Happy Half Hour Episode 57: The Hope/Misery Index

things that are going on in the Panthers building. Will Brian is in a fully festive mood and decided to extend that to all of us by bringing in Christmas drinks. Christmas Christmas coffees very warm and sugary. They are very warm and sugary. And I'll tell you what snops to. I don't know. I would make it more of a happy half hour for you. Yeah right, I just can't wait for like minute fifteen and fast forward we'll find out. Yeah yeah. And just for anyone who's wondering, it's in

the morning, so I cannot wait. Well, thank you, Yeah, I mean what did you get us? Uh? This is the toasted white chocolate mocha. I think taste taste very toasted and chocolate. But you said last night we were kind of game planning on time and what we're gonna talk about, and you said something to the effective I'm in a full Christmas mood with all the Christmas smells. I mean, I was in a Christmas store buying Christmas

things to decorate the Christmas house. I got you for a month that hasn't even started yet, but it's it's on the horizon. Yeah, like a couple of days. Did you get that? And I thought he was just saying his house smelled like Christmas. I felt so too. I was there, Oh yeah, there's a tree. There's tree, there's garland. We have the decorations, we haven't put them on all on yet. See that's the right play. You gotta let

your tree sort of settle into its place. Darren, not to called Darren, but Darren knows about a tree settling, because you've infamously leave yours up for quite some time afterwards, right right right. It usually makes it to the super Bowl, usually makes it to the super Bowl, which is fine. And this is actually a myth. I come from a I come from a family of tree people, my brothers, my uncle. That's the myth or that or the myth is coming now the myth is coming does mean a

family of tree people. Yeah. They run a nursery, Heffner's Nursery and Connor family business. My grandfather started in the thirties. My uncle, my brother worked there now and my brothers involved with North Carolina Tree Growers Association, guys who grow Christmas trees. And it's one of the myths is that Fraser furs are practically impossible to sit on fire. Like

it takes a lot of kera sene. Everybody talks about, oh you're gonna sit your house on fire with an old tree, It's really hard to set a Fraser fur on fire. So yeah, not that I'm advocating. That's really good to know, though, I mean I wasn't trying to our our Our tree may not actually be real, it's plastic.

How could you come in here as Mr Christmas talking about Girardi at the Christmas store with Christmas smells and chocolate, you know, drinks, and then you are over here advocating among Darren of the tree people for fake Christmas trees. I I love real Christmas trees, but in this economy with chain of the forest, the forest supply chain is insulting Darren's family. I'm not I love trees. I sometimes I think trees should stay in the forest though that's

that's where they belong. I'm not trying to was going to get up at this chair just now. I'm all about supporting small business, including I'll give you that. I'll give you that. Is this the first time that you've had a fake tree? Are you bringing this? You bringing this thing out every year? Um? Be honest, I gotta be careful to I answer this. It's not technically my fake tree, and it's not the first time that someone else has brought it out for the fifth year. I

got you, So I got you, you know, thankfully. I don't think she listens to the podcast, so I think we're saying probably best that way anyway. Yeah, yeah, so yeah, I know. I grew up with five years of real trees. You like this fake tree? It's nice, it really, it's it's easy as as someone that had to watch my dad have, you know, because we lived in a big Charleston house with you know, really high ceilings and brag. I'm sorry those those what's wrong with me? This morning?

Those trees fell on him while he was trying to get that thing in the thing, getting it into the stand with all the things you have to put on the branches and you know, and I'm just running around like, oh, do it over here. Oh it's leading left. Oh my god, it does trees. I can totally see you be in the all right, a little bit to the right. No, Will, this tree is about to fall on me. You are no help right now? Yeah, common holding? Don't you get over there? Yeah? You let it fall on you will. Yeah.

So the putting of metal into like a plastic holder was nice and easy. I can, I can do that part of this. Maybe that's why Will is already in the Christmas spirit and it's kind enough to bring a drink because he just he didn't have to to fuss with the real Christmas tree. But I got all we got all the smells. So the smells are important. You have to have the smells, which I mean, there's the obviously there's the pine scent, but like, what else are

we which other ones are you? Like a gingerbread or it's it's every different type of candle in different corners of you walk into your house. It smells like a Michael's Yes, yeah, I like it. Yeah, I'm into that. I mean, we got it. Yeah right. Oh, this is a lovely way to start off podcast. Let's just keep talking. Yeah, we clear go for another It's bye week, there is nothing, nothing going on. We could go for another twenty five

minutes on this. I have thoughts, UM, but I do want to get to some of the more recent news, UM. And I want to start with the Christian McCaffrey news that, UM, he is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. UM. And before we talk about what that means, I just wanted to point out his Instagram caption. And I'm sure if you're a Panthers fan listening to this podcast, you have most likely seen it. UM. If not, I would I would recommend going to read it. I

won't read the whole thing, but just a paraphrase. You know, he is someone who is pretty UM. I guess it's is private the right word, Darren, that's pretty safe to say. And I was surprised by um by how much he really revealed and and was vulnerable with the caption. Well, it looks like you have it up if you want to read it. Do you want to read it? Um, I love playing football, kind of dedicated my entire life to what I believe to be the greatest sport in

the world, getting healthy and back in the field. The season has been my focus every day from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I put family, friends, and all other interest on hold so I can fully concentrate my efforts on treatment, training, practicing, studying, preparing and playing the game I love at the highest level, which is why my season coming to an abrupt end today

leaves me devastated. I'm thankful to everyone who continue to help and support me through the difficult time and promise I will fight with everything I have to return bigger, stronger, faster, and better than ever keep pounding. I just thought that was a very revealing UM, look at what he's going through, and I think it's important to as I said before we talk about her, before anyone talks about the the impacts and certainly Fear a fan of the team, that

that's something that's very important to you. The impact of not having one of the best players in the NFL for the rest of the season and what it could mean for just going forward in general. Um But I just I thought, you know, the word devastated and that line where he says essentially like I put so much on hold to pursue this dream. I've given up stuff

with family and friends. And we all in sports have done that to a certain extent, but but none more so than the players who play the game of coaching, staffs, the front office. Um and And he is someone that eats, sleeps, and breathes football and his process and his commitment. Um And, I just I thought it was very revealing and really sad, and I just wanted to kind of acknowledge that. Um

And It's it's certainly not just him. There are players who get injured in the NFL every day, on practice squads, on uh, you know, people whose name is not nearly as recognizable, but it's something that goes missing sometimes. Yeah, he is. He is a man who chooses his words very carefully, and he is not a revealer. He does not like talking about last year's injuries or previous you know, injuries this season or anything like that. He doesn't like

bringing it up in context. He keeps his He always says, I'm focused moving forward. I'm you know, what's ahead of me, what's next kind of thing. And that's just the way he's always been, and it is it is disappointing for him to see this happen, because I can tell you from being around these guys, and Kristen's right, yeah, plenty of other people get hurt and all these dudes have to work hard to even be in this locker room among the best to the best. But that guy puts

so much into it, and I understand. I mean, listen, I've seen the mentions on online and stuff and I and I see people disappointed because when it's somebody who's so central to the team, fans who invest a lot of emotion in the team feel like something's been taken away from them. And I understand fans being extremely disappointed. Now, the fantasy football people who are saying things about it, I've got a different set of feelings for them. But

I mean, as disappointed as you are. As Kristen said, this is what this man does. He doesn't he's not a big golfer. He doesn't think about hobbies and stuff during the season heat footballs and football has now been taken away from him. Kind of cruelly again for the second year in a row, and it's just it's hard for him to process because he puts so much into it. And that's why when I saw that yesterday, I was like,

I was not expecting that. No, I just figured Christian was going to go dark for a couple of weeks and then we might see something like that when he has a clear idea of rehab and recovery times and

stuff like that. But yeah, for that to come out yesterday was like, I remember, He's got my start working on Mike and Mike when it was still a show on ESPN, and Michael like used to always say something whenever he would talk about a player getting injured, and it always stuck with me, and I brought it up with Christian one time, and I've I've done it with several players we're going through the rehab process or coming

back from an injury. But it always stuck with me as someone who you know, I'm as close to the game as you can get, but of course I've never played it, and there's so much that um I've learned and continue to learn about about what these players go through.

But he would always say, uh, there are a few things lonelier than rehabbing an injury on a professional team because you are there every day, you know, you are in the It's like it's kind of the the definition of fomo, right, Like you're there every day with your teammates, but you can't participate in the things that makes a team sports so enjoyable. You can't contribute to the winds, you can't really be there in the losses. You're in a separate area. You're doing this thing all by yourself,

in close proximity to everyone else. And you know, Christian I had a conversation about that last year and and he said, yeah, it is. It's it's an incredibly lonely thing. And again it's something that a lot of players go through, and Um, I don't know. That just always has stuck with me. And I was just really, like, like you said, Darren, surprised, UM. And I thought it was really great that that he put that out there, because I just think people forget

sometimes that is devastated. As as they all are, we all are right, um, that that that's happened to a season, As you said, think about how he feels, and it was I thought it was very brave to kind of put that out there a little bit, because he's not someone who does that. Admit that you're devastated, yeah, I mean, and the toughness that it takes to to go into you know, yet another offseason, you know, to try to

like all right, I gotta go through this again. But you know, maybe there is some of that, um, you know, that sense of like I've been down this hole before and I know the way out, you know, like maybe there is some hope of like I know what I need to do. I know that I can get back, you know, I know that I know that there's still something there like and I think you see that in that caption as well. I didn't mean to make it sound like he's you know, it's nothing that he can't

work his way back from. But um. And so I'm sure that if anyone has you know, a and that's laid out in minute detail, it's him. Um. But I just thought it was important too. I think for all of those guys, Um, when something like this happens, I always think it's interesting to try to or important, I should say, to try to take a moment to kind of look at the human impact of it versus just immediately jumping to okay, and I'm guilty of doing that. Okay,

what does this mean? You know, Miro Abdullah Hubbard, Let's talk about it. You know so well. And it is and it's tough for fans of this particular franchise because this is this is about the third good time. I mean again, a lot of guys get hurt from time to time, but in terms of persistent injuries, I mean I I thought back to Luke keik Ley, I thought back to Dan Morgan, and it's like these guys who burned so brightly, who were so passionate about what they do.

And the one thing that I don't think enough people factor into professional football, whether it's in team building, results of games, or anything else. It's dumb luck. You know this isn't I hate it when people say so and so's injury prone. I don't think injury prone is really a thing. I mean, if a guy is fat and lazy and comes in to camp out of shape and he pulls a hamstring, then you say, okay, well that guy, Okay,

maybe he's injury prone. But when you see these athletes who put so much time into keeping themselves in top shape and you know, in the case of Dan Morgan, the grass flies out from under his feet, his rookie year um when they put down New sod Or you know, Luke Keikley going through the concussions. I mean, and those things are just freak occurrences. It's not like something it's there's nothing negligent about them on on these guys part,

and it's just bad luck. I mean, you know, Christian had a hamstring earlier this year Sunday somebody fell across back of his leg, and you can't some dolphin whose number I couldn't even really make out in the pile just kind of fell across the back of guy's leg and now he's out for the season. I mean, there's nothing, no amount of reparation, weight training, any kind of stretching he could have done to prevent what happened there. And there's nothing you can do to come back faster than

your body allows you to, you know. And I think that's such a good point there, and of like the dumb luck of it all has to be so hard on the guys, guys like Christian, the ones you just mentioned, Luke, Keith Lee, Dan Morgan, because is there's nothing you can do about it, and nobody wants it more, and no one's put more effort into into their preparation and process

and and being the best. So look, do I think he's going to come back to the normal Christian whenever he's healthy and next season and continue to be the Christian? I mean absolutely, But I just thought it was I just wanted to acknowledge the human side of it a little bit since he did um before we kind of jump into you know, the football of it, all right, and and let's be real. I mean, this man had put up three straight hundred yards scrimmage game. He he he

he was producing. I mean, he was going to be a part of you know, like, okay, so at least you know, if there's something going wrong here, there's something going wrong here, you know, Christian was still there. And it felt like, you know, there there's there's still something you can do because you've got Christian back there that can still um, you know, sparking offense, have a big play,

you know, create openings. And yeah, I mean it's I think every time that we see him leave and then come back, you just see how much he impacts a team and a game in um, you know, a fan base, you know, of of what it looks like down there, and I would say, you know, this is a very very small silver lining. But I think with these guys who if you're a Panther's fan, you remember them being kind of like the young, you know, the new guys, like whether it's a Shock or a Christian who have

developed into leaders. And it's something I've had conversations with, let's say, both of those guys and others about UM who have have really taken that next step into leadership. And I think we use the term like you said, well like leave and come back, well like Christians not leaving.

