Ask The Old Guy: Winning imperfectly is still winning

CHARLOTTE — We saw some things last weekend in Philadelphia.

We saw history (the JJ Jansen kind, not the overrated Liberty Bell), we saw a pale crescent moon (thanks to Will Lee III and Dallas Goedert, who learned nothing from Jake Delhomme in Atlanta), and we saw Tommy Tremble go full Rocky Balboa.

And we may have also seen a football team grow up.

One of the hardest things to do in the NFL is win when you're supposed to, because the margins are always paper-thin. But as beat up as the Eagles were entering the game, that's what the Panthers needed to do.

It was still hard, that's still a good Eagles defense. And doing what undermanned teams have to do, the Eagles clutched and grabbed and kept it close and hoped for the best.

Eventually, the Panthers pulled away, but it wasn't easy because it never is.

But that was significant, because they played imperfectly on the road and still won. They committed way too many penalties, and took a lot of chunk plays off the board. They can't do that against healthier teams and survive. But they survived, and that's worth something, and now they come home with a winning record.

That's not nothing, and it definitely beats getting pantsed.

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We've seen enough. Darin, I heard you had some experience in politics. I think it's about time to draft a bill requiring all Bryce-haters to purchase everyone in the Carolinas a No. 9 jersey. What do you think? I'm partial to white, thanks. — Jonathan, Whittier, NC

My only experience in politics is only tangentially related. I work the polls every election, and I'll be there two weeks from today. It's among my favorite days of the year, not just to see the gears of democracy turn, but to interact with my neighbors in the spirit of community. Working the polls turns me into something between Frank Capra and Steve Rogers.

However, I think it's nearly unanimous that Bryce Young could get elected mayor in this city pretty easily right now. Probably governor, and maybe beyond.

Anyone who has read this space knows I am a firm believer in sample size, and declaring too early is the fastest way to be big wrong. But five games is getting closer to enough to say this may just be what it looks like this year.

Bryce is dealing right now, averaging more than 300 passing yards per game. When 281 is your low game of the season (and it comes with two touchdowns, a 90-plus passer rating, and a road win against a really good Philly defense), things are going well. How well? We'll see over the next couple of weeks. But even sports writer math tells you the guy who set a career high with 3,011 yards last season is more than halfway there already (1,549 through five games). It's hard to imagine him keeping this pace, but if he does, he'll surpass 5,000 yards for the season. There have only been 15 such seasons in football history, and when you start moving into a list with cats named Manning, Brees, Brady, and Mahomes, you're doing things right.

Now, can he sustain this? The only honest answer is "We'll see." There are some big-time defenses on the horizon, including Minnesota, Denver, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Green Bay. It could get harder.

But he's already facing a lot of pressure, and he's delivering. So for now, enjoy.

Also, go vote, preferably early, but even if you wait until Nov. 3, do your part. There will be a friendly staff waiting on you when you get there.

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It's been a few weeks, but I wanted to offer congrats to the team for a good win against Philly. Bryce and the offense played great against a good defense. The defense did well and what they were supposed to do against a team with so many injuries. And Anthony Tyus III up from the practice squad and blocking a punt. Great game all around.

A lot of talk today about Jalen Hurts dealing with blood clots, but no mention of Taylor Moton dealing with the same thing and coming back to play 100 percent of the snaps. I hope he has no issues after playing.

How do they keep this going when pretty much everything went well? They even kept Jalen Carter from getting to Bryce. I guess they work on eliminating the penalties? Sorry for being so long-winded. — Roger, Matthews, NC

Well, the tone was set for the day when Jalen Carter was stood up at the line of scrimmage by JJ Jansen on his record-breaking snap. (Perhaps you heard, JJ set a record last week, and Carter clearly did not want that smoke. Or something.)

And the only way to continue down this path is to continue to follow the process that got JJ to his record, and the team to this place. They're 3-2, which is good, but they can't coast or anything. But they've got grinders in the right spots (including the head coach, so that message is repeated daily).

