July 21, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode of the Happy Half Hour, Darin and Kassidy react to Nic Scourton signing his rookie contract, discuss the difference between playing defensive end in college and playing defensive end in the pros, get excited to see what T-Mac will bring to this offense, and so much more!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Happy Half Hour. Hello friends, and good afternoon for
your first edition Latest Tradition, next edition of the Happy
Half Hour Training Camp Daily Special.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Wooo complete with dance.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
We are going to do this thing every day during
training camp when there is practice. That means most days
when the Carolina Panthers are on a football field, we
are going to be in your ear holes. Or you
can watch it that way, or you can watch us
on YouTube on our YouTube channel on your way home.
Don't do that on your way home while you're driving.
That would be unsafe and we don't want that unless.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You know exactly where to set the phone exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Actually, no, just don't do that. That seems like a
thing a millennial does that I can never sanction.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You know, Millennials are like adults, which is why we've
grown up in a world. We know how to put
the phone in such a place and we're driving to
watch it with that still being safe.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Alleged adults would have that conversation right there. So anyway,
we got to do it. We gotta do this thing.
It is time. First of all, though, before we get
into Panthers news, how about a special shout out to
her neighbors down the street. The Charlotte Hornets, Your Charlotte Hornets,
the Kings of the NBA Summer League, won the championship
last night with a dramatic win over the Sacramento Kings.
(01:18):
I know you watched that, Sure you did not. Can
you name one Hornet who played in the Summer League.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
In the Summer League, We're gonna work.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
On your citizenship for one thing. You're driving around watching
videos in your car. For another thing, you don't even
know about the great Kanka Nipple, the latest savior of
the Charlotte Hornets.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
FROs wait, I did see that on Twitter last night?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Did he win MVP?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
He did win the.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I did see that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So we are all fired up about Conk Nipple and
the Charlotte Hornets restoring some sanity back to basketball here
in this town. It's been a long time, ten years
since they've been in the regular playoffs. But I got
in the Summer League playoffs and just went ahead and
won it. For good measure, and in honor of that win,
I brought our toy of the day, our latest little
treasure back here on the shelf. Behind me. That's Bobblehead.
(02:08):
Paul silas cool and on account of you driving around
looking at videos and all the other millennial silliness you're
responsible for today already, I'm not even going to expect
you to understand who Paul Silace is.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Wait, he was. He had an MVP, a couple of MPs.
He was on something you read off the list earlier. Yeah,
I did not class.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Paul Silace of course, won a couple of couple three
titles with the Boston Celtics. He became the head coach
of the Charlotte Hornets, replacing Dave Cowens, another Celtics ledgend
it was good times, used to have good times here
in basketball, and they're coming back thanks to our resilient
Summer League Hornets champion. So let's get to the football.
(02:54):
That's what the people came here for. And it's Rookie Report.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Day and and they were I think they were all
here by nine am this.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Morning, and that is a thing. They are all in
the building. The news of the day. And you know,
since we've podcasted with you last is then Nick Gordon
got his contract signed, not really a surprise. That was
kind of my manufactured drama of the offseason this year.
Second Round contract status became a thing because last Monday
(03:23):
the fifteenth, exactly, two second rounders were signed. Then over
the course of the week they started signing and then
they just all start trickling in behind it. It's contractual,
it's it's minutia. That's not really germane to the football
part of this thing. And as one of the smartest
people I've ever met in the NFL told me once
upon a time, rookie contract signings are kind of like
(03:45):
potty training kids. We all worry about it and fred
about when it's gonna happen, and freak out if it
doesn't happen according to our schedule.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
But it always ends up happening, so it always rises Nick.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Nick Gordon is here, his contract is signed. He is
in the building along with Ttertoro and McMillan and the
rest of the draft class. It's rookie report day, so Nick,
that's where we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Nick was bouncing around this morning. It was fine. He
was just he was excited. He was asking people like,
you see us sign my contract, you see us sign
my car, like he was excited just to have it
done as well. And you know, Darren, I've covered teams
before who were at this point of training camp who
had half of the class still unsigned. So it's that's
never where you want to be as a team, but
(04:31):
always a nice little load off when you can head
into training camp and you've got your entire rookie class signed.
And I don't know if anybody in the building was
happier about it today than Nick Gorton was. He was
certainly letting if you didn't know that the contract was done,
he was letting you know by nine a m. This morning.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
That's awesome. And Nick's got an important role to play
around here. I mean, you draft a guy in the
second round, you anticipate him stepping in and becoming part
of your rotation at pass rush anyway. But Nick's had
an eventful, you know, summer so far. I mean he has,
and you wrote about this. You went over to the
hotel and talked to him and Princely about all the
supplemental homework they were kind of doing on their own
(05:09):
this spring to get ready for it, because we're anticipating
those guys both having to contribute early on.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, and I think they really could. You know, they
came in knowing that this was going to be a
tall hill to climb. You know, I've heard coaches say before,
and I think there's a lot to it. That's one
of the hardest positions to transition with from college to
the NFL. And it's because it is at that position,
at pass rusher, where you realize, perhaps more than any
(05:36):
other position on the field, just how much faster the
game is at the NFL level than it is at college.
You know, there's a huge difference between two point seven
seconds and three point two seconds when you're a pass rusher,
and that makes all the that's the difference between a
sack and a big completion, and so it's a it's
a big jump coming from college at that position. And
(05:59):
these are two guys as well, or Nick Gorton, you know,
who came out a little early. Princely did go back
for another year just to kind of get another year
under his belt at the college level. But these are
two guys who are still relatively young as well. But
that gives you a lot of future with them. And
they compliment each other's games so well. And we saw
that a lot throughout OTAs and through mandatory mini camp.
(06:21):
They are not the same pass rusher in any way
shape form or fashion, and that bodes well for the
Carolina Panthers. And so I think they know that and
they realize that. You know, they talked about that when
we were at the hotel with them, which go check
that out on Panthers dot Com if you haven't how
they knew that they had to be on the field
at the same time and compliment each other as much
as they could, and that they know it's not going
(06:44):
to necessarily be a game week one like come out
and be a star, but that there is a lot
of potential and a lot of future there and it starts.
It's already started. It started as soon as they got
here that first Brickey Mini camp.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, no doubt. And those two also have mentors to
get them get their feet wet in the NFL as
they go through this things. Pat Jones came in this
offseason in free agency. Dj Wanham. It feels like dj
Wanham's been here for a long time, even though we
only played eight games last year as he came back
from some medical problems. But when he came back, he
(07:19):
was productive. Four sacks in those eight games, and really
you could tell a difference in that defense in terms
of the pressure they were creating when he got back
out there on the field. But they went out, you know,
obviously along with Turshall and Wharton, Bobby Brown, Trayvon Marrig,
Christian Roseboom, Pat Jones was one of those Day one
free agency. You know, here's the emphasis we're putting on this.
(07:39):
We're signing five guys who are going to be contributors
on day one. So they've got role models in Pat
and DJ to kind of help shepherd them along through
this thing. But I think it's going to be important
for both those guys, honestly to contribute early on because
you know, the Carolina Panthers are trying to get back
to a place of stability on defense and having that
(08:02):
kind of pass rusher. You always need more than one, right,
and having one good guy is good, Having two good
guys is that much better. I tend to go back
to the old, old, old old days. As you may
be aware, Lamar Lathan was here in nineteen ninety five
and was pretty good. When Kevin Green was next to
him the following year, both of them were even better.
(08:23):
So that second one is kind of a force multiplier.
And the hope is that these two guys turn into
some kind of version of Kevin Green and Lamar Lathan
and a lot of people would be fired up about that.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And that's a position too, where it's hard to be
in every down guy, right. So the more you can have,
the more you can rotate, especially depending on the situation,
is helpful. And you've got that now. And I think
you're gonna see a lot of Nick Gorton and Princeville
who made me alien as we get into the season,
and you know, whether it's in respite of a respite?
(08:56):
I'm sorry I said it wrong. If Pat Jonson you.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Said man me Ellen right and then tripped over to respite.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You know how like there's words that you just read
all the time and they're not necessarily a part of
your every day vernacular, and so you know what they
look like, but you don't necessarily remember how they sound.
I do that with respite. I did it for the
longest time with prologue. I messed that one up all
the time. But anyway, how did you say that? I
don't even remember, but I know it was wrong.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I know you're a product of the Alabama public schools.
Every now and then you act like a homeschool kid.
Who reads these words and never talks to people, and
hear's mo outout anyway.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Any they can come in as a breather for a
DJ one them at Pat Jones. They could even partner
up with them, you know, put but Pat Jones and
Princely out there at the same time, or DJ and
Nick or vice versa. Yeah, And so I think there's
and to your point about the mentorship, that's something that
Dacy Carter actually purposely did. Like he gave every rookie
(09:58):
a veteran and almost like a big other little brother situation,
and like basically told the veterans like this one's your responsibility.
That's right, And both Princely and Nick have talked about
how much that has meant to them already and really
kind of helped them come along that much quicker in
the playbook.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And I got a kick out of talking ac Carter
during the off season. He comes from an educational background.
He's got a lot of teachers and principles and guidance
counselors and such in his family back in New Orleans,
and he takes a very educational psychology approach to this.
So he's got those guys on an each one teach
one plan right now, and I think it's good. I mean,
(10:36):
and those those two do have an opportunity. Of course,
they are just two members of a rookie class with
a lot of dudes they are counting on for big
things this year. I think obviously Tteroa McMillan, the number
eight overall pick, is the guy they've got the biggest
plans for early on this offseason. And one of the
cool things about him is is watching him kind of
(10:58):
come in and fit into a gri that had been
pretty productive over the second half of last year and
really adding elements to it. When you see him out
there moving around on the field, you understand why he's
a top ten pick because he's got a frame, he's
got arms out here like a pterodactyl wingspan, and he
can catch it. And I still remember it's one of
(11:19):
the things I'll remember about this draft for years to come.
When I was talking to Canalis after they picked Tea
that night, he was like, and in video this works
if you're listening to us on the audio channels, Hey,
we appreciate that. And b you're just gonna have to
go theater of the mind here for a second. But
Canalis was talking about McMillan and he said, I like
him because he catches it here, and he catches it here,
(11:41):
and he catches it here, and he was moving his
arms all around as far as Dave Canalis could reach,
and he was like, the point is to catch the ball,
and he catches it wherever it is. And you saw
that throughout the spring.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, he's a hands catcher for sure, which for a
guy that young is always a little nice to see
because that's something that you can teach, but if you
don't have to, you're that much farther along. And he's
got soft hands, which bodes well because Canalis and brad
Isak are big on like kind of shuffling guys around
and nobody necessarily being the set X y Z f
(12:18):
letting guys kind of move around. But I mean, let's
be honest, we can call a spade a spade. They
were missing a huge downfield guy and they kind of
have that now with t Maac. But to Canalas's point,
he can still also kind of be in other places.
