Read More: Lawrence Vickers (FB – HOU), Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Glover Quin (DB – HOU), Garrett Graham (TE – HOU), Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are down to T. J. Yates as their starting quarterback as Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart are out for the year with injuries. However, the Texans are expecting more from wide receiver Andre Johnson who has been out since Week 4 with a hamstring injury and had a poor performance last week. Johnson was limited in practice all week only as a precaution.

Here’s the rest of Friday’s edition of the Texans injury report for Week 13:

Feel free to leave your comments below.

By John Bena

– Senior Editor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Cleveland on Facebook.

Nov 10, 2011 – The Cleveland Browns were battered and bruised by the Houston Texans during their 30-12 loss last Sunday, but one Texan will have the scars to prove it. 

Linebacker Brian Cushing made the mistake of head-butting Browns guard Shawn Lauvao after a Colt McCoy interception without a helmet.  Lauvao still had his helmet on.  The results are seen in the picture – a large gash on Cushing’s forehead that sent blood streaming down his face.

Cushing was rather proud of the moment, however, telling everyone he could find about the incident.  NFL Films had Cushing wired for sound so you can see the incident - and a total of four minutes of annoying sound from Cushing.

“My forehead feels like D-Day,” he said. “I can’t wait until 7 a.m. in the morning. My head is going to feel like Tales from the Crypt.”

While the Browns won that battle, the Texans certainly won the war.  

Read More: Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Shawn Lauvao (OL – CLE), Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Cleveland on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

What do you guys think about this.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), DeMeco Ryans (LB – HOU), Kevin Walter (WR – HOU), Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

Another day, another doubtful forecast for Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson to start on Sunday. Johnson missed practice again because of his surgically repaired hamstring was sore from a Monday workout. Johnson hasn’t been on the field since Week Four, and has missed half of the ongoing season. Head coach Gary Kubiak said more of the same to HoustonTexans.com’s Nick Scurfield:

Kubiak said he’s “not scared” to play Johnson on Sunday if he doesn’t practice very much. The Texans want to make sure Johnson is fully healed from his Oct. 2 injury before putting him back on the field for a game.

“This is strictly about his health and how he’s feeling,” Kubiak said. “Like I said, we got to a point Monday where we pushed really, really hard. Some soreness came about, so we took him off yesterday. (The) thought was to have him back out here today, (but) we made a decision before practice no, it’s kind of cold and that type of stuff, so we’ll resume the process tomorrow and see where we’re at.”

In addition to yesterday’s injury chart, the Texans added the following names to their limited participation listing: LB Brian Cushing (knee), LB DeMeco Ryans (elbow/hamstring/wrist), WR Kevin Walter (knee).

For more on the Houston Texans, visit Battle Red Blog. For more on the Browns, check out Dawgs By Nature. For everything NFL, check out SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

Gotta run!.

Leave your comments on the news below.

expert

Provided by the Houston Texans, here are some audio clips from their locker room Thursday. The Texans will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Superdome.

Eric Gay/The Associated PressHouston Texans linebacker Connor Barwin tackles New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles during their preseason game in Houston.

Coach Gary Kubiak

On if it’s too early to worry about the team’s troubles in the red zone

On running the ball better in the red zone

OLB Connor Barwin

On making team history by going 3-0 with a win at New Orleans

ILB Brian Cushing

On people saying that he’s back to the form he showed as a rookie

On his knee injury being a factor in his play last year

T Eric Winston

On losing T Rashad Butler for the season with an elbow injury

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

By Daniel Charles

– Staff Writer

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Houston on Facebook.

Sep 18, 2011 – A lot of the pre-game media analysis on this game said that a desperate Miami Dolphins team would pull one out at home against the Houston Texans. Perhaps fans should remember that as the Texans scrapped and fought to pull out a 23-13 victory over the Dolphins.

Early on, the game looked as if it would be easy as the offense was moving through the Dolphin defense like fingers through wonderfully tender BBQ. Houston, however, would have to settle for two Neil Rackers field goals in the red zone. Unlike last season, settling for field goals wasn’t a bad omen for the rest of the game.

The defense held up their end of the bargain early on with constant pressure in the face of Miami quarterback Chad Henne. Outside linebacker Mario Williams, to single out a player, was able to knock one pass down on one play and would hit Henne’s arm on another. That wobbly ball would find Jonathan Joseph for his first Texan interception which would set up a Matt Schaub-to-Owen Daniels touchdown pass that put Houston up 13-3. A late 2nd quarter Rackers field goal would make the score 16-3 at halftime.

