Speaker 1: Hi, this is Dewey Jenkins. When the team that manages
Speaker 1: our Morris Jenkins website told me the most often asked
Speaker 1: question is who is Mr Jenkins married too? You could
Speaker 1: have knocked me over with a feather. I went home
Speaker 1: and told my wife that I was so surprised that
Speaker 1: I didn't know what to say. She laughed and said, honey,
Speaker 1: my name is Renee. So now you know the team
Speaker 1: at Morris Jenkins and I are here for the Panthers,
Speaker 1: and we're here for you too, whenever you need us.
Speaker 1: It's time for a Happy half Hour with your friends
Speaker 1: Kristin Balboni, Miles Simmons and Will Bryan. That's right, it's
Speaker 1: that time of the week. It's the Happy Half Hour
Speaker 1: podcast presented by Morris Jenkins and Chris and Mr Jenkins
Speaker 1: told me that the Panthers make him proud and he's
Speaker 1: honored to support the team. When you were plumbing, your
Speaker 1: air conditioning is acting up, you call Morrish Jenkins or
Speaker 1: visit Morrish Jenkins dot com. Beautiful. I was always Miles.
Speaker 1: Great to be here with my good buddies, Miles and
Speaker 1: Will and um guys, you know it's it's different. Usually
Speaker 1: come in and react to the game that happened on Sunday.
Speaker 1: But with the Panthers playing on Thursday night and losing
Speaker 1: to the Falcons, we thought we'd switch it up a
Speaker 1: little bit for this podcast. We're at the mid season point.
Speaker 1: There are three and five halfway through the season. So well,
Speaker 1: we said, you know, let's hand out some mid season awards.
Speaker 1: A fun little activity to do, A fun little activity.
Speaker 1: You make it sound like it's a coloring book or something.
Speaker 1: I mean, we'll see at the end of little activity
Speaker 1: that we enjoyed it. Some little diverting distraction that she
Speaker 1: came up with here, Christen. Not like mid season awards
Speaker 1: are super original, but I you know, try to go
Speaker 1: with some fun categories we need on this Wednesday morning. Look, well,
Speaker 1: I think as we get to the halfway point, what
Speaker 1: I think is interesting about this team is that it's
Speaker 1: kind of been a team of streaks. Right. You go
Speaker 1: through the first couple of weeks of the season, you're oh,
Speaker 1: in two. Then Christian McCaffrey goes out, and he's been
Speaker 1: out for a while now. But it seems if you
Speaker 1: read What Way the Wind Is Blowing, if you will,
Speaker 1: if you read Miles articles on Panthers dot Com. It
Speaker 1: seems like he is going to be back this week
Speaker 1: against the Chiefs. So now you've gone two and three,
Speaker 1: excuse me, three and three in the games without him
Speaker 1: to get to three and five. So there, it's interesting
Speaker 1: just where this team is, right you you lose to
Speaker 1: you win three, you lose three. Well, you know this
Speaker 1: week is gonna be tough, so we'll see what happens there.
Speaker 1: But then as you get into the second half of
Speaker 1: the season, there is uh some reason I think you
Speaker 1: can say for optimism in terms of what this team
Speaker 1: can do, but you have to be a little bit
Speaker 1: more consistent in certain areas. And Matt Rules said that,
Speaker 1: he said, that's something that that we identified um at
Speaker 1: this halfway point, is that we want to be a
Speaker 1: more consistent team, not a team of streaks. And you know,
Speaker 1: like everything with this young team and a team that's
Speaker 1: been dealt injuries and and COVID related issues, just like
Speaker 1: a lot of other teams, that's all gonna that's all gonna. Um,
Speaker 1: that's that's what they're working towards. This consistency, experience and
Speaker 1: more wins, no doubt. All right, but let's get to it.
Speaker 1: The happy half hour mid Season Award. I don't know
Speaker 1: if you could hear that. I was doing a little
Speaker 1: drum on the table. Was beautiful, Thank you, Thank you
Speaker 1: were a drum, no the flute in the middle school band.
Speaker 1: But that's a story for for another podcast. Um. First
Speaker 1: up in the mid Season Awards, position group, you would
Speaker 1: most like to hang out with? Will Let's start with you. Yes,
Speaker 1: I was hoping I get to go first because I
Speaker 1: get to steal the good one the defensive line. Oh,
Speaker 1: come on, that's going to steal that. I thought there
Speaker 1: was gonna be another one that was going to come
Speaker 1: to the forefront first, so I thought I was going
Speaker 1: with a less obvious one. Okay, but we'll go ahead. Sorry,
Speaker 1: I just jumped. I just like tone your answer. Go ahead.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna let you finish. I'm gonna let you finish.
Speaker 1: But the greatest video Brian Byrne. I mean, we've already
Speaker 1: seen those guys in our in our video series with them,
Speaker 1: they're obviously, and then you have like you know, Weatherly,
Speaker 1: who Who's Who's Who's really different and cool? The most
Speaker 1: interesting man in football? And then who doesn't want to
Speaker 1: hang out with a like f A can just I'll
Speaker 1: go hang out in London with FA for a week
Speaker 1: and that'll be its own little thing. So yeah, and
Speaker 1: you're forgetting our guy dB to Derek Brown. Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: dere Derek Brown? Who who whose favorite animals a lion?
Speaker 1: Apparently despite playing in his wife? Alright, I think that's
Speaker 1: a great choice. Um, that's also mine. But myles, what's yours?
