Members of the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins spoke to the media after the Texans' thrilling 22-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 7.
Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on the thought process of Texans final possession) "Well, you're very worried right there because you're backed up inside your own five and they've got two time outs and their thought process is if you don't get a first down they're going to get field position and kick it. What we tried to do is make sure we run it once and see what they were going to do with their time outs. It was obvious that they were going to wait until the second or third down to use them then once you knew that then you try to make a play. And we made a great play with O.D. (TE Owen Daniels) getting the ball out of the hole. It's a very tough situation. You've got to approach it and see what they're going to do and that's the way we did it. But the bottom line is if we don't get a first down there we're going to give them some sort of field position."
(on the play of K Kris Brown) "I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen a kicking performance like the one the kid put on today. He was five-for-five, I might have my facts wrong, I know it's an NFL record three field goals over 50 yards, the longest of his career at 57 yards. But I'll tell you the thing that nobody knows. The kid has a problem with his foot. He came in at halftime and took a shot so that he could go back out for his team. That tells you what's going on with this team right now. That's as impressive as I've ever seen. And then to put that on top of it, I'm kind of at a loss for words. It's special. I don't know if we'll ever see that again."
(on the point in the final drive when he thought the Texans could have a chance to score) "When we got the ball out of the hole with O.D. (TE Owen Daniels) I felt good there, let's go, and even if we have to punt if we don't get a first down at that point we should not be putting them in real good field position. Once we got the play from O.D. we went ahead and tried to make some plays."
(on the play of QB Matt Schaub) "Well first off, the kid is hurting this week, so we have to give him a lot of credit. He has one hell of a thigh bruise. He's not moving like he normally does. That was his push-off leg. It was not his best outing, but what you also find out about him today is what he's made of. That's playing quarterback in the NFL. You go out there and you're not up to par, and you still win games. I watched one do that in Denver for 16 years. That's what you've got to be able to do. To have yourself backed up on your own three (yard line) at home, having to go down there to get points, and to have the poise and the throws that he made. They blitzed him on the last play, hit him right in the mouth, and he gets the ball to (WR) Kevin (Walter). He'll be the first one to stand up here and tell you he's not real proud of how he played, but I guarantee you we're proud of how he finished. That's what we have and we know we can count on him."
(on the taunting penalty against DT Travis Johnson) "Well I was very disappointed in that. We're not going to do that. That's not going to be accepted around here. But I want to say this for Travis. I have to go back and look at the situation. First off, what he did is unacceptable. Inexcusable. I'm not sitting here making any excuses for him. That's inexcusable. He felt like he got chopped pretty good, which we have to go back and look at the film. You all probably know better than I do at this point. He was frustrated. Players worry about their legs when they get cut in certain situations. His reaction was wrong. He hurt his team. He told me that. Travis has grown up a lot. I went through this situation with Travis in Dallas last year, and I can tell you that the Travis I talked to today once that happen, compared to the one I talked to last year is night and day. The kid was apologetic. 'I made a mistake. I reacted poorly.' He apologized to me, the official and the Miami Dolphins. The kid has grown up a lot. It's just unfortunate that it happened."
(on Trent Green) "I have so much respect for him. I played against him for years in Kansas City. What he went through last year. He tells you what he's made of. He's trying to make a block for his teammate, and that kid's been doing it a long time in this league. Our players have a lot of respect for him, everybody in the NFL does, and you just hope he's ok. But the fact that he recognized us walking in there, waved to us, makes me feel like he's going to be okay. I'll definitely check on him this evening or tomorrow, but I have a lot of respect for him."
(on the Texans running game) "We're not running the ball well. I wish I could sit here and tell you we were better today. I hope I go look at the film and see some better things. The bottom line is that we're not running the ball well. We've got to go back and look. We tried some different things today to create some space. We tried to spread the Dolphins around a bit. When (LB) Zach Thomas is playing on that football team, it's pretty darn tough to run the football on them. But it's not an excuse. We have got to get better at running the ball. We're going to continue to do that. We had ourselves in a tough position because we did not run the ball well."
(on winning the game considering all of the injuries on the team) "I think it's the most important football game we've ever won around here. And I just told our team that. We had a big win against the Colts last year and we got off to a good start this year, but let me tell you that in this league it is so difficult to win. And we knew the hungry team that was coming in here, getting their leader back, we knew what we would face. Let's face it, we needed to win a game. With these guys you sit here and talk about perseverance, keep going, and somebody has to step in. But you have to have some W's to show for it. We know we're going to get some guys back. When we're going to get them back, that's the question. Until we get them back we have to find a way to win. I told our guys at halftime, I told the offense at halftime, 'You know what? We'll burn the first half film if we'll just go out there and not turn the ball over. Don't turn the ball over and let's see what happens to this team.' Our defense wasn't playing well the second half , and we're going to have to clean that up."
