Signed with Buffalo as a free agent on March 15, 2012… entered the NFL as the first overall pick of the 2006 Draft by the Houston Texans
PRO:
Signed with Buffalo as a free agent on March 15, 2012… entered the NFL as the first overall pick of the 2006 Draft by the Houston Texans
NFL AWARDS:
• Two-time Pro Bowl starter following the 2008 and 2009 seasons
• Associated Press NFL Player of the Week – Week 1, 2007
• AFC Defensive Player of the Week – Week 1, 2007
• AFC Defensive Player of the Week – Week 15, 2007
• NFL Alumni Defensive Lineman of the Year – 2007
• Second-Team Associated Press All-Pro – 2007
CAREER:
• Has started each of his 82 career games played since entering the NFL in 2006
• Stat line reads 53.0 sacks, 241 tackles (192 solo), 10 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 11 passes defensed and one touchdown
• Named a 2008 Pro Bowl alternate (following 2007 season)
2011: HOUSTON
• Posted 5.0 sacks and 11 tackles (10 solo) in five games played and started before being placed on Injured Reserve (10/12)
• Sacked IND QB Kerry Collins twice (minus 18 yards) and forced a fumble in the season-opener vs. IND (9/11)
• Hit Dolphins QB Chad Henne as he threw the ball on the first play of the second quarter leading to an interception at MIA (9/18)
• Recorded two sacks of Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and tallied five tackles (four solo) vs. PIT (10/2)
• Notched his fifth sack of the season vs. OAK (10/9) before leaving the game with an injury
2010: HOUSTON
• Named a defensive captain for the 2010 season
• Started the first 13 games of the season before being placed on Injured Reserve (12/15), posting 28 tackles (22 solo) and 8.5 sacks
• Vs. IND (9/12), had four tackles (two solo) and one sack with five quarterback hits
• Tallied 3.0 sacks with four tackles (three solo) and two passes defensed at WAS (9/19)
• Sacked QB Bruce Gradkowski once (minus 11 yards) and had two solo stops and a forced fumble at OAK (10/3)
• Assisted on a sack with Antonio Smith vs. SD (11/7) and had two tackles
• Brought down NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez twice while making four solo tackles at NY (11/21)
• Sacked Titans QB Rusty Smith on the game’s first play and added two solo tackles vs. TEN (11/28)
2009: HOUSTON
• Posted a team-high 9.0 sacks and started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive season en route to 2010 Pro Bowl honors… added two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed
• Tied a career high with seven tackles (six solos) along with a pass defensed and two quarterback hits vs. the New York Jets (9/13)
• Recorded his first sack of 2009 at Tennessee (9/20) to go along with four tackles (one for loss) and two quarterback hits
• Had one sack and three hits on the quarterback, including one to force a fumble, to go along with four tackles (three solo) vs. Oakland (10/4)
• Made three tackles (two solo) including one sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits vs. San Francisco (10/25)
• Recorded his fourth sack of the season at Indianapolis (11/8) where he also had one pass defensed, one quarterback hit and one tackle for a loss
• Made four tackles (three solo) and had a hit on the quarterback vs. Tennessee (11/23)
• Sacked Peyton Manning for his fifth sack of 2009 and made two solo tackles and had one pass defensed vs. Indianapolis (11/29)
• Had his best game of the 2009 season, recording six solo tackles, two sacks for 14 yards lost, three tackles for loss, one hit on the quarterback and one forced fumble vs. Seattle (12/13)
• Recovered a fumble at St. Louis (12/20)
2008: HOUSTON
• Finished the season with 53 solo tackles and a team-high 12.0 sacks and forced four fumbles
• Voted to his first Pro Bowl, where he started at defensive end for the AFC squad
• Accounted for 12 of the team’s 25 sacks on the year
• 12.0 sacks led all AFC defensive ends
• Had four games with multiple sacks
• Recorded six solo tackles including two sacks, one of which forced a fumble when he hit Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter at Pittsburgh (9/7)
• Totaled five tackles, two solo at Tennessee (9/21)
• Registered one solo tackle and five quarterback hurries at Jacksonville (9/28)
• Totaled four tackles with two sacks vs. Indianapolis (10/5)
• Recorded four tackles including two sacks vs. Miami (10/12)
