CHARLOTTE — This is one of those weeks.
After that game against Dallas, a lot of people are questioning what they saw with their own eyes and wondering what to believe. And the thing we keep coming back to here at the Mailbag — our mission to civilize and advance the conversation — remains the same. Do you trust one thing or many things?
The previous five weeks at least contained a consistent trend of improved play. One of anything can be an outlier, whether good or bad. So the thematic answer to a lot of this week's questions is going to be, "I don't know; let's see what it looks like this week. We'll find out."
The last time they were favored, back in 2022 against the Steelers, they kind of got Mike Tomlined by Mike Tomlin, but came back the following week and ran for 320 yards and beat the Lions into submission just as they were realizing they were becoming good. If this year's team bounces back that way against the Cardinals, you can call the Cowboys game the aberration and continue.
Being a slave to the moment is no way to make long-term decisions. Also, it's exhausting.
Two weeks ago in Philadelphia, Saquon Barkley broke the Eagles' franchise record for single-season rushing, and they held on for a win on a day they didn't need to throw, but all the local media conversation the following week was about whether they were able to pass well enough to advance in the playoffs. To call it a conversation overstates it. It was screechy and knee-jerky. Guess what? Jalen Hurts threw for 290 and two touchdowns this week (getting both his star receivers involved), and that whole hysterical conversation seems silly in hindsight.
So, let's not be silly here. We're better than that, right? (Please help me prove that I'm right.)
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I really didn't think that I would be asking you about a 3-11 team after the Cowboys game, but here we are. My question for you today, Darin, is how important next week is for both the confidence of the team and the fan base. Coming off of one of the most disappointing games of late, do you feel like this is just a bump in the road or is this what we should learn to expect out of a Panthers team that was playing better before Sunday?
Last question: I know that you don't write about college football, but who is your CFP champion this year? — Elliott, Hickory, NC
"I don't know; let's see what it looks like this week. We'll find out."
Anyone who disputes what was happening prior to Sunday wasn't paying attention. The Panthers were both playing an improved brand of football and doing it together, and you could tell it around the building. There was a collective effort about the whole thing, a vibe that was real.
So yes, this week is big for the team because they need to validate the earlier work and make sure they don't forget what they had done previously.
Fans are going to fan, and there's no real controlling that (or desire to), but I do get the sense that rational reactions are becoming fashionable again. Or maybe I'm just trying to speak it into existence.
This was a year to recalibrate, to build something new, to lay down a foundation for a longer process. And they've done things so far to suggest a personality.
Many things will change around here this offseason, but some core things should remain. They have found an offensive line they trust and a running back in Chuba Hubbard who can help control the pace of the game (when they don't fall too far behind too early).
They'll add parts to the defense this offseason in hopes of doing the same thing on that side of the ball they did on offense last offseason. Stability, then improvement.
And the only thing I'm more ignorant about than professional football is college football. Was Appalachian State good this year? Did we make the playoffs? Georgia? (He guesses, and has a decent chance of being accidentally correct.) Oregon? (If only because I ran into Panthers and Ducks legend Geoff Schwartz at the hardware store the other day.) As an agent of sports chaos I could get behind the other ASU (Arizona State, bless their hearts), but what do I know? Nothing is the answer. Thanks for reminding me and allowing the world to realize what a maroon I am. Congratulations, you have exposed me as a giant fraud in a world of football-knowers. You're this week's Friend Of The Mailbag; the shirt's in the mail.
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Did your fellow beat writer really say "ascending Panthers" in an article leading up to the Cowboys game? I mean, really, ascending? This team has lost has many in a row? It's pretty pathetic how that fan base and even some of you beat writers seem happy about moral victories, improving, blah, blah, blah. The facts are this team stinks and has stunk for years now. There are holes all over this roster. — Jeff, (Parts unknown, formerly of Henderson, Nev.)
Yeesh. Jeff's on one, everybody.
She did. And I read it, and didn't change it. Because it's accurate.
Everything's relative, and after a year spent wandering, there's a clear direction now. That's not everything, but it's not nothing, either.
They've won one more game than they won last season, but only a maroon would suggest they're not in a better place now than they were 12 months ago.
