Most of the popular takes about the NFL come from people who don’t currently play in it. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is at the forefront of a new dynamic: active players willing to voice their opinions about other active players.
Appears on the Million dollar game podcast, Stroud gave a candid assessment of Eli Manning’s completed career and Aaron Rodgers’ soon-to-be-ended run. Stroud said he would prefer Manning’s career.
“You want the rings, dogStroud said via USA today. “Eli has two.”
But it goes deeper than rings.
“You know what I think it is?” Stroud said via JetsXFactor.com. “I talked to Tom Brady about this because he’s a good mentor to me. . . . What he told me is his teammates and how he treats his teammates. And that’s where I think it falls away. We don’t know how Aaron Rodgers treats his teammates, but you can guarantee Tom Brady treats his teammates well because he got that ringS.”
Stroud also said another quarterback who, like Rodgers, has one ring might have won even more with Rodgers’ supporting cast.
“If you gave Matthew Stafford a chance like Aaron Rodgers had, I guarantee he might have had more rings,” Stroud said. “I think he would have three or four.”
Stroud tried to make some light of the teammates issue, especially since we’ve gathered some anecdotal evidence over the years about Rodgers’ relationships with teammates and others in his inner circle. Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley, for example, have been outspoken. And even though Stroud opted for something less than complete candor, he certainly said more than enough to get the notoriously sensitive New York quarterback’s attention.
Rodgers will undoubtedly find a way to respond. He won’t be able to help himself.
This hurts more than normal criticism, because the call comes from within. Rodgers can’t dismiss Stroud’s words as those of a hater who never accomplished anything in the sport. He’ll have to meet Stroud on the merits unless he can figure out another way to overrule Stroud’s assessment.
Meanwhile, the Texans face the Jets on Halloween night in New York. Hopefully CJ will be wearing an Eli Manning jersey when he walks into the stadium.
