September 25, 2025 • 14 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, Tedora McMillan dealing with a bit of an injury
right now that we told the media yesterday after practice
that he expects to play on Sunday. The part about
that text where he says he's not distraught is in
relation to Xavier league get who did not practice again today,
and I think it looks like it's tracking to not
play again on Sunday against the Patriots. Let's get the latest.
Let's get the real news from a man who that's
(00:22):
what he does. He brings us the real news from
Panthers dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Uncle d G.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Darren Gant is back with us for a Thursday conversation
on the hotline. Darren Gant, what's going on, buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Not a whole lot. It's just another beautiful day here
in Charlotte, North Carolina. How are you, sir? Good?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How's your health? Are you you nicked up at all?
You do you feeling good?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm feeling pretty good. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. I
was a little I was day to day last weekend.
I got a COVID shot so needed a day to recover.
But other than that, I'm as good as gold and
I'm ready to go this week.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Okay, all right, I'm not by the way, you can
add me to the injury report. I found out this morning.
I have a small tear in my scapular muscle. Darren,
it sucks. It's terrible.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
He add me to the list. All right, Well, it
turned four.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I mean, it's not cutting a toe off for anything,
but that's still bad.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It sucks.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Well, I'm also I turned forty in November, so all
of a sudden, the old man injuries are starting to
rack up.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
You've been there, Oh yeah, tell.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Me more about old man injury.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Well, Bailey, all right, well let's stay on theme. Then,
what's the true picture of health for this team right now?
How banged up are they?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well? I mean, you know, they got a couple of
dudes back on the field today. Turk Wharton was back
out there, and that's a good sign. I mean they
saw him in the opener and had not since, so
with the way the defense is playing, getting him back
out there would be a good thing. Uh. And t
Mac was back out there. We'll see, I mean those things,
you know, any of the other stuff. You know, Kyle,
you can check Panthers dot Com tomorrow afternoon after practice
(01:46):
for the final injury report for the for the true
picture of this. But no, it's just kind of hard
to tell. I mean, they've got a lot of day
to day guys, and we'll see. I mean, obviously, I
think one of the things you've got to look at
at that defense with work coming back today is no
Pat Jones, no DJ wantam today. So while you know
Nick and Princeley, you know, put in a shift last
(02:08):
week in that game there, you know, you're a situation
where more could be asked to them this week, and
you know, I think that'll be important because honestly, the
way that defense has played so far this year has
been the big story. I mean, I think with everything
involved in the Carolina Panthers, seeing Derek Brown back on
the field, seeing the way they played run de out
in Arizona, Yeah, that's obviously been a significant difference. So
(02:33):
it'll be curious to see what tomorrow holds. Tune in
sometime shortly after launch and we'll have all the latest
for you.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You're right, it is always interesting to see what tomorrow
holds if we're all blessed and lucky enough to see it.
So I guess that's probably going to be maybe part
of the answer you give me to this question, but
Xavier League get is do you still have belief that
he can help this team in a significant way? Do
you think they believe that he can still help this
team significantly?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I think absolutely. I think you got to remember a
couple of days. Number One, Dave Canalis is an old
wide receivers coach. So when he was I was tarting
to Dave at one point this offseason, and he starts
talking about XL's progression, and he was already thinking about, Okay,
here's where we'll get here two, here's what he'll do
in year three. And so this is a long term
commitment to this guy. You don't take somebody in the
(03:18):
first round if not. And and I think the other
thing that plays into that is just the way he works.
I Mean, I keep weird hours here at the stadium
during the off season, and I'd come down the elevator
to head out at the end of the day and
I'd get off the elevator near the ak wall that
turf field before you go to the press box, and
you'd hear that, you know, and it's XL on the
(03:39):
jugs machine catching balls. And he's doing that in February
and March, in May and June when nobody's around the stadium,
that weird time. So the kids put in the work,
He's he's committed to it. I mean, I think he's
just you know, the physical stuff a lot of times
you don't have any control over. So, but I think
absolutely in terms of confident in him, they've still got it.
(04:01):
And you know he's a big, fast guy and those
are valuable in the NFL. And you know Dave Canalis
was around a couple of them in Seattle that turned out, okay,
So I think you know, the idea that anybody's giving
up on him AT's that's not a real.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Thing, okay, right, fair enough, Darren Gant with us hanging
out on the hotline, we started the show talking about
a chart.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I love charts. I know you love a good chart.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
A chart that was indicating to anybody who looked at it,
that is, it relates to deep balls and the efficiency
throwing the deep balls that Bryce Young has thrown them
very well. But the chart also indicates that plays aren't
always being made. And then our buddy Josh Norris over
at Underdog Fantasy took it upon himself to clip every
throw of twenty plus yards down the field that Bryce
(04:45):
has made so far this year, and what you'll see
on a lot of them are drops and misca. You know,
plays not being made, things like that. I bring this
up to say, has the passing game been a little
better than we think in ways? Is it still leaving
a lot to be he desired for you? What?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
What are we to make of the overall passing game
right now?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Well, I think they've got time to work on it.
And again I go back to last week. One of
the biggest things to me was, Hey, the way they
played defense the last couple of games. But when you
when you don't turn it over early and are able
to stay in pace, you know, and run the ball
the way you want to. When you when you run
it more than you throw it, that's a good thing. Listen,
Obviously they've still got some things to work on. I mean,
(05:26):
Canal said it earlier this week. You know Timac would
be the first one to tell you he's going to
commit down with some of those too. So I think
it's time. There's going to be time to get all
that stuff squared away. I mean, obviously you want to
get it done sooner. Rather than later. But we've seen
the signs from McMillan. We've seen what XL can do,
you know, on the field in the past. So and
(05:47):
obviously when you get in the red zone and stuff,
we've seen what a hunter Renfro could do. And by
the way, congratulations to the Renfros. Welcome the new baby
girl into the world yesterday. So all all good things.
Model top to the ben rent for and all that
fun stuff. So yeah, I think there's time. I mean,
it's natural. Yeah, I think a lot of people expect
(06:07):
things to pick up wherever they were last year and
be exactly like they were. And you know, obviously the
way the Panthers played offense threw the ball around second
half of last year, people thought it was going to
be like that, but it seldom like that. I mean,
these things are not linear, so you're getting used to
new people. You're you know, incorporating new targets, different plays,
(06:28):
different personalities. So I think there's time. But I've seen
signs of it, I truly have. I mean through the
offseason training camp OTAs, these guys were pitching it and
catching it around pretty good. And they were doing it,
you know, even during practice against a pretty good couple
of corners in JC and Mike Jack.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Darren jan hanging out with us here on a Thursday.
You know, we talked so much about the offense, the defense,
and we talk special teams, but often it's to most
of the time, probably to complain or point out things
that are going wrong. But boy, this special teams group
has been good to start the year. Tracy Smith has
done a really nice job. Ryan Fitzgerald has done a
really nice job. Sam Martin's done a nice job. Tracy
(07:06):
Smith's in his first year on the job. How good
have these guys been. We heard Mike Vrabel saying that.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Tracy's been around. He yeah, he came here today, so
he's uh, you.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Know he second, I apologize, My bad, my bad.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, that's all right. Don't sell Tracy Smith short. He's
a wizard of special teams. He deserves all that credit.
