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Dave Canales prior to the NFL Preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.
Dave Canales has now been the head coach of the Carolina Panthers for nearly two years. After two clear misfires at the position, skepticism initially surrounded the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in Charlotte. Two seasons later, one thing is clear: Canales and the Carolina Panthers are on the same page.
And that growing alignment is being felt most clearly inside the locker room. Darrin Garrett of panthers.com, in his January 22 article, wrote that Canales’ words are becoming the team’s words and that a personality is beginning to form in Carolina.
From Past Mistakes to Shaping a New Identity
GettyBryce Young is Part of the New Identity Taking Shape in Charlotte.
However, by his own admission, Canales wasn’t always the man he is today — particularly in his marriage — a reality he detailed in a book published the year before the Buccaneers hired him as offensive coordinator. Scott Fowler reported that the Panthers were “fully aware of the book and its contents,” before they hired him as head coach.
Canales made mistakes, but the Panthers saw growth — and that growth is now showing in the locker room. It seems like the Panthers have left their darker days behind as well. More than that, it’s becoming evident that a new culture is steadily taking hold in Charlotte under Canales. David Newton of ESPN wrote, Coach Canales’ growth is key to Panthers’ next step forward.
The Carolina Panthers went from a band with too many lead singers to one tight unit — one band, one rhythm.
Running back Chuba Hubbard — who has been a cornerstone of the team since the 2021 season — also spoke very positively about the Panthers building a new culture.
“I mean, when you’re trying to build a culture, I think people expect those things to just come overnight,” Hubbard said. “But culture is born and made over long periods of time through highs and lows of things and just consistency of continuing to harp on certain things. I think, yeah, you’re starting to see guys really buy into it and be the face of the culture in their own way, and then as time goes on, it’ll just get better and better in terms of that.”
Finally Seeing Light at the End of the Tunnel
Veteran linebacker Claudin Cherelus, who was there during the disastrous Frank Reich season in 2023, also spoke out. He revealed that things feel much better now.
“Better than it has been the past few years. It’s a good feeling, but the thing I like most about this locker room is we’re never content, we’re never comfortable. We know how it feels to be at the bottom. We know how it feels to be at the top now, so at the end of the day we’ve just got to come out and keep playing like we have.”
But it’s not just the players. The fans are noticing the changes in the Panthers too. After years of disappointment, they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel again.
A Panthers fan on X summed up the mood in Charlotte perfectly:
Panthers lost a starting LB prior to camp, traded away their veteran trusted WR, have been through 10 rotations on the OL, lost multiple starters on defense, but still found a way. Appreciate the growth.
Everyone can talk about culture. But actually earning it? That’s the hard part. The Panthers had to overcome some rocky hurdles, and the question marks hanging over the franchise from North Carolina aren’t completely gone yet. For Canales, putting that into action meant being intentional about growing as a head coach. And for the team, it meant: always getting up one more time than you fall.
Fabienne Lampe Fabienne Lampe is a German sports journalist, covering the NFL, College Football, NBA, and Formula 1 for Heavy Sports. Lampe has years of experience covering the NFL, especially the Atlanta Falcons as their sole German reporter. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in the NFL, including Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Lampe also hosts a Formula 1 podcast and works as a play-by-play announcer. More about Fabienne Lampe
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