December 2, 2025 • 14 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Former Panthers defensive end and the pregame postgame analyst Queen
Citynewsanpanthers dot Com our buddy Al Wallace is back with
us for a Tuesday conversation. What's up, big Al? How
are you, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm good at Kyle's going on.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know, I'd let you jump in on that. Your
thoughts on Adam feeling headed to Pittsburgh after he wanted
out of Minnesota to go compete and go latch onto
a contender, and now he's going to a team that
I'm not even sure makes the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, he can't blame old folks for having a gibberous mind.
He didn't know what he wants to do. Man Minnesota
was just decide, hey, you don't have the juice. We
really don't need you. The Panthers are proven why they
didn't need him. When you look at Jalen Kocher, you
look at these guys, these this youth movement at wide
receiver with t mac So, what he's trying to do
is I guess is find another one last playoff run.
(00:47):
Well he's not gonna find it in Pittsburgh, he says,
going to buddy up with Aaron Rodgers. He's gonna throw
him a few passes. I doubt you'll see Adam feeling
very much out there on the field for the Steelers.
He's just holding on I guess for the last four
weeks of his career. Yep.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, best of luck to him. It won't be here,
and I don't think he'll be a factor in our
conversations moving forward. Boy, Sunday changed our conversations out. I
know that much. I was joking earlier that the over
under in the Panthers Rams game was forty nine and
a half, and I think you and I blew over
that fist pumps in the second half in the press box.
What a game man. How much does Sunday's win over
(01:22):
the Rams change the conversation about this team?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I think it continues the conversation. Right. It's a team
that is exactly who we saw on Sunday, But it's
also that same team we saw the previous Monday. So
you're gonna get a little bit of both from Dave
Canalson's team. They kind of play up to their opponent,
and they will play down to a team that they're
supposed to be, at least on paper and that's been
the puzzling thing about this team all year. They are
(01:47):
so good and in moments so confusingly bad that we
just haven't gotten a grip on it. The good part
is going into this bye week, you'll get some guys back.
You'll have these final four games of the season. Three
of those will be in the division, and I think
exactly where everybody wants them to be, with an opportunity
to play for this division and a playoff.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Berth, What do you think changed from Monday Night Football
and Dave Canalis's game plan and play calling A night
that I thought he was probably I thought it was
probably his worst to date, and then he turns around
and he and the offense do that. Was it as
simple as getting back to the run. What else did
you notice?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah? I think that's it. And last week when I
talked to you, I said, he needs to be more
stubborn about it, right, just be a jerk about it.
I'm gonna run. I don't care what you do. I
don't care how many people are in the box. I
trust my offensive line, even though it's banged up, doesn't
have you know, Robert Hunting there, you're bouncing guys around
I'm gonna be stubborn about it, and I thought he
was thirty five run versus the nine we saw eight
(02:46):
we saw on Monday night. I mean, that type of
commitment to the run just opens up so many things.
I think it makes Bryce comfortable, It gets that offensive
line going, and certainly when you look at what you know,
troop Hubbard was able to do a guy that had
that pop, He had that zip in his step again
that we had seen all last year and really at
(03:06):
the beginning of this year before he started suffering the
calf injuries, and now that he looks healthy, I think
you have a really good tandem group back there in
that backfield that can do so many things, catching the
ball and running it. Man, it was good to see
Trouba kind of get back out there and do his thing.
But I think the biggest difference for me we're we're
gonna criticize play calling, I don't believe is that it's
(03:27):
about execution. It's about the eleven guys on there and
Dave Canal. It's just he was stubborn about running the ball,
and once he did that, he really was just able
to pound the run and dictate the tempo of the game.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
He also put a lot of trust in his quarterback.
On Sunday right a couple of fourth down touchdown passes,
big third and five shot to Jalen Kocher to seal it.
He was aggressive all day long on third and fourth downs.
But really, you're right, he leaned into the running game.
It opened up things in the passing game. But man,
he trusted Bryce Young in some really big spots. How
do you like because you know, all the conversations one day,
(04:00):
one week, Dave doesn't trust Bryce, Bryce can't make all
the throws. Bryce can't see he can't do this, and
then he puts out a performance like that where Dave
is putting the ball in his hands and clutch situations
and Bryce is delivering what the What do you think
is the proper conversation about Bryce Young as this organization's quarterback,
both for the next four games and looking ahead to
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, I think it's still difficult because I think it's
difficult because you just there's no consistency with it, and
it feels like if Bryce could play every down like
it was fourth down, man, that number one overall pick.
