Colts LB Zaire Franklin anxious to play Texans, C.J. Stroud: 'I need to see that boy again'

Zaire Franklin's play over the past two seasons has forced the AFC South to take notice.

Some of his comments recently might get the Indianapolis Colts' rivals chatting a bit, as well.

Having come up a win short of the division title -- and a playoff spot -- last season following a loss to the Houston Texans, Franklin is champing at the bit to face C.J. Stroud and Co. again, while simultaneously dismissing the Tennessee Titans as a peer altogether.

"No, because I already smacked them a couple times," Franklin said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast when asked if he had "beef" with the Titans. "It really be Houston. I'm not going to lie to you, I like C.J., man, I support all our young brothers at quarterback, but C.J., he done said a lot of wild stuff to me in our run-ins. … He is feeling himself. … I need to see that boy again."

Following five straight losses to the Titans, the Colts swept the season series in 2023 with Franklin contributing 18 tackles combined over the two victories -- which were each decided by one score. As for the Texans rivalry, the teams split the series last season, but Houston took the regular-season finale -- and the division with it -- by way of a nail-biting 23-19 triumph.

Franklin took some umbrage with how Stroud characterized the two rivalry games.

Stroud threw for 648 yards and four touchdowns, with 348 yards coming in a Week 2 loss in which he was sacked six times.

"Well, we were talking, and you know how the Super Bowl is at Radio Row, he had the XM Radio right before me and he was on there talking about how he cooked the Colts in both games," Franklin recalled. "I saw him and I pulled him aside and was like you know when you played Anthony (Richardson) it was like 28-7 in the second