- 2 days ago
CJ Stroud joins The Pat McAfee Show to talk about his concussion, Davis Mills, and more.
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00:00CJ Stroud. CJ Stroud jumped on Pat McAfee show where Pat was very, I think just generally as an interviewer, he takes the direction of let's be buddy, buddy.
00:10Let's be pow, pow. Let's see if we can make this go. But he was very complimentary of CJ.
00:15And I thought that the conversation was really good.
00:19He was asked CJ was by Pat about in this cup one about missing the three weeks concussion and what went into the return.
00:26Was there planning for when you would come back? When was that kind of all being talked about?
00:30And did you just say immediately, you know what, I'll come back Indianapolis and ruin their lives? Is that a part of it?
00:36No, it was really just a health precaution. You know, it's your brain.
00:40So, I mean, I'm not going to play around with that and take every precaution and just listen to the doctors and, you know, our officials here to, you know, get the right, you know, feedback.
00:48But it's something that you really can't like have a timetable for.
00:51Like if you hurt your wrist or like your ankle or something, God forbid, you know, that's a timetable.
00:55You can like timestamp that. But something with your brain, you know, you got to like really just take precaution and making sure that you're like fully healthy before you go out there.
01:02So, you know, I thought our team did a great job with that. And, you know, I'm just grateful to be back and be healthy.
01:07Okay, we're grateful that you're back too. You're a special talent, dude.
01:10And it tracks with what D'Amico said the whole time too.
01:12So, it clearly was something, you know, for a number of reasons, not just he needs to be healthy.
01:18It's just her brain and you can't mess around with that.
01:22But you have to be extra precautionary with a franchise quarterback.
01:24And from his perspective, he needs to be extra, you know, precautionary because he's got money on the line, you know?
01:31Yeah, I think that that's absolutely all tracks.
01:33But that was the tone and tender of the way that this thing started.
01:36But as it was going, CJ was asked by Pat, or actually he was asked, I can't remember by who, about the relationship with Davis Mills.
01:45Because obviously in that time, Davis Mills came in and, you know, was able to keep the shit rocking.
01:50They won three games and established the start of this four-game win streak, right?
01:55So, what's your relationship like with backup quarterback Davis Mills?
01:59That's my brother, bro.
02:00Like, he's been a really, you know, great leader for me coming into the league.
02:06I thought, you know, coming in, you know, fighting for the same position, you know, he always showed me love still.
02:12And I try to do the same.
02:13And he's made me better.
02:14I feel like I made him better.
02:15And, you know, we have our QB dinners that we do, you know?
02:18And we had a lot of his wife, you know, is a really good friend of mine as well.
02:22And his family, you know, I meet them, you know, every time they come to the games and stuff.
02:25So, that's my brother, man.
02:26I always support him.
02:27I always, you know, root him on.
02:28And I just think it's funny that people ask these questions now just, you know, because he's, you know, had, you know, some really good games.
02:34And, you know, it's something that, like, I root.
02:36Put that on.
02:37I think he's hard in the NFL, you know?
02:39And I think, you know, he's proven that, you know, in these couple games that he's played.
02:43So, I just think it's funny how people, you know, can try to switch the narrative to make it seem like I'm, like, some guy that's like, oh, no.
02:49Like, you know, like.
02:50I saw a photo of you in the locker room.
02:52I saw a photo of you in the locker room.
02:53Everybody was happy but you.
02:55Okay?
02:55Everybody was happy but you.
02:57I'm telling you.
02:58I've seen it with my own eyes.
02:59I'm primed.
03:00That was my favorite part because, you know, CJ had seen it, you know, because it made all the rounds.
03:06And I thought McAfee handled that the best way, you know, sort of kidding but not kidding.
03:11And I thought they all handled that correctly.
03:15And the other thing that I think is important and a lot of people don't realize because everybody's competitive.
03:20And, of course, Davis Mills wants to be a starter.
03:24But I always have sort of wondered the same thing, you know, like, oh, they hate each other.
03:29No, they're competing but they both know their role.
03:31I thought it's very rare where you can see two quarterbacks and they clearly, clearly, you know, are fighting, you know, and maybe are holding some sort of grudge or competitive.
