HOUSTON – James Casey lunged forward and pulled in Matt Schaub’s pass for a diving touchdown catch late in the Houston Texans’ loss to New Orleans last Sunday, not the kind of play a fullback usually makes.

The six-foot-three, 243-pound Casey is unique, though, and is developing into a new offensive option for the Texans (2-1), who play Pittsburgh (2-1) on Sunday.

The converted tight end caught five passes for 126 yards against the Saints, including the 26-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. He also turned a short pass from Schaub into a 62-yard gain in the first quarter.

“I had kind of a breakout game,” Casey said. “I wish it would’ve come with a win, but we didn’t get it done. I feel like I did a good job. I got some opportunities, took advantage of some of them and hopefully there will be more to come.”

Houston coach Gary Kubiak says they will. One of Casey’s claims to fame is that he played seven different positions in a single game when he attended nearby Rice, and Kubiak says Casey’s versatility has made the transition to his pro career.

“He’s turning into a heck of a player,” Kubiak said. “As far as having him play the running back position, I don’t know. He’s capable of going back there. He’s capable of protecting. We’re always going to have some wrinkles for him because he’s playing so well and he’s a good football player.”

Casey was a fifth-round draft pick by the Texans in 2009 and played tight end in his first two seasons. He bulked up in the off-season to take on the fullback role, and when All-Pro Vonta Leach signed with Baltimore, Casey moved into the starting role.

The Texans signed free agent Lawrence Vickers early in training camp, but Casey kept the job.

“I know, going into training camp, there were a lot of question marks about me being capable of being the fullback and the lead blocker,” Casey said. “But I was given an opportunity, and that’s what this league is all about. A lot of times, you’re not given starting jobs out of college. You’ve got to work really hard at it. I worked hard for two years, and finally got a chance to play, so it felt good to go out and take advantage of it.”

Kubiak said the sure-handed Casey fit into the game plan in New Orleans, after not catching a pass in a 23-13 win in Miami the previous week. Casey was surprised, but ready, when Kubiak began calling his number.

“It wasn’t anything they said to me, it was just how the game went,” Casey said. “The biggest part of it is getting Matt (Schaub) comfortable with me out there, and giving him trust in me that I can make plays in critical situations. If Matt starts to trust you, and if you can get open, he’ll start looking your way more.”

Casey is Houston’s third-leading receiver, with eight catches for 155 yards. His main job, though, is blocking for Arian Foster and Houston’s other tailbacks and he says he’s constantly working to improve in that area.

Last year, Foster led the league in rushing with Leach opening holes in front of him. With Foster hindered by a left hamstring strain early this season, Ben Tate has handled most of the carries and he topped 100 yards in Houston’s first two wins, a sign that Casey is filling the role.

Casey is tall for a fullback, though, and coaches have said that he needs to work on keeping low when he blocks, a change in technique from when he played tight end.

“The No. 1 axiom in football is that the low man wins,” Casey said. “So, if a linebacker can get lower than you, he’ll hit you back. If you get lower than him, than you can push him back. Little things like that, they’re always talking to me. But at the same time, you can’t focus on those little things, because then you start playing slow and you start worrying about it. I just try to do those things day in and day out, so it becomes second nature.”

Casey still works with tight ends coach Brian Pariani, but mostly concentrates on playing fullback. It’s not a difficult balancing act for Casey, who graduated from Rice this summer with majors in economics, sports management and managerial studies with a minor in business.

“I’ve got to know a little bit of everything,” he said. “But I’ve been put in a unique circumstance. I’m very fortunate that the Texans gave me the opportunity to come in here and learn everything in the first two years. Most of the stuff we do, it’s kind of interchangeable with what the fullback and the tight end need to know and line up, so I’m very comfortable with all of it.”

HOUSTON — James Casey lunged forward and pulled in Matt Schaub’s pass for a touchdown catch late in the Houston Texans’ loss to New Orleans last Sunday.
That’s not the kind of play fullbacks usually make.
The Texans have developed a new offensive option in the
versatile and sure-handed Casey, the former Rice star who’s moved
to the backfield after breaking into the league as a tight end.
Casey caught five passes for 126 yards against the Saints,
including the 26-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth
quarter. He also turned a short pass from Schaub into a 62-yard
gain in the first quarter.
Houston (2-1) plays Pittsburgh (2-1) on Sunday.

Provided by the Houston Texans, here’s a transcript of Coach Gary Kubiak’s Friday press conference. The Texans will play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Superdome. 

On if RB Arian Foster will play Sunday

“It’ll be a game-time decision. He practiced today much like he did yesterday. He took a limited amount of reps, but he was involved in the whole practice. We’ll watch him tomorrow morning when we watch him go through our jog-through, see where he’s at and probably actually put him through a little workout before the game.”

On WR Jacoby Jones’ and WR Kevin Walter’s injuries

“Jacoby (Jones) took his practice today. It looks like we’re heading in the right direction with him. Kevin’s (Walter) been fine all week, guys.”

