After the Texans' 31-27 loss to the Colts at Reliant Stadium, members of both teams spoke to the media.
Houston Texans
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
(on this being one of the most bizarre things he has ever been a part of) "Yeah. I've been doing it a long time, and I've never seen some crazy things happen in the last four minutes like that. But give them credit. They made some great plays and they found a way to win."
(on his instructions to QB Sage Rosenfels down the stretch) "We were just trying to run the ball. We had a nice boot there that he knew – we talked about it. If you don't have anything, just run it and we'll punt it and they'll be out of time outs and we'll make them work. He made a great effort, and the ball came out. But we had a nice play there. I couldn't tell if we had the first down or not, but I was told later that we had a guy misaligned anyway so the play would've came back. You've just got to protect the ball right there and if you have to punt, you've got to punt. There was three minutes and whatever was left and they would have had no time outs. You've just got to protect the ball there and play defense."
(on passing with three minutes to go) "We had a three-point lead and they had a timeout left and we had the ball. We're going to have to make a play to end the game. We're going to have to make a play, and we worked all week on this little play for (RB Steve) Slaton coming out of the backfield. And we had exactly what we wanted. We just didn't execute the play. No doubt, we had to make the play. We had to get a first down. We had to make a play to win. We were trying to make the play. We were trying to win it."
(on what he told the team and how difficult it is to get back up from a defeat like this) "Well, they've been through a lot. I don't have any doubt about them battling. Hopefully, this is the ultimate test. They have had a few tests. Just very dejected. They played a great, great football game and had some crazy things happen in the last four minutes. So, about like you could imagine, how they're feeling. It's exactly the way they're feeling in there. they'll battle. They keep battling."
(on QB Sage Rosenfels) "He did a great job. He did a great job and had his football team in a tremendous position in the football game and like I said, we just didn't finish it."
(on how he feels right now) "Probably about like you think I feel. Not very good. Proud of a bunch of people in the locker room and they deserved to win a game, but we didn't. that's the facts, so we've got to comed back."
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(on not starting QB Matt Schaub) "Late last night, Matt got sick on us. Made a decision to put him in the hospital. We brought him in here today. He wasn't able to keep anything down. I think they had given him four or five bags of fluid. We took him out on the field to try to get a feel for him. No doubt in my mind he wasn't 100 percent, nor was he close, and after discussing it with him, that reaffirmed what I thought. So I thought it gave us the best chance to play Sage in front of Matt to try to get some fluids down in him just in case we needed him to go."
(on what happened on the last pass with WR Andre Johnson) "Andre got tripped up by the corner. He was trying to high-low the inside player and he got tripped up. Sage threw it as he was coming out of the break. He ends up on the ground, so that's why it looks like nobody was there. He just got tripped up."
(on how much lack of experience factored in for QB Sage Rosenfels) "I think he was competing. If we're not misaligned – and I don't know, I have to look at the film – and he would've got the first down right there, we'd be sitting in here talking about how great the play was and how great the effort was. The thing you talk about is you don't really need that right there. Just make sure you protect the football. But the kid's trying to win. He played his heart out all day. He's trying to win. Those things happen."
(on WR Andre Johnson coming back) "He played extremely well and made some tough catches. I thought we played very well on both sides of the ball. Our defense held up all day long, did an excellent job. Offense, really, we were able to move the ball, both in the air and on the ground. You did everything you wanted to do, you just didn't get the final product."
(on RB Ahman Green) "It's good to see him hold up for the whole game. He did some good things. He looked explosive again, so that's a positive for us."
Texans T Duane Brown
(on how hard the loss was) "It was very hard. We were all so pumped for this game. You could just see that first victory, you know ,and to have it slip through our hands like that, it was very disappointing. Right now, it's hard to explain."
(on what head coach Gary Kubiak had to say after the game) "He just told us he was proud of us, everybody fought their tails off: Offense, defense, special teams, everybody played the hardest game they could play, and like I said, just two or three plays, that's all it was to turn the game around. And that's all he said, he's proud of us."
(on picking yourself up after the loss) "You have to, man, you have to. Man, 0-4, we've just got to get a win. We've got to take this one in stride and just keep moving and look toward next week."
(on how he played against DE Dwight Freeney) "He's a heck of a player. He's an unbelievable athlete. You watch him on film and you can tell he's fast, but that first series, I really got a glance just how fast he is and how quick he is. I got a feel for him as the game went on and I just tried to compete against him and I did a pretty good job. He made a few plays, but I think I had a pretty solid game."