Moton was able to get through a long workday well. If there were concerns about how he'd hold up in his first game back, a 79-snap day is not what you'd have dialed up. But Moton was there, and he was Taylor Moton.

He said he felt good, other than the normal soreness that comes with playing a collision sport. And he shared his concerns about the Eagles quarterback, who he didn't see on Sunday.

"I didn't even see him out there, but I'm wishing him the best," Moton said Monday when asked about Hurts. "And obviously very, very scary news, and you know, just moving forward, like I said, I hope he's, he's OK, right? I mean, that's scary stuff, obviously, . . .

"I'm here for him, I guess, obviously in the blood clot community, I guess. If he ever needs anything, he wants to reach out; I'll be here for him."

Likewise, we all hope Hurts recovers well, and it's a good reminder that this sport we love to watch is played by human beings, and sometimes it crosses that line from normal sports injuries to real life.

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Another beautiful sunrise in ENC and almost perfect NFC South results. If the G-men played like the last two minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half meant something, would have been perfect. Trying to determine if the Panthers' win was a gritty win, an ugly win, or if it doesn't matter how you play as long as you win.

How do the Panthers address their penalty issues, in particular the ones such as unsportsmanlike conduct? Fines, additional running drills for individual players, etc.

A handful of games doesn't mean a trend has been established, but are the Panthers going away from a ground-and-pound game to at least a more pass-centered offense?

My curiosity question for the week. From the end of the game to posting Ask the Old Guy articles, how much of your awake hours do you devote to your column? Between reading all the questions/comments and responding with knowledge, wisdom, and humor, there can't be much time for anything else.

Finally, realizing your schedule must be packed, I'm looking to see if my FOTM shirt from week one will be sent out soon. Looking to rock it in the New Bern area. Looking forward to the Panthers taking care of the Bucs next week. Keep Pounding — Tom, Trent Woods, NC

Writing the 'Bag takes a non-zero amount of time, for sure. But I love doing it, because it allows me to learn a lot of cool stuff about football, the people who play football, and people in general. I guess I should say it takes me so long that I'm behind on the mail so Tom will get off my back, but that wouldn't be in the spirit of customer service. Soon, I promise, maybe before Election Day since there's a weekend off between now and then.

As for penalty prevention, I think you just talk to them like men. Sometimes that's sternly. Trying to run guys out of behavior isn't going to work, and making up slogans won't fix it. It just makes you corny.

The Panthers are getting better. But they're not so good that they can survive 149 yards of penalties every week or against teams at full strength (and that doesn't even count the yards those 13 flags took off the board, like several returns and the 23-yard Mitchell Evans catch that would have gotten them to the red zone). It's obviously something they know, and they're working on.

And as Dave Canales pointed out, some of the most penalized teams are often the best, because of the aggression that those penalties come from also creates a bunch of plays. It's a problem, but it's not necessarily determinative.

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A gritty win. Panthers did what they had to do to win on the road against a team with a lot of injuries and travel lagged from playing last week in Europe. But injuries and travel are part of the game, so they don't get any pity points. The Panthers played great complementary football; the defense, offense, and special teams all deserve game balls. Bryce, Chuba Hubbard, and the receiving corps all impressed on offense; Bobby Okereke has been a fantastic pickup for the defense, which put a lot of pressure on the Eagles. Great to have Trevor Etienne back; he makes a difference on the special teams. The way the game ended with the Panthers pounding them on the ground and running out the clock was a real statement. Lots of good, and I hate to be one by bringing this up, but how can the Panthers cut down on all the penalties? 13, 150 yds; how many times can you shoot yourself in the foot before you run out of feet? — Norm, Greenville, SC

You're far from the only one Norm, in fact it feels like it's about to become a theme.

But as mentioned above, you can't beat or yell discipline into a ball team. It has to be built by force of habit until it becomes a behavior. Just work; that's all that's going to fix it.

