Did you know Chris, if the Panthers won the last two games, it’d be one game back of Atlanta for the top spot in the NFC South, man. That’s how close, man. There’s still a scenario where they can make the playoffs, which is weird, which is weird. But hey, if, if there’s a franchise that knows how to make the playoffs and win a division with a below 500 record. It’s the Panthers baby. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s get this sucker started, get dialed in Panthers fans here comes in in depth. Look at your team exclusive interviews, locker room in sight. Let’s huddle up. Let’s just do it. Ok. For Panthers Playbook driven by Carolina Ford Dealers. Here are your hosts, Dennis Cox and Chris Lee. Welcome back to another episode of Pan this playbook. That’s Chris Lee. Dennis Cox here with you. Give your thoughts right now on, in the comment section on the Carolina Panthers and what their future looks like because that’s what we’re talking about right now, even though we’re gonna dive into what’s happened recently, Chris, but before we get started, Carolina Ford Dealer, your sponsor of Panthers Playbook with a Ford F 150 on your team. It’s game on. So your Carolina Ford Dealer today, Chris, if you look at the last four games, a one point win against the Saints overtime, three point win against the Giants, a three point loss at the buzzer to the Kansas City Chiefs and a three point overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This past Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. That’s four straight games decided by three points or less. The Panthers are two and two in them. Now, granted, they lost the last two but for a young team and a rookie head coach that’s developing, still want to see them continue to grow. But I do like the direction that this, this team is headed right now. They’re heading in the right direction. Let’s be honest. Yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s literally what we said we wanted at the beginning of the year. Yeah. Right. You know, we said that we didn’t think this team was going to make the playoffs, but we wanted them to win a few more games than last year, which they already have one more than last year. Um And also we wanted them to be in games, uh, at the end of, of them understanding that some they’re gonna give away, uh, but others, they need to try to figure out how to, how to get those and because it is a learning process and, uh this is all to set up what could be AAA Bright 2025. Right. Um, but as of right now the people who are on the roster, this offensive line, a lot of these weapons, um, you know, Liget Coker, Adam Thiele, um, Jonathan Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, they’re gonna be back next year. T and Sanders, they’re gonna be back next year. Right. With Bryce Young. Um, so how do they come together and learn how to win? Um, and, and I think, you know, it’s, it’s starting to happen right on time. I think this past Sunday is absolutely the case of these guys gave the game away to Tampa Bay and, you know, I heard Bucky Irving say, hey, we should have put their poop away, right? Like I posted that video on Twitter and I’m thinking they kind of gave it to you like, it’s, it’s not like you had them down and out or anything like that. There were, there were times where you led, but it’s not like, you know, the game really swayed in anybody’s direction, but there was a stretch of time where the Carolina Panthers kept missing field goals and your point totals never moved. And then there’s also a touchdown that was taken away from them and they had two opportunities to win to walk off and win and they didn’t do that. I’m not sure what you were talking about. Bucky I Ring, even though you had a really great game. He hell of a game, hell of a game. Uh, but your team as a whole was not in a position to put that team away. The Carolina Panthers gave you that one. You, you said that term, putting teams away and I felt like I, I felt like on Sunday against the Bucks and even, I will go back to the Germany game against the Giants that it felt like in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, that there’s opportunities for Carolina to really distance themselves from their opponent in both of those games. I don’t know if it’s Dave Canalis maybe just getting too conservative with play calling. We know that the, the, the finishing in the red zone just hasn’t been there over the last few weeks, but it felt like that Carolina really could have just stomped out their opponent and gave plenty of distance where, you know, what take all hope and away from the your opponent like and put them in a situation where like, hey, you know what, we can’t run the football, hey, we’re down two scores now, we have to throw the ball. You make things predictable for your defense, which only helps them out even more. I think a killer instinct whether it comes directly from Dave Canalis, the head coach, whether that comes from the players themselves, but they have to take advantage of the opportunities to put teams away. There’s no reason why that going into halftime, that score should have been like 21 to 10 or something along those lines or even more. That’s the thing that I’m talking about, they have to have that killer instinct to really put teams away and put them in situations where other teams are stressed and have to come back and like, oh, crap, we’re down two scores. All right. Now we got to pass. That’s something I think that the Carolina Panthers need to learn to do because they control the game against the Giants. Uh in