January 9, 2025 • 31 mins
Get a front-row seat to Carolina Panthers football with Sideline Pass! This week Kristen and Sharon recap the Panthers' Week 18 win over the Falcons, share their favorite moments from the 2024 season, look ahead to the off season and so much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wow Yere's Kristin Balboni and Sharon Thorpe's love it with
your sideline pass.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It is the last sideline pass of this season. Kristen
and Sharon here, Sharon, I can't believe we are already
finished with the season.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
No, it's sort of crazy. It's like when you start
things off way back at the end of July, you're like,
oh my gosh, it seems like this never ending season,
and even in the middle of it, you're like, oh
my gosh, you still have ten games or everything. All
of a sudden, it's like, wait a minute, what happened?
Are we already done? It's pretty crazy that we're already
already finished and looking at the off season.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That is something that you know as we go behind
the scenes, it's exactly what you said. I think for
the people that work in this work for a team,
it always feels like it just flies by. And I
don't know if it's because we're on the same routine.
Like for me, training camp feels very long, and that's
not to say it's bad, but it feels very very
(00:56):
long to me. And then you get into your your
games and it's you know, it's you. It's your Sunday game,
and then it's your Monday review, players day off on Tuesday,
practice Wednesday, Thursday, walk through Friday, potentially traveling on Saturday,
and then it just somehow just bleeds into the next
week and there's so much to talk about. So I
(01:16):
think that's part of it. But for me, Sharon, training
camp is always it feels like it's six months long,
and the season feels like it's one month.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah, that's funny you say that, because here's showing how
long I've been here forever. Back in the old days,
when trading camp was five weeks long, not like two
and a half like is now, and we had two
days and it was just that was that was never ended.
That lasted for a long, long long time. It seemed
like when they had training camp that went on for
(01:44):
weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks. So now the
training camp to meet seems like, oh, we're already done.
Say it goes really fast, but yes, that goes fast.
And the season, yeah, it's once you get once you
get rolling, like you said, you're in this routine and
then there's something new every single week. Obviously you play
a new team every week and there's just different storylines,
different guys doing different things, or an injury here or
whatever it may be. There's just always something new to
talk about, something new to cover, and something changing weekly.
(02:08):
So it's like you're just keeping up with all of
that and it doesn't seem you never get into any
sort of like, oh my gosh, here we go again.
We're still here, what do we do? And it's not.
It's never boring, that's for sure. Life in the NFL
is never boring.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Now. We are so lucky to be able to cover
the sport. And you know, I always think like, for me,
sideline reporting, it's the best seat in the house. And
that's why I love it so much. I mean, I
love to report and tell, you know, everyone what's going on.
But selfishly, I'm like, well, this is I got the
front row view, you.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Know, absolutely absolutely. That is the fun part too, because
sometimes you don't always get to see what's going on
in the field as much because you're blocked by the
entire team and all the equipment and stuff. But you
get the front re seat to what's going on on
the sidelines and what the players are doing, who's saying what,
and what the coaches are talking about and stuff, and
just all that to me is just like a bird's
eye view of the inner workings of a team. And
(02:57):
that's just really cool to be able to see that
and then pass that along time our listeners.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Okay, speaking of that bird's eye view and that front
row seat, you had this incredible last game of the
season down in Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I need to talk to you about it.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Give me that reaction to finishing the season on such
an exciting note and such a high note.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Oh, it was just absolutely phenomenal. I mean, it was
just absolutely the best game ever, just because it was
so much fun and the guys were having such a blast,
and Bryce was just rolling, you know, with the three
passing touchdows, the two rushing touchdowns. He was just on
fire and just so confident, having so much fun. And
then that Miles Sanders being able to come back after
(03:40):
a rough year last year and then getting injured this
year and to come back and put out the kind
of performance that he did, and just everybody was just
so excited. They were so happy. They just all rushed
the field like we had just won the Super Bowl.
I mean, everybody was so excited to be able to
finally put it all together again, which they've done a
couple times now this season, but to do it in
such a great fashion, to put up the most amount
(04:00):
of points, so he'd had since like twenty seventeen to
be able to score that many points, have the offense
working so well against the division rival to keep them
out of the playoffs. I mean, you just couldn't have
come up with a better script. So it was just
so much fun to be able to have that happen
and to be able to go off into the off
season and be able to build on that, to have
that momentum, to have that great feeling, and to have
(04:21):
your quarterback in place, your coaching staff in place, your
GM in place. I mean, everything stays the same now,
except you know, we all know there's always changes personnel wise,
but the foundation is set. It's here, and they can
build on that now and take what they did in
Atlanta and just keep moving forward this whole offseason into
next year. So it was just a great way to
cap the season.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
No kidding.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So what was your favorite game this season that you covered?
I'd imagine that one would be up there.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, absolutely, it's you know, you think, oh, it's the
last one. That's why you're saying that, but it really was.
I mean, the Las Vegas game was a lot of
fun after two early season rough outings, and to have
Andy Dahlon come in and have that great outing that
he did and had some records, I mean, and get
that first win of the season, that one was really fine.
Germany was also a really exciting game, just because it
(05:07):
was in Germany and because you beat you know, Brian
Burns a to a former teammates, and you know, they
get the Giants and get another win there and have
the second win in a row after the Saints game
the week before that. So that was a good one too.
But you really just can't top this Atlanta win just
because of the way they did it and the dominance
of the offense and just how everything just came together
and everything was just clicking and to go out on
(05:28):
a high note like that. So I'd have to say
that Falcons game was my favorite one of the season.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah, you had you had some good ones to cover.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I think mine and you know, I know we say
this every week, but Sharon, you covered the road games
and I covered the home game, So for me, I
think it was that that Arizona game, so the third
to last game of the season, and that one was
just it. The celebration, you know, the walk off touchdown
by Cuba. It felt like the energy that I imagined
(05:57):
this last game had. And the thing that was so
neat to me about that game is that they lost
close to Kansas City, then they lose in overtime to
Tampa Bay. Then they just just lost to Philadelphia and
then to Dallas. That was not their best showing. And
so for them to come out and play the way
that they have been playing against Kansas City, against Tampa Bay,
(06:20):
against the Eagles, but to put it all together and
you could just tell how much it meant to those guys.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
That was my favorite game to cover.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And you said, you know, they celebrated like they won
the Super Bowl in that last game.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I thought the same thing about this one.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
It just felt like these guys had a point to
prove and it just felt like it was the first
time that they played their style of football, the style
of football that Dave Canalis wants them to play and
that they want to play, and came away with that win.
It just felt like they were teetering, teetering teetering, and
then what a great way this game and as you said,
the Falcons game, to put that on tape, to put
(06:58):
it together, to be able to look at that into
the next season, as you said, because we can tell
this team is on an upward trajectory, and I cannot
say that upward.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's a mouthful.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
That's a mouthful. Yes, No, they absolutely are. I mean
you've seen it trending, you know, really since since before
the Germany game when they started with the Saints and okay, okay,
you know, maybe it wasn't the best team in the
whole world there, and maybe the Giants were so great either,
but they were they they still were playing really well.
