This week on a Happy half Hour, he.
Said, it's going to be a little bit of baptism by fire, and you know, just kind of let them grow within the game, because that works too. If you have the right coach mindset, which like I said, I think Dave Canals does, you can help them grow over through those lumps and through those trials and tribulations.
Touchdow Row. It's time for the Happy Half Hour, presented by Southern Star, an official bourbon of the Carolina Panthers. Here are your hosts, Darren Gant and Cassidy Hill.
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Happy Half Hour, a regular season edition of the Happy Half Hour. How about that? And we made it and we're extra happy because this edition is brought to us by our friends at Southern Star, an official bourbon partner of the Carolina Panthers. Celebrate this spirit of the Carolinas with a little Southern Star. Now that it's regular season time. I think we're all old one at this point, aren't we.
Think so too? Or maybe you know, need one just before we get things started, just.
To get right with ourselves going into a long year. No, it's been a long time coming, and we you know, talked last week in the Ghost episode of The Happy Half Hour, the Ghost episode between I think that set it in between one. It's like a hidden track on the back of a CD. Are you familiar with that.
I'm familiar with bonus tracks that Taylor Swift puts on anthology album.
Well, on the back end of CDs. Back in the old days, there used to be hidden tracks that weren't in the liner notes and you just kind of had to listen to a minute and a half of silence to ever get to it. It's an interesting concept, I'm you know, it's one of those things that there's a very narrow vinniagram of people who know about them, and.
Uh, what's the greatest bonus track ever written?
I enjoy There was one on a Lile Love It album. I think it was the Rodents and Nada album called The Girl in the Corner, and a lot of people believe it was about the Julie Roberts, you know, era of his life. But anyway, that's a story about Loud Love It CDs that I'm sure is going to do wonders for our ratings here at the Happy half Hour. We'll get to music in a little bit I've got an idea for a bit in this podcast, and I think you're a bit that I think you're going to
get a kick out of. But first, we football, because it is in fact regular season football time. We have been through a lot in the last week. We've seen some things, We've seen people coming and going a lot of each This is a different football team than it was the last time we gathered here, isn't.
It It is? And you warned people that that would happen. You said they're going to be active on the waiver wire, and I believed you in theory. I don't think I fully grasped how active they would be on the waiver wire.
Yeah, in case you aren't tracking Thepanthers dot com transaction page. If you're not, what are you doing? If you're not, what's wrong with you? That would be six count of six waiver claims on record. It is not a record. I actually contacted our good friends at three forty five Park Avenue, which I now know is the NFL often there you go and see you're paying attention, and I asked, is six a record? And they said it not? In
fact the record. There were multiple instances of seven, so it is no fun from a record standpoint, but a lot of people coming and going, and in case you didn't remember them all, that would be Keenan, Isaac Shamar Bartholomew, Trepe Castro Fields, Jamie Sheriff, John Radigan, and Jarrett Kingston. Come on down and welcome to the Carolina Panthers.
A lot of names that aren't necessarily going to jump out to people from a from a popularity point of view, but names that when you look into them, are really interesting. Jamar Bartholomew, for example, four different teams put in a claim for him, which was the most of anyone on
the waiver wire this year. He's a rookie. He spent training camp with the Jets, someone that Dave Canalis admitted wasn't really on their radar until that joint practice with the Jets, which is another pro in the column of doing joint practices right. And and someone that they've already run out there a good bit dear in practice. He's uh, he's life. But he's the on the smaller end of
the corners. They claimed. But that's even bigger than they had because they went big at corner and we're gonna said that's what we want to do that we want big, fast corners, and they got him with that. But Bartholo for sure is going to be an interesting one to watch, just because you have to imagine if the Panthers, the Saints, the Chiefs, and the Chargers, I think that's right, if they all saw something in him, then there's something there.
