WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 58: Defining The Future 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 Each time for the Happy Half Hour with your friends 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:22.759 Christian Balboni, Will Brian and Darren Gap Welcome to the 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:25.800 Happy Half Hour. I am Will Brian. I am not 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:28.840 Kristen Balboni, but I get to sit in the big 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.120 chair today and be that guy and be the voice. 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:37.680 We are joined today by the one, the only, Mick Mixing. Mick. 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:42.720 What is Mick stand for? Uh? It's short for Mickey, 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:45.360 which I was called when I was born little Mickey 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.120 Mixing in Chapel Hill growing up as a little kid, 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:50.800 and UM had a news director at a radio station 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:52.960 one time shorten it to Mickey, said you sound too 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:55.400 much like a damn kid, but being named Mickey and 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:57.320 I shouldn't hired you anyway. So from now on we're 0:00:57.320 --> 0:00:59.640 just gonna call you Mick. What's your mental name? My 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.320 legal name is Forrest with one r oriyan o, r 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:06.440 I O n mixing. The third gives him a certain 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:09.960 mythological quality, doesn't it? It does? Forrest is quite a name. 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:12.759 Has anyone ever called you forest? Oh? That the classic 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:16.319 when You're in trouble Forestry? The third kind of like 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:19.399 Philip Walker, Yes, yeah, just a little bit something like that. 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:22.559 But the man's middle name is a Ryan Forgot. He's 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:26.559 the legendary Hunter of the Stars. I mean I missed 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:30.240 the lead anyway. Kristen is on special assignment, so Mick 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:32.880 is joining us today for a very special episode of 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:34.880 The Happy Half Hour. We were back from the bye. 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.720 We have some some a lot of personal things going on. 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.559 I think going into the bye last week, we didn't 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:42.959 really announce this because it was a pretty big secret 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:44.800 and I didn't want all of our listeners to know. 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:47.560 But I've had some things that happened in my life 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.160 in the last week. What we're working with Young Will 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:57.080 has got news. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm engaged. How about that, Mick? Unbelievable? 0:01:57.440 --> 0:01:59.600 How did you do it? And were you nervous? Oh? 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.520 My god, I completely blacked out in a good way. 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:06.400 But we did it in the uh like the Green 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:10.239 the park near the MIT Museum in Uptown. After several 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:14.320 other venues or areas we're not gonna work because of 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.320 a holiday sip constrol, which meant that hundreds of people 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:18.720 were going to be in the previous place. I was 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:20.880 gonna try to do it um over and fourth ward, 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:22.880 So we ended up going over there and her, I 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:25.000 had like taking pictures set up. It was gonna be 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:27.320 on like the second walkway, and her friends were gonna 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.480 be behind the some of the side columns to jump 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:32.760 out and take pictures. By the time we walked in, 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.000 I had was so nervous walking through uptown that I 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:38.360 just got down on one knee in the first walkway. 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:40.240 No one had any idea I was doing it. There 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:42.520 were no pictures of the moment she was It was 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:44.840 so warm that night, it was like seventy five degrees 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.720 on Friday. So she was carrying like her big heavy 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.680 coat in her left hand. So I grabbed her right 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:52.760 hand to like pull towards me, and then just kind of, 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.440 I guess, shoved the ring in her general direction. And 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:57.480 you know, her story was that I put it on 0:02:57.520 --> 0:02:59.680 the wrong hand. I don't know whether I put it anywhere, 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.120 but I don't remember really much of the moment outside 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:06.799 of her. She didn't say yes. She said are you serious? 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:12.200 And then I said yes, pretty much. Pretty What did 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:14.680 you say? What were your exact words? Will you marry me? 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.720 Will you like marry me? And stuff? Will you like 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:22.000 marry me soon? Yeah? So? And then did she know 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.880 did she have a sense because women are legendary for 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:29.079 she knew in general, but she had no idea that Friday. 