Houston Texans Media Conference

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Houston, Texas, USA

Stefon Diggs

Press Conference


Q. Stephon, how do you feel like you're doing as far as the timing and chemistry in the time you've had with CJ?

STEFON DIGGS: It's the beginning. Only been here a couple days. Spent some time with OTAs, which was exciting. Also getting used to the heat. It's been fun. Taking it one day at time. Obviously it's a work in progress.

At the end of the day it's still football, so having a lot of fun.

Q. What excites you most about this team? What are you most looking forward to since you've been here?

STEFON DIGGS: What excites me most, just the guys I've been around. Obviously the quarterback position. The fellow receives. Congratulations to Nic as well. Put a lot of the work in. Watched him on tape before I got here. Definitely one of the best receivers we got.

Tank obviously, you know I knew Tank for a while now. He's like a little bro. And little Metchie, just spending times with the guys and being around the team and building that camaraderie. I been in the league a little while now, so being around a good group of guys is always a breath of fresh air, too.

Q. What was your mindset coming in? This is your third team. Coming into this situation with this group of guys, what was your mindset? Where did you want to start and have your input, put your stamp to say, this is my input on this team?

STEFON DIGGS: Yeah, just more so earning the respect of my teammates. As a player, I've been around the league for a little while now, so earning the respect of your peers first and earning the respect of your coaches, being where you're supposed to be, and taking your time each and every day.

Really valuing the moment. I take it pretty serious. But loving what I'm doing and loving who I'm being around. My impact is going to be even more, so just taking it one day at a time, being myself. And I can't be nobody -- I'm going to still be myself.

Continue to build and grow in the right direction. That comes from earning the respect of your teammates and being accountable with the plays and new stuff they got going on.

Like I say, it's only my fourth day out here, so...

Q. Just going to ask you, how does it feel to be one of the vets, to be able to mentor some of these younger guys, some of the wide receivers that have watched you play?

STEFON DIGGS: It's crazy, because I've been in this the league for a little while now, and I have those conversations with them and listen to them talk and I'm like, damn, you sound a lot like myself when I was your age.

Like I said, it's a breath of fresh air. It kind of keeps me in the mindset of, I don't know, I just remember being in their shoes and I'm equally as hungry, if even not more now. I've had a taste of playoffs and getting close.

I see their mindset and the things they want for themselves and it's everything I always wanted for myself. It's always like a little chuckle when I hear them say, I want this. I'm like, you're going to get all of that. Just keep working.

Obviously the young guys that we got, they work extremely hard and they're definitely uber talented. So being around, like I said it's a breath of fresh air for me. Also being a vet, I seen it. I know what it takes to be successful on the field. I know what it takes to win.

So I'm trying to bring that mindset each and every day.

Q. When you traded, do you feel like -- you've been chasing a Super Bowl. Do you look at the Texans roster with the quarterback and say, this might be a place that I can try to pursue that goal?

STEFON DIGGS: Well, I mean, I feel like I've been chasing the Super Bowl since I got in the league. To say like you get to one specific place and say this is where I want to try to win it, but this is where I'm at right now. Obviously believe in this team and the quarterback. Those are unspoken things that we all can assume.

For me, chasing a ring, it isn't like I came here to chase it. I came here to win. Moving forward of course you want a ring. It sounds good to be like you won a Super Bowl and a ring. It takes a lot of effort and consistency.

For me, I'm going to take it one day at a time. It starts in practice, starts in walk-through, starts in the meeting rooms. For me, winning is always in the forefront of my brain with everything I do.

It's one thing at time rather than jumping the gun. I don't put the carrot before the horse.

Q. How do you deal with the perception that things didn't end well in Buffalo for you, people sometimes labeled you as a diva wide receiver. How do you deal with that?

STEFON DIGGS: Personally, I don't take things personal from people I don't know personally. It's your opinion. It's different if you know them on a personal level. Not too many people know me on a personal level and I don't share a lot of my thoughts. I keep work, work.

I try not to dive into how I feel about certain things or like people's opinions. About to go into my tenth year in the league. Obviously put in a lot of work to get where I'm at. The respect level is always there.