To be seen. I mean again, big cornerbacks who can run always going to get chances in the NFL. And as you mentioned, I mean Dan Morgan came out last week and talked a good bit about you know, it's kind of a big man's game, and they wanted to get more physical at that position. And this is nothing against guys like DiCaprio, Bootle and DeShawn Jamison who are smaller guys but really game players. I love the way they played hard, they got after it during the preseason.
But they just kind of got to a point when Dan Jackson was out before they got Mike Jackson in here, who they traded for just before the week before the waiverclaimed deadline, and another big corner and they just kind of looked around and they thought, we're so small, let's do something about it. And they did something about it with Gusto, and I mean that hadn't been the end
of the moves. I mean they filled out a practice squad, you know, they let go of Calebon and Chase On brought in Messiah Swinson speaking a big you know, just your average six foot eight, two hundred and sixty pound power forward who happens to be a tight end for you're a Carolina Panthers now. And and you talked to him yesterday. I mean he's a guy who's really really new here.
I had to look straight up to talk to him. But yeah, really really knew. He said his twenty four hours before that had just sort of been a whirlwind. That his agent called him at eleven am on what day is it? Tuesday? And he said, initially he ignored the call because he was going into meetings. He was with the packers before this, and his agent texted him and was like, call me back right now. So he calls him back and his agent's like, I've got an
active roster situation for you. You need to decide in like the next sixty seconds. And he was like okay. So, as he said, his agent gave him an elevator pitch and he's like good coach, good Room a great opportunity, and he's like, okay, let's go. He's primarily an in line blocker, he said, he's been doing that really since his sophomore year of college. That's all he was asked to do with the Packers as well, but obviously, said Darren, I mean, he's six's eight, he's big.
Yeah.
I would love to see them toss a few balls his way, just to see as long as he has decent hands. And he's not that kid from Little Giants as to like put the stick them on his gloves if he's got decent hands. Gosh, that's a mismatch.
I don't think that's legal in the NFL anymore, but it does kind of point to I mean, and beyond the size thing. And Matt's going to pull this clip for us and play it so you can hear Dave Canalis talk about it. But if there is a theme emerging already in this Carolina Panthers season, it's that they're going to give a lot of guys chances to play. They're going to go out and look at a bunch
of different people. I mean, they've already kind of promised to turn over the practice squad, and even after they filled up the practice squad initially, they've brought in like three or four different guys since then, And that thing's continuing to evolve, and I imagine it is going to continue to for the next several weeks. I mean, after we get through this week, you know, teams will start signing veteran guys so they don't have to guarantee the
salary for the whole year. Somebody's going to shake loose. Dan's going to be looking at the waiver wires seeing if any of those guys are of interest to them. So I think, you know, for the next couple of weeks, while they have that first spot in the waiverclaim order, they're going to continue to consider using it. And where it's interesting to me is Dave Canalis has talked several times over the last few days about the idea of
giving guys chances. When he said it during the press conference yesterday, he was talking about the context ab outside linebackers. You cut calebon Chase on and everybody's wondering, what are you going to do opposite Shadavian Clowney. He's a known commodity. We trust him. He's a known producer. That seems cool. What are you going to do until DJ Wanham gets back?
And the answer is some combination of DJ Johnson, Echuliota and our new friend Jamie Sheriff, who is a South Alabama guy who wasn't even drafted, wasn't even signed after being a tryout player with the Seahawks, but he has three three preseason games for Seattle. And Dan saw the tape and figure to give them a shot. And Dave Canalis said, We're going to continue to give those guys.
Shots plam, play them early and and see what we got there. You know, that's that's been something that's you know, kind of ingrained in my DNA is. Let's get information about the players. Let's not be afraid to play young guys on the offense or the defensive side. Let's get them out there. They will learn the football. We will be all better for it when we get into week six seven and you go to the finish of the season.
The more you play these guys early on, we can get them game ready, but we can't be afraid to expose them to that. And we got to live with some of.
The lumps, And I think it's a it's a reasonable position. We will see when you tune into the Panthers Huddle and television later this weekend, hosted by an amateur television host and some professional football coaches and former players, you will hear Dave Canalis say another version of that is, you know, we understand this is a learning year, and this is a learning process, so we want to start with young guys. We want to give the opportunities to
learn and grow. That was their experience when he came in with Pete Carroll and Seattle, and he wants to do it here. So I think, you know, it could come as a culture shock to people to actually hear coaches say that out loud, but it's kind of a bold strategy strategy to just say, hey, here's the best chance for a lot of guys to win jobs. Let's see what happens.
Yeah, old strategy, Cotton for sure. I think where I always get a little iffy with that, and then I'm not saying that they shouldn't do it. I always get a little iffy with let me backtrack and say, you have to have the right coach and the right coaching mindset to pull this off.
M M.
Because and I think Dave Canalis does, because you run the risk of throwing someone out there in their first year it going horribly and it's setting them back from a mental standpoint.
Sure years we've seen that with quarterbacks in the past. And again I'm much much older than you, and remember the Jimmy class and days here in Bank of America Stadium that did not go well for the team or Jimmy in that situation. And it's unfair for some guys if they're put into that situation. But your point is a valid one, and Dave has talked a lot about the efforts they're making to coach these guys up in
a very specific way. One of the things that's interesting to me about Canalis he is portrayed as positive guy, upbeat guy, happy guy. He is a very granular, detailed kind of coach. And one of the things he said stood out to me last week was when he was talking about leaning on guys like Jim Colwell and Dom Capers, and he said, Dom Capers told me to spend less time in a team meeting room so we could get a more time with position coaches to get that you know,
really ground level grassroots coaching. That so many of these young guys need. And I think that's an interesting point.
Yeah, and that goes back to the point that everyone has made about Dave Canally since he's been a coach in the NFL. You know, we heard former Seahawks play saying there was a guy that no matter if he was a QA or a position coach or a coordinator, he was out there kind of moving the bags over an inch and a half, which kind of reminded me of our old friend Connor moving the bags over an engine a half because he knew that's what where Pete
Carroll wanted them. And so I think when you've kind of built up that mindset, it should help you in the long term, even if you're now the big picture guy at the head coach. That being said, and I don't want this to seem negative, nancy or anything, but I think my job right. I don't think it's a
bad approach at all. The way that Dave Canalis is kind of wanting to take this team and letting Jamie Sheriff who DJ Johnson just kind of get out there and he said, see what we got with each of these guys, and he said, it's going to be a little bit of baptism by fire, and you know, just kind of let them grow within the game because that
works too. If you have the right coach mindset, which like I said, think Dave Canals does, you can help them grow over through those lumps and through those trials and tribulations and come out forged stronger on the other side. And he made that comment, he said, you know, it might there might be lumps. We have to take it first. But then you get to week six, you get to week seven, you get towards the end of the season, and you've got someone who isn't scared anymore to go
out there. So that being said, no, I think we might need to temper some expectations for the first few weeks, which I think that those are tempered. But it's it's very easy this time of year to get caught up in we're gonna win it all, and these first few weeks might take a little bit of time just to get this thing going. You might take a year.
Yeah, the good news is they're playing a Saints team that's also a good bit of transition themselves. They've changed they've changed offensive coordinators in the off season. Dennis Allen's still there. And there are a lot of people as you peruse your you know, NFL preview magazines and all that cool stuff your phone, yeh know, know your phone Panthers dot com, a lot of people have a lot of very low expectations for these two football teams. And
I think it's going to be fascinating. Somebody asked me what I expected this weekend in New Orleans, and I just kind of laughed and said, chaos, just because that's what we usually get when we go to New Orleans.
What most people get when they go to New Orleans.
