Texans coach Gary Kubiak spoke to the media after practice on Friday.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on if LS Clark Harris was back at practice) "Yeah. Well, he was limited in what he did, he and (LB Xavier) Adibi both. But they were back on the field."
(on the Texans giving bikes away to local kids after practice and if he remembers his first bicycle) "Gollee, that's a long time ago. Some people are getting old. But oh, yeah, I remember that very well. But this is nice. Of course, we've been doing this for a couple of years for the kids. We raised the money through turnovers, so unfortunately, we got a lot of money this year (laughs). So we may need to take a look at how we're doing that, because we're very generous. But no, this is great for the kids."
(on if this is the money from all the interceptions and fumbles) "Yeah. That's how it's raised. You can see we bought a lot of bikes. But it's nice to kind of have something that we do for the kids. I know it really means a lot to the players, and they kind of look forward to this day every year when we do this. And to see all of these kids smiling out here today, that's pretty neat."
(on how the money is raised) "Well, what we do is if we turn the ball over, then the players have to pay on offense. If they don't, then I pay and the coaches (pay). Defensively, if they get turnovers, then the coaches pay and I pay. So at the end of the day, we're going to all be in it together, and either I'm going to be buying a lot of bikes for these kids or the players are. And unfortunately, they're the ones buying them this year."
(on if he wanted to say how much all the bikes cost) "I'd rather not, but you can add it up. Find out how much the bikes cost and times it by 300. We'll see."
(on how much the players owe for each turnover) "You know, I can't reveal that information."
(on what he would have thought when he was little if an NFL player gave him a bike) "I'd think that would be pretty special. It just seems like we get more and more kids out here and the families are coming with them, too. So, it's just really neat."
(on any injuries) "No, we're good. Like I said, those two players were limited. I think they will — I shouldn't say that. They'll be limited. They'll be game-time decisions. But everyone else is ready to go. (G) Chester (Pitts) is fine, he's ready to go. And we practiced well today. I did not like practice yesterday, but we locked in today and practiced well."
(on what players that don't get much attention like TE Joel Dreessen mean to the team) "Well, those guys are the heart and soul of your football team. Players like that that don't get a lot of recognition, but they're there every week. They play not only on the offensive and defensive side of the ball but special teams also. You know, this business is about putting together a good football team and you're always going to have some guys that are the focal point, but those other guys mean just as much in the long haul."
(on if he is surprised that RB Steve Slaton leads the league in rushing yards in the fourth quarter) "Yeah, that would surprise me a little bit just with his size and how many times he's touched the ball. But what doesn't surprise me is we really put an emphasis this year on being able to finish games running the football. We've been committed to that, so that's something that we've gotten better at. We've finished a couple games on the field making big first downs and hitting a knee and calling it a day. That's eventually what you want to get good at."
(on his thoughts about Titans CB Cortland Finnegan getting fined for his hit on QB Matt Schaub) "No, that's all up to the league. We just play."
