Defensive end Antonio Smith was probably the least sucky player on a very sucky Texans’ defense last year, which, as you can probably guess, isn’t really the highest praise possible. But he gets extra points for us for going after spoiled, performance-enhancing-drug-taking, and lately underwhelming teammate Brian Cushing during a game. Smith ripping off Cushing’s helmet as the linebacker tried to intervene in Smith’s altercation with a Jacksonville player was maybe the most spark the Texans’ D showed all year.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2011.