Head coach Gary Kubiak spoke with the media following the Texans' game against the Colts.
Members of the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts spoke to the media after the Texans' narrow 30-24 defeat on Sunday, Sept. 23 at Reliant Stadium.
Houston Texans
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
(on the Texans' injuries) "I'm going to be pretty vague here. (RB) Ahman (Green) has a knee sprain, or a knee strain. He'll be evaluated and have an MRI this afternoon. (DT) Cedric Killings, when he was on the field, he was moving everything, he was talking to me, he called out to his teammates a couple times. He has a big cut under his right eye. He was in a big collision. That's about all I know right now. He's at Methodist (Hospital). We'll put him through a series of tests tonight. All indications appear to be real positive. We'll see how that comes out. (WR) Andre' Davis dislocated a finger. (WR) Jacoby Jones has an AC separation. He'll be evaluated in the next couple of days. I can tell he'll miss some time. (C) Steve McKinney has a knee sprain. It was thought to be pretty serious initially, but he actually did go back in the game, so that's a positive sign. We've got some guys beat up and I don't have a lot of answers for you. I'm sorry. We should have more for you tomorrow as we work through these guys tonight."
(on how the team played through the injuries) "I just told our team that we played hard. We drew some tough times there in the first half and we had to figure out personnel-wise what we had to play the game with. I thought we settled down, but then we turned the ball over, and if you turn the ball over against this group, you're in trouble. I thought our defense kept us in the football game. They did everything they could. Special teams made big plays to give us a chance. We just never got in a rhythm of running the ball. I couldn't get us in that rhythm, and that starts with me calling the plays. You've got to run the ball against this group and when you don't do that successfully you're going to struggle. I've got to do a better job for our guys. There wasn't a lack of effort. It was a tremendous effort on everybody's part, and we paid the price for it. We're pretty beat up. We've got to fix it and we've got to let it go and get ready to go play next week."
(on the game plan after RB Ahman Green was injured) "I don't know if it changes your game plan, but you're down a heck of a player. So from that point on (RB) Samkon (Gado) is your guy and (FB Jameel) Cook is his backup. So it takes you out of some personnel that you want to run in the game. Then we had the receiver issue also with (WR) Jacoby (Jones). All of sudden now you've got three wide receivers and three backs that you're trying to finish the game with, so we tried to do it more with (TE) Jeb (Putzier) on the field. That's why you have to be able to adjust personnel, and your players are able to adjust, and I thought for the most part we did a good job in finding a way, finding personnel there we could just keep everybody on the field and move the ball late in the game. That's part of the NFL. When something happens you have to find a way, that day."
(on the play call that resulted in an interception in the redzone) "We were trying to run a pump seam. We were trying to set everybody down with a little pump to the left and more verticals. That's a play that we've run on them a couple times with some success. The right linebacker did a heck of a job. He got back. If (QB) Matt (Schaub) sees that guy covered he should dump it down to (WR) Jerome (Mathis). So in hindsight you'd like to see him go to number three. On the spur of the moment there, we made a big play, we're fixing to get right back in the ball game. We probably got a little greedy. That's what we were doing right there. But he knows he can't turn the ball over for us to have a chance to win this game."
(on how much credit is owed to the Indianapolis run defense) "I give them a lot of credit. They played us in an eight-man box. They did not play us in Tampa 2 until they got up by 14. They were going to be physical and make us play that way, and we knew that. It doesn't mean we can't run the ball versus an eight-man box, which obviously we didn't do it. I feel like it's me. We didn't get in a rhythm. We return a kick and then we weren't on the field on offense until there was six minutes left in the first quarter before we ever stepped on the football field. And that's a nice problem to have. But you have to still go attack the way you wanted to attack as if you're stepping on the field after the opening kick off. I don't know that we necessarily did that."
(on missing the big-play ability of WR Andre Johnson) "This team's not going to give you many big plays the way they play. They're going to play three deep and make you dunk. I think our receivers played well. Those young kids played well. (WR) Andre' Davis makes a huge play, (WR) Kevin (Walter), (DT) Amobi (Okoye), (WR) Jerome (Mathis) goes in there and makes some plays. I thought they would because they practiced well. I don't think the big play was the key. The key was staying in the football game and being able to run the ball. When you get down by 14, or by 17, to these guys, you're in trouble. Their pass rush will not allow you sit back there and hold the ball and try to create some route 40 yards down the field. You're going to be in trouble."
