AP

It came as no surprise that Texans coach Gary Kubiak confirmed quarterback Matt Leinart will miss the rest of the season during his Monday press conference.

Everyone knew that was coming. They also know that the Texans are down to T.J. Yates and Kellen Clemens at quarterback, leaving themselves awfully short at an awfully important position for the stretch run. That’s led to ruminations about veteran quarterbacks like Sage Rosenfels, Daunte Culpepper and a certain Wrangler wearing man from Mississippi.

G.M. Rick Smith seemed to stamp out any Brett Favre speculation when he said that the team didn’t want to bring the circus to town. Favre, via Peter King of NBC, also made it sound like there wasn’t much chance of a return to the NFL this season. That didn’t stop Kubiak from getting a question about Favre at his press conference. His answer wasn’t nearly as definitive.

“I don’t think you rule out anybody . . . I’m not going to rule out anybody nor confirm anybody.”

Before anyone decides to start camping out on Favre’s lawn, we should point out that Kubiak also said that the job is Yates’ right now. That means the results of next week’s game will probably have a lot to do with what course the Texans decide to follow the rest of the season. Thanks to Kubiak’s answer, Favre’s name will remain in discussion through that game even if the chances of him arriving in Houston don’t seem all that great at present.