Former LB to work as a strength coach and help with the defense
Report: Cushing returns to Texans as coach
Jan 29, 2019, 12:10 pm
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One of the most popular and polarizing Texans in the team's history will return to the franchise as a coach.
Former #Texans star Brian Cushing has joined the team as an assistant strength coach. Expected to work with the defense as well.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 29, 2019
Cushing has long been heralded for the way he approaches his body and workouts. Many Texans over the years have praised his work ethic in the weight room as well as his dedication to the supplements and nutrition necessary to have his body operate at a high level.
Cushing played in nine seasons with the Texans playing in 109 games totaling 696 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and nine interceptions. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009 as well being elected to the Pro Bowl the next year. He had two seasons derailed by injury with the Texans. In 2012 he tore his ACL. The next year he broke his leg.
His second and last season in football were marred by violations of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Cushing missed four games in 2010 and 10 games in 2017. Cushing and the Texans pursued a reduction of the suspension in 2010 claiming Cushing violated the policy due to a rare condition called overtrained athlete syndrome. It even went as far as Bob McNair meeting with Roger Goodell pleading his case.
Cushing has always maintained his innocence during the suspensions. In 2018 on former teammate Arian Foster's podcast Cushing said he was blindsided by his failure early in his career. He also said on his second failure a supplement he took that was allowed by the NFL turned into another banned substance in his body.
When asked by Foster if he had ever "juiced," aka taken steroids, Cushing said no and believed it would be very hard due to the amount of testing in the NFL to blatantly cheat.
Cody's Take
People are going to lose their mind about a guy who was accused of cheating is helping with the strength program. That's silly. Cushing isn't introducing anything new these players couldn't get if they didn't already want it. His process of beating it, if that's what happened, doesn't work so no reason to cry foul about him helping them hide it either. He's always had an idea for what it takes in the weight room to be successful and players loved working out with him. He is also heralded as one of the better football minds from the linebacker position in Texans history so his contributions there can only help.
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How Texans' CJ Stroud got the last laugh on Panthers entire organization
Nov 30, 2023, 4:56 pm
“Another one!”- DJ Khaled
That's the first thing that came to mind when I heard the news of Tytus Howard being shut down for the season because of a knee injury. They've had more injuries on the offensive line this season than Nick Cannon has Father's Day cards. Almost every member of the offensive line has spent time on the injury report. Howard went down in the same game in which Juice Scruggs was finally on the active roster. He missed the first 10 games due to a hamstring injury. The irony of next man up has never been so in your face.
The other thing that came to mind was the soap opera As the World Turns.
Howard had just signed an extension this offseason. So did Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason. They drafted Juice Scruggs, and signed a few guys too. Those moves, along with other holdovers, were expected to fill out the depth chart. Then a rash of injuries struck. At one point, only one of the original five guys expected to start was playing! In fact, they beat the Steelers 30-6 with that backup offensive line!
One can't have the expectation of backups to perform as good as the starters. They're professionals and are on an NFL roster for a reason. However, the talent gap is evident. One thing coaching, technique, and preparation can't cover is lack of ability or talent. The Texans have done a good job of navigating the injury minefield this season. While the Howard injury will hurt, I have faith in the guys there still.
As of this writing, the Texans are in the eighth spot in the AFC playoff picture. The Steelers, Browns, and Colts are all in front of them at the fifth through seventh spots respectfully. They've beaten the Steelers already. They play the Browns on Christmas Eve and their starting quarterback is out for the season. The Colts are relying on the ghost of Gardner Minshew to steer their ship into the last game of the season vs. the Texans with a possible playoff trip on the line. The Broncos and Bills are the two teams immediately behind them. They play the Broncos this weekend. Even though they're on a hot streak, this is the same team that got 70 put on them by the Dolphins. The Bills are the old veteran boxer who still has some skill, but is now a stepping stone for up & comers.
To say this team should still make the playoffs would be an understatement in my opinion. I believe in them and what they have going on more than I believe in the teams I listed above. That includes teams around them in the playoff race that aren't on their schedule. The one thing that scares me a little moving forward is the sustainability of this line. When guys get up in age as athletes, it becomes harder to come back from injuries. The injuries also tend to occur more frequently when it's a knee, foot, ankle, shoulder, elbow, or another body part critical to blocking for C.J. Stroud.
I know they just re-signed three of those guys and drafted one they believe can be a starter, but depth and contingency plans are a way of life in the NFL. We see how important depth was this season. Why not plan ahead? Don't be surprised if the Texans spend valuable draft capital on the offensive line. By valuable, I'm talking about first through third or fourth rounders. Those are prime spots to draft quality offensive lineman. Whether day one starters or quality depth, those are the sweet spots. The only guy on the two deep depth chart for this offensive line that wasn't drafted in one of those rounds was George Fant, who was an undrafted rookie free agent. While I highly doubt they spend any significant free agency dollars on the group, I'm not totally ruling it out.
The bottom line is, this team will be okay on the line for the remainder of this season. The only way that doesn't happen, more injuries. Stroud is clearly the franchise guy. Protecting that investment is a top priority. I don't care about a number one receiver, or a stud stable or singular running back if the quarterback won't have time to get them the ball. If the pilot can't fly the plane, you know what happens. So making sure he's happy, healthy, and has a great crew is of the utmost importance.