Interesting to see the tv coverage maps show Dallas will be watching THIS game vs the Philly one. Something that hasn't been the case in years past. Link: http://506sports.com/
Supposedly, the Titans are much improved. My absolutely favorite team to beat. As long as Bud Adams is alive, I want to beat them down like a rabid dog. Instead of Vanilla Ice bring Bud out at half time and beat him too. No wait, use a cattle prod! Maybe a little over the top. Just beat him with an Astro's bat. That can't hurt him too bad.
Hell yes. Going to this game, and will tailgate before. I will inspire the Texans and we win by 17, with Arian having 100+ yards rushing on 5 ypc!
Any particular area you'll be tailgaiting in? I'd love to meet up with some CF brethren to invoke our Tennessee hatred if at all possible.
How have they improved? I honestly would have no clue. They beat an aging Pittsburgh team that is terrible.
Might miss this game be wise my brother in law is taking me golfing as a belated birthday present. Slightly bummed.
[rquoter]Jurrell Casey told ESPN Titans r going 2 make sure they put their foot up the Texans butt). Brian Cushing: "Good Luck.He was real quiet @ SC.I don't know what happened to him. He used to be a nice kid"[/rquoter]
A decent 8-10 point win is cool with me. Can't expect to ball out every game and it is a division rival. 29-20 Texans
Quotes from Wednesday's practice: Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on FS Ed Reed’s status) “We were full-go at practice. We were pretty light at practice today with such a quick turnaround. Practice was pretty much a jog through, but everybody was pretty much accounted for. Everybody practiced. Took his reps and more, I would say that.” (on his thoughts on if FS Ed Reed will go on Sunday) “I’m probably answering that question better tomorrow. We go back out there tomorrow and get our pads on for a little bit. We’ve got to get to a bulk of the work. There’s nothing that’s happened between Monday and today. He’s progressing. He’s doing good. So we’ll see where we’re at.” (on how DE Antonio Smith looked today) “He’s glad to be back. It’s the most I’ve ever seen him smile in one day. Just goes to show, makes you appreciate what you’re doing. I think he really does. He was here when we got back, when the busses got back Tuesday morning. He’s ready to go.” (on what DE Antonio Smith adds to the defense) “He adds to the whole team. Antonio’s an energy guy, plays extremely hard, has a lot of fun playing football and you can count on his effort. I really think we did miss him in some situations and going through the course of getting ready the night before the game. He’s always fun to be around the night before the game, the energy that he brings. I know we missed him and we’re just glad to have him back.” (on if he’ll have to take it easy with DE Antonio Smith this week because he missed last week) “No, if anything I think he probably needs a little more work than other guys. He did work out and did all those things he needed to do away from the team, but if anything, he probably needs a little bit more. We’ll give him plenty tomorrow.” (on DE Antonio Smith being at the facility when the team got back from San Diego) “Yeah, when the buses came back, he was out in the parking lot, excited to be here and ready to get going again.” (on what time it was when the team got back and DE Antonio Smith was there) “It was about 6:30 in the morning, whatever time we got we back. It was early, very early. I think he wanted to see his teammates more than anything. I give him credit for wanting to get into the weight room too. I think he was excited to see his teammates and letting him know he was proud of them for finding a way to win.” (on if it didn’t surprise him that DE Antonio Smith was back at the facility when the team arrived on Tuesday) “No, not at all. No, not at all.” (on if DE Antonio Smith is one of the most underrated players on defense) “He’s not with us. We realize what he does. He had as good as a year as anybody last year, in my opinion. He was excellent. The camp he had this year was very good. He’s showing signs that he’s continued to improve as a player even though he’s nine years in the league. He’s been playing for a while. It’s just great to have him back and hopefully we keep him there all year long, keep him healthy.” (on what DE Antonio Smith does for De J.J. Watt) “He keeps the balance in what we’re doing with our front as far as pressure and where it’s coming from. And (DE Jared) Crick did a good job. Jared played very well. Antonio’s another pass rush ability type of guy and helps us from a pressure situation. We had a little bit of a problem the other night getting there with our base stuff. It’ll be good to have him back in the mix.” (on the status of ILB Darryl Sharpton) “He’s fine, but we didn’t do a whole lot today. He did take a step forward, so practicing is another step in the protocol and he puts his pads on tomorrow. Has a good day tomorrow, that’s the last step. He could be cleared as of tomorrow evening if things go good.” (on CB Brice McCain’s status) “He’s fine. He took what he was doing today.” (on if he’ll give RB Arian Foster more work now that he has a game under his belt) “I’m just going to keep watching him. Like I said, I’d like it to be pretty close right, I think, as we continue through this progress with him and (RB) Ben (Tate). The other night, the game was so crazy with basically the running game going away. Hopefully, that’s not the case this week. Hopefully, we get plenty of touches from that standpoint. I think we need to be pretty close to even as we move forward. Remember, that was his first time out this year.” (on his reaction to the penalty on San Diego’s special teams that was wrong according to NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino) “I’m still confused to be honest with you. The way I understand it, you cannot go towards the center at all and I try in those types of things, we’re always having to coach our guys to get off t of the center because he is protected. I didn’t personally talk to anybody. I heard that that was said. I didn’t talk to Dean or anything. I would be confused if that was said, then I need to talk to him. If you line up off the center and you do come towards the center and hit him, that’s a penalty That’s the way it’s explained to us, so I’ve got to make sure we’re right on that.” (on if he thought it was a penalty on the Chargers’ special teams at the time) “I didn’t see it. From the sidelines, I didn’t see it. I knew what they called because you’re always, myself as a coach, you’re just concerned. I’m always coaching those guys to get off the center. You don’t need that penalty. So you know what’s called, but until you see the film. It’s unfortunate.” (on OLB Whitney Mercilus’ performance) “We thought he played good. To miss camp and he went and played a lot of plays, I think (OLB) Willie (Jefferson) might have spelled him three or four plays in the game, but he looked good. He looked strong. He looked fast. He was a big factor in the game, so we were pleased. Obviously, there was a little bit of an unknown factor there with him not playing, but we were pleased with what we saw.” (on DE Jared Crick’s performance) “I thought he did a good job. Jared’s becoming a good player. He’s young and he’s only going to get better. That’s a tough spot to get thrown into. Those were some big shoes to fill, but I think he’s done a good job. Obviously, he’s our four right now and he’s playing good football for us.” (on the team’s penalties against San Diego) “Yeah, we really hurt ourselves. Our holding calls were at the receiver position, which is very unusual and they were legit. They were very legit. Yeah, we addressed it. We had a couple of movement penalties on the road for the first time with the big, big noise. We went backwards too many times the other night. We get back here at home; we need to clean our act up from that standpoint.” (on what the team needs to do better this weekend) “We’ve got do everything better. It was so rough the first half, just as a team. Offensively, hurting ourselves with penalties. Defensively, giving up plays. Give up a turnover offensively. It’s just cleaning up everything. You look around the league on opening day, it seemed like there’s some strange things going on. But we were able to weather the storm and then play probably as good as we can play for a quarter-and-a-half. Just looking for some consistency. That’s what it’s about. It needs to start here real quick.” (on if he was scratching his head with how the team started against San Diego) “I get real concerned going into the first game. I talked about, maybe I talk about it too much, but we talked about it in the locker room, I told them before the game, emotions and energy opening day is a given, but poise is not. We’ve got to stay focused on our football and what we’re doing. Low and behold, first play of the game, we turned the ball over. But that’s part of it, getting back into the routine of the game, all of those things and staying on top of what you’re doing. Playing clean football gives you a chance every week.” (on QB Matt Schaub’s numbers being so good outside of the pocket) “He’s comfortable because we do boot and stuff. I think he feels comfortable doing