The Texans helped to bolster their pass rush, signing former Patriots outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin on Monday. Colvin, a 10th-year pro, sat down with Texans TV's Brooke Bentley to answer fan questions in a three-part interview. Enjoy Part 1.
1. Julio (Housotn, TX): I just want to know what number do you plan on wearing since #59 is already worn by a little known Pro Bowl linebacker by the name of DeMeco Ryans?
Rosevelt Colvin: That has been a question that everybody, not just fans but my family, has asked me because I have been 59 since junior high school. I haven't had a chance to have a conversation with DeMeco about that situation, but a lot of people say you have to be that same number. Honestly, it's just a number. I'm going to be the same guy – I'm going to go out and perform regardless. We've got a couple of options, so we'll see what happens. Right now, it's not a big issue. We're here. We're signed up and we're trying to get ourselves ready to go.
{QUOTE}Brooke Bentley (Texans TV): Are those options a secret?
Rosevelt Colvin: They are not necessarily a secret. There are a lot of 50 numbers. I was 95 my freshman year at Purdue, which I believe somebody has 95 (Anthony Maddox), so that's not necessarily an option. I think 58 is available, which is not a bad number. The late, great Derrick Thomas was 58 for the Chiefs for a while. It's half of 59 with the "5" and half of 68 with the "8" which is what I wore in my rookie preseason in Chicago. Everything has meaning. Once you put the jersey on and you are out there in the game, you don't look at yourself anyways. So it's not going to be a big deal.
2. Jay Dobbs: Talk about your connections to the city of Houston and was that a factor in you signing here?
Rosevelt Colvin: I have a lot of history in the state of Texas. Both my parents were born and raised here. I spent a lot of summers as a child, growing up here with my cousins in Marshall or in Texas City and Galveston and in the Houston area. My grandfather, before he passed a few years ago, lived about five minutes around the corner from the stadium. My uncle still lives there – both my uncles, my fathers brothers, live here in the city. I have cousins that are scattered around the city – aunts, uncles, countless individuals that have a connection with me. It's going to be interesting because my major connection with this city in my family ceased when I got into high school and got into more of an athletic regimen in the offseason when school was out. So coming here for the summer wasn't necessarily an option. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to getting to be around them a little bit more. It gives my parents an excuse to come home to see their family a little bit more. It's great – the state of Texas and everything it stands for and everything that you can do here in the city of Houston. My best friend that I got drafted with in Chicago, Warrick Holdman, has a residence here. So we've got a lot of friends and family here. It's sort of a second home for us.
Brooke Bentley: Yesterday, you said you wanted to be in a place where you could raise your family and have stability.
Rosevelt Colvin: My family is important to me, outside of your aunts and uncles, more so speaking of my wife and four children. It hits me hard whenever I have to make a decision. I have to make sure of what I make and the things that I say and do because it affects them directly. Bringing them to an environment or a city or a place that is hostile or is something that they can't grow up in or be safe is not something that I wanted to do. We felt comfortable. I felt comfortable with the decision, so they are going to get to experience the life of being a Texan.
Preview: In Part 2, Colvin talks about how close he was to signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