On if expects WR Kevin Walter to be at full speed on Sunday

“Yeah, he’s been fine. Kevin’s (Walter) been fine.”

On if he might play RB Arian Foster differently on Sunday to err on the side of caution

“No, I think you either play or you don’t play. I mean either he’s ready to go, if that’s what you’re asking. We need Arian (Foster), as I tell ya’ll all the time, to have our best everybody on the football field, but at the same time we’re listening to Arian. As we put him through some work, we listen to him the next morning. How you feeling? Listen to the doctors and we’ll come up with the best decision for the football team on Sunday morning.”

On if RB Arian Foster has been honest about his injury

“Yeah, he’s been good and like I said, we’re just trying to make sure we keep the work process going. He’s had good work this week, but we have limited him a little bit in practice, not to overload him and we’re going to see how he responds to that.”

On if practice squad RB Chris Ogbonnaya is an option for Sunday

“Chris (Ogbonnaya) is inactive. We’d have to activate Chris. It’s a possibility, yeah. We have not made that decision.”

On the stats and records not meaning anything

“I agree. It’s just about being as good as you can be each week. We’re playing a very difficult schedule and then they’re the next team up. They’re an excellent football team and been a world champion here not far long. We’ve just got to go out there and see if we can be our best every week and just find a way to find our games. We’re not caught up in where we’re at right now or where we’ve been in the past. How good can this team be? So, we’re just staying focused on that. We’ve had a good week of work and boy, have we got a challenge ahead of us, but we’re excited to go play.”

On if it’s a coincidence that the Texans are leading the League in total defense and rushing attempts

“Well those things go hand-in-hand. When you run the ball and I think time of possession-wise, we’re one or two in the League. You keep your defense off the field. That’s how you win football games. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a quarterback throw it 53 times in the first two games of the season, but when we’re throwing it 25, 26 times, good things are happening for our team.”

On if he believes in statement games

“I think it’s about the season; it’s not about a game. This is the next one. Ever since I’ve been in this business, every one you play is the biggest game of the year, so let’s just keep going.”

On how he’s going to handle T Rashad Butler’s injury

“Yeah, (Derek) Newton steps up and he becomes a swing guy. He’s a young player with a lot of talent. Now he’s being pushed into a lot of activity, so we need to see him get better, but that’s the only way you find out if he can do it.”

On Saints RB Darren Sproles

“He’s got a chance of making huge plays. The kicking game will be big in this game in my opinion. It’s been big for us. It’s been big for them early in the season, so big challenge.”

On if RB Steve Slaton will play a big role in pass protection

“Well yeah, whoever’s in there at running back is going to get tested. They’re going to come get you and you’re going to have to step up and pick up protection, whether it’s a linebacker, whether it’s a DB. That’ll be part of this game for sure. Like I said, hopefully we can stay on schedule to where we’re not too predictable. If you get too predictable against this team, they’re going to come get you.”

On if CB Brandon Harris might make his debut on Sunday

“Good chance. Very good chance, yeah.”

Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub participated in a teleconference with New Orleans media on Wednesday. Here’s a transcript of that discussion.

This game coming in you have a win streak. It’s early, but the Saints won a Super Bowl a couple years ago. Is this a barometer game?

“Yes, I think first off, every week in this league is a barometer game as you progress through. Each week when you’re doing good things it’s a tough test, but none bigger than this week for us. I think this is a big game for both teams. You go through each week and for each team it gets bigger and bigger, but to go on the road in the tough environment against a team that like you said were the champs a few years ago, it’s a great test for us and we’re excited about. It’s a team we know really well and they know us really well. I don’t think either team is going to shy away from that having played against each other in the preseason for a few years now and having practiced against each other for the past few years. We know each other real well.”

How much do you rely on the familiarity factor when you go up against a team, since typically you go up against an AFC team only once every four years?

“It’s hard to rely too much on it because obviously in the preseason you don’t show your whole playbook, you do your base stuff, play ball and I think that’s true for both teams. You rely on the fact that you know each other’s personnel. Obviously your base stuff and the things you like to do the most, you get to see that a little bit, but when you go into a gameplan in the regular season, both sides of the ball, you’re going to have things you put in there specifically for each game, so you have to be prepared to see scouted looks and be ready for them.”

How excited are you about your defense and what they’re doing?

“It’s been exciting to watch them. Once we got to the regular season to see them go out in live situations and get after it a little bit. We saw it all through camp. We knew they had the potential to be real good, to be great. So far they’ve been playing extremely well. At times where the offense hasn’t gotten it done, having to punt the ball or not converting on third down and putting them on the field, they go out there, get a third and out or get a turnover and get it right back to us. It’s been great to see them play and go cut it loose, because we knew what we had going into the season having gone against them in training camp.”

It seems like your team always has a running back you can rely on. How interchangeable are these guys?

