POSTGAME QUOTES FROM HOUSTON TEXANS

OWNER ROBERT MCNAIR
(on the play of RB Arian Foster) "Well, all I can say is the Arian's back."

(on the play of RB Ben Tate) "Well, I was really surprised that he played as well as he did because he hasn't practiced that much. You can tell his conditioning isn't what it will be and he has more speed than you saw tonight so I think that's pretty exciting."

(on performance of his team so far) "Well, I think we are playing very well and it shows the level of talent that we've got. We still made a few mistakes here and there but we made the big plays when we needed them. I think that's the big difference."

(on the direction of the defense) "We are headed in the right direction and of course (CB) Johnathan Joseph, getting him back in here will be helpful. We are just going to keep working at it and keep getting better. Hopefully, we will keep having the same results."  

(on if a team can be soft if it runs the ball the way the Texans did last year) "I don't think so. I don't think we can run the football the way we did, protect the way we did, play the way we did and be considered that."

HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK
(on injury update) "We really needed to come out this game clean after last week. I think for the most part we did. Earl (Mitchell) got a little nicked up, Lestar Jean got a little shoulder bruise we've got to look at but other than that I think we're okay. It's nice that both of those backs were able to play and come out okay.

(on RB Ben Tate) "I guess practice is overrated. I was excited, we all are. It's been a rough go for him and he's missed a lot of time. He came and saw me last week and he said 'Coach I'm going to play against New Orleans I just got to get this thing right.' He worked hard at it and he came out and practiced Thursday morning and said he was ready to go and he was. He was ready to go and played extremely well. That's a big step forward in his career because let's remember he hasn't played a lot of football so we if get that out of him behind Arian (Foster) that's going to be a nice thing to have."

(on winning the turnover battle) "Yeah, that's been going on all camp. Our defense has gotten our hands on a lot of balls and I'm proud of the offense to miss a whole offseason and protect the ball like they did. You win turnover battles in this league and you usually win games. T\hose things kind of go hand in hand so great job by the defense.

(on the first team offense) "Yeah, we moved the ball really good; when 23 (Arian Foster) goes back there it definitely helps but both our backs played really well. Matt (Schaub) played well and getting Andre (Johnson) back on the field, you know throughout camp we hadn't had all those guys out there so it's nice just to get out there and get to work. They didn't do a lot defensively so it's good to see us getting some rhythm which we haven't had because of those guys missing so much time."

(on the defense) "I know they gave up a lot of yards but they made some big plays. The first drive of the game they (New Orleans Saints) go right down the field on them. That's what I just told the team the National Football League is a league of big plays  and  you got to find a way to make them. You can get the ball moved on you defensively but if you step up and make a big play that's what it's all about and that's what they did. Antonio (Smith) made that big play early in the game that kind of flipped the emotions of the game and got everybody going but I know we gave up too many yards and we got  a lot of things to fix so we've got a long way to go."

(on concern defending the run) "Yeah, I mean they ran the ball pretty good on us. Like I said, we gave up too many yards just in general, too many big plays. So we're going to have to go back and look at that. I didn't like the way our second offense played. I was disappointed how they played. Just some of the things going on with the group. We should've played better than that. Like I said, there's many things to clean up but it's another move in the right direction and good to get some of these healthy guys back."

(on OLB Brooks Reed) "He's been coming every day, he's coming along every day. Remember now, Brooks is playing a new spot. He's a hand down (defensive) end in college, so it's been a change for him but every day he gets better. He's a worker. He's been playing really well for (special teams coordinator) Joe (Marciano). The quicker he comes along the better football team we're going to be, so. Yeah, it was exciting to see."

