Cover Story: The Fire Still Burns for Justin Houston

On the verge of 100 career sacks and going against his former team, outside linebacker Justin Houston rescued two brothers from a raging fire as a youngster and overcame adversity to become one of the NFL's premier pass rushers.

By: Clifton Brown

When Justin Houston was in the ninth grade, his family's home in Statesboro, Ga. was destroyed by fire. Houston was talking on the phone when the line went dead. Then he smelled smoke, went into the hallway and immediately saw flames.

Houston ran outside, but quickly realized that two younger brothers were still inside.

At that moment, it wasn't about getting to the quarterback. It was about getting to Tylen and Aaron.

"I just took off and ran inside to get them," the Ravens' 32-year-old outside linebacker said. "Fortunately, I knew that house so well, I could get around the place with my eyes closed. It was pitch dark and the smoke was heavy, but I knew they were in the back room. I ran in there screaming their names. They came running and found me. And we got out."

Houston is too modest to describe himself as a hero. But his family does.

"That's Justin," his mother Kimberly said, sobbing on the phone recently as she recalled that day. "He saved my boys."

That day changed Houston's life in ways that are hard to fathom. His mother and 10 siblings were left with no place to live and all their worldly possessions gone. The community in Statesboro rallied around Houston's family, teaching Houston that people are far more important than possessions.

"As far as material things, if you weren't wearing what you had on that day, you lost it," Houston said. "Thank God, we had people in the city to help us – the school, the churches, because we really had nothing."

The fire took Houston's home, but it couldn't take his determination. Eighteen years later, he is one of the best pass rushers of his era. With 98.5 career sacks heading into the Ravens-Indianapolis Colts matchup on Monday Night Football, Houston is the next NFL player in line to reach the 100 career-sack total. Among active players, only Von Miller (110.5), Chandler Jones (102) and J.J. Watt (101) have more.

Houston has chased quarterbacks his entire career and caught many. But a Super Bowl ring has eluded him. That's the main reason he signed with the Ravens before this season, despite more lucrative offers elsewhere. He believes they have a chance to win a championship, and Houston will do whatever it takes to help achieve that goal.

"At this point, it's the main reason I'm playing," Houston said. "I'm not going to play with just any team. But we have the pieces to be special."

A LEADER LIKE YODA

Houston has become a locker room leader with the Ravens almost as quickly as he comes off the edge. A familiar sight in training camp was Houston staying after practice to work with rookie pass rushers Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes, teaching them the tricks of the trade.

Oweh says Houston is "like Yoda", the all-knowing character in Star Wars. Oweh and Tyus Bowser are tied for the team lead with two sacks, and both credit Houston's presence as a factor. There aren't many pass-rushing techniques that Houston isn't familiar with. He beats offensive linemen with his mind as well as his strength, and he is giving about sharing his knowledge.

"He just knows everything," Oweh said. "I try to ask him questions about different sets, how to approach that, how to attack that, and he'll have the answer right away. I really appreciate that, because like I said, I'm new to the game, so I'm trying to pick up something different every single time. I try to work with him after practice — hands, just learning. Learning stuff and picking every little thing. With film too, how to take care of your body — just that vet mentality, being a pro and everything. So, he's really helped me with everything."

Houston has always been a complete player, far more than just a pass-rush specialist. His run defense has been solid this season, and he has regularly defeated blockers at the point of attack.

However, Houston makes his greatest impact as a nemesis to quarterbacks. He got his first sack of the season near the end of Baltimore's Week 4 victory over the Denver Broncos, taking Drew Lock to the ground. His pressure has also created opportunities for others, like Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders when Houston's pressure set up a sack by Pernell McPhee.

Houston is another valuable chess piece that Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale can deploy in multiple ways. While he also considered signing with the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston's love for Baltimore's defensive scheme lured him. Houston first visited the Ravens as a free agent in April, but didn't sign until early August.

"When I talked to the coaches here, I really wanted to sign that day," Houston said. "The only reason why I thought about Pittsburgh is they called and offered, and it was a 3-4 scheme. I knew I wanted to be in a 3-4.

"But this system here in Baltimore creates mismatches and one-on ones. Most schemes don't create that. They put you out there and tell you to win your matchup. But it's not really a one-on-one when the guard is staring at you before the snap, and when the running back is looking to chip you as well. Here, with the pressure we bring, it's hard for the guard to help. It's hard for the running back to chip. They've got to matchup with other guys, and if you leave me one-on-one, I'm going to win my battles."

