CHARLOTTE — A funny thing happened in the locker room after Sunday's loss to the Eagles. There wasn't an immediate rush to the door.
Usually, after a road game, particularly a road loss, guys shower quickly, change, and head for the bus that takes them to the airport. And it's not that guys were lingering, but there was a clear sense of camaraderie after that game, which you don't always see.
After head coach Dave Canales spoke to the team and went back to his office to change for the flight, guys began to gather. Canales mentioned that Chuba Hubbard had topped the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. People came to congratulate him. Hubbard then thanked his offensive line, and people came to congratulate them. And that circle kept growing. It wasn't just the starting five, but backup guard and eligible extra blocker Chandler Zavala was part of it; injured center Austin Corbett was on the trip and he got pulled into the group. Like a rock dropped into a still pond, the ripple kept expanding, bringing more and more guys into the recognition.
It wasn't a party — they know they lost, and close isn't enough — but it was a growing number of people engaged in a shared purpose. And you could sense the difference.
Canales didn't tell them to congregate, it happened organically. And that's the important part. This team is beginning to internalize his message, say his words back, and get closer to the goals that were abstract concepts at the beginning of the season. They know the expectation and that they're still short of it. But they can also see that the work is beginning to pay off, and that's drawing them closer together.
Veteran safety Jordan Fuller, asked Sunday about Canales' message and how it was received, said, "It's a little stronger now."
"It's just like, you see it, believe it," Fuller continued. "Like, we're supposed to be in these games, a few of these games we were supposed to win, you know? So now, believe it.
"I'm quite confident we're right there, and we're going to keep putting the work in to get over that hump."
The Panthers have four games left. There's a lot to play for, including that shared vision coaches always talk about, which the Panthers are beginning to see.
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I am really impressed by the fight the Panthers show every week. Early in the year, it felt like we were going to be blown out no matter what, and now it feels like being blown out is nearly impossible to do to this team. That being said, we still need to figure out how to win these close games. A win against the Eagles was always going to be a tall task, but against teams like Tampa, which we took to the wire, how do we start turning these near misses into wins and improve even more as a team? — Grant, Columbus, OH
Get a stop in the red zone. Score a touchdown in the red zone. Hit field goals and extra points. Don't turn the ball over. Very specific tangible things.
You can add "don't play the Eagles and Chiefs" to the list, and that would certainly help, but the checklist of needs is portable and applies to any opponent. When they're playing the not-Eagles and not-Chiefs, they have to do all the same things.
That's been Canales' message all season, and seeing the evidence of it working now helps validate the work.
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Hi Darin. I hope you are doing well. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I missed all but about two minutes of our game with the Eagles. I watched highlights on the Panthers App, and it looks like we did some good things. Looking at the score, it seems that we had a good chance to come away with the win. I'm impressed with the progress we have been making. Keeping games close with really good teams like the Chiefs and the Eagles makes it hard for me to be too upset with the losses. It feels like we are on the brink of something big. What, in your valued opinion, is the biggest thing we need to correct to be able to finish strong and win the close games? Thanks. — LeeAnne, Lincolnton, NC
More people. More time.
The Panthers went into this deal knowing it wasn't a one-year process. And it's still not.
They weren't going to be able to fix all the personnel problems in a single offseason, and they were aware of that. So this year was about stabilizing, implementing a program, and growing this thing.
Those guys in that locker room now realize there are things happening that will be beneficial in the long term.
The guys who are not in that locker room now and who are on their way here this offseason will be key to building on these results.
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Darin, hello again from the Older Guy in Germany. Another improved-but-close loss. Unfortunately, close is only good in hand grenades and horseshoes. Even though it was another loss, this faithful fan believes it is another moral victory for us fans and the team. The continuous improvement from the coaches' play calling and the players continuing to step up and make the plays shows me that the team is gelling and finding their identity. Bryce Young is continuing to show his abilities and leadership skills. There are a few issues that need attention to continue the improvements. Yeah, no playoffs again this year; however, I am encouraged that if we can keep the team as it is, coaches and players, get them back healthy next season, maybe a few more quality players in free agency added, and good rookies added in the draft with our nine picks we have so far, we have a very good opportunity to make the playoffs next year. So, I am very proud of my Panthers; Keep on Pounding. — Kenneth, Stuttgart, Germany
The consistency of staff for another year will not hurt, that's for sure. Being able to build year after year is an added element to this thing and another reason for optimism.
