@DPo8*.
Sunday Night Football against the Bears. It should be fun. They're a 7-1 team. They lost to Green Bay and we lost to Green Bay. They have a good defense, one of the best; most turnover-causing defense in the league and we protect the ball pretty well, so it's going to be a good battle. It's going to be cold, windy, wet. It's going to be a good, classic football game.
I'm excited to get a chance to play at Soldier Field in primetime. I like to get these good experiences and these big-game experiences my first year so that when my time rolls around, I've already been there and I should be able to handle it like a veteran. I don't really feel like I'm a rookie anymore, and Kubs (Texans coach Gary Kubiak) said we weren't allowed to be rookies anymore, anyway. So we might have to stop using that term.
Growing up, I always got a chance to see the Bears play and watch the way Lovie Smith coaches and watch Brian Urlacher. My roommate in college was a linebacker. Lance Briggs was his favorite player, so he made me watch him and all that stuff, so I got to see a lot of Chicago. They're a pretty basic team that plays hard defense. They're a great second-effort team; they cause fumbles. (Charles) Tillman causes turnovers, and that something we've been preparing for as a team and we're ready for.
As for my individual progress, I just try anytime I get in to make sure I do my job. Being 7-1, you've just got to pick up your slack and do what you can, make sure you're on top of your stuff, because so many guys do that. That's what I try to focus on.
I had a chance to do the Taste of the Texans event at Reliant Stadium on Monday night. It was good. We got to try a whole bunch of restaurants, so I got some ideas for dinner out with my girlfriend. Looking forward to trying some more of those. It was cool to interact with some of the fans. They got to see you in a different light, being yourself and enjoying some off time and just having fun hanging out with the guys. They got to see the normal side of you, not the working side.
I've become good friends with Eddie P. (Eddie Pleasant), Delano Johnson, Jonathan Grimes and Keshawn (Martin) and (Davin) Meggett, and Phillip Supernaw. Of course, the big boys, Ben Jones and Brandon (Brooks). We've got a pretty tight-knit rookie class. We like to include each other. We've struggled together, and hopefully we can move forward in this league and get better together as Texans.
Man, my Buckeyes are doing well. Those guys are rolling. I'm happy for them to be undefeated. It's so frustrating they're not bowl eligible. I definitely feel responsible for that, and to all the Buckeye fans, I've apologized and I still apologize, because there are some good players and they play their butt off. Urb (Ohio State coach Urban Meyer) has those guys rolling, and I'm excited to see them finish out the year and watch (quarterback) Braxton (Miller) and the receivers rolling the next year.
Thank you for reading these diaries. Scurfield does a good job with them, and I appreciate everybody's support.
DPo Diary Archive
11/9:Sunday Night Football11/2:Brotherly love, bye week review10/12:First NFL playing time9/28:Excited and ready to play9/21:Tips from a Pro Bowler9/14:Mental reps, learning from Andre9/8:Week 1 excitement8/29:Ready to make plays8/17:Game mode8/10:Excited for first game7/31: Life in NFL training camp