Texans TE Owen Daniels
(on the game) "We outplayed them by far. The score said so and we were playing our butts off for 55-54 minutes, and I don't even know what happened."
(on QB Sage Rosenfels' performance) "Well, he played great pretty much the entire game and obviously there was a couple of mistakes there, but he was trying to make plays. And I'm sure you've asked him, but I'm sure he would have done things a little differently but he was just trying to make plays like he was all game and maybe a little too risky at the time."
(on if he believes the loss today) "I don't. Do you guys believe that happened? I said a second ago, if I watched a movie and that happened I'd be like, 'OK, that's not really real. That's not going to happen in real life. A team would take care of that situation and get a win, even if by a couple of points.' It's not funny, but I almost want to just laugh about it because it's so unbelievable."
Texans LB Zac Diles
(on what happened in the fourth quarter) "They just made plays at the end of the game. It's a four-quarter game, and we just have to play four quarters. They were able to come up with some plays at the end of the game."
(on if he sensed the team was letting down toward the end of the game) "No, not at all. Like I said, it's a four-quarter game and they were able to come out in the fourth quarter and make some plays. We just have to be able to come out there in the fourth quarter and make plays also."
(on the defensive effort) "We came out fired up and we knew what the task at hand was at the beginning of the game. They had a good quarterback out there in Peyton Manning. We just wanted to give them different looks. We were able to achieve that early on in the game and the biggest thing is we were playing hard, so that's the biggest thing."
(on no team being buried at 0-4) "No. Like I said, we still have 12 games left. Anything can happen. It's a crazy league. You can see it in this game right now: You never know what can happen. So, you just have to keep playing and pushing."
(on his first career interception) "Yeah, you know, in practice, we knew that (Colts TE) Dallas Clark likes to run stick nods, so I saw him do a little stick and up and I just stayed on my path and was able to make a play."
CB DeMarcus Faggins
(on his feelings on the game) "I'm like numb about the situation that just happened today. We tasted the win. We were up two touchdowns and a field goal with like eight, nine minutes left in the game. There's no reason – there wasn't a doubt in my mind that we were going to win that game. We should've won the game but, I mean, it's the NFL. Everybody's athletes, everybody's professional, so you've got to play four quarters. Not three-and-a-half, not two. You've got to play all the way to the zeroes at the end of the fourth quarter."
(on if he was in disbelief as the game started to unravel) "Oh, man. I really couldn't believe that. The first touchdown, I was like, 'OK. That's alright. We've got to come in, the defense, we've got to make a stop.' Made a stop, came back, they got the ball and then they scored again and then I was like, 'Oh, no, no, no, this can't be happening.' But we just kept plugging, and they just made the plays and we didn't make them."
(on what he was thinking during Colts LB Gary Brackett's fumble return for a touchdown) "Disbelief. Disbelief. With the fumble all the way, I thought he stepped out of bounds, but I guess he didn't. He made a great play. They made a great play. They capitalized on it."
(on if this is the worst game he's been a part of) "By far. Worst one. Worst one. There's going to be a foul taste in my mouth for a while."
(on if he worries about a lingering effect from this game) "You really can't do too much about it. It happened. I just want us to get back next week and start over. We've got to play another team next week. We've got to let this one go. But I like I said, there's going to be a foul taste."
(on the foul taste) "I'm going to taste it for a while, until we get a W, until we come back next week and win this game next week. It'll kind of wear off after a while."
Texans LB Morlon Greenwood
(on the game) "I think the whole entire team gave a great effort today. Everybody played hard, and it's just unfortunate."
(on if he has ever had a dream become a nightmare so quickly) "That's exactly what I'm saying. It felt like a dream. I'm actually going to try to wake up tomorrow and just hope this didn't happen. But obviously, we know that it did. We actually know as a team that we have a long season. We have 12 more games left. We just have to continue to play and play with that same intensity that we came out with for three-and-three-quarters of a quarter."
(on if he is still in disbelief) "Well, you know, it's starting to sink in a little bit. But just like I said, I think this team went out and played well. We just have to continue to do it. We have three more home games left, and we just have to continue to play hard."
