WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 143: Do Right Longer 0:00:01.120 --> 0:00:03.400 This week on a Happy half Hour. 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:09.720 The last two home finales were presided over by two 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:14.040 different interim coaches. That's not normal, Gang, So now it 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:18.120 feels like they established something last week against the Cardinals 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:21.520 that's going to carry over regardless what happens in Tampa Atlanta. 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:23.520 What's the cow? 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:24.320 Whoa? 0:00:26.400 --> 0:00:31.000 It's time for the Happy Half Hour presented by Southern Star, 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:37.400 an official bourbon of the Carolina Panthers. Here are your hosts, 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:39.800 Darren Gant and Cassidy Hill. 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:48.479 Hello, friends, and welcome to a post Christmas, post Cardinals, 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:54.240 post apocalyptic, post holiday, all of the things Happy half Hour. 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:56.120 I don't even know, don't I think they make a 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:56.800 carol for that? 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.320 Yeah, well they should. We'll get to that in a second. 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:01.680 There are no good songs for this time of year. 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.640 Well, we'll try to say one, and I don't even 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:05.200 know what it means. 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:06.679 We'll try to struggle through that. 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:10.000 But right now, the important thing is we're struggling together 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:13.440 and we're pushing through all of all of the stuff. 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:14.440 And you know what. 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:17.520 Helps this time of year, maybe something from our friends 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.760 at Southern Star. Because, as always, the Happy Half Hours 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:23.720 presented by a Southern Star, an official bourbon partner of 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:27.480 the Carolina Panthers celebrate the spirit of the Carolinas. I 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:30.199 just I just gave that car to flick like David 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:32.720 Letterman back in the day and left a mess for 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:33.560 Matt to clean up. 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:35.679 I'll get that, Matt. Don't worry, he. 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:36.400 Already got it. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.760 I bet Southern Star does all kinds of business this 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:41.880 time of year for a variety of reasons. 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.720 You should because it's a wonderful product, and we appreciate 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.400 their sponsorship of the Happy Half Hour as always. But yeah, 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.240 it's that time of year. I think my bloodstreams like 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:52.400 twelve percent. 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:53.160 Nog right now. 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.600 It's I'm feeling a little thick right now, feeling kind 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:58.120 of laden. 0:01:58.520 --> 0:01:59.560 It's the holidays. 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:00.160 You know. 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.640 We've done all the eating, all the celebrating with friends 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:07.000 that I think I can stand. And it's Friday. So 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.280 according to that holiday, our schedule was just all off, 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:14.680 you know, silly major religions and commercialism having their holidays 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:15.920 in the middle of the football week. 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:18.560 But here being on a Wednesday was so weird. 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:20.560 I just everything. 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:24.360 One of the things my wife giggles about about the 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:30.359 football industrial content complex is the way we just change 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:34.119 calendars to suit ourselves and like the whole Yeah, Tuesdays 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:37.000 and Wednesday this week, right, And the first time I 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:39.919 hit her with a Tuesdays and Wednesday or Wednesdays and Thursdays, 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:40.200 she was. 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:41.399 Like, what does that even mean? 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:42.480 I know exactly what you mean. 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:44.760 Yeah, of course, especially if you have like a Thursday 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:46.840 night game and all of a sudden you say things 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.040 like Monday is Wednesday, and Tuesday is Friday, and then 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:51.080 Wednesday Saturday, and. 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:53.079 All the people around you look at you with their 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.480 head cocked the way the dog looks at the door. 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:57.079 The doorbell rings. 0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:02.919 So anyway, we are here, and hey, the football. We 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.560 can talk about the holiday in a second. The football 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:06.520 was good this week. 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:07.280 It was good. 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:09.960 I feel like the guy on the dog rates on Twitter. 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:12.160 We dogs. 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:13.040 I'm very familiar. 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.280 The dogs were good again this week. The football was 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:17.960 good again this week, so that was good news. 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.120 It was and I sadly have not even sat down 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:23.560 and been able to watch the full game. 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:24.960 I've been having trouble finding it. 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:28.640 Darren was was very very kind to let me spend 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.440 the game day with my family. I had a cousin 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:33.400 get married, so that was nice to go see that. 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:37.240 But yeah, I was following along with the game with 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:39.960 your Twitter updates, and I could tell at what point 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.400 you went downstairs, because the Twitter updates. 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:43.960 Stopped, right it's time to go to work. 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:47.840 And I started following somebody else's and but that was 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:49.760 that was definitely exciting, and being able to go back 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:53.200 and watch the highlights, the rewind the rewind that our 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.960 our great video crew does on Panthers dot com and 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:58.480 kind of see all of the big moments and some 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:00.200 of the low moments that set that up to be 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.200 such an exciting finish. This is the third overtime game 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.280 that they have had this year. They've now won two 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.920 of their three overtime games, and as Robert Hunt said yesterday, 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:11.600 we should have won the other like we won the 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.440 other one until we lost it, which I guess is 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:20.320 kind of just the point of football, but its scores, right, 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:24.159 it factors into all of the things Dave Canalis has preached. 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:26.840 Finish and he's he's been throwing a new one at 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:28.640 us the past couple of weeks that I really like, 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:33.880 do right longer, do write longer than the opponent, and 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.320 that's what they did this past week. Thought it was 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.880 really cool a shot that Another one of our video 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:42.520 guys got coming off the field was when everyone went 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:45.160 down to the end zone to celebrate with Cuba, and 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:48.720 Dave Canalis was kind of in that scrum celebrating. When 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:51.279 Shuba turned around and realized that he was hugging Dave, 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.840 he said, Hey, I owed you one talking about from Tampa. 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.599 And so you know, it's also just a reminder that 0:04:57.680 --> 0:04:59.400 is for as much as these guys say we got 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:02.160 to flush that twenty four hour rule and they do, Yeah, 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:03.119 they are still human. 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:04.520 And that was in the back of his mind. 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:07.080 Yeah, And that's the thing. 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.160 And I think when we look back over this season 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.039 as a whole, it's almost as if you could draw 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:16.679 a line at this week and just call it, because 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:19.960 I think the lessons of this year were kind of 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.360 encapsulated in that game the other day. Dave Canalis knew 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.719 this year was going to be a slog. He knew 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:30.440 that they weren't necessarily blessed with great and deep personnel 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.440 on defense to make this the kind of unit every 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.160 coach wants to be a part of. And then Derreck 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:38.680 Brown got hurt, and then Shack Thompson got hurt, and 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:43.640 the run defense became ridiculous. They knew this year was 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:47.600 going to be this kind of head down, slog, get 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:52.440 through it, push daily work kind of season, and to 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:56.480 see that payoff with I swear I think Chuba Hubbard 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.520 is like the patron saint of work ethic at this 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.680 point career. I mean, this is a guy I've watched 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.320 him since day walked in the door as a fourth 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.880 round pick, who was kind of known at Oklahoma State 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:11.280 for being that home run back, that big play. You know, 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:15.480 somebody who is going to pop sixty yard home runs. 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:20.240 And now he's become the guy you trust to get four, 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.760 to get three, to get four, to get five too, 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.000 then twelve, and then four again, and then five and 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:28.920 then seven and then eighteen. I mean, that's the guy 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:33.320 Chuba Hubbard has made himself into. We've talked about it 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:35.960 a lot. He used to be an unreliable catcher of 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:40.600 the football and then he and Tommy Trimble dedicated themselves 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.120 to forty five minutes a day after practice on a 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:46.360 jugs machine. And by the way, we got a story 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:48.760 coming out the day at Panthers dot Com about a 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.800 new friend they've got in that habit who you know 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.240 has a listen to learn himself about it. 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:55.279 He needed to be there. 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:56.599 There's a certain. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.159 Young Xavier Legett who has joined them from time to 0:06:59.200 --> 0:06:59.880 time in. 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.000 The habit and that can only be a good thing. 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:03.600 But that's kind of the lesson. 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.440 That's the arc of the story of the Carolina Panthers 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:10.680 in twenty twenty four is Dave Canalis was trying to 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:17.120 establish a daily grinder of a team, so he invested 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:20.080 the personality and they invested their cash in mid season 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:24.000 in Chewba Hubbard, and he paid that trust back with 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:25.920 the dramatic game winner in overtime. 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:27.280 Let me ask you a question, yeap. 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:29.760 Dave talked to us at the beginning of the year, 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.480 so I'm about, you know, pointing to a game in 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.840 Tampa where it was a loss, but he said that 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:38.240 was the game where we figured it out and we 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:40.600 figured out who we were going to be. What do 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.640 you think that game was for the Panthers? And obviously 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:46.240 they didn't go on the run like Tampa did last 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.320 year and make the playoffs, but I think you could 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:51.960 argue they set some foundational pieces for next year. 