WEBVTT - Mac & Bone Show - Brentson Buckner Interview 0:00:00.290 --> 0:00:04.530 All right, let's bring in someone that knows himself some ball. 0:00:05.809 --> 0:00:06.890 We do have to change this, though. 0:00:06.950 --> 0:00:09.120 I just realized, Bowen, I've reached out to Buck after 0:00:09.150 --> 0:00:10.780 both losses, but not after the win. 0:00:11.140 --> 0:00:12.960 Buck has to come in and do cleanup duty. 0:00:13.340 --> 0:00:17.780 Brinson Buckner, a legend in these parts, in the Carolinas, 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:21.440 a stud D-lineman for Clemson, the same here with the Panthers. 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:25.040 You can check out his podcast, Buck Naked Sports, and 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.770 hear all Buck's takes here. But he's nice enough to 0:00:27.830 --> 0:00:29.670 join us here, talk a little Panther football, maybe a 0:00:29.670 --> 0:00:30.720 little college football, too. 0:00:30.740 --> 0:00:32.000 What's up, Buck? How you doing, man? 0:00:32.700 --> 0:00:33.220 How are you doing? 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:33.420 Good. 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:34.260 What's going on, my guy? 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:35.020 What's up, Buck? 0:00:35.100 --> 0:00:36.820 What's happening? Appreciate you being here. 0:00:36.860 --> 0:00:38.599 And one day we will win a game and get 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:43.780 you on when it's a happier conversation. Buck, this team 0:00:43.860 --> 0:00:47.180 right now, the offensive line, now Damian Lewis is hurt 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.160 and sounds like he won't play at least this week. 0:00:49.690 --> 0:00:52.790 And I feel like he's our most reliable lineman. But 0:00:52.810 --> 0:00:55.290 the tackles have been having rough times. Of course, we're 0:00:55.310 --> 0:00:58.970 missing our two starters. Like what what can the Panthers 0:00:59.030 --> 0:01:02.970 do to kind of make the job easier of these tackles? 0:01:02.990 --> 0:01:06.089 Because we got Aiden Hutchinson coming in here. Like, or 0:01:06.140 --> 0:01:09.300 do you just think this until the tackles get healthy, 0:01:09.340 --> 0:01:09.940 we're in trouble? 0:01:09.980 --> 0:01:10.440 What do you think? 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:14.520 Well, I think now you have to sort of scheme 0:01:14.580 --> 0:01:19.400 to help your tackles. No chip blocks, probably keeping guys 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.839 in on protections, getting the ball out of the quarterback's 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:26.710 hands fast, moving the ball, go to more timing routes. 0:01:26.730 --> 0:01:29.090 You're probably going to be limited with your shots you 0:01:29.110 --> 0:01:33.310 take downfield because you don't have the pocket timing there. 0:01:33.860 --> 0:01:37.790 because the offensive line struggles. There's different ways you can 0:01:37.830 --> 0:01:40.090 go by it, but the number one way that you 0:01:40.130 --> 0:01:43.500 help strengthen the offensive line is you generate a run game. 0:01:44.250 --> 0:01:46.530 You know, you got to generate a run game and 0:01:46.569 --> 0:01:48.370 you got to lean on that run game. You got 0:01:48.390 --> 0:01:51.080 to get those defensive linemen sitting back on their heels 0:01:51.620 --> 0:01:54.340 thinking that they got to take on run blocks. And 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.160 then first down becomes more of a passing down because 0:01:57.200 --> 0:02:00.320 a lot of times a defensive mindset, first and 10, 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:04.340 you think you run more run than pass. and then 0:02:04.420 --> 0:02:06.690 you want to take your dropbacks, take them on first down, 0:02:06.730 --> 0:02:09.090 you know, and catch the defense by surprise. There's different 0:02:09.130 --> 0:02:12.230 ways you can scheme to help your offensive line get better. 0:02:12.430 --> 0:02:13.110 Got to do that. 0:02:13.169 --> 0:02:16.920 By the way, I hate to interrupt this interview, but 0:02:16.940 --> 0:02:20.580 you can laugh at me. You enjoy that over the years. Finnegan, 0:02:20.620 --> 0:02:23.410 get the mop out. I messed up. For some reason, 0:02:23.470 --> 0:02:27.230 I said Mike Houston. and not Blake Harrell as ECU's coach. 