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December 9, 2025 • 13 mins

Panthers beat reporter for The Athletic, Joe Person, joins the show, as he talks about the vibe around the team coming off the bye week, how close the team is to finding consistency, how interested Carolina is in retaining Rico Dowdle, & more 

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joe Person is going to get my sika. One of
my Sycamore shout outs today bone a fellow local craft
beer drinker like myself, Joe Person, have yourself Joe a
Christmas cookie ale from Sycamore. Right now, Joe Person is
in the house ready to talk Carolina Panther football, Joe.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
What's going on? Bro So craft beer during the bye
week for you? Sir?

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
You know what?

Speaker 3 (00:23):
I was trying to lose some of that Thanksgiving punch.
Oh wow, Oh, I was kind of light on the
craft beer.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
I gotta be honest with Okay, I respect it. I
don't have that sort of what we can will power,
but I respect it.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Well. You piqued my interest though with the Christmas cookie
ale from Sycamore. Off to give that a shot.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah, it's good, nice and sweet. It's a brown or ale,
but it's nice and sweet. It's not like too rich
or whatever. But we do it good. We know if
Darren Gan is still eating leftovers because the other day
he was on day twelve? Do we know if he's
still at it right now? I haven't heard it update
in the last couple of days.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Probably so, But but you can't mention Darren Gan name
and connection with craft beer because he is a Miller
Highlights guy.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
That is true.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
He will never he will never change.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
All right, So let's.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Talk about this team, Joe, how like, how do you feel?
But we're kind of joking around that. Some people want
me to jump on and say, hey, we're doing this.
Some people are afraid the Matt curse is going to strike.
If I say I definitely think the Panthers are winning
the division, my pause, Joe is I want it so
badly I can taste it. And I do think when
you watch the Bucks play, right, and you see Baker

(01:32):
Mayfield struggling through that injury, and you see all the
injuries they have and the way they played, man, it's
so doable. But I just don't know about the consistency
and are they ready? Are they ready to break through
just yet as a young team. How do you feel
here four weeks out about their chances?

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, like you said, I mean, the inconsistency would be
the big, you know, red light, so to speak. They've
just followed up really good wins with disappointing losses and
they they got to break through that streak and and
frankly that they That has been the tenor of Bryce
Young season too. It's it's you know, he's co have

(02:12):
this awesome game at Atlanta and then follow it up with,
you know, a stinker a couple of weeks later at
San Francisco and just not not you haven't seen the consistency.
So but I'm with I'm with you, Mac. This Tampa
Bay team seems vulnerable. They they just they don't. And
I know they're getting Mike Evans back and that and

(02:34):
that can make you know, a lot offense to look
a heck of a lot better. But when I watched
that game Sunday, honestly, I think I was sort of
thinking that the Saints game down in New Orleans could
be a little tougher or as tough at best. That's
this Tampa Bay game in Week sixteen. So and and
I'm not being facetious. I mean, I think I think

(02:58):
Shuck does some things outside the pocket, obviously, but he
even throwing the ball where he's you know, he's he's
not to be.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
He looks good.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
I think we kind of rote him off before the first.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Time, I know.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yards, so we'll see, Yeah, he looks good. Joe in
this New Orleans game. What do you think the biggest
adjustment the Panthers have to make is to avoid the
disaster of the previous game.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, that's a great question. Limit the explosive plays was
was I was revisiting that game yesterday, Bone it was
it was like, I think he had five passes of
like twenty four yards or more, including a sixty two
yard or a fifty two yarder. I mean that's and
the secondary has been playing better of late. Like, I

(03:45):
don't know that they're going to have as many, you know,
throws going over the top, especially if they get back j. C. Horn,
which seems like that's going.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
To be the case.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Trending in the right direction in that protocol. But yeah,
i'd I'd kind of forgotten that I knew the Panthers
offense did not have explosives. They they conversely, they're twenty
of Bryce's twenty six yard throw to Team Mac was
the longest throat the only play they had over fourteen yards.
I mean that was a flog one hundred and seventy

