WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 89: Back To Football 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.800 This week on the Happy Half Hour, we're also kind 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.440 of the death spot now where all of that planning 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:09.160 and all of that intangible stuff has now become real. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:11.560 We now have a Frank Criick. We now have a 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:14.480 head coach, and it's what's his stamp on this team 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:16.560 gonna be? What's his staff gonna look like? And all 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:19.200 that stuff's gonna flow in over the next couple of 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:26.360 days and weeks. TEXTA, It's time for the Happy Half 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:30.680 Hour with your friends Kristin Balboni, Augusta Stone and Darren Gannon. 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:36.200 It's that time of the week. It's the Happy half 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:40.120 Hour podcast and the podcast is presented by Prowling Vineyards 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:43.519 Napa Valley, which is the official wine brand and wine 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:47.239 club of the Carolina Panthers. These premiums elections celebrate the 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.080 great people of the Carolinas and the Panthers hunger to 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.600 achieve excellence on and off the field. You can learn 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:58.320 more at Prowling Vineyards dot com. It is your friends, Kristen, 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.120 Darren and august and we have a lot to talk about. 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:04.520 We took a few weeks off after the end of 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.240 the season, but now feels like a great time to 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:10.600 bring the Happy Half Hour Podcast back because if you 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:13.080 if you haven't heard, the Carolina Panthers have a head 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:16.639 coach and his name is Frank Reich. Big news, big news, 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:18.720 big news. We're all just a little this is um. 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:21.200 I'll just say this. We're recording this at ten am 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:24.840 on Wednesday, and we're all a little bleary eyed. We 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:28.800 had the press conference yesterday and all that that entails. 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.319 We've been preparing. Some of us went on Thursday night 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.720 to Frank's daughter's house to do an interview. So it's 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:38.839 been quite the weekend, quite an exciting weekend. But um, 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:40.120 I will say it was hard to get out of 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.840 bed this morning. Guys. Yeah, days like the day to 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:47.279 unpack all the liftovers. It's like, you know, it's almost 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:49.840 like day after Christmas, day after Thanksgiving? You make a 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:52.400 nice turkey sandwich. Do we do with all this stuff 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.680 that's here now? So it's uh, yeah, it's quite a 0:01:55.680 --> 0:02:00.200 month and it's Coaching searches are always a little um 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.040 exhausting anyway, because they come at the end of a 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.960 long season and with the season stretching out the way 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.919 it has in recent years, seventeen games, eighteen weeks plus 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.480 training camp plus all the other stuff. You get to 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:15.200 the end and you're tired anyway, and then it's like, oh, okay, 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.560 we've got three and a half more weeks of stuff 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:20.680 to worry about and prep for and playing and do 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:22.360 all that kind of stuff. So by the time you 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.880 finally get to that point, it is like, but they've 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.160 made a decision, and it's and it's Frank Reich, and 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:29.959 he was in the building. He's been in the building 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.120 the last few days and certainly did the whole the 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.720 whole media thing. What I thought would be interesting for 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.080 everyone is to kind of go through a little timeline 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:39.919 of behind the scenes. I think that's something that this 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:44.080 this podcast does well. Um and um, you know about 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:47.359 what our experience has been and how we prepare for 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.160 all of this, and you know, August, there's just such 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.359 a savvy old vet at this point, the first NFL 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:57.480 season and you have been through I mean, like I said, 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:59.560 you're never going to forget your first NFL season, although 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:03.079 this is tech quickly your second, but you've really you've 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:06.280 covered just about everything, You've had a first time for 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.960 everything within just one season. So there's very few things 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:12.120 that you'll you won't be prepared for and won't have 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.959 experienced UM in the coming seasons exactly. And I honestly 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:18.280 there's a part of that that's super comforting to be 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.160 so young in my career and be able to go 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.480 through all of this UM. All that's left is free agency. 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:24.240 That's what I'm telling myself. On's like, my god, I've 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:26.920 done everything. I feel like I've been here for seven 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:31.080 free agencies right in like a way. But yeah, I mean, yeah, 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:34.200 that's that's what you got, free agencies. Nothing but you 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.120 started a training camp. Yeah. But it's it's I mean, 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.520 it's been awesome. It's it's been really cool, and it's 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:42.600 February one. January was a long month and a short 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:44.400 month all at once, because you look back and you're like, 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.320 so much happened. I'm really big on like at the 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:48.640 end of months looking back, especially at my work, and 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:50.200 I'm like, Okay, what all did I write? What all 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:52.840 did I do? And I'm like, oh my goodness, like 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:55.920 thinking where I was January feet in January two and 0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:58.080 looking at the catalog of things that have happened, but 0:03:58.120 --> 0:03:59.920 also how quickly it felt like it flew by. I 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.760 do a similar thing and our boss Bill makes fun 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:05.360 of me for this, although it's it's easier for you 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:07.840 to to do because everything you do is in writing. 