OWNER BOB McNAIR
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR WADE PHILLIPS
OLB CONNOR BARWIN
T DUANE BROWN
RB ARIAN FOSTER
WR ANDRE JOHNSON
CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH
OLB WHITNEY MERCILUS
FS GLOVER QUIN
QB MATT SCHAUB
DE ANTONIO SMITH
WR KEVIN WALTER
J.J. WATT
OWNER BOB MCNAIR (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn)
(on having the best record in the AFC) "It was a great win for us because we were very unhappy with the way we played last week. All the guys wanted to come out today and really play well, and they did. It was a team effort, but defense ignited things early on. Then that got the offense going. Special teams played better than they have. It was a big win, and we are really happy to be in the position we are in."
(on OLB Connor Barwin's performance) "It was outstanding. Of course that is what happens. (DE) J.J. Watt started all that business of knocking the balls down. Now Connor is doing it and others are doing. Those things are contagious."
(on being 6-1 going into the bye-week) "It's a great position to be in. We still have a long ways to go, but we have a little time to rest and have some minor injuries heal up and then we'll be ready to go again. We just have to keep grinding."
(on being the talk of the AFC) "If the season was over right now it would be wonderful, but it is not. I'm very happy that we are playing as well as we are. We are missing (ILB) Brian Cushing, but I think the defense stepped up and showed that they can play well without him. Even though he was having his best year, we miss him very much, but the whole team is coming together and I'm very proud of them."
(on beating the Ravens so handedly) "I think the way we shut their offense down was remarkable. We held them to 55 yards rushing and 170 passing. They have been pretty good offensively. This year, their offense has been better than their defense. I think that was quite an accomplishment to shut them down the way we did. I was really proud of it."
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK (Transcribed by Greg Dillard)
(on establishing a franchise points record today) "I really didn't know that until I walked off the field. We got off to a slow start. They're very difficult, some of the things they do but we just kind of hung in there. Defense made the big play to kind of spark the football team and then we moved the ball pretty darn good for three and a half quarters. It was a team effort. The thing I was most proud of today I think everybody pitched in. I think a lot of guys were doing some good things. I think the leaders, (QB) Matt (Schaub), (WR) Andre (Johnson), (DE) Antonio (Smith), the guys that are captains of our football team picked it up a notch today."
(on if there was anything he didn't like offensively) "I'm sure I'll find something. It's what I do for a living. I didn't like the way we came out of the locker room in the third quarter. We missed a blitz. (RB) Arian (Foster) missed a blitz. We had a good conversation about that. Those things are going to happen, but it's how you respond to things like that. Boy he responds. He's huge on the next drive. I think it's a 13 or 14 play drive. That's what this game is about, week to week, responding to adversity in the games, responding to adversity. Like I said today, we were really into what we were doing and we were there all day long so it was a good team effort."
(on big defensive plays) "I think it's not only a big play in the game, but it's big for the rest of the season because I think when you lose a player two weeks ago you lose a (ILB Brian Cushing) Cush and all of a sudden you come in last week, it's the human nature to say 'Okay, how are we going to be?' We walked out here and didn't feel good about it last week. What we found out today we can still play great defense and expect to do that the rest of the year. Same thing we went through offensively, like I said, it's about responding to adversity and this team really did this week. There was a good edge in practice this week. Everybody's pretty quiet. I think we were really, really locked into what we were doing. We know how important it was to get to our bye with this win."
(on the team's response to slow starts) "We went three and out the first two series and the things we were doing we liked. We thought we had exactly what we wanted. We just weren't executing the plays we had, but I think the response was different today. Last week, we started the same way the response wasn't as good. This week we start slow, but the defense makes big plays and all of a sudden we respond for the rest of the day. That's my point. Those things are going to happen and got to be able to handle them and we handled it a hell of a lot better than we did last week."
(on how it feels to have a 6-1 record heading into the bye week) "It feels good, but like I told them, after the game last week, last week's game counted for one. I asked how many this one counted for and they all said one so they understand it too. We got a long way to go. We're almost at the halfway point. We got a good football team. We got to freshen some guys up. We got a long, hard road ahead of us, but we got some good character on this team, just need to keep working."
(on how big DE Antonio Smith's back-to-back sacks were) "They were huge. I talked in the team meeting last night. I called on our leaders to find some more, and our captains to find some more. That's what I mentioned. If you look at how (QB) Matt (Schaub) played, how (WR) Andre (Johnson) played and (DE) Antonio (Smith), there's a lot of people involved. Those guys, their teammates chose them as captains. They need to go out there and perform like it and act like it and play like it and they did today. They sparked the whole group in my opinion. I was proud of the way they led the way."
(on if he's ever been a part of a more dominant quarter than today's second quarter ) "I don't know. That's over 400 football games for me. I don't know, but it was a dang good quarter. If we're a little a better in the red zone it could've been even better, but we were smart too. We didn't have some plays to make, had to kick a field goal on a very short yardage situation, to do the right thing, had to punt one time in a very fourth and short situation because our defense is playing well. I thought we had even more opportunities, but it was a heck of a lot to feel good about."
(on the Texans' defensive performance against Ravens QB Joe Flacco) "I think we got back to our pressure, knocked down a bunch of balls, and had a lot of people around him so that's the key. (OLB) Connor (Barwin) got going today and had a big play. Like I said, it's when everybody is with what we're doing that's when we're playing our best. It's been a lot of (DE) J.J. (Watt) and a lot of those types, but everybody's involved today. In my opinion we cover well, we got a couple of PI (pass interference) calls but you don't ever want to take way the aggression of your plays. You want to play aggressive."
(on OLB Connor Barwin getting his first sack of the season) "I just saw him walking out of the locker room. Let's just say he was very happy to get it and move on. You all quit asking him about it."
