This Saturday, the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams will conclude their preseasons by going through off in opposition to one another. Each groups clearly have superb quarterbacks: The Texans have 2023 rookie sensation C.J. Stroud, and the Rams have future Corridor of Famer Matthew Stafford. The 2 groups are partaking in joint practices this week in preparation.
When requested Thursday about Stafford and Rams head coach Sean McVay — one of many NFL’s most elegant offensive shot-callers — Stroud didn’t go gentle on the reward.
“I’m a superfan of his,” Stroud mentioned of McVay. “The kind of scheme he runs, the way in which he calls it, the way in which he makes use of guys in movement, and only a entire bunch of various issues. He looks as if an excellent man and he simply had some ideas and pointers and in addition confirmed me loads of love, which I appreciated. I respect him greater than he is aware of, simply watching movie and getting higher from the stuff that he does in that offense together with Matt and people guys. It’s positively an honor simply to know that he is aware of me, which is dope.”
Is smart, because the offenses run by McVay and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik have similarities of their condensed formations, a number of run recreation ideas, and route designs that may beat any protection.
As for Stafford, Stroud has been watching him for a very long time. When Stafford was chosen first total by the Detroit Lions within the 2009 NFL draft, Stroud was seven years outdated.
“First, what jumped out to me from him was his toughness,” Stroud mentioned of Stafford. “He’s robust as nails. I bear in mind watching him on ‘Mic’d Up” and he broke his shoulder or one thing bizarre like that and he completed the drive. His shoulder ended up falling misplaced and I respect that as a result of it isn’t straightforward. Simply how he manipulates guys along with his eyes, his drops, his arm angles — I’ve been a fan of Matthew Stafford for a very long time. I wasn’t making an attempt to be a fanboy right this moment, however I requested him loads of questions. I attempted to only study, and he was actually trustworthy with me and wasn’t imply, which I respect, so I’m positively an enormous fan of his. Positively one in every of my favourite quarterbacks of all time. I really feel like sharing a area with him was dope.”
The sport to which Stroud referred occurred on Nov. 22, 2009. Stafford suffered a separated shoulder with eight seconds left within the recreation after a tough sort out by Browns linebacker C.J. Mosley. The Browns known as two timeouts as Stafford lay in ache on the sector and was checked by the group’s medical workers.
As a result of there was a penalty on the play — defensive cross interference known as on Browns defensive again Hank Poteat — the Lions had an untimed down left, and Stafford insisted on staying within the recreation. Stafford then threw the game-winner to tight finish Brandon Pettigrew, and no less than a part of a legend was born.
The Lions received, 38-37, and Stafford grew to become the primary rookie to throw 5 landing passes in a recreation since 1937, when Ray Buivid of the Chicago Bears did it.
4 rookie quarterbacks have executed it since — Jameis Winston in 2015, Deshaun Watson in 2017, Daniel Jones (no, actually) in 2019… and C.J. Stroud in 2023 in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers final Nov. 5.
As for Stafford, his respect for Stroud is completely mutual, and Stafford went proper to the tape in his head to reveal why. Stafford had Stroud’s preseason landing cross to receiver Tank Dell in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a dagger idea versus Pittsburgh’s Cowl-3 buzz. The Steelers introduced a two-high look pre-snap, and buzzed security DeShon Elliott down.
Stroud learn all of it like first-grade English.
“It’s likewise for me,” Stafford mentioned of Stroud. “I’m an enormous fan of watching him play. Throws the ball with ease, performs with a very calm aggression. His first landing to Tank Dell —letter of the regulation within the preseason this 12 months. That’s buzz protection proper right into a dagger window. Normally not throwing that ball, however hey, they didn’t play it in addition to they might, and he slot in there for a landing. That’s taking part in ball in an aggressive means, however good. I’ll let him know that I assumed it was a reasonably candy play. He performs at a very excessive stage, particularly for a younger child. They’ve loads of expertise round him which is loads of enjoyable to observe, and he does an ideal job of getting these guys the ball.”
(Yet one more instance of quarterbacks having recall expertise that simply aren’t regular. Sheesh).
Stroud will not be the one younger quarterback who views Stafford as a task mannequin — Chicago Bears rookie sensation Caleb Williams wasn’t in any respect happy that Stafford ranked forty second total within the NFL’s most up-to-date Prime 100 gamers record.
All of it means lots to the veteran.
“It’s humbling,” Stafford mentioned. “I bear in mind being of their sneakers considering the identical factor about Brett Favre and Peyton Manning after I received to go in opposition to these guys at first of my profession. I’m not placing myself in that very same breath, however the older guys. It was a very cool expertise. I’ll always remember taking part in Brett when he was in Minnesota and I used to be in Detroit, and he got here as much as me and was like, ‘Hey man, I’m an enormous fan.’ I’m like, ‘You’ll be able to’t say that to me, proper? I’m the fan of you. I’ve been watching you play for endlessly.’ So it’s cool.
“It’s humbling that these guys are paying consideration and as huge of followers as they is perhaps of me, I want nothing however the most effective for these guys. This place is difficult. It’s humbling. It’s tough. There are ups [and] there are downs. Guys that play this place for a very long time know it’s a must to stick collectively and pull for one another so I’m pulling for these guys.”
You’d need to go a good distance out of the realms of actuality to keep away from admiring what Matthew Stafford has executed in his NFL profession, and it’s clear that in his explicit mutual admiration society, the younger quarterbacks developing within the league know simply how nice he has all the time been.
