Watt was recruiting you on social media. Did he have anything to do with you coming here & O'Brien's role in getting you here? Knew JJ a couple years. We share the same agent. I wanted to come to a group with guys who were hungry, a team with great potential & dominant on defense. I think I made the right choice. First time meeting him was last night. Him wanting me here encouraged me. Mentality towards football & your flexibility? Try to put it all on the table & do whatever the coaches ask. Safety, Nickel or CB, I'm willing to do that. Who gave you the nickname? Still not sure where it came from. Started in college & stuck with me in the NFL. Where are you at in your career? I want to prove I'm one of the best safeties in the league. Had some setbacks/challenges. I had a great situation in Arizona. Team/players helped me a lot. I'm trying to come here with a clean slate & prove my point again. What about this roster says they can turn around from 4-12? QB position. Defensively, never played with a DL like they have here with Mercilus, Watt & Clowney. That played a part here. ... Slam dunk coming here? I tried to make the best decision for me & my family. Had other options on the table, more money but Texans were the best decision. John Lucas role coming out of college? Big role. Transitioning from college to NFL, he helped a lot. How much pride in being a leader? I try to lead by example, especially on the field. Off the field, trying to inspire the youth & help my community in New Orleans, Arizona & now here in Houston. Instinct vs film study? Ed Reed a big influence? Coming from Louisiana, you looked up to guys like Ed. Part is film study, other is going out there, letting your hair down & playing fast. Did anything stick in your mind from the Texans game? Coming to a city where the baseball team is World Champions & basketball team is good. Did that play a part at all? Great to be back in the South. I missed the food down here. Some great sports team. Texans have a lot of potential. I want to help this team win as many games as they can. Why 1-year deal? At this point in my career, getting released, I had to make a decision fast but one I was comfortable with. I'm closer to my family. I can't say it enough: I get to play with Clowney & Watt. I'm gonna have a lot of fun. Romeo Crennel? Excited. Never had a coach with his pedigree. Talking to him last night, he has some great ideas. We'll feed off each other. I want him to make me the best safety in the game & I think I can get to that point. What did Pat Peterson mean to you? Pat was instrumental for me. Big brother I never had. I leaned on him a lot. I'm coming to a new team. Maybe it's my time to be leader for a young guy. I'm gonna put my head down & go to work & let these guys feed off my energy. Relocating during Katrina? We went to a shelter outside of Alexandria, LA and then moved to Humble. We stayed there for 3 months & then went back home. Humble was a residence of mine. Crazy your back in Houston? I guess life comes back full circle. How hard was it to leave Phoenix? Did you consider staying once they asked for a pay cut? I did consider staying. It was hard leaving. A lot of great memories. I want to move forward & become a leader here in Houston. Small in size but your hitting ability? Everything I've been through. You put a chip on your shoulder & take it on the field. I try to play as if I have a point to prove & no one believes in me. Relationship with Kareem or JJo? Spoke to JJo. Kareem was a SEC guy. I'm sure I can learn a lot from those guys. Where did Romeo or whoever say you'll play? I believe I'll start at safety & then we'll see. Jadeveon from a distance? Fascinating to see his growth. I'm excited. Watched him play against us last year. He's dominant. Him & JJ on the field together at the same time, I'm gonna have fun in the back end. What happened last year playing the most snaps after injury issues? Never got injured until I got to the NFL. I leaned on vets. Guys showed me the ropes, learned some tricks. It kept me fresh. I felt I got better as the season went on.
Will be interesting how often Crennel plays him on the outside. I think that's where he wants to play so he can get a big contract next year.
Damnit I want to but that one year contract is making me hesitant. Got a feeling he'll stick around though
This may be the first serious attempt to address the Safety position in the history of the franchise.
