http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-med...at-Bills/b28bbae9-130d-4f26-a9ef-890652788340 Antonio Smith's comments on Arian Foster made me literally lol
can't tell if you're joking or not. As for the game. Looked ugly at times but they finally put it together. Mercilus has really come on big. I like how they have worked him in slowly. It was also good to see AJ get consistent touches. McCain played a heck of a game. Yet another week of not hearing KJs name...and that's a good thing.
Another good win. I'll take a W any way we can get it. That's seven wins in the conference. Always an important factor when it comes to tiebreakers, although we are playing most of the teams we're fighting the number one seed for (i.e. bal, den and ne), so head-to-head is more important. I liked how Newton played against Mario. Yeah, he gave up that one sack, but that's OK. I usually watch the ball during a play, so I don't see the men in the trenches. However, a couple of plays I watched Newton and Mario go at it and it seemed like Mario was playing patty cakes with him. There was no effort whatsoever. Once Mario got his one sack, him seemed to shut it down. The talk this week should be about this week's game of the century between us and the Bears. Of course, the stupid idiots at ESPN will probably only talk about the cowgirls and eagles and if the loser of that game is out of the playoff race.
Quotes from after the game: HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK (Transcribed by Tiffani Walker) Spoiler (on changes he made at halftime) “We moved the heck out of the ball. I think at that time we were averaging over seven yards a play. So that’s what you’re looking for. But when you have as many penalties, first and twenties as we did, you’re just killing yourself. Other than telling them the truth, no, I didn’t do a whole heck of a lot. Just told them to get rid of the penalties, we were moving the ball and let’s go back out and play better.” (on how he felt about the offensive play from the first to the second half) “We played cleaner as a team in the second half. Defensively, I thought we played very good in the second half. Offensively, we did away with the things that were hurting us, except for, I think, the second drive. I knew they would come in here and play well. They had two weeks off and they have a ton of talent, they were fresh, so we knew we had a battle on our hands. We did a lot of things that are not good enough for us to win consistently, but yet we found a way to survive. So, I’ve got a lot of things I have to fix.” (on what he told the team after the game) “Just what I’m telling you: you’ve got to survive in this league and find a way to win. It wasn’t always pretty. We did a lot of things as a team, but it wasn’t very smart. So me as a coach have got to look at things, we as coaches we’ve got to look at things. But we found a way to get it done. And it’s about winning. I told them to feel good about winning, but let’s come in tomorrow and try and fix some of that stuff.” (on the special teams play, specifically, return and coverage teams) “We played better from that standpoint. Obviously, the last punt of the game, we were trying to punt a ball out of bounds and you serve it up right down the middle of the field. That can’t happen. But for the most part we did cover better. We tried to execute our plan with (P Shayne) Graham and keeping the ball out of the returner’s hands. I told you all week that we felt like those guys could beat you by themselves, so we were really conscious of not letting them beat us.” (on coming off the bye week back and the start and flow of this game) “That’s the first thing you think of when you start the way we did. But they had a bye week too, so they were playing pretty darn good. But ultimately the thing we did is we didn’t turn the ball over again as a team and that’s why we win, in my opinion, or we continue to have a good opportunity to win. We just hurt ourselves all day long in having to overcome so many things. So it takes a little zing out of it.” (on having the defense helping out the slow-starting offense) “We were really out of whack at halftime. I felt good about us throwing the ball and what they were doing to us, but we were heavy out of whack, we were heavy pass, and that was because of all the first-and-twenties. I told the coaches at halftime, regardless, we are going to get back to 50/50. We’re going to run the ball and give ourselves a chance to play defense and we did that. And 80 (WR Andre Johnson) stepped up and made some big, big plays for us today. But we got back to balance and I think that was the key to us winning.” (on the Texans defensive performance) “They have so many weapons and they sit there and spread the field on every play. They give you a chance to make plays, but you have to make tackle and there are so many things you have to deal with. All those jailbreak screens, and all those things that they do are very, very tough to deal with. But we eliminated the big play and ended up getting the big turnover there. Like I said, they (defense) led the way in the second half, and offensively we cleaned up our act.” (on OLB Whitney Mercilus) “He’s going to have to be huge in the second half. One thing I would say about him is he’s one of those guys that when he gets on the field everything moves up a notch from the practice field, so he has shown that. Obviously he played a lot more today and he makes big plays. That is encouraging for us moving forward.” (on going for it on 4th down to WR Andre Johnson and not kicking the field goal) “I’ll tell you why I did it. We had a field goal blocked and that concerned me. If we make the field goal, we’re going to have to kick off to two great returners. I didn’t think their offense could go the distance on us. But, it would have put us up by 15, so it puts you up by a good two scores. It was a hard one. I’m talking to the coaches trying to decide and we just felt like they could not go the distance on our defense. But if they block a field goal and the returners are a difference in the game, we’re giving them a chance to beat us. Let’s say I was a little nervous for four minutes, but that’s why I did it.” (on having the faith he has in this defense and if he’s felt that way about other defenses he’s coached) “I feel good about this one. To sit there as a coach and know that, hey you try and go that far against our defense as compared to me kicking it to one of your returners, that tells you what I think of them. That’s putting them in a tough position, but they are a big strength of our football team and what we’re doing, and I have to make sure I play to them in certain situations. And they have always upheld their end of the bargain.” (on RB Arian Foster’s play and more short-yardage plays without RB Ben Tate) “Arian wasn’t feeling well. Not feeling well last night, and not feeling well this morning. That concerned me going into the game. I think at halftime he had like nine carries for 60 yards. He was averaging six yards a carry, plus. But we are trying to be conscious of not wearing him out because I think he really sucked it up for the team today. And he played well. And then (RB) Justin (Forsett) comes in and gets five or six carries. But, like I said, the key was probably us getting back to balance in the second half.” (on how impressive RB Arian Foster played while sick) “You see that a lot with players, guys get sick and don’t feel good and sometimes they play some of their best football. He told me this morning, he said, ‘hey, I’m fine.’ He came in here really early to get him some fluids. But I think he really had to push himself. We had a few guys sick this week, battling some stuff, but we were able to work through it.” (on the time of possession being the same and limiting the Bills to 9 points) “I think they’re averaging almost 25 a game as a team. With the weapons they have, and the screens, and all those things they do to get the ball in the hands of those playmakers and what they can do scares the heck out of you. I thought we played excellent defensively. We gave up some plays in the first half, but we come back in the second and play tremendous and hold them to a field goal.” (on the plan for Bills DE Mario Williams and how well it went) “I have to look at the film, but it looked like Mario played pretty darn good. He’s a hell of a player. That is a big battle for (T Derek) Newton being a young guy. We tried to do a lot of things to offset his side of the field. He did leave the field some on us, coming out of the game, so we were trying, but there were certain times that we couldn’t help Derek, and Mario made some plays. I told Derek going into the game, ‘he’s going to make some plays. He’s a great player, he’s going to make some, but just keep battling,’ and I think Derek did that throughout the course of the day.” (on WR Andre Johnson coming on in the last few weeks) “I think the last three weeks he has really, really played well and he’s running well. We are trying some approaches throughout the practice week and some of those approaches make me a little nervous as a coach, you know with the players and don’t do this on Wednesday and don’t do that, because you’re trying to get your group going. But he has shown that this approach has helped him, so we will stay with it. He has played extremely well the last few weeks.” (on WR Andre Johnson’s reps during the practice week) “A lot less reps, and just doing everything we can. We’ve got him on this certain maintenance program that he’s been holding onto and I just think it shows when he’s playing on Sunday right now.” (on how he feels being 7-1 midway through the season) “It feels good. Like I said, I’m sitting here disappointed in some things that happened with the team today that could have made me feel a lot better. But, it’s been a good first half and we’re going to have to be a good road team in the second half of the season. I think five of our eight are on the road, so we’ll get tested big time against a big, physical 7-1 team in Chicago. They won big today.” DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR WADE PHILLIPS (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on coming out strong after the bye week) “We knew it was going to be tough. The first half we had to make some adjustments. They move the ball and score 24 points a game, so we knew they had a good offense. I thought our guys really played well in the red zone. We gave up one run in the first half that was their first run over 20 yards this season. That was my fault. I didn’t think they would run with 22 seconds left, but they did. The guy made a big play. You have to be pleased overall.” (on going with a base defense instead of spreading out against Buffalo) “Yeah, we knew they were going to spread out. We wanted to give them a different look that they hadn’t seen. We didn’t want to let them run the football. They are averaging 150 yards a game rushing and 24 points a game. We felt like if you let those backs get the ball and get going with it, they tried to run a lot of screens to get them the ball, but we had to stop the running game and I thought we did that.” (on how it feels to not surrender a touchdown) “Those are big plays in the red zone that can change the course of the game. We get 21 and they get nine (points). Both teams were down there three times.” (on what it means to get the type of outside pressure that they did today) “We had a lot of hits on the quarterback. I’m sure he is going to be sore. I thought we put the pressure on the guy. I thought he played really tough, but we finally wore him down the second half. He is a really good quarterback.” FULLBACK JAMES CASEY (Transcribed by Matt May) Spoiler (on his mindset after starting the first half of the season 7-1) “It’s unbelievable just to be a part of this right now. With what we did last year and making it to the playoffs for the first time and now we’re off to a great start this year. We have a lot of work to do; we’re only half way through the season. We all feel like we have something special going for us right now and we want to take advantage of it. But we also have a huge task ahead of us going into Chicago. ” (on the Texans’ focus for each week and the types of characters the team has in the locker room) “We’re a business-like team; we don’t have too many crazy characters although we have a couple of them. We understand we’re a good football team but we still make mistakes so it’s up to us to go back in there and fix things up and hopefully be well prepared for our next opponent.” TIGHT END OWEN DANIELS (Transcribed by Joshua Moon) Spoiler (on his touchdown) “It was a keeper that we use. I leaked out the backside and was able to get out there with no one following me. (QB) Matt (Schaub) made a good throw.” (on if he was surprised on how open he was during his touchdown catch) “I was. I’ve run that in past years, but it has never quite worked out for me. It’s worked for other people. It was good to get that going. We needed a touchdown at that time.” (on his five touchdowns so far this year) “Five is the high mark that I’ve had. It feels good. It feels good to contribute to this team. It’s good to be 7-1.” (on what’s clicking for the offense) “I don’t think we played that great today. It takes everyone. You can go across the board and see what we’ve got. Everything works together.” (on how the team played today) “We had a lot of penalties. I think when we ran it, we ran decent at times. Starting first and 20 is hard to come back from. You’ve got to gain those yards back again. That’s tough. We stopped ourselves in a lot of different situations. I think that and the third downs were not that great. We have another game coming up that is really important, so we have a chance to do a lot better.” RUNNING BACK ARIAN FOSTER (Transcribed by Rachel Jacob) Spoiler (on being sick) “Yeah I don’t know what I have; it’s a little flu or something like that. A little vomiting and things before the game and last night, but I’m okay.” (on if he was feeling sick during the game) “I think during the game adrenaline takes over, but you obviously feel fatigued and your stomach hurts, or my stomach hurts.” (on if he was worried he wouldn’t be able to play or that it might affect how he would play) “Unless I can’t run, I am going to run” (on RB Ben Tate being out and taking the load for short yardage) “That is kind of how it always is. The running back coach lets me go as I go and short yardage doesn’t really matter. Because Tate is obviously a capable back in short yardage but it is based off a play system and keeping me fresh.” (on how he feels physically after running over 100 yards) “I feel good actually after a game like that, surprisingly. Obviously I am still a little woozy from the game, from being fatigued and sick and everything. It’s part of it, you have to get tough yards sometimes.” (on how it feels being 7-1) “Good, about being 7-1. It’s better than 6-2.” (on what he has to improve upon before the game against the Chicago Bears) “I think as an offense we kind of killed ourselves with penalties in the first half. You can’t start out