And the more you can move guys around to put
them in different places, the more confusing you are for
a defense.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Right, and you know, obviously, as you've seen over the
last couple of weeks. You know, Adam thiel And takes
them to Minnesota and takes them under his wing. They
go out on the lake. You know, had a little
bit of fun with Xavier league at not necessarily wanting
to get in Lake Minnetonka or.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Speaking of that of them. It is land of ten
thousand Lakes. Literally. We have had some comments on our
YouTube video from our last podcast. Apparently you and I
went full southern and didn't even know it. I guess
there are not alligators in the lakes in Minnesota. Part
on me, there's just lock nest monsters or whatever.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
You know. Sometimes you say things like that and it
just kind of flies past the radar. I feel like
if I would have recognized that you were talking about
alligators in Minnesota Lake, I would have probably flagged that.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I don't even think about it. I just heard. I'm
from Alabama. I see a body of water, I assume
there's an alligator, and I assume there's water moccasins in there.
Oh my god, do you know where the two largest
alligators in the history of recorded time have been found?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Tell me number one and number two?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Found in Miller's Ferry, Alabama, which is on the Alabama River.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
It's like a roadside attraction in Alabama.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
It's see the biggest, the biggest allegation.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I think the last one they pulled out that like
set a new record, like sixteen foot. That's a big gator.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I think you're giving me reason for pause here. I'm
gonna have to fact check a lot of these claims.
I need to see if the biggest alligator in history
actually is from Alabama.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I'm gonna I'm gonna google it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Not right now, you can do this later. Lord knows,
we got enough other stuff to do. But no, we
were talking about exavierly get In and one of the
cool things to me throughout the spring was watching the
way him and Temac play off of each other a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
They could not be more different, No, I.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Mean, these two guys, you got country South Carolina and
chilled out Southern California by way of Hawaii. Culturally, the
way they grew up couldn't be any more different. But
they've got a vibe going right now, don't they they do.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
I think we said this last week too, But I
would love to watch that Buddy cop movie I think
that they've They've definitely got an odd couple thing going there,
but it works for them, and you know, they have
found something with each other. And again, I know you
mentioned this last week, but just to reiterate, I think
they're was some assumption that there would be competition there,
(15:04):
and I'm sure there is in some level, you know,
some good natured brotherly competition, but more than anything, they're
looking for each other. Like if one of them catches
the ball on the field like Darren practice, they're looking
for the other one. And that that really is a picture.
That's a perfect It's the epitome of everything Canalis has
kind of been saying of always come back to us,
(15:26):
you know, we control us, Always come back to us.
Look for each other. And do you see that with
Tero and Xavier.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yeah. And I think it's gonna be cool. And it's
a neat setup, having an Adam feeling and having a
hunter renfro around in that room. You've got a couple
of guys who've been through it, who've seen it. David
Moore as of David Moore, who has seen a lot
of stuff and knows this offense and knows what Dave
Canalis expects as well as anybody. And now you've got
these two first round picks, which really gives you a
(15:55):
chance to grow this thing and develop it over time.
I mean, Dave Canalis is an old wid dress coach,
and if you ever want to see him get wound up,
start talking about the particulars of wide receiver play. I mean,
he's got a plan in his head for what XL
is going to look like in year two, in year three,
and the steps he's going to take along the way
(16:15):
because he's been out there. I mean, DK Metcalf is
a guy of similar dimension to XL who Dave's seen
up close and personal and become one of those guys.
So he knows what it looks like. He knows what
it takes to develop those guys over the course of years.
And I think the fact that they get along as
well as they do speaks well to what's coming here,
(16:37):
maybe over the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
And you know, to that point, you wrote a story
about this today that people can also go read on
Panthers dot com about you know, Canalis has made such
an effort to make sure that this is a player
led team built from the ground up. That's another good example.
You know, it gets only in his second year, but
he immediately took in t macam's like, Okay, we're going
to do this together. And you know that that gets
(17:00):
helped on. You've got guys like Feeling and fro and
David Moore. David Moore is such a such an underrated
one too when it comes to that. You know, like
you said, somebody that's been with Canalis forever and knows
what he knows what needs to be done to make
this offense work both on and off the field. And
you see that across the team, and you see it
(17:23):
more so in different places that whole player led aspect
of it. But the wide receiver one is definitely a
big one where it could pay a lot of dividends.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And listen, this doesn't have anything to do with Teteroa McMillan.
But the other thing that's happening at that position that
I think is a really good sign for the development
of these guys is Friday morning, I was in here
doing some stuff, finishing up some paperwork while I was
also writing a mailbag last weekend, and I go down
the elevator and you hear that, and you realize somebody's
(17:56):
on the jugs machine. Yeah, it's Xavier League and Excel.
Really from the Philadelphia game on last year, which obviously
everybody remembers the way that one ended, he has come
back determined to work on that problem and it reminds
me so much. I mean, right after that Eagles game,
he went over on the practice field after practice that
(18:16):
following week and was out there with Cuban Tommy, who
are like the patron saints of the jugs machine here,
and he was out there with Cuban Tommy and he
was like, I'm gonna get this right. And he continued
to work on it. And it's one thing to do
that kind of work when a bunch of people are watching.