And yes, the way they won that game was textbook, in a lot of ways. I'd rather win a resilient game than lose one; that's for sure.

And your point about the broad-based nature of that win is well-stated.

Etienne looked like a different guy on returns Sunday, averaging 14.3 per punt return and gaining 27 on his one shot at a kickoff. He averaged 8.2 yards per punt return and 23.6 on kickoffs last year. Again, one game isn't a trend, so let's see if it's repeatable. But he was explosive in a way he hadn't been last year.

Okereke, on the other hand, has made this a pattern. He's proven well worth it already. The difference in the defense this year is bigger than two dudes, but when two of those dudes are Devin Lloyd and Okereke, you can see the impact. We've talked about it a lot here; Dan Morgan understands the value of linebacker play in a way others might not. And they have a better grade of linebackers now than they've had in some time.

But having them is one thing; putting them in positions to succeed is another. And Ejiro Evero is willing to blitz them, drop them, move them around in different ways. And it's working.

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Darin, first this older guy from Stuttgart wants to say, I am happy that the Panthers won the Eagles game, and they still continue to be the CARDIAC CATS. However, I am very disappointed with their play. Even though the stats appear to look like a playoff team, we all know that they should have played much better against the Eagles with Hurts, Barkley, and numerous starters injured and out. The odds were stacked in our favor, and we struggled terribly until the 4th quarter. If Hurts, Barkley, and the other starters were playing, and we struggled as we did, we would have lost that game for sure. The question I have, Darin, is: the number of penalties in this game- 13 for 149 yards cost us and could have turned the game around and motivated the Eagles enough to come back and win. I know that penalties are a part of the game and happen to all teams, even the best teams; however, 13 penalties for 149 yards, in my opinion, is extremely unacceptable: taunting, on every kickoff return, holding or blocking from the back, intentional roughness/fighting. For those unacceptable, avoidable penalties, I think the coaches/team should fine the player. What is your take on that? However, a win is a win, so Panthers, Keep on Pounding/Pouncing. — Kenneth, Stuttgart, Germany

That's a popular idea this week, but it's not allowed in the way you suggest.

The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union doesn't allow for fines like that for things that happen during games. Players can be fined for things like not showing up on time, missing scheduled rehab, or damaging team property. Players can be fined for not making weight, but they can't be fined for jumping offsides.

What can happen is that if it's a persistent problem, you can lose your job, or face a reduction of role. Now that's a deterrent.

And ultimately, if you build your team with a sufficient number of adult human beings, problems like these take care of themselves.

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Hi Darin. What a way to come off our bye! When you can overcome 149 penalty yards, I think that says something about the team's determination to win. I don't really have a question. I just want to say how happy I am for Tommy Tremble. He is a fantastic blocker and does whatever is asked of him but doesn't receive any recognition for his contributions. Obviously, his teammates and coaches appreciate him, but outside of that, nothing. I love that he caught two touchdown passes against the Eagles. Congratulations to him for yesterday and a big thank you for all he does for this team. — LeeAnee, Lincolnton, NC

Tommy is the kind of guy every team needs a few of, because he's willing to do anything.

He'll run down kicks, he'll block on the punt team, he'll run block on offense. He just loves ball like that.

Plus, it gives him a chance to make plays and occasionally hurdle people. That's enough for him.

But on a day like Sunday, when he gets to make plays and celebrate with his BFF Hubbard, that's a good Tommy Tremble day.

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A bit of clarification is needed for a puzzling trend that I am seeing. Lathan Ransom was playing a ton of snaps through Week 3 but has barely seen the field (even though he made an impact in Week 4 with a big hit on Jahmyr Gibbs).

I know Zakee Wheatley has looked like an absolute steal so far, but Lathan really looked to be coming into his own to start the season, and not to mention his big hits and great Joker celebration, is there a reason that I may be missing for why he isn't seeing the field more? — John, Waxhaw, NC

My suspicion is this becomes a one-week blip based on scheme considerations. The Panthers didn't do a lot of changing personnel during the game, other than rotating linemen and pass-rushers. Seven guys played 80 percent of the snaps or more (the linebackers and the secondary), so it was a fairly static group of people.