first and 15, first and 20. You can’t do that to yourself, especially against a team like Chicago with their defense. You aren’t going to make that too many times. If we just eliminate our mistakes as an offense and getting penalties, I think we will be able to do what we can.” (on the game against Chicago being a primetime game) “It is always a good thing when it’s a primetime game, because if you play a noon game, nobody wants to see, so it’s a little better. But at the end of the day when the ball is kicked off and the whistle is blowing, you don’t think about it being a primetime game, you just think about it being a game.” (on if Buffalo’s run defense was the same or different than what was seen on film) “I think they were a little more aggressive than what they showed on film. Naturally you are going to get some things when a team comes off of a bye week because they always do self-evaluations, that is with every team. But I think they were a little more aggressive. In the first half we did what we need to on the ground and in the second half we made adjustments and they were a little more disciplined in what they were doing.” (on what he learned in his self-evaluation during the bye week) “It’s hard to evaluate yourself. I could be better, let me put it like that, I could be better on a couple of things.” (on what he could be better at, in reference to his previous answer) “Getting more yards and scoring more touchdowns.” (on how much the offense feeds off of the defense) “All the time. We feel obligated to keep them off of the field and they work so hard doing their job that we have to reward them because they are a great defense. It is fun to watch them fly around. I think big plays on both sides of the ball is inspiring to see and makes you want to do better for your team.” (on running against Buffalo Bills Defense End Mario Williams) “He is obviously one of the most physically dominating players in the NFL today and he could take over a game whenever he wants to. He knows this offense; he has been around it for five years so we weren’t tricking him out there. He made plays like he should and will continue to. He is just a very good physical specimen. It is very hard to contain him all the time. It was kind of fun to play against him because you know him as a person, he has been in the locker room, you hang out with him off the field and all those things, so it’s fun to see him out there.” TIGHT END GARRETT GRAHAM (Transcribed by Matt May) Spoiler (on the importance of the Texans’ 7-1 record) “It means a lot. From here every game gets bigger just like it has been from the beginning of the season. We have to keep working harder and not underestimate our opponents.” (on his own touchdown catch) “It was great. It was kind of an unscheduled play. I was able to come from the back of the end zone and luckily (QB) Matt (Schaub) saw me and I was able to make the catch.” WIDE RECEIVER ANDRE JOHNSON (Transcribed by Rachel Jacob) Spoiler (on being 7-1) “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am sure a lot of teams would like to be 7-1 right now. We are very fortunate. We have played well in seven games and came out with victories. We are in a good spot right now.” (on getting 12 first downs in the past two games and why he has been so successful in getting first downs) “I don’t know. I think it’s just opportunity. I have been given more opportunity, and like I said before, I try to do the best with the opportunities that I get. I think that is pretty much it.” (on what it means to have his 40th 100-yard game) “I don’t really keep up with that. The only time I find out about stats is when I talk to the media. It is an accomplishment, a great accomplishment, but winning is the big thing. So if you get 100 yard games and win, it’s fine, but when you get them with a loss it really doesn’t mean much.” (on being able to play consecutive games this year) “I am feeling better every week. I have missed a lot of time with training camp, OTAs, all that stuff. I have missed a lot of that stuff over the past two, three seasons. I have never consistently been out there working with my team. It’s always out there for a few days, have an injury. Now it just seems like everything is falling into place. My legs are starting to feel like they are back up under me and stuff like that. I’d say I am starting to feel like myself now.” (on the team being better despite their 7-1 record) “I think we can be a lot better. I think we have yet to play our best football. Today, we started out slow in the first half and things just seemed a little stale. But we knew coming off of a bye week we were going to get that best shot and when we have adversity we have to find a way to overcome it and that’s what we did. We didn’t go out and play our best in the first half, with penalties and things that set us back, but we came out the second half and played the way we normally play.” (on why the second half was more successful than the first half of the game) “I think we went out and executed our offense. We went out and made plays. In the first half we had times where we made plays and they were called back from different penalties. In the second half we didn’t have that. We were able to make plays and move the ball down the field and score points.” (on if he looks forward to Sunday night or Monday night games) “I wouldn’t say I put much emphasis on it. I always look at it as another game. I think the only difference is that it is a primetime game and people will be watching, so that is the only difference. Other than that I don’t really put much that into it.” (on the different approach to practice this week as mentioned by Head Coach Gary Kubiak and if that helped get him reinvigorated) “They have been doing different things with me during the week. I don’t think that it is just things with practice. I think it is things that I am doing in the training room, massages and stretching just doing all that stuff. I can say in my early years I didn’t do any of that and I was just able to go out, take off running and I was ready to go. I can’t do that now. I think that it has been a collective effort with me and the guys in the training room, I am always trying to find ways to make me feel better.” CORNERBACK JOHNATHAN JOSEPH (Transcribed by Joshua Moon) Spoiler (on if he thought the Bills were trying to spread them out one-on-one to create mismatches) “That’s what they do. They have a lot of weapons over there on the offensive side. They try to utilize that and get one one-on-one matchups. In the second half, we made good adjustments to that and stuck to our game plan.” (on his wrist) “I’m actually headed now to get it checked out. It feels pretty good. I finished the game” (on how they were able to bend but not break today) “That’s football. If you can hold your opponents to field goals or nothing at all once they get in the red zone, your chances of winning go up. If our offense keeps putting up seven points and they are putting up three or nothing, we win. That’s pretty much what you saw at the end of the game.” (on how his wrist was injured) “I had my wrist in on a play trying to pry the ball loose and we just both landed on the wrist when we came down. That’s all it was.” OUTSIDE LINEBACKER WHITNEY MERCILUS (Transcribed by Matt May) Spoiler (on the length of the NFL season compared to the NCAA season) “Last year I would’ve been close to finishing up my season, but now we’re only at the halfway point. For me personally I feel fresh right now. The coaches are expecting me to hit the wall but I don’t want to hit the wall. I