(on if he saw DT Cedric Killings move his legs on the field following the injury) "He was moving everything when we were on the field. Initially he made a couple of comments that he couldn't feel down low. As he laid there and talked to us, he did move everything. He talked to me. His teammates called out to him from a distance, and they don't know it but he was respondent to them. As I said, he has a tremendous, a big cut under his right eye. I know it's just a big collision. It's a scary part of football. Cedric is a great kid and we're just going to cross our fingers and say some prayers and hope that everything is going to be alright."
(on the play of Colts QB Peyton Manning and who he compares to) "I don't know that you can compare him to anybody. I think he's in a league of his own right now. He's got a master of an offense in a game that he's been in for a long, long time. The things he gets done, and to get them done in our stadium when that's as loud as I've heard Reliant Stadium, I'll be honest with you. The fans were great and he was still functioning. He was getting his hand signals and everything he could possibly get done. The amazing thing about him, and I'm going to give him a big compliment here, his guy is used to having huge numbers when he throws and completes passes and has big days. But the thing to me that makes this guy so great is when he shows up and if they have to run the ball and throw 25 times to win, he has no problem with that. That's a tremendous compliment to Peyton Manning and what they do."
(on the play selection at the end of the first half) "There was no package there that caused me to do that. We came out, we threw a screen, we hit (TE) Owen Daniels, we had second and two with about a minute and 25 left, we had two timeouts, we had plenty of time, so we were going to run the ball there and get a first down and stay on the ball and get a free set of downs. And all of a sudden we get stuffed on second and two and we're staring at third down with a minute 10 left, and they've got three timeouts. I felt like we had time to move the ball and I did not want to give them the football back with three timeouts and a minute left, if we don't make that third down. In hindsight, would I probably do it different, maybe. But at the time I felt like I was doing the right thing to make sure we were the last team on the field in the first half. I felt like we had time to function with our offense."
(on the decision for the onside kick) "That question you have right there, do you onside kick it or do you kick it deep. The first thing that comes to mind is you're playing a great offense, so do you onside kick it. The next thing, you've got two time outs, your defense is playing well, you're at home, the crowd is in great shape, so you have to make that decision. I like the decision we made. We had them and they have a penalty and we've got them at first and 15 with two timeouts. Boy you feel good about getting the ball back. But to their credit, on second-and-nine, they let the kid go throw the ball and him and (WR) Marvin (Harrison) hook up and not many teams would have the you-know-what to make that call right there. But that team is going to make it and that's why they're the world champs that make you play. But I felt like our situation was good and I thought we would get the ball back."
(on what he can take away from this game) "I'm proud of their effort. But the thing that's changed around here is that we won't take any moral victories. We're here to win. And we're here to play hard and we expect good results. So I'm proud of those guys and they know that. But that's not what we're after. We're trying to turn this whole program around and be a winner week in and week out."
Texans S Michael Boulware
(on how they can progress from this game) "We really have to get better. We showed that we improved in some areas. But when we don't win, it's not a good thing. There is a lot of room for improvement. We still have to press forward and that's the goal."
Texans CB Demarcus Faggins
(on the game) "It's a close-but-no-cigar kind of thing. It's just unfortunate because we went out there and played our heart out with what we had. We just got to make the plays that they don't make. I take our hats out to them. We just kept scrapping trying to get the win."
(on the Colts' success on converting third downs) "It was very frustrating. They got some great players over there and they make the plays that need to be made."
(on the team's mentality on the close game) "Just coming out the whole week after the win last week, we were ready to play the Colts and we were excited to play them and we were thinking of a win and that's all we can think about. We went out and played hard, but we didn't come up with the win."
(on not making enough plays) "Playing a team like the Colts, we have to make plays. You know they are going to keep pulling. They got a good team over there. They made the big plays and we didn't make that many to pull off the win."
(on the difficulty of covering WRs Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison) "That's part of the game. You know what you're facing; you're scouting them all week. But they keep doing things they do best. They work well together, so you just have to stay focused and just play."
Texans S Von Hutchins
(on the game) "I think we just shot ourselves in the foot earlier got behind the eight ball. But we kept fighting and sticking to our guns. They made a couple of plays; you have to give them credit. They are world champs they put us in some tough positions, but we have to keep fighting."
(on almost intercepting the ball) "Almost is not good enough in this league. Regardless of the situations, we've got to make plays."
Texans DT Travis Johnson
(on the injury to Texans DT Cedric Killings) "When you're really close with somebody, it's a tougher situation. All you can do is just pray for him, and hope he's going to be alright."
(on the Texans being close at the end of the game) "We're going to fight, that's us. We're going to fight, we're going to keep fighting, and we're going to try to be the best we can be. Right now, hats off to the Colts, they did a great job, but we're just going to keep fighting, and we're going to get ready for the Falcons this week."
