Jon Stewart / Bill Bennett Video Debate On Gay Marriage

This is becoming the classic values debate in America, and who to better have it than political comedian Jon Stewart and former Reagan aide conservative Bill Bennett.

Bill's met his match, but both carry out a sprited discussion without loosing perspective. The result is a fun conversation to watch.

Tennessee Titans’ Stadium to be Named LP Field

From NFL Media.com press release

Tennessee Titans’ Stadium to be Named LP Field

LP, Premier Supplier of Building Products, Purchases Naming Rights

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 6, 2006) - Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) (NYSE: LPX) and the Tennessee Titans today announced an agreement on a stadium naming rights sponsorship; the Titans stadium in Nashville, Tenn., will now be called LP Field. This agreement calls for LP to have stadium naming rights for 10 years at a cost of approximately $3 million per year.

“This is a rare opportunity for LP to align with a great organization, the Tennessee Titans, as well as the National Football League, the most prestigious brand in sports,” said LP CEO Rick Frost. “The LP brand will gain exposure and grow through this dynamic alliance with the Titans.”

Frost continued, “We are very proud as well that a great institution like Tennessee State University will play all its home games in LP Field. We are committed to making this sponsorship successful for our company, our customers, and the Nashville community.”

For the duration of the agreement, LP and the Titans will work together on several philanthropic initiatives to benefit Nashville and surrounding communities. Specifically, for the 2006 season, LP and the Titans will jointly provide financial and volunteer support to build a home for the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, LP will continue to support The PENCIL Foundation, a Nashville business-school partnership program and its LP PENCIL Box free school supplies store. LP will now have opportunities to incorporate the Titans into these and other philanthropic efforts.

“LP is a pillar in the Nashville community with many of the same values that the Titans represent,” said Titans Owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr. “I have had the pleasure of meeting several employees and am thrilled with this relationship. Both the Titans and LP have a vision of significant community involvement that is incorporated into this agreement.”

“LP represents Nashville's strength as a city at the top of its game,” said Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. “This relationship between LP and the Titans will make sure everyone knows that whether it comes to scoring touchdowns or building a successful business, Nashville is the place to be.”

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen said, “Since choosing Tennessee as its home, LP has shown in many, many ways that it is a considerate and active corporate citizen. This sponsorship demonstrates to the whole nation that LP is proud of its new home city, proud of its state and proud of our Tennessee Titans. I am delighted to hear this news."

It was also announced today that LP will donate its building products to Habitat for Humanity to support the construction of at least one home in every city in which the Titans play an away game in the 2006 season. Specifically, LP will be donating a kit of LP materials that provide the structure and siding of homes -- Oriented Strand Board (OSB) structural panels, LP I-joists, flooring systems, LP TechShield® Radiant Barrier roof sheathing, LP SmartSide® siding and trim products, as well as LP WeatherBest® composite decking and interior decorative mouldings.

LP has launched a specific LP Field Web site at www.lpfield.com. The Web site features events, attractions, links to ticket sales and a sweepstakes for tickets to the Titans opening home game.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, LP is a premier manufacturer of building products, delivering innovative, high-quality commodity and specialty products to its retail, wholesale, homebuilding and industrial customers. Visit LP's Web site at www.lpcorp.com for additional information on the company.

More on SF 49ers QB Cody Pickett - Pickett's Refusal To Play In NFL Europe Wrote The Ticket For His Possible Departure

Leave it to Profootballtalk.com to get the skinny on SF 49ers Cody Pickett. Here it is:

PICKETT'S DECISION NOT TO PLAY IN EUROPE WILL HAUNT HIM

Last week, the 49ers signed quarterback Shaun Hill, expanding the number of quarterbacks on the roster to five. Along with Hill, the team has under contract Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Jesse Palmer, and Cody Pickett.

Per a league source, the odd man out is and will be Pickett.

And despite what anyone connected to the team might say publicly, we're told that Pickett sealed his fate by declining the team's request that he spend the offseason playing in NFL Europe.

