POSTGAME QUOTES FROM HOUSTON TEXANS
* *
OWNER BOB McNAIR
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK
T DUANE BROWN
TE OWEN DANIELS
TE GARRETT GRAHAM
WR ANDRE JOHNSON
QB CASE KEENUM
QB MATT SCHAUB
S D.J. SWEARINGER
DE J.J. WATT
QB T.J. YATES
* *
OWNER BOB MCNAIR(Transcribed by Omar Majzoub)
(on backup quarterback battle) "I think it's making both of them play better. They both had great nights. I mean how could you complain about either one? I'm proud of both of them."
(on the first two games) "Yeah, I think the team's coming along. Of course, several of our key players only played a few plays tonight. (DE) J.J. (Watt) came out and (ILB) Brian (Cushing) came out and when they come out there is a difference in the defense. When they were in there, boy they were just flying around the field and I was really pleased to see them."
(on ILB Brian Cushing being out there) "I was pleased to see his quickness. That's the big question and he's got the quickness. He can get out there and run with recievers and cover a lot of ground."
(on the new video board) "I think the fans loved it. I thought it was great. It was exciting and, you know,the picture is so clear and it's so large that it's just really easy to keep up with what's going on. Plus you got all the other statistics up there so you can be kept well informed to what's going on."
* *
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK(Transcribed by Tiffani Walker)
(on WR DeAndre Hopkins) "He got a concussion. I don't know exactly what play it happened on, but I thought something was wrong. He seemed a little woozy. I told (Wide Receivers Coach) Larry (Kirksey) to get him out of there and then we checked him out. He's fine now, he's doing fine, but we're obviously going to put him through the protocol. I think it happened on the first or second ball that he caught in the game, I think."
(on if he took a knee to the helmet) " I have to go look. I have no idea. I just know that we ran another play actually on the interception, and he looked like his legs went out from under him. He just didn't run the route, didn't get his depth, stumbling all over the place. I told (Wide Receivers Coach) Larry (Kirksey) to check on him and then we got him out."
(on not using DE JJ Watt much during the game) "I want to make sure he is ready to go. I told him I would let him rush a passer a couple times and that is basically what we did. He will play a little bit more this week, but he's been dominant in camp and been unbelievable, so we thought this week, the best thing to do was try to give him a few pass rushes and next week we'll pick it up a little bit."
(on overall who has been playing) "We have so many guys we are trying to look at and we have so many tough decisions to make. You see me throwing it with these quarterbacks trying to make a decision; trying to play all these running backs. The defensive line, we are very competitive in a back up nature right now. So we have really got some tough decisions to make and the bulk of those decisions are going to come over the course of this next week with some of these veteran-type backup players. We want to play most of our young guys in the last game.
(on LB Brian Cushing being back) "He told me he would play 10 plays, and the 10th one was awesome and it was going to be a sack. It could have been as good as it could possibly be. That was his last play and we got him out of there. I'm proud of him. I told him going out of the tunnel today, 'welcome back. I'm proud of you. You worked your tail off.' He's got a lot of confidence right now and for him to get out there and get hit on again and all that type of stuff is a big step in the right direction."
(on the backup defensive unit) "We played really good in the second half of both games. I don't know if anything is ever fixed, we get nine penalties and two turnovers and still win, that's a good thing. We've got some things to clean up. We have some young guys doing some good stuff, I saw (LB) Willie (Jefferson) do some good stuff, looked like (NT) Daniel Muir did some really good stuff. T-Mack (DE Terrell McClain) did some good things again. Like I said, our back up defensive linemen is a competitive situation."
(on DE Trevardo Williams' sacks) "It's good for him. He needs something to (give him) confidence. Sometimes as a rookie you are just swimming in information. When you just throw them out there sometimes their talents take over. So it was good to see some good things happen to him. He's been beat up, so hopefully it kind of propels him a little bit the back half of this preseason."
(on RB Deji Karim) "I was disappointed on how we ran the ball in general. I do trust the young man; he's played a little bit in this league. He does all the right things. We can always do things a little better. But there is something about him; you can trust him. I think he did some good stuff tonight. He does a good job on special teams for (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (Marciano). He's got some kickoff return abilities. He's the one who has probably been the most consistent of the four young guys."
(on WR Lestar Jean's night) "Lestar has been playing well. Last week he had some good things happen to him, and some bad things happen to him. He has a short memory, comes back and makes big plays this week. Lestar has come a long way. And that is going to be important because we cant overload (WR DeAndre) Hop(kins) as we go into the season. We have to do things the right way. And Lestar playing at that level, and (WR) Keshawn (Martin) playing at that level, helps us keep (WR) Andre (Johnson) and Hopkins fresh
(on running a variety of offenses) "We are bouncing around in personnels. Of course you had the turnover there early, but we moved the ball. We've been throwing the ball around pretty good. I think in camp we've been throwing it pretty good. Our quarterbacks have been pretty solid. (QB) TJ (Yates) is solid again, and (QB) Case (Keenum) makes some really nice throws in there. But, we have to be a little bit better running the ball. More consistent running the ball, but a lot of that is probably on me at this point because I'm wanting to look at those quarterbacks so much"
(on the competition between TJ Yates and Case Keenum) "The easy way for me to answer that is to say they're both doing their job. They are making really hard on me, they are both doing good things, and that's a good thing for our team"
(on the play of CB D.J. Swearinger) "I have to go back and look. I can't just sit here and talk about it. It looks like he was little more solid in his coverage. He had some issues, some assignment issues. Looked like he did a little better for (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (Marciano) on special teams. We got banged up at safety tonight. (S Shiloh) Keo's got a quad contusion, (S) Eddie's (Pleasant) got a knee, he banged his knee pretty good that we're looking at. So we got really short at safety, real quick tonight with Ed out, so we had to struggle to get through."
(on if CB Brandon Harris has played safety) "Something we have talked about. That's where he ended up and we'll see. B-Money is a good football player. He's smart. I think he could probably do anything we ask him to do. He's gotten a lot better as a player."
(on the total yardage) "We moved the ball well last week and this week. The thing I'm bothered with right now is the penalties. But, it might be a good thing. Last week we walked out of Minnesota, didn't have many penalties and didnt turn the ball over. Usually doesn't happen the first time out. This is a great reminder, that hey, we have to have some discipline in what we're doing, and that's on me. I have to make sure we're disciplined in everything that we're doing and that we're not giving up plays that we've made, or giving up free plays on the defensive side of the ball. So we have to be really hard on ourselves the next couple of days."
(on how close the competition between CB A.J. Bouye and CB Roc Carmichael) "I would say Bouye, Roc and (CB) Brandon (Harris), that is a very competitive environment going on right there."
(on the play where the Dolphins player was injured and if they talk about tackling technique) "I really didn't see the play, exactly what happened on the play. Obviously the target level for everybody is the chest down. You hate to see anybody get hurt. I don't know what happened. But the kid, he's a fine football player and you hate to see anybody leave the field like that"
(on his biggest concern after two preseason games) "There are many things. I don't have one thing. The hardest thing right now is that I know I couldn't make a decision today if I had to pull the plug on a lot things going on with our team. But maybe that's good. I have to find out a lot more in the next two weeks. It puts it back in the kids hands that are playing. The young kids have to step up and do it."
(on the competition between T David Quessenberry and G/C Ben Jones) "I couldn't tell you. I can't see all that close enough. I know the second group offensive line we struggled in some things we were doing. They were both playing together at one part of the time, where Ben was playing enter, and he was playing guard. We'll just go look at it. The nice thing is we're deep and that is all you can ask for."
* *
TACKLE DUANE BROWN (Transcribed by Adrian Jones)
(on backup quarterback competition between QBs T.J. Yates and Case Keenum) "It's a great deal when you have two guys battling for this backup spot that are as talented as those guys are. They really work hard at it. Watching them go to work day to day, both of them really want to be great, and you can't ask for more than that."
(on the importance of the third preseason game against the New Orleans Saints) "(It is) very important. We are looking to play the most football that we have played as a starting unit. We have got a very good team coming in here. They test us every time we step on the field against them. So it's going to be good. We felt good tonight. (We are) just going to try and take another step forward next week."
* *
TIGHT END OWEN DANIELS (Transcribed by Hank Nathan)
(on the depth of the tight end position on the team) "Yeah, I think we've got a really good group. We've had a pretty good group here all along, but with myself and (TE) Garrett (Graham) and (TE) Ryan (Griffin) coming into the mix, a couple of the young guys, (TE) Jake (Byrne) who got a chance to play the last two weeks, and (TE) Adam Schiltz as well. All guys can make plays and help us out. We use the tight end a lot in this offense. It's good to have some depth there to give guys blows, keep guys fresh and give the defense a lot to worry about."
(on the way QB Case Keenum played tonight) "Yeah, I think Case has been doing a great job this camp. You can tell he's grown a lot this past year with the offense, getting more confidence. He can throw the ball as well as anybody. It's just getting those reps and getting the feel of things. I think he's done a good job."
(on how it felt to get into the end zone) "It felt good, man. It's been a while. Good to get into the mix and being able to score, a little icing on top of it."
(on how much he works with the other tight ends after he's done playing in the preseason) "I definitely watch every move when they're out there. See how I can help them out when they come to the sidelines. They don't need a lot of help, but I give them as much as I can give them tip-wise and how they can maybe do a little bit better or make it easier for them next time out."
TIGHT END GARRETT GRAHAM(Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on the improvement by QB Case Keenum and QB TJ Yates) "Yeah, you know they've been battling all camp long, and both are doing a great job. It seems like one will make a play, and the other guy is right behind him making another play. It's great to see that competition, and it makes everybody better, and it gets those two better. It's good to see, and we'll continue to move forward."
(on the areas that both QB Case Keenum and QB T.J. Yates have improved) "A lot of the time, I don't really know who's throwing the ball until I go back, and watch it on film. I'm not a quarterback coach, but they're both doing great things. Kubs (Head Coach Gary Kubiak) always talks about how quarterbacks are going to run this team. They're going to lead us, and they've done that tonight, and they'll continue to do that."
(on what he sees in TE Ryan Griffin) "He's been great for us, and has done good things for us in camp. He's able to stretch the field, and can hold up on the line of scrimmage. He'll definitely help us win some ballgames this year."
WIDE RECEIVER ANDRE JOHNSON(Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on WR DeAndre Hopkins' status) "Yeah he's fine. He just got a little woozy on a pass he caught, but he's fine."
(on what he likes about the Texans' offense when QB Matt Schaub gets outside the pocket) "A lot of big plays come off of that and we're able to throw the ball down the field and stretch the field a little bit. It's been working for us over the years and it's still working right now. With certain teams, it works better against, and it worked for us tonight."
(on the competition for the backup quarterback position) "I think we have three guys that can go out and get the job done. Right now I think all of them are playing well. I think (QB) Case (Keenum) is making a big push. Right now I think it's just going to be a tough decision that's going to be made. I think all (QB) T.J. (Yates) and Case are both playing their butts off. And that's all you can do. You can go out and play as good as you can and you have to leave everything up to the coaches because they get the final say-so. So as long as you know you put yourself in a good situation, you can be okay with it."
(on having ILB Brian Cushing back on the field) "You know, he's a big part of our defense, he's a big part of our team. It was great just to have him back out on the field. I think it got everybody excited just to see him back out there because we know what he went through as far as with the injury and stuff. Anytime you get a guy back on your team like that who was a big part of your team, it excites everybody."
* *
QUARTERBACK CASE KEENUM (Transcribed by Adrian Jones)
(on his performance) "I thought I did some things well. There were a couple of third downs, we converted on some. But there was one I have to watch the film again to see, it kind of went by fast. I tried to force on in there. I thought I played well. There's obviously areas, like footwork, mechanics, and a few decisions. Operation of the offense, we had a couple penalties that were on me, and missed a few receivers. I have to watch the film again."
(on playing with the second team unit) "I think we did a pretty good job of knowing what to do from top to bottom on the depth chart. No matter what receivers are in there, backs are in there. I think we were able to do a lot of stuff last week and even more this week. Just another week of camp, another week to put stuff in and install and build on what we have learned."
(on WR Lestar Jean's performance) "Star did a great job. He's got a knack to get open, and made a big play on that fourth down. I think we had him on a couple other ones that I was flushed. He did a great job. I like when he has the ball."
(on his continuing progress) "[I am becoming] really comfortable. Trying to get as many snaps as I can under center, as many game-time situations that I can be put in, I think I am getting better each time."
(on current position battle for backup quarterback between himself and QB T.J. Yates) "It's not my job. My job is to go out there and play. I think T.J. played really well. He made the offense play pretty well tonight. I think we are making the team better, both of us."
QUARTERBACK MATT SCHAUB(Transcribed by Shelby Wells and T.D. Durham)
(on his impression of the progression of the offense tonight) "Yeah, it's just the natural progression in preseason, going into the second game. Get a few series, we want to move the football, be precise with what we've got going on. We had nice strides that ended in a touchdown. Obviously we had a couple mistakes. We had a sack, had a turnover. We've got to clean those things up but the guys looked sharp in what they were doing."
(on what impresses him about DeAndre Hopkins) "He just comes in every day with a workman like mentality. He just wants to get better. He's all ears. He wants to listen, learn, understand the route adjustments, and everything that he's responsible for in our offense. When you have a guy like that, it's a great foundation that goes along with his physical gifts."
(on him enjoying watching the backup quarterbacks QB T.J. Yates and QB Case Keenum) "It's fun watching those guys grow and learn and how they go and take things from the practice field, from the meeting room and then come out here display it in the games. T.J. (Yates) is going in to year three. Everything is clicking for him he understands everything, what everyone is doing mentally. And Case (Keenum) has really come a long way in a year from what he used to do in college to how we run the offense. They're both doing a great job."
(on this year's team meshing so well during training camp) "Exactly what you said, it's all about the work. There are always things that we can control, is our play and our preparation on the field and in the classroom. We can't control the heat we can't control anything. It's going to be hot; it's going to be tough. Nothing's easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It takes a special person and special guys to come and play this game and we just go to work every day to try to get better."
(on the first team offense is playing right now) "We got things going. We got into a rhythm. We had a good series that ended in a touchdown. Obviously we had a sack on one play. It took a while to get the run game going. We didn't get the positive yards in the run game that we were hoping for and DeAndre was falling down on the pick and the guy made a nice play on the ball. We've just got to clean those things up, but it was good to come up with a touchdown on the last series. I thought we looked crisp and sharp and on top of what we were doing and the young guys did a great job coming in also."
(on his concerns about Arian Foster not getting on the field yet) "I'm not too concerned about it. I see him working every day to get back. He busts his tail. He's working so hard to get back. Something we don't want to rush. I don't know the specifics because that's the trainers and the doctors decisions but I know how he is mentally, how he works and I know when he gets out there, he's going to be ready to go."
(on his general feelings of after the game) "We had a sack, we had a penalty, things were kind of ugly early and then we put a good drive together as a whole. I thought the young guys played really well, finished the game off. Defense played real well all night. I thought for the ones, you know we started slow but we finished well with the one scoring drive."
(on if he feels happy where the team is at offensively through two preseason games) "I think we're in a good place right now after two games. We have to go back – we have to be harder on ourselves. Winning is a good thing, but there are definitely things that we can clean up across the board at all positions. Nothing was perfect out there but I feel like we're in a good spot and we just need to be critical of ourselves watching this film and then go into next week as we treat it like a normal in-season game."
(on the regaining chemistry with some of the veterans) "Yeah, you know it's huge because a couple of those guys didn't play last week so it was good to hit Dre (WR Andre Johnson) on the first play and find (TE) Owen (Daniels) a couple of times – just get in a flow, get (RB) Ben (Tate) the ball when he was open on some wide routes. So we were just trying to spread it around. (WR) Lestar (Jean) made a nice play for me working back to the football on the one scramble. But it was good that we made some plays off of timing."