(on the progress of the 3-4 defense) "Oh, I'm pleased with the progress. (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips) probably can answer that from the standpoint of how he feels all the years he's been with it, but the thing I'm excited about is I think we have more playmakers than we've probably ever had around here. Like I said, we are getting our hands on the football with the emphasis of turnovers and stripping the ball. You can see that showing up on the field. There's a lot of things that have got to get better but I think one of the encouraging things is there are some young guys that look like they're gonna play for us and help us. When you sit there and watch (OLB) Brooks (Reed) make plays and (OLB Jesse) Nading make plays and (CB) Brice McCain's playing well and (CB) Sherrick (McManus). When you see that, you feel like you're going to have the depth to be better throughout the season. Like I said, we've gotta take a hard look at ourselves and just keep moving forward."

(on OLB Mario Williams' play tonight) "You know, it's hard because I don't focus on one guy. I'm watching the group. I gotta go watch the film but Mario's (Williams) had a very good camp. It's a new position for him but he is very eager to learn and listen. I think as long as he keeps working the way he's working I think he's going to be well on his way to a heck of a year. Let me go back and watch the film. I'd hate to say because I didn't really isolate on one guy."

(on ILB Brian Cushing's performance tonight) "He looked active. I had a play count on him of 20 plays. He played 22 so he slid a couple by me. He looked active, and that's Brian (Cushing). He plays physical, runs all over the field, came out of the game good. The biggest this is for Cush and (RB Arian) Foster and (RB Ben) Tate to play and then to know they're okay tonight and we're moving on to next week, that's a big step for those guys because they are coming off injuries. It's a positive."

(on an update on G Kasey Studdard) "Yeah I'm sorry I haven't talked to y'all because (Friday's) practice was closed, but Kasey (Studdard) did have surgery on Friday, yesterday. I talked to him after surgery. He's doing well. Matter fact I think he actually came home this evening. I'll find out when I leave here. Actually Kasey's gonna, it looks like he will not play this year. I don't know. We'll see, but he did have surgery and he's well on his way to recovery."

(on Kareem Jackson's performance tonight) "Well first off I was very impressed by how he kept his cool. We had a couple situations out there on the field. He got in a little altercation with one of their receivers and he put his hands up and kept his cool. That's hard to do so that's a sign of maturity. I think Kareem (Jackson) has gotten better each and every day. I think he's been pushed very hard by Jason (Allen) and he's holding his own. He's gotta hang on to his job and it's making him a better player."

RB ARIAN FOSTER
(on how he feels to be back out on the field) "It felt good to get back out there with my team.  The guys were real welcoming.  They linemen made me feel real welcome back.  The most important thing is we look real smooth as an offense.  It was fun.  It's a preseason game, but it's a step in the right direction of where we want to go."

(on if he's feeling 100% healthy) "Yeah, I'm good."

(on how he felt in his first game) "I felt good.  I felt really good out there.  Very welcoming, my offensive line was."

(on his touchdown) "Got us in a good set.  It was a good call.  I saw daylight, put my foot in the ground and just went over the safety."

(on if he had apprehension taking first hit) "A little bit.  You know those first game jitters but they go out the window as soon as you get hit then it's right back to football."

(on how much fun the game was) "Extremely fun.  I haven't played since February at the Pro Bowl.  It's fun to get out there, bang heads and just have fun with the team you went through training camp with."

(on his reaction to number of carries) "It was only five times.  It wasn't that much."

(on feeling like he picked up where he left off) "I feel like I got better.  That's a goal as an athlete to get better every time you touch the field and I felt like I got a little better today.  We still have a lot of work to do.  I still have a lot of work to do."

(on Houston Texans RB Ben Tate's performance) "He did good.  He had the worst touchdown dance in the history of football though.  Aside from that, he did good though.  We're going to keep going and hopefully he can build on this performance."

(on if he teaches dancing lessons) "I don't dance."

(on if he told Ben Tate he had a bad dance) "He knows."

(on what it meant to have things clicking with the starters) "I think we have to understand it is the second preseason game.  We still have a lot of work to do as an offense.  We saw a lot of vanilla looks from them since it is the preseason.  We're just focused on our side of the ball right now and being as efficient as we can as an offense."

(on coming off of Pro Bowl season going in to this year) "I'm still out here trying to prove I can play in this league.  I think that's the one thing (head) coach (Gary) Kubiak tells us.  He says you have to prove yourself week in and week out and every day in this league and that's what I try to do."

