[Official] Vikings @ Texans

not to mention that WE are also playing for the number 1 seed and HFA.

 

Bradie James was interviewed on Around The League today. You can see the video here.

Quotes from Wednesday's practice:

Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Spoiler

(on which players were not at practice) “As far as practice, the only guy who did not practice was (CB) Alan Ball, he stayed in the training room. But (OLB) Brooks (Reed) was back to work. And we were pretty light today. He was fine at practice. We’ll know more about him tomorrow as we push the tempo of what we’re doing. But everybody was out there.”

(on if there is a shot for OLB Brooks Reed to play this Sunday) ”I think there’s a good shot. It’s going to depend on how he comes out. He probably actually worked a little harder than anybody today, just to kind of test it a little bit. And then tomorrow is our work day, so we’ll see how he comes out of that. We’re working toward him being available and him being a part of this game. It’s kind of been our goal ever since this happened. Hopefully we’re at the end of the week feeling good about it and he’s ready to play.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson’s play) “Yeah, I tell you, he’s just phenomenal. So hard to tackle. When they’re right, it makes it very difficult there. But even when you may have a guy free or something he’s very difficult to tackle. That’s something that we didn’t do well last week, we didn’t tackle well, especially in a couple holes. We’re going to have to tackle. We’re going to have to team tackle, all that stuff. It’s going to be the biggest challenge we’ve had around here in a while. The thing that’s really difficult is I think we’ve been playing teams that are a lot different. We’ve been playing teams that spread us out, throw the ball, that’s kind of been the way we’ve been attacked in the last four or five weeks or maybe even longer than that. And now all of a sudden we have to line up and tackle the best in football. We have our work cut out for us.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson coming back from his ACL injury) “It’s incredible. I think I said the other day, I remember when he came out and had the shoulder issue and there was question would his shoulder hold up, that was never a problem. Then he goes and has this knee issue and what he’s done coming off of a knee, I don’t know if it’s ever been done. He’s not human in a lot of ways, he’s proven that each and every week.”

(on DE J.J. Watt going head-to-head with RB Adrian Peterson) “You know I haven’t thought about that, but you’re right, two players on each side of the ball that have been very dominant across the course of this season. It’s a big challenge for both of them. We’re trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Obviously we have a big, big game for us and as I said before, I think it’s the most physical football team we’ve played all year long. Trying to get back to work today and have another good week. We had an excellent week last week and we’re off to a good start this week.”

(on DE J.J. Watt getting Defensive Player of the Week) “Boy, I tell you what, whatever awards there are for a week, he should get them. What he did last week, he had 10-plus tackles, the sacks, caused a turnover. There’s not enough words to describe the type of season he’s having. I think in due time everybody else will make their statement on that toward the end of the season and what they think. But he’s been exceptional and for a second-year player this is exciting. Hopefully he’s here doing it a long, long time.”

(on the balance of the Texans’ offense) “We want to be balanced, so, like the other day, I like the way we played. We ran for 180 and threw for 260. That’s where we want to be. When we’re doing those type of things, we’re usually staying on the field and helping our defense. (WR) Andre (Johnson) has been exceptional, (RB) Arian (Foster) has been there all year long. Arian is a workhorse-type of guy. We get (RB) Ben (Tate) back. I think that’s a good thing now that he’s kind of playing the way he’s capable of playing. Hopefully we can continue to do those type of things. That’s the key to our successful football team, being able to do some of those things and protecting the football along the way.”

(on possibly having OLB Brooks Reed back) “It’s very important because first off, he’s got to get his confidence back going into January. That’s extremely important. He gives us a three-man rotation again that we feel comfortable about. Not that we don’t feel comfortable with (OLB Bryan) Braman, but he just does so much on special teams. So it gets us back to – well I’ve give you a good example, when (NT Sean) Cody plays, you see how (DE) J.J. (Watt) and (DE) Antonio (Smith), how fresh they are. Now Brooks comes back and (OLB) Whitney (Mercilus) is able to rotate in there. We get more fresh once again and we just play better. Hopefully we’re on the right track here and he holds up and is ready to go.”

(on OLB Brooks Reed) “Yeah, he’s a SAM linebacker, a line-of-scrimmage guy on the tight end, that’s what he does best. Yeah, that can help us. But at the same time, he’s not going to go from 0 to 70. We can’t do that. So (OLB) Connor (Barwin) still has to play the SAM position and (OLB) Whitney (Mercilus) the WILL and Connor can swing. But just playing all three should make us better.”

(on OLB Connor Barwin moving to the strong side) “Yeah, I think that’s a change. It’s a hell of a change in scheme and what you’re doing. All of a sudden you become much more of a dropper than a pass rusher in a lot of situations. But he’ very unselfish, did his job, and I know it’s been an adjustment and he’s played very hard. We get (OLB) Brooks (Reed) he can go back to his comfort zone coming off the edge. Hopefully we all hold up and that does happen.”

(on having RT Derek Newton back) “Yeah, that’s important. You can tell. (RT Derek) Newton played I think something like 40-something plays. We’re still trying not to give him too much. I think it made (T) Ryan (Harris) a better player. Ryan played about 20, 22 snaps. Ryan was more consistent to me, so getting Derek back was big. He worked really, really hard to get back. He actually came back probably about a week before we thought he would.”

(on tackling in practice) “Yeah, you’re pretty much down to hitting sleds and dummies. You can’t go out there and beat on each other with the number of players that you have and the wear and tear on players’ bodies. It’s just attention to detail. If we have one guy tackling him every play, we’re in trouble. It’s going to have to be a group effort, we’re going to have to do it as a team.”

(on G Brandon Brooks getting more play time) “Yeah, he’s taken two steps forward. Two weeks ago he played a little bit. He played more this past game. He played he best. He’s going to play more this week. He’s turning in the right direction. The biggest thing is he’s comfortable with what we’re doing. Some of the mistakes have left him. And if he does that, it’s going to only make us better. So he’s working his way to more play time.”

(on the advantage of getting experience to the younger offensive linemen) “I don’t know if there’s an advantage, I just think that’s where we’re at this year. We were going to be young on the right side. We were trying to see players develop and take things over, not give them anything. At the same time, stay fresh. I think through the course of the year, (Offensive Line Coach) John (Benton) has been able to work it out. We’ve had some injuries at right guard, at right tackle, but John has found a way to work it out. They’re going to all contribute.”

(on Minnesota’s defensive front) “I think it could be as good as any we’ve played. They’re very physical. Of course (DE Jared) Allen is a great pass rusher. The thing is, they’re going to give us a big problem inside. Those two guys inside push the pocket very well. They don’t give up a lot of big plays so they’re going to make us really work for what they do. And we better get rid of these penalties because it will make it harder on ourselves.”

(on Minnesota’s interior defensive linemen) “They push the pocket really good, both. Trying to run your zone schemes and cut them off makes it tough, but they push when (DE Jared) Allen is up the field and those two guys pushing the pocket makes it difficult.”

Offensive Coordinator Rick Dennison

Spoiler

(on distributing the ball on offense) “It makes the defense defend a lot. They put an extra guy down in the box to stop the run. We think we have the people to throw it well and a quarterback that distributes it well. They play back, we think we can do enough offensively running the ball with a two shell safety or whatever, quarters, that we can find some holes and then certainly a lot of our big chunks come off our play pass and our movement game, which is off the running game. In any given day you’re not sure what kind of weather, certainly here we’re okay in a controlled environment, but somewhere else we may have to run it. We may have to throw it. It helps us I think.”

(on if he thinks he’s blessed to work with guys like WR Andre Johnson and RB Arian Foster) “Each and every day I’m blessed to be at this situation and working for this organization, yes. We have a great organization. We have great players. It’s fun to work with guys and for guys in this building.”

(on if he thinks the coaches’ playoff experiences helps them at this time of year) “More for your routine, I think more than anything. Certainly the fans help a lot for noise in certain situations, but good teams will win on the road or at home. I’ve been on a good team that’s won on the road. I’ve been on a good team that couldn’t handle the road. It all comes down to character and the players and making plays anyway. I think the routine, it helps you to be at home because we’re in that kind of mode and that routine and certainly our fans, the noise will help you in the critical situations, short yardage, certainly in the red zone and the goal line.”

(on if players ever ask him about his playoff experiences) “Occasionally, in the smaller groups, which I tend to be with the quarterbacks, we’ve talked a little bit about that. I’ve shared, obviously, with the entire offense, some of the things that I think it’s important in these situations you know, playoffs. The speed of the game, it’s as big a jump from preseason to regular season for the playoffs from regular season to playoffs. It’s that big a jump. They’re doing it the right way. I think our players are really doing it, study it, focus, when we get to those critical situations.”

(on what’s impressed him about WR DeVier Posey) “I think with (WR) DeVier (Posey) he’s just stuck to it. When you get caught in a situation where you don’t have much and all you’re getting is practice. You’re on the inactives. You can have a tendency of not trying to work at it and get better and just do your job, but he really has worked at his craft. We can see the progression through practice and that’s where we’ve gotten to the point where we see a lot of explosion. We see a lot of things that he could help us with and give him some chances out on the field and when he responds heck you give him more.”

(on how much WR Andre Johnson’s relationship with WR DeVier Posey helps him) “(WR) Andre (Johnson) leads very well by example because he works so doggone hard. I couldn’t tell you about their relationship. Both of them really don’t’ talk very much in my meetings, so I couldn’t tell you about that, but I’m sure that entire group really, really is a hard working group. They all pull for each. They’re always working hard together.”

