WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 74: Reasons For Optimism 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:05.400 He's trying to figure out who his coaches and yeah, 0:00:05.480 --> 0:00:08.920 where the practice field is and my locker is where. 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:11.000 You know, he's still in that phase of becoming a 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:14.480 Carolina Panther. So trying to say that you know, they 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:16.759 know what the roles are for all these guys is 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:20.360 kind of crazy to think about. Right now, it's time 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:24.480 for the Happy half Hour with your friends Kristen Balboni, 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:32.720 Will Brian and Darren Ghant. That's right, it's that time 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:36.400 of the week. Kristo Balboni here with Augusta Stone and 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:41.479 Darren Gant. Guys, what's up? Happy end of preseason? Happy 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.160 almost regular season. It's great to see you both. Good 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:47.920 to see you. We're so close at September December one. 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:51.640 It is September one. Somebody asked me this morning in 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.280 the office if I knew what today was, and I said, 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:56.760 what do you mean? Do I know what today is? Thursday? 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.200 And he said, no, what it's the anniversary of And 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.840 I said, mm hmmm. And he's like apple Chian State 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:06.400 beat Michigan on September one. And my response was today's 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.480 September one. I'm impressed that you know it was Thursday. 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:11.520 I gotta be honest, I'm still not My days are 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.160 still not right from the preseason. Yeah, it's when you 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.240 go through that schedule and you get on football coach 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:21.360 time and Monday's a Wednesday, and you know, and so forth, 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.280 that it gets a little confusing. But we're here. We 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.160 made it. We have we've made it. And not only 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:29.120 are we on football coach time, we were on front 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:32.360 office time. And Scott Fitter has been busier than ever. 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:35.240 And that's saying something because we know this man likes 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:37.240 to wheel and deal. He has done plenty of that. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:41.039 We've had some trades happen. We've had the roster cut 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:44.440 down to what some might say is the final fifty three, 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:46.600 but we know it here at the Panthers is the 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.120 initial fifty three because we know that it will change 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.520 much more over the coming weeks. But I would love 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:55.279 to get just your initial thoughts on the roster cuts, 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.920 starting with you, Darren Well. One of the most amazing 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.520 things to me to consider from where they've been and 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:05.720 where they are now is the sentence the Panthers traded 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:09.359 an extra offensive lineman because they had too many. Can 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:11.919 you roll that around in your head for a minute. 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.000 What is the what is the time point that that 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:17.320 would have sounded ridiculous six months ago, eight months ago. Yeah, 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.320 I mean it was insane. Last year. We were talking 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:24.160 about fourteen lineups in seventeen weeks, bringing guys in off 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.480 the street who were playing on Sundays. It was just alarming. 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.680 And to have a surplus that you could send Dennis 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.960 Daily to Tennessee for basically a fifth round pick. Uh, 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:37.200 Dennis in a seven for a five um and he 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:40.520 was drafted in the sixth round three years ago, so 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.320 it was basically a free three year rental on Dennis, 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:47.640 who was a serviceable player. I mean, Dennis was, Um, 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:49.960 he had done some things. I mean, he has value 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:52.400 for somebody in the NFL, but he just got caught 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:55.520 in a numbers game here where he probably wasn't going 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:58.280 to make the roster, at least in its current incarnation, 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:00.680 because they're going along at a couple of position. So 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:03.400 nine was the number of offensive linemen they were going 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:05.400 to keep. If they'd have kept in it had probably 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:09.120 been Dennis. But um, Yeah, it's just alarming to me 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:12.880 to think that they are at the stage after bringing 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:17.079 in Ichy, after drafting Cade Mays, after Um going out 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.520 and signing Corbett and Bozeman that all of a sudden 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.480 they have too many offensive linemen. Yeah, not a bad 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:25.919 position to be in Augusta doesn't even know those days. 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:32.919 This was the before Augusta time. They were dark times. 