Though more and more young players prefer to stick around in the U.S. in the offseason and participate in the team's voluntary workouts, it's never a good idea to tell the team "no" when the team asks a guy to play in NFL Europe. Roster spots with pro football teams aren't entitlements, and until a player has proven on the field that he can get it done he needs to be ready and willing to do whatever the team asks him to do.

So it soon will be farewell in San Fran to another guy who was drafted during the Terry Donahue era.

San Francisco 49ers May Release QB Cody Pickett - SF Chronicle

I personally was never really excited about Cody's future as a star QB with the 49ers. Why? Poor coaching. I think it's best he get a release and hopefully a chance to catch on elsewhere. I'm not convinced the 49ers under Nolan is the best place for a QB.

Pickett's future as 49ers QB in doubt
Kevin Lynch, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 6, 2006

Cody Pickett's 6-foot-3 inch frame, powerful arm, fleet feet and toughness have made him a prospect and fan favorite. But with Friday's signing of former Vikings QB Shaun Hill, Pickett's days as a 49ers quarterback could be numbered.

On Monday, Hill joined Pickett, starter Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer and Jesse Palmer at the 49ers' organized team activity (OTA). Although Dilfer's surgically repaired right knee won't allow him to participate in full practice until training camp opens July 27, his roster spot is assured, as is Smith's.

Palmer's fluid throwing motion and strong arm make him a front-runner for the third quarterback spot. Hill spent four seasons in Minnesota without throwing a pass in a regular-season game. The 49ers signed him to compete for the third spot.

The Hill signing might push Pickett to another position. Last year, he dabbled as a coverage man on punts and kickoffs and did well as a receiver on the scout team in practice.

"I want to play quarterback, that's what I've done my whole life," Pickett said Monday. "(But) as a third quarterback, you don't get a chance to get out there and play. ... We have Alex and Trent here now, so I want to be out on the field, I don't want to be just standing around."

Coaches have discussed moving Pickett to receiver.

"I want to be here," Pickett said. "If they want me to play receiver, I'll do it."

The 49ers wanted Pickett to play in NFL Europe this spring. When Pickett resisted, the 49ers relented. A stint in Europe would have allowed Pickett, a seventh-round pick in 2004, to work on his mechanics, which former offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy tried to refashion last year.

"It's been tough on Cody," vice president of player personnel Scot McCloughan said. "He had a lot of different coaches try to change his mechanics."

Still working on his release, Pickett looks erratic in practice. He struggled in his two starts last season, completing one pass in 13 attempts in the 47-mph gusts at Chicago's Soldier Field on Nov. 13.

So far in the OTA, Pickett mainly has played quarterback. But when training camp begins, he might be splitting time between receiver and quarterback.

"I like Cody. He's competitive, he's tough," head coach Mike Nolan said. "I think he makes us better by competing for jobs and maybe winning those jobs. I don't think (his future) will be at quarterback right now the way it stands."

Briefly: Wide receiver Arnaz Battle missed Monday's practice after having his right knee drained. A partially torn posterior cruciate ligament caused Battle to miss eight games last year. "There's no pain in it, just the swelling," he said. "Once I get that under control, I'll be good." Battle said a recent MRI exam showed the knee was stable. ... Safety Tony Parrish expects to return to practice next week. He had a spiral fracture of his left lower fibula Nov. 13 in Chicago.

Seattle Seahawks Sellout Season Tickets - 61,000 With a Wait List of 2,000 orders - Seattle P.I.

The Seattle Seahawks have sold out their season tickets this year and for the first time. It's a great sign that beyond just winning, Seattle has responded to the total product -- team, stadium, and marketing. The stadium's a great place to watch a football game. Probably the best place. The video below captures all the excitement of the Seahawks' victory over the Carolina Panthers for the 2005 NFC Championship. Here's the Seattle P.I. Article and video



Seahawks Notebook: Season-ticket sales top 61,000
Fan base best in Hawks' history

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER

KIRKLAND -- The good vibes just keep on coming for the Seahawks.

