Jonathan Greenard approaches life and football with perspective. There’s always a lot to process, especially now. The Texans’ veteran defensive end has plenty of important things happening.
Reflecting on his pending fatherhood and girl dad status, an upcoming wedding and the final year of his rookie contract, the Georgia native is maintaining his focus. And he’s doing it all with an eye on physical and mental fitness at the launch of training camp.
“I’ve been through dang near every single thing I can think of to go through,” Greenard told KPRC 2. “You just keep a level head and not get too high or too low. This whole game is about ups and downs. You can be high one moment, so you can’t get too high where you don’t understand how to handle the lows. I love that about the game because it’s an exciting game . I steadily grow as a player and as a human because you can’t play this forever and it leads to better habits off the field.”
It’s a winning approach for Greenard as he’s been impressive in training camp after maintaining a spartan training regimen all summer with his private trainer, Christian “Speedy” Ford, reporting at a lean 250 to 255 pounds, down from his listed 263 pounds on the roster.
As enthusiastic as Greenard is about the season, the 26-year-old can’t wait to be a father. His fiancee is due to give birth Sept. 30, days before the Texans host the PIttsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium.
“A baby girl, I’m going to be a girl dad,” Greenard said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be a great year. One-hundred percent, that’s going to be the world. My fiancee is already my world now, but seeing her, she can be a mother. I can be a father and teaching things we wanted to teach our children moving forward and keep bits and pieces of what we went through and spread our knowledge to our young one.”
Greenard was drafted in the third round by the Texans by former coach and general manager Bill O’Brien after recording 9 1/2 sacks, 15 1/2 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles and one interception in his final season for the Gators.
Two seasons ago, Greenard recorded a career-high eight sacks with a dozen tackles for losses, nine quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in 12 games before suffering a foot injury that required offseason surgery. Greenard was limited to eight games last season and 1 1/2 sacks, six tackles for losses and four quarterback hits. He was activated from injured reserve in December.
Greenard has 68 career tackles, 10 1/2 sacks, 17 tackles for losses and 19 quarterback hits.
“I think he’s a freak,” Ford said in a telephone interview. “He can do multiple things on the field. He can get out in space. He can rush the passer. I love how he can really bend. I’m excited to see a full, healthy season out of him. He has a motor.”
Heading into a contract year, the final one of a four-year, $4.584 million contract that included a $893,980 signing bonus, Greenard has a lot on the line. He could earn a lucrative second contract with the Texans with a strong performance this season, or cash in as a free agent with another team.
“Ultimately, it’s a performance based business,” Greenard said. “If I do my thing on the field, everything else will take care of itself. Mostly, I’m just worried about getting through this training camp and make sure I perfect my craft.
“My teammates have to trust me to do my thing. It’s not about me getting paid and all that stuff that comes with it. I’m just trying to win some games and make sure we’re sharpening everyone else along the way”
Ideally, Greenard will remain in a Texans uniform for a long time. That’s his stated preference.
“Shoot, that’s the goal,” he said. “That’s the reason why I play this game, so I can continue to play ball. Hopefully, it’s here. Ultimately, that’s not up for me to decide. I just control my play.”
Hoisting a weighted sled over the summer, Greenard yanked the apparatus backwards with a snap of his wrists and a pull of his biceps.
Between old-fashioned weight lifting and running hills to plyometrics and advanced high intensity workouts, Greenard worked overtime back in his home state of Georgia at Grittfit in Powder Springs with an emphasis on explosiveness, body mechanics, flexibility, injury prevention and converting speed to power. Heading into a pivotal fourth season, the final year of his rookie contract, Greenard is healthy after dealing with a strained calf muscle last season that forced him onto injured reserve. He’s working with intention with his ambitions set on achieving a full, productive season. When Greenard is in the lineup, the Texans have a better defense.
‘I feel good, man,” Greenard said. “I just wanted get in the best shape I could for my body and obviously make it through the season and even longer. The expectations are really high for the team and myself as well. I’m just really excited to get back into the flow of the game with the boys.
“Shouts out to C-Ford, my boy ‘Speedy.’ He looked out and definitely knew certain things to hone in on to get my body right. I feel good, tip-top shape, leaned out and moving better.”
A former defensive back at Kennesaw State and Morehead State, Ford is proud of his work with Greenard, a former regional Defensive Player of the Year at Hiram High School who signed with Louisville before transferring to Florida where he was an All-Southeastern Conference selection.
“He looks real good, he’s powerful as all get out,” Ford said. “He’s cut down a bit. He’s leaned up and is still just as strong.”
“It’s been awesome,” Ford said. “Jon hit me up and told me he wanted to get ready for camp and I made that a forefront of our program with injury prevention, explosiveness and power. It’s been going great. I think he’s in great shape.
“He has the confidence in every session in the movements. He thinks it’s going to be his best year and prove right the people in his corner that believe in him and prove anyone else wrong. He’s excited to build. He’s doing his thing
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images