0:02:27.590 --> 0:02:30.570 Mike Houston is long gone. Blake Harrell is the one 0:02:30.810 --> 0:02:32.410 who had a good year and a half coming into 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.720 this season and has himself some grace period. 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:36.760 My bad, everybody. 0:02:36.780 --> 0:02:39.480 The way coach is Jake Dicker. Apparently, Max said Jamie Dicker. 0:02:39.500 --> 0:02:39.790 Oh, did I? 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:41.260 Oh, did I screw up both? 0:02:43.310 --> 0:02:44.420 New name for you, Matt. 0:02:44.460 --> 0:02:46.399 We're going to call you Mop McClain because all you 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:47.240 do is mess up. 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:49.200 Hey, Buck, are you free out of the bullpen at 0:02:49.220 --> 0:02:51.160 some point here? We might need to sit back down. 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:51.510 For a game or two. 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:53.660 I'm not good with names, y'all. I'm getting too old 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:55.640 for this name thing. Y'all just got to figure out 0:02:55.780 --> 0:02:58.480 who I'm talking about. Let's get back to Buck's breakdown. 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:01.220 We get the news of, on the defensive side, J.C. 0:03:01.260 --> 0:03:06.869 Horn. being out for a long time. How, how much 0:03:06.930 --> 0:03:10.040 does this hurt? And is there a way to navigate 0:03:10.139 --> 0:03:14.040 life defensively without JC and still play relatively well? 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.799 Well, you know, it hurts because, you know, I think J.C. 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:21.519 was an ascending defensive back in his league. I like his, 0:03:21.540 --> 0:03:25.739 you know, his size, his athleticism. You know, he could 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.500 match up versus number one wide receivers, you know, physical 0:03:29.580 --> 0:03:31.739 in the run game. And it sort of puts you 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:33.620 in the hole. You know, now you got to go 0:03:33.660 --> 0:03:37.150 with the young guys. And once again, you know, as 0:03:37.210 --> 0:03:40.350 a defensive coordinator, you want to run your stuff. You 0:03:40.390 --> 0:03:42.590 want to run your stuff, but you can't. Are you 0:03:42.610 --> 0:03:44.170 going to be limited to some of the stuff you 0:03:44.210 --> 0:03:47.290 run because, The guy that's behind J.C. just is not 0:03:47.330 --> 0:03:51.400 as good as he is. But you go out there 0:03:51.460 --> 0:03:53.920 and you try to play your style of defense. We 0:03:53.980 --> 0:03:56.640 used to always say this. The most valuable players in 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:59.140 the room are not the starters. It's the guys that 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:02.740 sit behind the starters because at a blink of an eye, 0:04:02.780 --> 0:04:05.140 they got to come in and become the guy. And 0:04:05.180 --> 0:04:07.780 what you try to employ to your backups is we 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:10.740 don't want to drop off. We don't want to drop off. 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.610 We don't want to have to just– start to change 0:04:13.690 --> 0:04:17.710 and alter everything because one guy's missing here or there. No, 0:04:17.850 --> 0:04:19.790 your job is to come in and be ready. And 0:04:19.810 --> 0:04:22.970 a lot of times this is where stars are born, 0:04:23.290 --> 0:04:28.680 where they accept the responsibility, they're ready to perform, and 0:04:28.700 --> 0:04:30.919 they go out there and do their job. So this 0:04:30.980 --> 0:04:33.419 is a challenge for the backup guys. Now you got 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:35.420 your chance because everybody sits in that locker room and 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.440 wants to be a starter. If I get my chance, 0:04:38.500 --> 0:04:40.560 if I get my chance, I can do it. Well, 0:04:40.620 --> 0:04:44.400 now it's presented itself. Are you ready to take hold 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:47.520 of that role and become a starter and keep the 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:50.110 ship upright until the starter gets back? 0:04:50.290 --> 0:04:52.710 Yeah, that's what we're hoping for, man, and we will see. 0:04:52.750 --> 0:04:55.130 I mean, Mike Jack, good chance he doesn't go, too, 0:04:55.230 --> 0:04:58.990 and maybe Corey Thornton gets called back. I do think 0:04:59.050 --> 0:05:01.390 Lee and Caleb Evans were both pretty good last week. 0:05:01.710 --> 0:05:04.000 But this passing attack they go against this week is 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:06.940 a bigger challenge. I wanted to ask you about a 0:05:07.020 --> 0:05:10.620 schematic question, Buck. I have noticed, looking at the numbers 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:14.440 on Sumer Sports, I have noticed that the Panthers have 0:05:14.500 --> 0:05:18.140 blitzed more this season in a small three-game sample. They're 0:05:18.180 --> 0:05:20.260 up to seventh in blitz percentage from middle of the 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:23.979 pack last year. And they're playing more man. Like last year, 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:26.320 they hardly played any man. This year, I think they're 0:05:26.339 --> 0:05:29.460 like 17th in man percentage. So it's kind of a split. 0:05:29.900 --> 0:05:32.230 Do you think you have to change those things? Do 0:05:32.270 --> 0:05:35.430 you think you have to go back to zone coverage 0:05:35.930 --> 0:05:39.880 and less blitzing without JC Horn and maybe without Mike Jack, too? 0:05:41.130 --> 0:05:43.349 I don't because I think the reason you're seeing it 0:05:43.390 --> 0:05:45.670 more because I think that's the way they're built. So 0:05:45.750 --> 0:05:49.089 even the backups were brought in here because they're probably 0:05:49.130 --> 0:05:51.849 pretty good at playing man, so it fits your scheme. 0:05:52.150 --> 0:05:55.250 And I think the man part is also what you 0:05:55.290 --> 0:05:58.710 got at linebacker this year. I know that last year 0:05:58.750 --> 0:06:01.180 you did not want to leave those guys in man 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:03.560 because it was just a mismatch for the offense. But 0:06:03.580 --> 0:06:06.350 when you get Devin Lloyd in here and you get– 0:06:06.610 --> 0:06:09.810 I don't want to say if I'm saying it right. Okurike? 0:06:10.270 --> 0:06:11.599 Is that right how you say his name? 0:06:11.620 --> 0:06:13.860 I wouldn't be asking back right now about names. Let's 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.460 just go ahead and say you got it, Buck. Yeah, 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:17.880 that's the way I would say it, Buck. 0:06:19.580 --> 0:06:21.479 I don't want to mess this guy's name up. 0:06:21.620 --> 0:06:22.920 Okurike, yeah. 0:06:22.980 --> 0:06:27.050 Okurike. You know, those guys are good in coverage. You 0:06:27.089 --> 0:06:28.970 know what I mean? They're better than what you have. 0:06:29.310 --> 0:06:32.670 And so you can be more free on defense to 0:06:32.730 --> 0:06:34.890 bliss a little bit more, to play a little bit 0:06:35.150 --> 0:06:37.930 more man. So I think that's the style that they're 0:06:37.970 --> 0:06:41.000 morphing into, and the playbook is open for the defensive 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.099 coordinator because the talent has allowed him to open it up. 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:45.920 So you don't want to stray away from too much 0:06:45.940 --> 0:06:48.339 for what you do, or you'll be back in the 0:06:48.380 --> 0:06:50.860 same boat. You know what I mean? So those guys, 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:54.140 those backups, they're probably not the starters because that's really 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:56.690 their backups, but you know this system, and you're here 0:06:56.730 --> 0:06:59.390 because you've fit this system. And so you just want 0:06:59.410 --> 0:07:01.560 to keep on running your system and running your system. 0:07:02.620 --> 0:07:05.140 Buck, Smitty was on with Kyle Bailey the other day 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:07.900 in his weekly spot, and they were talking about not 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:11.660 just the Panther injuries, but the league-wide injuries right now. 0:07:11.820 --> 0:07:14.940 It's running rampant, all teams. I mean, look at the Niners, 0:07:14.980 --> 0:07:15.940 for crying out loud. 