Are there holes? Yes. Are there fewer than there were a year ago? Also yes.
Now, somebody go give Jeff a hug.
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Hey Darin! Hope you had a good weekend! I really just had one question I wanted to ask you about the Cowboys game. Do you think that being favored to win and our recent success (minus the wins) against playoff-caliber teams may have caused the guys to maybe go into this game thinking they could ease up on the gas a little bit? I don't think it was a decrease in confidence from Bryce Young or really anyone, to me it could be one of two things: either we did not take the game as seriously as we needed to in the beginning, and once we realized it would require that extra effort the deficit was already too high or is it that the Cowboys have found a late-season spark and we just aren't at a high enough level to contend against a humming offense and physical defense? Thank you!
P.S. To the Team, I think I speak for everyone when I say we see the effort and the growth and are super proud of the things you have been able to achieve over the last month! I have full confidence that with Bryce at the helm and our rookies continuing to grow and with Chuba Choo Chooing down the field that we can expect to see this team achieve greatness sooner than some may think! KEEP POUNDING!! — Chase, Troutman, NC
Behold, the Anti-Jeff.
I'm not sure they were flat, but learning to play as a favorite is a different skill set than being plucky underdogs.
Once this team learns to be competitive on a consistent basis, taking the next step is, well, the next step. And that's something they clearly have to work on.
Also, Mike McCarthy is really good at coaching football.
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Hi Darin! Disappointed, I guess, is the best word to describe the major feeling from fans after Sunday's game. Just when they were finally favorites, playing a team also with lots of injuries and coming from a loss on Monday Night Football at home, they (collectively) played well below the standard they set for themselves the last few games. But after hearing all the pressers from Dave Canales (Sunday and Monday), Bryce Young, D.J. Wonnum, and Robert Hunt, I can't help but at least have hope that this was another learning point that (at least I) we hope doesn't happen again on the last three games and maybe even next season. I could hear the exact things we thought were problems, in an honest and really accountable manner, from everyone - and almost every question made from the press enabled that (I guess it might sound obvious to ask those questions, but if you followed Brazilian soccer you'd be amazed at that same thing not happening — so the fans of the Panthers have a lot of great journalists doing the job there — enjoy that!).
So the question is if it's a reach to see next week's game (vs the Cardinals, but also the last two) as a measure of that learned lesson and continuing of that upward curve on the performance and competitiveness of the team, or is that too much? I liked your comparison with the last game, in which the Panthers were favorites (vs. the Steelers in 2022), which they also lost (the very next week, they got an imposing win against the Lions). Thanks! — Fernando, São Paulo, Brazil
Yeah, to a man, those guys knew they got whipped. That happens in the NFL. As the famous Eastern philosopher John Fox liked to say: "The other team practices too."
In a long season, there's going to be a game or two when you just get got. And that happened Sunday.
They allowed Dallas to get them out of phase, and that allowed the Cowboys to do what they're really good at. And in addition to having a really good ball coach, they have Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb.
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Dan Morgan said he's bringing in "dawgs" to rebuild. After that tussle on the sideline after a punt, is Johnny Hekker the alpha dawg? Man, I love how he gets himself into trouble like that! Then you got Adam Thielen trash-talking to the opponent's sideline. I think he runs routes to their side just to have a chance at a jab! Other than these guys, who is the dawgiest dawg on the team that Morgan walks by and goes, "Yep, he's got it." — Dustin, Calgary, Alberta
You have to give Hekker credit for walking that fine line between aggression and restraint. He hasn't head-butted anyone or drawn any personal foul penalties in over a year! (Perhaps this is why he's this year's nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.)
There are a lot of guys with bark; the thing Hekker's done to lend credence to it is play at a consistently high level. He was the All-Decade punter for the 2010s. He's that guy. And that's the key with Thielen, too. Your play has to match the level of the noise that surrounds you.
They need dudes, but they need dudes to play well and know where that line is between playing with an edge and giving away yards they can't afford by crossing the line. Thielen knows where that line is and has been pushing it for a decade.
There are a few others who satisfy the canine requirements of this place. Hunt's one of those guys. A'Shawn Robinson's one of those guys. He's had old-head energy since he was a teenager, and he's doing everything he can to keep an understaffed defense afloat. (If you are looking for hope next year, imagine him across from a healthy Derrick Brown. That's a good place to start.)
