Game in New Orleans takes Decoud full circle
An ornate tapestry of tattoos adorns the left forearm of Texans rookie cornerback Treston Decoud. It’s a set of intricate body art referencing his roots growing up in Louisiana.
There’s a large tattoo emblazoned with the words “Dream Team” in block letters across the 6-3, 210-pounder’s arm, along with one of the New Orleans skyline that includes the Mercedes’ Benz Superdome, the home of the Saints.
Growing up roughly 40 miles from New Orleans near Lake Pontchartrain in Covington, Decoud had an arduous childhood and a twisting path to the NFL.
Decoud and his mother, Chandrika, lived in a trailer for a while as she battled breast cancer. Electricity and water weren’t to be taken for granted. Money was extremely tight, and Decoud often made do with the simplest of meals. Even hot
sauce sandwiches.
The neighborhood was rough with a heavy amount of violent crime and drug dealing. It made Decoud’s odds of reaching the NFL even longer. Decoud once witnessed a murder when he was in the seventh grade. He was a frequent victim of bullying before he stood up for himself. Several of his friends wound up dead or in jail.
Decoud was an only child. He was primarily with his mother but also lived with his grandfather temporarily and spent time with his father, Darryl Batiste, who was often away because of legal problems.
Decoud took comfort in sports, especially track and football. He got the tattoo on his arm to commemorate his friendship with several other Louisiana teenagers who were intent on making it out of their bleak surroundings and going to college.
Decoud used to play a game called “Sideline, Deadman,” with green grass located on one side and concrete on the other. The goal was to avoid getting tackled on the concrete and winding up with bloody arms and legs. ‘Going to feel good’
Back in Louisiana on Thursday for joint practices with the New Orleans Saints in advance of a preseason game Saturday night, Decoud is grateful for his NFL status as a fifth-round draft pick from Oregon State.
“It’s going to feel good,” Decoud said. “My whole family will be at one of the practices and then at the game. Hopefully, I can play well.
“That’s what I’m trying to do and make sure everybody knows who I am. Hopefully, I can make my family proud.”
A former all-district selection in football at Lakeshore High School in Mandeville, Decoud excelled in track and field and qualified for the state championships as a junior and senior.
Although he was sought after by colleges, including Texas Tech and Southern Mississippi, Decoud wasn’t a full academic qualifier out of high school.
He wound up attending four colleges, including Chadron State in Nebraska, Nicholls State in Louisiana and Northwest Mississippi Community College before emerging as an honorablemention All-Pac-12 selection at Oregon State.
His mother battled health problems throughout his college years. Now she’s cancer-free and will get to watch her son practice in an NFL uniform Thursday.
“It’s going to feel good to have her there,” Decoud said. “My mom, my dad, both parents, it’s going to mean a lot to me.”
Decoud has been making up for months of lost time because of an NFL academic rule that prevented him from attending organized team activities and a fullteam minicamp. Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, Decoud and several other players from Pac-12 schools on the academic quarter system weren’t able to participate in any team activities following their rookie minicamp. Decoud remained in Houston after the rookie minicamp, working out locally at IX Innovations.
“That helped me a lot,” Decoud said. “It’s not the same as football practice, but I did a lot of drills and I stayed in shape.”
Missing so much time is another obstacle for Decoud to overcome. He’s accustomed to having to play catch-up after bouncing around to so many schools since high school.
“I’m still learning,” Decoud said. “I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve got to keep learning and battling every day and keep doing what the coaches tell me to do.
“It’s been big, but it’s football. You’ve got to overcome it and keep battling. You can’t keep using that as an excuse.
“You’ve got to keep grinding. That’s what I’m going to do. Hopefully, I can find a way to help this team win.” Confidence-booster
Decoud delivered some impressive moments in reserve duty during a preseason win Saturday over the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. He played most of the game and finished with three tackles, one pass defended and a forced fumble when he slammed tight end James O’Shaughnessy to the ground.
The cousin of former Atlanta Falcons safety Thomas Decoud, Decoud acknowledged the game was a confidence-booster for him.
“Definitely just to get my feet out there in the water,” Decoud said. “I’ve still got a long way to go. After watching the film, I could have done a lot better.”
Where Decoud is still striving to improve, under the tutelage of secondary coach John Butler, is his press coverage skills along with how to adapt to different coverages working in concert with other defensive backs.
“Just the technique and knowing how to get help in coverage,” Decoud said. “I’m going to keep working with coach JB. I pretty much get it.”
Absorbing the playbook at the NFL level represents a challenge for Decoud.
Yet that pales in comparison to the stress he endured when his mother’s cancer returned during his sophomore year at Chadron State. That’s when Decoud decided to transfer to Nicholls State to be closer to his mother. When the NCAA declared him ineligible to play at Nicholls after he went through spring football, he thought about quitting football. His mother talked him out of making a rash decision.
“We leave it up to God,” Decoud said. “You can’t worry about it. Everybody goes through something. Everybody has a story. You just put your head down and put your faith in God, and that’s what we did.” ‘Keep battling’
After attending multiple colleges, dealing with his mother’s health problems and a rough childhood back in Louisiana, it’s all come full circle for Decoud.
“It’s definitely toughened me,” Decoud said. “The 100th rep in practice, it’s hard. I’m going to keep battling in practice and whatever else I got to go through.” aaron.wilson@chron.com twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl