Members of the Texans and the Titans spoke to the media after the Titans' 28-20 win in LP Field.
Texans head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on injuries suffered in Tennessee) "I'm not going to go into what is exactly going on. I'll let Kevin (Bastin, head athletic trainer) go into that. I think there is a little bit of hope for our quarterback. Matt's (Schaub) may not be a season-ending injury. It is for Fred (Weary). I think it is for Chris White."
(on what happened to the injured players) "Matt (Schaub) dislocated his shoulder. That's all I know at this point. Fred (Weary) has a broken leg. I'm not sure about the details. I just know that he is done for the season and Chris White is done for the year with a knee."
(on how much turnovers hurt them) "When you get beat, there's probably going to be a reason why you get beat. Our football team played hard. Our guys battled like a champ. There's no problem with effort. We're right there in a great football game. We're right there in the third quarter, and let's go make a play. And we didn't. We made a mistake and they made us pay for it. Good teams make you pay for it and they made us pay for our mistakes."
(on the play of QB Sage Rosenfels) "I think he always plays like a trooper. He's always ready to play. He always finds a way to get things done. I think there are a few plays out there where he would be the first one to tell you he could have made. I'm hard on those guys. I expect a lot from them, regardless of if it's Matt (Schaub) or Sage (Rosenfels). But he definitely gave us an opportunity to win and we just didn't get it done."
(on the holding call against S Michael Boulware) "That was huge in the game. The weather was at that point pretty nasty. We've got the wind at our back there in the second quarter. We think we get the ball and are in good shape and then we have to do it all over again. So on special teams, we got a turnover there and then we go down and give them points. We just didn't get it done. We didn't make those plays to get it done."
(on the offense) "They're a good football team, a very good defensive football team. I thought we ran the ball pretty effectively all day. That was our game plan – to be patient enough to run the ball. When you throw the ball a lot against Jeff's (Fisher) team, they are going to rush the passer extremely well. I liked the way we stuck to our game plan. We had ourselves in position to win the game, but the made the play to win the game and we did not."
(on how the defense matched up against QB Vince Young) "It looked like he played a fine game. The key to me was that they ran the ball extremely well. They ran the ball 5.3 yards a carry. They had 29 carries for 155 yards. I think that's too much in this league. If you are giving up that type of yardage on the ground, that's not good. So I would say that's the place to start. It looked like the kid played well. He's a fine player."
(on G Kasey Studdard moving up) "There's a lot of football to be played by Chris (White) and Kasey (Studdard). The future is now and those kids have got to step up and play. We'll go back and see how they did."
(on which Titan rusher hurt the Texans the most) "I think they are kind of a running back by committee football team. I sit here and look at it and LenDale White's got 60, Chris Brown has got 50, Vince (Young) has got 40. They just hurt you in an all-around fashion. It's not one guy. It's their commitment to running the ball and that includes their quarterback. We didn't stop the run well."
(on his emotions after the game) "It's very difficult because this football we've got here – we've got some young football players that are trying to learn how to play in these big games, be successful in these big games and take the next step as a franchise and a football team. We kind of got ourselves on the brink here in these last couple of weeks. But the bottom line is that the teams we played made the plays in the crunch and we didn't. We've got to keep going back out there and we're not going to move forward until we make those plays. I look forward and those players look forward to going back out there next Sunday. We've got to just keep battling and keep ourselves in those positions and step up and take responsibility to make the plays to get it done."
(on the play of DE Mario Williams) "He's been playing good all year. He's working hard. He's out there every snap – I think over 95 percent of the snaps for our team, which is unbelievable for a defensive end. I think he is becoming a fine player."
Texans WR Andre Johnson
(on if he was satisfied with his performance) "I can't really take any joy out of it. You just try to go out and perform and help your team. We're not winning, so it feels like you're doing nothing."
(on the team not making the big plays) "That's something that's not happening. We're turning the ball over. When you turn the ball over, you can't win games. When you look at the games we have won, we're on the plus side of the turnover battle. As long as we turn the ball over and don't make plays, we won't win games."
