AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Texans

Colts

With the retirement of LT Anthony Castonzo, the Colts and GM Chris Ballard are looking for their cornerstone left tackle of the future. While the team could possibly explore moving RT Braden Smith or LG Quenton Nelson into this spot, they don’t want to disturb what the two young players have already built in their careers.

“Here will be the hard thing for us with (Nelson), so you’ve got an All-Pro guard, probably the best in the league at his position,” Ballard said of Nelson, via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. “Does it make your team better moving him out of that spot? Because he’s so good at it. And can the replacement level player that you put in there, he’s not going to play at Quenton’s level. But will Quenton’s play at the left tackle level that makes it worth it?”

“This is the way an O-line coach put it to me, ‘It’s like playing golf when you are a right-handed golfer and you switch him to left-handed,’” Ballard said of Smith. “Eric Fisher played right tackle our first year in Kansas City and then we kicked him over to the left side. It can be done. It can absolutely be done. But, who are we putting in at right tackle? Those are the questions we have to answer.”

Jaguars

During the Jaguars’ introductory press conference for their coaching staff, new HC Urban Meyer said that OC Darrell Bevell stood out from other candidates due to his “flexibility” as a coach and ability to work with Meyer’s vision for their offense. 

“The amount of people we interviewed was as many as I’ve really ever done,” Meyer said, via the team’s official Youtube. “His interview was by far the best. His ability to adapt to my vision of the offense, which is a little different than maybe he’s done in the past, the flexibility and not rigidness, that was very important to me because we do have the first pick in the draft and there is a vision that I have about the style of offense. I’m certainly not going to call plays — that’s his responsibility. But I have a real clear vision of what I want the offense to look like.”

Meyer added that Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre endorsed Bevell and told him to “hire the guy” given he coordinated Favre’s “best year” with the Vikings. 

“And by the way, Brett Favre — I called I don’t know, 10 people about Darrell — and Brett Favre, who I’ve known for quite some time, when he made a comment [saying], ‘That’s as good a coach as he’s ever been around, and by the way I had my best year with him in Minnesota.’ And he said, ‘Hire the guy.’ Brett Favre, the respect I think we all have for him, I listened closely.”

Texans

• Charles Robinson reports that Texans’ GM Nick Caserio had fielded calls for DE J.J. Watt and that they released him even though they knew teams were willing to trade assets for him.