T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn’t used to this role.
For much of his career, he was a sticky-fingered overachiever. He was a seventh-round pick that rose to prominence largely because of route-running and football smarts.
Now he’s seen as the opposite: A cocky free agent disappointment, and quite possibly a guy that struggles to fit inside the team framework. He’s the guy who dropped the final ball in Baltimore’s season last year and he won’t be back.
“I wish things had ended better. “I’m not a guy who drops the ball, but I dropped a ball that really matters. Last year was a really bad year for me on the field,” Houshmandzadeh told the Carroll County Times.
Despite rapidly declining production and advancing age, Housh thinks he can still play.
“The last two years have been the most disappointing years I’ve had. I know people will say I can’t play no more. If I get to the right team, I’ll shock a lot of people,” he said.
Houshmadzadeh realizes Baltimore doesn’t need him after drafting two player at the position.
“I wish I could come back, but I know the dynamic and how it works,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Not playing as much, I didn’t know how to handle it. People in the media think, ‘He’s complaining,’ but I was learning how to handle something new. It was an adjustment for me.”
We hate to be Debbie Downers, but Housh could have to learn how to handle something else new when the lockout ends. It’s quite possible he doesn’t get a contract offer for next season.