The conversations that we've had throughout his career so far,
would just go away. He is just so calm, He
has un rattled in the pocket. He just sits in
(04:43):
there and delivers. When all things are chaotic around him
and breaking down, he stands in there and he delivered
two strikes on fourth downs for two of the biggest plays.
Not these two biggest plays of the game. So you know,
it's I just can't put my finger on it. And
I think because I feel like that, I'm pretty sure
Dan Morgan is play calling head coach. Everybody's trying to
(05:05):
figure out who exactly this guy is because we've seen
just so many different versions of Bryce Young. But what
he is is a guy that is not going to
hear the outside noise. He's not going to be moved
by it. And when this team needs him to step
up in you know, fourth quarter, final drives, fourth and two,
he's being able to do that. So if all else fails,
(05:25):
I think if you can kind of bridge the gap
there and get those first and second third downs connected
to what Bryce has been able to accomplish Lake and
football games, especially on fourth down, then it's the guy.
I think you really do need to consider being around
here long term. I just I like what I saw,
but I'm also disappointed by last Monday Night so many
(05:47):
so much of the conversation around Bryce Shaw is going
to be who really is he? In that consistency? And
Kenny captured?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
How does how does Jalen Kocher open up this offense?
And I guess what I'm really driving at is Tenero
McMillan gets a ton of defensive attention. You know, the
run game obviously factors in big time, but in the
passing game specifically, felt like Sunday was kind of a
return to Jalen Cocher being what he can be. How
much does that change things with opening up the passing
(06:15):
game and giving them more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, it's gonna be a nightmare. And I think if
they can keep those two guys healthy, it is now
a nightmare. It was really the t MAC show early
in the football season, throughout the majority of this football season,
and then you had kind of really the breakout game.
I can't remember which one it was for Excel right
where he puts up big numbers, but that was just
like a flash. You haven't seen that type of performance since.
(06:41):
But the one guy that you can count on that
is dependable, that is gonna be in the open spot
every single time you need him. It's gonna be Jalen Coker.
And it's not just this year cal this was the
same guy who did it in the rookie season, undrafted
a year ago. So when I think about the playmaker
on this seam, I think about if I need to
play to be made, I'm not st going t Mac.
(07:02):
I'm looking for eighteen. I'm looking for Jalen Cooker. He
gets open, he's going to make a play. And because
both of those guys are so big and so physical,
I mean, how do you stop them. You can't line
up normal sized quarter cornerbacks on either one of those
guys that are going to torch you. So I think
this is going to open up things here in this
last four weeks of the season for Dave Canalis if
(07:23):
he can lean on now that you have one guy
that's going to get the attention to t back, but
the other one that's going to be able to flash
in open spots and zones and make a play. But
that makes it difficult for linebackers, for safeties, for corners
trying to cover both of those guys.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
They're seven and six, four games to go, half a
game back of the division. Right now, you've got games
against the Saints coming out of the by, You've got Seattle,
You've got two against Tampa. Not necessarily in that order.
I believe ten wins. They have to hit ten wins
to make the playoffs slash win the division.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You agree with that, yeah, no doubt about it. Ten wins.
I'm feeling really good. I think as soon as you
can get past the Saints, that revenge factor, the disappointment
after coming out for that high, be one of the
top teams in the NFC and then losing to a
one in eight football team, You're feeling good those last
(08:16):
you know three there with the Seattle Seahawks kind of
sandwiched in between the division leader right now. I mean, man,
how good is that? As a competitor? I love it.
I mean, sign me up for games that really matter
at the end of the season that way, So ten wins,
I feel really good about this team. In the NFC
where the Eagles are dropping games obviously, the Rams losing
(08:39):
to the Panthers this weekend, I think you're right there.
So for the Panthers, every single thing that you check
boxes on to come into the spring, to come into
this offseason with right there in front of you and
the competitor in that locker room, and I know it's
fifty three of them, not forty of them, fifty three
of those guys to make an NFL roster absolutely have
(09:00):
to be filling it. It makes the hair and the
pack of my next stand up knowing what these guys
can accomplish, and then all the conversations that we have
about inconsistency are out the windows. They need to prove
it in the next four weeks.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
No doubt about it. Al As far as I want
to talk about the defense, and I'm want to start
with Derek Brown for a second. I don't know how
you feel about Pro Football Focus and PFF grades and
some of their advanced analytics, but like last week, going
into that game, I was informed they had Derek Brown
as like the twentieth best defensive tackle in football. PFF's
great on Sunday had him at a fifty among the
(09:33):
worst and the starters on the field. Even though he
was directly responsible for two of the three turnovers that
change the game. He's facing double teams all the time.
