Coutee stands tall
In a big man’s sport, diminutive rookie Keke Coutee has dismissed naysayers about his size with an undeniable skill set
It’s all about football
Kingsbury was candid about Coutee, and how his motivations were centered on football, not academics. Coutee viewed Tech as a means to an end: preparing for an NFL career.
“He was very high on Keke,” Welker said of his conversations with Kingsbury. “He was talking about how he’s a football player. He didn’t love school, which I think was kind of a little bit of a knock on him, but he loves football and he understands it and gets it.
“When you get to the pro level, you don’t have to worry about school any more. So that’s a plus and it’s all about football.”
During the scouting process, the Texans checked Coutee out thoroughly. They wanted to be absolutely certain about him.
That involved Texans coach Bill O’Brien, general manager Brian Gaine, receivers coach John Perry and Welker.
The Texans had experimented with converted former Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller for two years as their primary slot receiver, but it didn’t work out and he was cut after the preseason.
“We saw a guy that had really strong hands,” O’Brien said of Coutee. “We saw a guy that had very good playing strength. He was a very strong player. We saw a guy that had quickness and good
‘He’s bulletproof ’
During a 37-34 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts, Coutee caught more passes in his debut than any other player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Coutee finished with 11 receptions for 109 yards, adding an underneath dimension to the Texans’ offense they’ve been missing for years.
Coutee is primed for an expanded role heading into a Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys at NRG Stadium.
Nothing Coutee does surprises Kingsbury, the former University of Houston and Texas A&M offensive coordinator who played quarterback for the New England Patriots after starring at Texas Tech.
“When he steps on that field, he’s the biggest guy out there,” Kingsbury said. “Keke has no fear and acts almost like he’s bulletproof when he walks on the field. I was always impressed with that approach and how he showed up every day looking to get better. Those traits say a lot about him as a person and will be key in his success at the next level.”
When Coutee completed his sophomore season in Lubbock
Growing up in Lufkin, Texans rookie wide receiver Keke Coutee became accustomed to being overlooked.
Coutee was frequently dismissed as too undersized to play football at the highest level.
Although small in stature, Coutee (5-10, 187) has always been determined in nature and the owner of enough confidence to rival his given name: Key’vantanie.
“I’ve heard that all my life, that I was too small,” Coutee said. “I never took that to heart. I have a big heart on my sleeve. I give it all I’ve got.”
Although Coutee was an all-district wide receiver, several majorcollege programs recruited him as a cornerback. That wasn’t his preferred position, but that’s how former University of Texas coach Mack Brown envisioned using him.
Coutee originally committed to the Longhorns program as a cornerback, but he had hoped to convince them to switch him to receiver once he arrived on campus. That never happened, though. When Charlie Strong was hired, Coutee decommitted and signed with Texas Tech. In Lubbock, he piled up big numbers as he thrived in coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense quarterbacked by future Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.
“Coming from the ‘too small’ thing, a lot of teams wanted me as a defensive back,” said Coutee, who also had offers from TCU, Oklahoma and Louisville. “I told them I was a receiver. I decommitted from Texas and look at where it’s got me. I ended up going to Texas Tech, and it worked out great for me.”
Now, Coutee is emerging as a key figure in the Texans’ offense that has been transformed into a more diverse, open attack with him operating as their slot receiver. Finally recovered from a strained hamstring that had lingered since the first week of training camp, Coutee delivered a sterling performance in his first NFL game. with 55 catches, he told Kingsbury he intended to declare early for the NFL draft following his junior season.
Coutee wound up catching 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, ranking second behind Michael Crabtree for the most receiving yards in a season in school history.
“Keke had always talked about wanting to play in the NFL,” Kingsbury said. “Keke spoke it into fruition. He worked extremely hard both on and off the field and put together an incredible season.
“He’s an extremely focused individual and determined to accomplish his goals. We can’t wait to watch him continue to live out his dreams.”
The Texans wound up drafting Coutee in the fourth round, envisioning him as the classic slot receiver their offense had been lacking.
They’re opening up their offense with Coutee, utilizing him on reverses and end arounds to capitalize on his speed and quickness.
