Coaches

Joe Marciano is in his 11th season as special teams coordinator for the Houston Texans. Regarded as one of the League’s top coaches in his field, Marciano has directed special teams for 26 NFL seasons. Marciano and running backs coach Chick Harris are the only coaches to have been with the Texans since the team’s inception in 2002.

The Texans set numerous special teams records on returns, coverages and kicking in 2011. Houston had 529 punt return yards, besting the franchise standard of 512 set in 2001. Wide receiver Jacoby Jones had a career-high 518 yards on punt returns and set a franchise record with the third punt return touchdown of his career, a 79-yarder in the season opener against Indianapolis. Kicker Neil Rackers set franchise records with 135 points scored and 32 field goals made. Rookie Brett Hartmann and veteran Matt Turk combined for a franchise-record 44.0-yard punting average, and Hartmann and Rackers set a team mark with 38 combined touchbacks on kickoffs. Marciano’s kickoff coverage unit ranked seventh in the NFL and held opponents to a franchise-low 22.4-yard kickoff return average.

Marciano’s special teams units were affected greatly by injury throughout the 2010 season but excelled in the kicking game. With Rackers leading the way, Houston set a franchise record by converting 90 percent of its field goal attempts (27-of-30) and converted all 43 point-after attempts. It was the most successful season for Houston’s kicking game in franchise history, accounting for 124 points on 70-of-73 combined kick attempts (95.9 percent).

Marciano’s coverage units excelled in 2009, holding opponents to a 4.3-yard punt return average and 22.5 yards per kickoff return. Jones continued to be one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL, averaging 10.9 yards per punt return and 26.6 yards per kick return, including a 95-yard kick return for touchdown against Oakland. Kicker Kris Brown surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for his career and finished the year with 106 points, marking his third straight 100-point season, and booted a pair of game-winning field goals. Turk set the team single-season punting record for the third straight year, averaging 42.8 yards per punt.

The 2008 special teams unit was one of the most consistent and explosive in the NFL. Brown turned in the best season of his career, setting franchise records with 124 points, 29 field goals and an .879 field goal percentage. Jones returned two punts for touchdowns, a franchise record, and finished third in the AFC with a 12.1-yard punt return average. Turk broke his own franchise mark with a 42.3-yard average on a record-low 53 attempts.

Marciano’s special teams unit provided many of the biggest highlights of the 2007 season, tying three NFL records. The Texans tied the NFL single-season record with four kickoff returns for touchdown on the season, becoming just the fourth team in League history to do so. Wide receiver André Davis tied another League record when he became the seventh player in history to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in one game, doing so against Jacksonville in the season finale. Brown, who scored a team-leading 115 points, became just the third kicker in League history to make three field goals of 50 yards or longer in one game when he did so against Miami on Oct. 7. Turk also set team records for gross and net punting average in his first season as a Texan, and the coverage unit held opponents to a record-low 151 punt return yards on the season.

Under Marciano’s guidance in 2006, punter Chad Stanley posted the best gross punting average of his career, averaging 41.6 yards per punt, and Brown led the team in scoring for the fifth consecutive season. The Texans ranked sixth in the League in punt return average, at 10.5 yards per return; and the kick coverage team held opponents to the sixth-worst starting field position in the League.

Marciano’s tenure as special teams coordinator was highlighted during the 2005 season. Pro Bowl selection and AP first-team All-Pro kick returner Jerome Mathis was also honored by the NFL Alumni as the Special Teams Player of the Year and the Texans Rookie of the Year. He finished the season ranked second in the League for return men, returning 54 kickoffs for 1,542 yards and two touchdowns. He was the only player in the NFL to return two kicks for scores that season.

Marciano helped Brown finish the 2005 season with 102 points, including 26 field goals. Stanley also had a stellar 2005 season, finishing with 29 punts inside the 20-yard line, the fourth most in the NFL. His 6.6 yard-per-return average ranked sixth in the NFL.

