Happy Half Hour Episode 52: Contractually Obligated

has started. We have twenty nine minutes and fifty seconds left. Well, it's it's it's uh, it's a tough time to to be happy. Um, considering right, like where what's happened the last four games? That's that's a fair statement. But we are gonna focus on the future, right, I mean in it. I think it's the only reasonable way to go. We could spend a half hour chopping up exactly what went wrong in New York and over the couple of weeks, and I think to be fair, we have like I

have to. I have talked to to Matt Rold twice this week, and those interviews are out, whether they're on TV or on the website. Or social media. Darren's written plenty of articles, we published plenty of articles on them. But now at this point in in the week is when you turn the page and for what it's worth, Darren is perfectly dressed to chop it up right now. Based off of this, you could go right now that no one can see, no one idea Darren's got. He's got a vest with uh like a plaid button down

um flannel. He's got a perfect flannel in jeans combo like he has worn this too. Chopped down a tree with an ax? Have you ever chopped down a tree? I have chopped down a tree with an ax. One time in my old neighborhood we had a Bradford payer that ice storm windstorm failed down and rather than actually call somebody a professional to remove this tree, I said, I've got an AX. I'm going to chop the rest of this tree down. How cool did you feel on a scale of one attempt about a night team? Yeah?

You know, I think because then also that the neighborhood, like the neighbors are cheering for you, like what a hero to You're helping everybody out. You know, It's not just like you're in your backyard. You're doing something for the good of others and you look cool doing it. Yeah, and it and it felt pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie, ax, and chopping felling a tree in your own yard makes you feel like a little bit more of a man.

There's no question felling a tree felling all right. So let's uh, let's let's talk about where the Panthers are right now. As we said, we've made the executive decision that on the Happy half Hour podcast, where we're contractually applicated to be happy for twenty seven and a half for a minutes, we're not going to go back too much to the Giants game. It's out there if you want to read Darren's articles or watch my interviews or

what have you. We're going to talk about where this team is right now, which is they're facing Atlanta there three and four, and that they've got some issues that they've got to get right on before before this game that they're working on this week. So do we want to start the offense, guys, of of where this offense is. Yeah, and I think they're is still in kind of a holding their breath moment because you are still a week

away from Christian McCaffrey being eligible to come back. So I thought it was interesting the idea of I mean, they know they're in a spot right now, they know that things aren't perfect. The protection hadn't been perfect all year. Now John Miller's gone on IR so you're shuffling the offensive line again. Six different combination in eight games will be this Sunday in terms of starting five in front

of Sam Donald. And you know, Sam hadn't been great, and they acknowledged that he hadn't been great, and it's beyond just missing Christian. I mean Sam as the stuff Matt Rule talked about yesterday with Sam's timing and he's rushing everything and Sam and Sam talks about it too. I mean, he's not in denial. He knows he's been poor the last couple of weeks himself. But it's not as if Sam's never played decent football here. He was competent early. Uh, he was competent in Dallas honestly for

stretches of that game. So yeah, the last couple things have gotten away from him and he's gotten rushed and it's one of those technical football things that sounds walky, but he's going too fast through his drop. So when he's supposed to be at nine yards, he's only at eight because his feet are going to do do do, And that throws off the timing the routes where he thinks guys are supposed to be there, not there because they haven't had the time to get to the spot

they're supposed to be. And Matt just took him back. In the film, it's like, let's watch New Orleans in week two. You were good, then let's watch that as a visual reminder of what you're doing. And and Sam owned it. I mean he knows it, and and he's got to get it fixed. And they've got to try to, you know, simplify everything around him, you know, get a win, get you know. And and that was the weird thing.