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.000 I had played a little bit of the long game 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.360 with her parents. They had convinced her they were going 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:35.480 to be in Georgia, and then they were there. My 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:37.960 parents were there, and I think she really I had 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.000 been telling her all week, we're not going to travel 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:41.760 for the bye week. I've got a surprise. We're gonna 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:44.320 go out, you know, go out to dinner. And she 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.119 just thought we were going out to dinner. And then 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:48.400 the way we were walking, she was completely confused where 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:50.000 we were going. She ended up thinking we were going 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.720 to like Red Ginger or something. But so, now that 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.760 you've done this, congratulations, By the way, Darren been married. 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.200 I've been married. I got a mulligan in Lassie two 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:00.280 thousand eleven and took it right down the middle, which 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.160 is great. And you did the same thing I did. 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.000 I did the same thing. So will The only thing 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:07.920 you really control is what you did, where you did it, 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:11.360 and that you did it. Now you'll be it's like 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:14.440 you you're a You've hitched a ride aboard at comet 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:18.640 that will streak across the sky. Planning the wedding. Yeah, 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.679 I know, I'm already you will have no I'm already 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.200 holding on for dear life. Just enjoy the ride. But 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:26.960 it was cool and and after the fact. Adding to 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.880 and surprise was the fact that Will and his friends 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:32.360 had planned this party. A bunch of friends were able 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:34.280 to gather and meet the parents. I got to meet 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:38.640 the Brian's and his parents are lovely people. I gotta 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:40.320 kick out of talking to them, meeting to them and 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.719 telling them about what a good boy he is. Playing 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:44.800 cover bands. Over the years, I've seen all kind of 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.480 weddings and toasts and the whole thing, and we could 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.480 do a whole show just on that. But the other 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:54.599 day had breakfast with Casey, Lauren Beemer's daughter who used 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:57.640 to work here. Casey's very gracious, very elegant young woman, 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:00.480 lives in Charlotte now with her husband Kanan. So our 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.360 band the band. I was in Plate at Casey Beemer's wedding, 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:08.600 the rehearsal dinner in Georgia at this rich Carlton hotel, 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:13.839 this big time lake. This wedding has it all. I mean, 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:17.960 there's a cello player, there's this grand entrance down by 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:21.560 the water and Casey had thought of everything except that 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:24.240 right during the vows, these two old boys in a 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:28.520 bass boat come by on the water. So security is everywhere, 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.680 wedding directors everywhere, but the one thing that they couldn't 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:35.080 control was the lake. So these tool boys come by 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:36.600 and they slow the bass boat down and one of 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.599 them yells out, don't do it. I was married to 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:47.000 her first run Oh man, all right, I'm I'm marking 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.279 that down to not have it by a body of 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:52.400 water that that we cannot have full control over. There. 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:56.760 There's very little you can control, as Mick mix. As 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:59.800 Mick mentioned, both of us are on number two. And 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.000 I remember the first time I was actually in this 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:05.720 press box at Bank of America Stadium one time, calling 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:09.160 Florest or calling somebody about a cake or something. On 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.520 the first one, and Ken Burger, the legendary columnists from Charleston, 0:06:12.680 --> 0:06:14.640 walked by, and and Ken was a man who had 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.479 been blessed with a number of wives in his career. 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:22.440 And Burger walked by, and my old boss at the paper, 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.960 Gary McCann, was standing there, and they were shooting the breeze, 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.520 and they heard me nervously making all these arrangements on 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:30.640 the phone, and I remember Ken Burger's looking at McCann 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:33.640 and saying, how many is that for the boy? And 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.680 McCann said just one, and Burger just kind of looked 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:38.440 at me and grinned, patting me on the head and 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:43.880 said rookie. Right right before I came to the Panthers. 