Raiders hope for better returns against Texans

When Raiders coach Josh McDaniels listed three specific areas his staff identified during their scouting process over the bye week as areas for improvement, two were deficiencies that have been discussed repeatedly through the first five weeks of the season.

Penalties and red-zone efficiency on both sides of the ball were expected answers.

The third and final one was a bit more surprising, though no less accurate. McDaniels said he would like to see his team “get something going in our return game.”

The Raiders believe improvement in each of those areas will help them start to turn the season around after a 1-4 start.

It also helps that they face a winnable stretch of games, beginning with a 1:05 p.m. Sunday matchup with the Houston Texans at Allegiant Stadium.

While the penalty issues and difficulties in the red zone have been well-documented, the numbers also support his theory about the lack of big plays on special teams.

The Raiders have one of the NFL’s best kickers in Daniel Carlson and a Pro Bowl punter in AJ Cole, but only the Steelers with 81 have fewer combined return yards on punts and kickoffs than the Raiders’ 115.

They rank 29th in the league in punt return yardage and kickoff return yardage with 27 yards on seven punt returns and 88 yards on four kickoff returns.

There are a combination of factors, but the most obvious is a lack of opportunities. McDaniels pointed out that is partially a reflection of the quality of the league’s kickers and punters. When a kick travels deep in the end zone, there is little reason to try to bring it out. Even when a kick barely reaches the goal line, it’s often wise to take the touchback.

“Hang time is a very significant part of this equation,” McDaniels said, “because if they put the ball up with a significant average hang time and it’s into the end zone, you’re talking about the coverage units being a lot further down the field by the time you get to the 10- or 15-yard line than somebody that would kick a lower-flighted ball. Then you have the ball in your hands a little sooner, and you get a chance to get going and maybe you can kind of make a stand outside the 20-, 25-yard line.”

Only the Texans and Bengals have fewer kickoff returns than the Raiders’ four. Their opponents have accumulated 103 yards on five kickoff returns and 115 on seven punt returns.

“We haven’t had many chances,” returner Ameer Abdullah said of the lack of big plays. “So I would say more opportunities would be the first thing in terms of getting it going.”

Abdullah pointed out that touchbacks come out to the 25-yard line, which puts the offense in a position to be effective on a drive. McDaniels agrees and doesn’t want his returners to be reckless about bringing the ball out of the end zone.

“We’ve obviously got to do a good job of trying to block the people that are covering, we’ve got to handle the ball properly, and then when we get our opportunities, I would say making smart decisions to get an opportunity to advance it,” McDaniels said.

The same goes on punt returns, in which Keelan Cole has four of the Raiders’ attempts.

“We’ve played some of these punters … the average hang time on some of these guys has been right around (five seconds), which is almost unheard of,” McDaniels said. “The ball is up there so long that you almost don’t have an opportunity to do anything other than field it cleanly.”

But Cole said there are ways to have success, and he hopes to be a part of making a positive difference.

“It starts with the returner, because we have to do whatever we have to do in order to score and get field position,” he said.

D.J. Turner has had success as a returner in the past and is nearing a return from injured reserve. He believes he can help.

“Hopefully I get a shot to get back there and do what I do,” he said. “But it’s an 11-man job. Everyone out there has an important role. If one person messes up, it might mess the whole play up. A lot of people just focus on the returner, but if the other 10 people aren’t doing their job, the play won’t go right. It’s a big job for everyone — returners and blockers.”

Sunday could be a good opportunity for the Raiders to turn things around. The Texans have allowed the fourth-most punt return yards in the league.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.