After the Texans' 16-6 win over the Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium, members of both team spoke to the media.
Texans Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on getting a road win) "It feels good. The thing we did today - we had plenty of mistakes as a football team, obviously, but we made plays. When we talked the last two weeks before we went to Indianapolis, that I think sometimes we get so hung up on our mistakes as a football team that we forget to just keep playing and make the next play that can mean the difference. That's what happened today. The defense was spectacular."
(on going for it on numerous fourth down plays) "We need to be aggressive. When you are playing here with the wind - this was probably as good of a day as you are going to get here to me in the times I've been here. But the wind was still a factor going that one way, so it was playing into our thought process a couple times with those long field goals. I had to make a couple of tough decisions, but we seemed to handle it pretty good."
(on the defense) "Well, what we did was we said – I think I kind of said this earlier, but we've been making mistakes, but we have been lacking some aggression through mistakes. And what we needed to do, regardless of making them, we needed to be aggressive and make plays. So, we stayed aggressive defensively; we did. We went after them. And we're going to look at our share of mistakes along the way, but we're going to see a great deal of plays. And if you get five turnovers in a game, you are going to find a way to win even if you are struggling on offense in the second half."
(on the defense being more aggressive) "We have kind of been full circle with this. We hit a point in the season where we were making too many mistakes and we need to settle down. We are playing some young kids; we need to get simpler and be more aggressive. I think we did that for a period of time, but you know that starts to run out. When you are playing Peyton Manning last week and you're not showing him enough looks and you are simple before the day's over, he's going to get after you. So, we kind of went back the other way today and said, 'Let's be more aggressive. Regardless of if we give up some plays, we need to be more aggressive in what we are doing.'"
(on QB Sage Rosenfels) "He played excellent in the first half. When he has a mistake on the first third down in the second half, I think that mistake weighs on him too much. And he's got to play cleaner in the second half for this football team. He played a tremendous first half, and he can't let those things keep him from finishing the day strong. My echo to the team, I can say the exact same thing in that light with him. I just have to keep working with him and, as a coach, do the best job that I can to put him in the best situation."
(on how he feels about the job defensive coordinator Richard Smith did) "That's part of coaching. I respect (defensive coordinator) Richard (Smith) and how he works. I watch a guy – I mean, he never goes home. He's doing everything he can to make this thing work. The whole defensive side of the ball is working their tails off. It's really not, like a said, a matter of who's doing it. It's a matter of how we are doing it, and (we will) continue to work at it. I never get the sense that we can't get it done. So, we've kept working. Our confidence has stayed high and everybody's kept a positive attitude, and it showed today."
{QUOTE}(on who got the game balls) "I gave it to the defense; they were spectacular. The whole defensive staff, the players, they were spectacular today."
(on what the team did to be more aggressive on defense) "I can't give you a count, but we had a lot of pressures that we called. We went after them on some third-and 10s. We went after them on fourth-and-10 and gave up a slant route right for a big first down there in the fourth quarter. But we preached aggression. Our players, what we tried to do was let them know that if we are wrong and get one up, they come on back and make the next one. We're not going to let that play get us down, and it kind of showed today."
(on winning the turnover battle) "Our football team has had a deadly problem because we give it up but we haven't been getting it. We still gave it up a couple times today or else we could have finished that football game a lot better. But when you get five turnovers in this league, you are going to win.
(on RB Ahman Green leaving the game with a knee injury) "It was a big problem because Steve (Slaton) is beat up. Going into the game, we thought it would be more of an Ahman (Green) day. Steve was beat up coming out of the game against Indy. Unfortunately, Ahman's down and it looks like it could be a few weeks, just talking to (head trainer) Kevin (Bastin). So, we have a problem. We have a beat-up young back that really wasn't 100 percent, a young kid that hasn't touched the ball much that we didn't want to put in that situation. But Steve hung in there and finished the game."
(on the play of the interior offensive line) "I thought we were very good in the first half. I don't think we were very good in the second half. I'm going to have to go back and see why, but we were effective in the first half running the ball. The second half, we did not run the ball well at all."
(on WR Andre Johnson and WR Kevin Walter) "Yeah, Andre (Johnson) had a big day, 116 (receiving yards). When he has days like that, our team usually ends up doing some good things. When you look at the movement of the ball, you have 380-something yards, you should have more points than that. So, it's disappointing so many times that we missed in the red zone. They are fine men. I think they play hard all the time. To get André Davis back on the field today (even though he) got a kickoff return called back, it was important to this team."