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.320 Sometimes they were Yeah, it was a mess every now 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.440 and then. But yeah, that to me was kind of 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:40.520 the move, even though it wasn't the biggest move of 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.560 the week. It's like the thing that signals how far 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:46.040 they've come as a roster and putting this thing together. 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.880 I mean, last year that offensive line was a liability. 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.760 I think it's fair to say that, and that's probably charitable, 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:53.840 and now all of a sudden, I'm not going to 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.440 go so far as to say the strength of the roster, 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:58.760 but it is not a place where you're like, oh 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:03.160 my god, they've got to do something about the Yeah, absolutely, 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:05.200 because there are so many other blanks that they're still 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:08.560 working on. So, Darren, you said that was not maybe 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:10.640 the biggest move of the week, So I would love 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.000 to know in you guys mind, what was the biggest 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:16.719 move of the week. The biggest move of the week, Augustin. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:22.279 You think it's Levisco Chanel. I think it's a he's 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:25.279 a very well put together receiver. I think it was 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:27.360 interesting how many wide receivers they kept, you know, and 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:29.480 that's something we've talked about. But it's depending on where 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.200 where do they see Andre Roberts, you know what I mean. Like, 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:34.599 obviously he's more of a return guy. He's being counted 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.560 in the numbers at least in our articles, you know, 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:39.160 seven wide receivers. But in theory, you know, you bring 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.200 in Chanel and then you think, at least I thought, 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:42.719 I think a lot of people thought, you know, okay, 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:44.640 so what's going to happen here, like attrition wise to 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:46.880 the receiver room, And there wasn't a ton you know, 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:48.640 I mean, there was like the people we thought, but 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:52.000 they kept Shy Smith and or Schard Higgins both. They 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.400 kept Andre Roberts and Chanel at least on the initial 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:58.080 fifty three. Yeah, and once now that they're down to 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.280 fifty three, the next thing that's going to come up 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:03.680 is who's on that game day forty six and trying 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:06.200 to figure out inactives that receiver room is gonna be 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:09.320 really interesting. Tune in the Panthers dot com at eleven 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:13.920 thirty am on September eleventh, because at first in active 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.360 list of the year will be curious because they can't 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.279 keep all six of I mean Andre will be up 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:21.800 to return. I mean you almost have to consider him. 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:24.240 It says wide receiver on the roster, but he's down 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:27.160 here with j J and Hecker uh and the specialist 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:30.960 in their little category. But on on game day, you know, 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:38.200 between shy terrorists, Higgins, Um, Robbie, Leviska DJ you can't 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:41.120 keep all six of those guys up on game day. 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:45.479 And where it becomes a little complicated is with a 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.640 guy like Brandon Silstra no longer here. None of those 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:52.960 guys are really known as special teams players or people 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:56.320 we even think would contribute a lot on special teams 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.920 at least for right now. For the past two years, 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:01.480 has been that person you are describing. Yeah, he's been 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:03.719 that guy. And there's no more Brandon on this roster. 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:06.359 And and we'll miss Brandon. He was a great human 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:09.760 being in addition to a very good special teams player 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:14.159 and the best backup kicker in the NFL. Um But 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.360 at the same time, trying to figure out how all 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:20.240 those guys fit is going to be an evolving thing. 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.680 And they talked about that yesterday with channel coming in. 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:25.960 You know, they see all these different roles for him 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:27.279 and he could do a little of this and a 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:29.520 little of that and a little of this. He's walking 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:32.760 around meeting people, He's trying to figure out who his 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.720 coaches and where the practice field is and my locker 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:39.240 is where? And how do I get there? Do I 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:41.599 need a key? You know, he's still in that phase 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:45.440 of becoming a Carolina panther. So trying to say that, 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:47.920 you know, they know what the roles are for all 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:50.400 these guys is kind of crazy to think about right now. 