Houston Texans’ coach Gary Kubiak backs kicker Shayne Graham in place of injured Randy Bullock
Houston Texans’ coach Gary Kubiak has backed veteran kicker Shayne Graham to assume a greater role in absence of rookie Randy Bullock who is going to be unavailable for the rest of the season with a torn muscle near his groin.
Gary praised the rookie to have played through training camp and preseason with lingering groin problem but said the player now had come to a point where even lifting his right leg had become difficult for him.
According to the coach, the groin problem "had been bothering" Bullock for a long period of time. He said the player did not complain much about it earlier, but lately he had gone “red and blue”, definitely requiring medical assistance.
The coach said of the rookie’s courage and career:
"A sad situation. He's going to kick in this league, he's going to kick a long time. Thankfully, we have Shayne, who's done a h**l of a job, too."
With Bullock out of the side for the season, Gary has backed Graham to assume the charge. He was in direct competition with the rookie but ahead of him in recent displays of his form and numbers.
Kubiak said:
"I think we would've been proud with either one of them. I think this situation obviously calls for Shayne to move forward and be our guy. We expect him to do well."
Although a possibility cannot be ruled out, Texans are less likely to look for a replacement for Bullock in the short run. In case of their decision to go shopping for a kicker in the market, they have option in form of Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff, who
has just been released by the Baltimore Ravens.
In realistic terms the Texans do not need a player of Billy’s calibre in presence of Graham, who himself has shown to be a high-profile player. His performance record consists of 145 for 157 on field goals he has attempted within 40 yards since 2001.
The Texans are least likely be affected to a greater extent due to absence of Bullock but the coach still calls his injury a setback to the team just before start of the season.
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