(on how important the first touchdown drive was) "It was very important. I knew we were ready to play. It was very quiet in that locker room, much like last week. Our guys were focused. We're working hard and they were very focused. And today they played – they are not going to let it go, regardless. They've been working."
(on the team not giving up on the Browns' long drive in the fourth quarter) "I think that started with our mindset going into the game, preaching that those things were going to happened and we're not going to let them get us down today. The guys just continue to battle. They could have easily played down after two or three of those calls we got there – pass interference and some of those things – but they kept playing and they were tremendous today."
Texans RB Ahman Green
(on the play on which he got hurt) "It was just a lot of action going on, really. It was just my knee went one way, my foot went the other way. And I got up, I didn't feel any pain. I just felt a lot of looseness. It wasn't anything to where I was in a lot of pain, like I said. It was just a weird feeling."
(on if it was his left knee, which he injured last season) "It was the same knee, but a different area."
(on how worried he is about his knee injury) "Oh, I don't know. I'm not worried about it all. We'll just find out exactly what it is tomorrow and we'll go from there, basically."
(on if he will undergo tests including an MRI tomorrow) "Yes. Basically."
(on what he thinks of the moment last week when head coach Gary Kubiak asked the team if they were with him and they gave him a resounding "Yes") "It was just something that a coach amongst his players, amongst his team, asking what he wants out of us. We've given him a confident answer in what we want to do, basically. That's all it was. And it showed out there today. It was a tough game, and we knew it was going to be a tough game because this team probably should've been in the playoffs last year. They're playing well to get back there again. So we knew we were coming in here and playing this team, and beating this team at their place is not an easy task."
(on what this win can mean for the team) "It's big because it's on the road, like I just said. It's against a playoff-caliber team, so it means a lot. And now, going against another divisional game, going against Jacksonville in (eight) days, it's going to be something that rolling off of this, it'll be easier to come off of than losing."
(on the speculation that he might have to miss 2-3 weeks with his injury) "For myself, I've always been a fast healer, so hopefully I can be back by the Monday game if not the next game. I'm just going to really take it one day at a time, and tomorrow morning, we'll know exactly what it is."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on what the road win means) "It means a lot. After the Indy game, we were determined to come here and win this game, so it means a lot. It shows what type of character this team has."
(on having over 100 receiving yards) "We were just able to find spots in their defense. We came in at halftime and they were doing some things we didn't expect them to do, and we talked about it. We were able to go out and make some adjustments."
(on the offense having two turnovers but not losing the game) "That's a thing we preach a lot. Every week we are saying we need to stop turning the ball over, and today we went out and had two (interceptions). But our defense played great for us today, so it helped us out a whole lot."
(on how important a win was for the team's psyche) "It's very important. Like I said, after the Indy game, it's like we were going to be determined to come out and win this game. And coach Kubiak was like, 'Are you guys with me?' and everybody screamed out, 'Yeah.' There wasn't any hesitation. There wasn't anyone feeling sad when everybody said that. Everybody was pumped up. We still have games to play. Unfortunately, things haven't gone our way. If you look at our games, we are still out there on the field, playing hard with no shutting it down – everyone is giving it 100 percent."
(on how difficult it will be to lose RB Ahman Green for two weeks with a knee injury) "It's difficult. Ahman's a great running back. He helps this team out a whole lot and he's one of our running backs and we need him to win games. It hurts, but you just have to have someone come in and keep playing."
(on coach Gary Kubiak asking the players if they were with him after the loss to Indy) "Just last week after the game, coach Kubiak was like, 'Are you with me?' We went out and gave a great effort last week but fell short. We just said if we continue to play like we played last week, we will win our share of games. And he was like, 'Are you guys with me?' and we were like, 'Yeah.' There wasn't any hesitation. You know, guys were ready. I think we probably could have gone and played the next day because we were so ready and we came up short, but were just determined to win this game today."
(on recording over 1,000 receiving yards so far this season) "It was a great accomplishment. You know, everyone wants to go over 1,000 yards and get all the yards and all the catches, but I just want to win. If me getting 1,000 yards helped my team win, then so be it. If me getting 500 yards helps them win, I'll take the 500. I think it's a great accomplishment and I'm just out there having fun."
