Tag: Calen Bullock

USC stars steal the spotlight on Sunday Night Football yet again

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Calen Bullock both made big plays in the most recent NFL Sunday Night Football game, boosting USC in front of a national audience.

During last week’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings, it was the USC Trojans on the field who stole the show. In this week’s prime-time showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans, the outcome was the same, with two former USC stars showing out under the lights.

First, former USC All-American and current Texans safety Calen Bullock who stepped up by recording an interception. Just 10 games into his NFL career, Bullock already has four picks.

In an ironic twist, the quarterback throwing the pick was former Cal star Jared Goff. In three starts against the Trojans while in college, Goff went 0-3, including throwing a 46-yard pick six to Adoree’ Jackson in the 2015 Cal-USC football game.

However, Goff would bounce back from the interception, later throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has now scored a touchdown in seven consecutive road games, tied for the NFL’s sixth-longest streak since the league’s 1970 merger. St. Brown has the Lions in first place in the NFC and in great position to make the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

Detroit would go on to win the game 26-23 on a walk-off field goal.

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Watch: Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock record third interception

Houston Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock recorded his third interception of his rookie season to get the ball back to his offense

Green Bay Packers Xavier McKinney leads the NFL interceptions with five picks.

Houston Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock is close behind at halftime after securing his third interception of the season just before the end of the first half of Week 7’s matchup at Lambeau Field.

Bullock picked off Packers quarterback Jordan Love on their first offensive snap with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.

It’s the third Texans takeaway in the first half.

Houston’s offense has struggled to move the ball on offense but has used its two previous takeaways to score 10 points. Bullock, who also picked off New England Patriots passer Drake Maye last week, is one of five players with three or more interceptions entering Sunday.

The USC product has seen a steady increase in playing time throughout the early part of his rookie season. He got his first start as a result of veteran Jimmie Ward missing a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bullock was a third-round pick in April’s NFL Draft. Texans general manager Nick Caserio has had plenty of success in the third round, including Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Christian Harris.

The Texans will begin the second half on offense.

Watch: Texans Safety Calen Bullock intercepts Patriots QB Drake Maye

Houston Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock records his second interception of the season against fellow first-year starter Drake Maye.

Things are going from bad to worse for the New England Patriots against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye overthrew his intended target on third down. Waiting deep in coverage rookie safety Calen Bullock for the interception.

New England, already in a 14-0 hole, handed Houston possession back in its territory. The Patriots’ offense has eight total yards in two drives.

Bullock earned his second interception of the season, with the first occurring in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Since then, Bullock’s rep count has increased and he’ll be on the field for a majority of Houston’s defensive snaps with veteran Jimmie Ward inactive.

Selected third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye was expected to sit his entire rookie season behind veteran Jacoby Brissett.

After just five games and a 1-4 start, New England opted to trot the rookie out against Houston.

The Patriots will start the second half on offense.

Drake Maye threw a terrible INT and social media let him know about it

Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye threw a terrible INT and social media let him know about it

Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye got his first NFL start on Sunday. Playing against the Houston Texans, the No. 3 overall pick replaced veteran Jacoby Brissett for the offensively-challenged Patriots.

In the early going, Maye’s lack of experience showed. He threw a rough interception.

First, the play. Maye missed his target by quite a bit on this throw, and Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock made him pay. This is a very bad throw and a too-easy interception for Bullock.

 

The social media reaction, from Patriots media and fans, was not amused with Maye’s rookie mistake.

https://twitter.com/henrycmckenna/status/1845518627384205816

https://twitter.com/Eric_Edholm/status/1845518487722102795

 

https://twitter.com/DougKyed/status/1845518599970336902

As of press time, Maye was 3-of-6 for 25 yards and the INT while the Texans led his Patriots, 14-0.

Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock continues to see more playing time

Houston Texans 2024 third-round pick Calen Bullock saw the most defensive snaps of his young career, potentially making the new starter.

When the Houston Texans drafted safety Calen Bullock in the third round last April, it was with the intent that he would one day become one of the team’s starting safeties. Through three weeks of the season, the day may have arrived. 

Bullock played in 53 of 63 defensive snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. For the first time this season, Bullock out-snapped veteran Eric Murray, who finished with 21 snaps Sunday.

https://twitter.com/JohnHCrumpler/status/1838216756814647603

Bullock’s playing time has increased each week, beginning at 25 snaps in Week 1 before jumping to 37 against Chicago and then peaking at 53 on Sunday. 

The USC product provides exceptional range at safety, something that wasn’t made ready on last year’s roster. He had one interception in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. He has missed out on potentially two more in the last two weeks, including Sunday, when he collided with Derek Stingley Jr. in the air while going for the ball.

https://twitter.com/JohnHCrumpler/status/1838561038842638753

Bringing in the rookie allowed head coach and defensive play caller DeMeco Ryans to comfortably move Jalen Pitre closer to the line of scrimmage at the nickel position. In turn, Ryans has had his defensive playbook open up through three weeks in the season.

