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*Texans head coach Dom Capers
(On game summary) "We certainly had a number of opportunities to win this football game. It was great the way our team fought back after being down 21-0: they hung together and found a way to tie it. Every game is a little bit different, and we dug ourselves too big of a hole. It took tremendous courage and heart to fight back. All these games are a little bit different, but what is constant is you have to have consistent execution. We weren't consistent enough and at times, we were sloppy in our execution. Really, it came down to who made the plays in the overtime period. We got our opportunities and didn't make it. The Vikings had their opportunities and they made them. You have to give them credit. They made the plays when it counted. Anytime you lose a game like this, it hits you in the heart and leaves a very empty feeling. There is only one thing you can do, pick yourself up and fight back. I know you saw how the guys in the locker room fought back today. There is no question in my mind this team is made up of a bunch of fighters. We've got to get ready to go to Tennessee next week and play our first division game. We've got to take a look at this (Minnesota Viking game), and learn from it. We just need more consistent execution."
(On team injuries) "As far as injuries, Gary Walker was held out most of the second half with a groin injury. Todd Washington sprained his shoulder. We have three ankle injuries. Todd Wade sprained his ankle. Andre Johnson has a slight ankle (injury), and David Carr has a slight ankle (injury)."
(On Andre Johnson's performance) "Andre gets better every week into the season. When you throw the ball his way, something good is going to happen. He had a tremendous game today."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(Opening summary) "We kind of got the feeling like some games last year – we got close and then we let it slip away. We came out real slow in the first half and got back into it in the second half. We put ourselves in a position to win the game, but we just didn't get it done."
(On the difference between the first and second halves) "Offensively I think we only had the ball three times. We just weren't getting the job done. Coming out in the second half we knew we were getting the ball first and we just wanted to go out and get the score."
(On the reasons for his success today) "I just think that the game plan that Coach Palmer came with was great for their defense. Coming into this game I didn't know I was going to have 12 catches. We have other good receivers like [Derick] Armstrong, who came off the bench and ends up with six catches for 100 yards. So you never know what to expect."
(On whether playing against Randy Moss was a motivation) "I don't get to play against Randy Moss, so it's not a motivation. It's great to get a chance to see him play for the first time. He's a great player and one of the top receivers in the league, and one of my goals is to get where he is."
(On the touchdown catch where he flipped) "It was a play we put in during the weekend and it was something we'd seen in a Chicago game. When we called it I knew I had to run inside, and Coach Palmer told me there would be an open area in the back of the end zone. So that's what I did, and David threw it up in the air. I didn't think he was going to throw it that high. He put it up there in a good spot and I went and got it."
Texans QB David Carr
(On the difference between the first and second halves) "It was hard the first half because we only had 17 plays. We missed 3 rd and 1, 3 rd and 2. We get that and that's a guaranteed six more plays at least. So that was tough – we only had 17 plays at halftime and that's our own fault. In the second half we kind of pulled it together a little bit."
(On the character of the team) "It's the same for the entire team. We're never going to give up. It's just the strength of the character of the guys in the huddle and how they carry themselves. There was never a sign of giving up, never a sign that we can't score 21 or whatever we need to score to come back in the game."
(On the importance of finishing games like this one) "It was tough. Once we got into overtime we thought we had a chance. We finally got it tied up at 28, and they did a good job of covering us up on the series that we had and we didn't get much done. We couldn't finish it off. That's something we're going to have to focus on. I was kind of happy to be in that situation, but we have to get the killer mentality to take it away, kind of like the Vikings do."
(On Andre Johnson's presence and performance) "When number 80's out there and we make eye contact, there's a good chance that I'll throw him the football. It instills confidence when you throw a ball up to a guy and he goes and jumps 15 feet in the air and pulls it down. You'd probably throw it to him. He's playing with a lot of confidence and it's something everyone else feeds off of. The other wide receivers made big plays – they all feed off of that. They see him make some plays and they go and make plays, and the whole offense gets some energy. That's kind of what enabled us to g et back in the game and tie it up."
(On Andre Johnson's acrobatic touchdown catch) "It was a play that we'd seen on tape and that we thought we'd take advantage of. We played it similar to what they did on tape and just had to wait a little longer. We had Domanick [Davis] out in the flat trying to entice the corner to step up a little bit, and he stepped up just enough to where I could put it on the top shelf. We practiced it during the week. I just didn't practice with him doing a flip."
Texans LB Jason Babin
(On the difference in the Texans' defensive play in the second half) "I think the adjustments were made by Minnesota. We kept doing our thing. We kept blitzing. Vic (Fangio) said we were going to go after them, and that's what we did."