(on getting a win on the road) "It was a great feeling. I mean, you could see it in the locker room. You could see it on all the guys' faces. It was kind of like a sigh of relief. To be a good team in this league, you have to be able to go on the road and win. We did that today."
(on playing the Monday Night game next week) "I don't really think you have to explain anything about Monday Night Football. It's kind of like the high school game – they used to always say Friday nights you are under the lights – it's prime time. Everybody is watching, all your friends, all your peers. I think that's one game that everybody watches every week, Monday Night Football. I watch it every week. I don't really think there's much to say about it. I think it's going to be a great game for us, a good football team coming in with Jacksonville. And it's going to be a big test for us and we are going to go out and give it our best shot."
Texans DT Travis Johnson
(on the defense) "Playing that man-to-man defense and just really locking them up. I think that's really what it was."
(on the entire defense getting the game ball from head coach Gary Kubiak) "It's special just for the simple fact that we work so hard. It's special, especially having an offensive coach, seeing that he notices that. It's good. We really appreciate that."
(on what this game can do for the team) "It can turn things around. It's like a 72 deuce on a quarter. You've got to have that long turnaround, but now we're starting to make that right turn, so we're getting there."
(on what he just said) "A 72 deuce on a quarter. You know what a 72 deuce on a quarter is – old Cadillac. Come on, now."
(on getting the first road win in more than a year) "It feels good, man. I think it's a stepping stone. Right now, it's one step, and we've got five more, so we've got to keep it going."
(on what he's going to do on the long break) "We're just trying to make it. With these three days, I don't know. Play with my kids."
Texans DT Amobi Okoye
(how good the win feels even though it was an ugly game) "It feels great. Definitely makes the plane flight back a whole lot better, our first road game on the year. And I feel like there's going to be a whole lot more to come. It's like, finally, man, everything is really working the way it's supposed to work in a sense as far as getting the 'W,' as far as just everything clicking. Because the team has it. This team has it."
(on seeing the team come together despite mistakes) "Yes, and the thing, like (head coach Gary) Kubiak said, was you're going to make mistakes. Mistakes are going to happen. It's human nature. But you've just got to find ways to make more plays than mistakes, and I think that's what we did today."
(on if the win will make his Thanksgiving better) "It's going to be a real good one. It's going to be good. I hate for the turkeys to get eaten up, because we're going to enjoy it."
(on what allowed the defense to cause so many turnovers) "For one, it's us just being sound in what we're doing. And at the same time, it's that when you do your job, sometimes things just come to you. Sometimes, you hope to do your job and have them mess up. They messed up a couple of times there, and at the same time, we did what we were supposed to do to get those turnovers, so that was a combination of the two."
Texans G Chester Pitts
(on the team's last road win being more than a year ago) "That's a long time ago. That's over a year. That's really not that good, so... Well, can't talk about it any more. It's over now."
(on DE Mario Williams' hit on RB Jamal Lewis) "Oh, yeah. I mean, 31, Jamal Lewis, he's all business. He's a big, strong man, and to see Mario come in there and wrap him up and throw him to the ground, I'm like, 'Wow, whoa.' I said, 'Alright, big weight room guy, huh?' So, yeah. We gave him a lot of crap about it, but you know what, 'Do it on the next play, too.' That's what we all said to him."
(on the first Monday Night game in team history next week) "First time. I'm pretty excited. It might be as electric as it was that opening Sunday night game against the Cowboys. We'll see. I'm excited. I definitely know the fans are going to be excited. It's the first time. Kind of like a brand new car. You get real excited about it. So we'll see."
(on not ever being able to think that the season's over) "Well, we don't. We don't think that. I mean, granted, we'd have loved to win more games early, but we've still got five games left. I mean, if we win out, we still have a chance to have our best record ever. You know, what I always go back to is I was bagging groceries eight years ago. So no matter what's going on right now, I'm going to find a way to be positive, stay positive, because no matter what, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. No matter what."
(on how disappointing it will be if RB Ahman Green has to miss any games because of his knee injury) "I mean, somebody's going to have to step up. In this business, that's the way it is. Guys go down, guys get injured. It's football. I mean, the good teams and the great teams are the ones where the next player steps in and you don't miss a beat. And that's what we want from Ryan (Moats). That's what we expect from him."
