CHARLOTTE — Four games into the season, Dave Canales is experiencing the trade-off in real time.

Does he miss calling plays? Clearly he does, based on the look on his face alone.

But the Panthers head coach is also taking a different role this season, after passing the call sheet to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, and he's beginning to realize how useful that can be as well, for him and the team.

As tired as he was after a late game the night before and not enough sleep — you could hear it in the rasp of his voice, too — Canales practically glowed when asked if there was something about calling plays he had noticed in four games without it.

"I mean, yeah, I do," Canales admitted Monday. "Really, the part that I miss the most is just how fast it happens live; there's such a rush in it — 40 seconds is not very long for you to be able to consider what the situation is, who my guys are, what are they doing and all that stuff. It's really stimulating.

"And then, of course, when it works well, you win the game and the payoff for the whole group. We did this. Yeah, I missed that."

That doesn't mean he wants it back, as he quickly pivoted to talking about how proud he was of the operation as it stands, especially with the offense humming as it has been for four weeks. But the bigger picture is his job now, and there were two moments within Sunday night's win over the Lions that put that growth on display.

Canales talked about his ability to administer, to have conversations you can't have when that play clock is ticking. And he and his players are realizing the value that has for all of them.

"That really allows coach Canales to be the emotional intelligence savant that he is," linebacker Bobby Okereke said, realizing quickly what his head coach brings beyond his play-calling skill.

Sunday's game provided a couple of specific windows into that ability.

The first came after cornerback Akayleb Evans, previously the gunner on the punt team, now a starter after Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson went on injured reserve, was being actively targeted by the Lions.

After quarterback Jared Goff hit a 57-yard bomb to wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the third quarter, Canales made a point to find Evans at the next break.

"He gave up some big plays. He'd be up here telling you, there's a few opportunities that he would love to have back to play differently," Canales said. "And I was able to connect with him on the sidelines and just be like, look, this is a great opportunity. You've given up a few plays, you know, they're going to come back here. So just be ready for the next opp because you're going to get that. There are games where Jaycee is sitting there, and he's bored because they're not throwing on that side.

"Well, there comes a time when the quarterback's got to make a decision, and he's got to go someplace with it. And so that it was about opportunity, and it was also about just letting Akayleb be out there and just play the game, and it's different. Sometimes when a backup quarterback kind of comes in in the second half and does really well, but then they go to the next game, and they have to start, and the team gets to study them and evaluate them. So there's a different mindset and mentality that AK had to put himself in. He hadn't really been in in a while to come out here, play this entire game from that spot. I expect he'll continue to improve off of this one, and he'll be ready for the challenge."

That conversation can't happen if Canales is talking to quarterback Bryce Young with the clock ticking, but it wasn't even the only instance from Sunday's game that illustrated the difference. He had the same kind of conversation with outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen, who came back with a critical sack late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

"There was another moment for Princely," Canales began. "He had a couple of uncharacteristic mental errors early in the game, and I could tell he was really excited about playing Sunday Night Football against the Lions, and a really good left tackle and all this stuff. And it felt like the moment got him out of his game a little bit.

"And I was able to connect with him and be like, hey, just settle in, just do your job, your time is going to come, your moment's going to come. Then he had that huge sack at the end, because he just kept playing hard. He kept taking the coaching and, and, you know, connecting with AC (Carter, the outside linebackers coach) on the sideline, but those things matter.

"To be able to feel, where are my players at, and how are they taking in this moment? Where are they at in their headspace and to be able to try to level with them, and let them borrow whatever presence, calm, encouragement, whatever that is — just to try to help them."

That sounds simple, but it's not something that every player gets the chance to experience.

Veteran safety Nick Scott, whose interest in psychology meshes with the way he thinks about defense, realized mid-conversation that he's never been in this situation. There are 17 head coaches still calling their own offensive plays, including the Rams' Sean McVay and the Bengals' Zac Taylor, his only previous head coaches in the league before coming here. And seeing the way Canales worked before, and seeing him now, Scott recognizes the difference and the value of that 30,000-foot perspective.

"I think it does a lot, especially for younger guys; it builds confidence, gives guys a sense of importance when your head coach is able to tell you what he sees," Scott said. "He can instill his confidence in you and put you in a position. It also is, in my opinion, just a sign of belief. The guys that are out there taking the time to talk to you, giving directions and things like that because he knows what you're capable of, he wants to help you be successful.

"I think it's just a testament to his knowledge and understanding of the game and being able to communicate to guys in all different areas."

Okereke's been here a little more than a month, but as a guy who's in his eighth NFL season and has experienced play-calling head coaches and interims who were from the other side of the ball, he understands how rare that communication can be.

"It speaks to the continuity of the team leadership," Okereke said. "You see a coach on the defensive sideline dapping us off after we come off after a big stop, and just motivating us. And even when I'm on the sideline and when we're dime personnel with six DBs out there, I see Canales as he's yelling at guys to have great technique and eyes, and he's just locked in on the situation of the game.

"So it's, it's great when you get to have a coach who's locked in on all three sides of the ball. The engagement that he's bringing and coming onto the sideline and just dapping us up, talking about keeping up communication. He's a consistent presence throughout the game, right?"

Umanmielen acknowledged that having Canales approach him on the sidelines helped re-center him during the flow of the game.

He said those conversations can lean more heavily into motivation than technique, but both have proven helpful in real time.

"It's great, especially when you're going through the trials and tribulations or difficulties in the game," Umanmielen said. "When your head coach come up to you and talk to you and give you some words of encouragement or just some advice, it's amazing to have in the midst of the battle.

"It's great coming from somebody else that's in a high position on the team."

And Canales is realizing that too, after seeing live examples of how he can use his current position to impact the team in even greater ways than just calling plays — and understanding that both bring their own kind of excitement.