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Addai Talks Post-NFL

Joseph Addai vouches Peyton is just as cool as we always thought

It’s no secret I meet some amazing people on airplanes, Southwest Airlines specifically. That’s where I encountered Houston’s tiara-wearing reality star Erica Rose, and most recently, former Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai.

Sans Super Bowl ring and pads, this 30-year-old ex-NFL player is just a regular guy sitting in the middle seat to LAX, nice enough to share his Skittles.

Addai hardly talked football, unless I brought it up, and he made it very clear that football doesn’t define him. It didn’t back then and it definitely doesn’t now. That would become even clearer in a follow-up interview in Houston.

Running late because his Pilates class ran over, Addai came to lunch at Crave Sushi wearing jorts, a purple Anchorman shirt and purple Houston Astros hat. Admittedly Addai’s love for the color purple stems back to his days at Louisiana State University. “I’m proud of my university, I feel like it made me who I am,” he says.

“I’m a guy that has yet to touch the money I made in the NFL. We met on Southwest, not in first-class.”

I was a little disappointed he wasn’t sporting his Super Bowl ring. Addai admits it doesn’t get much use. “I probably wore it for two weeks after I got it the first time and that was it. I promise you, I’m grateful for it, but I’m not that guy that needs attention,” he says.

Our interview was equal parts laughter, story sharing, talking about Houston sports and, of course, a crash course in Sushi 101 (Addai’s just getting on the sushi bandwagon).

Shortly after Addai and I first met, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend of eight years. Like most guys, he’d be happy just going to the courthouse, but he knows how important that special day is to his fiancé.

“I want to see that smile on her face walking down the aisle,” Addai says.

We didn’t talk about his party days or the women throwing themselves at him during the seven years he spent in the league — maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t. Addai was more interested in sharing the nonprofit work he’s doing to help young kids from inner cities.

As for what he does now, Addai admits he doesn’t have a full-time job, but doesn’t need to. “I’m blessed to be in this situation,” he says. “I’m a guy that has yet to touch the money I made in the NFL. We met on Southwest, not in first-class.”

Addai’s focused on his work at Heritage Ranch Christian Children’s Home, a nonprofit based in Baton Rouge that uses a Life Skills program alongside mentoring and service learning to impact children in crisis. He serves on the board of directors.

“Football, basketball, stuff like that is not real life,” Addai says. “Not everybody can have a career as a pro athlete, you might have two left feet and can’t play football, but if you and I both put in hard work in child education, we could both be teachers.

“It’s not reality to tell every kid he can be a professional football player, so I look beyond that. We need to teach our kids more than sports — that’s my mindset.

“The leaders in this world should be your parents and teachers and God, but it doesn’t go that way. If I’m a young child, I pay attention to what rappers are saying. It’s not right, but we do. Image is a must, that’s what this country has taught us.”

Then, Addai launched into a lengthy talk about his faith, something he’s extremely passionate and vocal about.

Now a resident of Sugar Land, Addai was raised in Southwest Houston and he attended Sharpstown High School.

Football Role Model

Addai still takes inspiration from a close friend he played football with (LaJuan Moore) who was paralyzed during a game. He’s “one of the most positive people I’ve ever met,” Addai says. “He’s the one who gives me motivation, not the other way around.

“If he’s not upset losing his ability to walk, why am I complaining about small stuff?”

“At the end of the day, I had my money and didn’t need to abuse my body to stay in for the long haul.”

As an ex-NFL player, Addai seems more free and unscripted with his words, not afraid to answer anything. He says what’s on his mind, whether it’s supporting controversial Texas A&M University star Johnny Manziel or his disagreements with Patriots coach Bill Belichick during his final year in the NFL. Addai refers to New England as “the team that let me go.”

As for Manziel?

“He’s a child, he’s not God,” Addai says. “Somebody makes a mistake and we blow it up. Sometimes we put too much pressure on guys and they have to live a certain way and that’s when they start turning crazy.

Former Colts Running Back, Joseph Addai

“For the record, I’m a big fan of Manziel.”

Someone Addai won’t be cheering for anytime soon? Belichick.

When I asked what made him leave the league, Addai’s tone changes. “Two things. I’m about to have my fifth knee surgery. After a while your body starts to feel a certain way. Belichick surprised me. If I was a person to complain, it would have been my word against his and it wasn’t worth complaining or fighting it.

“I never looked at football like a job, and didn’t need the money. A friend of mine was telling me about another ex-NFL guy that cried because he couldn’t even pick up his own son. I want to be able to play with my son. Eventually you just have to stop.

“At the end of the day, I had my money and didn’t need to abuse my body to stay in for the long haul.”

“I don’t need five cars. I know a guy in the NFL with 13 cars, and I’m not talking Hondas.”

Professional football’s become too complicated and corrupted in Addai’s view.

“In a perfect world, football wouldn’t be played on TV,” he says. “For me, it attracts too much attention, a lot of times negative. Now, since you see me on TV, you think I’m not human and everything I do is supposed to be perfect. If I do something wrong, I’ll get blasted. But I’m human.”

Post NFL, Addai admits he’s had a “strange” career. He didn’t start until his senior year at LSU, but still went in first round (30th overall) of the NFL Draft. “I definitely think my career was weird. I won (a) Super Bowl, made it to the Pro Bowl (2007), and at the peak, I did what a lot of other great running backs have done. My biggest story was injuries,” he says.

We get back to money, because anytime you talk to a professional athlete, you can’t help but wonder about their bank accounts.

“To be honest, I’m scared to lose my money, scared to be broke,” Addai says before adding he isn’t necessarily cheap, just “reasonable.”

Addai’s biggest purchase after signing with Indy was a Range Rover. “I don’t need five cars. I know a guy in the NFL with 13 cars, and I’m not talking Hondas,” he laughs.

I remind the former LSU running back he has one more big splurge and Addai agrees that his upcoming wedding will probably be his biggest payout yet.

We move on to the topic of Indianapolis, as a city, as a home, as an organization. “I love the feel for that town — it’s a great place to raise a family,” Addai says. “You know how you watch one of those old-time movies where somebody moves into the neighborhood and everybody brings over cake? That’s what happened, and they didn’t even know I was a ball player.

As the food arrives, Addai gets sidetracked. “What is that green stuff?” I tell him wasabi and he recalls an Entourage episode where Ari’s eating sushi with E. “I never knew what that stuff was. I’m getting an education,” he says.

As for guys in the league he still talks to, he mentions Jerraud Powers (who I also met on the plane with Addai), Robert Mathis, Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. “He’s been the guy I’ve always looked up to,” Addai says of the recently injured Wayne.

You can’t talk Indianapolis Colts without talking Manning. “Peyton checks on me a lot,” Addai says of his former quarterback.

Is there an obvious change in Peyton since landing in Denver?

“It’s his wisdom,” Addai says. “When I got to the Colts, Peyton was already amazing. You ever meet an old guy sitting on a porch with so much wisdom and you just want to sit there for hours and soak it all in? That’s Peyton. He has so much wisdom, he makes it look easy.

“Peyton proves it’s not necessarily a young man’s sport the way people always say. He’s playing now the way he did back then, but now he’s got the wisdom to back it up, which elevates his game that much more.”

Rapid Fire with Addai

Favorite current LSU guys: Odell Beckham Jr and (Jarvis) Landry

Best running back of all time: Barry Sanders. At that time people probably say Emmitt Smith, but Barry didn’t have the same support. As a running back, you need your offensive line — Barry was straight talent.

Current running back: (Philadelphia Eagle LeSean) McCoy.

NFL Team: Cowboys because of back in the day with Emmitt, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman

NBA: Rockets

Thoughts on Dwight Howard in Houston: He just has to play. Nightlife in Houston is good, I hope he doesn’t get caught up in it. I hope he proves all these haters wrong.

Baseball: I’m not big on baseball. I loved Jeff Bagwell, but it’s a long process.

Social Media Of Choice: Instagram.

There was one question I forgot to ask: Why on earth did a guy of your size, who got on the plane before me, choose a middle seat?

This article ran in the sports section of Culture Map. Click here to read the original article.

November 12, 2013/by Jayme

Texans Legs

Football

Add another body part to Texans 2013 problems: legs

While I have no empirical evidence to back this up, I’d be willing to say more people have quoted the infamous “Houston we have a problem,” line this NFL season referring to the Houston Texans as a whole than the entire combined four decades since the saying first debuted during the Apollo 13 mission.

How many ways are the Texans having problems? Gee, let me count the ways. Turning away from the recent issues we’ve been having with quarterback arms and coaches play calls, now we’re focused on the legs. Three missed field goals in Sunday night’s loss to Indy has been much of the talk this week. It feels like the freaking hokey pokey going on at Reliant, putting the left arm in and the right leg in and all those other injured and non-functioning parts in between.

It was such a refreshing and welcome change to see the youngster Case Keenum chucking those balls in the first half to Andre, we all almost thought for 30 minutes, this is it – we’re baaaack. But then Randy Bullock missed from the 49, 43 and 55 (which could have tied the game) and is only 13 for 21 this season, failing in four attempts from the 50 and beyond. You know, the actual opposite of the definition of clutch, which is what the Texans have needed a few times throughout this six-game stretch of losses. A win against Indy could have possibly, maybe, sort of, brought back a glimmer of hope for this season.

Mr. Bullock is on pace to miss as many field goals this season as our last two kickers Rackers and Graham combined to miss in their three seasons with the Texans: 16. And the Texans put a lot of stock in Bullock, grabbing him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.

Nothing smells of desperation quite like inviting a guy (Justin Medlock) who got cut from Raiders training camp to take over as kicker, or at least try to.

Sure, seven points are better than three, but points are points. We need to get them on the board however we can, plain and simple.

And there is some Matt Schaub and Randy Bullock comparison – they both seem to be lacking confidence and our team, for one reason or another, seems to keep putting them in these positions where it’s harder and harder to gain that confidence. If you’re looking to me for the answer, I don’t have one, I just feel there’s a bit of a comparison there and wanted to bring it up.

Great game for Keenum but a tough loss yet again

There are only eight guys this season to have attempted four or more FG from the 50 and beyond, according to ESPN, including Bullock, so obviously it’s not an easy task or one offenses find an optimal spot to put their kicker in. To put it in perspective, Bullock actually shows up on the second page of field goal stats over at ESPN.

And I say this as an individual having never played professional football (yay for obvious statements), but this Arian Foster injury thing is getting old. Older than Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan rotating jail cells news. Tate played with BROKEN RIBS – yes, broken ribs. Could that be the difference between a running back having already signed a big contract and a running back hoping to sign one? Who knows, but I do know one thing – seeing one of our top offensive guys continually hobbling into the locker room or sitting on the sideline surely isn’t helping this team, a team that surely needs help.

I won’t sit here and try to pretend there’s hope for this season, but I do love this quote from Wade Phillips after Sunday’s loss to Indy: “We signed up for the whole season, to play and to work and to coach as hard as we can coach. And that’s what we’re going to do with this team. Anybody that wants to give up can, but we’re not going to.”

So the “whole season” that Phillips speaks of continues Sunday in Arizona against the 4-4 Cardinals, where yours truly will be sitting midfield, hoping to catch a glimmer of something I miss so desperately: good and winning football. If we can have more of the first half we saw with Case and Andre from last week, I’ll be a happy camper. I think…at least until next week.

And if you’re looking for a super feel good story in the midst of the bullying issues all over the NFL, check out this video of an amazing group of middle school kids, taking a knee, in an effort to help another amazing kid with learning disabilities:

“Nothing can ever explain getting a touchdown if you’ve never had one before.” – If you don’t get goosebumps and the urge to do good on your own from watching this 3-minute clip (especially at the 2:48 marker where one of the kids tears up at the realization of the power of this simple touchdown), you may want to verify you are in fact human. For serious.

November 7, 2013/by Jayme

Bye Texans

Football

Texans Brian Cushing out with season-ending injury yet again

The Texans have a bye week, but is it time to say bye to the season?

