WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 52: Contractually Obligated 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 It's time for the Happy half Hour with your friends. 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:22.959 Kristen Belboni, Will Bryant, and Darren Gamp. Welcome to the 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.400 Happy half Hour with your friends, Will, Darren, Kristen and 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:30.120 producer Matt Guys. Happy Thursday morning. How are you feeling? 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.479 We're happy? How else would we be? You gotta be. 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.440 It's contractually obligated that you're happy for this half hour, 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:40.440 For this half hour, for this particular half hour, we 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:42.880 are going to be happy as best weekend. The clock 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:46.040 has started. We have twenty nine minutes and fifty seconds left. Well, 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:48.879 it's it's it's uh, it's a tough time to to 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:54.000 be happy. Um, considering right, like where what's happened the 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:56.200 last four games? That's that's a fair statement. But we 0:00:56.280 --> 0:01:00.120 are gonna focus on the future, right, I mean in it. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.200 I think it's the only reasonable way to go. We 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.800 could spend a half hour chopping up exactly what went 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:08.559 wrong in New York and over the couple of weeks, 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:10.720 and I think to be fair, we have like I 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.080 have to. I have talked to to Matt Rold twice 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:15.840 this week, and those interviews are out, whether they're on 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.760 TV or on the website. Or social media. Darren's written 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:22.880 plenty of articles, we published plenty of articles on them. 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.360 But now at this point in in the week is 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:27.440 when you turn the page and for what it's worth, 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:31.360 Darren is perfectly dressed to chop it up right now. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:35.520 Based off of this, you could go right now that 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.880 no one can see, no one idea Darren's got. He's 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:43.400 got a vest with uh like a plaid button down 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:47.480 um flannel. He's got a perfect flannel in jeans combo 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:49.840 like he has worn this too. Chopped down a tree 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:51.600 with an ax? Have you ever chopped down a tree? 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:53.880 I have chopped down a tree with an ax. One 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.360 time in my old neighborhood we had a Bradford payer 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:59.960 that ice storm windstorm failed down and rather than actually 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.160 call somebody a professional to remove this tree, I said, 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:05.520 I've got an AX. I'm going to chop the rest 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:07.880 of this tree down. How cool did you feel on 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:11.239 a scale of one attempt about a night team? Yeah? 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:13.919 You know, I think because then also that the neighborhood, 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:15.600 like the neighbors are cheering for you, like what a 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.640 hero to You're helping everybody out. You know, It's not 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:21.160 just like you're in your backyard. You're doing something for 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:23.680 the good of others and you look cool doing it. Yeah, 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:27.160 and it and it felt pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie, ax, 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.480 and chopping felling a tree in your own yard makes 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:32.280 you feel like a little bit more of a man. 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:37.680 There's no question felling a tree felling all right. So 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:41.680 let's uh, let's let's talk about where the Panthers are 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:44.200 right now. As we said, we've made the executive decision 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:46.880 that on the Happy half Hour podcast, where we're contractually 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:49.079 applicated to be happy for twenty seven and a half 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.600 for a minutes, we're not going to go back too 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.160 much to the Giants game. It's out there if you 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:57.280 want to read Darren's articles or watch my interviews or 0:02:57.600 --> 0:02:59.120 what have you. We're going to talk about where this 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.840 team is right now, which is they're facing Atlanta there 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:05.320 three and four, and that they've got some issues that 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:07.760 they've got to get right on before before this game 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.960 that they're working on this week. So do we want 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:15.519 to start the offense, guys, of of where this offense is. Yeah, 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:17.360 and I think they're is still in kind of a 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:19.959 holding their breath moment because you are still a week 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:23.280 away from Christian McCaffrey being eligible to come back. So 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:26.880 I thought it was interesting the idea of I mean, 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.959 they know they're in a spot right now, they know 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:34.280 that things aren't perfect. The protection hadn't been perfect all year. 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:38.200 Now John Miller's gone on IR so you're shuffling the 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:41.839 offensive line again. Six different combination in eight games will 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.320 be this Sunday in terms of starting five in front 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.800 of Sam Donald. And you know, Sam hadn't been great, 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:50.480 and they acknowledged that he hadn't been great, and it's 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:54.840 beyond just missing Christian. I mean Sam as the stuff 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:58.520 Matt Rule talked about yesterday with Sam's timing and he's 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.160 rushing everything and Sam and Sam talks about it too. 