(on the potential of having a better defense) "We have a lot of confidence as a team. We know we're a good team.  We know we can play with anybody in the League.  We just have to go out and prove it."

(on if he has something to prove) "Yeah.  The day you become complacent, you die a little inside."

(on if he has a chip on his shoulder) "Yes and no.  I'm not trying to prove anybody wrong.  I'm just trying to prove I can play in this League.  You have to make sure you stay focused and stay on your craft."

(on how he feels coming off injury) "It was ok, it was just a preseason game.  I had only 10, 11 or 15 snaps.  I felt good with my performance but it was just a collective effort.  Our line did a great job, we were clicking as an offensive unit and I was a small piece in that."

WR ANDRE JOHNSON
(on tonight's game) "We just wanted to come out and start fast.  That's something we've been talking about as an offense.  Just starting fast and being consistent as a football team.  We came out with the plays we had and I think we did a great job."

(on the team being consistent) "That's the biggest thing.  When you look back at the season last year we weren't consistent.  That's the thing that cost us a lot of games.  That's something we're trying to change.  We're just trying to get better every week and every team we're on the field and I think we've done a good job of that the last two weeks."

(on the team clicking because of players grasping system) "We're definitely comfortable with the offense.  I was just excited to get back out there.  I felt like it was my first time playing.  I was excited, I was pumped and I was ready to go.  I think us being comfortable with the offense makes it easier if we do miss time to still come in and play at a high level."

(on RBs Arian Foster and Ben Tate) "Arian speaks for itself.  The guy led the league in rushing last year.  I think everybody was excited to see Ben after a bad injury last year.  I think he did a great job."

(on Ben Tate's touchdown dance) "We clowned him pretty bad on the sideline.  I don't know who's still doing the funky chicken or whatever it's called but I couldn't believe he did that."

OLB BROOKS REED
(on if he felt like he could have done more tonight) "Besides those two plays, I feel like I could've done a lot better.  That's what the preseason is for.  So far, it's just been a huge learning experience for me.  I just hope that I can improve day-by-day."

(on his adjustment from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense) "Yeah, big time.  In college, I was 4-3 my whole career there.  Switching over here, I had to completely clean the slate and I'm learning a total new defense at a new position and new fundamentals.  It's challenging, but it's coming along."

(on what his role will be with the Texans) "I'm not sure right now.  I'm still fighting for a position.  Right now, they just have the ones going first quarter, first half and then they're rolling the twos in or when Connor's (Barwin) getting a little tired, he'll put me in.  Right now, he's just kind of seeing where I'm at."

(on if defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is still not calling many blitzes) "No, he really didn't call that many blitzes today.  I felt like it's just guys getting to the quarterback.  A lot of guys on this team take that pretty passionately."

(on how the adjustment is going for him) "Adjustment-wise, it's been pretty challenging just adjusting to the speed of the game, standing up instead of having my hand down, learning different techniques, just trying to forget what I did in college and kind of reinventing what I'm doing now."

QB MATT SCHAUB
(on the performances of RB Arian Foster and RB Ben Tate) "It was big for us to have Arian back in the huddle starting off the game we had some great runs. The offensive line did a heck of a job giving him some alleys for him to cut into. He was 'Arian' for us. To see Tate get out there and make some plays in the run game as well as the pass game with some screens. That was really good to see him do that."

(on the performance of the offense) "We had a great plan coming in. We just wanted to string together positive play after positive play and the offensive line did a heck of a job controlling the line of scrimmage. We had guys that made plays in the secondary and it started with our running game. We were able to execute and convert with some passes."

(on "It was huge for us to start fast. After last week's start against the Jets we wanted to really go out and get a couple scores early. We were able to do that and give our defense a chance to play with a lead and they were able to do that as well. It was a building block for us but obviously we have things we can get better on into next week."

