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Members of both teams spoke to the media after the Texans' 23-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints that moved Houston to 5-5 for the first time in franchise history.

Houston Texans

Texans owner Bob McNair

(on today's Texans win) "Well, I think it's tremendous for us. We've gone through a tremendous number of injuries, and the team has just kept battling. It would have been very easy to give in to it. Instead, they just keep going, and here we are at a point where we're still in the hunt, and I just couldn't be any prouder of them."

(on whether being in the playoff hunt is uncharted territory for the Texans) "It is, and it's going to be an exciting November and December for us, and our team is playing very well."

(on former President George Bush's order for the Texans to win this game) "That worked. I'm glad that he gave that executive order, and I told him that it's his responsibility to keep it up now."

(on the Texans coaching staff) "I think they're just doing a great job because they keep the morale up, and I think you saw we played with great enthusiasm. He (Head Coach Gary Kubiak) had them ready to play. That's the coach's primary responsibility. I just thought it was great. I thought the second half, we went out and didn't have any turnovers, they turned it over once, and I think those turnovers probably were the ballgame."

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak

(on what it means to be 5-5)  "It's exciting right now. I made the comment at Oakland that one thing I'd like to see happen is see this franchise and this football team play some real big games down the stretch, and see these players and people experience what that's like.  We work really hard.  It didn't look good a few weeks ago, but we worked really hard to get to the point we're at.  We're excited about moving forward.  We've got to take them one at a time and continue to try to clean ourselves up regardless of who we're playing, and I think if we can do that we'll be very competitive."

(on the return of WR Andre Johnson)  "Just his presence on the team is unbelievable.  You could feel it in the stadium when Andre Johnson is on the field. It was important and very hard for us as coaches, to not only have him, but to make sure we only played him for about 35 or 40 plays.  It would have been easy to play him the whole game.  I think we accomplished that.  He's the heart and soul of this franchise, not just this team. That's what he means to everybody.  To you guys, to me, the locker room.  We all know that.  He's fought the good fight for a long, long time, so it was good to see him play well today."

(on the second quarter pass to WR André Davis) "He lost the ball.  He just lost it in the lights.  We were actually tied into another route and told (QB) Matt (Schaub) that if you get what you want with André, put it up, and he did, and André just looked back and just lost the ball.  It's unfortunate.  The good thing right now, we've got four guys right now that we could spread the football field and he (QB Matt Schaub) could go to any of them, and they're capable of making big plays.  That's very positive for us as we move forward."

(on the play of DE Mario Williams) "I'm so proud of him.  I just stopped by his locker on my way over here.  He's been playing well.  He's been playing hard and he's been working hard.  He's been very solid.  He doesn't have a lot of sacks, but he's a damn good football player right now.  I think today is probably as good as he's played since he's been here.  He's consistent.  He's been getting a lot of respect around the league and from his teammates, and should only get better."

(on the Texans defensive strategy against Saints RB Reggie Bush)  "We didn't do anything special.  When you've got time on your hands as coaches, sometimes that's the worst thing you can have.  We've had two weeks to prepare for this game.  It would have been easy to go over a game plan or over-analyze something, and the thing that we came to grips with is that we really need to concentrate on ourselves.  We were really simple.  We didn't do a lot of things on defense.  We played a lot of zone, and our game plan was to rally and tackle, and tackle, and tackle, and I think that's what we did and eventually we got a few turnovers."

(on the defense creating turnovers) "I think we won some one-on-ones.  (Saints QB) Drew (Brees) is going to get rid of the football.  He's not going to hold the ball.  He's the least-sacked guy in the league, and sometimes that can be depressing for a D-line as they go into a game thinking ‘God, this guy gets rid of the ball.'  What we told them is ‘Let's come out of the game and see if we can disrupt him.  We don't have to sack him.  Let's disrupt him, let's get our hands up, let's bat a few balls.'  I think that's what we accomplished."

(on the Texans defense and secondary play today)  "First of, (FS) Von (Hutchins) goes to corner, (FS) Will (Demps) starts his first game, (CB) Fred (Bennett) starts his second game as a pro, so you look back there and if you look at the picture you'd say maybe this doesn't look so good, but what you've got is guys that are playing well as a group.  I think (defensive coordinator) Richard (Smith) deserves a lot of credit, and the defensive coaches for settling them down, telling them ‘Hey, this is what we're going to do. We're going to be simple, we're not going to put you on an island out there, we're going to rally, and we're going to tackle.'  I think they had a lot of confidence in what we were doing defensively and played the scheme very well."

(on the third down screens to RB Ron Dayne) "We started to get a little blitz and a little man.  The one screen that we missed Ronnie on, (K) Kris (Brown) made the big field goal.  We ran a crossing type of screen.  We had the perfect call.  I thought Ronnie got grabbed.  I thought we should have gotten a call right there.  That was the exact defense we wanted.  We changed up a little bit because of some of the things they were doing.  On a couple of big fourth downs, we miss one, we make one.  We have a lot of confidence in him.  He makes plays for our team, and there at the end of the game he really took the game on his shoulders and ran the ball well."

