NFC Notes: Cardinals, Lions, Rams

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon is excited to get OL Dennis Daley back in the fold after the team opened up his 21-day window to return.

“(Dennis) was playing good football for us,” Gannon said, via Darren Urban of the team’s website. “We have a role for him that we were going to use on gameday. But for all these guys, we have to see where he is. A big guy coming back from an ankle. We will see where it goes this week.”

Cardinals third-round CB Garrett Williams was also designated to return and is excited to showcase his ability as he makes the jump from college to the pros.

“At the end of the day, football is football,” Williams said. “Obviously it’s the NFL so guys are better skilled, faster, bigger, but I feel kind of like when you go from high school to college — you just kind of adjust to it. That comes with time. I’m not really worried about that. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to be in the NFL and showcase what I have been doing for years.”

Gannon hinted at easing Williams into the gameplan early on before letting him loose.

“You’re a rookie playing for the first time in the NFL and haven’t lined up once,” Gannon said. “Haven’t played in a practice for us once. So he’s in a little bit of a different spot as far as experience and things he needs to get done — technique, fundamentals, schematics. We will have our eye on him.”

Gannon isn’t upset QB Kyler Murray isn’t ready to return from the PUP list and said the team has understood where he was at in his recovery prior to the start of the season until now. He says Murray is on board with things too. 

“I don’t think there is any disappointment,” Gannon said. “We knew his timeline, where he is at, and that’s kind of a day-by-day thing with all the guys coming off an injury. He actually has been very upbeat the whole time but this last couple of weeks I have seen a little bit of a different bounce in his step.”

Lions

Lions QB Jared Goff told HC Dan Campbell he plans to be smarter with the football after three straight games with an interception.

“You just got to be smart with it,” Goff said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I’ve had three, two of them were bad throws, one was a bad decision. Try to limit the decision ones. Those are the ones that really sting. But yeah, I just got to take care of the ball better and really limit that. It’s something I’m focused on.”

“He came up to me right after the game and he was like, ‘Look, believe me, I [know].’ He doesn’t want it to happen, but what I want more than anything is I don’t want him to go into a shell or start panicking,” Campbell said of Goff. “And he’s not, and I love that. It’s something that he’s thinking about, we’ll be on top of the ability to overcome those because some of those will happen.”

Rams

Rams QB Matthew Stafford has noticed significant improvement in WR TuTu Atwell since the end of last season and said he’s made the most of the opportunities that he’s been given.

“Well, I don’t even know from last year. I think you saw it towards the end of the year last year,” Stafford said, via Rams Wire. “I wasn’t really in some of those instances, but with our depth at the receiver position at the end of last year, he was playing a lot more, got a lot more opportunities and made the most of those both playing inside and outside. I think Sean and (OC) Mike (LaFleur) have done a great job of moving around, finding ways to get him access and get him moving and doing what he does best. And then like Puka (Nacua), he’s just made the most of his opportunities when he’s had them.”