“First off, it starts out up front for us. We have an offensive line that’s been together now for a few years. The continuity that they have goes a long way for what we do in the run game as well as in the passing game. In pass protections, those guys work really well together and understand the calls and being able to make adjustments on the fly, I think that translates. The running backs have the ability to succeed in the offense. They’re (Ben Tate and Arian Foster) both downhill runners, make one cut, get downhill and bring their shoulder pads and can run through guys and tacklers as well as make them miss. The fact that Arian’s been out for us, Ben Tate’s been forced to grow up pretty early. Obviously he missed all of last year with an injury. He’s played very well for us. You look at his eye in the huddle. When Derrick Ward went down in week one, he just stepped in there and was ready to go. We’re excited about what he’s doing. He just has to keep growing, keep getting better and keep doing it.”

How are you preparing for Will Smith’s return? Is that a guy you need to prepare for?

“I think so. He’s been a great player in this league. We’re well aware of him coming back. Those guys up front are preparing for him. They have a ton of talent on the defense with Will, their whole defnese up front; Jonathan Vilma the middle linebacker is a great player with experience who understands how to make that go. The back end is very veteran and experienced and understands pass concepts.”

Last year you guys started out 2-0 and things didn’t go as planned. There are tons of expectations this year. How is this team different from last year’s team?

“We’re definitely excited about being 2-0, but it’s not our goal. It’s a steppingstone. This team has a very much businesslike approach. We won a game on the road last week, but it’s on to the next one. You can’t be satisfied or think you’ve arrived in this business, because the moment you do, you get knocked off, so you have to keep your head down, keep your blinders on and find the next win. That’s our approach. We just have to go get ready to go play on Sunday.”

The Saints had only 33 sacks a year ago, six on Sunday. What did you see in their defense?

“They brought a lot of stunts, blitzes and pressure. You need to understand where your issues are, where you can get rid of the football to, when the defenses bring more guys than you can block. I think that’s something we do fairly well. We need to be on top of things with our protections and where the blitzes can be potentially coming from and what they’re doing behind it. There’s definitely an issue there.”

When Will Smith’s suspension and the length was announced was there any part of you that thought “Great. I get his first game back”?

“No, we didn’t think anything like that. It’s unfortunate when anybody gets suspended. You want to go up against the best. You want to go up against teams when they have everyone out there.”

Houston coach Gary Kubiak expects running back Arian Foster to play on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Foster returned to practice this week after missing the season opener because of a left hamstring injury.

“He looks ready to play,” Kubiak said after practice Friday. “He’s had a good week. I think he’ll be fine. As long as there’s no setbacks he’s ready to go.”

Foster, who ran for 1,616 yards last season to lead the league, has been bothered with the injury for a month.

While Kubiak said he wouldn’t put a play count on Foster, he didn’t expect him to play as many snaps as he normally would.

“We’ll go out and play and I’ll watch him and see how he’s holding up,” Kubiak said. “I would think that he’s definitely not going to be a 60-play guy, like he normally is for us. He’s a three-down player. We’ll listen to Arian, [running backs coach] Chick [Harris] will watch him, we’ll all watch him. Hopefully everything goes smooth.”

Foster said he can’t wait to get back on the field, but wasn’t sure how much he’d play.

“That remains to be seen,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and see how I feel and if I feel like it’s not an issue and my conditioning isn’t an issue, which I don’t think it is, I’m going to play like I normally play.”

Story continues below

While Foster should return Sunday, the Texans will be without running back Derrick Ward, who is out with a sprained right ankle. Ward started for Foster against the Colts and scored a touchdown.

Kubiak said Ben Tate, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Colts after missing all of his rookie season last year with a broken ankle, would back up Foster and share the load against Miami.

League tries to beef up security

The NFL has “enhanced” its security pat-down procedures for fans entering stadiums.

The league asked its 32 teams to instruct stadium security to search fans from the ankles up for banned items such as alcohol and weapons. Previously, the search was from the waist up.

Last week, a man was arrested for using an illegal stun gun at Sunday night’s Dallas Cowboys-New York Jets game.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday the “enhanced security procedures” didn’t result from any specific threat, but from the league’s practice of “always refining and improving” security.

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HOUSTON – Houston’s defence looked nothing like the sieve it was last year in a season-opening win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Sure, part of that has to do with the new 3-4 scheme, but players and coaches alike noticed a different feel to the unit.

Some call it confidence, others say it’s swagger, but however it’s termed, coach Gary Kubiak says it comes from the group knowing everyone can make plays.

Kubiak also believes the trust the players have in new defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips has made a difference in their play.

“They’ve got a lot of confidence in the guy making the call when it’s third-and-5, that’s sending the defence in,” Kubiak said. “Overall, it’s just real upbeat right now and feeling good out of Week 1 and moving on to Week 2.”

Houston ranked 30th in the NFL in yards allowed last season with 377 and the 267.5 yards passing a game the Texans yielded was most in the league. The Texans face Miami on Sunday after allowing the fifth-fewest yards in the NFL last week.

