OUT
P.J. Hall DT (starter) Knee/Shoulder OUT
Laremy Tunsil LT (starter) Illness No Designation
Senio Kelemete LG Concussion No Designation
Bryan Anger P (starter) Quad Questionable

Cobb has made a career of beating up on the Lions and Stills’ speed would have surely given the Lions issues, so Detroit catches a break with the two of them missing this game. Unfortunately, the Texans still feature solid wide receiver options, including starters Brandon Cooks and Will Fuller, as well as Keke Coutee, who will likely take over Cobb’s spot.

Tunsil missed last week’s game and Roderick Johnson filled in admirably for him. Tunsil looks ready to go with no injury designation, but if for some reason his illness pops back up again, they have a capable replacement at the ready.

Anger punted through a Quad injury last week and he is expected to play.

Texans’ Romeo Crennel has ‘fingers crossed’ punter Bryan Anger can go against the Patriots

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel hopes that punter Bryan Anger is able to go against the New England Patriots in Week 11.

In the NFL, when a player is injured, it’s next man up.

What do you do when the injured player is your punter?

This is the scenario the Houston Texans will have to face as they gear up for the New England Patriots Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. Punter Bryan Anger has been limited in practice throughout the week with a right quad injury. Anger is also listed on the injury report as questionable for the Week 11 matchup.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed with Anger,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said Friday.

If Anger is unable to go, the Texans could go with kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, who was able to execute a fake field goal punt last week against the Cleveland Browns in the 10-7.

“Most kickers can punt some, but whether you want to call them punters or not, I’m not sure,” Crennel said. “I know that he’s punted some balls in practice. But it’s like being a quarterback. A lot of guys can throw in practice, but when you’re back there behind that line with the rush coming, it’s a different deal.”

Should Anger not be able to go for Houston, Texans fans will all be crossing their fingers every time the punt team takes the field.

Texans vs. Patriots Wednesday injury report: LT Laremy Tunsil did not participate

The Houston Texans released their Wednesday injury report, and left tackle Laremy Tunsil did not participate due to an illness.

The Houston Texans released their Wednesday injury report ahead of their Week 11 showdown with the New England Patriots Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and running back Duke Johnson both were out of practice due to an illness. Punter Bryan Anger was held out of practice due to a right quad injury, while receiver Kenny Stills had a back injury that kept him out of practice. Safety Michael Thomas also missed practice due to a shoulder injury.

Houston has three players who were limited: guard Senio Kelemete (concussion), outside linebacker Jacob Martin (not injury related, though it is his first practice since coming off COVID reserve), and defensive end Charles Omenihu (hamstring).

For information on the Patriots’ injury report, check out the Patriots Wire.

Texans special teams are still in good shape after Brad Seely’s retirement

The Houston Texans still have key special teams pieces on the roster, even after the retirement of special teams coordinator Brad Seely.

The Houston Texans won’t have the benefit of Brad Seely and his decades of special teams experience coordinating the transition unit in 2020, but there are still valuable pieces on the roster.

Pro Football Focus uncovered statistics that Texans punter Bryan Anger finished in the top-10 of the football analytics firm’s punt grade as well as ubiquitous stats such as net average and average hang time.

The Texans acquired Anger during training camp, cut the former Jacksonville Jaguar and Tampa Bay Buccaneer the end of preseason, and then signed him back to the active roster ahead of their Week 3 showdown at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Houston also has Ka’imi Fairbairn handling the kicking duties. The former UCLA Bruin connected on 20-of-25 field goals for an 80.0% field goal percentage, the second-best of his career. However, the extra point percentage was the lowest of his career at 88.9%. Fairbairn connected on an overtime field goal in the AFC wild-card that delivered the Texans a 22-19 win over the Buffalo Bills for the club’s first playoff win since 2016.

Long snapper Jon Weeks also returns for the Texans. The Pro Bowl long snapper gives Houston stability at one of the most critical yet unheralded aspects of the game.

The Texans also have role players on the rosters who provide consistency to the team’s coverage units. Linebacker Dylan Cole earned his first captaincy of his career in 2019, and the club also added a Pro Bowl special teamer in safety Michael Thomas.

Though Seely retired, the knowledge and cohesion he forged on the Texans may not be lost. If the club chooses to promote Tracy Smith, who has been Seely’s assistant since 2010 with the Cleveland Browns and has followed him at every stop between there and Houston, then all of the pieces the Texans have will continue the system; they won’t have to relearn a new one.

Seely was a coach that Bill O’Brien relied upon, but he still has two others in his inner circle still on the staff in associate head coach Romeo Crennel and offensive line coach Mike Devlin. Similarly, the loss of Seely may not be impactful to the special teams given the talent and experience already present.

Use your Anger: Texans give punter three-year extension

On Saturday, the Houston Texans locked up punter Bryan Anger to a three-year extension, locking him in for the long haul.

The Houston Texans found their punter.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Texans are signing punter Bryan Anger to a three-year extension. The terms of the deal are not yet known.

Anger, 31, signed-on with the Texans on July 23. He did not make the roster, losing the job to Trevor Daniel. However, on Sept. 17, before Houston’s Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Charger, he signed back with Texans.

On 40 punts in 2019, Anger has 1,846 yards, good for an average of 46.2 yards per punt. He has a long of 71 yards on the season. He has sent 21 boots inside the 20 and has a net average of 44.1 yards per.

The Texans rank tops in the NFL in punt return yards allowed with 73.

“Anger‘s done a good job. He’s flipped the field for us,,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said of Anger on Dec. 11. “He’s punted well. He’s come in here and he’s a good teammate. He does a really good job as a teammate and I think he’s punted well.”

Anger was a third-round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 out of California. He moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016 and finally the Texans in 2019.

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Special teams unit trying to be a turning point for the Texans

The Houston Texans’ special teams unit is trying to be a turning point for the team in 2019. Though less flashy, they are putting in work to win.

The offense and defense may get the credit for a team’s success. However, a lack of competency on special teams can be the ultimate restraint. The Houston Texans employ that train of thought; it’s visible in their recent improvement since special teams coordinator Brad Seely’s arrival in 2018.

Under Seely, the Texans have elevated from 29th in Football Outsiders‘ special teams rankings in 2017 to seventh in both 2018 and 2019 (through Week 9). For long-time Texans long snapper Jon Weeks, that improvement comes via a group that puts their collective heads down and works.

“I think we have a great special teams unit. I think we have a lot of great guys that understand their role on the team,” Weeks told The Texans Wire Monday. “They work very hard to better themselves each day. I think that we understand that there is always room for improvement.”

From Weeks to kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to punter Bryan Anger to returner DeAndre Carter, the goal is simple for the Texans’ “third-team”: be a turning point, and, subsequently, make plays.

“We can be a turning point for this team,” Weeks continued. “We can help this team with explosive plays, whether its kickoff or punt returns or just making a big tackle on our kickoff coverage.”

Under coach Bill O’Brien, the Texans have taken a Bill Belichick-like approach to their special teams. Their 53-man roster contains a handful of specialized special teamers; including running backs Buddy Howell, Taiwan Jones, linebackers Barkevious Mingo, Tyrell Adams, Peter Kalambayi and safety A.J. Moore.

There is one consistent in the Texans’ special teams unit: hard work. Like the defensive line’s “Lunch Pail Crew,” the group takes pride in constant improvement and grinding out the less-flashy snaps.

“We understand the group of guys in our locker room,” said Weeks. “We understand that we can be special. But, we also understand that we have to put the work in to do it. Which is why I think everyone has seen the improvement because we have a bunch of guys that are willing to come in every day and put in work and make sure we are getting the best out of each other.”

Moving forward, the special teamers of the Texans may not be the superstars you tune into on Sundays. However, without them, Houston may not boast their 6-3 record and current AFC South first-place ranking.