Notable comments from the Houston Texans in the lead up to the Week 12 match vs. the San Diego Chargers.
On Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram Leading Front Seven….
"I think it is a talented group that plays extremely hard. It starts with their front seven. you look at Ingram, Bosa; they are making it very difficult for the offense to move the football down the field because of their presence on the edge. I think they are a group that rallies to the ball; I think they play hard (and) physical. (Corey) Liuget in the middle, he is going to make your day very difficult and is a guy that can wreck your day all on his own so we are going to prepare very hard for him and have a plan for him and the rest of the group." – QB Brock Osweiler
"Defensively with Bosa and Ingram off the edge, (they are dangerous). The linebackers, I know they have dealt with some injuries at the back end, but they are very competitive. (Defensive Coordinator) John Pagano does a great job so it is going to be a big challenge for us." – HC Bill O'Brien
"They are very athletic and those guys are NFL athletes. They have a lot of injuries but it is next man up and I know they are going to come out and give us all they got." – WR DeAndre Hopkins
On Philip Rivers….
*"Their quarterback, Philip Rivers, one of the best in the game. One of the best to ever do it. Any time you play against a guy like that you know that you are going to have a challenge ahead of you because Philip is going to find ways to put points up on the board. In return, we need to find ways to put points up on the board to keep up with him." – QB Brock Osweiler *
"Where do I start? I have been around this guy as an opponent, from college, all the way through to where he is now. Seen him at NC State, coached on staffs against him there, I was on a coaching staff that coached against him in the AFC Championship game in '07 when he had a torn ACL and played with that. The guy is tough; the guy is a leader, very competitive. I had him in the Pro-Bowl for a week (and) was around him a while there. I have a ton of respect for the guy and it will be a big challenge for us, he is one of the best in the league. He has thrown (over 300) touchdown passes and so we understand the challenge and we are going to have to show up and play a very good football game on Sunday." – HC Bill O'Brien
"You can put him in the category of Drew Brees, (Tom) Brady and the Mannings. He has seen everything. He has been in the league so long he knows when you are bluffing or if you are not in the coverage so we are really going to have to disguise and try not to give him a good look. If we are just sitting there he is going to pick us apart." – CB Charles James ll
"He is a great quarterback, great competitor, he can throw, he can sling it; you know he is going to come at everybody. You have seen what he has done this year and it is amazing. That is what you have seen from him his whole career so we have to be at the top of our game." – CB A.J. Bouye
On Antonio Gates…
"Great, great player. He has great instincts, great athletic ability, everybody knows his story- a college basketball player, big guy, a really good athlete for his size and another guy like Philip that I have coached against since 2007 since I was at the Patriots. A very difficult guy to handle. You better know where Gates is on every play too because that is a guy on third down, in the red zone area, on first or second down, he can hurt you. He has been doing this for years so this will be a challenge for us." – HC Bill O'Brien
On Melvin Gordon….
"I have coached against him since I was at Penn State against Wisconsin, and then now this week at San Diego, this guy is big, he's got speed, he's got vision, he hits the hole quick, he makes good decisions (and) can catch the ball out of the backfield. This guy is a real threat. It is a big challenge for our team. We have done a good job the last three games of stopping the run and it is going to be another big challenge for us this week." – HC Bill O'Brien
"He is a great running back. I didn't really follow him last year but I don't know what the deal was with that. Everyone is talking about how he is the most improved from last year to this year and he is amazing. He is very explosive, so just containing him and playing till the call and competing is what we (need) to do." – CB A.J. Bouye
On Casey Hayward…
"He is finding ways to make plays week in and week out. He not only can come up and challenge the receiver, but he is tied for the lead in interceptions. That is because he is a tremendous player and he has great ball skills. He knows how to challenge the wide receiver and then step up and make a big play when his team needs it. Just like some of those other guys on that defense, we know we have a challenge ahead of us and we need to have a great week of preparation." – QB Brock Osweiler
