Saved by Saban

Boos for nothing: Texans make right draft call with Kareem Jackson

Kareem Jackson isn't Donovan McNabb. Cornerbacks are a far cry from quarterbacks in terms of being difference makers — even in today's NFL, where defending the pass is more essential than ever. No. 20 overall picks are not in the same talent league as No. 2 overall selections either.

Still, just as Eagles fans were proven wrong for the most famous booing in NFL Draft history, the loudest draft booing at a Houston Texans' draft party that anyone can remember will turn out to be a mistake.

The reaction in the Verizon Wireless West Club at Reliant Stadium at Jackson's name being called as the Texans' first-round pick bordered on the hysterically insane. You would have thought that Jackson had been with Ben Roethlisberger in that nightclub (he wasn't) or showed up at his draft party in a Cowboys hat (he didn't). The boos rang out that loud and focused.

Why? Because the Texans didn't take Devin McCourty or Kyle Wilson — two players that most Texan fans hadn't even heard of before local media outlets began to falsely hype them as leading team targets?

There's no guarantee that Jackson will make a difference on the Texans' still woeful defense, but he comes into the NFL with a great advantage: He played cornerback for Nick Saban. Alabama's new and much improved Bear Bryant isn't just the best coach in college football. He's a defensive back savant. There is no position that Saban is better at teaching, no spot on the football field that he is more obsessed with. When you play cornerback for Saban, you're well taught enough to give many NFL veterans a lecture in technique.

I covered Nick Saban back when he was a very under-appreciated head coach at Michigan State. He doesn't suffer fools at defensive back. If you're playing cornerback for Saban, you've received more personal attention than a billionaire's problem child.

Jackson is up for the job, more than ready to swat away the silly boos. There are coaches that gush and then there's Saban, who gives out compliments as begrudgingly as he accepts Gatorade cooler showers. And Saban nearly emotes when he talks about Jackson's leadership ability.

It won't be long before anyone who booed Jackson's name tonight at the West Club pretends it was somebody next to them who opened his mouth.

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One More for the Road

ZZ Top honors late drummer Frank Beard with Austin tribute concert

ZZ Top/Facebook

ZZ Top will celebrate their late drummer, Frank Beard (middle, after a show in Canada), at one of his favorite venues.

Texas rock trio ZZ Top will play a tribute to their late drummer, Frank Beard, at their scheduled Austin tour stops at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on August 22 and 23. Beard died Monday, August 17, at 77.

The band announced Beard's death in a social media statement.

Lead vocalist and songwriter Billy Gibbons wrote, "Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top."

ZZ Top canceled performances in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs following Beard's death. The Austin shows will be the band's first onstage again, offering a fitting time to celebrate the Texas great. A statement on the band's website calls the Austin City Limits stage "one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him."

Beard was born near Tyler in Frankston, Texas, in 1949. He was raised in Irving, outside Dallas, and the band formed in Houston in 1969. The Austin Chronicle reported in 2013 that Beard was then splitting time between a house on Lake Travis, in Austin, and Houston. He died on his ranch in the Houston suburb of Richmond.

ZZ Top was known for its large performances and elaborate setup, none more so than the Worldwide Texas Tour, which included a Texas-shaped stage and a collection of live Texas animals.

In 1974, the band left its mark on Austin — for better or worse — at "ZZ Top’s First Annual Texas Sized Rompin’ Stompin’ Barndance & Bar B.Q." at the University of Texas. It was the first, but also the last, since around 80,000 of the band's "friends" trashed the venue, earned the disapproval of the famous Coach Royal, and were ostensibly responsible for the venue not hosting another rock show until 1995. ZZ Top's two encores had 20 years to ring out after the legendary, if infamous show.

ZZ Top will make their upcoming Austin appearances as part of The Big One! Tour on Saturday, August 22, at 8 pm and Sunday, August 23, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are still available for both shows at acllive.com.

live music music history celebrities obituary acl live concerts