The Texans wrapped up their last practice before hosting the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 12. Head coach Gary Kubiak spoke to the media after Friday's workout.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on if it's fun to break the monotony for the scout team to run the wildcat offense in practice) "I think the guy running it had fun this week, but it's not fun to sit there and try to defend it every day. It's very challenging. It's easy to get their attention. Our guys see how well this team is playing and the problems that they've posed to the last two opponents they've had. So it's been very easy for us to get their attention and focus on the issue we have."
(on DT Amobi Okoye playing his best game last week) "I thought he played his best game of the year this past week, personally. All we did with Amobi (Okoye) was we tried to limit his reps. We thought like he was on the field too much and was losing some effectiveness as a pass rusher on third downs. (DT) DelJuan (Robinson) had been playing very, very well, so DelJuan spotted him on a lot of situations inside and I think it made Amobi play better."
{QUOTE}(on if they play any different when RB Ahman Green is out there as opposed to RB Steve Slaton) "No, I think we're the same team. They both have their strengths, but we're able to do the same things because (RB) Steve (Slaton) has held up so well in pass pro."
(on how important the young defensive lineman getting better is to the team) "They're extremely important. We kept 10 d-linemen and that's unusual. We've been heavy at that position all year, and every time we make a move as a football team that position comes up because we are heavy there. So, what we do is create an open competition during the week and we're watching guys get better. We're watching (DT) DelJuan (Robinson) get better; we're watching (DT Tim) Bulman get better. (DE) Earl (Cochran), coming off of some nicks, has come back and played the way we expect him to play. So I think the competition has settled in on the eight guys being more effective last week than we've been all year, so hopefully that continues."
(on any news with the team) "No. We're just finishing up our Friday, a lot of things to cover. (S Dominique) Barber will definitely be out this week. He hasn't made much progress. He's the guy that's definitely out."
(on if he is surprised at how the club has responded to things) "I'm not surprised at all how they worked. They're a good group of kids, and they're all battling their tail off to get something positive at the end of the week. They've been that way for me and the coaches. Coaches are working extremely hard. That's all you can ask of them. That's what they're doing."
(on if RB Ahman Green is better at the end of this week than at the end of last week) "Yeah, I would say he (RB Ahman Green) is just from the simple fact of the reps and just getting more work. The thing I like is he's feeling good. He's feeling healthy. He's worked all week and there hasn't been any lightness to what he's been doing. So, I would say he's feeling better."
(on if RB Ahman Green should be even more productive in this game) "Well, we'll see. But, this is a dang good defensive football team. We'll still rotate like we did. If (RB) Steve's (Slaton) going and he's feeling good and he's performing the way he's been performing, then he's going to be out there the majority of the time. But, as long as (RB) Ahman (Green) keeps coming, that's a nice change up for us."
(on how important is it for RB Steve Slaton and RB Ahman Green to block with the Miami's 3-4 defense and big linebackers) "Well, it's extremely important because the two edges, one of them is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL over the course of the last ten to 12 years in (LB Joey) Porter and the kid (LB Matt Roth) on the other side is a defensive end that they moved to linebacker. So you've got two very big edges and your backs will have to step up and protect the ball."
