CJ Stroud, Houston Texans Quarterback

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort coming soon to a Super Bowl new you.

Okay, picture this. It's Friday afternoon when a thought hits you. I can spend another weekend doing the same old whatever or I can hop into my all-new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road. With available H-Track all-wheel drive and three-row seating, my whole family can head deep into the wild. Conquer the weekend in the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Hyundai, there's joy in every journey.

2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort coming soon to a Super Bowl new you.

Okay, picture this. It's Friday afternoon when a thought hits you. I can spend another weekend doing the same old whatever or I can hop into my all-new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road. With available H-Track all-wheel drive and three-row seating, my whole family can head deep into the wild. Conquer the weekend in the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Hyundai, there's joy in every journey.

2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. I'm Tony and this is the Tony Kornheiser show. Wow, that makes it sound a bit more serious than it really is. So what exactly is the show about? Been almost 30 years and I still don't know. Right now we have some of the best voices in football come on to explain to us what we need to know in the college and pro world and we get weekly picks from a monkey.

Do you really need more than that? I might just tell you about my bunker game of the latest failed entry in my quest to find the best coffee ice cream. No schmutz please. Listen on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. We continue this Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio inside the convention center at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. And man, I don't know if I've ever seen a better rookie season than the one that my next guest had.

And that is the quarterback of the Houston Texans, a game changer, a stud already a top five quarterback in my opinion in the NFL. He is CJ shroud on behalf of visa today. CJ, great to see you.

Congratulations on all your success. How are you? I'm good, man. Thank you for having me. So I remember the last time I talked to you, I was at the Heisman and it was right before the college football playoff game up against Georgia and people were, were kind of down on you, even though you were a finalist for the Heisman trophy. And I said to you, I know you haven't made a decision yet on, on declaring for the draft, but if I'm a GM, why should I take you number one overall? And something that stood out to me, you said you're more mobile than what people give you credit for. And you hope to put that on display soon. I'm just wondering since that conversation we've seen it on the field. Have you kind of learned to use your legs and move around the pocket a little bit more?

Oh yeah. I feel like I've always kind of had that skill. Stop being a young kid. I'm not like super fast, but I'm pretty elusive and I can extend plays. And I think I did that my whole career, but people, people highlight a game and they don't know what's what's going on behind the scenes, you know? So it was a lot of things that I was dealing with in college that I couldn't run because I was injured or things like that. And I fought through that injury and still try to play. So I know it's all old news and I think I'm proving those people wrong right now.

So I've been having a ball, you know, extended plays at the next level against the best players in the world. I thought your draft coverage was bull crap. Like if people didn't want you to be the first quarterback, you know, second quarterback, whatever it was, but this S2 cognitive tests, like it, it had to annoy you, right. That people were basically saying that's why you shouldn't get drafted.

Not necessarily. Like I, of course I wasn't happy about it, but I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't the first time people wrote me off or try to get me to be less than than I knew my potential was, you know? So I really was kind of ready for it in a sense because I knew something was going to come with the process. It kind of is how it goes all the time, you know? So, I mean, I was blessed enough to fight through that and still create great relationships with these GMs and the owners and the head coaches. And so I think I have a lot of respect around the league on how I conduct myself in that manner, of course.

And then you turn on the film. You can clearly tell that I was a smart quarterback and I'm still doing it now. So, you know, it's all, it's all good.

I don't have any ill will or any, I'm not mad at anybody. I just, I hope it doesn't happen to anybody else, but I knew that I was strong enough to go through it. Talking to CJ Stroud right now, what did this year kind of mean to you? How do you kind of put it into words? Cause it was so surreal to watch.

I can't imagine actually living through it. It was special, man. You know, just having the opportunity to start as a rookie from game one, all the way into the playoffs, you know, just a lot of learning, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of growing, you know, so I had an amazing time just playing with my teammates and having a great time with them.

So, I mean, I just say this season was special and it's just something I'm gonna learn from. Did you know the night of the draft that you were going to be the second overall pick to the Texans? Cause it was clear the Panthers were taking Bryce young, right?