It didn't matter who the opponent was. And then when
they proved it right and they came right back and
started in with that Chiefs game, and then every single
(07:32):
game and they were just making strides and getting so
much better and things were coming together. And to be
able to, like you said, to finish it with that
in Arizona, the Arizona game here and then on the
road at Atlanta, to be able to really come full
circle and put it all together. Now, granted we all
know that there's there's things that still need to be addressed.
The defense needs to shore some things up. They need
(07:53):
to get some things fixed on both sides of the football.
But you've got something to build now, and you've got
things going in the right direction. You're going up, not
backwards or you're not. You've got people saying, oh my gosh,
we've got hope now. We've got so many things that
we can look forward to, and this is a team
that's on the rise and we can say, hey, I
think maybe we can go ten and seven next season,
instead of people saying, oh, well, if we get four wins,
(08:15):
it'll be great, you know. I mean, it's just such
a different feeling than it was a year ago. And
to have things in place, and to be super excited
about your quarterback and about your coaching staff, and to
have Dave Canalis back, and I'm so happy that he's
bringing a zero avero back. I think that's great to
bring him back as a defensive coordinator. I know the
defense looked bad on paper this season, but the injuries
they had were just just mind blowing how many injuries
(08:38):
they had on the defensive side of the ball. So
he was not able to put the product out there
that he wanted to put out there, and it really
you know, a coach can only do so much if
you don't have the players out there. So I'm really
glad they're giving him another opportunity to come back and
get the defense like it was a year ago when
they were top five in the NFL. So I think
that all signs are pointing up for this team and
it's really exciting to watch.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I completely agree about a I think I was really
happy to see that as well, and from what I
have heard from what we have heard from opposing offenses,
and this is another thing that I think is so interesting.
There's only so much because of disguises and because of
players in there. Something that I've learned from from former
players and current players is that you don't always know
(09:20):
when a defense is in a certain set and something happens.
Was it the scheme, was it the players? Was it
something that the offense does? And that's why you have
these huge scouting departments, That's why you have these coaches
sitting in booths. Everyone is trying to figure out what
the other team is doing. And I know we hear broadcasts, right,
but the thing is, no one can say for sure.
And so what we have heard from these opposing offenses.
(09:45):
Our guys in the booth will sometimes to talk to
the opposing offensive coordinators that come in, you know, getting
some insight. So they said, the scheme is excellent. We
heard that from so many other teams. The scheme is excellent,
but because of these injuries, it wasn't always able to
be executed in a certain way. And so you know,
(10:06):
hearing that from from these other coaches and the respect
they have for Avaro and the respect that Dave Canalis
has for him, that I am excited to see what
this looks like when we get like just Derek Brown alone, right,
I mean what that and that I think really was
what this scheme was built around.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, that you got to have that, you're right, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And Derek Brown it was the first time coming into
the season that he had had the same position coach, yes,
and had been exactly and he was so excited about him.
So I cannot wait to see this defense and what
they can do with.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
With healthy guys.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I think that that's going to be and you know,
another year in the system for these guys, and we
saw some guys step up and so I can't wait
to see this kind of all come together. And as
you said, with the draft, So I do want to
ask you Dave Canalis's first year, Dan Morgan's first year is, Sharon,
how do you look at what they've done?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Oh my gosh, I mean, I think they've done a
tremendous job. Is starting with Dan Morgan, just from the
rookie class that he put together, not just the guys
he drafted, but the undrafted free agents that they brought in.
I mean, heck, look at Chile and Cocher. I mean,
my goodness, he's like in the top five and a
lot of categories in the NFL this season as an
undrafted rookie. So he the fact that they were able
(11:30):
to spot him bring him in. But then when you
look at the guys that they did draft, because they've
had to get Jonathan Brooks, Trevin Wallas, Jamian Sanders, Show Smith, Wade,
Jaden Cromeny, and then Michael Barrett, who they sent him
off to Seattle and in return for him, they bring
in Mike Jackson, who was a starter all season longer quarterbacks.
So you if you want to look at that, I
mean you look at every single one of those guys,
Cromeny was the only one who did not get a
(11:51):
lot of time in the system. That sure, he was
injured most of the year. Say, maybe you can't really
say much about what he was able to do, but
everybody else played meaningful minutes, meaningful minutes, meaningful snaps and
did really important things for this team. I mean, Jonathan
Brooks obviously did not have much, but what you did
see of him before he reinjured that knee, he was awesome.
I mean, he was doing some great things and you
could see what he was going to be able to do.
(12:12):
But exavierly get had a great season until you know,
at the end got a little dinged up hit. The
rookie wall Trevin Wallace got forced into a starting role
at middle linebacker calling the defense and you know, did
a great job. And then Jadevian Sanders phenomenal job and
worked his way into the starting starting tight end role
with multiple injuries. They are too but just got such
(12:32):
great experience. Shaw Smith Waite got starting call at nicol
I mean, it's crazy these guys that they were able
to get every single one of their rookies who came
in here and get meaningful minutes out of them, you know,
for the guys that were able to be out on
the field without injury, so they got so much experience
and to be able to have that is just invaluable
going into year two because not only did they be able,
(12:54):
not only were they able to learn this system and
you know, learn this whole new offense and defense and
coaching staff. They played and they made impacts on this team,
and so that's going to just carry so much weight
going into the future. So Dan Morgan I think did
a phenomenal job in his scouty staff and everyone to
get those guys in here. And when you see what
Dave Canalis did, I mean, he comes in from day
(13:16):
one and we all saw it, you know immediately, Oh,
everything's fantastic. You know, he's just always so optimistic. That
was his favorite word. I think it's fantastic. He just
was so optimistic all the time. The glasses always have
full for him. He never got down and he was
the same guy all year long. We saw that in
the media, we saw that with the staff here, but
then the players. That's one thing they all said on
(13:38):
Monday in the exit interviews on Monday here, when they
all cleaned out their lockers that he was the same
guy no matter what you knew what to expect from
him every single day, win or lose, no matter what happened.
And they appreciated that so much to have that kind of,
you know, stability from their head coach. And he made
a tough call when he sat down Bryce Young after
(14:00):
week two. I mean, not a lot of coaches, especially
rookie head coaches maybe would be willing to do that,
to sit down what is supposed to be your franchise
quarterback and make you know, that kind of a wave
early on in your tenure with the team. So that
was a big move for him to do to say,
you know what, we're gonna sit him down. He needs
to step back, take a breather, you know, watch and learn.
From Andy Dalton, that was the best movie he ever made.
(14:21):
I think we can all say that because it was
great right away for the team because it came out
and got to win. But then Bryce got to sit
down and learn and take that pressure off of him,
and we all see all the good things that happened
from doing that, and then to get him back in
place and see the success that he had as the
season went on, So, I think Dave Canalis has done
a phenomenal job with balancing this team, with leading this team,
(14:43):
with making his mark and being the guy that he
wants to be day in and day out, and implementing
his system. He as a process. He's stuck to it
all season long and it's working and they're starting to
reap their benefits of that now.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Completely agree. So well said.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And here's something that I think is really interesting about
Dave Canalison. It's one of those things that I learned
on the sideline and you may get to see it
or hear it, and you may not be able to
if you're a fan of this team. So the big
thing that we heard about him coming in is energy, energy,
energy energy. You know, he drinks the bulletproof coffee in
(15:18):
the morning and that was the you know, I remember
asking I Rappaport, how do you describe him?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Oh? Energetic? Right, that was the that was the buzzword.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
And you know the Pete Carroll he came from the
Peek Carroll school, you know, Baker Mayfield saying he was
optimistic and energetic, and that's the way everyone described him,
and he is. He is full of energy as you said,
he is such a nice guy. But the thing that
I did not expect he kind of he kind of
teased this in our interview when he was first hired.