(on what he liked most about the final drive on Sunday) “I think our tempo was great. I think everybody took it upon themselves to do their job. Technique was tremendous. I think it was a huge step obviously from the first half to the second half. I think everybody just said ‘Look I’m going to do my thing and I’m going to get it done right.’ Our tempo, and very aggressive with what we’re trying to do, which that’s the way you play. You don’t counter parts. You be the aggressor. I think that was the biggest part, running the ball, and really doing the things that we’re supposed to do.”

(on Air Force Academy Head Coach Troy Calhoun) “He really didn’t need to develop very much. We had him on there, but he’d done a lot before he got to Denver. He was a coordinator at various schools. Wake (Forest) being one of them, and very intelligent guy. He worked on the defensive side and had a wealth of knowledge, talked football, great guy, great family guy. You knew that at some point in time he was going to be a head coach wherever it worked out for him and certainly Air Force is a perfect fit for him. He knows cadets. He knows the school, having been there. He knows the whole operation and like I said it was just a matter of time for Troy on how it would work out. It’s a great situation and it couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

LT Duane Brown

Spoiler

(on how important it is for the Texans to run the ball effectively) “It means a lot. When you’re not one-dimensional, teams can’t really get a read on what you’re trying to do. For us, it all starts with the run game. We’re able to run the ball well, get teams keying on that, and it opens up a whole lot for our offense; and if you’re able to do both, stay balanced throughout the whole game, it opens up our whole playbook.”

(on how big of a luxury is it to have RB Arian Foster and WR Andre Johnson) “It’s fun to watch. Me being a lineman, I just try to open up holes for Arian and protect (QB) Matt (Schaub) to get the ball to 80 (WR Andre Johnson). And having both those guys healthy, having both of them playing at a high level, it means a whole lot for our offense, it means a lot for our team. Teams are puzzled; they don’t know who to stop, if they want to put eight in the box (or) if they want to double-team Dre. It’s so much that you have to focus on. It opens up things for them as well as for our other weapons on offense.”

(on if Minnesota is more physical than the other teams the Texans have played this year) “I don’t think they’re more physical. I think they’re extremely talented and also physical. So when you add those two, you get a great front four, a great front seven. It really does a lot for their defense. They have a couple of Pro Bowl players up front and those guys really feed off of each other, so you definitely have to match their physicality and their intensity early to have a great chance of being successful against them. Just watching film, some teams have and some teams haven’t, and those that haven’t had a long day.”

(on the possibility of getting home field advantage in the playoffs) “You can’t ask for anything more than that. It’s what we’ve been playing for all year, and to put ourselves in this position, we’re extremely proud of it and we know what’s at stake. Guys are approaching the week just like that. Knowing how much to plan for, to have the playoffs run through Houston for the first time in franchise history. It means a lot to us. You don’t need more incentive than that.”

NT Shaun Cody

Spoiler

(on the offensive line receiving Segways and what the defensive line got) “Well, we got a gift from one of our linebackers. It’s not a Segway and it doesn’t have wheels. You put them on your feet. It’s not fair is what it is. There is an injustice here, once again in this locker room.”

(on how to stop Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “Just got to get a lot of guys there, he’s a great back. You leave a guy one-on-one on him, they don’t have much of a chance so you’ve got to get a lot of hats there to bring him down.”

(on not wanting Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to break the rushing record on Sunday) “To break the record he needs 300 yards. That would be a really bad day.”

RB Justin Forsett

Spoiler

(on possibly having home field advantage in the playoffs) “It’s huge. Anytime you can play at home, it’s hard to win on the road in this league. To be at home and to be able to have those games that really matter, really count in January, have it here it’s tremendous.”

(on watching RB Adrian Peterson on the other side) “It’s just impressive to see. You’re a running back. You take a look at the best backs out there. It’s amazing. This guy is doing some things that’s never been done before. I’m excited that I’m here seeing it like those guys back in the day were saying about Sweetness (Walter Payton) and those guys doing some incredible things, Barry Sanders. This guy’s has been in that range, that type of athlete.”

(on if he gets the same feeling when he watches RB Arian Foster sometimes) “Yeah, definitely. (RB) Arian (Foster) does some amazing things. A guy his size with that speed, that vision, that patience, those type of athletes, those type of running backs only come around so much.”

(on how excited will RB Arian Foster be for Sunday’s game) “Definitely, I think he’s one of those guys that the game comes to him. This game is special because we’ve got a lot of things on the line for the team. I think he’s going to step up to the plate, his huge game last week and I think he’s going to keep it rolling all the way to the playoffs.”

RB Arian Foster

Spoiler

(on purchasing Segways for the offensive linemen) “I just got everybody a Segway. I feel like all of them big hogs up front can enjoy the joy that I get from riding my Segway.”

(on what made him decide to buy the Segways) “Well, anytime I give a gift I always try to give somebody something thoughtful. A couple of guys like (C) Chris Myers and (T Duane Brown) D-Brown and (G) Wade Smith, they’re always getting on me about riding my Segway and, ‘You can’t walk. You’re too good to walk.’ I was like, ‘No, man. I would just rather ride wheels.’ I saw a little jealous in their eyes when they were talking about me, so I figured I’d get all the linemen a gift.”

(on if there was any hesitation giving the offensive linemen Segways) “No man, they’re professional athletes. Sometimes they’re like polar bears on ice, but they should be fine. You can’t go that fast on it so you may get a scrape if you fall. I don’t think they’re going to fall. They’ll be alright.”

(on how they responded) “They were very thankful, very grateful.”

(on what the offensive line means to him) “I can’t do anything without them. If there is no them, there is no me. That’s what a team is all about. It’s just my way of giving back to the big fellas up front.”

(on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson calling him smooth) “I appreciate it. He knows how I feel about him. I feel like he is one of the best to play the game. He’s showing that this year and he’s going to continue to show it, hopefully not this week, but he’s a great back.”

(on getting a chance to go against an elite back like Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “It’s a special moment. I feel like I’m one of the better backs in the NFL and I feel like he is too. Anytime you can get two backs of that caliber on the same field at the same time, I feel like it’s a nice little gift for the fans so hopefully we can put on a show.”

(on how great it is to run the play action) “(WR Andre Johnson) Dre has been hurt the last couple years so we kind of missed that, but you see exactly how dangerous he could be when he’s healthy. He showed it last year in the playoffs. In my opinion, he’s a Half of Famer and he’s going to continue to put up big performances for us because that’s what he does.”

(on possibly earning home field advantage) “It means a lot to have that opportunity, but there are always teams that clinch home field and don’t make it to the Super Bowl. It would be a great feat. It would be a goal of ours that we reached, but at the end of the day it doesn’t mean that much.”

(on if it’s a lesson to learn that five of the last seven Super Bowl winners didn’t have a bye) “I don’t like stats, man. I don’t like stats. I beat the odds so I don’t worry about the odds. It don’t make me do nothing. I’m just playing with you. I don’t like stats or statistics or nine of the last, none of that really matters because I wasn’t playing on any of those teams and none of my teammates were either, so we don’t really pay attention to that.”

(on knowing the importance of and taking each game seriously) “I think that’s what we’re coached to do anyway. We’re coached to take it game by game and that’s what we’ve done since we’ve been here. I think that starts with our leadership up top and spreads out through the entire locker room.”

(on the offensive line being motivated this week to help him have a better game than Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “It just shows you how close we are as a unit. I appreciate them for wanting me to have that stage. We’re together on this, so my stage is their stage, so hopefully we can put on a show.”

(on LT Duane Brown saying he’s going to having a great game after buying the line Segways) “I hope so. That’s not why I did it.”

(on the business-like attitude in the locker room after clinching the division) “I think last year we were just kind of elated to get that monkey off your back. We have come a long way in this organization. I’m very proud to be a part of that. We want to continue it, but along with continue it is not coming to expect things like this but knowing that your work is the reward of things like this, to not get too up or too down, to just keep a nice, steady, even business manner.”

(on if he’ll trade jerseys with Vikings RB Adrian Peterson after the game) “I already traded with him in the preseason. I might go after (DE) Jared Allen if he’s willing. I’m a fan of his too. If he wants to.”

(on what he likes about Vikings DE Jared Allen) “He’s one of the best pass rushers the game has seen. You look at his stats, I think he’s in the top 20 all-time with sacks and he’s like one of the youngest to do it. What is he 30 years old? Monster. If he’s willing, it’d be my honor.”

WR Andre Johnson

Spoiler

(on playing to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs) “It means a lot. That’s one of our team goals we set at the beginning of the season. We’re going to go out and try to get that accomplished on Sunday. It’s better to have it done Sunday than try to do it the following week. We’re going to try to get it done Sunday.”

(on if RB Arian Foster’s gift to the offensive line puts pressure on him to get a gift) “I don’t know. I’ve never gotten the o-line a gift. It was always the running backs, the running back and the o-line. Maybe there’s something I can think of, hopefully.”

(on getting his own Segway) “Yeah, I got myself one. Got one for myself so when my daughter is riding her bike, I don’t have to use my legs too much to ride alongside her. That’s why I have one.”

(on the locker room being more hazardous with the offensive linemen on Segways) “I told them that let’s just wait until the season is over and they can learn how to ride them rather than having an accident. But they’re pretty excited about it. I’m pretty sure they’ll have fun with them.”