(on how he thinks the Texans' defense performed) "It's hard to say, really, until we look at the film. We're just going to keep working and work, work, work to get ready for the Falcons."
(on the Texans' play during the game) "We came out a little slow, as far as the defense is concerned, but once we got into our rhythm we started doing a little bit better."
(on the fact that the team believes it's not alright to lose) "No, it's not alright, and it's different, because I've been around when we were 2-14, really we were 2-17 if you count the preseason games. It's just a whole different feeling. Everybody's out here fighting. It just feels different."
Texans WR Jacoby Jones
(on how he got injured) "On that punt return, the kicker fell on top of me and drove my shoulder into the ground, and they said it's separated."
(on how he felt after getting injured) "I didn't want to go out at first. I thought I just bruised it up, but I couldn't lift my arm."
(on what the diagnosis is for his shoulder) "It's separated, to a degree two. They say that I'm going to really find out about it on my MRI. I had some x-rays, and we'll find out."
(on how frustrating his injury was to him) "Real frustrating for anybody, but I call it flukey, for something like that to happen, but it's frustrating for anybody."
(on today's game) "We were trying to get into a rhythm, but unfortunately we were dropping like flies out there."
Texans DE N.D. Kalu
(on the injury of DT Cedric Killings) "Well, they said that he can move all his limbs and that's what we are thankful for. Other than that we don't know anything, but we just prayed that the worst didn't happen. Right now, they said that he can move and that is all we hoped for."
(on how the game went back and forth and the Texans still had a chance at the end) "They are the world champs and a great team and we really felt like we can beat them. That's why we never give up and allow the game to look ugly with them winning by two touchdowns. I give hats off to them for coming on the road and beat a new and improved team like ourselves. But right now we are just getting ready for Atlanta."
(on the impact injuries played) "There are no excuses, but we lost four guys today and we lost some guys last week. We lost some valuable guys today; our starting center, running back, and starting receiver who was in place of another starting receiver. But that's football--- the nature of the beast. We just got to keep riding.
Texans WR Jerome Mathis
(on his kickoff-return touchdown) "When we got the first one, I didn't even know it was going to be a re-kick, so I knew I had to make something happen. The guys in front of me did a tremendous job blocking it, getting me up to the kicker, and once I get to the kicker, it's, 'Who's going to be faster?'"
(on how he felt getting playing time at the wide receiver position) "It was fun, but at the same time, we lost the game, so it wasn't too much fun. Just being out there, and being involved in (those) phases of the game, special teams and offense, it was a learning experience."
(on whether he believes his kickoff return touchdown means that he has returned to his top form) "Not necessarily. I don't want to jinx myself or anything. I'm just here. I come into work every day prepared, and execute whatever (special teams coordinator) Joe (Marciano) calls."
(on the significance of receiving the game ball) "It feels good, but at the same time it's overshadowed by a loss. I can't sit back and reflect on it too much. We have to come in tomorrow at 11:00 and fix the mistakes that we made and get ready for Atlanta."
Texans C Steve McKinney
(on finding a rhythm on offense) "Well, it was tough period, because we just didn't ever really get into an offensive rhythm running the football. Just because of the way the game was going, we ended up throwing the ball a lot and the times we did try to run a little bit, it was kind of hit or miss. Sometimes it was working, sometimes we weren't gaining any yards, so we just weren't really able to continue to pound it on them and stuff."
(on if he got the feeling they were playing strictly for the pass in the second half) "It's hard to say. When you get down in the position we are, I think any team's going to play you more towards the pass, because you've got to throw the ball to get back in it. But that's the kind of situations that Indianapolis thrives on. That's where they want to get you is where you're down two touchdowns and running out of time and you've got to throw the ball and they've got to tee off on you. And that's exactly what they want to do and so we kind of played right into their hands."
(on if the injuries were little frustrating) "I mean it was, you know. It was just one of those days. Had guys getting banged up and getting hurt but still trying to battle through it, and I guess that's not always the best thing to do or the smartest thing to do but you do it anyways because that's the way you've been trained."
(on if he's nuts for going back in the game) "I think I am nuts, looking back on it. It probably wasn't the smartest thing I should've been doing but it's just that football player mentality. If you feel like you can go at all, you want to be out there for your team and certainly in that game I wanted to be out there and obviously looking back on it, it probably wasn't very smart."