(15:50):
I said, you know, what kind of play caller are you?
Because again that was all we hear, energy, energy, energy,
and he said, he said, it's almost like they have
elevator and music piping into my headphones. He said, I
get really calm space. There's really zen space, and that
is where I operate from. And he said, you know what,
because his first year calling place was in Tampa Bay
with Baker Mayfield, and he said, I surprised myself, you know,
(16:12):
in what way I was going to be a play
caller because that's not my natural That's not the way
I naturally do things. I attack things with energy. When
he is on that field and he is calling place,
and even more so than when he is calling place
as the head coach, Sharon, I know you saw this
just as much as I did. So calm, such a leader,
(16:35):
as you said, positive, no matter what happens on the field,
he is not berating his players, but he just looks
like a calming, steady presence out there and he has
the energy no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
But I said to him not.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Too long ago when we were doing the TV show,
I said, you never celebrate, you never celebrate a touchdown,
You never nothing, and not in a bad way. But
he has that same expression on his face, win or lose,
good play or bad play. And I thought that was
so interesting because I thought he was going to come in.
You know, you see offensive coordinator Brad Isaach like he
(17:09):
lets it fly, you.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Know, and the guys love that.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
But Dave Canelis is such a calming presence, such a
leader on the field, and that really surprised me, and
I really I thought it was It was great.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, no, I agree with you. And that is one
of the first things I noticed with him too, is
that you know, you could go out there and have
a twenty yard touchdown pass or have an interception and
he reacts pretty much the same way. I mean, clearly
you get upset if there was an interception versus a touchup.
But like I said, he never yelled, He never went
over and berated anyone, He never did anything negative. I
(17:43):
mean he was just always like, Okay, let's move on
to the next play. I mean, he's that that's the
epitome of what he does. Flush it, move on to
the next play, and he just was always this just
the same, just this, this steady, steady presence on the sideline.
You know, he'd come over and you know, tell guys,
you know, like if brace had a good play whatever,
you know, come over and maybe give him a you know,
(18:04):
a pad on the shoulder kind of thing, or say,
you know, all right, good job, keep it up. Whatever.
But yeah, it was never like you see some coaches
that just you know, go through the roof one way
or the other. You know, they can come over and
yell and scream at guys, what are you doing blouh
blah blah blah, or they might come over and you know,
go haywire because they just scored a touchdown or something.
But he is just like just the same, just even steady,
just no no waves, which is very interesting considering, like
(18:27):
he said, how how energetic he is, how optimistic he is,
and how up he is all the time, you think
that you'd see more of that on the sidelines. But
you're right, it's I've never heard it phrase like that
where he has like elevator music piped into his head. Soup.
That's an interesting way to put it. But he's very
he is very thin. That's that's a good way to
put it. On the sidelines, which is not something you
see all the time out of any coach, mostly as
(18:47):
a head coach.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yeah, I agree, and not just as a play caller,
but as we said, as a calming presence, as a
as a leader on the field, which I think is
so great. Although we do know that he is very
energetic in the way he approaches pretty much everything else
practice included. But if I were a player, I would
like to see that, right. You know, this guy is
(19:09):
just calm, cool, collected. Nothing is gonna get him too
up or too down, which I think is great and
what a great example to set for the rest of
the team, and to know that your head coach has
got it under control. No matter what happens, We're onto
the next play. I'm not flustered by anything. What we've
done so far, if things are going well, is not
(19:30):
where we want to rest on our laurels. So I
just I just thought, what a what a neat thing
that I was not expecting.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Yeah, and that's I would say. What's interesting to me too,
is after we had been watching him in practice and
training camp and stuff where he is just totally up
and running and you know, yelling and not not in
a bad way, but you know, just always like up
and energetic. And Morgan pointing that out in his press
congresce money players love to play for a guy like that.
They don't want a guy who's just like all today
(19:58):
and sitting around on the side ones whatever, and he's
not that. He's so much fun in practice and things
like that, but then when you get in mind in
the game situation, he's just it's not like he's unfund
but he's just not He's not all business, yeah, which
is just so different. So it's pretty cool to see
that transformation.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay, we have got to talk about Bryce and as
you said, what a gutsy move by Dave Canalis after
that second game. I mean, you said, it perfectly a
decision that probably a lot of people wouldn't make, and
it was maligned in the national media when it happened
(20:36):
very much so. And then one thing I think is
interesting is, I mean, certainly many people in the media
are are creatures of the moment, right, we've all done it.
But then when Bryce comes back and he plays.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So well, it was Wow.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
What a brave move by the Panthers, by Bryce and
by Dave Canlis to take this time. You know, Bryce
took this time and learn from and Dave Canalis, you know,
guts to be able to do that, and the Carolina
Panthers have found the right way to develop a young quarterback.
Now I agree with all of that, but they didn't
(21:12):
let the national media face them. Bryce did not, which
was the way he handled everything was incredible, and the
way Dave handled everything was incredible as well, and they
stuck to their plan. I think, you know, both both
Dave Canalis and this coaching staff and Bryce believed that
this was going to this was going to be for
(21:33):
a reason. And of course, no one can help what
happened with Andy Dalton and that unfortunate car accident with
his family, and certainly you feel for him, and luckily
everyone was okay. But when the opportunity presented itself, Bryce,
I mean, he took advantage of it. And it is
great to see this the way in which the season
(21:56):
has progressed for him and for this team, you know,
to the point where Dave is saying we've got our quarterback.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Yeah, absolutely, and that was. It was amazing to hear
all of the like you said, the media, just racket
and chaos going on when they when they made the
decision to sit Bryce Young, and it was like, oh,
he what a bust. He's going to go down as
the most expensive first round bust in NFL history, just
on and on and on and on, just just absolutely
(22:22):
lambasting him, and he just sat back quietly. He came
in here every single day whenever we'd come in, you know,
for open locker room and you go out to practice whatever.
He did the same thing every single day, didn't matter
if he was starting, if he was the scout team quarterback,
whatever they had him working on. He approached every single
day the exact same way. And he was talking about
(22:43):
that on Monday, that nothing changed in his preparation, nothing
changed in the way he looked at his role on
this team. He just did what he always knew to do,
and that was prepare to practice as hard as he could,
to take advantage of every opportunity he got out there
on the field. When it came to reps anything, he
just he didn't pout. He didn't you know, a lot
of guys would definitely have pouted in that situation and
(23:03):
being like, oh my gosh, what's the problem. You know,
he put his head down, kept going to work, kept
doing everything that he'd been doing before, kept picking Andy
Dalton's brain, which I think was so important for him
to be able to learn from Andy, and just sat
back and waited. And then when his turn came again,
he was ready for it and he took I think
all of that knowledge that he gained in those weeks
(23:25):
when he was on the sidelines and the weeks that
he was running the scout team and being the backup quarterback.
He learned so much watching and watching the game from
a different perspective and learning from Andy Dalton, and then
he was ready to roll. And when he got his opportunity,
he made the most of it. And just as we've
said numerous times on this program, he just got better
every single week. And as he got better, that confidence
(23:47):
grew in. The more confidence he got, the better he got.
And it's been such a great thing for him. And
now everybody is just can't sing Bryce's praise is enough.
In the national media, they're all going back on what
they had to say the first time a few weeks ago.
So now it's great to see him doing so well
and he appreciates it so much, and you hate it
for Andy Dalton. I spoke with him before the Tampa
(24:07):
Bay game, actually did an interview with him for our
pregame show and said, you know, this has got to
be it's been a tough year because you know, you
get the opportunity to start again and things are rolling,
and then you have an unfortunate accident and you know
it gets taken away and then you don't get on
the field again, and it's hard for him, but he said,
you know, it's just another bump in the road of
my career, and you know, he appreciated being able to
start again, and but he loves his role as a
(24:30):
mentor to Bryce as well, and he I think he's
more excited than anybody else to see how well Bryce
has progressed this season. But it's been really fun to
watch his growth and his just growth as the leader too,
not just not just what he's been able to do
on the field, but the leader he's turning into and
the way this team is responding to him.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
This this team this year was just full of professionals,
you know, and of course they're professionals, right, they get played,
they get paid to play this game. But guys that
stepped up when they needed to, Guys that learned each week,
like you said, you're I mean and Bryce Young, Andy Dalton,
guys that, no matter what, showed up the exact same way.
(25:10):
Dave Canalis, as we said, having to make a tough
decision and that was just I think those are just
examples of the way in which this team approached the season.
You didn't see much inviting on the sidelines. You saw
guys rooting for each other. Nobody was blaming anyone else,
and that made those wins so much sweeter. As we said,
(25:31):
you know, the way in which they were celebrating, especially
toward the end of the season, and the way in
which I think a lot of players have confidence in
this team next season, which is which is great. I
think the fans do as well. So that has been
fun to see. Okay, Sharon, before we wrap this up,
which is so sad, you know, our last one of
the regulars. One of the things that we get to
(25:52):
do which is so much fun is interview players, and
you have done some really amazing You've done a lot
of really amazing interviews this season you've talked to I
would say the whole team. So I want to know
what are some of your I know you probably can't
pick favorites, right, but what are some of the ones
that stand out to you?
Speaker 1 (26:11):
You know, I love to some guys are just really
just give you all sorts of information, like, oh my gosh,
I had no idea, Like Robert Hunt was. He's so
much fun to talk to anyway, because he's just such
an outgoing guy and always it's just fun to listen
to him. But in the course of an interview I
did with him, you know, come to find out he's
from this little tiny town in Louisiana and his high
(26:32):
school had like one hundred kids and they had thirteen
kids on the football team. Thirteen kids on his football team,
and they all had to play both ways, and they
won two games. His entire high school career, they won
two games. So that was a really fun interview. And
it's always fun to talk to the rookies as well,
like Trevin Wallace was a blast, just because his accent
(26:53):
is hysterical, even not as bad as Xavi, really goods
with the southern accent. But Trevin was great just because
he's he was just all always just he tells you
anything that's on his mind. He does not hold back.
You know, It's like, was that hard? Heck, go, it
was hard. You know, he just he doesn't he hasn't
learned the the you know, trying to the euphemisms and
all the other kind of the cliches and stuff that
(27:14):
a lot of players. Yeah, you know, he he was
just like right out there. So Trevin Wallace was a
lot of fun to talk to, and Shaq Thompson before
he got injured. Shack has turned into this just great, great,
great interview, and I reminded him, I've always here. When
he first came in as a rookie, he hated to talk.
He would literally go hide in the in the training
room where they go get treatment in an open locker room.
(27:34):
He'd be like, yep, I'm out of here. Would not talk,
and it was like polling teet to get him to talk.
And now he's turned into this, you know, spokesperson for
the team. So that was fun to do that with
him earlier this season and to see how far he's
coming in his career on the football field and with
the media. So those are some of the fun ones
that stand out from this year.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I completely agree with you about the rookies.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
You know, Jatavian Sanders on this podcast was was one
of my favorite ones.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
We only had for like five minutes.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
He had to run to a meeting, and I told
Matt Hogan won our producer extraordinary. I was like, that
was so fun. You know, I wish we could have
talked to him for longer. He was telling us about
his favorite classes in college. We were talking about Texas football.
It was it was just a blast, and you can
see the energy that he has. I'll tell you one
of my favorites again. It was also on this podcast
(28:23):
was was Josie Jewel, and you know, he's so much
fun to talk to. And in the course of that
and we've heard this throughout the season now, but in
the course of that interview, I talked about his family farm,
and you know, I learned things about him that I
didn't know. And you know, I think the family farm
topics has been out there throughout the course of the season,
(28:45):
but this was pretty early on maybe week two in
the season, and you know, I got to it sounded
like an episode of Yellowstone Guides Go on Horses or
ATVs and he was like, yeah, you know, at first
we started out on horses until I was about fourteen,
and then we moved over to ATVs. There was a
lot of checking up defenses and then okay, this is
one of my favorite stories. I asked him what it
(29:07):
was like to go from the Broncos, you know, the
only team he played for, to the Panthers and he
said that he is so cheap that he asked his
family to drive U hauls across the country. So his
parents his I think it was his brother in law,
and he said, well, I didn't want to pay for movers,
so I asked them to buy across the country and
(29:30):
they did and I said, well, did you you know,
did you get them a little something? He was like, yeah,
for Christmas, we're gonna, you know, do something really nice.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
But isn't that funny miracle? But good for him, right,
that's say the money.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
That's why I love being able to do these interviews
and talk stuff besides football. It's like, you know, you
think you automatically, so well, let's talk about the opponent,
let's find out what's working, was not whatever. But I
love to get the other stuff that comes out in
these interviews, these little funny tidbits of information that you're like,
oh my gosh, I had no idea. It's fun to
bring that to people so they can learn about these
players as people, not just as football players.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I completely agree, and that is why I have loved
doing this podcast, and I love that we get that
time in radio in the pregame show. It just gives
us the opportunity, and I think fans really enjoy it too,
to go deeper with these guys and to talk about
more than just football.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
As you said, well.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Sharon, I'm going to miss doing these weekly catch ups
with you every single week, and we will be back
throughout the offseason when there are things to discuss, and
we'll keep everyone posted on that. So hopefully everyone is
subscribed on wherever you get your podcast. But this has
just been a blast, and again I cannot believe we
are already at the end of this season.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
I know that six months went really fast, so it's
bittersweet to have it in, but certainly a lot to
look forward to for next season. Then I look forward
to our next podcast. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks,
we'll have some exciting stuff going on. Around here with
free agent signings and things like that, so it'll be
fun to up to date here even during the off season.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
I completely agree.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I think there's going to be some exciting stuff. You know,
Dan Morgan is going to bring us some exciting stuff.
I really believe that. Well, thank you Sharon, and thank
you everyone for listening, and we will be back soon
Wow Yere's Kristin Balboni and Sharon Thorpe's love it with
your sideline pass.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
It is the last sideline pass of this season. Kristen
and Sharon here, Sharon, I can't believe we are already
finished with the season.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
No, it's sort of crazy. It's like when you start
things off way back at the end of July, you're like,
oh my gosh, it seems like this never ending season,
and even in the middle of it, you're like, oh
my gosh, you still have ten games or everything. All
of a sudden, it's like, wait a minute, what happened?
Are we already done? It's pretty crazy that we're already
already finished and looking at the off season.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That is something that you know as we go behind
the scenes, it's exactly what you said. I think for
the people that work in this work for a team,
it always feels like it just flies by. And I
don't know if it's because we're on the same routine.
Like for me, training camp feels very long, and that's
not to say it's bad, but it feels very very
(00:56):
long to me. And then you get into your your
games and it's you know, it's you. It's your Sunday game,
and then it's your Monday review, players day off on Tuesday,
practice Wednesday, Thursday, walk through Friday, potentially traveling on Saturday,
and then it just somehow just bleeds into the next
week and there's so much to talk about. So I
(01:16):
think that's part of it. But for me, Sharon, training
camp is always it feels like it's six months long,
and the season feels like it's one month.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah, that's funny you say that, because here's showing how
long I've been here forever. Back in the old days,
when trading camp was five weeks long, not like two
and a half like is now, and we had two
days and it was just that was that was never ended.
That lasted for a long, long long time. It seemed
like when they had training camp that went on for
(01:44):
weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks. So now the
training camp to meet seems like, oh, we're already done.
Say it goes really fast, but yes, that goes fast.
And the season, yeah, it's once you get once you
get rolling, like you said, you're in this routine and
then there's something new every single week. Obviously you play
a new team every week and there's just different storylines,
different guys doing different things, or an injury here or
whatever it may be. There's just always something new to
talk about, something new to cover, and something changing weekly.
(02:08):
So it's like you're just keeping up with all of
that and it doesn't seem you never get into any
sort of like, oh my gosh, here we go again.
We're still here, what do we do? And it's not.
It's never boring, that's for sure. Life in the NFL
is never boring.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Now. We are so lucky to be able to cover
the sport. And you know, I always think like, for me,
sideline reporting, it's the best seat in the house. And
that's why I love it so much. I mean, I
love to report and tell, you know, everyone what's going on.
But selfishly, I'm like, well, this is I got the
front row view, you.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Know, absolutely absolutely. That is the fun part too, because
sometimes you don't always get to see what's going on
in the field as much because you're blocked by the
entire team and all the equipment and stuff. But you
get the front re seat to what's going on on
the sidelines and what the players are doing, who's saying what,
and what the coaches are talking about and stuff, and
just all that to me is just like a bird's
eye view of the inner workings of a team. And
(02:57):
that's just really cool to be able to see that
and then pass that along time our listeners.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Okay, speaking of that bird's eye view and that front
row seat, you had this incredible last game of the
season down in Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I need to talk to you about it.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Give me that reaction to finishing the season on such
an exciting note and such a high note.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Oh, it was just absolutely phenomenal. I mean, it was
just absolutely the best game ever, just because it was
so much fun and the guys were having such a blast,
and Bryce was just rolling, you know, with the three
passing touchdows, the two rushing touchdowns. He was just on
fire and just so confident, having so much fun. And
then that Miles Sanders being able to come back after
(03:40):
a rough year last year and then getting injured this
year and to come back and put out the kind
of performance that he did, and just everybody was just
so excited. They were so happy. They just all rushed
the field like we had just won the Super Bowl.
I mean, everybody was so excited to be able to
finally put it all together again, which they've done a
couple times now this season, but to do it in
such a great fashion, to put up the most amount
(04:00):
of points, so he'd had since like twenty seventeen to
be able to score that many points, have the offense
working so well against the division rival to keep them
out of the playoffs. I mean, you just couldn't have
come up with a better script. So it was just
so much fun to be able to have that happen
and to be able to go off into the off
season and be able to build on that, to have
that momentum, to have that great feeling, and to have
(04:21):
your quarterback in place, your coaching staff in place, your
GM in place. I mean, everything stays the same now,
except you know, we all know there's always changes personnel wise,
but the foundation is set. It's here, and they can
build on that now and take what they did in
Atlanta and just keep moving forward this whole offseason into
next year. So it was just a great way to
cap the season.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
No kidding.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So what was your favorite game this season that you covered?
I'd imagine that one would be up there.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, absolutely, it's you know, you think, oh, it's the
last one. That's why you're saying that, but it really was.
I mean, the Las Vegas game was a lot of
fun after two early season rough outings, and to have
Andy Dahlon come in and have that great outing that
he did and had some records, I mean, and get
that first win of the season, that one was really fine.
Germany was also a really exciting game, just because it
(05:07):
was in Germany and because you beat you know, Brian
Burns a to a former teammates, and you know, they
get the Giants and get another win there and have
the second win in a row after the Saints game
the week before that. So that was a good one too.
But you really just can't top this Atlanta win just
because of the way they did it and the dominance
of the offense and just how everything just came together
and everything was just clicking and to go out on
(05:28):
a high note like that. So I'd have to say
that Falcons game was my favorite one of the season.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah, you had you had some good ones to cover.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I think mine and you know, I know we say
this every week, but Sharon, you covered the road games
and I covered the home game, So for me, I
think it was that that Arizona game, so the third
to last game of the season, and that one was
just it. The celebration, you know, the walk off touchdown
by Cuba. It felt like the energy that I imagined
(05:57):
this last game had. And the thing that was so
neat to me about that game is that they lost
close to Kansas City, then they lose in overtime to
Tampa Bay. Then they just just lost to Philadelphia and
then to Dallas. That was not their best showing. And
so for them to come out and play the way
that they have been playing against Kansas City, against Tampa Bay,
(06:20):
against the Eagles, but to put it all together and
you could just tell how much it meant to those guys.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
That was my favorite game to cover.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And you said, you know, they celebrated like they won
the Super Bowl in that last game.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I thought the same thing about this one.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
It just felt like these guys had a point to
prove and it just felt like it was the first
time that they played their style of football, the style
of football that Dave Canalis wants them to play and
that they want to play, and came away with that win.
It just felt like they were teetering, teetering teetering, and
then what a great way this game and as you said,
the Falcons game, to put that on tape, to put
(06:58):
it together, to be able to look at that into
the next season, as you said, because we can tell
this team is on an upward trajectory, and I cannot
say that upward.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's a mouthful.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
That's a mouthful. Yes, No, they absolutely are. I mean
you've seen it trending, you know, really since since before
the Germany game when they started with the Saints and okay, okay,
you know, maybe it wasn't the best team in the
whole world there, and maybe the Giants were so great either,
but they were they they still were playing really well.
It didn't matter who the opponent was. And then when
they proved it right and they came right back and
started in with that Chiefs game, and then every single
(07:32):
game and they were just making strides and getting so
much better and things were coming together. And to be
able to, like you said, to finish it with that
in Arizona, the Arizona game here and then on the
road at Atlanta, to be able to really come full
circle and put it all together. Now, granted we all
know that there's there's things that still need to be addressed.
