The Group Chat Episode 4: It Doesn't Matter

group Chat. You've been added to the group Chat with your friends Caroline, can Max Senson, and Charles William McFadden, Bryan McFadden, Brian Charles, Charlie will William William William McFadden like rating radding nuance this week, I have enjoyed a couple of people on Twitter. Guys, thank you so much for joining the group out on Twitter and tweeting out is about that. I think I changed up your name like multiple times to people when they yeah, it's the

it's a great name. And I hear your mother wasn't too happy that we were maybe poking fun. She she gets very serious. She was unhappy with you the name. You love the name. Yeah, you were the one who what did you What did your mom say that you said? She wasn't happy with I think it was just that it was first she was unhappy with you because because you you first said, wait, isn't William Charles And she's like, no, Max, it's Charles William. And then it was like Charles William

Brown like she's like, what about McFadden. We gotta add the McFadden in there. I also like the spelling of McFadden, not the normal McFadden. It's not Darren McFadden ways. I en just to be special, just different. I love it. That was producer Matt And we actually had someone tell us a nickname for you are you. Yeah, someone came up with a nickname for our producer Matt and I'm gonna have to look it up because my gosh, I'm

forgetting it now. Well what do we As we were walking out last time, we said, what do we say that? We said, everyone calls you Hoges and oh, I like HOGI I think that that's got. I'm going to look this up while we actually tell you what we're really going to talk about on this podcast, and that is of course the preseason, because it's here we're playing a

preseason game. And how while we were kind of talking about the preseason and how just very important this game is in the longevity of this team's season and career, here we realize that it doesn't really matter. So around that framework of what people say of the preseason doesn't really count. You know, you go through and you try and get this amazing record, but at the end of the day, we've seen teams go oh and four in the preseason going to win the Super Bowl. So how

important are these games? They're important enough to exist, but that's about it. So in that framework, we're going to talk about other things that exist, but we're not really exactly sure why, but we are going to talk some football here at the end. So enjoy this. Coming up with these things not easy a challenge, h It was kind of challenge, But it all started because McFadden over

here easily easily came up with his first one. I'm not going to say it because I want you to say that this one rolled off the tongue when he first said it in our legit group chat on our phones. What is it? So I, first of all, I came up with the idea. You prompted it. I prompted the idea of what do do you want me to say that? Like? Are we not just one that I have to give you credit about when comes up with it? The credit? Gosh, all right, good job, it's a wonderful idea. Go ahead.

What is it Columbus Day? Come on? What? What is what is Columbus Day? Good for? No one gets it off? Right? I think it's people Columbus Day. Columbus mother is not going to be happy with this. Yeah, well cook, cook, his family is not going to be happy with this, you know, I mean, I mean what did he really do outside of spread some diseases and go the wrong way around the world? Um? Hello, mistakes sometimes are great things. And you know, thanks Columbus, we're finding this land. I

what's wrong with another holiday? But you don't get it. It's a holiday that doesn't mean anything because you don't get to do anything with it. What you ever had really great Columbus Day plans? Oh? I always really Columbus. I'm a huge Columbus Day fan here, yeah, big Columbus Day fan. No, but that was a really good one. Made me laugh. So We've come up with a list of other things that exists but don't really matter. So Max,

what are some of yours? Yeah? I think, I think In Will's text it was like things in life that don't count, right, that was like, So with that prompt, my first thought was, um, college football and basketball preseason polls are the most useless thing preseason all American? What yeah? Right? I mean? And especially the polls are just like you have no idea. You're essentially just saying, here's the how teams finished last year and now a bunch of guys

graduated and the teams are completely different. But like we're just gonna throw darts and say, like who we think is going to be good? They're just completely meaningless. Um. My other one was advice you either give or received between the hours of midnight and three am. The best doesn't count. Doesn't matter what you say or here, it just doesn't. It doesn't count. That's the best because how many times have you been out at a bar I know, at least like the women's restroom between the hours of

twelve and three am. Okay, it's I mean, it's an advice is being thrown around everywhere because someone's in there crying. But I never once a similar situation in the men's room. I've never once heard advice and there been like, yeah, you know what, take that advice and just do that tomorrow. Absolutely not. I loved that one. So mine, Um, your g p A in college, I never once have I

been asked. I've never put it on a resume. I've not like, as long as you're you know, keeping your scholarships, whatever you have your For me, it was like to be eligible to play, like it doesn't matter. I never once I've got into a conversation of like, so, thank you for coming on this interview. I was curious about your g p A in college. It's a good point. I mean in major for that matter, that's yeah, that's because my brother's history major or was a history major.

