CHARLOTTE — All the planning, all the execution, all the preparation, it all led up to this week.
We've been talking about the Panthers as an abstract construct for seven months or so, an idea of what they could be based on past results and new additions.
And we've settled into a groove: the team that won the NFC South last year is underestimated nationally while continuing a steady climb. Will they add to last year's win total? Unless you're from the Carolinas, your answer is likely no.
But locally, there's a real sense that this team is better than it was a year ago in some tangible ways. Not perfect, no NFL team is, but you don't go from two wins to five to eight by accident. And since that eighth win and the first home playoff game in a decade, they took steps to make the team better.
This week, those steps stop being theories, and they start looking like Devin Lloyd running through someone's face, or Jaelan Phillips flushing a quarterback from the pocket, or Derrick Brown collapsing that pocket from the inside out. It becomes real, and so does the burden on what should be an improved defense.
Of course, the Panthers haven't started well (their last Week 1 win was in 2021, and Sam Darnold was the quarterback), but neither have the Bears (who have lost eight of the last 11 regular-season openers).
Come Sunday, all the trends, all the stats, and all the theories stop mattering. And it becomes real again, the start of a long season that won't be defined by one game, no matter which way it goes.
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Hi Darin! Before every season, I listen/watch some previews from the more national media to have a sense of how they see the Panthers. Although most of them dismiss the division title as luck and other reasons, there's some that recognize its merits. One of them is the channel from Brett Kollmann (now on NFL+ also), Bootleg Football, that does an hour-long (or longer) preview on all teams; they praise the Panthers for making teams play the game on their terms - limiting possessions for both teams and trying to have one more drive than the opponent (on which they usually had success winning games). Do you know if that was intentional from the Panthers (be it from the coaching staff or more collaborative work from the analytics - Eric Eager)? And if so, with the talk of trying to be quicker on the pre-snap operation on the offense (and maybe more confidence on the defense to force more three-and-outs eventually), that'd have to change a bit this season, right? Any idea if they'll keep their identity from last season or try to embrace a new one this time? Thanks! — Fernando, São Paulo, Brazil
I think in a general sense, Panthers head coach Dave Canales is a product of his mentor Pete Carroll, who always preferred to build around defense, run the ball, and control the clock. Defensive coaches tend to lean that way to reduce variables, because defensive coaches are by nature problem-solvers rather than problem-creators.
And I think in a general sense, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan is a product of the teams he played on here, where coach John Fox preached tough and smart, and hoped to clutch-and-grab and keep games close and trust a strong defense to reduce variables.
So I think that's baked into each of their respective DNA.
And honestly, when you're building from scratch, that's the way to play it. Less talented teams have to play that way to keep it close, and hope the little things break their way to have a chance against more established teams. If you're coming up out the mud, as the kids say, dragging someone down into the ditch with you puts them on equal footing.
But as the Panthers become more stable, there's the opportunity to expand things, and that's what you're referencing. They're building out what's expected of Bryce Young, and he certainly has the pieces in place around him on offense. For a team that is without its starting tackles, the Panthers enter the season as solid as they've been offensively in some time.
And the work done on defense has created something closer to what Morgan was a part of as a player.
As time goes on and they continue to improve, they can add wrinkles. But playing physical football, running the ball, and being built around defense isn't just Canales and Morgan's preference; it's the persona of the entire organization over the last 32 years.
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I go to several Panthers games every year, and I'm always severely disappointed by the lack of "Keep Pounding" chants inside the stadium. We need more! Especially to start the game and at critical moments on defense and special teams. Somehow, I hear more "Keep Pounding" chants in the concession areas and on the ramps than I do from the actual seating bowl.
Do you think the Panthers could do more to get the whole stadium involved and make "Keep Pounding" a bigger part of the game-day atmosphere? I think we all need a little more Keep Pounding in our lives.
And on that note, KEEP . . . — Quentin, Anderson, SC
It's absolutely part of the game presentation, Quentin, and it comes up pregame and to start the fourth quarter every game with a legend hitting the drum (stay tuned for this week's special guest).
But here's the cool thing about Keep Pounding as a mantra — it's organic; it wasn't created in a lab or written by a marketing executive's focus group. It's real, and genuine, and it's deep within this fanbase at a cellular level.
So that means it doesn't belong to a corporation; it belongs to the people.
Want to hear it? Start it. See where it goes from there. One voice can only do so much, but without the first one, it never spreads. I think as a society, we're too willing to wait for someone else to begin something, or see what becomes popular and then glom on. An algorithm isn't going to do it for you. You have agency; use it.
There are certainly times for electronic prompts to get everyone going, but when it's organic, it has a power that microphones and speakers can't replicate.
Be the change you want to see in the world. I bet you'll find out you've got a lot of neighbors who will join you.