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:45.880 In OH five, we played a wedding in Chapel Hill 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:50.080 and I was the I married the couple. So Autrey 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:52.760 and Sean Pookash asked me to do their vows. Christ 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:56.000 and Balboni has done this. Yere you a wedding. Yes, 0:06:56.200 --> 0:07:00.280 Triple w Rose Ministries dot Com ordination package B went 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:04.960 with the thirty thirty package. So you get a name tag, 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:08.159 an official clergy parking pass and everything. Is there a 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:13.720 stole involved with this? No? But um, So we play 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:17.200 the wedding. So I'm marry Audrey and Sean. Then we 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:19.440 play the wedding. And during a break in the wedding 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:21.760 and I'm the drummer in the band, this this guy 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:24.080 comes up to me and he goes, are you the drummer? 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.480 And I said yeah. He goes, weren't you the preacher? 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.080 And I said yeah, and he goes, aren't you that 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:32.320 guy that's going to the Panthers, and I said yeah, 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.760 and he went, oh Jesus Christ and just shook his 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:36.160 head and it was all just too much for him. 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:41.160 He had sensory underload. I think, well, how are we 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:43.640 going top that? Don't I don't know that the Atlanta 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:45.920 Falcon I don't know. Well, so you guys are both 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.000 on the on the radio a good bit. You get 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:50.440 all the questions from from the local folks around here, 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:53.440 what what are some of the themes that you're you're 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:58.080 circling before Sunday's game. I just think there's so much 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.800 uncertainty right now about what's going on the football team. 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.480 I mean there when you make a move with Joe Brady, 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.280 as they did on Sunday, you start down a new 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.720 direction with Jeff Nixon, Colin plays. You're trying to figure 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.440 out what these next five games mean. And I think 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.720 it's reasonable say oh um, because you're trying to figure 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:20.240 out what Cam Newton's got left in the tank. I mean, 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.440 we've seen three games of Cam, one great one, one 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:26.800 great cameo, one pretty good game against Washington and in 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:30.800 one stinker against Miami, and so what comes next? We've 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.120 covered every end of the spectrum where in it is 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:37.800 this one gonna fall. So don't know, and we'll see. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.640 I mean, Cam and and and Matt Ryan have their 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:44.600 own history. They played each other I think sixteen times. Um, 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:48.200 it's it's going to be fascinating to me. I mean, 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.080 the rest of this season is very much a great unknown. 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.760 I don't know what kind of play caller Jeff Nixon 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:55.640 is going to be. I don't know what Cam's got 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:58.400 left in the tank. I don't know how they're gonna 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.280 put pieces together in front of Cam to protect him. 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.080 Brady Christiansen is gonna get to play this week and 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.360 and we'll see what that means for his long term 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.960 development and those kind of things. But there's so many 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.079 things that it's just impossible to predict with this team 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:15.120 that are going to have impact, both in the immediate 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.120 and in twenty two and beyond. I think if Cam 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:21.800 could go fifteen of twenty two for a hundred and 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.360 forty nine and not throw any picks, I think that 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.200 would do it. This is but my point is, this 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.240 is gonna be this game could be broadcasting black and white. 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:32.120 This is gonna be run it, stop the run, So 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:34.560 all the but you know, there is Darren's point, the 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.680 contrast between Cam Newton when he first got here and 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.000 then Miami. I still can't get over. So I'll just 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.440 speak for myself. I am in a full body goose 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.160 bump when this athlete comes out of the tunnel and 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:50.000 spreads his imaginary blazer across to reveal the red s 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:54.400 on his cinnamon chest. I cannot believe I'm bearing witness 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.080 to one of the great comeback stories in the history 0:09:57.080 --> 0:10:00.920 of athletics. Then against Miami, I wanted to go down 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:05.080 on the sidelines and and punch him and say, Cam, seriously, 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.760 I gotta try to make this five point eight quarterback 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:10.839 ratings sound good on the radio. Do you realize how 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:13.760 difficult this is? So it's just but yeah, I think 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:16.560 he's gonna play well Sunday. This is the perfect kind 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:21.040 of game where Cam Newton comes comes roaring back and 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:24.800 and plays well and runs the ball effectively, and and 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:26.440 I just I think it's gonna be great theater. I 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.640 can't wait. Yeah, And and I was inspired watching Cam 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:32.120 Newton's old team the other night. On Monday Night, football 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.319 pass at a grand total of three times in a game, 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:37.480 and one of those Max Jones wasn't supposed to throw 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:41.120 it off and I and I think that's probably an 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:45.440 extreme outlier, um, but I do think there's something to 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.880 be learned from that. If you're in a situation where 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:53.200 there is some question about pass protection, receivers getting open, whatever, 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.040 just run run the ball, strip it down, make it simple. 