WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 53: Proof Of Concept 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 It's time for a Happy half Hour with your friends 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:22.800 Kristen Balboni, Will Brian and Darren Gabb. It's that time 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:25.200 of the week. Welcome to the Happy half Hour podcast 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:29.680 with your friends, Will, Darren, Kristen and producer Matt And guys, 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:31.720 we joked a little bit about last week being a 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:34.600 contractually obligated happy half hour, but we have plenty to 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.640 be happy about this week after that win at Atlanta. Yeah, 0:00:37.680 --> 0:00:40.440 there's actual happiness. And you know, and then, of course, 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:42.880 like other things going on in our personal lives or whatnot, 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.800 our whole our whole demeanor is not fully um, you know, 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.559 just influenced by whether or not we win. But this 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.240 building kind of is I mean, you know, I was 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:56.000 kidding Minus when you walk around this building, I mean, 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:58.720 it's tangible. I mean, even though as much as they 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:00.560 talk about want to know every week, want to know 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:03.480 every week, that weight was starting to bear down on 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.440 them four in a row. And and now it's like okay, 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:08.639 now it's back to normal. Now it's back to work 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:11.959 and it's regular a game. So yeah, I mean that's stuff. 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.720 I mean, that's human nature. I mean, it's it's easier 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:16.800 to deal with some of these guys coming off of 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.480 win than it is a loss, and you know they're 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.680 four and four, so let's see what happens. Absolutely, and 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.280 I will say from from my perspective, people ask me that, 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:27.440 you know, how how is it after loss? And everyone's 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.640 a professional, you know, no one's um, no one's a 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:33.400 jerk or anything like that. But everyone's a lot happier 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:37.640 when they're winning, no doubt about that. Well, how are 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.960 you feeling? Well, it's it's we're all very comfortable right now. 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:44.040 I feel like we're all like wearing our very comfy 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:47.319 sweaters and sweatshirts and yeah, yeah, that's a fun thing. 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:50.840 It's forty degrees outside. I know, it's it's flannel and 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:54.880 paints season. By the way, Oh really that's different. What 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.280 do you yeah? Wait, what are we looking at? Sorry, 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.280 they're great for podcasting. What did you more? Theater has 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.600 flannel inside of his pants. Oh yeah, what does that mean? 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:07.760 I've got like four or five pairs of flannel line 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:12.720 pants that have so fuzzy warm flanns. So their jeans 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:14.880 on the outside, flannel on the insects. Right, and just 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:17.400 in case anyone was wondering, Yeah, that's pretty cool. I 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:19.639 didn't know that you could do that. And you know, basically, 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.880 anytime it gets below fifty degrees, I'm like, yeah, flannel 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:27.720 pants do you have around in pajama? Do you ever misjudged? 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.160 Because the weather in North Carolina could start out forty 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:31.800 in the morning and then seventy and then you're just 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:35.600 sweating your flannel pants. I'd prefer that to the alternative 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.800 that there's nothing worse than being cold. I turned the 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:41.080 heat on in the house the other day and wife, 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.400 it's like, it's way too hot in here, and no 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:49.079 such thing. Oh no, I disagree. I disagree. Yeah, where 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.400 do you keep the thermostat in your house? Well, we 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.600 were doing the thing where you know, you hold off 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:55.799 as long as you possibly can before you finally turn 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:58.080 it on. I finally turned it on. It was down 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:02.080 to sixty two this morning. Yeah, what are you hanging 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:07.440 meat there your breath? At Will's house? Well, I mean 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:09.520 just it was kind of a game more than anything. 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:11.520 You just kind of hold out and then this morning 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:17.920 was okay, you win now, Oh my goodness. Um, just 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:19.600 in case you were wondering, we keep our our therm 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.720 stat somewhere between sixty eight and seventy. Yeah, that's the 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:27.679 right answer. Will it's now there? Well, yeah, it was 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.240 your girlfriend out. You know, this is a fun game. 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:33.440 She's like, I'm freezing. All right, let's talk about this. 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.160 Let's talk about this game at Atlanta. They did a 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:38.119 lot of this team did a lot of things right. 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:40.600 Um in that game, I thought, you know, they did 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:42.400 the things that they said they wanted to do. The 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.760 old line protected. They ran the ball forty six times 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:48.360 for over two hundred yards. I thought, I thought everyone 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:50.400 who ran the ball looks good running it, and that 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:53.480 includes Sam. We got to see him, the old quarterback 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.560 sneak came back quite a few times. Yeah, and he's 0:03:56.800 --> 0:03:58.880 always been a mobile guy. And early in the year 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.080 we were having some fun kind about Sam leading the 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:04.880 league in touchdown runs. And you know that's a part 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:07.080 of it. I mean, it's like Daniel Jones you saw 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:09.600 against the Giants of the week, that's part of his game. 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:12.440 He can get out and do that. Now again, obviously 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:14.320 he gets out and he takes a big hit and 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.400 gets a concussion, isn't able to finish. That's not great. 