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:05.320 I mean, he's not in denial. He knows he's been 0:04:05.320 --> 0:04:08.520 poor the last couple of weeks himself. But it's not 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:12.040 as if Sam's never played decent football here. He was 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:16.520 competent early. Uh, he was competent in Dallas honestly for 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:21.880 stretches of that game. So yeah, the last couple things 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:24.400 have gotten away from him and he's gotten rushed and 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.880 it's one of those technical football things that sounds walky, 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:31.480 but he's going too fast through his drop. So when 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.400 he's supposed to be at nine yards, he's only at 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:36.040 eight because his feet are going to do do do, 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:40.000 And that throws off the timing the routes where he 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.120 thinks guys are supposed to be there, not there because 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.720 they haven't had the time to get to the spot 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:48.440 they're supposed to be. And Matt just took him back. 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:51.479 In the film, it's like, let's watch New Orleans in 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.200 week two. You were good, then let's watch that as 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:58.080 a visual reminder of what you're doing. And and Sam 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:00.360 owned it. I mean he knows it, and and he's 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:02.240 got to get it fixed. And they've got to try to, 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:06.560 you know, simplify everything around him, you know, get a win, 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.760 get you know. And and that was the weird thing. 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:12.560 Not to go too back, too far back into New York, 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:16.440 but the first drive against the Giants, it's like, okay, 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.360 I don't work, ran the ball, ran, ran the ball, 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.800 chewed up some cock, converted a couple of third downs, 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.160 You get down there, you kick a field goal. It's like, 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.159 all right that, you know, do a couple more of 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.440 those and you might get out of here today. And 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:32.320 they were in they were in the red zone when 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:35.440 see him threw that interception, And it goes back to 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:38.159 what you were saying, Darren, which is just when you 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:40.080 look at where that ball was thrown, there was there 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:43.200 was no one really quite there, but the way that 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.119 you just explained it and and a lot of times 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:47.359 that is what it is. It's just like a couple 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:49.800 of little things. You know, this this person is not 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:52.680 quite where they're supposed to be and he's rushing things 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:54.880 a little bit. Take that a little bit easier than 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:56.720 maybe you complete that, and it's I mean, they got 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:58.400 down the field to do it right. And you know 0:05:58.600 --> 0:05:59.919 if you go and you look at the all twins 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:01.440 of that, you know there I think it was trueba 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:03.599 or you know there wasn't an outlet like right in 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.200 front of him. You know that was relatively open for 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.440 six or seven yards. You know. Part of it is 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:10.760 the you know, it's the the chicken in the egg 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:13.480 of some of this of your rushing because you feel 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.640 like the protection is breaking down. Sometimes the protection is 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:20.080 there and you rush yourself into a sack because you're 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:22.880 stepping up into a place where there they've already blocked 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.080 this up and now you've stepped out of it or 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.159 into it. You know, so there's a lot of different 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.080 parts that play there. You know, it might feel like 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.120 a drop, you know when the ball comes out, Well, 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.560 that's because they weren't expecting the ball. You know already 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:35.520 they were you know, there were still another step on 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:37.520 the route. You know, there's a lot of different things 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.080 that play into it. And of course there's you know, 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:44.279 when you're putting the offense and positions sometimes where they've 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:47.600 got to start on their own four yard line or whatever. Yeah, 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:49.760 you know, that's that's a hard place for anyone to 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:51.440 start to try to get out. So and I think 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:53.640 we should just go through. We'll talk special teams next, 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:55.280 Defense next. Well, I know you've got to stay out 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:57.320 of the week, um. And I think that's a great point. 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.680 It's of course, and I said this to to Matt 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:02.240 role One. I talked to him on Sunday right after 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:05.160 the game. You know, it's not just about the offense, 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:06.840 but of course they were, you know, and he said 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:08.479 that it was special teams to not put them in 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.960 great positions. Defense started out well, and of course either 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.880 you know, got tired or struggled a little bit late 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:17.960 in the game. We'll talk a little bit about that. 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:21.360 So there, it's not just on the offense these losses, 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:23.280 even though that's what I think the majority of fans, 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:26.440 maybe some media are focusing on. Right, it's the there 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:29.320 are other other groups need to play well as well. 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:36.680 But let's talk about the it's um. I do want 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:40.160 to talk about the offensive line, though, really quickly is 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.360 I think I know this is the happy half hour, 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.800 but I do just want to point out that John 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:49.760 Miller I think has maybe gone under the radar to 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.880 people who are maybe not or not in this building. 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:55.800 He's been a huge piece of that offensive line and 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:59.000 has been able to play through UH injuries are coming 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.720 back off the COVID serve list, you know, stepping up 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:06.040 when they need him to and UH, and that one hurts. 