WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 141: Tough Outing 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:03.280 This week on the Happy Half Hour. 0:00:04.920 --> 0:00:06.840 This may arguably be the most tough outing that they 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:10.000 will have had all year. Eagles defense Pancers offense. I'm 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:12.920 really interested to see because Bryce the past three weeks 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:16.280 has handled not only blitz but pressures so much better. 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:18.640 What does he look like when Jalen Carter and Nolan 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:20.400 Smith are bearing down on him? You guys that he's 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:22.599 faced before. By the way, what's. 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.320 It? It's time for the Happy Half Hour with your 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:37.240 friends Darren Ghent and Cassidy Hill. All right, hello friends, 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:41.240 it is time for yet another edition of the Happy 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:43.720 Half Hour. We got all kinds of stuff to talk about, 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:47.519 including that horn flourish that cast you. We'll break that 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:50.040 down later. If we're gonna do our own sound effects, 0:00:50.080 --> 0:00:53.600 we're gonna have a lot of problems, Matt, a lot 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:54.480 of problems. 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:56.720 I do my own stunts. 0:00:56.880 --> 0:01:00.480 Yeah, but anyway, this is the Happy Half Hour by 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:04.400 Southern Star and official Bourbon partner The Carolina Panthers celebrate 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:08.080 the spirit of the Carolinas, and for the second week 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:12.759 in a row, they all most had something real. 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.000 To sell post. Well you know what they say, if 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:19.959 wishes and hopes were oh wait, dang, what is the phrase, if. 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:21.880 My aunt had huyos, she'd be a wagon. 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:26.280 No, it's like if if some butts were wishes and butts, 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:27.320 we'd all have a Merry. 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:29.360 Christmas candy and nuts. 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:30.240 Close enough. 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:32.880 Yeah, there you go. So anyway, that's where we are. 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:36.640 Panthers losing overtime to the Buccaneers. Uh. Coming on the 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.000 heels of Panthers lose on the last second, You'll go 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:42.760 to the Kansas City Chiefs and and things feel different 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:44.440 than the record would indicate. 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:47.760 They feel different, and that is indicated by the fact 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.560 that this loss hurt yeap, Like the Kansas City loss, 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:54.080 you're like disappointed because you're like, man, we were right there. 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.680 It could have happened. But you kind of like take 0:01:57.720 --> 0:01:59.760 what you take, the positives from it and move on. 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:02.880 This loss hurt. And I don't know if this loss 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.080 would have hard as much at the beginning of the year, 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:07.760 But now you're starting to see this team kind of 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:09.320 figure out who they are, who they want to be, 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.560 and you look at that game and go, that was winnable. 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:16.400 That was winnable in many different ways. You think one 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.760 or two different things go different, or one or two 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:24.160 things go differently in that game's a win. But that 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:26.239 also kind of goes back to what Dave Canalysis said 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:28.040 and what we have said week after week. As long 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:30.520 as Dave Canally says it, will say it, and that 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.800 is finish. And you know, if there's a couple of 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:36.919 things that are just finished in that game, it's a win. 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:39.639 And so even though it's it's a loss, it's a 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.359 good touching point. It's a good teaching point for Dave 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:44.960 Canalis as they continue to build this thing. And it 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:47.200 makes me think about this game that's coming up on 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:49.480 Sunday a little differently than I probably would even a 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:50.040 month ago. 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.359 Oh no doubt, Yeah, no doubt. I mean, And that's 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:56.200 the thing. There were very real There have been games 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.600 this year the Carolina Panthers loss because they didn't have 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:01.040 any business being in them. That was a game they 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.079 lost for very tangible and specific reasons. They score one 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.680 touchdown in the red zone, kick too many field goals, 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:10.480 they let Bucky Irvin go for a buck fifty against them. 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.520 You know, there's all these very specific things. They missed 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:18.520 two field goals that they could have done differently, and 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:23.880 we'd have a completely different conversation right now. Yeah, And 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:25.839 I mean, there are so many of those, and that's 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:28.560 what frustrated those guys so much, and it did. It 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:31.240 was telling to me that a the players in the 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.560 locker room were crushed losing that game to the Bucks 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.080 because they knew they had it in their hands. They 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.000 knew they had the opportunity, you know. And again, even 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:44.680 without the Adam Thielen touchdown, that wasn't There were so 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.800 many of them that they were frustrated with themselves. But 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:52.920 this building, for the second week in a row, had atmosphere. Yeah, 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:57.320 I mean that sounds when we're walking underneath this stadium, 0:03:57.640 --> 0:03:59.960 you know, and a lot of times, not that anybody cares, 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:03.480 but to go under behind the curtain. I will duck 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:06.280 down before a game is over watch on a monitor 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:08.640 from the room where the press conference is about to happen, 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:12.000 just because I'm trying to file rapid reactions, which many 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:14.840 of you enjoy on Panthers dot Com right at the gun. 