(on RB Ben Tate) "He had a good week of practice and he's important. He gives us a spark when he's in there, but also that little one (RB) Justin (Forsett), you all watch him at the end, he's a heck of player. But Ben's (Tate) got a little hamstring issue. We come out of the game with Ben (Tate) having a hamstring issue. (OLB Bryan) Braman's got a stinger that we're dealing with. (NT) Earl Mitchell has an ankle. Probably our most concern is Ben (Tate) coming out of this game. We do have some time on our hands."
(on how important this win was) "I think they're all important. I think it's a step. The road we've been traveling against this team a bunch and we haven't been able to stay on that road at times so it's important from that standpoint but you never know what's going to happen. We need to stay focused on trying to win game number seven and they'll let us do that here in a couple weeks. It was a very important football game for our team."
(on how he feels about his team at this point in the season) "The thing I feel best about and you probably won't believe I'm going to say this, I really think October was even better than September. I know that's hard to believe, but when you looked at going to New York, Green Bay, and Baltimore in the month of October and for us to get out of it 2-1 and to lose a player like we lost, I think it was a hell of a month. We won't play again until November, but it's a good start like I said. We had three really difficult weeks of preparation against three very tough teams to prepare for. We were able to get out of it 2-1 so I feel good about that."
(on QB Matt Schaub's attempt at blocking Ravens' LB Terrell Suggs ) "He asked me about his block and I told him I didn't think there was much to talk about there."
(on what he was most impressed with in today's win) "I have to look at it, but we didn't turn the ball over, we played great defense, we held them under 200 yards. We moved the heck out of the ball all day. We got to cover kicks better obviously but I think we did improve on some things special teams wise today. It was our type of football today. We didn't get down. We were able to continue to do what we do and ultimately it helps us win."
(on TE Owen Daniels and WR Andre Johnson) "That's when we're at our best when somehow the ball is getting dispersed between those two and it doesn't have to be one guy having a big day or the other but both of them touching it. Boy, (TE) Garrett (Graham) made a huge play in the game. It's very important. I think (WR) Andre (Johnson) right now is playing as good to me the last two weeks he's looked closer to himself than the start of the season. I think he's really starting to come along and feel a lot better about things. We got off the turf. We've been on grass now for a few weeks and he'll get a break. I think he's only going to get better throughout the course of the season."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR WADE PHILLIPS (Transcribed by Emily Anne Kuoni)
(on the safety at the beginning of the game) "Yeah, the safety was certainly a big play. It got our fans in the game; it got our players in the game. We were a little loose on the first series, but I thought after that we played lights out. It was a big statement."
(on how the defense changed the complexion of the game) "For some reason, teams are able to run it a little bit early in the games on us, but once we adjust we do a pretty good job. We just didn't make a couple plays early, but after that we were right on."
(on being 6-1 going into the bye week) "Especially defensively, after last week, we wanted to come out and make a statement, and show that we can play the kind of football we play. I thought it was a great game for us. It's a great way to go into the bye week with a win. Those are always big weeks for you, and if you go in with a loss then it's a little bit tougher."
(on CB Jonathan Joseph's return for a touchdown) "I'm excited every time we score on defense. I was glad we got two points too. We knew the guy was over there, he changed positions; the receiver is who I'm talking about. We knew they were going to throw it to him. And our guys knew it. Sometimes in coaching you say 'Okay, this is going to happen and so you've got to be ready for it.' And our guys were ready for it."
(on the sack contribution across the board) "Yeah, we put the pressure on them. We had a lot of pressure on a guy; they've been one of the top offensive teams in the league. And for us to play the way we did was outstanding."
OLB CONNOR BARWIN (Transcribed by Channler Hill)
(on what will he talk about now that they can't ask him about having no sacks) "I don't know man. You're right. It feels good to not have to answer that question anymore."
(on his first sack) "Well, I've got to give credit to Wade (Phillips). We kind of schemed that up a little bit. I moved around, (OLB) Brooks (Reed) moved around the other side and we kind of confused their o-line, was unblocked and was able to get there."
(on how good his first sack felt) "Uh, it was huge weight lifted off my back, it felt good. I felt like I could finally, you know football is a lot of confidence and so if you get that early on in the game, I felt like I could really let it go for the rest of the game and I was able to play well."
(on when the sack happened, if he felt like it would be a momentum shifter) "I didn't really think about all of that when it happened, I was just really happy that I finally got a sack."
(on if he felt as big as a silver dollar when he got a straight shot at the quarterback) "Oh yeah, well you get a little nervous too because when you get a straight shot it's easy to miss so, no I told (QB Joe) Flacco after, I was like 'that was impressive, you're still in the game,' because I hit the (crap) out of him twice, I think he deserves some credit, he played the whole game."
(on the way he played on defense as a whole) "Yeah, I think it was important for us. Obviously we need to play well every week, but I think after we kind of laid an egg last week with our first week without (OLB Brian) Cushing, who is obviously a huge leader for us. It was important to come out and play well in a huge game and I think a combined effort from everybody in our defense played well today and I think that was huge moving forward for the rest of the season."
(on if he felt a defensive urgency from last week ) "It felt like a normal week. We've got a mature group of guys; I think everybody had a good week. There was maybe in the back of their minds a little bit uncertainty with how we played the week before and again not having (OLB Brian) Cushing, our leader on defense, so I think it was really important that we stepped up. (DE) Antonio (Smith) stepped up. J. Joe (CB Johnathan Joseph) stepped up in his place and it was important moving forward."
(on if OLB Whitney Mercilus' sack-fumble amped him up a little bit more before the safety) "Well yeah. If Whit (Mercilus) has a sack and I have no sacks, that's really bad (laughs). No, I was happy for him. He was unblocked that play too, so we both got unblocked two plays in a row, so good job, Wade (Phillips). No, I was happy for him. I was kind of upset because he knocked the ball out on my side and I was back behind and I wish I had been there to recover it."
