CHARLOTTE — Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik had a new arrival over the weekend that brought a smile to his face.

He and his wife also had a baby.

In addition to his daughter Blakelynn Hope, who arrived the same weekend he called his first play, he also welcomed rookie tackle Monroe Freeling to the world — who came into the NFL world at 79 inches and 323 pounds.

As it pertains to his rookie — Freeling, not his daughter — Idzik said he has grown to appreciate the resilience and the eagerness to learn of his right tackle.

He did allow a sack, but graded out well in his first NFL game.

"Yeah, he doesn't blink; he really doesn't," Idzik said of Freeling. "Learning lessons that he's gotten over camp, he doesn't make those twice. He doesn't make those mistakes twice. So, this guy is super mature; he doesn't bat an eye at the moment. There was no, like, 'Welcome to the NFL,' I don't know; this guy had the jitters moment. He's played a lot of big-time football, and it shows.

"And I think the guys around him, they don't view him like, 'Hey, that's a rookie making his first start.' They view him like, 'Hey, just another one of the guys, we expect him to make big plays for us, and road-grade and get that defensive line moving, so our backs can accomplish some things.' So, I thought he did a great job."

"There's always going to be some little things that we can pick at and make sure that he's getting better, but he's still a young player, so he's going to have those moments throughout the season, and we'll grow with him."

Responsibility for defense starts at the top, says Evero

There's no way to sugarcoat the Panthers' defensive performance in Week 1. Giving up 552 yards of offense and a franchise-record 59 points in a game can't be excused away, and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero isn't trying to do so.

"It's always good to get back to work after a disappointing effort," said the coordinator Thursday. "We didn't get the results we wanted last week. We didn't play the way that we wanted. We didn't coach the way we wanted. But the medicine is in the opportunity that's in front of us, the opportunity to play the Falcons, get to work, and then, obviously, try to go find a way to win this game down in Atlanta."

This defense has bounced back before and invested heavily in key pieces in free agency, particularly at linebacker and pass-rusher. The trenches are built around Derrick Brown, a Pro Bowler and captain who had an uncharacteristic game on Sunday marred by two penalties that led to 14 points.

But this group rose from the bottom of the league in 2024 to the middle of the pack last season, and with the addition of offseason signings, the defense's talent remains a touchstone.

"There's not a lack of confidence," promised Evero. "We didn't play the way that we wanted. There are a lot of areas we can coach better as well, but we feel like there are a lot of things we can certainly improve on and a lot of things we can correct, and that's the goal.

"We know that at the end of the day, we are trying to be playing our best at the end of the season, and every week that we take the field there's an opportunity to get better and improve and grow, and so that's what we're looking to do."

Brown, as a captain and leader, immediately took responsibility for his part in the loss. And by the time players filtered back in Monday afternoon, they said their coach had done the same.

"I just think it's important that we don't separate ourselves just because we're coaches," said Evero. "We're not above what happens on the field. We play a big part in it; our hand is in it. And I just want everybody to realize that we're all in this together, through good, through bad.

"I just think it's the best show of leadership, and a sign of leadership is like, 'Hey, I'm not always perfect, and I'm not going to get every call right. I'm not going to get every plan right, but the effort's always going to be there.'

"I'm always going to learn, and if I do things well, 'Hey, that's what I'm supposed to do and then when I don't do things well, I've got to find a way to correct it, just like them. And when I show that, when I show that humility, I expect the same from them, right? And I think it's been a great way of us working together."

Advent of "banana ball" punts changes returners responsibility

A football is an odd shape. It's oblong; it's wide in certain areas; it points at the end; it does things in the wind that take the rules of physics and put them in a blender. Being able to control the trajectory of such a weird shape takes years and thousands of reps. And if you can make it do something unexpected? Then that knowledge becomes a commodity.

The influx of Australian punters in recent years has introduced a slew of new punts and kicks. The latest to take the sport by storm is called "the banana ball," aptly named for the shape it makes in the air.

"That particular punt, I don't think is impossible, but also none of them are easy. That's just kind of part of the job," explained special teams coordinator Tracy Smith this week, on what it takes to field such a punt.

"It's a punt that does not spin in a traditional spiral. You can see it; if you're looking at it on TV, you'll see the spin pattern is different. It looks more like a sideways helicopter. It's spinning this way. It spins more like a kickoff on its axis instead of like a pass, as a general punt would do.

"So it just has a little different; it acts differently in the air. You have to have enough tries at it to be comfortable with it."

During the Panthers' Week 1 loss to Chicago, Bears punter Tory Taylor (who is Australian) sent a banana ball punt 48 yards midway through the second quarter. At the time, the score was tied 21-21. But the punt was muffed, and the Bears recovered. The Panthers defense held Chicago to a field goal despite the advantageous field position, but in a game where points were racking up, any made a difference.

The Panthers are turning to a new punt returner this week, likely John Metchie III, but whoever is back there has to prepare for the possibility of this banana ball becoming more and more common. Luckily, they have a punter capable of pulling it off, giving the returners more practice with the odd flight path.

Sam Martin executed one of his own in Week 1 against the Jaguars last season. The only punt returned in that game was for 7 yards.

"In the last 10 years, different styles of kicks have kind of proliferated," continued Smith. "More and more guys can do the different things, including our punter. So that's gone around. So the guys have seen that more; Sam kicks that ball, so we've practiced against it quite a bit. It can be challenging, but every punt in the air with 11 guys running at you, all the conditions of that in the stadium, all of that is challenging.

As Smith and coaches look to lock in a returner while Trevor Etienne remains on Injured Reserve (ankle), the ability to field a banana ball is just one of many things on the list of requirements.

"You're looking for the aptitudes, catching the ball, the comfort level, the desire to be there, especially a punt returner. You have to want that job, so that's an important part of it," said Smith. "And then, where are the check marks? Can he catch the ball? Can he find it? Is this guy an explosive person with the ball? Is this a sound decision-maker? All those things are what you're looking for in the ideal returner."