AFC Notes: Doug Pederson, Anthony Richardson, Colts, Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Colts

Colts QB Anthony Richardson (shoulder) is hopeful to return quicker than projected and resume throwing sometime next month. 

“They said 16 weeks after the surgery, but hopefully I’m trying to push to get (back) before that, but we’ll see,” said Richardson, via James Boyd and Jenna West of The Athletic. “Hopefully, I can throw next month, but if not, whenever that time does come, I know I’m gonna rip it.”

Richardson said his recovery has been “up and down” and is trying to take advantage of his time. 

“It’s been up and down for me a little bit,” Richardson said. “I never missed a season in my whole career just playing football, and this is something new for me, a new experience. It’s allowing me to learn more about myself, learn more about the game and learn more about the people that I do have in the building.”

Richardson thinks it was best to undergo surgery on his shoulder despite not wanting the operation initially. 

“Although I didn’t want to get the surgery at the time, I wanted to play and I wanted to be there for my team, but this was probably the best thing for me and my future and for the team,” Richardson said. “It allows me to come back healthy, 100 percent. I’m looking forward to next season, balling out.”

Jaguars

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said they are still within reach of winning the AFC South despite losing three straight games and they must continue building their players’ confidence. 

“We’re still in first place, I think fourth in the AFC,” Pederson said, via JaguarsWire. “We’ve got a chance to accomplish a goal that we set out to do, that’s to win the AFC South. Obviously, we’re making it hard on ourselves but we have to stay focused on that. I think so much sometimes we focus on the negative all the time and not the positive. We’ve got to find the good too and fill our player’s heads with positive this time of year. We feel like we’re still a good football team, we’ve played like it at times.”

Pederson added they are not panicking amidst the three-week losing streak. 

“We can’t begin to panic, begin to press,” Pederson said. “We got to continue to play, practice hard, and make a conscious effort to correct things we can.”

Pederson admitted it’s difficult to stay positive after the losses but is studying what went wrong in each game. 

“It’s hard to fill myself with positive energy because you lose a game. You lose it in a fashion we’ve lost these last three. That’s the disheartening thing. Yeah, my job is to point out the bad, but I think I have to flip it around too at the end of the message, it has to be positive. This is what is ahead of us, our goals are still in front of us. Let’s continue to work hard, let’s support each other, let’s lift each other up, let’s stick together.”

Texans

• The Texans joined the Patriots in putting in a claim on QB Nathan Rourke yesterday, but New England had higher priority. (Field Yates)

Titans

• According to Aaron Wilson, the Titans brought in three players for workouts including C James Empey, G Jordan Roos, and LB Davion Taylor.