Texans WR Andre Johnson(on if he can put the loss into words) "You can't put it in words. The only thing that I can say is I guess that's why they say go out and play for 60 minutes. You never know what can happen. Everyone that's in the locker room is in disbelief because we know we should have won that game. There's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to move on."
(on the hit that put him on the ground for a little while) "When I got a shot to the head, I laid there for a while because my head was ringing a little bit. Even when I ran off the field, it was still ringing some. But after I got on the sideline, I put the ice on the little head gear I had, I was back to normal. I was able to go back out there and play. My head was just ringing a little bit. Our team was feeling good. I think our defense went out and did a great job against that offense, a very explosive offense. Just everybody, we went out and we were just determined that we were not going to lose that game, and somehow it just happened. So, like I said, there's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to move on."
(on how the team moves on from this) "I think this one, when you lose games, I think a loss like this kind of hangs around because you're trying to figure how it happened and why it happened, but the only thing you can try to do is just put it behind you and that's it. It'll probably be hard. I'm pretty sure a lot of people won't sleep tonight, and that's about it. I can't explain it. Nobody can."
(on the rollercoaster ride QB Sage Rosenfels experienced at the end of the game) "Everything just seemed like it was going good for us. All we had to do was just move the ball. We were in a four-minute situation at the time. When you have two turnovers happen, the other team was right back in the ball game. So, like I said before, I guess that's why they say play for 60 minutes and anything can happen. I can't describe it. Like I said before, on one can put it into words. We're just sitting there in disbelief."
(on what QB Sage Rosenfels was like in the huddle after the first fumble) "He seemed fine, but when something like that happens, me, just speaking as a player, you can say it is out of your mind and you don't think about it, but I think deep down inside it still bothers you. You try not to let it affect your next play or whatever, but sometimes it does. I'm not saying that's what happened with Sage. He seemed fine. He didn't seem like he was down on himself. He came in the huddle, he was like, 'Hey, guys, let's go. My fault. Let's go out and win this game.' He went out and played great for us today. He just had those turnovers at the end of the game."
(on that happening to QB Sage Rosenfels when he got the chance to play considering how much he wanted to get on the field) "For that to happen to anybody, everyone knows how bad (QB) Sage (Rosenfels) wants to play. Today, he had the opportunity and it seemed like everything was going so great for us and then all of the sudden, it was just like a disaster. We're going to rally behind Sage. We're not going to let him hang his head. We think we have two great quarterbacks, and both of them are capable of running this team. We're just going to rally behind him and keep supporting him."
(on if he can tell much difference between QB Sage Rosenfels and QB Matt Schaub running the team) "Not really. I think Sage does have more experience than Matt has. Matt, this being his second year as a starter, Sage has been a starter for different teams. I don't really think there's a difference. I think there was a different sense of urgency out on the field today with the team, period. Like I said before, guys were just determined that we were going to go out and do whatever we had to do to win this game. Guys laid it all on the line. We were just determined that we were going to win, but we didn't."
(on what happened to get him more involved in the offense) "I don't know. There were some things said, you know, I heard articles about people saying that I was frustrated and this and that, but I just went out and played. Today, when I came in, I went out on the field and warmed up, and I just said to myself, 'Just don't worry about anything. If you're frustrated or whatever, just go out on the field and just leave it all out on the field today.' That's how I approached it, and I just said, 'Whenever the ball is thrown, I'm going to go out and make a play on it.' That was just my main thing. Whenever you get an opportunity, just go out and make plays. So, that's how I approach the game."
(on if he went to anybody to speak about getting more involved) "I didn't go to (head) coach (Gary) Kubiak. I didn't go talk to (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan). I didn't go talk to (wide receivers coach) Larry (Kirksey). I didn't say anything. I just went out there and played."
(on how does he think positive after the loss) "It was rough for everybody. It's not just going to be rough for me. When I say that, I only can speak for myself. I've been around here for six years now, and it's hard. When I was in college, you didn't really have to lose any games, and then you come to a new organization and you knew there was going to be some rough times, but you didn't think the rough times would last this long. I always say I wanted to be a part of something special around here, you know, a new organization, helping to get the organization to where it wants to be. All you can do is, like I said before, just put it behind you and just have that determination to come out and win the next game."