One day after passing out rings to commemorate the franchise's first conference championship in 2005, the club announced another milestone Thursday directly related to the unprecedented success from last season.

More than 61,000 season tickets have been sold for the 2006 season at Qwest Field, creating the highest season-ticket base in franchise history and guaranteeing that every game this season will be sold out.

The remaining 4,000-5,000 individual game tickets will go on sale July 29.

"We feel great. This has been a long time coming," CEO Tod Leiweke said. "It was a dream -- it was when the stadium was built, it was a dream when Paul Allen acquired the team.

"To announce something like this is really a sign of the organization coming of age, but it's also a sign that our fans are truly some of the best in all of sports and certainly in the NFL," he added.

More than 19,000 new season-ticket packages were sold, a franchise high, and there is a waiting list of 2,000 to purchase season tickets -- a first since the early 1990s.

The Seahawks have come a long way since those games in 2002 and 2003 when the seats behind the visiting team's bench were filled with fans wearing the opposing team's colors.

"We used to draw this kind of crowd to announce we were selling out a game," said Leiweke, who was surrounded by reporters and TV cameras.

"I have a distinct memory of that Steelers game my first year (2003) and seeing all the black and gold," he said. "It was a great disappointment."

That made the sellout announcement a little sweeter.

The team renewed 97 percent of its season tickets, the highest since the late 1980s, and the club level is sold out for the first time since the new stadium opened in 2002.

"One of my goals is always to create a football team that the fans can be proud of," coach Mike Holmgren said after a practice that ended the first week of the team's final minicamp.

That was the case in 2005, when the Seahawks went 8-0 at home in the regular season and added two postseason wins at Qwest Field, including a victory over the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game.

"If I talk to opposing coaches and some players that came in, they say it's a very difficult place to play," Holmgren said. "The players respond to a crowd like that. And the fact that those fans now will be Seahawks fans, instead of a good block of tickets going to our visiting team, that's all very special."

I've got a MacBook (But I'm keeping my iBook G4)!

I purchased an Intel-based Mac out of pure need. For some reason my iBook G4 would not start with the AirPort card in it, but would with the card out of it. (The Apple Store Genius Bar figured this out, not me.)

So I'm in the middle of adjusting this new Mac, while the "old" one is being fixed by Apple. I'm excited to have two computers and will dive into doing some neat things with them.

New Orleans Saints Trade Johnathan Sullivan To New England for WR/KR Bethel Johnson- The Times-Picayune

The NFL war on the "player with an attitude" continues -- and rightfully so. Meanwhile the Pats trade a fast kick returner that can hurt a opponent -- just ask the Colts.

Saints done with Sullivan
2003 first-round pick is traded to Patriots
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
By Mike Triplett
Staff writer - The Times-Picayune

The Saints traded their underachieving 2003 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for receiver/kick returner Bethel Johnson.

Saints officials declined to comment Monday, as the deal is pending league approval, and Sullivan could not be reached for comment.

Sullivan and Johnson, a second-round pick, have been disappointments since being drafted in 2003. Sullivan, 25, likely will be remembered in New Orleans as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts.

The Saints traded up to acquire Sullivan with the No. 6 overall pick in 2003. They sent the 17th and 18th picks, along with their second-round pick, to Arizona in exchange for the Cardinals' first-, second- and fourth-round picks.

Sullivan, who is listed at 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, left Georgia after his junior season and was disappointing in his first two seasons with the Saints, struggling to keep his weight down and often being criticized for his lack of desire and effort.

Last season, Sullivan finally showed some glimpses of his potential, playing in 15 games and making a career-high 42 tackles.

But Sullivan failed to show enough evidence to the Saints' new coaching staff that he had turned things around.

His attendance in the Saints' offseason workout program was sparse and his conditioning was poor, as evidenced by fatigue problems during last weekend's minicamp.

