The Panthers Huddle: Rams in Our House | Carolina Panthers

The Panthers Huddle: Rams in Our House | Carolina Panthers

The following is an exclusive presentation of the Carolina Panthers and the National Football League. On this episode of the Panthers Huddle, we’re back at Bank of America Stadium. Coach Canelis joins us as the Panthers get ready to host the Los Angeles Rams. Plus, step inside TD’s film room as the Panthers legend breaks down one of the league’s premier passing games. Welcome inside the Panthers Huddle. Thanks for joining us everyone inside the Panthers Huddle alongside Panthers legend Thomas Davis. I’m Kristen Balon. We are going to get you ready for this matchup against the Rams. But first, TD, I want to get your thoughts on this Monday night football game against the 49ers. KB, it was a tough loss. It was a a not a great performance, you know, in particular by our offense. defense gave us chance after chance in particularly in the first half, but we didn’t do a great job consistently playing Panther football for four quarters and we saw the outcome. Yeah, we did. But you were saying to us last night as we were talking, it is not time to panic. Far from time to panic. No way at all. There are teams that are in a lot worse positions than we are right now and have way many more things to worry about than we do at this point. I mean, six and six is not a bad spot for this team to be in. It’s not what we expected or what we thought coming after that coming out of that Monday night game. But at the end of the day, I mean going into that Monday night game, let me correct that. But at the end of the day, this football team has has faced a ton of injuries and we’ve found the resolve to figure it out and get the job done. But at the end of the day, nobody’s coming to save you. So, you got to figure it out. You got to get things corrected and we have to get it corrected fast because we have a tough slate ahead of us. Yes, we do. I want to start with that Rams matchup and TD, I want to go into these injuries as you said. So, in the 49ers game, we saw a lot of guys defensively go down. How do you think these backups played? Let’s start with the inside linebacker position as they get ready to I mean, we’ll see what happens against the Rams. Listen, the inside linebacker position, I mean, guys went down. We didn’t have our two starting guys going into that game, but one of the things that I was really really pleased with with the way Bam Martin Scott came in and played, he played downhill. He played aggressive. He played fast. And that’s what you want to see out of a guy that’s taking advantage of an opportunity. So, I’m really looking forward to see how we get our guys back or who we get back, but also if in the event that they’re not able to come back, how these young guys step up and play for us. Still one more game. very tough opponent in the Rams before this buy. TD, how are these guys feeling right now? You know, they’re they’re definitely disheartened. They, you know, we felt like going into that game against the 49ers that they were going to win the football game. You know, I hang around the locker room a lot of times and I hear these guys talk and, you know, they were very disappointed. They were looking forward to the opportunity to to play on a prime time setting to play in the national spotlight. But, you know, at the end of the day, you can’t just look forward to it. You got to go out, you got to show up, you got to perform, and you got to do it knowing that everybody is watching you. And, you know, we had times in the games where we played Panther football, but we had a it was it was too many times where it didn’t happen for us. And don’t let him fool you when he says he hangs around the locker room. He goes into that locker room and guys are coming up to him right and left as they should. All right. You talked about seeing sparks of playing Panther football, but that offense especially, you know, we’ve seen them kind of go through peaks and valleys. So, how can they shore up and get consistent as we face the the rest of the stretch? K, we just we just got to get some rhythm. Uh we don’t have enough rhythm offensively. And you look at the game, there were times in the games where if we just convert a third down to extend the drive, to get some kind of rhythm, get a flow going. You can’t go three and out and expect to get rhythm. You can’t defensively allow teams to have nine 10 minute drives on you thinking that the offense is going to come out and then have rhythm. We got to do a better job defensively of getting teams off the field three and out or with the turnovers. I know the turnovers happen, but a if you look at the game, a lot of them happened after the team had had the ball for five, six, seven plus minutes. Can’t allow that to happen. You got to if you’re going to take the ball away, start doing it earlier. Figure it out. I mean, well, let me stop cuz it doesn’t matter when you take the ball away. Let me correct myself. But at the end of the day, you have to understand defensively it work hand in hand. We work together with the offense. So, we have to get them as many possessions as we possibly can in particular when you’re on the road because it’s tough sledding on the road. You have the whole crowd going against you. So, it’s going to be a lot tougher for the offense to really sustain drives and get things going if they’re not hitting on all cylinders or not giving extra opportunities. Yeah, looking forward to playing that complimentary football that we always talk about in the games ahead. All right, coming up, TD is going to get to the board and break down what you need to know about this Rams matchup. But first, TD, we’re gonna talk about off the field. This Panthers organization has a huge history of giving back, thanks in large part to my