Buccaneers
- Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on RB Bucky Irving and S Christian Izien‘s status for Week 15: “They’re questionable right now. We’ll see as it gets closer to the game. We may have to work them out beforehand to see how they feel.” (Buccaneers official website)
- Bowles ruled out S Antoine Winfield Jr., S Mike Edwards, and LB K.J. Britt.
- He was asked if he believes S Tykee Smith can play safety and nickel: “It’s probably too much to put on his plate right now, as a rookie. We try to give him what he can handle but I think he’s a good football player and, if needed, he can go back there.”
Falcons
With the recent struggles of QB Kirk Cousins, some around the league have wondered if the Falcons could turn things over to first-round QB Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta HC Raheem Morris reiterated that Penix is the future, not the present and they don’t want to rush Penix in before he’s ready.
“I told you right from the beginning, he’s our future,” Morris said, via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “And to be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it’s a great learning lesson for him as well. So, when you go through all that process, you can look at different organizations [that have] pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early and it’s gone terrible, and I don’t want to be that guy.”
Morris admitted he would be saying he has faith in Cousins no matter what but he truly believes the veteran will break out of this funk and get them on a roll.
“For me, it’s the ultimate encouragement and backing for my building and for my state of the union to go out there and support [Cousins],” Morris said. “So, to say benching doesn’t cross your mind, you’ve always got to consider those things if you feel like it’s something that’s … irreparable or whatever the case may be.
“But I don’t feel that way. I feel like [Cousins is] going to come out of this thing and he’s going to go on a run here and get us to do the things that we need to do.”
- Falcons DC Jimmy Lake on the possibility of facing Raiders QB Desmond Ridder: “(We) know him, but it’s a different scheme. I don’t think it’s a humongous advantage at all.” (D. Orlando Ledbetter)
Panthers
Former Panthers LB Thomas Davis offered encouragement to second-round RB Jonathon Brooks after he re-tore his ACL. Davis himself tore his ACL three times before emerging as one of the best linebackers in football in the second half of his career.
“Just offered words of encouragement,” Davis said, via the team’s website. “And reassured him during this process that I would be there with him every step of the way, any questions that he had, anything that he needed to lean on me, I’m here for him.”
Davis emphasized that Brooks can’t rush to get back on to the field and he needs to allow his body adequate time to heal before returning.
“I know JB, he’s hurting right now. You never want to be — in particular in your rookie year in the NFL — you never want to be a guy who gets looked upon as someone who can’t stay healthy. But at the end of the day, he has to understand and realize that that injury takes time, and you can’t rush it,” Davis offered. “You just got to allow your body to heal, and along the way, you can do things to help the process. And that’s what I’m going to be there to try to help him do.”
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