that stuff. I think I said this yesterday in the press conference, one of the things that I was really impressed with in the game was he extended a lot of plays and maybe it’s that weight he’s lost, he’s trim and looking good at 234 (joking), but he extended some plays and found a way to get the ball down the field in some very, very tough situations. I think it’s a strength of his. He doesn’t run very much. We know that. Moving around, extending the play, especially in our boot game and those types of things, he does well.” (on WR Lestar Jean’s holding penalties) “He just got his hands in bad position. Got his hands outside of the frame and what we teach. The minute your hands get out there and somebody goes to the ground, here comes a flag. Just undisciplined. We’ve got (WR Coach) Larry (Kirksey) working on him with it. We’ll work on it some more tomorrow.” (on if the holding penalties by WR Lestar Jean weren’t an issue in practice) “No, no. Just you do some funny things when you get out there in the bright lights. You’ve got to make sure it looks the same.” (on Titans Senior Assistant/Defensive Coach Gregg Williams and if he sees the team blitzing more) “Well, those guys have been together before. You see the same defensive look. They are some things going on that are different, but up front, they’re getting after the quarterback pretty darn good. They got after (Steelers QB) Ben Roethlisberger last week. You give up 192 yards of offense in this league, you’re playing extremely well. I think they’re very well coached. Obviously, Gregg adds to that and they got off to a great start last week.” (on if he was surprised by how well ILB Brian Cushing played in his first game back) “You know, I wasn’t because he’s been doing it at practice. He’s really on top of his stuff. He’s taken to (DC) Wade (Phillips’) defense and he’s the quarterback, he knows what’s going on, he’s so locked in. I’m expecting really big things from him and boy was he off to a great start the other night.” Offensive Coordinator Rick Dennison Spoiler (on QB Matt Schaub extending plays) “He has lost a little bit of weight, but I think Matt did a fine job. He’s very focused on what we’re trying to get done, as always. We talked about extending some plays and the guys did a good job of breaking off routes and working back to him and making those plays. That helps us out quite a bit.” (on RB Ben Tate) “He was nicked kind of early last year. He got nicked a little early, so it kind of felt like he was behind the eight ball for a lot of the early part of the year and never really caught up. He had a great camp and worked hard and has been healthy. You can certainly see the speed and power that he possesses.” (on WR DeAndre Hopkins getting a few receptions in the second half and if that was him just getting comfortable in the offense) “I think it’s just a function of how things worked out. Unfortunately we got a little behind, so we got out of our play actions and other things and started working some of the drop backs where we’re able to do the crossing and work the ball downfield to him.” (on WR DeAndre Hopkins handling himself out there after missing two games of preseason) “I think he did a great job. The run after catch, he showed a lot of ability right there. We see his hands every day. He makes great catches all the time. He really improved throughout the week. Each day, he took a bigger and bigger step as far as understanding what we’re trying to do and that showed off in the game.” (on WR DeAndre Hopkins handling the pressure of Monday night) “Knowing the kid, I don’t think anything is too big for him. He’s big on a big stage at Clemson and he did some great things in bowl games. It’s something that we kind of knew. When we drafted him, we had a feeling that nothing would be too big for him.” (on the protection of QB Matt Schaub) “I think our guys got our feet wet a little bit. They were riled up. It was home, it was Monday night in San Diego. That always gets a home team juiced up a little bit. I think we needed to get our feet wet and get going and we kind of understood the moment. We knew we were behind the eight ball and that’s what we had to do and the guys strapped it up and got it done.” (on the trademarks of a Gregg Williams defense) “The quarterback has always got to be ready to move, I know that. They put pressure on the quarterback. They play good man-coverage and they mix it in with a lot of zone to try and cover the field with guys dropping. It always makes it a challenge to figure out which end. You’ve got to be able to find the holes in both parts.” (on if he sees a difference between their game plans with the new coordinator) “I think I see a defense in a different system. They’ve always had a lot of talent. It just looks like they’re playing hard and they had a great week last week. They did a great job. It’s going to be a challenge for us.” (on the rivalry with the Tennessee Titans) “I think anybody in our division. We know that those are much more important. Each game is very, very important, but those create some chances at the end of the year. You are really focused and obviously seeing them twice a year, you get a familiarity with them and rivalry or what, it makes it to where it means a lot to you.” (on how G Brandon Brooks and T Derek Newton looked Monday night) “I think they both did a great job. They had their moments, but I think the offseason together really showed. We thought we were seeing a lot of improvements through the preseason and I think they both played pretty well on Monday night.” (on if RB Arian Foster was unhappy with how he was used Monday night) “I don’t know. I live in a box. He just got back. He didn’t play very much. We’re just trying to rotate him in, keep fresh guys in. (RB) Ben (Tate) has had a great camp. We keep them fresh. They’re both competitors. They both want to be out there. That’s a good thing. You don’t want a guy that doesn’t want to play. If he’s unhappy, I don’t know that. I know he’s happy that we won. I’ll say it that way.” (on if he plans on game planning to keep RB Arian Foster fresh throughout the season) “I’m not looking much past Tennessee. Not at all. Like I said, we’re trying to keep fresh guys out there and find creases. They both fit in to what we’re trying to do.” ILB Brian Cushing Spoiler (on if he appreciated the moment more after his pick-six given everything he’s gone through with his injury) “Oh yeah, it was exciting. To be able to go out there and do that my first game back was obviously a relief, but it just made everything worth it.” (on if it’s nice to have DE Antonio Smith back) “Oh yeah, absolutely. He’s a huge part of this team and a vocal leader, emotional leader. He was missed the other night and obviously he’s a playmaking kind of guy. To have him back is going to be great.” (on if DE Antonio Smith was especially vocal in practice today) “No, I don’t think so. Any time, you know he’s here.” (on how much the team feeds off of DE Antonio Smith’s energy) “It’s important. It’s something that’s definitely out there and we know he’s here. He always brings a good message and gets it across. He’s valuable.” (on if he was at all surprised that he was able to come back and immediately play like he used to against San Diego) “No, I don’t think so because I played a good amount of preseason and got a got a good amount of snaps in. That’s the kind of thing I expect out of myself and, if I wasn’t able to do that, I wouldn’t be out there.” (on where he put the ball from his pick-six against San Diego) “It’s in my room, somewhere on the ground I think.” (on how he felt coming out of his first full-game) “I felt great. Couldn’t feel any better coming out of the first game.” (on if Titans RB Chris Johnson looks any better this year) “I’m not sure. He’s got a ton of capabilities. He’s extremely fast and can make a play at any moment. I’m not exactly sure if he’s any better, but it’s one game. I don’t think anybody can really judge. He’s got all the talent in the world; you just have to contain him.” (on if it says something about the Titans that they were able to go into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers) “Yeah, absolutely. They’re 1-0 and feeling good about themselves, big road win, but we got a big road win too and now they have to come to Houston, which isn’t an easy place to play.” (on why QB Matt Schaub is so good passing outside of the pocket) “I’m not sure. I think any time you look at that, it’s a team effort. Obviously, Matt has done a great job out of the pocket, but the receivers are doing a great job getting back to the ball and getting open and breaking off routes and stuff like that, and for the line to protect him that long too. I think Matt has kind of an awareness to get out of the pocket when there’s trouble and to keep his eyes open down the field. When most guys just take off and run, he’s still looking for routes.” (on what the team takes away from the win and carrying it over to later in the season) “We can make it a lot easier on ourselves than that (joking). Just play like the second half, play like that the rest of the season. There were some mistakes and we didn’t play nearly up to our standards in the first half. Just eliminate the bad plays and get on top of our assignments and we’ll be fine.” (on