(on the lack of a pass rush) "I hate to comment on that too much without going to look at it. I thought we made them get rid of the ball. We had a big stand there when they had the ball close to field goal position. We went after them twice and put our DB's in a tough position. We definitely have to get there at some point or more. Let me look at it before I really make a judgment on whether we were disruptive or not."
(on the play of RB Ron Dayne and RB Samkon Gado) "Our objective today was to rotate them. It ended up 15-to-eight, so almost two-to-one. We wanted to rotate those guys. They are two different players. I could sit here and talk all day, but the bottom line is that we're averaging 2.6 yards per rush, and you're not going to win in this league. I'll tell you an interesting thing, we were in the same spot last year at this time and we got better throughout the year. We know one key to getting better is getting a player back, number 30 (RB Ahman Green). And the other key is everybody doing a better job. We've got to get better at it, we've got to figure out something, because you're not going to get away with that. You're going to get your quarterback beat up, and bad things are going to happen to you if you're dropping back 34 or 35 times a game."
(on Miami lining up to kick the long field goal before calling a timeout) "The way it's been with field goals here today, I was glad to see them punt. If they make a 58-yarder, they deserve to win. Of course they decide to go ahead and punt the football, which I think was very smart on their part. If I was in that situation and I had timeouts, I would have punted it to. All they had to do was keep us from getting a first down, and they were in good position to win. Give our offense credit for getting the ball out of the hole."
(on the play of Miami's RB Ronnie Brown and going up against their back-up quarterback) "That's their team. Whether it was (QB) Trent (Green) or whether it was Cleo (Lemon), that's their team. Everything starts with him. They're going to get him the ball on screens. They'll do everything they can to get him touches. They do a great job of that. You'll notice (Head Coach) Cam (Cameron) did the same thing in San Diego with L.T. (LaDainian Tomlinson). He uses him the same way. They have a lot of weapons over there. Like I said they got a real big piece of the puzzle back today. I think you're going to see that football team win a lot of games. I think they have a lot of talent."
Texans CB Fred Bennett
(on his goals for the game today) "I just wanted to come out and play my assignments, what my coaches taught me and do what I do best, and that's play football."
(on changes in the game plan when Miami QB Trent Green came out of the game) "You know, it didn't change. We stuck with what we were doing. They put the quarterback in, #17, and I though he did a pretty good job of running the offense, but the defense was just on. We went out there and played a good game, but we still have to get better."
(on how close he was to an interception) "It surprised me. I was real close. I turned around and the ball was in the air, and it came off my fingertips. I've gotta make that play. I make them in practice, but in a game they count, so I've got to make that play."
(on how great it was to get back on the field) "It was great. I'm back. My coaches gave me a chance and I thought that I made the most of my opportunity."
(on his confidence out on the field) "That's how I am. With the help of my coaches and my teammates, they just give me all the confidence I need. I've always been a confident guy, but just having them around helps me and gives me even more confidence."
Texans K Kris Brown
(on the treatment he received on his foot at halftime and the effect it had on his game) "I have been battling a little bit of a hurt heel in my plant foot. The first kickoff of the game just aggravated it. I came in the locker room and said that we had to do something, because I can't go out there, and I don't feel right when I'm planting my foot. We had to take care of it. I figured it was going to be a close game because the way of the game was going in the first half. So, I wanted to go out there and be able to play pain-free, and I was able to do that."
(on 57-yard field goal and his confidence in his kick at that distance) "I go out there and go through the same routine that I went through with the other kicks in the game. In my mindset, I tell myself to just enjoy the moment right now. I think every game-winning kick is something that you have to savor. That's why I do what I do. That's why I play this game, and that's why I play at this level. That's why I love playing this game—for situations like that. So, I just told myself to go out there and enjoy the moment, make sure you get enough on the ball, make sure you make really good contact. If I make good contact, then I feel like I've got a strong enough leg that the distance wouldn't be a problem."
(on how much the treatment helped at the half) "It helped tremendously. I think that probably subconsciously in the first half I was probably a little tentative. But you have to do what you have to do and really go into halftime and get something for my foot where there was no pain. I came out in the second half and warmed up and felt a lot better, so I didn't have to deal with the pain every time I planted my foot. My planting foot is pretty important for what I do."