(on the balance of the Texans’ offense and using the play-action) “When we’re able to run the ball well, it just opens up everything else. It’s always been like that since (Head) Coach (Gary) Kubiak has been here. When they brought in this style of offense, whenever the run game is going, it just opens up everything else. Sometimes you may run the ball and you may not hit those big runs like you want to at first, but you may hit a few passes and you see the run game open up and then everything else becomes kind of easy. I think that’s the biggest thing for us is just getting our run game going. When we do that, we tend to win a lot of games and it just opens everything else up.”

(on if this is the most success he’s seen on both sides of a team he’s been on) “I would probably say so. It’s just something we harp on. It’s stressed that we have to get our run game going. We have three good backs and any one of those guys is able to come in there and take the ball the distance. Whenever we’re able to get those guys going, we’re expecting to come out on top.”

(on being able to secure home-field advantage this week) “That would be big. Home-field advantage and get a bye in the first round, it’s something (that) you put yourself in a great position to get a chance to accomplish an ultimate goal – a team goal – at the end of the season. We haven’t made it to that point yet. We’re very close. We know that we’re one win away and we just have to have the lock-in like we usually have, like we did last week; keep that focus and go out and play ball the way we want to play.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson’s performance this year after his ACL injury last season) “I talked to him a few times in the offseason on the phone to just ask him how he was doing. He was always in good spirits. When we played in the preseason, that was the last time I had talked to him and I was just like, ‘How are you feeling? How is the leg feeling?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘Give me three or four games and I’ll be back to myself.’ I was like, ‘Okay.’ But coming off of an ACL (injury), you wouldn’t think that he would…what he has done, coming off that injury, it’s amazing. It just shows a lot about dedication, and he was very confident about it when he said it. He was just like, ‘Give me about three or four games and I’ll be back to myself.’ It’s amazing what he’s done.”

(on having RB Arian Foster and RB Adrian Peterson on the same field) “This is going to be a great game. You have two great backs. They say when you have other backs, when you’re a great back and you’re going against another great back, guys say you tend not to worry about how many yards they get or whatnot, but you always want to perform better than the other guy. It’s going to be a great thing to see. But for us to do what we want to do, we have to get our running game going.”

(on the play of WR DeVier Posey) “I think he’s only going to continue to get better and better. As long as he keeps playing, he’s going to continue to get better. Like I said, he’s only going to get better for us.”

(on how the development of the younger wide receivers helps him against defenses) “The thing about it is it’s hard to play everybody. But at the same time, when you see those guys, (WR) Lestar (Jean) go out and make a play like he made at Tennessee or (WR) DeVier (Posey) make a play like he had. It doesn’t let you just key on one guy. You can’t just sit back and worry about one person. Those guys are going to go out and beat you also. I like to see them get in the game more and make more plays because it only helps us as a team. It doesn’t just only help me as a player, it helps the whole team. The more weapons you have, the better you are on offense.”

(on being on the Texans when they were 2-14 and no having a shot to go 14-2) “I always said to the guys, (WR) DeVier (Posey) and (WR) Lestar (Jean), those guys ask me about that and I always tell them 2-14 is something you never want to experience. Those were some rough days, hard days to come to work. This year has just been fun; it’s been a lot of fun. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had since I’ve been in the NFL. And I’m just enjoying it, I’m enjoying every moment of it. Even when you’re here for days of practice, it’s a lot of fun. Guys are just hanging out, joking around. But you know at the same time, we know when it’s time to be serious and time to get down to business. It’s probably the funnest year I’ve had.”

(on if he’s seen a matchup like DE J.J. Watt and RB Adrian Peterson before) “Not that I can think of. You’re talking about two heck of players. What J.J. has done this year, to me, I know a lot of times MVP awards go to quarterbacks and whatnot, and I’m not just saying this because he’s on my team. I think what he’s done is amazing, especially from his position. He’s affected the game. Knocking down balls, what d-lineman had that many passes defended? To me he’s the MVP of the league. Either him or AP (RB Adrian Peterson). Those two guys, what they’ve done this year, it’s been amazing.”

(on if he can make a case for DE J.J. Watt for MVP being an offensive player) “I think he has. He has a chance to break the sack record. He set a record for passes defended. Name another d-lineman that’s done that. And he’s only in his second year. Like I said, I don’t have a problem with it. If I had a choice, it would be either him or AP. Those are my two guys.”

(on what he thought of RB Arian Foster’s gift to the offensive line) “I knew he was doing it. He told me about it a few weeks ago. He always tries to do something just to show them…do something for them around Christmas just to show his appreciation or whatnot. He told me a few weeks ago that he was going to get those.”

(on having the kind of season he’s having in this stage of his career) “I think a lot of people wrote me off. I’m not going to say any names. I think a lot of people just wrote me off with saying that I had lost a step and this and that. But I knew what I needed to do to get myself back to feeling to the way I’m feeling now.”

(on if he used the criticism to motivate him) “No, I really didn’t need it. I just knew I had to show people that I could still play this game. Like I said, people were saying that I lost a step and things like that and I knew that I hadn’t. It was just the fact of battling through some injuries and stuff like that and I missed a lot of time. I knew once I got back to feeling like myself and everything feeling good that I could go out and put up the numbers. And I said that before the season started, I still felt like I could go up and put up big numbers in this league. And I’ll continue doing it until I can’t do it anymore.”

(on how much home-field advantage matters in the post season) “No matter where you play, you still have to go out and win the game. But I think it helps because when your offense is on the field, it’s not loud. When your defense is on the field it is loud. It kind of bothers the other team’s offense. It always helps I think to have a little home-field advantage.”

(on home-field advantage) “When you play at home, it’s a familiar place. It’s comfortable. Then going and playing on the road, even though you do play eight games on the road, eight games at home, It’s a place you’re familiar with and you’re comfortable. The offensive line has to make calls, and a lot of times when you’re on the road, the o-line can’t hear each other even though they’re close right there together, and sometimes you have false starts because they can’t hear because of how loud the crowd is. I think it all plays a part.”

(on playing for something very important against Minnesota) “Yeah, everybody knows that. We’re very aware of where we’re at as a team and what we need to do to get to where we want to be.”

CB Johnathan Joseph

Spoiler

(on playing against a team that runs the ball primarily) “I think it may be different from a standpoint of we’re used to guys lining us up and throwing it 30, 40, 50 times a game. Some teams have to do that when you’re behind and you’re in trouble, sometimes you have to. If you let the team gain the lead, they can control the game and run the ball. But for us, it will just be one of those games.”

(on facing a team who is close to making the playoffs) “I just think you look at some of the games you lost. They’re still a good football team, 8-6 record. They lost some games earlier in the year to some teams right now who are at the top of the team standings. So you take that into perspective. They lost to Green Bay; they lost to Chicago. They’re a good football team, offense and defense, so you can’t count them out in any way. Of course (RB) Adrian Peterson has done what he’s done and had a spectacular year. They still have some weapons over there in the offensive skill positions, in the wide outs, but their main focal point is Adrian Peterson.”

(on how to tackle RB Adrian Peterson 1-on-1) “Just like anybody. I’ve been in this league with (RB) Jamal Lewis, (RB) Deuce McAlister, all of those guys. Of course he’s a more explosive guy, but I’m just speaking of bigger backs. It’s about getting down. You don’t tackle for style points, you tackle to get them down. And that’s not an option.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson coming back from injury) “I wouldn’t say miraculous, but I don’t know the exact word for it, but it’s amazing. It’s amazing because he gives a lot of guys around this league hope. Guys go down with injuries each and every year, and to come back and be the top leading rusher, right on the brink of breaking the rushing record that has been there for 20, 25 years, it’s amazing.”

(on concentrating on wide receivers when you know RB Adrian Peterson can bust through the line) “No, you just have to be disciplined and do your job. If your job is to stop the run, stop the run. Of course, once the guy breaks through the line of scrimmage, he’s fair for everyone. And then you come out of the responsibility from a coverage standpoint and you fit in where needed in the run game.”

(on DE J.J. Watt facing up against RB Adrian Peterson) “It’s football. Of course we’ve had a chance to watch our own this year and (RB) Arian Foster all my time being here. We have a chance this week to go up against one of those guys that is just like Arian, and having an outstanding year. And of course J.J., what he’s done this year, playing the run and the pass. I think it will be a help for us with them getting penetration, things like that, making it a lot easier for the linebackers and the rest of the d-linemen.”

(on if having RB Arian Foster has prepped the team for RB Adrian Peterson) “It’s different. It’s real different because here in practice we don’t to get to go up against Arian as much, so for us it’s about sitting up on the sideline and enjoying all of it. But this time we can’t enjoy any of those long runs by Adrian Peterson at all. Secondary, you always have goals and things like that where you don’t want to give up big runs over 25 yards and things like that. Like I said before, we’re the last line of defense, so it’s up to us to limit those big runs.”

(on having DE J.J. Watt being close to breaking the NFL single-season sack record) “Yeah, absolutely. I think AP (RB Adrian Peterson) probably gets – well I wouldn’t say more attention, because J.J. gets his fair amount of attention as well, but just coming off of the surgery with the torn ACL and things like that from last year and just bouncing back, I’m sure he’ll get comeback player of the year. My thing from a standpoint is watching to see what he’ll do with the torn ACL and coming back to be the top leading rusher. I don’t think anyone is taking away anything from J.J., he’s having one of those seasons you rarely see in a lifetime.”

