September 11, 2024 • 26 mins
Get a front-row seat to Carolina Panthers football with \*Sideline Pass\*! Hosted by team reporters Kristen Balboni and Sharon Thorsland, this show takes you right into the heart of the action with exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes stories, and the latest buzz from Bank of America Stadium. This week Kristen and Sharon are joined by Austin Corbett to discuss Derrick Brown's injury, describe what it is like to rehabilitate from a serious injury, look back at the Saints game, look ahead to the Chargers game and so much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Jeeves, Kristen Balboni and Sharon Thorsland with your Sideline Pass.
Welcome to Sideline Pass, where we give you the low
down on all things Panthers. We are taking you behind
the scenes. Is Kristin Balboni here with my fellow Panthers
sideline reporter Sharon Thorsland.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Sharon, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
As always, I'm really enjoying these and I'm looking fun
looking forward to exchanging notes.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Absolutely, it's a great, great fun to do this with
you every week. So and we certainly have a lot
to talk about this week.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yeah, And as we talked about last week, you are
the road sideline reporter for our radio broadcast and I'm
the home sideline reporter. So it's really like we're just
exchanging information. You know, this is a great time to
catch up during the week and say what you see?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What did you see? Except we can just record it exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I want everybody else get info and sharing some tough
news that we start out with, and that is that
Derek Brown is on IR with that torn meniscus.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, and he is definitely unfortunately, as you said, out
for the season. That was placed on IR earlier this week,
so he is done and that is such a huge
loss for this defense. But yeah, I didn't see anything.
He played in sixty out of the sixty six possible
defensive snaps, so you never had any inkling that something
was wrong with him or that he was in any pain.
No one was ever working on his knee. He never
(01:23):
came over to the sidelines complaining about anything. He just
went in there did his job like he always does.
And apparently Sunday evening, after we got back off the
plane flight, his knee had gotten a little stiff or
something wasn't quite right, and he had alerted the trainers
at that point, and then on Monday morning when he
came in to the stadium it was bothering him more
so they immediately sent him to get an MRI to
(01:46):
see what was going on, and that is when it
showed that torn meniscus, as you said, getting the second
opinion to see exactly what was going on in there.
But he's going to need surgery, and unfortunately, with the
meniscus injury that's generally a four to six month injury.
It looks like, unfortunately, we are not going to be
seeing Derek Brown out here on the football field again.
This season, and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Just such a bummer because of the year he had
last year. You know, broke the record for tackles by
a d lineman, an NFL record, what one hundred and
three if I remember correctly, and you just hate to
see it because he had really come into his own
as a player, he got that big contract and certainly
a guy that the Panthers need. And so now talking
(02:28):
to Dave Canalis yesterday, he said, we're just going to
go with a rotation And he told me Sharon, and
I imagine he's told you and everyone else too. It's
like the biggest thing for these guys that are coming
in on rotation is to not try to be Derek Brown,
which I think is a really interesting and very honest,
(02:49):
you know, couching of what he wants them to be.
He's being honest about that, and I do think, and
tell me what you think about this, when defenses get
in trouble, it's because someone's trying to do too much.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
No, I agree with you one hundred percent. And that
is the first thing that Dave Canal said on Monday
was this is going to be a group effort. You
cannot with one single person, right now replace Derek Brown
and what he's able to do out there on the
field and in the locker room, on the sidelines, everywhere
as a leader, he is a special, special player or
just first trip to the Pro Bowl last year. And yeah,
(03:21):
it's going to take a group of guys coming in
and out and doing what they can do best and
work within this scheme. Just do the best they can.
Don't try to go out there and be a superstar.
Don't try to say, all right, I've got to fill
some big shoes, so I have to do this, this
and this. I got to make these plays, because then
you start pressing and then you start trying too hard.
And yeah, that is often when you make a mistake
or do something that can hurt the team. So Dave
(03:43):
Canalis wants these guys to come in, play within the scheme,
play the best you possibly can, within the scheme, do
your job, be your one to eleven, and as a group,
everybody's just going to have to step up and take
the place of Derek Brown.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And you know, if we're taking everyone behind the scenes,
you know, sharing we work with a lot of players,
and I will say my experience with all the players
here in the four years i've been doing it has
has been great.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You know, there's not been one. Maybe there's been one
that's a diva, but he's been no longer here.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
But really everyone is is really kind, but but Derek
is one of the kindest. And he you know, I
talked to him on draft night. That was when we
were doing zooms for everything he was. He was drafted
right in the middle of the pandemic. And since then,
you know, it's just it's just great every time you
(04:33):
see him. He reached out to me when I had
some health issues last year, which I've I've shared with
with Panthers fans that I had gone through some stuff.
He's just a good guy. He is a good guy
when you see him and when you talk to him.
And I remember him saying a couple of years ago.
It was two years ago, and he had had a
good season. You know, he's had defensive line coaches every
(04:55):
year they've changed out except for this year and last year.
But I said, you know, Derek, you're He said, you're
really coming into your own You've done so great and
he said, no, no, no, he said, I have way
bigger goals that I want to get to and one
of those was the Pro Bowl, and you just hate
it for a guy that is so great and so
good at what he's doing, and it really just felt
(05:17):
like this was supposed to be his.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Year, absolutely, and like he said, he says, he's just
scratched the surface. Even late last year when he was
almost there to breaking that record, he said, I've got
so much more to be able to accomplish out here
on the field. Asia at Vero also our defensive coordinators
said the same thing. He said, he's just barely coming
into his own now. There's so much more he could do.
They thought he was going to play a huge role
(05:39):
in the pass rush this season. He said that he
could be such a great pass rusher that was an
area that people sort of overlooked him in. So, yeah,
he's got a whole lot more to give this defense,
especially since this was his second year in this scheme.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
He was.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
In fact, I just spoke to him last week before
the game in our pregame interview, and that's what he said.
You know, we've got some new wrinkles in this defense.
And he really felt like he was going to be
able to soar in the in this defense in year two,
so it's a bummer, but it's part of the game. Injuries,
unfortunately hit the best guys, and unfortunately Derek Brown is
(06:13):
one of those ones who got hit this year. So
we certainly hope that he will be able to heal
quickly and heal well and come out and be a
dominant force here again next year.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And one more thing I just want to mention about
Derek Brown. If we're taking people behind the scenes, I
you know, speaking with Dave Canalis yesterday, he said, look,
he's still here, he's still a leader, he's a captain,
and we're still going to lean on him. But candidly,
one thing that you know, I used to work on ESPN.
I worked on Mike and Mike, and I remember Mike
(06:43):
Golick saying one of the loneliest things is being a
player when you're rehabbing and you're still there, right, but
you're on your own course, you're with the trainers, you're
doing your own workouts, you are recovering from surgery, and
you know, I think if anyone is going to handle it, well,
it's Derek. But it is such a it's such a
tough thing, Sharon, and we see those guys you go
(07:05):
out to practice and they're kind of over there with
the trainers, and so I just want to acknowledge that
it's it's much harder than just having a surgery. It
is a mental thing, but I think he's well equipped
for it.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Absolutely definitely a mental thing. In fact, that's one thing
that Shaq Thompson mentioned coming off of his injury last
year with that broken ankle, and he said, that's that's
really tough is to be on your own. Austin Corbett
had mentioned it too when he was dealing with his
knee injury and how great it was to have Bradie
Christensen not be injured but at least be side by
side to try to rehab together, because yeah, it's very
(07:35):
isolating when you're trying because it's hard for people to
understand what you're going through when you're injured and how
difficult it is, especially as an elite athlete when you
want to be out there and know what you can
do to help your team and see them needing you
and to not be able to participate, it is really tough.
But yeah, Derek, he is just the most business like
guy out there. He is just all work, all the time.
(07:56):
He knows what needs to get done, and I'm sure
he will attack his rehab to like he attacks his
workout here on the on the football field, and we'll
come back one hundred.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Percent, absolutely, And we're definitely going to get into the Chargers.
And I could talk to you all day. We're going
to get into the Chargers. But I do want to
ask you about this last game you were. You were
on the sidelines, as we said, for the Saints game,
first road game of the season. You told me last
week that, of course the thing you were going to
be looking for. The first thing you're going to be
(08:23):
looking for is how this offense fits together. We saw
on that first offensive drive, Bryce Young throwing that interception.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
What was it like over there? What was it like
immediately after that?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Yeah, well, you know, it was tough, needless to say,
because that was certainly not the start that anybody on
this team pictured. That is not what they wanted, and
it was frustrating.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Amy.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Bryce came over to the sidelines, immediately went and picked
up one of the tablets, looked at the play to
see what had happened. You know, had a little chat
with Brad Izick, it's offensive coordinator. I was talking as
well with some of his receivers, and you know, Andy
Dalton just sort of trying to analyze what went wrong,
what he did. And then and he went back to
like he always does, he goes and stands over on
the sidelines to look and see what's going on out
(09:05):
there on the field. So you know that the game
unraveled unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I mean, just it.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
It was Murphy's law. You know, if if it could
go wrong, it went wrong. It seems like in every
facet of the game. It certainly wasn't just brush Young
on the offense, defense struggled, special team struggled, and just
everything just sort of fell apart. And that's a tough
place to play. That that's Super Dome. When they get rolling,
and they got rolling early, and that place was loud
and it was rocking, and they just got on a roll.
And sometimes that momentum is hard to stop. It's like
(09:32):
a runaway freight train. And the panther is, you know,
they do some good things and then something would happen
again and would you know, would stop their drive. So
the good news is is everything is fixable. As Airba
Wood said that this way this week, it's nothing that
we did out there. It cannot be corrected. It was,
you know, some lack of communication, some lack of execution,
some MI mistackles. It was everything that could Everything that
(09:55):
they did wrong could certainly be fixed. And I know
that they've been working really hard this week to get
those things correct.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Did mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And I will say, for anyone who doesn't know this,
when a stadium gets loud, it is not just hard
for the opposing team, It is hard for the sideline.
Report is that you're yelling into You got to crank
your volume way up on your if B, which is
your you know, your headset, and you're in your monitors,
and then you gotta yell, and then it comes across
as if you're yelling. And so I know you know
(10:25):
better than anybody just how loud it was down there
with the Saints.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
And so now you know, we just talked about Bryce Young.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
One of the things that I'm sure we'll both be
looking for in the Chargers game is how Bryce Young
and this this O line especially stack up against Khalil
Mack and Joey Bosas for the Chargers, now, Dave Canal
has told me he thought the O line played well.
You know, all things considered, or was one of the
bright spots of that game.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
But Sharon, that's going to be a tough test.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Absolutely. You look at those two guys, I'm coming at
you across the edge, and they are really hard to handle.
Khalil Mack seventeen sacks last season. Joey Bosa had six
and a half even though he was injured, but still
managed to get that many sacks even with missing seven
games to end the season. So those two guys are elite.
They are Pro Bowlers, they are all pros. They have
(11:14):
been there, done that. And now the Chargers added Bud Dupree,
who a lot of people remember from all of his
days with the Steelers with with the Falcons last year,
also had six and a half sacks down there. So
and they've got a second year kid as well who
is really good. So they've got an extremely imposing pass
rush that is going to give those guys all they
can handle on some big guys across the middle as well.
Punaford is a giant, as I heard him described as
(11:36):
a tree stump six foot tall at like three hundred
and twenty pounds. So he's a big man.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
He's a tree stump from a Redwood right.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, he's a big man. So yeah, the offensive line
is going to have their work it out from like
you said, they did do well. They graded well, and
you know Pro Football Focus puts out those grades every
week and everybody across the board for our offensive line
would grade it out very well. And what I think
is telling too, is that was the first time these
guys have played together. They did not play together in
the preseason because we were missing Austin Corbett and Robert
(12:05):
Hunt in the first preseason the last preseason game when
they actually played against Buffalo, so that was the first
game action these guys have seen together. And you know,
we all know it takes time for an O line
to gel and to know what the guy next to
you is doing, especially in a loud environment like the Superdome.
So I think that they handled that well and I
think they'll only continue to improve moving forward and should
do even better this week at home against the Chargers.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Yeah, and we certainly hope so.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
And then I just want to get your thoughts quickly
on what the Chargers offense can do. So talking to
Dave Canalis, he said, look, we know that they are
going to run the ball. Of course, they have justin
Herbert right and he can throw it, he can make
plays when things break down. But he said they are
going to run the ball, which is what the Panthers
want to do on offense.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
But you know JK.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Dobbins, we saw him break off this huge forty six
yard run against the Raiders last week and I got
to look at the film with Thomas Davis, which is
always a treat learn so much, and he said, look,
it's as simple as someone didn't fit a gap. That's
they didn't do their job. And that was that is
the reason that you know, it's one little thing, and
then you break off a forty six yard run. And
(13:11):
I think, as you said, Xavier Wood said, everything's fixable.
That is something you know, setting the edge being, you know,
really having integrity in those gaps in your leverage. I
think that's all going to be stuff that they have
got to execute on because the Chargers will make.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
You pay, absolutely, and we saw that last week against
the Saints with Alvin Kamara. You know, he was so
difficult to stop in the run game. And yeah, JK.
Dobbins one hundred and thirty five yards in a touchdown
last week. Plus you got Gus Edwards, you got the
the twin Baltimore Ravens who came over this year or
to anchor that run game, and they are both incredible,
And yeah, that's exactly what Jim Harbaugh wants to do.
He wants to run that football and like he said,
(13:48):
Herbert can make plays when he has to. But that's
why they brought these guys in was to sort of
take some of that pressure off him because he does
not have like a you know, a superstar receiver. This year,
they let both their top stars go and a guy
that everybody is familiar with around here, DJ Chuck of
course over there now, which is it'll be interesting to
see Hayden Hurst. Also, they've they've got several guys who
(14:10):
are our former Panthers, including Bradley Boseman is they're starting
center right now and accountant on that team. So they've
got a bunch of guys that these Panthers are certainly
familiar with and guys that can can make you pay
on offense. So our defense has it to work cut
out for it.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
We're going to see what happens. You know, first home game.
I will be out there on the sidelines. Sharon will
be there. You're going to be covering everything which is,
which is wonderful. So thank you for this exchange of information.
This is so much fun. I cannot wait to do
this with you all season. It's the best, all right.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
We'll have fun out there on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I am thrilled about our next guest because it's someone
who's not just a great player, but he is a
great person to with. Panthers center Austin Corbett. Hey, buddy,
how's it going.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Oh? Doing great? I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
You are welcome.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
So before we talk any football, I got to get
to the real important stuff, which is that you and
your wonderful wife, Madison, welcome to baby boy Cooper, just
a couple of weeks ago. So he joins big brother Ford,
big sister Landry. First of all, how are mom baby doing?
Speaker 4 (15:16):
They're great. They're both doing great. Mama is so far,
she says. I don't want to speak to her these,
but these are her words, so I don't get in
trouble these This has been her easiest recovery so far.
So so doing well, especially you know Ford just turned
four on Sunday. Landry just turned two on Thursday last Thursday,
(15:37):
so a lot going on. Ford started preschool. That kind
of helps mom out a little bit at home, give
her a little break. But both, you know, Cooper sleeping well, doing.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Good, so I'm jealous. My daughter Zoeys, she's three months. Well,
we're still working on the sleeping.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
So yeah, being a big, big baby I think helps.
He's just exhausted. It's a lot of growing going So.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Are you guys gonna do This is off topic, but
but are you going to do when they get a
little bit older? I mean, I guess you're doing this
for Ford Landry all birthdays together or does each get
a separate party.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
We're definitely gonna ride the train as long as we
can of one birthday party because Landry and I also
share a birthday, so there's there's a lot going on
in there in two weeks, so we're gonna ride that
train as long as we can. If Landry, you know,
starts pulling the girl card and you know, I don't
want to be a part of the boys' birthday party,
you know.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
As she should.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
You know, we gotta we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
What's it like now with three at the start of
the season.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
How how does that go for you and Madison? Uh?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Yeah, So this one honestly a little bit different because
you know, Ford was born the Tuesday before game one,
Landry the monday before game one, Like I got, you know,
a couple of nights with them, and then it was
right in the football prep whereas Cooper, you know, born
you know, at night before that last preseason game, and
we kind of have that long weekend off there. So
I was home a little bit more kind of helped
(16:59):
you a settle in, help the other two settle in.
But ultimately Madison, she knows one season starts and it's
got to be all about ball. So and when I
get home, I really try to make sure I'm not
carrying any of the stuff from work into the house
because ultimately, Ford Landry don't care when I walk in
that door about what happened at work, and it's immediately
(17:20):
onto Dad's home, let's go play, which I'm like, okay, no,
you have thirty minutes before you go into bed. Let's
not go crazy. And so it's i mean, even you know, Sunday,
get home late after the game, obviously not feeling well.
I'm in a bad, bad mindset. But it's Ford's birthday.
And as soon as I walk through the door, he's dad,
I got new rocket chips. Let's go outside and shoot him.
It's like, all right, yep, you don't care about football
(17:42):
at all right now, and that's okay, and we're just
gonna go be dead.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
How do you Is it a switch that you make
when you're driving home or on the plane. But like
you said, Sunday not the best day, you know, work wise,
and then you're going straight into Ford's birthday. So is
that just taking a minute before you walk in the
door you separate the two.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Yeah, it's if we a part of my drive. We
we we're looking for places. We that rock Hill idea
was still there, and so we were trying to split them,
split the middle ground a little bit between you know,
the stadium and rock Hill, and so we have a
little bit of a drive And honestly, I kind of
prefer it because it gives me that time to decompress
(18:22):
in the car, just to get rid of anything, to
get whatever out and just you know, make some phone calls,
talk to some family as well, and just just kind
of leave it all out there, because I mean, it's
it's too much nonsense to bring in when they're living
as innocent, as pure as lives as they possibly can. There,
it really is. And guys always ask on the team like,
(18:45):
what's it like? Like I'm like, it's literally like, there's
nothing else in this life that can compare to being
a dad. I don't care what you do, how happy
anything else makes you. There's nothing better than being a dad.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Well, I can only speak for to it from the
mom perspective, but I agree with you there it's just
the best and nothing else matters. That's actually one question
that I was going to ask you. I think the
speeds in well, but a little bit more so at work.
It's kind of a theoretical question, right, So you've been
on teams that have had amazing games, You've won a
Super Bowl, You've been on teams that have not had
(19:20):
the best games like last Sunday, And everyone talks about
like flushing a loss right or not remembering if it's
the best game ever or.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
The worst game.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
What is that actually like like in practice, like, how
do you actually like what's the process of that? Is
it an individual thing to flush the last game or
is it something that you guys all get together as
a team. I've just always wondered, like, what is the
actual process of forgetting about it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, it's a little bit of both, because everybody's going
to have their own individual process of how they go
about things and what I've tried to you know, you
get a lot of talk on the plane ride back
because that's your your emotions are raw right then, you're
at that heat of that moment, and it's like, let's
let's talk to a guys like you know, X y Z.
Let's let's knock it out. And ultimately things I was
(20:09):
telling just like some young guys and just like, guys,
we're in the NFL, we made it here. A lot
of us have been at rock bottom in life. Like
there's a lot of unbelievable stories on this team of
people that were homeless growing up that you know, we're
out of jobs, you know, in and out of homes
with you know, different you know, adult supervision, just things
(20:31):
that are just completely outside of football that we have
made it through to get to this moment. And so
like trying to help these young guys just put it
in perspective of just like guys like you've already overcome
so much in life, like you're gonna get hit in
the mouth, like hit in the NFL. It's gonna happen.
(20:52):
And I've been a part of teams where we've been
hitting the mouth, and I've been a part of teams
would have hit people in the mouth like pretty good,
And so it's gonna have happen. It's the NFL. The
margin er is too small, everybody's too talented. It's going
to happen, and it's going to be okay. Don't let
that just snowball and just start eating out your confidence
and just breaking you apart, because it's fine, it's going
(21:13):
to happen. You snap out of it, you realize, just
step back from that moment and just kind of take
that bird's eye view of just go, this is what happened.
Here are the factors. This is how I can control
what I can control moving forward.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
That's such a great insight because I've never really understood
you know how it works. You know, you hear in theory,
So that's really really cool to.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Hear, and I appreciate you sharing that.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And then when you step on the field this Sunday,
do you still get nervous or do the younger guys
get nervous.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
How does that work?
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Oh, one hundred percent, you'd be lying. If any guy
says they don't, they're like, you're crazy. Like you're in
the NFL, you know, you got superstars lined up across
from you all the time, and especially young guys, like
you're in the NFL now and you're starting to compete
against these guys that you grew up watching, and you're crazy.
You don't say you got nerves, But that's what makes
the game so fun. Like in understanding, like you know,
(22:06):
especially with the US Open, you know tennis, just going
on that pressure is a privilege thing with Billy G.
King always talking about like embrace it, like we've made
it to this moment for a reason, and if we
didn't have this pressure on us, then like that means
you're not where you're supposed to be and you're not
understanding your job. And so just embrace it, like it's
okay to be nervous. Embrace it, but settle into yourself,
(22:27):
use your confidence that you stack up through the week
of preparation and you have a plan every single play,
just go execute.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
That point such a good point that I love that
pressure as a privilege. You know, I think about and
certainly I'm not playing in the NFL, but getting to
do what I do. You know, we could be accountants,
and that's no offense to accountants. That's just never something
that I would be good at. You're sitting in an
office all the time. And so even on some of
the worst days, yeah, like I couldn't do taxes, you know,
(22:56):
or whatever it is like you even on some of
the worst days, I think, like my worst days in
this job are still I still feel more fortunate than
a lot of people. And I think that's such a
good perspective on your part that you know, pressure is
a privilege. You've made it this far to the NFL,
and you're living a lot of people's dreams, no matter
what that looks like from Sunday to Sunday.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
Absolutely, and it's something now I kind of always talk
about with guys of just like guys, if this was
like eighty years ago, like we're getting drafted into World
War two, you have to understand like certain time and events,
what's going on, like things are things are different, like
we're in this ability or we're playing professional sports on
a global audience, like go have fun with you, like
(23:41):
you don't know how long you're going to be here, Like, yeah,
like the pressure is there, but embrace it, don't don't
let it just crush you.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
And the last thing I wanted to talk to you about,
I think it really all ties into what we've been
talking about is rehabbing. So just find out that that
Derek Brown is going on ir and I just think
he's He's such a good guy, you know, like you,
you don't ever want to see injuries happen to anyone,
and it's just crushing when they do. And you know,
(24:10):
what do you say to someone that is going through
this time? And you, unfortunately have had to rehab to
various serious, very serious injuries over the course of the
last two years, and you were the one of the
most positive.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
People I've ever seen doing that.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
So what is your advice for someone like Derek or
what got you through those tough times?
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, I think Derek going to have a similar situation
in me where he goes home every day and the
kids don't care. You still got to be dad, and
it's that's kind of the best part of it, is
like that's what gets you through and ultimately too understanding
that like, I've got a plan that was put in
(24:56):
place before I came on this earth through my heavenly
Father that I can and lean on that and trust
that and just know that I'm going to get through
it and be okay, and whatever happens, He's going to
take care of it. And I've already talked to Derek
just and he already knows from just his time here.
We have the best training staff. I truly believe in
the NFL, and so to be comforted by that and
(25:18):
to have the amount of resources that we have here
and the people that we have here to help that journey,
that was a huge comfort going through that process.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
There's light on the other side, that is for sure. Austin,
thank you so much for talking to me. You know,
I appreciate you giving us so much of your time
and kind of you know, delving into two topics more
than just a typical question answered things.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So this was awesome.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I'm more than happy to you anytime. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Yeah, thank you again, and thanks to everyone for listening
to Sideline Pass.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
We will see you next week.
Jeeves, Kristen Balboni and Sharon Thorsland with your Sideline Pass.
Welcome to Sideline Pass, where we give you the low
down on all things Panthers. We are taking you behind
the scenes. Is Kristin Balboni here with my fellow Panthers
sideline reporter Sharon Thorsland.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Sharon, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
As always, I'm really enjoying these and I'm looking fun
looking forward to exchanging notes.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Absolutely, it's a great, great fun to do this with
you every week. So and we certainly have a lot
to talk about this week.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yeah, And as we talked about last week, you are
the road sideline reporter for our radio broadcast and I'm
the home sideline reporter. So it's really like we're just
exchanging information. You know, this is a great time to
catch up during the week and say what you see?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What did you see? Except we can just record it exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I want everybody else get info and sharing some tough
news that we start out with, and that is that
Derek Brown is on IR with that torn meniscus.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, and he is definitely unfortunately, as you said, out
for the season. That was placed on IR earlier this week,
so he is done and that is such a huge
loss for this defense. But yeah, I didn't see anything.
He played in sixty out of the sixty six possible
defensive snaps, so you never had any inkling that something
was wrong with him or that he was in any pain.
No one was ever working on his knee. He never
(01:23):
came over to the sidelines complaining about anything. He just
went in there did his job like he always does.
And apparently Sunday evening, after we got back off the
plane flight, his knee had gotten a little stiff or
something wasn't quite right, and he had alerted the trainers
at that point, and then on Monday morning when he
came in to the stadium it was bothering him more
so they immediately sent him to get an MRI to
(01:46):
see what was going on, and that is when it
showed that torn meniscus, as you said, getting the second
opinion to see exactly what was going on in there.
But he's going to need surgery, and unfortunately, with the
meniscus injury that's generally a four to six month injury.
It looks like, unfortunately, we are not going to be
seeing Derek Brown out here on the football field again.
This season, and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Just such a bummer because of the year he had
last year. You know, broke the record for tackles by
a d lineman, an NFL record, what one hundred and
three if I remember correctly, and you just hate to
see it because he had really come into his own
as a player, he got that big contract and certainly
a guy that the Panthers need. And so now talking
(02:28):
to Dave Canalis yesterday, he said, we're just going to
go with a rotation And he told me Sharon, and
I imagine he's told you and everyone else too. It's
like the biggest thing for these guys that are coming
in on rotation is to not try to be Derek Brown,
which I think is a really interesting and very honest,
(02:49):
you know, couching of what he wants them to be.
He's being honest about that, and I do think, and
tell me what you think about this, when defenses get
in trouble, it's because someone's trying to do too much.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
No, I agree with you one hundred percent. And that
is the first thing that Dave Canal said on Monday
was this is going to be a group effort. You
cannot with one single person, right now replace Derek Brown
and what he's able to do out there on the
field and in the locker room, on the sidelines, everywhere
as a leader, he is a special, special player or
just first trip to the Pro Bowl last year. And yeah,
(03:21):
it's going to take a group of guys coming in
and out and doing what they can do best and
work within this scheme. Just do the best they can.
Don't try to go out there and be a superstar.
Don't try to say, all right, I've got to fill
some big shoes, so I have to do this, this
and this. I got to make these plays, because then
you start pressing and then you start trying too hard.
And yeah, that is often when you make a mistake
or do something that can hurt the team. So Dave
(03:43):
Canalis wants these guys to come in, play within the scheme,
play the best you possibly can, within the scheme, do
your job, be your one to eleven, and as a group,
everybody's just going to have to step up and take
the place of Derek Brown.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And you know, if we're taking everyone behind the scenes,
you know, sharing we work with a lot of players,
and I will say my experience with all the players
here in the four years i've been doing it has
has been great.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You know, there's not been one. Maybe there's been one
that's a diva, but he's been no longer here.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
But really everyone is is really kind, but but Derek
is one of the kindest. And he you know, I
talked to him on draft night. That was when we
were doing zooms for everything he was. He was drafted
right in the middle of the pandemic. And since then,
you know, it's just it's just great every time you
(04:33):
see him. He reached out to me when I had
some health issues last year, which I've I've shared with
with Panthers fans that I had gone through some stuff.
He's just a good guy. He is a good guy
when you see him and when you talk to him.
And I remember him saying a couple of years ago.
It was two years ago, and he had had a
good season. You know, he's had defensive line coaches every
(04:55):
year they've changed out except for this year and last year.
But I said, you know, Derek, you're He said, you're
really coming into your own You've done so great and
he said, no, no, no, he said, I have way
bigger goals that I want to get to and one
of those was the Pro Bowl, and you just hate
it for a guy that is so great and so
good at what he's doing, and it really just felt
(05:17):
like this was supposed to be his.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Year, absolutely, and like he said, he says, he's just
scratched the surface. Even late last year when he was
almost there to breaking that record, he said, I've got
so much more to be able to accomplish out here
on the field. Asia at Vero also our defensive coordinators
said the same thing. He said, he's just barely coming
into his own now. There's so much more he could do.
They thought he was going to play a huge role
(05:39):
in the pass rush this season. He said that he
could be such a great pass rusher that was an
area that people sort of overlooked him in. So, yeah,
he's got a whole lot more to give this defense,
especially since this was his second year in this scheme.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
He was.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
In fact, I just spoke to him last week before
the game in our pregame interview, and that's what he said.
You know, we've got some new wrinkles in this defense.
And he really felt like he was going to be
able to soar in the in this defense in year two,
so it's a bummer, but it's part of the game. Injuries,
unfortunately hit the best guys, and unfortunately Derek Brown is
(06:13):
one of those ones who got hit this year. So
we certainly hope that he will be able to heal
quickly and heal well and come out and be a
dominant force here again next year.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And one more thing I just want to mention about
Derek Brown. If we're taking people behind the scenes, I
you know, speaking with Dave Canalis yesterday, he said, look,
he's still here, he's still a leader, he's a captain,
and we're still going to lean on him. But candidly,
one thing that you know, I used to work on ESPN.
I worked on Mike and Mike, and I remember Mike
(06:43):
Golick saying one of the loneliest things is being a
player when you're rehabbing and you're still there, right, but
you're on your own course, you're with the trainers, you're
doing your own workouts, you are recovering from surgery, and
you know, I think if anyone is going to handle it, well,
it's Derek. But it is such a it's such a
tough thing, Sharon, and we see those guys you go
(07:05):
out to practice and they're kind of over there with
the trainers, and so I just want to acknowledge that
it's it's much harder than just having a surgery. It
is a mental thing, but I think he's well equipped
for it.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Absolutely definitely a mental thing. In fact, that's one thing
that Shaq Thompson mentioned coming off of his injury last
year with that broken ankle, and he said, that's that's
really tough is to be on your own. Austin Corbett
had mentioned it too when he was dealing with his
knee injury and how great it was to have Bradie
Christensen not be injured but at least be side by
side to try to rehab together, because yeah, it's very
(07:35):
isolating when you're trying because it's hard for people to
understand what you're going through when you're injured and how
difficult it is, especially as an elite athlete when you
want to be out there and know what you can
do to help your team and see them needing you
and to not be able to participate, it is really tough.
But yeah, Derek, he is just the most business like
guy out there. He is just all work, all the time.
(07:56):
He knows what needs to get done, and I'm sure
he will attack his rehab to like he attacks his
workout here on the on the football field, and we'll
come back one hundred.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Percent, absolutely, And we're definitely going to get into the Chargers.
And I could talk to you all day. We're going
to get into the Chargers. But I do want to
ask you about this last game you were. You were
on the sidelines, as we said, for the Saints game,
first road game of the season. You told me last
week that, of course the thing you were going to
be looking for. The first thing you're going to be
(08:23):
looking for is how this offense fits together. We saw
on that first offensive drive, Bryce Young throwing that interception.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
What was it like over there? What was it like
immediately after that?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Yeah, well, you know, it was tough, needless to say,
because that was certainly not the start that anybody on
this team pictured. That is not what they wanted, and
it was frustrating.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Amy.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Bryce came over to the sidelines, immediately went and picked
up one of the tablets, looked at the play to
see what had happened. You know, had a little chat
with Brad Izick, it's offensive coordinator. I was talking as
well with some of his receivers, and you know, Andy
Dalton just sort of trying to analyze what went wrong,
what he did. And then and he went back to
like he always does, he goes and stands over on
the sidelines to look and see what's going on out
(09:05):
there on the field. So you know that the game
unraveled unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I mean, just it.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
It was Murphy's law. You know, if if it could
go wrong, it went wrong. It seems like in every
facet of the game. It certainly wasn't just brush Young
on the offense, defense struggled, special team struggled, and just
everything just sort of fell apart. And that's a tough
place to play. That that's Super Dome. When they get rolling,
and they got rolling early, and that place was loud
and it was rocking, and they just got on a roll.
And sometimes that momentum is hard to stop. It's like
(09:32):
a runaway freight train. And the panther is, you know,
they do some good things and then something would happen
again and would you know, would stop their drive. So
the good news is is everything is fixable. As Airba
Wood said that this way this week, it's nothing that
we did out there. It cannot be corrected. It was,
you know, some lack of communication, some lack of execution,
some MI mistackles. It was everything that could Everything that
(09:55):
they did wrong could certainly be fixed. And I know
that they've been working really hard this week to get
those things correct.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Did mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And I will say, for anyone who doesn't know this,
when a stadium gets loud, it is not just hard
for the opposing team, It is hard for the sideline.
Report is that you're yelling into You got to crank
your volume way up on your if B, which is
your you know, your headset, and you're in your monitors,
and then you gotta yell, and then it comes across
as if you're yelling. And so I know you know
(10:25):
better than anybody just how loud it was down there
with the Saints.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
And so now you know, we just talked about Bryce Young.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
One of the things that I'm sure we'll both be
looking for in the Chargers game is how Bryce Young
and this this O line especially stack up against Khalil
Mack and Joey Bosas for the Chargers, now, Dave Canal
has told me he thought the O line played well.
You know, all things considered, or was one of the
bright spots of that game.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
But Sharon, that's going to be a tough test.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Absolutely. You look at those two guys, I'm coming at
you across the edge, and they are really hard to handle.
Khalil Mack seventeen sacks last season. Joey Bosa had six
and a half even though he was injured, but still
managed to get that many sacks even with missing seven
games to end the season. So those two guys are elite.
They are Pro Bowlers, they are all pros. They have
(11:14):
been there, done that. And now the Chargers added Bud Dupree,
who a lot of people remember from all of his
days with the Steelers with with the Falcons last year,
also had six and a half sacks down there. So
and they've got a second year kid as well who
is really good. So they've got an extremely imposing pass
rush that is going to give those guys all they
can handle on some big guys across the middle as well.
Punaford is a giant, as I heard him described as
(11:36):
a tree stump six foot tall at like three hundred
and twenty pounds. So he's a big man.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
He's a tree stump from a Redwood right.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, he's a big man. So yeah, the offensive line
is going to have their work it out from like
you said, they did do well. They graded well, and
you know Pro Football Focus puts out those grades every
week and everybody across the board for our offensive line
would grade it out very well. And what I think
is telling too, is that was the first time these
guys have played together. They did not play together in
the preseason because we were missing Austin Corbett and Robert
(12:05):
Hunt in the first preseason the last preseason game when
they actually played against Buffalo, so that was the first
game action these guys have seen together. And you know,
we all know it takes time for an O line
to gel and to know what the guy next to
you is doing, especially in a loud environment like the Superdome.
So I think that they handled that well and I
think they'll only continue to improve moving forward and should
do even better this week at home against the Chargers.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Yeah, and we certainly hope so.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
And then I just want to get your thoughts quickly
on what the Chargers offense can do. So talking to
Dave Canalis, he said, look, we know that they are
going to run the ball. Of course, they have justin
Herbert right and he can throw it, he can make
plays when things break down. But he said they are
going to run the ball, which is what the Panthers
want to do on offense.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
But you know JK.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Dobbins, we saw him break off this huge forty six
yard run against the Raiders last week and I got
to look at the film with Thomas Davis, which is
always a treat learn so much, and he said, look,
it's as simple as someone didn't fit a gap. That's
they didn't do their job. And that was that is
the reason that you know, it's one little thing, and
then you break off a forty six yard run. And
(13:11):
I think, as you said, Xavier Wood said, everything's fixable.
That is something you know, setting the edge being, you know,
really having integrity in those gaps in your leverage. I
think that's all going to be stuff that they have
got to execute on because the Chargers will make.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
You pay, absolutely, and we saw that last week against
the Saints with Alvin Kamara. You know, he was so
difficult to stop in the run game. And yeah, JK.
Dobbins one hundred and thirty five yards in a touchdown
last week. Plus you got Gus Edwards, you got the
the twin Baltimore Ravens who came over this year or
to anchor that run game, and they are both incredible,
And yeah, that's exactly what Jim Harbaugh wants to do.
He wants to run that football and like he said,
(13:48):
Herbert can make plays when he has to. But that's
why they brought these guys in was to sort of
take some of that pressure off him because he does
not have like a you know, a superstar receiver. This year,
they let both their top stars go and a guy
that everybody is familiar with around here, DJ Chuck of
course over there now, which is it'll be interesting to
see Hayden Hurst. Also, they've they've got several guys who
(14:10):
are our former Panthers, including Bradley Boseman is they're starting
center right now and accountant on that team. So they've
got a bunch of guys that these Panthers are certainly
familiar with and guys that can can make you pay
on offense. So our defense has it to work cut
out for it.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
We're going to see what happens. You know, first home game.
I will be out there on the sidelines. Sharon will
be there. You're going to be covering everything which is,
which is wonderful. So thank you for this exchange of information.
This is so much fun. I cannot wait to do
this with you all season. It's the best, all right.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
We'll have fun out there on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I am thrilled about our next guest because it's someone
who's not just a great player, but he is a
great person to with. Panthers center Austin Corbett. Hey, buddy,
how's it going.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Oh? Doing great? I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
You are welcome.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
So before we talk any football, I got to get
to the real important stuff, which is that you and
your wonderful wife, Madison, welcome to baby boy Cooper, just
a couple of weeks ago. So he joins big brother Ford,
big sister Landry. First of all, how are mom baby doing?
Speaker 4 (15:16):
They're great. They're both doing great. Mama is so far,
she says. I don't want to speak to her these,
but these are her words, so I don't get in
trouble these This has been her easiest recovery so far.
So so doing well, especially you know Ford just turned
four on Sunday. Landry just turned two on Thursday last Thursday,
(15:37):
so a lot going on. Ford started preschool. That kind
of helps mom out a little bit at home, give
her a little break. But both, you know, Cooper sleeping well, doing.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Good, so I'm jealous. My daughter Zoeys, she's three months. Well,
we're still working on the sleeping.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
So yeah, being a big, big baby I think helps.
He's just exhausted. It's a lot of growing going So.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Are you guys gonna do This is off topic, but
but are you going to do when they get a
little bit older? I mean, I guess you're doing this
for Ford Landry all birthdays together or does each get
a separate party.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
We're definitely gonna ride the train as long as we
can of one birthday party because Landry and I also
share a birthday, so there's there's a lot going on
in there in two weeks, so we're gonna ride that
train as long as we can. If Landry, you know,
starts pulling the girl card and you know, I don't
want to be a part of the boys' birthday party,
you know.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
As she should.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
You know, we gotta we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
What's it like now with three at the start of
the season.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
How how does that go for you and Madison? Uh?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Yeah, So this one honestly a little bit different because
you know, Ford was born the Tuesday before game one,
Landry the monday before game one, Like I got, you know,
a couple of nights with them, and then it was
right in the football prep whereas Cooper, you know, born
you know, at night before that last preseason game, and
we kind of have that long weekend off there. So
I was home a little bit more kind of helped
(16:59):
you a settle in, help the other two settle in.
But ultimately Madison, she knows one season starts and it's
got to be all about ball. So and when I
get home, I really try to make sure I'm not
carrying any of the stuff from work into the house
because ultimately, Ford Landry don't care when I walk in
that door about what happened at work, and it's immediately
(17:20):
onto Dad's home, let's go play, which I'm like, okay, no,
you have thirty minutes before you go into bed. Let's
not go crazy. And so it's i mean, even you know, Sunday,
get home late after the game, obviously not feeling well.
I'm in a bad, bad mindset. But it's Ford's birthday.
And as soon as I walk through the door, he's dad,
I got new rocket chips. Let's go outside and shoot him.
It's like, all right, yep, you don't care about football
(17:42):
at all right now, and that's okay, and we're just
gonna go be dead.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
How do you Is it a switch that you make
when you're driving home or on the plane. But like
you said, Sunday not the best day, you know, work wise,
and then you're going straight into Ford's birthday. So is
that just taking a minute before you walk in the
door you separate the two.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Yeah, it's if we a part of my drive. We
we we're looking for places. We that rock Hill idea
was still there, and so we were trying to split them,
split the middle ground a little bit between you know,
the stadium and rock Hill, and so we have a
little bit of a drive And honestly, I kind of
prefer it because it gives me that time to decompress
(18:22):
in the car, just to get rid of anything, to
get whatever out and just you know, make some phone calls,
talk to some family as well, and just just kind
of leave it all out there, because I mean, it's
it's too much nonsense to bring in when they're living
as innocent, as pure as lives as they possibly can. There,
it really is. And guys always ask on the team like,
(18:45):
what's it like? Like I'm like, it's literally like, there's
nothing else in this life that can compare to being
a dad. I don't care what you do, how happy
anything else makes you. There's nothing better than being a dad.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Well, I can only speak for to it from the
mom perspective, but I agree with you there it's just
the best and nothing else matters. That's actually one question
that I was going to ask you. I think the
speeds in well, but a little bit more so at work.
It's kind of a theoretical question, right, So you've been
on teams that have had amazing games, You've won a
Super Bowl, You've been on teams that have not had
(19:20):
the best games like last Sunday, And everyone talks about
like flushing a loss right or not remembering if it's
the best game ever or.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
The worst game.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
What is that actually like like in practice, like, how
do you actually like what's the process of that? Is
it an individual thing to flush the last game or
is it something that you guys all get together as
a team. I've just always wondered, like, what is the
actual process of forgetting about it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, it's a little bit of both, because everybody's going
to have their own individual process of how they go
about things and what I've tried to you know, you
get a lot of talk on the plane ride back
because that's your your emotions are raw right then, you're
at that heat of that moment, and it's like, let's
let's talk to a guys like you know, X y Z.
Let's let's knock it out. And ultimately things I was
(20:09):
telling just like some young guys and just like, guys,
we're in the NFL, we made it here. A lot
of us have been at rock bottom in life. Like
there's a lot of unbelievable stories on this team of
people that were homeless growing up that you know, we're
out of jobs, you know, in and out of homes
with you know, different you know, adult supervision, just things
(20:31):
that are just completely outside of football that we have
made it through to get to this moment. And so
like trying to help these young guys just put it
in perspective of just like guys like you've already overcome
so much in life, like you're gonna get hit in
the mouth, like hit in the NFL. It's gonna happen.
(20:52):
And I've been a part of teams where we've been
hitting the mouth, and I've been a part of teams
would have hit people in the mouth like pretty good,
And so it's gonna have happen. It's the NFL. The
margin er is too small, everybody's too talented. It's going
to happen, and it's going to be okay. Don't let
that just snowball and just start eating out your confidence
and just breaking you apart, because it's fine, it's going
(21:13):
to happen. You snap out of it, you realize, just
step back from that moment and just kind of take
that bird's eye view of just go, this is what happened.
Here are the factors. This is how I can control
what I can control moving forward.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
That's such a great insight because I've never really understood
you know how it works. You know, you hear in theory,
So that's really really cool to.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Hear, and I appreciate you sharing that.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And then when you step on the field this Sunday,
do you still get nervous or do the younger guys
get nervous.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
How does that work?
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Oh, one hundred percent, you'd be lying. If any guy
says they don't, they're like, you're crazy. Like you're in
the NFL, you know, you got superstars lined up across
from you all the time, and especially young guys, like
you're in the NFL now and you're starting to compete
against these guys that you grew up watching, and you're crazy.
You don't say you got nerves, But that's what makes
the game so fun. Like in understanding, like you know,
(22:06):
especially with the US Open, you know tennis, just going
on that pressure is a privilege thing with Billy G.
King always talking about like embrace it, like we've made
it to this moment for a reason, and if we
didn't have this pressure on us, then like that means
you're not where you're supposed to be and you're not
understanding your job. And so just embrace it, like it's
okay to be nervous. Embrace it, but settle into yourself,
(22:27):
use your confidence that you stack up through the week
of preparation and you have a plan every single play,
just go execute.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
That point such a good point that I love that
pressure as a privilege. You know, I think about and
certainly I'm not playing in the NFL, but getting to
do what I do. You know, we could be accountants,
and that's no offense to accountants. That's just never something
that I would be good at. You're sitting in an
office all the time. And so even on some of
the worst days, yeah, like I couldn't do taxes, you know,
(22:56):
or whatever it is like you even on some of
the worst days, I think, like my worst days in
this job are still I still feel more fortunate than
a lot of people. And I think that's such a
good perspective on your part that you know, pressure is
a privilege. You've made it this far to the NFL,
and you're living a lot of people's dreams, no matter
what that looks like from Sunday to Sunday.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
Absolutely, and it's something now I kind of always talk
about with guys of just like guys, if this was
like eighty years ago, like we're getting drafted into World
War two, you have to understand like certain time and events,
what's going on, like things are things are different, like
we're in this ability or we're playing professional sports on
a global audience, like go have fun with you, like
(23:41):
you don't know how long you're going to be here, Like, yeah,
like the pressure is there, but embrace it, don't don't
let it just crush you.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
And the last thing I wanted to talk to you about,
I think it really all ties into what we've been
talking about is rehabbing. So just find out that that
Derek Brown is going on ir and I just think
he's He's such a good guy, you know, like you,
you don't ever want to see injuries happen to anyone,
and it's just crushing when they do. And you know,
(24:10):
what do you say to someone that is going through
this time? And you, unfortunately have had to rehab to
various serious, very serious injuries over the course of the
last two years, and you were the one of the
most positive.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
People I've ever seen doing that.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
So what is your advice for someone like Derek or
what got you through those tough times?
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, I think Derek going to have a similar situation
in me where he goes home every day and the
kids don't care. You still got to be dad, and
it's that's kind of the best part of it, is
like that's what gets you through and ultimately too understanding
that like, I've got a plan that was put in
(24:56):
place before I came on this earth through my heavenly
Father that I can and lean on that and trust
that and just know that I'm going to get through
it and be okay, and whatever happens, He's going to
take care of it. And I've already talked to Derek
just and he already knows from just his time here.
We have the best training staff. I truly believe in
the NFL, and so to be comforted by that and
(25:18):
to have the amount of resources that we have here
and the people that we have here to help that journey,
that was a huge comfort going through that process.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
There's light on the other side, that is for sure. Austin,
thank you so much for talking to me. You know,
I appreciate you giving us so much of your time
and kind of you know, delving into two topics more
than just a typical question answered things.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So this was awesome.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I'm more than happy to you anytime. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Yeah, thank you again, and thanks to everyone for listening
to Sideline Pass.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
We will see you next week.
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