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:01.400 And I think you know it's naturally occurring because Cam 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.079 still knew on the job. You're you're learning a new 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:07.880 offense anyway. Then they change play callers, so everything's new anyway. 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:10.280 So I think the key really in terms of the 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:13.199 football is strip it down, keep it simple, do the 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:16.040 things you know you can do. And I think back 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:20.400 to the first Atlanta game, which was also without Christian McCaffrey, 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:23.440 and you're run at forty seven times, and part of 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:25.560 that was Sam Donald run around. And we know that 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:28.679 Cam Newton's got some background as a runner, so he 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.920 can contribute to that too. But forty seven carries amongst 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.760 this committee that includes Amir Abdullah and Chuba Hubbard but 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:40.720 not Christian McCaffrey. And I think something like that makes 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:42.880 an awful lot of sense for where they are. Is 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:46.160 there a way to distill the running game into something 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:48.440 that makes it even easier for you know, once again 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.320 a different looking often. I mean, who really knows exactly 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:53.920 what this offensive line is gonna look like? I mean, 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:55.760 is there a way to say hey, rather than you know, 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:57.599 all these zone reads were you know, you have to 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.040 pick up this, but maybe this depending on whether and 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.320 hands it off or holds it, you know, I it's 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.040 your way just to go downhill. I I don't know. 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:07.920 I don't know that they're necessarily built that way. I mean, 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:12.880 there's not a Mike Davis sized back around here. I mean, 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.160 and if you know, we'll see the end of the 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.000 week if they bring up Reggie Bonafie or Spencer Brown. 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.280 Spencer Brown's really interesting runner, uh that we saw a 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:23.559 good bit of in the preseason and training camp, and 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:26.040 you know he's got some potential and hanging around on 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:28.960 the practice squad. But Cuba and a mirror aren't that 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.880 kind of guy. They aren't necessarily I mean, Cuba was 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.840 a high volume runner at Oklahoma State and has put 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:36.959 up some big numbers in the past when he's been 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:39.960 the guy, but he's never been the Saint Stephen Davis 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.280 we're talking about. I Mean, this is not a big, 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.959 two thirty pound back who's going to move people around. 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:49.320 And and again, as you mentioned, the three guys in 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:51.679 the middle of that line in Atlanta that paved the 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:54.640 way for pretty solid run day are all gone. I mean, 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.920 Michael Jordan's probably not gonna play this week, Matt partis 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.400 on I R. Johnny Miller is hurt and not expected 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.199 to play. So I think you're gonna get some combination 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.640 of obviously pad alfline at center, Brady Christ's wi being 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.040 one of the spots, and then we'll see what happens 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.000 on the other side. The other answer to might be 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:14.719 two things. One is a running quarterback, So if you 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:17.440 can reach in the game, just Cam Newton, defenses still 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.680 have had a problem. Even with the rise to prominence 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:22.960 of a running quarterback, Atlanta doesn't have one of the 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.880 Panthers do. The other thing is the college play that 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:30.240 has really Minnesota just victimize the Panthers with it. And 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:34.360 that's a bubble screen, So a quick sideways throw. It's 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:37.680 a pass, but it's basically a run and it takes 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.600 a lot of the old line issues out of play. 