JACKSONVILLE – Cecil Shorts III on Wednesday said it's time to move forward.

Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said the same.

Bradley and the third-year wide receiver each said as much Wednesday, with Bradley saying he met with Shorts in recent days to discuss Shorts publicly expressing his disappointment about how he was used during a loss to Arizona Sunday.

Bradley on Wednesday called his meetings with Shorts "great," and reiterated what he said early in the week – that he didn't believe Shorts was trying to bring teammates or the team down with his comments Sunday afternoon.

"That would be concerning to me, but knowing Cecil, knowing his heart and knowing what he's all about, that was not his intent," Bradley said as the Jaguars (1-9) prepared to play the Houston Texans (2-8) at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sunday at 1 p.m.

"There are going to be some players who are frustrated and we understand that."

Bradley addressed the matter with the team Wednesday.

"He made some good points in there, and we talked about it," Shorts said. "That's it. We're moving on to Houston and our minds are focused on that."

Said Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne, "Gus supported Cecil. He said I can feel your frustration and I'm with you, I support you 100 percent, but the only thing that gets carry-over is when it affects the team, when you're trying to pull other guys with you. Cecil is not that person. We addressed it and everything is fine."

Henne said he and Shorts have discussed the situation, and that Shorts "understands where we're coming from, and it is what it is."

"There's a little bit of positive," Henne said. "He's fiery. When times are tough playmakers want the ball, it brings out the best in us. Cecil is one of those guys, he wants to win so bad that he wants that ball in most cases."

Bradley said while he understands there may be frustration, he wants the policy to be for players to approach him. He said his main concern regarding Shorts' saying what he did was he didn't want to have a "whole team doing that."

"I don't think it will go there – it just felt differently," Bradley said of his talk with Shorts.

Bradley said he also talked to Shorts about being careful about what he said publicly because what he said Monday didn't really reflect Shorts accurately.

"It's not representing Cecil right," he said. "That was my challenge to him: 'It doesn't represent you as who you truly are. You've got to be careful making those comments because people will perceive you differently. I just don't think you want to go there.'

"It was more for him. I think of Cecil in very high regard, in a high light. I want others to see him in a high light. When you make comments like that, sometimes they can be perceived differently. I think that's the lesson learned."

Also Wednesday:

*Bradley said he spoke with fullback Lonnie Pryor before Pryor signed to Tampa Bay Buccaneers' active roster this week. Pryor had been on the Jaguars' practice squad, and Bradley said he and General Manager David Caldwell wanted to sign Pryor to the active roster to avoid losing Pryor. Bradley said Pryor signed with Tampa under the assumption he will play immediately. "I could not make that promise to him," Bradley said. "I couldn't look Lonnie in the eye and tell him that. I said, 'We can try, but I cannot make that statement.' I think it's important for integrity. I want players to understand when I talk to them about these things it's going to be the truth."…

*With 17 players out of practice or limited, Bradley said he opted to work the players without full pads. Bradley said coaches didn't scale back preparations, and said practice went better than he anticipated. "When you're sore and there are a lot of injuries, it's hard sometimes on a Wednesday to get them going," he said. "I thought practice might start off slow and build and build and build. That was not the case." The Jaguars can practice in full pads three more times this season under NFL rules….

*The following players were listed as not practicing on the injury report: defensive end Jason Babin (not injury related), wide receiver Mike Brown (shoulder), wide receiver Stephen Burton (concussion), linebacker Geno Hayes (knee), defensive tackle Abry Jones (back), running back Maurice Jones-Drew (NIR), defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks (NIR), center Brad Meester (NIR) and defensive tackle Roy Miller (NIR).

*The following players were listed as limited: Wide receiver Stephen Williams (Achilles), cornerback Will Blackmon (shoulder), cornerback Dwayne Gratz (hip), safety Winston Guy (hamstring), tight end Danny Noble (hamstring), middle linebacker Paul Posluszny (concussion), guard center Will Rackley (concussion), wide receiver Cecil Shorts (groin) and wide receiver Kerry Taylor (toe). Of the injured players, Bradley said Williams, Brown and Burton are the most serious….

*Posluszny took most of the repetitions after missing Sunday's game with a concussion. Bradley said the defense had a different feel with the starting middle linebacker back at practice….

*Defensive coordinator Bob Babich and Bradley each discussed defensive end Andre Branch's improvement in recent weeks, with Babich saying the second-year defensive end has shown more on-field maturity as the season has continued. Branch had a sack this past week against Arizona. Bradley said Branch's play has improved with his effort. "I feel a guy who's gaining more and more confidence," Bradley said….

This article is brought to you by TomBush.com