Sullivan provided some optimism last weekend, saying he weighed 328 pounds -- an improvement over the days when he weighed 350 to 355 pounds. He also said when he wasn't in New Orleans this summer, he was working out at home in Georgia, where he was moving into a new house.

Still, the Saints have demanded change under first-year coach Sean Payton, cutting ties with several veterans and seeking players with high character, desire and work ethic.

Sullivan still will cost more than $5 million against the Saints' salary cap during the next two seasons, stemming from his original signing bonus. But they will be relieved of his scheduled 2006 salary of $689,083.

Johnson, 27, is due $478,000 this year and $546,000 next year in the final two years of his original contract.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is regarded as one of the NFL's fastest players, but he was used sparingly as a receiver in New England, where most of his value came as a kickoff returner.

Johnson caught 30 passes in three years for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He returned 102 kickoffs for a 25.1-yard average and two touchdowns, and he returned six punts for 21 yards.

With the Saints, Johnson will compete with a crowded group of young receivers for the third-, fourth- and fifth-receiver roles. He could also complement or compete with veteran Michael Lewis as the primary return man.

Johnson's character and work ethic were never issues in New England, but health and toughness were question marks. He missed last year's training camp and much of September with foot and thigh injuries.

Johnson had a series of surgeries on his spleen while at Texas A&M, but the condition has not been an issue in the NFL.

Last month, Johnson expressed frustration with his inability to earn more playing time, telling the Boston Globe that he has been "totally disappointed."

"It's hard for me to sit here and watch. I hate it. I hate it with a passion," Johnson told the newspaper. "I'm doing everything I have to do every single year to make it happen. But it's not up to me. I've asked the question for the last three years, really. Catch the ball better -- I stay and catch the ball. Run more routes -- I run more routes. Something's not there."

Johnson and Sullivan now will have an opportunity to turn things around.

Jamie Fox Video On LL Cool J and J-Lo - In Oakland He Talks About His Run-In WIth LL Cool J and Telling J-Lo She Couldn't Sing

The Academy Award-winning star of the motion picture "Ray" Jamie Foxx gave a hilarious performance to a sold-out crowd at the Paramount Theater. In this video he talks about how rapper LL Cool J treated him on the set of Oliver Stone's movie "Any Given Sunday" -- leading to a series of altercations -- and that Jennifer Lopez (aka J-Lo) was upset with Foxx because he reportedly said she couldn't sing. A claim he didn't deny in this video.

Here's Jamie Foxx:

American Idol Tour Video - Kelly Clarkson, Katharine McPhee, and Others Sing

Just in time for the American Idol Tour, this video is a compliation of American Idol artists featuring Kelly Clarkson. You can get tickets to The American Idols Tour with a click here.

Here's the video:

Billy Preston Passed Away - Video With George Harrison

Billy Preston -- known for his massive hit "Nothin From Nothin Leaves Nothin" -- passed away today at the age of 59. I remember him most for that song, and was totally unaware of his legal problems as reported by CNN. I prefer to remember his music. Here's a video of a concert he recently performed with George Harrison, and both formerly of The Beatles.

Nancy Nadel Video - Oakland Mayoral Candidate Nancy Nadel Talks About Keeping The A"s In Oakland

At the first "Choose or Loose" gathering at Uptown in downtown Oakland, Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel explains how she feels about keeping the Oakland A's in Oakland. (Video by Robert Limon)

Rick Smith - Houston Texans GM's First Press Conference - HoustonTexans.com

Rick Smith was introduced as the Houston Texans second GM in its short history today. One can't overlook his success with the Denver Broncos, or the fact that he's got a great relationship with Charley Casserly. I will be happy when someone doesn't ask a "How does it feel to be black" question, but for now it's par for the course.

What Smith does get is the chance to work for a really nice and pleasureable person in Texans Owner Bob McNair. It's not a case of equal opportunity -- Smith's a proven executive -- but of the fact that increasingly the best person for an NFL job may be black as much as white.