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.400 You've got if you've got a wide receiver that can 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.840 block a corner and then a back or a receiver 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:48.880 who catches a bubble screen that can make a player 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:51.240 miss it can be a big play. So I think 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:52.920 we'll see a little bit of both. And Atlanta is 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:54.640 great at the wide zone, you know, Matt Rules talked 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.719 about it, just how good Patterson and Davis are it 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:00.480 and toting it. So with the Panthers being a little 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:03.600 undersized at d N, I'm sure Phil Snow has got 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:07.040 some things cooked up to try to try to attack that. Well, 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.760 we'll see some hopefully more of stuffin Gilmore. You know, 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:13.280 Dante Jackson is now out from that cornerbacks crew, I mean, 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:15.320 and I'm interested to see a lot more of Henderson 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.920 as well. I'd like to see both of those guys. Yesterday, 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:21.160 I practice Sullivan tight end for the Panthers doing I 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.440 thought he did a great job at being Kyle Pitts 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.280 and given the be a good picture of the eight. 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.160 And it's not easy, no, it's not. It's a hard 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.440 problem to solve. And and there was this mythology that 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.120 gilt because Gilmore had the late pick on him late 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:38.440 it was almost like, you know, Gilmore was tasked with 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:41.000 locking down Kyle Pitts. Well, he only played twenty some 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:44.000 odd snaps that day, I believe it was, so it's 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:45.840 not like he was out there all day. And they 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:47.520 are going to mix it up, and they are going 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.040 to use a lot of people, and their plan in 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.760 general is to throw a lot of defensive backs at 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.920 every problem. And it's a different group now. Obviously there's 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:58.920 no J. C. Horne, there's no Dante Jackson the rest 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:02.560 of the year, so you're scrapping it together. But it's 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.440 gonna be a lot of Jeremy Chen and it's gonna 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:06.320 be a good bit of C. J. Henderson, a guy 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:09.440 who's got some size, and it's going to you know, 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.360 he's gonna play a part in this thing down the 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:15.000 road too, So we'll see how it comes together. But 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.880 having us to find Gilmore, however, many snaps a game, 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.040 you've got him and and he probably not, you know, 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:23.400 Matt said yesterday, he's not gonna be uh seventies snap 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:27.040 a game guy anymore at thirty two years old. And 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.360 but the forty fifty he's gonna be on the field 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.040 are gonna really matter because they're gonna need it. I 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:37.160 like special teams in Atlanta is interesting to me. Will 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:41.120 and and Darren. They have young Wiku who's a great, accurate, 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.640 powerful and they needed a punter, so they went out 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:49.120 and got Thomas Morstead twelve years as the same. This 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:54.160 guy is one of the deadly accurate directional punters that's 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:57.240 ever played in the NFL. So Chase Blackburn on teams 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.400 whoever's back there. Returning upon Erickson, he is good at 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.920 tracking the ball, but he's gonna have to hang loose. 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.480 And then I thought Wednesday at practice, Gonzalez Edwards punt 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:08.920 of the ball great. It was kind of windy, but 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.520 Zay Gonzalez just had a great set during his I 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:14.640 don't think he missed. I mean just hitting the ball 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:17.760 tremendously well. So what a story that is this year? 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.640 It's it's yeah, it was something that was interesting to 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:23.640 see how you kind of felt like that was such 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.040 a bit of concern and training camp in September and 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:27.640 all of a sudden, you have a guy that's a 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.400 Pro Bowl candidate at kicker. You know that that you 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:34.360 end up finding, Um, what is one of your favorite 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.560 memories from this series? There's been so many great games 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.600 between the Panthers and Falcons, and I'm kind of tracking 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.920 back already a little bit here, But what are some 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:47.160 of your favorite memories from from this rivalry? Oh man, 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.400 I mean, the thing that stands out to me about 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:53.680 the Panthers and the Falcons is just how dang weird 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.840 it always is. I mean, really, from the very first 0:16:56.920 --> 0:16:59.680 game when the expansion Carolina Panthers have a chance to 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.440 win their very first game and they take the Falcons 