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:17.640 To do that, I've got to be in that room. 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:23.640 I could hear that from under the stadium. I mean, 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:27.080 this place was shaking coming down the stretch at the 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:30.360 end of regulation and in overtime, and this place had 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.120 a little bit of a vibe, and that was not 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:37.800 the case early in the year at different points. I 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.320 mean last year, certainly, at no point last year, I 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:43.440 don't think other than maybe the Atlanta game. 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:46.120 Even then, wasn't that the game where like everybody scrammed. 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:51.080 Yeah, I mean, the weather's been terrible, but anyways, there's 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.720 something cooking. And that's been my big takeaway from this 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.600 from the last couple of weeks is they may be 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:02.480 three and nine, they may be you know, whatever percentage 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:06.839 points remaining to be playoff eligible, all that kind of stuff. 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:08.840 I don't want to get to in the weeds on that, 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.880 but what they've found is a voice, They've found a personality. 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:15.200 They've found the kind of football they want to play 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.560 when they're good, when they're in games in December that 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:24.200 do matter for playoff positioning, when they're in games for playoffs. 0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:28.280 I just think that's as valuable as anything that's happened 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:31.680 this season is they've sort of figured out who they are. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:35.280 Dave Canalis keep saying, we're gonna we're trying to be us, 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:37.760 We're trying to get to us. They've figured out what 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.520 us is. Now they got to play better football and 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:41.279 get more people. 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:43.640 You know, I was standing in the locker room today. 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:47.720 It was I mean me or I good thing, I 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.960 don't work in words. It was me, Robert Hunt and 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:55.359 our coworker Rob and Robert Hunt was asking us, like, 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:57.920 who are some of the most impactful players you've ever covered? 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.120 And Rob was go back to that twenty fifteen team 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:04.520 alive and he was like, you know what they just had. 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:07.160 He's like, that team just had guys you know that 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.599 could get it done on the field, that were great 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.839 in the locker room. And Rob Hunt said, we'll stick 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.000 around another year or two, You're gonna see that team again. 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:19.800 And you kind of can't help but believe Rob Hunt 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:24.440 when he says stuff. And so that was, well, he's 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:26.520 been around it, yeah, and he's been around it. 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.520 He was on a Miami team that had been you know, 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.799 in some other places and then got good. So he's 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:34.880 seen this climb before. And I think that's part of 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.200 the reason he was of interest to them, in addition 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.599 to the fact that he's massive and moves like a 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:42.840 much smaller man while being a much much larger man. 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.560 Yeah, and he certainly brings the personality as well. And 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:51.640 so you know, these three wins feel a little differently 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:54.640 than the two did at this point last year, and 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:57.640 we'll kind of see where they go from here. 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:01.279 This is three pointing towards something as opposed to two 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:02.880 pointing toward another. 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:06.360 Rebuild, counting two on the way down. Yeah, kind of 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:08.040 just looking ahead to this week, as we were saying 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:11.640 at the top, like it's gonna be interesting to watch, 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.760 and let's just call a spade a spade. This is 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:16.800 gonna be a tough outing. This may arguably be the 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:18.840 most tough outing that they will have had all year 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.880 because they are facing the league's number four overall offense, 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.120 number one rushing offense, they're twenty eighth in passing because 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:29.640 they don't have to pass, and the number one defense 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:34.400 team third in sacks. The defensive part of it, Eagles 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:39.000 defense Panthers offense. I'm really interested to see because Bryce 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.680 the past three weeks has handled not only blitz but 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:46.360 pressures so much better. What does he look like when 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:48.960 Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith are bearing down on him, 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.800 two guys that he's faced before, by the way, and 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.240 what does he do with that secondary that you know 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:59.320 has two rookie corners but also has I think Darius 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.360 Lay's question. But you know, we'll see if he's out 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:04.080 there has Chauncey Gardner Johnson who doesn't know how to 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:09.640 be anything but tenacious, you know, has a stingy little 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:13.400 secondary and a stout front seven. But we've seen Bryce 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:16.640 kind of really kind of come into himself against those 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.360 sort of pressures the past three weeks. What does he 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.120 do when he's faced with some of the best of 0:08:22.160 --> 0:08:23.160 it in the league right now? 