What’s left of the Texans? That seems to be what everyone is asking. Here’s my motto for the rest of the season:

One. Game. At. A. Time.

Sunday’s game against the undefeated Chiefs including Case Keenum’s performance and the rest of the moving parts FINALLY pulling their acts together was in fact encouraging, although it didn’t add to the positive side of the now 2-5 record. I don’t know about y’all but football looked fun again.

I can’t sit here and say the Texans still have a chance at the playoffs, at least not with a straight face, but it’s not completely out of the question. Crazier things have happened. Case in point: the Astros being the most profitable team in Major League Baseball even with three straight seasons of 100+ losses.

The good thing about Sunday in Arrowhead was that the Texans showed they had just a little bit of life left in them. They looked excited. They had heart. They had faith. They fought. All things we hadn’t seen much of in the past few weeks. The defense stepped up in the second half allowing just one field goal – all positives.

The other good thing is the team is headed into a much needed bye week. But is there any hope left for this team this season?

While fans have probably halted their searches for airfare deals to New York in February, we can still hope for an exciting eight weeks left of good football and improvement. At least I am. Because eight weeks of anything boring is, well…a waste of time.

If there is a chance, and that’s a Texas-sized if, time is as big of an enemy as the current 2-5 record. Each of the 32 teams are given 16 weeks to showcase how good they are on the field, and the Texans have squandered away five straight weeks by showing the world the complete opposite. And if we’re being honest, the first two wins weren’t really the All-Star indicators we had expected to see – you shouldn’t have to bust your tail to comeback like that.

Duane Brown and Texans Offense (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

A few pieces to keep this season on the up and up:

Confidence. Our players have got to find this again. Our quarterback, whoever it is, needs confidence in the pocket. Confidence also comes from not being drilled into the ground on every other offensive play. Keenum was sacked on every third down in the fourth quarter (five total). Two of those were his own mistakes not reading the blitz, but as a rookie, the confidence and performance displayed by Case Keenum was spot-on.
Time management. I never thought I’d see a day where Andy Reid managed the clock better than his opponent, but Sunday in Arrowhead showed otherwise.
Fix the details. It’s too late to reinvent this wheel and this isn’t really a wheel that should need reinvention. I’d be hard-pressed to say that Kubiak is getting fired mid-season or that Schaub is getting traded, but it’s the details we need to focus on. Figuring out our running back situations in case we run into another game where both Foster and Tate are out.
Here’s another detail I’d like to see fixed: get Derrick Newton OFF THE FIELD.

Luckily these guys get to take next Sunday off (so I can focus solely on the Eagles and the improvements needed there), which includes four consecutive and much needed days off (mandated by new NFL rules). That also means fans can take a week off too.

Thank goodness.

The only person who shouldn’t take a break this week? Gary Kubiak.

I’m fine with having a conservative state when it comes to politics, but not when it comes to football. In the fourth quarter against the Chiefs, the Texans had four possessions. Guess how many points were scored off those four possessions? ZERO.

Next Sunday when Andrew Luck comes into Reliant, we need to capitalize on every possession to keep ourselves in the game, and we need to force turnovers like we did against the Chiefs.

And I think every single Texans fan cried a little on the inside on the Cushing injury. Not only because he’s such a loss to the defense we still desperately need, but because he’s fought so hard to come back and these are the seven games he came back for? Again, you hate seeing any player injured (yes, even a pick-six-throwing quarterback), and definitely good guys like Brian Cushing.

Technically the season’s not over, but I’m not going to send any of my hard-earned money to Vegas on the odds we’re currently running.

So next Sunday, after a week off for all of us, the Texans (and the jersey-burning fans) will yet again find themselves on national TV during primetime, lets at least try not to look like the Vikings. And at least Josh Freeman won’t be sporting a Texans jersey. See, there’s brightside yet again!

October 23, 2013/by Jayme

Texans Positives

Football

This time Matt Schaub wasn’t to blame (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

It’s simple: you can’t blame Sunday’s performance on Matt Schaub. Not this time. He can’t be your scapegoat. I realize the guy in the pocket needs to be a leader, and right now, Schaub can’t be that leader, but there are A TON of other guys not only suited to be the leader for this Texans team, but want to lead it.

So what is the problem? I have tried to avoid social media and talk radio and Sportscenter and everywhere else the Texans are a huge focus. It’s just getting old.

But what’s really getting old are the uneducated fans out there saying stuff that doesn’t even make sense. Lets tank the rest of the reason to hopefully get a #1 draft pick? Where did you learn about NFL? Or did you not? It is still only WEEK SIX, and yes, four losses back-to-back-to-back are going to be hard to overcome, for anyone. As Andre Johnson said in Sunday’s postgame press conference – there are 10 games left. They need to find a way to win these 10 games.

It’s not pretty but it ain’t over. And gosh, has a team ever needed a bye week (not coming until Week 8) as desperately as

Gary Kubiak: The Leaky Faucet (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Houston needs it now? After all, we are still the reigning AFC South champs – that has to count for something right?

Kubiak acknowledged after the loss that the team “sprung leaks everywhere,” but I’m wondering if he considered himself a leaky faucet like many others do? All this talk of Kubiak being too conservative and he rolls out onto Reliant even more conservative than before?

Houston isn’t just losing, they are getting blown out. Every sports media person around has utilized their Thesaurus to find a new way to say “embarrassing.” On Sunday, the Texans were outcoached and outplayed, so there again, what is the actual problem? The Rams scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

Many of y’all thought TJ Yates was the answer, and immediately (his 5^th play of the game to be exact) he catches the Pick-Six virus that’s been going around.

For starters, 95 yards of penalties is no bueno. Especially when those were just in the first half. In comparison, according to teamrankings.com, the team with the highest average number of penalty yards per game is Tampa Bay with 82.6. Sunday the Texans had 10+ yards more than the highest average in the league. (Overall for 2013, the Texans have the second highest with 76.5 penalty yards per game.)

Turnovers: It’s no secret you can’t win a game with turnovers, plain and simple. Muffed kickoff returns have been a thorn in our side for almost an entire year. That part of the game needs to shape up. Not only turning the ball over on offense, but we aren’t forcing turnovers on the other side of the ball, which is equally important.