I know National media attention and recognition doesn't win you
games or championships, But why does it seem like the
larger football world still you know, struggles with with how
good this guy has been and giving him that recognition.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Because football on the defensive line is about fats and
Derek Brown. Now he finished the game off with a
big one, a huge one, but look it's about sack.
So you go and you think about the guys that
we talk about in the NFL interior defensive tackles, they
get sacked if they don't, you just you don't think
(10:15):
about Vince Wilfork. You don't think about those guys when
you talk about all time great think about Chris cheekis
you don't think about that KK short when he was
here and dominant in All Pro because he was ripping
off twelve sacks. So, because Dereck Brown isn't that type
of interior lineman, you're never gonna put him in that
conversation of Aaron Donald some of the elite guys, right,
Chris Jones that plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, But
(10:38):
what he does is he earns so much respect. You
have to pay attention to where he is. You have
the game plan for him, you have to scheme around
him that you can deal with them. You can't get
him out of the game plan. If you're smart, just
go and look at what the Buffalo Bills did and
just ran the ball away from Dereck Brown. So you know,
I understand how PFF does it, and I understand the
(11:00):
grading system, but he doesn't win every snap. He's, you know,
not Superman out there. He's not the incredible hulk in
the middle. But at the same time, when you have
a guy that's that dominant where you constantly have to
focus and find out where he is every single snap,
else he's wrecking your game. And sometimes when you know
where he is and you put two or three people
on him, he's still going to wreck it. That tells
(11:21):
me that he's the most dominant force in the interior
defensive lineman and all in the NFL. I'd argue that
until I run out of breath, there's not a batter
man in the middle of any defense in the NFL,
and number ninety five their crown.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So the Rams threw for two forty three. Matt Stafford
did a couple of touchdowns. They also he threw two interceptions.
Panthers picked him off twice. Rams ran for one fifty
two as a team, so by my math, that's like
three seventy nine total offense on Sunday. The Panthers defense didn't,
you know, completely shut them down, but they did make
plays to win. They are racking up turnovers and they
(11:55):
did it without j. C. Horn and Trayvon Merrigg. They're
playing Shaw Smith Wade out outside. Still knows the missing
one of their starting linebackers. How vindicating has this season
been for zero Vero so far? And are you concerned
that he gets plucked away for a head coaching job
after this year.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, that's always the concern. Man. When I look at
the guy in the tremendous amount of respect that he
has in our locker room and around the NFL, you
know that any organization would would line up to kind
of make him the leader in the face of their franchise.
So that's always been a concern. The day I saw
him at a podium and I heard him talk and
(12:31):
talk to some of the guys in that locker room
and just been around them personally, you know that he's
the real deal. So yeah, syndication getting all his guys back,
getting Derrick brown Back, getting multiple guys healthy, Jason Horn
playing the way he has, Mike Jack stepping up and
being that one two punch at the cornerback position, and
then bringing in some good pieces right. Bringing in Treyvon
(12:54):
Merrick and his playmaking ability has certainly helped. Look, this
is not a flawless unit. They've given up some points,
but they have been pretty stingy and not just completely
melting down and letting teams just put up big numbers
on them. So and I think they got to find
a pass rush Gal that's huge. You gotta stop the run.
You don't want teams to be able to put up
(13:15):
one hundred and fifty plus yards rushing against you. But
the biggest thing is, we talk about what this team
needs to do in lining them up for the last
four weeks, you had better hit the quarterback. Baker Mayfield's
gonna make you pay, Sam Darnold, They're gonna make you pay.
Whoever the quarterback is with the Saints, they can make
you pay. And we saw that the first time these
(13:36):
two teams. Bet quarterbacks just have too much damn time
standing around in the pocket. And if you do that,
all those guys are e league. They're gonna make it
or you're gonna make it as a pass rushing unit.
More difficult on the guys in the back end that
have been doing a good job. Don't test the NFL.
Don't test these quarterbacks. Find a way to generate more pressure.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Al, you're the man. Really enjoy our press box time together, brother,
and the fans out there love your inside your analysis.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Always man appreciate you guys.
