Houston, you are a problem. That's James Houston IV, the Lions rookie who just can't stop sacking the quarterback.
"That's what I do," Houston said, "so I'm just playing football."
The sixth-round pick who debuted on Thanksgiving with two sacks on five defensive snaps picked up three more in the Lions' rout of the Bears Sunday at Ford Field to make it eight sacks in the first six games of his career. That's an NFL record, besting future Hall of Famer Von Miller, who had six sacks in his first six games back in 2011.
Could Houston have seen this coming two months ago?
"I couldn’t say that," he said with a smile, because he says everything with a smile. "I couldn’t say that, but I knew I always had that ability to go do it. But this is like a story and I’m just riding along with it."
Houston paid his dues with the Lions, spending the first 12 weeks of the season on the practice squad after being cut out of training camp. And he paid for his third sack on Sunday with a cut on the bridge of his nose and another above his eye after his visor rammed into his face. He had started the play by dropping into coverage, something the Lions would never have asked him to do a few weeks ago, and wound up sacking Justin Fields all the same. That's when you know you're hot.
FOX color man and former Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma could hardly believe his eyes on the broadcast after watching Houston come downhill and erase one of the NFL's fastest quarterbacks in the open field: "I had no idea he had that type of explosion. Just watch how fast he closes in on Justin Fields. He’s dropping back and then as soon as Fields breaks contain, he’s shot out of a cannon. That is special, man."
Could Taylor Decker have seen this coming two months ago?
"No," he said. "It’s just incredible."
Decker has thought highly of Houston for a while. The two have sparred almost every day since camp and Decker has felt his growth with each rep. When Houston arrived, Decker said the rookie would either try to make a move to the inside or "just kind of run right into the tackles." More recently, Decker said Houston has "started threatening the edge."
His first sack Sunday came after a stutter step and a speed move around the left edge. His second came after a bull rush off the right edge that collapsed the pocket and allowed him to chase down -- and strip -- Fields from behind. A third-down pass-rushing specialist when he made his debut, Houston is morphing into more of a versatile defensive weapon. Two of his sacks Sunday came on first down.
"I think he knew he had some bend, but he needed to grow in his confidence to really use it," said Decker. "His burst off the ball is really impressive and his bend is incredible. There’s not a lot of guys, maybe three other guys in the league that have that. It’s going to be cool for him. He’s a young kid and his career is just getting started."
Even though Houston has been on the Lions' active roster for several weeks now, it wasn't until this week that they took him off scout team. All those reps against Decker and Penei Sewell are paying off. Houston also credited his fellow linebackers and defensive linemen for "staying with me and seeing me every week going hard, battling with Taylor and Penei."
"They were just like, 'Bro, be ready. You’re gonna play, you’re gonna get in, they’re going to find somewhere for you to come in,'" Houston said. "They were just keeping me level-headed and making sure I was on my playbook so that when I got my opportunity, I was ready to go."
Meanwhile, Decker and the rest of the Lions' offensive linemen kept asking the coaching staff what they were waiting for. They knew better than anyone that Houston was ready. Guard Jonah Jackson said they were "wondering when his time was going to come."
"And I guess it came at the right time," Jackson said. "He’s showing up, man. He’s doing more than we ever expected him to. Very happy for him. He’s a good guy, so we’re rooting for him on our side."
There are stories like this every year in the NFL. "That's what the NFL is all about, man," said Houston. The Lions saw another one play out last year when fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown morphed into one of the best young receivers in the NFL. But Houston's is more improbable than most. He came to Detroit out of little-known HBCU university Jackson State, where he he had earned the nickname Da Problem by wreaking constant havoc last season. Now he's a problem in the NFL.
"That’s one of those stories you hear about," said Decker. "A sixth-round draft pick who gets an opportunity late in the year and the guy just explodes, man. A credit to him that he was confident enough to go out there and do what he had been doing in practice and not let the pressure and the stage get to him."
Nothing seems to get to Houston right now, who can't stop getting to quarterbacks.
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