NFL Notes: Cardinals, Chiefs, Cowboys, Panthers

Cardinals

Cardinals DB Tyrann Mathieu explained that last year was a particularly tough year for him, given that his season ended with him being placed on injured reserve following a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 8

“To be honest I don’t think I’m past it,” Mathieu said, via ESPN.com. “That’s why I’m really harping on that confidence. Last year was a tough one personally, and I know as a team it was tough as well. We know we’re extremely talented. I know I’m extremely talented.

“It feels good to be back out here competing again, so hopefully the confidence and making the splash plays will come.”

Even so, Mathieu is still really excited about training camp and the upcoming season.

“It’ll be exciting,” Mathieu said. “I haven’t hit in a while, me personally, so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be loud and pretty physical tomorrow.

“I’ll see how I really feel when the pads come on. I think it plays a big part in me gaining that confidence back, so I’m excited about it.”

Chiefs

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt explained the decision to fire GM John Dorsey on Monday during Brett Veach’s introductory press conference.

“I don’t know that we had a mess on our hands. We just had a situation where I felt we had to get better,” Hunt said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.

“There was no one issue that I would point to,” Hunt said. “There was no one single thing that led me to the decision. It was an overall evaluation of the department. In order to build a championship team, you have to have a personnel department that is operating on a very high level. I would say John did a very good job for us. But I had concerns about our ability to sustain the success we had.

“It’s never easy to part ways with somebody you’re fond of. I had a great personal relationship with John and [he] played a big role in the success we’ve had in the last four years. But really the decision was about making the Kansas City Chiefs better. We have very high aspirations. We want to compete for a championship every year. We want to get to a Super Bowl and win it. I just felt if we were going to do that in the next three or four years, we needed to make a change.”

Cowboys

Following the news that Cowboys WR Lucky Whitehead was previously arrested for shoplifting and charged with petty larceny in Virginia, HC Jason Garrett implied that they could move on from him after looking into the matter.

“Depending on what the situation is, we’re gonna respond accordingly,” Garrett said. “Do what’s in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys.”

Panthers

• Joe Person reports that Panthers interim GM Marty Hurney fired longtime pro personnel director Mark Koncz on Monday.
• Koncz was just promoted to director of player personnel by former GM Dave Gettleman in May.