Here's everything Houston Texans quarterbackC.J. Stroud said following Week 9's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, including his thoughts on the return of Tank Dell, his five-touchdown performance and the future of the franchise entering the second half of the season.
Question: On the game and getting into a rhythm:
C.J. Stroud: “We started off pretty hot. Nico [Collins] kicked us off on the first play of the game and we rolled from there. We had a little hiccup on the second drive, I missed some throws and then from there we just kept grinding and it opened up for us.”
Q: On being able to connect with WR Tank Dell today:
“It was great, man. I’m super proud of him and to just keep going. He’s been through a lot the last few years. His perseverance
and the faith that he has in God, where God has him in life, and what God has put him through. I’m always telling my guys he has you right where he needs you and he’s working things out that you don’t even know. To him to have that knowledge, I think, has taken him really far. Just to see him have 100 yards in his second game back off a crazy injury, like that’s crazy. For him it’s not, that’s the type of confidence we have in Tank. He’s a heck of a football player and he showed it today.”
Q: On poise and perseverance in the pocket:
Stroud: “They have a good defense. They’ve held a lot of teams out in the first half. They were able to hold the Kansas City Chiefs to a few points in the first half and same with the Los Angeles Rams, so we knew that coming into the game. It really started with their front. Their defensive line was really good and I thought our offensive line did a good job. From Tae [Ersery], to Keylan [Rutledge], to Evan [Brown], to Ed [Ingram], and all the way to Trent[Brown] they did a great job all game. Even when it got a little rocky, they settled in and did a great job. It’s hardto pass protect that many times and it be 100%. I just appreciate them keeping the fight.”
Q: On connecting with WR Kayshon Boutte:
Stroud: “He’s a great football player and I try to tell him, ‘I know I miss you sometimes, but just trust me I have your back. I want the best for you and see you succeed in life and in football.’ So, just to see him ball today was great. He’s a great football player and I’m really glad he’s on our team.”
Q: On what he was feeling throughout the game:
Stroud: “To be honest, I was pretty sick throughout the week. I don’t know what I had, but I wasn’t feeling good all week. I barely practiced on Thursday and my teammates really helped me. [Offensive Assistant] Cole Weeks encouraged me throughout the week because I wasn’t feeling great and even today I woke up not feeling great. So, I don’t know what I had. Like the chills, but just to have that type of performance under the weather was just a testament to our team and our resilience. I’m grateful that God is allowing me to play this game even when I’m sick. I don’t know, I’m just really happy with what we were able to do off of a bye week. Knock off a little rust that I feel like we had in the second drive and from there start to roll. It was a good start, but we have a lot more work to do.”
Q: On throwing for five touchdowns:
Stroud: “It’s amazing, it’s pretty cool. I beat myself up a lot when I don’t do great, so I’m going to enjoy this and celebrate with my friends, family and teammates because I know what it feels like to throw a couple interceptions. So, you need to be positive towards yourself. Something that playing the quarterback position has taught me about life, is that everyone could view you one way, but all that matters is how God views you and how you view yourself so I’m grateful that God has allowed me to have some tough skin and be able to push through some tough times. Days like this come from being on the other side when you’re not playing so great, so I’m grateful that God has allowed me to have the opportunity to play today.”
Q: On the game Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley called:
Stroud: “It was a great job by Cales, he got the game ball and he was very deserving of it. You know, he gets a lot of slack as well and everyone has their opinion nowadays, but we got the opportunity to go do something about it, so I have the utmost trust in him. The fact that he’s been so aggressive in throwing the ball down the field shows just how much trust he has in our offensive line, tight ends, receivers, running backs and myself. Just kudos to him for keeping the faith because it could’ve gone like the Giants game where it didn’t go so great. So for him to have faithcoming off the bye, I thought was really great.”
Q: On trying to get one more touchdown at the end:
Stroud: “I mean they weren’t calling timeouts at that point and were still being aggressive, so we wanted to be aggressive. We got the third-down one and I thought the one I threw to Tank [Dell] at the end was a pass interference; we should have been on the one-yard line. I thought it was a good ball, but it just didn’t connect. God willing, I’ll be able to get that record, but for me I just want to play one good play at a time because that’s where you get the good stats rather than saying, ‘today I’m going to throw for this amount of yards’ or ‘this amount of touchdowns.’ I’m going to do my job this play as best I can and if it doesn’t happen, then okay and if it does, move forward.”
Q: On progressively getting better and playing one play at a time:
Stroud: “I always have kind of had that. I remember Coach [Ryan] Day would really be on my head in a good way. He used to always tell me ‘don’t ever have expectations going into games, seasons, or practice and to just play one play at a time.’ So, I’ve always had that mindset, going back to college. Honestly, I’m getting more opportunities and I’m taking advantage of them. I think our receivers are doing a great job of blocking their tails off and our run game is opening up now. It all has to do with a little of everything, but I'm really just grateful that I’m on this team, playing for this city and able to play this great game.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans QB C.J. Stroud said after of Week 9's win vs. L.A. Chargers