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:53.160 When do you think that game was? 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:57.480 I think it could have been Philadelphia, I think and 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:02.200 again with xavierly Get dropped that ball late, which could 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:05.040 have been decisive. I mean that one stuck with a 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:07.000 lot of people. I mean that was a tough one 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:11.120 to swallow because they felt like that day they had 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:13.720 gone on the road to one of those places that 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:16.920 you just don't go get a cheap win in the NFL. 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:19.640 I mean, Philly's a tough crowd, as has been established. 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:25.160 I think between that game, between the Bucks game here 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:28.440 the way it unfolded with Tuba fumbling in overtime, which 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:31.240 is a thing he just doesn't do, and him being 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:34.480 so central to the personality, and then the Chiefs game 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:37.360 before that, I think that little three week stretch where 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:42.680 you lose three games by twelve points for very specific reasons, 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:43.959 and that's the thing Dave likes. 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:45.760 I mean, it's one thing if your. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:49.440 Team is just overwhelmed and can't compete and you get 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:51.440 swamped by people week after week. 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:52.760 We've seen that. 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.280 But to be in those three games and to say, okay, 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:04.400 that play, that play. When you lose by twenty points, 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.440 it's hard to point to really specific things. But when 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:09.000 you lose by three points and. 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.120 You can see three place right. 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.680 Then you can say Okay, once we fix that, we've 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.160 established that we can compete with Pat Mahomes. We've established 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.800 we can go on road to Philadelphia and compete with 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:23.440 one of the best teams in the NFC. And I 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:27.360 think that is where that meaning kind of established itself 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:30.000 for this team in the long haul. And then last 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.520 week in your last home game of the year, I mean, 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:35.080 the Panthers fans have not had a good time of 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.760 it in the last little bit, just because you know, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:42.080 when you stop and think about the last two home 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:48.080 finales were presided over by two different interim coaches. Yeah, 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:52.000 that's not normal, gang, that's not long term sustainable. So 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:57.280 now it feels like they established something last week against 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.400 the Cardinals that's going to carry over regards word was 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:02.640 what happens in Tampa Atlanta. 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.200 And last year saw finale you were beat by your 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.040 current head coach. Time is the flat circle? 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:07.760 I agree. 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.120 I would have said Kansas City. Part of me wants 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:13.640 to say the Giants just because that was a win 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.840 and how that game ended by making the play that 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:20.040 needed to be played, that needed to be made in overtime, 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:22.920 and really earlier than that that, you know, you could 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.160 argue a lot of that game, swung on Josie Jewels 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:29.079 interception down in the red zone. That was a game 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:31.200 where they made the plays that had to be made 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.679 and made them a little bit longer. The Saints game, 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.079 I mean, you kind of got the gift that the 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:39.800 Saints are going to give in a game like that. 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.480 But then that Kansas City game, like you said, they 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:47.720 can look back intangibly point to right there, that's where. 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.240 We messed up that one. 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:52.640 And yeah, I think that's when they started to realize. 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:54.560 And then, like you said, part and parcel that with 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:58.240 the next two games and realizing we won these games 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.959 until we lost it Robert Hunts and you. 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:03.800 Know what, there are two more and there are things 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:04.760 to gather. 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:06.440 From the next couple of weeks. It's not that these 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:10.120 are unimportant. I mean Jadavian Clowney kind of laughed yesterday 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:11.840 and he's like, we figured out a couple of weeks 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:15.520 ago we weren't going to the playoffs, which was true, 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:18.920 but he said, we're trying to see who's gonna fight. 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:20.960 We're trying to see who's going to put in that time. 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:24.040 And there are guys, you know you wrote about Demoni 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.959 richardson the other day and that he's a perfect example 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:30.000 of what can be gained from this time of year. 