(on if he saw DT Cedric Killings go down) "I did, I saw the hit. It was quite a vicious hit. It looked pretty serious. At first I thought he was just unconscious, the way it happened, so I don't know. Hopefully he's alright. I heard he had movement in all his extremities so that was very positive."
(on what was going through his mind watching DT Cedric Killings lay on the field) "It was just one of those deals. After the thing with (Buffalo Bills TE) Kevin Everett just happening and now one of your teammates is on the ground not moving, you just pray for him and say this is just a game, it's not worth spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair over, and you just pray that he's going to have a speedy recovery and bounce back. We were just all just sitting there just waiting to see some movement, out of his hands, his legs – we just wanted to see him move something."
(on what it says about the team to still have a chance at the end) "That's just the difference in the mentality of this team. In the past, we're down 13 points in the fourth quarter, odds of us coming back are slim-to-none, and yet today we fought and clawed our way back into it to where it was still a ballgame there at the end. Had we gotten a stop there and maybe gotten the ball back with a little bit of time, I mean who knows what could have happened. Any time you play the World Champs, and they're still a great football team obviously, you've got to be able to match them score for score. And we didn't quite do that today, and they outplayed us. You've got to give them credit."
(on how losing is not OK any more) "No, it's not. There's no moral victories. I mean obviously, we came out ready to beat these guys today and wanted to win, expecting to win, and when you don't accomplish the job, it's a loss. A loss is a loss, there's no moral victories in the win column."
(on the extent of his injury) "I don't know yet. I have to go get an MRI. We don't know."
(on if he's worried about his injury) "I'm pretty worried. I hadn't ever had anything like this, so obviously I'm concerned about it. I don't want anything to prevent me from being out there on the field, so I'm praying that this is not going to be something that does that."
Texans DT Amobi Okoye
(on if he saw anything different from the World Champion Colts) "As far as like, so far the three teams we've played before, the seven teams including them, yeah I saw a couple of things different, but nothing I haven't seen in my life."
(on if he feels they fought until the end and the Colts aren't a much better team) "As a player, I feel like you should never feel somebody's better than you. That's when they actually become better than you. I don't think anybody's superior to me, so that's why when I go out there, I compete and play against everybody like it's nobody. That's the mindset you have to have. You can't become scared to go against somebody. He's just a human being."
(on losing in the NFL for the first time) "Oh yeah, this is the NFL right now. This is not back at Louisville where we're whopping up on people."
Texans TE Jeb Putzier
(on the injury to DT Cedric Killings) "You know, he's a tough guy, too, and it's hard to see someone like that go down. But that's part of his job, so unfortunately, that's the way it goes."
(on what being in the game at the end says about this team) "We've got a tough team. We've got a lot of guys who are not going to give up, obviously. We're just going to keep working. We've got to keep plugging with the guys that we have in there and I think that's where this team's at. We've got the personnel here now that we can do that. One guy goes down, the next guy's ready to step in. And we've lost a lot of our key players on offense and so next week's going to be tough for us, but we have the right guys to go out and do that."
Texans CB Dunta Robinson
(on the injury of DT Cedric Killings) "It was scary. Anytime something happens like this not only to your teammate, but anybody in this league, it put things in perspective. Next thing you know it could happen to you. So it really was a scary moment. My prayers go out to Cedric and his family I hope it's not bad."
(on the injuries on the team overall) "You know, guys are going to get hurt. You hate the number of guys that are getting hurt week in and week out, but that's something that goes with the territory. When a guy goes down, that doesn't mean we are going to lose the football game. That's not how we look at it. We look at it as an opportunity for us to go out and get the win. We do have some critical injuries, but what that means that for guys that are playing have to step up and give a little extra. We just got to keep fighting. Injuries are a part of this game, you just got to plug in the next guy and keep moving."
(on being down by 13 and fighting back) "It's a new team and there is no quit in us. In the past they would've gotten out of hand, but now we expect to win football games no matter who the team, no matter who's injured. We expect to win, and guys just kept playing. We were put in tough situations and we made plays and we put those guys in tough situations and they made plays. It's just part of this building process that we are trying to do to become a great team."
Texans LB DeMeco Ryans
(on the game plan against QB Peyton Manning) "I think we had a solid game plan mixed with a little bit of everything in there. I tried to get him off key, but he's a great player with a great offense. We were right there, but with the turnovers, that really made the difference in the ball game."
(on the close calls from turning the game around) "We were almost there, but almost isn't good enough. We just have to turn it up and finish it."
(on holding the Colts' offense to field goals in the second half) "That's what we want to do --- hold them to field goals and give our offense to go out there to score. We just didn't get them off the field after third down and that's another key other than causing turnovers. We just didn't get those things done and we just got to get better as a defense no matter who we are playing if get them off the field after third down and create turnovers the Texans will win."