Houston followed the NFL trend and played Cover 3 more than any other coverage, but it also used Cover 4 or “Quarters” nearly double the league average last season, according to The Kneel Down.

With Bullock, Houston now has a safety that can cover most of the field, which allows it to use more one-high safety looks, such as Cover 1.

The best example of Bullock’s range occurred in the preseason when Houston used him as the single high safety and entrusted the cornerbacks one-on-one. Bullock read Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kyle Allen’s eyes and reached the sideline as the ball spiraled toward the receiver and out of bounds.

Bullock caught the pass, but he did not get two feet in bounds. 

https://twitter.com/TexansCommenter/status/1822696152371773614

An area of concern for Houston entering the season was its ability to defend explosive plays. Last season, the Texans led all AFC in explosive plays allowed of over 20 yards.

Week 1 only further intensified the concerns with the Texans surrendering three 50-yard completions. Despite seeing eight attempts of 20 or more air yards, Houston has yet to allow a completion in the past two weeks, which coincides with an increase in Bullock’s playing time. 

Houston’s also increased its willingness to send extra pressure in the past two weeks with Bullock playing more. Its Week 2 meeting with the Chicago Bears was the most pressure Ryans has sent since taking over as the Texans head coach, and Sunday, he also called a blitz slightly above his average from a year ago (20.9%), albeit only one percent higher.

Bullock’s physical talent was never a question, but he fell to the third round because of his tackling woes during his three seasons at USC. 

So far, Bullock has yet to miss a tackle in three games, albeit in only five attempts. He also did not miss a tackle in the preseason. It’s a notable improvement in a short time frame because, during his final season with the Trojans, Bullock posted a 13.5 percent missed tackle rate.

Houston extended fellow safety Jimmie Ward’s contract through 2025 before the season, and Pitre’s emergence at slot defender role likely signals he’ll be with the team for the next few seasons. After the season, Stingley will become extension eligible and is in line to become one of if not the highest-paid cornerback in the league.

Fellow 2024 draft pick Kamari Lassiter has the lowest passer rating allowed (14.9) among rookie cornerbacks.

Suddenly, Houston’s secondary, the subject of most of the questions concerning the defense entering the season, has four starters with under three years of NFL experience and is holding up well. 

It may be too early to declare, but Bullock is on pace to be the latest third-round hit from general manager Nick Caserio. Day 2 has been kind to Houston, but Caserio has crushed Round 3 of the draft through his first three seasons, landing  Davis Mills, Nico Collins, Christian Harris and Tank Dell. 

Could Texans rookie DB Calen Bullock see more reps against Bears?

Calen Bullock could be the x-factor in Sunday’s matchup for the Houston Texans as Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears head to NRG Stadium.

While Calen Bullock is a part-time starter, he’s proven to be a full-time ball hawk in the Houston Texans secondary.

The playmaking safety from USC has consistently caught the coaches’ attention at practice and throughout the preseason thanks to his range, closing speed and newfound physicality.

In the Hall of Fame game, Bullock caused a fumble at midfield against tight end Tommy Sweeny.

A week later versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, he almost made a diving interception after tracking the ball for 30 yards in the air.

Those types of moments have been a common theme in practice. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has come away impressed with Bullock’s steady growth as a third-round pick.

“Calen did what he’s done every day in training camp,” Ryans said last week. “He went and took the football.”

That “football” became a statement moment for Houston in Sunday’s 29-27 win over the Colts. Indianapolis was driving heading into halftime as Anthony Richardson looked to give his team a four-point lead entering the second quarter.

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Richardson overshot tight end Kylen Granson on a crossing route, giving Bullock enough time to read and react before the ball touched the ground. He dove, scooping the passing with his chest to record his first career interception.

“Not many rookie safeties have done that — get an interception in their debut game — and Calen can add his name to the list,” Ryans said Wednesday afternoon. “It wasn’t surprising to me, and that’s why we want to get him on the field. Because he has such a great knack for finding the football and actually coming down with it and making game-changing plays.”

Bullock, who totaled nine interceptions during his three seasons at USC, now faces a test that could bode well in his favor. The Chicago Bears enter NRG Stadium for the Texans’ home opener, headlined by No. 1 overall pick and former Heisman winner Caleb Williams.

Bullock, who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ highest-ranked rookie in Week 1 (82.3), remembers facing Williams in practice out in the California heat. He knows what Williams’ peak looks like, but also mentioned there were times when he’d come away with the turnover during team drills.

“He can do it all,” Bullock said. “This game, we’re trying to keep that boy in the pocket. Once he gets outside the pocket, he tries to make things happen. Most times, he makes things happen.”

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1833620715519504393

The Texans have an inside track on continuing Williams, who struggled in his debut against the Tennessee Titans. The two were close out in Los Angeles, often talking about their futures and how they planned to build off their college careers in the pros.

