OWNER BOB McNAIR
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK
OLB CONNOR BARWIN
T DUANE BROWN
TE OWEN DANIELS
RB ARIAN FOSTER
K SHAYNE GRAHAM
CB KAREEM JACKSON
WR ANDRE JOHNSON
CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH
SS DANIEAL MANNING
WR KESHAWN MARTIN
C CHRIS MYERS
FS GLOVER QUIN
QB MATT SCHAUB
ILB DARRYL SHARPTON
DE ANTONIO SMITH
G WADE SMITH
WR KEVIN WALTER
DE J.J. WATT
OWNER BOB McNAIR (Transcribed by Matt May)
(on what it meant for the Texans to get the comeback win) "It was a beautiful win. This win builds confidence for our team. Last week the defense shut Chicago down and the offense struggled with the bad weather and going up against Chicago's defense. This week our defense struggled a little bit but our offense stepped up and had 640 total yards, that's as much as we usually make in two games."
(on WR Andre Johnson's big game) "I couldn't be happier for (WR) Andre (Johnson); he had 278 yards receiving. He had a wonderful game and for him to get the winning touchdown was a great way to end his career-setting day."
HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK (Transcribed by Tiffani Walker)
(on his thoughts about the game) "I knew we would be in for a battle. I told you all that all week. This team has been playing good and they've been close in so many games. Obviously we struggled today. We gave up a lot of big plays defensively. We turned the ball over offensively, but we kept battling and found a way to win a game another way. I talk about that all the time, being able to win in different ways. Great job offensively and big stop by the defense there in overtime. And tremendous play by our quarterback (QB Matt Schaub), and probably as a good a day as I've even seen by a wide receiver. As a matter of fact, I know it is."
(on the play of WR Andre Johnson) "I just told him, I've been doing this a long time, and I've been around some great players, and that was the greatest day by a wide receiver I've ever been around. He's been exceptional the last five weeks or so. He's playing well and he's back healthy. Just really happy for him. What a huge day. I don't know if that one will ever be touched. That was special from the Texans standpoint."
(on being down 14 points in the 4th quarter and coming back) "I think I've said a few times, I knew that if we ever got in a situation where we had to throw it 50 plus times our quarterback (QB Matt Schaub) is capable of doing it. We don't want to do it. It's not how we want to play, but we got caught in one of those games today. And obviously he took us down there and made some huge plays. You have to give the offensive line credit too. You're sitting there throwing the ball over, and over, and over again and they're holding up. But that's his job, and that's why he's here. And that's why Matt is a great player. He can find ways to do that. So it was special."
(on what Jacksonville was doing on offense to cause problems on defense) "In the first half we had some busts. We had some mental mistakes, which is unlike us. Some formations caused us some problems and we had some MA's (missed assignments) and we ended up giving up some big plays. They do have some talented young receivers. (QB Chad) Henne has played a lot of good football in this league. And when he came in, obviously they started slinging the heck out of it and he started playing extremely well. So I think you have to give them a ton of credit in how they played. You know, to come in here and play like that."
(on it being a problem prepping for one QB, and getting the backup for the whole game) "I don't think it's a problem. But, you just don't know what you're going to get because you haven't been watching him on film for the most part, you've been watching the other guy. But (QB) Chad (Henne) has won big games in this league and played extremely well. It just goes to show it doesn't matter who is playing, or what is going on, or where you're playing, you have to play good. So we survived a day today when some of the things we were doing weren't very good."
(on if he wished he would have been more aggressive in certain situations) "I would have to go back and think about every situation. I don't know exactly. I know one situation you're asking me about, we were down by 10, so obviously I'm not going to do it there. I'm going to get it back to a one score game. I'll have to go back and look at every situation. We just tried to stay aggressive, but at the same time they made us be patient the way they played us. They made us kind of nitpick them a little bit down the field. I thought (QB) Matt (Schaub) did a good job of that."
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER CONNOR BARWIN (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(On batted balls) "We take pride in putting our hands up to get passes deflected. On that last series those batted passes were very important in getting off the field."
(On stopping Jacksonville down the stretch) "We made some mistakes and blew some assignments in the first half. They had a chance to win at one point and we were able to make a stop to get our offense the ball back.
(On the win) "It's not the way we thought it would happen. These types of games are fun when you have to comeback it teaches you that there are more ways to win. Being able to do what we did today will help us later on in the season.
(On the final play of the game) "I was looking up at the video board but I knew it was a screen. I looked up and saw Andre (Johnson) running and it was just poetic justice the way it ended because of the game he had today having a walk off 50 yard screen pass.
TACKLE DUANE BROWN (Transcribed by Roman Petrowski)
(on the comeback win) "Throughout the whole game they had been up by ten points. We never had the feeling that we were out of it. Guys were just fighting. We just found a way to win it. Great teams find a way to win it. I love this team. It's hard to explain the feeling."
(on when he knew WR Andre Johnson had scored the winning touchdown) "I just heard the crowd erupt. We had screens going to both sides, so I was running out there. I heard the crowd erupt and I knew something had happened. Once I saw him open his stride up I knew nobody was going to catch him."
(on WR Andre Johnson's career day) "I was just elated. My hat's off to him. Anybody that had any questions about his ability at this stage in his career, I think he put them to rest. He played his tail off all day. For him to close the game out was only fitting."
(on the play of the Jacksonville Jaguars) "They have a physical group. I knew better than to doubt Jacksonville coming into this game. I know how physical that team is, and I know how much pride they have. They came out smoking and they fought us for four quarters. When you play them you're going to be hurting the next day. That's the type of team they are. Their front four brings it, but we held up, protected, and it's a great feeling to get the win."
(on getting ready for the Detroit Lions on Thursday) "We have to take care of our bodies. We have to enjoy this win, but take care of our bodies. Coach (Gary) Kubiak is going to do the best he can to keep us physically rested. Mentally we have to make the transition going to Detroit. We're professionals. It's a quick turnaround, but we have to get it going."
