[2023 NFL Draft/1-2] C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Fulgore · May 26, 2023

Qan · May 26, 2023

cmoak1982 said: ↑

I’m the problem? You talked **** and I talked **** back, just because you don’t like my brand of it doesn’t clear you from it.
I’m sure you’re a blast to be around with that stick up your butt too
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I'm not going back and forth with you. Look at what you wrote, how is that anywhere close to what I wrote? Mine is but a jest, but you clearly devolved into an insult of derogatory implication. But if you felt that's me talking sh*t to you comparatively, then I cannot say anything more since it is your views. You're a really defensive guy that seems to have a short trigger, maybe you're not, but it just comes out that way. Laters!

cmoak1982 · May 26, 2023

Qan said: ↑

I'm not going back and forth with you. Look at what you wrote, how is that anywhere close to what I wrote? Mine is but a jest, but you clearly devolved into an insult of derogatory implication. But if you felt that's me talking sh*t to you comparatively, then I cannot say anything more since it is your views. You're a really defensive guy that seems to have a short trigger, maybe you're not, but it just comes out that way. Laters!
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No, I’m just not going to let you say whatever you want and not respond. So……..

If you can’t take a joke, then don’t joke with someone. Simple as that

cmoak1982 · May 26, 2023

Qan said: ↑

I'm not going back and forth with you. Look at what you wrote, how is that anywhere close to what I wrote? Mine is but a jest, but you clearly devolved into an insult of derogatory implication. But if you felt that's me talking sh*t to you comparatively, then I cannot say anything more since it is your views. You're a really defensive guy that seems to have a short trigger, maybe you're not, but it just comes out that way. Laters!
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In all honesty, I was joking back with you.
Sorry if you think that was too far.
Wasn’t trying to get under your skin

Fulgore · May 26, 2023

zeeshan2 · May 27, 2023

zeeshan2 · May 28, 2023

zeeshan2 · May 31, 2023

Fulgore · May 31, 2023

zeeshan2 · May 31, 2023

Fulgore · May 31, 2023

zeeshan2 said: ↑

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Yessir!!

Fulgore · May 31, 2023

Fulgore · May 31, 2023

zeeshan2 · May 31, 2023

C.J. Stroud hurled a pass he immediately wanted back. The rookie had been duped. The defense and their new coordinator, Matt Burke, deployed a coverage they’d only installed that day. A veteran might’ve deduced the concept. But almost everything is new for Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick whose mistakes are an acceptable and expected cost of his acclimation. Correcting them will accelerate its completion.

Practice ended. The team huddled, broke. Coaches and players wandered toward the walking bridge over Kirby Drive. Stroud hustled, shouted: “Coach Burke!” The two walked together back to NRG Stadium, Stroud peppering Burke with questions about the coverage that had confounded him, what he’d seen, how it’d been set up. Burke knew he was only the latest source for Stroud’s curiosity.

“He’s literally grabbing everybody he can on the field,” Burke said.

Welcome to Stroud’s first month with the Texans, a period defined by the Ohio State product’s diligent exploration of the things he doesn’t know. Every coach, every player seems to have their own story. It’s a promising sign. There is no more important development project for a franchise emerging from its rebuild, a team whose quarterback issues compounded two seasons mired in losing.

Stroud is already advancing. He began Houston’s offseason program as the second quarterback in the rotation behind incumbent starter Davis Mills. After five weeks of meetings and limited on-field workouts, they first faced defenses in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills last week. The Texans were given four days off for Memorial Day, and after they returned Tuesday, Stroud seized the offense’s first-team snaps.

Coach DeMeco Ryans said it was “very eye-opening” how “on it” Stroud was when workouts resumed. The rookie was more confident in huddles, Ryans said, more fluent in his play calls, more proficient as a passer. Stroud’s promotion in practice, however inevitable it may have seemed for Houston’s top draft pick, remains significant due to the swiftness with which it was secured.

