Texans running back Ahman Green is expected to play on Sunday.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak discussed the health of Texans running back Ahman Green and defensive tackle Amobi Okoye after practice on Friday.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on anything specific that owner Bob McNair said to the team after practice) "No, he's just talking to them about United Way and a couple of things."
(on the health of the team) "(DT) Amobi (Okoye) still didn't practice today, so it will be a game-time decision. We'll work him out, if he can, Sunday morning and we'll see. But (RB) Ahman (Green) is ready to go. Everybody else is ready to go."
(on who will take DT Amobi Okoye's place if he doesn't play) "Well, (DT) Frank (Okam) will come up. Okam will come up. Of course, it just picks up (DT) DelJuan's (Robinson) reps and what we're doing. And then there's one other guy, too, that will be a game-time decision and that's (LB) Chaun Thompson. So, he'll be a game-time decision."
(on how important it is to have RB Ahman Green playing) "It's been very important. When he's been part of what we're doing, we've been better, I should say. He gives 20 (RB Steve Slaton) a break, and 20 has played a college season and now he's on the second one. That's a big load for a rookie to carry, but he has done a tremendous job of carrying it. And if he has to do it again Sunday, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll do it again."
(on if this home game is pivotal for them) "Well, they're all big. But like I said earlier in the week, the one thing about the second half of our season, we're playing a lot of football teams that a lot of people at this point think are playoff teams, starting with this one and deservingly so. They've been special throughout the first half of the season, in my opinion, tremendous on defense and they are doing a great job with their young quarterback on the other side of the ball. So this will be a heck of a football team. We'll have to be as good as we've been all year to find a way to beat this team."
(on QB Craig Nall coming in and being the backup quarterback immediately) "You're right, that is a fact. He's practiced pretty good. For a guy who hasn't been around here in a while, he hasn't missed a beat this week. He did the things we asked him to do. If he gets forced into a situation, I don't have any doubt that he can handle it. He's been around big-time football in this league. We'll limit his package if he has to go, but for the situation we're in, I think he's done a heck of a job."
(on T Eric Winston saying that if you told QB Sage Rosenfels that you'd win if he threw three interceptions, he'd go out and do it) "Well, let's try to go the other route. Let's protect the ball. Your job as a quarterback is about winning games – find a way to win. As a quarterback in this league, you're going to throw picks but you have to find a way to win that game when you throw picks. But we're searching to clean up our act as a football team to give ourselves the best chance to be successful. I just want to go play. He's going to have to make plays for us to win. It's not anything about being conservative. He's going to have to play well for this team to win."
(on if he is doing anything special with the quarterback like the team did with WR Jacoby Jones carrying the ball around all the time) "It's a little different at quarterback because I don't know how you carry around some decisions you'd like to have back. We've got the right guys. I don't have any doubt about that. Playing quarterback in this league is about being able to overcome mistakes. We've got to be able to overcome them starting this week. That's just part of playing the position. That's part of it. You have to take a lot of responsibility. The team expects a lot of responsibility from you. This coach right here expects a lot of responsibility from them. Hell, that's part of their job, and they understand that."
(on if he has heard anything from the league regarding the DE Jared Allen situation) "No. Let me say this first off, regarding that. You haven't heard one thing from this guy or anybody on this football team saying that Jared Allen tried to hurt our quarterback. That has never taken place. I've got a lot of respect for Jared Allen. He's a hell of a football player. I've coached against him for a long time. The bottom line, we just tried to protect our player from a hit that we think the league is trying to get rid of, but by no means do we think this young man was trying to hurt anybody. I've never seen him play that way."
(on if he thinks anyone was trying to say that DE Jared Allen was trying to hurt QB Matt Schaub) "No, I'm just saying I think some of the things that I have seen I know I didn't like because I don't want the kid (DE Jared Allen) to feel that way. We are just doing our diligence with our football team and trying to have the NFL take a look at a play that we thought a penalty should have been called. That's it."
(on if he was offended by Vikings DE Jared Allen's remarks) "No, that's part of the game. I'm not offended by any of that. That's part of it and, like I said, I have a lot of respect for him as a player. I've went against him many times."
