When it comes to the 2023 NFL season, there was arguably no story more surprising than the emergence of the Houston Texans.
And now that the Texans are preparing to host a postseason game after amassing a 10-7 record en route to winning the AFC South, they’re pulling out the receipts.
In particular, the franchise has taken issue with Bill Simmons’ preseason proclamation that rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud would be a bust. Not only will the Ohio State product likely be named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he also generated unlikely MVP buzz, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions in his rookie campaign.
In a post on Monday, the Texans’ official X (formerly Twitter) account didn’t just remind The Ringer founder of his comments, but also likened him to a clown, sharing a video of Simmons’ initial take with highlights from Stroud’s rookie season spliced in between.
https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans/status/1744547036433953087
Even without the benefit of hindsight, Simmons’ take was somewhat bizarre. During The Ringer’s NFL Draft preview, “The Sports Guy” stated, “I’m locking in Stroud as a bust. Just from levitating above this, which is being unencumbered with my thoughts and baggage of things, I’m just like, ‘This guy doesn’t have it. His name’s C.J. He went to Ohio State,'” before embarking on a rant about how there hasn’t been a good quarterback with initials for a first name.
https://twitter.com/ringernfl/status/1651329152748855298
Even Simmons’ take on Stroud falling in the draft was proven incorrect almost immediately, as Houston selected him with the No. 2 overall pick a day later.
As is often the case, Simmons’ analysis of Stroud was based mostly on his gut feeling and irrelevant factors such as his first name — which, to be fair, is a big part of how he’s built his empire. But when proven wrong, it also leaves him susceptible to being hit with one of the harshest insults that can be found on the internet: being compared to a clown.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.