Brian Russell Brian William Russell ( born February 5 , 1978 in West Covina , California ) is an American football safety who last played for the Houston Texans of the National Football League . He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2001 . He played college football at The University of Pennsylvania and San Diego State University . Russell has also played for the Cleveland Browns , Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars . Early years . Russell played at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente , California . His team won the Del Rey League championship in 1993 , 1994 , and 1995 . As a senior quarterback , he led the team to the 1995 CIF Division I title . He was named All - Del Rey League and was awarded MVP honors at the annual East - West All - Star Game . He was recruited and spent his freshman season ( 1996 ) at Penn , where he became the first quarterback in the history of the school to start as a freshman . He played in 10 games ( starting two ) ; he finished the season with 27 completions in 43 attempts for 320 yards , with four touchdowns and four interceptions . However , Russell wanted to play at the Division I - A level . He convinced Ted Tollner to give him a scholarship at San Diego State University ( SDSU ) to play for the Aztecs . College career . Russell redshirted during the 1997 season . He took over as San Diego State ' s starting quarterback in the second game of the 1998 season ( replacing injured starter Spencer Brinton ) . Russell quarterbacked the Aztecs the rest of the season and led them to the Las Vegas Bowl , the school ' s first bowl appearance in seven seasons . Notably , he totaled five rushing touchdowns in the season , the most by an SDSU quarterback since 1981 . Russell began the 1999 year as the team ' s starting QB but was asked to switch to safety , a natural fit for his skill set , allowing JUCO transfer Jack Hawley to assume QB responsibilities . Because of his excellent athleticism , Russell immediately became the starter at free safety where he played alongside safety Will Demps . In his first game as a defender , he made 10 tackles , including three straight solo stops . His senior season ( 1999 ) was solid , he made 68 tackles ( 41 solo ) , recovered two fumbles , and intercepted one pass . For his efforts , he was named All - Mountain West Conference . Professional career . Minnesota Vikings . After going undrafted in the 2001 NFL Draft , Russell signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent . He spent the entire 2001 season on the team ' s practice squad . Head coach Dennis Green considered cutting Russell , but defensive coordinator Willie Shaw convinced Green to give Russell a chance to play . Russell played mostly special teams in 2002 , but did see enough action at strong safety to make his first career interception ( against the Chicago Bears in his first career start ) . In 2003 , Russell became a full - time starter and recorded an interception in each of Minnesota ' s first six games . He finished the regular season with nine interceptions , tied for the most in the NFL with Tony Parrish . His best game of the season was against the Kansas City Chiefs , where he tied a team record with three takeaways ( two interceptions and the first fumble recovery of his career ) . In 2004 , Russell moved to free safety . He started all 16 games for the second consecutive season and recorded one interception in the regular season and another in the playoffs . Russell set a new career high with 111 tackles , and the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC playoffs before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles . Cleveland Browns . Russell joined the Cleveland Browns as a restricted free agent in 2005 . Russell was targeted by coach Romeo Crennel in free agency to solidify a young secondary . He became a defensive leader and the signal caller for a unit that finished 2nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 5th in points allowed . For the third straight season , he started all 16 regular season games . He finished with 70 tackles and three interceptions . His season was shortened due to injury the following year ( 2006 ) ; he totaled 51 tackles and one interception in 12 games before an elbow injury forced the Browns to place him on injured reserve . Seattle Seahawks . In 2007 , Russell signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent . Head coach Mike Holmgren said that he wanted Russell to be the " quarterback of the defense " for his team . Russell made 68 tackles and added an interception in 16 starts in 2007 as part of a secondary that allowed the fewest touchdown passes in franchise history . Russell again started 16 games in 2008 , marking the 5th time in his career to start every contest . On September 5 , 2009 the Seahawks released Russell . Jacksonville Jaguars . Russell signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8 , 2009 . Russell and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker were reunited after spending two previous seasons together ( 2005 - 2006 ) as members of the Cleveland Browns . Russell was released on November 21 . Houston Texans . Russell was signed by the Houston Texans on November 25 . He was waived on December 22 when the team re - signed offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam . Russell was re - signed on December 29 . Brian Russell ' s last NFL game was played on January 3 , 2010 when he helped the Texans secure their first winning season by beating the New England Patriots at Reliant Stadium . Personal . Russell ' s wife , Leslie , is a former All - American track athlete who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympic trials . Russell attended the University of Washington Foster School of Business after retiring from the NFL to pursue a master ' s degree in business administration . Brian and Leslie Russell have two children .