 Cushing with theHouston Texans in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 56 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1987-01-24)January 24, 1987 (age 38) Park Ridge, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Bergen Catholic(Oradell, New Jersey) | ||||||||||||||
| College | USC (2005–2008) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2009: 1st round, 15th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Brian Patrick Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for theHouston Texans of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans, and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the2009 NFL draft. He played his entire nine-year career with Houston from 2009 to 2017 and became the team's all-time leading tackler.
Cushing trained throughout his childhood inPark Ridge, New Jersey. He attendedBergen Catholic High School inOradell, New Jersey and went on to lead the Crusaders to the 2004 Group IV State Championship as a linebacker, tight end, and running back againstDon Bosco Preparatory High School, providing huge plays in the 13–10 win.[1] He was named "2004 North Jersey Player of the Year" byThe Record,[2] and played in the 2005U.S. Army All-American Bowl alongside future USC teammatesPatrick Turner,Rey Maualuga, andMark Sanchez.[3]
Cushing was recruited by top colleges, includingNotre Dame,Georgia, andPenn State before eventually committing to theUniversity of Southern California.
Cushing attended theUniversity of Southern California and played for theUSC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2008 under head coachPete Carroll. Cushing shared the No. 10 jersey with Trojans starting quarterbackJohn David Booty from 2005 to 2007.
Cushing was onPhil Steele's 2007 pre-seasonAll-America team and on the 2007Bednarik Award andLott Trophy watch lists.
Cushing returned a failed onside kick attempted byNotre Dame at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a late fourth-quarter touchdown on November 25, 2006.
On January 1, 2007, Cushing was named the DefensiveMVP of theRose Bowl Game, after recording2+1⁄2 sacks and forcing a third-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of the game.[4]
Cushing was named AP 2nd Team All-American as a senior despite having pedestrian statistics (73 tackles,10+1⁄2 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks). NFL scouts did not admire Cushing for his statistics, but for his versatility. Fast enough to play inside and outside linebacker and big and strong enough to play defensive end.
Cushing was one of twelve senior USC players, including the four senior linebackers Cushing,Kaluka Maiava,Clay Matthews III andRey Maualuga, invited to the 2009NFL Scouting Combine.[5] He also participated in the 2009Senior Bowl with Maualuga, Matthews,Patrick Turner and others. Alongside fellow USC linebackers Maualuga and Matthews, he was featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated's 2009 NFL Draft Preview magazine, as all three were regarded as potential first-round selections.[6]
Cushing, along with Archie Griffin ofOhio State University, are the only two players in college football history to have competed in the Rose Bowl as starters in all four seasons of their college careers.[7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.66 s | 1.58 s | 2.71 s | 4.14 s | 6.84 s | 35 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 30 reps | 23[17] |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[18][19] | ||||||||||||
Cushing was selected in the first round with the 15th overall pick in the2009 NFL draft by theHouston Texans.[20] He had one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history.
He scored his first career points on October 4, 2009, when he recorded asafety against theOakland Raiders. This was the first recorded safety by a Texan since the 2002 season.[21]
Cushing was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the2009 NFL season, becoming the first rookie to earn the award in the 2009 season.[22] In Week 8, Cushing was again named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Texans rookie to win the award twice in one season.[23] Cushing was also named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November 2009.[24]
Cushing finished tied withRay Lewis for the AFC lead with 133 tackles and added 4 sacks, 10 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. He was selected to the2010 Pro Bowl as a starter. Cushing was one of three rookies to make it to the Pro Bowl,[25] another being a former USC teammate (Clay Matthews).
On January 5, 2010, Cushing was named theNFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cushing is the secondTexan to win the award, the first beingDeMeco Ryans in 2006.[26]
On May 7, 2010, Adam Schefter ofESPN reported that Cushing would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, after he tested positive in September 2009 for having above-normal levels of thehuman chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in his system.[27] Cushing had previously denied rumors of having used performance-enhancing substances prior to being drafted. He then stated that he would undergo further medical tests to determine how hCG entered his system. Cushing still denies that he ever ingested or injected any performance enhancers and claimed the test result could have been from a cancerous tumor.[28]
On May 12, 2010, in a revote of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award after his suspension was made public, Cushing again received the most votes, thus retaining his award.[29] His second-team All-Pro status from his rookie season, however, was rescinded by the AP.[30]
In the final 12 games, he totaled 76 tackles, 1+1/2 sacks, 4 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble.
