Kubiak said that rookie linebacker Xavier Adibi, shown here at Texans' mini-camp in May, has shown flashes of being a playmaker in practice.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak spoke to the media after Friday's practice, giving updates on injuries and the progress of several young players.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on the injury situation) "Well, (DT) Amobi (Okoye) did a little more today, but we still held him and (LB) Morlon (Greenwood). So, we'll go work them out before the game and see, but as of today, it didn't look very good for either of them."
(on what he can do with QB Sage Rosenfels to limit interceptions) "Well, any time you're having some result problems from certain things whether it's turning the ball over or whether its inaccuracy or something, you have to search as a coach. So you do different things, and I think all guys are different. I've had quarterbacks that I've coached that I try to make everything perfect for them in practice and that's what they responded to, and I've had some guys that the harder you were on them in practice, the better they played. So we just keep working, keep trying different things. The bottom line is there are a lot of good things in his game that go on, very good things. We have to just clean up the mistakes. He's starting to play a lot of football, which is something he hasn't done in the past, so we have to get them cleaned up. The sooner, the better."
(on if it is frustrating because they've moved the ball up and down the field when they haven't turned the ball over) "Yeah, we've moved the football this year. We've moved it pretty darn good. But it's about quality, too. It's not about the quantity sometimes. So, this football team, especially this weekend, needs quality off-ball movement, staying on the field, keeping one of the best ever to play the game (Colts QB Peyton Manning) off the field. So we understand all of that and we talk about it a ton. We just have to figure out a way to do it."
(on if it is important for DT Frank Okam to play better than he did last week) "It's very important. And don't get me wrong, that was his first time out in six weeks, but I expect a lot of him. There were flashes. There were flashes of what he's capable of doing, but he's got to up his level of play. There are a lot of young guys on this team that need to help us move forward. You talk about Frank, you talk about (LB) Xavier (Adibi), you talk about players like that, so they really need to step up. They're going to get an opportunity this week."
(on if the linebacker depth concerns him) "Yeah, it does concern us. You know, we still have our five that we can suit, so we're OK there. But it's a concern when you lose a guy like (LB) Morlon (Greenwood) and then, of course, (LB) Zac (Diles), who was playing as good as any player we have on the football team. So you go from feeling pretty good about the group to getting real thin real quick, and we're trying to rest (LB) DeMeco (Ryans), also. So it's made for some practice problems, but not yet big-time game problems."
(on if he anticipates any rotation changes in the secondary) "No, we'll keep going the way we're going. You're going to see some guys play. You're going see (S Dominique) Barber play. You're going to see (CB Antwaun) Molden get some snaps on the field. So, everybody is going to have to contribute."
(on if the return game will stay the same after not being happy with WR Jacoby Jones returning punts) "Well, we weren't pleased with—yeah, he's got to handle those situations better. He put his team in some tough spots, backed up like that. But we liked what we saw from (RB Ryan) Moats returning kicks. Really, it's a feel on (special teams coordinator) Joe's (Marciano) parts. Jacoby will return punts, depending on how Joe feels about the direction he's heading. We'll work with the kicks. Probably each one of them could be different."
(on how RB Steve Slaton looks) "He's got some of his legs back, which is what we were hoping for. He was really worn down last week. We were very concerned about him at the end of last week in practice, but in a good way. All you had to do was go back and look how much football he's played and you'd know why. We backed off of him this week. We freshened him up. He's been moving around pretty good and, of course, he looked a lot better to me."
(on how LB Xavier Adibi has practiced) "He's practiced really well. I'm sure he makes some mistakes. He's a young player. But I bet he makes some plays, too. He's been very fast out here. He's been flashing as a player. This game is funny. Sometimes these rookies, you know, they struggle and struggle and struggle and all of the sudden the light goes on. It sure looks like it's trying to go on for him, so we're expecting to see some good things out of him."
(on if there is a problem with LB Xavier Adibi's weight) "He's light, but he's healthy. But he's still light. He feels good. He held up last week. You'd like to see him weigh a little bit more but you're not at the point where you can stop and do that, so we'll just let him go and let's see how he does."
