AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Texans

Colts

Colts TE Jack Doyle called transitioning to a reduced role in the team’s offense a “different” experience. 

“Definitely just want to do whatever’s helpful for the team, but I’ll admit, yeah, it’s been different,” Doyle said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. 

Colts OC Nick Sirianni pointed out that Doyle is rotating with Mo Alie-Cox and Trey Burton. 

“You’re rotating between three guys now,”  Sirianni said. “If you look at the production of our tight ends, and you look at the production of other teams’ tight ends, they have one guy with a lot of catches. If you look at all three of our guys combined, we’ve got that production from that group.”

Sirianni still believes Doyle is making an impact in the Colts’ offense despite only having 14 receptions for 170 yards and three touchdowns. 

“I put the tape on, too, with Jack, and he’s always doing the right thing to either get himself open, or open up a hole for a back, or get somebody else open,” Sirianni said.

Jaguars

Despite former Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue being traded twice, Jacksonville won’t avoid facing their former pass rusher who had a well-publicized ugly exit from the team. Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew said this week he fully expects Ngakoue to be “out for blood” but Ngakoue downplayed the game in his own comments. 

“At the end of the day, I had my time with Jacksonville and that’s not a secret. I’m just going to treat it like another game, another Sunday,” Ngakoue said via the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec.

Texans

• Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Texans DC Anthony Weaver said second-round DL Ross Blacklock and DL Corey Liuget should have larger roles following the season-ending injury to Brandon Dunn.
• Texans S Eric Murray says he’s embraced the slot defender role even if it’s not what he necessarily expected when signing with Houston in free agency this offseason: “It’s a role I created last year in Cleveland. I really didn’t expect to play in the slot when I came here. Expected to play safety, but one reason I was brought here was for the versatility.” (Wilson)

Titans

An ACL tear suffered while training for the draft pushed Titans DT Jeffery Simmons down to the nineteenth pick and limited him to start his rookie season. But by the end of last year, Simmons was showing he was going to be a monster in the NFL and he’s taken another step this year. He has 45 total tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and five pass defenses and says his goal is to be the type of player who can’t be blocked with just one person. 

“That’s kind of my mindset, even though sometimes I feel like I can beat two and that’s my mindset. Even when I’ve got two on me, I still want to make the play,” Simmons said via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. “My mindset when there’s one guy on me, I will make the play. When there’s one guy trying to block me, no matter what block it is, I’m gonna disrupt the play. In my mindset, can’t no one block me one-on-one. That’s how I go into this game and that’s how I approach this game: I will not be blocked one-on-one.”