Kcchiefs article on Justin Houston extension
 

One thing that stood out to me was the stat that backs up what everyone here all ready knows, that Houston is a complete linebacker, not just a pass rusher. He ranked first in rushing the passer and 4th in run and pass defense as well. So glad we are keeping him around for a while.

One of the top storylines of the Kansas City Chiefs offseason culminated this week with the announcement of a long-term extension with linebacker Justin Houston.

One reason Houston said it was important for him to stay with the Chiefs was the relationship he has with his teammates, something that isn't found everywhere.

"It's more of a family here," Houston explained. "I sit back and talk to other guys from different teams and they talk about how it's not a family there. But it is here. You don't hear anything bad being said about each other in the locker room.

"It doesn't matter if we're winning or losing, it's all always positive vibes going on. We're not putting one another down, we're always uplifting everybody. We move as one."

From the end of last season up until the moment he signed his contract, Houston's goal all along was to stay in Kansas City.

"When the season ended, coach Reid pulled me into the office saying, 'It's going to get done, just be patient,'" Houston recalled. "So that's what I did."

Just because Houston filled his pockets a little bit and got the long-term deal NFL players work their entire careers to try and earn, don't expect him to sit back and rest on his past accolades.

That's just not the way he's built.

Less than an hour after putting pen to paper, Houston shared what he believes this team can achieve.

"I think we can go all the way this year," he said. "We're ready to go."

The belief of what this team can achieve together is one of the reasons Houston wanted to stay in Kansas City, and the commitment he made only reinforces that notion.

For as much credit is given to Houston for his pass-rushing prowess, the truth is of the 1,033 snaps he played for the Chiefs defense last season, which was second only to cornerback Sean Smith's 1,037, less than three percent of those snaps resulted in a sack.

That not only shows how truly difficult it is to earn a sack in the NFL, but in order to make the kind of impact that truly transforms a defense, players must be able to do everything well.

According to Pro Football Focus, Houston ranked in the top four among NFL outside linebackers in rushing the quarterback (No. 1), run defense (No. 4) and pass coverage (No. 4).

He's the only player who can claim to be ranked in the top five in each of those categories.

"I try to be the best at everything I do," Houston said. "I look at other athletes, like LeBron James is one of my favorite athletes. I see his size, his ability, but he doesn't just focus on scoring. He plays defense, he wants to do it all. That's what I've been wanting to do on the football field, I want to do it all.

"If I've got to cover somebody, I want to be one of the best covering outside linebackers I can be, the best run stopper I can be, the best pass rusher I can be. I want to be the best in all things."

One of the reasons Houston believes he's at the point in his career where he can legitimately make those claims is because of his mentor, veteran Tamba Hali, and the leadership he showed through the first four years of Houston's career.

"He's meant a lot to my career," Houston said. "When Tamba first came into the league, he didn't have a guy to take him under his wing. When I came in, it was the total opposite. He was willing to teach me everything he knows.

"When I started picking it up, he was like, 'OK, I'm going to slow down. You're learning too fast!' But he's like a brother on the field and being in this situation, he was like a big brother that helped teach me things on and off the field-like how to handle myself."

Hali ranks third all-time in Chiefs franchise history with 79.5 career sacks, and while Houston's 48.5 sacks has him currently ranked No. 6, the season he had a year ago has already put him in esteemed company.

Houston broke one of the most revered records in franchise history, Derrick Thomas' mark of 20 sacks set during the 1990 season, last year. Houston's 22-sack performance was just a half a sack shy of the all-time record set by Michael Strahan (22.5) back in 2001.

Houston's long-term commitment will only lead to further cementing his legacy with the Chiefs, an organization with a rich history of pass rushers from the days of Art Still to Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith to most-recently, with Hali.

"It means a lot," Houston explained of the pass-rushing history in Kansas City. "When I'm done, I want to be mentioned as one of those guys, as one of the best that came through here. Any time you can be mentioned in the same category as Derrick Thomas-that says enough itself."

