Davis' Kickoff Return For TD Pivotal For Texans Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 10 December 2007 In the span of 14 humbling seconds, the Texans transformed a Buccaneer strength into a weakness Sunday. While Tampa Bay fans continue to pine for the first kickoff return for a touchdown in franchise annals, veteran receiver Andre Davis dashed 97 yards with the second-half kickoff as the Buccaneers dropped a 28-14 decision to end a four-game winning streak. Davis, whose previous long kickoff return this season was 32 yards, appeared to almost stop behind the wedge of blockers, then veered right and eluded second-year pro Maurice Stovall before speeding down the sidelines to open up a 21-7 advantage. "I took the wrong angle," said Stovall, whose sharp coverage skills had helped the Bucs limit opponents to only 17.6 yards per kickoff return before Sunday's matchup, second in the league behind Jacksonville. "I failed to keep my contain and Davis tight-roped the sidelines. It's definitely disappointing and that's a play I expect to make, but it's nothing that can't be corrected." Bucs special teams coach Rich Bisaccia offered a simple explanation for the critical breakdown. "It was poor coaching on my part," Bisaccia said. "We've played a lot of kicks well this year, but I did a poor job on that play." Tampa Bay's kickoff coverage teams have excelled in the past two seasons, allowing a long return of 35 yards in that span. But Davis broke through the wedge cleanly and registered the eighth kickoff return for a touchdown against the Bucs in their 32-year history. "Maurice may have been in a position to knock Davis out of bounds, but we all take responsibility for that play," Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece said. "There's no one guy to blame - there were errors across the board. We have been very aggressive with our coverage and sometimes that aggression can put you in a bad situation." Bisaccia said the Texans made an adjustment just before receiving the second-half kickoff, changing from a six-man front to a five-man front, but added, "That had nothing to do with the play." Each team turned the ball over twice and the Bucs outgained the Texans 305-257 yards, but Tampa Bay couldn't overcome a rare special teams lapse. "It was huge," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said of the 97-yard return, which also cost Houston 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was assessed for excessive celebration in the end zone. In their quest to clinch the NFC South title for the third time in six years, the Bucs were hoping to grab some momentum to start the second half. Davis derailed those plans, although Tampa Bay responded immediately with a 69-yard touchdown drive that required only four plays. "Coming out of the locker room, we had an opportunity to set a tone," Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly said. "Instead, that's what they did with that return, and we couldn't recover." Davis hadn't returned a kickoff all the way since his 2002 rookie season with the Browns, but the former Virginia Tech standout is blessed with outstanding speed, averaging 16.1 yards on his 134 career receptions. "Anytime you can make a big play like that on special teams, it helps everybody out," said Davis, who outraced Patrick Chukwurah and Jermaine Phillips to the end zone. "It's so hard to get wins in this league right now, so for us to go out there and get a win against a good team feels great."