S Quintin Demps | Where are they now?

Quintin Demps played in 50 games as a defensive back for the Houston Texans, and was a part of the franchise's first four playoff squads. The former safety caught up with Drew Dougherty of Texans TV, and shared what he's doing these days, his favorite memories of Houston, his role in Brian Cushing's bloody forehead and much more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time to talk now with one of my favorite Houston
Texans of all time. It is safety Quintin demps Quentin,
How you been man? Good are you man? I've been good.
I've been good. Man. I'm currently in Illinois, a suburb
of Illinois, Lincolnshire, So so, yeah, I'm in Chicago. Everybody

(00:21):
says Chicago, but I'm actually Illinois. But yeah, man, I'm
coaching ball at a college man at Trinity International University.
I'm the secondary coach and also the assistant head coach.
And this is my first spring. The last semester was
my first fall. It's my first spring, so yeah, man,

(00:42):
it's kind of what's going on with me right now.
So you're a ten year NFL veteran. You had two
stints with the Texans, a little bit in ten and
then all of eleven, all of twelve, and then you
come back in fifteen sixteen. All together, you played fifty
games for Houston in the regular season. You started a
little over half of those, and uh, you quit. You

(01:04):
left the game, I think around seventeen eighteen. What have
you been doing? Eighteen eighteen? Okay, so how long before
you left the game before you got into coaching? What
was the what was the I guess what spurred that
auto made that happen, you know, Man, Like like many
of us, Man, I'll just be I'll be uh, I'll
be honest. Man. You know I hit for after eighteen, Man,
I hit I hit a you know, I had a

(01:25):
bad couple. I had bad years, a few bad years. Man,
just trying to figure life out again. And uh man,
just going through the spiral man of you know, the
up and down of just trying to find myself. Just
the realities of the game being over. Man's kind of
it's kind of hard, you know. Yeah, But uh man,
things have worked out. I've gotten better. Man, I've done
some some healing, um, you know, some soul searching, and

(01:48):
so Man, I would say twenty twenty one, Man, I
started this job here at um at Tiu man Um.
But it's funny how I got the job because I
was just pursuing my masters. I was just trying to
go to school here because they have a seminary here
that I'm enrolled in and um. But I ended up
man being being a coach yet. Man. So it's just
crazy how things work out. Man. But it took a while, Man,

(02:09):
it took about three years for me to really recover, man,
and get back on my feet. Man, just emotionally um
at to retire. So your study, you were in the
seminary are you Are you still in that program or
you Yeah, I'm currently in the master's program um studying
theology and mental health counseling. That's wonderful. Yeah, yeah, that's wonderful.

(02:30):
You know, like the best coaches that I've ever spoken with,
you know, they've described their job not as being coaches,
but it's it's a ministry in and of itself in
its own way. I mean you're sounds like you're getting
to study one aspect and then live another, right, Yeah,
absolutely absolutely, man. Yeah, coaches, like definitely, I'm a voice
for the guys, right, My voice, my mentor, and it's

(02:52):
my ministry too. Yeah. So it's a good way to
see it. Yeah. Do these guys understand or I don't
want to say understand, but did they realize what you've
been through and what you experienced? Not too many people
can say they played ten years in the NFL like
you can. I mean, did they did they grasp that?
You know? I don't know, I don't know, man. I

(03:13):
think a few of them. I have one coach who
really who was grasped it too. But the players, I'm
not sure. I'm not sure man, if they really really
understand it. I think it's still like, you know, it's
still like at all at times, but they don't really understand. Man,
what it took, man, how you know how hard it
was and um, the things that you know that come
with that that ten years in the league? Man, is

(03:35):
that kind of refreshing for you when you do when
you deal with people that don't know much about you
like that? Is that cool? Or is it? Yeah? I
mean it's it has its perks, has its pros and cons,
you know, like anything. Um, you know, it's just h yeah,
it's just it's just it's just a yeah, I don't know.
I don't know, man, I'm still trying to figure that out.
You know. So what uh what do you what are

(03:56):
what are some of the main principles when you're coaching
you're coaching defensive backs? I take it right, Yeah, what
are some of the main things that you focus on
and want these guys to do and and key in on? Yeah?
I see, I try. I try to keep it as
simple as possible, you know, I learned this from from
Wade Phillips. Man, keep the game simple as possible. I
try to coach the fundamentals. Right leverage, eyes, discipline, right leverage,

