Gotta run!.

There is the quick update of the day.

What are your opinions.

HOUSTON (AP)—The first name is the same, and the Houston Texans say not
much else is changing, either.

Matt Leinart(notes) practiced for the first time as the Texans’ starting
quarterback on Monday, with Matt Schaub(notes) likely out for the season with a right
foot injury.

The Texans (7-3) are coming off a bye week and play at Jacksonville (3-7) on
Sunday.

Leinart has been anxiously awaiting a chance to start again ever since he
was demoted in Arizona in 2008 in favor of Kurt Warner(notes). He signed with the
Texans after the Cardinals cut him in September 2010.

“I’ve worked hard, I’ve been focused every day since I’ve been here,
preparing for an opportunity like this, just in case this ever came up,”
Leinart said. “Now it’s just time to take all that preparation onto the
field.”

The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner did not take a snap in a game as a backup to
Schaub last season. He became a free agent, but re-signed with Houston because
he was comfortable with Coach Gary Kubiak and the Texans’ offensive system.

He’s also found a strong support system within the team that he feels will
help get his career back on track.

“I’ve been surrounded by positivity, I’ve gotten my confidence back over
the last 18 months,” Leinart said. “I feel good, ready for this opportunity.”

Schaub sustained a right foot injury during Houston’s 37-9 win over Tampa
Bay on Nov. 13. He watched Monday’s practice in a protective boot will visit a
foot specialist in Charlotte on Wednesday. Kubiak is hoping to get a
“definitive answer” on whether Schaub will need season-ending surgery.

He’s holding out hope that Schaub will return this season, but he’s
comfortable using Leinart for the rest of the season, if it comes to that.

“You can see the fire in his eyes,” Kubiak said. “What a great
opportunity for him in his career. He’ll give us everything he’s got.”

Leinart is left-handed and Schaub throws right-handed, but Kubiak said that
won’t alter the offensive game plans much. And the linemen say there’s nothing
different with Leinart taking snaps, other than right tackle Eric Winston(notes)
becoming the quarterback’s blind-side protector.

“There’s no difference in the running game, there’s no difference in
protections, there’s no difference in anything else,” said Winston, who’s made
81 consecutive starts. “I haven’t seen us put anything (new) in yet. We’re
going to run the same running plays we always have.

“Left-handed, right-handed, under-handed,” Winston said, “I don’t think
it really matters.”

And Leinart should benefit from the return of All-Pro receiver Andre
Johnson(notes), who’s expected to play Sunday after missing six games with a right
hamstring injury. He can also lean on the league’s second-best rushing offense
(158 yards per game), with Arian Foster(notes) and Ben Tate(notes) in the backfield behind
him.

“I don’t think much is going to change,” Leinart said. “I just think
we’re going to go out there and execute the offense that we’ve been doing, and
that’s running the football, and play-(action) pass and getting out on the
outside and making some plays.”

Rookie T.J. Yates(notes), a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, is Leinart’s
backup, but Kubiak isn’t ruling out adding another quarterback this week.

Jeff Garcia(notes), Brodie Croyle(notes), Trent Edwards(notes), Kellen Clemens(notes) and former Rice
star Chase Clement tried out for the team Monday morning.

The 41-year-old Garcia hasn’t played in the NFL since 2009. He played for
Omaha in the UFL last year. Edwards was cut by Oakland in training camp after
spending three full seasons with Buffalo and one in Jacksonville.

Clemens was cut by Washington during training camp, and that may give him an
edge—the Redskins are coached by Mike Shanahan, Kubiak’s longtime mentor.

“It’s probably important (to add a quarterback), because you never know,”
Kubiak said. “You get into a situation, you lose another guy, you better be
grooming somebody. We’ve got five guys we’re going to work out. It doesn’t mean
we’ll sign one of those guys, but I think it’s probably important here, at some
point.”

