Game On Rewind: Panthers PxP voice Anish Shroff joins the show! 2024-11-6

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh, there's nothing finer than a Panthers win.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
They've been few and far between, but calling that play
as he does every single Sunday is the great A
Niche Shroth from ESPN and also the play by play
voice of the Panthers, and heashes back in the house
with us. What's up, man, John?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
How are you buddy?

Speaker 1 (00:17):
We've been doing well? Props. Coffee is for closers? Are
you kidding it? That's outstanding. I just told Trey, my producer,
I would have flubbed that. That's that's great. Uh, that's
just great pun work on your part. And what a
game it was. I mean, look, let's talk Bryce Young.
That's the lead here obviously, by.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
The way, come on, that's that's gle Blake.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's Wola goes without saying that coffee down.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Coffee is for closers.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
We were feeling a little less like Shelley these days.
After that win. I'll tell you that it's looking better
for the Panthers. It really is. And look, we don't
sugarcoat things, you know that. But we work closely with
this team, you and I both and I've been pulling
for Bryce Young as I'm sure you guys have in
that booth and every Sunday we see an opportunity for growth.
And we have seen this player grow up in front
of our eyes, I think with a couple of performances.

(01:06):
One on the road in Denver where he played a
very good defense, and then at home to lead that
drive at the end. You heard the defense on the
call there, But what performance by Bryce with some tough
circumstances to open up this season.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, I would caution again in terms of getting too
far ahead of ourselves. And sure, I think we all
want to see Bryce succeed. We all want to see
a franchise quarterback. And the guy that went number one overall.
I just think he got to remember that a week
ago against Denver and he looked, Okay, that was a

(01:40):
really good defense. A couple of throws, a couple of plays.
Maybe you want back context that do think is important.
New Orleans was missing their top three cornerbacks. Marshawn Lattimore
was out, Paulson Adebo was out, Layton McKinstry was out.
Alante Taylor dropped at least one interception. Things probably could

(02:01):
have had at least one, maybe even two in that game. Now,
I don't think the numbers tell the whole story. From
Bryce's standpoint where he made a heck of a throw
to David Moore what should have been a touchdown catch,
he made a heck of a throw to Xavierly get
right in the bread basket, and the corner just made
a heck of a play to rip that ball away
from Excel and it ends up going as a pick.

(02:21):
So I thought there was some good. I thought there
was some progress. But you know, that was a Saints
team that was reeling. They end up firing their coach.
They were down bad and big in their secondary. So
I think we got to keep stacking performances like that before.
I think we kind of jump all in again with Bryce.

(02:45):
I think we all hope it's there. We all want
to see it there. Certainly I do. I'd love for
I'd love nothing more than to, you know, kind of
scream at the top of the mountain and say he's
the guy, he's the guy, He's the guy again. But
like me, I just think we've got to stack a
little more evident, and this weekend's going to be a
good test. You get the Giants, who, again not a
great secondary, but maybe the best pass rush in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Well, I was happy for the entire team. And that's
one thing I keep mentioning to folks at one Panther
place on Twitter or on podcast or here on the show,
that they've got to find their core. And you know
that an issue. It's one of the challenges with Dave
can Allis and Dan Morgan identifying your core moving forward.
Every great team the Panthers have ever had have had
that historically, and every team right now that's good in

(03:28):
the league has those four or five or six guys
that you know are just bedrock players and you're seeing
that now, and so I'm worried less about the quarterback.
I'm happy for Bryce, as I said, but to your point,
there were some plays that weren't that great. There were
some plays that he should have had that weren't top
level plays. But I'll say this, an offensive line now

(03:48):
that comes together the way they have. Give credit to
obviously the coaching staff for this, but obviously the players themselves.
To see guys coming in like Brady Christiansen playing all
positions on the line, Cad May's at center and that's
starting rotation feels like something who no matter who the
quarterback is moving forward. They seem to have that problem corrected.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
This offensive line going into this season. I thought people
were kind of downplaying how good the unit was. And again,
the running numbers, the rush game numbers don't pop out
at you because early in the year, you're down big
in the game, you got to abandon the run. Bryce
just didn't have the confidence the first two games. This
is a really good offensive line, and frankly it should be.

(04:32):
It's the highest paid offensive line in the entire NFL.
Robert Hunt and Damian Lewis have been bonafide impact guys.
I think Brady Christensen was the unsung hero on Sunday
his ability after playing center for an injured Austin Corbett,
to slide to left tackle and essentially he was almost

(04:52):
perfect out there. He had a terrific game. His versatility
now is the swing guy is invaluable. I thought Kate
Mays had a pretty good game at center. When Josh
Niman has had to fill in, he's been solid. So
there is depth. Not to pick on someone like Calvin Throckmorton,
But you know a year ago when both guard positions

