Cardinals
- The Cardinals are expected to hire either Broncos DC Vance Joseph or Bills OC Joe Brady, per Albert Breer.
- Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has had his eye out for the next young dynamic head coach. Brady could potentially fit that bill, Breer adds.
Rams
The Rams signed WR Tutu Atwell to a one-year, $10 million fully guaranteed contract last offseason, but he wasn’t active for their Divisional Round win over the Bears. Los Angeles HC Sean McVay said their decision came down to who could contribute on special teams.
“Really just when you’re talking about the amount of receivers and those guys’ ability to contribute on [special] teams is the simplest approach,” McVay said, via RamsWire.
As for whether Atwell will be inactive for the NFC Championship game, McVay said they will determine his availability this week.
“I don’t know that,” McVay said. “We’ll have to figure out exactly what our 48 looks like. There is some flexibility and fluidity. That was more of a [special] teams kind of thing. Once we really dive into the prep and figure out what these game plans are on each side of the football, that really will affect the decision-making. Tutu did a great job throughout the course of the week and was a total stud about it. It hasn’t been ideal, but sometimes it does come down to the numbers thing. The kicking game had something to do with that.”
Seahawks
The Seahawks dominated the 49ers in their 41-6 NFC Divisional Round win. Seattle DL Leonard Williams said they were playing “complementary football” in all three phases of the game.
“I think it’s fair to say that this was a game where all three phases of football were really firing on all cylinders. Really complementary football,” Williams said, via Albert Breer of SI. “The kickoff team was doing its thing, putting us in a great position on defense. The offense was capitalizing on offensive turnovers. It’s easier said than done, but I think every team says it wants to be a team that performs well in all three phases of football. And it’s truly one of the [first] times I’ve ever been on one that has been able to do that.”
Williams enjoys HC Mike Macdonald’s approach, saying he creates a fun environment to play in.
“It makes it fun to be at work,” Williams said. “And when you make it a fun environment to be at work, guys work hard, guys are more connected, and guys are more locked in.”
Williams feels their team began to peak toward the end of the season.
“We started peaking toward the end of the season at the right time,” Williams said. “I felt like we just started getting better and better.”
- Macdonald said QB Sam Darnold (oblique) “continues to get better,” but will be limited in practice this week, per Michael-Shawn Dugar.
- Macdonald added that Darnold will not throw in every practice this week, but the plan is for him to start Sunday’s NFC Championship.
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