just want to keep going.” (on his knowledge of the defense and understanding his role) “Pretty much I think I know the defense in and out now. I’ve been in it for about three or four months now, and I’m allowing my body to read and react without thinking at all. At the beginning of the year I was thinking too much, but now I see how far I’ve progressed and I can only get better from here.” (on being able to contribute to the defense and the team) “It feels great. I feel like a part of the team more. The coaches look at me and can depend on me to make plays on the field.” (on the coaches working him into the defense slowly) “It worked out for me. They worked me in slowly so that I could take everything in and process it easier. It’s helped me a lot and now I’ll be able to let my body take over instead of just thinking so much and go play.” TACKLE DEREK NEWTON (Transcribed by Matt May) Spoiler (on going up against DE Mario Williams) “He’s a tough guy to play against. I had to be patient in the pass rush and adjust my stance a couple of times. Most of the day, I had to man up against him without really any help. Luckily I had the chance of going against Mario last year in practice while he was on the team, but I mainly studied film of him and tried to get an idea of what he would do in certain situations.” FREE SAFETY GLOVER QUIN (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on Buffalo Bills RB C.J. Spiller) “In the open field, he’s a tough tackle. He’s an explosive guy, real quick, and strong so we had the right game plan.” (on getting a win today) “It always feels good to win and play well. We were able to do that today, so we get to enjoy tonight. We’ve got to come back next week for a big task against Chicago. We have to come back and get ready.” (on how they contained Buffalo defensively) “We were able to hone in on what they were trying to do. Obviously coming in off the bye week, we knew they were going to do some different things. They were throwing some quick passes and screens, so we had to change things up and get on them quicker so that when they do catch the ball we are on them for the tackle. We just tried to see what they were trying to do to attack us. The second half we had to come out and make some plays on them.” (on how it feels to be 7-1) “Great.” OUTSIDE LINEBACKER BROOKS REED (Transcribed by Joshua Moon) Spoiler (on if this was a game where the team was lackadaisical but won) “For the first three quarters, it was a ballgame. It was a fight. The offense made big plays when it counted. I think that was the difference.” (on if he felt the Bills spirit was broken after being held to field goals in the red zone three consecutive times) “Yeah. As long as they kept making field goals, I knew we would win. That’s the way it turned out. We just need to keep playing the run well and the rest will play itself out.” QUARTERBACK MATT SCHAUB (Transcribed by Greg Dillard) Spoiler (on the offensive turnaround in the second half) “We hurt ourselves in the first half. I think we had three first and twenty situations with penalties and some false starts. When you do that, it’s hard to make up for, no matter who you are or who you’re playing. Those are tough situations especially on some of those we had some big plays and then they were called back. We need to take a hard look at that and be critical of ourselves because we hurt ourselves the whole first half. But the second half, we made some plays. We got back to who we are, running the football, our play action game, and guys made some plays for us.” (on the message at halftime) “We try to just get everyone to refocus and just calm down because there is a lot of emotion and things going on. It was just settle down, do our job, and we’ll be alright. Guys really bought into that.” (on TE Garrett Graham’s touchdown catch) “We had five guys out. We emptied out the backfield. We had five guys going and they dropped two of their linemen out so they really had two guys rushing. Initially everything was covered up because they had so many guys in coverage so just tried to make something off schedule. (TE) Garrett (Graham) did a great job working the back end line and then coming back to the football to secure that catch.” (on WR Andre Johnson’s ability to get first downs) “I’m always looking for (WR Andre Johnson) Dre. A lot of those he’s catching and running with it. We’re able to get him in space one on one with guys. When you have the corner with Andre one on one and he catches that thing, he’s hard to bring down. He’s a strong, physical receiver. We get him open in space he’s going to make guys miss.” (on today’s running back rotation without RB Ben Tate) “Whoever is back there behind me when we’re handing it off, that’s who I hand it off to. How their rotations go with (RB) Ben (Tate) being out and (RB) Justin (Forsett) got a lot carries today, (RB) Arian (Foster) did his normal workload. I just hand it off to whoever is there.” (on the Texans’ ball security) “All the guys carrying the ball, they really secure it so as far as fumbling and everything, guys are really protected and really conscious of that. With throwing it, we try to find the open receivers. If it’s not there, we’re going to ditch it and we’re going to go to the next play. We’re going to live to go for the next down. We’re not going to try to force anything because we can make up for it the next down. If the worst case scenario is we got to punt, then we got to punt and our defense will go and stop them.” (on why the Texans’ play action is so successful) “Because our run game is so effective and when we play our play action or our bootleg game we can get some guys open down the field. If it’s not there, we got things underneath that we can dump it down to and those guys are open and making plays. It’s just if they give us the deep play, then we’re going to take it. If not, we’ll dump it down underneath.” (on how often the Texans practice their play action plays) “Every day. Every day we work on those.” (on how it feels to be 7-1) “We feel great about it. We’re happy to be 7-1 at the halfway mark, very fortunate, but we’re not finished. We got to go in a tough environment against a very good football team next Sunday night so we’re already on to Chicago. We got to look at this one as something to grow from and we got to keep climbing the mountain.” DEFENSIVE END ANTONIO SMITH (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on carrying the military flag before kickoff) “It was an awesome privilege. It felt good. I appreciate those guys. I wish I could go out there and fight with them sometimes.” (on getting to play against DE Mario Williams today) “It was good. I got to talk to him beforehand. He got a sack, and started talking a little bit out there. He gave the (DE) J.J. (Watt) salute. It was funny to me though.” (on not allowing a touchdown in today’s game) “It is always key. If you don’t let people score touchdowns on you, then you minimize as many points as you can. You’re going to be a good defense. This offense wasn’t just some run of the mill offense. They have been putting up good numbers despite not winning games. They are going to make their plays, especially with their screens. As long as you keep them from scoring touchdowns then you have a chance to win.” (on the Bills’ offensive game plan) “The spread offense, in my opinion, is not that good in the red zone. It is short things and if you play the run well, then there are not many plays they can run.” WIDE RECEIVER KEVIN WALTER (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn) Spoiler (on the