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:21.760 But from the standpoint of diversifying the offense, last week 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:24.960 was almost like, Okay, we're gonna strip it down to 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.920 the bare bones. We're gonna do four things and we're 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.479 gonna try to do them as right as possible. And 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:32.920 that included Sam running the ball, and they were able 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:35.960 to check those boxes. So you know again, I I 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.279 sent Will an old story I wrote back from my 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.440 newspaper days of kind of the history of the Wildcat 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:43.440 and when the Panthers ran it for the first time 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:46.720 in OH six before Miami turned it into a craze there. 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:49.920 But it was similar to that game, whereas they were 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:53.159 in a situation where, okay, things aren't going right in 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.240 OH six that we're running out of quarterbacks who could 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.520 throw the ball, and it's like, we're gonna run. We're 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:59.479 gonna run a lot, and we're gonna run it in 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.680 a lot of different ways that you haven't necessarily seen. 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:04.919 And and that's what it felt like to me last 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:08.039 week is they were intent on running. They said they 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:09.880 were going to do it the week before and they didn't, 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:12.480 and it was by God, we're gonna run and we're 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:15.359 gonna keep doing it and it kept working. That was 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.720 the impressive part about it. It wasn't just you, but 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.359 it was a mere Abdullah popping off some big runts 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.159 and Royce Freeman contributed a little bit in addition to 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.880 Sam and that was absolutely what they needed. I mean, 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:29.880 it was kind of a gave the defense a chance 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:32.080 to catch its breath. You know, you're out there with 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.880 an eleven minute advantage in time of possession and everybody 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:39.839 on the Carolina Panthers kind of goes well. And that 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:41.720 was something that we talked a lot about on the 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:44.640 radio broadcast that you could see and watching the sidelines, 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:46.840 you know, that's my job to see how things are 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:49.560 going down there, and you notice the defense. The defense 0:05:49.640 --> 0:05:52.600 is always great at communicating, talking amongst you know, the 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:55.640 d linemen are talking to the linebackers like, actually we're 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:58.320 talking to the secondary, but they were. I mean, there 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:00.720 was so much communication and kind of clicked for me 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:02.880 for a second, was like, oh, they have time to communicate, 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:05.640 they have time to talk through things, to go get 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:08.640 the surface, tablet show each other something. You know, Derk 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:12.040 Brown and Frankie Lulu were having multiple conversations at Dick 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.680 one Drin's was teaching everybody something on the sidelines and 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.920 it was nice to see them because we hadn't seen 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:20.080 them have the time to do that over the last 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.159 couple of games before that, you know, it was really 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.120 there were a lot of three and ounce, especially in 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:26.679 that Giant's game where they're just running back on the field. 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:29.680 So it was it was great to see them get 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.200 to take advantage. And then I think we saw the 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.600 fruits of that, you know, out on the field when 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:37.080 they got back out there. They made some some really 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.600 great plays. And then of of course also you get 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.600 checked back. Stefin Gilmore comes in for a while and 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:46.560 makes a big impression and limited play. But but you're right, 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:49.600 being able to run the ball served so many different purposes, 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:52.479 and well, you're st out of the week had something 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.120 to do with just how successful they were running the 0:06:55.160 --> 0:07:01.920 ball right the times if it's instead of the week. 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:09.520 So not only did running help the offensive line, you know, 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.120 it helped guys. You know, they're what the six different 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:15.119 starting offensive line group. You know, transcott a right guard, 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:17.800 you know, you can you can block downhill a little bit. 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:19.679 It helps them, It helps you not give up sex. 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.560 But I think the thing that was interesting they talked 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:26.040 about needing to convert first downs because they were getting 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:30.080 into these third In eleven's third nines, third and twelves, 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.920 where it's really hard to do when everyone's pinning their 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.160 ears back, they're coming at you, it's passing down. They 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:38.440 had thirteen first downs by running, so that it meant 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.320 that they were in position to convert first downs, you know, 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:43.520 with the ball, third and one, you know, a couple 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:46.520 of sneaks from Um, from Donald, you know, different ways 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:48.440 that they were able to convert it by running. They 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:52.120 had seventeen first downs by rushing over the last three games, 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:54.480 and they had thirteen in this one. So I think 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:57.960 that just showed um their ability to get in manageable 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:00.480 third downs, their ability to convert. They had in first 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:04.480 ten third down conversions, which was like the most two thousand, 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:06.920 