Buccaneers
- The Athletic’s Greg Auman notes there is a very slim chance for C Ryan Jensen to return this season, but it would only occur late in the playoffs if at all.
Falcons
Falcons HC Arthur Smith is happy with what he has seen from new starting QB Marcus Mariota so far in the preseason.
“I’m pleased with Marcus,” Smith said, via Pro Football Talk. “He got into a good rhythm. The only drive I thought wasn’t very good was where we tried to simulate a two-minute situation, we got backed up and it wasn’t really clean there, but other than that I thought he was really cleaned when he was in there. I think he got into the offense, got into a rhythm, made a big-time throw.”
On the other side of the coin, Smith wishes he had seen better from third-round QB Desmond Ridder, despite his high expectations from quarterbacks.
“I got high expectations for Desmond,” Smith said, via NFL.com. “So, we’re going to be hard on Desmond, ’cause he’s a good player, and he can take that kind of coaching. And he understands, we’re not waiting on him as a rookie, we’re trying to speed him up. He made some good throws. There’s some stuff he has to clean up, especially on the operation.”
“We kind of hurt ourselves right there in the second quarter,” Ridder said of his performance. “Getting good drives and then coming back and getting self-inflicted penalties. That starts with me and goes to the (offensive) linemen and everyone else. I think we’ll learn from it.”
Panthers
Panthers QB Sam Darnold admitted that losing the starting job to QB Baker Mayfield was a tough pill to swallow.
“For me personally, it sucks, to be quite honest,” Darnold said, via The Athletic. “It’s just tough whenever you go into camp battling for a starting job, putting everything out there to be the starter and it doesn’t go your way. There’s no sense of relief or anything like that for me.”
Panthers HC Matt Rhule reiterated that the competition between Mayfield and Darnold was healthy throughout camp and resonated throughout the locker room.
“I think those two guys have elevated the professionalism,” Rhule said. “I think Ben used the word, ‘If we don’t resort to cannibalism.’ They’ve taken it the other way. Like, ‘Hey, at the end of the day it’s all about the team. It’s not about one guy.’ And I think the rest of the team has really followed suit.”
Mayfield’s primary focus since arriving in Carolina has been mastering OC Ben McAdoo‘s offense.
“When things aren’t moving 1,000 miles an hour, it’s a lot more fun,” Mayfield said. “I was just trying to handle the hard part of getting everything down first before letting the personality and stuff come out. But the passion’s gonna come out, regardless, on the field just because we’re competing.”
Rhule believes that Mayfield gives the team the best opportunity to push the offense down the field. He stated that he made the decision now so that Mayfield can continue to grow within the offense and develop a rapport with the team’s offense.
“We’re hoping that he moves the offense,” Rhule said. “I don’t want to make it too simple. But I think he’s a guy that’s accurate. He’s a guy that’s smart, plays fast. He knows where to go with the ball. He’s still adjusting to our mechanics, our footwork. So I think making this move now gives him time to really settle in with some guys.”
Mayfield added that he feels fully healthy this year and his love for the game has returned.
“To be honest with you, I feel extremely healthy. So I’m ready to go. I’m loving football again. A fresh start is great for everyone every once in a while.”
- PFF’s Doug Kyed mentions the Panthers as a team that could be active in either trading for or making a claim for a wide receiver around final cuts.
- Mayfield admitted he’s going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder week 1 against his former team: “Not going to sit here and be a robot and say it doesn’t mean anything. It will.” (Ellis Williams)
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