Cell solar energy. Yeah, it does it even really matter, Like we're all very proud of where he went to school, but doesn't even really matter where you went at the end of the day. Yes, I think so, but I think it's more so the alumni base. Yeah, Like I'm just saying, like I think people extress out like crazy in high school trying to get into X school because it's got this reputation, But like if I didn't, if I really wanted to go to Northwestern and I didn't

get in and I had to go to Wisconsin. Because it's a couple. I hope all of you Wisconsin people out there are living. I'm a Wisconsin guy. That's why I'm so. I'm but I'm saying like it didn't matter. What are you saying? So you're saying that Northwestern is extremely better than Wisconsin, and when you look at your like US News magazine, like Northwestern is going to be ranked whatever and Wisconsin is gonna be a few below.

I don't think it mattered at all, really in different in terms of like job, Yeah, I mean I think it matters in terms of, you know, the type of social life, the type of social things. I'm saying now, I'm saying, when you're like pursuing a job, I don't think the interviewer is saying, oh, you you went to Davidson instead of Duke. It's like you're not smart enough

for this, yo. I don't think that right. My other one is like the opening act of the opening act out of consint I almost said opening act here, But I think sometimes you can get like a really good opening act that I will go early for, but the opening act to the opening act at like the State Fair or like concert. Yeah, I thank you for being there, but I probably won't be You know, does that mean you guys aren't you don't you don't support local artists?

I do that are trying to make you know? Oh man, all right, that one might get me? What about what about the annual NFL schedule release video matters? It's everything? Yea? How proud were we of what exactly what's produced by Carson and Co? And it's fantastic, And yet it doesn't matter, doesn't matter, It doesn't matter through the lens of like what's going to happen that season? But my goodness, if we don't get the clicks and views and praise from

everyone on social media, our lives are over. But you don't even know what the schedule is. Like you can watch it and you have no idea what the schedule. So this is actually a fun thing for those of you that enjoy the schedule released videos if you do not realize this, The teams themselves are not told what the schedule is until like maybe like twenty four hours would be an amazing feat to get it. We're talking

like four to six hours before it's released. That's when the teams get them and then they have to put them all together. So and everyone tries really hard except for the Bengals. I don't know when we were with the cold when so the Colts last year, what we down, we just had and like sit down in our mail room there and just read and we hung. We hung like a banner that said like that you buy it,

you know, but we care. That's the thing though, Like we tried to make it underproduced, but there was like seven people working on that shoot. We had everything set up. We ordered off Amazon. Like oh yeah, that's the way to do it. Either you underproduce it and it's funny, or you really produce it well and it crushes. If you try hard and it doesn't you don't stick the landing that it's like embarrassing. All right, I've got one more here, Oh man, you really did do some work

on this. Well I have a few more, but um, I think people won't agree with me with your S A T and A C T scores. I don't really think the matter. No, I agree, Yeah, I agree. I think the college thing looking back on it now, was like, man, that was a stress. It mattered for like a year. Yeah, it matters like when you're seven or sixteen or seventeen, and I think it is about that a school, like any standardized test in school. Spare me, okay. The other one that we can end on here because I think

everyone can agree with this. Calories on vacation. They exist, but they don't matter. I would totally agree. Will Yeah, you're gonna disagree with that one. Now. It matters in principle, it doesn't matter in practice, Like I'll go on vacation thinking like all right, and then it just never works. Never works, all right. Calories don't count until you get back in it's Monday and your fifteen pounds have yer pretty much. But we like that one. Calories don't count