(on the challenge in the first quarter) "The thing I'm mad about, first off, is that (TE) Owen (Daniels) blows his nose up on that play.  He's got a broken nose.  He's out.  Yes, he did fumble, but my contention was that he had the ball.  He had the ball next to his leg with his hand on the ball.  The play was over.  They did reach down there and grab it away from him.  I told (Referee) Mike (Carey) that not only do we think his knee might be down, but he's got the ball.  The play is over.  I'll have to go back and look at it, but I thought that the play was over, the kid was out, and he had the ball next to his side.  I thought it should have been our ball.  But, obviously they said I was wrong."

(on winning the last two games after struggling for a few games)  "That's part of the league.  I know that's probably not the answer you're looking for, but I've been doing this a long time, and I've seen teams get really, really hot.  It's not all soft.  And I've seen teams go through some real rough times, and if you panic as a coach, and panic as players, you're never going to move forward.  I told them we'll have to go through good times and bad times to become a good, competitive team in this league, and to reach the goals that we want to reach in the future.  And we will have to go through a lot of stuff.  We'll just weather the storm.  We start playing a little better, and we've still got to play better as we move into these last six (games).  Not turning the ball over is the number one key."

(on the first two fumbles)  "It scares the heck out of me because we haven't played in two weeks.  That's the one thing that's hard to simulate in practice.  You don't want to go out there and beat the heck out of each other in practice.  We did put our pads on on Thursday.  You preach to the guys that you haven't been tackled, you haven't been hit in two weeks, and to protect the ball.  It scares the heck out of you.  I think the key was that our defense got a few, so nobody panicked, and we cleaned it up in the second half."

(on the Texans' tackling)  "I thought we tackled pretty good.  Number one, that's the toughest kid in the league to tackle.  He (Saints RB Reggie Bush) is something.  I thought we rallied to the ball pretty good and tackled."

(on whether or not he challenged DE Mario Williams this week in practice) "I haven't felt that way.  I've been so impressed with how the kid is working and playing.  Something clicked in Mario earlier this season.  He's just become a more consistent player.  Mario takes scout team. Mario loves practice.  Mario enjoys playing.  I think he's gotten rid of all that pressure and all the things that came with being the first pick, and he just wants to play good football, and I think he's come to grips with that and is why he is a good player."

(on being able to count on K Kris Brown from anywhere on the field)  "At that stage in the game, I even thought about punting it because we would give them the ball basically at midfield if you don't make it, and Kris looked at me and said ‘I'm fine, let's go.'  So, I told him in the locker room that if you give me the thumbs up, we're going to let you kick it.  I have a lot of confidence in him."

Texans CB Fred Bennett

(on how much he has grown this season) "I've grown a lot, grown tremendously with the help of my teammates and coaches. With me being a rookie and they throwing me into the fire like that, they've been helping me out with everything, so I'm blessed to be in the situation I'm in."

(on whether he feels he belongs) "Yes, I definitely belong here. I'm just fortunate that they gave me the opportunity. The Texans believed in me, the other teams didn't, but that's fine. I'm just trying to put this on my shoulders."

(on the team's defensive effort in the second half) "I was very satisfied. I thought that our players went out and executed the game plan that our coaches put together real well."

(on whether he feels like a rookie) "Yeah, I'm still a rookie, but I'm just playing with a lot of confidence right now. My confidence level is real high, my coaches continue to believe in me, my teammates continue to fire me up and I just continue to make plays."

(on his injury during the game) "It was just a little cramp, that's all. Nothing I can't come back from, so I came in and got some IVs. I'm good."

(on how the secondary played in light of recent injury losses) "I think our secondary realized all week that they were talking about us all week, with a bunch of new faces, with me being a fourth-rounder, we playing with sixth-rounders and this and that. I thought that we just went out there and put it on our shoulders and said, ‘Hey, we're not going to be the weakest link.' Today, I think we went out there and did a great job."

(on if he will get in touch with CB Dunta Robinson after the game) "Yeah, I'll probably call him. I think he's still at rehab, but I'll give him a call and talk to him a little bit."

(on how big forcing three turnovers was) "Oh, it was real big. It gave our offense great field position all day. It was real big. Guys stepped up and made big plays."

(on what he'll say to CB Dunta Robinson) "Just let him critique my game a little bit. I know he's got a lot to tell me. I'm pretty sure he watched the game, so he'll critique me and I'll just continue to get better."

Texans TE Owen Daniels

(on the injury to his nose) "I broke my nose on the third play. They brought me here and cracked it back into place, bandaged it all up, and luckily I was able to get back out there and help out the team a little bit."

(on whether he doubted getting back in the game) "I didn't really know what was going on from the time that I got hit and when I came in here. I started feeling a little better when we were walking back out there and I was just trying to get my bearings and remember what was going on. After that I was fine to go back in."

(on whether he covered up the ball on his fumble) "I don't [remember]. I did see the replay. I don't know when I saw the replay, but guys were saying that I had it on my hip or on my leg. I didn't even know that they called it a fumble, honestly, until I got back out there, so I kind of feel bad about that. Hopefully that was a bad call."

(on his game ball for the win) "Yes, Coach [Kubiak] recognized me after the game. That was nice of him. I'm hideous now. Yeah, it was a good win for us overall."