Not really. I didn't know where I thought I could have went one all the way to 10. You know, I didn't know where I was going to go. Cause I remember you were sitting at the draft, we're alive on location and everyone's like, Oh, CJ's going to fall.

CJ's going to fall. And I'm like, I don't know. I feel like the day when you wake up and you hear someone's going to fall, they don't usually end up falling. Well, I mean, that's people's opinion and everybody's entitled to their own, but you know, I live in reality and I'm the person, you know, sit in the shoes that has to get picked. So I honestly wasn't stressed about it. Like if I dropped cool, if I got picked early, cool. Uh, cause at the end of the day, like it's not in my control.

I'm not the one making the decision. I did what I did on film. I had the interviews. I did everything in my power and my control at that point.

So at that time I was kind of relaxing, just ready to figure out where I was going to live for the next couple of years. There's this theory out there and you've obviously heard it that, uh, Frank Reich and, and, uh, Josh McCown, they wanted to draft you. Then David Tepper of the Panthers, the owner usurped it to get Bryce young. There's that video with you and McCown and Reich.

It looks like, like he's trying to, uh, uh, start some pickup basketball game or whatever he said. Was any of that stuff like true to like the Panthers? Did it surprise you when they didn't take you? Uh, I would say I was, I wasn't surprised. I mean, I knew that it was going to be me or Bryce. Cause they were, they told, they told me that they were looking for a quarterback.

Um, and I wasn't, um, necessarily saying it wasn't going to be new or it was, I mean, I was kind of just, um, looking at my phone, ready for the phone call. It came and I seen Bryce and his family, uh, excited. And I was just super happy for my brother. You know, at that point, like, uh, you see somebody working so hard for so long.

I'm knowing Bryce since like the eighth grade. So, um, to see him accomplish his dreams was just amazing. And, you know, I got picked right after him and you can see his reaction in that kind of on video.

So, you know, there's a lot of, a lot of, um, things that people see online and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, the Panthers were the ones who made the decision and, um, you know, that that's the decision they made. So at the end of the day, you know, I think Bryce is going to be great there. I know I'm going to be great with the Texans and everything happens for a reason. It's cool because, you know, I know some of the local guys on sports radio, six 10, you know, part of the same company as we're talking to CJ shroud.

And the three, four years, every time we'd bring them on the show, it was like a negative story with the Texans, negative story with the Texans to see D'Amico come in, you come in will Anderson junior, come in with the third overall pick, how you guys just changed that organization with Nick Casario so quickly. It's, it's pretty damn impressive and cool to see. I appreciate that.

It's been a, it's been a, uh, it's been a grind, you know, um, it's not as easy as it seems. And I know, um, the people who, who are behind closed doors, get a lot of great, I mean, behind, uh, the scenes, I've done a lot of great things that make our team so special, not just like Nick and D'Amico. They're at the forefront of that and the McNairs, but, uh, just our, uh, our, our staff, our janitors, like our, our cooks, our chefs, our nutritionists, our strength staff, like a lot of people have been great for a long time.

And now the world's starting to notice. So, I mean, it's just really special to be a part of some, some great, were you, this may be a weird question for you, but were you surprised the success that you had this year? Cause it didn't seem like there was like a rookie curve or anything like that. It seemed like you got right into the league and you were elite right away. Yeah, I appreciate that.

Uh, I wouldn't say I was surprised. Like I was, I've always been a confident person, you know, I always like have had like my, my worries and my doubts in a sense, but you know, I know that God has put me, put a special talent into me and a special type of mindset that I knew, uh, if I was just confident in myself, that I know I can do anything to crush the strengths of me. So, um, I really, uh, knew I had a feeling I was going to play good after like week one and really after preseason, like we played the dolphins and then we went to the saints and like the game really started to slow down on along that point. And then we played the Ravens and they were a great defense and I still moved the ball down the field pretty well. And then we played the coach and I played well. So like after that, I got my rhythm and everything started to slow down. When you think of where you could eventually go to, cause you're number one, you barely turned over the football.

