2012 HOUSTON TEXANS MEDIA GUIDE - Parent Directory - NFL.com

COACHING STAFFJOE MARCIANOSPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR11TH SEASON WITH TEXANS/27TH NFL SEASONJoe Marciano is in his 11th seasonas special teams coordinator for theHouston Texans. Regarded as oneof the League’s top coaches in his fi eld, Marciano hasdirected special teams for 26 NFL seasons. Marcianoand running backs coach Chick Harris are the onlycoaches to have been with the Texans since the team’sinception in 2002.The Texans set numerous special teams records onreturns, coverages and kicking in 2011. Houston had529 punt return yards, besting the franchise standardof 512 set in 2001. Wide receiver Jacoby Jones had acareer-high 518 yards on punt returns and set a franchiserecord with the third punt return touchdown ofhis career, a 79-yarder in the season opener againstIndianapolis. Kicker Neil Rackers set franchise recordswith 135 points scored and 32 fi eld goals made. RookieBrett Hartmann and veteran Matt Turk combined for afranchise-record 44.0-yard punting average, and Hartmannand Rackers set a team mark with 38 combinedtouchbacks on kickoffs. Marciano’s kickoff coverageunit ranked seventh in the NFL and held opponents to afranchise-low 22.4-yard kickoff return average.Marciano’s special teams units were affected greatlyby injury throughout the 2010 season but excelled in thekicking game. With Rackers leading the way, Houstonset a franchise record by converting 90 percent of itsfi eld goal attempts (27-of-30) and converted all 43 pointafterattempts. It was the most successful season forHouston’s kicking game in franchise history, accountingfor 124 points on 70-of-73 combined kick attempts (95.9percent).Marciano’s coverage units excelled in 2009, holdingopponents to a 4.3-yard punt return average and 22.5yards per kickoff return. Jones continued to be one ofthe most dangerous return men in the NFL, averaging10.9 yards per punt return and 26.6 yards per kickreturn, including a 95-yard kick return for touchdownagainst Oakland. Kicker Kris Brown surpassed the1,000-point plateau for his career and fi nished the yearwith 106 points, marking his third straight 100-point season,and booted a pair of game-winning fi eld goals. Turkset the team single-season punting record for the thirdstraight year, averaging 42.8 yards per punt.The 2008 special teams unit was one of the mostconsistent and explosive in the NFL. Brown turned inthe best season of his career, setting franchise recordswith 124 points, 29 fi eld goals and an .879 fi eld goalpercentage. Jones returned two punts for touchdowns,a franchise record, and fi nished third in the AFC with a12.1-yard punt return average. Turk broke his own franchisemark with a 42.3-yard average on a record-low53 attempts.Marciano’s special teams unit provided many of thebiggest highlights of the 2007 season, tying three NFLrecords. The Texans tied the NFL single-season recordwith four kickoff returns for touchdown on the season,becoming just the fourth team in League history to doso. Wide receiver André Davis tied another League recordwhen he became the seventh player in history toreturn two kickoffs for a touchdown in one game, doingso against Jacksonville in the season fi nale. Brown, whoscored a team-leading 115 points, became just the thirdkicker in League history to make three fi eld goals of 50yards or longer in one game when he did so againstMiami on Oct. 7. Turk also set team records for grossand net punting average in his fi rst season as a Texan,and the coverage unit held opponents to a record-low151 punt return yards on the season.Under Marciano’s guidance in 2006, punter ChadStanley posted the best gross punting average of hiscareer, averaging 41.6 yards per punt, and Brown ledthe team in scoring for the fi fth consecutive season.The Texans ranked sixth in the League in punt returnaverage, at 10.5 yards per return; and the kick coverageteam held opponents to the sixth-worst starting fi eldposition in the League.Marciano’s tenure as special teams coordinator washighlighted during the 2005 season. Pro Bowl selectionand AP fi rst-team All-Pro kick returner Jerome Mathiswas also honored by the NFL Alumni as the SpecialTeams Player of the Year and the Texans Rookie ofthe Year. He fi nished the season ranked second in theLeague for return men, returning 54 kickoffs for 1,542yards and two touchdowns. He was the only player inthe NFL to return two kicks for scores that season.Marciano helped Brown fi nish the 2005 season with102 points, including 26 fi eld goals. Stanley also had astellar 2005 season, fi nishing with 29 punts inside the20-yard line, the fourth most in the NFL. His 6.6 yardper-returnaverage ranked sixth in the NFL.In 2004, Brown set a club record with 85 points andnailed a career-high nine touchbacks. Second-year linebackerAntwan Peek had a breakout year with 18 specialteams tackles and a blocked punt. Meanwhile, theTexans ranked seventh in the AFC in opponent averagestarting fi eld position.In 2003, Stanley led the NFL with 36 punts inside the20 and his 36.7-yard net average ranked sixth in theLeague. Brown nailed 18-of-22 fi eld goals, missing justHOUSTONTEXANS.COM 29