When your Xavier League at the week after the Eagles
game last year, everybody anticipates you working on that. When
(18:38):
it's Friday, July fifteenth or whatever that was, or Monday
July twenty first, or whatever day to day is, and
he's in here doing the work in those quiet times
when nobody's really in the stadium. That's a good sign
and it's evidence that he's serious about getting better at
the part of the game he needs to work on.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I was actually downstairs about twenty minutes before we were
recording this, and guess who was down there on the
drugs machine.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
That's right, he's doing it. I mean, it's and listen,
Cuba Hubbard is the perfect role model for this because
Cuba's rookie year, he's backing up CMC. He's not getting
a lot of time, and there were a couple of
drops along the way, and he dedicated himself to fixing
this thing he was less good at and now he's
proficient at it. Now. I just I've got all the
(19:23):
respect in the world for the way Cuba works and
the way he earned that extension, and they gave him
that extension almost for the way he works in the
role model he has become as much as the yards
and the touchdowns and that kind of those those things
are good, that's the reason. But Cuba is the leader
they want guys to follow.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
All the leader stuff is what made it easy to
bring the deal to the table, I think.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
No doubt, no doubt. So anyway, rookies are in the
building just out of curiosity, other than those top three
picks who get all the attention, is there a rookie
in this class you're most interested in seeing how they
develop over the course of training camp.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yeah, and this one's also still a cliche answer, but
I want to see what Jimmy Horn does because we
know he has his speed, Like that's obviously what he's
known for and under like understandably, So what else does
he bring? What else can he do? And he talked
about that as well, you know, wanting to kind of
make sure he's versatile enough to be worthy of a
(20:27):
spot on the fifty three when it comes to that,
and they're making those decisions, especially as as a lower
round guy, you know, And and he worked on it
here and there, he worked on it throughout the off
season with OTAs in mini camp. Now's his chance to
prove like he's versatile enough to be worthy of one
of those spots. And it's and the speed comes into
(20:48):
play a lot, you know, on certain gadget plays and
especially as a returner, something else he's kind of worked on.
But he knows that that can't be his only thing
on his calling card. So I want to see what
else he brings to the field as well.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Yeah, no doubt, I think if I had another rookie,
I'm most curious about seeing it's gonna be Ryan Fitzgerald,
the kicker from Florida State. I mean, he is here competing.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
He wasn't a laugh at the Ryan Fitzgerald. It would
just I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You thought I was gonna talk about Ryan Fitzpatrick, didn't you?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I did, cause I saw the Ryan fitz on our
computer screen and I actually thought to myself, why is
he googling Ryan Fitzpatrick, Like what is this about?
Speaker 1 (21:27):
No, that would be Ryan Fitzgerald, the Florida State kicker,
who is in here competing with matthew Wright, who's a
veteran who's been here before for that kicking job. And listen,
there's no guarantee that Carolina Panthers kicker this year is
either Ryan Fitzgerald or Matthew Wright. It could always be
somebody from out there at the great unknown. I mean,
the thirty third kicker in the NFL is one of
(21:47):
those positions who ends up somewhere nobody's expecting every season,
and so these guys have an opportunity to compete. Right now,
Fitzgerald's got a big leg and he's been really productive
in the last couple of years, So it's gonna be
fascinating for me to see how that kicking competition develops
because these two are not just competing against each other,
they're competing against the rest of the kicking world.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Yeah, that's a great point, job, Darren. Another one can
go ahead a lot of one and throw another one
out there. Someone that we haven't talked a lot about
is Leaithan Ransom because that's a safety unit that is
bereft of depth, and so there's opportunity there for any
of the guys. And you know, you've got a couple
(22:29):
of rookies and Demani Richardson or rookies from last year,
second year guys. Now in Demani Richardson is Jamar Bartholomew
who kind of, you know, earned earned a reason to
be out there at times, Demany especially. But then you've
got a veteran like Nick Scott. All of that to say,
and what they do with Marrek is going to play
a lot into that as well. There is chances there
(22:52):
for a guy like Laithan Ransom, who really kind of
made a reputation for himself at the college level being
a ballhawk, which is something you can't always show in otate,
but you know where you can show it joint practice.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's right, joint practice two of the leason games. So
and it is. It's going to be interesting.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
That's where Demani Richardson made his name for you, that's right.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
I mean, those guys have reps at their disposal, and
that's one of the most important things this time of year,
because if you flash back to last year's training camp,
Tommy Tremble was out with a little bit of an injury,
Ian Thomas was held out and j T. Sanders got
a ton of work during training camp. Right now, the
Carolina Panthers haven't gone out and signed that veteran safety
(23:30):
that a lot of people thought they might. They still might.
I mean, I think that's going to be an open
question until it isn't, you know. And that thing's going
to evolve over the course of the off season, I'm sure.
But for right now, at this moment, Demanie richards and
lath And Ransom get a lot of reps, and one
of those two, as it stands right now, might be
a starter in the NFL in Week one, depending on
(23:52):
what happens roster wise the rest of the year. I
mean again, Lathan Ransom is a guy we know from
seeing him at Ohio State. It's always around the ball.
He's smart, he's a good special teams player, and I think,
you know, that's at least going to be the role
for him in the short term, but that role could
grow based on what he does with these reps coming
up next four or five weeks for sure.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
And to kind of put a bow on all of that,
you know, as we get to the field on Wednesday
and we get into practice, it's important to remember what
this team looks like right now and what it will
look like on July twenty third is going to be
completely different from what it looks like on August twenty eighth.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
That's exciting, at least from our point of view.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah. I mean, there's going to be a lot of
stuff happening. And I think that having this many competitions
for jobs they have Dan Morgan, Brandt, Tillisnows, guys on
the personnel side have done such a good job of
raising the floor here personnel wise this offseason. Now they're
fits for roster spots, not just starting jobs. You've increased
(24:53):
the competition across the roster. There's certain positions we talked
about wide receiver, a lot today. There are a number
of other spots like that, and we'll get into all
that in the days and weeks to come. For now,
this is the Rookie Report Day edition of the Happy
Half Hour Training Camp Special to your Dance Thanks to
Casty Hill, Thanks to Bobblehead Paul Silas. Congratulations to the
(25:16):
Charlotte Hornets. We'll see y'all tomorrow.