Ransom has shown he can do things, and will likely get worked in more in the coming weeks.

But yes, Wheatley has impressed. He stands out in the crowd for one reason — he's bigger than the rest of them by an order of magnitude — and has steadily improved since he got here. When you go from game day inactive to starting and playing as much as he has, there's a reason for that.

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That was a great team win and a very solid performance by the defense. Obviously, it's ideal to have a mix of veteran and rookie contributions on any team to try and balance the future and the now, but there are a couple rookies who definitely deserve a shout-out: Will Lee III and Zakee Wheatley. Lee has all but carved out a starting role already (even when everyone's healthy), but does Wheatley deserve more snaps in your opinion? Obviously, any one player getting more snaps means the usual starter getting fewer snaps, but in my opinion, it is getting harder to justify not having him on the field. That was an All-Pro type of play he made on Sunday against a very talented wide receiver on fourth down, not to mention his forced fumble against the Falcons, and his consistently high PFF grading. Is Wheatley due for more playing time or am I getting ahead of myself? — Grant, Columbus, OH

I think he's getting it, as you saw last week when he played 81 percent of the snaps. Especially in a world without Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, when they want to put their five best DBs on the field, he's one of them.

And because these guys are all a little different, there's a way to make it work.

Tre'von Moehrig is the tone-setter, a physical player who is a big part of the improvement in run defense the last couple of seasons. So you can't take him off the field. People have been trying to give Nick Scott's job away for years, and he keeps not letting them because he's good at what he does. His ability to communicate is essential in this system, and he plays well enough that he's not just some coach on the field.

But yes, Wheatley has earned his reps, and looks like a good player for years to come. They have a few more of those than they used to.

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Thank you for keeping us in the loop and for giving the fans an opportunity to vent/praise our team. I'm concerned about Ryan Fitzgerald's inability to make an extra point. In the last two games he's missed three. I haven't seen any of the sports writers address this, nor the team in the media. High schoolers make extra points. What's happening with him? He's great on field goals. Is there anyone else on the team who can kick extra points because going for a two-point conversion isn't working for us right now? I don't mean to bitch about the team because they're doing great right now and I love watching them, but Terry Smith has gotta get this fixed. — Linda, Charlotte

And so does Tracy. Or maybe even Tater. Let's leave Terry out of it.

I'm not sure that's a molehill you're making a mountain of. Maybe a raccoon hill. Or a badger hill. A medium-sized hole-making animal, perhaps.

It's not not a problem, I'm just not sure it rises to the level of solution you're suggesting.

Fitzgerald is pretty good at kicking. He's 11-of-11 on field goals this year. And if you throw in his 11-of-15 on extra points (which are really no different than the 33-yard field goals he's perfect on), that 84.6 percent accuracy tracks with his 2025 stats. Last year, he was 24-of-29 on field goals and 27-of-30 on extra points, for a combined 86.4 percent. He also hit four game-winning field goals, so he's got that going for him, which is nice.

And while his extra point percentage is near the bottom of the league, his field goal percentage is tied for the top.

Which is a long way of saying it's not ideal, but it's also probably not terminal. On a scale of 1-10, this is maybe a 4 problem.

Of the four misses, one was blocked, and the other three were wide right (including one that hit the upright). That suggests that it's a specific mechanical, and thus correctable, problem. We'll see if it continues to be one.

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Hi Darin. Great win vs. the Eagles; it's nice to see the Panthers tough out a disjointed game and come away on the right side of the scoresheet. Something piqued my interest in the last Mailbag about the time it takes to watch a game and the fact that you know your disappointment with Tottenham will be over in two hours.

Growing up in England watching football/soccer, one reason more people don't get into American Football more over here is the stop-start nature of the game and the ad breaks. Have the 'TV Timeouts' always been part of the game? Were they there in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc or are they newer to satisfy the TV companies? I always thought that the two-minute-30-second TV timeouts should be reserved for after TDs and at the end of quarters, and a change of possession should be a 30-second ad break, but I understand that I may be going against the nature of the game and tradition. — Alex, Macclesfield, UK

This is interesting, and I'm looking into this further to see if there's a concrete answer I can give you. As they say on TV, stay tuned.

I can tell you anecdotally that as long as I've been alive, television timeouts have been a thing. And I'm pretty old. It also seems that the individual commercial breaks have gotten longer, as you suggest, but I wouldn't know if that was a quantifiable fact or just vibes.

The reality is, the television networks need that time to justify the exorbitant amount of money they spend for the rights to broadcast the games. And if they don't, someone else will. So we're kind of stuck with it.

Now, to your greater point, the time people are willing to sit for sports is a clear difference between our cultures, like spelling words with an extra U and recognizing the comedic genius of Mr. Bean. And I'm not saying our way is right and yours is wrong, because one of the main reasons I don't watch a lot of college football is because the games take for flipping ever. A two-hour football game is my own personal Holy Grail.

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HI "OLD MAN", I'm back from the shadows again. I listened to the Philly game while at work, and while listening to Luke Kuechly's commentary, a question popped in my head. I'm 52 years old, and I may be wrong, but I think back in the day, Julius Peppers got an interception in Denver and ran it back 100 yards, but got tackled before he could get the touchdown. I also remember seeing him on the sideline using an oxygen mask after that long run. My question is, has any other Panthers defensive player, other than LUUUKE, ever run over 50 yards for a touchdown after an interception? I could ask "THE GOOGLE", but I thought it would be more fun asking "THE OLD GUY". — D.C., Oxford, NC

Asking the Google ain't as efficient as it used to be, so I'm glad you came here first.

And buckle up, this answer is going to contain layers.

First, Peppers' return that day in Denver in 2004 was a mere 97 yards, and when he got gassed at altitude and tripped over the 5-yard line, wide receiver Rod Smith was credited with the tackle. Peppers then went to the sidelines for oxygen.

The other reason I remember that game is that former left tackle Matt Willig picked up a penalty flag thrown for a false start (on teammate Rich Tylski) and chunked it downfield. The ensuing 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed them out of game-tying field goal range midway through the fourth quarter, and they never got the ball back in a 20-17 loss.

And I thought about Matt Willig last week, in a conversation with Jeff Kearin, who was JJ Jansen's high school coach, and who also happens to be Matt Willig's neighbor. This is further evidence that the world is this big around. (Before that, I thought of Willig when I went to the theater to see "The Mandalorian and Grogu," where Willig played a horned alien tough guy named Hogsbreath. I fear he's been typecast.)

But back to Peppers, that wasn't even the longest interception return in franchise history, because Sam Franklin went 99 yards for a score against the Vikings in 2023.

There was also a 95-yarder by Tim McKyer in 1995 (and McKyer called me a few years ago thinking I was some other guy named Darin, and what a conversation that was), and an 88-yarder by Jimmy Hitchcock (who has no ACLs) in 2000 against the Rams here (when Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel showed up after forecasting snow that never arrived).

So for allowing me to indulge in two of my favorite hobbies (old things and parenthetical references), I'm making D.C. this week's Friend Of The Mailbag, and will get the appropriate honorarium on the way soon. (Or at least soon-ish.)

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This isn't really a football question, but relates to the trappings. I was watching the Dave Canales press conference after the latest game and found myself wishing, when the audio went to a reporter, that we could see the reporter as well. Any chance they'll ever put an extra camera in there to catch the questions? I realize this is not a big production, and the main reason is to hear the answers rather than the questions. But like at the White House press briefings, they often show the person asking the questions, and it provides a better experience to see that. Right now during the answers, we just see the person standing behind the podium (jk—lectern). — Dan, Greenville, SC

Nice save, I would have drop-kicked that question right through the uprights if you didn't catch yourself and correctly say "lectern." See, world, it's not that hard to use the right word.

