O’Brien shows feistiness with sideline rant
Displaying a sense of humor about his fiery sideline confrontation with special-teams coordinator Larry Izzo during a win Sunday over the Detroit Lions, Texans coach Bill O’Brien was in a lighthearted mood Monday.
Irate that the Texans had only 10 men on the field for the opening kickoff of the second half, O’Brien lit into Izzo.
The coach had to be restrained by inside linebacker Brian Peters and strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald.
“We have a strong staff; they overcome me a lot,” O’Brien said. “I did see that video afterward. I couldn’t believe what I saw.
“It had to be an impostor, right? It’s Halloween; I’m sure there are going to be plenty of people in Houston dressed up as me with a ‘Kick me’ sign on the back of it.”
O’Brien initially denied any knowledge of the incident Sunday, later acknowledging it in passing when asked if it had been an impostor on the sideline.
“Things happen on the sideline,” O’Brien said. “We have an intense staff. We had a basketball court outside of the bubble. We were playing for a while, and things got intense out there.
“The next time we showed up out there, the basketball hoop was gone.
“So, we have an intense staff. I don’t know where they get it from. I’m not that intense.
“Things happen. It’s just the nature of the game. It’s a competitive game.
“We all want to win. We’ve moved on from that, and it won’t happen again.”
Cushing showing improved play
Texans middle linebacker Brian Cushing, who missed two games this season with a sprained medial collateral ligament, has 21 tackles over the past three games, including seven in the win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
“I feel really good these last two games,” Cushing said Monday. “I really feel like myself. It’s picking up. I’m really excited for the second half of the year, considering I’ll be fully healthy. People might have been giving me grief the first couple of games back,
“But I was also supposed to be out six weeks and I played after two. So not many people are going to be able to do that. It’s the love and the passion I have for the game. This last game, I’m finally fully healthy.”
A former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl selection, Cushing is regarded as the emotional leader of the defense.
“He’s a very tough, tough guy,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He played the game — I mean, you should see it — he’s got a thumb deal right now.
“I’ve said it all along, he’s the heart and soul of the defense, one of the top leaders of our team. I just really enjoy the way he plays football.”
Jackson provides lift to secondary
For Texans veteran cornerback Kareem Jackson, it was a markedly improved performance in his second game back from a hamstring injury that forced him out for two games.
Jackson shadowed receivers much more effectively and moved better in a win Sunday over the Detroit Lions six days after allowing a touchdown pass and a long reception in a road loss to the Denver Broncos.
Jackson had five solo tackles, one for a loss and one pass defended.
“I feel good,” Jackson said. “It’s always fun to be out there and run around with my guys. The second game back felt great.”
The Texans contained Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, holding him to only one touchdown and 240 passing yards. Stafford completed 27 of 41 pass attempts.
“As a secondary, we tried to plaster their receivers and get in their faces all day and give Stafford some different looks,” Jackson said. “We wanted to give him something to actually think about before he can throw the ball.
“I think we did a great job of executing the game plan.”
Wilfork’s injury appears minor
Texans veteran nose tackle Vince Wilfork’s groin injury isn’t expected to sideline him for long, coach Bill O’Brien said.
Wilfork, who left Sunday’s game and didn’t return, was moving fine Monday in the Texans’ locker room.
O’Brien had no definitive update on the status of wide receivers Jaelen Strong and Will Fuller.
Strong’s injury is considered more serious.
He was in a walking boot to protect his sprained left ankle and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday.
Fuller has been dealing with a hamstring injury.