• Registered three solo tackles, including his seventh sack of the season vs. Cincinnati (10/26)
• Totaled three solo tackles, including his eighth sack of the season at Minnesota (11/2)
• Posted six total tackles, including three sacks and one forced fumble on Monday Night Football vs. Jacksonville (12/1)
2007: HOUSTON
• Earned Associated Press All-Pro second team honors
• Selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl
• Finished with a franchise-record 14.0 sacks passing former Texan Jeff Posey, who recorded 8.0 total sacks in 2002
• Made 59 total tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and scored his first career touchdown
• Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 1 and Week 15
• Established a Texans single-game sack record with 3.5 against Denver (12/13)
• Set a Texans record by recording a sack in six straight games
• Started vs. Kansas City (9/9) and opened the season with two sacks and had a fumble recovery he returned for a 38-yard touchdown
• Honored by the Associated Press as the NFL Player of the Week for his performance
• Also honored as the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 1
• Made three total tackles (one solo) and one sack vs. Miami (10/7)
• Finished with six total stops, three solo, and one sack, which forced a fumble vs. New Orleans (11/18)
• Started at Cleveland (11/25) and made four solo tackles and one sack, which forced a fumble
• Finished with season-high seven tackles, three solo, and registered 2.5 sacks at Tennessee (12/2)
• Recorded six total tackles, four solo, and sacked QB Luke McCown late in the fourth quarter vs. Tampa Bay (12/9)
2006: HOUSTON
• Was the only Texans defensive lineman to start every game
• Set a Texans rookie record with 4.5 sacks, topping DE Jason Babin’s 4.0 sacks in 2004
• Sack total ranked him second on the team behind Babin, who had 5.0 in 2006
• Led all Texans defensive linemen with 47 tackles, including 35 solos
• Recorded a sack in three consecutive games, matching the second-longest streak in team history
• Recorded his first career sack vs. Miami (10/1)
• Finished with a season-high six tackles at Dallas (10/15), including five solos
• Recorded two total tackles, including a sack, and recovered his first career fumble late in the third quarter to set up a touchdown vs. Jacksonville (10/22)
• Registered three total tackles at New York Giants (11/5), including a six-yard sack of Giants QB Eli Manning, his third sack in as many games
• Forced a fumble for the first time vs. Indianapolis (12/24) as part of a five-tackle performance
CAREER HIGHS:
Tackles 7 three times, last: vs. N.Y. Jets, 9/13/09
Sacks 3.5 vs. Denver, J. Cutler, 12/13/07
Forced Fumbles 1 11 times, last: vs. Indianapolis, 9/11/11
Fumble Recoveries 1 three times, last: at St. Louis, 12/20/09
Touchdowns 1 vs. Kansas City, 38-yard FR, 9/9/07
Passes Defensed 2 at Washington, 9/19/10
CAREER STATISTICS:
YEAR CLUB GP/GS TT UT AT Sacks INT YDS PD FF FR
2006 HOU 16/16 47 35 12 4.5 0 0 3 1
2007 HOU 16/16 59 43 16 14.0 0 0 1 2
2008 HOU 16/16 53 44 9 12.0 0 0 0 4
2009 HOU 16/16 43 38 5 9.0 0 0 3 2
2010 HOU 13/13 28 22 6 8.5 0 0 2 1
2011 HOU 5/5 11 10 1 5.0 0 0 1 1
TOTAL 82/82 241 192 49 53.0 0 0 10 11
COLLEGE:
• Set the N.C. State career record with 55.5 stops for losses of 237 yards
• Topped the old mark of 45 for minus-269 yards by Carl Reeves (1991-94)
• Shattered the previous State season-record of 21 with 27.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in 2005
• Broke school career sack record with 26.5
• All-American first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report and Sports Illustrated as a junior in 2005
• Voted the team’s Most Valuable Player
• Set a school season record, as he led the ACC and ranked fourth in the nation with 14.5 sacks for minus-75 yards as a senior
PERSONAL:
• Attended Richlands (N.C.) High School where his No. 82 jersey was retired.
• 2002 Associated Press All-State choice
• Chosen to the 2002 North Carolina Shrine Bowl team, where he notched four sacks
• Recorded 87 tackles, 13 sacks, 22 stops for losses, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and five blocked kicks as a senior for the Wildcats
• Also played running back as a senior and rushed for 590 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries
• Recorded over 100 tackles as a junior
• Graduated from high school in December 2002 and attended the Gator Bowl with North Carolina State