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:08.360 It's you know, they've they've had some some pretty bad 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.840 offensive line injuries and now they've got another one. Yeah, 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:16.000 and it's probably not a stretch to say John Miller 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:21.000 was the second most consistent, yasive lineman in the room 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:24.920 behind Taylor. And you know he's not John Miller is 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.320 one of those guys. If you look at him, he 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.680 doesn't look like the guy you go out and get 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:34.120 to stabilize things. But he's just kind of what was 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:37.160 the word Matt Rule use the other week, just solid, durable, 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:41.520 I mean, dependable veteran guys. You know, solid is kind 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:44.040 of the word that gets hung on the guys like 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.040 Justin Burrows, guys like John Miller who aren't great a 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.760 star level players, but you've got to have a couple 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:53.440 of them followed. Independable for an offensive lineman is not 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:57.120 a bad thing to be. Yeah, but uh yeah, but 0:08:57.200 --> 0:08:58.720 now he's going to be out for at least the 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.680 next three uh, and we'll see, I mean, is that Transcott, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.480 is it Brady Christiansen? Is it Dennis Daley again? I 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:08.680 don't know, but it ain't gonna be John. And we'll 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.000 see what happens next. But because cam Irving has been 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.480 in and out and you know, on the other side, 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:16.640 I mean, they kind of dig on Michael Jordan's and 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:18.839 what he's been able to do the last couple of weeks. 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:23.400 He certainly, you know, from a physical standpoint, fits the bill. 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:25.840 He looks like what you want your guard to look like. 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:29.199 He's big and massive and got a little edge about him. 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:33.319 So you know, maybe that's something. Again, it's it's not 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:36.040 that we're trying to paper over the fact that they've 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.520 lost for in a row and things aren't ideal on 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:41.680 the football side. But you know, light a candle rather 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:45.800 than curse your darkness. Here, Matt Michael Jordan's looks like 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.400 a guy who might be an offensive lineman for this 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:52.640 team when things turn. You know, Brady Christiansen, even if 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:56.840 he's miscast as a left tackle or whatever, uh, is 0:09:56.880 --> 0:09:58.920 a guy they think is going to be part of 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:01.480 an offensive line. Things are better, you know, you know 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.559 that I would say on our radio broadcast. We asked 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:06.839 Jordan Gross, who was on our call. You know, he 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:11.760 and jam switch off probably um, I think early fourth quarter. 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:14.080 He was like, yeah, I think I think Brady Christinsen 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:16.040 did a good job for the position that he was 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:19.319 put in, right and so you know, there were positives 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.880 that came out of that game. And listen asking a 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:24.480 rookie to play left tackle in the NFL the two 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:28.960 weeks before he played ye and and listen, Jordan knows 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:30.320 and I talked, you might see him in a different 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.880 position this week. I talked to turn about it before 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.040 the game, and I said, you know, you, how big 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:38.560 was it for you? Having the benefit of playing on 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:40.400 the right instead of the left as a rookie. And 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:42.520 he said, it's good to be able to get your 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:45.720 feet underneath you. It's good to you know, sort of 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:48.480 ease into that pool rather than jumping into the deep end. 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:52.200 So we'll see. I mean, Brady is a guy going 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:54.559 back to the draft they thought second round guard, third 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:57.240 round tackle and guard might be the place he lands. 0:10:57.320 --> 0:10:59.880 And and again with John out he might end up there. 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.920 Emmer Trant Scott probably this week. Right now, he's had 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:07.760 to play where um is necessary. We have not seen 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:10.880 where they would ideally put him, at least I don't 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:14.200 think if everyone was healthy and he had a chance, 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:17.160 you know where it wasn't forced because of need. So well, 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:19.520 we'll see. We'll see if maybe that is guard. Um, 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:21.720 like you said with John Miller out, Um. One thing 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:23.840 I want to touch on before we moved to special 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:27.560 teams and and defense is um, how did the Panthers 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.720 going up against Atlanta recommit to running the ball, because 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.240 that was an emphasis going into the last game. I 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:37.320 saw it in the first half a little bit. Um. 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:38.840 I mean, is it as simple, guys, I think this 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:40.200 is what the fans would ask, Is it as simple 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:42.560 as just calling it. I think it's as simple as 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.840 throwing the ball. I mean, in coach kind of said 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:47.560 a couple of times, in order to run the ball, 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:49.520 you have to be able to convert third and four, 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:53.360 third and five, and oftentimes that's a past play in 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.360 the majority of situations. So being able to, I mean, 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:58.760 that's and that's exactly what they did on that first drive. 