Stroud Makes Strides But 'No one said it was going to be easy'
Texans rookie has 58 completions through first two starts, the second most in NFL history.
HOUSTON — C.J. Stroud had a heavy conversation with some of his friends that resonated with him.
During this talk, the Texans rookie quarterback kept hearing an overriding message: "No one said it was going to be easy."
And Stroud and his friends are correct. The NFL is a tough, hard business, but the Texans' rookie quarterback is built for the rigors of the league.
Stroud, despite a painful right throwing shoulder injury and a relentless pass rush dialed up by veteran defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, didn't let that stop him. Even though he wasn't 100 percent against the Indianapolis Colts, Stroud delivered an impressive performance in a losing cause.
Although he was sacked six times and hit nine times overall, Stroud completed 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards, and his first two touchdown passes during a 31-20 loss at NRG Stadium
He ranks fourth in the NFL with 626 passing yards after having the second-most passing yards by a rookie quarterback in franchise history as he passed for the most since Deshaun Watson had 402 yards in 2017.
“Talking to some friends from home, really just thinking to myself, no one said it was going to be easy,” Stroud said. “I think the hope that we brought the city from the draft, from the offseason moves and everything, it got the buzz going. I think that was great, and I think it should continue because this team, we’re a couple plays away from winning a lot of games here. I don’t think that it should be easy. You’ve got to lick your wounds and just keep going, because no one said it was going to be easy and it’s not supposed to.”
Despite missing four starters on an injury-riddled offensive line, including Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the Texans' $75 million man, Stroud didn't let that faze him.
Listed as questionable on the injury report, Stroud managed to find a way to play through the pain.
“Had a hard week, man,” Stroud said. “Trying to fight my tail off just to be able to play because my shoulder was hurting me. At the end of the day, I wanted to be out there for my guys, and I wanted to play. I had a little pain here and there.
“I just had a little shoulder pain that I was dealing with, and it was hard for me to throw. I feel like I did as best as I could with my injury, and I tried to let it fly as much as I could and still have velocity and accuracy with the ball, but I don’t think it really hindered me that much. If I were to say that, that would be an excuse. Yeah, it was painful.”
The punishment he's enduring is problematic, though. He has been sacked 11 times and hit 19 times overall two games into his NFL career.
Stroud is doubling down on backing his linemen, not whining about the situation.
“You’ve got to trust those guys, and I do,” Stroud said. “I definitely appreciate those guys, because they’re fighting, they’re not just giving up. Those guys constantly are looking me in the eye like, ‘Man, I got you,’ and I appreciate that. I love those boys, and I’m going to keep fighting for them because they’re fighting for me.”
Stroud kept finding wide receiver Nico Collins for seven catch and a career-high 146 yards with one touchdown. He averaged 20.9 yards per catch. And rookie Tank Dell caught seven passes for 72 yards and one touchdown.
“C.J. did his thing,” Collins said.
Stroud has 58 completions in his first two NFL games, ranking second in NFL history behind Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 60 completions in his first two games in 2020.
Stroud ranks fourth in NFL history in an opening two-game span for a rookie.
And he’s the only quarterback in NFL history to attempt 80-plus passes without an interception in his first two games.
“C.J. is a competitor, and he shows that,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He continues to fight no matter what odds are stacked up against him, no matter who’s in front of him. It doesn’t matter. He has a winning mindset. Now, we need everybody around him to continue to have that winning mindset and go play winning football, and that’s when things will get better for us.”
Stroud has a history of overcoming adversity on and off the family.
“I don’t have no pity for myself,” said Stroud, who credited his family for giving him strength. “I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me, but the odds have been stacked against me since I was a kid. I trust my family.
“I trust my coaches. And I think people are depending on me, and I love that responsibility. He was just talking to me, pressure is a privilege. A lot of people don’t get to live the life I do. It’s hard. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard, but it’s a privilege.”