December 23, 2024 • 41 mins
This week on Panther Talk, Anish, Jim and Eugene speaks with Dave Canales and Brad Hoover about Bryce Young, the Panthers week 16 win over the Cardinals, 30 Seasons of Panther Football and so much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following is an exclusive presentation of the Carolina Panthers
in the National.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Football League Panther Doe and their Doll and They're toll.
This is Panther Talk, presented by Bosh Power Tools on
the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Here's the snap the GIFDA Harvard over the Right Show
likes a Tackle ten five high staff touchsdown to the
Harvard and the Panthers win and overtime.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I love the challenge of it. I love what it
teaches us about our team about doing right longer, and
I'm so I was so glad to get the finish
in the win column this week.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And now, along with Jim Zochi and Eugene Robinson, here's
a Niche Shroff with Panther Talk live from the Panthers
broadcast facility at Bank of America Stadium.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I tell you what, the Panthers have become the best
entertainment dollar in the NFL. It has been exciting football
in these parts for the better part of two months now.
I don't know what Dave Canalis feels about that we'll
find out in just a minute. But this is a
different team. It is a different vibe and you were
seeing the growth, you were seeing the progress, and on
Sunday it felt like you saw the identity of this
(01:14):
team come to the surface. Let's bring in the head
coach of the Panthers, Dave Canalis. Dave am I off
there or was what we saw yesterday representative of what
you want this thing to look like.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Absolutely, it's first and foremost it's taking care of the
football coming out of it with no turnovers. We got
two from them, and then the finish and finishing with
our style, the defense coming up with huge stops there.
Then we had to get you know, special teams out
there to execute, give us the ball back, finish your
(01:47):
running it with attitude, with toughness, the whole thing. It
was just such a special moment.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Coach, I want to talk about bry fill moment because
at a quarterback position, particularly when you're getting blizz you
have to know where the hot route is at. You
have to know who's gonna pick up what blitz. You
gotta do a lot of things and then you gotta
get the ball out. We saw in the face of
a blitz, we saw a past the feeling.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Then we saw a beautiful pass. Two more.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Can you tell me about his progression and what he's
seeing and able to go ahead and complete those type
of plays like't that.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, it first and foremost comes from a lot of
hard work, just owning the concepts and having command of
his toolbox and being able to utilize those things within
a timely fashion.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
You know, all that.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Is there's so much that goes into it. Playing quarterback
is so hard, and he's worked really hard at it
to have the answers, to have confidence in the guys
being where they're supposed to be. Obviously the protection unit
is a huge part of it. But you can be decisive,
you can make those plays when you own the concepts,
you own the information. And that's what Bryce has been doing,
just stacking weeks of learning our system, knowing whether the
(02:49):
bones are buried, and then executing on game day.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
And coach also bought the toughness that he exhibited and
showed in the face of that because he got hit
pretty hard. Is still stood in there and boom throwing
a dime on.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, he just stayed locked into the concept and just
look for the first open guy in progression and was
able to execute it. You know, and even with you know,
the last couple of weeks and really all season. You know,
people attack young quarterbacks and they try to test them
to see if they can handle the pressure, if they
can handle the blitz and all those things. And you know,
(03:22):
he's just he's like, Okay, this is the way they're
going to blame me, and I just got to execute
and find a way. And he stood in there and
found throws and Dave.
Speaker 7 (03:29):
When we talk about Bryce, we're also talking about your
second leading rusher this year. After what he did yesterday
with sixty eight yards, talk about two different things. One
that the downfield blocking to help him get those those
big runs, and did did Arizona change up and start
spying on him more to try to take that away
with cause you're white and some other guys to try
to alleviate that after you guys did bust some big runs.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
They had a couple of times where they try to
leave somebody for him. But I think their solution was
just didn't cover up all the gaps. And there's two
ways to do it. You can either play coverage and
apply someone to spy them and then or you can
just rush a bunch of people and try to cover
up all the gaps. In so you know, teams just
trying to figure out different ways to throw challenges at us.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Dave.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
One of the things that we talked about on the
air quite a bit, and we've seen this now over
two years is Bryce's toughness mental fordituode, but also the
ability to bounce back up after taking big hits when
there's so much that's been made his whole life, his
whole career about his stature, his size, his build. Can
you speak to just that toughness quotient that he seems
(04:33):
to have that supersedes maybe the other stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It's just about consistency for Bryce, and it's about focus
and to be able to just click back in and
go to the next play, to wash that last drive
out and reset your mind to have another great drive
or try to and you know, it's a discipline and
it's something that he showed, you know, over weeks now
(04:57):
to just be able to play the next play, play
the next drive, and Uh, it's something that you know,
I know he's proud of that we're all proud of.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
Coach.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
I want to talk about the confidence that you've uh
that you've shown uh in your in your players, and
this is with the Tampa going back to the Tampa
Bay game when Cuba had fumbled, we asked about that,
and you talked about, hey, Cuba, don't worry about it,
because we're gonna rely.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
On you, we need you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
And then we see the last player of the game
busting through two tackles, having a Marster game, but really
securing the game. You had no problems at all going
to Tuba because you kept to your word, because you
said we're gonna need him.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Can you speak to that for me, coach.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, it's it's a belief for the whole group, you know,
and and Tube is a part of it. It's it's
the belief that we are going to be in games
like this where we're either ahead or we're behind, and
we're gonna need to execute all the way. It's about
doing right longer and knowing that, you know, Cuba is
our guy. We're going to count and count on him
in those situations and and it meant something to him
to do that.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
You know.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
And what you guys are talking about obviously is a
mental component on top of everything else, and confidence you
and Arizona arrive at overtime in a different spot. I mean,
you guys like blackjack, Like you put down twenty they
put down twenty one. It's like you had the game one.
It felt like they kick a fifty eight yard field goal.
So they arrived with that momentum of getting a second
chance where they were truly pay their players out there celebrating.
It looked like the game was going to be one
(06:22):
prior to that with the clock running out, So you
have to reset. You come out and you don't get
a first down on the first series, have to deal
with them, stop them defensively, get the ball back. How
do you deal with that as a coach? Is said
eb and Flow and another pros, but just that emotion
of the highs and lows and thinking you have a
game one day you kind of had to win twice.
It felt like, well.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
That's the importance of holding off on judgment of the outcome.
You know, if we could go back to the first
quarter and the offenses roll and we score three consecutive
touchdowns and we got to lead, and it's like, we
don't get to pass judgment on this game based on
what happened. Now, we got to keep playing ball all
the way through and then we start going back and
forth in the second half Arizona. Hats off to them
(07:02):
and and Kyler Murray, you know, a great competitor in
that group, battling their way back to get into field
goal range, nailing a really long kick on a cold day.
I mean, all that had to go into that drive
was incredible. And for our guys like this is why
we just keep playing football. We just try to do
right longer until there's no more time left. And can
(07:22):
we develop that kind of discipline to be able to
play in these types of games?
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Coach, looking at the injury report exavierly, get what are
the chances we could see him again this season as
early as this Sunday?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, I hopes to see him this Sunday. You know,
we got to take it day by day though, and
got to get him through his you know, return to
play protocol. So we feel really confident about where he's
at so he can go out there and be himself.
So I'm hopeful, but again we have to just you know,
put him through the ringer and make sure that he's
ready to play.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Coach, can you talk about the play of Richardson, not
only the interception and how well open field tackles, but
there was a play I was talking to zokib off
this It.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Was he and Horn on the It was on a
testyle play.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I don't know if it was a communication thing of
they were gonna switch off anything like that, but what
was going on on that play because he got out
late to the flat on that play.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, he's the fourth player. He's got to maintain his leverage.
And you know that comes with time understanding when you're
on the goal line, two things are gonna happen. They're
either going to try to run it in or they're
gonna bluff the run and throw it to the flat.
You know, it's kind of probably one of the historically
most thrown touchdowns, you know, from inside the two yard line.
And so I think that's a growth moment for Demani
and one day he'll be able to grow from.
Speaker 7 (08:39):
And while we're on undrafted rookiees, a guy who only
played two defensive snaps prior to yesterday, Jacobi Winman gets
a sack. He had eight tackles. But beyond the stats,
as you guys looked at the tape and so forth,
how did he hold up overall?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You know, as the game, the flow of the game
went along, he settled in, you know, and as you
can imagine getting out there to have your first NFL start,
you know, it can be a lot. And so what
I saw him do is just make the plays that
came to him. And then as a game war on,
you know, he started to play with a little bit
more speed and confidence. But I was really happy with
the way he made the most of the opportunities when
(09:12):
the ball came his direction.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Davids, you guys start to get ready for Tampa and
you've been through this rodeo before. What changes for a
play caller when you're facing a team for a second time.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
You know, you can utilize that game to your advantage
by looking at the different styles and you know the
things that worked for them, you can expect to see
that again, whether it's offense, defense or special teams. You know,
the things that the things that were really successful. You're
trying to anticipate a little bit of their counters, you know.