Speaker 1: I would say the safeties. I want to hang out
Speaker 1: with the safety. You know, Trey Boston. He's got so
Speaker 1: much energy. Who doesn't want to hang out with a
Speaker 1: guy like that? Are you putting Jeremy Chin in that
Speaker 1: category even though he plays, Yes, well, he's safety, so
Speaker 1: you know what, I'm putting them in the category. I
Speaker 1: want to hang out with Jeremy Chin too. He's fun.
Speaker 1: He likes to watch a lot of football, so do I.
Speaker 1: There's not much in my brain, I said this is
Speaker 1: somebody the other day. There's not much going on in
Speaker 1: my head ea up for like football and song lyrics.
Speaker 1: So like Jeremy Chin. Also seems like you know you
Speaker 1: read vibe on that. Justin Burris also another guy that's
Speaker 1: pretty cool man, Like they're Sam Franklin. You know. With
Speaker 1: the more we get to know him. He's tons of energy. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: So I would like to hang out with the Safeties.
Speaker 1: I think they'd be fun or or the offensive lineman
Speaker 1: because you know what offensive lineman and I was one
Speaker 1: in my past life in high school. Uh. They know
Speaker 1: how to love to break that they know, they know
Speaker 1: how to eat, they know how to drink, they know
Speaker 1: how to be married. So I would also hang out
Speaker 1: with the Oils. I like all of those. I really
Speaker 1: thought the obvious choice would be the wide receiver group.
Speaker 1: I thought that would be it because they're just cool.
Speaker 1: And I would put Frisman Jackson the wide receivers coach
Speaker 1: and there too. Um. I thought that would be someone's
Speaker 1: choice for sure. And I gotta tell you guys a
Speaker 1: funny story. We aired this on the pregame UM Show
Speaker 1: on Thursday night. I talked to DJ Moore last week
Speaker 1: and I said, what's that? What's that dynamic like with
Speaker 1: you and Robbie and Curtis, Because not only are they
Speaker 1: all having a very good seasons on the field, they're
Speaker 1: just always together in practice. You always see ten eleven, twelve, Uh,
Speaker 1: and you know, walking up to practice all that kind
Speaker 1: of stuff. And um, he said, you know, it's it's
Speaker 1: like Robbie's the oldest child and he is super calm,
Speaker 1: and he makes sure that you know, the two of
Speaker 1: us are are all good. He's like, and Curtis is
Speaker 1: the middle child, and he's like, and I'm I'm the youngest.
Speaker 1: I like to annoy the both of them and that
Speaker 1: those are his words, not mine. So I kind of
Speaker 1: thought that would be And of course, you know, Zilstra
Speaker 1: seems like a you know, a nice calming presence, a
Speaker 1: steady guy, seems like he's a fun to be around. Two.
Speaker 1: So I just think that's a good group. And then
Speaker 1: I'm putting Frisman Jackson there. I loved getting to talk
Speaker 1: to him in the off season. Um and anyone that
Speaker 1: can command that room, I'm like, all right, go for it.
Speaker 1: So I really thought that would be a group that
Speaker 1: someone would pick. But I I went defensive line as well.
Speaker 1: Like Will said, we did the the teammate test with UM,
Speaker 1: with Brian Burns and Zacker and then you know, of
Speaker 1: course he's out for the year, but KK is the best.
Speaker 1: So umm, I'm gonna go d line too. All right,
Speaker 1: what's our next what's our next category? Christmas next up?
Speaker 1: And um, you know, we like to keep it loose
Speaker 1: and fun here on the Happy Half Hour podcast presented
Speaker 1: by Morris Jackens. But the team is three and five
Speaker 1: right now, and they've had some some close losses. So
Speaker 1: the next category is most gutting loss, the one where
Speaker 1: you went, you know, and and Miles, I know you're
Speaker 1: a writer. Maybe that doesn't mean the same for you
Speaker 1: as a as a fan of the team, But the
Speaker 1: one where you went, oh my gosh, they had this
Speaker 1: one or they were so close that the loss that
Speaker 1: you think will stay with the Panthers going forward Week
Speaker 1: one against honest, because it the way it flipped there
Speaker 1: in the second half and then in the fourth quarter
Speaker 1: where you had the lead and then you allowed I
Speaker 1: keep having to stop myself from saying Oakland, well, you
Speaker 1: did cover the team. You and I know that this
Speaker 1: is a thing that's happening across the league. It's like
Speaker 1: when the Rams move for St. Louis to l a Like,
Speaker 1: people keep calling him St. Louis. People are still calling
Speaker 1: the Chargers San Diego. So it's going to take a
Speaker 1: little while. But anyway, when the Raiders of Las Vegas
Speaker 1: went down the field and then they scored and then
Speaker 1: you had that fourth and one opportunity and Alex Arma
Speaker 1: just doesn't get that one yard that you need. Um.
Speaker 1: I think that that loss was really tough, and you know,
Speaker 1: it sets you up at Owen one and then you
Speaker 1: go down to Tampa and you you go into O
Speaker 1: and two and unfortunately that the Panthers did recover from
Speaker 1: those things. Um but yeah, I think you as good
Speaker 1: as the Raiders have been, and they are a good
Speaker 1: team right now. They look like they could be one
Speaker 1: of the seven playoff teams in the a f C.
