Peyton Manning finally sets record straight on criticism of Texans' CJ Stroud
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
23 July 2024
It took you long enough, Peyton! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning joined The Pat McAfee Show recently and shared his thoughts on the outlook for CJ Stroud and the Texans this season.
Peyton talked about how impressed he was with Stroud's rookie season, and how much he enjoyed coaching him at the Pro Bowl.
He also discussed playing against Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and spoke to how tough the Texans will be to overtake in the AFC South with Stroud and Ryans leading the offense and defense respectively.
But what really caught our attention was Manning's comments about the criticism Stroud received leading up to the NFL Draft. Stroud's S2 scores — which measure cognitive ability — were rumored to be below average. Causing the perception that his draft stock was tumbling in the eyes of some teams.
The other big knock on Stroud was his maturity. Which many believe stemmed from CJ being a no-show at the Manning Football Camp.
Which it turns out was completely false, according to Manning.
“I kinda felt bad. He kind of got criticized for not going to the camp… I probably could have come out and clarified that he never committed to come.”
Manning said he apologized to Stroud about the flak he received from NFL teams during his NFL Combine interviews.
Peyton wasn't aware at the time that there was a narrative about Stroud “ghosting” the Manning Camp.
As a Texans fan, I hate that Stroud had to deal with unwarranted judgement about his character. But at the same time, perhaps this misinformation played a part in him slipping to No. 2 overall and being selected by Houston.
It's hard to imagine what this franchise would look like if the Texans had selected Bryce Young or a different quarterback.
Be sure to watch the video above as Manning clears the air about Stroud, and provides an in-depth look at the 2024 Texans and the AFC South.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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