It's this history that has developed Arrowhead Stadium and Chiefs Kingdom as having one of the premier home-field advantages in the NFL.



There's never a more exciting time at Arrowhead than an opponent's attempt on third down.

"It's a great feeling," Houston said of playing at Arrowhead. "On third-and-long when you hear the crowd and you see the opposing quarterback yelling, trying to change the play and struggling to communicate with the offensive linemen. That's a great feeling because you know your percentage of getting a sack just went up.

"I love playing in front of our fans."

While many people will count the dollars and cents of his contract as the focal point of what it means, the belief behind the money means something to Houston.

"It just made me feel like they really believed in me," Houston said. "For them to do this, just like your family back home, your mom, your parents, they believe in you. It gives you an extra edge on the field when you know you've got people really believing in you and what you can do."

After being away from his teammates, Houston can't wait to get up to training camp and get back to work. The Chiefs have high expectations.

"It's going to feel like your first time you went to college and came back home to your family," Houston said. "Everybody's around. The first day of camp is one of the most fun days-everybody's back together, you get to enjoy each other and it's full of energy.

"It's going to be a great time."

I hope I'm wrong but these guys never play the same after their guaranteed contracts kick in.

If you can't find joy in being a Chiefs fan right now, you should probably just pack it in.

Maybe it all falls apart - stranger things have happened. That said, Andy Reid has created such a great atmosphere around this team that guys like Hali and DeVito are taking less to stay. You look at the relationship Houston has had with Berry and you feel like that's more than just 'teamspeak' - these guys really do enjoy playing here.

This is a fun franchise to root for right now.

I don't think I've ever been more excited for an upcoming season...sans when we had Montana.

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If you're going to call him a "complete linebacker", why don't they ever compare him to all the linebackers? That 1st/4th/4th thing is only true if you compare him to only 3-4 OLBs. Seriously, he was beaten in the coverage rating by Hali and Peppers. Those aren't exactly good coverage guys.

If you actually compare him to all the LBs, he is 1st in rushing, 32nd in coverage, and 19th against the run.

Von, by the way, is 2nd/28th/2nd.

You can tell these Bronco fans are mad bc all of them keep bringing up Von and whining.

It's the natural comparison. They play essentially the same position for division rivals.

Which, by the way, says something when the stat that keeps coming up seems deliberately structured to not include Von. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Von beats Houston in 2 of the 3 categories.

You've just noted that he doesn't play the same position.

Setting aside for the moment the fact that PFF remains bullshit and it's laughable that that they try to sell it as 'objective' when it's literally just some guy like you or me watching game film and grading him, different positions are going to yield different grades due to different responsibilities.

Hold your wads, fellas. We can all say who we think might be better, but in the end, this will be the first time they play similar roles. It'll be fascinating to see how it goes. Personally I think you're looking at 1A and 1B in some order - these guys are both amazing ballplayers. I think Houston's just a little more explosive but of course I'm going to think that.

In either event, it's going to get settled on the field in just a few short months. Without Miller having played a single snap in a 3-4, it's just not an argument worth having right now.

I'm pretty sure it's easier for LB's to play the run in a 4-3 than in a 3-4. Having an extra 300 lb DL helps take up blockers.

We've seen several instances where teams put their LT and a TE on Houston on a sweep....and they STILL have trouble blocking him.

They play the same position. Denver's 4-3 over the past 4 years has really been a 5-2, with the 2 outside linemen (Von on one side, Dumervil/Phillips/Ware on the other) really being OLBs. Going down the line, the players had the same responsibilities, even though their position titles may have been different.

Ware : Hali
Williams : Howard
Knighton : Poe
Wolfe : Bailey
Miller : Houston

Look at the positional comparison I just posted. Unless Ware put on a lot of weight, Houston and Miller have the same number of big guys in front of them.