(on his touchdown catch) "It was a great throw. We had been running a lot of slants earlier in the game. At that time, we ran a slant-and-go and Sage (Rosenfels) threw a great pass."
(on why the team keep coming up short) "As I said, we turned the ball over. We had Jacoby's (Jones) play, not to single him out. It's just the little things we do to take us out of good field position or anything. As long as we keep having mistakes like that and nothing gets better, we'll keep staying on the losing side."
(on how to fix the turnover problem) "We just have to take it upon ourselves to focus more on handling the ball. In practice, we have to focus on keeping the ball tucked away. That's all we can do. I don't think a turnover drill is really anything you can practice. I think we just have to take it upon ourselves and go out and be more cautious."
(on losing QB Matt Schaub for the game) "The way the game started, we took the ball down the field and scored. That was a good feeling, but it was a hurtful feeling to see him go out of the game. I think Sage (Rosenfels) came in and did a great job."
(on if Tennessee won the physical battle) "I don't know. We lost, so I guess they won the physical battle. We lost the game, so we probably lost physically."
(on if most plays were designed to go to him) "We have some plays where plays are designed for certain players, but most of the time it's about the quarterback throwing and getting reads. Some reads, you get the first look; some reads, you get the second.or third. I was just able to get involved."
Texans WR Jacoby Jones
(on his fumble) "I was trying make a play and I made a mistake. I should have made a fair catch, but I tried to make a move and took my eye off the ball. We took a loss and the burden is on my shoulders."
Texans DT Amobi Okoye(on the game) "We didn't do the things we were planning to do in the third quarter. It is all about making plays and we came up short today. We just have to get it done. We just have to keep on going and try to correct it."
(on the teams injuries) "You start to think about your team and what exact is it that we are doing wrong in life. It is like we are just full of injuries. You can't control it. People have to step up. Hopefully, none of the guys that got hurt are hurt serious to the point they would be out the rest of their career or anything. Hopefully, they will be able to come back strong.
Texans QB Sage Rosenfels
(on what was going through his mind when QB Matt Schaub went down) "You never want to see a teammate, much less a fellow quarterback, go down. It's not a good feeling. It wasn't a good feeling the last time we played them. It wasn't a good feeling this time."
(on the offense) "We tried to get back to our brand of football and that is to run the ball and get some play action off of that. We did some good things, but it wasn't enough. We had two turnovers. At the end of the day, that cost us. But we did so some good things."
(on RG Fred Weary getting hurt) "That's a terrible feeling. Fred works so hard on this football team. He works just as hard as anybody out there. He's sort of the silent player on our offensive line – he doesn't say much – but he's a very valuable member to our offensive line."
(on taking over starting duties) "I'm going to get ready to play next week, but I don't know anything about Matt's (Schaub) injury other than that it's his left shoulder and not his right shoulder."
(on if something is missing from the offense) "We're just not making the plays. We're not making the big plays down the field. We're trying to and we're making a few too many mistakes. That combination will lose you games. But if you make fewer mistakes and make plays down the field and you just execute, you win a lot of games. I think those are the two things that we are not getting done. It's not because of a lack of effort – we're trying. We do a lot of drills to protect the football. We try to go down the field, but sometimes coverage dictates that it's not there."
(on his touchdown pass to WR Andre Johnson) "We never thought we were out of it. I don't remember what the score was at that time. We knew as long as there was enough time that we were in the ball game. It was a good drive down the field and I hit Andre (Johnson). They always have very good corners here in Tennessee, but they also like to jump routes, which is probably why they are so good. Andre (Johnson) took off on a slant-and-go and the corner bit a little bit. Andre (Johnson), as good as he his, made a play."
(on finding a way to win) "I think we're in these games and there's a big difference between this year and past years. We're battling out there in under the wire games that we are playing in. It's a very small line between winning and losing in this league. It's a couple of plays in there. We made some plays and we missed some plays. It wasn't quite enough. It's a very fine line. It's not because we're not hitting deep balls down the field. I think we might be leading the NFL in big plays. We're trying to play good football and it's just a few plays in there."
Texans QB Matt Schaub
(on his shoulder) "It is dislocated and we will evaluate it once we get back home tomorrow. We will run some more tests and everything. I got it back in place. It is just a matter of getting the range of motion and strength back. I need to get a MRI on it. We will see how it responds."
(on the injury) "It is very frustrating. I felt good coming into the day. I was seeing the field real well and felt good at the beginning of the game. It is disappointing and frustrating to have that happen."
(on the injuries to the offensive line) "It was painful. I was in the training room watching when Fred went down and it hurt me worse than me being hurt. He has been fighting his tail off all year. He is such a great competitor. It is upsetting."
Texans DE Anthony Weaver
(on playing the run) "When it comes time to make that big play we're not making it and the other team is. In order for us to take that next step we need make to step up and make that play in the clutch. Right now we are not getting it done.
(on Mario Williams) "He played great. It is a tribute to all of the hard work he has put in. I know he has put in the work in the film room and on the practice field. The results showed today. Sacks are a result of everybody, but in the end it still takes a special talent to sack the quarterback and that is what Mario is."
Texans DE Mario Williams
(on if he's happy with his performance) "I'm really not worried about individual performances right now. We've got to stop making mistakes. We've got to take a step back and look at ourselves and be hard on ourselves and try to correct these things."
(on sacking QB Vince Young) "I'm not worried about that. That's the last thing that I'm thinking about. This whole season has been crazy – the way we started and the injuries. Things snuck away from us a little bit and then we got it back. It kind of snuck away, but we've got to go out and take care of business."
(on if how he feels about leading the team in sacks) "It's a great achievement so far. Like I said, when things happen for our team, that's the most important thing – how the team is doing. It's nice and I'll take it how it is. I just have to try and keep working hard."
(on having 8.5 sacks this season) "It's hard to get a sack just like it's hard for a running back to get 100 yards a game. That's kind of how I look at it. I don't think about it. I just try to go out there and try to make something happen."
(on the Titans double-teaming him) "We started to notice that a lot of the time they slid protection my way. But the Titans always chip, and they had their running backs chip. It just something we all had to deal with."
(on how he countered the Titans' offense) "I just played. That's all you can do. Whenever things are going like that, you just have to play. Everyone on the team helps each other out, so it balances out."
(on if he's relying more on instincts) "It's not about going out there and feeling uptight. It's just about noticing formations and noticing key things from practice."
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher
(opening statements) "Last night in our team meeting, one of the many things I mentioned to the team as far as what it would take to have a chance to win this game, I said Rob Bironas, if he took the field, would only be to kick off or kick extra points. That is what he did today. We scored four touchdowns, so obviously that's the difference in the ballgame, the offensive scoring. We kind of put an end to a drought. It's been difficult getting into the end zone for us. We have been working hard at it. We have to continue to do that. I thought overall we got contributions from all three phases. We got excellent work on our cover teams and we had some field position issues at times because of the wind. I thought Craig did a nice job punting, then covering (after the punt). Of course, the defense made plays they needed to make. The offense ended up with balance, running and throwing the football. That last drive Vince was six-for-six and finished up with a touchdown pass, and basically that was the difference in the ballgame. It was good to get Albert back. Was he a difference-maker today? We'll have to look at the tape, but he was excited to play. The guys were excited to get him back, and it was good to have him back in there. I don't think he had any setbacks, so therefore we will watch him this week and get him ready. He should continue to improve. I hope this week he will be full speed, he was about 80 percent today. Injury-wise, Brandon Jones has got a groin strain that we're going to have to look at, but besides that, we didn't have anything else of substance."
(on if LenDaleWhite could have continued to play) "He had an open dislocation on the finger. They reduced it and stitched it, he could have come back in, but Chris got a roll and so we are OK with that."
(on if Vince Young had more responsibility placed on him in second half) "Our intention was to come out the second half and actually open it up a little bit. We were pondering going no huddle. We kind of tinkered with it the first drive. Then we normally have a real good sense of what their adjustments were at halftime and just picked it up in the third and made plays."
(on receivers making more plays) "They made a few more plays, they had opportunities for a couple of more. Tough catches, but still nevertheless there were some opportunities there. Difficult day to catch the football with the wind knocking the ball down and those kinds of things. But, Justin made some big plays for us. That was a huge catch by Eric to keep that drive alive."
