I post Texans updates on Twitter after every practice as soon as the media hears from Texans coach Gary Kubiak. You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NickScurfield.

In case you're not down with Twitter, here are my daily "Tweets from after practice."

• After practice today, Kubiak had one response to repeated questions about Titans trash talk: "I'm just trying to get my team ready to play." (23 minutes ago)

• Jacoby Jones did a little more special teams work today but again sat out rest of practice. Cushing returned to practice (15 minutes ago)

Look for more in our HoustonTexans.com practice report later this afternoon.

If you believe in the concept of "bulletin board material," the Titans provided plenty of it in comments reported by Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean yesterday.

Wyatt shared a few nuggets from Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck on the Texans:

"We are talking about a team that has never even sniffed the playoffs before, so I guess when they beat us or other teams in the (division) it is like a playoff game. It was only the second game of the season but I thought it was for the AFC Championship."

"We are really looking to coming down to Houston and destroying all playoff hopes and aspirations they have.''

"They are like our fourth or fifth cousins, we don't really acknowledge them."

And then there's this from tight end Bo Scaife, a former Texas Longhorn, as reported by the Houston Chronicle's John McClain:

“We owe them, and they know we owe them, and every time we play them, this is the biggest game of their season, or so they say,”

And from Chris Johnson, who ran for 197 yards and two scores against the Texans in Week 2:

“I was kind of upset I didn't get 200 yards. I'm going to try and get that. I think I'm unstoppable.”

Lost in the trash talk coming out of Nashville yesterday was arguably the quote of the year as far as the Texans' locker room is concerned.

Defensive end Antonio Smith was asked about a prediction by Titans running back Chris Johnson that Tennessee would win its last 10 games and finish 10-6.

“That's the first I've ever heard of it," Smith said. "A lot of people make predictions. We’ve got to just see if he’s going to be a Nostradamus or a Cleo.”

“A Cleo?” asked Mark Berman of FOX 26. “You need to define that for me. Nostradamus, I know who that is.”

Smith smiled.

“Cleo is an old fake psychic that used to be on the psychic network,” he said. “Used to say she could tell your future, then they found out she was a fake. I think he’s going to be a Cleo.”

Defensive end Jesse Nading has been re-signed to the Texans' practice squad, the team announced today. Nading was released on Tuesday to make room on the active roster for rookie running back Arian Foster.

A second-year player out of Colorado State, Nading was on the Texans' practice squad all season before being called up to the 53-man roster on Nov. 11. He played in one game, against the Colts on Nov. 8, with his primary duties coming on special teams.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said on Tuesday that Foster played well on special teams in the preseason. After Thursday's practice, Kubiak also said there's a chance that Foster could get involved on offense against the Titans on Monday.

Now presenting the Thursday edition of "Tweets from after practice." I post Texans updates on Twitter after every practice as soon as the media hears from Texans coach Gary Kubiak. You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NickScurfield.

• Jacoby Jones was very limited in practice today. Kubiak called him day-to-day and said WR Glenn Martinez would return punts if he can't go (about 1 hour ago)

• Cushing (foot) did not practice for precautionary reasons. Kubiak said he might return to practice tomorrow (about 43 minutes ago)

Look for more in our HoustonTexans.com practice report later this afternoon.

Just got done a little while ago with conference calls with Titans running back Chris Johnson and head coach Jeff Fisher. We'll have the full transcript of Fisher and Johnson's respective interviews on HoustonTexans.com this afternoon.

Fisher talked about the team's roller-coaster season and about returning to the city in which he once coached the Oilers.

Johnson, the league's leading rusher, was a bit more colorful in his interview. I asked him if he stands by his prediction that the Titans will win their last 10 games to finish 10-6.

"Yeah, I’m still standing by that prediction," he said. "Ten and six, that’s going to be our record."

Before that, Johnson discussed how he expects quarterback Vince Young to change the complexion of Monday's game.

"The first time we played them, Kerry Collins was starting," Johnson said. "They’re going to prepare for Vince this time, so it’s a little advantage because I don’t think they’re sure what they’re facing because they haven’t played with me and Vince in the game at the same time."

The Titans are 3-0 with the running tandem of Johnson and Young on the field together this season. The Texans will counter with what has been the league's No. 1 run defense since Week 4.

UPDATE (12:32 p.m.): Here's the full transcript of Johnson's interview.

Monday Night Football comes back to Reliant Stadium for the second time in 2009, and the second time during a regular season. Mario Williams has been a beast in prime time games and he (along with DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing and Company) will try to slow down Chris Johnson.

Don't forget that there's a game tomorrow night between the Dolphins and Panthers. Make sure you set your fantasy lineups.

The 2010 Houston Texans Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar is out, and we've got the video to prove it!

Happy 53rd Birthday to Warren Moon.

As he has continued to play at an elite level and the Texans have improved in recent seasons, wide receiver Andre Johnson has been getting the widespread recognition and acclaim that many Texans fans feel is long-overdue.

That trend was apparent today, when the NFL released the top vote-getters for the 2010 Pro Bowl with five weeks of voting remaining (cast your vote here).

The list showed that Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowler, currently has the ninth-most Pro Bowl votes of any NFL player. He has more votes than any wide receiver in the AFC. Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals is the only receiver in the NFL with more votes, with 328,451 to Johnson's 279,395.