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:33.560 I mean, he is a guy, undrafted rookie. He was 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.440 the ball magnet of training camp when he was just 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.640 some undrafted guy that you never really thought was going 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:41.839 to end up even making the team because of how 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:43.959 deep they were at that position, and then all of 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.600 a sudden, he's got a starting job for the last 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.839 couple of weeks, and you know, he is probably the 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:54.439 next sort of poster boy for what happens in December, 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:57.240 because that's he's got an opportunity to create a job 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:58.480 for himself into the future. 0:11:58.559 --> 0:11:59.880 And he's made plays. 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:01.960 Yeah, like you said, he was one of those guys 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.880 in training camp that made you learn his name and 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:06.320 and that's all you can ask to be at that 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:09.120 time of year, especially as an undrafted guy. He has 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.600 He's had three starts now, he's played one hundred percent 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:13.680 of the defensive snaps and all three of those starts, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.760 and so they trust him to be on the field again. 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:20.520 Back to our point though about you know, Dave Lake's 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:24.040 specific things that he can point to. He talked this 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.160 week and he's like, you know, Demani's done really well 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.679 we like this, We like that here are the things 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:32.480 Demani needs to do better. And I think what was 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.320 encouraging about that if you're Demani Richardson, is that they 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:39.600 are tangible things and and it's like, Okay, coach says, 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:41.719 I need to work on this, this, this, this, this. 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:44.440 They already trust you enough to be out there to 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:47.959 start and to play the full game. Now here's how 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:51.640 they now's here. Here is how you become a long 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:55.320 time starter in this league. They've kind of done that 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:58.800 with this whole rookie class. And and not just I mean, 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.240 I mean obviously not just the drafted guys. You've got Demani, 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:05.280 You've got Jaalen Cocher, and then every single one of 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:07.160 their draft picks, at least at this point, looks like 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:09.920 they've panned out, because I'm counting Mike Jackson kind of 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:10.600 as one of those. 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.120 Sure when you trade a seventh round pick for a 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:15.839 guy who plays ninety nine point nine percent of your 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.200 defensive snaps on the season and plays it at a 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:19.839 decent level, yeah, that's a win. 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:20.719 Yeah. 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:24.560 And so again we're kind of just saying the same 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.280 thing over and over in different ways. But you know, 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:29.800 we're writers that's what we do. Why say one Why 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:31.880 say it one time when I can say it's seven different. 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:34.720 Ways exactly I mean and and again, this year was 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.920 going to be a process. So what do you want 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:38.240 to see? Do you want to see it? You want 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:40.960 to see a personality developed? Check it has You want 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:44.920 to give young players opportunities to play? Yep, did that already. 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.960 And with Jayden crummeny getting on the field, you've basically 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:51.360 seen the entire draft class out there. Over the course 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:54.439 of the season. You found out, Okay, maybe Shaw Smith 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.120 Wade can be a nickel for this team moving forward. 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:58.600 He's got a little something about him. 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.319 You know, you saw Travel Wallace play some pretty good 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.440 football up until he got it shoulder injury late and 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:05.880 he shut down for the rest. 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:06.080 Of the year. 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.880 So you know you're seeing these guys, with the exception 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:13.080 of Jonathan Brooks and the unfortunate knee injury. Again, you 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:15.720 know you've seen what you wanted to see out of 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:18.960 most of these guys. So I think the stage is 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.080 set for the future. 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:21.720 Now. 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:23.520 You kind of got to get through these next two 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:25.840 weeks and once you get on the other side of 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:27.520 these games, then you're going to know your schedule. 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:28.640 Then you're going to know where. 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.720 You draft and all these other things that you've been 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.920 working on or thinking about over the course of the season, 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:38.200 then you can start working on intently. Listen, the Carolina 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:41.320 Panthers are not good at run defense. They're last in 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:43.000 the league, and they're last in the league by a 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:46.440 wide margin. I think the Giants are thirty first, and 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.280 the Panthers are about four hundred and ninety some rushing 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.840 yards behind them in terms of rushing yards allowed. And 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:56.760 it's you know, and it's largely because you lost to 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.360 Derek Brown in Week one, and having a big three 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:01.880 or andre and forty pound anchor in the middle of 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.120 your line who you can count on for one hundred 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:08.080 tackles a year, apparently that makes a difference. And losing 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.560 your signal caller in Week four, that apparently makes a difference. 