Gary Kubiak
Houston Texans Head Coach
Q:
What kind of an impact will this win have on the team?
A: “We have a lot of challenges as a football team and one of our challenges is
the third quarter and the second half. There’s more challenges to come, but as
long as we understand what they are and have players step up and face those
things, then we’re going to work our way through this and become a good football
team. Leadership does that for you. I think we did that on defense and
(quarterback) David (Carr) was that leader on the offensive side. It’s a good
step.”
Q: What did you think of the success of the run game in
the second half?
A: “It wasn’t easy. We just tried to stay persistent and not give up on it.
Because we ran our tight football game there’s no reason to abandon it and in
the long haul it helped us. It was a big difference. With everything that went
on the thing I was most excited about was seeing it end on the field. Lining up
and getting a first down with the whole world knowing we’re going to run the
ball and end the game on the field. You’ve got to be able to do that in this
league to be successful.”
Q: Were you confident before the kickoff in the third
quarter?
A: “There was a period in that third quarter where there was a lot of doubt.
But that is the NFL. The Jaguars are very good. Everybody you play in this
league is good. If you’re not ready to go and on top of your game it’s tough
and we’ve got to be willing to fight through those situations.”
Q: Have you been impressed with the dimensions of QB
David Carr?
A: “David’s such a factor out there. He can take off and run for ten or twelve
yards. He made a great play on the touchdown to (TE) Owen (Daniels). David got
his poise and found Owen. His presence, his play it will always be key to this
team and he played well today.”
Q: What are your likes and dislikes of RB Wali Lundy?
A: “He’s a pro and beyond his years. The pro game is very complicated and
especially when the regular season starts. Nickel package, blitz package,
protection, it gets very complicated. I was worried about him after the couple
of weeks that the overload had slowed him down and that he wasn’t reacting.
Sometimes you have to let players sit back and watch a week or two so that they
calm down. He played with a great presence today. I think you’ll see him get
better.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the performance of the
defensive ends?
A: “Those kids have to play well for us to play well. We played the game today
with seven defensive lineman and seven defensive backs. That’s very risky as a
coach, but we felt like we needed eight offensive linemen and we suited seven
linebackers. We took some risks from a numbers standpoint. I like the way our
guys battled.”
Q: What did you think of rookie DE Mario Williams’
plays on Sunday?
A: “We’ve been playing him on the open side the majority of the time and it
looks like that’s where he’s most comfortable. He’s only getting better. I
think it’s just going to continue to get better along with his confidence.”
Q: What were your emotions during the third quarter?
A: “I got real emotional with the players and told them it was about the
fight. It’s about the fight in our football team and fighting for four
quarters. I told them the only one who was going to save them was themselves.
I told them to get out there and fight through this and we were going to make it
work.”
Q: How did you talk to the offense?
A: “I talked to the leaders. We gave up a big third down in the third quarter
and had a big penalty. Other than that we played extremely well all day long.
There’s no reason for those guys to get down in those situations.”
Q: What do you think of the fans at Reliant Stadium?
A: “Our fans are awesome. I’ve never been a part of a Battle Red Day, but our
fans were excellent. They were big time out there and very loud during key
situations. We’ve got great fans and we’re going to keep fighting to bring
great football to them. We know our fans are second to none.”
Richard Smith
Houston Texans Defensive Coordinator
Q:
How did you feel holding Jacksonville to seven points?
A: “Well I’m happy that we did. In the third quarter we didn’t play well
enough. We allowed the drive to come back there, but really I’m happy for the
players; I’m happy for this organization, and hopefully we can continue to grow
in this experience.”
Q: What did you think about allowing one dive in the
third but then coming back to stop them?
A: “If you look at what’s happened so far this year, we’re starting to repeat
what we have done before. I had the coached grab everybody on the sideline and
get them up there and talk to them about it. I think it shows the character of
this football team. We stepped up and preformed well. and I know (CB) Petey
Faggins) had a good turnover there and I’m pleased with the performance.”
Q: Were you excited to see the defense finally getting
turnovers?
A: “Yeah, we got some turnovers and that was nice to see. Hopefully we can
continue to grow on that and continue to get better. Like I said, we had some
substitution problems and you’re not happy about as a coach. We had to waste a
timeout there, and those are things we need to continue to fix.”
Q: Do you think the defense is coming together?
A: “Well I think all along, when we started training camp
we started to get better. We came out and had a couple rough games and they
stayed together, believed in the system, believed in each other and I think that
shows you the character of those guys. Like I said, hopefully we can continue
to grow on this experience.”