NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Panthers, Kenny Pickett, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers QB coach Clyde Christensen said WR Antonio Brown‘s meltdown vs. Jets happened so fast it was difficult to stop.

“I just hate that it escalated so fast,” Christensen said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I just think that, you know, everyone’s uptight as those games go on, especially receivers. Anyone who’s been on an NFL sideline knows how intense that can get.

“I think this one escalated and the thing that was so sad to me about it was that we didn’t even get between a series. It was in the middle of a series that you saw a career end, or whatever happened, in the middle of two plays. It wasn’t like Tom [Brady] could come over and sit down and talk with [Brown]. Or Byron Leftwich or a lot of teammates that have known him for a long, long time. I think that the sad part to me was that it escalated so fast and just, you know, it was too quick and too severe and I wish we had had a chance for cooler heads to prevail and talk through it and work through it. … I think the severity of how the way it ended, it just happened too quick. I wish it would have been different.”

• The Athletic’s Greg Auman doesn’t expect the Buccanneers to franchise tag WR Chris Godwin for the second year in a row.

Panthers

It is worth noting ahead of the draft that Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett has a long-standing relationship with Panthers HC Matt Rhule, as Pickett was committed to playing for him at Temple.

Pickett changed his mind and played for the Pittsburgh Panthers, with Rhule later leaving Temple for the Carolina Panthers.

“He’s a great person. It comes down to people first in this business,” Pickett said, via the Charlotte Observer. “Talking to all the players that he’s coached when I was thinking about committing, that’s really all it’s about. How great of a guy he is and how hard they play for him.”

• Jeremy Fowler notes that the Panthers sent a large contingent to Senior Bowl practices this year.

Saints

• Mike Triplett reports that Saints OC Pete Carmichael Jr. declined an interview for the team’s head coaching job.
• Jeff Duncan reports that the Saints will hold their final head coaching interview with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy on Sunday at the team facility. 
• Duncan believes that DC Dennis Allen is the frontrunner for the job, yet has also heard that the team is still interested in Lions DC Aaron Glenn.