(SportsRadio 610) - Now, the real work begins for the Texans and C.J. Stroud.
Following a 25-9 loss Sunday afternoon to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, in one of the most hostile environments a rookie quarterback can be in, the Texans know where they stand.
Stroud, like everyone else on the team including his head coach, has likely penned a laundry list of things he wants to improve.
While Stroud experienced a number of firsts in his NFL debut, including his first completion, albeit to himself - who had that on their BINGO card? - the Texans No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft will have to wait to accomplish a number of other things, like his first touchdown drive and first win.
It’s safe to say those two are at the very top of the list.
He was close to completing the former, but the Texans' lone trip to the red zone was short-lived on Sunday.
Following a completion to second-year tight end Teagan Quitoriano and an imposed face-mask penalty on the Ravens, Stroud was sacked for an 11-yard loss at the Ravens 19-yard line.
They only went backwards from there.
That series, which was set up by the Texans recovering a Lamar Jackson fumble at his own 31-yard line, was a microcosm of how the day went for the Texans.
One step forward, two steps back.
While it was evident throughout the game that the Texans had a long way to go, we watched Stroud get a taste of what an elite NFL pass rush looks like, and he stood his ground.
That didn’t go unnoticed by his coaches or teammates.
Stroud finished his debut 28-for-44 for 244 yards with no touchdowns, one fumble lost while taking 10 hits, including five sacks.
Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard gave Stroud a pat on the helmet and offered words of encouragement along with fellow rookie Will Anderson Jr., after Stroud’s pass on an 4th-and-13 intended for Noah Brown sailed incomplete.
Greenard caught up with the rookie in the locker room afterward and let Stroud know that he along with the rest of the team was behind him and appreciated the poise and fight the quarterback showed in his debut.
“For him to say that, it means a lot,” Stroud said. “I appreciate him still having faith in me. I’m always going to fight my tail off and make plays and use my legs, whatever I have to do to try to win I’m going to do. I think that maybe it showed a little bit today. But in my opinion, I think I have to do more.”
Coming off his own debut, Texans first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked specifically about Stroud’s debut performance. Rather than discuss the ins-and-outs of the rookies first game, he instead voiced frustration with the entire functionality of the offense's approach.
“Just overall offensively, we have to have a clean operation," Ryans said. "It wasn’t clean enough on the offense. We wanted to have a clean procedure. It wasn’t, so we have things to clean up, things to fix, and a lot to learn from out of this game.”
Stroud was a little bit more pointed at critiquing his own performance. The rookie said that while there was some good to come from Sunday's loss, he reiterated a number of times that his play left much to be desired.
“Got to just be better overall myself,” Stroud said. “I have to make more plays. We have to get it out on time and be better in and out of the huddle. We had some positive things, but we just have to keep going from here and keep getting better.”
As far as the poise Stroud displayed all afternoon in a hostile environment on the road, Ryans said he felt like his young quarterback managed things just fine.
“For his first time out, CJ, it was a tough place to play and a tough opponent, Ryans said. “A lot of things were stacked up against him, but I thought he handled himself well.”
For Stroud, handling the pressure both literally and figuratively from a tenacious Ravens front seven is a basic requirement to him.
“It’s part of my job,” Stroud said. “Honestly, I could have done better. Just answering the bell, the next drive, the next play and just making more plays. But I always just think that being negative is not going to help. Just being a light on the team or being the cool, calm and collected one could help a lot. Because that is my job of being a quarterback. Keeping everybody even keeled and trying to go to the next play as best we can.”
While watching the Texans No. 2 pick get sacked five times, take 10 hits and evade constant pressure all game, the frustration level fans and viewers surely had is understandable. However, for Stroud, the maturity he displayed to stay composed was impressive.
That’s the product of a player that has bought into that next level mentality of trying take it one play at a time, and win every snap.
The message for his offensive line is simple.
“Just keep fighting, I’ll be OK,” Stroud said. “I’m going to keep getting up. I’m going to be OK. This isn’t my first time getting hit. I’m just going to keep harping on those guys to keep going harder. I’m going to go hard for them. But I have to get the ball out, if that is the case, and make better reads. So it is a two-way street.”
Still, the Texans must figure out what the best combination of linemen needs to be ahead of next Sunday’s home opener against the Indianapolis Colts.