(on how it feels to be back at .500) "Oh, it's great. To win right before our bye week and come back and get back to .500 is huge for us. I don't know what the other teams in our division did today. It's a cliché thing for us to say, but it's really a one-game-at-a-time thing. We've got six one-game seasons left, and we're on a little bit of a roll right now and we're trying to keep it going."

(on his physical appearance) "I'm hideous now, alright? Good thing I have a girlfriend already. Hopefully."

(on if he will still have a girlfriend after today) "Hopefully I still do. I don't know; I'll go see. After she sees me, she might have second thoughts."

(on being 5-5) "It feels good, just to be on this little two-game winning streak that we have. We've got things moving in the right direction and we've got our three phases, offense, defense, special teams, playing pretty well together. Just still had a couple mistakes with the turnovers today, but things are looking a little better. If we can clean that up, we'll be right on track."

Texans RB Ron Dayne

(on what the offense was able to get done) "Just being able to move the ball, that really helps a lot, keeping the defense off the field. And the line played real well. The receivers played great. So as long as we all play together, ain't no telling what we could do."

(on having a balanced attack) "It's great. Any time we get those long passes, that helps me out. Then I can get down there and run and try to run the clock out."

(on having WR Andre Johnson back) "It's great. Getting ‘Dre (Andre Johnson) back is a great thing, and the guys when ‘Dre was out held it down too, so getting ‘Dre back is a plus."

(on if they wore down the Saints defense) "I hope so. But the line, they kept pounding on them the whole game, and that's all we can ask from the line. They played a great game."

(how his performance) "I did OK. I think I could have did better just by finishing off a couple runs. Like on the third- or fourth-and-one, instead of stopping I should have just hit it up in there, so I take most of the blame for it, for our running game."

(on how he feels about teammates calling him the "Ron Dayne Train") "Whatever. As long as I can get out there and help the team play and win, it don't matter what they call me."

(on being back at .500) "It's great, just being able to get back to even, being able to get out there and play and having fun. We're out there having fun now, so that's the big thing."

(on being undefeated with WR Andre Johnson in the lineup) "Well, yeah, definitely. Just being able to like I said have fun – we kind of got away from that in those times when we were losing and we couldn't get the running game going or the passing game, but being out there having fun, it makes it a lot easier."

(on what was going through his mind during WR Andre Johnson's 73-yard touchdown reception) "Get off the field, because I was a little tired. But nah, I was just happy to see ‘Dre (Andre Johnson) back and being able to catch some balls like that."

(on having two big games in a row) "Well, it's good. I'm happy and just out there having fun. I'm glad the line is playing well; the whole team is playing well, so as long as we keep doing that, no telling where we can go."

(on if he was glad to have out-rushed the other Heisman Trophy winner in today's game) "Yes. I wish I would have scored, because I would've done the Heisman. But it was just good to be able to help the team win."

Texans S Will Demps

(on how the secondary played without CB Dunta Robinson) "It's a testament to just playing hard and everyone knowing what their assignment was and just playing fast. We knew that we had a challenge. The challenge was there, and we rose up to the challenge."

(on how they contained Saints RB Reggie Bush) "You know, if you just give him one [big] play, you should win. That's just a testament to everybody. We were hungry for this win, understanding as an organization we've never been .500, and we were excited about this opportunity and we took advantage of it in front of the fans. This is a time in November/December where we've got to win these games, and we showed up against a good team."

(on what they did to contain RB Reggie Bush) "We just played fast and hungry. You saw it out there. We just went out there and hit him before he ran. If you wait long, he's going to juke us. We just took a shot at him, knowing that everyone is going to meet us at the ball. We were hungry—it was time to go hunt."

(on shutting out the Saints in the second half) "That's the beauty of the NFL. Things happen, and we're excited. It's a testament to our coaches. The coaches really got us ready for it, and we were hungry and ready for the challenge. The media wrote us off. The challenge was there and guys being undrafted, being sixth-round [picks], a mix-matched defense, ‘Who's going to play corner, who's going to play nickel, who's playing safety.' We didn't buy into any of that, and it showed today."

Texans TE Joel Dreessen

(on Owen Daniels' injury and return to the game) "O.D. is a tough son of a gun. He got his nose shattered, he's all plugged up and he goes back out there. I admire the heck out of him."

(on his touchdown catch) "It was so much fun. It felt like the ball was in the air forever, but I just was thankful to get it, thankful to help my team take the lead at that point in the game—it was huge."

(on the unity of the tight ends) "We're all working hard and together as a group. We're all happy for each other—that's the great thing about us tight ends. Whoever is in there, who the ball goes to or however it works out, we're all happy for each other."

(on being considered a "TD" specialist with two in two games) "No, I doubt it, but I'll take the title if you want to give it to me."

(on the team getting back to 5-5 on the season) "I think it's huge. You want to be .500 or better—absolutely. That's the NFL for you. Now it's just a matter of doing like Coach Kubiak says, ‘Six one-game seasons left.' We've only got 43 days left in the regular season and this team can do some things it's never done before, and [we've] just got to take it one game at a time."

