Head Coach Gary Kubiak addressed the media following Monday's practice.
Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on QB Matt Schaub's health) "(QB) Matt (Schaub) is fine. He took his normal Monday, worked out with the team and threw a little bit. We go through our mistakes on Monday so he's fine. We do have a couple other little issues going on. (FS) Quintin Demps had thumb surgery today. I have not talked to him since he's got out, but he is expected to be fine. He may have to play with a cast. He did play the second half with a cast yesterday. We got a little issue with (WR) Lestar Jean. He's got a meniscus issue that we're going to scope in the morning. I would say he would definitely be out this week, but we think it'll be a brief return here hopefully a couple weeks."
(on WR Lestar Jean's and WR Keshawn Martin's performances on Sunday) "That was good for them to chip in. They've both been growing up, doing good things. We pride ourselves on spreading it around. (TE) Garrett (Graham) made some plays yesterday and that's important for our team because it keeps us from playing (WR) Andre (Johnson) too many plays, (WR) Kevin (Walter) too many plays, and (TE) Owen (Daniels) too many plays, so those guys need to step up and do their job and they did yesterday. Lestar's been doing really good things ever since camp started. Keshawn had a great camp. I think we set him back a few weeks when we moved him, but he's a guy, out of the young guys, that handles that the best so it's just something that he'll have to continue to do."
(on how he can make sure guys stay focused despite the 3-0 start) "I tell you what, this group really impresses me. It's like yesterday, we come in after the game and it wasn't like there was a bunch of dancing in the locker room or anything. They were proud of winning the game, but they were disappointed that they didn't close the game in a type of fashion we had played three quarters and five minutes. The way we had played the game there we're in great shape with ten minutes. They're very focused from that standpoint. We have a ton of mistakes in the game that we have to go correct today. I think they're very humble. They understand that if they just play good football, they're going to win their games. I think they're very focused week to week and staying in the routine. They handled their business pretty good today. We got in pretty late last night, but they were back at it today."
(on WR DeVier Posey) "I feel good. He's had two good weeks of practice. He was actually our scout team player of the week. I can't remember if it was last week or the first week, but I feel good about him. He's a guy we'll probably put behind (WR) Kevin (Walter) and let (WR) Keshawn (Martin) work behind (WR) Andre (Johnson) since Keshawn has worked both spots. It's his time. He's worked hard to get to where he's at, plus he can help (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe, too. I think he can help Joe on special teams."
(on WR Kevin Walter's game on Sunday) "(WR) Kevin (Walter), he fits what we do to a tee. I always talk about the dirty work he does in the run game and stuff. Kevin is going to be in the right spot. He runs great routes. If the ball calls for it to go to him, he's going to make his plays, none bigger than the one he made yesterday on the corner post route. We believe in Kevin. We got a lot of confidence in him. You guys know I have a ton of confidence in him. There is something to be said for those guys that are there every minute of every day and every week. It's about consistency in this league and when you get in, you're going to get everything he's got."
(on DE J.J. Watt) "He's been exceptional. I don't know that I've seen a player play as well as he's played three weeks in a row. He's off to a tremendous start. Yesterday he was our defensive player of the game, which you all could well imagine. The thing with (DE) J.J. (Watt) is what he factors in games. It's one thing to play and say I played 70 plays or something as a player. The way he gets his hands on big plays whether it's sacks, tipped balls, turnovers the things that he does from that standpoint, so it's another great outing by him yesterday and let's just keep it going. He's been exceptional."
(on if he's worried about OLB Connor Barwin's quiet start to the season) "No, not at all, those things will come. (OLB) Connor (Barwin) is playing very well. Connor plays a tremendous effort. It's just funny how some of those things just don't fall your way. Connor is having a fine year. He's playing extremely well. We always know what we're going to get from him. Those things will happen. It's like yesterday, we could've had four turnovers, had about three or four balls hit us right between the numbers there that could have been the difference in closing the game too. I think you just got to keep playing and stay positive and those things tend to come in bunches. I think they'll come Connor's way."
(on the defense's success on third downs) "That's huge. We're playing well on third down on offense and extremely well on third down on defense so that equates usually to two or three extra possessions in the game. To go into Denver and play against that football team and force eight punts, that's exceptional. That tells you how well we're playing on third downs. Offensively, I think we're 50 percent yesterday. If you're in that area, you're going to be in the top five in this league. Those two things go hand in hand. So far so good so to speak so hopefully we can keep it going."
(on the hit QB Matt Schaub took and if a fine should be given) "I don't see those things during the game. I'm watching downfield. I'm watching what's happening on the route, what the coverage is. I'm thinking about the next play so until I came in here today, but obviously he took a really good shot there. That's the league's job to sort those things out. Obviously we protect our players and if we think something's wrong we turn it into the league and then they've got to go sort that out. We're just fortunate out guy is fine and we'll move on to the next one. We'll see what happens."
(on the Tennessee Titans) "Well the first thing that jumps at me is who they played. They played arguably one of the toughest early schedules in football with New England, and going to San Diego and Detroit the other day. That's tough in this league. Big win for them yesterday, explosive plays, five plays over 60 yards, that's explosion. Young quarterback that can move around and make plays, they always give us a hard time defensively because they're a very physical football team. It was a late night. I haven't really started on them yet, but we know, division game. We know what type of game we'll be in."
(on the play at right tackle) "We will continue to spot play (T) Ryan (Harris). Remember Ryan's only been with us now three weeks, but (RT Derek) Newton is a young player, three starts under his belt. There is going to be some ups and down as he grows as a player, and that was a tough place and some tough players he played against yesterday. Ryan is a veteran who we're going to give a chance to help this team. You're going to see Ryan play some. You're going to continue to see (C Ben) Jones play some. We got seven guys and we got to go out there and figure out how we play our best. We'll continue to handle it that way."
(on if he's concerned tempering external expectations) "No, I really don't. I just think they've been working hard enough together as a group. First off they know how hard it is to get to where they're at today. With what some of the guys in our locker room and this meeting room have been through over the past few years, they're a pretty humble group. They're having success because they're working hard and playing good football. Like I said, today is a great indicator to me. We get home at midnight, 12:30, 1:00 in the morning whatever it is, we got them right back in here this morning and they're all business in here trying to correct their mistakes. We had a great meeting. I like their focus and that's about the leadership of this football team. They got to continue to keep the hammer on themselves and keep pushing. We got a long way to go."
(on P Donnie Jones' success) "He was very good yesterday. Really the only bad ball that he hit was on the free kick after the safety, but (P) Donnie's (Jones) been punting very well. That one at the end was huge because of hang time. The guy fields the ball on the goal line. The time that went off the clock, we handled that situation very well right there. I've been very impressed with Donnie, and I think (K) Shayne's (Graham) doing a good job, too. He missed one kickoff yesterday. He miss hit, but other than that it's been pretty good. They're two veteran players that basically that got a little new life here in the league with us and they're handling their job very well."
(on Denver LB Joe Mays' actions after his big hit on QB Matt Schaub) "Well I think as fans, what everybody sees is the competition of the game and guys getting after each other. That's what makes our game great, but I think what fans don't see is the respect factor that's happening on that field between players. Those guys, for the most part, a lot of them know each other, played against each other in college. A lot of them have the same agents. There are a lot of ties in the National Football League. They're going to get after each other and try to win a football game, but there is a great deal of respect. He's a fine player. He's physical, and they a very physical football team, or a football team in general. That's part of the game, and we're able to work through it yesterday and were very fortunate."
(on if QB Matt Schaub's toughness after big hits elevated the team) "He played that way all day. It wasn't just that play. I think he's getting hit too much, and I talked about that in our meeting today. Talking to our guys up front, we got to protect him better. (QB) Matt (Schaub) played tough all day long. When your quarterback plays like that, you're going to have a chance to win every week. Matt has always demonstrated great toughness with his teammates. He has their respect, and yesterday was a great example of him growing too as a player. He just did a hell of a job."
(on WR Trindon Holliday) "I'm disappointing in some of the decisions he's making. I like what he brings to our team, the ability to make some big plays. I think we can win some games on special teams because of his ability. His decision making has got to get better. It seems like we're having one a week and I'm telling you all the same thing I tell him. It's something we got to work on, something he's got to control. He went in there and covered a couple of kicks yesterday and makes a tackle on one of the punts. We're going to continue to get him more involved with that stuff. I like his want to. I think he's making some poor decisions fielding the balls because he's like 'well I'm only going to get so many chances to make a play so I want to go make a play.' I don't ever want to take that aggression away from a player, but he's got to play smart too."
(on WR Andre Johnson's high expectations for himself during Sunday's game) "Every great player I've ever been around, they're hard on themselves. He's as good as I've ever been around. You want guys out there competing like that, expecting to make every play. He had a couple other plays he could've' made and he could've had a huge day and he knows that. Boy, did he make a big one there. I think the 6-yard catch he made is a big as other play you make in the game. That's why(WR) Andre (Johnson) is Andre. He's going to push himself to the limit."
(on if the offensive line rotation is a concern) "Well I think I knew what I was facing before I got started, just some of the decision we made in the offseason we knew that we were going to have to rebuild that group. So that's been part of our focus throughout camp, naturally you got to settle down with some starters. You got to go out there with five initially. That's all they'll let you do. We're going to be a good group. That's the way I look at it. We're going to probably play seven guys here as we move forward and see how that works out. The bottom line I'm worried about is the Texans being good up front. Whoever is doing it the best, they're going to be out there. I know we got a couple young players, but I expect them to play well."
(on RB Arian Foster's pace for a heavy workload) "I talked to (RB) Arian (Foster) after the game. It's a long season, and we rely on him a great deal. I told him you got a heck of a player behind you so there's no reason for you to ever be out there gassed, just come on off. We'll put (RB) Ben (Tate) in. We'll put (RB) Justin (Forsett) in so I think he understands. You're right. The more fresh we can keep Arian, the better he's going to be. But at the same time, there are certain days were the more he carries it, the better he gets. It's just the way he is. I'm going to listen to him, but I think (Running Backs Coach) Chick (Harris) and I between the two of us, we have to keep a pretty close eye on him."