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.880 They got themselves is into third manageable, and then they 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.319 converted third manageable through the air, and then all of 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.040 a sudden, you can go tempo. All of a sudden, 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:08.480 you can run it a little bit quicker, you can 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.920 keep the defense from you know, switching people off the field, 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.160 and you're you're running downhill. It's so much easier to 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:17.960 run downhill when you can get first downs than it 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.040 is when it's first down in ten you're gonna run 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.400 right at them. It's second and nine, you're gonna run 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.120 right at them. And then now it's third eight, and 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:28.640 you know, it's really hard to get that first down 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.320 when they know what's coming. And again, going back to 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:33.880 the Saints game, it's not like they were ripping off 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:36.360 five yards to carry against the Saints. It was two 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.280 points something. But they ran at a bunch of times, 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.320 which tells you they were converting third and five, third 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:46.040 and six, I mean eight and fifteen converting against the 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:49.240 Saints versus two and fifteen against the Giants. That's the 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.480 difference right there. I mean, you want one stat that 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:54.280 talks about why this worked and this didn't, it's that 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:58.080 one right there. Um. So, I mean I think a 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:00.960 lot of it can be intent. And you know, we've 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.640 seen signs that Chuba Hubbard can be enough of a 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:07.480 back to handle twenty plus carries and get it done. 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.040 I mean, go back to the Eagles game. He was 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.480 one oh one on the ground and caught a few balls. 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.440 I mean he struggled catching the ball, uh lately. And 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:17.800 I mean when I talked Jeff Nixon about it, he 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:21.120 was like, it's surprising because he does have good hands, 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.520 he's just not a It doesn't look natural right now. 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:27.720 So we'll see how that develops. But I think a 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.240 lot of it can be intent, but it only works 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:34.760 if you convert a third down absolutely. Uh, special teams, 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.240 we know that we will see a new punter. Yeah, 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:41.320 an Australian punter. Hey, can you do an Australian accent. 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:45.640 Not I don't do, I mean, but he did when 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:47.719 we were talking to him. He signed off with no 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.520 worries and everyone when y'all were sitting down there, and 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:53.920 then he just started talking with kind of like oh, 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.480 you know, like this guy sounds different. It's like, you know, 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.160 you dropped the video Lachlan Edwards into the notebook to 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:02.439 give everybody an their chance to hear Laughlan about being 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:05.120 a Carolina panther. It's just I think, you know, you're 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.320 in an Australian accident should make people happy, So maybe 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:11.920 we'll get him on the podcast. I heard um Adi 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:14.640 Bryant on Saturday Night Live. She was on a podcast 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.760 one time and she said that their trick at snel 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.680 or someone told her this trick for like dropping into 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:24.000 an Australian accent is to say the name Gina Fa 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:26.840 Lopez and then that kind of takes you to your 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:31.080 vows you're Australia. I can only I mean, and then 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:33.200 that's awful. So please know what, I know how bad 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:37.200 that was Ginifa Lopez, and then you can kind of 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:39.520 drop into like the sounds that you need. Now. I 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:43.160 can't do anything beyond that, but um you know, just 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.880 fun fact in case you guys were one, I learned 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:49.920 something here today. That's what we do. I'm the Happy 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:53.800 Hour podast learning. Darren has felled a treat, ye old 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:56.800 Barlett pair and I can tell you how to get 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:01.640 ready for an an Australian accent. So we'll see what 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:03.800 what Lachlan Edwards can do and if he can help 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.280 again that was that was a big deal in in 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.880 that game as well. It's just the the poor field 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:10.960 position that the offense was starting from. So we'll see 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.400 if if this is an improvement. Yeah, when you're punning, 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.560 average is something other than a Ford per you know, 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:20.960 forty something per Ford. If it starts with a three 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.320 or a two, that's bad, not what you want. Um. Yeah, 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:26.160 And so you make a change and you get another 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:28.080 guy in here, and we'll see I mean again to 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.960 Charlton if he and he was struggling a little bit 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.120 on his own, but he's another week away from coming back, 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.600 so we'll see what Lachlan Edwards. He's gonna have a 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.080 week or so to see if he can be the guy. 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.960 All right, let's talk about the defense. Um and well 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:48.320 I think this is happier, that's true. Um, Well, I 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:51.680 think that the question from Darren's mailbag and your stat 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:55.479 of the week pretty much sums up the all encompassing 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.520 question of the defense. Do you want to do? You 0:15:58.560 --> 0:15:59.960 wanna take it away, but only if you do that 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:10.600 voice that you were doing earlier ITAs the week the 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:16.480 Panthers defense on Halloween. Now, um, in a world where 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.600 the Panther's defense holds a team to three points in 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:24.400 the first half, are they tired? Um? I think the 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:28.480 question is is this defense just tired? You know? Quite simply? 