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Te XAN S
John Benton
Offensive Line Coach
5th NFL Season • 3rd with Texans
coaches
John Benton enters his third season coaching
the offensive line for the Houston Texans.
In his first season with the team, Benton helped
the offensive line overcome a rash of injuries to
improve in both pass protection and run blocking.
Despite using eight different starting lineups, the
2006 Texans offensive line surrendered 25 fewer
sacks than in 2005. On the ground, the line improved
throughout the year and helped the team
average 123.4 rushing yards per game over the
second half of the season.
Last season’s offensive line was even better,
cutting the sack total in half from 2006, allowing
just 22 on the year, which set a team record. The
record-low sack total came while the team attempted
a record-high 529 passes, meaning the
line allowed a sack on just four percent of pass
attempts. The line also paved the way for the
team to rush for 1,586 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Benton broke into the NFL as the assistant offensive
line coach in 2004. During his first season,
the Rams’ offensive line was led by Pro Bowl LT
Orlando Pace. St. Louis finished the season with
an 8-8 regular-season record, but qualified for
the playoffs. The Rams rushed for 102 yards on
their way to a 27-20 win at division rival Seattle
in a Wild Card match-up. The offensive line gave
Rams quarterbacks enough time to finish fourth
in the NFL with 252.3 passing yards per game.
The St. Louis ground attack gained 1,496 yards.
Benton was named the Rams’ offensive line
coach in 2005. His line opened holes for RB
Stephen Jackson to rush for more than 1,000
yards for the first time in his career. Rams running
backs averaged 1,579 rushing yards during
Benton’s two years as the line coach. Benton lettered
at Colorado State from 1983-86 and earned
honorable mention All-WAC accolades during
his junior and senior seasons. He was a graduate
assistant at Colorado State from 1987-90. His first
offensive line job was at California University
(Pa.), where he also served as the recruiting
coordinator.
Benton returned to his alma mater in 1996. He
was the offensive line coach until 2000 and also
took over as the co-offensive coordinator in 2000
until 2003. Upon his promotion, Benton looked for
tutelage from Denver Broncos offensive coordinator
Gary Kubiak. Colorado State emulated the
Broncos’ power rushing attack.
A Durango, Colo. native, he and his wife Nicole,
have two daughters – Gabrielle and Paige. The
family resides in Sugar Land.
benton’s C O A C H I N G L E D G E R
2006-08 Offensive Line Houston Texans
2005 Offensive Line St. Louis Rams
2004 Assistant Offensive Line St. Louis Rams
2000-03 Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Colorado State
1996-00 Offensive Line Colorado State
1990-94 Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator California University (Pa.)
1987-90 Graduate Assistant Colorado State
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