The Texans meet the Dolphins on Sunday with Houston owning a 3-0 series lead. Miami is coming off consecutive wins and is shaking things up in the league with their single-wing "Wildcat" formation.
Sage bounces back: Sage Rosenfels is trying to move past last Sunday's loss to Indy, specifically the three turnovers he committed that cost Houston the game in the final minutes.
"I reread it probably 1,000 times in my mind," Rosefels said. "Again, that's not going to do me any good really for this week other than obviously what I'd do differently next time. So I'm trying not to dwell on it. I'm trying to move on. I think this team is ready to move on and have another game."
Rosenfels assumed starting duties against the Colts because quarterback Matt Schaub was sick with a viral infection. It was Rosenfels' first opportunity to start this season and he played some of his best football for 55 minutes. But he returned to backup duties this week.
"It's the way it is," Rosenfels said. "Sitting here and dwelling on it and being frustrated by it is not going to help when I get that chance, whenever that may be - it may be this year, it may be next year, it may be whenever. But sitting here and dwelling on it for the rest of my life is not going to do me any good.
"I wish it wouldn't have happened, but it did. I was trying to make a play and trying to make things happen. That's generally the way I play, and it backfired on me."
Rosenfels said that his teammates and friends around the league, including Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme, have made moving forward a lot easier.
"Jake Delhomme called me after the game and we talked extensively about the mistakes he made when he was younger and passes that he threw and when he's thrown interceptions at critical times in games, things like that," Rosenfels said. "All you can do is learn from them.
"A lot of other guys from around the league have called me and said, 'Hey, you played great,' and 'Don't worry about it,' and 'Now you know what to do next time you're in that situation.' But the good thing is that we played really well offensively and we're really starting to click on all cylinders offensively."
Pass rush gets new look: The Texans' pass rush got a new look against the Colts. Defensive tackle DelJuan Robinson started for Amobi Okoye and Okoye entered the game in rushing situations. Defensive end Tim Bulman also worked his way on to the field.
"We've really experimented," Kubiak said. "We've challenged the defensive linemen. Bottom line, if you don't practice well and you're not doing it in practice, you're not going to play. We've got 10 guys on our roster, which is unusual. We weed through 10 and end up with eight on game day, and I think the competition in practice has made players like Bulman and DelJuan and guys like that raise their level of play.
"We're just rotating guys. We like the combination we had last week, and those guys are working really well."
The new look produced great results. Mario Williams notched two sacks and three quarterback hurries and the defensive line kept the pressure on Peyton Manning.
"We made 18 (Manning) move around last week more than we've ever made him move around and get rid of the ball," Kubiak said. "So I think our pressure has been better."
Kubiak encouraged by backfield: The running back tandem of Steve Slaton and Ahman Green will get its next test on Sunday against an improved Miami run defense.
And Kubiak is looking forward to seeing what the one-two punch can produce in their second game together with Green fully healthy.
"It's just a big positive move in the right direction," Kubiak said. "I think our whole team was waiting to see. He's (Green) worked back before and then we've had setbacks, but this time he came back. He contributed and he's back out here working fine this week. So I think that's encouraging for everybody."
The Texans are averaging 114 yards rushing and a 4.4-yards per carry, which is the best in Kubiak's three seasons with the team. Against the Colts, Slaton ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns and Green produced 47 yards rushing on 12 carries.
"I think before this thing is all said and done if these two guys can stay healthy, it could be a heck of a tandem as we move forward," Kubiak said. "We'll just keep our fingers crossed, but we came out of it OK last week."
Injury notes: Safety Will Demps participated in practice and is expected to play on Sunday. Safety Dominique Barber is questionable with a hamstring injury.
For the official injury report, click **here**.