(04:23):
right when your leverage, have discipline eyes, man, and do
it right. Do what she's supposed to do. Do your
job the right way. You know what I mean. So
I don't I don't try to, like, you know, teach
some crazy philosophy. Man. I try to keep it as
simple as possible for these guys. Man, the fundamentals, the
base fundamentals of the game. That's how you're gonna be successful.
He's a that's a philosophy in itself, man, because I

(04:44):
think there's a lot of people that that overcomplicate things,
don't you exactly? Yeah, I do. I do. I've been
around a few Wait, all right, well let's rewind. Okay,
you grew up in San Antonio. You went to Roosevelt
High School for nominal player there. What leads you from
Roosevelt High out to UTEP You played at UTL Passo

(05:07):
in the early arts or mid arts. Yeah, man, so
I didn't have I didn't have good grades. Oh so
like BIGG schools would come like Big twelve the whole
Big twelve was reproved of me. They would come to
the campus, man see my grades and be like, oh,
good luck, you know, good luck man, hopefully see you soon.
So I was thinking, I'm going to junior college, right,
gonna kill gore Um. However, man Utep, they came to

(05:31):
the school and they they kind of guided me through
the process and they said, man, you got to score
a certain amount on ACT and then we're able to
get your scholarship, you know, and some but they said
if I don't pass, if I don't score a certain score,
then they lose a scholarship. So it was almost like okay, man,
we're gonna do something for you, but do some of
us right. We don't want to lose the scholarship waiting
on you, but we value so we're gonna wait for you.

(05:54):
And so Utep was the only school man, the only
d one that waited for me to see I would
pass with a high enough schoo act man and I
ended up passing. So it was like a no brand
to go there. That's awesome. What was that transition like
because El Passo is a different place. Yeah, well, el
Passo with San Antonio are similar. I mean in regards
to the Dipanic coaching, you know, but El Passo, Yeah,

(06:17):
it's it's definitely. It was definitely something you know, took
some getting used to. It's not as fast, it's not
as vibrant as you know, a big city like San Antonio,
so you know, it took. It took a while. I
get used to it, man. But as I go back
now as an adult, man, I really appreciate the city.
I really do. Man. It's really a great city. Man.
People are amazing, you know, man, So I really enjoy
El Passo. Man, I hold a deer to my heart

(06:37):
for real. Yeah. You know, back in the day when
you were with the Texans, you and I talked a
little bit because I actually covered some of your games
that you played in. I didn't realize it, but I
was out and loved it covering the Red Raiders and
you guys in O six and in OH seven played
Texas Tech OH six. You almost beat them. You probably
should have beat him in overtime there in the Sun Bowl,
and it's it remains one of the best game experiences

(07:02):
I can ever recall. Is very unique because the Sun
Bowl was filled that night and it's loud, and it
bounces off those rocks that they got right there. That
was a really cool time when you were there. You
had you and there are some other players. You are
a squad. Yeah, yeah, we had a We had a
good team. We had a couple of good years man,
under Mike Price. Like you said, man, that's some bowl

(07:23):
being the field man, It's it's definitely an experience, like
for real, like being like a stadium inside the mountain.
That's that's pretty cool man. Yeah. And basically on the
border of Mexico because when I was in the press box,
I looked at my phone and it said international roaming.
So I mean, like I don't know what the cell
phone towers were doing, but I guess I was pining
off something over across the border or something. Yeah, because

(07:45):
you can see you can see right there, you you know,
so yeah, the border for sure. Yeah. All right, So
after you chap drafted by the Eagles and you spend
some time there, what was your draft weekend experience? Like
what happened? Yeah? Man, It's funny because I ran a
four or three in the combine, right, and I just

(08:08):
thought I just knew for sure, I go, you know,
at least second I go on the first day, right,
I thought I was, of course, I'm hopeful first round, right, right,
But at least, at the very least, I was thinking
second round, all right. And at this time it was
two days. It was like the first right, the first
day of second day. So um, first first day, man,
I'm you know, getting excited, preparing, and um, I didn't

(08:29):
hear my name called. So I was mad. I was mad,
I was I stressed out. So I went out that night.
They had a great time, had an amazing time, almost
had too much of a two bit of a time,
to the point where the next day, I'm knocked out, man,
and the Eagles are blowing my phone up, but I'm sleep.
I'm hung over, like sleep. And so they finally called

