C.J. Stroud Texans Media Availability | Full August 2 Q&A

C.J. Stroud Texans Media Availability | Full August 2 Q&A

Unless you’re really able to do a similar type of thing. Yeah, for sure. You know, onceever you get a group of guys together, you know, you find things in common, you find things that are different about each other and you just, you know, build that bond and that um that team the team chemistry. So, I think it’s going to be good for us. How do you think the offense is just coming along from from your viewpoint? Thank you. Um, you know, it takes time. It’s not something that just like happens overnight. I feel like we’re we’re getting better every day. Um we’re having good conversations, you know, uh on how routes are going to be ran and how scheme is seen by both player and coach. So, you know, it’s been really good to, you know, hash out some things and, you know, going against a good defense. So, you know, it, you know, it’s not always easy just going against them and they’re really good. So, you know, it’s uh bumps and bruises, but you know, I feel like we’re we’re making progress. CJ, I know you had some time with Christian Kirk during many camps and now what what have you seen from Kirk as a piece of this offense being on page with him? Christian’s always been great. You know, he’s I’ve been a fan of his since college and um you know, he’s been somebody who has put it on tape a bunch and been one of the, you know, best receivers in the league for for a minute now. So, um I think you know our uh chemistry is being seen every day. you know, we’ve been uh you know, not just close um on the field, but offensive as well, just having conversations on how we look at scheme and routes and whatnot. So, I think he’s going to be great and he’s been that way so far in camp. You’ve known you’ve known K for a long time. Um with him being a farm boy, like how do you see that manifest itself going in off? Um he’s just a tough guy, you know. So he just that Ohio tough that, you know, when I moved to Ohio to go to school, they always talked about, you know, being tough and, you know, um being developed. That’s kind of just, you know, how guys from Ohio State just come out. You know, we’re all, you know, mentally, physically, and um tough and we’re trying to, you know, um show, you know, that that we’re that way. And I think, you know, it kind of comes off naturally for him just like his background with um you know, farming and whatnot. So yeah, he’s he’s done, you know, incredible things, but he’s taken another step with route running, pass catching, and I think, you know, that’s somewhere where he wanted to take his game up a notch, and he has. How how challenging has it been uh to learn this offense, new offense while also leading several new players on the team? What have you learned about yourself as a quarterback? Uh, I mean, just challenges every year. here. I don’t really look at it as a challenge, more like opportunity um to you know to um learn something new about the game of football and also you know take the opportunity to you know help other guys. Um so I don’t really look it as a challenge but uh I don’t really look it as a challenging you know it’s kind of uh something that you kind of like when you’re just playing football you kind of get used to just learning new schemes and learning new people. Um, so yeah, it’s been fun. And um, I don’t know, as a quarterback, I just feel like maybe I’m uh just starting to feel comfortable, you know, trying to um, get better every day. I think I’m really hard on myself and I think it’s a good thing uh to get better each day. And I I think next step for me is, you know, taking the guys around me to to think the same way and, you know, um, to get them to buy into what um, as a team what we’re trying to do. So I think that’s where I can grow as a quarterback. most about this office. Uh I would say, you know, the the people, you know, it’s scheme and scheme. You know, it’s it’s great. You know, it’s uh it’s timing, you know, that you want to call great plays against great looks, but um even in those looks, you got to still make plays with the players. And also, you know, when the looks aren’t as great, you know, we got to have our coaches back, you know, to make those plays to to run smoothly or just get a positive play. So, um, that’s what excites me is just, you know, this is a really, really talented group and I’m excited to, you know, go out there on Sunday with these guys and compete. Success, uh, throwing to guys in the slot and they brought in some guys who do good work in the slot. What do you like about throwing to receivers lined up in the slot? And you think that’s one of your strengths? Uh, I think it’s kind of football, you know, it’s like whoever’s open, I try to get the ball to. I think I’m good on throwing guys to the outside and inside. I don’t really have a preference so to speak, but you know, you know, we’ve had great guys on the slide with Steph and um Tank, Match, now we got Cirk, Jy. I think our guys are very versatile, too. So, um yeah, I’ve been just trying to get better in both. You start to see moments with the offensive line and the guys that protecting you throughout practice where they’re kind of coming together, having some some good moments. Am I Am I seeing that? Yeah. Are you starting to see that with the with the five guys? Yeah, you know, it takes time, you know, especially, you know, the first couple days you’re not no pass. So, it’s not always easy, you know, and I think that’s the best D line in football right now, you know, with just how they’re getting off the ball. Two edge guys, you know, Will and Denil are, you know, crazy athletes, but, you know, they rush together. They rush as a unit. I think it’s just making us them