NFC Notes: Geno Smith, Matthew Stafford, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

49ers pass rusher Drake Jackson got the message when the team decided to sit him as his body wore down during the end of last season.

“Towards the end of the season, I would say my body wasn’t the same as it was starting the season,” Jackson said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “I know that of course it’s going to wear down, but I feel like I didn’t have enough, so I just kind of keep working and try to have what I need for the rest of the season.”

“When they sat me, I kind of had to take myself from the game and see what else is going on that I need to be doing,” Jackson added. “It kind of helped me in a way because instead of me being mad or sad from being taken out of the game, I figured out things that I needed to do to help myself to better myself further on.”

49ers DL Arik Armstead says that Jackson is in line for a bigger role and has seen the work he has put in this offseason.

“He definitely is going to have a bigger role this year,” Armstead said. “We’ve had some key losses along the D-line and I’m excited for him and he has an opportunity this year. He’s been working extremely hard this offseason and putting himself in the best position possible to be successful… This year’s going to be a big jump for him. I’m excited to see it and we definitely need it.”

Rams

Former Rams and current Steelers WR Allen Robinson shared his thoughts about what went wrong last season in Los Angeles, pointing out their offense was never fully healthy with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp dealing with injuries. 

“I was tough, man. I think one of the big things was we never really had a full, healthy group, even going back to OTA time and training camp and things like that,” Robinson said, via The Rich Eisen Show. “I thought personally, I had one of my best training camps of my career. But unfortunately through a lot of that, Matthew wasn’t 100% healthy. He was still coming off an injury he had from their Super Bowl year. So we kind of had that. Then as the season progressed from Week 1 moving forward, O-line-wise, we were kind of banged up. Once we got to Week 6 or 7, I was kind of nursing a foot. Cooper was banged up. So for our team, we never actually could hit a groove and hit a stride that we wanted to hit. Then from a schematic standpoint, I just feel like everything was kind of thrown off a little bit by so many people in and out of the lineup.”

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said QB Geno Smith is laser-focused and has a chip on his shoulder entering his second year as the team’s starter.

“He is so determined, he’s got his eye on the ball the whole way now,” Carroll said, via Seahawks Wire. “He has been so consistent and available, and the messaging is so solid, it’s like, everyone needs to come along with him, he’s going. It has just been such a remarkable thing to watch the way he’s taken over the opportunity and how he commanded it so well last year. Then he has handled the success and the Pro Bowl and the offseason and the hype and all of that, and how he has answered it is with great work.”