Visit HoustonTexans.com Monday at 3:30 p.m. CT to watch the live streaming video of coach Gary Kubiak's press conference.
The Texans beat the Oakland Raiders 31-24 on Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Afterward, coach Gary Kubiak and players spoke to the media.
Coach Gary Kubiak
(on the decision to not start Arian Foster) "The bottom line is we all have responsibilities and over the course of the last couple weeks, he's neglected a couple responsibilities and been unaccountable in a couple situations. When that happens, you have to learn a lesson. You have to pay a price. I'm disappointed in him and I'm proud of him coming back and playing well today."
(on beating the Oakland Raiders) "I'm proud of our team. I really am. We had some issues going into the game and obviously did not want to put Andre (Johnson in the game). I thought it would be a mistake to play him today...I told the players I really am as proud of them today as I was four weeks ago when we opened the season. I think this was a big gut check for our team and we needed to get out of this month 3-1. Now we have to get some guys healthy and keep pushing."
Tackle Eric Winston
(on the upcoming game against the New York Giants) "I think everyone in this locker room feels like any home game we play should be a win. We're going to go out there and we're going to get ready for the (New York) Giants and we expect to win. Whether we have 'Dre or not, whether we have some (other) guys or not, we're going to go out there and we're going to be accountable to each other and we're going to play for each other."
(on protecting quarterback Matt Schaub at Oakland) "I don't think he got sacked, but he got hit a little bit. We try to cut that out altogether. That's something I think that's been frustrating for us up front. We've been able to run the ball pretty well. It doesn't matter who's back there, we have five guys up front that know exactly what to do and they've been in this offense. I can't say enough about a guy like Wade Smith, who has been probably the only guy that hasn't been in this offense for a while, but I tell you what, he came in here, he's worked hard, picked it up and he's always getting a lot of knockdowns, he's always getting a lot of cuts. It seems like he's been around for a while."
(on running back Arian Foster's performance) "You wonder if he was in the whole game if he could have gone over 200 again. I think it shows what kind of talent we have in the backfield now. Steve's always been a great back. I think Derrick Ward has been a great addition. He's been a guy as well that said, 'Hey, I wasn't here at the beginning,' but he's worked hard. You really feel comfortable with him back there. I think that's why Coach Kubes did what he did. Guys have to be accountable and we all have to do what we need to do. I think when you have three guys like that, you can go on the road and get some tough wins."
(on running the ball to the right) "They were playing a rookie over there some of the time. We felt good about the formations we were getting and the alignments. I think we just had a really good game plan going against (Oakland) and knowing probably what they were going to do against us. Running the ball in this offense means everybody. The receivers were cracking on big runs. The tight ends were doing their part on the backside. Even though we were running right, the backside needs those cuts to cut down the pursuit of the football."
Linebacker DeMeco Ryans
(on the last series against Oakland's offense) "They kind of moved the ball down the field on us the previous drive. So we found a way to knock a ball up and Troy (Nolan) had the stick-em on his hands today. He came down with two picks – big turnovers for us. That was big. That was the key to the game, getting those huge turnovers."
(on Troy Nolan's tendency for takeaways) "Oh, yeah. That's one thing about him. It happens during the week in practice, so it's not surprising. In practice, Troy is the guy that's always around the ball. Actually, I think he picked off a couple in practice this week. It's strange how things just fall in place if you continue to do it during the week, and it happens on Sunday."
(on pressuring Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski) "We got some good pressure on him. Still, there are some things we would like back. We still have areas to improve in, but I think overall it was good pressure on him and it was good getting a sack."
(on going 3-1 without the services of all the players) "I'm proud of these wins because they're gut checks. We didn't have all of our top guys. Everyone dug a little deeper and found a little more within themselves to come out and find a way to win."
(on the team's record) "(A) 3-1 (record) is great. Three-and-one is great to start the season off with. We're looking forward to continuing to get better each week and finding another way to win next week."
(on Coach Kubiak saying it was more quiet than normal in the locker room pregame) "He could be looking too much into it. But I don't think it was anything to concern me or anything like that. I don't know. Guys just weren't talking."
Safety Bernard Pollard
(on the performance of the defense) "Mario (Williams) played his butt off. And DeMeco (Ryans) snuck in and got a sack. And then for T-Roy (Troy Nolan), he took full advantage of his opportunity. That's what this league is about. You get a chance, and you got to go out there and, like I said, I thought he took full advantage of it, and I'm happy for him.'
(on his thoughts on the win) "This was a gut check. For us to come in here and to go home 3-1, that's big for us. This is big. This is momentum that we take into next week. We just have to get the injured guys back and it's going to be fun."
Safety Troy Nolan
(on his takeaways) "We pride ourselves on getting after the ball and getting to the ball and getting turnovers. When that happens, it's huge. Obviously, it puts the momentum in our team's favor. So we pride ourselves on doing that."
(on if he was surprised by his playing time) "No, I wasn't really surprised. I really didn't know when I was going to get in, but I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity that I was given."
(on if he felt a little different in his preparation this week knowing he would play) "Yeah, a little bit. Anxiousness. I wanted to go out there and do good and get out there and make plays. But the preparation is pretty much the same. You have to prepare like you're going to be out there playing every down."
(on making plays in the game) "It's huge, because people want to see what you can do. You want to show your teammates that you can obviously play in this league. You want to show your coaches that you can play in this league. So coming up big is very huge."
(on getting linebacker Brian Cushing back this week) "That's a huge boost because he's one of our leaders out there. So when he comes around it's going to be another step up (for us). It's going to be a boost on our team."
(on his second interception) "We were talking in the huddle and DeMeco (Ryans) was telling us that we have to go out here and make a play and seal the game, so when he hit the guy and tipped that ball up, I just reacted and went and got it. I was really trying to take it to the house but I thought I better get down and get our offense back out there so they can seal the game."
