NFC Notes: Derek Carr, Tarik Cohen, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Falcons HC Arthur Smith recalled going into halftime of Week 1 in a 7-7 tie against the Panthers with two timeouts still remaining after losing 13 yards on a sack. 

“You have to make decisions,” Smith said, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “If you’re impatient, you get in a game like that where it’s not going your way and you get greedy in certain situations and you can see people lose the game like that.”

Smith said they didn’t attempt a lot of deep passes and kept things conservative with their play-calling. 

“We could have thrown a lot of (go routes). Carolina threw a lot of them in the stands,” Smith said. “You can go that route, but we’re trying to win the game.”

Smith explained they were selective with how they attacked Carolina’s defense. 

“That’s what coaching is,” Smith said. “That’s what the National Football League is. It’s 60 minutes. It’s not just the physical aspect, it’s mental conditioning, too. We adjusted a few things (against Carolina) about who we were trying to attack and who we were trying to run at and not let get loose in their pass rush.”

Panthers

Panthers’ recently signed RB Tarik Cohen is confident he’s fully recovered from knee and Achilles injuries suffered over the last couple of years. 

“That’s the only reason that I came back,” Cohen said. “I told everybody who wanted me to come back before that if I wasn’t myself — if I was a fraction of myself — I wouldn’t come back at all. And now I feel like I’m back and maybe even better. With two years off, two years rest, I feel like a car that’s been in the garage, a brand new Ferrari that hasn’t been drove in a long time.”

Cohen admits he originally targeted the time around the 2023 NFL Draft for his recovery from a torn Achilles and contemplated retirement when things weren’t fully going his way.

“When I couldn’t get back before the draft, I sat down with my agent,” Cohen said. “I was like, ‘If you think now is the best time to get back and I can’t do it now, I’m just gonna call it quits.’”

Cohen has been staying at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. After feeling stronger while working out with former teammates at a local high school, Cohen decided to give the Panthers a call regarding a workout. 

“I was just running around the house with my son out in the yard. I’d been working out. And I just started feeling more and more like my old self,” Cohen said. “So I told my agent, ‘Call Carolina and see if they can use me. If they can, I’ll be ready.’”

Saints

Saints GM Mickey Loomis said QB Derek Carr was not a game manager but was an asset that elevated the offense.

“I mean, he made some plays that we haven’t seen made here for a while. Off-platform throws, plays breaking down, him solving problems. He did a lot of really good things,” Loomis said, via Saints Wire.