Linebacker DeMeco Ryans loves the 3-4 scheme Phillips implemented when he was hired by the Texans in January after being fired as the head coach in Dallas when the Cowboys started 1-7.

“I think the mindset is everyone is just eager to do good,” Ryans said. “Everyone wants to be great in this defence, and this defence allows us to be more aggressive. Guys know what to do and how to do it, which allows us to play fast.”

The unit is focused on pressuring the quarterback, after ranking 23rd in sacks last season with 30. The Texans excelled at that task against the Colts, sacking Kerry Collins three times, which led to two fumbles.

Mario Williams, the top overall draft pick in 2006, moved from defensive end to outside linebacker this season and had two sacks against Indianapolis.

Phillips was impressed with Williams’ debut at linebacker and is sure he wasn’t alone.

“I think everybody in the country is, everybody that saw the game and all of our fans and certainly the coaches are,” he said. “The guy was a dominant player in the game and that’s what we’re looking for from him.”

Linebacker Brian Cushing thinks the push up front was the key in Houston’s improvement.

“I think the pressure’s obviously been a lot better, which has helped overall,” Cushing said. “I think any time you have a better pass rush and can get after the quarterback, it helps your overall defence, so that’s really benefited us so far.”

The Texans were encouraged by Cushing’s performance against the Colts, when he led the team with seven tackles. He had 133 tackles as a rookie in 2009, but finished with just 76 last year when he served a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

He seems to have finally recovered from off-season knee surgery that kept him off the practice field for much of camp.

“He looks really good,” Kubiak said. “He’s playing very, very hard. The effort he played with last week, if he plays like that all year he’s going to lead a lot of things.”

Phillips said he doesn’t do anything special to build confidence in his players and there’s no secret to why his defence is so self-assured already.

“The guys have done a good job of learning their responsibilities and what they’re supposed to do and that’s part of it,” he said. “Then part of it is playing together and playing well. Our first group really played well in preseason and I think that helped our confidence going into the season.”

Houston has also been helped by the addition of defensive end J.J. Watt, a first-round draft pick this year, and perhaps more importantly, cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, both picked up in free agency.

The pair is hoping to help turn around the league’s worst pass defence from a year ago. Joseph thinks Houston’s solid play against the Colts will give the group something to build on.

“I think it rolls over and it carries over, as well as does practice,” he said. “If you go out in practice and make plays, it carries over to the game just because it gives you confidence throughout the week that you can do the same thing on Sunday.”

The Streak officially ends Sunday. The Houston Texans also want to believe time is running out on the Indianapolis Colts’ reign in the AFC South.

Peyton Manning will sit out Sunday’s opener between the teams at Reliant Stadium with a neck injury that forced him to undergo yet another surgery on Thursday. His string of 227 consecutive starts that spans 13 seasons will end.

Manning has had some of his biggest games against Houston, and the Colts have won 16 of 18 meetings. But with Manning sidelined indefinitely and gray-whiskered Kerry Collins starting in his place, the Texans have seemingly never had a better opportunity to overtake their divisional nemesis.

“I’m eager to see what this team can do,” Texans right tackle Eric Winston said. “I think we’ve got a lot of potential, I think we’ve got a lot of good players, and I think we’ve put the right work in so far to be a good team. Now, we’ve got to go produce.”

The Colts may catch a break in the opener, too, with Texans running back Arian Foster’s status uncertain because of a hamstring injury that’s bothered him for a month. Foster, the 2010 NFL rushing leader, ran for a franchise-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s opener against Indianapolis.

“I plan on being ready,” he said. “But if it’s not ready, it’s not ready.”

Houston coach Gary Kubiak said if Foster feels up to it he’ll play, despite all the practice time he’s missed. Backups Derrick Ward, Ben Tate and Steve Slaton split the carries in Wednesday’s workout, and Kubiak said any one of them could capably pick up Foster’s load.

The Colts, meanwhile, face the ultimate test of their “next man up” mantra without the indispensable Manning, the league’s only four-time MVP.

“You’re just not going to see another guy quite like him,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. “He’s a very, very special individual, but the fact of the matter is, we’ve kind of always kind of built our program around the fact that we look forward to the next man stepping up and being able to get in there and perform, and perform well enough for us to win. So I think we’re still in that frame of mind.”

The 38-year-old Collins was planning hunting trips and writing songs in Nashville before the Colts persuaded him to come out of retirement two weeks ago. With Manning reduced to a tutoring role, Collins has been getting a crash course in the complex offense Manning’s been running without interruption since 1998.

“Obviously, it’s like learning a new language,” Collins said, “but I really feel like I’ve come a long way in a short time. Are there things I’m learning every single day? Absolutely. For being here two weeks and just having a short time to get into this thing, I feel like things are going well.”

But Collins hasn’t even gotten the chance to play in a real game with Pro Bowlers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, and the Colts are breaking in three new starters on the offensive line.

Caldwell said he’ll simplify the game plan for the opener as much as he can to make Collins feel more comfortable. He doesn’t expect Collins to be perfect.