if the win against San Diego is the kind of game the team can reflect on back later in the year) “Sure, absolutely. I think to start off like that, it’s a great kick start to the season.” (on the rivalry between the Texans and Titans and if there’s a lot made about that) “I don’t think so. We just take care of ourselves and that’s the bottom line. We don’t really talk about that stuff.” (on if the rivalry would be more intense if both teams were battling for a division title) “No, I don’t because we worry about ourselves and what we have to do. That’s just the bottom line.” (on if teams need rivals) “I think every game is a rivalry. I don’t think there’s any specific rivalry. The next game’s a rivalry. That’s the game you have to win and that’s the game you have to win now.” (on if rivalries are bigger for players in college) “If you let it be. This rivalry stuff is all in people’s minds. I think we’re just assigned to teams who aren’t supposed to like each other. That’s what happens any time you play hard against each other, tempers are going to flare and people get emotional. That’s just football.” (on if he hated Notre Dame or UCLA when he was playing at Southern California) “No, I did. I did and I still do.” (on DE J.J. Watt saying he thought he landed on the ball when he intercepted it and that knocked the wind out of him) “Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that great.” (on if it was just an instinct to keep going after he had the wind knocked out of him when he intercepted the pass) “Yeah, adrenaline took over, yeah.” (on if he had to get oxygen after his pick-six and having the wind knocked out of him when he landed on the ball) “No, I was okay.” (on if he remembers his return on the pick-six) “Yeah, I just remember hoping not to get caught and I didn’t. So I was able to get in there.” (on where the pick-six ranks in his career as a football player) “It’s up there. It’s up there because it was a huge part of the game and it was a play I needed to make.” RB Arian Foster Spoiler (on why he was frustrated in the fourth quarter against San Diego) “I just wanted to be in the game. That was it. Just frustration from that standpoint.” (on how he felt he did in the first game of the season) “I feel the first game out I had a lot of rust to knock off. I felt like I played okay but I could always play better.” (on his relationship with RB Ben Tate) “He’s one of my best friends on the team. We’re really close. I’m always pulling for him while he’s out there. That’s just kind of the relationship we have.” (on if he’s concerned about the way it looked when he was frustrated about not being in the game against San Diego) “No.” (on if he’s happy with the amount of work he got in the first game) “Obviously they had a game plan going in about how much they wanted me to play and they were trying to ease me back into it, but my competitive nature, of course you want to be in. It’s getting to crunch-time, it’s fourth quarter and you want to be out there. But this is kind of how it played out. In my opinion (Head Coach Gary Kubiak) would be concerned with a player that’s happy he’s not in there in the last minutes of the game when the game is on the line. I’m just a competitor and I want to be out there. I have to ease my way back in.” (on if he is okay with Head Coach Gary Kubiak saying that he plans to have the number of carries between him and RB Ben Tate fairly even for the next game or so) “I mean, yeah. That has to be okay with me. Like I said, we’re chess pieces. Coach makes the final ruling, but as a competitor, I’ve been in this League, I felt that I’ve played well throughout my tenure here. You want to be out there. You feel like you’ve earned that right to be out there. That’s just where the frustration comes from.” (on what kind of validation the comeback win against San Diego gave the team) “You have to win a lot of ways in this League. When you come from behind, that shows relentlessness on your team’s part. You have to like that in order to win. It’s not going to be pretty every Sunday. We’re not going to blow everybody out. But a win is a win. It’s good to rally like that but in the same breath, you don’t want to start out so slow.” (on having DE Antonio Smith back out at practice) “Energy. I mean, that’s what he brings. It’s good to see him around the building, smiling and stuff like that.” (on if he’s still feeling like he’s getting his legs under him) “You’re not going to run all day, but there’s a difference between running shape and football shape. Football shape is different. It’ll probably be a couple games before I feel back to 100 percent myself. But I felt good. I felt comparatively good.” CB Johnathan Joseph Spoiler (on how much different the defense will be with FS Ed Reed playing) “Without a doubt. He’s done it year-in and year-out, so I don’t think it will change now. Obviously, he had an injury that occurred that he had to take care of. I’m sure once he hits the field it will be no different than any other year.” (on if the locker room was quiet without DE Antonio Smith) “Somewhat, somewhat. We definitely missed him a lot because he means so much to this team as an emotional leader and things like that on defense. He’s kind of the guy on this team to get everybody riled up, so, from that standpoint, we missed him and we definitely missed him on the field without a doubt. Obviously, it’s good for us to have him back this week.” (on if DE Antonio Smith is the most underappreciated guy on this team) “I think to some degree, but if you turn on the film and you watch him play, I think that all goes away because, in this league, he’s top at his position, top two or three guy at his position. On this defense, he kind of sets the tone for us and we feed off him. I think him and (DE) J.J. (Watt) make a nice combo at the defensive end position up front and everybody else just plays off of those two guys.” (on how the secondary played on Monday) “I think it was a lot of tough situations. A lot of those balls were contested balls and that’s what football is about, being in position to make the play. That’s all you can ask for. It’s up to the players to make those plays and finish those plays. I think a lot of those plays in the first half we didn’t finish and then, in the second half, the tide kind of reversed and, in the same situations, we made the plays.” QB Matt Schaub Spoiler (on extending plays outside of the pocket) “It’s just one of those things, you’re in that type of ball game and you’re faced with certain situations that you don’t want to be in, third-and-longs and you just try to buy some time and allow your receivers to get down field and get open for you and try to make a play. I’ve got a guy like (WR) Andre (Johnson) and then another one, (WR) DeAndre (Hopkins) uncovered for me. The offensive line did a great job battling all day against a good front to allow me time to move around in the pocket or get out of the pocket and try to extend the play.” (on the wide receivers doing a good job of coming back when he’s out of the pocket) “Yeah, it’s one of those things you always want to talk about. You don’t usually get a lot of reps of it in camp and such. Just your scramble rules and a certain set of guidelines for when the quarterback does extend a play or escape out of the pocket, breaking off your route and how to adjust back and have some semblance of spacing on the field so you can have some holes in the defense and be able to make some plays. We try to simulate it as best we can in practice. It’s not always ideal, but at least some guys have an awareness to be able to break off their route and separate and make a play on the ball.” (on having two talented RBs in Arian Foster and Ben Tate) “Yeah, in this league, the season’s so long so you’ve got to have multiple guys at that position. It’s hard for one to carry the load the entire year, every down. We’re fortunate to have two guys who have played a lot of football who we have a lot of confidence in, both in the run and pass. I think they feed off each other well and I think it’s good for us a team. It’s great to have Arian back in the huddle and back out there full-time. It’s good to have Been in there as a changeup. It’s good to have both guys.” (on what he saw out of WR DeAndre Hopkins in the first half versus the second half) “You can just him being more comfortable out there. He was amped up, excited to go, first game and just making sure he understands the calls and what we’re doing in a fast-paced high-intensity environment. I thought he handled himself well. As far as MA’s (missed assignments), I don’t think he had many, if any, MA’s out there. When the ball came his way, he made a play and it was good to see him step up in some of those crucial situations.” (on if he’s amazed by how WR Andrew Johnson continues to get open time-after-time) “No, it’s every day for us now. I think I’ve seen it all with him now, but he continues to just go out and make plays. The type of camp he’s had, the type of offseason, in my seven years, probably the best I’ve seen out of him. Just watching him go to work, I told him before the game, ‘We’re going to be the aggressors. We’re going to go make some plays.’ We’re all on the same page all the time with one another. He never ceases to amaze me, but, at the same time, what he does out there, he makes it look so routine every day.” (on the Titans’ defense) “Well, they’re an aggressive group. A team we know well. We play twice a year, but they’re an active, very fast-flow, physical defense. We’re going to have to be in top-form for 60 minutes. They’re a good defensive group, really held Pittsburgh in check. So we’re going to have our hands full.” (on if DE Antonio Smith coming back energizes him even as an offensive player) “Oh yeah, he’s a fellow leader on this team. He’s been around for a while. We’ll definitely feed off him. We’re excited to get him back in the mix and back going. I know it was a long week for him, but yeah we’re excited to get him back.” (on the difference in the Titans defense with Senior Assistant/Defensive Coach Gregg Williams on the staff) “Yeah, there’s not a whole lot to draw on as far as one game and then bits and pieces of their preseason, but you can see his influence. You can see some of the things that they teach and what he taught when he was with New Orleans because we played them every year in the preseason or the regular season and practiced against them for a few days each of those years. They’re a good group. They do what they do. They play certain coverages. They blitz. They’re aggressive and fast-flow. That’s who they are, but you can see a little bit of his influence.” (on the Eagles’ fast-paced offense) “I don’t know. I’m not worried about the Eagles. I’m just worried about getting our team ready to beat the Titans.” DE Antonio Smith Spoiler (on if he was waiting for the team in the parking lot when the buses arrived on Tuesday morning) “I was on the way in Houston traffic. With the rain, it kind of destroyed me making it there (in time). I made it there, probably 15 or 20 minutes after they unloaded the buses. There were a few people still here.” (on what his teammates said when they saw him Tuesday morning) “I got to sneak up on them because they were all in the locker room. I snuck up on J.J. (Watt), Tim Jamison, Brice (McCain) was in there and everybody that worked. I got to see everybody, all the staff here. It was kind of funny. I just popped up on them. They were like, ‘Ohh, Tone! Man, we missed you!’ It made me feel warm in my heart.” (on how hard it was to watch the game Monday night) “It wasn’t hard. It was weird. It was just like, weird. You kept kind of putting yourself in the game as you’re watching the game you know you’re supposed to be at. Then you become more like a coach and you’re critiquing. It was just a weird experience.” (on his emotions watching the team make their comeback) “My emotions were a lot better during the comeback. Before that I thought I was going to have to do some slapping around when I got back. I actually called and threatened some people, you know. I said, ‘I was going to have to come slap you upside the head.’ But then they came back, so I didn’t have to do that.” (on his reaction when ILB Brian Cushing intercepted the pass and ran it back for a touchdown) “I jumped up out of my chair and I said, ‘There you go Cush!’” (on what he hopes to bring to the team in his first game back) “I’m going to be me, man. The only thing that I hope to bring is me. The fun that I bring and being there with my brothers again, I’m just glad to be back. I don’t know extra I’m going to bring. I think I bring a lot just in general.” (on what he saw with the team in the first half of the game Monday night) “With the first half, you could kind of see San Diego’s sense of urgency. They had a chip on their shoulder. I think that comes from everybody telling them they were going to lose and they had no chance or they sucked in the preseason and things like that. That gives a team fuel. That first play, when they made that big play right off the bat, it lit their team up. It lit their team up and they played perfect football for two and a quarter quarters. What I saw after that was the team I know, emerge. They came out then. I think that it wasn’t like they weren’t playing hard in the first half; they just weren’t making the plays that you’ve got to make if you want to be a championship team. When you saw them come out in the second half, they were making their plays. There wasn’t a play not made. I think they said they had 20 yards or something like that. 10 yards? 10 yards in the second half. If you can do that to any team in the NFL, you’re going to be a great team.” (on Titans RB Chris Johnson looking like the Chris Johnson of old in the first game) “He did in the preseason. I think he had a 50-yard run that everybody showed on ESPN and I kind of said it last year when it was the last quarter of the game when we played them last year, he just started breaking runs. I personally think it was the scheme he was in. Some people don’t think so. I like to kid. He likes to run with his style of running. Just because it’s not hardnosed aggressive, he’s still a dangerous weapon. Just because he had two down years doesn’t make him not the running back he was. He’s dangerous, just as much as he was a 2,000-yard rusher, leading the league and he got the big deal. I think if we don’t stop him, we’ll be in some trouble.” S D.J. Swearinger Spoiler (on if he’s looking forward to his first regular season game at home) “I am. The crowd and the fans will be going crazy and it will be a loud atmosphere.” (on how much he has learned from FS Ed Reed) “I learned a lot, just the small time that we had so far, I’ve learned a whole lot. I’m just ready to keep learning from him and once he gets out on the field, I’ll be able to learn a whole lot more because Ed (Reed) will be out there with me. So I’m just looking forward to keeping everything rolling.” RB Ben Tate Spoiler (on offensive coordinator Rick Dennison saying he never got into a rhythm last year because of injuries and him looking different this year because he’s healthy) “Yeah, sure. Whatever he says.” (on if he’s looking forward to building on his good game in Week 1) “Definitely. I’m definitely looking to help this team take the next step and continually get better week-in and week-out.” (on the way he and RB Arian Foster complement each other on the field) “We complement each other. We help make the team better. He’s a good running back. I’m a good running back. We help keep each other fresh. There’s always an upside to it all and it’s better for this team I think.” (on what it means that he’s gotten off to a good start) “I guess it means I have to keep going well. I got off to a good start too last year. It’s just a matter of coming in and doing it week-in and week-out. It’s about being consistent and constantly getting better.” (on what he takes out of RB Arian Foster seeming like he was frustrated with his number of carries during the game) “He’s a competitor. Any real competitor would want to be out there. I’m the same way. When he’s on the field, I want to be out there. I guess I learned maybe to not show it as much because I’ve been through it a lot more than him. We’re teammates. I understand where he’s coming from. I’m a competitor, he’s a competitor. I feel like, when I’m out there, I help the team and I’m sure he feels like, when he’s out there, he helps the team. It’s just the competitiveness in both of us.” (on the fine line between him and RB Arian Foster being competitors and both wanting to be out on the field at the same time) “I don’t know. We’re doing it though. I don’t know how it works, but it works.” (on if the key to making it work between him and RB Arian Foster as far as carries go is about being professional) “Yeah, just being professional. Knowing that, it’s not like we hide anything from each other. I talk to him every day, just about every day. It’s not like I’m hiding from him. I work hard every day. He knows I’m working hard. I see him working hard. I think if you’re both mature about the situation and you’re both competitors and you both are pushing each other to be better then, at the end of the day, it works out for the team.” DE J.J. Watt Spoiler (on the Titans’ offensive line) “Obviously, they have a first-round pick and then they went out and picked up (G Andy) Levitre. They made some good moves to help bolster their offensive line. There are only a couple preseason games and one regular season game. They’ve got some good players and it’s always a good challenge. Every week’s a good challenge.” (on DE Antonio Smith being in the parking lot when the team got back from San Diego early Tuesday morning) “I didn’t know that. No, I didn’t even see him. I came right into here and had a little bit of work to do.” (on what it says about DE Antonio Smith that he was back at the facility to greet the team) “Of course, it’s great. It’s good that he’s happy to get back to work. It was great to see him today. I saw him yesterday because I was in here doing a little bit of work and he was in here already. I think I left here at 9 (a.m.) and so he was in here at 8-9 o’clock. It was good that as soon as he could, he was getting back to work. We knew he would. Tone’s a guy, you know for the last week, it’s been killing him. It was really good to have him back. It’s nice to have him back out there.” (on what DE Antonio Smith brings to the team as far as chemistry) “He’s a fun guy to be around and he’s a lot of fun to have on the field