offense’s production today) “I think that we were a little stale in the first half, and I think we shot ourselves in the foot today with penalties. I think we can play better, but I think we are playing okay right now.” (on QB Matt Schaub’s play today) “Matt does that every week; you expect it from Matt. He comes out and prepares extremely hard and does a great job.” DEFENSIVE END J.J. WATT (Transcribed by T.D. Durham) Spoiler (on helping the offense out with three defensive red zone stops) “Yeah it’s big. I mean obviously they get down there, they’re looking for big points - big stop by our defense. Our offense did a great job today, and it’ always good when you’re giving them the ball back and only three points on the board.” (on getting a well-timed sack exactly when the team needed it) “Yeah, exactly. That’s kind of when you need to step up, in a moment like that. So it was a great sack and obviously we got a couple of good ones on the day.” (on what the difference was in the second half on defense) “I don’t know. I really don’t know what to tell you there. I mean, obviously we got to get after the passer a little bit more. They were down so they had to start throwing the ball. (QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) gets the ball out really fast. I was there probably three or four more times and he just had the ball away, so great job by him. But overall, heck of a job by our defense.” (on his salute after the sack) “I was trying to do a real military salute and I screwed it up, so I’m sorry to all the military guys. But I tried. As soon as I did it I knew I screwed it up. I learned it right before I went on the field, and I did it wrong. Adrenaline rush got me going so I did it wrong.” (on NT Shaun Cody mimicking him) “Yeah, I’m just happy Shaun made a play, he can do whatever he wants. That was a big play, it was good to see.” (on getting to Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) “Yeah, you want to make your impact felt. So every time, even when he gets the ball off, we got a couple of good shots on him. He’s a tough guy. He was taking some real shots and getting back up, so a lot of respect for him.” (on the defense stopping Buffalo on third down) “I think we did well. Obviously I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I feel like we did well. That’s one thing we’ve been really good on all year, so I know we got to let a couple get away, but I think overall we did well today.” (on getting back out there after the off week and having a repeat performance on defense) “Yeah, it feels great. The week off is nice, but it also makes you hungry to get back out there. It felt really good to get back on the field with the guys, get the blood flowing again and I’m really excited about next week’s national television game.” (on it being the second half of the season, being reenergized and hungry) “I never lost my hunger man. I’m always hungry man, I never lost it.” (on Head Coach Gary Kubiak’s confidence in the defense) “It’s good. We obviously love to have the trust and confidence of our head coach. We feel confident in ourselves. We feel confident in the defense (Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) calls, and then we go out there and execute. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons we have success – because everybody trusts each other.” (on Kubiak saying he went for it on fourth down because of his trust in the defense) “We appreciate that. We don’t want to show him anything otherwise. We want to show him that he can keep that confidence in us all year.” (on how it feels to be 7-1) “It feels great. Obviously there’s only one way it could be better. So we’ll take this, and we’re really excited about the second half. It should be a great run. We’re really excited about another national TV game coming up this week.” (on being conscious and proud of allowing no rushing touchdowns this season) “I’ve heard that, and it’s pretty impressive, yeah - especially against great backs like those guys. Obviously you have guys like (Jacksonville RB) Maurice Jones-Drew in our league and there are a lot of great backs. So that’s definitely a point of confidence. But we’re more proud of 7-1 than anything.” HEAD COACH CHAN GAILEY (Transcribed by Melissa Montemayor) Spoiler (on his general thoughts on how they played) “You know we have to go back and watch the film but it looked like to me in general they turned their drives into touchdowns and we didn’t. We both played some plays during the course of the day, but they were able to get the ball in the end zone. We weren’t able to get the ball in the end zone. That’s the bottom line.” (on if he felt they played balanced throughout the third quarter) “They were playing seven big guys in the box against our three wide sets and you’re trying to run them out of that. You’re trying to throw the football to run them out of it and we weren’t able to do it. We had some passes that were dropped at times. We had some missed time penalties and it cost us offensively. We weren’t able to move it consistently and get in the end zone.” (on if he feels they need to give RB C.J. Spiller the ball more often) “Yeah, we would like to and we got to try to do that on a more consistent basis. Some weeks are better than others and sometimes they take things away from you that you don’t think they’re going to do but they did. They surprised us with a defense we hadn’t seen very much and we had to alter. I got to do a better job of adjusting. ” (on if the man coverage or rush against deep shots was the reason why they did not try more of them) “You know those are good and we like to try to take some shots deep but we do it more with overs and deep outs instead of just throwing a go down the field. We had a plan to do that coming back in the fourth quarter and do a couple of throws like that but we couldn’t get to it once we got behind. We had to go back in the shotgun and throw the football. ” (on why they didn’t throw the ball into the end zone when they were in the red zone and if their play was conservative) “We had the calls to try to get in there we just couldn’t get them thrown in there like we normally do.” (on if there was any consistent thing that made the Texans so effective defensively in the red zone) “It was just the combination of their pass rush and us not being able to get where we wanted to go with the ball. They did a good job of covering a couple of times and we weren’t able to get in there. I tried to run it a couple of times and we didn’t make any yards so now you’re behind the sticks. We normally throw the ball in the end zone down there but today we couldn’t get it thrown in there. ” (on why he had WR Stevie Johnson coming out of the backfield and matched up on a linebacker but instead QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw outside to RB Fred Jackson) “It was hot. They were throwing a juke route and it takes time for him to go work that guy and they brought zero blitz.” (on if he feels hand strung in his ability to throw down field and get bigger chunk plays) “No I don’t think so, I wouldn’t say that. I think we’re better underneath. I think that’s what our guys do better so you try to let them do what they do best but to keep people honest, you do have to throw it down the field. I don’t know how many times we did or didn’t but we tried to throw a few just enough to keep them honest.” (on if their defense had the ability to keep them in the game) “Yeah, they played hard. They played really, really hard today. We can build off of this defensively because that team was in the