After that, the Texans sputtered and hobbled. All-Pro running back Arian Foster left the game with a re-aggravated hamstring injury and Joseph would be out, in, and out once again with a right ankle injury. Meanwhile, the Dolphins would utilize the Henne-to-Brandon Marshall combination, mixed in with 107 Daniel Thomas rushing yards, to cut into the lead and make it 16-13.

Despite an ugly start, Schaub, Ben Tate, and the Texans offense would buckle down and steamroll down the field on a five-play, 63-yard drive that was capped off on a 23-yard game-sealing touchdown pass to a wide open Andre Johnson. Yes, Andre Johnson was left open in a critical part of the game.

The defense would stand up to Miami for one more drive with a sack by Antonio Smith, his second of the season, and another swatted pass by rookie J.J. Watt, who also blocked a field goal in the first quarter, to effectively close out the game with a 23-13 win.

The Texans are now 2-0 and in first place of the wide-open AFC South. Check out Battle Red Blog for more post-game reaction and analysis. Keep following both SBN Houston and BRB with all the pre-game stories for Houston’s week 3 match-up with the New Orleans Saints.

Offensive leaders:
M. Schaub – 21/29 for 230 yards and 2 TDs (118.5 QB Rating)
B. Tate – 23 rushes for 103 yards, 4 receptions for 32 yards
A. Johnson – 7 receptions for 93 yards and 1 TD

Defensive leaders:
Brian Cushing – 10 tackles
A. Smith & Connor Barwin – 1 sack each
J. Joseph – 2 passes defensed, 1 interception

Read More: texans news, texans recap, texans score, houston texans 2011 regular season, texans week 2, texans win, Neil Rackers (K – HOU), Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Mario Williams (LB – HOU), Brandon Marshall (WR – MIA), Chad Henne (QB – MIA), Connor Barwin (LB – HOU), Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Arian Foster (RB – HOU), Ben Tate (RB – HOU), Daniel Thomas (RB – MIA), J.J. Watt (DE – HOU), Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins, Sep 18, 2011 3:15 PM CDT

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Houston on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

That’s all the news for today.

By Joel Thorman

– NFL Editor, SBNation.com

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Aug 31, 2011 – The 2011 NFL season is almost here which means it’s time to preview every team’s chances this year. SB Nation’s Battle Red Blog gives us the scoop on the Houston Texans. 

Record Prediction

I’m going with 9-7, though 10 or even 11 wins wouldn’t totally surprise me.  Having to play the AFC North and NFC South is no walk in the park, and I think that’ll have a substantial effect on the bottom line.  I also think the Texans will lose a division game or two that they shouldn’t to the Titans and/or Jaguars, despite the talent being there for Houston go go 4-2 or 5-1 in the division.

Best Game On The Schedule

While the chance to take on the Steelers in Houston is intriguing, I’m not sold that it’ll end well for the Texans.  As such, I’d say the best game on the schedule may well be the tilt with the Saints in New Orleans.  It should feature two great offenses, and an opportunity for the Houston defense to show that it’s no longer a punchline.

Player Who Takes a Step Back This Year

Although I don’t think Arian Foster is going to duplicate the amazing season he had last year, he’s still going to be plenty good.  In other words, I don’t think he’ll be taking nearly the step back that Brian Cushing will.  To be fair, Cushing wasn’t any great shakes last year when he returned from his suspension, and he took a sizable step back from the historical rookie season he posted in 2009.  Still, I fear that the Brian Cushing who was one of the best LBs in the entire league during his rookie campaign is gone and isn’t coming back.

Breakout Player Candidates

Glover Quin.  He’s been moved from CB to FS, and he could be a game-changer there.

Best Player No One’s Heard Of

Thanks to fantasy football, many fans are familiar with the Texans, especially on offense.  Not to sidestep the question, but I do think Glover Quin could be a great fit at safety this year, and he’s not very well known outside of Houston.  Keep an eye on him.

