HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud responded Wednesday to Hall of Famer Andre Johnson’s criticism of his body language, saying he respects the franchise legend but remains focused on the team’s upcoming game against Cincinnati.
Johnson recently criticized Stroud’s demeanor during an appearance on the LGND TLK podcast, saying he dislikes the quarterback’s body language.
“With him, and this is just me personally, what I dislike about CJ, I dislike his body language. His body language is bad,” Johnson said.
Johnson, who played 12 seasons with the Texans, said a quarterback’s demeanor can influence the rest of the team because players look to the quarterback for leadership.
“As a former player, your quarterback having that kind of body language is bad because other players look at you as the quarterback and when they see you feeling a certain way or your body language is a certain way, it kind of trickles through the team,” Johnson said.
Stroud keeps focus on Bengals
Reporters asked Stroud about Johnson’s comments during Wednesday’s news conference.
“I don’t really have a comment for it,” Stroud said. “I would say I respect Dre as a person. I appreciate his critiques, but I’m focused on this week, you know, trying to go 1-0 against the Bengals, but, you know, I respect Dre, and if that conversation needs to be had, it’ll be had.”
Several Texans players also discussed the comments off camera and described Stroud as calm and composed.
One player said Stroud contributes to the team in ways that often go unnoticed and does not publicly seek recognition.
The Texans also pointed to Stroud’s status as a team captain as they backed their quarterback.
Houston will host the Bengals on Sunday in Game 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at NRG Stadium.