C Chris Myers

Spoiler

(on possibly earning home field advantage) “Obviously it’s a huge goal. We’ve been taking step by step throughout the season to kind of build to where we’re at right now. It’s been one goal after another. We accomplished one last weekend. It’s just getting a W and those implications with a W are going to be huge. We understand what’s ahead of us and we understand what it’s going to take to get there.”

(on taking pride in RB Arian Foster having a big day against Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “Anytime your offensive line has a challenge ahead of you, you want to be able to get your guys, especially with I think we’ve had an up and down year with consistent games. Before last week, we had about a month there were we weren’t getting consistent yards as an offensive line and running backs. It’s definitely a challenge and what he’s been able to accomplish across from us, (RB) Adrian (Peterson), it’s unbelievable what he’s been able to do, hats off to him and what he’s been able to accomplish this year and to his offensive line. He’s not doing it by himself. We want to be able to do the same thing with (RB) Arian (Foster) and get him yards. That’s what our whole offense is built upon, being able to establish and work play actions off that. Everything else falls into place.”

(on the team’s last drive against the Colts) “I don’t want to say breakthrough. It’s just more those types of things that you as an offense and as an offensive line want to be able to do at the end of the game. When you’re up you want to be able to close games out. I think we had seven or eight, I forget how many runs in a row of positive runs at that. If we can keep doing that and build off of that, it’s big.”

(on having pride after that long of a drive) “It’s not the first one we’ve ever done though. It’s not the first time we’ve been able to close out a game around here. We hadn’t been consistent the whole year, up and down, but we’ve done that around here before. You take pride in being able to do that. We did it this past week and plan on doing it some more.”

QB Matt Schaub

Spoiler

(on how great it is to have RB Arian Foster and WR Andre Johnson to have a balanced offense) “That’s what our offense is built on, is to be balanced. You look over the past few years and that’s when we’re playing our best. That’s when we’re playing our most efficient, is when we can run the football, be successful with that, couple that with our play action, our bootleg game, where we can take some shots down the field and be effective and keep our third downs manageable and then we’re converting on those. That all leads to us scoring points.”

(on the success of the play action plays) “It all looks the same, whether it be our run plays or when we run our play action game. When it all looks the same, the guys up front do a great job of selling those plays to make it look to the linebackers like a run. Then all we need is that split second to get down field, then the receivers obviously making the play.”

(on how important home field would be in the playoffs) “It’d be huge. I think once you get to this point that’s the goal of any team. You want to go ahead and take care of that because then you know you don’t have to travel until the last game. To have it in the confines of Reliant Stadium for all the playoff games, that’s just an advantage for us.

(on WR DeVier Posey’s progression) “He’s made a great progression. As a receiver in this offense it’s tough to come in and play right away and be effective because we ask him to do so much, whether it be in the run or the passing game. It’s been a learning process for him but he’s really come along. He practices extremely well, works on his game, day in and day out. You’re starting to see the reward for that and he’s starting to get some action. He’s making the most of it.”

(on if he has confidence going to the young players) “A ton of confidence, when you see guys step to the plate when given an opportunity take advantage of it, the more weapons, the more hands on deck that we have ready to make this stretch run and then going to the postseason, the better off we’ll be because that means we can have a lot of guys step up. They’ve already proven they can take care of business and handle their job so it’s definitely encouraging.”

(on the Vikings’ defensive front) “They’re a physical group, very stout against the run. They rush the passer real well. It seems like we’ve been saying that now for about four or five weeks against some of the teams that we’ve been playing, but that’s just the nature of the business. This group is no different than the rest of them. They’re really good. They’re very physical. Their linebacking core has played a lot of football together so they’re a veteran group that has seen a lot of looks.”

(on if he’s surprised by what WR Andre Johnson continues to do) “It really doesn’t because I see it every day, experience it in practice, the offseason, watching him in the games. He just continues to go out there and produce. We need a big game from him he always seems to be there to do it. It doesn’t surprise me. It’s great to know that I can be a part of it.”

(on RB Arian Foster purchasing the offensive linemen Segways and his gift) “I’ve already taken care of theirs. They’ll be getting theirs on Friday so I’m not too concerned with what he got them. It’s nice to see that, that he appreciates what the offensive linemen do because we all do. How they go is how we go as an offense. I just hope they don’t feel too spoiled at the end of this thing. They deserve every bit of it. It’s funny to see the looks on their faces all riding around. I just want them to be careful. There are too many people walking around, too many obstacles. I want to make sure they’re safe.”

DE J.J. Watt

Spoiler

(on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “(RB) Adrian Peterson is a very good running back. He’s a hard runner, very skilled, and he’s playing as good as anybody in the league this year.”

(on how they slow down RB Adrian Peterson) “Tackle him. We need to just do what we do. We need to play our defense. We need to play sound defense. Execute our assignments and we’ll be just fine.”

(on if it’s more challenging facing a run-first team this week) “I think we’ll be prepared. Coach (Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) is doing a great job putting a game plan together. We’re preparing. We’re very focused. We had a good practice today. I think we’ll be just fine.”

(on if it’s hard to believe that RB Adrian Peterson is coming off an ACL injury) “He looks like a great running back to me. He’s definitely playing at the top of his game. It doesn’t look like he’s slowed down whatsoever. If anything, it looks like he’s gained a step, so he’s an impressive player.”

(on the sentiment that defensive players are not usually considered as MVP candidates) “I agree with what you’re saying. I’ll say that. I don’t want to go any farther into that. Obviously, all the awards and everything are very cool. That’s an award that obviously generally goes to an offensive player and I understand that, just like the Heisman, you know. You wish it could be appreciated more, but I’m just worried about winning a trophy. That’s it.”

(on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson saying he enjoys going against the best) “I think I obviously appreciate the compliment and I’m looking forward to playing against him. He’s a great football player. You always want to go against the best of the best. You always want to prove yourself against the best of the best. Anytime you have a chance to go up against somebody who’s doing historic things like he might do this year, you look forward to that opportunity and you cherish it.”

(on what the league thinks having a matchup like DE J.J. Watt vs. RB Adrian Peterson) “I imagine they’re pretty happy about it. It’s going to be a great matchup. Our two teams are good football teams. Obviously, we’re excited our last home game here and want to put on a good show for our fans.”

(on what it would mean to break the single-season sack record) “Obviously, it would mean a lot. It’s definitely on the goal list, but there are much bigger goals out there. My goal has been to have one of the greatest seasons of all-time so that’s something that I could do to help reach that goal, but number one, first and foremost, my goal is always to win a Super Bowl no matter what.”

(on being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week) “It’s an honor always. It’s always an honor to be rewarded for your hard work. As always, it’s a credit to my teammates and coaches. I appreciate them, everything they do. I know I need to give (ILB) Bradie James a lot of credit because there is sometimes out there on the field where I’m freelancing a little bit and he makes me right. He covers up what I do. I really appreciate him and I really appreciate all the guys. I wouldn’t be who I am without my teammates.”

(on what ILB Bradie James does specifically to help him out) “You’ll have to ask (ILB) Bradie (James) about that. He covers me up a lot. He allows me to do some things that I wouldn’t be able to do if I didn’t have a veteran guy behind me.”

(on the attention he has received this season) “It’s crazy. It’s hard to comprehend. It’s crazy. It’s very cool. I’m obviously having a lot of fun. I’m really enjoying myself. The number one people I’m always trying to earn respect from are my teammates and my coaches and my peers around the league. The media will always have their opinions. The media will always have their bias and everything, but if you can gain the respect of your teammates and coaches that’s the number one important thing.”

(on playing in front of the home crowd) “Playing in front of our home crowd is a big deal. Our crowd is great. I love these fans. They give us such an advantage. I know one thing if we win everything takes care of itself so we just need to go out there and play good football and win.”

(on if he senses confusion from opposing offenses sometimes because of the crowd noise) “Yeah, crowd noise makes a big difference.”

(on added emphasis to tackling this week) “We emphasize it every week, but with a guy like this who has the ability to break tackles so impressively, you obviously have to really focus on it and lock in on it, just need to wrap up. This goes back to fifth grade, basic fundamentals, wrap up and tackle, get your head across.”

(on having OLB Brooks Reed back at practice) “It was good to have (OLB) Brooks (Reed) at practice. It was really nice to see him back out there, good to see him healthy and looking forward to him contributing again.”

Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier Conference Call

Spoiler

(on the importance of this game for the Minnesota Vikings) “This game is keeping our playoff hopes alive and is the next game on our schedule. That itself makes it extremely important.”

(on his relationship with Houston Head Coach Gary Kubiak) “Well I have a lot of respect for Gary. I’ve known him for a long time, going back to our playing days. Just to see what he’s done there in Houston, I’m very, very pleased. He and his family and the rest of his staff; and of course with his son and my son being at Rice, we get a chance to sit in the stands and mingle at the Spring Game and so on. It’s a good relationship and I’m just happy for what he’s done.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson coming back from a serious injury) It’s just amazing to watch. An ACL injury at any position at this stage can be a career ending injury. To see Adrian come back after a year removed and to play the way he’s playing – not just being able to come back but to be the best at the position is just, it’s amazing to watch and it’s fun to watch.”