J.J. Watt and the Defense need to step it up

I love J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing and all the other defensive guys just as much as all of you, but there’s an issue there as well. A big one. The Texans came into Sunday’s game ranked 29^th against the run – to put that in perspective, last year the team ranked 7^th. Quite a discrepancy and no wonder we heard Zac Stacy’s name over and over the loudspeaker at Reliant. I have faith in Wade Phillips just as I do the entire defense, rest assured they are making changes this week.

Last year the Texans gave up 28 sacks all year over the span of 16 games. Already this season, Texans quarterbacks have been sacked 17 times in just six weeks. Our quarterbacks are being rushed and not getting the protection they need. We’re not as bad as Oakland who has allowed 28 sacks on their quarterback this year already, but the Texans are 23^rd in the league for the offensive line allowing sacks.

And while the team is still getting a bad rap and national attention for their play on the field, add to it another week Texans fans are getting an even worse rap thanks to some ill-mannered fans who clearly CHEERED when Schaub went down with any injury. Here’s what J.J. Watt had to say about it: That’s a pretty tough life if you’re cheering for somebody else to get injured.

I couldn’t agree more.

I’m obviously not your mother so I can’t tell you how to act in public (you should know that already), but if you’ve ever played sports or you were a “real” fan of the game being played and the hard work and dedication that goes into it, you wouldn’t dare EVER cheer for ANY injury. Not even on the other team.

Most of y’all know I adamantly can’t stand the Cowboys or Tim Tebow, but I would never stoop to that level to hope for or cheer an injury. So I’ll leave you with that this week.

Sunday doesn’t look any easier, headed to KC to take on the 6-0 Chiefs. Lets hope Kubiak can pull a rabbit out of his hat.

October 16, 2013/by Jayme

Cornering for Tatas

Football

Guest of honor Kyssi Andrews with Houston Texans Brice McCain, from left, Brian Cushing, Arian Foster, Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson Photo by Micahl Wyckoff

While Sunday’s blowout loss against the Rams wasn’t pretty, the pre-game festivities were quite the opposite. Kareem Jackson walked onto the field with his beautiful mother, a two-time breast cancer survivor.

“It’s something I will never forget. For my mom to have fought breast cancer twice, it was definitely a blessing for my family and was an honor to walk on the field with her,” Jackson said.

Sunday afternoon the Texans equipped fans with “Texans Stand Together Against Breast Cancer” pink signs where each person could write who they “stand” for as part of the effort to raise awareness throughout the NFL and its fan base. And while the Texans are undoubtedly making some changes and trying to fix some costly mistakes from the game, cornerbacks Jackson and Johnathan Joseph switched their focus Monday night as they teamed up at the Houston Texans Grille for their “Tailgating for a Cure” fundraiser.

“We all know someone touched by this disease and anytime you have an event, you want to come out and support your brother that plays next to you and the guys in the same locker room.”

The event is personal to both players, as Joseph’s father is currently battling lung cancer and Jackson’s mother is a breast cancer survivor. Proceeds benefit the American Lung Association and Sister’s Network, Inc. Fans showed up in droves to catch a glimpse of some of their favorite players, including Brian Cushing, Arian Foster, Wade Smith, Duane Brown, Andre Johnson, Ed Reed, and J.J. Watt, and support the worthy cause.

Smith knows firsthand how much it means having your teammates there for support. “I think it’s something we always do as a team. We’re kind of a brotherhood and we like to support each other on our various events and various charities. This one is near and dear to J-Jo and Kareem based on their family members’ experiences. Cancer is something that affects everybody and we wanted to come out and show our support. That’s why we’re here,” he said.

Jackson and Joseph were both in awe of their teammates’ turnout. “We all have the same heart, a close heart. We all know someone touched by these diseases and anytime you have an event, you want to come out and support your brother that plays next to you and the guys in the same locker room. I’d like to thank those guys for taking time out of their day and just coming out,” Jackson said.

Saluting the birthday girl

Houston Texans Cheerleaders with Kyssi Andrews (Photo by Micahl Wyckoff)

The highlight of the evening (even more than the touchdown dance contest or the silent auction) was the birthday celebration for Kyssi Andrews who was sporting a white tutu and bedazzled Arian Foster jersey. Kyssi was diagnosed with kidney cancer and eventually had one of her kidneys removed. Just three months later, she began her tough battle with Stage 4 lung cancer.

“Although the odds were against her, God said something totally different,” her mother, Marla Jones, said on stage just before the audience (Texans players included) sang “Happy Birthday” to celebrate Kyssi’s very special fifth birthday.

Jones said the Texans’ love and support “means the world to me, as a mother. This is a very special day because doctors didn’t think she would make it to her fifth birthday. She’s a fighter, that’s all she knows, she’s had to fight her entire life.”

Joseph and Jackson presented the youngster with an elaborate Hello Kitty birthday cake and a walking life-size Hello Kitty balloon. Several Houston Texans cheerleaders gave Kyssi her very own cheerleading outfit, including the red knee-high boots.

Kareem Jackson and his mother, two-time breast cancer survivor (Photo by Micahl Wyckoff)

Johnathan Joseph’s wife, Delania Joseph, marveled at the event’s turnout and the upbeat attitudes despite the team’s loss a day earlier. “I didn’t expect for tonight to be this big, to have all these people come out and support me and Johnathan for such a great cause. It shows what kind of fan base we have in Houston.”

This article ran in the Social Scene section of Culture Map. Click here to see the original article.

October 16, 2013/by Jayme

Notes from San Fran

Football

Texans fans in San Fran (my blonde hair to the left!)

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse and talk about the exact same thing everyone who has ever watched football has been hammering on about for weeks, but WE MUST: Matt Schaub.

