Texans coach Gary Kubiak said after practice on Thursday that safety Bernard Pollard missed practice with flu-like symptoms.
"Pollard is sick on us today, so we sent him home," Kubiak. "He came in this morning not feeling good, went in the meeting and started feeling worse, so we sent him home to get him started on getting him ready to go and getting him well."
Pollard has **been a vital part** of the Texans' surging run defense. "I sure hope so" was Kubiak's response when he was asked whether Pollard will be able to play on Sunday.
Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing also did not practice, missing his second consecutive day with a sore foot. But Kubiak said that he expects Cushing, the **reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week**, to resume practicing tomorrow.
"I feel good that he'll be ready to go," Kubiak said. "We're basically on the same pattern we were last week."
I'll have more on this later in my Thursday practice report.
