Justin McCareins:
On Chad Pennington's return to practice…
I am excited. He looked good today in practice and I know he has been itching to get back and working real hard recovery-wise… We understand that he is our guy and we need him in there to be at our best. I am thankful he has worked so hard to get back.
On how he looked in practice…
He looked real good. Obviously mentally he is always going to be on top of his game. Physically he looked like the normal Chad.
On why the team is better with Chad as the quarterback…
You look at him as a player and his abilities and how hard he works, it just adds that extra weapon out there. Quincy was doing a heck of a job but this is Chad's offense and he runs it the way he knows how and he gets the job done for us. We are excited to have him back (practicing) this week.
Curtis Martin:
On how Chad makes the team better…
Just for what he brings to our team. He is definitely the leader of this team and the leader of this offense.
On how Chad looked in practice…
He looked good. I think it made him a little nervous because I kept asking him how he feels. He said, 'you are making me feel a little nervous. Am I not doing good?' I said, 'Yeah, you are doing good.'
On Quincy Carter…
Quincy, he came in and did a good job. He basically held the fort down until Chad got back. But Chad is the captain and is the leader of this team. We want him back.
On keeping Houston's offense off the field…
Of course we want to keep them (Texans' offense) off the field. Our attack is balanced. We have a good passing game as well but hopefully we can keep them off the field.
On the Texans game…
Every game for us is important right now. The way this AFC is, you can win 11 games and possibly still not make the playoffs so every game is important.
On if opposing defenses had put additional men in the box to stop the Jets' ground game…
Yeah. There are a lot of defenses that are putting that eighth and ninth man at the front and going man-to-man on the receivers.
On why the team is better with Chad as the quarterback…
Simply because he is the leader. He is the one who knows the offense- definitely more than any player- but probably as well as some of the coaches. He understands everything that is going on. He knows how to put us in advantageous positions to make plays. We are glad to get him back.
Pete Kendall:
On Chad's return to practice…
It would be nice to have Chad back. He is our quarterback. He is the leader of this team and the franchise going forward. The other guys did a nice job but in a system that is built for and around Chad, it would be nice to have him back.
On playing in field position games…
Certainly we would like to score more points. Field position games are bound to come back and bite you in the butt every now and again because when you let a game come down to the last quarter, one big play either way can really hurt you. We have been lucky enough two of the past three weeks to play those types of games and win them. I agree with Coach. It certainly would be nice to have an outburst like we had against Miami but I don't that can be realistic every week either.
On what the team does better with Chad at quarterback…
I don't know. These are tough questions because it makes me sound like I am knocking the other guy. Chad has a very firm grasp of this offense. I think he really understands what is going on because he has so much experience. To have a guy back there like that, I think it allows us to do some more things in the passing game, maybe some more check-offs, maybe it just gives Paul (Hackett) and Herm more confidence in there to try some different things. I don't know.
Jason Ferguson:
On the defense…
We definitely have some guys who can run to the ball. It is always good to have guys who can run to the ball. Speed is always good for the defense. Now we know how each other plays so that is why we are playing well now.
On feeling like the defense can stop anybody…
That is where we are right now: we are confident we can stop anybody. We just know if we can make a team one-dimensional it will be a lot better.
On defending Texans' trio of QB David Carr, RB Domanick Davis and WR Andre Johnson…
We know they can line up and throw it down the field. One thing we are trying to do is make a team one-dimensional. They have a good backs. Their back (Domanick Davis) had a great game last week so we have stop their running game first and then get after Carr and harass him.
Jason Glenn:
On who is parents will be rooting for on Sunday…
Whoever's winning. That is who she (mother) is going to root for, both of them.
On returning the lineup…
(If) They (the training staff) want to me play, I'll play. If not I will have to wait another week.
On especially looking forward to this game because he is playing his brother…
No, not really. I have played against him. I played last year against him, it is no different than this year. We have to get to 9-3- that is what I am looking forward to.
On speaking with Aaron during the week…
Yeah. I talked to him Monday and yesterday. I am pretty sure I got a message from him now telling me to watch out for you guys (the media) because you are coming.
On if he will speak to Aaron throughout this week, during the game and after the game…
We are brothers and family. With or without football, we are brothers. We are not going to let a game get between us. I am still going to talk to him the same way I do before I played in the NFL. It is no different than anything else.
Kevin Mawae:
On Quincy Carter…
Quincy did a great job. He was able to do what we expected him to do and man the offense. We knew that if we could run the ball, it would take the pressure of him. He got hit a little more than we wanted him to, but for the most part, we got the job done and he did a good job.
Chad Pennington:
On how he feels…
Right now I am focused on making it through until Thursday. Today felt decent, it felt pretty good. But it is all about how your body reacts to physical motion and physical movement. Hopefully I will be able to bounce back.
On today's practice…
I went through the practice and things went relatively well. Right now it is just getting my feet and legs back up under me. I'm getting back into the groove, getting into the huddle, just the little things of being a quarterback.
On being back on the field…
It just felt really good being back in the huddle, it really did. There is just a certain feeling that you have when you are playing quarterback and you are in there with the guys and you help contributing on the field. It feels great.
On his teammates asking if he was doing ok…
They were just kind of giving me the eye, not saying much. Just kind of eyeing me down, seeing how I would react. Things are going fine but then again, you have to make sure your body responds after a practice. Thursday is going to be a big day for me.
On feeling good about the progress he has made…
Yeah. Our training staff and our medical staff have done an excellent job. Just like they did with my hand, they have done a fabulous job of rehabbing me and making sure I am strong and trying to get me back on the playing field. That is what they take pride in.
On feeling 'no pain' after throwing…
No. Obviously when you haven't used those muscles in a long time you feel like you are a little rusty, kind of like a creaky door. Other than that, it felt fine.
On the rest of the week…
We are later in the season so obviously our practices are a little bit different than they are early in the season. Coach Edwards makes sure our guys get a lot of rest and we do a lot of mental things, but I did a fair amount of reps and I felt good with it. The most important thing is to continue to make progress and make sure I can make it through Thursday.
On would he play if it didn't give his team best chance to win…
No. I wouldn't play if I felt like I was going to hurt my team. I felt that way in the Buffalo game, at a certain point I thought I was hurting us, not helping us and I told Coach Edwards that. I am never going to put myself in front of my team.
On starting Sunday…
I just said I am questionable which means 50/50 obviously and it is going to be a game time decision. With an injury like this, you can't predict it. Just because of how you feel one day, doesn't mean you are going to feel great the next day. I am excited about how I felt today, but that doesn't mean Thursday and Friday are going to be the same.
On returning to practice…
It is a nice feeling to have. As a quarterback there are a lot of things you can control and make things go smoothly and keep everybody relaxed, alert and focused. That is what I pride myself in doing. What I need to do is not press and just make sure I allow my teammates to make plays and put them in a good position to make plays.
On monitoring how he feels throughout the rest of this week…
That is the whole thing. This week is not only practice week for me, it is a rehab week as well. It is just having planned throws like I did last week, this week is about reacting and having to throw when you don't have time to think about it. It is a different muscle movement. It is a different move for your central nervous system so it is a lot different.
On looking forward to playing on Sunday…
There is always an itch to play but at the same time, I am not going to put my team in jeopardy of losing. I will know by the end of the week whether or not I have confidence in myself and in my physical ability to go out there and lead us. Because we are in a stretch right now where there is no room for error. We have to play well, I have to play at a high level to make sure we make the playoffs.