I actually do feel bad for Matt Schaub at this point in the game. I still agree he gets paid a good deal of dough to throw the ball to his own teammates, but I see these “fans” continue to rip him apart and it’s downright disturbing. I was at the game on Sunday in San Francisco and as much as I try to forget seeing that poor performance live, there were a few things I noticed. Perhaps you noticed this on TV, but if not, here are my observations:

When Schaub threw his fourth consecutive pick-six (it actually hurts to say that), the TV cameras were probably first pointed at the un-intended receiver, Tramaine Brock, but my eyes were glued on Schaub, mostly due to disbelief. His face said it all. You could see his “are you serious” look through his helmet. I’m not a football player, I have no idea if someone ran the wrong route or something was off, but Schaub was shocked. We were shocked. Y’all were shocked. Didn’t “we” just spend the last seven days working on exactly that same situation to avoid exactly the same costly mistake?

As Schaub reluctantly trotted off the field, he went directly to Kubiak. Who knows what aggressive words came out of his mouth or what he was asking, but Kubiak’s reaction is what I’m slightly floored about: he smiled. The Texans quarterback, with a guaranteed salary of $24.75 million, just threw his fourth pick-six in four straight games, and you smile? Why aren’t you pissed and shocked and upset like all the other 4 million Houstonians? Throw something, yell, make your face get all red and your veins pop out.

Do something.

I know Kubiak reacted in his own Kubiak way, but maybe that’s a bigger issue. Kubiak has spent the past week addressing the media assuring everyone they are working HARD to avoid those mistakes, and you come out of those dirty San Franciscan gates and do the exact same thing. And then you smile?

This is how the game started

And yes, there is a large part of me that feels for Schaub. Houston is being brutal to the guy, and it goes well beyond the field and burning jerseys. They have now resorted to blasting his family about his play (as if that has anything to do with it). A friend of mine was sitting next to Schaub’s mom at the San Fran game and she cried the second he threw that pick-six. She knows how hard this is on her son. She knows the mental demons he was dealing with prior to that fateful throw are only going to get worse. She knows his career is in jeopardy.

At least she had a reaction, unlike Kubiak.

Another reaction after that pass? Andre Johnson.

Again, I don’t know what y’all saw on TV or to what extent the commentators were privy to the situation, but my seats were right there – first row, DIRECTLY behind the Texans bench. Number 80 was not a happy camper and he wasn’t afraid to show it. I don’t think he could even control it. He actually got in the face of WR Coach, Larry Kirksey, and honestly, it looked like he was going to fight him. I couldn’t catch it on video, but the crowd saw it and started chanting Andre, taunting him. I thought the entire Texans sideline was going to explode, some with tears, and some with anger and punches and foul language. And I wouldn’t have blamed a single one of them. This has been a hard few weeks for ALL of those guys.

After quite a few choice words, yelling and throwing things, Andre looked for a moment like he was going to take his jersey off, saying “I’m done.” It was a heated moment, the most heated I’ve ever seen from the Texans. The entire team was shocked. Again, at least he was reacting. Duane Brown and Wade Smith, two of my favorites, out there each and every offensive play trying to protect Schaub, and they clearly weren’t impressed coming off the field after that pick-six. They were reacting.

But you know who wasn’t reacting (aside from Kubiak)? Arian Foster.

Let me reiterate, I’m not an NFL player (duh), but I did play sports growing up. Hecklers get to you and turnovers change the tone of the game, quickly. But my coach would never let me take my eyes off the field and respond to hecklers in the stands. A few seats over sat six of the most obnoxious fans to ever wear a 49ers jersey, and they were giving it to Arian.

One guy, holding up his cell phone yelled “Hey Arian, I just dropped you on my fantasy team.”

Another guy, “Arian you suck!” in a loud and squeaky, yet to hit puberty, or maybe it was drunk, voice.

Before the Texans were even out of the game, Arian was responding back. His eyes were on the hecklers, not the game. His first response to those guys: “I’m rich” with a Johnny Manziel kind of hand motion.

This is how the game ended.

Yeah Foster, you are rich. From that game your back is turned to and has been turned to the entire game – that’s what made you rich. You worked hard for it, but it ain’t over. You got (and earned) that big contract, but it’s not quitting time buddy. It’s Week 5. The other 52 guys are at least watching the game in front of them, but not you.

Then, probably the most annoyed I’ve ever been at a player on the team I’m rooting for, Arian walks over to the side, grabs a sharpie, signs his gloves (which didn’t get much action that night) and handed them to the heckler.

Now I’m not sure what the gloves said – if it was a message saying, “I’m rich,” or some other actual message to the hater, I’m down and can respect that. But just a few seats over were at least five of the most crazed Texans fans that traveled to San Fran to support these guys, and they do it almost every week. Even during trying times, they are still cheering and trying to pick our boys up. But Arian didn’t ONCE look their direction. I’m not sure he made eye contact with a single Texans fan during the entire game, but those San Fran jackoffs got his attention, for at least an entire quarter.

Which is probably what prompted what happened at the end of the third quarter after another one of Schaub’s completed passes to the other team (I’m going to start calling it that instead of an interception…), two Texans fans took off their shirts, AND THREW THEM AT THE TEXANS PLAYERS ON THE SIDELINE. (Then the dumbasses had to leave the stadium shirtless, and I’m not sure they thought that part through fully.)

Texans fans, I get it. Watching that in person, on TV, on a mobile app, whatever, it wasn’t pretty. But to disrespect your own team and those players that are working hard is embarrassing to the real fans. And to an entire city.

For those who traveled and spent all that money, what a bum note to go out on. But here’s the positive: there’s no place like home. After visiting the decrepit and dirty Candlestick Park, I know I’m ready to kiss Reliant’s grass and hug every real Texan fan in the stadium.

Next up is St. Louis. We got this. There’s no way this team can lose four straight, right?

Let’s talk Texans, Schaub, Kubiak, heckling fans, whatever else you want on The Blonde Side’s FB page.

This blog post is part of The Blonde Side’s Bud Light Series. Be sure to LIKE Bud Light Houston on FB to keep up with all the fun things in Houston, here we go!

October 8, 2013/by Jayme

Keep Schaub and Carry On

Football

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Don’t Schaub over your mistakes.

Every year the Texans get a little better, and every year, when things start to fall apart, like right now, everyone starts pointing the finger.

