This week on a Happy half Hour.
The last two home finales were presided over by two different interim coaches. That's not normal, Gang, So now it feels like they established something last week against the Cardinals that's going to carry over regardless what happens in Tampa Atlanta.
What's the cow?
Whoa?
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 a post Christmas, post Cardinals, post apocalyptic, post holiday, all of the things Happy half Hour.
I don't even know, don't I think they make a carol for that?
Yeah, well they should. We'll get to that in a second. There are no good songs for this time of year.
Well, we'll try to say one, and I don't even know what it means.
We'll try to struggle through that.
But right now, the important thing is we're struggling together and we're pushing through all of all of the stuff.
And you know what.
Helps this time of year, maybe something from our friends at Southern Star. Because, as always, the Happy Half Hours presented by a Southern Star, an official bourbon partner of the Carolina Panthers celebrate the spirit of the Carolinas. I just I just gave that car to flick like David Letterman back in the day and left a mess for Matt to clean up.
I'll get that, Matt. Don't worry, he.
Already got it.
I bet Southern Star does all kinds of business this time of year for a variety of reasons.
You should because it's a wonderful product, and we appreciate their sponsorship of the Happy Half Hour as always. But yeah, it's that time of year. I think my bloodstreams like twelve percent.
Nog right now.
It's I'm feeling a little thick right now, feeling kind of laden.
It's the holidays.
You know.
We've done all the eating, all the celebrating with friends that I think I can stand. And it's Friday. So according to that holiday, our schedule was just all off, you know, silly major religions and commercialism having their holidays in the middle of the football week.
But here being on a Wednesday was so weird.
I just everything.
One of the things my wife giggles about about the football industrial content complex is the way we just change calendars to suit ourselves and like the whole Yeah, Tuesdays and Wednesday this week, right, And the first time I hit her with a Tuesdays and Wednesday or Wednesdays and Thursdays, she was.
Like, what does that even mean?
I know exactly what you mean.
Yeah, of course, especially if you have like a Thursday night game and all of a sudden you say things like Monday is Wednesday, and Tuesday is Friday, and then Wednesday Saturday, and.
All the people around you look at you with their head cocked the way the dog looks at the door.
The doorbell rings.
So anyway, we are here, and hey, the football. We can talk about the holiday in a second. The football was good this week.
It was good.
I feel like the guy on the dog rates on Twitter.
We dogs.
I'm very familiar.
The dogs were good again this week. The football was good again this week, so that was good news.
It was and I sadly have not even sat down and been able to watch the full game.
I've been having trouble finding it.
Darren was was very very kind to let me spend the game day with my family. I had a cousin get married, so that was nice to go see that. But yeah, I was following along with the game with your Twitter updates, and I could tell at what point you went downstairs, because the Twitter updates.
Stopped, right it's time to go to work.
And I started following somebody else's and but that was that was definitely exciting, and being able to go back and watch the highlights, the rewind the rewind that our our great video crew does on Panthers dot com and kind of see all of the big moments and some of the low moments that set that up to be such an exciting finish. This is the third overtime game
that they have had this year. They've now won two of their three overtime games, and as Robert Hunt said yesterday, we should have won the other like we won the other one until we lost it, which I guess is kind of just the point of football, but its scores, right, it factors into all of the things Dave Canalis has preached. Finish and he's he's been throwing a new one at us the past couple of weeks that I really like, do right longer, do write longer than the opponent, and
that's what they did this past week. Thought it was really cool a shot that Another one of our video guys got coming off the field was when everyone went down to the end zone to celebrate with Cuba, and Dave Canalis was kind of in that scrum celebrating. When Shuba turned around and realized that he was hugging Dave, he said, Hey, I owed you one talking about from Tampa.
And so you know, it's also just a reminder that is for as much as these guys say we got to flush that twenty four hour rule and they do, Yeah, they are still human.
And that was in the back of his mind.
Yeah, And that's the thing.
And I think when we look back over this season as a whole, it's almost as if you could draw a line at this week and just call it, because I think the lessons of this year were kind of encapsulated in that game the other day. Dave Canalis knew this year was going to be a slog. He knew that they weren't necessarily blessed with great and deep personnel on defense to make this the kind of unit every coach wants to be a part of. And then Derreck Brown got hurt, and then Shack Thompson got hurt, and
the run defense became ridiculous. They knew this year was going to be this kind of head down, slog, get through it, push daily work kind of season, and to see that payoff with I swear I think Chuba Hubbard is like the patron saint of work ethic at this point career. I mean, this is a guy I've watched him since day walked in the door as a fourth round pick, who was kind of known at Oklahoma State
for being that home run back, that big play. You know, somebody who is going to pop sixty yard home runs. And now he's become the guy you trust to get four, to get three, to get four, to get five too, then twelve, and then four again, and then five and then seven and then eighteen. I mean, that's the guy Chuba Hubbard has made himself into. We've talked about it
a lot. He used to be an unreliable catcher of the football and then he and Tommy Trimble dedicated themselves to forty five minutes a day after practice on a jugs machine. And by the way, we got a story coming out the day at Panthers dot Com about a new friend they've got in that habit who you know has a listen to learn himself about it.
He needed to be there.
There's a certain.
Young Xavier Legett who has joined them from time to time in.
The habit and that can only be a good thing. But that's kind of the lesson.
That's the arc of the story of the Carolina Panthers in twenty twenty four is Dave Canalis was trying to establish a daily grinder of a team, so he invested the personality and they invested their cash in mid season in Chewba Hubbard, and he paid that trust back with the dramatic game winner in overtime.
Let me ask you a question, yeap.
Dave talked to us at the beginning of the year, so I'm about, you know, pointing to a game in Tampa where it was a loss, but he said that was the game where we figured it out and we figured out who we were going to be. What do you think that game was for the Panthers? And obviously they didn't go on the run like Tampa did last year and make the playoffs, but I think you could argue they set some foundational pieces for next year.
When do you think that game was?
I think it could have been Philadelphia, I think and again with xavierly Get dropped that ball late, which could have been decisive. I mean that one stuck with a lot of people. I mean that was a tough one to swallow because they felt like that day they had gone on the road to one of those places that you just don't go get a cheap win in the NFL. I mean, Philly's a tough crowd, as has been established.
I think between that game, between the Bucks game here the way it unfolded with Tuba fumbling in overtime, which is a thing he just doesn't do, and him being so central to the personality, and then the Chiefs game before that, I think that little three week stretch where you lose three games by twelve points for very specific reasons, and that's the thing Dave likes.
I mean, it's one thing if your.
Team is just overwhelmed and can't compete and you get swamped by people week after week.
We've seen that.
But to be in those three games and to say, okay, that play, that play. When you lose by twenty points, it's hard to point to really specific things. But when you lose by three points and.
You can see three place right.
Then you can say Okay, once we fix that, we've established that we can compete with Pat Mahomes. We've established we can go on road to Philadelphia and compete with one of the best teams in the NFC. And I think that is where that meaning kind of established itself
for this team in the long haul. And then last week in your last home game of the year, I mean, the Panthers fans have not had a good time of it in the last little bit, just because you know, when you stop and think about the last two home finales were presided over by two different interim coaches. Yeah,
that's not normal, gang, that's not long term sustainable. So now it feels like they established something last week against the Cardinals that's going to carry over regards word was what happens in Tampa Atlanta.
And last year saw finale you were beat by your current head coach. Time is the flat circle?
I agree.
I would have said Kansas City. Part of me wants to say the Giants just because that was a win and how that game ended by making the play that needed to be played, that needed to be made in overtime, and really earlier than that that, you know, you could argue a lot of that game, swung on Josie Jewels interception down in the red zone. That was a game where they made the plays that had to be made
and made them a little bit longer. The Saints game, I mean, you kind of got the gift that the Saints are going to give in a game like that. But then that Kansas City game, like you said, they can look back intangibly point to right there, that's where.