Who I am as a player, they know who I am and I'm a true competitor. I love to win. I love getting better, who I am as a person.

This is a job at the end of the day. We built a family environment with the team. Those guy know me personally and that's why I earn the respect of them first along with my coaches.

I try not to take things personally from people I don't know personally, you know. Rule of thumb.

Q. There is a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball.

STEFON DIGGS: Hell yeah.

Q. A lot of mouths to feed?

STEFON DIGGS: Hell yeah.

Q. Is that a good thing? A worrisome thing? How do you balance everyone getting theirs and also winning?

STEFON DIGGS: I feel like that's something I knew coming in. Before I got here, obviously know that Nic had a hell of a year, Tank just got hurt. He was going to have a hell of a year.

And it's always a balance. It's not my job to call the plays. I just got to get open and catch it. Not nothing I will worry about. You do your job you get the ball. I feel like this offense is one of the offenses that got a lot of horses in the stable, you know what I'm saying?

You let them all loose and we'll figure the rest out.

Q. CJ, we talked to CJ couple -- a month ago about ya'll meeting at the Pro Bowl.

STEFON DIGGS: Crazy, right?

Q. It wanted to hear from your perspective, what really drew to you him and how did that relationship develop over time?

STEFON DIGGS: Obviously like at the end of the season it was a lot of gray area as far as what I was going do, whether I was going to be in Buffalo or not. Going into the Pro Bowl, obviously that's a place where like the best athletes in the world, the best football players in the world are. Just happened organically that he was not too many seats from me in the Pro Bowl where we get dressed.

He has chopped it up a little bit and got to know him a little bit. I was like, damn, he pretty cool. So kind of when things start hitting the fan and Houston was on the radar, it was like damn. Ironic. I don't believe in coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.

I asked God to light my path and here I am. Definitely something to get super excited about. I don't know how many times I smiled. I didn't get to share the smiles with ya'll, but I promise you I'm super happy.

Q. 2020 you were Top 4 in receiving yards, yards, touchdowns, everything. Obviously you contributed. So what kind of went through your mind when you were traded?

STEFON DIGGS: I mean, for me, like I try not to get too personal, but I kind of felt it was going in that direction. Like throughout the season, had some ups and downs, especially after the first eight. We had coaching shifting and different things going different ways, differences scheme-wise, schematic, and the up and downs of it.

But for me, you kind of feel it in the air a little bit, especially personal feelings. For me, when I got traded obviously I was happy. I was in a good place. Like I said, I told God to light my path and here I am. He makes no mistakes. I'm standing firm in that, standing strong.

When I say I've been smiling, I've been smiling.

Q. There couldn't be two climates probably more different in the NFL than Houston and Buffalo.

STEFON DIGGS: Hell yeah.

Q. You kind of noted that earlier. Are there things you're doing to adjust to such a big change, like on and off the field?

STEFON DIGGS: Yeah, it's a little crazy just because the previous places I was, it was like, it's not hot. It was kind of cool. Got good weather for the most part until they get cold out, and then you come to a place like this and it's damn near H-e-l-l every day.

As far as like my approach with the game, being somewhere new, I kind of partner that with being a professional and hydrating the right way. No extra-curriculars during the week, trying to have all the energy that you can, but just taking my time. The nutrition part is obviously another layer, as a professional and as an adult, the older I get you got to take care of your body a little bit. I'm packing on a little bit now, so we'll see.

Q. Earlier you talked about your desire to win, but from what you're willing to share what are some of the lessons you learned in Minnesota and Buffalo to make it all come together here in Houston?

STEFON DIGGS: It's crazy, because that's a question I ask myself. I'm a big person of self-reflection. Being in those places before, you know, asking God to light my path, I still had to look where I came from and a lot of things I had to learn, whether it was in Minnesota, Buffalo, what were the things that worked and what were the things that could have helped in this situation.

So I feel like things that I'm carrying over is just like putting a lot more time in. Football is football at the end of the day, but you don't know what the extra meeting would do or extra time after practice or extra time in the morning would do. May be some little things that can carry you over and do something that help you on the field.