co-host right here, and current players are following in TD’s footsteps. We know Thanksgiving was just a few days away. And Derek Brown went out into the community to make some people very happy. About to give us some turkeys. Um, give us some turkeys in holidays, food. We don’t want anybody to miss out. So, I’m excited for this opportunity and a partner with the food bank and uh be able to do this. I didn’t grow up with everything. So definitely charity and being able to give back and philanthropy is a big part of my life. Happy Thanksgiving. You’re welcome. Have a good one. Have a great holiday. Thank you. Okay, now set. It’s funny. When he shuts my car door, he slams it. Real soft right there on that car door. Say when he shuts my car door, he slams it as hard as he can. Have a happy Thanksgiving. [Applause] Have a happy holiday. Coming up, coach Dave Canales joins host Kristen Baloni in the studio to talk about the state of the team and facing the Rams at home 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] Welcome back to the huddle. Joined now as always by head coach Dave Canales. Coach, going back to that Monday night football game when you and the team sat down, watched the film, what was the biggest takeaway? Just missed opportunities and uh felt like our defense gave us some opportunities by creating three turnovers, three interceptions on the day, and we weren’t able to uh come away with points that way offensively. Um just putting our heads together to look at the fundamental breakdowns uh the technique certainly from my standpoint getting the run game going making sure that that’s a part of what we do. We believe in it. We’re good at it. You know let’s make sure that it’s a part of our balance of who we are as an offense but you know in all areas you know there were things in the game that we could have taken advantage of to play ourselves into a better situation. You mentioned this defense. Those three huge turnovers in the first half but then you know as the game went on these injuries started to pile up. You were already down the linebackers going into this one. We then see Trayvon Merik suspended for the incident with Jawan Jennings. How are you feeling about this defense and what is the call to action for this defense going forward this next week? We need the next guys to be ready to go and that was the message right after the game. You know, understanding what we were looking at and um you know, we had to go through the full process to see what those injuries looked like, but you know, some guys are going to need to step up and help their teammates and they’ve been preparing for these moments, for these opportunities and that’s what we’re counting on. You just talked about preparing for moments and opportunities. We talked last week about what you call championship opportunities. I imagine that that is what you’re also saying about this Rams game. So, how can this team step up and meet that opportunity here at Bank of America Stadium? Absolutely. It’s about the basics. We got to take care of the ball and make sure that we’re securing it, make sure we’re making great decisions with it. And um that’s a full group effort. And on defensive side, continue to get after it that way, the way they did last week, you know, and we can take advantage of those opportunities together. But it’s about getting back to the basics, uh the fundamentals of this game. It’s blocking, throwing, tackling. Um it’s all the simple things, you know, and making sure that we trust our process and trust the work that goes into it so they could show up for us on Sunday. I remember doing um your welcome interview and we talked not just about you being a student of the game, but how much you love to dive in on other coaches. So tell me about Shawn McVey. Yeah. um innovative first first and foremost, you know, taking bits and pieces of things he’s learned, you know, from Mike Shanahan um from that tree and from John Gruden being around those great play callers and great head coaches and being able to uh employ those things with his own style, with his own personality. And that’s one of the things that I’ve always admired about Shawn is he just takes things, he builds off of it, and creating a mentality, creating a philosophy for how they play football. What should this defense be looking out for and how can they be opportunistic against Matthew Stafford? Yeah, just got to make him uncomfortable. You know, he gets the ball out really fast and he operates that way from the pocket when he’s in the pass game. You know, in the run game, he’s looking to get to the right look. So, we got to make sure that we’re fitting the runs properly and then when he does go to pass, you know, we got to get get back, get our matches, keep our eyes up, you know, and make sure that we show up at the right time because he will operate quickly from there. He doesn’t scramble a lot. He he does take his opportunities um at different points, but we got to disrupt the pocket and make sure that you know we’re we’re staying close to our matches in the back half as well. And how about Puka Nuo? What kind of challenge does he represent? He’s versatile. They use him in different ways. Um they use him in the run game as a blocker. Then they have passes that come off of the same looks. And then when when you get to the drop back pass game, whether it’s on first, second down, or third down, they use him in different spots. He can be he could be number one outside in formation. He can be in the slot. He can be number three. They do a bunch of different things. So, it’s just about being aware of what pass concepts happen when he’s in those different positions. I heard Dvonte Adams call him the densest human that he’s ever been around. So, as you said, certainly a good blocker. Speaking of blocking, let’s talk about that