You’ll never guess what ridiculous drama the media just drummed up about Texans' CJ Stroud
STRONG WORDS
06 June 2024
STRONG WORDS
It's no secret that Texans QB CJ Stroud is causing quite the social media storm for his comments about the top quarterbacks in the league.
Stroud is taking some heat for his views on Aaron Rodgers specifically, and that has people like Pat McAfee and Mike Florio wondering if this could be a problem for the Texans moving forward.
The thought being, Stroud is ruffling some feathers across the league and placing a bullseye on his back. Traditionally, players wouldn't talk about other athletes during their career publicly. But media has changed and plenty of active players have their own podcasts where they say whatever is on their minds.
In Stroud's case, he's answered some questions honestly about football, something he knows a lot about by the way. Stroud is a football nerd and lives to play and talk about ball. Which is a good thing in our eyes.
If you saw his Bleacher Report YouTube video with Cowboys' Micah Parsons during the NFL Draft, you know what we're talking about. It was amazing to see how much Stroud knew about so many NFL prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
What does JJ Watt think?
With so many shows doing segments about CJ, and his supposed criticism of Aaron Rodgers, it's no surprise that Pat McAfee took an opportunity to ask JJ Watt about it.
When asked, Watt said he was fine with it. As long as you back it up in sports, there's no problem. But you do welcome criticism when you put yourself out there in the public eye. Watt certainly knows a thing or two about that. JJ also said making public comments like CJ's can be a good thing, because it puts pressure on yourself to perform.
Chris Simms loves him some Aaron Rodgers
NBC Sports' Mike Florio and Chris Simms also took issue with Stroud's willingness to honestly assess current players. Especially Jets QB Aaron Rodgers. They defended Rodgers at seemingly every turn.
Which got us thinking, why is Aaron Rodgers some sacred cow that's above reproach all of a sudden. CJ said many positive things about Rodgers, he was just more impressed with Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning.
Sure, it’s okay for Rodgers to go on podcasts weekly during the season, and discuss conspiracy theories publicly on his own time. But Stroud is the problem for sharing his opinions about football in the offseason?
Finally, what would the response be if Stroud was openly talking about taking Ayahuasca?
Be sure to watch the video above as we answer all these questions and much more!
It’s been a slog on the treadmill of mediocrity for the Astros thus far in 2025. Their 18-18 record heading into a weekend series at Daikin Park vs. the Reds is appropriate. Plenty of good teams will have similar stretches this season. The Astros have to prove that this year’s edition is a good team. Plenty of time for that remains. Reminder that the breakout 2017 Astros had a 74-game stretch over which they went 37-37. 162 games allow for a lot of ebb and flow. Of course, the 2025 Astros’ roster is not close to that of the 2017 squad. The point isn’t that this time could be a 101-game winner but that the 88 victories good enough for a playoff spot last year are still quite plausible this year.
The Rockets achieved mediocrity last season after three seasons as a laughingstock. This season they made the leap to good. While curling up and succumbing to Golden State in the decisive game seven of their first-round playoff series was a disappointment, the Rockets are in excellent position moving forward. Where they go from here should be quite interesting,
OF COURSE the Rockets are going to explore trading Jalen Green. He is obviously their most physically gifted player, but his consistent inconsistency is exasperating. Green’s series against the Warriors was basically an embarrassment with the exception of his 38-point game two outburst. The other six games, a meager nine-point-two points per game. That Green is still just 23 years old means it is not near obligatory they move on from him as Green starts a three-year 105 million dollar contract extension. However, the state of his game and comparison to a few specific players cast enough doubt about Green’s ceiling that declaring him “untouchable” would be ridiculous. During the Golden State series, an NBA play-by-play guy who I think is very good overall once referred to Green as the “Rockets’ superstar.” Anyone, including Green himself, who calls him a superstar either misspoke, was caught up in a moment, or is clueless.
Jalen Green just finished his fourth NBA season. Fairness requires noting that his first two seasons were compromised by being on atrocious Rockets’ squads. That said, Green was on 41-41 and 52-30 teams the past two seasons. In neither of him did he shoot a league average percentage either overall or from behind the three-point line. He did approach the three-point league average of 36 percentage made with his 35.4. That Green is an 80 percent career free throw shooter gives hope the three-point shooting can further develop. Better shot selection sure would help.
Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one year removed from high school. The player taken ahead of him was Cade Cunningham who also played just one year out of high school before going NBA. Cunningham joined a joke Detroit Pistons team. Cunningham is a much better player than Green at this point.
Other shooting guards who played one year after high school then jumped to the NBA, who were markedly ahead of Green after four NBA seasons include Anthony Edwards (first pick in his draft class), and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), and Devin Booker (13th). In comparison to each Green is a disappointment, though certainly not a bust.
What is head coach Ime Udoka’s bottom-line belief in Green fulfilling his potential? My guess is that cup is not overflowing. The Rockets’ half-court offense simply is not of championship caliber. Can it evolve there with Green, or is he better used as a piece in a trade offer with other players plus draft picks for a Booker or Kevin Duran? The Phoenix Suns are a near assets-less mess of a franchise in dire need of a reset. Durant will be 37 years old when next season starts, but is still a tremendous offensive player who would be a gargantuan half-court offense upgrade for the Rockets. The Rockets have so much draft capital that offering two or three first round picks plus Green, Cam Whitmore, and another player or two to make the salary cap math work would A: not empty out the Rockets’ flexibility going forward and B: have to get the Suns’ attention. If I’m Udoka and General Manager Rafael Stone, I’m making the call.
Courtesy of the Suns, the Rockets hold what is currently the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. The draft lottery is Monday night. The Rockets’ have a three-point-eight percent chance of winning it and the right to make Duke freshman superstar (and Final Four loser to UH) Cooper Flagg the number one pick. There is a 13.5 percent chance the Rockets move up to pick two, three, or four. Otherwise, it’s ninth, or lower if another team or teams vault up the lottery board.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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