The Panthers Huddle: The “Huddlee” Awards | Carolina Panthers

The Panthers Huddle: The “Huddlee” Awards | Carolina Panthers

The following is an exclusive presentation of the Carolina Panthers and the National Football League. On this episode of the Panthers Huddle, it’s the first annual Hudley Awards. Hosts Kristen Belone and Thomas Davis take a look at some of the best moments and players from the season so far. Plus, coach Canales tells us why he thinks the best is yet to come. Welcome inside the Panthers Huddle. Everyone, thank you so much for joining us inside the Panthers Huddle. I’m Kristen Baloney. You already know the legend right here, Thomas Davis. TD, happy byee. Before we get into a jam-packed show, we got to talk about this Rams game. Wow, listen. Great game all around the board. When you look at way the offense was able to perform defense and even on special teams, we make some huge plays and that was very important to beat a team like the Rams. KB, it sure was. What does this say about this team and where this team sits overall at seven and six going into the bye-week? What it tells me is that this team is capable of playing and beating anybody in the NFC at any given point. It’s all about any given Sunday and this team was able to perform at a high level against the NFC’s best. So, I hope that that boosts their confidence and understanding that they can compete and play with anybody in the NFL. Mhm. And like you said, it was really a complete win. So, let’s talk about the way in which they won this game. First up, Bryce Young. Three touchdowns. Absolutely clutch numbers on third and fourth down. Listen, huge numbers for Bryce after a tough game against the 49ers. He came back home, he settled in, he bounced back, and he made some huge timely throws when they need to be made. DB Derek Brown two big big plays tipping that one ball that led to the Nick Scott interception then getting his hands on another one causing the fumble on Matthew Stafford. DJ want him recovered. It felt like that was the game right there. KB DB was phenomenal. He did everything in this game. He made some huge stops in the run game. He did a great job when the coaches always tell Dline when you’re pass rushing if you can’t get there. They doubled him. That’s the reason why he couldn’t get there. If you can’t get there, get your hands up. Him getting his hands up led to us taking points off the board like you just said. But also, when the Rams were threatened late in the game, getting after Matthew Stafford, them running that stunt and getting the ball out was the turning point in the game, it was the sealer. It was the closer. So, DB, hats off to you, buddy. Welcome back to the NFL in a big way. You’ve been, you know, DB missed all of last season with an injury. So, we know that this was special for him to be able to come out and have this kind of impact against this team. Absolutely. And TD, we got to talk about Chuba Hubard. Big touchdown early in the game. He looked explosive. He looked ready to play. It was great to see him and this run game really get going after last week. Absolutely. You you love to see Troua bounce back in the way that he has. We know that the last few weeks have been tough for him watching um Rico go out and put up the numbers that he’s been able to put up. But that just goes to to show you how valuable it is to have two running backs that are capable starters that can go out and and and compete at a high level and and get things done at any given point. If Rico is having an off day, then you can put Chuba in. Chuba having an off day, you can put Rico in. And then you figure out that healthy balance for these two down the stretch. It’s going to be special. K Di, finally I just want to give a big shout out to the home crowd there. Oh my goodness. We could both hear it right there on the field. You know what it is like to be in Bank of America Stadium when that crowd is going crazy. What did it feel like to hear those keep pounding chants? Listen, I loved it. The energy was rocking. The stadium was absolutely amazing. This fan base, they understand the assignment. When you are in tight contested games, when you can get out and force the quarterback to make a bad decision when it comes to a play read or timing or not getting the call out, guys can’t hear it or the offensive line false starting, that’s when you know that this stadium is rocking. That’s when you know that this fan base is on their agame and they absolutely were just that against the Rams. So, continue that. Continue that the rest of the season. We need you guys in order to complete this stretch that we have because it doesn’t get any easier. You know that they will. They are going to continue that. All right. We’ve got something fun for the rest of the show. We are calling it our first annual Hudley Awards. All right. So, we are going to be handing out awards to some of the players that have really, really impressed us this season. TD, you first wanted to start with what you were calling the Prowler reward. The guy that is prowling around uh that defense, something that you know a lot about. So, who are you giving it to on this team, KB? The Prowler award has to go to JC Horn. He’s the guy that’s been prowling around the field and making plays time and time again. Some of these interceptions that he’s made me feel like if we ever have any trouble at receiver, we can put JC Horn back there because some of these catches like that one right there shows me that this guy watched his dad growing up that snag balls out of the air for a living. JC Horn is our prowler for this year. Welld deserved for JC Horn right there. All right, TD, we have had some young guys really, really impress and step up this season, but