NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Packers, Rams

Buccaneers

Buccaneers owner Joel Glazer explained that they elected to retain GM Jason Licht in part because keeping continuity is the key to building stable success.

“One thing we do know in the NFL, too much instability doesn’t lead to success,” Glazer tells PewterReport.com. “And we have had our share of instability over the last several years. And with Jason — obviously Jason is not happy with what our record has been the last few years — but when you look at our team and you look at our drafts, there have been positives. We have had a lot of players we drafted, re-sign, and we have a good nucleus of players. So at the end of the day we felt the consistency in that was important and will ultimately lead to success.”

“He has put together a good personnel staff, he is good at articulating to everybody of what we are trying to accomplish,” Glazer added. “He has good perspective when it comes to the team. And I think the key has been working with the head coach. I think he has had excellent ability to work with our coaching staffs — it is partnership ultimately — and if those two people aren’t on the same page working well together than it is always flawed. So he is also a good people person.”

Packers

Packers new HC Matt LaFleur stressed the importance of finding a slot receiver who can consistently separate. 

“Any receiver it starts with their ability to separate, that’s one thing we’re always looking for,” LaFleur said, via Packers.com. “But I think a slot, especially with what we want to do, has to have some good instincts, and really you want a smart player that you can call choice routes with and it takes smart players to do that.”

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst added that LaFleur’s offense makes “a little more prominent” use of the slot receiver than Mike McCarthy’s offensive scheme, but it may not change the kind of player they’re looking for. 

“I think the slot receiver is maybe something that’s a little more prominent in his offense than what Mike’s was,” Gutekunst said. “But yeah, big, tall and fast, that’s a good thing.”

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay says he’s excited about the versatility that Clay Matthews can bring to the team’s defense. 

“We saw a lot of good stuff when we saw him last year and I’ve always respected his game from afar when you’ve coached against him,” McVay said, via Pro Football Talk. “So when you’re able to add two players like he and Eric Weddle – veteran players that are about the right stuff, being out in L.A. it’s a good deal to be able to get Clay back home.”

“He brings a veteran presence that has a lot of versatility to his skill set,” McVay added. “And when you look at it from an offensive standpoint when you think about the guys that can do a lot of different things that pose problems to a defense he does the same thing to offenses. He can rush the passer he can play in coverage. You can move him all over the place. So I think versatile players that are smart that have the ability to have production in a lot of ways they give you a lot of different things they can do defensively.”