Yeah. You had one of the greatest rookie seasons we've ever seen. What do you think the ceiling of, of CJ Strad is like, how much better do you think you could get? I think I get a lot better, you know, um, something that I, I pride myself on is never make a mistake twice, you know, and, uh, there's a lot of mistakes that I made this year that hopefully I don't do again, you know, and a lot of mistakes are inevitable. Like what I learned this league, you know, 400 times, you're bound to throw a few interceptors, you know, and, um, the biggest thing for me is just that next play, let that next play be my best play. So, um, there's a lot of things that I learned this year that I'm gonna use next year. And I think the sky's the limit. I don't think there is a limit to be honest.

I don't think the sky or anything. I think, uh, whatever, uh, whatever the work I'll put in and whatever God wants for my life is going to happen. Do you feel like right now you're a top five quarterback in the NFL? Yes, sir. I do.

Um, I think I put it on film. I think my numbers speak for itself, especially missing two games. You know, I think if I didn't miss those two games, my numbers would have been just as good or one of the best in the league. So, um, and I think you can see the impact I had on my team, you know, so, uh, I'm not in the, in the business of like arguing I'm top five. I'm not, I really don't care.

I mean, I just want to win. Well, who do you think are the top five quarterbacks in football? And I was quick on the spot.

Uh, I would say, of course, my homes. I would say Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson. Uh, I would say myself and then I will probably go borough. No, I mean, not cause he didn't play last year. Of course borough is like one of my favorite quarterbacks ever, but I would say either to it or, um, to a Hertz. I think that I think, Oh, Josh Allen, excuse me.

But I think I'm like definitely top three, top fourth. Growing up, like who'd you kind of look up to? Like who were some of the quarterbacks that you watch? And you were like, wow, that, that really impressed you.

Yeah. I was, um, a lot of Joe burrow. Uh, that's somebody I watch. And like, he, like, we kind of play a similar type of game, uh, could make every throw can extend plays, uh, really smart, you know, make, make the pocket, right. Very pocket mobility.

Um, so a lot of stuff like that. My favorite player growing up was Mike vacant. Uh, I don't know how nothing like Mike Vick, you know, he's a dog.

Uh, he can run his tail off, but I'm not that good of a runner, but he was my favorite player. And then Deshaun Watson was also, uh, I was a big fan of his talking to CJ Stroud right now. Uh, when we get to this game on Sunday from a quarterback perspective, like what else is there to say about Patrick Mahomes, but the conversation around Brock Purdy is fascinating. You know, people want to call him a system quarterback, game manager, a good quarterback.

It doesn't matter to me. I want your quarterback cap on though. What do you see when you watch Brock? Yeah, I think there's a, um, there's a unfair bias on Brock because he's on a great team, but at the same time to play quarterback and be in the super bowl, you have to be great yourself.

Um, and don't get me wrong. Like this is a team sport. You want great teammates.

Like I would love to like have, uh, you know what I'm saying? I do have great teammates to help me, you know, so, um, I don't think Brock is getting the right treatment. I think he's a great quarterback. I think definitely he's a top 10 quarterback in his league and, um, he's going to continue to prove people wrong. You know, I love watching his game.

Very accurate. He's very mobile. Um, he gets played, he gets, cause we're on the similar type of offense. He gets the ball on the right play, right players hands at the right time.

He doesn't force, force the ball. Um, and, and honestly, there's nothing easy or basic about being an NFL quarterback. So, I mean, I have a ton of respect for that guy and I think he's a great quarterback.

All right. The biggest conversation with this super bowl is Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. You think they're going to end up getting married one day? I kind of feel like there's going to be wedding bells between them too.

No comment. I really don't care. Shout out, try to trust my dog. Like I know he's not worried about who I'm dating. So, uh, the coverage of it is wild. It, it really, I mean, you know, it's, what's hot right now.

It's, it's the world we live in. And, uh, Taylor Swift is a great artist and Travis Kelce is the best tight end ever played football. So, uh, yeah, Travis is a good friend of mine and I have a lot of respect for that dude. And he showed me a lot of love and gave me a lot of, um, great advice.