(on the play of QBs Case Keenum and T.J. Yates) "Yeah they did some great things. They got guys in position to make plays and they delivered the football – took some shots for it, but you know they got the ball in the right place. I loved seeing those guys compete and go out there and take what they do on the practice field and in the meeting rooms and then apply it in the games."
(on his own play tonight outside of the pocket) "Yeah, you know we just played our style of offense. We ran some of our keeper game and guys were working for me – got open. We tried a big play down to Garrett, the throwback, they had covered it alright pretty well, but (WR) Lestar (Jean) made a good play for me when I broke out of the pocket. We were just finding a rhythm there on that series."
(on the situation with RB Arian Foster) "You know what the situation is, but I'm not worried about it. I know what type of kid he is, and you know we have great trainers or whatever and I'm sure it'll be fine."
(on the importance of getting RB Arian Foster back into the lineup) "You know we want all hands on deck. We want to have all of the pieces of the puzzle, especially as our true final tune up, I guess you could call it, before the regular season starts at least for the starters. So we want to get him in some action. But obviously he has his own situation. He's got to get healthy and we don't want to rush things, so it's a fine line there. And I'm sure him and the trainers and doctors will handle it the right way."
SAFETY D.J. SWEARINGER(Transcribed by Omar Majzoub)
(on the hit that took Miami Dolphins Tight End Dustin Keller out of the game) "You know, I never go hit somebody to injure them at all, so I told him good luck after the hit, but I was just playing within the rules. I wish him all the luck and I wish him a speedy recovery."
(on if he feels bad about the hit that caused the injury) "Yeah, I mean I felt bad but at the same time it's part of the game. It's playing within the rules, so I felt a little grief for him but at the same time it's football."
(on how he played tonight) "I felt I had a better game than I had last game. When I see on the film, I'll know then."
(on his confidence and understanding of the NFL game) "With a lot of practices, a lot of older guys around me, the offense that I practice against, and the study habits, it all plays into factor for me playing well. I try to work on my craft every day and be the best I can every day. I'm going to keep trying to get better."
(on how he played in coverage) "I think I played well. I had two PBU's (pass break ups), so I think I did very well in coverage, There's probably some things I know I could work on, but for the most part I think I did well."
(on the injuries at safety) "Yeah I think we had two or three guys that went down today. I think they just got to get better, you know? Take it one day at a time with treatment. We got a good treatment staff so I think they'll be good."
* *
DEFENSIVE END J.J. WATT(Transcribed by Charles Hampton and Matt Bodiford)
(on how many snaps he played in the game) "I played two snaps. It was good. Obviously, you want to play every play. I want to be in right now. It's smart to get ready for the season. You just want to be ready for September 9th. I missed the whole preseason last year, so I'm not worried about missing a couple snaps here and there."
(on what was the process for being comfortable saying he wanted to be the best of all-time) "If you're an athlete, any athlete, I don't care what sport it is, and your goal isn't to be the best in your sport ever, then you're wasting your time. You need to have that mentality. It needs to be a daily drive to be the best ever. If you're just trying to be mediocre or just be average, you're wasting your time. You're wasting the fans time and you're wasting everybody's time."
(on why he feels so strongly about this team and this season to win a championship) "That's the number one goal. That's always the number one goal. With this team, we're so focused, guys are so driven. We have the tools. We've tasted the playoffs. We've tasted the second round, but obviously the number one goal is that trophy."
(on wanting to get in on the goal line package on offense) "Apparently anything I do these days turns into a story. That story is such a non-story. That's not even an issue. It's just something that I do for fun. I like catching passes. I do it whatever I can to help this team win."
(on his first playing time of the preseason) "It felt good. It was a brief outing for me, only had two plays but it feels good. It feels great to get in front of these fans. It's crazy how they're supportive. A packed house, so loud for the preseason, gotta love it."
