Earning His Due
Earning his due
By Nick Schenck
HoustonTexans.com
Under any normal circumstance, C.C. Brown would have been overcome with joy.
But with thousands of displaced families filing into Reliant Park, and countless others in the Gulf Coast region seeking refuge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, these are far from ordinary times.
In any case, the low-key rookie from Greenwood, Miss. cracked a slight smile on Friday, moments after head coach Dom Capers named the sixth-round draft choice the Texans’ starting strong safety heading into the regular season opener at Buffalo on Sept. 11.
“It means a lot,” Brown said of starting. “The only thing I hope doesn’t happen is that I let (Capers) down. That would be a big mistake. But if I just go out there and play hard, I’ll do fine.”
Brown, 6-0, 204 pounds, made Capers’ decision easy based on his impressive play during the preseason, when he tied for second on the Texans with 24 total tackles and added a sack. The jump from Louisiana-Lafayette, where he played only two seasons, to the NFL is considerable, but Brown said the transition was made easier by extra practice reps and help from his teammates.
“I think I’m a lot more comfortable,” Brown said. “The guys did a great job helping me and getting me comfortable out there on the field. By me having so many reps, it helped me out a lot.”
In the coming days, Brown will return home to check on relatives that have been affected by the hurricane. Since the storm struck earlier this week, Brown has spoken to his mother on the phone once for a brief period of time before the power shut off.
Brown is not sure if the power is back on. He’s anxious to receive any news.
“Basically, I’m really just thinking about my family and making sure they’re all right,” Brown said. “I’m really not thinking about what’s going on with the team since we have a little break.”
The Texans will announce the final 53-man roster on Saturday. His job in hand, Brown is thankful that he doesn’t have to sweat out the weekend. When he arrives at Reliant Stadium on Monday morning to begin preparations for the Bills, Brown says his focus will be on strengthening his pass coverage.
Until then, his mind will be elsewhere. Before leaving the locker room, Brown acknowledged to reporters that it will take some time before he realizes the magnitude of his accomplishment.
“It probably won’t hit me until the game comes around what I’ve done,” Brown said. “Until now, I’ve just tried to put it out of my mind and just go out there and play hard.”
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