HOUSTON — The Houston Texans say defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is in stable condition after undergoing surgery on his kidney and gall bladder.

The team announced Wednesday that Phillips would take a medical leave to have a surgical procedure. The 64-year-old Phillips said after Wednesday’s practice that he expected to miss a week to 10 days to recover. He said his condition was not life-threatening and was non-cancerous.

Linebackers coach Reggie Herring will run the defense for Houston (10-3) in Sunday’s game against Carolina (4-9).

The Texans lead the league in total defense (275 yards per game) under the guidance of Phillips, hired in January. The team said in a statement that “in order to respect his privacy, the family has requested there be no further information given at this time.”

HOUSTON — Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak says Jake Delhomme will back up rookie T.J. Yates in Sunday’s game against Atlanta.

The Texans (8-3) signed the 36-year-old Delhomme on Tuesday, after Matt Leinart broke his left collarbone in Sunday’s 20-13 win at Jacksonville. Leinart had his scheduled surgery moved from Thursday to next Tuesday because he has an illness.

Regular starter Matt Schaub, meanwhile, rejoined his team Friday after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. Kubiak says Schaub will watch Sunday’s game from the press box with offensive coordinator Rick Dennison.

Yates, a fifth-round pick, will make his first NFL start. Kellen Clemens, signed after Schaub was hurt, will be No. 3 on the depth chart.

Read More: Brian Cushing (LB – HOU), Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans

Brian Cushing was held out of practice by the Houston Texans medical staff on Wednesday, Coach Gary Kubiak said Cushing was “just beat up,” so he is still expected to start Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons.

Here is the full injury report on the Houston Texans on Wednesday:

Did not participate: DT Tim Bulman (calf), LB Brian Cushing (ribs), FB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring)

Limited participation: LB Mister Alexander (shoulder), DT Shaun Cody (toe, ankle), LB Tim Dobbins (shoulder), TE Garrett Graham (hamstring), WR Andre Johnson (knee), CB Johnathan Joseph (hip), S Glover Quin (elbow), DE Antonio Smith (shoulder, back), G Wade Smith (ankle)

Full participation: CB Jason Allen (thumb), G Mike Brisiel (ankle), TE Owen Daniels (knee), TE Joel Dreessen (neck), S Danieal Manning (ankle)

Fore more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For info on the Houston Texans, check out Battle Red Blog, and for everything NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL page.

In four victories, Houston has averaged 176.75 yards rushing and either Ben Tate or Arian Foster has topped 100 yards. In three losses, the Texans have averaged only 91 yards rushing, with neither featured back reaching the century mark.

The line has also done a better job protecting quarterback Matt Schaub with only four sacks in the wins, while they’ve given up nine in the three losses.

“To a certain part, as the offensive line goes, so goes the rest of the team,” said right tackle Eric Winston, who’s started 78 consecutive games.

The Texans have started 13 games over the past two seasons with the current front five: left tackle Duane Brown, guard Wade Smith, center Chris Myers, guard Mike Brisiel and Winston. Houston has averaged 399.2 yards in those games, and the linemen have embraced the role of setting the tone for the offense.

In Houston’s 41-7 win at Tennessee last week, the line paved the way for a season-high 222 yards rushing and did not allow a sack. Winston said the linemen also established an intensity that spread through the entire team.

“The big thing I was pleased with the last game was we brought a lot of energy, and I think a lot of people fed off of that,” Winston said. “We kept the energy level up, kept running down the field, making blocks and doing those things. I was proud of it from that standpoint, and I think that’s our responsibility from here on out.

“Now that we’ve seen what we do, we’ve got to go out there and keep doing that, keep bringing that energy level and keep doing everything we can to make sure we’re successful.”

The Texans set a franchise record for total offense (386.6 yards per game) for the fourth straight season in 2010, and they lead the league with 13 100-yard rushing performances since the start of last season.

Houston leads the NFL this season in drives lasting five minutes or more (16), and Foster and Schaub say stability has become a key to the line’s effectiveness.

“Those guys know what they’re doing, they’re playing extremely well,” Schaub said. “I have all the confidence in the world in what they’re doing. I’ve been with them for four years, so great chemistry with those guys.”

Winston was a third-round pick in 2006 and Brisiel signed later that year as an undrafted free agent. Houston acquired Myers in a trade with Denver in March 2008 then selected Brown in the first round of the draft that year. Smith joined the team before the 2010 season, and the line has been virtually intact ever since.

Winston says the line has been “up and down” this year, even though Houston’s offense ranks seventh in the league (400.6 yards per game).

Tate and Foster both reached 100 yards rushing in Sunday’s game, and Foster became the first Texans player and 32nd in history to have 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game. Foster was named the AFC’s top offensive performer, and reiterated on Wednesday that his offensive line should’ve gotten more recognition for helping him lead the league in rushing in 2010.

Winston said the linemen gladly relinquish the spotlight.

“I don’t think a lot of us want the publicity necessarily, or expect it,” Winston said. “We love to hear that Arian was the 32nd player in NFL history to do something, or we had two guys over 100 yards. Those kind of things are awesome for us. That’s where we feel like we had a direct correlation on the outcome of the game.”

Notes: As expected, WR Andre Johnson returned to practice on Wednesday after sitting out the previous three games with a right hamstring injury. Coach Gary Kubiak says Johnson took another “huge step forward” in his recovery, though he would not say definitively if Johnson will play on Sunday. “It’s going to be a process this week,” Kubiak said, “but there’s obviously a chance (he’ll play).” … Fullback James Casey (strained chest muscle) also returned after missing the last two games, and expects Casey to play on Sunday. … LB Brian Cushing sat out Wednesday’s practice with a sinus infection.

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HOUSTON — Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith said Wednesday that the apparent drowning of his friend in the pool behind his home over the weekend was a “tragic accident.”

The body of 37-year-old Engram Lamar Crenshaw, of Katy, was discovered on Sunday morning, following a party at Smith’s ranch-style home in a suburb about 30 miles southwest of the city.

Smith said Wednesday he was cooperating with authorities as they investigate Crenshaw’s death.

“I just want to lend out my prayers and my thoughts to Lamar’s family,” Smith said. “A tragic accident happened, and it’s just a heart-felt type of thing. It’s a thing that sinks in my heart.”

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Capt. James Burger said Wednesday that he had no new information in the case. An autopsy was performed on Monday, and Burger expects results of toxicology tests to come back in about three weeks.

Smith said he could not comment further on the incident. No charges have been filed.

Crenshaw was not affiliated with the team. Smith practiced on Wednesday, as the Texans prepare to open the season against Indianapolis on Sunday.

“It’s a tragic situation and we’re just supporting him as an organization,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s difficult, but all we can do is try to help him work through it.”

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Smith is about to start his eighth season, and third with the Texans. He’s started 31 of 32 games for Houston since signing with the team as a free agent before the 2009 season. Smith was originally a fifth-round pick by Arizona in the 2004 draft out of Oklahoma State.