NFC Notes: Rams, Hardy, Lions

Rams wideout Tavon Austin will be returning to his hometown of Baltimore to take on the Ravens this weekend. The former West Virginia University standout is happy playing in St. Louis, but he did tell Joe Lyons of STLToday.com that the Ravens did check up on him during the 2013 draft.

“They were definitely staying in touch,’’ the receiver said. “I had a great meeting with them. The GM (Ozzie Newsome) is an awesome guy. I thought they were going to pull the trigger, but Coach Fisher did. I’m proud he did and I’m happy to be a Ram.’’

Let’s check out some other assorted notes from around the NFC…

• The Cowboys have shown that they’re willing to deal with all of Greg Hardy‘s on and off the field issues, leading Jon Machota of DallasNews.com to predict that the defensive end will play in Dallas next season. The 27-year-old appears to like the organization, and the writer believes Hardy would willingly return, assuming Dallas offers him close to what he wants.
• Following news that Lions interim general manager Sheldon White would be a candidate for the full-time gig, the executive acknowledged that his team needs to win if he wants to keep the job. “Obviously if we don’t then, I won’t be a candidate,” White told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But if we win these games and we find ways to get better and improve our roster, maybe I will be.”
• New Lions president Rod Wood is confident that his team isn’t far away from contention, and with that mindset, Birkett believes quarterback Matthew Stafford could be sticking around. However, Wood did acknowledge that the decision would be up to the general manager. “I’m going to leave that to the general manager, but they’re great players,” Wood said, adding, “Matthew is my quarterback on my fantasy team if that means anything.”