Texans’ C.J. Stroud’s trainers explain purpose of QB’s unusual pregame warmup routine

By Matt Young | Houston Chronicle | Jan 11, 2024 | Brett Coomer photo

“I know it kind of looks crazy, but I like it, and it works,” he said.

It works because it loosens up all the body parts Stroud will lean on most when he has 300-pound pass rushers pursuing him while he tries to fling a football downfield.

He starts by throwing a weighted blue ball into a net. The 3DQB regimen has quarterbacks alternating three balls: a one-pounder, a two-pounder and a regular baseball, which is about a third of a pound.

“It’s a way for him to kind of groove his body and different footwork,” Kelly said. “He does some throws to warm up the arm properly, and then he can cut a few loose without having to do it with a football.”

From there, Stroud moves on to a towel, holding one end in his throwing hand and mimicking all the motions and throws he’ll need to make in the game.

“He’s really focusing on the body movements, having certain cues that he focuses on, taking the ball out of his hand and what that feels like so when he puts the ball in his hand, he’s not thinking about that stuff,” Kelly said.

Next comes something similar to a golf club with a weight attached to the end. A lot of 3DQB clients actually use a baseball bat, but Stroud prefers the feel of the club, which has a little wiggle to it. Either way, it’s all about working on body rotation and hip movement, key elements of throwing a football.

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