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:30.920 Is that why they're giving up points in the second half? 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.600 Is that why they're not first in the NFL and 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:36.040 every conceivable category the way they were ten years ago 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:38.440 when Darren wrote that article? Can I just tell you? 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:40.160 I mean, I don't think that this is the only reason, 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.400 but I would say just being on the sidelines around 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:46.440 them every week, especially the last few weeks, they are tired. 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:48.840 There's I mean, you can see it. There's no doubt 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:50.400 about it. When it comes to second half. Now, that 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:52.840 may not be all there is. Let you go ahead, 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:54.800 and I mean you can confirm they are tired. And 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:57.000 you know, for people to say, oh, how are they 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:58.640 so tired against? I mean, I think you just throw 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.160 out the giant second half completely like that that was 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:05.080 just a I I think that was just a statistical anomaly. 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:09.280 But even then, in the first half, they're still the 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.600 number three past defense in the league. They're giving up 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:17.800 just uh five point five nine yards per pass attempt 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:19.560 in the first half, which is third in the league. 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:21.560 In the second half, that's up to eight point six, 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.600 which is twenty six in the league. But here's the 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:27.720 thing that they're struggling with a little bit is that 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:31.960 first half run defense. Teams are able to establish the run, 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:35.400 and you know, and that's that's what's a little bit 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:38.760 scary is because you know that rush defense is you know, 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:40.920 like fifteen right now in the first half, four point 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.560 four yards per attempt. You know, in the second half 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.359 it goes up to five point five, which is thirty 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:50.159 one in the league. So obviously there's obviously they're getting gassed. 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.560 And when you know, when a team can't convert their 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:56.160 downs and it's eight three and outs, I mean, yeah, 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:58.440 they're they're taking their helmet off and going right back 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.199 out there. So obvious that plays a partner. But I 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.600 think you look at the return of shack, you look 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:05.719 at what the middle of the defense could look like 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:07.840 in the next couple of weeks, and all of a sudden, 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:10.320 maybe that first half they're able to get more three 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:12.679 and ounce because they can, you know, make it a 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:14.800 third and seven, because they can shut down the run. 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.119 You know, Dallas kind of put that out there. They 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:19.600 put that template on how to run on the Panthers 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.960 in week four, and teams are trying to copy it 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.840 each week. Well, and I think, I mean, we've talked 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.880 about Christian to death almost it feels like, and how 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:32.719 big of an impact he is on the offense. Getting 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.480 Chack Thompson back in the middle of the defense is 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:40.840 potentially huge because they didn't. There's not a Shack Thompson 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:45.600 replacement on the roster, so you're trying to replace a 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:49.399 great inside linebacker by scheme, and part of that is 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:52.119 putting Jeremy Chin closer to the box, which leaves you 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:54.560 a little bit exposed in the back, especially with Justin 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:58.840 Burrows not back there. And you're talking about taking Shack 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.800 off the field on run downs, and instead of having Shack, 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:06.959 you've got Jeremy Chan and some collection of backup defensive backs, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:11.399 so it's it's less it's it's lighter, it's not as 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.800 stout against the run by definition because of that absence. 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:19.520 And that's why, you know, we'll see how they always 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:22.840 say shack practice yesterday looked okay. The hope is that 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:25.480 he's going to respond, be able to go today and 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:28.679 and be okay by Sunday. But man, as well as 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:31.040 he was playing those first three games, I think that's 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:32.879 also small sample size, but you could argue that he 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:35.920 was playing the best football. So even if he comes 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:38.960 back in his different dude, the shock from last year, 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:41.000 you know, and and doesn't make these because he was 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:45.080 making some explosive plays game change. But that's when the 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:48.600 Panthers need those, right, especially if the offense isn't functioning 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:51.160 at the level that you would like. You need takeaways, 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:55.119 you need um just just absolute stops. And he was 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.720 he was like all over the first three games. And 0:19:57.760 --> 0:20:00.960 it sounds corny and it sounds like thing that shouldn't 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:04.520 be a real factor for professional football players. But who 0:20:04.560 --> 0:20:08.200 do you look to when things get weird? When that defense, 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:10.199 I mean, there ain't but one day Kwan Jones on 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.480 that on that line and everybody else is young Morgan 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:16.080 Fox to a lesser degree, but day Kwan is kind 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:18.159 of the old head up there. You look in the 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:21.960