It was nice to see C.J. Stroud scramble for extra yards in the Texans' wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. But Lopez wants them to take it further and call some designed runs for Stroud. Do you agree?
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00:00So you know how like five days after something happened she brings it up she brings it up and
00:06picks a fight right Figgy? Yeah. Like like just out of the clear blue five days after it happened
00:13she she brings it up and pick the fight. I am going to be that woman. Okay all right. I'm going
00:19to be. And just in generally in your life or in a specific regard? In this in this segment because
00:26we kind of said something in passing to each other yesterday and I woke up this morning and I said
00:32screw him. Fair. Him being you. I say that a lot. We're on the same page now.
00:39Run the damn ball CJ. Well we're doing this. We're doing this. All right. We're doing this. And that's
00:47what I say when she brings it up. We're doing this. Yes. We're doing this right now. All right.
00:51That was five days ago. Why is why is there not a garage I can go to? That's right. I need to go
00:58for a walk. I'm gonna go get some milk real quick. I'll be back. All right. That's all right. All
01:03right. Let's do it. Because like you were talking well I'll let you lay out your point first because
01:09I kind of want to hear how you lay out my point to be honest. Let me you were talking about how
01:14oh no that's not as effective. And I and you know obviously on my own point actually there's always
01:19and I understand that there is a you know an injury worry or anxiousness or whatever.
01:25But we've seen we've seen what not only CJ Stroud has done when he's able to and I'm not talking
01:32about 15 carries. I'm not talking Lamar Jackson. I'm not talking Josh Allen. I sure hope not. Total
01:38freaks of nature. But I'm saying when you see the ball when you see the opportunity run the ball.
01:44When you escape and there's really not a pass that you want to make run the ball. Maybe Bobby
01:49Slowik will even dial up an occasional. Here it is. An occasional. This is the part this is the
01:54only place where we disagree. Yeah I was about to say you make us a fair point. An occasional
02:00designed run. And and I'm like it I'll go back to what I said in in passing early yesterday.
02:07If not now when? And and here's the biggest reason why. So we know what CJ Stroud got
02:16got drafted for. It's his skills. It's his ability. And it's his ability to run. We also
02:22know what vaulted him in most minds eyes. We can all say it together. Which game was it?
02:29The Georgia game. And what did he do in that game that he hadn't done that Ohio State fans
02:34were begging for him. He ran for the first down. He ran when the opportunity was there and they
02:40called a few designed runs. If not now when? When are you going to use that weapon? Why are you
02:47if you're not using all the tools in the toolbox when exactly do you plan to? No and I think that's
02:52a very fair point right. If you go back to that what was that 2022 season for the Ohio State
02:58Buckeyes. Like it it feels like it maps similarly in the regard that you're talking about which is
03:04hey we're going to sit back here. I'm going to try and throw the football. I'm going to you know
03:06these things are going to be on me to be a pocket passer and to win with my arm. But then when it
03:12comes down to a time where it's like hey we this a must-win circumstance and we just kind of need
03:17what we need. Yeah all right I'm going to run the football and I think that yes that that was
03:21absolutely necessary. And it feels like that's inherent to the the thought process of CJ is
03:26all right I'll do this when I need to. And I feel like one of the things about the running the
03:30football which again notice that I agree with you in this regard but right I I think that this is
03:37important also because it feels like you look at that game on Saturday and NRG Stadium versus the
03:42Chargers and has there been another game this year where CJ has looked more comfortable?
03:50Maybe in law in big spurts the Buffalo game. Okay. Which by the way he had 27 yards rushing. Okay.
03:56Like so it just it feels like it wasn't a lot but it's four carries 27 yards. For sure we got to a
04:01place in this season where especially towards the end of the season where it felt like CJ was putting
04:06so much on his shoulders and especially within the realm of you know putting so much pressure
04:10on himself to be perfect throwing the football and it felt like that was in addition to a ton
04:15of pressure and uh you know maybe not getting quite the separation that you wanted although
04:19there was instances where you did have indeed have separation where that was affecting his play.
