Happy Half HourThis week on a Happy half Hour.
Dave Canal has talked a good bit in Indy and Dan talked about Dave doing this being a developmental guy, always wanted to develop everybody. And if you believe in your ability to develop people, then betting on upside and betting on trades and work.
What's the cow. It's time for the Happy Half Hour, presented by Southern Star, an official bourbon of the Carolina Panthers. Here are your hosts, Darren Gant and Cassidy Hill.
Hello, friends, and welcome back to Charlotte. It's a home studio advantage edition of the Happy Half Hour.
Sounds like it's been a while since we've been here.
I know it's been a while since we've been in this room, and it's been a while since I've told the people how much The Happy Half Hour is brought to them by our good friends at Southern Star, an official bourbon partner of the Carolina Panthers. Celebrate the spirit of the Carolinas.
So you don't need the car I don't know it.
I just yeah, I just know it, except for when I don't forget to read.
So the words are in your heart.
Yeah, they are in my heart and also my liver perhaps, But anyway, Yeah, we are back from Indy. I mean the last time we did this, we were in a cavernous room. I'm sure the acoustics were amazing.
Yeah, I'm sure Matt had fun with that.
Yeah. But we are back home and I even have declared this a successful combine for my favorite reason that a combine is either a success or failure. I do not have COVID right now. Ooh, that is a Having come home from Indianapolis with the novel coronavirus previously, I always feel a little good. It's like when you've crossed the line. All right, give me one day to day. I'm still well. Boom, Okay, I didn't combin anybody.
I didn't come back with COVID, but I definitely came back with the combine crud. That's what I call it, where your body's just like, hey, we want to sleep for I think at one night I slept for like thirteen hours straight after we got home.
Well, that's because you were out there poisoning your mind, your body, spirit, all that intemperance and hateful gossip.
We just have different words for it. Sometimes it exchanging information.
Yeah, it's you know, there's a lot of information to be exchanged, it's combined, and honestly, that's the thing I have told people, and I think we mentioned this last week. This thing's billed as a college scouting opportunity, but it's kind of a trade show for the entire NFL, because the entire NFL was there, was together, and they were all talking and everybody was gossiping and lying and trying to make people think they were doing stuff they were not doing.
Let me ask you a question though, while we're on this subject. There has been a trend in recent years started as most trends in the past ten years have started with Sean McVay of coaches not coming to the combine, and we've kind of seen that trend branch out amongst the Sean McVay disciples. Yeah, do you see that hurting them, helping them, not making a difference, Like, do you think this is going to become a league wide trend over the next ten years or is this just a Sean McVay.
Matt Laflor, here's the.
Thing I think that I mean, if you are doing something else, like if coaches are hiring a new staff or working to build a playbook with a brand new offensive coordinator or something like that. I can justify it if you're doing something else right, But to just not go, to be not going seems counterintuitive to me because, as I just mentioned, everybody's ny and it's not just the players, because I have had coaches tell me they make decisions on guys based on conversations they had in the elevator. Yeah, based on how they walk through the door, right, I mean the way they interact with other people. So I believe, you know, it's all just it's like do you put more stock in forty time or this? It's all part of it. It's one more tool in the toolbox. It's one more opportunity to evaluate everything. It's not just how fast you run the forty, it's how you interact with, you know, people who you know. I've always said you can tell what kind of human being someone is by the way they treat children, the elderly, waitresses and dogs. And if they're bad to those groups of people who ostensibly can't do anything for them, then maybe they're bad people. So I want to watch everything. I want to be a part of everything. But you know, you can make a rationalization for not going too because it has become scripted. Guys do practice interviews, guys do train specifically for drills and forty times. So is it as effective as it used to be and as useful as it was in nineteen ninety five? Maybe maybe not, But also there's there's all he's a way to find something out.
For sure, and especially because I believe that the reasoning given for some of these coaches not coming, Like the first year that McVeigh didn't go, it was because you know, that was the year that the RAMS had given away all of their picks, and so it was like, what am I gonna go do when I'm.
There, I'm gonna go do a lot of research on this one fifth round big exactly.
And then that was also right after COVID and the NFL had started to allow for the thirty visits to be done over zoom to some extent, and so you know, he was like, I can get everything I need from that. I think there's still something that can get lost in translation over a zoom.
Sure, that's just me.
And so I mean, Dave Canal has told us a great story last week that you can see on Panthers Dot com One of the reasons they zero did on Tyler Lockett was because he watched how he came out and put on his cleats before the workouts. That's not something you're gonna get over a zoom and.
So yeah, human human inner actions always valuable, and anytime you can get that, I think there's a value in it. I mean, I I have you know, I joked with Jansen the other week about It's when we were talking about Andy Dalton coming back, and one of the stories I wrote after Andy re signed to come back for another year was how upset Andy got with himself the day he had to hold for kicks in practice and he wasn't very good at it. And that's a job that he wasn't going to be asked to do in a game. There was no danger of him doing it in a game. But Andy got salty with himself anyway because he didn't do it exactly right. And I laughed and told JJ here's the part of the program where Darren Gant takes a very small thing and extrapolates it into a global character trait. So anyway, that's the thing I do as a writer often, but I think coaches do it all the time too, as you know, and there's value in it. I mean Atlanta Terry Fonto, their GM told us that, you know, they left their entire offensive coaching staff back home because you know, like what's happening in Carolina, the Atlanta Falcons are concentrated on bringing defensive help in and so they just left all the offensive coaches at home because you know, most of those positions are accounted for. They got a young quarterback on a rookie deal that they're moving forward with. They like their skill position talent. You know, they're they're set at most of those spots, so you can justify it.
I can see that allows you to use your meetings on more defensive guys.
Yep. But you know the combine still exists for its basic reason, which is get everybody together, do all the medical testing in one place. And yes, of course there were drills. I know, you know, we could go through a lot of this kind of stuff. But I know one of your favorites already in this track, crush your guy, your guy Shamar.
He is everybody has a guy every year. My guy this year was Shamar Stewart, which I liked him based off nothing that was on film or his numbers. I just liked the guy from what I met at the Senior Bowl, and then he goes out there and he has an incredible combine performance. There is a slow worry when a guy, especially if that position, has a combine performance like that and you do compare it to the tape. I think there can be some excuses made for the tape because he was playing on such a stack defensive line.
HM.
He had four and a half sacks over three years.
That's one point five sacks, not many, not many, I think you can you could find ways to justify it. And it's really really easy to fall in love with a guy's RAS score.
But when he has a score that high.
I think he was like a nine point nine to nine out of ten, third highest defensive end score since the since they started tracking RIS in nineteen eighty five, you can't help but pay attention to that.
And so oh, I know. And again for those of you who don't consume combine content and gratuitous and microscopic detail. Shmar Stewart defensive end from Texas A and M had a what forty one inch vertical forty one inch thirty one inch vertical I mean that's about that's great basketball player vertical and he's doing it at about two hundred and sixty five.
He ran a four to four. I think he's one of only three players to have a forty one inch of that size to have a forty one inch vertical and run a sub four or five.
Yeah, and so big man who didn't run fast and jump high. And you know, there are guys who've done it before who haven't had college production. Daniel Hunter was one, you know, Rashuon Garrett. There are guys who are able to do it. There's usually a reason for it. But the idea that, oh this guy only had four and a half sacks in three years, we don't want anything to do with him, you might be you know, ignoring, uh, you know, pretty ridiculous athlete.
Some of these Georgia kids, you know, they play on such a stack defense.
They don't have great college numbers.
Aalen Carter never posted a lot of numbers exactly.
And then look at the Eagles.
Wouldn't trade Jalen Carter for all the money in the world right now?
And where did he get picked?
Which one?
Dick's sixth or eight?
He was I like that range.
See what I did.
There, I see he dropped that right in.
So yeah, I just I just think that, you know, you have to balance it out. And we'll talk about this more as the draft process goes along. But you balance the production versus the skills, and you're projecting a little bit. I mean, Dave Canalis talked a good bit in Indy and Dan talked about Dave doing this being a developmental guy, always wanting to develop everybody, And if you believe in your ability to develop people, then betting on upside and betting on trades can work.
And I think they've shown, at least on the offensive side of the ball this last year, that his coaching staff is willing and able to do that. And so if that's going to be their mindset, then you have to believe it has to work on both sides of the ball, and you have to trust your process and trust what you can do, and you have to draft as such. You know what else you have to do? You have to sign free as as such.
Yeah, you do. And you know what, I think they call that in the business as segue because it's not just a funny looking scooter that Boris dil used to ride around Charlotte on You know what I learned.
The other day.
I learned this from a question on Jeopardy. Segways were discontinued a few years ago. They no longer make them.
Maybe that was because Boris DL wrote them around Charlotte and wasn't necessarily the greatest advertisement.
For sure, that's why.
But anyway, Yeah, you mentioned free agency, and yeah, we are sitting here, it's Thursday afternoon as we're recording this. Free agency is going to begin in one of its forms next Monday at noon. The tampering period nobody actually calls a legal tampering period, the negotiation period during which unrestricted free agents are allowed to talk to other teams, they cannot strike official deals.
Be the first time they've ever spoken.
Yeah, it always is. But it's a two day preview basically for free agency, which begins officially Wednesday at four pm. And there's gonna be a good bit of movement, I mean, and Dan Morgan made it pretty clear when he was up in Indianapolis last week. It's going to be a busy time. They got stuff to do, and it's going to get done pretty quickly. I would think next week, I think we're.
