Chiefs' Justin Houston emerging as rookie to watch Read more at the Washington Exam

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Justin Houston cuts an imposing figure standing in front of his locker in the Chiefs' practice facility. The rookie linebacker is 6-foot-3, 270 pounds of muscle, his right eye a bloody red, a large scar on his chest and a tattoo inked across his right shoulder.

It's little wonder he's such a ferocious pass rusher that he recorded the first three sacks of his career last Sunday at Chicago. Who would want to get in his way?

Then you talk to him and you realize the image doesn't match reality.

Sure, he's a big guy with bulging biceps, but he's thoughtful and polite. The bloody eye came from getting poked a couple weeks back against New England. That scar across his chest is from when he had a cyst removed as a child. And the scrolling tattoo reads, "Only God Can Judge Me," a reflection both of his faith and his upbringing, which was never all that easy.

He's the sixth of 11 children raised by his mother, Kim Houston — nine boys and two girls in a crowded house in Statesboro, a small town in southeast Georgia. His grandmother helped raise the kids, and although Houston said he knows his father, he was never a part of their lives.

"I don't know how she did it," Houston said of his mother, his sentences short and crisp, never revealing much beyond whatever is asked. "She's a tough woman."

Raised a tough son, too.

Backyard football games with his brothers were sometimes as competitive as what he's facing on Sundays, especially because there were so many siblings older than he was. Of course, little Justin never would back down, and that determination in part carried him to a football scholarship at Georgia.

"It does push you," he said, "because growing up, you see your older brother doing something, you try to do it like him. That's a big reason I'm here right now."

Houston stops midsentence as a couple of reporters with TV cameras approach, eager to talk about his masterful performance at Chicago. It was the culmination of a season's worth of work, of coming so close to a sack so many times and tackling nothing but air. Three times Houston brought down Caleb Hanie behind the line of scrimmage, the sacks a big reason why the Chiefs won 10-3.

Once the camera lights are turned off, and the lenses have moved off to some other corner of the locker room, Houston's voice drops as he talks about the trouble he ran into at Georgia.

Houston had just wrapped up a breakthrough junior season for the Bulldogs that included 10 sacks and his only interception. His draft stock had never been higher, especially given his ability to play in a 3-4 defense. It continued to rise when he went to the NFL Combine and produced 30 bench press reps, a 36.5-inch vertical jump, and a 40-yard dash that would make some running backs jealous.

Then word leaked that Houston tested positive for a banned substance — it was reportedly marijuana, though hasn't discussed it. He was immediately saddled with a reputation as a problem child, and when the draft began, he watched players with lesser resumes get selected, his first-round talent falling through the second round and into the third.

The Chiefs had already gambled on wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin in the first round, someone with his own baggage from college, but still thought enough of Houston to take a chance on him.

"This league is about the players, it really is," Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. "You got to have good players. You see young guys come in that you feel like has lots of potential, but someone didn't take him first overall, so he was there when we had a chance to take him."

Like most rookies, the NFL lockout slowed Houston's development. So did protracted negotiations over his contract, which forced him to arrive late when training camp finally started.

Haley knew someone needed to emerge as a viable threat opposite Tamba Hali, the Chiefs' all-everything pass rusher. He started Houston in base defensive sets, and then tried him in sub-package work before he finally took over as an every-down player the past few weeks.

His numbers didn't reflect his performance against Pittsburgh, though he caused havoc for Ben Roethlisberger. The stat line finally showed up against the Bears, when he tore through a stout offensive line with a combination of speed and power that general manager Scott Pioli hoped to see when he called his name with the 70th overall pick in the draft.

"He's been doing a great job," said linebacker Derrick Johnson, who could set the franchise single-season tackles record in part because of what Houston and Hali have done on the edges.

Johnson and Hali were each drafted by the Chiefs, developed into stars and have signed long-term contracts to stay with the franchise. While it's far too early to say that's what the future holds for Houston, Haley makes it clear he has no ceiling. He may struggle in pass coverage, and he can get a little stronger and improve his technique, but all the tools are there to make that happen.

It's just a matter of making sure Houston continues to develop.

"The sooner that happens, the better," Haley said. "As we've seen the last couple weeks here, he's got a chance to be pretty good. You can't be starting off fast and let off. This will be a deal where we'll know a lot more as the season goes down the stretch, if he's going to continue to build on what he's put out there so far."

[Tribal Warfare]

It's just a matter of making sure Houston continues to develop.

Keep bringing the heat with this kid and rush him.

[ChiefsD]

hes had one good game, he's an exteme liability in coverage thus far.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by ChiefsD

hes had one good game, he's an exteme liability in coverage thus far.