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Hi Darin. Always appreciate you keeping it real with us. Apparently, when the O-line is on, so are the Panthers, and when they are off, the whole team's off. Have to say that as long as this line has been jelling together, I wasn't expecting all the procedure miscues. Bryce will hopefully learn more about ball security, but overall, he's learning, and it is a process, as referenced by you, our fearless leader. I think the games are won up front, as Steve Wilks said, but our safeties seem to be struggling. What are your thoughts? — Don, Trinity, NC
It's always dangerous, as we say often, to let any one game change the way you think about an entire group. Sunday was an avalanche, and avalanches rarely turn around and go back uphill. But that line has been good all year, more consistently than it has looked like it did against the Cowboys.
There are some good players in that safety group, guys who have played well here and elsewhere. (Specifically, Xavier Woods is out there laying totally legal hits, while remaining one of four defensive players in the league to play every snap this season.) But it's probably worth remembering that most of them are free agents at the end of the year. That means they have a choice about their futures, too.
Among the entire position group, only undrafted rookie Demani Richardson is under contract beyond the next three games, so it's possible it could look very different back there. But a lot of things on defense figure to look different next year, so singling one spot out could create the wrong impression that it's the biggest problem.
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We had an early Christmas shindig this weekend with my girlfriend's family and her father (a Dallas fan) gifted me a Carolina Panthers beach towel. I naively accepted the gift and hung the towel by the TV for good luck before we tuned in. That may have been a mistake. The man lives about an hour from New Orleans, and after watching our laughable performance on Sunday (in a game where we were favored for once), I am beginning to suspect this towel may have been cursed with voodoo. Her father is also trailing me in our fantasy league and has the Dallas kicker AND defense on his team. The evidence is all there and this is increasingly seeming like the only logical explanation for what I just witnessed.
My question is if spells and curses are against NFL regulations and are thus grounds for disqualification? I'm thinking we may yet be able to salvage a win if we can get an official inquiry opened regarding this matter. Also, do you know any good detergents for removing black magic? Please hurry; this game left me in desperate need of a shower. — Jake, Conway, AR
I think you need to do a couple of things, stat.
1) Get yourself a gris-gris to ward off any future black magic. (The first time I heard this term was from former Panthers offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, who worked for the Saints before he came here after growing up in the voodoo hotbed of suburban Boston.)
2) Question the nature of the relationship. Did your girlfriend's father do this just to mess with you, or is there a more sinister intent? Presumably, if you're in a fantasy football league together, there's enough background to determine whether he actually wishes you ill or wants you around his daughter at all.
3) Actually, that's none of my business, go be happy.
4) Maybe if you stuff the towel inside one of those red plastic Razorback hats you people have down there and sage the room, the towel is salvageable.
5) Allow your girlfriend's dad to enjoy his moment during the regular season, since you, as a Panthers fan, get to lord playoff supremacy over him. (Since the Panthers ended the Cowboys' Super Bowl dynasty here in January 1997, they've won exactly four playoff games and advanced past the Wild Card round exactly zero times, including when the Panthers beat them in the 2003 playoffs.)
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A few weeks ago on the Happy Half Hour podcast, you mentioned a story about going under the stadium and hearing the roar from the crowd (and how nobody cares about stories like that; P.S. I do, and I'm sure other readers do as well). I love to hear stories like that where it's not about the game, it's about the inside information that you have regarding funny or interesting things that happen just while you're walking the halls of the stadium or on the trips to and from the airport. What is your most memorable story of something like that that the traditional media never cares about since it's not on the field? — Kevin, Mint Hill, NC
Appreciate that, Kevin, and we try to use places like this and the HHH (thanks for listening, spread the word) to fill in the blanks between all the "traditional" news about the team and it's people. And we can scatter more of these memories around (after 30 years, there are plenty, like the crumbs in my laptop), but last week brought back a perfect example of this.
We lost former director of player security JC Felder, after a long bout with Parkinson's. To call Felder a security guard undersells his role dramatically. He was part of the fabric of the team, as much as any player or coach (as long snapper JJ Jansen pointed out on Twitter).
