Shane Lechler is held in very high regard by his teammates.
"I've never gotten excited, gotten up off the bench, to watch a punter before," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "But I love watching him punt. There's a reason the guy's the best in the game."
High praise from Watt, but running back Arian Foster took it a step further and said he calls Lechler "Yellow Jacket."
"Hall of Fame," Foster explained, when asked about the Yellow Jacket moniker. "Come on, man"
Pro Football Hall of Famers are given a yellow jacket when they're inducted each summer.
Sunday against the Titans, Lechler punted seven times, and five of those punts resulted in the Titans starting inside their own 20-yard line. A sixth went for a touchback, and his final punt was a 52-yarder that resulted in Tennessee starting on its own 39-yard line.
"Any time you can hold the team inside of the 10-yard line, that kind of changes their offensive philosophy," Lechler said.
Head coach Gary Kubiak called Lechler "a weapon", and was mightily impressed by what the punter did for the Texans' defense.
"We kept the game on their side of the field," Kubiak said. "He did a great job."
Watt shared more of his appreciation for Lechler, who had all three of Week 1 punts downed inside the 20 against the Chargers.
"It's like poetry," Watt said. "It's beautiful. He's pinning it down there and we don't even have to have people touch it."