He is a 270 pound rushbacker.

If you think that guy is legitimately supposed to be able to cover WRs, I don't know what to tell you.

Houston and Hali have the ability to force opposing passers to play games "uncomfortably" and to make decisions with incomplete information due to the time frame to make said decisions being rushed. That leads to inaccurate throws, sacks, fumbles and interceptions. Stuff a defense thrives on.

One of the most popular defenders of the last 20 years for this franchise (if not the most popular) wasn't good in coverage or against the run....but he wouldn't let qbs get comfortable...even when he didn't get a sack or even a hit on the Qb he almost always touched him because it was a little "I'm right there" reminder.

I think Houston and Hali have the potential to do that for us for the next 7 years.

Im telling ya, just give this team a quarterback.

[RippedmyFlesh]

Watching DT in pass coverage made me cringe.
If it was a pass I wanted him to kill the qb.
Not drop back in coverage.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by ChiefsD

hes had one good game, he's an exteme liability in coverage thus far.

2 post ppfftt YOU SUCK

[PhillyChiefFan]

Originally Posted by BossChief

He is a 270 pound rushbacker.

If you think that guy is legitimately supposed to be able to cover WRs, I don't know what to tell you.

Houston and Hali have the ability to force opposing passers to play games "uncomfortably" and to make decisions with incomplete information due to the time frame to make said decisions being rushed. That leads to inaccurate throws, sacks, fumbles and interceptions. Stuff a defense thrives on.

One of the most popular defenders of the last 20 years for this franchise (if not the most popular) wasn't good in coverage or against the run....but he wouldn't let qbs get comfortable...even when he didn't get a sack or even a hit on the Qb he almost always touched him because it was a little "I'm right there" reminder.

I think Houston and Hali have the potential to do that for us for the next 7 years.

Im telling ya, just give this team a quarterback.

Yep, if they could just keep the defense OFF the field for a while, and help them out by scoring some points they'd be a good team...that all starts with a QB that doesn't miss wide open targets and doesn't make poor decisions.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by ChiefsD

hes had one good game, he's an exteme liability in coverage thus far.

He is a pass rusher. Did Lawrence Taylor cover receivers? The problem isn't his coverage skills, it is that he is in coverage at all

[BoneKrusher]

If Houston puts the QB on his ass then he dont have to worry about pass coverage.

[Dexter Manley]

Houston, we have liftoff!!!

Thank goodness this time it is his play on the field, not how high he is off it...

[ChiefsD]

Glen Dorsey Kelly Gregg Tyson Jackson

Derrick Johnson Javon Belcher Justin Houston Tamba Hali

Brandon Carr Brandon Flowers

Kendrick Lewis Eric Berry

Add a legit pass rusher in the front three and we have a damned good defense.
Add a QB with big priority to the o-line and we will be damn good
ST is solid

[Dexter Manley]

Originally Posted by ILChief

He is a pass rusher. Did Lawrence Taylor cover receivers? The problem isn't his coverage skills, it is that he is in coverage at all

LT was indeed awesome at coverage. He didn't cover that often, but he was incredibly good. One Thanksgiving he returned an INT the length of the field against Det...

LT was a 6'3" 240 monster who moved like a DB, changed directions like a DB, and that helped both is edge rush and his coverage...

[whoman69]

Houston is going to have to learn to cover going forward, at least a little. I don't see them have Hali drop back, and continually having a 5 man rush leaves gaps in coverage. They're going to have to mix it up which Crennel has been doing a lot better through the last few games.

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by Bobbie

LT was indeed awesome at coverage. He didn't cover that often, but he was incredibly good. One Thanksgiving he returned an INT the length of the field against Det...

LT was a 6'3" 240 monster who moved like a DB, changed directions like a DB, and that helped both is edge rush and his coverage...

Good catch rookie.

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by ChiefsD

Glen Dorsey Kelly Gregg Tyson Jackson

Derrick Johnson Javon Belcher Justin Houston Tamba Hali

Brandon Carr Brandon Flowers

Kendrick Lewis Eric Berry

Add a legit pass rusher in the front three and we have a damned good defense.
Add a QB with big priority to the o-line and we will be damn good
ST is solid

You obviously don't understand the crennel 3-4 if you want a pass rusher in the front 3. And our ST unit is not solid besides Succop and Colquitt. When we have dufus players like Pisandshitty, Donald washington, and Jake O'Connell running around they are a liability. None of them do shit in the return game. Give arenas some real blockers and he'd take at least 2 back to the endzone each year.