(on expecting not to play a lot) "Well I got two plays. Obviously I want to play a lot, but the most important thing is September 9th. Just making sure that we come out of everything healthy for September 9th that's all that matters."
(on Bob Lilly saying if you stay healthy you're in the Hall of Fame) "It always means a lot coming from a guy who's played the game, and coming from a guy who really excelled at the position. So he knows, and he's a guy who knows, and it's an honor to hear things like that. It makes me work that much harder to prove him right, and to prove everybody right. It's pretty cool stuff."
(on if he's amazed former players take notice of what he's doing) "It's pretty cool. Those are the guys you grew up watching and hear about all the time. Those are the guys that paved the way. It's really neat to have their respect, and they have all my respect. It's definitely an honor."
(On wanting to get more snaps) "It's just like last year. I'm like a caged animal, and I feel like I'm stuck in my cage, and they've got me tied up, and chained up. I'm just chomping, and they keep putting me in for two plays. It's like they are putting a steak in front of me, and they pull it back. As soon as they open up that gate watch out. It's going to be fun. I'm very hungry."
(On lobbying to play more) "No, they know I really want to play, but I trust them. We all know that September 9th is what matters. Last year I missed the whole preseason, but they know what I can do. So I trust them 100 percent, and I have no problem with my playing time."
QUARTERBACK T.J. YATES (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on if he likes the competition with QB Case Keenum) "Absolutely, you know in the games you have to go out there and treat it like a competition. It makes it a lot more fun. When you go out there, you know you have to perform. All the quarterbacks are playing really good football."
(on if there was more pressure on this game with more playing time than next week) "I think so. We knew we both were going to get a little more time. We just have to progress throughout the preseason, and get better each game. Keep progressing with what we're doing offensively, and keep moving forward offensively too."
(on the improvement of recognizing things develop on the field) "Things slow down a little bit more being out there more. Getting a little more experience the count is a little slower, and work the cadence a little bit. Use stuff to your advantage, stuff we've been doing since my first year here."
POSTGAME QUOTES FROM MIAMI DOLPHINS
* *
HEAD COACH JOE PHILBIN
T TYSON CLAYBO
S CHRIS CLEMONS
TE MICHAEL EGNEW
LB DANNELL ELLERBE
CB BRENT GRIMES
RB LAMAR MILLER
G RICHIE INCOGNITO
QB RYAN TANNEHILL
WR MIKE WALLACE
* *
COACH JOE PHILBIN(Transcribed by Nida Chaudhry and Rachel Jacob)
(opening statement) "The Texans deserved to win the game. They played a lot better than we did. They made a lot more plays than we did. With that being said, we certainly had an opportunity at the end of the game to go for the win, but our lack of ball security prevented us from doing that. You all saw Dustin Keller get carted off the field. I hate to see any player in that situation. We are all wishing Dustin well and we hope his return is sooner as opposed to later."
(on depth of tight end position with TE Dustin Keller being out) "I like the guys we have. Again, we'll have to see what happens. As you said, it's very early in this whole process. We'll take a look at what we have and what our options might be."
(on first team offense and first team defense) "There were some good things. I didn't think we played as clean as we have to. Offensively, it took us a while to get going. We had some pressure early again and when you end up with six sacks, it's not very good. I know most of those weren't against the first offense, but I thought we did some good things and there's a lot of room for improvement."
(on QB Ryan Tannehill's performance) "I thought he played well, I thought he managed the game pretty well. His decision-making I thought was good. He missed a couple opportunities, we had some big play opportunities that we missed, and we need to make those plays. I thought overall he played good."
(on performance by TE Deon Sims and DE Michael Egnew) "Early in the game we had three penalties out of three tight ends, which wasn't good, but I thought they settled in and played better as the game went on."
(opening statement) "The Texans deserved to win the game. They played a lot better than we did. They made a lot more plays than we did. With that being said, we certainly had an opportunity at the end of the game to go for the win, but our lack of ball security prevented us from doing that. You all saw Dustin Keller get carted off the field. I hate to see any player in that situation. We are all wishing Dustin well and we hope his return is sooner as opposed to later."