(On the reasoning behind the Texans' blitzing) "We were trying to make (Daunte Culpepper's) decisions come as quick as possible. We know he can make some pretty good decisions if you give him time back there. We were trying to hurry him the best we could."
(On the play of Viking RB Mewelde Moore) "He was really able to find the cut-back lane, the holes and some of the gaps on defense. He did a good job of finding them."
Texans LB Jay Foreman
(On the difference in play in the second half) "The mistakes we made in the first half were self-induced, and Minnesota took advantage of them. We came out in the second half, and obviously, did a better job against the run."
(On Minnesota's success on offense) "They came off the bye week and changed up a couple of plays on us and ran some new plays. It was still a matter of technique on our part. We executed against them better in the second half. It was the kind of game that you couldn't say was played poorly. It was a matter of executing plays."
Texans CB Dunta Robinson
(On the loss) "It's very frustrating, especially to fight as hard as we did to get back into the game. That's the way the NFL goes. I'm learning that fast. We have to come back, this week, in practice and watch film so this doesn't happen next week."
(On the Marcus Robinson's touchdown on the final play of the game) "That's what players do in this league. You can't get down if you don't catch a pass or make a play. You have to fight hard and come back. (The Vikings) were confident in him, and they ran the same play, same route, I think. It was the play that won the game for them."
(On playing the NFL's top-ranked offense) "They have a lot of talent on offense, and they use it the right way. They're stoppable, but they make plays. That's the most important thing. We have to make plays. We're just as good as they are. We have to go out, and fight every down like they do."
Texans RB Domanick Davis
(On reaction to few running calls) "I'm not disappointed at all. We've got a guy that's hot right now and Andre Johnson is our man. I can't complain."
(On taking so long for offense to get in a rhythm) "I'm not exactly sure right now. Everyone saw the game and saw all the heart that we showed today. We were down twenty one points and then came back forcing an overtime."
(On changes discussed during overtime) "We knew that the Vikings were just embarrassing us. They came out playing harder than us and wanted to win more. We had to adjust before we went into the third quarter."
(On final catch in OT) "It hurt because I truly thought that it was our game based on the way we were playing toward the end."
Texans CB Marcus Coleman
(On coming back and then losing in OT) "It was tough. Unfortunately I've been on the other side of that too and now I know how those guys feel. We have to suck it up and figure out what you could've done better. We'll work on what we need to fix and correct it during this week's practice."
(On having confidence in winning today's game) "We try to out do everyone we face and play all the way through. Today was a testament as to what we can do. We got ourselves back into the ball game. It's unfortunate that we can work that hard and still lose the ball game."
Texans CB Aaron Glenn
(On defending Randy Moss) "Randy's a good player. On the long TD there was a communication error and that just can't happen. At the end we didn't make plays in order to win the game."
(On today's loss) "I'm taking this game to heart. This is probably one of the toughest losses I've ever been in. We have to regroup and get ready for Tennessee and try to get a win."
Texans C Steve McKinney
(On the loss) "As tough as the loss was, I think we showed a lot of character. Being down by 21 and not giving up while scratching our way back into it showed that character."
(On the comeback and overtime) "We had our shots, we just didn't take advantage of them."
(On Texans making plays) "Several guys stepped up and made some plays big plays. Derick Armstrong made some of them. Andre was phenomenal today, had we won I'm sure he would have gotten the game ball."
Texans WR Derick Armstrong
(On his play) "I just wanted to come out and contribute with my teammates and fortunately today I was able to do that. I work hard in practice and try to carry it over to the games when the team needs me. I'm always ready and focused."
(On fighting the 21-0 deficit) "We never stopped believing in ourselves, as a team you want to always keep fighting and that was difference between losing 21-0 and forcing overtime."
(On Andre Johnson's play) "He's a guy who is capable of making a lot of big plays and taking them all to the house. As receivers we feed off of him and work towards playing Texan football."
Texans TE Billy Miller
(On the loss) "We had some incredible efforts by a lot of different players today. I tip my hat to David for getting up off of the ground and fighting through some injuries. We have a lot of fight, we just have to find a way to win games like these."
(On Andre Johnson) "Andre played great. Everybody was coming in talking about Randy Moss. Andre Johnson is incredible. He's the best receiver I've ever seen."
(On the comeback) "I don't let too many games stick to me but this one hurts a little bit because I think it's a game we should have won. For some reason we didn't start as fast as we finished and that's been kind of our forte lately."
