Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hope on for the review.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
All Right, guys are ready great challenge this week. Number
one offense in the NFL. Defense that is coming together
with some names that we know and a great coaching staff.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
We're preparing.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
There was great focus out there, engagement today at practice,
trying to build off and improve on the things that
we looked at, you know, in the film session, and
just making sure that we're continuing to progress, continuing to
show improvement in those areas, pushing each other, they're taking
to it the right way.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
So it's an exciting day. David, Can you.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Talk about can you run defense? And so that's a
last week of confidence that you and how you're carrying
that over into this.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Week as such.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
As we've consistently been winning on first and second down
with the run game, we've given up a couple of explosives,
but this is a team that just continues to improve,
to work together to fit the runs the right way
and rally to the ball and tackle. We expect them
to do that again this week, taking on the challenge.
Talk to each other, communicate and just keep building, keep
building together.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And it really happens in practice.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It's the communication that I see out there I see
them talking about different sets, talking about different tips and
tells that they're working on and making sure they're playing
their leverages right and doing their assignment so that we
can play team football.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Cuba is gonna mess another week, or.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
We're gonna put him out there every day, just a
little by little in RTP and just see where he's at,
and we'll make that decision as we go. He's chomping
at the bit, as you can imagine, especially after last week.
You know, he's he's fired it to get back out there.
We have to do the right thing for Cuba, the
right thing for the Panthers. So we'll take it day
by day and see where he's at.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Every wanting to see Rico get recognized with that award for.
Speaker 5 (01:43):
What he did.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, NFC Offensive Player of the Week phenomenal. I'm really
proud of the group. I'm proud of the offensive line.
He'd be up here telling you the offensive line, you know,
and the tight ends and the receivers blocking down the field.
It takes all eleven Bryce getting us to the right
runs depending on the looks. You know, It's a it's
a whole team effort. And Rico went out there and
did his part, played violently like we expected him to.
(02:06):
And I'm just I'm excited for for Rico and and
just all the hard work that goes into it, the
full group, you know, to put that kind of performance
that's earned you work on those things and to make
it come alive.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
It takes a group effort.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
The balance is that when you've got a guy that
just comes to NFC Offensive Player of the Week and
then if Shuba comes back, he could be the back
of a hand, what is there a balance you have
to go buy as a coach when you're handling those situations.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It's it's a great feeling for me. I look down
at the call sheet, I don't have to worry about
who's in there, you know. And Trevor has done a
great job as well when he's got his opportunities to
run the ball.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
But to know that we have two solid backs that
we love.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
And it just allows us to just continue to play
our brand of football and know that, you know, we'll
get a fresh set of legs in there that can execute.
So it's a great feeling for me, you know, And
we'll figure out how to use both guys when when
that time comes.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
If you express to you how much playing against his
old team and the Cowboys means to him, and does
that I don't know. Does that factoring any of the
calculus this week.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
That's not a part of our language here. We take
every opponent seriously. We look at all of them as
championship opportunities to improve our football, to attack it. And
this is going to be you know, I know that
there's going to be He's human. I know there's going
to be emotions and all that, but we have to
set those things aside. And I don't know if there's
any special emotions for him.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Last week. He played hard and I expect him to
play the same way.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
Jalen Koger was wearing at least what we were out there,
a scout team uniform. What did you think of his
performance today? How did he help you guys in practice?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
He looked good, He ran crisp routes, He looks fast,
he looks like Jalen. And we want to make sure
that he can put the volume of this full weekend
before we make a decision on whether to bring him
up this week or not. You know, So we're trying
to get extra reps here and there some scout team
reps and some full speed routes, you know, and ramp
up his volume tomorrow to see where he's at, you know,
(03:52):
see if he can handle it, so we can trust
that he's ready to go for a full game. When
you open a player's window, it's easy to make decisions
to try to get them back out there, especially when
there's a guy like Jalen who we relied on to
make plays for us last year. But at the same time,
we have to open the window and be realistic about
what he can handle. Let him show us what he's
(04:12):
ready to handle. So we'll take it day to day
here and make a decision.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
If you'd been looking for backs to bring more tackles
as you mentioned, or was there a particular player or
two from Sunday with Rico that you kind of held
up as an example for the rest of the guys.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, there were several you know, where a defensive lineman
is coming off of his block and he's got a
free arm and recal runs through the arm. You know,
it's the second level safeties and corners showing up on
the second level in the run game, and he's got
his pad level down and he's covering the ball up,
which is first and foremost for us. But those are
just great examples of what it takes. And oftentimes when
you run violently like that early on in the game,
(04:51):
then the dB starts to they really have to, you know,
bring it, They really have to close in on you.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
That's where those extra yards kind of come in.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
You can set up runs and make moves to the
left or right, but it all starts with running downhill,
pressing the feet of the lineman and running violently, and
then that sets up the rest of it.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
He talked about the Cowboys being number one in the league.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Offensively, what do you see in great balance? A group
of skilled players that's really talented, experienced guys that been
with DAK for a while, and then of course adding
George Pickens into the mix with speed and size, and
then just and I know Brian Schottenheimer personally, and I
know that he's going to try to find a way
to run the ball some way, somehow, And so you
(05:30):
just see the balance of their personnels, their formations. They
can run or pass out of all those things, and
that really is what makes them a good offense. And
of course I think DAK is playing at a really
high level, finding his completions, finding his playmakers out there,
and they're doing a good job just mixing personnels and
utilizing their roster with your defense.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Are there particular areas where you're maybe not surprised, but
most impressed with how much progress they've made.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
It's a collective group working together, that's what I see.
I've seen that now for three weeks in practice happen
where they're talking before the snap, they're getting set, their
eyes are right, and they're making adjustments together. And that's
what I've seen collectively. And I'm proud of the young guys.
Nick Scorton who made some awesome plays. Prince Lely had
a couple of plays in there as well, Guys that
(06:16):
I didn't get to mention. I didn't mention after the game.
We were talking about, you know, some of the younger players.
But these are guys that are growing up. These are
guys that are figuring it out, and they feel the
weight of accountability from their teammates to do their job well,
and they're taking to the challenge and continuing to improve
Dallas the.
Speaker 7 (06:31):
Defense improving a little bit. What do you see as
right now they have I think the worst defense yard
wise in the league.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, to me, it looks like communication. I look at
their roster and I look at the team that they've assembled,
and they have depth. They have playmakers out there. They
have two corners who will certainly catch it if you
throw it to them. They're dynamic players. They have some
really experienced rushers on the edge and some younger rushes
that they're developing. And so you know Kenny Clark on
the inside as well. And I look at this group
(07:01):
and I just see those guys figuring out how to
play together in a scheme. And really that's what it
amounts to me. And I know Matt Eberflus as well,
and I know he's an excellent coach. Andre Curtis another
friend of mine there on the defensive staff. They'll get
these guys to play really good defense in short order.
But I don't see them lacking anything. What I see
as a group that's as they come together and play together,
I know that they're going to continue to send.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
You had a guy that came back from injury who's
been around for a little bit in Lebrian Ray made
some stops in the first half. When you see a
guy come off Ir while you're obviously Jalen and he
responds the way he does. Does that give you a
confidence in the way that you guys are handling guys
from the medical staff standpoint, but also the coaching rep
up standpoint.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I can't say enough good things about Danny Callington and
the job the training staff is doing Josh Hinks as
well with the strength staff and preparing our guys to
be ready for football when they come back from these things.
Our return to play process has been excellent and I'm
really excited again. We have to treat each guy as
an individual case with different types of injuries and exposure
(08:05):
to it or recurring things. You know, we have to
take all those things into consideration, and we have all
the analytics, We have all the expertise, the hands on expertise,
and now they pass them off to the coaches for
us to put them to the test from a football standpoint,
so we can make educated decisions. But I feel very
confident about our group getting our guys back and playing
at a high level when they do.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
There are a few times on Sunday that Nick, Princeley,
DJ and Pat were all out there together.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
What do you like about that personnel group and just
from an offensive point of view, how do you have
been that? Well, it's a dynamic group and they're guys
that are versatile and Pat Jones can go play inside,
Nick Gorton can play inside some to be able to
move those pieces around to get those fast guys out
on the field, They've been working really hard on their stunts,
their rush games, all those different things, their technique and
(08:52):
their rushes as well, and it's all paying off. I
see them working with you know, Ac Carter. I see
them working with Todd Wash using their hands, using their leverage,
and learning from the veteran players. So they're feeding off
each other and that's the type of energy that we
need and that's the group that needs to continue to
grow to make an impact in the past.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Rush game are so last week, but continue to be
a problem defending the tight end? What are you seeing
that has to change defensively to you know, shut down.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
The opposing tight ends.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah, there's a couple communication issues that we have to
work through and then let's give let's give credit where
credit is due. Trey McBride is a phenomenal player. Darren
Waller is a phenomenal player. Those guys are going to
make their plays. Can we minimize it by playing our
leverage as well being aware of where they're at information
and making sure we eliminate those big explosive plays. Are
(09:43):
they still going to produce, Absolutely, they're going to find
their plays, but let's minimize the big plays. And I
think that's the biggest thing, is just making sure that
they're all tied in together in their coverages.
Speaker 7 (09:53):
A long attack among two balanced running backs. But is
there something we said The benefits of primarily giving them
all the one back and them do what Rico did
this past weekend.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Could be some groups. Some teams have two backs that
they use with effectiveness. Some some teams have a lead
back that they asked to carry the load. We'll look
at all of it.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
We'll make those decisions when we get Tuba back.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
First back home games that you're having zero, what kind
of benefit does that provide for you and your team
to just have the stability of being in Charlotte for
more of extent of time getting ready.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
For these games.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I mean, speaking personally, it's just spending time with my family,
spending time with my wife and my kids throughout the weekend,
where you're normally getting on a plane sometime on Saturday
afternoon and I get to go see soccer, and you
know those types of things that just it puts you
in a good state of mind. I will say the
flip side, I think that on the road in my experience,
when I'm on the road, I have a window on
(10:44):
the plane to watch a little bit more film, to
look at my call sheet one more time, go up
and down the halls, talking the aisles, talking to players,
talking to coaches, and so there's a connectedness that happens
to a team playing on the road. We got to
be able to make sure that shows up on game day.
We got to make sure we were well to do that.
But we certainly love being here at home, playing in
Bank of America Stadium, what we're familiar with. We do
(11:06):
everything here, we have our meetings and our practices, and
we love it here and so we look forward to that,
you know, just having the back to back weeks where
we can kind of, you know, spend time with our
families and and really and really recover that way going
into this long season,