(on depth of tight end position with TE Dustin Keller being out) "I like the guys we have. Again, we'll have to see what happens. As you said, it's very early in this whole process. We'll take a look at what we have and what our options might be."
(on first team offense and first team defense) "There were some good things. I didn't think we played as clean as we have to. Offensively, it took us a while to get going. We had some pressure early again and when you end up with six sacks, it's not very good. I know most of those weren't against the first offense, but I thought we did some good things and there's a lot of room for improvement."
(on QB Ryan Tannehill's performance) "I thought he played well, I thought he managed the game pretty well. His decision-making I thought was good. He missed a couple opportunities, we had some big play opportunities that we missed, and we need to make those plays. I thought overall he played good."
(on performance by TE Deon Sims and DE Michael Egnew) "Early in the game we had three penalties out of three tight ends, which wasn't good, but I thought they settled in and played better as the game went on."
* *
TACKLE TYSON CLABO (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury) "I don't know what the deal with Dustin is or how bad it is, but it's sad."
(on if the league is inviting more hits to a player's knees with the new helmet-to-helmet rules) "They made several adjustments to cut blocks and in my opinion this is a similar situation. If they can protect defenders from low blocks, then they should be able to protect offensive players from that type of play."
(on if he said anything to Texans S D.J. Swearinger after his hit) "If I did, he wasn't listening. He was doing his little dance or whatever he was doing. Like I said, it's not illegal. You can't say that it's dirty or whatever, but you just hate to see that situation."
(on how bad Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury looked on the field) "Sometimes things look worse than they are, but, from where I was it didn't look good. My heart goes out to him."
* *
SAFETY CHRIS CLEMONS(Transcribed by Chris Burkhalter)
(On his performance against the Texans) "You can always get better, and that is what the preseason is for. Each game you have to get better. We played (the Texans) last year, and we knew they would come out with play-action and take their shots. We knew they would want to come out and start fast."
(On Texans wide receivers) "They have a lot of talent. Their receivers are big and fast and physical. You really have to play hard on every play against these guys. They all catch well and run well after the catch. As a defensive player you just have to stay focused and keep coming at them. Then, when the chance is there, you have to break on the ball and make the play."
TIGHT END MICHAEL EGNEW (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury and if the hit was dirty) "No. We're all playing football out there. Sometimes hits are low; sometimes they're high. Unfortunately his was a low one and we just have to deal with it."
(on his disappointment in Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury) "He's one of my good friends on the team. It messes me up, but like I said fortunately we have great quarterbacks, great back up players; everyone's going to step up and fill the void."
* *
LINEBACKER DANNELL ELLERBE(Transcribed by Chris Burkhalter)
(on his performance and preparing for the Texans) "I thought I played alright. It is something I can build on. I've played this team every year, and I knew what type of offense they had. It is a very up-tempo offense, with a lot of bootlegs, and the running game keeps you off guard for those bootlegs. And their offense live does a lot of cut blocking, so you just have to be prepared for that. Everything I've studied on them over the years helps but you really have to be prepared to play these guys."
(on the Texans offensive line) "You just have to prepare yourself for the stretch run and the zone reads. They always have a good fullback who leads the running backs, and at times (the offensive line) cuts but they can attack you with different things."
* *
CORNERBACK BRENT GRIMES(Transcribed by Chris Burkhalter)
(on his performance and interception) "I only played a few series, and I got an interception which was good for the defense, but we have a lot of things we need to improve on. We didn't win the game, which is not a good thing, but it is the preseason. We learned a lot from it both good and bad, but again at the end of the day (the Texans) won the game and we didn't."
(on preparation during training camp) "I had a good training camp, and I've had no setbacks. I have to keep doing the same things that I've been doing in practice…work on techniques and repetitions and carry it over from each practice."
(on preparing for the Texans wide receivers) "They have a good offense…very diverse. They have a good running game, so they keep you off balance and you can never set on their wide receivers. They switch formations a lot, and have a lot of movement before the snap. They have been very successful on offense and there are no surprises. They just do a very good job at executing."
