Happy Half Hour Episode 77: Putting It All Together

We are going to talk all panthers guys, but but look, if you know Darren, there is quite a few things that he cares I was gonna say one thing he cares about. There quite a few things that he cares about, but at the very top of the list is Appalachian State, uh, and Appalachian State football specifically. So we're going to get into all things panthers. Were going to answer all of your questions, tell you what we have been learning around the building this week. But first and foremost, yeah, just

ten second Brag only college. That is that is the stipulation. I'M gonna give my all for Palachian state, ten seconds at a time. It's UH, no, it's cool and I'm and I'm super passionate about Appalachian State. I've always said I don't think when I went there we were ever anybody's first choice, and the people there or the school itself.

But you get there and you kind of turn into a community and now it's a destination and now everybody wants to be a part of it and now we're on national TV and now we win football games in incredible and hard stopping ways. So yeah, it's fun. It's good. It's good to be a mountaineer every day, but especially right now. That was twenty seven seconds. Let it slide. We'll let it slide. Is The Room on the bandwagon? Oh, absolutely, welcome. I mean, and that was the cool thing about game

day this weekend. All our new friends who got to see us for the first time and we're like wow, look at this amazing place up in the mountains and there are trees and mountains and awesome people and they're having fun and Luke colmbs is, you know, firing up the crowd and everything else. It was great. It was good stuff. Welcome new friends. All right. Both my brothers went to Appalachian Um. I'm a big Fan. It is

absolutely beautiful there. And then, if we are just bragging about our college teams, of course, because we left Darren go. You know, I do just have to say uh, you and see did did beat Appalachian, and so it's you know, it's good to see Appalachian success this year. The rest of it, it's really happy for them. You See, is three and O um, at least until this weekend. We'll see what happens with Notre Dame Um, but just wanted to throw that out. We were happy to provide a

program defining upset victory for the tar heels. The same. We were happy just to, you know, help you guys work out your kinks and and be able to to move forward and take on Texas. A and M you know, clearly warmed up now and I guess it's just sitting over here because she went to Georgia sipping her sipping her coffee. What else is there to say? Now? This

past weekend was super exciting for me personally. I said it was almost like my personal super bowl because it was Georgia South Carolina, the two schools I covered before I came here. Um, and obviously you know it's it was conflicting. I was actually on the plane on the way to New York watching that game on my phone and Georgia was being Georgia and I was telling my parents it's almost like it's unfair at this point. But

it's awesome. It's so cool, and it's especially cool that they chose to do this right after I graduated, year after I graduating, Daddie yere. Now we're out here just destroying everybody left and right. Um, but it's cool. It's awesome. I will say I was shooting some segments with Thomas Davis earlier this week and he tended to say the same thing about Georgia South Carolina. You know, he said, Gosh, it's just it's almost like it's unfair to them. You know,

which is always what is it? The opposite of of love isn't hate. It's in difference right or the worst? The worst thing about what is this saying? Whatever, you know what I'm getting at. It's it's not when you're hated, it's when the the other team, does not care about you, and I feel like that's where Georgia South Carolina is gone. It's pretty rough. Yeah, I will say South Carolina cares

a lot, but I'm not sure if that's reciprocated. That's just from my associations with the FANDOM, my observations, but I love Carolina, love my time there. So you were being you were being you're you're really on both sides right now as a good reporter, and I appreciate that. All Right, so that was fun, but of course we have we got to talk panthers. Not so fun? Yes, yes,

less fun. I think it's a great way to put that. UH, Darren, why don't you sum up this this Oh and to start for us, you tell people, you know, the reality situation and then also what there is to look forward to in the next fifteen games. Well, I mean that's the thing. This is a bad Oh and two start. This is not what anybody expected, but it's still oh and two and not oh and fifteen or something like that.

