WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 85: Make It Make Sense 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.680 This week on the Happy Half Hour, when Sam Donald 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:06.200 and p J Walker become better options, it's like, what 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:09.000 do you do? And he wanted to see if a 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:12.320 different place could give him an opportunity to reset going 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:14.600 into free agency again next year. And it's sort of 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:18.080 like when your third quarterback wants to be somewhere else, 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:26.360 you say, okay, texta, it's time for the Happy Half 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:30.680 Hour with your friends Kristen Balboni, Augusta Stone, and Darren Gannon. 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:35.879 That's right, it's that time of the week. It's the 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:38.920 Happy half Hour podcast and the podcast is brought to 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.960 you by Prowling Vineyards, Napa Valley. It's the official wine 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:45.040 brand and wine club of the Carolina Panthers. These premium 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.680 selections celebrate the great people of the Carolinas and the 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.080 Panthers hunger to achieve excellence on and off the field. 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.960 Learn more at Prowling Vineyards dot com. You're here with 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.840 your friends Darren, Augusta and Kristen and guys, it's it's 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.800 been a couple of weeks. We had Thanksgiving which fell 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:04.480 on a Thursday, of course, our normal recording day. How 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.399 dare Thanksgiving do that? And then we had the bye week, 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:09.280 So it's nice to all sit here in the warm 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:13.160 and cozy podcast studio and catch up. Augusta, how did 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:15.280 you spend your bye week? It was excellent. I went 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:19.520 back home, celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once, which 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:23.440 was overwhelming and exciting and joyful and wonderful. So it 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.480 was really great. I will say I drove six hours 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.560 both ways, so twelve hours total, and I felt every 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:31.560 second of that long drive. But I listened to a 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:33.000 lot of music and a lot of podcasts got through it. 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:34.800 So happy to be back in Charlotte. I love it. 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:36.080 I feel like it's like home. I was like, I'm 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:37.760 going back home, like coming back to Charlotte, which was 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.040 a good feeling. Yeah, I love it. It's a great feeling. 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:42.560 How does that sound in your head at this point 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:45.319 after you've been a Charlotte tean for all six months now? 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:47.920 I mean it feels great. I I've I feel like 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.960 I have done everything I can to to embrace the city, 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:52.480 and I feel like the city has embraced me back. 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:55.240 I love the Carolinas. I feel like it's like, if 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:57.280 of all places to build a home, it's a great place. 0:01:57.360 --> 0:01:59.000 So yeah, I mean it's been It's been quick. I 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.400 moved quick. I guess the contractually obligated to say all 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:07.480 those things on the microphone. We know the real Augustus 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:11.200 check the box. Yeah, don't run into her on the highway. 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:15.680 That's all. That'll be a whole another podcast series, how 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:19.120 about y'all. It was good, my folks. I'm fortunate. My 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:21.400 parents are about an hour up the road in Hickory, 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:24.920 suburban Hickory, and you know, I got to go see 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:27.920 them a couple of times. Um, it's just good to 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:31.239 be that close and have that availability. I you know, 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:33.960 always think about you having to do twelve hours in 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:36.520 the car this time of year, and sometimes you know, 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:38.400 I'm the one who moved away to the city and 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:42.400 I'm an hour away, and it's like, so the prodigal 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.200 son has returned. Yeah, but it's great to get back 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:49.320 and just slow down for a weekend, because when you've 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.720 been going for twelve weeks of regular season and then 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.600 the six weeks of preseason and all the stuff that 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.720 led into this season, you know, with Hall of Fame 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:01.440 and everything else, it feels like you've been spinning. Oh 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:04.560 my gosh, we were just talking before we started rolling 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:06.239 about you know all the things that have that have 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:09.839 happened this season, and Hall of Fame feels like, um, 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:14.040 years ago, three or four years ago. Yes, yes, it's yeah, 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.880 it's been. It's been a year here for the Carolina 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:19.119 Panthers in a lot of ways, a lot of stuff 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:22.360 has happened. So it's uh, but this is why we 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.959 do the thing. The news business is exciting for exactly 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:27.880 that reason, because you wake up in the morning you 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:30.680 never know what you're gonna get. Well, let's talk about 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:33.240 all of that. Then let's talk about the news that 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:34.880 we got this week. I mean, of course we got 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:36.960 to start with the quarterbacks. News came out on Monday 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:41.280 that Mayfield was released by the Panthers. Darren, do you 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:42.840 want to talk us through you know how it all 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:44.320 went down, and it feels like the best thing for 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.280 both sides. Um. But I think the cool thing about 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:49.320 this podcast is that we kind of get the behind 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:51.360 the scenes a little bit, a little bit more context 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:53.120 than is out there just in a tweet or in 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.880 an article. So walk us through it. Well, I mean 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:59.880 the long and short of it is, they gave it 0:03:59.880 --> 0:04:03.280 a shot. I mean they effectively, when you pull back 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.200 from this thing, they bet three million dollars in a 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:10.080 fifth round pick in on a former number one overall pick, 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:12.840 and it didn't work. And that's the short version of 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:16.520 this story. The much longer version is Baker came in. 