Here are the highlights for the game. The punt return is somewhere in there. http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/0ap2000000056918/Vikings-vs-Texans-highlights
Was it me, or did Posey look like...gasp...Andre on that play? I know it was against second or third stringers... Trindon is the man. He's gotta make the team. He was jogging from thirty yards out. If they ever move the kickoff spot back to where it should be, look out for this guy. I don't think he'll get punted to all year.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/reliant-stadium-fan-fall-texans-escalator_n_1845385.html Did anybody catch this? I was there, they shut down the ramp/escalators after the game.. and everyone there was claiming that he jumped and committed suicide.. just ridiculous.
Quotes from the game: HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK (Transcribed by Kara Cook) Spoiler (on what happened with T Rashad Butler) “Well, he tore his other tricep. He’s finished; he’s out for the year. Unfortunate, tough, tough deal.” (on if T Andrew Gardner is good enough to take his place) “Well, he’s played; he’s done some good stuff. Had a good camp for us. He’s played some football in this league and obviously he moves up the ladder right there. It’s a blow because (T Rashad) Butler had been in that battle with (T Derek) Newton and that guy just seems like it’s one thing after another. Just got to find a way to work through it.” (on if it was T Rashad Butler’s other tricep from last year) “That’s what they told me. They said he tore the other tricep; that’s the way it was described to me.” (on any other injuries) “We’ve got some nicks, but other than that we’re okay. We got a few guys banged up, but I think we’re okay.” (on what he thought of QB John Beck’s first half) “I was very impressed. I’ve been impressed with how he’s played in the preseason. He played well against Carolina. He went out there tonight and played well. Could have had two touchdown passes, the other play with (WR) Lestar (Jean); we’ve got to make that play. And the play he made on the touchdown to (WR DeVier) Posey, just a great play by him off of a blitz. I’ve been impressed. He’s a guy who went in to tonight battling for a job and he knew that. He stepped to the plate and did a hell of a job.” (on WR Trindon Holliday’s performance) “Keeps doing it. That’s a loaded question.” (on QB Case Keenum’s performance) “You know, I thought we didn’t protect him maybe as well as we protected (QB) John (Beck). He got sacked a couple times. His first play out to start the half, I thought he made a great play, just missed a throw. But he continues to show us some good stuff. He’s just a young player making a conversion from the gun to under center, but he makes good decisions, he’s got a good arm, and I think he’s got a future in this league. But we got to look at our big picture and see where we’re at. And I’ve been pleased; I think he’s come a long way. He’s making it very hard on me, and that’s a good thing.” (on if WR Trindon Holliday has made the team) “You’re asking me to say that now? Nobody has it made, we’re not finished yet. He’s made a heck of a case for himself.” (on if he’s ever been around a returner like Trindon Holliday that’s made three touchdowns in four games) “No, I don’t think I have. I’ll tell you this, the thing about him is for a little guy, he’s violent downhill. When he runs the ball, he’s fearless. It’s been so impressive. I told him in front of the team last night it was a big night for him. He had to continue to do it; he had to protect the ball. Then he steps up there and does it again. There were some guys that were challenged last night in the meeting if they wanted to be on this team and some guys rose to the occasion.” (on WR DeVier Posey’s first catch) “Yeah, first off, that was a great play by the quarterback. We got a blitz that we can’t account for and (QB) John (Beck) got him the ball to him really quick. He’s a big-body guy and he knocked off the safety and the corner at the same time, and it showed his speed. Had a chance to make a nice play there at the end. He’s got to put the ball away so we got a couple young receivers that got to protect the ball, but we’re going to be built different there. We got a chance to be excellent; we’re not there yet by any means at wide receiver. We’re going to be young, and we got to trust those guys to move forward step up and be big for us.” (on if anything didn’t happen in the game that he wanted to see happen) “Well, I’ll tell you what, first off, (RB Justin) Forsett, I don’t know if I’m answering the question right, I was very impressed with him and how he played. He’s had a great camp for us. Defensively, (DE Jared) Crick showed up to me a few times, just watching the defensive front. I thought (ILB Tim) Dobbins continued to have a good