AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Urban Meyer, Titans

Colts

Colts DT DeForest Buckner injured his foot during practice earlier this month but he still hopes to play in the team’s preseason game against the Vikings on Saturday.

“I’m excited to get out there again,” Buckner said, via Dave Griffiths of Fox 59. “I mean last week I was antsy on the sideline. I knew I wasn’t playing, but I still had that same game-day jitters like I was going to play. For me, I love practice. I like to work. I’m all about time on the grass, getting the reps. The more reps I get, the more comfortable I get. It’s just how I’ve been since I got in the league. If I have to sit out to be precautionary, then I’ll do it. It’s a long season, so I just have to be careful. My body is my main thing, obviously. I mean your best ability is availability, so I just have to make sure I stay healthy and like I said, it’s 17 regular-season games. We just have to take every caution into it.”

Jaguars

Jaguars HC Urban Meyer touched on a number of topics in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Included in that was why he has not yet named first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence the starting quarterback ahead of Gardner Minshew. 

“Well, Minshew’s not giving it up,” Meyer said. “I’ve been asked that question, I’ve been looking at people like they’ve got several heads, like what are you talking about. Yes, competition brings out the best in all of us. But this is not a circus here. There’s a guy that actually has done O.K. in the NFL, not great yet, but Gardner Minshew, his numbers are decent. He’s a much different player than Trevor.

“Trevor’s a down-the-field passer, this guy’s a scramble-around, make-plays guy, but I’ll tell you what he really is, he’s a warrior. And I appreciate warriors. It’s a street fight right now. When someone say, Oh, come on, well, why’d you ask me that question? It is what it is. It’s a battle. I see the stats every day, and the greatest thing that can happen is that it becomes a street fight for as long as possible.”

Meyer also talked about his transition from college to the pros, where he could lose more games this coming season than he did his entire career at Ohio State and still have this year viewed as a relative success for Jacksonville. Meyer has not handled losing well in the past and knows he has to develop thicker skin. 

“Ryan Day and I actually talk about that all the time,” he said. “Ryan Day and Ohio State’s been built to where you could go 13–1 and it’s a bad year—What happened? But that’s reality. We did the same thing at Florida. You talk about pressure? You’re playing against good teams and you can’t lose, where the reality is you’re playing a good team every week in the NFL. So I am training my mind. I can’t stand losing. This doesn’t mean I’ll accept it. I don’t want players here accepting it. But that’s also reality.

“So I’ve been training my mind. We lost our preseason game and I keep hearing, it’s just a preseason game. Well, we lost. Our objective as long as they’re keeping score is to win.”

• Meyer admitted the offense needs to improve before the season begins after a disappointing performance Monday night against the Saints: “The starting offense, two weeks in a row …we’re just struggling to get into some rhythm…We’re not balanced right now.” (Jaguars.com)
• Lawrence agreed: “I thought we did some things well…A lot of other things we need to get better at.” (Jaguars.com)

Titans

• Titans DC Shane Bowen said first-round CB Caleb Farley will be on a pitch count, noting Farley hasn’t played football in a while as he’s working his way back from a back injury: “He hasn’t played football in a long time. He is on a pitch count, so he is working his way back. We just have to keep working him, I think he is learning something every single day.” (Michael Giardi)