“Our offense is one that can be pretty complicated,” Caldwell said. “We don’t anticipate that someone could come in and run our entire offense after either a month or two months. So we certainly don’t anticipate that, and we would not expect that. But he’ll be able to operate what we need and, obviously … we’re kind of tailoring things to suit his skill level within our offense.”

Some of the Texans admit they’re a little disappointed they won’t face Manning in the opener, and give new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme a proper initiation.

Houston’s defense ranked as one of the league’s worst in 2010, but the rebuilt unit showed promise in the preseason, generating 15 sacks and seven turnovers in four games. The players would’ve loved to match up with one of the game’s all-time great quarterbacks to accurately gauge how much they’ve improved.

“Obviously, we’d like to see him out there,” linebacker Brian Cushing said. “He’s one of the best to ever play the game. As a competitor, you want to play against him. You want to play against the best, but it doesn’t change our game plan.”

Houston’s pass defense ranked last in the league in 2010, and the Texans acquired cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning in free agency.

Joseph said the revamped secondary is more focused on the Colts’ receiving corps than who will be throwing to them. Wayne leads the NFL in receptions (643) and yards receiving (8,849) since 2004 — combining with Manning, naturally — and Clark is back after missing the final 10 games of last season with a wrist injury.

“We just have to go out and prepare for whoever is the starter,” said Joseph, who has 14 interceptions in five seasons with Cincinnati. “In this league, you can be beat by anyone taking snaps back there behind the center, just because you have enough weapons around him to still get the job done.”

The radio voice of the Houston Texans, Marc Vandermeer was on today to continue the NFL previews. Marc and Grant discussed Matt Schaub and his leadership style, and how last season’s breakout star Arian Foster will be utilized in Houston’s potent offense. They also talked about how Houston has tried to improve their league worst passing defense from 2010, and Marc gave his prediction for how the Texans will finish in 2011.

Marc Vandermeer

An undrafted free agent, Foster was fighting to stay on the roster and not only made it, but went from the practice squad in 2009 to the NFL’s rushing title in 2010.

Ogbonnaya spent last season on Houston’s practice squad and tried to soak up everything Foster told him.

“His path that he’s taken has garnered a lot of respect for him, not just from me, but from everyone around this league,” Ogbonnaya said. “He’s a great player. What he’s been through last year, coming off the sideline, it was easy to listen to him.”

With Foster watching on Monday night, Ogbonnaya made a big impression against the New York Jets, scoring twice and producing 104 total yards.

The former Texas star was the last running back standing after Derrick Ward left in the first quarter with a concussion. Foster, Steve Slaton and Ben Tate were already sidelined with hamstring injuries.

“I’m proud of him,” Foster said of Ogbonnaya. “He’s the one constant, the one guy who’s stayed healthy through this whole training camp. He works hard, man. All I can do is wish the best for that guy.”

Ogbonnaya is also spurred by the success of Terrell Davis, a sixth-round draft pick who was a three-time All-Pro for Denver when Texans coach Gary Kubiak was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Davis started his first training camp as the sixth-string running back and worked his way into the starting job by the time the season began.

“His career just took off,” Ogbonnaya said. “For me, everybody’s story is different. I just hope that at some point, I can make a mark on this team.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound Ogbonnaya was a seventh-round draft pick by St. Louis in 2009, then was cut last September. The Texans signed him within days, and Ogbonnaya worked quietly all season on the practice squad.

After the season, Kubiak told Ogbonnaya to stay fit and mentally focused because, as it did with Foster, an opportunity could emerge at any time.

Ogbonnaya worked out with teammates in Houston over the summer, but knew coming into camp that the numbers were stacked against him.

Foster, who returned to practice on Wednesday, is the starter and Ward the likely backup. Slaton and Tate are vying for the third-string spot and although both missed team drills again on Wednesday, Ogbonnaya knows they’ll take away some of his carries when they get healthy.

For now, Ogbonnaya is only focusing on what he can control.

“This is a time for me to make the most of my opportunity,” he said, “to make a mark on this team and try to earn some respect, if not here, then around the league. It’s a crazy business. I just hope I can make it stick here.”

Ogbonnaya has had to wait his turn before. At Texas, he backed up Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young in his first two seasons, then shared carries with Vondrell McGee and Cody Johnson in 2008.

But that doesn’t mean he was forgotten. After Monday night’s game, Ogbonnaya got a text message from Longhorns’ coach Mack Brown.

“He was just telling me just to keep working, that he was proud,” Ogbonnaya said. “But just to keep pushing.”

Kubiak said the projected starters will get more snaps in Saturday’s game against New Orleans than they did against the Jets. But with Ward, Slaton and Tate still sidelined, that could mean another heavy day for Ogbonnaya.

And he can hardly wait.

“Same mindset,” he said. “Every day out here is a day to grow, a day to get better. You’ve got to come prepared to do the same thing every day, and try to get better.”