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:20.320 He looked good at times, especially in training camp, and 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.680 there were moments where you think, okay, yeah, I see 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:25.960 where this works. But when the regular season started, it 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:29.640 was almost like when Cam came in after the Arizona 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:32.680 game last year, after that brief flash, you look at 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:36.480 it and it's like passing offense not really working, and 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:40.440 the inability to complete passes, as it turns out, is 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:44.840 kind of a big deal for quarterbacks, and he wasn't. Yeah, 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:48.600 he wasn't able to pass the ball at all effectively, 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.919 and so at a certain point is insane as it 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.719 sounds when you say the words out loud. When Sam 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.520 Donald and p J. Walker become better options, it's like, 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:00.600 what do you do? And he wanted to see if 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:04.000 a different place could give him an opportunity to reset 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:06.719 going into free agency again next year, and it's sort 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.279 of like when your third quarterback wants to be somewhere else, 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:16.240 you say okay, and again that's all perfectly normal until 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.440 you pull back and realize Baker Mayfield, former number one 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.400 overall picking Heisman Trophy winner who came here in July, 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.599 was then released in December because he was the third 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:29.760 best option behind Sam Darland p J. Walker. Make it 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:33.440 all makes sense. And that's the third craziest thing that's 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:36.480 happened to the Carolina Panthers this year, after firing a 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.400 head coach in October, and then trading Christian McCaffrey, oh, 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.200 by the way, which was three years ago in October, 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.120 and and by the way, um not out of the 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:49.560 playoffs in this season. And despite all that, we could 0:05:49.640 --> 0:05:52.919 have an actual conversation about playoff chances this week. And 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.800 it's not as as as insane as it sounds. There 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:58.839 are two games behind the Buccaneers, but the Buccaneers still 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:01.200 got a forty nine ers game left on their schedule 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.400 and a little bit tougher road according to strength of 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:07.200 schedule numbers than what the Panthers do. But it all, 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:10.600 but it all starts this week at Seattle, it does. 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:12.920 And what what a season. As you said so far, 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:17.160 it's what a season. It's going to be exciting the 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:20.040 rest of the way with with all of that going on, 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:21.760 I think one thing, you know, we're talking about how 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.680 this podcast gives a little bit behind the scenes as well. 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:28.560 And one thing I was talking to Wilkes yesterday about, um, 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.600 you know, releasing Baker, and he started with this and 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:33.440 he said, you know, I just want to say what 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:35.200 a good person he is. And we heard Sam Donald 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:36.440 say that as well, and I think we can all 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.880 attest to that. Fans, of course, you you like or 0:06:39.920 --> 0:06:42.040 dislike players a lot of times based on their performance 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.440 on the field, and we all forget the human aspect 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:48.000 of it sometimes. And of course it's more noticeable when Darren, 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:50.720 as you said, you have a number one overall pick 0:06:50.760 --> 0:06:53.720 who gets released. There there are guys who get released 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.440 all the time, practice squad guys, you know, their trades 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.440 that are made. There so many things that are out 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:00.839 of these players control. And what they can control is 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:02.720 is who they are. And I just want to say, 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.880 for the record, for anyone listening, uh, Baker Mayfield, his 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:09.280 wife Emily, Uh, great people and I wish them nothing 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.280 but the best. And I think sometimes that gets lost. 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:13.480 And I mean that's not to say that there's I 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:15.360 mean everybody here that we work with. I think on 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:17.680 the players side, there are really really good people and 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.040 we're lucky to work with them, and so I I 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:23.560 wish them nothing but the best, because, um, I've just 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.560 always enjoyed my interactions with both of them. And that's 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:30.200 the weird thing about Baker. He did. He comes in 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:34.240 because he's Baker Mayfield. Because he has been a celebrity 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.800 for the last seven or eight years, going back to Oklahoma, 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:40.800 going back to his days in Cleveland. He's been in commercials. 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:43.480 We feel like we know him. These are great commercials, 0:07:43.480 --> 0:07:46.640 by the way, commercials, but we feel like we knew him. 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.160 And there was a certain image in everybody's head when 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:53.239 he walked in the door. What I saw in the 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.880 five months he was four and five months he was here, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:00.400 he did everything right other than played the football, which 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:03.040 is an important part of being a football player. But 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.240 from the way he operated in the locker room, the 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:09.560 way he built relationships with guys he had never met 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:13.320 before on the fly, the toughness he showed I was 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:15.800 and again you want to talk about behind the scenes 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:19.800 when he sprained that ankle and was trying to come 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:22.200 back and play the next week against the Rams. That 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:26.040 Friday afternoon before we got on the plane, to l 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.960 A on Saturday. He worked out in the bubble and 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.199 they were about seven or eight people in there watching, 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:37.000 including Steve Wilkes, and I was standing about three paces 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:41.199 behind Steve watching Baker rolled out, watching Baker do the things, 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:45.680 watching him throw on the move, take drops, and you know, 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:48.080 Steve just kind of shaking his head because a guy 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:52.560 with the injury he had wasn't supposed to be able 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.880 to do all those things. The toughness he showed all 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:57.680 that stuff was exemplary. And I remember running in Baker 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:00.280 in the hall after that work out that day when 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:03.040 everybody was reporting, you know, that he was going to 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:05.080 be out for a month or six weeks, and he 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:06.800 just walked by me and he kind of laughed and 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:12.000 he said, six weeks, my fill in. And that's just 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:14.319 kind of who he was. He lived for the fight. 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.839 And that's why I think people believe that players are 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:21.280 just saying the right thing when they say, like Shaq 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:23.480 Thompson was talking about all he's always going to be 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:25.559 a brother's when you've been in this locker room. I 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:28.640 like him, I'm gonna keep up with him, support him whatever. 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:34.120 That's real because he did all this stuff correctly, other 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:36.840 than play the football exactly. I think about the human 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:39.240 aspect of things. Um. It's it's funny. It feels like 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.320 we're just having like a like a post mortem on Baker. 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:48.840 But he was really nice. I remember like all the way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.400 he I just UM, I think, especially talking about the 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:54.280 locker room, just how quickly he was able to build 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:58.440 those connections. I I really was surprised almost by Um, 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:00.600 especially early in the season, and how like on the 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:02.720 practice field it felt like there wasn't a guy on 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:04.320 the team that he wouldn't come up to and be like, 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:06.480 you know, hey, what's up, or like shake hands or 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:10.120 or bump helmets or just everything about it and Um, 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.080 and that's one thing when christ and you're talking about 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:13.920 the human aspect of it. I feel like so many 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:16.160 locker room interviews. We got the open locker room on Monday. 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:18.520 We talked to a couple of the guys after UM 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:21.040 Baker was released, and it was, you know, it the 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:23.000 amount of times that they've been like, well it's a business, 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:24.560 but like he was my brother, and all the things 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.080 like they've had. There's been a lot of coming and 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.120 going from people who were very prominent figures in the 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.800 locker room, people who made an effort to talk to everybody, 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.040 get to know names. I mean, Baker new names on 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:35.640 the staff, Like he would always say hi to me 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:37.400 by name, which I thought was really nice and polite. 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.520 I mean it was. There were just so many different elements. 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:40.839 But they've been doing that all the year. They've been like, 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:42.640 oh man, you know, it's the business. It's business. Things 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:44.160 have been going in and out and and that's a 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:46.280 that's a lot too, that's a lot like And that's 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.120 why it feels I think like five six months has 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.600 felt like a year because so much has changed. And yeah, 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.480 you keep that core and you keep that kind of 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:55.839 you know, I guess when you go through so much 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.240 with so many the same people there, there's something about 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:00.560 the great point. They've been through a lot. Locker room 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:03.359 has been through a lot together this season, and they 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.280 seem to just all really care about each other. Past 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:10.200 present members included you know, um, which is that's that's 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:12.480 a really good point, Augusta. And one thing, you know, 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:15.439 I talk a lot about it on the radio broadcasts 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:17.320 and sometimes you go like, I know, you guys have 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.520 heard this before, but as we have a different quarterback starting, 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:22.200 so so stop me if you've heard this before, but 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:25.160 I do think it's important again to to tell people 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.000 that that aren't here every day. That quarterback room now 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.280 as it should be. Every quarterback room should be supportive 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.959 of each other. But gosh, they really care about each other. 