and to have in the huddle. He’s a great player though and that’s what he brings to this team is he’s a very good football player. I’m excited to have him back out there and I’m excited to play across from him.” (on if there was a difference without DE Antonio Smith on Monday) “You know, (DE Jared) Crick played well. Don’t take anything from Crick whatsoever. He played a good game, but obviously you miss Tone out there. You want to have Antonio out there playing, but I thought Crick did a great job.” (on how he thought he played on Monday) “I played a lot better in the second half than the first half of course. I think a lot of guys can see that on the team. Obviously, I like putting up better numbers than I did of course, but we got the win and that’s all that matters. That’s the number one focus on this team and that will always be my number one goal and everyone’s number one goal.” (on if the main takeaway from Monday’s game was to play all four quarters) “Of course, yeah. We need to play like we did in the fourth quarter, second-half to the third quarter, we need to play like that the entire game. Those five drives at the end of the game, we need to play like that. That’s who we are. That’s the type of team that we need to play like and we know that. I think, to be in a game like that, this early in the season, it’s good and bad. You never want to be down 21 points, but, at the same time, you learn a lot about your team and you learn a lot about perseverance and how to grind. I think that told us a lot about the guys we have.” (on the reason for the slow start on Monday) “I’m not sure. I’m not sure, but it’s a short week so all I can worry about is Tennessee right now.” (on if he’s expecting to see teams play him differently this year and make adjustments to that) “Yeah, I think there were definitely a couple of things there, but like I said all along, I expect it. It’s going to be there. That’s the way it’s going to be and I have no problem with it. I like the challenge and I have great teammates. My teammates make great plays. That’s why I love playing for this team because you never know who’s going to make the plays. You never know where the big play is going to come from. We have a lot of playmakers. I’m not the only one, but I welcome the attention and I welcome the challenge. I look forward to the challenges that are facing me. It’s just another opportunity for me to get better.” (on what DE Antonio Smith did today to make him notice that he was there) “When I first saw him yesterday morning, he was just in the training room doing a little bit of work and I was walking to the training room and saw him. It was just good to see him. It’s been a week since I’ve seen him around the facility, a week-and-a-half and it’s just good to see him back in the facility because that’s my guy.” (on if there are any common themes when the Texans and Titans play) “They’re a divisional opponent, always a good game. Division games are always big, playing twice-a-year. It’s always good matchup.” (on if he’s expecting to see FS Ed Reed back on Sunday) “I hope so. I’m not sure. Those aren’t my decisions to make, so we’ll see.” (on FS Ed Reed getting a walker from his fellow defensive backs for his birthday today) “The walker was great. That was hilarious. Ed’s been around a long time. He’s been doing it for a while and he’s one of the best to ever to do it at his position. It’s a lot of fun to have a guy like that on your team. Obviously, first and foremost is his health, but whenever he can get back out there, we’re really excited about the opportunity.” (on if he likes making FS Ed Reed feel old) “It’s great that he’s so good about it. Some guys not take it as well as he’s been taking it, but it’s pretty good. He likes to joke about it too. It always makes it more fun when the guy receiving the jokes is playing along. He did a great job.” (on it being 28-7 in the third quarter and what people were thinking on the sideline) “There really wasn’t much worry. There wasn’t much panic. We were very confident and we knew we had to go out there and we knew we still had a chance to take the game back. Credit to every aspect of the game, offense, defense and special teams. Everybody played a crucial part in it. You’ve got the fake punt. You’ve got the offense moving the ball up and down the field. Dre (WR Andre Johnson) catching every ball thrown his way. And obviously Cush (ILB Brian Cushing) with a huge interception. Defense making big stops. There were plays everywhere where you can point to that everybody had a hand in it. I think that’s what’s cool about it is that it was a full-team effort to bring the team back.” (on if the team expects to win every game) “Of course. I think that’s what we’ve been working on building around here and that’s what has been built around here. You expect to win football games. When you’re down 28 to 7, you don’t’ just pack it in. You find a way, whatever it takes, however you have to make it happen, you find a way to win. That’s what it’s come to around here and I think that’s the way it’s going to stay because that’ s the culture we’ve tried to create and that’s the culture we’re trying to keep.” (on ILB Brian Cushing’s interception and if was special to see him make that play given that he was hurt last year) “Absolutely. You couldn’t be happier because of all he’s been through in the last year. You know much he obviously missed the game while he was gone, how much we missed being around him and having him out there, and then for him to have a play like that, it’s kind of one of those defining moments of his comeback. It’s great and obviously it came at a great time for the team.” (on if he’s ever seen a more impressive pick-six than the one ILB Brian Cushing had) “It was nice. It was fully-laid out and he landed right on top of the ball, so it knocked all the wind out of him and to be able to get up and still run the to the end zone, I’m sure he had to hit the oxygen tank pretty hard after that one.” (on if ILB Brian Cushing’s interception speaks to his instincts) “Oh yeah, absolutely. That’s a huge moment to score a touchdown there, especially at that time, massive play. I couldn’t wait to celebrate with him.” (on if ILB Brian Cushing’s pick-six reminded him of when he had one in the past) “It did. On my way to the end zone, I thought about how he jumped on my head and tackled me when I had mine, and I was considering doing the same thing, but I know the new celebration rules, you’re not allowed to the ground. So I was trying to not get us a penalty, but I really wanted to jump on his head.” (on people saying that Tennessee drafted to stop him and his reaction to that) “That’s pretty cool and it’s an honor and it’s a challenge. I look at that as a great challenge. It’s an opportunity for me to go out there and football’s a game of competition. It’s a game of man-on-man, seeing who’s better and so every single day I get to go out there and show what I’ve got. It’s an opportunity for, obviously they bring in some offensive linemen who they feel are going to help their football team and it’s a chance for me to go out there and show what I can do and show what our team can do. I really like challenges and I like opportunities to prove what I can do. So it’s going to be fun.” (on if it’s flattering to hear people say that the Titans drafted with him in mind) “A little bit. All I can do is worry about my game.” (on preparing for a mobile quarterback like Jake Locker) “We’re going to have a few of them on the schedule this year, so the biggest thing you need to do is make sure you keep them in the pocket as much as you can. Try and make them beat you with their arm because obviously Locker’s got great mobility, he’s got great movement and he’s a good quarterback. We have to make sure we contain him and keep him in the pocket and get after him.” (on the rivalry between the Texans and Titans and if it feels like that’s their biggest rival) “I think any division opponent is a big rival. You look at Tennessee, you’ve got the Colts, Jacksonville. Any time you play a team twice-a-year, there’s definitely going to be a little bit of a rivalry. It’s always exciting when you play a team inside your division because also you know how big it is for the standings and how big it is for the bigger picture.” Conference call between the Houston media and Munchak/Locker: Titans Head Coach Mike Munchak Spoiler (on how close RB Chris Johnson is to producing like he did in the past) “It’s hard to tell, but we like the direction we’re heading with that. After one week, we see him getting a lot of opportunities to run the football. I think if we just keep getting better in what we’re trying to do, I have no doubt that he’ll have his chances to make big plays. We know what he’s capable of doing. He’s done it in the preseason. Last year, he had three or five big runs. Those will come. I’m more interested in what we saw the other day, a lot of three and four-yard runs and not a lot of negative runs. I think that was more of our concerned going forward. The other things will happen and you just don’t know when that’s going to be in a particular game, but knowing that you have that type of threat in the backfield that, if it does all go right, then he can take it the distance at any time. That’s a positive, but