NFC Notes: Derek Carr, Adam Thielen, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Falcons LB Troy Andersen dealt with injuries all year in 2023 which prevented him from making the year two leap many envisioned. Andersen knows he has to be the best communicator on the defense to get everyone in the right position to succeed. 

“I mean, as a linebacker you have to be vocal. You have to do it to do your job. You have to have everyone on the same page, get the front set, get the adjustments in on the back end,” Andersen said, via Tori McElhaney of the team’s website. “If you’re not talking, you’re not doing your job. It comes with the territory, and I am definitely comfortable with that.”

Panthers

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, veteran Panthers WR Adam Thielen opened up about second-year QB Bryce Young.

“It’s been awesome. Not only him, just a lot of the young guys, a lot of the staff. It’s just been a great offseason to just see some of these guys who haven’t been in the league very long — just the way that they’ve come in with confidence,” Thielen told Eisen. “You can tell, Bryce’s demeanor in the building — he’s just more comfortable, right? And you don’t realize it when you start getting to be a veteran guy, just because you forget about those times.”

“I’m thinking back to that like, now he’s there,” Thielen added. “Now we’re getting routes on air, we’re around each other, we’re in the locker room together, we’re BSing, talking about how great the Timberwolves are — because I’m a Timberwolves fan. So, you have that time together that we didn’t have last year.”

“So, it’s been a really cool offseason to see how he’s come back with, OK, I’ve got urgency, I’ve got confidence, I have comfortability in the system, in the facility, the locker room, and what that does for a player,” Thielen concluded. “I’m excited about what that looks like going into training camp. Again, like I said last year and I’ll never not talk about this — things are always great this time of year. There’s no wins, no losses, there’s no adversity. It’s all good right now, every single team thinks they can go to the playoffs and have a chance to win the Super Bowl. So we’ll see how it goes when the bullets start flying, but we’re in a good place.”

Saints

The Saints are likely to have three new starters on the offensive line in 2024 with the potential for all five to be 26 years old or younger. New Orleans QB Derek Carr has been impressed with the group through spring practices and loves their unity so far. 

“I think they’ve had a wonderful camp and OTAs and offseason. I really do,” Carr said, via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. “But I think the coolest thing I’ve seen [is] that unit coming together. They are a walking herd down the hallway wherever they go. That unity, that bond, that cohesiveness, that togetherness, I thought they were close last year, but this is another level. … Everyone’s bought in. It’s just different. You can just feel a different stampede coming down the hall.”