Dave Canales looks ahead to Sunday’s game against Los Angeles Rams | Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales looks ahead to Sunday’s game against Los Angeles Rams | Carolina Panthers

All right, Wednesday got here quick. Um, you know, we uh we landed pretty early on Tuesday and got right to work. Um, fired up about the game plan and getting back to work with the guys. So, uh, a really focused group, hungry and, uh, ready to go. Can you give an update on Horn? Uh, I’m going to keep all injuries, but I I will say they’re in the protocol, so they have to go. They have to make sure they pass all the necessary tests with all that. Would you think it’d be unlikely given the short week that they’d be able to clear? The short week does have a significant factor in it and again we just have to go through the right protocol, make sure that they’re clearing, you know, each hurdle along the way. You have three healthy inside linebackers today. Uh how much does that create an issue with special teams plotting out the week? Just as far as depth, absolutely. That’s a group that we really lean on for special teams um in their contributions in the coverage units uh particularly the interior of the punt team um on kickoff, you know, but they’re all over they’re all over the core uh core force special teamers, you know, that we count on. And so um that’s an uh area that we have to look at to see who can help us there and you know could come from other positions, but um those guys have been very valuable for us this year. you seen what Stafford’s done in place stats he’s posted this year and then you know you guys come in with a secondary that’s a little bit banged up and possibly missing Morgan how do you deal with all this yeah we got to press into the game plan look at what they’re doing how they’re finding success uh he’s distributing the ball well to a bunch of different wide receivers and um he’s playing great football he’s getting the ball out fast and he’s going through his progressions he has a group that he really trusts and so you know we have to lean in on what they’ve been doing lately and and make sure that we have uh you know solutions for that in our coverages and be aware of how they’re trying to attack. I mean on that note, he’s been doing this for so long. Can you throw anything at him that surprises him anymore? You could. You should. We should try to, you know, in different ways. Um and first part of it is just formation recognition, looking at the route stems and how they’re trying to protect each angle of the cut. You know, they go in, out, and up, you know, from a bunch of different spots and they have good variety and and throw it to all, you know, the tight ends, they throw it to the receivers, to the back. So, uh, we got to be aware of all that. Hey, should you get, uh, do you get Trevan back this week? We should. Yes. Um, he was out there today, uh, participating. Facing two of the more highly known play callers in the league, two weeks in a row. What What’s the difference in those two and and and what is the challenge when you’re we’re facing that? Start with the similarities. Uh, there’s great balance in what they do. They make sure they get the run game going and they have actions that come off of that. uh the drop back schemes, you know, they’re different um from one team to the next, but um it’s about execution. It’s about finding that first first open guy and uh playing fast in the pocket and guys being where they’re supposed to be, you know. So, it’s timing sensitive all those things are. Um but I think it’s also just uh the variety of the attack, the attack and the different ways, the screen game, the run game, the pass game, all those things really tied in. Um, and it’s it’s a really detailed uh part of what they do with their formations to make everything look the same. Starts the same, ends up different. And uh two guys that I really respect, you know, to to be able to look at the crossover tape, you know, to watch as I’m studying the defense, but to flip over on the other side and to see how they uh deploy their offense, you know, these are guys that I really respect and and uh and try to emulate. Coach, in a shortened week like this, how does your preparation change? Do you try to cram everything as possible or do you look to kind of pick and choose spots of more emphasis versus maybe a full week where you’d have more time? You know, it’s really just the the Tuesday. The Tuesday is the day that really gets crammed a little bit because playing on Monday night, that’s typically a prep a prep day. Afternoon, evening once you’ve got gone through tell the truth Monday. So when we get to Tuesday, we have to kind of condense some of the the information to make sure that, you know, we can get all those things done whether it’s first, second, and third down. And uh we just got to be really efficient with our time. The good part about it is this at this point in the season, we know what we’re doing. We know the concepts. Um and so then it’s just a matter of making those decisions quickly to put our guys in the best position. What do you hope to get out of the two new quarterbacks, Rochelle and Long? Yeah, they got to come and help us out. They got to contribute. And these are guys that uh Jonathan Kulie has familiarity with also a Gerro. Uh guys that they’ve coached before in the past. Uh both were past former Rams too. So they’ll have some familiarity with the concepts and um that’ll be a good thing for us. And we’re going to ask those guys to help on special teams as well in different ways. Dave, with without like you’ve been doing these quarterly reviews. Um are you going to do that during the by-week instead now since you didn’t really have Monday to kind of do that this Absolutely. We’ll take the by-week, the first couple days, um, dive into those things, dive into the the, um, all of our processes, offense, defense, and special teams, and and look at guys, see who can help us, and see who is helping us, you know, and try to keep putting them in those positions to be successful. Are you at the Are you at the point where you feel like you you said you guys know the concepts, you know, what’s going on? Do you feel like any sort of major change that you would make to either play calling or the depth chart would be the answer moving forward? Are you at a point where you just think pushing forward is is the best thing to do? Yeah, just execution and all of us, myself included, making sure that the game plan we put together, the vision that we have comes to life. Um, and making sure that our players are continuing to improve fundamentally. And that’s the difference at this point in the season. It’s the teams that can find a way to improve their technique and fundamentals and and continue to make that an emphasis late into the season that have success. And um, so we got to get back to that, making sure we’re executing um, on all sides. And then for sure from a coaching staff standpoint, making sure we’re connected to the things that have found us