it’s more for us to be second-and-six and second-and-seven’s than secon-and-12.” (on RB Chris Johnson having 2.8 yards per carry last week) “Again, we don’t focus on the per-carry thing because, again, what we were trying to do in that game last week was he avoided what I just mentioned, the negative runs, which allowed us to control the ball for 34 minutes. It allowed us to go for five drives of 10-plays or more. Those are things we wanted to do in that particular game. He had some nice runs and then we ran some runs that we necessarily wouldn’t have handed off, they had eight and nine guys in the box in situations, so you’re average per carry is going to go down. That’s not really the stat we’re interested in. It’s more of staying on the field, taking away time off the clock, converting first downs. That’s more of our concern. The big runs will come and, all of a sudden, he has one big run and is averaging, if he has a big urn this weekend, he’s averaging five-yards a carry just like that. It’ll work its way out. We just want to keep it to where we’re staying positive and moving the chains.” (on the development of QB Jake Locker and how important it is for RB Chris Johnson to be effective in order for the offense to be proficient) “I don’t think so. I think we, in general, between him, (RB) Shonn (Greene), (RB) Jackie (Battle), I think running in general has to be productive, which that’s the goal this year is to be more productive than the last couple of years with it. We have enough weapons around. The tight end Delanie Walker had a pretty solid game the other day. We feel we have good receivers that, when they get the opportunity, can make plays for us. The running game is always going to be the focus, just like it is there in Houston. As the running game goes, so does the offense and the football team. I think that’s the same way we’re going to be.” (on the re-vamped offensive line and how they ready they are to handle DE J.J. Watt and the Texans pass rush) “I think that he’s a special player. Only very so often guys come around like him and have a great feel for a game, and play it with a passion that he has. He’s going to be a challenge for anybody. For us, he’s going to play a lot of different people, our tackles, our guards. He’s going to make some plays. That’s just how it is. He plays every snap. He doesn’t leave the field. He’s a smart player. He’s going to make some plays. You just don’t want them to be the big plays. If he happens to get a sack, just don’t knock the ball out of the quarterbacks hands and things like that. It’s a great challenge. It’s not just him. They’ve got a great group of players. (DE Antonio) Smith does a great job at the other side. Their outside guys are rushing well. They pressure well. They attack well. He’s a big part of it. If it was just him, it would be a lot easier to take him out the game, but if you try to do that, then you have a lot of other guys who can make plays. That’s why they’re such a good challenge and why they’re playing well. He’s obviously the guy that stepped up big-time last year and had a huge year. We know first-hand, he had two good games against us. We’ll see where we’re at after Sunday.” (on the impact of Senior Assistant/Defensive Coach Gregg Williams) “In the coaching circle, it’s just another point of view how to do things, different ideas of how to attack or take away certain things offenses want to do. He’s just a great resource that way. Obviously, he has a wealth of experience, lot of success in big games. I think he and (DC) Jerry (Gray) work well. He’s worked well in our staff that way. He’s got a good demeanor of how to be in front of the team, how to be in front of the players. I think he’s got a good sense of the players of them buying into his confidence, his vision and his plan for why this particular scheme is going to work or we’re going to take away this part of their offense. He’s always had a knack for that. I’ve been around him for a long time. Players believe in what he has to say and he’s added to our staff that way. He’s another added element of expertise that’s rubbed off on the players. I think the way that he and Jerry are working together is good. So far so good. I would say our defense played well on Sunday. Certainly, it’s going to be a huge challenge for us to come into Houston and play well again.” (on the comparisons between the Titans offense and the Texans offense in terms of running the ball and time of possession) “Well, that’s the direction we want to be. I think us and the Texans have kind of gone back and forth on who’s done it better over the years, over the last 11 years. That’s really been our MO also and obviously the Texans have had a lot of great success over the last four or five years of doing things that we want to be able too, which is running the football, play action, controlling the line of scrimmage. I think last year, they were top-one in time of possession. You don’t lose many games when you can do that and not turn the ball over. I think it’s a great motto. It’s one that we’ve believed in; I always have as a player and as a coach. We’re hoping that’s something we can develop as we get into the season.” (on the rivalry between the Texans and Titans) “Like you said, because of the history of our teams, the fact that we used to be in Houston for 36 years and then we left, this organization left and came back, and Houston got the new team, but didn’t have football for five years and then got the stadium and moved forward obviously. We’re in the same division. I think there’s a lot of reasons why it is a big rivalry between these two teams, especially within the division. Now that the Texans have won it the last couple of years, obviously us, Jacksonville and Indy are targeting that that’s the team we have to knock off, that’s the team that has taken our division the last two years. When you get two chances to play someone and you know each other well, it’s like we feel we know them and I’m sure they feel really good about what we do. It always comes down to Houston and playing big time games. We’re both 1-0, which makes it a little more fun even though it’s early in the season. We know how much it means for us to come out and play well. It’s not going to be easy, but I think that adds to the rivalry. We know how much this game means. This game means more than the other games because it’s a division game. So yeah, I think all those factors make it a little more unique than when you play somebody else.” (on the Titans defensive) “I feel good. I think you saw our game and defensively we’ve gotten bigger on defense with (DE) Ropati (Pitoitua) and (DT) Sammy Hill and in (DT Antonio) Johnson. I think between those three guys, we’ve made a big difference in the middle with our physicality as far as controlling the line of scrimmage better, which has allowed our linebackers and (MLB) Moise Fokou, who played with Indianapolis and he’s our starting Mike, I thought he played well getting downhill. (S) Bernard Pollard brings a nice edge to him. He did a nice job last week. I think t hose guys are really coming together and working on their identity, what type of defense we’re going to be versus how we were last year. That’s kind of fun to watch. Again, it’s only the second week, but they’re off to a great start and really believing in each other and believing in what they can do as a defense. Like I said, this text here will be a monster test, especially to try to slow that offense down after just watching what they did in San Diego throwing the ball. That’s the thing about the Texans is if they have to throw it, they can go do it and that they can control the game and just run it down your throats. That’s why they have been so successful the last couple of years.” (on the Titans offensive line given their new additions) “We’re heading in the right direction. You draft a guy, (G) Chance Warmack, in the first round and your expectations are high for him. I thought one game in, a good solid start for him. With the players he has to go against in this game, it’s going to be a big challenge for him, but he enjoys it. (Andy) Levitre, getting him from Buffalo as a left guard, we played against him. These guys are getting used to each other, getting used to this system. Rob Turner is starter at center, so the inside three are completely new and weren’t on the team last year. That always takes a while to come together, but we can’t waste games trying to get ready. We had a great challenge in Pittsburgh and this one is going to be a monster one because of the type of players that Texans have. We have to get good real quick if we want to win these games early in the season.” Titans QB Jake Locker Spoiler (on the Texans defense being the toughest you face all year) “It is very talented top to bottom. They are talented, they have experience and they have playmakers. You have to be disciplined in what you are doing.” (on S Ed Reed’s playmaking ability) “You just have to know where he’s at. You have to understand he is a very instinctual player so at times you might see what the shell of the defense is, but he might not be where he’s supposed to be just because he sees a release or is reading your eyes. He’s taking a chance and a lot of the times it is a very calculated, accurate chance.” (on