With C.J, Stroud out on concussion protocol the past few games (Jags 2, Titans 2, & the recent Bills game), and Davis Mills keeping the Texans’ ship afloat with wins in Stroud’s absence, there are so many flaky fans wondering if Mills should just become the starter QB from now on.

I think this is flat-out ridiculous. This is short-sightedness mixed with impatience and nostalgia, mostly by fair-weather fans (which is frustrating to listen to and deal with). Let’s face it: Stroud’s rookie season was amazing; even in the team’s losses he looked good. He was a force to be reckoned with on the field, and it was awesome to watch him.

2024 had the “sophmore slump”, but I have a theory about why rookie seasons are so good with exceptional players and then nearly always the slump happens, and it’s simple: You’re new, and the other team doesn’t know enough about you to counteract you yet! By the time the sophmore season rolls around, other teams have a whole season of data on you and how you act in certain situations, and they’ve figured out ways to get around your strengths, so the stats dip a bit because the old tricks don’t work as well.

Of course, there are exceptions to this: players that shined in college where the system and rules were a bit different. Plenty of players bust when they get to the pros because they went from a strictly-monitored system with curfews and academics to being adults on their own. Those who can’t handle the “adulting” responsibilities end up busting (Isaiah Wilson is a great recent example of what can go wrong; UrinatingTree did a fantastic video on this below):

The new things always outshine the old at first, but they eventually become routine. What I hate is so many folks are harping on how special that first season for Stroud was that they want a return to that magic. I don’t think that’s as possible as many want to believe.

Teams evolve, the game evolves. So if anything, this strange Texans season of ups and downs is creating some major opportunities to build on and make their game better overall.

Davis Mills has been a clutch backup QB. I have talked to plenty of folks who have been more up in the football world than I (remember, I’m a re-newbie here) and they’ve been pleasantly surprised at how Mills has worked out. And I’m astonished at how fast he can get that ball out there. Many of them aren’t Stroud fans, admittedly, so when I press them on their “Mills should take over” stance… I do hear a few “but”s: Mills’ accuracy and athleticism. (A solid backup and stabilizing force for sure, though.)

Stroud, when he is in the groove, is CRAZY accurate and his athleticism is fantastic. I could see why folks loved watching him play back then when you review the vids of him in action. He LOVES the game and being an uplifter with his teammates. It’s great.

Between Stroud and Mills, you have a helluva duo.

The only QB controversy I see is why we haven’t heard of them working together, if at all.

Weeks 4 and 5 of this season showed a bit of this happening, where Stroud left early and Mills took over. He wasn’t as accurate and didn’t shine as bright, but the weeks where he had to take over and start evened his playing out a bit. He got into the groove, & could continue to improve with more field time on the big stage.

Hell, who could forget THIS awesome TD from the 2nd Jaguars game:

The biggest frustration for Texans fans in 2024 was all the injuries that piled up and ground the team to a halt early in the playoffs. They ran into that brick wall and couldn’t get past it. Trading starters out more often would help alleviate injuries. In weeks 4 and 5, we got to see that happening, and I thought it was great. Yeah, the last quarter might not have looked as good, but if we boost the abilities of the backups, we can REALLY minimize our REAL rival: injuries.

Stroud will return as starting QB against the Colts in Week 13, and I can’t wait. My hope is that he’ll shine as he did when he came off concussion protocol in 2023 and pull some wins with his chances to practice and well-rested state. But also, I hope they do what they did in weeks 4 and 5 and give Mills time to be a closer.

Unless we’re talking injuries, there’s NO reason not to swap out starters when you have fresh, capable backups, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it more. Sure, there’ve been some mistakes, some uncertainty in movement, but once the newness of the situation wore off the rookies got into a groove, the playing got better. Now we’ve got rookies folks can’t wait to see on the field as starters or alternates. They did that enough that, as Coach Ryans said in week 10, “There are no more rookies now.”

More than that, this regular season can give BOTH QBs a chance to improve, even 2/3 of the way in. Mills has years more experience, more flexibility in the pocket, & a quicker release on average than Stroud. Stroud has more athleticism and accuracy (especially with an improved o-line). Stroud and Mills SHOULD get together more to fix their games, learn from each other how to improve weaknesses. Both have multiple seasons in those jerseys and have been in good and bad situations on the field: there is much they can learn from each other, especially now with weeks of pro-playing by both.

I do not believe we have a QB controversy at all. Stroud is the franchise player, and Mills is worth every penny as a solid backup. Even MILLS says Stroud’s the starter for a reason. Texans fans are incredibly lucky to have TWO great quarterbacks on the roster, when other teams can barely manage one.

We can use this dual-threat to take us right into and through the playoffs if we play smarter.

I want to see both on the field more often. There’s no rule in the book saying the starter has to stick around the whole game until they get injured. I want to see LESS injuries because they stop us too soon year after year. I wanna see where this duo of great quarterbacks can take us, and the other starters and alternates.

There should be no “Team Stroud” and “Team Mills” in the fanbase. The team is the “Houston Texans”, and we should be proud of their evolution. There are going to be fits and starts, but being short-sighted and wanting to can a player for not being the same player as a few years ago when they still have plenty of talent and ability left in them is ludicrous.

It’s cringe-worthy to see the chat of a watch-party live when a player drops a crucial catch or a throw gets picked, and then a dozen voices are clamoring for them to get benched in the next second. Seriously? Mistakes happen in the game. Chill the hell out! What makes the difference is if they can make the next plays better to fix the negative aspect of that mistake, and often they can (unless injured or they’re having the kind of day where their head’s clearly elsewhere, but after ONE bad play? GTFO!)

Yes, I admit I’m a Stroud fangirl, but that doesn’t mean Mills should be thrown to the side, either. Why not have BOTH play most games? Unless you’re obsessed with stats and what trading players out will do to them (gamblers, I’m looking at you), they should do what’s best for the team.

Can’t wait to see them against the Colts on Nov 30th. I think it’s gonna be something amazing. Go Texans!!!