How Texans' CJ Stroud got the last laugh on Panthers entire organization

PAYBACK SZN

When Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were drafted with the first two picks of the NFL Draft, we knew they would be compared to one another for years to come.

And here we are just 11 games into the season and one quarterback has already seen his head coach fired. Panthers owner David Tepper spoke to the media on Wednesday and discussed his decision to fire Frank Reich, and also set the record straight on how they arrived at the decision to draft Young.

In so many words, Tepper basically blamed the Texans for how the top of the draft played out. He mentioned Stroud by name and said the Panthers were ready to draft him at No. 2 overall until the Texans backed out of the three-team trade with the Bears.

Tepper made a point of saying everyone in their building had Bryce Young as the top player on their draft board, despite rumors about Frank Reich preferring Stroud.

CJ Stroud and the Texans have been so much better than Bryce Young and the Panthers that Tepper clearly felt it was necessary to defend himself, and the decisions he's made for the organization.

In the end, the person that gets the worst end of the deal is Bryce Young. Coaching changes can be very difficult on young quarterbacks. And it looks like he'll have to learn a new offense in his second year when the Panthers hire a new coaching staff.

How fortunate we are as Texans fans to have DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud leading the team moving forward.

With all of this in mind, is there a reason Texans fans haven't fully bought in to the new-look Texans? JJ Watt was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show this week and was asked about the team's inability to fill the stadium on Sundays.

As a former player for the Colts, McAfee always thought Houston had the loudest and best fans in the NFL. And while the Texans are 9th in attendance this year according to ESPN, even CJ Stroud has asked for the fans to fill the stadium.

So there is something to it. You can see the empty seats in photos. So why aren't the Texans packing NRG with a shiny new franchise QB?

We believe the recent history of the team is why fans are slowly coming back. McAfee wasn't here for:

Bill O'Brien cussing at fans during games

Trading DeAndre Hopkins away for next to nothing

The Jack Easterby disaster

Deshaun Watson allegedly blaming ownership for why he wanted out

The Deshaun Watson scandal

Firing back-to-back coaches after one season, and the list goes on.

Don't miss the video above for the full conversation!

If you enjoy the videos, subscribe to SportsMapTexans on YouTube!

Most Popular

Rockets defeat the Wizards, 135-112. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the Houston Rockets routed the short-handed Washington Wizards 135-112 on Tuesday night.

Alperen Sengun added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed 15 boards, and Fred VanVleet had 19 points as the Rockets improved to 6-1 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.

Houston overcame a 20-point first quarter — the fewest points allowed by last-place Washington in a period this season.

Corey Kispert scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 18 in the Wizards' third straight defeat.

Washington leading scorer Jordan Poole missed his second straight game with a bruised left hip, and fellow starter Kyle Kuzma exited at halftime with a bruised right calf.

Takeaways

Rockets: Thompson continues to blossom in his second season, posting another impressive double-double after scoring a season-high 23 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds in Sunday's 119-115 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Wizards: A marginally improved 4-10 stretch will be hard to sustain if Poole and Kuzma miss more time. Kuzma has played in only half of Washington's 34 games this season.

Key moment

Houston put the game away with a 21-6 third-quarter run to extend its lead to 95-74. Green scored 11 points and sank three 3-pointers during that stretch,

Key stat

Washington's 18 turnovers led to 35 Houston points, the most a Wizards opponent has scored directly from giveaways this season.

Up Next

Washington visits Philadelphia Wednesday. The Rockets head to Memphis Thursday.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM