NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Kyle Pitts, Falcons

Buccaneers

Rob Gronkowski says he could see Tom Brady returning to the NFL in a few years. 

“The guy can play at any age,’’ Gronkowski told USA Today. “If he’s 50 years old he can still come back. I think he’s going to come back but in a couple of years. The guy’s a beast. He can play anytime.’’

Kyle Pitts

It was overlooked a little bit because he only scored one touchdown. But Falcons TE Kyle Pitts had an incredible rookie season, especially considering the position he plays. Falcons owner Arthur Blank could not be higher on his potential. 

“If you could buy stock in Kyle Pitts, I’d buy stock in Kyle Pitts,” Blank said via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “… He’s a special player. Everything that we had projected him to be athletically, he is all of that plus. Our fans saw it this year (over a) 17-game schedule. He set a number of records and was close to other records. But I think to me, you take all of that, but then you take the human being. He’s got a lot of humility. He’s a great listener. He wants to learn. He talks to everybody that he can. Not just position-wise, but the quarterback. I think he and Matt are developing a tremendous relationship and there’s synchronization is only going to get better as time goes on as they work together. So I think we made a very wise choice, and I think he’ll be a Falcons for a very long period of time.”

Falcons

Falcons owner Arthur Blank praised DT Grady Jarrett. Apart from that, he acknowledged Atlanta has quite a bit of work to do on its defensive front this offseason. 

“We have some other players that have shown well this year, but we have a ways to go,” Blank said via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have some young really good talent, some which we’ve drafted in the last year or two. But I would say you know, certainly our DL and pressure wherever it comes from these linebackers or whatever it comes from scheme-wise, and that means it can come out of the stands some place. Knowing (Falcons DC) Dean Pees he could call it some guy jumping out of the stands to put pressure on the quarterback.”

Blank added the Falcons also need to work to improve their offensive line, hinting perhaps young players like OL Jalen Mayfield and Matt Hennessy were pushed into starting roles before they were ready. Blank doesn’t want to give up on them but it sounds like he would prefer there be alternatives. 

“I think on the offensive line you’ve got to be really objective about it and go through every single position. Make sure that they look at every position and every player by sacks giving up, etc, etc,” he said. “In some areas, we’re a little deficient and some of that is we have players that are relatively new. So, you have someone like Jalen Mayfield, a young man, I think he’s going to have a good future for us. But he’s going through a first year of transition. Matt Hennessy, first full year playing center. So I mean, there are other questions as well. I think they understand now, more clearly who they have and who they don’t have at each of those positions. I think they’ll be looking at free agency and draft with a little different filter than they have in the past.”

That issue takes on extra importance because for the Falcons to have any success, they have to protect QB Matt Ryan — especially at his age. 

“I mean, Matt is 37.… We want to extend his career as long as we can and make sure that he doesn’t get hit and sacked 45 times a year is one of the ways to do that,” Blank said. “It also means not just him getting sacked. It means that we’re losing production on plays. And even if he’s not getting sacked, he’s getting hit, he’s under pressure. He doesn’t have time to make all his progressions. So, it’s a there’s a variety of things that go into that that are really important. It’s not just the amount of sacks.”