Houston Texans: 3 reasons why Bill O’Brien is hurting the kicking game

Reason #2: The extra points

Fairbairn’s extra point percentage, 2019 NFL Rank: # 29

So far in the 2019 regular season, six extra pointshave been blockedthroughout the entire NFL. One of them came off the foot of Fairbairn. In 31 attempts following touchdowns, the Texans’ kicker has made 26 extra points, good for asecond-to-last place conversion percentageof all NFL kickers.

Nonetheless, it remains easy to see why the Texans signed Fairbairn. In his last two seasons as a

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UCLA Bruin, Fairbairn secured a remarkable94 out of 95 extra-point attempts—good for a conversion percentage north of 98 percent. Additionally, the third-year pro earned the prestigiousLou GrozaAward in 2015—the college kickers’ version of winning a Heisman Trophy. And by all accounts, the native Hawaiian appears to be a positive locker room presence—alsoa plus for O’Brien’s organizational vision.

Of course, the NCAA extra point conversion remains an easier feat to accomplish than its NFL counterpart. According to Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated, the distance between the two leagues requires NFL kickers toback up roughly 12 more yardscompared to those kicking at the college level. Also, the speed and talent of the NFL game requires kickers to utilize faster approaches and increased kicking accuracy immediately following the snap, thereby decreasing the likelihood of kickers converting kicks into points successfully.

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