(on how DE Antonio Smith stepped up) "Well, I was happy for Antonio. He had a great game today; it's his birthday, if you guys didn't know that. But no, (Gary) Kubiak kind of called out the captains last night, (QB Matt) Schaub, Dre (WR Andre Johnson), (DE) Antonio (Smith) and he came out and had a productive game, had two sacks back to back, which were huge in the second half."
(on if he was thinking about a celebration ) "Well the second one, it was his birthday, so me and him ran a game, and so he kind of, the guard thought I was going to hit him. If you watch the tape, Antonio faked him out. It was clean and I was about to tackle him because I was so happy for him but I didn't see what he did after that."
(on if the focus during practice this week was to do something different with the Ravens) "Well, yeah, there's obviously a lot of different things we did, because Green Bay doesn't run the ball very much and we knew we had to stop (RB) Ray Rice, which we were able to do. Then we knew Ray Rice was a huge part of their game as far as third down goes, because (QB Joe) Flacco runs that check down and if you watch Ravens games from last year and this year so far, he'll take a 5-yard pass on third and 10 and go 40 or 50, and we were able to cover that up today, that was huge."
(on if he likes wearing the red) "Everybody on our team likes wearing the red. We always talk about we wish we could wear the red more than once a year."
(on if he felt it to be a more stimulating aggressive color, psychologically) "No I don't think so. I just think we like how we look in the red. I don't think that psychologically we're not thinking that much before the game about our uniform."
(on if thinks it's cool to see the red in the crowd) "Yeah, no, somebody said that to me today. I didn't even notice, (OLB Brian) Cushing or something, saying that the red looks good and the stadium looks awesome with everybody wearing all red."
(on of he thinks the regular season is loud ) "We could hear them too. The crowd is awesome as usual. It's huge for us on third down. I know I was jumping the cadence every time."
(on how big it is to have 30 point win before the bye week before Buffalo) "Yeah, well it's good that you could win. Obviously it was a huge game in AFC, because they had the same record as us, obviously going to the bye, feeling positive, some guys need to heal up, it's huge moving forward. It's good to be sitting in first place in the AFC."
TACKLE DUANE BROWN (Transcribed by Joshua Moon)
(on the injuries to the Ravens players) "Injuries are a part of the game. At the same time, we know they still have a lot of talent. They actually got a guy back today (LB Terrell Suggs) who was injured who is a pretty good player too. We just wanted to get on them early and play the game that we are used to playing. Offensively, we were able to run the ball, drop back when we needed to, and the defense played lights out. That's what we wanted to get back to going into the rest of the season."
(on defending LB Terrell Suggs today) "I have to tip my hat off to him. It's amazing to see a guy bounce back from an injury like that so quickly. He came out there and looked like he didn't miss a beat. He's still quick, strong, fast, and still very instinctive. I didn't get a chance to see him after the game, but that was a heck of an effort to get back from an injury like that."
(on if he feels that this was a statement game) "Definitely. It's definitely a statement game for many reasons. The Ravens are highly regarded as one of the top teams in the league and we've never beat them any time we've played them. Besides that, we really wanted to bounce back from last week. We just wanted to put out best effort out there and get to the top of the AFC heading into our bye week. That was something really wanted to do and we got it done."
RUNNING BACK ARIAN FOSTER (Transcribed by Rachel Jacob)
(on how being 6-1 feels) "It feels great."
(on getting overconfident) "There is no reason to. It's only six games. Obviously, you have to be happy with the win over a quality team like that."
(on his performance today) "I thought I played okay. I made a couple of mistakes there that I know I am better than. But for the most part I think I played well because even the offensive line took control of the line of scrimmage and if they do that we are bound to have a good game."
(on if the Ravens playing without ILB Ray Lewis is similar to the Texans playing without ILB Brian Cushing) "It is a similar story and I understand what losing a guy that is such an integral part of what you do. That's this league. Guys go down all the time. You hate to see it, especially a guy like Ray Lewis, who's been the face of that organization for 15-plus years. But that's a good ball club. They have a good head coach. I love their passion and the style they bring to the game. So I am more than confident that they will be back and we will see them again."
(on what was going through his mind when he missed the blitz pick up) "That I missed the blitz pick up. I don't like making mistakes. I kind of set the bar high here at the running back position to have a lot of miscues, and I did and I don't like that."
(on WR Andre Johnson getting involved and how he helped open things up for the offense) "Oh, any time Andre is going, he spreads the defense out, he makes them account for him. Also, (WR) Kevin (Walter) did a wonderful job today, too. We missed him on the long ball, and I appreciate he wants to have my back, but we just had a solid game all around today."
(on being able to score 43 points against a strong Ravens defense) "That's a really tough defense. They are going to bounce back. I have a lot of confidence in that. We were able to exploit what we saw in the film. You never go into a game expecting to score 40 points. That is ridiculous. I think the defense helped us out getting off the field and we executed pretty well on third downs. Anytime those factors accumulate, you are going to have a good game."
WIDE RECEIVER ANDRE JOHNSON (Transcribed by Evan Koch)
(on going into the bye week with the best record in the AFC) "It's big. It was a big game for us. Both teams were 5-1 and we knew that whoever won this game would be the top team in the AFC. Once again, it's just one game. Good football team. We're probably going to end up seeing them down the road. We just have to stay focused, enjoy this bye week, rest up, heal up and get ready for Buffalo."
(on his performance) "(The) same as always. I just try to make the best of my opportunities. I was able to get involved in the game early and just try to do the best I could with the catches."
(on passing Shannon Sharpe on the all-time receiving yards list) "I really don't keep up with stats very much. It's a great accomplishment. I'm just going to have to try to keep playing and keep doing what I need to do to help this team win games."
(on Houston's defense igniting things early) "Well, we know they have a good defense. Unfortunately, last week they didn't play the way that we were used to seeing them play. They came out and made a big play, (OLB) Connor (Barwin) getting the safety and everything just kind of took off after that."