I mean, he may take some time for himself, but last year and then earlier this year, UM when he was injured in that there's in a game like he's on the sidelines, he's wearing his earpiece, he's coaching up the young guys, and so you can hope and I think we saw it last year that it makes them as much as they're like, yeah, okay, I gotta help on the sidelines, like okay, that's great, but I want to be out there and play, but I think it makes them they use that time to become smarter to

become better leaders, to understand the game better, to try to help others. Um, they're not out of sight, out of mind. And I think one of the cool things, kind of back to what you were saying before, what makes things for the Panthers and this franchise and for

the fans feel continually connected generation over generation. It's kind of stuff like what we saw a pregame of like Christian throwing this football to Julius Mempers in his family and his kind of there's you know, it's like all of that kind of together of like, hey, guys, this is this you know, as someone that grew up and was nine years old when the Panthers were founded, and you know you were in that you know, very young age during two thousand three, and like seeing all of

that kind of come together, Um, it's a cool passing of torches. And it's a cool connecting piece to think that, like it's not just new guys every year and you know and then they move on. Yeah, there's the common threads that connects the certain eras together. Um. So let's talk about Darren the Miami game, how you how you rebound from there and and what you are focused on

on this bye week and the schedule ahead. If you are this coaching staff, this front office, these players, you know, maybe the best thing is to not rebound from it at all, to just leave for I mean, there were a lot of guys after that game who had the look of people who needed a day off as much as anything. And you hate to say it, but I mean, and there's some guys Burns talked about, I'd rather play

next week. I don't want to walk around with this, but you don't want to go into the long time since these guys have had a couple of days off in a row. I mean, you go back to after Week three, the Thursday night game, they get kind of a long weekend. But you know then since training camp ended and there are a couple of days before the regular season grind starts, these guys have been added all day.

And it's hard. I mean, it's hard to walk around with one like that as the last thing you experienced, because it was bad. I mean, it was pretty gross. It was the it was the New York game all over again, where the defense played okay at first, the offense couldn't move the ball at all, some bad special team stuff, you know, bad field position, boom, all of a sudden, you're down a big hole. Nothing goes right

the rest of the day. I mean, it was, you know, frustrating, and it just kept gaining speed that further it went down the track. So, uh, it's hard. You almost don't want to spend too much time on it. You do have to reflect on it. But you know, Matt talked about yesterday, um using a week to reflect Dawn, how you get to this point and what's got to be done. And it's kind of you know a lot of the issues that they have and a lot of the issues that you know, football wise, you want to fix and

change and do this and that and the other. I really can't fix a lot of it until the off season. I mean, because what's the biggest issue pass protection? Well, there are no left tackles available the week after Thanksgiving, So you've got to kind of get through these next six games with what's on hand, you know, some combination of Daily and Christensen and those guys and and fill in and and try to patch it up as best you can, knowing that that's gonna be an off season

priority is you have to fix pass protection. We're gonna talk a lot about quarterbacks for the next how are many months, We're gonna talk a lot, trust me, But that's how that's almost in the in the world talking about quarterbacks every single day, but we're going to be talking about offensive lineman and awful lot too. That's the priority.

That's the thing they've got to get fixed. And for a group that had played pretty well, I mean, as as strange as any stat that the Carolina Panthers have put together in the second half of the season, the four games prior to Miami, they had only given up two sacks. That's one of those. They were shifting around lots a lot of different inlved In two. But that's one of those stats where when I write it down and I see it, I have to double check myself and then I have to ask, will is that right?

You know, because it just doesn't with the way of the season's gone, it doesn't sound like it should be correct. But it was they, you know, two sacks and four games. A couple of those included the big running days against Atlanta against Arizona, where it's like, dang, maybe there's some parts here that you can use in the future, and you know, yeah, and I think it's worth noting, and

it doesn't band aid over any of it. But you know that this Miami defense was the one that like completely flustered Lamar Jackson, who's unflus you know, has been able to do anything against anyone all season, but couldn't figure them out. So I think there's a sense of Okay, sure, you know, the playoffs are now this kind of like far thing, you know, based on what's happening. But you come back against Atlanta and like, okay, where where do you put Brady? Because I want to see, you know,

how do you evaluate Christensen moving forward? He's played left tackle, left guard, right tackle, you know, but you know, I want to see where did where did where can he be something for the future? Darren knows the line of when they drafted him. Yeah, there you go. It's the second round, second round guard, third round time, right, you know. But and yeah, you get to look at Michael Jordan, you know, you try to figure out where are all

these guys going to be in your plans? And this because I think that's a that's a great point, Will, which is like so many times this this season, how many different combinations of starting lineups that they had it out of out of necessity. These guys are playing UM out of position or filling in or guys that are not supposed to be the starting or in there out

of necessity. So what does it look like if you go out and get more help in the offseason, and then also you allow a guy like Brady Christenden to play whatever you think is natural position is or whateverything he excelled in and and give him that chance. And I thought to, you know, Kim Irving is a guy that has played every position on the offensive line and UM back when he was healthy. I asked him about

that one time. I said, what's that like to UM have to switch around versus having consistency, and he said, yeah, everyone feels more comfortable when you can play. Yeah, we can can play these different positions and and fill in as a place that's not our natural position, will do anything that we can. But gosh, like being able to stay in the same spot for for a few games, or how the same guy beside you is something that

that they all want. Yeah, and we'll see. I mean again, I believe that going into the off season, finding left tackles obviously going to be a priority. But those things are hard to find. Uh, you're going to need to be picking in the top ten, and you know right now at the moment, that's getting closer. Um, but you've even got to be picking in the top ten or be willing to spend a bunch of money in free

agency to get one of those guys. I mean, and last season, if you weren't shopping for Trent Williams, you were just kind of patching the boat a little bit. And that's nothing against Cam Irving, but the grade of player available in free agency after Trent Williams was you know guys who you aren't sure. These aren't anchors, these aren't there were backups, but going for draft picks this last year, you know everyone on offensive lineman, no one

wants to part with them. Well, we'll see what happens. I mean. And again, they do still have six games, five games to play, six weeks, five games. Yeah, they're not the only ones that need to buy week. Um, too many numbers in my head right now, but it's you know, they're gonna have to patch it together for a little bit. But I am curious to see if coming down the stretch you end up with you know, Michael Jordan picks up a little hamstring, was in and

out of the game the other day. Don't know if he's going to be able to go when they get back out there against Atlanta. So maybe all of a sudden bradies at guard again, so you know, we'll see. I think the kid's got a bright future. I think he's smart, he's aware, he's he's physically strong, and when he spends an offseason in an NFL offseason program, he's going to get even stronger because this is his full time job. Now were you laughing at me calling him

a kid? Yeah? Yeah, I mean I'm just thinking about like all the mock draft report someone have to start doing soon. It's about that time. Way to jump ahead, you know, and not to be enjoy your bye week. But we're we're kind of like that Misery Hope matrix where you know, all chance of playoffs that people are still thinking about because I mean, honestly got it five and seven. They're not that far out of the you know,

considering really not. The NFL has been so weird this season, and I mean to look at the NFC right now, Stranger things have absolutely happened. Um, but you get caught in looking at the playoffs on this side versus starting to look at mock drafts on this side. And you just kind of gotta find yourself on that matrix where you are each day when you wake up. I don't usually know where where are you? You can help me, help me find it your day to day to day,

I got you. You bring warm drinks, I can bring the Hope Misery Day. Well, I this has been this has been great. Thank you will for the for the festive drinks, Darren, thank you for the Hope Misery Index. Hope everyone enjoys. The bye week takes some time to rest. Panthers fans, We'll see you next week. H