AFC Notes: Browns, Raiders, Steelers

Browns

• Browns HC Hue Jackson expects LB Jamie Collins to be 100 percent for training camp after suffering a torn MCL last year and the hope is that he will be able to compete in 11-on-11s in minicamp in next few weeks. (Scott Petrak)

Raiders

Raiders QB Derek Carr says that Raiders HC Jon Gruden continues to push him to get everything possible out of him.

“I meet with him every morning,” Carr said, via the East Bay Times. “He’ll say something to me at 5:30 and won’t bring it up the rest of the day. Then he’ll throw it at me in practice, making sure I’m still on top of the little thing he gave me in the morning. He just continues to push me and get everything out of me and it’s been really cool.”

Raiders TE Jared Cook also mentioned that the team is “buying in” to Gruden.

“He definitely has guys buying in. I mean, I bought in for sure because he knows what he’s talking about, and you can tell a difference in a coach that knows what he’s talking about and a coach that does not. He knows what he’s talking about,” said Cook, via Michael Gehlken.

Steelers

Steelers ILB Tyler Matakevich does not think that the team’s inside linebackers spot is a position of need, even after the loss of Ryan Shazier.

“They don’t give the rest of our inside linebackers credit,” said Matakevich, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “I think Vinny [Williams] is a tremendous player. He’s smart. We just brought (Jon) Bostic in. He’s played four years. He knows what’s going on. L.J. Fort‘s been here for a long time. He knows this system. I think we have the guys who are capable of doing it.”

Vince Williams admitted that while Shazier is clearly a loss for their defense, but he’s still confident in their current group.

“We don’t have another Ryan Shazier on our team,” Williams said. “But we do have very capable, starter ready middle linebackers.”