TIGHT END OWEN DANIELS (Transcribed by Matt May)
(on the Texans overtime win) "It was a crazy day, unbelievable win. There were so many chances where could've won the game but we never gave up. We were optimistic the whole game and the team was able to tie the game up near the end of regulation. We thought we could win the game there at the very end but when that didn't happen we found a way to win in overtime and it was a fitting end for (WR) Andre's (Johnson) big day."
(on WR Andre Johnson's big performance) "You can't say enough about that guy. I've seen so many big games from (WR) Andre (Johnson) since I've been here. I haven't seen him play like this in a long time, it's pretty impressive. He had close to 300 yards and for him to finish off right there at the end was unreal."
(on QB Matt Schaub's focus at the end of the game) "Matt was doing a great job leading us towards the end of the game. We had to score a couple of times to get back into it but he kept us calm in the huddle and did an excellent job, you can't say enough about him."
(on the Texans not having to win games toward the end and the confidence it gave the team) "We're finding different ways to win. Last week we had a low scoring defensive battle with some bad conditions, next week we come back and win a shootout. It's great that we can come back from a couple scores down late in the game and that no one gave up and believed we would get it down somehow some way. I'm really proud of everyone right now."
(on if good teams find a way to win) "No great teams do that. Great teams find different ways to win no matter the situation or circumstance. Low scoring game, high scoring game whatever it takes. The team's performance today was very impressive."
RUNNING BACK ARIAN FOSTER (Transcribed by Tiffani Walker)
(on coming back to win the game) "This is a resilient team. When one side of the ball is struggling, the other side steps up. Last week we were struggling on offense and our defense played extremely big for us. This week, they let a couple plays get by them, and we had (QB) Matt (Schaub) and (WR) Andre (Johnson) and the rest of the offense, they played phenomenal. That's what team is about."
(on having three game winning drives and the offensive performance) "(QB) Matt (Schaub) is our leader. And we go as he goes. It's fun to watch that guy operate. And he has a weapon like that in Andre out there and I think any time we are clicking like that we are hard to stop."
(on what the win means to the team and how they found a way to win) "I think that it's a difference between previous years around here. Not necessarily last year, but early years of this organization, where we found ways to lose, instead of finding ways to win. We're starting to find a way to win those games. And those kind of things put you over the hump as an organization."
(on QB Matt Schaub's historic day (second most single game passing yards in NFL history, tied with Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon)) "I get kind of tired of defending him to the national media. I feel like he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He throws one of the best balls in the game and he's week in and week out consistent. We like to run the ball here in Houston, a lot, but every time we ask him to pass, he does what he did today."
KICKER SHAYNE GRAHAM (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on the feeling of missing kicks and the team coming back to win) "Luckily, we're the kind of team and family that pulls back and we figure out a way to win. Getting a second chance in overtime kind of made me feel a little better, being able to kick a field goal. It would've been nice if that was the difference, but you know, had (WR Andre Johnson) been tackled on that long run, we could have kicked a field goal and I was 100 percent confident I would have made that attempt. You can't make them all. You wish you could make them all. It's not a great feeling, but that's over with and now we move on for the future."
(on seeing WR Andre Johnson score after all that the team went through) "I tell you, it was good. It was a good feeling, because you hate to think that something that happened that you had control over and then the other team comes back and wins in overtime when you could have ended it in regulation. It's not a great feeling, but to see the way guys – we all made mistakes and we all turned around and we all came back and corrected them, and came back and did what we needed to do to win. That's what matters, is winning this game."
CORNERBACK KAREEM JACKSON (Transcribed by Roman Petrowski)
(on the surprising play of the Jacksonville Jaguars) "Jacksonville came to play. They made some big plays on us early. Down the stretch we were able to come together as one defense and shut them down. We played the way we expect to play late in the game. As long as we go out and get the win we're happy."
(on what Jacksonville did to stay in the game) "It's the NFL. Those guys get paid like we do, they practice like we do and they watch film like we do. They have some great talent with those receivers. We were expecting them to make some plays, but when it got tough and we needed to make some plays we were able to."
(on if Jacksonville surprised the defense) "Everything they did we saw on film. It came down to them making a couple of plays early. We weren't able to tackle and get them down early, and they were able to his us with three big plays. It was all self-inflicted wounds."
(on the different quarterbacks the Jaguars used) "There's a difference. Veteran guys come to the ball and make reads before the ball is even snapped. They know where to go with the ball. Any time you have a veteran it is going to make a difference as opposed to a young guy."
WIDE RECEIVER ANDRE JOHNSON (Transcribed by Tiffani Walker, Ellie Pardee and Rachel Jacob)
(on the last play of the game and what was going through his mind) "It's just a wide receiver's screen. I didn't know what would happen but it was a perfect call. Everything just opened up. I just took off running."
(on what he felt when he went across the line and the game was over) "I was glad it was over. It was a long game. It was a tough game. Those guys always play us tough when we play against them. The guys said we just had to keep going to get the game over with."
(on what it means for him to have a career day after what he's been through and being over 30) "It means a lot. Like I said before, I've been telling you guys I've been feeling better and better every week. Maybe you guys will believe me after that. I have a lot of credit to give to our training staff. Just everybody who has been working with me through the process of all the injuries and things I've gone through. Just making sure I'm in there doing what I need to do to be able to perform on Sunday."
(on where this game ranks in his career) "I don't know. I wouldn't say best game. People say best game because of the stats, and catches and things like that. But, the game that sticks out in my mind the most is us winning our first playoff game. I always rate that as my favorite game since I've been here. It ranks up there, though."
(on regular season games, where does this rank) "I would probably say it is. I would probably say it is the best game as far as regular season."