They have done a really good job. I think. One
of the things, and you can read all about this
today on Panthers dot com, that kickoff coverage unit. It's
not just Fitzgerald kicking a screwball down there that bounces funny,
and that's the cool thing about a football. It's pointy
(07:39):
on either end, so when it hits the dirt, it
tends to do things you can't predict. So they've got
ten dudes out there, including Bryce and Tremaine, who are
just comic cozing straight down the field and making big plays,
i mean, holding their They're number one in the league
and opponents average drive start on kickoffs, which is the
ultimate esoteric football nerd stat. The thing that's crazy about
(08:02):
it to me, the difference between where the Panthers are
at one and the fifth place Houston Texans or whoever's
in fifth is the same as the gap between five
and thirty two. Like, they're killing it out there, and
most of the league is content to give up give
up touchbacks. But if you've got a kicker who can
kick that ball, and you've got guys who can cover
(08:23):
like Calton Cherlist, Thomas and Combe, Bryce and Tremain, Bean,
Martin Scott, all those cats, I mean, they're getting after
it at a high level. So that's kind of stuff
you need. I Mean, we talked the first couple of
weeks about those little things that you've got to do
to stay in games, and you know, that's obviously one
of them, and that's going well it is.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
What do you think about the notion that this team
could have started better if they'd played more together in
the preseason, because I still get a toe on the
text line.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I think it's silly, Frankly, I really do. I mean,
what would one more series against the Houston Texans second
and third stringers have proven. I mean, somebody sent me
a question the mail bag the other day comparing it
to Joe Gibbs in the eighties, and Joe Gibbs SSH
always have his players play in the preseason. Yeah. Joe
Gibbs also got to coach before free agency, when teams
(09:10):
were the exact same for six years in a row.
So I think stuff like that had a lot more
to do with success Joe Gibbs had in Washington than
preseason staffs. I think it's completely overblown. I'm I am. Yeah,
I'm not an advocate of preseason football as an important
barometer of really anything other than I don't know, temperature.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Well, hold on, because I got to push back a
little bit on that. I know that's your stance. You
and I have worked together long enough. I know that's
generally your stance. But Okay, your point about second and
third stringers. I get what you're what you're saying, but
what about logistics, game day operations, getting play calls in
on time? You know, you're giving reps to coordinators all
the way up until week three of the preseason. Then
we get to week one and play calls aren't getting in.
You're not getting to the lot of scrimmage. There's miscommunication.
(09:54):
That's where I think a lot of people are pointing
to the operation could have been cleaner from the jump.
You don't put any stock into that, no, I.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Mean you can do that in practice too. I think
you know to me, and this is my opinion, Darren Gant.
Only my opinion is pre season snaps are consequence free.
So that's the time you experiment. That's the time you
let people develop. That's the time you run weird plays,
let other people call them, you know, see what your
(10:21):
personnel can do. Mix and match guys. I mean, there's
no there's no lingering. Again, whether it was Brad Izick
or whoever calling offensive place, I don't know that it
necessarily carries over one to the other. I just I
just don't believe in it.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Okay, all right, a couple quick things. We'll get you
out of here, Darren Gant hanging out with us. As
the defense played much better against the Falcons thirty to nothing,
they're still having, you know, difficulty getting to the quarterback.
Among the lowest pressure rate in the NFL. The run
defense was great, but you and I both know they've
got that. There's got to be an uptick in getting
to the quarterback. How do they do that well?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
And again this weekend could be looking at a couple
of those young guys doing it and they've gotten pressure.
There have been some pressure there. Nick and Princeley are
both quick off the ball and you know, have the
ability to do some of that stuff. But they've got
to get a halt. That's obvious. I mean, I think
it's going to be a work in process or work
in progress. I also believe that, you know, when Dan
(11:17):
Morgan started putting this team together in the off season,
the emphasis was, just like offense last year, it was
from the front to back. It was fortify a line,
have a front seven that could stop the run so
you can stay in games, unlike what was happening second
half of last year. So I just think it's gonna
come with time. You know, when you see the flashes
(11:39):
Princelely has when you see the way, you know, Nick
s Gordon's a kid who is described as relentless by coaches,
and he's also got a couple of pass rush modes
in his bolsters. So I'm curious to see how that develops,
like everybody else is. But you know, again, I think
given the golf of where they had to go in
terms of run defense, I mean, would you like to
(11:59):
fix everything at one time, Sure you would, but especially
if Pat and DJ aren't out there this weekend, it's
going to be tougher for those rookies to get that done.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I know you don't cover the Patriots. I'm not sure
how much you've seen of them, but they're likewise one
and two. They're only win is against the struggling Dolphins team.
They turn the ball over five times against Pittsburgh. They're
still in a rebuilding mode. They swapped out coaches, and
you know, after Drake May's rookie year, we've seen that
here before. What are your thoughts on New England this weekend?