An Army veteran and longtime Charlotte police officer (with the county and CMPD), JC lived a life of service. "There is nothing you could ask him to do that he wouldn't do," longtime equipment manager Don Toner said of his old friend.
And he did it with a smile on his face and left more in his wake. JC had the gift of making people safe, making people comfortable, and making people laugh. There are a million stories you could tell (I need to get Ryan Kalil to recreate Felder's star turn in his Charles Johnson tribute video), but former players remember the day he showed his blazing speed. Felder established his athleticism as well as his wisdom during his police days when he was chasing a suspect on foot who tried to climb a fence to escape. Felder calmly took two steps to the left, walked through the gate, and arrested the guy on the other side.
In the mid-2000s, John Fox kept things light by closing Friday practices with a 40-yard dash tournament among staffers. He stacked the early stages of the bracket for entertainment purposes, so Felder got paired up with former director of security Gene Brown. That part, we kind of expected.
What we didn't expect was Felder's entrance. He came out with theme music, wearing a rain parka like a wrestling robe and was decked out in white tights underneath. Players and coaches were losing it. He outran Brown (who went down with a calf strain in the first 10 yards), but the reaction from the team spoke to his impact around the place. (And seriously, give yourself a minute to watch that video with the sound on. Between the Chariots Of Fire music and the people laughing in the background, it's classic.) The next time Felder ran didn't go as well, but they honored his achievement with a pair of gold cleats anyway.
Former assistant athletic trainer Reggie Scott (now the Rams vice president of sports medicine and performance) won that tournament and summed up Felder's presence best: "He never had a bad day."
Felder also had the gift of treating everyone the same, whether you were a Pro Bowl player, an intern, or a sports writer. He and I had a lot of conversations on the sidelines after he let me in the gate: old police stories, Charlotte history, and updates on his family (clearly his favorite topic). He was actually the first person to recommend Brooks' Sandwich House to me, and I went there for a burger after the funeral and stood with the cops and the construction workers and the bankers and the lawyers, everyone the same around that communal table.
JC Felder was a man of the people and for the people, and everyone who met him misses him now.
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Good afternoon, Darin - my very much unprofessional take on the recent state of affairs of Panthers football: Weeks 12, 13 & 14 — three steps forward. Week 15 (vs. Cowboys) — four steps back.
In Sunday's highly anticipated home contest against Dallas, one in which we were favored for the first time since drafting QB Bryce Young, all we succeeded in doing was making the Cowboys look like serious Super Bowl contenders (OK, maybe that's a stretch). This was a game in which none of those cats looked like they could ball. Breaks my heart. It did appear that we may have escaped without any serious injuries, so there's that little ray of sunshine on our otherwise dark and cloudy day.
On a more personal note, it seemingly appears that the promise of livermush sandwiches that I made you earlier in the season based on our total number of wins has now suffered the proverbial stake through the heart. Perhaps we can come up with an alternate (and more readily attainable) wager. Truth be told, I was really looking forward to delivering on that deal. On a brighter, more positive note, here's to our guys winning out and launching us into an exciting off-season. I still love 'em and won't ever give up on them - including Bryce. I still believe he's our guy! And lastly, other than in Sunday's game, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Chuba "that cat" Hubbard can still ball. Viva la Carolina! — Jeff, Concord, NC
If there's anything I enjoy about this Mailbag more recently (other than the overwhelming sense of community and Jeff's generous offers of livermush), it's the phrase "That cat can ball" as it pertains to Chuba Hubbard.
He can, indeed, given the appropriate opportunity. And I think he'll get more; that one got away from them.
You spoke too soon on injuries. They had to put Trevin Wallace and his backup Claudin Cherelus on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, leaving them thin in the middle for the final two weeks.
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I don't want to sound more optimistic than I should, but in the past three weeks we have played even or better with three teams that should make the playoffs. With a little luck we could be 6-8 instead of 3-11. However, we would be a long shot to make the playoffs. So the 3-11 record vaults us closer to the top of the draft which means we get a shot sooner in each round to make a potential franchise-changing pick next spring. Furthermore, free agents may see that we are an up-and-coming team and be more apt to sign with us (if the money is even with other offers). What does our cap situation look like going into next year?