I mean, yeah, and this most of them outside of the Superdome. For us inside the super Dome, it is almost alarming. These two teams have played fifty eight times. These Saints hold a thirty to twenty eight advantage in the all time series, and I think it's fifteen fourteen in the Dome. Yeah, so that is correct, fifteen and fourteen in the Dome. So it's been very even. It's been your guess as good as mine sometimes when these
two teams get together. But I think with where the two teams are, it's very instructive because a year ago for the Carolina Panthers the questions became, can they score a point? Are they going to be able to move the ball at all? And with the power of the greatest drive in preseason football history, you know, I think they sort of brought back some of those questions. And Bryce Young looked really good in Buffalo, and Bryce Young has been really clean, whether it's the joint practices with
the Jets or throughout training camp. And I think it's kind of flipped a little bit because a year ago it was whether they're gonna play good defense, are they gonna be able to score any points? And now I think people feel a little more comfortable about the offense in general, just because they keep talking about they're gonna run, and they invested in the parts you need to run an offensive linemen. And they've got Chuba Hubbard in the middle of the backfield, so they liked their ability to
be physical there. They like the way Bryce is taking care of the ball. You wrote an incredible piece the other day about you know, the whole notion of two point seven seconds and how that's just the first part of the play and Bryce has done a good job of extending plays beyond that. We saw a perfect example of it in Buffalo.
That fourth down throw to Deontay Johnson was everything that they have kind of wanted to build Bryce up to to get to this season. And you know, like you said, Darren, we've heard so much this off season about two point seven two point seven, and it was interesting to just kind of sit down with Bryce and pick his brain about it and realize that to him, it's much more
of a philosophy than like a horn going off. I have to have the ball out by two point seven, and it's I it's if he gets to two point seven and that ball is not out, it's time to move on to the next play. And I think that it's interesting too that they've been very intentional about not calling it a scramble drill, but by calling it the second play, it's time to make the second play. And yes, that second play is not quite as organized because it is at the end of the day, let's call space bade.
It's a scramble drill. But it's still a lot of their concepts built within a lot of what they working on this offseason, and we've seen it come out so many times in practice and then to actually see it come out in a game, I mean that was a fourth and three play versus Buffalo, and as soon as it got to that, you know, it's a point of like, okay, if all the plays in the playbook take under three seconds, and you've gotten to three seconds, you know, your internal
clock goes off and you go, okay, that first play is over. And that's the same for the receivers as well. That play is over, it's time to move on. And that's exactly what Bryce did, It's what Deontay did, it's what Xavier League did because we saw him right under Deontay do also going for that ball, and that kind of went into something that Deontay said, which unfortunately, just due to brevity, didn't get to make it into the story.
But Deontay said, you know, you have to be very careful and plays like that to know your levels because otherwise you're getting into someone else's level and you're causing more k. And because Deonta's stayed in his level and Xavier stayed in his level, they didn't run into each other and one of them was gonna make the play
depending on where that ball went. And that's something that just comes from reps, rep after rep after rep and practice knowing where Bryce is gonna go, knowing where Deonta's gonna go, knowing where different receivers are going to go. And that just comes from knowing, Okay, the clock is over, this play is over, it's time to move on to the second one. And that really kind of leans on Bryce's strengths as well, not being afraid to kind of
move around outside the pocket. That also gives them a little bit of leeway until they know exactly how this offensive line is gonna mesh because they invested a lot and I think this offensive line got much better. But the fact of the matter is we haven't seen this starting five on the field in a game together yet, and so what do they look like?
Now?
You've got a little bit of breathing room since you know that you can function by moving Bryce out on boots, moving him out even on like a neckad boot, and kind of feeling comfortable moving him around outside of the pocket as well.
There you go, and you mentioned having leftovers, you you didn't repurpose that into something else. We use the whole buffalo here at Panthers dot com. There's no wasted there's no wasted stuff.
Good pop up in a story here in the next.
Time, I was gonna say do like I did with Derek. This morning, I wrote about Derek Brown, and I was doing a story just about Derek kind of ascending into this role as not just one of the top players at his positioned in the league, but as a real leader here. And all this stuff kept coming up about Derek battondown passes and how good he was at it. I mean, and Nick Scott, who's brand new here, he's like one of the things you got to remember about him.
He was going to compare him to Aaron Donald, and all the old Rams guys are like, he ain't Aaron Donald, but you know, they're really careful to get that in. And again, I don't want anybody to think I'm saying Derek Brown is better than Aaron do Donald. That guy is going to be a Hall of Famer. Uh. Not that Derek's not in some time, but that ability kind of stood out to me. I just figured out, I'll write an extra story. What the heck, it's the Internet.
We got plenty of space. It ain't like a newspaper where we've got so many column inches and that's all we get. We find good stories, go tell them, so get that in there at some point. But you know, I mean getting back to New Orleans, it's kind of
it's a weird time for both these teams. And I think, you know, I'm always very hesitant to put too much into any one particular game, but I think it is kind of significant for both these teams because the expectations are low and there is so much, so many questions about each of them. I mean, nobody knows what direction
the Saints are going to go in. People have been wondering for years if all they are kicking the can down the road salary cap wise, just to keep a team in between the ditches is eventually gonna you know, fall off the cliff and they're gonna go through some struggles. For a couple of years, they've they've I've remained competitive. I admire that about what Mickey Loomis has done down there.
You know, even when everybody thought they were about to go off the face of the earth, they've not just stayed competitive but continue to push for playoff spots deep in seasons. And you know, obviously with the Panthers, nobody is talking about them as a surprise playoff contender or anything. Like that because they've got so much ground to make up after last year. But I have seen in my own trying to be balanced and fair and informed by years of watching this kind of eyes, they're better than
they were a year ago. This offense is better. So I think there's a chance to, you know, for this to be one of those games that is really really a barometer for each of these teams. Because this Carolina Panthers team needs to win. They need some positive reinforcement, if only to underscore that message Dave Canalis has been selling all off season.
Yeah, for sure, let mus tests. Let's figure out where we're at and where we need to go from here. I want to see what again, this offensive line with all five out there together looks like, because you know, the Saints aren't bringing a pithy front seven to it either. You know they've got Kim Jordan, They've got Chase Hung who they added this off season. Chase Young is is what I think a lot of people I think Chase Young.
I think a lot of people thought Chase Young would become Jadaveon Clowney, and he still has a chance to be, but injuries have really kind of made that impossible for the past few years. You know, what does he look like in this Saint's defense, this Dennis Allen defense. They
also brought in Willie Gay. So this is a decent first test for this new Panthers offensive line, for this new uh not new, but you know, this idea of moving Bryce outside of the pocket a little bit more, this is a good decent This is a pretty decent little test in the first week. And then on the other side of the ball for the Saints with a new OC. Taysom Hill told reporters a couple of weeks ago, I'm doing more in this office than I've ever done before.
And it's like, brother, what else can he do?
Yeah, that means he's gonna kick. He's gonna go full Brandon Zilstrow on us, and he's gonna kick Sunday.
But I think he was he was working as a full back, like with his hand in the ground, and I don't think he's ever done that. And so you know, if you've got Taysom Hill out there's a fullback and you're running Alvin Kamara, you know it's it's gonna be a good yes, like you said, a good parameter, a good litmus test to kind of see where they're at at a lot of different parts of the field.
Yeah.
Again, we were talking to Thomas Davis on the huddle, and I encourage you to check that out on the Panthers television network across the Carolinas this weekend and on the Panthers YouTube channel and dot com later on this week. But TD was talking about that, he said, the thing you got to remember about the Saints is they've got guys who can make plays in a hurry. I mean, not only do you not know what Taysom Hill's gonna do, Chris Alave, it's one of those guys who's big play
waiting to happen. Alvin Kamara is one of those guys who can turn two into ten in a hurry. And I mean it's just one cut and he's gone. And as long as they've got that kind of big playability on offense, with the Panthers being as unsettled as they are on defense, this thing's wide open. It really is. So anyway, we're looking forward to New Orleans. We're looking forward to getting to New Orleans. It's weird. We've been going down there December January for the last couple of years.
