Chiefs Kcchiefs article on Justin Houston extension - Page 5

**jjchieffan** · 07-17-2015, 08:01 AM

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."

DJ's left nut · 07-17-2015, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

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

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.

**notorious** · 07-17-2015, 01:26 PM

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.

**TimBone** · 07-17-2015, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rausch

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...

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

**TimBone** · 07-17-2015, 01:33 PM

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.

**jjchieffan** · 07-17-2015, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article...1-ee477a8ef7aa

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

**RealSNR** · 07-17-2015, 02:14 PM

Catapano is on the last year of his contract.

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

ThaVirus · 07-17-2015, 02:16 PM

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

**The Franchise** · 07-17-2015, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

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.

MagicHef · 07-17-2015, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

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.

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.

chiefzilla1501 · 07-17-2015, 02:46 PM

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.

MagicHef · 07-17-2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

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.

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

staylor26 · 07-17-2015, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimBone

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.

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

DJ's left nut · 07-17-2015, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

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.

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.

MagicHef · 07-17-2015, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

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.

chiefzilla1501 · 07-17-2015, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by staylor26

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

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

07-17-2015, 08:01 AM
jjchieffan Supporter Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Highlandville, MO Casino cash: $22248	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."
Posts: 13,329

07-17-2015, 01:26 PM	#62
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $-824116	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.
Posts: 88,538

07-17-2015, 01:33 PM	#64
TimBone Mostly Ignored Join Date: Jul 2013 Casino cash: $8419985	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.
Posts: 18,097

07-17-2015, 02:16 PM	#67
ThaVirus 5 o’clock free crack giveaway Join Date: Sep 2007 Casino cash: $-1677631	Better offer him a Suh deal pronto just to be safe. Can't let that kind of talent leave town.
Posts: 46,967

07-17-2015, 02:46 PM	#70
chiefzilla1501 In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $-1615503	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.
Posts: 51,573