Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and the Texans fell to the Colts on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
After the Texans fell to the Colts, 35-27, coaches and players answered questions from the media. The following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak Texans TE James Casey Texans WR Andre Johnson Texans CB Brice McCain Texans C Chris Myers Texans DT Amobi Okoye Texans LB DeMeco Ryans Texans QB Matt Schaub Texans DE Antonio Smith Texans WR Kevin Walter Texans DE Mario Williams Texans T Eric Winston
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
(on how he feels after the loss) "Disappointed. We lost a big football game and we just played very poorly in the second half. So just very disappointed."
(on why they ran the ball better this game) "I don't know. I thought the first half up front we did a good job. This team plays us to throw the ball with some of their coverages but I just thought that I saw some good things out of (RB) Chris (Brown) and (RB) Steve (Slaton) last week and obviously it got better this week so I just think there's room to get better."
(on why he decided to take a risk and go deep when they were up 20-14 in the third quarter) "Obviously at halftime we're looking at something—we thought we had a chance to make the big play but we didn't when you go back and look at it. So you just got to be smart with the football right there. But we're being aggressive as a football team. We're out there to score points and make plays. And if it doesn't work out, sure, you shouldn't have done it. But we thought we saw something that gave us a chance. (WR) Andre (Johnson) got a little tangled with the corner and obviously it didn't work out that way."
(on what it will take to get the football team consistent) "That's a good question. It's just—I know I've tried to answer that a few times but bottom line: that's my job, to find some consistency in the team. We played very well in the first half and the second half we had penalties. We jumped offsides I think the first third down and five that we had which took us out of a situation there. We turned the ball over three times. That's on me. I got to find a way to get these 45 guys to play consistent and obviously we have not. We've been really, really good and then very poor in some situations so it's my job to find some consistency."
(on if he is stunned by the turn of events over the last three games) "Stunned? As far as this league? No, this league is tough. Three weeks ago we're sitting here at 5-3 feeling very good but we knew what type of stretch we were fixing to enter, too. This league boils down to how you play. It doesn't have anything to do with how the schedule shapes up or any of that stuff. It boils down to how you play on Sunday. And we've been in some very good football games but we didn't find a way to win them and like I said—today, you play that poorly in the second half as a football team against a (Colts QB) Peyton Manning-led football team you're in trouble and obviously they got after us. There's no excuses. Like I said, it's my job to find some consistency in the group."
(on if he agreed with the first big pass interference call against Houston) "I didn't think it was a very good call, but obviously they make the call and we got to work through it."
(on what it says about players when one mistake seems to breed others) "That comes back to me. I think that's what I'm trying to answer. I've got to figure out how to find some consistency in what we're doing. There's no reason to be pressing—we're in a great game, you got to make plays, you got to catch the ball, you got to eliminate penalties. It comes back on the coach. The team's consistency comes back on me, so it's on me."
(on how he feels about the way the team started the game) "We played very good as a team in the first half. Probably as good a start as we've had to a football game all year. When we came in at halftime our guys knew we'd still be in a game like that so we're going to have to play very well in the second half and we didn't do that."
(on if it's last-minute changes that cause the offsides penalties) "No, we're not changing anything. Like I said, it's just for some reason a lack of focus in some areas and in some very big times in the game and it's my job as a coach to work them through those situations so they handle them, handle them like pros. Like I said, I got to find a way to get their consistency."
(on if he feels the team has a fragile confidence that shatters once one thing goes wrong) "I haven't felt that way in the past but being honest with you, I felt that way today. I thought when we reached some adversity—they come out and go down, of course they get the big call and they get another call in the end zone there and so we just had a bad first drive, obviously, but you need to come right back and we didn't do that. We came right back and, if I'm right, we had a first down on the first play, we got a third and five and we jumped offsides. I think that was our first—we had seven plays in the third quarter. And you know, you have a 400-yard offensive football game and you have seven plays in the third quarter and I don't know that we got anything more than one first down, you're not going to beat this team."