(on QB Matt Schaub throwing for the second most passing yards in NFL history today (tied for second with Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon) "I don't know, something about him. He just has a look in his eye on gameday. I don't know what it is. He's just focused. He just has this focus. I don't know if it's because of what he went through last season and he's just determined not to go through it and just take advantage of every opportunity that he gets now. I think that's it. Like I said before, me and him spent a lot of time together this offseason going over to UH. When we were driving in the car, he always drove me over, so we just talked and we both just kept saying how excited we were about this upcoming season and talked about our injuries and what we went through and how we felt. I think that is the biggest thing, he's just taking advantage of every opportunity he gets."
(on what is says about the team and figuring out how to win week to week) "All the good teams find a way to win, no matter if it's ugly, pretty or whatever. We just know we had to keep plugging. Our defense, they gave us chances when we needed them, and that's how we were able to get the victory. They didn't play their best game today, we didn't play our best game today, but the biggest thing is getting the 'W.' In the win column it either says 'W' or 'L.' They don't ask how you got it done."
(on QB Matt Schaub shaking off the INT and making plays at the end) "That's the thing, bad things are going to happen. I had a dropped ball I wish I didn't drop it, but you have to move on from it. It happens. It happens to the best. Just have to move on from it and keep plugging away."
(on watching the defense play clutch when it mattered) "I really didn't watch that last series when they were out on the field. I was just like, 'we can't lose this game.' So, I just kind of was holding my head down, and I would peek up at the board a little bit. When they stopped them on fourth down, I was like 'we're going to win it.' I was like 'we've got to win. This is the best opportunity and we've got to take advantage.'"
(on the last play and if he thought he would score when it was called) "When you get an opportunity you just try and make the best of it. Actually, when I caught the ball, and I saw how open I was, I was just looking around like, 'where are the defenders?' I took off running and I kept looking, and I thought the cornerback would come from the outside. But, he wasn't there, it was just the safety left, so I was just saying to myself, 'I can't let him tackle me.'"
(on 2 receivers having 200 yards receiving in one game) "I think it's great. I always say I like to see other receivers do well, just not against us. (WR Justin) Blackmon, he's a great player. I watched him a lot when he was in college. I just don't like that he did it against us."
(on WR Keshawn Martin saying he was shocked at being caught by the punter on his long return) "I thought he was going to outrun him. But, it happens. They get paid too. I thought he would outrun him, though."
(on coming back from 14 points down in the 4th quarter and winning) "Like I said, the good teams find a way to win, no matter the circumstances. We went through some adversity today as a team, and it's all about how you respond to it. We found a way to get the 'W,' so that's all that matters."
CORNERBACK JOHNATHAN JOSEPH (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on finding a way to make the stops when it mattered the most) "If you want to be a good or great team, whenever it gets tough or hard, you've got to find a way to dig deep and find a way to come up with a victory. Today was a prime example. Everybody stayed in it throughout the full game, through the first 60 minutes of it, and we needed that extra time. We just came away with it and we dug deep."
(on the way Houston's defensive backups stepped up and did a great job when starters were out) "That's the standard that we hold, it's always the next guy up. Everybody has a job to do, and when your number is called, we expect you to do your job and don't have any give or fall off from the next man up."
(on what Jacksonville did in the passing game to catch Houston off guard) "Just a couple of big plays. You look at one point in time, they probably had eight first downs total, but they had 375 yards. That kind of sums it up. They had one play that went for 75, another play for maybe 75 or 80. That's 150 or 160 yards together on two plays. So just simple things, a missed tackle here or there, wrong coverage – it's things that can be fixed."
(on Houston preparing for a different quarterback than they saw for most of the game) "I don't think it really made much difference, because they still run the same plays that we've seen throughout the league, things like that. It's just a couple plays that they made that we didn't make that we're normally accustomed to making."
(on his health situation right now) "As far as right now, I just had a little slight pull throughout the game. We had a couple plays left in the game and actually the offense got the ball back and I just stayed out the last couple of plays. For me, I'm just looking forward to getting into rehab tomorrow."
(on if he can make the turnaround for the Thursday game) "Absolutely. That's what this league is about. Obviously we got stuck with a short week, had to play Sunday and Thursday, but everybody has their chance when their number is called. For us, it's about resting up and heading to Detroit on Thursday. We have a veteran team - guys are smart. Of course guys getting in the cold and things like that to preserve their legs and things like that; take some of the extra pressure and things like that off your legs. For us, it's just about resting up and getting to Thursday healthy."
(on if it's a challenge being able to get up for Thursday) "Well, like I said, I don't really have an idea right now. Tomorrow I'll wake up in the morning and see how it feels and go from there."
(on getting confidence to see the team win games in a variety of ways) "I think so in a certain degree with some of the younger guys. You have a lot of older guys on this team that have played a lot of football throughout and during their time in the league. You have some younger guys that are playing a high level of football, but haven't been through a game like that before. So it's good to let those guys go through that situation and experience it."
SAFETY DANIEAL MANNING (Transcribed by Roman Petrowski)
(on the play of the Jacksonville Jaguars) "They say it's hard to win in the National Football League and that's real business. Hats go off to Jacksonville. They came ready to play and they executed. They made a lot of big plays and they matched us fight for fight. Our offense did good to keep us in the game."
(on Jacksonville having to use QB Chad Henne) "It's funny when you prepare for a certain quarterback. We played against (Chad) Henne when he was in Miami but now he has more weapons, and he came out ready to play."
(on the play of Jaguar WR Justin Blackmon) "It must have been those rookie steps that he went through earlier in the season. He showed up in this game. They came out and fought with everything they had. They had pride and they played together as a team. You could hear them talking and working things out together. They weren't playing individually."
(on what it means to get a win like this) "I don't like showing people this type of win to be honest. We want to win the game clean. We don't want to go play extra quarters. We played against a team who acted like they were an 8-1 team. We had to battle back. These are the types of games that if you're going to call a champion you have to go through though. "
(on preparing for the Detroit Lions) "Right now we have to take it one day and one step at a time. We have to recuperate and heal up and come back in the morning. If it's this fast of a turnaround we probably won't practice full pads. We have to come back thinking about Detroit."
