Jaguars

Jaguars HC Liam Coen spoke in-depth about the injury suffered by second overall pick Travis Hunter and noted that the rookie was just hitting his stride when he went down in practice.

“I do think the best thing that could have happened was like, all right, not that he got hurt, but we got hurt and we still, we were able to have success right? So now we get the privilege of going throughout this. He’s still rehabbing, going through a whole process of rehab, getting back, but now we can go say, Okay, where is this going to truly help us go take the next step? Like, what’s going to actually help us get over the hump, from time allotment for him, practice schedule, playing on Sundays?” Coen said, via SI.com. “What’s the best for our team and for the Jacksonville Jaguars to go win on Sunday and that’s what it allows us to do, is because we do have some other pieces. We have some guys that can go make plays on Sundays, and that’s what it’s all about. So we need the help, for sure. I mean, in terms of the playmaking, the corner position, we’ll use him. He’s gonna get used. It’s just a matter of, what is that dynamic?”

“I think he’s absolutely going to be able to. I do. I mean, the guy just went out — he has the craziest conditioning of any athlete I’ve ever been around. He doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t sweat. It’s kind of crazy,” Coen continued. “But, you know, he’s obviously been in altitude, you know? But he works his tail off. He loves football, football, fishing. I mean, that’s what he does. So as he continues to grow, and this was a minor setback, for sure, right? But for a major comeback, right? That’s what it has to be. That’s his mindset.”

“I think we were getting there. I think we were getting there. And then he gets, you know, he has 100 yards against the Rams, gets hurt, forced us to go, kind of make some other decisions. And it was a blessing at the end of the day for the way it played out in some ways, but look, we’ll look through that,” Coen concluded. “I do think that if you just said, alright man, go play football without much coaching. I mean, corner, he just looks — he just looks the part, exactly what he is. And then, but also when you get the ball in his hands, I mean, he can make people miss, which I can’t coach, you know. So it’s still a fine line. It’s still something we’re working through.”

Texans

• Per Aaron Wilson, Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair underwent successful surgery on his thumb.

Titans

Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair was happy that Titans HC Robert Saleh got another shot at being a head coach, but was upset that it was within his division.

“Happy for him, but I was like, golly,” Al-Shaair said, via the team’s website. “Man, the division was already tough, and it just got a lot tougher. Coach Saleh is an amazing coach, an amazing person. And I think he landed in a great spot in Tennessee, because they have a great foundation, and the core guys that they have I think will love playing for him.”

Al-Shaair added that he expects Saleh to elevate DT Jeffery Simmons‘ game to an even higher level.

“I’m like, oh gosh, the player that Jeff already is without having a coach like Saleh, now being in that type of scheme,” Al-Shaair, said. “It’s going to help elevate his game even more, which is already tough to do – he is coming off a career high in sacks.”

Al-Shaair explained what makes Saleh such a great coach and how he will fit into Tennessee.

“He is methodical, poetic in the way he moves and talks,” he said. “He always has a story to tell you about something, and it always ties into exact situations and what you or the team is going through. Positive energy, high energy guy, a smile on his face all the time, but is super intense and you can respect that because you know he has the love for the game. He cares, you know he cares, and you know he knows what he is doing. I think if you mix passion and the brain and the knowledge he has for the game, you put those things together, a leader of men, and the way he knows how to relay the message, I think that is going to be something that is extremely good for the entire Titans organization.”