Notes: Safety Danieal Manning(notes) practiced on Monday after missing three games
with a broken left leg. Kubiak said Manning would be out a minimum of four weeks
after he was hurt in Houston’s 41-7 win in Tennessee on Oct. 23. “If he doesn’t
have any setbacks throughout the week,” Kubiak said, “he should have a great
opportunity to be available this weekend.” … LT Duane Brown(notes) used the bye week
to fly to Los Angeles and propose to his fiancee, Devon Anthony. “I just wanted
to get it over with.,” Brown said. “It’s something I’ve been planning for a
few weeks now. It was very exciting. I’m very happy right now.”

Leave your comments on the news below.

HOUSTON (AP)—The first name is the same, and the Houston Texans say not
much else is changing, either.

Matt Leinart(notes) practiced for the first time as the Texans’ starting
quarterback on Monday, with Matt Schaub(notes) likely out for the season with a right
foot injury.

The Texans (7-3) are coming off a bye week and play at Jacksonville (3-7) on
Sunday.

Leinart has been anxiously awaiting a chance to start again ever since he
was demoted in Arizona in 2008 in favor of Kurt Warner(notes). He signed with the
Texans after the Cardinals cut him in September 2010.

“I’ve worked hard, I’ve been focused every day since I’ve been here,
preparing for an opportunity like this, just in case this ever came up,”
Leinart said. “Now it’s just time to take all that preparation onto the
field.”

The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner did not take a snap in a game as a backup to
Schaub last season. He became a free agent, but re-signed with Houston because
he was comfortable with Coach Gary Kubiak and the Texans’ offensive system.

He’s also found a strong support system within the team that he feels will
help get his career back on track.

“I’ve been surrounded by positivity, I’ve gotten my confidence back over
the last 18 months,” Leinart said. “I feel good, ready for this opportunity.”

Schaub sustained a right foot injury during Houston’s 37-9 win over Tampa
Bay on Nov. 13. He watched Monday’s practice in a protective boot will visit a
foot specialist in Charlotte on Wednesday. Kubiak is hoping to get a
“definitive answer” on whether Schaub will need season-ending surgery.

He’s holding out hope that Schaub will return this season, but he’s
comfortable using Leinart for the rest of the season, if it comes to that.

“You can see the fire in his eyes,” Kubiak said. “What a great
opportunity for him in his career. He’ll give us everything he’s got.”

Leinart is left-handed and Schaub throws right-handed, but Kubiak said that
won’t alter the offensive game plans much. And the linemen say there’s nothing
different with Leinart taking snaps, other than right tackle Eric Winston(notes)
becoming the quarterback’s blind-side protector.

“There’s no difference in the running game, there’s no difference in
protections, there’s no difference in anything else,” said Winston, who’s made
81 consecutive starts. “I haven’t seen us put anything (new) in yet. We’re
going to run the same running plays we always have.

“Left-handed, right-handed, under-handed,” Winston said, “I don’t think
it really matters.”

And Leinart should benefit from the return of All-Pro receiver Andre
Johnson(notes), who’s expected to play Sunday after missing six games with a right
hamstring injury. He can also lean on the league’s second-best rushing offense
(158 yards per game), with Arian Foster(notes) and Ben Tate(notes) in the backfield behind
him.

“I don’t think much is going to change,” Leinart said. “I just think
we’re going to go out there and execute the offense that we’ve been doing, and
that’s running the football, and play-(action) pass and getting out on the
outside and making some plays.”

Rookie T.J. Yates(notes), a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, is Leinart’s
backup, but Kubiak isn’t ruling out adding another quarterback this week.

Jeff Garcia(notes), Brodie Croyle(notes), Trent Edwards(notes), Kellen Clemens(notes) and former Rice
star Chase Clement tried out for the team Monday morning.

The 41-year-old Garcia hasn’t played in the NFL since 2009. He played for
Omaha in the UFL last year. Edwards was cut by Oakland in training camp after
spending three full seasons with Buffalo and one in Jacksonville.

