Scarlet Sunrise: C.J. Stroud showing Texans teammates that 'he's a straight dog'

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C.J. Stroud showing Texans teammates that ‘he’s a straight dog’

While he might not officially be the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback yet, C.J. Stroud has captivated his new teammates before training camp has even began.

The former Ohio State star, two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft has stacked compliments this offseason. Journeyman signal caller Case Keenum said, had he not known, he would have thought Stroud would have “been a four-, five-year vet.” Current Texans, and former Buckeyes, wideout Noah Brown said Stroud has all the potential to live up to, or maybe even surpass, the talent of a quarterback like Dak Prescott, who Brown played with the last five seasons.

What’s more, Texans free safety Jimmie Ward told Jim Rome: “He’s a ballplayer, I’ll tell you that. … It’s amazing to me to see it, a guy so young to come and get some reps versus the ones and make great throws.”

And, most recently, Houston left tackle Laremy Tunsil offered his praise of the new quarterback in town when he joined The Pat McAfee Show.

“He handles himself well,” Tunsil said. “He came in the building with these unbelievable leadership skills, and he’s killing it, man. How I describe C.J.? Dog. He’s a straight dog. He comes in there ready to work, he handles the huddle perfectly and he go out there and balls, man. You’ve got to appreciate that, especially in a young quarterback like C.J.”

Tunsil also said “there’s a whole new vibe” with first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans running the ship in Houston.

The Texans have had five different quarterbacks start at least one game since 2020. The goal is for the game of musical chairs at the most position to come to a screeching halt now that Stroud is in place.

Stroud is happy with the way the start of his pro career has gone, too.

“I feel like I’ve done well,” he recently told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “[Organized team activities and minicamp] was something I wanted to just put my best in and just be a great leader as well as a great player, soak in the playbook, soak in coaching and be as best I can.

“I think that was a good start, a good routine to get into training camp and do better there.”

Texans training camp starts on July 25.

Five best passing attacks Buckeyes secondary will face this season

Ohio State is hoping to take a big step forward in pass defense during its second year under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Last year, the Buckeyes were sixth in the Big Ten with 200.5 passing yards per game allowed. When it mattered most, though, Ohio State cratered on the back end. They conceded four pass plays of 30 or more yards — including three 45-plus-yard touchdowns — against Michigan in the regular season finale and eight pass plays of at least 20 yards against Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal, most notably a 76-yard score in the final frame.

With that in mind, Lettermen Row listed the five-best passing attacks the Ohio State secondary will face in 2023.

Check it out here.

Full coverage of Safeties Week at Lettermen Row

Lettermen Row “Safeties Week” is now in the rear view mirror. We recapped our coverage from another installation of our position-by-position preview series here.

You can also check out a bunch of that content below:

READ: Five Questions for intriguing Ohio State safeties room

READ: Perry Eliano growing alongside Buckeyes safeties this offseason

READ: Versatile safety Ja’Had Carter is ‘up for any challenge’ after transferring to Ohio State

WATCH: Taking closer look at state of Buckeyes safeties room

READ: Lathan Ransom becoming complete leader for Buckeyes in secondary

READ: Predicting how Ohio State will use Sonny Styles in 2023

READ: Can Josh Proctor finally break out for Buckeyes secondary?

READ: Cameron Martinez building confidence, seizing nickel spot in Ohio State defense

READ: Making three predictions about Buckeyes safeties

READ: Best-case, worst-case scenarios for Buckeyes safety room

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 48 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 133 days

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