(on what they would do to remain successful in the running game with RB Steve Slaton if RB Ahman Green is out) "Whatever it takes to get it done. Whatever we've got to do to get it done. He's (Slaton) a small guy, but he really is just going to pop through there every now and then. We've just got to get him to make better moves on the safeties. Yeah, you tell him I said that."
Texans CB Jacques Reeves
(on what his interception at the end of the game means to him) "It means we got a chance to get off the field. Kind of guaranteed the win for us. I guess it was a big deal. That's it; guaranteed a win for us.
(on the defense getting criticized but playing well today) "We had to get the win, man. We've been preaching it all week. We wanted to come out and play hard, play fast, play with a little intensity – a little more intensity, rather – and I think we did that today. We got five turnovers, and we also preached that all week. That was huge for us."
Texans CB Dunta Robinson
(on why they waited so long this season to have an aggressive game plan on defense) "I don't know, man. I don't know. We just did what we had to do today. We got the job done. Maybe they felt a little better about the situation they were in, and we were able to just be aggressive. On the ends, we played a lot of man today and we were able to go after the quarterback, so when you're able to do that, it's always a great thing."
(on if he would like for them to continue this style of play) "Oh, no doubt about it. If this style's going to win for us, this is what we need to do. And I know personally, myself, and on the other side, we don't mind being locked up with receivers man-to-man all game because it says a lot about your guys on the outside. If we can keep playing this way and if we can keep doing these things, if we can lock us (the cornerbacks) up and go get the quarterback, then let's keep doing it."
(on if he was surprised about the way they played with all the blitzing) "No, I wasn't surprised. This is actually the kind of football that I'm used to. This is the Texans football that I'm used to. Before I went down, this is the kind of ball that we were playing, where the corners were up in the receiver's face and we were trying to beat them up as much as we could. This is the style of football that I think we're best at and we do a better job at, and we got the job done today."
(on what he thought of the way DE Mario Williams "posterized" RB Jamal Lewis) "(Laughs) It was beautiful. You know, I haven't seen Jamal Lewis hit like that ever, even since he was at (the University of) Tennessee. Even playing high school football in Atlanta, Ga., I've never seen him hit that way, so that was wonderful. Most of the times, he's a bully. That time, he got bullied."
(on the Texans' first road win in more than a year) "That's amazing. And it just shows that if we can play the rest of these games on the road – I think we only have one or two (more) road games – if we can play this way on the road, if we can play the way on the road that we do at home, we can pull out these next five football games. With that being said, it's still a tough road. We've still got to battle. Got Jacksonville coming in on Monday night and so we've got to make sure we have a good week of practice, and let's go do it over again."
Texans QB Sage Rosenfels
(on the team's performance) "The whole team, we played a team-game today. I think our defense played really great. They've struggled a little bit with getting some turnovers and they got a lot of them today. Our offense did a lot of really good things. We threw the ball effectively. We ran the ball pretty good. We got a lot of third-and-shorts that we made with running the ball. I made two mistakes. I wish I could have them back, but thankfully our defense bailed us out. But, for the most part, we did a lot of really good things on offense."
(on losing RB Ahman Green for two weeks) "He's done a great job for us. Ahman does a lot of things that people don't really realize, stuff that doesn't end up necessarily in the stats department. He's so good on third downs with protections. And you start playing teams that are 3-4 teams like this or Pittsburgh or Baltimore, he's got so much experience with protections and he did a great job with that and helping the offensive line or picking up big linebackers or defensive ends in a 3-4 defense. So, that's the stuff that hurts. And he's great in short yardage; he's done a great job for us getting key first downs on third-and-1s and third-and-2s."
(on what it felt like to see the opposing team's fans deflated at the end of the game) "It was a feeling we haven't had in a while and it's a great feeling that came, especially at an away stadium. I think you guys know it's like eight in a row that we've lost on the road, going back to last year. So, it was a huge, huge win for us. These are two teams that had really high hopes for the season, and we both have struggled this season. We knew that it was going to be a battle out there and our defense played great and our offense did a very good job. I got sacked one time I think and that wasn't an offensive-line thing; it was a running-back thing. It was just a really big win for us."