We know that the environment's always tough up there, but
what do you think about the team.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Well, I watched Drake May come into kid ur Stadium
in boot, North Carolina and put sixty three on the board.
So there's nothing that kid's not capable to it, all right,
come on, I mean, that's as stern a test as
you're ever gonna see in football. Now they've got you know,
it's like a lot of young teams. I mean, they are,
(12:50):
you know, not complete by any stretch of the imagination.
They're working on a thing I hate. I mean is well,
let me say this, when you look at what the
Patriots did. You mentioned the turners last week. Obviously the
Panthers are doing a little bit better job of getting
their hands on balls around here. But I think that
I hate playing a team after one like that. I mean,
(13:10):
that kind of stuff always makes me nervous. I'm just
I'm just that way. Maybe I'm paranoid. I don't know.
That happens with old age, kind of like weird scapula injury.
But you know, I mean, it's it's these are two
teams that are kind of similar in a lot of aspects.
I mean, they're they're growing together, people are building cultures.
(13:30):
Mike Crable's gonna Mike Rabel's good ball coach, and he's
gonna get that team looking like a Mike Rabel team
sooner up. If you log at what he did, AT's
gonna see. I don't think he was necessarily the problem there,
but he he can coach him up. He's got a
talented quarterback and it's gonna take time. If Gonzalez is
back from that answering injury, and everything indicates that he's
(13:50):
probably gonna be, it's gonna be a little more complicated
for the passing game. So I think it's fairly even
match up in terms of the two teams and their
profiles and what they're trying to do.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Darren.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
We appreciate you, buddy. Enjoy Foxborough and the chowder this weekend.
We'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah yeah, take care of yourself. I recommend over the
counter pain relieverance, maybe a beverage of your choice after work. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Well not neither of those things have worked so far,
but I'll keep trying. I appreciate you, buddy.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Day keep pounding, sir, that's what they say.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Okay, well, and in fact, I'm actually gonna end up.
I was back at Neogenics this morning to get it situated.
Shout out to one of our great sponsors because Yeah,
the old man injuries are piling up. I appreciate DG
for stopping by
Yeah, Tedora McMillan dealing with a bit of an injury
right now that we told the media yesterday after practice
that he expects to play on Sunday. The part about
that text where he says he's not distraught is in
relation to Xavier league get who did not practice again today,
and I think it looks like it's tracking to not
play again on Sunday against the Patriots. Let's get the latest.
Let's get the real news from a man who that's
(00:22):
what he does. He brings us the real news from
Panthers dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Uncle d G.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Darren Gant is back with us for a Thursday conversation
on the hotline. Darren Gant, what's going on, buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Not a whole lot. It's just another beautiful day here
in Charlotte, North Carolina. How are you, sir? Good?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How's your health? Are you you nicked up at all?
You do you feeling good?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm feeling pretty good. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. I
was a little I was day to day last weekend.
I got a COVID shot so needed a day to recover.
But other than that, I'm as good as gold and
I'm ready to go this week.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Okay, all right, I'm not by the way, you can
add me to the injury report. I found out this morning.
I have a small tear in my scapular muscle. Darren,
it sucks. It's terrible.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
He add me to the list. All right, Well, it
turned four.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I mean, it's not cutting a toe off for anything,
but that's still bad.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It sucks.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Well, I'm also I turned forty in November, so all
of a sudden, the old man injuries are starting to
rack up.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
You've been there, Oh yeah, tell.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Me more about old man injury.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Well, Bailey, all right, well let's stay on theme. Then,
what's the true picture of health for this team right now?
