K Randy Bullock
Special Teams Coordinator Joe Marciano

K Randy Bullock
(on his feelings about being drafted by his hometown team) “It feels great. It’s my dream, growing up in Houston. To have the opportunity to play in my hometown, it’s a dream come true.”

(on where he is watching the draft) “I’m watching the draft in College Station, Texas, with some family and close friends.”

(on his reaction when they called his name) “It was awesome. They called me with a couple minutes left on the clock, and I wasn’t sure if the fifth round was going to work for me because I saw the time ticking down. When I saw the Houston area code, my heart stopped.”

(on if he was aware that the Texans never drafted a kicker before and if he thought he might be the first) “I had an idea through interviews and my workout process with them. They had told me they were considering doing it, and I’m very happy that they did. It’s the place that I wanted to be, so I’m very excited about my opportunity to be a Houston Texan.”

(on what the Texans did to scout him) “I saw (special teams coordinator) Coach (Joe) Marciano several times. I worked out for him at the Combine. He came out and worked me out at my pro day. I went and worked out in Houston for them for their local workout, and we stayed in touch several times probably once or twice a week throughout the whole process. I knew he was high on me. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but I’m very, very happy that it did.”

(on what he thinks of Texans special teams coordinator Joe Marciano) “I’ve enjoyed my conversations with him. I really get along well with him, and I think that’ll carry over onto my play, onto the field. Having a relationship like I have with him going into the season will definitely be a great situation for me.”

(on his family’s reaction about his being home) “Everybody started yelling. As soon as we saw the Houston area code, I said, ‘Hold on,’ and everybody started yelling. Most all my friends here are from Houston, so everybody’s fired up, and I’m very excited to be in blue and red.”

(on what he thinks the difference will be kicking in the NFL) “Honestly, I think it’ll be about the same. A lot of it’s just continuing to work hard, moving through the workout process. Everything’s mentally tough. It’s a learning process, and I think I’m prepared to go out and contribute as soon as I get there.”

(on how much of a possibility he saw Houston being after K Neil Rackers signed with the Redskins) “That right there was kind of a red flag. Obviously, they didn’t have anybody on their roster, so they would definitely be looking for somebody. I wasn’t sure if it would be something that they would draft or a free agent, but they were obviously in the market, and I was hoping that my number was the number that they dialed.”

(on if he was excited when he saw K Neil Rackers had signed with the Redskins) “A little bit. I really didn’t follow a whole lot of that throughout the process. Most of the information I had was from friends and family members. I stayed away from the internet the last few months, but all that stuff didn’t really mean anything until my number was called.”

(on if he was excited when the Texans were established in 2002) “Absolutely. I grew up watching the Houston Oilers, and then we didn’t have a team for a while when they moved out to Tennessee. I started following them immediately once they came to Houston, and it’s pretty neat for me to be in this situation. It’s a dream come true.”

Special Teams Coordinator Joe Marciano
(on K Randy Bullock) “Obviously, very positive. There’s a couple things I like about Randy. Obviously, he has the leg strength. I worked him out twice, so leg strength is important and mindset is important. I just think he’s a very strong-minded individual. He has a lot of confidence in himself. More importantly, I’ve got confidence in him.”

(on if he has any concerns about going with a rookie at kicker) “None.”

(on if Bullock’s ability to overcome adversity has made him so strong-minded) “Well the tragedy with his dad, overcoming that is pretty strong. I don’t know. You’d have to ask him that. I just think his total makeup, he’s all business. That’s another thing I found out as I’ve researched a lot of young kickers this year in case we had to go this route. I talked with a lot of them and worked a few out. I studied a lot of tape. I made a lot of phone calls. He is all business. That’s another part of the process and equation that I like about him.”

(on Texans general manager/executive vice president Rick Smith saying that kickers tend to fail before they succeed in the NFL) “It’s no different than any other position. Everybody fails. Show me one that didn’t fail.”

(on if it’s more obvious when a kicker fails) “We took a rookie punter last year so we’re not afraid to make a move. The biggest difference obviously is if the punter shanks a punt in the second quarter and they end up going three downs and punt, it kind of goes unnoticed. But if a kicker misses a big kick or makeable kick and you lose by two points, obviously its more amplified, you’re right.”

(on the return abilities of Keshawn Martin) “There were a couple of guys we were looking at for the wide receiver position. The fact that he has return ability, everything else being equal, he gives us more value and he’s a terrific punt returner and kickoff returner.”

(on Randy Bullock’s ability to kickoff) “He’s pretty strong. We’re in a league now where the five yards makes a difference. It depends on who you play. If you put it eight yards deep and you’re playing the Jets or the Bears, they’re coming out. You’re going to have to cover some kicks. There’s a couple things that I think I can help him with to be more consistent in getting the ball deeper, a couple technical things I think he can improve on. He’s strong; he’s strong enough to kickoff.”

(on what stands out about Keshawn Martin returning kicks on film) “He plays fast. He’s fearless. He’s got courage. He doesn’t like to run out of bounds. When he got near the sidelines he looks to cut back or even get three, four, five more yards. Usually I judge a returner by how they run the middle returns because when you run in the middle, it’s not a wall. It’s instincts and he has the instincts. He has running back instincts. He can put his foot in the ground and make a move. He can break tackles. He can make you miss. He has the speed to go the distance. He’s pretty complete. There are not many holes in him as a returner.”