(on when he knew RB Adrian Peterson was going to not only be back, but be dominant) “Well, going back to that first ballgame against Jacksonville, the way he played in that game when you consider he hadn’t any real contact in the preseason. We held him out of the preseason – we wanted to kind of let him develop as the year went on. But the way he played in that game, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I couldn’t have imagined that he got the number of carries that he did and ran the way he ran. I knew that that was something different, but I couldn’t have predicted that he would be at 1,800 yards, even after that game. But I just knew that it wasn’t one of those things where most guys, the second year is when they really usually come back and have the form that they had before. Something was different. He was ahead of schedule in a lot of ways.”

(on if there was any question if RB Adrian Peterson would be ready to play the first game) “We talked about that in length. We weren’t sure if he would be. We were planning on playing him in our third preseason game so he could get a feel for where he was and we could get a feel for where he was. But the more that we watched him in practice we realized that he was much further along than thought, and once we took him off of the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list and let him practice with his teammates, he was just much further ahead than any of us thought, although he would always tell me that he was ready to go. He told me he was ready to go the first day we reported to training camp. So we were going to be cautious, and once we let him get out there and start banging a little bit – it was just amazing to see.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson’s rehab work in Houston) “He did so much of his work here in Minnesota with (Head Athletic Trainer) Eric Sugarman, our trainer. And then the time he was in Houston, when he was away with Russ (Paine, a physical therapist at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute), I mean the combination of the two really helped him tremendously. Hats off to all the people that were involved in his rehab. But with Adrian, his determination, his work ethics, his genetics; just amazing.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson being a comeback player of the year and MVP candidate) “I know there are some other guys that are coming back from major injuries and guys that are having great seasons, but an ACL injury for a running back – you guys have been around sports a long time as well; you don’t see what we’re seeing. It’s not like we have a lot of things around him. We have an offensive line that is doing a great job, but this is a new offensive line for the most part. We have a new left tackle, a new left guard, a returning center, a new right guard, a returning right tackle and a new fullback. For Adrian to be doing what he’s doing with the pieces around him, he’s comeback player, MVP for sure.”

(on Houston DE J.J. Watt) “He’s a special player, now. He’s special and so young to be doing what he’s doing. I don’t know if there are many guys that are dominating games the way he is dominating games, whether it be pass rush or playing the run or batting balls down. He’s very very impressive – very impressive.”

(on how he would describe Houston DE J.J. Watt) “If there were ever some (terms) that would describe a great player, he deserves them because he’s a great player. He’s dominant. He’s going to have a long career in this league staying healthy, a great career. Excellent job. I’m sure (Houston Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) is ecstatic having a guy like that.”

(on what jumps out at him about the Texans defense) “You go through some of those moments some times in our league, but they’re a very good defense. They’ve played so many good games throughout the season. Their ability to be able to stop the run and cover people. They’re a good defense. What they do, points-wise, is so impressive to me. They don’t give up a lot of points. They make you work for everything you get. We’ll have our hands full trying to score on that defense.”

(on if RB Adrian Peterson’s pursuit of the rushing record overshadows team goals) “If you’re Adrian Peterson and you’re coming back from the type of injury he had and you’re this close to breaking a record that many people thought wouldn’t be broken, I can see why that’s newsworthy, so I understand it. But at the same time, as a team, we have a team goal that we want to get accomplished and Adrian wants the same thing that we all want.”

(on if the Vikings have exceeded expectations) “If you had talked to me back in the spring and watching our guys practice and show up in this building and prepare the way they did, I’m not surprised where we are. I really believed that we were going to have a chance to win this division. We’re not going to win this division – Green Bay clinched it a week ago – but I have never looked at us as a team that couldn’t be in this position right now to where if we win these two games, we have a very good chance of being a playoff team.”

(on receiving notoriety as a coach for the team’s progress) “I always believe it’s about your players and your staff, and we have a very good staff. I have some players who really believe in what we’re trying to get done. The fact that they showed up the way they did when we opened up for business on April 23, that’s what makes me proud of our football team. When you consider we had no offseason the year before and to get 95 percent participation throughout the offseason, that’s what makes me proud of our guys, because I knew that that would propel us to a good football season and that’s exactly what has happened.”

(on Houston LT Duane Brown’s play this season) “If I was an AFC coach, I would be voting for him. He’s a good player. He’s impressive. I like his game a lot. I don’t know if he gets enough recognition, but those 20 sacks, he has a lot to do with the fact that that quarterback doesn’t get hit very often. He’s a very good player.”

(on the matchup between Houston DE J.J. Watt and Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson) “I can’t recall two that are so close to breaking records that are about to face one another. I’m sure it may have happened before, but J.J. is on the verge of breaking a record that seemed out of reach for a long time, and now Adrian is on the verge of breaking a record that seemed out of reach. It’s great for the game, as you mentioned. But the most important thing for me and everybody in our organization is to figure out a way to win this game, and I’m sure that means finding a way to block J.J. Watt.”

(on if defensive players should be considered for MVP) “You have to remember now, I played defense. Defensive players should be considered without question. A guy like (DE) J.J. (Watt) having the impact that he’s having on a team that’s already won the division and a Super Bowl contender. Yeah, defensive players should be considered.”

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson Conference Call

Spoiler

(on what it means to return and play a game Texas) “It’s always good to come back home to Texas. I live there during the offseason. I’ve got family there and I really grinded hard this offseason to get back down there in the Houston heat. Just to come back there and be playing a great team and playing in that beautiful stadium, it’s going to mean a lot, because I’m going to have a lot of family there, (and) just the position we’re in right now. It’ll be fun.”

(on what Memorial Herrmann Sports Medicine Institute physical therapist Russ Paine meant to him during his rehabilitation) “Russ meant a lot to me, really helped encourage me, really pushed me and kept me in my place at a time when I really wanted to do more. He really meant a lot during the process. He’s one of the guys I have to credit for helping me recover the way I did.”

(on how critical the work he did with Memorial Herrmann Sports Medicine Institute physical therapist Russ Paine was to his comeback) “It was vital. It was very important, the things I was able to do with him. Just him pushing me and understanding my mindset, it was something that he had to adjust to, taking in the situation and not really wanting to bump heads with the organization here or get a bad rep if something was to happen. He was able to adjust and understand that, hey, I will recover faster than normal. He kind of opened up and let me do a lot of things that I’m sure most guys wouldn’t allow.”

(on at what point he realized he would be alright and be himself after his injury) “To be honest with you, I had in my mind from the moment I got out of surgery that I was going to be back, that I was going to be good and be healthy. It was really all about just going through the process. That’s pretty much it. I know that might sound crazy to you guys, but that was my mindset. Throughout that process there were times where I was kind of down and feeling bad, but ultimately, 98 percent of the time my mind was still stuck on what I told myself. That pushed me to continue to work hard. That’s why I pushed to get back.”

(on if he thought he could have this kind of season) “Yeah, I definitely envisioned myself having this type of season. People were asking me, just through the rehab and recovery, a lot of people doubted me; a lot of people said this or that. Just me hearing that, my response to people was, ‘Hey I’m going to come back and I’m going to be better than I was before. I want to help my team win a championship. I want lead my team to win a championship.’ So I came back, like I said, I’m better than I was before. We’re in position to control our own destiny right now and to continue that push to the ultimate goal, so I can’t complain. Things are working out pretty good so far.”

(on if the team has surprised him this season) “No, not really, going into the offseason with a salty taste in our mouth, especially after the season we had, I’ve really seen guys grow up during the OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) and got to credit (Minnesota General Manager) Rick Spielman for bringing some young guys in in our draft class to help us improve. We’ve got a young team here, but just coming and going back and forth from Minneapolis to Houston and being around these guys once I was here, I was able to see the guys work out, work out with these guys and I’ve seen the focus and the attitude around the organization and the players. That transitioned over to training camp, still seeing the same passion and commitment. Guys were really in sync with what we wanted to do, with how we wanted to turn this program around from last year. I’m not surprised at all with what we have accomplished so far.”

(on when he moved to Houston) “I’ve been in Houston five years now, five (or) six years.”

(on where he lives in the Houston area) “I actually I haven’t got a house yet, but God willing I plan on getting a home there. I actually have a condo by the Galleria, in that area. My mom lives on the north side of Houston. I’ve got some family there, as well. I love Houston. I love Texas. You can have the country or you can have the city, and I love that. I love both. It’s a good spot for me.”

(on facing DE J.J. Watt this Sunday) “I don’t know how to describe this guy. He’s unbelievable to watch on tape. It’s like watching, how do they scheme this guy? What kind of schemes do they use? There’s no schemes; you line that guy up and he’s dominating who’s in front of him. Pretty much that’s what I see when I watch this guy play. He’s an amazing athlete, amazing player. I don’t really know him as a person, but just my vibe that I get from him that he probably seems like a good person. He’s definitely a football player. God created him to play this game. I’m just pumped. I love playing against the best. I can definitely say I will have the opportunity this weekend.”

(on comparing Texans DE J.J. Watt and Vikings DE Jared Allen) “They’re different guys. Jared’s more of a wing, quick guy with power too. J.J. is that relentless, just muscle, this force coming at you nonstop every play; a young guy so he’s got high energy and his engine is always rolling. I guess you can compare them a little bit, but not really. I feel like they’re two different players.”

(on if he thought things would change for him when WR Percy Harvin went down with an injury) “Yeah, I knew that defenses would definitely focus more on the run game without having Percy Harvin to worry about. That’ll ease your mind. It would if I was a defensive coordinator. We knew that defenses would definitely come in and try to focus on stopping the run, but we’re committed to doing what we do. That’s what we do here. Offensively, we’re committed as a group, so we’re going to continue to do that.