WIDE RECEIVER KESHAWN MARTIN (Transcribed by Roman Petrowski)
(on getting tackled during his punt return) "I was mad. I was mad the punter got me. That was the fastest punter I've ever seen in my life. As I was running I told myself I could not let the punter catch me, but he tripped me up. It's over now. He made a good play so I'll just move on."
(on having a career day) "It means a lot. It shows that I'm getting more comfortable out there, especially with the returns. I'm getting better every day and I want to keep doing that."
(on what it was like to get his first touchdown) "The first one is always a good one, but that isn't the end. I just want to keep making plays and keep scoring touchdowns."
CENTER CHRIS MYERS (Transcribed by Matt May)
(on the offense's performance showing if the Texans are a complete team) "I think it does. The one thing is that we know we can play football. We have to go out there and prove ourselves week in and week out. We have to take advantage of our opportunities and we weren't able to do that at the beginning of the game. We kept fighting and it came through in the end."
(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak's postgame comments) "Last week we won one way and then we had to come out and score big points this week. It's not something you want to have to do but whatever it takes to get the win you have to go out there and do it."
(on the struggles with the run game in the first half against Jacksonville) "A couple of those were short yardage plays where they had guys in the box that we weren't planning on so we made those adjustments come the second half. That's the one thing about our offense that's so key is that if we can establish the run early it's going to open so many other plays for our offense."
(on what his thoughts were on the win) "Just downright determination. That's one thing about this team this year is we're a very determined very driven team. We felt like we should've gone further in the playoffs last year and we're trying to implement that ideal this season."
FREE SAFETY GLOVER QUIN (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on what he attributes to a lot of the big plays today) "We just didn't make the plays that we needed to make. They caught us. It seemed like every time we did something, they had the right play called, and sometimes you just have to go make a play, and we didn't make the plays."
(on if there were communication issues late in the game after Houston CB Johnathan Joseph went out) "Well down in red zone, they came out in a personnel group that we weren't prepared for, and (there was) a little confusion at that point in the game. So (ILB) Bradie James called a timeout so we could make sure. That's a big play, no point taking a timeout home with you. It's a big play and we wanted to make sure we were all on the same page and so we called a timeout."
(on what the difference was late in regulation and in overtime) "We just had to buckle down and focus on the job, focus on not giving up big plays, focus on tackling - just the smaller things that hurt us basically. From leverage to tackling to everything, eyes, all that stuff, it just hurt us. So in the fourth quarter and in overtime we had to really hone in and buckle in and we still gave up some plays. They drove down in overtime and we came up with a big stop. So it's one of those days where we go back to the drawing board."
QUARTERBACK MATT SCHAUB (Transcribed by Greg Dillard)
(on what he said to the offense before the last drive) "I just told them the first play. I really didn't say anything. We knew what we had to go get done. We were given good field position by our defense and we knew what we needed to do to win and we went out and did it."
(on the play of WR Andre Johnson) "It definitely was special. (WR) Andre (Johnson), he's been that way all year to be honest with you. To catch the coverages we were getting against what we were trying to run, and Andre making the plays it was as good as I've seen him look in a long while. That's just Andre. That's how he's always been."
(on his stretch of 17 straight completions) "We had to play catch up. We liked some of the stuff that we were doing in our empty set and then with our five wides or four wides and (TE) Owen (Daniels) in there. With the coverages that we were getting, guys were making plays. In that situation offensive line just blocking their down guys and our guys in the secondary just trying to make plays and we were able to do that."
(on opening the game with four wide receivers and throwing more today) "It's not something that we needed to do to this point but just shows that we can win in many different ways as a team. Offensively, if we need to grind it out running the football and playing keep away we can do it. If we need to go with our empty set and spread people out, we can do that also. After winning 13-6 last week in a tough game on the road and then coming back here and having to win a shootout, this team just keeps facing adversity and rising to the occasion. It just shows that we can win in a lot of different ways."
(on being down 14 points in the fourth quarter and coming back as a team) "It really will. It's something to build on. It's something a lot like what happened to us against Green Bay a month and a half ago or like what happened last week. It's stuff that we can just build on as we get into the stretch run here into December. Something we can look back on as we move through this because there are going to be games like that, that are not always going to be a two or three score lead in the fourth quarter where you're trying to run the clock out. There is going to be close ballgames where you have to go make plays and guys did that."
(on the last play and if he thought it would go for a touchdown) "I knew it had a chance because they had brought a couple pressures just before that on the series where I had the one interception. They brought a couple pressures there. They brought a pressure on the first play of that drive, the last drive that is, so I knew if they were going to bring that again, that we were going to have a chance to make a big play. If not a touchdown, it's going to at least get us down there to where we're in field goal range and we can end the game. We got what we wanted and (WR Andre Johnson) Dre did the rest."
(on what he said to WR Andre Johnson after the game) "Just that I love him, I love the way he plays. I know he's always going to protect me and protect the throws and just give me a chance to look good. That was what he did today."
(on knowing they would have to throw more today) "We wanted to go up tempo because we knew it would wear them down a little bit. It worked for us in the first game that we played them. Our offense really works on rhythm and when you can put positive plays back to back and we get into a groove, we're hard to stop. I just wanted to keep that tempo going and keep those guys going. Our offensive line likes that because it wears down their front, helps them out."
(on this game being a flashback to previous games where they threw a lot) "That was so long. It just was good to get the win today."
(on if there was a sideline conversation about having to throw more today) "We could sense it. We could sense it as the game was going there in the first half and then coming out of the gates in the second half. We realized what type of game it was going to be and that every play, every possession was going to be important. Guys really understood that. We've been around each other now for a while on our side of the football so there is not much needed to be said only in times where it's crucial."
