The day after his team lost 17-10 to the Vikings on Monday Night Football, coach Gary Kubiak answered questions from the media in the Texans' auditiorium.
Schaub status: The most pressing topic was quarterback Matt Schaub's left ankle, which he sprained late in the second quarter on the Texans' lone touchdown drive.
"We're shooting for opening day," Kubiak said when asked about the timetable for a Schaub return. "Just coming off of it, he's very upbeat about it. He called me, actually, on the way home last night and told me, 'Hey, I'll be fine. I'll be ready to go (for the season opener against the Jets).'"
Schaub will not play Friday night in Tampa.
In Schaub's absence, Dan Orlovsky will start under center against the Buccaneers. Kubiak also would like to see improvement from the backup, as Orlovsky completed seven-of-11 passes for 74 yards, with an interception and no touchdowns.
Behind Orlovsky, Kubiak said Rex Grossman and Alex Brink will play, and this will be the first game for Grossman since injuring his hamstring at Kansas City.
One of Schaub's favorite targets, Kevin Walter, also is dinged up. He left the game in the first quarter because of a hamstring injury. Along with Schaub, Walter is listed as day-to-day.
Start them up:Kubiak revealed that Friday night's contest against Tampa Bay will feature numerous members of the first team. Normally, the final preseason contest is largely dominated by backups, with the normal starters playing little, if at all.
That won't be the case this week.
{QUOTE}"We've got some starters on this team that need to play a great deal in this game," Kubiak said. "It is a little bit different than it's been the last couple of years. Chester (Pitts)'s situation is unusual. He's only played a quarter and a half of football this offseason. Chris Myers - unusual. He's missed a lot of time. We've got to get these guys back on the field. They need to play."
The rookie is ready: Even if Friday isn't the first game action for rookie linebacker Brian Cushing, he will be ready for the regular season opener. The first-round pick hasn't played in any of the first three exhibition contests because of a leg injury, but with his practice reps increasing over the course of the last week, Kubiak said that Cushing's time has come.
"Cushing is ready to play," Kubiak said. "He put the pads on last week for the first time and went through individuals and stuff. I have no doubt that he will be there on opening day. He's played in a lot of big football games and you've got to give him a lot of credit right there. We've got to do what's best for our team, and our team needs him on that Sunday."
Cody coming on: Kubiak was pleased with a few things on Monday night, including the continued solid play of nose tackle Shaun Cody.
"I like his energy," Kubiak said of Cody, who finished with a pair of tackles. "I like the way he plays. He's a big effort player chasing the ball. He's always going a hundred miles an hour down the field. I think he fits good with our group. He's a veteran guy, knows what's going on. I liked what I saw with him, in terms of fitting with our group."
