Cade Stover didn’t let a broken right foot keep him from helping push the Houston Texas into the second round of the NFL playoffs today.
Those of us who covered him during his high school football and basketball days at Lexington High School are not surprised.
Toughness and intensity are as attached to him as his burning desire to return to his local farm when the season is done.
I have often told people that when Stover plays, it “just sounds different.” I look forward to seeing that continue when he helps lead the Texans (12-5) into New England (15-3) in the divisional round Sunday at 3 p.m.
The 25-year-old Lexington High School graduate missed two months of the season after injuring his foot in the season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams. That break required surgery and forced him onto the IR.
It was a tough injury for a second-year pro who had hoped to become a bigger part of the Houston passing game this year. He had four catches against the Rams before he was hurt.
During his rookie campaign, he had 15 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, and was positioned to smash those numbers early into the year.
A lot of that was shelved when his foot was broken.
Stover clearly used his time wisely over the next several weeks, anxious to get back on the field as soon as possible.
The former state “Mr. Football” and Ohio State star returned on Nov. 16 in a 16-13 win against the Tennessee Titans, a victory that moved the Texans back to .500 at 5-5.
“Feels great, just happy to be back,” Stover told KPRC 2. “Just to get turned loose, happy to go.”
Stover and the Texans have not lost since.
In fact, Houston comes into today’s game riding a nine-game winning streak, including a 30-6 playoff win at Pittsburgh on Jan. 12.
The value that the 6-foot-5, 251-pound tight end brings to the Texans cannot be measured just based on receptions and yards. In nine games this season, he has 12 catches for 76 yards.
Ironically, his biggest value to the team this season has come through the one skillset naysayers questioned when Stover was coming into the league — his blocking.
Stover simply moves people in the run game. He is aggressive and willing to put his body into a defenders. He competes to the whistle. He excels at blocking linebackers and defensive backs in space and on the perimeter, using speed and athleticism.
But Houston has also found a way to deploy Stover’s toughness as a QB in short-yardage “Tush Push” players, a position he hasn’t played since his days with the Minutemen.
He isn’t expected to run as he did during his senior year at Lexington when he rushed for 1,497 yards — and also posted 178 tackles. A “tush push” is aimed at one or two yards, at best. He ran for three yards on four attempts Nov. 30 in a win against Indianapolis. He ran once for four yards against the Steelers.
But, like blocking, Stover accepts any task that helps his team win.
(Cade Stover explains how his involvement as QB in the “Tush Push” began late in this season.)
Stover called Houston’s shot when he returned to the field in November.
“We’re ready to go,” Stover said. “We’re exactly where we want to be. Obviously, it’s a little harder than we wanted to make it, but everything we want is still there.”
What he wants most now is to spring an upset at New England on Sunday, a win that would move him one game away from his childhood dreams in Lexington of playing in a Super Bowl.