there can only be one Panther Cub award. Which young guy are you giving it to? TB, it’s tough that it can only be one because the honorable mention, I got to go with Nick Gordon because he’s done a phenomenal job. He’s a guy that has stepped up big for us on the defensive side of the ball. But it has to go to T-Mac. This guy has made play after play after play and he’s leading all rookie receivers in yardage. So T-Mac is our definitely the first guy that we’re going to choose as the Panther Cub winner. Listen, you got to love what he’s brought to the table so far. Absolutely. Absolutely. And hats off to Dan Morgan and you for calling back in January that he should be the first round pick for the Panthers. You were on to something there. We got it right. We got it right. All right. The next award is going to go not just to one individual player, but it is going to go to a position group. You are calling this the big cats award. Listen, the big cats award has to go to these big cats up front. The offensive line, this group KB has faced so much adversity over the course of this season. But time and time again, this coaching staff, and listen, we’re going to throw the offensive line coaches in there as well. Absolutely. because they have done a phenomenal job of getting this lineup ready to go and and guys stepping in and getting the job done week in and week out because nobody in the NFL has had a different lineup the way that we have in my opinion. I I I would be surprised if there’s somebody that has different combinations on the offensive side of the ball up front. 10 different ones in 13 games for our offense. Absolutely crazy. But it doesn’t matter who’s been in the game, they’ve gotten the job done. They really have. They really, really have. All right. Uh we had a next award which I absolutely love. We’re calling this the nice things award. There is a player that has just missed a couple of big plays that you said maybe he didn’t like nice things, but he has proved you wrong in the last couple of games. So, who’s that going to be? KB. I don’t like to be wrong a lot in my life, but this is one time where I don’t mind being wrong. The nice things award goes to my guy Mike Jack because I’ve been saying all along that he didn’t like nice things. He was like TD, I’ll show you. I’ll prove to you that I like nice things. And that’s exactly what he does on this play right here. As you see, Mike Jack takes the ball away and takes it to the house. When you take it to the house, you get nice things. You get rewarded. And Mike Jack, that’s your reward, man. Get used to that feeling of being in the end zone and celebrating because nice things happen when you as a defender end up in the end zone. I love it. Second game, second straight game with an interception in that pick six was absolutely huge in that one. All right, coming up we are going to get to more Hudley. So, make sure you stay tuned for that. We’ll be back in just a minute. Coming up, coach Dave Canales joins Kristen Baloney in the studio to talk about our big win over the Rams and what’s in store for his by week on the Panthers Huddle. This exclusive presentation of the Carolina Panthers Television Network is brought to you in part by Bank of America, the official bank of the Carolina Panthers. [Music] Okay. Yes, sir. Okay. Here’s the thing, though. Okay. Before I get into all the stuff, guys, they still haven’t seen our best football yet. All right. We’re going to put this thing together, the whole thing, right? But it’s about how we battle. Welcome back to the huddle. Always pleased to be joined by head coach Dave Canales. Coach, we just saw your postgame speech after the Rams. Take us into that locker room. Unbelievable sense of uh gratitude for each other. Unbelievable sense of um a growing group, a growing confidence um how we can execute, we can play with anybody. And um when we play right, when we execute and take advantage um of opportunities and and on that day, the defense came up with some huge ones for for us. And offensively, we had a balanced attack, had a solid day on third down, and the run game showed up for us, you know, and uh Rico and Chuba really just, you know, setting the tone for uh for how we were going to play that game. And and it was just really exciting to see the game plan come to life and I could sense that with the group coming into the locker room that they were proud of what we accomplished and and did it together. We’re certainly going to talk about that game plan and those accomplishments, but I want to key in on something you said. You said they still haven’t seen our best football yet. in your mind, what does that look like? Yeah, it’s assignment football. It’s the it’s the fundamentals and the basics that we talk about so much and that we care about as a group. And to see all phases performing at our best. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect. There’s great players that we play every week on the other side. They’re going to make their plays, but it’s about having the right assignments. It’s about being lined up properly. It’s about eliminating penalties and uh making sure we’re taking care of the things that we control. That’s what I’m talking about. I’m looking for that kind of football to be played because that’s possible. It doesn’t mean the offense isn’t going to score any points or it doesn’t mean that we’re going to score a touchdown on every drive. It’s just good, clean execution and and our guys know that and they appreciate and understand the fact that we we have to pursue our best and that’s always been the mentality. Looking forward to that. If if that Rams game wasn’t it, then we can’t wait to see what’s coming ahead. You talked about this game plan and the