04:25And it feels like in this game against the Chargers he was hitting the top of his drop
04:28and getting rid of the football and you know one two if there's not something there boom let's go
04:33ahead and just pick up the yards that we can get and continue to progress the football down the
04:37field and so I 100% agree that with that situation it forces the defense to consider some other
04:42things. The place that I don't want to go to is hey man don't you don't need to call designed
04:46runs for this. I just feel like when you talk about uh you know running the football go ahead
04:52and run the football in a way that is the most advantageous which I think is putting the ball in
04:56uh in Joe Mixon's hands. I don't think CJ is the type of runner that now you are having designed
05:01run plays for him. I think he he operates best and the reason why the run was effective is because
05:06the other teams were not looking for it. This is not you know where they are trained on because
05:11not only do they not expect that from him but also if you are if you have a a passing play all
05:17of the keys push them to their pass defense. It pushes them into these you know these deep
05:22drops of the charges we're having. It pushes them to places where they're you know they're playing
05:27in zone they're looking back but now they're trying to figure out okay where are the zone
05:30where the situations who is coming out right is the tight end leaking out do we have uh do we have
05:34a an adequate cap over the top for whoever is going to go deep and then oh snap as we're trying
05:40to use the word that uh D'Amico says if we're trying as we're trying to plaster on these dudes
05:44here now comes CJ Stroud into this space that we've evacuated from playing. I don't think that
05:49that works the same if you have guys coming downhill and trying to meet him and he is not
05:53Joe Mixon in that he's not going to like bounce out or make dudes miss in the run game which I
05:59don't know if you guys notice that has been uh necessary in the run game this year Joe Mixon
06:04making dudes miss you want to have CJ doing that no I don't need to do those things well but as far
06:08as hey instead of especially when you have situations where either you're max protecting
06:12you have fewer guys in routes or you know if you're not finding guys in you know in their
06:17routes open you know guys aren't coming open and you and maybe you have pressure whatever
06:21those are the instances where hey pull it down and run get positive plays as we know you know
06:25early downs and getting yourself into third and long has been an issue for this team that's those
06:30are the reasons why I'm like yeah go ahead but but here's the thing I'm not talking about as I said
06:34you know even even eight runs I'm talking two or three you know because there's here's the thing
06:39they're still going to be focused on Joe Mixon there's the defense and and I'm not talking
06:44between the tackles I'm not talking that they're not going to be focused on Joe Mixon in the run
06:49game but if you can you know surprise twist whatever you want to say with two or three runs
06:56I think that's the value that CJ Stroud can bring and by the way you know here's here this is the
07:02thing that really sort of galvanized everything for me the the top five quarterbacks in the NFL
07:07this year all right in terms of rushing attempts sir Lamar Jackson this is in order Lamar Jackson
07:14Jaden Daniels better speed Jalen Hurts not freakish sizable Josh Allen monster truck and Bo
07:22Nix come on man I mean that that's like the only freaks there are Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen
07:30like like Jaden Daniels okay he's fast uh Jalen Hurts not necessarily uh about I'll have you know
07:37Jalen Hurts squats about 1,700 pounds well we don't know what what uh we don't know what uh CJ
07:42Stroud squats he squatted 1,700 pounds we'd hear it on the broadcast you're going to take Bo Nix
07:46over over CJ Stroud those are the top five and by the way those five guys are five of the best
07:51quarterbacks of 2017 they ran the ball sure they had uh you know multiple uh I think Justin Herbert
07:59he had the most carries he's ever had in his career 62 no 65 and he had a hell of a year not
08:06not yet Saturday notwithstanding uh even Patrick Mahomes which is the one I brought up yesterday
08:11is 13th in rushing attempts with 62 run the ball I'm not talking about 10 12 carries I'm not talking
08:18about between the tackles I'm talking about mixing it up get in your bag a little bit Bobby Slowick
08:24and and use CJ Stroud uh as a weapon and I you've heard me say this I know you've already heard me
08:30say this multiple times can't play scared man there you don't think they're anxious every time
08:34Lamar Jackson tucks it tucks it you don't think they're anxious every time Patrick Mahomes tucks
08:38it of course you're going to be anxious I think those those guys have those guys have a very
08:42particular um repertoire at this point like they they have they have bona fides in Lamar Jackson
08:49and this was something he was talking about in some ways right because now you start talking
08:52about getting hit right the quarterback being hit Lamar Jackson has an incredible knack for not
08:57taking hard hits yeah I think a lot of those quarterbacks even I will put Kyler Murray in
09:02there too because by the way he was sixth yeah but he know how to slide he know how to get out the
09:07way you don't see him take huge hits like that hell we seen CJ take a lot of big hits where I'm
09:13just like well we just like man throw the ball away get out of bounds if he know how to get
09:19like just stay away from getting hit like that but how many of those hits were on runs
09:23a lot of times he's in the pocket or running for his life well yeah I mean you know he has a run
09:28to the degree to be able to like use that as a data point I mean if you know how to do that then
09:33let's go then let's be Lamar Jackson then all I'm saying is I just don't want him to get in
09:38the sticky situation like this well he'll never be Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen but but but they
09:43were they were one in three in in carries but he can be Jalen Hurts he's every bit the athlete
09:48Jalen Hurts is he can be Bo Nix he's every bit the athlete Bo Nix is he can be Justin Herbert
09:53he's every bit the athlete Justin Herbert is can't play scared man and and if not now when
09:58is all I'm saying I'm I'm fine with him running for the first down man if it's there if it's
10:03third and three and it's an open space right there just just run for it man let's take to