Texans DB Von Hutchins

(on how the defensive backs rebounded from injury losses) "That's what we're given right now. Guys stepped up, guys came out and we played hard and we played physical. We executed the gameplan to a ‘T.' The d-line is where the credit goes. Those guys came out, they rushed, they stopped the run, they came out of the stack and they were physical. It starts up front, and like I said, as long as we play as a team and play fast and physical, it's going to be a tough shot to beat us."

(on getting back to .500) "That's the point that this organization hasn't been to right now. It feels great. It feels good. We're in a tough division [and] we're at the bottom of the division, but as long as we work hard and keep playing well, we've got a shot."

Texans WR Andre Johnson

(on how he got open for his touchdown pass) "It was the same play we ran against Kansas City. They were in quarters coverage—both the safety and cornerback bit on the run fake. When I saw the safety run down, I knew it was a touchdown."

(on how it feels to be back) "It was fun—when I ran out of the tunnel and to hear the fans cheering for me and things like that. During warm-ups, all the guys were coming up to me, shaking hands, giving me hugs, and telling me welcome back. During the week, I really didn't feel it, but today there was so much emotion. I was just excited and ready to get back out there and play."

(on how he is seen as a team leader for the franchise) "When you think of a leader, you think of someone who talks a lot, but that is not me. I am more of a guy who leads by example. I try to go out and work hard every day, so that when guys are watching me they say, ‘Hey, this guy is out there giving it his all, and I should be out there doing the same thing.' That is how I lead."

(on saving his touchdown ball) "It is just something I said I was going to start doing. I want to start saving my touchdown balls. It's just something I want to do. I see a lot of other guys do it too, and I decided that I'm going to start saving mine."

(on if he feels like he picked up where he left off with QB Matt Schaub) "I think we did. It was about communication. I think our timing was a little off, but it has been a while since I've been on the field. It's not all going to happen in one week, but I think we communicated very well like we have in the past."

(on the overall performance by the offense and RB Ron Dayne) "Before that last drive, I went over to Ron and asked him if he was going to run us out of here, and he said, ‘Yeah, I've got you.' When it has come down to times like that, Ron has carried us on his back. I've never seen Coach Kubiak really get excited about a run, but when he got that run, Coach Kubiak got pretty pumped up, so that was exciting to see."

Texans DT Travis Johnson

(on how important their 5-5 record is right now) "It's never happened since I've been here, so it feels good. Right now, it feels great, and hopefully we build off of it and continue to get better."

(on if today was their best defensive effort of the year) "We got to look at the film, really, because right now you don't want to jump to any conclusions. We probably had some mistakes here and there, but you really have to look at the film and decide whether or not it was."

(on DE Mario Williams' play and the d-line's pressure) "Mario (Williams) was out there in a whole other world. He was in Super Mario World. Up up, down down, left right, B A, B A, you know what I mean. He was playing original Super Mario, just enjoying himself. When Mario goes, Amobi (Okoye) goes, and DeMeco (Ryans), and the nose guards, me and Jeff (Zgonina), and (Anthony) Maddox, everything goes. If we go up front, I think that everyone else goes."

(on pressuring the league's least-sacked QB in Drew Brees) "The defensive line is hungry to see who can get there first. I think that we all really challenged each other today, so that was a good thing."

Texans WR Jacoby Jones

(on his friends and family from New Orleans at the game) "They probably were cheering for me but Saints fans on the inside, but they know better."

(on if it feels good have be at .500) "Of course. We got Andre (Johnson) back and Schauby (Matt Schaub) came back, they played well. Special teams played well. Defense held up. We just had a great game today."

Texans DE N.D. Kalu

(on the Texans defensive line's performance) "We knew they were going to get the ball off quick, so we knew we weren't going to get a lot of sacks. (DE) Mario (Williams) did a great job getting the sack that caused the fumble. We just took it to another level because we wanted to make sure that everybody realizes that Mario Williams was the right pick."

(on the fact that the defense played well as a collective unit) "We started off in a nice battle, but as the game went on, we just felt the momentum; we just let the momentum carry us, and we never really got down after halftime. That's how we've got to play our games from here on out."

(on Texans WR Andre Johnson's presence) "He's definitely the leader of the team, he's the face of this franchise. For a guy to be out as long as he has, and for him to come back with a hundred yards receiving and a touchdown, he was a spark. Hopefully that spark is going to stay lit the rest of the season."

Texans LB DeMeco Ryans

(on playing well without CB Dunta Robinson) "We didn't think about it. We just knew we had to move on and guys had to step up in his position in making the plays, and I think our secondary did a great job. Fred (Bennett) made a lot of big plays, Von (Hutchins) with the interception. I mean, everybody was back there making plays today, so collectively we stepped up and took up the slack for Dunta (Robinson)."

(on stopping the run) "We knew t hey didn't live by the run. We knew they were going to try to throw it around a lot but we couldn't let them start running the ball and throwing the ball, so it was a good job by our defensive line of penetration and making plays in the backfield."

(on getting turnovers) "That's always a plus."

(on that impacting the game) "Definitely. You just see once we get those turnovers, the outcome of the game is a win for us. So it's definitely something we continue to focus on and hope that we get better at each week."

(on if he made adjustments with CB Dunta Robinson out) "No, we just play our defense. Everybody just steps up and makes their plays."