on vacation. So if you have anything out there, we definitely want to hear what exists but doesn't matter. I want to hear about it, like substitute butter. That's what we didn't come up with that one. You're still rattling them up. Man, you're on a roll now, please Max anymore from you jump in Now I'm going to end on mine that you guys both really liked. I don't want to I don't want to rein that. Yeah, I think Max does win on this one. Like that was

really funny. I lose. Really, I'm in last place. That's why I'm trying to do like quantity of Okay, but you guys really came up some quality ones. I appreciate it. Here. If anyone out there, if you have some that you've come up with or thought about, please tweet us because it has been a really fun conversation for us to

have over the past twenty four hours. But we are going to actually talk football now because even though we are saying this game doesn't quite matter, it does exist and it really does matter for a lot of players on this team and the coaches on this team. This is very important for them as they get ready for this season. So let's just go around and say, what's maybe the one thing that you're if you can narrow it down, what is the one thing that you're looking

for on this team? Start us off, mc fan. I want to start with the offensive line because you know, we we've seen these guys go against you know, the Panthers pass rush. We've seen the way things happen in practice when that path, when that pass rush comes, it has to stop at some point, you know, Cam or Kyle or Will or will Sell if they if they miss, you don't see the violent end. No you don't. It's just like they step on the pocket and the throw

still gets out. So you want to see both the offensive line and for that matter, the defensive line finish the play. You know, how how do they finish the play when when we're you know, it's it's it's live now, it's real. So and you know, looking at uh, you know, potentially who might be playing where you know, we we saw a lot of Greg Van roting at center in the um and the Tuesday walked through. You know, we still a lot of Dennis Daily out there with the

first team. Would be great to kind of want. Yeah, I wonder how much we're gonna see a paradise as they're kind of like being a little cautious with with him. Um, yeah, does that mean Greg is going to be at center? We're gonna see him at left? Yeah? I don't know that we're gonna see the Week one starting lineup at offensive line, but it would be great to see Greg Little and Davis daily and see those guys against opponents,

especially depending on you know what the Bears rotation looks like. Well, we were talking to Trade Turner for our production meetings for the game, and one thing that he talked about the offensive line is they almost have to learn to dance together. And I love that to use the word dance, because that's what it is. It's this choreographed almost first step that they have to do, and that's what that continuity is about. So I'm with you on I want

to see this offensive line and it does. I get it, it's the first one, but it's like it does kind of be like, why are we not going to see the starting five? Why would you not put them out there for a couple of reps at least, you know, a series or two so that we can see it. But then you also have to look at well, what are you weighing here, being cautious with guys that you want to make sure ready for week one, or trying

to get this continuity within a game. So I'm interested to see to what they do with that offensive line because I think that is huge. We've gotten a lot of answers defensive line. Some other positions. But the offensive line, we're still like exactly and and how you know who's where? And when are we going to see them? Plays on with you on offensive line? What are you excited to see? Um?

I'll go backup quarterbacks, which is probably an easy one, but we're we know we're not going to see cam Ron has confirmed that we want to see Luke either for that matter, But Kyle and Will get the start, and we know we're gonna see plenty of Will Greer at some point too. And this is the rookies first time to be out there in a game setting. Kyle has had a great camp, um, and I think a lot of people want to know. Look, they invested the third round picking Will Greer. Is he going to win

this backup job? Or is Kyle Allen going to hold him off? And I think that competition really starts now. Training camp practices are one thing, but especially with the quarterbacks. You know, if you put together you know, a fifteen for eighteen day with a hundred something yards and two touchdowns like that, that makes a state. Um, if you turn the ball over in the preseason games, that also makes a statement to youve got to be able to

protect the football. So I'm curious to see how both these young guys play against the Good Bears defense that I don't think it's going to feature Khalil Mack and co. All that much. We know the starters won't be out there very much of it all for either team. Um, but this is their opportunity to go out there and really play and sling it. Yeah. I'm going to stick with the offense here. So I think we a lot of us we've been watching, but we've been watching the

defense so heavily in training camp. I think this is where we can get some maybe answers on offense running backs. So the conversation of you know, lightening the load of Christian McCaffrey, we've learned that that's not so much you know, his carries per se, or how many times he's touching the ball in the game, but it's how many snaps he's actually on the field for. So with that great in theory, but then who's going to come in and still draw the attention that Christian McCaffrey can draw on