Vikings Post-Game Quotes
Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice
(opening statement) "That was a long tough battle. What I'm happy about is, that we were without so many players today. We went on the road in a hostile environment, with an excellent crowd, against this football team that plays very hard. I think it will pay dividends down the road. Raonall Smith is starting, a third string MLB Dontarrious Thomas is starting, then he pulls a groin and Max Yates is on the field, who was on the street last week. Then we were down to our fourth string running back. We lost Michael Bennett. Our Pro Bowl center was out, Corey Withrow goes and our wimpy gimpy pro bowl center is in the game, and you're playing with a rookie right tackle. That's what makes you proud. These guys came down here, stepped to the plate and made enough plays to win. We made it tough. We did some things, especially on the defense, that we would like to get fixed but we're playing a lot of different guys. Chris Claiborne was out, E.J. Henderson was out. I'm very proud how they hung in there and didn't let themselves get down. We gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter. A very dumb celebration hurt us significantly, but we made enough plays to win the game. We made enough plays to have a substantial lead. We did very well in the red zone today offensively. Mewelde Moore ran the ball well. We let the noise get to us a little at the tackle positions, something we'll work on. Rushen Jones has a hamstring strain and Corey Withrow sprained his right knee. It's a great win. We only have 16 chances and we're keeping pace with Detroit. Anytime you can get a victory on the road on the grass, it's good. We're very thankful they kept the top off. We're very happy."
(On defense) "I thought our defensive front applied a lot of pressure today. A lot of guys played extremely well in there. We're very close on some things. If we could've made the quarterback hold the ball a little longer, I think we could've got a few more sacks. So we'll keep working and get it better. I was pleased with Raonall Smith. I think he made some plays, especially in the running game. Did he drop some coverages, yes, but he played very well. I'm just very happy."
(On Mewelde Moore) "Moore runs a lot tougher than you think. He breaks a lot of tackles. Onterrio Smith makes a lot of people miss with his lateral movement, but Moore breaks a lot of tackles. He's a very good player. He had 1,000 yards of rushing and receiving in college so obviously he's had the ball in his hands. We are very confident in what we can do. He showed us we were correct…And he got the game ball"
(On Andre Johnson) "He's a bad dude. That's all I can say. He's a bad dude. I'd like to have him in our arsenal, I'd never run the ball. He's a good, good football player. He's going to have a great career."
Vikings WR Nate Burleson
(On Marcus Robinson's over time performance) "His drop was unfortunate. I think he just took his eyes off the ball for a second. He ran a great route and knew he had the corner beat; he was just looking at the end zone before he caught the ball. When he came back to the huddle, we told him that he would get another chance and he did. He caught the game winning touch down pass. Marcus did a great job today."
(On how the attention Randy Moss demands from defenses makes the game easier on the other wide receivers) "It's great. Moss attracts a lot of attention from two and three defensive backs, especially when he's going in motion. He lines up in the slot, which leaves other wide receivers with one-on-one coverage. Our wide receivers coach tells us that if we get single coverage, it's almost a disrespect to us as NFL players. Single coverage is a situation we must win. The defense is in an unfortunate situation not knowing the receiver's route. We have to take advantage of one-on-one situations when Moss gets double coverage."
(On third down efficiency) "The game is all about third downs. They are crucial. The team that makes the most plays during critical moments is most likely to win the game."
Vikings Offensive Tackle Nat Dorsey
(On the crowd noise in Reliant Stadium) "The crowd was loud and I jumped off sides. This is a tough place to play, but I need to cut out the rookie mistakes."
Vikings Tight End Jeff Dugan
(On first time playing in Reliant Stadium) "This is a great stadium. This place gets very loud and makes communication for the offense difficult. It is easy to jump off sides here."
Vikings RB Mewelde Moore
(On having a good showing his first game) "Hats off to Coach Tice, Coach Dean Dalton and all the running backs that got me ready for the game. They tried to cram as many little things as possible, but they still tried to make sure I felt comfortable going into my first game."
(On getting a lot of carries) "I felt like I was going to start off where Ontario Smith, Mo Williams, and Michael Bennett left off. That was my plan. I think that was Coach Tice's plan as well. They believed I could do it and get the job done. They allowed me to go out there, and prove it."
(On mindset of playing first game) "My whole mindset was to allow the game to come to me and to play the game that got me here. It felt real good, and I enjoyed going out there and playing today."
(On running style) "Throughout my career, my knack was making the first guy miss. I just play the game that I know."
(On personal improvement) "I am happy for the win. I just know that there is always room for me to improve. My mentality, is always to get better and do more things to help the team out. When your number is called, you should be ready to perform."
Vikings C Cory Withrow
(On Mewelde Moore's performance) "He ran the ball hard. Before the game, I told him to make us look good, and he did."
(On Vikings offensive penalties) "It was a little bit loud out there. We just made mistakes, basically nerves. It happens."