(on the adjustments Baltimore's defense had to make with injured starters out of the lineup) "When you get injuries, the next guy has to step up and play. We went through that last year. We lost a bunch of guys and you just have to have guys step up and play. You can't replace a (ILB) Ray Lewis. We understand that. You've still got to go out and play the game."
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak addressing the team captain's in Saturday's team meeting) "He was just basically telling everybody to turn it up a notch. When you're a captain, a little bit more pressure is put on you. He called out all the captains and just told everybody we need to turn it up a notch, take our leadership role and do what's necessary for us to win. That's what we did today."
(on what he said to the offense in the first quarter on the sideline) "I was just telling everybody to calm down. 'Just relax and just play. Take it one play at a time.' I think we came out, we were just a bit antsy at first. I was just telling everybody, 'Just calm down. Relax. Just take it one play at a time and it's gonna happen.' When we go out and do that, we're able to go out and score points and move the ball down the field. Once we settled down, we were able to move the ball."
(on going against former college teammate, Baltimore S Ed Reed) "It's always fun going against him. He's like my big brother. He's like family to me. It's always fun to play against him. We don't talk trash. He knows that I'm not going to talk to him. A lot of times when he tries to talk to me, I ignore him. It's always a lot of fun to go against him. It's a lot of fun."
(on how it feels to beat Baltimore for the first time) "It's a great feeling. But at the same time, it's just one game. A lot of people asked, 'Was it a revenge game?' or anything like that. I tell them no because it's not the same situation. It's not the same guys on the field. It's a different team. Like I said, it was a big win for us. We knew that coming into this game and we're just going to get ready for Buffalo."
(on if this game was a statement by the Texans) "I don't think it was a statement. I think a lot of people were just seeing how we would respond after what happened to us last week. I think we responded well."
(on QB Matt Schaub distributing the ball) "We know that if we give him time, he's going to find open guys. When we're able to protect him, he goes out and plays well. I don't think (QB) Matt (Schaub) really gets a lot of credit but he's a great player in my eyes."
(on how important Houston's touchdown drive in the third quarter was following Baltimore's touchdown drive) "Well, we knew we had to respond because normally when teams are up or have big leads and team goes down and scores, you normally have to go back and try to score points to kill their momentum because normally they start a comeback when things like that happen. That was big for us to go down and score."
(on if he's seen a worse blocking quarterback than Matt Schaub on his attempt to block Baltimore OLB Terrell Suggs in the third quarter) "(Laughing) I didn't see it. I saw (QB) Matt (Schaub) standing there. I didn't see that actual block. It was funny because he came to me on the sideline and was like, 'Hey, man, if they're running back toward me, can I cut the guy coming at me?' And I'm like, 'No, man. You can't do that. Just get out of the way.'"
(on if the team will continue to take the season one game at a time heading into the bye week with the best record in the AFC) "We know that. You can't look at the big picture because when you get too far ahead of yourself, that's when bad things happen. We're not looking at the big picture. We're not looking past anybody. We take every game the same way, no matter who it is. Like I said, we'll rest up this week, get guys healthy and feeling good and get ready for Buffalo."
(on if the defense's play gave the offense a spark) "With this game of football, it's crazy because if you look at any team, it's always one play that can ignite an offense, ignite the defense or ignite a team, period. I think that sack that (OLB) Connor (Barwin) got for the safety was the play. Sometimes, it's just once one play happens, everything just seems to fall in place. Once that happened, everything just fell in place."
CONERBACK JOHNATHAN JOSEPH (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn)
(on his injury coming into the game) "On Monday and Tuesday, I didn't think I had a chance. A couple of outside people helped me prepare for this week and get through practice. I took it day-by-day and was ready for the game."
(on being 6-1 going into the bye-week) "It is a good start, but we have a long way to go for the second half of the season. We have a bye-week this week. Coming off this win is good for us to get our minds right, and have a chance to watch what we did for the first seven weeks. Then come back from the bye-week with a fresh week of rest and come back to our game-plan."
(on the defensive coverage for his pick six) "We had a typical quarters coverage. It seemed that I was kind of playing that particular route soft last year. I had a feeling that they were going to run that same route and made a jump on it."
(on his celebration with OLB Connor Barwin) "It's kind of funny because Connor and I have been getting blanked the last couple of weeks. We always say we're always tied together. As soon as he made his sack and I made my interception, we both went over to each other and I was like, 'Hey man we are starting to get something rolling here.' Anytime, whether it's Connor or anybody in the back, we are all pulling for each other."
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER WHITNEY MERCILUS (Transcribed by Channler Hill)
(on how many snaps he thought he had) "I'm not too sure. I don't know. Maybe 20, 25, maybe."
(on what his first sack felt like) "It was cool. It's just showing that hard work pays off and things like that. It's just a first of many and I have to keep producing."
(on how much the game is slowing down for him) "Dramatically, there going through practice. We get out of practice, they beat us up, and they make the game, make it go fast. When it's game time, everything just slows down."
(on the evolution of the defense without ILB Brian Cushing) "I mean, it's the same guys on the defense, minus Cush. We're just executing a lot harder, a lot faster. We're sticking to our cue by our responsibilities. Nothing has really changed, our effort just has picked up a little bit."
(on if football as a whole for him was good) "Yeah. Just leave on a good note before we go on this bye-week. But it's nothing to get complacent or anything like that, it's just showing to the coaches that I can play and just continue on from there."
(on how big was the game was) "It was huge. It showed that we were No. 1 in our conference. Now, it's a good note to leave off, until we go on our break and then come back and go back to work."
FREE SAFETY GLOVER QUIN (Transcribed by Bracken Flynn)
(on being able to have the level of success defensively) "It's fun. For the most part, the game plan we had and everything that we practiced that they would do, they did it. We were able to execute and we are on it. It's fun when you go out there for three hard plays and you stop them. It was a lot of fun."
