Buccaneers
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles believes the team got a steal in rookie OLB Rueben Bain, Jr., and said that not only is he physically gifted, but he also displays great leadership qualities, even if he’s not in that role yet.
“
I’m extremely grateful,” Bowles said, via
Tampa Bay Times. “
Just seeing him in person, there’s size and there’s length and there’s speed and everything else, but you also have to look at how a guy rushes the passer. It’s a lot to how he rushes the passer. He’s never down the middle. He’s always on the edge. He never wastes steps. He always uses his hands. He understands leverage. He knows when to swim, when to knock them down, when to fight the offensive lineman’s hands, and he’s just a workhorse. But even beyond that, he’s even more of a football player. He’s extremely bright, he picked up the system very well. He runs games very well and you can see the possibilities of him and Calijah Kancy on the same side, because they get off the ball very well and they understand each other. So just having him in the spring, seeing the possibilities of what he can do, you can’t help but smile.”
Bucs WR
Emeka Egbuka admitted that he hit a rookie wall and placed an emphasis on recovery this off-season.
“I feel like I got my legs back a little bit,” Egbuka said. “Last year, coming off the national championship and doing the whole rookie thing, the combine and everything like that, it’s definitely a long offseason and you feel like you never got a break. So I think after the season, I was able to take some time off my legs and kind of work my way back into training in a good amount of time. I was able to lean up, add some muscle and I feel like I’m in very good condition, very good shape.”
Bowles added that the team placed an emphasis stopping the run and they went out and got the personnel needed to succeed inside.
“Getting bigger inside, even with Kancey hurt and Logan (Hall) a little more athletic last year, I don’t know if we were big enough if we just stood in there,” Bowles said. “We had bodies to put in there, but I don’t know if we could stand toe-to-toe consistently. We could scheme people up and do those types of things, but we have guys now that can sit in there, go toe-to-toe and kind of understand what we’re trying to get done.”
Bucs GM
Jason Licht said
the team will continue working on a deal with QB Baker Mayfield and doesn’t believe the negotiations will affect his play.
“He’s going to ball no matter what and we’ll continue to have discussions and try to get this to a closure,” Licht said. ”But when you have these types of situations, they’re never easy.“
Falcons
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was asked about the changes the team has already undergone this offseason under new HC Kevin Stefanski.
“It’s been great. I would say it’s a culture change in terms of every year. Every year is a new reset. But he’s bringing – the work is the work, and that’s something that he’s been committing to us this OTAs, and minicamp,” Pitts said, via FalconsWire.com. “I just want to catch the ball, as many times as possible. It’s cool to see – I mean, I’ve been in the, some people say quarterback carousel, so me seeing a quarterback competition is cool. To have two guys like that who are peak competitors is great to see.”
- Pitts on his three-year extension: “I think it’s great, but the first thing for me is just my expression of gratitude to this organization. It’s always good to know when people like you. For them to trust that I have a lot more to go is pretty cool to see and feel.” (Kendall)
Saints
Saints QB Tyler Shough has had an intriguing offseason, with workouts set up by QB Drew Brees and drawing praise from Louisiana native Peyton Manning, who is rooting for Shough to succeed in his second season.
“I thought Shough had a good year, and it was good to play. There’s always different debates whether you sit for a year or play for a year,” Manning told WGNO’s Jon Sokoloff at the Manning Passing Academy. “There’s information to support both, but I know Tyler got great experience playing as a rookie that will benefit him even more. Same coach back, same system. Kellen, Nuss, and I love continuity for young quarterbacks as opposed to different coordinator or different head coach after their first or second year. Pulling hard for him this year.”
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