Cornerback Dunta Robinson looked even better in his second practice of the season. Coach Gary Kubiak will have until Saturday afternoon to decide whether to play Robinson on Sunday against the Lions.
Dunta improving: In his second practice back, Dunta Robinson looked more like his old self. He was wearing pads and hitting people with his D-Rob swagger.
"We put the pads on him today and he banged a few guys around," coach Gary Kubiak said. "His reps picked up. There was nothing that came out of yesterday that was any setback at all. So as long as he wakes up tomorrow morning and he's the same, then he should be ready to go."
{QUOTE}Kubiak had been worried that practicing on the turf on Wednesday would be hard on Robinson's body, but the corner said his knee and hamstring felt fine.
"Man, I haven't felt that way in a long time," Robinson said. "It was a good feeling, especially after running around as much as I did yesterday. It gives you a little bit more confidence knowing that I made it through my first practice, and hopefully I can make it through my second."
Robinson hasn't been placed on the active roster yet. To do so requires the Texans to make a personnel move, and they plan to wait until after Friday's practice to make a decision about activating Robinson for Sunday's game against Detroit.
"We've got 'til three o'clock on Saturday, so you can always wait with those things," Kubiak said. "Those are tough decisions. You've got to find some player that you're going to let go or put on the practice squad or whatever you're going to do. So we'll wait to the last moment to do that. You never know what can happen between now and Saturday afternoon."
If Robinson is activated for the game, the Texans plan to use him.
"If he's up, he's going to play," Kubiak said.
D-linemen stepping up: Defensive tackle DelJuan Robinson and end Tim Bulman spent most of last year on the practice squad. This season, they have earned spots in the eight-man rotation on the defensive line.
"We've been searching for some guys in there to step up and play well, and there's two kids there that all they were doing was practicing hard and giving people fits at practice, and we gave them a chance and we can't get them out of there now," Kubiak said.
"That's what this league's about. Timmy's been on the practice squad three years, and he has no more practice squad life. So he's got to make it as a player or else there's something else out there for Timmy. And he's making it right now as a player, so it's fun to watch. You root for guys like that that never say die, and he's being rewarded right now."
Even better, the two have been making plays. Bulman recorded two quarterback hits against Miami last Sunday. Robinson, who has started the last two games for Amobi Okoye, recorded a tackle for a loss in Week 5 against the Colts.
"All that's in my head is that play, making the play on that play," Bulman said. "I try to keep it really simple. I don't want to look ahead because you never know what's going to happen. I just try every time that I get a chance to do something I want to take advantage of that opportunity to the fullest extent. That's my only goal."
To read more about Bulman and Robinson, click **here**.
Detroit not to be taken lightly: Even though the Lions come to Houston with an 0-5 record, the Texans are not taking them lightly.
"One thing I can relate to is how hungry they are for their first win because we were in that same situation," Dunta Robinson said. "I know it's not going to be an easy football game. I know they are going to come in here and scratch and claw and do everything they can to get that win. We've just got to make sure we don't let that happen. We want to win two straight. Each game we win, it builds our confidence. So we're coming off a good win, a hard fought win, but we're trying to get another one."
The Lions barely lost last Sunday to the Vikings, falling 10-12 partly because of a last-second pass interference penalty.
"This is a team looking to fight and claw their way for their first win," center Chris Myers said. "They, last week, fought their hearts out last week and then came up short. But they did everything in every way to win that game last week and fell a little bit short. But, we have to treat every week the same. We have a good team coming in here."
For the first time this season, the Texans are expected to win by a large margin, but they know anything can happen on any given Sunday.
"We know we can't take this team lightly," Robinson said. "They haven't won a game. We've only won one game. So, it's not a lot to talk about. It's not like we're 4-1, so we've just got to try to get something to get us going."
Injury notes: Safety Dominique Barber and running back Chris Taylor were the only teammates sitting out from practice Thursday.
For the official injury report, click **here**.