Not to go too back, too far back into New York, but the first drive against the Giants, it's like, okay, I don't work, ran the ball, ran, ran the ball, chewed up some cock, converted a couple of third downs, You get down there, you kick a field goal. It's like, all right that, you know, do a couple more of

those and you might get out of here today. And they were in they were in the red zone when see him threw that interception, And it goes back to what you were saying, Darren, which is just when you look at where that ball was thrown, there was there was no one really quite there, but the way that you just explained it and and a lot of times that is what it is. It's just like a couple of little things. You know, this this person is not quite where they're supposed to be and he's rushing things

a little bit. Take that a little bit easier than maybe you complete that, and it's I mean, they got down the field to do it right. And you know if you go and you look at the all twins of that, you know there I think it was trueba or you know there wasn't an outlet like right in front of him. You know that was relatively open for six or seven yards. You know. Part of it is the you know, it's the the chicken in the egg of some of this of your rushing because you feel

like the protection is breaking down. Sometimes the protection is there and you rush yourself into a sack because you're stepping up into a place where there they've already blocked this up and now you've stepped out of it or into it. You know, so there's a lot of different parts that play there. You know, it might feel like a drop, you know when the ball comes out, Well, that's because they weren't expecting the ball. You know already they were you know, there were still another step on

the route. You know, there's a lot of different things that play into it. And of course there's you know, when you're putting the offense and positions sometimes where they've got to start on their own four yard line or whatever. Yeah, you know, that's that's a hard place for anyone to start to try to get out. So and I think we should just go through. We'll talk special teams next, Defense next. Well, I know you've got to stay out of the week, um. And I think that's a great point.

It's of course, and I said this to to Matt role One. I talked to him on Sunday right after the game. You know, it's not just about the offense, but of course they were, you know, and he said that it was special teams to not put them in great positions. Defense started out well, and of course either you know, got tired or struggled a little bit late in the game. We'll talk a little bit about that.

So there, it's not just on the offense these losses, even though that's what I think the majority of fans, maybe some media are focusing on. Right, it's the there are other other groups need to play well as well.

But let's talk about the it's um. I do want to talk about the offensive line, though, really quickly is I think I know this is the happy half hour, but I do just want to point out that John Miller I think has maybe gone under the radar to people who are maybe not or not in this building. He's been a huge piece of that offensive line and has been able to play through UH injuries are coming back off the COVID serve list, you know, stepping up when they need him to and UH, and that one hurts.

It's you know, they've they've had some some pretty bad offensive line injuries and now they've got another one. Yeah, and it's probably not a stretch to say John Miller was the second most consistent, yasive lineman in the room behind Taylor. And you know he's not John Miller is one of those guys. If you look at him, he doesn't look like the guy you go out and get to stabilize things. But he's just kind of what was the word Matt Rule use the other week, just solid, durable,

I mean, dependable veteran guys. You know, solid is kind of the word that gets hung on the guys like Justin Burrows, guys like John Miller who aren't great a star level players, but you've got to have a couple of them followed. Independable for an offensive lineman is not a bad thing to be. Yeah, but uh yeah, but now he's going to be out for at least the next three uh, and we'll see, I mean, is that Transcott, is it Brady Christiansen? Is it Dennis Daley again? I

don't know, but it ain't gonna be John. And we'll see what happens next. But because cam Irving has been in and out and you know, on the other side, I mean, they kind of dig on Michael Jordan's and what he's been able to do the last couple of weeks. He certainly, you know, from a physical standpoint, fits the bill. He looks like what you want your guard to look like. He's big and massive and got a little edge about him.

So you know, maybe that's something. Again, it's it's not that we're trying to paper over the fact that they've lost for in a row and things aren't ideal on the football side. But you know, light a candle rather than curse your darkness. Here, Matt Michael Jordan's looks like a guy who might be an offensive lineman for this team when things turn. You know, Brady Christiansen, even if he's miscast as a left tackle or whatever, uh, is a guy they think is going to be part of

an offensive line. Things are better, you know, you know that I would say on our radio broadcast. We asked Jordan Gross, who was on our call. You know, he and jam switch off probably um, I think early fourth quarter. He was like, yeah, I think I think Brady Christinsen did a good job for the position that he was put in, right and so you know, there were positives

that came out of that game. And listen asking a rookie to play left tackle in the NFL the two weeks before he played ye and and listen, Jordan knows and I talked, you might see him in a different position this week. I talked to turn about it before the game, and I said, you know, you, how big was it for you? Having the benefit of playing on the right instead of the left as a rookie. And he said, it's good to be able to get your

feet underneath you. It's good to you know, sort of ease into that pool rather than jumping into the deep end. So we'll see. I mean, Brady is a guy going back to the draft they thought second round guard, third round tackle and guard might be the place he lands. And and again with John out he might end up there. Emmer Trant Scott probably this week. Right now, he's had

to play where um is necessary. We have not seen where they would ideally put him, at least I don't think if everyone was healthy and he had a chance, you know where it wasn't forced because of need. So well, we'll see. We'll see if maybe that is guard. Um, like you said with John Miller out, Um. One thing I want to touch on before we moved to special teams and and defense is um, how did the Panthers going up against Atlanta recommit to running the ball, because

that was an emphasis going into the last game. I saw it in the first half a little bit. Um. I mean, is it as simple, guys, I think this is what the fans would ask, Is it as simple as just calling it. I think it's as simple as throwing the ball. I mean, in coach kind of said a couple of times, in order to run the ball, you have to be able to convert third and four, third and five, and oftentimes that's a past play in

the majority of situations. So being able to, I mean, that's and that's exactly what they did on that first drive. They got themselves is into third manageable, and then they converted third manageable through the air, and then all of a sudden, you can go tempo. All of a sudden, you can run it a little bit quicker, you can keep the defense from you know, switching people off the field,

and you're you're running downhill. It's so much easier to run downhill when you can get first downs than it is when it's first down in ten you're gonna run right at them. It's second and nine, you're gonna run right at them. And then now it's third eight, and you know, it's really hard to get that first down when they know what's coming. And again, going back to the Saints game, it's not like they were ripping off five yards to carry against the Saints. It was two

points something. But they ran at a bunch of times, which tells you they were converting third and five, third and six, I mean eight and fifteen converting against the Saints versus two and fifteen against the Giants. That's the difference right there. I mean, you want one stat that talks about why this worked and this didn't, it's that one right there. Um. So, I mean I think a

lot of it can be intent. And you know, we've seen signs that Chuba Hubbard can be enough of a back to handle twenty plus carries and get it done. I mean, go back to the Eagles game. He was one oh one on the ground and caught a few balls. I mean he struggled catching the ball, uh lately. And I mean when I talked Jeff Nixon about it, he was like, it's surprising because he does have good hands, he's just not a It doesn't look natural right now.

So we'll see how that develops. But I think a lot of it can be intent, but it only works if you convert a third down absolutely. Uh, special teams, we know that we will see a new punter. Yeah, an Australian punter. Hey, can you do an Australian accent. Not I don't do, I mean, but he did when we were talking to him. He signed off with no worries and everyone when y'all were sitting down there, and then he just started talking with kind of like oh,

you know, like this guy sounds different. It's like, you know, you dropped the video Lachlan Edwards into the notebook to give everybody an their chance to hear Laughlan about being a Carolina panther. It's just I think, you know, you're in an Australian accident should make people happy, So maybe we'll get him on the podcast. I heard um Adi

Bryant on Saturday Night Live. She was on a podcast one time and she said that their trick at snel or someone told her this trick for like dropping into an Australian accent is to say the name Gina Fa Lopez and then that kind of takes you to your vows you're Australia. I can only I mean, and then that's awful. So please know what, I know how bad that was Ginifa Lopez, and then you can kind of

drop into like the sounds that you need. Now. I can't do anything beyond that, but um you know, just fun fact in case you guys were one, I learned something here today. That's what we do. I'm the Happy Hour podast learning. Darren has felled a treat, ye old Barlett pair and I can tell you how to get ready for an an Australian accent. So we'll see what what Lachlan Edwards can do and if he can help again that was that was a big deal in in that game as well. It's just the the poor field

position that the offense was starting from. So we'll see if if this is an improvement. Yeah, when you're punning, average is something other than a Ford per you know, forty something per Ford. If it starts with a three or a two, that's bad, not what you want. Um. Yeah, And so you make a change and you get another guy in here, and we'll see I mean again to Charlton if he and he was struggling a little bit on his own, but he's another week away from coming back,

so we'll see what Lachlan Edwards. He's gonna have a week or so to see if he can be the guy. All right, let's talk about the defense. Um and well I think this is happier, that's true. Um, Well, I think that the question from Darren's mailbag and your stat of the week pretty much sums up the all encompassing question of the defense. Do you want to do? You wanna take it away, but only if you do that voice that you were doing earlier ITAs the week the

Panthers defense on Halloween. Now, um, in a world where the Panther's defense holds a team to three points in the first half, are they tired? Um? I think the question is is this defense just tired? You know? Quite simply? Is that why they're giving up points in the second half? Is that why they're not first in the NFL and every conceivable category the way they were ten years ago when Darren wrote that article? Can I just tell you?

I mean, I don't think that this is the only reason, but I would say just being on the sidelines around them every week, especially the last few weeks, they are tired. There's I mean, you can see it. There's no doubt about it. When it comes to second half. Now, that may not be all there is. Let you go ahead, and I mean you can confirm they are tired. And you know, for people to say, oh, how are they

so tired against? I mean, I think you just throw out the giant second half completely like that that was just a I I think that was just a statistical anomaly. But even then, in the first half, they're still the number three past defense in the league. They're giving up just uh five point five nine yards per pass attempt in the first half, which is third in the league. In the second half, that's up to eight point six,

which is twenty six in the league. But here's the thing that they're struggling with a little bit is that first half run defense. Teams are able to establish the run, and you know, and that's that's what's a little bit scary is because you know that rush defense is you know, like fifteen right now in the first half, four point four yards per attempt. You know, in the second half it goes up to five point five, which is thirty

one in the league. So obviously there's obviously they're getting gassed. And when you know, when a team can't convert their downs and it's eight three and outs, I mean, yeah, they're they're taking their helmet off and going right back

out there. So obvious that plays a partner. But I think you look at the return of shack, you look at what the middle of the defense could look like in the next couple of weeks, and all of a sudden, maybe that first half they're able to get more three and ounce because they can, you know, make it a third and seven, because they can shut down the run. You know, Dallas kind of put that out there. They put that template on how to run on the Panthers in week four, and teams are trying to copy it

each week. Well, and I think, I mean, we've talked about Christian to death almost it feels like, and how big of an impact he is on the offense. Getting Chack Thompson back in the middle of the defense is potentially huge because they didn't. There's not a Shack Thompson replacement on the roster, so you're trying to replace a great inside linebacker by scheme, and part of that is putting Jeremy Chin closer to the box, which leaves you a little bit exposed in the back, especially with Justin

Burrows not back there. And you're talking about taking Shack off the field on run downs, and instead of having Shack, you've got Jeremy Chan and some collection of backup defensive backs, so it's it's less it's it's lighter, it's not as stout against the run by definition because of that absence. And that's why, you know, we'll see how they always say shack practice yesterday looked okay. The hope is that he's going to respond, be able to go today and

and be okay by Sunday. But man, as well as he was playing those first three games, I think that's also small sample size, but you could argue that he was playing the best football. So even if he comes back in his different dude, the shock from last year, you know, and and doesn't make these because he was making some explosive plays game change. But that's when the Panthers need those, right, especially if the offense isn't functioning at the level that you would like. You need takeaways,

you need um just just absolute stops. And he was he was like all over the first three games. And it sounds corny and it sounds like thing that shouldn't be a real factor for professional football players. But who do you look to when things get weird? When that defense, I mean, there ain't but one day Kwan Jones on that on that line and everybody else is young Morgan Fox to a lesser degree, but day Kwan is kind

of the old head up there. You look in the secondary and they're relying on the second level of the defense in the secondary, they're relying on Shock and Justin Burrows to be the adults in the room, and they're not there. So when stuff gets we should say and Jermyn Carter has done a good job to the best of his ability, but there's only one of him, one of him, so it's it's hard and it was always going to be hard to replace those two guys, and

it has been and that thesis has been proven correct. Um, So we'll see what kind of difference they make this week coming out because again Atlanta is a different kind of run game. I mean, Corderyl pat rock Hills, Cordarrel Patterson. That's easy for me to say, um is a different

sort of problem to solve in the run game. And Mike Davis is back there, and we know a little bit about Mike and what he's capable of, soa it uh, it will be I think a good thing to have Justin and Shack or at least one of them out there on the field. It's sort of stabilized things and just to clarify, who do you think or if you put odds on who you think is coming back, Just in case anyone's like, oh did I miss something, it's Jack definitely back. We think there's a good chance Shack

will come back. I think if I had to put him in order, it sounds like it feels like, you know, Gilmore's probably going to play this week. That Shack He's practiced yesterday, so this is Thursday morning. He practiced yesterday and Shacks like a high medium probability, and then Burrows is a little bit underneath it. So I mean Burrows may not get back this week, but Miles Hartsfield's close. He'll be out there playing with a club on. But that wrist has healed enough to allow him to play.

The timeline moved up considerably. Mean they were talking about that as a ten twelve week injury when he went down in week one with that dislocated wrist, and now here it is week eight and he is back out on the field in a club. So I think it's probably Gilmore, Shack, Burris Um, but Hertsfield sounds like he's

pretty close to go into Well that's good news. Yeah, And I and I was gonna say in part of the something we've been talking about how things are related, you know, and things that you don't quite see or relay to other things. And one of the things that everyone keeps talking about when they keep asking Hassan and Brian is how where are the sacks? Where the sacks go?

That's the product of this too. You know. It's so much easier for those guys to get pressure and to get in and to go untouched the way they were at the beginning. When you can stop the run, when you can have people like Shack in the middle, you know, all of it works together. Um, and and I think you know they're kind of looking around like we just you know, we've got to keep doing our jobs. You gotta do better. Well, that's that's what you can say, you know, each week. But it's a part of when

we stop the run, we can get after people. Absolutely. Um. I want to just touch on something that does not have to do with the Atlanta game, but it was a really it was a really cool experience earlier this week, and I thought, you know, we always try to give you the behind the scenes as much as possible, and

so on Tuesday, the rookies continued an incredible tradition. I think it's like the seventeenth year that they have done it, where traditionally, in a normal non COVID world, the rookies will dress up in varying levels of ridiculous Halloween costumes and go over to Adrian Health Levine Children's Hospital to just make these kids smile, to go visit, spend time with them, and and just make these kids day right.

It's a Halloween tradition that I absolutely love. So the past two years it has been virtual and it's been almost like a show format because obviously, um, it's it's not safe to to go into the hospital, so um, so I hosted it this year. I co hosted it with Marcus Haynes, and we had all the rookies come in and um and model their costumes and it was just so much fun. I watched it last year, and of course i'd heard about it as a fan in

the years past. Um, and I just I really enjoyed getting to be a part of it and how much fun they all had and what like. I didn't think Chewba Hubbard would come out in a Woody from Toy Story costume, but he owned it. And he was like riding an imaginary horse he had. You know, he he confirmed that he felt comfortable in the cowboy had after his time at Oklahoma State. Uh, it was just a lot of fun. Um to Phil Hoskins was he was a clown and it was very much like red Nose,

multi colored rainbow. But he brought he brought a lot of coolness to it, Like you wouldn't think that a clown could look that cool, and Phil Hoskins made it look cool. But I just I have to tell you my my one behind the scenes, just overachiever, And it's not going to be a surprise we all, you know, given the stuff that we all know about Keith Taylor. Darren's written a great article about it on Panthers dot com. Just overachiever. He always prepares. He's a big NoteTaker. He

graduated at the same time he was getting drafted. So does this come as any surprise guys that Keith Taylor brought his own costume for the events? I mean, how cool is that? Yeah, that's pretty cool. He was Spiderman. By the way, if you'd told me that Keith Taylor's the guy who owns his own Spider Man costumes so he can go do this on the part of the moment, Yeah, I can see that, and another one I love. I mean, all of the rookies were great. There's no doubt about it.

