00:00Real quick, boys, I know a lot of folks out there
00:03were looking forward to seeing John McClain
00:05necking on Kirby if C.J. Stroud gets traded.
00:07I'm hopeful.
00:09The odds are it ain't going to happen.
00:11The odds are, you know, the reality of it is
00:15C.J. is going to be the starting quarterback
00:16for the Houston Texans next year.
00:18I do think there's conversations being had,
00:21but I think it's a long shot either way you slice it.
00:25Boy, you talk about bad driving.
00:27Them USA, another USA gals, they just got,
00:29they hit the damn bobsled.
00:30They hit the damn wall coming right out of the gate.
00:32Took that damn thing apart.
00:33Oh, Lee, boy, that's a bad start right there.
00:35But C.J. Stroud is more than likely going to be
00:39the Houston Texans quarterback in 2026.
00:42Yeah, I would be shocked if he hit.
00:45And the interesting part to me, Ron, is two years ago,
00:50this guy was going to, was Superman.
00:52This guy was going to be a top 10 quarterback.
00:54This guy was going to be the reason
00:56that the Houston Texans win a Super Bowl.
00:59We'll get to an AFC championship.
01:01Live in the playoffs.
01:03That narrative for everybody, I would believe,
01:06or that thought, that has changed significantly.
01:10I would think for everybody,
01:12even the biggest C.J. Stroud fans,
01:14have to sit back and be honest about what's happened.
01:18But I'm curious, 713-572-416 from fans.
01:22What is the proverbial ceiling right now for C.J. Stroud?
01:32It's clearly not, again, the franchise guy
01:36that's going to put the program on his back
01:38and is going to go win a Super Bowl.
01:40But what are your expectations now for C.J. Stroud?
01:43What's the expected ceiling for the Texans quarterback right now
01:48versus where it was two years ago?
01:50Yeah, I think it does drop down from that.
01:54I don't think you can walk into it
01:55when you think about everything that is around him
01:58and everything that we've seen here of late to think.
02:03This is a guy that is a potential elite quarterback
02:06because I think that's where the conversation was at that point.
02:09Yeah, guys talking about he could be the MVP after year one, right?
02:13I don't think we're in that space.
02:14But I do believe C.J. Stroud can be a second-tier quarterback.
02:22When I look at second-tier quarterbacks,
02:24I think that's Jarrett Goff.
02:27I think that's Jalen Hurts.
02:29I think that's Trevor, Justin Herbert, who flirts.
02:37Sam Darnold.
02:38Sam Darnold, I think he could be Dak Prescott.
02:42I think he can live in that lane as a ceiling.
02:47Now, my one question to that is,
02:50and I understand what he's done in his last couple of games,
02:53but my one question to that is,
02:57is what I think he can be and his ceiling can be,
03:00is that different than what his ceiling can actually be
03:04in this particular offense?
03:06That, like, that's my difference.
03:09If he were in, like, if he were with Sean McVay
03:12and he was working in that offense and working with the best,
03:15I would be like, boy, I think he could be,
03:18he could be at the top part of that second tier.
03:21I could see that.
03:23Now I wonder how that differs with what he is getting,
03:26because he's clearly not a guy that can go and get any kind of coaching
03:30and be able to be extremely successful.
03:33Yeah.
03:34Yeah, I tell you, I want to remove,
03:37because I don't know who C.J. Stroud is.
03:39I mean, I'll be honest with you.
03:40I've seen the guy have one of the most impressive seasons
03:42that I've seen a quarterback ever have, definitely a rookie,
03:45and I thought it was as convincing as any,
03:47and now I'm sitting here year three,
03:49and he's in an offense where the actual stylistically,
03:53that the way he played his rookie year
03:55is more how he needs to play in this system,
03:57and I'm just not sure that he's going to be willing to do it
03:59if he's a good fit in that offense.
04:00I never thought that would be the case.
04:02However, so I don't know who C.J. Stroud is.
04:04That's one of my bigger problems.
04:05I don't even know who he is physically.
04:07I know he can make some plays.
04:09I know he's been a high-level processor.
04:13I just don't know where he lies in a sense of being able to be consistently,
04:16be great for a franchise, whatever that means, right?
04:19The interesting part to me, Ron, is more about the expectations, right?
04:24I've gone from, and I'll make it about me.
04:28I've gone from pay this guy $60 million a year,
04:33and he is going to be the reason why you make an appearance
04:38in the AFC Championship and potentially the Super Bowl.
04:40He is going to be the reason why.
04:42And if he's not the reason why, I'm going to be disappointed.
04:45I've gone from that to, man, I just want a guy that buys into the offense.
04:51I just want a guy that will buy into the offense.
04:53I want a guy that doesn't turn the football over.
04:56Like, C.J. Stroud has turned me into D'Amico Rhines.
04:59C.J. Stroud has turned me into a defensive-minded head coach.
05:03Give me a C.J. Stroud that can communicate well.
05:08Give me a C.J. Stroud that will just play within the system.
05:10And I'll trade the Kansas City game from last year.
05:13I know that's the game where he put the cape on.
05:15He went and made plays, and he was the one that won the game.
05:17And the system wasn't real impressive that game, right?
05:20I'll trade that in.
05:21You can have that for the lower ceiling.
05:24Give me consistency.
05:26Give me communication.
05:27Give me minimized risk.
05:28Give me completion percentage.
05:32Give me play a brand of quarterback that makes those around you better,
05:36and I'll live with it.
05:37I mean, I've gone from I'm expecting MVP-type stuff.
05:41That product was convincing.
05:44That's going to carry you to Super Bowls.
05:45That's going to win a bunch of playoff games.
05:46That's going to have them in the MVP race.
05:48Boy, this is like top five, definitely top ten,
05:51maybe even top five quarterback expectations.
05:53We hit the damn jackpot down to just give me a guy that doesn't make mistakes
05:59and can communicate at a high level in the offense.
06:02The point is, for me, the expectations have shrunk significantly for C.J. Stroud.
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