Quarterback Jake Delhomme will be the backup to rookie starter T.J. Yates on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, coach Gary Kubiak announced on Friday.
Delhomme, who signed with the Texans on Wednesday, got the nod over Kellen Clemens, who signed a week earlier.
"I feel good that we made enough ground, and he's done fine," Kubiak said. "We'll continue to work with him here in the next couple days, but I feel good with him being ready to go."
Delhomme, 36, has started 96 games in his 13-year NFL career. Clemens, 28, has started nine games in six NFL seasons. Both players worked on small packages within the Texans' offense throughout the week before Kubiak settled on Delhomme as Yates' backup. Delhomme's experience was clearly a factor with Yates set to make his first-career start.
"He's just done it before," Kubiak said. "He's played a lot of football, and he can handle himself and I can trust what he's telling me he can do right now if we get in that situation. It's just a comfort zone from a leadership and the amount of rodeos he's been in, so we'll go with him."
Quarterback Matt Schaub was back with the team Friday two days after having foot surgery in Charlotte, N.C. He watched practice from the sideline on crutches with white bandaging wrapped around his lower right leg.
Kubiak said Schaub's surgery "went fine," and Schaub said everything went according to plan. Schaub will be in the coaches' booth on Sunday with offensive coordinator Rick Dennison.
"I'll just do whatever I can to help our team," Schaub said.
Quarterback Matt Leinart will have surgery on his fractured left clavicle next Tuesday in Los Angeles. The surgery was scheduled for Thursday but got pushed back because Leinart was ill.
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