Texans coach Gary Kubiak spoke to the media after practice on Thursday.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on anything new today) "No. Practice-wise, (DE Anthony) Weaver was back at practice today. (DE) Jesse Nading did practice. (S) Nick (Ferguson) practiced. So it looks like we'll be ok from that standpoint. I think Jesse is still probably a game-time decision."
(on DE Jesse Nading dropping back in coverage) "Yeah, we do a lot of things with him. He's a very sharp kid. We knew that coming in. We really didn't know what we were going to do with him. Were we going to play him at linebacker? Were we going to play him at defensive end? He's been able to hold his weight. He's done a good job. We've asked him to do a lot, and that's one of the things I think that adds value to his career as we move forward."
(on how difficult it is for a defensive lineman to drop back in coverage) "Well, that is different, but it is something he's done before. He did it in college. Being the size he is gives him an opportunity to roam around and do those types of things and spy on quarterbacks. It's something he can use to his advantage with his career."
(on what defensive coordinator Richard Smith and the defense have done the past few weeks) "Yeah, they've done a great job. Obviously, we had not played that well up to a certain point. You know, we got some guys back and settled down, talking about (CB) Dunta (Robinson) and (DT) Amobi (Okoye) and of course (LB Xavier) Adibi stepping in, those types of things. But they've played extremely well. As far as how we've played the last three weeks, there's no doubt they've led the way."
(on what practice is like now compared to what it was at the beginning of the year) "Well, naturally, you get to a certain point in the season, for me personally as a coach and the way I was brought up, you kind of look at things every quarter of the season. Where are you at physically? How are you as a football team? Really, as the season gets longer, your day should get a little shorter. That's basically what we do. We're not working in any pads this time of year and just trying to get our guys fresh and fast and knowing what they're doing. You can do stuff like that as long as you still pay attention to detail. If you start backing off on those situations and your detail lacks, then that's a fine line. But our guys have handled it pretty good."
(on RT Eric Winston saying the Titans' defensive line is one of the best in the league) "He's right. Heck, I think they are the best. They've proved it all year long, every game. They're as physical a football team as you'll play. That's what drives that football team week in and week out. If we don't match them physically, then we're going to be in trouble. There have been 12 teams in trouble this year that can't match them. So that's something that we have to get done."
(on if DT Albert Haynesworth is the focal point of the Titans' defensive line) "Well, he's a great player, but the minute you pay attention to one player, you get a bunch of them. We'll have to beat their (entire) defense. Their defense is playing extremely well."
(on what he has thought about WR André Davis since he came back from finger surgery) "He's been fine. He's been very close. He's had some big plays. He had the return (for a touchdown) called back (at Cleveland). He was really close last week. I'm expecting him to do something big here before we finish. That's the way he finished the season last year, so hopefully we'll see the same."