seventeen in a game. So I mean, yeah, they were 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:10.120 able to really keep drives going. Obviously they had three 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:13.440 drives over fifteen. I'm just throwing all the stats up love, Yeah, 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:16.000 but the point being they're able to get into third 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.160 downs that they can convert by running the ball rather 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.120 than being in you have to throw and you just 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:24.280 everyone knows what's coming. Will's doing to us with stats, 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:27.280 what the Panthers offense did to the Falcons defensive line, 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:32.520 he's just leaning on us because for the defense. So 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.080 you know, it's I got time to rest. I can 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:39.240 take ya can just sit down here on the side 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.439 this and it really is. I mean that game had 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.920 the feeling of one team leaning on the other throughout 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:50.960 the afternoon. And and again I can't say it enough. 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.520 They needed that. I mean they just needed a break 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:58.160 from all the not not just the plays that weren't 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.240 working and the two of fifth teen on third down 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:07.480 conversions the week before. I mean just mentally, spiritually, emotionally, whatever. 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:09.240 I don't want to get too deep in the weeds here, 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:15.720 but they needed that in so many ways. Defense, offense, everybody. Yeah, 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.560 I just love spiritually and emotionally. Yeah, but you're right there. 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:23.480 I think they're week I think there are wins that 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:25.840 you go, okay, all right, we we we came out 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:28.640 of that one week that went out or that was ugly, um, 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:31.719 but you're right, this one was also kind of a 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:33.920 proof of concept. We're doing the things that we said 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:36.360 we were going to do, and we want to look 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.520 how much, as you said, we leaned on them. Look 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:41.360 how much we controlled the game by doing the things 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:42.839 we said we were going to do and you do 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.440 it on the road at Atlanta. Yeah, that's a place 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.280 up until last year their best. They don't win there, 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.480 you know, so I think that. And it doesn't matter 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:54.920 how good or bad Atlanta is, that place is always 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.320 just so hard to win. Yeah, so I give them 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.439 credit for that. Well, anytime you're playing the Falcons will 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:02.240 but you educated me on last year. Even being a fan, 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:05.600 it's like you almost always split with Atlanta just historically, 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:07.920 no matter who's the you know, the better to the 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:12.000 season what where they had one loss, the one loss 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:16.240 was against Atlanta. Yeah, so it's just you know, division 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:18.599 games are are no joke. And it was great to 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:20.199 go down there and and for them to get to 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:23.280 win too. It's the sound. It's always weird there. I 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:27.520 mean there's so many it is weird there, whether it's 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.240 the Georgia Dome or Mercedes Being Stadium. I mean from 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:34.240 the very first game the Panthers, very first game they 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:36.480 go into the Georgia Dome have a chance to win 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.839 except for a false start penalty and overtime lunch and 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:45.080 stains Derek Graham. But never mind that. Uh, And it's 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.000 almost like it's set the stage because there were so 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:50.520 much oddball stuff is happening Falcons Panthers games down. Well, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:56.480 it wasn't that where your story was the Wildcat? Yeah, yeah, 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.840 we were all trying to get out of there. It's 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.320 Christmas Eve. You want to get act your families and stuff. 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:05.439 And you know, the Panthers decided revolutionized offense and start running. 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:09.679 How much it was you know what, honestly on a 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:12.720 holiday when they kept running the ball and the clock 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.319 kept moving. I think that game ended in about two 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:19.120 and a half hours. It's perfect, but yeah, it was 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.439 quite a wrinkle, and it's it's what I'll never forget 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:23.719 and and I did. I wish I could share that 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:26.439 story somehow with Will or with a lot of people, 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:28.800 because I wrote a thing for the paper just talking 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:32.400 about how that whole thing came together with you know, 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:35.520 John Fox and and Dan Henning and the entire offense 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:38.720 and how they decided, oh god, let's do this this week. 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:43.120 So it was cool. Well, let's talk about going forward 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:46.120 in terms of who we think is is healthy or 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.319 what we know And Darreny and I were just chatting 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.199 about it a little bit right before we came on 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.960 the air, And the truth is, as you so eloquently, 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.160 but it we don't know. We don't know yet, but 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:58.120 there are a lot of guys, whether it's you know, 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.000 a Christian McCaffrey was doesn't did to return from i 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.080 R which starts that twenty one day clock. Um, Sam 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.840 Donald is in the concussion protocol right now. There are 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:09.800 guys that were designated to return from i R a 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.240 week or two ago. Whether it's your pad Elf lines, 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:16.760 you're justin BURRSS, your mild hearts Fields, UM, Joe Charlton 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.040 could also be back. So there's a lot of guys 