A recipe for success
Former Texans safety Jonathan Owens proud of wife Simone Biles' performance at Olympics
Aug 7, 2024, 4:28 pm
What a feeling! Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
Chicago Bears safety and former Houston Texan Jonathan Owens returned from Paris full of pride in what his wife, Simone Biles, accomplished and showing off her Olympic pin.
Owens is back practicing at Bears training camp this week after getting time away to go to Paris and watch Biles win three gold medals and one silver.
“It was amazing to watch,” Owens said after Tuesday’s practice. “My wife is a warrior. That’s the one thing I tell people because I equate it to how we are in football.
“You limp around and it will hurt a little bit right before. But as soon as you go, it’s like you forget about it. Just pain tolerance and the way she was able to go out there and, like I said, look graceful with everything. People really didn’t have a clue what was going on. I’m just so happy and proud for her.”
A calf injury didn’t seem to stop Biles.
“Her resilience, and when she did decide to come back she accomplished everything that she set her mind to,” Owens said. “Just being able to witness every day, the training you go through.
“Obviously, the first day when she had the injury to her calf and just her ability to persevere through that and go out there and still dominate.”
Owens has the customary Olympic pins, including one of his wife.
“My favorite pin would be the one I went there with and that’s the Simone Biles pin right here,” he said. “Yeah, that’s my wife. It was especially made with her autograph on there so you can only get it from her or a family member."
It was a much sought-after pin.
“I had to make sure I kept a few of those on here to tease people," he said. "Like ‘No you can’t get it, I’m sorry.’ “They’re in high demand. Everyone, they would come up to you and be like ’Do you have a Simone Biles pin? Do you?
"So I would only trade some if it were like a super, super cool pin but most of the time people would see you and just want to give you one. It was a cool experience.”
While away, Owens watched the Bears win 21-17 over the Houston Texans in a Hall of Fame game shortened to less than three quarters by a storm.
“I just feel like it was one of those things where the stars just aligned,” Owens said. “I still have a job here at the end of the day, my coaches were calling me to see how I was doing, making sure I was getting rest. Obviously, they want to congratulate Simone and everything but they were also just keeping me up to date on what’s going on.
“I had my iPad so I was able to watch film of any practices that I missed and when they did play, I think it was 2 a.m. in the morning Paris time, so I stayed up and watched the game until the rain delay just to support the guys. Like I said, I was happy they allowed me to go.”
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The Houston Astros (20-19) are just 4–6 over their last 10 games, but the numbers tell a more encouraging story. Despite the record, Houston is slowly but surely gaining ground in the AL West, sitting just two games back with a division-best +21 run differential. The standings may not fully reflect it yet, but the Astros are showing clear signs of being on the other side of their early offensive struggles.
Through the first month and change, the team’s season-long offensive stats still look pedestrian—14th in OPS (.697), 21st in slugging (.375), 20th in runs scored (163), and just 25th in home runs (33). But zoom in on the last 15 games, and the picture shifts dramatically.
In that span, the Astros have quietly put together one of the most productive offenses in baseball. And that's with Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve missing time due to injury. Houston ranks 4th in OPS (.805), 6th in slugging (.442), 7th in runs (64), and 5th in doubles (22). For a team with playoff expectations, that kind of turnaround is exactly what fans have been hoping for.
The resurgence has been powered in part by rising bats in the middle of the lineup. Christian Walker, who looked stuck in a rut early on, has caught fire over the past week, hitting .385 with a .500 slugging percentage over his last 7 games. Yainer Diaz is heating up too, hitting .310 with a .448 slug over that same stretch. Zoom out a little further, and Diaz has been even better—.339 average and .559 slugging over his last 15 games. His bat is starting to match the hype.
On the mound, the Astros have had their share of turbulence, particularly in Lance McCullers Jr.’s rocky return. Saturday’s 13–9 loss to the Reds underscored some of those struggles. McCullers failed to escape the first inning, giving up walks and hitting a batter before allowing a barrage of hits. Across his two starts since returning from injury, the right-hander has walked three batters and hit one in each outing.
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There’s still work to do, and the standings don’t lie. But if the last two weeks are any indication, Houston is turning the corner. The bats are waking up, the bullpen is elite, and the rotation has room to get healthy and sharper. It might not show up in the win column just yet, but make no mistake—the Astros are trending in the right direction.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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