'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
C. J. Stroud has taken the NFL world by storm in 2023, with the second-overall pick dominating right from his first year and leading the Texans to an improbable playoff push after going 2-15 the previous season. Doubts about the quarterback's capacity were raised, but he has erased all of them.
With plenty of people diminishing Stroud's potential due to a long list of quarterbacks who came from Ohio State and failed in the NFL, the apology train is running through the world. Julian Edelman joined in on Thursday, apologizing to the star quarterback for not trusting his qualities coming into the league:
“I want to apologize to C. J. Stroud, because as soon as he got drafted, I'm sitting there looking like 'another Ohio State quarterback, we [have] already seen this a few times.' Because when you play at a school, and you have the best player, it's hard to evaluate that position. When you have the best receiver in the country going against Louisiana-Lafayette of the tech industry, a couple of weeks of the year.
"So, you know, it was very surprising to me, but they've done a good job of keeping things simple. They've done a good job with the play caller-to-quarterback relationship where, yes, it seems like he always knows where to go with the football.”
Can C. J. Stroud lead the Texans to the playoffs in 2023?
It's certainly possible. The Houston Texans (5-4) are just one game away from the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3), but perhaps more importantly, they won the first game early in the season.
The two teams will meet again in Week 12, and if the Texans prevail, they'll be the new AFC South leaders due to the tiebreaker's criteria - that is, of course, if both teams have the same result this week.
The Texans also have an easier schedule for the remainder of the season than the Jaguars.
NFL MVP odds: Where does C. J. Stroud stand?
The Houston Texans quarterback currently has the sixth-best odds at +2000, behind five other superstar quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes (+300), Jalen Hurts (+300), Tua Tagovailoa (+500), Lamar Jackson (+500) and Joe Burrow (+1400).
C. J. Stroud could improve his odds by taking his team to the playoffs on the back of more great games.