(on his mental focus) "For what I do, I have to go out there every single time and the idea is to have the same routine and do the same thing over and over again. It's all about getting on the field, taking my steps, picking a target out, and making good contact on the ball."
(on how many game-winning field goals he has had and where this one ranks on the list) "I think that was my eighth or ninth. I think each game winner is special in its own way. This one—going out there with that kind of kick. I wanted to go out there and really do something to give this team a boost. One thing I take pride in is being able to go out there and make plays for this team. I want to go out there and do what I have to do. The 'C' (captain patch) that I wear on my jersey means a lot to me. I want to go out there and earn that 'C.' I feel like today I was able to go out there and help us get a win."
(on his missed field goal last week and if he's put it behind him) "Really you have no choice. You have to move on. It's unfortunate, but you can't dwell on it too long. I have had to teach myself that you can't dwell on kicks that you miss. I take a lot of pride on coming through for this team in tough situations. I've had to teach myself that at some point, you've got to get over it and move on. Probably earlier in my career, I would have let it linger and affect the next week, but now I know you have to put it behind you. On Sunday, you have to go out and prove yourself all over again. That's the great thing about this game—the next week you get to go out and prove yourself again."
(on what is different this season) "I think the attitude is different in the locker room. I think that the expectations that guys have for themselves and each other is different. We expect a lot and play at a certain level. So, I think the feeling in the locker room is certainly different than it has been around here."
(on what his longest field goal competitively and in practice) "Today was my longest, 57 yards. During practice with wind my longest was 70. It was actually in Nebraska, but I'm not going to tell you how much wind I had at my back."
(on if the magnitude of his great performance has set in yet) "You have to realize that every time I step on the field, I expect myself to make my kicks. On the first one, I had no idea where the ball was, and that was probably good, because sometimes you might go out there thinking—it's a 50-something yarder and I have to give a little extra into it. The first one I didn't hit as well and it still went in. I knew that from that point on, all I had to do was to go out and make solid contact. If I made solid contact, I wouldn't have to worry if I had enough distance."
(on if he knew that the 57-yard field goal was good when it came off his foot) "I had a feeling that it was going to be good. With that long of a kick, it's certainly hard to tell. That one, of all the kicks I hit, I hit that one about as well as I could. When it came off my foot, it felt pretty good."
(on the second 54-yard field goal he hit today) "Again, it's the same routine. It's really unique to have the same kick that you had previously in the game. So, again, it was one of those situations where I didn't hit the first one as well as I could have and it still went in. It was getting out there and going through my routine and telling myself to make good contact. I knew I didn't have to do anything extra, be smooth and make good contact."
(on coaches that ice the kickers at the last second) "You just go out there and go through your routine. If they call a timeout, they call a timeout. You just line up and do it again. That's the way that things go. You have to go out there and go through your routine, and not even let that come into your mind."
(on if he knew the last field goal attempt was 57 yards) "I didn't know it was 57. I actually thought it was going to be another 54-yarder. I just went out on the field. I knew it was going to be a fairly long kick. I told myself to go out there, make it a good kick and let's go home."
(on if that was his the 57-yard field goal was his longest attempt) "No, I have attempted a few that were longer than that."
(on his attitude about last week's missed field goal in Atlanta and if it inspired him to do better this week) "Absolutely, anytime you miss a field goal like that, you're embarrassed. It's inexcusable. I can give you a long list of words that went through my brain after the game and probably for the next couple of days after it, but you just have to move on. I've had to teach myself how to move on. Earlier on in my career, I've had missed kicks that have stayed with me longer than they need to. However, like I said earlier, that's what is great about this game is that you get a chance every time you go out to prove yourself over again. For me, going out there and having a game like today, that's what I expect of myself. I expect myself to go out there and make every kick. I don't care where it's at on the field. At some point on Tuesday or before I got here on Wednesday, I told myself I had to move on, because I didn't want that game to affect this game."
(on his relationship with P Matt Turk) "Matt Turk has been in this league for a long time and has held for a lot of place kickers. The transition wasn't as big of a deal as it might ordinarily be if a guy came in and wasn't as much of a veteran as Matt (Turk) or hadn't had as much experience as he has. So, he's done a tremendous job and it's been great working with him. This is his 13th year, so he has been around for a while. It's been good to have him hold. And you can't say enough about (LS) Brian Pittman. He has been here for a while, since I've been here. Those guys have done a tremendous job."