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.360 Yeah, well, I mean the last couple of weeks, here's 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:28.000 what he's done. He's done one of two things. He's 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:31.000 either stepped into the pressure and delivered to throw, or 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:34.160 he's gone into what they call baller mode, which I love. 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:36.720 I mean, they just kind of declare that in their meeting. 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:39.120 I mean, you you wrote so much and so well 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:42.679 this offseason about their quest to get the ball out 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:47.080 in two point seven seconds. They just decide at a 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.520 certain point two point seven goes out the window, and 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:51.760 you go into baller mode, make something happen. If you 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.400 need to escape the pocket, go look. And I mean 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:56.920 that's where you've seen Bryce get out and make some 0:08:57.040 --> 0:09:00.440 plays and make some of those anticipation throws out on 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:02.480 the move and I mean, there were people in this 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:06.720 building last year when everything was sideways who were just 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:09.319 screaming to the heavens, get Bryce out on the move, 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:12.160 do the things he was good out at Alabama. And 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:14.520 I mean, that's to me gonna be one of the 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:16.920 defining quotes of the second half of this year. Is 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.400 that's Alabama Bryce. When Trevin Wallace said that after the 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:23.560 KC game, that'll be in the book one of these days. 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:25.920 I mean, you'll reach that point where he got back 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.120 to being Alabama Bryce. But Alabama Bryce is that guy 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:32.600 who rolls the pocket, who moves things and is looking 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:37.200 downfield and looking around while moving. And that was the 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:39.480 thing he was always so good out at Alabama. Is 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.600 that being able to scan on the move and find 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:48.840 an Adam feeling downfield. You know, the crazy one handed 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:53.800 catch in overtime was Bryce and Adam feeling basically improvising. 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.280 But it's not improvising because it's months in the building 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.280 and it's and it's something that takes time and communication 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:04.600 and getting to know each other. But he wasn't making 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:06.640 those throws earlier this year. 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:08.920 One another one too, that we saw that kind of 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.080 got lost in the shuffle because it happened much earlier 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.439 in the game, but he went out on a scramble 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.280 drill I want to say in the sete no, the 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:20.640 first Yeah, in the first quarter. I mean he was 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.320 wrapped up, he was sacked and he got out of 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:25.760 it and Tommy Tremble was running down the right sideline 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:27.680 and just stuck his hand up in the air and 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:31.840 Bryce found him for a huge gain. That was a 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.560 gutsy little move and a gutsy throw that turned into 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:38.080 a big play. Back to the two point seven stuff too. 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:40.800 You know, Canalis had kind of gotten away from talking 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.719 about that during the season, and I think it was 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:45.520 just because of kind of the way the season was going. 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.079 The past couple of weeks, he has brought it back 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:51.920 up himself, unprompted more than once, and that tells me 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:56.640 that they're seeing Bryce clicking with it, if that makes sense. 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.040 Well, and again, different guy we're seeing right now. I 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:02.280 don't think there's any debate about that. I mean Bryce 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:05.599 is playing with a different confidence and a different I 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:10.400 hate to say swagger because when you talk about quarterbacks 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:13.920 and swagger, everything is measured against one impossible standard in 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:17.000 Carolina Panthers history, and I don't mean Jake Delome. 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.520 You know, Or you don't think Jake Dolomses swagger. 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.600 You know. If we would have known what the word 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.520 swagger meant in nineteen ninety nine, Steve Berlin had it. 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:30.040 But that's not what I mean. And you know Bryce 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.120 is never gonna be that guy. Okay, that guy is 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:36.680 one of one. He is for a reason and literally 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:41.319 number one, literally number one. Bryce is never gonna be 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.360 that guy. But you see a little bit more now, 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.160 you know, the little dance, the little jimmy coming out 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:50.120 after eating that runs for a touchdown. I will not 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:53.160 I'm actually doing it right now. You just can't see it. 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:56.400 So for all of you people into the theater of 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.680 the mind here on the Happy half hour, I am 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:02.560 currently doing the Seng dance as far as you know. 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:04.000 Don't let you know. 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:08.079 But it's it's more fun, and I think that's the 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.480 biggest thing. I keep going back to finding that voice 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.640 and figuring out who they want to be. They want 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:16.160 to be the team that leans on people. They want 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:18.439 to be the team that relies on Bryce to do 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:22.200 smart things rather than physically amazing things. They want to 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:26.320 be the team that eventually plays tight defense and they 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:28.520 don't have people for it right now. They just don't. 