NFC Notes: Kirk Cousins, Liam Coen, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

After former OC Dave Canales took the HC opening in Carolina, Tampa Bay hired new OC Liam Coen as his replacement. Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield cited the mental complexities of the offense like pre-snap checks as the toughest part to learn. 

“It puts a lot on you mentally in the front,” Mayfield said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “It is a little mentally taxing but it’s good in the long run.”

“It just presents so many different issues for a defense when it comes to their rules. Obviously, there’s a lot of shifts, a lot of motions, things like that. It makes them think about their rules and have to react on the fly. For us, it’s a lot of learning that part, because if we’re not doing our job, it doesn’t matter what the defense is thinking. It’s tough there, but it presents different issues that they have to conquer.”

Falcons

Falcons QB coach T.J. Yates has complete faith that QB Kirk Cousins will lead Atlanta where they want to go. That faith was supported by Cousins’ participation in the offseason program. 

“It was good for the coaches (to see). It was good for the players in the room to open up their eyes and go, ‘Wow, this guy’s about business,'” Yates said, via Amna Subhan of the team’s website. “This is the guy that’s gonna lead us. This is the type of professional and the type of quarterback that you want.”

Panthers

Panthers WR Adam Thielen mentioned players were getting let go this offseason after showing up to OTAs out of shape. 

“The NFL has gotten so competitive that you can’t not work out,” Thielen said, via the Rich Eisen Show. “Even right now. When guys come back to OTAs and they’re out of shape, they haven’t done anything — they’re getting cut. Like, there was a few guys that aren’t on the Panthers anymore that came back, they were out of shape, you can tell they hadn’t done anything and they’re not there anymore. That’s just the reality.”