It is the greatest sound Red Bryant can imagine. It is the thump of a field-goal attempt hitting off his arm.
The Seattle Seahawks defensive end blocked four field goals last season. He had blocked none this season until Sunday, when San Francisco 49ers kicker David Akers lined up for a 21-yard field goal that NBC's Al Michaels referred to as "a chip shot."Bryant, who is 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, got his paw in the way of Akers' attempt, and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman scooped up the rebound and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead."It's a great feeling," Bryant said in a phone interview. "You feel like you kept them from scoring, and in our case, we were able to pick it up and go coast to coast."Sherm was going down the sideline, and I just wanted him to run, run, run."Bryant earned NFC special teams player of the week honors. It was his biggest contribution in a season of big plays for the Seahawks.The former Texas A&M standout, who is in his fifth season, re-signed with the Seahawks in the off-season. He signed a five-year, $35 million deal to stay in Seattle."They gave me an opportunity when they drafted me [in the fourth round in 2008]," said Bryant, who has 19 tackles and three pass defensed in 15 starts this season. "Then, they gave me another opportunity when they made me financially secure. I'm definitely forever indebted to them in terms of what they've done for me as a football player and what they've done for me in being able to take care of my family. I'm just so grateful, and I thank God for all my many blessings."Bryant is grateful, too, for the chance to play for a team on the rise. The Seahawks are the hottest team in the NFC. They have a four-game winning streak, having outscored the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and 49ers 173-47."We definitely feel like we can beat anybody we play," Bryant said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence. We're doing a lot of good things offensively, defensively and on special teams."We definitely feel like we have one of the best defenses in the league. We feel like we match up well against anybody. Then, on the offensive side we've got Marshawn Lynch, who is a beast of a running back. Our offensive line is one of the best in the game, and our young quarterback is special."Casey has high hopesThe Houston Texans have lost only three games, but the losses to the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings were by a combined 107-44. Thus, the Texans' bandwagon is less than full these days.But Texans fullback/tight end James Casey said don't write them off yet. Houston will secure the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts today."Last week was very disappointing," Casey said in a phone interview. "We're disappointed we didn't play well. But everything is still in front of us. We have a lot of goals. We want the No. 1 seed and the home field that comes with it, and that can still all be accomplished. We just have to take care of business."The former Azle star has played an important role for the Texans this season. He calls himself a fullback/tight end. He took over the fullback role when Houston released Lawrence Vickers in the off-season.Playing the two positions, Casey has played almost 600 offensive snaps. Casey, who is in his fourth season, has a career high in catches (32), receiving yards (319) and touchdowns (three)."I feel like it's been a good season," Casey said. "I've contributed, and I feel like I've continued to get better."It will be his best season if the Texans win the Super Bowl."That's the goal," Casey said, "but that's every team's goal. We don't talk about that a lot in the locker room. We focus on each game, and we haven't looked past Indianapolis."You want to be hot going into the playoffs, and we have a chance to do that this week."Charean Williams817-390-7760Twitter: @NFLCharean
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