Head coach Dave Wannstedt
(on the addition of Sammy Knight) "He brings playmaking ability. His numbers speak for themselves. He's a very good tackler, a physical player, and just another veteran guy back there that's really relatively young. I think he's only 27 years old."
(on the addition of Junior Seau) "Once Junior (Seau) came available it was just a matter of evaluating him from a playing standpoint first. Everybody talks about all his emotion and all the intangible things, his passion for the game. We felt like after watching on tape that he was a guy that could come in and help us at linebacker and that he could still play at the level he needed to play at. Then once you get him in that position were optimistic that now you get the complete package. He has been great, he really has. He has come in and learned a new defense and he has fit in well with the players. He has been a great addition."
(on Junior Seau having a good year) "He is not going to be playing every down like he has in the past, so hopefully that will keep him a little fresher. I'm hoping so, that's our goal, obviously, to get a great year out of Junior this year. His attitude is such, I mean he takes care of himself well physically. So it's just going to be a matter of executing the defense and I think he has come so far with his mindset in the past month or so. He has made the comment that when you have Jason Taylor and Zack Thomas, 'Oh hey I just have to do my job."
(on loss against New England last year) "Everybody is always looking to go further. I believe the disappointment at the end of last year will make a difference in a positive way if the energy is funneled in the right direction, which it has been, toward this year's team."
(on concerns with the Texans) "Well, obviously their defense has been outstanding. Last year they were in the top five in a lot of categories: third down, red zone, and total defense in the top 10. You can see that David Carr had a great preseason. Anytime that you can throw that many passes and you don't throw an interception you're definitely getting a lot better. They have a lot of speed at wide receiver. They like to throw the deep ball. We have a good feel for the explosiveness that they have. I mean they score quick and they can score with a big play in a hurry. That'll be a real challenge for us."
(on Ricky Williams) "I'm still from the old school where you play defense and run the ball and that's your starting point. You have to have a foundation and that's what we wanted to get done. We brought Ricky in and he did his part. He ran the ball and did things from a rushing end probably better than what anybody expected. He has handled himself extremely well. He has had a great offseason. He has kept his weight down. He has done the things on and off the field that you would expect him to do. When you see it happen it doesn't surprise you that he was a top five pick and a Heisman Trophy winner."
Cornerback Sam Madison
(on Junior Seau) "So far he has been doing a great job and our defense has accepted him meaning we know what he is going to do. We know his strengths, we know his weaknesses, and his strengths outweigh his weaknesses. So just look for some good things from him."
(on loss to New England lat year) "It has to sit with you a little bit but you can't dwell on it. Being that we have dwelled on things in the past, negative things always happen to us. Most of the guys have really put that past us and are looking forward because if you sit there and dwell on it, it tends to happen time after time. So some guys think about it a little bit, but you have to be focused so it doesn't happen to you again. We matured a lot and we got past it. One thing that will help us with that is to eliminate some injuries. If we eliminate a lot of injuries, I think we will win a lot more games."
(on watching Andre Johnson at Miami) "Andre (Johnson) and I are friends. We talk occasionally, we swap jerseys, so he's a close friend. I kind of mentored him a little bit before the draft so we have a little history together."
(on Andre Johnson's future) "It's very bright for him. The bottom line to it is he is a humble guy and he is a guy that really likes to go out and work. Whatever he has he likes to work for it and I see him doing some great things. Some guys tend to come right in and make a name for themselves and I see him as one of those players. He knows that I'm a guy that if he needs something he can come ask me. Not this week, but in weeks to come. He is a great guy, a class act, and I wish him well this season."
(on Andre Johnson in the offense) "First of all, they're really going to have to protect (David) Carr. Carr has a strong arm and being that Andre (Johnson) is pretty much one of the fastest guys on the team he is going to be able to stretch the defense. I'm not saying they weren't able to do that last year with (Corey) Bradford, as well as (Jabar) Gaffney, but you just add another threat to it. He's a big, strong, physical guy and goes up and fights for footballs. Some of those balls that were dropped last year I think he is a guy that can go up and make those catches and make those plays to move the chains. Once they are able to move those chains, they will be able to do a lot more stuff with their offense. I feel that he is a guy that can really contribute to helping them move the chains and get more points on the board so they can win football games."
(on concerns with Texans' offense) "They're getting (David) Carr out of the pocket a lot. They're leaving tight ends in to block to protect him a little more because he has a strong arm. He can get the ball down the field. One thing that we're going to have to do is stop that and put them in a one dimensional game. I think that's where our strength is and hopefully we will come out with a victory. He is starting to look off and throw to different receivers. The first time we played him he would just eyeing receivers down."