(05:13):
were a revolving door. I mean, you held your breath
every time the ball was snapped and it was a
pass play or a run play for that matter. Right,
and now you have the depth up front, so the
offensive line again, you got to build a team from
the trenches out. I think they've got a bona fide
strength up front.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Feels like it. Anish Rov joining us, played by play,
voice of the Carolina Panthers. He'll be heading here shortly
overseas to Germany for the Panthers' first ever trip to
that country for a game against the Giants. We'll touch
on that game in a minute, but I think it's
fascinating what's going on right now with this team. It's
not just about the quarterback, but the growth of a
head coach in Dave Canalis, who look, anytime you come in,

(05:52):
this is your first time doing this. I've had a
chance on occasion to speak with Dave, not as often
as you, obviously, I find him to be very engaging,
very honest. But also in these press conferences, a lot
of people read a lot into it. He does master
the art of saying less, and I think that can
frustrate some reporters. But the messaging I think has been
good and I feel at least from my perspective, From

(06:13):
my view at least that the players are responding what's
important for this team moving forward. I know you want
to make the playoffs, but you can't really at two
and seven be thinking about that. Is it just getting
some bedrock windsy? You can lean on what's the messaging
from the coach right now in terms of how they
move forward and how they define success.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, they talked about finishing, which has sort of been
one of the catch all phrases, one of the catch
words for Dave Canala since he took over. Finish, Finish, Finish.
They were able to do that Sunday against New Orleans.
So I think finding ways to finish and then finding
playmakers and finding guys who are going to be a
part of that core foundation for when this thing turns.

(06:55):
And I think you've got to give a lot of credit,
a lot of credit to Dan Morgan for what he's
done with this past draft plass not just the guys
who were taken, but also the rookies who they signed
in free agency. Demani Richardson looks like a keeper. He's
led the team in tackles as an undrafted rookie back
to back weeks. Jalen Kocher looks to be a keeper.

(07:16):
You have to like what you see from Xavier leagued,
Jatavian Sanders. We're hoping to see Jonathan Brooks this weekend.
Trevan Wallace has had his moments. Looks like he can
be a starter for an NFL football team. So there's
a lot there amongst these young players that you look
at and you go, hey, there's a foundation here, and

(07:37):
these rookies are contributing. I mean you look at with
the Deontay Johnson trade. You know, the top three in
receiving yards right now on this team are all rookies.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah, have about been and how about Datavian Sanders. I
mean then those are kind of plays a Nisian I've
been watching this team for a long time that you know,
you don't want to make too much of anything. As
you mentioned at the top, those are flash plays that
stand out on tape. And when you're taking on Tyron Atthew,
one of the great safeties again aging a little bit,
you're able to get a leap on him, and then
Matthew at the end of that play's just sitting down

(08:06):
kind of looking at dusk, collecting in his face saying, Wow,
the Sanders kid can play again. These are all pros,
but Sanders is really an encouraging piece that's coming along
now and it's good to see him building some connectivity.
Talk to me a bit about these two receivers though,
Xavier Legett, who has been a blast to cover here
down in the Carolinas. We just spoke with David Cloneger
who knows him well from his game Cock days. And

(08:28):
Jalen Coker. What a find again, a guy from Holy
Cross that was a little bit overlooked in the draft process.
How about those two.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
Well, I'll start with lee Gett, who gives you the
ability to go get those fifty to fifty balls, and
I think he's just going to keep getting better. He
has given the quarterback whoever, it's been a bona fide
red zone target. That's where he's been eating. He's got
four touchdowns. The only Panther rookie with more touchdowns through
nine weeks Calvin Benjamin. So he's tracking well. Ye big target,

(09:00):
and again I think people forget this kid is still
pretty raw. Despite being a five year guy at South Carolina.
He didn't play a whole lot, had some injuries early
in his career. Really had one season his senior year
where he was a breakout guy. He's getting better, he
is continuing to refine his skill, but he looks like
he can be a bona fide number one, maybe number

(09:24):
two receiver on a playoff team down the road. And
Jalen Koker's another guy. He's big, he's not the fastest guy,
but he's a great route runner. He's got a great
catch radius, he can make the contested catches. He was
a touchdown machine out of Holy Cross. Dan Morgan's talked
about dogs. This is a guy who went undrafted, who
thought he should have been drafted, and now it's kind

(09:46):
of like, Okay, I'm going to prove some of you
guys wrong. The passed on me, and that's every team
in the NFL. He continues to just make plays and
he's in the right spot. And now, listen, Jonathan Mingo's
probably still on the team if not for the emergence
of Jalen Coker. They just couldn't Getmingo the snaps right.
This was the second round pick, and Coker lapped him,

(10:07):
lapped him on the depth chart, and Steve Smith would
talk to me about Cocher before the season started when
we were doing the preseason games on TV, and said
again his route running and his ability to catch and
catching traffic. He said, all those things. Yes, he played
at an FCS level, but they translate to the NFL.
Steve was really high on Jalen Cocher, and again that's

