An Underrated Leadership Trait

A rookie quarterback can teach us something about a subtle but important virtue

I love watching NFL football. One of the major surprises this season is Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud. Though he was the #2 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Ohio State, there were a lot of questions about his ability at the next level. Few Ohio State quarterbacks have become stars in the NFL. And apparently, Stroud got a low score on a cognition test teams ask players to take that measures the ability to make decisions. Plus, he was drafted by a team in the Texans that was in the process of rebuilding their roster and would be led by a young, first-time, first-year head coach. I remember listening to a lot of podcasts this summer and no expert gave Houston or Stroud a chance to be very competitive this year.

Well, Stroud proved his doubters wrong. Houston is an unexpected 5-4. And it’s not in spite of their rookie quarterback, but because of him. Not only is he beating NFL passing records, but he has has led his team to fourth-quarter comebacks in the last two games. Most recently, he did this on the road at the Cincinnati Bengals against a team with one of the top quarterbacks in the league, Joe Burrow, and a top defense.

This is Peter King, who has been writing about the NFL for forty years: