Schaub Looking to Build on Career Year
July 29, 2010 – 6:00 am by Eric SchmoldtQuick! Who led the NFL in passing yards in 2009?
Super Bowl champion Drew Brees? Not even close — he was sixth. Big Ben Roethlisberger? Getting colder. Tom Brady? Now you’ve at least cracked the top five. Peyton Manning? Close, but he was still almost a full game — 270 yards — behind the leader.
Try Houston Texans signal-caller Matt Schaub on for size. Schaub threw for 4,770 yards, the sixth-most in a single season in NFL history. With more weapons around him and perhaps a running game that will create more balance, it may be time for the seemingly elite quarterback and the Texans to make a run into the playoffs.
Matt Schaub joined KILT in Houston with Rich and Robert to discuss his expectations for the Texans, the loss of Brian Cushing for the first four games on defense and the Texans’ attempt to put together a rushing game to complement the aerial attack.
On this year’s expectations after a 9-7 season:
“We have very high expectations. We probably have as high of expectations as you possibly can in this business. That’s the way we feel and that’s the way we’re heading and that’s where we want to be. We feel if we take care of our business … and play consistently well like we know we can, there’s no reason why we can’t be right there at the end of the year.”
On tough schedule:
“Not at all. It doesn’t matter. We’ll play anyone, anywhere. We’re excited about the opportunity. If you want to be the best … you’ve got to beat the best. We’ve got a number of good, tough teams that we’ve got to play, but we feel like we’re right there in the fold with every single one of them. We can be in any game and win any game that we play.”
On loss of Brian Cushing for four games due to suspension:
“Any time you lose a player of his caliber and what he brings to the table, he’s going to be missed. But the fact that we found out about the situation, this all took place in the offseason, we’ve had guys work at that position throughout OTAs, being prepared for their opportunity. … It’s like an injury, but without the negative repercussions of an injury occurring. We know it in advance. We know he’s going to be out four games.”
On what the locker room feels about Cushing:
“As his teammate, we’re going to stand by him. We’re going to support him and we’re going to be waiting with open arms when he comes back to join us Week 5. … It’s an unfortunate situation that he’s got himself into, but like anything in this game we’ve got to handle the adversity and deal with it.”
On the intensity leader on offense:
“First, let’s be honest, defense and offensive football are two different animals by nature. Defensively, you’ve got to thrive off the intensity and excitement and that type of energy level and emotion. Offensively, you have to be more cerebral. Not that you don’t have to be defensively, but offensively you’ve just got to be on your Ps and Qs and just be cerebral in your preparation and how you play. In that respect, they’re two different things when you talk about the intensity and the emotion.”
On adding a complementary running game:
“We definitely want to develop a more consistent running game. It will help us be a more consistent offense and a more balanced offense and is something that will really help us win a few more football games and get to where we want to be. … It takes the pressure off the passing game. We’ve shown we can throw the ball, we just need to be a little bit more consistent running the football and we have the guys that can do it.”
Listen to the entire interview with Matt Schaub on KILT in Houston here
Tags: Brian Cushing, Houston Texans, Matt Schaub, NFL
