Draft Scout Snapshot:DS Rating on 8/24/08: #2 OLB, #20/750 Overall, Projected Rnd: 1-2 2008: Consensus All-Pac 10 Conference first-team choice...Finalist for the Butkus Award, semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award and quarter-finalist for the Lott Trophy...Named the team's Co-Lifter of the Year...Limited in spring drills after undergoing arthroscopic ankle surgery...Suffered a broken bone in his hand vs. Oregon State and was forced to play wearing a cast for about one month...Also suffered a shoulder contusion vs. Arizona State, but still managed to start all thirteen games on the Trojans' schedule...Ranked second on the team with 73 tackles (46 solos)... Added three sacks for minus 22 yards and led the squad with 10.5 stops for losses totaling 50 yards...Also had a QB pressure, along with a forced fumble...Deflected six passes and recorded his first career interception...On 54 running plays he was involved in, Cushing held the opposition to 119 yards, no touchdowns and eight first downs (2.2 ypc), as he made six third-down stops, two more on fourth-down plays and took down ball carriers for no gain on four other runs...On 30 pass plays into his area, the opposition completed 19 passes (63.33%) for 132 yards (6.95 yards per completion/4.40 yards per pass attempt) and one touchdown, allowing four first-down receptions...Made six of his tackles inside the red zone, including four on goal line plays...Added one more tackle for the kickoff coverage unit...2007: 10 GP; 8 GS; 14 Sol-25 TT, 2.5 TFL, 1 SK, 2 PBU, 1 FR; Cushing, who did a standout job starting at defensive end in 2006, moved back to his natural strongside linebacker spot as a junior in 2007 and didn't miss a beat. Overall while appearing in 10 games (all but Washington, Stanford and Arizona) and starting 8 times (Idaho and USC's last 7 games), he had 25 tackles, including 2.5 for losses of 4 yards (with a 2-yard sack), plus a fumble recovery and 2 deflections. He sprained his left ankle in the Idaho opener, then played briefly but didn't start the next 2 games (Nebraska and Washington State) before re-spraining it against Washington State and being sidelined for the next 3 contests. 2006: 13 GP; 13 GS; 27 Sol-57 TT, 13.5 TFL, 4.5 SK, 1 PBU, 1 QBH, 1 FF, 1 BLK; Cushing, who started 4 times in 2005 at strongside linebacker, started all of his 2006 sophomore season as a stand-up defensive end in USC's hybrid 3-4 "Elephant" defense. Overall in 2006 while appearing in all 13 games, he had 57 tackles, including a team-best 13.5 for losses of 52 yards.
Post-Draft Outlook:BEST PICK: The Texans like OLB Brian Cushing because he was a four-year starter at Southern California who became a team leader and plays with the kind of intensity and energy they want on defense. He'll play on the strong side. He's tough against the run but fast enough to learn to cover. A closer look at the Texans' picks: Round 1/15 -- Brian Cushing, OLB, 6-3, 243, Southern Cal...The Texans liked the USC linebackers -- Cushing and Clay Matthews -- and when the 15th pick arrived, both were still available. Cushing was the target of defensive coordinator Frank Bush since the college season ended. Bush says Cushing will compete with Zac Diles for the starting job on the strong side. He has the versatility to line up even on the edge and rush. The Texans love his athleticism and work ethic, and he is expected to make an instant impact. - by The Sports Xchange
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Draft Scout Brian Cushing News
08/19/10 - LB Brian Cushing will have to serve his four-game suspension for testing positive for HCG. The NFL denied his appeal on the basis of Cushing's claim of overtrained athlete syndrome, presented to commissioner Roger Goodell by Texans' owner Bob McNair.
08/09/10 - OLB Brian Cushing said he has a condition called overtrained athlete syndrome, and Texans owner Bob McNair has asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce or rescind his four-game suspension. Cushing said the condition can cause hormonal spikes, which could lead to a positive test such as the one he had last September for a fertility drug he says he never took.
"We've gone in depth, and there has been a lot of money spent on the research," said Cushing. "There have been a lot of interesting results that I think can help us."
08/01/10 - LB Brian Cushing is suspended for the first four games against Indianapolis, Washington, Dallas and Oakland because he violated the league's policy against performance enhancing drugs. But because he's a second-year player who has more to learn and will return for the fifth game against the New York Giants, he's running with the starters for now.
"We teach in eight-day increments," coach Gary Kubiak said. "When we get to next Saturday, we will have taught all of our offense and defense. Then we start gearing toward games. When we start getting game ready, we have to prepare to get "X" (Xavier Adibi), Danny (Clark) and Kevin (Bentley) ready to play with our starting group. They need to work with our starters."
Adibi, 6-feet-2, 242 pounds, was a backup on the weak side in his first two seasons. He gets first shot at Cushing's job. Clark, 33, is a savvy veteran who plays the same position as Cushing. Bentley is a nine-year veteran who backs up in the middle but has started on the strong side.
Cushing is expected to start the first preseason game against Arizona because the starters won't play much. Then Adibi is expected to start the second preseason game against New Orleans and probably the third one against Dallas. Because most starters don't play in the last preseason game against Tampa Bay, Cushing could return or be kept out.
"That last game is a fine line," Kubiak said. "Does he need to play a lot in that game since he's going to miss the first month of the season? Yes. He needs to play football.
05/18/10 - OLB Brian Cushing was on the field Monday for the first time since being suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season.
"This is what I do," Cushing said. "This is what I'm going to be doing for a long time. Just to be out here running around with the guys, there's nothing better than this… My mind's just back on football, and it's a really good feeling."
05/13/10 - OLB Brian Cushing raised more questions than he answered when he finally met with the media to explain why he had tested positive and violated the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Cushing, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year who was voted to the Pro Bowl, said he had no idea how enough hCG, a hormone that exists naturally in men and women, got into his body to produce a positive test.
"I want to make it known that I did not inject or ingest any illegal substances that would enhance my performance," said Cushing, who has been suspended for the first four games of the season. "The question of how it got into my body is still unclear.
"It's something I'm very concerned about, just the fact of how it's there and what's going to deter it from happening again. And that's something that we're going to have to medically investigate."
Some medical conditions can cause the level of hCG to increase in amounts that are detectable. It's produced in pregnant women and has been used for weight loss and to stop the aging process. The most controversial use of hCG is a masking agent for steroids. It jumpstarts testosterone in the body during or after a cycle of steroid use.
HCG also can be produced in the pituitary gland in men and women.
"There's going to be certain tests that are going to be performed and certain things that we need to do," Cushing said.
Cushing was randomly tested in September. He found out he had tested positive in October and filed an appeal. His appeal was heard in February. He was suspended in May.
"When everything first came out, I was completely unfamiliar with hCG," he said. "I was told that the only way it can get into your body, and, obviously, everyone having their different opinions, was that it was either through injection or through a tumor.
"I know that I didn't ingest or inject anything. I played the whole season thinking I had tumors (that), this could not only be my last season but my last year."
In other words, Cush
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