I think Smith's master stroke was moving up four spots to get Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler in the first round.

Smith introduction presser
June 05, 2006
HoustonTexans.com

Texans owner Robert McNair

(opening statement) “First of all I thank you for coming out this afternoon. This is a wonderful time for us. We have gone through a period in which we have built a foundation, we’ve made a start and we’ve had an introduction into the NFL. We’ve had some great people working with us and we appreciate very much all that they have done. Dom Capers and of course Charley Casserly in helping get us started. And I feel like we’re sort of like the situation with NASA, where we have liftoff and now we’re ready for the ignition of the second stage. That is what this is all about.

“The first part of this of course was when we brought in Gary Kubiak and Gary put together a fine staff and they are all working very hard and very well together. The second part of it was to bring in a general manager. We have really looked far and wide across the country and looked at all the teams and all of the personnel that were out there. We interviewed some outstanding people but at the end of the day we came to the conclusion that Rick Smith was the man for us.

“Rick has a terrific background; number one he has worked with coach Kubiak, which is important to us. This is a team effort and we need to have people that can work well together. Rick has been a player, he has been a coach, he has been a scout and most recently he has been an assistant general manager at Denver. He has done an outstanding job in all of these areas. He is a young man, 36 years old and I want to keep him looking young, I don’t want him to start looking old. He has had a tremendous amount of experience and he has great energy and enthusiasm.

“He has a lovely wife and child and we’re delighted, Tiffany, to have you all here. I think that we have a winning team that has been put together. We have met today and we’ve discussed responsibilities and how Rick would work with coach Kubiak and Dan Ferens on contract administrations and negotiations and the salary cap and everybody is on the same page and we’re all excited. We’re ready to move ahead and we’ve promised that we’re going to have a winner for Houston and I’ll say I’m committed to that. We are going to win and we’re going to have a great, great time doing it and the city is going to love it. I appreciate the opportunity to bring together fine people like this to work with us and help us with this effort.

“Rick, congratulations on your new position with us and you have my full support and the support of our total organization and we look forward to having you help us as we continue this journey and hold on for the ignition of the second stage. Congratulations.”

General manager Rick Smith

(opening statement) “It’s a little bit thicker down here in Houston than it was in Denver but I think I’ll get used to it a little bit. First thing I want to do is I want to thank Mr. McNair for this opportunity. This man is committed to bringing a championship team to the city of Houston and it is very apparent. When I came down for the first interview and had a chance to interact with him on a personal basis and its obvious he wants to bring a winner here. He’s very committed and I want to thank you for the opportunity to join your franchise and bring a winner to the city.

“The second person I want to thank is Gary (Kubiak). I think this might become a reoccurring theme today, but I’m so excited about this opportunity, particularly the opportunity to work with a guy like Gary, who is just a quality individual and heck of a football coach and a guy that I really, really believe in and I know that his players will play for him and I know that he will put a quality football team on the field so I’m just excited to work with him.

“I want to thank Pat Bolin and Mike Shanahan for giving me an opportunity and showing me what a winning organization looks like. It was a very valuable experience to work in a place like Denver and that organization for as long as I did in the various capacities that I served. And I’m just really appreciative of what they both did for me, particularly what Mike has done for my career. He has been a great friend and I appreciate his friendship as well as everything that he has done for my career.

“When you spend ten years in an organization you develop relationships and friendships and hopefully that is what we’re going to establish here; we’re going to have consistency and longevity. When you do that like I did in Denver, I like to just thank the whole organization from the secretaries to the athletic training staff to the PR staff to the equipment staff, video, everybody, because everybody had something to do with me development as a person as well as a coach and personnel evaluator. So I’d like to thank the entire Bronco organization.

“The one person I’d like to single out who has probably been the most important person in my career is a guy by the name of Bobby Turner, who, when I was a young guy at Purdue University, saw something in me to convince Jim Colletto to give me an opportunity as a graduate assistant and then hire me as a very young coach to coach the secondary there at Purdue. Then talk to coach Shanahan and on his recommendation Mike hired me sight unseen. So Bobby has been instrumental to my career and I’d just like to thank him and his family.

“I’d like to thank my wife, Tiffany, who has become the rock in my foundation in this crazy world of the NFL. We have been on a roller coaster ride here in the last few years, and he has just been a foundation for me so I appreciate that as well as my parents and my family for all their support.

“It’s a difficult and maybe even daunting task to start a franchise. It’s very complicated and very challenging and I think that I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the job that Charley Casserly and Dom Capers did here, in laying the foundation for this franchise. I think it’s important to recognize that there is a foundation that we’re going to continue to build on and we’re going to work hard to get that done. I just wanted to make sure that they understood that we understand what the job that they did and we appreciate the job that they both did.

“We are going to work. There are no geniuses in the NFL; the only real genius that I know of is Albert Einstein. I think he was asked what genius is and he said its one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. That’s what it takes, we’re going to work and we’re going to roll our sleeves up. I worked hard for this ring, but I’m looking forward to taking this ring off and rolling up our sleeves and getting after the job and going about the business of making this franchise a winner and bringing a winner to this organization.

“My father was a coach and coached us when we were very young and I have a brother who is a couple years older than I am and my father was coaching his little league team of nine and ten year olds. I ‘m a little seven year old and I’m out there running around with him. My knee pads are on my shins because I’m so small and I’m just running around and they are just letting me stay out around everybody. The first game of the season we scored a touchdown and my dad turns around and he says ‘Ricky, I right, 22 dive and you are the fullback’. I’m seven years old playing with all these nine and ten year olds and we call the play and I run the play and the guy hits me and my helmet turns this way and the ball flies that way and I get up and I’m so excited about the fact that I had an opportunity to go in and run the football. Periodically through that season he allowed me to go in and run the extra points as the fullback.

“I have been preparing for this job since the day that I strapped that helmet on. I have been the youngest a lot of times and it’s never been a problem for me, in fact, I’ve always looked at it as a challenge. I have never been complacent and I’ve always liked to push the envelop e and I’m always trying to grow. I’m excited about this opportunity. This is going to be a team effort from ownership to coaches to personnel to business operations, everybody, we’re going to forge ahead as a team and I’m so excited about this opportunity and so excited to bring a championship to our city.”

Rick Smith

(on the pressure of being a black GM) “I don’t know that I look at it so much as pressure. I think at the outset it’s important to state that Mr. McNair is a man that is committed to equal opportunity and certainly I don’t think I got this job because I’m an African-American. I think I got this job because I’m the best person for the job and I think that’s why he hired me. That being said, I’m not naive and I do recognize the importance. I’m standing on a lot of people’s shoulders. A lot of people who worked hard for me to have this opportunity and I recognize that and I carry that. I’m going to continue to do what I’ve always done in my life and try to be an example to young kids. I think this is a great example. For any of those kids that are out there, trying to do whatever they want to do with their life, here’s a perfect example to say that you can do it.”

(on why he left coaching for personnel) “For a lot of reasons. My coaching career was going fairly well and obviously, I coached in the Big Ten Conference, I coached in the NFL, we won a championship and my career was advancing fairly quickly. I sat down and tired to make a decision to see if head coaching and that track was something that I wanted and for a lot of reasons I decided that I liked the bigger picture a little bit better. I liked putting the team together a little better and obviously I wanted to stay in the NFL. I had a talk with coach (Mike) Shanahan and we both decided that the general manager track would be a little more in line with what I wanted to do so I switched.”

(on his working relationship with Gary Kubiak and Dan Ferens) “I think all of us are on the same page. I think in these next few days we’re going to sit down. Like Mr. McNair indicated, we’ve already sat down. It’s up to both Gary and I and we both know, we have a pretty good idea from working together for 10 years what we’re looking for, but we still need to sit down and talk about the specifics. Once we do that, we’ll put a plan together from a personnel standpoint and go about the practice of selecting players that will help us.”