success and and be committed to those. Hey, with the way that the season has gone and the by-week being so late, first, how is your how is the room holding up? Because I know there’s injuries this week that have to be contended with. There have been injuries all season long, but there’s been a long slog to get to this point. Absolutely. And and we have our rhythms and the guys know what to expect when they show up um each day. So, we have that process in place. So, that part feels good and and they’re hungry, you know, they’re hungry to to get back to work. They’re hungry for another opportunity to play against a formidable opponent, an NFC opponent, um, and to, uh, play our best football in that game. Follow that up. Is the bye-week maybe a talking point to your guys this week, saying that’s the carrot that’s out there, empty the tank this week, or do you even approach that? No, we have to have the mentality, empty the tank every single week and have that championship mentality so that we don’t treat any of these games different. Um, they’re all high stakes games, especially now at this point in the season. Speaking of championship mentality, you have a handful of former Rams players and coaches. Uh, how important have those guys been in helping you establish the culture here? It’s huge. And I I love having coaches that come from different places that have had success so that I can bounce off ideas for ways we might structure our meetings, ways ways we might structure our practices. Um, and just and also just from a game plan standpoint, how to attack, how to how to get different concepts involved because that’s where we can pick different pieces from where we’ve been and try to make those come alive so long as it fits what the players do well, you know, and and uh having a bunch of guys come from the Rams, you know, Goody Goody and Joe were the Bucks, you know, and they had a lot of success in the last couple of years and um and really just allows us to have that uh diversity along the staff and good information. Talk about execution. Um, I’m just curious what leads to poor execution. Is it overthinking? Just from a coach’s standpoint, we always try to go back to the fundamentals, the basics of technique first and foremost. Um, starting the playoff with the right formation, making sure we’re in a great stance. Um, and then the basic parts of it, blocking, tackling, uh, exploding off the ball, um, taking care of the ball, all those basic things. Because in any given day, uh, scheme outside, if you set scheme aside, it’s always going to come back to the most technically sound players that have success, most technically sound play callers. We have to be committed to those things that fit the areas so the guys can anticipate what’s coming and um, that allows us to play fast. But that’s always something tangible that our players can really sink their teeth into. And that’s always been a goal of mine is to try to give them something real that they can work on. and each player, each coach looking for ways to improve um looking for ways to find an edge um from week in and week out. It sounds so simple, but is it difficult? I mean, you said stance and I mean, it just seems like basic stuff. It’s very difficult and I think it gets overlooked because focus and refocus, refocus is the real challenge. Can you continue to refocus on a play-to-play basis, drive to drive, and then of course week to week, can you refocus and re-engage your mind to find constant improvement? Our goal is to find our best football. That’s got to be the pursuit so that we can improve the whole thing. And and that takes discipline, that takes focus, and um and particularly when we get a byee this late in the season, it really does take that type of mental toughness to show up and go back to work and find an edge. Generally speaking, I know you don’t want to talk about specific I know you don’t want to talk about spec specific injuries, but when you’re dealing with a young player who’s often injured and you’ve seen it multiple times, but you also think that player is talented, how do you balance the upside of the talent versus can I depend on this player when I’m trying to win a ball game? Like when you’re doing the planning process of the week? Yeah. Well, I where I go initially is uh just making sure I’m connecting with the player to keep them motivated to get back to the place where they are physically fit and ready to go. But then there’s like an emotional part as well cuz guys can get discouraged, you know, when they keep fighting against this or that and things start to show up, you know, particularly our college players coming to the pros and the season starts to get really long at this point. And um emphasizing the importance of body care and all that and then also being able to motivate them on the things that they’re doing well and how to just continue to build that way so that we can compartmentalize it so they don’t start making broad judgments about how this season is going to turn out for them specifically. um but where they can actually just focus in on what is the next task at hand. Um whether it’s getting back physically or whether it’s taking the next step mentally being involved in our game plans. Kind of up on what Mike asked earlier on that question, but you’re obvious obviously raising the expectations here with the the wins you’ve had so far, but with that people become even more specific with things and and he was asking about the play calling. What do you feel like you bring to the play calling? How do you evaluate how you’ve been as a play caller? Do you feel like that’s the best thing moving forward? It’s an important part of all of of everything and I try to be really transparent with the players and uh to own up to the places and the areas I could do better in this situation and I want them to understand this is all of us. We’re accountable to each other. We’re all pushing to try to win to try to improve our football and I’m certainly a part of that as a head coach and then of course as the play caller. So, we all have to be connected on that and we all have to be real about it, you know, and and look at look at the opportunities and um while players may get the scrutiny for, you know, a missed play here, a missed block there, a drop pass, an errant throw, a missed tackle, those types of things happen, uh the coaches are involved as well and we all got to be on the same page and be humble about it and be looking forward to improving. And you know, for me as as a as a young youngish play caller, you know, but uh pretty early in my career, you know, every week is a lesson for me. Every week there’s something to take and I have great people around me that we talk to that we have accountability with and I lean on those guys because I want to get better as well as we continue to do this process. Yep. Thank you. Hey,

Watch Canales speak about new additions to the team, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, and more.

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