Clemens was cut by Washington during training camp, and that may give him an
edge—the Redskins are coached by Mike Shanahan, Kubiak’s longtime mentor.

“It’s probably important (to add a quarterback), because you never know,”
Kubiak said. “You get into a situation, you lose another guy, you better be
grooming somebody. We’ve got five guys we’re going to work out. It doesn’t mean
we’ll sign one of those guys, but I think it’s probably important here, at some
point.”

Notes: Safety Danieal Manning(notes) practiced on Monday after missing three games
with a broken left leg. Kubiak said Manning would be out a minimum of four weeks
after he was hurt in Houston’s 41-7 win in Tennessee on Oct. 23. “If he doesn’t
have any setbacks throughout the week,” Kubiak said, “he should have a great
opportunity to be available this weekend.” … LT Duane Brown(notes) used the bye week
to fly to Los Angeles and propose to his fiancee, Devon Anthony. “I just wanted
to get it over with.,” Brown said. “It’s something I’ve been planning for a
few weeks now. It was very exciting. I’m very happy right now.”

Thanks for reading! .

Just when you thought it was safe to call the Houston Texans the AFC’s one-seed (which they were after they thrashed the bejeezus out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37-9, last Sunday), the news came down on Monday that quarterback Matt Schaub’s(notes) foot injury would most likely put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. The quarterback said on Tuesday that he was hurt when Bucs defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) fell on his foot during a run.

“It wasn’t deliberate,” Schaub said on Houston radio. “Anytime you run a sneak, there’s going to be a pile … I’m extremely frustrated. I’m pretty bummed, to put it lightly, especially on such a small play like a quarterback sneak out of the end zone. If it had to happen, I wish that it had been me diving over a pile.”

Schaub is trying to find a medical option that would allow him to return later this season. In the meantime, Schaub will be replaced by backup Matt Leinart(notes), who’s been a singularly unimpressive NFL quarterback for the most part since the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the 10^th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of USC. In 17 NFL starts, Leinart has 14 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, and he hasn’t made a dent in a stat sheet since January of 2010, when he threw two picks and no touchdowns in a 33-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers for those Cardinals.

He then mopped up in Arizona’s playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints (which was the end of the Kurt Warner(notes) Era), and was quietly released in September. The Texans signed him as a cursory concern, no doubt, but Leinart is now once again The Man for an NFL franchise.

Before Texans fans starting ripping their garments in emotional protest against the sour luck of a franchise that has never made the playoffs, there is room for hope and belief that the Texans aren’t completely sunk.  

The Texans have the best offensive line in football, and they know how to use it.

Especially from guard to guard, there’s no better and more consistent offensive line in the league right now, and that makes any quarterback’s life much easier. Not only are the Texans led by their run game, forcing enemy defenses to stack the box, but they’re also well-versed on how to set defenses up to think run when a pass play is coming. They do this through the expert use of “run-action,” which happens on a pass play in which the line fires out as if a run play is coming. Schaub’s 80-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones on the first offensive play of the win over Tampa Bay was a perfect example of that — watch the blocking on the replay and imagine any quarterback, no matter how average, being able to get things done when an entire defense is faked out the other way.

Leinart has a series of favorable matchups.

Through his career, and most notably in the “The Bears are who we THOUGHT THEY WERE!!!” game made famous by one Dennis Green, Leinart has fared much better against defenses running primarily 4-3 looks with a lot of zone coverage. In that October, 2006 game, Leinart went 24 of 42 for two touchdowns and no picks against the defense that would take Chicago to the Super Bowl that season.

Not only do the Texans have a bye week to get Leinart up to speed, but they also have a remaining schedule full of defenses that aren’t generally multiple in looks and fronts, and all of the teams Houston has left in the regular season are 4-3 teams with a lot of zone — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans. And only the Bengals and Titans have defenses you could feel safe in calling consistently above average.