Also, no. No one needs to see the people asking questions in football press conferences. For starters, too many people in them think they're the show already, and go on and on (and on and on). Could you imagine if they were getting face time? Also, most of us in there aren't all that much to look at. My wife recently told me I looked like a TV star, except she meant Gary Oldman from "Slow Horses."

I've also seen reporters fall asleep in pressers, and ask long-winded, three-part-question-if-I-may soliloquies, and fail to pay attention to the previous question because they were thinking about their own, only to ask Steve Beuerlein if he feels snakebit by injuries 15 seconds after he went on and on about how they weren't snakebit by injuries.

Listen, Dan, you know I respect you because of your care for the language, but that's a terrible idea.

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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.

Hey Darin! I just learned that current Panther Tre Tyus went to Northwestern for two years. What is his favorite place to eat on campus? — Zach, Evanston, IL

Ran into Tre today, and committed a journalism. He pointed out that he was there during COVID, so dining options were limited when he got to campus. There was a lot of delivery, and then he moved off campus and cooked. But he's heard all about you, so he said he would consider this question and get back to me tomorrow. Oh, he also said to GET BACK TO CLASS, ZACH.

Hey Darin, I am guessing you do not know the answer to this question, but I need to ask someone. Maybe you can pass this along to Mr. Tepper. Anyway, I can't understand why the NFL continues to subject the entire country to a constant barrage of Dallas Cowboys games. I know that in the 1990's they were supposed to be America's team, but this is getting ridiculous. Every year we hear about how great they are going to be, and every year we have to watch them implode. Which I guess has some entertainment value for those of us that are really sick of watching them. I suppose it all comes down to ratings and money but surely we could get more top-tier teams on national TV that are not playing the Cowboys. Don't get me wrong, I am ok with watching a few of their home games where the cheerleaders are on TV, but this constant obsession with the 'Boys is really wearing thin. Thanks for letting me vent. — Steve, Lancaster, SC

There was an old newspaperman named Henry Louis Mencken back in the day, who said: "No one . . . has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people." A lot of people misquoted him over the years. But man, that guy could write a Mailbag.

Darin don't know if you can answer this or not but what goes on when someone is injured? I know it is always next man up. But when does the Panthers know when to look toward a trade or free agents to help the team through the rest of the season? — Jeff, Raleigh, NC

I could go on and on about this one, but the short answer is you consider the estimated time to return of the guy who got hurt, how important he is to you, and whether the replacements on your own team are that much worse than what's out there in the market. But another factor many people overlook when making up trade possibilities is that the other team gets to vote on whether that guy's available also.

Hello, long-time reader, and upon reading your article about JJ Jansen becoming the longest-serving long snapper, I checked his Wikipedia page. I just wanted to let you know that we should get someone to put better pictures of him on there, as currently it's a photo of him from 2013 pretending to throw a football, and the photo is so blurry that it makes him seem more like a cryptid than a long snapper. Also, love reading your column every week! — Marshall, Washington , DC

Thanks so much, Marshall, but it's hard enough keeping the website I am in charge of up to date. I can't be worrying about other people's.

Good win Sunday. Offense felt a little lethargic in the first half, but we got there. Only football game that made me laugh out loud two separate times (Will Lee pantsing Dallas Goedert and Tommy Tremble's Prezzi Shuffle that got Moro Ojomo to jump offsides).

Anyways, my question: What was that clock management? No TO on that two-minute drive at the end of the second quarter. There was something else, also on offense, that I forgot. When the CBS reporter asked Canales about it, I didn't really understand his response. Dave has seemed really good at this 30,000-foot thing up until this week. But anyways, KEEP POUNDING and let's keep this win streak rolling! — Micah, Gastonia, NC

Canales ate that one and explained himself at length Monday. Thanks for reading Panthers dot com.

And maybe if Goedert had some drawers on under those pants, Lee might not have drawn a flag at all.