(04:17):
five yards of offense. So so Canalis has to be better.
But also on like I say, on the flip side
of that shuck had shuck had had a bunch of
explosive plays, which you know, you get that. You give
that supernome crowd a reason to get into it. They
don't need much. They're gonna they gonna have that pregame,

(04:40):
you know, livation. So you give that, you give them
a reason to get into it, and you know, and
all of a sudden, that's a very tough place to play.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
I know, the start very important.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
I will say this, Joe, if JC Horn plays, he's
gonna stay on two feet and coverage.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
All right.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
That was a weird game where jac was on the
ground twice on these long pass plays. Not to make excuses,
but I think I'm kind of makeing an excuse. What
do you so, what do you think about about the
Panthers offense and where how do you think it finishes
the season, Because I think we all saw the balance
against the Rams and it was just it's like that's

(05:17):
what I think, that's what they've been searching. I mean,
they had the balance with the two backs right with
Cuba being healthy now, and then they had the balance
with the passing game and the deep shots off the
run game. Like can they do that for like, let's say,
if not every week three of the final four weeks,
or is this one, Joe where we just got to
sit back and see, sit back and see if they're

(05:39):
ready to do that.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
Well, that's the word, and it's the word. The balance
is what Dave can Alix talked about yesterday. He feels
like this this team and this offense finally have an
identity and that's what and he said balance, and that
what we saw from him in previous times, in previous
big games this year kind of an over correction if

(06:01):
you will, Like when when Rico was going well for
those for that you know, that month or so, there
were times where he just you know, they kind of
ignored the passing game, certainly the downhill the downfield passing game.
And then conversely, after Bryce's big game in Atlanta, then
he's ignoring the running game out in San Francisco. But

(06:23):
you're right, I'm Glady made that point because the rams,
I mean, that was I think that is exactly how
Dave Canalis envisions this offense running. Can they stay balanced
the rest of it? And listen, look, I get it.
Sometimes defensive coordinators are going to you know, stack the
box and take you out of a balance attack. But

(06:44):
if he can stay keep that play sheet pretty pretty equal.
I think that's Behoo's everybody well, I mean we really
and it's I mean we've kind of seen a quiet
team act the last couple of games. I mean, what
he's made the most of him now, like if both
of his catches have been big touchdowns. But you know,

(07:05):
I think we're going to see him. You know, they're
going to try to unlock something with him here the
last month too.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
Joe, you did a great piece yesterday on Jonathan Brooks
at the Athletic dot Com that I urge people to
check out there. And it's been a wild roller coaster
ride for the running back of room the last couple
of years. They draft Brooks, they trade up, gets injured,
Cuba gets paid because he plays so well last year.
Then they bring in Rico, Cuba gets hurt, Rico goes off.

(07:32):
Now Cuba feels like he might be the man again here.
So I bring all that up to ask what's the
future of the running back spot when it comes to
not Cuba he's signed, but Rico's contract. Jonathan Brooks, how
does this play out here? In the Winner in the
into the Spring.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Well, listen, it's a great question, and and you can
make it happen, right Like, I know, if you want
to bring back Rico, he not going to do another
one year prove a deal. He's this is a guy
that had to go through that last year. He's gonna
want to get paid and he will have a market.
My stense would be that the Panthers, well.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
I know they want them back.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
They're not in the business of letting good players walk
out the door. If they can help it, I think
they'll probably kind of let Rico set the market, sort
of see what's out there and and and just decide
then and there if if that, you know, if that's
going to work under their cap and with you know,
other things they want to do. Now, you know they

(08:35):
love Juba. You guys know this. I mean the reason
that they extended and when they did. They if they
like what you know he brings to the locker room
and on the field and all of that, but that
his contract is not that unwieldly like they could potentially
get out from under that. I'm not saying they will,
but there are options and that that will probably be