So and then I think the trap is you start
(09:49):
to getting get into this like, well, since they know
that we know, then they know that we know that
they know. You just start going back and forth. And
when you start doing that, you got to say, Okay,
let's get back to what are we doing, well, what
do we do really fast with confidence? Let's make sure
that we do those things and not make it about
the Bucks. We got to we're gittering their schemes.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Will there be an emphasis on as we saw the
takeaways by dallas on on the Bucks, just taking the
ball from from the from the receivers, you know, and
and the running backs. Well we see even more focus
on that this week out of your guys, Hey, let's
be conscious of the ball and be conscious of punching
off the ball when we have a chance.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I really would hope. So you know in the Showice
that there's there's opportunities there, you know. And the Cowboys
have done a great job, of course thinking about our game,
you know, but backing the ball and and that's the
challenge that we have for our group every week. And
you know we got to call it up because there
will be some opportunities.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
All right.
Speaker 7 (10:47):
Last one for me, Kate may Is of course didn't
play with the illness. But you're fortunate obviously have gy
like Brady Christiansen, you can plug in and played great yesterday.
But Ikey and Robert Hunt were dealing with illness all
last week. So how difficult did that make some of
the prep on the field anyway, getting ready for this one,
having so many pieces on the offensive line kind of questionable.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Yeah, it was a tribute to the guys just staying
engaged even from their house, you know, watching it on
their iPads, communicating with the coaches when they came back
into the building, and you know the challenges that come
with it, but the guys handled it great. You know,
they responded and played with physicality and were able to
get themselves ready for game day and finish.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Coach before we let you go tiss the season. So
any Christmas holiday traditions that you and Lizzie have cultivated
over the years, you.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Know, just just cherishing that time with our kids, reading
the Christmas story, just talking about the reason for the
season for us, which was Jesus came to this earth,
you know, for us, and came humbly, you know, and
you know, to really bear the weight of all of
our sins and the things that we go through. It's
really a special time for us as we get to
connect as a family.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Which appreciate you taking the time and Merry Christmas to
you and your family, no doubt. Thank you, Dave Canal
as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Listen, I would do the.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Christmas story too on our family. If we would do
the Christmas story. Yeah, I would do the Christmas Story
every single time, and then we have breakfast, then open presence.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Did you read it like it a Santa voice or
did you wear the Santa hat?
Speaker 8 (12:22):
No?
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I did not wear a Santa hat, but but I
enjoyed doing that.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
You put on the preacher voice for it.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Yeah, I put it on a preacher voice yet, and
Jesus there you go.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Listen. You look at these last seven games that the
Panthers have played. Three wins. Uh really two plays away
maybe from five and two. Yeah, if chupa Hubbard doesn't
fumble against Tampa, if xavierly get holds onto the ball
against Philadelphia, and then you watch what Dave Canalis has
(12:54):
done with Bryce Young. He's worked this quarterback mojo magic,
whatever you want to all it. He's done it with
Baker and Gino and Russ Bryce. I got to tell
you we were talking about it going off the air yesterday, Jim.
There's a vibe, there is a feeling where it's not
really about the record, but you can start to see
(13:17):
what this thing can potentially look like. And you know,
you kind of felt it too, from the fans just
walking to the parking lot, walking to the garage, going
to my car, and you kind of felt it. You
kind of felt it, like what we said a few
weeks ago, we've passed the worst point of all this
and this thing is on and upward trajectory. Obviously feels
(13:41):
better around the holidays, but it's palpable.
Speaker 7 (13:44):
I think, you know, everything matters because to get to
where you have success on Sundays, you do have to
do well in the off season. You do have to
practice well, and you have to pay attention to meetings
and understand concepts and all that. But I think when
you start what you're talking about the last seven weeks,
whether you win or lose, you see those successes that
have happen during the game, the throws that are completed,
the blocks that are made, the defense doing certain things.
(14:05):
I think with those successes on the field, it's like, oh,
we can do this. It's not just like a concept
anymore of like if we do these things, it's like
when they happen, then you start repeating those habits and
doing them over again. You know, those are bound two
lead to victories at times, and at some point somebody's
gonna miss the fifty.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Eight yard field.
Speaker 7 (14:21):
Come yeah, like we're just that team like Tampa hits
you know, the fifty one yard or fifty two yard
to get there fifty five yards. I mean it's just like, yeah,
at some point, you know you're gonna get that break
and get that player too. And I think that's the
thing is you have to kind of keep your chin
up while those things accumulate.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
His improvisation in the pocket has been stellar. His timing
getting rid of the rock and throwing people open has
been absolutely impeccable, excellent. He's been excellent. And then the
toughness that he exhibits taking a hit from a guy
coming off the edge and knowing that you bought to
get hit, is still throwing the rock. I mean that
played that he threw the more on the I mean
(14:55):
he threw a dime right over the top of it.
It's not like the guy wasn't covered. The guy was,
you know, the way you're supposed to get covered. He
threw a run over the top of a loft, right
on top of his head. I'm like, my goodness, dude,
this dude is absolutely looking like that quarterback we thought
when we saw him in Alabama.
Speaker 7 (15:11):
I'll be honest, I think the headline of the day
is the offensive line and the running I mean, it
wasn't just Cuba finishing with that run. Those are two
devastating runs at the end, no doubt about it, But
that was there all day. There are a lot of
five and six yard runs, and I think that's the
thing that makes the whole engine go. Is that offensive
line they invested in and then the fact that you
got a great running back back there that I mean, again,
Bryce only had to throw for what he throw for yesterday.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
One what they say, so you aren't.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
You're not asking him to throw for three hundred yards,
So you just asked him to do his part.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, and that was the way the game played out.
That you run for two forty three. Cuba goes bonkers,
especially down the stretch, which kind of seems to be
his calling card. I know only have the fumbling ot
against Tampa, but we've seen him finish some games this year.
He finished strong, finishing the Giants game. Does it now
in the win against Arizona?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
So there's forty three receptions. He has forty three receptions. Man,
my goodness, dude, leads the team. Believes leading the team
for forty My goodness, dude.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I think that's it is one of the otter stats
because he's actually averaging almost a full yard more per
rush than per reception.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
There you go.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
But it's a game of inches.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I tell you.
Speaker 6 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
You stack them together, you get yards. When we come
back here on Panther Talk, there is another side to it,
and if you weigh both scales, it actually makes what
the Panthers are doing even more impressive. That's on Panther
Talk presented by Bosh power Tools. When we come back
on the Carolina Panthers Radio network.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
This is Panther Talk by Bush power Tools.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Schlice to throw back right corner inchone, feeling open, reaches up,
makes the catch, touchdown Panthers. Here's the blitz throw deep
den the left sideline for the in zone. David Moore
brings it in and then chucks the ball into the stands.
Touch down Carolina.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
Yeah. Bryce is a dog. Bryce is a dog.
Speaker 6 (17:07):
You know.
Speaker 9 (17:08):
Obviously he's not scared of a lower sohoulder and runts
somebody over if he needs to any time of balls
in his hand, we know we got a shot.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
So definitely big shot out to Bryce.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
He's definitely grown a lot this year.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
This is Panther Talk on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
It Gytquantum borrowing from the Dan Morgan playbook. Dog dog.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Got that dog in him.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
That's what they're looking for, and they found a few.
The one area and it's been the elephant in the room,
the one area where the Panthers have struggled, and it's
been stopping the run. And I think we're past the
point of, hey, what can they do? How can they
fix this? The reality is there's no one to one
(17:50):
replacement for Derek Brown.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Nope.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Shaq Thompson is hurt, Nope. This past week Trevin Wallace
Claude and Scherless is hurt. And if you look at
the way they just manage the offseason, and this was intentional.
You put the resources toward the offensive side and the
offensive line because you have to find out what you
have in the quarterback, which meant you were going to
be thin in some areas on defense, and then when
(18:13):
injuries hit, there's a domino effect when you factor all
that together and you look at what the Panthers have
done defensively against the run, they've actually been historically bad.
There is a very real chance they can give up
three thousand plus rushing yards in a season. That's not
been done a whole lot. You can count i think,
(18:35):
five or six times in the history of the NFL
where it's been done. The last time it happened was
in the eighties, and Jim, I think when you look
at these last seven games where the Panthers have been
more competitive, and again a couple plays from five to
two in that stretch they're giving up it feels like
two hundred yards on the ground in every single one
of those games. And still they're right there. Which again
(18:58):
I'm spinning this the other way. Defense is gonna get
fixed in the offseason. You're gonna get upgrades, but offensively,
there's a lot right otherwise, you're not in these games
giving up two hundred yards on the ground.
Speaker 7 (19:10):
No, you can take out the part. It just feels
like they are giving up two hundred yards plus every
week and it's it's like you're just having to overcome that.
And to your point, the offense put up thirty six
points yesterday, and so it's like every action has a reaction.
So if you're facing a blitz and your quarterbacks getting sacked,
what do you do. The ball comes out quick, you
throw a screen pass, a smoke or out of a slant,
(19:31):
and so you have to work around whatever it is.
And right now it's like it's hard to fix. Can't
stop the run, so you have to kind of work
around that and do other things and things like having
a fifteen play touchdown possession, things like that matter. It
sucks up time and it gives you seven points and
gives you a little padding because they're gonna get that.
