Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans was recently named The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, the seventh consecutive time a linebacker has won the award.

Cushing, the Texans' first-round pick from USC, finished with 134 tackles and recorded four interceptions, five sacks and two forced fumbles. The Park Ridge, N.J., native was chosen 15th overall in the NFL draft and he rewarded the Texans with an incredible rookie season and was a big reason why the Texans were in playoff contention up until the last week.

He received 39 votes from a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters. Cushing's linebacker teammate, DeMeco Ryans, won the award in 2006. Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd was second with six votes. Linebackers Clay Matthews (Green Bay) and Brian Orakpo (Washington) also received votes.

Cushing and Matthews were teammates at USC, along with Cincinnati's Rey Maualuga. All three made an immediate impact for their respective teams and it just shows how dominant USC was on defense two seasons ago.

With Cushing, Mario Williams and Ryans, the Texans are now well stocked on defense and have three playmakers to lead the unit for years to come. --- JOEL HUERTO.