Sacking a quarterback is all about visualization.
Just ask A.J. Bouye, who got his first career sack in Sunday's 24-13 win over Chicago.
"I already had it set in my mind," Bouye said. "I was getting one, one way or another. I wasn't going to let anything stop me."
A confident Bouye told some teammates about his prediction and even discussed his sack celebration. The fourth-year cornerback may have been the only person who expected himself to take down Jay Cutler. He had never recorded a sack in his NFL or collegiate career.
In fact, Bouye had to stop to think about when was the last time he sacked the quarterback in a game.
"I think high school, probably JV?" Bouye said, laughing. "I think it was my freshman year, I don't know. For sure I had one because that's when I used to play safety. I used to send some blitzes. It was a long time ago."
Of course, tangible skills are also necessary: power, speed, timing, etc., but Bouye definitely had a premonition for the Week 1 opener. Behind a talented front seven, Bouye knew he'd have a clear look at the quarterback. When the defensive linemen rushed, Bouye kept tabs on the pass rushers and waited.
"I was just aware of where 99 (J.J. Watt) was, 59 (Whitney Mercilus) was," Bouye said. "If anything, I knew that Cutler would step up towards me because I'm the smallest guy coming so I was just ready for it and coach told us all week how he was just going to retrace. Like I said, I was just waiting for it. I was just being patient."
Bouye's fourth-quarter sack resulted in a loss of six yards on the play. He also finished with three solo tackles and one pass defensed.
The last time a Texans cornerback recorded a sack was ten years ago. Cornerback DeMarcus Faggins sacked Bills quarterback J.P. Losman when the Texans hosted Buffalo on Nov. 19, 2006.
Check out the best photos throughout the Texans first regular season game vs. the Bears.
