"It just feels great to be back," he said. "You have a true appreciation for the opportunity that you have and the opportunity to be around the players ... and the chance to do my job again."
Kubiak, who returned to work on Monday, spoke to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since collapsing on the field at halftime in Houston's loss to Indianapolis on Nov. 3.
He said doctors have limited his work this week, but that he will lead the team when the Texans try to break a franchise-record seven-game losing streak when they play the Raiders.
"I'm on kind of a different schedule — kind of hard to adjust to, but I'm adjusting to it," he said. "I'm listening to them."
The workaholic coach said he has learned through this ordeal he must take the advice of others — and slow down some.
"I've obviously got a lot of people telling me what I need to do," he said. "Some great people over at Methodist (hospital) that I've been dealing with for the last week and a half, plus my wife is pretty rough to deal with right now."
The 52-year-old Kubiak suffered a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is briefly interrupted, typically by a blood clot or narrowed blood vessels. TIAs are often called mini-strokes and can cause stroke-like symptoms including sudden dizziness or unconsciousness. Experts say they are often a warning sign for a future stroke, particularly within three months of a TIA.
When asked to recall what happened when he collapsed, Kubiak said the details were fuzzy.
"I really don't remember a whole lot," he said. "I remember right before the half not feeling very good, had a headache. That's about the last thing I remember. From there I was over at the hospital talking to some different people."
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips coached the Texans in Sunday's loss at Arizona with Kubiak out. He said not being with the team was painful.
"I wasn't able to watch the whole thing," Kubiak said. "I watched parts of it. Very tough. I hurt with them. It was just hard to watch. It's hard to sit there and watch a football game when you've been there the whole time for the last 30 years."
He did see quarterback Case Keenum have another quality game, despite the loss. Still, Kubiak said he’s not handing the keys to Keenum for good this season.
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m going to keep going week to week,” Kubiak said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Matt (Schaub’s) working really hard. I know Matt wants back on the field. Case has played really well and done a lot of good things. He has made a lot of mistakes, too, that he’s got to correct; been in some close ballgames with the ball in his hand at the end of the game. We’ve got to get over the hump there.”
The Texans also released future Hall of Fame safety, Ed Reed, before he got through one full season. But all the attention is on Keenum right now, who from the outside looks like the quarterback of the future in Houston. Kubiak could well be ensuring Keenum doesn’t let up.
“(Keenum) needs a little pressure on him to continue to have to play well and stay in there,” Kubiak said. “I’m not going to give anybody anything, much less a quarterback.”
BOWE WILL START
Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe may have to eventually pay for his arrest on a marijuana possession charge, but it won’t be on the week of the team’s biggest game this season.
Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that Bowe would play — and start — for the Chiefs Sunday at Denver. Bowe was arrested Sunday night. After being pulled over for speeding, police say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and found it in the vehicle.
Bowe issued a statement Wednesday afternoon apologizing:
“I apologize to the Hunt Family, Coach Reid, my teammates and Chiefs fans for the distraction I have caused the team this week. Due to the nature of the pending matter, I am unable to make any further comment on the situation.”
His attorney, Kevin E.J. Regan, said his client is "100 percent innocent."
Bowe has a Dec. 18 court date. Until then, at least, it appears he’ll be full-go for the current 9-0 Chiefs.
“It is a legal matter and that’s the way we’ll handle it,” Reid told FOX Sports. “Let it run it’s course there. Dwayne will play, he’ll start.”
Bowe has 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns this season.
MANNING SITS
Peyton Manning likely won't be listed on the Denver Broncos' Wednesday injury report as "limited practice-old." Tim Duncan of the NBA's Spurs will retain that unique distinction. But that was as much a reason for Manning participating only in a short walk-through with the team, four days before it hosts the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs.
Manning will play Sunday night, interim head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters Wednesday: there is "no doubt in my mind,'' he said. Manning was not on the field during the portion of practice open to media; USA Today reported his joining the walk-through, without pads.