top five or six in most categories on both sides of the ball and their record is what it is for a reason. Our defense played hard and I thought they kept us in the ball game and gave us a chance.” (on CB Aaron Williams’ injury situation) “I don’t know yet. I didn’t get a report.” (on his thoughts on DE Mario Williams’ play today) “I don’t know I’ll have to watch the film. I don’t watch, I got my head buried over there sometimes in things that are going on offensively so I see bits and pieces. I think I saw him pressure a couple of times and make a couple of tackles out of the back field so it looked like he had a good game but I don’t know. I’ll have to watch the film.” (on what WR Stevie Johnson’s health situation was today) “He got hit on the thigh. He kept trying it but in the end he just couldn’t go.” DEFENSIVE END MARIO WILLIAMS (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo) Spoiler (on playing against his former team) “At the end of the day you want to get a win. That’s the most important thing. We didn’t come out and win so that’s tough.” (on lining up against his former teammates) “It’s just different. You run out and you almost forget you’re on the other team because I been here for so long. It’s still football, so you’ve got to go out there and play ball and try to win.” (on if this was emotional for him) “No. Depends on what you mean by emotional. I was excited to see my friends and things like that and to be back at the stadium.” (on if he noticed the reaction from fans) “Oh yeah. I think the biggest thing for me is if you go out and make a play and you get booed, I know I’m in your heart. That’s the most important thing. If it had been quiet then I would have felt something different but I know you’re thinking about me.” (on sacking Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub) “I had to at least get one. I couldn’t come in here and not. I had to somehow, some way get one. I wish it had been more. Definitely had more opportunities. They’re a fundamentally sound team. I played with them for six years. They did very well getting the ball off. The biggest problem for us was the boot(leg) and play action.” (on his post sack celebration) “I was messing with (Texans DE) J.J. (Watt) and I think (Texans NT) Shaun (Cody) had done it earlier. I was just messing with them.” (on playing with his wrist injury) “After I had the procedure a week and half or so ago, I believe in it healing now instead of being stagnant. I worked out this week finally which hasn’t been over two months. I feel really good and it boost my morale.” (on Houston Texans DE Antonio Smith getting under his skin) “He was just talking junk. Nothing really bad.” (on what was being said to him on the field) “Nothing. I was messing with (Texans C) Chris Myers asking him why he didn’t call me or write me a letter or something. At the end of the day it’s football and we’re all competing. You want to come out and you want to win. We needed to get something started. We needed to get some turnovers or something to put points on the board.” (on if the Houston fans are still in his heart) “Yeah, I’m never going to turn my back on anybody. Some people feel different. Some people do. I’m never going to turn my back on anybody regardless of what you got to say. You’re a fan, at the end of the day you’re cheering or you’re booing.” (on sounding “bitter” earlier in the week in an interview about the Texans) I was asked a question and I answered it. Just because you didn’t know that and then when I answer it and you make your own opinion on it, bitterness or whatever, but I was asked the question and I just gave the answer. Nobody’s ever wanted to come out and say it. Nobody’s ever asked me so it’s kind of ironic that I got asked the question. It’s just business at the end of the day. Some people go about it in a man-to-man way and some people just let it go without really saying anything. At the end of the day it’s just business.” (on who he talked to after the game) “(Texans head coach Gary) Kubiak especially. You know what I think about him. It’s good to see him. He said ‘keep it going, I miss you and I love you.’ I said the same thing. I mean there’s not too many words to say about Kubiak. He’s awesome. I think the biggest thing was just seeing everybody.” (on making progress against the run as a team) “We got to do it every play, every series because we can do it. Just keep an eye on that gap. To face an elite running back like that and be able to maintain him from what he’s done and what his offense has done to everybody else they beat. It’s the little things. It’s about us being in position and not getting too nosey and doing your job.” (on Texans 3rd quarter touchdown swinging the momentum) “ I’ve been down this street before. I wasn’t really worried about it. We needed to score. We needed to get a turnover and we needed to score if the offense was struggling we needed to get the ball and we needed to score and like I said we didn’t do that.” (on adjustments the Texans made) It was simply the same thing: It was boot(leg) or play action. Apparently it’s tough because they do it to everybody and they did it when I was here. It’s the same thing. They do the same thing. All you got to do is be true. The problem is they got a heck of a (running) back so it’s hard to really see that boot(leg) or play action because it looks exactly the same. Everybody’s been trying to stop that play and they put up huge points. It’s a big play team, big play mentality. They’re not lulling you to sleep. Not with that running back back there. It’s going to be a one-on-one situation with whoever’s covering the guy. You just have to be true and play through it, lock them up and stay with them through the play.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...-Buffalo/acf7a64c-a4a4-4fc5-bd08-907ad7a76490 Click the link to read other Bills players quotes.
I was at my niece's softball tournament during the game, so I wasn't' able to watch mad but I watched last night on DVR. I watched Mario on pretty much every play and yeah, he seemed to turn it back off again after he got his sack. On the TD pass to Graham in the 4th, he was totally playing paddy-cake with Newton (or whoever was blocking him) right before Schaub threw the pass. Did anyone else see Kevin Walter going for Mario's knees on Arian's TD run? Mario was complaining to the ref after it happened. I love my Texans, but I hate seeing us do stuff like that....
Happy for the win. Happy to be 7-1. Kubiak went for it on fourth down, because he was unsure if the FG attempt would be blocked again. If there is that doubt, then we should seriously evaluate who takes over at the special teams coaching position. His concern was also the two return guys making huge plays. That uncertainty should definitely not be there. Joe Marciano, you need to pick it up or leave. Devin Hester next week, so we really need to address this as quickly as possible. It was also cool to hear AJ saying that he's feeling like himself again. That's a relief, and i'm expecting huge things for him. Watching the Falcons yesterday made me jealous. If we had an extraordinary option at the number 2 receiver spot, man that would be money. Could Lestar step it up? Good win, B- Scared for the Bears though.
This? Still? The Falcons average 4.8 more yards a game and 2.1 fewer points. Why in the world would you be jealous of them?
I love the fact Arian is hard on himself stating he could have improved by having more TD's and yards...heck, he was sick, literally and in a good way...I'd take 24 for 111 yards with 1 TD every game!