Going to see in this free agency period the market get reset on defensive linemen because everybody is going to be reacting to what.
The running backs did last year.
Yeah, and everybody's going to be reacting to what the Philadelphia Eagles stacking up lineman about eight deep and you know, just continuing to throw them at people in waves. So it's and again, anybody who is familiar with the work of the Carolina Panthers defense in twenty twenty four understands entitled what Dan Morgan was talking about when he was like, listen, what we did on offense last year, we're going to do on defense this year. And it starts up front last year on offense. That meant in the opening hours of free agency, Robert Hunt and Damian Lewis agreed to terms on deals with the Carolina Panthers. I would dare to say this time next week, we could be talking about brand new linemen, brand new pass rushers, brand new safeties. And you know, thirty years of experience tells me that safety is a position they could address early in free agency. Also, the fact that they ain't got but one on the roster that tells me also that safety is an area.
Demanti Richardson can play every safety position by himself.
Yeah, you know, and he'll sing to us while he does it, right, So it's uh yeah, I mean you knew. I mean, based on the season the Carolina Panthers had, you don't break the records they broke. You don't set the marks they set in terms of run defense, total defense, and points allowed without making it an emphasis the following year to go out and fix.
That thing exactly, and especially at the safety position too. I think we could see maybe a different approach, you know, to that safety position because it's been a lot of Okay, these guys can play special teams and defense, and I think you even said this the other day. Might that switch to they can play defense and special team.
Right, Yeah? I mean, And that's the thing. This team last year was wealthy and special team specialists, I mean cats like Lonnie Johnson, Sam Franklin, John Radagan, et cetera, et cetera. I think what the Carolina Panthers need is a bunch of guys who are better at defense and can also add some value. So we'll see how that shakes out. But I just think in the early parts of free agency, the stuff we're gonna be doing, the stuff we're gonna be writing about first part of the next week. It's going to be all about upgrading that defense.
Yeah, and especially upfront two because I mean, like you said, with Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, for as fancy and as flashy as things can get, this game is still one in the trenches. And if you're gonna hold your own, you're gonna have to beef up that defensive line. Sure, you have said. If you've said it once, you've said it a million times the past couple of months. They're gonna get one of the best in the business when they get Derek Brown back on the field.
M M.
But you know, and that almost gives you a little bit of leeway, maybe more in free agency and in the draft. You're not necessarily having to go out and get a number one guy. Yeah, you can get to number two or pay for a number two.
Well, you're going to get a guy who is going to likely become better by virtue of standing next to Derrick Brown. You know. I think that's the thing that's important to note is you know, you can go out and again, if they go out with the intent that they displayed last year when they signed Rob Hunt and Damian Lewis. Then that grade of player is pretty good already on his own. But when you park him next to Derek Brown and you know, A'shawn Robinson's over there on the other side, then all of a sudden you look around and say, Okay, well that's a front that ought to be a lot better at run defense.
Exactly.
Yeah. Good.
I didn't know what else to add to that.
Yeah, it's just I talk so much that sometimes the absence of Darren talking is a jarring thing for human beings. So it's it's definitely.
Just I went mind blake, and you said it so well, I was like, sure, yeah.
But the other thing that happens, I mean, there's gonna be a lot of names, and people always fall in love with names this time of year. But one of the things I always like to point out in my role as the old person who's seen many things, is it don't always work out that way. Uh, if you were.
Older, not the only team bidding for these people.
Well you're not that, and not everything works out the way you think it's going to. I am old enough to remember a time when the Carolina Panthers were also looking to fortify a defensive line, and they did it by acquiring Reggie White and a gentleman named Eric Swan. And they were going to weaken one of their division rivals by signing pass rusher Chuck Smith away from the Atlanta Falcons. And I remember talking to Chuck Smith when he came in on his visit, caught him at his hotel, and you know, Chuck was like, I'm fired up about it. I know, I've been a Falcon for a long time, looking forward to getting here and really wreaking hav it, you know, playing with these guys, this, that, and the other. They were gonna pair up with Sean Gilbert, who was acquired as a franchise free agent a couple of years earlier, and Chuck Smith was excited to get with those guys. Chuck Smith played exactly two games for the Carolina Panthers. What happened, Yeah, Well, as it turns out, his knees were shot and they probably shouldn't have signed it to again with. But this was the George Sea Ferd era, and things happened every now and then because reasons. But there were Yeah, I mean, d L's over here. Laughing on the other side of the room because he's like me. He remembers Mount Rushmore, he remembers Panthers legend, Reggie White, Sean Gilbert, Eric Swan, and Chuck Smith, who you know. Yeah, it didn't work out the way anybody thought it did. When the local newspaper made a really fancy graphic putting those four guys if they were presidents on the side of the South Dakota Mountain.