And right now, the finger, however you want to take that, is pointed at #8, Matt Schaub. The “interception heard ‘round the world” is what put Schaub and the Texans in the national spotlight, questioning just how good they are and moreso just how good Matt Schaub is.

For once, prepare yourselves…I’m not sure I have an opinion on this.

On the one hand, Schaub is not a bad quarterback. His numbers have him right in the middle of the NFL pack and for the most part, he delivers. Andre Johnson is a great receiver (not to mention a high ranking fantasy player), but he also gets the ball put right in his hands on a regular basis, by none other than Matt Schaub. On the other hand, there is something keeping the Texans a mediocre team that should be kicking A.

But fans threatening him, and judging his character and human traits…that just isn’t right. Neither is setting his jersey on fire you dramatic zealot. I think the folks at Reliant should blacklist that jerk from ever coming back to the stadium, like they do with streakers using facial recognition software at Citi Field.

For Schaub to cancel his Twitter account and have a police escort because of these extremists is ludicrous. These are the same Houston sports extremists who haven’t set foot in Minute Maid Park all season.

I get it, I’m right there with you. Schaub’s job as a starting quarterback in this league making obscene millions is to simply deliver the ball without fault. To his own teammates. His last three games have each included a pick-six, so the pressure’s on. I’m not saying we should feel sorry for him, but to call for his head like this is medieval times seems a bit extreme, no?

Even Bill Barnwell of Grantland has Schaub’s back:

“Plenty of famous quarterbacks have thrown three pick-sixes (or more!) in a three-week stretch before or during successful careers that included Super Bowl–winning seasons. Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees each had three-game stretches with three or more pick-sixes and then didn’t throw another one for a year each. Peyton Manning had such a stretch in 2001, threw one pick-six between 2002 and 2006, did the same thing again in 2008, didn’t throw a pick-six in 2009, then threw four of them in two weeks in 2010. He’s still doing OK.”

Maybe that’s the key to going all the way? Throwing multiple pick-sixes?

Barnwell studies the game, not to mention quarterbacks, for a living, and if he thinks a Super Bowl is not only possible, but likely, then y’all can calm down. It’s not like JaMarcus Russell is leading the team.

But then again, Schaub is on pace to double his 12 interceptions from last season. Can you see why I’m having a problem forming an opinion here?

But that doesn’t mean Barnwell or any other sportscaster for that matter, doesn’t recognize that Schaub’s throw was one of the worst seen in Week 4, perhaps even the season to date. It was pretty terrible.

My two biggest problems with this particular pick-six:

1. Schaub has been in the league for 10 years, seven of those with Houston (six as a starter) – he’s not a rookie anymore. As everyone has stated, Schaub’s mental game is what seems to come into question, especially when the stakes are high. Some of these rookies (obviously excluding Tannehill) have a better aptitude of what to do in that situation. Schaub should have thrown the ball away or taken the sack. He’s got to be quick on his feet, but he’s also got to have control and keep his head in the game.

2. Speaking of control, Gary Kubiak’s stronghold on Schaub is something else that doesn’t sit right. Kubiak admittedly put Schaub in a bad situation with that poor play call. Even with the obvious blitz coming, Schaub wasn’t allowed to audible. If Schaub can’t make a last minute call at the line of scrimmage, what do you expect? An off-balanced pathetic throw into the hands of the best cornerback in the league? Yup.

Everyone wants Kubiak to be more aggressive in his play calls, but throwing on 3rd and 4 with less than three minutes to go and a seven-point lead? That’s just not smart football. As little faith as people seem to have in Schaub, wouldn’t it have made more sense to put the game in the hands of the defense, currently ranked 1st in the league if they didn’t convert?

Every player who has ever won a Super Bowl has had a bad game, and, yes, thrown a pick-six or two throughout his career, the same as any karaoke singer has inevitably forgotten a word or two.

I realize the past two weeks against Baltimore and Seattle weren’t easy, even before Schaub took a snap, but Sunday against the 49ers will prove to be just as tough, this time with more on the line. For now, lets Keep Calm and Schaub On, because, what other options are there? Yes, options like TJ Yates and Case Keenum, but are those the best options for this all-star team?

This is the same Matt Schaub everyone rallied behind last year when Joe Mays pulled a Mike Tyson on his ear. Maybe now is the time people really need to rally behind him, because as Kubiak has said time and again, “He’s our quarterback. I believe in him.”

Not all hope is lost Texans fans. It’s not like you just found out Santa doesn’t exist. Oh…

This article was part of The Blonde Side’s column on CBS Man Cave Daily. Click here to see the original article.

October 8, 2013/by Jayme

I Like Johnny Football

Football

I Like Johnny Football

I like Johnny Manziel and I can say that and it’s relevant, at least in my mind, because I am one of the few souls without an allegiance to A&M and even more surprising, without an allegiance to an A&M rival (just like sports columnist Gregg Doyel so cleverly put it).

I’m also an anomaly when it comes to my adoration for the Kerville native – I love him more now that these antics have taken place off the field. He’s got human qualities and is quite the polar opposite of Tim Tebow, one of the former most hyped about college football players and all I can say is Hallejuah! (Funny, y’all are saying “Where’s Tim Tebow now?” but everyone knows exactly where Manziel is…)

My apologies to my Aggie friends, but I can’t even begin to fathom Texas A&Ms football traditions and ideologies, but this whole Johnny Football thing reminds me of a Gwen Stefani song: “This S**t Is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.”

Johnny Football gets to hang out with King James, party with that creepy Drake rapper, spend time seriously sucking at golf, and most importantly – ACT HIS AGE. Yeah, shame on him.

He is simply Johnny Football being Johnny Football. But on the field, the guy is a natural. Just like the superhero indication on the new Texas Monthly cover. Here’s how Johnny Football stacks up against four Pro Bowl Quarterbacks from last year and their freshman seasons:

Tom Brady at Michigan completed 3 of his 5 pass attempts with 1 interception.
Peyton Manning at Tennessee was 89 for 144 for 1,141 yards, 11 TD and 6 INT.
Drew Brees at Purdue only threw for 232 yards, completing less than half his passes.
Double Discount Check: Aaron Rodgers at Cal didn’t even play as a freshman.