(on bouncing back from the interception in overtime) "You just go to the next play. That's football. That's what this position is about whether it's good or bad. You got to have amnesia, put it out of your mind and go on to the next play."
(on if there was a time where he felt the team was in a desperate situation) "Down 14 in the fourth quarter, you got to go out and make plays. Never did we force things but we just took what they gave us and they gave us some things down the field. There was never really, I guess, that desperation of throwing it in the end zone, hope something good happens. You just try to play within the offense."
(on the day TE Garrett Graham had today) "(TE) Garrett's (Graham) been doing that all year, but he just happened to get the opportunities with the ball in his hands. He made the plays. I know (TE) Owen (Daniels) is just coming back after last week and we were getting him back in the mix. He made some great plays, but Garrett really stepped up for us especially in the red zone getting two touchdowns in there. He played outstanding."
(on how important was it to spread the ball to many different receivers) "It was great. It was great to get those guys in the mix. (WR) Lestar (Jean) made some catches. (WR) Keshawn (Martin) made some plays. Special teams wise he was outstanding. He got a huge pass interference penalty on that one. We had a chance for a big play there. All those guys, (WR) Kevin (Walter) made some great plays for us. It just shows those guys are coming along. Those young receivers are coming into their own a little bit."
(on the play of the offensive line) "Outstanding, that's a good group that they faced. They always are physical and play us tough up front. Our guys just battled whether it being the run or their protection. There was a lot of one on ones out there and pass pro and they really did a great job."
(on being happy about his 40-plus completions today) "We're pleased with the victory especially against a divisional opponent. It was a tough win, took everybody. That's just those type of numbers, that's for everybody. That's just something that we had to do to win. That's what it took."
INSIDE LINEBACKER DARRYL SHARPTON (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on getting into the flow of the game) "It felt great to be back out there. I wasn't expecting a game this long or this crazy. Playing football is like riding a bike for me. It clicked the minute I stepped on the field, and I felt like I was at home."
(on how much playing time was expected) "I wasn't sure how much time I would see today. I told our coaching staff I was ready to go wherever they needed me, and I played as hard as I could."
(on the type of game today) "It was a great game. We were down by two touchdowns but able to come back. We expected to come in and dominate, but that wasn't the case today. We ended up grinding it out and finding a way to get the win."
DEFENSIVE END ANTONIO SMITH (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on batted balls) "It's huge for us to be able to do that. Now that I got a couple I won't get joked on in the meeting room by (NT) Shaun Cody. In past years I never focused on batting balls down. I spent all my energy trying to get to the quarterback. Being able to bat the ball down is exactly like a sack because it stops the play. Being able to get two of them was great."
(on stopping them down the stretch) "It was big in more ways than you can imagine. Making those type of plays building momentum for our team. If we don't make that stop they can kick a field goal to win the game. Regardless of what happened in the game we had to make stops when it counted. If we didn't stop them in the times that we did, we don't win this game."
(on the team growing up) "This team absolutely grew up today. As soon as the game ended I came in the locker room yelling "How are they going to beat us now?" We have been tested in a lot of ways this season. Make no mistake, this was not the same Jacksonville Jaguars we saw earlier in the season. They had a sense of urgency and a focus that they have not had. They made plays they haven't made all year and you have to give them credit they gave us their best effort today."
GUARD WADE SMITH (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on getting the win) "It means a lot to get a win that wasn't pretty. Last week we went to Chicago where the conditions were terrible with the field and playing a tough team, but we were able to find a way to win. Today we had to get a lot of production from our offense to win. We are doing whatever it takes to get wins."
(on the last play of the game) "It was a double screen, so my job was to get to the left. I saw Dre (WR Andre Johnson) split the defense and go all the way."
(on how big the win was) "It was a big win for us. People are going say that it's just Jacksonville, but it's a division game that we have to win. We were down by two touchdowns and the fact that we were able to come back and get the win is huge for this team. This is something we'll be able to use moving forward."
WIDE RECEIVER KEVIN WALTER (Transcribed by Matt Bodiford)
(on your emotions when the game ended) "I was very excited, you even saw emotion from Dre (WR Andre Johnson) who rarely shows it on the field. He was fired up scoring that winning touchdown. We knew we were in a dog fight with a divisional game."
(on what was said in the locker room after the game) "It doesn't matter how you win a football game. Last week we won by a few points this week we had to put a lot on the board. It's a good thing to know that you can win in all three phases of the game."
(on the mentality throughout the game) "There are a lot of teams that would have packed it in, in a game like this especially going to overtime. Not executing on offense, or the defense being put in a bad spot on field position. Our defense did a great job of getting the ball back for us and we were able to get the touchdown to win it."
(on QB Matt Schaub) "He is unbelievable. I don't know what his final stats were but he played amazing. He is a special player and I'm proud to be able to work with him. The sky is the limit for Matt."
DEFENSIVE END J.J. WATT (Transcribed by Channler Hill)
(on the four balls knocked down at the line from the defensive line) "Huge. Those were huge plays for our defense, frustrating the quarterback, obviously impacting the play — big time for our defense."
(on being able to keep Jacksonville from scoring at the end) "It's the difference between winning and losing. Today was a battle. Today was a claw and fight your way to a win, but we got a win and we're 9-1, and we're happy about that."
(on what his reaction was when he knew WR Andre Johnson was going to score) "Excited, especially for a guy like Dre (WR Andre Johnson) and for a play like that. In that situation, it was awesome to see. So happy for him, happy for our team and just proud of the way we fought."
(on if ever doubted the team would win) "Yeah, there was no doubt in our mind at any point. With this team, with these guys, with the character guys we have in this room there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to win this one."
(on finding a way to get stops with the game on the line) "I think that the good teams and the great teams find ways to win games and they find ways to step up big in big time situations. And today we did that, we did that in a big win. It definitely wasn't pretty. It wasn't clean. It wasn't what a lot of people expected this game to be, but we won the game and that's all that matters at the end of the day."
