Justin Houston Got the Call from Frank Reich and Immediately Knew He Was a Panther
Months and months went by before the Carolina Panthers addressed their need for another pass rusher. Sunday evening, they finally checked that box by signing veteran Justin Houston to a one-year deal.
"Really excited to get Justin. And really to add to that group," said head coach Frank Reich following Tuesday's practice. "That group has been really good in camp. I feel like the development of that group in camp has been outstanding and now to get to add Justin to the group is a big deal. He's a physical specimen. He's an incredibly smart football player. He's a leader. He's the ultimate competitor. I was with Justin in Indy and I was close with Justin. So this is first hand personal knowledge of a guy who he's what we're all about."
Reich and Houston spent two years together in Indianapolis and that was more than enough time for a connection, bond, and trust to form. For Houston, that trust is what led him to Carolina.
"Coach Frank," Houston responded when asked why he signed with the Panthers. "It was simple. I knew right then as soon as he called, I hung up the phone and told my wife we going to Carolina. It was an easy decision. I trust him. He's a stand-up guy. What you see is what you get. The biggest thing is trust. I wanted somebody I could trust."
Houston even admitted that part of signing late was to take care of his body and not have to participate in all of training camp.
"I was in no rush. We could have waited another week and I wouldn't have been mad," Houston said jokingly. "To me, it's just less work on the body. I was able to control more what I'm doing and I think once you start practicing and hitting against each other, it's more maintaining the body than building the body. It's hard to build the body when you're breaking it down every day."
Twelve years in the league can take a toll on your body, as one can imagine. Last season with Baltimore was the first time in his career he wasn't an every down player, yet he still produced 9.5 sacks. Despite the need for Houston to be out there, Carolina is going to play it smart with the 34-year-old and use him in certain spots.
"He'll be a rotational player," said Reich. "I have no doubt knowing him the way that I do that if we wanted to play him 60 plays a game, he'd be up for the task. But that won't be likely. It's a long season. We'll talk with Ejiro [Evero] and we'll have a plan to kind of rotate him in, get the right amount of snaps that we want for him. And ideally, you really want to be able to rotate your guys up front anyway."
Frank's right. This isn't prime Justin Houston we are talking about here. This is a player who needs to take extremely good care of his body and that's partially the responsibility of the coaching staff. Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes Sr., DJ Johnson, and others can factor into the mix as well while Houston can be inserted in obvious passing situations.
Although he may not be on the field every snap, he will without question open up more opportunities for Brian Burns to tee off on the quarterback.
"I love the way he practices. I love the way he works," Houston said of his new teammate. "I think I'm going to love playing with him. That kind of talent don't come around often. He's proven already. I think everybody sees and knows what he's got and the sky is the limit for that kid. I think this is a situation where we can help each other."
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