The Game: Interview with Matt Schaub
Matt Schaub is a former Pro Bowl quarterback for the Houston Texans and led the NFL in passing back in 2009. He played 17 seasons in the NFL and seven of those were in Houston. He played college football at the University of Virginia where he was 2002 ACC Player of the Year.
Jake Asman: We waste no time as we introduce our next guest, former Texans Pro Bowl quarterback, Matt Schaub. Matt, it’s Jake, BK, and Cody, appreciate you making some time for us here on a Friday and hope all is well on your end.
Matt Schaub: Hey, thanks for having me, guys. Glad to be here.
Cody Stoots: David Kelley after a recent game was talking about the game and maybe they kept sort of the training wheels on, for lack of a better term, on Davis Mills a little bit longer than they should have as a quarterback. How frustrating it is at the QB spot, sometimes you’re like, let me go out there and sling this thing a little bit.
Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s definitely tough, I mean, you know, it’s also hard as a coach when you have to manage a situation where you have a guy who hasn’t played, and is fresh out of college. But at the same time, you’re a football player that’s played a lot of football so you’re not a stranger to throwing the football and going through progressions. OK, here’s my play: what are my coverage indicators and where the football can go? Take the snap. Okay, confirm those things and then make a decision. Is that number one or number two and get the ball out your hand on time. And all the while not keeping things within ten yards on a scrimmage, You’ve got to give them an opportunity just to loosen those things up and show you’re going to go and attack them.
Brad Kellner: Matt, If I’m not mistaken, you had a total of two starts in your first three years in the league and you ended up having a really good career. Obviously, you look at a guy like Tom Brady who didn’t start right away. Hall of Fame career. Patrick Mahomes, maybe the best quarterback in football right now, didn’t start right away. In a perfect world, would you like your quarterback to rest, maybe sit and learn a little bit from the sideline before being thrust into the action?
Matt Schaub: You know, that’s it, every situation is different, every player, every, you know, staff, everyone has their own philosophies and everyone needs to be treated somewhat differently. Are you coming into a team that has a top 10 defense, a top rushing offense view How is your team built? What’s around you? You know, how is your play caller, you know, taking care of you, but all at the same time, understanding you as a player. what your strengths are playing to those strengths, Peyton Manning wasn’t so lucky and fortunate in his first year in the league. Look, what happens now? Sometimes it’s good to have those storms and you’re hardened and callous to those tough situations and that adversity. But not everyone can weather that storm who who has that mental capacity and mental toughness to do that
Jake Asman: Matt, what do you remember about your first start? Because, of course, Davis Mills had to be thinking a lot of different things on three days’ notice that he was starting his first game.
Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s tough when things kind of happen that quickly. So having to get ready with minimal full speed reps for a young quarterback, It’s hard to translate over to game planning throughout the course of a week. You know what you’re working on, the game management side of it and situational football. And so to just get thrown in there. That can be a lot for a rookie quarterback. And you know, for me, my first start, I got one at the end of my rookie year with the Falcons. We had secured our playoff seeding and so they rested Mike Vick and I was able to get a start against the New Orleans Saints that year. It didn’t go well. We lost the game, but it was something I learned from and I was able to grow from it. So I think that the important thing is to keep going and keep things in perspective and stay within yourself.
Jake Asman: Matt, looking back to your career with the Texans, you were here seven years. You were a part of some really good Texans teams. What’s the thing that stands out the most?
Matt Schaub: You know, I think all encompassing turning the Texans into a winner, you know? You know, winning the division championship for the first time back to back years in 11 and 12, you know, turning that organization from one that had been struggling into one that was to be reckoned with and was a force in the AFC South. And you know, that was something that was a goal when I got there, you know, to turn into a playoff team, and win the division. We were able to do that. And, you know, that was something that you know, I always take pride in.
Brad Kellner: Matt, you brought up Andre Johnson who was a big part of the 2011 team, the 2012 team and a lot of your career down here in Houston. Do you think he is a first ballot Hall of Famer?
Jake Asman: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I don’t get a vote, unfortunately, but Dre definitely deserves it. And you know how those things work, sometimes with how long some guys wait. You know he’s going to get in, but he should be a sure fire first ballot. But you know, we’ll see how the voters, you know, vote. But one way or another, he’s going to get in. No question about it.
Jake Asman: Do you have a favorite story from playing for Gary Kubiak?
Matt Schaub: We saw the game through such a similar lens that we just, you know, we related really well to one another. As you know one thing with Kube is his playbook from week to week was so large after having played for some other teams, you know, our game plans are probably twice as big with Gary But for me, just being a guy that was programmed to memorize the game plan, so Kube would come in and he would have a list of 20 questions that he wanted to know about from the quarterback. And he would go through every short yardage on third down and Red Zone Pass play. And you’d have to memorize the formation, give them the formation, give them your read, give them your coverage tips. You stressed but when that meeting was over it was such a relief like I could take a breath of fresh air and, OK, now we can just go play the damn game. So that was the hardest part of the week.
Jake Asman:Certainly, you’re well appreciated by Texans fans and thanks again for coming on.
Matt Schaub: Thanks for having me on, guys. Appreciate it.
