C.J. Stroud's lunch with Tom Brady helped him win over Texans' teammates and succeed on the field
C.J Stroud often speaks about his desire to learn and grow. The Houston Texans quarterback has been open about taking lessons from anyone or situations that can help him in his development.
Leaning into that, the No. 2 overall pick went to lunch with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best, right?
Brady imparted wisdom on Stroud that the 22-year-old has carried with him in his interactions with his teammates and how he approaches the game.
"On TV, you look at [star quarterbacks] and think, 'Man, they're just so busy. They can't hang out with their teammates. They're probably just locked in on what they got going,'" Stroud told ESPN's D.J. Bien-Amie. "And [Brady] was like, 'I just never want to let my teammates down.' He said those words exactly. I was like, 'Man, that's how I am.'
"I love kicking it with my boys. Those are my brothers. So it definitely hit home when he was talking about it."
Stroud is currently the presumed leader for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Through six games, he's completed 127 of his 213 attempts for 1,660 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. He didn't throw his first interception until Week 6, which ended his NFL record for the most passing attempts without an interception (192) to start a career.
Houston (3-3) has won three of its last four games and is now only one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) for first place in the AFC South. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that Stroud's approach with his teammates has not only helped him earn their respect, but it's also made them all want to step their games up.
"They want to protect better, you want to play better on defense, you want to play better on special teams," Ryans told ESPN. "You want to do everything you can do to do your job better. "It's tough to play [quarterback]. But you see a young man who can make plays, and it makes guys play a little harder for him."
