The Shutdown Corner Interview: Eric Winston (Part 1)

Welcome to the first in a series of NFL player interviews, in which we'll cover issues on and off the field. Subject No. 1 is Houston Texans right tackle Eric Winston(notes). The Miami grad, taken as part of a 2006 Texans draft that also produced Mario Williams(notes), DeMeco Ryans(notes) and Owen Daniels(notes), has developed into one of the more underrated linemen in the NFL today. He's started 55 straight games for the team and didn't incur a single penalty in 2009. In Part 1 of my interview with Eric, we talk about media futures, former Texans line coach Alex Gibbs (who's now in Seattle), zone blocking, and the team's recent red zone woes. Stay tuned for the interview's conclusion later Thursday.

Shutdown Corner: You have a great website, you do radio ... basically you're pretty active in traditional and social media. Plus, you're filling in for Peter King with an MMQB column while he's in South Africa. Do you have specific media/broadcasting goals after football?

Eric Winston: You know, I honestly have no idea — right now, I want to push it as far as I can. I really do. The radio show is a pretty big hit; I've gotten a ton of positive feedback from it. It's really kind of stunning because when I first started doing it, I didn't know how the fans would react to me. Sometimes you like a guy and sometimes you don't, and I guess the people who don't like me just haven't said much

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