(on his impressions of RB Arian Foster and the relationship he has with him) “Yeah, we exchanged jerseys during the preseason. We stay in contact, I have his information, so we text each other every now and then. He texted me when they were going out to Chicago asking me, ‘Hey, what suit do you think I should wear, bro?’ I gave him a couple pointers and whatnot, but he’s a cool guy. I love the way he runs the ball. He’s smooth; that’s what I like about him. He’s a smooth runner, kind of glides through the hole. You can tell he’s out there giving it all he’s got every week. With that type of desire and that passion, you can’t help but like that.”

(on his pursuit of the single-season rushing record going hand-in-hand with team goals) “I’m more focused on the win. I’ve always told myself that awards don’t make me. It is good that I put myself in a position to be able to accomplish some awards, but ultimately it’s about ‘team.’ It’s about making the playoffs and we’re in a position to do that now. To say that, God willing, if I continue to play the way I’ve been playing, I’ll be able to continue what I told myself earlier and help lead my team to a championship. They kind of go hand-in-hand. If you rip off a 200, 300-yard game, you get a ‘W,’ you’re doing what you told yourself that you were going to do in the offseason.”

(on if he has had an opportunity to contact Eric Dickerson) “I know him, but I haven’t had the opportunity to reach out to him. But I’m sure here in the future, we will sit down and have a conversation or a talk over the phone. We will definitely connect, I’m sure.”

(on Memorial Herrmann Sports Medicine Institute physical therapist Russ Paine’s comment that his production this year is ridiculous) “It says a lot, but if you ask him, ‘How hard does this guy work when he was around you?’ That will pretty much sum it up. Because he’s seen how hard I grind and how I approached every exercise, every workout I did when I was in there building with him. He was just able to see that part, he wasn’t able to see what I did when I was out on the field in Houston with (trainer) James Cooper, which he knows James Cooper. I don’t know if he knows some of the stories or some of the stuff I was doing. I don’t know, I’m just blessed, man, that’s all I can say. God is good.”

(on other players who were in rehab with him watching him in disbelief) “Yeah, I was on a mission. I really wasn’t playing around. I was on a mission. It was something that was a process and I had to make those transitions from just only riding the stationary bike, to being able to jog on the treadmill, to starting to sprint on the treadmill, running a mile on level 10, level 11, nonstop. Those were some of the things I was doing. That’s probably why the guys were looking surprised, seeing me doing something like that. But I was just focused and in tune and trying in every way to push myself.”

(on what it would mean to surpass Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record) “It would mean a lot, it really would. Eric Dickerson was a guy that, to be honest with you, I loved his running style growing up and watching the highlights and seeing him run. In high school, I wore No. 29 because of Eric Dickerson and the only reason I got 28 is because they didn’t have 29. To surpass that milestone that has been there for 28 years, it’s a passion I had. I was always compared to Eric Dickerson being from Texas and his upright style of running or whatnot. It would mean a lot. He set a bar, something for running backs to chase and envision on breaking his record. It has inspired me to get there and break it. I appreciate him.”

(on him running so well when most offenses are pass-first) “There are so many different comparisons you can make on how the NFL is now to how it was in the 80s and the 60s and the 40s, but I don’t know. You have some backs, you hear about the (RB) Arian Fosters and the (RB) Chris Johnsons, you have guys like that; they’re going to get their carries even though it has evolved into a passing game. Guys like that will get their touches. I guess you can put me in that same category.”

(on if at some point you have to draw the line with the amount of RB carries) “No, not with me. I would rather tote the ball every snap. All day.”

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...practice/b80254f5-1994-48fd-a31b-369628c7a5e1

 

The Texans need to score 7 points to set the single-season franchise record for points scored.

Arian Foster's next TD will be the 50th of his career. He currently has 43 rushing TDs and 6 receiving TDs.

Arian Foster needs 16 rushing attempts to reach 1,000 for his career.

Andre Johnson needs one reception to reach 800 for his career.

Andre Johnson needs 140 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for the season and the third time in his career. He would become only the third player to have 1,500 receiving yards at least three times during a career.

---

Game Release

Flip Card

Injury Report (updated Thursday and Friday after practice)

Uniform: Blue jersey, white pants

TV Distribution Map (Texans game in green -- first Fox map)

Win Probability Graph (will be live shortly after kickoff)

Spoiler

<iframe width="500" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://live.advancednflstats.com/featureGraph.php?team=HST" name="game" ></iframe>

Go Texans!

 

Didn't know AD lived in Houston in the off-season...pretty cool...seems to really like being in Houston as well..wish him the best...but hopefully not this week..

if you can limit AD to about a 100 yards total with a TD or 2 i can live with that...as long as Ponder does not get time to throw...Expecting the Texans to give Ponder(who wife is the super hot Sam Steele) an early wedding present of 3 JJ sacks.

The team that is better disciplined this week will win the game...

Texans 33
Vikings 17

Go Texans and time to let people know that the road to the Superbowl has to come through Houston!!!!!!! Magic #: 1

 

It's kinda interesting that Watt credits Bradie James a lot for helping him readjust in games...I guess he really is like a coach out there. Too bad he plays like one tho.

 

Win next week, that gives our team 3 weeks to rest up basically. That would be HUGE. We can have guys like Andre, J-Jo etc. fresh for the Playoffs.

 

I'll be pulling for AD to have a good game (Boomer Sooner!), but I think the Texans win this one by at least 14 pts. Win here and Indy game doesn't mean anything to HOU.

 

JJ Watt is going to sink some long ships!

13-2, AFC goes through Houston.

Book it.

:grin:

 

Just a heads up for those not in the Houston area... evidently, not a single FOX affiliate in the entire state of Texas will be showing this game except for the one in Houston. The usual "secondary market" designations, which for the Texans are Bryan/College Station and Beaumont, only apply for road games. With the Texans at home, affiliates are free to do as they choose, and every one of them is picking the Cowboys. Pretty pathetic. So, if you aren't in town... prepare to stream or find a bar.

 

Cowboys are still the Kings of Texas. A string of Super Bowls might change that...

I'll be at a bar somewhere in Austin. Party.

 

I just don't understand the point of official "secondary markets" if they only apply for road games. Makes no sense that Beaumont/College Station would be required to show a road game, but not a sold-out home game. If you're going to make such a designation, at least be consistent with its application so fans can adapt accordingly. Bizarre rule.

 

I expect this game to have it's anxious moments, but in the end it will be much like the Colts game; an easy win.

Texans - 27
Vikings - 20

 

Definitely we should...memories of last leasons semi-funk at the end come to mind though.

 

Another easy Texans win.
28
13

 

Quotes from Thursday's practice:

Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Spoiler

(on the team’s health) “The only guy that didn’t practice today was (CB) Alan (Ball) once again. (OLB) Brooks (Reed) took a full load today at practice, so that’s an encouraging sign. All indications are he’ll be okay as long as he makes it through the week and should be ready to go, so that’s where we’re at physically.”

(on WR DeVier Posey’s progress) “He’s been coming all year long. I think over the course of the last month, I just think the lights kind of went on for DeVier. He doesn’t have to work so hard when we put in game plans and new stuff comes his way. He understands things, so his talents have really started to take over. He played some special teams, did some good things for (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (Marciano) and then he got sat down a couple weeks, too, just because of numbers. I just think he got real hungry. He’s earned an opportunity. We gave him a chance to make some plays and he's stepped up and done that and will continue to. It’s just nice to watch some of these young guys grow up as we get down the stretch here and move into January, because that’s what gives you a chance to get better.”

(on WR DeVier Posey) “Well DeVier has got the size. He’s got the speed. He’s got all those things that you look for when you’re talking about ones and twos in this league. We knew that. He had missed a year of football and it showed when he came to camp; especially early in the season, you could tell just the day-to-day grind of everything. He was having to catch back up again. All the skill is there. Usually when players gain a lot of confidence at the end of year one, it can lead to some really good things in year two. You look at what (DE) J.J. (Watt) did at the end of last year and how he’s played this year. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on him, but obviously he’s got the ability to be a good player.”

(on WR DeVier Posey’s big catch last Sunday) “He’s shown his teammates at practice that he’s ready to do that, so that’s an important part. They’ve seen it in practice. He really works (CB Johnathan Joseph) J-Jo over from a standpoint of scout team. He won’t let J-Jo rest on any given day, so he’s earned the respect of the guys. Then he goes out there and does it. As a coach, you’re always telling guys, 'If you do it out here in practice, you’ll probably do it in a game,' so it’s nice to see it carry over. I just think he’s got a lot of confidence right now.”

(on G Brandon Brooks’ play right now) “Just the same thing, I could go through the same thing. The more he plays, the more confidence he gets. We put him in some goal-line situations. He’s practicing now like a starter or a two, so from a rep standpoint he’s getting a ton of reps. I think you know what a lot of credit too probably to (G) Ben (Jones). They work side-by-side together. They’re good friends. They challenge each other. They study together and you can just see that Brandon has caught up from a standpoint mentally that he can go cut it loose every day. That’s the biggest challenge for those young guys. If he keeps coming, that’s going to make us better too.”