We messed up that one.
And yeah, I think that's when they started to realize. And then, like you said, part and parcel that with the next two games and realizing we won these games until we lost it Robert Hunts and you.
Know what, there are two more and there are things to gather.
From the next couple of weeks. It's not that these are unimportant. I mean Jadavian Clowney kind of laughed yesterday and he's like, we figured out a couple of weeks ago we weren't going to the playoffs, which was true, but he said, we're trying to see who's gonna fight. We're trying to see who's going to put in that time. And there are guys, you know you wrote about Demoni richardson the other day and that he's a perfect example of what can be gained from this time of year.
I mean, he is a guy, undrafted rookie. He was the ball magnet of training camp when he was just some undrafted guy that you never really thought was going to end up even making the team because of how deep they were at that position, and then all of a sudden, he's got a starting job for the last couple of weeks, and you know, he is probably the next sort of poster boy for what happens in December, because that's he's got an opportunity to create a job for himself into the future.
And he's made plays.
Yeah, like you said, he was one of those guys in training camp that made you learn his name and and that's all you can ask to be at that time of year, especially as an undrafted guy. He has He's had three starts now, he's played one hundred percent of the defensive snaps and all three of those starts, and so they trust him to be on the field again. Back to our point though about you know, Dave Lake's
specific things that he can point to. He talked this week and he's like, you know, Demani's done really well we like this, We like that here are the things Demani needs to do better. And I think what was encouraging about that if you're Demani Richardson, is that they are tangible things and and it's like, Okay, coach says, I need to work on this, this, this, this, this. They already trust you enough to be out there to start and to play the full game. Now here's how
they now's here. Here is how you become a long time starter in this league. They've kind of done that with this whole rookie class. And and not just I mean, I mean obviously not just the drafted guys. You've got Demani, You've got Jaalen Cocher, and then every single one of their draft picks, at least at this point, looks like they've panned out, because I'm counting Mike Jackson kind of as one of those.
Sure when you trade a seventh round pick for a guy who plays ninety nine point nine percent of your defensive snaps on the season and plays it at a decent level, yeah, that's a win.
Yeah.
And so again we're kind of just saying the same thing over and over in different ways. But you know, we're writers that's what we do. Why say one Why say it one time when I can say it's seven different.
Ways exactly I mean and and again, this year was going to be a process. So what do you want to see? Do you want to see it? You want to see a personality developed? Check it has You want to give young players opportunities to play? Yep, did that already. And with Jayden crummeny getting on the field, you've basically seen the entire draft class out there. Over the course of the season. You found out, Okay, maybe Shaw Smith Wade can be a nickel for this team moving forward.
He's got a little something about him.
You know, you saw Travel Wallace play some pretty good football up until he got it shoulder injury late and he shut down for the rest.
Of the year.
So you know you're seeing these guys, with the exception of Jonathan Brooks and the unfortunate knee injury. Again, you know you've seen what you wanted to see out of most of these guys. So I think the stage is set for the future.
Now.
You kind of got to get through these next two weeks and once you get on the other side of these games, then you're going to know your schedule.
Then you're going to know where.
You draft and all these other things that you've been working on or thinking about over the course of the season, then you can start working on intently. Listen, the Carolina Panthers are not good at run defense. They're last in the league, and they're last in the league by a wide margin. I think the Giants are thirty first, and the Panthers are about four hundred and ninety some rushing
yards behind them in terms of rushing yards allowed. And it's you know, and it's largely because you lost to Derek Brown in Week one, and having a big three or andre and forty pound anchor in the middle of your line who you can count on for one hundred tackles a year, apparently that makes a difference. And losing your signal caller in Week four, that apparently makes a difference. And so they're gonna have opportunities and intent to fix that.
I mean, no matter what else happens. I would imagine Dan Morgan and Brandt Tillis's priority is fixing that defensive front seven this year because the secondary has largely been pretty good and it's largely been present.
I mean J C.
Horn Also, you know, I think he's been identified as one of those core pieces that this team wants to build around, and he's been available all year as and has played at a high level. So I think the focus is going to be on fixing that front seven.
I think they've got other work to do on offense.
Sure would be nice if there was a wide receiver other than x L who had actually been drafted. That would be fun. You know, undrafted rookies are good, but they're reaching that point where you to add talent to this thing. So there's a lot to be done, but two more games to get through, beginning with this week's trip to Tampa.
Two things.
One.
Adam Thielen made an interesting point yesterday because he was asked about do you do you not like Kevin to go on you would you rather be at home for the final two games? Does it kind of stuck having to go on the road, And he said, actually, it's kind of nice because when you're on the road, you only have each other.
And you know this is this is by the time.
We get to Atlanta and then you come back for locker clean out day. You know, we say it every year, this is the last time the twenty twenty four of Carolina Panthers will be together. Every team goes through changes, Inevitably during an off season, it's going to look different, and so.
It's the last time for them to be together. But those that will be back next.
Year, that's another chance for them to kind of come together and say, this is what we've done this year, this is who we've become, this is who we want to be moving forward. Second thing, you mentioned losing your signal caller, and that reminded me. I don't think i've shared this story yet. You probably know this, but I thought it was interesting. I was talking to Josie a couple of weeks ago, and I don't know if you remember.
It was the.
What game was before the Cardinals Cowboys, and he had gotten hurt and he came out at one point.
Right the lean called down for him to get a concussion chick. Yes, he fell on his elbow and his arm kind of went out the angle and the concussion spot or is conditioned to say. Bensinger response, make sure that guy goes get checked. Josie was not happy about that.
By the way, appreciate the guy doing his job, but yeah, Josie had to come off, and I believe John Radigan went on as the Green dot, so it was John Radagan and Jacobe win Men out there. So I was asking Josie what do they do when you come off? Because you could tell he was itching to get back out there as soon as they let him go. I was like, what do they do when you come off? Because you have the helmet? And he said, you know, they've got back up community communicative helmets. And he said,
but I'll be honest. When something happens and I realize I'm about to have to come off, even for just a play, I lay there longer than necessary.
To give them time to switch the helmets.
Sh I'm not supposed to tell.
People that I thought it was interesting.
No, it's it's true. I mean, and Josie is a Josie's a smart guy. Josie has been through this. He knows how this worked. So it was, uh yeah, that sequence was kind of a scramble too. I mean because when you go the week after putting Trevin Wallace clued in Cherilis hall On injured reserve, and then boom, Josie has to go out for a play and.
We're literally down to your fifth and sixth linebacker.
Yeah, I mean it was just good. It's like a metaphor or something. Sometimes these stories smack you in the face. So we will see what smacks us in the face in Tampa this week.
I don't know if I want to get smacked in the face in Tampa. Have you ever been to a Gasparilla parade?
I yes, I have enjoyed one year during the Super Bowl down there. Super Bowl Week coincided with Gasparilla.
What a party.
Yeah, that was a sight to see.
I remember, Uh, yeah, I remember some things about that trip.
It was, uh, it was quite the sight to see. You know. Gasparilla is kind.
Of like Pirate Marty Gray basically is probably.
The best way to put it.
But uh, Martin girls starting up here soon.
We'll go see our friends, the Pirates. I just love the fact that there's a boat with actual cannons and.
It's, uh, it's cool.
Maybe we won't see, uh, maybe we won't hear too many cannon shots this week.
I don't know.
But the Bucks got something to play for, the Falcons got stuff to play for the next couple of weeks, and we'll get to all that.
But it is kind of funny that for as much as the Carolina Panthers quote unquote don't control their own fade and completely or out of the playoffs, they could have a big impact on what happens in the NFC South playoff picture.
No next two.
Weeks, no question, no question. And nobody likes being spoiler. But hey, this time of year, that's uh, that's about all you can think about. Just I mean, motivate yourself somehow. Yeah, because you're just trying to get of the stretch.