This week, Bullock won’t talk to his former Trojan teammate. He said he’s blocked Williams to prepare for the primetime game and expects plenty of trash-talking between the two when either side steps up and delivers.

It’s all fun and games at the end of the day. The two will embrace when the clock hits zero and will head back to the locker room with another game under their belt.

Players commonly trade jerseys following the game, but Bullock said his first home jersey isn’t leaving his locker,

https://twitter.com/MrColeThompson/status/1833955124156182590

“I’ll send him one after the game, but I’m not trading jerseys,” Bullock laughed.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.

Texans 3rd-round safety comes away highest-graded rookie of Week 1

Texans 3rd-round safety Calen Bullock comes away as the highest-graded rookie of Week 1

If you were to guess who would come away as the highest graded rookie after week one of the NFL season plenty of names within the first round would likely slip into your mind. However, a third round pick of the Houston Texans in Calen Bullock ultimately took home that honor with a PFF grade of 82.3. 

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1833620715519504393

According to PFF:
“The third-round pick played 25 snaps and earned an 82.3 PFF grade in Week 1, the highest grade among all rookies in the NFL. He earned a 76.7 coverage grade, allowing no receptions and coming away with an interception.”

Not a bad start to the season for the former USC Trojan, who had to earn his snaps in training camp to even get to see the field. While Bullock ultimately only had 25 snaps on the afternoon, he was still graded 3 points higher than the next rookie on the list.

Bullock should continue to see his snap count increase in Houston as he continues to show he fell under the radar on draft night. If Bullock can continue to keep up his high marks and develop further for the Texans, he could end up being one of the steals of the draft.

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Watch: Texans rookie DB Calen Bullock records first career interception vs. Colts

Calen Bullock comes up big for the Houston Texans before halftime at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Calen Bullock was best known for his ball-hawking skills at USC.

He’s making the same plays at the next level for the Houston Texans’ defense.

Bullock recorded his first interception against Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to halt a scoring drive before halftime. The Colts were driving inside Houston’s red zone after a Richardson 19-yard scramble.

Drafted 75th overall, Bullock has been a standout in practice and training camp. He made multiple interceptions against both C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, plus improved as a tackler.

At USC, Bullock totaled nine interceptions and 17 pass breakups in three years.

The Texans enter halftime with a 12-7 lead. They will receive the ball to begin the second half.

Watch: Texans rookie DB Calen Bullock forces fumble in Hall of Fame Game

While the Houston Texans might not have gotten the ball back, the coaching staff watched rookie Calen Bullock make an elite defensive play.

The Houston Texans might have another rookie ready to start on defense come Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Safety Calen Bullock forced a fumble against Chicago Bears tight end Tommy Sweeny during the second quarter of the Hall of Fame Game, though the Bears recovered to keep the drive alive. The third-round pick also was credited with a tackle.

Bullock, known for his rangy coverage skills during his three seasons at USC, lowered his shoulder to jar the ball loose. Multiple Texans players watched the ball bounce off their hands before Chicago recovered the ball at the Texans’ 48-yard line.

Bears quarterback Brett Rypien connected three plays later with Collin Johnson for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7. So far, it’s been an even game between the two sides.

Bullock has mixed in between the first and second-team defense through the early stages of training camp with veteran Eric Murray. With Jalen Pirte moving down into the nickel, Houston must replace his skill set on the back end.

It’s still early in Bullock’s career, but the Texans believe he can be a difference-maker in time. For the Trojans, the 6-foot-3 defensive back recorded 15 pass breakups and nine interceptions.

The Texans, who lead 17-14 at halftime, will kickoff to begin the second half.

Calen Bullock could have a breakout season in 2024 with Texans

NFL analysts are high on Calen Bullock and think he adds value to the Texans.

Houston Texans third-round safety Calen Bullock signed a four-year, $5.856 million contract that includes a $1.079 million signing bonus. It’s the next step in the NFL journey for the USC product.

The former Trojan was selected 78th in this spring’s NFL draft. The Texans traded up to the Philadelphia Eagles’ original spot in exchange for the 86th and 123rd overall selections.

Bullock, a native of Pasadena (California), had two interceptions last season and returned one for a touchdowns along with 61 tackles and seven pass breakups.

As a sophomore, he was a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection who intercepted five passes and returned one for a score. He started every game and had 48 tackles and five pass breakups.

Bullock’s versatility at defensive back will help him see tons of action on the field for a loaded Houston defense. The Texans will be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl in February of 2025.

Bullock has started games not only at both safety positions; he has started at nickel and cornerback too.

ESPN believes in Bullock, naming him a top-30 selection in the 2024 NFL draft at No. 29. Bullock was the only Texans player selected among the top 100 players drafted over the three-day event. 

Bullock was my top-ranked safety. He’s not a big striker or hitter, but his ball skills (nine interceptions since 2021) and range are beautiful from a deep safety alignment. And his addition will allow Jimmie Ward to thrive in the slot for Houston. – ESPN’s Matt Miller 

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