Following the Texans soul-shattering defensive collapse (the most recent one) some players and coach Kubiak chimed in with their thoughts on Sports Radio 610’s post-game show.
(On what’s most disappointing about this loss) “I just think how well we actually had played in a three quarter football game. We played a great team tonight at their place. Had some tough sledding early so to speak, but had total control of the football game after three quarters.”
(On the big picture) “I dunno what’s gonna happen Rich. Nine wins might win this division, cause we’re all playing each other. But we’ve got to concentrate on the sixth one….our guys will play hard, but we’ve got to find a way to play better at crunch time.”
Arian Foster (listen)
(on how hard it is to remain optimistic) “It’s not hard at all man. That’s what we get paid to do. Play good solid football. So we just gotta get up, do what we know how to do.”
(what it was like playing against that defense) “They didn’t do anything that we haven’t seen on film. They’re a good defense, I don’t want to take anything away from them, but we put up 24 on them. And we probably should’ve put up a little more.”
Brian Cushing (listen)
(on finding positives) “Of course. We’re dealing with life here, this is more than just a game right now. We have to keep our head up. Before tonight we were just one game back. You just have to stay positive, and feel the situation is going to work itself out.”
(on if the defense is making progress) “(audible disgust) You know, I’m not going to say yes, but at the same time, we didn’t win the game. That’s really what it comes down to, that’s how close it is. We have to find a way to finish and win the game, then that will be progress.”
Antonio Smith (listen)
(how frustrating it is not to be able to finish) “It’s very frustrating. Especially when you can feel it out there on the field. When you’ve got what it takes to win the game, and you know you can pull it out. But you’re just misfiring on some pistons. Everybody’s not firing on the same accord. A messup here, A panic here, and not getting set, it kind of catches up with you at the end.”
(would you say it’s a desperate situation now) “I’ve said it in weeks past. It’s already been a desperate situation. Not as far as the playoffs, but it was a desperate situation in far as getting wins. A positive spark. Which happened last week, and I thought we could build off of it. And I think the team desperately needs it.”
How about that second Cushing quote? I know he meant to say that the defense was making progress, but that was a noteworthy Freudian slip. As usual, the standard accountability quotes go through the interviews (“we’ve got to play better,” is a favorite) but little about actually making changes or rectifying mistakes. Like this year’s Texans squad, it’s all about buzz words, and not about actually fixing anything.