**
Interim Head Coach Wade Phillips**
T Duane Brown
CB Johnathan Joseph
C Chris Myers
OLB Brooks Reed
DE Antonio Smith
Interim Head Coach Wade Phillips
(opening statement) "The highlight of the practice today was Coach Kub (Gary Kubiak) was there at the end of practice. Obviously, he talked to the players a little bit. Everybody was excited to see him. He looks pretty good. So that was really the highlight. We had a good practice. I thought our guys were into it. We did a few different things than we do on Thursdays. But we were in full pads today and I thought they practiced well. (Arian) Foster and (Mike) Mohamed did not practice. Tavares Gooden did not practice for personal reasons and Ben Tate was limited, which obviously he would be. Everybody else practiced and looked like they're ready to go."
(on RB Arian Foster's status) "They're still evaluating his injury. He's seeing the doctors again."
(on if Head Coach Gary Kubiak talked to the players today) "Yes, he did."
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak's message to the players after practice today) "Mostly that he missed them and how much he missed (being here). You don't realize until you're away from it a little bit how much you miss the team and being around them, and that kind of thing. And that he felt good. That was his message."
(on if it was a surprise that Head Coach Gary Kubiak came out to practice today) "No, we had been informed earlier that he may come out today. We were glad he was able to."
(on if there's any more information on RB Arian Foster) "They don't tell me anything. I'm just the Interim (joking)."
(on if he'd like to get RB Dennis Johnson the ball more) "I think he added a lot last game. Between he and Ben (Tate) last game, looked like to me, he was a good change up guy. We had a guy last year that was kind of that way. But I thought he did a good job in the ball game. We'll try to utilize him again."
(on Arizona's offense) "They've got a running back that can run with the football too, that's come out the last two weeks and made big plays. I have great respect for Carson Palmer. The guy has done it for a long time and done it really well for a long time. He's won a lot of games at quarterback and he can take over a game. He's the kind of quarterback that can do that. Then, when you've got a receiver like (Larry) Fitzgerald, obviously he can make plays on par with a guy like Andre (Johnson)."
(on RB Dennis Johnson in the return game) "Yeah, we looked at him at kickoff return. We may do that again some. We'll see."
(on who will be the third running back this week) "We haven't determined that yet. I would say Deji Karim has the best chance I guess right now."
(on what went into the decision into putting FS Ed Reed out in the dime package) "Mostly matchups, what we feel like, each week, how we match up and what we need to do. (Shiloh) Keo is doing some good things. He had a big interception in the Kansas City game when we were one point behind that gave us a chance to win the ballgame. We think Keo has done some good things also."
(on if he will continue to use FS Ed Reed in the dime package and FS Shiloh Keo in base formations) "Whatever we feel like will help us win, that's what we're going to do."
(on if FS Ed Reed is still the starter) "Whether the sixth man or the starter or not, it's just like a lot of other positions, it depends on what the offense comes out in in the first series or so. Sometimes they come out in four-wide and so-and-so isn't in there and you say, 'he's not a starter,' and vice versa. It's really dictated by our packages and what we do as to who's actually playing the first play of the game."
(on if he feels like he has gotten his worth out of FS Ed Reed as Reed played 30 snaps last game) "Yeah, I know how many plays he played. That's what we do, is try and matchup the things that we can do against whatever we feel like their matchups are. It's a game of matchups. That's what pro football is. We try to get the right matchup at the right time."
(on the Texans being 2-0 when Shiloh Keo was the listed started at free safety) "Really? OK."
(on what he worries about most about this upcoming game) "The first thing I worry about is defense obviously, because that's what I'm involved in mostly. I think that's the key. We want to play well enough defensively to win. That's what our goal is, to play well enough defensively to win the game, every game. We want to play well enough to win, that's first on defense. The other part I think will be smooth enough in that I've been in a lot of games as a head coach, so game decisions and things like that I think I'll be comfortable with. I'm not worried about that."
(on if he will lean on Gary Kubiak to plan for this game or do his own thing) "He said, 'Do what you think you need to do.' That's what I think the process will be."
T Duane Brown
(on seeing Gary Kubiak out at practice today) "It was great. It was great. He came out there during the last period of practice. Some of us saw him from the sidelines. It just lifted our spirits to see him up walking about. That meant the world to us."
(on what Gary Kubiak told the team) "He just thanked everyone for our support and kind words and prayers. He told us how much he missed being out there. He just told us the faith he had in us to get the job done on Sunday and that he would come back as soon as he would be able to."
(on if seeing Gary Kubiak helped ease their worries) "Hearing he was doing well and that he would make a full recovery, that kind of put us at ease anyway. But to see him, like I said, to address us, talk to us, have a clear mind and everything, that definitely erased any doubts we had, so that was comforting."
(on if anyone tipped them off that Gary Kubiak would be at practice) "No, we didn't know. We didn't know."
