00:00We continue. Someone also text in, as we were talking about where C.J. ranks.
00:06We'll get to the Astros here in a second.
00:08Always thought that the Texan and local media fans' opinion of C.J. was overhyped,
00:14but his play in the playoffs is not his normal either.
00:17I mean, I just don't know how it, like, overhyped.
00:20I mean, like, that season he put together, I feel like, was fairly hyped.
00:26Right? Like, nobody, I think Patrick Creighton was a little aggressive
00:33after year one when he said he would take him over Josh Allen.
00:36But I don't think people were saying C.J. Stroud, he has overtaken Mahomes
00:44and he is the best quarterback.
00:46I think it was fairly rated.
00:48He put together at the time, was probably the best rookie season we've ever seen.
00:54He finished top ten, eighth in the MVP voting.
00:57I think many people then thought this guy is on track to be an elite quarterback.
01:02I think that's a very fair hype thought from him based off what he showed us.
01:07So, I mean, I don't know that he is overhyped.
01:10Now, I agree with you.
01:10I don't think what he did in the playoffs, seven turnovers,
01:13is him either in two games.
01:15But I don't think he was ever overhyped.
01:17No, look, here's the deal.
01:19It's all him.
01:21Right?
01:21It's all him.
01:23I mean, this is the hardest part.
01:26Once you get to guys being as gifted as these players are,
01:29I'm talking about the 32 starters, right, with the exception of maybe a couple.
01:33But when you get to those 32 starters and you start talking about elite players,
01:39it is 100% about the ability to play at an elite level year in, year out.
01:50Whether Bobby Slowick is your offensive coordinator or Nick Kaley is your offensive coordinator,
01:54whether you've got to carry the team or it's a defensive-laden team,
01:58finding a way to play at the top, to perform at the top of your game,
02:05whatever that game looks like.
02:06However it is stylistically, you play the quarterback position.
02:13Being consistently great is the conversation we're having.
02:18When you're talking about the top quarterbacks in this league that are going to be remembered
02:21as the best ever, the MVP caliber guys, the Super Bowl champions, I'm talking year in,
02:26year out.
02:26I'm talking about the Sam Darnold.
02:27I'm talking about year in, year out.
02:29The great quarterbacks in the league.
02:30Sure, we talk a lot about their abilities, rightfully so.
02:36But what makes those guys elite at this point in time in their career
02:41is they consistently come out every single year,
02:45and the reason that their team is relevant in a playoff conversation
02:51or a conference championship conversation or a Super Bowl conversation
02:55is because everybody believes that that quarterback,
02:58no matter what's going on around them,
03:00that quarterback is going to play at a level that's going to allow their team
03:05to compete at a Super Bowl level.
03:09And there was a time when C.J. Stroud, for one season,
03:12put himself in that category.
03:14And then it becomes, okay, can you consistently do it?
03:17And over the previous two years, he has not been able to consistently do it.
03:22And the way that the third year ended was as bad as we've seen a quarterback
03:26play in the playoffs.
03:29His rookie year was as good as we've ever seen a quarterback play,
03:32not a rookie quarterback, a quarterback play in the game of football.
03:36I mean, as extreme as you could imagine, it was that good.
03:40And what we just recently watched was how bad,
03:46as bad as anybody's ever been in a playoffs.
03:48Like, literally, you can say that.
03:50And so both of those things are C.J. Stroud.
03:54And he's obviously uberly talented, a crazy talent.
03:58But if you're going to be in the conversation of a top-ten quarterback,
04:02I'm talking year-in, year-out, not this Samuel Arnold jump in,
04:04and Daniel Jones may jump in early in the year, and Trevor Lawrence is in.
04:07If you're going to be in that conversation year-in, year-out,
04:11it's not about greatness, athletic ability.
04:14It's not about great arm talent.
04:15It's not about this high-flying 5,000 yards,
04:19more-than-anybody Drew Brees type of season.
04:21It's not about throwing for a record number of yards or touchdowns in a year.
04:26It's about do you go out there and have the ability to consistently put your team
04:32in the conversation of, boy, these guys right here are one of the best in the league.
04:37They can make a run because they've got that guy at quarterback.
04:40And based on what you're saying, part of the hype was what you're talking about.
04:45He was able to do it with injuries all across the board,
04:49injuries to the offensive line, injuries to his receivers.
04:53Like, that was one of the other parts of, like, oh, he is lifting a group of guys.
04:58He is able.
04:59That was a part of something we saw.
05:01I would even say the first year and a half.
05:02Like, we saw that.
05:04And so, like, that's a part of it.
05:06When you do those things, I don't think it's overhyped to say –
05:09I don't think it's an overhyped to have thought C.J. Stroud's going to be an elite quarterback.
05:14I don't think – I didn't say he's going to be the best of all time or best –
05:18but I don't think it would have been an overhyped to say C.J. Stroud's going to be an elite
05:23quarterback
05:23in the National Football League.
05:25Didn't say he was after – so, I don't – like, the overhyped part, like, I don't think that's –
05:32It's not an overhyped then and it's not an overcritical now.
05:35It's real.
05:36It's who C.J. Stroud is.
05:37He's got a low floor and he's got an extremely high ceiling.
05:41And if he's going to be a guy that this organization pays $50 million to $60 million,
05:46he's got to show that they – at least give them confidence, right?
05:50He don't have – I'd say one more year to do it, but he's at least got to give them
05:53confidence
05:53that he can do it year in, year out.