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:05.840 to overtime on the road and Appalachian States, Derek Graham 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:08.320 gets called for a false start that sets him back, 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:12.240 you know, and ends up being a costly penalty down 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.320 stretch and they lose. But this game, this series has 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:20.439 been full of nine six games and weirdness, and you know, 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:24.160 people getting behind Hruki Knackamara over the top and that. Man, 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:28.199 it's just a please, It's just all these calamities that 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:31.320 could happen always seemed to come together when the Falcons 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:36.320 and Panthers. I mean, I I admittedly Mick is lyrical 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.280 about cam Newton and what he means, but when I 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:42.280 think of Panthers Falcons games, I think of chaos, and 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:45.800 I think of you know, strange things that you don't 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.120 see in other games coming to bear. I'm the lyrical 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:53.440 Gangster by the way, flashing you back to some music 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.080 from back in the day. What was the year was 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.120 that the Panthers needed to win down there? Yeah, that 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.360 was big to go seven eight and one and win 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:05.960 the division. I mean thirty four to three or something 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:08.800 like that, just played them right off their feet. I 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:12.160 think the there's a sense right now after that Miami 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:13.800 game and then going to the buy of just kind 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:16.040 of this like kind of throwing up the hands of 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:18.679 the fan base after all of the excitement from you know, 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:21.400 going into Washington. But you look at the wild Card 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:24.199 race right now. I mean, you come out there, you 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.680 run the ball, you gotta win over Atlanta, and then 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.439 Buffalo has had problems and then all of a sudden, 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:31.320 it's like what I mean, it's all right there in 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.640 front of you. Yeah, it is. And and it's hard 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:35.760 for people to wrap their minds around. And that's why 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.600 I say, I mean, there's so much about defining what 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:40.919 this season is going to be and what the future 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:43.120 is going to be in these next five weeks. I mean, 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:46.400 you know, we talked about the Hope misery index last 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:48.960 time we talked, and I said, you're you're at one point, 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:50.879 you're talking about where in the top ten are they 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:54.000 going to be drafting versus do they still have playoff chances? 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.760 And it's kind of leaning one direction after Miami, but 0:18:57.000 --> 0:18:59.439 it does still exist and I and I think for 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:01.920 so many of those guys that locker room. I mean, 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:05.720 these are auditions for next year from Matt Ruling the 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:08.159 Panthers and for other teams in general. And you know, 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:10.920 it's important for all these guys, but there's still so 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:14.200 much to be determined, and it can go in either direction. 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:16.760 This makes no sense to the hard analytical mind. I mean, 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:18.840 here we are talking about that. All the goals are 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.000 still right there and I've done it too, But yet 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:24.960 Matt Rule described the Miami game as bad football. So 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.840 we're you know, it's just doesn't add up. Which has 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:30.040 got to get the football right, I mean, fix some 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.600 basic things, then we can probably talk with a little 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:35.600 more zeal about goals that are still in focus. One 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.200 of my favorite memories from Atlanta was Trey Boston one 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.400 year has a pick six and Trey Boston gets into 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.919 the end zone and as he's approaching the ends, he 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:48.760 does a forward dive somersault like Kathy Rigby or Olga 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:52.439 Corbett or somebody pops up then shoots off imaginary six guns, 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:55.080 then does the Michael Jackson moon walk across the back 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:56.960 rail of the end zone. So we have him on 0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:00.080 our post game show, and Eugene asked a question, and 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.240 Jim's Okay asked a question. Finally it comes my turn 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.359 to ask a question. I said, Tray, I said, you 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:08.160 went through these menu options. You did almost every celebration 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:10.720 in the history of team sports. When you knew you 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:12.560 were going to score, did you give any thought to 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:16.320 acting like you'd been there before? And he paused, He said, no, man, 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:19.040