(on it being a surprise that Gary Kubiak showed up) "We had no idea. That was a big surprise, right in the middle of practice, to see him walk out there. It was heart-warming, man. It put a big smile on my face when I saw him and I'm sure it did for everyone else."
CB Johnathan Joseph
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak attending the end of practice today) "I think he just gave guys even more energy throughout practice and just lifted us up a little bit. Just to see he was doing well enough to come out here and watch us at practice."
(on how nice it was to actually be able to see Head Coach Kubiak today) "Yeah, just because there's so much of the unknown going around. Just to see that he's physically OK and able to come out here and be at practice, gave us a little speech and things like that, it was just good for us to see him in great condition."
(on winning this week's game for Head Coach Gary Kubiak) "Oh, without a doubt. We're going to lay it on the line. We do it each and every Sunday, but I'm sure we're going to have an extra little pump in our step, just for Coach Kub. Because we know what it means to him and, to not have him with us on the road, it's going to get us even more motivated."
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak always being a very supportive coach and if he's always a guy who's going to have the players' back) "Exactly. He's always that guy. Any circumstance, he's always going to stand up, whether it's versus the media or anybody else, other people talking bad about us. He's always going to be the guy to say, 'I've got your guys back, I'm going to stand up there.' To see him kind of down the way he was was kind of shocking for everybody. For us as a team, we can't do any more than just go out and play this game for him."
C Chris Myers
(on seeing Head Coach Gary Kubiak at the end of practice today) "Yeah, that was a nice little surprise to be able to see Coach Kub out there. After this past game and everything that went down, you're obviously just wondering if he's OK. After the game, you kind of get the assurance and, throughout the next couple of days, you find out exactly what's going on. But you didn't know when you were going to see him next. With that kind of a situation, it's a day-to-day thing. For him to come out and surprise us right in the middle of practice was pretty cool. You're going through your team sessions and you just see him standing him in the corner, it's like seeing a buddy. It's pretty cool to be able to have him out there."
(on if word started spreading throughout the team that Head Coach Gary Kubiak was at practice) "Yeah, slowly but surely. You're standing in the huddle and you kind of see him standing behind the defensive huddle and you kind of point to the guys and stuff like that. It's a nice feeling to have him back out there. Obviously, he's got to take his steps to get back right. But to have him back out on the field and kind of, just as a family, it's pretty nice."
(on what Head Coach Gary Kubiak said to the team) "Everything's OK with him. He's going to take it step-by-step. He wants us to go out there and play like he knows how we can play. Things haven't been going our way the past six weeks. For us to be able to come out here and be able to get the W, even more of an icing on the cake."
(on how Head Coach Gary Kubiak looked physically today) "He looked great. Obviously, he kind of took in stride. He had what they're calling a 'mini stroke.' He looked great. He's smiling and cracking jokes out there. Just the regular Kub. But you can't play it too safe until he's fully healthy and cleared; he's not going to be back out here. We're pulling for the best for him and thank God everything's OK."
OLB Brooks Reed
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak showing up at the end of practice today) "Yeah, he did. He kind of snuck up there. It was good to see him come out there and show that he was well and upbeat."
(on what it was like when Head Coach Gary Kubiak talked to the team today) "He basically explained that he's feeling a lot better and he's liking what he's seen. Expect him to come back."
(on what it means to the team to see Head Coach Gary Kubiak at practice today) "It meant a lot for everyone for him to come out and see that he's well. For him to come out there and just watch practice, I'm sure it was a lot for him to do that. We should expect to see him more."
DE Antonio Smith
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak coming to the end of practice today) "It was a breath of fresh air. It takes a lot of the guessing out of it. Everybody was wondering how is really doing. Is there some kind of conspiracy theory? Is he really worse than what they said? But he's right there, right there in front of you doing good."
(on going back to Arizona and what it's going to be like to see some of the guys he played with) "They're all gone. All it is is Fitz (Larry Fitzgerald), (Darnell) Dockett, Karlos (Dansby) and then Lyle (Sendlein), the center. Me and Dockett have been talking crap. That's my brother. We talk all the time. He's been giving me crap, talking about what they're going to do. And I've been giving him crap. I reckon it's going to be a pretty fun game. He's pumping his boys up. I'm pumping my boys up. I tell little tall tales here and there, see if I can get some people motivated."
(on winning this game for Head Coach Gary Kubiak) "That definitely could be the case because we all feel how we feel about Kub. At the end of his speech he gave today, he did say that, 'I want y'all to handle your business and get a win.' We've got to do our job."
(on if it would be doubly satisfying to get a win this week to end the losing streak and because of Head Coach Gary Kubiak's situation) "Definitely, man. We're in a desperate search of a win, some positive reinforcement. Just getting a win, along with satisfying our Coach, it's like icing on the cake. And that's the only thing we've got our mind focused on. We've got to get a win."
