NFC Notes: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Pitts, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles and OC Dave Canales both praised QB Baker Mayfield for his performance against the Saints on Sunday.

“Baker’s tough,” Bowles said, via Buccaneers.com. “I say it up here all the time. You don’t want him taking too many of those, but he’s tough, he’s gritty, [and] he’s a very smart football player. He’s a competitor, he’s been like that his whole life, it hasn’t changed. He has a lot to prove, he’s having fun out there, he understands the offense, he’s using every piece of [weaponry] that we give him, and he’s having a good time.”

“It’s just being in those types of games, feeling that our defense is playing great,” Canales added. “We put ourselves behind the sticks with like a penalty and some things that happened right around [the area approaching field goal range]…So, I go, ‘Okay, I’m calling this. If you just love this shot, great, but look where we’re at.’ Whether he got it done with a checkdown or with his legs, that’s the one thing he did a great job of in the game. They’re trying to confuse him with all these dropout coverages and all these double teams, well they’ve got nobody factored for the quarterback. He’s more mobile than guys give him credit for. I know he’s a move-around guy, but he can go and get yards. So, yeah, I’m really happy about him just knowing what the situation is – the defense, us, our guys, what’s it looking like. He just has a feel for making some of those good decisions.”

Falcons

• Falcons HC Arthur Smith said QB Desmond Ridder is still the team’s starting option under center. (Michael Rothstein)
• Smith didn’t rule out TE Kyle Pitts being less than 100%: “I thought yesterday there were some things outside where he looked as fast as he did as a rookie…so he’s getting close. To Kyle’s credit, he has never made an excuse out of anything.” (Josh Kendall)
• Falcons LB Kaden Elliss was fined $16,391 for unnecessary roughness and FB Keith Smith was fined $87,418 for unnecessary roughness from Week 3.

Saints

• Saints HC Dennis Allen said the team won’t make any changes to its coaching staff this early on in the season after OC Pete Carmichael has come under criticism: “No we won’t make any coaching changes. I’ve never seen that to be the right answer, particularly when we’re four games into the season. And yet we have to be better. I understand everyone’s frustration because everyone in the building feels it.” (Mike Triplett)