some of these plays. I think that's why he's out there, because if you send him up the middle, everyone's going that way. And it frees up some plays on the outside. So I'm interested to see with the the players that are gonna play with the three running backs that would be out there. Scarlett's not going to be out there, but the other three, how how are they? What are they doing? Because I think you know, when you're in practice,

they're not taking hits. They're not you know, it's very just touch the guy and he's down as two hand touch football there a lot of times at training camp. So what do they do when they're actually getting hit? You know, we want to see Hollyfield catch some balls that we haven't seen a lot. You know, he's kind of that blocker guy. Is that what they're looking for? Because I think with when you have a complete running back like Christian McCaffrey, you don't necessarily need another complete

running back. And I don't think they have anyone on the roster right now that you would check and just be like, he's ready to be a starter in this league. Complete running back, But you need to find one that, if you're trying to lighten the load on snaps, be the one that can pull some attention. So how's the ability to make some plays? But it's also a really good blocker, So I want to see what do they

look like when it's live football out there. And the guy that no one has talked about that could emmul Christian style of play the most now that Scarlett is hurt is Reggie Bonifon. Like, I mean, what a name I mean, right, I mean, he came out and made all sorts of waves when the depth chart that someone who will remain name was put out this last week, you know, and he's third, you know, I mean it's completely unofficial, but we're going to get to see him.

And you know, he played all these positions in college. You know, he's done everything. You know when he was at Louisville, you know, can he go out there and all of a sudden, you know, be be someone that you're looking at him to do stuff that Christian is also doing at the same time, because you know, I feel like artists pain and all the feel a kind of more of the same cloth, you know, kind of really really hard nose between the tackles, not necessarily threats

to catch out of the back field. And Ron has even said, like every year he seems to say, like artist pain has had a great camp. He's had a great camp, he's had a great past. Yeah, so is that enough to apparently you know, like isn't enough? So then who can jump over him in the preseason? Approved because it is kind of one of those well gosh, he's play and great, you want to keep him around, And I think it's gonna be interesting to see to once those roster cuts do come, how many running backs

are they going to keep? Um if they're really going to buy into this lightning the load for Christian. But it was also funny to bring that up to some of the other offensive players and they're like, I'm sorry, we're what it's Christian McCaffrey, Like if he's let him eat, Like if he he is who he is. I mean, that's why they're giving the ball to him. So it'll be interesting to see. That's one thing that I am very just. I want to see how it plays out.

How many are they going to have? And it's a shame that Scarlett's hurt because this is this is the time of year whereas a rookie you want to be out there playing and if you're you're behind, it's it can be tough to catch up, especially if guys go out there and really show out. So hopefully, um, he's able to recover quickly and get out there for weeks two of the preseason because it's this This is not the one the way you want to get this part of the year going. Yeah, for sure, plenty of other

storylines to watch going into this game. You can check out all the content on Panthers dot com leading up to this Thursday night game in Chicago. Renevera returning to Chicago. He was there for a long time. It's always kind of fun to go home. Maybe a little bit that probably feels a little bit like home outside of Charlotte. So um, it'll certainly be a fun night in Chicago and a beautiful weather. Can we talk about it? Thank goodness we are going now and not later in this season.

Big fan of that. But like I said, please join the conversation on Twitter. Tell us some things that exist but you don't really know why. And I found the nickname that was given for our producer here, Um Matt Sterp. I thought that was pretty but he did, We're going with HOGI we go. Can we agree on Hogi? Matt Hogy Hogan. I like Matt Hogi Hogan. He also sent us a little fun fact on Columbus Day because we

weren't sure. So federal offices they get Columbus Day off, but there's only twenty three states that give they're workers the day off. Tennessee. Officially, they're officially a big Columbus dat. Yeah, they're all they're all in Ohio in on Columbus Day. Seem how their state capital is Ohio is I think makes sense, Ohio is there. So we've really come full circle here on the group chat. At least we went back to Columbus Day there and the nickname for hogi

our producer. I like that one. That's gonna be a good one. But thank you so much for joining us on the group chat from Max McFadden and myself. We will see you next week. Wo