He is learning a lot from Texans assistant Wes Welker, a former Dolphins, Patriots and Broncos slot receiver who excelled at Texas Tech.
Welker and the coaching staff are thrilled that Coutee is as advertised by Kingsbury, who gave him a strong recommendation during the draft process.
“Obviously, his speed, his quickness, really good hands, really good burst, really good in and out of breaks,” Welker said. “He had a lot of the intangibles that you look for for that position. It’s kind of translated over to the field and then, obviously, we knew that he was going to be tough and smart coming from Texas Tech. So that was always a plus.” speed.
“When we brought him in here, we found him to be a very bright guy that kind of could explain things to us and what they did at Texas Tech and had some good instincts about certain football questions. We felt like that was a good pick for us.”
Coutee dropped his first pass against the Colts, but he didn’t dwell on that mistake. He wound up providing a sure-handed presence for quarterback Deshaun Watson and figures to remain a high-priority target going forward.
Coutee could have had an even more prolific game if not for some mental errors.
Some of those issues could be attributable to inexperience considering he missed four preseason games and the first three game of the regular season. Coutee maintained his concentration during an admittedly frustrating rehabilitation process for his leg. That all translated into a strong debut.
“He was in all the meetings,” O’Brien said. “He’s a smart guy. He could be in the walkthroughs so he could mimic what the guy in front of him was doing. He took a lot of good mental reps.
“It was one game. He’s got to build on it. That’s the big key for a rookie is consistency. Can they keep it going day to day?”
Coutee has received the memo about not resting on his laurels and is echoing O’Brien’s sentiment.
“I feel like I did pretty good,” Coutee said. “But that was last Sunday, so I’ve moved on.”
Another thing the Texans have learned about Coutee is how tough he is. He ricochets off tackles and bounces into his cuts. He’s extremely elusive in the open field. If a hit is coming, he doesn’t shy away from contact.
“He’s a very prideful guy and wants to do a great job out there and wants to make plays,” Welker said. “That’s what you want at that position. You can’t go in there thinking you’re not going to get hit because you are. Any player at that position that’s had any sort of success has had to have a little bit of that fearlessness.”
Coutee has run the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. That’s fast for any player, but he’s hardly a burner.
Coutee has an excellent understanding of how to get open and where to position his body in between defenders to create an inviting target for his quarterback.
“He sees the field so well, which is what you want in a slot,” Kingsbury said. “He’s fast enough to blow by a defensive back, but understands spacing and knows how to get open.
“He can really do it all, which made him so versatile for us as an offense. I’m sure that’s something Coach O’Brien and the Texans appreciated when they were evaluating him.”
That appreciation is growing. Inside the Texans’ locker room, teammates marvel about how quick of a study Coutee is and about his skills on the field.
“He’s just a real explosive player,” wide receiver Will Fuller said. “He makes it look easy.”
As a child, Coutee looked up to former Cowboys Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant.
Eight years older than Coutee, Bryant set a high mark for Coutee to strive for a Lufkin High School. They formed a bond they’ve maintained to this day.
“Me and Dez are very close,” Coutee said. “We stay in contact as much as we can. When he was playing at Lufkin, I watched him a lot. Growing up, all of the kids wanted to be like Dez. His being around for some part of my life is good.”
Coutee can be quiet initially, but he has plenty of belief in himself.
He broke into a wry smile when asked if he thought he would have made the NFL if he had stayed at cornerback.
“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s a tough question to answer, but I feel like I had great ball skills. I think it would be easy to learn a couple of coverages.”
Coutee can be outspoken when he believes the situation calls for it. His mother, Stacey Garrett, long ago shortened his given name to Keke. His name has created some unwanted attention for the NFL player because of the popular Drake song, “In My Feelings.”
Coutee hears the lyrics featuring his name everywhere. He has even been serenaded by teammates in the locker room.
“Oh yes, I’m really tired of the Drake song right now,” Coutee said. “Everywhere I go, it’s just, ‘Keke, do you love me? Keke, do you love me?’ I just don’t like that song right now.”
Good head for the game