(on who would the Secretary of Defense with this being military day) "Secretary of Defense – I'd give it to Mario (Williams). Mario, he stepped up and made some huge plays for us. He had one of his best games, I think, and that's huge for him."

(on making RB Reggie Bush look pretty normal) "I mean, he's a great player. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he has the ability to make a lot of plays, but I think we contained him well and just funneled him out to the sidelines. So I think that was the key to it."

(on if that was the focus) "Oh, yes, definitely – you have to. The sideline never misses a tackle, so you keep him pinned in and push him out to the sideline, he can't make those big runs. You don't allow him to cut back and reverse field on you."

(on DE Mario Williams reading screen passes well) "We were definitely alert. We were alert for it. They're a big screen team, trying to get the ball in (Reggie) Bush's hands, and we knew that. So going in, we gave a screen alert and our d-line like I said, once again, they stepped up and played awesome against the screens."

(on getting back to .500) "It was big for us. This was a big game, a huge game for us, to get back to .500., to get sort of that roll of winning back up under our belts. So it's a good feeling going into the next week. We're rolling a little bit, just got to keep it up, pick it up, pick up the intensity and just keep getting better and we're just taking this thing one week at a time."

(on the defense looking more fired up) "We were definitely pumped up. We got a good week off, and I think that helped us out a lot. We refreshed. Guys were just flying around making plays with intensity. Like you said, the intensity was high, and we were having a lot of fun, though."

(on picking the team up without CB Dunta Robinson) "Well, I think it was very knowledgeable – everybody knew that in the back of their minds, but nothing was said about that. We kind of just let that slide and everybody knew that the corners knew that they had to step up and make plays, the safeties knew they had to make plays and all those guys did that today. Collectively, they stepped up and took over for Dunta (Robinson)."

(on how proud he is of the defense) "It's big for us. It's the type of games that we love to have and the kind of games that we set out to have and for us to go out and do that, execute well and make some big stops, I think that's huge for our defense, for the confidence that we have now, rolling. I think it's awesome for us."

(on if he could see this strong performance coming) "I just think the way our guys practice, I think everybody was honed in, everybody was focused. And guys just worked hard all week, and this is the outcome of when you work hard and you focus in on what you have to do as a defense not as opposed to what the offense is doing. But if we get like today, we executed well on the defensive side which we haven't been doing the past games, and that was the difference today."

Texans T Ephraim Salaam
 
(on the win today)  "It was huge for us. Just to see everybody pull together. We get those two guys back. (QB) Matt (Schaub) came back and did a hell of a job. (RB) Ron Dayne came in and had close to a 100 yards. The defensive line got after them. The defensive backs had been depleted by injuries, but they played well. Our linebackers, special teams everybody. When get good group effort especially coming off a bye week sometime you get a little rusty and we showed that a little bit in the first quarter, but the team came back together it phenomenal."

(on the emotional impact of WR Andre Johnson's touchdown)  "It was a sigh of relief. When things start going bad you have the tendency to say ‘here we go again'. But it just reconfirmed that if we do our job they couldn't stop us. That play to Andre was huge. It was his first time back from injury and (QB) Matt (Schaub) threw it to him for 60 or 70 yards. That lifted everybody up. The defense came out and they played better. We came out and we played better as an offensive unit. The coaches did a good job calling the plays."

(on being 5-5)  "We are still in the middle of the season. Every game is a must win for us. We don't want to celebrate on being 5-5 that's not good enough for us."

Texans QB Matt Schaub

(on the Saints blitzing during the game) "They started the game not really blitzing much. We thought they would come in and try to come after us a little bit and disrupt the pocket, but they didn't. Once we started to hit some plays down the field, that's when they decided to bring some pressure and bring fire with some of their linebackers. They opened up some holes for us to hit our tight ends and our receivers as well. There wasn't necessarily one guy that we wanted to go to—it just depended on the play and the route."

(on the difference of the Texans offense with WR Andre Johnson on the field) "He just brings a level of excitement. He's a playmaker, and he's one of the leaders on our football team. He's been doing good things for this league for a number of years. He lifts the level of play and the explosiveness of our offense. The guys that have been playing for him the past few weeks have made a lot of big plays, but he does bring a different level of excitement to this football team."

(on whether the offensive coaches in the press box noticed the formation run by the Saints that allowed the Texans to score the touchdown by WR Andre Johnson) "We had noticed a certain formation where they were running the same coverage on defense. We figured that if we were going to make the play, we had to make it right then. So we called the same formation and the same run fake we played before we had run the ball. Then we called the play action pass, we got the safety tied up, and Andre was able to get open down the field."

(on his health) "I feel great. I felt great out there and was really seeing the field well, but that is a result of ten guys around me playing tremendously as well. The game ball really goes to the offensive line for the job they did protecting me and opening up holes. Also, (RB) Ron Dayne finished the game with a tremendous effort on that last drive turning out yards.  The offensive line did a heck of a job. Of course, the defense also gets the game ball in my opinion. Holding an offense like that, as explosive as they are, and forcing those turnovers—that put us in a good situation."

(on whether the Saints defense played differently with WR Andre Johnson back) "They did a few different things. There were things that we had seen them do to (WR) Steve Smith when they played Carolina and other receivers of that caliber. We were anticipating them to give safety help to their cornerback that was covering Andre, and they did that in most situations."