(on QB Matt Schaub throwing for the second-most yards in a game in NFL history) "It was fun to watch. He was just dicing his way down the field. It's so much fun when you're sitting on the sideline and watching him go to work and the things he did today was awesome. The receivers played well, (TE) Garrett (Graham), (WR) Andre (Johnson), everybody. It's fun to watch our offense and they come to play every week."
(on Defensive Line Coach Bill Kollar teasing that they tried to put him back in the hospital) "Oh, Coach Kollar."
(on the battle on the line of scrimmage today) "Yeah, it was a battle. That was a good football team. Those guys were playing hard, playing tough, playing physical. I give them a lot of credit. It was definitely a grind in the battle up front."
(on if it was a surprise that the Jaguars emphasized the passing game so much) "Well, obviously MJD (RB Maurice Jones-Drew) is out, so they moved to the pass a little bit and they had success with the pass. You can't blame them for doing that. We needed to get a little more pressure and do what we did at the end of the game. Do what we did in the overtime period, get pressure, bat some balls, but find a way to win."
(on how much this win means moving forward) "It's a big game. It shows that, I think that last week showed we can win on the road in a tough environment against a very good team. Today shows that we can come from behind, be resilient, win a grinder and I think we did that.
(on QB Chad Henne's ability to move the ball downfield compared to QB Blaine Gabbert) "He (QB Chad Henne) played well. You have to give Chad Henne a lot of credit. He had a great game today. He made a lot of good throws, he put his offense in good situations and put some points on the board, so he deserves a lot of credit."
POSTGAME QUOTES FROM JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY
WR JUSTIN BLACKMON
QB CHAD HENNE
TE MARCEDES LEWIS
DE JEREMY MINCEY
RB JALEN PARMELE
LB PAUL POSLUSZNY
HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY (Transcribed by Lance Jaramillo)
(on losing to the Texans) "Disappointing loss. Disappointed for our team again. I want good for them so bad I can't stand it because it's a special bunch of guys that lay it on the line every week. Every single week: home and away, Monday through Sunday. I told them afterwards we didn't come here for a tie, we wanted to win the football game and we had some chances we had some chances we just did not make some of the plays that we haven't made throughout the year. That was probably the difference in some of the things that happened in that game. They made some of the catches we didn't."
(on being encouraged by the offense) "I was. We made some great plays after the (the) catch. There was great effort, especially (WR Justin) Blackmon when (WR) Laurent Robinson went down there and made a block. There was great effort by those guys making a guy miss and scoring a touchdown. Those are things we haven't done a lot of this year and did it. That's why I think we were as competitive as we were throughout all the way to the end of the game."
(on who will start at quarterback for him next week) "I'll make that decision next week. Same thing we do every week. After I evaluate the tape, a decision will be made next week."
(on if he has to evaluate the tape even after QB Blaine Gabbert's game) "Yeah, I always evaluate the tape before I make any rash decisions."
(on it being disappointed it went to overtime after leading by 14 in the 4th quarter) "Obviously. We've been up a couple of scores before, then ended up in overtime and lost."
(on QB Blaine Gabbert's injury prognosis) "I don't know. I'll know more once I get to the airplane and we have our review."
(on WR Laurent Robinson's lack of targets) "Kind of the way it was today."
(on if WR Justin Blackmon was in the game plan more) "No, just happened again that way that coverages and people were covering players. It just unfolded that way. Justin (Blackmon) made some great plays for us."
(on if the defense was prepared for the Texans' pass attack) "I think we're very prepared. I told them this morning in the locker room, we had a very good game plan. That's a very good offense. They've been doing the same things for a long time and they have some weapons over there and it's hard to stop all of them and then when plays were there to be made they made plays. They made some great catches, some of them just blanketed by defenders and made the plays, kept drives going and those are the kind of things we have to do consistently I think to make us end up on the better side of that outcome."
(on the run defense making RB Arian Foster work hard) "They ran the ball 50 times last time we played them, the goal is to stop the run and keep everything in front of us. That didn't happen. We had some throws go over our head, which we did not want to happen, big chunk plays, explosive plays, whether they score or not that changes the field immediately. We got to keep everything in front of us and tackle really good."
(on what the game means for WR Justin Blackmon) "Every press conference I've had in the last five weeks I've talked about his preparation, how he practices and how he is each game taking another step, I think. Whether it shows up on statistics with all the things everybody looks at, there's a lot of things that go in to watching a guy develop, he has gotten better and better and better every week and today was good for him and good for our team to see that. I'm sure it will carry over."
(on QB Chad Henne's performance) "The reps with him aren't the reps you would normally get but he did a lot of good things today. What he did was give our guys some chances to make some plays down the field and then our guys made plays. That was big. He took command of the offense. There are some things we can do better. We were slow out of the huddle. There's things we got to do better with our tempo so we don't have to call all those timeouts but there's things where it's obvious we haven't had the practice time with him. There are some things he did on his own that were impressive."
(on the lift they got from RB Jalen Parmele) "We felt like we needed to see if we could get our run game going. We're constantly making evaluations and whatever we had to do to improve in any area, that's a running back, a linebacker, a corner, that's quarterback, that's anywhere. We went with Jalen and we got some hard eared carries from him."
(on WR Justin Blackmon's opportunities) "He got more opportunities and made the most of them. Some of those catches were very good catches. The ball was on top of him, there's things again, we missed a couple that could have been difference makers and keep third downs going but I was very pleased with the way he's been handling himself the last five weeks."
(on the drive ending with TE Marcedes Lewis touchdown being the best of the year) "It was impressive because of how quickly we scored. Put the ball in some good spots there, that's what (QB) Blaine (Gabbert) did during the week, you have to get a jump ball to Marcedes (Lewis) there without really ripping it, but you talk about it and watch the other guy do it and he went in there and did it and got a touchdown because of it. Typically that kind of throw is throw it up to where only he has a chance to catch it and that's what happened and he made a great play. Both of them."