RUNNING BACK LAMAR MILLER (Transcribed by ReShun Gilmore)
(on the team) "We still have a lot of room for improvement. It's the third preseason game and we've got two more, so we still got room before we play Cleveland. We just got to get back to the drawing board, watch film."
(on getting in the end zone) "They (offensive line) did a great job opening up the holes and I just tried to beat everybody to the outside with my speed to get into the end zone."
GUARD RICHIE INCOGNITO (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury) "That's football as a sport. You lose guys like that week in and week out; you just have to bounce back, and you have to just keep fighting."
(on how the offense looked until Miami TE Dustin Keller's injury) "That's basically what we were trying to do; find a rhythm, pick up first downs and put points on the board. I think we had success there. We have to watch tape and see where we can improve, but I think we took a step forward tonight."
* *
QUARTERBACK RYAN TANNEHILL(Transcribed by Roman Petrowski)
(on the Dolphins' offense taking the next step) "It was good. You know I think it builds confidence for everyone to see. You know, we ran the ball pretty well. We got the ball downfield. I think we didn't have penalties we moved the ball well. As an offense you can't come out and have a penalty early in a drive and put yourself in a first and 20 situation. It just makes everything tough. So I think that's the one thing we have to take away from this is don't beat ourselves. You know, when we play clean we can move the ball effectively, but when you get put in long yardage situations it makes it tough."
(on how critical it was to find a connection with WR Mike Wallace) "Oh, it was great for us. I think that our relationship continues to grow. We continue to get more on the same page the more reps we get in practice. You know, it's exciting to get a couple balls to him today and hopefully get his ball rolling."
(on how the team copes with the injury to TE Dustin Keller) "It's tough. You know, Dustin brought a lot to the table for us. He's a great player. It's a tough situation, but at the end of the day we have to have somebody step up and play in his shoes you know. We have a good tight end room with (Michael) Egnew, (Charles) Clay, Dion (Sims), and those guys are going to have to step up and fill the void. I think we have the guys in the room that can do it. Now it's just a matter of going out and making it happen."
(on if a free agent tight end was brought in would he have enough time to get ready) "I have no idea. I don't know. I don't know how all that works. I'm sure if we bring somebody in then we'll do our best to get him ready. We still have a couple weeks left so we have options."
(on what he thought of the team's offense tonight) "I think we showed we moved the ball well. Like I said earlier, if we don't have penalties we can move the ball effectively. And, that's kind of what it comes down to is us not beating ourselves. Being clean. Especially early in drives before we get that first, first down, and then just keeping the ball rolling."
(on the offensive line's performance) "I think they did a great job. You know, I had a lot of time to throw on several occasions. I took a sack down in the strike zone on our last drive that I shouldn't have taken. And, that's a testament to those guys. You know, they did a great job protecting me all night long."
(on his scrambling abilities) "Yeah. You know, I try to stay somewhat athletic. I get out of the pocket when I can. I think it's a weapon that teams will have to account for. Whether it be a run through or a designed bootleg or whatever it may be. I think it's something we can use in our offense."* *
* *
WIDE RECEIVER MIKE WALLACE(Transcribed by ReShun Gilmore)
(on the game) "Keep them coming, you know. It's going to keep me working harder just to get it. We did a good job, but not good enough. We didn't get the win, but we started slow. We kind of picked it up too in the middle of the first quarter, got a good drive and we've just got to start faster."
(on chemistry with QB Ryan Tannehill) "It was great, it was fun. Just catching passes from him in my first game was fun and good, got the monkey off our back. Just got to keep working hard every day just to get on the same page. We're going to get there, but we gotta keep pushing"
(on translating practice habits to the field) "I missed like a week- and- a- half because of my groin you know, so the first couple of days of camp we weren't doing too many plays. We were just doing base stuff, but as it was getting closer to real time, we just did more stuff at practice. Just getting a little bit more opportunities, but I think they will keep coming."
