NFC Notes: Trey Lance, Daron Payne, Preston Smith, 49ers, Commanders, Packers

49ers

49ers TE George Kittle thinks QB Trey Lance looks “significantly better” this offseason and notices a higher level of confidence from the quarterback. 

“I think Trey looks significantly better than he did last year,” Kittle said, via NBC Sports. “I think his confidence is there. I think that he’s throwing really good passes… I think Trey’s, he just looks comfortable back there. He doesn’t look like — um, he just looks like he’s having fun.”

Commanders

Commanders HC Ron Rivera praised DL Daron Payne‘s growth this offseason.

“I think he’s doing just like he did last year and the year before,” Rivera said, via Commanders Wire. “I mean, he’s the same guy. He shows up the same way. He works hard the same way.”

Rivera compared Payne to DT Jonathan Allen and WR Terry McLaurin as guys who have gotten paid and continue to do things the right way.

“And, you know, that’s true of most of our guys,” Rivera continued. “I mean, same thing for Jonathan [Allen] has been the same thing for Terry [McLaurin]. I mean, these guys, they haven’t changed who they are, and that’s the best thing about it. And that’s what we’re excited about being able to take care of our own guys that come in and perform and do things the right way. We want to try and keep those guys around and do the best we can, and we were able to do that. And so Daron is doing exactly what we believed he would be, and that is really just be the same guy and be who he is.”

Packers

Packers OLB Preston Smith said the team’s edge rusher room has a mentality to be violent up front and do everything they can to stop the run.

“You have got to play violent from start to finish, especially in the run game,” Smith said, via Packers Wire. “We preach in our room violent get off and violent hands, and that has to roll over to the run game. So when you’re getting off the ball, you have to get off violently, and when you engage the offensive lineman, you have to do it violently, and you have to get off blocks violently to make tackles and make sure that we make good tackles behind the line of scrimmage and that we make plays that help the defense put us in great situations like second and long or third and long.”

Packers defensive run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery said the team needed to improve it’s ability to stop the run.

“We got to be better, across the board, point blank,” Montgomery added. “I’ve got to be better and get my guys to play to that standard, but it takes 11. We got to be physical at the point of attack, build a wall, stay square, but we do, second level and third level have to do the same. So we have to put it all together, and we plan on doing that.”