March 13, 2006

by PFT editor Mike Florio

The Houston Texans have had a rough time since they entered the NFL in 2002.  Four seasons, no playoff appearances, and a dismal 2-14 record in their most recent campaign.

Arguably the most scrutinized aspect of the franchise has been its offensive line.  The foundation of the unit was supposed to be left tackle Tony Boselli, taken by the Texans in the expansion draft.  Instead, the heart and soul has been Houston native Steve McKinney, who was one of the Texans' first free-agent acquisitions -- and who has started every game in franchise history. 

McKinney recently signed a four-year extension with the team, which puts him under contract through 2009.

Though the long-term commitment to McKinney constitutes clear recognition by the franchise that his play isn't part of the problem, McKinney realizes that, when things don't go well, outsiders will point fingers.

"You know, as a professional you understand that criticism is part of the game," McKinney said.  "I've played on lines that have received a lot of praise and I've played on lines that have received a lot of criticism.  My first year in Houston of our five starting lineman, I was the only one who had ever started a game in the NFL.  We've since added a couple of veterans and a couple of the younger guys like Chester Pitts have really developed into good football players.  I think that the longer we are able to play next to each other the better we'll get." 

The issue, as he explained, is consistency.

"In the offensive line cohesiveness is very important.  You have to all be on the same page all the time, and sometimes that only comes when you've had a chance to work with the same guys for a couple of years.  Last year we had some injuries, and we were forced to move some guys around.  I think that this year under [new head coach] Gary Kubiak's system you'll see a much improved offense, and under [assistant coach] Mike Sherman you'll see a much better offensive line."

With McKinney making a permanent move from center to left guard, another member of that offensive line could be a player with whom McKinney is somewhat familiar.  His brother, Seth, is the starting center in Miami, and Seth hit the free agent market on Saturday.

How would Steve feel about his younger brother lining up next to him in Houston?

"That would be awesome," McKinney said, who explained that he's been periodically reminding the coaching staff of the fact that Seth is available.  "We played on the same team at [Texas] A&M for one year, but he was a redshirt freshman and I was a senior so we never actually got the chance to play next to each other.  We at least had the chance to be on the same field during a game in the NFL when we played Miami a couple of years ago, but he didn't start that game.  Having him here in Houston playing next to me would be a dream come true.  I think it might me the only time in history that two brothers have lined up next to each other, but I haven't really researched it."

Thanks for the idea, Steve.  We've learned that, of the more than 300 sets of brothers who have played in the NFL, several played offensive line together.  Jay and Joel Hilgenberg with the Saints.  Dave and Doug Widell with the Broncos.  Bob and Ed Khayat with the Redskins.  Garrard and Knox "Buster" Ramsey of the Chicago Cardinals.  Frank and George Kinard and Lou and Nick Daukas of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Bill and Joe Rooney of the Duluth Kelleys.  Herb and Russ Stein of the Toledo Maroons, and later of the Frankford Yellow Jackets. 

And who can forget Hobby and Shine Kinderdine of the Dayton Triangles?

Perhaps the most impressive example of brotherly teamwork in NFL history came in 1921, when Frank, Fred, John, Phil, and Ted Nesser played offensive line (among other positions) for the Columbus Panhandles.  (Ted was also the coach.)

Though Steve and Seth McKinney don't have three other brothers with whom they can form a five-man line in Houston, there's still another McKinney pushing through the pipeline.  Baby brother Sean,16, is already six-foot-one and on his way to following in his brothers' footsteps with the Aggies.

But what if Sean wants to play for a college team other than Texas A&M?

"Sean will have no choice," McKinney said.  "If A&M wants him that's where he's going.  Anything else and Seth and I might have to knock a little sense into him."

As it turns out, Steve has a little experience when it comes to putting one of his brothers in physical jeopardy.  Racing bikes back to their house when Steve was 10 and Seth was six, Steve got there first and Seth didn't show.  "When I got home," Steve said, "I waited about five minutes and he never showed.  I went back to look for him and found out he was hit by a car and broke his leg and got a concussion."

Next came an accident with backyard bows and arrows.  "Seth kept running up to the target to get his arrows before I was done shooting mine.  I warned him that if he did it again I was going shoot him.  Well, sure enough the very next time he did it again and I shot him right in his foot."  (It was actually a graze.) 

The best (or, as the case may be, the worst) was yet to come. 

"The next year my dad took us duck hunting and it was real early one morning while we were sitting out in this real thick flooded timbers and I sort of lost track of where everyone was set up," Steve said.  "About that time a group of wood ducks came flying in real low and I shot and hit one."

But . . . .

"That wasn't all I hit," Steve said.  "As soon as the gun went off, all I heard was Seth screaming bloody murder.  I really about crapped my pants.  I was only thirteen at the time and judging from his scream I really thought I'd killed him.  Turns out one of the pellets from my shot had lodged directly into his skull just on top of his forehead.  My dad, being a doctor, rushed him back to his clinic and tried to dig out the lead, but it just didn't want to come out. 

"So to this day he still has a piece of lead stuck in his head that I put there when we were kids.  My dad swore it wouldn't cause any long term damage, but talking to him sometimes I still wonder," Steve said (he's kidding). 

"Needless to say, that's how I learned to never shoot at low flying birds.  So as you can see, Seth had a very traumatic childhood, and I was mostly to blame."

When the McKinney brothers weren't endangering each others' lives, they were eating.  A lot. 

"Man, I don't know how my mom did it," McKinney said.  "Our grocery bill had to be the equivalent to the GNP of some third world countries.  When we hit junior high our parents actually had to buy a small cafe just so they could write off our food bill."

But all that food has paid off in the form of two NFL players in the family, and counting.  Steve got his start with the Colts in 1998, coming home when he became an unrestricted free agent four years later.  For him, the move from Indy to Houston was a no-brainer.

"Guys like to feel wanted," he said.  "The last time most guys were recruited was eight years earlier when they were seniors in high school, so when they hit the market they're first looking for the most they can get, but they're also looking for someplace that really shows how much they want them.  I think when your own team lets free agency set your value, it's too late most of the time.  You're going to go to the first team that shows you love." 

Free agency, of course, isn't the only way that teams add players.  Another relatively significant tool is the draft.  This year, the Texans hold the first pick.  So we asked McKinney what he'd do if he were G.M. Charley Casserly on April 29.

"I'd call in sick," he said.

He was joking.  We think.  "I mean having to make that decision in a year like this is going to be tough.  The good thing is we have a good quarterback and running back, the problem is we have the first pick in the draft and the top prospects are a quarterback and a running back.  I know that they will leave emotion out of the decision and pick the player they think will really help this organization win."

For McKinney's sake, we're hoping that the Texans can parlay that pick into some playoff appearances before he packs it in.  Then again, it might be a few years down the line before he's done.

"I plan to play for a while longer, they'll probably have to kick me out," McKinney said.  "You can't beat having a career where you get paid to play football."

Unlike many of his peers, McKinney has already gotten started on his post-football career.  He owns three Velocity Sports Performance centers in the Houston area, and he plans to buy more.  "I love this business because it allows me to stay involved in sports and also make a difference with kids who want to be the best athlete they can be."

McKinney also will be spending plenty of time after he's done playing football with his other love -- hunting.  Among other prizes, he's bagged a lion and a leopard in Africa, a mountain lion in Canada, and he recently killed a buffalo with a bow.

For now, though, the game is still football.  And he's still hunting for the kind of trophy that they've only given out 40 times.

We'd like to see him get one.  It's got to be more fun that putting bird shot in your brother's head.