Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud put together one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history in 2023, and has his Texans off to a 2-0 start in 2024. His 5.2 TD-INT ratio since being selected No. 2 overall ranks best in the NFL, and as we found out this past week, the 22-year-old takes game-planning to another level.
During Houston’s 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears Sunday night, Stroud approached star cornerback Jaylon Johnson to tell him to stop giving away his secrets on podcasts. Johnson didn’t know what he was referring to, until Stroud said the “palms look.”
Johnson broke down a 2023 interception he recorded against the Minnesota Vikings during this episode of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
He said he could tell by the formation that the Vikings had their outside wideout, Brandon Powell, running an in-breaking route. If Josh Dobbs threw that pass, Johnson wasn’t just going to tackle Powell for a limited gain, but intercept the ball. Johnson also knew there was a seven route, or corner route, being run behind him, so if Dobbs wasn’t going to take Powell on the left side of the field, he would be going deep to Jordan Addison. With that in mind, Johnson was able to complete his assignment on Powell, then high-tail it backward and steal an interception. What’s incredible about this play is that Johnson was able to manipulate the quarterback by anticipating and reacting to two different routes.
Stroud’s words on Sunday night may be a message to everyone in the NFL: Stop giving away your secrets on podcasts!
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Author: Jordan Dajani
September 19, 2024 | 11:20 am