the success of JJ Watt batting passes down) “The Texans were probably the best at. You saw it a little more throughout the league, so finding ways to hopefully try and find passing lanes and navigate those guys getting their hands up in the air. Obviously you aren’t always going to be able to do it, but you try to minimize those opportunities where they get their hands on the ball.” (on the rivalry between the Texans and Titans) “I think there is, definitely. There is a feeling that it is a big game for both sides. Each city is really excited about it. We are there once on the road and then we get them once here. You definitely feel a little difference in the crowd.” (on success of the Titans running game) “As you guys know, the passing game can feed off the running game and vice versa. Being able to establish a good running game and have that be a good staple of what we do will allow us opportunities to get one on ones down the field and move the ball through the air that way. I think they work hand in hand and I think as you guys see every week, the better you are running the ball, the better you can be with the play action and taking some shots downfield. They each set each other up. When we are throwing the ball well and certain games call for certain things, but when you come out and you are throwing the ball well, they have to find a way to honor that and that can open up the run game for you.” (on who stands out as the most intense player on the Texans defense) “As a whole that unit plays really hard – from the guys up front to the guys in the back end. They play with extremely good effort, so I don’t know if you can pick one guy out and pinpoint him. They have some guys that can emotionally get them going – you have Cushing and Watt and Smith up front. They feed off their emotion. Johnathan Joseph on the back end feeds off those guys and you can tell by the plays that they make.” (on how important is your mobility when you are getting pressured) “For me I have to remember that I have that ability and that opportunity on any given play. When something breaks down or you don’t like what you see, or if you’re feeling like you have been back there a little too long you can find a way to get out and let those receivers work a little bit longer, it always puts a little more stress on the defense.” (on being the unquestioned starter going in to his 3rd year in the NFL) “I feel a lot more confident. There is confidence in knowing that I had the entire off-season to work with the same group of guys, throw the ball to the same group of guys and really build a confidence and rapport with them that I really haven’t been able to do in the past.” Conference call between the Tennessee media and Kubiak/Watt: HOUSTON TEXANS HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK Spoiler (on what Monday night’s comeback win against the Chargers means for the team) Well, I mean we’ll find out. First off, obviously I think the biggest thing is we played so poorly for two and a half quarters. We have so many things to fix and improve upon, but one of the things about this league is finding a way to survive sometimes when you’re not at your best. So, from that standpoint, obviously it felt good to get out of there with a victory. But, I think reality hits you real quick and we understand how much better we’re going to have to be this weekend. (on how difficult it is to come back from a road trip and prepare during a shorter week) It’s tough. I think we got home about 7:30 in the morning, so it’s a quick turnaround here. I got to be smart with them physically this week and make sure we’re ready to go from that standpoint. But, we bounced back pretty good. We came out of the game pretty clean from an injury standpoint. Now we just got to get back to work here today. (on getting Ed Reed back on the field) We made a lot of progress last week. I think we’re still day-to-day right now. We’ll see how he responds to his work. He got a big workout in once the decision was made he wasn’t going to play. I think we’re really close, and hopefully he has a real good week and he’s there for us this weekend. But, I think right now we’re still in a day-to-day process. (on who showed up on the team’s injury report) Brice McCain did. He banged his knee up a little bit. He might miss a little bit today, but we’d expect him back full-time tomorrow. (on comparing the Titans’ current team to last year’s squad) Well, the first thing that jumps at me is just how physical they are right now. You go play in Pittsburgh on the road especially opening game and they got in a physical slugfest from that standpoint. They stay committed to the run and the way they’re built. Defensively, they’re excellent holding somebody under 200 yards. You see the physical play of the football team. But right now, we've got to focus on ourselves. We’ve got so many issues we have to clean up today, so we’re trying to do that. (on splitting carries between Arian Foster and Ben Tate) I think right now they’ve got to be pretty close to even just with the fact that Arian (Foster) is coming out of missing training camp and trying to get him going again. We can’t go run him down early in the season, so I think that would hurt us in the long haul. We’re trying to get it somewhat balanced. You know the other night, we ran into a crazy situation because we almost abandoned the run fully in the second half to try to get back into the ball game. But, we’ll try to keep them in that area this week. Ben (Tate) has played well. Ben’s had a good camp. (on whether Arian Foster would prefer the majority of carrier) I think anybody wants to be on the field all the time and those types of things. You want guys competitive from that standpoint. I’m not concerned with that. We’ve just got to bring Arian (Foster) along the right way. I think he took a step forward the other night. He looked good and fresh especially early in the game. I thought we ran the ball very well. Like I said, we were total abandonment once we got down 21-7. (on plans to eventually increase Arian Foster’s workload) As long as he keeps coming physically from everything he went through this offseason and training camp and all those things keep improving, you know his wind, just everything. I think Arian’s (Foster) been a player who’s at his best when he carries the ball 25 times. So, we’ll head back in that direction and I think if we’re running the football well and we’re in the type of football game that we want to be in and not what we ran this week, I think there’s plenty of carries to go around. (on Chance Warmack and what he brings to the Titans’ offensive line) They’ve put together a good group. You know, we loved him coming out of college. Like I said, you can just see how Mike’s (Munchak) got his team built physically to be a physical football team. To me, they made a statement from that standpoint last week with their opener. But, we’re very impressed with the young man, and we thought a lot of him coming out. (on how to prepare for the Titans’ offense) There’s such a swing in this league right now. It gets different every week. I think one of the good things is we’re a team that’s committed to the run, so we get a lot of work from that standpoint defensively on that side of the ball. But, sometimes we’ve got to play fast, too, which is a situation we called in the other night. I think as a team you want to sell how you’re built all kinds of ways, send a message to your players, whatever you got to do to win. Hopefully we’re getting enough work in all areas. (on similarities between the two team’s offenses) I think they’ve done a lot of things to complement their run game from a boots standpoint, and they’ve got a quarterback that can run around and hurt you. I mean, you see some of those things in what they’re doing. But, I think the biggest thing I saw was the total commitment to the run and staying patient with what they’re doing. A lot of road games are won that way, close road games, where you stay committed and stay out of trouble and don’t hurt yourself turnover wise and play good defense. That’s what they did the other day. (on differences with the Titans’ defense this year) I see some difference a little bit in what they’re doing obviously with Gregg’s (Williams) stamp as far as what they’re doing, being there with Jerry (Gray). I can see some of that. To go out and hold a team on the road to 195 yards, that’s a statement in itself. They can get after the quarterback up front, so we know we’ve got our hands full. (on Jurrell Casey and Zach Brown) I just think they do a good job. Again, if you’re sitting there, if you come out of this football game with 10 third-and-seven pluses, you’re going to set yourself up for failure. They’re very good at getting it done in those situations. I think us getting back to what we do and staying out of the situations we were in last week and keeping our commitment to what we’re doing with running the ball will be very important to us. (on Zach Brown’s potential to be a standout linebacker and the two teams’ familiarity with one another) Obviously, he did some really good things, but they’re very athletic. I think having Bernard (Pollard) on the backend brings a presence to you with the way he plays the game and the success he’s had in this league. You