Running back Ahman Green did not practice Wednesday, resting his knee before facing the Saints on Sunday.
With quarterback Matt Schaub drilling passes to wideout Andre Johnson in practice Wednesday, the Texans looked like the team that started off 2-0 this season.
Second look: The Texans' secondary will look like a different unit on Sunday. After losing star cornerback Dunta Robinson to season-ending knee and hamstring tears, head coach Gary Kubiak was forced to make roster moves. A lot of them
Von Hutchins, a backup corner who moved to safety when Jason Simmons and Glenn Earl were lost for the season, will start for Robinson at right corner. Rookie Fred Bennett will get his second start of the season, taking the place of DeMarcus Faggins on the left side. Faggins will turn into a nickel back and Will Demps will start opposite C.C. Brown at free safety.
"Will's a very smart player, diagnoses formations, routes very well," Kubiak said. "He showed that the other day against Oakland. He's really taken a step forward in the few practices we've had since then, so I'm excited about him coming back there. And as far as Von moving around to corner, that's an easy move because Von has played a lot of corner in this league."
The Texans also signed a new player to replenish the ranks. Three-year veteran Curome Cox, who was released by Denver in early November, will backup Demps at safety.
"He's (Cox) a very good special teams player," Kubiak said. "He's a tweener type of player a lot like Von Hutchins. He's played corner in college, he played safety. He's very smart. We knew he'd kind of know what we're doing. He can help us on special teams right away."
The Texans could still bring up safety Brandon Mitchell from the practice squad, but they will probably throw Cox into the mix on Sunday.
Schaub report: Quarterback Matt Schaub continued taking most of the snaps at practice, showing the he has recovered from the concussion he suffered in Week 8 against San Diego.
"He looks good," Kubiak said. "He looked good Monday. He did everything today. He came in and took his reps as normal, had a very good day practicing and he's very excited about getting back on the football field, so everything looks fine."
The starting quarterback said he is finally feeling and playing like himself.
"I feel good," Schaub said. "I feel ready to go and excited to attack another game week and be out on the field and help my team win.
"It was tough to have to sit out the Oakland game and not be out there to help my team, but it was for the best to get healthy and let everything clear up, but I'm definitely excited to get out there."
Now that Schaub is healthy, Kubiak will asses the necessity of carrying three quarterbacks on the active roster.
"I think we have to proceed day by day with that," Kubiak said. "We can't get caught short-handed, so to speak. I was impressed with what Craig (Nall) did in a short period of time last week. As long as our football team stays healthy, we would probably like to keep three around just to make sure that Matt and Sage (Rosenfels) are going to both OK."
Mario vs. Reggie: It's a tale as old as 2006. The Texans passing on the Heisman Trophy winner and selecting defensive end Mario Williams with the No. 1 draft pick.
"It was a very difficult decision because he's (Bush) a great, great football player and great kid," Kubiak said. "We spent a lot of time with him. There were a lot of players at that point that we could have chosen to start to build our franchise around.
"The NFL's a marathon. We'll see how they all pan out through their careers, but we're happy with our kid. He's getting better every day and we're excited about the direction he's heading."
Williams and Bush will get a chance Sunday to battle for day's worth of supremacy; however, Kubiak is more concerned with the defensive end helping the Texans get back to .500 with a fifth win.
"Mario's playing good football," Kubiak said. "He's having a good year. He needs to pick it up a notch for our football team as we move forward here."
As for the coach's of evaluation of Bush, Kubiak believes the running back is a threat to go the distance every snap.
"They do everything they can to find ways to get him the ball," Kubiak said. "They can always put him back there to return. He's getting his touches as a runner, he gets his touches as a receiver. When he's not, they're using him to fake reverses and stuff, which helps the game plan and everything else they do. He's scary."
Streaming the game: SportsRadio 610 and KILT 100.3 will be streaming the Texans game Sunday so the men and women serving over seas can get a little taste of home.
Texans fans can also get involved by sending messages to the troops. The sister stations are collecting greetings from listeners and will play them throughout the game.
Greeting can be dedicated to spouses, family members and loved ones. Or fans can call in simply to thank the troops for serving.
Call (713) 881-5437 to record your personalized message and **click here** for more information.
Injury Report: For the Texans official injury report, please **click here**.