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:11.440 I save my notes, not from everything, but you know, 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.640 I had, for instance, I hosted some panels yesterday and 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.520 I had UM cards with the panther head on them 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:19.839 and stuff, and I will put those in a little 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.240 file and save them because you look back a few 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:25.240 months later and you go, gosh, we did this on 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:27.039 this day, and this on this day and this the 0:04:27.080 --> 0:04:28.680 next day. And I guess I could pull up my 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.360 video footage, but that would be weird. So I said, 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:33.640 I like to look back as well, especially because you're 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:36.320 caught up in all of it, and you know it 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.440 can just you forget. Oh yeah, and in that week 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:43.000 in January you wrote what eight articles and Gusta and 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:46.120 you you know, and three and one day and all 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.200 that kind of stuff. Darren, how do you categorize before 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:52.720 we get into everything, how do you categorize? Um? Big events? Um? 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:55.560 I have You've seen my desk, you know what it 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:58.279 looks like. There is much paper on my desk. I've 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.960 contributed to the deforestation and of at least a couple 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:05.520 of counties. Um it. I tend to stack things up 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.200 and and stick them in boxes and drawers. At some 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.520 point later, there are three big boxes in the corner 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:15.080 of Bill's office full of my old notebooks from the tens, 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:19.360 and so I am a hoarder of stuff, so things 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:22.200 tend to stack up, and and that's how I remember it. 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:27.320 But I told I told Augusta early on in January said, congratulations, 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:28.839 this is the first time you're going to write a 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:30.520 lot of stories that never see the light of day. 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:33.880 Because all the all the stories about Frank Craik that 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:37.240 we did use were coupled with all the stories that 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:40.080 we did not use, and there was a lot of stuff. 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:43.360 And being prepped for a coaching search means being prepared 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:45.719 to throw a lot of stuff away. So we called 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:49.480 the content graveyard, and there's a lot of stuff in it, 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.400 and that's just kind of the nature of the thing. 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:55.880 But you have to be ready if it's coach ABC 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.000 or D and just ready to push the button. And 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:01.800 we were are prepared. I think that that was something 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:03.720 I was just going to clarify as well. If you're listening, 0:06:03.720 --> 0:06:06.680 if you've been listening for a long time, you probably understand. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:09.520 But for those who don't know, Darren is saying there's 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:10.760 a lot of stuff that doesn't see the light of 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:14.159 day because you're preparing for different eventualities, not because something 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:17.640 can't go out or something like that. What Darren is 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:21.039 explaining is, you know there was a coaching tracker on 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:25.000 the website. Um, that's generally as much as as we know. 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:29.200 So we prepare for a lot of different eventualities because 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:31.799 also time is of the essence when something gets announced, 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.960 essentially in this holding pattern for a few weeks or 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.159 however long it takes to decide, and you want to 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:39.400 be prepared, you know, you start doing your research on 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.920 on different candidates, and so of course the stuff that, 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:48.599 um that isn't relevant doesn't make it. Yeah, and I'll 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.000 put it in the file with all those stories about 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.920 quarterbacks that never showed up care and different free agents 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.320 who never arrived and stuff like that. I mean, and 0:06:57.400 --> 0:06:59.440 it that's just kind of part of the deal. That's 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:02.080 part of what we have to do. But it is 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:06.000 interesting now that it almost feels like we're changing gears 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.720 today and it is very much that Thanksgiving left over 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.000 kind of day, Like okay, all right, now, what I 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.800 don't start planning for Christmas, going to have to cook 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:18.800 again soon? What are the ingredients left in the refrigerators? So, uh, 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.240 today is a big day for us. We're gonna get 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.480 on a white board and start talking about what the 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.960 rist of February and March is gonna look like. So that's, uh, 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.280 that's gonna be part of our day. But we're also 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.240 kind of that that spot now where all of that 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.440 planning and all of that intangible stuff has now become real. 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:38.240 We now have a Frank Criick, We now have a 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:42.360 head coach, and it's you know, it's what's he gonna 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:44.680 what's his stamp on this team gonna be? What's his 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:46.800 staff gonna look like? And all that stuff is gonna 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:50.520 flow in over the next couple of days and weeks. Yeah, 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:54.720 it's funny. I was talking to Scott Finerary yesterday, maybe 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:56.840 the day before, you know, all the days we're together, 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.640 as we were going through what day is even I 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:02.800 don't know when I said February first. I was like, 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:05.720 it is February. Now, that's good to know. Staring to 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.120 my laptop two so don't I had no I'm staring 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:10.960 right here at the very top corner that says wed 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:15.600 Feb One, Webb One talks about how my brain sounds 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:19.440 right now. One. I was talking to Scott a couple 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:23.200 of days ago and he said, after after the press conference, oh, 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.600 we get to get back to football. He was going 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:29.360 down to Mobile, Alabama UM for the Senior Bowl with 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.720 some members of the Panthers front office and staff, and 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:35.800 you're right, it is it. The press conference is over. 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:37.640 It is turning the page, and so we're going to 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:39.080 talk about all of that. But I do think it 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.199 would be fun to go back a little bit to 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:43.360 to some of the behind the scenes of what it 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:46.679 looks like from each of our perspectives when we hire 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.680 a new head coach. So, as we said during the 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:51.800 coaching search, you know, we're all kind of wait. It's like, 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.360 don't make any plans, don't go too far, anything like that. 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:58.000 And so we get the news that it's it's going 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:01.199 to be Frank Reich right around the time that everyone 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.080 else gets the news. And I had a fun day 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:07.160 on Thursday because we got word And this is something 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.200 that's that's really neat and it's a privileged UM and 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:13.080 it's a testament to our leadership that this happens with 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:15.120 the Panthers because as far as I know, this isn't 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.760 really the norm. A group of us got to go 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:22.640 to Frank Reich's daughter's house. She happens to live in Charlotte, 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:24.640 and that is where he was going to be after 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:29.000 UM agreeing with the Panthers and UM our photographer Chanelle 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:32.520 got to take photos, our videographers got to shoot some stuff, 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.320 and I got to do an interview with him UM, 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.120 which was really really neat. So we did a just 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.360 a get to know interview and then we also did 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:45.040 this walk down memory lane with memorabilia from the season, 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.240 which I especially enjoyed. I'm sure if you're listening to 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.440 this by now, you know that he was the or 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:53.800 you have known for twenty five years, now thirty years, 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:57.319 that he was the first UM Panthers quarterback. He through 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.000 the first touchdown pass, So we got to go through 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:01.000 some of that stuff that he had never seen before. 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.720 And the Reichs welcomed us in to UM their daughter's home, 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:06.640 and it was just it was really neat to get 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:08.120 to see them. And the thing that is stuck out 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.480 to me, and I think Panthers fans will appreciate this. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.120 We felt like there was a very small group of 0:10:13.200 --> 0:10:15.680 us there, and it was like, if you're celebrating, you 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:19.400 think about with your family a birthday or um, a 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.920 promotion or whatever it was. It was a very uh 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:27.320 intimate celebration at his daughter's house. It was just her 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.360 and her husband and Frank c Reik and his wife Linda, 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:34.559 and um. They had like a little charcuterie board set out. 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:37.680 You could tell that they were celebrating as a family 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:40.200 and they have a lot to celebrate about. In addition 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:42.560 to him getting this job, something that was very near 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.360 and dear to my heart. His other two daughters live 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:49.240 in Greensboro with their families, and so now as a family, 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:50.960 they are all going to be able to live full 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.640 time in the same state. Frank Reich and his daughter. 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:56.680 I gotta stop saying Frank Reich too. It's just a 0:10:56.800 --> 0:10:58.480 nice It's like a good name that has like a 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:01.960 double name. But I gotta go to Frank. Uh. Frank 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:05.000 and Linda have four grandchildren and so they're going to 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:06.920 get to be around them. And something very similar happens 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:08.640 to my family. We've all lived all spread out, my 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.320 brothers and I and then within the last few years, 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.520 I'm I'm the furthest away now in Charlotte, about two 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:17.600 hours away, and for my mom and my dad to 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:19.880 be able to watch their grandchildren all grow up together 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:21.520 as a very special moment. So that was something that 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:25.200 was very touching to me. Um And it was really 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:27.400 a privilege to get to to kind of get a 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:30.000 peek into the family life there and what this really 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:32.840 meant for everyone. So I thought, I thought fans would 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:36.720 really appreciate that. It was something that I'll certainly remember, sure, 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.720 And Frank's got He's got such history here. He kind 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:44.560 of laughed when when we spoke on Monday, the day 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.480 before the press conference, I was just talking as we 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:49.520 walked through the hall from one place to the next. 