The preseason play of CJ Stroud indicates that the regular season could start tomorrow and the Houston Texans would not miss a beat from their playoff run in all likelihood. This is a team that overachieved and played well last season. It's typically a fool's errand to offer too much in terms of a take so early in August, but overreacting and indulging in any football action is part of what makes the entertainment side of the NFL so great.
So when the quarterback and his new receiver, Stefon Diggs, were seen engaged in a heated discussion, social media did what it does best. A lot was made of this moment, and projections of what this means occurred. However, as with a lot of online activity, the overall point was missed. Instead of assuming that something is wrong or that the wide receiver is disgruntled, it serves fans better to take a moment to attempt to truly evaluate what might have happened.
The value of the former Buffalo Bill is unquestioned. He knows what he brings to the table, and his talent is undeniable. Pair that with a young signal caller, and there's the potential for a great partnership. Looking at the body language of the former Ohio State Buckeye, there does not appear to be someone disgruntled or even arguing. Instead, CJ Stroud is conducting himself as someone who's trying to better understand the point of what's being said to him. Furthermore, it looks like he's in full agreement with whatever his new teammate is trying to share with him.
Using a line that is often overused nowadays, it appears that the two are in fact on 'the same page.' Furthermore, these types of conversations, in truth, need to happen far more often. It's better to get stuff out of the way early and to seek clarification sooner versus during the middle of the regular season, or worse, during a playoff run. Now looking at the side of Diggs, it's doubtful that he's even being argumentative. Instead, this is clearly a person with high standards and who is passionate about what he's doing. Again, he's not yelling at the team leader just to do so, and it's even more likely that he's praising him in his own way.
What they're most likely going over is what to do when presented with a certain coverage. Depending on the specific play they are talking about, they're most likely going over what to do when they face an identical or similar situation later on. It's most likely that they are saying that this is how it played out in this scenario and that this is something to look for when it happens again. Football and the game of x's and o's is about planning, executing, and then setting up the opponent for when they've proven that they can stop the first iteration of the game plan is critical.
The best have the ability and constant desire to always be thinking ahead. It is what serves coaches and players best, and it is not something that can just be switched on. True competitive nature is a habit that needs to constantly be worked on, even if it is just a 'meaningless' preseason game.
Touchdown throw by CJ Stroud
Finally, on the Tank Dell touchdown, the Texans saw what is likely to be a promising offense for the upcoming season. Ironically enough, the person who is seen as causing the most issues may have single-handedly been most responsible for the six-point play. And while it's unknown from an outsider's perspective, most likely they were talking about this or a similar play and talking about the next move for when the defense adjusts to what they would already have game footage on.
As the wide receiver was coming across the field, the two Pittsburgh Steelers in coverage froze just long enough, having to honor the presence of the former Maryland Terrapin. Stat lovers can say as much as they want that he's dropped in production and is no longer worth it, but opposing defensive coordinators know all too well what he's capable of on any given play. But even for those who don't believe this to be true, the fact remains that on that touchdown run, the scheme (and the player executing it) freed up Dell enough to have more or less an uncontested path to the end zone off the reception.
Stefon Diggs may be on the other side of his prime, but his value and the way he can enhance a locker room were fully on display, not just on the TD reception but also now how he conducted himself on the sidelines with his quarterback.
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