The Happy Half Hour. Hello friends, and good afternoon for
your first edition Latest Tradition, next edition of the Happy
Half Hour Training Camp Daily Special.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Wooo complete with dance.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
We are going to do this thing every day during
training camp when there is practice. That means most days
when the Carolina Panthers are on a football field, we
are going to be in your ear holes. Or you
can watch it that way, or you can watch us
on YouTube on our YouTube channel on your way home.
Don't do that on your way home while you're driving.
That would be unsafe and we don't want that unless.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You know exactly where to set the phone exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Actually, no, just don't do that. That seems like a
thing a millennial does that I can never sanction.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You know, Millennials are like adults, which is why we've
grown up in a world. We know how to put
the phone in such a place and we're driving to
watch it with that still being safe.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Alleged adults would have that conversation right there. So anyway,
we got to do it. We gotta do this thing.
It is time. First of all, though, before we get
into Panthers news, how about a special shout out to
her neighbors down the street. The Charlotte Hornets, Your Charlotte Hornets,
the Kings of the NBA Summer League, won the championship
last night with a dramatic win over the Sacramento Kings.
(01:18):
I know you watched that, Sure you did not. Can
you name one Hornet who played in the Summer League.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
In the Summer League, We're gonna work.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
On your citizenship for one thing. You're driving around watching
videos in your car. For another thing, you don't even
know about the great Kanka Nipple, the latest savior of
the Charlotte Hornets.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
FROs wait, I did see that on Twitter last night?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Did he win MVP?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
He did win the.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I did see that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So we are all fired up about Conk Nipple and
the Charlotte Hornets restoring some sanity back to basketball here
in this town. It's been a long time, ten years
since they've been in the regular playoffs. But I got
in the Summer League playoffs and just went ahead and
won it. For good measure, and in honor of that win,
I brought our toy of the day, our latest little
treasure back here on the shelf. Behind me. That's Bobblehead.
(02:08):
Paul silas cool and on account of you driving around
looking at videos and all the other millennial silliness you're
responsible for today already, I'm not even going to expect
you to understand who Paul Silace is.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Wait, he was. He had an MVP, a couple of MPs.
He was on something you read off the list earlier. Yeah,
I did not class.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Paul Silace of course, won a couple of couple three
titles with the Boston Celtics. He became the head coach
of the Charlotte Hornets, replacing Dave Cowens, another Celtics ledgend
it was good times, used to have good times here
in basketball, and they're coming back thanks to our resilient
Summer League Hornets champion. So let's get to the football.
(02:54):
That's what the people came here for. And it's Rookie Report.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Day and and they were I think they were all
here by nine am this.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Morning, and that is a thing. They are all in
the building. The news of the day. And you know,
since we've podcasted with you last is then Nick Gordon
got his contract signed, not really a surprise. That was
kind of my manufactured drama of the offseason this year.
Second Round contract status became a thing because last Monday
(03:23):
the fifteenth, exactly, two second rounders were signed. Then over
the course of the week they started signing and then
they just all start trickling in behind it. It's contractual,
it's it's minutia. That's not really germane to the football
part of this thing. And as one of the smartest
people I've ever met in the NFL told me once
upon a time, rookie contract signings are kind of like
(03:45):
potty training kids. We all worry about it and fred
about when it's gonna happen, and freak out if it
doesn't happen according to our schedule.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
But it always ends up happening, so it always rises Nick.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Nick Gordon is here, his contract is signed. He is
in the building along with Ttertoro and McMillan and the
rest of the draft class. It's rookie report day, so Nick,
that's where we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Nick was bouncing around this morning. It was fine. He
was just he was excited. He was asking people like,
you see us sign my contract, you see us sign
my car, like he was excited just to have it
done as well. And you know, Darren, I've covered teams
before who were at this point of training camp who
had half of the class still unsigned. So it's that's
never where you want to be as a team, but
(04:31):
always a nice little load off when you can head
into training camp and you've got your entire rookie class signed.
And I don't know if anybody in the building was
happier about it today than Nick Gorton was. He was
certainly letting if you didn't know that the contract was done,
he was letting you know by nine a m. This morning.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
That's awesome. And Nick's got an important role to play
around here. I mean, you draft a guy in the
second round, you anticipate him stepping in and becoming part
of your rotation at pass rush anyway. But Nick's had
an eventful, you know, summer so far. I mean he has,
and you wrote about this. You went over to the
hotel and talked to him and Princely about all the
supplemental homework they were kind of doing on their own
(05:09):
this spring to get ready for it, because we're anticipating
those guys both having to contribute early on.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, and I think they really could. You know, they
came in knowing that this was going to be a
tall hill to climb. You know, I've heard coaches say before,
and I think there's a lot to it. That's one
of the hardest positions to transition with from college to
the NFL. And it's because it is at that position,
at pass rusher, where you realize, perhaps more than any
(05:36):
other position on the field, just how much faster the
game is at the NFL level than it is at college.
You know, there's a huge difference between two point seven
seconds and three point two seconds when you're a pass rusher,
and that makes all the that's the difference between a
sack and a big completion, and so it's a it's
a big jump coming from college at that position. And
(05:59):
these are two guys as well, or Nick Gorton, you know,
who came out a little early. Princely did go back
for another year just to kind of get another year
under his belt at the college level. But these are
two guys who are still relatively young as well. But
that gives you a lot of future with them. And
they compliment each other's games so well. And we saw
that a lot throughout OTAs and through mandatory mini camp.
