Colts
At the end of the 2024 season, Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon called players into her office following their 8-9 finish. Indianapolis TE Mo Alie-Cox recalled the moment, saying it’s something he’s never experienced in his nine-year career.
“I had never even been on that side of the building,” Alie-Cox said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN. “I didn’t know what was going on. I was like, ‘Bro, ownership is calling for us? S—.’ I was telling the younger guys, this ain’t ever happened. And I’ve been here for a while.”
Alie-Cox mentioned that Irsay-Gordon wanted to ensure the organization was treating its players right.
“She wanted to make sure that any necessary changes were being made around the building,” Alie-Cox said. “She just wanted to make sure we felt at home and felt comfortable. And those changes have definitely taken place. She was asking stuff about the cafeteria, travel — a bunch of different things. It showed she definitely cares about us as players for her to take our advice.”
As for Irsay-Gordon turning heads by taking notes on the team’s sideline, LB Anthony Walker Jr. made clear that the owner isn’t micromanaging and is genuine about learning the game.
“Somebody asked me, is she micromanaging? I’m like, ‘No, man.’ She’s genuinely just trying to learn and educate herself on the whole complexity of being an NFL owner,” Walker said.
Texans
Texans fourth-round RB Woody Marks led the team in Week 10’s win over the Jaguars with 14 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. The rookie running back is happy to be contributing to Houston’s offense and seeing the reaction from his teammates.
“It’s amazing, just seeing the smiles, smiles on everybody’s face, everybody’s doing good,” Marks said, via Aaron Wilson. “We’re just going out there and balling, getting the touchdown. You see the defense hyped up. On the sidelines, standing up, not just sitting on the bench. It’s just a sight seeing them come on the field with us and celebrate, too.”
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans was impressed by Marks in Sunday’s win.
“Woody, he played fast,” Ryans said. “He made plays, especially plays on the perimeter, which is where I’ve seen him shine the most when he can get the ball in space. He did a really nice job of handling the bulk of the carries for us. When Chubb came in and got his opportunities, he had some explosive runs. He ran physical. He looked like he had a little extra burst to him. So, it was good, a one-two punch that we were able to use. Those guys did a really good job.”
Texans OC Nick Caley thinks Marks and RB Nick Chubb complement each other.
“You go into a game, and you sit there, and you try to have balance in a variety of ways for all the right reasons,” Caley said. “Sometimes you get into a rhythm and he played well and he was playing well down the stretch. I think they both complement him, and they both complement each other. So, he did well. It’s hard to say how every game is going to go. Sometimes it doesn’t go the way you want it to, but he did a great job. I thought he played consistent throughout the game and happy with his performance for sure.”
Titans
Titans first-round QB Cam Ward leads the NFL in sacks with 38 thus far. Tennessee interim HC Mike McCoy admitted that they’ve suffered too many sacks
“We’ve taken too many sacks as an offense,” McCoy said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. “At times, there’s an opportunity to throw balls away when you’re outside the pocket. That will come with experience and him understanding it. When do you dirt balls? When is it better to try to get out of a problem instead of just getting the ball out of your hand? There’s a number of things that come into play. You obviously want to minimize the yardage you lose.”
Titans OC Nick Holz praised Ward’s ability to find his checkdown options.
“I think he’s done a really nice job kind of taking the checkdowns,” Holz said. “Especially against some of these zone defense teams where everybody’s running out, and it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s throw it to Tony Pollard or [Tyjae Spears] or [Chig Okonkwo] in the flat, and they’re going to go get me 12 or 14 yards,’ and all of a sudden now we’re at the 50-yard line.”
Ward understands that he needs to feed their playmakers.
“I’ve got to get the ball in my playmakers’ hands,” Ward said. “Let them make plays for us, and I think that’ll have the offense just flowing.”
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