10:08Joe Mixon bootleg hell yeah hey I'm down with that little zone read keep it I'm good on all that
10:15you can miss me with 100 of that they run a zone read sure he just always gives it out
10:20yeah see my issue is third and one and he's sitting there trying to pass the ball and it's
10:27a and he could have ran for that first that's my issue right there like let's get this first down
10:31keep the sticks moving yeah I think that CJ Stroud is such a particular dude and this is why I keep
10:37tying this back to the Buckeyes year that year at 2022 um because he deprives us of his ability to
10:43run when I say I do mean you Lopez uh getting getting thirsty for oh man we need to get all
10:50this we need to get a whole bunch and I'm just telling you hey man uh like you know there's a
10:54level there's there's levels to this and I don't think you have to go all the way to now we need
10:58to design run him I think that I think that the happy medium is why are they doing it at all those
11:02other places with with quarterbacks just as valuable or more valuable contractually I mean
11:07they're again you're talking about dudes that have particular skill sets that lend themselves
11:11to that much better as Jalen Hurts and Bo Nix Jalen Hurts is a sizable dude also when we're
11:16talking about this plus Justin Herbert it seemed it seemed like Jalen Hurts it seemed like he plays
11:22better the way he's running the ball though like I don't know if he'd be a great quarterback just
11:27being a pocket passer to be honest I'm just all I'm saying is after that scramble and throw to
11:33Xavier Hutchinson he had he was 12 out of 16 passing for 164 yards and a touchdown he had
11:39128.39 rating and into the third quarter he led the team in rushing with 42 yards
11:46that was that was the best game C.J. and what we all say it's the best game C.J. Stroud's ever
11:50played running was part of it and I agree I think I think scrambling was a part of it allowing
11:55allowing him to go pick up those yards where hey man you don't have to stick with the past stick
12:00with the past look for it look for it and this is the tough part about it he is good when we
12:04get into those fire drill situations where you know your schoolyard guys come open get the ball
12:09downfield he doesn't have as many of the guys that he has been very comfortable getting that ball to
12:14although Nico's still there and of course Xavier was able to come up with a big play uh being wide
12:18ass open in that instance but hey man yeah the idea of you don't have to only look for that
12:23sometimes in that pick up yards but I feel like we might well I think not might I feel like you're
12:28doing too much trying to make this into the full fullness of the running game I mean I want to
12:31emphasize two or three pick your spots make it happen and by the way the same guys that are
12:36trying to tackle him when he scrambles are the same guys that are going to try to tackle him
12:40when it's a called run so so that doesn't resonate with me like like when he scrambles I mean that
12:4427 was a 27 yard run that he had uh when he when he went down the middle I believe so yeah he fell
12:50all right he fell forward didn't get hit real hard so do you want more called runs or him just going
12:56for whenever is there yes yeah those are both okay because I'm fine with him going for whenever is
13:03there but what I'm saying I don't know about when you're saying like well you know they know how to
13:06get hit or they have a different skill set a different body type cj stroud didn't get hurt
13:13and he ran a lot didn't get hurt until he does like I don't think that that's uh that is but
13:17that's a worry for everyone yes yes it is so why are you playing scared because this is this is our
13:21quarterback hey he wanted to see david's meals on the first that's where it is that's what this is
13:27psyop yeah figgy got his third eye open this is a psyop that's happening listen we we here man
13:33and I feel like we have a chance to beat the chiefs I don't want to I don't want to see
13:38david's meals out there for the rest of the year man I'm sorry I don't either also like design
13:43runs you're like you're calling more players more defensive players into the situation like now
13:47you're actually dealing with runs with dudes in the box and I know you're talking about maybe
13:52even not not between the tackles I don't want to see him running I don't want to do this because
13:58this man had a pretty good Saturday how much I'll ask this is a question how much do you believe in
14:02Bobby Slowick to design up plays that get you ways to have open runs bootlegs and zone reads
14:07are staples of that offense he just doesn't run them I mean go back as far as you want you know
14:13go back to Mike Shanahan uh or which one is the yeah Mike Shanahan yeah that's the daddy and Gary
14:20Kubiak you know those are absolutely go back to Bill Walsh hell they ran Joe Montana on design
14:28runs sure I mean what are we doing that's a weapon again Georgia game I hear your point
14:36I think I think it's I think the the best risk reward is you're just scared take the yeah don't
14:43make me say skirt again yeah I'm okay with saying that like there there's is a reasonable like
14:49they're holding their breath in Kansas City no they're not yes they are every time he tucks it
14:54or they call a run for Patrick but we gotta be real Pat Pat is cold when it comes to running man
15:00like he know when to get down he know to get that extra yard he he he is man he is an expert at that
15:07which is very frustrating for a defensive player yeah I mean I haven't seen CJ do that CJ know how
15:14to run and get the yards but I ain't seeing him look like uh Lamar Jassmine yeah even Pat Mahomes
15:19like he has a certain elusiveness that I don't think that I would ascribe to CJ Stroud and
15:23apologies if it feels like I am knocking down CJ Stroud I just feel like we might be doing
15:28a little too much I was appreciative to see him uh to see him take the yards that were in front
15:32of him but I feel like we might not think it's possible he can learn that I think I do think
15:37it's possible he can learn that and maybe add that to his game I think he knows it we've seen
15:41it we saw it Saturday and by the way from the this is what I'm talking about do one or two
15:48designed runs and if he needs to scramble a couple times scramble just one designed run
15:53makes the defense have to respect all right if you say so brother if you say so agree to disagree
16:00yeah I very much do not feel like that is a risk that's necessary to take