I'm checking my watch. It's still September Um. There's a lot of football to be played and I don't know how any of it's going to work out. I don't know that it's going to work out. I don't know that. You know. Yeah, it's it's football, it's sports. We we don't get a script for this thing in advance. I don't think this is what Ain'body expect. It obviously they're disappointed and I think because there were a different level

of expectations going into this year. Uh. That's what makes this one kind of hard to process for a lot of the people downstairs and a lot of people who are around this team on a daily basis because, empirically speaking, this football team is a is a better collection of football players and coaches than what they've had around here the last two years. I think it would be hard, no matter how you feel about a football team or a particular person or anything like that, it's hard to

argue that you brought in actual offensive linemen. Uh, don't, don't, don't hold me to this, but that starting five offensive lines played every snap of the first two games and they've played reasonably well. I mean, that's not the abject problem it was last year. Only an improvement over last year, absolutely an improvement over last year, and nothing against those guys.

There just weren't enough people, uh, to do the thing last year and they went out and got the people to do the thing they the other thing that I think is frustrating to me about watching these guys this year is you come out of the first week. Well, it is the biggest problem Oh my God, Cleveland ran it down their throats. I mean two seventeen yards as a team. Nick Chubb Went Wild and you think going into New York, Oh God, say, Kwan Barkley had even

more yards the first week than Nick Chubb. What's gonna Happen up here? and run defense went a problem. They played pretty well against the run. They've got. They've got some new guys in Markwa McCall, I think is going to end up being a pretty key piece, along with Henry Anderson, of kind of stabilizing things just because he's a wide body. He's a different UH frame from some

of the guys they've got. And you know, they did some different things to shore up the RUNDFE defense and it wasn't the same kind of problem it was the week before. But it's almost like when you put your finger in the hole in the damn something else POPs up. It's like you know you're chasing problems right now and all of a sudden they can't convert a third down on offense, they're not creating any turnovers on defense. So it's just one thing after another and you know they've

got some opportunities. You would think, UH, coming up to fix some of those issues, but until they do it, it's not done. And and that's kind of the quandary

about where they're at right now. And you're right, there is a different kind of as a fan of of any team right, I think that anyone would say, and certainly in my own experience with the teams that I've Roote for, you and see or whatnot, there is a different kind of frustration when you are so close right as opposed to when you are not in the game. They are both types of frustration and, uh, they both

come with their own things. But you have to admit that the panthers have they have made these improvements in certain areas and they are right there Um and and losing by very small margins. It feels like one play away and full of fifty plus yard field goals at the ends of games tend to make differences and you see and and you see some of those not go in for some other teams in the NFL when when their team is is, you know, right on it, right or you have the opportunity to make that field goal

right here on the other side of things. So that is a different type of frustration and I'm sure that Darren in your in your mail bag, you have seen that, right.

So it's like it's like things are good and going in the right direction and they're still fifteen games left, but it is it is heartbreaking, I think you'd say, for a fan to to watch your team be very close and then ultimately just yeah, things the things that were true on Labor Day when they picked a fifty three man roster and kind of established what this team was going to look like. We're the coaching staff is

deeper and more experience. You bring in Steve Wilakes, James Camp and Ben mcadoo and all these guys, and yes, that's more experienced. The roster is better. Those things remain, but until they find a way to turn that into winds on the field. Somebody wants to hear about that. Absolutely, I guess said I would like to know. We did this last week and I really enjoyed it. What is one thing you have learned this week about the panthers? About the panthers? Okay, I'm going to kind of switch

it up here a little bit. I'm going to actually talk about a story that I wrote, because there's a lot, you know, going on in the football side of things and I was able to Um sit down last week with our kicker, Eddie Panero, who, amid all of the chaos and everything going on, he's gotten off to a good start, coming in for Zingenzaal is there at the last minute. He's perfect four four in his field goals, Um and perfect on his extra points. So there's a

bright spot there for for Eddie. But Um, I had a chance to talk with him about his his whole journey to football in general, and there's so many different interesting aspects of his story just in general that I cannot wait to share in the article that I just wrote yesterday and the days before. But Um, one of the key things was that, um, football was never, or I guess not exactly, his first dream in terms of sports, Um, and that was something we wrote about when he first