(on if he was feeling good after the Colts' missed field goal) "Yes, because they moved the ball and obviously they missed a try down there so anytime you get them to miss a try or get them to kick a field goal or something you got to feel better about that. They're three for four in the red zone, we're three for five in the red zone. When you're playing them well it's usually going to come down to those opportunities."
(on if he was surprised that the defense had a hard time in the second half) "I was disappointed that—first off, they were on the field the whole second half so let's be truthful there. Offensively we did not keep them off the field so you got to be honest right there. Regardless, whether you're out there all the time, some of the time, you got a job to do and we let them have too many cheap plays: some penalties, pass interference, some of those things that—giving them yardage that they don't have to earn is not the right way to go if you're going to beat this football team."
(on if he's worried about the team's cornerbacks) "They had a big task today. Obviously one tremendous player (Colts WR Reggie Wayne), to me a Hall of Fame football player, on one side and then the other kid (Colts WR Pierre Garcon) is playing very, very well for them. You're going to get challenged all day against this guy and like I said, you look at the first half, there was a lot of good, good things going on. The second half they found a way to make some plays which they're going to make. But it's going to be tough—any corner's going to have a full day's battle against this group."
(on what the Colts did different offensively in the second half) "I don't think they did much different. Like I said, I think the biggest difference was some of the free yardage we gave them. I can't sit here and tell you what it was, but obviously penalties-wise we're giving them way too much yardage. You got to make them work."
Texans TE James Casey(on thoughts about the team's performance today) "We came out strong and played really hard for the first half, we felt really good about it. Bottom line is we weren't constant. We come out the second half and didn't do things that we needed to do and get a stretch to win the game, and it just didn't work out in our favor. It's frustrating because we know that we're a really good team and to be losing games like this, it really hurts, but we just got to watch the film, learn from it and we still got a shot, we're not out of it. We just got to come back and play well these last five games."
(on why the Texans cannot finish in the fourth quarter) "It's tough because obviously we have to be more constant, put two halves of football together and play a complete game. It's hard to put your finger down on just one thing because it's a combination of a lot of different things that happened out there. We just have to watch film, and do whatever we have to do to make those plays down the stretch in the end of the game, do whatever we have to do to make those crucial plays to win games."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on if second half performance is hard to believe) "This isn't the first time this has happened to us. It's just real frustrating. I'm very upset with myself. It's kind of sounding like a broken record but you have to find a way to play for four quarters."
(on why he is upset with himself) "Well, the one play where I didn't make the play on the touchdown and then the play where (QB) Matt (Schaub) threw me the fade route was just a mental mistake by me. I should have run a fade route and I didn't. Sometimes, if those plays are made, you just kind of wonder what the outcome would have been."
(on bouncing back and making the playoffs) "We really cant worry about that, we just have to worry about the game that's ahead of us. That's the main thing, just worrying about Jacksonville. We can't change anything that's happened this season, all we can control is what is in front of us."
(on lack of offense in second half) "I think it was about execution, they didn't really change anything. I think it was more of us just going out and making plays."
(on difference between first and second halves) "We just didn't make any plays. I think that was the biggest thing. In the first half we come out and everyone is making plays and the second half was a totally different story, and that's pretty much it."
(on challenge of staying positive after last three games) "I don't think it's difficult to stay positive. When you play a football game, win or lose, you have to forget about it and move on because you have another opponent the next week, and that's all we can do. We can't sit here and keep talking about it after the game is over with. There is nothing we can do. The game is already over. We just have to come in, correct our mistakes, and move on."
(on confidence in team) "I'm very confident in the team. It's just about us getting over this hump. It's like we are at this hill and we keep getting to the top and we just keep rolling back down. Somehow we've just got to find a way to get over it and that's the biggest thing right now because if you look at some of the games we lost this year it's crazy. It's a very tough feeling but I think in the long run it's going to make us better."
Texans CB Brice McCain(on mistakes and two different halves) "Turnovers and penalties. That will do it to you. If you turn the ball over and don't tackle well and everything else that's what will happen to you."
(on knowing the team's potential but not playing up to it) "It's very difficult, but I don't have an answer. I just think if we come out and be consistent we can be as good as anybody."
(on losing two games in a row in front of good crowds) "It's very disappointing. As a team you are very disappointed because we practice hard all week then don't come out on Sunday the way we want to."
(on performance of defense against Colts QB Peyton Manning) "He did well. Peyton is a great player, everybody knows that. They have a great offense, and we've just got to learn how to wrap up, tackle well, and not commit penalties. Penalties really gave them a boost. Peyton doesn't need help but we gave it to him."
(on first career interception) "I was excited but I would have been much happier if we would have gotten the win."
Texans C Chris Myers(on why Texans can't make big plays) "It's just inconsistency. You can't pinpoint one thing. It's one player here or there, and until we fix those problems we are not going to be a good team."
(on moving forward) "Keep fighting. You don't even look at that kind of stuff. It's one game at a time; one game seasons."
(on any message he has for the fans) "I apologize, we're just inconsistent. We want to come out here and be able to show our fans that we are going to be a better te4am season in and season out and as of right now we're not showing that, we're showing spurts, but until we become a finishing team its not going to be that way."
Texans DT Amobi Okoye
(on thoughts about today's loss) "A game like that, especially when you jump out like that, you expect to win, and I think we've been in that situation before to close the game out, it's just something we have to do. I'm not worried at all."
(on whether this is the toughest loss this season) "Definitely, because we had the lead. We had a big jump and I don't know about that call on Dre (WR Andre Johnson), it wasn't a touchdown and I definitely think it was a touchdown. You know, that would have gave us more lead, but hands down we have to close it out."
(on the difference between the first and second half) "Pretty much them making plays and us not making plays. I think we were probably a little bit too relaxed and we have to know who we're dealing with on the other side of the ball."
Texans LB DeMeco Ryans(on thoughts about today's loss) "It was a very tough one, tough loss, very frustrating. I feel like we played a great first half but then again it's the tale of two halves, we have to go out there and finish, and we didn't finish. We let them get back in the game and they found a way to win."
(on whether this team has the ability to finish games out) "We have the ability, we're there, we just have to step up and find a way to continue to make plays. We can't just do it in the first half and not do it in the second half; we have to play a complete game. We didn't play a complete game."
(on how the team will bounce back) "Well we can't focus on just winning out, we have to focus on the next game, that's the only thing we can do. We'll come in tomorrow, look at this one, put it behind us, and find a way to get the next one."
Texans QB Matt Schaub(on his second interception that was returned for a touchdown) "The tight end on an out route there. The guy made a play and undercut it. It's just on me, I need to get off that and go somewhere else with the ball."
(on his first interception) "We had (WR) Andre (Johnson) on the deep throw and I thought he was going to go inside on the corner on his deep, go-post route, and at the last minute he jumped outside and then the safety was able to recover back there."
(on his feelings on the game) "It's frustrating. Everything was right there for us. We played a good first half. We settled for a couple field goals when I think we should have been able to put seven's on the board. I think that kept the score closer than it could have been at halftime. Then it got down there in the fourth quarter and I had the turnover, we hurt ourselves with penalties all day and we hurt ourselves as well."
(on the fast start) "As far as the good start, we just executed our plays. We were able to run the football which I think helped us extremely well in that drive and also in the first half. We were just executing, moving the chains and taking what they gave us and we weren't trying to force things and we were able to move it down the field and score and use seven minutes off the clock in the process."
(on the finish) "They played, too. They executed and they took some things away. We hurt ourselves throughout the second half with penalties and turnovers as well."
(on the pass interference calls) "I only saw a few of them. We were looking over pictures and planning for our next series, so a lot of those I never really see. They were called and that's the way it goes. You have to try and avoid those situations."
(on the most disappointing part of the second half) "My turnover for a touchdown. I think we take that away and we don't make that mistake and I think we move the ball and we put ourselves in the position to score."
(on the penalties and mistakes) "I just think we need to regroup and go out. We have five games left. We have to go down to Jacksonville and play a team that is really, really a tough team in their place. We have to regroup and come out swinging."
(on head coach Gary Kubiak taking the blame) "That's just the type of coach he is and he takes a lot of heat when he shouldn't. That's on us as players. That game out there, we were set up to win that game and play well and we just didn't do it. We hurt ourselves all day, especially in the second half. That's just the type of coach he is. He's going to protect us as players but at the same time that's on us. That's all it is."
Texans DE Antonio Smith
(on thoughts about today's performance) "I thought that we just didn't make the plays that we needed to make, when we needed to make them. Little plays count. The third downs count. You know, you're out there on the field and you stop them for a third down and the next thing you know you look up and it's a pass interference. That's some time we could have had them off the field, less chance for them to push the ball up the field."
(on the penalty calls) "The first one, I got straight up off the ground from hitting (Colts QB) Peyton )Manning) and I saw that it was an interception so I took an angle, and when I took the angle I just saw (Colts TE) Dallas Clark and I went to make a block. That was it on that one, I just wanted to make a block and when I talk to the ref he said that he was behind the ball and the block was unnecessary, but I was just playing football. The second one I'm going to hit Peyton and as I'm going to tackle him I get hit from the side, so I got my arm in there and once I got hit from the side it dove my arm across his face mask. And they said that anytime you hit his face mask, they're going to throw the flag."
(on his feelings about today's loss) "You can't help but to feel bad. Me personally I just think that sometimes you have to let the players be players, let that decide the game. Me personally, when I play football out in the yard and I'm all-time quarterback or someone who is in control of the game, I tend to have favoritism towards my son. I think I should let my son play, regardless if he's my son. Let him play football, not matter what."
(on whether he worries about the team bouncing back) "I'm not worried about it. I see in their eyes. It is a bad moment right now, it's a bad time right now, but coming off the field, people just want to work, people just want to work. You'll see tomorrow what a player's made of."
Texans WR Kevin Walter
(on the players knowing they have the ability to win these games) "Oh yeah, it's frustrating because we had a great week of practice. We've been working hard and everything has been clicking and we feel good about ourselves. We felt good about ourselves in the first half. Then the second half, we didn't do our job. That's what we need to do. Everyone needs to focus on their job and their job only. If everyone does that, we'll be just fine."
(on if they came out too relaxed in the second half) "Personally, I didn't feel relaxed at all. You're going against the best team in football right now. You can't feel relaxed. You have to go out there and keep grinding at these guys and scoring points. You can't feel relaxed. I hope no one did. I sure didn't."
(on being 2-4 at home this season) "Last year, we played great at home. This year we haven't been playing as good as we want to. We still have some games left and we're not going to hold our head down. We're going to keep working and keeping grinding and that's what we do. We've got Jacksonville next week; it's a division game, an important game and we need to get back on track."
(on if it's mind-boggling how different the two halves were) "Yeah, it's tough. It is tough. It's not the first time it's happened this year. We have to do a better job, as players, to keep coming out and keep executing like we did in the first half. We didn't do that. I'm not sure why it's like that. We have to find the reason why and fix it. We have a lot of talent and when we play as a football team, I think we can beat anybody in football. First half, we played extremely well and we just have to do that for four quarters."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on frustrations in the game) "It's very frustrating. At the same time we had a lot of penalties that moved the ball tremendously for them. The calls were made and it's something we have to deal with as a team. To do what we did, we definitely know the biggest thing was to get after (Colts QB) Peyton (Manning) to get him moving a little bit. Like you said, we did that, but still came out short."
(on the pass interference calls and questionable calls) "I'm not going to say they are questionable, I'm not even going to really touch base one that. But the ball, definitely, there were some times where the ball was clearly, even the receiver gave up on the ball. It was still called. That was the call they made, that's the call that we got. So we had to go with it."
(on the defense being on the field so long in the second half) "We were just out of position and that is just the bottom line. It's nothing about what was going on, it was just, we were out of position and we missed tackles multiple times. That's on us, that's just us as a person."
(on continuing to make mistakes) "Obviously we go from taking care of the run to now all of a sudden going back to not taking care of the run. It just has to be fixed. Like I said, it's on each and every individual."
(on his feelings now) "It's just one of those things we just have to focus on the future. We're all going to have to have a short memory of this. But definitely, right now, you really can't explain it."
Texans T Eric Winston(on the penalties and turnovers in the second half) "It's hard to maintain drives with penalties and, obviously, the turnovers get you beat."
(on if he knows why they cannot put two consistent halves of football together) "No, it's been pretty frustrating. It's what is going on. I can't figure it out."
(on why they went away from the run in the second half) "I think we got stuck in some bad spots. Obviously with penalties, you start drives deep. It was more of a circumstantial thing."
(on how disappointed he is right now) "Real disappointed. I thought we had a chance and I think we were waiting for the game to come to us instead of just going and taking it."
(on how good it felt to get the run going in the first half) "It felt real good. That's what you always want to do. You always want to come out and establish yourself and we did that, but we've got to do it for the whole game."
(on if the team can bounce back from this) "Yeah, as long as guys are willing to come in here and work and make plays. That's what it's all about. It's about making plays. It doesn't matter about what you're doing in the first half or through three quarters. When the game comes down to it, you've got to makes plays. Bottom line."
(on if the team is taking its foot off the pedal with a lead) "I don't know. It's hard to tell. I don't know if it felt like other things were working or we weren't getting the same push or we weren't putting ourselves through the same situations."
(on if the Colts defense did anything different against them in the second half) "No, in the third quarter, we kept getting the ball deep in our area. We got it out a few times and had to punt. Just play consistently. Like I said, third down, you've got to make plays. You've got to catch better. We've got to run better. We've got to block better. We've got to throw better. You've got to go out there and do it. I know it sounds recurring, but if you don't make plays, I don't care how far you're up. If it's a two possession game in the fourth quarter, you're not going to run."
Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian Indianapolis Colts RB Joseph Addai Indianapolis Colts S Antoine Bethea Indianapolis Colts LB Gary Brackett Indianapolis Colts DB Melvin Bullitt Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts DE Robert Mathis Indianapolis Colts LB Clint Session Indianapolis Colts DE Joshua Thomas Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne
Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell
(opening statement) "I just want to open it up by saying that's a heck of a football team we played. They literally owned that first half. They did a good job of running it on us, and certainly gave us some problems in terms of putting pressure on us from an offensive standpoint. Overall, they just did a tremendous job. Our guys showed a lot of heart and came back in the second half and we owned the second half and played extremely well. It was kind of a tale of two halves."
(on what he told his team at halftime) "Our halftime adjustments we make are fairly basic. They're low key, there's not a whole lot of screaming or yelling or anything of that nature. We just talk it out, and the guys know what they have to do, and we came back and did a nice job in the second half."
(on the confidence of coming back, and having done it many times) "Too many times. But, I think our guys have grown accustomed with traveling with what we call our little 'packet' of poise, confidence, pride and passion, because you have to take that on the road to win in this league. They do a good job of displaying a lot of poise when things are tough, showing some confidence and playing with a lot of passion and pride. I do indeed think that happens. But it's the largest margin of victory we've had in a couple of weeks, so I do think I should smile a little bit, right?"
(on winning battles at the line of scrimmage) "Well, we mixed it up a little bit. (Defensive coordinator) Larry (Coyer) did a good job and the defensive guys up front did a good job of getting them headed in the right direction moreso than anything else. It wasn't anything magical, we always use some stunts and those sorts of things, but in the second half we really took care of the line of scrimmage. That was one area where they were running the ball, which opened their bootlegs and things of that nature. Once we restricted that, it made things a little more manageable.
(on using the no-huddle offense heavily in the second half) "We use some all the time, it's just kind of the way we are. We huddle periodically if there's a reason to, but it wasn't anything outside of the norm."
(on how Texans RB Steve Slaton threatened the Colts defense) "He sure did. He was actually out there in the open coming out of the backfield, caught some in the seams on us and converted a few first downs that way. He still did a nice job at the end of the game, keeping the ball in the two-minute situation. We never really managed that part of the game as well as we'd like to, but we did it enough to get them stopped on third down."
(on the possibility of the Colts clinching the division title with a Jaguars loss today) "Well, I'll talk about it when it happens, because right now we still need someone else's help to get it done. We'd rather take care of it ourselves in some point in time, which I'm certain we're going to maybe have to, and that's what we're counting on. So until that happens, I'll probably refrain from talking about it."
(on why the Texans have so much difficulty beating the Colts) "No, they're a good football team, they're a well coached football team. All we see is that they're getting better and better every year, and they're difficult to handle."
(on the close games between the two teams over the past few years) Our battles are always kind of a one score game for the most part, particularly when we come here. The last time we came here, they got out to a pretty substantial lead as well. They're good, and a pretty capable team, and they know and understand how to play us as well."
(on the idea of resting the Colts starters in anticipation of the playoffs) "I think those were probably during the time when (former Colts head coach) Tony (Dungy) thought things were in place and clinched, and we haven't gotten there yet. When we do, we'll discuss our strategy."
Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian
(On how the Colts finished in the second half) "They have a great defensive line and they owned the line of scrimmage in parts of the third quarter. We did a heck of a job finishing. He (QB Peyton Manning) was under duress all day and there was another team (the Texans) out there and they were pretty good. But we hung in there for sixty minutes and found a way to win."
(On the competition in the AFC South) "It's very tough. It's extremely tough. It's the toughest division in football. They gave us a hell of a game as you would expect they would."
(On what is the most gratifying part of winning 11 straight games) "These guys played sixty minutes and they have a lot of heart and courage, even as undermanned as we are they keep fighting and that's the most gratifying thing for me."
Indianapolis Colts RB Joseph Addai
(transcribed by Joshua Moon)
(on a 21-point fourth quarter) "We were down the whole game and to come back and do something like that is special. The Texans did a great job. You have to take your hat off to them. We came out and did what we had to do in the second half."
(on winning in his home town) "It's always good to win at home. Me, myself, I look at it like another game. We have another game next week so we have to get this game and move on."
(on being able come back from being down at the half more than once this year) "We have a lot of veteran guys that have been doing this for a long time. You kind of watch how they do it. We came in at halftime and we adjusted the mistakes. We knew the second have was another game. We went out there in the second half and started all over and it worked for us."
(on scoring two touchdowns in 16 seconds) "For us, it gives us confidence. I think that was a good thing for us. Our defense came out in the second half and played really good."
(on the adjustments they made after being down 17 points) "We've been in this situation a lot. You've got to imagine how many times the veterans have been through this, so the biggest thing was adjusting and going out in the second half and making plays."
Indianapolis Colts S Antoine Bethea
(on how his interception resembled a Willie Mays catch) "I was just out there trying to make a play. They say a free safety back there in the post have to be a center fielder. Seen the ball go up, tried to locate the ball and make a play on it."
(on what the Colts did to turnaround the overall defense in the second half) "We didn't make too much of a change. It was just some things that we were out there kind of flat. We just knew we had to control the line of scrimmage. Once we stopped that, we made them one dimensional. We stopped the run and was able to make some plays."
(on if they feared coming out flat in the second half) "It's not a fear. Obviously it's not something you want to do. You don't want to come out flat but it happens. It's a 60-minute game, have to keep fighting for 60 minutes and that's what we did, that's what we do."
(on what the Colts thought about wrapping up the AFC South Division title) "That's our goal coming into training camp. We wanted to win our division. That's our first goal and hopefully we can do that."
Indianapolis Colts LB Gary Brackett
(on how the Texans were able to execute early against the Colts' defense) "They had a good game plan coming out. They were moving the ball on us, at will really, running the ball effectively. We made a couple of adjustments, ended up being key. Had a huge turnover by (S) Antoine (Bethea), even bigger one by (LB) Clint (Session) later in the game. We kind of started building that steam. When our offense starts clicking we know that we are a couple of turnovers away from blowing the game wide open."
(on how this team is now able to overcome even when QB Peyton Manning struggles) "Our defense, I think we're stepping up. I think every week it is somebody different. That's exciting to see a person like (LB) Clint (Session), who has been working hard all year, really stepping up and making that huge play today. We just pride ourselves on every week somebody else stepping up and making that big play."
