CJ Stroud’s altruistic take on Texans rise will make fans adore him even more
The Texans got a nice one in rookie QB CJ Stroud
Nearly every single guy in the Texans locker room was not just ready, but excited to give CJ Stroud his well deserved roses following Houston’s win against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night, which secured a playoff berth for the upstart Texans. To a man, each of the Texans who spoke after the game handed the lion’s share of the credit to their rookie quarterback… except for their rookie quarterback himself.
“It’s not me. It’s my teammates.” (h/t Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston)
That was CJ Stroud’s message on ESPN after the game. Now keep in mind, this performance from Stroud wasn’t the first time all season he’s come through with late-game heroics. The 22-year-old rookie has come through in the clutch all season long. But at this moment, on this stage, for Stroud to come through with an almost flawless performance — 20-for-26, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns, 134.1 passing rating — well, that’s the stuff legends are made of. Sure, we shouldn’t move forward without acknowledging first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, or budding star wide receiver Nico Collins (9 catches, 195 yards, 1 score vs Indy), or a Texans defense that lacks typical star power, but has performed well all season long.
But again, the narrative here is CJ Stroud.
Rookie quarterbacks aren’t meant to have this sort of quick influence. There’s generally a learning curve that young athletes, especially quarterbacks, are forced to overcome. I’m sure Stroud has had his bumps in the road throughout his rookie season, but it hasn’t been evident like it is for so many rookie quarterbacks. After all, had Stroud not missed two starts due to a concussion, he would’ve put up the typical stats, and had the type of win-loss record to not only be an overwhelming victory for Rookie of the Year, but also to be highly considered for MVP. And let’s be honest, Stroud should be in the MVP debate right now, since this type of praise doesn’t come for people who aren’t “valuable.”
“He’s everything. When you got a player at center that takes leadership of the whole team, he has an aura about him that’s exceptional. There’s a reason why we’re going to the playoffs.” — Brevin Jordan on CJ Stroud.
“Without him, we don’t accomplish half of the things that we have. Man, 7 has been fantastic for us. Everybody in our building appreciates having him and feels grateful to have him here. We have got to give all credit to 7. His personality impacts everybody in this locker room. His enthusiasm and intensity bleed through the whole locker area. It makes everybody want to step up and keep performing better.” — Will Anderson on CJ Stroud
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