The Texans have four more workouts before their two-day mandatory minicamp begins June 13. It will be the franchise’s best-case scenario for Stroud to open training camp in late July as the clear starting quarterback. The organization augmented a preseason schedule that begins Aug. 10 against the Patriots by securing joint practices with the Dolphins and Saints, and the more problems Stroud solves with the first team, the more he can quell concerns associated with starting a rookie in Week 1.

“He’s definitely progressing in the right direction,” Ryans said after Wednesday’s workout. “The sky’s the limit for him.”

Stroud was noticeably more comfortable in Wednesday’s workout. On-target passes that wobbled a week ago morphed into tight spirals. He’d improved on his footwork and timing on play-action techniques from under-center snaps, which he rarely did while playing in Ohio State’s shotgun-oriented spread system..

Jerrod Johnson, Houston’s quarterbacks coach, said Stroud is “already way, way ahead of pace” with his footwork and timing. The purer Stroud’s technique, the more clearly he can see his progressions, read defenses and make correct decisions. He was 6-of-8 passing during 7-on-7 drills. He dropped a pass of 30-plus yards to Nico Collins along the left sideline over cornerback Cobi Francis. Stroud fired a 20-yard pass up the right seam to a diving Dameon Pierce, who nearly hung on for a completion. He fit a slant to Collins between tightly contested defenders Derek Stingley Jr. and Christian Harris.

Stroud’s next challenge appears to be handling the rush. His completions wavered in 11-on-11 drills against the first-team defensive line. He was 3-for-7 on passes the Chronicle observed. He attempted to hum a slant to Collins against Stingley, but safety Jalen Pitre swooped in and swatted the pass incomplete. Eventually, Stroud drove the offense downfield with a series of slants and hitches, mostly to Collins. Stroud showcased his penchant for precision by humming a hitch to Collins tightly between Francis and veteran safety Jimmie Ward.

“We knew in the draft process (Stroud) had an understanding of protections and coverages and a lot of things that you need as a foundation just to understand the language we’re speaking in the quarterback room,” said Johnson, who is a full-time quarterbacks coach for the first time. “So, him coming in with a lot of that foundation from college is huge. But for the most part for us, we just want him to understand the urgency of playing on time and just kind of the foundation of this offense so he can be successful. I think he’s done a really good job of that.”

The Texans are hardly near installing the fullness of Slowik’s system. Slowik is still identifying the player-specific modifications these workouts are revealing. So, the first-time offensive coordinator says he has been methodical in his teaching. It’s an approach the entire coaching staff shares. Ryans, 38, built a young staff that includes first-time position coaches who are teaching a new system to a roster with 41 new players. But Slowik realizes his and Johnson’s management of Stroud’s development will significantly impact how quickly the Texans can return to competitiveness.
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Damion Laverne · May 31, 2023

Chubbed up after reading that

Fulgore · Jun 1, 2023

zeeshan2 · Jun 1, 2023

zeeshan2 · Jun 1, 2023

A major reason why Stroud is advancing rapidly as he tries to prove he can handle being the Texans’ QB1 heading into the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens: his intellectual curiosity.

Not only has Stroud approached defensive coordinator Matt Burke to gain knowledge about coverage schemes that initially threw him off his game, he has done so with the Texans’ defensive backs, including standout safety Jalen Pitre.

Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson has known Stroud since he was competing in Elite 11 at the age of 17, watching his progression from a California high school standout, to winning the Ohio State quarterback job over blue-chip recruits, including Texas Longhorns starter Quinn Ewers, becoming a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and now as a precocious rookie and second overall pick of the draft.

“I met C.J. at a young age and to go through the draft process and see him now as an adult, a mature kid who’s been through a lot, on and off the field, and see the man he’s become, it’s great to have that reference point,” Johnson said. “I’m excited for his future. We just want him to be comfortable and confident in what we’re asking him to do. We just want him to be the best version of himself.”

Stroud has looked extremely natural dropping back from under center, something he wasn’t required to do often in college, executing crisp play-action fakes before finding his targets downfield.

Stroud has been earning the confidence of the coaching staff.

That includes Burke, who came away encouraged after a recent practice by how much Stroud humbly wanted to gain more knowledge from him about how the defense was attacking him.

During the practice session, Stroud was somewhat befuddled in a two-minute drill toward the end of practice and threw a pass into coverage as he encountered an unfamiliar defensive scheme.

“It was the first day we put the coverage in, and he threw in, and kind of probably was a throw he probably wanted back,” Burke said. “The first thing he did when I was walking off the field was he grabbed me, said literally, ‘Coach Burke.’ And he spent about 10 minutes walking in off the field asking me about the coverage and just sort of what he saw and how we kind of set it up and talked through that.

“So I think, just again, his deliberateness and intent to try to get better, and like he’s literally grabbing everybody he can on the field. He’s been very sort of intentional about learning and just learning defense, too, like, ‘What did you call there? What was that coverage or what did you do here?’ I respect that from him.”

Respect is a huge factor for any NFL player, especially for a rookie who could be tasked with leading the entire offense and, by extension, the whole team.

“This team has been very accepting of me, very honest, and very transparent,” Stroud said. “What I love about it, man, nothing has been given to me. I have to earn everything, which I love. It’s been like that my whole career, so it’s nothing new.

“For me, I’m trying to get better. t’s not about being with the ones, being with the twos, just getting better. That’s what spring is for. Getting the timing down, learning my receivers. That’s what I’ve been on. It’s not about ones and twos right now, just getting better as a whole and getting ready for training camp.”

Stroud hasn’t thrown an interception during any of the Texans’ practices open to reporters. At some point, he’ll make some mistakes. It’s how he handles those kind of miscues that will be defining moments in whether the Texans entrust him as a first-year starter.

By all early accounts, Stroud is well on his way toward earning that kind of status ahead of incumbent starter Davis Mills.

Whether it’s how he runs the huddle or throws the football, the initial returns on Stroud are encouraging.

“C.J., he’s progressing well,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Each day he continues to get better and more comfortable with the verbiage of the offense. His command of the huddle I thought this week has been really good.

“Coming off the long weekend, it was very eye-opening how on it he was. He did an awesome job in our situational period he’s definitely progressing in the right direction. The sky is the limit for him.

Stroud, drafted by the Texan one selection after Alabama quarterback Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers first overall, has made a great first impression on the Texans.

They like what they’re seeing from him so far and are eager to chart his growth.

In his interaction with Pitre, he was seeking advice, wanting to learn about what he can do better.

“A real professional,” Pitre said. “Every day he’s looking for something to get better at. Asking different things we’re seeing and different ways he can get better. It’s a real professional in C.J., and you could see why he was drafted so high because he really cares about the game of football.”

For Stroud, a 21-year-old native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, it’s about proving himself all over again at a higher level.

“Of course, it’s a dream come true, and of course I’ve been working for it my whole life, but I feel like I’m built for this,” Stroud said. “I’m made not just to play football, but to use football to help inspire people and lead people to God. That’s what I plan to do.

“It’s just a stepping stone. I have a lot more goals and a lot more plans to accomplish what I want to accomplish on and off the field, and I’m excited to do that with this great organization.”

Because the Texans are still in install mode with first-time offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s version of the Kyle Shanahan-Gary Kubiak offensive system, it’s difficult to make lasting impressions from one practice.

Stroud has been extremely accurate, just as he was for the Buckeyes as he completed 69.3 percent of his throws in two seasons as the starter.

“I would say a good leader already coming in, vocal, speaking up in meetings, being able to sit with him at times in the quarterback meetings and hearing him ask some great questions, trying to pick apart the offense and grasp it pretty early,” veteran wide receiver Robert Woods said. “Out on the field, making some strong throws, good reads, good decisions. That’s really a good thing to start with a rookie quarterback coming in, being able to make the right decisions, know when to throw it, know when to pull it down. Good decisions on timing and accuracy with the football.”
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H. Christopher · Jun 2, 2023

Yessir!!

Commodore · Jun 2, 2023

pour me some of that training camp hype Kool-Aid

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[2023 NFL Draft/1-2] C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

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