The same position?

You guys ran a base 4-3 under Fox /Delrio, right? Not "essentially the same position" at all.

Yep...considering all the talk this offseason is the fact that the Broncos are moving to the 3-4.

I have no idea how you guys ran your defense, but if Miller Ware was playing as a down lineman (especially if Miller was playing as a down lineman) as you seem to be suggesting by saying they were running a 5-2 front, then it's not even remotely similar.

I think you're reaching here.

Not a base 4-3. It was typically called a 4-3 under, so the SAM (Von) would be on the line, standing up. Ware would also usually be standing up on the line on the other side. As far as responsibilities go, in general terms it's identical to a 3-4.

Yeah, I shouldn't have called it a 5-2, Miller wasn't in a 3 point stance. It's a 4-3 under, but the general player responsibilities are identical to a 3-4. Miller and Houston's roles in their defense are really the same.

The alignment has very little to do with player responsibilities...I agree with DJ that your reaching.

Post how many times Miller rushed the passer as opposed to Houston.

And this right here is where This poster uses misguided numbers to try and exaggerate a point that isn't there.

"Justin Houston is 32nd in pass coverage."

The facts are that Houston lined up in coverage 158 times last year and was only targeted 10 times all season.
He surrendered only 7 catches for 45 yards all year, 4 of those catches coming in one game vs the Bills."

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...ustin-houston/

Get this hyperbole bullshit outta here.

I guess Houston has never heard of Jared Allen.

Wasn't Jared only there for one year? And im kinda skeptical on what kind of "teacher" he was.

Not sure, but I do recall him teaching Tamba to knee guys in the nuts on Hard Knocks.

No that was him teaching Turk Mcbride. Ah the memories.

Two years. Tamba's rookie year and then Allen's last year where he was franchise tagged and then traded to the Vikings.

Still....that doesn't mean that Allen took Hali under his wing like Hali has done for Houston.

This defense gon' be stupid good.

Houston rushed 462 times, Von rushed 511 times.

We can sit here and argue all day who is better between Houston and Miller, it's no use. They are both elite players who are on path's to Canton. Both will wind up with likely identical contracts, too.

The argument that will matter is the guys around them. We know those two are gonna wreak havoc if healthy, the question becomes who wins the battle of Hali/Ford/Bailey/Poe vs. Ware/Ray/Wolfe/Williams.

Yeah, JJ Watt sucked last year.

I was using the same ratings as were used to argue that Houston was a complete linebacker.

Also, Miller was in coverage 113 times, and gave up 11 catches for 76 yards. Attributing catches and yards to these guys is nearly meaningless, though, because they will almost always be dropping in zone, not man-to-man on a single receiver.

I actually would dare say Houston has a better chance to actually BREAK the league record this year.

If you think, we have a better secondary on paper, which would make for more time to get after QB's.

We should hypothetically lead more games too, allowing for more pass rush opportunities late in games (much like week 17 vs. SD)

Exactly. Don't forget Howard though. He's going to be a difference maker also.

I actually think Catapono (if given snaps) might be our most effective rusher at DE, and that includes Bailey.

The group is stupid deep.

You sure? I could have sworn that was Tamba. Its been awhile since Ive watched it though. Oh well.

I agree Bailey, Howard and Cat should combine for at least 12 sacks.

Based on what, man? God damn. The dude has played like 3 snaps.

Because he's white and he's ripped. Duh.

If your peers that are actually there to see what's going on think you have Pro Bowl potential.... they might be right. I mean they are there. Also watch Week 17 tape vs. SD. Most disruptive guy on our line that day.

I am only following peripherally while on a conference call but from what I am reading Von rushed more times, had less sacks and was in coverage less times and gave up more catches and yards.

Unless I am missing something that sounds like you should be arguing that Houston is better. :)

He "cared about his teammates"

So he holds out and bitches about his contract until he gets his way, thereby reducing funds available for his teammates.


