As the Houston Texans begin the second week of organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center, one player will be eager to return to the field and apply everything he is learning daily.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is soaking up information from new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson like a sponge.
“They’ve been very methodical and want to get me to learn it step by step, just like how they would teach anybody else,” said Stroud last week during his press conference. “I feel like I’ve tried to do a lot of work on my own, so when I come back the next day, I have that to put in the bank to be able to move on to the next install, whatever it is.”
With the first glimpse, the media had to observe Stroud as he took second-team reps; he looked like a rookie quarterback learning the basics of running an NFL offense. He made mistakes that should be easily fixable during training camp this summer with more repetitions and film study.
“It’s coming,” Stroud said about learning the offense. “I mean, it’s going to be a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Just trying to learn from the guys who have been in the offense before. Learn from some of the vets. That’s kind of just been my approach is learn it little by little.”
“If somebody forgot a route or protection, I think on film, you can constantly see me pointing things out,” said Houston Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud about running a mini-NFL type offense at Ohio State. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/xKAsyVmip7
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) May 30, 2023
Stroud, who completed 69.3% of his passes at Ohio State during his last two seasons as the signal caller, is a very quick learner and a borderline perfectionist when it comes to playing the quarterback position. It was a trait he learned from his head coach Ryan Day while playing in the NFL-type system the Buckeyes use.
“They do a great job in our building; it is a mini-NFL team,” Stroud answered at the NFL combine in March about learning how to run an offense at Ohio State. “They make you get on the board and explain the plays back.
“It is not them coaching you all the time, you have to be the coach on the team, and that is something I took very seriously. Not only being the leader but being that coach on the field. If somebody forgot a route or protection, I think on film, you can constantly see me pointing things out. That shows what I am willing to do to be great and be a coach on the field.”
The media will have an opportunity to observe Stroud’s progress on Wednesday as practice will be open for a brief period.