(on what it means when the defense scores) "Anytime that the defense gets a touchdown, it's a good chance you win that game. To come out there and make that big play and score that just kept us going."
(on going into the bye-week with this win) "It's very important. We obviously wanted to go into the bye-week with a win and at the top of the AFC. It's not fun sitting around on a bye-week with a loss. To come out and get the win in this fashion and get to go into the bye-week and rest up at the top of the AFC knowing that we have a nice stretch after the break, it is big for us."
(on critics who call the Texans soft) "We don't pay any attention to that. The people that are outside, they don't know how we play, how we work. I don't put any stock into it because they don't really know what they're talking about."
(on if a team can be soft if it runs the ball the way the Texans did last year) "I don't think so. I don't think we can run the football the way we did, protect the way we did, play the way we did and be considered that."
QUARTERBACK MATT SCHAUB (Transcribed by Rachel Jacob)
(on winning after last week's loss) "To win this one especially after last week, and going into our bye week with a good taste in our mouth and beating a very good football team here in our place, we are very excited about that."
(on if the sack by OLB Connor Barwin helped spark the offense and the team) "Yeah, it's huge. We got started off pretty slow. It was tough to make a first down, make some yards, and the defense gave us a lift there with that play. We went down and scored off of that, then we took it from there and got things going. We found stuff in the run game, my receivers and tight ends made extremely good plays for me today."
(on what he said to his teammates when the start of this game was looking similar to that of last week's game against Green Bay) "Stay the course. There is no need to panic. Our defense was playing well early on in the game and really all game for that matter. Just stay the course, don't start pressing. Keep executing the plan and the guys did that. They really kept their focus and kept going to the next task and it paid off."
(on being able to get to both WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels this game) "We've got a lot of playmakers on the team. When we are able to spread the ball around, that is when we are at our best. When (WR) Andre (Johnson) is making plays and (TE) Owen (Daniels) working the middle and making mismatches on guys. (WR) Kevin (Walter) made some big plays for us. We have that happening and that means we are moving the ball and doing some good things."
(on if there was an effort to get WR Andre Johnson the ball early) "There is always an effort to get him the ball, just because of who he is and what he means to our offense. When you get him going, that opens things up in the middle cause they are trying to play safety over the top, and then that opens up the other side with (WR) Kevin Walter and the other receivers. We are always trying to get him the ball."
(on the Texans' pass protection) "It was exceptional. For the group that we were playing, with (OLB) Terrell Suggs back in there and the guys they have off the edge, the pressure that they can bring, the guys up front were really in tune with where their IDs and pass protections were going. Those guys did a great job."
(on if he knew the Texans were going to bounce back after last week) "I knew we were going to bounce back. All week in practice I knew as soon as we left the field last week that we were going to come back strong."
(on the catch by TE Garrett Graham) "That was awesome. We had a play where that was first alerted, first as a good look, a quick little post route there. I let go of it pretty quick and he wasn't ready for it initially and he made a great play keeping his hand on it, if not, there is a safety behind there that might have a chance on the ball, and his concentration to stay with it as he tipped it to himself was awesome and we were able to score off that as well."
(on preparing to play the Ravens with two key starters not playing) "I don't know if those guys being out gave us thoughts that we could do things, it was just more attacking their scheme. We knew the leadership aspect of those absent players was going to be missed. It was more just attacking their scheme and saying, 'Let's just go play ball and understand who is out there' and we just had to go through our progressions and our normal plan."
(on if he is worried or excited about next week being a bye week) "I think you want to take a little bit of time to just be excited about the position you are in after seven weeks. But at the same time you want to get your body rested, you want to get away for a minute and let your mind be at ease and let your body heal up. But at the same time you have to think about the opportunity that we have in front of us moving forward going into November. I think it is a combination of both."
(on the cut-back run by RB Arian Foster) "You always have to be ready for Arian or any back for that matter doing those types of things. I saw him cut-back and I saw a couple of guys, especially 55, (OLB Terrell Suggs), coming at me and I didn't want to get in the way. His eyes lit up pretty big right there, so once Arian got around me and got to the first down, I just wanted to get out of the way."
DEFENSIVE END ANTONIO SMITH (Transcribed by Joshua Moon)
(on getting two sacks in a row) "It felt awesome. It was a long time coming. Me and (OLB) Connor (Barwin) were wondering if we were ever going to get a sack again."
(on why the sacks came today and not in the prior games) "I think we just calmed down. I was always trying to find the perfect rush against the perfect protection that they were doing. Once you go so long without getting a sack, that's what you do. We just pinned our ears back and plays started to happen."
(on big defensive plays early that turned the momentum of the game) "Big plays always ignite teams. That play ignited us at the right moment. What made it even better was that it was (OLB) Connor (Barwin). Everybody has been excited and waiting for Connor to get a sack. I told him that as soon as he stops thinking about getting a sack and just play, that's when he'd get one. That's what happened today."
WIDE RECEIVER KEVIN WALTER (Transcribed by Emily Anne Kuoni)
(on the sack by OLB Connor Barwin and how much it helped ignite the team to start the game) "Those guys are playing well. It was fun watching those guys today. (DE) Antonio Smith was out there making plays, and (OLB) Connor (Barwin), (DE) J.J. (Watt), everyone, J. Joe (CB Jonathan Joseph), everyone. It's fun. When you play like this in all three phases, there's no reason we can't get a win each week."
(on bouncing back offensively after last week's loss) "We were very disappointed on how we played last week. Very, very disappointed. But the great thing about this league is you get another opportunity. We started slow today, we didn't start as fast as we wanted to, but we kicked it into gear, and the defense played well. We were feeding off that, and the crowd energy was there, so we just made plays."