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:36.280 And you know, when Sam got his first start, PJ 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:39.560 was like beating his chest. You know, He's like, oh, 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:41.720 let's go it. You know, it's so cool. All three 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:45.280 of them, Um Baker included when he was here, just 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:48.800 really rooted for the other two. And it's fun to 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:51.120 watch each of them um as they've started, like their 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.640 different styles pregame warm up, like Sam is you know, 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.800 he's laid back, right, He's he's nothing. He's not gonna 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:58.800 get too high, too low. I was just thinking what 0:11:58.840 --> 0:12:00.480 you guys were saying about when he's I don't you know, 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:02.800 it's a business. Want the best for him. Like every 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.480 day he's you know, I'm living my dream, whether I'm 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:07.920 um hurt like he was earlier in the season, like 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.640 he just got that real California cool, real steady. Baker 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:14.880 of course has the the fiery personality and PJ is 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:16.600 kind of in the middle, right, Um you know, he 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.160 gets really fired up for things. But it's it was 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.559 just fun to watch the three of them support each 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:25.079 other all throughout training camp and um through the regular season. 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.840 And I know that that's going to continue with Sam 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.800 and PJ, who are the starter in the backup, respectively 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.920 for this game. UM and and that's where the Panthers 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.600 are at quarterback right now. And I gotta say it, 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.600 I feel pretty good about it, right Fan Shapfield, pretty 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:43.280 pretty good about I mean, and again a month and 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.560 a half ago when they last played a football game 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:49.480 against the Broncos in here, you know, we got good Sam. 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:51.920 We got first four games of last year. Sam. He 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:54.480 was careful with the ball, He hit a shot or 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:58.520 two downfield, got to d J Moore. Uh And even 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:02.560 when you know, the finding characteristic of his career has 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:05.760 been whether he makes the turnovers or not, whether he's 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.640 throwing interceptions or putting the ball in the ground. And 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:11.080 against the Broncos, even when the ball ends up on 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:13.120 the ground, it kind of works out and it turns 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.440 into this new Holy Roller where where Sam falls on 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:18.480 his own mistake and and takes it into the end 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:21.400 zone just because nobody's touched him. And you know, if 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:25.800 you can keep Sam from that big disastrous game, change 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.680 the mistake. Now, if the Broncos fall on that ball 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:31.720 on the one yard line, everything might have been different. 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.200 The other night, everything might have been different for Sam. 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.600 Uh you never know. Maybe PJ is starting again this week, 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.840 who knows. But the point is he was able to 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:45.680 avoid those big calamitous mistakes and turnovers. And when Sam 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.679 Donald does that, as we saw the first three or 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:52.240 four games of last season, they've got a shot and 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.280 things are very different now. I mean, there is no 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:59.240 Christian McCaffrey now for Sam Donald, but there's a better 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:03.520 offensive then he's probably ever played behind in his life. 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:07.400 And last year it was a revolving door. You know, 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.800 we joked about it throughout last season. Fourteen different starting 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.600 lineups in seventeen games, which is ridiculous. And this year 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:18.520 it's basically been two and those two lineups, other than 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:22.440 swapping out pad lf Line for Brandley Boseman, those five 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:26.360 guys knock on Wood have played every snap of every 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:30.360 game they've played in, so things have been stable up front. 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:33.000 They're running the ball well with Deonte Formant. It's a 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:36.200 good situation for Sam to walk into because the things 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.480 he needs to succeed are all right there. And we've 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:43.120 seen some some creativity with that offensive line, especially the 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:44.920 last couple of games of something we've talked a lot 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:47.800 about on the radio broadcasts with Thomas Davis for the 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:50.240 TV show. We're seeing that unbalanced line, you know, camera 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.560 ving at at tight end, reporting as eligible cade May's 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:57.400 fullback extraordinaire and uh and they've been able to keep 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.720 defenses on on their toes with with that kind of stuff. 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:03.120 And as you said, it's it's helping Sam Donald. You know, 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:06.120 we are calling on the radio broadcast, Jack Deloom, Luke 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:08.600 Key Clear calling for a cad Mays touchdown as soon 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:13.200 as possible. They have been um lobbying Steve Wilkes several 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:15.360 times that I have heard to to make it happen. 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:17.400 I don't want to give away any game plan secrets, 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.080 but that is something that we on in the broadcast 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:22.320 booth would would very much like to see. You talk 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:24.680 to Kate about that actually before the bye and he 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:27.200 was like, your boy can run with the rock. Don't 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:31.280 get my goodness. I mean, Caid's like got some confidence 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:34.240 about his own ability. But I sort of joked with 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.240 a lot of those guys on the line and and 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.680 other than Bradley Bozeman, they all kind of deep down 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.800 in their hearts believe they can be a playmaker with 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:46.960 the ball. Um. Although Corbett Austin said, you know, yeah, 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.520 I topped out as a running back at seven years old. 