Dline. Certainly, they’ve got some stars on there. What can this offensive line do against that Dline? Yeah, this is a great group, you know, across the board and they create a lot of disruption in the run game and the pass game. They’ve, this is a young group that’s grown in their chemistry, grown in their stunt packages and the way they do things. Uh, but it’s about staying connected through the echo of the whistle because they do a great job of disengaging from blocks. And they use their hands, they use their leverage. Um, they’re young, they’re fast. So, we have to make sure we stay connected together in our combos, get good initial movement, and stay through the echo of the whistle. Coach, thank you so much for the time. We’re looking forward to having you back here at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. Thanks. Up next, step inside TD’s film room as Thomas Davis draws up a plan to slow down the Rams dynamic offense on the Panthers huddle. [Music] Right now, we are here inside TD’s film room and TD, of course, we’re talking about the Rams 9 and two. They have won six straight. It all starts with Matthew Stafford. He is such a great facilitator. So, how is he getting it done to his wide receivers? KBY, coming into the season, there were a lot of speculation and a lot of thought that Matthew Stafford wasn’t going to be able to play this year. He missed all of offseason and he came into the season, they gave it a go and it has went well for them. It’s paid off in a big way. They are probably going to be the biggest test that we face all season long. I mean, just calling a spade a spade. This team is complete through and through. Defensively, they get after the quarterback. Offensively, they have balance. They are consistent. Matthew Stafford is playing at a very high level. And we’re going to show you that right now. Um, but this is a Rams team that to me, they’re primed to make a run at the Super Bowl. KB. All right. Until we stop them. Isn’t that right? Exactly. Listen, I said make I said make a run. I didn’t say that they were going to win it. They still got to go through us. Of course, first and foremost, don’t get it twisted. I ain’t I ain’t I ain’t batting the eye. I ain’t changing up my pick. So, what are the Panthers watching on film this week? Well, as we go to this film right now, we jump right into it and you’ll be able to see exactly what I’m talking about with Matthew Stafford. His favorite target that he’s been able to connect with without a doubt, KB, has been Puka Nakua. And as you see on this play right here, Puka does a great job of running a great route against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. and we’re going to spotlight him right now because if you look, Tampa Bay is playing zone defense. They’re zoning everything off. They are not even a levels concept, but Puka Nakua does a great job and he has a he has a a relationship with Matthew Stafford where it doesn’t matter what he is on the field, they have that confidence that he’s going to get open and he knows that Matt is going to get the ball to him. And as you can see right here in this particular play, he hit him right in the soft zone area and they come up with big yardage. So time and time again, you get to watch these guys make throws like this and make catches like this and they’ve done it consistently KB all season long. Puka Nour and Matthew Stafford. Well, like you said, that’s his favorite target. But when it comes to touchdowns, there is another guy on that team, the veteran Devonte Adams. Listen, unfortunately, Devonte Adams has bounced around. But to me, he has found his home, KB. Oh, yeah. He has 11 plus touchdowns right now. And this is one of the ways that he can beat you. And he’s always been a guy that can create separation. So, we’re going to take this back so you guys can can watch the way that he sets this defender up because to start this play, it’s literally Matthew Stanford identifies that it’s three high. Obviously, Tampa gave it away. They’re not playing cover two. So he knows that there’s nobody over top helping with Devonte Adams. So he take a stutter step and he just releases and beats this guy off the edge. Now I will add in that Tampa did not have their starting corner. Dean was not in this game. So Matthew Stafford identified that he’s going against a backup corner. So the ball placement is perfect. Devonte Adam does a great job of tracking this football and he runs right under it. So that’s one of the things that we’re going to have to contest with and we have to be prepared for because they get in this red zone. You don’t see Devonte Adams KB walking away with a ton of yards in games, but he definitely usually walks away with a touchdown in all of these games. So 12 already this season. Got to make sure that we know who this guy is. And as you said, TD, this is a complete team. And of course, when you watch this defense, the first thing you notice is this Dline. Man, this Dline is is they’re formidable. I’ll just say that. They get the job done. And to me, it starts with Jared Verse, but Jared Verse is a guy. He’s a he’s a young player, but he brings the energy. He has he’s creating an identity for this team. And as you see, Kobe Turner on this play comes away with the huge sack. So, as we watch this play, you watch this defense, they do a great job of setting things up. So, right here, this guy’s going to set it up. He’s gonna run a TE stunt. He’s going to go up field. He’s gonna come underneath. He’s gonna sell it as if he’s going up field. He’s gonna come underneath. And the real play KB on this one is going to be our guy Kobe Turner stepping in, creating havoc. But then he’s just going to beat this offensive guard like a drum. Manto man. And these guys, KB, they get after you with relentless pre pressure the entire game. They wreck teams game plan time and time again. So we have to be in tune to this is what we have to contend with and we cannot allow them to have fun in our backfield. KB. All right. As Dave Canales always says, uh, championship opportunities. This one against the Rams is a great one right here. TD, thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for educating us inside TD’s film room. We appreciate it. All right, coming up we are going to let you know what we are spotlighting for this game against the Rams. Stay with us. 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. If you need gift ideas for the Panthers fan in your life, we’ve got you covered. Go on over to shop.panthers.com. You can shop our gift guide at shop.panthers.com/x-2169. Great stuff over there. Go check it out. [Music] Welcome back. Okay, TD, you have got us prepared for the Rams, but I always like to know what is the thing that you are really really focused in on on your CO spotlight this week. My sp my coke spotlight KB this week was one position group that I never thought that we would have to worry about coming into the season and it’s the offensive line. So many injuries. So many injuries. I mean we brought all of our guys back from the previous year. So I knew we were going to have continuity. I knew these guys were going to go out. We were going to jail well. We had a a a a running back court that was going to be phenomenal and they have been. But one of the things that has happened to us, we’ve been decimated by injuries on this offensive line. And our coaching staff on in the offensive line room has done a tremendous job of getting the next man up prepared and ready to go. And we’re going to have to do that again because it seems like every week we have a guy go down and they step up. But they’re going to have a huge test this week against this Rams defensive line. And I’m just really looking forward to seeing how they go out, how they compete, and how they come together as a group. TD, you walked us through the film on the defensive line. So, what I want to know from you is what should the offensive line be doing in order to combat that Rams Dline? You know, they got to we got to give them some different looks in the week and and understanding that these guys play in an aggressive style of defense. They are attacking defensive line. They get after the quarterback and they do a great job of playing the run defense as well. So, we got to be on our game in all aspects of playing offensive line this week because we can’t just say that they struggle playing the run or they struggle against the pass. This is a complete defensive line, KB. It sure is. And like you said, I’ve been so impressed by no matter who is in the game, no matter who goes out before the game or in the game, this offensive line just seems very consistent across the board. And we’ve heard Dave Canales give a lot of love to that coaching staff, to the offensive line guys about the work that they’re doing. All right. So, I’m going to build off of you for my coke spotlight and I’m going to go with the run game. We saw just nine runs called last week against the 49ers and we know that is not what this offense wants to do. They want to run the ball and uh we have two, you know, you’re just talking about injuries and we’ve gotten to say this. Panthers are very fortunate to have two very good, healthy running backs. So, TD, how can they get that momentum going? You know, you you just got to stay committed to the run game. I mean, we got into a position where we kind of got behind and it kind of forces your hand once you get behind and you got to start throwing the football around, but we have to be more committed and understanding we got to allow our running game to get going so that we can have some success and consistency in throwing the football. And that’s one of the things I don’t think that we did a very good job of against San Francisco. We talked about Matthew Stafford and how he can get the ball into the hands of his receiver. So, we want to run the ball, control the time of possession, keep that ball out of the hands of Matthew Stafford and this Rams offense. Di, this is going to be, you know, like we said a little bit earlier, championship opportunity here against a great Rams team. It is time to stop that win streak. You feeling good about this one? I’m feeling good about this one, but we also have to understand that they have played really mistakefree football. Matthew Stafford, I think, has thrown nearly 30 touchdowns without any interceptions. So, that’s one thing that we also have to do. We got to take the ball away. Hey, and we did that plenty last week. That was not a problem against the 49ers. So, we’ll see if the Panthers can continue that. Thank you so much as always for watching. Thank you to head coach Dave Canales for stopping by. And of course, thank you to my amazing co-host Thomas Davis. We hope you have a great week. We’ll see you next week, but until then, keep ping. 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… We’re back at Bank of America Stadium! Coach Canales joins Kristen Balboni in the studio as the Panthers get ready to host the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday. Plus, step inside TD’s Film Room as Panthers’ Legend Thomas Davis breaks down one of the league’s premier passing games. Enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers and welcome inside the Panthers Huddle!

Subscribe to the Panthers YT Channel: https://bit.ly/35gP3RB
For More Panthers NFL Action: https://bit.ly/2nv06FN

#CarolinaPanthers #Panthers #NFL #Football #KeepPounding

For more Panthers action: https://www.panthers.com/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaPanthers
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/panthers/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Panthers