03:42Or somebody's wife commenting on somebody's Instagram and Instagram comments.
03:47And I think that remembering that these dudes will go out to dinner and that their families will, you know, obviously intermingle in various different ways.
03:54I thought that that was a cool reminder.
03:55I also very much appreciated that, well, one, you mentioned Davis.
04:00Like, the Davis very, always, very much kept it clear what the relationship was and what the hierarchy was.
04:06TJ offered without any level of push or anything.
04:09I believe him to be a starter in this league.
04:11Which brought me back to, I think, a conversation that we had off air.
04:14I don't think I brought it to air.
04:15Is it possible that, like, Davis Mills could be the reverse Matt Schaub?
04:19Yeah, I do.
04:20Yeah, I really do believe, you know, he signed a one-year deal.
04:24He clearly wants to be a starter.
04:26He's clearly, you know, elevated his status as a potential starter.
04:30I fully expect, unless, you know, they decide to pay him, too, you know, something significant here that he should be.
04:35There's a lot of teams that could use him.
04:37Yeah, and I was like, that's one of the things that I find to be interesting with him.
04:41And I believe that he is, he's technically, he's under contract for next year as well, right?
04:46So he has that.
04:47But is now the time, especially after this stretch, to utilize Davis Mills and get something for him?
04:55Or does this feel like, especially because of the way that this went, that you've got to make sure you hold on to him?
04:59Because that comment about him being a starter, it feels like he very well could fall into one of the most favorable times.
05:05Yes.
05:06For quarterbacks of that stature of like, oh, he could be a stopgap.
05:09It feels like there's never been a better time in the National Football League to be that caliber of quarterback.
05:13Because I think teams are more open to the idea of, let's give you some run and see what you can do.
05:17And could you maybe hold it down as much as we might not call you a franchise quarterback, quote unquote.
05:22But if you hold it down for three, four seasons, what's the real difference there?
05:26I think the Texans want Davis Mills to just keep doing what he's doing.
05:29And we said this, we talked about this before the season, you know, all you want from Davis Mills to be able to win two or three games.
05:35As it happened, he won three games.
05:38The Texans, they're in the playoff hunt.
05:41They're in the, you know, maybe a Super Bowl contender, depending on how their defense continues, because Davis Mills won those three games.
05:48So they want him.
05:49But at some point, Davis Mills and Davis Mills agent is going to say, hey, you know, you got it.
05:56You got to do me a solid.
05:57And they know they can't keep him forever.
05:59Yeah, you got to do me a solid.
06:00And I don't think they need to keep him forever.
06:01I think that's part of why you go in, like, draft to Graham Mertz.
06:04Not saying that Graham Mertz is absolutely that, but just you start putting some feelers in the water of, all right, draft a guy.
06:10See if you find somebody that could be a backup or even something even more special at some point.
06:15The reason why I bring this up, because, again, they have him under contract next year.
06:19I think that they have to pay him seven plus million that he will get paid.
06:23I don't think anybody's going to be upset about that.
06:24I think we all are very comfortable with the idea of Davis Mills stepping in, particularly in this system.
06:29The question I have is, this has also been an organization that has gotten to a place where if they feel like they're doing right by a guy, they're willing to do that.
06:38Yes.
06:38And that is starting to look like it might be some of a doing right by the guy to let him go somewhere.
06:43But also, it's the most important position.
06:45I think it, you know, they kind of, I mean, it sounds silly, you know, given that this is a big business, but they kind of owe it to him.
06:52And I think the agent or Davis Mills himself is going to maybe request that at the end of the year.
06:57And they probably should do it.
06:58Yeah.
06:58And you'll get better value than you possibly ever could have for Davis Mills.
07:02Yeah.
07:03There's a couple of teams I could probably name right now.
07:05And I'm like, man, Davis Mills could probably start over there.
07:09There's a lot of questions going in.
07:11That's why I said the reverse job, because I think the Falcons are a place, although they have a number of quarterbacks.
07:15I just don't know how many of those are particularly good.
07:17The New Orleans Saints looking around, and I'm like, that doesn't look like you got that figured out.