This is a drop-off, but it isn’t catastrophic. 

Lest you think the drop from Schaub to Leinart is close to the Peyton Manning(notes)-to-Curtis Painter plummet, it’s not quite that bad. Schaub has been very prolific since he came to Houston in 2007, but per Football Outsiders’ efficiency metrics, he’s generally hung around at the bottom of the first tier (or the top of the second tier) of NFL quarterbacks. That’s not to denigrate him, but Schaub has also benefitted from what Leinart will get on the field.

Leinart doesn’t have to do it all.

It’s estimated that receiver Andre Johnson(notes), perhaps the best in the game, will be back on the field when the Texans get back from their bye. In addition, the Texans’ rushing attack features Arian Foster(notes) and Ben Tate(notes), and it takes a very powerful defense to even slow it down. If you want to know where all that run action comes from, wonder no more. The Texans also have one of the best defenses in the NFL this season, so if and when Leinart does make a mistake, he won’t have to view it as a catastrophic failure that will sink his team. Sometimes, the best way to help a quarterback succeed (especially when he’s failed before) is to simply let him know that in the short term, failure isn’t fatal.

“He’s gotten a lot of reps in practice,” head coach Gary Kubiak said this week. “The key is that the team rallies around him. Matt (Leinart) doesn’t have to win a game. The team has to win a game. We’ll rally around him and get him ready to go.”

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who coached Leinart at USC, expressed confidence as well. “It’s a great opportunity for Matt,” Carroll said on Wednesday. ”Unfortunately, it came about through injury, but I’ve watched all of that very closely. This is that opportunity with a really good football team and a terrific running game and a hot-as-can-be defense. I’m really excited for him and I hope that he’ll get moving and things will happen and they’ll get off to a great start with him as he gets his chance. He’s waited and worked really hard for this and he’s been, at times, not as patient as maybe the situation called for. But he was not patient because he’s a great competitor and he wants to battle and play, so I’m excited to see what he does.”

It’s an ideal setup for any quarterback looking to redeem himself and help a team that took a shot on him, and for the reasons listed above, Houston’s “problem” Isn’t quite as huge as some make it out to be.

Related: Arian Foster, Matt Leinart, Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Albert Haynesworth, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Ben Tate, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Higher Education

What do you guys think about this.

During the Houston Texans 37-9 romp over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their star quarterback, Matt Schaub suffered a significant injury to his foot. The injury occurred on his right foot during a quarterback sneak late in the second quarter. While Schaub was x-rayed during halftime, it didn’t show how serious of an injury it was, allowing his return to the game in the second half.

During the second half, he threw just three passes, but it didn’t put worry into the minds of fantasy owners. It wasn’t until ESPNs Adam Schefter reported that Schaub suffered a Lisfranc injury that would keep the star quarterback out of the lineup for the rest of the season that made owners worry. The Texans are by far the best team in the AFC South and they still have Arian Foster(notes) in their backfield, so they should be alright, but for fantasy owners, this injury could cost teams titles.

Those who relied on Schaub to be their signal caller will now be left to look at the waiver wire for a replacement. Andy Dalton(notes) is still available in plenty of Yahoo! leagues and might be the first man to be picked up. Schaub’s replacement in Houston, Matt Leinart(notes), should be avoided at all cost. If anything, the loss of Schaub improves the value of Ben Tate(notes). With Leinart at the helm, the team should be forced to run the ball 40-50 times a game in an attempt to prevent the errors we have grown accustomed to seeing from Leinart.

The value of the wide receivers falls dramatically. Andre Johnson(notes) has been out for weeks, but the Texans were able to ride it out because of Schaub. Without Schaub and his ability to get the ball downfield to Kevin Walter(notes) and Jacoby Jones(notes) during Johnson’s absence, the Texans receivers will struggle to get moving.