Former Panthers defensive end and the pregame postgame analyst Queen
Citynewsanpanthers dot Com our buddy Al Wallace is back with
us for a Tuesday conversation. What's up, big Al? How
are you, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm good at Kyle's going on.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know, I'd let you jump in on that. Your
thoughts on Adam feeling headed to Pittsburgh after he wanted
out of Minnesota to go compete and go latch onto
a contender, and now he's going to a team that
I'm not even sure makes the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, he can't blame old folks for having a gibberous mind.
He didn't know what he wants to do. Man Minnesota
was just decide, hey, you don't have the juice. We
really don't need you. The Panthers are proven why they
didn't need him. When you look at Jalen Kocher, you
look at these guys, these this youth movement at wide
receiver with t mac So, what he's trying to do
is I guess is find another one last playoff run.
(00:47):
Well he's not gonna find it in Pittsburgh, he says,
going to buddy up with Aaron Rodgers. He's gonna throw
him a few passes. I doubt you'll see Adam feeling
very much out there on the field for the Steelers.
He's just holding on I guess for the last four
weeks of his career. Yep.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, best of luck to him. It won't be here,
and I don't think he'll be a factor in our
conversations moving forward. Boy, Sunday changed our conversations out. I
know that much. I was joking earlier that the over
under in the Panthers Rams game was forty nine and
a half, and I think you and I blew over
that fist pumps in the second half in the press box.
What a game man. How much does Sunday's win over
(01:22):
the Rams change the conversation about this team?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I think it continues the conversation. Right. It's a team
that is exactly who we saw on Sunday, But it's
also that same team we saw the previous Monday. So
you're gonna get a little bit of both from Dave
Canalson's team. They kind of play up to their opponent,
and they will play down to a team that they're
supposed to be, at least on paper and that's been
the puzzling thing about this team all year. They are
(01:47):
so good and in moments so confusingly bad that we
just haven't gotten a grip on it. The good part
is going into this bye week, you'll get some guys back.
You'll have these final four games of the season. Three
of those will be in the division, and I think
exactly where everybody wants them to be, with an opportunity
to play for this division and a playoff.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Berth, What do you think changed from Monday Night Football
and Dave Canalis's game plan and play calling A night
that I thought he was probably I thought it was
probably his worst to date, and then he turns around
and he and the offense do that. Was it as
simple as getting back to the run. What else did
you notice?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah? I think that's it. And last week when I
talked to you, I said, he needs to be more
stubborn about it, right, just be a jerk about it.
I'm gonna run. I don't care what you do. I
don't care how many people are in the box. I
trust my offensive line, even though it's banged up, doesn't
have you know, Robert Hunting there, you're bouncing guys around
I'm gonna be stubborn about it, and I thought he
was thirty five run versus the nine we saw eight
(02:46):
we saw on Monday night. I mean, that type of
commitment to the run just opens up so many things.
I think it makes Bryce comfortable, It gets that offensive
line going, and certainly when you look at what you know,
troop Hubbard was able to do a guy that had
that pop, He had that zip in his step again
that we had seen all last year and really at
(03:06):
the beginning of this year before he started suffering the
calf injuries, and now that he looks healthy, I think
you have a really good tandem group back there in
that backfield that can do so many things, catching the
ball and running it. Man, it was good to see
Trouba kind of get back out there and do his thing.
But I think the biggest difference for me we're we're
gonna criticize play calling, I don't believe is that it's
(03:27):
about execution. It's about the eleven guys on there and
Dave Canal. It's just he was stubborn about running the ball,
and once he did that, he really was just able
to pound the run and dictate the tempo of the game.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
He also put a lot of trust in his quarterback.
On Sunday right a couple of fourth down touchdown passes,
big third and five shot to Jalen Kocher to seal it.
He was aggressive all day long on third and fourth downs.
But really, you're right, he leaned into the running game.
It opened up things in the passing game. But man,
he trusted Bryce Young in some really big spots. How
do you like because you know, all the conversations one day,
(04:00):
one week, Dave doesn't trust Bryce, Bryce can't make all
the throws. Bryce can't see he can't do this, and
then he puts out a performance like that where Dave
is putting the ball in his hands and clutch situations
and Bryce is delivering what the What do you think
is the proper conversation about Bryce Young as this organization's quarterback,
both for the next four games and looking ahead to
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, I think it's still difficult because I think it's
difficult because you just there's no consistency with it, and
it feels like if Bryce could play every down like
it was fourth down, man, that number one overall pick.