Texans T Ephraim Salaam
(on the team's performance) "We just got to clean up some things. It was out there for us. I don't want to take anything away from them because they have a heck of an offense, defense and special teams. We just have to really go back to work. It's disappointing, you know? The thing I love about this team now is that this loss is disappointing with the mood and intensity that we had after the game. It's not ok any more. As long as everybody's feeling like that then we'll be ok. That's the thing I'm excited about and that's what I can take from this game on the positive note is that it hurts. You got guys out there going down. My prayers go out the family of the guys whom got hurt. And the guys are just stepping up over and over and making plays and doing something that we all can be proud of. And I love being a part of that."
(on the injury of DT Cedric Killings) "I don't know what the prognosis is, but my prayers go out to his family. This is a rough business. Every week we see something terrible happen. It's just the business that we are in. I hope he is alright, I really do, and I hope his family is doing ok."
Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on how much it hurt to lose RB Ahman Green) "Well, it's tough. We lost some guys today. Some guys got nicked up. (RB) Samkon (Gado) and (FB) Jameel Cook stepped in and they were able to help us out in the pass game, as well as in the run game. It was unfortunate that he wasn't able to go, but we had to rally together and move the ball."
(on how the Colts were playing in the second half) "Once they got a lead, they got a lead, they started to play for the pass and play their two-deep zone. We had to take what they gave us and try to move the ball that way."
(on what happened to him on the last drive) "There was a play there where the dirt and some of the grass got kicked in my face. So, I had to get it out of my eyes and my mouth and get in there and call the play and see what was going on. I got enough of it out of my eyes and mouth to call the play and to be able to execute the fourth down. There was enough time where I could get a majority of it out of my face."
(on getting hit in the second half) "I didn't get hit too much in the past. There were a lot of spot duties. I didn't get hit a lot the past three years. There were some guys coming after I got rid of the ball, but it's a part of the game."
(on what makes the Colts a great defense) "They're very fast. They're physical, but they're a fast team. One minute they're in one spot, and the next, they are on the other side of the field. They're definitely a fast-slow defense and they can hit."
(on how close the Texans are to the Colts) "We're very close. We're right there. If you look at it, we're right there—two minutes left in the game and our defense is making a stand and we're down six points. So, we're right there. We hurt ourselves with a couple of turnovers, and a bad decision on my part down in the redzone, but we're right there with them. We stood toe-to-toe and took our shots and our guys battled all day long."
(on his interception) "We were trying to move coverage one way and come back and hit the other side. I came back and pulled the trigger and the linebacker happened to drop underneath the pattern. I should have noticed him doing that and gotten to my third receiver. Unfortunately, I made the wrong decision and we paid for it."
(on not getting into a rhythm and missing key players) "You hate to point to not having those two guys (RB Ahman Green and WR Andre Johnson) as something that keeps you out of rhythm—not being able to start something early in the game. We didn't get the ball until six minutes left in the first quarter after the kick return and then they went down on an eight minute drive. So, we were ready to get out there and we had to wait. It was tough, but then we just had to look at the next play and start to make first downs and put a drive together."
(on what he learned from his teammates today) "We definitely learned a lot about our team. We have guys that got hurt and we look for the next guy to come in and make plays and they step up and do so. So, we have confidence in what our guys can do. For (FB) Jameel (Cook) to step up and play the tailback position and fullback position and to be in there on third downs and catching passes. That's extremely exciting for (WR) Jerome (Mathis) and (WR) Andre' Davis to step up in the pass game and make some plays. That helps out tremendously."
(on if he was surprised that C Steve McKinney came back to the game) "No, I wasn't surprised that he came back in. He's a tough guy. He can take some licks and he'll get back out there and fight."
(on if this is the type of loss he feels sick after) "Well, you feel sick after any time you lose. You don't like to have that feeling in the pit of your stomach knowing that you're that close to winning the game and it slips away from you. We'll think about it overnight here, and then come in tomorrow and look at it and learn from it. Then, we have to look at next week. That's one piece of the puzzle. Just like the first two games we won, this is one that we lost—it's just 1/16 of the season. We have to turn around and look at Atlanta for this week."
(on the feeling on the sidelines with DT Cedric Killings down for so long) "We're a team and anytime we have one of our players lying out there, we feel for them. The guys were distraught about that, but we hung together. We decided to come back out and go to the next play and put that behind us and keep going."
