AFC Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

Former WR Jimmy Smith told XL Primetime on 1010 he didn’t like the way former teammate and WR Keenan McCardell was treated as the receivers coach last year in Jacksonville.

“The previous coaching staff didn’t want a No. 1 receiver and I know how bad that bugged Keenan,” Smith said. “Keenan McCardell was not allowed to coach like he wanted to. Let me say it again. Keenan McCardell was not allowed to coach the receivers the way he wanted to.”

Smith noticed nuances within how the wideouts played in Jacksonville that signaled that McCardell wasn’t allowed to run his group the way he wanted to.

“Why are the receivers standing straight up at the line of scrimmage? We know that’s not Keenan,” he said, via JagsWire. “We know that’s not the way we played and I know that’s not the way that he wants to coach. Because the route running begins by your stance as a wide receiver. … That’s just like football route running 101.”  

Smith also believes that McCardell not being able to coach the way he wanted to impacted WR DJ Chark‘s development.

“Those who know the game knew that Keenan McCardell was not allowed to coach those receivers and it affected DJ Chark’s development because Keenan was not allowed to coach those receivers the way he wanted to,” Smith said. 

Texans

New Texans RB Phillip Lindsay is embracing the change from playing his whole career in Colorado to now being in Houston.

“I never had to leave the state. For me, everything was comfortable,” Lindsay said, via TexansWire. “I had everything right there. My family. My fiancée’s family. Our son was in a comfortable situation. So, when we did have to come to Houston, it’s new for all of us. We’re all trying to adjust to it. It’s fun, though. In a sense, it’s going to help in a lot of different ways.”  

Lindsay notes that he wants to make the most of his opportunities when he gets them amid a crowded Texans’ running back depth chart.

“For me, I want to be explosive,” he said. “That’s who I am. I’ve never been one to need a bunch of carries to get where I need to go. I want to be able to be explosive, I want to help my team put points on the board and just do my part and help each other out.”

Titans

Titans’ T Taylor Lewan is expecting to play in the 2021 season opener and says that he is doing more training at this point than he is rehabbing his injury.

“I think the stage in which I’m in right now isn’t so much rehab. It’s training now,” Lewan said, via Ben Arthur of the Tennessean.com. “It’s getting ready to get back on the field and go and play and be dominant at the position I play at, which is left tackle. Watching the boys out there running around and playing ball, definitely makes you miss it a whole bunch. I can’t wait for the season.”