Tight end Owen Daniels(notes) hasn’t had the best season with Schaub running the team and his numbers should continue to fall without the seventh year quarterback from Virginia.

Without Schaub, even star Arian Foster may struggle as defenses will likely put eight men in the box, but he might have enough athletic ability to get by. He and Tate are the only Texans that can be started each week without fear, while Johnson owners should look to deal him immediately if they still can.

More from this contributor:

LeSean McCoy is Top Fantasy Running Back in 2011

Backup Running Backs to make Splash in 2011

Don’t Give up on These Players too Early

Drafting Individual Defensive Players?

Top 2011 Fantasy Football Rookies

Hobson Lopes is a fan of the Atlanta Falcons, thanks to Deion Sanders and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

HOUSTON (AP) –  Houston quarterback Matt Schaub is out indefinitely with a “significant” right foot injury and will miss at least the Texans’ next game in two weeks.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Monday that Schaub was injured on a quarterback sneak coming out of the end zone late in the second quarter of Houston’s 37-9 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday. Schaub stayed in the game, but threw only three passes in the second half.

Kubiak said the team was bringing in a specialist from Indianapolis to evaluate Schaub, and the quarterback would fly to Charlotte, N.C., later this week to undergo further examination.

Joby Branion, Schaub’s agent, did not immediately return a phone message.

“He’s got a significant foot injury, he’s going to miss some time,” Kubiak said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to get it evaluated correctly and see if can get him back on the football field.

“It’s disappointing,” Kubiak said, “but we’ll go to work and try to do the right thing by Matt.”

The Texans (7-3) have won four in a row and share the AFC’s best record with Pittsburgh heading into their bye week. Kubiak said sixth-year veteran Matt Leinart will start at Jacksonville on Nov. 27.

Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner for Southern California, re-signed with the Texans in the offseason after not taking a snap in 2010. He turned down other offers to return to Houston because he was comfortable with Kubiak and his offensive system.

Houston rank eighth in total offense this season (396.2 yards per game).

“Your time’s going to come, and you’ve got to be accountable for when that opportunity comes,” Leinart said. “They know that I work hard and I study hard and I’m prepared very well. We’ll going to take this and go game-by-game and I don’t think much is going to change.”

Leinart guided Southern Cal to national championship games after the 2004 and `05 seasons, and went 37-2 as a starter in college.

He was drafted 10th overall by Arizona in 2006 and appeared in 12 games as a rookie under coach Dennis Green, throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He broke his collarbone in the fifth game of the next season, Kurt Warner took over and Leinart was mostly a spectator over the next 2 1/2 seasons.

Leinart talked openly during training camp about earning another starting job. Now he’ll get it, just not under the circumstances he wanted.

“I’m bummed. My heart goes out for him,” Leinart said. “But he knows and everyone knows that in this profession, things happen, and the next guy has to step up. That’s my job and my responsibility.

“That’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, and that’s what I’ve worked hard for every day and prepared for every day,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity. I’m just excited about the chance.”

Kubiak has been increasing Leinart’s repetitions in practice, and he’s confident Leinart is ready.

“He’s played in big football games in this league, he’s played in big football games in college,” Kubiak said. “Matt’s been around it. The key is the whole team rallying around him, and playing well as a team. Matt doesn’t have to go win a game, the team has to go win a game. We’ll rally around him and get him ready to go.”

Schaub, acquired in a trade with Atlanta in March 2007, has started every game for Houston since the start of the 2009 season. Kubiak would not say if Schaub would miss the rest of this year.

“There’s a lot of things reported,” Kubiak said. “He’s going to be in a boot throughout this week, and then the evaluation process will continue.”

Schaub joins the growing list of Houston stars sidelined with injuries this season.

Sacks leader Mario Williams was lost for the season with a torn chest muscle in a loss to Oakland on Oct. 9, and star receiver Andre Johnson has missed six games with a right hamstring injury.