And yes, having nine picks next year (for now) and eight of them in the top five rounds will be beneficial. At the moment, that first pick is fourth overall, but there are four games left. Situations change.
And to run the risk of sounding like Canales himself, the goal isn't necessarily the playoffs. The goal is to improve the product at regular intervals. I'm no coach, but my kids heard me talk about process a lot when they were growing up, about doing the right thing the same way every day, especially when nobody was looking. That's not particular to football.
Results are limiting. Process matters way more. Get that part right, and results generally take care of themselves.
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If Adam Thielen's gloves were lighter, then it would've been a TD against the Bucs. Equipment guys need to get our receivers bright-colored gloves to see the whole hand on the ball. Chiefs wear bright yellow gloves. Not a question but a suggestion. — Pacian, Snellville, GA
And a seemingly valid one. So I committed a journalism and went down to the equipment room to acquire their thoughts. (Also, love the equipment room. Among the hardest-working, least-appreciated people in the building. I am here for the grinders. Also, I feel so welcomed every time I drop by there.)
The equipment staff, a collection of self-actualized and enlightened humanitarians, respects the agency of individuals and their free will. Thus, each week, they give the receivers black gloves, blue gloves, and white gloves in their locker. Then, it becomes a personal choice. (This is the same thing the Chiefs do weekly, giving each receiver red, yellow, and white gloves. Equipment guys talk.)
Some players don't care and grab the first pair on the pile. Some guys are meticulous about their appearance and will choose gloves to match their cleats or pants or other uniform considerations. Thielen wore black gloves against the Bucs. He wore blue ones against the Chiefs (which popped against the all-black), but only after wearing black ones in pregame.
And as Canales mentioned about the Bucs game and the amount of cameras, these things can cut both ways. As easily as high-contrast gloves can help show possession, they can also make it easier to see non-possession. Sometimes the universe giveth, sometimes the universe taketh away.
If nothing else, Pacian gave me an excuse to visit the fine people of the equipment room, so I'll make him this week's Friend Of The Mailbag, and get the appropriate honorarium on the way.
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Is Bust Young, Jonathan Broke, and Xavier Not-Legit the biggest letdown (worst pick) in Carolina Panther's draft history? — Emily, Mauldin, SC
Well, that's just mean and unnecessary. Also, you put your apostrophe in the wrong place. I hate it when people do that.
Grading draft picks moments after the draft, or even after a year, is one of the silliest things my industry does. All it creates are reactions and surplus wrongness, which have equivalent value.
If you're standing here today, you've lived long enough to see Bryce Young go from being pilloried as a bad pick to being recognized as a guy who's making significant strides.
His story is far from finished, and it's being written every day. But the last couple of chapters look way different than the ones from earlier this season, and especially last year.
Let this be a lesson to all of you. Let that hot take breathe.
Also, don't try to force bad nicknames. That's worse than apostrophe abuse.
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Stinks for Jonathon Brooks, but that injury makes him look like the latest second-round miss in this team's history. Other teams get long-time starters there, but it seems like we always take some bust. Why? — Will, Rock Hill, SC
You're totally right, Will. The Panthers have never been able to find players in the second round. Never, ever in franchise history.
I mean, other than Muhsin Muhammad.
And Ryan Kalil.
And Mike Minter.
And Mike Rucker.
And Deon Grant.
And Kris Jenkins.
And DeShaun Foster.
And Richard Marshall.
And Kawann Short.
And Kony Ealy.
And Devin Funchess.
And James Bradberry.
And Donte Jackson.
And Curtis Samuel.
And Taylor Moton.
I mean, other than those guys, nothing.
Fans of any particular team tend to be myopic about their own fates and oblivious to the world around them. There are teams that are very good at drafting, and the Panthers are historically excellent in the first round, better than most. But what they do beyond that isn't beyond the norm because once you get past the first round, the probability of guys becoming long-term starters decreases quickly.