J C. Horne was there in uh in a power Arranger costume, which I gotta say, it's a one piece, so you know, he's on his scooter and he's he's still recovering from surgery. To show up for that, um, it was just awesome. And he didn't only show up, he played a game against Keith Taylor after the fashion show was over, so you know, it's scooter and all, and I just I you love to see those moments

and you could tell how genuinely happy. I mean, I think all of us on this side, which we were in the studio at UM at Bank of America Stadium, just as happy as all of the patients. And and that's the cool thing. And those are the kind of things that really you know, this, this losing streak has been been hard on this team and on the fans

and on everyone, right, like those guys feel it. But to be able to step out of what you're doing on a daily basis for like thirty minutes and make other people smile, um and just have a silly time. It was great. It was really great. That's awesome. Yeah, well as the news we needed this week because I thought we probably should have started earlier, right right off the top, I thought we were going to have to go thirty minutes on the wedding. We went to last

Oh yeah, how was the wedding? How was Conete? Oh yeah, it was fantastic. We uh were so we we kept going past Knita Canita and went through Alligator Lake, over Manio and out to Nag's Head. And yeah, so I had some time. Went to the Wright Brothers memorial, so got to see where flight was invented, which was pretty cool. No, Ohio, it's not Ohio. They got it wrong. Did you hear this?

You know that story? Yeah, so Ohio tried to do some commemorative license plates and they put a picture of the plane, except the plane has essentially this like flap thing or whatever, and it's in the front. It's not in the back the way you like a normal do you think like the little smaller flap. Again, this is great audio because I can barely follow this and I'm looking at you right, So it's you're using your hands as a diagram. In Ohio, put the Right Brothers plane backwards.

They put it on backwards, and then yeah, and then North Carolina tweeted at them, It's okay, we know you weren't there. They're like, are these like the state of Twitter accounts? So it's like now moved beyond sports teams jabbering at each other, although I would guess we might see a little panthers falcons back and forth. Now we're just going to the states. Now we're just arguing about license plates at Ohio. That was really cool. And then

the wedding was great too. That's awesome. All right. I want to end with one your question of the week before we wrap it up. Halloween. We already know from like let's say a month ago, that Darren does not want to put up any decorations at any point. What's the appropriate age to stop dressing up for Halloween? And like trick or treating? Well, you dressed up yesterday right for the kids. I didn't go trick or treating, you know, at a certain point where you go, But like, at

what age did you stop? Did you say, like I gotta pack this in but yes, I would say, I I dressed up for the children nine. Yeah, yeah, I might have gone eleven or twelve, you know, definitely middle school. I think by the time you hit teenage, you're just candy harvesting at that point. So, yeah, you're if you're

doing if you're like, let's call it like pre algebra. Like, if you're in pre algebra, it's probably time to packing in, right, Yeah, get a job and buy a candy with your own money, kid, I mean, and don't even stop by Darren's house because he's got no decorations and the lights are not on. It's very spooky. Don't come up here. Thing and there's a candy bar on the Darren's block is either something very quaint or something out of Stranger Things, depending on

depending on the angle. I think Darren's block, knowing where Darren and his wife moved, it's probably lovely. I'm just Darren has said that he's not participating in it. I'm in Atlanta, that's true. I have any excuse we will be. And are you dressing up for the car for the ride down? I thought it seemed like the thing that you do. Darn you do not own your own spider

Man costume in your closet. But there's still time. But I've got a rid clown knows in my pocket that you always carry that around, right, So all right, all right, We will talk to all of you next week on the Happy Half Hour podcast. Thanks for listening.