Article excerpt:
James Casey overcame tragedy and long odds to get to where he is today.
Now in his fourth NFL season out of Rice University, Casey is coming into his own as the Texans’ starting fullback. He already has set career highs this season with 30 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns. A fifth-round draft pick in 2009, the former tight end has become one of the keys to the Texans’ offensive versatility.
“He lines up at fullback and blocks linebackers,” Texans quarterback Matt Schaub said. “We put him out wide at receiver. He’s in the slot for us. He lines up at tight end. We can just move him around so many different spots and he can run all those different routes that we do as an offense. He creates mismatches for other teams.”
Said tight ends coach Brian Pariani: “He’s kind of a unique player, really. Very gifted athlete, very smart. You can put a lot of things on his plate, and that’s what makes him an asset to this offense. You can put him anywhere on the field, and the defense doesn’t know when we snap the ball where he’s going to line up.”
How Casey got here from a tumultuous upbringing and circuitous path to the NFL is remarkable – almost beyond belief. He grew up in the small town of Azle, Texas, just outside of Fort Worth, living in trailer homes with his parents, Jerry and Susan.
“I don’t like to talk about that much because there’s a lot of people that come from really bad situations, and it seems like some people when they talk, they want people to feel sorry for them or something,” Casey said. “I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me. I was poor growing up, but there were a lot of people like that.”
Full article: http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Gameday-feautre-James-Casey-Up-from-Nothing/3bd2624b-c221-449b-a8e1-e412807c148b
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