Manning suffered a right high ankle sprain on a hit late in the Broncos' win at San Diego last Sunday, and Del Rio made clear that he and other veterans would likely get lighter work this week. Manning has missed four practices over the last three weeks, the Denver Post reported, the only practices he has missed since joining the Broncos before last season.
Del Rio said that Manning would be able to play if the game were that day, adding, "They aren't going to Wednesday games yet, are they?" Manning went for treatment on his ankle after the walkthrough, he said.
CHRISTENSEN DIES
Former Pro Bowl tight end and two-time Super Bowl winner Todd Christensen died, according to BYU athletics. He was 57.
Christensen, who played running back at BYU from 1974-77, died from complications from surgery, according to Brigham Young University. He had been dealing with liver issues, according to the Daily Herald in Provo, Utah.
Christensen was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t play his rookie season after breaking his foot, was waived and picked up by the New York Giants. The Giants also cut him.
The Oakland Raiders signed him in 1979.
He caught eight passes — the first of his career — in 1981 with two touchdowns. He increased that to 42 the next season and he made the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls in 1983 when he caught a league-high 92 passes for 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns.
FINLEY HAVING SURGERY
Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley will undergo spinal fusion surgery as a result of a terrifying injury suffered on a hit against Cleveland three weeks ago, his agent confirmed, adding that Finley plans to return to the NFL.
Blake Baratz, Finley's agent, released a statement on Wednesday confirming plans to have Steelers team neurosurgeon Joseph Maroon perform the operation, describing it as "a proactive measure that should alleviate future risks with regards to a similar episode or re-injury."
Maroon, the statement continued, "is experienced in conducting this type of procedure on professional athletes in contact sports, and is confident that Jermichael will fully recover following the procedure. Once surgery has been completed, Jermichael has every intention of resuming his football career, and we fully support his efforts to do so.''
The statement was sent out, Baratz said, to "clarify" Finley's situation, after former Packers tight end Mark Chmura told a MIlwaukee radio station on Monday that Finley would have the operation this Thursday, and "I would bet my bottom dollar that his career's over. Over ... He's definitely not gonna play in Green Bay. I'd put my house on that."
Baratz pointed out Chmura's "decision to speak out publicly and inaccurately" — although Chmura was correct about the upcoming surgery plans. No date for the surgery was released.
Finley was placed on injured reserve on last week. After the injury October 20, in a collision with Cleveland safety Tashaun Gipson, Finley was hospitalized for four days.
BROWNS UPGRADING STADIUM
The Browns have revealed a proposal to modernize and upgrade their city-owned downtown stadium.
The team estimates the two-year construction plan, which includes the installation of giant scoreboards — triple the size of current ones — and a reduction of 3,000 seats from FirstEnergy Stadium, will cost $120 million. Browns CEO Joe Banner said the team will present its proposal to the City Council on Thursday. Banner did not want to get into specifics about how the project will be funded, but promised the Browns will make a "significant investment."
Banner said the team considered putting a dome on the stadium, but found it would cost "nine figures." Also, the team is keeping natural grass rather than changing to a synthetic surface.
On the field, Banner has been excited about the progress the Browns (4-5) have made under first-year coach Rob Chudzinski.
HURD GETS 15 YEARS
Former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for his role in starting a drug-distribution scheme while playing for the Chicago Bears, completing a steep downfall that ended his football career and left his future in tatters.
Hurd, 28, received the punishment in a federal courtroom in Dallas after pleading guilty in April to one count of trying to buy and distribute large amounts of cocaine and marijuana. The charge carried a minimum 10-year sentence and a maximum of life.
Authorities say that while NFL teammates and friends knew him as a hardworking receiver and married father, Hurd was fashioning a separate identity as a wannabe drug kingpin with a focus on "high-end deals" and a need for large amounts of drugs.
U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis gave Hurd a much shorter sentence than the 27 to 34 years recommended by federal sentencing guidelines. Solis noted that the case against Hurd centered on a "lot of agreements" to buy and sell marijuana and cocaine, rather than physical transactions of drugs.
Contributors: Rana L. Cash, David Steele, The Associated Press