satisfaction you saw in having it come together. You said last week you were going to run the ball more. He ran it almost 40 times in this game. I want to start with Chuba Hubard. What did you see from him when he got the opportunities this week? It was amazing to watch it happen and it was palpable the impact that Chuba had on the stadium on Bank of America stadium and the fans were into it. Our sideline, our players, his teammates could feel how bad he wanted it, how bad he wanted to win with his teammates. And he brings it every day. And that’s the way he works. That’s the way he grinds. And that’s that’s what he’s about, you know. But it’s great to see it come alive where it really affects the whole group and it builds this confidence, you know, where it’s like, shoot, call another run, you know, because of the violence and the way that he was running the ball. Coach, you started out complimenting this defense and what they were able to do. I’m just now getting to it because we had so much to talk about with the offense, but I do want to ask you, how were they able to be so opportunistic against this Rams offense that has Shawn McVey calling the plays and Matthew Stafford throwing the ball? Yeah, it just goes back into the study. Um, looking at them formationally, where they put their different players, um, you know, whether whether they’re in tight splits or whether they’re stacked or different things and taking all those cues so that you’re in the right spot. And of course, the first interception that Nick Scott had, you know, it was a Derrick Brown. Yes. Uh, batted pass. I think it bounced like right off his head almost. It did off the helmet. And, uh, you know, on the back half of it though, there was great coverage and, you know, Kobe Parkinson, I think it was the tight end that that ran the end cut. we were in position to knock that ball down as well. Um, but it worked out for us because Nick was in the right spot and the ball came to him. So, um, on Mike on Mike Jack’s play, you know, he just he recognized the formation. He recognized there’s a couple of possible things that this guy can do in this situation and Mike guessed right. The anticipation is it comes into play and a veteran player who cares, who studies, um, and then coming up with that. Finally, coach, we appreciate you joining us during the by-week. Um, I want to know as a coaching staff, what does the by-week look like? And then also on a personal note, how can you spend some time? Yeah, so early in the week there’s a there’s some self scout involved and you know, we’re so deep into the season, it really ends up becoming like what did we do in the last four games so we can grow and uh improve some things from there. But then we dive right into our next opponent. It’s the Saints. So after once we get our brief South Scout done, we just go into game plan mode for a couple of days because we’re in that rhythm. So let’s cash in on the rhythm that of playing the game. Tell the truth Monday. Let’s get right to our game plan and make sure we’re talking and keeping the juices flowing. We just played them a couple weeks ago, so we have a good starting point there. And then I think it’s important to get connected with your families. Um, get some bank some sleep and, you know, because we’ve all just been going for for a while now. And um, making sure for 13 weeks. Absolutely. And just making sure we’re recovering from a physical standpoint, mental and emotional standpoint certainly. and uh filling our cup back up because we got a nice run in front of us and we got another opponent who knows us and uh being able to be geared up for the Saints when we get back. All right, coach. Well, we hope that you can bank some sleep. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Up next, step inside TD’s film room as TD and KB break down some of the best moments and players from the season so far on the Panthers Huddle. [Music] We are here now inside TD’s film room for more Huddly awards, which I love. You’re going to break down at the board some of these guys, which we’re going to break these guys down. And I I love the picks that we have so far, KB. All right. The first award you want to give out is most versatile. Who you got? The most versatile player I feel like on this team has to go to Trayvon Merrick. He has done a phenomenal job. And we’re going to jump right in. We’re going to show you some of the things that he has been able to do this year. So, right now, if you look at this play as a defensive player, you would say that it’s probably going to be pretty tough for our guy to make a tackle against three guys. They have three guys in position right here that are set up to make sure that Trayvon Merrick doesn’t make this play. But what he’s going to do, he’s literally going to show his physicality. He’s going to fight through two of their guys and he’s going to end up making this tackle for a fiveyard loss. And Trayvon Merrick has done this all season long. KB, just watch him. Look at the physicality. Look at him finish on a very tough back in Wilson. Wilson is a tough back to bring down sometimes, but Trayvon Merritt made it look easy. So that’s the reason why he’s our most versatile player. K. I love that. All right. Next award is called the No Quit Award. Ste, you could give this to a bunch of guys. You give it to the whole team because this team does not give up in games, whatever it is. Keep pounding. We keep pounding. All right, but who is going to get your no quit award so far? My no quit award has to go to Rico Dollar. He’s a guy that never quits. Even when guys have him seem like bottled up on a tackle, he finds ways to get out of it. He breaks tackle after tackle. But on this play, we’re showing you something different