The conversations that we've had throughout his career so far,
would just go away. He is just so calm, He
has un rattled in the pocket. He just sits in
(04:43):
there and delivers. When all things are chaotic around him
and breaking down, he stands in there and he delivered
two strikes on fourth downs for two of the biggest plays.
Not these two biggest plays of the game. So you know,
it's I just can't put my finger on it. And
I think because I feel like that, I'm pretty sure
Dan Morgan is play calling head coach. Everybody's trying to
(05:05):
figure out who exactly this guy is because we've seen
just so many different versions of Bryce Young. But what
he is is a guy that is not going to
hear the outside noise. He's not going to be moved
by it. And when this team needs him to step
up in you know, fourth quarter, final drives, fourth and two,
he's being able to do that. So if all else fails,
(05:25):
I think if you can kind of bridge the gap
there and get those first and second third downs connected
to what Bryce has been able to accomplish Lake and
football games, especially on fourth down, then it's the guy.
I think you really do need to consider being around
here long term. I just I like what I saw,
but I'm also disappointed by last Monday Night so many
(05:47):
so much of the conversation around Bryce Shaw is going
to be who really is he? In that consistency? And
Kenny captured?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
How does how does Jalen Kocher open up this offense?
And I guess what I'm really driving at is Tenero
McMillan gets a ton of defensive attention. You know, the
run game obviously factors in big time, but in the
passing game specifically, felt like Sunday was kind of a
return to Jalen Cocher being what he can be. How
much does that change things with opening up the passing
(06:15):
game and giving them more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, it's gonna be a nightmare. And I think if
they can keep those two guys healthy, it is now
a nightmare. It was really the t MAC show early
in the football season, throughout the majority of this football season,
and then you had kind of really the breakout game.
I can't remember which one it was for Excel right
where he puts up big numbers, but that was just
like a flash. You haven't seen that type of performance since.
(06:41):
But the one guy that you can count on that
is dependable, that is gonna be in the open spot
every single time you need him. It's gonna be Jalen Coker.
And it's not just this year cal this was the
same guy who did it in the rookie season, undrafted
a year ago. So when I think about the playmaker
on this seam, I think about if I need to
play to be made, I'm not st going t Mac.
(07:02):
I'm looking for eighteen. I'm looking for Jalen Cooker. He
gets open, he's going to make a play. And because
both of those guys are so big and so physical,
I mean, how do you stop them. You can't line
up normal sized quarter cornerbacks on either one of those
guys that are going to torch you. So I think
this is going to open up things here in this
last four weeks of the season for Dave Canalis if
(07:23):
he can lean on now that you have one guy
that's going to get the attention to t back, but
the other one that's going to be able to flash
in open spots and zones and make a play. But
that makes it difficult for linebackers, for safeties, for corners
trying to cover both of those guys.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
They're seven and six, four games to go, half a
game back of the division. Right now, you've got games
against the Saints coming out of the by, You've got Seattle,
You've got two against Tampa. Not necessarily in that order.
I believe ten wins. They have to hit ten wins
to make the playoffs slash win the division.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You agree with that, yeah, no doubt about it. Ten wins.
I'm feeling really good. I think as soon as you
can get past the Saints, that revenge factor, the disappointment
after coming out for that high, be one of the
top teams in the NFC and then losing to a
one in eight football team, You're feeling good those last
(08:16):
you know three there with the Seattle Seahawks kind of
sandwiched in between the division leader right now. I mean, man,
how good is that? As a competitor? I love it.
I mean, sign me up for games that really matter
at the end of the season that way, So ten wins,
I feel really good about this team. In the NFC
where the Eagles are dropping games obviously, the Rams losing
(08:39):
to the Panthers this weekend, I think you're right there.
So for the Panthers, every single thing that you check
boxes on to come into the spring, to come into
this offseason with right there in front of you and
the competitor in that locker room, and I know it's
fifty three of them, not forty of them, fifty three
of those guys to make an NFL roster absolutely have
(09:00):
to be filling it. It makes the hair and the
pack of my next stand up knowing what these guys
can accomplish, and then all the conversations that we have
about inconsistency are out the windows. They need to prove
it in the next four weeks.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
No doubt about it. Al As far as I want
to talk about the defense, and I'm want to start
with Derek Brown for a second. I don't know how
you feel about Pro Football Focus and PFF grades and
some of their advanced analytics, but like last week, going
into that game, I was informed they had Derek Brown
as like the twentieth best defensive tackle in football. PFF's
great on Sunday had him at a fifty among the
(09:33):
worst and the starters on the field. Even though he
was directly responsible for two of the three turnovers that
change the game. He's facing double teams all the time.