got here. You know, he's a soccer guy, but his transition into football and soccer was actually something very emotional and very, you know, big for him and he wanted to make something of himself in football to support his family. There's all sorts of just great connections between him and his father, who was a professional soccer player in the nineties. Um, I also spoke with his father for the story. So

they're just he's he's a family guy. There's just so many reasons that he plays football that are outside of Oh, it's a cool thing to go kick for the NFL and I am so excited for everyone to read that. But just having a chance to talk with him for thirty minutes last Friday and then talk with his father get to know him, Um, you know, kind of showing the panthers like, okay, I know this guy came in in August out of nowhere and in a pretty you know, die,

your situation was inns. I was getting hurt in the last preseason game. But Um, he's a real good addition to in terms of morale and excitement and uh, I'm really excited to share that story. So I didn't getting to know Eddie, and that's one of the things that's great about this job. We were talking about it um either last week or the week before, with opening the locker rooms and getting to know the guys. Um just

being able to share their stories. They're wise that they're here, that so many of them it's past, you know, an NFL dreamer wanting to play in stadium. A lot of it is very deep rooted and emotional. So I'm very excited to share that and it is and it is a cool story. It'll be up later this afternoon on Panthers Dot Com and, having had a chance to read through it, uh and start working on the layout portion of it that we have to do, it's Um there's

some details in there. It's like, when you see what this family is going through and you see what this journey means to them, it's worth checking out. And it's cool because I think a lot of times, and I've kind of joked that when kickers get hurt and you're looking for replacement kickers that I've made the joke that it's like a clown car. They go from city to city and try out. You know, they were in Kansas City the other week. Before that they all came to Charlotte.

But when these guys come in they're expected to do a pretty important thing right off the bat. So yes, was everybody disappointed that Zane Gonzalez got heard, of course, but it's now like, okay, Eddie, it's on you, and so far Eddie's delivered in the Games, Um, and we'll see how it goes. But it's so cool seeing the human stories that kind of make up the team. And there's fifty three of them, plus a practice squad and plus all the people around this team, and that's what

we try to do. I mean I want to tell people the stories of these people that we get to see in these people that we've got access to that other people do not have. I cannot wait to read that. It sounds great. Darren. What's one thing you've learned this week? I have learned that a lot of these guys it's kind of interesting to me. You know, as much as they put into this thing, they are their own worst critics.

If you read the Internet or listen to the radio or all this kind of stuff, if you think it must be a dis aster. But I was talking to Frankie Luvu the other day about Frankie played one of the Best Games of defensive football he's played in his entire life last week, but the only thing that keeps repeating in his mind is dropping what could have been an interception and probably a pick six at a certain point.

So it's it's interesting that, when the environment is not necessarily conducive, that you know it's not just people yelling at them I mean Eddie's like are not Eddie, but Frankie is like I know there were a couple of little things I could have done better, and it's and it's like you also have to be mindful of the fact, and I talked to J C Horn about this as well. Um, there can be specific things you'd like to fix, but the whole is at least moving in a positive direction

for them individually. I mean J C has committed some penalties and been on the other end of some criticism about particular things, but J C Horn still pretty good at football, and Frankie Luvu's Um kicking himself over dropping a pick six. But when you look at the whole of what Frankie Lu hit on the field last week, I mean I'm sitting here next to Augustin and I was like, this guy's out there running around like his hair's on fire. He's making every play, he's all over

the place. So and and that's the challenge when you're in the situation they're in right now, where you're kind of they are sort of trying to latch onto the things they've got to fix and fix them. But you've also got to be mindful of Frankie's playing pretty well right now. He absolutely as we you know, on the radio broadcast during that game, we called his name so

many times, especially in that first half. It's it's incredible to to see what he's doing and the rate at which he continues to just progress, and not even progress, he's he's always been a great player, but to be able to show what he can do in a variety of different ways coming in here last year, is primarily a special team's contributor, you know, at first and until there were some injury so it's just been it's he's

a guy that you want to on your team. I mean there's there's quite a few of those guys on on this team, but man, it is so fun to watch him, Darren, even when you said, even when he might be beating himself up over a few plays, it's