Speaker 1: That's still a game where you come away thinking, man,
Speaker 1: you know, we were we were pretty close there. And
Speaker 1: that's the thing about this team. You could say that
Speaker 1: in almost every game they've played, which is what makes
Speaker 1: uh it fun to watch this team and also makes
Speaker 1: it a little heartbreaking. You know they're they're right there. Um, So, Will,
Speaker 1: what's your most gutting loss of the season. On the
Speaker 1: one hand, because we all know my feelings about Atlanta
Speaker 1: like that, you know, obviously there's some there's some recency
Speaker 1: bias there of wanting you know that that that tastes
Speaker 1: is still kind of in your mouth at this point
Speaker 1: because you haven't played another game. But I think the
Speaker 1: question is, you know what what feels worse, you know,
Speaker 1: almost beating a good team that's won the division a
Speaker 1: couple of years in a row, or losing to a
Speaker 1: team that's really struggling. You know what we're what feels worse,
Speaker 1: you know? And so I'll go with New Orleans. You know,
Speaker 1: you you know, you might say, you know, there's too
Speaker 1: much time on the clock or what are you gonna
Speaker 1: do with but you know, all Teddy is just having
Speaker 1: this incredible game and you're going tote toe with Drew Brees.
Speaker 1: You're feeling like, here we go, we're in field goal range,
Speaker 1: We're in your what inches away because of the sack
Speaker 1: and what would have been an NFL record to tie
Speaker 1: the game, and it's just it's that close. Um. I
Speaker 1: think when when you see it, when it feels like
Speaker 1: you can literally see the ball that close to the crossbar, um,
Speaker 1: that that just feels gutting when you're trying to win
Speaker 1: that game on the road in that place. All right, Well,
Speaker 1: Will and I are sharing a brain wave because that
Speaker 1: was also mine. It's actually what I thought of when
Speaker 1: I picked the category, and I think it was that
Speaker 1: it was the Joey Sly field goal, being so close
Speaker 1: and being so close to to making history and just
Speaker 1: for him to be able to kick it that far,
Speaker 1: that straight under that much pressure, UM in a game
Speaker 1: against the Saints, but it just being just a little
Speaker 1: bit of something that no one's ever done in the
Speaker 1: NFL in a game um, and I mean there was
Speaker 1: a second round was like, oh, it's oh, it's happened.
Speaker 1: This is happening, and then just as well said inches.
Speaker 1: So I'd put that one um at the top for
Speaker 1: me as well. Here's what I would say to that,
Speaker 1: and not to you know, pooh pooh on what you
Speaker 1: guys are saying, but it sounds like you're about it
Speaker 1: because even if hits that field goal, the game's only
Speaker 1: tied and they got and the defense had to stop
Speaker 1: Drew Brees and they hadn't done it all day that is,
Speaker 1: that is, and there was plenty of time left on
Speaker 1: that clock, so in all the if all they needed
Speaker 1: was a field goal, I don't know how the Panthers
Speaker 1: would have stopped Drew Brees that day in that offense.
Speaker 1: And Alvin Camara like they just they hadn't done it.
Speaker 1: Let us have this, sorry, let us have this. It's
Speaker 1: the way. Next one is the biggest surprise or breakout star.
Speaker 1: So either a surprise moment or a surprise player, however
Speaker 1: you want to take this. The floor is your mouth.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with Mike Davis, you know. And despite
Speaker 1: what everybody said about Mike Davis in training camp, and
Speaker 1: there was a lot of praise heaped at Mike Davis
Speaker 1: in training camp, you don't know what you're really going
Speaker 1: to get from a guy like that when Christian McCaffrey
Speaker 1: goes out until he actually starts playing. And so when
Speaker 1: you saw what he started doing against the Buccaneers um
Speaker 1: in that fourth quarter, and he's just making catches and
Speaker 1: it seemed like the Bucks were just kind of letting
Speaker 1: him do what he was going to do um on
Speaker 1: the in the flat and on the outside there. Look,
Speaker 1: it was like, all right, well, Mike Davis can at
Speaker 1: least catch the ball. We know that, and in the
Speaker 1: past he's run it well. But then you start to
Speaker 1: see what he really can do once he gets the
Speaker 1: starters reps. And in that three game winning streak, he
Speaker 1: was a huge integral part of it. You think about
Speaker 1: the nine yards from scrimmage that he had against Atlanta.
Speaker 1: I think that's really emblematic of it. So Mike Davis,
Speaker 1: I think has been a real pleasant surprise. And when
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey comes back and again it seems like it
Speaker 1: might be as soon as this week, it's gonna be
Speaker 1: interesting to see how Joe Brady and that offensive staff
Speaker 1: develop a plan to keep Mike Davis involved. I I agree.
Speaker 1: I think that's a great one. And it's it's not
Speaker 1: just that he's come in and filled in for Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 1: It's said, I think we know so much about him
Speaker 1: in his style now and I don't think we ever
Speaker 1: saw that at his past stops. And whether that's you know,
Speaker 1: not being given a chance or um him not having
Speaker 1: the opportunity, I I don't know. But it's just we
Speaker 1: know now who Mike Davis is as a running back,
Speaker 1: who he is as a player and a teammate. And uh,
Speaker 1: I think that's great. That's something that we we couldn't
Speaker 1: have said, even just going into week three, and so
Speaker 1: I think it's great for for Mike Davis, and certainly
Speaker 1: the Panthers are happy that they have him here. Uh, well,
Speaker 1: what about you biggest surprise or breakout start. I think
Speaker 1: Robbie Anderson has to be mentioned at some point because
Speaker 1: no one, no one knew this was coming, and there's
Speaker 1: still obviously half of the season to go, but the
Speaker 1: Panthers haven't had a top five NFL receiver in a
Speaker 1: very long time. It's it's been years since you had
Speaker 1: a top flight receiver. And that's what Robbie is doing
Speaker 1: right now in this league is someone that is not
Speaker 1: just a deep threat, but as an every down receiver,
Speaker 1: that's a volume receiver, that's a go to guy. Um,
Speaker 1: he's he's doing that. You know, we'd like to see
Speaker 1: some more touchdowns from him kind of you know, in
Speaker 1: these last several games for sure. Um, But I don't
Speaker 1: think anyone expected that when he was signed last year.