(on managing Browns DT Shaun Rogers) "Chris Myers had his hands full today. I think (Browns DT) Shaun (Rogers) probably puts 100 pounds on him and Chris did a really good job of getting some movement and Chester (Pitts) and Mike Brisiel, the two guards, they did a pretty good job for the most part of containing him. He gets some up-the-field pressure every once in awhile, but they really did a good job of keeping it clean. And Shaun's a phenomenal player. He definitely should be in the Pro Bowl; it's a no-brainer there. But offense did a great job of containing him and getting movement on big plays and getting first downs."
(on how important the win was the for team's psyche) "When you lose three in a row amd to have a team come back in a tough atmosphere - Cleveland's a tough place to play and the conditions aren't great out there, it's a team that came off a huge Monday Night win last week – for us to come in here and get a win like this, I think shows a lot about our players, it shows a lot about our coaches and what we are trying to get done. I think it shows a lot about coach Kubiak and how we are going to fight for him until the end. Hopefully, the end is in 25 years, but we are going to keep fighting for him and for each other."
(on playing the Monday Night game) "Being in Miami and Washington, I've probably played in about eight to 10 of them. I'm not really sure, and it's different out there. It's a lot of fun. Everyone plays their best game of the year for the most part. It's the most intensity; guys want to make plays so badly in those games. They are going to be hard, too. Jacksonville, they are kind of like us in a way in that they haven't had the season that they've wanted. But we know how good they are, and they know that we are very capable, too. We usually play them in very tight ballgames like we did earlier this year."
(on returning to Reliant Stadium for the Monday Night game) "Yeah, it's going to be nice going back home and I think this win will probably help get our fans a little more rejuvenated after a couple of tough losses - I'm sure after that Baltimore loss. I think our fans will be rocked and ready to go. I think that it's going to be a great experience for them, for our fans to have that experience. They've been waiting a long time for it; they deserve it. It's a great place to play, at Reliant, and I'm excited to get that place rocking and rolling. And I think it can be a playoff atmosphere. Monday Night football is as close to a playoff atmosphere that you are going to get during the regular season."
Texans LB DeMeco Ryans
(on what it could mean if the play well on next Monday night) "If you play great on Monday night, everybody's watching, so everybody's going to see you and see what you're doing on Monday night. People don't forget how you perform on Monday night."
(on if a good performance on Monday night can do a lot to turn people's perceptions of the team around) "Yeah, I think it can, because a lot of people really don't know who we are, don't know the type of players that we have here. So for us, it's just a showcase for us to go out and show people what the Houston Texans are all about."
(on what he would tell people the Houston Texans are about) "I wouldn't tell them. We've got to go show them. We've got to go show them that we can play the type of defense that we played today, aggressive defense and make plays and get turnovers, an offense that's going to move the ball up and down the field all day and special teams that can hit a big play. That's what you should expect when you see the Houston Texans."
(on Cleveland's offense going three-and-out to start the second half) "Right. We harped on that so much. That was our main focus, and we know we've been struggling going back out at halftime, and there was a big emphasis put on going back out in the second half and making things happen where we can get off the field as quick as we can."
(on if that provided a spark to the defense) "Oh, yeah. I think that sparked us to finish the game. We finally went out there and we actually did what we said we were going to do, go out there and stop them (when) we went back out there to start the second half. And I think that just ignited everybody to think that, 'Hey, we can go out here,' and that 'We need to finish this game now.'"
(on winning on the road) "A road win, it's big. It's the first road win of the year, and to be worth anything in the NFL, you have to win on the road. And that's something we haven't been doing, so it's good for our team to finally get that road win. Wish it would've came a lot quicker, but we got it, and hopefully it just sparkplugs us into getting more wins."
(on DE Mario Williams' big hit on RB Jamal Lewis) "Mario, he played big for us. That's what we expect out of Mario, to be in the backfield, making big plays like that. That's the type of player that he is, and I just know he'll continue to do that for us, so it didn't surprise me at all."
(on RB Jamal Lewis not being a small running back) "Mario's a lot bigger than him, though. Mario's a big guy himself, so if anybody could've done it, Mario was the guy to do it."
(on if that hit ignited the team) "We were ignited when we first came out of the gate. That was the big difference in our team today. We had emotions (that) were flying high, and as a defense, our intensity level was high, the way it should be every game. And just to sit there and watch our offense work the way they work, watch them move the ball up and down the field and we just sit back and we're just cheering them on, when we can do that, we can win games."
