Buccaneers
Bucs HC Todd Bowles discussed game-planning for the Texans’ defense, which is known for creating turnovers. His team came out on top with a win over Houston on Monday night.
“They have a very ball-hawking secondary,” Bowles said, via ESPN. “They keep eyes on the quarterback at all times. From [Jalen Pitre], the nickel, to the two outside guys to the edge rushers that make the ball come out. They’re very in sync. [Texans coach Demeco Ryans] does a great job and makes sure those guys are going 100 miles an hour at all times.”
Falcons
Falcons HC Raheem Morris says he knew Michael Penix Jr. was the guy as soon as his Pro Day was over.
“I knew the moment I walked off that field,” Morris told Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
The only issue was that they had just signed the top quarterback available in free agency. Drafting Penix was going to cause issues with Kirk Cousins.
“We kept going back and back to make sure,” passing game coordinator T.J. Yates said. “Everybody knows the magnitude of the move and what it was going to mean, so we had to be pretty (convinced) on it. After exhausting the entire process, we were (convinced) about it.”
Cousins has been a popular name in trade rumors ever since, but he isn’t going to dwell on his situation.
“Obviously, I would love to play, but I’m not going to dwell on things that aren’t reality,” Cousins said when he reported for offseason workouts. “That’s not the situation I am in, so it’s better to be focused on the situation I’m in and control what you can control. Certainly, there were conversations in January, February, March, even April, but we’re moving forward now.”
Penix sounds determined to prove the Falcons right in the end.
“I’m going to make sure they know by the end of my career, this was the right choice,” Penix said.
- Morris on the kicking situation now and going forward: “There is about a 90 percent chance that Romo is our kicker next week… You want to make the right decision. You don’t want to make any knee-jerk decisions. You can take your time.” (Josh Kendall)
Panthers
Panthers HC Dave Canales reinforced his faith in WR Xavier Legette and said he never considered benching him.
“I believe in Xavier,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “This is a guy that I truly believe because of the way he’s wired, the way that he works. The way that he continues to train. He had a great week of practice; he played better. He had some opportunities on the field where the ball didn’t go his way. I tried to get him a few early touches. They didn’t amount to much, but as the game kind of went on, a few of the other targets, they were close plays. He didn’t make them, but I think it’s a matter of just finding opportunities. I believe in him. I believe that he’s approached this the right way and just continues to work. So I’m going to continue to encourage him and be in his corner and push him to keep striving for that, and keep working on his chemistry with Bryce, because he’s got the talent. I think at times he can be hard on himself, and he can be really critical of himself, and I wanted to make sure that he knows he’s supported, that we’ve got to play ball, let’s go. And there’s that balance of pushing him, and there’s that balance of also saying, you got this, remember who you are.”
- Following injuries to C Austin Corbett and G Robert Hunt, Cade Mays will take over at center and Chandler Zavala at guard. (Newton)
- Canales said Corbett has a grade three MCL sprain. (Joe Person)
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