Foster, meanwhile, said his hamstring feels “100 percent,” although he’ll also be careful not to re-aggravate it.

“Hamstrings are a part of a runner’s life,” he said. “You can’t really ever know when it’s healed, unless you just feel it. It’s kind of a feeling that you know. Right now, there’s just no reason to push it, go all out and try to win a marathon race or a sprint. We’re just going to take it day by day.”

Slaton and Tate worked with a trainer on a separate field from the team Wednesday. Kubiak is still concerned that Tate, who missed last season with a broken ankle, isn’t getting enough carries to be ready for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Colts.

“He’s missed a lot of time as a pro football player and we’re waiting to get him out here,” Kubiak said. “I’m hoping like heck he’s on this field (Thursday) morning. We’ll see, but it looked like he took a big step forward and needs to get out here and compete.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

An undrafted free agent, Foster was fighting to stay on the roster and not only made it, but went from the practice squad in 2009 to the NFL’s rushing title in 2010.

Ogbonnaya spent last season on Houston’s practice squad and tried to soak up everything Foster told him.

“His path that he’s taken has garnered a lot of respect for him, not just from me, but from everyone around this league,” Ogbonnaya said. “He’s a great player. What he’s been through last year, coming off the sideline, it was easy to listen to him.”

With Foster watching on Monday night, Ogbonnaya made a big impression against the New York Jets, scoring twice and producing 104 total yards.

The former Texas star was the last running back standing after Derrick Ward left in the first quarter with a concussion. Foster, Steve Slaton and Ben Tate were already sidelined with hamstring injuries.

“I’m proud of him,” Foster said of Ogbonnaya. “He’s the one constant, the one guy who’s stayed healthy through this whole training camp. He works hard, man. All I can do is wish the best for that guy.”

Ogbonnaya is also spurred by the success of Terrell Davis, a sixth-round draft pick who was a three-time All-Pro for Denver when Texans coach Gary Kubiak was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Davis started his first training camp as the sixth-string running back and worked his way into the starting job by the time the season began.

“His career just took off,” Ogbonnaya said. “For me, everybody’s story is different. I just hope that at some point, I can make a mark on this team.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound Ogbonnaya was a seventh-round draft pick by St. Louis in 2009, then was cut last September. The Texans signed him within days, and Ogbonnaya worked quietly all season on the practice squad.

After the season, Kubiak told Ogbonnaya to stay fit and mentally focused because, as it did with Foster, an opportunity could emerge at any time.

Ogbonnaya worked out with teammates in Houston over the summer, but knew coming into camp that the numbers were stacked against him.

Foster, who returned to practice on Wednesday, is the starter and Ward the likely backup. Slaton and Tate are vying for the third-string spot and although both missed team drills again on Wednesday, Ogbonnaya knows they’ll take away some of his carries when they get healthy.

For now, Ogbonnaya is only focusing on what he can control.

“This is a time for me to make the most of my opportunity,” he said, “to make a mark on this team and try to earn some respect, if not here, then around the league. It’s a crazy business. I just hope I can make it stick here.”

Ogbonnaya has had to wait his turn before. At Texas, he backed up Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young in his first two seasons, then shared carries with Vondrell McGee and Cody Johnson in 2008.

But that doesn’t mean he was forgotten. After Monday night’s game, Ogbonnaya got a text message from Longhorns’ coach Mack Brown.

“He was just telling me just to keep working, that he was proud,” Ogbonnaya said. “But just to keep pushing.”

Kubiak said the projected starters will get more snaps in Saturday’s game against New Orleans than they did against the Jets. But with Ward, Slaton and Tate still sidelined, that could mean another heavy day for Ogbonnaya.

And he can hardly wait.

“Same mindset,” he said. “Every day out here is a day to grow, a day to get better. You’ve got to come prepared to do the same thing every day, and try to get better.”

Foster, meanwhile, said his hamstring feels “100 percent,” although he’ll also be careful not to re-aggravate it.

“Hamstrings are a part of a runner’s life,” he said. “You can’t really ever know when it’s healed, unless you just feel it. It’s kind of a feeling that you know. Right now, there’s just no reason to push it, go all out and try to win a marathon race or a sprint. We’re just going to take it day by day.”

Slaton and Tate worked with a trainer on a separate field from the team Wednesday. Kubiak is still concerned that Tate, who missed last season with a broken ankle, isn’t getting enough carries to be ready for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Colts.

“He’s missed a lot of time as a pro football player and we’re waiting to get him out here,” Kubiak said. “I’m hoping like heck he’s on this field (Thursday) morning. We’ll see, but it looked like he took a big step forward and needs to get out here and compete.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“You’ve got to stay positive, because it’s a hard assignment and bad things happen, even when you’re playing good,” Joseph said Sunday. “Somebody’s got to be there supporting them, and it’s got to be me, as their coach.

“This is a young group, they want to do well, they want to be great,” he said, “so there’s no reason not to be positive.”

