Dunta Robinson's likely return looms large on the minds of the Texans.
Coach Gary Kubiak touched on a number of topics Wednesday after practice, including injuries to several key players and his decisions on playtime for the preseason finale at Tampa Bay. Also, he answered questions on the likely return of cornerback Dunta Robinson.
Head coach Gary Kubiak Tight end James Casey Wide receiver André Davis Quarterback Rex Grossman Quarterback Dan Orlovsky
Coach Gary Kubiak
(on LB Brian Cushing) "Well, today is the most work he's done. He took the whole practice and actually took the defensive side of the ball and the scout team side of the ball. We're actually going to work with him here a little more with pads on. He's ready to go. We still have to make a decision whether or not we put him on the field on Friday."
(on any updates on QB Matt Schaub) "No. He's made a lot of progress in the last 24 hours. He's out here with the group watching things. He's on a regular treatment schedule and trying to get ready for New York."
(on if the decision on LB Brian Cushing will go right up to game time) "I think so. I want to see how he comes out of today. This is as hard as we've pushed him. Tomorrow morning will be a very light workout, but we'll probably work him a little bit more than the other guys, and just see how he comes out of it, if he has any soreness or what's going on."
(on if he plans to hold TE Joel Dreessen out again) "I don't know. I don't know."
(on if he plans to unleash TE James Casey this week) "Am I going to unleash him? Yeah, we're going to unleash him everywhere this week. Fullback. Tight end. He's going to play everywhere. He will play a few snaps this week."
(on how much time TE James Casey will get at fullback in the game) "He's going to play. He'll be the guy basically because (FB) Vonta (Leech) did not practice today and chances are, obviously, I won't play Vonta on Friday. So that makes James a full-time participant."
(on if there are still starting positions available) "Yeah, I think there are some questions to be answered on our back end and at linebacker a little bit. Of course, the questions with (C) Chris (Myers) and (G) Chester (Pitts) - are they ready to go? So, there are more questions than any since I've been here from that standpoint."
(on what happens if CB Dunta Robinson shows up next Sunday for practice) "Well, we'll put him to work. Find out where he's at physically. That's what we've got to do."
(on if CB Dunta Robinson will start if he looks good) "The bottom line is, if he walks in, we've got to see where he's at physically. It's my understanding that he's been working really hard. He's been down in Florida working is what I understand. But until you get him out here and put him through some stuff - you know? He hasn't been in a meeting with (defensive coordinator) Frank (Bush)'s defense. So there's so many questions to get answered and then for me to try to guess, you know, it would be a big guess. I don't want to do that. Let him get here. Let me see and then hopefully I'll have a better answer for you."
(on how much he would like to have CB Dunta Robinson back) "I've wanted him back all the way back to March, so I've wanted him here since then. He's an important part of this team and sure, we'd love to have him in there."
(on the status of CB Antwaun Molden) "Molden, he played 22-25 plays (against Minnesota). No ill effects out of his first time out. He came out of it good. He wasn't himself quite yet, but the fact that he's back and will be available opening day if he comes out of this one OK, I think is a big boost for us. I think he's come a long way."
(on how QB Rex Grossman looked in practice today) "He was fine in practice. I'm going to go back and look. We practiced briefly today. We're not even 36 hours out of a game and we've got to play another one in the next 48, so we were brief out here today, but he held up. I am expecting to play him a lot longer if he's OK."
(on WR Kevin Walter's status) "I would tell you all those guys are better, but they're still day-to-day."
(on if he could envision QB Rex Grossman playing the second half) "I could see Rex playing a great deal next game."
(on if any of the other defensive tackles are leading the pack right now) "I think (DT) Shaun (Cody). You know if you just look at all of them together, I think Shaun jumps out at you in how he's played and what he's done. He did some good things last week. (DT) Frank (Okam) and (DT) DelJuan (Robinson) to me have been neck-and-neck young players. One day, he's good, the next, not so good. He's fighting for consistency. The way we're working them now, they're playing different spots because DelJuan is playing the three (technique) and Frank is playing the nose. So we'll see. We're counting on those guys. It's just about them getting consistent."
*TE James Casey *
(on playing time on Friday) "Yeah, I'm excited. Even though it's the last preseason game and it doesn't count, it means a lot to me. I've got a lot riding on this game. It's the biggest game of my life. It could be my last game. The cuts are the next day so I need to go out there and hopefully I have a really good game. I'll probably be playing some fullback, some tight end and I just do my best and try to finish the preseason strong."
(on if he is comfortable at fullback) "Yeah, I'm very comfortable. I've been doing it for awhile now. You know, (FB) Vonta (Leach) left early with some family issues, so I started doing it then and I've just been doing it ever since. I feel good about it. Hopefully we'll see Friday if it goes well."
WR André Davis
(on the opportunity for more playing time) "Yeah, right now we're ready for (WR) Kevin (Walter) to get himself back out there and get going. I'm just going to make sure and hold down the position for him."
(on if he is concerned they have not put up more points in the preseason thus far) "I'm not concerned right now. I think that is one of those things you've got to work on. All the things that when you get out there, you're trying to get done and trying to accomplish during the game, the things you don't do well, you need to make sure and do those right before opening day. So no matter what happens, it's all a learning curve that we've got to get over right now. But hopefully, when we get ready for the Jets, all that stuff will be fixed."
QB Rex Grossman
(on if he is prepared for the game Saturday ) "I think so. I worked hard to get to this point. I know I need to play in this game and show what I can do out there. You know, I circled this game as a game I needed to get back for. I worked hard. I feel like I'm ready to go."
(on if he will have his injury in the back of his mind) "Maybe. But I can protect myself and I can move in and out of the pocket. I can do everything I need to do to be effective. Like I said, I'm not 100% but I'm definitely good enough to play."
(on if he knows how much he has lost since last playing) "There's 18 days that I wasn't practicing, ya know? So I missed some stuff but I tried to get as many mental reps as possible. I feel pretty good. A lot of the same concepts we're going to be running, I ran in Chicago. I faced this defensive coordinator in Green Bay before, so I'm not going in there totally new to the situation. So we'll see what happens. I'm excited about it."
(on how it would be without his past experiences) "It would be tough. If I was a rookie, this would be pretty tough. But I've got some talented wide receivers in the second group going with me and a good offensive line. I feel comfortable about the game plan. I'm confident going in there that we can makes some plans and win the game."
(on if this is an important game for him) "It's a very important game for me. I'm really looking forward to getting out there playing because a) it's fun, you get out there to play football, that's what we do; and b) it's very important for me. I know that. I'm taking it very seriously."
QB Dan Orlovsky
(on what he needs to work on the most for the last game) "I always try to take the mindset to be working on everything, but I think the biggest thing is just getting to that consistent point of running the offense. I've made good strides since I got here in March and since training camp started. I feel a lot more comfortable. I've said it, I want to get to the point where consistency is the number one thing; that I'm being completely completion driven. Not trying to be superman and thinking I need to do everything but just running the offense and getting to that point. I'm not there yet. Am I confident I will get there? Absolutely. I think my confidence grows because I can watch the film and see me getting more consistent than I was, but I'm not at the point of consistency where I want to be. The point I want to be is where (QB) Matt (Schaub) is. He's just completely consistent. That's what I'm going to try and get to and it's one thing I'm going to focus on Friday night—just being consistent during the game, running the offense, running every single play as perfectly as I can. Whatever happens, if it's a good play or bad play on my end, move on and run the next play as good as I can; just being completely consumed with doing my job. "
