Houston Texans
Shane Lechler - #9 - P
| Status | Active |
| Height/Weight | 6' 2"/ 230 lbs. |
| Birthday | 08/07/1976 |
| Birthplace | Sealy, TX |
| College | Texas A&M |
| Years played | 14 |
| Drafted | 2000, 5th round, 13th pick by Raiders |
Comeback another sign Texans have turned corner?
The Texans overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to win at Washington on Sunday, running their record to 2-0 and keeping a one-game lead in the AFC South and perhaps signaling they are developing into legitimate contenders.
Texans WR Johnson has mild ankle sprain
Two Texans underwent MRIs Monday on their ankles. WR Andre Johnson has a mild sprain and is listed as day-to-day but is expected to start in Week Three. TE James Casey is expected to be out with an ankle sprain.
Schaub, Texans flip the script in Week Two
The Texans and QB Matt Schaub taught fantasy players a valuable lesson on Sunday: Don't read too much into one game.
Kubiak comes through in crunch time
Speculation mounted about Gary Kubiak's future in Houston late last season, but, thanks to the play of DE Mario Williams and others, owner Bob McNair is reaping the rewards of his loyalty after the Texans' impressive start.
Texans WR Johnson will have MRI on right ankle
Texans WR Andre Johnson will undergo an MRI on his right ankle this week. He left Sunday's game in the third quarter, only to return in the fourth period and haul in the game-tying TD pass.
Rackers FG gives Texans OT win over Redskins
Neil Rackers kicked a 35-yard field goal with 3:24 left in overtime, and Matt Schaub's 497 set a franchise record Sunday as the Houston Texans improved to 2-0 with a 30-27 win over the Washington Redskins.
Loss of promising Barwin weakens Texans' DE depth
The loss of promising reserve DE Connor Barwin hurts the Texans' depth, but the pass rush was no concern against Indianapolis because of the play of starting DEs Mario Williams and Antonio Smith.
Texans sign DEs Ogunleye, Denney
To add depth to the defensive end position after losing Connor Barwin for the season, the Texans have signed DEs Adewale Ogunleye and Ryan Denney.
Foster's emergence brings real balance to Texans' offense
Texans RB Arian Foster's sudden emergence as Houston's lead back makes an already very good offense more balanced — and thus more dangerous.
Report: Texans DE Barwin out for season with fractured ankle
Texans DE Connor Barwin crashed into a teammate in the first quarter of Week One and will miss the remainder of the season with a fracutred right ankle.
Texans likely rethinking game plan after Foster's monster day
Arian Foster had generated plenty of hype leading up to Week One, but nobody could have seen this coming.
Texans surprise Colts as Foster sets record
Arian Foster ran for a team-record 231 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the Texans to a 34-24 victory over the Colts on Sunday.
Texans TE Daniels will start Sunday
Ten months after tearing his ACL against the Bills, Texans TE Owen Daniels will return to the gridiron in Sunday's season opener against the Colts.
Opportunity as Texans' backup knocks for Leinart
New Texans QB Matt Leinart will push Dan Orlovsky for the top reserve role behind starter Matt Schaub and may be a better fit in Houston's offense than Arizona's scheme, the way we hear it.
Texans sign seven to practice squad
The Texans signed seven players to their practice squad on Monday. They have one remaining open spot on the squad.
PLAYER NEWS
The Houston Texans have signed Lechler. Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the team Saturday. ESPN reported the deal was for three years and worth a maximum of $5.5 million, with a $1 million signing bonus.|||||||
The 36-year-old Lechler is the NFL's career leader in gross average per punt (47.3 yards) and has led the league in gross average in four seasons. He also ranks seventh in career net punting average (38.8 yards).
Lechler went 1 for 2 in his chase for punting records. Lechler fell just short of breaking Sammy Baugh's single season mark for gross punting average, while topping his own mark for net average in a season.|||||||
Lechler averaged 52.4 yards on five punts in Sunday's season finale for Oakland against Baltimore. That gave him a 51.1-yard average for the season, just shy of Baugh's record of 51.4 yards in 1940. Lechler finished the season with a 43.9-yard net average, breaking the mark of 41.2 he set last season. No punter had topped a 40-yard net average until Lechler and Andy Lee did so in 2007. Lechler has extended his record the past two seasons.
Lechler, who already owns the league record for career average, is having his best season so far and is making his strongest bid yet to beat Sammy Baugh's 69-year-old record of 51.4 yards. It's an achievement Lechler has been chasing since he entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick in 2000.|||||||
A four-time Pro Bowl pick, Lechler leads the NFL with a 52.3-yard average heading into Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. That's more than three yards higher than Lechler's own franchise record of 49.1 set in 2007.
Lechler has agreed to a four-year contract to stay with the Oakland Raiders, the Associated Press has learned.|||||||
Lechler could have become an unrestricted free agent next week after being chosen to the AFC's Pro Bowl team for the fourth time in his nine-year career. The Raiders didn't disclose financial terms of the deal, but it's believed to make Lechler the highest-paid punter in NFL history.
Lechler will test out his strained hamstring over the next couple of days, and if no problems arise, he plans to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints. The punter, who has been limited since suffering the injury in the Raiders' first exhibition game, is considered as day-to-day.|||||||
Lechler was selected to the Pro Bowl last season after leading the league with a 46.7-yard average on 73 punts.
