Brian Cushing and his Ascension to Defensive Leadership

Harold Schelling               

6:50a.m. EDT, October 17, 2011

Watching yesterday’s football game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore one Texan player on the defense really stood out among a tough Texan defense--a “fired up” young linebacker from USC by the name of Brian Cushing. In the first half Cushing and his defensive line relentlessly rushed Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco like a rodeo bull out of the starting gates. The Texan defense continuously pounded the Baltimore offensive line and almost had them on the ropes as Flacco seemed to be running for his life at times as he was sacked twice and hit 7 times in the game. They stormed the Ravens offensive line throughout the first half and without their injured two time Pro Bowl linebacker Mario Williams who anxiously viewed the game from the sidelines—other players had to step it up to make up for the difference in defense and Cushing was one of them. It was evident that the Texans wanted to take this game and get some payback for last year’s loss to the Ravens.

On a Monday night, December 2010 during regular season game the Texans had lost a heartbreaker to the Ravens in overtime at home in Reliant Stadium. The game ended with former Baltimore cornerback Josh Wilson intercepting a pass from Matt Schaub and taking it into the end zone after the Texans had put up 21 points in the second half including 15 in the fourth quarter alone to tie the game. Many thought that the game was won by a coin toss as the Baltimore defense seemed to been spent and exhausted in the second half as the Raven offense failed to score more than 7 points in the third and fourth quarters combined.

This year the game would be different as the Texans came to Baltimore. Houston quarterback Matt Schaub was going to have his hands full playing against the Ravens defense what many consider to be the most dynamic defense in the NFL led by future “hall-of-famers” middle linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed not to mention Pro Bowl defensive end Hiloti Ngata and “sack happy” inside linebacker Terrell “T-Sizzle” Suggs both major game changers and considered by many to be the best in the league.

The Texan defense was a story in itself with the addition of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips—the Texans defense has improved drastically with addition of Pro Bowl cornerback Jonathon Joseph. Phillips has seemed to give the defense more direction and poise while at the same time seeming to help them work more as a cohesive unit.

Brian Cushing has become a critical element in the Texan defense. In 2009 he was elected defensive rookie of the year and was selected to the Pro Bowl for both the 2009 and 2010 seasons and he has stepped up his game and matured as a team leader.

During last night’s Texans-Ravens game, Cushing had 5 tackles with one for a loss but these statistics don’t accurately describe the story of his defensive performance or his total contribution to that game. Cushing consistently pressured Flacco to throw the ball away and he frequently chased him into the hands of other defenders. 

The Texan defense appeared to rally behind his leadership and though the Texans were not able to win the game—they played like a playoff team.

Expect the Houston Texans to win the AFC South division this year and participate in a championship game.

Written by Harold Schelling

Harold Schelling works in the Oil & Gas industry and currently lives in Houston, Texas.
Copyright © 2011 by Harold Schelling