Speaker 1: You know. I'll give a little bit of a honorable
Speaker 1: mention to Curtis as well, because I think there's a
Speaker 1: lot of talk around the draft about potential trades and
Speaker 1: all these things, and is you know, you know, where
Speaker 1: does Curtis really landed in this offense? And I think
Speaker 1: that he's really shown that, you know, he's he has
Speaker 1: a very important and specific role, especially with Christian out um.
Speaker 1: You know, and obviously they missed him when he didn't play,
Speaker 1: and he stepped up when he has played. But I'll
Speaker 1: still go with Robbie Anderson. Yeah, Robby Anderson was my
Speaker 1: honorable mention, if you will. I'm gonna go with with
Speaker 1: Jeremy chen because I think it's weird, even now we're
Speaker 1: eight games in to think the Panthers got them got
Speaker 1: him where they got him in the draft. It just
Speaker 1: seems just like an incredible move that all these other
Speaker 1: teams passed over him. Um, and the Panthers were able
Speaker 1: to identify this coming out of Southern Illinois, and you
Speaker 1: know around the draft, Panthers fans really wanted Isaiah Simmons
Speaker 1: and and and Jeremy Jenny's what you were hoping Isaiah
Speaker 1: Simmons could be with that versatility. And they got Dirk
Speaker 1: Brown in the first round too, um and each our
Speaker 1: gross mantos in the second as well, which we haven't
Speaker 1: seen a lot of Dude to Andrew and whatnot, but
Speaker 1: he has had a couple of places where he's flashed absolutely. Um.
Speaker 1: So I gotta go with with Jeremy chinn Um. You know,
Speaker 1: defensive Rookie of the Month for the month of October.
Speaker 1: We even saw the the fake punt uh um, so
Speaker 1: I just um, I think that's my my breakout star,
Speaker 1: I would say of the first half, But again, it's
Speaker 1: he's he's been so good since the beginning. It's almost
Speaker 1: weird to say that, but I think if you think
Speaker 1: before the season, they were just they were just unknowns
Speaker 1: about about how he was going to pan out, if
Speaker 1: he was going to live up to these expectations, live
Speaker 1: up to the hype. And I think he's doing it well,
Speaker 1: especially because there was no off season program there. You know,
Speaker 1: he didn't get to be in the building until late July,
Speaker 1: and so when something like that happens, despite what you
Speaker 1: know about a guy from scouting him and all these
Speaker 1: different things, you don't necessarily know how it's going to
Speaker 1: pan out until he's actually on the field. And you
Speaker 1: brought up the Isaiah Simmons comp Well, what Jeremy Chin
Speaker 1: is doing right now, he's playing, You know, you look
Speaker 1: at what Isaiah Simmons is doing over there in Arizon.
Speaker 1: He's really not been on the field all that much.
Speaker 1: And I don't have the numbers up right in front
Speaker 1: of me at this particular moment, but if you just
Speaker 1: look at it, from that standpoint, you can see Jeremy
Speaker 1: Chin really contributing to this defense on a down to
Speaker 1: down basis. He's all over the field, he is everywhere.
Speaker 1: He is exactly what the Panthers wanted when they traded
Speaker 1: up to draft him. And I think you can't feel
Speaker 1: anything but encourage about his performance and just to boot
Speaker 1: just the nicest guy, just hard working, um, just humble.
Speaker 1: I mean, like you said that he's got like football
Speaker 1: and music in his brain. It feels like and that's
Speaker 1: about it. I had a chance to talk with him
Speaker 1: and we surprised him with a visit from his mom
Speaker 1: virtually right before the Thursday night game and just hearing
Speaker 1: the two of them talk, um how excited she was
Speaker 1: for him to play in primetime. It was just really cool.
Speaker 1: And you know, he's someone that has been a surprise
Speaker 1: throughout his entire football journey to this point, barely had
Speaker 1: any offers going into T. S I U. At the
Speaker 1: point where his mom said, you know, I'll help you
Speaker 1: pay for your education. I'll do what I can. We
Speaker 1: can take out student loans and he said, nope, I'm
Speaker 1: going to get a scholarship. So to go from that,
Speaker 1: and then um S I U and then not being
Speaker 1: the the highest touted guy coming right, yes, coming into
Speaker 1: the draft. Um, although there was buzz, it's just it's
Speaker 1: just incredible to see what he's doing so far. Alright.
Speaker 1: Next up, most memorable moment of the first half of
Speaker 1: the season, Will you want to kick us off? For?
Speaker 1: For me, it was a moment that was almost disastrous
Speaker 1: and then glorious. And that was the last play of
Speaker 1: the Chargers game because you're going into that and it's like,
Speaker 1: we really need to win. There's no Christian McCaffrey, and
Speaker 1: here we have a chance against you know, a team
Speaker 1: that you know at the time, you know, felt like
Speaker 1: this could be a really big win. And oh, my goodness,
Speaker 1: like if you make that hook and ladder pitch, that
Speaker 1: thing is wide open. And just to watch that thing
Speaker 1: developed in real time and then oh my god, thank goodness,
Speaker 1: you dropped it. Like just that was that was a moment.
Speaker 1: You know, there aren't that many moments where you really
Speaker 1: get the literally the game decided on the very final play,
Speaker 1: and to have that happen was was, you know, heart pounding.
Speaker 1: So I'll go with that one. That's a good one
Speaker 1: because I had that on my list too, so I'm glad.
Speaker 1: I also put another one on my list, which was
Speaker 1: a Teddy Bridgewater touchdown run where he was able, you know,
Speaker 1: shaking bag a little bit, get a couple of guys,
Speaker 1: you know, to break their ankles as he was running
Speaker 1: into the end zone. And again it was something where
Speaker 1: we in the media it maybe made a bit of
Speaker 1: more of a narrative of it than he did, but
Speaker 1: I do think that it was representative of something, even
Speaker 1: if he won't say it, um that now he is
Speaker 1: a starting quarterback in the NFL again. Now he is
Speaker 1: all the way back five years basically after he last was.
Speaker 1: So I thought that that was really good play and
Speaker 1: I thought it was really symbolic of what Teddy Bridgewater
Speaker 1: can do about you. Christen. I'm gonna go not a
Speaker 1: play in a game, but I'm gonna go back to
Speaker 1: week one. What's that bear doing. I just think it's
Speaker 1: I mean, there are plenty of place to choose from.
Speaker 1: You guys had two great ones, um and I could
Speaker 1: go in a number of different directions, but I just think,
Speaker 1: I don't know, just it's it's such a fun moment.
Speaker 1: It's been something that has lasted through the entire first
Speaker 1: half of the season. And then too, I think you know,
Speaker 1: it also adds to it because of the way Robbie
Speaker 1: has played and Will was talking about that or the
Speaker 1: way that this offense um has looked in most games
Speaker 1: where and you know, and it's it's that, it's it's
Speaker 1: Robbie showing his personality, introducing himself to Panthers fans, introducing
Speaker 1: himself on the field to Panthers fans. And then also
Speaker 1: one thing I love about that, Um, it's just that
Speaker 1: he's with Curtis and DJ which is another thing that
Speaker 1: we talked about about this this first half of the season,
Speaker 1: the relationship that those three receivers have together, and that's
Speaker 1: who he's talking to, and you know, it's love for
Speaker 1: our guy, surper Um. So that's it's probably my most
Speaker 1: memorable moment. It's his name, all right, last one, Um,
Speaker 1: either something to keep an eye on in the second
Speaker 1: half of the season or a player to watch in
Speaker 1: the second half of the season. Will I took this
Speaker 1: from you when we did our quarter Pole Awards where
Speaker 1: he said, look, I think we got to talk about
Speaker 1: what are we looking for going forward. So as we
Speaker 1: turn the page to the second half of the season.
Speaker 1: What's uh, what's something that everyone should keep an eye on?
Speaker 1: Will I want to see what Teddy Bridgewater can do
Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter to be able to win in
Speaker 1: the NFL. I think he would say this. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think he did say this at the end of
Speaker 1: the Thursday night game. You have to win in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter. You have to win probably on your last drive.
Speaker 1: You've got to be able to execute in those moments.
Speaker 1: And we need to see that happen for this team
Speaker 1: to start getting wins. They're good enough to win the games,
Speaker 1: but they're gonna need some big plays from this offense,
Speaker 1: and they're gonna need it from Teddy especially, I mean everybody.
Speaker 1: But it gets put on the quarterback, rightly or wrongly,
Speaker 1: it gets put on the quarterback in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1: And I think that that's what I'm looking to see
Speaker 1: how that will be coming forward. I mean, obviously it's
Speaker 1: some tough games, but some winnable games too, um, and
Speaker 1: we need they're all going to be close, and we
Speaker 1: need to see how Teddy handles that. I think that's
Speaker 1: I think that's a good point. Well, I think that
Speaker 1: you're right and that we've got to see how this
Speaker 1: offense in particular, Bridgewater can start handling things in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter going forward, because look, at the end of
Speaker 1: these games, there have been interceptions, and that's one place
Speaker 1: where Bridgewater just has not been able to thrive is
Speaker 1: at the end of games. So I think that he's
Speaker 1: definitely one guy to watch in the second half. One
Speaker 1: guy I would point out would be Curtis Samuel and
Speaker 1: that's how does he continue to make himself such a
Speaker 1: valuable player in this offense. And he's done so well
Speaker 1: on third down, and that's a critical down, but I
Speaker 1: think you want to get a little bit more production
Speaker 1: out of first and second down as well. And yes,
Speaker 1: they've done that in some ways. Obviously he caught that
Speaker 1: flee flicker touchdown um in that Thursday night game that
Speaker 1: will the first down play. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: I think he's somebody who has shown that he can
Speaker 1: be a dynamic offensive player. And a lot of these
Speaker 1: balls that are going to wide receivers have gone to
Speaker 1: d J. Moore into Robbie Anderson. Robbie Anderson is having
Speaker 1: the best season of his career, So that's that's one thing.
