Houston (CBS HOUSTON) – These are the news, notes, and quotes that you need to know from Friday, Oct. 9 with Bill O’Brien’s day-after press conference.
Injury Report
The Texans didn’t just suffer a loss to the Colts, they find themselves tending to some potentially nagging issues.
Jadeveon Clowney was in a walking boot in the locker room Friday morning, though the injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
“[The boot] is just precautionary. He likes to go play pick up hoops, so we’ll try to avoid doing that this weekend,” O’Brien quipped.
O’Brien also said OL Oday Aboushi and RB Alfred Blue are each dealing with a “turf toe” soreness, though emphasized that it was not a broken toe, as had been rumored about Aboushi. They’re both day-to-day.
O’Brien said A.J. Bouye (quad), Arian Foster (unspecified) and Clowney should be “fine” and “good to go. The coach labeled Johnathan Joseph (wrist/arm), Mallett (chest) and Derek Newton (ankle) as day-to-day for practice but they are expected to play at Jacksonville next week.
O’Brien said there’s a decent chance Cecil Shorts III (shoulder) could return against the Jaguars but Nate Washington (hamstring) is more unlikely to return.
“Season Not Over” O’Brien Unsurprisingly Emphasizes
O’Brien knows the fans are upset, and he admits they have a right to be. But he can’t dwell on the team’s 1-4 start.
:Not much I can do about that, other than go to work with these players and this staff and get this thing corrected,” O’Brien said.
“Season’s not over, not by a long stretch.”
O’Brien was emotional and adamant in his Friday presser, reiterating his belief in this team and speaking like a coach who hears the criticism but isn’t demoralized by it.
“We got a resilient bunch of guys in this locker room and I’m not saying that to be a salesman, I’m really not…
“I have a lot of confidence in these players, I have a lot of confidence in this staff, I have a lot of confidence in my own ability to lead the team and get our players in a better position to win these games… What choice do you have. You don’t have another choice.”
The Rare Weekend Off
O’Brien is giving the Texans the Texans this weekend off, a rarity for NFL players between July and January, and one of the few advantages to a Thursday night game.
“Show up on Monday refreshed, take a little break and show up Monday ready to go,” said O’Brien of what he expects. “It’s a long season.”
O’Brien only gave the team a day off after last season’s Thursday night loss to the Colts.
Strong Produces
It wasn’t just Jaelen Strong’s two touchdowns that impresses O’Brien and Strong’s fellow teammates. He produced an all-around game in Shorts and Washington’s absence, a sound debut for the rookie.
Though only targeted twice, he caught both passes for touchdowns, including the Hail Mary haul to close the first half.
“Jaelen really got his first opportunity last night and came up with a couple big plays, blocked in the running game and did some good things… He runs well. He’s really done a good job the last couple weeks of paying attention to detail better. The more he plays, the better he’ll get.”
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