NFC Notes: Bruce Arians, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Former Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians has given up the reigns in Tampa but is still around the organization and detailed the type of role he will play in the organization this season.

“It’s a ‘What do you think?’ job,” Arians said, via Joe Bucs Fan. “Everybody asks me what do I think and they know they’re getting a brutally honest answer, whether it be Joel Glazer, Jason Licht, Todd Bowles or Byron Leftwich. It’s been fun going to practice, watching and learning some more, watching us change, looking at the new guys. Man, that draft class is going to be a home run. Looking forward to getting to camp.”

“That’s the beauty of my job,” Arians added. “I get to be in the locker room, get to be around the coaches every day and still have a big hand in the draft. The relationships were always the biggest thing for me. Building a new team, watching the new guys come in. Now, Sundays might be different sitting upstairs. I might be able to still holler loud enough to cuss out the refs from up there.”

Falcons

• ESPN’s Michael Rothstein writes Falcons QB Marcus Mariota is far ahead of third-round QB Desmond Ridder as Atlanta exits the spring. It’s not out of the question Ridder could beat Mariota to start Week 1 but he has a lot of ground to make up. 
• Rothstein adds Ridder has three paths to starting; either Mariota struggles, Mariota gets injured or the Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention. 
• Two logical times to make the change to Ridder, per Rothstein, could be in Week 15 against the Saints after Atlanta’s Week 14 bye, or in Week 11 against the Bears coming off their “mini bye” (a 10-day gap between Week 10’s Thursday night game against the Panthers). 

Panthers

• ESPN’s David Newton thinks there’s only a five percent chance, if that, of Panthers third-round QB Matt Corral being the starter in Week 1. He expects Carolina to go with a veteran, either current incumbent Sam Darnold or an outside addition. 
• However, Newton adds there’s a zero percent chance of Corral having a redshirt season. He says Carolina will play the rookie at some point, as OC Ben McAdoo is a big fan even if he acknowledges the transition Corral faces from his relatively simple college scheme to McAdoo’s system which even current veterans are saying is a little complicated. 
• Newton thinks Corral could get the call as early as Week 6 on the road against the Rams if Darnold or whoever isn’t getting it done through five games.