07:21And that's just like, the Vikings, especially with the timeline that they've been on and their willingness to go and get a dude who just ends up being a stopgap for a period.
07:29Yeah, I don't know.
07:30And again, I don't know that this is like a much important thing.
07:32I think that this is more a thought experiment than anything else, because I think they're going to do anything.
07:36But it's just, it was interesting because of the way that CJ brought that up.
07:40Finally, I wanted to bring the rookies to the fore, because that was one of the things that CJ was asked about on the Pat McAfee show yesterday.
07:47Asked about the rookies, Woody Marks Higgins coming along as late for this Houston offense.
07:51Yeah, I always remember my rookie year and like being thrown in the fire and kind of just thinking of like time on task.
07:57You know, it's like some things, you know, are better when you just get thrown in the fire.
08:01You have to figure it out.
08:02And I thought, you know, they've figured it out pretty early.
08:05So, you know, Woody has been an anchor, you know, in our running game.
08:08And, you know, it's created a lot of, you know, big, big time running plays for us.
08:12And on top of that, you know, Higg is out there, you know, and he has a lot on his plate blocking and, you know, running routes.
08:18And I thought he's done a great job with that and, you know, clean body language.
08:21And, you know, it hasn't been overnight.
08:23A lot of conversation that I have with those guys is, you know, being that I was just a rookie, you know, two years ago, you know, just shows that, you know, like I understand, you know, what they're going through.
08:32And I think the main thing is like confidence, you know, with that being a rookie, you know, is you can keep your confidence, man.
08:39It's the same game we've been playing since we were 10, 11 years old.
08:41It's just, you know, at a different scale.
08:43So the confidence you bring in every day, you know, and the preparation, you know, all, you know, adds up to how you play on Sundays.
08:50Yeah, it really has been one of the better stories, you know, in Woody Marks to be able to, we're seeing his development practically week to week.
08:59And I think a lot of that has to do with, you know, credit to D'Amico Ryans, you know, surrounding him with the right players.
09:06It's about the kind of player that you bring in.
09:09I think that's been a big impact on Woody Marks.
09:11Also, this is just another, like another breadcrumb of the leadership that C.J. Stroud has that I think sometimes can be either underappreciated or sometimes even attempted to be picked at.
09:23Yeah.
09:23Woody Marks talked about it after this game where, you know, late in that game, he was talking about talking to his players, pulling C.J. aside and asking, hey, if I manage to break this free, what should I do?
09:33And C.J. giving him the advice on this?
09:35Like, this is also another time of him talking about giving these guys confidence, body language, which I found very interesting because that is something that we bring to C.J.
09:43Yeah, about C.J., yeah.
09:44I would also like to know or ask the question, and I'll allow you to just tell me, Reggie, you're doing too much or what have you.
09:52I know that he was asked about Woody Marks and Higgins.
09:54I find it interesting because there's one more rookie on that offense that we've all been looking at in J.L.
10:00No.
10:00Is there any feeling it's like him being left out of this group in this?
10:05No, I think, I don't think that was the.
10:09Not the intention.
10:10Not the intent.
10:11But I think what came to mind was Higgins and Marks for a reason.
10:16I think, you know, we mentioned it yesterday.
10:18I think Jalen Knoll, they might just be thinking this is his role.
10:23As a return man.
10:24Sometimes, you know, play guy that is really just a return guy.
10:29Which, it feels odd, but as of right now, I'm happy to at least see Higgins getting more opportunity
10:33and then obviously Woody Marks being very good about what's happening.
10:37From the 8-3-2, C.J. saying what a good friend Mrs. Mills is.
10:40Creep me out more than Andy Reid.
10:42All right.
10:42I feel like you're doing too much in that moment.
10:44And then 3-4-5, 3-4-6 said, let's trade Davis Mills for a three and sign Jameis Winston.
10:49All right.
10:49Okay.
10:51Y'all just want some entertainment at this point.
10:54Which, honestly, I kind of enjoy having a backup that is not entertainment.
10:58I think this is truly one of those, who says no?
11:01Nah, for real.
11:02Who says no?
11:02If you say so.
11:03And he got to be at the podium every week.
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