(08:52):
my mom and she busted my room. Wake up, and
so I get up. Man, I'm halfway still. Yeah, man,
go to the screen. You want to see your name,
Gonna pick you, man. So that's kind of how my
weekend went, man. Uh it was. It was an amazing moment.
And seeing my name coming across the ticket offer real

(09:13):
even though I was still halfway, you know, from lived
from last night. Man. But that's kind of how my
my weekend went, that's that's pretty interesting. Yeah, and you
had some good years there. Uh you wind up at
the end of two thousand and ten though with the Texans.
How did that all happen and how much you know,
what what what what went down with that move to Houston. Yeah. So, manum,

(09:36):
my first two years of Philly, Man, they were really
really really strong. Well, my first year was strong, um
to the point where like, um, they had they had
so much confidence in me, um that they let Brian
Dawkins go. Right. I was, I was the next guy
to ful Phil Brian Dawkins, you know, his role on
the team. I wrote, but like you know, I was
gonna be the start of that year. Um so, man,

(09:57):
I was. I was cocky Drew. I was so cocky
man I. You know, I would talk stuff to to
the to the media and all that kind of stuff,
and he readn't like that stuff. Right. Yeah, So they
ended up letting me go, you know, just because I
was too much of a cancer or whatever. And um,
I didn't perform well too, So I got cut probably
my my third year, my third year there whenever when
a rookie contract and um, I set out for like

(10:19):
ten ten weeks. Twelve weeks, man, I'm like, what is this?
You know, I didn't think I ever get cut and
set out twelve weeks and um, yeah man. But then
so just uh, as I'm sitting out, man, Texans called
me you know when it when it worked out? Man,
Brian Gardner, which is you know, a good friend of mine.
He called me in man about me in for a workout.
And you know, Kob Kobek was the head coach at

(10:40):
the time, and uh, Frank uh I forget his name,
Frank bank Bush was the DC. Yeah that's way back right. Yeah, yeah, man,
that's how that's how that happened. Man. They saw me
the last four games of the season. I ended up
I ended up playing a looking at the special teams
and um, that's kind of how I got to Houston. Yeah.
Brian Gardner, a really savvy guy, saw him at the combine,

(11:01):
passed him in the halls and said what's up and
talk to him a few minutes. But that was an
interesting time that season. Coming into that season and ten
that there were high hopes for the Texans. They had
just gone nine and seven the year before, but the
defense fell apart and the past defense in particular really struggled,
but they added guys like you. They added a guy
like Jason Allen. I think they're at the end, and

(11:23):
then in the off season they really turned things over.
You were part of eleven and twelve. Those were fun
times around here. Yeah, they were. That's when they signed
j Joe and demanding. Yeah they sure, yeah, they sure did.
Didn't didn't Wade? Wade came in. Yeah, so yeah, Bush
and then were there. Let go. Wade came in, switched
it to a three four, drafted j j Watt, drafted

(11:48):
Um Brooks, read Connor, Barrowin, got healthy, j Joe d Man,
and then Kareem matured, Glover was moved to safety. There
was a lot of like moving parts to that, and
you were you were one of them. Oh, Vance, Joseph too,
Jo He was key, Yeah, he was key to the
back end. Man is he one of the clearest communicators

(12:08):
You've ever encountered as a coach, Because he is. He's
the clearest creator, Kater I've ever seen. Man That man
is amazing coach, Like he communicates, he teaches Man. Man,
He's really he's probably one of the best deeper coaches
I've had. Man him and James last one I had. Uh,
I mean John John Butler, Oh John Butler. Yeah he's
in Buffalo. Yeah, I love John the Deaf, you know him.

(12:31):
Advancement one of my favorite, two of my favorite coaches
of all time. That's cool. Yeah, yeah, advance was incredible.
What was that like? Did you get a set? I mean,
that's the first playoff team that the Texans ever had
in eleven and it was a wild season. You lose
shob t j Yates is the quarterback and everything. What
was that like for you? You know, giving your history
and seeing what you what you saw. Yeah, man, just

(12:53):
like being a part of that was this amazing, Like
the whole turnaround because you can tell two or some
teams when you go to the place in locker room,
it's just like a dark cloud over it. But just
to be a part of that, man, that that rebirth
man of the Texas. Man was man, somebody never forget
you know what I mean? Just man making the playoffs,
you know, a playoff game and Houston Man, it was
it was. It was cracking. Man. Yeah. Whatever, and then

(13:16):
you wind up you wind up going elsewhere. You kind
of reunite with Andy Reid and the Chiefs and thirteen. Yeah,
how did that come about? Because you I don't did
you leave on kind of sour terms with him in Philadelphia? Um,
I wouldn't say solur terms. Just like he knew I
had to mature him him. Yeah, and kind of like
he kind of you know, he knew I need to

(13:37):
be humble, you know. So I think him releasing me
that year was we're humbling me, you know what I mean?
And again you know it's the NFL. Man, like, uh,
he knew my skill, said he was hoping I'm matured,
and so he's like, man, I give another shot, you know.
So he brought me in that year one year contract
man ended up having one of my best years as
a keep returning. He had an all four years keep
returning that year, which kind of, you know, revitalized my career. Honestly,

(14:01):
you know it did, man, it did so being the
bend of the Dave told which was the best for
the team coach ever, Yeah, being under him man really
Uh yeah, man, what's in my career for a few
more years? And so that was that's kind of how
that came about. The man I was on the street, um,
and they knew it was fast and so he called
me man and reunited for sure. And then your return

(14:23):
to Houston in fifteen. It's one of the most unique
stories I can remember because you come out of nowhere
and you wind up starting basically the entire season, and
you come in the middle of training camp, don't you. Yeah,
that's why, And that's why I like when people ask
me about Bill O'Brien, I'm like, man, seeing what you
want to say about Bill O'Brien. Man, that's that's that's

(14:43):
that's that's my guy. Because um, just the fact that
he always saw it as fair competition, like he didn't
care if a guy was getting five million or guy
was getting base salary, made the best man win the
position at the time. That's how I felt. And so
I got in two weeks in the training camp, you know,
ended up winning a starting spot, man, because it was

(15:04):
fair competition, you know what I mean? So um that
I always sit you know, in my heart, man, because
as as an athlete, man, that's all you ask for,
is you know, fair competition to start. So um, yeah,
I came in, end up starting, man, and yeah, that
was that was a good year too. We ended up
going to the playoffs. Say year too. Yeah, you were
a key part of that year. In the next year's
two defenses, which are you know, some of the best

(15:25):
that this franchise has ever had. Quarterback play was a
little shaky, and they kind of relied on what you
guys were able to do there on defense, and it
kind of propelled things forward. What was it like being
on those defenses and being such a key member of them,
you know, uh, Roman, Yo Cornell and Way Phillips to
me are similar, both like saw spoken geniuses who keep

(15:48):
the game simple, and so for me, the defenses were
almost the same. And that's my That's why I tell
I told somebody yesterday, like, Man, I probably still be
playing if I was in the right system, like systems
everything like, and so man, just playing in that system, Man,
then you have uh yeah, Mike Bravel, God's he's he's
a dynamic coach as well too. So man, just having

(16:08):
I think, just having those right pieces man, and just
that whole locker room, even a dB room man having
so much chemistry was huge for us. Man, Like, that's
something I always remember. Two men, just that dB room man.
Those those last few years been the chemistry we had.
Me J Joe Kareem, Eddie Pleasant, Drey Howe. Man, we
just had a chemistry, joyd We just had a chemistry

(16:30):
that was unlike you know, anything I've been around. There
was no ego. Everybody was just you know, uh, death
for each other. And it was a really experienced group.
Even though there were some younger players, they had experience.
And then they guys like you. They had guys like
Jjo that were you know, a little longer in the
tooth so to speak. Right, Yeah, yeah, right, right, right
right yeah, Kevin Johnson, Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, So man, Man,

(16:54):
so many memories come back just thinking about that. Man, Yeah,
what's your favorite what's your favorite memory of your time
here with the Texans? Do you have one? Yeah? I
got one personally? Where it was that that fifteen year Man.
I just remember that whole year. But I remember, man,
I had four games with interceptions in a row, like
four in the row. Man, I was just like, dang

(17:15):
that always say and then um, well I want to
say that too. Maybe that ten ten eleven team were
we I got an interception against Coe mccore and Cleveland
Browns and uh, this fool Brian cussing his helmet came
off or whatever. He goes in here, but the guy
with no helmet on and we get to the sidelines,

