Superstar receiver Stefon Diggs chimes in on Houston Texans Super Bowl chatter
GO BIG OR GO HOME
05 June
We like his mindset. Photo via: Houston Texans YouTube/Screenshot.
When Stefon Diggs was dealt to Houston from Buffalo in April, many believed the addition of the superstar receiver vaulted the Texans into Super Bowl contention.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the trade, Diggs said it’s far too early to be talking about winning a ring.
“I’m going to take it one day at a time,” he said. “It starts in practice. It starts in the walk-through. It starts in the meeting room. So, for me, winning is always in the forefront of my brain with everything that I do ... but it’s one thing at a time rather than just jumping the gun. I don’t put the carriage before the horse.”
The Texans made a remarkable turnaround last season thanks in large part to the additions of quarterback C.J. Stroud, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson and and coach DeMeco Ryans. Houston, which had won just 11 games combined in the three previous seasons, won the AFC South and a wild-card playoff game against Cleveland before falling to Baltimore in the divisional round.
Now the Texans have added Diggs to a receiving group already featuring Nico Collins, who had a career-high 1,297 yards receiving last season, and Tank Dell, who had seven TD grabs as a rookie last year before breaking his leg in his 11th game.
Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2020. He has had at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past six seasons and finished with 1,183 yards last season.
He said he was happy when he was traded to the Texans and is thrilled to be working with an offense led by Stroud. Diggs added that everyone has been helpful and welcoming as he’s adjusted to his new team.
“Just spending time with the guys, being around the team and building that camaraderie,” he said. “I’ve been in the league for a little while now so being around a good group of guys is always a breath of fresh air.”
Stroud and Diggs bonded at the Pro Bowl in February and have only gotten closer since becoming teammates. The quarterback said he and Diggs have already had many conversations that he believes will help him on the field.
“He’s fitting in great. ... He’s come in and been a leader which I’m proud of him for,” Stroud said. “And just really has been unselfish (and) nothing but just amazing so far. And I’m very excited to work with him.”
Ryans has already been impressed with the 30-year-old Diggs.
“What I’ve seen is a guy who I thought we would get. A guy who’s made plays,” Ryans said. “I think every time we've thrown him the ball, he’s come down with it. He’s a surehanded guy, a really good teammate, great energy around the building and the locker room with the guys.”
“So, I’m excited to continue to see his growth in learning our offense and how we do things, but couldn’t be more pleased with where he is right now,” he continued.
While Diggs spent most of his time with the media Tuesday talking about his future with the Texans, he reflected a bit on his past in Buffalo. He spoke at length about his affinity for Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“When I got to Buffalo, Josh was and still is my guy,” Diggs said. “People don’t really understand what it’s like to be out there. He really embraced me. ... We spent a lot of time (together) and I probably wouldn’t be right here if it wasn’t for him. I’ve got a lot of love for that boy.”
You can watch Diggs' full interview above.
How undefeated streaks collide in clash between Texans and road warrior Lions
Nov 7, 2024, 4:41 pm
With the Texans coming off their sorry second half showing at the Jets and the Detroit Lions coming to town riding a six-game winning streak, it has the look of pretender vs. contender Sunday night at NRG Stadium. The 7-1 Lions are obviously the better team but that is no guarantee that they will be the better team Sunday night. The point spread is only three and a half points. It’s not as if a Texans victory would be a stunning upset. The Texans knocking off the Lions would not balance the books for the Detroit Tigers having bounced the Astros from the baseball playoffs last month, but it would be one of the better regular season wins in Texans’ history.
If not upsetting, it certainly isn’t uplifting that Nick Caserio made zero consequential moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline. If you’re a Texans fan it is upsetting, though shouldn’t be infuriating. Claiming off waivers an offensive lineman (Zachary Thomas) who was getting about 10 snaps per game on one of the very worst o-lines in the NFL (New England Patriots) does not qualify as consequential. It’s not as if Caserio could snap his fingers and make a great deal for a legitimate starting left guard. But his job is to build the roster and he made nothing that qualifies as even a modest upgrade to the most glaring weakness on the team. Play can’t be much worse than what Kenyon Green was providing at left guard before his season-ending injury. But Kenyon was only playing because the staff considered him better than Kendrick Green and Jarrett Patterson. Or, Kenyon was getting unwarranted extended run to prove conclusively he was a waste of a first-round draft pick in 2022.
If Caserio believes the Texans are a bonafide threat in the AFC, adding nothing is a clear fail. Any gurgling about “we believe in our guys” as justification for inertia should be scoffed at, unless Caserio or anyone else believes the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens didn’t “believe in their guys.” All those AFC contenders made clear upgrades. This is not talking about the Texans trading high draft choices. Last week the Minnesota Vikings acquired Jacksonville starting left tackle Cam Robinson for a conditional fifth-round pick.
Tale of the tape
As for Sunday, NBC has to be hoping the Texans being 4-0 this season at NRG Stadium bodes well for them, at least giving the Lions a good game. The Texans are with the Chiefs, Bills, Commanders (!), and Bears (!!) as unbeaten at home. On the other hand, the Lions are a perfect 4-0 on the road. The Chiefs and Falcons have also yet to lose on the road.
While hoping that Aidan Hutchinson makes a complete recovery from his multiple leg fractures, the Lions’ beastly defensive end’s absence sure helps the cause of the Texans’ feeble pass-protecting offensive line. Hutchinson was the early leader for Defensive Player of the Year with seven and a half sacks in five games before he went down. The Lions traded for DE Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland this week. It’s unclear whether Smith makes his Detroit debut chasing C.J. Stroud.
The Texans have topped 30 points in a game once this season. The Lions average an NFL-leading 32.3 per game, topping 30 in four of their last five games, only coming up short last Sunday in a rain-soaked 24-14 win at Green Bay. Over those five games quarterback Jared Goff has completed an absurd 83.8 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. For the season Goff is completing 74.9 percent. If he maintains that number, he’ll break the NFL record of 74.4 that Drew Brees posted with the Saints in 2018.
Third time's the charm?
Only once in their history have the Texans managed three consecutive winning seasons. They went 9-7 in each of them under Bill O’Brien in 2014, ‘15, and ‘16. They did so with three different quarterbacks leading them in passing yardage: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and Brock Osweiler (really!). The Lions are two victories from securing their first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons since 1993, ‘94, and ‘95. That was the heyday of the great Barry Sanders at running back. Three different quarterbacks led the Lions in passing yardage those years. You’re probably fibbing if you claimed “I know them: Rodney Peete, Dave Krieg, and Scott Mitchell.”
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
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