As the season knocks at the door, NFL players seem to be quite confident of success. And, it looks like one of them is C.J. Stroud, who recently discussed his plans for the Super Bowl in an interview. However, his dreams were struck with a reality check by his coach, DeMeco Ryans. So, what did the Texans‘ HC actually say?

Well, during an NFL Super Bowl Live interview session, C.J. Stroud was asked how he would be building for the upcoming season after he won the OFRY award and lost in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. To this question, the rookie QB, came up with an interesting answer as he emphasized that the 34-10 playoff loss against the Ravens was a “great learning” for him. He talked of that learning as a motivation to win “bigger games” in the coming season. Although Stroud sounded confident of winning the next Lombardi, HC DeMeco Ryans came with a surprising take on the Nightcap episode of 28th August.

When Ryans was asked about how he would be building from last season’s performance of Houston Texans, the coach replied, “You have to work hard you got to grind those wins and you got to be smart in those situational moments to close games out.” But the Texans’ HC didn’t stop there, as he was asked about his expectations of working with the rookie players and winning the Lombardi in February 2025. “That’s always the goal that’s why we do we do right we’re trying to go get that Lombardi but we don’t get there overnight so enjoy the process of just getting better every day and when we look up in February and we’re there playing for that Lombardi that’s what’s going to make that special.” It seems like the coach was showing the real path to success, which doesn’t only come with motivation but with hard work.

And Ryans also came up with his expectations with the team on their first day at the 2024 training camp where he expressed his wishes to “Block out the noise.” Well, he further emphasized that the Texans have the same expectations they had in the last season, “It’s no different than last year. … We have high expectations internally, and that’s all that matters to us.”

While his rookie QB was confident of success in the coming season, coach DeMeco Ryans’ reality check attracted the attention of all. But the coach still expects to see his team shine in the coming season. Since the season is about to start, let’s take a deep dive into the Texans’ preseason performance.

Preseason showdown of Houston Texans

Even though the first preseason game against the Bears did not go quite well, the Texans made a huge comeback in their next preseason games. On 24th August, the Texans rumbled over the Rams for 155 yards on 27 carries. That was the most productive day out of 4 preseason days when the Houston stars ran with the ball on the gridiron. While Texans’ Stroud and Rams’ Matthew Stafford were benched, QB Tim Boyle surprised the fans with his pass coverage of 142 yards, and 2 TD passes which came as a cherry on the cake. But this was about the preseason finale. What about the week 2 preseason game?

Well, the Texans’ fans got a glimpse of their talented corps as Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Nico Collins hauled in the reception during their limited playtime against the New York Giants. And what was the most impressive play in that game? It’s the 24-yard reception from Collins that became the best moment of his game against the Giants. Moreover, Stroud finished the game with an impressive 7 out of 10 for 88 yards.

With such impressive performances during the preseason, will the DeMeco Ryans and his Texans be able to grab the Lombardi Trophy? Let us know in the comments below.