NFC Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

• Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN report that the Falcons may prefer to hire their GM first before agreeing to a deal with their next head coach.
• According to the report, Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes and Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot are generating a “fair bit of buzz” in connection with the Falcons’ vacancy.
• Rams GM Les Snead has a good relationship with Falcons president Rich McKay has reportedly been a “big proponent” of Holmes, who lives in the Atlanta area.
• Some reports have surfaced that Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy didn’t interview well for the Falcons’ job. However, Steve Wyche of NFL.com says that not’s accurate and Bieniemy had a “strong interview” with Atlanta and is “very much in the mix” to be their next head coach. 
• A source tells Wyche that Bieniemy was “prepared, knew everything about the team, had a great plan and is a bona fide candidate.“
• Regarding the earlier reports, Wyche’s source said the Falcons are “furious” and they “absolutely refute” that Bieniemy did not interview well for them.
• D. Orlando Ledbetter also reports that the talk of Bieniemy interviewing poorly is “not accurate.”

Panthers

• Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN report that Panthers OC Joe Brady is a “legit candidate” for head-coaching jobs this offseason.
• According to the report, Brady is still “green but incredibly football bright” and this has come through in interviews with teams.
• As for the Panthers’ GM vacancy, ESPN says Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland is the one name consistently connected to their vacancy.

Saints

Saints’ GM Mickey Loomis says that the team is yet to make a decision on QB Drew Brees beyond this season and adds that the franchise won’t push him in one direction or the other.

“When you have a quarterback that’s — I don’t like to say at his age, because that doesn’t sound right, but it’s true — it’s been year to year for him for a while,” Loomis said, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s up to him each year to determine: ‘Do I want to play next year or not?’ We give him his space, we give him time at the end of the season to determine that, and we’ll see what happens next year. I’m not counting him out. It’s going to be entirely up to him.”