Panthers

Panthers LB Bobby Okereke is excited about a new opportunity with a new team but has the familiarity of LB coach Peter Hansen, who coached him during his college career at Stanford.

“Just an incredible opportunity,” Okereke said, via the team website. “So this is a cool full-circle moment. To reunite with Peter Hansen, my linebacker coach from Stanford who really taught me the ropes and got me started on this journey. He coached me for all five years. Really coached me up through my journey and helped me get drafted and got me started.”

“With the experience that I’ve had in this league, the plays that I’ve made, I know the type of player I am,” Okereke added. “So I just wanted to make sure I was going to a really right fit, a situation where I felt extremely supported and that there was a great opportunity for me to go out there and make a lot of splash plays. Yeah, it’s a linebacker’s dream to play, with a D-line as stout as this and to play with a secondary that’s as talented as this one, really get to come in and focus and do my job.”

Saints

Saints CB Martin Emerson is thankful for the preseason reps, given that he dealt with a ruptured Achilles and other injuries dating back to the start of his career in Cleveland.

“I feel like, truthfully, football is football,” Emerson said, via team website. “I’m gonna be out there and I’m gonna be ready for the moment. No moment is too big for me. Just stay prayed up and get into that playbook. I’m pretty sure that (Defensive Coordinator Brandon) Staley and (cornerbacks) Coach Grady (Brown) will most definitely have us in those situations where we’re ready and we can just go play fast. That’s what I’m excited for. “But honestly, I was playing preseason games. I played every game so those reps, just to get back out there, knocked the rust off, knocked the dust off and just got back to playing ball. So now it’s like tunnel vision for our bigger goal as a team. I just want to be the best version of me and play hard, and just give it all I’ve got because I was with a ruptured Achilles, didn’t know where I was going to go from that. And now we’re here, and I’m thankful.”

Saints

Saints DC Brandon Staley heads into year two with the team, three years removed from being the head coach of the Chargers. Staley reflected on his time as a head coach and admitted he would be much better suited to lead a team on his own now, after what he’s learned since his first experience.

“I would have a lot more poise and composure in terms of knowing when to push and when to pull,” Staley said, via Jeff Howe of The Athletic. “I was trying to push it, and I was trying to get us there as fast as we could. When you have more experience, you know when to do both of those things. You just have a better feel and understanding, and that’s in all aspects of being a leader. That’s why the next time, I just have so much more experience now — I didn’t have any back then. I could have done a better job. I know for a fact I would do a better job just with more turns at it, living through more — little decisions and big decisions.”