that Rico D does that he brings to the table. And you’ll get to see because this was against Rico’s old team. So, we definitely had to show you guys some of the things that he’s able to do because right here, you’re going to see him on this play, burst through this line, fight through, and end up running a wheel route on these guys that brings you all the way here. Look at it. Look at that. You see it? Look at those arrows. Let’s see if it Let’s see if it follows through. I’mma leave the arrows up here for you guys. So, see how good I did. Just watch Rico as he goes through. Oh, right on the line. Right on the line. Okay. But Rico is a guy that has no quit. He didn’t start out as our starter, but he continued to fight. He continued to believe in himself. And when his opportunity came, he made more than the most of it by putting together 200 yard games back to back. Rico Do is without a doubt our no quit player, KB, because I love every single thing about what this guy brings to the table. He plays the running back position like a linebacker. I high praise right there. I’m still impressed by those arrows. That was awesome. That was so good. It’s almost like you watch film all the time for a career. Just a little bit. All right, our next award is the clutch performer TV. Something tells me I know who this one’s going to. Listen, the clutch performer of the year for us so far without a doubt has to be Bryce Young KB. Time after time, you know, Bryce, he gets he listen, he’s the quarterback of the team, so he’s going to be scrutinized the most, criticized heavily all the time. But when the game is on the line, when it’s third or fourth down, Bryce Young comes through. He shows up. And one of the ways that he shows up is with his accuracy and his deliver his delivery on these throws. So if you watch him on this play, this delivery to T-Mac in stride didn’t have to break stride. One-on-one coverage. Bryce Young does a phenomenal job of delivering this ball. Hats off to the offensive line because they did a phenomenal job. Look at that. Look at the Look at the protection on that play, KB. and T-Mac looking the ball in. Bryce Young without a doubt is our most uh clutch performer. I was gonna say, well, because I was thinking about what you just showed was the big cats blocking for the clutch performer to the young Cubs. Hey, back to all of our awards. That’s right. All right, we have got one more. It is the Keep Pounding Award. Prestigious award. Again, we could give that to every guy on this team. Preserve it for sure. Who are you going to give it to? We talked about him earlier in the segment, but Derek Brown without a doubt has to be the winner of this award. Whenever you have to miss an entire season of football, that’s always going to be tough on you. But when you miss an entire season of football and you come back and you play at the level that Derek Brown has played at this year, this award is his and is his only. And this is some of the reasons why. Just just watch him perform. If you watch him, the relentless effort on this play, game on the line, Rams are absolutely in field goal range, but if you just, we’re gonna watch this play from this angle. Watch the way that Derek Brown competes on this play. They run a great stunt right here between him and DJ Wam. And just watch the pursuit and the way that he fights. DJ Wanom being unselfish. It’s one thing about players. When you be unselfish, you usually get rewarded. and watch the reward that DJ Wam gets. Oh, Johnny on the spot. Look what I found. Thank you, DB. So, listen, that’s one of the things that I love about this team. They’re unselfish, but Derek Brown has been phenomenal all season long and making play after play, dominating in the running game, and getting the job done when needed or when asked in pass coverage, like in pass rush. Absolutely. Without a doubt, he had to be our keep pounding player. I love it. I love getting to see you break down these guys for the awards. All right, we have one final Huddley award left when we come back. TD is going to tell you what has been the most pivotal play, the most pivotal moment in this Panther season. You do not want to miss it when we come back. Close captioning for the Panthers television network is provided by Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates. Providing premier eye and EMT care to North and South Carolina. [Music] Welcome back, TD. Our final Hudley award is also our Coke Spotlight this week. You have picked the most pivotal play from the Panthers season and it came in that Miami game. It did KB. Fourth and four without a doubt. This was the most pivotal play. Bryce Young rolling out finding T-Mac down the field with It was a huge play because it if we don’t get this KB Miami has the ball at midfield with a chance to go in and score again. So this was a huge play because we were one and three at that point and it been we went six and three down the stretch. So without a doubt, this was the most pivotable play. It absolutely was really changed the tenor of the season. Great play right there to choose. All right, thank you so much everybody for watching the Hudlies. We hope you enjoy the bye-week. We’ll see you next week to get you ready for the Saints. But until then, keep pounding. You’ve been watching the Panthers Huddle, a copyrighted presentation of the Carolina Panthers and the NFL. [Music] [Music]

On this episode of the Panthers Huddle – it’s the first annual “Huddlee” Awards! Hosts Kristen Balboni and Thomas Davis take a look at some of the best moments and players from the season so far. Plus, Coach Canales tells us why he thinks the best is yet to come. Welcome Inside the Panthers Huddle!

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