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Rice University Athletics
Momentary Opponents, Forever Friends
9/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2009
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Jarett Dillard and James Casey fostered a lasting friendship during their two seasons as Rice teammates, but their 25 games and countless practices shared didn't prevent some key details from being overlooked.
When they saw each other again late Sunday morning at Reliant Stadium, donning different jerseys as NFL rookies, something obvious to most everyone strangely caught Dillard's attention for the first time.
"I really didn't realize how big he was until I looked at him with another jersey on," Dillard said of Casey, who is listed at 6-3 and 244 pounds by the Texans. "James is big, and I had other guys on this team ask, `That's the guy who was your tight end?' I didn't know that he was that big."
The two most influential Rice receivers in a generation shared a stadium for the first time since Dec. 30, 2008, and it just so happened to be the same venue that capped their college careers. Nearly nine months to the day after pacing the Owls' 38-14 triumph over Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium, the Owls' first postseason win in 54 years, Dillard and Casey were stationed on opposite sidelines.
Inactive for the first two games of this season, Dillard joined the Jacksonville Jaguars' active roster in time to secure 29 tickets for family and friends, many of whom made the trip from his native San Antonio. That fortuitous activation enabled Dillard and Casey, both fifth-round picks in last April's NFL Draft, to share an impromptu reunion before and after the Jaguars' 31-24 victory, moments that were bizarre to both.
"During the national anthem I happened to look across (the field) and there's J.D. right across from where I'm at," Casey said. "I think he was looking at me too, and just seeing him over on the other sideline was a surreal kind of deal because we're used to being right next to each other.
"I told him pregame that if we get a moment just take it all in. We're at Reliant Stadium, we played at Rice right down the street, and probably not a lot of people thought that we'd be in this situation. It's amazing that we're both fifth-round draft picks but we're active in the third game of the season. That's a good accomplishment in itself, just to be active in an NFL game."
An accomplishment to be sure, but neither Dillard or Casey were particularly sated by their playing time. The official game summary did not credit Dillard with participation, but he did get in on one play. That qualified as progress considering he watched the first two games, but given his collegiate history of dynamic performances, with many of those memorable moments coming a mere three miles away at Rice Stadium, pacing the sideline with a helmet on is an exercise in patience.
"Every week I want more and more," Dillard said. "Last week I said I want to be active and I want to play, and now I got a play in and I want to play more. I'm sure if I don't get any passes next week, I want to get passes. If I don't get touchdowns I'm going to want to get touchdowns.
"It's going to be more and more, and that's just the competitive spirit all of us guys have. I want more and I've just got to wait my time. I was a redshirt freshman my first year of college (2004) and that's the way I'm taking everything. I'm just a redshirt all over again.
"I'm prepared to wait this thing out however long it takes - that's part of it. Some guys get the opportunity right off the bat and some guys have to wait, and I'm going to be a guy that has to wait. When it (opportunity) comes I know I'll be ready. That's what I did in college, and that's what I'm going to do now."
Casey can't relate to the experiences of a redshirt freshman- he arrived on South Main in January 2007 following a four-year stint in the minor leagues and played immediately that fall - but he understands the difficulty of anxiously watching NFL games from the sideline. He has become a fixture on the Texans' kickoff return team, but the versatility he displayed at Rice and during the Texans' preseason as a tight end and fullback has not been fully expressed. Casey remains the backup to Vonta Leach at fullback and is listed as the No. 3 tight end behind Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen, but he has yet to make an impact offensively.
Like Dillard, Casey has opted to keep his head down and nose to the grindstone. He longs for a chance to shine, but he understands his place.
"Of course you want to be on the field just being a competitor and wanting to win and wanting to help the team out, but I'll definitely never complain about playing time," Casey said. "When I get my shot I've got to be ready. I understand my role right now and I'm excited to be in the NFL. I always told myself that if I ever got to this point I'm not going to complain about playing time or anything like that."
Sunday wasn't about complaining, but rather enjoying what was, what is and what will be. Dillard used his student identification to gain access to the Rice-Vanderbilt game on Saturday night at Rice Stadium, taking a seat in the stands like `a regular fan.' Casey sported a Rice University t-shirt postgame as he, like Dillard, readied to spend time with his family.
The two will likely share the field again when the Texans travel to Jacksonville on Dec. 6, and both remain hopeful that their roles will have expanded by then. In the interim, they'll always have lasting memories as Owls and the experiences that came with succeeding as teammates.
"I'm understanding now how special that season we had with Chase (Clement) and Jarett and I and the rest of the team, and the things we were able to accomplish," Casey said. "Hopefully this game right here with Jarett and I both being active and in the NFL playing at Reliant Stadium right down the street from Rice will show recruits that you can go to Rice and get a good education, and if football doesn't work out you can have a great job to fall back on, but also if you have dreams of playing in the NFL that you can do that at Rice.
"We really cherished our time at Rice. We were given a lot of opportunities there and we wouldn't trade it for the world."
Said Dillard: "Actually watching the highlights of the Texas Bowl on the screen was kind of funny. I went to the Battle Red game last year (also against Jacksonville) so I remember myself in the stands. Now I'm looking at myself and I'm on the field instead of in the stands watching the game. It's a surreal environment but a great opportunity I've been blessed with."