Here's the list, courtesy of the NFL:

NFL ALL-STAR TOP-TEN VOTE-GETTERS

 
The league also released the current leading vote-getters at each position in both conferences. Johnson was the only Texan on the AFC list, which means Texans fans have plenty of voting left to do over the next month or so:

AFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS

Back from the bye week, here's my first post-bye week edition of "Tweets from after practice." I post Texans updates on Twitter after every practice as soon as the media hears from Texans coach Gary Kubiak. You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NickScurfield.

• Texans just finished first practice after the bye. Will practice again tomorrow, get Wednesday off, then return to normal routine for MNF (about 3 hours ago)
• TE James Casey returned to practice today. Kubiak: He was "a little bit limited, but everything looked good" (about 3 hours ago)
• Kubiak said the bye week helped Cushing (foot) and Mario Williams (shoulder). Both practiced today. Jacoby Jones (calf) did not practice (about 3 hours ago)

Look for more in our HoustonTexans.com practice report later this afternoon.

My blog will be on vacation for the rest of the bye week, as I'm taking a much-needed vacation myself to Los Angeles to watch my beloved USC Trojans play Stanford on Saturday.

In the meantime, we've got plenty of content set to go up on HoustonTexans.com. Check out our Top 5 Plays at midseason, and be on the lookout for our HoustonTexans.com Midseason Awards.

I'll be back to work on Monday. Happy bye week to all.   

The Pro Bowl is still a few months on the horizon (cast your vote here), but several Texans look like they’re well on their way to Miami for the NFL’s annual all-star game.

A few of them received midseason recognition today from various national media analysts. Here’s a recap:

Pro Football Weekly 2009 Midseason All-Pro Team
Wide receiver Andre Johnson represents the Texans on the list, which is compiled by the PFW editors and can be found in the current edition of Pro Football Weekly (Vol. XXIV, No. 18, issue date Nov. 15, 2009), now available on newsstands everywhere.

“Many talent evaluators will tell you Johnson is the AFC's most gifted receiver,” PFW says. “With great size and strength, plus the speed to get deep, Johnson is a game-changer who presents a constant challenge for defenses. He also possesses a work ethic that makes him want to get better each and every week, a rare trait in a league filled with more than a few divas at the position.”

Peter King’s Midseason All-Pro Team & Awards
Johnson gets the nod for King’s All-Pro Team. “Matt Schaub's go-to guy dominates with speed and muscle,” King writes. King also gives honorable mention to tight end Owen Daniels for his blistering start to the season.

Best offensive player: Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. “Upset special: leads NFL in yards, AFC in TD passes,” says King.

Best defensive rookie: Texans linebacker Brian Cushing. King: “Like rookie DeMeco Ryans in '06, making a mega impact at LB in Houston.”

Don Banks’ NFL Midseason Report
SI.com’s Banks hands out his midseason NFL awards, including Defensive Rookie honors to Cushing. He explains:

“As difficult as it is to overlook Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, whose seven interceptions are tied for the league lead, Cushing's play has been a difference-maker for 5-4 Houston. He's second in the league in tackles with 78, and his two interceptions, 1½ sacks, two forced fumbles and one safety has helped lift the Texans into playoff contention.”

John P. Lopez’s Outside the Box MVP: Six dominant players worthy of consideration
The SI.com contributor and SportsRadio 610 morning host offers six unconventional suggestions for MVP.

One of them is Johnson, of whom Lopez writes the following:

“On the day Andre Johnson is inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame -- and he will be one day -- there's a video clip from the Texans' Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals that MUST be showed. It captures every detail of what makes this wide receiver so great.

“Johnson separated himself from the Cards' best cornerback. He crossed into coverage over the middle. He caught the ball and immediately took a full-speed, shoulder-down shot from 250-pound Arizona linebacker Gerald Hayes.

“But it was Hayes who bounced off and crumbled to the ground. Johnson then turned toward the end zone and lowered his head into safety Antrel Rolle, who fell face-first into the turf…”

I'll be starting my weekly live chat in a couple of minutes. Come on by with any questions; I'll be around to answer them for the next hour, until 2 p.m. CT.

Click here to submit a question.

During his weekly Monday afternoon press conference today, Texans coach Gary Kubiak was asked several questions about running back Larry Johnson. Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler, was released today by the Kansas City Chiefs. He had been suspended twice by the team in the past 12 months.

I Tweeted an update on this during the presser, but here's a full transcript of the Q&A regarding Johnson. It shows the full context of what Kubiak said about the 29-year-old running back.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak
(on if they have any interest in RB Larry Johnson) “Obviously, I think when a name like that comes on the free agent market like today, we’ll obviously go back and take a look at him just like any other player. But obviously, he’s been a good player in this league, and I’m sure he’ll get a lot of interest from a lot of people.”

(on if that means they’re interested) “I think that means we will take a look at him. That’s what that means.”

(on RB Larry Johnson having issues on field and off the field and why they are interested in him knowing all that) “Well, your question was, ‘Would we take a look at him?’ And I said, ‘Yes, we would, because he’s a free agent and he’s out there.’”

(on if they are interested in signing RB Larry Johnson) “I don’t know. We’d have to take a look at him first and evaluate him.”

(on if they need a guy who can do what RB Larry Johnson can do) “Larry Johnson’s a good football player, and we’re going to take a hard look at him.”

Check back on HoustonTexans.com later this afternoon for more on the contents of Kubiak's press conference.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak will address the media in his weekly press conference today at 3:30 p.m. CT. Watch it live on Texans TV.