Germany, they literally ran through them like literally like Tuba Huber had a career day, but you did bury that team fast enough. You let them creep back in. I felt in the first half they missed those opportunities again. Piero mid field goals, the touchdown taken off the board, there are points, a lot of points and opportunities that were just left out there. And that’s something I want to see this team continue to progress and learn how to do Dennis. Do you remember the 2015 season for the Carolina Panthers? Oh, yeah, absolutely. It was magical. Very magical. Um There was only two games I could remember in that particular season where um, if the Panthers, you know, things kind of got tight in the regular season in the regular season where things kind of got tight and they had to kind of hunker down to get it together to go win at the end. Right. It was a Giants game and it was a Saints game at the Saints. Um Other than that, why didn’t many teams get come back on that team? They buried them? That’s true. But I, I think more so where I’m getting at is like, I, I understand what you’re saying. The offense has to take the next step to make sure they’re doing that. Special teams has to do their job to bury these field goals. A lot of burying teams also is taking their will from them offensively, which means your defense has to be on point. You’re not wrong with what you’re saying at all. I’m not disagreeing with what you’re saying, but a huge part of putting teams away is not letting them score, not letting them start off at the, the, you know, what, seven yard line and go all the way down the field for, you know, uh 1112 plays on these long, you know, 78 minute drives and scoring and keeping the ball out of your offensive offensive hands. Like that’s one of those things that, you know, that really needs to be addressed um in the off season. Um, you know, II, I know that we’ve been hard on Dave Canalis, right? It’s just criticism, I love what he’s doing as a coach overall though. I feel like he’s got this team going in the right direction and I can see this team being a winner under him. The defense needs a lot of work, you know, and it, and it’s not just like before people were saying, well, injuries, ok, cool. Mostly everybody is back besides a couple, a couple of guys who have season ending injuries. Right. And those are important pieces. Oh, yeah, like Derek Brown’s been out since week one, but those are important pieces. But, but it’s not like it’s just happened. This isn’t, this isn’t just a, you know, personnel is missing problem. The, there’s, there’s an issue, you know, with the defense and, you know, whether it’s, it’s the actual guys, uh, maybe you just need something different, maybe you need a different scheme. Maybe there’s, there’s coaching that could be different. We addressed some of that on the last episode. Uh, but, you know, that’s, that’s gonna be a huge thing. Uh, because another thing in these last couple of games that they’ve lost, they all start letting, get, letting teams get over 20 on them and that spells disaster for the Carolina Panthers. Um When you let a team get over 20 the only reason why they were able to win with the Raiders who got 22 is because the Raiders got that at the end, right. You know, and the Carolina Panthers had already put their foot on their necks and gone a lot further. Um They need to learn how to keep teams under that magical number of 20 uh, if they can, if they can. Right. And they’re having a hard time doing it, which means, uh, their defense is gonna need a lot of work in the off season. It definitely does. It needs to be addressed like crazy and talking about coaching as well. There’s something that you and I actually didn’t discuss after the end of the, the last game when the Panthers took the lead when Bryce swung through the touchdown pass. Adam feeling to go up 23 to 20 they kick the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback giving the Bucks the ball at the 30 yard line as opposed to make the Bucks return the ball to use a clock in those situations. Either the clock is your friend or the clock is your enemy. If I’m Dave Canals, I want them to return the ball. Even if they get to the 30 yard line, they’re chewing up time. That’s what I need them to do is use up time. And that’s something that I didn’t quite understand as well. I know we didn’t talk about it. I was like, why, why didn’t they force the Bucks on a kick return to use up time? Even though the Bucks had three time outs. If four seconds comes off the clock, who knows what happens at that point? Ok. Even if they start the ball with the ball at the 30 yard line, they say they get a return to the 30 you’re starting in the same spot, but time came off the clock. It’s little things like that. That to me it’s like, again, still learning as a head coach. It’s something we had to keep in mind is that this is Dave Kiss first rodeo as a head coach. This is his first rodeo as a head coach. So he has to understand that. Hey, you know, what time is my friend in this situation, not my enemy, use it, use it. I kind of turn the ball. I kind of wondered in that situation like you had, you had some coverage ga uh gaffs um, in the last couple of weeks, especially the first kickoff against the Chiefs. Um, that led to their first score, right? Um So I kind of wonder if that’s one of the things he’s thinking about with that, like tackling as a whole on his team has been an issue. So I, I’m wondering if, if that’s one of the thought processes, I let’s not, you know, let’s just put it in the hands of our defense. Let’s