Remembering the time Andre Johnson put a beatdown on Cortland Finnegan

One of the NFL's best receivers of the past 15 years called it a career on Monday as Andre Johnson announced his retirement. He steps away from the game as a member of the Titans, but he’ll forever be remembered for his historic career in Houston with the Texans.

Johnson is retiring as the Texans’ all-time leading receiver with 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns. The next closest in those categories is Owen Daniels with 4,617 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Johnson got it done with a quiet demeanor and gracious attitude, flying somewhat under the radar in Houston on a young Texans franchise. He’s retiring in classic Andre Johnson fashion, without a press conference and with a simple announcement courtesy of the team.

Despite his soft-spoken personality, fans will always remember the time he absolutely destroyed Cortland Finnegan in an on-field fight.

You remember it, don’t you? The Texans were playing the Titans at home on Nov. 28, 2010. The two were going at it all game long, getting physical on the outside when Finnegan lined up across from Johnson. There were a few hard hits, a handful of cheap shots by both players and overwhelming chippiness.

It was downright physical football, and it was glorious -- right up until the two came to blows in the fourth quarter with just under eight minutes to play.

Finnegan gave Johnson a jab in press coverage, which Johnson obviously didn’t appreciate after a day of back-and-forth. Finnegan even said “watch this” before the play began, which was a warning of the fight that ensued.

Both players were fined $25,000 and ejected from the game for their actions, but the price they paid was well worth the memory. It was so unlike Johnson to have an outburst of rage like that despite being such an incredibly tough player.

He wasn’t pleased afterward, apologizing to his teammates for his involvement. He wasn’t sorry for taking his anger out on Finnegan, though.

"I think that he was frustrated with what was going on during the game," Johnson said. "He kept doing little things. I told him, 'Just because you're frustrated, you need to stop what you're doing.' I guess he thought it was funny. He was mad because we had exchanged some words. He tried to jam me because he thought I wasn't looking. He snatched my helmet off. I snatched his off, and it went from there.”

The two obviously had some serious bad blood with each other for years, culminating when Finnegan retired last season. He took one final shot at Johnson when he announced his retirement, saying his biggest regret is that he wishes he "could have thrown some haymakers at Mr. Johnson."

"If we could meet in a dark alley one of these days, whoever comes out, that would be great,” Finnegan said.

Fights don’t always happen in the NFL, and they’re not often viewed in a positive light, but this was one of the most memorable moments of Johnson’s career.