The duo of Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs came to play in Week 1 of the NFL season. Mixon had his third-best day ever as an NFL running back, while Diggs put up two touchdowns in a closely contested victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Without both men, it's pretty fair to say that the Texans would've lost.
So not bad for a pair of guys who came over in the offseason for a second-round and a seventh-round draft pick respectively. Both men looked like they had something to prove on the field this week. With Mixon and Diggs both getting closer to the end of their career than the beginning, there was a lot to still prove for these men.
And both men showed just a taste of (hopefully) what's to come this season. Yet, heading into and following the game, both men reacted very differently to their old teams. Diggs, who came over from the Buffalo Bills, was more reserved when talking about his time with the club. He compared his past with the Bills to his dating life, telling the media;
“I don’t talk bad about my old girlfriend to make my new girlfriend feel good. I’m just happy to be where I am.”
Considering the Bills have made it clear they're happy to be rid of him, for Diggs to not respond in kind was a sign of maturity. Mixon, on the other hand, didn't get the memo. On Sunday, after the Texans win over the Colts, the new running back had a different mentality.
Coming over from the Cincinnati Bengals, Mixon was essentially told he wasn't wanted anymore, with his former club opting to cut him. The Texans came in at the 11th hour and 59th minute and traded for him, sending back a seventh-round pick in return. After Mixon's on-field debut with the Texans, he made it known that he's glad he got traded. When asked by the media if he wished he could play against the Bengals as a measure of revenge, Mixon replied;
“No. I don’t, actually beause I just wanna leave them where they’re at, just like where they left me, man....I’m happy to be on my new team, man, embracing me. It feels great to be able to be a big part of what we do over here.”
Clearly both men are happy to be in Houston but have a slightly different feeling about their former clubs.