Those four Pro Bowlers combined hold 7 NFL MVPs.

In comparison, this newsworthy Aggie is the only freshman to have won the Heisman, was 295-434 attempts, throwing for 26 TDs and running for 21. (stats via ESPN)

The dude is super, is he not?

Let me say this – if there were camera phones, TMZ, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Facebook and those overzealous nasty vultures circling the worldwide webs when I was 20 and in college, I’d be screwed. I was pledging a sorority and “finding myself,” if you know what I mean. (Sorry mom and dad, but it’s true.)

I’d be screwed, as in, Corporate America would slam the door in my face and I probably wouldn’t even be invited to my own Sunday night family dinner. Ever. Twenty is that crazy age where you’re legally forbidden to drink, but it’s still kind of a rite of passage.

AND IT’S COLLEGE STATION, need I say more? Sorry Texas state laws, but you know it’s true.

And maybe the polarizing athlete that everyone sweated all last season did sell his autograph, but the proof is not in the pudding. It’s actually quite the opposite, especially with the oft-duped Darren Rovell leading the investigative masses, the whole story kind of loses credibility and is a crock.

So what he throws temper-tantrums. Don’t you? Doesn’t your girlfriend?

And guess where that leaves us? Right smack dab in the middle of Kyle Field, exactly where we should be, our eyes glued to see if this freak of an athlete can have an even relatively comparable sophomore season.

Everyone fell in love with that high-stepping, end zone seeking charismatic football player on the field; is it really that hard to believe he’s just as charismatic with a shot of Tito’s in his hand when he’s not on the field? I think not.

The guy comes from money and drives a Mercedes that many of us wish we could afford. And people actually want his signature, unlike you and I where we just have to sign our bar tabs. Yeah, cause for jealousy, I concur.

How can you not love a guy who “ate Skittles, drank beer and won the Heisman,” as his dad boasted?

Oh and one final thing, for those of you condemning JFF’s off-field antics: He’s SEVEN years younger than Lindsay Lohan. BOOM.

Although I am a JFF fan (for now), I did love this joke by Texans backup QB, TJ Yates:

Here’s my final parting joke for you Texas (as in the entire state) fans: Who’s the only person Johnny Football hasn’t signed for?

MACK BROWN.

This article was part of The Blonde Side’s sports column on CBS Man Cave Daily. Click here to see the original article on their awesome website.

September 13, 2013/by Jayme

FSU: First-Time in Primetime

Football

Jameis Winston debuts at Pitt (photo courtesy of Sportige.com)

ESPN wrongfully called him a “legend in the making.” All I’m saying is let’s not put the cart before the horse or jinx this poor kid after only FOUR quarters of college football. Albeit four quarters of some of the most impressive quarterbacking we’ve seen in a while, but still just four quarters of play…

Being inside Heinz Field Monday night to witness the #12 Seminoles graciously “welcome” Pitt into the ACC with a 41-13 victory and seeing Jameis Winston’s legendary debut game firsthand, along with 15,000 other Florida State fans who traveled to Pittsburgh was beyond words. Dammit, there I go using the word legendary.

But I hate to see this Madden-cover curse, Heisman early-talks curse, or any of those other fabled sports-curse take over before we’ve really even seen #5 in full on action (like Clemson, which we’re all waiting with baited breath for to see who really reigns in the ACC).

For starters, the redshirt freshman from Hueytown, Ala. connected on his first 11 passes (with the 12^th being a semi-controversial call on whether the receiver was inbounds). To look at Winston’s numbers from a different angle – Tom Savage, Pitt’s quarterback, threw as many interceptions as Winston threw incompletions. That’s unheard of unless your quarterback is JaMarcus Russell. Jameis was nearly perfect on every level completing 25-of-27 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns (throwing for four and running one in), and even showing some agility and aggressiveness as a blocker.

Jameis Winston made all kinds of crazy history Monday night, becoming the only quarterback in the last 10 seasons to throw for 3 touchdowns and rush for one in the 1^st half of his 1^st career game. How’s that for a NCAA bar trivia question?

Winston completed 17 of his 18 passes for 240 yards and three of his touchdowns in the first half alone, along with help on the defensive side of the ball (minus that first play where Pitt scored a TD) and the rest of his offense. It’s not everyday you see a football team score four straight possessions just before the half, so if you’re wondering where all the Pitt fans went, they probably went home to drown their newly appointed ACC hangovers.

FSU Welcoming Pitt to the ACC

Jameis set a new school record (minimum 15 pass attempts) for completion percentage in a game (92.6 percent). The record was previously held by Florida State great, Danny Kanell, who still completed an impressive 87.5 percent against NC State’s Wolfpack. But history was meant to be broken and legends were meant to be born. Dammit, I said it again.

Other quarterbacks with impressive garnet and gold debuts (via ESPN Stats & Information):

Chris Weinke (1998) 21-36, 207 Yds, TD

Danny Kanell (1993) 28-38, 341 Yds, 5 TD

Charlie Ward (1992) 17-33, 269 Yds, 4 TD

Brad Johnson (1990) 20-28, 187 Yds, 3 TD

I am not an FSU fan wearing rose-colored glasses; it’s quite the opposite. I’m actually trying to pump the brakes, and wait for more. Haven’t you ever left a first date feeling all those warm and fuzzies and butterflies, then fast-forward two months to find out he’s a stalker or sucks in bed? Let’s give it some time, shall we?

Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor were football quarterbacks.

I’m still a believer, but rather just trying to be patient (for once). Even NBA star Kevin Durant is a believer, tweeting the following Monday night:

This guy Jameis Winston made me a believer after 1 half of football

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5)

And I hate to bring Johnny Football into this, but it’s really him that we have to thank for setting the tone and adding freshman to any and every “watch list,” but from what we can tell, Winston seems to have a seemingly positive and focused head underneath that speared helmet. I mean look at all this judgment (thankfully praise), but imagine if you and I had been judged on our first time at something? Oh, awkward. Embarrassing.

