Jaguars
Jaguars running game coordinator Brian Picucci said he knew HC Liam Coen would eventually become a head coach.
“It’s awesome. I am proud,” Picucci said, via Sports Illustrated. “But I also saw the evolution of when you’re trying to find your voice earlier in your career, and you know as well as I do, the older you get, the more comfortable in your skin you get, and the more you know what you want out of a team.”
Texans
Texans OT Aireontae Ersery has been referred to as the team’s most improved offensive player, continuing to learn and improve after a poor performance in his first game.
“First game, I didn’t play my best I took that on the chin,” Ersery told KPRC 2. “I knew I had to be a man and go out there and perform well. I feel like that came from the encouragement from our coaches, really studying and understanding why the way they rush and just all of us playing together, definitely was a fun game.”
“Definitely a lot of improvement,” DE Danielle Hunter said of Ersery. “He’s able to get to his spot quicker, shoot his hands, have better positioning with his hands and his eyes. He goes out there and he tries to execute. it’s really important to him. He likes feedback. He’s definitely improved from last year.”
“Every day, I just want to strive to be the best,” Ersery said. “If you’re not doing that, then I don’t know why you’re in this profession. Every day, I try to be a leader, try to do everything the right way. Am I perfect? No, nobody’s perfect. If I do that, I feel like I’m taking the right steps in the right direction. I think the sky’s the limit. Last year was last year. We put that to bed already. We are more focused on what this unit can do and what this unit can be. I think our unit can be very, very special, We have young guys flying around, making plays, wanting to hit people in the mouth. It’s been refreshing.”
Titans
On the podcast of former NFL LT Terron Armstead, Titans DT Jeffery Simmons was asked what it was like to watch his former HC Mike Vrabel reach the Super Bowl with the Patriots this past season.
“Was I surprised?” Simmons replied on The Set podcast. “Um, man, I think we all would be surprised if this guy, first year in New England, they go straight to the Super Bowl. First off, I’m jealous as hell. Like what? … I was just with you four years, and you couldn’t get me to the Super Bowl?”
“One of the things when you build that relationship off the football field and I … think that’s the biggest thing with Vrabel, man,” Simmons said. “And I can feel this, it’s the same with [new Titans coach Robert] Saleh. When you can build a relationship with your players off the football field and not just when you touch that football field, they going to play as hard as they can for you. That’s what Vrabel brings, bro. He just brings that type of energy and that type of, I know I’m not your dad but I’m going to do everything possible to make you feel safe with me. I’ma do everything I can do, ’cause on game day I’m going to need you.”
Simmons also told Armstead that he believes second-year QB Cam Ward will prove his doubters wrong and take the team to the level it needs to be at to compete for a title.
“I still feel like I got a lot more growth to do in my game. I’m going on Year 8, but … the expectation, which we know come with being the No. 1 pick,” Simmons said of Ward. “I personally see … the work continuously from Cam from every day being the first one at the building. That’s, that’s no lie. He’s the first one at the building. You could feel and you could tell the will that he really wants to be the best he could be for us. And not just for us, but for himself, as well. He can feel and he can see the doubt, that everyone keeps doubting him. I mean you got some guys call him a bust like, you know, that’s fire [that fuels him]. Year 2 Cam Ward going to be what everyone don’t really expect, but it’s going to be something one of them things that Cam, we knew that was you all along.”
- The Titans hired Bennie Contrino from the Panthers as their new Director of Strategy and Analytics. (Walder)
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