The defense needs to shore some things up. They need
(07:53):
to get some things fixed on both sides of the football.
But you've got something to build now, and you've got
things going in the right direction. You're going up, not
backwards or you're not. You've got people saying, oh my gosh,
we've got hope now. We've got so many things that
we can look forward to, and this is a team
that's on the rise and we can say, hey, I
think maybe we can go ten and seven next season,
instead of people saying, oh, well, if we get four wins,
(08:15):
it'll be great, you know. I mean, it's just such
a different feeling than it was a year ago. And
to have things in place, and to be super excited
about your quarterback and about your coaching staff, and to
have Dave Canalis back, and I'm so happy that he's
bringing a zero avero back. I think that's great to
bring him back as a defensive coordinator. I know the
defense looked bad on paper this season, but the injuries
they had were just just mind blowing how many injuries
(08:38):
they had on the defensive side of the ball. So
he was not able to put the product out there
that he wanted to put out there, and it really
you know, a coach can only do so much if
you don't have the players out there. So I'm really
glad they're giving him another opportunity to come back and
get the defense like it was a year ago when
they were top five in the NFL. So I think
that all signs are pointing up for this team and
it's really exciting to watch.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I completely agree about a I think I was really
happy to see that as well, and from what I
have heard from what we have heard from opposing offenses,
and this is another thing that I think is so interesting.
There's only so much because of disguises and because of
players in there. Something that I've learned from from former
players and current players is that you don't always know
(09:20):
when a defense is in a certain set and something happens.
Was it the scheme, was it the players? Was it
something that the offense does? And that's why you have
these huge scouting departments, That's why you have these coaches
sitting in booths. Everyone is trying to figure out what
the other team is doing. And I know we hear broadcasts, right,
but the thing is, no one can say for sure.
And so what we have heard from these opposing offenses.
(09:45):
Our guys in the booth will sometimes to talk to
the opposing offensive coordinators that come in, you know, getting
some insight. So they said, the scheme is excellent. We
heard that from so many other teams. The scheme is excellent,
but because of these injuries, it wasn't always able to
be executed in a certain way. And so you know,
(10:06):
hearing that from from these other coaches and the respect
they have for Avaro and the respect that Dave Canalis
has for him, that I am excited to see what
this looks like when we get like just Derek Brown alone, right,
I mean what that and that I think really was
what this scheme was built around.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, that you got to have that, you're right, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And Derek Brown it was the first time coming into
the season that he had had the same position coach, yes,
and had been exactly and he was so excited about him.
So I cannot wait to see this defense and what
they can do with.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
With healthy guys.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I think that that's going to be and you know,
another year in the system for these guys, and we
saw some guys step up and so I can't wait
to see this kind of all come together. And as
you said, with the draft, So I do want to
ask you Dave Canalis's first year, Dan Morgan's first year is, Sharon,
how do you look at what they've done?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Oh my gosh, I mean, I think they've done a
tremendous job. Is starting with Dan Morgan, just from the
rookie class that he put together, not just the guys
he drafted, but the undrafted free agents that they brought in.
I mean, heck, look at Chile and Cocher. I mean,
my goodness, he's like in the top five and a
lot of categories in the NFL this season as an
undrafted rookie. So he the fact that they were able
(11:30):
to spot him bring him in. But then when you
look at the guys that they did draft, because they've
had to get Jonathan Brooks, Trevin Wallas, Jamian Sanders, Show Smith, Wade,
Jaden Cromeny, and then Michael Barrett, who they sent him
off to Seattle and in return for him, they bring
in Mike Jackson, who was a starter all season longer quarterbacks.
So you if you want to look at that, I
mean you look at every single one of those guys,
Cromeny was the only one who did not get a
(11:51):
lot of time in the system. That sure, he was
injured most of the year. Say, maybe you can't really
say much about what he was able to do, but
everybody else played meaningful minutes, meaningful minutes, meaningful snaps and
did really important things for this team. I mean, Jonathan
Brooks obviously did not have much, but what you did
see of him before he reinjured that knee, he was awesome.
I mean, he was doing some great things and you
could see what he was going to be able to do.
(12:12):
But exavierly get had a great season until you know,
at the end got a little dinged up hit. The
rookie wall Trevin Wallace got forced into a starting role
at middle linebacker calling the defense and you know, did
a great job. And then Jadevian Sanders phenomenal job and
worked his way into the starting starting tight end role
with multiple injuries. They are too but just got such
(12:32):
great experience. Shaw Smith Waite got starting call at nicol
I mean, it's crazy these guys that they were able
to get every single one of their rookies who came
in here and get meaningful minutes out of them, you know,
for the guys that were able to be out on
the field without injury, so they got so much experience
and to be able to have that is just invaluable
going into year two because not only did they be able,
(12:54):
not only were they able to learn this system and
you know, learn this whole new offense and defense and
coaching staff. They played and they made impacts on this team,
and so that's going to just carry so much weight
going into the future. So Dan Morgan I think did
a phenomenal job in his scouty staff and everyone to
get those guys in here. And when you see what
Dave Canalis did, I mean, he comes in from day
(13:16):
one and we all saw it, you know immediately, Oh,
everything's fantastic. You know, he's just always so optimistic. That
was his favorite word. I think it's fantastic. He just
was so optimistic all the time. The glasses always have
full for him. He never got down and he was
the same guy all year long. We saw that in
the media, we saw that with the staff here, but
then the players. That's one thing they all said on
(13:38):
Monday in the exit interviews on Monday here, when they
all cleaned out their lockers that he was the same
guy no matter what you knew what to expect from
him every single day, win or lose, no matter what happened.
And they appreciated that so much to have that kind of,
you know, stability from their head coach. And he made
a tough call when he sat down Bryce Young after
(14:00):
week two. I mean, not a lot of coaches, especially
rookie head coaches maybe would be willing to do that,
to sit down what is supposed to be your franchise
quarterback and make you know, that kind of a wave
early on in your tenure with the team. So that
was a big move for him to do to say,
you know what, we're gonna sit him down. He needs
to step back, take a breather, you know, watch and learn.
From Andy Dalton, that was the best movie he ever made.
(14:21):
I think we can all say that because it was
great right away for the team because it came out
and got to win. But then Bryce got to sit
down and learn and take that pressure off of him,
and we all see all the good things that happened
from doing that, and then to get him back in
place and see the success that he had as the
season went on, So, I think Dave Canalis has done
a phenomenal job with balancing this team, with leading this team,
(14:43):
with making his mark and being the guy that he
wants to be day in and day out, and implementing
his system. He as a process. He's stuck to it
all season long and it's working and they're starting to
reap their benefits of that now.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Completely agree. So well said.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And here's something that I think is really interesting about
Dave Canalison. It's one of those things that I learned
on the sideline and you may get to see it
or hear it, and you may not be able to
if you're a fan of this team. So the big
thing that we heard about him coming in is energy, energy,
energy energy. You know, he drinks the bulletproof coffee in
(15:18):
the morning and that was the you know, I remember
asking I Rappaport, how do you describe him?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Oh? Energetic? Right, that was the that was the buzzword.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
And you know the Pete Carroll he came from the
Peek Carroll school, you know, Baker Mayfield saying he was
optimistic and energetic, and that's the way everyone described him,
and he is. He is full of energy as you said,
he is such a nice guy. But the thing that
I did not expect he kind of he kind of
teased this in our interview when he was first hired.
