ESPN's Louis Riddick: Texans' C.J. Stroud is 'Stacking & Building'
Quarterback is one of, if not the most critiqued position in football, as the NFL community tracks every single snap. Every under-throw, overthrow, interception or just holding the ball for too long, fans will have something to say...especially for first-round rookies.
Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled in his preseason debut against the New England Patriots, which led to the NFL community questioning his entire future off of a few drives. Nevertheless, Stroud showed a lot of improvements over the next two preseason games, but his reputation from the first one isn't fully healed heading into the regular season.
ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick was quick to defend Stroud and bashed the NFL community for their takes.
"When the New England Patriots got after him pretty good, there was conversation about 'well, maybe this guy wasn't as good as people said...now you see why Bryce Young was drafted No. 1 overall.' Man are you kidding me it's one game in the preseason!" Riddick said on NFL Live.
Riddick explained how Stroud's purpose and intentions in the preseason were like any other rookie quarterback.
"What he's showing you right now is how he is built individually and then collectively how it all comes together," Riddick said. "Protection and chemistry gets better, his comfort, confidence in his footwork and delivery starts to stack and build."
Nevertheless, as Stroud continues to "stack and build," Riddick believes he'll "probably get knocked back down" in Week 1 of the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens.
"You're gonna have to start over again and there's going to be different looks," Riddick said. "There's going to be things you haven't seen, some lumps, you're going to throw some picks and miss some throws."
However, Riddick said that Stroud's expected struggles in Week 1 will only make his "arc higher."
"Let's just slow down and let him shine because he is definitely going to shine," Riddick said. "I couldn't be happier with the way things are going for (Texans coach) DeMeco Ryans and Houston."
The Texans will kickoff the 2022-23 NFL regular season against the Ravens on Sept. 10 (12 p.m. CT on CBS). Don't be so quick to judge the Texans' new man under center, as he's still learning how to command the offense.