(on the offense scoring on the opening drive) "That was big. That started our game off right for our offense to go down there and put points on the board. And they've been doing it in a lot of games, but as a defense, we had to counter back with a stop and today, we came back and we stopped them and got our offense back on the field, so it was good."
(on if they blitzed more in this game) "We did. We brought a lot more blitzing, and we did play a lot of man coverage."
(on how the defense feels after a game like this) "That's what we go out to do every week is to shut people out. We'd love to see zero on the board, but to hold them to field goals, that's big for our defense. And for us to make the big play and get the big turnovers for our offense and for our team, it was huge. We finally put it all together today as a defense and played well."
(on how much this game means for the defense) "It means a lot. We'd been struggling a little bit lately, and for us to finally come back and hold these guys to six points, that was big for us. We'd been giving up way too many points, way too many big plays, but today, we overcame the obstacles and we made the big plays. We made the big turnovers to help our team win the game."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on if he's proud with the way the defense hung in there in the fourth quarter) "Most definitely. It started to get a little crazy with some penalties in there, but we fought through and we still stopped them from scoring."
(on winning the turnover battle) "That's definitely what we need. We had been on a drought in turnovers. We hadn't been winning the turnover battle. And that with that first win (on the road), that really helps us out. It helps the offense out to give them a short field and things like that. The turnovers there were huge for us."
(on finally getting a win on the road) "It feels great. It was one of those things – we had been chopping wood, chopping wood and were coming close but weren't fortunate to get it. But today we got it, so we've got to just keep going with it."
(what does it mean for the entire defense to get the game ball) "It means a lot because we have been coming out lately and we've had some mishaps, losing a little bit of focus, especially in the second half. We came out there today and we sealed the deal. We stopped them from scoring. There are plenty of times when we could, but somehow, someway we found a way to get it done and get the ball out and stop them from scoring."
(on not giving up a touchdown) "It means a lot. Like I said, especially when there were times when they were in the red zone and we had some drives that were pretty much off of penalties, they pinned us back but we found a way to get the ball and we had turnovers. We stopped them and made them kick field goals, and they missed that one field goal. It was big for us."
(on winning a road game) "I mean, we definitely needed a win regardless. But to come in here and win in this environment in the cold – we haven't played in the cold in a long time, it was cold - but for us to come in here in this environment and still come out a do what we did, we phenomenal."
(on getting a road win) "It's just a great win I just think. And I think we have to go with it and continue with it and stop making mistakes in the second half. We made mistakes this game, but we still found a way and that's what we've got to do. We've got to find a way to play mistake-free football and get the ball and get turnovers. If we get turnovers, we have a chance to win."
(on playing on Monday Night Football next week) "It's big, man. Last year, we played on Thursday night and it was the biggest game of my life. You know, just to be out there under the lights in a prime-time game on Thursday night and now it's Monday night, so hopefully, we'll go out there and we'll do the same thing."
(on throwing down Brown RB Jamal Lewis like a rag doll) "Really, I did it. It was just one of those adrenalin rush things. I just went out there and whatever happens, happens. Everybody else was talking about it, but I was just trying to make a play."
(on how he made the play happen) "From coming out of the locker room at halftime, I told (defensive line coach) Jethro (Franklin) that they were doing a lot of stuff to slow you down, to try to get you to read and go. I said, 'I'm just going to do in there and read.' And that's exactly what happened in the first play. That's exactly what it was. From that point on, we just all tried to set the tone and keep going with it."
(on what he was thinking during the play) "'I got you,' that was what I was thinking. 'I've got you.'"
(on if RB Jamal Lewis said anything to him after the play) "No, he didn't say anything at all. There weren't any hard feelings. It was just one of those moments; it happens."
(on Browns OT Joe Thomas not letting him get a sack) "Yeah, I've been on a drought myself, just trying to find a way. Unfortunately, they were right at my fingertips, but I'll keep fighting and it will come."
Texans T Eric Winston
(on if the Monday Night game can change the national perception of the Texans) "Absolutely. I don't think a lot of people realize what kind of yards we're putting up because we're not on a lot of national games. We're not even on a lot of 3:00 games. So I think the perception of us is we're still a little bit of a weakling. We haven't done the best job of following that talk, but I think we are a good team and I think we are a pretty talented team. I hope we go out there and show it on Monday night."
