What Did C.J. Stroud Say Before Houston Texans' Game-Winning Drive vs. Buccaneers?
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud may only be a rookie, but he is already establishing himself as a leader in the NFL locker room.
Stroud and the Texans were faced with a difficult situation on Sunday. Without a kicker, the team gave up a late score to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and surrendered the lead with 46 seconds remaining in the game. Some players, namely defensive end Jonathan Greenard, were dejected after allowing the score, but that's where Stroud stepped in and provided some key leadership.
“They had scored, gave us 46 seconds left, and he [Greenard] was walking off the field,” Stroud said. “Every time I walk off the field and I’m not feeling the best, I know the look, and he had that look. I made him stop, made him look me in my eyes, and I said, ‘Hey, bro, I’ve got you.’
“They’ve done that for me when my head was down; they went and got a stop and gave us the ball back, and we either did something with it or we didn’t. This time, I wanted to let him know just like you’re here for me, I’m here for you.”
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
This was reminiscent of a time earlier this season when Stroud's head was low after dropping the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. It was Greenard then who gave the youngster some encouragement, and Stroud just repaid the favor on Sunday.
“Keep your head up because we are going to need you to be you as the season goes on,” Greenard said.
After Stroud gave the encouragement to Greenard, he followed through. Six plays and 75 yards later, Stroud had found wideout Tank Dell in the end zone, sealing the comeback win for Houston in thrilling fashion.
That's pretty impressive for a quarterback in the midst of his first professional season, no?
What's even more impressive is Stroud's stat line thus far. He has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns for the 4-4 Texans, but he has also just thrown one interception in eight games. Rookie quarterbacks are notorious for rough adjustment periods as they acclimate to the NFL, but Stroud appears to be ahead of the curve, at least so far.
You can add "leadership" to his docket as well after Sunday's clutch drive to win the game.
