Player Profile: Justin Houston

I know I haven't done this since perhaps last season, but, after a win is always a good time to return to a post celebrating the achievements of a player. And this week, my player profile award goes to none other than your Pepsi Rookie of the Week candidate, Justin Houston.

Justin Houston, a rookie, was a very talented 3-4 OLB at the University of Georgia before being drafted by Kansas City number 70 overall (3rd Round). Considered a first-round talent heading into the combine, a report came out that Houston, along with Christian Ballard (Iowa), both tested positive for marijuana while at the combine. This, of course, was a red flag, and Houston saw his stock plummet during the draft.

Scott Pioli, already taking one off-field issue player in Jonathan Baldwin with the first round pick, decided to take a chance on Houston in the third. These off-field issues were, once again, brought to the forefront when Houston, inexplicably, didn't sign with the Chiefs until after training camp was already underway. With the new rookie wage scales in place after the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (the reason for the lockout), there wasn't anything to really negotiate being a third round pick. Yet, Houston was the second-to-last player to sign with a team; the last player to sign was first-round draft pick Prince Amukamara, CB, with the New York Giants.

Pioli talked about Houston in an interview following the draft: "We all thought it was a rare opportunity to get a player who addresses a big need on our football team now and in the future. And, the fact is, the reality is, we picked a player who had an issue, that's on me, and we're going to figure it out."

Coming into camp, some observers noted that Houston seemed out of shape, breathing heavily after conditioning drills; conditioning drills are really the one thing players shouldn't have had to catch-up on during the lockout. This lack of camp, being a rookie, being out of shape, and having to compete against the likes of Andy Studebaker kept Houston out of first team practices and drills for the training camps and the preseason. However, during the preseason against second and third team opponents, Houston looked good, recording 9 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Against starters, however, Houston wasn't quite as effective.

Getting the nod for the starting role in weeks 1 and 2, Houston was ineffective at rushing the passer, and seemed in over his head, recording just 3 tackles in those blowout losses. Houston would start again in week 4, but then would lose his starting role to Studebaker until week 11.

Even though Houston wasn't starting games in between weeks 4 and 11, he was getting noticeably better in each game he played in, which lead to him eventually earning back the starting job from Studebaker. Since regaining the job, he has been a force on Tamba Hali's opposite side rushing the passer, causing pressure and collapsing the pocket. He has opened up sack opportunities for defensive tackles including Amon Gordon and Tyson Jackson, and has taken pressure off of Hali to get to the quarterback.

Houston's strides this season was showcased against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and even though the Bears were starting backup Caleb Hanie, I don't think Houston's game should be forgotten. He recorded 7 tackles, 3 sacks and forced 1 fumble. If Houston continues to improve this season as he has demonstrated, we could be looking at a monstrous set of pass rushers for the Chiefs for years to come.