So, uh, you know, shout out to Travis and, and, um, Taylor. Tom Brady's my favorite quarterback of all time. Um, you know, following Brady as closely as I have, he really liked Lamar Jackson a few years ago.

He's really grown to like you. I know you have a little bit of relationship with Tom Brady. How did you guys kind of link up? Uh, through a mutual friend, Michael Rubin. Yeah.

And then Mike Ruby has been amazing to me. Just, um, a lot of, uh, a lot of leadership from him, a lot of fellowship, just being a, uh, a big brother to me and I, and I have a lot of love for Rube. Um, and he connected us and me, Will, uh, Levis, uh, after you understand and Bryce sat down at lunch at rookie symposium, right?

Yeah. We sat down at lunch with Tom and Travis Scott and they just gave us game, you know, for about an hour and a half, two hours. And, uh, that's where me and Tom met. And we really didn't talk much after that. And then, uh, we, I did his podcast, um, after we played the bangles, I believe. And I grabbed, he, I grabbed his number and I've been, you know, in contact with him ever since.

And he's a really great mentor and he's giving back, which I appreciate. You're a humble guy, CJ Stroud, but who was the one text message or like DM that you got this year? Cause everyone was talking about you, right?

Sensational rookie season. Who was the one person that you're like, well, I can't believe that this person just reached out to me that you were even talk struck with anyone. Hmm.

Not necessarily. I don't really go through my DMS much. Uh, I've gotten a lot of love from like a lot of, um, rappers I used to listen to. Oh, that's cool. So that's gotten a cool, excuse me. Um, so yeah, I've gotten really cool Quavo, um, with Migos.

Yeah. He's a great artist, but man, he's even a better friend, you know? So he showed me a lot of love and, um, you know, just, he's a great, he's a, he's a really big football fan too.

So Quavo is probably one of the people that I remember that I met. I'm like, Dan, do I am, you know what I'm saying? Why should you ever, you're going to win rookie of the year, but why should you win it over Puka Nakua? Who, if it was any other year, I think he would have won rookie of the year.

Honestly, like, I don't know, I said for other people to decide, I think Puka, you mean Puka train together our whole off season. Oh, you guys have a good one. Yeah. So that was my brother. We hooked together. We went out to eat.

Like we were together for about like six, seven months straight. So, um, he's a great player. He works really hard.

It comes from a great family. Um, and I mean, I'm just super proud of that dude, you know? So, I mean, if I'm winning cool, if I don't, I'm not tripping.

It's like, that's, I'm not really in it for the accolades. I just want to, I'm telling you, you have like, if I'm describing a franchise quarterback, you're right there because seriously, you say all the right things. You go out on the field, you played your ass off this year, but you know what's going to happen now.

People are going to be like, uh, Texans are, are one hit wonders and not going to be able to repeat this. Why is this just the beginning? Why are you guys only going to keep on getting better? You tell me. Oh, just because I mean, it's up to us.

It's not up to anybody. Like that's what people are paid to do is to talk. We're paid to play, you know? So I'm going to go out there and do what I'm paid to do and try to execute at a high level.

And, um, you know, if it doesn't happen this year, it doesn't happen. It's, it's people got to understand. It's part of the game.

You know, I know a lot of people want these click-based and all these, uh, these videos where they're right or they're wrong. Like it doesn't really matter to me. Like at the end of the day, I live in reality and, and I love this sport and I have a lot of respect for the sport. So I'm not going to come up here and just tell people I'm going to be the greatest thing to slice bread.

Uh, because I know that's not reality. Like you have to put into work. You have to, uh, you have to be able to meet opportunity with work and hopefully that matches up.

And sometimes you go out there and you lay an egg, you know? So, um, I'm just really, um, excited for next year and for that next challenge, because it's not going to be easy and nothing in my life has ever been easy. So I'm really excited just to play another year with my teammates and my brothers.

So, um, I don't really care what other people got to say and I respect everybody's opinion, but you know, it's up to us to go out there and execute. You got the awesome zip up right here with visa. You tell me what we're doing today with visa. What do we got cooking?

