ESPN news: QB C.J. Stroud of Houston is nothing without Ohio State’s Ryan Day-Sport analyst
QB C.J. Stroud of Houston, Texas, had a fantastic debut campaign. He was so good that the NFL named him Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler.
For a quarterback, that’s not a simple task, especially with all the duties and demands associated with the job.
In the NFL, being a quarterback is difficult. being an NFL rookie quarterback? Let’s just say that not everyone is cut out for success from the start.
However, Stroud? His only accomplishment was tossing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. The occasion and the move from college weren’t too much for him, and in part, former NFL quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky thinks Stroud should credit Ohio State’s Ryan Day, his former college coach, for that.
Orlovsky previously stated on “The Pat McAfee Show” (h/t On3), “I think that C.J. Stroud had that year last year because of the way that Ryan Day coaches those quarterbacks at Ohio State.” They have lengthy play calls just like they do. All that needs to be ensured is that there are several degrees of communication within the huddle. That, in my opinion, was a tremendously important basis for him and his success.
Day is certainly deserving of some recognition, but let’s continue to give Stroud the most of it. Day also coached Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins, two players who never quite reached Stroud’s level in the NFL.
Nevertheless, Day is an undisputed master at developing talented college quarterbacks. During his tenure as OSU’s quarterback coach, he contributed to the development of players such as Stroud, Fields, Haskins, JT Barrett, and even Joe Burrow.
It’s interesting to note that Day must now attempt to use magic once more. The Buckeyes do not have a designated starting quarterback going into 2024, although it is likely that junior Devin Brown or transfer would Howard from Kansas State would take the starting position.
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The scariest obstacle the Texans will face on the 2024 NFL schedule
The 2024 season will be extremely difficult for the Texans.
The schedules for all 32 NFL teams have been made public, so teams like the Houston Texans can now plan for what to expect in 2024.
The Texans’ first game of the regular season is against the Colts at Indianapolis, the city where they won the AFC South title the previous season. This club has some great hopes coming into the 2023 season, unlike last year. That’s aided by the addition of veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was named Rookie Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year alongside CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr.
The team’s acquisitions of Stroud, Anderson, and others are starting to become well-known after just one season, which would explain why they were awarded four prime-time games this season. Not to mention the matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day.
This team hasn’t received a lot of national attention lately. They had only won 11 games in the previous three years prior to last year. According to ESPN, they only played four prime-time games over that period, and they only prevailed one, against the Colts in the flex game finale last year.
The obstacles to success for this club in the forthcoming season are now different because of the improved roster and bigger expectations. And the schedule itself is the first step toward it.
Three straight prime-time games feature the Texans.
There are penalties to being a good person if you’re from Texas. According to Sharp Football Analysis, Houston will have the sixth worst schedule in the league in 2024, just two years after finishing with four wins. However, they could have a great start in the first month of competition.
The Texans don’t play any teams from last year’s playoffs in the first four weeks. Furthermore, they host NRG Stadium for three of their first five games at home. However, the team’s schedule includes two segments of six games where a major mistake could ruin the entire season.
The first kickoff occurs on Halloween in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football versus the New York Jets. There are two more terrifying films after that one. Over the following two weeks, the Texans will play two additional prime-time games. Sunday Night Football’s matchup with the NFC North champion Detroit Lions and Monday Night Football’s matchup with the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys are scheduled.
The Texans’ greatest challenge will be playing under the limelight for three straight games. Additionally, it will be against a team that is a strong AFC contender this season as well as two teams who made the playoffs the previous year. The advantage is that they’ll have 11 days to prepare for the Jets vs. Lions game and 8 days to prepare for the Cowboys matchup.
They’ll require those extra weeks off in addition to the extra time they need to recuperate before the season’s final month, when their time will be severely limited.
Weeks 15–17 for the Texans will be the most difficult.
The Texans will split their last month of games between home and away. However, three of those first four teams they play, including the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Ravens, their opponents in the AFC title game, had made the playoffs the previous season. Not to mention that the three will compete against each other for seeds in the AFC.
But Houston’s Week 15 opener against the Miami Dolphins will take place over the course of ten days, in contrast to Week 9’s schedule. They’ll play on Sunday, December 15, against the Dolphins; on Saturday, December 21, against the Chiefs; and on Christmas Day, against the Ravens. What a cruel way to wrap up the season.
By then, the Texans might be doing their best Chris Farley from Christmas Vacation and wondering, “Where’s the Tylenol?”
