HOUSTON -- Greg Mancz has a pregame ritual.
Before every game, the Houston Texans offensive lineman goes behind the bench and talks to his dad, Brian, who died of natural causes at age 53 in 2004 when Mancz was 11.
Mancz said it's his "calming moment," as he spends three or four minutes talking to his dad about the game, what he's excited for and thanking him for all that he did to help his NFL dream come true.
It was Brian who gave Mancz a love of football, one that started while watching Cleveland Browns games growing up in Ohio and playing board games together at 1 p.