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Practice report: Backups describe preparedness

By Drew Dougherty
December 9, 2009 Comments (0) | Avg. Rating
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Schaub talks shoulder, run game  Share This

The Texans practiced outside at the Methodist Training Center Wednesday, and they did so without running back Steve Slaton who was put on the injured reserve. For today's injury report, click here.

Running back spot: With Slaton done for the year, the bulk of the carries now go to Chris Brown and Ryan Moats, with rookie Arian Foster and Chris Henry also figuring into the mix since they're on the 53-man roster. Head coach Gary Kubiak expects Brown will start, like he did against Jacksonville.

"I think we stay the way we are with what we're doing," Kubiak said. "I'd just like to come out of this game with Foster getting some touches on the ball and so we'll get him ready to play."

Moats, who is still the only Texans back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game this season said he and the rest of the ball-carriers on the team take it personally that they haven't been able to achieve a sustained level of success.

"Of course, it's our job. It's our passion," Moats said. "This is what we've been doing since we were little kids, so of course you want to be successful in the run game. We're going to keep working to do that."

Moats said it doesn't matter if he starts or is a backup, he approaches his job the same way.

"I prepare even when I'm not playing," Moats said. "I prepare like I'm going to play. You just have to be patient about it and know you're role and play your role and your time will come. When I'm called, I go out there and run as hard as I can every time, ever play."

Foster was brought on to the active roster from the practice squad on November 17, and he explained Wednesday what the coaches told him about his role on Sunday versus the Seahawks.

"This is what we've been doing since we were little kids, so of course you want to be successful in the run game. We're going to keep working to do that."

-RB Ryan Moats
"They said I'm going to play," Foster said. "Whether that means 70 snaps or five snaps, I'm going to go out there and play every snap like it's my last."

Schaub on shoulder: Despite dislocating his left shoulder Sunday against Jacksonville, Matt Schaub practiced Wednesday with the rest of the team. The shoulder was set back in place by Dr. Walter Lowe during the first half of the Jaguars' contest, and Schaub described the process.

"I'm sure there are more painful things but when it goes from being popped to put back in, yeah, it's a pretty painful exercise," Schaub said. "But once it's back in it's a pretty big relief."

Returning to action despite the pain and the injury impressed many of his teammates, including the ones on the defense.

"Man, that was big," defensive end Antonio Smith said. "That was big. For your teammates to see you do that is big. When I saw him go down, it looked like he was in pain. He was in pain and then I thought he was pretty much done, and then he came back in the second half and pretty much brought us back in it."

Johnson motivation: In the locker room Wednesday, wide receiver Andre Johnson spoke to reporters for quite a bit of time and answered a variety of questions about motivation. No matter the record, no matter the time of year, Johnson said he's focused on winning the next ballgame and doing everything in his power to make that happen.

"We can't worry about playoffs or anything like that," Johnson said. "You just have to be focused on the task at hand. And that's the only way that you'll find a way to get through it."

Johnson also added that the margin between winning and losing this season, has been razor-thin.

"I don't think that it's far off," Johnson said of the Texans becoming a playoff-team. "We just have to find a way to close out games. If we did close games out this season, we'd be in a totally different situation right now. I don't think it's far away at all."

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