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.”