NFC Notes: Malik Nabers, Mike Zimmer, Kellen Moore, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer is replacing Dan Quinn in Dallas this season and is one of the most respected coaches in the league. He notes that this year he is taking over a defense that is already one of the better units in the NFL and wants things to be done his way in order to get them to the next level.

“It’s like I told the defense the first day I got here. I said, this is a different deal for me. Usually, when I come in, the defense is not good. You know? They’re pretty darn good,” Zimmer said, via ESPN. “So it’s a little different for me because we have to advance some of the things they were doing good and try to improve on the things they weren’t doing as good. But for the most part they’ve played pretty darn good, and we’re going to try to accentuate that and maybe be a little bit more technique-oriented, maybe a little bit more disciplined. Some of those things. At the end of the day, we’ve got to do it the way I want it done. I know if you try to come in and do somebody else’s thing, it just doesn’t go well.”

Eagles

Last season, the Eagles offense collapsed to end the season and looked nothing like the team that went to the Super Bowl the year prior. Philadelphia hired OC Kellen Moore in hopes of a change, and Moore looks to blend his offensive philosophies with the strengths of the current roster.

“I think the biggest thing was I felt like, ‘Hey, we got some really good stuff going on here,'” Moore said, via Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. “‘And we can’t lose the good.'”

“Each stop, really, the big emphasis is on collaboration. We kind of kept the system in place and made our little adjustments when Jason (Garrett) was our head coach (in Dallas). Mike (McCarthy) came in and we were fortunate to merge those two worlds together, and it was a really fun process. Going to L.A. last year, we had a similar thing, try to keep some of the things in place, and build off of that.”

• Eagles CB Parry Nickerson‘s one-year, $1.125 million deal carries a $985,000 cap figure under veteran salary benefit, per Aaron Wilson. 

Giants

Giants WR Malik Nabers‘ childhood 7-on-7s coach, Donald Fusilier, said Nabers was the “focal point” of their team,

“He was a very high competitor,” said Fusilier, via Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. “He was a big focal point not only in contributing to that team but to set the standard for the future for other kids that came behind.”

LSU WRs coach Cortez Hankton said Nabers is always looking to “prove people wrong” and has a lot of internal motivation. 

“He’s always looking to prove a point and prove people wrong,” Hankton said. “His motivation is purely internal, which I believe is going to lead him to be a great player at that next level because it’s not gonna be about the money. It’s not gonna be about necessarily the statistics, although those are both things anyone playing at that level desires. He just has this yearning, and sometimes just overpowering mindset to be the best.”

Giants GM Joe Schoen thinks some of the best receivers he’s been around always have that competitive mindset like Nabers. 

“The competitiveness, some of the best (receivers) I’ve been around, they have that,” said Schoen. “To me, it always goes back to grit, toughness, tenacity. You can’t coach that. You can’t teach that. I think this kid best illustrates it.”