After the Texans lost 34-10 to the Ravens on Saturday – ending a storybook season that nobody predicted – quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. walked off the field together at M&T Bank Stadium.
Anderson was in tears knowing the Texans had been eliminated from the playoffs in the divisional round, a disappointing finish to a surprising season that produced 11 victories – the total for the three previous seasons – an AFC South title and a 45-14 conquest of Cleveland in the wild card round.
“I was crying after the game, and he wasn’t crying,” Anderson said Monday about Stroud. “He came up to me and said, ‘You’re good. We’re good. We’re going to be good next year.’”
Anderson laughed at the memory while standing in front of the media at NRG Stadium for his postseason interview session, running both hands over his face in exaggerated fashion.
“I dried my tears up and said, ‘My bad! We’re going to be good next year,’” Anderson said. “I looked at it from the perspective he gave me after we talked. He said, ‘I look at how far we’ve come and how much better we’re going to be next year. We’re headed in the right direction.’”
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And the Texans are headed in the right direction after what they accomplished in their first season under coach DeMeco Ryans. Stroud and Anderson, the two building blocks selected with the second and third overall picks in the draft, were foundational pieces taken by general manager Nick Caserio.
When it was his turn at the podium on Monday, Stroud was asked about Anderson’s emotional response after the game.
“I appreciated Will for doing that,” he said. “Those were raw emotions. He was really feeling that way. He really wanted to win that game. We all did. Something I’ve learned is you can’t let your emotions fluctuate. I told Will, ‘We’re going to be back in this moment – I can promise you that. I don’t know when it’s going to be or who’s going to be on this team, but we’re going to be back.’ I just wanted to let him know that I appreciated everything he did for us this year. I just wanted to see him encouraged and positive.”
And, like their teammates on Monday, when the pessimism of Saturday had turned into optimism for the future, the Texans were excited about what the offseason and next season will bring to NRG Stadium. Stroud, who put on an exceptional performance, is favored to be voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and will be the team’s guiding light.
At this time last year, the Texans were looking for a head coach, quarterback and edge rusher. Now they’re in excellent position with all three.
“We know how important the position is – half the league has one, and half doesn’t,” Ryans said. “It takes a special person to play that position, and we’re happy to have C.J. lead us.
“What I love most about him is the growth. You talk about where we started in our first game of the season to how he grew as a player and a leader. It’s encouraging to see a young guy grow from week to week and improve so quickly. It’s going to be exciting to see how much better he’ll get as he continues to improve. The more you grow, the better you become, right?”
Counting the playoffs, Stroud had a 10-7 record as a starter. He threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He completed 63.9 percent, averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, was sacked 38 times and compiled a 100.8 rating.
Stroud had one of the best rookie performances in history. The standard among rookie quarterbacks is Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Big Ben was 13-0 as a starter and helped the Steelers finish 15-1 and reach the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to New England.
Like everyone in the organization, Stroud marvels at how far the Texans came with rookies at head coach, quarterback, offensive coordinator (Bobby Slowik) and quarterbacks coach (Jerrod Johnson).
“Coming in, guys didn’t know what it looked like to win or the standard,” he said. “I think DeMeco set that at a high level of expectation. I did the same, I hope. Every day at practice, I worked my tail off. We won a lot of games, so I think we set a great foundation for the guys coming back (and the) new guys coming in.”
The Texans’ success and Stroud’s development could cost him two of his favorite coaches. Slowik is being interviewed for head coaching jobs. Johnson is getting interviewed for offensive coordinator jobs. Stroud doesn’t want to lose them because of the role they’ve played in his maturation as a big-time quarterback, but he wants what’s best for them.
“I’ve known Jerrod since I was 16, and he was my coach at the Elite 11 (camp),” he said. “The one thing he (instilled) in me was to be confident. I wasn’t who I’ve become. He said, ‘Man, you need to be more confident.’ He changed my life.
“He knows how to coach quarterbacks. He’s a great person, a guy who loves football, Houston and Texas. He’s a great family man. He’s taught me so much and given me a lot of confidence. Fast forward, and I’ve been blessed to work with him. Whatever happens, I’m excited for him.”
Slowik, who followed Ryans from the 49ers, finished his first season as the play caller. He provided Stroud with some tough love that was welcomed throughout the offseason, regular season and playoffs.
“I knew Bobby was going to push me hard,” Stroud said. “He held me accountable all year. A lot of times, when you’re playing good ball, they’ll (coaches) leave you alone and let you do what you do. Bobby was always on me about little details, and I appreciated that. He also showed me a ton of love. He’s very knowledgeable. He puts a lot of trust in his players.”
About the possibility of losing Slowik and Johnson, Stroud said, “They deserve whatever’s coming to them. I’ve been blessed to work with them, but if they come back, that would be cool, too.”
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Stroud understands the significance of the rookie season he had and how important he is to the franchise and the team’s goals. The Texans will play a first-place schedule next season that should be much more difficult. The team will look to Stroud to help them get better and be even more competitive. He’s willing to pay the price, but first, he has some plans.
“I’m going to take some time off and relax,” he said. “I’ve been going hard since I was 12 years old. It’s been a blessing, but I’m 22 now, and this is the first time I’ve ever really had freedom. I’m ready to relax, take some time for myself, but I’m ready to get back to work, too.”
Stroud’s goal is to be the best. There are a lot of outstanding young quarterbacks in the NFL, especially in the AFC.
“I used to be in the business of proving people wrong, people pleasing, but that didn’t make any sense,” he said. “I’m going to prepare for what we’ve got going on here. We lost to Baltimore, and there are things we’ve got to get fixed, of course. Right now, it’s about getting better and making yourself better as a person and as a player. I’ve got to do a lot more. I’ve got to do everything God put in my heart to do. I’ve just got to be me.”
And “me” is all the Texans can ask for after what they witnessed in Stroud’s first season when he became one of the most productive rookie quarterbacks in NFL history.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.