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Nor does it matter that he's just two sacks shy of 20, which would match Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas for the single-season franchise record.
Mike Bell is not far off in fifth place with 51 sacks.
Houston's representatives spoke to the Chiefs about a long-term deal last offseason, but they never made much headway.
These days,Wholesale China Jerseys, he's just as adept at bringing down a ball carrier or batting down a pass as he is pummeling a quarterback.
It doesn't matter that Houston is the NFL's sack leader heading into the final week of the regular season.
Whatever plays out, Houston still has at least one more game left in a Chiefs uniform, and a fairly substantial franchise record within his grasp.
He's had at least one sack in five straight games.
KANSAS CITY,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, Mo. (AP) — Quarterbacks would be faring a whole lot better against Justin Houston this season if they avoided him as deftly as the Chiefs' star linebacker dodges reporters.
Houston was on quite a pace last year before he dislocated his elbow in November, keeping him out until the playoffs. He's been healthy this year and piling up the sacks.
But even then,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, Smith usually has on the yellow jersey that is supposed to keep defenders from laying a lick on them.
Smith is speaking from experience having faced Houston in training camp, when coach Andy Reid unleashes the first-team defense against the No. 1 offense.
When he brought down Roethlisberger in last Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh, it gave him 18 on the season.
That's a half sack more than the Texans' J.J. Watt and a full sack more than Ravens star Elvis Dumervil, the two defenders closest to him in the league race.
"He's a great leader, a vocal leader, but he shows in actions,Isaiah Thomas Jersey, too, going out and laying it on the line," Chiefs defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson said.
Now, if the Chiefs are unable to work out a deal after the season, they face a quandary: Let him go elsewhere in free agency or slap him with the franchise tag,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, which is projected to be about $13 million and tends to leave players with a less-than-happy attitude.
"He's just relentless," Smith added. "Plays such good football in all situations. That's the thing I see. Those guys only get noticed for sacks and deservedly some of that, but certainly how he plays on first and second down, plays the run — an all-down player."
Philip Rivers, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have no such luxury.
Houston already has the second-most sacks in any Chiefs season, surging past the 15 1/2 that Jared Allen had in 2007. Now, only Thomas and his 20 sacks in 1990 still stand.
Whether Houston gets a shot at that mark becomes a touchy subject.
When he was coming out of Georgia, Houston had a reputation for being far better at getting to the quarterback than dropping into coverage or stopping the run.
"That's not the most important thing — he wants to win the game — but at the same time, he sure has done a nice job."
"It starts physically, a guy that's extremely physically talented,Brian Campbell Jersey," Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said, "but the thing about Justin is how smart he is. He knows situations, sees tendencies, splits, things like that. He has a good understanding of the game."
Houston stayed away from the practice facility during voluntary workouts, though he took part in all of training camp.
"Consistency in his level of play, his preparation is good — he does a lot of film study, and he communicates with the group on what he sees and what he think is coming. He has a good knack of picking that up."
There's a benefit to that, too: Houston's now on the field in virtually any down or distance, giving him even more opportunities to harass the opponent.
"We're all pulling for him that he can finish up," said Reid, whose Chiefs need to beat San Diego on Sunday and get a whole lot of help to reach the playoffs.
He'd rather let others vouch for him than speak in front of a camera.
He's been doing it for a while, too. Houston is only wrapping up his fourth season, but has already climbed into a tie with Eric Hicks for sixth in team history at 44 1/2 sacks. |
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