There, when you have Reggie White, you feel like you could put anybody else in there and be okay.
And they ended up putting anybody else in there. I think Tim Moribido ended up in there at times. But uh no, it was It was kind of a mess. And and you know, free agency just does that. I mean things that seem like great ideas at the time. You know, once upon a time, Uh they signed a guy Justin Hartwig because they needed somebody to stabilize the center position in the middle of an offensive line. And Justin Harwig was pretty good at football. But the next year, in the second round, they're looking at their board and the best player available sitting there at fifty seven ish was a guy named Ryan Khalil.
And remember all this and you.
My brain is a broken place. I don't know where my keys are.
A lot of days, do you remember, right?
But I remember? But I remember Justin Hartwig and Ryan Khalil like their family members. But yeah, I mean Hartwig was a perfectly good center. I mean they paid him decent money to come from Tennessee, I remember, and he was pretty good at the game. But once you drafted Ryan Khalil, and then Ryan was standing around for a year with nothing to do. I mean he was playing guard in some games and filling in here and there. But then you realized, oh my god, we've got a five time pro bowler sitting here on the bench. Let's play him instead. So free agency gets a lot of attention. It makes for great content this time of year, when things slowed down in that little wall. Before you know, we're what forty nine days out from the draft, so we got to have stuff to talk about for the next seven weeks. But it's often not the kind of determinative factor I will never forget. I mean, speaking of free agency stories and stuff, I remember that. You wonder why I should? Who can forget Keyshawn Johnson's Panthers era?
How long was that era.
That era, it was exactly one year long.
But I remember Sara any significant period of time.
Yeah, well, it was definitely significant. I remember calling Keishawn on the phone when I found out he was coming here for a visit, and Keishaan says, how'd you get this number? Come on, Keishawn, I'm a reporter. I find things out in exchange for money. I can't tell you that that would be betraying a confidence. Well, I don't know if I can talk to you. If you don't tell me where you got this number, well I can't do that. I hope we can come to some kind of agreement. And the phone goes click, and I thought, all right, Keishawn Johnson's principal man, he doesn't want to talk to me today. So about thirty seconds later, my phone rings and I answered, Miss Darren, Hey, Daron's Keyshan, Sorry about that. I was going through TSA. My man just had to run his phone through the middle detector and it was as soon as he was on the other side of the security.
Part is that he didn't tell you that's what was gonna happen, right, you know.
I mean, but that was part of Kishon's persona. So he was a delightful fellow. We made many fond memories together in that one year he was here, but it didn't quite work out. And that's the thing I mean. I think if you want to approach free agency successfully, you gotta not fall in love with recognizable names, right. I mean, we were talking this morning about Joey Bosa, and Joey Bosa's name pops up to the Panthers need pass rusher, Of course they do. Do they need thirty three year old pass rushers played twenty eight games in the last three years?
Maybe not.
I think they'd probably rather have somebody young. I just go back to last year and if if this is the same kind of statement of intent, you know, you look at last year when they go out and sign Damien and Rob those guys were twenty six and twenty seven years old. That's NFL prime. I mean, those are guys who had been starters for four years on rookie contracts and finally got that first body of the apple and free agency, I think that's what you'd rather have. You can always go find old guys later on. But you know, if you want to make a real impact on a defense, you go out and find those guys who were in their fifth six years rather than their tenth twelve, all those.
Guys coming off their first contracts, their rookie contracts, or you know, maybe even somebody that that started as like a.
UDFA and kind of work their way up on one year deals. Give him his first long term contract.
Man, I can only imagine when Sane Anderson becomes available from you. You're gonna be a mask. We're not gonna be able to tell you nothing. You'll you'll be down with the safety. You'll be down in Dan's office advocating front.
No I know, but this His name is Sane Anderson, and you need him, Yeah, no doubt, for no other reason.
Than just content content gold.
So anyway that we should.
Be able to give Dan a list of like these are our top five content free agent targets. Yeah, see if you can work them in.
Who's the guy the Viking safety?
The Viking safety, Yeah can buy.
It, cam by it. You know you don't want him because of his reign jury that could not.
Tell you what kind of safety he is, although he must be good because he was constantly.
In the end zone celebrating. So you've got a lot of turnovers.
I guess you're there for the choreography.
I know that makes me think of what, you know, the movie White Christmas. There's like a song about choreography. Anyways, Yeah, he would be good for content. There's there's a couple of guys that would be great for content.
Jamis Oh, Jamis Winston man he is, he is Manna from heaven. But uh what what Dan Morgan, what Brent Tillis, what Dave Canalis are looking for is not content gold. What they're looking for is actual gold on the football field. We will see by the time we catch up with you again Tail in the next week, many many things will change. We will know names, We will have talked to many of these fine gentlemen, and we will continue at all when we visit again on the next Happy half Hour