(on what he learned about himself) "I learned about myself what we learned as a team, and that is that we're willing to fight, no matter what. We're just going to go to that next play and try to put points on the board."
(on going back to Atlanta for next week's game) "It's going to be extra special knowing a lot of the guys there. But again, it's one part of the season. It's one game and we just have to focus on what it's going to take to win that ball game."
(on how hard it is to have no running game today) "In any game, you want to establish the run. You look at the history of this league and the team that is able to establish and maintain the run throughout the game is usually going to win. For whatever reason, we weren't able to do that today."
(on the Colts' run defense) "Like I said, they are a fast-slow defense. Their linebackers are running and their defensive line is very active, so they move around a lot. They do a lot of stunts that can inhibit our running ability, as well as their safeties coming out of the box. (S) Bob Sanders is a heck of a player."
(on the game changing in the redzone) "The thing about the redzone at this level is that everything happens faster. The windows are much tighter and things happen a lot quicker. There is not as much area for the defense to defend, so you have to really have a feel for where they are going to be and anticipate things."
(on S Bob Sanders affecting the game) "He can definitely affect it, because they are going to bring him down in the box. Even when they play their Cover 2, he's very quick to react to plays. He sees them develop from back there and he can react to driving the football."
(on if he was surprised with the Colts having eight players in the box) "No, we weren't surprised at that. We knew they were probably going to come out with eight in the box to stop the run game and force us to throw the ball. We knew they were probably going to come out in that style, and once they got a lead that's when started going back to their Tampa 2."
Texans WR Kevin Walter
(on several guys stepping up and making plays) "Yeah, we had a lot of guys. (WR) Jacoby (Jones) went down and we had (WR) Andre' (Davis). (WR) André (Davis) went in, (WR) Jerome (Mathis) went in, we all had a few catches and just gotta continue to do that. It's going to be the same way this week and obviously it's disappointing that we lost today, but we're going to correct the mistakes tomorrow and continue to move on, and I think we're going to do a great job against Atlanta, so it'll be fun."
(on positive signs of the team's depth without WR Andre Johnson) "Right, I think so. I hope so. From day one, everyone was questioning if we've got playmakers at the receiver position – we have (WR) Andre (Johnson), but who else can step up? I think we all can play and that showed today, guys making plays when called upon. That's what we need to do. We need to continue to do that. Everyone works real hard during the week and prepares real hard and the coaches get us in the best possible game plan they do, and we've got to work hard. We've got receivers that can make plays."
(on if he saw the hit on DT Cedric Killings) "I sure did, yeah. I saw the guy coming and I was like, 'Ooh, it's going to be a big one; it's going to be a big, big hit.' And, man, I saw him fall, and he was kind of laying there motionless and I was kind of like you pray that nothing really drastically happened, but I'm not sure what his status is. I'm sure he'll be OK, though, but obviously with (Buffalo Bills TE) Kevin Everett, what just happened a few weeks ago, that kind of is in your head a little bit but you pray that nothing like that ever happens to Cedric."
(on if it's difficult to keep form forcing things when coming from behind) "No, we wanted to get back into it, because we know what their offense is all about. We know what their defense is all about. Everyone knows that (QB) Peyton (Manning) is a great quarterback and their offense is good. We just needed to, every time that we got the ball we needed to score points. Not field goals, but touchdowns. That's what we wanted to do and there's a few times we went out there and we just need to execute a little better. But we'll be fine. Everyone's working real hard and we know we were a touchdown away from winning this game, with two turnovers. We've just got to eliminate those turnovers, and we'll be just fine."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on today's game) "In a game like this, we've got to have turnovers, and we didn't get that. It's very hard to beat a team like that, without having those turnovers and without getting the ball back. It's a great team obviously, (they are) the defending champions. We've just got to get a little bit better, and get those turnovers."
(on the defensive mindset against the Colts) "We try to do some different things, but obviously we've got to do a little more. They're a great team, hats off to them, but like I said, we've just got to get turnovers."
(on how the injuries affected the team) "We're not going to give up because somebody goes down. We're just going to play harder. If we lose somebody, every player we have is a very special player; a key player, no matter what. We've got to just step it up from whatever position we lost a player at."
(on Colts QB Peyton Manning) "He's Peyton. He gets rid of the ball well, he reads defenses, he's just a master of the game. We've just got to get some turnovers. If we got some more turnovers out there, we'd be fine. We've just got to get the ball back."