In 2004, Brown set a club record with 85 points and nailed a career-high nine touchbacks. Second-year linebacker Antwan Peek had a breakout year with 18 special teams tackles and a blocked punt. Meanwhile, the Texans ranked seventh in the AFC in opponent average starting field position.

In 2003, Stanley led the NFL with 36 punts inside the 20 and his 36.7-yard net average ranked sixth in the League. Brown nailed 18-of-22 field goals, missing just one inside 50 yards. J.J. Moses ranked fifth in the AFC with a 23.4-yard kickoff return average.

In 2002, Brown connected on 13 field goals from 40-plus yards and Stanley ranked second in the AFC in net average (36.8), leading the conference with 36 punts inside the 20. The Texans also scored two touchdowns on special teams (punt return, punt block), recovered three fumbles, and yielded just 5.7 yards per punt return, leading the AFC.

Marciano arrived in Houston after spending the previous six seasons in the same capacity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under Marciano, the Bucs boasted one of the NFC’s most consistent special teams units. Tampa Bay blocked 20 kicks, registered nine of the 10 longest punt and kickoff returns in club annals, and recorded 10 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week awards during his six seasons.

Kicker Martin Gramatica posted remarkable numbers during his first three NFL seasons. Gramatica nailed 84-of-101 field goal attempts (counting playoffs) and earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2000, breaking his own club single-season records in points scored (126), field goals (28), consecutive field goals (16), 50-plus-yard field goals (five), and extra points (42). Tampa Bay also set a team mark and tied a League mark by blocking seven kicks (four field goals, three punts), returning two for touchdowns in 2000.

In 1999, linebacker Shelton Quarles broke a 10-year Bucs single-season record with 31 special teams tackles. Tampa Bay opponents averaged just 17.6 yards per kickoff return, which set a club record. In 1998, Marciano’s charges set single-season club marks in both kickoff return average (23.7) and punt-return average (13.7). In 1997, the Bucs finished first in the NFL in opponent net punting and opponent field-goal percentage.

Marciano joined the Bucs after spending the previous 10 years as the special teams coach for the New Orleans Saints. For the first nine of those campaigns, he also coached the team’s tight ends. During Marciano’s New Orleans tenure, he coached three special teams players who were selected for the Pro Bowl (Morten Andersen, Tyrone Hughes, Bennie Thompson).

Marciano’s first professional football job came as the special teams/tight ends coach for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the USFL, helping the club win two league championships. Marciano joined the Stars after spending 1982 as the tight ends/special teams coach at Temple.

In 1981, Marciano tutored the tight ends for Joe Paterno at Penn State. Marciano also coached wide receivers at Villanova (1980) and Rhode Island (1978-79). He began his college coaching career overseeing the tight ends at East Stroudsburg University in 1977. Marciano coached at Wyoming Area High School in West Pittston, Pa., in 1976.

A native of Dunmore, Pa., Marciano was a quarterback at Temple, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He serves as a spokesperson for Autism Speaks and is very active in the organization’s annual fundraising walk held each fall in Houston.

Marciano is an avid fisherman who has conducted various fishing tournaments and has appeared on numerous ESPN fishing shows. In 1993, Marciano was inducted into the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He is single and resides in Missouri City with his son, Joseph.

MARCIANO’S COACHING LEDGER
2002-12:  Special Teams Coordinator, Houston Texans
1996-01:  Special Teams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1995:  Special Teams, New Orleans Saints
1986-94:  Special Teams/Tight Ends, New Orleans Saints
1983-85:  Special Teams/Tight Ends, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
1982:  Special Teams/Tight Ends, Temple
1981:  Tight Ends, Penn State
1980:  Wide Receivers, Villanova
1978-79:  Wide Receivers, Rhode Island
1977:  Tight Ends, East Stroudsburg State
1976: Wyoming Area (Pa.) High School