(10:29):
the guy who probably should have been drafted. But they
have found something and it's no longer a hidden gem
as it is, it's hiding in playing sight.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
Now, all right, we'll talk college bawling just a second.
Before that, let's talk about the big trip to Germany,
your travel plans as as this is. Is this a
first for you now calling a game, uh, in this
particular country, and just the general vibe from the team
as they prepare for this matchup.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yeah. Again, I it's funny. My wife, my daughter, they're going.
They're going to extend the trip a little bit and
go to Vienna and Frog and do all the fun stuff.
I gotta I gotta come back and work. But you know,
I think we all sort of look at it as
a business trip. It's fun. I've never been to Munich,
so I'm excited. I love to travel. I've been to Europe,

(11:15):
a bunch of times, so it'll be a first for
me looking forward to, you know, getting some good food
and a couple of bruskis, do some sight seeing if
there's time. But I'm excited for the game. I'm excited
to see if this Panthers team can stack another win
after the win against the Saints floundering a little bit. Uh,
there's vultures around their head coach and to their quarterback.

(11:37):
And again, if you can kind of get to them early,
I think it's a chance to really build some positive
momentum going into the bye week. And I always say
it's always always an interesting test when you look at
the schedule and pre season, and if you look at
the Panthers schedule, you probably looked at October and you said, oh, oh,
you got three rookie quarterbacks. You can maybe run the table.

(12:00):
October weill, October went south pretty fast, and you looked
at the back end of the schedule post bye week
and you're gasping, oh my god, you got the Chiefs
and the Eagles and the Cowboys. Well, oh, Philly looks
like they're in a bit of disarray. So does Dallas.
Oh yeah, Tampa has been a little bit of an
up and down team, and you know there's now some
potential wins on the back end of that schedule. But

(12:21):
get one going into the bye week. I think it
turns down the volume. It gives people some hope over
the second half of the season. Yeah, the playoffs probably
a long shot. But this whole idea about if you're
gonna be bad, just tank and get a high draft pick.
You know, it's funny the same team's draft high year

(12:42):
in year out. I think it's more about who you
draft and where you draft versus what pick you have.
I really do. You just look at the history of
the NFL, the Ravens, the Seahawks, there's certain teams they
find guys no matter where they're drafting, and I think
Dan Morgan has shown the ability to do that and
identified talent, which really again hammers home the point, Hey,

(13:05):
go out there, start winning, build a culture, find who
your best allotment of players are that you can take
with you into OTAs in the spring, and then again
just started to start to stack some draft classes, start
to stack some free agents, free agents, free agents, Excuse me,
but yeah, you know, I kind of look at this

(13:26):
as a business trip, you know, it's cool, it'll be fun.
But you know, more than anything, I hope we get
a little sweet Caroline at the end of the game.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
Oh the be Well, you know you're going to hear
it either way over in Germany, as is the tradition
there real quick, we got a couple of minutes left
and we got to hit a hard break here, and
I know you've got plenty to do. Tell me about
this podcast, Weekend Warriors is you and Tom Lougan Bill
right with the Panthers Radio Network here. It's a great show.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, a little bit of everything, a little bit of
everything top culture, what's going on in the world college football,
and ICEL and we'll just try to approach certain topics
from from different angles. You know, a few weeks ago
we were talking about how we're seeing these wide receiver
salaries escalate in the NFL. And Lougan Bill covers not

(14:09):
only college football, but he's ESPN's national director of high
school recruiting, and when you hear him talk about how
the ESPN three hundred is the top three hundred players
in the senior class for high school it's ridiculously skewed
toward wide receivers. There's so many wide receivers in that

(14:29):
three hundred group, almost disproportionate. And then you couple it
with conversations that I've had over the years with college
football coaches who say it's easier to get a wide
receiver than it's ever been. Seven on seven, everybody wants
to be a wide receiver and nobody wants to play
running back anymore. And so again, when you get into
team building and what you do at the NFL level,

(14:51):
that all ties in. Right, you're seeing the wide receiver
market explode. Justin Jefferson and d d Lamb. These guys
are getting paid. I think if you're in a on
office now, maybe have some pause. Okay, do I want
to pay thirty million for a wide receiver or can
I get maybe eighty percent of that talent for a
third of the cost. And when you're building a roster,

(15:12):
those are important discussions to have. Yeah, we don't need
to pay that guy. We can find adjalent Coker, we
can find a guy in round three. In round four,
look at a Pooka Nakua for example. So we kind
of get into that stuff. Try to approach things from
different angles. It's a lot of.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Fun Panthers and Giants coming up from Munich. You can
hear it all on the Panthers Radio Network. Coming up Sunday.
I'll be on board getting things started on A nine
point seven the Fox, and then the real pros will
take over with the entire crew with a Niche Shroff
calling the game for Panthers Radio A Niche, It's great
to hear your voice again, man, Thanks for making time
for us. Have a safe trip. Bring Hime a win.

(15:47):
How about that? That sounds good.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
That'd be the one thing I want to bring back
as well.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
Thanks John. See any nicheroth Panthers Radio Network.