DE ANTONIO SMITH
(on the sack fumble) "They were coming with a play action pass.  I took a guess, figured they were going to try to play action pass, get a quick score on us.  I faked them inside, did an outside move on them and just tried to knock the ball out of Drew's (Brees) hand.  I didn't want him to get it off."

(on getting to see the twos make plays) "That shows we've got depth.  I like our young guys.  They can get to the quarterback.  They're getting sacks, just like us."

(on how confident the defense is) "We are building our confidence day by day.  That's something I've been harping on, I've been preaching on is building an attitude and belief that this defense can be a top five defense.  We got to believe it first and put the work out there on the field."

(on the game tonight "In the beginning we came out pretty good, we came out on fire you know. I like the fact that when (the Saints) got down there we didn't falter. We made a play to get us off the field and the offense turned it on."

(on the sack and fumble in the first quarter) "I basically took a guess. I figured, I thought (Saints QB Drew Brees) was going to do a play action pass and it ended up being a play action pass so when he went to fake me on the run I hit him with the outside. I didn't want Drew to get the pass off so I just went swiping at the ball and luckily it came out."

(on if he feels he disrupted the quarterback tonight) "On a few plays I feel we did but I think we need to be more firm on the run. They were solidifying the run today. I think that we were more concerned with the pass, getting to the quarterback and that's how they were hitting us with some of the big runs. This defense is going to get pass rush. I don't doubt that one bit. I think we gotta play firm more on the run and let the pass happen."

(on if he has fun playing the 3-4 defense) "Oh yeah. I'm always having fun whenever I play the game of football."

RB BEN TATE
(on his performance) "It's a good start but I have to stay humble and keep working."

(on being able to stay healthy for an entire game) "It's a blessing because this game is violent and it can be over with on any play. It's a blessing to finish every game."

(on whether the performance of RB Arian Foster motivated him ) "It's definitely motivation because I am a competitor. I see him doing well and I want to do well too."

(on his feelings during the game) "I was just excited to be honest. It's been over a year since I have been out there on the field so I wasn't really thinking about anything. I was just excited and was just thinking 'keep going, keep going', I didn't want to come out of the game for anything."

DE J.J. WATT
(opening statement) "We came out with a win and that's what you want to do.  You want to create a winning atmosphere.  Obviously the Saints are a good team.  They're a team that's had success in the past, so when we came out here and beat them, that's a good thing for us and we'll see them again in Week 3."

(on how he improved from the first game) "Obviously, I played a little bit more.  I think I have a lot of things to work on.  I just need to come out here, get the film, take a look at it and get it corrected because I just want to come out and improve every day.  I need to be a little bit better against the run game."

(on where he can improve) "I think just working with leverage and using my strength in smart ways.  I've been doing a little bit of penetrating up the field and I need to stay at the line a little bit more, work against the block.  I just need to be a better overall football player."

(on if the team is having fun on the field making turnovers) "Yeah, obviously anytime you can get a turnover, it's a huge momentum starter for your team.  You got Antonio (Smith) with the sack and Brooks (Reed) with a couple sacks and we had a pick.  It's good when your defense is fired up and having fun."

OLB MARIO WILLIAMS
(on if he played more instinctively tonight) "It is a lot different, obviously, but it's something that over time, it will become more and more second nature.  Tonight I felt like I ran around a little better, but I still got to bend a lot more.  I'm so tall.  I think that's the biggest thing.  I got to concentrate on bending and once I do that, I think I'll be a lot more fluid in what I do."

(on if he feels more comfortable coming out of the 3-4 stance) "Oh yeah, I've been doing this my whole life and with the situation we have right now, it's just something I have to get accustomed to.  I just got to work at it."

(on if there's no difference in what stance he's in when in a rush situation) "Yeah, to a certain extent, but the more efficient you are standing up, the better.  With that I'm saying, no false steps because I've got a totally different foot that's forward now.  My weight needs to be forward.  When you're down in a three-point stance, you can roll out of it.  That's something I've been doing my whole life.  It's just a little adjustment but in time it'll get better."

(on if he felt better tonight) "Yeah, I felt better than the first night, definitely."