(on if he was comfortable working the middle of the field) "Definitely, their linebackers are an aggressive bunch of veteran guys. We were able to get them on some play fakes and get (TE) Owen (Daniels) behind them on some crossing patterns. Despite his nose deal he had earlier in the game, he fought through that and made some plays for us."

Texans DE Anthony Weaver

(on the performance of DE Mario Williams)  "This is the way he's been playing all season. Especially today the plays came for him. When they came to him he made that play. I'm proud of him and happy for him, but he plays like this week in and week out."

(on the biggest defensive highlight today)  "I think the biggest thing we did was shutting down the run. With (RB) Reggie (Bush) out there he has the capability of making the big play. For us we had to shut down the run and make them one dimensional. That made for the defensive line to get after the quarterback more."

(on the defensive line performance today)  "I think we played hard and fast. We had two weeks to get ready for the game. We knew what to expect and the guys just played hard today."

(on being 5-5 on the season)  "I never thought that I'd be feeling great about being .500, but it feels tremendous and the thing about it we gave ourselves a chance. We have six games left and who knows what will happen."
 
(on giving themselves a chance at the playoffs)  "We have to (give ourselves a chance). Whenever you have a chance to get in the playoffs in this league you have to take advantage of it. Take it one week at a time and at the end hopefully we'll be in there."

Texans DE Mario Williams

(on his play this season)  "I'm just getting comfortable.  After everything I went through last year, it couldn't get any worse.  Pretty much just getting comfortable and going out and playing ball."

(on this being a ‘special' game because of RB Reggie Bush)  "I made a statement about that earlier this week because I had everyone asking me about it.  To me, we're playing the Saints, we're not playing one person. Obviously he's part of the team, and we've got to stop the run before we get to the pass and things like that, but the whole emphasis has been basically on (Saints QB) Drew (Brees).  When he's hot, he's hot.  So we had to stop the run and keep us in the game.  It wasn't like we were sitting there playing Reggie."

(on moving to a two-stance versus a three-stance)  "It was a little bit of both thrown in there, but a lot of times we had to stop the run, and maybe me standing up thinking it's going to be a pass, it might be a run, too, or something like that.  We had to kind of play it by ear and feel for it.  Sometimes I was up.  I don't know how many times, but I was up a few times this game, and a couple times I was down.  It is what it is, and it'll be as we go along."

(on being able to recognize more what other teams are doing)  "It's all about repetition.  And it goes back to being comfortable.  It's all about just seeing it, and seeing it, and when I was out there I just felt it and I went with it.  Like I said, having those reps in practice helped a lot."

(on the pressure the defensive line had on the Saints)  "This is a new season.  The first half of the season is over with, and we've all been having that on our minds.  Basically, this is our seven playoff games.  That's how we're going to take it.  One game at a time.  It's brand new.  Especially now that we're five-and-five.  It's brand new.  We know we've got to go get it, and we've got to make something happen.  We  have to turn the intensity up.  To us, the last half of the season is what's left.  We know what we've got to do to go out there and get it done."

(on if they can build on this win) "Most definitely.  The only thing that's left is to go backwards, and that's the last thing to think about."

(on if he prefers the left or the right side of the defensive line)  "I've always been a left defensive end.  It's just one of those things that here, I do what I've got to do.  If it's an adjustment where I have to play right, I'll play right.  To play left, I'll play left."

Texans T Eric Winston

(on Texans RB Ron Dayne's performance today and against Oakland) "That's Ronnie Dayne football right there. I think we need to get him 20 carries a game. Sometimes the game won't allow that, but he's at his best when he can just get carry after carry and just really punish defenses. That's how he's always been; Wisconsin, anywhere he's been, where he's as well. He's not a guy that you can just touch once, and think he's going to take one to the house. He's a guy that's just going to slowly wear down defenses, and he's just going to start popping those runs in the fourth quarter when you need them."

(on the momentum gained after the Texans first touchdown) "I think it's a matter of controlling the tempo of the game. (If) you look back at our wins, when we play well we control the tempo of the games, and that's what it's really all about. (If) you look back earlier this season when we were doing well, (if) you look back at Oakland, we're controlling the tempo of the game. When we do that, we put teams in a lot of places that they don't like to be. I think we do a good job of exploiting that."

(on what he thinks of the chances that the Texans could make the playoffs) "Why not? A team has got to get in the playoffs; it might as well be us. It's a one-game season. We're going to take it one game at a time. We know we've got to put some wins together, but there's two in a row? Let's go for three. That's the way we're looking at it. We're not worried about long term; we're just worried about Cleveland now. We got a good win against a good team. New Orleans has been hot of late; they won four of five coming into this, and we knew we needed to play well to beat them. I think we came out and played well, and I think we're going to have to play better to beat Cleveland. I think if we keep building on what we're doing, we're going to be fine."