So just spending more time. You think you're working, and at times you can have a lot of success, but that extra layer or extra little bit of practice time or meeting time could go -- could win you an extra game or get you on the same page with your quarterback.

For me, just what I really kind of garnish from my past is putting more time in. It's not about effort. For me it was never about effort and grind, because I put the time in off the field and on the field.

But it's more so keep building and being on the right pace consistently. When you get later on in the season, you want to be hitting on all cylinders. That comes from putting that extra time in.

For me, I give you a little tidbit. Just putting a lot more time in. Even though you think you're grinding, working smarter, not only hard.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

STEFON DIGGS: Long time ago.

Q. Were you able to pick his brain a little bit, find out about the organization? And lastly, does the brother match up...

STEFON DIGGS: I think that's a two-for-one question. I let you pick one and let somebody else pick the last one.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

STEFON DIGGS: I knew he was going to pick that one. It's later on in the season. Right now I'm spending a lot of time with my brother. Obviously he's healing up, getting on the right pace with his rehab and recovery. I want to see him hitting on all cylinders.

Down the line, that's down the line something I can get excited about when it comes, but it does add a little extra incentive closer to the holiday that we get that win.

Q. I know you're big on family; just got done talking about your brother. You looked at the Texans from a talent standpoint, but I was there when you came to the JJ Watt Charity...

STEFON DIGGS: Yeah, yeah, uh-huh.

Q. The legends, the Houston Texans legends, embraced you. How have you accepted that family build that is here?

STEFON DIGGS: It's crazy, because kind of what we touched on a little bit. Just I don't take things personal from the people I don't know personally, but these people I'm learning personally. They welcome me. I don't know if they call it the southern hospitality, but they're very welcoming and very open arms and kind of like I just feel like it's important for me to be a part of things like that and be a part of -- obviously charity is just one layer of it.

Being around people that came before you, not only giving them the respect but giving them that -- you know, like I'm here to follow those footsteps into falling in line with Andre Dawson. He's going in the Hall of Fame. That's what you want to be.

Like so when I'm talking to the young guys and I'm like I've been in your shoes before, I'm taking it a step further at this point to be around the people that came before me, and hopefully a little bit of that will rub off.

That family environment, I feel it. It's genuine. You thrive in that space. You thrive in a space where you're loved. Thrive in a space of being around those who truly care and truly want to see you win.

So for me, I just been taking it one day at a time and trying to do the right shit. Excuse my language.

Q. St. Johns High School...

STEFON DIGGS: There we go. I used to beat your ass though.

Q. When you look at the creativity that Bobby has as you talk with him, talk football, what are your impressions of Bobby and what you guys can cook up together?

STEFON DIGGS: I just saw him move the pieces around last year obviously with Nic. I feel like you give him the pieces, he going to make them a shape. When I look at his offense in the time that I've spent with him, I'm kind of relaying back to a couple teams that I've seen on tape. He's shown me a little bit. Those guys had a lot of stars on that team. They played at a very high level and had a lot of success.

So like I said, it's a lot of questions, but I really look forward to making another shape.

Q. Josh Allen said that you were very instrumental to making him the quarterback that he was at the end -- that he is now. How instrumental do you think Josh was to helping you elevate to the next level?

STEFON DIGGS: I feel like he was like an intricate piece in my career. At that point, you know, when I left Minnesota or whatever, like I presumed -- I was a good player, but I always felt more for myself. I felt like I was better than that, that I could be better than that.

Up to that point I was just like, shit, I'm going to roll the dice and bet on myself. They sent me to Buffalo. I don't know if they sent me to Buffalo with the most kindness, the most great intent, but all is well that ends well.

When I got to Buffalo, Josh was -- Josh is still my guy. People don't really understand what it's like to be out there. He really embraced me, kind of had the southern hospitality. So for me, he embraced me, spent a lot of time, and I probably wouldn't be right here if it wasn't for him. I got a lot of the love for that boy. Ya'll give him a hug and a kiss for me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
144886-1-1041 2024-06-04 18:42:00 GMT

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