Speaker 1: And then Christian McCaffrey is going to come back to
Speaker 1: and there's only one ball that can get thrown around, right,
Speaker 1: So I think Curtis Samuel is definitely going to be
Speaker 1: somebody to watch because look, how is he going to
Speaker 1: really develop as a player in this second half of
Speaker 1: the season. He's going into a contract here, right that
Speaker 1: this is a contract here, So how is all that
Speaker 1: going to turn out? I think it's gonna be interesting
Speaker 1: to see. The thing I'll be watching in the second
Speaker 1: half of the season is the the steps um or
Speaker 1: or a lack thereof. But I think there will be
Speaker 1: steps at this defense, this very very young defense can
Speaker 1: take as they continue to develop. Can they can they
Speaker 1: get off the field when it matters? Can they improve
Speaker 1: on third down? Um? Well, it's what was the stat
Speaker 1: They've only forced one punt in the last two games? Yep,
Speaker 1: and that was the very last drive of the Atlanta
Speaker 1: games that will set of the week. But I have
Speaker 1: another one. So the only force one point in the
Speaker 1: in the last two games, you know, And at one
Speaker 1: point I looked up I told Will this after the
Speaker 1: game on Thursday, and there were six workies playing on
Speaker 1: on defense and that's that's out of necessity. And I
Speaker 1: think that we'll see that defense improve in the second
Speaker 1: half of the season, both because those guys are going
Speaker 1: to get more experience UM and they're going to be
Speaker 1: put in situations that they can learn from I think
Speaker 1: they already have been, but but also because other guys
Speaker 1: will be getting healthy. So Rsul Douglas has been activated
Speaker 1: off the COVID reserve list for this Kansas City game. UM,
Speaker 1: justin Burris. We expect to be back from i R shortly,
Speaker 1: sooner rather than later. I would think UM and UH
Speaker 1: and and more of the same there. So I think
Speaker 1: that it's been a learning curve for this defense, and
Speaker 1: the rookies have been put in UM in some big
Speaker 1: situations and and are doing the best they can with
Speaker 1: a with a lack of experience, and so I think
Speaker 1: it will only get better from here. I agree with
Speaker 1: that the best is yet to come for sure. All right,
Speaker 1: let's take a quick break and we'll be back with
Speaker 1: more Hi. This is Dewey Jenkins. When the team that
Speaker 1: manages our Morris Jenkins website told me the most to
Speaker 1: often ask question is who is Mr Jenkins married? Too?
Speaker 1: You could have knocked me over with a feather. I
Speaker 1: went home and told my wife that I was so
Speaker 1: surprised that I didn't know what to say. She laughed
Speaker 1: and said, honey, my name is Renee. So now you
Speaker 1: know the team at Morris Jenkins and I are here
Speaker 1: for the Panthers, and we're here for you too whenever
Speaker 1: you need us. All right, well, you teased it, it's
Speaker 1: time for it. What's your stat of the week? Every
Speaker 1: time of the week. So this one is going to
Speaker 1: lead into our next little segment here. But Carolina plays
Speaker 1: the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champs this
Speaker 1: week on the road I've heard of and it marks
Speaker 1: the twentieth time in what will be the twenty sixth
Speaker 1: season that Carolina has played the reigning Super Bowl champs.
Speaker 1: Carolina is eight and eleven in those games, but in
Speaker 1: the last two at New England in seventeen and at
Speaker 1: Philadelphia in both huge dramatic fourth quarter victories. I like
Speaker 1: where you're going with that stat. Will Great Stats is
Speaker 1: gonna leave it. I'm gonna leave it right there. I
Speaker 1: like it. That's a will start of the week on
Speaker 1: the Happy Half Hour podcast presented by Morris Jenkins, and
Speaker 1: Mr Jenkins told me that he loves football and he
Speaker 1: looks forward to this show all week. When you're plumbing
Speaker 1: or air conditioning is acting up, you call Morris Jenkins
Speaker 1: or visit Morris Jenkins dot com. All right, let's uh,
Speaker 1: let's look ahead to that Kansas City game that's coming
Speaker 1: up on Sunday. As Well said, if the stats tell
Speaker 1: us anything, there's a definitely a post ability there for
Speaker 1: for a Panther's win, but it's it's gonna be tough. Miles. Well, look,
Speaker 1: I cannot tell you how big it is that Rasul
Speaker 1: Douglas is back this week, because we saw what happened
Speaker 1: with a really good offense in New Orleans. UM when
Speaker 1: Russeul Douglas is not on the field, and you know something,
Speaker 1: we don't know how Dante Jackson's toe is going to
Speaker 1: react because that thing acts up all the time, and
Speaker 1: it's it's such an unfortunate thing because he is playing
Speaker 1: really well when he's able to be out there on
Speaker 1: the field, but with a turf toe injury, it is
Speaker 1: just so unpredictable and you just you cut the wrong way,
Speaker 1: you turn the wrong way, and that thing flares up
Speaker 1: and it's really really painful, and especially as a cornerback,
Speaker 1: it's so hard to play through so you know, a
Speaker 1: lot of respect for Dante Jackson for what he's been
Speaker 1: able to do when he's been on the field. But
Speaker 1: I'll tell you this, having Soul Douglas back is, like
Speaker 1: I said, it's very critical just because of all of
Speaker 1: the Chiefs weapons that they have. They can go down
Speaker 1: the field and they can score in so many different ways,
Speaker 1: whether it's Clyde Edwards, Hilaire, you know, running the ball.
Speaker 1: Now they've got Left Bella as well, can run the ball.
Speaker 1: Those guys can catch the ball out of the backfield.