(06:21):
They are not the same pass rusher in any way
shape form or fashion, and that bodes well for the
Carolina Panthers. And so I think they know that and
they realize that. You know, they talked about that when
we were at the hotel with them, which go check
that out on Panthers dot Com if you haven't how
they knew that they had to be on the field
at the same time and compliment each other as much
as they could, and that they know it's not going
(06:44):
to necessarily be a game week one like come out
and be a star, but that there is a lot
of potential and a lot of future there and it starts.
It's already started. It started as soon as they got
here that first Brickey Mini camp.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, no doubt. And those two also have mentors to
get them get their feet wet in the NFL as
they go through this things. Pat Jones came in this
offseason in free agency. Dj Wanham. It feels like dj
Wanham's been here for a long time, even though we
only played eight games last year as he came back
from some medical problems. But when he came back, he
(07:19):
was productive. Four sacks in those eight games, and really
you could tell a difference in that defense in terms
of the pressure they were creating when he got back
out there on the field. But they went out, you know,
obviously along with Turshall and Wharton, Bobby Brown, Trayvon Marrig,
Christian Roseboom, Pat Jones was one of those Day one
free agency. You know, here's the emphasis we're putting on this.
(07:39):
We're signing five guys who are going to be contributors
on day one. So they've got role models in Pat
and DJ to kind of help shepherd them along through
this thing. But I think it's going to be important
for both those guys, honestly to contribute early on because
you know, the Carolina Panthers are trying to get back
to a place of stability on defense and having that
(08:02):
kind of pass rusher. You always need more than one, right,
and having one good guy is good, Having two good
guys is that much better. I tend to go back
to the old, old, old old days. As you may
be aware, Lamar Lathan was here in nineteen ninety five
and was pretty good. When Kevin Green was next to
him the following year, both of them were even better.
(08:23):
So that second one is kind of a force multiplier.
And the hope is that these two guys turn into
some kind of version of Kevin Green and Lamar Lathan
and a lot of people would be fired up about that.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And that's a position too, where it's hard to be
in every down guy, right. So the more you can have,
the more you can rotate, especially depending on the situation,
is helpful. And you've got that now. And I think
you're gonna see a lot of Nick Gorton and Princeville
who made me alien as we get into the season,
and you know, whether it's in respite of a respite?
(08:56):
I'm sorry I said it wrong. If Pat Jonson you.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Said man me Ellen right and then tripped over to respite.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You know how like there's words that you just read
all the time and they're not necessarily a part of
your every day vernacular, and so you know what they
look like, but you don't necessarily remember how they sound.
I do that with respite. I did it for the
longest time with prologue. I messed that one up all
the time. But anyway, how did you say that? I
don't even remember, but I know it was wrong.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I know you're a product of the Alabama public schools.
Every now and then you act like a homeschool kid.
Who reads these words and never talks to people, and
hear's mo outout anyway.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Any they can come in as a breather for a
DJ one them at Pat Jones. They could even partner
up with them, you know, put but Pat Jones and
Princely out there at the same time, or DJ and
Nick or vice versa. Yeah, And so I think there's
and to your point about the mentorship, that's something that
Dacy Carter actually purposely did. Like he gave every rookie
(09:58):
a veteran and almost like a big other little brother situation,
and like basically told the veterans like this one's your responsibility.
That's right, And both Princely and Nick have talked about
how much that has meant to them already and really
kind of helped them come along that much quicker in
the playbook.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And I got a kick out of talking ac Carter
during the off season. He comes from an educational background.
He's got a lot of teachers and principles and guidance
counselors and such in his family back in New Orleans,
and he takes a very educational psychology approach to this.
So he's got those guys on an each one teach
one plan right now, and I think it's good. I mean,
(10:36):
and those those two do have an opportunity. Of course,
they are just two members of a rookie class with
a lot of dudes they are counting on for big
things this year. I think obviously Tteroa McMillan, the number
eight overall pick, is the guy they've got the biggest
plans for early on this offseason. And one of the
cool things about him is is watching him kind of
(10:58):
come in and fit into a gri that had been
pretty productive over the second half of last year and
really adding elements to it. When you see him out
there moving around on the field, you understand why he's
a top ten pick because he's got a frame, he's
got arms out here like a pterodactyl wingspan, and he
can catch it. And I still remember it's one of
(11:19):
the things I'll remember about this draft for years to come.
When I was talking to Canalis after they picked Tea
that night, he was like, and in video this works
if you're listening to us on the audio channels, Hey,
we appreciate that. And b you're just gonna have to
go theater of the mind here for a second. But
Canalis was talking about McMillan and he said, I like
him because he catches it here, and he catches it here,
(11:41):
and he catches it here, and he was moving his
arms all around as far as Dave Canalis could reach,
and he was like, the point is to catch the ball,
and he catches it wherever it is. And you saw
that throughout the spring.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, he's a hands catcher for sure, which for a
guy that young is always a little nice to see
because that's something that you can teach, but if you
don't have to, you're that much farther along. And he's
got soft hands, which bodes well because Canalis and brad
Isak are big on like kind of shuffling guys around
and nobody necessarily being the set X y Z f
(12:18):
letting guys kind of move around. But I mean, let's
be honest, we can call a spade a spade. They
were missing a huge downfield guy and they kind of
have that now with t Maac. But to Canalas's point,
he can still also kind of be in other places.
And the more you can move guys around to put
them in different places, the more confusing you are for
a defense.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Right, and you know, obviously, as you've seen over the
last couple of weeks. You know, Adam thiel And takes
them to Minnesota and takes them under his wing. They
go out on the lake. You know, had a little
bit of fun with Xavier league at not necessarily wanting
to get in Lake Minnetonka or.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Speaking of that of them. It is land of ten
thousand Lakes. Literally. We have had some comments on our
YouTube video from our last podcast. Apparently you and I
went full southern and didn't even know it. I guess
there are not alligators in the lakes in Minnesota. Part
on me, there's just lock nest monsters or whatever.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
You know. Sometimes you say things like that and it
just kind of flies past the radar. I feel like
if I would have recognized that you were talking about
alligators in Minnesota Lake, I would have probably flagged that.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I don't even think about it. I just heard. I'm
from Alabama. I see a body of water, I assume
there's an alligator, and I assume there's water moccasins in there.
Oh my god, do you know where the two largest
alligators in the history of recorded time have been found?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Tell me number one and number two?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Found in Miller's Ferry, Alabama, which is on the Alabama River.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
It's like a roadside attraction in Alabama.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
It's see the biggest, the biggest allegation.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I think the last one they pulled out that like
set a new record, like sixteen foot. That's a big gator.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I think you're giving me reason for pause here. I'm
gonna have to fact check a lot of these claims.
I need to see if the biggest alligator in history
actually is from Alabama.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I'm gonna I'm gonna google it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Not right now, you can do this later. Lord knows,
we got enough other stuff to do. But no, we
were talking about exavierly get In and one of the
cool things to me throughout the spring was watching the
way him and Temac play off of each other a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
They could not be more different, No, I.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Mean, these two guys, you got country South Carolina and
chilled out Southern California by way of Hawaii. Culturally, the
way they grew up couldn't be any more different. But
they've got a vibe going right now, don't they they do.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
I think we said this last week too, But I
would love to watch that Buddy cop movie I think
that they've They've definitely got an odd couple thing going there,
but it works for them, and you know, they have
found something with each other. And again, I know you
mentioned this last week, but just to reiterate, I think
they're was some assumption that there would be competition there,
(15:04):
and I'm sure there is in some level, you know,
some good natured brotherly competition, but more than anything, they're
looking for each other. Like if one of them catches
the ball on the field like Darren practice, they're looking
for the other one. And that that really is a picture.
That's a perfect It's the epitome of everything Canalis has
kind of been saying of always come back to us,
(15:26):
you know, we control us, Always come back to us.
Look for each other. And do you see that with
Tero and Xavier.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yeah. And I think it's gonna be cool. And it's
a neat setup, having an Adam feeling and having a
hunter renfro around in that room. You've got a couple
of guys who've been through it, who've seen it. David
Moore as of David Moore, who has seen a lot
of stuff and knows this offense and knows what Dave
Canalis expects as well as anybody. And now you've got
these two first round picks, which really gives you a
(15:55):
chance to grow this thing and develop it over time.
I mean, Dave Canalis is an old wid dress coach,
and if you ever want to see him get wound up,
start talking about the particulars of wide receiver play. I mean,
he's got a plan in his head for what XL
is going to look like in year two, in year three,
and the steps he's going to take along the way
(16:15):
because he's been out there. I mean, DK Metcalf is
a guy of similar dimension to XL who Dave's seen
up close and personal and become one of those guys.
So he knows what it looks like. He knows what
it takes to develop those guys over the course of years.
And I think the fact that they get along as
well as they do speaks well to what's coming here,
(16:37):
maybe over the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
And you know, to that point, you wrote a story
about this today that people can also go read on
Panthers dot com about you know, Canalis has made such
an effort to make sure that this is a player
led team built from the ground up. That's another good example.
You know, it gets only in his second year, but
he immediately took in t macam's like, Okay, we're going
to do this together. And you know that that gets
(17:00):
helped on. You've got guys like Feeling and fro and
David Moore. David Moore is such a such an underrated
one too when it comes to that. You know, like
you said, somebody that's been with Canalis forever and knows
what he knows what needs to be done to make
this offense work both on and off the field. And
you see that across the team, and you see it
(17:23):
more so in different places that whole player led aspect
of it. But the wide receiver one is definitely a
big one where it could pay a lot of dividends.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And listen, this doesn't have anything to do with Teteroa McMillan.
But the other thing that's happening at that position that
I think is a really good sign for the development
of these guys is Friday morning, I was in here
doing some stuff, finishing up some paperwork while I was
also writing a mailbag last weekend, and I go down
the elevator and you hear that, and you realize somebody's
(17:56):
on the jugs machine. Yeah, it's Xavier League and Excel.
Really from the Philadelphia game on last year, which obviously
everybody remembers the way that one ended, he has come
back determined to work on that problem and it reminds
me so much. I mean, right after that Eagles game,
he went over on the practice field after practice that
(18:16):
following week and was out there with Cuban Tommy, who
are like the patron saints of the jugs machine here,
and he was out there with Cuban Tommy and he
was like, I'm gonna get this right. And he continued
to work on it. And it's one thing to do
that kind of work when a bunch of people are watching.