camp. There were a lot of plays for a fourth preseason game. Boy, there are a lot of snaps, we were out there for a while. There’s plenty to evaluate from that standpoint.” (on if he’s happy the team’s 3-1 in the preseason) “Well, I feel good about it. The biggest reason, I just told the guys what you saw at the end of the game, that was a lot like our training camp. That was our young guys out there playing but it was important to them. Our camp was very competitive, very challenging, probably as good as I’ve been around. I told those young guys I’ve got some tough work to do in the morning. But this team’s ready to start the season because of their efforts throughout the course of the last six weeks, so I was very proud of them.” (on what he looks for in a swing tackle) “Well, first off they got to be pretty sharp. When you got to take a game plan and build a play right or left on any notice, that’s very difficult. You are looking for guys with experience, you’re not going to get a whole lot of practice time from that standpoint but you got to be able to go in there and perform if you’re called upon. It’s tough duty, and those guys aren’t out there just walking around on the curb; they’re tough to find.” (on how bad he feels for T Rashad Butler) “It’s tough. He comes back from the other injury, he battles, does a heck of a job. We obviously had a ton of confidence in him, giving him a chance to be our starter. That was very, very close, we go with (T Derek) Newton, he handled himself like a big-time pro with me and the team all week. He looked like to me was playing well, and then that happens. You’re hurt for guys in this business that work their tail off, they get years taken away from them like that because they’re hard to come by.” (on if any of the competing corners made a name for themselves) “Well, we’ll get to see because they threw it a bunch. I don’t have it in front of me, but boy, it seemed like they threw it every down there for a while. I saw (CB Brandon) Harris make some plays, I thought I saw (CB) Roc (Carmichael) make a few plays, (SS) Eddie Pleasant made a great play on the backend with the interception. So, we knew we had some very difficult cuts at corner and safety coming, regardless of what would have happened tonight. That’s going to be a very difficult task for me in the morning.” (on what SS Eddie Pleasant’s done to impress him) “Special teams, he’s explosive, he’s a physical player. He’s a guy who can play in the middle field and play down in the box. It’s hard to find those types of guys. He’s done a lot of good things; he’s made a big push to be on this team.” (on what will be the toughest cuts) “Hell, they’re all going to be tough. I think the two places I just talked about are very, very difficult going forward, how we settle down right there. We got some other issues going on with the team. Obviously, with the tackle position right now that we did not have going into the game. You always think you got a pretty good grasp of what’s fixing to happen, then it changes pretty quickly, so we’ll have to start again tomorrow morning in a few areas.” QUARTERBACK JOHN BECK (Transcribed by Jesus Acevedo) Spoiler (on how he approached the game) “I didn’t even think about that stuff and it’s hard not to because obviously you want to know what’s going on but there’s no way to know. I just tried to focus on the football side of it and just go out there and play the best game I can and whatever happens, happens.” (on the game) “I was happy we were able to score points. Before the game I told my quarterback coach (Karl Dorrell), ‘Hey I just want to go down and score some points tonight.’ That’s the main thing in football, score, and it was good to start the first drive of the game scoring points. We went down there another time and got stuffed on fourth down but then went again with (WR) DeVier (Posey) one big play that was awesome for us. It felt good to get some drives going and put points on the board.” DEFENSIVE END JARED CRICK (Transcribed by T.D. Durham) Spoiler (on his night as a whole) “I thought I did some good things. I have a lot of things I have to work on. The goal for tonight was to go out there and have fun and play as hard as you can. There are a lot of us who aren’t going to be here come tomorrow afternoon. We just went out there tonight with the attitude that it might be our last go-around and we have to make the most of it, and I think we did that.” (on what he showed the coaches tonight) “You’d have to ask (Head Coach Gary) Kubiak and Coach (Bill) Kollar. I just went out there and I just tried to play as hard as I could just to show I can bring effort and try and make plays for this team.” RUNNING BACK JUSTIN FORSETT (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on what his mind set was coming into the game) “It’s been a while since I’ve played