I think if James Connor had stayed healthy, he might
have run for two hundred yard by himself yesterday. So yeah,
(19:53):
that's Derek Brown is going to be like I think,
like on the pie chart of what will fix it,
the like sixty percent of the pie chart just be
Derek Brown put him out there and then add other
pieces to that. But that we're not, you know, we
are not the seventy two Dolphins defense or whatever. So
when we lose the best player on the team, there's
just so many unless we're allowed to have thirteen on
(20:14):
the field. There's only next man up, so many time
you can do with that position. But he's a special player, and.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Eugene, you know when you have that and what do
coaches always say, first thing you got to do is
stop the run, right, and the Panthers again have not
been able to do that. To me, that also creates
some proof in the pudding that what they're doing offensively
is no. Fluke absolutely right to stay in these games. Yes,
to go punch, counter punch, punch, counter punch. Sure, okay,
(20:40):
they've fallen short a couple of times, but to be
in all these games and to do it against an
Arizona team that needed to win to get in the playoffs,
Tampa team that up until last night was in first
place Philly near the top of the NFC. Kansas City
fourteen and one going into week seventeen. That tells me that,
(21:02):
you know, this isn't just some mirage or uh, you know,
some illusion. A lot of this is real. And let's
say the defense, the run defense goes from where it
is now to even league average next year, you should
see a massive jump in your win total.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So Kansas City gave up thirty points to Tampa Bay
twenty six twenty two to Philadelphia thirty, the Dallas Cowboys
thirty the Cardinals give them a lot of points. You're right,
the office is playing spectacular keeping us in the game.
This has a bend, but don't break thing that's happening
with our defense because they're giving it up. But here's
where I think where you can go ahead and maybe
(21:38):
correct something. Not gonna correct everything. You gotta take your
chances on punching out the ball every single time, every
single time. Just take the gamble on defense. You know
you're gambling on defense. Was somebody's coming in there. I
wanted to tell my guys, punch the ball. Just punch
the ball, because that will get that stop. You know,
you can go make the tackle because you're are about
(21:59):
to tackle. But when you go to make the tackle,
go make the tackle on the ball. Punch at the
ball as you're making that tackle. That can go ahead
and take a eight yard run, twelve yard run into
Oh he fumbled a ball. Oh we got it back,
and that can derail that team.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
It's uh Big twelve football from ten years ago and
everybody scored fifty points. Okay, we can't stop anybody. Let's
just be aggressive. Try to get interceptions, try to strip
the ball away.
Speaker 7 (22:26):
So you strip the ball every single time by remember
back Mountain Pester or whatever it.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Was, strip the ball every single time. I want to
lurk my guys to that because we have them problems
stopping to run and how we do it. Tack the
ball from you an occasion. Now you're not going to
run as hard.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, I see a lot of folks carping on that
stuff and as a negative and listen, it's not great.
But I think when you factor in what they're doing
offensively in spite of all that, in spite it tells
you there's a lot of realness to what's happening right now,
which again, where the franchise is and where they want
to go. That bodes well for beyond this twenty twenty
(23:02):
four season. Panther Talk is presented by Bosh power Tools
here on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
This is Panther Talk presented by Bosh power Tools.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
He grew up up the road from Charlotte and Thomasville,
North Carolina. Played his college football at Western Carolina University.
He only played for one NFL team, and that was,
of course, to Carolina Panthers talking about fullback Brad Hoover,
part of the Super Bowl thirty eight team.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
As we catch up with Hoover.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Today, thirty seasons of Panther football a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
All right, Brad Hoover a fan favorite for ten years
with the Carolina Panthers two thousand two nine, played for
John Fox and that Super Bowl thirty eight team, of course,
and a legend in these regions from high school to
college and still stand here in the Charlotte area as well.
And Brad, great to catch up with you, man, I mean,
we miss having you and hearing that hoove in the
(24:05):
stadium there. But you're talk about banthro legends. You're one
of those guys. How's it feel to know that your
entire playing career was spent with the kind of your
hometown team.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
I was definitely a special.
Speaker 8 (24:18):
Experience to get to play, yeah, basically here at home,
and you know, just the way the fans embraced a
local guy and to get to play, I don't say
I had to pinch myself sometimes. To play a ten
year career is kind of unbelievable from my standpoint considered
the circumstances I came in.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, because of course you were great running back growing up,
high school, college. How how much did you have to
bulk up to eventually get to the weight at fullback
for the NFL that you got to.
Speaker 6 (24:49):
It was a process.
Speaker 8 (24:51):
The first year they when they asked me to make
the switch to play and fall back, I want to say,
maybe I tried to put on ten.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
To fifteen pounds.
Speaker 8 (25:00):
Well, then the next year it was I want how much.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
More can I put on?
Speaker 8 (25:06):
And then it was really finding how heavy could I
get and still play an efficient level. And you know,
at one point I got to around two sixty five
two seventy, realized I couldn't run like that, so I
needed to be in that two fifties and two fifty
five range. Just kind of what we settled on for
(25:27):
a weight for myself that I could still play at
a high level and be efficient enough at that level.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
You are at Charlotte Latton. We talked with Kurt Coleman.
Of course he does something the broadcast with us, and
he's administrated there at Charlotte Lattin. I know you're assistant
coaching there, and you were a head coach previously a
couple of stops Union Academy in Monroe, Marvin Ridge and
Cannon School, you know, high school football star like you.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
What's it?
Speaker 7 (25:51):
What's it like being on the other side and being
that coach for these young kids.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
It's definitely I enjoy it, but it's definitely different.
Speaker 8 (25:59):
I've learned to I'm still competitive, but I've learned to
kind of dial back that competitive nature in myself a
little bit more and it's more about the learning process
of right, what are the difference I can make or
hope to make on.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
This young man? And you know, that's kind of what
has kept me into coaching.
Speaker 8 (26:24):
And and kind of pursuing that career or path because.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
I do, like, you know, naturally scheming up x's and o's,
but what.
Speaker 8 (26:35):
Can I do to hopefully help this kid's life become
a little better. My high school coach had a profound
effect on me, and maybe that's why I'm at the
high school level, because I feel like that's probably at
the spot that I can make the most headway with
a young man in their journey of not only finding
(26:57):
themselves or maybe even from a sportspoint, but really learning.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
You know, every sport we play teaches us the lessons of.
Speaker 8 (27:05):
Life, and we're just here to help enforce those things
and kind of teach through the sport that we love.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Now, it's great that you have a heart for that,
and you know, everyone's got a different path. I mean,
you were an undrafted player coming into the pros and
had a ten year career, So I would think your
story is really relatable to high school kids and that
you know, most are that as far as earning it
every step of the way, but you really did that again,
changing positions, undrafted in the league, working away from high
school through a smaller college like Western Carolina to get
(27:35):
to the pros. So I would think those kind of
stories certainly impact the high school kids you talk with.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
Oh yeah, I definitely hope that's the case.
Speaker 8 (27:43):
You know, I definitely try to share my story with them,
you know, and I've a lot of the kids that
I've I've had contact with. My grandfather used to tell
me this will He said, the only free cheese is
on draft, and it's very true. Like, if it's not
work working for somebody gives you something, it's not worth
having and you know, that's kind of been. Like you said,
(28:07):
in my career is it wasn't given to me. I
had to work for it. Every year they were trying
to bring in someone to replace me. I had to
work to keep it. And it worked for ten years
until eventually our bodies just start, yeah, degrading or falling apart.
But like I enjoyed every bit of it. If I
could do it all over again, I would do it
(28:29):
all over again because I love football that much. They
paid me to play a game, which is kind of
you have to pinch yourself.
Speaker 6 (28:37):
You're like, whoa. And now I'm just as a coach.
Speaker 8 (28:41):
I try to share my knowledge that I've learned throughout
the years at the high school, college and pro level,
and then hopefully, like I said earlier, trying to make.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
An impact with these kids, whether it's on or off
the field.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Subscribe to thirty seasons of pantherro Football on the iHeart
Ready Panthers dot com and Team Apple, Apple podcast or Spotify.
Speaker 7 (29:04):
This is Panther Talk presented by Bosh power Tools.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
This is Panther Talk. She's ended by Bush power Tools.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
Mike Rucker nineteen ninety nine to two thousand and seven defensive.
Speaker 7 (29:18):
Endy calling down add another sack.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Wake Rucker got on He's gone by just a sack
in the.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Ball and blue.
Speaker 7 (29:25):
It's Mike Rutgers.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Rucker got him.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
The petty yard line.
Speaker 9 (29:30):
Anytime I played Kansas City or Saint Louis, becase I'm
from Missouri, the added value to me.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Rams will have the ball first.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Panther's defense will take the field against.
Speaker 7 (29:39):
An explosive Rams offense. Today represents a tremendous opportunity to
add a key chapter to the history of this season.
Speaker 9 (29:47):
I knew that I was going to retire, and my
daughter was I think she was like six years old,
So this is her like her first game that she
came to. And I always found where my wife or
my family was that and I would always make sure
that I saw him, pointed to him to let them
know that I see them and that they're part of me.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
During this game and victory over the Rams will help
the Panthers in their effort to become consistently good, not
just occasionally productive.
Speaker 9 (30:15):
It's the favorite player that I made. I will narrow
it down to one special to movie.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Two wide receivers to the near one to the farm.
Speaker 9 (30:22):
I had three sacks and I had a safety her poulder.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
It's the pumping going, Oh, the guy sacked in the end,
safe safety, Mike Rucker.
Speaker 9 (30:33):
And I just remember like pointing up to her after
I got the safety. She's six years old and I
point to her. And I remember after the game, my
wife was telling me when I was pointing to her
that she started crying because she didn't understand, like when
the whole stadium just went crazy, and she didn't understand
like what was going on, and so she got emotional
about it. That was special, you know. It was just
(30:53):
being up the lock eyes with them as the place
is going crazy, guys.
Speaker 8 (30:57):
Are jumping all over me.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
And I'm happy for rook because two sacks and a
lot bigger than the one down here for a safety
to go ahead and secure a game.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Of that first statement at.
Speaker 9 (31:08):
Home, and it's hard to get a safety and to
have a game where we had three sacks.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
And it was just it was just.
Speaker 9 (31:18):
It wasn't just about me, but it embodied my teammates,
the fans, my wife, and my daughter. So it was
encompassing everybody. And that's just man like. When you can
bring people to work, man, that's special. That's special, and
that's one of the memories that really sticks out to me.
The Panthers couldn't have picked a better time to roll
out their best defensive performance of the season as they
(31:41):
ran the greatest show on turf right into the ground.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Panther Talk presented by Bosh Power Schools, continues after this
on the Carolina Panthers or Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
This is Panther Talk. Please end it by Bosh Power Tools.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
The Carolina Anthers down the stretch have become the team
that nobody wants to play, and they are going to
have a hand in who wins the NFC South, finishing
up against Tampa and then Atlanta, both teams eight and
seven with two games remaining. Atlanta, by virtue of the
two to zero record against Tampa, holds the tie break.
(32:22):
But again, we watched Tampa Bay last night against the
Cowboys Eugene, and again Dallas had been eliminated earlier in
the day. Yes, it have been nothing to play for sure,
didn't look like it. Tampa couldn't hold out of the
football and Atlanta late season quarterback change going to a
rookie and Michael Pennix looked pretty good. But again that's
(32:44):
a Giants team. Let's be honest. They've quit.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Yeah, but still I mean to chase quarterbacks, that's a
huge thing. And it's late, and yeah, this late and
have some success. And also when I look at Tampa,
the way the ball was stripped from the receiver and
the other receivers, last running back, I mean, it was
taken from them. And no matter how much magic that
(33:10):
Baker Mayfield had, he could not he could not stop
or could not stop the defense and doing what they
thought they could do against that offense, which is take
the ball from them. And so they I thought that
if that's your attitude, and that's attitude that we have,
my goodness, not play spoilers. Go out there and beat them,
(33:30):
go out there and take the rock from because they
would plan to me a little bit scared towards the
end of that game, just a little bit scared, not
wanting to make a mistake.
Speaker 7 (33:38):
Just an odd flat performance by Tampa. But they had
won four in a row, they overcome that losing streak,
and then you're playing, like you said, Cowboys team that
they're dinged up. They don't really have much to play
for it all, because they could get to the postseason
obviously there and they lose. So it's just it shows
you it's such a week to week league and you
can't just make these broad statements to say they you're
(34:00):
right about the Giants. Outside the Giants quitting, anything else
just doesn't feel like there is a because people by
look at the Panthers. I was reading some of the album.
I was interested to read some of the Arizona reaction
as far as, yeah, I want to see what they're
saying about the coaches, time and clock management and all
that kind of stuff. But like the articles are like
the Panthers. It was written by a writer, not by
anyone with a team, saying that the Panthers are terrible
(34:21):
in the trenches both sides, Well, no they're not.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
You're not watching the games.
Speaker 7 (34:24):
Yeah, because even on bad teams, I mean, Dallas is
having not a great They're having a horrible year by
their standards. Micah Parsons is a great player, Ceedee Lamb
is a great player. So there are great units and
players of position groups that are phenomenal on the worst
teams in the league. So anybody can beat you, is true,
except for the Giants.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
And it's some my point like this.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
If you think that the Panthers stink or you think
that it's an easy win, you have not been.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Watching the Carolina Panthers. You haven't been watching him.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Yeah, I know that Dallas Cowboy game was kind of anomaly,
all right. It wasn't representative of what we've seen the
last this four or five weeks, what we've seen this
past game.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
My goodness.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
If I'm Tampa Bay, I'm sitting there going like this, man,
they're coming in here. They might have stup a mud
holding us if we don't get our stuff together, and
so I'm as a Caroline Pather, I'm going in with
every bit of confidence and trying to spoil your dinner.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Tampa was fortunate at the first time to leave Charlotte.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
With a win exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
They had to come from behind going overtime, and if
it was not for two, but if we talked about
the fumble, that fumble would have easily.
Speaker 5 (35:30):
Have got three points out of that easily, and that
wins the game, and that wins the game.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
And so from next to that point, I'm like, if
you think the Carolina Panthers are a pushover or so
a team that you can just go ahead and just
do what you want.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
Man, you have not been watching football. No.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
And again, the NFC South compared to the rest of
the conference, it's lagging still, which is good news. If
you're a team like the Panthers, the division winner. My
guess is we'll probably have nine wins the most. I
don't think either Tampa or Atlanta is going to win out.
(36:05):
Atlanta still has a big Sunday night game against the Commanders,
who just beat Philadelphia.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
And they beat Philadelphia. The ayk from behind and beat Philadelphia.
I know the quarterback was hurt, but still, I mean,
that's a good defense. That's a very good defense of Philadelphia.
It's wide open every week to week. I mean, I
know that betting is huge in sports altogether. I would
be penniless if I did it. We live on the
(36:31):
inside of this and it's so hard to figure out.
Maybe we're too close to it, I don't know, but
it's so hard to figure out week to week. I
just think the margin of difference is not as great
as people think it is with the NFL teams because
there's so many good players on every team and we
always talk about these guys are team guys, but they're
also individual contractors. They get to play a career for
a short period of time. So you get to suit
(36:53):
up in play seventeen of these every year. If you're
healthy enough to play in seventeen, you're gonna make the
most of that time out there and play some good ball.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
If you're a good team.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Absolutely, And let me just talk about Evans. The Dallas
Cowboys were doing everything they could to stop Evans. That
was the focal point right there. I think that's a
really good strategy. Make somebody else beat you, Make some
of them other receivers go out and beat you. Evans
is a beast, There's no doubt about that. He gets open,
he catches the ball, well, he does everything right. You
(37:21):
have to, you have to account for him. But with
all that set the other receivers okay, yeah, all right, okay.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
But they're not stellar. They're not good. They're not they're
not great.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
And from that standpoint, I'm like, look, I'm doubling Evans
and I'm making somebody else beat me.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
There's no Godwin, and I think that's a big deal.
That's a huge You don't have a Chris Godwin, who,
by the way, will be a free agent. At the
end of the season, they were without Kate Otton against Dallas,
and I thought the biggest loss which really hurt them
defensively in the middle of the field, not having Antonio Winfield.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Oh absolutely got enough guy who can do a little
put some work in there too. So you know, I
still think that this really team goes. But Baker Mayfield
seems to be the guy. He just seems to be
the guy. And I think if you rout OF's case,
get to him, I would blitz him a little bit more.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
If I'm a Gerald, I would go after him.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
I would double I would double Evans, and I would
blitz that, blitz Bacon Mayfield and make him make the place.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Doesn't it feel like he takes a lot of hits.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
Yep, And he's a tough guy. Baker is a tough guy.
So he is one of those guys that will run
it a little bit and he'll hang in the pocket
and try to make a play. So to his credit,
I think he takes a lot of hits sometimes because
I think he's that big of a competitor out there too.
But of course, like every game of ha this remember
wasn't that long ago. Bucky Irving. I mean, that's another
team that we got to figure out at least how
to you know, manage that run game a little bit somehow.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
And he hurt his hand the other night, I mean
as he was throwing the ball and whatnot and taking
that hit. Yeah, you don't want your quarterback taking a hits.
You just don't want him because it's a quarterback driven
league and that court and that team goes by Baker.
Speaker 7 (38:59):
May I remember when when we brought him in, it
was his other shoulder that he was still recovering from,
and that's part of why Cleveland didn't like the way
he was playing. And then when he was here, he
was still not one hundred percent healthy. Now that he's
relatively healthy, you see what he can be like.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
And then he had a foot injury when he was
with Carolina, that's right of that. And then of course
you got Jeon Robinson waiting in week eighteen.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
Watch out now that dude right to his off the take.
That dude is a He's one of the best running
backs in the league.
Speaker 5 (39:24):
There's no doubt my mine.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
He makes He's like to Buhubba on steroids, if you will.
And then here's one of them dues. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
You know we've all seen the movie once before. Falcons
quarterback who is named Michael and is left handed.
Speaker 5 (39:40):
Oh that's right, Pennis. Well there was another guy too, yeah,
oh in fat my bad Vinticks. But Michael Vick, he's
a beast.
Speaker 4 (39:49):
But I'm just saying I would absolutely concentrate on beaside
Robinson because he's that guy.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
He's here, he will run you over.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Who who wins the division?
Speaker 5 (39:58):
I think that.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Atlanta probably is winning it with that Ti Berker, I
don't think. I think they're probably gonna lose a game
and Tybroker got Alena.
Speaker 7 (40:05):
Yeah, Panthers beat them both, so yep, that's the goal.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
There's beat them both. You think Atlanta is gonna beat
Washington with a rookie QB.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
I don't know, man, Atletta's damn predictable. Man. Well, they
both got a rookie QB.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
So Tampa's won this division four years in a row.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Yeah, I think Atlanta.
