Was Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans 'Robbed' of Coach of the Year? C.J. Stroud Say Yes

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans came up short for the AP NFL Coach of the Year award on Thursday. And C.J. Stroud made his case for his coach on Friday.

Matt Galatzan | Feb 10, 2024

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Houston Texans

Houston Texas coach DeMeco Ryans was narrowly edged out by Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns for the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award on Thursday night by a razor-thin.

Both coaches received a total of 165 points from votes, with Stefanski getting the nod due to having precisely one more first-place vote than Ryans.

Despite being the underdog to Stefanski coming into the night per the oddsmakers, it was a result that surprised many due to the incredible turnaround the Texans saw under their first-year head coach.

And when asked if he believed his head coach was robbed of the award during an appearance on Up and Adams with Kay Adams on Friday, C.J. Stroud gave his thoughts.

USATSI_21442552 — Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

“Yes, he did,” Stroud told Adams “Everybody says you have a below-average roster, a rookie quarterback, a rookie offensive coordinator, a rookie head coach and you beat the odds and you go the playoffs, you win a playoff game against the guy that won Coach of the Year … and you lead one of the best defenses in the league, I think that’s Coach of the Year worthy.”

On paper, it's hard to say Stroud is wrong either.

Under Ryans, the Texans went from 3-13-1 to AFC South champions and won a playoff game, completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NFL history.

He also helped to completely rebuild the roster of a franchise that had been an NFL bottom dweller for three straight seasons.

But more importantly, he helped change the culture of the locker room and the belief in the players - something that Stroud believes to be vital.

Texans DeMeco Ryans Snubbed AP NFL Coach Of The Year

“He’s played and he's been in our shoes before," Stroud said. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to be a negative coach. He’s a positive person but he’s going to hold everybody accountable and set a standard and everybody’s got to stick to that standard. And he brings the juice every day. He’s been amazing to my development... He's a really good coach and I appreciate him.”

Now with a slew of Texans free agents ready to hit the market this offseason, Ryans will have a difficult task in front of him.

But if he can have similar success to what he did last offseason, the sky is the limit for the Texans in 2024.

Published Feb 10, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com