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Trindon Holliday, Ben Tate In The Mix To Return Kicks For Texans In 2011

Little Trindon's only accomplishment in his rookie season was riding a tricycle at training camp. Ben Tate's only accomplishment was getting screamed at by Gary Kubiak every day for not being a good practice player. I can tell you, from in-person experience at camp, that the bit about Tate is absolutely true.

So naturally, a guy who rides a four year-old girl's bike and a guy who thinks practice starts whenever he wants it to start are candidates to fix Houston's awful return game. This, from HoustonTexans.com's Nick Scurfield:

(Special Teams coach Joe) Marciano said that "long list" includes wide receivers David Anderson, Derrick Townsel and Paul Williams; cornerbacks Roc Carmichael, Brandon Harris, Sherrick McManis and Glover Quin; and safeties Quintin Demps and Shiloh Keo. And Tate, who's by far the most surprising name in the group.

Here's the reality - Ben Tate is going to need something to do in 2011, assuming he doesn't spend training camp in Kubiak's doghouse. The front office has hinted that they are going to feed Arian Foster until he can't eat anymore, and the Texans didn't pay Derrick Ward to come in and be the number three who is just around in case someone gets hurt. 

As far as Holliday goes, should he make the team, it will be as a true specialist. The coaching staff keeps pumping that he needs to learn receiver to make the team, but that's simply not true. The guy is not a receiver and no amount of practice is going to change that. He can absolutely make the Texans as a return specialist, the problem is that he has to be an excellent return specialist to be worth that roster spot, especially since we know Kubiak loves himself a long-snapper. Oh, and a third quarterback.

Images by eflon used in background images under a Creative Commons license. Thank you.