Texans' C.J. Stroud: A Lot of People Don't Know the Dog That I Have in Me

Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud burst onto the NFL scene this year, leading his team to a seven-win improvement, an AFC South title and an emphatic 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Wild Card round.

It's long past time for people to take Stroud seriously, but the ex-Ohio State star told Ryan Clark on The Pivot podcast that "a lot of people don't know...the dog that I have in me, until they meet me and sit down with me" (1:13 mark).

Stroud added that he isn't necessarily looking for his opponents to fear him. Rather, he wants them to know that they should be on their "A-game" because he's on the field. Stroud said he's going to challenge his opponents every play and never take a play off.

Frankly, every defensive player needs to be on their A-game against Stroud at this point. The surefire Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year just accelerated the Texans' franchise rebuild after Houston went just 3-13-1 in 2022. Stroud was sensational with 23 touchdowns (just five interceptions) and an NFL-high 273.9 passing yards per game over 15 contests.

Stroud also finished the season sixth in quarterback rating and third in net passing yards per attempt, per Pro Football Reference.

Thanks to his efforts, Stroud earned Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season. The sky is the limit for this signal-caller, however, as Houston now enters 2024 with potential Super Bowl aspirations given the team's Stroud-led success.