Texans TE Owen Daniels(on Texans K Kris Brown) "It's unbelievable. It just goes to show the kind of work he puts in week-to-week, and the kind of kicker he is. We've got the best kicker in the league, I think. I think he proved that today for us."
(on the Texans last offensive drive) "I don't know exactly what the coaches had in mind with the running play. I thought after we did that that we were just going to run out the clock, and try to get a first down, and take it to overtime, but we had a couple of nice pass plays in a row, and then a couple more to get in their territory. We just went from there."
(on whether he felt the Texans had the most success passing in the middle of the field) "For the most part, I think I had a couple of touches down the middle. They were in a Cover-2 (defensive) look a little bit, which leaves them a little open, and also the sidelines, with the corners (cornerbacks) playing up, so I think we did a good job of exploiting that when we could."
(on how important this win was to the Texans) "All games in the NFL are close. Every team is really good and any team can win week-to-week. It's good to be back home. It's tough losing two-in-a-row, but it was great to get back on track. We needed a win any way you could get it."
Texans RB Samkon Gado
(on the running game) "We're struggling right now when it comes to running the ball. I think eventually we'll turn around. We're still grinding away. We know the formula, and we're implementing the formula and that's everybody boning up and 'carrying their weight' and doing their assignments and working extra hard. It's going to happen sooner or later. You wished it would have happened today, but you don't stop doing the right thing just because it's not working. Eventually it will."
(on if they feel fortunate to win given the running game's struggles) "Most definitely, most definitely. We didn't have a phenomenal outing, but thankfully we were able to get the yards we needed to at least put us in position to win. It was ugly, but there's no one to blame but ourselves; we were the ones that made it ugly. But nonetheless, we're just glad we're able to compensate for each other's mistakes collectively and just come out with the 'W.'"
Texans DT Travis Johnson
(opening statement) "I apologize for going off like that. We d-linemen, when you have someone going at your knees, it's kind of tough. But at the same time, I shouldn't have reacted like that. The penalty ended up leading to a score, so really I hurt my team. I shouldn't have let my anger get to me, so I apologize to coach Kubiak, because I hurt my team. Really, I should have kept my cool. Being in that type of situation, this is a game of controlled violence, and I really I let my anger get the best of me."
Texans DE N.D. Kalu
(on the fact that there is no such thing as an ugly game in the NFL) "Not in NFL. That whole 'any given Sunday.' Right now we were playing a team that was hungry, and had their back against the wall, so I'll take this victory."
(on whether this was the most important victory in Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak's short tenure with the Texans) "It probably was, because I think people-- the fans-- after we lost two games, people were trying to start to think 'oh, the same old Texans,' and for us to get this victory, have a winning record, and go on the road to Jacksonville knowing that we're still a good team; I think it was important to keep the momentum."
(on Texans K Kris Brown's performance) "I don't like kickers, but he's my favorite player. I've always had something against kickers and punters being called football players, but he's definitely a football player. He had all that pressure on him, and you might see me with a jersey that says 'Brown' on it this week."
(on the Texans Defense's mindset during the second half) "When we came in at halftime and we were down, we knew we were a better team, so we just had to correct whatever mistakes we were making to get this victory because we knew we weren't going to lose three in a row. It's too important for us to keep the momentum, keep the talent involved for us to make this playoff run."
(on whether he re-injured his hand) "No, its fine. Thanks for asking."
Texans DT Amobi Okoye
(on Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown) "I just have to say that being elusive like that, because once you think you've got him, he finds a way to sneak out and get a few inches or a few yards extra. He's a great running back, hats off to that guy."
(on the Texans defensive pass rush) "I don't think it's much of a problem, the pass rush. We're getting back there, we're doing everything in our hands to come out and just rush the passer."
(on the fact that the Texans only recorded one sack against the Dolphins) "If you get to him once, its good. The goal is to always get to him as many times as you want to, but we had a lot of pressure on him."
(on what he feels has changed in the five regular season games he has played in the NFL) "It gets tougher and tougher. Something is on the line every game. Everybody is itching to get a 'W'."
(on whether Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon's mobility presented a problem for the Texans defense) "We had that in our mindset, but we made adjustments on the sideline to just be aware of him as a runner."
Texans G Chester Pitts
(on if he could tell if the game winning field goal was good) "I didn't really get to see it go through. I was at the bottom of the pile."