Indianapolis Colts
Colts head coach Tony Dungy
(on today's game) "Another typical AFC South game where we had to fight all the way through to get this one. We're excited this time of the season, we had a tough home opener and then two road division games. It's going to be difficult, but we came through with our objective and that was to get these two road wins. I have to tip my hat to Houston. They played very tough and played most of the game without their two best backs and their best receiver and they continued to fight back. We made enough plays when we needed them and had some veteran guys who stepped up and made plays in the fourth quarter. I wasn't happy about the two penalties that cost us 10 points in the first half, including the long pass on third-and-one that allowed them back in the game, but hopefully we'll learn from that and continue to grow and get better. It's obviously a good start though at 3-0."
(on how the Colts played in the redzone) "We marched down there and we got some touchdowns. We missed (WR) Marvin (Harrison) down on one in the second half that we would've liked to have had back, but we scored when we got down there in the end."
(on the plays made by special teams) "I guess we were offsides. I stand on the line every kickoff and watch and then one later they called us offsides. That obviously hurt us because we had to re-kick it and (WR Jerome) Mathis scored. The punt, (P) Hunter (Smith) tried to blast it out of there and we outpunted our coverage and those are dangerous guys when they have open space. Other than, that we followed Mathis pretty well. Those were just two big plays that special teams got."
(on the improvement of the Colts this week) "We did some things a lot better and we played their running game better. Obviously, they didn't have (RB Ahman) Green or (RB Ron) Dayne most of the game so that hurt them, but I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage better than we did last year down here. They're a better football team than they were last year, so I think for us to get a win, they're definitely better."
(on whether the Colts' pass protection is tighter) "Our protection is better, and they've got some good rushers. They've put a lot of pressure on people that we saw the first two games and I thought our offensive line stepped up."
(on why the Colts are unable to put teams away) "Well, we're playing good teams, and that's what I told our team. Everybody is going to expect us to win these games by 10 or 15 points and it doesn't always happen that way in the NFL. These teams are going to win a lot of games, so the fact that we only won by six or we only won by two really doesn't bother me. The way we gave up points bothers me because we shouldn't have those penalties. The fact that we're playing good teams and we're not blowing them out, that's no big deal."
(on the injury during the game to Texans DT Cedric Killings) "After the (Buffalo Bills TE Kevin) Everett incident, I think we're all sensitive to that. Everyone is hopeful and prayerful that he's going to be okay."
(on the injury to Colts WR Roy Hall) "Roy has a shoulder injury and it was a heck of a collision, no question about it. That was the only injury that got reported to me."
(on the aggressive play of the Colts) "We want to come away with points and we prefer to come away with touchdowns. We did score every time we got down there and we scored a bunch of touchdowns we had some chances for touchdowns that we'll get sharper on and we'll be fine. I thought we moved the ball well against the defense that held the first two teams down really well."
(on keys to third down conversions) "We kept them manageable for the most part. We did have one third and long that we completed to (WR Anthony) Gonzalez. Other than that they were just a few yards where you can throw all your routes and throw the ball quick."
(on the improvement of the Texans) "I think they are more confident and they feel like they don't have to do spectacular things to win games. Even when we were ahead, they never came out of what they do, they just stayed with their game plan. They're talented. Their defensive line is number one picks. They've got speed, return men and a great kicking game. They've got a quarterback who they believe in and is keeping them in games and making plays. What I've seen today and what I've seen on tape, they're a much better than the team that beat us last year."
Colts LB Gary Brackett
(on the Texans' offense) "It's typical of what they did all year. Obviously, they tried to get the run game established. I think we did a good job up front of just being physical, not letting them get the run game established, and getting off the field when we had to."
(on being able to put teams away) "Obviously, on third and fourth down, we've got to get off the field. A couple of times we had a fourth and one, fourth and eight, we let them continue some drives. Obviously, when we're in that situation we have to finish these."
(on bouncing back from the early touchdown) "Fortunately or unfortunately, we've had that happen to us before. Obviously championship teams know how to bounce back when we're down seven to nothing, and that's what we were able to do."
Colts TE Dallas Clark
(on the game overall) "It was a tough battle. I think they ran their game plan pretty well. They left us to a short amount of possessions and made some plays on special teams, but we kept fighting. Our defense made some big interceptions, some big turnovers for us. We need to turn those into touchdowns, but field goals, we'll take those on the road. A lot of things to still work on. It wasn't a great game, but it was solid and enough to get the win."
(on the Texans' defense) "We were getting on them early. There were just a few things here and there that we were able to take advantage of, but they tightened it up and played a little tougher and a little harder down there. We've just got to find ways to get in there and we will. It's still early in the season, but as long as we're getting the wins, we can correct that type of stuff."
