HOUSTON – Just days after the Houston Texans were shut out in front of their home fans in a disappointing 30-0 playoff loss, the team is making changes to its coaching staff.
According to NBCSports.com, wide receivers coach Stan Hixon, defensive assistant Anthony Pleasant and special teams coach Bob Ligashesky have been fired by the team.
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The team allowed a 106-yard kickoff return for touchdown to open their playoff game Saturday against the Chiefs and head coach Bill O’Brien said after the game regarding the special teams, “We have to figure out how coach it better and how to get the players to execute it better.”
Ligashesky had been with the Texans for three seasons as one of the few holdovers from the previous coaching staff prior to O’Brien’s arrival in 2014.
On Sunday, the day after the loss, when asked about the special teams O’Brien said, “It's not very good. I'm not going to get into all of it because I really haven't evaluated the season as a whole.
"But looking at yesterday's game, we have to cover kicks better, we have to return kicks better. We have to block better."
He also added, "Everything's got to get better on special teams in order for us to be where we want to be this time next year. We have to really improve on special teams.”
In the game, in addition to allowing the Chiefs a touchdown on their only kickoff return of the game, the Texans had 0 return yards. They received four punts, one went out of bounds and the other three were all fair caught by rookie punt returner Keith Mumphery. All seven kickoffs received were touchbacks.
Hixon joined the Texans staff in 2014, coming with O’Brien from Penn State. While third-year receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a breakthrough season and made his first Pro Bowl, the rest of the receiving group were all new to the team this season and had little production. Veterans Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington were in and out of the lineup due to injuries and rookies Jaelen Strong and Mumphery struggled to make significant contributions.
Pleasant also came to the Texans as part of O’Brien original staff. He's a former NFL defensive lineman and won two Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots.