December 17, 2025 • 40 mins
This week on Stew and the Crew, J-Stew is joined by former Carolina Panthers quarterback, Derek Anderson, to discuss what made the 2015 locker room so special, Derek's bond with Cam Newton, wearing a headset on gameday, the 2025 Panthers, and so much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're the thirteenth pick in the two thousand.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
And eight NFL draft. Caroen ryon half their select Jonathan
Stewart gives to Stewart, he leaves touchdown.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Stewart oh rough tough right, angry man out at elbows, knees.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Stewart hesitates, accelerates.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
That's what I'm talking about. Fits the spass ball.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Football contain Stuart got running around. Stewart jump over a
tackler at the tenth flows jump Laura's his shoulder, keeps running.
No one will touch him.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Jonathan Stewart House, is it you talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Explosive plays in the run game.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's like the fourth of July round here right now.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
You are listening to Stu and the Crew.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Stu and the Crew podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's your boy, Jonathan Stewart.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I'm your host, and today we have an incredible guest,
fourteen year NFL VET. He's a massed ten thousand yards
career passing yards, sixty touchdowns, passing Brown's quarter back. Then
(01:01):
he finds himself in a Panther uniform and has been
and was probably the glue to the makings of the
Championship runs, the Super Bowl runs, and the Carolina Panthers
as we know it as What a time to be
alive in Charlotte, North Carolina, trying to get back to
(01:26):
those days. But none other than Derek Anderson A beaver unfortunately,
but my guy, it's good to see you, man, Thanks
for joining the pod. Talk a little Panther talk, a
little bit of life. What's going on with you man?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Good to see you, buddy.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I just been chilling, chasing kids, coaching a little football
here and there, working on my golf game. Yeah, just
kind of hanging nothing crazy.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
No, it was good seeing you. When we went out
there to Arizona, I got a chance to you know,
get on a plane and get out there to Panther
cardinal game. And I got a chance to see you
at the hotel and just catch up. You know, how
often do you get a chance to see, you know,
former teammates that you've played with.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I haven't really seen a ton of guys, you know.
It was great.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
You know, when you guys invited me to come down,
I was, you know, eager to get down and see guys.
Haven't seen it ton over a lot of years. I've
been hanging at a golf course pretty much. But I
started playing those pro rivals tournaments a few months back,
and that's been awesome, you know, kind of just get
back and see guys, not necessarily guys that we played with,
(02:42):
but guys that we played against and competed against all that.
Kind of getting back in that world a little bit.
It's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, speaking of golf, you know, you are a big
influential piece to my golf life. I still remember that
trip that me, you and Jimmy class and took to
uh the Greenbrier, and you drive like a maniac.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
You were.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
We were in your range Rover and we were and
you were driving literally up against right next to all
the semi trucks like they were just regular vehicles. And
I remember like, Man, do I fall asleep or do
I just stay.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Awake on the way home. I remember that well.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
It was because I was like, Okay, I think we
got here safe and sound. He knows what he's doing.
He's just doing it at a very lightning speed.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Here.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
I'm throwing that down a little bit. Yeah, I did
just drive a little bit too fast at times. I
will never forget that trip. Man, I always see those
those pictures always pop up. Yeah, and then I see
you doing the stuff on Instagram and stuff, and I
think about that time and kind of where your golf
games come from then to now is.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, what do you think about my swing? So far?
From from far we haven't played made sense.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But it looks so much better and your contact.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Is so much better.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Uh, just the motion is better, and you know obviously
your barrel chested. Guys, golf is not an easy thing
for you to do. But I love watching it and
love watching the journey with it.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Yeah, man, one of the just in case the listeners
are wanting golf advice, One of the things that DA
told me on my chipping that I still remember to
this day was say with your chest, finish with your
chest to your target. And to this day I think
about that all the time when I try to get
(04:41):
my get real handy right, I'm just like, man, just
swing with your chest, say it with your chest and.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
You're funny, is I'm chipping.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I've had the yips with my chipper for like six
months and so and not until yesterday did I finally
correct some issues and start chipping at good. So maybe
I to take a few tips on my own.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Man, you just start saying it in your mind like
I do. Stay with your chest, say with the chest
turning it.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Man.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
So, who's been to the golfer in this pro rivals
thing that shocked you the most?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I'd say Josh Donaldson. I mean I knew he could play.
I knew he hit it hard, but I just I'm like,
I didn't think he would be able to get up
and down at a short game. And he came to
West Rock a month ago and played with a couple
of my buddies and they're like, no, he's a he's
a real golfer.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
He's a good he's a good player.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I was like, yeah, we went down and played his course,
you know, a couple of months ago, and I was
impressed with the swing.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
He's got so much speed. But the guy can play golf.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And you know some of those other guys you know
that can play that have been good for years and
uh uh, but yeah, he was probably the most impressive.
I got to play with Ray Allen in in the
last was it second round to think of the last tournament?
And I had played with him probably like eight or
ten years ago, and his game has got a lot better,
(06:08):
very consistent. But I mean it's just a lot of guys,
you know, a lot of guys that like to compete,
a lot of guys that are very you know, athletic
and skilled, and it's just fun to get out there
and whacking around.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Yeah, one of these days, I'm gonna get my handicapped
low enough to where I can actually show up to
one of those things and compete, because it is something
that I you know, I play golf because I just
want to see how good I can get. And I
think at the end of the day, true athletes have
that mindset. You know, you're playing football, you start this game,
you pick up a ball one day, It's like, oh,
let's see how far I can throw it. Let's see
(06:40):
how many completions I can get. Let's see how mean
yards I can throw them, huny touchdowns I can get.
So it's like you have this this this way about you.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That drive.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
The drive comes from how good I can how good
can I really get at this this sport or this
six you know, this this activity, whatever it is. And
that's what golf has done for me. It's given me
this edge of Okay, today I'm going to practice, you know,
my short game to dam, I'm going to do this exercise.
(07:11):
This morning, I worked out and all I did was
like rotation exercises because all I'm thinking about is how
good can I get at golf?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Because we're sickos bud cicos. I do anotherally go to.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The gym Monday and Tuesday every week and I am
doing only golf movements and trying to get my body
moving for golf.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
But I mean it's a good thing though, I mean,
you need that.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
It's it's something that I mean to get in a
competitive atmosphere and those deals that I've been doing, I
mean it's fun, you know, knowing your weaknesses, playing around
what you can and can't do, really test it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And you know, I've had.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
A awesome time playing against and with like the pros
of my club, but like I rarely get a chance
to beat them. So it's like it's fun to play
against guys that you know you can compete with. Oh
they are kind of on the same level as you.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Yeah, well enough for the golf talk. Everyone's here to talk.
Hear us talk about a little bit of panthers, a
little bit about what's going on in your life still.
But Carolina Panthers right now, they control their own destiny.
We've been in a lot of situations like that, you know,
with the Panthers, you know, it's all about the locker room.
(08:29):
It's all about the guys that lead the locker room.
And a coach that gives you access to do that right,
doesn't meddle into you know, things that doesn't necessarily require meddling,
but the allowance. One of the things that I cherished
about coach Ron Rivera was his ability to meet guys
(08:52):
where they were right to understand, you know, personalities in
that locker room and let letting guys you know, you know, freely,
you know, become who they are supposed to be. I
look at cam right, I look at you know, D'Angelo,
I look at Thomas Davis. I look at all these
different personalities that we've been around, Greg Olsen and you know,
(09:18):
and a lot of that has been led through veteran leadership.
You look at the Carolina Panthers right now, you know,
what what are the things that as a you know,
a fan that is looking outside in what is what
is something that you see from your lens? You know
that the Panthers are gradually gaining when it comes to
(09:44):
the inner workings of a legit, you know, team that
can actually compete.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I guess trust, Like the biggest thing is they're like
starting to trust each other. You know.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
You see just kind of how they're playing together. Guys
are making and right plays, you know, his growth. Like,
I mean, we've I've had a lot of kind of
discussions with kind of my buddies here over the past
few weeks. And you know, obviously they've won a few games,
and you know, and they're working their way up. And
my son has been going nuts because obviously he's a
(10:18):
huge Bills fan, but he's also a big Panthers fan,
and he's giving me the rundown on what everybody's.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Doing every week.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And yeah, it's funny you asked this because we kind
of actually were talking about like what last week a
friend of mine was asking me, like what makes you
know bad teams good? Like how do you you know,
go from being a bad team and how do you
not get guys to quit on coaches? And uh, it
(10:44):
was actually a guy on my flag football team, his
dad and he's a huge Giants fan and asking about
like day ball and and I just said, I said,
I kind of looked back at a time when we
were three that year we were three, eight and one,
and like and really it's it comes down to guys
just like wanting it right. Like you just it's kind
(11:06):
of like the golf thing, Like you just want to
be better. You want to come into work every day
and you want to be better. You want to make
the guy around you better, you want to help guys.
When you start getting that in the locker room, you
start getting guys that care about each other in the
locker room, like it doesn't matter. You're gonna win at
the end of the year when guys and when other
teams don't care, you're gonna win games. And then that
(11:28):
you just kind of start build building that momentum, you know,
into the next year, and you know, you bring in
one or two more guys and you know they fit
into the culture that you're building, and it's just a process.
And I think you know, there are a couple of
years into that process and you know and finding the
right pieces, you know, going you know, finishing this year
out and seeing how it goes and then adding those
(11:49):
next you know, couple guys that can get them to
the next step, and you're right back in, you know,
in in the playoffs and and doing the right things and.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Uh turning around right.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Yeah, when you when when the Carolina Panthers reached out
to you to come to Carolina, what was your your
thought about that, you know, opportunity? Did you know CAM
was like, was that like a conversation while we already
had CAM or was that something before Cam? Like what
(12:25):
was that interaction and what was your expectation coming into Carolinas?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Give you the story kind of real quick.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, give me something easy.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
So I had just come off that horrendous year in Arizona.
I hated football. I was like super frustrated. I started
working out with like a new trainer down in Arizona.
Like I was getting up at like five in the
morning driving down there, and I'm like I'm doing this.
I'm like I got two or three years left of
the way I'm doing it. And I got to start over.
(12:56):
And it was like right during the lockout, and I
texted and we weren't supposed to be like having contact
with coaches or anything like that, right, And so I
just sent him a long text message and said and
essentially just said, hey, like, I'm willing to do whatever
it is, like, I want to win a Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I want to be part of a great team. I don't.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I'm no longer is about me chasing being a starting
quarterback in this league. And never heard from him for
night whatever long the walkout was or whatever like, because
it was after they had drafted Cam and I was like,
you know what, I was like, this kid's a freaking
up freakazoid. I'd love to go there. My coach that
I had was there. I know the offense. I can
(13:40):
help him. Yeah, And he never responded. And then like
the day after the walkout came up, he just called me,
and I didn't get it. It went to a voicemail
and he was like something like, let's get the band
back together and blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And then I let's get the together boys, and then
my in.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
My as called and then that's when I ended up
in the cafeterias you guys, like two days later. But yeah,
it was more like for me, it was just I
loved football and I loved like being around it. And
then at that point it was just more about like
being around a good team. I've been on so many
bad teams for so long, and I just wanted to
(14:21):
be in a situation and I wanted to like go
to the playoffs. I wanted a chance to win a
super Bowl. It didn't matter to me how it came up.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
One of the things you said was I'll do whatever
it takes. And then the second thing, I love football
in my in my honest opinion, we had a lot
of guys like that on this team, especially the year
we went to the super Bowl. We had guys that
would do whatever it takes. We had guys that loved
the game and guys that were like, had enough humility
(14:52):
to actually put that into action. And when I talk
about you know, when people ask me, you know, what
was so spec about you know that twenty fifteen, twenty
and sixteen team, And I always say, the special thing
about that team was the glue. You know, guys that
you know, were able to connect the missing pieces. And
(15:19):
it wasn't necessarily what you see on the film. It's
not what you see on the field or the practice field.
It's the thing that keeps things rocking when things suck,
when seasons are bad, when you when you lose it.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
When you have a bad game.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And the meeting time, the training room time, you know,
eating in the cafeteria, the plane rides, how are things,
What's what's the chemistry like there? And I always think
about you specifically because Cam and you, that was the
special sauce in my opinion, like whatever happened in those
(16:00):
meeting rooms where you know you would be the person
that was in there early in the morning watching film.
It's like, all right, let me go in here and
make sure I know what I'm talking about so that
way I can help and be of service to my guy.
And I think that's what everybody had in them. It's
like I'm here to serve. I'm here to serve this organization,
(16:23):
but I'm here to serve my brother because if I'm
not on the field, what can I do to still help?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:31):
But you you were a pros pro because your preparation
was like, hey, I'm the starter or too. And I
think that showed itself in a lot of like in
the Buccaneers games. We're coming up and we're about to
be playing the Buccaneers, and I just remember every time
we played the Buccaneers, I'm like, well, it's Cam gonna
be hurt or like it's something because it seemed like
(16:53):
for at least two years I can't remember, but there
was like a two year span where you played almost
every Buccaneers game I did.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I played three out of four in two years, I think,
I think, or something like that, or it was a yeah,
in a two year span.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Yeah, like like take us Through, Like you know that
take us Through?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Was that the year that he got in a car accident?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, I broke his He had two. He got the
car accident one and then the other one. He broke
his ribs in the Monday Night game and the Patriots
in the preseason. Uh yeah, something like that. I'm just
gonna go back kind of to the like just kind
of like the glue piece and like kind of my role,
(17:42):
I guess, and and many guys on our team's role,
I guess. You know, Chase was another guy, you know Roman,
uh you know, calling a lot of a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Of those guys. But for me, like.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
As kind of things kind of started getting pieced together
and I started to get to know everybody, you know,
my first year and I got there.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
You know, Smitty was.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
He's always yelling and this and that and like you know,
making a storm. And then but he would always come
up to me and be like, hey, man, what do
you think about this? Or you know, I can think
about many times that you would come to me and
ask me, hey are we doing this?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Rider? You know, what do you think about this?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
And I think like, yeah, why are we running race
so much?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Just like and and sometimes like you guys would ask
me questions even that I would go back and I
would go watch and I'm like, why are we running
this month? Or why are we doing this? And like yeah,
and it made me, you know, it made me think.
And then I would, you know, go to coach and
I would ask him questions. And and really the the
big piece that I think helped me but also helped
(18:43):
our team was like whoever our coordinator was, Shoeloader, chud
Or or Dorsey gave me freedom to speak to them.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
But also I had to.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Dodge a kind of a fine line, right like, because
I had to be able to to let you guys
know that you trusted me, that I wasn't going to
take information or things to coaches that they didn't need
to know, right like, because I was in meetings with
guys and giving them information and working on things that
like at times that so you're on the edge, right.
So but for me, like being able to take information
(19:18):
that I heard from coach at ten o'clock at night
on a Tuesday or whatever it was and relay it
to you and you going to the meeting, you know,
and we're talking about protections on Wednesday morning and you
already know what to do. And it was a simple, easy,
you know, whatever it is, right, it's a simple block.
And I enjoyed that, like I enjoyed honestly, like standing
(19:39):
on the sideline and watching guys pick up blitzes and
watching guys see the game happen in front of them,
and the stacking those games on top of games every
single week. And I think guys on our team also
saw how each individual guy in each room did it right,
So like how we did in the quarterback room, how
(20:01):
Luke did it in the linebacker room. They all had
a guy in their room that kind of kept things
organized and made sure everybody was on the same page.
And that to me was the culination of twenty fifteen.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
Yeah, like the the communication barriers didn't exist.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
For us, like nobody hurt.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
Yeah, and I think we knew that And it's interesting
that you say that, because I didn't think about it
like that as far as the communication line, because we
did go to you with like questions and like concerns
because we knew that you had a direct line to
you know, the play caller, uh and to the guy
(20:42):
that's running the ship. Right, So and for us, it
takes the emotion out of it. Right when you have
a team that does operate from that standpoint, nobody's feelings
gets hurt, and everybody understands like we're actually all in
this together and we're accepting our roles and responsibilities and
(21:03):
doing it in a way that's channeling, you know, the
championship mindset. And so that's that's so interesting. I never
really thought about that, You know that I've kind.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Of been helping a white Wyatt Horton, who's a quarterback
at Idaho State, a freshman this year, and I've not
I mean mentoring him, I guess, but just trying to
help him with the process of it. And so for me,
it's I've been reliving some of these conversations and some
of these interactions and trying to help him to understand
(21:38):
his teammates and how he can be a better you
know help, he's you know, he's a true freshman and
was a backup, ended up redshirting, but was going there
with hoping to play. And so like working through some
of those situations with him has got some of these
things fresh on my mind.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
So it's, uh, it's been kind of fun.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
So like take us through like the headset on on
a game day, Like from your perspective, cause I'm sitting
here watch I'm thinking when you said standing on the sideline,
I envision you standing there, you know, with some seeds
in your mouth, maybe you know, hands in your you know,
in a you know, a warmer headset on and you're
(22:18):
down by the opposite end, so you can get a
good view. Like take us through a headset moment. That's positive.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
I honestly I would sit back there and with House
or who is our strength coach, and I would sit
there and I would go and I would hit him
and I'd be like, all right, here we go, big one,
and he would he would die laugh, like so many
times he'd like how would you notice? And I would
sit there and then I would actually teach him like
why plays were going to work, like based on what
(22:54):
they were playing and and sometimes in the run game.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
As we kind of got going in the run game,
I'd be like, gosh, you know, like, yes, yeah, Seattle game.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
First play of the game, right, that was the when
you went Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
As soon as we lined up like I was, I
knew that play was going to be huge. Just like
when I'm standing back there, it comes in.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
So play would go in perhaps some time Cam's not
paying attention that he's looking the other way, and I'm
up there, and I'm standing down there, and when he
was the first couple of years, I stood way closer
to whoever had the ball in so just in case,
because he would never pay attention.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
And then you look up and then he'd do this.
I'm sure we all saw that.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I mean that means I didn't hear it, and that
means I forgot it, or I.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Wasn't paying attention, or he was talking to Atlanta defensive
lineman getting in here for running them over.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
And then you could hear here go back and forth,
and then whoever's calling in and then I'd run down there.
And then we'd had in the beginning up hand signals
so that we could get it in when it got
messed up. But uh, there was never any like Dorsey
when he was calling it in. He was always calm,
which I know is shocking because Dorsey's not always calm,
(24:12):
but like when he would call it in, always clean.
We never had anybody that was like overly crazy. Like
I know people have listened to Sean McVay on the
headset and like, that's the worst thing you could ever
do is give that guy the microphone to the quarterback.
But Matthew Stafford can handle that, and I don't know
many guys that can. Like, if the coach was talking
(24:34):
to me for that long and telling me that many things,
like I'd probably set the helmet on the field and
walk off.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
But uh, yeah, the Blake calls are super super super
super super long.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
And then he then some of these guys now are
trying to give you the alerts and the checks and
the if they're.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Any careful, cover one, cover three, check to this, make
sure you keep your eyes on fifty five and if
few mugs, and make sure you get out of this.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
It's like, hey, bu look, let me just play quarterback.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Right. That's why I came to work every day this week.
I got all the information in there, let me use it. No.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
One of the funny ones actually was when we went
to Seattle one of the later times I can't remember,
and I think we end up winning up there. But
I actually wore a headset that went straight to Shoela
so I could hear every play call.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I heard everything that went on during the entire game.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
And we go get on the bus and Shola goes,
don't ever tell anybody, but you.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
You know what, I actually think I heard that because
we were on the same bus.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, I think I think I remember him saying that.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Yeah, it was I don't tell anyone what was said
to on the on the headset, And I'm thinking to myself, well,
doesn't know was here on the headset.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
No, I heard like live like from Shoela because it
would go Shoela to Doors, Doors to Cam.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
And I was Doors.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
So what was said on the headset?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
It really wasn't that bad. But they were yelling back
and forth at each other about some stupid third down
call at one point, not yelling, but somebody was we
shouldn't have.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Done that, yeah, but like we shouldn't have ran race.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Yeah, something like stupid like that.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But like it was not a big deal at all,
and I get where he was at, and that kind
of goes back to what I was saying, is like
that Dodge in that line, right, Like yeah, but I
enjoyed it, Like I enjoyed that they trusted me with
that information, and I enjoyed that you guys trusted it.
And I would never like cross contaminate that because I
knew that, you know, my teammates and those guys were
(26:42):
more important than whatever they were trying to information they
were trying to get out of me.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Yeah, well, let's talk about camp for a little bit
because I mean, you know, Cam is obviously you know,
near and dear to all of our hearts, you know, teammates, fans,
coaching staff, right, I mean, this is a guy that
was a generational talent that changed the trajectory of Carolina
Panthers in my opinion. You know, your guys's bond and
(27:10):
your brotherhood was very special. You know, tell us something
that you know, I mean, even a guy like myself
being in that locker room. You know, I know Cam
for what I know him, you know, as my teammate,
as my friend, but you guys literally invested so much
time together, you know, what's something that people don't see
(27:31):
from the outside, you know, as far as your experiences with.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Cam, I get it.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
I get a lot like people will you know, I'll
be around, but man, I don't like that guy.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
And I'm like, you don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That guy, and uh and I always I'll always defend
him to the day. And I know a lot of
what he does is part of his entertainment and for
entertainment value.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I know his heart is good.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
He treated my family, my wife, my kids, everybody with
the most respect. Was incredible. But I think just being
in a room like that and being able to be
vulnerable with somebody win. Times are hard. And sitting in
the room after a hard loss, he had never lost.
(28:21):
He did, he didn't He had to learn how to lose.
And that's and that's a weird way to say it,
but like him being vulnerable enough to say like i
need help, like understanding how to do this, Like I'm
not okay with losing games, and it's like, you guys
are okay with losing, And I'm like, at one point
(28:41):
I was like, we're not okay with losing. But we've
been in this long enough that we understand we're not
gonna win every single game, like every week where there's
gonna be ups and downs. But when you go through
it every week, like you you're seven years in a
room with.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
A guy like that.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Uh, you see the highs, you see the lows, you
see in the in betweens. I mean, it's it's it's
it is a brotherhood, it's and it's a bond that
like it's hard for people to understand, uh, because there's
you know, there's days when you come to work and
you don't want to be there and you don't necessarily
want to talk to anybody. You don't want to you
(29:21):
don't want to hear anything. And and when I was
in there, you know, it was great. You know, a
couple of weeks ago, he talked about something on his
podcast about things that I you know, and said to
him and just over time. Uh, and it was super
cool because there were times when I'm like, I don't
know that he's hearing me. I don't you know, I
don't know that I don't know that he's listening. But
(29:44):
he always did, and and I was always it was
something that I it took me a while to kind
of build the courage up to say things because when
I first got there, I had the impression that he
felt like I was there to like take his job.
And I and I said, at one point during that
training camp, I said, I I came here to help you.
I'm here to help you, and Jimmy I was like,
I really, I don't want to play. I want to
(30:06):
help you guys, go and make us get better. And
I think from that point forward he understood that it
was I wasn't there to like I was there to
push him. I wasn't there to I mean compete with him. Yes,
but at the same point we all knew he was
going to be the guy. But I had to come
in and make sure that hold him accountable every single
day by my actions, by the way that I carried myself,
(30:27):
the way I help my teammates and prepare myself.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
How has that made you a better man?
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Because I mean there's a lot of humility there, and like,
just like, how has that experience, you know, going from Arizona,
coming off you know, a year that you know was
disappointing for you and your eyes and then wanting to
hang it up, but then a realization of being called
(30:55):
to do and be a part of you know, this
game of football in a different light because this is you.
You're you go from this like mindset of starting quarterback
to all of a sudden, this realization of I feel
called to do something different and maybe and how I'm
(31:18):
seeing it something greater, you know, mentoring big brother and
also inter working on your like for yourself.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
For sure, and I think it's I mean, it took
me a while, but I'm kind of back in that
kind of spot again, but I'm doing it with myself
in a weird way. I kind of went through, you know,
a little rough patch like when I got done, you know,
(31:51):
and just kind of been rebuilding myself and kind of
going back to some of those principles of what got
me to what, you know, where I was, you know,
getting up in the morning and going to the gym
and being productive in the mornings and you know, and
and moving around and trying to teach my kids now
and trying to teach you know. I drive my son
(32:11):
a couple of days a week. He has basketball practice,
like thirty five minutes away, and we're in the car
and just teaching him some of those things and not
like making it about the sport, but making about like
us using the sport, you know, for life, right, And
he made a like a travel basketball team this year,
(32:32):
and it's been a really cool thing for me to
kind of go through some of these stories and go
back and teach him about competing. And you know, he
made the team and they had seven kids, and they
went and they won a tournament, and they weren't very good.
But then they were going to this lot or two
weeks ago they had a big tournament and they brought
another kid in and he was like, what why is
this kid here? And I was like, he's here to compete,
(32:55):
he's here to play. He's here for your playing time
and the sport and life and what that teaches us,
and all that brought me back to all these stories
kind of that we're going through and and so it's
it's been kind of a nice little journey for me,
honestly to go through the fourteen years of football and
(33:16):
at three or four years of me time and now
we're back in it and I'm trying to teach those
lessons to my kids and the kids that I coach.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
Yeah, you know the culture of Carolina, man, and what
we got to experience, you know, as a team there's
so many lessons, so many things that you can actually
go back and say, Man, let me just grab what
I was experiencing in twenty fifteen and apply it to
what I'm doing now, because there was a lot of
(33:46):
good things that you know, transcribed during those those years
now from for you specifically going from you know, Cleveland
to Arizona and then to Carolina, you know, three different
you know, completely different football cultures. What did Charlotte give
you that those places did not?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
Freedom, to be honest, like freedom that that team when
I got there, was so accepting.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Uh, you know, had such a.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Good group of guys Like I, I've always needed friendship
and and people around me that want to talk.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
And as you know, like that team talked a lot.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Like we sat around and and and had many lunches
and dinners and and talked and talked about family. And
it wasn't always sports, but like I think being there
and having that and like for me, the pressure, honestly,
the pressure for me was off, like in in some regards, right,
(34:55):
Like I still had the pressure to be available and
be ready to go when I was.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
Like that Saints game, yeah, the.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Yeah, like you know, I mean, you've got to be
ready to go.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
And it's like, but at the same level, I gave
me some room to breathe and get better. And and
then when I was when I was called on to
go in the game and play, you know, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
For two or three years.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I was ready to go and that and that was
kind of like invigorating for me, and that really kind
of pushed me another three four years.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
Right, Yeah, man, that's you know, I look at a
lot of the guys on this team now, free agents,
guys that you know aren't necessarily starters, but their moment
does come and they have.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
To be ready. They have to be prepared.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And this is a young team and they're having to learn,
you know, through you know, wins and losses. Like right now,
they're coming off of a huge loss to the Saints.
You got swept the Saints. You still you still have
an opportunity to get to the playoffs, you know, you know,
for the guys that might listen to this and for
(36:10):
the guys that might see this, what's one thing that
you can give a message to the to the guys
in that locker room, especially the guys that can be
considered the glue. What's one message that you can give them.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
I think the biggest thing is just play like you're
playing for your brothers. I mean, you go out there
and play for each other. Do what the coaches are
asking you. But I think the biggest thing that you know,
we did as on our teams and the teams that
were good and on that I was on, where we
played for each other. We we you know, we took
(36:50):
the game plan, we went in and we did it
to our best of ability. We're on the field, we
talk to each other. You know, when you're out there,
there's nobody else out there, right. I mean at the
end of the day, you got three games left or
whatever four games left. It is at the end of
the year, like player balls off and we'll see where
it goes. And you're playing for an opportunity not only here,
(37:11):
but you're playing an opportunity for on other teams. And
I think you know, when guys on bad teams, like
and we were talking about earlier, on bad teams, guys
at the end of the year, they just mail it in.
They go in, they're drinking on Friday nights and you know,
their wife, they're having wine, hanging out doing all the
fun stuff on teams that become successful. And not only
(37:33):
this year and in two three years. It's finishing seasons
like this, whether or not you make the playoffs, but
you know, going into that offseason with some good momentum
and guys looking at each other like, Hey, you know,
we hung together this year and let's grind on it
this offseason.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
We'll be right back at it.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
That's good stuff, man, that's real good stuff. Before we
get out of here, I'm going to ask you two
more questions. You know, if you could relive one Panther moment,
what would it be?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Boom got him?
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Oh, I have a lot of them.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
One moment, I'd like to go back to the NFC
Championship game one more time.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
M hmm.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
I selfishly, I regret not enjoying it as much as
I did. I I was like, I'm not celebrating. I'm
not gonna we're gonna I'm gonna celebrate after the Super Bowl,
YadA YadA, YadA, this that and the other.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And I kind of looked back at it.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
I didn't maybe as absorb it as much and enjoy
the opportunity and kind of soak it in as much
as I did. But that being said, I don't really
have any regrets other than just.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Like missing out on a couple of those little minor things.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Yeah, and then finally, what does keep pounding mean to you?
Speaker 3 (39:11):
You always keep going no matter what's in front of you,
whatever the task, whatever the challenge, whatever the day, you
just get up and you just keep going. There's no
there's no other way.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
No other way.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Well, my guy, appreciate you, appreciate your time getting up
early over there. You got a tea time today.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
I'm gonna go practice my chipping just after we talked
about it.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
Yeah, say with the ches. All right, ladies and gentlemen,
this was d a Derek Anderson all time Panther, great
fan favorite in a lot of people's eyes. So thank
you for your time, Dot, and let's see if these
Panthers can make some noise in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
Hopefully, that's right, get it going. I appreciate you having anybody,
and it's always good. They can't wait to play.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Yep, all right, docs
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Mm hmm
We're the thirteenth pick in the two thousand.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
And eight NFL draft. Caroen ryon half their select Jonathan
Stewart gives to Stewart, he leaves touchdown.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Stewart oh rough tough right, angry man out at elbows, knees.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Stewart hesitates, accelerates.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
That's what I'm talking about. Fits the spass ball.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Football contain Stuart got running around. Stewart jump over a
tackler at the tenth flows jump Laura's his shoulder, keeps running.
No one will touch him.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Jonathan Stewart House, is it you talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Explosive plays in the run game.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's like the fourth of July round here right now.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
You are listening to Stu and the Crew.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Stu and the Crew podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's your boy, Jonathan Stewart.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I'm your host, and today we have an incredible guest,
fourteen year NFL VET. He's a massed ten thousand yards
career passing yards, sixty touchdowns, passing Brown's quarter back. Then
(01:01):
he finds himself in a Panther uniform and has been
and was probably the glue to the makings of the
Championship runs, the Super Bowl runs, and the Carolina Panthers
as we know it as What a time to be
alive in Charlotte, North Carolina, trying to get back to
(01:26):
those days. But none other than Derek Anderson A beaver unfortunately,
but my guy, it's good to see you, man, Thanks
for joining the pod. Talk a little Panther talk, a
little bit of life. What's going on with you man?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Good to see you, buddy.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I just been chilling, chasing kids, coaching a little football
here and there, working on my golf game. Yeah, just
kind of hanging nothing crazy.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
No, it was good seeing you. When we went out
there to Arizona, I got a chance to you know,
get on a plane and get out there to Panther
cardinal game. And I got a chance to see you
at the hotel and just catch up. You know, how
often do you get a chance to see, you know,
former teammates that you've played with.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I haven't really seen a ton of guys, you know.
It was great.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
You know, when you guys invited me to come down,
I was, you know, eager to get down and see guys.
Haven't seen it ton over a lot of years. I've
been hanging at a golf course pretty much. But I
started playing those pro rivals tournaments a few months back,
and that's been awesome, you know, kind of just get
back and see guys, not necessarily guys that we played with,
(02:42):
but guys that we played against and competed against all that.
Kind of getting back in that world a little bit.
It's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, speaking of golf, you know, you are a big
influential piece to my golf life. I still remember that
trip that me, you and Jimmy class and took to
uh the Greenbrier, and you drive like a maniac.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
You were.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
We were in your range Rover and we were and
you were driving literally up against right next to all
the semi trucks like they were just regular vehicles. And
I remember like, Man, do I fall asleep or do
I just stay.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Awake on the way home. I remember that well.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
It was because I was like, Okay, I think we
got here safe and sound. He knows what he's doing.
He's just doing it at a very lightning speed.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Here.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
I'm throwing that down a little bit. Yeah, I did
just drive a little bit too fast at times. I
will never forget that trip. Man, I always see those
those pictures always pop up. Yeah, and then I see
you doing the stuff on Instagram and stuff, and I
think about that time and kind of where your golf
games come from then to now is.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, what do you think about my swing? So far?
From from far we haven't played made sense.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But it looks so much better and your contact.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Is so much better.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Uh, just the motion is better, and you know obviously
your barrel chested. Guys, golf is not an easy thing
for you to do. But I love watching it and
love watching the journey with it.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Yeah, man, one of the just in case the listeners
are wanting golf advice, One of the things that DA
told me on my chipping that I still remember to
this day was say with your chest, finish with your
chest to your target. And to this day I think
about that all the time when I try to get
(04:41):
my get real handy right, I'm just like, man, just
swing with your chest, say it with your chest and.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
You're funny, is I'm chipping.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I've had the yips with my chipper for like six
months and so and not until yesterday did I finally
correct some issues and start chipping at good. So maybe
I to take a few tips on my own.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Man, you just start saying it in your mind like
I do. Stay with your chest, say with the chest
turning it.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Man.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
So, who's been to the golfer in this pro rivals
thing that shocked you the most?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I'd say Josh Donaldson. I mean I knew he could play.
I knew he hit it hard, but I just I'm like,
I didn't think he would be able to get up
and down at a short game. And he came to
West Rock a month ago and played with a couple
of my buddies and they're like, no, he's a he's
a real golfer.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
He's a good he's a good player.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I was like, yeah, we went down and played his course,
you know, a couple of months ago, and I was
impressed with the swing.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
He's got so much speed. But the guy can play golf.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And you know some of those other guys you know
that can play that have been good for years and
uh uh, but yeah, he was probably the most impressive.
I got to play with Ray Allen in in the
last was it second round to think of the last tournament?
And I had played with him probably like eight or
ten years ago, and his game has got a lot better,
(06:08):
very consistent. But I mean it's just a lot of guys,
you know, a lot of guys that like to compete,
a lot of guys that are very you know, athletic
and skilled, and it's just fun to get out there
and whacking around.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Yeah, one of these days, I'm gonna get my handicapped
low enough to where I can actually show up to
one of those things and compete, because it is something
that I you know, I play golf because I just
want to see how good I can get. And I
think at the end of the day, true athletes have
that mindset. You know, you're playing football, you start this game,
you pick up a ball one day, It's like, oh,
let's see how far I can throw it. Let's see
(06:40):
how many completions I can get. Let's see how mean
yards I can throw them, huny touchdowns I can get.
So it's like you have this this this way about you.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That drive.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
The drive comes from how good I can how good
can I really get at this this sport or this
six you know, this this activity, whatever it is. And
that's what golf has done for me. It's given me
this edge of Okay, today I'm going to practice, you know,
my short game to dam, I'm going to do this exercise.
(07:11):
This morning, I worked out and all I did was
like rotation exercises because all I'm thinking about is how
good can I get at golf?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Because we're sickos bud cicos. I do anotherally go to.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The gym Monday and Tuesday every week and I am
doing only golf movements and trying to get my body
moving for golf.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
But I mean it's a good thing though, I mean,
you need that.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
It's it's something that I mean to get in a
competitive atmosphere and those deals that I've been doing, I
mean it's fun, you know, knowing your weaknesses, playing around
what you can and can't do, really test it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And you know, I've had.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
A awesome time playing against and with like the pros
of my club, but like I rarely get a chance
to beat them. So it's like it's fun to play
against guys that you know you can compete with. Oh
they are kind of on the same level as you.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Yeah, well enough for the golf talk. Everyone's here to talk.
Hear us talk about a little bit of panthers, a
little bit about what's going on in your life still.
But Carolina Panthers right now, they control their own destiny.
We've been in a lot of situations like that, you know,
with the Panthers, you know, it's all about the locker room.
(08:29):
It's all about the guys that lead the locker room.
And a coach that gives you access to do that right,
doesn't meddle into you know, things that doesn't necessarily require meddling,
but the allowance. One of the things that I cherished
about coach Ron Rivera was his ability to meet guys
(08:52):
where they were right to understand, you know, personalities in
that locker room and let letting guys you know, you know, freely,
you know, become who they are supposed to be. I
look at cam right, I look at you know, D'Angelo,
I look at Thomas Davis. I look at all these
different personalities that we've been around, Greg Olsen and you know,
(09:18):
and a lot of that has been led through veteran leadership.
You look at the Carolina Panthers right now, you know,
what what are the things that as a you know,
a fan that is looking outside in what is what
is something that you see from your lens? You know
that the Panthers are gradually gaining when it comes to
(09:44):
the inner workings of a legit, you know, team that
can actually compete.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I guess trust, Like the biggest thing is they're like
starting to trust each other. You know.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
You see just kind of how they're playing together. Guys
are making and right plays, you know, his growth. Like,
I mean, we've I've had a lot of kind of
discussions with kind of my buddies here over the past
few weeks. And you know, obviously they've won a few games,
and you know, and they're working their way up. And
my son has been going nuts because obviously he's a
(10:18):
huge Bills fan, but he's also a big Panthers fan,
and he's giving me the rundown on what everybody's.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Doing every week.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And yeah, it's funny you asked this because we kind
of actually were talking about like what last week a
friend of mine was asking me, like what makes you
know bad teams good? Like how do you you know,
go from being a bad team and how do you
not get guys to quit on coaches? And uh, it
(10:44):
was actually a guy on my flag football team, his
dad and he's a huge Giants fan and asking about
like day ball and and I just said, I said,
I kind of looked back at a time when we
were three that year we were three, eight and one,
and like and really it's it comes down to guys
just like wanting it right. Like you just it's kind
(11:06):
of like the golf thing, Like you just want to
be better. You want to come into work every day
and you want to be better. You want to make
the guy around you better, you want to help guys.
When you start getting that in the locker room, you
start getting guys that care about each other in the
locker room, like it doesn't matter. You're gonna win at
the end of the year when guys and when other
teams don't care, you're gonna win games. And then that
(11:28):
you just kind of start build building that momentum, you know,
into the next year, and you know, you bring in
one or two more guys and you know they fit
into the culture that you're building, and it's just a process.
And I think you know, there are a couple of
years into that process and you know and finding the
right pieces, you know, going you know, finishing this year
out and seeing how it goes and then adding those
(11:49):
next you know, couple guys that can get them to
the next step, and you're right back in, you know,
in in the playoffs and and doing the right things and.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Uh turning around right.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Yeah, when you when when the Carolina Panthers reached out
to you to come to Carolina, what was your your
thought about that, you know, opportunity? Did you know CAM
was like, was that like a conversation while we already
had CAM or was that something before Cam? Like what
(12:25):
was that interaction and what was your expectation coming into Carolinas?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Give you the story kind of real quick.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, give me something easy.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
So I had just come off that horrendous year in Arizona.
I hated football. I was like super frustrated. I started
working out with like a new trainer down in Arizona.
Like I was getting up at like five in the
morning driving down there, and I'm like I'm doing this.
I'm like I got two or three years left of
the way I'm doing it. And I got to start over.
(12:56):
And it was like right during the lockout, and I
texted and we weren't supposed to be like having contact
with coaches or anything like that, right, And so I
just sent him a long text message and said and
essentially just said, hey, like, I'm willing to do whatever
it is, like, I want to win a Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I want to be part of a great team. I don't.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I'm no longer is about me chasing being a starting
quarterback in this league. And never heard from him for
night whatever long the walkout was or whatever like, because
it was after they had drafted Cam and I was like,
you know what, I was like, this kid's a freaking
up freakazoid. I'd love to go there. My coach that
I had was there. I know the offense. I can
(13:40):
help him. Yeah, And he never responded. And then like
the day after the walkout came up, he just called me,
and I didn't get it. It went to a voicemail
and he was like something like, let's get the band
back together and blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And then I let's get the together boys, and then
my in.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
My as called and then that's when I ended up
in the cafeterias you guys, like two days later. But yeah,
it was more like for me, it was just I
loved football and I loved like being around it. And
then at that point it was just more about like
being around a good team. I've been on so many
bad teams for so long, and I just wanted to
(14:21):
be in a situation and I wanted to like go
to the playoffs. I wanted a chance to win a
super Bowl. It didn't matter to me how it came up.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
One of the things you said was I'll do whatever
it takes. And then the second thing, I love football
in my in my honest opinion, we had a lot
of guys like that on this team, especially the year
we went to the super Bowl. We had guys that
would do whatever it takes. We had guys that loved
the game and guys that were like, had enough humility
(14:52):
to actually put that into action. And when I talk
about you know, when people ask me, you know, what
was so spec about you know that twenty fifteen, twenty
and sixteen team, And I always say, the special thing
about that team was the glue. You know, guys that
you know, were able to connect the missing pieces. And
(15:19):
it wasn't necessarily what you see on the film. It's
not what you see on the field or the practice field.
It's the thing that keeps things rocking when things suck,
when seasons are bad, when you when you lose it.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
When you have a bad game.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And the meeting time, the training room time, you know,
eating in the cafeteria, the plane rides, how are things,
What's what's the chemistry like there? And I always think
about you specifically because Cam and you, that was the
special sauce in my opinion, like whatever happened in those
(16:00):
meeting rooms where you know you would be the person
that was in there early in the morning watching film.
It's like, all right, let me go in here and
make sure I know what I'm talking about so that
way I can help and be of service to my guy.
And I think that's what everybody had in them. It's
like I'm here to serve. I'm here to serve this organization,
(16:23):
but I'm here to serve my brother because if I'm
not on the field, what can I do to still help?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:31):
But you you were a pros pro because your preparation
was like, hey, I'm the starter or too. And I
think that showed itself in a lot of like in
the Buccaneers games. We're coming up and we're about to
be playing the Buccaneers, and I just remember every time
we played the Buccaneers, I'm like, well, it's Cam gonna
be hurt or like it's something because it seemed like
(16:53):
for at least two years I can't remember, but there
was like a two year span where you played almost
every Buccaneers game I did.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I played three out of four in two years, I think,
I think, or something like that, or it was a yeah,
in a two year span.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Yeah, like like take us Through, Like you know that
take us Through?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Was that the year that he got in a car accident?
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, I broke his He had two. He got the
car accident one and then the other one. He broke
his ribs in the Monday Night game and the Patriots
in the preseason. Uh yeah, something like that. I'm just
gonna go back kind of to the like just kind
of like the glue piece and like kind of my role,
(17:42):
I guess, and and many guys on our team's role,
I guess. You know, Chase was another guy, you know Roman,
uh you know, calling a lot of a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Of those guys. But for me, like.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
As kind of things kind of started getting pieced together
and I started to get to know everybody, you know,
my first year and I got there.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
You know, Smitty was.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
He's always yelling and this and that and like you know,
making a storm. And then but he would always come
up to me and be like, hey, man, what do
you think about this? Or you know, I can think
about many times that you would come to me and
ask me, hey are we doing this?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Rider? You know, what do you think about this?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
And I think like, yeah, why are we running race
so much?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Just like and and sometimes like you guys would ask
me questions even that I would go back and I
would go watch and I'm like, why are we running
this month? Or why are we doing this? And like yeah,
and it made me, you know, it made me think.
And then I would, you know, go to coach and
I would ask him questions. And and really the the
big piece that I think helped me but also helped
(18:43):
our team was like whoever our coordinator was, Shoeloader, chud
Or or Dorsey gave me freedom to speak to them.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
But also I had to.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Dodge a kind of a fine line, right like, because
I had to be able to to let you guys
know that you trusted me, that I wasn't going to
take information or things to coaches that they didn't need
to know, right like, because I was in meetings with
guys and giving them information and working on things that
like at times that so you're on the edge, right.
So but for me, like being able to take information
(19:18):
that I heard from coach at ten o'clock at night
on a Tuesday or whatever it was and relay it
to you and you going to the meeting, you know,
and we're talking about protections on Wednesday morning and you
already know what to do. And it was a simple, easy,
you know, whatever it is, right, it's a simple block.
And I enjoyed that, like I enjoyed honestly, like standing
(19:39):
on the sideline and watching guys pick up blitzes and
watching guys see the game happen in front of them,
and the stacking those games on top of games every
single week. And I think guys on our team also
saw how each individual guy in each room did it right,
So like how we did in the quarterback room, how
(20:01):
Luke did it in the linebacker room. They all had
a guy in their room that kind of kept things
organized and made sure everybody was on the same page.
And that to me was the culination of twenty fifteen.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
Yeah, like the the communication barriers didn't exist.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
For us, like nobody hurt.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
Yeah, and I think we knew that And it's interesting
that you say that, because I didn't think about it
like that as far as the communication line, because we
did go to you with like questions and like concerns
because we knew that you had a direct line to
you know, the play caller, uh and to the guy
(20:42):
that's running the ship. Right, So and for us, it
takes the emotion out of it. Right when you have
a team that does operate from that standpoint, nobody's feelings
gets hurt, and everybody understands like we're actually all in
this together and we're accepting our roles and responsibilities and
(21:03):
doing it in a way that's channeling, you know, the
championship mindset. And so that's that's so interesting. I never
really thought about that, You know that I've kind.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Of been helping a white Wyatt Horton, who's a quarterback
at Idaho State, a freshman this year, and I've not
I mean mentoring him, I guess, but just trying to
help him with the process of it. And so for me,
it's I've been reliving some of these conversations and some
of these interactions and trying to help him to understand
(21:38):
his teammates and how he can be a better you
know help, he's you know, he's a true freshman and
was a backup, ended up redshirting, but was going there
with hoping to play. And so like working through some
of those situations with him has got some of these
things fresh on my mind.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
So it's, uh, it's been kind of fun.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
So like take us through like the headset on on
a game day, Like from your perspective, cause I'm sitting
here watch I'm thinking when you said standing on the sideline,
I envision you standing there, you know, with some seeds
in your mouth, maybe you know, hands in your you know,
in a you know, a warmer headset on and you're
(22:18):
down by the opposite end, so you can get a
good view. Like take us through a headset moment. That's positive.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
I honestly I would sit back there and with House
or who is our strength coach, and I would sit
there and I would go and I would hit him
and I'd be like, all right, here we go, big one,
and he would he would die laugh, like so many
times he'd like how would you notice? And I would
sit there and then I would actually teach him like
why plays were going to work, like based on what
(22:54):
they were playing and and sometimes in the run game.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
As we kind of got going in the run game,
I'd be like, gosh, you know, like, yes, yeah, Seattle game.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
First play of the game, right, that was the when
you went Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
As soon as we lined up like I was, I
knew that play was going to be huge. Just like
when I'm standing back there, it comes in.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
So play would go in perhaps some time Cam's not
paying attention that he's looking the other way, and I'm
up there, and I'm standing down there, and when he
was the first couple of years, I stood way closer
to whoever had the ball in so just in case,
because he would never pay attention.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
And then you look up and then he'd do this.
I'm sure we all saw that.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I mean that means I didn't hear it, and that
means I forgot it, or I.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Wasn't paying attention, or he was talking to Atlanta defensive
lineman getting in here for running them over.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
And then you could hear here go back and forth,
and then whoever's calling in and then I'd run down there.
And then we'd had in the beginning up hand signals
so that we could get it in when it got
messed up. But uh, there was never any like Dorsey
when he was calling it in. He was always calm,
which I know is shocking because Dorsey's not always calm,
(24:12):
but like when he would call it in, always clean.
We never had anybody that was like overly crazy. Like
I know people have listened to Sean McVay on the
headset and like, that's the worst thing you could ever
do is give that guy the microphone to the quarterback.
But Matthew Stafford can handle that, and I don't know
many guys that can. Like, if the coach was talking
(24:34):
to me for that long and telling me that many things,
like I'd probably set the helmet on the field and
walk off.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
But uh, yeah, the Blake calls are super super super
super super long.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
And then he then some of these guys now are
trying to give you the alerts and the checks and
the if they're.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Any careful, cover one, cover three, check to this, make
sure you keep your eyes on fifty five and if
few mugs, and make sure you get out of this.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
It's like, hey, bu look, let me just play quarterback.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Right. That's why I came to work every day this week.
I got all the information in there, let me use it. No.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
One of the funny ones actually was when we went
to Seattle one of the later times I can't remember,
and I think we end up winning up there. But
I actually wore a headset that went straight to Shoela
so I could hear every play call.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I heard everything that went on during the entire game.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
And we go get on the bus and Shola goes,
don't ever tell anybody, but you.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
You know what, I actually think I heard that because
we were on the same bus.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, I think I think I remember him saying that.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Yeah, it was I don't tell anyone what was said
to on the on the headset, And I'm thinking to myself, well,
doesn't know was here on the headset.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
No, I heard like live like from Shoela because it
would go Shoela to Doors, Doors to Cam.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
And I was Doors.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
So what was said on the headset?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
It really wasn't that bad. But they were yelling back
and forth at each other about some stupid third down
call at one point, not yelling, but somebody was we
shouldn't have.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Done that, yeah, but like we shouldn't have ran race.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Yeah, something like stupid like that.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But like it was not a big deal at all,
and I get where he was at, and that kind
of goes back to what I was saying, is like
that Dodge in that line, right, Like yeah, but I
enjoyed it, Like I enjoyed that they trusted me with
that information, and I enjoyed that you guys trusted it.
And I would never like cross contaminate that because I
knew that, you know, my teammates and those guys were
(26:42):
more important than whatever they were trying to information they
were trying to get out of me.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Yeah, well, let's talk about camp for a little bit
because I mean, you know, Cam is obviously you know,
near and dear to all of our hearts, you know, teammates, fans,
coaching staff, right, I mean, this is a guy that
was a generational talent that changed the trajectory of Carolina
Panthers in my opinion. You know, your guys's bond and
(27:10):
your brotherhood was very special. You know, tell us something
that you know, I mean, even a guy like myself
being in that locker room. You know, I know Cam
for what I know him, you know, as my teammate,
as my friend, but you guys literally invested so much
time together, you know, what's something that people don't see
(27:31):
from the outside, you know, as far as your experiences with.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Cam, I get it.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
I get a lot like people will you know, I'll
be around, but man, I don't like that guy.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
And I'm like, you don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That guy, and uh and I always I'll always defend
him to the day. And I know a lot of
what he does is part of his entertainment and for
entertainment value.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I know his heart is good.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
He treated my family, my wife, my kids, everybody with
the most respect. Was incredible. But I think just being
in a room like that and being able to be
vulnerable with somebody win. Times are hard. And sitting in
the room after a hard loss, he had never lost.
(28:21):
He did, he didn't He had to learn how to lose.
And that's and that's a weird way to say it,
but like him being vulnerable enough to say like i
need help, like understanding how to do this, Like I'm
not okay with losing games, and it's like, you guys
are okay with losing, And I'm like, at one point
(28:41):
I was like, we're not okay with losing. But we've
been in this long enough that we understand we're not
gonna win every single game, like every week where there's
gonna be ups and downs. But when you go through
it every week, like you you're seven years in a
room with.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
A guy like that.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Uh, you see the highs, you see the lows, you
see in the in betweens. I mean, it's it's it's
it is a brotherhood, it's and it's a bond that
like it's hard for people to understand, uh, because there's
you know, there's days when you come to work and
you don't want to be there and you don't necessarily
want to talk to anybody. You don't want to you
(29:21):
don't want to hear anything. And and when I was
in there, you know, it was great. You know, a
couple of weeks ago, he talked about something on his
podcast about things that I you know, and said to
him and just over time. Uh, and it was super
cool because there were times when I'm like, I don't
know that he's hearing me. I don't you know, I
don't know that I don't know that he's listening. But
(29:44):
he always did, and and I was always it was
something that I it took me a while to kind
of build the courage up to say things because when
I first got there, I had the impression that he
felt like I was there to like take his job.
And I and I said, at one point during that
training camp, I said, I I came here to help you.
I'm here to help you, and Jimmy I was like,
I really, I don't want to play. I want to
(30:06):
help you guys, go and make us get better. And
I think from that point forward he understood that it
was I wasn't there to like I was there to
push him. I wasn't there to I mean compete with him. Yes,
but at the same point we all knew he was
going to be the guy. But I had to come
in and make sure that hold him accountable every single
day by my actions, by the way that I carried myself,
(30:27):
the way I help my teammates and prepare myself.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
How has that made you a better man?
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Because I mean there's a lot of humility there, and like,
just like, how has that experience, you know, going from Arizona,
coming off you know, a year that you know was
disappointing for you and your eyes and then wanting to
hang it up, but then a realization of being called
(30:55):
to do and be a part of you know, this
game of football in a different light because this is you.
You're you go from this like mindset of starting quarterback
to all of a sudden, this realization of I feel
called to do something different and maybe and how I'm
(31:18):
seeing it something greater, you know, mentoring big brother and
also inter working on your like for yourself.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
For sure, and I think it's I mean, it took
me a while, but I'm kind of back in that
kind of spot again, but I'm doing it with myself
in a weird way. I kind of went through, you know,
a little rough patch like when I got done, you know,
(31:51):
and just kind of been rebuilding myself and kind of
going back to some of those principles of what got
me to what, you know, where I was, you know,
getting up in the morning and going to the gym
and being productive in the mornings and you know, and
and moving around and trying to teach my kids now
and trying to teach you know. I drive my son
(32:11):
a couple of days a week. He has basketball practice,
like thirty five minutes away, and we're in the car
and just teaching him some of those things and not
like making it about the sport, but making about like
us using the sport, you know, for life, right, And
he made a like a travel basketball team this year,
(32:32):
and it's been a really cool thing for me to
kind of go through some of these stories and go
back and teach him about competing. And you know, he
made the team and they had seven kids, and they
went and they won a tournament, and they weren't very good.
But then they were going to this lot or two
weeks ago they had a big tournament and they brought
another kid in and he was like, what why is
this kid here? And I was like, he's here to compete,
(32:55):
he's here to play. He's here for your playing time
and the sport and life and what that teaches us,
and all that brought me back to all these stories
kind of that we're going through and and so it's
it's been kind of a nice little journey for me,
honestly to go through the fourteen years of football and
(33:16):
at three or four years of me time and now
we're back in it and I'm trying to teach those
lessons to my kids and the kids that I coach.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
Yeah, you know the culture of Carolina, man, and what
we got to experience, you know, as a team there's
so many lessons, so many things that you can actually
go back and say, Man, let me just grab what
I was experiencing in twenty fifteen and apply it to
what I'm doing now, because there was a lot of
(33:46):
good things that you know, transcribed during those those years
now from for you specifically going from you know, Cleveland
to Arizona and then to Carolina, you know, three different
you know, completely different football cultures. What did Charlotte give
you that those places did not?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
Freedom, to be honest, like freedom that that team when
I got there, was so accepting.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Uh, you know, had such a.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Good group of guys Like I, I've always needed friendship
and and people around me that want to talk.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
And as you know, like that team talked a lot.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Like we sat around and and and had many lunches
and dinners and and talked and talked about family. And
it wasn't always sports, but like I think being there
and having that and like for me, the pressure, honestly,
the pressure for me was off, like in in some regards, right,
(34:55):
Like I still had the pressure to be available and
be ready to go when I was.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
Like that Saints game, yeah, the.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Yeah, like you know, I mean, you've got to be
ready to go.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
And it's like, but at the same level, I gave
me some room to breathe and get better. And and
then when I was when I was called on to
go in the game and play, you know, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
For two or three years.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I was ready to go and that and that was
kind of like invigorating for me, and that really kind
of pushed me another three four years.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
Right, Yeah, man, that's you know, I look at a
lot of the guys on this team now, free agents,
guys that you know aren't necessarily starters, but their moment
does come and they have.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
To be ready. They have to be prepared.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And this is a young team and they're having to learn,
you know, through you know, wins and losses. Like right now,
they're coming off of a huge loss to the Saints.
You got swept the Saints. You still you still have
an opportunity to get to the playoffs, you know, you know,
for the guys that might listen to this and for
(36:10):
the guys that might see this, what's one thing that
you can give a message to the to the guys
in that locker room, especially the guys that can be
considered the glue. What's one message that you can give them.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
I think the biggest thing is just play like you're
playing for your brothers. I mean, you go out there
and play for each other. Do what the coaches are
asking you. But I think the biggest thing that you know,
we did as on our teams and the teams that
were good and on that I was on, where we
played for each other. We we you know, we took
(36:50):
the game plan, we went in and we did it
to our best of ability. We're on the field, we
talk to each other. You know, when you're out there,
there's nobody else out there, right. I mean at the
end of the day, you got three games left or
whatever four games left. It is at the end of
the year, like player balls off and we'll see where
it goes. And you're playing for an opportunity not only here,
(37:11):
but you're playing an opportunity for on other teams. And
I think you know, when guys on bad teams, like
and we were talking about earlier, on bad teams, guys
at the end of the year, they just mail it in.
They go in, they're drinking on Friday nights and you know,
their wife, they're having wine, hanging out doing all the
fun stuff on teams that become successful. And not only
(37:33):
this year and in two three years. It's finishing seasons
like this, whether or not you make the playoffs, but
you know, going into that offseason with some good momentum
and guys looking at each other like, Hey, you know,
we hung together this year and let's grind on it
this offseason.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
We'll be right back at it.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
That's good stuff, man, that's real good stuff. Before we
get out of here, I'm going to ask you two
more questions. You know, if you could relive one Panther moment,
what would it be?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Boom got him?
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Oh, I have a lot of them.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
One moment, I'd like to go back to the NFC
Championship game one more time.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
M hmm.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
I selfishly, I regret not enjoying it as much as
I did. I I was like, I'm not celebrating. I'm
not gonna we're gonna I'm gonna celebrate after the Super Bowl,
YadA YadA, YadA, this that and the other.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And I kind of looked back at it.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
I didn't maybe as absorb it as much and enjoy
the opportunity and kind of soak it in as much
as I did. But that being said, I don't really
have any regrets other than just.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Like missing out on a couple of those little minor things.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Yeah, and then finally, what does keep pounding mean to you?
Speaker 3 (39:11):
You always keep going no matter what's in front of you,
whatever the task, whatever the challenge, whatever the day, you
just get up and you just keep going. There's no
there's no other way.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
No other way.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Well, my guy, appreciate you, appreciate your time getting up
early over there. You got a tea time today.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
I'm gonna go practice my chipping just after we talked
about it.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
Yeah, say with the ches. All right, ladies and gentlemen,
this was d a Derek Anderson all time Panther, great
fan favorite in a lot of people's eyes. So thank
you for your time, Dot, and let's see if these
Panthers can make some noise in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
Hopefully, that's right, get it going. I appreciate you having anybody,
and it's always good. They can't wait to play.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Yep, all right, docs
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Mm hmm
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