The Texans struggled Sunday in Baltimore, and they also struggled at times, to talk with each other.
"We had some communication problems," head coach Gary Kubiak said Thursday. "Our headsets went out for a portion of the game. We didn't respond to that very good. We have to be prepared to do that."
Kubiak, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and several assistant coaches are on the field
during the game. Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is up in the coaches booth, and quarterback Matt Schaub can hear both Kubiak and Dennison with the headset in his helmet. Kubiak was emphatic, however, that the headset malfunction was not an excuse for the 30-9 loss.
"That happens on the road," Kubiak said. "You gotta be able to adjust to it. That's part of the League."
The Texans, according to Kubiak, were affected by the headset problems "late in the second quarter" and then again in the third quarter.
"You saw us one time where we're giving Matt the plays in the huddle, and we assumed he got the play," Kubiak said. "All of a sudden he steps out of the huddle and says 'I never heard a thing.' That's something that you gotta be able to handle. We didn't do a very good job of it."
When that sort of problem arises, Kubiak said there are multiple alternative forms of getting play calls into the quarterback.
"We can talk, and get Matt over to us," Kubiak said. "We can use hand signals. We can relay players. We do whatever we have to do. It's something we always gotta be prepared for in this
League. It can happen at the drop of a hat."