(on what it means to go into the break with the best record in the conference) "It means a lot. We're 6-1 right now, we feel good. We're working hard, we're preparing hard, and it's paying off. But we need some rest, some guys are dinged up, and it's a great time to have a bye week.
(on the differences from this week compared to last week) "We did start off slow, like I said earlier. And it's execution. Last week we didn't execute, and Green Bay made more plays than we did. And I thought today we did a great job of making plays, I thought everybody made plays, which is why we won."
(on the offensive players playing off of each other) "When we're clicking, it's fun. There are a lot of weapons on this offense. And watching that defense, special teams play well; we're kind of feeding off of each other. So it's a great, complete, team win."
DEFENSIVE END J.J. WATT (Transcribed by Emily Anne Kuoni)
(on the sack by OLB Connor Barwin and the safety at the beginning of the game) "It's huge. Scoring points on defense, especially the sack- safety is a big deal. To get Connor off the schneid, that was a huge deal, and it was a great way to start the game off. "
(on being called the best team is the AFC, does he believe that) "Of course, you can't argue with that. We're playing good football. Last week was a hiccup, but we're just fine."
(on Connor Barwin and Antonio Smith getting to the quarterback) "It's a lot of fun. It's nice when everybody's in on the party. It's always fun when everybody's getting sacks, everybody's getting plays, and we're just having fun out there as a defense together."
(on what it means to be named the first NFL defensive lineman with his number of deflections) "We're only seven games in. I've got a lot bigger goals on my plate than some seven-week goal. There's 16 weeks in a season, and I plan to use them all."
POSTGAME QUOTES FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
QB JOE FLACCO
WR JACOBY JONES
S ED REED
WR TORREY SMITH
OLB TERRELL SUGGS
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH (Transcribed by Candace Ashford)
(opening statement) "Man, I'm not sure what to say about that other than they got after us and they beat us. I'll give them credit. They played excellent. We did not. That's what happens on the road against a good team. We'll have to regroup and get back and play a lot better in the future."
(on his thought about all of the deflected passes) "That's what they do. They do a good job with that. We've worked on it all week, trying to get their hands down and we were unable to do it. I was a little disappointed."
(on G/T Kelechi Osemele's injury) "He had an ankle sprain in there. He's a tough guy. K.O.'s got a big heart. Seemed like he played pretty well even with the ankle."
(on LB Terrell Suggs' performance) "Well, it looked to me like he played really well. I'm not sure what you guys saw from your vantage point, but from my vantage point he looked like he played well. He was probably in surprisingly good football shape for as little football as he's played. Of course the injury held up. I think a lot of credit goes, obviously, to Mark Smith and our training staff, our doctors, but mostly to Suggs for the work he put in. He's going to be a plus for us and he's only going to get better."
(on if he's surprised at the amount LB Terrell Suggs could play) "I don't know if I was surprised. How many plays did he end up playing? It was quite a few, wasn't it? I'd have to say probably, looking back on that I am (surprised). I didn't think he'd play a full game. I don't know exactly what the numbers were, but we were on the field a lot on defense so it must have been a good number of plays. We weren't keeping track. The plan was not to give him a pitch count. The plan was to take it one series at a time, three to four plays at a time, and see how he held up."
(on what the Texans were able to do in today's game) "Everything. What weren't they able to do? They ran the ball, they threw the ball, protected it. It was about as complete a performance as you can have on both sides of the ball."
(on his concern of the offensive struggles on the road) "I'm concerned about everything. You can talk about pretty much everything today. What aren't you concerned about? The good thing and the thing we talked about is that it's the NFL. It's one loss. Sometimes you get tossed out of the bar. We came in with hype, with good intentions, and ready to do battle. I thought our guys fought. We kept running back in and they kept throwing us back out. It's not a matter of heart, it's just one of those days. We've got to coach better and we've got to play better to accomplish what we want to accomplish. It's a good time to have a bye week to work those things out."
(on when it was apparent that OLB Terrell Suggs would play) "I don't even remember. He looked pretty good on Wednesday. We didn't do as much with him yesterday. We wanted to see if he had any issue on Thursday. That was the main thing. We did a little more on Thursday. He felt good on Friday. Probably by Friday we felt like it looked like he had a good chance, so we put him through the workout on Friday and saw how he felt Saturday. Saturday he was fine, so there was no setback. That was probably the biggest thing."
(on if NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu's injury flared up during warm-up) "It just didn't look right. He had fought through it all week, but he wasn't moving as well as we'd like for him to. "
(on if the time off in the bye-week will help NT Ma'ake Kemeoeatu heal) "I don't know. We'll just have to see. Time off is going to help, obviously. It's going to help him heal up a little bit."
(on the seriousness of WR/RS David Reed's injury) "It looked like a rib contusion kind of a deal, but I haven't heard the final say on that."
QUARTERBACK JOE FLACCO (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on how frustrating it is to lose like that) "Yeah, it's always frustrating when you lose, period. When you lose like that you don't feel good about it. But like we said in the locker room, they all count the same no matter how you lose. Good thing for us in this one."
(on the difference with this offense on the road) "I don't know, I thought we opened up pretty good. We had a good first drive. And hey, we went up against a good defense today. We all could have done things better, starting with myself. But I don't really have an answer for you. I think that's just the way it works out. You guys are a good team, and we didn't play up to the level that we expect to."
(on if Houston changed anything defensively after the first series) "They put some pressure on us. They definitely tried to bring a couple guys there maybe in the second series we had. But after that, they weren't doing things that we didn't expect. They were coming at us, doing what they do. We knew what they were doing, we just probably didn't execute as well as we think we should have."
(on what makes it hard in the throwing lanes against the Texans' defense) "They're big guys. They do a good job of it. Sometimes, they stop rushing the quarterback and they try to get their hands up. People asked me about it before the game 'what are you guys going to do?' There's not really much you can do. You have to get on them, and you have to do all that, but you have to just trust that the ball is going to get where it's going to be when we have guys open. Every now and then they're going to make plays. They made some plays there – they had a lot of batted balls. I don't know, we have to take a look at it and see how we can prevent it a little bit better."
