National Football League

Texans CB Quin gets redemption against Titans

Published Nov. 29, 2010 2:09 p.m. ET

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Houston's Glover Quin says cornerbacks must have short memories. He can probably remember Sunday's performance against Tennessee forever.

The second-year pro set a Texans record with three interceptions in a 20-0 victory, redeeming himself for giving up decisive touchdown passes in the previous two games.

''It was a great feeling,'' Quin said. ''These last two weeks have been super tough, the things we didn't do as a team, the things I didn't do as an individual. To be able to come out and put together a game like this, and get the results that we got and not only get the win, but get the shutout. It was just a great day.''

The Texans (5-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with their first shutout since 2004. During the skid, Quin had become a symbol of the NFL's worst-ranked pass defense.

Two weeks ago, he batted a desperation pass into the waiting hands of Jacksonville's Mike Thomas, who stepped across the goal line for the winning score in Houston's 31-24 loss to the Jaguars. Last week, Santonio Holmes beat Quin on the go-ahead TD to complete the New York Jets' rally in a 30-27 victory.

Quin struggled to maintain his confidence and on top of that, he found out last Monday that he broke his right hand in the Jets' game. He fell back on his Christian faith and was determined to keep playing, believing that his luck would eventually change.

''I knew it was going to come through eventually,'' he said.

Quin and the Texans caught a break last week when the Titans (5-6) were forced to start rookie Rusty Smith, a sixth-round draft pick. Smith made his first start in place of Vince Young, who went on injured reserve with a thumb injury after a dispute with Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher.

After giving up at least 24 points in each of its first 10 games, Houston's defense dominated from the start. Quin then reversed its own fortunes on the first play of the second quarter, picking off Smith's underthrown pass to Nate Washington. It was Quin's first career interception.

Quin added two more picks in the fourth quarter. While Andre Johnson's fistfight with Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan got most of the postgame attention, Quin couldn't hide his joy as he fielded reporters' questions.

''It just feels good to know that through it all, just keep believing, keep trusting in God, and good things will happen,'' Quin said. ''I knew through the whole situation that it was a test. I didn't know what the lesson was. I still don't really know, but I just believe that through it all, just keep your head up, keep fighting, keep believing and grinding and good things will happen.''

Houston coach Gary Kubiak joked that maybe Quin should've been playing with a broken hand earlier in the season.

''It must have just leveled things out or something,'' Kubiak cracked. ''He is a great kid. He plays very hard. He came off a humbling experience in Jacksonville. He handled it like a man, and good things happen to people that just keep battling and stay after it and that's what he's all about. I'm very proud of him.''

Quin said his hand was ''really, really sore'' on Monday, but he never wore a cast during practices last week. He never doubted that he would play on Sunday.

''I feel like I always can play unless my legs are broken,'' he said.

He took some pain-killers before Sunday's game, put on a cast and took the field.

''Not one time did I feel any pain,'' Quin said. ''I thought about it, because it got caught in there a few times. But it was nothing really that I couldn't take. With the adrenaline, and the way we were playing, I didn't feel that much pain.''

The Texans held the Titans to 138 yards passing, only the second time this season they've held an opponent under 200.

Next up for Houston is Michael Vick and Philadelphia (7-4) on Thursday night. The Eagles have the league's eighth-ranked passing offense (252.6 yards per game), and Quin said he and the Texans are more mentally ready for the challenge than they would've been before shutting down the Titans. ''All of the stuff we've been going through, coming off a four-game losing streak, it was just getting mentally draining,'' Quin said. ''You don't want to press as a team, but everybody was kind of pressing, thinking, 'We have to get a win.'

''Earlier in the year, we had chances to make plays and didn't make them,'' he said. ''(On Sunday), we had a chance to make plays and we made them, but I don't feel like we've arrived yet. We just have to keep working and doing what we're doing, keep studying and preparing ourselves every day in practice and keep playing the games. You never know what can happen.''

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