(on what he heard at the bottom of the pile) "I heard everyone go 'Rahhh,' and then we made it."
(on how it feels to pull out a close game like this) "Obviously, Coach Kubiak hit on it at the end of the game. He said that we showed the heart and perseverance to push through when the game wasn't clean. We obviously hadn't been executing the way we should have, or the way we're capable of—at any moment offensively, just shooting ourselves in the foot. On that last drive, it was big to find a way to get the ball down the field and get that very big field goal."
(on if this was an ugly win) "I'll tell you this—I'll take an ugly 'W' over the most beautiful loss ever in history, every day of the week. This was an ugly 'W,' and we'll take it."
(on how frustrating the team's red zone rushing struggles are) "Well, we won the game. We'll take care of the tings we can do better, but it's all about winning and we won the game. That's first and foremost, and obviously there are things that we need to clean up and fix, and we'll find a way to get that done."
Texans CB Dunta Robinson
(on what he expected with the Texans entering the final drive of the game) "You know, I mean it's a new quarterback. You cant play conservative with this guy. You've got to put the ball in his hands, so that's exactly what we're expecting—for him to drive us downfield and put us in position to win the football game, and he did just that. And Kris Brown had been hot all day, so all we knew we needed to do was to get him in a good range. We knew that he'd come through, and he did."
(on whether he cares about the win being "ugly") "No. We're three-and-two instead of two-and-three. We don't care how ugly it is. It could have been 2-0, and we'll still take the win any time. We're just going to keep scrapping and fighting until we get everyone back healthy, and then we're going to roll from there."
(on what digging out a win says about this team) "You find out a lot about these guys, on both sides of the football. I mean it was ugly—let's just say what it was. But we kept fighting. We put ourselves in position to win football games, and in order to become a good football team, that's what you've got to do. You've got to win even when things are not going well, and that's what we did."
(on what he thinks of K Kris Brown) "I love him right now. Kris Brown is the man right now! If he needs food for the rest of the week, call me. I'll bring it to him; I'll cook for him, whatever he needs."
(on winning despite missing many players due to injury) "It just shows what kind of resiliency you have as a football team. Guys fought hard, and it feels good. It just shows that we can win without major guys. It just lets us know when we get those guys back—I know we aren't blowing guys out like we did in the first two games, and winning by large margins—but we're just trying to hang on right now and win football games. We're going to let these guys take all the time they need to get healthy, and then we're going to try to make a run."
(on bouncing back after two straight losses) "Definitely. It's a lot better being three-and-two than two-and three."
Texans T Ephraim Salaam
(on how he thought the Texans played) "The resilience that everybody showed, nobody wavered. I cant even say enough about (K) Kris Brown; (QB) Matt Schaub, the way he runs the two-minute offense; the guys up front, blocking. That's a good defense. Their record doesn't really show how good that defense is. That's a fantastic defense; and that backup quarterback (Cleo Lemon) came in and did a phenomenal job. This is a good win for the Texans."
(on how much pressure the offensive line was under during the final drive for the Texans) "That's a lot of pressure. I don't think normal regular people, everyday people, really understand how nerve-wracking a two-minute situation is against the defensive player of the year last year (Miami DE Jason Taylor). I don't know how to give it to you guys to where you know what you feel like in this situation. It's not okay, but on the other hand, you live for it, because all eyes on you, all eyes on him. He comes in, he makes a big play, he's the hero, I keep him out, we win the game, I look good. That's the business, and I love it. It's like jumping out of a plane, the rush."
Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on connecting with TE Owen Daniels) "We had a good connection there. He does a great job and runs great routes. I am very confident in getting him the ball and giving him a chance to make plays. As you saw, he demonstrated today that he can catch the ball and make a good play after the catch."
(on what it meant to have Coach Kubiak give him the opportunity to make the final game-winning drive) "That was huge. If the coach has confidence in you as a quarterback and as an offense, to put the ball in your hands and take over and take the team down (the field), that is a huge confidence booster. We were backed up on the three yard line and we ran one play. He gave us the same pass call that (TE) Owen (Daniels) got open on and then we got breathing room. Then we were able to take a few more chances down the field and move the football."
(on playing the clock and changing strategy on the last time) "Initially, we wanted to run the ball on the first play to get some breathing room, and that didn't work. Coach Kubiak told me in the headset, 'Let's use up the clock and try not to give them much time,' in case we didn't get the first down. The next play call we get a big pass down the sideline to (TE) Owen (Daniels). It gave us the breathing room to work our two-minute drill."