Speaker 1: Patrick Mahomes had over four hundred yards and five passing
Speaker 1: touchdowns last week. They've got Travis Kelsey, They've got Kareem Hunt,
Speaker 1: They've got Robinson, They've got me, Cole Harman, Sammy Watkins
Speaker 1: might alright, Miles, Well that's what I'm saying exactly. So
Speaker 1: when it comes to this like this is if you
Speaker 1: don't have your secondary guys back there, that makes it really,
Speaker 1: really really tough. Yeah. Uh, certainly glad that that Russeul
Speaker 1: Douglas is back, is healthy, and uh, as far as
Speaker 1: we know, we'll we'll be playing in this game and
Speaker 1: will in my mind, you know, I don't think this
Speaker 1: is saying anything, um, dramatic or anything like that. But
Speaker 1: you look at the schedule at the beginning of the season,
Speaker 1: and to me, this is game three of by far,
Speaker 1: the toughest four games stretch, um that the Panthers have.
Speaker 1: So you know, it was Saints, then you turn around
Speaker 1: and play it was you know, at New Orleans, and
Speaker 1: you turn around and play on a Thursday night against
Speaker 1: the Falcons. Then you go to Kansas City, and then
Speaker 1: the following week, um is against Tom Brady the rematch
Speaker 1: with Tampa Bay. Yeah, I mean, obviously this is a
Speaker 1: tough stretch, but you know, I was looking at Kansas
Speaker 1: City and they actually, so far they've had the third
Speaker 1: easiest schedule in the NFL, which isn't to take anything
Speaker 1: away from how good they are, because they're really good.
Speaker 1: In these stats are legit, but they've played the third
Speaker 1: easiest schedule as the reigning Super Bowl champs, and Caroline
Speaker 1: has played maybe a top ten hard schedule. I mean,
Speaker 1: Arizona is good. Last by yeah, Las Vegas. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: you know, obviously they've already played the Saints, they played
Speaker 1: the Bucks. They gotta play the Bucks again. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: they're they've played a tough schedule with a team that's young,
Speaker 1: and you know, hopefully, as Matt Rule has said, hopefully
Speaker 1: that they're they're playing their best football in December and
Speaker 1: that's what they want to do, whether or not that
Speaker 1: means they have an overall record that puts in playoff contention.
Speaker 1: They want to be playing their best football in December,
Speaker 1: and you want to kind of just you gotta make
Speaker 1: it through this stretch right now. If you can make
Speaker 1: it through this stretch, continue to be competitive. You know,
Speaker 1: obviously you want to win on Sunday, you want to
Speaker 1: win against the Bucks. But if you can stay together
Speaker 1: and really really play well and keep getting better, UM,
Speaker 1: I think that's a huge that's a huge stepping stone.
Speaker 1: You know, we're we're not the coaches, we're not on
Speaker 1: the team. We we get to say things that you know,
Speaker 1: maybe they wouldn't say or they wouldn't want to admit
Speaker 1: because it's our own opinion. But you know, I think
Speaker 1: that's that's where I would assess them. It's a it's
Speaker 1: a great point. This team has been battle tested and
Speaker 1: will you brought up a great point with the with
Speaker 1: the schedule, uh, and they've been in every game and um,
Speaker 1: I have no reason to believe that that will be
Speaker 1: different in this one, just because of the fight this
Speaker 1: team has UM. So we'll see what happens on Sunday.
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be I think it's gonna be
Speaker 1: a fun game to watch. UM. Now here's a question
Speaker 1: I have. This is an honest question, and I know
Speaker 1: that maybe none of us have the answer to this
Speaker 1: because these are strange times. But Kansas City allows I
Speaker 1: think sixteen seventeen thousand fans. It's I think capacity, and
Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken, they've allowed that many from that
Speaker 1: first game when they played on Thursday night. I can
Speaker 1: hear them. You can hear them, UM, at least coming
Speaker 1: through the TV. But obviously it's not anywhere near a
Speaker 1: normal Arrowhead full sounding stadium. Does that affect you this
Speaker 1: is the biggest crowd that that they will see. UM.
Speaker 1: Does that come into the way you think about, you know,
Speaker 1: your communication on offense at this point or are we
Speaker 1: still okay? Seventeen thousand fans? You know, that's an interesting question.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's going to be enough to really
Speaker 1: make you go silent count as you would have to
Speaker 1: in a normal day at Arrowhead um. And I've been
Speaker 1: doing a few games there, you know where it is
Speaker 1: really really really loud, um, and it doesn't it affects
Speaker 1: the QB. It affects the way the offense can communicate.
Speaker 1: So I don't think it will be that. But I think, yeah,
Speaker 1: you might be able to feel a little bit more
Speaker 1: energy from the crowd because you have more people there.
Speaker 1: But I don't know that it will really make you
Speaker 1: have to go silent count as you would normally. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I agree, I just you know, it's just so hard
Speaker 1: to get a gauge on in this time where there
Speaker 1: are very little fans or no fans in certain places.
Speaker 1: When does it, if at all, become a factor. But
Speaker 1: it is triple the crowd that um that the Panthers
Speaker 1: have seen at all, So we'll see if that makes
Speaker 1: any difference at all. Uh. And then something to look
Speaker 1: forward to in the game after Kansas City when Tampa
Speaker 1: Bay comes to town. If the Panthers get a third
Speaker 1: down stop in the third quarter during a home game,
Speaker 1: which that will be, one lucky fan will win a
Speaker 1: smart home smoke and carbon monoxide detector through the Morse
Speaker 1: Jenkins Protect and Check sweepstakes. If the Panthers get a
Speaker 1: fourth down stop in the fourth quarter. That same fan
Speaker 1: will also be going home with a gift cards, so
Speaker 1: be sure to check out contests dot Panthers dot com
Speaker 1: for more details on how you can enter. Just want
Speaker 1: you to plan ahead for that. All right, it is
Speaker 1: time for our Weird Question of the week. And look,
Speaker 1: we know what this one is going to be in
Speaker 1: honor of the Panther's going to Kansas City. What's the
Speaker 1: best type of barbecue? Miles, You're on the hot seat
Speaker 1: for this one. I seriously, I will tell you this.
