Todd Bowles & Baker Mayfield Look Ahead to Panthers | Press Conference Live Steam

Todd Bowles & Baker Mayfield Look Ahead to Panthers | Press Conference Live Steam

No, Todd, >> you talked a lot about accountability after the game on Thursday. Have you noticed a shift with that at practice this week? [snorts] >> It’s such a broad word the way you use it. Accountability could be doing the little things, right? It could be using teammates talking to each other. You talking to yourself, coaches talking to each other. Uh we understood the message after the ball game and we met on it. We talked about it. we got out of our system and everybody’s hard at work and trying to do the right things to win the ball game. >> How how tough was that as as coach and talking with your players and understanding the message that that you’re giving to them to to handle those those waters of, you know, conflict or or [snorts] tough conversation maybe. >> It’s not tough at all. You’re going to lose some games in this league. We’ve all lost some throughout our entire lives. You don’t like it that day, but you get up the next day, you put your head down, you go to work, and you try to correct the little things, and you move on. You don’t hold it and make it any tougher than it has to be. It’s a football game. >> Coach, what went into the process of bringing back Anthony Walker, and what can you say about what he can add to the defense at this point? >> Well, when Boss got hurt, we felt like we needed another guy that already knew the system. Uh, he’s got veteran leadership. He’s a very good run defender. He understands pass concepts very well in the zone, and he’s been in the system. So, it was only smart to try to bring him back and see if we can use him. >> How does he Does he know enough? Can he step in and be elevated right away? >> We’re refreshing him right now. So, we we want to see exactly where he is by the end of the week. So, that’ be a little tough to say right now. >> Is there any chance that uh JP could be activated for this game time? >> It’s possible. I mean, it’s possible. He had a good day today. We got to see how he progresses throughout the week. I think this week will be the hardest as far as who’s active and who’s not active with most of the people practicing. >> You say he had a good day. Does that mean he he looked like he did four or five years ago? What does that really mean? >> I don’t think anybody looks like they did four or five years ago, but energetic wise and fundamental and technique sound and picking up the system and getting comfortable. He looked good. We saw Kade and Sarasier just what what are their where they at? Were they limited? What what’s their status? >> Uh they’re in play. They’re in play. They did some good things today and we just got to see how the week progresses. >> As far as Elijah, is there any closer to a return? Is he working out with trainers yet or how’s that working? >> He’s been working out. I couldn’t tell you when the return is though. How shocked are you, Todd, at this prolonged tail spin since the by-week? I >> think you’re shocked. I think you go day by day. You know, we’re in the same position we’ve been in the last two, three years. So, we’ve just been ahead instead of behind doing the same things. You take them day at a time. You put your head down and you work and you we have an opportunity. We still have everything right in front of us. We got to play a hell of a ball game. We got some things to clean up, but you know, it’s about right where you need to be at this time with everybody fighting for a playoff spot. We’re playing meaningful games in December and that’s all you can ask for. >> The common denominator during the during the slide there is >> just doing a little things right. Doing a little things right and just focusing on finishing the ball game. >> How do you get the younger guys to kind of realize where they’re at and kind of shift out of that just happy to be here and get them to find that that edge that that mental killer instinct that they need to have games. >> Well, they’ve been out of that. It’s not a matter of them shifting out of things. It’s just a matter of them getting over the rookie slump of a long season as probably twice as long as college and then still maturing and realizing that everybody’s going to play injured and hurt and you got to be mentally tough throughout and I think most of them have done that. >> Title, you look at the two Carolina games last year one you win by 27 points. Uh the other one you need to kick at the buzzer just to get to overtime and win there. Is there the biggest difference between those two or or what you need to do to be more like the the last game? >> Um we got to execute. We got to execute and just do the little things. You’re not going to blow nobody out in this league. They’re all going to be tough. So, we got to focus on the little things and focus on ourselves and understand what we’ve done the last couple weeks and if we can fix that, we’ll be okay. >> Coach, with uh Zion McCollum on injured reserve now, what is your confidence level in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parish should they kind of rotate at outside corner? >> Very high confidence in both of them. I mean, they’re not rookies anymore. It’s late in the season right now. They both can play. They understand the system and got to go out there and play. >> With Morrison, you had said that Thursday he was a scratch because he need another week. Do you feel good about where he is physically, mentally ready to play for this game? >> I do. >> How potentially like gratifying was it not just to see, you know, Mike and Jaylen back, but but the idea that then going forward that your offense with Bucky and those four receivers that that you guys could could become a lot more explosive down the stretch here. >> Well, that’s the hope. You know, it was gratifying to see them take the hits they took and get up from it and be perfectly fine. I think