it's it's very enjoyable to watch him. The thing that I've learned this week, I specifically learned it on Sunday and Darren, you mentioned it already, but this defense can stop the run, and I think that goes to what what you were saying earlier, Darren, um about there's still being a lot of football left to play, because that was the one of the main storylines in week one. Right, you give up two d seventeen yards on the ground to Cleveland. The only team that rushed for more yards

than Cleveland in week one were the giants. Two eight se kuon Barkley had a hundred sixty four yards on the ground. And then, especially in the first half and for a few except for a few plays there for the end of the game, which, of course, we're very important plays, this defense did a great job really neutralizing sa Kuon Barkley for the majority of the game and so as a as a someone that watches all of these games and if I were a fan, I would

feel very heartened about that. Now there still are you know, there's still the turnover issue. No turnovers through the first two games, but it's just, you know, like you said, Darren, we can't predict what's going to happen in the next fifteen games. But of course, every week, right, it's these little granular things until you get a broader sense of who this team is, which I would say is what probably week four, week five. Um, what do you say, Darren?

It's Um, it's not a pattern until a certain you wrote it recently. Yeah, and and I talked about it mail bags. The first week everybody wanted to say, Oh my God, this is exactly what it's going to be all season. And one instance isn't a trend. I mean it takes two, three. Let's see what's going to happen over the next couple of weeks. I mean, and you know,

things can look a lot different. And with New Orleans coming in, I think as a team Um that is struggling to create turnovers right now, you know, maybe you kind of want to see the saints right now because, yeah, it's there're s things and and it's interesting and I think as I visited with our friend Will Brian, Panthers Stats Guy, that came into a little clear focus. Of the time. It wicks every times. That of the week, as promised live from his undisclosed location inside Bank of

America Stadium. That's why I'm whispering. He's Panthers Tagg Will Brian, and here's this week's stat of the week. Alright, stat of the week. Jamis Winston. This will be his eleventh career game against the Carolina Panthers. Most of those came when he was a Tampa Bay buccaneer. Overall, he's four and six against Carolina with a sixty point four completion percentage. He has nine touchdowns in sixteen interceptions. Many of those came in that game in London that we all remember.

He's been sacked thirty six times with a seventy two point six passer ratings. So a chance for this panthers defense to get after Jamis on Sunday our very own panthers ask Guy Will Brian with a great stat about Jamis there and Darren. To your point, I think it's right. You know it's uh, we'll see what happens. It could be the pump could be primed for those takeaways to get wrong. If you need to see Takeaways Jamis. Winston has been generous past, so maybe this works out all right.

I want to have some fun with something. Darren does a great mail bag. I'm a religious reader. I had to I'll have to write in, you know, the longtime reader. First Time. Um called ask the old guy. So I thought what would be fun Augusta is for us to be able to draw on Darren's extensive knowledge, but with the panthers and without because you know I go to Darren for advice. Sometimes it's a team related sometimes it's, you know, it's about like having a child and things

like that. So I thought Augusta and I could do our very own ask the old guy. Um, I think our questions might be a little bit better than a little bit nicer than what you get in the mail bag sometimes this week. So Um, so we're gonna do Augus and I are each going to do one panthers related question and then one non panthers question. Does that sound good? Fair enough. Alright, my first question is panthers related.

I want to know who, over the course of your not anyone on this team, who was your favorite player, just to talk to you, just to catch up with it. There are a lot. Jake diloans pretty near the top of the list. Jake and I get a chance to visit, you know, as he's doing radio for the Panthers Radio Network, and I enjoy talking to Jake. But I have always got a kick out of Steve Smith, I really have.

I mean watching him from his rookie year coming in and being angry rookie and being mentored by people like Sam Mills and John Casey and turning into this guy we know now. I mean it's just such a journey that Steve has been on individually. But he's funny and he's curious and that's one of my favorite lalities in people. I mean Steve's always trying to find stuff out. Um, when he worked, did some work at a local radio station, he wouldn't let them just make him a ceremonial talker.

He learned how to work the phones. So I mean when I I learned something when I talked to Steve Every time, and I think that's one of the coolest things about him. I would agree with you on on both of those. I get a chance to work with see Smith. He's our analyst for the PRESEASON Games. Um and I do sideline, and you're right that that story that you were just telling actually his, I guess, boss. The person that was doing the that was on the radio show was Taylor's Arzer, who does play by play.

He's our the third member of our preseason crew, and they called him intern Smitty and intern smitty answering the phones. He refused to go right to the top, but and he's still that person. Um and I just I have the best time working with him for those three or four weeks during the preseason Um, and we have a text chain going. You know, it's just it's just great

as so I completely agree with you, Darren. I'm glad to hear that those two guys at the top of your list because I love getting to work with Jake two. We do a lot of stuff together, guys. So what's Your Panthers Related Question? Okay, so the reason I'm asking this is because we just got back from a trip to New York. It was my first time going to New York, so I was a little, you know, when I saw the statue of Liberty and all of the buildings, I felt a little star struck for the city. I

guess in a way I was just so excited. So I wanted to ask you, Um, when you were early on in the what was the first road trip where you were like, oh my goodness, I cannot believe that

I'm here. There was. I was fortunate enough early in my career to be able to work to Gaston Gazette before I got to the Rock Hill Herald and I was basically covering high school games on Friday nights and then getting home planes and going to help cover panthers games on the weekend and in a certain thing happened here with Carolina Panthers and they caught hot and ended

up in Green Bay for the NFC championship game. And when you're four years old, very young, you don't realize you go from covering an Ashbrook Hunter Hust game on a Friday night to walking into lambeau field and it's like you walk in for the first time and you see that place and and it's weird because I've kind of joked in the past green bay it's mythical, but Green Bay itself is a very small town and I've always joked it's kind of like a cold guest on you,

but because it is a very small community. But you roll up to that stadium and it's like you're entering a portal into football mythology. I mean it's just it's a different kind of place. And that was one of the days where I had kind of that same look you had on your face the other day. Pulling past the Statue of Liberty. It's like, Whoa, look at that, this is the thing I'm seeing with my own two

eyes and that's pretty neatsy. I still have not been there Um this is my third season doing a radio sideline for the panthers and the first year that I was here they played in Green Bay but no one was trying thing except for absolutely essential the personnel team members. So we called the Games from our stadium on the road. It looks cool, though, so holding out hope. Cannot wait

to go there. Well, but the thing was this was a it was actually I can't remember what month they played in, but it was like unseasonably warm in Green Bay during that game and I'm like man, because you know, at least you go. Well, if I'm not going to be there, UM, you know, I'm sure it would just be like the weather would just be terrible and it's gonna be negative six. So it's like good, you know,

it's good not to be there. And it was like this is the warmest night in Green Bay and in the month of November or whatever it was, and forever, it's like fifty degrees, like everyone's had a great time. You're like, Oh, come on, like and the weather conditions are perfect for a sideline reporter. So I cannot wait to get to go there. But what a great question. Augusta. All Right, my non panthers related question. Um, it's probably

a little sappy. Um. So I guess I don't know if you know this, but when I had my baby, Darren dropped off this beautiful book, okay, I might get dropped off this beautiful book of Winnie the Poo Stories and Um wrote a really beautiful note in it too and just talked about essentially you know how fast time goes. So, Dren, my question to you is, how did you balance being a parent during football season? Sorry, I'm just it was just such a beautiful I'm thinking about the note now, right,

and it was so touching. Wow, UM, poorly question mark. I don't know, and you never know as a parent whether you're doing it right or not. You try to and honestly, it's part of the reason I loved reading stories to kids at night, because that time was only them. And so, whether you're reading Winnie the Pood or your son or or good night moon to your daughter, I read that book a million times to baby girl over the years and I can hear it in my head

each day. So you you just hang onto those little moments because that's what you've got and this job is demanding.

