Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Panthers and the Browns this week in preseason on
the heels of FanFest on Saturday, and I was not
there as a credentialed member of the media. I was
there as a dad letting my three year old son
take in his first NFL experience. So let's talk to
a guy who was there in the press box doing
his job. He always does it well. Mike Kay Charlotte observer,
Carolina Panthers beat writer is back with us here on
(00:22):
a Monday. Mike, I appreciate the time, brother.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
How are you, you know, hanging in there?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
A little sore from you know, standing but all this
but uh, you know, you guys stretch okay before you
watch practice.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
But yeah, we are getting old, so stretching is it's encouraged.
I agree with you. Now I have to point out
that Mike is uh, you know, Mike's not just good
at his job. Mike is diligent, Mike is patient, Mike
is kind. Mike is always standing there for the duration
of practice, watching these guys and taking it all in.
So let me start with the big picture stuff. Mike,
as somebody who is both relying and there every day,
(01:01):
what would you tell the folks out there, how would
you characterize the training camp that the Panthers have had
to this point solid.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I mean, I don't think anybody of importance has been
particularly underwhelming. I think that that's a big positive. I think,
you know, te mac McMillan's kind of gone through what
most would consider, you know, rookie mistakes and like growing
pains getting to the NFL. I mean, he's going from
(01:29):
the University of Arizona to the NFL. You know, there's
going to be an adjustment. I think most of the
draft picks have flashed, including him, And you know, I
think the veterans, for the most part, are competing at
a pretty high level. I mean, you know, the Center
Competition and the Competition were the only two like legitimate
starting competitions before training camp, and both of them are
(01:53):
seem pretty even. So I think it's been a pretty competitive,
you know, training camp. I know there are some minor injuries,
but for the most part, they've been largely unscathed, and
I think all of that is positive.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
If you're a Panthers fan or if you're within the organization.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, i'd agree. You talked about McMillan there a second ago.
Let's stay there. Give me your your big picture thoughts
on the wide receiver room, but you know, also a
bit more on McMillan, because I know he's a top
ten pick, Mike, but you know, if he gets off
to a slow start, I won't necessarily be shocked by that.
Your thoughts on on both the room itself, but you know,
early expectations for.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
The rookie, well, I think with him, his floor was
always going to be high because his hands are so dependable,
and he can bully guys that are smaller than him.
And in the NFL, even with guys that are built
like j. C. Horn, you know there's like seven of them,
they can actually do it. At jcy Horn's level, He's
(02:50):
still going to be bigger than that.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
So I think there's.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
He's got a high four. I think he will be
productive this year, cow productive kind of there's like kind
of a weird long spectrum because you know, he needs
to do well as a route runner, he needs to
be able to separate. Well, everything can't be a contested catch.
Because that's the case, then you're not probably not gonna
(03:15):
get some big place you were hoping for. And this
team has lasted speed at wide receiver for years and
that was a concern of mind heading into this, you
know draft, But we've also seen him seen him flash
like he got open a couple of days ago on
a post route where it looked like he was running
a four to three Like he looks like he's running
(03:36):
fast when he runs, and he was able to get
a touched on about forty five yards untouched. So I
think you're gonna take the good with the bat. He
is a guy who's still learning. He doesn't his elite
trait is not something that he's gonna allow him to
get this kind of separation, but you will see that
he is able to break down the ball. I think
(03:57):
the wide receiver room has been a pleasant surprise. They
had seven or eight roster or both players right now,
and I think, you know, guys taking advantage of their ress.
You thought FanFest David Moore had a really nice night
with Hunter Rentro sideline. Hunter Rentro before he suvered a
hamstring injury, was lighting up practices more productive than pretty
(04:18):
much any other offensive player. And then I think like
Adam Feeling has been really reliable. Jimmy Horn is like
impossible to cover one on one without pad with pads.
He's kind of been human, but it's still as we
saw him fan fat. If you've seen this guy correctly,
he can get open in a flash. And I think
they feel really good about where they're at. Plus Davior
(04:40):
La Guet looks healthy and it's making play, so all's
good there.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mike Case Charlotte Observer, he's with us
on the Bodyworks plus Guest hotline. Somebody earlier today described
Bryce as training camp as not incredible but incredibly solid,
and I like that. I like that characterization myself. I
haven't seen as many practices as you have, but from
what I have seen, it's been a lot of good.
