Thursday, January 24, 2013
Fixing the Texans' return game
By Tim Kavanagh
As the Houston Texans attempt to reload for another shot at Super Bowl glory in 2013, there are some big questions the team is asking itself regarding spots for improvement. One of those questions is in the return game on special teams.
Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chronicle examined the issue in a post this week. One development that was particularly frustrating for the club was the fact that Trindon Holliday -- who showed flashes of brilliance, but was ultimately ineffective and turnover-prone and was cut -- was a star once he arrived in Denver, including both a punt and kickoff return TD for the Broncos in their postseason appearance against the Ravens.
Keshawn Martin, who replaced Holliday, finished the season with a 23.9 yard return average, which was good for 20th in the league. If the Texans do want to make a specific upgrade at the position, there's the potential for one of the NFL's all-time returner greats to become available this offseason, as Devin Hester hinted after the firing of Lovie Smith that he no longer wanted to play for Chicago. Whether he's ready to stick with that line of thought remains to be seen, of course, but that would certainly fill the void for the Texans if they were able to lure him to Houston.
