Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t bite when asked about Andre Johnson’s criticism this week, choosing instead to keep the focus on Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Johnson, the franchise’s only NFL Hall of Famer, took aim at Stroud on a Monday episode of the Legend Talk podcast after Houston’s Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. His issue wasn’t arm talent or production. It was the way Stroud carries himself.
“With him, and this is just me personally, what I dislike about C.J. I dislike his body language; like, his body language is bad,” said Johnson. “Because other guys look at you as the quarterback, so when they see you, and they see you feeling a certain way or your body language is a certain way, it kinda trickles through the team so I would say that’s the biggest thing that bothers me when I watch the team play.”
When Stroud met with reporters during his weekly press conference, he kept his answer short and measured.
“I don’t really have a comment for it, I would say I respect Dre (Andre Johnson) as a person, you know, I appreciate his critiques, but I’m focused on this week, you know, trying to go 1-0 against the Bengals, I respect Dre and you know if that conversation has to be had, it’ll be had,” said Stroud.
Stroud also had support from one of his teammates. Texans defensive end Will Anderson backed his quarterback, pointing to the way Stroud has handled himself since entering the league.
“I think C.J.’s been doing a phenomenal job since his rookie year to now with great body language, getting the guys going, leading those guys over there and having enthusiasm and having fun on the sideline,” said Anderson Jr. “And if something doesn’t go right, I think he does a great job of bringing everybody back together and centering everybody so he’s going to continue doing great things and continue to keep this thing rolling.”
The Texans are set to host the Bengals on Sunday at Reliant Stadium at Noon.
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