(on CB Derek Cox's matchup with WR Andre Johnson) "You match him up with one of the better guys in the league and leaving him out in a big open space to cover a guy, pressure would have helped a little more, we had it sporadically with our guys up front, not because of lack of effort but when you're spread out all over the field with their formations it's hard to cover more if you're not getting a lot of pressure and I think he did the best he could. He had a big role, he had to support the run in a lot of those things."
(on DL C.J. Mosely and LB Paul Posluszny) "C.J,'s been steady all year. That's why he's been starting all year. He gives us our best chance in all phases and then Posluszny, I don't know if I've been around guys like him. I mean just seeing him in the locker room after the game, he's a football player. He does whatever it takes. He's got his forehead split wide open, there's blood streaming down his face and he's going around to his teammates and encouraging them that we're going to stay in the fight and continue to do that."
(on QB Chad Henne) "I'm sure it helps to get some experience."
WIDE RECEIVER JUSTIN BLACKMON (Transcribed by Amanda Worthy)
(on if the Jaguars are learning on the fly) "You've got to. The only thing that we have really done is just gone out there and things like that. You've got to be ready to go. You have to make plays."
(on what was different for him today) "I couldn't really tell you. Just everything was clicking as far as an offense in the passing game. A lot of stuff was opening up that we've practiced, and it was opening up the way we practiced it."
(on what gave him an edge today) "I think it was just week in, week out working hard, coming out and putting it all together. Just trying to mix things up, different things that I can do, and really try to beat them on the run."
(on if he and WR Andre Johnson were trading one-two punches) "Right, I did see that. He had a great game as well. Unfortunately, he got the best of us today."
(on what a game like today does for him confidence-wise) "Basically that it could happen and it can happen, just go out there and do it. I've been waiting awhile for it. Just ready to get back out on the field and try to win the next one."
(on how good they felt offensively after the 81-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter) "We felt good all day today as an offense. Big plays were being made. When their number was called, people were making plays. When that's going on it's hard for a defense to stop every player on the field when you are getting on a roll like that. We were very confident today. We wanted to get out and start fast, play two halves of football."
(on if they felt 81-yard touchdown was the knockout blow) "We wouldn't say we had it in the bag because they are a great offense over there. Obviously what they've done to finish the game, you really can't count them out, so it wasn't like we were over there celebrating a victory just because of that one."
(on if he struggled emotionally the past six to seven weeks) "I've been very patient. I'm not one that's going to get down on myself just because I'm not doing the stuff out there on the field on Sunday. My goal is to get better every day at practice. Like I said, when my name is called, my number is called, I'll go out there and make plays."
(on the emotions of the game) "It's a roller coaster. Those are the games that you want to be in and you want to come out on top. You don't want to be in the games that you just blow out people. You want a close, competitive game. That's what makes the sport fun. We really just wanted to come out and finish this one, and we wanted to get a win."
(on if he spoke with WR Andre Johnson after the game) "I didn't get to see him."
(on if he aspires to be like WR Andre Johnson) "He is one of the receivers that I have looked up to and tried to match my game after. He's a big, physical receiver and I try to be the same."
QUARTERBACK CHAD HENNE (Transcribed by Amanda Worthy)
(on if it felt good to get back into a groove) "Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, my play has always been there. It's just coming out and bonding with the receivers, getting the rhythm of the game, and starting to make plays. When you have good weeks at practice, I felt like we did these last couple weeks, it definitely shows on the field."
(on if he saw anything specific to exploit on the Texans defense) "This defense is a big man-to-man coverage team, so what it all comes down to is the guys outside winning one-on-one matchups. Today we exploited it, and our guys made some big plays. It made my job a lot easier. Guys up front did a really good job of protecting and I just try to get the ball in their hands."
(on what he thought when he initially went into the game) "It's tough, you know these past couple weeks with (QB) Blaine's (Gabbert) injury. You've just got to always be prepared and ready to go in. I've been preparing these last couple weeks like I've got to be the starter, and anytime he goes down just jump in and hopefully not lose a step with being in there."
(on if he thinks he has earned a start) "It's out of my power. This is Coach Mularkey's team. He's going to make the best decision for the team, and all I can do is when my number is called is be prepared, play well, and give the team a chance to win."
(on how he got into a rhythm so quickly during the game) "I felt, myself too in the last couple weeks is picking up practice. Even though I wasn't getting all of the reps with the ones, I felt on scout team that I really was throwing the ball a lot better, and was improving myself, and I was kind of making those practices like they were games for me. Our defense is really good up front and giving me a pass rush and coverage so, I was just trying to make tight throws in tight windows and go from practice."
(on if this is the best he has felt at quarterback since Miami) "There are certain games out there that I played pretty well, but I just want to be on a consistent basis. What I can say is, if I play like that, what I am capable of playing, that's when I feel like I am getting better and becoming a better pro quarterback."
(on the back and forth game) "It was definitely up and down. We knew their offense had a lot of power to score points, so you never give up the game and say, 'we have that one in the bag'. Certain plays we get down there, but the thing is we need to score touchdowns. We've got to put that on ourselves as an offense. I've got to put that on me as a leader of the offense out there and make those plays, and score touchdowns and not let our defense go back on the field. When we start doing that as an offense - ending games - that's when you know we are getting better and proving we belong on the field."
(on what happened on the second down play when he held onto the ball) "We were kind of in the wrong personnel and different play call. It was loud. You've got to give their fans credit. They made it tough on us, but we've got to communicate better and we'll definitely use more crowd noise at practice and communicate the play."
(on if he called the wrong play) "To be honest, I think it was more of personnel than anything. The wrong personnel was in the game. It was one of those where I didn't think that we had any timeouts and we had to get the play off no matter what. I just figured at least get the quarterback sneak and get some positive yards out of it."
