Buccaneers
Going into his first year with the team, Buccaneers LB Anthony Walker Jr. has been impressed with LB SirVocea Dennis. He praised his intelligence and ability to impact the game in various ways.
“He will be a great player in this league for a very long time,” Walker said, via Brianna Dix of the team’s website. “We have been talking about it since I met him. The first day of OTAs, he made one of the best plays I have ever seen a linebacker make – including Lavonte David – he is special. He is very cerebral, he knows the game well and can really do everything on the field as a pass dropper, blitzer and as a run defender so, I am excited to see him.”
Falcons
Jeff Ulbrich enters his first season as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator following his time as the Jets’ interim head coach. Falcons LB Kaden Elliss is excited about having a coordinator who is a former linebacker for the first time in his career.
“This is my first time, that I can recall off the top of my head, where my DC has been a linebacker at heart, a guy that played it and saw it from my shoes,” Elliss said, via Terrin Wack of the team’s site. “I’m really excited about it.”
Elliss said Ulbrich’s system will alleviate some of the weight from their linebackers group to make sure they aren’t covering playmaking receivers alone.
“When you’re game-planning a team, sometimes the onus has to get put on a position group,” Elliss said. “I think, in my very biased eyes, that when defensive coordinators are D-line or DBs, they kind of gear things and put the tough jobs on the linebackers a little bit. I can already tell Brich is going to look out for us and make sure I don’t (cover) Justin Jefferson alone, you know what I mean? Those types of scenarios.”
Falcons HC Raheem Morris said Ulbrich has a “real intentionality” with his coaching and can communicate clearly with his players.
“When he coaches, he has a real intentionality on what he’s coaching that day and what he wants to do and what he wants to get accomplished,” Morris said. “He’s not afraid to say it. He speaks with a high level of clarity to the guys. That’s what that kind of room is like. It’s almost like being in a quarterback room. It’s a really intentional day for quarterbacks every day. For wideouts, I might just go catch the rock. But it’s really intentional for those guys every single day.”
Panthers
Panthers third-round OLB Princely Umanmielen was asked about his comment to the team when he was drafted that they would have to “break their pockets” for him on his next contract.
“I just felt like I was a first-round talent, in my opinion. So, I was a little hot that I was sitting until the third round,” he stated, via Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz. “So it’s just proving myself right in the future. Just to come out here and put in the work just to show that I’m worth however much ‘breaking yo pockets’ is.”
“It does, for sure. Definitely,” Umanmielen replied. “Even though I was a little blowed up about it, I’m still grateful at the same time because it gives me something to work for.”
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