NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles has clearly been unhappy with the way the team has underperformed throughout the season so far.

“We’ve got to decide what team we want to be,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN. “We can’t be one set of Bucs and another set of Bucs. It’s got to mean something. … Either we want it or we don’t. We can’t care more than everybody else. As a coach, you don’t go out on the field, but we got outcoached, so we’re not excused from this at all. We got outplayed as well. As a team, as a group, we’ve got to buckle down and decide what our fate is in the next few weeks.”

Players on the team’s offense including TE Cameron Brate, WR Mike Evans, and QB Tom Brady have all weighed in on the issues. 

“We can’t be up and down like we’ve been all year,” Brate said. “It’s tough, man. It hurts. And kind of embarrassing for everyone to have the outcome we had today. It’s been hard this year. Execution on game day has not been where it needs to be. Obviously, we’re a different team than we were the past couple of years — different strengths and weaknesses — we’ve just got to figure out a way to move the ball consistently on offense. It’s been a struggle for us. We’ve just got to figure out how to do it.”

“We’re just not making plays,” Evans said. “The plays that we’re used to making in previous years, we’re just not making them as consistent. I don’t know what it is. We’re just not connecting like we usually do. We practice a lot together. We all practice a lot together. It ain’t practice. I don’t know what other people — but it ain’t practice. We come out here. We’re just very inconsistent and just a very unfortunate season so far.”

“I made a sh—y throw to Mike,” Brady said, taking responsibility. “At the end of the day, it was a terrible throw, so I’ve got to make it.”

Falcons

• Falcons HC Arthur Smith said that QB Desmond Ridder will be working this week to “earn the respect” of his teammates: “He has to prove that he can be successful.” (Tori McElhaney)
• Smithe believes Ridder can utilize the entire playbook at this point in the season: “If I thought we had to restrict him, that wouldn’t be fair to this team.” (Josh Kendall)
• Falcons OL Matt Hennessy will return to practice this week and will shortly be designated to return. (Mike Rothstein)

• Falcons S Richie Grant was fined $10,440 for a horse collar tackle last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Michael Rothstein)

Saints

• Saints HC Dennis Allen gave an update after naming QB Andy Dalton the starter once more: “They’ll evaluate everything as we finish out these last 4 games. Andy’s done some good things. I think we’ve got to do a lot of other things around him to help him.” (Katherine Terrell)