(on whether he will be at mini-camp this week) “Absolutely, we’ve got to meet the staff and get to know everyone in the organization and that’s one of the first things we’ve got to do is evaluate this football team. I need to see what Gary thinks the strengths and weaknesses are and see where we are and formulate a game plan and see where we need to go.”

Head coach Gary Kubiak

(on the give and take that will exist with Rick Smith) “There’s no doubt about that. You’re not going to be successful in this business if you don’t have people around you that are willing to give their opinion on players and on coaching staffs. When you’re putting a staff together, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for guys that will battle you as a coach, that will help you get better and help the football team get better and that’s one of the reasons that I feel so good about this guy right here because I’ve been with him. I’ve battled him and he’s battled me in a lot of situations and made me a better football coach because sometimes I get a little bit of tunnel vision on some players and things and he would help me see another side. That’s the way we’re going to get where we all want to go as an organization and that’s when nobody’s turf is untouchable. We need to all work together. We need to all listen and that’s how we’re going to get better and get the Texans to where we want to go. Like I said, that’s one of the reasons why I feel so good about this guy right here.”

General manager Rick Smith

(on his draft strategy) “I think what we’re going to do is take the best of what we did in Denver, take the best of what was done here in Houston and some new, fresh ideas from other places and try to formulate a game plan to make sure that on draft day we’ve got all the information we need on all the players in order to make good selections.”

Head coach Gary Kubiak

(on what he told Mr. McNair that he would like about Rick Smith) “First off, we had three wonderful candidates come through that all did a super job. But when I talked to Bob about Rick, I said first off, from personnel standpoint we’re looking for someone to evaluate players and do an excellent job in personnel and this guy is as good as I’ve ever been around. The icing on the cake, sort of speak, is the fact that I think this guy is a tremendous leader of people and when you’re talking about a big organization, there’s a lot of people’s paths that you cross every day from a business standpoint to the business side. This guy when he walks in a room, he lights it up. He gets the best out of everybody that he’s around and I think that’s extremely important.”

General manager Rick Smith

(on why he thinks Gary Kubiak will be successful) “First of all, I think the world of Gary as a man and as a human being, and I think he’s an excellent football coach. I think he’s well-prepared, and I think he’s been prepared, and I think he’s already showing it. I think you can watch practice, and I know this not even having been around, but I would suspect that the tempo of practice is a little bit different; the attitude is a little bit different. Gary has a unique ability to endear himself to his players but command their respect that he needs in order to get them to do what they need to do in order to be successful. I think the world of him, and I always said that if I ever got a shot to be a general manager and hire a head coach, I would’ve hired him in a heartbeat, so it’s ironic that he got his shot first, and I’m just happy that we’re together. But this guy’s going to be a tremendous, tremendous football coach.”

(on his core beliefs that go into building a roster) “I think that number one, scouts, we tend to value height, weight and speed. We’ve got position parameters that each individual position needs in order to fit into our system, so that’s the first thing you look for—you look for height, weight and speed. Is a guy fast enough and big enough to play a particular position? But then, the most important thing I think that you look for is what I call football character. Does a guy have passion to play the game? Does he love to play the game of football? Sometimes a guy won’t have the ideal height, weight and speed, but he’s got that special something about him that you can see, and that’s something that you evaluate as a personnel guy. So it’s a combination there. It’s physical attributes as well as passion and intelligence, character—we want to make sure that we put high-character players on our football field, because that right there, at the end of the day, in the fourth quarter, those are the guys that you’re going to be able to count on. So that’s what we’ll look for.”

Texans owner Bob McNair

(on why he elected to hire a first-time head coach and general manager this time after hiring veterans at each position originally) “Well, I think we’re at a different stage of our development, and initially I think we needed the experience. I think it was more important to us because we had nothing. There were no employees, no players, nothing. So you’re starting from scratch. I think we’re at the point now where we’ve been doing this for a few years. I’m no longer a rookie, and I think we have a better idea as to how we want to go about accomplishing our goals.