How banged up are they?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well? I mean, you know, they got a couple of
dudes back on the field today. Turk Wharton was back
out there, and that's a good sign. I mean they
saw him in the opener and had not since, so
with the way the defense is playing, getting him back
out there would be a good thing. Uh. And t
Mac was back out there. We'll see, I mean those things,
you know, any of the other stuff. You know, Kyle,
you can check Panthers dot Com tomorrow afternoon after practice
(01:46):
for the final injury report for the for the true
picture of this. But no, it's just kind of hard
to tell. I mean, they've got a lot of day
to day guys, and we'll see. I mean, obviously, I
think one of the things you've got to look at
at that defense with work coming back today is no
Pat Jones, no DJ wantam today. So while you know
Nick and Princeley, you know, put in a shift last
(02:08):
week in that game there, you know, you're a situation
where more could be asked to them this week, and
you know, I think that'll be important because honestly, the
way that defense has played so far this year has
been the big story. I mean, I think with everything
involved in the Carolina Panthers, seeing Derek Brown back on
the field, seeing the way they played run de out
in Arizona, Yeah, that's obviously been a significant difference. So
(02:33):
it'll be curious to see what tomorrow holds. Tune in
sometime shortly after launch and we'll have all the latest
for you.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You're right, it is always interesting to see what tomorrow
holds if we're all blessed and lucky enough to see it.
So I guess that's probably going to be maybe part
of the answer you give me to this question, but
Xavier League get is do you still have belief that
he can help this team in a significant way? Do
you think they believe that he can still help this
team significantly?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I think absolutely. I think you got to remember a
couple of days. Number One, Dave Canalis is an old
wide receivers coach. So when he was I was tarting
to Dave at one point this offseason, and he starts
talking about XL's progression, and he was already thinking about, Okay,
here's where we'll get here two, here's what he'll do
in year three. And so this is a long term
commitment to this guy. You don't take somebody in the
(03:18):
first round if not. And and I think the other
thing that plays into that is just the way he works.
I Mean, I keep weird hours here at the stadium
during the off season, and I'd come down the elevator
to head out at the end of the day and
I'd get off the elevator near the ak wall that
turf field before you go to the press box, and
you'd hear that, you know, and it's XL on the
(03:39):
jugs machine catching balls. And he's doing that in February
and March, in May and June when nobody's around the stadium,
that weird time. So the kids put in the work,
He's he's committed to it. I mean, I think he's
just you know, the physical stuff a lot of times
you don't have any control over. So, but I think
absolutely in terms of confident in him, they've still got it.
(04:01):
And you know he's a big, fast guy and those
are valuable in the NFL. And you know Dave Canalis
was around a couple of them in Seattle that turned out, okay,
So I think you know, the idea that anybody's giving
up on him AT's that's not a real.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Thing, okay, right, fair enough, Darren Gant with us hanging
out on the hotline, we started the show talking about
a chart.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I love charts. I know you love a good chart.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
A chart that was indicating to anybody who looked at it,
that is, it relates to deep balls and the efficiency
throwing the deep balls that Bryce Young has thrown them
very well. But the chart also indicates that plays aren't
always being made. And then our buddy Josh Norris over
at Underdog Fantasy took it upon himself to clip every
throw of twenty plus yards down the field that Bryce
(04:45):
has made so far this year, and what you'll see
on a lot of them are drops and misca. You know,
plays not being made, things like that. I bring this
up to say, has the passing game been a little
better than we think in ways? Is it still leaving
a lot to be he desired for you? What?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
What are we to make of the overall passing game
right now?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Well, I think they've got time to work on it.
And again I go back to last week. One of
the biggest things to me was, Hey, the way they
played defense the last couple of games. But when you
when you don't turn it over early and are able
to stay in pace, you know, and run the ball
the way you want to. When you when you run
it more than you throw it, that's a good thing. Listen,
Obviously they've still got some things to work on. I mean,
(05:26):
Canal said it earlier this week. You know Timac would
be the first one to tell you he's going to
commit down with some of those too. So I think
it's time. There's going to be time to get all
that stuff squared away. I mean, obviously you want to
get it done sooner. Rather than later. But we've seen
the signs from McMillan. We've seen what XL can do,
you know, on the field in the past. So and
(05:47):
obviously when you get in the red zone and stuff,
we've seen what a hunter Renfro could do. And by
the way, congratulations to the Renfros. Welcome the new baby
girl into the world yesterday. So all all good things.
