There is no doubt that Houston Texans star CJ Stroud will have a ton of high expectations coming into this upcoming season as he looks to take another step forward in his second year in the league after an impressive rookie campaign. On top of the hype, former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos legend Peyton Manning would speak on “The Pat McAfee Show” to talk about Stroud and the multiple comparisons he made with elite talent.
Manning would talk about the certain traits Stroud has that has led to the immense success in his first season in the league. He would talk about his “calm and coolness” in the most significant part of the game which are clutch moments in the fourth quarter, comparing him to such players as Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and even who people argue as the greatest football player of all time in Tom Brady.
“Somebody asked me about Mahomes the other day what made him so special, that calm and coolness in the 4th quarter, I think Stroud has that,” Manning said. “Look I’m not making this comparison right away but there’s just something about being calm and cool in those heated moments that serves quarterbacks well. Nobody was better than Tom Brady when it came to that, but I think Stroud has some of those characteristics.”
Manning talks about Stroud's “presence” with the Texans
Manning got to witness first hand how Stroud's mindset has contributed to winning as he was the AFC head coach for the Pro Bowl last season where the Texans star played the whole second half. The legendary Colts and Broncos signal-caller would say that Stroud has a “presence about him” and even with a flag football game, he was very “competitive.”
“He’s a got a presence about him,” Manning said to McAfee. “I mean just kind of watching him down there at the Pro-Bowl. Look the Pro-Bowl’s a fun deal, Tua was our starter, Gardner went in, and then I kind of said, hey CJ, are you good with the whole 2nd half, and he’s like I’m good, I want to be in there. It’s a flag game but you still see a competitive guy that wants to win, that wants the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter, that’s in a flag game, just know what it’s like in real football.”
Stroud on the Manning's side in the past
Peyton isn't the only Manning brother who should have an affinity for Stroud. Earlier this summer, the Texans signal caller boldly claimed he'd rather have Eli Manning's career than Aaron Rodgers', for one simple reason.
“You want the rings, dawg. Eli's got two.”
Manning compares his rookie season with Stroud
Last season, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions, leading the Texans to a playoff win in the wild card round against the Cleveland Browns, but ultimately lost to the No. 1 seed in the Baltimore Ravens. Still, it was an extraordinary season which Manning admired as he talked about his struggles as a rookie where he threw 28 interceptions which is still a NFL rookie record.
“It's so hard as a rookie, all these interceptions,” Manning said. “CJ Stroud says, ‘It's not that hard.' He went out and dominated as a rookie.”
At any rate, the Texans need to live up to the expectations as Manning would even say during his appearance on the ESPN show that the AFC South runs through Houston. They look to improve after last year where they went 10-7 and won the division as they open this upcoming season on the road against Manning and McAfee's former team in the Colts on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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