(17:35):
blood good and all down his face. Man, And just
as something I never forgive. Man, it's just just a
few times man watching Andre Johnson score, just lighting up
that place. Man, I never forget those moments. Hey, I
know what you're gonna say here, but I think it
needs to be said. Yeah, tell me, does Andre Johnson
belong in the Hall of Fame or nine? No question

(17:55):
than the things he did with the quarterbacks he had
and the way he handled his business man without being
the diva. I mean, of course he you know, he
had I think a few times where he wanted some
more money. But other than that, man to dude, his
humble bush, my off man and nobody out working so man,
and this is his numbers speak himself too, man like
the guy deserves Hall of Fame first ballot in my opinion.

(18:18):
Same here, Same here. I was really bummed by that,
you know, earlier in the year when he didn't get in.
But I know anybody, I've not talked to a single
person who played with him that doesn't like immediately say, yeah,
that guy's a whole, yeah, bro, immediately, But we got
to go back to this the pick with Cushing, like, no,
I don't know that I've ever seen a better NFL
films miked up segment because Cushing was wearing the mic

(18:40):
that day. But would when did you realize or when
did you know that his head was basically, you know, destroyed? Yeah, well,
I just got an interception, so I'm still my owner,
join right, what I half? And then I get to
the sideline, you know, clapping everybody up, and then I
see I'm looking at like what happened to Cush? You
know what I mean? So it was on the sideline,
realized my dad going on with you man that in

(19:03):
the space he talking crap like you don't want any
you don't feel that pain right now. But he's such
a monster. Man, He's such a monster. Man. I love
Pushing the death too. Yeah. Yeah, the hell of a
year of that season and he was the team MVP.
Yeah man, yeah, yeah. What do you think about the
city of Houston when you were here? How much did
you like it? I'm from Texas, so man, he says,

(19:26):
always been the best city in Texas, you know, honestly,
So I know now it's even grown even more. But
the city of Houston is amazing. Yeah, I love Yeah,
I love Yeah. So you're a former Texans. There's a
lot of you who are like yourself coaching, you know,
college ranks, high school so on, and so for pros.

(19:46):
Who do you keep in touch with old Texans teammates? Yeah? Man, um,
you know Sharvon Maddis Okay, Shrek MCNs yeah, yeah, he
and I are very cool. Dre Howe, Me and Dre
how still chop it up. U Green Jackson, you know
we talk here. There a couple of guys on social media,
Eddie Pleasant, you know, guys like that, Keim did you

(20:07):
know guys like that? So, but really, sarahk and Dre
Howard really we talked. We talked a lot. Yeah, Sherrik's
had a hell of a career there in Chicago. But
those that had to be fun for you when you
did sign with the Bears that time you were with him, right, Yeah,
he was the reason why I really went there, you know,
just hitting meet him and the money. Yeah, what's the

(20:27):
wrong with that? The roll of that? Right? So what's
next for you, Quentin? What what what's the future hold
for you? Think? Yeah, man, I'm just trying to build
these young man up. Man, trying to get these guys
to play football bad than I ever did, you know,
continue to be a mentor to them and a voice
for them, you know, autie to grow a god man
in my ministry and just man, just go from there, man,

(20:47):
just one day at a time. Man, trying to be
the best person I can be. That's really exactly. It's
really exciting. And how much how much more school do
you have to take to get the masters? Listen? Two
year program? I'm taking my time. I probably, yeah, taking
my time with it, so I probably ended up doing
it in like three three and a half years. Oh good,
Well it's not like you're just kind of messing around
New York. You do have a full time job coaching

(21:08):
these guys. Yeah, exactly, exactly. So so yeah, I hoped
about two more years I'll be done. That's fantastic. Well,
Quinn Demps, it's always fun catching up with you. I'm
glad you're doing so great, and it's good to finally
see I don't know, I think the last time you
and I talked was like right before you left, you know,
for Chicago. So this is good. To catch up with
you and see that you're doing so well. Yeah. Now,

(21:28):
I appreciate you too, man. I always been a stand
up guy. Man being the same dude, man for real,
I appreciate it. You get the same, dude. I got
a few more bags under my eyes. You're just working
hard man. Yeah, all right, all right, Quinn Demps, this
has been and where are they now?