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.120 And God bless all the guys who are out there 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:32.880 are doing their best right now. But a lot of 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:35.880 those guys were you know, career backups who are in 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:40.040 starting roles or rookies who weren't expecting to play nearly 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:42.760 this many snaps this year, and it's tough sledding. I mean, 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:46.280 they just you know, Giero Vero talked about it today. 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:48.520 You know, it's not all just the guys, but a 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:51.320 lot of it's the guys. And as they continue to 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:54.600 add more guys, then they'll be the team they want 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:58.320 to be. And you can see those little little hints 0:12:58.360 --> 0:12:59.040 of it right now. 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.120 It's hard not to imagine. And again, if wishes and 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:06.360 butts were candy and nuts, that's what it is. You 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:07.000 don't have America. 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:08.960 I have some butts were candy and nuts. We don't 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:09.760 have Americ Christmas. 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:10.600 We'll get it right around. 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:13.160 I still like mine, which is if my aunt had 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:14.040 wheel se'ed be. 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:18.040 A wagon hardless. It's hard not to imagine what the 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:19.839 defense would have looked like if Derek Brown was still 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:22.120 out there. I mean, we're human at the end of 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:22.440 the day. 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:25.360 That's going to be the greatest free agent signing ever 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.280 this off season, adding Derek Brown. 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.000 Adding Derek Brown back saying you know when you. 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:33.720 Add a player like that to this team, Yeah, it's 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.800 going to be like an impact signing, and you know 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:39.320 it's obviously going to make a huge difference. But that's 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.800 going to be one of many things that happens. I mean, 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.600 they're going to be active in free agents in free 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:48.760 agency right now. It's season ended today, they'd be picking 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:50.680 fifth in the draft. Also, a lot of people would 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.719 be saying, why is the season ending the Thursday, a 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.840 week fourteen? We make the rules, Yeah, exactly. So you 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.360 know you're looking at a high top ten pick. I 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:03.160 mean probably somewhere in the Florida eight range, depending on 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:03.760 how these. 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:05.480 Next you can get a game change goes. 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:08.200 I mean, you you can find somebody and we'll get 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.920 into draft stuff later on, but it's going to be 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:13.160 somebody who ought to be able to start from day one. 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:15.720 I walked into an office here the other day on 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.200 our second floor and dB was just sitting in a 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.440 very small, uncomfortable looking chair, and I was like, Dby, 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:23.640 what are you doing here? And he it was the 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:25.480 pr office and he's like, this is my office now, 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:27.680 I run this place. Yeah, And I was like, and 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:29.800 but what was funny about it was it was an 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.040 off day for the players, and. 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:32.720 You know who wanted to be here? You know who 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.400 was more uncomfortable than dB who the chair? 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.720 That's true, And it's like all of you other people 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.200 sitting in here, y'all couldn't give him one of your 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:42.880 nicer chairs. But I just thought it was funny too, 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:44.800 because it was an off day for the players, and 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:46.600 he just wanted to be in the building. Yeah, And 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:47.640 he just wanted to be here. 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:50.240 And be around, right, And Derek's been around the whole 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.880 time we had It was actually an interesting question. I 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.120 enjoy writing the Ascy Old Guy mail Bag because we 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.760 find people send in questions that actually make me think sometimes, 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.880 which you know, sometimes I act like I'd seen it 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:05.840 all and done it all around this place, just because 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:09.200 I've been wandering around for thirty years. But somebody asked 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.720 about Derek Brown being on the sidelines during games. And 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:13.960 I mean, I know, Derek's in the building source my 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:18.120 two eyes every day, but he hadn't been on the 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:22.560 sideline prior to last week's game. Primarily because of self 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:26.400 defense reasons. Derek Brown. Derek Brown was on a scooter 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:28.880 for a long time. He had a souped up Rascal 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:32.280 scooter that was a pretty impressive piece of engineering. 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:33.280 I found it on Amazon. 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.280 And then he was on crutches for a long time. 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.960 And you can't have guys on crutches on the sidelines 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:41.680 because football happens all around them and if somebody comes barreling, 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:44.800 you know, out of bounds and runs into Derek Brown 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:49.240 while he's compromised in his ability to move and protect himself, 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.680 then they could be a bigger problem. So gus guys 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.840 have to hang back, and they're usually in a suite 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:58.520 somewhere upstairs until they're able to be there on the 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:02.080 sideline and be in the And Derek is definitely eager 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:02.920 to be in the MiGs. 