NFC Notes: Chris Olave, Miles Sanders, Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles praised DE Shaq Barrett for his mental toughness after returning to the team six weeks following the loss of his daughter. 

“That’s a testament to him,” Bowles said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Shaq is one of the mentally-toughest character guys I know. To have him out here and trying to get ready, I’m sure it’s not easy. But he’s handling it and we’re behind him.”

Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask feels like their first day of minicamp went well.

“It was solid,” Trask said. “I kind of look at it as the final exam. You’ve been studying all through (organized team activities) and you’ve got three days to kind of put it all together. The first day, we’re still working through some things, still timing up some things, but all together, I think we’re really getting the concept down pretty well and looking pretty solid.”

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield said Bowles puts a lot of pressure on players to execute and thinks it’s getting Tampa Bay ready for the season. 

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Day 1 install or not, he’s going to pressure you,” Mayfield said. “It makes you think, it makes you prepare to make sure you know where your hots and all your answers are. It’s great for us because we see a very exotic defense and a bunch of different looks and they’re capable of bringing pressure from anywhere. It really gets us ready to play.”

Panthers

Panthers RB Miles Sanders was disappointed as he stood on the sidelines watching the Eagles lose to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, with other running backs being given carries for Philadelphia.

“Last game of the season? For all of the marbles? Everybody can answer that question,” Sanders said, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “If they put themselves in my shoes, would they be happy? I don’t want to make headlines, [but] if it does, I don’t care. I can get into that another day, maybe. Maybe you should ask them why I’m moving here. This is going to give me more opportunities to help my team win, and that’s all I’m about. I’m a team guy and I want to do whatever I can to help our team win. Making it to the Super Bowl is pretty addicting and if I knew the formula I would do it every year.”

Saints

Saints WR Chris Olave is working on adding more yards after the catch this offseason and even commented on veteran WR Michael Thomas. 

“I want to be the best,” Olave said on Tuesday, via NewOrleansSaints.com. “That’s always been my mindset, I just want to be the best. I try to do that every day, stay consistent with my work and do everything I can to be at my best. That’s my goal. Just been working on some of my weaknesses, trying to be stronger at the catch, just being stronger after contact. And trying to work on my (yards after catch). I’m just trying to come down with every target thrown my way. I feel like last year, I kind of struggled with that and I just want to keep getting better every year.”

“That’s something I can’t really control,” Olave said on the possible return of Thomas. “I know Mike is doing his best to be out there, he wants to be out there. But I’m trying to be the best at what I do, so I’m looking at that right now, whether Mike is out there or not. When Mike is out there he’s one of the best, too, so I feel like that can add a lot to the team.”