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C.J. Stroud and Week 4's

quarterback clarity
One month in, we're seeing the QB plans of
some teams work out. Others... not so much.
The Houston Texans blasted another AFC
contender on Sunday.
TYLER DUNNE
OCT 2, 2023 ∙ PAID

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The re.ection sounded innocent enough when, in

truth, it was loaded with the sort of wisdom typically
found in the calloused and retired. Not 21-year-old
quarterbacks who’ve played professionally all one
month.

C.J. Stroud was fresh oH shellacking the Pittsburgh

Steelers, 30-6 . Which came one week aNer upsetting
the Jacksonville Jaguars, 37-17.

The Houston Texans — a franchise that’s gone 4-12,

4-13, 3-13-1 the last three seasons — are suddenly
teeming with hope. The reason is Stroud. ANerward,
he correctly stated that the Texans don’t have any
expectations and that they’re only concerned about
attacking “one play, one thing” at a time.

Once the ball’s kicked oH, everything changes. So,

why stress?

“That’s how I live my life,” Stroud said. “Living

where my feet are at. I’m working really hard to
make that one thing happen. Doing my job because I
trust my brother to do his. When you put in that
work during practice, you expect success. But you
only give yourself a chance. Nothing is set in stone
in this league. So, it’s really hard. You only give
yourself an opportunity to make the play. It’s up to
you to go do it.”

Now, compare this state of Zen with what we saw in

London on Sunday morning.

The Atlanta Falcons, conversely, have scored six and

seven points the last two weeks. Desmond Ridder
admitted he did a “terrible job” of taking care of the
ball. His back-to-back interceptions were the
diHerence. Give head coach Arthur Smith credit for
doing everything in his power not to shake his QB’s
conbdence — he’s been a very, very loud source of
support. The Falcons have been adamant since
March that Ridder is their guy. We could take all of
Lamar Jackson Trade Theories and shoot ‘em to the
sun.

But even Smith admitted his oHense (vis a vis, his

quarterback) was pressing in the brst half.

Ridder agreed.

“When we don’t get going early and fast,” the QB

said, “that’s when you feel the press.”

All oHseason, NFL teams sold fan bases on their

vision. Specibcally, why you should believe in their
quarterback plan. Big picture, I loved it. The death
of quarterback groupthink is a beautiful thing.
Nothing’s worse in sports media than mock draNs
dropping in freakin’ September. We all lose a few
more brain cells every time one of those graphics
nudges its way onto our feed because this also feeds
the assumption that the only way to build a winner
is by chasing a white whale of an elite college
prospect.

Sometimes, it works. Usually, it doesn’t. Now that

we’re four weeks into the season, we’re starting to
gain clarity on all bold paths taken.

The hard part for all coaches and GMs involved is

balancing the present and the future on the .y.

Anybody can spend six months piecing together a

detailed plan but, to paraphrase the epic Mike Tyson
quote, it only takes six seconds to then get punched
in the mouth.

How much should a rookie play in Year 1? Carolina,

Houston and Indianapolis hit the gas without
thinking twice. At what point do those teams
gambling on mid-round picks — Atlanta,
Washington — turn to the veteran backup? The
name “Taylor Heinicke” was trending at one point
Sunday morn. Sam Howell had the gutsiest drive of
his young career. And nobody was blindsided worse
than the New York Jets. ANer losing Aaron Rodgers,
they’ve been un.inching in their support of Zach
Wilson. Was Wilson’s performance Sunday night a
glimmer of brighter days ahead or nothing but a
franchise lost in the Sahara hallucinating an oasis of
fresh water?

Let’s examine.

Starting brst with the quarterback and the team we

didn’t see coming.

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© 2023 Tyler Dunne

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