The Texans practiced outside in a light rainfall on Wednesday on a cool morning at the Methodist Training Center.
Schaub on track:A day after looking sharp while taking half of the reps in practice, quarterback Matt Schaub took another step forward in his recovery from a sprained left ankle.
Schaub participated in all of practice on Wednesday, and it appears increasingly likely that he'll play against the Jets.
"He was a lot better today than he was yesterday," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "All indications are he's heading towards being fine."
Wasting no time:In his second practice of 2009, cornerback Dunta Robinson caught Kubiak's eye by coming down with an interception late in practice. Still, Kubiak hinted that he'll have to wait a couple of days to decide if his franchise player will start on Sunday.
"If Dunta makes it through Friday clean and looks like he looked today, then we've got to make a decision there as a team," Kubiak said.
Robinson said that he'll know whether or not he's ready to start by the way his legs feel after the next two days of practice. Either way, he'll be put on a play count by the coaches in the game.
"I'll definitely play some," Robinson said. "Depending on how much, I'm not sure yet. I'm going to keep going with practice to see how I feel come game time, but I feel pretty good right now. Hopefully, my legs hold up."
Play counts for two:Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing also will be on a play count on Sunday. But there's no question that Cushing, who missed the entire preseason with a sprained left knee, will be in the starting lineup.
"He's doing fine," Kubiak said. "He was moving around good, adapting to what we're doing gameplan-wise. He needs all the reps he can get, and he'll get some more tomorrow and Friday and he'll be ready to go."
Kubiak hasn't specified a play count for Cushing or Robinson, but he said on Sunday that he doesn't expect either to play 60 or 70 snaps this week.
Walter and Wilson:Wide receiver Kevin Walter (hamstring) and free safety Eugene Wilson (knee) are the team's biggest injury concerns heading into Week 1. Neither starter has practiced since suffering injuries against the Vikings on Aug. 31.
"Obviously, for them not to be on the field today, on Wednesday, it's a day-to-day situation," Kubiak said. "But they're not here today, so yeah, there's some concern."
Walter and Wilson have made progress lately, running with head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan without experiencing any setbacks.
Reeves returns: Cornerback Jacques Reeves practiced for the first time since fracturing his left fibula during training camp. Kubiak called it a "big step in the right direction" for Reeves, who started all 16 games last season and led the Texans with four interceptions.
Kubiak is hopeful that Reeves will return to action in Week 2 at Tennessee as expected.
Rave reviews: Kubiak was effusive in his praise of Frank Bush when asked about what he thinks of his new defensive coordinator so far.
"He's a very good teacher," Kubiak said. "He relates to these guys. They're playing very hard. I think he's in a tough spot from the standpoint of having a couple players that he has not had the luxury of working with the past month and having them on the field. I think he's doing a wonderful job."
Robinson said that he and his teammates enjoy playing under Bush, a former player who spent his pro career with the Houston Oilers.
"He's a fun coach," Robinson said. "For the first time, he's a coordinator that guys really want to go out and play for on Sunday. I think guys are going to try their best to makes sure he looks good."
Injury report: To view the official injury report for Sunday's game, click **here**.
