The Texans practiced Thursday at the Methodist Training Center. After, head coach Gary Kubiak and some of his players answered questions from the media. The following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Head Coach Gary KubiakT Duane BrownDE Jesse NadingLB DeMeco Ryans
Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on the primary reason of moving practice inside the Methodist Training Center) "I just did the same thing we did last week. We get a good hour outside and then we come in here and try to freshen back up and get our noise and pick our speed back up in practice. I think it's been pretty good and they responded pretty well to it."
(on if he moved practice in to avoid the heat) "As long as we're having this heat that we're having right now; we get out and work there on Wednesday and we get a good hour on Thursday. From that point on I want to get them as fresh as they can be toward Sunday."
(on injury updates) "(DT) Amobi (Okoye) did not practice today. He had tweaked his ankle a little bit in practice yesterday. It's bothering him and it's still sore today. So I kept him out in a boot. So he was not even over here. He's day to day right now."
(on what is the benefit for other players getting reps when a starter is injured) "It just gets them ready to play. You never know as a backup when you're going to get a chance to play. Usually when you do get a chance you haven't had much work. (DE Jesse) Nading is a great example of that last week. If (DT Amobi Okoye) can't go then (DT) Earl (Mitchell) has to go in and play big time this week. That's part of the league."
(on how DEs Ryan Denney and Adewale Ogunleye are adapting) "They're fine. We probably have to make a decision on which one we think can help us the most the weekend. I don't know if both of them will be up. We'll have to see, but they're really the same type of guy. I think (DE Ryan) Denney has caught up a little faster cause he's been with (assistant head coach/defensive line) Bill (Kollar) before. Wally (DE Adewale Ogunleye) too has run the same schemes. I think these guys will be able to help us hopefully sooner than later."
(on what role DE Jesse Nading will play this weekend) "(DE Jesse) Nading will play in a bunch of different roles for us. Obviously his reps will pick up."
(on if QB Matt Leinart is learning the Texans offense) "I would say last week, if he would've played in the game, there was probably 30 percent that we'll ask him to take of our game plan. I think this week he could take a good 50. We'll just keep working toward it. He's getting more and more comfortable. He's ability is showing up more and more each day in practice."
(on any reports of DE Connor Barwin's season-ending ankle surgery) "Everything went well. He's doing well and should be out of the hospital, if not this evening, then tomorrow morning. (WR) Andre Davis is in Colorado. He had his surgery and will be spending a few weeks in Colorado."
T Duane Brown
(on if he's ever been at FedExField) "When I was at Virginia Tech. That was the only time against USC."
(on if he grew up as a fan of the Redskins) "No, not really. I was a Pittsburgh fan when I was younger."
(on if the NFC East had some kind of mystique when he was growing up) "Definitely, you had the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins and Eagles. They were powerhouses and you always knew they had big players and great defenses and they ran the ball well. That's one thing when you thought about them when I was growing up. When I saw them on the schedule this year I definitely knew it was going to be a challenge."
DE Jesse Nading
(on how his mindset has changed now that he is getting more playing time) "You try not to change your mindset because then it becomes this big thing that almost seems overwhelming. I like to think that I will prepare the same way that I have been and the same way that I prepared last week where I have all my mental stuff down and study film the same way that I did. You just got to treat it like another game. Otherwise, it becomes this big thing and that's tough to handle."
(on how complicated his position is) "It makes it fun though. You get to move around a little bit and kind of get some different looks. That kind of responsibility makes it fun. You just want to be a contributor and hopefully help the team get a win."
(on what type of pressure he has of doing everything right) "You kind of have to look at a lot of different things. You can't just watch one guy. You kind of got to have a feel of what they're trying to do to you. Especially with some of the coverage stuff that we get to do, it's fun. It's been something that we've been working on since June. Everything you do, build off stuff you've worked on for months now."
LB DeMeco Ryans(on the Redskins offense) "They have a good scheme and a good running attack. I think they're going to establish the run on us. We are going to have to do a good job going against these guys and stopping them in the run game."
(on what head coach Gary Kubiak told the team about playing at FedExField) "He hasn't spoken to us about it yet. So, I don't know. I know it's one of the biggest stadiums in the NFL. It's going to be a good place to play in and I'm looking forward to it, but the field is still a hundred yards and it's 11-on-11 no matter where."
(on if he's motivated to play well in a hostile environment) "It does, you kind of get that vibe that you got to go out there where everybody's against you. It's going to be a fun challenge for us."
(on what kind of challenges Redskins QB Donovan McNabb will bring) "The guy can still run. He still has it. He's very elusive in the pocket and he does a good job of making time. Even though you may think that he going to have a short period of time, but he does do a good job moving around the pocket with his feet and creating more time and still being able to make the big throw down field."
(on if his mindset is affected knowing Redskins QB Donovan McNabb can make a play at anytime with his mobility) "I just try to get him the first time and try not to make the play be broken. You know he's going to make a few plays. We can't just have him running all crazy on our defense. We have to find a way to stop him and get him in third and long."
(on being favored on the road against a 1-0 team as a sign of respect) "I don't care about whose favored or who's not favored. It really doesn't matter to me. It's about who is going to be the best team on Sunday between those 60 minutes. That's the only thing that matters. We still have to go out there and perform even though we're favored."