What's on the credit card docket? So yeah, I've been working with visa for about two years now. And I mean, it's been amazing just, uh, what they stand for, working with fans and trying to help people maximize their potential, um, and really just set goals and reach those goals. And that's, I'm not gonna relate to being a professional athlete, you know, so, um, it's been amazing working with them. And, uh, we really just want people to, to understand like, uh, their potential and get to that at the highest level and knowing that I'm in the same race as them on that journey, you know? So we have the Fandium Panium, uh, booth over there that I did the meet and greet today and we'll be around this week. So, uh, man, it's been an honor working with visa.

What impressed you the most about the Mico Ryans by the way? Uh, really just his aura, you know, his, um, his personality, his, uh, his vibrant, um, his vibrant personality, uh, just how positive he is, even though like, sometimes he's not a negative coach, you know, like he's not that guy. He's not that guy to come and just like yell at you for no reason.

He's going to just keep it real. Um, but he's going to set a found, he's going to set a, uh, uh, a standard. And if you don't meet that standard, you stood out, you stick out like a sore thumb. And honestly, me, me and will came in with that same mindset. Uh, cause honestly we didn't always have winners in a locker room, uh, in our organization. And it took a while for us to get guys to learn how to win and, um, you know, to have the preparation the right way.

And the Mico has been at the forefront of that. So man, I've been blessed enough to be, uh, able to learn from such a great coach. Um, CJ shroud, before we let you run once again on behalf of visa, and you've been great on this show, uh, today and you had an unbelievable season, Marvin Harrison Jr. I think he's the best player period in this draft. No disrespect to any of the quarterbacks.

And all we do is talk about quarterbacks. You were a teammate of his at Ohio state. Is it just like when you watch him, you just know that's going to be a dude.

That's going to be hall of Famer one day. Yeah. When you talk about like everybody talking about like the prototypical guy, like he's fast, he's big. He has releases. He has routes.

Marv is my thing. What I look for first, is he a dog? Like, is he somebody who wants to ball every play? And that's that guy right there. You know, like you said, he's the best player in the world, uh, coming out of college and, um, quarterback or not. Like I have a lot of respect for the quarterback coming up in this class as well.

Um, but at the end of the day, I think we, if you're looking for the most complete, the most polished, the most, uh, NFL game ready week one to make an impact on the NFL team, Marvin Harrison's that guy for you. So, um, I'm super proud of that dude, man. He's the hardest work I've ever met in my life. Other than my mom probably, but you know, so like, he's just a dog in everything he does. So there's a lot of, a lot of respect and just proud of him. I know you got to bounce.

I don't want to keep you here all day. Last one for CJ Stroud. Your favorite memory from this season is one.

I would say, um, winning, winning that playoff contention game against the Colts and then winning the playoff game, uh, at home beating Cleveland. That was, that was a big moment. Well, Hey, best of luck. I can't wait to see what's going to happen the rest of your career.

Keep on proving people wrong and thanks for doing this. My man. Thank you.

Appreciate you, brother. A peanut butter M and M's production in a world where Superbowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners up get nothing. One retired cop return. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M and M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The ring of comfort coming soon to a Superbowl.

Okay. Picture this it's Friday afternoon. When a thought hits you, I can spend another weekend doing the same old whatever, or I can hop into my all new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road with available H-track all wheel drive and three row seating. My whole family can head deep into the wild, conquer the weekend and the all new Hyundai Santa Fe visit Hyundai usa.com or call 5 6 2 3 1 4 4 6 0 3. For more details Hyundai there's joy in every journey.

2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. I'm Tony, and this is the Tony Kornheiser show. Wow. That makes it sound a bit more serious than it really is. So what exactly is the show about? Been almost 30 years and I still don't know. Right now we have some of the best voices in football come on to explain to us what we need to know in the college and pro world.

And we get weekly picks from a monkey. Do you really need more than that? I might just tell you about my bunker game and the latest failed entry in my quest to find the best coffee ice cream. No schmutz please. Listen on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.