Something That’s Overrated

All the freaking out about Mario Williams moving to OLB and the reports that he’s not taking to it well.  Relax.  Wade Phillips runs a scheme that’s closer to a 5-2 than a true 3-4, and Super Mario will still have plenty of opportunities to line up as a pseudo-DE.  He’s going to make an impact wherever they line him up.

Fantasy Football Outlook

Everyone knows that Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster are fantasy stalwarts.  One guy who may have slipped through the cracks, thanks to an injury that cut off what was a phenomenal first half of 2009 and slowed him during the first half of 2010, is Owen Daniels.  He’s looked very good, and I think he’s going to have a monster year.

Best Media Personality

Lance Zierlein.  Runner-up:  John Harris (primarily a college football guru, but he’s incredibly insightful about all aspects of the game).

Best Player To Follow On Twitter

Jacoby Jones and/or Arian Foster.  Jakespeare used to be the runaway winner, as each of his tweets required the reader to immerse himself into a different dialect.  “Jakespearean English,” we call it at BRB.    

Read More: Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Arian Foster (RB – HOU)

Follow , and

Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

That’s all the news for today.

Mario Williams plowed through a line of blocking dummies in one of the Houston Texans’ first practices, slamming each of them sideways with powerful punches.
After another workout, he peppered linebackers coach Reggie Herring with questions about hand position and footwork.
The Houston Texans are counting on Wade Phillips’ new 3-4 defensive alignment to finally lift them out of mediocrity and into the playoffs for the first time.
And the 6-foot-6, 295-pound Williams may be the most pivotal player in the switch, moving from end to outside linebacker.
The top overall pick in the 2006 draft, Williams has led the Texans in sacks in each of his five seasons — even last year, when he sat out the final three games because of a sports hernia. But Houston’s coaches envision Williams morphing into the kind of unstoppable force that 2010 NFL sacks leader DeMarcus Ware became in the same position when Phillips was the head coach in Dallas.
Coach Gary Kubiak saw more glimpses of what Williams could become in the Texans’ second preseason game, a 27-14 win over New Orleans.
“Reggie and Wade are trying to get him settled down on everything he’s doing,” Kubiak said. “It was just a big step forward. I think he’s really taking to what they’re trying to teach him, it is something totally different, but you see him get better each day.”
But the Texans’ defense, last in the league against the pass in 2010, is showing in the preseason that it’s more than just Williams.
Houston has 11 sacks from eight players and has generated four turnovers in its two exhibition games. All of last season, the Texans got only 30 sacks and 18 takeaways.
“I’m pleased with the progress,” Kubiak said. “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.”
First-round pick J.J. Watt has made a big impression in camp, earning a starting nod at one defensive end position. Antonio Smith will man the other end after recording four sacks in 2010. Defensive line coach Bill Kollar says Smith’s skills are better suited to the 3-4 than they are to the 4-3 defense that Houston played last year.
Nose tackle is another key position in Phillips’ defense, and Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell have been sharing reps in training camp.
DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing will play the inside linebacker spots, book-ended by Williams and Connor Barwin, who’s also making the switch from defensive end. Barwin dislocated his ankle in the first game last year and missed the rest of the season.
Houston needs a bounce-back year from Cushing, who served a four-game suspension last season for testing positive for a banned substance. He’s missed extended practice time due to a slower-than-expected recovery from offseason knee surgery, but made two tackles in about 20 plays in the second preseason game against the Saints.
“He did a good job, he moved around very well,” Kubiak said. “I thought his conditioning level held up.”
The Texans signed free agent cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning to bolster a secondary that struggled in 2010. Joseph intercepted nine passes across his past two seasons in Cincinnati. He’s been slowed by a groin injury in training camp.
All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson said the additions of Joseph and Manning were the two most significant in his eight seasons in Houston.
While the defense is undergoing a facelift, the Texans’ high-powered offense returns virtually intact. Arian Foster, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2010, is back, along with the entire starting offensive line.
Houston lost All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach in free agency, but versatile James Casey has played well at the position in the preseason, and the Texans also signed veteran Lawrence Vickers.
The Texans ranked third in total offense (386.6 yards) and ninth in scoring average (24.4 points) in 2010. Houston was hampered by slow starts last season, something Johnson said has been a focus in training camp.
“When you look back at the season last year, we weren’t consistent,” said Johnson. “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 time we’re on the field. I think we’ve done a good job of that the last two weeks.”

What do you guys think about this.

That’s all for today.