Buccaneers
Former Buccaneers HC and current senior advisor Bruce Arians weighed in on draft prospect QB Michael Penix Jr. from Washington and also commented on impending free agent QB Baker Mayfield.
“As far as the football grade, I love (Penix) because he does things I love to do,” Arians said of Penix, via NFL.com. “He puts (the ball) up the field. He’s as accurate on throws up the field as anyone I’ve seen in 15 years Just to fight through that last game after he had that ankle tore up. But what he did to Texas was unbelievable.”
“I think that says everything about the kid, how tough he is to overcome all that,” Arians added. “Then to play like he did this year. Now, the medical experts, when you get to the combine, they’ll tug and pull and do all that stuff. You’ll get the medical grade…This might be the best group of quarterbacks that have come out in 10 or 15 years. They’ve got guys running (the 40-yard dash in) 4.5 (seconds) and some guys slinging it. The passers are just amazing in this draft.”
Arians notes that Mayfield could still re-sign with the Bucs have a 2023 campaign where he led the team to the playoffs.
“I think he loves it here,” Arians said. “The job he did, I mean, the job Todd (Bowles) did with the new coordinator (Dave Canales), new play-caller, new quarterback and the ups and downs. To be the only NFC team to go to the playoffs four years in a row? That’s very satisfying, for me especially.”
Falcons
Falcons HC Raheem Morris said the collaboration between him and GM Terry Fontenot was huge in his decision to take Atlanta’s head coaching job.
“To me, it was the shared vision that they had on the ultimate collaboration because of the communication,” Morris told AtlantaFalcons.com. “No. 1 thing about those guys: They were good listeners, and they were good communicators. The communication has to be open, honest and ongoing. I think Terry and I are developing this relationship that we’re trying to get right now, that’s the most important part. It’s not just the communication part. But it’s also the listening part.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the collaboration was important and pointed out the relationship between Rams HC Sean McVay and GM Les Snead as a template for what they hope to achieve in Atlanta.
“I think the three years he had in L.A. — where he worked with a different coaching environment, a different kind of setup (in) which Sean McVay operates differently than a lot of other coaches do (with) their coaching scheme, setup, how they promote from within, move coaches around in a much more lateral way — was a learning experience for him,” Blank said. “I think the collaboration that Sean McVay and Les Snead had — a general manager who worked for us for many years — was very, very close. I think there was a true definition of what a collaborative relationship is.
“One of the things that Raheem said during his press conference, which I thought was right on: If you really have a great relationship, it’s almost like you can speak without having to use words. People understand each other, et cetera. I think he saw that relationship there.”
Saints
While Saints RT Ryan Ramczyk only missed five games this year, there’s a problem for the future. Ramczyk has a cartilage defect that he’s been managing for the past few seasons. If doctors can’t come up with a fix this offseason, it’s possible Ramczyk’s playing days could be curtailed. Those questions are especially relevant this offseason because the Saints might need to restructure Ramczyk’s contract to get under the salary cap. If he retires, they’re tying up more money in future years for a player who might not be playing much longer.
“I don’t know,” Ramczyk said last December when asked about his future, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “I think those are the discussions we are going to have, that need to be had, and we’ll go from there. … I’ll talk with surgeons, doctors, get as much as information as I can and then just make the best decision.”
Ramczyk had a procedure before the 2022 season to help him manage the issue, and he played 16 games that year. This past season, things went well in the offseason but he aggravated the injury in Week 1 and eventually got to a point where he couldn’t play through it. New Orleans put him on injured reserve in December.
“This year it’s bugged me a little bit more than it has in the past,” he said. “At some point, I just couldn’t play anymore.”
Ramczyk said he wants to continue playing, it’s just a matter of whether his body will allow him to.
“I feel like I’m not done yet. I feel like I still want to play,” Ramczyk said. “I feel like I’m still passionate about the game. When you think about it like that, my mind frame is, ‘I want to play, and I want to keep doing it, so what can I do to get better, to not have this happen in-season?'”
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