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:06.720 His voice on the sideline could could help to keep 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:07.560 people calm. 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.280 Yeah, I mean, dB is he's seen some things here 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.640 in the last a little bit and he's definitely eager 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:16.280 to get back to where it's the kind of defense 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.160 that he was used to being on previously. And and 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:21.960 and then some So we'll see how it goes. But 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:27.000 Philly this weekend yep, sa Kwan Barkley play hard. You 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:29.920 know this is gonna be a challenge for those guys. 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:33.800 Yeah, that's gonna You sounded like somebody when you said that, 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:35.760 were you doing an impersonation. 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:37.240 Not that I'm aware of. I mean, I am just 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:42.000 batting a cold. Maybe it's Foghorn Leghorn, well Steve Spurry 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:45.760 or Falhorn Leghorn kind of, I think. But no, I 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.080 mean it's yeah, it's it's gonna be tough. I mean, 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:50.280 the Eagles are really good at football. This just in 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.200 that's analysis that you can only get here at the 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:56.960 Happy half hour. I know the people at Southern Star 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.080 are really glad they're sponsoring this thing now. 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:00.400 But you know. 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.800 Regardless the Eagles game five games left the rest of 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:09.280 this season, and whether this team finishes three and fourteen, 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:11.919 five and twelve, whatever, the four and thirteen, whatever the 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.439 number may be, I think the greater lessons are going 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.760 to stand. And I mean we'll see fine tuning of 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.080 some of that over the next five weeks. But I 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:21.840 think we've learned a lot of what we're going to 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:25.399 learn about this team right now, which is maybe they 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:27.720 found a quarterback yeh who they trust going in the 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.280 next year, maybe they can build on this passing game. 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:33.199 You know, they'll want to continue to add parts on 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:37.679 offense too. Just because Dan Morgan is a guy a 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.919 lot of people believe is going to invest heavily in 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:43.000 defense this offseason, that don't mean they don't need another 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:46.080 wide receiver to help this team. And I think they're 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:49.920 going to be pretty active in that regard. So they're 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:52.280 going to be busy. We're going to find things out, 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:55.560 you know, little individual things, and you know there's gonna 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.240 be opportunities like Shaw Smith Wade gets back in the 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.440 lineup this week at nickel. If Shaw Smith Wade can 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:04.480 be your nickel going into next year. 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:05.680 That takes care of a lot of things. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.000 Takes care of a number of things, and it also 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:10.120 makes this a pretty good draft. 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:10.639 Yeah. 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.199 I mean, if you get what you think you're going 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:16.879 to get out of Jonathan Brooks, if Xavier Leget continues 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:19.760 to develop again, Trevin Wallace got a lot of snaps 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:22.120 they didn't think he was gonna get this year, that's 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:26.679 gonna accelerate his process. Jatavian Sanders has made enough place 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.240 to make you think that's going to be a thing 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:32.160 that develops as part of this offense. If you get 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:35.440 two contributors out of any draft you feel. 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:38.040 Okay about it, they might get if you get five, 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:41.280 and so Jaydon Crummedy, So that that leaves we've gone 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:43.119 through all of them except for Jaydon Crummedy, who has 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:45.120 spent most of them season on ir but they seem 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:46.760 to really really like what they're going to get out 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.680 of him. And the other one is Michael Barrett, which 0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:51.840 ipso facto is Mike Jackson. 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:55.480 Correct, you traded your seventh round pick. You're starting to 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:58.400 make the roster for a guy who starts every game 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:00.320 at cornerback for you this year and play at a 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:01.320 pretty decent level. 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:04.160 So you got five out of seven that are already 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:08.840 contributing in a in an impactful way and or learning 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.480 to contribute more down the road. One that you're still 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:13.240 learning about in one like like you said, you turned 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:15.399 into a veteran starter. Yeah, got a bad draft. 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:19.480 It was it sure was something, But well we'll get 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.840 to all that and more. It's been there's been so 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:25.320 much going on, I lose track of what day of 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:27.520 the week it is. You know, we're less than three 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:28.800 weeks from Christmas. 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:31.320 Right, My bank account knows that. 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:35.760 That late, that late Thanksgiving, late Thanksgiving rolling all over 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:38.399 me right now. I woke up yesterday it was like, 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:41.760 it's three weeks from Christmas. I'm not ready for this. Yeah, 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:45.280 but uh yeah, it's been great though. Thanksgiving break was good. 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:50.119