(on giving the football to the kid) "Today, I just said to myself, I've been a little frustrated or whatever, but I was just like, 'Hey, if I score a touchdown today, I want to find a little kid in the stands to give a ball to.' Kids, they come out and watch us play and they're yelling and screaming and things like that, and I'm pretty sure it meant a lot to him. A kid coming to the game, he never thought he would probably get a football from a football player. I hope he enjoys it, takes it around the neighborhood and throws it around and scuffs it up and has fun with it."
Texans DT Travis Johnson
(on where this game stacks up on his toughest defeats) "Oh, it's one of the hardest ones to swallow, because everybody worked hard. Everybody played hard, and we came up short. We just have to go back, look at the film tomorrow and see how we can get better."
(on if he is shocked or stunned) "All of it, but we worked hard. So, it's part of the game and God will never put more on us than we can bear. So, really, we're going to go back to the drawing board and see how we can get better."
(on how he felt when he saw the game unraveling in the fourth quarter) "I'm just speechless right now. Right now, we just have to go back and look at the film and really analyze our self, analyze our play and figure how to put the whole game back together and put it in perspective on how to get better."
(on how the team will pick themselves up) "You have to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. We're professionals, so we have to go back now and really plan for the next game and learn from this one and get better."
(on if he worries about this game having a lasting effect) "No, Coach Kube (head coach Gary Kubiak) and the whole staff, really, is going to have us ready to play. You don't ever want to forget anything. You want to learn from everything. We learn from it. We don't have to forget it, but we learn from it and we get better."
Texans G Chester Pitts
(on the game) "We had it, you know. We played so well for, what was it, three quarters and nine minutes? To have that one slip away like that, that's hard to swallow. I felt that I was so excited. I was so glad to kick their butts finally. We let it slip away at the end. You have to finish the game."
(on if he still can't believe it happened) "It's one of those things where you couldn't have written that for a movie. To have four minutes to go in the game and be up by 17 points and turnovers and give up touchdowns, I mean, finish a game. Still can't believe it."
(on how you bounce back from this loss) "It's a game. It's one. Granted, I would say that this maybe digs in a little more maybe because we had the game won. It's one thing when you're down by that and you lose a game. OK, you lost. But when you had the chance to really handily win a game and you let it slip away, it eats at you. But Monday, we'll evaluate it. Tuesday, you let it go and Wednesday, it's back to work with the next opponent."
(on how much further the team needed to play to win) "Four minutes. However much time is left on the clock. It's a saying I heard when I came in as a rookie here: 'You're never too far ahead; you're never too far behind.'"
(on how QB Sage Rosenfels was during the game and if he unraveled at the end) "No, (QB) Sage (Rosenfels) played very well. He was composed. He was getting it done. I had nothing but the utmost faith in him throughout the game. He was playing. He was trying to win the game. He was trying to finish it out. If the opportunity was all over again, I'd tell him to go for it the same way. In this game, you have to go for it. You can't play it safe. Teams are just too good. They went out and got us today."
(on if anyone said anything to QB Sage Rosenfels) "Well, I mean, it's a game. We're playing ball out there. I've never played a game where I didn't make a mistake or take a step and wish I could pull it back. If you're a quarterback and you let the ball go, there's a lot of times where they might want to pull it back but they can't. It's a part of the game. The guy played a great game, just like all of us, for three quarters and nine minutes. At the end, we, as a team, we lost it."
(on WR Andre Johnson playing well) "Oh, absolutely. Eighty (WR Andre Johnson) is all the way back. He looked very good, made great catches. He took a couple big shots, got right back up and got right back into the game. Everybody knows he's a great player, and he played like it today."
Texans QB Sage Rosenfels
(on if he can say what happened) "You know, I really can't. We played as good as we could have played for three-and-a-half quarters and I feel like I let all 53 guys and all 15 of our coaches down. And we played a great game. I just made some bad mistakes at the end."
(on the first fumble at the end of the game) "We all know that I should have probably just gone down and punted and get them backed up and made them have to go 90 yards. I was just being aggressive and trying to make a play and I could smell the first down and I saw the first guy and got hit by the second down. The ball came out and obviously, if I had it again, I'd just back down and take fourth-and-five and we'd be fine."
(on what was going through his head on the play) "I don't know. I made mistakes today. Most of our team, all of our whole team played great football today, played winning football. I made some mistakes that cost us the football game. There's really no reason we should have lost that game. Some of the guys played as good as football as I had seen since I've been here. (WR) Andre Johnson played great football today. It was really exceptional what the running backs did and what the offensive line did. But the mistakes, football games are hard to win and easy to lose and my mistakes made it much easier for them to win that game."