Browns head coach Romeo Crennel
(on how they played) "We didn't play very well. We were inconsistent and we could not operate on either side of the ball. Turnovers were huge in the game. When you turn the ball over five times in a game, it's hard to get things done. Brady (Quinn) tried. It was a combination of his decisions that could have been a little bit better and the injury to his finger. I decided to play the other guy (QB Derek Anderson) for a little bit to see if he could give us a spark, and that didn't work either. It is a tough and disappointing loss. We played poorly."
(on the quarterback situation) "Brady (Quinn) has not lost his job. He is still the quarterback, and we are going to go through the week and prepare him and he is going to play."
(on being 7-1 at home last year and having just one win at home this year) "Last year, we struggled on the road and were able to win at home. This year, we haven't been able to win at home. There have been some close ones, but that is not good enough."
Browns QB Derek Anderson
(on the loss) "It's frustrating. I was hoping I could come in and give a spark, but it wasn't pretty. Obviously, I wasn't in the whole game, but I expected a lot more out of myself. We have to re-group, and these guys won't quit. We have to come in tomorrow and see what we have to correct and, obviously, there are a lot of things to correct. No one wants to go out there and get rolled on like we did today for the rest of the season. Regardless of our record, we're still going to go out there and play hard for our pride and see what happens."
(on playing in the second half) "I always stay ready to play because I've done that before when I was the backup. I always prepare like I'm going to be playing and, obviously with Brady's (Quinn) injury, I stay on top of the game plan."
(on WR Braylon Edwards' drop in the end zone) "It could have been a touchdown; it should have been a touchdown. It wasn't, but that happens. I'm going to keep throwing it to him and he's going to keep making plays."
Browns OL Joe Thomas
(on the loss) "It's frustrating because we feel like we have a lot of ability. We didn't play up to that ability and had a sloppy game today. Today was a lot about mistakes, and tomorrow is going to be important for us to identify those mistakes and fix them for Indianapolis next week."
Browns DB Mike Adams
(on the loss) "It definitely was a tough one. I thought we could have come out on top, but collectively we didn't do to well on both sides of the ball. There is more that we could have done and there is more that the offense could have done. We just didn't have that team ball today. We'll look at the film tomorrow and get back at it next week."
(on moving forward) "They (Indianapolis) have a great offense with Peyton Manning at the helm. We have to have our heads even fuller than we did this week and we have to bring our 'A' game and come together collectively as a team."
(on overcoming the frustration) "There's still a lot of football left to be played. It's like a 16-round fight; you can't just stop after game five. When you're down, you have to just keep getting up and keep fighting."
Browns LB D'Qwell Jackson
(on the game) "We were aware all week that we had a 1:00 game. There is no excuse for that. We came out and played flat all around the ball. We thought we had a chance to beat this team. We didn't put up enough points and we didn't stop them when we needed to. It's disappointing."
(on the effort) "We had a good week of practice, went out and got a win last week and then we came back this week and came out flat. This has been a trend for us. We made it known as a team that we need to come out fast. To come out flat again and not be able to do anything is disappointing. We have a lot of season left and we have to work on that."
(on the Texans fast start) "They quick-counted us a lot. They used a lot of motions and shifts. They threw us off a little bit, but after that first drive we started to figure out what they were doing and it slowed the game down for us. We need to perform better on third down."
Browns QB Brady Quinn
(on his broken finger) "It wasn't a factor. I was practicing with it all week. You would have to ask coach why I was pulled. He was upset with a couple of decisions I made out there. I hope the finger wasn't a factor. No matter what, I will try to play through any injury. I didn't have any idea I was on such a short leash."
(on the interceptions) "After the second interception, I was disappointed because we didn't get any points and change the momentum. I was trying to work it to one of our best receivers. Sometimes it's tough when you don't communicate or throw a pass where he can catch it. The first interception was a mis-read. They brought a blitz and it was a timing route. The second interception was man coverage and I just have to throw a better ball."
Browns LB Kamerion Wimbley
(on the defensive struggles) "There were some things that we needed to get adjusted to. We came in at halftime and played better against the run in the second half. In the first half, they were getting yards mixing it up with the run and the pass. Once we made adjustments and settled down, we played better."
(on his sack) "It felt good to get a sack. My numbers have been low in that area this year and I have been working to get to the quarterback. To go out and get one in this game means something to me. I wanted the win though. That is more important."