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:16.880 And so they're gonna have opportunities and intent to fix that. 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:21.040 I mean, no matter what else happens. I would imagine 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:25.480 Dan Morgan and Brandt Tillis's priority is fixing that defensive 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:29.360 front seven this year because the secondary has largely been 0:15:29.400 --> 0:15:31.360 pretty good and it's largely been present. 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:32.040 I mean J C. 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:35.520 Horn Also, you know, I think he's been identified as 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.160 one of those core pieces that this team wants to 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:41.120 build around, and he's been available all year as and 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:44.040 has played at a high level. So I think the 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:46.320 focus is going to be on fixing that front seven. 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:49.400 I think they've got other work to do on offense. 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.440 Sure would be nice if there was a wide receiver 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.400 other than x L who had actually been drafted. That 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:58.440 would be fun. You know, undrafted rookies are good, but 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:00.880 they're reaching that point where you to add talent to 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.560 this thing. So there's a lot to be done, but 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:06.920 two more games to get through, beginning with this week's 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:08.000 trip to Tampa. 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:08.760 Two things. 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:09.320 One. 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:12.120 Adam Thielen made an interesting point yesterday because he was 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:15.040 asked about do you do you not like Kevin to 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:18.640 go on you would you rather be at home for 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:20.600 the final two games? Does it kind of stuck having 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:22.600 to go on the road, And he said, actually, it's 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:25.080 kind of nice because when you're on the road, you 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:25.960 only have each other. 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.840 And you know this is this is by the time. 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:31.520 We get to Atlanta and then you come back for 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:33.520 locker clean out day. You know, we say it every year, 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:35.480 this is the last time the twenty twenty four of 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.920 Carolina Panthers will be together. Every team goes through changes, 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:41.600 Inevitably during an off season, it's going to look different, 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:42.640 and so. 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:44.040 It's the last time for them to be together. But 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:45.720 those that will be back next. 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.200 Year, that's another chance for them to kind of come 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:50.640 together and say, this is what we've done this year, 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.280 this is who we've become, this is who we want 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.160 to be moving forward. Second thing, you mentioned losing your 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:57.960 signal caller, and that reminded me. I don't think i've 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:00.040 shared this story yet. You probably know this, but I 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.360 thought it was interesting. I was talking to Josie a 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.000 couple of weeks ago, and I don't know if you remember. 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:06.080 It was the. 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:13.040 What game was before the Cardinals Cowboys, and he had 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:15.560 gotten hurt and he came out at one point. 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:17.879 Right the lean called down for him to get a 0:17:17.880 --> 0:17:20.800 concussion chick. Yes, he fell on his elbow and his 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:24.480 arm kind of went out the angle and the concussion 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:28.280 spot or is conditioned to say. Bensinger response, make sure 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:31.480 that guy goes get checked. Josie was not happy about that. 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:33.720 By the way, appreciate the guy doing his job, but yeah, 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:37.480 Josie had to come off, and I believe John Radigan 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:39.720 went on as the Green dot, so it was John 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:42.600 Radagan and Jacobe win Men out there. So I was 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:45.960 asking Josie what do they do when you come off? 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:48.080 Because you could tell he was itching to get back 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.080 out there as soon as they let him go. I 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:51.800 was like, what do they do when you come off? 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.520 Because you have the helmet? And he said, you know, 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:58.760 they've got back up community communicative helmets. And he said, 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.879 but I'll be honest. When something happens and I realize 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:03.760 I'm about to have to come off, even for just 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:06.880 a play, I lay there longer than necessary. 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:08.240 To give them time to switch the helmets. 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.440 Sh I'm not supposed to tell. 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.200 People that I thought it was interesting. 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:16.440 No, it's it's true. I mean, and Josie is a 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.480 Josie's a smart guy. Josie has been through this. He 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:23.200 knows how this worked. So it was, uh yeah, that 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.640 sequence was kind of a scramble too. I mean because 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:30.400 when you go the week after putting Trevin Wallace clued 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.560 in Cherilis hall On injured reserve, and then boom, Josie 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.920 has to go out for a play and. 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:38.119 We're literally down to your fifth and sixth linebacker. 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:40.639 Yeah, I mean it was just good. It's like a 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.879 metaphor or something. Sometimes these stories smack you in the face. 0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:47.480