During training camp heading into the 2011 season, Cushing was told that he would be switching from outside to inside linebacker due to the new 3–4 defense. They believed that he would not have the speed to get to the outside, despite the fact that he had always been an outside linebacker all through high school.
In 2011, the Houston Texans finished the season with a 10–6 record and made it to the playoffs for the first time in team history. Cushing was named Team MVP and while he wasn't voted to the Pro-Bowl he earned AP 2nd Team All-Pro honors after finishing the season with 114 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. Houston Texans defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, called Cushing a "holy phenom" and also said that "he's one of the best I've ever coached, and I've been at it a long time." Cushing said that he will use the fact that he did not make the Pro-Bowl as "motivation and a driving force" to become better. The Texans defeated theCincinnati Bengals 31–10 in the first round but were defeated by theBaltimore Ravens 20–13 in the Divisional Round.
During the second quarter of theHouston Texans win over theNew York Jets on Monday October 8, 2012, Cushing left the game with what appeared to be a knee injury, which was later confirmed to be a tornACL. He was placed oninjured reserve, ending his 2012 season.
Cushing inked a six-year deal with the Houston Texans, a contract extension worth $55.6 million, which included $21 million guaranteed.[31] Averaging $9.2 million for the next six years, the contract was the largest at the time for any inside linebacker, and made him the third highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL.[32][33]
During the October 20, 2013, game againstKansas City, Cushing broke hisfibula and tore hisfibular collateral ligament after a low block from Chiefs running backJamaal Charles in the third quarter.[34] The Texans later announced that he would miss the remainder of the season.
Cushing started the2014 NFL season well despite being brought along slowly at the start of the season, collecting 37 tackles in the first four games as the Texans opened with an impressive 3–1 record. Cushing had 17 tackles in their loss to theNew York Giants, tying the franchise record for tackles in a game.[35]
After being plagued by injuries in the previous two seasons, Cushing completed the 2015 season with 110 tackles. The Texans qualified for the first round of the playoffs but fell to theKansas City Chiefs 30–0.[36]
During Week 1 against theChicago Bears on September 11, 2016, Cushing suffered a partially tornMCL but he did not require surgery.[37]
On September 13, 2017, Cushing was suspended for ten games for again violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.[38]
On February 20, 2018, Cushing was released by the Texans after nine seasons as the franchise's all-time leading tackler.[39]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | FF | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||||
| 2009 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 133 | 86 | 47 | 4.0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 26 | 6.5 | 20 | — | 2 |
| 2010 | HOU | 12 | 12 | 76 | 53 | 23 | 1.5 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2011 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 114 | 76 | 38 | 4.0 | — | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | — | 2 |
| 2012 | HOU | 5 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 7 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2013 | HOU | 7 | 7 | 48 | 36 | 12 | 1.5 | — | 3 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18T | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | HOU | 14 | 14 | 72 | 41 | 31 | 1.0 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2015 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 110 | 63 | 47 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2016 | HOU | 13 | 13 | 65 | 38 | 27 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | HOU | 5 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 1.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 104 | 104 | 664 | 424 | 240 | 13.5 | 1 | 30 | 8 | 50 | 6.0 | 20 | 1 | 9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | FF | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||||
| 2011 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | HOU | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| 2015 | HOU | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 1.0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Source:[40]
On January 29, 2019, Cushing was hired to work with strength and conditioning coaches and offer some assistance to players on defense with the Texans.[42]
Cushing's mother, Antoinette, is ofPolish descent; she was born in 1944 at aGermanforced labor camp.[43][44][45] His father, Frank, was an intelligence officer in theVietnam War.[46][44] His great great uncle wasAmerican Civil War veteranAlonzo Cushing, who was killed at theBattle of Gettysburg and posthumously received theMedal of Honor. His brother Michael, was an AP-1st Team All-American in both his junior & senior year seasons (95 & 96), playing Division 1 Rugby at Providence College.1996 SI.com First-teamAll-American.
Cushing is married to his college sweetheart Megan Ohai, an athlete who had success onUSC's women's soccer squad; they began dating just prior to Cushing's NFL draft.[47] His sister-in-law is soccer playerKealia Ohai, who is married to his former Texans teammateJ. J. Watt.[48] The Cushings have three sons together.[49]
Media related toBrian Cushing at Wikimedia Commons