the whole game in the fourth preseason game, since my rookie year. It’s a different situation. I just want to come out and show that I can still play and contribute to the offense and special teams.” (on how he has bounced back from his situation in Seattle) “I’ve just been showing my versatility. I’m 26 years old so I’m still in my prime, and I can still go. I still have a lot of energy and passion for the game. I just want to be used.” (on his role as the team’s third running back) “It’s the versatility. We have great backs here and I’m excited to see what we can do. Hopefully we can put something together where we can all get in and shock the league. My thing is to find my role. That may be special teams or helping out on offense from time to time. That’s what I’m here for.” (on if he was able to solidify his roster spot) “I hope so. This league is very tricky. I’ve seen a lot of things in my five years. Anything can happen.” TACKLE ANDREW GARDNER (Transcribed by T.D. Durham) Spoiler (on Rashad Butler going down and possibly being the swing man on the offensive line) “I mean, I think that’s how everybody has to prepare; you have to be ready. You have to be ready to play whenever they need you. That’s the way I prepared myself last year even though I wasn’t the swing guy and that’s the way I prepared all preseason. If that’s what they need me to do, then I’m ready to go.” (on the difficulty of playing on both sides of the line) “You know I guess you don’t just get to focus on your technique on one side of the line. It’s all basically the same, but some plays are only run to the right or only run to the left – so you have to know both. Come game time, you have to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. You just have to be ready to go.” (on which side of the line he is more comfortable at) “It really doesn’t matter. At this point in my career I’ve played everything but center, and if they need that I’ll try to do that too.” WIDE RECEIVER TRINDON HOLLIDAY (Transcribed by Greg Dillard) Spoiler (on his plan this preseason) “The plan was just to come out and just make plays and show the team that I can be a special guy.” (on if he feels like he cemented the returner position tonight) “I wouldn’t say I cemented it. I’m just going to wait it out and see what happens.” (on if he could have done more this preseason) “I mean I could probably have played a little more receiver, but I just tried to come out on special teams and try to make big plays.” (on what has been the big secret for him this preseason) “It hasn’t been a secret you know. It’s just being smart about everything and just coming out and working hard.” (on if he can translate his preseason performances to the regular season) “I think I can consistently do it. The guys did a good job of blocking for me and I just found a seam and just hit it.” (on what it meant to him to be rested in the fourth quarter) “It meant something that I showed the coaches that I can do a little something so they gave me a little break. I still wanted to go out there, but (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (Marciano) told me that was good enough.” QUARTERBACK CASE KEENUM (Transcribed by Jesus Acevedo) Spoiler (on the game) “I think we got a good rhythm, moved the ball a little bit and scored some points. Obviously we didn’t convert on a lot of third downs but overall it was okay.” (on getting sacked) “I take full responsibility and looking at the pictures I should have probably gone to the other side…they rolled coverage and did a good job disguising it, but I take responsibility for that sack.” (on how he feels physically) “I took a couple of shots tonight. I know I’ll be really sore tomorrow so we’ll see how I feel but I still got a lot of adrenaline going right now so we’ll see.” (on training camp) “It’s hard to look back at that stuff. I don’t think my job is done. I have a long way to go and get better in this league. I know I can go and be very successful in this league and my goal is to just make a team and contribute and win ball games. That’s what I want to do.” LINEBACKER WHITNEY MERCILUS (Transcribed by T.D. Durham) Spoiler (on getting into the flow of the game, getting his first start and hitting the left tackle to the ground on one play) “As soon as you get a chance to get that start, it’s like getting the jitters out on the first series and after that you get the flow and the tendencies and get used to what the offense is running. I came up there, got a sack and as you said, got under the tackle and kept on coming after them. It was like two minutes left and I just took off and tried to get a sack but the quarterback released it unfortunately.” (on the things he needs to work on before Week 1 against the Dolphins) “I have to improve on pass rush and the technique my coach wants me to use. Other things to