If anyone has the authority to speak on football in Texas, it's Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. Overshown played at Arp High School near Tyler, matriculated at Texas, and is in his second year with the Cowboys.

However, his comments ahead of Dallas's showdown with the Houston Texans Monday raised eyebrows.

"When it’s the battle for Texas, especially with them having the season that they’re having, a team that they’re thinking that they run the state," Overshown said via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Even though it’s a down year for us, we still run the state of Texas. So we got to go out there with that pride and that mindset of this is still our state and we’re still the big brothers.”

The statement was a curious one to make for a couple reasons. First and foremost, as Overshown alluded to, the Texans have been significantly better than the Cowboys this year—6-4 as opposed to 3-6. Second, with the two teams being interconference rivals, they do not cross paths often. Why needlessly provoke a tepid rival at best?

Dallas leads the all-time series 4-2, although Houston has by far the series's most famous win (a 19–10 upset in its very first NFL game in 2002). If the two teams can forge a legitimately interesting rivalry on par with those between Dallas and Houston teams in other leagues, the NFL will be all the better for it.

More of the Latest Around the NFL


This article was originally published on www.si.com as DeMarvion Overshown Claims Cowboys Still 'Run' Texas Ahead of Clash vs. Texans.