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:21.679 and we started to see that first wave. I just 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.280 talked to to Matt Rule about it yesterday of just 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:27.679 UM and and then David um Lincoln, our executive producer 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.720 on the sidelines, UM you know, and I'm like, usually 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:33.160 I'm giving injury reports and and they have not been 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:35.760 good the last three or four weeks, and so it 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:38.160 was nice to say to him on Sunday, looks like 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:40.000 Stefan Gilmore is going to be going in student. So 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:41.959 now we're kind of getting to the end of this 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.400 UM injury rash. I should probably knock on wood somewhere, Yes, 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:49.520 thank you, UM and UM. At some point we assume 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:51.640 that that all of these guys that we just mentioned, 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:52.960 and I'm sure there are a few more I forgot, 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:55.320 will be healthy. But of course, if you're a Panthers fan, 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.280 you want them all to be healthy as soon as possible. 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:00.320 So Darren, what are you hearing? What's the late? Well, 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:02.880 I can't. I just had a little flashback to week one. 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:05.160 The Panthers went into the first week of the season 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:08.079 with like nobody on the jury report, and it was 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:10.360 the first two weeks and I asked Matt about it 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.079 in a press conference and he looked at me like 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.040 I had nine heads, like what are you doing? Why 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:19.240 are you making me address this? Are saying all this stuff? 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:21.520 But you and I have just put ourselves in a 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:24.800 situation in front of a microphone. But it was, it 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:26.839 was it was the first two weeks because then the 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.320 Thursday Night game was Week three, sure, and that's when 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.760 it all went haywire. So obviously it was our fault, 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:36.320 Kristen Um, But I didn't, I truly, you know, don't 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:39.040 think Matt Rules just trying to mess with Bill Belichick. 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:41.800 I don't think Matt Rule knows. Right now, as we 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.679 tape this podcast on Thursday, morning, whether Christian McCaffrey is 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.160 going to be available, whether Sam Donald's can be available. 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.640 I mean, the Sam stuffs absolutely out of his hands 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.640 because he's got to pass through an independent neurologist. The 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:57.920 concussion protocol is beyond the scope of coaches. They don't 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.920 get to there's no art in that. It's all science. 0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:03.640 So as soon as Sam's clear, he'll be back out there, 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:05.599 and we don't know when that'll be. I mean, it 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.319 can look good and guys cannot pass the test, so 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:12.800 we'll see. But with Christian, I mean we've been through 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.480 it before. We've watched him go out and practice, and 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.120 the way they've treated him coming back is okay, you 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:21.160 do a little bit on Wednesday, a little bit more 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.480 on Thursday, a little bit more on Friday. And on 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:26.120 the first one they pushed him into the second week 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:29.240 and he was almost ready and then he wasn't. So 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.320 you know, I think because of that, they're a little 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.840 hesitant to go too far into it. But from what 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.960 we saw in practice, from what we know about situation, 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:44.120 Christians moving around, well, we'll see. And when Matt was 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:48.560 asked specifically because they did go into it, easy was 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:51.040 to find Gilmore they did give Shaq Thompson a lot 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.880 of time, an extra week basically to come back. And 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:57.120 somebody asked Matt if he was probably going that way 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.240 with Christian and he was like, I don't know that yet. 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:02.800 And I think the it felt this way last year. 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:04.640 I remember, you know, when the Panthers were starting to 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:06.920 get some wins, you know, with Mike Davis back there, 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:09.120 Mike's having to do these big things. You know, there 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:11.400 was very much that sense of hey, it's next man up, 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.160 where the where the Carolina Panthers were not the Carolina 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:18.280 McCaffrey's you know, like everyone, uh, we're we're a team. 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:20.960 You know, everyone's just gonna keep pitching in and and 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:23.240 and keep doing their best. Next man up. But I 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:26.680 think you look at the way everything changed when Shack 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:29.920 Thompson was back on that field. Like as much as 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:32.600 no one's gonna say that it helps to have the 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:34.920 best players that you have on your team playing for 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:36.920 your team, you know, I mean I don't know that 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:40.000 no one would say that that's a pretty breaking news 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.600 having good players, right, But I felt like there was 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:46.920 this whole last year there's this like these mental hula hoops, 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.760 do we really need Christian. You know, we've got Mike. 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:54.480 I think there is a I totally understand what you're saying. 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:57.640 I think that when some of your best players, your 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:01.240 biggest contributors, go down with injury, you have to as 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:04.680 a staff and as a team not get dispirited about it. 