It takes a lot of time. There are a lot of moments when I wasn't around and I've got voicemails from my daughter wishing me a happy birthday, you know, in the early two thousand's, when she was three or four years old and I was on the road somewhere, and it's like this stinks, being out here on the road the whole time, but you just try to be as there as you can when you're there, because that's

really all you can offer. You always strike me as somebody that is taking in the present right and trying to make the most of that, and I've really tried to do that before work, after work, all those times and you know what, I'm getting into a little bit of a rhythm with it and Um. Anyway, I just wanted to say how much I appreciated all of your uh words of wisdom and in the beautiful note and those stories. And, like I said, I asked Darn for advice,

so you know, it's good to get it. Sorry to put that on you on microphone, but I came in thinking about that today, so I uh, okay, I'll stop. I will stop bringing into the mic Augusta, what's Your Not Panther's related question? First of all. That was the sweetest thing in the world, just watching that whole oh my goodness, I'm I'm not a very different, you know, phase of my life, but I kind of want to ask a similar question. Just you were just talking about,

you know, being a young reporter four. I just turned twenty four from twenty three. So when you said that, I was like, oh my gosh, like me, Um, but I wanted to ask Um, just not even necessarily work related, advice, life advice for someone who, I just moved to my third new city in three years. I'm still adjusting to life, trying to figure out how to be a real life adult.

What are some of your key advice to people who either are as young as me, or I mean whatever phase of life you're in, and you feel like you're floating and letting life come to you instead of taking it by the horns? Yeah, and that's hard and and part of the reason I'm amazed and impressed by what you've been able to do in a short amount of time is I was always able to do it close

to where I'm from. I grew up in suburban Hickory, I went to Appalachian State University, I worked in Morganton and Lenore and Gastonian and rock hill and being living in Charlotte for last, Gosh what, thirty years, so I've always had a pretty close connection. So being able to put it all on the line. moved to a new place where you don't know anybody, that takes guts and it's and it's hard to jump out there and do it,

because I haven't necessarily done it. I mean I live sixty miles from my parents and in my extended family I'm the one that moved away to the city. I'm I'm boy Walton. So it's uh, you're asking me for things I can't necessarily speak to, but it's it is. I think when you're a reporter your job is just to walk into every situation eyes wide open and a year's wide open, and take it all in, because that's

the only way to really Um. I try not to get hung up on individual sound bites or this person said this thing and now it's a headline and it takes off and goes viral. I I tend to prefer things that stand up over time. And when you stand and watch a year's worth of football practice, you learn exactly what that football team is all about. When you watch an entire training camp, you get to know the

people at a different level. So it's just always being on and always observing and always remembering what you see,

and that's the only way to be a reporter. As far as I know, and I know that you didn't ask me that question, but as someone who has moved around the country and and did it very young, Connecticut, L A, Um, Chicago and now back, you know, being from North Carolina back here, I would say something that really grounded me was, um, trying to find a thing outside of work that you enjoyed doing, even if it's small, like I know you like to go get your coffee, right,

or going on a walk and trying to do it as much as possible so that you have something that's tied to the city that you're living in. Right, Um, that's for you, and that's not work related, because, especially in sports, I you know, I worked on Mike and

Mike and Bristol. That was my first job out of college and I loved it, but you know, it started at three am, right, and so I had to find something that just my whole day wasn't just work, right, and it's because it's a fun place and it's cool, and so you just want to connect to where you are in a way that is um not always related to your job, and I know that's hard because we

don't always have the time to do it. But I always found that like walking around my city right whether it was Chicago or Santa Monica or Um in the little small town I lived in Connecticut, or like finding, whether it was a gym or a little breakfast place that I liked, and that was like my thing that I did, and I would put my music on. I know you, you always listen to your music too, and I would go do my thing. It was almost a ritual. So that always helped me feel very grounded and connected

to the new city. And it's not something that, you know, with our schedules, they don't match up sometimes with meeting New People and it's not something you have to do with somebody else. It's something you can do on your own. So that always made me feel better. God, Charlotte's so much better for having youtube in it. Thank you. Okays, this was really funny to bring back. Asked the old guy, like what a spiritual experience for last yes, I certainly did.

Uh Well, I thank you everyone for listening. Darren a Gusta, thank you, guys so much. Producer Matt, thank you. We'll see you next week on a happy half hour podcast. Mhow