NFC Notes: Vita Vea, Michael Penix Jr., Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Bucs HC Todd Bowles believes that DT Vita Vea is having a career year during his sixth season in Tampa Bay.

“I think it’s probably the best year I’ve seen him have since I’ve been here and this is my sixth year having him,” Bowles said, via Bucs Wire. “From coming back in shape to playing hard every week to using his hands more and becoming more of an unstoppable force. He used to just use brute strength without using technique, and then he’d get stuck a few times, but right now, he’s got the whole gamut working.”

Falcons

Falcons OC Zac Robinson doesn’t think starting first-round QB Michael Penix Jr. this late into the season is a big risk and understands there are a lot of questions surrounding younger players. 

“Yeah, I don’t view it as a risk,” Robinson said, via PFT. “[O]bviously hasn’t got the game reps that are valuable, but he’s been able to get a feel for the offense, get a feel for what an NFL schedule is like Monday through Sunday. And so a lot of those things, there’s just so many unknowns as a young player, knowing what an NFL week feels like and know what it’s like to win a game, to lose a game, to go through some adversity as a team. And he’s been able to see, obviously, a lot of ups and downs throughout the season, so he’s been able to absorb all that stuff from his perspective.”

Robinson believes the game reps will be “valuable” for Penix’s development. 

“The game reps are valuable, obviously, but we feel great about where he’s at up to this point and everything he’s done to get to this point.”

Panthers

Panthers C Andrew Raym praised G Robert Hunt‘s presence as a teammate and for bringing good energy to the locker room. 

“Robert is probably the greatest personality we have in here,” Raym said, via David Newton of ESPN. “He’s nothing but love, nothing but happiness all the time. People love talking to him. He’s always got a smile on his face, always has something funny to say. It’s always about us and hanging out with the crew.”

Panthers OL Brady Christensen said the rest of their offense line feeds off of Hunt’s energy and views him as “one of the best guards in the NFL.”

“He loves the game,” Christensen said. “You can tell by the way he plays, that energy and excitement. And we feed off of him. He’s one of the best guards in the NFL.”

Panthers OC Brad Idzik reiterated that Hunt is an “infectious” player for their entire offense. 

“His energy,” Idzik said. “It’s infectious. The plays you see, like [at Las] Vegas where he’s celebrating downfield … in Germany he’s celebrating when Chuba is breaking free, that’s infectious. You feel that in practice every day. He’s just loose and playing confident. … And your personality comes through on tape.”