Kubiak(courtesy Mark Berman): Shaun Cody has rib issues and is getting a MRI Darryl Sharpton will practice for the first time this week It would be a stretch to say Tate will be ready to play this week
we really do miss tate. the bills game actually had me worried. it's one of those games that's easy to take for granted. very relieved we won, it was a conference game. loved seeing andre get studly, bodes well for tougher games coming up. i think this next game is coming at a perfect time, playing a red-hot team (out of conference). if we don't turn the ball over, and special teams don't doom us, i think we win. very excited about this one
Quotes from Kubiak's Monday press conference: Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on if the Texans make a conscious effort to stress the importance of not turning the ball over) “Yeah, we do. I think it’s also a combination of we’ve got some players that have been playing together now for a few years. I think that helps. I haven’t had a lot of changeover from an offensive standpoint. I think our guys just believe in it so much. When we protect the ball, the statistics will show you that we got a good chance of winning and it’s something we talk about every week. Halfway through this thing, it’s been as good as I’ve been around so hopefully we continue.” (on the Texans’ injuries) “(NT) Shaun Cody has got some rib issues. He’s actually right now being evaluated. They’re doing an MRI and some things. We’re dealing with that. Other than that, we came out just a little nicked. (TE) Owen (Daniels) got a hip bruise. He’s going to be fine, maybe a little slowed early in practice this week. (WR) Kevin Walter’s got some tightness in his groin. He’s got some soreness there so he could be a little slow early in the week, but we’ll know more. I would say Shaun is probably the biggest one right now, as we move forward.” (on his level of concern regarding NT Shaun Cody’s injury) “Well (NT) Shaun’s (Cody) dealt with other issues with his back so we’ve got him on a program. He’s playing about 20 plays a game, maybe 25 at the most, so just the combination of those things working together would concern me. But he’s always shown a way to be there for us, so we’ll see.” (on if he expects ILB Darryl Sharpton to be back at practice on Wednesday) “Yeah, as a matter of fact I just left him about 10 minutes ago. He looks really good. He’s basically been put through some really hard workouts the last four days and he’s responded to them. All systems should be go for Wednesday to go back on the practice field.” (on if other than points there is a more important statistic than turnovers) “When you look at it historically, there’s not. Point differential, you’re obviously playing great red zone defense. Like yesterday for us, to me, we played good offensively in the redzone. We played great defensively in the redzone. That ended up being a big, big difference from a possession standpoint because we both had the same amount of possessions down there. There’s just something about when you don’t hurt yourself as a football team at the end of the day, you should have an excellent chance to win a football game or be in a dang good football game. This week, what little bit I’ve done with Chicago up to this point, I think they have 28 turnovers defensively. They’re the best in the business and well on their way to some records. We protect it pretty good so it’s kind of a strength against a strength. Hopefully we can hold up our end of the bargain.” (on if he thinks RB Ben Tate will return Sunday) “I don’t think I can answer that right now. I thought (RB) Ben (Tate) would be further along when we got to the end of last week. He wasn’t. We went ahead and rested him through the weekend. It’s not like we worked him out or anything. He did nothing today but rehab. For me to say yes he’s going to be there, I think is a little bit of a stretch right now. I’m hoping. I’m hoping Wednesday or Thursday he’s back on the field doing some stuff at least with the trainers and we’ll see, but not as far as long as we had expected.” (on if he’s consciously not getting the ball to RB Arian Foster as a receiver because of his running workload) “No. It really has a lot to do with how we’re getting played. We played a team like yesterday that plays a ton of man coverage and to do that, we’d like to get (RB) Arian (Foster) the ball in some screens and those types of things, so it’s got to be conducive with what we’re facing defensively. Our tight ends are much more involved this year. I think that we’re really catching a lot of balls from that standpoint and yet we’re running the ball more than we’ve ever run it. If anything, I’m trying to get him some of his breaks because of all those carries from that standpoint.” (on if the team’s slow start yesterday could be attributed to the bye week) “No. We’ve had a few. We had a slow start against Baltimore and played three and a half really good quarters. I don’t know. Some games we’ve been off to some fast starts and haven’t responded after the fast starts so obviously you’re hoping that it’s just good at the end of the day, the overall picture looks good. We missed a third down early in the game yesterday, had a ton of penalties that we had to overcome and it really slowed us down, but we responded. I liked the way we didn’t panic at halftime. We’re in a 7-6 ballgame. We had not played real, real good, especially on that side of the ball and come in at halftime, we don’t panic. We go out there and play better and find a way to get a win. I think that’s important. It shows a lot of your maturity as a team.” (on if he’s concerned about the team’s penalties) “Yeah, that is a concern. I think we had seven, but they seemed to come in bunches. Our two special teams penalties came back-to-back early in the game. It was a difference in about 20 yards of field position. Offensively, they came in bunches early in the game with some holding calls. I think coming out of the bye, two weeks out of the bye, just some technique stuff we did as a football team. We played high. We used our hands way too much, just some things that you do every day and work on. You could see getting back into the rhythm of the game. We did it much better in the second half.” (on if he expects it to be a couple weeks to evaluate ILB Darryl Sharpton) “Probably all depends on what he looks like. You would love to think he comes out there and practices Wednesday and Thursday and say, ‘Boy, I think he can help us.’ The good news is we control that. There is no pressure on him. Obviously, he wants to get back on the field as quick as he can. He’s chomping at the bit, but we’ll make sure he’s ready to go, make sure he puts his pads on, makes sure he’s been through some things that he’s shown us he’s ready to go.” (on ILB Darryl Sharpton as a player) “When he’s played for us, he’s played very well. He’s an excellent special teams player. He’s a very physical player, loves to hit, so all that. He can help us. Obviously, with our situation, losing (ILB) Brian (Cushing), bringing (ILB) Barrett (Ruud) along, (ILB Darryl Sharpton) Sharp knows what we’re doing. He’s been around (Defensive Coordinator) Wade’s (Phillips) scheme and learning Wade’s scheme so that’s not going to be a problem at all. We see a guy that can be factor, not just be active, but could become a factor for our team. So hopefully that’ll happen. We’ll see.” (on G/C Ben Jones’ performance yesterday) “Well I’ll say this, I don’t think we played one of our better games up front, offensive line. Like I said, we had too many penalties, just some technique stuff I didn’t like. We’re going to have to play a lot better that we played up front this week next week if we’re going to win. (G/C) Ben (Jones) continues, I think, to play like a young player. There is a lot of good. There are a lot of things that got to get a lot better. Ben and (RT Derek) Newton are young players that are a little bit inconsistent and our other three are very consistent and they should be. They played a lot more football. It’s something we expected and something we’re continuing to try to work through, but there are flashes of very good things and that’s most important.” (on how much he stresses playing to a high level of excellence) “That’s the only way you get better. Every week when you play, it’d be easy to walk out of there yesterday and say everything is okay. We won so there are no problems, but we come in here today and we watch the film together. We talk about things we didn’t do good, things that if we do this in Chicago