NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Giants, Panthers

Buccaneers

• Buccaneers RB Leonard Fournette said he’s feeling more comfortable in Tampa Bay’s system now in his second year on the team: “I came in two weeks before our first game, so just having that year under my belt makes a big difference understanding it. Especially playing with my guys for a year–trusting them and them trusting me–the lack of trust and accountability is done on both sides.” (ProFootballTalk)
• Jeremy Fowler reports that Buccaneers CB Richard Sherman could avoid short-term injured reserve after sustaining a hamstring injury in Thursday night’s game and ay only require a few weeks to recover. 
• Ian Rapoport mentions that Sherman will undergo an MRI to get more specifics on his injury but it is not considered serious. 

Giants

Giants’ backup QB Mike Glennon said he is prepared to play in QB Daniel Jones‘ absence due to his experience as a veteran who has been a part of several different systems around the league.

“I’ll continue to prepare to get ready to play. You know, that’s not up to me. All I can do is control what I can control, and that’s to get ready to play,” Glennon said, via GiantsWire.com. “I’m extremely confident in myself, confident in the guys around me. We threw the ball around well when we got out there, so I feel ready to go. I feel good. I’ve been in so many systems that there’s so much overlap. Everyone runs different things and features different plays, but the systems are all relatively similar. Just getting to know the plays that [Jason Garrett] likes to feature, I feel very comfortable with. I’m here to do the best in any role that I can. Whether that’s to support Daniel, go out and play, whatever it is I’m going to do to the best of my ability. I think we do have similar skill sets, outside of him obviously being a better athlete than me. The system that we run here with JG fits who I am, fits who he is, so I feel more than comfortable with the concepts in the passing game that we run. It’s the NFL. Any given Sunday – I mean, I don’t know what the spread was when we played the Saints, but I’m sure not many people were picking us to beat the Saints. This is the NFL, so either side you’re on, you’ve got to show up every week.”

Panthers

The offensive line has been a sore spot for the Panthers through five games in 2021, and despite GM Scott Fitterer‘s best efforts, there’s probably no outside help coming at this point in the year. Carolina will have to rely on the guys it has, and rookies like third-round OT Brady Christensen and sixth-round G Deonte Brown. Christensen started at right tackle in Week 5’s loss to the Eagles and Brown made the active roster for the first time all season. 

“I think for his first game, Brady availed himself well. A long way for him to go, but I think he’s got a chance to be a really good player,” Panthers HC Matt Rhule said via the Athletic’s Joe Person. “Deonte is growing into being a little bit slimmer…He’s in much better shape than he was when we first got him. So he’s getting better and better, and he’s a guy that will continue to compete to get on the field.”

• OUT for Week 6: LB Kamal Martin (concussion), RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), LB Shaq Thompson (foot)
• QUESTIONABLE for Week 6: G Deonte Brown (knee), CB C.J. Henderson (shoulder)