FanHouse Joe Marciano

The Texans signed kicker Kris Brown to a four year, $10 million dollar extension. This includes $2.5 million dollar guaranteed, making him one of the best paid kickers in the league.

This happens to refute linebacker DeMeco Ryans' recent contention that the Texans don't reward their own players. Ryans and the Texans are working on a long term deal, and Ryans is a little grumpy that TE Owen Daniels, CB Dunta Robinson and he don't have them worked out yet. Maybe they are next in line? After a kicker?

One question is whether Brown's accurate performance of the last two years is going to continue. As FootballGuys.com notes, Brown has improved in scoring performance every year as a Texan, especially so since his scoring opportunities improved after Gary Kubiak took over head coaching duties.

One of my favorite Texans events to attend is the Texans Team Luncheon that the team holds before the start of the season. Each table has a player assigned to it, and it gives fans an opportunity to see the players behind the mask. Coach Gary Kubiak gave a speech, and various players answered questions. (The transcript is here, though it doesn't contain the really funny stuff Kubiak said at the beginning about going on a date with his wife).

This year I sat next to Texans second year wide receiver-returner Jacoby Jones. Quite the fun table to be at. He is a quote machine and a very upbeat guy, and lunch was certainly entertaining, as evidenced by this video of Jacoby Jones discussing how ProBowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans looks like his bobblehead. I didn't think so, but I could sort of see it after Jones broke it down on tape:


Video Link.

Mike Sherman left his position as Assistant Head Coach-Offense at the end of last year to take over the head coaching position with Texas A&M. Even though he left, he has very positive things to say about the Texans that sound beyond just leaving a few nice exit interview words.

In this brief video interview with Anna-Megan Raley of Chron.com, Sherman talks about how impressed he is with the owner, GM and coaches, and the way the leadership and decision making is done with the Texans. He is confident in Gary Kubiak and believes this management group will go to a Super Bowl (but maybe not next year).

Sherman reduces expectations some by pointing out that the 2008 Texans schedule is a brutality, that they play in a tough division, and that their record may not reflect their progress. He pretty much sums up the team's situation well.

Yesterday, the Texans hosted All Pro Dad Day Event at their training facility and are celebrating Father's Day by having Gary Kubiak ( HoustonTexans.com video above) and various players (video below) talk about fathers and fatherhood. The featured speaker at All Pro Dad Day was Texans special teams coach, Joe Marciano. If you have ever seen Marciano talk about fatherhood and the responsibilities and joys of being a dad, it is extremely uplifting and meaningful.

Mariciano writes of his moving fatherhood story in a Sporting News story in 2005. At age 45, Marciano adopted his newborn son, Joseph. As a single dad who worked NFL hours, tending to a child wasn't easy, but eventually it became more difficult. He learned that his son was autistic, and the first doctors he worked with gave him a grim prognosis. They said that Joseph would need adult supervision his entire life and may never learn to speak.

In getting a second opinion, Marciano learned that with intensive intervention, it is possible for autistic children to make terrific advances. Marciano loves spreading his message of hope to families with autism, and loves talking to people about parent's responsibilities to their children. Today's article in the Houston Chronicle discusses the progress that Joseph has made, and how he is making A's and B's in mainstreamed classes.