(on having Texans QB Matt Schaub back in the lineup) "(Matt) Schaub's great. Matt's done an unbelievable job coming in, and just over the course of the season. He took a bad hit there and was out for a game. That's the great thing: (QB) Sage (Rosenfels) and Matt (Schaub) are a lot alike. There's not any drop-off really to me, especially in the way they can command the huddle, and their presence about themselves. So, we're lucky in that sense, but having Matt (Schaub) back there is always a lot of fun because he's going to hit those big passes, he's going to make the big play, and he always seems like he knows what's going on. He's real smart about the things he does, and you can't say enough about the guy. He steps up when he's supposed to, that's what I like, and he gets that ball off."

New Orleans Saints

Saints head coach Sean Payton

(on today's game) "Congratulations to Houston.  They did a good job of picking up plays today and winning the game.  It's a disappointing loss.  Without watching the tape, the penalties when they came, and the turnovers when they came was the difference in this game.  You're not going to win a lot of games when you fumble the ball on the one-yard line, a dropped ball interception in the red-zone going in, and another deflected interception.  If we don't get that corrected- regardless of the effort and all the other things you might do well throughout the game- those things are going to bring you down.  That is what's disappointing, that is what's hard to swallow about this game." 

(on the performance of the defense)  "I thought defensively, after the first half, we gave up some big plays and more yards than we would have liked in the game.  I thought we settled in pretty well.  I thought the defense handled some of the quick change possessions pretty well and got it together.  We gave up the big touchdown early in the game to go down 7-3, but my concern and my frustration is lack of points on offense.  We'll have to go back and look at the drives, look at when the penalties come up and when the turnovers come up and that's something that cost us today, clearly.  It's that simple.  I'm disappointed.  Again, credit goes to Houston.  They made the plays today to win."

(on his decision to call timeout before the last 4th down) "We were sending a guy in motion, we had a toss cracked on and I didn't feel real comfortable with the look we had and it was an important call.  When he went in motion, I quickly called timeout to change the look instead of running it, we changed to throwing it.  The look we were wanting, it was different.  I thought there were one too many guys over there so that was an important play at that time, obviously."

(on the Saints tendency to have a quick start and then fall behind) "This game started in a good fashion.  The first play of the game the ball was out and goes out of bounds.  The third or fourth play we recover a fumble and end up scoring a field goal.  We want to start quickly in every game.  That is important.  You want to start with tempo and you want to come out and score.  I thought defensively we came up with the turnover early in that first series and we came up with a field goal.  That is big to start a game.  They capitalized on the play action to (Houston WR Andre) Johnson and scored, so it really became a battle back and forth.  What's disappointing to me is being down on the one-yard line and coming away with nothing.  What's disappointing to me is being inside the 30, balls flying off of our hands and interceptions.  Those things to me are hard to swallow.  What's disappointing to me are the penalties- not that many of them- but when they came, they hurt us."

(on the fumble by RB Reggie Bush) "Here's the problem, once it was called a fumble, based on the tape that all of you saw, you knew nothing was going to be overturned because it's a scrum in there.  When that happens, generally the ruling on the field is going to stand, but I can't tell right now.  We challenged it, but I think it's going to be hard for the official to overturn that.  It was ruled a fumble and remained a fumble.  Until we see the film or another angle, it's just disappointing.  We had a decent run on second down and it was going to be third-and-one and you don't get that back.  It's seven points."

(on his decision to go for it on fourth-and-ten) "It was at the 35-yard line and I felt like the end result wasn't going to have a lot of risk involved.  We were getting a fairly decent amount of cover-two and I felt like we had a pretty good play.  I just didn't feel like it was that risky of a call."

(on why he didn't considering letting K Olindo Mare try for a field goal instead) "He had made one early and the one he made was close.  This one I believe was a little further.  That was really the decision.  I felt like we needed to score, but in my own mind I knew we weren't going to punt it.  It was either kick the field goal or go for it and I chose to go for it."

(on RB Reggie Bush's performance today) "I'll have to see the tape.  To be honest with you, he had some missed assignments today that bothered me.  I thought he had a couple of drops and the fumble.  It wasn't good enough.  I think he'd tell you that as well.  He needs to play better and well look at the tape.  We had a couple opportunities in the passing game and the ball came out in the running game.  I think he can play better."

(on whether or not TE Eric Johnson is playing with a lack of concentration) "I will have to go back and look at it.  It's not really like him.  It was tough."

(on if there are frustrations up to this point in the season with RB Reggie Bush's performance) "I think that during that stretch when we were winning some games he was able to come up with some big plays for us.  These guys are pretty good against the run.  They came up with some big plays defensively.  That being said, there were some opportunities today where he was lost in space.  There wasn't a lot of pressure from their defense today.  Again, it gets back to the turnovers.  We can talk about everything else we want to, but when you turn the ball over like that inside the red-zone- those are possessions.  You only get so many throughout the game and if all of a sudden you go from not scoring anything to giving them the football- it's pretty simple."

(on his decision to not allow DE Charles Grant to play today) "I listed him Friday as questionable.  We worked him out this morning and felt like it was at the point where my concern is he goes out and plays half a game and then suffers a setback.  It was a concern of him backing up and not being quite ready.  He practiced all week, but still struggled with planting off.  It was my concern about losing him for two more weeks because he wasn't a hundred percent.  He wanted to go, but I think it was in the best decision that we waited."

