By now, you've seen the commercial on TV. It's a Fantasy football draft,
and an owner butchers his name, calling him everything from T.J.
Houshvanilla to T.J. Whosyourmama, followed by "championship." Well, his
name is T.J. Houshmandzadeh, which is pronounced "hoosh(rhymes
with push)-mahn-ZAH-duh," and the wide receiver for the Cincinnati
Bengals is on the verge of becoming a superstar. That's not easy to do
when you share the field with Chad Johnson.
In 2004, Houshmandzadeh had 73 catches for 978 yards and four
touchdowns. He followed that up last year with 78 catches for 956 yards
and seven touchdowns. This year, the man with the pony tail from Oregon
State started the season dealing with a heel injury and missed the first
two weeks. Since then, he has 23 catches for 291 yards and three
touchdowns in three games and has proven to be a No. 1 wide-receiving
option. I caught up with him recently to find out his thoughts on the
commercial and his season.
|
|
|
Housh is on the verge of a breakout season with the Bengals.
(Getty Images)
|
|
How has this season gone so far?
For me, personally, things have gone so-so. It was disappointing to miss
the first two games, so that's why it's so-so. I just know that it's
building up for better things to come. It's been so-so for the team
also. We're doing OK, but not like we expect from ourselves. It will get
better, but right now it's just all right.
What are your expectations for this year?
Obviously I want to do better this year than I did last year. I felt
like I should have gotten 1,000 yards last year and even the last two
years, but it didn't happen. I'm quite confident that I'll get that this
year. I just want to play better than I did last year and help our team
get farther in the playoffs.
How hard was it to miss the first two games?
It was real tough. Initially, I thought it would be a week or two at the
most. It just lingered longer than I thought. You never want to miss a
game, but missing the first game of the season is really hard. It was
tough, but now I'm back playing and I feel good. I just want to keep
going and continue to make plays. I'm not 100 percent right now, but I'm
good enough.
What do you see as your role in the offense?
My role is to make plays. I have to score touchdowns and make plays to
help the team. That's how I'm relied on and what the team expects me to
do. I might not do it as much as I would like, but I do what I can to
try and make plays.
You have improved each year and continue to get more popular? Are you
ready to become a superstar?
If it happens, it happens. The better you play, the better things happen
for you. But you just have to be yourself. You can't turn into someone
you're not. You have to carry yourself the same way. I'm not going to
change who I am as a person or as a player. I'm just going to have fun
and be me. But not many people thought I would make it this far. They
said the odds of me playing and becoming a superstar is like being a
long-shot in the Kentucky Derby.
How is the offense doing at this point in the season?
The offense is doing fine. We're not putting up the same type of numbers
we did last year, but the main thing is wins and losses. Teams have
studied us more and are ready for what we're going to bring. Now it's up
to us to adjust. But as long as we're getting more W's than L's, that's
the main thing. We want to keep the L's to a minimum.
Did you expect Carson Palmer to come back so soon from his knee
injury?
Yes and no. Working out with him in the offseason, I knew he would be
ready. The way he worked and his determination, I knew nothing was going
to stop him. All he needed was to get that first hit and feel fine. Once
that happened, he was good to go, and you see the results.
What did you think of the commercial where they butchered your last
name? Do you get that a lot?
I think it's funny. I have no problem with that. I thought it was funny,
and I know a lot of people thought it was funny. I loved it when my man
said, "Mark it down, championship." They were right on with it with how
people look at my name.
Do you play Fantasy Football?
I played it a long time ago, before it got as big as it is now. I was
just out of high school when I had a team. I have no time now to
maintain a roster, and I would probably start someone who is on a bye.
But I think it's cool.
Do you get asked about Fantasy football a lot?
All the time. When I was hurt, people would ask me if they should start
me and when I was coming back. They want to know if you're playing and
how I'm going to do. I think it's great. It's a new way for fans to get
into football, and that's good.
Outside of winning a Super Bowl, how do you want to look back on this
season when it's over?
I hope to be in Hawaii. I want to be playing in the Pro Bowl and not
watching it on TV.