not, you know, put that much pressure on the folks who are on special teams. Let’s just kick it out of the back of the end zone and just put it right there. We’ll, we’ll, we’ll deal with the consequences, but that also shows that you probably need to work on special teams as well if you don’t trust them as much because here’s the thing, those guys who are playing on, on special teams they’re the backups for the guys who are playing on defense. You know what I’m saying? So, if you can’t trust them tackling, you can’t trust your first string tackling. It just got an issue. So there’s a lot of, a lot of changes on that side of the ball that’s gonna have to be made. I will say this though, Chris, the fact that we were frustrated after a loss like, man, like we should have won that game. Not like uh well, there’s Panthers, they just lost another game. Uh Ho hum. You know, there, there, there go, the Panthers again. It’s like, no, this team is, this team is showing fight. They’re showing competitiveness and I’m from, from everything we’ve read in the comment section and people that we talk to, it’s like, man, there’s, there’s, there’s more juice in the building, there’s more juice in the locker room in terms of the expectation to win. We even heard Adam Thiele say it. It’s like, hey, you know what, like the, the, the culture and, and the mindset in this locker room is different than what it was last year and I think people are noticing it and fans are noticing as well. It’s like, wait, you know what? We might not be winning some of these tight games, but we’re, we’re, we’re getting right there and I think it has people both excited even though frustrated with the loss, but still excited about what’s building and I think the Panthers fans, we haven’t felt that in a long, long time. It’s been a minute since we felt this way. And let’s, let’s keep it real. Right. Like we, for everything that we didn’t like about Matt rule, there was at least five wins in those seasons that he was a head coach. Right. And the bar is low if that’s, if that’s what we’re excited about. Right, because we got at least five wins. But, um, but also remember that first year in 2025 wins, but like eight of the other games were, you know, decided by, uh, one score or less, you know, and, uh, and many of those within, you know, three points Panthers were in, in, in tighter games and, and that was the point to where, like we were frustrated at, you know, because we were just like, hey, you know, this doesn’t look good. We’re gonna miss the playoffs for what that would have been a third straight year. Like, uh, we need to do something with this and now this is what we’re celebrating that just shows that, that, you know, the team was getting better. Yeah. And that shows how bad, how bad things were because this is what we’re celebrating, starving to be competitive, just starving to be competitive. And, you know what, I think there’s been a, a, I think there’s been a level of respect that’s been earned a bit by the Panthers. Around the league. It’s not like, oh, we can just walk all over this team like it was last year, even the year before that. I think there’s a little bit of respect. It’s like, you know, what this team is gonna give you a fight. You know, I think, I think they’ve, they’ve started to earn that a little bit. Here’s the part people aren’t, like, really talking about as much. Uh, you know, it’s happening in, in Panther circles but not outside the Panther circles. Um Trading Deonte Johnson, trading Jonathan Mingo felt like uh to other people. Oh, here the Carolina Panthers again, trading some of their better players again. What are they doing? What are they really getting for them and what have those guys done? Right? Uh You and I played as many snaps on Sunday as Deontay Johnson did for the Ravens, which that is a fact he literally dressed and sat the bench the entire game played zero snaps even after Rashad Bateman got hurt one of the receivers. It’s crazy, right? Like, and, and, and even though it seems like the same old thing, you know, you’re trading away Christian mccaffrey, DJ Moore, Brian Burns, it feels like the same old thing. This wasn’t the same old thing, right? Like these guys, this play this coaching staff, uh this front office, uh led by Dan Morgan. They know what they’re doing, they know what they’re doing. They are not an issue, right? And again, a lot of the criticism that we have for Dave Canalis is simply holding him accountable. He’s in his first year, he’s given some, he’s getting, getting some grace uh from us and they’re going to be growing pains with him. Uh But we’re just kind of pointing out the things that we see. But overall, these guys have done a heck of a job identifying the people, they need to identify, like the fact that they didn’t hold on to the ego portion of this guy was chosen in the second round last year. This guy is an undrafted free agent. No, this undrafted free agent is playing better than this guy and we’re not gonna hold on just because of a draft grade or, or where somebody was drafted. Hey, you go over here undrafted guy, you come here and you know, if he was, you know, I, I kind of wonder what the game’s last couple of weeks would look like if Jalen Coker would have been dressed, right? Like what difference that would have possibly made if Jalen Coker didn’t have the quad injury. So, um, you know, it’s this front office, this coaching staff has been doing a great job identifying, uh and, and working with the guys that they are able to work with this season, David Moore playing at a spot, had an awesome