AFC Notes: Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars, Texans , Dameon Pierce, Titans
Jaguars
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence says he would rather “take too much blame” for the team’s performance than not.
“Whether you win, lose, play well, or don’t play well, it’s never all about me, so that’s the main thing I try to keep in mind,” Lawrence said, via JaguarsWire.com. “Always, I’ve tried to just put everything on me, I’d rather take too much of the blame than not, so even if a receiver drops the ball or it’s a play someone’s got to catch or it’s a running back or whatever it is, I always try to just, it’s starts with, ‘Hey, my bad. Let’s talk through it, figure it out,’ whatever it is.
“That’s just on the field. When it comes to coming up here after a game where I don’t play well or whatever it is where we lose, at the end of the day, even if I do play well, and we lose, we still didn’t get it done. There’s always things that you can do better.”
Texans
Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce got off to a strong start to the season, but has had some struggles in recent weeks.
“When he first got here, everyone can remember when Dameon [Pierce] came in the building because he will let you know about his presence when he gets here,” HC Lovie Smith said of Pierce, via TexansWire.com. “You know, I loved him then. He was a breath of fresh air. It seemed like he’s a man on a mission then. That’s how he’s played. That’s how he’s played throughout. We know what type of effort he’s going to give.
“He’s had a lot of success too, I’m going to say, early on, in the first game. This past week, it’s good for young players to go through what we went through this past week where we didn’t get a lot done and couldn’t get the running game going. I know again, Wednesday practice, same guy, ready to go. Life of the party. All of that.”
Titans
Titans fourth-round TE Chigoziem Okonkwo reflected on missing his junior year at Maryland in 2020 due to myocarditis and feels “another level of appreciation” for being able to play.
“When all that happened, I didn’t really know if I was going to get another chance to play again,” Okonkwo said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site. “Being told that you can’t play anymore, it’s like, damn. But I always kept the faith, and always kept believing. And for me, being able to play again, I never take it for granted any more. I am very appreciative of my opportunity. Being able to come back, being able to play the game I love, it is another level of appreciation now for sure.”
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had high praise for Okonkwo’s route running, catching, and physicality.
“He has done a great job,” Tannehill said. “For a young player, taking advantage of his opportunity is exactly what he has done. Any time he gets in there and has a ball come his way, it seems like he does a great job of getting open, making the catch, and being a tough, physical runner once he has the ball in his hands.”