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:07.800 And I think that that's where it comes from, which is, well, 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:09.760 might as well not even walk out there and play 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:11.640 the game now. I mean that you can't have that 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:14.680 attitude and so, but I don't know that it translates 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:16.960 to if you have a if you have the opportunity 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:19.360 to have that player back. But that's what that's what 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:22.720 everyone has had to believe for the last four weeks, 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:25.040 is that hey, we're still a great well you know, 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:28.480 there's there's a number of other guys that can make contributions. 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.120 We just saw three of the three different running backs 0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:33.400 make huge contributions in the Atlanta game, and Sam of 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.520 course include him. We're talking about running the ball um. 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:39.440 So I think it's that right. But yeah, I mean, 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.240 there's no doubt that that everyone wants to see Christian 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:45.760 just it just changes it changes everything. And obviously you 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.320 want to keep continuing to let a guy like a 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:50.920 mirab Duello. That can obviously, you know, be a spark, 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:53.240 can can produce, can be out there. You know, Cuba 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.520 is getting better each week. You want to let those 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:58.680 guys continue to improve and help the team. But at 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.640 the same time, like Christian just changes the way that 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.200 everything happens on that field when he's on there, whether 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.360 or not he's touching the ball, yeah he's not. He's 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.280 not like the other kids. So and I think one 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.600 thing that will be helpful too. There was a lot 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:14.800 of talk early on in the season about Christian touched 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:16.840 it fifty nine times in the first two games, and 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:18.680 people wonder, oh my god, is that too many? Is 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:22.119 that why this is happening? You know, it's a hamstring 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.680 like last year was it was an ankle, it was 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:28.320 a shoulder, it was different stuff. Um dumb luck. Nobody 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.879 ever gives enough credit to dumb Luck for some of 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:34.240 this stuff. But the one thing that said was when 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.119 Christians back, you want to keep using too, but you 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:39.320 want to keep using a met or you know, whether 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:41.840 there's still touches for Roy's freeman in a situate, I 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:45.560 don't know, but yeah, the point was you want to 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:48.960 have a more broad based running attack and rather than 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:51.119 just beating one guy into the ground, Hey, all of 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:54.400 a sudden, there's multiple guys who can contribute, So let's 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:57.480 do that absolutely, and then just at a different position group. 0:17:57.560 --> 0:17:59.879 But someone I failed to mention, and I feel bad. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.280 We were talking about injuries coming back because he tears Marshall, 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:04.879 you know again in the concussion protocol. So as as 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:07.240 Darren said, that's out of the coach's hands. But you 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.119 talk about just the potential to have a team that 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:14.520 looks more healthy than not for the first time since 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.240 really about week three is really exciting because, as you 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:20.520 guys pointed out, just seeing Shack out there and and 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.280 Stefan Gilmore, two contributors to a defense that was already 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:26.720 you know, playing well, was was just a huge shift. 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.480 But you know those first couple of weeks, like after 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.440 three weeks, they kind of wake up and realize, oh 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:34.840 my god, this defense is pretty good. And I mean 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:37.320 especially after the first two and you're starting to figure out, 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:40.240 oh god, J. C. Horns actually really good at this 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:45.440 footballing would have thought, yeah, and you missed that in 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.080 his absence, and then Shack goes out and you miss that, 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:49.879 and all of a sudden, when you put Shack and 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.480 Stefind Gilmore back on the field, that that same sense 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:57.840 was back there. I think as Stefan plays more and 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.280 more and more, it's I mean, this is nothing against 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:04.000 Dante Jackson, who's really good and it's gonna get paid 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:07.480 a lot of money, Nothing against a J boy A 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:09.960 or Keith Taylor, any of those other guys out there 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:15.000 playing fine. Gilmore is different, y'all. He really really good 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:19.040 at football. And you walk out there and you see it, 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:22.560 and we've got a story coming today just about the 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:26.800 ways to find sees things and he kind of sees 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.880 things before other people see them. And that's the kind 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:33.000 of player he is, and that's what he should bringing. 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:35.160 You know. It's you hear him talk all the time 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:38.080 about alpha's in that room. He's one of them. He 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:41.320 didn't say a lot. He's very soft spoken, he's very quiet. 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:45.399 It's all about the business and I'm just trying to 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:48.720 get better. But then he makes this gigantic play and 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:52.159 it's like, oh man, that's what they just added to 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.680 this defense that was already okay. Well, and and you know, 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:58.280 we saw the fans certainly saw that that interception, that 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:00.840 gigantic play which really felt exceealed game. How about what 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.359 I mean, what he did to Kyle Pitts, that was 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:05.720 a huge you know, we didn't talk about it when 0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:07.960