I haven't seen anything amazing, but I've seen a lot
(05:05):
of good, a lot of consistency. Friday, maybe the offense
didn't have its best day, but I get the sense
that over there Dave Canalis really is happy with what
he's saying from Bryce. Is that what you think?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, and he's been fine. I think that's the takeaway.
Like we talk about, like you and I are both
baseball fans. If the team is winning a ton of
close games and they're at the height of height of
the variants, that's probably not sustainable. Like you remember when
the Vikings were winning all those games a couple of
years ago and then they just completely bombed in the playoffs. Like,
(05:38):
you want performances to be consistent and tangible, and I
think what's going on right now is Bryce is testing
himself in practice. I've seen people get a set over
interceptions in practice and you know, tell me you haven't
you know, watched your training camp consistently without telling me that. Yeah,
(06:02):
these guys are trying to test themselves. They're trying to
get away with stuff. They're trying to see what they
can get away with. They're trying to build chemistry. And
I'm not making excuses for Brce. He's had some you know,
lame moments, but I think for the most part, he's
showing a very good.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Command of the offense. I think he is not getting
rattled when he does make a mistake.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
What I liked about him consistently in practice, and what
I think he's done a very good job of is
recovering from bad plays. You know, off the top of
my head, I can think of maybe eight or nine
in receptions, but like probably in the plays after that,
five to six of them, he's thrown really good balls.
(06:44):
I think he is throwing as many dime throws as
he is, you know, turnover worthy throws. So I think
he's been consistent, and I think you've got to feel
good about that. Consistency's more important than.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Flashed in my opinion.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Yeah, no, I agree. Now, you know football is not
about vibes, right. You can't win games on vibes, and
vibes are a lot of what you get from training
camp just because of the very nature of it, good
or bad. But I do you know between let's say
last week, j T Sanders jawing with the defensive sideline,
j C. Horn with a pick and punting the football,
(07:19):
even Lathan Ransom that big hit Saturday night on the
undrafted wide receiver. Dave Canalis has pointed these things out
as mistakes that can't be made on game day, but
has acknowledged that he also kind of loves that stuff
because he feels like his team is playing with an edge. Like,
what is your take on that? How much edge, how
much attitude, how much how much you know need to
(07:41):
prove it is they're out there based on your observations.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
So I would say from the start of the Frank
Reich era to the Denver game last year, this team came.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Off exceptionally song Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I think something clicked when J C.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Corn, when it's.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Sean Payton in Denver. That's when they started to kind
of build momentum. That's when they.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Said, Hey, we're not going to take this anymore. We're
not gonna be laughing stocks.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And I think javes Analysi deserves a lot of credit
because he was always consistent, He always showed.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
The belief and something I talk about a lot.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I'm a guy who judges on process, not necessarily production,
and so I think what's going on is they've taken
the promise of those final seven or eight games and
they are trying to find fruit. And right now, I
think they feel very good about where they're at.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
From a process standpoint.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Now that could mean nothing when it comes to the
regular season, but I think the guys are buying into
the process. I don't remember who said it early in
training camps, but it was a veteran who said it
felt like they had gone from being a team to
a program. And I think for a lot of these guys,
a lot of these younger guys feeling that we're coming
(09:01):
from the SEC or coming from NIL at major schools
in other conferences. They like that they feel that they
are you know, I think this team average is like
twenty six years old. Like they're bought into stuff that
they've already seen be successful.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
A couple of things will let you go. Mike Case
Charlotte Observer, he's with us here hanging out recapping fan fest,
looking ahead to Cleveland this week. What do you think
Dave tries to get out of this week of joint
practice in the game coming up on Friday. We know
the starters are going to play more, but like, what
areas of focus do you think will stand out based
on his week of preparation.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Well, one thing healthy. Two.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I think this is a really good test for both
the offensive line and the front seven. So you know,
Nick Chubb's not in the backfield anymore, but they have
a pretty good stable of running backs. They have three
all Pro caliber offensive linemen and Joel Beatonio, Jack Conklin
(09:59):
and Wyatt's teller. And I think they're going to push
the guys up front.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
They brought in all of these guys. They brought Bobby.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Brown, who's having a nice camp since he got back
on the field. They brought in Turk Wharton who was
having a pretty good training camp as a pass rusher.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
You know, Derek.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Brown hopefully can take part in team drills. Casin to
this point, I mean, they've got the new look linebacker
Trevin Wallace who's look really good as a blitzer, and
Christian rose Boom has done well as a run defender.
