AFC Notes: Anthony Richardson, Devin White, Colts, Jaguars, Texans

Colts

Colts QB Anthony Richardson briefly exited the team’s Week 8 loss to the Texans after having two straight plays with extended scrambles. Richardson admitted he just needed a quick break after exerting a ton of energy on the previous few plays.

“I was tired,” Richardson said, via ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “I ain’t gonna lie. That was a lot of running right there. I didn’t think I was going to be able to go that next play, so I just told [Colts coach] Shane [Steichen] I just needed a break right there.”
Despite a down year compared to his rookie performance, Richardson remains confident in his passing and rushing abilities.

“I feel like I’m a great passer. I’ve been playing quarterback pretty much my whole life. I’m just a different quarterback from everybody else, so people are going to try to point out that I’m not as efficient as everybody else. But it’s cool to me. I run the ball way better than every other quarterback. Probably not Lamar [Jackson], but [better] than most quarterbacks. So, I take advantage of my opportunities.”

Jaguars

• Jaguars WR Christian Kirk had his left arm in a sling in the locker room, with HC Doug Pederson unable to provide updates on the injury. It was later revealed he would miss the season with a broken collarbone. (Michael DiRocco)
• Pederson also didn’t provide updates on the injuries to WR Brian Thomas Jr., WR Gabriel Davis, LG Ezra Cleveland, RG Brandon Scherff, and CB Ronald Darby.

Texans

New Texans LB Devin White spoke about his reasons for signing with the team after being let go by the Eagles. He seemed most excited to work with HC DeMeco Ryans, who was a big part of his decision to join Houston.

“Coach DeMeco, he’s got a great history of putting out great backers and he’s got a great system,” White said, via Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston. “When I talked to him on the phone I felt like everything was genuine. He reached out multiple times, and just told me to come here and compete. He was like, ‘I can’t promise you nothing. You come here and compete, I’ll find a place for you.’ I only can respect that.”

“I had a lot of opportunities to play, and this team stuck out like a sore thumb,” White continued. “They was already rolling, they got a couple guys down right now, but they still rolling, still finding ways to get it done. I just want to add value to it.”

Ryans himself had high praise for White and what he has been able to do in the past, even though he hasn’t seen the field this season after signing with the Eagles.

“It’s no secret that Devin has been an All-Pro, top linebacker in this league coming out of college,” Ryans said. “He was a no-miss player. He went top 10 in the Draft, I mean, he was an exceptional talent. So, what happened and why he’s here, no one knows. Life happens to us all. You just have to keep punching, keep attacking each day with the right mindset, and the opportunity for Devin is to come in here and compete. Again, nothing’s promised. We don’t know what the future holds. It’s just one day at a time, compete every day and we’ll see where we end up. We wanted to add him to give him an opportunity to see where he can come in and help us. That’s what it was about.”

“Just obviously experienced. Has played linebacker at a pretty high level in this league,” Ryans added. “So, just an opportunity for him to come in and kind of see how he fits in the system and fits in the room and we’ll go from there. So, obviously, kind of in the process of kind of learning what he does for us and how long he takes to adapt to our style and our calls and stuff. But his trio of production and experience playing at a high level in this league. So, a good opportunity for us and for him.”

White also has good things to say about Ryans, who played for both the Texans and the Eagles during his tenure as a player.

“He wants you to go make plays,” White said of Ryans. “He talked about being around the ball, attacking the ball,. I feel like that’s what I’m about to play. My game allows me to play fast and just play with a lot of energy around him. I feel like every thing that he talked about, I feel like I got it in my game and everything that he wants to add to my game, I’m willing to receive that. I’m an open book and I respect everything. At the end of the day, I’m where my feet is right now. I only care about here. All the stuff I did in the past years is on my resume. I’ve got a big goal and that’s just to help these guys. If I can get on the field in any way or form to help them, they’ll obviously be doing me a big favor as well and helping me. I’ve just got to get these guys to trust me. I just want to have fun on a winning team and playing great defense. I want to be a part of that. These guys here have got a lot of swagger. I’m a player with a lot of swag. I just want to add to it and come out victorious.”