AFC Notes: Colts, Texans, Titans

Colts

Colts LB Zaire Franklin discussed his first impression of first-round QB Anthony Richardson and new HC Shane Steichen in the limited exposure he’s had to both so far.

“It’s been great. Obviously, you know, the (2022) season we had, a lot of uncertainty in the offseason, it feels good to kind of have a sense of direction,” Franklin said in an interview on Good Morning Football. “Young AR in the building, I would just say he’s a great energy, great humble young kid. Thirsty to get better, thirsty to learn. You can just kind of see him getting in early, working on things, trying to do the best he can.”

“It’s been, like I said, a nice breath of fresh air. Coach Steichen, he just brings that energy, he brings that drive,” Franklin added. “You know he’s coming from that successful situation. He’s kind of hungry to prove himself, and obviously, I think he’s looking forward to the challenge of turning this thing around and getting it rolling this year. ”

Texans

• Texans QB coach Jerrod Johnson was selected to participate in this week’s Coach Accelerator program at the May NFL owners meetings. The program is intended to increase exposure between owners and executives and diverse coaching talent with the goal of increasing the number of minority head coaching hires. 

Titans

New Titans LB Azeez Al-Shaair has quickly discovered the team takes its conditioning work seriously. 

“They had a sign on the wall that was talking about expectations,” Al-Shaair said via ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “In the expectations, you see conditioning as one of them. You’re just like, ‘Ah, that looks good.’ But, conditioning here, it’s real. We’re doing a lot.”

There are restrictions on the level of activity teams can do this time of year, and the entire offseason is voluntary until mandatory minicamp in June. The Titans have been hitting the conditioning work hard, however, and posted a video of one of their workouts that drew some criticism from former players. But it’s all part of an intentional strategy by HC Mike Vrabel after the Titans were one of the most injury-addled teams in 2022. 

“Do you want to be a blister, or do you want to be a callus?” Vrabel said in January. “Do you want to keep working through every day and get your volume up, so that you can withstand the volume and the rigors of the season? That would be a callus. Or do you want to be a blister and feel some discomfort, pull back, wait until you feel good, then come back, do it for a couple of days, and you’re going to keep feeling that way?”

The NFLPA has been on a crusade against voluntary offseason workouts that they say are too much for the past couple of years and they definitely have the support of some players. But it appears that Vrabel, a former player himself even if he has an old-school mentality, has the buy-in of his players as he tries to instill toughness in his squad. 

“We’re doing the sleds, and I see Ryan [Tannehill] — who’s played 12 years in this league — doing the same thing I’m doing,” Al-Shaair said. “It’s a different mentality. You understand how it translates.”