Running back Arian Foster missed two of the first three games with a strained left hamstring, and starting safety Danieal Manning has missed three games after breaking his left fibula.

Kubiak said he hopes Johnson will be ready for the Jacksonville game.

“Our expectation is that Andre is a full participant next Wednesday, or as we start our week next week,” Kubiak said. “But let’s be honest. Until he steps on the field and practices a couple days, we probably better hold off. But it sure looks like that’s where we’re headed.”

Receiver Kevin Walter, running back Ben Tate and backup linebacker Darryl Sharpton have also missed games with injuries this year. Sharpton is out for the season with a quadriceps tear.

Somehow, the Texans have managed to stay on course for their first playoff berth. Houston hasn’t trailed in a game in four weeks and won by an average of 22.5 points across that span.

The Texans have the NFL’s No. 1 defense (269.7 yards per game) and the third-best rushing offense (158.1 yards per game), with Foster and Tate both ranking among the top 10.

“Well, it’s a team and that’s the word,” Kubiak said. “Right now, we’re playing very unselfish football. Everybody’s pitching in. I don’t think we really care as a group where the plays come from, or who makes the play, scores the points or gets a sack. We just care about winning and we’re playing very hard as a football team right now.

“We’re going to get tested even more now, so we’ll have to call on everybody to do that,” Kubiak said. “We do have a lot of confidence right now in what we’re doing and we just got to keep our chin up and move forward.”

That’s all the news for today.

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has a significant foot injury that will force him to the whole season, according to ESPN.com.

The loss of Schaub, who has started every game since the start of the 2009 season, could affect the team’s ability to make a dominating playoff push, despite the Texans playing in an average AFC South this year. The Texans are 7-3, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC’s best record after 10 weeks, with Schaub a considerable part of their success. He was a top-ten QB in yards (2,479), touchdowns (15) and rating (96.8) for a Texans team that many believe has the capabilities to finally clinch the franchise’s first playoff berth.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Thanks for reading! .

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—The streaking Houston Texans are gaining confidence by
the victory.

The AFC South leaders pummeled the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-9 on
Sunday with Matt Schaub(notes) throwing for two long touchdowns, Arian Foster(notes), Ben Tate(notes)
and Derrick Ward(notes) each running for scores, and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense
delivering another strong performance.

“We’re playing well as a team,” Schaub said after the Texans (7-3) won
their fourth straight with star receiver Andre Johnson(notes) sidelined by hamstring
injury, matching a franchise mark set in 2009 to head into their bye week with
their best-ever record through 10 games.

“We have some playmakers on this offense,” the quarterback added.
“Defensively, we’re playing really well. They’re holding teams, making them
turn the ball over. They’re just playing exceptional football.”

Jacoby Jones(notes) filled in for Johnson with an 80-yard TD reception on the first
play from scrimmage and Foster turned a short pass into his second 78-yard
scoring reception of the season for Houston.

A defense that’s made a dramatic turnaround under coordinator Wade Phillips
had four sacks, three interceptions and recovered a fumble.

The Texans lead their division by 1 1-2 games over second-place Tennessee
and may get Johnson, who’s been sidelined six weeks, back when they travel to
Jacksonville in two weeks. After losing two straight without Schaub’s favorite
target, Houston has put together an impressive winning streak by getting
contributions from a lot of different players.

The bye figures to give others a chance to get healthy, too.

“It was important today that we got to this point,” coach Gary Kubiak
said. “We’ve been working really hard. … We had five or six players that
missed a whole week of practice, and they lined up and played. `We’ve got a good
team thing going on right now.”

The Bucs (4-5), on the other hand, have lost three straight and four of five
following a 3-1 start.

Josh Freeman(notes) threw three interceptions and was sacked four times, and Tampa
Bay’s offense didn’t get into the end zone until the fourth quarter for the
second game in a row. Defensively, the Bucs tackled poorly and yielded 268 yards
in the opening half and 420 overall.