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:53.320 After that they were like, you're too big, go be alignment. Um, 0:15:53.520 --> 0:15:55.760 but all those guys deep down their heart believe they 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:58.920 can be a playmaker. And and you know what, it's 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:03.120 almost this sounds flip, but what do you got to lose? Yeah, game? Um, well, 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:07.520 you know, I mean, in all honesty, when you can't, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:10.000 when you haven't had a lot of success passing the ball, 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.160 what do you do? You stick an extra offensive lineman 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.240 on the field and you run and then maybe you 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:18.040 mix it up. So it's uh, it would be something 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.840 to see. It would be another wrinkle in this season 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.440 to see the ball in cam Irving or cade May's 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:25.760 his hands. Why not I know, I asked him, I said, 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:27.640 who do you think we'll get the touchdown first? He's like, well, 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:31.200 I'm gonna say Cade because then maybe it'll be me right, 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.680 Like it's trying to put like the reverse jinks. I 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.240 guess out there. Um, a little Bertie, this will be 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:38.000 something fun for you guys. A little Bertie to tell 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:42.080 me that cade May's um in the offensive line room 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.280 recently during a meeting, got fined because he was bragging 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:47.240 too much about his I believe a Little League World 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:50.240 Series stats went on way too long about him and 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:52.400 he got a fine for that too. Maybe that'll be 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.000 an article on Panthers Dot comment somewhew. And if we 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:58.600 do content about a rookie offensive lineman, that's another fine 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.760 I can come up earlier in the years. Let's talk 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:09.200 about Seattle. We are all headed out there on Saturday 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:12.760 for the Sunday game. First things first, most important things. First, 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:15.560 how are you guys occupying yourself on a five plus 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:18.840 hour flight? Don't say Darren's gonna say work. I was 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.600 writing articles, which I think is like a cardinal. I 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.960 don't do that. But I'm going to catch up on sleep. 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:26.800 I can almost guarantee I'm going to catch up on sleep. 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.719 I will probably nap on that plane at some point. Um, 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.000 I wish I'm not a good plane napper. I wish 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:36.360 I was. I do I am. That's one of my superpowers. 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:39.720 It is absolutely a superpower and the one that I 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.640 do not possess unless I'm very, very tired. I will 0:17:42.760 --> 0:17:46.520 carry a book along with me. I will attempt to 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.760 read that book. I will inevitably get drawn into a 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.840 conversation by Rob or Bill or Ryan or somebody on 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:56.040 the plane, and which keeps me from reading that book. 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.760 And so it's I always have goals of just relax, 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.280 read a book, sit back, take a nap, and it 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.960 never quite works out that way, because there's always the 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:06.679 one thing I'm going to be doing on the plane, 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:10.480 honestly is looking for the WiFi so I can watch 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:15.160 England France in the World Cup quarters on Saturday. Game 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:19.199 you have? Are you rooting for one over the other? Um? 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:22.360 England tends to be the second team of most American 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:26.119 soccer fans because we watched Premier League. We're familiar with 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:28.760 most of those guys, and and plus Harry Kane's a 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:31.520 Tottenham guy, so I have to I have to root 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:34.080 for him. Of course I'm gonna I sit behind Darren 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.280 usually on the plane, so I'm just gonna be, you know, 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:39.960 shout at go France in a year and just a 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.640 few times, like I gotta occupy myself on this flight too, 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.120 So that's what's gonna happen. So Augusta is a big 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.560 killion inbop a fan and she's so she'll be who 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:54.040 is it? Yeah? Huge, huge, can tell you I made 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:58.040 a very off colored joke about the real football yesterday 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.280 in front of Darren and I gotta react and it 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:02.199 was pretty fun. I'm not a soccer fan. I'd love 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:04.159 to be. I think it's so fascinating. I love like 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:07.080 I'm almost like a fan of the soccer fandom. That 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:09.480 makes sense. It's so cool. They get so excited, Like 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:11.560 I know when USA played, which I get, I know 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:13.800 what happened, but like there were people going out to 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.639 like breweries at ten am. I'm like, man, what a 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:19.080 culture Like? That's not I was at home and we 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:20.720 were just chilling out. My family's not into it, but 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:22.959 I was like my friends were texting me from you know, 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:25.000 They're like, oh, we're getting free beer tickets like it's 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:30.040 ten can I tell you? Um So that first game, 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:32.800 I want to say it was maybe the weekend of Thanksgiving, right, 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:37.080 um and we there was also um U NC n 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:40.439 C State playing. I went to un see uh my 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:43.399 dad did, my husband did so we decided my dad said, well, hey, 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.080 you wanna go watch the game. You're home my hometown. 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:48.919 We said, all right, and we decided would be a 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.720 great time to take my son, who was almost one, 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:56.000