Well, TD will start with your Forte.
The defense coach rules said
this team has to go from good to
great on that side of the ball.
What do you see from the defense
and and what steps do they need
to take to go from good to great?
You know when you look at this defense,
I I really feel like they have
the potential to to be a really,
really good defense. But the first
thing they have to feel some voice,
you know, and the biggest one,
Hassan Reddick not being here anymore, we
got to find out who's going to be that guy.
That's going to step up and replace
that role and he tore gross modest he.
He's the guy that comes to mind.
When I think about a guy that has
to step up that has to do a great
job of showing what he's capable of
and now he has that opportunity.
So hopefully he's going to do that.
Alright, we'll talk about
linebackers specifically.
What do you see from that group?
You know the linebackers
are getting a lot of.
They're getting a lot of reps.
They're getting a lot of opportunities.
Shaq Thompson, the sideline right
now with some new stuff right now.
But I I look at Damian Wilson.
I look at them bringing in other guys just
giving them opportunities to get out there.
I think the reps for these
young players are going to be.
Vital in this point in the season,
like when you look at the preseason process,
it's all about learning the defense.
And once you are able to learn the defense,
you have an opportunity to really
go out and showcase your talent.
And what better way to do
that than taking every Rep.
And that's what these
linebackers are doing right now.
And I think it's paying off for them so far.
You mentioned Shaq Thompson.
He talked about you the other
day after practice. As you said,
he's out right now with a knee injury.
Hopes to be good to go week one,
but he talked about you and the
leadership skills that you gave him
and just what that relationship meant.
So to have a player that's still on this
team that references you to know your impact.
It still felt within the
Panthers organization.
What does that mean?
You know it's a huge feeling,
you know to know that when
I came into this league,
I had a ton of guys that poured
into me and and and me becoming the
the leader that I became and the
player that I became ultimately.
But for me to be able to know that I I
passed that on that I and it's still
going and that's what it's all about.
You know, once the standard has
been set within a certain place,
it's important for the guys that become
along to keep that standard going.
And that's what Shaq has been able to do.
And he's trying to impress that upon Brian.
Birds he's trying to impress
it upon chin and eventually,
as the years continue to roll on,
Shaq is gonna be like me.
He's gonna be retired and he's going
to be able to come back and see
the legacy that he started with.
Those guys continue to be pushed on,
so that's what it's all about.
And Speaking of Brian Burns,
he said he's trying to step
into being more of a leader,
getting up at 6:00 AM.
He said he's not a morning person at all.
He actually took over your
locker in the locker room,
but what kind of season
do you expect from Burns?
You know, I think Burns is going to
have a phenomenal season in years past.
We had other guys on the
opposite side, you know.
Last year Hassan Reddick was a guy that
took a lot of pressure off and you know,
we just talked about it.
Someone has to step up in that role to
help when teams double team Brian Burns,
they're going to slide the protection
to him and the coaching staff.
They're gonna have to figure out
ways to get him to the quarterback,
but he's a dynamic talent.
He's a guy that can flat out go and we
we're expecting great things out of him,
so I'm looking forward to him having a
double digit sack instead of a 9A9 seasons.
I'm 9 sack season.
I know he'll be happy to hear that
you said that. Pressure for burns.
They're getting double digit sacks.
Year three under head coach Matt Rule.
The term we heard day one was urgency.
All the players talking
about the time is now.
They have to get wins.
How hot is head coach?
Matt Rule C?
They're talking about it. You know,
if if if it becomes a topic of discussion,
I think everybody understands the
importance and the sense of urgency
that has to take place. And you know,
this team can't stumble out of the blocks.
And I think Coach Rule understands
that that's why they went out and
they addressed the teams needs.
When you look at this team last year,
one of the areas that they
struggle in the most.
Was the offensive line.
We know that they had some a ton
of injuries along the offensive
line and they went out and they
addressed that and I'm excited about
the guys that they brought in.
Ultimately,
that's going to make this team better,
but the biggest key we all know is
keeping Kristen McCaffrey on the field
and also made a trade to get Baker
Mayfield. Here. We've got a QB.
One competition between him and Sam Darnold.
How do you see that playing out?
So when you bring in competition,
it brings out the best in everybody.
So for when I was here.
They drafted a linebacker in the first round,
three years, not 3 consecutive years,
but three years.
While I was the player.
So whenever you have a a guy coming
in that you know that has the
potential to take your spot as a
competitor is going to make you work harder.
It's going to make you compete harder.
It's going to make you play harder,
and that's what it's going
to do for Sam Darnell,
he's going to look at this situation
with Baker Mayfield being here,
and it's going to elevate the level
of play of both of those guys,
so it's it.
All it does is benefit this team.
And looking at the team overall,
trying to get more than five wins.
Trying to get to postseason.
Like do you think they have the potential?
I know you can't predict
injuries and that type of thing,
but do they have the potential
with this roster to go to playoffs?
They absolutely have the
potential to get it done.
It's just like you just talked about.
It's all about staying healthy.
It's all about guys being available,
being ready to go when the time comes.
And you know this team coming together.
This is the point right now where
you really jail you find out
you know what kind of continuity
you're going to have as a team.
You find out what kind of
camaraderie you can build.
And that's what training camp is about,
so hopefully they take advantage of this.
Paternity you start to set standards
that that have to be in place in
order to have a successful season.
So the process started now,
so I'm looking forward to seeing
how it comes together.
Alright, Spartanburg, you've been
here many seasons for training
camp week one just wrapped up.
How are these guys feeling?
You know these guys are feeling pretty
good and you know rightfully so.
Now we're going to find out who the men
are on this team when the pads come on.
That's when you really discover,
like who's about their life and who's not.
So that's one of the things that
I'm really looking forward to you.
You look at a guy running on air
and catch passes and cover people,
but when it comes time to make tackles
when it comes time to catch tough passes,
knowing that you're going to be hit,
those are the guys that separates
themselves that gets to play a
lot on Sunday versus the guy that
just have a roster spot.
Alright, we appreciate your time.
We appreciate your insight.
We'll see what the Carolina Panthers
do this season. Stay tuned.