When your Xavier League at the week after the Eagles
game last year, everybody anticipates you working on that. When
(18:38):
it's Friday, July fifteenth or whatever that was, or Monday
July twenty first, or whatever day to day is, and
he's in here doing the work in those quiet times
when nobody's really in the stadium. That's a good sign
and it's evidence that he's serious about getting better at
the part of the game he needs to work on.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I was actually downstairs about twenty minutes before we were
recording this, and guess who was down there on the
drugs machine.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
That's right, he's doing it. I mean, it's and listen,
Cuba Hubbard is the perfect role model for this because
Cuba's rookie year, he's backing up CMC. He's not getting
a lot of time, and there were a couple of
drops along the way, and he dedicated himself to fixing
this thing he was less good at and now he's
proficient at it. Now. I just I've got all the
(19:23):
respect in the world for the way Cuba works and
the way he earned that extension, and they gave him
that extension almost for the way he works in the
role model he has become as much as the yards
and the touchdowns and that kind of those those things
are good, that's the reason. But Cuba is the leader
they want guys to follow.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
All the leader stuff is what made it easy to
bring the deal to the table, I think.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
No doubt, no doubt. So anyway, rookies are in the
building just out of curiosity, other than those top three
picks who get all the attention, is there a rookie
in this class you're most interested in seeing how they
develop over the course of training camp.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yeah, and this one's also still a cliche answer, but
I want to see what Jimmy Horn does because we
know he has his speed, Like that's obviously what he's
known for and under like understandably, So what else does
he bring? What else can he do? And he talked
about that as well, you know, wanting to kind of
make sure he's versatile enough to be worthy of a
(20:27):
spot on the fifty three when it comes to that,
and they're making those decisions, especially as as a lower
round guy, you know, And and he worked on it
here and there, he worked on it throughout the off
season with OTAs in mini camp. Now's his chance to
prove like he's versatile enough to be worthy of one
of those spots. And it's and the speed comes into
(20:48):
play a lot, you know, on certain gadget plays and
especially as a returner, something else he's kind of worked on.
But he knows that that can't be his only thing
on his calling card. So I want to see what
else he brings to the field as well.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Yeah, no doubt, I think if I had another rookie,
I'm most curious about seeing it's gonna be Ryan Fitzgerald,
the kicker from Florida State. I mean, he is here competing.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
He wasn't a laugh at the Ryan Fitzgerald. It would
just I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You thought I was gonna talk about Ryan Fitzpatrick, didn't you?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I did, cause I saw the Ryan fitz on our
computer screen and I actually thought to myself, why is
he googling Ryan Fitzpatrick, Like what is this about?
Speaker 1 (21:27):
No, that would be Ryan Fitzgerald, the Florida State kicker,
who is in here competing with matthew Wright, who's a
veteran who's been here before for that kicking job. And listen,
there's no guarantee that Carolina Panthers kicker this year is
either Ryan Fitzgerald or Matthew Wright. It could always be
somebody from out there at the great unknown. I mean,
the thirty third kicker in the NFL is one of
(21:47):
those positions who ends up somewhere nobody's expecting every season,
and so these guys have an opportunity to compete. Right now,
Fitzgerald's got a big leg and he's been really productive
in the last couple of years, So it's gonna be
fascinating for me to see how that kicking competition develops
because these two are not just competing against each other,
they're competing against the rest of the kicking world.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Yeah, that's a great point, job, Darren. Another one can
go ahead a lot of one and throw another one
out there. Someone that we haven't talked a lot about
is Leaithan Ransom because that's a safety unit that is
bereft of depth, and so there's opportunity there for any
of the guys. And you know, you've got a couple
(22:29):
of rookies and Demani Richardson or rookies from last year,
second year guys. Now in Demani Richardson is Jamar Bartholomew
who kind of, you know, earned earned a reason to
be out there at times, Demany especially. But then you've
got a veteran like Nick Scott. All of that to say,
and what they do with Marrek is going to play
a lot into that as well. There is chances there
(22:52):
for a guy like Laithan Ransom, who really kind of
made a reputation for himself at the college level being
a ballhawk, which is something you can't always show in otate,
but you know where you can show it joint practice.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's right, joint practice two of the leason games. So
and it is. It's going to be interesting.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
That's where Demani Richardson made his name for you, that's right.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
I mean, those guys have reps at their disposal, and
that's one of the most important things this time of year,
because if you flash back to last year's training camp,
Tommy Tremble was out with a little bit of an injury,
Ian Thomas was held out and j T. Sanders got
a ton of work during training camp. Right now, the
Carolina Panthers haven't gone out and signed that veteran safety
(23:30):
that a lot of people thought they might. They still might.
I mean, I think that's going to be an open
question until it isn't, you know. And that thing's going
to evolve over the course of the off season, I'm sure.
But for right now, at this moment, Demanie richards and
lath And Ransom get a lot of reps, and one
of those two, as it stands right now, might be
a starter in the NFL in Week one, depending on
(23:52):
what happens roster wise the rest of the year. I
mean again, Lathan Ransom is a guy we know from
seeing him at Ohio State. It's always around the ball.
He's smart, he's a good special teams player, and I think,
you know, that's at least going to be the role
for him in the short term, but that role could
grow based on what he does with these reps coming
up next four or five weeks for sure.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
And to kind of put a bow on all of that,
you know, as we get to the field on Wednesday
and we get into practice, it's important to remember what
this team looks like right now and what it will
look like on July twenty third is going to be
completely different from what it looks like on August twenty eighth.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
That's exciting, at least from our point of view.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah. I mean, there's going to be a lot of
stuff happening. And I think that having this many competitions
for jobs they have Dan Morgan, Brandt, Tillisnows, guys on
the personnel side have done such a good job of
raising the floor here personnel wise this offseason. Now they're
fits for roster spots, not just starting jobs. You've increased
(24:53):
the competition across the roster. There's certain positions we talked
about wide receiver, a lot today. There are a number
of other spots like that, and we'll get into all
that in the days and weeks to come. For now,
this is the Rookie Report Day edition of the Happy
Half Hour Training Camp Special to your Dance Thanks to
Casty Hill, Thanks to Bobblehead Paul Silas. Congratulations to the
(25:16):
Charlotte Hornets. We'll see y'all tomorrow.
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com