NFC Notes: Budda Baker, Trey Lance, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers QB Trey Lance is having fun playing football again and is happy about getting back to work to compete for the starting job which originally appeared to be his before Brock Purdy performed well in the playoffs and the team brought in QB Sam Darnold this offseason. 

“I really feel like I’m having fun playing football again,” Lance said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “It’s hard those first years, my first year and especially and then last year. I finally feel like I’m able to just have fun and enjoy it again. It’s been an awesome offseason for me just being able to spend time finally getting back to football. Nothing’s changed for me. As far as the stuff with Brock, that’s the same thing I told you guys last year at the end of the year, my opportunity is just to come in and compete and that’s all I wanted. I don’t want to take anything away from Brock, and no one should be able to take anything away from Brock. I just want an opportunity to compete. Obviously, there are ups and downs and there is stress and anxiety that comes with playing the position and playing football. But this is the best I’ve felt, for sure.”

Cardinals

Cardinals S Budda Baker is known for his physical presence but dealt with two injuries last season. This year, he wants to run into offensive linemen at full speed.

“I hate missing games,” Baker told Cam Cox of 12 News. “Being angry and being mad about not getting to play. That pissed me off. I want to never have a situation like that happen again. The first thing I told Justin is I want to run into O-lineman next year. Full speed. I’m heavier, but I’m also lighter on my feet. I’m faster, I’m quicker.”

Rams

Rams’ fourth-round QB Stetson Bennett said he is still learning “the basics” of HC Sean McVay‘s system and is learning from Matthew Stafford at OTAs. 

“I’m not even on his level yet on the playbook to where I can get cerebral with it,” Bennett said, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official site. “Like, I got to learn the basics – the plays, formations, protections, to where then you can start getting cerebral with it, right? But he knows it so well. He remembers what it was like whenever he was me, a younger guy not really having a full concept of it. And so he dumbs it down for me and just says, ‘look here, look there, blah, blah, blah.’ And so that’s where listening to him and how he applies the simple stuff to the complex stuff (helps).”

Bennett said fellow QB Brett Rypien has been very helpful since being drafted by Los Angeles. 

“Brett’s a pro’s pro,” Benett said. “He knows how to go about it. He also already texted me, ‘if you need any DoorDash or UberEats suggestions, I gotcha.’ I was like, ‘I will, dude.’ But little things like that, it helps. This is brand new for me, all of this stuff. I was at Georgia for the past six years, and then a small town in Georgia. Now we’re in Thousand Oaks right now, training, so you need all the help you can get. But just little questions like about footwork here on play fakes or handoffs, stuff like that, he’s already had those questions and heard it from different offenses, too, as well as this one. But yeah, Brett’s been a huge help.”