it’s going to get us beat. I think good teams are hard on themselves when they win. It’s so easy to not be, but the good teams do that. Our guys are very good about that, very mature.” (on OLB Connor Barwin’s play) “We had two defensive players of the game. I’ll let you all guess who the other one was. (OLB) Connor (Barwin) was one of them. He’s playing very, very well. He’s had two good weeks, back-to-back. He’s all around the quarterback, playing very hard. I think because of Connor’s work, good things are starting to come his way more often. Yesterday was another step in the right direction. (DE) J.J. (Watt) was the other, by the way.” (on what kind of threat Bears WR Brandon Marshall is) “One good thing that came out of us going to the Pro Bowl as coaches was we know what kind of talent this young man has. He was the MVP of the game for us. He’s exceptional. If they can run the ball, if (RB Matt) Forte is running the ball and you can’t help your corners and stuff, you’re going to get a matchup against an exceptional player. We understand that. Obviously, that’s who (QB) Jay (Cutler) is looking for to make big plays. He continues to do that. They’ll even make them when he’s double-covered too. He’s an exceptional player. We know what we’re facing. They can line up and run the ball on you too. Forte is a heck of a player.” (on how the special teams fared against the Bills) “I thought we improved in some areas. Our kickoff coverage and our return game was better. We gave (WR) Keshawn (Martin) some legitimate opportunities. Our coverage game, obviously we were trying to keep the ball out of their returner’s hands, so we did some different things. I thought we took a step forward in some of those areas, but we did have some things that once again, they could jump up and bite you. We had a field goal blocked. There at the end of the game, like I mentioned in the post-press conference yesterday, we’ve got to get that ball out of bounds. We can’t serve one up to their returner in that situation. Those are some things that we need to improve upon but I think there is some positive stuff. We did take a step forward in some key areas that were really hurting us.” (on what jumps out to him about the Bears defense) “They’re just physical. First off, they’ve got two of the top defensive minds in the game over the past 15-20 years when you talk about (Bears Head Coach) Lovie (Smith) and (Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Rod Marinelli. They are very good. They have one of the greatest players to play the interior in a long time with (DE Julius) Peppers. They have one of the best middle linebackers (Brian Urlacher) that the game has seen in a long time leading the way. They are very well-built in what they do and they’ve been together for a long time. A lot of players have played a lot of football together. What they’re doing speaks for itself. Five turnovers yesterday and I think they have seven touchdowns on defense this year. I could go on and on, but we have a serious task ahead of us.” (on Bears CB Charles Tillman’s ability to knock away passes and if they make their receivers aware of that) “We’ll have to make a big point of it. One of the great things that this team does is when you make a play on them they don’t give up on the play. If you throw a slant route or your back gets out and busts the line of scrimmage, there are people working downfield working to poke the ball out and finish plays. They are excellent at that so we obviously have to hit our guys on it. We do it all the time but it’s going to be a big point of emphasis this week in practice and when it’s all said and done, us protecting the ball will be huge in the game.” (on what he would’ve liked to do better on the offensive line) “I think our opportunities running the ball in the first half were much better. I think we actually had like nine carries for 60 yards. It was really good. We went back and did some of the same things; we just didn’t do them as well in the second half. Some of the opportunities that we gave them in the second half from a coaching standpoint and what I called, the opportunities weren’t as good. We did not run the ball as well in the second half. Is that what you’re asking me? Yeah, we didn’t run the ball as well in the second half as we did in the first.” (on the addition of RB Jonathan Grimes and ILB Barrett Ruud on special teams) “(RB Jonathan) Grimes did some good stuff. (ILB) Barrett (Ruud) did a few things, covered a few kicks for us and played on the punt return game. We like what we’re getting from Barrett. He’s a veteran player. With some of the things going on with us, the further we go along, I think he can help us more. Having (SS Quintin) Demps and (SS Troy) Nolan both on the field and both being active helped us. I think (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (Marciano) got a little stronger from that standpoint and obviously we played a little better.” (on CB Kareem Jackson) “The ball is going away from him now. I’ll tell you, he’s playing so well. He’s come so far now. Him and J.Joe (CB Johnathan Joseph) both played well. We thought (FS) Glover (Quin) played probably his best game of the year. He played really well. (CB) Kareem (Jackson) is really growing up and playing well. He handles his stuff and understands (Defensive Coordinator) Wade’s (Phillips) defense very good.” (on the lack of production from WR Lestar Jean) “He’s fine. I just think (WR) Andre (Johnson) and (WR) Kevin (Walter) are playing so well. Yesterday wasn’t a big-snap game. I think we had 59 offensively. I think defensively we had 57 or 58. That’s not a lot of snaps in the NFL. Guys are holding up good. He’s doing good. He looks fine. He played some special teams.” (on the Texans tight ends) “They’re the key to our versatility. We can run a bunch of offenses with those three. We can be in a two-back scheme. We can be in a one-back scheme. We can be in a three-wide scheme. Yesterday, we went to some empty stuff where all three of them were on the field. Actually, it hurt me a couple times with a couple of calls and I had to waste a couple of timeouts because I lost OD (TE Owen Daniels) in some situations and I was trying to call his number. They give us a lot of flexibility. I think Garrett’s (TE Graham) development has been a key to OD staying healthy. (FB) James (Casey) is playing all over the place.” (on what was his initial reaction when he heard WR Brandon Marshall was traded to the Bears) “I didn’t have one. Wow? He’s a hell of a player. I don’t even remember when it happened. It happened in the offseason, right? Everybody is trying to land those big-time receivers that you say are your go-to guy. Every team is looking at that. Of course you have to remember, I wasn’t in Denver with (QB) Jay (Cutler) and those guys, so I didn’t know them. Obviously those two guys hooking back up together after being very successful together in Denver has made it easy on (Offensive Coordinator) Mike Tice putting that offense together. It’s a very scary group.” (on how CB Johnathan Joseph competes with the big, physical receivers) “(CB) Johnathan (Joseph) is all about speed. He trusts his speed. He doesn’t get tangled with those guys too much. He can play physical with you, but he trusts himself with what he’s doing. The thing that Johnathan does so well is Johnathan finishes plays. When somebody catches a ball on him, he’s finishing, he’s tackling. The play he made yesterday, third-and-2, they catch a slant and he goes in there and rips the ball out. His ability to finish, to me, is what makes him a great player.” (on QB Matt Schaub and the bootleg) “He does it very good. You’re right. (QB) Matt (Schaub) has been very consistent for us when he’s managing the game, protecting the ball. Like I tell y’all all the time, if I have to go out there and throw the ball 50-60 times with Matt, I’d be very comfortable with that. I just think our team is built a little bit different, but that day may come. He handles the boot so well because he sees the field so well. If I give him a chance to make a big play and it’s not there, he’ll dump the ball off and always make the right decision. The thing with Matt, when we do boot with him, we never have negative plays. As a coach, that’s a great comfort zone for me calling plays.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...nference/545c8199-35e9-436e-ada0-d228d1865b5b
That's Matt's calling card right there, he can get you big chunks of yards or small precise passes, but you know he's not going to give away possessions.