better. But, you know, I think you don’t want to just continue to like just say the defense is good. You want to start seeing progress and seeing plays being made. I think we’ve seen that the last couple days. So, it’s it’s helpful for me to like start going through reads and be able to go through my full progression when the O line’s, you know, picking everything up and I think they’ve done a great job of just can continue to work and keeping their head up, staying confident cuz it’s not easy going against those guys every day and I get that. But, you know, we we have trust that those guys are our guys are very talented too on the offensive side of the ball. The physical improvements that you told us about in the offseason are on display here. How specifically have they helped your game? Thank you. I appreciate it. How’s how uh how good how has that manifested itself? And how does your arm feel and everything feel you as your body? Uh yeah, I feel good. You know, I feel fast. I feel strong. I feel healthy. Um I don’t know if I look chubby or look fat, but I feel good. I don’t know. Yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, I feel good though. Yeah, I’m running fast, you know. So, you mentioned how um you’re hard on yourself. Do you view that more as a blessing or or is it something that you have to work with? It could be both, you know. It could be something that like, you know, your body my body language isn’t always great. Um, and I think I’m just a I love winning, man. You know, it’s it’s hard when like you’re not doing what you want to do or things around you aren’t great. You know, it’s it’s easy to be negative. So, my my things I have to be try to be more positive in my body language and things like that. Um, but I I’ve learned this over my years, too. And this little nugget that I got from a pastor was like mistakes and failures or even successes can either be a classroom or a coffin. So like I can either let it train me and I can learn from it or I can let it kill me and I can get in a coffin with it and and you know let that mistake you know uh take a course in a negative route. So um for me I try to make it a classroom as much as possible to where I can learn from it um analyze it, study it and then move on. And I think that’s something that I’m trying to get better at. Talk about how the the defense of course is testing the offense. You’re such a great defense. Um, in what ways have you seen the other CJ make an impact in Gartner Johnson and what he’s brought to the team defensively? Yeah, you know, he’s uh he’s a different cat. He’s a great guy like wants to be, you know, a locker room guy. He is locker room guy. Very um friendly, very cool. Like me and him uh mesh well, you know, his first day I called him. Well, I texted him and, you know, welcome him on the team and was just excited to have him. Um, and I think it’s dope because, you know, he’s coming off, you know, um, some a lot of playoff experience and Super Bowl experience, so like do nothing but just help us. Um, so yeah, he’s doing a great job of, um, Thanks, Aaron. I’m just fine. He’s doing a great job of just helping us all around. We’ll go to DJ and then Shelby for the last one. In terms of playing on script and playing off script, what’s kind of like that balance in practice to make sure you’re still being as effective and efficient in practice? Um, yeah. I mean, it’s it’s kind of like for me, I just try to look at it as the game is like play what I see and let my instincts, you know, like I think I’m a very instinctual player and I’m very thoughtful pre- snap, but once the ball snap, like try to play with instincts. Um, and like feel rotation, feel coverage and, you know, whatever that looks like and also fill the pocket. So, it’s a it’s a lot to do, but done it for a little minute now. And I’m getting better when it comes to the NFL process of, you know, ripping one if one’s there, taking two. you can shortcut to five, go to five. Like there’s things that you do when you just get more mature in the game and you know I’m only 23 and I’m still learning a lot. So um just trying to get better in those those things. So just learning from you know the times where I should have checked it down instead of running or should have ran instead of checked it down or vice versa. CJ, with you and your mom visiting Texas Children’s Hospital, what makes it so important for you and your family to give back to the community together? Uh it that’s how we started. So, you know, I was when I was a kid, that’s what we did, you know. Um, we gave back every time, every weekend I could remember to the homeless, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, um, back to school things. And, um, you know, we’ve always wanted to keep that a thing. And I think it’s it’s just not only did you know that experience, you know, I think um inspire the kids, but it it gave me joy, you know, just to see like like it it makes me emotional, but like to see them going through so much to um still have joy and still be hopeful, you know, for life. And for us, like we’re playing this game, it’s a it’s important game. It’s it’s it’s a blessing, but it’s not the biggest thing, you know? I think those things are a lot bigger than, you know, throwing a good pass or whatever. like those things are still important, but like when you’re looking at the those lives, you know, like it it doesn’t even, you know, like compare. So, I think that not only didn’t help them, but it helped me a ton. And we just want to, you know, we want to Houston’s open up opened up arms to us as a home and we want to be able to, you know, give it back and do the same thing in California, too. So, it was a blessing. Thank you. All right. Thanks, CJ.

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