The Texans allowed 267.5 yards passing per game and 33 touchdown passes last season. They drafted cornerbacks Brandon Harris (Miami) and Roc Carmichael (Virginia Tech), then picked up free agents Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning to bring experience that the group lacked in 2010.

“They’ve been around good secondaries, they know how it should look,” Vance Joseph said. “They can push these guys, show them how to practice, show them how to prepare, how to think through it.

“We’ve also got two guys who are in the primes of their careers,” he said. “That’s strange. Teams drafted these guys pretty high, and now we get them at only the second stage of their careers? All the bad things, the bad habits are behind them. All their good football is still ahead.”

One of Johnathan Joseph’s first directives when he arrived was talking to cornerback Kareem Jackson, last year’s first-round pick who often took the sharpest criticism for the secondary’s problems.

Joseph, a first-round pick by Cincinnati in 2006, reassured Jackson that just about every NFL rookie struggles and that cornerback is one of the hardest positions for a young player to learn. Joseph did not intercept a pass in his first season, but has 14 picks in his four seasons since.

“We’ve all had those same growing pains,” Johnathan Joseph said. “I’m sure, from talking to him (Jackson),that it’s behind him. He comes out here every day confident, and it doesn’t bother him at all. In this league, you have to have a short memory, which he understands.”

Jackson doesn’t want to forget 2010 entirely. If anything, he says remembering the backlash from fans and media provides perfect motivation.

“For having a year like that last year, no one wants to go through that,” Jackson said, “so everybody is committed to what we’re doing. So we’re just coming out and working hard every day just trying to get it done.”

Vance Joseph, hired in the offseason after six years in San Francisco, says the main issue for Jackson and Houston’s other defensive backs last year was faulty technique. He’s focused on footwork and fundamentals through the first few days of practice, and never misses a chance to point out improvement.

“Nice job, GQ, that was perfect,” he said after third-year safety Glover Quin made a play during a practice last week.

“Nice, Brice, you were in great shape there,” he told third-year cornerback Brice McCain after McCain broke up a pass.

The Texans’ defensive backs also benefit from facing All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson and one of the league’s top passing offenses every day in practice. Johnson was back at work on Sunday after missing four days with a dislocated left index finger.

Johnson leaped over McCain to catch a touchdown pass on Sunday, then made a one-handed grab on a deep sideline route with Jackson covering him.

While Vance Joseph wants his players to learn to shake off the sting of big plays, he wants them to learn something from each one.

“You can’t totally forget, because bad things happen for a reason,” Vance Joseph said. “You’ve got to be coachable, you’ve got to listen and be ready to fix it. Your best defensive backs are consistent players. They’re the same all the time. When you have young kids who are great players, but on four or five plays, they’re not their best, bad things happen. Consistency is the key.”

Johnathan Joseph says he’s already seen progress and likes the mentality of the group.

“We go into the film room, we correct things and then you see them come out here and translate that to the field,” he said. “I think that’s the most important key thing, because those guys are listening. You want guys to listen at this level, because if you don’t listen, and you don’t bring it to the field, it won’t do you any good at all.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Foster was on Houston’s practice squad for much of 2009 before last year’s breakout season, when he rushed for 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns. He knows he can’t rely on what he did last year to be successful in 2011.

“The crazy thing about this league is that — coach (Gary Kubiak) says it all the time — that you have to prove yourself every single day,” Foster said. “You could lead the league in rushing one day and the next day they’ll forget you fast. You have to keep on making your mark.”

Foster sat out much of Friday’s practice after experiencing tightness in his hamstring, but should be OK. It was a setback that Kubiak said highlighted the need to have a deep group at the position, as players get banged up throughout the season.

“We’re going to end up with four dang good ones and we may be in a situation where we can keep five,” Kubiak said. “So we’re strong at that position right now, but y’all know how this works. You come out one day or play one preseason game and you go from having a bunch of them to something happening. So let’s just keep our fingers crossed that they’re all going to be there at the end and we’re going to have a good group.”

Slaton had 1,282 yards rushing with nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2008, but hasn’t done a lot since then while dealing with injuries and the emergence of Foster. He’s healthy now, and the Texans believe he could add to the running game.

Tate was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft after rushing for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Auburn. He was expected to see limited playing time last season, but missed his entire rookie year after breaking his ankle in Houston’s first preseason game.

“I’m very anxious to get back to a preseason game and get to show everyone, the fans, the organization, teammates, what I can do,” he said.

Houston has so many options at the position that the team may not be able to keep all of them.

“He’s in a battle,” Kubiak said of Tate. “He’s working as a fourth guy right now and that’s a humbling experience. You come out here after you miss all last year (and) it’s a very competitive situation, and we’ve got a nice problem back there. So we’ll see how it works out.”

Ogbonnaya spent last season on Houston’s practice squad. After a successful career at Texas, he spent one season mostly on the St. Louis Rams practice squad.

