Head coach Gary Kubiak addressed the media on Saturday following the Texans 27-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Texans opened the preseason with a road win for the second consecutive year and won their third straight preseason opener.
"Yeah, we did some good stuff," Kubiak said of Friday night's win. "Obviously, things are never as good as you think they are when you go back and watch the film. There were plenty of mistakes and we can get better. We have a lot of ability out there. DeAndre (Hopkins) showed, like I said, ended up making a play just like he's being making in the whole camp. There are so many things he's going to get better from watching this tape."
Offensively, the trio of Texans quarterbacks combined for a total of 31-for-44 for 310 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 105.3 quarterback passer rating. The competition between T.J. Yates and Case Keenum for the backup spot is good for the team, according to Kubiak.
"It's just a very competitive situation for us right now and it's going to make our team better," said Kubiak. "It's making both of those guys better. It will help them in their careers, but it's definitely making our team better. There is a lot of confidence with our team, when they see either guy come in the huddle we can still move the football. That's a big plus."
While Yates is currently the backup behind starter Matt Schaub, Kubiak believes that Keenum needs to be put in similar situations before making a an accurate assessment.
"We're going to talk about that this week," Kubiak said of the backup quarterback decision. "What I'm trying to do is get him and T.J. in the exact same situations as players with pretty much equal reps, so that's something that may be a topic this week. They will continue to both play a great deal. It's a very good battle going on and they both did a good job last night."
Defensively, Kubiak was pleased with the efforts of nose tackles Earl Mitchell and Terrell McClain.
"When you start defensively with (NT) Earl Mitchell and how positive it was," Kubiak said. "(NT Terrell) McClain, we're looking for a backup nose to Earl. Somebody that can be a rotational player for us and help and we thought he did some really good things."
Kicker Randy Bullock kicked a 48-yard and 21-yard field goal, but was short from 54 yards. Kubiak was encouraged by Bullock's performance and his demeanor under pressure.
"He's a very young player, but he's very talented," Kubiak said of the second-year kicker. "The thing that I like about Randy is he has a lot of confidence in that when something does not go right, he comes right back and he's okay the next rep. It doesn't linger, so far, so good."
Punter Shane Lechler was dealing with a plant leg issue before the game so Andrew Shapiro, the rookie out of Fresno State, stepped up in his place. Kubiak said there were no other injuries to his knowledge.
"I have not talked to Kap (head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan). Obviously, we got in real late," Kubiak said. "It looks like we're okay. I think we're fine. We came out of the game pretty good. Actually, Shane Lechler, his plant leg was bothering him a little bit when we went out to warm ups. That's why we, just as a precaution, we did not let him punt in the game. We had planned to let him punt. Other than that, I think we came out okay."
The Texans will play the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, August 17 at Reliant Stadium.