(on if he felt good before the fumbles) "Well, I wasn't really thinking about that. I was thinking about trying to secure the win. I thought that the team, with a few minutes left, just wanted to run out the clock. And for one play, I made a really stupid mistake and that started a downward spiral."
(on what his teammates told him after the game) "Keep your head up. Most guys said, 'For the most part you played a great game.' We have very supportive teammates. But I felt like I let those guys down. We had so many guys play great football. (DE) Mario (Williams) played great football. The defensive line pressured (Colts QB) Peyton (Manning) all day. We stopped the run well. (LB) Zac (Diles) had a great day. All the mistakes kind of cost us, and I made those mistakes."
(on moving on) "We're going to have to. There's nothing else to do but to move on and try and get the next one. We know we just played a team that was the world champs a couple of years ago. It sure would help if we had that win. So we feel like we have a good football team. We've now played four playoff teams in a row and Miami is a much improved football team next week, so, not that's it's easier. We don't have an 0-4 football team but that's our record right now."
(on if he thinks he has a chance to compete for the starting job) "I haven't really thought about that stuff. I'll talk to (head) coach (Gary) Kubiak. All I can do is play well when I get my chance, and I played really well today until the last five minutes of the game."
(on how much it helps to have the running game going) "The running game helps everything. It helps our defense, it helps the play action. We did a phenomenal job. (RB) Steve Slaton and (RB) Ahman Green ran great today. The offensive line were really tremendous. And part of that, the game plan for any team that wants to beat the Colts, calls to run the ball well and we did that."
Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on how he feels) "I feel pretty good. I feel better than I did yesterday and last night. I'm obviously drained. I haven't really been able to eat anything. Yesterday afternoon, the stomach-bug got to me and it wasn't a very pretty 24 hours for me. I don't want to go into any details about that, but I had to replace a lot of fluids and try to get numerous IVs last night at the hospital and just try to replace them and get myself as prepared as I could to go out and play out there today. I felt like I was able to do that, but the energy just wasn't there. My ability to go out there and play I thought was there, but after talking to (head) coach (Gary Kubiak) and (general manager) Rick (Smith), we just decided it wasn't the best thing for the team."
(on what it was like to have to watch the game) "It was very rough, because I wanted to be out there with my guys. Feeling the way I was feeling just compounded it, and it just hurt."
(on the last five minutes of the game and how he was feeling for QB Sage Rosenfels) "Well, I felt for him. It was a snowball effect. It was a very strange turn of events how that took place. I know he's hurt more than anybody, and I was hurting for him because I've been in that situation myself. So, it's just something we have to battle through."
(on if he is worried about the lasting effect a game like this can have on a team) "We just have to look at the positives as best as we can. As hard as it is, we just have to focus on the good things and the positives, learn from the negatives and just move forward and keep working, because we have the right guys in this locker room to be able to do that."
(on if he'll be able to play next week) "I plan on it. Yes, definitely."
(on if he talked to QB Sage Rosenfels during the last five minutes of the game) "He knew what happened. I didn't need to go and talk to him or get in his head at all. He's a veteran player, so I just wanted to give him his space and let him work it out."
(on if this was the toughest lost in his career) "I've had some tough ones, but that's right up there because of the type of team we were playing. They are the Super Bowl champs from a few years back and they are perennially one of the top teams in this league. To let that one slip away, up 17 in the fourth quarter, that's a tough pill to swallow."
(on if he tried to talk head coach Gary Kubiak into letting him play) "Oh, I tried the best I could. We had conversations this morning, and prior to the game I went out and did some things through and ran around. I tried to get in his ear and say, 'Hey, I'm ready to go and I'm ready to play.'"
Texans RB Steve Slaton(on QB Sage Rosenfels' fumble) "It's a team game. You can't place the blame on just one person. As a team, you just win or lose."
(on getting a starting spot) "Yeah, I think I have a good shot at it, but it's still a long season, and each game you're going to have to keep performing to keep that spot."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on his thoughts on the game) "That was just devastating. That's pretty much it. You can't say anything else about it. Just the way everything went, and all of a sudden, it went away that fast. It was just devastating.