But he "cares". And don't you forget it.

He bitched about his contract publicly? Did I miss when that happened?

Hali was in coverage 111 times, and gave up 1 catch for 2 yards. It might be wise for KC to try him out at safety.

In other, non-sarcastic words, what you're missing is the context of each play.

The guy is a great pass rushing prospect that is now strong/big enough to play inside. It's not that hard to understand why there's hype there even if he hasn't done jack shit up to this point. Hell, even the lockeroom/coaches/front office feels this way. There's a reason.

And Billay thought that Avant was the most overrated player out there. JFC. Catapano was a 7th round pick....has barely played and now he's a great pass rusher who's going to get 10 sacks a year.

If SeeingRed and Staylor are even half-right, we're going to smash records to the tune of about 75 sacks.

The king of the stat is now concerned with context when the statistics don't fit his narrative? Interesting.

So bc SeeingRed has ridiculously unrealistic expectations everybody else isn't aloud to have any whatsoever? It's not a reach to say he has a great shot to have an impact as a situational pass rusher.

Don't mention me with him I said those 3 guys should
combine for 12 sacks, not that Cat will get that on his own. Bailey can easily rack up 6 or 7 on his own so it's not ridiculous to think Howard and Cat can't combine for 5.

I've always been concerned with context, but typically you can use other statistics to qualify the context. This is not the case for coverage numbers for pass rushers. A guy like Hali goes into "coverage" by dropping back 3 yards and watching the QB. Trying to use these numbers to compare players in the same way you would compare CBs is absurd.

PFF is not always accurate.

Houston is an elite pass rushing LB just like Von. That's all that needs to be said.

Von also leads Houston in games suspended, bags of pot smoked and gereral dumbassery.

And playoff wins.

We get it Hef. You're a Von homer and you can't take it that Houston not only has a deal done but is seen by the general public, and players, as better at this point in time.

You're right. I'm super mad that Houston's contract ended a year earlier than Von's.

And this is why he's worth the money.

He's not DT.

He's DT that can cover and stuff the run.

Prepare to be pissed off - he's better than DT...

You should be.

It just means Von will cost more...

Houston is more of a leader. He also does have the benefit of playing with the lead a lot as Von has the past few years.

I'm gonna laugh when Denver gives Von Miller MORE than Houston next year and gets popped for weed and gets suspended for a whole year.

And trying to compare Hali's coverage responsibilities as a weakside LBer (as you've noted, he does nothing in coverage) to the SOLB who oftentimes will be tasked with covering the TE is equally absurd.

That's why I'm not exactly sure what the hell point you're trying to make here. Houston was given actual legitimate coverage responsibilities and he did a pretty damn good job with them especially in light of the fact that we had no DJ all season, who was our top coverage linebacker and in his absence we asked Houston to do more.

I feel like you're just arguing because you feel compelled to do so but you don't seem to actually be making any salient points here.

The Broncos get about a $5 million discount on Miller due to his roughly $10 million 5th yr player option being picked up this season. That's certainly not insignificant but if there's a substantial rise in the cap next season, that will end up eating up some of those gains as Miller will expect a commensurate increase over what Houston got.

On balance there's really no distinction either way that I can figure out, I'm just happy that the Chiefs got it done. Now you guys can stress about getting your franchise pass-rusher locked up next year and I'll sit back content with the future of our defense being pretty secure.

Why does Denver fan have to be douche about Houston's contract?

Miller and Houston are both excellent players. Be happy they play for your team and shut the **** up about it.

That's a Q, brah. A few of us have already been saying that.

And to Staylor and the other Catapano homer, how about we see Catapano on the field for a game or two after this year long mystery injury before we proclaim him an all pro. JFC.

Thanks for posting the link. I meant to do it and got sidetracked

Catapano is on the last year of his contract.

Think Justin Houston money will be enough to keep him in town?

