Derek Stingley Jr. sat down with Texans legend Johnathan Joseph for the "No Audibles" podcast. The young corner got real about everything from his LSU championship days to watching C.J. Stroud carve up defenses from the sideline.
The Championship Foundation
Sting's roots run deep in championship culture. When J-Joe asked about that LSU national title run, Stingley Jr. didn't hesitate: "I feel like the main thing that gave me was really just the standard of winning and what it takes, day in, day out, being consistent to win a championship."
But he kept it real about the jump to the NFL. "I feel like at LSU, of course, it was a lot of talent. Everybody was great. But it's really just different winning at this level because it's everybody's the best."
Building Chemistry with C.J. Stroud
Sting lit up talking about Stroud, and you could hear the genuine love there.
"That's my brother for real," he said. "We talk all the time, off the field, on the field. Really just building that chemistry with him on and off the field has been great for me because I'm able to watch him from the sideline and just see how he operates and see defenses."
According to No. 24, He's basically getting a masterclass every Sunday: "I'm able to really just see how he picks apart the defense and that really just helps me on the other side of the ball, being able to go against these quarterbacks because, I mean, he's one of the best, if not the best, I feel like. So being able to watch him and just see his operation throughout the game and how he operates, it really just helps me diagnose and see what other quarterbacks see on the other side."
The Mental Side: Cornerback Psychology
J-Joe knows better than anyone how brutal the corner position can be mentally, so he asked Sting about bouncing back from getting beat.
"You really just gotta have a short term memory," Stingley Jr. explained. "What I tell myself is they don't remember the bad plays. They remember the good plays... The pick that I got against Green Bay, that's what they remember. They don't remember if I got beat on a route or whatever it is."
"For me, that's what I say to myself just to get myself going and keep my confidence because that's really all about. At the end of the day, you gotta believe in yourself that you're the best player on the field every Sunday... you gotta have that confidence to where even if you do get beat, it's okay because the next play, you're getting a pick or you're getting your revenge."
Learning from J-Joe
The mutual respect between these two was one of the best parts of the conversation. Stingley Jr. admitted he wasn't just a casual fan—he was studying film: "I remember watching you a lot. Not just, oh, I'm a fan. But I was really breaking down your technique and stuff like that and watching what you did, especially being on an island... how you moved your feet and how you were able to play so long in this league."
Sting made it clear why he locked in on J-Joe specifically: "I watched you when I was growing up just because I knew I wanted to play corner. So it was, why not watch one of the best to do it?"
You could practically hear Johnathan Joseph smiling through that one.
The DeMeco Ryans Effect
When talk turned to Head Coach DeMeco Ryans, Stingley Jr.'s appreciation was obvious: "I feel like the main thing that DeMeco brings is just the authenticity and the realness of our relationship with him... He keeps it real. If you're not playing good, he's gonna let you know. And if you are playing good, he's gonna gas you up... he's gonna give you your flowers."
The authenticity piece matters. "When you have that type of relationship with your head coach to where you can literally go talk to him about anything, that's big time."
Ahead of a big Thursday Night Football matchup against the defending NFL MVP, Sting was honest about facing the best in the game. "I feel like we match up good with anybody in this league, to be honest. It don't matter who we play. I feel like we're a matchup problem for everybody."
"For me, it's really just taking it one game at a time. You can't get too high or too low... I feel like once we get hot, it's gonna be hard to stop us."
Standing Out in Year Three
When Joseph pressed him on what's different as his NFL career has developed, Stingley Jr. kept it honest: "I feel like for me, it's really just being healthy, being consistent and being on the field week in, week out."
"I feel like, of course, my technique and all that has gotten better. But I think the main thing that is better for me is just my confidence and my mindset... believing in myself more."
"That's what I love about this game. You're gonna get tested. You're gonna get beat. But it's really just about how you respond."
That's corner talk right there.