CHASING A SUPER BOWL

Houston has been winning battles for years, but he wants to win the big game. When he was weighing options as a free agent, the chance to play with Lamar Jackson factored into Houston's thinking. He sensed Jackson's competitiveness when he was a rookie in 2018, when the Ravens lost a 27-24 overtime thriller to the Chiefs in Kansas City.

Houston had a strip sack against Jackson in that game, adding his name to the list of quarterbacks he has taken down.

In Jackson, Houston sees a special talent driven to win, the same qualities he saw in Patrick Mahomes, his former teammate with the Chiefs.

"When you have a quarterback like that, anything's possible," Houston said. "You know you're never out of the game."

Houston envisioned himself winning a championship in Kansas City as Mahomes became a star, but the Chiefs released Houston after the season to free up salary cap space. Recognizing how respected Houston was in Kansas City, Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach and Chairman Clark Hunt both released statements when Houston was let go.

"These decisions are never easy," Veach said. "I have a great deal of respect for Justin as a player and person and I wish him and his family the best moving forward."

Kansas City traded for pass rusher Frank Clark shortly after parting with Houston, and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl the next year. Houston, who had signed with the Indianapolis Colts, had mixed emotions watching his former team hoist the Lombardi Trophy the year after he left Kansas City.

"I was happy for the guys, but not for everyone in that building," Houston said. "I wasn't happy the way we split up. I got released when they wanted me to take a pay cut. The way I saw it, I was already taking a pay cut because some other pass rushers were getting $21 (million) a year when I was getting paid $14. When they first paid me $14, it was top dollar. Then they released me and brought in another guy and paid him more? I was like, damn, this guy's that much better than me? I wasn't happy."

Meanwhile, things didn't go as Houston planned with the Colts after he signed with them in 2019. They had a talented franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck who had just led them to the playoffs, but during the preseason that year, Luck shocked the sports world by announcing his retirement at just 29 years old.

To say Houston was upset with Luck's decision would be putting it mildly.

"I was hot," Houston said. "It was a toss-up between me signing with Baltimore or Indy, both of them had great quarterbacks, and I chose Indy. Then the last preseason game, he retires? That wasn't a last-minute decision. He could have put that out there – look, I'm thinking about retiring. Not keep it to himself. I felt that was a selfish agenda. This is not a one-man sport. Your decision affected everybody in that building. I felt some type of way about that."

Houston spent two seasons with the Colts and enjoyed his time there. He won't play Monday night's game looking to settle a score against a former team.

"They treated me well, it's a good organization," Houston said. "It'll be like any other game, I just want to win."

LIVING A DREAM

Houston isn't sure how much longer he wants to play, but he is enjoying the quick bond he has made with Ravens teammates and coaches. He loves the way Baltimore has overcome adversity and injuries to win its last three games.

With the Ravens, he has found a team that shares his fighting spirit. He has maintained the rock-solid values he learned as a country kid growing up in Statesboro, raised by a mother and grandmother (Linda) who worked multiple jobs to support the family.

Houston was taught to be self-sufficient, hard-working, unselfish and undeterred by setbacks. Nothing Houston faces on the football field ever seems harder than that day he stood outside, watching his family's home burn. He knew times ahead would be even more difficult, but he and his family were up for the challenge.

In 2016, Houston bought 29 acres of land in Statesboro and built homes for his mother and grandmother that sit next to each other.

"They sit and look at each other from their houses, talking to each other on the phone every day," Houston said smiling. "Instead of just walking across the way, they talk on the phone. It's funny. But it feels good.

"Growing up, you don't know what you don't know. I didn't understand how tough our life was. My mom and grandma made sure we had, even after the fire. My grandma worked three jobs. Came home, slept 15 minutes, went off again. I salute them."

The shell of the house that caught fire remains intact, and Houston plans to have it rebuilt one day. He has been through the fire and feels blessed.

"People don't know what you come from, what you've been through, and why you're the person you are," Houston said. "Since that fire, I try not to complain about anything. I distance myself from all forms of negativity. I want no part of it.

"One of my coaches in college told me, 'You never have a bad day. You just have bad moments. Don't let that bad moment linger.' That stuck with me. I'm enjoying every moment."