(on the total team victory) "It was huge. That was a team win. The offense, especially during the first half, was getting penalties and turnovers. I didn't play particularly well. The defense stepped up and held the Dolphins to field goals on numerous occasions once they got inside our territories. The receivers stepped up and made some plays. The guys stepped up their game when the game was on the line."
(on K Kris Brown's performance) "He plays big for us. He stepped up in these situations and made those three long field goals for us, especially that one at the end. His mental toughness is up there with a lot of that guys that you think about when you think of mental toughness in this league. You don't really think of kickers as having that, but Kris stepped up and made a huge play for us."
(on catch by WR David Anderson and the final drive) "To start with David, we saw him make that move in practice with that same coverage. We ran that play in practice and he did that same exact move and got open in the middle of the field. He stepped up and was really confident in his ability. He got in there and made the catch. That was a huge play for us. I think that drive, winning the game as we did; it wasn't clean by any means. We didn't play the best ball game, but we found a way to make plays when we had to as a ball club, both offensively and defensively."
(on his thigh bruise and Coach Kubiak's reaction to this being one of the biggest wins for this team) "My thigh is fine. I just need to give it some rest for the next couple days. This was a huge win for us. To come back and not play well, but make the plays that we had to and win it in the end. No game in this league is ever going to be perfect, but you have to handle the adversity and come back and win it in the end. To be 3-2 as opposed to of 2-3 is huge at this point in the season."
(on frustration of game due to lack of running game) "I wouldn't say there's pressure, but we have to make more plays. We had some good runs. We had some good situations, but then there would be a few times when we would hit a wall and couldn't run the ball. So, that made us step up and make plays in the passing game that much more. We made some and didn't make others. We had some penalties, in the first half especially. In the second half, we had to clean things up and play better ball."
(on if he thought they were close enough to make the field goal on the last play) "I didn't know if we had gotten quite close enough. We would have liked to get a little closer. They had good defense that got pressure on us. I was able to get the ball to (WR) Kevin (Walter) just to get us a few more yards to make the field goal a little bit shorter. At that point after seeing (K) Kris (Brown) kick two long ones, I figured he had the leg to make the last one."
(on confidence of win despite the injuries) "It's huge for us. When you look at the two weeks prior to this, the games that we lost, we were right there with a couple minutes left, and in the game to win it. We knew we had the personnel and the guys around us that we could win these games. To come out and win this week was an incredible confidence boost for us."
Texans P Matt Turk
(on how Texans K Kris Brown bounced back from a missed field goal last week) "Last week, with the short miss, I think he realizes that he's not going to make every kick for the rest of the year. He came out and rebounded today, and I mean, what else can you say? He's a pro. He knows that it's all about the next kick."
(on Brown's foot injury) "It's been bothering him for a week or so."
(on what he though about as Brown lined up for the game-winning field goal) "I knew that if he hit it clean, it was going to go through. I honestly did. I know he has a strong leg, and mentally when he tells himself just to swing smooth and get through the ball, the ball travels. Obviously I didn't say anything to him. That's when you want to leave the kicker alone and let him do what he does."
(on whether they work on such long field goals in practice) "Not a whole lot of them, honestly. He's more about accuracy than he is about distance, so in practice we move the ball around and stay inside of 50. Yeah, he'll hit the occasional long ball, but what are the odds that you're going to kick three of them in a game? Most of the time, you're lucky to get one of them in a game."
Texans WR Kevin Walter
(on how he thought the Texans played) "I feel pretty good. We left some opportunities out there to make some big plays, but obviously we're going to watch those, fix those, and come back next week and execute."
(on how it feels for the Texans to win today's game) "It feels great. Coming out here, we were struggling a little bit, kind of kicking ourselves in the foot. Coming out here and driving down that last series, and getting a field goal, it feels great."
(on the clutch catches made by the Texans receivers in today's game) "That's why we're out there. That's why we practice real hard: to do that, to get an opportunity to do that, and we've just got to execute, and we did in that last series. It felt great to get the 'W'."
(on Texans K Kris Brown) "Unbelievable. It's nothing new to him, he did it last year against Indy (Indianapolis Colts). We all knew, and we felt confident that he was going to do a great job, and get it in."
(on the confidence boost gained from today's win) "It's a big boost. We felt confident as a receiving group and as an offense that with 'Dre (WR Andre Johnson) down and a few guys down, we feel like we can come in and step in and make some plays. We've just got to continue to do that and we'll be just fine."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on if he did something different to get a sack) "No, it's not that. Every game that we've had pretty much, there are times that I've been there, and I just didn't get it. As soon as I get it, everybody makes a big deal about it. So, it's still the same thing, I still do the same stuff. I've just got to make them count; I've got to get it."
(on how satisfying it is to win a game like this) "It's very satisfying. The game was ugly. We had some crazy stuff going on out there, but the character that the guys showed was just unbelievable. The way we came and won the game, especially with our kicker kicking those three field goals, I mean, that's just unbelievable."
(on if it's better to win ugly than lose) "Yeah, any time. We'll take that any time."
(on if this is how they'll have to win with all the injuries) "Well, the players that are taking the places of the guys that are gone, they're doing a heck of a job. Our receivers are playing extremely well. I was telling them earlier, just a great job, hats off to them. We're doing what we've got to do. Like you said, guys are out, we're doing what we've got to do in order to win and the players are stepping up."
(on pressure from the front four being important to help out the secondary) "Yes, some of the defenses that we run, obviously, you're going to give and take a little bit. It comes down to us sometimes that we've got to go back there and get it done with the pressure. It's just something that's a part of the game that we've got to do, so we take it with open hands and go out there and do it."
(on what they knew about Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon) "He runs. We know that. We know he'll run, basically. But, at the same time, we really didn't watch, we didn't have that much film on him. We know he runs and that was the one thing we were worried about was him running."
(on what it means to be able to dig out a win) "It just shows the character of the guys to step up and take the place of the guys that are down. They're playing a heck of a ball game. The receivers are playing top notch. All the players that are out there that had to step up were just balling. It just shows that the guys behind the starters aren't just out there doing nothing."
(on K Kris Brown) "Man, that's unbelievable. He's a big-time kicker, and I'm fortunate to have him on our team. I'm glad that he's on our team because we could not have done it without him."
Dolphins Head Coach Cam Cameron
(on the events throughout today's game) "Most importantly, (QB) Trent (Green) will be on the plane with us going back. I can't give more specifics than that, but that's a huge plus that he is in a position to go back with us. Obviously, it's a tough loss. You can see the kind of effort our guys were putting forth, but you have to give Houston credit for making the plays they needed to make. They put themselves in a position to make a game winning field goal. Both teams did some good things. Both kicked a lot of field goals. We'll look at the tape obviously."
(on his initial reaction to QB Trent Green's injury) "I was shielded from him initially and couldn't see. Once they got him I the board he was smiling and talking to me. It was positive."
(on the emotions of seeing his player down) "The feelings that I had were the same as you had. I think we all felt the same thing. When you're uncertain to what's taking place and you know it's out of your hands, you just pray for the best. Again, it's just a real plus that he'll be on the plane with us on the way back and we'll give you an update tomorrow."
(on whether or not it's difficult to refocus yourself and your team after a player goes down) "You have to remember, this is what we do, this is how we make our living. It's not the first time for any of us to be in that position. You find a way to get the job done. Sometimes things are difficult but you have to find a way to get the job done."
(on if he thinks it will affect Green's future with the NFL) "Without getting into speculation, that will all work itself out."
(on backup QB Cleo Lemon's performance) "It was just one of those games and a heck of an effort. We feel pretty good about our opportunities, heading down and a big play to (TE) Justin Peelle."
(on his thought process when changing the call to go for the field goal) "We knew in our minds we needed to get 'x' amount of yards to be in field goal range and when your sitting there with that kind of time and a timeout to burn, you take a deep breath, talk it through and make a decision that you feel is right. We called timeout and punted it down there and executed well, but obviously it didn't turn out the way we had planned, but we all know how hindsight is."
(on the Texans'short run play after the punt) "When you've been in that position you try to buy yourself a yard or two of breathing room. They took a shot and they made a play. Now there out of the woods and bang, bang- that's the way this business is. You have to give them credit."
(on the positives on today's game) "Let's not kid ourselves. Standing up here after you come up short, talking about positives wears thin with everybody. I'm not here to do that to our fans or anybody else. We will find the positives. Obviously, we've got to get healthy. This was a physical football game. Anybody who didn't see that- that was a physical, physical football game and defensively we're making plays. You've got to give them credit to come out from inside their five-yard line and even get into that position to kick that field goal to (Houston's Head Coach) Gary (Kubiak) and his staff."
