Parents Of Texans Player From N.H. Excited, Nervous

LONDONDERRY, N.H. (CBS) -- Saturday night's matchup has one New England family rooting for the other side.

That's because their son is a rising star for Houston. And he's someone Bill Belichick seems to be watching carefully.

Joe and Pat Griffin have a ton of football memorabilia celebrating their son Ryan's gridiron exploits. Ryan Griffin is a tight end in his 4th season with the Texans, but growing up in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Ryan was a huge Pats fan.

"Ryan was Drew Bledsoe for Halloween five years in a row. Yeah, he didn't want to change," says Joe Griffin, Ryan's dad.

Now Ryan's team heads to Foxboro as long shots, with some fans dealing with split loyalties.

"We have a lot of friends and family that are Patriot fans, number one. And number 2, are Ryan Griffin fans," says Pat Griffin, Ryan's mother.

Ryan played quarterback for Londonderry High, went on to UConn and was a 6th round pick for Houston.

Now he's a free agent and it seems like he's caught the eye of someone closer to home.

"He's done a good job for them. He's made some good catches in critical situations," says Pats head coach Bill Belichick.

"It kind of gives us a little hope because you never know with Bill who is on whose radar. And it was nice to see he did come up on Bill Belichick's radar. He knows about him, so that's good," says Joe Griffin.

Pat and Joe will cheer on the Texans on Saturday night and they're more than a little nervous. But they remember what their son told them.

"Ryan's quote was, he wants to shock the world. That's what he wants to do. So that would be an apropos statement if the Texans go into Gillette and come out with a 'W."

"Being a 16-point underdog, that's going to be an uphill battle, but anything is possible," Joe says.

Patriots: http://www.patriots.com/

Texans: http://www.houstontexans.com/