*Visit HoustonTexans.com Monday at 3:30 p.m. CT to watch the live streaming video of coach Gary Kubiak's weekly press conference.
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The Texans and Jaguars spoke to the media after the Texans' 23-18 loss in Week 13 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
Texans Quotes Texans head coach Gary Kubiak Texans RB Chris Brown Texans TE Joel Dreesen Texans QB Rex Grossman Texans WR Andre Johnson Texans QB Matt Schaub Texans WR Kevin Walter Texans DE Mario Williams Texans head coach Gary Kubiak(on coming close to a win and not getting over the hump) "I'm just very disappointed. Obviously, we had a horrible start to the football game. We had an issue with the quarterback, turning the ball over and were backed up a couple of times that put us in a big, big hole for the rest of the afternoon. We had every chance to dig out of it, but didn't (do it). I thought defensively, we battled like heck to give us a chanc as an offense. In the second half, we had a big turnover down there the first time that really hurt us."
(on the interception thrown by RB Chris Brown) "Yeah, we have a little halfback pass that we have been working on for a while. We had what we wanted, but it didn't work out. That's a tough spot to put Chris in, so it just ends up being a bad call by me – just a poor call."
(on if Brown should have kept ball or thrown it away) "Well, he's trying to get the ball to Joel (Dreessen) and the corner came up and we don't get a helmet on him. It's on me. I put him into a tough situation. I thought it gave us a chance for an easy score right there, but I was wrong."
(on if QB Matt Schaub's injury was a stinger) "No, he had a dislocation. They were able to get it back in and he wanted to come back in to play, so it was gutsy on his behalf."
(on the club's playoff chances) "I think in this league, it's probably going to take 10 or 11 (wins) to be the Wild Card team and that's realistic. Right now, we are struggling to get our next win. We have to figure a way to clean up the mistakes that are keeping us from getting wins. That's my main focus right now more than anything else."
(on who calls the plays, Kubiak or offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan) "There's nothing that goes in the game that I'm not part of, or okaying. We work together calling the games, and I shouldn't have put him in that position. That's my job as a head coach."
(on if Shanahan calls the plays and Kubiak signs off on them) "We call the game together. I sign off on every play that goes in."
(on why the halfback pass was called) "We've run that pitch against them many a time. We knew we could sneak Joel to the back of the end zone and lob him the ball for a touchdown. We had him back there, but the corner came up and we were unable to get a hat on him. It looked like Chris (Brown) had a little trouble with the ball in his hands and he got hit. That's why he couldn't get him the ball. It's something we've been working on for a period of time. I thought there was a good chance that we'd do it, but it didn't work out that way."
(on if someone missed an assignment by not blocking the cornerback) "We came up one short out there somehow, someway. I'll have to go back and look at it."
(on why WR Jacoby Jones wasn't with the team in Jacksonville) "He missed a meeting on Saturday, so I made the decision not to bring him."
(on what further action will be taken against Jones) "He gets fined. We'll get him back in there and do things right this week, he'll be back to playing."
(on if Jones' absence was a distraction) "It was very disappointing. Everybody knew how important this game was, how much was on the line. We had a really good week as a team, and (then) you get a distraction like that on Saturday morning before you get on the bus to come down here and lay it on the line. So that's disappointing, but we'll try to figure out a way to make him more responsible."
(on why RB Maurice Jones-Drew was able to run effectively on the final drive) "We kept him in check pretty much all day defensively. It was his will against our will. We've got to find a way to get off the field right there. They got three big first downs. We had all our timeouts and there was four minutes left. We had plenty of time to get the ball back, but the sign of a good team is when everybody knows they're going to run it, they still run it. They did that today."
(on if QB Matt Schaub fought him to get back into the game after being injured) "When he came back out, the trainer told me he was fine to go. He told me what they had done and he was okay to play. As long as I was able to see that he was able to protect himself out there and give him a chance to play, I thought he did a hell of a job coming back."
(on why QB David Garrard was able to play so well in the first half) "He had big plays. Three of those plays counted for the majority of their yardage. Just a good job on his part, and a good job by them. They made big plays in the first half. I think they had a 250 yard half, and we hold them to another 80 or 90 yards in the second half. But the game was still well within reach."