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:52.760 Is it a good problem to have that you have 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.720 all these different configurations that unfortunately you're going to have 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.520 to leave at least somebody out on game day or 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.360 do you wish you had it more set, more guys 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.640 that can do more things, Darren? You know, I think 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:09.600 it does. There is a question to be asked about, 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.800 you know, if they show up in this personnel all 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.760 the time and do this, is that a sign? But 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:19.760 I think that a couple of those guys, I mean right, 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.400 and I think a couple of those guys, especially DJ 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.080 and Chenault, because they can do so many different things, 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:30.080 and Robbie can play multiple positions. People People see Robbie 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:33.160 is just a straight lane speed guy. But Robbie caught 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:35.840 a lot of balls across the middle two years ago, 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:41.480 so I'm in a lot of different situations. He's not 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:44.080 afraid to go across the middle. He's got some toughness 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:47.760 about him in that regard. And now I say little 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:50.440 and in the Chanuld experience is just when you see 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.800 him out there next to Robbie, it's like, whoa, those 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:56.400 two are different. Um, because Robbie's legs are about as 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.080 big around as my pin and channel. It's got these 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.920 big tree trunk leg But um, anyway, I mean having 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:04.960 a couple of guys who can do different things. At 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:07.160 least at the top of that, I think Shy is 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:10.160 still trying to figure out where he fits in tears, 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.640 still trying to figure out and and they talk about 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.360 those guys being able to learn how to do multiple things, 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.240 but I don't think any of them are are there 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:21.600 quite yet? Still young guys yea, yeah, still with plenty 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:23.960 to learn and improve on, no doubt about it, although 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:25.800 they have great potential. I also want to talk about 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:29.000 what I think is incredibly significant move, which is that 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:31.840 the Panthers have their kicker, Eddie Piniero. At least it 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:36.600 seems that way right they have they have signed a kicker. Um. Certainly, 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:40.440 just awful, awful news about Zane Gonzalis and his groin injury. 0:08:40.440 --> 0:08:42.600 I was standing very close when it happened. It's just 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:46.560 something you just never ever want to see. Zane just 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:51.360 incredible guy. Really provided stability for the Panthers at that position, 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.520 and um, it's not the Panthers have also you talked 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:56.640 about the offensive line struggles over the last two years 0:08:56.679 --> 0:09:01.160 until Panthers were able to find Zane Gonzalez. Um, that 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:03.679 position was one where there wasn't a lot of stabilities. 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:08.480 So so Augusta is also not able to remember the 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:11.520 dark times at kicker. You know, the Joey Slag experiment, 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:14.200 the Ryan Santo so era which gave us a great 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:19.480 name if nothing else. Mustache, fantastic mustache. Um, I'm not 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.199 sure what I was more impressed with his mustache or 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:27.400 discussion alts three trunk legs. Um at any rate, I 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:31.439 digress Um, that's what we're here for. Yeah, but they 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:34.600 they had finally sorted that thing out and saying, you know, 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:38.040 not just provided stability he was hitting all his kicks. 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:40.200 He had made seven team straight field goals prior to 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:43.720 that Buffalo game. Last year, NFC Special Teams Player of 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:47.760 the Week several times. And when you when you find 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.480 that stability and somebody's playing really well, and then you 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:53.240 have to get back into the revolving door and bringing 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.160 guys in. And you know, even even though Panero is 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:58.679 a guy for right now, I would be surprised if 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:01.120 they don't continue to work out kickers and just keep 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:03.360 the list up and and see what's out there in 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:07.200 case he's not the answer to that position. But yeah, 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:09.640 we'll see. He's at least got some background with Chris Taber. 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:11.679 I'm looking forward to talking to him a little bit 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:15.480 about that when we catch him later on. But he's um. 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:18.240 You know, when you're looking for kickers in the first 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:22.280 week of September, that's kind of the spot you're in. Okay, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:26.080 So this has been your first time where you come from, 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:27.840 you come from the college world. This has been your 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:31.080 first time when it comes to um cuts, which is 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:34.559 an emotional process for a lot of guys. It's um 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:36.960 your head spinning around a little bit. So what have 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.120 you made of this whole process in order to get 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:41.439 the roster down to the initial fifty three. I was 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:43.840 I will say, like, even though you know you're prepared 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:46.320 for like the emotions of everything and everyone tells you 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:48.600 you know it is, there is a mood. I think 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:50.680 that's that's the biggest thing, you know, And even in 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:52.840 the days leading up to it, there's like almost attention. 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.160 I think the jan mood is one of those things 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:57.560 that's very different again from covering college where it's like 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:00.040 that level of intensity. It's where I've heard it's so 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:01.599 many times this week and it's so true. It's like 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:03.440 you realized this this is a business, you know what 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:06.080 I mean, And that's it's you know, it's football and 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:08.720 it's fun and it's passionate and everyone loves it. But 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:11.000 I mean even talking with the coaches and the players, 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:13.040 it's like you see, you know, hey, that was my 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:15.520 buddy and now you know he's heading to Seattle or 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.400 you know this this this Channault story, you know, whenever 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.720 he came up, Darren wrote it so well, but um, 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:22.720 you know he drove up with his mom five hours 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.920 from Jacksonville in his electric car, and it's like you 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.640 think about five hours, but turned into what eight We 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:33.040 had to charge the electric car, which was incredible. Yeah, 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:39.480 apparently no superchargers along the corridor through South Carolina. But 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.679 you just, I don't know, you just realized, like, there's 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:43.839 these are these are people's lives. I think that's the 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:46.760 biggest thing. And it's in their lives are being uprooted 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.959 and changed, changed and shifted and all these different things. 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:52.160 Um and you know, you know that you read it 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:54.440 on paper, but to see it play out, you know, 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:56.719 it's it's been fascinating. And I try not to get, 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:58.920 you know, my heart into it too much. I'm like, Okay, 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:00.600 this is just the way it is. It'll be fine. 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.800 But oh, learning from Darren a little bit. No, I'm 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:06.720 just kidding. Darn darn portrays himself as a tough guy, 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:08.840 but he's a softy inside. I know it. Don't let 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:11.960 him tell you different. Don't tell anybody got imaged uphold, 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:14.640 But no, it is. It is bizarre. And when you 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.160 when you are in the building, when you're around these 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.760 people on cut day and you see somebody getting on 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:25.439 an elevator or you see somebody going downstairs to grab somebody, 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.320 it's like you cringe because you know, what's coming, and 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:30.679 you just you know, you try to keep your eyes 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:34.640 down sort of avoid eye contact a lot of times 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:37.640 on a day like that because it's awful. And I 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:41.000 mean for every even the undrafted rookies. These guys always 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.760 dream to get into the NFL. And if it's somebody 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:46.480 who no one imagined ever had a shot to make it, 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.559 they thought they had a shot to make it. So um, 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:52.360 it's always a tough day. And that's we talked about 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.280 the fifty three, but eight d sixty four dudes became 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:58.320 unemployed all at once the other day, like yikes. But 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:01.920 the flip side of that that is because the business 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:06.080 does go on. There's also an excitement among the coaches 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:08.760 and the personnel staff because it's like, okay, you've got 0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:11.920 your fifty three. This is what we were building towards. 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:13.599 Now we know what it looks like. Now it's a 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.280 little more tangible. Now it's real, and you know, you 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.840 start looking at the way that things put together now 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:22.559 and it is far from a finished product because, like 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:26.720 we said, seven wide receivers, six defensive tackles at the moment, 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:28.880 I mean, that's probably not the way they're going to 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:32.080 go into the leveland game. Uh, we'll see how that goes. 