Another Seminoles TD

What’s more impressive for the freshman, as the ESPN article states is that he’s not only Billy Badass in a helmet and pads, he’s also a star outfielder. A star in the sense that he turned down a 15^th round pick in the Major League Baseball draft by the Texas Rangers to pursue not only his love for the game, but his God-given abilities on the football field.

Winston is just one of a handful of players to have not only participated, but excelled as a two-sport dominator, including Hall of Famer Primetime Deion Sanders. You better believe Deion will have some words of wisdom for Jameis on October 25^th where he’s schedule to appear at Bobby Bowden’s roast.

To say Winston looked comfortable in the Steelers house would most certainly be an understatement. It’s kind of like saying Stephen A. is a name-dropper.

I know the haters (both mine and FSU’s) are going to counter saying that of course it was an impressive game against an unimpressive defense, but the Panthers coverage isn’t that dismal. They returned eight defensive starters from last season’s team. The same team that ranked 17^th in the nation. It may not be a Ray Lewis kind of defense, but it’s definitely not the worst in the conference.

One of the best things I’ve read since the breakout debut was David M. Hale’s lengthy ESPN article, where Jameis’ father baited him (as a child) asking who the best quarterback was, hoping he would say himself, but instead answered, “Randall Cunningham.” I knew I had a connection watching Winston carry on like a beast on the field, but learning of our shared love for Randall Cunningham pretty much sealed the deal.

Jameis and I agree: Randall Cunningham is THE best

Another fun fact about Monday night’s game: Jameis Winston is just 1 of 8 players to complete at least 25 passes and have a completion percentage above 85% ON a BCS team playing AGAINST a BCS team in the last decade. If you bump that up to 90%, it’s only Winston and Colt McCoy (Texas) sitting side by side on that list. (via ESPN Stats & Information)

Plain and simple: We’re not all good our first time. But this Jameis Winston kid is.

September 3, 2013/by Jayme

Texans Fans = Needy Girlfriends

Football

Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans are good at quite a few things, one of which is staying relatively off the radar. There isn’t a ton of news going on in Houston’s offseason, the drama is fairly minimal (especially when paired next to Tom Brady’s team), and the stars shine just quite enough to get sufficient, but not overwhelming attention.

Training camp is the hottest in the league, but the guys are there to work hard, that’s it. But a quiet offseason leaves room for a lot of unanswered questions by the fans and the rest of the NFL.

Texans fans are now needy girlfriends when it comes to their beloved team. They’ve won the division title two straight years – it’s time to up the ante and get that engagement ring (also known as a trip to MetLife Stadium in February).

This football season has been dubbed by virtually everyone as the all-or-nothing season for the Texans. It’s like taking your girlfriend on a romantic vacation to Bora Bora – you better end that vacation on one knee and be ready to take your relationship to the next level.

Do or die. Marry me or I freak out. Super Bowl or bust.

Crazed Texans fans are ready for a ring (photo via Chron.com)

For the Texans to get on that bended knee (aka get to the Super Bowl for those not following my ongoing analogies), there are a few things we must settle:

1. The Secondary. The Texans are slated to take on a ton of elite QBs this year – Manning, now in his second and stronger season after neck surgery, the always impressive Brady, Andrew Luck who is no longer a rookie, not to mention other new big names like Russell Wilson and the hot-bodied Colin Kapernick.

Last season the Texans were just 16^th against the pass giving up an average of 225.8 yards/game. That’s right in the middle of the pack, neither great, nor bad.

If you dated a girl that was just average, does that scream engagement ring to you? I think not…

Is Ed Reed’s hip OK to play?

2. Injuries. I hate talking about them, but they’re a big deal for any team. Star safety Ed Reed is still battling his hip injury (which he blames Tom Brady for), Foster isn’t currently taking reps, the status on Posey remains unknown and others are popping up.

“That’s part of football, so we’ll get them healthy and get them back out here,” Kubiak said after practice Wednesday afternoon.

Can the rest of this team stay healthy? This is single-handedly one of the most annoying things sports media folks talk about incessantly, and here I am talking about it. Awesome.

With 52 guys on a roster, and 300+lb men slamming their hard bodies into other 300+lb men, it’s inevitable injuries are going to happen. A lot. When guys are bobbing and weaving at unfathomable speeds and jumping over bodies, helmets, and cleats, odds are, someone’s going to get hurt. Probably a lot of someone’s, unfortunately.

3. Along with injuries come detailed conversations of the depth chart – that’s a big concern for Houston – do we have the depth to take over when our starters find themselves in the locker room getting looked at by medical personnel?

In relationships, backups and second strings aren’t looked at very fondly, but this is football and it’s all part of the game. (Seriously, never tell your girlfriend you have a backup though.)

4. Then comes the Schaub inquisition. Can he lead this all-star team the way they need to be led on the field? His numbers are fairly average, coming in 11^th with a passer rating of 90.7 and throwing for 4,008 yards last season.

Last season, Schaub tied for 15th in touchdown passes (22) while ranking sixth in completion percentage (64.3), throwing just 12 picks in 544 passes.

5. We all know Texas is a conservative state, but that doesn’t mean our football has to be. Nor should it be.

Conservative play-caller Gary Kubiak

Kubiak needs to move on from his conservative play calls, especially when it comes to 3^rd and long, where the Texans are tied for 31^st at converting to first downs.

For a more intense look at the Texans 3^rd and extra long play calls, take a look at this Ultimate Texans article.

It seems we may get some answers to quite a few of these nagging questions in Week 3 when the Texans take on the defending champions in Baltimore. Until then, it’s all speculation.

Make no mistake, this is a championship roster. More so than it’s ever been.

There’s just one thing missing from this relationship: an intimate postseason.

For those inquiring minds, Super Bowl odds for Houston are currently 14/1 according to the LVH Sports Book in Vegas.

Oh, and if the Texans do make the Super Bowl this year (which yours truly is in fact predicting), that would make them the first Texas football team to vie for the Tiffany & Co. Vince Lombardi trophy in 18 years.

August 28, 2013/by Jayme