But for a team that's been in business for 30 years, to be able to rattle off 15 names of second-rounders that had that kind of impact isn't ordinary. Muhammad's in the Hall of Honor. Kalil, Rucker, Minter, and Jenkins all have valid cases for the same honor. Short was part of the foundation of a Super Bowl defense. Foster had one of the iconic touchdowns in franchise history. Moton is one of the most dependable and underrated players and human beings in franchise history.
And that doesn't even count guys who had their moments, like Keary Colbert or Yetur Gross-Matos.
It's too soon to discard Brooks, especially if you remember your history. Before Foster broke every Eagles tackle in the 2003 NFC Championship Game, he blew out his knee in his rookie preseason and didn't play a game the year he was drafted (though he did stiff-arm Darrell Green while trucking his way 61 yards downfield for his first professional touchdown in the preseason).
Grits are way better than instant grits. You just have to be patient enough to appreciate the difference. So, again, let's not be a prisoner of the moment. We're better than that here.
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It's been that busy part of the year for me between traveling to see family for holidays and spending a bunch of money, and why not have a lifelong friend's wedding thrown in there? But hey! Now I have a little time to sit down and reflect on what bits of Panthers football I've been able to watch over the past month and found myself repeatedly complimenting one player.
This is not an indictment on Corbett, but the best ability is availability, and this cat has got some serious claws. Dare I say the starting five this year will carry into next? — John, Matthews, NC
Cade has played well in some situations in which playing well isn't the kind of thing you assume. After jumping into the starting lineup against the Saints, he then got to see Dexter Lawrence in his face against the Giants and played well (he knew Lawrence from his time on the Giants practice squad). Last week, he was up against an Eagles interior that creates a lot of problems for a lot of people. But he's played admirably.
As for the future of the position, there are a number of variables.
For one, Mays will be a restricted free agent, which means they have the first chance to keep him. But Corbett's also an unrestricted free agent. And there's a galaxy of options to consider.
The best news for whoever is slotted into the middle next year is that he'll get to line up between Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. The two free agent guards from last offseason have been worth the money in terms of impact this year and will make it an easier spot to land for whoever lands there.
That's not to say you can just stick anyone in the middle, but the Panthers have a decision to make, and Mays has certainly given them something to think about this offseason.
Also, post-Thanksgiving fun fact about Cade Mays. He's an avid turkey hunter and has said his goal is to harvest a turkey in every state (he's at 11 and counting). But he's not going to get to 50 because wild turkeys aren't native to Alaska. Unless he goes to a grocery store in Anchorage and takes a frozen one down in the parking lot, he's going to have to settle for 49.
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Hey Darin, hope you are well. Another close one, but this time, something felt different. Despite losing another one-possession game, Bryce Young and the team still competed with the Eagles; others I have talked to say that the teams are just competing with their competition, but I am not sure how true that is. Do you think that teams are really playing down to their opponents?
Also, what does Jonathan Brooks's future look like? — Atticus, Allen, TX
There's probably a temptation to play at different levels based on your opponent, but it's not always wise. If the Chiefs were more geared up to play the Bills than the Panthers and Raiders, that's their right, but they almost paid for it twice.
If people are overlooking the Panthers right now, that's their right, but it's ill-advised. They're playing in a way that puts them squarely on the "find out" portion of the graph.
As for Brooks, the next step for him will be surgery and another long rehab. The timing means he's likely to miss most of 2025 again, but he's determined and aware of what he needs to do along the way.
It's heartbreaking and frustrating, mostly for him. He put a lot into getting back on the field, and now he has to do it all over again. He's a quiet young man, so he might not say a lot about it, but from watching him work, the perseverance is evident. But he was just handed a traumatic blow at 21, and he has to process it right now, and that might take a moment. They're working to support him, knowing it's going to be some time before the work pays off.
He has support, and knowledgeable advice. Stay tuned for more on that.
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What a heartbreaker. These guys are five plays a game from being a really good football team. They need a few more players to make those plays, but they are right there. The scales are tipping. I can feel it! I'm hearing (seeing) a lot of Ejiro Evero bashing. I'm wondering if you could expound upon the incredible job he has done considering the personnel he's working with and without. Appreciate you. — Deric, Gastonia, NC
Congratulations, you're a defensive coordinator in the NFL. And you just lost your best player for the season in the opener, and your other captain and signal-caller in the first month of the season. Also, one of your starting outside linebackers will be joining you in November, and the other one has a lot of hard miles on his tires. And you may not have been fully stocked to begin with. Play hard.