It's important to finish strong even if we lose a few places in the draft order. Do you think our recent progress is sustainable, and do you think the current momentum and a good draft class might propel us to the top of the NFC South next year? — Bob, Aurora, CO
It's possible. And this division just stays weird enough to make it a reasonable possibility. The NFC South just keeps NFC Southing.
The Panthers are, at the moment, holding a top-five pick. That creates the opportunity to acquire an impact player at some position. Before they use that pick, they'll spend money in free agency, and money is almost always the deciding factor in player decisions. The good news is, cap-wise they're in good position to be active in addressing some needs.
It's not wrong to think there are things happening here that players notice. The work environment is good. The infrastructure stuff that fans never see has gotten better. Canales has brought good energy. Players talk, so that kind of stuff can be a tiebreaker if the money's close.
But as Morgan said last week, the wins are the important thing, draft position will take care of itself. He was part of the 2002 team that used a late-season bounce to set the stage for greater things, and didn't suffer at all for drafting a little later. That's possible, but only if they do some things in the next three weeks to back up the earlier good work.
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Exams are lots of work — I had my APHUGE exam today and have my APUSH exam tomorrow, and then a math and science exam on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. To motivate me, how did JJ Jansen (at Notre Dame) balance such a tough academic workload and be one of the best players in the country at his position when he was in college? JJ is starting to become a Panthers legend in my mind because of this, among all else he has done on and off the field. — Zach, Charlotte
Class names are funny, and advanced placement human geography as APHUGE still cracks me up. When I was a kid, if somebody mentioned AP-HUGE around me, I'd have assumed they were making fun of me for being the smartest kid in the Husky section (one of the all-time euphemisms).
Jansen's flattered to be viewed as a role model for academic achievement, by the way.
"I always liked school, but I also knew that as a long snapper, having good grades was going to benefit my ability to make a team and be a valuable member of that team," he said.
JJ is a realist, and they don't teach that in school. Also, specialists, shall we say, have more free time than others, so there's plenty of time to study. Find yourself a job when you need to be perfect seven times a day and can otherwise eat sandwiches and entertain yourselves with parlor tricks. Of course, the being perfect at your job seven times a day part is the condition that allows all that free time, and not everyone can do it.
But the first step is time on task. Which means instead of reading the Mailbag, maybe you should GET BACK TO CLASS, ZACH.
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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.
Is it time to go draft a first-round running back who can play the whole game and get yards like DeAngelo Williams did, or do we draft a defensive end? — Shane, Rockwell, NC
Shane's out here trying to start a riot. I think the running back position is important, and you can't underfund it, but after spending money on Hubbard and the high pick on Jonathon Brooks this year, it's a hard sell to take one too high this year. They need the most help on defense, so that makes more sense in the first round.
I love reading your posts every week. My question is, have the Panthers considered using Feleipe Franks on short yardage/goal-line opportunities? He is a HUGE man and was a QB in college. I don't know anyone in the front office, but if you could pass along the idea to have him in short situations for a "Tush Push," it could pay dividends for the offense. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas! — Judd, Bluffton, SC
Feleipe is a man of many talents and has impressed as a special teamer. Not sure they're ready to take his career arc back to quarterback, but I love the thought experiment. I've got a better idea — next year, they should try that, but with Derrick Brown, he's even bigger.
I'M NOT A COWBOYS FAN. I'm writing to see if the Panther organization has done anything for the families who lost everything during Hurricane Helene. Western NC desperately desperately needs HELP. Christmas donations are needed for not only the children but their parents. Please help make a little happiness for the people in Western NC. Thank you, and God Bless. — Michelle, El Paso, TX
Thanks for clarifying that, Michelle; now we can be friends. But yes, from the Concert for the Carolinas to ongoing efforts (including Joy to the Carolinas, which continues through tonight), taking care of our neighbors has been at the forefront of the organization's mind this year.
As it should be for all of us, as we enter the holiday season. Make a difference where you live in whatever way you can.
That, and remembering to breathe, whether it's about the holidays or the results of ball games. It's the only way to get through the next couple of weeks.