“Terrible game. Completely, put the blame on me for this one. … We
started the game just like we finished it,” Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said.
“Poor job by myself. I’ll take complete responsibility for that. I refuse to
believe that our guys are that bad, so it has to be my fault.”

Houston, which is ranked No. 1 in total defense for the first time, has
limited opponents to just over 10 points per game during its winning streak.
After limiting the Titans, Jaguars and Browns to fewer than 175 yards the
previous three weeks, the Texans held Tampa Bay to 231.

Foster and Tate each ran for over 100 yards to key last week’s 30-12 victory
over Cleveland. They weren’t as successful running this time, however the Texans
did finish with 185 yards on the ground. Foster gained 84 on 17 carries and Tate
wound up with 63 on 13 carries, including an 11-yard TD burst to make it 37-9
with under six minutes remaining.

“With winning comes a winning mind-set, and believing in each other keeps
that positive energy flowing,” Texans defensive end Antonio Smith said. “I
think everybody is in on it from top to bottom.”

Tampa Bay scored on Connor Barth’s(notes) 55-yard field goal on the final play of
the first half and didn’t get into the end zone until Freeman threw a 9-yard TD
pass to Preston Parker(notes) early in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Albert
Haynesworth(notes) made his debut for the Bucs, blocking an extra point after Houston’s
first touchdown and finishing with five tackles.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection was released by New England on Tuesday,
claimed off waivers Wednesday and practiced with his new team for the first time
on Thursday. Gerald McCoy’s(notes) season-ending injury left the Bucs thin on the
offensive line, and with backup Frank Okam(notes) still sidelined by a sore calf, the
350-pound Haynesworth moved into the starting lineup.

A week after rushing for a club-record 261 yards during a 30-12 victory over
Cleveland, the Texans came out throwing on a Bucs defense that has struggled to
stop the run and had to honor Schaub’s play-action fakes. A wide-open Jacoby
Jones caught an underthrown ball at the Tampa Bay 45 on the first play, cut back
to his left between safeties Tanard Jackson(notes) and Sean Jones(notes) and sprinted to the
end zone to finish Houston’s longest scoring play of the season.

Foster’s long TD reception nearly covered as much ground and also involved
some nifty running after the catch. The third-year running back took a short
throw from Schaub, broke a tackle and headed up the left sideline before cutting
inside near midfield to avoid Sean Jones and easily outrun the remaining
pursuit.

Houston’s first three scoring drives covered 80, 80 and 90 yards. Foster had
four receptions for 102 yards, and missed going over 100 yards rushing when he
had a 39-yard gain wiped out by a penalty in the fourth quarter.

Schaub only attempted three passes after halftime, finishing 11 of 15 for
242 yards and no interceptions. One apparent pick at the Tampa Bay goal line was
reversed following a replay review that showed that intended receiver Derrick
Mason(notes) jarred the ball loose from Talib before the Bucs cornerback gained
control. Neil Rackers(notes) kicked a 22-yard field goal on the next play for a 9-0
lead.

Freeman completed 15 of 35 passes for 170 yards. The Texans limited
LeGarrette Blount(notes) to 34 yards rushing on 10 attempts.

“The last three weeks have been tough. We haven’t won in about a month,”
Morris said. “The guys right now are not playing well, and we’ve got to find a
way to get better.”

Notes: Schaub has thrown 10 TD passes and just one interception in five road
games. . … Brian Cushing(notes), Brice McClain and Quintin Demps(notes) had Houston’s
interceptions. … Bucs backup DE George Johnson(notes) injured his knee late in the
first half and did not return.

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Leave your comments on the news below.

Thanks for reading! .

That’s all for today.

AP Photo/Joe Howell

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) fumbles as he is hit by Houston Texans linebacker Darryl Sharpton (51) in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans recovered the ball.

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