(08:58):
part of their negotiations, you know, with with with both sides,
Uh but and then, and then I'm glad I appreciate
bone you mentioned in Jonathan Brooks, but I enjoy catching
up with him. You mean he I had a kid
who my son went through this with baseball. Not to
bring the too personal process he had, he had an injury,

(09:20):
and I asked John, if you feel like you're kind
of a ghost when you're an injury and poor John,
and Brooks has been through this two years in a
row now, where it's like you're around the building, you're
around the program, but you're not really part of it.
And he had he's had to deal with forget the
physical stuff, which is all, you know, a tough deal

(09:42):
on its own, but sometimes we lose sight of of
just how tough a deal that is mentally when these
guys get hurt. I love I love the fact that
Thomas Davis has been in contact with him, and I
guess they worked out a couple of times together so
TV could show him some some of the things that
the exercise is, the way he tweaked his routine. That's

(10:03):
all coming off the second and the third one. But yeah,
you hope that that that Jonathan Brooks, you know, gets
the chance to show what he can do over a
healthy season. And yeah that I got into this and
not too deep in the weeks, but there was some
some tweaks made in the second surgery by by Ella
troch Out in LA that that that that Jonathan Brooks

(10:25):
side hopes will will be effective.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
It's a great article.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
The stuff with TV is really cool to hear, and uh,
all these details are great. So if you're a Panther
fan and you've been kind of wondering, Hey, what's up
with Jonathan Brooks?

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Where's he at? How does it look moving forward?

Speaker 1 (10:39):
Read this article from Joe at Theathletic dot Com. Joe,
the last question, and this is a listener question before
he let you go Bone and I thought maybe the
first Tampa game would be flexed. We found out yesterday
that the NFL is not flexing to that game. They
flexed to what did they flex to Ravens Patriots instead?
The Seattle game is one of the five games that's

(11:00):
on that TBD list that could be a Saturday game.
You have the Tampa game at the end of the season.
Do you think the Panthers get Seattle on Saturday? Do
you think they get the Bucks flex? Do you have
a prediction on that, my friend, I.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Think both of those are you know, possible and maybe
even highly possible. The NFL loved in that Sunday night
Week eighteen game, the winner take all scenario, and that
you know, if you're a Panther fan, you hope it
doesn't come down till Week eighteen. But but but it
certainly might. And and so Pittsburgh and Baltimore I think

(11:38):
play that day too. Maybe you guys check me on that,
but anyway, I've heard Seattle game as a strong possibility
for Saturday. Nothing final yet, but and then and then
I had always been told between the two Bucks games
that the Week eighteen game made the most sense for the.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Sunday night football just.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Because winner take a baby.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
Yeah, that could be. That could be fun.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Although somebody pointed out Lions played the Bears that day too,
that could be one. The Chargers play the Broncos, and
the Colts play the Texans, so there's some other Seattle,
San Francisco. So there is a number of options that
are on the table right now. It's safe for that week.
But yeah, we're right.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
There was I wrong with Pittsburgh does not.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
Play ballt No, you were right. That's the final game
of the season two. Oh yeah, you're right, Yeah, yeah,
there is.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
So they got a lot of choices.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
I just Joe, I'm just glad we're in all these conversations.
You know how long we you'd be writing draft pieces,
I'd be writing, you'd be reading team need pieces, we'd
be talking draft. This is so much freaking better, man.
I love it all right, Joe, Hey, keep up the
good work. And if anybody is a diehard Panther, fastus
all the time. But one hundred percent true. Uh true truth.
If you're not h you know, subscribing to the Athletic

(12:52):
for Joe's stuff alone when it comes to Panthers, you're
not doing Panther fandom correctly. The Athletic dot Com the best, man. Oh,
thank you, brother, We appreciate you, appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (13:03):
Guys, have a great week.
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