Better offer him a Suh deal pronto just to be safe. Can't let that kind of talent leave town.

Better offer him more than Suh got.

Can you provide evidence that Houston is actually asked to do more than drop a few yards and stand? Looking at his coverage stats, the passes he is defending are all very close to the LOS. For instance, in the Buffalo game he gave up 34 yards on passes, and 39 yards were after the catch. That means the average pass he was defending was caught behind the line of scrimmage. I'm not sure I've ever seen an LB go cover someone one-on-one in the backfield.

Pissing match aside, there's one thing to really like about the contract. The chiefs are trying to pay it off quickly. That means that when Houston is 30, Chiefs will have leverage to renegotiate out of the last two years into a contract more suitable for a 30+ player.

But if the chiefs are pressed for cap? Easy fix. That year you can convert his base salary to bonus.

I actually don't think I've said a single thing about Houston's contract.

Holy shit. Since when did saying good situational pass rusher = All-pro?

I guess Jimmy Wilkerson was an All-Pro then. Can't believe we let him get away :rolleyes:

I have no idea where to look up something like that.

But your belief is that a 3-4 strong side backer who doesn't leave the field in nickel situations can be asked to simply drop and stand? Sorry, but that's just illogical, especially when we play a cover 1 and use the SS as a CFer.

When we had DJ, it was something we could do a bit more often but when he went down, Houston was absolutely asked to take on more coverage responsibility. When we had Berry at SS playing box safety as opposed to Parker taking deep coverage it was something we could get away with but not once Berry went down and we made some pretty radical adjustments to our coverages. It's both part of the nature of the position and a simple reality made necessary by the personnel losses we suffered. Akeem Jordan damn sure wasn't dropping back in base packages. Mauga was generally asked to cover the area vacated by Hali's rush even when we were in zones (as Hali was almost purely a rush-backer) and Parker was playing a true CF.

All I can tell you is what I saw as a STH and what I know about our system. It would have been pretty difficult for the SOLB to not have at least the occasional legitimate coverage responsibilities.

These are the catches he gave up over the season:

Frank Gore; 1 yard; 8 YAC; caught 7 yards behind LOS
Fred Jackson; 6 yards, 7 YAC; caught 1 yard behind LOS
Chris Hogan; 4 yards; 3 YAC; caught 1 yard past the LOS
2 catches to Bryce Brown; 24 yards; 29 YAC; caught an average of 2.5 yards behind the LOS
Emmanuel Sanders; -5 yards; 0 YAC; caught 5 yards behind the LOS
CJ Anderson; 15 yards; 13 YAC; caught 2 yards past the LOS

Not a single pass more than 2 yards past the LOS.

Even still, how can you call him good at something he's never even done?

JFC I never said that he was I just said that he could/should be based on his upside as a prospect. Time will tell if I'm right, but I'm not saying it is a certainty. I'm not Seeing Red saying he's going to get 10 sacks or Mike DeVito calling him Pro Bowl caliber.

The problem is that any time there is talk about how stout this defense is going to be, there's always one or two dick wads that jump in and say something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, plus we've got Big Cat! That dudes a ****ing beast! Probably the best pass rushing linemen we've got." The dude is the latest in a long line of overhyped Chiefs that have done exactly jack and shit to warrant the hype. Not to mention, he's coming of a year long mysterious rancid ebola infestation. Let's let the guy prove that he can still play before crowning him the best evah.

AIDS. He had AIDS

Of the labia.

Yes.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/ima...m-103014-2.gif

These statistics don't account for passing plays in which Houston was in coverage and his receiver wasn't targeted. Doesn't seem like an accurate way to determine how a player performed in coverage.

Generally speaking in regards to 3-4 OLBs, the majority of their drops are going to be to the flat. There are some variations (e.g. man calls, pattern-match checks, fire zones that result in the DE in subs or OLB in base being the hook or rat player, etc.)