NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

“Tom, obviously, has run like every offense you can possibly run, run every play you could possibly run in his 20 [years] in the league,” Miller said via JoeBucsFan.com. “So Tom will do a great job coming in and learning. It’ll be no problem for him. And then Tom has little things that he likes. So I think it’ll be a healthy mixture of both. I think with Tom’s knowledge and our coaching staff’s knowledge, we’re going to be put in a great situation to be successful.”

Miller has drawn some comparisons to some of Brady’s past weapons. But the former undrafted free agent says so far the veteran has let him be his own player. 

“A lot of guys are comparing me to [Julian] Edelman, [Wes] Welker, all those kinds of dudes,” Miller said. “But I’m a little bit different than those type of guys. Those guys play more in the slot; I play a little more outside. So I want to definitely play like those guys, but also have a little twist on it. I’m my own player, you know. I’m a different kind of guy. He hasn’t really said anything specific like that. You know, he’s just giving me tips on my game and I’m just going to try and learn from it.”

Panthers

For the Panthers, the job of replacing LB Luke Kuechly in the middle of the defense will fall to free-agent signing LB Tahir Whitehead. The comparisons will be inevitable, but Whitehead isn’t phased by stepping into the shoes of one of the best linebackers in the NFL the last decade. 

“For me, it’s just a matter of I’m my biggest critic,” Whitehead said via Myles Simmons of the team’s website. “At the end of the day, Luke is Luke and I’m me. He plays the game differently than I do and vice versa. So I just have to go out there and make sure that I can execute my ability and my job within the scheme. So making sure that I’m a good presence in the locker room, a good presence in the linebacker room, and making sure that I’m leading by example and not doing all of the rah-rah stuff. That’s just it.”

• ESPN’s David Newton lists Panthers K Graham Gano as a veteran player in danger of being cut this preseason. 

Saints

The Saints put a lot of effort into reshaping their offensive line this offseason, re-signing G Andrus Peat to a five-year deal, drafting C Cesar Ruiz in the first round and cutting G Larry Warford after a disappointing 2019 season. Warford is the only starter not returning in 2020 but the Saints have made it clear improving QB Drew Brees‘ protection will be a priority. 

“We have to do a better job of playing at a higher level, and we also recognize that Drew is very, very comfortable in the shotgun situation,” Saints OL coach Dan Roushar said via the Athletic’s Larry Holder. “We drop him directly behind the center the vast majority of the time, and I think as we think about those things we have to do a better job of protecting that spot so Drew is comfortable consistently and can execute and do the things he does at a high level. …

“In addition to that, we recognize we have to perform at a high level in every situation that comes to us. Whether you’re evaluating short yardage, goal line, four minutes to finish a game … I just felt like last year, for a variety of reasons, we didn’t play quite to what I feel like our standard has been.”