improve on are especially in the run game. On toss cracks, flip one, the motions of the receivers, I have to see that guy on the outside.” (on his training camp as a whole) “It wasn’t too bad actually. I showed the coached I can play, playing with the ones. With the pass rush, one-on-one situations and things like that. There are a whole bunch of things I need to improve on, coming into the league as a rookie. All these guys have experience and this is me building up my experience, just being repetitive in what I do.” WIDE RECEIVER DEVIER POSEY (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on his play tonight) “You only have so many opportunities, and when time is running out you have got to make the most of them.” (on his thoughts about his touchdown play) “It was a Z-drift – just get in the hole. (QB John) Beck put it right on the money. I knew a guy was right on my inside trying to get me. I tried to bounce off and open up the stride and see how far I get.” (on his first catch being a touchdown) “It felt good man. It was good to get a little confidence going and show the vets that I can make plays. That was the biggest thing for me. Being drafted in the third round, it was good to show that I can help this team. I want to be a part of this team and contribute. I work hard every day and I just want to be a Texan.” (on if he now has more confidence going into the regular season) “It takes some of the weight off my shoulders. You always have confidence in your game. Everybody who comes in and throws his bag in his locker has confidence in his game. That’s why we work hard at it. I want to show that I can help. I want to help these vets out. I just want to be a part of this. This is a great group of guys. I love coming into work every day. I have a locker next to (WR) Andre Johnson – just working hard so I can help those guys out.” (on transitioning practice play to in-game play) “I think I am starting to get more professional at this game. To see (WR) Andre (Johnson) every day and (WR) Kevin Walter, the biggest thing is consistency. Being able to do it on the practice field every single rep and bring it to the game. That is what the coaches are looking for. I think that is key to being a great player in the NFL. I’m a rookie, but I think I’m starting to understand that it is consistency and translating that to the game.” (on fumbling) “I mean you don’t want to be 50/50. You don’t want to make a good play and then a bad play. (Head Coach Gary) Kubiak got on me, and he gave me a handshake when I made a big play. He scolded me on the last play (fumble). I just want to make sure that I have that consistency. I need to work on that.” DEFENSIVE END ANTONIO SMITH (Transcribed by Jesus Acevedo) Spoiler (on players being cut) “It’s never easy. You build relationships, friendships with people, and you hope the best for them and you hope they’re with you. Once you get comfortable with them, you hope they stay, but the nature of the game is you can’t keep but 53, so it’s always a sad time of the year.” (on looking forward to week one) “I’m ready. Finally got a couple of days rest, because you know ninjas need rest every now and then. We’re going to be ready to go come next game against Miami.” (on season opener) “It’s always fun to play your first home game. It’s electrifying and your fans are into it. It’s a good way to kick off the season off and it’s just a plus that we have a rookie quarterback. He’s going to be looking to come in here and show himself for his first time out in the NFL, and we’re going to be looking to attack him. It’s the nature of the game.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...-Vikings/0b4f1d45-6bbf-476e-a4c9-d3cdfae4e9e4
I've been pretty impressed with how Brandon Harris has looked this preseason. Roc Carmichael hasn't done much of anything so it is good to see Harris at least living up to a bit of his draft potential.
Just seen the highlights. Posey's TD catch was impressive. Trindon's too. It'll be hard for the Texans to justify cutting him if they do.
Trindon Holliday made this team during the first preseason game. If you didn't know that then you don't know football.
He had an impressive first game but he was back on the fence after the saints game where he fumbled. There was no way he was a lock based on the first game alone. He had to have a great, not good, but great preseason to make the team and other than that one fumble he's been great.
If he were a lock, he wouldn't have been playin'. As soon as he scored that TD, they pulled him out and stuck Forsett in to return. That right there tells me that he wasn't a lock going in.
exactly. In a quote i read it mentioned that Gary told him he had to show something...well he sure did
I like Holliday's explosiveness but his hands make me nervous. Seems like he's fumbling/bumbling 50% of his catches.