The 30-year-old Ward spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Giants, where he ran for a career-high 1,025 yards in 2008. He appeared in each game for Houston last season and finished with 315 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Quarterback Matt Schaub said a dynamic running game took pressure off the passing game.

“It allowed us to control the tempo a little bit more, keep our situations and our downs manageable … and we were able to execute better in the red zone because the field is shorter,” he said. “The defense doesn’t have as far to defend in the pass game, so running the ball down there was of the utmost importance. It just helped us keep everything manageable. So it helped me out tremendously.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans cut 2007 first-round pick Amobi Okoye, along with quarterback Dan Orlovsky and receiver David Anderson on Saturday.

Okoye was 19 when he was drafted 10th overall, the youngest player ever taken in the first round.

Orlovsky played in only one game in two seasons in Houston and did not complete a pass. He signed a three-year contract with Houston in March 2009, and was Matt Schaub’s backup in 2010.

Anderson has played all five of his seasons in Houston, and caught 11 passes for 117 yards in 2010.

The team also announced Saturday that it had signed undrafted free agent Darius Morris, an offensive tackle out of Temple.

The Texans open training camp on Sunday. The cuts come the day after the team introduced cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, two free-agent acquisitions brought in to help improve the league’s worst pass defence.

New defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips is implementing a 3-4 defensive alignment, and the Texans apparently thought the 6-foot-2, 315-pound Okoye wasn’t a good fit for it. The former Louisville star disappointed after a strong rookie year, when he made 32 tackles, including 5 1-2 sacks.

Okoye had a career-high 44 tackles in 2010, including three sacks, but the Texans’ defence ranked at or near the bottom of the league in virtually every defensive category. Houston used six of its eight draft picks on defensive players, and Phillips plans to use Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell at nose tackle, leaving Okoye out of the mix.

Orlovsky worked with starting quarterback Matt Schaub and other teammates during the lockout.

But the Texans drafted North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates in the fifth round, then re-signed Matt Leinart this week, making Orlovsky the odd man out on the depth chart. Orlovsky was a fifth-round pick by Detroit in 2005 and played 10 games in 2008, when the Lions finished 0-16.

Anderson was drafted by the Texans in the seventh round in 2006, out of Colorado State. He also returned punts and played on special teams in Houston.

Also gone from last year’s roster are linebacker Zac Diles, who joined St. Louis, and punter Matt Turk, who agreed to terms with Jacksonville.

Houston is still trying to re-sign free agent fullback Vonta Leach, an All-Pro in 2010. The 6-foot, 255-pound Leach was the lead blocker for Arian Foster, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2010 with 1,616 yards.

HOUSTON (AP)—The Houston Texans cut 2007 first-round pick Amobi Okoye(notes),
along with quarterback Dan Orlovsky(notes) and receiver David Anderson(notes) on Saturday.

Okoye was 19 when he was drafted 10th overall, the youngest player ever
taken in the first round.

Orlovsky played in only one game in two seasons in Houston and did not
complete a pass. He signed a three-year contract with Houston in March 2009, and
was Matt Schaub’s(notes) backup in 2010.

Anderson has played all five of his seasons in Houston, and caught 11 passes
for 117 yards in 2010.

The team also announced Saturday that it had signed undrafted free agent
Darius Morris, an offensive tackle out of Temple.

The Texans open training camp on Sunday. The cuts come the day after the
team introduced cornerback Johnathan Joseph(notes) and safety Danieal Manning(notes), two
free-agent acquisitions brought in to help improve the league’s worst pass
defense.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is implementing a 3-4 defensive
alignment, and the Texans apparently thought the 6-foot-2, 315-pound Okoye
wasn’t a good fit for it. The former Louisville star disappointed after a strong
rookie year, when he made 32 tackles, including 5 1-2 sacks.

Okoye had a career-high 44 tackles in 2010, including three sacks, but the
Texans’ defense ranked at or near the bottom of the league in virtually every
defensive category. Houston used six of its eight draft picks on defensive
players, and Phillips plans to use Shaun Cody(notes) and Earl Mitchell(notes) at nose tackle,
leaving Okoye out of the mix.

Orlovsky worked with starting quarterback Matt Schaub and other teammates
during the lockout.

But the Texans drafted North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates(notes) in the fifth
round, then re-signed Matt Leinart(notes) this week, making Orlovsky the odd man out on
the depth chart. Orlovsky was a fifth-round pick by Detroit in 2005 and played
10 games in 2008, when the Lions finished 0-16.

Anderson was drafted by the Texans in the seventh round in 2006, out of
Colorado State. He also returned punts and played on special teams in Houston.

Also gone from last year’s roster are linebacker Zac Diles(notes), who joined St.
Louis, and punter Matt Turk(notes), who agreed to terms with Jacksonville.

Houston is still trying to re-sign free agent fullback Vonta Leach(notes), an
All-Pro in 2010. The 6-foot, 255-pound Leach was the lead blocker for Arian
Foster(notes), the NFL’s leading rusher in 2010 with 1,616 yards.