(15:50):
I said, you know, what kind of play caller are you?
Because again that was all we hear, energy, energy, energy,
and he said, he said, it's almost like they have
elevator and music piping into my headphones. He said, I
get really calm space. There's really zen space, and that
is where I operate from. And he said, you know what,
because his first year calling place was in Tampa Bay
with Baker Mayfield, and he said, I surprised myself, you know,
(16:12):
in what way I was going to be a play
caller because that's not my natural That's not the way
I naturally do things. I attack things with energy. When
he is on that field and he is calling place,
and even more so than when he is calling place
as the head coach, Sharon, I know you saw this
just as much as I did. So calm, such a leader,
(16:35):
as you said, positive, no matter what happens on the field,
he is not berating his players, but he just looks
like a calming, steady presence out there and he has
the energy no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
But I said to him not.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Too long ago when we were doing the TV show,
I said, you never celebrate, you never celebrate a touchdown,
You never nothing, and not in a bad way. But
he has that same expression on his face, win or lose,
good play or bad play. And I thought that was
so interesting because I thought he was going to come in.
You know, you see offensive coordinator Brad Isaach like he
(17:09):
lets it fly, you.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Know, and the guys love that.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
But Dave Canelis is such a calming presence, such a
leader on the field, and that really surprised me, and
I really I thought it was It was great.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, no, I agree with you. And that is one
of the first things I noticed with him too, is
that you know, you could go out there and have
a twenty yard touchdown pass or have an interception and
he reacts pretty much the same way. I mean, clearly
you get upset if there was an interception versus a touchup.
But like I said, he never yelled, He never went
over and berated anyone, He never did anything negative. I
(17:43):
mean he was just always like, Okay, let's move on
to the next play. I mean, he's that that's the
epitome of what he does. Flush it, move on to
the next play, and he just was always this just
the same, just this, this steady, steady presence on the sideline.
You know, he'd come over and you know, tell guys,
you know, like if brace had a good play whatever,
you know, come over and maybe give him a you know,
(18:04):
a pad on the shoulder kind of thing, or say,
you know, all right, good job, keep it up. Whatever.
But yeah, it was never like you see some coaches
that just you know, go through the roof one way
or the other. You know, they can come over and
yell and scream at guys, what are you doing blouh
blah blah blah, or they might come over and you know,
go haywire because they just scored a touchdown or something.
But he is just like just the same, just even steady,
just no no waves, which is very interesting considering, like
(18:27):
he said, how how energetic he is, how optimistic he is,
and how up he is all the time, you think
that you'd see more of that on the sidelines. But
you're right, it's I've never heard it phrase like that
where he has like elevator music piped into his head. Soup.
That's an interesting way to put it. But he's very
he is very thin. That's that's a good way to
put it. On the sidelines, which is not something you
see all the time out of any coach, mostly as
(18:47):
a head coach.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Yeah, I agree, and not just as a play caller,
but as we said, as a calming presence, as a
as a leader on the field, which I think is
so great. Although we do know that he is very
energetic in the way he approaches pretty much everything else
practice included. But if I were a player, I would
like to see that, right. You know, this guy is
(19:09):
just calm, cool, collected. Nothing is gonna get him too
up or too down, which I think is great and
what a great example to set for the rest of
the team, and to know that your head coach has
got it under control. No matter what happens, We're onto
the next play. I'm not flustered by anything. What we've
done so far, if things are going well, is not
(19:30):
where we want to rest on our laurels. So I
just I just thought, what a what a neat thing
that I was not expecting.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Yeah, and that's I would say. What's interesting to me too,
is after we had been watching him in practice and
training camp and stuff where he is just totally up
and running and you know, yelling and not not in
a bad way, but you know, just always like up
and energetic. And Morgan pointing that out in his press
congresce money players love to play for a guy like that.
They don't want a guy who's just like all today
(19:58):
and sitting around on the side ones whatever, and he's
not that. He's so much fun in practice and things
like that, but then when you get in mind in
the game situation, he's just it's not like he's unfund
but he's just not He's not all business, yeah, which
is just so different. So it's pretty cool to see
that transformation.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay, we have got to talk about Bryce and as
you said, what a gutsy move by Dave Canalis after
that second game. I mean, you said, it perfectly a
decision that probably a lot of people wouldn't make, and
it was maligned in the national media when it happened
(20:36):
very much so. And then one thing I think is
interesting is, I mean, certainly many people in the media
are are creatures of the moment, right, we've all done it.
But then when Bryce comes back and he plays.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So well, it was Wow.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
What a brave move by the Panthers, by Bryce and
by Dave Canlis to take this time. You know, Bryce
took this time and learn from and Dave Canalis, you know,
guts to be able to do that, and the Carolina
Panthers have found the right way to develop a young quarterback.
Now I agree with all of that, but they didn't
(21:12):
let the national media face them. Bryce did not, which
was the way he handled everything was incredible, and the
way Dave handled everything was incredible as well, and they
stuck to their plan. I think, you know, both both
Dave Canalis and this coaching staff and Bryce believed that
this was going to this was going to be for
(21:33):
a reason. And of course, no one can help what
happened with Andy Dalton and that unfortunate car accident with
his family, and certainly you feel for him, and luckily
everyone was okay. But when the opportunity presented itself, Bryce,
I mean, he took advantage of it. And it is
great to see this the way in which the season
(21:56):
has progressed for him and for this team, you know,
to the point where Dave is saying we've got our quarterback.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Yeah, absolutely, and that was. It was amazing to hear
all of the like you said, the media, just racket
and chaos going on when they when they made the
decision to sit Bryce Young, and it was like, oh,
he what a bust. He's going to go down as
the most expensive first round bust in NFL history, just
on and on and on and on, just just absolutely
(22:22):
lambasting him, and he just sat back quietly. He came
in here every single day whenever we'd come in, you know,
for open locker room and you go out to practice whatever.
He did the same thing every single day, didn't matter
if he was starting, if he was the scout team quarterback,
whatever they had him working on. He approached every single
day the exact same way. And he was talking about
(22:43):
that on Monday, that nothing changed in his preparation, nothing
changed in the way he looked at his role on
this team. He just did what he always knew to do,
and that was prepare to practice as hard as he could,
to take advantage of every opportunity he got out there
on the field. When it came to reps anything, he
just he didn't pout. He didn't you know, a lot
of guys would definitely have pouted in that situation and
(23:03):
being like, oh my gosh, what's the problem. You know,
he put his head down, kept going to work, kept
doing everything that he'd been doing before, kept picking Andy
Dalton's brain, which I think was so important for him
to be able to learn from Andy, and just sat
back and waited. And then when his turn came again,
he was ready for it and he took I think
all of that knowledge that he gained in those weeks
(23:25):
when he was on the sidelines and the weeks that
he was running the scout team and being the backup quarterback.
