Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi get into heated argument over Texans QB CJ Stroud
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud may be the new Joe Flacco.
Let me explain.
For years, the question sports pundits debated was is Flacco elite? He won the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award, led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl championship, and won Super Bowl MVP, but many weren’t convinced he was even a top-10 QB.
Now it appears Stroud has taken Flacco’s place as the QB whose talents are being debated. Look no further than the hostile argument former San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith and ex-New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi got into on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.”
Bruschi boldly stated that Stroud wants to be paid like one of the top passers in the NFL but he didn’t believe he deserved such a contract.
“He is, Tedy — he is,” Smith replied. “He is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL — fact.”
“You throw the word young in there…he’s not the best,” Bruschi responded. “I’m talking the best.”
“Who are we putting in this class?” Smith asked.
Bruschi then made the case that Stroud wasn’t on the same level as other passers like Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, to which Smith rebutted that Mahomes threw to two Hall of Famers for most of his career (Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce) while Stroud has a much less talented supporting cast.
Bruschi then pointed out that Stroud has one of the top defenses in the NFL and he needs to rely more on his run game before Smith reminded him Houston ranked 30th in the NFL last season in rushing offense.
Smith then stated his case why Bruschi was wrong and he was being too hard on Stroud.
“There is not a quarterback in the league that would have succeeded in that situation last year. This guy’s offensive line is terrible — they were nearly dead last in pass protection as well — outside of Nico Collins, who got hurt and was out of the playoffs, he has nobody to throw to. They traded away Laremy Tunsil, they fired their OC — they have All-Pros on defense and spent more money on their two defensive ends than their entire offensive line. To evaluate him like this — again, he’s not throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — [is unfair].”
“I disagree,” Bruschi interrupted. “I think there were quarterbacks who could have handled that situation. This guy goes in there and looks like he hasn’t played outdoors before because he’s in the dome all the time.”
The two former players turned analysts agreed to disagree, and the question of whether or not Stroud deserves to be paid like one of the top QBs in the NFL will likely be answered as the 2026 season plays out.