(on the Texans' defensive performance) "They played well and we didn't. They're a good defense. They played physical. They played fast. We just weren't able to necessarily able to stand up to it today and give it a good play."
(on how surprised you were to see OLB Terrell Suggs back on the field after his injury) "Pretty surprised. Obviously I'm not him, but I would have obviously said 'Okay, we got a bye, let's just sit him out for another one,' but he felt ready to go and he was ready to go. Pretty impressive obviously, to be able to get back that quick. Yeah, I didn't think, you know we all talk about it, but I didn't think there was any way it was actually going to happen."
(on if the bye is coming at the right time for the team) "I don't know. I think the bye is always coming right at the right time. It's always good to kind of go back and kind of see where you're at at this point in the season. And it's always good to get off your feet for a little bit and get guys a little bit more healthy than they are. I don't think it matters that we're coming off a big loss like this or anything like that. It's just coincidence."
WIDE RECEIVER JACOBY JONES (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on the tough loss against his former team) "It's football, man. They came ready to play and got the W. We're going to rally back, rest up for this bye week and look forward to Cleveland."
(on if the boos from the crowd bothered him) "No, I like that type of (stuff)."
(on how their kick return game is shaping up) "That's practice, man. That mesh you do in practice, you know? I feel good. Its catch and run and them boys do a great job of blocking."
(on his process of returning a kick) "I see the kick, I stand at the back of the end zone and as it starts descending, that's when I start running in to it and I'm already a head of steam coming."
(on if it bothers him to lose to the Texans) "Ain't nothing bother me. I mean they played well. They played a heck of a game, you can't take nothing from them."
(on talking between him and his former teammates during the game) "Yeah because they know me. They were taking those big angles. They knew they weren't going to catch me if I passed their (butt) so there was a little trash talking."
(on what his emotions were like coming back to Houston) "I actually took it like another game. It didn't really bother me. I was humble, I wasn't all riled up. I was ready to play football, period."
SAFETY ED REED (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on his injury in the fourth quarter) "It was my rib and kidney. I think they said I took a cleat. It felt like I fell on a shoe or a cap or something. It's just sore. Really sore right now. It hurt like heck when I was out there. I just hoped nothing was broken and I didn't feel that anything was broken. It just kind of cut my wind a little bit, but I'll be alright."
(on where the defense goes from here after this performance) "All you can do is make corrections. Adversity builds character. There's a lesson in the loss. We're 5-and-2. The season is really just getting started. We got a bye week, we make corrections and we'll be fine. Yeah, they scored 43 points, but that's mistakes we made. Houston is a great team. We knew after they played against Green Bay, you have to know they're going to come out and fight their hearts out and protect their field. Like I told the guys, it's like we're two different teams on the road and at home - we can't be that. We can't come here and make mistakes like we made and expect to be in the game. I know I looked up one time and we gave up 12 first downs in the first half and we had three first downs on offense. You can't win like that. You cannot come out and perform like that and expect to be in the game. We don't get any turnovers and the plays we should make we didn't make and they get turnovers and they score. That momentum shift, and they rode that wave. All power to them - hats off to those guys. I know a bunch of guys over there that are great athletes. And Houston honestly always plays us tough, so I'm pretty sure they're saying 'about time.' It was a great game, hats off to those guys, and we just have to keep building."
(on being banged up a little in the game) "I'm fine, I'll be fine. We're off this week. I'm sure I have a lot of time to recover and relax. Have a spa day or something, see my doctor, see my son, and get away from football."
(on it being inspiring to see OLB Terrell Suggs back on the field) "Yes, definitely. That guy is a force. For us to lose (CB) Lardarius (Webb) and 'Ray Man' (ILB Ray Lewis) and have that guy come back is huge."
(on what people will say about this loss and the defense) "This is the NFL, the National Football League. Guys, we have to be professionals, and we are. You're not going to play the perfect game every week. You're not going to blow teams out every week. You're not going to get blown out every week. We haven't been the best, and we need to make those corrections. We need to look at a lot of things that we do. Guys need to get fresh. Guys need to take care of themselves and get healthy. We have a couple guys banged up, including myself. We just have to make those corrections, and we will. We're a fighting team - we've been fighting. We've been grinding. We're prepared to make this journey that we're on."
(on getting used to playing without ILB Ray Lewis) "If we didn't get used to it today, something's wrong. Ray is not here. We know (CB) Lardarius (Webb) is out for the season; Ray is a possibility coming back. We have to move on like we have and know that those guys will be back around here and motivating and encouraging. The guys that are playing are going to be playing; (ILB) Jameel McClain, (ILB Dannell) Ellerbe. But like I said, when you make the mistakes that we made early and played like we did early – the game got out of hand early – there's no way you're coming back on a professional team like that; a team that's fighting like that at home. It's impossible in a sense to do that on the road. So you just can't come out and make the mistakes like we did on the road. Like I said earlier, it's like we're two different teams right now on the road versus at home. And like coach said, we need to look at everything from upstairs to downstairs. Everybody needs to look at themselves and make those corrections that we need to make. Look at how we call plays, what plays we call, what mistakes we made defensively, what mistakes we made offensively, special teams, that put us in a hole. If you look at the game, which I expect y'all have, they were playing field position early, and they did a great job with it and it came out perfect for them. This is a chess match, no matter how you look at it. You have to know how to make adjustments and play the flow of the game, see how the game is going. The game isn't going to go the way you think it's going to go. You can't predict the way it's going to go, it's impossible."
(on if the Texans are the real deal) "They are. They are. They've been there for the last few years. I know how those guys work. I know (WR) Andre Johnson and what he wants, and I know his heart. He comes from a championship program and I'm sure he's leading that way."