(on what the halftime locker room atmosphere was like) "Calm, always calm. Unfortunately we've been in those situations before. Things work out, we made a couple of adjustments, switched up a couple of things and they came out and they worked. Made a couple of big plays, the ball started rolling. The offense started rolling and we go away with the game."
Indianapolis Colts DB Melvin Bullitt
(on RB Chad Simpson's touchdown run) "That was huge. It's just about whoever is in the game at that time making plays. Do what you're supposed to do, go out there and execute, and just do your job."
(on if they changed their blitzing scheme during the game) "We did. There was one time when I blitzed that I definitely should have had a sack, but it was a prime example of trying to do too much. I was going for the strip instead of just going for the hit and he got loose. You know, we got to the sidelines and guys were like don't do too much, do what you're suppose to do and we'll be fine. From then on, we blitzed, we rushed the passer, we did what we had to do and got the win."
(on how the offense and defense had to step up at the same time) "Definitely. That's going to be huge. One thing we have to do is start faster. We haven't really done that yet, but I feel like we are starting to get to where we are playing all four quarters. We had three solid quarters this week. Once we get to where we have four quarters of full team action, we're going to be a very tough team to beat."
(on being down and having to come back more than once this year) "It happens. You just have to stay focused and keep going towards what we do. We can't panic in any situation. Nobody panicked, nobody got hostile, we just did what we had to do and went out there and played our football, and got the win."
Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning
(on leading the Colts to another fourth-quarter comeback) "Every game takes on its own identity. You certainly don't like to spot a team 17 points on the road, a division team. Houston came out and made a lot of plays. They were hot on offense. Our offense, we had some missed assignments and some mental errors. We obviously didn't have many possessions there in the first half."
(on the performance of TE Dallas Clark, particularly in the second half) "Dallas is not taken for granted around here. His presence has a lot to do with how teams defend us, especially Houston. They gameplan around where Dallas is, and you can see they are very conscious of him. Obviously, it's great to have a guy that can dictate to a defense and can allow you to do certain things, either to get the ball to him or free up some other guys."
(on the drive in fourth quarter to take the lead) "Obviously it wasn't great field position. They had a good punt and backed us up a little bit. I thought (RB Joseph) Addai did a heck of a job holding onto the ball. Guy made a big hit. I felt like they were excited, maybe celebrating a little bit that play so we quick-snapped them and went deep on them right away. That's the thing. You've got to play every play. We know that."
(on the play of the Colts' running game) "It just gave us good balance. The plan was to run the ball today. Certainly the score can factor in. It was nice we could cut it to 20-14 and our defense started to hold them so we could mix in the runs where we weren't down two or three scores and you had to throw."
(on how the run game negated the Texans' pass rush) "They've got good pass rushers. Certainly not the type of team you want to be strictly one-dimensional because of the score. It was nice to be able to pound some runs at certain times to make them defend both phases of our offense."
(on winning 20 straight games) "That's a tough question. I probably have to put a little more thought into that. I'll say this - the guys that have been here throughout those games are professionals. Our players prepare just as hard for any team we play. It's not just for the rival teams. Guys go about their business in a professional way. They prepare hard. You like being around guys that have respect for their job and take it seriously. That doesn't guarantee you're going to win every game, but you sure like the way you feel about your team going into each game. We're happy about wins. We don't get over-excited. When things aren't going the way we want them to, we don't panic. We don't yell, we don't throw helmets."
(on the status of his glute injury) "I feel better. Obviously I wasn't feeling great last week, but I did feel better today."
(on his injury in more specific terms) "Soreness. It was a bruise, essentially. I guess it happened in the Baltimore game, not sure which play."
Indianapolis Colts DE Robert Mathis
(on how the Colts defense made adjustments in the second half to stop the Texans offense) "A lot of people don't know that Houston is an offensive powerhouse. They can jump on you real quick as they did and you just have to be calm, be cool and just do what we do."
(on how making adjustments is a sign of maturity for the Colts) "We're a young team but at the same time we have been through games like this and we have the experience. We just know if you keep your poise everything else will take care of itself."
(on how the locker room was calm at halftime) "A lot of the plays they got was because of missed tackles. We knew we had to hunker down and make those plays when we had the first chance to make them."