(on dropped punts) "Well the irony is that we dropped one, then got it back, but they held. They dropped one and went two, three plays later. That was really a huge play for us. Again, it was one of the things we talked about was the wind and the potential difficulty of the weather and handling kicks. It wasn't an easy day. I take my hat off to Cortland, he did a nice job of fielding those punts and creating positive field position for us."
(on the field goal attempt before half) "I told Rob that he has got to start his streak over. That one is mine. I will take responsibility for that. I wanted to take a shot. The wind was swirling a little bit. I thought maybe if he had picked up an uplift or something he might have had a chance at it. But that one is on me."
(on what win does for team) "They bounced back last week. We rested up, they bounced back. They practiced well and they have a great personality. They are talking about, well, the second half season started today. So, we'll see how they bounce back this week against a very, vary talented opponent."
(on the field conditions) "I just wanted to finish with this. I have to compliment the grounds crew. That field was excellent today. They have worked 24-7 for the last couple of weeks. They did a great job and I am very proud. It was excellent playing surface today."
Titans DT Albert Haynesworth
(on needing to win the game) "We want to contend for the playoffs. We have to keep playing. We are just going to play one game at a time and one play at a time and keep going."
(on the defense regaining their swagger) "I think a little bit, but not quite yet. We are going to get there. I just want to get out there and get healthy and be one hundred percent and go out there and make good plays for us."
Titans RB LenDale White
(on the Titans' mindset going into the Texans game) "We beat them once before and we let them off the hook late in the game. We knew if we scored and got some points on the board early, we would be alright. We just kept fighting. Justin (Gage) made some nice plays. Vince (Young) played tremendous and the offensive line played wonderful. Things were just going our way."
(on his second half injury) "It was nothing at all. I got back out there as fast as I could. I was ready to go in. I'm good. Everything is fine. It is a little bit of nothing. I'll be back as fast as I can. I don't think I'll miss any days."
(on getting the offense going) "I think we've been going, we just haven't been able to convert and score points. We've been moving the ball pretty good the last couple weeks. We just couldn't score points. Today we got in the red zone. Coach Fisher said no field goals. That is what we were able to do today."
(on needing to win the game) "We can't afford to lose any game. Going on a three-game losing streak, this is great to get back on the winning end. It is good to know what winning feels like again."
Titans QB Vince Young
(on getting into the end zone) "We had a good week of practice and when you've had a good week of practice the guys are up tempo and it showed up today on the football field. I really feel like Norm Chow called some good plays for us. We took advantage of their cornerbacks, Chris Brown did a good job coming in and Kevin (Mawae) allowed them to run the ball – the offensive line did a great job today."
(on the emotional lift of a touchdown) "You get your fans into it, you're pushing your defense coming to the sideline and the guys get the ball right back. Different things like that are motivation, what we needed to get back on track and back where we needed to be. Roydell (Williams) and (Justin) Gage did a great job of catching the ball – all the receivers did. We have to continue to practice like that. When you practice like that, it shows in the games."
(on the wide receivers stepping up) "Like I said, guys are going to bring it in the pocket and try to stop the run and they are basically telling us, "Vince you can't make that throw" and "the receivers can't make that catch" so we took it upon ourselves. Everyday I tell the guys, 'We have to show these guys on the end that you're going to have to cover the receivers and I can make the throw down the field.' The guys did a great job overall – all the guys did a great job as well as the blockers, too."
(on whether the coaches have more confidence in his passing game) "I feel like I have a lot of rope. I'm doing so much at the line of scrimmage like throwing touchdown passes and things like that so I feel like Norm Chow and Jeff Fisher have a lot of trust in me. I really feel like I'm getting better and better each week. I have guys like Kerry Collins coaching me up, (quarterbacks coach) Craig Johnson, all these guys. All I have to do is pay attention and go out there and play the game and believe in myself and the guys around me. Gotta get back to work because we've got a good football team coming in next week – LT (LaDanian Tomlinson), all these guys they have to throw the ball to."