You want to see that ferry over and then you
know Nick Gorton's dealing with a hamstring injury, but him
Princely EuMon Meelan.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Could get tested there. They have an offensive.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Tackle to name escaping me but he is like the
biggest tackle in the league basically, and there was a
picture of him just engulfing Miles Garrett the other day,
and I think offensive line wise, look, you want to
see Icky and Taylor Mowtin be able to handle a
guy like Miles Garrett and then internal it like in
in the interior, you want to see how they do
(11:01):
against Bason Graham, who I've seen a lot of highlights
on the practice and he looks kind of like the
player at Michigan that everybody kind of fawned over. So
I think it's going to be a good test for
the trenches.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
Of both sides.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
What I'd like to see is have these wide receivers
and cornerbacks, all of which have seemingly either overachieved or
played well do against you know, the corners against Deontay
Johnson and Jerry Judy, the wide receivers against Denzel Ward
and Greg Newsome. Like, I think there's a lot to
like about this matchup, and I think they're.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Going to get a lot out of it.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
All right, real quick, last thing, the Panthers signed Chris Barnes,
linebacker played a lot in Green Bay less, so the
last couple of years in Arizona they let go of
to a Cividamora who they signed as a free agent
out of Fresno State. I would love your thoughts on that.
But also just big picture, you know, it seems like
they're going to go with the answers on the roster
(11:58):
at a couple of these positions as opposed to chasing
free agents. You know, is there another move, another position
you would expect them to add before Week one?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Well, first off, phenomenal pronunciae hit, thank you. Second off,
I do think they're going to keep an eye on
the linebacker group in the NFL. The free agency pile
is kind of a nightmare right now. Like Chris Bardines
is one of the few guys with like legitimate experience
that made senses is maybe like a cheap backup who
(12:27):
can perform throughout training camp. Them fighting Kim is more
of a threat. I think the guys like Claude and
Cherry Lists and John Radigan than it is to pushing
the charters. But I think it's nice to have a
third guy that has experience who's proven to be relatively durable.
I think they're going to keep an eye on the
(12:48):
linebacker market. Brand Tillas said the other day that the
waiver wires and kind of what.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
It used to be.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Maybe they look into you know, they have, like I said,
seven to eight rosterble wide receivers, they got probably about
ten to eleven roster ball offense. Why did maybe they
try to flip one of those guys.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
For another player?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
You know, player for player trades are kind of in
vogue during training camp. You know, one one team waiver
wire fodder is another team, you know, role player. So
I could see that.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
I think they.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Feel really good about their cornerback group. I think the
last time I was on your show, I said that
they like their cornerback group a.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Lot more than we do. Now I'm kind of seeing why.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I mean, Corey Thornton's been terrific, Shamar Bartholomew is making plays,
Shaw Smith Wade has been the best epensive player in camp,
and I don't think that's arguable at this point that
from a consistency standpoint to play production standpoint. So like,
I think they feel fine about corner I mean, if
there's an injury, everything to go, you know, anywhere, And
(13:49):
I think offensively they like what they have, so barring injury,
I think linebacker's really the spot. I mean safety obviously,
Julian Blackman's side with the Saint Justin Simmons still lingers
out out there. But Justin Simmons was somebody that they
really wanted at the price that he wanted, he'd probably
be here already. And if he wanted to be here
instead of going to a contender, he'd probably have dropped
(14:11):
his money.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
To bands my guest.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
So we'll keep an eye on it, But really, I
think they feel good about their internal.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
Solutions, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Mike ca Charlotte observer Panthers beat writer, hanging out with
us here on a Monday. Buddy, I always appreciate you.
I'll see you tomorrow and I cannot wait to spend
my Sundays with you, starting very soon.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Play you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
There are better places to.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Be, but I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
See you tomorrow, buddy. Mike Kay Charlotte, observer with us