I know National media attention and recognition doesn't win you
games or championships, But why does it seem like the
larger football world still you know, struggles with with how
good this guy has been and giving him that recognition.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Because football on the defensive line is about fats and
Derek Brown. Now he finished the game off with a
big one, a huge one, but look it's about sack.
So you go and you think about the guys that
we talk about in the NFL interior defensive tackles, they
get sacked if they don't, you just you don't think
(10:15):
about Vince Wilfork. You don't think about those guys when
you talk about all time great think about Chris cheekis
you don't think about that KK short when he was
here and dominant in All Pro because he was ripping
off twelve sacks. So, because Dereck Brown isn't that type
of interior lineman, you're never gonna put him in that
conversation of Aaron Donald some of the elite guys, right,
Chris Jones that plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, But
(10:38):
what he does is he earns so much respect. You
have to pay attention to where he is. You have
the game plan for him, you have to scheme around
him that you can deal with them. You can't get
him out of the game plan. If you're smart, just
go and look at what the Buffalo Bills did and
just ran the ball away from Dereck Brown. So you know,
I understand how PFF does it, and I understand the
(11:00):
grading system, but he doesn't win every snap. He's, you know,
not Superman out there. He's not the incredible hulk in
the middle. But at the same time, when you have
a guy that's that dominant where you constantly have to
focus and find out where he is every single snap,
else he's wrecking your game. And sometimes when you know
where he is and you put two or three people
on him, he's still going to wreck it. That tells
(11:21):
me that he's the most dominant force in the interior
defensive lineman and all in the NFL. I'd argue that
until I run out of breath, there's not a batter
man in the middle of any defense in the NFL,
and number ninety five their crown.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So the Rams threw for two forty three. Matt Stafford
did a couple of touchdowns. They also he threw two interceptions.
Panthers picked him off twice. Rams ran for one fifty
two as a team, so by my math, that's like
three seventy nine total offense on Sunday. The Panthers defense didn't,
you know, completely shut them down, but they did make
plays to win. They are racking up turnovers and they
(11:55):
did it without j. C. Horn and Trayvon Merrigg. They're
playing Shaw Smith Wade out outside. Still knows the missing
one of their starting linebackers. How vindicating has this season
been for zero Vero so far? And are you concerned
that he gets plucked away for a head coaching job
after this year.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, that's always the concern. Man. When I look at
the guy in the tremendous amount of respect that he
has in our locker room and around the NFL, you
know that any organization would would line up to kind
of make him the leader in the face of their franchise.
So that's always been a concern. The day I saw
him at a podium and I heard him talk and
(12:31):
talk to some of the guys in that locker room
and just been around them personally, you know that he's
the real deal. So yeah, syndication getting all his guys back,
getting Derrick brown Back, getting multiple guys healthy, Jason Horn
playing the way he has, Mike Jack stepping up and
being that one two punch at the cornerback position, and
then bringing in some good pieces right. Bringing in Treyvon
(12:54):
Merrick and his playmaking ability has certainly helped. Look, this
is not a flawless unit. They've given up some points,
but they have been pretty stingy and not just completely
melting down and letting teams just put up big numbers
on them. So and I think they got to find
a pass rush Gal that's huge. You gotta stop the run.
You don't want teams to be able to put up
(13:15):
one hundred and fifty plus yards rushing against you. But
the biggest thing is, we talk about what this team
needs to do in lining them up for the last
four weeks, you had better hit the quarterback. Baker Mayfield's
gonna make you pay, Sam Darnold, They're gonna make you pay.
Whoever the quarterback is with the Saints, they can make
you pay. And we saw that the first time these
(13:36):
two teams. Bet quarterbacks just have too much damn time
standing around in the pocket. And if you do that,
all those guys are e league. They're gonna make it
or you're gonna make it as a pass rushing unit.
More difficult on the guys in the back end that
have been doing a good job. Don't test the NFL.
Don't test these quarterbacks. Find a way to generate more pressure.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Al, you're the man. Really enjoy our press box time together, brother,
and the fans out there love your inside your analysis.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Always man appreciate you guys.
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