(on the challenge of this game) "You expect a great matchup and a great, physical game and that they were going to give us everything they had, and they did. We had to match that, and it's tough on the road, especially when this crowd is just here. This is the loudest it's ever been here. It's great for them; it's great that they're supporting their team. We had to play 60 minutes to get the win, and we were able to finish that off. It's a credit to us, but it's a credit to them for putting us in a tough situation."
Colts DE Dwight Freeney
(on the improvement of the defense) "I think we're definitely playing better as a group. We're just trying to be consistent. We're taking it one game at a time, one series, one play at a time. We've played well this game, and we're just trying to continue that."
(on what this game felt like) "I'm not going to say that it felt like a playoff game, but it definitely had the intensity of a rivalry. It had that type of feel to it. They're getting better. Houston, hats off to them. They played us really tough, and it's going to be tough next time we play them."
Colts WR Roy Hall
(on Texans DT Cedric Killing's injury) "It was a normal special teams play, and I'm sure glad he's ok. I heard he was doing a lot better moving his arms and everything. It's one of those things that you hope nothing like that ever happens when you're designated to that job. It did this time, and luckily I just came out with a small shoulder injury."
(on what the contact felt like) "A crash, like a car crash. People describe big hits like a car crash. I think Sports Illustrated did a big article on hits like that, and that's what it feels like, a car crash. My shoulder, I thought it was a stinger because it was burning a little bit. I tried to push off of it and I really couldn't."
Colts QB Peyton Manning
(on his overall thoughts on winning the game) "It was a good win. Anytime you can go on the road in the division, it is always a tough game and it feels good to get the win."
(on the Colts being better in the redzone) "We have been down there a lot. Obviously, you want to be 100%. The more you get down there, and you are going to have some times that you don't score, but you are doing something right to get down there. The field tightens and Houston was playing a lot of pass coverage. The runs were probably our best plays down there. That is something that we have to keep working on if we are going to continue to get down there that much. We have to keep finding ways to get in the end zone."
(on controlling the game) "We had the lead at the half, which was different than last year. Last year, we were down 14-0 right away. Obviously, it was not the way we wanted to start the game, but I told the offense that that is not the first time a team has returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. I thought we did a great job answering, going down and tying the score up. We really wanted to get the lead to put Houston in more of a pass mode as opposed to just being able to run the ball. It was good to be able to come out in then second half and extend that lead a little bit."
(on the injury to Texans DT Cedric Killings) "You pray for these guys to recover. You don't wish that upon anybody. You just hope these guys are able to recover."
(on beating the Texans) "We are happy to get the win. We are very critical of ourselves on Monday watching film. Anytime you can come on the road and win in a big-time atmosphere where a team is waiting for you, you certainly appreciate it and you never take winning for granted. At the same time, we are always working hard and trying to find ways to get better. We feel good about what we accomplished today."
(on no turnovers) "That is really something that we emphasized on the road, just focusing on trying to protect the ball. That is something that hurt us last year against the Texans. We turned it over last year right away and were down 14-0. This year we really tried to emphasize protecting the ball. That always makes it easier and keeps your defense out of short field position. Our defense did a great job getting two turnovers for us which led to 10 points."
Colts K Adam Vinatieri
(on the opening kickoff being returned for a touchdown) "Right from the get-go, they had all the momentum. They had home field, they had the crowd cheering. The good thing about our team is that we realized that we had 59:30 left, and I remember this happening to us last year in a pretty big game. The good thing about our team is that we just put it behind us. We knew we had a lot of possessions and if we move the ball like we are supposed to, we would be alright."
(on the injury to Texans DT Cedric Killings) "It is a scary thing. This is a contact sport and that is why people love it so much. We are all praying that he gets alright. It is just one of those things that you never want to see happen. The fans and players like to see big hits, but you never want to see a person go down like that."
(on an improved Texans team): "They have continuously gotten better over the past years and they are a very good team this year. It was a hard game and they are a good team. They can move the ball well, their defense is solid and their special teams is good. It is a good solid team all around. When you have that many good players and play that well, you can win a lot of games. We were fortunate to make a few extra plays and win that game."
Colts WR Reggie Wayne
(on Texans DT Cedric Killings' injury) "As it was going on, I was talking to (Colts' WR Aaron) Moorehead, I was telling him that that's the thing with our game. It's a physical sport, anything can happen. You just pray for him and hope everything will be ok and you hope that it won't happen to anyone else."
(on getting back into the game after the injury) "You understand when you put these shoulder pads on it's possible that that can happen to anybody. You say a prayer and you move on."