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:35.560 But they're short onlinebackers, only five linebackers, and that kind 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:38.360 of you know, going back to zel Strick kind of 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:41.679 leaves you a little thin on the punt team because 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.840 Brandon was such a core special team are on all 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:47.079 four of them, and now you've got to figure out, Okay, 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:50.200 what do you do with that? Because Frankie Luvu's regular 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:52.280 on the punt team, Frankie Luver is probably not gonna 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.000 be running down every punt while starting at linebacker and 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:57.280 playing a bigger role this year. So there's a lot 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.920 of moving parts and it's gonna be curious to see 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:02.320 how those things shakes out in the next couple of days. Yeah. 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.760 Talking to Baker during the preseason game, I said, what 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:07.960 are you most looking forward to in the next two 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:09.959 weeks and he said, you know, as hard as it is, 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:12.520 knowing that some of the guys here at the time 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:15.600 are not going to be with us having that initial 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:18.760 fifty three and just being able to start putting the 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:23.280 plan together, being able to start really getting comfortable, um 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.160 with who my guys are on that offense, is it 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.960 a really really exciting time, right This is it's now, 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.040 we're now, we're preparing for the things that matter. So 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:34.920 so I cannot wait to see that. So I'd love 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:37.280 to know Darren from you and you know, Augusta, this 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:39.080 will be your first time going through it as well. 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.280 Can you tell everybody what is what's the coaching staff, 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.400 what's it gonna be doing the next couple of weeks, 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:46.440 Like what starts now that you have your initial fifty 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:50.000 three and then also front office besides linebackers, what are 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:53.160 they focused in on? Yeah, I think for the coaching staff, 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:55.640 I think Matt used the phrase it's a weird week 0:14:55.960 --> 0:15:00.280 because they're not completely getting into Cleveland game plan. They're 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.760 doing a little bit of that stuff. The coaches are 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.600 working on a lot of game plan stuff behind the scenes, 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:09.120 but on the practice field they're using Wednesday Thursday is 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:12.360 just kind of teaching tools. It's a day to polish 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:16.440 up their own stuff. They did some extended team periods yesterday, 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:19.040 did a lot of work on two minutes and situational stuff. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.040 Um and I think they tried to use it as 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:27.040 almost bonus practices because when they finish up Thursday afternoon 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:30.880 or this afternoon, Yes it's Thursday, Um, I already forgotten. 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.880 You said it very clearly earlier today, this Thursday, September, 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:37.040 absolutely Thursday, and it will be all day to day. 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.520 When you said Wednesday and Thursday practice, I could have 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:43.840 I was like, yeah, today's Tuesday, right to practice. But 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:48.000 they they've tried to hold off on installing a lot 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:50.120 of game plan and stuff like that. They'll get that 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:53.280 next week after the players get a weekend off because Friday, Saturday, 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:56.840 Sunday off days for the guys and for us, and 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:01.520 and really the last until week thirteen, when the bye 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:04.440 hits it. You know, that's gonna be our next three 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.160 day weekend. We don't have to be in this building 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.240 and look at football and deal with football, although it 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:11.520 will still be dealing the way Darren is holding his 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:16.960 temples right now thinking about that, Joe, how many weeks 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:21.880 to thirteen minutes? Zero is thirteen? That's right? Um yeah, 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:27.840 but anyway, it's um that's the coaching staff personnel is 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.320 going to still be polishing this thing. And and I 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.400 was talking to uh, some folks down near this morning, 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:35.920 and it's still moving and and they're still trying to 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:38.720 figure out how to get this guy, this guy, this guy, 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:40.960 you know, what do you do here here here at 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:44.160 this position. You know, there's a lot of stuff happening 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:46.920 and and it will continue to They've got to practice squad. 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.760 You know, you want to talk about uh Laviska's travels, 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:54.120 jacobieson the new quarterback who's coming in on the practice squad. 