day against the Chiefs. Had a really good day, then had some bad drops on Sunday against the bucks, couple, couple of them. Yeah, I’m excited to see what JL Coker does with this team. It’s amazing addition by subtraction, addition, by subtraction when it comes to Mingo and, and Deonte Johnson addition by subtraction, especially when it comes to Deonte Johnson. And, well, it’s clear that he doesn’t fit well in the locker rooms. If things aren’t going his way, it’s very evident if things aren’t going his way. Pittsburgh Carolina, it looks like the same thing with Baltimore. I don’t know if you saw some of Harbaugh’s comments afterwards after the game. Um On Monday, it’s like, uh he alluded to the fact like, well, we have some, you know, some, some moving pieces and things we have to take into consideration, you know, the reason why Deontay Johnson didn’t play and stuff. It’s like, oh, you guys gonna cut this guy? It, it gave and they still have a bi week coming up, but it gave me the impression of like, are they gonna look to get rid of this dude? All right, I’m like, all right, if it’s another team, it’s like, man, you’re just killing your own career. Dante Johnson. It’s not because you’re not talented but think about most of what we thought the receiving core was going to be the Smith Mars, you know, he’s not with the team anymore. Uh Terrace Marshall Junior, he’s not with the team anymore, right? Like we at the beginning of the year when we did our um you know, mock, you know, 53. You know, neither of us, not neither of us on our mock 53 had David Moore. I think maybe we said David Moore could possibly. It was like at the end, you had a more, you had Moore as someone more likely to make the roster than I did. But like he was at the edge of, you know, if he was gonna make it or not, like I even acknowledge, like, if he is like that last guy, he’s somebody that’s probably gonna get cut when they bring up Jonathan Brooks or who, whoever that they needed to bring up at the time. Um And, you know, we didn’t have, we had Jalen Coker on, on the, uh on the practice squad, which is where he started off at. Uh Well, it was the initial 53. Yes. Um But it’s interesting to see that and like most of those guys just aren’t there right now, it’s not there. It’s really weird to see, you know, we have not yet seen Xor Liget Jalen Coker and Adam Fein on the field together all healthy at this and, and, and I’ll throw Javi and Sanders into that mix too. Hopefully, we get Coker and Javi and Sanders. How healthy this week I’m like, now we can really start to see what this offense is, can be, really, can start to see what this offense can be. I still think they need to add a wide receiver that could really stretch the field like a burner. I think they, something that could take the top off if they can add that into the mix this off season in some way, whether it’s through draft or free agency, whatever it might be, they can add that to the mix. The Hollywood guys we just mentioned, do you want Hollywood Brown? He’s gonna be a free agent. I don’t know. The, the, the wide receiver free agent class is, um, it’s ok. There’s names there but the names are like all past their prime. Like you’re not getting the best out of means you have, uh, you know, I think T Higgins is going to be a part of that too, but it’s like, is it gonna cost you too much? That’s the only thing would just be too expensive. Is he gonna, because I would love to have tea? But other than that after that, it’s like a lot of guys, it’s like, are you, how, what level are you really going to be able to contribute? And, um, you know, but the all the engine to all that Bryce young dudes balling out Bryce Young’s doing a great job. Dude’s balling out right now. Let’s hope he keeps it going. Let’s hope he keeps it going. Look, uh, you know, we brought this up just really quick. Uh Pff says over the last two weeks, uh, he’s leading the NFL in big time throws. So essentially big time throws are the throws that are going down the field that are the most accurate, better ball placement. Uh, you know, tougher situations under duress, all that spliced in together. It’s kind of like, you know, this convoluted thing, a lot of moving parts, but they say that he’s the best at that. So, uh, over the last two weeks and, uh, he’s starting to become the guy that we, we thought he could be at the beginning of last year. So we, we asked a couple of weeks ago for consistency. He’s starting to show a little bit more consistency. Now we need more consistency, you know, finish off this year, uh with the main and, you know, and that just means stay playing the way that you have been. There’s gonna be, he’s gonna throw another interception at some at a certain point. But how do you bounce back from that? You know, and I, I think that’s the, that’s the thing that we’re gonna be looking out for when it comes in Sunday against the Eagles. Um, defense, please sewn Barkley. Please tackle, dude’s gonna put up 400 yards. Don’t let him jump backwards over your head. Don’t let him flip over your head. Do any of that stuff like keep Jalen Hurtz in the pocket, please, please. Pretty please. Pretty please make sure you check out our stuff with a cheesesteak on top man. You’re vegan make sure you check out Carolina Ford dealers, our sponsor here of Panthers, Playbook, Carolina for dealers with a Ford F 150 on your team. It’s game on. So, your Carolina Ford Dealer today, we’ll have an episode for you all on Sunday. We don’t have to drive two hours. We can actually be couch potatoes. I have a section.

Source: wralsportsfan.com