Texans rookie Brian Cushing spoke to the media Tuesday night after hearing he was named a backup outside linebacker in the 2010 Pro Bowl.
LB Brian Cushing(on how proud he is of receiving this honor as a rookie) "Oh, there's no question – rookie or not, I'm thrilled. It's one of those things you always look forward to growing up playing football, and when Coach (Gary Kubiak) called me today, I was beyond ecstatic. I couldn't believe that this actually happened."
(on the season he has had and if making the Pro Bowl was possible when it began) "You know, I guess it's just a lot of respect. During the season, you always have it kind of in your thoughts. You never know, really, how everything's going to pan out. I've never played in the NFL before, it's my first year, things are new, I'm adapting to a new system. At the beginning, you're just trying to fit in, and I think once you get over that hump, then you realize this is something you're capable of doing, something that you want to do. You want to see what that next step is, and making the Pro Bowl my first year, like I said, I'm just beyond happy right now."
{QUOTE}(on going to the Pro Bowl with teammates LB DeMeco Ryans and DE Mario Williams) "There's no question how special that is. The first person I called when I got off the phone was DeMeco. He's yelling on the phone and I'm laughing, just excited about going there and representing together, and I'm texting Mario. Not only are we going to be there together, we're going to be on the same side of the ball probably on the field at the same time. So not only are we representing each other, but we're representing the Texans as a defense and what we're all about going down there."
(on Ryans saying that Cushing got the better of him this year) "(Laughs) I don't know. I think hopefully, we just made each other better. I hope that's something for years to come. It's a healthy competition between us, and we love playing with each other, there's no question about that. The fire, the fun we have, that's something I want for many years to come."
(on how tough it has been not to miss any game time with all of his injuries this year) "You know, there's been a lot of nicks and bruises and stuff. Fortunately enough for me, I haven't had anything too serious or severe. Come Sunday, it's a different feeling when that game kicks in and the adrenaline's going. You start to not worry about those injuries. You worry about having fun and getting the victory come Sunday. The injuries come second. That'll come on Monday morning and stuff like that. But Sunday's the time where you got to put that aside and you've got to go out there and help the team win."
(on if this is icing on the cake for the team to have four Pro Bowlers) "I think personally, this is a great goal, and I have so many people to thank for this because obviously I didn't do it by myself. But I think I speak on behalf of the team when I say this: I think the icing on the cake would be making the playoffs. Our number one goal is to win and to take the season as far as we can. We know the momentum we have right now, we know the capabilities this team has and our biggest goal is to win, make the playoffs and show the country what we're all about as a football team. We're a playoff-caliber football team."