(On team turning the corner) "A lot of young guys stepped up, and a lot of backups came to play. If you look at the big picture, you are going to need that down the road."
Vikings DE Lance Johnstone
(On defensive pressure on David Carr) "We did a better job up front in tying in our rush with the coverage."
(On Texans receiver Andre Johnson) "He's a good player. We knew that coming in. They were trying their best to find ways to give him the ball, because he can make plays."
(On Texans' second half run) "We definitely wanted to close the door on them. We knew they would make a run at us, but not that type of run to get back into the game. We were able to pull it out in overtime. (Our) guys really never had any doubt we would win this game. So, when we got into an overtime situation, we just found a way."
Vikings WR Marcus Robinson
(On his dropped pass) "I just dropped that ball. Afterwards, I was thinking that we might not get another chance. Man, I was down, but everyone on the sideline just said to get the next one. Everyone stayed positive and that is what is great about our players."
(On his number of receptions today) "I did not expect it at all. He [Dante Culpepper] spreads the ball around a lot. When Randy [Moss] is double covered, the guy on the backside has to make plays. You have to find man-to-man and find that guy."
Vikings WR Kelly Campbell
(On today's win) "The main thing is coming away with the 'W'. Right now, we need to play correctly, like this, on the road."
(On team unity) "On the road, you're going to have ups and downs. The biggest thing is sticking together; maintaining and sustaining. You just have to go out and play it play-by-play."
(On winning after early season disappointment) "That's the sign of a 'new focus' team, the sign of a team who has been in these kind of situations. We know how to get out of these situations, and don't want to be stuck in them again. If we stick together we will come out with a win."
Vikings' DT Steve Martin
(On coming back to Houston with a win) "It is very sweet. We didn't think it was going to be like this, going down to the wire, but this is the NFL.
(On the Texans) "They are a good team. They fought with all they had. If we hadn't found a way to get in on that last drive, who knows what would have happened. They are on the right track."
(On being in overtime games) "I'd rather be in a 38 to 0 blow-out where the line can sit and the cheerleaders can come out and take a couple snaps. But that's not the game we play anymore. Its stress. It's entertaining for the fans. The fans love it, but we hate it. I'll take the win no matter how it comes. It doesn't have to be pretty."
Vikings DT Kevin Williams
(On his overtime mindset) "They have a great kicker, so after our first series we just wanted to get the ball back to our offense and let them do their thing"
(On what this win means) "This is just the beginning. We got a win on the road after people said we couldn't. We just have to keep it going and let this start a win streak on the road."
Vikings DE Kernechi Udeze
(On Texan's second half 21 points) "It was more or less mental mistakes. Sometimes it is hard to adjust when a team looks so much better after halftime. But we did a good job stopping them in overtime."
Vikings CB Antoine Winfield
(On the defense today) "That first half, I thought we played a great game. We held them to no points, but we didn't sustain in the second half. In the fourth quarter, I think we gave up too many points for us to take that next step we can't do that."
(On the defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter) "I really don't know, they were throwing passes and their receivers made some good catches. I have to give them the credit. They were at home and they are a tough-playing team."
(On if the team matured from the victory) "I don't know how it was in the past, but we could have easily folded. We didn't and we came out with a win."
(On running back Mewelde Moore) "He's a good player. He's young but we don't treat him like that. Every time he steps out on the field, he makes plays for us."
(On Marcus Robinson dropped reception in overtime) "I was in Buffalo and we did the same thing, but we lost. I think this team grew up from this game. We are young and we will definitely get better."
Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper
(On overtime victory) "We had to fight. It was a 60-minute plus game, and it was a great game. It's a great feeling. We will get back home and enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we'll get ready for New Orleans."
(On confidence to go back to Marcus Robinson for winning TD) "Robinson is a veteran and I'm definitely going to go back to him in those types of situations. I know nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes. It's what you do after you make those mistakes. If we would've been worried about those mistakes two years ago, we would have broken our backs. When a play like that happens, you just have to put it behind you and go to the next play."
(On the Vikings offensive game plan) "Coach Linehan (Offensive Coordinator) does a great job of keeping defense off balanced. We also have to give a lot of credit to the front line. Those guys stepped up and gave key blocks for me to look down the field and give the ball to Randy Moss."
(On WR Randy Moss) "He makes my job a lot easier. The thing I said before, Randy Moss is the best player in the league, in my opinion. He gets a lot of attention, so that gives guys like Marcus Robinson, Kelly Campbell, and Nate Burleson more of an opportunity to make plays."
(On RB Mewelde Moore) "I love him. He's a gamer. He came into training camp not wide-eyed like most rookies do. He came in ready to play. I take my hat off to him. He received the game ball and that's well deserved."