WIDE RECEIVER TORREY SMITH (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on what the Texans defense did to make things difficult) "They ran their regular defense. I think the biggest thing of the game was batting down passes. That lead to a few turnovers and stopped some drives. That's obviously something they practice. We saw it on film and they did a good job."
(on how he would assess the offense) "I don't think we did good at all. I think we have to be more consistent in our execution. That's easy to say when you lose but we just have to get it fixed."
(on LB Terrell Suggs' return) "First way you know he's here is when you hear him in the locker room. He's the loudest person everywhere he goes so we're definitely happy to have him back and to see him make some plays even though he's still working back in it. It's going to be a long road for him with rehab and practice."
(on if the bye week comes at a good time for the team) "I think so. It's been a long, long seven weeks; a little under seven because we had those 18 days. I don't know. It's been tough and we need this bye week."
OLB TERRELL SUGGS (Transcribed by Amanda Worthy)
(on how he felt returning to the field) "It's not the start I wanted. Of course I wanted to come back for a win, but I felt that if it was good on Saturday, then I would go. I had to come back this game against a good team because we all know how important those games in November and December are and I didn't want to try to be still knocking the rust off when it comes down the stretch to those big games, so I had to go against a team that was going to challenge me the most, and that was Houston, and they went out there and played a hell of a ball game. It's good. When you step in the shower, you're going to get wet, and it rained tonight."
(on if he was shaking the rust off today) "I'm just trying to get back to, to punching, to get off, I had an off sides there, I know (Baltimore Sun writer) Mike (Preston) is going to hammer me in the paper tomorrow when he writes about it, but I'm just trying to get it all back. Like I said, a lot of guys - they've been doing this at training camp and I'm still trying to get mine right. But, like I said, this was the game I really wanted to come back for, we got the bye, and then we come back against Cleveland. But, down the stretch, that's a no excuse. There's no excuse. 'You started the season out hurt, and then came back.' I don't want to hear none of that come November, December. So, those are the bigger games down the stretch and I want to be all of Terrell Suggs for them."
(on if his stamina was an issue) "I don't know. We're going to look at the tape. Sometimes it seemed like it was holding up, sometimes it seemed like it just wasn't quite there yet on different plays. Like I said, we're just feeling it out. I walked on, I walked off. I know a lot of peoples' question was whether or not I was rushing back. I don't think I rushed back. I think they did a great job in the rehab. I don't want to be playing against our rivals still rusty. I figured we've got Houston, bye (week), then Cleveland, and then we're rolling."
(on if he had mixed emotions on returning to a one-sided game) "We lost to a very good Houston Texan team. There's no sugarcoating it, call a spade a spade, they whooped our (butt). Two teams coming off of emotional disappointments. Them, with their (Sunday) night loss, and us losing our leader in (CB/RS Lardarius) Webb, and having a banged-up (DT) Haloti (Ngata), and they had the advantage of being at home. They played a hell of a football game. They're a great team. We didn't lose to a team still searching for their identity. They know who they are. They have a very talented back, very good quarterback, very good tight end and one hell of a receiver. So, we lost to a real good team. They've got a real good defense too, they put up 12 points or something like that? That also helps them win. They played a hell of a football game."
(on giving up 43 points to the Texans) "I was thinking that – I was like, 'Damn, 40 points,' but this is going to happen. We went down to San Diego last year and it was raining touchdowns. We didn't give up points but it was the same type of game. We've been here before, but after seven games, and you think of everything this team has been through to come out 5-2 going into the bye, we'll take that. We'll take that every day. We're going to go to work tomorrow. We're going to go to work during this bye, and we're going to come back. You all know what we do down the stretch."
(on how he feels) "I feel good."
(on if this bye week will be different) "I don't know. We tend not to go anywhere anyway. All the guys just stay around and just try to get better. I can't remember the last year if we won going into the bye, but we know we've got some work to do. This is a very emotional time for us. Like I said, losing arguably one of the greatest middle linebackers in the game, and losing your starting corner, that's going to hurt. We've got some work to, and we've got some young guys that need to step up. I've got to get healthy, I've got to get better. (DT) Haloti (Ngata) has got to get healthy, has got to get better. We're going to work come this bye week."
(on the emotions during this game) "They played a hell of a football game. They came in and they were ready to go from the jump. They got the safety ,then they got the pick-six. They were rolling. They were rolling. We had some success early, but we've got to be able to sustain that success. It's just a learning lesson. It's not the end of the world, but it's not something we've got to take lightly either. Like I said, after seven games, we're 5-2, we'll take that."
(on what he sees in the young guys) "Potential. It's just the little things. If you ask me, our inside guys, I think they play phenomenal. Houston runs an offense that's built on angles, and early we did a good job of stopping it, and being what we were supposed to be. But as of late, those shifty backs man, they're hopping in, hopping out, getting on the edge. It's nothing that we should be concerned for, they've got tremendous potential. But please believe, they'll see us again."
(on if he expected to play as much as he did today) "Yeah, I did. (General Manager) Ozzie (Newsome) told me, he said, 'if you plan on coming back,' he threw a number at me, and I kind of doubled his number. So, yeah, I expected to play a lot. Come earlier this morning, my coach and the trainer said, 'we're going to tread soft, we're going to see how we do as the game goes on'."
(on how he knew it was safe for him to play) "I don't know, I just felt good throughout the week. I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if I was going to go, but I just felt good as I first threw the pads on, and then I would do plant, and reverse field, so I just felt that if I was going to be out there I couldn't have any excuse. You know, if you get your (butt) whooped you don't say, 'oh, I wasn't ready'." No, I was ready and I still got my (butt) whooped. Like I said, you step in the shower, you're going to get wet. We played a really good Houston Texans team. We're going to learn from this and we're going to get better."