know, like I said, we know each other pretty well. We play each other twice a year and seem to always have some physical football games. (on not re-signing former safety Bernard Pollard a few years back) Well, Bernard (Pollard) brings a physical presence to your football team. That’s just the way he plays. He brings an attitude to your team. Bernard loves to play. He’s a loud player on the field in a good way because he gets his teammates going. As far as not being with us anymore, nowadays there’s a lot of turnover with teams and situations and different directions you try to go in as an organization. But, I’m very proud of Bernard and what he’s done. He obviously goes to Baltimore and wins a championship. He’s had a hell of a career and is doing the same thing with you guys. (on how veteran receiver Andre Johnson looks) Well, he’s playing pretty well. The thing he’s been doing, to me, is he’s stepped up. He’s running well after the catch once he gets his hands on the ball. I think condition wise, he’s in excellent condition. He made the whole camp as compared to last year. At this phase in his career to still be going the way he’s going is impressive because I think he’s still moving forward. (on how teams try to stop Andre Johnson) We feel like we see everything that’s why we got to play Andre (Johnson) all over the place because if you leave him in one place, somebody will find a way to take him away. It’s a credit to him. He’s very smart. We like to move him around and do different things with him and he can handle it game plan wise. You know you’ve got to find a way to still give him his touches. (on the development of Shiloh Keo and D.J. Swearinger) Well, Shiloh’s (Keo) come a long way. He got his opportunity to be a starter with Ed (Reed) obviously not being ready to go. He’s responded. He had a really good camp. I thought he played well the other night. He continues to play well on special teams. D.J. (Swearinger) is more of a physical player doing a lot of dime work for us, playing in the back, having to go down in there. You know he gets to lineup across from (Antonio) Gates the other night, and that’s trial by fire stepping in this league. But, we really like him. He really loves to play. He loves his ball. He works hard at it. I think he’s got a bright future. (on responding when an opposing team gains momentum) It’s difficult. I mean, keeping your composure in this business is paramount. Everybody’s got players, everybody’s got the ability to get really hot on you and play well. We’re always talking about keeping it in perspective on both ends. If it’s you playing well, you’ve got to stay focused and keep going. If you’re the one in a position we were in the other night, it’s really keeping your composure and finding a way to right the ship so to speak. We were lucky enough to get that done and had enough time to settle and obviously Cush (Brian Cushing) makes a big play. But, I think just understanding that it’s part of this league and it’s probably going to be a part of every week. Just being able to handle it on both ends of the stick is usually important to your success in the long haul. (on his evaluation of Brian Cushing’s first game back) He looked pretty good. He had a really good preseason. My initial thought was that he would play in the third preseason game, but he ended up playing in the second one. That was a big step forward. I think that helped him get a lot of confidence going into this week. I just think it makes you appreciate playing when you miss so much ball like that. He’s very driven, and he’s come back and been a big emotional leader for our football team. (on how opposing teams prepare for J.J. Watt) He’s always going to face some things. Obviously, with not having Antonio (Smith) last week, he got some extra attention from that standpoint. But, I think those are some things he’s going to face all year round. He just needs to understand that. The further you go and the more success you have, the more attention you’re going to get. I think J.J.’s (Watt) responded to that. I think he played well the other night. But, I know that he feels like he can play better, too. We’ll move on here, and we expect big things from him moving forward. (on getting a boost from Antonio Smith’s return this week) I anticipate a boost either way. He’s energy for our team. Antonio (Smith) plays hard. He keeps us balanced upfront like I just talked about with he and J.J. (Watt) up there. Like I said, I think when those things happen with players, they appreciate really how much they miss something like this when it’s gone. I know it was a tough week for him. It’s good to have him back in the building. He had a big smile on his face ready to go back to work. (on being balanced) I think we’re getting more balanced. I mean, having our young receiver helped us. He made some plays the other night. I do have a lot of confidence in some other young receivers, too. Our tight ends, Garrett Graham’s development, I think we’ve got some other directions, and we’re confident we can make some plays across the field. But, it still doesn’t change what we are. Andre’s (Johnson) got to touch the ball. We still want to stay committed with our two backs and what we’re doing. We’ll try to start with that. But, obviously it’s a big help getting a young kid in there. (on Matt Schaub’s performance in the second half against the Chargers) He had a rough start. You get a ball tipped to start the game, and like I said, a lot of guys were in the tank. But, he settled down. He played very well. You get caught in a situation like that in this league and the only chance you got is for your quarterbacks to get total control of the situation. Our guys did a good job. We kept him protected for the most part, but he really extended some plays and got his team back into a position to win. HOUSTON TEXANS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN J.J. WATT Spoiler (on how much he’s seen from Chance Warmack) I mean, obviously with the late game Monday night, I didn’t come back until Tuesday morning. Yesterday afternoon and today have really been my first chance to watch the film on the Titans. I’m early on my film work, but obviously he’s a good young player and it’s going to be a good game. (on Chance Warmack’s strengths and what he brings to the Titans’ offensive line) I can just go off the film I watch and the film I have of him in the league. He’s strong. He’s a good football player. I assume from the tradition at Alabama that he’s got good technique, that’s he’s had good coaching for four years now. Like I said, to obviously be a first-round pick in the NFL you have to be a good football player. It’ll be a good challenge. (on his initial impression of the Titans’ revamped interior line) You know, they’re a good football team. Obviously, they drafted a guy in the first round, brought in a guy like (Andy) Levitre, and made it a point to bolster up that offensive line. I think they’re doing good work. Obviously, to come out and win the first game of the season, that’s big for their football team. All I can focus on is our football team and what we do and how we play. (on what changed for the Texans’ defense between halves against the Chargers) We just started clicking. We knew we had to step up. We knew we weren’t in our rhythm and weren’t playing the way we know we can play. We had a big second half. Specifically in those last five drives we played really solid football. We played to the potential we believe we can play to. I think going forward that’s going to carry us through. (on getting Brian Cushing back) It’s great to have Cush (Brian Cushing) back. He’s one of those guys that is special to your team. Obviously, you saw a big play from him there in the fourth quarter at a crucial time. Plays like that are big, and it’s nice to have playmakers out there who can help make those plays. (on Antonio Smith’s return) We’re really happy to have Antonio (Smith) back. He’s obviously a great player. He can pass rush. He can do things in the run game. It’ll be really nice to have him back out there. (on his expectations for this weekend against the Titans) I mean, obviously I hope to play well. I hope to play well every game. All I can do, like I said, is focus on my team and my game and go out there and do the best I can do. I watch the film all week. I study very hard and go out there Sunday and put my best product on the field. (on whether he feels comfortable going against the Titans because of the two teams’ familiarity with one another) Every week is a challenge in this league. There’s no such thing as being comfortable. There’s no such thing as a routine or anything like that. You have to bring you’re A-game every week or you’re going to get beat. I think it’s always a great challenge. Anytime you’re going against a division opponent it’s exciting. I’m looking forward to the game. (on what he needs to work on following last year’s success) There’s plenty I can work on. Every aspect of my game can improve. Last year wasn’t perfect by any means. I’m always watching the film. I’m always learning from myself. Just like the end of last season and the beginning of this year, teams are going to throw things at you. Teams are going to try and find new ways to scheme. All I can do is play my best game.