And it always feels like a New Year's game. There's somebody's pouring milk punch, which is like an eggnog type drink. Are you familiar? Do you enjoy a good nog?
I'm not really an eggnog person. A milk punch sounds weird.
It's all right, it's as well. Yeah, it's you know, basically, take a cart in a vanilla ice cream, melton for it, full of bourbon. Southern Southern Starbourbon would be good in that, and we could celebrate the spirit of the Carolinas, maybe with a win this weekend.
But it'll be fun for you. New Orleans is a different city before October.
First, no doubt it. So we're looking forward to that, all right. I want to try something new. We're gonna do a bit here on the Happy half Hour gart We're gonna go to the Happy half Hour jukebox. You keep telling me about Taylor Swift songs, and I keep not knowing anything about them. You're probably making references that I don't even know.
So here took everything in me when I was writing that Bryce story the other day to not make the reference. He knows how to ball and knows Aristotle.
Well, I wouldn't have gotten that. I would have had no idea. So here's what I'm gonna offer you. I'm going to give you an opportunity each week to throw me one song. It can be Taylor Swift, it can be something else you're vibing on right now, something else that's in your iPod or whatever. You young millennials listen to your music song.
Millennials aren't young anymore. But thanks for driving that home.
Well, you know it is what it is. You shoot me one song each week. I will promise to listen to it at least three times and report back the following week whether this is a thing I want to add to the Darren Gamp playlist or not. You're gonna get the same opportunity. So what do you got for me? I know I just sprung this on you last minute. What do you want me to study and explore?
Let me ask you a question. If I suggest a song that you already know it, can we do it?
There is a very small chance that is true.
So you're making me think Taylor Swift. But there's also I mean, we're also going to New Orleans, and so I've been walking around in my head for the past few days singing Marie Leveaux.
YOUO Bobby Bear classic, that's even old for me? What do you do?
Come on?
Hit me with a t swizzle song? Do they still call her that?
Yeah? Okay, I've got one for you. We were talking about bonus tracks earlier. I think Taylor Swift's best bonus track, and she has vault tracks now, which are different. I'll explain to you sometimes who Scooter Braun is and why we hate him. But bonus tracks, I think her best bonus track she's ever put out as a song called right Where You Left Me?
Right Where You Lift.
It's from the album Evermore, which is a good foolish vibe album. Anyways, Right Where You Left Me is It's a departure for her because it doesn't require she doesn't use a lot of metaphor. She doesn't even curse in the song, which is something she likes to do now, huh. And but it's it's like it's kind of got like
a country vibe, but it's like very upbeat. She jumps right into the song and does not take a breath until the song is over all right, And it may be one of the it's simplistic, but it's maybe one of her angrier songs that she's ever written. I love it. It's probably the best bonustrike she's ever done.
That's quite a sales pitch. I promise this is my vow here on the Happy half Hour to listen to Taylor Swift's Right Where You Left Me and report back next week. Yeah, let's see what can I throw your way. I should probably should have planned this out a little better. I'll just go with probably my favorite song in the entire world. You have to listen to at least three different versions of it. That would be The towns Van's ant classic, Poncho and Lefty, which you're probably familiar with
with Willie Nelson and BRL. But I'm gonna make you listen to the towns Van'sant a Ridge. It's even more depressing than the rest of the song is anyway, and it's not exactly a toe tapper.
You've also been given each other sad songs.
I don't know, maybe it's just that time of year. We just need to keep ourselves in balance. But you listen to Poncho and Lefty, I'm gonna listen to Right Here Where You Left Me? And y'all are gonna come right back where we're leaving you next week on the Happy half Hour,