(on G Brandon Brooks’ power ) “He’s very athletic for a big, big man. He’s very athletic. We play a lot of people from that standpoint. You’re looking for people that are stout inside so you don’t get pushed around. You look at a couple situations in short yardage last week, he was a difference-maker in us staying on the field, so it’s encouraging.”

(on if DE J.J. Watt deserves to be an MVP candidate) “I don’t have enough time to talk about what he’s done this year. Obviously, there are a bunch of players that have had some great years, but I’m sitting here watching this one every week and his teammates. Some of the Monday conversations I’ve had with the team about, 'Okay, here’s what J.J. did this week,' it just seems like the legend grows. He’s just been getting better and better. He definitely should be in that conversation. We know what he’s done for our team and our defensive football team, not only at the end of last year, but all this year. The recognition, those things will come his way. He’s just a very humble kid working. I watched him practice today, watched him chase the ball down the field. That’s why he’s a great player. Every day is the same. Every day looks the same.”

(on WR Andre Johnson being motivated by skeptics heading into this season) “I could imagine and I think probably Andre, after what he went through when you’ve been playing ten years and physically what you go through and you’re struggling to go back and find that everyday stuff that you had, it’s tough. The thing about him, he always stayed focused on what he was doing. He continued to work. Andre has worked harder off the field this year than probably he’s ever worked. If you’re going to play 13-14 years, you have to do that. I think it’s a great lesson for him and a great lesson for other players to see a player playing as long as he’s played and probably playing at as high a level as he plays. It’s a credit to him all the way across the board.”

(on having WR Andre Johnson stay the course with the franchise) “First off, I don’t think he could go anywhere. He’s got one of those lifetime deals, doesn’t he? He’s been signing or redoing his deal like every two years. No, I made that comment because you’re right. In this day in age in football, it’s just guys get frustrated and with free agency and those things, it’s so easy to say, ‘I want to do something somewhere else.’ He was fighting the fight when I got here and that fight continued for a few years before we found some success. He’s been a rock around here. It’s well deserving for him to be in the position he’s in. He stands up and lets his teammates know what he can be accounted for. He’s holding up his end of the bargain so it’s fun to watch.”

(on how much home field advantage matters in the postseason) “Obviously it’s a nice thing to know that you play in front of your home crowd from a standpoint of noise and all the things that go with making it tough on the road. The fact that I’ve been in enough of them, I do know it still doesn’t matter where you play. It’s how you play that's the most important thing and I think our team knows that now. I think I beat that at them enough. They’ve learned through the course of growing up that regardless of what’s going on, if they play good football, they’re going to have a chance to win. Obviously, it’s the next goal for us. It’s the next step for us to take as a football team. I’ve said this, I think a couple in the last few weeks, our schedule year at the end of the season is very tough and against good football teams. I think that enables us to be as good as we can be.”

(on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson’s success since WR Percy Harvin went down) “The biggest thing is you can look at how everybody’s played them. Everybody’s got eight people, nine people in the box. If there’s somebody extra there, he makes them miss, runs over them, whatever. From that standpoint, it has been very impressive. I think (Vikings Offensive Coordinator) Billy Musgrave has done a really good job, scheme-wise, of making sure he’s getting the touches in the right places. The way they’re using him and they’re able to boot some and those types of things with the young quarterback, I think Billy has done a really good job with him.”

(on if Vikings Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave was one of the people that recommended QB Matt Schaub) “Sure was, him and (former Texans assistant coach) Alex (Gibbs). Billy was at Atlanta.”

Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips

Spoiler

(on RB Adrian Peterson’s season) “Adrian Peterson. He’s having an amazing year, obviously. Great talent. Good guy. He’s a Texas guy that stayed, a Texas guy, but a real talent. Everybody is amazed, and I think you have to be, that he came back from injury like that. I saw him in the Pro Bowl that one year where nobody could tackle him – he looks like that now again. You put on the game film from almost any week, but really the last six or seven weeks, and you take out each play he ran the ball and it looks like a highlight film rather than just a game film. It looks like you made up a highlight tape of some guy. That’s how good he is.”

(on RB Adrian Peterson possibly breaking RB Eric Dickerson’s rushing record) “Obviously, I think he’s got a good chance of it. Hopefully he doesn’t do it this week. I don’t know what he has to average, but his average is up there big right now. The most important thing for us is certainly try to slow him down. But also, like any big time player, whether it’s football or basketball, they may get their yards, but you need to win the game. That’s the most important thing for us.”

(on the Texans’ schedule down the season) “You’re playing a good football team that’s in the playoff hunt late in the year. We played the Colts last week who are right in there, and we play them again. We’ve had a tough schedule here right at the end of the year. I don’t think most people anticipated that, but we play as good of teams at the end of the year as we did earlier. It’s a big challenge for us.”

(on DE J.J. Watt being considered for MVP) “He is. Obviously, in my opinion, he is. And again, I’ve had Reggie White and Bruce Smith, two of the all-time Hall of Fame players, along with Elvin Bethea and some other guys I’ve had, they’re in the Hall of Fame. But he’s playing at that level. I don’t think they got the MVP of the league or anything, but they were certainly deserving of it, and I think he is too. And even more so than those guys, he’s knocked down more passes, he had more tackles for loss in the running game. Both of those guys were tremendous players and this guy is playing at that level.”

(on DE J.J. Watt getting freedom to freelance defensively, his talent) “Certain players, and those type of players, you give them a lot more freedom. Part of offense, defense or whatever and playing the game is decision-making. He makes a lot of the right decisions so many times that you say, 'Hey, whatever you feel on this play, you go do that and we’ll have somebody back you up or somebody else in case it isn’t the right thing,' because most of the time it is the right thing. That way he can penetrate, he can go make plays. That’s what we did with Bruce Smith. That’s what we did with Reggie White. We said, 'Hey, whatever you see, you go get.’ J.J. this last week made a play that I don’t think I’ve seen anybody make. He played what we call a five technique, where he’s playing outside the offensive tackle on his side. They ran a running play the other way and he tackled the guy in the backfield. I’ve never seen a guy make a play like that. I’ve had guys slant to make that play or whatever, but just to play outside of the tackle and see the ball and go over there and make the play. He’s a phenomenal player, he really is.”

(on what allows DE J.J. Watt to make that run stop) “He’s very instinctive. It’s decision-making. He sees what he thinks is a running play the other way and he’s quicker than everybody else to go get it. You want linebackers to be like that, but you don’t even find linebackers that can diagnose it that quick sometimes.”

(on great players getting freedom on defense) “Yeah, we actually changed Reggie White when I first got there. He was playing, we were playing a 4-3, but he was playing defensive tackle and they were double-teaming him all the time so we moved him out to end, and then he had all those sacks. He made some from inside, but he was more of a force from outside. Now, Bruce Smith was a defensive end in a 3-4 for us. It’s not that it hasn’t been done before; you just have to let a guy go, you have to give him more freedom. We don’t play the two-gap old 3-4 that some people play that they’re not going to get many plays or sacks. But anyway, that’s what we try to do with him. Like I said, once you get a great player, if it’s a cover guy, you let him cover more. You do what they do well, you let them do it. And if we have to cover for him, we will.”

(on what having OLB Brooks Reed back does for the offense) “Brooks Reed adds strength and power, tremendous tenacity, hard-nosed, all those things to our defense. He’s a force out on the field when he gets over the tight end. It’s good to get him back, or it looks like he’s going to be back.”

(on DE Jared Allen’s play for Minnesota) “Yeah, he’s a tremendous pass rusher – a tremendous player overall. We coached the Pro Bowl last year and he was in the Pro Bowl. I told him after the game that I thought he was terrible because nobody rushed in that game. They had some kind of pact or something. I said, ‘I thought you were a better player than that.’ I was only kidding him, because he is a great player. Certain players – I mean, he almost broke the (sack) record last year. He’s that kind of player. I know the offense will have their hands full with him.”

(on what it would mean if DE J.J. Watt breaks the sack record) “I think everybody here is pulling for him. Like I said, I’ve been lucky to be around a lot of great ones. Reggie White had 21 sacks, but he had them in 12 games. I’ve been around phenomenal players before, but it would certainly be a great accomplishment.”

OLB Connor Barwin

Spoiler

(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak saying statistics don’t always tell the story) “Well, I appreciate it obviously, but it’s like I said before. I’m not happy with having the stats that I have this year. I’d like to have more production. But it’s better than him saying he’s not happy as well. I appreciate him saying that and keeping some of you guys off of my back, but I’m still not happy with how I’ve produced this year.”

(on staying critical of his own production) “I think one of the reasons we have success in this locker room is guys are hardest on themselves more than the coaches are, more than the media is.”

(on if it has been difficult to reconcile not signing his contract last year) “Yeah, I still feel good about the way I’ve played generally. I still feel good that I’ll be back next year and we’ll get the whole contract thing worked out. But obviously I didn’t sign the contract before the season and I obviously didn’t think I’d have three sacks going into week 15. Looking back on it, things might have been done differently, but I’m still fine.”

(on what he sees when watching RB Adrian Peterson on tape) “He’s playing like an animal. He’ll be the best running back that we have faced all year. He’s hard to bring down. And when he gets in the open field, he is running by everybody. It’s a big challenge for us. I’m excited about it. And even one of the biggest things is not letting him get started, because once he gets started it’s hard to slow him down.”