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.400 He had a theory that, you know, the surfaces that 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:22.420 the players are growing up with now are so much 0:07:22.500 --> 0:07:24.440 different than they used to be and not just the 0:07:24.500 --> 0:07:27.220 natural grass. They're playing on turf as kids. They're playing 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.900 on turf as kids. Do you buy into that? And 0:07:29.940 --> 0:07:32.310 what do you think is leading to just the– the 0:07:32.380 --> 0:07:34.290 rash of more injuries than ever before? 0:07:35.150 --> 0:07:38.750 I think the surface, of course, because, you know, grass 0:07:38.810 --> 0:07:41.790 is more forgiving. Grass is more healing towards your body. 0:07:42.090 --> 0:07:45.730 When you're playing on this turf, this synthetic turf, it 0:07:45.910 --> 0:07:49.130 adds more force into your joints. And if you do 0:07:49.170 --> 0:07:51.690 it time after time, because, you know, figure when I 0:07:51.730 --> 0:07:54.250 was coming up in high school, I never touched the turf. 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:56.680 When I got to college, I touched it twice at 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:59.190 Georgia Tech and at Virginia at the time. Both of 0:07:59.230 --> 0:08:01.430 them had turf fields. But then when I got to 0:08:01.450 --> 0:08:05.150 the NFL, everybody in the L.C. Central back at the 0:08:05.190 --> 0:08:08.320 time had turf itself for the Cleveland Browns. And your 0:08:08.380 --> 0:08:12.840 body just felt– my body felt different being on that turf. 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:17.330 Another factor is I just think these guys– these guys 0:08:17.370 --> 0:08:20.070 grew up playing football year-round now. You know, you got 0:08:20.150 --> 0:08:23.450 fall ball, you got winter ball, you got spring ball. 0:08:23.810 --> 0:08:27.030 Some guys play for two and three teams during the 0:08:27.050 --> 0:08:30.070 season because they're playing travel ball. And then once you 0:08:30.090 --> 0:08:33.430 go off to college, you're practicing. But then in the offseason, 0:08:33.450 --> 0:08:36.320 they're training, they're job specific. They're not giving their body 0:08:36.510 --> 0:08:42.050 time to heal or sort of morph. to what they're 0:08:42.070 --> 0:08:43.969 trying to do. So I think it's wear and tear 0:08:44.330 --> 0:08:47.230 on the body from an early age, whereas when I 0:08:47.270 --> 0:08:50.370 was in middle school, you played football. Football, you went 0:08:50.390 --> 0:08:53.270 to basketball. Basketball, you went to track or baseball. And 0:08:53.340 --> 0:08:56.160 it was always through high school. And then your body 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.140 got a chance to do different things. But when you're 0:08:58.260 --> 0:09:01.839 playing the same sport year in and year out, you know, 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:03.860 you start to wear those joints out because you're doing 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:05.420 the same movements too much. 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:10.190 Yeah, that makes sense. It definitely makes sense. All right, Buck. Well, hey, 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:10.780 you are the man. 0:09:10.820 --> 0:09:16.120 We appreciate you answering the questions that you know. Buck 0:09:16.179 --> 0:09:18.640 coached in the league, too, in addition to all those 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.980 years playing. We appreciate you. Buck, next time you come on, 0:09:22.020 --> 0:09:24.479 maybe we'll make it after a win, and maybe I 0:09:24.500 --> 0:09:26.260 will clean my game up, all right? And we'll not 0:09:26.300 --> 0:09:29.690 distract from your segment with a bunch of mistakes. 0:09:30.530 --> 0:09:31.429 I'll be better, Buck. 0:09:31.470 --> 0:09:34.210 Did Mack lose his spot on the Buck Naked Truth podcast? 0:09:34.250 --> 0:09:34.309 No. 0:09:37.230 --> 0:09:39.520 Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll probably sit you on the bench 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:41.590 a little bit. We'll have to send you down to 0:09:41.610 --> 0:09:43.330 the D-League for a podcast. 0:09:43.350 --> 0:09:45.540 Okay, yeah. 0:09:45.700 --> 0:09:47.900 I'll prove myself down there at the lower levels, Buck. 0:09:48.260 --> 0:09:49.730 All right, Buck, you the man, baby. 0:09:49.750 --> 0:09:51.090 All right, one love.