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:56.680 H I Gustin knows a little something about him. He 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.720 went to Georgia for like two minutes. He's probably going 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:02.040 to be a little bleary eyed because he just got 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:04.359 cut by Seattle and I think he was in on 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:06.600 a red eye. Aren't we all bleary eyed? So no, 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:09.000 I'm not trying to take away from Jacobson's trouble. That 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:10.960 is a that is a long flight. Yeah, that's a 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:14.400 long flight. So he's gonna probably catch a nap somewhere 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.000 in the stadium before practice today. We're gonna walk past 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.280 him out of the podcast studio just with a pillow. Yeah, 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:23.280 be laid out in the hall, hiding in the press box. Um, 0:17:23.400 --> 0:17:26.080 but yeah, he's here, new quarterback on the practice squad, 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:28.800 should be out on the practice field today. So there's 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.800 a lot of stuff going on and just it's almost 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:33.879 like you set that board and then you look at 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.480 it and say, yeah, we need one of those, We 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.920 need a little bit more of this, and they were 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:43.000 just trying and Scott's whole thing throughout was keep the 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:45.800 best fifty three and there were guys. Again, they've got 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.879 six defensive tackles on the roster. But you know, it 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.040 sounds weird, but they really like markwa McCall, the undrafted 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:55.720 rookie from Kentucky. They like what Phil Hoskins has done. 0:17:55.800 --> 0:18:00.040 They have seen the promise of Davey on Nixon and 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.120 and what he can do. And he's another guy who 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.640 can do different things. I mean, he can probably play 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:09.040 defensive end honestly, um because of his length, but he 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.160 is you know, they've got a bunch of individual guys 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.800 that they wanted to keep, and so you keep the 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:16.840 ones you want and then figure out how to put 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:19.080 the pieces together. And that's sort of where they are 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:23.399 this week. I wonder, if you're a fan and you 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.160 are not following this as much as we all are, 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.680 how confident should the fans be feeling about this roster, 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.840 knowing of course that it is going to change before 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.360 we get to Week one with Cleveland, before we get 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.719 to Sunday, September eleven and then even after that as well. 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:43.480 Um and Augusta, I know that you can't compare it 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.679 to the last couple of years that that Darren and 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:48.320 I have been here, but I would say, for me, 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.040 I think you feel pretty confident as a Panthers fan 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:52.760 from everything that I've seen in the building. It is 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:57.400 a very different UM team, and it was constructed very differently, 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:00.240 and there are opportunities available because of the draft, because 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:04.159 of certain trades. This feels like a team that is 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:06.480 way deeper than it's been the last two years. And 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:10.439 as both Matt ruland Scott Fitter have said, we're you know, 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:13.200 we had to cut guys, which has not been the case. 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:15.440 You know, we've been looking around at the fifty three 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.040 man cuts UM in the past two years. So you're 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:19.719 in a position, like you said, where you can can 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:22.119 trade at Dennis Daily, where someone like Justin Burris, who 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:23.960 has been a starter the last couple of years, is 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:29.080 now on the practice squad. I'm feeling optimistic, Augusta, how 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:31.000 do you think the fans should be feeling? I feel 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:33.640 like I think you explained it so well, especially with 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:38.040 like I think the decisions before cut day. You know, trading, 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:41.399 Dennis daily, getting lebiscussion all here, and then like you mentioned, 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.000 you know, uh, justin Burris to practice squad all that, 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:46.080 even though he was a starter. I think there is 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.199 a sense of optimism in the willingness to make moves 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.119 like that, you know what I mean, like to be 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:54.840 to be willing to Okay, we're gonna try this. And 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:56.800 it's not you know, scorched earth or anything. You know, 0:19:56.840 --> 0:19:59.879 it's like they're they're like they're but they're exciting moves, 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.199 and there their reasons to be like okay, you know, 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:05.439 like like like Darren said, you know, they're looking at 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:08.040 the board right now there, they know kind of what 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:10.320 they're looking for. They're not settling for things, you know, 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:11.880