NFC Notes: Dave Canales, Raheem Morris, Bryce Young, Falcons, Panthers

Falcons

The Falcons are currently last in the NFL on play-action passes as a part of their offense with just eight percent of total plays. Raheem Morris said it’s an area they want to increase from now on. 

“It’s something that we want to increase, something that we want to do better, something that we want to make more important, more a part of our game,” Morris said, via Tori McElheney of the team’s site. 

Morris points out they haven’t needed to lean on play-action passes because they’ve had success in other areas. 

“It just so happens that we have had success in so many different areas on offense when it came to passing the football in our drop back game, in our quick game or even running the football in any particular game,” Morris said. “We didn’t necessarily get to some of those calls. We have ’em, we got ’em. They’ve always been in our program and always will be a part of our program but its something that we definitely neglected it.”

Morris reiterated how they want to mix in the play-action into their offense. 

“It’s definitely something we can add to our arsenal in order to make (the offense) better for us just across the board,” Morris said.

Panthers

The Panthers made waves in the offseason by giving RG Robert Hunt $100 million on a five-year deal. Carolina run game coordinator Harold Godwin explained the benefit of having a strong interior line for a young quarterback.

“If you’ve got three core middle guys that can move s—, you’re gonna be all right in the long run. And right now our three core guys, when they play at their top level we’re pretty good,” Goodwin said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “I think Bryce is starting to learn that he doesn’t necessarily have to fear for his life every time he drops back in the pocket.”

Panthers RT Taylor Moton had high praise for Hunt and described his strengths. 

“For his size, pound for pound, he’s a very tremendous athlete,” Moton said. “The way he can move in space. How quickly he can get his feet in the ground. The way he can cover guys up in pass protection. … It’s very impressive.”

Panthers

Panthers QB Bryce Young had a productive game in Week 12’s loss to the Chiefs, completing 21-of-35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. Dave Canales was pleased to see Young show good chemistry with WRs Adam Thielen and David Moore. 

“Bryce just took advantage of another opportunity,” Canales said, via PFT. “A great week of preparation by the whole group. It was great to have [Adam] Thielen back out there. It was great to have David Moore step in with Jalen [Coker] down. So, I saw some good trust factors and some growth in terms of just the chemistry in the pass game that came alive for us in some critical areas.”

Canales praised Young for dealing with Kansas City’s pressure. 

“Yeah, it’s just the ownership of the concepts, first and foremost, having answers for different pressures,” Canales said. “Where am I going with this ball if they do this? Going through all of those what-if scenarios. And then on top of that, knowing he’s got guys out there he can trust. Xavier [Legette’s] growth, having Thielen back, David Moore out there, Ja’Tavion [Sanders] adding his things, Tommy [Tremble] had a nice catch on a third down. Knowing that the guys are continuing to be on the same page gives him that confidence to play fast.”

Canales also pointed out Young was able to make a couple of productive scrambles, which is a credit to the confidence he’s gaining as a quarterback. 

“He was able to get to a couple of scrambles and pick up some yards that way in some different situations. I think all those decisions happen faster the more confident and comfortable you are with the system and the guys as they work together. So, it’s really a tribute to the whole group.”