Cushing back for Texans, found inspiration during injury in birth of first son

HOUSTON – Linebacker Brian Cushing had never dealt with a major injury before and wasn't sure how he'd handle missing Houston's last 11 games after knee surgery last season.

Exactly a week later, he found motivation when his son Cayden was born. When his rehabilitation got tough, his first thought was that he had to get better so his son could see him play.

Cushing was back on the field for Houston's first day of training camp Friday and says he feels great. The Texans are taking it slow with Cushing, but they hope he returns as the player he was before the injury when he finished with 114 tackles and four sacks in 2011.