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Renovations! New Seats? When? I've been in my Seats Sec 227 Row 2 Seats 1-4 for 31 Years! If they take the old seats out, can we buy like two of them? I'd like to nail down on my back deck! Original PSL Legitimate Question. . . . take it to HQ! Part II: Hell, we paid for those seats with blood, sweat, and tears! They should GIVE them to us, PSL owners, if we cart them away! Pass that up to HQ also!
Little-known stadium fact: East End Zone bangs the seats for tremendous effect on crucial downs. Opposing team backed up or in the red zone coming our way. We have caused numerous penalties on the opposing team! Opposing teams have complained they can't hear at our end. HQ is aware of the advantage; for the last three years, on our Jumbotron, HQ scrolls a message at key times to "Bang your Seats!" Question - Will the new renovation seats be bangable?
Thirty years ago at home, original PSL Owner in Sec 227 Row 2 Seat 2 - Lewis Tager from Gastonia started the seat banging in the East End Zone. He should be recognized by HQ as a true fan, one that contributed to the atmosphere and maybe a couple victories! YES - there is a story here. Seat banging in the East End Zone! More importantly - You can help us beat the Bears, key game of the year, by getting the word out to the Panther fans of this tremendous home-field advantage we have with the old seats. It can be deafening and game-changing; let your public know.
And yes - there is proper etiquette for seat banging. The guy behind you has his cup holder attached to your seat! You turn and holler behind you, "Hold Your Beer." (Otherwise, his cup shakes and spills!) Everyone in East End Zone has learned the rules! — James, Gastonia, NC
Now that's what I'm talking about. That's community organizing at its core, right there. James is out here doing the work. Hats off to the trailblazers like Lewis and those who keep his legacy alive.
(Also, James sent that through in about six separate messages at a time of evening that suggests he had perhaps secured his beverage a few times. My man had a point to make, and he made it with a lot of capital letters and exclamation marks, way more than I'd ever use myself. But his excitement came through, which is why he's this week's Friend Of The Mailbag. You can't fake that kind of passion.)
HQ, as he puts it, is still working through what to do with all the stuff that comes out of the building when the new stuff goes in, and a lot of options have been discussed, but a ton of items will become available at some point. We'll have more on that as plans become more tangible. Because the seats are bolted to a concrete upright and have shared arms, they don't just stand there like a folding chair. But when I bought a couple of the old orange seats that came out of what's now Bojangles Coliseum, I had to pay a nearby welder to add steel feet, and they sit proudly on my porch as we speak. Again, when we know more about the plans for these familiar blue ones, I'll keep you posted.
But I can tell you for a fact that the new seats will, in fact, be very bangable. They were chosen, in part, for their high bangability. They might be the bangingest seats that ever banged.
(James is rubbing off on me. Bang on, my brothers and sisters.)
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How much better on offense will we be, considering that the offensive coordinator has taken over play-calling duties, and how patient will we be if this transition begins with a slow start? — Isadore, Washington, NC
Nothing that's happened in the last three seasons suggests this is a knee-jerk reaction crowd.
Canales has built steadily, and the easiest thing for him to do would have been to keep play-calling authority. But he made some staff changes and spread some of the load to advance the entire program.
These are also all young coaches, so they're growing and learning together.
I think the best indicator is that as the Panthers have built depth, they've eliminated the chance for a few injuries to be disastrous. We're not that far removed from the year they used eight different right guards and seven left guards, and gave up 65 sacks. This year, they're without their starting tackles Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu (Yikes), and the headline is that it isn't a grease fire because they signed Rasheed Walker and drafted Monroe Freeling. The depth of the team as a whole helps with stability.
(And while I'm the last person to put an emphasis on preseason results for starters, going 3-1 in preseason games decided by second- and third-stringers suggests the overall talent is getting better.)
"Better on offense" will depend a lot on guys like Young and Tetairoa McMillan and Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks. But the team's overall build-out has given them a better chance to succeed by widening the margin for error.
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I would like to thank you and Kassidy for all the great articles, including the text of press conferences. I enjoy reading what people have to say. As a casual observer, it seems that the leadership from the owner, president, general manager, head coach, and coaches are doing an excellent job. We had a rough start with turnover and the training facility. But now it all seems to be running well. Not like in Buffalo, where the owner fired the head coach when he saw grown men crying in the locker room after losing a playoff game. If our team ever makes the playoffs eight times in nine years, wins the division five years in a row, wins playoff games, plays in the conference championship, I hope the fans will appreciate the sustained success and be thankful for what we have. I hope the owner will not listen to the few vocal fans who are never satisfied. — Matt, Waxhaw, NC
One would hope that would be the case, but there's a different pressure that comes with being consistently close.
I'm old enough to remember George Seifert coming here in the 1990s after his years with the 49ers, where he resigned after a bitter contract negotiation (they didn't want to extend him after losing in the divisional round of the playoffs two years in a row).
In eight seasons with the 49ers, he won 76.6 percent of his games (98-30) and two Super Bowls. And that wasn't good enough for somebody, but he shrugged and said that every coach has a shelf life, no matter how successful.
(Even after coming here and going 16-32, mostly because of the unfortunate 1-15 in 2001, he still has the fifth-highest winning percentage by a head coach in league history.)
That's a long way of saying people are always going to complain, and it started before the social media atmosphere rewarded the loudest and angriest rather than the more rational voices.
But the Panthers are still building toward that, and to their credit have committed to the build, and are still working their way through Tuesday before they have to worry about down-the-line problems.
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Hey Darin, love your work. Long-time reader, first-time caller here with a couple of questions concerning TMac. I just saw the video of him receiving the PFWA ROY award, and I was wondering why they didn't do that earlier, like sometime in the last six months? The next season is about to start, and he's just now getting an award for last season?
Also, he said he'd put on 20 pounds and was back at his college weight, so last year, between college and the season starting, he lost 20 pounds? Seems like something one would need to be intentional about, especially an athlete, so was there a reason for that? Thanks, keep up the good work, and Keep Pounding — Jon, Bakersville, NC
That's a Pro Football Writers of America question (I'm not a member). I think they may have announced it earlier and just got around to giving him the physical award last week.
Part of the reason McMillan was able to get back to his old weight is that being a rookie makes it really hard to be in football shape. A lot of these guys leave campus (and their regimented workout and meal plans) when the season is over, and only do combine-specific training. Then they spend a few weeks to a month traveling for visits, meeting teams, doing individual workouts, and then comes the dog-and-pony show of the draft itself.
Many times, rookies don't get back to their "normal" shape until their second season. Once it becomes their job, and they spend an entire offseason in the same place at the same time, with the same people and familiar equipment, you can see the true measure of a player.
And yes, he's been intentional about his training this offseason, and came back bigger, and he hopes he's ready for a long season in a way he wasn't necessarily last year.
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Darin, I have a couple of questions. First, I was an offensive lineman in high school in the old days (1960's). The only significant football term I remember from those days is the "headhunter offense" we linemen ran. And if you think that means what you think it means, you're right. (P.S. The "headhunter offense" did not work, as we set the state record for most consecutive losses and the coach got fired.)
I have followed football for decades but am still confused by some of the terms used today; for example: X, Y, Z receiver, WILL, MIKE, linebacker, etc. Could you explain some of them? The commentators on TV broadcasts act like everyone is a football terminology expert.
Second, in a recent ATOG, you mentioned that the scout team mimics the opponent for the starters. Who oversees the scout team, and how do they program for the scout team, particularly when the opponent has a new coaching staff that may have a different philosophy than the old coaching staff?
P.P.S. As an Eagle Scout, I want to thank you and the other Eagle Scouts you mentioned in that ATOG for all you are doing for the Panthers organization. — Morris, Charlotte
Morris, a lot of the people who communicate football for a living feel like if they say enough football words, you'll assume they're smart. Most of those are position designations. The Mike linebacker is the middle linebacker because Mike starts with M. Same with Will, the weakside linebacker, or the one who operates away from the tight end side of the offense. The X, Y, and Z are receivers. The X is the split end, the go-to target, while the Z is what your high school coach probably called the flanker, more often in motion. Your Y is the slot receiver in most situations. In football, as in life, it doesn't have to be that hard. And if someone says a lot of words that confuse you, it might be that their goal is not to make things clear to you, but to make themselves feel superior.
Generally, the assistant position coaches and quality control coaches prepare the scout-team segments of practice and get the backup players into the positions the opponents will play from. These are often developmental coaches, and Dave Canales puts a high premium on giving them a chance to learn and grow.
As for all the Scouts around here, all we can do is what some of us promised if we were also members of the Order of the Arrow: ". . . and will seek to preserve a cheerful spirit even in the midst of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities, and will endeavor, so far as in my power lies, to be unselfish in service and devotion to the welfare of others."
You don't have to have been a Scout to do all that, of course, but the words you say tend to become part of who you are.
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Are you aware of the Panthers as an organization campaigning on Michael Bates' behalf in support of him receiving consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
I ask for several reasons; the first is that despite Michael being a first-team member of the NFL's 1990 All-Decade Team, he remains one of the only members of that prestigious team not already represented in the Hall. Being a former collegiate player myself, I recognize that special teams players aren't always recognized the same way that their peers on offense and defense are, a perception that's unfair in my opinion. That said, Michael was extremely unique in his ability to contribute; he was a five-time Pro Bowler for damn good reasons. He wasn't only the best returner of his time; he was also the best coverage man of his era, a lights-out gunner whose playmaking abilities altered field position, and subsequently, he altered the course of the games he played in as well. There are a few all-time great coverage men; there are also a few all-time great returners. Michael was an all-time great at both.
While I may be biased from having known Michael my entire life, I can personally attest to the fact that Michael is a far better person than he is an athlete or football player. He is unequivocally the most humble, sincere and generous person I've ever known, surely such character must count for something for prospective members. — Shane, Tucson, AZ
No question that Bates was one of the all-time great special-teamers and all-time great Panthers.
The problem for players like him is that it's harder than ever for players who are out of the game for more than 20 years to get traction for the Hall of Fame. That became harder last week with the rule changes, which eliminated a specific track for senior candidates to reach the finalist level. Now, seniors are in the same population as first-time eligibles like Adrian Peterson, Rob Gronkowski, and Cam Newton, so the quest for attention is going to become more difficult as voters reduce the population of candidates to 13 players from every era, plus a coach and a contributor.
Even if Canton doesn't call, Bates will always be fondly remembered here, because as you noted, he was excellent at many different things over an extended time as a Panther.
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Hey, I'm an old guy too and watched the Pittsburgh Steelers for 57 years. So I have seen a lot of football and players in my day. This year I will be a Carolina fan. Why?
I'm writing to talk to lots of fans and sports writers who just don't understand the quality player Kenny Pickett is and could be with the right oversight and encouragement. Trying to keep this short, Kenny broke a lot of records at the University of Pittsburgh (including Dan Marino's) and finished third in the Heisman Trophy for his college career. Drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round came with a lot of expectations, one of which was to replace a future Hall of Fame QB, Ben Rothlesberger. He was thrown into the third game of the 2023 season with no practice with the first team since his arrival. . . . Kenny never had a chance, although he had a winning record and still does today. The Eagles wanted a backup, which meant there was no future for Kenny. Traded to Cleveland to compete for QB1. The Browns QB coach said Kenny was stellar in his performance in training camp, but a hamstring injury caused him to be traded before he could recover in time for the season (hmmm sounds like Haynes King). . . .
No one ever in the press talks about Kenny in a positive way, and Carolina Fans want to bank the entire 2026 season on getting Haynes King, a non-drafted rookie who only played 17 percent of the preseason against a third-string defense. Talk of a trade of Kenny is just wrong. I'm not rooting for Bryce Young to get hurt or be benched, but you have a leader and experienced backup in Kenny. He is in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, for being the only rookie to have back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks for wins in the history of the game. Just stop the idle talk of what other sports writers and Pittsburgh fans say. — Scott, Wrightsville, PA
I helped Scott keep it a little shorter. He had thoughts.
And yes, this is a pro-Kenny Pickett account. He's been, as Scott notes, in some weird situations, but has played pretty well when he's had a chance.
Plus, he came to Charlotte for an ACC Championship Game, created a fake slide cool enough that they changed a rule because of him, and has continued to have a sense of humor about himself, which not everyone can.
One of my favorite Pickett moments of the preseason was when he was asked about his new habit of wearing just one glove, instead of two as he has most of his NFL career.
"That's a me decision," he said. "Centers are a little more sweaty here than I've had in the past."
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And on that note, let's go lightning round, brought to you by the patron saint of the lightning round Jeff from Fuquay-Varina, to close it out this week.
Who'd you end up with in your fantasy draft? — Cliff, Cornelius, NC
I got stuck with the seventh pick, and thought I might end up with Christian McCaffrey. I figured as soon as I took him, he'd get attacked by a kangaroo in Australia. And if I didn't, he'd have an MVP season. Someone else took me off the hook, and I ended up with James Cook instead. I know, boring.
What do you expect from the players for this year? — Ryker, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Full effort. Intentionality.
Please use the word "Britches" more often. It brings me joy. Down to business, though: Shaq Thompson was an FOTM. JJ Jansen was an FOTM. How many IRL Panthers, past and present, have been a part of this family (that I am admittedly very jealous of)? And if you put me in the lightning round, please don't just give me a number. Give me names as well, please. KEEP POUNDING, and I (and the rest of G-Town, who I would like to say I speak for) can't wait to get this regular-season party started! — Micah, Gastonia, NC
Don't get your britches in a knot. Start there. I know that Jansen, Shaq Thompson, and Austin Corbett are part of the club for their long and meritorious service. Former offensive line coach James Campen is in there, as are a handful of other staffers, according to a very specific formula I have developed over the years (which includes, among other qualifications, "Take care of the people who take care of the people"). They are few, and they are proud.
Other times, I send out shirts to people who ask good or interesting questions. Keep trying. It's the regular season now, we all have to raise our level.