(on what he is going to take away from this) "I don't even know. We've just got to make the plays. For myself, I can say, start with me first, we've got to get the quarterback down. We've got to get fumbles. I just take it all upon myself and say that we had a forced fumble and maybe score a touchdown or whatever. That's the only way I can look at it."
(on if he has ever been a part of a game like that) "No. I was sitting there thinking about that a few minutes ago. For that to happen, I can't even remember growing up something like that. It's just devastating."
(on how he can help the team move on from this) "It's like you're doing stuff so right, and then all of a sudden it goes so wrong. Nobody is trying to mess up at all. It's just, I don't know. It just happened. It's not like we were just out there stinking it up. It was a great football game, once again. It just slipped away."
Indianapolis Colts
Colts head coach Tony Dungy
(on coming back from 27-10) "That game certainly ran the whole gamut of emotions for us. I've never played a game quite like this where we played the first 10 minutes pretty well and the middle part not and the last four minutes we played with some passion and intensity and got some breaks to win it. The middle part was not very good, to let them score 27 unanswered points. It was one of those things that was quite a shock. We had to speed the tempo up and make some good plays. One thing that was positive was that we hung in there. We played all the way through. That's what the NFL is all about. We have to play better and sharper. We have to play all 60 minutes and we didn't have that passion in the middle of the game, but we got it back at the end we have to be sharper."
(on how this game compares to the Tampa Bay game) "It's similar. Same weekend, first game in October, on the road, you get to a point when you feel like its not going to happen. It was very similar, where we were not sharp, but we gave ourselves a chance to win in the end."
(on the probability of coming back) "After we had gone I don't know how many minutes without scoring, we moved the ball. Defensively, we didn't do a good job of stopping them. Credit to our guys for continuing to fight. They didn't stop."
(on the range of emotions in this game) "Really unbelievable. We didn't get the onside kick, so we were a little down there. We were disappointed that we didn't stop them. We saw the ball come out and think we just have to stop them one time and we would have it. It was quite the range of emotions."
(on this game being a season saver) "There is definitely a big difference in being 1-3 and 2-2. I told the team in the locker room that this can be a season saver if we take this passion and energy and emotion that we played with in the last four minutes and play with that all 60 minutes."
(on this game making a statement) "It shows what we are capable of when we play with passion on defense. We can play a lot better than we have these first few weeks of the season, and hopefully we will see that in the second quarter of the season."
Colts RB Joseph Addai
(on how it feels to come back and pull this one out) "I don't like those kind of games. If we're going to win, I want to know we're going to win it. It's just also a good feeling to have when you come back and just find a way to win and then you can go home. Especially on the road, it's always hard to win a game on the road. Now, we've got a win and kind of got a good feeling now. Now, we get to go home and watch the film and try to get better."
(on what the coach told them on the sidelines when they were down) "We've done that a lot of times, just come back and try to win the game. (LB) Gary (Brackett) got a good pick up and ran it back, came back, and got a little spark on offense and was able to score a touchdown, then stop them and win the game."
(on if there was something they could see that made them think they could come back) "Regardless, we were confident in ourselves throughout the whole game, but it's a matter of going out there and doing it. It took a long time and we were able to do it in the fourth quarter."
(on if he feels sorry for the Texans after all they have gone through) "Regardless, human nature, you feel kind of bad, but you don't want them to get better on us. We don't want that game like, 'Oh, they started off the Colts winning games and they kept going and going.' You don't ever want to be that way, but they played a good game and we were able to win the game and that's all that matters."
(on how unlikely this comeback was) "It was hard and it was well earned. I think we all came together and then really wanted it bad. One and three doesn't sound good. So, you want to go home on the plane, and that's a long ride, what two hours going back to Indy? That's a long ride just being quiet on the plane. You want to get a couple of laughs and just talk about the game. We all came together and were able to do it."
(on if this is the type of game that can mean something to a season) "Going into Monday's practice and starting back on Wednesday, it kind of gives you a lot of confidence. Knowing that you can fight to the end and get a win regardless, I mean, we don't know how the start of the game next week is going to be, but regardless you know we've got to play the 60 minutes and we were able to do it today."
Colts DT Raheem Brock
(on if this is a type of game that can catapult this team) "Yeah, it can. We've just got to look at it and see that we can play that kind of defense like we usually play and be consistent and play that for 60 minutes. We'll be good."
