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HOUSTON -- Brian Cushing wanted to make sure Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith was aware of the progress the linebacker was making during months of excruciating rehabilitation on his surgically repaired left knee. He bombarded Smiths phone with pictures and videos, all of it a reminder of how far hed come. It paid off Wednesday when Smith and the Texans signed Cushing to a six-year, $55.6 million contract extension. The deal includes $21 million guaranteed. "I wanted to just improve every single week," Cushing said. "Every time I set a new goal I would send it to him and just let him know Im coming back." Smith laughed as he recounted the near-constant updates and beamed as he announced the deal. "Its a big day for the franchise," Smith said. "He can lead our defence and be a part of what were doing for many, many years to come." Cushing saw limited action in preseason while easing his way back after surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but the Texans expect him to start in the opener Monday at San Diego. The 26-year-old standout has been sidelined since the injury in Week 5 last season. He had never had a major injury before and had a difficult time dealing with being away from his team for so long on top of the physical demands of rehabilitation. Coming through it, he said, made him a much stronger person. "It was a very dark time," he said. "Any previous injury before that was maybe missing a game or two. And now having a season taken away from, watching the guys go out and practice every day and not being able to contribute was a helpless feeling. It was something that I just didnt want to feel anymore. It motivated me to get back and to just push every single day." Cushing, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009, has had more than 110 tackles in the two seasons when he played each game. The Texans are hoping he is as effective as he was before the injury, when he finished with 114 tackles and four sacks in 2011. Smith raved about the versatility, playmaking ability and instincts of Cushing. But he thinks he can be even better. "I do think that as good as he is theres a level for him to reach that he hasnt gotten to yet," Smith said. "I think hes motivated to reach that level and Im excited to watch him do it." Houston started 5-0 last season behind a defence that was dominant with both Cushing and eventual Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt leading the way. Though Houston finished 12-4 and won its second straight AFC South title, some thought the unit never played as well without Cushing, who also missed the first four games of 2010 for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing substances. Cushing is close with Watt and cant wait to get back on the field with him. As tight as they are, he did admit that things get a bit competitive between them at times. "We definitely have a little bit of a rivalry," Cushing said. "But at the same time we look at ourselves as a duo, a two-headed monster, two guys who are going to have to be dealt with for a long time and kind of feed off of each other." Cushing was in the last year of the deal he signed as a rookie in 2009. The Texans were happy to get the contract done this week because they have a policy of not negotiating once the season begins, and the team is expected to contend for a Super Bowl a year after being eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second straight season. Cushing has a lofty goal for what he hopes he can accomplish now that he knows hell spend most of this decade in Houston. "What I envision is being the clear-cut best middle linebacker in the NFL," he said. "Ive never hid that. 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The German was only seventh fastest in the morning, but benefited from fading sunshine in the afternoon to finish 0.10 seconds ahead of first-run leader Thomas Fanara of France. Marcel Hirscher of Austria was third, 0.19 behind Neureuthers combined time of 2 minutes, 34.60 seconds. World champion Ted Ligety of the United States, who was sitting third, skied out when poised to take the lead after being rocked by a rutted bump midway down. Neureuthers victory was just the second for Germany in mens giant slalom in 47 years of World Cup racing, and reduced team director Wolfgang Maier to tears in the finish area. "Its just unbelievable," said Neureuther, who matched Max Riegers win in March 1973 at Mont Saint-Anne, Canada. "It makes me very proud." The victory was even more surprising in an era of GS domination by Ligety, Hirscher and Alexis Pinturault of France, who placed fourth Saturday. That trio shared the last 14 World Cup victories dating to February 2012. "To tell the truth, I never thought in my career I would win a GS," said the 29-year-old Neureuther, whose seventh World Cup successs followed his slalom triumph on Monday in Bormio, Italy.dddddddddddd Ligety, who won this race last year, had little chance to recover after being launched toward a gate as he prepared to make a turn. "It is definitely a kick in the groin," said Ligety, who dropped to third behind Hirscher in his defence of the World Cup discipline title. Hirscher earned 60 race points and now leads Pinturault by 75 in the GS standings. Four-time winner Ligety trails by 120 with three races remaining. "Its very positive for me about the standings," said Hirscher, adding that Ligetys bad luck was "a shocking moment." Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway placed 12th and retained his lead in the overall World Cup standings, 77 points ahead of two-time defending champion Hirscher. A typically large and raucous crowd of 29,500 lining the Kuonisbaergli course had only one Swiss racer to cheer in the second run. Carlo Janka, the Olympic champion in giant slalom, finished 20th, 2.24 behind Neureuther. Bode Miller of the U.S. skied out midway down the first run when he lost balance in the softening snow with temperatures at 6 C (43 F). The Adelboden meeting, which featured in the very first week of World Cup racing, concludes Sunday with a slalom. Neureuther and Hirscher will be the favourites. NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys China China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2018 Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2018 China Jerseys Cheap ' ' '