(on the energy boost Schaub's return gave the team) "When you're down 17 to nothing and your quarterback is in the locker room, obviously that's tough on a football team. He came back out and gave us a spark. We went right down the field, got a score right at the two-minute warning, but then they turned around and got a field goal. But I don't think anybody was panicking at halftime. We were getting the ball. We got excellent field position after the safety and then we turned the ball over. It was a poor sequence right there when we had a lot of momentum."
(on getting a few breaks in the second half) "We got a big break when they fumbled the punt and we got the safety. We had all kinds of opportunities. You're sitting on the seven-yard line with basically a quarter left to play, down by 11, we were in perfect position to go win a football game. You've got to finish. The turnover inside the five-yard line was devastating for your team."
(on what players were injured) "(LB Xavier) Adibi's got an ankle (injury). (DE Tim) Bulman's got a hamstring (injury). (DT) Shaun Cody's got an ankle (injury). Just those three."
(on if talk about Kubiak's future is a distraction for the team) "I hope not. That's part of this business. Any time you struggle as a football team, the team's going to catch a hard time and the coach is going to catch a hard time. That's part of this game. As I told them after this game, it wasn't a lack of effort. Our guys were playing very, very hard, and we're having a hard time playing clean football. You get three turnovers and we had some continuing penalties again, especially on special teams, and when you're doing those things, it's hard to win. The effort has been good and will continue to be good."
Texans RB Chris Brown
(on the halfback pass interception) "We ran it in practice and it worked well. Maybe I just shouldn't have thrown the ball. It was a tough situation. I was getting hit when I released it. Unfortunately, I have to admit I should have just kept the ball without throwing it."
(on an important loss) "Unfortunately, the ball didn't bounce our way. We turned the ball over too much. The defense played well, but we have to score more points in the red zone. You definitely have to have a short memory in this business. We have to go get this next win by any means necessary."
Texans TE Joel Dreesen
(on QB Matt Schaub coming back into the game after shoulder injury) "That was impressive for him to come back after the first play. Coack (Gary) Kubiak has said we need him to stay healthy, and we really do. I thought Rex (Grossman) had good composure in the huddle. He knew the offense and was ready to go. That's a backup quarterback's job. I thought he handled it very well."
Texans QB Rex Grossman
(on playing for first time in a while) "It is always good to get experience no matter what happens. Now, I feel like I'll be ready to play if Matt (Schaub) can't go."
(on if game plan changed when Matt Schaub got injured) "We stayed with our script. We usually script the first 15 and we stayed in rhythm with that. Jacksonville played well and we didn't convert when we could have. Once we did get a drive going, we had one bad play that kind of stalled us right out of field goal range."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on the loss) "I know it sounds like a broken record, but you just have to find a way to try to fix it. Coach can't go out there and play for us and make the plays. All the coaches make the decisions, and we have to go out and execute."
(on the loss hurting playoff chances) "It's a terrible feeling. You have expectations for the season. Everyone was saying this is the year. You just have to keep fighting."
Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on missed opportunities) "We had our opportunities. The possession after the muffed punt, we got the ball down there and we had a false start when we had a good play called – one that looked like it was going to work against what they were doing. We get down to fourth down and had to kick the field goal there and that hurts not to get seven out of that change in momentum and change of field position. Then, we had the other opportunity after the big play to Andre (Johnson). Having that halfback pass end the way it did, it was missed opportunities by us as a team."
(on his shoulder injury and his thought while he was out of the game) "It was tough because I am constantly saying, 'What is going on in the game?' 'What's the situation?' Just trying to get the X-rays and get them done. I'm like, 'Let's hurry up.' I'm thinking we are in the two-minute drill, but for the doctors, trainers, staff and everything, they're like, 'Hold on, we're evaluating it.' So we were just trying to get out there as soon as possible."
Texans WR Kevin Walter
(reflecting on the loss) "It was a must-win for us and we didn't get it done. The defense gave us a chance to win it. They played well. Early on, we struggled on offense. We needed this one."
(on QB Matt Schaub's injury and Rex Grossman entering as backup) "We didn't let it upset the rhythm of the offense. We have faith in Rex (Grossman) and whoever is in there to get the job done. As a collective unit, we just didn't get it done."
(on the rivalry) "Division games are like that. The last game we played them at home, it was the same way. We didn't get the job done, and that's why they might be going to the playoffs and we might be sitting at home."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on the disappointment of the loss) "We had a lot of adversity and needed some extra plays and some turnovers that we didn't get. Unfortunately, we fought so hard. It seems we're a play short the last few weeks. We have to turn it around. It was already nail-biting time. Now, it's do or die."
(on stopping the Jaguars' offense) "(RB Maurice) Jones-Drew was bouncing off guys. We were right there to make plays but just didn't get him stopped short. We were there, but have to make the tackles."
Jacksonville Jaguars Quotes
Jaguars LB Justin Durant
(on why such a big contrast from last week's team to this week's team) "I really can't put a finger on it. That's kind of how we've been a bit; we just have to stay consistent. We've shown that when we play well we really can dominate I think we all have to get on the same page at all times and come up with this win."
Jaguars QB David Garrard
(on key receptions by WR Nate Hughes and TE Zach Miller) "They were big. Those guys came up with a couple of balls and did a great job. I knew with the play action I had Nate Hughes and he did a great job of wrapping around the corner and I just had to put it out there for him. I knew he could do that. That was something he had trouble with in the Arizona game but I've always said it doesn't matter who's out there if you're open I will throw you the ball. I was just happy I didn't throw it out of the end zone in that situation. I couldn't tell if the ball came down or not. Zach Miller has excellent speed. He has a good knack for that inside route. He's going to be a great tight end and do a lot of good things for us. He got good separation from (Texans LB Brian) Cushing and made the catch. I thought he was going to score but when it's a DB bringing him down I'll live with that."
(on if getting sacked frustrates him) "I never get frustrated with that. I know the guys are trying hard and trying to do everything they can. I try to be so tough sometimes and shake everybody off and try to get positive yards because I don't want the sack to go on them. I feel like every play can be made and sometimes I just need to be smarter and go down sometimes. As long as I continue to fight I'm just going to try to do what I can do and play my game. Sometimes that is great, sometimes that is not so great. The guys did a great job today. (Houston) has a good defensive line so they did a good job for the most part."
(on having home field advantage for three straight games) "Whenever you're playing at home that's an advantage but you've still got to go out and execute your plays and still prepare all week long and you can never relax. I know our fans are going to be great and when we're out there they're going to be cheering as loud as they can. We have a lot of hope when we play at home and it's nice to have a stretch here in December with us especially trying to continue this playoff chase."
(on TE Marcedes Lewis) "Marcedes is a great overall tight end. He can block well, he can catch all the passes that you need especially when he's going vertical. When you're six-foot-six, that's a lot of target to hit. When I see him going down the seam even when somebody's underneath him I know I can still throw it high enough and he'll go up and get it. That pass is becoming a great play for us. There are still other ways we can get him down the seam, don't get caught into doing the same play every time. Defenses have to run what they run and it allows it sometimes. As long as we continue to keep catching them in the right coverage we're going to continue to have that seam"
(on if it feels like a year of destiny) "Yeah, it does feel like a year of destiny and that's great, because 2007 felt like a year of destiny. To be at this point right now with seven wins; I bet if you talked to a lot of people before the season, they'd say 'Yeah, right.' For us to have all these new guys and young guys and to be battling the way we are, this is a great group of guys and very humble group of guys, a group of guys that knows at any given play their number can be called and they want to make sure they're ready and prepared to be able to help this team out."
Jaguars DE Derrick Harvey
(on the defense getting more sacks) "I'm not worried about that, there's more to the game than getting sacks, stopping the run and making plays."
Jaguars WR Nate Hughes
(on going through ups and downs) "I wouldn't call it ups and downs, I'd just call it learning. I've got people like Torry Holt teaching me things and David (Garrard) has been talking to me a lot and teaching things like things aren't always the way you want it to go. Sometimes, you're just going to have to grind it out, keep going and keep working at it and it will pay off in the end."
(on if his touchdown reception was redemption for him) "I wouldn't say it's redemption. I'd just say joyful. It definitely felt good to score my first NFL touchdown."
(on if he got away with a shove on his TD catch) "I wouldn't call it a shove; (just) a chicken wing."
(on how it feels to be back out there) "It feels good. I'm glad to be back in the mix and get a chance to go out there and make plays."
(on if he thought he'd get a shot at a touchdown) "I was hoping I'd get a shot. It's just one of those things you just wait and whenever it comes you just have to take advantage of it. The shot came today against the Texans."
(on what Coach Jack Del Rio told him after his TD catch) "He told me way to persevere; way to keep grinding. They know I work hard every day. I go every day with the intentions of knowing my chances are going to eventually come back and when they come just take advantage of them."
Jaguars LB Clint Ingram
(on getting a fast start against the Texans) "Whenever you're getting after the quarterback and you're making it rough on him to make his completions and you're in his face when he's trying to throw it, even if you don't get to him sometimes, he'll think and say, 'They're coming.' So we went out there to get pressure on him early in the game and continued to whole way through."
(on if the team is aware on what's going on around the league) "Well, if there's a timeout or whatever we will look at the scoreboard or jumbo screen, but that's not something we are focusing on or hoping that somebody else wins. Right now, we're in control of our own destiny and we're just going to keep fighting."
Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew
(on the victory) "Its all about the victories, I mean you're frustrated sometimes but when you have Zach Miller playing like he did and Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker or Torry (Holt), I mean you pick your poison. So if they wanted to continue to load the box, that's fine. David (Garrard) was doing a great job just spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved. Hey, we just got a victory and we are still in the hunt."
(on the importance of this victory) "I'm excited, but at the same time, you know about this team. Coach Del Rio said we are all hungry and we got guys that don't know any better. They're not used to reporters saying we are not supposed to win because they have such and such on the team, so they don't care. They want to go out and play ball and have fun and execute our plays. I think one of the best things is that when they do mess up, you see them get on themselves and you don't have to say anything. I think Eben (Britton) said, 'Aww, I'm sorry, I apologize.' And then on the last couple of plays, Vince Manuwai dove and hit me on the pile and he was like, 'I'm sorry, man, I didn't mean to.' And those kinds of things make you happy and move you in the right direction, and we have to coach ourselves when we are playing and not take anything personal and steadily move forward."
(on slipping in the end zone, leading to Garrard being tackled for a safety) "I don't know what was going on. As soon as I took a step, I went down. I put my foot down to kind of go into the hand-off and I slipped and looked back and David (Garrard) slipped and then even the guys who were tackling were slipping, so it was a pretty nasty deal back there. I hope we don't get backed up like that again, but we have to make plays. That was just bad execution on my part slipping."
(on the offensive line's play) "They did a good job. They did a good job holding their gaps and made good plays. We have to improve on what we have to do and do it. They were stopping us. Before, we always ask the question when it's fourth-and-six, 'Are you going to go for it?' If I'm a coach, why not? You got to be aggressive in those situations. They did a great job the whole game stopping our running game, and with four minutes, we knew we had to start running the ball and we just took it as a challenge. They did a good job blocking - Greg Jones, Torry (Holt) was making blocks downfield, Marcedes (Lewis). They did a great job making holes - just trying to fight to gain yards."
(on if it got personal at the end and that's what led to late success in the running game) "I'm just happy we were able to run the ball better than we did in the beginning, but we just want to win the games and now it's about winning games. [It was nothing] personal, they were just loading the box and they were doing a great job loading the box, you know it was nothing we haven't seen before. The team was just doing a great job loading the box and picking the run game up. So we need to find some things and do something better and figure out how we could of broke one or two."
Jaguars TE Zach Miller
(on his career-long 62-yard reception) "I knew once I went in motion across the formation that I had the matchup we wanted. We had man to man and everybody else was getting run off and if I could get inside we'd have space to run with the football."
(on if he is becoming more familiar with the offense) "I think so. (It's just about) getting me into the system a little bit, and hopefully we can keep building on it."
(on Houston's emphasis on run defense opening up the passing offense) "When you've got an explosive back like Maurice Jones-Drew it's going to open some things up. We're coming together as a team. There's not enough football to go around. We've got a lot of explosive guys so we're just going to keep on winning."
(on if he is not a prototypical tight end) "I don't know. I think using my speed is going to be to my advantage. Obviously I'm not as big as all the other tight ends so if that's what I've got to do to create mismatches on the field then I'm happy to do it."
Jaguars DB Reggie Nelson
(on his thoughts after a big win) "Our concern is to keep trying to win games and let the playoffs take care of itself. We've got Miami (Dolphins) coming in here next week and they just beat New England (Patriots), so I'm pretty sure they've got a good thing going over there. We just have to keep doing our thing on defense and just keep playing hard."
