Coach Gary Kubiak oversees his team as they prepare for their first preseason game Saturday against the Chicago Bears.
Texans players and coaches spoke to the media after practice Friday, the 14th day of practice since training camp opened July 29.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak (on what happened in practice today) "Nothing new. The good thing is it looks like everybody is back out on the field. There were two question marks as far as the game goes, and that was (Tim) Bulman and Bethel Johnson. According to this morning's practice, they'll play, so we're all ready to go. And ya'll know those few guys that are definitely out, but we've got everybody ready to go; let's go see where we're at."
(on whether the team is where he wants it to be going into this game) "We'll find out Saturday. I think everybody feels good right now; nobody's played yet. Preseason is a time for your team to come together and it's a time to find some young players, but your veteran players have got to also be doing their job and getting ready for the regular season. There's a lot of things you're trying to get accomplished, but the biggest two we're looking for from this team is composure and being more physical as a team, so that's where we're going to start."
Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson (on whether he is looking forward to Saturday's game) "I'm definitely looking forward to it. I think all the guys are. We've been going against each other for about two weeks now; it's time to go against somebody different. We have a good physical team coming in and we get to see where we're at."
(on how much of their offense they will show to the Bears on Saturday) "The coaches put in the game plan. It's not something that we do during the regular season- a huge game plan. We've got some plays we're going to go out and run, and our job is to go out and execute."
(on whether he is excited to hear the home fans on Saturday) "It's been a little while. It's great to be back in Reliant Stadium, playing in front of our great fans. It's pretty good to be back."
Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones (on if people ask him about the leap from a division two school to the NFL) "Yeah, they ask me if I'm adjusting well, but I think I'm adjusting well. Starting to learn the concepts in the offense, and I have some veterans like Keenan McCardell and Andre Johnson that have helped me out a bit."
(on being Mr. Everything at Lane College) "Yeah, you could say that, it was a team thing."
But you did accomplish quite a bit – "Yeah, oh yeah."
(on the adjustment to Matt Schaub) "He is a more fluent quarterback; he is on time and everything is precise, so that was a good adjustment for me too."
(on how he sees himself fitting in) "It is a real nice offense. You can't beat it with a stick. Everybody's got an opportunity to play."
(on the first preseason game) "Really just see how the game flows, how fast it really is, but I'm going try and slow it down myself and make big plays when it comes to me."
(on the speed of the game in the NFL, and if he gets a sense of it at practice or if he will on Saturday) "On Saturday when you go against another team. You know, you kind of get used to your teammates after a while, but Saturday we will find out."
(on one thing that has surprised him coming into the NFL) "These defensive lineman; they move like cats, they move pretty quick."
Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels (on the fact that he plays well during the preseason) "I've always played well in the preseason, as Matt (Schaub) always has as well. A lot has to do with our teammates playing well. I only play well if the other ten guys with me, they play well too."
(on how much better the Texans are this year than last year) "We execute so much better than we did a year ago. I think everyone has a better feel for the entire offense, and the talent is definitely better this year. We have a lot more speed this year and that's exciting. We'll obviously see that tomorrow night."
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (on what the difference is going into the preseason as the starting quarterback rather than the backup) "I think the main difference is you go out and you're in the first play. As a backup, my mentality in Atlanta was always 'you have to be ready at any moment; you have to get yourself ready to play as if you're going out the first snap.' You have to have that mindset. Other than that, that's the only difference."
(on what he has to accomplish during Saturdays game) "I think ball security is a must, especially the first preseason game. You've got to take care of the football, make good decisions. Everybody (has got to) be on the same page and take the team down and score points. That's ultimately what you want to do as a team."
(on how excited he is to play Saturday) "I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm excited for the opportunity and going out against a different opponent, and seeing somebody in a different jersey and seeing where we are at right now at this point two weeks into training camp. It will be a good measure to see where we are."
(on whether they will show too much of the offense to the Bears Sunday) "I don't know. We're going to do what we need to do to be successful and win the game and score points, but we'll see how much we put in and how much we actually run."
