Panthers preparing for unique matchup with Kyle Pitts

Snow said part of the challenge with Pitts is seeing where he begins each snap, since the Falcons have lined him up all over the place. That makes it more difficult to play him just one way.

“He lines up everywhere,” Snow said. “He has certain traits based on where he lines up rather than others. You’ve got to be careful where he lines up what you do. The guys who are smart with that play him OK. You’re never going to dominate this guy; you just have to, if (Matt) Ryan throws him the football, he has a chance to catch it. Hopefully, he doesn’t take over the game, and you can control his productivity.

“That’s one of the reasons we drafted Jeremy. He can match up on guys like Pitts. So that’s why we’ve got him here. So we’ll use him that way and see how it goes.”

They’ve known about Pitts for some time, since the Philadelphia native once attended Rhule’s football camp at Temple when he was in 10th grade. They offered him a scholarship on the spot (he passed to go to Florida instead), and from the moment Atlanta drafted him in the first round (fourth overall), they knew he’d be a problem they’d have to solve twice a year.

That night, Rhule flashed a thumbs up at Snow, sitting just outside the draft room, and laughed and said, “Good luck, Phil.”

“He was one of the best wide receivers in the draft, and obviously, he was the top tight end,” Rhule said. “So, great ball skills, great quickness, great explosiveness, he can be physical, he can be fast, he can do it all. He’s a kind of a generational talent in this year’s draft. I went to his pro day, he can do things that not many people can do at any position. A special, special athlete, and they’re using him, and he’s making a ton of plays.”