Tag: Frank Ross

WATCH: Texans K Ka’imi Fairbairn nails 61-yard field goal against the Seahawks

Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 61-yard field goal against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14.

Ka’imi Fairbairn has always had the leg; sometimes, he just doesn’t have the accuracy.

With four seconds left until halftime, Houston Texans coach David Culley decided to let Fairbairn try a 61-yard field goal before the break. The Texans’ kicker split the uprights and gave Houston a little momentum as they trailed the Seattle Seahawks 16-13 at halftime at NRG Stadium.

On the season, Fairbairn was 9-of-12 entering Sunday’s game. The 61-yard field goal is a team record.

Special teams coach Frank Ross told reporters on Nov. 18, when Fairbairn was in the midst of a slump, that he was not worried about the kicker.

“The guy shows up every day to work,” Ross said. “Let’s say there are five or six kicks in a field goal set, and he doesn’t feel good with one of them, he’ll go and get that extra work in. Going to continue to see him every single day improve on any mishit he may or may not have. I’m happy with where he is at and he knows it’s one kick at a time, as we all do.”

Is Jeff Driskel following the path of former Texans QB Joe Webb?

The Houston Texans are trying to figure ways to use Jeff Driskel, which is reminiscent of another former QB, Joe Webb.

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The Houston Texans are determining different ways to utilize Jeff Driskel.

Driskel, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round in 2016 from Louisiana Tech, switched over to tight end. The switch crowds the tight end room for Houston, but also gives the Texans another athlete for special teams.

Special teams coordinator Frank Ross likes the possibility of using Driskel’s size at 6-4, 235 pounds to help out with his special teams units.

“Guy can jump, run,” Ross said. “You know, raw obviously. He has not been the hitter, he’s been at quarterback for so long. He’s trying to avoid as much as possible, now we are going to train him in our techniques. But again,  every player here is a football player first and it’s nice to have a guy who’s willing to do anything whether it’s a positional change or whether he’s asked to do a role that would be a little bit foreign to him within a core player already.”

The path Driskel is taking is one reminiscent of former Texans quarterback Joe Webb. The former Minnesota Vikings 2010 sixth-round pick from UAB spent the 2018 season with Houston, playing predominantly on special teams. Although Webb was an emergency quarterback and played some receiver, catching two passes for 13 yards among his 35 offensive snaps, the 6-4, 231-pounder played 312 snaps on special teams.

Although Webb made his transition earlier in his career with the Vikings in 2012, he proved that going from avoiding hits to delivering hits can be done.

Said Ross: “Definitely going to continue to work with him and every player that we have. Here’s the thing about Jeff. He’s smart, he’s tough and of course, he’s physically gifted. So, we’ll see where we can take it.”

Driskel has not seen any playing time in 2021 as Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills have taken all the snaps at quarterback.

Overcompensation may have led to Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn missing extra point in Week 11

Houston Texans special teams coach Frank Ross says overcompensation may have been the reason why Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an extra point in Week 11.

The Houston Texans pulled off the upset in Week 11 when they downed the Tennessee Titans 22-13 in rainy conditions at Nissan Stadium.

The Texans snapped their eight-game losing streak and handed the 8-2 Titans a loss that complicates their quest to shore up the AFC South en route to the No. 1 overall seed.

In the victory, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an extra point on the Texans’ first touchdown of the afternoon. Instead of leading 13-0 with 7:47 to go until halftime, Houston led 12-0.

Ultimately, Fairbairn’s missed extra point came out in the wash as Titans kicker Randy Bullock similarly missed an extra point of his own.

Texans special teams coach Frank Ross wouldn’t make excuses for Fairbairn when he met with the media on Nov. 24, but he did point out that the extra points haven’t exactly been sure things since 2015 when they were moved back to 33 yards.

“You see it across the league, that doesn’t mean anything,” said Ross. “Everybody has to focus on their own players and do their own job.”

Fairbairn is 9-of-11 on field goals in 2021 with a 4-of-7 rate on extra points. Ross suggests the third missed PAT of the season may have been an overcompensation on Fairbairn’s part.

Said Ross: “I’ve said this before, but nobody wants to make the kicks more than himself. He’s working every day to improve any little mishit he may have. There was an overcompensation there pulled it across a little bit. We kick our extra points from the left hash as we see it, and a ball that doesn’t necessarily stay straight or hook is going to be even more emphasized from the left hash that close in.”

Ross has confidence Fairbairn will be on point when they face the New York Jets in Week 12 at NRG Stadium.

“He’s going to continue to work that and hopefully get that right this week,” Ross said.

Texans waive kicker Joey Slye

The Houston Texans have waived kicker Joey Slye.

The Houston Texans are getting closer to having kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn back for the season.

The Texans waived kicker Joey Slye on Thursday. The former Carolina Panthers kicker 7-of-8 on extra points and 4-of-5 on field goals in his three-game stint while Fairbairn was on injured reserve.

Special teams coach Frank Ross told reporters on Sept. 21 that the Texans as a special teams unit had to clean up their operation to ensure field goals and extra points banged through.

“We’ve got to fix our field goal protection in general,” said Ross. “We’ve got to get all that together. We’ve got to get those guys to make sure we know everything is stout and pure.”

The Texans take on the Buffalo Bills Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time for Week 4 at Highmark Stadium.

4 people at fault for the Texans’ 31-21 loss to the Browns

The Houston Texans sustained a 31-21 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Here are four people to blame for the Week 2 loss.

The Houston Texans had a chance to start the season off with a 2-0 record, the first time since 2016 they would have done so.

Instead the Texans gave up 10 points off turnovers, and the Cleveland Browns made that the difference as they beat Houston 31-21 Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Texans did have some bad luck befall them in the form of injuries, but there were still elements of the game within their control that they didn’t exactly corral.

Football is the ultimate team game, but here are four people at fault for the Texans’ loss to the Browns in Week 2.

Colts’ Frank Ross to be hired as Texans ST coordiantor

Texans grab a Colts assistant for their new coaching staff.

Indianapolis Colts assistant special teams coach Frank Ross is expected to be hired by the Houston Texans as their new special teams coordinator, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Ross had interviewed for the role last week and there was a strong chance he would get the job. This just adds to the list of assistants the Colts have to replace this offseason.

Ross has been with the Colts for three seasons now since arriving as assistant special teams coach in 2018 where he has been working under special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone since.

He only has five years of experience in the league as he worked with the Patriots for two seasons before joining the Colts.

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Report: Texans interview Colts’ Frank Ross for special teams coordinator

Texans eyeing another Indy staff member.

The Houston Texans reportedly interviewed Indianapolis Colts assistant special teams coach Frank Ross for their vacant special teams coordinator role, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle.

As the Texans passed over Matt Eberflus for their head coach position, it seems the division competitors aren’t done trying to poach from the Colts coaching staff this offseason.

Ross has been with the Colts for three seasons now since arriving as assistant special teams coach in 2018 where he has been working under special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone since.

He only has five years experience in the league as he worked with the Patriots for two seasons before joining the Colts.

It remains to be seen if Ross will get the job in Houston, but the Colts will have to fill a number of spots on their coaching staff this offseason.

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