After the Texans' second-to-last practice of organized team activities, head coach Gary Kubiak spoke to the media on Wednesday.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
(on how much more comfortable SS Bernard Pollard looks compared to this time last year) "I think the last month of the season he was in total command of what we were doing defensively, and obviously he's brought that back here this offseason. He's become a leader in his own way back there with his intensity. He's got a good grasp of what we're doing, and he's an even better player right now than he was when he left here last year."
(on how SS Bernard Pollard is a better player right now) "Well, just anticipation within the defense and what's going on with what (defensive backs coach) David (Gibbs) and (defensive coordinator) Frank (Bush) expect from him. And also working against us everyday, he's making a ton of plays. I just think he'll continue to get better."
(on how kickers Kris Brown and Neil Rackers did today) "Yesterday was 5-to-4 (Brown-Rackers) and today was 5-to-4 again, and the other way (Rackers-Brown). They're both kicking good. Like I said yesterday, they're both fine kickers and it's going to be a great competition. One of them is going to kick for us and the other one is going to be kicking somewhere else. They're two quality kickers, and we're lucky to have that type of competition in our camp."
(on WR Andre Johnson being a mentor to WR Jacoby Jones) "I think it helps a lot. You're looking at a very talented young man. If he just gets everything in line, he should play for a long time, take care of his family. There are a lot of great things in life that can happen for him, and there is not a better example to look at than (WR) Andre (Johnson) and how he went about his, what's it been, eight years for Andre? A lot of players don't have those guys to look up to, so he better take advantage of it."
(on if rookie RB Ben Tate is behind at all for sitting out for so long) "Yeah, he's behind. I can tell (his) condition level today, his speed dropped off today. He was very quick yesterday. These guys have 10 or 11 practices ahead of him, so we'll catch him up a little bit next week."