He learned so much watching and watching the game from
a different perspective and learning from Andy Dalton, and then
he was ready to roll. And when he got his opportunity,
he made the most of it. And just as we've
said numerous times on this program, he just got better
every single week. And as he got better, that confidence
(23:47):
grew in. The more confidence he got, the better he got.
And it's been such a great thing for him. And
now everybody is just can't sing Bryce's praise is enough.
In the national media, they're all going back on what
they had to say the first time a few weeks ago.
So now it's great to see him doing so well
and he appreciates it so much, and you hate it
for Andy Dalton. I spoke with him before the Tampa
(24:07):
Bay game, actually did an interview with him for our
pregame show and said, you know, this has got to
be it's been a tough year because you know, you
get the opportunity to start again and things are rolling,
and then you have an unfortunate accident and you know
it gets taken away and then you don't get on
the field again, and it's hard for him, but he said,
you know, it's just another bump in the road of
my career, and you know, he appreciated being able to
start again, and but he loves his role as a
(24:30):
mentor to Bryce as well, and he I think he's
more excited than anybody else to see how well Bryce
has progressed this season. But it's been really fun to
watch his growth and his just growth as the leader too,
not just not just what he's been able to do
on the field, but the leader he's turning into and
the way this team is responding to him.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
This this team this year was just full of professionals,
you know, and of course they're professionals, right, they get played,
they get paid to play this game. But guys that
stepped up when they needed to, Guys that learned each week,
like you said, you're I mean and Bryce Young, Andy Dalton,
guys that, no matter what, showed up the exact same way.
(25:10):
Dave Canalis, as we said, having to make a tough
decision and that was just I think those are just
examples of the way in which this team approached the season.
You didn't see much inviting on the sidelines. You saw
guys rooting for each other. Nobody was blaming anyone else,
and that made those wins so much sweeter. As we said,
(25:31):
you know, the way in which they were celebrating, especially
toward the end of the season, and the way in
which I think a lot of players have confidence in
this team next season, which is which is great. I
think the fans do as well. So that has been
fun to see. Okay, Sharon, before we wrap this up,
which is so sad, you know, our last one of
the regulars. One of the things that we get to
(25:52):
do which is so much fun is interview players, and
you have done some really amazing You've done a lot
of really amazing interviews this season you've talked to I
would say the whole team. So I want to know
what are some of your I know you probably can't
pick favorites, right, but what are some of the ones
that stand out to you?
Speaker 1 (26:11):
You know, I love to some guys are just really
just give you all sorts of information, like, oh my gosh,
I had no idea, Like Robert Hunt was. He's so
much fun to talk to anyway, because he's just such
an outgoing guy and always it's just fun to listen
to him. But in the course of an interview I
did with him, you know, come to find out he's
from this little tiny town in Louisiana and his high
(26:32):
school had like one hundred kids and they had thirteen
kids on the football team. Thirteen kids on his football team,
and they all had to play both ways, and they
won two games. His entire high school career, they won
two games. So that was a really fun interview. And
it's always fun to talk to the rookies as well,
like Trevin Wallace was a blast, just because his accent
(26:53):
is hysterical, even not as bad as Xavi, really goods
with the southern accent. But Trevin was great just because
he's he was just all always just he tells you
anything that's on his mind. He does not hold back.
You know, It's like, was that hard? Heck, go, it
was hard. You know, he just he doesn't he hasn't
learned the the you know, trying to the euphemisms and
all the other kind of the cliches and stuff that
(27:14):
a lot of players. Yeah, you know, he he was
just like right out there. So Trevin Wallace was a
lot of fun to talk to, and Shaq Thompson before
he got injured. Shack has turned into this just great, great,
great interview, and I reminded him, I've always here. When
he first came in as a rookie, he hated to talk.
He would literally go hide in the in the training
room where they go get treatment in an open locker room.
(27:34):
He'd be like, yep, I'm out of here. Would not talk,
and it was like polling teet to get him to talk.
And now he's turned into this, you know, spokesperson for
the team. So that was fun to do that with
him earlier this season and to see how far he's
coming in his career on the football field and with
the media. So those are some of the fun ones
that stand out from this year.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I completely agree with you about the rookies.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
You know, Jatavian Sanders on this podcast was was one
of my favorite ones.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
We only had for like five minutes.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
He had to run to a meeting, and I told
Matt Hogan won our producer extraordinary. I was like, that
was so fun. You know, I wish we could have
talked to him for longer. He was telling us about
his favorite classes in college. We were talking about Texas football.
It was it was just a blast, and you can
see the energy that he has. I'll tell you one
of my favorites again. It was also on this podcast
(28:23):
was was Josie Jewel, and you know, he's so much
fun to talk to. And in the course of that
and we've heard this throughout the season now, but in
the course of that interview, I talked about his family farm,
and you know, I learned things about him that I
didn't know. And you know, I think the family farm
topics has been out there throughout the course of the season,
(28:45):
but this was pretty early on maybe week two in
the season, and you know, I got to it sounded
like an episode of Yellowstone Guides Go on Horses or
ATVs and he was like, yeah, you know, at first
we started out on horses until I was about fourteen,
and then we moved over to ATVs. There was a
lot of checking up defenses and then okay, this is
one of my favorite stories. I asked him what it
(29:07):
was like to go from the Broncos, you know, the
only team he played for, to the Panthers and he
said that he is so cheap that he asked his
family to drive U hauls across the country. So his
parents his I think it was his brother in law,
and he said, well, I didn't want to pay for movers,
so I asked them to buy across the country and
(29:30):
they did and I said, well, did you you know,
did you get them a little something? He was like, yeah,
for Christmas, we're gonna, you know, do something really nice.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
But isn't that funny miracle? But good for him, right,
that's say the money.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
That's why I love being able to do these interviews
and talk stuff besides football. It's like, you know, you
think you automatically, so well, let's talk about the opponent,
let's find out what's working, was not whatever. But I
love to get the other stuff that comes out in
these interviews, these little funny tidbits of information that you're like,
oh my gosh, I had no idea. It's fun to
bring that to people so they can learn about these
players as people, not just as football players.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
I completely agree, and that is why I have loved
doing this podcast, and I love that we get that
time in radio in the pregame show. It just gives
us the opportunity, and I think fans really enjoy it too,
to go deeper with these guys and to talk about
more than just football.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
As you said, well.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Sharon, I'm going to miss doing these weekly catch ups
with you every single week, and we will be back
throughout the offseason when there are things to discuss, and
we'll keep everyone posted on that. So hopefully everyone is
subscribed on wherever you get your podcast. But this has
just been a blast, and again I cannot believe we
are already at the end of this season.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
I know that six months went really fast, so it's
bittersweet to have it in, but certainly a lot to
look forward to for next season. Then I look forward
to our next podcast. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks,
we'll have some exciting stuff going on. Around here with
free agent signings and things like that, so it'll be
fun to up to date here even during the off season.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
I completely agree.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I think there's going to be some exciting stuff. You know,
Dan Morgan is going to bring us some exciting stuff.
I really believe that. Well, thank you Sharon, and thank
you everyone for listening, and we will be back soon
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