Speaker 1: I was walking up the stairs in the parking garage
Speaker 1: in my apartment complex the other day and I was thinking, Man,
Speaker 1: for the weird question of the week, we should just
Speaker 1: go with you know, what is the best type of
Speaker 1: barbecue in the United States? And why is it Kansas City?
Speaker 1: Because it's just like Kansas City kicks everybody's butt in barbecue.
Speaker 1: I will fight you all on this. I know that
Speaker 1: the Panthers podcast, but I don't care. I am staunchly
Speaker 1: in this camp. They do pulled pork better than anybody else.
Speaker 1: They do uh the burnt ends. Oh my goodness. You
Speaker 1: go if you go to Q thirty nine or Arthur Bryant's.
Speaker 1: You get some burnt ends and they just melt in
Speaker 1: your mouth like meat and marshmallows, Oh my goodness, and
Speaker 1: Gates barbecue sauce. Are you kidding me? That extra hot
Speaker 1: Kansas City hands downru I No, look, no apologies needed
Speaker 1: except for using the phrase meat marshmallows. It is beautiful,
Speaker 1: and I again, I will fight you on this. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you said that two or three times and starting to
Speaker 1: think like do I need to you know, step away.
Speaker 1: I'm still just hung up on meat marshmallows. That's the
Speaker 1: that's the real takeaway from me. Here, will what say you?
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not trying to get in a fight
Speaker 1: like Miles is ready to go. I will. I will
Speaker 1: say this. I'm glad that I can at least say
Speaker 1: that I've had Kansas City barbecue because prior to I
Speaker 1: think I had it first two years ago, and I
Speaker 1: did have the burnt ends, and they were different than
Speaker 1: anything I've ever had. Would you call them meat marshmallows.
Speaker 1: I would never call anything meet marshmallows. Thank you. I'm
Speaker 1: just never going to use that that phrase. But no,
Speaker 1: the burnt ends were very unique, very good I enjoyed them.
Speaker 1: That's good. I'm glad I enjoyed them. I still have
Speaker 1: to wrap South Carolina barbecue like I'm still gonna rep
Speaker 1: the mustard. I'm gonna rep rep the full the full
Speaker 1: pork being roasted, the full thing all the way. Well,
Speaker 1: I don't know what the term they used for it,
Speaker 1: but you know the pull pork. Uh, you know South
Speaker 1: Carolina mustard. I was raised on it. I will always
Speaker 1: wrap it. That's that's my answer. That's cute. I've never
Speaker 1: had the Kansas City I've had, you know the style
Speaker 1: of barbecue, but I've never been to Kansas City and
Speaker 1: gotten to try the meat marshmallows that melt in your mouth. Um,
Speaker 1: But I gotta go. I gotta rep you know, my
Speaker 1: my home region two. And I just I love the
Speaker 1: vinegar based Eastern North Carolina barbecue. Just the vinegar based
Speaker 1: is is so much better than the other sauces in
Speaker 1: my opinion. The thickness, no matt strong opinion from you on.
Speaker 1: I haven't had Kansas City barbecue there, so I guess
Speaker 1: whatever I say there should be an asterix attached to it.
Speaker 1: But I would say the best barbecue I've ever had
Speaker 1: is always in Alabama. So I don't know what style
Speaker 1: that is. I don't know if that's Memphis or Alabama
Speaker 1: or whatever you want to call it. But um in Tuscaloosa,
Speaker 1: Alabama is a place called Dreamlane Barbecue. It is easily
Speaker 1: the best ribs I ever had in my entire life. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I've been there too. I'm the only one. You gotta
Speaker 1: make a trip down to My dad orders and frozen.
Speaker 1: They're not as good, but hole order I'm frozen from
Speaker 1: Alabama and we'll eat those on football Saturdays growing up.
Speaker 1: And then the best barbecue sandwich ever had. I was
Speaker 1: driving through Greenville, Alabama. We stopped at gas station and
Speaker 1: it was a half gas station, half cruddy looking barbecue joint,
Speaker 1: and I didn't want to get it, but I did,
Speaker 1: and it was the best that I absolutely believe. I
Speaker 1: would say Alabama for me. You know, I've had some
Speaker 1: really good barbecue and mobile as well, So yeah, Alabama
Speaker 1: is a better entry than Carolina. Sorry, whoa, I do
Speaker 1: like the Carolina barbecue, but I'm not a vinegar guy.
Speaker 1: I'm more of a tomato base. I'm sorry for both
Speaker 1: of you. Uh well, I can't believe the disrespect we're
Speaker 1: hearing from from these two. But you know, well, I
Speaker 1: mean if you want, I can. I can jump on
Speaker 1: and say I hate vinegar based too, want to jump
Speaker 1: on Christians? Yeah, well, you're all missing out more for me.
Speaker 1: All right. That's gonna do it for for this edition
Speaker 1: of the Happy Half Hour Podcast. You guys are all wrong,
Speaker 1: I'm right. We'll see you next week.