(on how big plays and interceptions changed the outcome) "Two of the most underrated players (S Antoine Bethea and LB Clint Session) on this team, they came through in the clutch for us and we were just able to get the victory."
Indianapolis Colts LB Clint Session(on his interception) "I was reading the route. We got those routes all week in practice. They got me a couple of times in practice this week and I was just trying not to make the same mistake and we came away with a pick."
(on the comeback in the second half) "We were getting it handed to us. They're a good team. We came out fighting, but we honestly weren't fighting hard enough. It meant a lot to us to be undefeated. We came around as a defense and put it together."
(on scoring a touchdown on defense after taking the lead) "Any time you get two touchdowns at any time no matter what the lead is, it's going to add some momentum. (RB) Chad (Simpson) did a great job. That was a tough run and we got him a touchdown as a reward."
(on defense making big plays) "That's our job. We have to execute despite what the offense does."
(on being behind at halftime) "I don't think we've ever been down that bad at the half. It was kind of calm and everyone knew we could get it together. The only way to make it happen is to make it happen. There wasn't a lot of talk, but we pulled it together and that's what good teams do."
(on knowing the Texans as an opponent) "It's football. How bad do you want it? They wanted it bad but we wanted it a little more. We had a lot more riding on this. That's a good team over there, but we're the Colts and we do things the right way. We try to get every win we can get."
(on what a touchdown means for a linebacker) "It means a lot. That's way out of the ordinary. We don't get too many of those. Big hits are our thing, but it feels good to get a touchdown."
(on what he saw when he made the interception) "I saw green and I saw the (Texans) quarterback (Matt Schaub) closing and I respect my speed a little more than that, so I went ahead and scored a touchdown."
Indianapolis Colts DE Joshua Thomas
(on playing most of the game after being signed earlier in the week) "It's good to be back. It was kind of crazy. A week ago today I was sitting and watching the game on the couch. It's crazy how the business works, but luckily I was able to stay in shape and help out today."
(on starting and playing most of the game on a unbeaten team) "That only happened because I've been here for five years and they have faith in me. It's just the situation and I was lucky to be a part of this situation, so it was a great day."
(on what the team did to fight back after being down early) "They had a great plan and it took us a little bit to adjust to it. We kind of had to go to the drawing board and adjust, but once we did that, we were able to compete and pound and that's how the game turned out."
(on if he feels like he is a part of the team even though he hasn't been part of the team the entire year) "Oh yeah, it's like riding a bike. You come back and the relationships are the same and the coaches might be slightly different, but the philosophy is the same and everything just moves forward, so I just fit right back in."
Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne
(on being down 20-7 at halftime) "It just goes to show what kind of bond we have to just stick in there and not panic and keep playing just like the last four weeks. When we went down nobody was pointing fingers and nobody was panicking about what was going on. We just continued to fight and play football. It worked in our favor."
(on how the veterans lead the way in the second half) "We have some veterans on this team that have been in this situation before. They showed the younger guys what to do to lead the way. We talk about it all week, about staying in there and staying focused. We are going to have some storms, but we have to keep fighting through that adversity. It's been like that for the last five weeks. I'm sure everybody in this locker room would want it a little easier. It was the cards that were given to us and we had to play our hand."
(on if there was any doubt of coming back) "No, if you doubt yourself then you're done. That's like showing a bad poker face. When they see that then you're in trouble. Our guys just stuck with it. Our defense picked it up and we have to take care of our business on offense and get some drives going and score some touchdowns. We came in at halftime and made some corrections. We knew it was not our type of game we played in the first half, so we made some corrections and focused at one play at a time and started making some plays."
(on the preparation by Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell) "Coach Caldwell does a pretty good job taking care of the guys throughout the week. He preaches being fresh. He's been throwing us a couple of bones here and there and we've taken advantage of it. It showed off during the game. We started off a little sluggish. I don't know if we played at an early kickoff or what, but we picked it up and that was the main thing. Guys see it whenever you do it in a consistent basis and when you do it well it goes on for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can it pick up and learn from the mistakes we made in the first half and make our game like the second half today."