(on if his team gave a better effort this week versus last) "There's no question. We're going down to score, we had some set backs and those things will come back to haunt you in a close football game."
Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown
(on Texans DT Travis Johnson's reaction to QB Trent Green's block) "I didn't even hear it. I was on the back end of the field trying to make a block before the situation happened. You know it's just about attitude the game is meant to be played tough. But at the same time you really don't want to get guys hurt and definitely a situation like that when a guy is kind of out it's kind unclassy to stand over a guy like that. But then again I could be overreacting because I didn't see the actual play."
(on did he know how serious QB Trent Green's injury was at the time) "I didn't, but when I saw Trent down and he wasn't moving then I thought it was serious. I just started to pray and hope that he will be alright. He came to when they carted him off so I hope everything will be going well with his situation."
(on the team's concern when QB Trent Green wasn't moving on the field) "It's always a concern when you see a guy laying on the ground and not moving especially with things like this happening the last few weeks. It's a tough game and anytime see a guy down on the field and not moving it's always serious."
(on his performance) "I think I did some things decent, but at the same time I knew there were some things I could've done better. That's just something I got to improve on like missing a block on pass protection and letting a guy slip by and a few other things. Maybe it's just me being tough on myself, but at the same time I have high expectations. Until we get a win I feel like I haven't done enough."
Dolphins K Jay Feely
(on how long did he lobby to get a chance to kick the field goal in latter part of the fourth quarter) "My job is to make the ones that they want me to make. The head coaching job is to do the game management. When you punt the ball and down it at the two-yard line you say 'hey, I made the right decision.' Yes obviously I'm a competitor and I wanted to kick the ball and felt good about kicking it."
(on was there any doubt in his mind that if he got the chance to kick the field goal that he would've made it) "Of course I'm not going to doubt it, but there is always that chance it was a 1:40 left and I understood when coach grabbed me a said, 'hey, I got total confidence in you, but you got to understand the situation in the game."
(on Texans K Kris Brown's performance) "Pretty good day for him. You just got to tip your hat to him. It was great game obviously I would like to have the opportunity and as a team we fought hard played well and made plays, but didn't make enough which is kind of symptomatic in the last few games. It's just a struggle that we just got to keep fighting and we just got to stick together and support each other and not turn on each other."
(on his three special teams tackles) "I just want to help my team win. Whether it's making tackles or making field goals or cheering on the sidelines. Hopefully we can everybody with that same attitude that's the only way that we can turn it around."
Dolphins WR Ted Ginn, Jr.
(on what the team prayer was like on the field for QB Trent Green) "It was serious. With Trent already having issues with his head all you can do is pray. Trent is a great guy and when you lose somebody great like that it's hard to bounce back, but I think we bounced back pretty good though."
(on what did he see on the field when QB Trent Green was injured) "I saw him when he made the play, but I didn't think he was hurt. I thought he made a good block and tried to make something happen."
(on QB Cleo Lemon's performance) "I felt he stepped in and did his job. He played good, but we have to get back to the drawing board and do it all over again."
(on the plan of getting the ball thrown to him) "It's always the plan. We just got to go out there and execute. We just fell short today."
Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon
(on the possibility of coming back to win the game) "Even when we came in before the game we believed that we will win. That's our mindset, to win the game. Unfortunately, it didn't end out like we wanted it to. We just have to go back again and hit the ground running."
(on his performance) "The final result is what you're looking for and we didn't get the win today. That's the bottom line we wanted to get the win. We didn't get the win so it was not a successful day."
(on QB Trent Green's condition) "Just for him to be present is big for us. I talked to him for a second. They wanted him to spend the night, but obviously he wanted to come home with his teammates and wanted to make sure that his wife and kids are okay. But knowing that he is alright brings a positive attitude to the team."
(on how tough it is to lose a game like this) "It's tough. Once everyone's fighting the way we were and on the same page and everyone is tuned in it came down to the wire the guy made a great kick of 57 yards. You've got to tip your hat off to those guys, they played hard too. We just didn't come out and get the win. We just have to go back and revamp the things that we are doing and do whatever it takes to win."
Dolphins DT Keith Traylor
(on his role on defense to create change) "I consider myself as a run stopper and I want to make plays on the run and we haven't been doing that. So, I definitely wanted to step up and show them how to step up and show them this is how we do when you started to get embarrassed. I did what I could."
(on how everybody was doing what they could to make a play) "We go to do that every week. Things happen and went wrong. It just kind of left us in the dark right there I don't know what to say, it's just not going our way right now."