Speaker 7 (40:25):
I'm gonna if some are Tom Brady, he's long gone.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
That's top ready to go.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
Last year, when it was supposed to be a rebuilding year,
they end up winning the division.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
I don't care about No. God, I don't care about
the Panthers anywhere, So we don't care.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
We're on to Tampa Bay.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
This by Bosh power Tools on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network,
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(41:03):
Is it the best coke ever? Try? And this Panther Tall,
Panther Tall, Panther Tall. This is the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
The following is an exclusive presentation of the Carolina Panthers
in the National.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Football League Panther Doe and their Doll and They're toll.
This is Panther Talk, presented by Bosh Power Tools on
the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Here's the snap the GIFDA Harvard over the Right Show
likes a Tackle ten five high staff touchsdown to the
Harvard and the Panthers win and overtime.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I love the challenge of it. I love what it
teaches us about our team about doing right longer, and
I'm so I was so glad to get the finish
in the win column this week.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And now, along with Jim Zochi and Eugene Robinson, here's
a Niche Shroff with Panther Talk live from the Panthers
broadcast facility at Bank of America Stadium.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I tell you what, the Panthers have become the best
entertainment dollar in the NFL. It has been exciting football
in these parts for the better part of two months now.
I don't know what Dave Canalis feels about that we'll
find out in just a minute. But this is a
different team. It is a different vibe and you were
seeing the growth, you were seeing the progress, and on
Sunday it felt like you saw the identity of this
(01:14):
team come to the surface. Let's bring in the head
coach of the Panthers, Dave Canalis. Dave am I off
there or was what we saw yesterday representative of what
you want this thing to look like.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Absolutely, it's first and foremost it's taking care of the
football coming out of it with no turnovers. We got
two from them, and then the finish and finishing with
our style, the defense coming up with huge stops there.
Then we had to get you know, special teams out
there to execute, give us the ball back, finish your
(01:47):
running it with attitude, with toughness, the whole thing. It
was just such a special moment.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Coach, I want to talk about bry fill moment because
at a quarterback position, particularly when you're getting blizz you
have to know where the hot route is at. You
have to know who's gonna pick up what blitz. You
gotta do a lot of things and then you gotta
get the ball out. We saw in the face of
a blitz, we saw a past the feeling.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Then we saw a beautiful pass. Two more.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Can you tell me about his progression and what he's
seeing and able to go ahead and complete those type
of plays like't that.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, it first and foremost comes from a lot of
hard work, just owning the concepts and having command of
his toolbox and being able to utilize those things within
a timely fashion.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
You know, all that.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Is there's so much that goes into it. Playing quarterback
is so hard, and he's worked really hard at it
to have the answers, to have confidence in the guys
being where they're supposed to be. Obviously the protection unit
is a huge part of it. But you can be decisive,
you can make those plays when you own the concepts,
you own the information. And that's what Bryce has been doing,
just stacking weeks of learning our system, knowing whether the
(02:49):
bones are buried, and then executing on game day.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
And coach also bought the toughness that he exhibited and
showed in the face of that because he got hit
pretty hard. Is still stood in there and boom throwing
a dime on.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, he just stayed locked into the concept and just
look for the first open guy in progression and was
able to execute it. You know, and even with you know,
the last couple of weeks and really all season. You know,
people attack young quarterbacks and they try to test them
to see if they can handle the pressure, if they
can handle the blitz and all those things. And you know,
(03:22):
he's just he's like, Okay, this is the way they're
going to blame me, and I just got to execute
and find a way. And he stood in there and
found throws and Dave.
Speaker 7 (03:29):
When we talk about Bryce, we're also talking about your
second leading rusher this year. After what he did yesterday
with sixty eight yards, talk about two different things. One
that the downfield blocking to help him get those those
big runs, and did did Arizona change up and start
spying on him more to try to take that away
with cause you're white and some other guys to try
to alleviate that after you guys did bust some big runs.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
They had a couple of times where they try to
leave somebody for him. But I think their solution was
just didn't cover up all the gaps. And there's two
ways to do it. You can either play coverage and
apply someone to spy them and then or you can
just rush a bunch of people and try to cover
up all the gaps. In so you know, teams just
trying to figure out different ways to throw challenges at us.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Dave.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
One of the things that we talked about on the
air quite a bit, and we've seen this now over
two years is Bryce's toughness mental fordituode, but also the
ability to bounce back up after taking big hits when
there's so much that's been made his whole life, his
whole career about his stature, his size, his build. Can
you speak to just that toughness quotient that he seems
(04:33):
to have that supersedes maybe the other stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It's just about consistency for Bryce, and it's about focus
and to be able to just click back in and
go to the next play, to wash that last drive
out and reset your mind to have another great drive
or try to and you know, it's a discipline and
it's something that he showed, you know, over weeks now
(04:57):
to just be able to play the next play, play
the next drive, and Uh, it's something that you know,
I know he's proud of that we're all proud of.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
Coach.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
I want to talk about the confidence that you've uh
that you've shown uh in your in your players, and
this is with the Tampa going back to the Tampa
Bay game when Cuba had fumbled, we asked about that,
and you talked about, hey, Cuba, don't worry about it,
because we're gonna rely.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
On you, we need you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
And then we see the last player of the game
busting through two tackles, having a Marster game, but really
securing the game. You had no problems at all going
to Tuba because you kept to your word, because you
said we're gonna need him.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Can you speak to that for me, coach.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, it's it's a belief for the whole group, you know,
and and Tube is a part of it. It's it's
the belief that we are going to be in games
like this where we're either ahead or we're behind, and
we're gonna need to execute all the way. It's about
doing right longer and knowing that, you know, Cuba is
our guy. We're going to count and count on him
in those situations and and it meant something to him
to do that.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
You know.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
And what you guys are talking about obviously is a
mental component on top of everything else, and confidence you
and Arizona arrive at overtime in a different spot. I mean,
you guys like blackjack, Like you put down twenty they
put down twenty one. It's like you had the game one.
It felt like they kick a fifty eight yard field goal.
So they arrived with that momentum of getting a second
chance where they were truly pay their players out there celebrating.
It looked like the game was going to be one
(06:22):
prior to that with the clock running out, So you
have to reset. You come out and you don't get
a first down on the first series, have to deal
with them, stop them defensively, get the ball back. How
do you deal with that as a coach? Is said
eb and Flow and another pros, but just that emotion
of the highs and lows and thinking you have a
game one day you kind of had to win twice.
It felt like, well.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
That's the importance of holding off on judgment of the outcome.
You know, if we could go back to the first
quarter and the offenses roll and we score three consecutive
touchdowns and we got to lead, and it's like, we
don't get to pass judgment on this game based on
what happened. Now, we got to keep playing ball all
the way through and then we start going back and
forth in the second half Arizona. Hats off to them
(07:02):
and and Kyler Murray, you know, a great competitor in
that group, battling their way back to get into field
goal range, nailing a really long kick on a cold day.
I mean, all that had to go into that drive
was incredible. And for our guys like this is why
we just keep playing football. We just try to do
right longer until there's no more time left. And can
(07:22):
we develop that kind of discipline to be able to
play in these types of games?
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Coach, looking at the injury report exavierly, get what are
the chances we could see him again this season as
early as this Sunday?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, I hopes to see him this Sunday. You know,
we got to take it day by day though, and
got to get him through his you know, return to
play protocol. So we feel really confident about where he's
at so he can go out there and be himself.
So I'm hopeful, but again we have to just you know,
put him through the ringer and make sure that he's
ready to play.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Coach, can you talk about the play of Richardson, not
only the interception and how well open field tackles, but
there was a play I was talking to zokib off
this It.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Was he and Horn on the It was on a
testyle play.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I don't know if it was a communication thing of
they were gonna switch off anything like that, but what
was going on on that play because he got out
late to the flat on that play.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, he's the fourth player. He's got to maintain his leverage.
And you know that comes with time understanding when you're
on the goal line, two things are gonna happen. They're
either going to try to run it in or they're
gonna bluff the run and throw it to the flat.
You know, it's kind of probably one of the historically
most thrown touchdowns, you know, from inside the two yard line.
And so I think that's a growth moment for Demani
and one day he'll be able to grow from.
Speaker 7 (08:39):
And while we're on undrafted rookiees, a guy who only
played two defensive snaps prior to yesterday, Jacobi Winman gets
a sack. He had eight tackles. But beyond the stats,
as you guys looked at the tape and so forth,
how did he hold up overall?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You know, as the game, the flow of the game
went along, he settled in, you know, and as you
can imagine getting out there to have your first NFL start,
you know, it can be a lot. And so what
I saw him do is just make the plays that
came to him. And then as a game war on,
you know, he started to play with a little bit
more speed and confidence. But I was really happy with
the way he made the most of the opportunities when
(09:12):
the ball came his direction.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Davids, you guys start to get ready for Tampa and
you've been through this rodeo before. What changes for a
play caller when you're facing a team for a second time.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
You know, you can utilize that game to your advantage
by looking at the different styles and you know the
things that worked for them, you can expect to see
that again, whether it's offense, defense or special teams. You know,
the things that the things that were really successful. You're
trying to anticipate a little bit of their counters, you know.
So and then I think the trap is you start
(09:49):
to getting get into this like, well, since they know
that we know, then they know that we know that
they know. You just start going back and forth. And
when you start doing that, you got to say, Okay,
let's get back to what are we doing, well, what
do we do really fast with confidence? Let's make sure
that we do those things and not make it about
the Bucks. We got to we're gittering their schemes.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Will there be an emphasis on as we saw the
takeaways by dallas on on the Bucks, just taking the
ball from from the from the receivers, you know, and
and the running backs. Well we see even more focus
on that this week out of your guys, Hey, let's
be conscious of the ball and be conscious of punching
off the ball when we have a chance.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I really would hope. So you know in the Showice
that there's there's opportunities there, you know. And the Cowboys
have done a great job, of course thinking about our game,
you know, but backing the ball and and that's the
challenge that we have for our group every week. And
you know we got to call it up because there
will be some opportunities.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
All right.
Speaker 7 (10:47):
Last one for me, Kate may Is of course didn't
play with the illness. But you're fortunate obviously have gy
like Brady Christiansen, you can plug in and played great yesterday.
But Ikey and Robert Hunt were dealing with illness all
last week. So how difficult did that make some of
the prep on the field anyway, getting ready for this one,
having so many pieces on the offensive line kind of questionable.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Yeah, it was a tribute to the guys just staying
engaged even from their house, you know, watching it on
their iPads, communicating with the coaches when they came back
into the building, and you know the challenges that come
with it, but the guys handled it great. You know,
they responded and played with physicality and were able to
get themselves ready for game day and finish.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Coach before we let you go tiss the season. So
any Christmas holiday traditions that you and Lizzie have cultivated
over the years, you.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Know, just just cherishing that time with our kids, reading
the Christmas story, just talking about the reason for the
season for us, which was Jesus came to this earth,
you know, for us, and came humbly, you know, and
you know, to really bear the weight of all of
our sins and the things that we go through. It's
really a special time for us as we get to
connect as a family.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Which appreciate you taking the time and Merry Christmas to
you and your family, no doubt. Thank you, Dave Canal
as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Listen, I would do the.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Christmas story too on our family. If we would do
the Christmas story. Yeah, I would do the Christmas Story
every single time, and then we have breakfast, then open presence.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Did you read it like it a Santa voice or
did you wear the Santa hat?
Speaker 8 (12:22):
No?
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I did not wear a Santa hat, but but I
enjoyed doing that.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
You put on the preacher voice for it.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Yeah, I put it on a preacher voice yet, and
Jesus there you go.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Listen. You look at these last seven games that the
Panthers have played. Three wins. Uh really two plays away
maybe from five and two. Yeah, if chupa Hubbard doesn't
fumble against Tampa, if xavierly get holds onto the ball
against Philadelphia, and then you watch what Dave Canalis has
(12:54):
done with Bryce Young. He's worked this quarterback mojo magic,
whatever you want to all it. He's done it with
Baker and Gino and Russ Bryce. I got to tell
you we were talking about it going off the air yesterday, Jim.
There's a vibe, there is a feeling where it's not
really about the record, but you can start to see
(13:17):
what this thing can potentially look like. And you know,
you kind of felt it too, from the fans just
walking to the parking lot, walking to the garage, going
to my car, and you kind of felt it. You
kind of felt it, like what we said a few
weeks ago, we've passed the worst point of all this
and this thing is on and upward trajectory. Obviously feels
(13:41):
better around the holidays, but it's palpable.
Speaker 7 (13:44):
I think, you know, everything matters because to get to
where you have success on Sundays, you do have to
do well in the off season. You do have to
practice well, and you have to pay attention to meetings
and understand concepts and all that. But I think when
you start what you're talking about the last seven weeks,
whether you win or lose, you see those successes that
have happen during the game, the throws that are completed,
the blocks that are made, the defense doing certain things.
(14:05):
I think with those successes on the field, it's like, oh,
we can do this. It's not just like a concept
anymore of like if we do these things, it's like
when they happen, then you start repeating those habits and
doing them over again. You know, those are bound two
lead to victories at times, and at some point somebody's
gonna miss the fifty.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Eight yard field.
Speaker 7 (14:21):
Come yeah, like we're just that team like Tampa hits
you know, the fifty one yard or fifty two yard
to get there fifty five yards. I mean it's just like, yeah,
at some point, you know you're gonna get that break
and get that player too. And I think that's the
thing is you have to kind of keep your chin
up while those things accumulate.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
His improvisation in the pocket has been stellar. His timing
getting rid of the rock and throwing people open has
been absolutely impeccable, excellent. He's been excellent. And then the
toughness that he exhibits taking a hit from a guy
coming off the edge and knowing that you bought to
get hit, is still throwing the rock. I mean that
played that he threw the more on the I mean
(14:55):
he threw a dime right over the top of it.
It's not like the guy wasn't covered. The guy was,
you know, the way you're supposed to get covered. He
threw a run over the top of a loft, right
on top of his head. I'm like, my goodness, dude,
this dude is absolutely looking like that quarterback we thought
when we saw him in Alabama.
Speaker 7 (15:11):
I'll be honest, I think the headline of the day
is the offensive line and the running I mean, it
wasn't just Cuba finishing with that run. Those are two
devastating runs at the end, no doubt about it, But
that was there all day. There are a lot of
five and six yard runs, and I think that's the
thing that makes the whole engine go. Is that offensive
line they invested in and then the fact that you
got a great running back back there that I mean, again,
Bryce only had to throw for what he throw for yesterday.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
One what they say, so you aren't.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
You're not asking him to throw for three hundred yards,
So you just asked him to do his part.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, and that was the way the game played out.
That you run for two forty three. Cuba goes bonkers,
especially down the stretch, which kind of seems to be
his calling card. I know only have the fumbling ot
against Tampa, but we've seen him finish some games this year.
He finished strong, finishing the Giants game. Does it now
in the win against Arizona?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
So there's forty three receptions. He has forty three receptions. Man,
my goodness, dude, leads the team. Believes leading the team
for forty My goodness, dude.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I think that's it is one of the otter stats
because he's actually averaging almost a full yard more per
rush than per reception.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
There you go.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
But it's a game of inches.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I tell you.
Speaker 6 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
You stack them together, you get yards. When we come
back here on Panther Talk, there is another side to it,
and if you weigh both scales, it actually makes what
the Panthers are doing even more impressive. That's on Panther
Talk presented by Bosh power Tools. When we come back
on the Carolina Panthers Radio network.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
This is Panther Talk by Bush power Tools.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Schlice to throw back right corner inchone, feeling open, reaches up,
makes the catch, touchdown Panthers. Here's the blitz throw deep
den the left sideline for the in zone. David Moore
brings it in and then chucks the ball into the stands.
Touch down Carolina.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
Yeah. Bryce is a dog. Bryce is a dog.
Speaker 6 (17:07):
You know.
Speaker 9 (17:08):
Obviously he's not scared of a lower sohoulder and runts
somebody over if he needs to any time of balls
in his hand, we know we got a shot.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
So definitely big shot out to Bryce.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
He's definitely grown a lot this year.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
This is Panther Talk on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
It Gytquantum borrowing from the Dan Morgan playbook. Dog dog.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Got that dog in him.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
That's what they're looking for, and they found a few.
The one area and it's been the elephant in the room,
the one area where the Panthers have struggled, and it's
been stopping the run. And I think we're past the
point of, hey, what can they do? How can they
fix this? The reality is there's no one to one
(17:50):
replacement for Derek Brown.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
Nope.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Shaq Thompson is hurt, Nope. This past week Trevin Wallace
Claude and Scherless is hurt. And if you look at
the way they just manage the offseason, and this was intentional.
You put the resources toward the offensive side and the
offensive line because you have to find out what you
have in the quarterback, which meant you were going to
be thin in some areas on defense, and then when
(18:13):
injuries hit, there's a domino effect when you factor all
that together and you look at what the Panthers have
done defensively against the run, they've actually been historically bad.
There is a very real chance they can give up
three thousand plus rushing yards in a season. That's not
been done a whole lot. You can count i think,
(18:35):
five or six times in the history of the NFL
where it's been done. The last time it happened was
in the eighties, and Jim, I think when you look
at these last seven games where the Panthers have been
more competitive, and again a couple plays from five to
two in that stretch they're giving up it feels like
two hundred yards on the ground in every single one
of those games. And still they're right there. Which again
(18:58):
I'm spinning this the other way. Defense is gonna get
fixed in the offseason. You're gonna get upgrades, but offensively,
there's a lot right otherwise, you're not in these games
giving up two hundred yards on the ground.
Speaker 7 (19:10):
No, you can take out the part. It just feels
like they are giving up two hundred yards plus every
week and it's it's like you're just having to overcome that.
And to your point, the offense put up thirty six
points yesterday, and so it's like every action has a reaction.
So if you're facing a blitz and your quarterbacks getting sacked,
what do you do. The ball comes out quick, you
throw a screen pass, a smoke or out of a slant,
(19:31):
and so you have to work around whatever it is.
And right now it's like it's hard to fix. Can't
stop the run, so you have to kind of work
around that and do other things and things like having
a fifteen play touchdown possession, things like that matter. It
sucks up time and it gives you seven points and
gives you a little padding because they're gonna get that.
I think if James Connor had stayed healthy, he might
have run for two hundred yard by himself yesterday. So yeah,
(19:53):
that's Derek Brown is going to be like I think,
like on the pie chart of what will fix it,
the like sixty percent of the pie chart just be
Derek Brown put him out there and then add other
pieces to that. But that we're not, you know, we
are not the seventy two Dolphins defense or whatever. So
when we lose the best player on the team, there's
just so many unless we're allowed to have thirteen on
(20:14):
the field. There's only next man up, so many time
you can do with that position. But he's a special player, and.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Eugene, you know when you have that and what do
coaches always say, first thing you got to do is
stop the run, right, and the Panthers again have not
been able to do that. To me, that also creates
some proof in the pudding that what they're doing offensively
is no. Fluke absolutely right to stay in these games. Yes,
to go punch, counter punch, punch, counter punch. Sure, okay,
(20:40):
they've fallen short a couple of times, but to be
in all these games and to do it against an
Arizona team that needed to win to get in the playoffs,
Tampa team that up until last night was in first
place Philly near the top of the NFC. Kansas City
fourteen and one going into week seventeen. That tells me that,
(21:02):
you know, this isn't just some mirage or uh, you know,
some illusion. A lot of this is real. And let's
say the defense, the run defense goes from where it
is now to even league average next year, you should
see a massive jump in your win total.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
So Kansas City gave up thirty points to Tampa Bay
twenty six twenty two to Philadelphia thirty, the Dallas Cowboys
thirty the Cardinals give them a lot of points. You're right,
the office is playing spectacular keeping us in the game.
This has a bend, but don't break thing that's happening
with our defense because they're giving it up. But here's
where I think where you can go ahead and maybe
(21:38):
correct something. Not gonna correct everything. You gotta take your
chances on punching out the ball every single time, every
single time. Just take the gamble on defense. You know
you're gambling on defense. Was somebody's coming in there. I
wanted to tell my guys, punch the ball. Just punch
the ball, because that will get that stop. You know,
you can go make the tackle because you're are about
(21:59):
to tackle. But when you go to make the tackle,
go make the tackle on the ball. Punch at the
ball as you're making that tackle. That can go ahead
and take a eight yard run, twelve yard run into
Oh he fumbled a ball. Oh we got it back,
and that can derail that team.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
It's uh Big twelve football from ten years ago and
everybody scored fifty points. Okay, we can't stop anybody. Let's
just be aggressive. Try to get interceptions, try to strip
the ball away.
Speaker 7 (22:26):
So you strip the ball every single time by remember
back Mountain Pester or whatever it.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Was, strip the ball every single time. I want to
lurk my guys to that because we have them problems
stopping to run and how we do it. Tack the
ball from you an occasion. Now you're not going to
run as hard.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, I see a lot of folks carping on that
stuff and as a negative and listen, it's not great.
But I think when you factor in what they're doing
offensively in spite of all that, in spite it tells
you there's a lot of realness to what's happening right now,
which again, where the franchise is and where they want
to go. That bodes well for beyond this twenty twenty
(23:02):
four season. Panther Talk is presented by Bosh power Tools
here on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
This is Panther Talk presented by Bosh power Tools.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
He grew up up the road from Charlotte and Thomasville,
North Carolina. Played his college football at Western Carolina University.
He only played for one NFL team, and that was,
of course, to Carolina Panthers talking about fullback Brad Hoover,
part of the Super Bowl thirty eight team.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
As we catch up with Hoover.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Today, thirty seasons of Panther football a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
All right, Brad Hoover a fan favorite for ten years
with the Carolina Panthers two thousand two nine, played for
John Fox and that Super Bowl thirty eight team, of course,
and a legend in these regions from high school to
college and still stand here in the Charlotte area as well.
And Brad, great to catch up with you, man, I mean,
we miss having you and hearing that hoove in the
(24:05):
stadium there. But you're talk about banthro legends. You're one
of those guys. How's it feel to know that your
entire playing career was spent with the kind of your
hometown team.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
I was definitely a special.
Speaker 8 (24:18):
Experience to get to play, yeah, basically here at home,
and you know, just the way the fans embraced a
local guy and to get to play, I don't say
I had to pinch myself sometimes. To play a ten
year career is kind of unbelievable from my standpoint considered
the circumstances I came in.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, because of course you were great running back growing up,
high school, college. How how much did you have to
bulk up to eventually get to the weight at fullback
for the NFL that you got to.
Speaker 6 (24:49):
It was a process.
Speaker 8 (24:51):
The first year they when they asked me to make
the switch to play and fall back, I want to say,
maybe I tried to put on ten.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
To fifteen pounds.
Speaker 8 (25:00):
Well, then the next year it was I want how much.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
More can I put on?
Speaker 8 (25:06):
And then it was really finding how heavy could I
get and still play an efficient level. And you know,
at one point I got to around two sixty five
two seventy, realized I couldn't run like that, so I
needed to be in that two fifties and two fifty
five range. Just kind of what we settled on for
(25:27):
a weight for myself that I could still play at
a high level and be efficient enough at that level.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
You are at Charlotte Latton. We talked with Kurt Coleman.
Of course he does something the broadcast with us, and
he's administrated there at Charlotte Lattin. I know you're assistant
coaching there, and you were a head coach previously a
couple of stops Union Academy in Monroe, Marvin Ridge and
Cannon School, you know, high school football star like you.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
What's it?
Speaker 7 (25:51):
What's it like being on the other side and being
that coach for these young kids.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
It's definitely I enjoy it, but it's definitely different.
Speaker 8 (25:59):
I've learned to I'm still competitive, but I've learned to
kind of dial back that competitive nature in myself a
little bit more and it's more about the learning process
of right, what are the difference I can make or
hope to make on.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
This young man? And you know, that's kind of what
has kept me into coaching.
Speaker 8 (26:24):
And and kind of pursuing that career or path because.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
I do, like, you know, naturally scheming up x's and o's,
but what.
Speaker 8 (26:35):
Can I do to hopefully help this kid's life become
a little better. My high school coach had a profound
effect on me, and maybe that's why I'm at the
high school level, because I feel like that's probably at
the spot that I can make the most headway with
a young man in their journey of not only finding
(26:57):
themselves or maybe even from a sportspoint, but really learning.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
You know, every sport we play teaches us the lessons of.
Speaker 8 (27:05):
Life, and we're just here to help enforce those things
and kind of teach through the sport that we love.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Now, it's great that you have a heart for that,
and you know, everyone's got a different path. I mean,
you were an undrafted player coming into the pros and
had a ten year career, So I would think your
story is really relatable to high school kids and that
you know, most are that as far as earning it
every step of the way, but you really did that again,
changing positions, undrafted in the league, working away from high
school through a smaller college like Western Carolina to get
(27:35):
to the pros. So I would think those kind of
stories certainly impact the high school kids you talk with.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
Oh yeah, I definitely hope that's the case.
Speaker 8 (27:43):
You know, I definitely try to share my story with them,
you know, and I've a lot of the kids that
I've I've had contact with. My grandfather used to tell
me this will He said, the only free cheese is
on draft, and it's very true. Like, if it's not
work working for somebody gives you something, it's not worth
having and you know, that's kind of been. Like you said,
(28:07):
in my career is it wasn't given to me. I
had to work for it. Every year they were trying
to bring in someone to replace me. I had to
work to keep it. And it worked for ten years
until eventually our bodies just start, yeah, degrading or falling apart.
But like I enjoyed every bit of it. If I
could do it all over again, I would do it
(28:29):
all over again because I love football that much. They
paid me to play a game, which is kind of
you have to pinch yourself.
Speaker 6 (28:37):
You're like, whoa. And now I'm just as a coach.
Speaker 8 (28:41):
I try to share my knowledge that I've learned throughout
the years at the high school, college and pro level,
and then hopefully, like I said earlier, trying to make.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
An impact with these kids, whether it's on or off
the field.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Subscribe to thirty seasons of pantherro Football on the iHeart
Ready Panthers dot com and Team Apple, Apple podcast or Spotify.
Speaker 7 (29:04):
This is Panther Talk presented by Bosh power Tools.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
This is Panther Talk. She's ended by Bush power Tools.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
Mike Rucker nineteen ninety nine to two thousand and seven defensive.
Speaker 7 (29:18):
Endy calling down add another sack.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Wake Rucker got on He's gone by just a sack
in the.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Ball and blue.
Speaker 7 (29:25):
It's Mike Rutgers.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Rucker got him.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
The petty yard line.
Speaker 9 (29:30):
Anytime I played Kansas City or Saint Louis, becase I'm
from Missouri, the added value to me.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Rams will have the ball first.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Panther's defense will take the field against.
Speaker 7 (29:39):
An explosive Rams offense. Today represents a tremendous opportunity to
add a key chapter to the history of this season.
Speaker 9 (29:47):
I knew that I was going to retire, and my
daughter was I think she was like six years old,
So this is her like her first game that she
came to. And I always found where my wife or
my family was that and I would always make sure
that I saw him, pointed to him to let them
know that I see them and that they're part of me.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
During this game and victory over the Rams will help
the Panthers in their effort to become consistently good, not
just occasionally productive.
Speaker 9 (30:15):
It's the favorite player that I made. I will narrow
it down to one special to movie.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Two wide receivers to the near one to the farm.
Speaker 9 (30:22):
I had three sacks and I had a safety her poulder.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
It's the pumping going, Oh, the guy sacked in the end,
safe safety, Mike Rucker.
Speaker 9 (30:33):
And I just remember like pointing up to her after
I got the safety. She's six years old and I
point to her. And I remember after the game, my
wife was telling me when I was pointing to her
that she started crying because she didn't understand, like when
the whole stadium just went crazy, and she didn't understand
like what was going on, and so she got emotional
about it. That was special, you know. It was just
(30:53):
being up the lock eyes with them as the place
is going crazy, guys.
Speaker 8 (30:57):
Are jumping all over me.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
And I'm happy for rook because two sacks and a
lot bigger than the one down here for a safety
to go ahead and secure a game.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Of that first statement at.
Speaker 9 (31:08):
Home, and it's hard to get a safety and to
have a game where we had three sacks.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
And it was just it was just.
Speaker 9 (31:18):
It wasn't just about me, but it embodied my teammates,
the fans, my wife, and my daughter. So it was
encompassing everybody. And that's just man like. When you can
bring people to work, man, that's special. That's special, and
that's one of the memories that really sticks out to me.
The Panthers couldn't have picked a better time to roll
out their best defensive performance of the season as they
(31:41):
ran the greatest show on turf right into the ground.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Panther Talk presented by Bosh Power Schools, continues after this
on the Carolina Panthers or Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
This is Panther Talk. Please end it by Bosh Power Tools.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
The Carolina Anthers down the stretch have become the team
that nobody wants to play, and they are going to
have a hand in who wins the NFC South, finishing
up against Tampa and then Atlanta, both teams eight and
seven with two games remaining. Atlanta, by virtue of the
two to zero record against Tampa, holds the tie break.
(32:22):
But again, we watched Tampa Bay last night against the
Cowboys Eugene, and again Dallas had been eliminated earlier in
the day. Yes, it have been nothing to play for sure,
didn't look like it. Tampa couldn't hold out of the
football and Atlanta late season quarterback change going to a
rookie and Michael Pennix looked pretty good. But again that's
(32:44):
a Giants team. Let's be honest. They've quit.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Yeah, but still I mean to chase quarterbacks, that's a
huge thing. And it's late, and yeah, this late and
have some success. And also when I look at Tampa,
the way the ball was stripped from the receiver and
the other receivers, last running back, I mean, it was
taken from them. And no matter how much magic that
(33:10):
Baker Mayfield had, he could not he could not stop
or could not stop the defense and doing what they
thought they could do against that offense, which is take
the ball from them. And so they I thought that
if that's your attitude, and that's attitude that we have,
my goodness, not play spoilers. Go out there and beat them,
(33:30):
go out there and take the rock from because they
would plan to me a little bit scared towards the
end of that game, just a little bit scared, not
wanting to make a mistake.
Speaker 7 (33:38):
Just an odd flat performance by Tampa. But they had
won four in a row, they overcome that losing streak,
and then you're playing, like you said, Cowboys team that
they're dinged up. They don't really have much to play
for it all, because they could get to the postseason
obviously there and they lose. So it's just it shows
you it's such a week to week league and you
can't just make these broad statements to say they you're
(34:00):
right about the Giants. Outside the Giants quitting, anything else
just doesn't feel like there is a because people by
look at the Panthers. I was reading some of the album.
I was interested to read some of the Arizona reaction
as far as, yeah, I want to see what they're
saying about the coaches, time and clock management and all
that kind of stuff. But like the articles are like
the Panthers. It was written by a writer, not by
anyone with a team, saying that the Panthers are terrible
(34:21):
in the trenches both sides, Well, no they're not.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
You're not watching the games.
Speaker 7 (34:24):
Yeah, because even on bad teams, I mean, Dallas is
having not a great They're having a horrible year by
their standards. Micah Parsons is a great player, Ceedee Lamb
is a great player. So there are great units and
players of position groups that are phenomenal on the worst
teams in the league. So anybody can beat you, is true,
except for the Giants.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
And it's some my point like this.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
If you think that the Panthers stink or you think
that it's an easy win, you have not been.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Watching the Carolina Panthers. You haven't been watching him.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Yeah, I know that Dallas Cowboy game was kind of anomaly,
all right. It wasn't representative of what we've seen the
last this four or five weeks, what we've seen this
past game.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
My goodness.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
If I'm Tampa Bay, I'm sitting there going like this, man,
they're coming in here. They might have stup a mud
holding us if we don't get our stuff together, and
so I'm as a Caroline Pather, I'm going in with
every bit of confidence and trying to spoil your dinner.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Tampa was fortunate at the first time to leave Charlotte.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
With a win exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
They had to come from behind going overtime, and if
it was not for two, but if we talked about
the fumble, that fumble would have easily.
Speaker 5 (35:30):
Have got three points out of that easily, and that
wins the game, and that wins the game.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
And so from next to that point, I'm like, if
you think the Carolina Panthers are a pushover or so
a team that you can just go ahead and just
do what you want.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
Man, you have not been watching football. No.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
And again, the NFC South compared to the rest of
the conference, it's lagging still, which is good news. If
you're a team like the Panthers, the division winner. My
guess is we'll probably have nine wins the most. I
don't think either Tampa or Atlanta is going to win out.
(36:05):
Atlanta still has a big Sunday night game against the Commanders,
who just beat Philadelphia.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
And they beat Philadelphia. The ayk from behind and beat Philadelphia.
I know the quarterback was hurt, but still, I mean,
that's a good defense. That's a very good defense of Philadelphia.
It's wide open every week to week. I mean, I
know that betting is huge in sports altogether. I would
be penniless if I did it. We live on the
(36:31):
inside of this and it's so hard to figure out.
Maybe we're too close to it, I don't know, but
it's so hard to figure out week to week. I
just think the margin of difference is not as great
as people think it is with the NFL teams because
there's so many good players on every team and we
always talk about these guys are team guys, but they're
also individual contractors. They get to play a career for
a short period of time. So you get to suit
(36:53):
up in play seventeen of these every year. If you're
healthy enough to play in seventeen, you're gonna make the
most of that time out there and play some good ball.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
If you're a good team.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Absolutely, And let me just talk about Evans. The Dallas
Cowboys were doing everything they could to stop Evans. That
was the focal point right there. I think that's a
really good strategy. Make somebody else beat you, Make some
of them other receivers go out and beat you. Evans
is a beast, There's no doubt about that. He gets open,
he catches the ball, well, he does everything right. You
(37:21):
have to, you have to account for him. But with
all that set the other receivers okay, yeah, all right, okay.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
But they're not stellar. They're not good. They're not they're
not great.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
And from that standpoint, I'm like, look, I'm doubling Evans
and I'm making somebody else beat me.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
There's no Godwin, and I think that's a big deal.
That's a huge You don't have a Chris Godwin, who,
by the way, will be a free agent. At the
end of the season, they were without Kate Otton against Dallas,
and I thought the biggest loss which really hurt them
defensively in the middle of the field, not having Antonio Winfield.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
Oh absolutely got enough guy who can do a little
put some work in there too. So you know, I
still think that this really team goes. But Baker Mayfield
seems to be the guy. He just seems to be
the guy. And I think if you rout OF's case,
get to him, I would blitz him a little bit more.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
If I'm a Gerald, I would go after him.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
I would double I would double Evans, and I would
blitz that, blitz Bacon Mayfield and make him make the place.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Doesn't it feel like he takes a lot of hits.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
Yep, And he's a tough guy. Baker is a tough guy.
So he is one of those guys that will run
it a little bit and he'll hang in the pocket
and try to make a play. So to his credit,
I think he takes a lot of hits sometimes because
I think he's that big of a competitor out there too.
But of course, like every game of ha this remember
wasn't that long ago. Bucky Irving. I mean, that's another
team that we got to figure out at least how
to you know, manage that run game a little bit somehow.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
And he hurt his hand the other night, I mean
as he was throwing the ball and whatnot and taking
that hit. Yeah, you don't want your quarterback taking a hits.
You just don't want him because it's a quarterback driven
league and that court and that team goes by Baker.
Speaker 7 (38:59):
May I remember when when we brought him in, it
was his other shoulder that he was still recovering from,
and that's part of why Cleveland didn't like the way
he was playing. And then when he was here, he
was still not one hundred percent healthy. Now that he's
relatively healthy, you see what he can be like.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
And then he had a foot injury when he was
with Carolina, that's right of that. And then of course
you got Jeon Robinson waiting in week eighteen.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
Watch out now that dude right to his off the take.
That dude is a He's one of the best running
backs in the league.
Speaker 5 (39:24):
There's no doubt my mine.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
He makes He's like to Buhubba on steroids, if you will.
And then here's one of them dues. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
You know we've all seen the movie once before. Falcons
quarterback who is named Michael and is left handed.
Speaker 5 (39:40):
Oh that's right, Pennis. Well there was another guy too, yeah,
oh in fat my bad Vinticks. But Michael Vick, he's
a beast.
Speaker 4 (39:49):
But I'm just saying I would absolutely concentrate on beaside
Robinson because he's that guy.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
He's here, he will run you over.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Who who wins the division?
Speaker 5 (39:58):
I think that.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Atlanta probably is winning it with that Ti Berker, I
don't think. I think they're probably gonna lose a game
and Tybroker got Alena.
Speaker 7 (40:05):
Yeah, Panthers beat them both, so yep, that's the goal.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
There's beat them both. You think Atlanta is gonna beat
Washington with a rookie QB.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
I don't know, man, Atletta's damn predictable. Man. Well, they
both got a rookie QB.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
So Tampa's won this division four years in a row.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
Yeah, I think Atlanta.
Speaker 7 (40:25):
I'm gonna if some are Tom Brady, he's long gone.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
That's top ready to go.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
Last year, when it was supposed to be a rebuilding year,
they end up winning the division.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
I don't care about No. God, I don't care about
the Panthers anywhere, So we don't care.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
We're on to Tampa Bay.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
This by Bosh power Tools on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network,
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