Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen on Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and the defense: "Obviously, coming over from San Fran – running a very, very similar scheme there. But they're physical. He gets those guys playing hard.
Steichen on Texans QB C.J. Stroud: "He had a pretty good game, obviously. He gets the ball out of his hands quick, he makes quick decisions. He's a pure passer, he can spin it. I watched, obviously, the game and the ball comes out on time. He sees it well. He's a good player that we have to be ready for."
Colts Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley on Stroud: "He seems to be handling himself pretty well in there, I thought. He sticks in there. It's hard because we've really got one game – with a new staff like this. So, you're trying to go back and look at scheme things and then you also want to go back and look at him and his college days."
Colts DT DeForest Buckner on Stroud: "He can make the throws when he has time. As a defensive unit, we've got to do a good job of making him uncomfortable in the pocket. Whenever you're going against a young quarterback, a rookie quarterback, you want to get pressure on him early. You want to hit him as much as you can early and often to kind of get him rattled a little bit – uncomfortable in the pocket. I think as a unit, even if we're not bringing pressure and it's a passing down, us four up front have to do a really good job in applying that pressure on him throughout the day. You can never let him get comfortable back there. Those are my biggest points going into this game."
Colts LB Zaire Franklin on Stroud: "I see a young quarterback still trying to figure it out. Obviously, Baltimore threw all kinds of things at him last week, but that's what you can expect from that type of defense. They're still trying to get that rhythm. Obviously, they're bringing all the young guys along, so we'll do our best to make him uncomfortable."
Colts QB Anthony Richardson on Stroud: "I love C.J.. I've known him since high school. We went to a few camps together, been through college together – talk a lot. So whenever I see him, I always tell him he's a GOAT, he's a baller. I'm looking forward to playing against him and playing against their team. But yeah, he's definitely a dog. He's a baller."
Steichen on the Texans Defense: The corner, Steven Nelson, I had a chance to be with him in Philly. Then (Derek) Stingley Jr., the other guy on the outside, obviously a first round draft pick who is a very talented player. Will Anderson Jr. is a very talented player. He had a good performance against Baltimore last week. Then their MIKE linebacker, Denzel (Perryman), I had a chance to be with him a little bit with the Chargers as well. They play fast, they play physical and he will have those guys ready to play."
Buckner on Texans RB Dameon Pierce and the ground attack: "Up front, we've got to do a good job of dominating the line of scrimmage, stopping the run game. They really depend on the run game with Dameon Pierce back there. He's a really good back. He likes to get downhill and he runs hard. As a collective group, we've got to do a good job with tackling."