Like Coney said, we know we're not in it, so who wants to be here?
Speaking of getting to the stretch?
I don't know if you guys have been keeping up with the injury report this week. God bless our friends Kevin King and the good folks in the athletic training department. They've been passing out masks again. It's almost like COVID time. This thing's going through the room. I have struggled with it for much of the last four or five weeks.
Cassy's been looking at me like, God, Darren looks like he's.
About to die. Cass comes in today. You know, listen, we're all trying to get to the end of the season. Okay, I've been operating at about seventy five percent for the last five weeks. My wife finally came down with she's coughing and hacking and keeping me up all night, which frankly is ruining.
My good nights.
That's true of her.
Yeah, I know it's highly inconsiderate of people to get sick.
So here's the thing.
Here's here's my last plead to you, are friends of the Happy half Hour family. Cover when you call, yes, do the vampire. As I used to tell my kids, put that elbow right over your mouth and cover that thing up.
Wash your hand. These are things I shouldn't have to tell with a human beings.
But you would think we would have learned in twenty twenty two. But I will say because I don't always like think about it as instinctly as I could. But this morning I was downstairs, I was getting coughing, I sneezed, and I did the vampire. And then I was talking to one of the fine ladies there in the calf downstairs, and I said, give me just a second, let me go wash my hands. And I turned around and washed my hands in the scene.
There you go, There you go.
What we can do it for other people, be considerate of those around you, try to be a good citizen of the earth. And isn't that kind of the lesson of the holidays anyway? And that what we're supposed to be doing, like that, looking out for other people, you know, trying to make it a better place for somebody else. Yeah, something like that. We'll go back to. It's it might be time for me to watch The Grinch, but I.
Watched it the other day. It's been a while since I've watched it, and it's kind of surprising. And I know this is like Matt's favorite Christmas movie. He thinks it's Jim Carrey's best work.
Whatever.
It's almost like he's so good in that role that I would be scared to show it to a kid, because I feel like they would get scared.
You catch him young enough, I can see that scarring someone.
I mean, it's like.
He had yellow eyes. He was scary.
Yeah, it was a simpler time when we, you know, just had the cartoon version voiced by Boris Karloff, an actual vampire who's not just doing the vampire.
Was he Dracula?
Yes, anyone? Yeah, we will go through all that. There's Christmas movies to discuss. Don't even get me started. We watched some of the worst during the holiday season.
Please give people your review of Hot Frosty.
My ForWord review of Hot Frosty, Hot Frosty, Hot garbage.
That was terrible.
The vet from Chit's Creek was a snowman come to life.
I watched that Taylor three times before I realized it was the vet from Shit's Creek.
Yeah, it was awful. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm truly troubled that a it was made that b I watched it and see other people apparently did too. So we all need to decompress. I think you go home and get well.
I will do that. Do you have a song for me?
Uh? Oh man, I forgot songs this week? There are no New Year's songs.
There is a New Year song and that's the one I was gonna sign.
You all right, talk to me about new Year's.
Song called New Year's Day. It is by one Taylor's fifth.
Oh imagine that a Taylor Swift song.
It's actually I will say this so mostly so that you don't come back and crap on it next week. It is my favorite love song of hers.
Oh well, there you go, so you've set the stage. I can't criticize it. We'll get caught up.
I actually do want You're real.
I will give this a solid listen and report back to you.
But man, I'm overwhelmed.
Too much Christmas, too much nog, too much football, too much respiratory virus, not enough sleep.
There has been a lot of football this week.
There's been a lot of football going on, and I'm not even participating in your trouble.
Troubling amount of interest in ridiculous.
Last night and I watched, not even the live version, the replay of the sixty eight Venturers Bowl between Arkansas State and Bowling Green.
I don't even want to talk to you anymore.
So we're gonna call it an episode at that point. Friends, that's been the happy half hour. We'll try better next time.