Saints QB Drew Brees

(on his thoughts on the game) "To walk away with only 10 points is just ridiculous.  Especially that first half, we fumbled the ball on the one-yard line, that should be a touchdown.  Then, we are driving and we get the tip interception.  I felt like we were moving the ball. We were in the flow and on our way to scoring a touchdown there.  You walk away from the first half with 10 points and it very easily could have been 24.  I don't think anyone would argue that.  We came out in the second half and couldn't seem to get anything going.  It was very disappointing.  I felt especially in the second half our defense played great and gave us a lot of opportunities. We just didn't capitalize on any of them."

(on the fumble on the one-yard line) "That is huge, it huge.  Especially since that would be to answer their score.  We get the field goal to start the game after our defense gets us the fumble.  Then they get the big play to make it 7-3.  Then it is our opportunity to come down to answer their score and get the momentum back on our side.  Then, all of sudden momentum gets shifted right back around. That can not happen."

(on the dropped passes by TE Eric Johnson)  "It happens to the best of them.  Eric is guy that does not drop many balls.  He has been one of the more sure handed guys on our team.  He is a very prideful guy.  He works very hard at it.  So, I understand that at times those things happen and it is unfortunate at the times that it did happen.  In one instance we are on our way to scoring a touchdown. In the other case, we are going down to tie the game.  Those are unfortunate."

(on the Texans' defensive strategy) "They were defending the deep pass.  They were playing very conservative most of the game defensively.  They were occasionally playing some man and occasionally playing some pressure.  For the most part, they were going to make us earn everything we got.  Obviously, that worked out well for them today because they made us march to the one yard line then fumble.  Then march it again and get the tip interception at the 20-yard line.  That strategy worked for them."

(on opponents defenses defending you the same way each week)  "Last week, St. Louis' defense was completely different.  Each defense has there M-O.  It is what they do.  It depends on who their defensive coordinator is and who their personnel is and that is what they do. Then, they work that in on defending your offense.  What we got from the Texans today is pretty much what we expected, and we were ready for some other things if they would have done it.  For the most part, it was a very sensible game plan on their part."

(on the play of DE Mario Williams) "He is a big physical looking guy.  I thought he played well.  He came up with the sack fumble at the end of the half.  I thought that was big for them.  I thought if we get some two minute offense going that we could go down and maybe get a field goal, instead it kind of flips around and they get the field goal.  That was a big play and as far as the rest of the game I thought he made some plays in the run game and I thought he played well."

Saints RB Reggie Bush

(on the goal line fumble) "I thought it was a bad call. I haven't seen the tape yet, but I honestly felt like it was way after the play and they pulled it out when I was getting up. When the referee came in and ruled it a fumble there has to be good evidence to overturn it. That's the way it works. If I felt like it was a fumble I would have been scrambling for it."

(on the excitement surrounding this game) "I look forward to playing well every game. I definitely made a lot of mistakes this game. Whether it was a fumble or not, that was definitely a mistake and some dropped passes that hurt us and some mental errors that we've got to correct. It's three quarters into the season and we're still making these mental errors. It's definitely something we've got to work on and correct."

(on the loss) "We had opportunities to make plays and for one reason or another we had mental errors that really hurt us and some dropped passes that hurt us, fumbles, interceptions. All that added up and that's why we lost today."

(on losing two straight) "It's very frustrating. These last two games were tough to swallow because we fought so hard to get to .500 and we're back to two games down. I don't think we're out of it yet, but we have to win out."

(on the Texans' run defense) "They did a good job today getting penetration with their D-linemen and really just creating havoc for us within the running game and not giving us a chance to get started out the back."

(on DE Mario Williams) "He did a good job. The whole defense did a good job, and I wasn't really worried about one guy. At the end of the day there are 11 guys on that defense and that's what we needed to focus on not just one guy. Other than that, the defense, you've got to give them credit. They stopped us."

Saints WR Marques Colston

(on losing two in a row) "We've been at this point already in this season. We know how to deal with it. It's just a matter of going back to the drawing board and correcting mistakes and coming out ready to play next week."

(on not going deep in the passing game) "Today they sat back in the zone for the most part and made us throw the ball underneath and we were able to do that. We just beat ourselves with turnovers and some of the drops. I had two, myself. It's just back to the drawing board."

Saints DE Charles Grant

(On sitting out the game) "I've got a lot of respect for the coach. He wants me at 100 percent, right now I'm at 85 percent. In the long run I feel like it's going to be good for us."

(On the rest of the season) "We've got six more games. Last year we were 10-6. This football team should be somewhere around 12-4, 10-6 where we were last year. We can do that. Don't count these guys out. These guys work hard. The last two weeks I've been sitting on the sideline these guys have been putting in the effort day in and day out to get this football team to be successful. 10-6 is a reachable goal. For us right now it's just week by week. The most important thing is to just take care of the next game."

Saints LB Scott Fujita

(on the offense and defense not playing in sync) "We're just back to that mode of not playing very good complimentary football. Until we can do that again we're not going to win any games."

(on the loss) "They're all frustrating, but this one right now feels pretty hard. It's just having that chance and doing nothing with it. That's frustrating."

Saints T Zach Strief

(on going against DE Mario Williams) "He is a good player.  He is a number one pick for a reason.  He has got a lot of power.  For how big he is, he is very athletic.  He is a challenge."