(on being involved in the big play and causing the fumble) "The quarterback just held on to the ball. I guess he (QB Sage Rosenfels) was trying to make a play. I was able to jar it loose and GB (LB Gary Brackett) picked it up and went into the end zone. That gave us the momentum. The defense picked it up from there and won the game for us."
(on LB Gary Brackett running the ball back) "He did a great job. I was just hoping that he stayed in bounds and get in the end zone. I was just blocking for him as much as I could, and we got that touchdown. That gave us the momentum."
(on this being a season-changing two minutes) "Yeah, like I said, we have to look at this and move forward from here, that we can play that type of defense. We just have to be consistent and play that way for 60 minutes and believe in ourselves that we can play Colts football like that.
Colts TE Dallas Clark
(on how it feels to get this win) "It's huge. We're going to enjoy it, but then you start thinking about the game, and we can't play like this. We started off the game the best we've started all year and then we just stopped. We started making those mistakes that we've made all year and just shooting ourselves in the foot, stopping drives. We can't play like that. It's going to catch up to us. We're going to enjoy it. We're very fortunate, but we definitely have to improve."
(on what is says about the team that they didn't give up) "It's great. That's the best part about it is if we are putting ourselves in this hole, then what are we going to do about it? We didn't give up. All of a sudden, I looked up and we had 31 points and all I know is that we had 10 before. It just kind of shows you the character of this team. We have a lot of guys that are going to fight, not quit, believe in each other, and that's what it took to come back from that deficit."
Colts DB Marlin Jackson
(on describing what this means to the team) "It means a lot. We definitely needed some offense. We didn't play well the entire game, and to turn around and play that well in the end, well enough to squeeze out a victory, it means a lot and builds confidence and gives us a boost."
(on the first fumble play and what he was thinking) "I mean, I was really surprised. Usually, a quarterback is going to slide. He tried to make a play and it ended up being a good play for us, got a good hit. (DT) Raheem (Brock) got a good hit and the ball was able to come out. G (LB Gary Brackett) was right on the spot, picked it up and ran it back."
(on if he thought they would find a way to win after the fumble recovery) "Yeah. Definitely, when that happened, we definitely thought we would find a way. We knew the offense did its job. We had to come back out there and get three and out. We did better and got a turnover and the offense punched it in."
(on if he could tell if QB Sage Rosenfels was short of the first down) "Sage? No, I just knew he was running at me, and I was surprised. When you do that, things will happen when your quarterback tries to run over a defensive back."
(on if he feels like they got a break with the way things looked for the Colts today) "Yeah, I mean, you saw the game. It definitely was a break, and we'll take it. We're not playing that good right now. We're playing inconsistent. We've still got some things to get right, but to come out with a win and a victory."
Colts DE Robert Mathis
(on his sack and fumble recovery) "Just hold the ball. Just hold the ball until someone can get there and get the ball out."
(on being down 27-10)"We don't need to be down 27-10.Somebody has to do something. Somebody has to step up. Fortunately, we did that. Like coach (Tony Dungy) said, that was close football the last five minutes of the game, so the other 55 minutes we have to get better. "
(on correcting mistakes at 2-2 instead of 1-3) "Well, hopefully we will take this as a character game and (it's) going to build team morale and gather around it and make the best of it."
Colts C Jeff Saturday
(on the difference between 2-2 and 1-3) "It's huge.You're still in the hunt in your division, which is the most important part. I think Tennessee won again this week, and you have to keep pace with those guys. To lose two division games early in the season is going to set you way back, so it was a good time to get a win."
(on what he thought of team not giving up) "I think it speaks volumes for our team, volumes for our defense. Those guys (defense) were in a dogfight all afternoon, and at the end of the game, they were playing lights out, putting their hearts on the line making huge plays for us. Gary (Brackett) scored a touchdown. They (Texans) give up the ball on the 20 and we score again. That's the way you win tight games."
Colts WR Reggie Wayne
(on his touchdown catch) "I was just trying to make a play. (QB) Peyton (Manning) threw me the ball and my job is to catch it."
(on this win serving as momentum for the rest of the season) "I hope the last five minutes of this game is something we can build upon. That is the way we practice and that is the result we get from hard work."
(on how well the team is while running the two-minute offense) "I don't know. I am a huge fan, though. Being a receiver, that offense is very high-tempo, and sometimes you can catch the defense off guard with a big play. So far, we are flawless with it and hopefully we can get more."