that’s what you worry about the most cuz that’s the one thing you couldn’t replicate in practice. Um, but going forward and when you got your full core of receivers finally and you got a lot of guys healthy. Obviously, we still have two backup guards, but at the same time, they’re getting continuity down there. So, we hope we can build some chemistry and execute some plays on that. >> Coach, has confidence been an issue on defense during the slide or do you think they’re full confidence and it’s just >> it’s not that full confidence. We’re just making mistakes. >> And and after the loss when you were frustrated and said some guys like got to look in the mirror, do you think based on what you’ve seen now that they got that message, Todd? [snorts] >> Yeah, they got the message. [laughter] It’s football guys. I don’t know. There have probably been a billion stories written when coaches have lost. They got pissed off and said something to their guys. It’s not an issue. We’re We’re fine. What in terms of the pass defense in the first uh eight games of the season, your defense allowed 10 passing touchdowns. Over the last six games, that number has ballooned to 13. What’s happening in the red zone, specifically with some of the pass defense and giving up touchdowns rather than being able to hold teams to field goals? >> Sometimes it’s coverage, sometimes it’s like a rush. It’s got to be put together. It’s got to be put together that way and we got to be able to execute. What strides have the Panthers made, Todd, in your eyes, uh under Canalis, in year two? >> Uh the maturity. Uh you can see the tweaks in the offensive system. They’re doing a lot more now than they did a year ago, uh just putting it in the first time. So, you can see the growth in the offense and the guys adjusting to the audles and you can see the defense really coming around and they got some guys in the offseason free agency and draftwise that they really turned into a solid football team. How important will uh run defense be uh on Sunday? >> It’s going to be critical on both sides of the ball. Uh they got a very huge offensive line. They they do a great job running the football. I think they had like four games with over 175 yards rushing and they got more 100 yard rushing games after that. So, it’s going to be critical. >> What film on Bryce Young? What do you see from him and how he’s maybe evolved from this year? >> Commanding the offense. You know, going his second year into the offense. He has a very good understanding of where to go, when to run, how quick to get rid of the ball. He’s in full control. >> A couple years ago, Antoine Winfield Jr. was all pro, right? He made plays in every category. Just filled the stat sheet up. Um, he’s been healthy this year, I think. Is there a reason why maybe it’s, you know, having to play a certain type of defense, not be able to utilize him in certain situations like you have in the past, but why do you think those plays haven’t been as as fruitful this year? >> Well, they haven’t really going to him. He’s been doing his job. He’s been doing a heck of a job. They haven’t been going to him with the in-n-out guys on the front and in the back end. We probably asked him to babysit a little more doing certain things, but very happy with his play and the plays he made early in the middle of the season. Sometimes the coverage changes, sometimes the defenses changes, but he’s right where he needs to be from an energetic and a leadership standpoint. Very happy with his play. >> When you look at Tedo Mc on film, what do you see about him as he’s progressed on his campaign? Uh, he reminds me a lot of Mike Evans, a younger Mike Evans. Uh, he’s still 6’4, he’s 200 something pounds. He has great body control, great ball skills, very tough cover. You know, he can he can catch it with you hanging on him and he can beat you with routes and get off the line of scrimmage. >> Talk with Jordan Somerville Cal as their offensive coordinator. I saw he was out there today. Just want to get how long he’ll be staying with you and what kind of coach they’re getting there. >> He’ll be with us the rest of the season. Uh, he won’t start until after he finishes. Outstanding young coach. extremely smart. Uh doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the things he does. Um we got a lot of good coaches and a lot of good young coaches for him to get the OC job at Cal. I think they got a great hire. He’s a heck of a person. He’s very fair. He’s extremely smart and he’s going to run an offense the way he knows how to run it. >> Devin Cul got his first catch the other day. You haven’t had many catches outside of Kade at the tight end position itself, you know, but last year at the end of the year, he really came on. He’s a tough matchup. Why is it hard to get him maybe even harder now with the receivers back? Why has it been hard to get him on the field this year? >> Well, the other guys probably were better blockers at the time from that standpoint, but he brings a receiving element to the game at the same time. And him learning the offense still coming into his second year had a lot to do with that. And then with the receivers back now, it’s going to be awfully tough to get everybody as many touches as they need. >> How challenging has it been, Todd, trying to mount a consistent pass rush? Um, and what kind of factor has uh K’s absence been in in that regard? >> He was our most athletic guy, so it’s been challenging from that standpoint. But we faced a lot of running quarterbacks, too, that we just couldn’t catch and we’ve gotten back there that played an element into it, but we got to do a better job of working together and collapsing the pocket and keeping the quarterback in so we can’t run. That part has been challenging. Coach, have you had any fun this week with the sort of the rearview mirror on your postgame rant that went viral? Did you get a lot of fun texts or the players immediately about that? >> No. Um, [laughter] no, I didn’t. You’re a football coach. You lose a ball game. You get pissed off. Everybody does it. It happens. You get over it. You move on to the next day. That’s all I’ve done. >> Did you hear about it from your wife? >> No, I did not. >> That’s good. >> I did not. Did she give you a thumbs up? >> She didn’t say anything. I don’t think too many people talked to me this weekend. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Yeah. Baker, you talked about execution being the issue. How do you get your guys to be more intentional with that at practice? >> Um, I mean, when you lose a game because of execution, uh, it it translates. So the message was received um loud and clear. So the guys was a good practice today. First one we’ve had on a Wednesday in a while. Normally doing the walkthrough schedule, but with the extra day. So got that going and uh yeah, good practice. >> Certainly not the outcome you wanted on Thursday, but having this little mini by week here this late in the season knowing that this team needs to either win out or at least two out of the next three. Is there a recharge moment here that you guys can maybe take advantage of? Yeah, I mean there’s definitely I mean the end of the season push um obviously it helped that uh Saints winning, but um regardless we still need to take care of business the last three games anyway and that’s still how we’re looking at it. So yeah, there’s new energy um and yeah, guys are guys are ready to go. >> And combine that with McMillan came back, Mike came back feeling healthy. Does that kind of add to it the vibe right now? >> Absolutely. Um, and that was something that, you know, we showed on offense on Monday when we met the the clips of Mike and J-Mack bringing bringing the juice. Um, you know, just just the energy, the the attitude they had on the field. That it’s everybody needs to do it. And it it goes from people on the field to to also on the sideline. You know, we need to celebrate the good plays, get everybody going and go from there. >> What’s the difference between the last two seasons when you guys hit those ls in this season? It feels like it’s a little I don’t want to say more dramatic um as far as the the juice, the energy, everything that that you’re lacking or or you guys saying you’re lacking. What’s that biggest difference between those two seasons? So this year, >> I don’t know if I can really put my finger on one thing. Um you know, like in years past, I’ve said that we got the little things corrected, uh and just played simple ball, you know, bread and butter plays and executed it really well. Um, and I think maybe in the last few years we did that and now it’s just a matter of making the making the plays in critical moments that we need to. Uh, and like like I said, after the game, I got to make those throws. I got to make those plays. Uh, I can’t turn the ball over and so that that that comes down to me. >> Why do you feel like it was necessary after the game to to put that loss on yourself? >> We’re up two scores and we have a chance to go put it away. So, it is on us. It’s on me. >> Mike came up the field. He’s always, you know, vocal and fiery, you know. third and 28. His competitiveness, how much do you does that team, you know, really feel that fire, but especially >> Yeah, especially when he’s when he’s going like he was Thursday night. Um, yeah, it’s when you have a guy that’s you never want to take things for granted when you have a guy like Mike that has been injured, wants to come back, wants to help his team out, and you feel that competitive nature from him, that fire. Um, it just demands everybody to raise their standards. And so, we love that that Mike’s vocal about it. Um, you know, he obviously expects greatness out of himself and expects people to rise to the occasion as well. So, uh, yeah, need him to keep doing that. >> For you as a quarterback, you feel more like the point guard now when you can look out there, there’s Jaylen, there’s a there’s Mike, there’s, you know, that’s got to be a totally different feeling. >> It is. It is. Um, and that’s nothing against the guys that we had playing, but it’s guys that I’ve had a lot of reps with that I that I really um know their body language coming in out of routes like the back of my hand. And so, yeah, it’s it’s a good feeling to have. Now we just need to go do it. >> Taking taking the loss on you publicly that’s you know that’s great and obviously it puts everything but privately in in the clubhouse. How do you guys prevent each other from you know pointing fingers? There’s been games where it’s been the offense games defense. How do you keep that camaraderie and say it’s it’s all of us and not have one or two guys start to be like well they did their job or we did. How do how do you avoid that from starting and spreading? Um the fingerpointing is only happening if you have bad culture in the building. So that’s that’s not a problem we have to deal with. U we met on Monday with the offense and I told him what I said in the postgame press conference. I said it’s on it’s on me. It’s on this group. I expect us to be able to score more than 28 in the situation like that and put it out put the game out of reach. So um you just nip it in the butt in the beginning. >> Baker, when things go south, the head coach usually takes the heat. So, what’s your message to Buck fans that are trying to suggest that the team’s turn tuning out Todd BS? >> Uh, I mean, that’s that’s always a tricky slope. Um, you love them when the defense is getting all the sacks and the turnovers and then a game like that. Um, like I said though, post game it’s it comes down to the offense. You’re up two scores, you have a chance to put the game away and you don’t. And the easy thing to do is point at the defense because of the situation. It’s the last thing you see in the game. But if you look at the whole game, you look at the way it played it. Blame me, don’t blame Todd. Thank you.

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