CHARLOTTE – Perry Fewell will make his debut as the Panthers interim head coach in Atlanta, but there are a few things he'll have to get done before the game kicks off on Sunday.
Before he watches one last film review, before he eats his traditional pregame meal, Fewell will start his game day the same way he always does.
"You might laugh when I tell you this. Maybe I shouldn't reveal this," Fewell said. "My pregame routine is yoga in the morning. I love a good hot yoga in the morning."
Fewell added the workout to his Sunday morning ritual five years ago when fellow NFL coach Bill Callahan suggested he find something to help him decompress. The two coached together in Washington. Since then, Fewell has tried a bit of everything, from yoga to tai chi.
Hot yoga is his go-to on game days, though, even when he has to create his own make-shift yoga studio on the road, like he will this weekend in Atlanta.
"I put a towel under the door of my hotel room, I cut up the heat and I turn on the YouTube and I go at it," Fewell explained.
With a day full of intense strategy and competition following his morning session, Fewell's peaceful headspace doesn't last long. After he finishes up, it's time to get his game face on.
"Then I get ornery. I get cranky and moody and I'm ready to go to battle," Fewell said. "I think it's because of the competition I'm getting ready to go against. I think I'm going into battle and it's us versus them, so that's an easy space to get into."