05:56You've made this point a lot about Dak Prescott, right?
06:02Whether you love or hate Dak Prescott, if Dak Prescott is healthy,
06:08he is putting that organization on his back and giving them a chance to win every week.
06:13Now, we get frustrated.
06:15Fans get frustrated at how the Cowboys lose and some of the attitude issues
06:19and personality issues and the defense stinks.
06:21But if Dak Prescott is healthy, Dak goes out there and he is the reason why –
06:26he's the reason right now why nobody says, man, the Cowboys ain't going to do a damn thing.
06:30People are always going to go, well, we know the Cowboys are the Cowboys
06:33and they're probably going to Cowboy, but boy, Dak gives them a shot.
06:37Like, he is that guy every single year.
06:39And we're not even talking about the Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen.
06:41We're not even talking about the top of the top.
06:42We're just talking about quarterbacks that consistently go out there
06:45and earn a $50 million to $60 million a year paycheck
06:48and are the face of a program, right?
06:51It's about consistency, right?
06:53And nobody gives a damn whether you get along with the offensive coordinator or not.
06:57Nobody cares about who your quarterback coach is.
07:00Nobody cares that you've got a defensive-minded head coach.
07:02Nobody gives a rip about all that.
07:04And right now we've seen – we have witnessed in three years with C.J. Stroud
07:08the unbelievably high ceiling that was as convincing a product as any out there.
07:13This wasn't the high ceiling of Lamar Jackson that was dominated early on by athletically
07:19or even my man in Washington.
07:21Yeah, Daniels.
07:22Jaden Daniels.
07:23Like, there was some – like, you look at that and you go, yeah, he played well, man,
07:25but there's a chance he's putting himself in harm's way quite a bit.
07:28You know, it wasn't that.
07:29It was Brady-like convincing.
07:32It was Joe Burrow-like convincing.
07:34It was as good as I've seen and as convincing as I've seen.
07:38And then we just watched an absolute come apart, a disaster, as low as you could possibly –
07:43we've seen – it's all who C.J. is.
07:46And he's not ever going to be – he's not ever going to be the $60 million a year guy
07:50that's the face of an organization until he at least convinces this group or the next group
07:56that, hey, man, I can be the reason that you have a chance every year in the playoffs
08:02if I'm your guy.
08:03And we don't know – we have no idea if he's that guy.
08:06So, to have a strong opinion that, you know, boy, it's unfair to see – no, it's not.
08:11C.J. earned the praise three years ago.
08:14Yeah.
08:14And he's earned every bit of the dog cussing that he's getting right now.
08:17Yep.
08:18Next line coming in, the reality is he is still young and he has the opportunity to grow.
08:24But it doesn't – but this is the year.
08:28This is the big year for him.
08:30Yeah, Ron, that's the thing, right?
08:31We're not living in a world – I agree.
08:33But we're not living in a world anymore.
08:35When you draft a quarterback top five, that guy plays next year.
08:39When that guy shows that he can play early on, the expectations are through the roof.
08:44When that guy gets to year three, all right, it's time to commit another year, a fifth-year option.
08:49When he gets to year three, after year three's wrapped up, hey, man,
08:52it's time to pay this guy top-of-the-market money or not.
08:56Like, that is the reality.
08:58Nobody is living in a world in the NFL with young quarterbacks anymore where it's like,
09:01oh, man, that guy's young.
09:02Let's let him develop.
09:03Let's pay him.
09:04Let's commit $60 million a year for the next four years to see if he develops and matures over the
09:14next six months.
09:16Like, that's not the world they live in right now.
09:18Yeah, no, he's young, but he's got to pick it up.
09:22But I just – I push back on the overhyped.
09:27I'm sorry.
09:28Like, I don't think we overhyped Will Anderson.
09:32Just because he's – like, I don't think we overhyped him year one.
09:37Bad MF-er.
09:38Yeah.
09:39I think he's – like, I don't think we're overhyping Stingley.
09:43I don't think we're overhyping these guys.
09:44Now, they may pull back and they may step back.
09:47But, yeah, like, yeah, I think it's fair to say after we watched Derek Stingley become Derek Stingley a couple
09:56years ago to say that guy could be the best corner in football.
09:59Yeah.
09:59I think it's a fair hype.
10:01It's that way with all these guys, Ron.
10:03I mean, look at them.
10:03Look at – look at the – every year that Derek Stingley puts together, you're more convinced he's one of
10:08the best players in the league and you should pay him a boatload of money.
10:11Maybe again, right?
10:12Or obviously again.
10:13Kamari Lasseter.
10:14If he puts another year together of the play that we've seen for two years, it's going to be a
10:19no-brainer whether the – whether it's the Texans or somebody else.
10:21Somebody's going to pay him top-of-the-market money.
10:23You look at Will Anderson.
10:24It's been the same product, the same approach, the same dog that you got day one for three years.
10:30No problem.
10:31Write the check.
10:32Right?
10:32Nico Collins.
10:33Since Nico Collins arrived, since the dysfunction around him that was clearly holding him back disappeared, it's been damn near
10:40three years.
10:41Now, there's some injury issues, but there's been damn near three years of straight top five to ten wide receiver
10:47in football.
10:47Pay the man his money.
10:48You know who he is.
10:49Yeah.
10:49Right?
10:49It's about consistency when you're having elite of the elitist conversations or you're talking about market-setting money.
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