Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has had a great rookie year, and the Texans are now knocking off elite teams.
How’s he doing it? He has the ability, the energy, the swagger. He also has the preparation.
After Sunday’s win over the Bengals in Cincinnati, Texans rookie receiver Tank Dell told PFT that Stroud has been sending late-night texts to teammates with plays run by the upcoming opponent’s defense.
“He just puts that that extra time and his preparation is amazing,” Dell said by phone. “He’d just sent us videos all throughout the night. It’s like eleven at night, almost midnight, and he’s still sending us clips of how their defense is playing and telling us how we should adjust and things like that. I’d say it’s preparation, but then his swagger, he have that confidence about himself that he can be one of the best in the league. So, I’d say all that mixed in with each other.”
Dell said the effort, which happens every week, motivates him and other teammates to work even harder themselves.
“He makes everybody prepare well and you have to when you have a quarterback preparing well, and he has the biggest responsibility,” Dell said. “You’re going to want to go out there and prepare well each and every week, for sure.”
The Texans might now be preparing to make a run at the top of the AFC South. They’ve already beaten the Jaguars by 20 points in Jacksonville. The rematch happens in Houston in 13 days, and a win would put the Texans in first place in the division — if they beat the Cardinals on Sunday.
