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13 Jerome Mathis - Biography
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 191
COLLEGE: Hampton
NFL EXP: 3rd season
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | GS | rec | yds | avg | lg | td | kret | yds | avg | ktd |
| 2005 | HOU | 12 | 0 | 5 | 65 | 13.0 | 34 | 1 | 54 | 1542 | 28.6 | 2 |
| 2006 | HOU | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 192 | 27.4 | 0 |
| 2007 | HOU | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 320 | 29.1 | 1 |
| Totals | 17 | 0 | 6 | 80 | 13.3 | 34 | 1 | 72 | 2054 | 28.5 | 3 | |
TRANSACTIONS: Selected by Houston Texans in the fourth round (114th overall) in the 2005 NFL draft…signed by Texans on July 29, 2005…placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2006...placed on injured reserve on Oct. 6, 2007.
HONORS: Played in the 2006 Pro Bowl, 2006 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (8), 2005 Associated Press First Team All-Pro Kick Returner, 2005 NFL Alumni Kick Returner of the Year.
PRO: Speedy, athletic receiver with dangerous kickoff return abilities...was productive in first three games in 2007, with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Colts (9/23), but spent the rest of the season on injured reserve due to a leg injury...has 72 career kickoff returns for 2,054 yards (28.5 avg.) with three TDs...finished rookie season as the second-ranked return man in the league, earning himself a trip to the Pro Bowl as the AFC's kick return specialist...made the 2005 Associated Press All-Pro Team, becoming the first Texan to earn that distinction...was also the first Texan to be named to the All-NFL team (kick return specialist) by Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America…started the 2006 season on physically unable to perform list with a foot injury he suffered at the Pro Bowl…played in two games during his second season before being placed on injured reserve.
2007: Played in the first three games before being placed on the reserve/injured list with a leg injury...totaled 11 kickoff returns for 320 yards, a career-best 29.1-yard average, with an 84-yard touchdown, the third of his career...returned two kickoffs for 51 yards in the season opener against Kansas City (9/9)...returned two kickoffs for 36 yards at Carolina (9/16)...caught one pass for 15 yards and totaled seven kickoff returns for 233 yards, including an 84-yard TD on the opening kickoff, against Indianapolis (9/23)...was inactive with a leg injury at Atlanta (9/30)...placed on the reserve/injured list (10/6).
2006: Slowed most of the season with an injured foot suffered during the Pro Bowl…started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list…missed training camp and the first 11 games of the season…was activated at Oakland (12/3) and returned to the form that made him a Pro Bowler the year before, returning three kickoffs for 111 yards…had a long of 87 yards that set the Texans offense up inside the Raiders' five-yard line, where Houston scored on the next play…was a part of a fake reverse on a punt return that gave PR Dexter Wynn a clear path to return the ball 58 yards to set up a Texans field goal that gave Houston a 17-14 lead…retuned four kickoffs vs. Tennessee (12/10) with a long of 39 yards…ended his season on injured reserve (12/23).
2005: Returned five kickoffs for 130 yards (26 avg.), with a long of 38 yards at Cincinnati (10/2)...returned six kickoffs for 141 yards (23.5 avg.), with a long of 38 against Tennessee (10/9)...also caught two passes for 15 yards, including his first NFL catch on an eight-yard pass...returned two kickoffs for 45 yards (22.5 avg.) at Seattle (10/16)...enjoyed a breakout performance against Indianapolis (10/23)...returned seven kickoffs for a single-game team record 266 yards (fifth-most in NFL history)...his 89-yard kickoff return for a TD was the first in team history...averaged single-game club record 38 yards per return...caught first career TD pass on a 34-yard pass on the opening drive against Cleveland (10/30)...also returned five kickoffs for 177 yards (35.4 avg.), including a 63-yard return that set up the game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter...had another career day against Kansas City (11/20), tying a personal and team record with 266 yards on seven returns...his 99-yard return for a touchdown was the longest return in team history...returned four kickoffs for 106 yards (26.5 avg.) against St. Louis (11/27)...returned the first two punts of his career for 27 yards (13.5 avg.)...returned four kicks for 99 yards and five punts for 29 yards at Baltimore (12/4)...returned four kicks 123 yards (30.8 avg.), including a 50-yard return with no time left on the clock to set up a potential game-tying field goal at Tennessee (12/11)... returned four kicks for 89 yards and one punt for five yards at San Francisco (1/1/06)...also caught two passes for 18 yards.
COLLEGE: Distinguished himself at the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine as arguably the fastest player in the country, running a combine-best 4.28-second 40-yard dash…played in 35 career games for the Pirates, starting all of them…broke the NCAA all-time record for career kickoff return average, with a 26.6-yard average…holds the NCAA record for career kickoff returns for a TD with six…finished with 93 catches for 2,456 yards (26.4 avg.) and 21 TDs…set a school record by catching at least one pass in 34 consecutive games…led Division I-AA with an average of 29.5 yards per catch, hauling in 29 receptions for 864 yards and nine TDs in 2004…set a I-AA record with five kickoff returns for TDs…set a Hampton season record with 977 receiving yards on 40 catches (24.4 avg.) with nine TDs in 2003…amassed 1,220 all-purpose yards in 2002…majored in political science.
Resides in Houston…participated in track in college, winning the 200-meter dash at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA East Regional…set the East Regional record in the 200-meter dash with a personal best 20.32 in 2004…was a two-time NCAA All-American in the 200-meter dash after a runner-up finish in 2003 and a sixth-place effort in 2004…attended Petersburg (Va.) High School, where he was an all-state, all-district and all-metro wide receiver and kick returner…left high school as a six-time state champion in track, winning the 2001 national indoor 200-meter title at the Nike Classic…enjoys playing video games in his spare time…born Jerome Alvon Mathis in Petersburg, Va.
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