There have been games out there when Evero has had one of his starting front seven available. When that's the case, you have to adjust expectations.
They're still not a great run defense, and they may not be this year, but other signs show significant progress.
They had 7.0 sacks in their first seven games. They've had 18.0 in the six games since then, and 13.0 in the last three.
That's more than you can pin on the return of D.J. Wonnum. From A'Shawn Robinson's steadying presence and increasing pass rush, to moving people around, and Josey Jewell doing a job in the middle, there's a lot happening right at the moment. Evero and his entire staff (which he'll probably recite by name again Thursday in his weekly press conference) deserves credit for that.
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Which player on the Panthers had the best college career? — @nocontextcfb.bsky.social
This could be a healthy discussion, as there are a number of guys who would qualify.
Julius Peppers did all the cool football stuff, and played in the Final Four as a member of UNC's basketball team.
DeAngelo Williams is sixth in NCAA Division I history in career rushing yards from his days at Memphis.
Raghib Ismail won a championship at Notre Dame. Dan Morgan was an All-American and won all the national defensive awards during his time at Miami. Chris Weinke, Vinny Testaverde, Baker Mayfield, and Bryce Young won Heismans.
But this feels like a two-man conversation.
Cam Newton won a Heisman too, and practically single-handedly dragged an Auburn team to a national championship. No, really, single-handedly. Exactly one member of that Auburn offense was drafted in 2011 other than Newton, and that was seventh-rounder and Panthers Legend Lee Ziemba. It was not a uniquely talented team, but Newton was a singular talent.
But he just won that one championship.
One of his old Panthers teammates has two, though.
Armanti Edwards quarterbacked Appalachian State to a pair of Division I-AA national titles (becoming elite by beating Joe Flacco and Delaware for the second one), beat Michigan at the Big House, became the first quarterback in Division I history to throw for 10,000 yards and run for 4,000 in a career, and the first player to win the Walter Payton Award (the I-AA Heisman) in back-to-back years.
Armanti Edwards is not just the greatest Panther in the history of college football, he is the greatest college football player in the history of college football. [Editor's note: Editor graduated from Appalachian State a long time ago. It's possible his opinion is colored by this fact. He remains correct, however.]
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And on that note, let's go lightning round, brought to you by the patron saint of the lightning round Jeff from Fuquay-Varina, to close it out this week.
Hi Darin, thank you for the Friend Of The Mailbag shirt that you sent me, I am looking forward to wearing it when it won't be cold anymore in Charlotte. My question is when players make mistakes such as Eddy Piñeiro missed two costly field goals against Tampa Bay, or Chuba fumbles the ball in overtime. Can the Panthers decide to fine a player or even withhold the player's gameday paycheck for costly unacceptable mistakes? Thanks and Keep Pounding. — Shaked, Charlotte.
No, that's insane. These guys get paid for their work, until it is no longer their work. Why did I send you a shirt? I can't take it back (or expect you to know how to layer), so I'm not sure how to get through to you.
What does the symbol #30, the players have on their uniforms mean? Thank you. — Craig, Eagles Fan, Riverside, NJ
This is the Panthers' 30th year of football. Welcome to it. We look forward to converting you the way Chuba converted one of your younglings Sunday before the game. And they call you people diehards.
I have exams next week, do you have any study tips? — Zach, Charlotte
Spend all of your time screwing around on social media, and reading Panthers.com. Oh, wait, that's the opposite of good advice (except for the Panthers.com part).
Listen to your mom, get a good night's sleep, hydrate, and GET BACK TO CLASS, ZACH.
Help, go back to school Zach is going on a rampage so he can watch the Panthers game instead of SAT practice on Sunday. I am his brother please send help. — Michael, Charlotte
I've already spoken with your mother about this. Be proactive, work ahead, study without being told to, unload the dishwasher maybe, and your chances of a three-hour reprieve go way up.
It's all about process, and if you do the right thing the same way every day, good things eventually happen. Hey, that almost seems like a theme.