Model top to the ben rent for and all that
fun stuff. So yeah, I think there's time. I mean,
it's natural. Yeah, I think a lot of people expect
(06:07):
things to pick up wherever they were last year and
be exactly like they were. And you know, obviously the
way the Panthers played offense threw the ball around second
half of last year, people thought it was going to
be like that, but it seldom like that. I mean,
these things are not linear, so you're getting used to
new people. You're you know, incorporating new targets, different plays,
(06:28):
different personalities. So I think there's time. But I've seen
signs of it, I truly have. I mean through the
offseason training camp OTAs, these guys were pitching it and
catching it around pretty good. And they were doing it,
you know, even during practice against a pretty good couple
of corners in JC and Mike Jack.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Darren jan hanging out with us here on a Thursday.
You know, we talked so much about the offense, the defense,
and we talk special teams, but often it's to most
of the time, probably to complain or point out things
that are going wrong. But boy, this special teams group
has been good to start the year. Tracy Smith has
done a really nice job. Ryan Fitzgerald has done a
really nice job. Sam Martin's done a nice job. Tracy
(07:06):
Smith's in his first year on the job. How good
have these guys been. We heard Mike Vrabel saying that.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Tracy's been around. He yeah, he came here today, so
he's uh, you.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Know he second, I apologize, My bad, my bad.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, that's all right. Don't sell Tracy Smith short. He's
a wizard of special teams. He deserves all that credit.
They have done a really good job. I think. One
of the things, and you can read all about this
today on Panthers dot com, that kickoff coverage unit. It's
not just Fitzgerald kicking a screwball down there that bounces funny,
and that's the cool thing about a football. It's pointy
(07:39):
on either end, so when it hits the dirt, it
tends to do things you can't predict. So they've got
ten dudes out there, including Bryce and Tremaine, who are
just comic cozing straight down the field and making big plays,
i mean, holding their They're number one in the league
and opponents average drive start on kickoffs, which is the
ultimate esoteric football nerd stat. The thing that's crazy about
(08:02):
it to me, the difference between where the Panthers are
at one and the fifth place Houston Texans or whoever's
in fifth is the same as the gap between five
and thirty two. Like, they're killing it out there, and
most of the league is content to give up give
up touchbacks. But if you've got a kicker who can
kick that ball, and you've got guys who can cover
(08:23):
like Calton Cherlist, Thomas and Combe, Bryce and Tremain, Bean,
Martin Scott, all those cats, I mean, they're getting after
it at a high level. So that's kind of stuff
you need. I Mean, we talked the first couple of
weeks about those little things that you've got to do
to stay in games, and you know, that's obviously one
of them, and that's going well it is.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
What do you think about the notion that this team
could have started better if they'd played more together in
the preseason, because I still get a toe on the
text line.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I think it's silly, Frankly, I really do. I mean,
what would one more series against the Houston Texans second
and third stringers have proven. I mean, somebody sent me
a question the mail bag the other day comparing it
to Joe Gibbs in the eighties, and Joe Gibbs SSH
always have his players play in the preseason. Yeah. Joe
Gibbs also got to coach before free agency, when teams
(09:10):
were the exact same for six years in a row.
So I think stuff like that had a lot more
to do with success Joe Gibbs had in Washington than
preseason staffs. I think it's completely overblown. I'm I am. Yeah,
I'm not an advocate of preseason football as an important
barometer of really anything other than I don't know, temperature.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Well, hold on, because I got to push back a
little bit on that. I know that's your stance. You
and I have worked together long enough. I know that's
generally your stance. But Okay, your point about second and
third stringers. I get what you're what you're saying, but
what about logistics, game day operations, getting play calls in
on time? You know, you're giving reps to coordinators all
the way up until week three of the preseason. Then
we get to week one and play calls aren't getting in.
You're not getting to the lot of scrimmage. There's miscommunication.
(09:54):
That's where I think a lot of people are pointing
to the operation could have been cleaner from the jump.
You don't put any stock into that, no, I.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Mean you can do that in practice too. I think
you know to me, and this is my opinion, Darren Gant.
Only my opinion is pre season snaps are consequence free.
So that's the time you experiment. That's the time you
let people develop. That's the time you run weird plays,
let other people call them, you know, see what your
(10:21):
personnel can do. Mix and match guys. I mean, there's
no there's no lingering. Again, whether it was Brad Izick
or whoever calling offensive place, I don't know that it
necessarily carries over one to the other. I just I
just don't believe in it.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Okay, all right, a couple quick things. We'll get you
out of here, Darren Gant hanging out with us. As
the defense played much better against the Falcons thirty to nothing,
they're still having, you know, difficulty getting to the quarterback.
Among the lowest pressure rate in the NFL. The run
defense was great, but you and I both know they've
got that. There's got to be an uptick in getting
to the quarterback. How do they do that well?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
And again this weekend could be looking at a couple
of those young guys doing it and they've gotten pressure.
There have been some pressure there. Nick and Princeley are
both quick off the ball and you know, have the
ability to do some of that stuff. But they've got
to get a halt. That's obvious. I mean, I think
it's going to be a work in process or work
in progress. I also believe that, you know, when Dan
(11:17):
Morgan started putting this team together in the off season,
the emphasis was, just like offense last year, it was
from the front to back. It was fortify a line,
have a front seven that could stop the run so
you can stay in games, unlike what was happening second
half of last year. So I just think it's gonna
come with time. You know, when you see the flashes
(11:39):
Princelely has when you see the way, you know, Nick
s Gordon's a kid who is described as relentless by coaches,
and he's also got a couple of pass rush modes
in his bolsters. So I'm curious to see how that develops,
like everybody else is. But you know, again, I think
given the golf of where they had to go in
terms of run defense, I mean, would you like to
(11:59):
fix everything at one time, Sure you would, but especially
if Pat and DJ aren't out there this weekend, it's
going to be tougher for those rookies to get that done.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I know you don't cover the Patriots. I'm not sure
how much you've seen of them, but they're likewise one
and two. They're only win is against the struggling Dolphins team.
They turn the ball over five times against Pittsburgh. They're
still in a rebuilding mode. They swapped out coaches, and
you know, after Drake May's rookie year, we've seen that
here before. What are your thoughts on New England this weekend?
We know that the environment's always tough up there, but
what do you think about the team.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Well, I watched Drake May come into kid ur Stadium
in boot, North Carolina and put sixty three on the board.
So there's nothing that kid's not capable to it, all right,
come on, I mean, that's as stern a test as
you're ever gonna see in football. Now they've got you know,
it's like a lot of young teams. I mean, they are,
(12:50):
you know, not complete by any stretch of the imagination.
They're working on a thing I hate. I mean is well,
let me say this, when you look at what the
Patriots did. You mentioned the turners last week. Obviously the
Panthers are doing a little bit better job of getting
their hands on balls around here. But I think that
I hate playing a team after one like that. I mean,
(13:10):
that kind of stuff always makes me nervous. I'm just
I'm just that way. Maybe I'm paranoid. I don't know.
That happens with old age, kind of like weird scapula injury.
But you know, I mean, it's it's these are two
teams that are kind of similar in a lot of aspects.
I mean, they're they're growing together, people are building cultures.
(13:30):
Mike Crable's gonna Mike Rabel's good ball coach, and he's
gonna get that team looking like a Mike Rabel team
sooner up. If you log at what he did, AT's
gonna see. I don't think he was necessarily the problem there,
but he he can coach him up. He's got a
talented quarterback and it's gonna take time. If Gonzalez is
back from that answering injury, and everything indicates that he's
(13:50):
probably gonna be, it's gonna be a little more complicated
for the passing game. So I think it's fairly even
match up in terms of the two teams and their
profiles and what they're trying to do.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Darren.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
We appreciate you, buddy. Enjoy Foxborough and the chowder this weekend.
We'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah yeah, take care of yourself. I recommend over the
counter pain relieverance, maybe a beverage of your choice after work. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Well not neither of those things have worked so far,
but I'll keep trying. I appreciate you, buddy.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Day keep pounding, sir, that's what they say.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Okay, well, and in fact, I'm actually gonna end up.
I was back at Neogenics this morning to get it situated.
Shout out to one of our great sponsors because Yeah,
the old man injuries are piling up. I appreciate DG
for stopping by
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