Coach Gary Kubiak will give the players Christmas Day off so they can enjoy time with their families.
Head coach Gary Kubiak talked to the media after the Texans' Christmas Eve practice.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on anything health wise with the team) "Adibi and Nick both did not practice today. So, we'll see where their at. They've got a day tomorrow off. So, let them get some rest. We'll see where they're at Friday."
(on if he is glad that the Bears have something to play for or does it not matter) "The only thing that matters is they're a good football team. The fact that they've got a ton to play for, we know that we're going to get their best shot and they're a fine football team. (Head coach) Lovie (Smith) does a great job with them. That's what we need. After we went through what we did last week, we need to see if we can come back and answer the bell against a good football team that's very physical. So, they've got a great deal to play for, but I think we do to. So, we're looking forward to it."
(on if he is happy with the workouts this week) "We're battling. We practiced pretty good for the most part today. But, we struggled through a couple of periods, but we got them fixed at the end."
{QUOTE}(on if the team got a little feisty today in practice) "Did they get a little feisty? I don't know. I have to go back and look at the film (laughs)."
(on how hard is it to have a holiday in the middle of practice week) "That's part of it. You get used to doing it with Thanksgiving and Christmas and everything. That's just part of it. Guys know how to work around that stuff. They've been through it so much. Our guys have been pretty good. We've done this same schedule for a couple of years. They've handled it pretty good."
(on if he is going to make lineup changes for the last game to look at other players) "No, we're going to do what we've got to do to beat the Bears. Obviously, there's some young kids that have gotten some time and I've been asked that the last couple of days - like (LB Kevis) Coley and (WR Darnell) Jenkins, but we're going to play our guys. This is an important game for our football team."
(on what stands out about the Bears defense) "Just their effort. (They) play with tremendous effort. That's (head coach) Lovie's (Smith) background with Tony (Dungy) and all of those guys. They're teams that rally to the ball, play extremely hard. They're very good upfront. They rush the passer well. They put a lot of pressure on you and a very smart defense. So to me, they're as good of a group as we've played all year. They're excellent. They've been on the field a great deal this season. So, it's a great for us offensively."
(on what he likes about RB Matt Forte) "Just his (RB Matt Forte) versatility. Anytime a guy's a rookie back in this league and they're a three-down player on the field all the time, it tells you he's something special. He can also go outside and run routes, which you don't see much in this league. We knew he was a pretty good one coming out. We really liked him and he's been something."
(on what has made him the happiest about the team this year) "Give me another week. I'll answer that in another week. We've got another game to play."
(on reflecting on QB Matt Schaub's growth this season) "I don't have any doubt that (QB) Matt (Schaub) is fine quarterback. What we're trying to do is get him to be a great player. The key to being a great player is him being hard on himself, getting better and the team getting better. I think he's taken some positive steps this year. Obviously, the time missed is something. I don't know how you work on that, but we have to work on that. We've got to figure out a way to play the whole season, stay on the field. And no doubt in my mind if he does that, he's got a chance to be a very productive player."
(on how is QB Matt Schaub the same or different from the player he was last year) "He's (QB Matt Schaub) a better player this year than the guy we had last year, in my opinion. He's grown. He's grown in our offense. He's grown in handling games, managing game situations. I think he's much better at that. I think he's better if that's what you're asking me, but there's another step we've got to take."
(on if he thinks QB Matt Schaub has gained some confidence) "I think he (QB Matt Schaub) the way he's played - but confidence is about winning. If we go off last week, none of us have a whole lot right now. So, we've got to go find some more."
(on if the mood today heading into Christmas would have been dramatically different if they would have won in Oakland) "Well, yeah, that's part of it, but we've got to get over that. That's very disappointing, but it's time to move on and it is Christmas. So, we'll smile tomorrow."
