NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston had a bad outing against the Panthers on Sunday, throwing five interceptions and fumbling once. 

Regarding Winston’s turnover issues, HC Bruce Arians explained that he has a tendency to try to be “Superman” sometimes. 

“Throw the damn ball away,” Arians said, via TheAthletic.com. “You avoided one. You might have avoided two. You ain’t thrown it anywhere. . . . Throw it away. He has a habit of trying to be Superman.

“I see the preparation. I see what he’s trying to do,” Arians said of Winston. “The fumbles, we have to get rid of those. We have to start throwing balls away and we don’t need to take those sacks. You don’t take those hits, either. The interceptions, I have to go back and look at the film.”

Falcons

• Jason La Canfora writes that Falcons HC Dan Quinn’s firing is becoming “a matter of when and not if.“
• La Canfora believes Raheem Morris would be the best internal candidate to serve as interim head coach if Quinn is relieved of his duties. 

Panthers

Panthers HC Ron Rivera told reporters that he has no plans to address the team’s quarterback situation until he absolutely has to. 

“I’m not going to worry about it,” Rivera said, via ESPN.com. “I’m not going to speculate on anything until I have to address that. So until then, we’re going to stay in the now, stay in the focus of what we’re doing right now. As far as I’m concerned, we’re not going to deal with the question until it is time. And when the time comes, I will address it. As far as I’m concerned, [Cam’s] in the rehab program and he’s doing the program and our quarterback right now playing for us is Kyle. So we’re not going to address it.”

Kyle Allen has won four straight games since taking over for Cam Newton. 

• Joel Corry mentions that if the Panthers don’t extend RB Christian McCaffrey‘s contract during the offseason, a holdout wouldn’t be surprising.
• Corry notes that McCaffrey has the same representation as Khalil Mack and Chris Johnson, who previously held out in 2011 with two years remaining on his rookie deal.

Saints

• Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Saints are exploring potential trades for tight ends and/or receivers.