HOUSTON – For Texans rookie offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, the choice was clearly mapped out last Sunday.
Play four days after undergoing surgery on his thumb he fractured and dislocated against the Las Vegas Raiders, enduring a lot of pain and a question of how effective he would be blocking, or rest and recovery.
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Ultimately, it was deemed best for him to miss his first game of the season. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound second-round draft pick is now fully participating in practice and set to get back on the field Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. He’ll wear a protective club and likely need some pain medication.
“It was tough, man, sitting out there and watching everybody,” Ersery told KPRC 2. “Yeah, almost. They gave me the opportunity to do so if I wanted to. It was kind of a quick turnaround. I was like, ‘I’ll just wait until next week.’ I feel more ready now. I’ve done a bunch of treatment and extra work on it.”
Should the Texans beat the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans, then the Texans win the AFC South division title for the third consecutive year.
“I don’t think we ever thought about that,” Ersery said. “I think we just try to take care of business. Week in, week out, believe in each other. Lean in on your brother. When times get rough, there’s going to be times in the moment it’s going to get tough, look at your brother, man, just tell him to uplift each other and know that we got each other back.
“We’re not looking at this as we’re looking for any other team help to get into the playoffs. We know what it takes. Every week you got to earn it. Trying to make a run. We want to get to a bowl, but right now it’s one game at a time.”
Ersery, a former Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year, has been mentored by veterans like Tytus Howard and Trent Brown about how to be a professional.
“It’s been good, man,” Ersery said. “Trying to do my rookie dues. Trying to be the best rookie I can be to the older guys. Make everything easy.”
No, Ersery hasn’t had that obligatory expensive rookie dinner yet on his dime.
“It’s coming up,” he said. “I got to save up. I got to feed a lot of big people.”
For Brown, the biggest player on the team and one of the largest in the NFL listed at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds on the roster, it was a similar situation. He missed the Texans’ win over the Chargers due to knee and ankle injuries. Howard started in his place at right tackle and Blake Fisher played left tackle. The Texans didn’t allow a sack.
It was difficult on Brown to miss a game after starting every game during the first seven of an eight-game winning streak. He didn’t allow a sack against Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, one of the best defensive players in the game.
“It was a little tough,” Brown said. “Of course, things happen. We play a physical game and whatnot. Some things are out of your control, nut I feel like I was starting to hit a groove in that game.(0:14)You know what I mean? To shut out a player of that caliber. I was really starting to feel like myself again.”
Brown returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis. He is wearing a knee brace. The Texans are considered likely to wait until the playoffs to get Brown back on the field for a game.
“I just got to hit the ground running,” Brown said. “It felt okay. Give it every opportunity I can to get back out there. I even tried to go last week.”
The Texans have allowed quarterback C.J. Stroud to be sacked just 23 times, a major improvement under offensive line coach Cole Popovich. Last season, Stroud was sacked a career-high 52 times.
“I guess the continuity was changed up a little bit and things were shaking up, and guys went out there and handled business and did well,” Brown said. “So, of course ,there’s always things to improve on,but I think to go another week and No. 7 didn’t get touched, that’s a good thing.”
The Texans have built a tight-knit locker room with a lot of camaraderie. The focus is on football, not discussions of restaurants, cars and social life.
“One thing I’ve noticed about the places I’ve been, teams that win, guys just enjoy being around each other and they enjoy talking ball with one another,” Brown said. “It’s not like anybody really talks about anything outside of football. It’s ball. It’s always ball and having fun talking about ball. Whether it’s past experiences, current experiences or thinking about future experiences, it’s just always ball. It’s a good locker room.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com