(on how it feels to have a game that shows why he was a starter in Miami) "It's never easy. This business is definitely not easy. My role, coming in I already understood my role, and it was to help (QB) Blaine (Gabbert) get better, push him, compete against him, and do everything in my power to help Blaine. I felt that leadership role built me as a player and a person, and if you ask Blaine I think he would say, 'he's helped me tremendously'. I hope he says that. He's the same way on the sideline. When he was out he was trying to help me out, and it's got to be like that in this business. Whether you are one or two, quarterbacks kind of have that bond throughout the League that they help one another and just want to get the win as a whole."
(on what QB Blaine Gabbert did to help him) "It's just another set of eyes for you out there, getting to know what he sees. He's played a bunch of games early in his career so he sees the same things as I see, and whether he can help me out with a read or what he saw in practice since he's been taking first hand practice reps, is definitely beneficial."
(on if he had a previous connection with WR Justin Blackmon) "It's just more routes on air than I ever get to throw to him. It's just believing in the guy that he was going to make a play, and he did a tremendous job today winning man-to-man and making some big plays. We need that from him on a consistent basis and from all of our guys."
(on how many first team reps he took last week) "Zero. The thing is, we're right behind (QB) Blaine (Gabbert) about five yards back and we are mimicking everything that he does and going to the right place with the football."
(on if he audibled on his first long pass to WR Justin Blackmon) "It was more of communication because of how loud it was and trying to get the play communicated to (WR) Justin (Blackmon) to make sure he is in the right spot."
(on if he's excited after this game) "It's kind of splitting hairs. Obviously it's exciting, but if you don't win the game it brings you down. We want to win football games here. We have the talent to win football games. It just hasn't rolled our way, but if we keep practicing, like I said, having extremely good practices during the week, you're going to see a lot more plays like that in the next Sundays."
TIGHT END MARCEDES LEWIS (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on the Jaguars playing some fun football today) "Yeah, we had a lot of fun out there. We had fun out there just making plays and just being relaxed and doing what we've practiced to do. That was one of our focuses coming into this game; just relax and go out there and play ball. That's what we did. It sucks we couldn't make the plays at the end to win the game. But what can you do but keep pushing?"
(on what changed in overtime and not being able to get a big play) "Nothing really changed. We're human. You know they're going to make adjustments, so are we. They made a couple more adjustments than we did and we couldn't make the necessary plays to close out the game so it's happens."
(on this game meaning something to this locker room for the rest of the year) "No, we believe in our process and I've been saying that since game one. We understand what we can do on this team, and if we keep going out there and playing like that, we'll live with the results."
(on why Jacksonville QB Chad Henne clicked so well) "I mean, the way he practices – he practices like he's going to start. He's always one play away, he understands that, and today you saw that."
(on the Jaguars focusing on themselves) "We can't necessarily worry about them. It's never about the other team – it's about us. That's what our focus was, was about us. Not about anybody else. As long as we go out there and do what we're coached to do, do what we practice to do, you'll see performances like that."
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN JEREMY MINCEY (Transcribed by Joshua Moon)
(on the team's overall performance today) "We fell short. They were pretty savvy with that last play. (WR) Andre Johnson made a big play. Kudos to that guy."
(on if the team was tired in the 4th quarter and overtime) "Yeah. They were making a lot of intermediate passes. They were trying to grind us down and get us tired. We held up. They just had that one play work and it's a game of inches. They made one more play than us, executed on it, and got a touchdown. Game over."
(on the team getting a winning feeling back) "We just need that one play that will put us over the hump and secure a victory. We had them beat. We were up 14 for a while, but they stormed back. They just out executed us down the stretch. We have to do better."
RUNNING BACK JALEN PARMELE (Transcribed by Joshua Moon)
(on how they were able to establish the run today) "I thought we played physical today. We needed to finish drives. We let some get away from us. It was a grind. We knew it was going to be a grind. It didn't go our way."
(on being so close to a victory after suffering so many in a row) "It hurts man, especially against a division opponent. We always have hard hitting games. We wanted to come out and prove a point. Coming up short makes it hurt a little more."
(on his 28-yard run in overtime) "I saw how the linebackers played it. I saw that the outside was there, so I made the outside cut. We hadn't really bounced anything outside the whole game, so it opened up because they had been playing the inside the entire time."
LINEBACKER PAUL POSLUSZNY (Transcribed by T.D. Durham)
(on the Jacksonville defense not being able to close out the game) "We've got to be able to close that out. That's the most disappointing thing. Defensively, we have to be able to finish that game. We have to be able to make the play to finish the game, and we almost did in overtime. But it was not good enough. We had great effort, but we needed a little bit more."
(on it being disappointing that the game got to overtime) "Absolutely. When you say we're up by two scores in the fourth, defensively we have to find a way to shut it down and make it our game. We did not. We weren't able to do that. That's the disappointing part for us."
(on defending against a lot of underneath routes) "We were playing what we do best. We were playing Cover-2, we were playing our Cover-3. We were doing our bread and butter stuff - we had our best stuff against theirs. And they were able to hit some underneath routes, but that's fine as long as we tackle and wrap up. That's where our defense is built. We should be able to make those stops."
(on this game being a particularly difficult loss to swallow) "Yeah, especially because we said "this seven-game season," the importance of that, and coming to Houston and playing against the 8-1 Houston Texans and having them on the ropes – this could've been a huge win for us. A huge momentum changer to be able to show people that, hey, our record is bad, but we can still play with the best. But unfortunately we were just a little bit short."
(on how many stitches he received) "Four. Right? Is that how many you count? You never know. My helmet just came down and got me a little bit. But my fiancé says she likes me for my charm anyway, so it doesn't matter."
(on how tired the defense was toward the end of the game) "Yeah, the reps got high, but if that's the case, their offense is on the field too. So we need to be able to say regardless of the play count, we have to be the better conditioned team and able to make the plays in the end that count."