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:51.800 I was like, hey, you you and I actually spoke 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.160 class back in the spring, because when we were doing 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:56.280 Sam Mills stuff for Hall of Fame. I called him 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:59.160 up and talked to him about playing with Sam and everything, 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:01.960 and Frank kind of left. He said, I actually do 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:04.360 remember that, and I was like, oh, yeah, I'm sure 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:06.720 it was the highlight of your spring. Of course, talking 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:08.959 to some guy in Charlotte about, you know, something that 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:12.120 happened twenty eight years ago. But he he says and 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:14.360 he was kind about it and said he actually did 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.120 remember it, but he doesn't mind talking about a lot 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:18.959 of that stuff. And it was such a brief moment 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:22.839 of time. He was able to, uh make a pretty 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:24.880 big impact in a short amount of time. And one 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.199 of my favorite things about the build up to this 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:31.200 was talking to Carry Collins, who was the rookie quarterback 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:36.000 who eventually and everybody knew was going to inevitably replace Frank. 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:40.040 When we were going through the all the memorability, he 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:43.199 was like, we all knew Carrie was yeah, and everybody knew. 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:46.080 But I thought it was so cool in talking to Carry, 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:49.120 who's now living in Nashville and he settled down. He's 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.800 kind of got a farm there, coaching in high school football, 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:56.720 raising kids. Um. But Carry said it didn't hit him 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.720 at the time because Carrie had his own journey in football. 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:04.400 He was a first round pick. Uh, he matured during 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:06.600 the time he was here and after he left here 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.440 and and sees things differently now than he did maybe 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.960 when he was a rookie in n But Carrie talked 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.160 about there was a point in his career in two 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:18.160 thousand and six when the Titans brought him in late 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:24.200 in training camp two basically be the veteran mentor for 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:28.319 their first round pick, Vince Young and and Carrie kind 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.120 of caught himself and he said, I knew what to 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.760 do in Tennessee because of Frank. I knew how to 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.280 handle that role because I saw it with my own 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:39.880 two eyes and I lived it every day. And you know, 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:42.480 carry kind of acknowledged. He probably didn't appreciate it at 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:47.120 the time, but with a decade of perspective, it's like, oh, 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:49.839 here's how you're supposed to fill that role. Here's how 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.720 you're supposed to be that guy. Because I watched Frank 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.360 Craig do it. That's really that's really neat. And you 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.520 know what, he was not hired because of his connections 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.559 to Charlotte or North Carolina certainly, but it is neat 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:07.360 to see someone, uh appreciate the history that is here 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:11.680 and um, we all live here, and certainly Darren and 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:13.840 I grew up in North Carolina. And it's nice, you know, 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:17.200 when you've got someone that that appreciates what it means 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:19.800 to to be here. It's just it's the cherry on 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.520 top right of of everything. And so it's been it's 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:26.560 been neat to see um how excited they are. And 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:29.680 then also here the history a little bit. It is 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.320 really special. Yeah, I've always said anytime I've got an 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:34.720 excuse to talk to Dom Capers, that's a good day. 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:37.640 You know, Don's just one of the great people in 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.600 the business. And and when I talked to Bill Polly 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:45.320 and whose first gm UM, Bill was pretty upfront about saying, 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.920 you know, Frank's just one of those great people in 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:51.320 the business. And he equated him to tell him, he 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:54.680 equated him to Marv Levy, he equated him to uh, 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:58.080 Dom Capers, and he's just like, that's that's who he is. 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.160 He's just that kind of quality character. And anybody that's 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.600 every encountered Dom kind of knows that Dom carried himself 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.520 a certain way, was very regimented, was very direct, was 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:14.520 very together. And that's kind of what Frank presented yesterday 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.200 in that press conference. I mean, you know, exactly going 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.840 in what to expect out of a Frank Wright team, 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.480 you know exactly what he expects people to be like. 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:26.600 I think another thing that I would want fans to know, 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.640 and I I said this yesterday and I've I've certainly 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:32.440 said it um to two people that we worked with, 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.960 is that when when the news came out, the news broke, 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:40.160 I got multiple text messages right away from several people 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:44.280 that had worked with him, UM, and they said, you 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.960 all are going to to love him and his family 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.760 and he's a great person, great co worker, great leader, 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.600 um and and I said, oh, you know, thank you 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:55.640 so much. And then the text messages kept on coming in, 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:57.760 you know, the praise and stuff. And I think that's 0:15:57.760 --> 0:15:59.200 a great sign. And if I were a fan, I 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.440 would want to know that. You know, there's still or 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:03.280 as as Darren said, there's going to be a lot 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:04.840 that comes out over the next few days. There so 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.280 a lot of decisions to be made. Were now turning 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:09.880 the page to three, and there's all the football stuff 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.640 that that has to happen. But I think that's a 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.520 great start to to know that the people that he 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:17.920 has worked with for long periods of time, and I 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:20.840 was not the only person I know around our team, 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:22.840 certainly a lot of people got messages like that and 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:25.920 calls like that. So UM, I just think that's a 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:28.920 that's a really great start. So Augusta take us through 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:33.960 Monday Tuesday, with Tuesday being the big press conference day, 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:35.520 and not just the press conference that you saw, but 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:40.040 there were a lot of um of photo ops and UM, 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:42.280 you know, opportunities for him to meet the staff and 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.640 things like that. So what's it been like from your perspective. Yes, 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:47.280 So right after it happened, I actually got in contact 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:50.920 with his brother, who coaches at Wingett nearby. He's been 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.600 there for over two decades, and that was really that 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:55.360 was kind of the first taste of me getting to 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.800 know the right family. UM. I talked with him on Friday, 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.320 gave me thirty minutes of his time, and I thought 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:02.200 it was very general risk because today is national signing 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:05.959 day for college and so he he told me he goes. Uh. 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:10.879 When Frank got higher down in Carolina. UM, on Thursday, 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:13.399 my phone kept buzzing. I'm talking to recruits and I 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.119 have to turn off my phone because it's like distracting me. 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:19.000 I didn't even think he said he turned on his 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.200 phone too. He told me exactly one thirty four text 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.639 messages like oh, your brother's coming to the Panthers and 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:27.600 he was so out of it. But UM, he was 0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:30.080 really generous with his time. UM just telling me stories 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.600 about how UM just kind of the whole right, family 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:34.800 sort of picked Charlotte as their second at home. I mean, 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:39.040 so he's there. Their sister also lives in Greensboro. Obviously 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.639 his daughter's and and so. Um. But but one of 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.080 the things I guess just getting to know Frank obviously 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:47.919 Darren and I got to speak with him on Monday 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:50.720 for the first time. Watching his press conference on Tuesday, 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:55.359 it kinda hearkened back to some of his background in Charlotte. Um, 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:57.440 when they were here. He said yesterday that his family 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.200 had settled here between when he stopped playing think it 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.560 was in and when he went started coaching his first 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.199 stint with the cult. He spent thirteen years here and 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.840 a lot of that was actually spent um in seminary 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:12.280 and becoming a pastor. And it's it's interesting, like whenever 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:14.399 I was watching that press conference, it felt, you know, 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.159 I felt that energy at times, especially you know, he 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:20.320 had all those regimented you know, this is a five 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:22.760 step program to this and a fourth step theory to this, 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:24.919 and it felt like I was in you know, in 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:27.200 a church viewers sometimes you know, just the way he talked, 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.720 and it was interesting that delivery. But um, yeah, I 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:33.960 mean it's It's been a lot of background work before 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:35.760 it happened, and then when it happened, we had a 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:38.600 plan set in place of UM. Darren and I both 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:40.520 did of people we were going to reach out to, stories, 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:42.760 we were going to write UM in the interim before 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:45.840 the press conference started, and then you know, get to 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:49.359 meet him before the press conference and everything we had plans. 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:51.280 I'm a big planner, so I'm excited for it today 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:53.240 because Darren was mentioning the white board and I love 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.120 knowing what's going to happen, and without having a coach 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:58.000 in place, we didn't know, so those days were kind 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.800 of tough for me personally. But knowing that we'll have 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.199 a plan, the only thing left, the only dominoes left 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:05.800 to fall our coaching staff. So once we get those, 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:09.280 we're good to go. Oh, by the way, just that, yeah, 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.480 he's going to hire an entire staff. That's a thing, 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:14.520 and we'll get to know those guys and and that's 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:18.399 what's that's what's neat about right now is there is 0:19:18.440 --> 0:19:20.439 a gear shifting and it's like there's a lot of 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:22.679 stuff and before you know it, we will be in 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:26.119 Indianapolis at the combine. We will be talking draft stuff 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:29.080 for the next month, and we'll go through free agency 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:31.800 and it'll all be on top of us. I would 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:36.080 love to um hear one thing as as we kind 0:19:36.080 --> 0:19:37.720 of wind this down. I would love to hear one 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:41.480 thing that in talking to different people or in talking 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:45.280 to him, what's one of your your favorite stories or anecdotes, 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:47.720 or something that stood out to you or just a 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:50.639