Everything Texans QB C.J. Stroud said ahead of Week 13 vs. Colts

Here's everything Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said ahead of Sunday's road contest against the Indianapolis Colts, including his return to the field, life away from football and his expectations before his first start in a month.

Question: On what it means to him to clear the protocol and get back on the field

C.J. Stroud: “I'm excited to be back, blessed. Super grateful to be able to be healthy again and have some peace knowing that my body and my brain and my thoughts feel pure and clean. So, it's a blessing. I took it one day at a time. It was eye-opening to get a bird's-eye view, which I haven't had in a long time. So, I am grateful for all the prayers. I just want to say to the [Denver] Broncos defense, a lot of them, I heard them praying for me. I really appreciate that. [Talanoa] Hufanga and [Alex] Singleton and some of those guys. So, I really appreciate them doing that. Of course, my teammates and our fan base. Everybody's prayers and thoughts, I appreciated. But it wasn't fun. I wanted to play really badly. I wanted to be back out there, but I thought we put ourselves in a great position. I thought Davis [Mills] did great. He balled out three games in a row and put us in position to win. So, I'm really proud of him and everything he's done. He's been a great teammate, great brother of mine. I'm just really grateful to be back finally.”

Q: On if this injury was frightening/scary

Stroud: “No, it's part of the game. It was kind of the same thing I had in 2023 against the [New York] Jets. They were the same situation, I] hit the back of my head and had a concussion. Having a short week too… That one [the 2023 concussion] I only missed two games, then I played that game in Week 17 against the [Tennessee] Titans. I think if we had played the Bills on Sunday, I would have been able to go. But since it was a short week, I wasn't able to practice. I thought we made the right call, our doctors, of holding me out. But I'm not worried. I'm covered in the blood [of Jesus Christ]. I'm going to continue to be confident and trust my talents and my gifts and try to do it for the glory of God.”

Q: On what he took away from watching these past few weeks

Stroud: “Yeah, just to see how great our defense is. If we can find a way to score in the red zone and find points, I think we can go as far as we want. We have a really, really strong, talented defense. It was really good to see, for me, to see from a bird's eye. That's been the case. But it's a little different when you get to sit there and watch and think, ‘Dang, other quarterbacks got to go through this. When I get back, I got to make sure I make plays and put these guys in position to win and reward them for stops and then turnovers.’ So, I think that's huge. Our special teams is playing well. Then, offensively, I thought we did really solid. But I think we can take another step as well.”

Q: On playing outside of the pocket without thinking about taking another hit

Stroud: “Just play. I think when you think about getting hurt, you think about bad things when bad things happen. I'm going to play free and try my best to trust my instincts, do what I can and, of course, stay healthy. But I want to put my team in a position to win. So, I'm going to do that and whatever happens, happens. But I've trusted I play this game the right way and I know when to slide, when not to. Or try to do my best to protect myself as well. But I'm not going to second-guess that and [I’m] just [going to] try to go play fast and have fun.”

Q: On if he was able to pick up anything from watching QB Davis Mills and Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley operate

Stroud: “I got to hear ‘Cales’ [Nick Caley] and his process a little bit more, which is helpful. I think as the season goes on, we get on chord more and more and more. It was helpful in that area as well.”

Q: On watching the team put themselves in a good position for the rest of the season

Stroud: “I think it's amazing. I think at the right time, you see guys step up and start to take more on their plate and rise to the occasion. I think it's dope. Of course, we didn't start off the best. But I think when you know what type of team we have, we're very talented and we're a couple of plays away each game of winning. Then, of course, you're also a couple plays away from losing. I think the better we finish, the better results we have. That was something that stuck out to me as well.”

Q: On what he misses most when he’s away from the team

Stroud: “My teammates. Being in the building. Laughing, smiling, cracking jokes, and being at practice. I think that's probably [what I miss] the most, I just miss my teammates and being in the room with [QB] Davis [Mills], [QB] Graham [Mertz], [Senior Offensive Assistant/Pass Game Specialist] Jerry [Schuplinski] and [QB Coach] Jerrod [Johnson]. So that's probably the suckiest part.”

Q: On the evolution of the rookies

Stroud: “They're all very mature and I think they approach it the right way. I think the more time on task and time in the game, I think they've been able to have some confidence. You can see how they play. They're dancing, having fun, running great routes. Woody [Marks] is toting the rock, protecting the ball. So, you just see their confidence. I think that's really what this league is about. I think the more confident you are, the more you can make plays for your teammates and go out there and execute your job. I see them doing that in each play. It was cool to see [S] ‘J. Reed out there last game. I thought he made a lot of great plays, somebody who I played against in college who I thought was really good. It was cool to see him out there and hopefully, he gets some more opportunities. I think our rookie class is very mature, and they want to play, they want to do the right things, and I think it takes time. But to see them have early success is amazing.”

Q: On the offensive line continuing to gel

Stroud: “It's cool to see big Trent [Brown] out there, Ed [Ingram] coming back, Jake [Andrews] always playing solid and Tytus [Howard] being an anchor, playing a lot of positions and doing them all very well. Then [T] ‘Tae’ [Aireontae Ersery], another rookie who has [risen] to the occasion and done a really good job these last couple of weeks. I'm just proud of that unit and I'm excited to be back with them.”

Q: On if there’s any extra excitement for his first game back, being against Indianapolis

Stroud: “I always love playing in Indy against the Colts. It's a great environment, great fan base. They've always been a really good team, really good defense. It's going to be cracking. They're going to be playing hard; we're going to be playing hard. It's very exciting, division opponent, like I said, a great atmosphere. I'm very excited and [it’s] really cool that I get to come back to this game.”

Q: On how he picks up where he left off before his concussion

Stroud: “I think doing the little things right, taking care of the football, getting it out of my hand, going through my progressions, my reads, being clean in the communication in the huddle and just trusting myself, trusting my instincts. Being confident and trusting my God-given talent and go from there. I thought I was playing decent coming out of that Seattle [Seahawks] game. I thought I played a good game against San Francisco [49ers]. Then, [against] the Broncos, I thought I had a good first quarter, but it sucks that it happened. I think I'll be able to catch my mojo back, but I don't know when. Hopefully, it's the first play of the game, but whatever it is, I'm going to keep fighting and try to find my rhythm.”

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans QB C.J. Stroud said ahead of Week 13 vs. Colts