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Wilson to miss rest of season with toe injuries

By Nick Scurfield
November 25, 2009 Comments (0) | Avg. Rating
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The Texans will finish the season without starting free safety Eugene Wilson, who was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. Wilson injured two toes in his left foot during the team's 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football.

"It looks like he's going to have to have surgery," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "The way I understand it, there are two toes that are affected that need to be surgically repaired."  

Wilson left Monday's game with the injury after making a tackle in the third quarter. Safety John Busing replaced Wilson in the lineup and tallied three tackles and a controversial horse-collar penalty on running back Chris Johnson.

Busing is expected to take Wilson's place in the starting lineup against the Colts on Sunday.

"I think that's, right now, where we go," Kubiak said. "I think you'll see us play probably a variety of guys, but that's the immediate response."

Second-year safety Dominique Barber, who has not played since injuring an ankle at Buffalo, also will be called upon to step up in Wilson's absence.

"He has played very, very well for us... We'll miss him, but we have to adjust."

Head coach Gary Kubiak
Wilson had 28 tackles this season and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. After recovering from a preseason knee injury that caused him to miss the season opener, he had been a key part of the defense's resurgence after the first month of the season.

"It's definitely tough to lose a guy like Eugene," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "He's a veteran, and most quarterbacks don't know where he's going to be on the field because he moves around a lot before the ball's snapped. We're going to miss that."

Wilson originally joined the Texans as an unrestricted free agent on Sept. 3, 2008, after five seasons with the New England Patriots. He finished third on the team with 63 tackles and intercepted two passes in 2008, then re-signed with the Texans during the offseason.

"He has played very, very well for us and was a tremendous pick-up for us last year," Kubiak said. "We'll miss him, but we have to adjust. JB (Busing) will come in and do a good job, and hopefully Barber's healthy enough to come in and help us, too."

The Texans have signed veteran free agent safety Brian Russell to take Wilson's spot on the active roster. Russell (6-2, 210), an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State in 2001, was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 21.

Russell spent time with the Minnesota Vikings (2002-04), Cleveland Browns (2005-06) and Seattle Seahawks (2007-08) before playing nine games with Jacksonville this season. He recorded two defensive tackles and one special teams stop in the Jaguars' 31-24 victory over the Texans in Week 3 at Reliant Stadium.

Follow Nick Scurfield on Twitter at twitter.com/NickScurfield or find him on the "I'm A Texan Club" at imatexan.com/profiles/Nick_Scurf/.

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