By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Houston’s C.J. Stroud was excited to talk to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on Thursday.
But the second-year signal caller tried to play it cool after the Texans and Rams practiced together in advance Saturday’s preseason game. He walked over to where their quarterbacks were standing and greeted the rest of the quarterbacks before approaching Stafford.
“I have been a fan of Matthew Stafford for a long time,” he said. “(But) I wasn’t trying to be a fan boy.”
Stroud, a former Rancho Cucamonga High star, also wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to pick the brain of Stafford, who is entering his 16th NFL season.
“I asked him a lot of questions,” Stroud said. “I tried to just learn, and he was really honest with me and wasn’t mean, which I appreciate so I am definitely a huge fan of his. Definitely one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time. I feel like sharing a field with him was dope.”
Stafford and Stroud both got extensive work in the two-hour joint practice Thursday with neither quarterback expected to play Saturday in the final preseason game for both teams. Stafford, who has missed practice time with a tight hamstring recently, is also dealing with a cut on his left thumb.
“I’m not going to take you through the details,” he said. “I cut it at my house, like a normal human being and I have to protect it for a little bit. I’ll be fine.”
For Stafford, it’s humbling to have young quarterbacks such as Stroud and Chicago’s Caleb Williams look up to him. He remembers admiring Brett Favre and Peyton Manning when he was just starting out in the league – and the thrill he got from meeting them.
“I’ll never forget playing Brett when he was in Minnesota and I was in Detroit, and he came up to me and was like: ‘Hey man, I’m a big fan,’” Stafford said. “I’m like: ‘You can’t say that to me, right? I’m the fan of you. I’ve been watching you play for forever.’ So, it is cool.”
Stafford, who is entering his fourth year with the Rams, believes it’s important for quarterbacks to support one another.
“This position is hard,” he said. “It’s humbling. It’s difficult. There are ups, there are downs. Guys that play this position for a long time know you have to stick together and pull for each other so I’m pulling for those guys.”
And although Stroud has played just one season, Stafford said he’s already become a fan of last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Stroud, the second pick in the 2023 draft, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdown last season, leading the Texans to the AFC South championship and a wild-card victory over Cleveland.
Stafford was particularly impressed with a 34-yard touchdown pass Stroud threw to Tank Dell in Houston’s second preseason game this season.
“That’s buzz coverage right into a dagger window,” Stafford said. “Usually not throwing that ball, but hey, they didn’t play it as well as they could, and he fit it in there for a touchdown. That’s playing ball in an aggressive way, but smart. I let him know that I thought it was a pretty sweet play. He plays at a really high level, especially for a young kid.”
It isn’t just Stafford that Stroud was excited to be around Thursday. He was also happy to get some time with Rams coach Sean McVay, too. The coach walked with Stroud after a couple of plays and the two had a lengthy discussion after one of them.
“I am a superfan of his,” Stroud said. “The type of scheme he runs, the way he calls it, the way he uses guys in motion, and just a whole bunch of different things. He seems like a good guy and he just had some tips and pointers and also showed me a lot of love which I appreciated.”
