Drew Dougherty of Texans TV and Texans Ambassador Chester Pitts recently chatted via Zoom (video below). Portions of Pitts' answers appear in this article.
1) DD: With which of your former teammates do you still keep in touch?
Pitts: A lot. I talk to 'Trap (Travis Johnson), I talk to 'Dre (Andre Johnson), I talk to Jelani Hawkins, Charles Spencer, Ephraim Salaam.
2) DD: How are those guys handling the shelter-in-place?
Pitts: Anybody who knows Travis, knows he has a propensity to either not take things seriously, or worry that it's the end of the world.
3) DD: You mentioned Andre Johnson, and judging by this Instagram post, it looks like he's doing okay, right?
Pitts: You saw that, too? I should screenshot and send you the nasty text message I sent him after I saw that. I was like 'Where's MY invite?'
4) DD: What was the loudest game you ever played in as a Houston Texan?
Pitts: One, when we played the Kansas City Chiefs. I can't remember what year it was. (It was 2004) That was my loudest road game as a Texan. The loudest at Reliant Stadium is going to be a toss-up between the home opener when we beat the Cowboys, and the game where we beat the Colts for the first time. In 2006.
5) DD: How smoky was it during the 2002 opener with Dallas?
Pitts: We were a work in progress. There were rookies on the field, and there were also rookies that were in charge of the fireworks, the smoke, the tunnel, the Bull, the whole nine. Frankly, that smoke didn't dissipate until halfway into the second quarter.
6) DD: On a current gameday, do you get to tailgate at all?
Pitts: I do not. I'm always working. By the time the tailgates are really going, duty calls, and we've got work to do.
7) DD: You and I do the pregame shows at NRG Stadium, but then we split up for the first half. You head to the President's Suite. Who's the biggest bigwig you've encountered there?
Pitts: If you think about it, every single performer or Homefield Advantage Captain comes up to the suite. Lil John, Outkast, Simone Biles, you name it, they all have come by.
8) DD: What would it have been like to block for Deshaun Watson?
Pitts: I was just thinking about the pure awesomeness that would've transpired my entire career. And that's not a knock against others, but to be able to go out there and take that field and block for DW4, not only would it have been a flat out honor, it would've been kind of a dream of any offensive lineman.
9) DD: Who's your favorite retired NFL player?
Pitts: It'll have to be two. One is Walter Jones: the greatest offensive lineman to ever play the game. Then, Junior Seau. The way that man played the game, his commitment to the game. His ability, tenacity, he never let up.
10) DD: Your career overlapped with his. You ever cross paths?
Pitts: When I was at San Diego State, there was one time we got to go to a Chargers game. We got to shake hands and say hi for a hot second. But my rookie year, our second game was at San Diego, and Junior Seau destroyed us. I got to talk to Junior after the game.
11) DD: What's a guilty pleasure you're missing during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Pitts: It's not a guilty pleasure, but I just miss being able to say 'what's up' to people in public, and shake hands.
12) DD: What's the last thing you cooked?
Pitts: Are you serious? I haven't cooked in 20 years.
