In three years with the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Schaub built his reputation by looking great in preseason games.

After backing up Michael Vick in Atlanta, Matt Schaub is getting the chance to lead the Texans.

That trend continued in Houston with Schaub showing poise, presence and good decision-making skills in leading the Texans through the exhibition season. Now comes the real test for the first-time starter who was traded to Houston after backing up Michael Vick for three seasons.

"He has a great feel for what's going on, getting rid of the football, the things we talk about all the time," coach Gary Kubiak said.

It's one thing to look great in preseason, but the 26-year-old Schaub is taking over a team that has never had a winning record and whose only other starting quarterback, 2002 No. 1 pick David Carr, was released after five lackluster seasons.

Kubiak has no doubt Schaub is ready for the challenge. "The thing you see is just a confidence in what he's doing and his composure as a player," Kubiak said. "The more he plays, the more stadiums he goes into. ... I think you're going to see the guy just get better and better."

Schaub has already changed the Texans for the better, with his demeanor rubbing off on his teammates.

"When they see him very much under control in what he's doing and having control of all the situations, I think they calm down and play better," Kubiak said. "So that's a quarterback's job, and I think he's handling his pretty darn good right now."

Schaub, who has started two games in his career and is 84-of-161 for 1,033 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions, doesn't like to talk about what Carr did or didn't do for the Texans.

Instead, he prefers to look to the future. "I tried not to focus on what it was like before, because I have my way of doing things and I am who I am," he said. "I'm going to do it the way I've learned to play the position coming up through college and in Atlanta. I'm going to do what it takes to help this team at my position."

The Texans did little in the offseason to upgrade their talent at receiver after Pro Bowler Andre Johnson, but may have found a gem in third-round pick Jacoby Jones. Jones, a former track star from Division II Lane College, is already pushing second receiver Kevin Walter for playing time.

He also could be a star on special teams after returning two punts for touchdowns in the preseason.

Schaub will be joined in the backfield by four-time Pro Bowler Ahman Green, in his first year in Houston. The 30-year-old Green hopes he can bolster a running game that struggled last season until Ron Dayne got healthy and emerged in December.

"If I don't get 100 yards, I just want to be effective with 60," the former Packers star said. "I just want to do what's needed for our team that day to win the game. Just be effective rushing, catching, picking up the blitz, whatever I need to do to help us. That's what I'll ask of myself every game."

The Texans will likely use Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner, when Green needs a break and in short yardage situation. His 612 yards rushing led Houston last season and were the most he'd gained since 2001 with the Giants.

The success of the defense will likely be closely linked to the development of Mario Williams, last year's top overall pick. The defensive end was largely a disappointment last season, failing to show the flash fans wanted after the Texans passed on Reggie Bush and Vince Young to draft him. He finished with 47 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks while dealing with a painful foot problem.

He showed up to camp healthy and in great shape, and Kubiak praised his work ethic and improvement this preseason. Houston got him some help on the line by adding 20-year-old defensive tackle Amobi Okoye with the 10th pick in this year's draft.

The Texans' coaching staff think Okoye is a rare interior lineman who can rush the quarterback, which should take some pressure off Williams, who is often double-teamed.

While the focus is how Williams will play, the unit will be led by DeMeco Ryans, last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year. The middle linebacker took over the group almost immediately and led the NFL with 126 solo tackles.

He's excited about the possibilities for Houston this season now that he and Williams have a year of experience.

"We're a lot smarter defense," he said. "We don't panic when we get in certain situations, where we were kind of panicking last year or didn't know exactly what to do. I think we're handling ourselves a lot better and we're a lot more prepared."