“I think that there were veteran general managers out there, and I guess we could’ve brought in one of the veteran general managers and he probably would’ve been trying to teach me how he wanted to run things instead of my teaching Rick how I wanted to run things. I think I like the latter better than the former.

“But I think we’re at that stage of our development where we’ve got a lot of good things in place, and we don’t need a whole lot of new things, so I think now we need people who are going to work together, who are smart people, who understand the game and who can work together. I think we’ve got that kind of a group now, and I think they’re the kind of guys—I think either Gary or Rick touched on it—who are flexible, who are willing to—you know, we have new technology today. We have a lot more information today than we had 20 or 30 years ago, and we have to make sure that we’re exploiting that, that we’re using it properly. And these guys are ready to do that because they’re young and they’re still willing to reach out and do things that are different. They’re not concerned about protecting their turf. They’re willing to try things, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll change some of the things, some of the relationships. We want to do what works for the Houston Texans, and that’s what we’re all committed to, and that’s why we’re going to be successful.”

General manager Rick Smith

(on the two or three Denver players that he recommended to Mike Shanahan that he is most proud of) “Hmm, let’s see. I would say the two guys that come to mind, the first one would be a guy by the name of Bertrand Berry, who is a defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals now. Bert was out of work, he had been what we call a ‘tweener’ in our league, if you’re familiar with that. He just never really found a home. I think Indianapolis had tried him at both outside linebacker as well as defensive end, and so he had found himself on the street.

“I had done some evaluation, and I brought him in for a workout, and I sat him down in front of me after the workout and I said, ‘You’re talented enough to play in this league.’ We talked about it and he said he wanted to be a defensive end, so I told him, ‘You’re a defensive end, and that’s what you’re going to play here.’ And he just grew and developed as a player. We were not able to keep him as an unrestricted free agent; he signed a big deal with Arizona, and that was well-deserved, and he went on to earn a Pro Bowl berth the next year, so I’m really proud of him.

“Another kid, and it’s a similar type of story, is guy named Nick Ferguson, who is our starting strong safety for the Broncos now, and Nick was a guy who just worked his butt off and played in Canada and was cut. He actually was cut from the New York Jets and I did a little evaluation on him and liked him and called his agent. His agent’s Pat Dye down in Atlanta. I called Pat and said, ‘Hey, this kid’s got a chance. Let me bring him in and work him out.’ And he said, ‘Well, he’s actually kind of given up on it. He’s going into coaching and he’s doing an internship down in NFL Europe.’ I said, ‘I’m going down to NFL Europe’s training camp, so I’ll work him out when I’m down there.'

“And I get down there and it’s—I don’t know if you’ve been to training camp, but the fields aren’t the best, and so the grass was thick and it was raining and it’s hot and muggy—and his workout wasn’t the best. In fact, if I had to hire him off his workout, I would not have done it, and I told him that. But what I saw on tapes—one of the things I was saying earlier—was that intuitive thing that Nick had. He’s a physical player, he’s a smart player. I saw enough on film to take a chance, and he has done an outstanding job for us there in Denver as a backup and as a starter. So those two guys really, because they were guys who were out of it, but there was something in them that kept them going.”

Head coach Gary Kubiak

(on how he and Smith will resolve conflicts when they disagree) “I think we both have to listen. We have to listen and work through situations, and the bottom line is we have to come to a conclusion on what’s best for the Houston Texans and our football team. That’s the only way we’re going to get to where we want to go, is if we’re willing to sit there and talk to coaches, Rick, trainers, everybody involved. And if we approach each day that way, then we’ve got a chance. We’ve got a good thing going right now; we’ve got a lot of good work going on and a lot of good people doing it, and the players are working hard and we’ve just got to continue in that direction.”