(on what the keys are to not letting RB Adrian Peterson get started) “Well, as far as football goes it will be important for me, (OLB) Brooks (Reed) and (OLB) Whit (Whitney Mercilus) to set the edge. We can’t let (RB Adrian Peterson) bounce outside. If he gets outside, we need to keep him in the middle where the other 10 guys are. Because on the edge he’s running by people. So it’s important just for my position. And like I said, if he creases us and gets going. Instead of some running backs that we can catch them after 10 yards, if he gets a 10 yard go, he’s gone.”

(on what it means to have OLB Brooks Reed back on the field ) “It will be good. (OLB) Whit (OLB Whitney Mercilus) has done a good job in stepping in. I’m excited to go back and play WILL a little bit. It will help the rotation. But yeah, (OLB) Brooks (Reed) definitely helps. He’s one of the best at stopping the run.”

(on moving to either side of the line when OLB Brooks Reed comes back) “Yeah, well I’ve been doing that ever since Wade (Phillips) has been here. I can play the SAM or the WILL. That’s probably the reason I’ve got the snaps that I have got the last two years.”

G Brandon Brooks

Spoiler

(on his increased playing time) “I’m just trying to go out there every day and practice as hard as I can and take each rep as if it was a game rep. By doing that, I progress and brought it to the field. As far as how they use me I said it awhile ago during training camp, it doesn’t matter where they line me up I’m just trying to get on the field and go from there.”

(on finding out that he belongs) “Yeah, I figured out that I could do it just like anybody else and just trying to progress and get better.”

(on if the game has slowed down for him) “Yeah definitely slowed down, but the biggest thing is at the same time I know what I’m doing on plays now, so by me being able to know what I’m doing, it makes the game slow down because it’s not like you’re going to panic at the last second because you’ve already went through. You’re comfortable and it really does slow the game down.”

(on how cool it is to hear good things from his coaches) “I’m just trying to feed off it with the positive encouragement I want it to keep going. Whatever they ask from me on the field, I’m definitely going to do.”

WR Andre Johnson

Spoiler

(on what it means that WR DeVier Posey said he showed him how to get it done in this league) “I don’t know, I don’t look at it like that. I mean, I just go out and try to do things the best way I know how to do them and bring those guys along with me.”

(on helping young receivers) “I think as a veteran, I feel like that what you’re supposed to do. I think if you want your team to be successful, you have to bring the young guys along. I think sometimes some of us can be selfish and not do that. I want everybody on our team to be successful and you never know when you may have an injury or anything like that and the young guy might have to go out on the field and play for you. You want to make sure that you’re ready and also that he’s ready. I just try to stay out on top of them as much as I can.”

WR DeVier Posey

Spoiler

(on how much it has helped to watch WR Kevin Walter) “(WR) Kevin (Walter) does everything right. When you have a guy like that playing for so long, same with (WR) Andre (Johnson), they have to do something right with their game. They just work on their craft and they’re obsessed with their bodies and taking care of themselves. As a young guy coming out of college you really don’t know too much about that. So you have to take that in and grasp that concept of taking care of yourself. Those are a lot of things that I’ve picked up from those guys.”

(on if he got frustrated that he wasn’t getting to play as much earlier in the season) “No, I wouldn’t say frustrated. Of course the competitive side of me wants to play. But those are my good buddies, and I always want to see those guys play. And we’re going to be working together here soon. In our group, it’s always about everybody else, it’s not about yourself. We get each other open. I was happy.”

(on what his play against Indianapolis did for him) “It was just an opportunity – trying to take advantage of it. I think that was the first pass that (QB) Matt (Schaub) threw to me. The other one was from (QB) T.J. (Yates). I just wanted to build some rapport with him and show him that I’m not afraid to go get a ball for him. Just to hopefully build some more confidence in me from him.”

(on what his teammates said to him after his catch in traffic) “They say ‘big play.’ I mean, everybody congratulates everybody around here. We have a nice family environment.”

(on what went through his mind when he was out at Ohio State) “It was just a lot. How to work. I guess I knew I wasn’t supposed to be playing, but at the same time on one end I didn’t want to lose things in my game. I wanted to get better. I was trying to watch more NFL film and break down film as a coach would and understand things more conceptually. Like, why do we do things? Why are we running this route to pull this guy here that we’re going to make a play to? As far as physically, I was just trying to get stronger. Take the time to lift and do things and it kind of got me into a routine that carried over here. Because on Thursdays everybody would be done with games. On Saturday they would be out of the facility. I would always be around doing extra lifts, watching a film, and I sort of just picked up that routine as this year goes. So I’ve been trying to carry that through and it taught me a lot of mental toughness. I was in a situation where I couldn’t play and the only thing I could do, I couldn’t cry about it or complain or rant anything on Twitter. The biggest thing I had to do was be mentally tough and walk through it. Walking through campus, people were just looking at you. I think that kind of prepared me for this season here. Learning and not being able to play and just being mentally tough and continuing to work.”

OLB Brooks Reed

Spoiler

(on if he’s anxious to get back) “It’s pretty tough to watch. I can’t wait to get out there and get back into it. It’s a great time to come back and do that. We’re facing a great team. It’s going to be fun to try to contribute.”

(on how he approached his rehab) “I’ve been doing it every day, all day since it happened. I’ve come back a lot sooner than people predicted. That’s what I expected to come back quicker than expected and perform as good or if not better than how I was performing before I hurt myself.”

(on his tenacity at his position) “I feel like I’ve been kind of caged up a little bit and got to let out some frustration a little bit. I’m just real excited to come back out and get back on the field instead of watching on the sidelines or on the TV so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

(on returning to practice) “It felt really good. It’s all that camaraderie and being out there and going through practice, just really kind of testing it out instead of just running out there by yourself testing it. You’re out there pushing guys, but it felt good. Everything feels really good and I’m ready to go.”

(on facing Vikings RB Adrian Peterson) “We all look forward to it. It is a challenge for us, but this is our chance to show that we have a good run defense.”

(on if he has any limitations right now with his groin) “No, I’m ready to go. I just don’t see myself re-hurting it. I think it’s even better than it was before I hurt it. It’s good to go.”

DE Antonio Smith

Spoiler

(on what it would mean to have home field advantage in the playoffs) “It would mean that we’re bringing the playoffs here to Houston, man. That’s what everybody wants. Everybody is looking for the best road to the Super Bowl and that’s the best road. You only got to play two games before you’re in it and you get a week off to rest up everybody who’ve been hurting. We took some injuries over these last few weeks so we need as much time to get them healed as possible. I think it means just as much as a division championship right now because that’s what is next. It’s a big stepping stone for us to reach our goal.”

(on how big it would be to have the home crowd in the playoffs) “Remember how it was last year for that playoff game and to have that throughout the playoffs, it’s going to be amazing. That stadium is electrifying especially in the playoff games. I think in that game we got a couple false start penalties because of how loud our crowd was. It always makes you play better. It makes you feel better. Home is just home. We’ve got to protect it and people of Houston will be happy to have the playoffs here where they don’t have to travel somewhere where it’s cold to watch us play a game.”

(on the offensive linemen and their Segways) “It makes me feel like a proud father because I started the Segway movement back when all of them were scared to be different. I’m proud of them. They’re stepping out on their own, taking some initiative, getting them some Segways. I’ve got to tell you, them Segways will bite you so you better learn how to ride them before you get to trying to be comfortable on the thing.”

(on if Reliant Stadium is the loudest in the league) “I think so. Out of any stadium I’ve played in, you know before last year’s playoff game and most of all of this year the loudest stadium I’ve played in was Seattle. There is some way that they got that stadium built. It’s like the sound is over you, around, it’s kind of hard to hear. Our stadium, it’s competing with it. It’s right up there with some of the best.”

(on if he sees opposing offenses hesitate in a loud stadium) “When you’ve got a loud stadium, it gives you an obvious advantage because a team has to totally disregard their snap count and go on some type of silent cadence and most of the time when they do, it’s always the same. They might change it up here or there to catch you offsides, but for the most part it’s always the same. That’s when you see a lot of teams that have those home crowds like that and get a lot of sacks, a lot of false start penalties, it’s all because the crowd is loud and the offense can’t really function that well.”

(on if he’d vote for DE J.J. Watt as MVP) “Yep. He is the most valuable player, not just because we’re friends, because he’s the most valuable player."

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...practice/d550d3f9-8069-4a73-8369-ef6f61f4981b

 

I am no Dallas fan, but they are fighting for their playoff lives in a hotly contested division while the Texans have the playoffs clinched and are only playing for home field. I can understand the affiliates choosing the Cowgirl game.

 

It's not just the cowboys aspect. I'm sure their are many saints fans in Beaumont.

 

I disagree that playing for homefield is less important. But even if that were the case, why have secondary markets at all, if you're going to come up with all these supposedly special conditions? The entire point of establishing team markets is to form loyalty between a region and the team. That comes from consistency and the region's fans knowing they can watch that team each and every Sunday. If you want to make it "situational" - i.e. whatever game is arguably bigger - then don't designate the area and just play it by ear. But to call a certain city in Houston's market and then flip flop because the (sold out) game happens to be in Houston is just illogical. Either it is or it isn't.

 

I live in Beaumont and can attest that there really is a pretty decent 3-way split of Texans/Cowboys/Saints fans that make up the area but......I WANNA WATCH MY TEXANS!!!!!!!!!!!! This ticks me off!!!!!!!

 

sucks for people who live out of the Houston area. The only other thing I can suggest is calling your local FOX affiliate.